Separating teenagers from their cellphones is a constant, frustrating battle. About 43% of American kids ages 8 to 12 and 95% of teenagers 13 to 18 have smartphones, according to the Pew Research Center. In a study of more than 200 adolescents by Common Sense Media, participants received a median of 237 notifications. In our house, it’s tough to reign in two kids group texting, watching YouTube and playing video games. Imagine being a middle school teacher trying to control the addiction machines. While most Ohio schools already have cellphone policies, Gov. Mike DeWine wants to require them. The Ohio Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would do just that. HB 250 would require each board of education to adopt a policy governing the use of cellphones that limits them during school hours and reduces distractions. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce would develop a policy that school districts can use while developing their own by July 2025. Districts could allow students to use phones for health conditions, individual education plans or classroom lessons. As the mom fighting this battle daily, I say good luck! — Laura |
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House Bill 250 would require each board of education in Ohio to adopt a policy governing the use of cellphones by students. |
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Cellphones: The Ohio Senate passed a bill limiting the use of cellphones in public school classrooms Wednesday afternoon, just weeks after Gov. Mike DeWine asked lawmakers to take on the issue during his State of the State address. Laura Hancock reports House Bill 250 is a noncontroversial bill about high school diplomas with military seals that was amended in committee Tuesday with provisions regarding cellphones. Biden ballot fix: A long-term fix to prevent an Ohio law from preventing presidential candidates from qualifying for the ballot in Ohio is starting to come into focus, report Andrew Tobias and Jake Zuckerman. Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, a Republican, said Wednesday that talks have advanced on legislation changing the law, which has jeopardized President Joe Biden’s ability to qualify for the Ohio ballot this year. Elections issues: An Ohio House committee has voted to change the state’s system of numbering ballot issues, a change that was proposed after some were confused last year when Ohioans voted on two different, intertwined state Issue 1s in elections just months apart. Andrew Tobias reports that House Bill 271, sponsored by state Rep. Adam Mathews, would have bills start at 1 and continue consecutively to 500 before restarting at Issue 1 again. MetroHealth park: Top officials of the MetroHealth system say they’re still committed to the “hospital in a park’' vision developed for its main campus on Cleveland’s West Side under former president and CEO Dr. Akram Boutros between 2013 and 2022. But they said for the first time publicly on Wednesday that the public health system won’t build a 12-acre park along West 25th Street as the front door to the 52-acre campus in the city’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood, Steven Litt reports. Today in Ohio: Ohio House leaders from both sides of the aisle gave assurances Tuesday that they’re working to ensure that President Joe Biden makes it on the state’s November ballot despite running afoul of an obscure state deadline. We’re talking about how exactly that could happen on Today in Ohio. |
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Dark money: Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman disputed any association with dark money nonprofits on Wednesday, despite several lobbyists tied to FirstEnergy’s bribery scandal making statements to the contrary. Jake Zuckerman reports new documents released from a civil lawsuit show that FirstEnergy wrote five checks totaling $300,000 in 2019 and 2020 to a 501(c)(4) dark money nonprofit called Liberty Ohio, which can raise unlimited amounts of money to spend on politics without disclosing its contributors. Rail safety: New Ohio Senate legislation would scale back a railroad safety measure that state lawmakers passed last year in the wake of the East Palestine train derailment, reports Jeremy Pelzer. Senate Bill 250, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Bill Reineke of Seneca County, would loosen recently adopted state requirements for smaller railroads to install wayside detectors along every 10-15 miles of track. Foreign aid: The U.S. Senate late Tuesday approved a long-delayed $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan after surmounting opposition from anti-interventionist Republicans, including Ohio Sen. JD Vance. Sabrina Eaton reports that Vance, one of 18 Senators who opposed the package, supports sending aid to Israel, but disliked that the bill would send almost $61 billion to Ukraine to fund a war that he regards as “hopeless” and believes will further decimate the Ukrainian population. Spousal rape: The Ohio Senate sent legislation to the governor on Wednesday to close what backers refer to as an “archaic loophole” in state law that shields those who rape or sexually abuse their spouses. Jake Zuckerman reports the legislation passed unanimously in the Senate and near-unanimously in the House and is now en route to the desk of Gov. Mike DeWine. |
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Midway bike lane: The question facing planners of the Midway bike route on Superior Avenue is whether bicyclists will be comfortable with trucks backing across parts of a state-of-the-art cycle path in order to access garages at businesses that have no rear entries. Steven Litt reports that’s one of the knottiest problems facing the design of the Midway, a proposed $24.5 million, 2.4-mile raised bike path extending from Public Square to East 55th Street. Judge resigns: A former longtime judge and leader in Democratic circles in Cuyahoga County resigned Wednesday as co-chair of a group of local bar associations that rates judicial candidates after the head of the Ohio GOP criticized her social media posts. C. Ellen Connally stepped down from her role with Judge4Yourself.com, which she held since 2019, Cory Shaffer reports. Neighborhood safety: The Cleveland Foundation is now accepting proposals for the second round of awards from City Hall’s violence prevention fund, known as the Neighborhood Safety Fund, reports Courtney Astolfi. Unlike last year’s grants, which were announced in late December, the city is aiming to get this year’s money distributed before the start of summer, when violence and crime tends to peak. Underground Railroad: Nearly 200 years ago, Oberlin was an important stop on the Underground Railroad, which helped enslaved persons escape to freedom, reports Julie Washington. On May 4, a day filled with social justice poetry — which confronts hard truths about injustice and hate — and visits to Oberlin’s historical sites will remember and celebrate that past. Preschool enrollment: Ohio is 36th in the nation for preschool enrollment of 4-year-olds and 26th for 3-year-olds, according to a new report released by the National Institute for Early Education Research. Zachary Smith reports that Ohio serves only 11% of 4-year-olds and 2% of 3-year-olds in state-funded preschool, for a total enrollment of 18,000 students. Book Bank: The Kids’ Book Bank aims to promote and improve literacy by providing free books to children in need through a network of community partner organizations. Peter Chakerian reports the bank has distributed over 4.4 million books – upward of 60,000 books per month – since it was founded in 2016. |
