Just in time for summer vacation road trips, the Ohio Turnpike tolling system is about to get more complicated. Until now, drivers on the turnpike sections of I-76, I-80 and I-90 have been charged tolls based on where they enter and exit: pretty simple, and occasionally annoying if you have to wait in line at a toll plaza. (Like when a car that doesn’t have an EZ Pass is in the EZ Pass lane.) Soon, after testing is complete, you’ll pay based on a more complex system, with flat-rate tolls to enter Ohio and head into Indiana. (If you’re leaving Ohio for Pennsylvania, you’re flat-rate free.) There will no longer be toll plazas at the exits closest to the Indiana and Pennsylvania borders. So, depending on where you’re driving and the route, some turnpike drivers will pay more, while others will pay the same or even save some money. One way to save? Get an EZ Pass. — Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
Cavs vs Charlotte Hornets: Cavs bounce back with pick-me-up win over Charlotte Hornets, 115-92 Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Rain returns |
|
|
The Ohio Turnpike's Swanton toll plaza, seen here, is part of the turnpike's revamped tolling system. Like other toll plazas, it includes lanes that allow E-ZPass account holders to drive through without stopping. (Courtesy Ohio Turnpike) |
|
|
Turnpike revamp: The Ohio Turnpike is preparing to launch a much-anticipated revamp of the way it calculates and collects tolls, including allowing E-ZPass users to drive through many toll plazas without needing to fully stop. Jeremy Pelzer reports that under the new, more complex system, which will be phased in over the next several weeks, vehicles will pay a flat-rate toll upon entering Ohio, as well as an additional toll for westbound passenger vehicles headed into Indiana. Browns stadium: Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam said Monday evening at the NFL annual meeting that they’re exploring a domed stadium in Brook Park as well renovating existing Cleveland Browns Stadium. Dee Haslam rejected the notion that their dalliance with Brook Park is a negotiating ploy to get everything they need from Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and the city for a $1 billion renovation of Cleveland Browns Stadium, Mary Kay Cabot reports. Householder charges: Ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder is once again facing charges in the ever expanding state and federal bribery cases surrounding the passage of bailout legislation in 2019, reports Jake Zuckerman. The newest charges allege he unlawfully used campaign funds to pay his criminal defense fees and lied on state ethics forms that require candidates and office-holders to disclose their earnings, assets and liabilities. TIF: Cleveland City Council on Monday unanimously approved Mayor Justin Bibb’s plan to create a special downtown taxing district to pay for an overhaul of the city center and the Lake Erie and Cuyahoga River waterfronts. The so-called “Shore-to-Core-to-Shore” tax increment financing district will allow the city to tap increases in property taxes downtown over the next 30 years, Courtney Astolfi reports. Today in Ohio: Former President Donald Trump is wildly popular among Ohio Republicans. And voters’ loyalty and Trump’s willingness to “put his shoulder to the wheel” for unknown candidates made a big difference for Bernie Moreno. We’re talking about what the primary demonstrated on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
|
|
School vouchers: State spending on private school scholarships has exceeded estimates by over $15 million and is inching toward the $1 billion mark, reports Laura Hancock. As of March 18, state spending on all five scholarship programs was $980.4 million, with several months yet to go in the state’s fiscal year. That figure is expected to increase as the state is accepting applications for vouchers through the end of June. FirstEnergy execs: A former FirstEnergy lobbyist charged in connection with the largest bribery scandal in Ohio’s history will get to spend the Easter holiday at his vacation home in an upscale South Carolina beach community, reports Cory Shaffer. The judge reversed a ruling she handed down last week and allowed Mike Dowling to travel to the Mount Pleasant home without putting down anything more than the $10,000, or 10%, of $100,000 he has already paid for his bond. Shoot houses: State public safety officials will use two mobile “shoot houses” to help train armed school employees and other first responders who might find themselves dealing with a school shooting. Andrew Tobias reports the Ohio Controlling Board, a panel of state lawmakers and governor’s office employees, on Monday approved spending $78,000 to buy the two shoot houses that create realistic indoor training scenarios by using interlocking walls and doors to re-create specific hallways and rooms. Steel pollution: In a move applauded by industry and some environmental groups, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week finalized new steel mill air pollution rules that will limit emissions of previously unregulated substances like hydrochloric acid, mercury and dioxins/furans, as well as require the facilities to monitor chromium, reports Sabrina Eaton. |
|
|
Public Square: The despised concrete barriers have finally been removed from Cleveland’s downtown Public Square, reports Lucas Daprile. During a Monday news conference, construction workers ceremonially removed the remaining three barriers and placed them on a flatbed truck, just in time for several major downtown events, including the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four, the solar eclipse and the Cleveland Guardians home opener. Gaza resolution: After months of demands from Palestinian Clevelanders and others, Cleveland City Council on Monday passed a ceremonial resolution supporting a ceasefire in Gaza, Courtney Astolfi reports. In Cleveland, meeting attendees of both Palestinian descent and Jewish descent, among others, have called for council to pass a ceasefire resolution, noting how other cities, like Akron and Detroit, have done the same. Police recruits: Cleveland has 52 recruits in its next police academy class, making it one of the largest classes in recent years, Olivia Mitchell reports. At least 10 of those trainees are between 40 and 54 years old, the result of Cleveland City Council extending the age range of prospective officers. Eclipse photography: NASA has put out guidance that essentially says taking a picture of the eclipse might damage your phone. Regardless, writes Dave Petkiewicz, trying to take a photo without some kind of solar filter will result in a bad photo. Astronomy clubs: As solar eclipse excitement grows, astronomy buffs are in demand to give talks, help newcomers operate their new telescopes and explain eclipses to schoolkids and mall shoppers. Julie Washington reports that astronomy clubs across Northern Ohio have seen a boost in membership, attendance at meetings and interest from far-flung astronomy enthusiasts since eclipse fever gripped the country. |
