The project is fully funded and 12 years in the making: adding a 2.4-mile raised bike lane in the center of Superior Avenue, from Public Square to East 55th Street. It has received $19.6 million in federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grants channeled through the Ohio Department of Transportation, plus matching funds from the City of Cleveland. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025. But state Rep. Tom Patton tried to kill the idea by adding an amendment to the state’s transportation budget that would have prohibited cities with a population of 300,000 or more from adding bike lanes to the middle of a street or highway. Patton said earlier this week that he had heard complaints from businesses and Cleveland firefighters who said the Midway would make deliveries more difficult and pose safety concerns for emergency vehicles. But after cleveland.com ran a story about the amendment, Patton issued a statement saying that it “will not move forward as we continue to have productive conversations with stakeholders through our deliberate committee process." You wonder why he didn’t have productive conversations before inserting language to kill the project. - Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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The Superior Avenue Midway, which Cleveland started planning in 2016, would create a dedicated cycle track, or two-way bike path separated from traffic, in the middle of Superior Avenue from Public Square 2.4 miles east to East 55th Street. (Courtesy City of Cleveland) |
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Bike lanes: A proposed amendment to the state’s two-year transportation budget bill would have killed a long-planned bike lane project on Superior Avenue in Cleveland. But after sharp opposition this week from elected officials, city planners and business leaders in Cleveland and Cincinnati, state Rep. Tom Patton backed down. Steven Litt reports Cleveland officials raised multiple objections, arguing the language is an intrusion of state authority into local city planning that would undermine home rule — the right of municipalities under the state constitution to exercise self-government. Premium seats: Taxpayers are on the hook for capital repairs at Progressive Field and the Guardians want to spend another $1.3 million to install roughly 2,100 “premium” seats for attendees sitting behind home plate. Kaitlin Durbin reports this is separate from the $202.5 million in ballpark improvements built into the Guardians’ larger lease agreement, for which local and state taxpayers are footing two-thirds of the bill. Today in Ohio: A proposed amendment to the state constitution would give Ohioans an individual right to abortion. We’re talking about the referendum measure, modeled after Michigan’s, on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Husted campaign: Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted is reviving his official campaign committee as he takes steps toward a run for an unspecified “future statewide office.” Andrew Tobias reports he filed paperwork with the state forming the Jon Husted for Ohio campaign committee, splitting off from the joint committee he formed with Gov. Mike DeWine when he became DeWine’s running mate ahead of the 2018 Republican primary election. Householder trial: Jeff Longstreth, ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder’s former right-hand man, took the witness stand Wednesday in Householder’s corruption trial, focused on a $500,000 payment defense attorneys insist was a loan. The money – which in early 2017 paid down Householder’s legal debts, his credit card bills, and repairs to Householder’s second residence in Naples, Fla. – was first envisioned as a personal loan. However, Longstreth testified that Householder hemmed and hawed and refused to sign a loan agreement they had drawn up, reports Jake Zuckerman. Train derailment: State lawmakers have made it clear they want to take some sort of action in response to the East Palestine derailment, from tightening rail safety regulations to holding a public hearing on the crash. But there are questions, as well as disagreement, about how much power the state legislature has regarding the state’s intricate railroad system, which is regulated primarily by the federal government, Jeremy Pelzer reports. Voter cancellations: The state has canceled the registrations of 124,158 voters for inactivity, reports Andrew Tobias. In Ohio, voters’ registrations regularly are purged for inactivity if they don’t vote or respond to mailed notices from elections officials over a six-year period. Vexatious litigator: A Dayton-area veterans club is a “vexatious litigator” and cannot file any more lawsuits unless first seeking permission from the Montgomery Common Pleas Court, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. Laura Hancock reports the Huber Heights Veterans Club sued residents in the area numerous times, insisting their land belonged to the club. |
