In March, Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens opposed a plot to hold a special August election to make it harder for voters to amend the state constitution. Now he could bring the issue to a floor vote this week. Anti-abortion and gun rights lobbyists are behind the two-pronged plan, which would require a 60% majority to change the constitution, in time to defeat an abortion rights amendment on the November ballot. Lobbyists say they have the 59 votes needed to put the question to voters in August and a dark money campaign has begun. Monday, five former Ohio attorneys general joined four former Ohio governors in opposing the Republican plan. “The 60% proposal is bad for Ohio and the General Assembly should not place this proposal on the ballot; but if they do, Ohio voters should reject this effort to change a fundamental element of our state constitution that has been in effect for more than 100 years,” the attorneys general wrote. If the vote passes the House, the path is clear for an election that costs $20 million to be held when many Ohio voters are not paying attention. -- Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
Guardians at New York Yankees: Guardians rally in a flash to beat Yankees, 3-2, in ninth inning Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Will Northeast Ohio see more snow today? |
|
|
Five former chief Ohio prosecutors have joined four former governors in opposing the effort intended to make it harder for abortion rights advocates to succeed in an effort to pass a measure in November that would enshrine reproductive rights in Ohio’s Constitution. (cleveland.com file photo) |
|
|
Constitution conflict: A bipartisan group of former Ohio attorneys general want Ohio General Assembly members to halt a drive by the legislature’s Republican majority to make it harder to change the Ohio Constitution, reports Sabrina Eaton. Republicans Betty Montgomery, Jim Petro, and Democrats Richard A. Cordray, Lee I. Fisher and Nancy H. Rogers sent a letter Monday that urges Ohio General Assembly members to drop plans for a low-turnout August special election to vote on the proposal, saying it would “discard a commitment to majority rule that has been part of our Ohio Constitution since 1912.” Cleveland Foundation: Lillian Kuri, an architect, arts advocate, daughter of Lebanese immigrants and one of the most respected civic leaders in Northeast Ohio, will design the future of the Cleveland Foundation as its president and CEO. Steven Litt reports that Kuri, 53, who joined the foundation in 2005 and now serves as its executive vice president and chief operating officer, will take over for Ronn Richard on Aug. 1. Today in Ohio: Sports betting has generated millions of dollars in revenue, but the Ohio Lottery’s piece of the pie is so small that its been a losing proposition for both regulators and state coffers. We’re talking about how the lottery’s share of the revenue isn’t enough to cover its costs on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily news podcast.
|
|
|
Rest stops: Over the next few years, 33 of Ohio’s 83 rest stops will get new buildings playing Ohio-themed music and with displays highlighting attractions up the road. Jeremy Pelzer reports the cost to taxpayers for all of this work is not clear, but a new Preble County rest area, as well as work on two other renovated rest areas that finished in 2019, cost a combined $15 million. |
|
|
West Side Market: The four freight elevators broke at the West Side Market recently, forcing several vendors to close for the day, reports Paris Wolfe. Some vendors cite the facility problem as an example of why the market needs city investment, whether this comes from ARPA dollars or other sources. Toxic spots: Medina County hosts 26 facilities that reported toxic releases in 2021 to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, reports Zachary Smith. Combined, these facilities released 666,637 pounds of 39 different toxic chemicals into the environment, a decrease of over 200,000 pounds from 2020, during the first year of the pandemic, when some operations might have slowed. Homelessness: The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless reaches out nearly daily to help the unhoused with food, blankets, tents, clothing or basic medical care, the group says. Cuyahoga County gave the organization $150,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money, but made clear it was a one-time infusion. Kaitlin Durbin reports the group is hoping the county will change its mind and fund outreach full-time, especially given Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne’s recent commitment to create a new Department of Housing and develop a strategic plan to decrease homelessness 25% by 2027. Cleveland’s Promise: Almira Elementary School’s boys after-school club has met for about four years, striving to help develop young minds and guide the boys through their childhood and adolescence. Cameron Fields reports the program teaches about finances, leadership skills and social emotional learning. |
|
|
