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| What you need to know Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 WEATHER
It will be cooler and overcast today, with highs in the low 40s. Rain and snow showers are likely overnight as temps dip to the mid-30s. Showers will continue Saturday, with highs in the low 40s. Snow showers are possible Sunday as highs stay in the low 30s. Read more.
OVERNIGHT
Worker shortage: No one seems to know how to solve the labor shortage, but the Fund for Our Economic Future is embarking on an important step to find solutions in Northeast Ohio. Sean McDonnell reports the regional economic organization is launching a multi-phase project aimed at giving employers deeper insights than standard workforce data. It will get started by surveying companies and asking thousands of work-aged adults what they want and need. The organization plans to get that data by surveying 3,700 to 4,900 potential workers across 11 counties, a goal that will likely cost between $250,000 and $500,000, Burke said.
National Guard: Gov. Mike DeWine is deploying the Ohio National Guard to help with staffing shortages across the state in hospitals dealing with rising numbers of coronavirus patients. Starting today, 1,050 guard members will report to hospitals across the state, but strategically targeting the Northeast Ohio area, including Cleveland, Akron and Wooster.
Omicron: About one-third of the 3,000 COVID-19 tests that the Cleveland Clinic conducts daily are positive — and half of those positive cases are the omicron variant, Julie Washington reports. The Clinic’s daily count of laboratory-confirmed omicron cases doubled in less than a week.
Jail property: Cuyahoga County’s real estate consulting firm was tapped to identify locations for the site of its new jail. It is also the listing agent for one of the final properties under consideration, reports Kaitlin Durbin. The relationship raises concerns about conflict of interest in a multimillion-dollar project that members of a committee meant to oversee the process worry is now devolving into “chaos” and unilateral decisions that could undermine their work.
TODAY IN OHIO The Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a conspiracy-laden lawsuit against Gov. Mike DeWine’s “Vax-a-Million” coronavirus vaccine sweepstakes, but Justice Pat DeWine recused himself since his dad, Gov. Mike DeWine, was a defendant. We’re wondering about DeWine’s frame of thought on Today in Ohio. STATEHOUSE & POLITICS Redistricting argument: Ohio’s Republican state legislative leaders argued Friday that because they passed new state legislative maps without Democratic support, under Ohio’s new system of anti-gerrymandering rules, the Ohio Supreme Court is powerless to strike them down. Andrew Tobias reports lawyers representing House Speaker Bob Cupp and Senate President Matt Huffman made that argument -- while conceding it could just be one interpretation -- in response to an unusual request for more information Ohio Supreme Court justices issued earlier this week.
Congressional lawsuit: The Ohio Supreme Court on Friday scheduled oral arguments for a pair of gerrymandering lawsuits challenging the state’s congressional districts. Both sides in the pair of lawsuits challenging the newly drawn maps from statehouse Republicans will make their case virtually with 30 minutes before the court Dec. 28.
Bishop Sycamore: The Ohio Department of Education found that the Bishop Sycamore High School – which came under scrutiny after its football team lost 58-0 on ESPN -- touted partnerships with academic organizations that it did not have. Laura Hancock reports the department released a 79-page report investigating the school and a previous school run by some of the same Bishop Sycamore High School officials, called Christians of Faith Academy. It doesn’t look like any of the high school’s officials will face criminal charges.
Abortion pills: As Republican-controlled state legislatures around the country pass laws that make it harder for women to obtain abortions, the Food and Drug Administration took a step in the opposite direction this week by allowing women to obtain pills that induce early-pregnancy abortions by mail. Sabrina Eaton reports that lifts a requirement that the pills be dispensed in health care settings like clinics, medical offices and hospitals.
METRO White Christmas: Cleveland had a true “white Christmas” last year, with a combined total of nearly 10 inches of snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas. What are the chances of a repeat this year? Alexis Oatman reports that since 2000, the only years that have seen more than trace amounts of snow are 2002 (10.2 inches), 2003 (2.8 inches), 2017 (0.6 inches), and 2020 (4.2 inches).
Jail impact: Cleveland City Councilwoman-elect Rebecca Maurer on Friday issued a statement raising “strenuous objections” to using the Cuyahoga Valley Industrial Center near Slavic Village for a jail. Durbin reports Maurer criticized the county’s lack of communication with residents who would be impacted by the placement, particularly those living “mere blocks away” in Broadway Rising, which she described as “the largest housing investment project that the neighborhood has seen in decades.”
Center Street bridge: A main artery between the west and east sides of the Flats will close Jan. 3 for 10 months, leaving motorists with a 2.5-mile detour and pedestrians with no shorter option. The Center Street Bridge, known informally as the “swing bridge” and recognizable from its red color, will undergo work through late October, reports Sean McDonnell.
