July 28, 2019

Michigan to Democrats: Tariffs hurt, but we aren't sold on Medicare for all

The majority of Michigan residents say tariffs are bad for the state economy, climate change is a threat to the Great Lakes and the nation needs better border security.

They also are not sold on the idea of free Medicare for every American, are split on taxpayer-funded college tuition and a high percentage say President Donald Trump is the most important issue facing the nation.

The findings are part of a new statewide poll released Thursday by Detroit Regional Chamber to highlight which top issues to Michigan voters in advance of the 2020 presidential Democratic debates at the Fox Theatre in Detroit on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Michigan is going to be a key state in next year’s election, so we believe it is important the candidates understand how Michigan residents feel on the issues,” said Sandy Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber.

Read more: https://www.bridgemi.com/quality-life/michigan-democrats-tariffs-hurt-we-arent-sold-medicare-all

July 28, 2019

R.I. man gets prison for scamming political contributors, including Ohio couple who gave $1.3M

Rhode Island man gets prison for scamming political contributors, including Ohio couple who gave $1.3m


COLUMBUS, Ohio — A former Rhode Island congressional candidate is headed to prison for scamming donors to his political action committees, including an Ohio couple who gave $1.3 million, that he mostly used to fund his own lifestyle.

A federal judge in Rhode Island on Wednesday sentenced H. Russell Taub to three years in prison, court records show, and ordered him to pay $1.1 million in restitution to his victims.

Taub pleaded guilty to wire fraud and election law violations earlier this year after prosecutors said he misused about $1 million of the $1.6 million he raised for two Super PACs he founded called Keeping America in Republican Control and Keeping Ohio in Republican Control.

He spent the money he misused on things including travel, clothing, cigars, restaurants, escort services and adult entertainment, prosecutors have said.

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/open/2019/07/rhode-island-man-gets-prison-for-scamming-political-contributors-including-ohio-couple-who-gave-13m.html

July 28, 2019

Public workers' comp premiums in Ohio likely to be slashed again

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Workers’ compensation premium rates paid by public employers in Ohio would drop an average of 10 percent next year, under a proposal discussed Thursday by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.

The proposed rate reductions, which would save Ohio’s 3,700 school district and local governments a total of $17.8 million, would be the 11th such reduction the BWC has made since 2009, according to a BWC release.

The rate cut will likely be approved during the BWC board’s Aug. 23 meeting.

Chris Carlson, the BWC’s chief actuarial officer, said in a release that the reduction was made possible by a number of factors, including declining claims and comparatively low medical inflation costs.

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/open/2019/07/public-workers-comp-premiums-in-ohio-likely-to-be-slashed-again.html

July 28, 2019

Ohio village sued for installing traffic cameras after ODOT said 'no'

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Four Ohioans are suing a Southwest Ohio village for installing two traffic cameras along a federal highway that runs through the community – even after the Ohio Department of Transportation told officials in two letters they were not to do so.

The four people all received tickets from the village of New Richmond, along the Ohio River in Clermont County. They’re being represented by Marc Dann, a Cleveland attorney who is a former Ohio attorney general.

Since the highway, U.S. 52, is managed by the Ohio Department of Transportation, the suit states that the village needed to clear the cameras with the state.

ODOT sent a letter to the village in July 2018, as the ordinance to install the cameras was under review, and then another letter in September, 2018, after it was adopted, informing New Richmond that the state would not grant permits for the cameras.

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/open/2019/07/ohio-village-sued-for-installing-traffic-cameras-after-odot-said-no.html

July 28, 2019

What were they thinking? Did Ohio lawmakers really think we'd stand by while they gave a huge secret

What were they thinking? Did Ohio lawmakers really think we’d stand by while they gave a huge secret tax break to the wealthy residents of Hunting Valley


Sometimes the people we elect to hold state office can boggle the mind with their secret dealings, but the Ohio Legislature did what you might think is unthinkable when they tried to secretly give a huge tax break to residents of wealthy Hunting Valley in Cuyahoga County.

Rather than have a public debate about whether Hunting Valley pays a disproportionate share of the taxes in the Orange School district, legislators bent to the will of lobbyists and worked out a secret deal in the budget bill at the last minute to cap those taxes.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine saw the unfairness of the situation and vetoed it, preserving the taxes for the school district and helping put some sunshine on a deal made in the shadows.

A discussion about the decision to make the rich richer in Hunting Valley leads off the the latest episode of This Week in the CLE, with panelists wondering what Sen. Matt Dolan was thinking when he participated in this scheme. You can listen to the conversation or read a transcript below.

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/07/what-were-they-thinking-did-ohio-lawmakers-really-think-wed-stand-by-while-they-gave-a-huge-secret-tax-break-to-the-wealthy-residents-of-hunting-valley-this-week-in-the-cle.html

July 28, 2019

As Steve Chabot's fundraising lags, are Republicans sending a message to long-time Congressman that

As Steve Chabot's fundraising lags, are Republicans sending a message to long-time Congressman that it's time to retire?



