CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio ranks last in the nation for the threshold to help parents pay for child care.

We’re talking about how Ohio just raised the line to 145% of the federal poverty level while other states are at more than 300%, on Today in Ohio.

Listen online here.

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

Here’s what we’re asking about today:

With Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine saying he is the children’s governor – that his single-minded purpose is helping the state’s children – how come the state rates last is subsidizing childcare?

We’ve been saying for months that we would pull out all of the stops in making sure Ohioans know about Issue 1 in the special election on Aug. 8. Now we’re taking to Reddit. What’s that about?

We seem incapable as a nation to take needed steps to reduce climate change, but Sen. Sherrod Brown has some ideas about what the federal government can do to cope with the results. What’s his latest proposal, coming in a summer when the earth has endured its hottest day?

So many times over the years, Ohio officials have talked big but gone small in legitimate efforts to reduce algae blooms in Lake Erie. What does the Environmental Law & Policy Center say about the state EPA’s latest plan, written to comply with a federal judge’s order to get this mess cleaned up?

The profiteers were in the news a while back jacking up the price of insulin. Does Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb have a legitimate case to make against them in court?

With a pitch clock shortening baseball games considerably this year, have the Guardians seen concession sales drop, with fans in the ball park for shorter periods?

Why are taxpayers footing the bill for Cuyahoga County chief of staff Eric Wobser to attend a tourism economic development conference in New Orleans? Won’t that be more fitting with his new job in Sandusky? It’s not a lot of money, but doesn’t principle matter here?

Here’s a new one. What’s the thinking by a Bedford Heights police K9 officer who is suing the department for overtime? Is his next step to seek a salary for the dog?

Lots of people think they are the big cheese, but Kandice Marchant actually is. What did the owner of a Cleveland Heights cheese shop win at the Ohio State Fair?

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

[00:00:00] Chris: Has anybody noticed that? Ohio’s Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, who’s from Hudson, is spending all his time in the southern part of the state trying to get people to pass issue one. I wonder why he’s not spending time up here. It’s today in Ohio, the news podcast. Discussion from cleveland.com and the plane dealer, Chris Quinn, here with Lisa Garvin, Leila Tassi, Laura Johnston.

We got a pretty good Tuesday podcast, so let’s get to it with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine saying he is the children’s governor, that his single-minded purpose is helping the state’s children. How come the state rates last in subsidizing childcare? This was an eye-opening story, Laura.

[00:00:42] Laura: I. Yes, and it’s from Zachary Smith as part of our Rethinking Childcare series, and Mike DeWine wanted to raise the threshold for subsidizing childcare to 160% of the poverty line.

But instead, we just raised it thanks to the state legislature that has to pass. The government govern, [00:01:00] sorry, has to pass the budget from 142% to 145%. So three measly points, and that puts us at the. Dead last of all of the states in the country for providing childcare subsidies for kids zero to five.

North Carolina technically has a lower threshold, but it’s double the poverty level for kids zero to five. So if you were older than five, you’d be a little bit better off in North Carolina. So, Under this, this change, the income cutoffs in Ohio are $28,000, $594 for a two person household up to 50,000 for a five person household.

And basically you have to make under that in order to get any help to send your kids to a childcare center so that you can go to work.

[00:01:46] Chris: I, I just don’t get this because as your series that you’ve been been managing has shown this is a sum positive for everybody. That, that if the state subsidizes it, they’ll get more money back because of all the people [00:02:00] who are working that it makes for better educated children.

I mean, it’s kind of a no-brainer. And if you are the governor saying, I wanna do this, what’s the impediment? And we know what the impediment is. He has a name. What is it, Laura? Matt Hoffman.

[00:02:17] Laura: Matt Hoffman does not believe in quality childcare. He’s tried to cut it in the past, and I mean, this isn’t the way Ohio’s always been.

