Nigerian election: Secretary of State Frank LaRose has returned from observing an election in Nigeria, the second such trip he’s taken as Ohio’s top elections official. Andrew Tobias reports that LaRose was the lead delegate in a group of elections observers funded by USAID for what amounts to a trial run of new elections reforms in advance of the country’s highly anticipated presidential elections in February 2023.
METRO
City Hall: Cleveland City Council members spend too much of their time responding to calls from residents who need help getting basic city services – a long-standing practice in Cleveland that one council member hopes to reform, Courtney Astolfi reports. The overwhelming number of calls that pour into council offices means that city legislators have little time to focus on improving their wards – and little time to craft legislation and policy, argues first-term Ward 12 Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer.
Tri-C president: Before Cuyahoga Community College interviewed Michael Baston to see if he would be a good fit for the college as president, Baston and his wife, Tasha, did their own reconnaissance. Robert Higgs reports they dubbed the trip over several days in March a “secret shopper” operation – like those used by stores where people pose as customers and report back on the experience.
Green space: The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission is now accepting applications for about $3.3 million in Clean Ohio Greenspace Conservation Program grants that are designed to preserve open space, ecological areas and stream corridors. Peter Krouse reports the county is one of 19 districts to receive Clean Ohio Greenspace Conservation Program money from the Ohio Public Works Commission.
Plant now: Who knew you could plant lettuce now in Northeast Ohio? Fortunately, now is the perfect time to plant a garden bed or two of midsummer vegetables that will be ready for fall and perhaps even beyond, writes Susan Brownstein.
Crops: Forty-four percent of Ohio is considered prime farmland, with 14.9 million total farm acres and 80,000 farms averaging 206 acres in size. Zachary Smith lists the most valuable crops grown in Ohio using data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Baby animals: A female eastern black rhino calf was born at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on July 9. Look back at the baby boom that has taken place over the past six years at the Cleveland and Akron zoos with photos from Joshua Gunter.
COVID-19 & HEALTHCARE
Abortion seminar: Facebook blocked viewership of a Cleveland Metro Bar Association seminar designed to educate the public on the changing landscape of abortion and reproductive rights after Monday’s event was flagged as possible copyright infringement. But event organizers insist there were no copyright issues, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen.
BUSINESS
Social Security: Estimates show Social Security recipients could see the highest cost-of-living increase in more than four decades. Sean McDonnell reports the nonpartisan Senior Citizens League calculated the 2023 adjustment to be 10.5%, or $175 a month.
Flashfood: Giant Eagle is extending its partnership with Flashfood, an app that lets customers buy discounted food close to its sell-by date, to all its stores after a trial run that kept thousands of pounds of food from being wasted. Sean McDonnell reports Giant Eagle is expanding Flashfood to all its 173 corporate Giant Eagle and Market District stores in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
CRIME
Gun smuggling: Authorities say two men smuggled guns from Cleveland to Lebanon over the course of several years, reports Adam Ferrise. Authorities say one of the men is a member of the security team for a high-powered Lebanese politician.
Jan. 6 plea: A former Cleveland schools therapist pleaded guilty Tuesday to being part of a mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election as president. Adam Ferrise reports Christine Priola, 50, of Willoughby, entered the plea during a teleconference hearing in federal court in Washington, D.C., to charges of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting.
Torionne Chappman: Two teenage sisters suffered violent deaths just three years apart. On Saturday, Torionne Chappman, 18, the older sister of Tamia Chappman, died on Nottingham Road in Cleveland after two men fired shots inside of the vehicle she was in, Olivia Mitchell reports. Tamia Chappman, 13, died in December 2019 when she was struck by the driver of a stolen car in East Cleveland.
Shane Bartek: A jury on Tuesday watched surveillance camera video that showed a masked robber shoot off-duty Cleveland police officer Shane Bartek during a botched carjacking in the parking lot of his apartment building on New Year’s Eve. Cory Shaffer reports prosecutors played the video during the first day of testimony in the trial of Tamara McLoyd, the 18-year-old woman who is charged in Bartek’s killing.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
WKYC: Former CNN anchor Christi Paul is joining WKYC Channel 3 in the fall. The announcement comes exactly one month after she announced she was leaving the network and her position as the anchor on the weekend edition of “New Day” to be closer to her family in Ohio, reports Joey Morona.
Elton John: The idea of Elton John retiring from the road is something we’ve heard before - and more than once. But this time the Rocket Man promises he means it. John will perform Saturday at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
J. Crew: If you’re looking for chambray shirts and skinny chinos from J. Crew at a discounted price, you soon won’t have to travel two hours or even to an outlet mall to find them. Joey Morona reports the region’s first J.Crew Factory store is scheduled to open in the fall at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst.