COVID-19 Fresh wave: The 7-day rolling average of daily coronavirus cases in mid-December is the same as this time last year, before vaccines were widely available, reports Jane Morice. Alongside rising case numbers, Ohio’s hospitals are again filling quickly with COVID-19 patients.
Daily cases: Ohio reports 7,639 more COVID-19 cases on Sunday. Jane Morice reports the numbers are down from Saturday's 9,009 but are still significantly higher than last Sunday's reported total of 4,972 cases.
Rapid COVID tests: How easy is it to find an at-home COVID test? Cleveland-area drugstores earlier this month found more empty than stocked shelves. Once you find one, ease of use and required technology are other considerations. You may need to know your way around devices, video chats and apps, reports Julie Washington.
Timeline: Australian authorities are trying to track hundreds who attended a Taylor Swift album party in Sydney last week. It has become a super-spreading event as cases in the country, Marc Bona reports in his weekly round-up of COVID news.
Schools: Fourteen Cleveland Metropolitan School District schools closed Friday after many staff members called off sick, leaving the school district without enough substitute teachers to fill the spots, Kaylee Remington reports.
Omicron: The omicron variant could trigger a huge wave of COVID-19 infections as early as January as it rapidly spreads through the United States, Julie Washington reports. In just one week there was a sevenfold spike in the highly contagious variant’s presence across the nation.
Surgeries: The Cleveland Clinic will continue postponing nonessential surgeries at its Ohio hospitals through the end of the year, Julie Washington reports. The move — the latest sign that the pandemic is tightening its grip on Northeast Ohio — is aimed at making additional beds available.
BUSINESS Unemployment: Ohio added jobs in November and the unemployment rate improved, but both figures still lag pre-pandemic levels. Sean McDonnell reports the November unemployment rate for November was 4.8%, down from 5.1% in October.
Chipotlane: Summit County will be the first place Chipotle opens a Chipotlane Digital Kitchen, a restaurant so focused on to-go dining you can’t even walk inside. Sean McDonnell reports the restaurant has a drive-thru, but no indoor options.
CRIME National Park murder: A Virginia woman has been accused of federal murder charges in the slaying of a Cleveland resident at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, John Caniglia reports. Chelsea Perkins, 31, of Alexandria is charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Matthew John Dunmire.
Police allegations: The city of Cleveland is disputing allegations that a former top police official changed a report stemming from an internal affairs investigation involving two high-ranking officers. John Caniglia reports the case centers on a long-simmering dispute between Fourth District Commander Brandon Kutz and Lt. Paul Baeppler, who claimed that Kutz wanted him out of the department, either through early retirement or firing. Internal affairs officers began investigating after a series of incidents between the men.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Tallest waterfall: Ohio Department of Natural Resources measures the state’s tallest waterfall -- Big Spring Hollow Falls at Hocking Hills State Forest -- at 120 feet. John Pana has a video of the measurement, comparing it to nearby Ash Cave Falls and Whispering Cave Falls.
Van Gogh: Thanks to the Columbus Museum of Art, Ohioans now have an excellent alternative to the cheesy animated nonsense of the “Immersive Van Gogh’' exhibit that has invaded 20 North American cities including Cleveland and Columbus. Steven Litt reports the museum has pulled off something truly extraordinary for a mid-sized Midwestern cultural institution. It has assembled 17 real paintings by Van Gogh, along with more than 140 works by his contemporaries.
Cancellations: Cleveland Play House has canceled all remaining live performances of LIGHT IT UP! due to coronavirus concerns. The performances were being held in the Allen Theatre from Saturday through Wednesday, Kaylee Remington reports. In addition, Jane Morice reports that both of Sunday's Cleveland Orchestra holiday concerts were cancelled due to a positive COVID-19 case in the orchestra.
House of the Week: If you’re in the market for maintenance-free living, luxurious amenities, park views and a location close to shopping, the corner penthouse at Three Village ticks all the boxes. Across the street from Legacy Village and adjacent to the Cleveland Metroparks’ Acacia Reservation, the 2,738-square-foot condominium has two bedrooms and three bathrooms and is priced at $699,900, reports Joey Morona. OTHER HEADLINES 5 Cavaliers test positive for COVID-19, forcing postponement of tonight’s game at Atlanta Read more
Cleveland Public Library out of COVID-19 tests Read more
Stow issues city-wide boil alert due to 'catastrophic water main break' Read more
Space heater partly blamed for house fire in South Euclid Read more
MetroHealth begging Northeast Ohioans to ‘care as much as we do’ amid COVID surge Read more
Toys for Tots gets 24,000+ toys, $140,000 to replace items lost in Tuscarawas County fire Read more
North Ridgeville finds home for giant pile of dirt blocking new police station site Read more
Virtual reality training at Lakeland immerses surgical technology students into 3-D operating room Read more
Ravenna man and woman indicted in Cleveland on firearm charges Read more
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