At 16, before I took the written test for my driving permit, I spent two full days in my pickup truck, practicing driving obstacle courses of cones. My parents hoped those classes, on top of the required hours of on-road driver’s education, would keep me from becoming a teen driving statistic. I still caused a crash before I turned 18. That was in the 1990s, when Ohio high schools were shedding taxpayer-supported driving programs because the state no longer required them. Now, the high price of private, for-profit driving schools — some charging as much as $850 per student — is pushing many families to delay getting their teens behind the wheel until they turn 18, when state law no longer requires driver's training. Gov. Mike DeWine hopes to change that with a $50 million plan to bring driver’s ed back to schools and make Ohio roads safer. But will it work? — Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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State legislators in 1961 passed a law requiring all drivers under the age of 18 to go through driver's training before getting a license. (Rich Legg, Getty Images) |
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Driver’s ed: Gov. Mike DeWine’s plan calls for $20 million in 2025 and another $30 million in 2026 to fund voluntary grants for high schools to offer driver’s education, reports Cory Shaffer. The goal is to subsidize in-school driver training programs, making training more accessible and affordable for families. Brook Park: Some 14,000 people once clocked in for workat the Ford Motor Co. complex. Only about 1,800 are left. But make no mistake, reports Rich Exner, Brook Park is still proudly a blue-collar community. A quarter of the single-family homes in the city were built in 1959. Learning cursive: The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce recently updated its five-year-old guidance for school districts that want to teach handwriting and cursive. Some districts in Northeast Ohio are following it. In fact, some schools never stopped teaching penmanship, which research has found forces students to slow down, think about word spelling and sentence structure, Laura Hancock reports. Today in Ohio: When President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Department of Education dismantled, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was in the room. On Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast, we’re talking about how Ohio public schools could take another hit from DeWine and the Republican supermajority in the statehouse. |
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Medicaid requirement: About 585,000 Ohioans covered by 2014’s Medicaid expansion for low-income adults meet the eligibility criteria of a work requirement the state government is seeking to impose. The other 215,000 “require assessment,” reports Jake Zuckerman. Education Department: U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli of Ohio says he plans to introduce legislation that would codify the executive order that President Donald Trump signed to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. Sabrina Eaton reports the Salem Republican, who formerly served as president of the Leetonia Exempted Village School District Board of Education, says the state’s local school districts could use education dollars more efficiently than the Education Department. Bridge inspections: National safety officials are urging owners of four Northeast Ohio bridges to review their collapse risk from vessel collisions after the 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster. Anna Staver reports the recommendation for these “vulnerability assessments” for 68 bridges in 19 states came as part of the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into how a container ship struck a pier supporting the Key Bridge in Baltimore and caused its collapse. |
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Jailing policy: Cleveland has agreed to revise its policies regarding putting people in jail before they are charged, a move that involves using a city prosecutor to streamline the booking process, reports Lucas Daprile. Cuyahoga County and the city announced the changes Friday, a compromise that has, at least temporarily, ended an ongoing feud regarding uncharged inmates at the county jail. Budget cuts: On Friday, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne announced a hiring freeze and steep cuts, including to overtime in the jail, meant to counter a projected $25 million budget deficit and protect against an uncertain economy under the Trump Administration. But there are doubts about whether the savings are realistic – or if they’ll be enough, Kaitlin Durbin reports. Fatal crash: Three teens were involved in a single-car crash early Saturday morning in Geauga County and one of them was killed, Megan Sims reports. Food cuts: The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is bracing for a potential loss of millions of pounds of food because of the Trump administration’s funding cuts. Molly Walsh reports that 20 semi-truck loads of food deliveries appear to be canceled. Each truckload of food plays a vital role in serving the 424,000 individuals who relied on the food bank last year, including 100,000 first-time recipients. Peanut roundabout: A new peanut-shaped roundabout is doing more than keeping cars moving. It’s giving North Ridgeville drivers a reason to smile. Since December, drivers have gone nuts for the new intersection, designed to ease congestion where Mills Road and Avalon Drive meet Stoney Ridge Road, reports Hannah Drown. Adoption milestone: Adoption Network Cleveland on Thursday kicked off a four-day conference commemorating the 10-year anniversary of opening adoption records. Kaitlin Durbin reports the event is meant to bring together all those impacted by adoption and DNA testing to connect, learn more about their rights and share their experiences over the past 10 years. Our Best Life: Cars matter in our society, where Americans drive an average of more than 14,000 miles per year. But Laura Johnston never cared much until she got to mid-life and bought a Jeep Wrangler. |
