Loading...
What you need to know Friday, July 24, 2020 WEATHER
Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast today and through the weekend. Highs today and Saturday will be in the mid-80s, but temps will reach the upper 80s Sunday. No showers are expected. Read more.
OVERNIGHT
Reversal: Gov. Mike DeWine reversed himself and called for the repeal of the House Bill 6 on Thursday, saying Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder’s alleged bribery scheme “forever tainted” the $1.3 billion nuclear bailout law, Jeremy Pelzer reports. DeWine maintained his support of the policy laid out in the bailout. He said it’s needed to preserve jobs at the Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear plants and keep carbon-free sources of energy.
Calls for new speaker: Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday urged the legislature to begin the process to replace Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder quickly, Seth Richardson reports. Federal prosecutors accuse Householder of taking $60 million in bribes to help pass a billion-dollar taxpayer funded bailout of two struggling nuclear power plants owned by FirstEnergy. He was arrested Tuesday on a federal charge of racketeering and has said he has no intention of resigning.
Subtext: Cleveland.com has started a new, free Subtext account to send coronavirus updates. Every day, we'll send updates about the virus -- confirmed cases, major cancellations, relevant scientific information and more. You can even text us back. Go to https://joinsubtext.com/ohiocoronavirus and enter your phone number. Or send a text to 216-279-7784. Did we mention it’s free?
This Week in the CLE: Gov. Mike DeWine says the billion-dollar-plus nuclear bailout bill is good public policy, even though federal authorities say its passage was the result of a massive corruption scheme. Editors are talking about DeWine’s reasoning on This Week in the CLE, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
New leader: Ohio House Republicans are beginning to move to pick a new house speaker following this week’s arrest of current Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, Andrew Tobias reports. At least two candidates have emerged as possible replacements: State Rep. Bob Cupp, a former Ohio Supreme justice from Lima, and state Rep. Rick Carfagna, a Delaware County Republican.
FirstEnergy CEO: On a call with investors Thursday afternoon, FirstEnergy CEO Charles Jones said his company “acted ethically” in connection with efforts to pass House Bill 6 that federal prosecutors say were fueled by bribery, Robin Goist reports. The Akron-based company had previously declined to substantively comment on the investigation, issuing a statement Tuesday that only said the company had received subpoenas and intended to fully cooperate.
The investigation: If authorities were examining how the democratic process was about to be trampled, did the FBI and federal prosecutors have an obligation or a duty to stop the Ohio House vote on House Bill 6, the $1.3 billion nuclear bailout at the center of the Householder bribery allegations? Federal authorities told reporters Tuesday that they didn’t move sooner because they needed to build a stronger case against what they called “the Householder Enterprise,” John Caniglia reports.
The plan: In his quest to regain power as Ohio House Speaker, Larry Householder first recruited a slate of candidates whose backing he would need to regain his old job, Andrew Tobias reports. Ultimately, most of the candidates Householder supported, with funding from FirstEnergy, won their races for open seats in the November 2018 election. It was the first step in what developed into an elaborate scheme that culminated in a “corrupt bargain,” according to the federal complaint.
DeWine aide: Tax records show a top aide in Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s office previously led a political non-profit federal agents have called a pass-through used by FirstEnergy to fund a bribery scheme that led to House Speaker Larry Householder’s arrest this week, Andrew Tobias reports. The complaint doesn’t accuse the aide of wrongdoing. But his involvement with the group shows a top staff member in DeWine’s office was aware of FirstEnergy’s direct role in funding Householder’s run for speaker and the subsequent pro-HB6 campaign.
Law-enforcement surge: Cleveland is among the cities that will see a surge of federal law-enforcement agents in the coming weeks. President Donald Trump said Wednesday the aim is to “restore safety and peace in U.S. cities,” Sabrina Eaton and Eric Heisig report. A law-enforcement source familiar with the plan said Cleveland’s surge won’t be like Portland’s, which has drawn alarm from civil rights advocates who said the agents did not identify themselves on their uniforms and detained people without cause before releasing them without charges. In Cleveland, the source said, “we’re talking about traditional crime fighting,” adding that “it’s not guys in body armor dealing with protesters.”
Senators weigh in: Political leaders representing Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and Ohio largely fell along party lines in reacting to President Donald’s Trump’s plan to send federal agents into Cleveland to fight crime, Courtney Astolfi reports. The plan, announced by the White House on Wednesday, garnered support from U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican, but drew hesitancy from U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat.
Mayor to weigh in: Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson will hold a news conference today to address a decision by President Donald Trump to send federal law enforcement agents into the city of Cleveland to combat crime, Courtney Astolfi reports.
Alert levels: Eight Ohio counties moved to “red” status on the state’s color-coded coronavirus alert system, with Allen County marked as approaching Level 4, or “purple” status. That makes 23 counties out of 88 that fall into level 3 status, the second-highest risk alert category, Emily Bamforth reports. Level 4 status is when there is severe exposure and spread in a community.
Virtual start: Cleveland schools will hold remote classes during the first nine weeks of the year because of the pandemic, CEO Eric Gordon said Thursday at a University Hospitals roundtable, Emily Bamforth reports. The district has planned for an eventual hybrid model, with a combination of online and in-person classes.
Teachers union: The Cleveland Heights teachers union wants a remote start to school in the fall, citing concerns about safety and social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, Emily Bamforth reports. Union members have “serious concerns about the capacity of the school district to guarantee a safe teaching and learning environment for students and staff.”
New numbers: Ohio reported 1,444 more confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the total reported cases to 80,186, Emily Bamforth reports. This includes 75,819 confirmed cases and 4,367 probable cases. The increase, though lower than the 1,527 cases on Wednesday, is still higher than both the 21 and seven-day averages.
