Ohio
Ohio House passes fentanyl penalties that critics call relic of a failed war on drugs: The Wake Up for Friday, April 26, 2024
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Ohio has one of the highest drug-overdose fatality rates in the nation. And fentanyl is a powerful opioid present in four out of every five of the 4,915 fatal overdoses in Ohio in 2022. It was in 27% of all drugs (excluding marijuana) seized by the state last year.
So the Ohio legislature is taking action.
Law enforcement and prosecutors support a new bill as a tool to crack down on traffickers of the drug. Some Democrats, libertarians and drug and health policy experts warn that the legislation will add low-level offenders to the crowded state prison system, without meaningfully reducing the drug problem.
Under current law, possession of small amounts of Schedule III, IV, and V drugs without knowing they contain fentanyl is punishable via a first-degree misdemeanor. The new bill removes the knowledge requirement, so for example, someone who buys Xanax they didn’t know was laced with fentanyl could face jail time.
“That makes no legal, moral or public health sense,” said Dennis Cauchon, president of Harm Reduction Ohio. “You’re criminalizing and putting people in jail when they’re the victim.”
— Laura
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Fentanyl bill: A broad, bipartisan majority of the Ohio House passed legislation Wednesday to ratchet up penalties for those who knowingly sell or unknowingly possess drugs laced with fentanyl, Jake Zuckerman reports.
Pollen allergies: If you’re one of the 30% of the population afflicted with pollen-related allergies, you might be miserable right now. Its tree pollen that’s causing all the discomfort, but not all tree pollen. What causes itchy eyes or a runny nose in one sufferer might have little to no effect on another. Peter Krouse explains why.
Ron Fabich of the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders fishing club holds the hose pumping thousands of steelhead yearlings into the Cuyahoga River on Thursday.Peter Krouse, cleveland.com
Steelhead stocking: Officers gathered along the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland’s Flats to celebrate the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s first-ever stocking of the Cuyahoga with steelhead trout, a naturalized game fish that brings anglers from all over to fish North Coast rivers that empty into Lake Erie. Once too dirty to justify stocking it with steelhead, the Cuyahoga joins the Rocky, Chagrin, Grand, Ashtabula and Vermilion rivers in that tradition, reports Peter Krouse.
Today in Ohio: A long-term fix to prevent an Ohio law from preventing presidential candidates from qualifying for the state’s ballot is starting to come into focus. We’re talking about how Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman said talks have advanced on legislation changing the law on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
Sexual abuse: In the wake of the Richard Strauss sex abuse scandal at Ohio State University, state lawmakers are moving ahead on a number of proposed reforms to help ensure it doesn’t happen again. Jeremy Pelzer reports that Senate Bill 109, passed unanimously by the Ohio Senate on Wednesday, would – among other things – increase disclosure requirements, allow the state medical board to take quicker action in sexual misconduct cases, and expand the crimes of sexual battery and rape to include unwanted sexual activity during medical treatment.
Plant power: Congress members from Ohio want the state’s crops to power vessels traveling by air and by sea, reports Sabrina Eaton. In an effort to expand biofuel markets for Ohio soybean farmers, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, introduced legislation that would ensure renewable fuel used by ocean-going vessels is eligible for a renewable fuel credit that is available for biofuels used elsewhere.
College credit: Kent State University and the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio are among recipients of $3 million in grants to create programs for high school educators to teach college courses under the College Credit Plus Program, reports Laura Hancock. Ohio’s College Credit Plus program offers free college courses to high schoolers, including free textbooks, tuition and fees.
Power outages: More than 90% of Ohio power outages since 2000 were weather-related, according to a new study from Climate Central. Zachary Smith reports Ohio has experienced the fifth-highest number of weather-related power outages since 2000, following only Texas (210), Michigan (157), California (145), and North Carolina (111).
West Side Market: Now that the West Side Market is being managed by the nonprofit Cleveland Public Market Corp., the honeymoon begins. Metaphorically, the marriage is off to a strong start. Paris Wolfe reports first steps include more paperwork to secure tax credits and funding, as well as improved signage and a newsletter.
