Laden...
What you need to know Monday, July 20, 2020 WEATHER
Temps will be in the upper 80s today with mostly sunny skies. Lows will stay in the upper 60s overnight with clear conditions. Read more.
OVERNIGHT
Mask order: Gov. Mike DeWine said Sunday that he “would not rule out” mandating a statewide mask order during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Jane Morice reports. About 60% of Ohio residents are under a mask mandate because of the spread of the virus. “This week you may see a lot more counties under that mask requirement,” DeWine said. “So we certainly would not rule out going statewide. We’re certainly looking at that.”
Dangling football: Gov. Mike DeWine hopes that by connecting the possibility of a fall sports season with wearing masks, more Ohioans will don a face covering to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Doug Lesmerises reports. The I Want A Season campaign launched July 7 and doesn’t involve a mask order, or even an ask. Instead, DeWine is betting that the sports-obsessed state will follow the public health guidance to help football return in the fall. Saving sports, in turn, might save the state.
Subtext: Cleveland.com has started a new, free Subtext account to send coronavirus updates. Every day, we'll send updates about the virus -- confirmed cases, major cancellations, relevant scientific information and more. You can even text us back. Go to https://joinsubtext.com/ohiocoronavirus and enter your phone number. Or send a text to 216-279-7784. Did we mention it’s free?
This Week in the CLE: How can Cuyahoga County use a 15-month-old request to choose a new bond counsel? And in more fun news, what will the Cleveland Indians coronavirus-shortened season look like this year? We brought on Indians reporter Paul Hoynes and sports editor Dave Campbell to talk baseball, while we tackle the regular government jaw-droppers on This Week in the CLE, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
Unique ideas: Israel is trying to limit the spread of the coronavirus by closing non-essential businesses and tourist spots on weekends. Evan MacDonald reports on the ideas U.S. states and other countries are testing, from moving school outside to allowing alcohol at restaurants only when diners eat meals.
DeWine analysis: For months, the tag team of Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health then-Director Dr. Amy Acton brought both forceful and soothing leadership to the coronavirus crisis. Now DeWine, the subject of numerous laudatory pieces, is a shell of the leader we saw just a couple of months ago. Seth Richardson writes that as cases have spiked to record highs, DeWine seems more intent on taking a hands-off approach, letting local officials deal with the response.
Bond counsel: Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish’s administration used a 15-month-old request for qualifications to select Cleveland-based Squire Patton Boggs as bond counsel for a proposed refinancing deal that could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to the firm, Courtney Astolfi reports. The request was for unrelated refinancing of bonds for repairs to Progressive Field and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and made no mention of future bond deals.
New numbers: The Ohio Department of Health reported Sunday that the number of confirmed or probable infections of the novel coronavirus had risen to 74,932, up 1,110 since Saturday, Jane Morice reports. The number of Ohioans who have died with the coronavirus rose by 42, to 3,174.
Cleveland numbers: The city of Cleveland reported 21 confirmed coronavirus cases Sunday, Jane Morice reports. There were no new fatalities reported Sunday, according to a statement from the city. The latest positive tests bring the city’s total number to 3,655 cases and 83 deaths.
New record: The record for newly reported coronavirus cases in Ohio was broken again on Friday, with 1,679 confirmed and probable infections, Laura Hancock reports. The previous record was last Friday, when there were 1,525 new cases.
Cuyahoga record: For the third straight week, coronavirus infections in suburban Cuyahoga County hit a record high, with 919 new cases reported last week, writes Courtney Astolfi. The last two weeks, the board reported new infections of 747 and 730, respectively. Health officials blamed get-togethers and said cases among young people are climbing. Twenty-two percent of cases recorded since the outbreak began this spring are adults between the ages of 20 and 29, up 1% from last week.
Masks in Cuyahoga County: Cuyahoga County on Friday unveiled a somewhat dated map of complaints it received about people not complying with the mandated mask order, Courtney Astolfi reports. The county last week declined to provide details on how many of the more than 2,500 mask complaints it received to which it has responded.
