Under state law, cities can’t generally impose taxes limited to certain neighborhoods. But a special provision in Ohio law allows Ohio cities to create what’s known as a “new community authority,” which could charge additional fees, on top of normal taxes, on things like parking, sales, income and property ownership. Mayor Justin Bibb is proposing to create the North Coast Waterfront NCA to encompass the area along the lake, including Huntington Bank Field, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center and Burke Lakefront Airport. Business owners would have to agree to fees on parking, gross sales receipts, hotel stays, property, special events and boat docking, for example, which would be passed on to visitors. Those fees would help pay to improve the lakefront, including perhaps building a land bridge connected to the rest of downtown. Sprucing up the lakefront would, ideally, draw in more customers. But charging too much could also dry up business. — Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Mayor Justin Bibb wants to create the "North Coast Waterfront NCA," which would raise money for a land bridge and other lakefront infrastructure through new fees on lakefront parking, tickets, retail, dining, property, special events and boat docking. (John Pana, cleveland.com file photo) |
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Lakefront plan: Visitors to Cleveland’s downtown lakefront could soon be paying new fees for parking, dining, retail purchases, hotel stays and special events, while downtown lakefront property owners could also be paying additional property fees. Courtney Astolfi reports that these new fees would help pay for construction of a land bridge between North Coast Harbor and the heart of downtown. Mayor censured: University Heights City Council on Monday unanimously voted to censure Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan over a now-deleted Facebook post in which he criticized two council members and the precincts they live in for supporting president-elect Donald Trump in the November election. Both members are Orthodox Jews and the precinct they live in is home to a major Orthodox Jewish population, reports Cory Shaffer. Police pensions: An Ohio House panel on Tuesday advanced legislation to require Cleveland and other cities and villages to kick in more money to police pensions for the first time in decades. Proponents of House Bill 296 say the money is needed shore up the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund and to attract more law-enforcement job applicants amid a major shortage of police officers in Cleveland and in other parts of the state. Jeremy Pelzer reports that opponents say the move would create an unfunded mandate. Today in Ohio: Incoming border czar Tom Homan warned that the Department of Homeland Security can end a temporary protection at any time, possibly deporting the roughly 15,000 Haitian immigrants in the program who live in Springfield, Ohio. We’re talking about what that could mean for the people and the city's economy on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Property ban: A state lawmaker on Tuesday urged his colleagues to back a plan aimed at keeping foreign adversaries from owning Ohio property within 25 miles of any military base or near critical infrastructure, reports Robert Higgs. Transgender ruling: The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday punted an appeal of a probate court’s decision to deny an application to change the sex marker on the birth certificate of a transgender woman, effectively upholding the lower court ruling. Laura Hancock reports the decision leaves intact the Ohio 2nd District Court of Appeals decision that found state law permits a correction to a birth record only when the sex identified at birth was incorrectly recorded. HB6: State prosecutors moved to squash a looming deposition of a former top official of FirstEnergy Corp., signaling they’re considering new charges in a long simmering bribery investigation, Jake Zuckerman reports. Eileen Mikkelsen, formerly the company’s vice president of rates and regulatory affairs, is scheduled to testify under oath in a regulatory investigation early next month, but Ohio Deputy Attorney General Carol O’Brien asked the regulators to back off, warning that the deposition could grant Mikkelsen immunity, preventing prosecutors from charging her with any crimes. NIL: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order Monday that allows colleges in the state to directly pay student-athletes for their name, image and likeness, reports Stefan Krajisnik. The executive order comes as the NCAA and various athletic conferences have entered a proposed settlement for a variety of antitrust lawsuits. Brownfield sites: Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Monday that more than $58 million has been directed toward 61 hazardous brownfield sites in the state, including nearly $19 million going to the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp. for cleanup and remediation of eight areas. Peter Krouse reports the largest of the Cuyahoga County awards is $10 million for the Woodhill Homes project that involves demolishing 61 barracks-style apartment buildings and dealing with asbestos, lead-paint and soil contamination. Bribery plea: A prosecutor told a Summit County judge Friday that the state has reached a plea agreement “in principle” with businesses owned by Sam Randazzo, the state’s former top utility regulator who died shortly after he was charged with accepting a $4.3 million bribe from FirstEnergy Corp. Jake Zuckerman reports that prosecutors say Randazzo used the two companies to conceal millions in bribes from FirstEnergy shortly before Gov. Mike DeWine appointed him as chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, which regulates power companies like FirstEnergy. |