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Measles case: The state’s first measles case of 2025 has been reported in Ashtabula County, reports Julie Washington. The person was unvaccinated and had contact with someone who had recently traveled internationally. Summa Health: An Akron grassroots organization on Friday challenged the proposed sale of Summa Health to a venture capital firm, stating that the $485 million price tag for Summa Health’s acquisition is less than the health system’s true value, Julie Washington reports. |
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Boy's death: A 23-year-old man is in custody after a 12-year-old boy died Saturday in what police believe involved “foul play," Cliff Pinckard reports. Anthony McCants, of Akron, was arraigned Saturday in Akron Municipal Court on one count of endangering children, a third-degree felony. Fishing crimes: Ten anglers on Lake Erie recently paid the price for “double tripping,” reports Peter Krouse. In Lake Erie, that’s when someone exceeds daily fish limits by going out on the water multiple times in one day. Fake body armor: A Stow businessman who admitted to selling fake body armor to police has agreed to pay back $32.4 million in restitution, reports Adam Ferrise. Vall Iliev, the owner of Shotstop Ballistics, faces a sentencing range of five years and 10 months to seven years and three months in prison for selling lower-caliber items he imported from China that he sold as top-grade, U.S.-regulated quality. Conviction overturned: An appeals court on Thursday overturned the conviction of a Cleveland man found guilty last year of a cold-case rape, reports David Gambino. Two out of three judges on a panel with the 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals ruled there was insufficient evidence to convict 36-year-old Robin McClain of raping a substantially impaired woman on March 1, 2010, in the city’s West Park neighborhood. Hit-and-run: A vehicle struck a woman and her 2-year-old child, who was sitting in a shopping cart, in the parking lot of a Parma grocery store, causing serious injuries to the young boy, Cliff Pinckard reports. Teen acquitted: A Cuyahoga County jury on Friday found 18-year-old Halie Sanchez not guilty of murder in the shooting death of a Cleveland man, David Gambino reports. Worship director charged: A director of worship at a Catholic church in Parma Heights has been accused of sex crimes involving children. Olivia Mitchell reports Andres Andino, 59, pleaded not guilty to charges in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Teacher charged: A long-term substitute teacher at Kenston Local Schools in Geauga County as been accused of child pornography, reports Olivia Mitchell. Bus attack: A 16-year-old boy is in custody after Cleveland police say he boarded a school bus and attacked two other students with brass knuckles, reports Olivia Mitchell. |
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Jonas Brothers: Tickets go on sale this month for the Nov. 11 Jonas Brothers concert in Cleveland. The “Jonas20: Living The Dream” tour celebrates the band’s 20-year journey from performing in malls to headlining stadiums across the world, Marc Bona reports. Fan Expo: The Cleveland Fan Expo drew thousands of pop culture enthusiasts to town this year, with many indulging uninhibitedly in their favorite fictional characters and meeting the actors who play them, Megan Sims reports. Orchestra schedule: The Cleveland Orchestra announced its 2025–26 season Sunday morning, marking 108 years of storied history and 24 years in an acclaimed partnership with music director Franz Welser-Möst, Peter Chakerian reports. The season begins in September and runs through May 2026 at Severance Music Center. Arcade: The Arcade on Detroit is scheduled to open in April, according to owner Dan Deagan, who operated Deagan’s Kitchen and Bar in the same space for 13 years, reports Paris Wolfe. When he closed Deagan’s in late 2023, new owners took over and created a concept known as Solstice, which closed in August 2024. Quilt show: Lake Metroparks Farmpark will showcase nearly 200 vibrant quilts at its Quilts 2025 event this spring. Quilts 2025, presented by Ohio-based sewing machine distributor Creative Stitches, starts on Friday. The exhibition is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through April 27, reports Alex Darus. |
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Cleveland area high school students hold mock congressional hearing on gun violence Read more Ohio harness driver to be honored at MGM Northfield Park after fatal racing accident in Pennsylvania Read more Middle school robotics teams bring need for speed to Polaris Palooza Read more Work proceeds on remaining two Middleburg Heights detention basins Read more Middleburg Heights traffic pole upgrades slated to be done by summer Read more Avon Lake set to see many city sidewalk improvements Read more Governor’s proposed budget could mean $1.5 million funding reduction for Medina City Schools Read more Next Step Up provides emergency housing in Medina County Read more |
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