CLEVELAND, Ohio - U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno said on the Senate floor that a Toledo man had shown up at his family’s home and said he wanted to kill Moreno. But that’s not what a police report showed.
We’re talking about the lie on Today in Ohio.
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.
Here’s what we’re asking about today:
We were suspicious of Bernie Moreno’s claim last week that someone showed up at his house from Toledo and threatened to kill him. Moreno made the claim in his hypocritical push for a bill to protect police while refusing to address Donald Trump’s pardoning of people who beat police senseless. Turns out our suspicions were justified. What’s the story?
We roasted Ohio lawmakers for even considering a cut in the sports betting tax yesterday, but we want to point out that it would not apply to all sports betting. Who would get the tax break from the Legislature under the proposal?
How are Ohio lawmakers trying to make a play for Superman, and why might it take until 2033 to be successful?
Most people know that the Ohio Legislature has been on a slow road to abolishing the state income tax, but if that’s to happen, it will take years. What’s the immediate proposal to abolish a single form of the income tax?
The Cleveland Clinic has taken a beating for its incredibly cruel new policy of sending people home without seeing their doctor if they don’t have their insurance copay. Did things get any better when they appeared before a Cleveland City Council caucus to explain?
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is Cleveland’s unique museum, and it’s undergoing a pricy expansion. We took a look at where things stand. How is the project going so far?
Monday night was looking to be an explosive night in Cleveland Heights, as protesting residents and City Council dealt with the revelations of antisemitic messages by the mayor’s wife on city communications channels. What happened?
ODOT ‘s uncoordinated road construction in Northeast Ohio is making it increasingly difficult to get just about anywhere. What’s the crazy stuff they announced this week that will further block all sorts of basic routes?
This is the week heading into the kickoff to summer, Memorial Day weekend. But Memorial Day is about more than backyard barbecues. It’s a remembrance of service men and women who died for our freedoms. We mark that in cemeteries throughout the region. How many flags are placed on gravesites in Cuyahoga County each year for Memorial Day?
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Read the automated transcript below. Because it’s a computer-generated transcript, it contains many errors and misspellings.
Chris Quinn (00:01.212)
Such an eclectic mix of news to talk about today. Everything from Bernie Moreno to Superman. It’s Today in Ohio, the news podcast discussion from cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer. I’m Chris Quinn here with Layla Tassi, Lisa Garvin, and poor Laura Johnston sticking in here, even though she has a pretty bad cold, as you will hear from her voice. Layla, we were suspicious of Bernie Moreno’s claim last week that somebody showed up at his house.
from Toledo and threatened to kill him. Moreno made the claim in his hypocritical push for a bill to protect police while refusing to address Donald Trump’s pardoning of people who beat police senseless. Turns out our suspicions were justified. What’s the story here?
Leila (00:48.671)
Yeah, Moreno’s story about this guy doesn’t really hold up. Westlake police have said that the man never made any threats. There weren’t any weapons present. There was no violence. Just a few weird visits to Moreno’s home and a lot of cryptic talk about having important information to share with Moreno. He even wrote this handwritten note saying he had no secure way to communicate and wanted a face-to-face meeting.
Cops thought this guy might have some mental health issues, but they were clear in saying they don’t have any indications that he threatened to kill anybody. And they didn’t even release his name because he was never charged. So when asked about the discrepancy, Moreno’s team lashed out at us, accusing the plane dealer and Cleveland.com of defending a psychopath. And this is just kind of classic deflection, this hype up.
the scary story to score some political points and when the facts don’t match just blame the press for telling the truth.
Chris Quinn (01:48.19)
Yeah, exactly. mean, look, we didn’t say a guy showed up at his house and tried to kill him. Moreno said that we doing our duty like, wow, our US Senator was under threat. Let’s find out the story is nobody threatened to kill him. That’s a lie. Bernie Moreno lied. Our duty is to the truth. And he’s got a little bit of a history of portraying himself as a victim like this. A couple years back when we were talking about his candidacy,
I think was the first time he was running for the Senate. I pointed out that he is telling lies in service to his master, Donald Trump, and that that’s a dangerous way to go. That’s what people in Germany did heading into the terrible years before World War II. He actually accused us of calling him a Nazi and said that he had a higher security at his home to protect him and his family.