Democrats are no longer alone in calling for long-time Congressman Steve Chabot to retire.

It appears that message is now coming from inside his own party, evidenced by Chabot's lackluster second-quarter fundraising numbers.

The Westwood conservative only raised $192,153 in the quarter ending June 30, lagging behind most of his Republican peers who are running in competitive districts in 2020.

Democrats Kate Schroder of Clifton and Nikki Foster of Mason recently launched campaigns to set up a March primary in Ohio's 1st Congressional District. Schroder raised more than $150,000 in her first week on the campaign, a sign the rookie candidate has a lot of momentum.

Read more: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/columnists/politics-extra/2019/07/26/2020-election-republicans-tired-congressman-steve-chabot/1820522001/

July 28, 2019

Cincinnati area had 24 overdoses in 24 hours

The greater Cincinnati area had 24 overdose calls and seven hospitalizations on Friday.

The discrepancy between the number of overdose calls and people who are hospitalized may be because many who are revived choose not to go to the hospital.

Tom Synan, Newton police chief and a member the Hamilton County Heroin Coalition, said the coalition is aware of the increase and will continue to monitor the numbers. No emergency alert has been issued.

Many areas of Ohio have been experiencing overdoses surges since about April. Spikes often occur on weekends, and Synan says it's because of fentanyl.

Read more: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/07/27/cincinnati-area-had-24-overdoses-24-hours/1846992001/

July 28, 2019

Former Speaker Boehner joins fight to save pensions for 1.3 million retirees

WASHINGTON — Former House Speaker John Boehner is getting involved in the fight to save the pensions of nearly 1.3 million retirees.

Boehner, a former local congressman who retired in 2015, said Wednesday that he and former House Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley will lead the Retirement Security Coalition, which is billed as “a diverse group of employers, labor unions and policy experts dedicated to finding a common ground solution to the crisis.” The coalition includes UPS, the United Association of Plumber and Fitters and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The plan is straightforward: Boehner and Crowley plan to make as much noise as possible to raise awareness of the plight of retirees in endangered multiemployer benefit plans.

About 10 million people participate in multiemployer pension plans, which enable groups of employers to pool their retirement resources. But about 120 plans covering 1.3 million workers are expected to become insolvent over the next two decades, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which assists endangered and failed pension plans, is expected to run out of money by 2025, which means there will be no backup for those whose pension plans go bankrupt.

Read more: https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/former-speaker-boehner-joins-fight-save-pensions-for-million-retirees/UGgCyBrmL0LrCcHE5fVPLJ/

So a sudden fit of consciousness has hit Speaker Boehner as he smokes and drinks himself to the graveyard?

July 28, 2019

Tornado-damaged motel on I-75 in Harrison Township plans repairs, neighbors want it closed

The owner of the Liberty Motel — a longtime hot-spot for police activity visible from Interstate 75 in Harrison Twp. — said he plans to rebuild after tornado damage, despite the wishes of local officials and many of the motel’s neighbors.

Part of the building was damaged during the Memorial Day tornado outbreak. Roof damage and more rendered 10 of the motel’s rooms inoperable. A lack of water and electricity to the rest of the facility closed the motel for about two weeks.

Electricity and water have been restored, owner Balbir Jassal said, and the motel is renting out the approximately 40 rooms that remain structurally sound. He has applied for a building permit to repair the rest of the rooms soon.

Jassal said he’s received $40,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will apply for more assistance to cover the $110,000 damage the motel sustained. FEMA is unable to verify or comment on how much money an individual received.

Read more: https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local-govt--politics/tornado-damaged-motel-plans-repairs-neighbors-want-closed/eJK4nCbXOEJCjhTwJcACYP/

July 28, 2019

Discovering An-Ex KKK Member in My Childhood Hometown of Solon

There are, apparently, logistics to consider when burning crosses, especially when burning them on seven separate black and Jewish families' lawns in one night.

"You don't just have crosses lying around, see," says Tim, a 68-year-old man from Solon. "You got to build the crosses, put the wood together, keep off your fingerprints, get the chemicals ... . You get chlorine and brake fluid, put them in a sock, mix them just right. If one guy screws up and the cross doesn't burn, it makes everyone look stupid. So we had cross-burning classes for that."

Tim knows because he was there that night in Florida in 1984, four years after he first pulled on the white hood and became a high-ranking Ku Klux Klan member. A year later, he would be indicted for plotting to blow up property owned by blacks and Jews, terroristic intentions in violation of the Florida Anti-Paramilitary Act.

Tim lights a cigarette. It's 25 years later, in 2019. We're sitting in his modest, white-painted home off Aurora Road. The flame illuminates his piercing blue eyes. A tuft of white hair shoots from his nose like a dragon's breath.

Read more: https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/discovering-an-ex-kkk-member-in-my-childhood-hometown-of-solon/Content?oid=30973699