This rendering, as presented to Cleveland City Council, shows what the “Lone Sailor” monument will look like at the northwest corner of Voinovich Park.Cleveland
‘Lone Sailor’ statue: A monument dedicated to those who serve in the U.S. Navy is slated for downtown Cleveland’s lakefront – just in time watch over the planned commissioning of the USS Cleveland. Cleveland City Council this week signed off plans to erect the “Lone Sailor” monument on the northwest corner of Voinovich Park, overlooking Lake Erie, Courtney Astolfi reports.
Adult baseball: The Greater Cleveland Adult Baseball League is an amateur league made up of two dozen teams in four age brackets that play from May through Labor Day. Cory Shaffer reports that the league has operated in some form since the early 1990s. Several members played college and professional baseball. A handful even made it to the big leagues in the strike-shortened 1994 season.
School exercise: A study found that five-minute exercise sessions during lectures not only were possible to complete during class time, but that students also benefited from them. The students in classes that included exercise breaks reported improvements in their attention and motivation, engagement with their classmates and overall enjoyment of the course, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen.
Mpox: Cuyahoga County is seeing an uptick in mpox cases, health officials announced Thursday. Health officials are concerned because a 2022 surge saw at least 139 cases in Ohio, resulting in mpox vaccine clinics to increase its distribution. From February through this week, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health has documented six cases in its jurisdiction, while three cases have been reported by the Cleveland Department of Public Health, reports Julie Washington.
COVID cases: The number of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio has decreased for the 10th consecutive week. Cases fell from 1,407 last week to 1,350 this week, marking the lowest level since early July. Julie Washington reports case numbers have been falling since February. As recently as early January, the weekly case numbers were over 15,000, at 15,046.
Mother’s Day: Mother’s Day spending is expected to reach $33.5 billion this year, according to an annual survey from the National Retail Federation. On average, adults are expected to spend $254.04 on gifts and celebrations, reports Sean McDonnell.
Cleveland-Cliffs: Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves has sued a stock analyst, accusing him of posting anonymous online comments that urged people to sell the steel giant’s stock and saying Goncalves acts like “a mafia boss.” Adam Ferrise reports that in the lawsuit, Goncalves claimed that Gordon Johnson posted disparaging remarks on Bloomberg Professional Service’s “Bloomberg Intelligence” website, which includes an online chatroom for metals and mining companies.
Hotel Cleveland: Hotel Cleveland, which has been under renovation, is fine-tuning menus for its new Maker and Mowrey restaurants. Paris Wolfe reports that Maker is a casual, fine-dining room in the main lobby, while Mowrey’s is an early breakfast place in the former Sans Souci restaurant space.
Canton death: Authorities are investigating the death of a man who struggled with Canton police officers before he lost consciousness last week, reports Lucas Daprile. Frank E. Tyson, 53, who is Black, yelled and fought with patrolmen for several minutes before they handcuffed him April 18. At one point, an officer placed a knee into Tyson’s back while the Canton man was handcuffed, according to an officer’s body-camera video.
Arson arrest: Authorities arrested a second man Thursday in connection with burning down a home on Cleveland’s West Side. D’Andre Morris, 21, of Cleveland is accused of setting the fire early Saturday, Olivia Mitchell reports. On Wednesday, police arrested Tyric M. Green, 21, of Euclid. Both men are charged with aggravated arson.
Body cam: A Lorain fugitive attacked federal marshals with a table leg and a knife when they tried to arrest him on a warrant last week, Molly Walsh reports. On Thursday, Lorain police released an officer’s body-camera video, which shows the chaotic moments before marshals fired a Taser twice and later a handgun at Smith.
License revoked: A Westlake attorney who pleaded guilty to assaulting an 18-year-old woman after giving her and two other young women alcohol in his home had his law license suspended on Thursday. Cory Shaffer reports the Ohio Supreme Court voted to pull Daniel Perrico’s law license for two years. It decided to reduce the suspension by a year as long as he avoids more improper conduct.
Ask Yadi: Should you knock before entering your parents’ house after you’ve moved out? Yadi Rodriguez writes that she can appreciate that you knock first before just entering.
