Filibuster end: U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, Ohio’s Democratic Senate nominee, has joined more than 100 other House Democrats in calling to end the filibuster rule to pass a federal law protecting abortion rights in the face of the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade. Andrew Tobias reports Ryan signed on to the letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calling for the end to the filibuster, which will allow Senate Republicans to block any abortion-related legislation.
METRO
Police review: Cleveland has received 281 applications for the 13-member body that will have final say on police discipline, among other broad civilian oversight powers of police. Now the city must sort through the applications and determine who to nominate to the panel, reports Courtney Astolfi. Mayor Justin Bibb will nominate 10 of the applicants, City Council will nominate three and all will go to council for confirmation.
Opioids trial: Programs and services needed to reverse the opioid epidemic in Lake and Trumbull counties are extensive and urgently needed, a Johns Hopkins epidemiologist testified Wednesday in the penalty phase of the first opioid trial against pharmacy companies in the country. Caleb Alexander’s testimony came during the second day of the penalty phase of a trial in Cleveland federal court that pits the two counties against national pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, Adam Ferrise reports.
Smart buoys: Smart buoys that have become an important source of data for Cleveland Water and other organizations that monitor Lake Erie were redeployed Wednesday. Peter Krouse reports the four buoys, which were taken into the lake by boat from Edgewater Marina, use marine-sensing technology to measure wind, waves, water temperature, and water quality every 10 minutes and then post the data online.
Cruise ships: For the first time in more than two-and-a-half years, a cruise ship docked at the Port of Cleveland, and visitors disembarked to explore the Land. Cruisers first had to clear customs in the port’s new customs clearance facility, located a couple of hundred feet from the water, just west of FirstEnergy Stadium. Susan Glaser reports Cleveland is expected to welcome 36 cruise ships this year, up from 22 in 2019.
Mutual aid: A recent Brooklyn hotel fire highlighted suburbs’ reliance on mutual aid. Olivia Mitchell reports that the number of firefighters continue to drop through retirements and departments struggle to find new hires.
County vehicle: State authorities are investigating allegations that Medina County Treasurer John Burke sold a county-owned vehicle to a dealership, a move that county commissioners called a violation of Ohio law. Commissioners say the car was later transferred to Burke’s son, And last week, Kaylee Remington reports, they asked the Medina County prosecutor’s office to refer information to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which turned the case over to its Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
BUSINESS
Carvana: Amid a difficult used car market, Carvana has announced it is laying off 2,500 people across the company and “transitioning” away from its inspection center in Euclid. Sean McDonnell reports the company announced the mass layoff in an SEC filing on Tuesday, attributing it to declining profits on used-vehicles sales. Carvana only sells used vehicles, which have risen in value but have been hard to find amid the COVID-19 pandemic for both dealerships and drivers.
Lordstown Motors: Lordstown Motors announced that is has closed on a deal with Foxconn to sell its former GM plant to the Taiwanese manufacturer, Sean McDonnell reports. Foxconn will now manufacture Lordstown’s Endurance pickup truck and take on hundreds of the automaker’s employees.
CRIME
4-year-old murder: A Euclid man and woman have been charged with murder in the death of 4-year-old son, Musiah Wadud. Kaylee Remington reports the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner said Musiah’s death was caused by blunt impacts to his head, neck and buttocks. Three other young children were removed from the home by Cuyahoga County’s Department of Child and Family Services.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Blue Agave: Blue Agave, a new taco and tequila concept, is now open on Cleveland’s busy East 4th Street district in the former Zocalo space. Annie Nickoloff reports the restaurant comes from the partnership of restaurant owners behind other Mexican restaurants in Northeast Ohio, including Tres Potrillos, Tito’s Mexican Grill, Tacologist, Blue Habanero and Fiesta Jalapeno’s.
