My husband and I filed our income tax returns in March, same as every year. But this year, since I hadn’t worked more than a few hours in Cleveland, I tackled the daunting task of asking the city for a refund. That required writing a big check to RITA for my suburban income tax, since I would no longer be eligible for a credit, and filling out a complicated form for Cleveland, complete with company documentation. Six months later, like thousands of other Northeast Ohioans, I’m still waiting on my Cleveland refund. Apparently the pace is picking up. Hopefully the check is in the mail. - Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
|
|
Cleveland's Central Collection Agency is approaching the halfway point in issuing 2021 individual income tax returns. The pace of processing has increased significantly in the past two months because the CCA is able to shift more of its attention to processing returns, now that tax-filing season has long-concluded, according to the city's income tax administrator. |
|
|
Tax refunds: Four months after tax day, more than half the estimated 5,000 people who requested refunds from Cleveland for 2021 are still waiting. Courtney Astolfi reports Cleveland’s Central Collection Agency has now paid out 2,330 refunds to individuals, totaling $3.4 million. Crime concerns: Top city officials defended their public safety strategy while acknowledging that more can be done to curb lawlessness in the city’s near-West Side at a meeting with several dozen residents. John Tucker reports that the event was organized by Councilwoman Jasmin Santana, who said that safety worries have become the No. 1 reason for calls to her office in the past year. The meeting, she said, was “a call to action.” Today in Ohio: Ohio Democrats are trying to put daylight between themselves and President Joe Biden, as well as other national Democrats, as they campaign. We’re talking about the strategy and how it could fare in November on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
|
|
Student loans: U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan’s critique of President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in outstanding federal student loan debt for qualifying borrowers is a switch from his past enthusiasm for forgiving student loans. In 2021, Ryan said doing so could be “great for people who have those student loans and families who have those student loans, including mine,” reports Sabrina Eaton. Biden visit: President Joe Biden is coming to Ohio on Sept. 9 for a groundbreaking ceremony for Intel’s massive computer-chip manufacturing complex in the Columbus area. Andrew Tobias reports the president will speak about the CHIPS Act, bipartisan legislation that Biden, a Democrat, signed last month that will subsidize the plant, as well as the bipartisan infrastructure bill he signed in February. HB6: A FirstEnergy official testified in a deposition that ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, former top state regulator Sam Randazzo, ex-FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones, and former FirstEnergy chief lobbyist Mike Dowling appear to be the people who conspired with FirstEnergy on House Bill 6. Jeremy Pelzer reports that goes beyond what FirstEnergy admitted last year as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors. |
|
|
Tax freeze? Cuyahoga County executive candidate Lee Weingart has repeatedly planned to freeze property tax bills for seniors over age 60 with an annual household income below $50,000. Kaitlin Durbin reports the problem is Weingart doesn’t have the power to unilaterally freeze property taxes for anyone, even if he’s elected. Jail criticism: Roughly 100 Cuyahoga County residents attended a community meeting Thursday to speak out against a new jail they say they don’t want. Kaitlin Durbin reports residents asked dozens of questions about why a new jail is the best use of half-billion public dollars, how a new building will fix some of the inhumane conditions they said stemmed from leadership and staffing problems, and what the long-term ramifications might be if the mitigation systems meant to protect the community from toxins on the site fail. Bridge repair: The Cedar Point Road Bridge in the Cleveland Metroparks’ Rocky River Reservation will be closed for repairs several months longer than originally planned because part of the substructure is more deteriorated than anticipated. Zachary Smith reports this is the second time the county has significantly changed construction plans because of discoveries made after beginning bridge work. |
|
|
