STATEHOUSE & POLITICS
Polling: Public political polls have a bad recent track record in Ohio, contributing to decisions to largely stop covering them for this election cycle. But at least for Ohio’s closely watched Republican primary election this week, they actually got it right for a change, reports Andrew Tobias.
Vote breakdown: Where did Democrat Tim Ryan and Republican J.D. Vance get their votes from in their partisan primary races? Zachary Smith breaks down votes precinct-by-precinct in Cuyahoga County and statewide by county.
Whaley's success: Nan Whaley, the former mayor of Dayton, crushed John Cranley by 30 percentage points in the Democratic primary for governor, winning 80 of 88 counties -- including Cranley’s own Hamilton County. How was Whaley able to win the primary in such a rout? Democrats, political observers and campaign officials offer four reasons to Jeremy Pelzer.
METRO
Council retaliation: Cuyahoga County Council President Pernel Jones has denied Executive Armond Budish’s claims that council retaliated against him when seeking an investigation into his nomination of Dave Wondolowski to the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Board. Kaitlin Durbin reports that Jones said it is the executive who has a history of retaliation.
COVID-19 & HEALTHCARE
Toxic relationships: More than 43 million women and 38 million men have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime, reports Julie Washington. About 1-in-4 women and nearly 1-in-10 men have experienced sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner. For those who want to escape from toxic relationships, the first steps are recognizing abusive behavior, then making a plan to leave.
COVID numbers: The state of Ohio on Thursday reported 11,013 new cases of COVID-19 in its weekly update, the highest number of new cases since the state switched to weekly updates of COVID-19 case numbers in March. Julie Washington reports that averages 1,573 new cases per day over seven days, up from 443 per day for the week ending March 31.
BUSINESS
Cedar Point: Cedar Point opens for the season on Saturday and this year, for the first time in two decades, the behemoth roller coaster Top Thrill Dragster won’t be available to riders, reports Susan Glaser. After a serious accident last summer, the ride will sit out the 2022 season as Cedar Point figures out what to do with the ride: Repair and reopen it or remove it?
Bojangles: Bojangles announced it plans to add 10 restaurants to Northeast Ohio as part of a national expansion. Among the franchisees announced for the fast-casual restaurant company were businessman Chris Maggiore and Magg Family Holdings, reports Marc Bona.
Mortgage rates: Mortgage rates are rising and banks are adjusting after the Federal Reserve’s most aggressive rate hike since 2000. The side-effect could be less buying power for people seeking homes, reports Sean McDonnell.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Wiffle Ball: The eighth World Series of Wiffle Ball, set for Twinsburg this summer, has expanded from two to three days. Marc Bona reports the tournament – slated for Friday, Aug. 12 through Sunday, Aug. 14 – draws more than 100 teams.
Things to do: Looking for something fun to do this weekend in Northeast Ohio? There’s Free Comic Book Day, plus 19 more events, festivals, markets and art shows to check out. Annie Nickoloff lists them.
