  What you need to know Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021  WEATHER
Showers and thunderstorms are expected today, and it will be windy, with gusts up to 23 mph. Look for highs in the mid-60s. It will be mostly cloudy overnight with more chances of showers. Temps will be in the upper 40s. Read more.
Local scores: Memphis Grizzlies 132, Cavs 121 NFL: Browns vs. Denver Broncos, 8:20 p.m., FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland. TV: WJW Channel 8, NFL Network. Radio: WKRK FM/92.3, WNCX FM/98.5, WKNR AM/850. OVERNIGHT
FirstEnergy: Ex-Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chair Sam Randazzo, whom FirstEnergy Corp. admitted to bribing, overruled other commissioners and staff to secure policies that benefited the Akron-based utility, according to a text message from former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones, obtained by a watchdog group. Jeremy Pelzer reports Randazzo also succeeded in “burning” the final report of a PUCO-commissioned audit into a FirstEnergy customer charge the Ohio Supreme Court overturned the previous year, according to a March 2020 text from Jones to ex-FirstEnergy Senior Vice President Dennis Chack, acquired and released Wednesday by the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel.
Jim Jordan: Champaign County GOP U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan made a contentious appearance before the House Rules Committee on Wednesday, saying he couldn’t recall how many times he spoke with former President Donald Trump as Trump's supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol, although he definitely spoke with Trump after the riot. Sabrina Eaton reports Jordan made his remarks during a session where he and other Republicans argued against a resolution that would hold former Trump adviser and podcast host Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Colin Powell: The fact that former Secretary of State Colin Powell died Monday due to complications from COVID-19, even though he was vaccinated, doesn’t mean vaccines don’t work, experts say. Instead, Julie Washington reports, experts say everyone should get vaccinated in order to protect people who, like Powell, are not fully protected by vaccines due to underlying medical conditions.
Gun sales: Legislation to ban police from stopping guns from being sold or carried in areas where a riot is happening or might take place passed the Ohio Senate Wednesday. Jeremy Pelzer reports the bill, which now heads to the Ohio House, would also declare gun stores an “essential business” that can’t be shut down by the state during a declaration of emergency. THIS WEEK IN THE CLE Republican leaders Bob Cupp and Matt Huffman argue that the Ohio constitution mandates only that the standard of making new legislative maps politically proportionate to statewide voter preferences is optional. But precedent directs judges to consider what voters were told when they approved a constitutional amendment. We’re talking about how the cases could play out on This Week in the CLE, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
STATEHOUSE & POLITICS School courses: The Ohio Senate unanimously voted Wednesday to strike down a proposed Ohio Department of Education rule change that would have allowed schools to stop offering foreign languages, technology, family and consumer sciences and business education. With the Senate’s vote, public, private and charter schools must continue offering courses in these areas for their students, Laura Hancock reports.
Nursing home cameras: A bill that would allow in-room cameras in nursing homes doesn’t include assisted living facilities. That’s a concern for a Cleveland-based group that advocates for the families of older Ohioans who live in congregant settings, reports Laura Hancock.
Employee vaccines: More than 11,000 State of Ohio employees -- 22% of the state’s workforce -- will be paid $300 bonuses because at least 65% of their co-workers attested to getting coronavirus vaccinations, according to data released Wednesday. Under an incentive program set up by Gov. Mike DeWine’s office, 37 of 56 participating state agencies, boards, and commissions met the threshold to have at least 65% of their workers sign forms attesting that they have received least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Jeremy Pelzer reports.
METRO Progressive Field: Cuyahoga County Council on Tuesday voted to move the $202.5 million Progressive Field renovation one step closer to final approval, despite lingering questions about how to pay for it if revenue streams underproduce and whether games will be affordable for residents. The total $435 million, 15-year lease agreement to keep the Guardians in Cleveland stipulates that two-thirds of the project be funded by public dollars. On the county side, annual funding is expected to come primarily from collections from the bed tax and sin tax, in addition to general fund contributions, reports Kaitlin Durbin.
