Pro-Palestinian protests have erupted on college campuses across the United States in response to the war between Israel and Hamas that broke out in October. As the school year concludes, university administrations have struggled with how to address the protests. At Case Western Reserve University, more than 20 students were detained and released last week while officials removed an encampment on campus. Days later, President Eric Kaler ordered protesters to disperse, but they remained. Tensions escalated after students painted the school’s Advocacy and Spirit walls Monday night with messages the administration deemed “threatening, intimidating and antisemitic.” Contractors were hired by CWRU to paint over the messages. When protesters – including a University of Cincinnati student – stood in front of the wall to block it, workers directly sprayed white paint over them. Tuesday, the wall was painted again with a pro-Israel message. — Laura |
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Students are accusing contractors hired by Case Western Reserve University of assault after they were spray-painted while protesting for Palestine. (Image provided by protester) |
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Painting protesters: Case Western Reserve University President Eric Kaler said the college will “hold individuals responsible for this behavior, including the failure of our own officers to intervene," Molly Walsh reports. STRS: Gov. Mike DeWine has forwarded over a dozen documents about the pension system for hundreds of thousands of Ohio teachers to state investigators, saying that he believes the information could show potential wrongdoing. The State Teachers Retirement System has been mired in a fight for control of the pension, Laura Hancock reports. Biden ballot: The question of whether President Joe Biden will appear on Ohio’s general-election ballot this fall could soon be headed to the courts as the state legislature adjourned on Wednesday without passing any legislation to free him from an administrative snag, Jeremy Pelzer reports. Despite Wednesday’s impasse, legislators on both sides of the aisle, as well as Gov. Mike DeWine, continued to give assurances that Biden will not become the first major-party presidential nominee in modern history to be unintentionally excluded from any state’s ballot. Browns Berea HQ: The Browns have plans for a $200 million mixed-use development near their headquarters in Berea, reports Sean McDonnell. The Browns have accumulated several acres, possibly for a hotel and a mixture of office space, retail and housing. The new development might include a new recreation center and community fields for youth sports. Today in Ohio: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says college students who wear masks while protesting could violate a Ku Klux Klan-era state law that would escalate a misdemeanor charge into a fourth-degree felony. We’re talking about why Yost wrote the letter to university presidents on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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OSU protests: Speaking Wednesday to state lawmakers, the president of Ohio State University defended the school’s actions toward pro-Palestinian protesters in late April, when snipers staged on top of campus buildings and cops on the ground arrested 36 people, reports Laura Hancock. Despite claims of civil and religious rights violations from protesting students, lawmakers were largely quiet in response to Ted Carter’s remarks about the protests, except for state Sen. Jerry Cirino, a Kirtland Republican, who said Carter’s response should be an example to other universities. Chinese cars: U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown wants the Biden administration to ban all Chinese vehicles that are connected to the internet as well as any smart vehicle technology that is designed, developed, manufactured or supplied from China. Sabrina Eaton reports Brown fears that the technology could enable the Chinese Communist Party to access sensitive personal data of Americans and of critical U.S. infrastructure in response. Speaker vote: The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected an effort by Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson in a 359 to 43 vote, with all of Ohio’s GOP members except Miami County Republican Warren Davidson voting to table her resolution, Sabrina Eaton reports. Coal credit: The state House passed legislation Wednesday to allow a coal-burning facility in southern Ohio to claim a renewable energy credit – a commodity that utility companies pay for in cash to comply with Ohio’s green energy requirements. Jake Zuckerman reports SunCoke Energy operates 200 garage-sized ovens in Scioto County that refine coal into “coke,” a purified carbon used in the blast furnace production of steel. |
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CSU: Cleveland State University President Laura Bloomberg told state senators Tuesday that despite a buyout announced in April, more employee cuts will be needed – and soon, reports Laura Hancock. Burke plans: Shaker Heights High School students envision Burke Lakefront Airport being a training ground for the next generation of pilots. Garrett Morgan students think it could be a great place to provide residents access through both housing and entertainment venues. And students from John Marshall, who had a similar plan, say if that happened, it would be great use of property. Megan Sims reports on the ACE Mentor Program of Cleveland, which exposes high school students to potential careers in architecture, construction and engineering. Delinquent: Parnell was released from adult prison at 19 following his conviction for a 2019 crime spree, when he was 15. In their series Delinquent: Our Kids, Our System, Kaitlin Durbin and John Tucker detail how Parnell and three others stole a gas station employee’s car at gunpoint on Cleveland’s West Side. Days later, he was accused of being involved in a drive-by shooting, where a 19-year-old was struck in the leg. It’s tough for him to get a job, since he’s forced to check the little box designating himself as a felon, likely hindering his prospects. Chemicals: Ohio is the seventh-highest state in the country for facility chemicals with potential risk-related impacts on human health, according to the latest data from 2022 from the TRI Toxics Tracker. Zachary Smith reports the state’s hazard score increased from 2021, even though Ohio also saw a decrease in the volume of chemicals it released in 2022 compared to 2021 by more than 7 million pounds and in the volume of waste managed by nearly 50 million pounds. |
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MomsFirst: MomsFirst addresses one of Cleveland’s greatest health issues: the high mortality rates of infants and mothers. The home visits aim to help mothers deliver and raise healthy babies. Olivia Mitchell reports the program was awarded $1 million to be distributed each year for the next five years by the Health Resources and Services Administration to address disparities in maternal health. Marijuana research: Because cannabis is a schedule I drug, scientists in the United States are limited in the research they can conduct on it. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports that proponents of reclassifying the drug say that removing the current restrictions will likely give U.S. scientists more access to the drug, a wider population of users to study, and consequently the public a better idea of the health benefits and risks that come with its use. Saving You Money: How much does it cost to charge your electric vehicle? Vehicle batteries are measured in kilowatt hours, which is the same way our meters measure electricity at our homes, writes Sean McDonnell in his weekly column. The 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a plug-in hybrid, so it runs on electricity for only a short time before turning to gasoline. Charging it costs $2.77 when charging from empty to full at home. The Tesla Model 3 has a 60-kilowatt-hour battery and 272-mile range. It costs $9.60 to charge. Coffee shop: The Human Bean, which offers multiple caffeine delivery systems, opened Wednesday in Mentor, reports Paris Wolfe. The location’s menu includes specialty-grade coffee, fruit smoothies, whole-leaf teas, and hot breakfast items to-go. Alzheimer’s: More than 236,000 Ohioans 65 or older — or about 11% of Ohio seniors — are living with Alzheimer’s dementia, according to the 2024 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report. Julie Washington reports that Alzheimer’s dementia is the seventh-leading cause of death in Ohio. |
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Amazon shooting: Police say five youths, including a 12-year-old boy, took part in a 90-minute crime spree Saturday that ended in the death of a teenager in the carjacking of an Amazon driver. Olivia Mitchell reports the 12-year-old and a 17-year-old each face more than two dozen charges in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. In a hearing this week, they denied the allegations. House fire: Authorities say a person died in a house fire Wednesday in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood. Homicide detectives have joined arson investigators in the search for the cause, reports Olivia Mitchell. Fish kill: A Kenton man has admitted to dumping thousands of gallons of hazardous substances into the Scioto River, killing more than 40,000 fish, reports Molly Walsh. Mark Shepherd, 72, pleaded guilty last week in U.S. District Court in Toledo to charges of dumping 7,000 gallons of a substance containing ammonia into the Scioto River, near Kenton in western Ohio. |
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Ask Lucas: If you're in your late 30s and want to go back to college, are you too old? Lucas Daprile writes that you should get your “degree” by Googling things that interest you, memorizing esoteric Wikipedia pages and picking arguments with people on Reddit. Visiting Mount Vernon: Mount Vernon, the Knox County seat, was established in 1805 and named after the Virginia residence of the nation’s first president. Susan Glaser reports it’s an easy day trip, but with enough to do for a weekend away, including some exceptional outdoor spaces, a coalescence of bike paths, quaint inns, a strollable downtown with shops and eateries, plus a couple of historic theaters. Top concerts: The spring and summer of 2024 is going to offer many opportunities for live music fans to scream-sing along with a variety of artists from all genres and eras, just among the area’s three major venues -- Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Jacobs Pavilion in Cleveland, and Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls. Malcolm X Abram and Kaylee Remington report there are more than 70 shows between now and late September. |
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Akron man sentenced for fatally shooting 45-year-old woman Read more Man stabs mother to death, wounds elderly male, police say Read more Lorain County woman dies in crash after swerving to avoid disabled tractor-trailer Read more One South Euclid’s 2nd Annual Restaurant Week coming May 18-25 Read more Akron Public Schools mulls $15M in budget cuts, tax levy Read more Fairview Park leaders host State of Community address Read more Olmsted Falls seeking new finance director Read more Touchdown! Lakewood City Schools adding new scoreboard at high school stadium Read more |
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