Student loans: President Joe Biden is reportedly considering canceling $10,000 of federal student loan debt for individual borrowers earning less than $150,000 yearly or $300,000 for married couples who file joint tax returns. Sabrina Eaton reports that payments on federally held student loans were paused in March 2020 as part of coronavirus relief efforts, with interest rates set at zero percent.
Abortion travel: University research shows Ohio women would have to travel up to 339 miles and could spend $400 or more on driving expenses if the state outlaws abortion, reports Laura Hancock.
Formula: Gov. Mike DeWine has tweaked a state nutrition program’s rules to try to make it easier for lower-income mothers to get baby formula amid a national product shortage. Andrew Tobias reports DeWine announced changes to Ohio’s Women and Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program, a federally funded program that provides free baby formula and food to over 164,000 children and women.
Solar panels: Some of the measures that the Biden administration announced Monday to promote more widespread solar energy adoption will benefit China’s state-subsidized solar industry, advocates of building more solar panels in Ohio say. The Biden Administration announced it would authorize the use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) to accelerate domestic production of clean energy technologies, including solar panel parts. It also said it would ban new tariffs for two years on solar panels imported from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Sabrina Eaton reports.
Senate appointment: Ohio Senate Democrats have chosen a retired electrician with no experience holding public office to fill a vacant state senate seat in Cleveland. Dale Martin, a 66-year-old resident of Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood, will replace former senator Sandra Williams, Andrew Tobias reports.
METRO
Jail conditions: Cuyahoga County Jail officials have been adamant that they need a new facility on a site outside of downtown to meet state standards for care and to improve working conditions for staff. But the building’s other tenants, including city and county judges, prosecutors, probation, and ancillary offices, are divided over a potential move. Kaitlin Durbin tours the complex, with photos by Dave Petkiewicz.
Jail sued: A former Cuyahoga County Jail inmate sued the county Monday, saying mistreatment at the detention facility led him to fall into a weeklong coma and eventually have two fingers partially amputated, Adam Ferrise reports. Marvin Robinson, 27, was placed in an isolated cell without water and suffered severe injuries after a guard slammed a door on his hand, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland.
Demolition funds: Cleveland City Council is expected to pass legislation directing millions in COVID-19 stimulus money to demolishing abandoned buildings, Lucas Daprile reports. The $15 million, however, will not be enough to demolish all of the abandoned and blighted buildings in the city. According to a 2021 analysis of housing data, the city needed $78 million to demolish 3,600-plus properties that are likely to need demolition.
Streets changes: A renewed effort to make Cleveland streets safer, improve amenities for multi-modal transportation, and include more environmentally-friendly features in street design was approved Monday night by City Council. Courtney Astolfi reports the city’s new standards are intended to make streets safer for all users – something advocates say is particularly important in Cleveland, where a large slice of residents don’t drive or have cars.
Black women commission: Cleveland will create a Commission on Black Women and Girls to study and propose solutions to poor health, education and economic outcomes faced by a large swath of city residents. Courtney Astolfi reports the idea was sponsored by Mayor Justin Bibb, and Deborah Gray and Stephanie Howse, council’s two Black women members.
Wondolowski: Labor leader Dave Wondolowski is resigning his seat on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections this week to accept a position on the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority board. Kaitlin Durbin reports the resignation is required to avoid violating the rules of the port authority board, stipulating members cannot hold another public office.
Bridge age: More than half of Ohio’s bridges in use today date to before 1990. This may be part of the reason that so many - more than 2,400 bridges - are rated in poor condition, reports Zachary Smith in the fourth part of a cleveland.com series examining bridge conditions.
COVID-19 & HEALTHCARE
Mental health: A survey shows about 70% of public schools nationally have seen a rise in the percentage of students seeking mental health services since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Julie Washington. But only 56% of public schools report they are able to effectively provide mental health services to all students in need. Northeast Ohio schools follow the national trend.
CRIME & COURTS
Deshaun Watson: The 24th civil suit against Deshaun Watson by massage therapist alleging sexual misconduct during appointments has been filed by lawyer Tony Buzbee, reports Mary Kay Cabot. News of the filing broke while Deshaun Watson was preparing to tee off in the Cleveland Browns Foundation Golf Tournament at Westwood Country Club in Rocky River.
Child victim: A woman has been arrested after she accidentally shot her 10-year-old nephew Monday inside of a home in the city’s St. Clair-Superior neighborhood, police said. Olivia Mitchell reports an investigation by police indicates the child’s aunt was handling a firearm before a round went off, going through the ceiling and into a bedroom, ricocheting off a mirror and striking the child in the head.
Murder charge: A 60-year-old Cleveland man is charged in the 2020 slaying of a woman who was found lying in the street with a gunshot wound to her head, reports Cory Shaffer.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Shooters anniversary: On June 18, 1987, Shooters hosted a grand-opening party on the West Bank of the Flats. The party hasn’t stopped, as the political football of waterfront development in Cleveland continues to spark debate, reports Marc Bona.