I don’t know that we’ve ever been a champion of kids, but in the beginning of the two thousands, eligibility was up to a hundred and. 85%. So we’ve been continually cutting and when, let, let me put it in perspective, it’s not just like these other states are a little bit better than Ohio. Other states are at 350% of the poverty line in Vermont, which you’re like, okay, that’s Vermont, South Carolina though, 300% New York, 300% Alaska, 311%.

North Dakota, 307%. So these states care about their kids and they wanna make sure that kids. From birth basically are being cared [00:03:00] for and that their parents have the ability to go work and jobs. And we talk all the time about how we wanna, we want more people to work. And instead of just letting 14 and 15 year olds work till 9:00 PM how about you let people who have kids go work if they have subsidized childcare?

So I, I really, I don’t understand. What the issue is here, but other states are handling it a lot better. I know we’re

[00:03:22] Chris: behind states like Mississippi and Tennessee for crying out loud. I, this is another example though of what is screwed up about Ohio. Matt Huffman is not elected statewide. He’s elected from some tiny district.

I. No, nobody in the rest of the state has a say on him being the Senate president, and he wields all this power and because he personally has it in for childcare, it’s not happening. That’s a backwards way of doing things. This guy should not have that level of power, but of course, he’s supported by all the people that were elected in gerrymandered districts, so they’re not representing the center of Ohio.

Right. It’s, [00:04:00] it’s just sad because. It dooms the future. If you’re hammering away at the education of children and supporting it, you build for the future. And if you don’t, you don’t compete.

[00:04:12] Laura: You would hope that all of these, you know, pro-life, anti-abortion, very powerful people would care. I, I just, I, and it’s an old saying, right, like, Republicans care about babies before they’re born, but after they’re born, they don’t, I, I mean, these are the same babies we’re fighting to save and.

Like take care of them once they arrive.

[00:04:33] Chris: Yeah. It’s a remarkable, it’s remarkable to be in last place. I mean, that’s just not where you wanna be. If you claim to care about your children, you’re listening to today in Ohio, we’ve been saying for months that we would pull out. All of the stops and making sure Ohioans know about issue one and the special election on August 8th.

The legislators that put this on the ballot, were hoping no one would vote because that’s what happens normally in August. [00:05:00] Now we’re taking to Reddit. Layla, what’s that about? This is

[00:05:03] Leila: a very cool idea. At noon on Thursday, reporter Andrew Tobias will answer questions about state issue one and the August special election during a Reddit Ask Me Anything session on the Ohio subreddit, which is r slash Ohio.

If you’ve been following issue one at all. You’ve been reading Andrew’s excellent coverage because he has been prolific and thorough in his work. He’s covered both the impact of it and the politics behind it. He’s done a real service to voters and now he’s gonna bring all of that expertise to Reddit in these last days before August 8th, and I.

Frankly, I, I’ve actually seen Reddit posts where some folks who probably haven’t seen Andrew’s coverage were confused about issue one and they were asking other Reddit users, so, so I wanna, you know, vote to support the right for citizens to amend the Constitution. Does that mean I should vote? Yes. And that’s the kind of confusion that issue one backers, I think are banking on.

So, you know, to be clear, issue one is, is seeking to diminish the power of Ohio [00:06:00] voters by requiring a 60% voter threshold to amend the state constitution rather than the simple majority standard that exists now. And it also set a bunch of rules around gathering signatures on petitions that would make it nearly impossible to get an issue on the ballot at all.

And it’s all an effort to make sure that. Veto proof. Super majority that gerrymandering gave us in the State House never loses power even to the citizens they represent. So, so join this discussion on Reddit on Thursday. It’s gonna be very, very interesting. Yeah.

[00:06:30] Chris: We’ve said it before, but there is not a single legitimate argument for voting for this if you’re a voter.

Right, right, right, right. There’s it. It’s all nonsense when they talk about the federal. Constitution, it’s all nonsense. If you read Andrew’s coverage, you can see what the truth is and anybody reading that would come to the conclusion that this is terrible. What I love about asking anything, I’m a big fan of Reddit and, and what’s beautiful about that is that you ignore the trolls.

