The bipartisan Ohio Ballot Board on Monday unanimously voted that a proposed abortion constitutional amendment contains only a single issue and, therefore, can be circulated on petitions. Abortion rights supporters have until July 5 to collect the required 412,591 signatures from registered voters in at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties in order to make the November ballot. They’re aiming for 700,000 names in case some are found invalid. The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety would grant every individual the right to make and carry out their own reproductive decisions, which includes contraception, fertility treatment, continuing a pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion. Abortion could be prohibited after fetal viability, which is about 21 to 24 weeks into a pregnancy. Petitioners plan to start canvassing this week. - Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
Northeast Ohio Tuesday weather forecast: Snow showers followed by gradual clearing |
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A proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution would grant every individual the right to make and carry out their own reproductive decisions. (cleveland.com file photo) |
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Abortion amendment: Ohioans who want to see abortion rights enshrined in the state constitution soon will be able to sign petitions to put the question on the November ballot after a proposed amendment cleared another procedural step Monday. Jeremy Pelzer reports the bipartisan Ohio Ballot Board unanimously voted Monday that the proposed amendment contains only a single subject. Pandemic learning: After Cleveland students learned remotely for about a year during the pandemic, administrators have added support services to help close the learning gap and lessen the impact on the entire student body. But within each classroom, teachers are making changes to how they approach education and finding new ways to bring their classes up to grade-level achievements, reports Hannah Drown. One concern: an overall lower ELA aptitude among this year’s fifth-grade students at Almira Elementary School. Rite Aid: The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday accused Rite Aid Corp. of intentionally ignoring red flags on hundreds of thousands of dubious opioid prescriptions, which helped fuel the epidemic that claimed the lives of some 500,000 people in the last two decades. The Justice Department’s complaint, filed in a whistleblower lawsuit in federal court in Cleveland, accuses Rite Aid and several subsidiaries of violating federal law and illegally filling prescriptions to make millions of dollars in profits, Adam Ferrise reports. Today in Ohio: Sports betting may be especially addicting for young people, since the prefrontal cortex their brains has not yet developed, leading them to make irrational decisions. We’re talking about the problem of sports betting apps on phones on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Great Lakes Authority: The federal budget blueprint that President Joe Biden released last week provides $5 million to set up a new federal entity called the “Great Lakes Authority” that would promote regional development, echoing the creation of the New Deal-era Tennessee Valley Authority formed to boost the region’s economic development. Sabrina Eaton reports the authority would include Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Merrin upgrades: As a power struggle was playing out in the Ohio House late last year, state Rep. Derek Merrin was considering a number of upgrades to the chamber’s furnishings that have since largely been cast aside after he lost the vote for Ohio House speaker. Jeremy Pelzer reports that Merrin, a Toledo-area Republican, asked for for all carpeting in the House to be replaced with plush carpeting. He sought new furniture, artwork, bookshelves, lighting and wall paint, as well as “larger and more regal” signs for lawmakers’ offices, plus new, foil-embossed business cards, like state senators already have. Railroad scammers: State officials are warning East Palestine residents that they have received reports of people knocking on doors and impersonating personnel from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Norfolk Southern railroad. Laura Hancock reports neither of these organizations are conducting any door-to-door operations. |
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Cuyahoga leadership: Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne announced Monday that he is tapping two longtime employees for key leadership positions in the Department of Health and Human Services, including one with a budgeting and finance background. Ronayne is appointing Cuyahoga County Treasurer W. Christopher Murray II as deputy director of HHS, and Jacqueline Fletcher to lead the still-embattled Division of Children and Family Services, Kaitlin Durbin reports. Community concerns: Two state senators met Monday with Cleveland pastors to address community concerns, including voter registration and gun violence, Olivia Mitchell reports. Nickie J. Antonio, D-Lakewood, and Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, met with Pastor Larry Harris, president of the Mount Pleasant Ministerial Alliance, and other Cleveland pastors at the Mt. Olive Baptist Church to discuss challenges the community is facing and policies that could address them. |
