Ohio Republicans last year aimed to make the state constitution harder to change. But voters overwhelmingly rejected the attempt in a special election last August. Now, as Republicans complain that Democrats are too eager to amend the constitution with progressive policies, GOP Sen. Lou Blessing thinks maybe they should make it more enticing for organizers to instead pass voter-approved laws. Blessing has introduced a bill that would decrease the number of signatures needed to put a proposed law on the ballot. The bill would also make it much harder for lawmakers to change a voter-approved law. With a few weeks left of a lame duck legislature, will they agree on a compromise? — Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Ohio State Sen. Lou Blessing at the 2024 State of the State address in Columbus. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com |
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Voter laws: Under SJR5, citizens only need to gather signatures from 3% of voters, down from the current 6%, to get a proposed law on the ballot (a constitutional amendment requires 10%). If they succeed, and their proposal passes by a majority vote, lawmakers can’t change or repeal it for two years, unless three-fifths of legislators and the governor agree. Kids and guns: More teenagers are carrying guns, reports Lucas Daprile. As the pandemic subsided, firearm deaths rose to be the No. 1 cause of death for youths in America. Said one expert: “It really does seem like it is easier to get an illegal firearm in the city of Cleveland than it is to get a job or stable housing or even childcare for your children.” Today in Ohio: The Today in Ohio news podcast will return on Monday. |
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Bathroom bill: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that he has signed into law a bill to require transgender students at most K-12 schools and colleges in the state to only use bathrooms and locker rooms based on their biological sex at birth, Jeremy Pelzer reports. Rare liquors: Often rare bottles of liquor are snapped up by “flippers” to illegally resell on the secondary market at drastically inflated prices, leaving little to no chance for ordinary Ohioans hoping to drink some themselves. One Ohio legislator wants to require liquor store workers to open and immediately re-seal “allocated” bottles of limited-release, selectively distributed bourbons. That way, potential customers won’t want to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to a flipper for a bottle of liquor that’s already been opened. School vouchers: The public education community across the country, has been buzzing after voters in three states rejected private school vouchers at the ballot box on Nov. 5, reports Laura Hancock. At least one expert believes that there’s a good chance that public school advocates here will organize a campaign around a ballot issue if the legislature continues to increase spending on school vouchers. |
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Less plastic: Case Western Reserve University has replaced its plastic take-out containers with metal, returnable bowls, thus greatly reducing the amount of single-use plastic on campus, reports Peter Krouse. Food banks: Northeast Ohio food banks are working hard to meet their annual surge in demand, reports Hannah Drown. This year, the challenge feels heightened as inflation and rising living costs continue to exacerbate food insecurity. Memorial mural: A green dinosaur now floats among clouds in North Olmsted’s Water Tower Square, where family and friends gatheredlast week to dedicate a new mural honoring the memory of 3-year-old Julian Wood. Hannah Drown reports the community came together to honor the preschooler, who was fatally stabbed in the Giant Eagle parking lot. Our Best Life: As kids, friends taught us how to communicate, how to share, how to treat others the way we’d like to be treated. They helped us figure out who we were and who we wanted to be. Laura Johnston believes friends are imperative to adults, too. Football traditions: Like turkey, the Dallas Cowboys are an American Thanksgiving tradition. But Ohioans top the nation in disliking watching the team, reports Zach Mentz. In a totally unscientific survey analyzing the sentiment of social media, the website Betway Insider found that 68% of Ohio social posts that mentioned both the holiday and the Cowboys were negative. |
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Breast cancer: Mortality rates for breast cancer have fallen statewide and nationally in recent decades as medical advances in imaging and screening allowed doctors to detect and diagnose more cancers. Still, the disease makes up about 15% of the new cancer cases in Cuyahoga County. Olivia Mitchell reports that Black women face the highest rate of mortality, mainly because they have the highest risk of triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Senior homeowners: Cuyahoga County seniors struggling to pay their property taxes may now qualify for up to $10,000 in relief to help them remain in their homes, Kaitlin Durbin reports. Type 1 diabetes: Katherine Hegedorn was the first patient in Northeast Ohio to receive the first FDA-approved drug, Tzield, which can delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes and the need for insulin for up to three years, reports Julie Washington. The delay is important because the disease often appears in young patients who struggle to manage their condition. Retail outlook: Retailers are forecasting sales to keep up with inflation, perhaps even beating the rise in prices. In other words, they expect you to set aside any economic concerns and spend a lot of money, reports Megan Sims. |
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Police shooting: An Akron police officer shot and killed a 15-year-old Maple Heights youth who was carrying a loaded gun Thursday night, authorities say. The office of the Summit County medical examiner said late Friday night that Jazmir Tucker died in the shooting. Disbarment: The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday disbarred a Cleveland attorney who has been disciplined in the past, reports Sean McDonnell. Carolyn Kaye Ranke mismanaged client funds, missed court deadlines and made false statements in legal filings, according to the Supreme Court’s written opinion. Jail food: Cuyahoga County Council has named Summit Food Service, LLC, as its new provider of food at the jail, Kaitlin Durbin reports. Sheriff reappointed: Cuyahoga County Sheriff Harold Pretel was unanimously reappointed Tuesday to a four-year term, offering a sense of stability in the leadership role that the county hasn’t experienced since at least 2019, Kaitlin Durbin reports. Parma shooting: Two teens were shot in an “unprovoked” attack in Parma on Friday night, Megan Sims reports. |
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Christmas bars: The idea of Christmas pop-up bars has exploded into a phenomenon. From HolidayLand to Grinchmas, Alex Darus lists 33 different holiday pop-up bars across Northeast Ohio to check out before we ring in the New Year. LGBTQ history: For decades, Lakewood has been recognized as one of the friendliest places for queer people to both live and go out socially in Northeast Ohio, Zachary Smith reports. But when did the first suburb west of Cleveland start seeing that shift and why has it persevered to today? Tree lighting: Cleveland ushered in the holiday season Saturday, as hundreds of people filled Public Square for the city’s annual tree lighting, Kaylee Remington reports. Holiday beer: Cheers! Marc Bona shares a review on 16 holiday brews from across the region. |
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Former Ohio State quarterback trolls Buckeyes after loss vs. Michigan football Read more Vice President-elect JD Vance issued a statement to the Ohio State seniors Saturday after a fourth straight loss against Michigan football Read more Redesigned Brecksville-Broadview Heights Schools campus might include new soccer/lacrosse stadium Read more North Ridgeville school teacher charged with stalking former boyfriend, authorities say Read more Mayfield High program that prepares students for in-demand jobs gets state recognition Read more |
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