Stones opener: The Rolling Stones have announced the artists who will have the honor of opening for the rock icons as they take their latest musical trek through America’s stadiums, reports Malcolm X Abram. For the June 15 show at Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Stones have chosen Pittsburgh “rock n’ blues” band Ghost Hounds, who have previously opened for the Stones as well as ZZ Top, Garth Brooks and Bob Seger.
Rock Hall Live: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced details of “Rock Hall Live,” the museum’s summer concert series mixing several national touring artists, including Sleater-Kinney and All Time Low, with popular local and regional bands. Malcolm X Abram reports tickets for concerts range from $25 to $50.
Playhouse Square tour: Cleveland Arts Prize is presenting a special afternoon in Playhouse Square on June 3, reports Joey Morona. The event at the Allen Theatre features a talk with renowned theatre director Joe Garry, followed by a curated tour of the theater district’s historic venues.
‘Company’: “Company” can be difficult to describe, reports Joey Morona. The Stephen Sondheim production, which opens at Playhouse Square’s Connor Palace on April 30 and runs through May 19, is a concept musical that eschews the typical narrative structure in favor of a non-linear one.
DineDrinkCLE: It’s officially baseball season and even those who aren’t big sports fans can find a few tasty reasons to visit one of the local ballparks. In the latest episode of “DineDrinkCLE: The Podcast,” Josh Duke and Alex Darus are joined by Marc Bona to talk about new eats at the ballpark. Bona explains the variety of new offerings available at Progressive Field during Guardians games, including loaded hot dogs and fried chicken.
Art prints: The Print Club of Cleveland is holding its annual Fine Print Fair today through Sunday at the Cleveland Museum of Art, reports Paris Wolfe.
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Top Thrill: The Thrill is back, coaster fans — still 120 mph, still 420 feet high and still breathtaking, reports Susan Glaser. But Top Thrill 2 is a very different ride from its predecessor, Top Thrill Dragster, which was the tallest and fastest coaster in the world when it debuted at Cedar Point in 2003. The new incarnation is just as tall, just as fast and a lot longer than it used to be, clocking in at just under two minutes versus 17 seconds on the original.
Things to do: The weather is warming up in Northeast Ohio this weekend, creating the perfect opportunity to get out and have some fun. Joey Morona has 16 things to do, from the Catawba Island Boat Show to the Geauga County Maple Festival.
Don’t forget, you can always find the latest Cleveland news by visiting cleveland.com. If you value the hard work of Cleveland journalists, consider becoming a cleveland.com subscriber.
— Curated by Laura Johnston with contributions by Cliff Pinckard
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The SAVE acronym should stand for Suppress American Votes Everywhere.
Trump pushes voter ID bill that could burden married women
President Donald Trump is advocating for the passage of the SAVE America Act, a voter ID bill critics say could make voting harder for married women and other eligible voters.
Richard Topper has been a trial attorney in Columbus for 45 years and is actively involved in voting rights efforts.
As chief election officer of our state, Frank LaRose should be focused equally, if not more, on how election laws affect Ohio citizens’ rights to vote as he does to the miniscule numbers of undocumented citizens who attempted to vote in our elections.
To support our right to vote, LaRose, a Republican candidate for Ohio auditor of state, should speak out against the SAVE Act pending before the U.S. Senate.
The SAVE acronym should stand for Suppress American Votes Everywhere.
The bill would require all U.S. citizens to present a birth certificate or passport in person when they register to vote. The act could prevent thousands of Ohio citizens from participating in a single election.
The number far outweighs the 167 noncitizens whom, according to LaRose, “have appeared to cast a ballot in (over 15 elections) since 2018.”
How will the Save Act affect you?
Let’s say you’ve lived and worked in Ohio all your life but decide to move.
To vote, you’d have to re-register in person at your county board of elections and show them your birth certificate or passport. If you have neither, you will be unable to vote.
For Ohioans who’ve changed their name due to marriage or remarriage, it becomes even more difficult to prove your citizenship with a birth certificate.
This will affect Ohio women’s right to vote, since 70% change their name when they marry.
