STATEHOUSE & POLITICS
J.D. Vance: J.D. Vance’s victory in last week’s Republican primary marks a sea change for the state GOP in the post-Trump era as Vance ran as a populist, right-wing culture warrior. How would Vance govern if he wins in November? Andrew Tobias reports that since Vance is such an unknown political commodity, it’s an open question on how he’d act in Washington, D.C., both on style and on substance.
Joe Blystone: Despite losing last week’s Republican gubernatorial primary, Joe Blystone’s campaign continues to undergo scrutiny for not properly recording thousands of dollars in small donations. In March, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office flagged more than $100,000 in contributions to Blystone’s campaign that appear to violate the state’s limit on cash donations or ban on corporate donations. Last month, Blystone’s campaign said it would return more than $5,000. Jeremy Pelzer reports that LaRose is still investigating other issues.
METRO
Brownfields: The U.S. EPA on Thursday awarded Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency a $1 million Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Coalition Grant to pay for pollution cleanup in areas that include Cleveland, Lorain, Middlefield, Chippewa Lake and Ashtabula Township, reports Sabrina Eaton.
COVID-19 & HEALTHCARE
Cases: The state of Ohio on Thursday reported 15,970 new cases of COVID-19 in its weekly dashboard update. That is the highest number of new cases since the state switched to weekly updates of COVID-19 case numbers in March, reports Zachary Smith. The cases reported over the last week average out to about 2,281 new cases per day over seven days, up from 443 per day for the week ending March 31 and 1,573 from last week.
Pollen: This year’s mild winter and rainy spring will bring on a tough and extended airborne allergy season, reports Julie Washington. Right now, oak, beech and sycamore trees are pumping pollen into the air, but don’t expect a break when they are finished. Grasses will step up from late May to July, followed by ragweed in August and September, then mold spores in fall.
BUSINESS
Tourism rebound: Ohio welcomed 219 million visitors in 2021, a decline of 3% from 2019, the year before the coronavirus pandemic brought travel to a near standstill. But Susan Glaser reports that the state’s cities, including Cleveland, are lagging behind state trends as leisure travelers continue to prefer outdoor attractions and less-urban destinations.
CRIME & COURTS
Independence settlement: The city of Independence will pay a retired police officer nearly $1 million to settle a lawsuit that accused top city officials of retaliating against him for mistakenly believing he gave a local television reporter information about orders requiring officers to issue more traffic tickets. Adam Ferrise reports former police Lt. Leonard Mazzola sued the city in 2019 and accused officials of forcing him to retire in the wake of a WJW Channel 8 report regarding the traffic ticket quota.
Death penalty: The Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the death sentence imposed on a man convicted of robbing, kidnapping and killing a Cleveland couple at the car lot they owned in 2017. Cory Shaffer reports the justices unanimously held that there was overwhelming evidence that Joseph McAlpin killed Michael Kuznik and Trina Tomola inside Mr. Cars on East 185th Street. They also rejected McAlpin’s argument that he deserved a new trial because the attorneys appointed to help represent himself interfered with his trial strategy.
Public Square shooting: Police are investigating a shooting that wounded a man near Public Square in Cleveland on Wednesday. The man was shot in the shoulder about 4:40 p.m. in an alley near Mr. Hero on Ontario Street, near East First Street, reports Olivia Mitchell.
Discovery Tours: A former executive of Discovery Tours, the company that abruptly closed in 2018 and canceled dozens of school trips for students without notice, is set to plead guilty to accusations that he embezzled some $600,000 from the company. Adam Ferrise reports that Joseph Cipolletti reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors ahead of his trial, which had been scheduled to begin Monday.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Winning jockey: Over the last few days, Sonny Leon has skyrocketed from being a northern Ohio racing favorite to a global sensation after guiding 80-1 longshot Rich Strike to an improbable win in the 148th Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Ashley Bastock reports that the “Sonny day” slogan is familiar to local racing fans. He had never ridden in a graded stakes race before the Derby.
Farm-to-table: Susan Glaser doesn’t typically think of farms as places for leisurely mornings or lingering afternoons. She got both at Woodland Ridge, on 50 rolling acres just south of Athens in Southeast Ohio, where a former teacher and college administrator turned farmer is on a mission to change the way we think about food and farming, one guest at a time.
Rocking the RV: Jeff Kinzbach is a legend of Cleveland rock radio, retiring in 2020 after an epic 50-year on-air run on WMMS FM/100.7 in Cleveland and WONE FM/97.5 in Akron. Nowadays, Kinzbach is on a different, less-hectic path, traveling the country in an RV with his wife, Patti, sharing their travels on the podcast “Rocking the RV Life.” Now, Annie Nickoloff reports, they’re partnering with cleveland.com.
Things to do: Looking for some summerlike fun this weekend? Cedar Point is open for the season. Closer to home, Joey Morona has 20 other things to do, from live theater and comedy shows to outdoor events and museum exhibits.
