Defense attorneys in the corruption trial of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder insist $500,000 from his political adviser, Jeff Longstreth, was a loan. Prosecutors say it was a bribe. Householder never listed the loan in his state financial disclosure -- though he did describe receiving an unspecified gift from Longstreth. That reveals a big weakness in Ohio law. Under Ohio law, lawmakers must disclose all gifts they receive worth $75 or more, as well as those from lobbyists worth more than $25. But they don’t have to declare their specific value and they don’t have to describe what the gift was. At least six states set a cap on how valuable of a gift lawmakers can accept from a single source, from $20 in South Carolina to $250 in Alaska and California. A handful of other states specifically restrict lawmakers from accepting gifts above a certain value from either lobbyists, people acting at the specific direction of their employer, or from their direct employees. Maybe it’s time to elect something similar here? - Laura |
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Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder sits at the head of a legislative session in Columbus in 2019. Householder is on trial in one of the largest corruption cases in state history. (John Minchillo, Associated Press file photo) |
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Lawmaker gifts: Ohio state legislators have passed no laws to address the numerous ethical and disclosure shortcomings in state law exposed by the House Bill 6 corruption, reports Andrew Tobias. Trial update: An attorney for former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder exploded at a federal judge Thursday, accusing him of “tying our hands” during his cross examination out of a purported personal vendetta against Householder. Jake Zuckerman reports the combative exchange came after the court recessed during cross-examination of former Ohio House lawmaker Dave Greenspan, a Westlake Republican, who became the first of at least two witnesses to contact the FBI regarding the passage of legislation Householder championed. Today in Ohio: A proposed amendment to the state’s transportation budget bill would have killed a long-planned bike lane project on Superior Avenue until sharp opposition made Rep. Tom Patton back down. We’re talking about who Patton might have been acting on behalf of on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Lawmaker mocking: The Ohio state lawmaker overseeing the committee hearing a proposal to make it harder to pass state constitutional amendments was recorded on video mocking the ethnicity and religion of another lawmaker and passing off debunked conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Jeremy Pelzer reports that State Rep. Scott Wiggam, a Wooster Republican, said Sen. Niraj Antani, a Dayton-area Republican and the first Indian-American to serve in the Ohio Senate, opposes the death penalty because “he’s an Indian. And so, they won’t even kill cows. And I can say that because I’ve been over to India.” Train derailment: The Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals that derailed and burned in East Palestine was going below the speed limit at the time of the accident, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report. Peter Krouse reports the train was traveling at 47 mph, while the speed limit was 50 mph, but the report does not say how exactly the train derailed. Approximately 38,222 minnows and 5,500 other species – including crayfish, amphibians and macroinvertebrates – were potentially killed as a result of toxic chemicals unleashed in the derailment, reports Laura Hancock. Jim Jordan: Republican members of Congress eager to see immigrants illegally entering the United States gathered late Wednesday in roughly a dozen vehicles, some clearly marked as belonging to police, to search the Arizona border with Mexico. Sabrina Eaton reports their search came up empty. Hours later, immigration officials would spot a group crossing north, but it was long after Congress members had retired for the night. Jordan capped two days of touring the area by conducting a public hearing in the Yuma City Council chambers on how illegal immigration is straining its community services. |
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Non-profit executives: The area’s healthcare centers and a university have the highest-paid employees among non-profits in Greater Cleveland, with 38 employees topping $1 million in the most recent set of tax filings available with full details. Zachary Smith reports these jobs were at five places - the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Summa Health, Akron Children’s Hospital and Case Western Reserve University - topping out at more than $3 million. Police commission: Mayor Justin Bibb has proposed a budget for the newly seated Cleveland Community Police Commission that exceeds the minimum investment required by the charter amendment that voters approved in 2021. Bibb’s 2023 budget proposal marks the Community Police Commission’s first real budget plan, reports Courtney Astolfi. Bike lanes: Cleveland bike advocates were feeling upbeat Thursday, a day after State Rep. Tom Patton said he would withdraw a controversial amendment to the state transportation budget bill