because of that, is preposterous. Lots of people have been talking about the fascist nature of our government. It doesn’t mean you’re under any kind of threat. And since then, Bernie Moreno has basically called people Nazis. So we can see that it’s not really a true thing. So we were suspicious because I just don’t believe him. He tells lies. This was a flat out lie. And because we’re calling out the truth, he attacks us. That’s that’s our senator. The other thing we should mention
This guy was trying to reach him and clearly had some mental health issues. He tried three times and showing up at your door. That’s creepy. I mean, that’s a legitimate reason to be concerned. And if he had just said that, that would have been fine. But there are a whole lot of people that can’t reach Bernie Moreno. I hear from them every single day. I’m trying and trying and trying to get through to Bernie Moreno. He never responds. I just get his canned letters. So I’m not surprised that somebody frustrated by the complete
Leila (03:29.835)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (03:43.162)
invisibility and inaccessibility of this senator would show up at his house.
Leila (03:48.233)
Yeah. And look, I get why Moreno and his family felt unnerved by this. I would be alarmed too if someone I didn’t know kept showing up unannounced at my house, especially from hours away and saying that they had sensitive information and wouldn’t leave. But that’s very unsettling. And I don’t blame them one bit for calling the police. But there’s a big difference between feeling threatened and claiming someone was there to kill you.
Especially when you’re a sitting US senator using that claim to push legislation. Words matter. And in this case, Moreno really crossed a line from reasonable concern into some very dangerous political theater.
Chris Quinn (04:15.71)
Or exactly.
Chris Quinn (04:32.175)
Lies. That’s what it is. It’s a lie. Bernie, you want to avoid this kind of thing? Tell the truth. It’s what you should be doing anyway. You’re listening to Tatana in Ohio. We roasted Ohio lawmakers yesterday for even considering a cut in the sports betting tax, but we want to point out that it would not apply to all sports betting. Laura, who would get the tax break from the legislature under this proposal?
Laura (04:57.166)
It’s just the brick and mortar sports books, which are getting a very small piece of the pie when it comes to all of the gambling money that in 2024, Ohio sports books took in eight point nine billion dollars worth of bets. That is a huge number. But the 18 in-person betting lounges, which remember there was all sorts of scrapping over who was going to get these licenses because it seemed like a sure bet deal. And a lot of the casinos wanted them. The Major League sports wanted them.
They only generated $205 million. So nothing to sneeze at. OK, like I said, nothing to sneeze at, but a very small percentage. And that’s what they’re talking about in Nathan Manning’s bill, Senate Bill 197 that was introduced last week. He’s a Republican from North Ridgeville. And he’s saying that we could drop the percentage of the taxes from 20%, which is across the board right now, to 10 % just for those.
Chris Quinn (05:30.366)
Only, only $205 million.
Laura (05:55.916)
and then it wouldn’t affect all the betting on the phone for things like FanDuel and DraftKings. He’s not standing up and saying, hey, I think we should double it, like Mike DeWine’s saying, but this is a portion.
Chris Quinn (06:07.314)
Look, you have to consider what this is. This is a step that could result in everybody getting the 10 % tax. What I’m bothered by with this is that the way they’re playing with tax policy in some kind of social engineering. There are lots of industries that are hurting, right? There’s plenty of, because of our legislature.
that don’t get a break. Our marijuana distributors, our dispensaries, are still dealing with much higher prices than people in Michigan have. So if our legislature wanted to help these small business people out, they could wipe out the taxes for them so that they could compete with Michigan. They don’t do that. Who do they give the break to? The sports betting companies. It’s a statement. They’re not helping out other mom and pop shops. They’re not helping out auto dealers.
that are going to be dealing with tariffs, they’ve chosen a break for sports betting companies. And I’d argue it’s a step to drop in the tax down because the sports betting companies have enormous amounts of money and you’re trying to buy them. So no usual thing they’re doing here. It doesn’t pass the sniff test. And I question everything about it.
Laura (07:13.005)
Right.
Laura (07:19.842)
Because then you could say, it’s not fair. And it’s a fairness issue, It’s a half step down. And then you say, well, we should be fair and we should be uniform. And these are not really small businesses, like I said. These are bigger companies that did this as an offshoot.
Chris Quinn (07:24.443)
Exactly.
Chris Quinn (07:31.163)
Exactly.
Chris Quinn (07:39.134)
Look, Mike DeWine is trying to double that tax to 40%, which we should do. It’s the no brainer of no brainers. For our guy in the legislature to say, I want to cut it for even part of them, it stinks. It stinks to the high heavens. It ought to be looked at really closely. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Speaking of Ohio lawmakers, Lisa, how are they trying to make a play for Superman? And why might it take until 2033 to be successful?
