Running for governor in 1962, Jim Rhodes said he wanted a public college or university within 30 miles of every Ohioan. In the following decade, Ohio colleges popped up like dandelions. Ohio now has 14 public universities, 23 community colleges, about 50 independent, nonprofit private schools and roughly 30 for-profit schools. All for a demographic that’s not growing. There were 463,000 students in Ohio public universities in 2022, a 12.2% decrease from a decade before. The state supports the public schools, though spending hasn’t kept pace with other states’ support. But because the schools are governed locally, the state can’t dictate which colleges offer which programs. Ohio has some fantastic public universities; I graduated from Miami and my husband went to Ohio University. Our kids are already dreaming of Ohio State. I hope we as a state ensure they remain strong. — Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Notre Dame College in South Euclid is closing after the spring semester. The school cited financial challenges as the reason for closing. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com) |
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College cuts: In Ohio, college enrollment is generally on the decline because of the state’s demographics. There are fewer Ohioans of childbearing age, residents are having fewer children, and graduating high schoolers are opting out of college, questioning whether it’s worth taking on the heavy debt. Laura Hancock reports this mix, combined with increasing costs, state funding that’s lower than the national average and potential mismanagement at some schools, has led to some painful cuts. Grocery stores: What do grocers think about when picking a new store? Retailers’ checklists for new stores are long and detailed: How many people live in a one-mile radius? What is their household income? Do enough cars drive by the store? Do they need to make a left turn or a right turn to enter the parking lot? Sean McDonnell gets a glimpse through the vacant former Dave’s Market in Cleveland Heights’ Cedar-Fairmount area. Dark money: The modern era of dark money kicked off in 2010 with the Citizens United court decision, which struck down campaign finance reforms passed in the 2000s and spurred an explosion of anonymous political giving. Andrew Tobias reports that the nonprofits are supposed to be independent and not associated with campaigns, but experts say nearly every politician has their own and companies throw money in to try to curry favor. “Via legislation, we’ve created the perfect money-laundering tool,” said former U.S. Attorney David DeVillers. Today in Ohio: More than 90% of Ohio power outages since 2000 were weather-related. We’re talking about thunderstorms and how Ohio has the fifth-highest number of weather-related power outages in the country on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Gas industry: When Republican state Sen. Michael Rulli took the podium to address his colleagues about a resolution declaring natural gas as “vital” to Ohio’s economy, his rhetoric matched nearly word-for-word what an oil and gas lobbyist sent him privately as a “sample script.” Jake Zuckerman reports Rulli stood before the Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee and, absent some minor changes and reshuffling of some paragraphs, made statements identical to what was sent to him by Mitch Given, an industry lobbyist. Richard Cordray: After coming under fire because of the botched rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray is leaving his post as head of the Federal Student Aid office. Sabrina Eaton reports Cordray sent a letter to his employees on Friday that said he won’t stay on as the Education Department’s chief operating officer of Federal Student Aid for another three-year term. He has held the post since May 2021. Larry Householder: Larry Householder, the former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives who was convicted in federal court of running a $60 million corruption and bribery scheme to benefit FirstEnergy Corp., will not have to sit in the Cuyahoga County Jail as he awaits his separate trial on state charges tied to the scheme. Cuyahoga Judge Brendan Sheehan this week allowed Householder to appear at his May 13 arraignment via a video stream from the federal prison in Elkton, where he is serving a 20-year sentence, reports Cory Shaffer. |
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I-71 interchange: State and regional officials are preparing to take the next step toward resolving the long-running battle over a proposed I-71 interchange between the cities of Strongsville and Brunswick. Sometime this fall, the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency will hire a consultant to develop a plan to reduce traffic congestion around Strongsville, reports Jeremy Pelzer. Youth sports: The percentage of kids playing sports after school or on weekends in Ohio decreased by 4.7 percentage points from 2016 to 2022, according to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health. Zachary Smith reports that in 2016-17 in Ohio, 61% of children aged 6 to 17 participated in sports teams or took sports lessons after school or on weekends. By 2021-22, this number dropped to 56.3%. Marijuana growth: Buckeye Relief has been growing marijuana since 2017, longer than anywhere else in the state for what at the time was the newly legal medical marijuana market. Now, with recreational sales on the horizon, it’s getting ready for business to grow to a new level. Megan Sims toured the massive facility. Smart parking: Cleveland intends to use automated license-plate-reading technology to enforce on-street parking fees as part of its new smart-parking system. Courtney Astolfi reports the city’s Board of Control this week authorized an agreement with IPS Group Inc. to provide the technology and related services as an enhancement to the city’s new smart-parking system. Trails Day: Dozens of cyclists, young and old, Cuyahoga County mayors, council members, and Cleveland Metroparks representatives participated in a 10-mile community bike ride Saturday as part of Celebrate Trails Day to appreciate the trails the county has and the plans for linking more of them together, Kaylee Remington reports. Construction collapse: Two people were injured after scaffolding collapsed at a Rocky River construction site of an insurance company, reports Molly Walsh. Firefighters from Rocky River, Bay Village, Westlake and Lakewood responded to the work site on Lake Road before 10 a.m. Friday after two workers from Albert M. Higley Co. were injured in the collapse. |
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Flu rates: For the second straight week, flu activity in Ohio was classified as “minimal,” reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen. Ohio hospitalizations due to flu over the past week are down significantly from previous weeks in most counties, except in Northeast Ohio, including Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties. |
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Marshal shove: A Cleveland man is accused of shoving a deputy U.S. marshal off a porch, leaving the officer wounded, reports Adam Ferrise. Gerard Rainey, 26, is charged in federal court in Cleveland with assaulting a federal officer. Michael Amiott: An appeals court has thrown out Euclid police officer Michael Amiott’s 2022 misdemeanor convictions for beating a Black motorist during a traffic stop. Cory Shaffer reports a unanimous 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals panel held Thursday that a visiting judge in Euclid Municipal Court violated Amiott’s right to a speedy trial. Guard charged: A fired Cuyahoga County Jail guard has been charged with smuggling drugs to an inmate when he worked at the lockup last year. Cory Shaffer reports a Cuyahoga County grand jury accused Keonte Calhoun, 31, of drug trafficking, drug possession and illegal conveyance, all felonies. He was dismissed in November. |
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Andre Bernier: WJW Channel 8 meteorologist Andre Bernier is retiring after 36 years with the TV station, Kaylee Remington reports. His last day will be May 22, his birthday. Bourbon distilling: Despite starting in 2016, Lake Erie Distillery didn’t sell its first bottle of bourbon until 2021 as it took more than four years to age, reports Alex Darus. House of the Week: Built in 1917, this Tudor in Shaker Heights is the sort of home that buyers envision when they think about moving to this idyllic inner-ring, old streetcar suburb. Full of old-world charm and character, the property is on the market for a newly reduced price of $849,000, reports Joey Morona. |
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‘Armed and dangerous’ shooting suspect in custody Read more Man charged with attempted murder in stabbing of caregiver at medical clinic in Maple Heights Read more Police search for semitrailer involved in hit-skip in Montville Township Read more Polaris machine shop work saves Middleburg Heights $46,000 Read more South Euclid-Lyndhurst Schools open three new elementary playgrounds Read more Hollywood writer shares backstage memories with Baldwin Wallace class Read more |
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