You know, people who ask legitimate questions, you get the [00:07:00] answers and the people that are lobbing nonsense from the cheap seats, which there always is, you just get past them, right? Because this is a, a, a good conversation filled with, with quality stuff, and then it stays there. So anybody who’s looking for information later can come back to it and read through it.

Andrew owns this issue. He is, I think the state’s best source on it, so he’ll be able to help people cut through it and he, you know, he’s. Bend straight down the middle. I wanna say on, on the opinion side of our operation, we’ve been blasting away at this. It’s a terrible idea. Andrew’s a news reporter, he has covered this straight down the middle, um, accurate, fair, balanced reporting, and that’s what he’ll bring to the Ask Me Anything.

Yes, check it out. If you can’t visit him and ask a question, you can read it later. You’re listening to today in Ohio, we seem incapable as a nation to take needed steps to reduce climate change. But Senator Sherrod Brown has some ideas about what the federal government can do to cope [00:08:00] with the results.

What’s his latest proposal coming in a summer when the Earth has endured its hottest day? Lisa?

[00:08:07] Lisa: Yeah. Senator Brown is, uh, asking for new federal standards that would protect vulnerable workers from heat exhaustion and stroke. And he wants them as soon as possible as we’ve seen these blistering temperatures in the Southwest and other areas where workers, outside workers are suffering.

So he and a hundred other, um, senators and representatives. Sent a letter, letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the acting Labor secretary Julie Sue, and they’re asking for a few specifics. They said the, the government should require employers to give adequate hydration and rest breaks in either shaded or air conditioned areas, and have plans in place that would handle heat related illnesses, such as providing medical services and training and, and recognizing the.

Symptoms of heat illnesses and treating them. So OSHA in response said, well, you [00:09:00] know, states like Washington, Minnesota, and California have state laws that govern occupational heat exposure. But the letter cited a new Texas law that rescinds local ordinances in Austin and Dallas that would’ve protected workers from heat illnesses.

So there goes local control in Texas. Uh, brown is also re-introducing his Ion Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Protection Act. It’s named for a California worker who died in 2004 picking grapes for 10 hours and 105 degree heat. And he, you know, this bill would establish federal standards for heat. You know, people who work in heat.

Occupations. I

[00:09:41] Chris: feel like we’ve entered one of those 1960s, 1970s science fiction movies that look ahead to the future and see the damage we’ve done to the planet that stops us from being able to go outside without protection. I mean, this is the result of our activity. We are having heat that is undeniably the, the result of [00:10:00] human intervention in the planet and.

This deals with the symptoms not the cause.

[00:10:05] Lisa: Right. And you have people think of roofers, day laborers, landscapers, I mean construction workers. There are so many people that are now out and vulnerable to these illnesses. And unfortunately some of their supervisors just say, Hey, just muscle on through it and you’ll be fine.

But that’s not how it

[00:10:24] Chris: works out. No. And people are dying because of it. It’s uh, it’s a frightening time. You’re listening to today in Ohio. So many times over the years, Ohio officials have talked big but gone small in legitimate efforts to reduce algae blooms in Lake Erie. What does the Environmental Law and Policy Center say about the state EPAs latest plan written under duress to comply with the federal judge’s order to get this mess cleaned up?

Laura? Not good.

[00:10:55] Laura: Not good that this is woefully inadequate. Inadequate. And the [00:11:00] plan relies on the same stuff the state’s been doing for years, you know, where they’re basically paying farmers to. Put less fertilizer on their fields and to add things that catch it all before it runs into the mommy river.

Because the fertilizer, the phosphates in it is what causes the harmful algal blooms every year in Lake Erie. That between the algal blooms and the rain, because the rain washes all this fertilizer off. But it’s not just the fertilizer, it’s also manure. It’s from the confined animal feeding operations that are not really regulated in Ohio, and that’s what the Environmental Law and Policy Center wants to talk about.

