Gov. Mike DeWine opened the first State of the State of his second term stressing the importance of educating children. He proposed a long list of initiatives, from increasing support for county children’s services agencies to giving $5,000 scholarships to Ohio colleges. “It is a budget that focuses on our people, on our families and on our children, for they are Ohio’s greatest asset,” DeWine said. Senate President Matt Huffman said he was delighted by the ideas, including private-school voucher expansion and a $2,500 children’s tax deduction. Democrats lauded DeWine’s priorities for kids and urged officials to make them reality by putting people over politics. We’ll see what the state legislature does with DeWine’s budget. - Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
Cavs vs. Miami Heat: Cleveland can’t pass playoff-like test in 100-97 loss to Miami Northeast Ohio Wednesday weather forecast: Sunny and cold |
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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called for a “renewed focus on literacy and on the way we teach reading in the State of Ohio" during his State of the State address Tuesday. (David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com) |
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State of the State: In his State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Mike DeWine laid out a wide-ranging spending plan to help Ohio children, from expanding childcare and children’s healthcare to providing more education funding from kindergarten to college, Jeremy Pelzer reports. His proposed two-year state budget will seek to continue fully funding Ohio’s school-funding plan, expand K-12 school vouchers, provide more money for charter school students, offer state financial aid for community colleges and regional campuses, and expand and increase college scholarships. Casino record: Ohio’s casinos and racinos took in $2.33 billion in gambling revenue in 2022, narrowly breaking the record they set in 2021 as they headed into the new era of sports gambling. Sean McDonnell reports December will be the last month in Ohio where casinos and racinos could only offer tables games, poker rooms and slot machines. Sports gambling became legal in 2023, which creates the potential for even more gambling revenue. Today in Ohio: The leader of the Ohio AFL-CIO is aiming to keep himself off the witness stand at the criminal trial of Ohio’s former Speaker of the House. We’re talking about why he doesn’t want to testify in Larry Householder’s trial on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Child tax break: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is proposing new tax cuts for parents, reports Andrew Tobias. DeWine said he wants to adopt a new state income-tax deduction worth $2,500 per child and eliminate the state sales tax for “critical infant supplies,” including diapers, wipes, cribs, car seats, strollers and safety equipment. School vouchers: Gov. Mike DeWine asked the legislature on Tuesday to expand vouchers for K-12 private school tuition to more Ohio families, reports Laura Hancock. Currently, a family of four can qualify for state money if the household income is at or below $69,375, or 250% of the federal poverty guidelines. The limit would increase to 400% of the federal poverty guidelines, which would be $111,000 for a family of four, under DeWine’s proposal. Mike Gibbons: Cleveland businessman Mike Gibbons spent millions of his own fortune last year running for the U.S. Senate. Now, Andrew Tobias reports, Gibbons aims to defeat new Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens when he runs for reelection next year, as well as the 21 Republican Ohio state representatives who teamed up with Democrats to elect Stephens. Householder trial: An attorney for former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder questioned whether the federal judge presiding over Householder's trial was fit to oversee the proceedings as court resumed Tuesday after a nearly one-week delay. Jake Zuckerman reports attorney Mark Marein said in court that he was getting bad “vibes” from the court and questioned whether Judge Timothy Black harbored “personal animosity” toward Householder. Democratic removal: U.S. Rep. Max Miller, a Rocky River Republican, introduced a resolution Tuesday that would remove Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. It says that a series of controversial remarks by Omar should disqualify her for service on the committee, reports Sabrina Eaton. Omar has repeatedly made public remarks that have been denounced as anti-Semitic, leading to past Republican censure efforts. Dan Ramos: Dan Ramos, a former Democratic state representative from Lorain, died Saturday, according to the Lorain Chronicle-Telegram. He was 41, reports Jeremy Pelzer. During his eight years in the Ohio House, Ramos was an outspoken liberal who, among other things, pushed for the abolition of the state’s death penalty, legalized medical marijuana, making college more affordable, and state pension reform. |
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Bibb budget: Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration is taking its 2023 budget plans to the community through a series of town hall events in which residents can ask questions and offer feedback on city spending and priorities. Courtney Astolfi reports that this year’s budget, which will be released today, is expected to reflect Bibb’s priorities much more so than the 2022 budget, which was largely complete by the time he took office last year. RTA: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit authority will get $56 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding in the 2023 fiscal year that it plans to use for improvements, including rail car and bus replacements. Sabrina Eaton reports the money will also be used to rehabilitate light rail track infrastructure for operational safety improvements, including rail signal upgrades, and capital improvements to its facilities