Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Browns’ quest for a domed stadium starts an NFL fight for Ohio dollars
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A political battle fit for the gridiron is underway in Ohio, where state Republican leaders are clashing over whether to single out the Cleveland Browns for help building a new suburban domed stadium or impose tax hikes to fund stadium upgrades for the Cincinnati Bengals and other teams longer term.
Neither idea is without critics in both parties, who argue that underwriting National Football League stadiums siphons money from the state’s policy priorities, including funding infrastructure and public schools.
The most heated debate centers on a proposal by Haslam Sports Group, which owns the Browns, to relocate from the team’s existing open-air stadium on downtown Cleveland’s lakeshore — where they have played since 1999 — to a new $2.4 billion complex in Brook Park, about 15 miles (24.14 kilometers) south. The team has proposed a private-public partnership to which the state would contribute $600 million.
After the money was approved by the Ohio House last week, commissioners in Hamilton County, home to the Bengals, balked. They moved swiftly to re-up their request for $350 million for Paycor Stadium, where the Bengals’ lease is up June 30, 2026. The ask follows Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn’s comments at recent NFL meetings in Florida, where she said, “We could, I guess, go wherever we wanted after this year” — while noting negotiations are progressing.
The stadium debate heads to the Ohio Senate after their two-week spring break.
Browns dream big, Cleveland recalls Modell nightmare
Dee and Jimmy Haslam, generous Republican campaign donors, say they want a facility “consistent with other world-class NFL stadiums.” With the addition of a dome, the Browns could host year-round events during northeast Ohio’s severe winters and “catalyze meaningful economic impact” at an adjacent entertainment complex. They point out that eight in 10 home game attendees live outside city limits.
Leaders in Cleveland, where Browns games draw coveted economic activity to downtown and the tourism district along Lake Erie, are livid. The existing $247 million Huntington Bank Field was primarily funded by city and county tax dollars. To many, it’s a symbol of the hard-luck sports town’s commitment to the team it nearly lost when then-owner Art Modell notoriously packed off to Baltimore in 1996.
Modell’s messy exit, also hitched to a stadium dispute, led to a state law that says no owner of an Ohio professional sports team that plays most of its home games at a tax-supported stadium can go elsewhere without an agreement with its host city or unless the host city is given six months’ notice with an opportunity to buy the team.
Democratic Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and members of the city council have threatened for months to invoke the “Modell Law” to prevent the Browns from leaving their current location, where the lease runs through the 2028 season. The city plans to remake the so-called “North Shore” with an eye toward accessibility, economic development and environmental protection. The team has filed a constitutional challenge to the law, and the city sued it back.
Meanwhile, the clock for allocating dollars toward the project is running down: Lawmakers face a June 30 deadline to finalize the state budget for the next two years.
Governor and House have different funding ideas
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s budget proposal called for raising the $600 million by doubling the tax on sports betting companies from 20% to 40%. The idea was to create a long-term revenue stream that could help both the Browns and the Bengals, and other teams.
“The governor’s plan goes beyond one team,” DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said. “The general revenue fund can’t afford that. Therefore, we need to look at something that is more sustainable and can help all the teams.”
The GOP-led Ohio House, however, rejected DeWine’s plan in a vote last week. Its version of the operating budget calls for issuing $600 million in general obligation bonds to pay for the Browns project instead. Paying off the bonds would cost the state about $1 billion over 30 years.
House Finance Chairman Brian Stewart told reporters that the “metrics” of bonds are better for Ohio taxpayers because officials project that tax revenue from the Browns’ “megaproject” will be ample to cover the $40 million a year it will take to repay the bonds.
Senate must work through the opposition
As the Senate takes up the bill, it must weigh opposition to the current plan from all quarters: DeWine, the city of Cleveland, the Bengals, legislative Democrats and Republican Attorney General Dave Yost, who is running to succeed DeWine next year.
“Ohio is getting ready to spend more money on a new stadium in one city for one football team than it will spend on new highway construction for the next two years in the entire state,” Yost wrote in a recent Columbus Dispatch op-ed. He called state money for the project a “spendthrift gift to a billionaire.”
House Democrats unsuccessfully fought to pause the funding proposal altogether, citing unanswered questions about revenue projections, economic impacts and commitments by private developers. Cleveland Rep. Terrence Upchurch told reporters that lawmakers have more important priorities than helping the Browns’ owners, “especially since they only won three (expletive) games last year,” referring to the team’s 3-14 record.