So what. The, the state was forced to do is come up to what’s called with a T M D L A total maximum daily load for what? The phosphorus that can go in, but they’re looking at the total load and not this dissolved phosphorus. The stuff that’s in the manure, the stuff that’s, you know, actually worse for the environment, so they want more.

Focus on this and they wanna look at those confined feeding operations, which really [00:12:00] are just, most farmers would not put more fertilizer on their fields than they need. Right. ‘cause they have to pay for it. The problem with the feeding operations is they got all this poop and they got nowhere to put it.

[00:12:10] Chris: Yeah. Ohio just refuses to take the steps, need to clean this up. I mean, it’s been clear since the beginning what causes this and Ohio just won’t do it. So now they’re in court. I mean, they’ve been. Placed into a consent decree to get it done, and they come up with a feeble plan that will not clean up the problem.

And so it’s just lip service. There’s nobody in state government, I think that is serious about clearing up the problem in Lake

[00:12:37] Laura: Erie. Well, and I think the farm lobby is really powerful and I think. We as a country identify farmers as this like hardworking, independent, like good old Americans. And I get that, but that doesn’t mean it’s not causing a problem and the confined feeding operation.

So you have to have more than 700 dairy cows or a 10,000 swine under 55 [00:13:00] pounds in order to be required to register with the Ohio Department of Agriculture. So you could have 9,999 swine and have no. Overseeing and that poop, it has to go somewhere, right? So if we, we have all of this in our cities and we have wastewater treatment plants before that’s allowed to go back into Lake Erie.

This stuff gets spread sometimes on frozen ground all over the land, and it’s excess. It just runs off and it runs right into the mommy river and that runs right into the lake. And that’s what causes this. And so you’ve gotta think you have to start regulating. In 2016, we promised Ontario and Michigan, we were gonna reduce by.

40% from 2008 levels, and that was gonna be by 2025. That is two years away and we are nowhere near

[00:13:44] Chris: meetings. Yeah. These goals, it just, we don’t have the bold leadership in this state. I, I mentioned Elisa before the podcast, that New Yorker, the latest issue has a profiling, Gretchen Whitmer and how she.

Rose and it’s bold leadership. She, she was pushing a anti-bullying [00:14:00] measure that the Catholic church lobbied on. They wanted an exemption and she went onto the floor of the Michigan legislature and body slammed the guy that was in her way and got it through. We don’t have it. We just, I, I read the story with jealousy because we just don’t have somebody to stand up and call out the farmers for what they’re doing.

The farmers are poisoning. Lake Erie, our most important natural asset. The, the big re, it’s where we get our drinking water. And yet no one in Ohio, not John Husted, not Mike DeWine, none of anybody in the legislature will say This is going to end farmers. We’ve got to come up with the solution so they just right and wheel out their way

[00:14:39] Laura: around it.

And I get why the farmers do it, right, because they’re trying to produce meat cheaply because we as consumers want the best price on everything. We want really cheap meat. You want really cheap meat. You’re gonna put nine, you know, 10,000 swine in one building. And like, Feed ‘em and then kill ‘em. I, right?

Like if you are a vegan, you are much, much better for the environment [00:15:00] than meat eaters among us. So I think we need to think about us as a society. This is, we just talked about the heat problem, right? Climate change is real. If we really want to solve all these problems, we need to look at ourselves, all of us, and, and look where our actions, you know, long down the line have contributed.

[00:15:18] Chris: You’re listening to today in Ohio, the profiteers. Were in the news a while back jacking up the price of insulin. Layla, does Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb have a legitimate case to make against them in court? Yeah, they believe

[00:15:30] Leila: they do. On, on Monday, Cleveland joined other cities and counties in filing a lawsuit against these guys for price gouging.

Law director Mark Griffin and, and several private attorneys filed the lawsuit in federal court in Cleveland against manufacturers like Eli Lilly and company and pharmacy giants like c v s and, and major pharmacy benefit managers like ever North Health, uh, which was formerly Express Scripts. This lawsuit accuses the companies which make 92% of the insulin on [00:16:00] the market of using their.