Every person who wants to vote in Ohio for the first time, who moves to Ohio, or who moves within the state will need to have a birth certificate or passport to vote.
In 2023, close to 1.2 million Ohioans moved within or to Ohio. Under the SAVE Act, every one of those Ohioans is considered a non-citizen until they prove otherwise.
Not everyone has or can get access to a birth certificate.
An argument that sinks
A study by the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement showed over 9% of voting-age citizens, or 21.3 million people in the U.S., cannot timely obtain a birth certificate or passport. In fact, only 37% of Ohioans own a U.S. passport.
The argument that too many non-citizens vote holds no water.
In 2024, Secretary LaRose required poll workers to challenge voters whose driver license read “non-citizen.”
Of the 5,851,387 people who cast ballots in 2024, only five alleged non-citizens attempted, but were not able to vote that day. One in a million. Nationwide, the figures are similar.
Kansas legislators tried their own SAVE Act. The 67 non-citizens who registered to vote paled in comparison to the 31,000 Kansans who were denied their right to vote.
Ohioans need Frank LaRose to take a stand
LaRose should focus his attention on what the SAVE Act requires and how this will affect the average Ohioan.
In the past five years in his chief election officer position, LaRose decried costly and non-participatory August elections, then supported an August 2023 election that would have taken Ohioans’ longstanding right to amend our constitution by a majority.
He also voted in favor of unconstitutional gerrymandered Ohio legislative and Congressional districts which diminished the votes of 45% of Ohioans.
Recently, LaRose bowed to the Trump administration and supported an Ohio law which would nullify up to 7,000 legitimate Ohio mail-in ballots received during the four-day grace period after election day.
LaRose can redeem himself by supporting Ohio voters and taking a bold step to speak out against the voter suppressive SAVE Act.
Richard Topper has been a trial attorney in Columbus for 45 years and is actively involved in voting rights efforts.
It is the season for salamanders!
Nicholas Gaye, a naturalist with Lake Metroparks, said Northeast Ohio is home to about 15 species of salamander, each with their own habitat. But one of these species, the mole salamander, has a habitat unlike the others.
“Most of their time they’re spending is actually underneath the ground,” Gaye said.
Mole salamanders emerge once a year during the transition from winter to spring. This yearly migration was the delight of Lake County nature enthusiasts Saturday at the Penitentiary Glen Reservation, where nationalists shared facts about these elusive amphibians, pointing them out and guiding families along the trail.
Lake Metroparks
During these migrations, the salamanders trek to the surface in search of vernal pools, bodies of water that fill with rain and melted snow but dry in the summer and lack fish, the predators of salamander eggs.
Then, after four to eight weeks of development, the baby salamanders will emerge and spend a year or three in that vernal pool until they can survive on land.
If you missed it, don’t worry, because Gaye said the migration typically lasts for a week or two at the beginning of the season, and he expects further opportunities for viewing depending on the temperature. Mole salamanders require moist conditions to travel, so look for rainy and warm nights.
Additionally, he expects that another species, the marble salamander, will undergo its annual migration in the fall.
If you plan to join the hunt, however, Gaye asks for caution.
“As humans, we are stewards to our environment,” he said. “And it’s really important that, when we get out there to enjoy these amazing opportunities, that we’re being respectful and caring towards the critters that we’re coming across.”
Nicole Chaps Wyman
Salamanders are slow-moving, so Gaye said observers should bring a flashlight to avoid stepping on them. Then, if you intend to touch them, he said to avoid anything on your hands that contains heavy metals, such as scented lotions, sunscreen, bug spray, or other products.
“Salamander skin is semi-permeable, meaning things can get through it easily and, if those heavy metals get through, they can really hurt the salamanders,” Gaye said.
Wet hands are also encouraged, as is limited exposure to what, at the end of the day, is considered a wild animal.
Lake Metroparks also has a salamander migration email list, which you can sign up for on their website.
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Is the Christian thing to do to turn a blind eye to this tragedy? Would it be to advocate for more money towards a system that is already flush with cash?
The Center for Christian Virtue, or CCV, is Ohio’s largest Christian public policy group.