Laura (07:42.711)
Right.
Lisa (08:07.419)
So House Bill 270 was introduced by Cleveland Democrat Terrence Upchurch and Lebanon Republican Adam Matthews. They want to highlight Ohio’s connection over and above other states making claims to Superman. So for instance, in Illinois, they have recognized Metropolis, which is a city in southern Illinois, as the official hometown of Superman. They also have a museum, they have a Superman statue, and they have an annual festival.
In Kansas, Superman is in their hall of fame, although it’s kind of a tenuous connection. They say it’s due to his growing up in the fictional town of Smallville. So Matthew says the gift that Superman is as a fourth for truth, justice in the American way could not be any more Ohio. If we do make it official, it won’t be official until Superman enters the public domain in 2033.
Chris Quinn (09:01.414)
It’s a fascinating argument that other states are trying to make this play because clearly Superman is Cleveland. He was invented in Cleveland. Thank heavens the new movie is shot in Cleveland because it hammers home that Superman is Cleveland. No other state should be making a claim on this. And it’s just interesting how the legislature is trying to play and say, wait a minute, wait a minute. He was born here, man. The house is still
Lisa (09:08.676)
Right?
Chris Quinn (09:27.826)
Got a monument in front of it. Everything about it is Cleveland.
Lisa (09:27.994)
Right?
Lisa (09:31.609)
Right. And we have a statue too. So, you know, there you have it. But Matthews did bring it up that we had a similar battle with North Carolina over ownership of the Wright brothers. he, you know, Matthews went on to say, well, you know, Ohio is the first place for flight, both airplanes and superheroes. I mean, with all the crazy stuff going on in the legislature, this is a little spot of brightness, I think.
Chris Quinn (09:56.53)
Yeah, and on the Wright brothers, there is a difference. I the plane did fly in Kitty Hawk. So you could say North Carolina has a legitimate claim to it. That’s where the flight took off, even though they were Ohioans through and through. they’re, what, a fictional town becomes the claim? Although I guess we got the Christmas story house and that’s not set in Cleveland. You’re listening to Today in Ohio.
Lisa (10:02.575)
Mm-hmm
Lisa (10:12.438)
Right. Right.
Chris Quinn (10:20.668)
Most people know that the Ohio legislature has been on a slow road to abolishing the state income tax. But if that’s to happen, it will take years because they have to figure out where the money’s coming from. Lela, what’s the immediate proposal to abolish a single form of the income tax?
Leila (10:37.451)
And this proposal is House Bill 209, and it would eliminate the state income tax just on tips. Republican State Representative Brian Lorenz is behind it, and he says that this is personal for him. He put himself through college, bartending, and waiting tables, so he knows how much service workers depend on tips to make ends meet. And his pitch is pretty simple. He says, let people keep more of what they earn and trust them to spend it back in the economy.
This Ohio bill echoes a federal push by Republicans in Congress to fulfill a Trump campaign promise to stop taxing tips nationwide. But there are some warnings that come with this. The Brookings Institute says that exempting tips from taxes could shrink Social Security benefits in the long run for those folks and maybe even open the door to broader tax avoidance schemes. If tips get special treatment, what’s to stop people from trying to reclassify other kinds of income the same way?
So for now, the bill hasn’t drawn any official opposition, but it’ll get its first hearing this week. So we’ll see if it picks up steam.
Chris Quinn (11:40.872)
I love the argument that let them keep their money so that they pump it back into the economy. You could say that about everybody. There’s nothing special about tips. I get why the tips get a focus because people who make money off of tips are usually at lower income scales, not all of them, but lower income scales. And so you’re trying to give them a break. But it is scary to me that we’re going to take the property tax approach where we create all sorts of exemptions and social engineering to
to the income taxes. I just don’t buy that this is the end. I think it’s a slippery slope. What’s to stop them from deciding, we want more people to go into the clergy, so the clergy don’t have to pay income taxes, or we want private school teachers because they don’t have unions to represent them. We want them to get paid that’s equal to public school teachers, so we’re gonna wipe out income taxes for private school teachers, part of their drive that they’ve been on to kill public education.