|
|
AI vaccination: A new artificial intelligence tool developed at the University of Cincinnati can accurately predict whether someone is willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 with only a little bit of information. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports that such accurate assessments of perceptions about vaccines and other medical treatments may one day be useful in designing more effective public health campaigns. Federal help: Cleveland-Cliffs announced plans Monday to decarbonize its Middletown Works facility in southern Ohio and its Butler Works facility in western Pennsylvania, and is looking to get up to $575 million of federal funds to help pay for it. Sean McDonnell reports the funding would come out of $6 billion that the Biden Administration earmarked for slashing emissions in the industrial sector. Housing: Millennia Companies, barred recently from receiving new federal housing contracts, says it is pivoting away from affordable housing. Megan Sims reports Millennia said in a statement that it would be selling the majority of its multifamily affordable housing properties across multiple states. Stocks: Stock prices for 10 major Ohio companies increased by at least 3.5% last week, reports Zachary Smith. This was led by Cleveland-Cliffs, a steel, mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction company, which increased 7.6%, or $1.50 a share. |
|
|
Fatal shooting: Antwoina Carter. 26, died early March 17 as bullets sprayed across East 105th Street and Garfield Avenue on the Cleveland’s East Side. She had called police earlier that night about woman who had been threatening her, a woman she believed was the girlfriend of her child’s father. Molly Walsh reports Carter's family wants justice. A 19-year-old male has been arrested in connection with the shooting. Death threats: An Ohio man who sent death threats to Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs over the 2020 presidential election was sentenced Monday to two-and-a-half years in prison. Joshua Russell, 44, of Bucyrus, left three threatening messages at Hobbs’ office in 2022 when Hobbs was the secretary of state, Adam Ferrise reports. Feces letters: A former court attorney who mailed some three dozen letters smeared with human feces to Republican politicians apologized Monday and said he acted out of “blind anger and frustration” at the state of the country. Richard Steinle, 79, told a federal magistrate judge during a hearing that he sent the letters out of “frustration and rage,” reports Adam Ferrise. Vehicle death: Authorities say a woman died after she fell from a moving vehicle Sunday on Interstate 90, reports Olivia Mitchell. Police responded to a call about 12:05 a.m. involving unknown trouble on the highway’s westbound lanes, near West 44th Street. When officers arrived, they found a woman who had fallen from a moving vehicle. Baby’s death: A panel of state lawmakers Monday approved the transfer of $1.75 million to pay the settlement of an Ohio woman who was wrongfully imprisoned for 18 years in connection with the death of a baby. In 2003, a jury found Kim Hoover guilty of murder in connection with the death of a 9-month-old she was watching as part of her daycare business in Columbus. But new evidence determined the baby suffered from a brain bleed caused weeks to a month before her death, reports Jake Zuckerman. |
|
|
Best shochu: Jax Bond, a bartender at Velvet Tango Room in Tremont, is one of 15 finalists competing in New York City for the title of best shochu cocktail in the United States, reports Paris Wolfe. One of the biggest challenges in preparing was sourcing the Japanese spirit in Ohio. Four Seasons: Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland’s Baroque Orchestra, is bringing Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” to three outdoor locations in July and August, reports Paris Wolfe. Tickets are on sale now for five concerts at Holden Arboretum in Kirtland as well as concerts at the United Church of Christ in Avon Lake and The Bath Church (UCC) in Bath. |
|
|
Murder suspect sets himself on fire during arrest, police say Read more Special delivery: Cleveland Heights honors Ted Wilson, longest-serving mail carrier in Ohio Read more Primrose preschools donate to children's book banks Read more Clinic offers free medical care for eligible Medina County residents Read more North Ridgeville Police Department embarks on new chapter with state-of-the-art facility Read more Strongsville Schools to seek input from residents & levy foes after defeat of 5.9-mill tax renewal Read more Rocky River Schools superintendent reminisces as he prepares for retirement Read more |
|
|
NEW! DINE DRINK CLE NEWSLETTER |
Get the latest news about Cleveland’s restaurant and bar scene. The latest on openings, closings, tastings and other events, plus features, guides, and recommendations from our team of writers and critics. Click here to sign up. |
|
|
Want the top headlines but don't have time to read? Listen to cleveland.com’s Today in Ohio podcast on Spotify, Google or Apple Podcasts. |
|
|
WANT TO SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER WITH A FRIEND? |
Did someone share this newsletter with you? Click here to never miss a day! |
|
|
To contact the newsrooms for any of our publications regarding technical support, news tips, classified ads and other inquiries, please click here. |
|
|
Unlimited Digital Access. |
|
|
Start today for $1 (cancel anytime) |
| |
|
Start today for $1 (cancel anytime) |
| |
|
INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING
OR SPONSORING OUR NEWSLETTERS? |
|
|
|
