The Ohio Constitution gives cities the “authority to exercise all powers of local self-government” so long as their ordinances are not in conflict with “general laws.” Therein lies the conflict, as the Republican supermajority legislature passes “general laws” that preempt cities’ rules – to regulate guns, minimum wage, puppy mills, fracking, plastic bags and more. As some of Ohio’s largest cities are electing young mayors pushing progressive policy agendas, conservatives in the Statehouse show little sign of stopping. The Ohio Municipal League identified nearly 75 proposed preemption bills since 2015, 18 of which have been signed into law. -- Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Demonstrators gather to protest a proposal to make it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution in downtown Columbus before marching to the statehouse. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com file photo) |
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Cities vs. state: Having secured historic supermajority control of the Statehouse, Republicans have increasingly focused over the last 20 years on telling cities – lone pockets of Democratic control in Ohio – what kinds of laws they can’t pass for themselves. These “preemption” laws are written by the conservative and overwhelmingly rural political power at the Ohio Statehouse to stymie policy choices of Ohio’s progressive cities that house most of the state’s population, reports Jake Zuckerman. Today in Ohio: Top Ohio Republicans backing a proposal to make it harder to change the Ohio Constitution have predicted a groundswell of voter participation in August, but privately they’re preparing for a typical tuned-out summer electorate. We’re talking about the hypocrisy in Issue 1 on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
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Transgender bathrooms: An advisory legal opinion from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost could bolster public facilities seeking to block transgender people from using bathrooms that align with their assumed gender identity. The conclusion from Yost, a Republican, offers legal backup for managers of public buildings who may roll out policies that block transgender people from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity, reports Jake Zuckerman. Issue 1: Ohio Republican officials broke from their recent precedent when they failed to include a brief description of the status quo in the ballot language for State Issue 1, opponents argue in a new legal filing. The new ballot language for State Issue 1, which is a proposal to make it harder to change the Ohio constitution, doesn’t describe the current standards, One Issue One says in its filing with the Ohio Supreme Court, Andrew Tobias reports. Legislator reprimand: The top Democrat in the Ohio House has reprimanded a Cleveland-area Democratic state legislator over his treatment of a cosmetologist at the Statehouse, reports Andrew Tobias. House Minority Leader Allison Russo said Tuesday she has ordered state Rep. Elliot Forhan, of South Euclid, to undergo implicit bias training and to meet with the cosmetologist after she complained to Russo’s office that she was the recipient of a “volatile, condescending, aggressive and fiery tirade” from Forhan. Warren Davidson: The potential Republican U.S. Senate field in Ohio has narrowed after Dayton-area U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson has decided not to seek the job. Davidson, of Troy, had made serious preparations to run for Senate, with his team arranging a campaign staff. But he informed supporters on Tuesday that he instead will run for re-election, reports Andrew Tobias. Baby products: A state Senate committee unanimously passed legislation Tuesday that would remove sales and use taxes on baby products like diapers, car seats and baby carriers, reports Jake Zuckerman. The legislation is part of a larger trend of states passing similar tax exemptions after the U.S. Supreme Court effectively gave them the right to limit or ban abortion. Debt ceiling: The budget deal that President Joe Biden struck with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to avert a government default by extending the debt ceiling until 2025 doesn’t look like a good deal to U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. Sabrina Eaton reports U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, a South Russell Republican who heads the centrist Republican Governance Group, was more enthused about the deal that would limit non-military spending for two years and increase work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and cash welfare without altering Medicaid’s requirements. Inmate-turned-lawyer: Damon Davis’ law career started in 2008 in front of a typewriter in a federal prison in Kentucky. He was serving a 52-month sentence for possession of cocaine when he came under the wing of an older inmate who taught him how to pore through trial transcripts, looking for appealable issues that could knock years off of other inmates’ sentences. Jake Zuckerman reports Davis now works as municipal trial counsel for the Hamilton County Public Defender’s office. |
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Rethinking childcare: Elizabeth Bailey found a job as a payroll specialist, where she felt supported and was on track for advancement. But after four months, barely untenable childcare costs had increased yet again and she was losing money going to work, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen. Bailey quit. She now takes care of the children full-time and her husband supports their family as the sole wage earner. Free childcare: Edwins Family Center – a free childcare facility – is the latest brainchild of Brandon Chrostowski, who founded Edwins Leadership Restaurant and Institute, the French restaurant in Shaker Square that hires and trains formerly incarcerated individuals. Marc Bona reports the center can accommodate as many as 22 children from infancy to age 11 and was made possible with more than $400,000 in donations for renovations. Controversial sermon: A priest at St. Raphael Parish in Bay Village is facing backlash after saying the church is “under attack” and referencing a pro-LGBTQ nonprofit in a sermon Sunday. Molly Walsh reports the Mass