Cleveland, OH
Will Ohio soon offer a ‘Weirdo Cat Lovers of Cleveland’ license plate?
COLUMBUS, Ohio—A bipartisan group of Ohio lawmakers are again pushing one of their pet issues: getting the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles to issue a “Weirdo Cat Lovers of Cleveland” license plate.
House Bill 586, introduced earlier this month, would allow Ohio motorists to pay an extra $25 to get one of the plates. Of that extra $25, $15 would go to the Weirdo Cat Lovers of Cleveland, a Northeast Ohio nonprofit that traps and neuters feral cats to control their population in the area, as well as helps cat owners pay for food, water, and emergency veterinary care. The other $10 would pay for BMV costs.
Ohio already offers dozens of “specialty license plates,” with logos representing sports franchises, nonprofit organizations, the military, colleges and universities, and others.
Though the Weirdo Cat Lovers of Cleveland has an offbeat name, the work they do to help cats in Northeast Ohio is no joke, said state Rep. Phil Robinson, a Solon Democrat co-sponsoring the bill, in an interview.
Robinson first introduced a license plate bill to help the group last session, after one of his constituents – one of the group’s nearly 19,000 members – approached him with the idea.
“It seemed like a great cause, and they do some really great work,” he said.
It’s not yet clear how much money would be raised for the cat lovers group if his license plate bill passes, though Robinson said it could be a fair amount of scratch. Ohio law requires that before a new organizational license plate is issued, at least 150 people have to sign a petition pledging to purchase one of the new plates; issuing 150 plates would provide a total of $2,250 for the Weirdo Cat Lovers of Cleveland.
“They believe it’s something that could catch on pretty quickly, and every dollar would go to a great cause to help those in need,” Robinson said of the group’s leaders.
Robinson first introduced the Weirdo Cat Lovers of Cleveland license plate bill in 2021, but it failed to pass. This time around, he said, he’s more optimistic the measure will be approved – if not as a standalone bill, then as one of a number of proposed license-plate ideas that are bunched together in a single bill and passed as a group, as lawmakers did with several other proposed license plates toward the end of last session.
Besides Robinson, HB586′s co-sponsors include Republican state Rep. Jim Hoops of Henry County and Democratic state Reps. Sean Brennan of Parma, Darnell Brewer of Cleveland, and Michele Grim of Toledo.
Jeremy Pelzer covers state politics and policy for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Some northeast Ohio Spectrum customers are experiencing outages on Wednesday afternoon after a plow truck hit a utility pole.
According to a Spectrum spokesperson, Spectrum customers in the Cleveland area are experiencing a service disruption after a salt or plow truck hit a utility pole and damaged fiber lines in Cleveland Heights.
“Our teams responded immediately and are working diligently to make the necessary repairs to restore services for our customers,” Spectrum said.
This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (20-16) vs. Detroit Pistons (25-9)
Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH
When: Sunday, Jan. 4 at 2 pm EST
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network App, NBA League Pass
Point spread: Not yet set
Cavs injury report: Jarrett Allen – QUESTIONABLE (illness), Dean Wade – QUESTIONABLE (knee), Sam Merrill – QUESTIONABLE (left ankle sprain), Larry Nance Jr. – OUT (calf), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Chris Livingston – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)
PIstons injury report: Jalen Duren – OUT (ankle), Tobias Harris – OUT (hip), Isaac Jones – OUT (G League), Bobi Klintman – OUT (G League), Caris LeVert – OUT (knee), Wendell Moore Jr. – OUT (G League)
Cavs expected starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Pistons expected starting lineup: Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Ronald Holland II, Isaiah Stewart
Previous matchup: The Cavs defeated the Pistons 116-95 on Oct. 27.
Cleveland, OH
West side Cleveland mom shot in her face during carjacking and lives to tell 19 News about it
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – On Friday, just two days into the new year, 38-year-old Cleveland mom, Tiffany Muscatell, reveals what happened that led to her being shot in her face by a stranger.
Woman shot on Cleveland’s West Side during carjacking
She spoke exclusively with 19 News senior reporter Harry Boomer late Friday afternoon.
The shooting happened around 7:30 a.m. in the 7900 block of Madison Avenue, Cleveland police said.
“What Happened? I was taking my son to my mom’s house, and a guy held me at gunpoint. Told me to get on the ground. I got on the ground. I didn’t have any money. He got into the car, told me to get my son out. It took too long. He threw me out the back and the gun went off. Then he took my son out and threw him on the ground.”
Muscatell was rushed to Metro Health Medical Center by EMS with a gunshot wound to her face.
She has more than a dozen stitches and is home to begin the healing process.
Several of her neighbors expressed outrage about what happened to her and her young son.
Here’s Howard Fetterman, who lives in the same Detroit Shoreway community as she does.
“Really, a baby with her. That’s ridiculous and insane. I think it’s disgusting for somebody to shoot a lady with a baby. They ought to catch the son-of-a-gun.”
Police found Muscatell’s car a short time after the carjacking near her home. The shooter is still on the loose.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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