A fellow Democrat in the Republican-supermajority Senate has proposed prohibiting public dollars from going to any professional sports franchise without a winning record in three of its five past seasons.
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AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy in Cleveland contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said ICE arrested more than 280 people during a recent immigration enforcement crackdown.
Operation Buckeye took place throughout the state from Dec. 18 to 21.
The DHS described those arrested as “illegal aliens” and said some are criminals convicted of aggravated assault against a police officer, robbery, criminal possession of a firearm, and drug trafficking.
“While Americans were attending Christmas parties and shopping for gifts for their loved ones, ICE law enforcement was hard at work arresting the worst of the worst,” the DHS stated.
The results of Operation Buckeye was announced on Thursday, the same day anti-ICE protests gathered around Northeast Ohio following the deadly shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
The DHS highlighted these suspects as “some of the worst arrested during Operation Buckeye:
“Emanuel Guijosa-Nonato, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico convicted of aggravated assault against a police officer, disorderly conduct, driving under the influence of liquor, and illegal re-entry,” the DHS described.
“Andres Blanco Hernandez, a criminal illegal alien arrested for assault and domestic violence,” the DHS said.
“Wilmar Edgardo Lozano-Alcantara, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador convicted of drug possession, robbery, and trespassing,“ the DHS listed.
“Erick Jose Ramos-Boscan, a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela convicted of criminal possession of a firearm,“ according to the DHS.
“Edilmiro Pedraza Quinones, a criminal illegal alien convicted of drug possession, shoplifting and contempt of court,“ the DHS stated.
“Marco Antonio Clemente Picazo, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico convicted of driving under the influence of liquor and drug possession,“ the DHS shared.
“Melvin Alejandro Rodriguez Rodriguez, a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela previously arrested for assault,“ according to the DHS.
“Fernandez Flores, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras convicted of making a false police report and arrested for larceny and obstructing police,“ the DHS described.
“The American people can be so proud of their ICE law enforcement for their hard work arresting the worst of the worst even during the holiday season,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated. “Operation Buckeye resulted in the arrest of more than 280 illegal aliens, including criminals convicted of assaulting a police officer, criminal firearm possession, and drug trafficking. Thanks to our law enforcement, Ohio neighborhoods are safer with these criminals behind bars where they belong.”
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
An event where leaders, educators, instructional designers and others mingle, discuss e-learning technology and learn from an audience broader than their own.
— Pat Cassella, CEO and Executive Director
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, January 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The United States Distance Learning Association is proud to open registration for its 39th annual global distance learning conference. The event is being held in Cleveland, Ohio and the theme is “Universal Harmony: Exploring the Melodic Chords of Distance and Digital Learning.” The host location will be the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Tower from June 22 – 25th, 2026.
The USDLA National Conference has long been an event where leaders, educators, instructional designers and others mingle, discuss e-learning technology and learn from an audience broader than their own. Past attendees have enjoyed the in-person interactions, hands-on networking and personal relationships made with one another. All registrations include access to the the virtual conference, with sessions being held June 16th-17th, 2026.
The Conference and Events committee is well established and known each year for providing the best experience possible for personalized networking and cutting-edge session tracks. Past attendee feedback plays an instrumental role in planning the details for subsequent events. Universal Harmony: Exploring the Melodic Chords of Distance and Digital Learning focuses on tracks that are in high demand as educators continue to navigate both remote and in-person learning strategies. These tracks include:
– The Digital AI Groove: Exploring Innovative Techniques and Technologies Education
– Backstage Pass to Policy: Navigating Governance and Regulation in Distance Education
– The Headliners: Distance and Digital Leadership on the Higher Education Mainstage
– Open Mic, Open Minds: Ensuring Quality, Flexibility, and Access in Online Learning
– The ID Set List: Curating Best Practices in Instructional Design
– Amplify Every Voice: Ensuring Accessibility and Inclusivity in Online Education
– The K-12 Playground: Curating Best Practices in the K-12 Space
ALL concurrent sessions are end-user led, and share best practices within the world of distance and digital learning. These presentations will be focused “power sessions” that eliminate fluff and get right into the important details on the topic. Offering more than 30 sessions, topics for 2026 include Reframing Bloom’s for the Age of AI, ADA Compliance for Instructional Designers, Leveraging AI to Design Online Course Modules, AI Roleplay in the Classroom, Composing AI Policy for Responsible, Effective Digital Learning, Digital Harmony and more.