Stimulus spending: Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s administrators on Wednesday released a detailed plan for spending about $95 million of the city’s American Rescue Plan stimulus money on community development, economic development, demolition and preserving the existing housing stock, Robin Goist reports. The spending plan came nearly a week after the outgoing mayor’s administrators issued a detailed plan for spending $26 million in stimulus dollars on public safety.
Additional plans: The city of Cleveland, as part of plans for part of $511 million it will receive from a federal stimulus bill, wants to put several million dollars toward the historic Shaker Square shopping center, currently the subject of a foreclosure lawsuit, Eric Heisig reports.
Digital divide: Rocket Community Fund and the Cleveland Foundation will donate a combined $1.35 million to a new program focused on bridging the city’s digital divide. Cameron Fields reports the “Neighbor to Neighbor” partnership will consist of a door-to-door canvassing campaign to connect residents to digital resources.
Medicare: Hundreds of viewers tuned in to learn about Medicare during a live webinar hosted by cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer Tuesday. In case you missed it, we’ve made a recording available online.
Dog breeds: Nearly 63,300 dogs were licensed this year by the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter -- about one for every 10 households. Which breeds are the most popular? The Labrador retriever, listed by the American Kennel Club as the most popular breed in the country, tops Cuyahoga County’s list. Robert Higgs has the rest.
Empty land: What should Cleveland should do with nearly 2.4 acres that was once home to an elementary school on the edge of the city’s Detroit-Shoreway and Cudell neighborhoods? The ideas the public gives will help the city know what to look for as it seeks to make use of the former Watterson-Lake Elementary School site on West 74th Street, reports Eric Heisig.
CRIME Turnpike stabbing: A Wisconsin man is accused of killing one man and injuring another in a stabbing Tuesday at a rest stop on the Ohio Turnpike, reports Kaylee Remington. David S. Diederich, 66, of La Porte, Indiana, died in the stabbing. A 53-year-old man has since been treated and released.
Counterfeit masks: Federal authorities are investigating shipments of counterfeit, faulty masks to hospitals across the country, including a $1.8 million sale to the Cleveland Clinic last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. John Caniglia reports the Clinic issued more than 50,000 of the masks to its healthcare workers before learning they were fake.
Bomb threat: Avon High School closed Wednesday after school administrators received a bomb threat through an email sent from a student’s account, Kaylee Remington reports.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Clifton Martini: Clifton Martini & Wine Bar permanently closed Monday after more than a decade in business. Anne Nickoloff reports owner Jeff Rumplik cited issues with his landlord and the building’s management company as the reasons behind the closure.
Toy haul: A steady stream of people came to Independence to learn the value of suitcases, bags and boxes filled with vintage toys. Josh Gunter has photos of the haul.
Terrestrial: The duo behind Terrestrial Brewing Co. are expanding their business in Cleveland’s Battery Park neighborhood to include an event space and restaurant, Marc Bona reports.
Last Duel: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and writer Nicole Holofcener walk through the script they wrote for “The Last Duel” in a video from cleveland.com’s sister site, Vanity Fair.
Halloween guide: Looking to get in the spooky spirit ahead of Halloween this year? There are plenty of ways to celebrate in Northeast Ohio, both in family-friendly and fear-filled formats. Anne Nickoloff has a guide of 40 bar crawls, fall festivals, concerts, haunted houses and more. Some events delve into local lore, while others celebrate harmless Halloween tales. OTHER HEADLINES Cleveland police search for female suspect in assault, robbery of 84-year-old man Read more
Male shoots, wounds woman as she drives in Akron Read more
Male grabs, tries to carry off boy during soccer practice at Lakewood park, police say Read more
Woman in custody after fatal shooting of a man on Cleveland’s East Side Read more
New Akron Children’s Hospital CEO Christopher A. Gessner to tackle staff retention, vaccine anxiety Read more
Independence school board approves contracts for staff and administrators Read more
Solon residents to vote on levy, charter amendments and zoning Nov. 2 Read more
Richmond Heights fire chief backs proposal to make surveillance cameras mandatory at apartments Read more
Parma voters asked to renew police levy on fall ballot Read more
Incumbents and political newcomers vie for Parma City Council seats in Nov. 2 election Read more
North Olmsted school board race features candidates vying for three open seats Read more
Lakewood City Schools Board of Education incumbents face challenger Read more
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