Coronavirus: Chinese authorities have taken drastic action in an attempt to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, placing at least 15 cities and more than 50 million people under quarantine. But if coronavirus broke out in Northeast Ohio, local public health officials would rely on CDC guidelines, which recommend monitoring an infected person at their home or keeping them isolated in a healthcare facility, report cleveland.com’s Evan MacDonald and Emily Bamforth.

Cleveland ballot issues: The group that successfully petitioned to put two issues on the March 17 ballot asking city voters to reduce the size and pay of Cleveland City Council on Monday withdrew its petitions. Cleveland.com’s Robert Higgs reports the withdrawal clears the way for City Council to rescind measures that authorized the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections to put the two issues on the ballot and ask that any votes cast on the issues not be counted.

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How to react: Ohio law doesn’t specify what to do in an election when petitioners withdraw a request for a ballot issue. So the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is consulting with the county prosecutor, City Council leaders and the Ohio secretary of state, reports cleveland.com’s Peter Krouse. The board also will look at the 2015 election in Chagrin Falls, when the board didn’t tally the votes for two ballot issues.

Harry Buffalo: A former bartender at the downtown Harry Buffalo sued the restaurant’s owners, saying they underpaid employees by deducting “breakage” and “waste” fees from paychecks. Cleveland.com’s Eric Heisig explains the lawsuit, which argues Harry Buffalo took a tax credit that required the restaurant to ensure its employees earned at least the minimum wage rate for all Ohio employees who do not receive tips, but owners did not actually pay that credit.

Lake Erie record: Lake Erie has broken the February high water record, reports cleveland.com’s Laura Johnston. And the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers predicts Lake Erie will break monthly records for the next four months before leveling off in June and July.

Trump budget: A $4.8 trillion budget proposal that President Donald Trump unveiled on Monday would provide more than $80 million for a new FBI office in Cleveland and $320 million for the Great Lakes Restoration initiative, reports cleveland.com’s Sabrina Eaton. The plan would cut an Energy Department loan program that an electric truck builder plans to use to repurpose General Motors’ closed Lordstown plant.

Ohio City project: City Council gave final approval Monday to tax incentives sought by developers to help convert underused property on Cleveland’s West Side into new housing, according to cleveland.com’s Robert Higgs. One project, Market Square, involves razing the struggling Market Plaza across from the West Side Market and replacing it with about 300 market-rate apartments and about 40,000 square feet of retail space.

Life sentence: A judge on Monday handed down a life sentence to a lifelong car thief who was convicted of running over and killing a woman during a 2018 carjacking outside a West Side church. Cleveland.com’s Cory Shaffer reports 33-year-old Lesley DeJesus had run out of the church where she and her family were preparing for her daughter’s quinceañera to fend off two men trying to steal the family’s minivan.

Jail lawsuits: A Lakewood woman said in a lawsuit that Cuyahoga County Jail staff did not properly tend to her mental health issues while she was behind bars in 2018, exacerbating her already acute problems. Cleveland.com’s Eric Heisig reports that in the lawsuit against the county and 19 current and former jail employees, 47-year-old Heather Bottum says she was placed in isolation and put in a restraint chair while her mental condition deteriorated, and that staff punished her instead of giving her access to programs she needed.

Jane Fonda: Activist and actress Jane Fonda will visit Kent State University in May to discuss the 50th commemoration of the May 4, 1970, shootings, cleveland.com’s Robin Goist reports. Fonda is set to speak at 7 p.m. on May 3 at KSU’s Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center about her social activism and the history and legacy of the events that resulted in the Ohio National Guard fatally shooting four students on the Kent State campus.

Ginn Academy: A new program at the all-boys Cleveland public high school Ginn Academy aims to help students understand how their skillsets can translate to the work world and connect them to education to turn their strengths into a career. Cleveland.com’s Mary Kilpatrick reports The Ginn Academy College and Career Readiness Center will ensure all students have career plans laying out training or educational opportunities in fields that interest them.

Goma: Chef Dante Boccuzzi has shifted gears with his upcoming eatery Goma, planning to take over an East Fourth Street space formerly occupied by Zack Bruell’s Chinato, rather than at Pinecrest in Orange. Cleveland.com’s Anne Nickoloff reports the announcement comes as one of the neighborhood’s flagship restaurants, The Greenhouse Tavern, closed.

Towpath Trail: Cuyahoga Valley National Park on Monday temporarily closed a section of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, between Station Road Bridge Trailhead in Brecksville and Frazee House in Valley View, for canal dredging. Cleveland.com’s Robin Goist reports the three-mile section of trail will be closed through Feb. 21, and no detour is available.

Health myths: Do you really need to drink eight glasses of water a day? Cleveland.com’s sister site, Wired, takes on health myths in this video with Dr. Seema Yasmin, director at the Stanford Center for Health Communication.

Valentine’s Day: Need plans for Valentine’s Day? If you’re a procrastinating Cupid, we are here to help. Cleveland.com’s Anne Nickoloff breaks down 25 ways you can spend the holiday with your loved one (or your friends), including dining and drink options as well as music events, bowling and more!

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