Last year, 77% of Americans said in a nonprofit, nonpartisan poll they believed the country was headed in the wrong direction. A third of Republicans believed that violence might be needed to save the country, compared with 22% of independents and 13% of Democrats. Those numbers have been climbing for years as acceptance of political violence has been rising, fueled by increasingly fierce political rhetoric, polarizing platforms, conspiracy theories and social media rants striving to go viral. All of it damages democracy. Cleveland.com has aimed to combat the hyperpartisan tenor of political discussion with our Civil Discourse series, which partnered with Baldwin Wallace University and Braver Angels. The goal: improve how Americans communicate with one another about political and social issues. That seems even more important in this tumultuous election year. — Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Activists from opposing political positions demonstrate in April outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices hear arguments over whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in a case charging him with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. (J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press) |
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Civil Discourse: As a passionately contested election approaches, experts in political dialogue say it’s possible for people who disagree on the issues to conduct political discussions without being disagreeable and maybe even reach consensus on an issue or two, reports Sabrina Eaton. Biden reaction: Following President Joe Biden’s announcement Sunday that he is dropping out of this year’s presidential race, Ohio Democrats appear to be lined up behind Vice President Kamala Harris to take over as their party’s presidential nominee, Jeremy Pelzer reports. Biden's decision comes after a growing number of Democrats called for him to step down, including U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Legal privilege: Are Ohio legislators protected by legislative privilege from testifying about conversations outside of chambers? Ohio President Matt Huffman argues yes. John Tucker delves into legal privilege in Ohio, how it works and what’s exempted for doctors, lawyers, clerics and counselors. 'Hillbilly' to VP? JD Vance’s life changed permanently following the 2016 release of his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy," which documented Vance’s rise from poverty in Middletown, Ohio. The book wasn’t widely interpreted out of the gate as a typical aspiring politician’s memoir, but that’s what it turned out to be, reports Andrew Tobias. |
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THC candy: The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control is warning consumers to be leery of delta-8 THC candy, cereals, potato chips and other products that are designed with cartoon characters and other elements to attract children, Laura Hancock reports. Radioactive mess: The owner of a facility that left 3,200 tons of radioactive waste on its floor and another 10,000 tons of waste lying around its southeast Ohio facility now has a court-ordered decision to make: post bond or go to jail, Jake Zuckerman reports. Social security: The Social Security Administration is making a change to how recipients can access online services, Zach Mentz reports. |
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School taxes: Cuyahoga County on Friday corrected figures it previously provided, and were published by cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, estimating how much money individual school districts stand to gain based on the new property values. Rich Exner reports the county on Friday said the figures were accurate for cities, villages and townships, but errors were made in some cases for the school districts by including some taxes, such as bond levies and those called “emergency” levies, that don’t increase with inflation. Bicycling access: Cleveland has pulled ahead of the national average for American cities in terms of how easy it is to ride a bike around town but still falls short in terms of meaningful access, Zachary Smith reports. Lake Erie: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District are amending the consent decree, known as Project Clean Lake, they agreed to more than a decade ago to control combined-sewer overflows in the Cleveland area, Peter Krouse reports. |
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Huntington Bank closure: Residents are calling on Huntington Bank to reopen its bank branch in the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood. On Friday that message took a new form — a documentary available on YouTube, Sean McDonnell reports. Crisis response: University Hospitals and other local agencies are partnering on a $1.3 million pilot program aimed at improving emergency response for mental-health-related calls in Cleveland’s eastern suburbs, Julie Washington reports. Ohio jobs: New economic data from the state shows that Ohio saw an uptick in its unemployment rate and that it lost jobs in the month of June, Sean McDonnell reports. Airlines grounded: A major outage early Friday morning at the cybersecurity company Crowdstrike led to disruptions in computer operating systems worldwide and affected flights in the U.S., including at Hopkins International Airport. |
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Hidden remains: A suspect accused of killing his live-in girlfriend and hiding her remains in a trash can before transferring them to an elementary school dumpster pleaded not guilty Friday, John Tucker reports. Weapons and drug charges: A man released from a state prison this year was arrested Friday on weapons and drug charges in Elyria, Olivia Mitchell reports. Millions lost: Two California men carried out a sophisticated stock-manipulation scheme that bilked investors out of some $2 million, Adam Ferrise reports. Car into home: A Lorain man is facing several charges after police say he drove his car into the side of a Vermilion home earlier this week, Lucas Daprile reports. |
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International friendships: Athletes from around the world gathered in Cleveland last week to compete in the Pan-American Masters Games. Many went home with medals and new friendships, too, Molly Walsh reports. The games held a farewell ceremony on Sunday, Megan Sims reports. Soap Box Derby: Gretchen Cuda Kroen writes about her son qualifying to compete in the 86th annual FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby at Derby Downs in Akron. Wine festival: Hard-cider makers are joining the Vintage Ohio Wine Festival for the first time in 2024. Four makers will occupy a tent at the annual festival on Aug. 2-3 at the Lake Metroparks Farmpark in Kirtland, Paris Wolfe reports. Spicy chicken: Chicken? Yes, please. Spicy? Why not! Reporters Yadi Rodriguez and Peter Chakerian rank the best fast-food spicy chicken sandwiches. Loiter Cafe: Ismail Samad, operator of Loiter Café & Marketplace, says he already has burned one week of the allotted 30 days a Cuyahoga County judge recently gave him to open the East Cleveland community hub. He’s says he’s discouraged, alleging that his landlord – the Cuyahoga County Land Bank – will not supply adequate electrical service, Paris Wolfe reports. |
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Wanted Texas man arrested in Middleburg Heights after crashing Lexus into another car Read more Motorcyclist dies in crash in Lake County Read more Plane crash near Northeast Ohio airport kills pilot Read more Middleburg Heights zoning board denies tattoo lounge variance Read more Middleburg Heights celebrates Walter Grondeski’s 105th birthday Read more 11-year-old girl dies 2 weeks after being pulled from Canton house fire Read more |
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