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| What you need to know Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021 WEATHER
A mostly cloudy, blustery day is in the forecast, with wind gusts near 30 mph. Highs will be in the mid-60s. Showers will start up after 11 p.m. and continue through the night, and temps will drop into the upper 30s. Read more. OVERNIGHT
Armond Budish: Embattled Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election in a video message to county staff. The decision comes at the end of a second term marred by criminal investigations of appointees, staff resignations and ongoing litigation over nine inmate deaths in the county jail in 2018 and 2019, reports Kaitlin Durbin.
Redistricting: A redraw of Ohio’s congressional district map is on track for passage this week, with Ohio Senate Republicans voting on Tuesday to approve lines that advantage the GOP to win an even greater share of the state’s congressional seats. Andrew Tobias and Seth Richardson report the new map, which would be the first drawn under new rules meant to curb political gerrymandering, favors Republicans to win a 12-3 majority of Ohio’s congressional seats, compared to the current 12-4 Republican breakdown. The map now heads to the Republican-dominated Ohio House, which is expected to approve it on Thursday, before sending it to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature.
Hudson mayor: Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh will not charge Hudson Mayor Craig Shubert for baseless claims that Hudson school board members were peddling child pornography, even though she says they incited hundreds of violent and vile threats toward school board members and teachers. Cory Shaffer reports from the findings, which say “It is clear that Craig Shubert has aided, abetted and incited these individuals with his baseless, unsupported statements that led to these potential crimes.”
Guardians lawsuit: Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team will continue to use the name Guardians after the club reached an “amicable resolution” with a local roller derby team of the same name. Evan MacDonald and John Caniglia report that terms of the agreement were not disclosed. TODAY IN OHIO A bill in the Ohio House would provide nursing homes $300 million in coronavirus relief money, with no guardrails. Nursing homes could spend the money however they want, for PPE, improved air handling or executive salaries. We’re talking about it on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s half-hour news podcast.
STATEHOUSE & POLITICS Redistricting reaction: Left-leaning redistricting activists’ response to Ohio Republicans’ latest, and likely final, congressional map proposal on Tuesday was as disdainful as one might expect, given the proposal would likely make 13 of Ohio’s 15 congressional districts GOP-leaning. The Equal Districts Coalition, which consists of more than 30 labor, advocacy, and civil-rights organizations, called the maps an insult and asserted that a truly fair map would give Republicans an edge in only eight of 15 districts, reports Jeremy Pelzer.
Incumbents’ take: Republicans’ proposed congressional map for the next round of redistricting would greatly favor incumbents, especially Republicans, while creating three seats that could be considered competitive. Seth Richardson reports that a majority of the current incumbents would likely face comfortable election prospects for the foreseeable future.
Property values: Proponents of a law that allows school districts to challenge property values at county boards of revision told the Ohio Senate Ways and Means Committee Tuesday that the status quo creates a confusing property valuation system that keeps companies from investing in Ohio. Laura Hancock reports opponents of the legislation, including school districts, say the legislation would be a significant blow to education funding and require communities to raise taxes through levies.
Business Fairness Act: The “Business Fairness Act,” which would allow small businesses that would be closed under a health order to remain open if they obey the same health rules larger, corporate stores have to follow, appears set to become law after passing a final legislative vote Tuesday, Jeremy Pelzer reports.
FirstEnergy fees: A federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved final payment of $68 million in fees and expenses run up by a prominent law firm that organized the lobbying effort to pass the infamous House Bill 6 energy law. Jeremy Pelzer reports the decision by Judge Alan Koschik comes after lobbyists with Washington, D.C.-based Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP detailed their significant role in helping FirstEnergy Solutions, a then-subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., write and pass HB6.
METRO Food Bank: The need for food assistance has skyrocketed during the pandemic, and costs are hitting the Greater Cleveland Food Bank on all sides: the food it buys, the packaging it puts items in and the freight costs to move it. The cost of turkeys alone for the Food Bank are up 20% since before the pandemic, Sean McDonnell reports. The food bank’s budget is $37 million for the year ahead, up from $24 million in fiscal 2019.
Progressive Field: Despite lingering questions and concerns about what Cleveland would get in return for footing more than one-quarter of the bill – about $117 million over a 15-year period – Council’s Development, Planning and Sustainability Committee ultimately voted unanimously in favor of a $435 million deal to renovate and maintain Progressive Field, and extend the Cleveland Guardians’ lease through 2036, Courtney Astolfi reports.
Stimulus spending: The schism between Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s omnibus plan for spending the city’s federal stimulus money and City Council’s separate process for developing its own spending priorities reached peak tension Tuesday, as council struggles to move forward in either direction, Robin Goist reports.
Lawsuit settled: BioEnterprise, the nonprofit formerly hired to promote the Cuyahoga County-owned Global Center for Health Innovation, repaid the Convention Facilities Development Corporation $127,000 as part of a lawsuit settlement over reported double-billing and other controversial charges. BioEnterprise also forfeited over $515,000 in unpaid services, Kaitlin Durbin reports. Whether criminal charges could also follow is unclear.
Baby shower: Community Baby Shower is hosting its second shower on Sunday at the Euclid Creek Reservation in Wildwood Park. Free and open to the public, attendees will be able to receive clothing, furniture, diapers, and more, Alexis Oatman reports.
BUSINESS Sherwin-Williams: Sherwin-Williams wants to distinguish its new 36-story office tower from the rest of the downtown Cleveland skyline by including programmable multicolored light strips on the building’s east and west sides, reports Eric Heisig. The paint giant’s design package, for which it is seeking final approval before construction commences, shows that the array of lights extends past the proposed 616-foot tower and into a walkway that will connect the skyscraper to a pavilion across the street.
COVID-19 On the rise: After several weeks of decreasing numbers, COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in Ohio, reports Julie Washington. Health experts point to a number of possible causes for the uptick — such as people returning indoors and kids spreading germs in school — but can’t cite a specific reason.
CRIME RTA officer: An RTA police officer faces charges after surveillance video showed he shoved a man with mental illness off a rapid platform and onto tracks while trains were running. Adam Ferrise reports that officer Patrick Rivera, 41, is charged with first-degree misdemeanor assault, second-degree misdemeanor dereliction of duty and third-degree misdemeanor unlawful restraint.
Charges dropped: Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley’s office dropped a felonious assault charge against a woman accused of damaging a TownHall employee’s hearing with a bullhorn during a protest last summer, Cory Shaffer reports.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Web search: Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd answer the web's most searched questions about themselves and “The Lord of the Rings” for cleveland.com’s sister site, Wired.
OTHER HEADLINES
U.S. marshals offer $5,000 reward for arrest of suspect in torture, killing of woman in East Cleveland Read more
91-year-old woman found in bushes in South Euclid was beaten to death, medical examiner says Read more
Trailer containing race car stolen in Akron Read more
Pedestrian survives being hit by car in Columbus, is killed by second vehicle Read more
Man faces charges in crash that injured 4 Akron police officers Read more
See before and after shots of recently opened Opportunity Corridor from the past 18 months (photos) Read more
Resolution to concur on Horseshoe Lake dam removal up for a vote next week in Cleveland Heights Read more
Cleveland Heights to introduce development agreement for Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook site Read more
Josie Moore sworn in ‘post-haste’ for running start on Cleveland Heights City Council Read more
Feeding the Frontlines rewards visiting nurses and emergency room personnel Read more
Resident proposes 4-home subdivision in North Royalton’s rural residential district Read more
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