was interrupted when someone stood up and challenged the issue. Later, police were called to an incident outside of the house of worship. City taxes: A coalition of “participatory-budgeting” supporters have begun collecting signatures for a Cleveland charter amendment that would let city residents decide how to spend millions of dollars in taxpayer money, Courtney Astolfi reports. Habitat for Humanity: Cleveland could be setting aside $4.5 million to build 50 new houses in the city, reports Lucas Daprile. The money, which comes from the city’s allotment of American Rescue Plan Act dollars, would go to Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity. Legislation allocating the money passed the Development, Planning and Sustainability Committee during a Tuesday meeting. Heat wave: Fresh off Memorial Day weekend, forecasters say Clevelanders are in store for daily temperatures in the high 80s all week, ushering in the weather more associated with summer after last week’s low of 50 degrees. The National Weather Service is predicting 90s by Friday in Akron. Zachary Smith reports the higher temperatures are due to a high-pressure weather pattern in the area, which is causing dry and warm conditions across the region. Native nursery: Every plant sold at the new Meadow City Nursery in Collinwood was grown from a seed from a native plant collected by Julie Slater or her small team. The definition of native plant varies, but Meadow City has a strict interpretation that means a plant that grows in the wild in Northeast Ohio, with no influence from human breeding efforts, reports Susan Brownstein. Veterans Bridge: Cuyahoga County is opening the underside of the double-decker Veterans Memorial Bridge and Subway for two days in June, and officials want the public’s help in deciding what to do with the space going forward, reports Kaitlin Durbin. |
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Diebold: Diebold Nixdorf announced Tuesday that it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as part of a restructuring deal that the company and many of its creditors have already agreed upon, reports Sean McDonnell. The company, which makes ATMs and self-checkout machines, said in a news release that a significant amount of its creditors support the plan, which involves creditors getting equity in the company. Lawn service: A lawn-service app recently launched in the Cleveland-area that is designed to connect homeowners with local lawn-care professionals, reports Megan Sims. Over 400 Cleveland-area vendors have signed up for GreenPal, a Nashville-based company that gives homeowners the ability to list their lawns with a service date and lawn-care needs. Restaurant inspections: More than 1,100 Akron restaurants were cited during the most recent inspection year by the Summit County Health Department. But more than three-quarters of the cited locations received less than 10 citations, reports Zachary Smith. |
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Multiple shootings: Police and paramedics crisscrossed Cleveland during Memorial Day weekend, chasing shootings that killed two people and injured 21 in a span of three days, Olivia Mitchell reports. Nine victims were shot Friday, including a 15-year-old boy who died. Nine more were struck by bullets Saturday. Four people were hurt Monday, and one was injured Sunday. Police lawsuit: The family of a man who was fatally shot in the back by a Maple Heights police officer sued the city and the patrolman who shot the 22-year-old man. Adam Ferrise reports Da’Twuan Catchings’ parents said in the lawsuit that their son posed no threat to the officer, Terrance Duncan, before the shooting. Inmate escape: Summit County sheriff’s deputies are searching for an inmate after he escaped from officers Tuesday morning, reports Molly Walsh. Deputies were transporting Jason Lyle Conrad to Summa Health in Akron for a doctor’s appointment at about 8 a.m. when he escaped. Home fraud: A Northeast Ohio home-improvement contractor was ordered to pay more than $2 million in fines for defrauding 19 clients, reports Molly Walsh. Neil Wolfe and his business, Neil Construction, will have to pay $625,873 in restitution to 19 consumers for breaking state consumer protection laws at least 71 times, according to the attorney general’s office. |
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Keeping it real: How soon should you start merging when a lane is ending or closed on the freeway or road? Yadi Rodriguez writes that driving ahead of everyone until the last possible second to merge over is NOT cool. She wishes all drivers would band together and NOT let these drivers over. Ask Lucas: This week, Lucas Daprile answers a question about being anxious about turning 40. “When I get worried about aging, I just remember how stupid I used to be,” he writes. Aer Lingus: Cleveland Hopkins’ newest nonstop destination offers Europe on a short, easy, overnight flight. The new Aer Lingus flight was relatively comfortable, especially for the lucky 16 passengers in the lie-flat business-class seats at the front of the plane, a new Airbus 321Aneo. For coach, there was enough legroom, good service and amenities to make Susan Glaser an Aer Lingus enthusiast, including a super-speedy U.S. preclearance experience in Dublin, Ireland, which meant she didn’t have to go through customs when she flew back to Cleveland. RV Rocking: Family-run campgrounds have always held a special place in the hearts of Jeff and Patti Kinzbach. One local stop they’ve found their way to many times is Maple Lakes campground in Seville, Ohio. On this week’s episode of “Rocking the RV Life,” the Kinzbachs talk to the owners of the campground. |
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Man goes looking for ‘stolen property,’ comes back with gunshot wound Read more Lorain County man dies after car goes off road, crashes into tree Read more North Royalton approves $1.5 million plan to renovate Mr. Divot’s Sports Park on York Road Read more Cleveland Heights plans traffic change for early going of Marquee at Cedar Lee project Read more Financing agreement in the wings for Van Aken District’s Arcadia development Read more Stephen Kilo to continue earning more than $131,900 as Strongsville HR director in retirement Read more |
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