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The Ohio law that could keep Joe Biden off the November ballot is likely illegal, despite what Dave Yost says: Today in Ohio

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The Ohio law that could keep Joe Biden off the November ballot is likely illegal, despite what Dave Yost says: Today in Ohio


CLEVELAND, Ohio — Democrats would likely be successful in court if they sue to block a state law that could prevent President Joe Biden from appearing on the ballot here.

We’re talking about legal experts’ analysis on Today in Ohio.

Listen online here.

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Editor Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with editorial board member Lisa Garvin, impact editor Leila Atassi and content director Laura Johnston.

You’ve been sending Chris lots of thoughts and suggestions on our from-the-newsroom text account, in which he shares what we’re thinking about at cleveland.com. You can sign up here: https://joinsubtext.com/chrisquinn.

You can now join the conversation. Call 833-648-6329 (833-OHTODAY) if you’d like to leave a message we can play on the podcast.

Here’s what else we’re asking about today:

Is Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost missing the forest for the trees? While he talks about holding Democrats to the letter of the law to get Joe Biden’s name on the November ballot, legal experts tell us that’s the wrong issue. Why do they say the law itself is the issue?

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All of the sudden, Ohio is moving on childcare. Last week it was Mike DeWine proposing a lot more in subsidies. This week, it’s a Republican Bill that would dramatically reduce childcare costs in the state. Laura, what’s the proposal, and, has hell frozen over?

JD Vance appears to be the Senate poster child for appeasement with Russia, evidently having skipped school when they were teaching about World War II. He’s in the minority on this one, fortunately, but why is he arguing against seizing Russian assets in America and giving them to Ukraine?

We know there are many benefits to having children, not least of which is how it enriches life and allows adults to see the world again through a child’s eyes. Ohio is about to create another huge benefit, at least for moms. What is it?

How big of a deal is a playoff run by the Cavs to downtown businesses like restaurants?

Northeast Ohio is not what you think of as tornado country, but we do get them, and we had a warning about them Wednesday. Did we get one?

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What’s the latest on the Progressive insurance campus in Mayfield in this era of remote and hybrid work?

Federal marshals in Northeast Ohio shot and killed someone Thursday. Who was he, and what caused the shooting?

Let’s end on a sweet note. And a salty one. What’s the potentially tasty product that two Cleveland foodie operations are collaborating on?

We have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe here.

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Read the automated transcript below. Because it’s a computer-generated transcript, it contains many errors and misspellings.

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chris (00:04.939)

Kind of nice to come into the end of the week with some good things happening in Ohio. One of the chief ones is the move on childcare. Another one is the move on ending some animal cruelty. That’s good, because normally when we’re talking about what Ohio’s doing, it’s kind of depressing. Let’s have some good news for a change on Today in Ohio. It’s the news podcast discussion from Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. I’m Chris Quinn here with Layla Atassi, Laura Johnston, and Lisa Garvin.

Lalo, let’s start with you. Is Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost missing the forest for the trees? While he talks about holding Democrats to the letter of the law to get Joe Biden’s name on the November ballot, legal scholars tell us that’s the wrong issue. What do they say is the real issue here?

Leila (00:53.934)

The legal experts are looking at how the US Supreme Court has ruled on cases involving states’ interpretation of the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment. Because in both Colorado and Maine, Donald Trump had been barred from the ballot and officials cited that clause that said anyone who participated in insurrection could not hold federal office. So the Supreme Court struck down the state’s application of that and they cited the implications for national elections if states were to make their own.

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inconsistent interpretations of the clause rather than Congress setting a nationwide standard. So that doesn’t directly apply to what’s happening in Ohio where we’re talking about the state’s deadline for making the ballot. But the experts told Andrew Tobias that the underlying logic still applies. Paul Schiff-Berman, who’s a professor at George Washington University Law School, said the thrust of that decision was that the Supreme Court didn’t think

that state ballot decisions and federal elections law should keep people off the ballot in general. And in a letter to Secretary of State Franklin Rose earlier this month, Don McTighe, who’s a Democratic elections attorney in Columbus, also cited that March US Supreme Court decision. Specifically, he referred to the court citation of another US Supreme Court case that has to do with presidential candidate deadlines. It’s one from 1983.

in which the court struck down what was then Ohio’s deadline for independent presidential candidates. They ruled that by requiring independent candidates to file in March, which is earlier than the requirement for major party candidates, the old Ohio law unconstitutionally discriminated against independent voters. So between those two cases, the 1983 case and the one from March involving Trump, both said that state ballot rules affecting presidential candidates implicate a uniquely important national interest.

since a decision by a single state has the potential to tip the entire election. So with that in mind, the experts say it would be highly likely that the Democrats would prevail in a case against the state to ensure Biden makes the ballot despite this deadline.

chris (02:57.875)

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We’ve been saying all week that the focus by the leading Republicans on the letter of this law is the mistake. They’re playing with semantics while this big picture of the forest is this would lead to Ohioans being denied a chance to vote on their presidential candidate. So it’s not just unconstitutional. It violates all sense of common sense. And it did seem like Matt Huffman figured that out a couple of days ago when he said, yeah, of course, you get to vote for your candidate. It’s just been surprising.

