We don’t know exactly when Ohio marijuana dispensaries will open to recreational customers. Ohio’s newly formed Division of Cannabis Control won’t say. Officials know that under the statute voters overwhelmingly approved in November, applications must be published online by June 7 and the division must approve or deny applications by Sept. 7. Aside from those dates, Superintendent James Canepa told Laura Hancock that a handful of dispensaries will open fast to recreational customers, followed by a period of several months when the majority of dispensaries will open. Then there will be stragglers. Cleveland.com readers are eager to learn about the state’s new recreational program; every marijuana story we publish has huge readership. Maybe that’s because there are so many marijuana users. According to a study published in the journal Addiction, the number of daily and near-daily cannabis consumers now exceeds the number of daily and near-daily drinkers. Laura Hancock got an interview with Canepa. It’s well worth reading.
— Laura
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Overnight Scores and Weather |
Guardians vs. Washington Nationals: Guardians’ nine-game home winning streak ends with 5-2 loss to Nationals Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Warmer and muggy |
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James Canepa was named the first superintendent of the Division of Cannabis Control, which falls under the Ohio Department of Commerce. The division will be over both medical and adult-use regulation. (Courtesy Ohio Department of Commerce) |
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Marijuana interview: While Ohioans wait for the chance to buy recreational weed for the first time, the Division of Cannabis Control is working behind the scenes to do the regulatory gymnastics necessary under Ohio’s new law to make it happen. Laura Hancock talked with the superintendent about the program for adult-use, which Ohioans approved in last November’s election, what could bog it down and how he’s trying to ensure product will be available for medical patients in the initial days of the green rush. Political analysis: It’s notable that when Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered the General Assembly back to Columbus to fix the Joe Biden ballot issue last week, they actually did it. What else did the rare political move show? Andrew Tobias analyzes the actions, including national Democrats' last-minute decision to suggest a solution. FirstEnergy: Unless the government invokes a one-year extension, July 20 will mark the end of the three-year term of FirstEnergy’s “deferred prosecution agreement” with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, reports Jake Zuckerman. Prosecutors charged the company three years ago with a conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud in its efforts to bribe government officials in exchange for favorable treatment. But in exchange for the company’s cooperation with the government, payment of a $230 million fine, forfeiture of another roughly $7 million involved in the bribery plot, some corporate reforms, and its issuance of a public statement of guilt, the government will drop that charge within 30 days of the agreement’s expiration date. Today in Ohio: A judge rejected an attempt by the Cleveland-based steel giant Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. to force Yahoo Inc. to reveal the identity of an anonymous online critic. We’re talking about the First Amendment and statements of opinion on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Biden on ballot: A pair of bills banning non-U.S. citizens from contributing to statewide ballot-issue campaigns and allowing President Joe Biden on Ohio’s fall ballot are on their way to Gov. Mike DeWine after clearing a final Senate vote Friday. Jeremy Pelzer reports the Senate’s vote to pass House Bills 1 and 2 brings an end to this week’s special legislative session, convened by DeWine after the GOP-dominated legislature deadlocked for weeks on whether to pass the foreign-money ban as the price Democrats should pay for rescuing Biden from an administrative snag. Political signs: Cleveland.com Editor Chris Quinn asked the 2,400 people who subscribe to his daily text messages whether they fear putting up political yard signs this year. More than a quarter of them responded -- a new record and an astounding level of engagement. The main takeaway: People are beyond anxious about the November election and where this nation is headed. Wifi: A program that provided more than 1 million Ohioans with federally subsidized broadband internet service officially ran out of money Friday, but several internet providers have committed to continuing offering high-speed $30 plans with no data caps and no fees until the end of the year, reports Sabrina Eaton. |