Leila (12:16.011)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (12:39.218)
I think once you do this, it opens the door to any culture war kind of thing, and it gets away from what’s fair. Ultimately, do they work on a way to make Democrats pay income taxes and not Republicans because Republicans vote for them? It’s a frightening thing because generally, taxes are for all and the way you adjust it for lower income is with tax brackets. So lower income people pay smaller percentages.
This is worrisome, not because of who they’re trying to help, but because we don’t trust these folks at all and you wonder what the next step is, right?
Leila (13:15.325)
Yeah, I mean, this might sound super cynical, but I’m sitting here trying to figure out what’s in it for the Republicans who are pushing this. Because, mean, honestly, this party, when do they ever do anything just to help the working class? So there’s got to be a catch here. And I feel like it’s possible that this starts with service workers, but then quietly paves the way for wealthier people to start labeling chunks of their income as tips or bonuses that avoid taxes.
Chris Quinn (13:22.757)
Hahaha.
Chris Quinn (13:42.649)
Exactly. Good point.
Leila (13:43.487)
I mean, that’s what the Brookings folks are warning about. You open this loophole and it won’t be long before the people who know how to game the tax code find a way to cash in on it. So yeah, it sounds great for workers now, but who does it really end up helping down the line? my bet is it’s not the guy bussing tables. So I say no to this. I think we should just let it be. Workers in industries that depend on tips I know have already figured out their own loopholes to keep more of the money they’ve earned.
Truly, if you want to fix what’s broken here, we should force business owners to pay their workers fairly, pay them a living wage so they don’t have to depend on tips. And that problem solved, right?
Chris Quinn (14:25.35)
Yeah, I’m right with you.
Lisa (14:26.093)
And then food would be so expensive that you wouldn’t be able to afford it. So, I mean, and also when I was a waitress, you know, I was tipping cash because they don’t really have to claim that. They have to claim everything that’s on a credit card or any sort of electronic payment. But if you get paid in cash, you don’t have to tell them how much you made in cash. Yeah, but, but they don’t.
Chris Quinn (14:45.01)
Well, you’re supposed to the loss as you do. They just don’t. mean, you can’t, it’s not like you’re, if they, get caught, it’s, well, it’s cash. You’re Scott free. You’re supposed to pay taxes on any income you receive. Interesting.
Leila (14:48.096)
right.
Leila (14:58.281)
But I’ve noticed also that like the dog groomer, the hair salon, there’s a sign out there that says, prefer Venmo over using the credit card. And I asked my hairdresser recently, is that because you are responsible for paying any sort of like credit card fee when I add the tip to that? And she kind of looked at me and was just like, actually, no, it’s a tax reason. We have to pay income taxes when you put it on the card.
Lisa (15:02.587)
Mm-hmm.
Lisa (15:07.195)
Hmm.
Leila (15:27.071)
I’m like, know intellectually that you have to pay income taxes either way, but you’re saying you don’t when it’s on Venmo. So I think Venmo operates a little like cash, just like Lisa explained.
Laura (15:39.278)
But I’m with Layla in that I feel like anywhere you go, if you’re picking up fast food or wherever you are, you’re paying for something and then they’re asking for a tip, even if they didn’t provide a specific service. And I don’t think that’s really fair to the consumer and people should be paid a living wage. because it’s just everywhere now.
Leila (15:58.591)
Yeah. And I honestly think the Republicans have figured out that this is a loophole they can exploit if they wrap it up in the disguise of helping the working class.
Chris Quinn (16:09.31)
Yeah, I think you’re right about the bonuses. There are a lot of very wealthy people who get gigantic bonuses outside of their salary. And this would be a step to exempting that from the income tax. Look, it’s dangerous. I hate the way property taxes have been gained. There’s so many different exemptions for property taxes that the people that don’t have any of them pay an outside share of the property taxes because everybody gets a break. And once you start doing that with income taxes, you create unfairness all around.
You’re listening to Today in Ohio. The Cleveland Clinic has taken a beating for its incredibly cruel new policy of sending people home without seeing their doctor if they don’t have their insurance co-pay. Laura, did things get any better when they appeared before a Cleveland City Council caucus to try to explain themselves?
Laura (16:59.438)
Not much. I mean, they got to put forth their version of why they are charging people saying, we need this because only half of copays are getting paid and we need to be able to operate. But what really hinged for me was when the community officer told city council, we are a business, our margins are small, and we’re trying to do the best we can to be lean. And automatically my brain said, you are not a business.
You are a nonprofit. And when they send you entreaties in the mail asking you to donate, it’s coming from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, not something that says we’re a business incorporated. And so they kind of got lambasted here.