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Solon council fight: Two men began fighting at a Solon City Council meeting on Monday, an incident that stopped the session and led to criminal charges. Lucas Daprile reports the incident – which began over recent petition involving the Chagrin Valley Islamic Center – escalated to the parking lot, where one of the men involved tried to hit the other with his car, according to a police report. Port CEO: The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Board is appointing longtime employee David Gutheil as interim president and CEO, replacing Will Friedman in the new year, Kaitlin Durbin reports. Gutheil will not be able to make any hiring decisions without the board’s approval. Inch of snow: With the first snow forecasted this week for the season, warm temperatures should ensure that much of it will turn to rain and almost none will accumulate on the ground. When the first inch of snow in Cleveland falls in a single day has varied widely since 1950. At its earliest, an inch of snow fell on Oct. 18, 1972, reports Zachary Smith. Grendell request: Geauga County commissioners say they need more time before deciding on whether to give Judge Timothy Grendell $300,000 to pay for legal fees in his fight to avoid being suspended from the bench. Grendell, the county’s probate and juvenile court judge, went before commissioners Tuesday morning and asked for the money to pay for legal work that has already been done, reports Sean McDonnell. Garden watering: Water played a significant role in this past season’s successes and failures in our gardens. You might be wondering: How much water do plants need? The standard answer is an inch a week, writes Lois Rose. West Side grant: The George Gund Foundation committed $3.6 million to the Cleveland Public Market Corp., operator of the West Side Market. Paris Wolfe reports the money will support the market’s renovation masterplan, which includes facilities improvements and enhancements, new public gathering spaces, and outreach efforts to attract a mix of visitors and vendors that more closely reflects the diversity of Northeast Ohio. West Side holiday: The West Side Market is getting dressed up for the winter holiday season. Paris Wolfe reports the decorated facility will host holiday festivals, popup markets and special events to enhance the seasonal experience. |
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MetroHealth lawsuit: Dr. Akram Boutros refiled his lawsuit against the MetroHealth System and its board Tuesday, alleging defamation of character, wrongful termination and breach of contract, Sean McDonnell reports. The ousted CEO had originally sued MetroHealth just weeks after he was fired in November 2022 — just a month before he was set to retire. Boutros had dismissed the lawsuit in December 2023, citing health issues. Allegiant flights: Allegiant Air is adding two new routes to popular Florida destinations from the Akron-Canton Airport, both starting in May. Susan Glaser reports new flights to Jacksonville, Florida, will launch May 23 and will run Fridays and Mondays through early September. Helicopter service: Air medical services run by University Hospitals and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have formalized a cooperative program to ensure that the closest medical helicopter is launched to emergency sites along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, reports Julie Washington. UH AirMed and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center STAT MedEvac get service requests from first responders in counties in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Millennia lawsuit: A property managed by Cleveland-based Millennia Housing Management is being sued by the Indiana Attorney General for what the AG claims to be deliberate acts of unfair, abusive and deceptive practices, reports Megan Sims. In a 40-page filing last week, Indiana’s Office of the Attorney General highlighted conditions at Millennia’s Hubbard Gardens, a low-income and market-rate apartment complex in downtown Indianapolis. |
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Library attack: Authorities say a suspect attacked a man he knew and stabbed him in the neck with a knife at the Lorain Public Library on Monday, reports Olivia Mitchell. Police say Roy Lee Fennell, 44, of Lorain, was arrested and accused of felonious assault, resisting arrest and obstructing official business. Expense report theft: Curtis McEwen was sentenced Tuesday to three years and two months in prison for stealing $7.49 million from his friend’s Beachwood nursing home company by faking expense reports from 2014 to 2023. Adam Ferrise reports McEwen must also forfeit two motorcycles and three expensive watches and sell his $1.4 million home in Avon. Jail officer sentenced: A former Cuyahoga County corrections officer was sentenced Monday to six months behind bars after he admitted to helping a felon throw bodily fluids on jail supervisors. Olivia Mitchell reports Austin Casto, 26, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of attempted harassment with bodily substance. Gang sentencing: A member of a gang on Cleveland’s West Side said Tuesday that he felt he had no choice but to carry a gun despite felony convictions that put him in prison for eight years and barred him from carrying firearms, reports Adam Ferrise. |
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'Wicked' review: The movie "Wicked" is a highly entertaining, emotional and exhilarating return to the magical land of Oz, writes Joey Morona. Restaurant reopening: Jaja and Pioneer in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood have provided updates on reopening after both restaurants unexpectedly closed because of a car crashing into their shared building, reports Alex Darus. 'Good Company': WKYC Channel 3's “Good Company” is going off the air in mid-January, a result of corporate restructuring by the station’s parent company, reports Joey Morona. The locally produced talk show combines interviews with sponsored content. Stay Golden: Stand-up comedian Matt Rife will bring his brand of laughs to Cleveland next year during his “Stay Golden Tour” stadium tour, reports Alex Darus. |
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Man who shot clerk in argument over buying cigar gets life in prison Read more Three suspects arrested in connection with slaying of Akron man in restaurant parking lot Read more Medina schools announce creation of new podcast Read more Belle Oaks project in Richmond Heights moving along as Meijer nears completion, demolition starts at former Sears building Read more Plan for Strongsville townhome development moves forward Read more Friends of Mendelsohn at former Park Synagogue team up with Cleveland Heights on grant application Read more |
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