Leila (03:21.983)

Mm-hmm.

chris (03:27.659)

how myopic they’ve been in going, well, the law says the law. You can’t pass a law blocking a candidate from being on the ballot. If states could do that, don’t you think that across the country, you’d see the blue states ruling that Trump can’t be on their ballot and the red states ruling that Biden couldn’t be on their ballot. It would create abject chaos. It’s a bad law. It always was. That’s why they have to keep passing these amendments to get exceptions and it would be illegal. So this is good. I’m glad the scholars are

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seeing the forest that our chief legal officer of the state is too blind to see in his putting party over the people. You are listening to Today in Ohio. All of the sudden, Laura, Ohio is moving on child care. Last week it was Mike DeWine proposing a lot more in subsidies. This week it’s a Republican bill that would dramatically reduce child care costs in the state. What is the proposal? And look outside, man. Has hell frozen over?

laura (04:26.434)

I think this deserves an exclamation point. So I had one in our wake up newsletter today because I think this is just such great news for the state of Ohio and frankly didn’t think it would be coming this year at all. But Republican legislators, Republican legislators are proposing a childcare solution and they’re looking outside the box a little bit. We’re not just messing with the subsidy rates or something like that.

They’re looking to Michigan, which came up with this tri-share plan in 2021, started small, it’s expanded to 59 counties in Michigan, they have 83 counties there, to spend state money to pay a third of childcare. So businesses pay a third, parents pay a third, and the state pays a third. And the idea is that we all share the burden because it’s good if parents can work. And this has been successful so far.

In this state, the program would be open to families making up to 300% of the federal poverty line. That goes up to about nearly $100,000 for a family of four. The state would appropriate $10 million to get this up and running. They think it could cost $100 to $200 million every year. But when you think about what they’re spending on private school vouchers, which is a billion dollars this year, that doesn’t seem like a whole lot of money.

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And Johnson’s smart enough to know that the state’s going to save on some other benefits by doing this program. For example, SNAP. If more parents are working because their kids are in childcare, they won’t have to spend that on the food program for families that don’t have a lot of money.

chris (06:02.687)

And ultimately, the state recovers the investment entirely as our stories have shown. I got to say tip of the hat, you, you launched this project early last year when no one in Ohio was talking about this. When, and we realized that Ohio was among the worst in the nation, if not the worst at subsidizing childcare. We started this thing and you got the resistance and we just kept going and going.

laura (06:06.258)

Yes.

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chris (06:28.207)

And everybody’s minds have changed except maybe Matt Huffman’s, but there’s a huge movement here. This is good for people. It’s good for economic development. The governor’s behind it. Republicans in the legislature are behind it. I’m amazed that we’re sitting here today talking about this, because for most of last year, it felt like you were just looking at an insurmountable mountain decline.

laura (06:50.725)

I completely agree with you. When Jeremy Peltzer wrote his story in December about how legislators were sitting on their hands, that was the whole truth. We weren’t seeing any kind of movement. I felt like I was banging my head against a wall. When we wrote about it, I would inevitably get people that wrote me and said, if you have kids, you need to pay for them. Stop expecting everyone to take care of you. When I was trying to make this argument, we are trying to make this argument that it is an economic boon for everyone.

to get these parents some help because childcare is incredibly expensive. They’re talking about $10,000 a year for an infant. I think I was paying that when my 13-year-old was a six-month-old. So I think that’s probably low. For this, it is incredibly expensive. We need parents to have kids so that we have a new job force. We want the state to grow. It’s good for people to have kids. And this is…

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an ultimate good because you’re right, we will recoup this investment. Every dollar spent from the public on childcare ends up saving up to $9 in the future on all sorts of social services. And it’s so far, a lot of states have used this opportunity. And I’m so glad because COVID did give us a restart button here and we’re using it.

chris (07:56.607)

Right.

chris (08:08.659)

Look, it’s the right thing to do. I mean, and that’s what we’ve been pushing with this series. This isn’t some lefty agenda thing. This is good for everybody. But, man, it makes me proud of what we do. And it’s kind of a reminder to people who are on our platforms that having a robust media in town makes a difference. I don’t believe this is happening if it weren’t for Cleveland dot com and the Plane Dealer and Today in Ohio. And

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all of our other platforms. This is what happens when you have a watchful media. So way to go, Laura.

laura (08:45.253)

And I wanted to tell everybody who’s listening that they can make a difference here too, right? We don’t know that this bill is going to pass, but it’s more likely to pass if you go to your legislator and say, this is a good idea. If you talk to your business, your company and say, I really think we should get on board with this because it does take buy-in from the businesses. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce is supportive. Even the city of Cleveland says this is a common sense approach. They’d love to be able to offer it for their employees. They just don’t know how to balance the budget.

