We’ve all seen the purple signs, honoring a Clevelander on a stretch of road. Some names are famous, some are not. But it turns out there are no hard rules on who receives the award. While there are internal City Council guidelines, often the guidelines aren’t followed. Anyone can push for a name. It’s up for council to decide. - Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Cleveland neutralizes Joel Embiid, crushes Philadelphia, 113-85 Northeast Ohio Thursday weather forecast: Chilly conditions continue |
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The secondary naming of Utopia Avenue for Cleveland police Officer Shane Bartek, who died after a New Year's Eve 2021 carjacking, is one of nine new honorary street names in Cleveland this year. Utopia Avenue runs alongside Cleveland police's Fifth District, where Bartek had worked. Residents, as well as a nearby daycare -- where Bartek engaged with the kids -- asked the city for the street designation in his honor. |
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Street honors: Nine honorary street names are new to the city in 2022, approved by City Council over the course of the year, Courtney Astolfi reports. The designations – including for former Mayor Mike White and Shane Bartek, the Cleveland police officer killed last year in a carjacking – were approved by council in 2022 and represent an uptick over the past few years, when council placed a temporary moratorium on the practice as it tried to figure out how to be more selective in who would get streets named after them. OSU president: Two days after Kristina Johnson announced Monday that she would resign as president of Ohio State University, what triggered her decision remains a mystery, reports Robert Higgs. A firm was hired to do a performance review, which normally would have been taken up in November by the board’s Quality and Professional Affairs Committee. But the review was never completed because board members became aware of Johnson’s intent to resign in advance of the November meeting. Boutros records: For years, former MetroHealth CEO Dr. Akram Boutros has been held up as a champion for the underprivileged by strengthening the county’s safety net hospital, addressing the opioid epidemic and launching initiatives to support underserved communities. But Kaitlin Durbin reports that records released Wednesday as a part of an investigation that accuses Boutros of giving himself $1.98 million in unauthorized bonuses show that Boutros’ social justice initiatives factored heavily into the metrics he designed to justify paying himself extra. Today in Ohio: A coalition of 140 groups have vowed to defeat Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s plan to make it harder to pass amendments to the state constitution. We’re talking about the challenge to democracy on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Cable tax: The Ohio Supreme Court sided with Netflix and Hulu on Wednesday, ruling the streaming companies don’t owe taxes typically paid by cable companies to local governments. Jake Zuckerman reports Maple Heights led a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of 2,000 communities seeking to put the companies on the hook for what could be hundreds of millions in tax revenue. Education overhaul: Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday he supports an Ohio Senate bill that would overhaul the Ohio Department of Education, gut powers from the Ohio State Board of Education and give his office more oversight of education. Laura Hancock reports Senate Bill 178 would put the Ohio Department of Education under a cabinet-level official in the governor’s office and rename the agency the Department of Education and Workforce. Amoxicillin: Liquid forms of amoxicillin, an antibiotic that’s commonly used to treat childhood illnesses ranging from ear infections to pneumonia, is in short supply this winter due to increased demand. Sabrina Eaton reports that U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown wants a U.S. Food and Drug Administration drug shortage task force to figure out ways to mitigate the shortage by passing legislation he’s introduced that would create an emergency supply of key ingredients used in essential generic medicines and incentivize their domestic production to prevent future shortages. Mental health services: Gov. Mike DeWine laid out a sweeping plan Wednesday that would ramp up Ohio’s mental-health services by putting millions toward expanded services, research, and job development. Jeremy Pelzer reports the proposal, which DeWine said would be presented to lawmakers next year as part of his state budget plan, will include building a new behavioral-health research hub in the state, conducting a “landmark study” of the root causes of mental illness and addiction, and ensuring that Ohioans can get a full range of mental-health services in their area. Reforms bill: Ohio lawmakers advanced legislation Wednesday that would make sweeping reforms to the state’s criminal-justice system, including helping inmates better transition to life after release, reducing the penalty for underage drinking and banning fertility doctors from using their own sperm without consent, Jeremy Pelzer reports. Senate Bill 288 passed the Ohio Senate on Wednesday and now must pass the House before the end of the year in order to go to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk. Referendum bar: A top state lawmaker on Wednesday said he supports a proposal to make it harder for citizens to amend the state’s constitution, a change that could impede a likely future effort to preserve legal protections for abortions here. Senate President Matt Huffman said that state government is more accessible and transparent today than it used to be, Andrew Tobias reports. Portman possibilities: Cross off retiring U.S. Sen. Rob Portman from the list of potential successors to Ohio State University President Kristina Johnson. Sabrina Eaton reports Portman said Wednesday that people from outside OSU have asked him if he’d be interested in the job, but he doesn’t plan to pursue it. Fentanyl testing: The Ohio House passed legislation Wednesday that would legalize the possession of test strips used to identify the presence of fentanyl in illicit drugs. Jake Zuckerman reports the policy is aimed at expanding access to the strips, a harm-reduction approach designed to reduce the near-record level of Ohioans who fatally overdose on opioids each year. Russian ambassador: Barberton native Lynne Tracy on Wednesday told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that addressing the plight of U.S. citizens detained in Russia and of Russians who are speaking out against the country’s repression will be among her top priorities if the U.S. Senate confirms her nomination to be U.S. ambassador to Russia, Sabrina Eaton reports. |
