Less than two years after 57% of Ohioans voted to legalize medical marijuana, state legislators want to add limits to the law. Lawmakers want stricter rules for selling intoxicating hemp products like Delta 8, an idea long pushed by Gov. Mike DeWine. Republicans are considering dropping the limit of home-grow plants from 12 to six. And they don’t want growers to share. “It’s not to do away with the ballot initiative,” said state Sen. Steve Huffman, a Tipp City Republican. “It’s to work around the edges to make it better.” But Democrats think some changes are going too far. “Are we basically saying to the voters, ‘Screw you, you don’t know what you’re talking about?’” Columbus Democratic state Sen. Bill DeMora said in a Wednesday committee hearing. — Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Ohio has had medical marijuana for years, but state Issue 2 legalized recreational marijuana in November 2023. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com file photo) |
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Recreational marijuana: Senate Republicans want to scale back Ohio’s voter-backed recreational marijuana program, cutting home-grow limits, raising taxes, lowering potency and shifting revenue away from social-equity programs, reports Anna Staver. CAK: Buoyed by new flights from Breeze and Allegiant airlines, Akron-Canton Airport saw its passenger numbers increase by more than 10% last year, reports Susan Glaser. That compares to a 3% passenger increase at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in 2024. Passenger growth at Hopkins lagged the increases at a half-dozen airports in Ohio and surrounding places, including Columbus, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Today in Ohio: Ohio receives nearly $40 billion in federal funding. So what happens if President Trump shuts off spending? We’re talking about the wide-ranging affects of a federal freeze on daily life on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Ohio report card: Fourth-grade student scores in Ohio on a test known as the Nation’s Report Card show little improvement since the COVID-19 pandemic. And in some areas, they are worse or have not budged since the early 2000s, reports Laura Hancock. Child care: Gov. Mike DeWine today will address Dayton area business leaders and advocates for expanding child care during a summit about expanding access and improving affordability for working parents. The summit comes as Ohio’s largest business lobbies have thrown their collective weight behind improving child care in Ohio, a policy position they say is critical to attracting more jobs. Jon Husted: Ohio’s newest U.S. Senator has been assigned to serve on four committees and says he’s eager to start work supporting President Donald Trump’s agenda, reports Sabrina Eaton. Former Lt. Gov. Jon Husted has been named to serve on the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, its Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, its Committee on Environment and Public Works, and its Special Committee on Aging. Vance press: Newly minted Vice President JD Vance has hired the son of conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, Buckley Carlson, as his deputy press secretary, Sabrina Eaton reports. Anti-discrimination: A former attorney for the Ohio House Democrats claims in a federal anti-discrimination report that she was forced from her job after complaining that female legislative staffers were being paid less and disciplined more than their male colleagues, reports Jeremy Pelzer. The House Democrats’ legal counsel from 2010 until July 2023 claimed that she was pressured by House Minority Leader Allison Russo into resigning after refusing to stop her complaints to House administrators. |
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Council speech: In speaking out Tuesday night about Cuyahoga County’s investments in Israel amid the war on Gaza, Rev. Regis E. Bunch equated the white members of County Council to slave owners and used the N-word to refer to council’s four Black members. No one stopped him, reports Kaitlin Durbin. Council’s rules of decorum ask that speakers addressing the body “conduct themselves in a civil and respectful manner,” but only expressly prohibit heckling, outbursts that disrupt the meeting or others’ speaking time, displaying signs and remarks that are obscene or defamatory. Joe Jones: An independent investigation revealed that Cleveland City Councilman Joe Jones had a “sustained pattern of inappropriate and unprofessional behavior” and that he likely violated council’s sexual harassment and workplace violence policies, reports Sean McDonnell. Law firm McDonald Hopkins concluded that the allegations against Jones — which include screaming at staff, touching a council employee’s breast and making inappropriate comments to a female artist during a meeting — were true. East Cleveland: East Cleveland City Council President Lateek Shabazz said he should be next in line to serve as acting mayor after a panel of judges suspended Mayor Brandon King on Tuesday as he faces public corruption charges. State law, however, indicates that a probate judge shall choose a successor for the duration of a suspended official’s term, Olivia Mitchell reports. Vrooman Bridge: Repairs to the Vrooman Road bridge over the Grand River and Seeley Road in Lake County will be made under the state’s Local Major Bridge Program, reports Rich Exner. The project includes sealing the bridge deck at a cost of $176,880 in fiscal 2029. Chagrin-Lee: The city’s investment in the Chagrin-Lee business district will continue in 2025 as council on Monday approved a $400,000 grant to rehab vacant and underused commercial property. Cory Shaffer reports the grant from the city’s Economic Development and Housing Reserve Fund will go to the Shaker Heights Development Corp. |
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Quest Diagnostics: University Hospitals has sold some of its outpatient laboratory locations to New Jersey-based Quest Diagnostics for an undisclosed amount, Quest announced. The sale, first announced in August, was completed this week. The sale affects about 50 UH outpatient lab services locations, including laboratory draw locations inside its health centers. Julie Washington reports that patients may notice some changes starting this month. Layoffs: An international commercial flooring manufacturer is closing its Middlefield distribution center, which will lead to nearly 100 layoffs. Megan Sims reports that Tarkett USA Inc. is permanently closing its distribution center at 16077 Industrial Parkway, which is adjacent to the Geauga County Airport. Nonprofit compensation: More than 50 nonprofit employees from the eight-county Greater Cleveland region received annual compensation of over $1 million, reports Zachary Smith. These jobs were at eight locations: Akron Children’s Hospital, Ashtabula County Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Clinic, the Jack Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, Southwest General Medical Group, Summa Health, and University Hospitals. |
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Facial recognition: Northeast Ohio police departments are using facial recognition to find suspects and build cases, and a key agency is offering one of the region’s first policies in using the software. Lucas Daprile reports that most department searches go through the Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center, an inter-agency intelligence group that uses a software program made by Clearview AI to identify a person who appears in a surveillance video. Teacher charged: A teacher with the South Euclid-Lyndhurst School District is facing a criminal charge after he reportedly requested and received nude photos from a 16-year-old girl, Cliff Pinckard reports. Eric Schmidt, 43, of Seven Hills, is charged with one count of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, according to Chardon Municipal Court records. |
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Central Kitchen: Central Kitchen received the Golden Whisk Award’s Incubator of the Year for its efforts to foster equitable entrepreneurship opportunities in Greater Cleveland, reports Alex Darus. The local incubator received the award, presented by The Food Corridor, at the 2024 Shared Kitchen Summit in New Orleans. Blue Door: Blue Door Cafe and Bakery is one of the best places in the United States for a croissant, according to Yelp’s latest list, reports Alex Darus. Rider’s Inn: The future of a bar and inn that was built just a few years after Ohio became a state remains cloudy because of a dispute between the seller and buyer, reports Paris Wolfe. Rider’s Inn, an historic, 213-year old building in Painesville, closed at the end of 2024. |
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Postal worker robbed by male claiming to have firearm Read more Shaker Heights OKs latest piece of massive Chagrin-Lee district overhaul Read more Lorain county commissioners appoint new directors for workforce development, solid waste and job and family services Read more Medina planning lease agreement with housing authority Read more Avon voters to decide on income tax increase Read more Olmsted Township to vote on new town center mixed-use development Read more Lakewood City Council tweaks tree advisory board appointment Read more Parma set to increase detention center prisoner housing fees Read more Parma Heights appoints Steve Vanek to vacant Ward 4 City Council seat Read more |
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