They were not talking about it either before. Yeah.

chris (09:17.215)

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They’ll figure it out. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. JD Vance appears to be the Senate poster child for appeasement of Russia, evidently having skipped school when they were teaching about World War II and the lessons we should never forget. He’s in the minority on this one, fortunately, Lisa, but why is he arguing against seizing Russian assets in America and giving them to Ukraine, which is cash strapped in its battle to hold off the invaders?

Lisa (09:44.941)

Yeah, we’re talking about the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity Act, also known as REPO. And as you said, it would seize Russian assets frozen in the United States and transfer them to Ukraine. It was approved in a bipartisan vote by both the House and Senate foreign relations committees as part of a package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. And like I said, you know, an Ohio congress members got behind it from both parties, Democrats, Marcy Kaptur and Greg Landsman, also

Republicans Mike Turner and Max Miller co-sponsored this bill. But Senator Vance says in a social media video, he says he wants that legislation killed. He says this is a way for Democrats to undermine Donald Trump if he gets reelected to presidency. And he says, why are we giving tools to control the Trump administration next year? Making him sound like it’s going to happen. And he says it will also make the current sanctions regime on Russia an act of Congress.

requiring their approval to remove it, and it would hinder future peace negotiations, not only with Russia, but at others, you know, and in other countries as well.

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chris (10:54.387)

Yeah, I advance is like, give him Ukraine, maybe give him Poland, maybe give him France. At some point, when do you draw the line? He just doesn’t get that the world learned in World War Two, you can’t ever appease. And he has been dead, dead focused on just letting Russia have its way. An amazing thing for a senator in Ohio to be pushing.

Lisa (11:19.545)

And some Republicans have said, you know, like House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, he actually took a dig at the Biden administration, but he said, you know, we really need the repo act to keep Biden from eagerly making big concessions to US adversaries, and it would prevent trading Russian state assets before they can compensate Ukraine. So he said this would be a powerful deterrent.

chris (11:46.095)

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Yeah, it’s a good idea. I think anybody that knows that Ukraine falling to Russia is bad, bad news for the world and for Europe. This is a good thing to do to try and help in that cause. But everything in America gets politicized, whether it’s right or wrong. JD Vance is way over on the wrong side on this one. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. It’s kind of hard to believe that this isn’t already the law, but

There’s a set of people that have had to sit through jury duty in incredible hardship. It’s something you know about, Leila, and how is it about the change?

Leila (12:20.826)

Yeah, DeWine is about to sign House Bill 34, which excuses nursing mothers from jury duty. And this is a bill that simply expands the circumstances under which a prospective juror can be excused from jury service to include a mother who’s breastfeeding her baby who’s age one or younger. And the nursing exemption would be part of existing exemptions for people who have extreme physical or financial hardships.

The judge would need a signed affidavit stating the prospective juror is a mother who’s breastfeeding. Twenty-two states in Puerto Rico have laws similar to this, or they let nursing mothers postpone their jury service. Two Republican state representatives sponsor this bill after they heard of the story of a mother who had been called a jury duty shortly after giving birth. Surprisingly, one Democrat state senator, Paula Hicks Hudson from Toledo, who voted for it.

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also noted that the Ohio Judicial Conference, which represents judges, expressed concerns about the bill. She said that most judges excuse nursing mothers and House Bill 34 would take away a judge’s discretion. But personally, I think that’s an argument just for the sake of argument here. If we agree as a society that nursing mothers should get a reprieve from this duty, then I don’t think the judge should get the discretion at that point. The affidavit should suffice, and that should be that.

chris (13:42.463)

Well, let me interrupt you because that argument still requires a nursing mother to go to the courthouse. You don’t get excused until you’re called to the courtroom and they’re in paneling the jury. This would allow the mother to never have to head down to the courthouse, which is in Cleveland a huge hassle because parking is a pain and

Leila (13:49.898)

Yeah, of course. Till you’re called to the courtroom.

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Leila (13:58.582)

That’s right. It is. And I can speak to that personally. I went to jury duty while I was nursing. I took a pump with me and this was at the old justice center. So you can bet they didn’t have a great space to pump. I believe I had a locking door, but I definitely had to lug along a cooler to store pumped milk and it was difficult. And if you miss a pumping session when your body has grown accustomed to a certain schedule,

Not only is it extremely uncomfortable, but it diminishes your milk supply. And breastfeeding is very challenging for a lot of women on top of the sleep deprivation and exhaustion that comes with being a new parent. And I just think this reprieve from jury duty is one recognition of that. So yeah, you should not be told you have to calm down. And I never got impaneled to a jury. I sat there for three days waiting to see if I’d be called up and I didn’t. So I would have loved to be able to take.

take that burden off my plate at that moment in my life when so much else was going on for me. So, yeah.

chris (15:02.943)

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I wonder how that legislator we talked about yesterday voted on this one. He is voting to help women out or if he, you know, listening to, yeah, I mean, I bet he probably voted against it or he wants women in the home when he voted for it. Who knows? You’re listening to Today in Ohio.