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Medical mistakes: Mariann Cummings had part of her lung removed after she was told she had cancer, only to be told later that a lab mistake had led to a misdiagnosis and that surgery wasn’t necessary, reports Julie Washington. Patients say their lives have been frustratingly changed by medical mistakes. Ohio billionaires: Despite a down year in the stock market in 2022, including a 19.6% drop in the S&P 500 Index, the net worth of Ohio’s wealthiest people increased to the tune of $1.7 billion, reports Zachary Smith. Denise York and family, from the Youngstown area and the owner and co-chair of the San Francisco 49ers (one of the most valuable teams in the NFL), saw the largest increase in 2021, going from $4 billion in 2021 to $5.1 billion in 2022. Bank stocks: Following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, other banks and financial companies across the country, including in Ohio, saw their stock values plummet on Monday. Sean McDonnell reports KeyBank, Huntington Bank, PNC, and Fifth-Third Bank all saw significant drops in stock prices. Megabus: Megabus, the discount bus line that once ran numerous routes from Cleveland, made a brief return to Ohio earlier this year before shutting down service again. Susan Glaser reports intercity bus travel in Ohio continues to operate below pre-pandemic levels, although service is picking up throughout the Midwest, with new routes from companies including FlixBus, the German company that bought Greyhound in 2021. |
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Drag story hour: Nearly 300 people filled a Wadsworth park Saturday to protest the Rock-n-Roll Humanist Drag Queen Story Hour, with many chanting homophobic and racial slurs and two people getting arrested, reports Molly Walsh. Wadsworth City Council President Bob Thurber wants “to consider legislation that would ban adult-oriented performances held on city property with minors in attendance.” During performances, the park grew tense as white supremacists, neo-Nazis and Proud Boys clashed with LGBTQ+ supporters. Minister arrested: The minister of a church in Geauga County has been arrested and is facing multiple criminal charges after he was accused of the sexual abuse of minors. Dennis Laferty, 37, who is pastor at Thompson United Methodist Church in Thompson Township, is accused of sexually abusing minors beginning in 2019 and continuing until January of this year. Cliff Pinckard reports investigators believe there might be more victims. CMHA officer suit: A Black police officer for the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority sued the agency and a white supervisor over accusations of racial discrimination and retaliation over rap videos the officer made while off-duty. Adam Ferrise reports William Shelton, an eight-year veteran, was fired in 2021, in part, because of his rap music. An arbitrator reinstated his job in 2022. Summit County slayings: Authorities have identified the three victims who were killed Friday morning in Summit County, where investigators found the men bound and gagged. Two Youngstown men were found on the side of Cordova Avenue in Akron. A short distance away in Copley Township, another man was found bound and gagged. Mistrial: A judge declared a mistrial Monday in the case of three people accused of kidnapping, torturing and killing a woman in East Cleveland in November 2021. Cory Shaffer reports Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge John Russo wrote in a journal entry that a member of his staff accidentally sent a communication containing procedural information only to prosecutors and not the defense attorneys representing Hakeem-Ali Shomo, Anthony Bryant and Brittany Smith. 7-year-old shot: Authorities have identified the 7-year-old boy who was fatally shot Saturday afternoon. Demetrius Dunlap died at MetroHealth Medical Center, reports Molly Walsh. While circumstances of the shooting are still under investigation, investigators say the shooting may have involved an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound. |
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Bracket help: March Madness is so named because of the crazy, end-of-year on-court grinder 64 teams are thrown into, game after game, until one emerges as champion. Choosing who will win is a tall task when you are dealing with multiple conferences, streaky teams, unknowns and a host of other variables. Marc Bona has tips to pick your teams. Ingenuity: IngenuityFest, an annual celebration of Cleveland’s arts, will return in September, reports Joey Morona. Now in its 18th year, the theme of the festival this year is “Biologies & Geologies.” RV Rocking: In the latest Rocking the RV Life podcast episode, Jeff and Patti Kinzbach cover a lot of topics, including the recent heavy snow out west. They also chat with RV Boot Camp instructor Kevin Vaughn. |
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Head-on crash in Akron kills 28-year-old driver Read more Teen male found dead of gunshot wound in Akron parking lot Read more Solon High School speech and debate team repeats as state champion Read more Medina awarded Tree City USA award Read more Medina County Administrator set to retire Read more Cleveland Heights’ Taylor Tudor buildings win $6 million in state historic tax credits after all Read more |
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