Betting rebound: Ohio’s sports betting industry bounced back in March, taking in more bets compared to February but not reaching the highs seen when legal gambling was first launched in the state. In March, $738.6 million were bet on sports, up from $639.8 million in February, Sean McDonnell reports. The record, so far, was the $1.1 billion bet on sports in January. Dangerous jobs: What are the most dangerous jobs in Ohio, with the highest chance of work-related injuries and illnesses? Jobs in nursing and residential-care facilities take the top two spots in Ohio, reports Zachary Smith. Shop local: Support local businesses during National Small Business Week, now through Saturday, and be eligible for prizes. The Council of Smaller Enterprises has created a passport noting 12 actions to prompt shopping locally, Paris Wolfe reports. |
|
|
'The View': Two gunshot victims were hospitalized over the weekend after police say early-morning chaos erupted under the Abbey Street Bridge in Tremont, where young people cause disturbances. Police already consider the parking lot known as “The View,” sandwiched between the western bank of the Cuyahoga River, a set of railroad tracks and the West 14th Street interchange off Interstate 90, a trouble spot, reports John Tucker. Police lawsuit: A man shot by a Cleveland police officer working off-duty at a Giant Eagle on Cleveland’s West Side sued the city and the grocery store chain. Adam Ferrise reports Melvin Robertson accused officer Robert Taylor of negligence and using excessive force; Taylor was involved in three other police shootings during his 23-year career. Motorcycle crash: A Valley View woman died Saturday evening in a motorcycle accident in Brooklyn Heights, reports Molly Walsh. Savannah Kapis, 18, was driving a 2017 Yamaha westbound on West Granger Road when she veered off the right side of the roadway and struck the curb, police say. |
|
|
Kids Film It: The seventh annual Kids Film It Festival attracted over 100 submissions from filmmakers ages 8 to 18 from all over the world. Joey Morona reports the best of the best in three categories (short film, music video and animation) were selected by a panel of judges that included film producer Todd Lieberman (“The Fighter”), TV director Marc Buckland (“Santa Clarita Diet”) and NBC News producer Aaron Brownlee (“The Today Show with Hoda & Jenna”). Miss Hickory’s: Miss Hickory’s Tea Room is housed in a restored 1880s farmhouse bordering the Rocky River at Strongsville’s edge. That may be why Miss Hickory's was recently ranked by Yelp Cleveland reviewers as the best tea room in Greater Cleveland, report Yadi Rodriguez and Brenda Cain. RV Rocking: Since April 2022, Jeff and Patti Kinzbach have traveled from Nova Scotia to California in their RV. In this week’s episode of the “Rocking the RV Life” podcast, the Kinzbachs share their thoughts on what they love or dislike about their Class A Newmar Kountry Star motorhome. |
|
|
1 dead, 2 injured in shooting in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood Read more Man, 68, found dead in apartment fire in Elyria Read more Cleveland man killed while fighting in Ukraine, reports say Read more Solon School District mourns sudden death of high school teacher Crystal Cespedes Read more Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities working toward a more inclusive community Read more Solon council grants variance for dessert shop’s outdoor freezer -- with contingencies Read more Patrons check out new Westlake Porter Public Library Makerspace and Book Nook Read more Arbor Day tree giveaway at Avon Lake school plants seeds of environmental awareness Read more Strongsville rejects lone bid for Whitney Road bridge reconstruction Read more Lordstown Motors warns it is in danger of going out of business Read more Avon Lake residents talk trash in city forum on garbage contracts Read more An item in Monday's Wake Up newsletter listed nurses as involved in a strike authorization vote at the Cleveland Clinic's Lutheran Hospital. Registered nurses are not part of the contract. |
|
|
NEW! DINE DRINK CLE NEWSLETTER |
Get the latest news about Cleveland’s restaurant and bar scene. The latest on openings, closings, tastings and other events, plus features, guides, and recommendations from our team of writers and critics. Click here to sign up. |
|
|
Want the top headlines but don't have time to read? Listen to cleveland.com’s Today in Ohio podcast on Spotify, Google or Apple Podcasts. |
|
|
WANT TO SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER WITH A FRIEND? |
Did someone share this newsletter with you? Click here to never miss a day! |
|
|
To contact the newsrooms for any of our publications regarding technical support, news tips, classified ads and other inquiries, please click here. |
|
|
| Prom 2023: Photo Galleries Access our professional galleries with your Cleveland․com subscription or Day Pass. |
|
|
INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING
OR SPONSORING OUR NEWSLETTERS? |
|
|
You received this email because you opted in to the newsletter. To ensure receipt of our emails, please add newsletters@update.cleveland.com to your address book or safe sender list. 4800 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn OH 44144 Contact us | Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy |
|
|
|