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Wet weather: While snow has been largely absent, Cleveland got dumped on with rain Wednesday. By early Wednesday afternoon, 0.69 inches was reported by the National Weather Service, with up to an inch expected by the end of the day. Zachary Smith reports that makes it one of the rainiest February days on record, based on readings from Hopkins International Airport. Cleveland’s Promise: Mr. Nathan Pardon, Almira Elementary School's dean of engagement, plays a key role in helping new students become acclimated to the school. For many, the strong relationships they build with Pardon and the staff are a key reason why they stay at school, Cameron Fields reports in our Cleveland’s Promise series. |
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Platform Beer: The lifespan of Platform Beer Co. marks a fast-paced American business story: A brewery is founded, wins awards almost immediately, changes its business approach, grows very quickly, is bought out by a conglomerate – and shuts down. Marc Bona explores the last nine years of the Cleveland microbrewery and its future with Anheuser-Busch. Hospital projects: University Hospitals will spend $25.5 million to expand and modernize services at UH Lake West and UH TriPoint medical centers, both located in Lake County, reports Julie Washington. The project includes enhancing the birthing center at TriPoint and adding four Level 2 NICU suites, but closing the labor and delivery department at Lake West in Willoughby. Meijer: Meijer is seeking to fill 350 positions for two Northeast Ohio supercenters slated to open this year. The part- and full-time positions include clerks, cake decorators, customer service, cashiers, receiving and meat cutters in Warren and Wooster, reports Marc Bona. Healthcare startup: Vytalize Health, a healthcare startup that’s working to keep seniors healthier, has raised $100 million in its latest round of venture capital funding, reports Sean McDonnell. Vytalize, which acquired Cleveland-based MedPilot in 2021, rewards physicians for how healthy their patients are, rather than how often they visit the doctor’s office or hospital. |
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Fatal shootings: Cleveland police are investigating two fatal shootings that occurred Tuesday. Caleb Kelley, 34, of Cleveland, died after being shot at about 1:15 a.m. in the Starbucks parking lot at Clifton Boulevard, Olivia Mitchell reports. Terry Chandler, 25, of Cleveland was fatally wounded at about 1:15 p.m. in the 1400 block of East 81st Street, Mitchell reports. |
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Margarita secrets: Wednesday was National Margarita Day. The traditional margarita recipe has three simple ingredients: tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur. Paris Wolfe has the best tips. LeBron statue: Cleveland mayor Justin Bibb tweeted after LeBron James broke the NBA’s all-time scoring record earlier this month that it’s time to start considering the vision for James’ Cleveland statue. Jimmy Watkins asks how to distill 20-plus years of drives, dunks and dimes into one image. Fish frys: If you’ve been craving fish frys for Lent, Marc Bona has the list for Northeast Ohio. The guide is for nonprofit organizations only – churches, schools, scouts, VFWs and other groups. Brite Winter: Brite Winter 2023 is nearly here. The proudly Cleveland art and music festival is celebrating its 14th year of bringing people who don’t mind a little nose-nipping cold to the West Bank of Cleveland’s Flats for a day of live music, art and other outdoor fun, reports Malcolm X Abram. |
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Environmental consultants headed to Oakwood plant explosion site die in plane crash in Arkansas Read more Man dies 12 days after shooting in Cleveland’s North Collinwood neighborhood Read more Canton man arrested in connection with fatal shooting at Columbus strip club Read more Cleveland Heights appoints Ernest Williams as city’s first Black police captain; will head new Professional Standards Bureau Read more Akron Children’s Hospital debuts Food Farmacy for eligible patient families Read more Progressive workers have yet to return to offices; Mayfield projects $5.2 million deficit for 2023 Read more University Heights to continue backyard recyclables pickup Read more Fairview Park lining up 2023 road program projects Read more Lakewood awards ARPA funding to Beck Center for the Arts’ emergency infrastructure project Read more North Olmsted City Schools receives more than $140,000 in Ohio School Safety Grant funds Read more Olmsted Township appoints Chris Methvin as new fire chief Read more Parma continues two-year road repaving program Read more West Creek Conservancy’s last piece of the puzzle involves Padua Park floodplain restoration in Parma Read more |
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