Outsized market share to dramatically increase prices at the expense of the city, which spent about $2 million paying for insulin for its employees from from 2017 to 2019. And the city argues that diabetics need insulin to stay alive, and that these companies really exploit that fact. Uh, by forcing insurers like the city of Cleveland to pay exorbitant prices for the products for their employees, and the city wants an injunction against the companies, a declaration that the businesses violated Ohio law against deceptive practices and a determination that the companies violated federal civil conspiracy laws.

The manufacturers say the lawsuit is meritless, and they’ve recently made their insulin more affordable and capped the out-of-pocket expense. And c v s for its parts says prices are set by the manufacturers, not the pharmacy. So they should have nothing to do with this in their opinion.

[00:16:55] Chris: Let’s face it, the only reason they capped their prices is ‘cause Joe Biden came after him.

They didn’t [00:17:00] do it outta the goodness of their heart. This was pure profiteering. Taking advantage of people who, I mean there, there was one of the lawyers in the story to had to give up her private practice. Oh yeah. ‘cause her kid has diabetes and she couldn’t afford the insulin. That’s what these folks did.

And it should have been regulated. I hope the lawsuit’s successful. ‘cause I think it was unconscionable what they did.

[00:17:21] Leila: Right, right. There was another, one of the other, uh, lead attorneys on the case, uh, said that she was, Diagnosed with type one diabetes in 1979 at the age of seven. And before she was hired by the city, she needed to use high interest credit cards just to buy her insulin.

And that is, uh, I mean, that’s very eye-opening. I. It’s it’s terrible, terrible predicament.

[00:17:43] Chris: Brilliant move by the mayor to use two lawyers who have personal stories right to tell about this. You’re listening to today in Ohio with a pitch clock shortening baseball games considerably this season, have the guardians seen their concession sales drop because fans are in the [00:18:00] ballpark for shorter periods?

Lisa, we took a look.

[00:18:03] Lisa: Yeah, and actually concession scales, its progressive field have stayed steady. Even though major league baseball games are about a half hour shorter because of the new rules in the pitch clock, and fans are actually spending three to 4% more on concessions. Uh, the senior vice president of Ballpark Services, Kurt Schloss says attendance is up and fewer people are leaving early.

And so, you know, they’re doing their part to make sure that everyone gets through the concession lines quickly. For the best ballpark experience, They have a couple of high tech checkout options including mash gen, self check, and this one with AI assisted where you scan your card and grab and go and 18 cameras.

Watch what you do and then charge you for it. Akron Rubber Duck’s gm, Jim Der says fans are eating faster and he said people are showing up to games earlier and buying their. Food earlier, instead of waiting until, you know, into the game, they’re buying it before the game or in the early innings. And he said, even though the rubber [00:19:00] ducks kept their seventh inning alcohol cutoff in place, beer cells did not increase at all.

So does this say decrease?

[00:19:08] Chris: Does this say that part of the baseball game experience is the eating that, that people are not gonna let it go, they’re going to get their fill?

[00:19:17] Lisa: Absolutely. I mean, to me, uh, the thing about going to a game was getting that hot dog, you know, and then having, you know, a, a drink afterwards.

So, yeah. And, and the peanuts can’t forget the peanuts. Peanuts

[00:19:29] Chris: and Cracker Jack from the great

[00:19:30] Laura: song. Doesn’t it always seem absurd to you that you go to a sporting event and you’re watching people work out while you stuff junk food in your face?

[00:19:40] Chris: Indeed, you’re listening to today in Ohio. Why are taxpayers footing the bill for Cuyahoga County Chief of Staff, Eric Waer, to attend a Tourism Economic Development conference in New Orleans?

Won’t that be more fitting for his new job in Sandusky? Layla, what’s going on? You

[00:19:58] Leila: nailed it. Chris. Eric [00:20:00] Waer. He’s just days away from leaving his position as Chief of staff for county executive Chris RNA, and going back to his hometown of Sandusky, where he is gonna head up the Greater Sandusky partnership as its c e o.