There are also several free pre and post-conference workshops with daily complimentary breakfast and lunch, making this a very cost effective event.
***Conference Registration Rates***
Member Early Bird $495 (Valid until 1/31/2026)
Member Standard $550 (Valid 2/1/2026 through 6/21/2026)
Member On-site $595 (after 6/21/2026)
Non-Member Early Bird $595 (Valid until 1/31/2026)
Non-Member Standard $650 (Valid 2/1/2026 through 6/21/2026)
Non-Member On-site $695 (after 6/21/2026)
All USDLA members providing their membership username (email) at time of registration will receive the USDLA Member rate.
Please send any questions to membership@usdla.org
***For-Profit and Not-For-Profit Discount Special (Bundle Savings)***
Purchase 2 registrations, get the 3rd for free ($495 savings)
Purchase 3 registrations, get the 4th and 5th for free ($990 savings)
**Single Day and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame event Rates**
One-Day Pass – $299 (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday)
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Event – $199 (includes private tour and cocktail hour)
**Presenter Rates**
On-Site Presenter fee $300 (includes full on-site conference pass)
Virtual Presenter fee $100 (if presenting remotely)
Contact Harriet Watkins for presenter registration code at harriet.watkins@iconnect-na.com
Full details can be found at the national conference registration website.
Keynote: Dr. Michael Torrence, President, Motlow State Community College
Dr. Michael Torrence is a nationally recognized strategist, visionary, writer, and thought leader
in higher education who has redefined institutional excellence through innovation, inclusion, and transformative leadership. Since becoming the seventh President of Motlow State Community College in May 2018, he has transformed the institution into an award-winning, cutting-edge model of academic and workforce innovation.
Featured Presenter: Robbie Melton, Associate Vice President – SMART Global Technology Innovation Strategist
Presenting on “The Tools Shaping the World of Artificial Intelligence”, Dr. Melton has published and presented globally on the impact and value of mobile devices for education and the workforce. Her study of the pedagogy and best teaching practices with mobile devices, quality standards for the utilization of mobile apps, and her creation of the Mobile App Education and Workforce Resource Center has resulted in numerous awards.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Event
Join us for an exclusive, private evening of exploring, heavy apps (enough for dinner) and cool beverages. We will kick everything off at 6:30 with shuttles taking attendees to the event from the hotel. Attendees will be given VIP passes (lanyards) with information on what is on each level of the hall. The R&R HOF staff will be our guides for the evening.
Sponsorship Opportunities
If you are tired of large shows with limited attendee engagement, our national conference is an intimate environment where partners are part of the production from the very start, demonstrating their gear as part of the conference production.
The dramatic growth of the distance learning industry makes our market attractive to a variety of technology, content, and service providers. Conference partners proudly support the distance education community and make lifelong contacts in the process.
Full details can be found on the sponsorship opportunities page.
Distance Learning Awards
As the premier organization promoting the use and practice of distance learning, USDLA recognizes “the best of the best” each year with its series of individual and organizational awards. Open to member and non-members alike, nominations are submitted in January, judged by committees of peers, and then awarded as a highlight of USDLA’s National Conference.
A unique aspect of the competition is that the various categories are open on an equal basis to all forms of distance learning platforms, addressing the gamut of distance learning audiences, and from anywhere in the world. That range is illustrated by past awards years where top honors went to a major US university for its innovative design of an online computer science course, “Quantitative Methods for Information Systems” and to a videoconferencing provider in Ghana for expanding the horizons of that country’s K-12 students.
Learn more at the distance learning awards page.
Pat Cassella
United States Distance Learning Association
+1 203-980-6928
email us here
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CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A man in his 30s was shot in the leg in downtown Cleveland on Thursday afternoon.
The shooting happened on Ontario Street near Public Square in front of Jake’s Deli around 5 pm.
The victim drove himself to East 18th and Euclid Avenue, where he called the police.
The man was taken to the hospital for treatment.
19 News has reached out to Cleveland EMS for his condition.
Police said information suggests this appears to be an isolated incident following a confrontation between two individuals.
Cleveland Police officers and detectives are working to identify the suspect.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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