GOP ads: National Republicans are getting involved in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race, as they direct resources away from higher-priority states and try to help J.D. Vance’s overcome a fundraising disadvantage against Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan. Andrew Tobias reports One Nation, a non-profit organization with close ties to Republican U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, will spend $3.8 million on TV and radio ads in Ohio.
School safety: As students prepare to return to school, Gov. Mike DeWine announced that 1,183 schools in 81 counties will receive nearly $47 million for physical security enhancements such as security cameras, public address systems and automatic door locks. The state will also hire 16 mobile field trainers, who will work with districts that permit teachers to carry guns, reports Kaylee Remington.
Corruption case: Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to sanction ex-lobbyist Matt Borges, who is charged with bribery in the Ohio House Bill 6 corruption case, for using his legal defense website to publish the personal information of a key witness in the government’s case, Andrew Tobias reports.
METRO
Watson report: The 16-page report from NFL Disciplinary Officer Sue Robinson said Deshaun Watson is guilty of the sexual misconduct he was accused of by massage therapists. The six-game suspension was pulled back by precedent, but not by evidence, writes columnist Doug Lesmerises.
Fan reactions: Many Browns fans expected a far harsher penalty for quarterback Deshaun Watson. John Tucker reports that some Clevelanders were angry, equating Robinson’s punishment to a slap; others said they were prepared to move forward. John Tucker talks to Browns fans, including Watson superfans.
Health center: The total cost of proposed improvements to the Global Center for Health Innovation grew from $46 million to $54 million on Tuesday, but Cuyahoga County Council is limiting its contribution to $40.4 million, for now, Kaitlin Durbin reports.
Electric vehicles: The city of Cleveland’s Department of Public Utilities is looking to install $1.4 million in electric vehicle charging stations as part of its transition to an all-electric vehicle fleet. Courtney Astolfi reports the city’s three utilities count hundreds of vehicles among their fleet, but the city has already ordered its first batch of all-electric vehicles: 24 SUVs, pickup trucks and other replacements.
Billboard: E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home, the oldest Black-owned funeral home in Greater Cleveland, is trying to raise awareness about inner-city violence with its most recent billboard, reports Alexis Oatman. The funeral home has been working with local families since it opened its doors in 1905. As the decades have gone by, violence has gone up, and it’s time someone addressed the issue of inner-city youth violence, said Marcella Boyd Cox, vice president and chief of community engagement.
Saving butterflies: We don’t know exactly how much the monarch butterfly population has fallen or what part of its short but wide-ranging life cycle is most dangerous to its survival as a species. One well-known factor, however, is that monarch caterpillars can only eat milkweed leaves, and adult monarchs rely on nectar from native wildflowers for feeding. Susan Brownstein writes that most of us grew up viewing the ideal garden as a collection of plants from around the world, cultivated to maximize their appeal to humans and withstand local conditions. As a result, butterfly habitat is shrinking.
COVID-19 & HEALTHCARE
Mental health: Unprecedented demand and a sparse employee pipeline are adding stress to Ohio’s already strained behavioral health system, reports Eye on Ohio. From 2013 to 2019, demand for behavioral health services rose 353% statewide, and in 2021, providers reported a 70% hike in need for adult and youth mental health services and a 60% increase in need for addiction services.
Biden COVID: President Joe Biden’s second round of COVID-19 has many wondering if rebound infections are a unique feature of the antiviral drug Paxlovid that the president was taking. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports that a Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine study found that rebound infections are not unique to Paxlovid.
BUSINESS
Marathon profits: Marathon Petroleum said Tuesday its per barrel profit margin for oil tripled during the second quarter, when gas prices reached nearly $5 a gallon. Sean McDonnell reports that overall, Marathon Petroleum reported an adjusted net income of $5.7 billion for the second quarter, up from $437 million in the second quarter of 2021.
Church Residences: A senior-living high-rise on the East Side has a new name and much, much more - like updated kitchens and bathrooms - after a multi-year renovation. Megan Sims reports that National Church Residences, a Christian-based organization aimed at creating communities for seniors around the country, has completed a $34 million renovation of Antioch Towers, now Carnegie Towers, with millions of dollars in federal loans and tax credits.
CRIME
Shane Bartek: The most damning witness against Tamara McLoyd in her trial on murder charges in the slaying of off-duty Cleveland police officer Shane Bartek was McLoyd herself, both prosecutors and defense attorneys told jurors Tuesday. Cory Shaffer reports jurors watched video and heard recorded jail calls of McLoyd confessing three separate times to killing Bartek during a botched carjacking at his Rocky River Drive apartment complex. Jurors will return today to begin deliberations.
Ponzi scheme: A former Westlake financial adviser who stole $9.3 million from dozens of mostly elderly clients, some of whom died before seeing him convicted, will spend the next 21 years in prison. Adam Ferrise reports Raymond Erker, 51, of Avon Lake, stole from widows, family members, friends, police officers, machinists and lawyers in a Ponzi scheme he ran after initially lying about the way he invested money from 54 clients.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Giving book: Marcy Campbell penned her new book “The More You Give” in response to Shel Silverstein’s popular, divisive children’s book “The Giving Tree.” Annie Nickoloff reports the book focuses on ideas around delayed gratification, kindness and family – a marked departure from themes of giving and taking that dominate the story in Silverstein’s 1964 classic.
Football HOF: The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducts its Class of 2022 on Saturday. But Joey Morona reports that the ceremony is only part of the fun. Enshrinement Week is packed with events that bring NFL fans from across the country and more than 100 Hall of Famers to Canton.