That’s an organization that. Focuses on on growing that county’s population and investment in the region. But in June, after Eric Zer had had announced that he would be leaving, he went on a Cuyahoga County taxpayer funded trip to an economic development conference in New Orleans. That event’s website describes it as a forum for cities, nations, and places to collaborate and share best practice on place branding and place marketing strategies to generate sustainable tourism and economic development, improve the quality of life for citizens, blah, blah, blah.

That’s pretty much what his focus will be in his new job, and he was the only county representative at this conference. Not even the county’s economic development [00:21:00] director went, the, the Board of Control approved a little more than $2,000 for his trip. So not a lot, but still, you know, a county spokeswoman told Caitlin Durbin that the actual cost was 1400 and change and, and that Ws are paid for his own flight.

But why

[00:21:16] Lisa: do this,

[00:21:18] Laura: why you doing

[00:21:18] Chris: this, Eric? Alright. What’s sad is that he was leaving this job almost a hero couple. I mean, he’s, he’s very well regarded. He’s leaving because his family didn’t wanna leave Sandusky, and he’s putting his family ahead of his job. Everybody salutes him and for a paltry $1,400, he’s marring his reputation.

I know. And, and he, we shouldn’t have paid for it. It’s, this is for his future job. He should either pay for it himself or get his future employer to pay for it. I don’t get it. It’s just, it’s one of those, you just sit back and think, it’s not worth it. It’s not worth the money to be talked about in this light as you’re walking out the door.

I know.

[00:21:58] Leila: And the, the county spokeswoman [00:22:00] defended the decision to pay for the trip by saying that Eric ER is still a part of Ronan’s team and that there’s still value in him attending this. She didn’t expound upon that and I, you know, it’s probably better that she didn’t, ‘cause she was just taking that,

[00:22:15] Lisa: that hole.

[00:22:17] Chris: The other thing was Wabs are saying, you know, new Orleans has done a great job preserving its jazz history. Like that’s what the enlightening fact he got out of it. It’s like, no kidding, Sherlock, you think just one of those no New Orleans they, you know, that’s where jazz is played. Ho who? It’s a sad one.

I, I don’t get the, the logic of things like this you’re listening to today in Ohio. Here’s a new one. What’s the thinking by a Bedford Heights police canine officer who was suing the department for overtime is his next step, seeking salary for his dog,

[00:22:53] Lisa: Lisa Bedford Heights Canine Officer Ryan Kateel filed a, filed a federal lawsuit [00:23:00] seeking overtime pay for his 24 7 care of the police dog.

He’s been a canine officer. There in Bedford Heights since 2018 and an officer since 2011, he is required by Bedford Heights to keep the dog in good health. But Kate says he wasn’t paid for that. He said he told officials three years ago that it was more than 40 hours a week. You know, including things like.

Feeding, walking, vet visits, training and grooming. And he says the city didn’t make or preserve records of this off-duty work. His attorney, Sharon Dryer, says that Bedford Heights is violating the Fair Labor Standards Act, which mandates that employers pay overtime. But there is legal precedent for this.

There was a 2021 lawsuit filed by three East St. Louis police officers who handled dogs. They were awarded over $158,000 in back pay. Uh, and. And to the three officers and 16 others.

[00:23:56] Chris: Yeah. The, the canine though has always struck me [00:24:00] as a hybrid that it’s, it’s your companion dog. It’s, you know, we, for many of us who have dogs, they’re a great part of our lives.

And yeah, you gotta feed ‘em, you gotta walk ‘em, you gotta take ‘em to the vet. And I’ve, I think people have always looked at this as, It’s, it’s not just your partner at work, it’s your home companion, and there’s kind of a division here, i i the idea that you should be paid for 24 hour care of your, of your partner.

