It was after 1 a.m. on Dec. 19 — the last day of the Ohio legislature’s two-year session — that lawmakers unveiled dozens of amendments to a bill originally designed to make innocuous changes to township law. The resulting bill was more than 400 pages long and passed in about an hour, with zero public input. Gov. Mike DeWine waited until late Thursday to sign the bill. But he vetoed a few parts of it, including a change that would weaken a 40-year-old ethics law to make it easier for local officials to do business with the government. Retiring House Majority Floor Leader Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, defended the last-minute adds to the massive bill. “It’s always that way. So don’t act like it’s a big thing.” — Laura |
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On Thursday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed proposed legislation that would have exempted village mayors' businesses from accepting public contracts as long as the mayor doesn’t participate in the decision, those making the purchase decision know about the conflict, and the government gets the best ”treatment" from the business. (File photo) |
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Ethics exemption: In a massive bill passed late on the final lawmaking day of 2024, Republicans quietly slipped in an unvetted amendment creating an ethics exemption for small-town mayors. In a veto letter, Ohio Gov. DeWine said Paul Nick of the Ohio Ethics Commission urged rejecting what would weaken a 40-year-old law, warning the change would “invite misuse of taxpayer money,” Jake Zuckerman reports. Bodycam footage: Police departments around Ohio say they have increasingly struggled to handle massive public-records requests for hours of officer bodycam and dashcam videos demanded by online content producers. So Attorney General Dave Yost asked state lawmakers to pass legislation allowing law-enforcement agencies to start charging up to $75 per hour of footage, reports Jeremy Pelzer. Cleveland officials said Friday they will not charge fees to local news organizations that seek body-camera videos involving the police department. Capitol attacks: President-elect Donald Trump has called those who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol “heroes” and “patriots” and vowed to grant clemency to more than 1,500 people charged in the case, with some possible exceptions, potentially as soon as his first day in office on Jan. 20. If that happens, it will mean 83 defendants from Ohio, including 21 from Northeast Ohio, will either have their sentences end or their cases erased all together. Adam Ferrise summarizes their cases. Today in Ohio: The Today in Ohio podcast returns today. |
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Bill signings: Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday night signed an enormous bill with a cornucopia of measures passed in the final hours of December’s lame-duck legislative session, including permitting police to charge up to $75 per hour for publicly available bodycam footage and allowing patients to obtain off-label drugs. Jeremy Pelzer reports DeWine used his line-item veto pen to strike out three parts of it, including following through on an earlier promise to delete part of the bill that would prevent medical regulators in Ohio from disciplining doctors who express unorthodox medical opinions. Bernie Moreno: Westlake Republican Bernie Moreno was sworn in as Ohio’s newest U.S. senator shortly after noon on Friday, amid a whirlwind of celebrations with his family members and political supporters, reports Sabrina Eaton. |
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Adoption: Iziah is one of over 300 children in Cuyahoga County’s custody who are waiting for an adoptive family. He’s been waiting for 13 years, reports Kaitlin Durbin. He’s among the 71% of kids who, after turning 13, became harder to place as potential parents seek out younger matches. Parental responsibility: A new law holding parents responsible when their child commits a crime in the city of Euclid is set to take effect later this month, reports Cory Shaffer. City Council passed a scaled-back version of the so-called parental responsibility law at its final meeting of 2024. Juvenile prison: The Ohio Department of Youth Services will build four smaller juvenile detention facilities in Bedford and Grafton to replace the larger Cuyahoga Hills juvenile prison as part of a strategy to better rehabilitate youth. Kaitlin Durbin reports the department previously confirmed it was building two of the new 36-bed centers on Rockside Road in Bedford, six miles from the Cuyahoga Hills in Highland Hills. Drought: Ohio’s drought conditions have improved in much of the state, including Northwest Ohio, which is out of drought conditions for the first time since August, reports Zachary Smith. Statewide, 35.9% of Ohio remains in dry or drought conditions, down from 58.9% last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s weekly data. Fire fatality: A man died in a fire Thursday night at a home in Seven Hills, reports Olivia Mitchell. Firefighters were called at 10 p.m. to a home on East Ridgewood Drive for reports of a house fire. |
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Music grant: Do music therapy and acupuncture help patients manage pain without opioids? University Hospitals will use a nearly $1.5 million federal grant to find out, with an Alternatives to Opioids program that educates caregivers about how music therapy and acupuncture can be used to decrease the use of opioids in the emergency department, reports Julie Washington. |
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Fatal shooting: A 74-year-old woman is dead following a Saturday morning shooting in Cleveland Heights, police say. Officers received reports of multiple shooting victims at about 3 a.m. at a home in the 3500 block of Randolph Road, Megan Sims reports. An 18-year-old male was hospitalized after he was found with a gunshot wound to the leg, police say. Street takeovers: A Cleveland police task force on Thursday arrested a woman and seized multiple guns and two vehicles in connection with the late September street takeovers, reports Olivia Mitchell. Suspect arrested: A murder suspect was arrested Friday by a U.S. marshals task force on Cleveland's East Side, reports Olivia Mitchell. Jamelle Swanson, 24, is accused of aggravated murder. Authorities say that Swanson fatally shot Anthony Williams, 22, on Aug. 3 on the 1000 block of East 72nd Street. Hospital police: A fight between a Lorain hospital and area law-enforcement agencies has left the hospital operating without its police force, reports Adam Ferrise. Mercy Health-Lorain Hospital officials said in a lawsuit that Lorain police and county prosecutors retaliated against the hospital after doctors refused to remove a baggie of suspected drugs from a suspect’s body cavity. |
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Best delis: Cleveland.com’s Best Of team details the 24 highest-ranked delis in Cleveland, as reviewed by users on the ever-popular Tripadvisor website. FanFest: Cleveland will be one of 30 cities participating in the Super Bowl FanFest, which will take place across 30 venues on Super Bowl Sunday next month, reports Marc Bona. The ticketed but free fest will feature food and beverages from locally owned small businesses, meet-and-greets with what the league bills as “football heroes,” live music, interactive games and other football-related fan experiences. Dry January: Several restaurants and bars in Northeast Ohio offer dynamic mocktail lists for those still looking to go out while partaking in Dry January. Paris Wolfe reports that these alcohol-free options provide all of the flavor of a craft cocktail without the alcohol. House of the Week: Situated in a secluded and wooded enclave in Geauga County, this home in Russell Township was built in 1992 and offers four bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, including seven full baths, reports Joey Morona. The home is listed for $4.15 million. |
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See Northeast Ohio snow totals since Jan. 1 and what the snow system heading east has in store for the region Read more Suspect arrested in Shaker Heights for leaving scene of crash, then causing another Read more St. Peter Catholic Church celebrates 150th Jubilee year Read more Middleburg Heights Mayor Matt Castelli expects busy year ahead Read more Middleburg Heights hires Maria Lemmon as new animal control officer Read more Berea approves home demolition for Front St. apartments project Read more Mayfield Village Council selects Peter Gall as the new Ward 4 representative Read more While Pepper Pike plans to extend its portion of Gates Mills Boulevard Trail, such a trail in Mayfield Hts. has not been further discussed Read more Chagrin Falls school board accepting applications for vacant seat Read more |
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