Leila (15:08.951)

I thought about that.

I know, I know.

Leila (15:21.078)

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Well, remember his he has 10 kids. Remember that Chris? That guy’s got 10 kids.

chris (15:24.959)

Yeah. How big of a deal is a playoff run by the Cavs to downtown businesses like restaurants, Laura?

laura (15:32.829)

This is a huge deal. And it’s not just because the arena is going to be full, although that is a big part of it, and we’re expecting more than 20,000 fans for every game. And those people are probably gonna be in a really good mood, especially if the Cavs win, and they’re gonna wanna eat before or after the game. What I didn’t think about before this story from Mark Bona is that the 1PM games, which that’s what Saturday is, is a real boon for these

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businesses because people come downtown earlier. If you have a 7 PM tip off, you’re not gonna get there till maybe four o’clock, right? If you have a one o’clock, you might come for lunch, you might stay for dinner. If it’s a nice day, you might wander around. And so this could be huge for all the downtown businesses and millions of dollars will come from playoff games. The finals runs have tacked on $100 million in economic impact in the past. I think…

That’s probably mostly 2016 when we actually won the championship, but big games bring in more fans and more fans bring their wallets downtown.

chris (16:36.443)

Every night that they play in town is just the extra gigantic crowd. So it’s very tangible and countable The trick is and they talked about this can they get him in town earlier? Keep them later to keep them frequenting the businesses I think there’s probably more of a celebratory spirit after they win games than if they lose games, but

laura (16:49.301)

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Mm-hmm.

laura (16:58.173)

Maybe they need to drown their sorrows though. You need a pint to take the edge off.

chris (17:03.483)

It’d be nice if they make it out of the first round unlike last year, because that’s a bunch more games they get to play. It’s also kind of surprising. They’ve been selling out games now for multiple seasons. They are a hot ticket.

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laura (17:15.709)

They are so good luck to the calves and I hope everybody’s ready for the crowds.

chris (17:20.051)

You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Northeast Ohio is not what you think of as tornado country, but we do get them. And we had a warning about them Wednesday. Lisa did one materialize.

Lisa (17:33.149)

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The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF1 tornado touched down in Portage County Wednesday evening. It was a four-mile path through Windham Township. It was 65 yards wide and stayed on the ground for about six minutes. Most of the damage occurred near Bryant Road in Ohio 303.

There were no injuries reported, thank goodness, but there was quite a bit of damage. They did have to shut down the Ohio Turnpike in Portage County for several hours. There was apparently a pileup of three semis after a weather-related incident. There were also downed power lines and several homes damaged. But the National Weather Service later conformed for other tornadoes Wednesday night. There were two EF-0s. One was in Trumbull County in Southington and Champion Townships.

The other in Champaign County, north of US 36. There were two EF1s, one in Bucyrus and another in Harlem Township.

chris (18:28.599)

It’s kind of cool that they were able to issue the warning and they had it right, that the conditions were right because clearly they were and we got hit with them. Be terrifying to live through one of those, especially in some of our crowded neighborhoods where you have a lot of big trees.

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Lisa (18:45.121)

And apparently, Ohio is leading the nation right now this year. As many as 38 tornadoes have been confirmed in Ohio just so far this year.

chris (18:55.059)

Yeah, we haven’t had any of those enormous ones that you’ll see in Oklahoma, but it doesn’t matter when the winds get that high. It does seem like if you’re going into any of the local parks, there’s some trees that have been down from our big windstorms of late. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. What is the latest on the progressive campus in Mayfield in this era of remote and hybrid work? Laila, there was development yesterday.

Leila (19:20.626)

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Yeah, the latest is that Progressive is consolidating their operations and officially listing their headquarters in Mayfield for sale or lease. Progressive announced in July that it would close its main headquarters on Wilson Mills Road and move the headquarters to what it calls its second campus on North Commons Boulevard, which is also in Mayfield. So the main campus as well as offices in Colorado, Indiana, and two offices in Florida would soon be listed for sale.

And about a year and a half ago, they listed two other buildings in Eastside suburbs, one of which was purchased for $17 million by Park Place Technologies. And as you said, this is largely because we’re in a situation now where people are working from home a lot. The pandemic really started that trend. The workforce has adapted in a way that they really have no need to come into the office as they once did, which is what a lot of companies are discovering.

vacated its downtown Akron headquarters and consolidate its other offices in the city. And in late 2022, Medical Mutual said that it would leave the Rose Building in downtown Cleveland and consolidate its Brooklyn offices. So it’s a sign of the times.

chris (20:33.663)

You have to wonder though, with all you just said, who would want this enormous campus? What other employer might have need for something so big? Is it time for a thoughtful reuse of it?