Health veto: Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday vetoed a bill seeking to strip the Ohio Department of Health director and local health officials from enforcing health orders, reports Laura Hancock. Senate Bill 55 originally increased penalties on drug trafficking within 1,000 feet of a treatment center. But it was amended in the House, and accepted by a majority in the Senate, to decriminalize violations of public health orders.
Hospital capacity: Cleveland Clinic’s temporary surge hospital was never used to treat COVID-19 patients and is being dismantled to return to education space. Julie Washington checked with Northeast Ohio health systems, which said they have not used expanded capacity during the pandemic, but say they are ready to make more room again, if needed.
Jail smuggling: The private company that contracted with Cuyahoga County to oversee food services at the jail has responded to an accusation of drug smuggling. Adam Ferrise reports that Trinity Services Group said in a statement the company fired an employee following its own investigation, less than two weeks after the company began working at the jail.
Bars cited: Twelve Ohio liquor permit holders, including four Put-in-Bay bars and the company that owns Luchita’s Mexican Restaurant in Cleveland, have been cited for violating the Ohio Department of Health’s coronavirus safety protocols. Anne Nickoloff reports the citations were issued by the Ohio Investigative Unit (OIU), a division of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Weekend citations: State agents cited several Cleveland establishments for violating state health orders in place to curb the spread of coronavirus over the weekend, Jane Morice reports. On Friday, three night spots were cited – Dante’s Inferno and Backyard Bocce, FWD on the East Bank of the Flats and Club Paradis, a strip club in the Warehouse District. On Saturday, Club Paradis received a second violation.
Unemployment: Ohio’s unemployment crisis continued to abate in June, with the state’s jobless rate falling almost 3 percentage points to 10.9% after gaining 208,000 new jobs, Jeremy Pelzer reports. But there are indications that that number could rise again as coronavirus cases are escalating in Ohio.
Immigration workers: Without action from Congress, dozens of United States Citizenship and Immigration Service workers in Ohio will face a furlough in August due to a coronavirus-related revenue drop. Sabrina Eaton reports the agency that processes immigration applications and green cards relies on application fees rather than taxpayer funds to run its operations.
Bill of Rights: As the coronavirus pandemic threatens to push millions more Americans into poverty, Warrensville Heights Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge wants Congress to enact a "Poverty Bill of Rights." Sabrina Eaton reports on a resolution that would reaffirm the right of all Americans to “live a life free from poverty and its impacts.”
Predatory lending: Rich Cordray, the former head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Elizabeth Warren, an architect of the agency and a senator from Massachusetts, spoke Friday at a forum marking the agency’s 10th anniversary, Sabrina Eaton reports. The pair warned the agency should expect an onslaught of predatory lenders looking to take advantage of consumers hurting financially due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Addressing transportation inequities: The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency is drafting a policy to quantify whether adding new interchanges to the interstate system would worsen historical patterns of inequity, Steven Litt reports. Interstates gave the country high-speed mobility when first constructed decades ago. But they also hurt cities and urban areas.
Cleaning up Lake Erie: EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is expected to announce details Tuesday about a grant to help clean up Lake Erie in Lakewood, Mary Kilpatrick reports. The money is part of the $2 million Trash-Free Great Lakes Grant Program, an initiative to clean Great Lakes beaches, shorelines, harbors and rivers.
Apartments green-lighted: The coronavirus doesn’t seem to be stopping developers from investing in new urban housing in Cleveland, Steven Litt reports. Cleveland City Planning Commission on Friday approved building permits for four new apartment projects totaling 450 units in Glenville, Midtown, Tremont and Ohio City.
Foreclosure lawsuit: A federal judge Friday rejected Cuyahoga County’s attempt to dismiss a contentious lawsuit involving foreclosed property. John Caniglia reports the lawsuit focuses on a 2006 Ohio law that created a way for county boards of revision to foreclose with tax liens if the properties were considered abandoned. The law was an attempt to speed the foreclosure process on shuttered buildings.
