We began the year with headlines about Intel building in Columbus and the Ohio Redistricting Commission thwarting the state Supreme Court. Gerrymandering was a major theme for this newsletter in 2022, as were plans for the county jail, lakefront development and government stimulus spending. We’ll keep bringing you the latest headlines, but we’ll have a truncated version of The Wake Up until Jan. 4 as our reporters and editors take some well-deserved time off. Happiest of holidays from The Wake Up, with hope for a newsy New Year! - Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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The concrete barriers on Public Square in downtown Cleveland are set to be replaced with steel bollards. (Steven Litt, cleveland.com file photo) |
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Public Square: Cleveland’s Public Square is set to get a makeover in the new year after officials announced Tuesday they raised $3.5 million needed to replace the square’s long-maligned Jersey barriers and make other improvements. Lucas Daprile reports the concrete Jersey barriers currently dividing traffic in Public Square will be replaced by steel bollards, which will increase pedestrian space, update traffic patterns and better separate the road from the park. DNA testing: Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said Tuesday he will expand his office’s use of genealogical testing in unsolved violent crimes. O’Malley said he’ll use $250,000 from a fund that’s financed by seizures made by law enforcement in criminal and civil forfeitures to pay for the expansion and is asking police departments to submit DNA in unsolved cases. Ohio spending: A new Great Lakes Authority to promote the region’s economic development, national memorial status for the Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial in Bedford Heights and a study to determine if Ohio’s 1,400-mile “Buckeye Trail” should be designated a National Scenic Trail are among the Ohio priorities in a $1.7 trillion government funding bill that congressional negotiators released Tuesday morning. Sabrina Eaton reports that U.S. Sen. Rob Portman expects the bill will pass both houses of Congress by the end of the week to avoid a government shutdown. Today in Ohio: The Jan. 6 committee referred U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and several of his GOP colleagues to the House Ethics Committee for failing to honor their subpoenas. We’re talking about Jordan, former President Trump and the Justice Department on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour podcast. |
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Abortion amendments: If Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Republican lawmakers resurrect an effort to make it harder to pass constitutional amendments at the ballot box, abortion rights campaigners could face a tougher challenge to enshrine reproductive rights in the Ohio Constitution. Laura Hancock reports that outside of liberal-leaning California and Vermont, proposals that either enshrined abortion rights or rejected giving state legislatures permission to restrict abortion all passed or failed in the 52% to 59% range. Geneva lodge: Ashtabula County will retain control of the Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, the popular state-park inn that was the subject of an ownership tug-of-war in recent months. Susan Glaser reports the state will pay off the nearly $14 million in outstanding debt that the county owes for the construction of the lodge, located in Geneva State Park. |
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Speed limit: Typically, when an Ohio city wants to deviate from the state’s statutory speed limit, it must go through an approval process with the Ohio Department of Transportation. But sometimes a city can circumnavigate that process, like Cleveland Heights did in dropping the speed limit to 25 mph on five roads beginning today, reports Zachary Smith. Winter storm: The National Weather Service says the winds will howl and the temperatures will plummet this weekend, but it isn’t so sure about how much snow will hit us. Molly Walsh reports the storm system will bring strong winds, extreme cold and some snow to the region from late Thursday night through Saturday. Snow much fun: The snowplows prepping to clear the Ohio Turnpike this winter have a sense of humor. Ohioans competed to name the plows, with puns like Control-Salt-Delete, reports Molly Walsh. Lakefront development: Greater Clevelanders are divided and largely unsure about who should take the lead on improving the lakefront in a cleveland.com-Baldwin Wallace poll. Nearly 37% of Greater Clevelanders said they were “not sure” when asked which people or entities they trust to develop the portion of the city facing Lake Erie, reports Lucas Daprile. Trooper shortage: State troopers are writing far fewer tickets this year compared to 2021, the result of a staffing shortage that has hindered enforcement on Ohio’s roadways. The effect is most clearly seen in Cuyahoga County, where arrests for drunken driving are down by half compared to last year. Christmas cactus: In the 1970s in Strongsville, Rebecca Cline bought a Christmas cactus for her mom as a gift. Susan Brownstein writes that almost 50 years later, it has been repotted several more times and still flowers every year, sometimes twice a year. |
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Metro bonuses: Nearly a month after cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer asked MetroHealth System to provide the pay and bonuses of its top leadership team, the information still has not been released. Julie Washington reports the information was requested Nov. 22 after the MetroHealth board fired CEO Dr. Akram Boutros, saying he had paid himself $1.98 million in unauthorized bonuses since 2018. Another departure: Jane Platten, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at MetroHealth System, will leave the health system at the end of the year, MetroHealth confirmed late Tuesday. Her departure is by “mutual agreement,” a MetroHealth spokeswoman tells Julie Washington. Medicine shortage: A national shortage of children’s medicine has spread to the Greater Cleveland area, with supplies limited or out in some stores, especially when it comes to liquid acetaminophen and ibuprofen sold under Tylenol, Motrin and other brand and generic names, Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports. |
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Weekend homicides: Police are investigating the slayings of four people in Cleveland over the weekend, Molly Walsh reports. A cash reward of up to $5,000 may be available for information pertaining to two of the cases. |
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Wine review: Our 10th annual high-end wine review is out – just in time for the holidays for those who want to splurge on a bottle or two. Throughout the year we run monthly wine reviews that have one common trait: All cost $25 or less. But this time of year, Marc Bona rounds up some of the higher-end offerings that have crossed our palates. |
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Federal agent injured during arrest of teen suspect wanted for multiple robberies, kidnappings Read more One infant recovered, another still missing from Columbus area Amber Alert Read more Broadview Heights council pushes back against plan for 60 townhomes at Broadview & Boston roads Read more Cleveland Heights council approves 2023 budget, with estimated $25M to spare in another ‘anomaly’ year Read more Akron warming center open Dec. 23 through Dec. 26 due to forecasted freezing temperatures Read more Shaker Heights council, mayor honor retiring Police Chief Jeff DeMuth Read more Strongsville receives additional $162,500 in donations for town center redesign project Read more Solon council approves contract with OHM Advisors for planning services Read more |
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