The Center for Christian Virtue, or CCV, is Ohio’s largest Christian public policy group.
Aaron Baer is president of the Center for Christian Virtue.
Parents deserve options, competition and constitutional clarity — not fearmongering.
A February Dispatch guest column by teachers’ union gadfly William Phillis criticizing the Center for Christian Virtue is a case study in how teachers’ unions attempt to distract and divert the public’s attention away from the education crisis facing Ohio.
Tracking Phillis’ rants can be difficult. But in his piece, he manages to attack the Center for Christian Virtue for advocating for parental choice, goes on a rambling pseudo-legal argument about the First Amendment, and ends with a complete butchering of Jesus’ words.
What his column never does is address the plight of Ohio’s kids in a failing education system created by the teachers’ unions. Because for Phillis and his friends, this discussion is not about the kids — it’s about protecting their monopoly and the billions of dollars that flow through their system.
The numbers don’t add up
This system needs reform from the ground up. And that’s what Center for Christian Virtues’ work is all about.
At its core, CCV’s education agenda is about expanding opportunity, strengthening parental authority and ensuring more families can access schools that meet their children’s needs.
Through our advocacy for EdChoice and other scholarship pathways, CCV has helped broaden access to nonpublic education for families who previously had few realistic options.
Critics like Phillis describe this as “diverting” public funds. The numbers tell a different story.
The combined cash reserves of Ohio’s school districts now exceed $10.5 billion, nearly triple what they were just 12 years ago. Yet three out of five Ohio fourth graders are not proficient in math and two out of three struggle with reading, according to the National Center for Education Statistics’ latest report.
Columbus City Schools tells the same story.
In fiscal year 2019, the district enrolled 48,927 students, spent $21,336 per pupil, and ended the year with a $229 million cash balance. By 2025, enrollment had dropped nearly 10% to 43,998. Yet per-pupil revenue rose 8% to $23,166, and cash reserves grew 62% to $372 million.
Despite higher funding and larger reserves, academic outcomes remain troubling: Just 25% of Columbus City Schools eighth graders are proficient in reading, and only 23% are proficient in math.
Simply pouring more money into underperforming public schools and into the political priorities of teachers’ unions has not produced the academic gains families were promised.
We must stop blindly throwing money away
That’s why the Center for Christian Virtues advocates for expanding educational options and fostering healthy competition among schools. This isn’t abolishing the public schools, this is challenging the public schools to meet the needs of families today, instead of just blindly throwing money after the problem.
Phillis also falsely raises alarms about the separation of church and state. But the constitutional framework governing school choice is well established.
The U.S. Supreme Court made clear in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris that Ohio’s school voucher program is constitutional and that scholarship programs driven by private parental choice do not violate the First Amendment.
More broadly, Center for Christian Virtues’ education advocacy extends beyond vouchers. Through the Ohio Christian Education Network, we help communities launch new schools where demand is strong and equip educators with operational support to serve families seeking alternatives.
We also protect the religious liberty of Christian schools while expanding access to Gospel-centered education for Ohio families who choose it.
Yet what Phillis gets most wrong is his use of scripture to try to silence Center for Christian Virtues and our Ohio Christian Education Network.
We cannot stay silent
Jesus commands his followers to “love our neighbors as ourselves,” and to care for the “least of these.”
So, as Christians, when we see a generation of American children suffering at the hands of an education establishment that is getting more money than ever and producing worse results, we cannot stay silent.
Research from neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath revealed that Generation Z is the first generation in American history to perform worse academically than the previous generation.
Is the Christian thing to do to turn a blind eye to this tragedy? Would it be to advocate for more money towards a system that is already flush with cash?
No. As Christians, we serve a God who cares for the “orphan, the widow, the stranger.” He loves those forgotten about by society. And there are few more overlooked today than the kids in our schools who are being starved of the educational opportunity our state has promised to provide them.
Phillis seems upset that Center for Christian Virtues is growing and having success helping families find better schools. While he continues to call us names and criticize our work, we’ll stay focused on helping kids.
It’s what Jesus would have us do.
Aaron Baer is president of the Center for Christian Virtue.
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