Chris Quinn (17:39.386)
I had the exact same thought you did. We’re a business. No, you’re not. If you were a business, you’d pay property taxes. If you were a business, you wouldn’t have to do all these community benefits you claim, but don’t really do. They, to sit up there and say we’re a business was mind boggling because they’re, they’re not. And if I were the IRS, I’d be saying, you’re a business. And if I were beachwood and all the suburbs that have them in their borders, I’d be going,
Laura (17:43.468)
Right! Yes!
Chris Quinn (18:06.11)
You’ve been arguing before the IRS, you’re not a business. You said you’re a business. Okay, we want our property taxes. Look, what they’re doing, I get it that they’re trying to balance their books. I get it that they deal with a lot of patients that are hard up. This isn’t the way. You don’t send people home who need help. You help them and figure out a way to get paid. You work with them. You have a finance office. You put together payment plans. But this is cruel and they deserve the beating they’re taking.
Richard Starr, the councilman, wore a shirt that said what? Who’s getting fired, right? That’s his... Yeah, and...
Laura (18:38.638)
It says who’s getting fired. Signature. It has it has.
Leila (18:42.539)
That t-shirt has gotten a lot of use. He pulls that out all the time on controversial issues. I love it.
Chris Quinn (18:48.946)
Yeah.
Laura (18:49.25)
Yeah, the thing is, they can say, this is just for primary care visits. It’s not for surgeries. It’s not for emergencies. But we are trying to get people to go to the doctor for primary care visits so that things do not turn into emergencies. We are trying to educate people that if you treat an issue earlier, it’s going to cost less for all of us. If you’re making people wait till it’s an emergency, obviously their health is suffering, but it also costs all of us a lot more money in health care.
costs. So this is such a block for people getting the care that they need that’s good for them, good for the Cleveland Clinic system, and good for all of us who pay insurance.
Chris Quinn (19:31.006)
The bad luck award though does go to the clinic because they went into the caucus immediately following a discussion of how poverty-stricken we are and how many people who have full-time jobs can’t make ends meet. So, council’s listening to how many of their residents are hard up and then the wealthy Cleveland Clinic comes in and it’s draconian measures. So, not the best timing.
Laura (19:39.5)
Right.
Laura (19:53.024)
Right. And then tries to say it’s a business and, by the way, the loan report, which we’ve talked about on this podcast, which ranks the clinic the worst in the state for giving back, just is not really right because they don’t include key research and Medicare shortfalls that the IRS considers charitable. So, yeah, they’re trying to bend all sorts of things here. Right.
Chris Quinn (20:04.143)
Yeah, right.
Chris Quinn (20:10.46)
Yeah.
They want to draw their own report card. Here’s the things we’re good at. This is what we should be rated on. Doesn’t work that way. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is Cleveland’s unique museum and it’s undergoing a pricey expansion. Lisa, we took a look at where things stand. How is the project going so far?
Laura (20:20.48)
Right.
Lisa (20:35.363)
Well, they’re about halfway through their $175 million expansion to become the new front door for the North Coast Harbor downtown. So an indoor concert hall is underway. You can see it rising just north of the rock hall. It’s going to be a 60 foot high dome shaped structure that will have concerts.
They’re also redoing the space between the Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center. And that’s going to form a new waterfront gateway, both indoors and out. And there will be kind of a plaza there. All of this will be connected and covered with a big triangular roof. So this...
This waterfront gateway, there’s an outdoor way. They’re going to have a winding landscape path from the street to lake level and indoors, they’ll have a staircase and an atrium that will be open to the public without ticketing. So you can get in there without having to get into the rock hall. Both will lead to a 40,000 square foot waterfront park. This is on target to open next fall.
possibly next Labor Day, 2026, which is the Hall of Fame’s 30th anniversary. And then after all this is done, they’re gonna turn to renovating their existing space. They’re gonna be adding 50,000 square feet, including office areas and then more exhibition space.
Chris Quinn (21:52.37)
I think it’s the 31st anniversary. This year would be the 30th, I believe. It’s interesting to look at the photos of it now. It’s hard to envision what it’s going to look like when it’s done. But right now, looks like they’re building a nuclear cooling tower. But with the triangular roof, I’m sure it will be very dynamic. They’re taking great care to not interrupt the vision of IM Pei.
Lisa (21:56.291)
okay.