Digital divide: Cuyahoga County, the Cleveland Foundation and telecommunications giant T-Mobile announced Thursday the Greater Cleveland Digital Equity Fund to “strategically and efficiently address immediate and long-term needs surrounding broadband access, computing devices, digital literacy, and technology support.” Peter Krouse reports the newly created Greater Cleveland Digital Equity Coalition has launched with $3 million in commitments. An additional $1 million from the George Gund Foundation will target improvements to digital access in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
Grant awards: The Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund on Friday announced its final awards in the first phase of its pledge to help organizations on the frontlines of the pandemic. The group awarded $900,000 to 13 groups serving Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties, bringing the total to $8.6 million donated since March to nearly 160 nonprofits.
Coronavirus holiday: Traditional trick-or-treating will likely be too risky if COVID-19 numbers don’t start dropping. But Ohioans could salvage small holiday gatherings like Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad’s or Hanukkah with the in-laws if they follow the recommendations designed to curb the virus’ spread, reports Mary Kilpatrick.
Fake news: A Lake Local Schools board member is tweeting false information on masks, exhorting people not to wear them in the wake of a surge in coronavirus cases throughout the state of Ohio. Kaylee Remington reports that school board member Derrick Bailey has retweeted a number of people in relation to ineffectiveness of masks, which the district expects to discuss at a board meeting.
Mahall’s: Most of Mahall’s -- a bowling alley, music venue, bar and restaurant in Lakewood -- has remained closed since March 15, except for its food and drink takeout menu offered Wednesdays through Saturdays. Anne Nickoloff reports the venue has found a unique way to re-enter the performance-art space this summer: an artist talk series which launches from 8 to 9:30 p.m. on July 24 with a conversation between Teamonade musician Osi Okoro and The Katy’s Cathalyn.
Fast food burgers: Cleveland.com’s sister site, CN Traveler, asked 50 people, one from each state in the U.S., to tell us the best fast food burger from where they live.
House of the Week: Designed by Stephen J. Bucchieri, who won a Cleveland Arts Prize for architecture in 1991, this 6,000-square-foot Hunting Valley home was built in 1985 for Henry Hawley, the late former decorative arts curator at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Joey Morona reports the idea was to bring the beauty of the natural surroundings of the Chagrin River valley inside while creating gallery-style spaces where the original owners could display works of art from their personal collection. It’s available for $1.3 million.
Cleveland Arts Prize: Alenka Banco is stepping down after seven years as the executive director of the Cleveland Arts Prize. Anne Nickoloff reports the prize was founded by the Women’s City Club in 1960 to recognize influential artists in the area. It is the oldest municipal arts award in the nation.
Coronavirus restrictions and closings in Northeast Ohio for Monday, July 20, 2020 Read more
Akron police arrest Canton man accused of fatally hitting Akron man, daughter with SUV Read more
8-year-old hit by car in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood, police say Read more
Man arrested after bringing loaded gun to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, police say Read more
63-year-old disabled woman shot in stairwell of Cleveland apartment complex, police say Read more
Car crashes into home in Cleveland’s Cortlett neighborhood and drives off, police say Read more
Car crashes into home in Cleveland’s Cortlett neighborhood and drives off, police say Read more
Chardon police arrest suspect accused of shooting man multiple times outside a city bar Read more
Summit County man arrested on child pornography charges Read more
City of South Euclid re-closing park amenities amid surge of coronavirus cases in Cuyahoga County Read more
2 Strongsville Market District employees test positive for COVID-19 Read more
Apple stores in Crocker Park, Woodmere listed as temporarily closed Read more
North Royalton schools to offer in-person and remote learning, require masks, this fall Read more
Gov. Mike DeWine and other Ohio political leaders remember the late civil rights pioneer John Lewis Read more
Joe Biden’s presidential campaign names Toni Webb its Ohio state director Read more
Akron City Council forms special committee on police reform Read more
Cleveland Heights works to rein in costs on federal consent decree bringing sewers into compliance with Clean Water Act Read more
‘Do the right thing’: Mayor of Wellington urges Lorain County Fair Board to cancel 2020 fair Read more
Community | Politics | Videos | Photos To ensure receipt of our emails, please add [email protected] to your address book or safe sender list. You received this email because you opted-in to the newsletter. Was it forwarded to you? Sign up now! |
Laden...
Laden...