Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Progressive Field are owned by Cuyahoga County taxpayers. Cuyahoga County voters in 1990 approved a plan to pay for stadiums by levying a tax on cigarettes and alcohol, known as a “sin tax.” Decades later, those taxpayers remain on the hook for many upgrades and repairs to the aging buildings, even though the sin tax doesn’t generate nearly enough money to pay for them. Gateway Economic Development Corp. Is the public entity that owns Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Progressive Field and it’s responsible for major capital improvements exceeding $500,000. There’s no cap on how much capital repair projects can cost taxpayers. The Guardians, Browns and Cavs each were given $92 million in sin tax money that was intended to last until 2034. While the Guardians have between $20 million to $30 million remaining and the Browns have more than half of that remaining, the Cavs have only $10 million left – and that was before Gateway just approved $24.4 million for escalators and broadcast equipment. “There’s reason to believe the Guardians’ allocation of sin tax dollars will be adequate for the next decade or close to it,” the Gateway chief told cleveland.com. “The Cavs ... are a different story.” A story many taxpayers are probably tired of. – Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Gateway Economic Development Corp. doesn’t have enough money to fund the upcoming round of upgrades to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, so the Cavs will front the cash to renovate the arena and Gateway will reimburse them, eventually. (Marvin Fong, cleveland.com file photo) |
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Gateway updates: The Cavaliers need upgrades to their arena and local taxpayers are once again searching for a way to pay for them. Gateway Economic Development Corp. unanimously approved spending $24.4 million to upgrade broadcast systems, elevators and escalators at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Lucas Daprile mined the archives to see what has happened in the past when Cleveland’s sports stadiums need more than Gateway can afford. FirstEnergy: Northeast Ohioans who won class action lawsuit settlement awards in connection with the massive House Bill 6 bribery scheme say their $10 to $20 winnings are effectively stranded in “digital payment” form. Instead of checks or credits on their electric bills, the class members received their money via an email from a third party that many found suspicious, reports Jake Zuckerman. FirstEnergy paid $37.5 million to settle the case, with Energy Harbor (formerly a subsidiary of FirstEnergy) paying $11.5 million. Of that sum, plaintiffs attorneys took home more than $13 million. Term limits: Does limiting the amount of time that an elected officeholder can serve lead to better government? The longest-serving woman in Congressional history, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, says her efforts to establish the nation’s World War II Memorial shows why the answer is “no.” It took 17 years to make it happen. Term-limits advocates, such as U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, say members of legislative bodies, including Congress, lose touch with constituents' interests after years in office and incumbency makes them hard to dislodge, Sabrina Eaton reports. Today in Ohio: Gov. Mike DeWine and Cleveland Bishop Edward Malesic are headlining an upcoming fundraiser in the Cleveland area to benefit the campaign opposing the abortion-rights ballot issue that Ohioans will vote on in November. We’re talking about the abortion rights amendment on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Recreational marijuana: Ohio voters will get to decide on Nov. 7 whether to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. If the iniative passes, expect recreational marijuana sales to begin in 2024, possibly 10 months after the the proposal goes into effect, reports Laura Hancock. Police training: In response to years of police-involved deaths and other high-profile incidents, Ohio politicians often point to better law-enforcement training as a way to curb the issue. But when lawmakers don’t provide the funding for police training, officers aren’t required to take it. Jeremy Pelzer reports that Gov. Mike DeWine said he intends to work with state lawmakers to create a permanent way to pay for police training, such as imposing a new surcharge on insurance policies. But it remains to be seen whether tax-averse Republicans would be willing to go along with it. Madison Gesiotto Gilbert: Northeast Ohio congressional candidate Madison Gesiotto Gilbert has accepted a new job as national spokesperson for the Republican National Committee and is no longer running for Congress in Ohio’s 13th congressional district. Sabrina Eaton reports that after an endorsement from ex-President Donald Trump, Gilbert last year won a crowded GOP primary for the chance to take on Akron Democrat Emilia Strong Sykes and got 47% of the vote against her last November. |
