In 1966, the first Chevy Impala rolled off the assembly line at General Motors' Lordstown plant. The facility would be used to make small cars for decades to come, like the Chevrolet Vega, Pontiac Astre and Chevrolet Cavalier. It’s last Chevy? The Cruz, which began production in 2010. (If you drove the Ohio Turnpike east toward Youngstown, you might remember the massive billboard.) The plant closed in 2019 and more than 1,400 employees were laid off. Lordstown Motors was supposed to save the plant – the jobs and the entire community – with its cutting-edge, all-electric Endurance pickup truck. Lordstown said it would build 20,000 pickup trucks during its first year of production in 2021. President Donald Trump championed the company on the White House lawn. It’s 2023, only a handful of trucks have been built, at least a couple have caught fire, and the company has now filed for bankruptcy. The future is dim for the Lordstown plant. -- Laura |
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Lordstown Motors’ short and tumultuous history might end soon. The company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday. (David Dermer, Associated Press file photo) |
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Lordstown: Lordstown, a village about 17 miles west of Youngstown, has been waiting three years for Lordstown Motors to rev up. Sean McDonnell has the timeline of the plant, the company and its electric truck. Budget impasse: State lawmakers are unlikely at this point to pass a new state budget bill before the current budget ends on Friday, according to a Democratic legislator involved with the negotiations. Laura Hancock and Jeremy Pelzer report the focus in the short term is to see whether state lawmakers act before then to pass a temporary spending bill in order to prevent a state government shutdown if the budget impasse isn’t resolved. Today in Ohio: Ohio could reverse course on a potential Cuyahoga County vape tax and allow a higher tax on cigarettes. We’re talking about why the Senate is exempting vapes on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Primary voting: Ohio House Republicans have introduced two “closed primary” bills that seek to stop Democratic and Republican voters in the state from casting ballots in the other party’s primary elections, Jeremy Pelzer reports. Opponents say the bills – both supported by Secretary of State Frank LaRose – are another attempt by Ohio Republicans to reduce voter participation in the state. Issue 1: The campaign working to defeat State Issue 1 has placed its first ad buy of the campaign, offering for the first time an idea at what kind of resources the group will have leading up to the special election in August, reports Andrew Tobias. One Person One Vote announced Tuesday it had launched its first statewide ad buy of the campaign, not divulging any information about what it’s spending. Redistricting decision: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that state lawmakers cannot make redistricting decisions unchecked by state law and courts, rejecting an argument Ohio Republican legislative leaders cited last year as they ignored an Ohio Supreme Court order that ordered them to redraw the state’s congressional district map for the 2024 election. Andrew Tobias reports that Tuesday’s 6-3 ruling rejected the theory, which argued that state constitutions can’t limit lawmakers’ decisions in drawing congressional maps. Utility charges: Utility companies could charge their customers hundreds of millions of dollars to build infrastructure for speculative economic development sites and electric vehicle charging hubs under the latest draft of the state budget. Jake Zuckerman reports that in little-noticed changes from both the House and the Senate, lawmakers added amendments to allow Ohio’s investor-owned gas and electric utility companies to build what critics called “unlimited and unspecified” infrastructure for potential economic projects. |
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Economic development: Mayor Justin Bibb on Tuesday indicated that his recently fired economic development director wasn’t responsive enough to developers and the business community. Courtney Astolfi reports Bibb’s statement on Tuesday was the first time the mayor has publicly offered any reason for why he fired Tessa Jackson on June 15. CMSD board: Mayor Justin Bibb announced Tuesday the appointment of two new members to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District Board of Education and the reappointment of three members currently serving on the nine-person body. Hannah Drown reports Robert Briggs is partner and chairman emeritus at Buckingham Law and Diana Welch Howell is head of hospital expansion for KeyBank’s Laurel Road digital banking platform. RTA raise: The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority trustees will soon consider whether to keep CEO and General Manager India Birdsong Terry at the helm another five years and give her a $56,000 raise. Kaitlin Durbin reports that before the board is a proposal to extend Birdsong Terry’s contract as chief executive and general manager through 2027 and increase her annual salary from $278,512 to $335,000, plus a lump sum of the monthly difference between the two figures dating back to Jan. 1 – around $30,000. Rent: Ohio residents must make at least $19.09 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market value without spending more than 30% of their income on housing. But with the average renter making $18.47 and Ohio minimum wage only $10.10, being able to afford rent with one full-time