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Delinquent: Davion and a friend were passengers in a car that crashed into the side of a brick warehouse, killing them. His parents were grateful when the prosecutor’s office charged the driver, 17, with murder, qualifying her to be tried as an adult instead of as a juvenile. That transfer, called bindover, was vital to their interpretation of justice, report Kaitlin Durbin and John Tucker in their Delinquent series. ODs: Overdose deaths have declined in Cuyahoga County in the first months of 2024 and officials are projecting a decrease for the rest of the year as well, reports Olivia Mitchell. The office makes clear that fentanyl remains the driver of drug fatalities in the county. Cuyahoga had 118 unintentional overdose deaths involving fentanyl in the first three months of the year; 86 involved the opioid, according to an office report. The others died from a mixture with cocaine and methamphetamine. Church fire: Police and fire officials on Friday closed off the streets near St. Theodosius Orthodox Cathedral in Tremont as church leaders expressed concerns about damage to the roof’s main dome from a fire last week, Olivia Mitchell reports. Campaign spending: Cleveland City Council could ram through legislation today that would double the campaign contribution cap for council races. Courtney Astolfi reports that under the changes proposed by Council President Blaine Griffin, annual caps on donations from individuals would jump from $1,500 to $3,000, and caps on donations from political action committees would move from $3,000 to $6,000. Diver death: The director of a Cleveland-area underwater diving group known for exploring shipwrecks in the Great Lakes was found dead Saturday after he was reported missing while diving in Lake Erie. The body of David VanZandt, 70, of Lakewood, was recovered from the water near the East Ninth Street pier in Cleveland, Cliff Pinckard reports. Pride parade: Thousands people donned Pride stripes and patterns, waving flags, fans and anything else you can imagine as they marched Saturday through downtown Cleveland for Pride in the CLE, Kaylee Remington reports. The family-friendly march and festival was put on by the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland. North Coast Harbor: Sidewalk repairs underway Thursday on East Ninth Street in the shadow of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame signaled the start of $5 million in improvements to public space at North Coast Harbor this summer, reports Steven Litt. Funded by parking fees collected around the harbor and the East Ninth Street Pier, the work will include strengthening the bulkhead on the north side of Voinovich Park, north of the Rock Hall, resetting paving blocks, adding new benches and trash cans, and installing bollards, a security system and improved lighting. Earthquakes: Two earthquakes were detected in Lake County Saturday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey. Madison, which has been known to be a hotspot for earthquake activity, had a 2.6-magnitude earthquake at approximately 6:11 a.m. Saturday, then a 1.7-magnitude earthquake occurred at 11:15 a.m., Kaylee Remington reports. Harbor cleanup: Most high school kids spend the summer hanging out with friends or working at a job, but there are a couple of students from the Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School who have found something much more fulfilling to do. Dave Petkiewicz reports students Miguel Garcia, 16, and Caleb Shorts, 17, spend four days a week helping keep the waterways on the Cuyahoga River and the Inner Coast harbor clean of debris and trash. 10-cent Beer Night: The idea was to sell beer for a dime. What could go wrong, right? The incident – an ignoble moment, blemished memory and oh-so-Cleveland – is marking its 50th anniversary on Tuesday, reports Marc Bona. It resulted in a forfeit for Cleveland's baseball team and spawned countless stories – some embellished, others firsthand accounts. Diversion center: A retired Rocky River Municipal Court judge is joining the board that oversees Cuyahoga County’s Diversion Center and she has ideas for how to increase its use, reports Kaitlin Durbin. During her 30 years on the bench, Judge Donna Congeni Fitzsimmons saw firsthand the impact of mental-health disorders and addiction on offenders, but without other resources available, she felt forced to hold them in jail – sometimes longer than she would have otherwise. Hopkins passengers: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport welcomed more than 852,000 passengers in April, up nearly 9% over a year ago, reports Susan Glaser. Year to date, Hopkins has welcomed 3.1 million passengers – up 8.5% over 2023 and nearly 3% over pre-pandemic 2019, when more than 10 million travelers flew in or out of Cleveland. Our Best Life: Weekends, and often weeknights, already require intense battle plans for youth sports. Dividing labor to get which kid to which sport at what time, and then from one to the other? Laura Johnston writes maybe it’s time we rethink expectations for youth sports. |