That’s kind of mind boggling. I, I think police departments would get rid of canine units if that became the, the way you had to pay for them. But it’s not

[00:24:37] Lisa: his dog. It’s the, it’s Bedford Heights’ dog. He’s just the caregiver for that

[00:24:43] Chris: dog. Yeah, but he, he volunteers to be the canine officer. And I, uh, that’s one where you’re kind of agreeing, okay.

I take over the care and feeding of the duck. I’m sure they provide the money for the food, and I, they’ve gotta pay for the vet visits. I just, it’s, look how [00:25:00] many, for how long have we had canine units? And this just has not come up. The canine officers love their dogs, and often when they retire, the, the officers get the, To take the dog.

I just, this, this one is, it’s interesting and like you said, there’s a precedent so he could get paid for it, but I wonder if the way cities deal with this is to kind of negotiate into the contract that if you’re a canine officer, part of the job is taking care of the dog. I. Interesting lawsuit. We’ll see how it comes out.

You’re listening to today in Ohio. All right, Laura. Lots of people think they’re the big cheese, but Candace Mark chant actually is What did the owner of a Cleveland Heights cheese shop win at the Ohio State Fair?

[00:25:41] Laura: She won three first place and a third place aware award in the 2023 State Fair Cheese contest.

Only one other Ohio cheese maker matched this success with three first places. That was Pearl Valley Cheese of Fresno, Ohio. I gotta say Paris Wolf does a great job explaining these cheeses. I am [00:26:00] not a cheese connoisseur, like I like cheese, but. I don’t know the different kinds of cheese. So she won first place in the bacteria ripened class with her apple jack washed.

It was a triple cream cheese made with grey cow milk, washed with local apple jack brine bath for a month. I mean that sounds like a lot of work. So, but also really good cheese. Uh, she won first place in the open class for other milk for goat cheese and first place. And doesn’t this make you want to go eat some right now?

Surface mold bloomy class. And that was for her, um, bloo Merind cheese. It’s comparable to a camera bear. I,

[00:26:39] Chris: yeah, I, I know when you think of gourmet cheese, you automatically think of Cleveland Heights, right? I mean, it’s just the center of the cheese world. I gotta go visit this shop. I’m, I’m embarrassed to say it’s not that far from where I live, and I haven’t been in there.

This is very cool. It’s a cool honor. They don’t, it’s very cool. They don’t make the cheese in the shop though, right? She has a farm.

[00:26:58] Laura: I, I’m not exactly [00:27:00] sure. Probably not. I don’t know where at all, where all the work gets done. I mean, you gotta have your local, your local apple jack brine bath there for a month.

So you gotta have some space to make cheese. Well, just a reminder too, guys, that, that, the state fair starts this week and Jeremy Pelzer is covering the butter cow today. We don’t know what the other butter statue’s gonna be, so that’s a big reveal coming.

[00:27:22] Lisa: Yeah, I do wanna say that Ohio is a really great cheese state.

It’s, I mean, you know, I think so. I mean, compared to Texas, you know where I was. But I mean, you know, you’ve got the Amish, you can go buy it direct from the, you know, from the factory in Middlefield, you’ve got all these small artisan cheese makers. I, I think there’s a lot of good cheese around.

[00:27:42] Laura: Grandpa’s cheese barn on the way.

Oh,

[00:27:44] Lisa: that’s right. In Ashland. Yeah, that’s right.

[00:27:47] Chris: I, I think it’s cool that she won. It’s a, I mean, that shop opened, I don’t know, a few years back and it’s, that’s a, that’s a hell of a thing for her to take it home. I’d certainly rather win the cheese awards than the Butter Cow Awards. If there is a Butter Cow award.[00:28:00]

[00:28:00] Laura: I don’t think there is a Butter Cow award. It’s just a really big deal to what they’re gonna carve out of butter every year. Yeah.

[00:28:06] Chris: Really big deal. And I know I can’t sleep at night waiting to find out what that reveal is. You’re listening to today in Ohio. We’ll give you a couple minutes back. Thanks, Lisa.

Thanks Layla. Thanks Laura. Thanks to everybody who listens.