  What you need to know Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021  WEATHER
Patchy fog again is likely this morning, transitioning to partly sunny skies. Temperatures will be in the upper 70s. There is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10 p.m., with mostly cloudy skies overnight. Lows will dip to around 63 degrees. Read more. OVERNIGHT
Supreme Court recusal: Under Ohio law, lawyers or parties in a court case can seek to force the recusal of a judge over what they see as a conflict of interest – but not on the Ohio Supreme Court. That means there likely is no way for groups behind the high-stakes redistricting lawsuits to block Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine from ruling on maps that were approved in part by his father, Gov. Mike DeWine. Andrew Tobias reports that parties can file a written request for a justice to recuse themselves, but the rules give justices discretion to decide whether they think they have a conflict.
Redistricting: The Ohio Supreme Court has denied a request to set up a third-party overseer of discovery exchange for the lawsuits challenging new state House and Senate district maps. Andrew Tobias reports the court also gave state officials until 9 a.m. today to respond to a request that the court set an expedited schedule for discovery.
THIS WEEK IN THE CLE Ohio’s Republican legislative leaders are ignoring discovery requests from lawyers suing over Ohio’s new state House and Senate district maps. We’re talking about the blatant disregard for the court on This Week in the CLE, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
STATEHOUSE AND POLITICS ECOT: The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the State Board of Education’s decision that a defunct internet charter school must return $60 million to the state because it inflated enrollment figures is final and cannot be appealed. Laura Hancock reports that in a 4-3 decision, the court affirmed the state school board’s determination that the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow must repay the money and that state law makes it clear the decision is final and not subject to appeal in a common pleas court. Miller accusations: Max Miller, the White House staffer under former President Donald Trump who is running for Congress in Northeast Ohio, sued former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham on Tuesday over her accusations that Miller abused her while the two dated. Cory Shaffer reports Miller is also asking a judge in Cleveland to order Grisham not to repeat the claims, including during interviews.
Debt ceiling: Even though U.S. Sen. Rob Portman believes the nation’s debt ceiling should be raised to keep the U.S. government from going into default, the Ohio Republican says he will oppose considering it when Democrats who control the U.S. Senate bring it up today for a vote. Meanwhile, Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown accused Republicans of playing games “with people’s livelihoods” and said the debt limit must be raised to meet current government obligations, not pay for future spending, Sabrina Eaton reports.
Householder trial: The trial of ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio Republican Party Chair Matt Borges on corruption charges won’t start until at least February, Jeremy Pelzer reports. A schedule set Tuesday by a federal judge includes a motion filing deadline of Feb. 1.
METRO IT overhaul: Cuyahoga County’s long-delayed and millions-over-budget IT system overhaul has a new manager yet again, marking the fourth change in leadership in as many years. The enterprise resource planning project seeks to replace disparate computer systems that handle everything from the county budget to payroll. Courtney Astolfi reports it was pitched in 2016 as a two-year, $25 million endeavor but is now projected at $36.2 million.
Opioids trial: Attorneys for three pharmacy chains on Tuesday fended off claims made by Lake and Trumbull counties that they helped fuel the opioid epidemic in the Northeast Ohio communities. John Caniglia reports lawyers for CVS, Walmart and Giant Eagle told jurors that their company policies instructed their pharmacists to refuse to fill opioid prescriptions if they had any questions or doubts about them.
Winter forecast: Accuweather predicts bone-chilling temperatures and lake-effect snow to hit the Northeast and Great Lakes this winter, reports Alexis Oatman. The first waves of chilly air and “plowable snow” could arrive in early November.
Crash deaths: Scores of Clevelanders are dying every year in car crashes, and safety advocates want to prevent them through better street design, education, and enforcement. Steven Litt reports Cleveland and partners, including the nonprofit Bike Cleveland, are launching a yearlong, $110,000 planning effort to develop a Vision Zero Action Plan.
Deer season: The Ohio Highway Patrol is warning drivers to be cautious as Ohio heads into the peak time for crashes involving deer. Olivia Mitchell reports there have been more than 100,672 deer-related crashes on Ohio’s roadways since 2016, with 47% of them in October, November and December.
Eaton diversity: A new report released by global power management company Eaton Corp. sets goals for improving the diversity of the company’s global workforce by 2030, Cameron Fields reports.
COVID-19 COVID and Medicare: A new study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates the first five months of last year’s coronavirus vaccine roll-out contributed to a reduction of 12,000 coronavirus cases among Ohio Medicare beneficiaries, reduced hospitalizations among them by 5,300 and reduced deaths by 1,800, reports Sabrina Eaton.
J&J booster: Johnson & Johnson asked the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday to grant emergency use authorization for a booster dose of its single-shot coronavirus vaccine, Julie Washington reports. The drug company “is asking the FDA to look at our data and agree with us that we have enough data to support a boost” for people 18 and older, a company spokesperson said.
CRIME Domestic violence: Domestic violence killings spiked over the past year in Ohio, with more child victims than any time in the last six years, Adam Ferrise reports. The Ohio Domestic Violence Network said 131 people died from domestic violence from July 2020 to June 2021, a 20% increase over the same timeframe from 2019-20, and a 62% increase over that timeframe in 2018-19.
Death sentence: Attorneys for Christopher Whitaker - who was sentenced to death for the kidnapping, rape and murder of Alianna DeFreeze, the 14-year-old Cleveland girl who went missing while transferring buses on the way to school - asked the Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday to make his sentence life without parole. Laura Hancock reports Whitaker argues the jury should have known earlier that he didn’t contest his guilt at trial.
East Cleveland: East Cleveland Police Chief Scott Gardner took to social media to defend his department’s record after a series of stories analyzed officers’ 105 chases in a 120-day span. Gardner called the series a “smear campaign” and cited Facebook commenters that disagreed with the premise of the series, reports Adam Ferrise.
ENTERTAINMENT Casino games: Casino game protection expert Sal Piacente reviews notorious card counting and casino game cheating scenes from films such as “Rain Man,” “Rounders,” “Shade” and “21” in this video from cleveland.com’s sister site, Vanity Fair.
1970s rock: The 1970s brought rock and roll to stadiums while creating the sound of the 21st century. Troy Smith looks at the best release from each individual year based on quality, impact and influence. OTHER HEADLINES Off-duty Akron police officer catches man suspected in several burglaries Read more
TSA officers confiscate 2 guns at Cleveland Hopkins Airport Read more
Man killed, woman hurt in shooting in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood Read more
Five of six North Royalton City Council members will face challengers Nov. 2 Read more
Top of the Hill neighbors want leaky parking garage fixed, dog park moved Read more
Cleveland Heights hires engineering firm for review of recommendation to remove Horseshoe Lake dam Read more
After heated debate, Cleveland Heights council OKs development agreement for Caledonia infill homes Read more
Issue 5 would renew 3-mill property tax that helps pay for Broadview Heights operating expenses Read more
Shaker Heights’ Forward Together initiative looks at proposed state funding formula increases for schools Read more
Humane Society of Summit County trying to reduce pet overpopulation with low-cost services in new mobile clinic Read more
Issue 68 would renew five-year, 6-mill property tax for Strongsville City Schools Read more
Solon council sets public hearing for Oct. 18 to discuss ‘political sign ordinance’ Read more
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