Weekly cases: The weekly number of COVID-19 cases in Ohio is continuing its trend, dropping for the fourth week in a row. Julie Washington reports the state has 23,436 new cases of COVID-19 in its weekly dashboard update, down 631 from a week ago. Monkeypox: The Ohio Department of Heath launched a monkeypox data dashboard Thursday, showing cases statewide and per county, and by age ranges, sex, hospitalizations, deaths and other information, reports Laura Hancock. E. coli outbreak: Nearly 50 more cases of E. coli infection have been reported in four states, including Ohio, as the Centers for Disease Control continues to try to confirm what is responsible for the spread. Cliff Pinckard reports the CDC says there are now at least 84 people infected, with 23 cases confirmed in Ohio, but the number of actual infections likely is higher. Gas prices: Many gas stations are advertising two different prices. Why? Sean McDonnell reports that participating in discount programs could save the typical driver $60 to $180 a year, whether a dime per gallon at Circle K or up to 30 cents a gallon at Giant Eagle’s GetGo stations, just to name a couple examples in Greater Cleveland. Flight delays: What does an airline owe you when it delays or cancels your flight? Susan Glaser reports the U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced plans to create an online dashboard of airline policies, outlining exactly what each carrier promises its passengers when things go wrong. |
|
|
Credit scam: Former Woodmere Mayor and Florida Marlins pitcher Charles Smith will spend nearly three years in federal prison for buying hundreds of stolen credit card numbers off the dark web and using the information to pay for more than $10,000 worth of gas for his Amazon delivery truck. Adam Ferrise reports Smith, 52, served as the mayor of the tiny eastern Cleveland suburb from 2009 to 2017 and returned as a councilman in 2019, about the same time when investigators said he started his scheme. Trafficking accusations: A complaint filed this week by the Ohio Supreme Court’s disciplinary counsel reveals new details in the case of an Independence attorney imprisoned earlier this year for buying drugs and sex from a teenager, Cory Shaffer reports. Shawn Romer, 41, made a 15-year-old girl do cocaine with him after he took a shower with her and used Venmo to pay the man who trafficked her to perform a sex act on him, according to the complaint. |
|
|
Science ambassador: Browns defensive end Myles Garrett will serve as the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s first community science ambassador. Marc Bona reports the collaboration aims to establish Garrett “as a leader in promoting the importance of science and STEM careers, especially for those underrepresented in the field.” Fahrenheit: The building that houses Fahrenheit in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood is up for sale but should have little if any effect on restaurant owner Rocco Whalen, who had previously announced he was planning to move the restaurant to downtown Cleveland. Marc Bona reports the Public Square project has a target opening date of 2023. 'Hamilton': Don’t throw away your shot to get tickets to “Hamilton” when the musical comes to Cleveland for just the second time, starting in December. Joey Morona reports single tickets for performances from Dec. 6, 2022, to Jan. 15, 2023, will go on sale on Thursday, Sept. 8. |
|
|
Northwest Ohio man charged in connection with Jan. 6 assault on Capitol Read more Driver gives man a ride, ends up being robbed of vehicle, money, police say Read more Man is shot to death while lying in his bed in Cleveland’s South Broadway neighborhood, police say Read more Berea presses pause on north end townhomes project Read more Brook Park Fire Chief Thomas Maund retires after long career Read more Pepper Pike buys new surveillance camera system for municipal complex Read more Lakewood resident and NASA employee headed to Florida to watch Artemis I launch Read more Parma City Council expected to approve new pay-raise scale for elected officials Read more Cuyahoga Falls to host event series to clean up city parks this fall Read more |
|
|
Want the top headlines but don't have time to read? Listen to cleveland.com’s Today in Ohio podcast on Spotify, Google or Apple Podcasts. |
|
|
WANT TO SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER WITH A FRIEND? |
Did someone share this newsletter with you? Click here to never miss a day! |
|
|
To contact the newsrooms for any of our publications regarding technical support, news tips, classified ads and other inquiries, please click here. |
|
|
Special Offer Cleveland.com Unlimited Digital Access. |
|
|
$60 for the whole year (cancel anytime) |
| |
|
$60 for the whole year (cancel anytime) |
| |
|
INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING
OR SPONSORING OUR NEWSLETTERS? |
|
|
|
