Women make up half of Ohio’s population, but only 30 percent of the state legislature and zero percent of statewide administrative offices. We've never had a female governor. Why? It could be in part due to the recent political dominance of Ohio Republicans. Women make up 47% of Ohio’s Democratic federal and state positions and 20% of elected Republicans, a dynamic that holds true nationwide. It could be because of the gender pay gap and the tendency for women to handle more childcare and household tasks. Or because traits valued in politics, such as toughness, are stereotypically associated with men. That lack of women political leaders is associated with a lack of focus on issues that affect women and families, and it can make women voters feel apathetic. At the tail end of Women’s History Month, Andrew Tobias looks at some of Ohio’s female political leaders. — Laura P.S. I’m off this week, so Kristen Davis will be leading the newsletter. |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
Guardians at Oakland A's: Guardians lose, 4-3, to Athletics on walk-off walk in ninth inning Cavs at Denver Nuggets: Cavs not on Denver Nuggets’ level, get outclassed in 130-101 loss Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Cool with showers |
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Women make up a bigger portion of the Ohio General assembly today. But other states have made bigger strides in closing the gender gap. Ohio now ranks 37th nationally. |
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Women in politics: Jo Ann Davidson made Ohio history in 1995 when she became the first woman to become the speaker of the Ohio House, one of the most powerful positions in state government. At the time, Andrew Tobias reports, Ohio was a relative leader in closing the gender gap nationally. Now women make up 30% of the legislature and Ohio ranks 37th. Brook Park entertainment: If you’re imagining a mixed-use entertainment district around a Brook Park Browns stadium, don’t picture the Richfield Coliseum, reports Joey Morona. Of the NFL’s 10 suburban stadiums, nearly all are located either near existing mixed-use development with entertainment or land that is currently being developed for that purpose. The trend started in the early 2000s with the New England Patriots, who play their games in Foxborough, 30 miles south of Boston. Candidate polls: Polling the support of candidates during an election season — what is known as horse-race polling — has increasingly become a contentious issue. A staple of political reporting of yesteryear, publications including cleveland.com stopped covering these polls citing accuracy compared to final voting tallies. But it’s not just newsrooms. The Community Research Institute at Baldwin Wallace University quietly ended its horse-race polling in 2020 but made the formal decision in 2023, even for private entities, reports Zachary Smith. Today in Ohio: Despite dropping out of the presidential race nearly two weeks ahead of Ohio’s primary election day, Nikki Haley claimed victory over Donald Trump in three Cuyahoga County towns. We’re talking about who voted for Haley and why on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Randazzo deals: Years before indicted ex-state utility regulator Sam Randazzo negotiated a secret, multimillion-dollar deal between FirstEnergy and large energy users, prosecutors say he was involved with a similar covert agreement involving Duke Energy and corporations such as General Motors and Marathon Petroleum. Jeremy Pelzer reports officials say that deal led Duke to pay $81 million to settle a 2008 class-action lawsuit filed by Cincinnati-area electricity customers and taught Randazzo the “lessons” needed to negotiate the FirstEnergy deal in 2015. Abortion lawsuit: Six people and organizations who provide abortions, including Preterm-Cleveland and Northeast Ohio Women’s Center in Cuyahoga Falls, have sued the state over laws that together require abortion patients to wait a minimum of 24 hours, saying they conflict with the new abortion rights amendment in the state’s constitution. Laura Hancock reports the lawsuit is the first challenging Ohio abortion laws since state voters overwhelmingly voted in November to approve a state constitutional right to an abortion. |
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Browns move: The lakefront in Cleveland is highly valuable, whether the stadium stays or goes, writes Steven Litt. If Cleveland were to develop the lakefront land now occupied by the stadium with new apartments, offices and land uses, it could help the city grow its tax base. And it wouldn’t have to negotiate regular new deals with the Browns in the future. Hulett removal: The Port of Cleveland is switching its contractor to remove the mammoth Hulett unloaders from Whiskey Island. Steven Litt reports the port has chosen to work with Northern Ohio Scrap Service Corp. of Euclid. This time around, the contractor is required to save a bucket arm from one of the Huletts for possible installation at a public site in the future. The Port said it will save the bucket arm for a year. Rethinking Child Care: A report by a nonprofit pushing to transform workplaces found that for every $1 spent on childcare benefits, companies saw a return of $.90 to $4.25, reports Laura Johnston. Surveillance cameras: Over the past two months, a team of neighborhood advocates living near West Boulevard in Cleveland’s Edgewater and Cudell neighborhoods surveyed residents about an effort to add more surveillance and license-plate reader cameras to protect the area. Molly Walsh reports they started a push to get license-plate readers in their neighborhood after Cuyahoga County Council allocated $25,000 to the Edgewater Homeowners Association. Fatal crash: An Akron man was killed in a motorcycle