Ohio has been the most aggressive state in the nation when it comes to purging inactive voters. In February, the Ohio secretary of state ordered the registrations of 124,158 voters canceled for inactivity. That was part of a normal cycle, where voters are purged from the rolls if they don’t vote or respond to mailed notices from elections officials over a six-year period. Voters also can avoid having their registrations canceled by performing some alternate form of voter activity. The state announced the list in March 2022, giving voting-rights groups a chance to contact voters at risk of seeing their registrations canceled. After some kind of action by 15,600 voters, Ohio finalized the purge 11 months later. Yet seven months after that purge, LaRose made the call to dump nearly 27,000 voter registrations, after some voters had already begun casting ballots for the Nov. 7 general election. We still don’t have a lot of answers of why. - Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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A woman walks past a vote sign at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Cleveland. (Tony Dejak, Associated Press file photo) |
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Voter purge: Nearly 27,000 inactive Ohio voter registrations were deactivated late last month under a directive from Secretary of State Frank LaRose, reports Jeremy Pelzer. Each of the 26,666 voter registrations removed on Sept. 28 by elections officials in 85 of Ohio’s 88 counties involved a voter who did not cast a ballot or respond to mailed notices from elections officials over a six-year period. Today in Ohio: Case Western Reserve University is awarding Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Inamori Ethics Prize. We’re talking on Today in Ohio about the physician, immunologist and infectious disease expert, and the Inamori Prize, awarded to leaders whose actions and influence have greatly improved the condition of humankind. |
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Green energy: A lengthy, bipartisan list of Ohio House lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday that would expand the legal definition of “green energy” to include nuclear power. Jake Zuckerman reports the bill is a way of saying that Ohio should increase its nuclear generation and that the state is open for business to the industry, according to state Rep. Sean Brennan, a Parma Democrat who sponsored it. Terrorist funding: Members of the Senate Banking Committee chaired by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and witnesses before the committee on Thursday called for a crackdown on organizations and countries that fund terrorist organizations like Hamas, reports Sabrina Eaton. Issue 1 fundraising: Cash from national liberal dark money groups that had been missing in the last several election cycles continued their 2023 return to Ohio in support of the abortion rights amendment on the November ballot, new campaign finance reports show. The amendment’s backers, Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, raised $28.7 million. Opponents, Protect Women Ohio, raised $9.9 million, Laura Hancock reports. Issue 2 fundraising: Marijuana business interests are funding the under-the-radar campaign to pass Issue 2, the recreational marijuana initiative, new state disclosures show, while a collection of state manufacturers are behind the lightly funded campaign to defeat it, Andrew Tobias reports. |
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Consent decree: The U.S. Department of Justice says Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s contract agreement with the police unions violates the consent decree aimed at reforming policing, reports Adam Ferrise. The assertion that a provision in the agreement that allows for officers not to be disciplined under certain circumstances throws the issue into unknown territory. Oldest Swiftie: Howard Tucker, 101, has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest practicing doctor. The next item on his to-do list? Scoring an autograph from Taylor Swift. Joey Morona reports that Tucker made his wish known during the Cleveland Heights High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, linked romantically to Swift, graduated from the school in 2008 and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2018. |
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Bird AI: A new study from researchers at Ohio State University suggests perhaps pigeons don’t get enough credit for their intelligence, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen. The study provides evidence that pigeons are capable of solving problems that have stumped humans by approaching them less like people and more like computers. COVID numbers: Coronavirus case numbers continued trending up this week, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen. The number of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio increased from 5,506 last week to 6,443 this week, the Ohio Department of Health reported Thursday. |
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Young guilty: Former Ohio Rep. Bob Young was convicted Thursday of striking his wife at his home in July, an incident that prompted him to resign his House seat. Edward O’Farrell, a visiting judge, heard the one-day trial without a jury in Barberton Municipal Court. Judicial bias: An appeals court says a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge showed bias by sending a man to prison on a low-level felony after he was acquitted of a separate, more serious charge. Cory Shaffer reports an 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals panel removed Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold from the case of Ricardo Vega III. Brothers sentenced: Deshawn and Tyler Stafford will spend time behind bars for the beating death of 17-year-old Ethan Liming, a crime that began with a prank. Deshawn Stafford, 22, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony, and six months in jail for assault, while Tyler Stafford, 20, was sentenced to six months in jail for assault, Molly Walsh reports. |
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Classic CLE: Peter Chakerian’s first craft beer, like for so many in The Land, was a “Dort” — Dortmunder Gold, brewed by the godfathers of CLE craft at Great Lakes Brewing Co. Stapleton show: Grammy Award-winning country music crossover star Chris Stapleton will bring his ongoing “All-American Road Show” concert tour to Blossom Music Center on May 31. Firebrand guitar slinger Marcus King and husband-and-wife songwriter duo The War and Treaty will be the support acts, Peter Chakerian reports. Ask Yadi: Yadi Rodriguez has a non-verbal, autistic grandson who won’t look you in the eye and he isn’t going to say “please” and “thank you” during trick-or-treating. But he does like candy. So please be understanding. NWA: With the National Wrestling Alliance pulling into town this weekend for the “NWA Presents Samhain” event, Peter Chakerian caught up with William Patrick Corgan (yes, Billy of The Smashing Pumpkins) for a "mostly 'rasslin" chat. Spooky Savannah: Savannah, Georgia, leans into its spooky reputation year-round, reports Zachary Smith. You can hear it in the daytime trolley tours that weave in and out of Savannah’s 22 park squares, which make up the bulk of the historic district. Things to do: With Halloween right around the corner, there’s plenty of holiday-themed events taking place this weekend for both adults and kids. Mike Rose lists 21 things to do this weekend. |
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Rider thrown from ATV after crashing into car on Akron city street Read more Police investigating potentially abusive form of discipline by Rowland Elementary staff member Read more Man doing yardwork for mom injured in rottweiler attack in Berea Read more Cleveland man fatally shot at gas station in city’s Glenville neighborhood Read more Superlative Group to assist Solon with naming rights, sponsorships Read more Akron Zoo welcomes family of 4 critically endangered red wolves Read more Council still has concerns about cost of proposed upgrades to Solon Community Park Read more Brook Park honors donors for enabling return of police K-9 unit Read more North Olmsted’s Radisson Cleveland Airport West sold to LightHouse Hotels and Resorts Read more |
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