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Wildfire risk: Cuyahoga County has a low risk of wildfires – lower than 94% of the counties in the country, reports Olivia Mitchell. It is very rare Ohio will receive hurricane-force winds if not accompanied with rain and thunderstorms. East Cleveland Metropark? Cleveland Metroparks has backed away from a plan to restore and maintain the East Cleveland portion of Forest Hill Park. Peter Krouse reports Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman notified East Cleveland Council President Juanita Gowdy after she demanded Metroparks return $2 million in American Rescue Act money and accused a Metroparks employee of lying. Zimmerman refuted Gowdy’s claim. Rocky River police: Rocky River officials are reviewing the police department’s administrative policies after the union for officers criticized the chief to Mayor Pam Bobst, reports Molly Walsh. Bobst said several members of the police union, the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, handed her a letter with workplace and labor allegations against police leaders, specifically Police Chief George Lichman. Shaker Heights schools: The East Side Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights has made headlines for decades in confronting challenges posed by racial integration in the community’s public schools. Steven Litt reports that “Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equality,” a new book on the history of Shaker schools by Washington Post reporter and Shaker Heights native Laura Meckler, explores the heroic and sometimes successful effort of one American community to move beyond the hatred and division that has led to racial segregation across most of the country. |
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Unemployment: The unemployment limbo stick keeps getting lower and Ohio keeps finding a way to shimmy under it — hitting a record low 3.3% unemployment rate in July as the number of jobs rose to the most on record. Sean McDonnell reports that Ohio added 12,100 jobs in July, bringing total employment to 5,639,200, up from a revised 5,627,100 in June. Plane tickets cheap: Spirit, Frontier and Breeze have cheap plane tickets. There is a way to make them even cheaper and it’s counterintuitive: Buy your tickets at the airport, if you want to deal with the hassle, reports Susan Glaser. |
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Officer on leave: A Rocky River High School resource officer has been placed on paid administrative leave following an investigation into inappropriate behavior by the officer, according to Rocky River City Schools Superintendent Michael Shoaf and Police Chief George Lichman. A preliminary information shows the officer “engaged in conduct that was contrary to his responsibilities as an SRO," Kaylee Remington reports. 7-year-old shot: A 7-year-old boy is in “very serious” condition and a 19-year-old male also was wounded in a shooting Sunday afternoon in Akron's Sherbondy Hill neighborhood, Cliff Pinckard reports. |
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Winking Lizard: Reggie the green iguana has a new home and a new job. The 7-year-old iguana has moved from Winking Lizard Tavern in Peninsula to its new home at the African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton. Marc Bona reports he will be one of the park’s ambassador animals, creatures who live behind the scenes and make public appearances in educational programs. Tripi: Chef Anthony Zappola is a well-established culinary figure in Cleveland. With restaurant concepts like Lox, Stock, and Brisket and the Rice Shop around for a few years, Zappola’s craft style of cooking is familiar to Northeast Ohioans. Alex Darus reports Zappola quietly opened the doors for his latest concept, Tripi, in Ohio City at the end of June. CIA Cinematheque: The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque is one of the city’s great cultural treasures. For nearly four decades, John Ewing has been the driving force behind the Cinematheque. But this will be his last full year as its director, reports Joey Morona. House of the Week: Though it’s barely 20 years old, a colonial at 31150 Shaker Blvd. in Pepper Pike shares many of the same kind of architectural details found in the older homes on this picturesque street. Priced at $1,295,000, the home has four bedrooms and five bathrooms (three full) in nearly 6,200 square feet of living space, including a finished basement, reports Joey Morona. |
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Woman shot at club in Cleveland’s Forest Hills neighborhood, one person in custody, police say Read more Cleveland Heights boy shot in leg while inside house; several bullet casings found outside home Read more Julie Billiart Schools’ Lyndhurst Campus adds painted playground to help with student interplay Read more Pepper Pike sets three September dates for town hall sidewalk discussions Read more Mayfield Schools’ $20 million capital improvement plan involves five major projects; cost covered by cash reserves Read more |
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