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Leila (20:45.97)

Yeah, right. I mean, and that’s what local officials say. They’re optimistic that this change could be good, that it could make room for new enterprises to move in. But the trick is in this era, you know, how many companies are looking for 600,000 square feet of office space when so many of their employees work from home or are remote, you know, are hybrid.

Lisa (21:04.264)

Thank you.

laura (21:08.13)

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Maybe we could turn it into condos just like all the buildings downtown.

chris (21:11.903)

Or tear it down and build houses. I mean, Mayfield is a destination. Lalo, you mentioned in a previous episode of this podcast in your early years as a reporter, you did a story about what it was like to live out there.

Lisa (21:12.064)

Thank you.

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Leila (21:27.154)

Yeah, I mean, I personally didn’t try to live out there, but there was, yeah, I did a story about how Mayfield was kind of the new version of the company town where it was, yeah, I remember it was like, you know, it’s a village that basically is built around this monolith of progressive, and progressive was its own world. I mean, I remember getting a tour of that place. They had everything in there, you know, not only cafeterias and

Lisa (21:28.797)

I personally didn’t try to live out there, but there was, yeah, it was, I did a story about how Mayfield was kind of the new version of the company town, where it was, yeah, remember it was like a, you know, it’s a village that basically built around this monolith, and aggressive, and progressive with its own world. I mean, I remember getting to know the backwoods.

laura (21:38.133)

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Oh, I totally remember this.

Leila (21:56.01)

And they had like a gym, a full gym in there for their employees. And the place was just bustling. It was, it was like its own, it was, I think I likened the building to like a spaceship crash landing in the middle of Mayfield. Like it just was kind of this big, you know, just plopped out. Everyone was in the shadow of, of Progressive.

Lisa (22:18.28)

It’s a beautiful campus. It really is. And it’s right next to 271. And I have noticed a traffic decrease right there at Mayfield and 271 during rush hour, definitely.

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chris (22:18.356)

We keep saying…

chris (22:30.111)

We keep saying that Cuyahoga County is built out, that other than single little sites, there’s no place to really develop residential housing or downtown. This is an enormous tract of land. There’s not really a demand for a big office building. And if possible, Mayfield could probably turn this into pretty decent residential housing, get more residents into the county paying taxes. You’re listening to Today in Ohio.

Federal Marshals in Northeast Ohio shot and killed someone Thursday. We should always take note when law enforcement kills somebody. Laura, who was he and what caused the shooting?

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laura (23:05.481)

This is a 34-year-old Lorraine man. He had failed to appear in court, and his name is Derek Smith. He attacked three officers with a wooden table leg, swinging it like a baseball bat, according to the marshals. So they attempted to control the man twice by firing a stun gun. And this is a deputy US marshal and two task force members that basically go after people with warrants who are supposed to show up in court but don’t.

And Smith had pleaded guilty to federal drug charges, including a small amount of fentanyl in 2021, but he has suffered from severe mental health problems for years. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were mentioned in his files since he was a teenager. So he fought back, even with the stun gun, and the three officers ended up taken to a local hospital for injuries. They suffered lacerations to head, arm, and back. And so they…

I’m not sure which one of them shot him, but they did. And the last time the task force had been involved in a shooting was December 2020. You probably remember that when there was a fugitive from Pennsylvania at Steel Yard Commons who pulled a gun when they attempted to arrest him.

chris (24:17.367)

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This is just a horrible situation. You have clearly a very mentally ill person who’s become quite violent. They’re just there to take them in. It sounds like they tried not to use deadly force a bunch of times, but they were getting injured and so they finally drew a shot. Tragedy all the way around. Mental health crises are just difficult for police to deal with.

laura (24:41.033)

Yeah, absolutely.

chris (24:42.219)

You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Let’s end on a sweet note, Lisa, and a salty one. What’s the potentially tasty product the two Cleveland Foodie operations are collaborating on?

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Lisa (24:52.689)

Cleveland based Malley’s Chocolate is teaming with Barrio restaurants to create Coco Loco. They are chocolate covered tortilla chips, the chocolate from Malley’s of course, and the tortilla chips from Barrio’s which are allegedly famous, although I’ve never tasted them. And then they’re going to be covered with zesty lime sea salt. They’ll be available at Malley’s stores, not online. They’ll be available beginning Wednesday, May 1st until they are sold out.

They’re 18.95, but I’m not sure what the unit is. Is it a bag? Is it a box? I really don’t know. Barrio and Malley’s have collaborated on products before, but this was years ago. And Malley’s has also worked with Brew Nuts and Platform Beer on some products. So pretty cool to put Cleveland chocolate on all kinds of stuff.

chris (25:38.887)

I’m betting these sell out immediately and they’ll keep making them. The picture that we ran had a bag that didn’t look all that big, but how big a bag of chocolate covered chips do you need?