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ARPA grants: Cleveland is seeking to approve $6 million in state grants that will fund retention bonuses, upgrades to its crime center, violence prevention programs and more. Lucas Daprile reports the state-funded grants include $4.2 million for retention bonuses for Cleveland police officers. Another $1.8 million grant will fund new technology and personnel at the department’s crime center, violence intervention programs and police overtime. Safe leave: A Cleveland City Council committee Tuesday advanced legislation to provide “paid safe leave” to city employees who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. Courtney Astolfi reports the new benefit for municipal workers, which could be approved by the full council as soon as Monday, is believed to be the first of its kind among local Ohio governments and is intended to spur private employers to begin offering similar leave for their employees. Cleveland's Promise: English is a second language for Isabella, who was born in Puerto Rico and learned English when she moved to the United States seven years ago. She struggles with reading and math, and Almira Elementary School educators are tasked with ensuring an inclusive and appropriate learning environment for each student with a disability in the district. Hannah Drown reports that once a student is enrolled in disability services, their team of educators begins making decisions about the best education environment for them to learn. |
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OSHA investigation: A Middlefield-based roofing and siding contractor is facing more than $400,000 in penalties after federal regulators found its employees working at dangerous heights without fall protection on several occasions. While working in Tallmadge and Columbia Station in June, inspectors saw C.R.H. Roofing LLC workers at heights greater than 6 feet without fall protection and lacking eye protection while using pneumatic nail guns, reports Molly Walsh. |
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Murder trial: Two children who were at their house when their father fatally shot their mother last year took the witness stand in their father’s murder trial this week. But Cory Shaffer reports that exactly where they were in the house -- and whether they saw the shooting -- remained unclear after they finished testifying late Tuesday. Life sentence: A 19-year-old Akron man convicted of the 2020 shooting and killing of Na’Kia Crawford was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison, Cliff Pinckard reports. Adarus Black, 19, of Akron, will be eligible for parole after serving 18 years of his sentence, Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said. Suspect surrenders: A Cleveland man accused of murdering his girlfriend turned himself in to authorities at the Allegheny County Jail in Pennsylvania, Olivia Mitchell reports. An arrest warrant was issued Friday for Anthony Kennedy, 43, after the body of his girlfriend, Adrianna Taylor, 23 was found Thursday buried in a backyard in Wilkinsburg, Pa. Woman dead: A former owner of a home on Noble Road was found dead in the basement Tuesday by the person who recently purchased the property, Molly Walsh reports. Hate crime: A man was sentenced to a year in prison Wednesday for spray-painting anti-Black racial slurs and throwing a brick through a window at an LGBTQ youth center in Fairview Park. Cory Shaffer reports Michael Freshwater, 31, also tagged the side of a strip mall in his city with a racist message less than a month before he vandalized the Colors+ Youth Center. Twin motivation: A “Cain and Abel” feud between twin brothers prompted a former top official at a well-known Cleveland construction company to steal from the business, a move that ultimately led him to federal prison for failing to pay taxes on the pilfered money. Adam Ferrise reports that Douglas Fischback said his longtime competitiveness with his twin brother, Krill Co. President and Chief Executive Officer David Fischback, coupled with a toxic third marriage led him to divert some $468,000 from the company. |
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Wedding dress shopping: Jane Morice lucked out. She found a wedding dress that was meant to be hers and she didn’t have to do much compromising. In her wedding planning column, she emphasizes how important it was to keep an open mind along the way. Deshaun Watson: How Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson feels in the leadup to Sunday's game -- his first in 700 days after sitting out the entire 2021 season -- will remain a mystery for at least one more day since he did not speak to reporters. But Ashley Bastock reports that it’s clear there’s plenty of anticipation among Watson's teammates as they prepare to take on his former team, the Houston Texans. |
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Student stabbed during fight at high school in Akron Read more Shooting in Akron claims life of 38-year-old man Read more Former Ohio probation officer who used extortion to get money, pills gets 6 months in prison Read more Jury convicts man in killings of 8 from another Ohio family Read more Notre Dame College’s centennial celebration continues with shoe drive, fundraising campaign; public tree lighting to be held Dec. 2 Read more Orange school board engages in strategic planning discussion Read more Magic of Lights 2022 goes prehistoric while maintaining traditional holiday feel Read more County Council awards Seven Hills $250,000 for North Park pavilion Read more Padua Franciscan High School unveils newly renovated girls locker room Read more Parma updates timeline for new Ridgewood Golf Course clubhouse and community center Read more Olmsted Falls Fire Department receives $14,000 Firehouse Subs grant Read more Lakewood eyes Lake Avenue property purchase for sewer system modernization Read more North Olmsted plans demolitions of former schools, works on stormwater solutions Read more Fairview Park receives federal grants for new radios, ambulance power lifts Read more |
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