MetroHealth is Cuyahoga County’s safety-net hospital. So the county supports the system annually with $32 million in health and human services tax dollars. But in the past, the county has had little oversight on how the system runs. Now, in the wake of allegations that ex-MetroHealth CEO Akram Boutros gave himself $1.9 million in bonuses the hospital board knew nothing about, County Council wants to take a more active role. They will be seeking more financial records in the future. We’ll be watching them, too. - Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
Cavs vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Donovan Mitchell upstages LeBron James as Cleveland tops Los Angeles, 116-102 Northeast Ohio Wednesday weather forecast: Morning showers |
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Cuyahoga County Council indicated it will watch MetroHealth more closely going forward. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com file photo) |
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MetroHealth: Cuyahoga County Council will limit MetroHealth’s annual $32 million subsidy until it has better assurance that the money will be appropriately managed. The council voted unanimously Tuesday to release only the first three months of the hospital’s annual funding until it’s able to hear from new CEO Airica Steed, reports Kaitlin Durbin. The remaining payments for 2023 “shall be contingent upon approval by council” going forward. Transgender sports: Lawmakers amended a bill Tuesday that would prohibit transgender high school girls from playing women’s sports by removing a provision that could have required genital examinations when an athlete’s sex is in question. Laura Hancock reports the bill now would require the athlete whose gender is challenged to present a birth certificate. The amendment also eliminates provisions for collegiate sports and allowances for girls to sue in civil court if transgender girls were playing on a team. Today in Ohio: Former President Donald Trump believes the Constitution should be terminated to rectify his baseless claims of election fraud. But U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce says he’d still support Trump. We’re talking about statements from the normally reasonable Republican on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Vote by mail: Ohio Republican lawmakers are considering significantly tightening the window by which mail-in ballots must arrive in order to be counted. Andrew Tobias reports that under a new version of an elections bill amended by a state Senate committee on Tuesday, mail ballots, also called absentee ballots, would have to arrive by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted – rather than the current 10-day grace period. Education overhaul: An Ohio legislative committee on Tuesday advanced a 2,144-page bill to overhaul the Ohio Department of Education and cut most of the authority from the State Board of Education, drawing complaints from critics both about the speed at which the fast-tracked bill is moving and a lack of transparency about the details, Laura Hancock reports. Gas drilling: With little public notice, the Ohio Senate could vote today on legislation to expand natural gas drilling in state parks. House Bill 507 also would change the legal definition of “green energy” – a term typically referring to power derived from sun, wind, or water – to include natural gas, Jake Zuckerman reports. Additionally, the amended legislation would prohibit municipalities from banning the use of certain pesticides within their borders. |
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Jail fund: Cuyahoga County Council on Tuesday deposited $53.6 million in federal stimulus dollars once promised to County Executive-elect Chris Ronayne into a special fund for jail and courthouse expenses. Kaitlin Durbin reports the county has identified $19.1 million in immediate investments it says are “required at (the) Justice Center complex” to keep the facility operational while the county figures out its next steps. Lead water lines: Cleveland Water is in line to receive roughly $19 million next year from the bipartisan infrastructure law to replace thousands of lead service lines throughout Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Courtney Astolfi reports that officials plan to seek similar sums from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for the next four years as money from the infrastructure law continues to pour into the state. Marijuana changes: The Ohio legislature is considering changes to current laws surrounding marijuana use in the state. A Baldwin Wallace University poll commissioned by cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer found that most Greater Clevelanders are in favor of loosening restrictions on the use of marijuana, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen. Opioids: Cuyahoga County Council on Tuesday voted to turn over $5 million to the Cleveland Foundation to fund innovative solutions to the county’s opioid epidemic. What those new strategies will be or how much money they receive will largely be up to a nine-member advisory committee, Kaitlin Durbin reports. Bear collection: What started as a grassroots campaign to help bring some joy to a few is now on its way to becoming an annual event to help bring some “beary needed” cheer to many, reports Alexis Oatman. Case Western Reserve University police is teaming up with other law enforcement on “Operation Teddy Bear” to raise at least $2,500 dollars to help purchase 100 teddy bears for patients at University Hospital’s Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. Garden gift: If you are looking for a gift idea for a gardener or nature enthusiast in your life, how about a Northeast Ohio wildlife sanctuary — in the form of native plants? From seeds to plants to a pre-designed garden, giving a native garden is easier than you might think, writes Susan Brownstein. Your gift will help support local businesses, bees, bugs, butterflies and birds. |
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Irishtown Bend: Plans for a future 23-acre park at Irishtown Bend overlooking the Cuyahoga River and the downtown skyline got a big boost Tuesday, with a $5 million matching grant announced by the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation. Steven Litt reports the grant has been awarded to the nonprofit Ohio City Inc., a community development corporation, and LAND Studio, which designs and manages projects related to parks, civic spaces, and public art. |
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Ken Johnson: Disgraced former Cleveland City Councilman Kenneth Johnson will make his plea today to reverse his convictions for fleecing taxpayers and underpaying his taxes. Adam Ferrise reports Johnson’s attorneys will also argue in front of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati that the panel should shave time off his six-year federal prison sentence. Murder trial: A Cuyahoga County judge’s son who shot and killed his wife testified on Tuesday that she pointed a gun at him after she already fired three shots inside their house, Cory Shaffer reports. Omnisun Azali, a U.S. Army veteran who had a license to carry a concealed handgun at the time, told jurors that he and his wife, Mwaka Azali, fired the shots as the two jostled across the living room while he tried to wrestle her .380-caliber pistol from her hand. Akron schools: Akron Public Schools plan to increase safety precautions after several security incidents in the past few weeks, Molly Walsh reports. After Litchfield and Firestone Community Learning Centers went under lockdown when a seventh-grade student brought a handgun to school, Superintendent Christine Fowler Mack sent parents an email calling it “absolutely unacceptable and reinforces our shared concern and focused attention to safety, security, and accountability in our schools.” |
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'Jeopardy!': Oberlin economics professor Ron Cheung will compete on tonight's episode of “Jeopardy!” Cheung will not face the quiz show’s latest super champion, Cris Pannullo, who lost Tuesday night after 21 straight victories. Meanwhile, A.Z. Madonna, a 2015 graduate of Oberlin and now a music critic at the Boston Globe, will compete on Thursday's episode, Joey Morona reports. Holiday cocktails: After two years of celebration suppression because of the coronavirus pandemic, local bartenders are channeling seasonal creativity into a depth and breadth of holiday, craft cocktails. Paris Wolfe explains some of the best. Skating show: Ohio native, 1984 Olympic gold medal figure skater and cancer survivor Scott Hamilton is hosting and emceeing a free ice-skating show on the Cleveland Foundation Rink in Public Square. The show – Sk8 to Elmin8 Cancer Cleveland -- will include performances by Scott’s skating-star friends from Team USA as well as two dozen local children, reports Paris Wolfe. |
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Akron teen gets life in prison for fatal shooting of man on Metro bus Read more Pedestrian struck by car in downtown Akron dies of injuries Read more Cleveland man dies 10 days after being shot in supermarket line, police say Read more Bedford schools closed Tuesday because of an online threat Read more Strongsville seeks to resurface, extend Freedom Trail military veterans memorial Read more Splash pad on tap for Cleveland Heights’ Denison Park Read more Brecksville seeks to become more pedestrian and bike friendly Read more Cleveland Heights to impanel new Charter Review Commission Read more Middleburg Heights budget shows ‘aggressive’ infrastructure focus Read more |
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