job is becoming more difficult for the state’s average renter, reports Zachary Smith. Smoke returns: The Cleveland Department of Public Health issued a health alert late Tuesday afternoon as levels of fine particulates in the air are expected to increase overnight and through today, largely because of Canadian wildfires, Peter Krouse reports. Restaurant violations: More than 1,000 Lorain County restaurants and food places were cited with violations during the most recent inspection year. But three out of every four restaurants received less than 10 citations, reports Zachary Smith. Container gardening: Ann Cicarella’s Shaker Heights container gardens are unique in a Northeast Ohio setting because some feature houseplants as the tall “thriller” component, and many of the fillers and spillers in her containers are perennials. Much of the color contrast was provided by the foliage, rather than flowers, which made for dramatic impact throughout the yard that will last throughout the growing season, writes Susan Brownstein. Memory map: Did you create a new memory in the Cleveland area during Pride Month this year? Queering the Map acts as a living, recordable and interactive memory book for queer memories worldwide. It describes itself as a community-generated counter-mapping platform for digitally archiving LGBTQ2IA+ experience in relation to physical space, reports Zachary Smith. Ask Lucas: A reader tells Lucas Daprile his father insists on wearing black socks and flip flops with brightly colored shorts to a backyard barbecue. Daprile’s response has more to do with boxed macaroni and cheese. Ask Yadi: Everywhere you look you can find cigarette butts – on any road, park or sidewalk, writes Yadi Rodriguez. The world should not be treated as your personal ashtray. Do better. |
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Farmers markets: During the coronavirus pandemic, farmers markets filled a niche, giving people a place to shop outdoors while at the same time supporting smaller, local businesses. Robert Higgs reports customers that became regulars and the vendors who set up shop in 2021 and 2022 are returning for the new season. And their numbers are increasing. Opportunity Corridor: A much-anticipated cold storage facility in Cleveland is almost ready to open, which would make it one of the first businesses to open on Opportunity Corridor since the road was finished in 2021. Sean McDonnell reports the cold-storage facility is one of three major projects currently being built on Opportunity Corridor. |
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Fertility lawsuit: An appeals court on Monday overturned a Geauga County judge’s decision to punish a Cleveland attorney during a case that involved University Hospitals fertility clinic’s 2018 freezer tank malfunction that caused thousands of eggs and embryos to become nonviable. Adam Ferrise reports the Ohio 11th District Court of Appeals ruled that attorney Subodh Chandra did not violate Geauga County Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Paschke’s order that led to the criminal contempt finding. |
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Crossroads: Nearly three decades after successfully auditioning for N.W.A.’s Eazy-E, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony -- Krayzie, Layzie, Bizzy, Flesh and Wish Bone -- will be honored with its own named street in Cleveland, John Benson reports. Cleveland’s platinum hip-hop act, known for hit songs “Tha Crossroads” and “1st of tha Month,” is getting their own crossroads at the intersection of St. Clair Avenue and East 99th Street named “Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Way.” Kid Cudi cancels: Kid Cudi’s second annual Moon Man’s Landing concert scheduled to happen on Aug. 19 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has been canceled, Malcolm X Abram reports. The rapper promised to bring the event back in 2024 but might be forced to hold it outside of the city of Cleveland. Best breakfast: After tasting the two plates of “Cleveland Comfort” breakfast food, three "Good Morning, America" judges pronounced a winner, reports Paris Wolfe. Grumpy’s Café took home the golden coffee cup with a 2-1 vote and will compete nationally on Friday. RV Rocking: Road-tripping gives you the opportunity to explore those quirky, funny and sometimes crazy roadside attractions. Jeff and Patti Kinzbach write that they’ve met travelers who base their routes on visiting as many unusual roadside attractions as possible. July 4: Fourth of July celebrations are taking place all across Northeast Ohio communities, with different events inviting folks to take time away from their family picnics and trips to Lake Erie to experience a special Independence Day weekend. John Benson has some ideas. |
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Men open fire on Akron homes, wounding 2 women, including 65-year-old Read more Man fleeing police with abducted infant crashes into Northwest Ohio home, killing child, police say Read more Regular Airbnb parties have Richmond Heights residents on edge Read more Medina developer proposes 90 townhomes off Marks Road in Strongsville Read more Cleveland Heights council approves $1.5 million ARPA project for Cain Park Village ‘Stramp’ Read more Broadview Heights asks voters to prohibit future townhome developments Read more Shaker council OKs development, financing deal for Arcadia project in Van Aken District Read more It’s all in the family: Bennett brothers expected to patrol Orange Schools in 2023-24 Read more |
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