that would have killed a popular bike lane project planned for Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland. Steven Litt reports the Strongsville Republican’s amendment would have prohibited cities with a population of 300,000 or more from adding bike lanes to the middle of a street or highway. Gun violence: The Cleveland-based Center for Health Affairs has teamed with Amazon Web Services to create a large pool of global data to address gun violence, behavioral health crises and other factors affecting the health of northern Ohio residents. Northeast Ohio organizations, researchers and businesses — including MetroHealth System and Case Western Reserve University — along with agencies across the country and globe are contributing data to the Social Determinants of Health Innovation Hub, reports Julie Washington. Landlord fee: A non-profit advocacy law organization is challenging as “unconstitutional” an annual fee Cleveland Heights imposes on landlords who live outside Cuyahoga County, reports Megan Sims. The1851 Center for Constitutional Law filed suit in federal court on Jan. 31 in an attempt to overturn the $100 fee. |
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Lordstown Motors: The long-awaited production of the Lordstown Motors’ all-electric pickup truck is being paused because of production and safety issues, reports Sean McDonnell. The company said Thursday that it’s experiencing performance and quality issues with certain parts of the Endurance pickup truck. It has temporarily stopped making vehicles and has issued a recall for trucks that have already been made. Weekly COVID: The number of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio continued on the upward trajectory seen for the last few weeks, rising to 9,136 this week from 8,999 last week, reports Julie Washington. It was the first time since Jan. 12 that the case number climbed over 9,000. |
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Kirtland chief: A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by fired Kirtland Police Chief Lance Nosse, who claimed the city broke federal law when it fired him over “habitual drunkenness” and making sexist, homophobic and racist comments. Adam Ferrise reports U.S. District Judge James Gwin tossed out Nosse’s lawsuit with prejudice, meaning the former official can’t refile the case. Riot sentence: A Parma man will spend two years in federal prison for torching a parking attendant’s booth during the May 30, 2020, riot in downtown Cleveland during the protest of the police killing of George Floyd, reports Adam Ferrise. Seth Calig, 51, said he took testosterone on the morning of the riot, picked up his son from work and drove downtown, where he encountered a chaotic scene — police firing tear gas and rubber bullets and people setting police cruisers on fire and breaking windows. Beating: Police arrested two men Wednesday and accused them of robbing and beating a beloved resident of the West Side. Vandozier Ivory, 49, and Vandel Miles, 28, are accused of attacking Joe Lewis, 59, who has disabilities, and spraying him with a water gun, Molly Walsh reports. Police chase: Four people, including an 11-month-old girl, suffered injuries in a three-car-crash following a police chase. The incident happened about 10 p.m. Wednesday. East Cleveland officers chased a 61-year-old man who drove a Ford Explorer and was suspected of drunken driving, police said. During the pursuit, the driver of the Ford hit several other vehicles and drove over a curb, Olivia Mitchell reports. |
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Wolf Pack: Chef Chris Wolf and his wife Katie welcomed nearly four dozen guests Thursday to a soft opening of their new restaurant Wolf Pack Chorus. The restaurant, located on Cornell Road between Little Italy and University Hospitals in the former Club Isabella space, will open to the public in early March, reports Paris Wolfe. Karamu House: Karamu House is the oldest African-American performing arts institution in the United States. It has served as an incubator for some of the country’s best-known Black artists since it first opened its doors in 1917, writes Brenda Cain. Appealing bread: Banana bread was the baked good of the coronavirus pandemic and our love for it is still strong. National Banana Bread Day is celebrated every Feb. 23. To mark the occasion, Paris Wolfe visited Floressa Café in Cleveland to learn why banana bread is one of their top sellers. Things to do: What to do this weekend: Try the Brite Winter festival on the West Bank of the Flats, Cavs home games or Black History Month activities, reports Paris Wolfe. |
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Man shot in legs during fight outside Akron bar, police say Read more Extreme clutter forces Elyria firefighters to demolish house to put out fire Read more Woman wearing Arby’s hat threatens Subway workers in Berea cookie controversy Read more Two Orange High School teams advance to Mock Trial state competition Read more Sarah Kostura named to new position in Solon: associate director of law Read more Lawsuit filed against Solon, Bentleyville related to woman’s death after high-speed chase Read more North Olmsted City Schools seeking community input with strategic plan survey Read more |
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