Cleveland numbers: Fifty-nine new cases of COVID-19 coronavirus have been confirmed among Cleveland residents, Robert Higgs reports. No new deaths were reported. The new cases lift Cleveland’s total confirmed cases to 3,871, with 83 deaths.
21-day average: A sign that Ohio could be close to a COVID-19 plateau emerged Sunday and repeated itself Tuesday, Rich Exner reports. On those days, for the first and only times in a month, the number of newly reported cases was below the 21-day average.
Mask order: Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration on Thursday officially issued a new anti-coronavirus order requiring everyone in Ohio to wear face masks while in public places -- though the order provides a lengthy number of exceptions, Jeremy Pelzer reports.
Safety complaints: The popular Ohio City restaurant and bar TownHall maintains its lock as the business with the most COVID-19 safety complaints in Cleveland, with Walmart’s Steelyard location remaining in second place as of July 21, Anne Nickoloff reports.
Unemployment: Continued and new unemployment claims dropped again in Ohio, one week after the state reported slight increases following months of declines amid the coronavirus pandemic, Evan MacDonald reports. Ohio reported 423,672 continued jobless claims for the week ending July 18, a decline of 5,966 from the prior week’s total of 429,638, according to data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
COVID poll: Most American adults think that the worst is yet to come in the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll released Thursday, Julie Washington reports. And most American parents of school-aged children want schools to wait to restart to lessen the risk of infection.
COVID call: Dr. Deborah Birx, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, in a private phone call Wednesday called on several cities, including Cleveland and Columbus, to take “aggressive” action to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to a report from The Center for Public Integrity. Courtney Astolfi reports the warning was a response to a growing percentage of tests that are coming back positive for COVID-19 in Ohio’s two largest cities and in other urban areas across the country.
Sexual assault: A former Cleveland School of the Arts dance instructor with a history of accusations of sexual abuse was formally charged Thursday in connection with the sexual assault of a student in 2008, Adam Ferrise reports. Terence Greene is charged with sexual battery, a third-degree felony. He is not in police custody, but a warrant was issued Thursday for his arrest.
Guilty plea: A former Cuyahoga County jail guard and a Heartless Felons gang member on Thursday each pleaded guilty to helping carry out a drug-smuggling operation inside the jail that prosecutors say employed several corrections officers, Cory Shaffer reports.
Contraband: A Cuyahoga County Jail supervisor is on paid leave during an investigation into contraband smuggling in the jail, Adam Ferrise reports. A county spokeswoman would not release any other information about the incident, including what “contraband” the supervisor is accused of smuggling and when the incident under investigation happened.
Minister sues: A minister sued Cuyahoga County this week, alleging its anti-discrimination law violates her constitutional freedoms to avoid marrying same-sex couples, John Caniglia reports. The lawsuit accused the county of forcing the minister to perform same-sex weddings or face prosecution.
Air conditioning: Coronavirus, coupled with a recent Northeast Ohio heatwave, put a squeeze on the supply of air-conditioning units and parts to repair broken HVAC systems, Mary Kilpatrick reports. Coronavirus has slowed, even shut down, some air-conditioning manufacturing facilities and made it difficult to get parts in from overseas. Still, companies surveyed by cleveland.com said they have been able to help their customers.
Taxes: The Greater Cleveland Partnership announced Wednesday it would not endorse the Cuyahoga County Public Library’s proposed 1-mill tax increase because it would be permanent, Peter Krouse reports. The partnership said last year it was going to scrutinize tax-increase proposals more closely in light of the growing tax burden on Cuyahoga County residents.
That’s Rich: The state may owe you money, Rich Exner reports in his recent column. Ohio has $3.2 billion in unclaimed funds on hand, waiting for the rightful owners to come forward. The state can’t use the money to build bridges, fund schools or pay politicians, so you might as well get your share, even if you are in a giving mood.
Weekend plans? If you’re trying to make some plans in Greater Cleveland this weekend, Anne Nickoloff has some ideas. There are plenty of virtual events and safe in-person activities to enjoy. You could check out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s new exhibit on social justice and rock 'n' roll, which opens Saturday.
Luxury: Cleveland.com’s sister site Architectural Digest takes you inside 12 super-luxurious properties featuring the most lavish spaces for entertaining visitors we’ve seen on the market. From personal nightclubs and climbing walls to plush home theaters and patios, there’s sure to be something across this $414 million in real estate that makes your jaw drop.
Nachos: To help you decide which grocery store cheese sauce to add to your favorite tortilla chips, Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez hit the grocery store shelves to taste and rank 12 different varieties of cheese dip.
Coronavirus reopenings, restrictions, and closings in Northeast Ohio for Friday, July 24, 2020 Read more
Olmsted Township standoff ends peacefully after man holed up in home surrenders, police say Read more
76-year-old Akron woman robbed while gardening, police say Read more
Suspect in custody in connection with fatal shooting in East Cleveland Read more
Chagrin Falls school board votes to place 3.85-mill levy on November ballot Read more
Chagrin Falls Schools likely to open year under ‘hybrid’ model Read more
Swastikas, white pride stickers found on stop signs in Berea neighborhood Read more
University of Akron begins formal review process for athletics program Read more
Ohio Debate Commission organizing possible debate for Supreme Court candidates ahead of election Read more
Geauga County’s Red Maple Inn closes, converted to addiction rehabilitation facility Read more
Community | Politics | Videos | Photos To ensure receipt of our emails, please add newsletters@update.cleveland.com to your address book or safe sender list. You received this email because you opted-in to the newsletter. Was it forwarded to you? Sign up now! |
Loading...
Loading...