The two-year Ohio budget is due by the end of June, and the state Senate and House are currently working out the differences in their priorities in a conference committee. They have plenty of conflicting budget items when it comes to Northeast Ohio. The Senate aims to repeal part of a law passed just six months ago that allowed Cuyahoga County to create, with voters’ permission, a tax on vaping products that mirrored the county’s existing tax on cigarettes. The Senate also removed funding in the House’s budget plan for more than a dozen Northeast Ohio organizations, including $62 million for a “land bridge” connecting Cleveland’s downtown and lakefront, plus money for the The Centers in Cuyahoga County, the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The chamber also reduced House-passed funding levels for other organizations, arguing they could instead seek money from $1 billion in grants the Senate budget proposes. But the Senate wants to give money to the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center’s Human Trafficking Drop-in Center, Cleveland State University to help young adults who have aged out of foster care, the Cleveland Water Alliance’s Sustainable Water Technologies Initiative, YWCA of Greater Cleveland’s Early Learning Center and more. Also on the table: $2 million for public aspects of Bedrock’s plan to create a mixed-use development between Tower City and the Cuyahoga River. -- Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
Guardians vs. Oakland A's: Guardians rally behind Josh Bell home run, Myles Straw triple to sweep A’s with 6-1 win Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Rain, warmer weather expected |
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The latest plans as of May, 2023 for Bedrock's Cleveland riverfront project at Tower City Center are seen in this file photo. The Ohio Senate's budget would provide $2 million for public aspects of the proposed redevelopment, such as parks and sewer/water infrastructure. (Courtesy Bedrock, Adjaye Associates) |
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Senate budget: The Ohio Senate’s budget plan includes a number of proposals aimed at Northeast Ohio, including giving $2 million for a proposed massive redevelopment project in downtown Cleveland and revoking state authority for Cuyahoga County to tax vaping products, reports Jeremy Pelzer. Childcare cliff: A Century Foundation report estimates 2,111 childcare programs could close and 135,000 children could lose access to childcare in Ohio because billions in federal subsidies for childcare providers are set to run out in September, reports Zachary Smith. The $40 billion package was part of the American Rescue Plan aimed to help childcare facilities pay wages, lower tuition and expand services during the pandemic. Today in Ohio: With two days to go before the first wave of early voting begins for the Aug. 8 election, Ohio elections officials are scrambling to reprint and reprogram ballot language to correct an error made by state officials. We’re talking about the latest snafu in the push to make the Ohio Constitution harder to change on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Larry Householder: Federal prosecutors asked a judge Thursday to put Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder in prison for 16-20 years. Invoking his abuse of the public trust, likening him to the “quintessential mob boss,” and accusing him of “dishonesty” at trial, prosecutors say the Glenford Republican should broach the legal maximum, Jake Zuckerman reports. Anti-tobacco policies: Public health experts and anti-cancer lobbyists are warning that the Ohio Senate’s budget proposal will needlessly weaken Ohio’s anti-tobacco laws, reports Jake Zuckerman. They say a toothless version of a prohibition on flavored e-cigarette sales, coupled with a “preemption” rule that would block Ohio’s progressive cities from passing local tobacco laws stricter than those set by conservative state lawmakers, would together reverse years of progress cutting down on tobacco use. East Palestine: The fire chiefs whose departments were the first on scene of February’s fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio agree that firefighters need more training about hazardous chemicals but it would be hard for them ever to be fully prepared to deal with a disaster of that magnitude. The National Transportation Safety Board is holding a two-day field hearing in East Palestine on the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment. |
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Police oversight: A Cleveland police policy, reinforced through an internal memo disseminated last month, bars officers from filing complaints against fellow officers through the city’s civilian oversight board, John Tucker reports. A prominent attorney is questioning the legality of such a directive, arguing that it runs counter to a recent charter amendment approved by voters and that it chills free speech. Passports: Routine U.S. passport renewals, as well as new passport applications, are taking as long as 13 weeks to complete, reports Susan Glaser. COVID-19, not surprisingly, is being blamed for the passport logjam, with a record number of applications flooding the department last year when travel came roaring back. The agency issued nearly 22 million passports in 2022, with another record expected in 2023. Drought: Thanks to a continued smattering of rain throughout the week, Ohio drought conditions have begun to improve, with only 32.94% of the state now in a moderate drought, reports Zachary Smith. The U.S. Drought Monitor report is down from 76% last week. New apartments: The 23-story City Club Apartments in downtown Cleveland marked the final stages of construction Thursday with a topping off ceremony attended by project representatives and city officials. Paris Wolfe reports the nearly completed 304-unit structure might welcome residents by this fall. |
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Rainbow gift: An Akron man’s gift of $15 million will establish a special fund for advanced pediatric care at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, reports Julie Washington. The gift from Robert J. Jursich Sr. and his late wife Marthe Jursich will establish the Robert and Marthe Jursich Care for Children Fund. Cable internet: Few things are more infuriating than negotiating a bill with your cable provider. And what makes it even worse is that for many people, said cable provider is your only option for high-speed internet. But in the past year or so, things have changed. Cell-phone networks like T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T are using their 5G networks to introduce competition into the internet market. And it could save you money, Sean McDonnell writes in his Saving You Money column. COVID numbers: After weeks of steady declines, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio moved upward slightly, from 1,228 last week to 1,301 this week. Prior to this week, the weekly case number had fallen every week since May, from a recent high of 9,325 on March 2, reports Julie Washington. The high this year was 13,895 on Jan. 5. |
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Dog deaths: Before authorities discovered 146 dead dogs at a Mantua home owned by an animal rescue shelter founder, Parma police found a dozen more dead dogs at her home in that city, Molly Walsh reports. Barbara Wible, who runs Canine Lifeline Inc., is charged with animal cruelty, a fifth-degree felony, according to Parma Municipal Court records. |
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Sidetrack: The Sidetrack Tavern on the border of Cleveland and Lakewood is closing its doors for good on July 2, reports Paris Wolfe. '90s nostalgia: The “Hot Summer Nights” package tour that stopped at Blossom Music Center on Wednesday brought three acts who all got their starts in the 1990s - En Vogue, TLC and Shaggy, plus a youth injection from singer Sean Kingston. And though groups with 30-year-old hits may seem like an evening of Gen-Xers reliving high school and college days, Malcolm X Abram reports the near-full amphitheater was a fun all-ages mix of friends, couples, families and folks from a variety of backgrounds and generations. Things to do: The first weekend of summer features a variety of things to do, from the return of some of your favorite annual events to exciting concerts, theatrical performances and more. Joey Morona reports the Cleveland Museum of Art’s signature summer Solstice party is bursting with music and art, plus 14 other things to do. |
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Man shot to death in Cleveland’s St. Clair-Superior neighborhood, police say Read more Tri-City Bark Park pavilion slated for construction soon Read more Tri-C JazzFest offers plenty of live free music with outdoor performances at Playhouse Square Read more University Heights council to hold special meeting to vote on newest member; Brennan critical of council following recent meeting Read more Lakewood Police Chief Kevin Kaucheck retiring later this month Read more Brooklyn unveils new pedestrian bridge in Lower Veterans Memorial Park Read more Parma City Schools superintendent interviews with Akron schools Read more |
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