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Aldi deals: Are name brands at Aldi actually a good deal? Sean McDonnell was skeptical, but Walmart (barely) beats Aldi on name brand products. Aldi beats other competitors handedly. Hopkins passengers: If Cleveland Hopkins International Airport seems busier than usual that’s because it is, reports Susan Glaser. March traffic at the airport was up nearly 10% over a year ago, thanks to a very busy spring break period. April is proving to be busy as well, with full planes coming and going for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four and the total solar eclipse earlier this month. Breeze flights: Breeze Airways is adding a 10th destination from the Akron-Canton Airport, a summer-only flight to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, reports Susan Glaser. New apartments: Developers of a new apartment are hoping to bring modern simplicity to Rocky River. The first phase of ORRIS at 22655 Center Ridge Road, minutes from the Westwood Shopping Plaza, will soon be open for residents, Megan Sims reports. The four-story building houses 54 units ranging from studios to two bedrooms, and several amenities. |
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Edgewater arson: A man accused of torching a home in Cleveland was arrested Wednesday in Euclid, reports Olivia Mitchell. Authorities said Tyric Green went to the home of his grandmother’s landlord, Cecilia Li, and used an accelerant to burn the house down early Saturday. Li, her husband and 7-month-old child escaped with minor injuries. Hit-and-run: Authorities are seeking to identify the driver involved in a fatal hit-skip crash that occurred April 5, reports Molly Walsh. Cleveland police said a man, identified as 24-year-old Calvin Aldridge, was staggering and walking in circles in the middle of the street near 18126 Euclid Ave. late on April 4 or very early April 5 just before he was struck. Inmate settlement: A former Cuyahoga County Jail inmate who spent a week in a coma and had two fingers partially amputated settled his lawsuit against the county and MetroHealth Medical Center for $300,000. Adam Ferrise reports Cuyahoga County agreed to pay Marvin Robinson $212,500. MetroHealth, which provides healthcare for the jail, agreed to pay $87,500. Akron shooting: Police are investigating the slaying of a 20-year-old man outside of an apartment complex in Akron on Wednesday. Officers found the victim, Alexander Ford, on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to his body. A second victim, a 58-year-old woman, was also shot, reports Olivia Mitchell. Stabbing: A male caregiver was stabbed in the neck by a patient at the Signature Health office in Maple Heights on Wednesday afternoon, officials said. The patient, a 24-year-old man, stabbed the 49-year-old caregiver and then attacked him further as he chased the caregiver down a hall, Molly Walsh reports. |
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Ask Lucas: What should you do if your neighbor plants a Bradford pear tree, which are illegal in Ohio? Lucas Daprile writes that since police are unlikely to waste their drones and plastic explosives blowing up The Bad Trees, it’s up to vigilantes and tyrannical homeowners associations to protect our state. Independent theater: The BorderLight Theatre Festival, formerly known as BorderLight Fringe Festival, will return to Playhouse Square July 24-27. Joey Morona reports the event showcases dozens of independent, self-producing acts alongside several acclaimed touring productions. Celebrity Roccos: Local chef Rocco Whalen of Fahrenheit will chat with celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito and you can be a fly on wall. Paris Wolfe reports the chef-to-chef conversation is part of Cuyahoga County Public Library Foundation’s annual fundraiser event Books & Bites: A Culinary Literary Affair. Kid Cudi: “Kid Cudi vs. Knuckles” may sound like a track off the Cleveland-bred rapper’s new eclectic album “Insano,” reports Malcolm X Abram. But fans of Sonic the Hedgehog, the iconic video game character that has jumped, or more accurately rolled, into cartoons, comics, and a feature film trilogy (part three is due in December), recognize the name as that of the very serious and prickly red-furred echidna who is Sonic’s former rival turned friend. Cudi cancels: Kid Cudi is canceling his upcoming Insano: Engage the Rage World Tour, including a July 31 stop at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, after finding out his broken ankle is “much more serious” than he thought, reports say. New rides: Amusement park fans in Ohio have two very different new coasters to look forward to this season: Top Thrill 2 at Cedar Point, with a top speed of 120 mph and an added 420-foot-high spike, and Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers at Kings Island, which maxes out at 36 mph and 73 feet off the ground. Susan Glaser reports both rides are expected to attract new visitors this summer to two of Ohio’s biggest tourist attractions. Top Thrill: Want to ride Cedar Point’s newest roller coaster, Top Thrill 2, this year? It may cost you a few bucks to rent a locker. Susan Glaser reports the park this week announced a strict no-loose items policy for riders, which includes cellphones, flip-flop sandals and glasses without a strap. |
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Medina district prepares for end of 2023-24 school year Read more Summer break coming early for Medina elementary students Read more South Euclid City Council speaks out on closing of Notre Dame College Read more Parma City Schools tackles post-pandemic absenteeism increase Read more Ruff news: Olmsted Township delays opening of new dog park Read more Lakewood residents to receive new recycling containers Read more One stitch at a time: North Olmsted Senior Center members crochet NICU baby blankets Read more Medina donation gives hope to those in recovery Read more |
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