crash late Saturday night in Stark County, Megan Sims reports. According to the Stark County Sheriff's Office, Christopher Robinson, 37, of Akron, was thrown from his motorcycle after rear ending a pickup truck on Interstate 77. Reappraisal: Cuyahoga County will be holding public hearings throughout the county to answer questions on the sexennial property reappraisal that began late last year, reports Lucas Daprile. Eliza Bryant: It’s been more than 115 years since Eliza Bryant was buried in Woodland Cemetery, but her presence can still be felt in the office of Bridgette Rodgers, the CEO and director of housing at Eliza Bryant Village. The village, which cares for seniors, was “the first nonreligious welfare institution supported by Cleveland’s African American community,” reports Megan Sims. Eclipse glasses: As excitement over the April 8 total solar eclipse approaches, so does concern over counterfeit eclipse-viewing glasses, some of which might still be safe to use, but others that are not. Peter Krouse reports the American Astronomical Society has been monitoring the market to detect phony products in the buildup to the eclipse, which includes a path of totality that will run from Texas, through the Midwest and into New England. |
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Flu cases: The flu is easing off coming out of winter, with Ohio among the states showing improvement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated influenza map showed Friday. Though Ohio still rates as “high” for spread in the update of data through March 23, the level of concern has steadily dropped from the high end of “very high” status in recent weeks to the low end of “high.” Liquid chips: The artificial intelligence industry is heating up, both figuratively and literally, because the better computer chips get, the more heat they create. Sean McDonnell reports two companies have a simple but strange solution — keep those processors submerged in tanks full of liquid. |
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Distracted driving: The State Highway Patrol in Ohio and state police from five other states will join forces this week to crack down on distracted driving. Molly Walsh reports Ohio’s troopers will join those in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia to kick off National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April. Gun smuggler: A Cleveland man who acted as a middleman for a gun smuggler in the Dominican Republic was sentenced Friday to more than 13 years in prison for selling 92 guns, including assault rifles, to undercover federal agents, reports Adam Ferrise. Taco Bell shooting: An Akron man is accused of carrying out a string of armed robberies that ended when a Taco Bell employee shot him, reports Adam Ferrise. Timothy Hyatt, 35, is charged in federal court in Akron with four counts of using a gun during a violent crime and interference with commerce by robbery. |
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Maureen Kyle: WKYC Channel 3 news anchor Maureen Kyle made a surprise announcement on Friday: she’s leaving the weekday morning news broadcast but not the station completely, reports Joey Morona. She is shifting her focus to growing and developing her streaming show, “Mom Squad.” CLE Eats: Pierogi, Poland’s most versatile dish, makes for some of Cleveland’s most classic eats. With today being Dyngus Day, they’re all Peter Chakerian can think about right now. Dining team: For the next several weeks, we’re going to “break the fourth wall” here by introducing you to the “Dine Drink CLE” team at Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, the experts who bring you the latest on the foodie scene in area and who you know from the weekly DineDrinkCLE podcast. DanceWorks: DanceWorks 2024 will be at Cleveland Public Theatre from April 18 to May 18. The program presents four weekends of contemporary dance, including contemporary ballet, modern, hip-hop fusion, Afro beats, Indian and more, reports Paris Wolfe. CIM: The Cleveland Institute of Music unveiled architectural plans for a long-needed gut renovation of Kulas Hall, the school’s outdated and acoustically deficient main rehearsal, performance and teaching space, reports Steven Litt. Top Thrill: Want to be among the very first to ride Cedar Point’s new triple-launch coaster, Top Thrill 2? It’ll cost you – but it’s for a good cause. Susan Glaser reports Cedar Point Friday revealed several preview events that will allow coaster fans to get a sneak peek of the highly anticipated ride before the park opens to the public on May 4. Fahrenheit class: Fahrenheit in Cleveland is hosting an upscale interactive cooking class where participants can learn firsthand from executive chef Rocco Whalen. Fahrenheit’s “One Night of Wellington” event is set for April 12 at the restaurant’s location at 55 Public Square in downtown Cleveland, reports Alex Darus. House of the Week: When it came time to design her dream home, interior designer Allison Smith made sure to take advantage of its unique location on Yellow Creek in Bath Township. Built in 2019, the spacious, contemporary colonial at 3903 Granger Road boasts five bedrooms and seven bathrooms (five full) in more than 9,000 square feet, including a finished walkout lower level, plus a five-car garage, reports Joey Morona. The price is $3,250,000. |
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Garfield Heights man indicted after he called police to say he fatally shot man in his driveway, police say Read more A 3.0-magnitude earthquake hits section of Northeast Ohio Read more Young gymnasts from Lakeshore Dance & Gymnastics are state champions Read more South Euclid-Lyndhurst Schools will name Dominick Kaple as next superintendent Read more |
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