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Lisa (25:52.149)

Yeah, but the bag didn’t have the chocolate chips in them. That was my question. And they had a bag of barrio tortilla chips without chocolate with some chocolate ones spread around it. So I don’t know if they’re gonna come in a bag or what. I’d love to know that. And I, you know, I’m a fan of sweet and salty. I mean, I love chocolate covered pretzels and they had me until that zesty lime sea salt. Cause I am like so over salted chocolate and caramel now. It’s like, who needs more sodium?

chris (26:03.596)

Oh, good.

chris (26:12.043)

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Ha ha ha.

chris (26:17.867)

Okay.

laura (26:18.021)

Oh, I think it sounds so good. And I’ve had chocolate covered potato chips before. Those are kind of amazing. So yes.

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Lisa (26:22.431)

Mm-hmm

chris (26:25.047)

tell you what, if we can get some, you can all sample it and we can do a testing tasting on the podcast. And Malley’s chocolate isn’t gluten free in or it’s not guaranteed to be gluten free. So I probably can’t eat it. But you guys could taste it and tell us if it’s worth getting something look forward to if we can get them. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. That’s it for the Friday episode. We’ll be back Monday. Have a great weekend. Thanks, Lisa. Thanks, Laura. Thanks.



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Cleveland, OH

Browns firing of Kevin Stefanski: Determining factors in decision

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Browns firing of Kevin Stefanski: Determining factors in decision


The Cleveland Browns have been in business since 1946. For the first 49 years, the organization had 10 head coaches. The franchise was put on hiatus for several years and then resumed in 1999. For the next 26 seasons, the Browns hired and fired 12 head coaches.

STEFANSKI HAS TEAMS LINED UP

The most recent was Kevin Stefanski, who was a Black Monday victim. What happened?

How did Cleveland owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam come to this conclusion? After all, he was named NFL Coach of the Year not once, but won this prestigious award twice in 2020 and also in 2023. He orchestrated the first playoff appearance by the Browns in 17 years, then won their first playoff game against the hated division foe, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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With all of these accolades, why would the front office decide to give him walking papers after being with the team for six years? This organization is famous for hiring coaches and then letting them go after one or two years at the helm. And yet, here is a guy who gave the team much-needed stability.

The demise of Stefanski began last year.

In 2023, the Browns went 11-6-0 and captured the highest Wild Card seed, then got slammed by the Houston Texans in the first round of the postseason. Just three weeks prior, Cleveland dominated the Texans, taking home an easy 36-22 win in a contest that wasn’t that close. So, the playoff loss was not expected.

CLEVELAND, OH – CIRCA 1980’s: Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer of the Cleveland Browns talks with his quarterback Bernie Kosar #19 on the sidelines during a mid circa 1980’s NFL football game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Schottenheimer was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1984-88. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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Having won 11 games and gone to the playoffs, Browns fans and the media were expecting this to continue and string along several years’ worth of postseason berths, you know, like the Marty Schottenheimer years.

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Instead, the Browns went 3-14-0. In the season opener, they got taken to the woodshed by the Dallas Cowboys 33-17, who then finished their season 7-10-0 so it wasn’t like the beating came from a great team. At first, Cleveland lost four games by a touchdown or less. But as the season rolled along, they were getting beaten pretty regularly by scores like 34-13, 20-3, 35-14, 35-10, and 24-6.

The two bright spots were the 29-24 come-from-behind win over the Baltimore Ravens, plus the 24-19 win over the Steelers, both games at home. Each of these two teams was not only in the division but also ended up going to the playoffs.

Following a 14-loss season, that alone might cause an owner to send his head man packing. But the Haslams were patient. They said in the 2025 training camp, the roster looked like a winner. The Haslams had a press conference on July 31 after a practice. They haven’t gathered for the press since the April NFL draft, so there was a lot to cover.

Here are a few excerpts from that presser in regards to Stefanski:

Q: In terms of wins, what would be a successful season?

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Jimmy: You really think we’re going to answer that? We’ve got to do better than three, okay? To put a number on it, I don’t think we will ever do that. Everybody – coaches, players, personnel, ownership, all know that 3-14 won’t cut it. We’ve got to do better. I think we’ll know what better looks like.

Q: People always talk about patience as an organizational value. What does that look like? What does patience look like?

Jimmy: Well, I think it’s, it’s what we’ve just talked about. We realized that we went 3-14. There was great uncertainty at quarterback. You probably weren’t going to go 14-3. So, let’s try to build the team the right way. And I’m repeating myself, and it’s premature, but I like the guys we picked. And time will tell how good they are. But Mason (Graham), Carson (Schwesinger), (Harold) Fannin Jr., Shedeur (Sanders), Dillon (Gabriel), etc. look like, Dylan Sampson, look like not only really good players, but really good people. And I’ll say this for the two quarterbacks coming in, and I know everybody has a vision of Shedeur (Sanders), but he’s come in, in the building, worked hard, kept his head down, and done what he’s supposed to do, as has Dillon (Gabriel), which was no surprise for either of them.

