  What you need to know Friday, Dec. 24, 2021  WEATHER
Cloudy conditions continue today, but temps could approach 50 degrees. Wind gusts will be around 23 mph. Christmas Day will be mild, with highs in the mid-50s and rain throughout the day. Highs will drop back to the low 40s Sunday with partly sunny skies. Read more.
NFL: Browns at Green Bay Packers, 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis. TV: WJW Channel 8, NFL Network. Radio: WKRK FM/92.3, WNCX FM/98.5, WKNR AM/850. OVERNIGHT
The Wake Up newsletter will not publish on Monday, Dec. 27, because of the holiday weekend. Have a Merry Christmas!
Jail outbreak: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will send 25 Ohio Military Reserve members to the Cuyahoga County Jail and offer assistance in planning amid a coronavirus outbreak at the jail that included the death of an officer and inmate this week. DeWine said Thursday that members of the military reserve will be deployed to the jail Dec. 28 and stay for at least 30 days, Adam Ferrise reports. That will shore up an already understaffed jail and help deal with the COVID-19 outbreak that includes 56 officers who contracted the virus, according to the state prison officials.
COVID spending: Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill that will provide public- and private-sector entities $4 billion in coronavirus relief money, but vetoed a provision that child advocates said would have diminished child-care quality for low-income families in the state, Laura Hancock reports. Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman argued that suspending the Step Up to Quality program through 2022 would open more spots for children as the pandemic continues to rage. Child-care advocates said this will result in a two-tiered system, with children from wealthier families being more prepared for kindergarten than those from lower-income families.
Owner tirade: TownHall owner and restaurateur Bobby George threatened a Cleveland police officer in a profanity-filled phone call earlier this year as the officer was attempting to explain why police had not immediately arrested demonstrators at July 2020 protest outside the Ohio City restaurant, Cory Shaffer reports. George told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that he did not regret the statements, which he said were made in frustration after two of his downtown restaurants were burned and looted during the May 30, 2020, riots, and protesters targeted TownHall and made threatening comments to him and his employees.
Garage collapse: Police and fire responded to a Lakewood apartment complex Thursday morning after an underground parking garage collapsed, Kaylee Remington reports. The collapse happened about 10 a.m. at Marine Towers West Apartments on Edgewater Drive near Lake Avenue. A police official said there doesn’t appear to have been anyone inside of the garage at the time of the collapse. STATEHOUSE & POLITICS Sports gambling: Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill legalizing sports wagering in the state, but that doesn’t mean Ohioans can start placing bets on athletes and games just yet. House Bill 29 specifies how state regulators will set up the rules and regulations, award licenses and other details. In addition to HB 29, DeWine signed several other bills, including an abortion bill that could close the last clinics in Dayton and Cincinnati, Laura Hancock reports.
Supreme Court: This year, all eyes have been on the Ohio Supreme Court, wondering how they’re going to decide redistricting – specifically, whether a Republican-dominated commission followed the Ohio Constitution when it redrew the Ohio House and Senate lines. But Laura Hancock reports the court took on other high-profile issues in 2021, including cases related to the death penalty, traffic cams, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the now-shuttered Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow.
METRO Virtual swearing-in: Cleveland Mayor-elect Justin Bibb’s public swearing-in ceremony will be conducted virtually due to COVID-19 concerns, Courtney Astolfi reports. The Saturday, Jan. 8, ceremony had been slated as an in-person event at Public Auditorium, which would’ve required RSVPs, masks, and proof of vaccination from attendees. But a surging local caseload exacerbated by the omicron variant prompted Bibb to change up the plans.
Port Authority: The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority has been awarded a $3 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant to conduct a comprehensive planning study that will help address the port’s cargo handling, environmental and economic development needs and broader regional planning goals, Sabrina Eaton reports.
Tourism: No industry was hit harder by the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic than hospitality and tourism. Even now, recovery is inconsistent, with travel demand rising and falling with the latest virus news. Destination Cleveland CEO David Gilbert and Chief Marketing Officer Colette Jones talk with Susan Glaser about how they're working to bring back tourism.
COVID-19 Record numbers: The state of Ohio on Thursday set a single-day record in reporting 15,989 new cases of COVID-19. That number greatly surpassed the previous single-day records set this week. On Wednesday, the state recorded 12,864 new cases, and 12,502 on Tuesday, Julie Washington reports.
Surgeries postponed: The Cleveland Clinic will continue to postpone nonessential surgeries through Jan. 14, the hospital system announced Thursday. Julie Washington reports the postponement affects non-urgent surgeries requiring a hospital bed at all Clinic hospitals in Ohio.
Testing extension: The W.O. Walker Cleveland Community COVID-19 Testing Site will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Sunday, but will be closed Jan. 1, Julie Washington reports.
CRIME Police shooting: An officer early Thursday shot and killed a man who was holding a knife on his estranged wife and refused to let her go, Akron police say. Authorities are investigating the shooting that took place about 3:45 a.m. in the 2400 block of 26th St. SW, John Caniglia reports. The Summit County Medical Examiner’s office said James W. Gross, 58, died of gunshots to his head and neck.
Shooting death: A 31-year-old man died Tuesday, more than three months after someone shot him as he returned to his home in the city’s Hough neighborhood, according to police and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner. Cortez Blair died at MetroHealth following the Sept. 6 shooting on East 84th Street, north of Hough Avenue. Adam Ferrise reports police have not said if any arrests have been made in the case.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT New Year's plans: Coronavirus cases continue to surge around the globe, casting a shadow over New Year’s Eve, one of the biggest party days of the year, Anne Nickoloff reports. Some events planned in Cleveland have recently been canceled because of the record-breaking COVID-19 surge, including parties at Windows on the River, Sapphire Creek Winery, Akron Civic Theatre and Severance Music Center.
'Wicked' cancellations: Playhouse Square announced performances of “Wicked” were canceled for Thursday and today. Anne Nickoloff reports Playhouse Square released a statement saying the cancellations were "due to rising COVID-19 concerns and the detection of breakthrough cases within the company." Currently, the next showing of “Wicked” is slated for Sunday, Dec. 26.
Kinzbach travels: Two weeks after his last day on the radio, longtime Cleveland-area disc jockey Jeff Kinzbach was behind the wheel of his new gig, a 30-foot recreational vehicle, with his wife, Patti, at his side. Fast forward 14 months, and that adventure has hit a few bumps in the road, Susan Glaser reports.
Things to do: There are plenty of ways to get out and enjoy some festive fun this holiday weekend. Anne Nickoloff has a list of 16 things to do. OTHER HEADLINES Ohio representative apologizes for claims of attacks on healthcare workers by unvaccinated people Read more
Departing Brook Park mayor recaps 2017 promises kept Read more
Berea safety forces get new 3-year contracts Read more
Highland Heights police department awarded ‘gold standard’ CALEA accreditation; 79 deer yet to be culled Read more
Lakewood mayor cites safety as city’s biggest challenge in 2021 Read more
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