that include roofing, HVAC system and pavement replacement. School clinics: Cleveland City Council gave early approval to a $3.7 million program that aims to expand mental and physical healthcare at schools, Lucas Daprile reports. Though the initiative would be based at schools, services would be available for teachers, parents and students, Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Gordon said. College assistance: The City of Cleveland wants to spend $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act dollars helping adults finish their college degrees. The legislation would spend the COVID-19 stimulus dollars on advertisements encouraging adults to finish their education and to help former students access existing debt forgiveness programs, Lucas Daprile reports. Huntington Building: Plans to transform the Huntington Building from offices to nearly 1,000 downtown apartments, a hotel and other uses have received a boost with a $15 million loan from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Megan Sims reports. HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, formerly a congresswoman representing the Cleveland area, said the loan would help “transform this historic space and bring much needed affordable housing and community amenities to the area.” Hawaii rescue: Bay Village firefighter Jeremy Gillespie, who was vacationing in Hawaii last week, performed CPR on Maui firefighter Tre Evans-Dumaran, who was swept into a storm drain and started to drown. Molly Walsh reports on how Gillespie assisted with the rescue. Fungus gnats: If you have houseplants, you are almost certain to have fungus gnats at some point, writes Susan Brownstein. Fungus gnats cannot be eliminated from the home overnight, but with patience and persistence, they can be controlled completely naturally and organically once you understand their life cycle. |
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New flights: Frontier Airlines is adding new nonstop flights between Cleveland Hopkins and San Juan, Puerto Rico, starting in May. The new route starts May 4 and will run four times per week – Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, reports Susan Glaser. Healthy eating: A reliance on fast food, a lack of time to cook healthy meals and the perception that healthy foods are expensive are among the factors keeping Americans from heart-healthy living, according to a new national Cleveland Clinic survey. Julie Washington reports the survey found about 10% of Americans think fast food is the most heart-healthy diet and almost half of Americans buy fast food at least once a week. Melt: Matt Fish, owner of Melt Bar and Grilled, has permanently closed two locations – at Belden Village Mall in Canton and at Fairfield Commons Mall in Dayton. Paris Wolfe reports the chain plans to welcome back classics on a new menu at its other locations in the first week of March. Craft brewing: With more than 400 breweries in Ohio, the craft-brewing business is mostly strong, reports Marc Bona. Ohio has 420 breweries – a very healthy number. In 2022, 44 opened. Currently, 75 breweries are in the planning stages and 73 of 88 counties have breweries. |
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Drug locker: A Painesville man is facing federal charges after authorities found more than 60 pounds of cocaine and fentanyl inside a storage locker in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood. Ronald Rendon-Luna is accused of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, reports Adam Ferrise. Carjacking charge: Cleveland prosecutors last week charged a Cleveland man with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony, stemming from an Old Brooklyn carjacking that occurred Jan. 21, even though the suspect has been in jail since December, John Tucker reports. On Tuesday, shortly after being contacted by The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com about the discrepancy, the city filed a motion to dismiss the new charge. Genealogy help: A 61-year-old Cleveland man pleaded guilty this week to rape and sexual battery charges after investigators used DNA from a genealogy company to tie him to two decades-old rapes. Cory Shaffer reports Leo Bradley Scott III is set to be sentenced March 3 in the attacks that occurred in 1994 and 1998. |
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Native Land: The Cleveland Museum of Art has quietly begun displaying a stainless steel plaque on the wall below the clock in the institution’s North Lobby with a statement known as a land acknowledgment. Steven Litt reports the museum plans to expand its collection of artworks by Native Americans, enhance educational programs, and create new routes to professional careers in the art world for Indigenous people, including fellowships and internships. Heather McMahon: Heather McMahan’s rise in the comedy scene as meteoric would be to dismiss the decade she spent trying to make it in show business and suggest her career is nearing some sort of peak. The comedian, whose unfiltered and uncomfortably awkward Instagram posts resonated particularly with millennial women, performs Feb. 9 at the KeyBank State Theatre in Playhouse Square, Joey Morona reports. |
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U.S. marshals arrest 2 in connection with gas station slaying in Cleveland Read more Man avoids gunfire while escaping carjacking attempt in Akron Read more Russell Wintner, owner of Memphis Kiddie Park in Brooklyn, dies at 70 Read more Cleveland Heights mayor responds to viral video of traffic stop, calls for further internal police reforms Read more Brecksville residents express concerns about crime, flooding, bright lights that may result from Valor Acres Read more Shaker Heights Mayor David Weiss serves up ‘full plate’ in State of the City address Read more Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad resumes regular schedule, events following closures to fix erosion Read more |
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