Q: How do you convince fans that to get your message across to them, this is a building process because you know how loyal they are and how frustrated they are?

Jimmy: Well, listen, we’re frustrated too. And we share the fans’ pain, okay? And we – Dee, says this all the time. We’re stewards of this franchise, and we need to do a better job. And we want to win for a lot of different reasons. The main reason we want to win is for our fans. They really do. We have great fans.

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BEREA, OHIO - JUNE 12: Head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with team owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam of the Cleveland Browns at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 12, 2025 in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

BEREA, OHIO – JUNE 12: Head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with team owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam of the Cleveland Browns at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 12, 2025 in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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Q: With that type of philosophy, sort of a little bit of a patient attitude for this season. What does that mean for Kevin Stefanski? Because people are already asking if he’s on the hot seat.

Jimmy: Yeah, listen, you all, we talk to you all fairly frequently, and we’re very supportive of Kevin (Stefanski) and Andrew (Berry). Now, do they need to do better? Yeah, but so do Dee (Haslam) and I. You know what I mean? And these are high-pressure jobs they have, but we really like them in their roles as coach and GM, and we really like them as people. And I say this all the time. They’re 38 and 42 years old.

Q: How much has that patience approached, how much have you guys kind of talked about your history owning the team? Just how much have you kind of learned that?

Jimmy: I think we did a poor job early on, and hopefully we’re doing a better job now. And listen, we talk about it organizationally. This isn’t just ownership, but we talk about it — all Andrew’s (Berry) staff, all Kevin’s (Stefanski) staff, everybody is aware of the plan, and that’s how good teams work together.

Basically, the Haslams knew that the team would have to take its time in order to become an annual member of the postseason tournament. Dee or Jimmy never called it a “rebuild,” and from the roster standpoint, it did not appear that the roster needed to be purged. A few pieces here and there, and on paper, it looked like the team could compete. The recent NFL draft brought in some promising players in need positions.

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And the Browns did – on defense.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with guard Joel Bitonio during practice on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 in Berea. Browns19 1

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with guard Joel Bitonio during practice on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 in Berea. Browns19 1

Special teams fell apart, and the offense never got into any type of rhythm, which was Stefanski’s wheelhouse. To be fair, the Week 1 offensive line was supposed to be the catalyst to propel the offense. It was the same lineup that just two seasons ago was ranked #3 in the league, except for LT Jed Wills, who was substituted by Dawand Jones, who was viewed as an upgrade.

However, just like every other year, one guy would go down, followed by another. In Week 18, it was seven-time LG Joel Bitonio, two backups, and two practice squad guys starting along the offensive line for the Browns. In the finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, C Luke Wypler was injured, and Zak Zinter filled in. That meant the backup to the backup was inserted. Cleveland used seven different line combinations during this season.

Everyone knows this group must have stability and continuity to be successful. Real chemistry. Even the trades for OTs Cam Robinson and KT Leveston were total busts, as both players were viewed as liabilities instead of redeemers.

The quarterback situation is a running joke on late-night TV and Browns podcasts. In the past three seasons, the Browns have started 14 different QBs:

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  • 2023: Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker, Jeff Driskel
  • 2024: Watson, Jameis Winston, DTR, Bailey Zappe
  • 2025: Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders

The Browns set three NFL records with the QB situation. First, they tied the 1987 New England Patriots by starting the most QBs in a single season with five. The second, they set a record for the most starting quarterbacks in two years, with nine. In 2025, Cleveland used a staggering 22 different starting quarterbacks, setting a new NFL record.

Dec 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) before he enters the game against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Dec 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) before he enters the game against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The offense was basically the cause of another double-digit loss season. And because this unit was supposed to be why they hired Stefanski in the first place, after losing 26 games in two seasons and the regression, the Haslams basically had no choice but to make a change.

Stefanski showed up as the offense’s play-caller, which he then gave up. The quarterback situation was always in flux, the offense finished this year ranked #30 in the league with the third fewest offensive touchdowns (30), and #31 in scoring offense (16.4).

The year before, the Browns’ offense ranked #28 overall, dead last in offensive touchdowns scored (29), and dead last in scoring offense (15.2). The Haslams believed this year’s team was capable of winning more games.

What led the Browns to move on from Stefanski?



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East Cleveland City Schools celebrate ‘We are EC Day’ marking end of state oversight

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East Cleveland City Schools celebrate ‘We are EC Day’ marking end of state oversight


EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — Classes across East Cleveland City Schools were briefly interrupted on Wednesday for a celebration.

After nearly seven years of oversight from the state’s Academic Distress Commission, the district has officially been released and is once again fully in control of its operations.

“This isn’t a Cinderella story. This is a story of a community that decided that excellence is now the standard,” said East Cleveland City Schools Superintendent and CEO Dr. Henry Pettiegrew.