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Sports betting: For the third straight month the volume of sports betting in Ohio has seen year-over-year growth, showing that 2023′s betting numbers from the first year weren’t all just pent-up demand. Sean McDonnell reports Gamblers bet $672 million on sports in April, up 29% from $522 million bet during April 2023. IVF: About 1.7% of babies born in Ohio in 2021 were due to in vitro fertilization or another assisted reproductive technology, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Zachary Smith reports Ohio had 30,375 births in 2021, according to the CDC, meaning about 500 babies were born using IVF or another assisted reproductive technology. The national average was 2.3%. LGBTQ: American LGBTQ adults said they faced higher rates of discrimination and unfair treatment in their daily lives — including accessing health care — compared to non-LGBT adults, reports Julie Washington. Larger shares of LGBTQ adults compared to non-LGBTQ adults reported having a negative health care experience in the past three years that caused their health to get worse (24% vs. 9%), made them less likely to seek health care (39% vs. 15%), or caused them to switch healthcare providers (36% vs. 16%). |
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Akron shooting: Police say they believe a shooting that killed a man and wounded two dozen victims at a party early Sunday in Akron stemmed from a drive-by attack, with residents possibly returning fire in the chaos, Olivia Mitchell reports. “The sheer number of victims is shocking and deeply concerning,” Akron Mayor Shammas Malik told reporters Sunday night. Householder arraignment: Larry Householder, the disgraced former speaker of the Ohio House, appeared for a hearing in Cleveland via video Friday from a federal prison in West Virginia in the latest fallout of the House Bill 6 scandal. Cory Shaffer reports Householder did not speak during the brief hearing in Cuyahoga County. His attorneys, Kevin Spellacy and Thomas Shaughnessy, entered not guilty pleas on his behalf. Wrongful prosecution: A Cleveland man who was acquitted of aggravated burglary charges has sued University Circle police and is seeking $1 million for what he says was a wrongful prosecution. Adam Ferrise reports Vincent Ealom was arrested by University Circle police after he ran from a group that was chasing him and begged for a security guard at an apartment complex to let him inside the building, according to the lawsuit. Arson: Investigators are offering $5,000 for information involving an arson in Bainbridge Township in Geauga County over Memorial Day weekend, reports Molly Walsh. Bainbridge firefighters were dispatched at 2:13 a.m. Sunday to a blaze at a vacant home at 203 Walnut St. Infant murder: A father was sentenced to life in prison Friday after a jury convicted him of murdering his infant son by stuffing a baby wipe down his throat, reports Cory Shaffer. Traveon Hughes Sr., 20, will be allowed to seek parole after 15 years behind bars. |
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DineDrink: In the latest episode of “DineDrinkCLE: The Podcast,” hosts Josh Duke and Alex Darus learn about the current status of tipping in Ohio from reporter Paris Wolfe. Wolfe breaks down a recent survey from the Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance where 93% of participating servers and bartenders wanted to keep the current tipping system in the state, with a minimum base wage and tips. Classic CLE: When it comes to Classic CLE Eats & Drinks, everyone knows you “Donut Mess with Cleveland.” Peter Chakerian reports Brewnuts in Gordon Square stands alone as a combination donut shop-bar and it amassed legend status in the region almost from the word “go.” House of the Week: Built in 2003, this Huron home spans over 9,500 square feet and is situated on 77 wooded acres overlooking the Huron River, which connects to Lake Erie. Joey Morona reports the three-bedroom, seven-bathroom (four full) home is available for $4.5 million. |
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Body recovered from Lake Erie near Edgewater Park in Cleveland, report says Read more Two men shot dead in Cleveland’s Union-Miles Park neighborhood, police say Read more Area Fourth of July celebrations include fireworks, Avon Bike Parade Read more Community Partnership on Aging offering Rent a Daughter, Safe at Home programs for seniors Read more With eager children on hand ready to play, Beachwood officially opens its sparkling new $3.2 million playground Read more |
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