He said turnarounds don’t come easily.

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“We scratch. We claw. We grind (and) we hustle to get what we need,” Pettiegrew said. “And this community deserves this recognition today. Our teachers have gotten stronger. Students are performing better. It’s really amazing where we are today.”

The state placed him in the district in 2019 with a clear mission— to improve a failing district and boost academics so all students can succeed.

In September, around the time state report cards were released, he told me the district was using data to drive decisions, providing better support to teachers and communicating more with families.

“We’re knocking on doors. We’re having those real conversations, and if parents or students need particular things, supports or items, we’re right there to help,” Pettiegrew explained then.

He said teachers, students, and families rose to the occasion, applying focus and dedication.

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Students earned a four-star rating in the progress category and an overall three-star rating on the most recent state report card. For the first time in more than a decade, the district is meeting state standards.

The district also met 16 of the 20 academic benchmarks set by the state, leading to its release from oversight. On Wednesday, a video played across the district in every classroom for what it called “We Are EC Day: Three Stars and Rising.”

In the video, Pettiegrew thanked everyone for the progress made. Congratulations also poured in from community members, business leaders, and celebrities, including Cleveland Browns player Shelby Harris.

Each student received a special school hoodie representing the mantra “Three Stars and Rising.” Staff members got a similar jersey.

“Throughout history, we commemorate when wonderful things happen and East Cleveland is no different,” Pettiegrew said.

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He added that the district can’t and won’t let up on its path to continued success.

Pettiegrew said the district will be focusing hard on improving literacy outcomes and graduation rates, among other priorities. He said the goal is to match, if not exceed, the results from the last state report card on the next one.

Here’s a link to the full video the district released.

Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.





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Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026

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Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026


CLEVELAND, Ohio — OHSAA girls basketball scores from Tuesday in Ohio, as provided by The Associated Press.

Ada 37, Lima Cent. Cath. 19

Amanda-Clearcreek 61, Bloom-Carroll 51

Archbold 51, Holgate 10

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Ashland Mapleton 58, Ashland Crestview 40

Baltimore Liberty Union 58, Lancaster Fairfield Union 50

Bay (OH) 56, Westlake 29

Bluffton 49, Lima Shawnee 48

Bryan 72, Van Wert 34

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Bucyrus Wynford 58, Sycamore Mohawk 55

Carey 48, New Washington Buckeye Cent. 33

Castalia Margaretta 48, Norwalk 28

Circleville Logan Elm 62, Cols. Hamilton Twp. 29

Cle. E. Tech def. Cle. Max Hayes, forfeit

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Cle. Hay 89, Cle. Collinwood 4

Cle. John Marshall 68, Cle. Glenville 4

Clyde 46, Port Clinton 42

Cols. Eastmoor 54, West 39

Cols. Franklin Hts. 63, Bishop Ready 41

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Cols. Grandview Hts. 59, Worthington Christian 39

Cols. Linden-McKinley 53, East 14

Cols. Walnut Ridge 53, Columbus South 28

Continental 47, Defiance Ayersville 45

Delphos Jefferson 41, Wapakoneta 40

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Dublin Coffman 47, Marysville 38

Elida 52, Ft. Jennings 16

Gahanna Cols. Academy 66, Whitehall-Yearling 20

Grove City 43, Hilliard Bradley 17

Hamler Patrick Henry 54, Leipsic 23

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Haviland Wayne Trace 35, Delta 26

Hilliard Davidson 42, Dublin Scioto 30

Independence 43, N. Ridgeville Lake Ridge 19

Ironton Rock Hill 30, Grace Christian, W.Va. 28

Jackson Center 55, Lima Perry 6

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Johnstown 34, Pataskala Watkins Memorial 17

Kalida 50, Van Wert Lincolnview 34

London Madison-Plains 89, Tree of Life 10

McComb 56, McGuffey Upper Scioto Valley 37

Mt. Blanchard Riverdale 47, Dola Hardin Northern 39

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Mt. Vernon 64, Newark Cath. 37

N. Robinson Col. Crawford 41, Attica Seneca E. 37

Newark 60, Dublin Jerome 52

Norwood 47, Cin. Seven Hills 42

Oak Harbor 48, Pemberville Eastwood 22

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Ottoville 47, Lima Bath 31

Paulding 48, Convoy Crestview 33

Portsmouth 46, Ashland Blazer, Ky. 32

Seton 46, Cin. Oak Hills 44

Sherwood Fairview 53, Metamora Evergreen 37

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South Point 53, Portsmouth Notre Dame 49

Spencerville 32, St Marys 31

Streetsboro 56, Lodi Cloverleaf 48

Tiffin Calvert 57, Vanlue 28

Tol. Ottawa Hills 61, Lakeside Danbury 24

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Upper Sandusky 52, Bucyrus 10

Utica 43, Pataskala Licking Hts. 39

Van Buren 36, Harrod Allen E. 27

Wauseon 43, Defiance 39



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