Lisa (22:05.723)
It does.
Lisa (22:15.481)
Yeah, and that’s what they were worried about. And you know, they said the triangle is still there and you can look at the conceptual and the photographs. There are conceptual drawings and photographs on cleveland.com to take a look at.
Chris Quinn (22:26.854)
You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Monday night was looking to be an explosive one in Cleveland Heights as protesting residents and city council dealt with the revelations that we brought forward of anti-Semitic messages by the mayor’s wife on city communications channels. Layla, what happened?
Leila (22:46.889)
Yeah, this was pretty tense, it seemed, and also very uncomfortable for Cleveland Heights Mayor Khalil Soren. The evening began with this protest outside with about 30 people calling for his resignation, and then a portion of those protesters attended the meeting afterward. And the mayor kept mostly quiet during their comments, saying he was there to listen and promising a fuller statement today.
But what he did here was pretty powerful. There was a chorus of residents demanding accountability with nearly a dozen calling on him to resign. Protesters showed up with signs and the message couldn’t have been more clear. That silence in the face of anti-Semitism is not an option. The accusations are really serious. The mayor’s wife, Natalie McDaniel, is accused of referring to the city’s planning commission chair, who is an Orthodox Jewish woman, as a broodmare destined for the glue factory. Another complaint says,
She called a resident a slur and accused city employees of appeasing the Orthodox Jewish community. These weren’t rumors that completely included text messages with McDaniel’s name attached. Council didn’t wait for Soren’s statement on this. They passed a resolution last night condemning anti-Semitism and warning that silence equals complicity. One council member even issued an apology on behalf of the city to the people that they say McDaniel targeted.
A city employee spoke out during the meeting saying she was done waiting for leadership. Another council member pointed out that previous whistleblowers were sidelined or placed on leave and warned that retaliation shouldn’t be the response to speaking out. So the political fallout is still unfolding, but clearly residents and leaders are drawing a line here. Cleveland Heights has built its identity around becoming...
being very welcoming and inclusive and many made it known that they’re not willing to watch that reputation be tarnished.
Chris Quinn (24:42.302)
Some years ago, I was on a city committee, going back way before the pandemic, where they were looking at should they remake the logo. And they did a survey of residents, really broad-based survey of residents. And one of the questions was, why do you live here or why are you proud to live here? And number one, all across every demographic is it’s welcoming and it’s diverse. It’s the soul of this place. And in the 29 years I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen
people unified on a single topic. Usually it’s the most divisive community ever. I don’t think he’d get anything done, but everybody’s unified here. It was clear since our story published that everybody is mortified and wants to stand against this. So the mayor is an idiot for showing up to say, I’m here to listen. People were there to hear him apologize, renounce what happened, explain what happened, and instead,
Leila (25:32.779)
Yeah.
Chris Quinn (25:41.47)
This clown walks in says, got nothing to say today. I’m here to listen. That’s not the way to go. I was a little bit surprised the council didn’t just condemn anti-Semitism. I that’s the easy one. Why didn’t they condemn him as a leader for not taking care of business? It’s this council, all of them, they need to go with it. There’s a big election in November, and I’m hoping the residents vote out every incumbent because they’re just not getting the job done.
I was astounded when I read this story saying, I’m here to listen? I’m here to listen? I can’t believe it.
Leila (26:17.333)
Right, right. When your community is in crisis like this, you don’t hide behind a press release the next day. You stand up, you speak plainly, you take accountability in the moment. And honestly, leaving the meeting early before the toughest conversations could happen face to face. I mean, you know that if he had lasted to the end of the meeting, he would have been flooded. Everyone would have come up to try to talk to him about the end.
Chris Quinn (26:24.315)
No!
Chris Quinn (26:32.719)
Yeah, right!
Leila (26:43.721)
He doesn’t want that, so he’s like, I got to bail at 930 before I can be accosted. That’s just weak, man. If you can’t look your constituents in the eye and answer for what’s happening in your own administration, then you’ve lost all their trust, and you’re done.
Chris Quinn (26:59.782)
Leadership is what you do in a crisis. It’s easy to lead during quiet times. was a night where he should have taken the reins and said whatever he said. Maybe it’s resigned. Maybe that’s the only path forward here. I don’t ever see him recovering in his political career. I think somebody said that. But you don’t show up and say, I’m here to live. Mind boggling. And we’ll get his statement today with, I’ll.
Leila (27:08.811)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (27:28.454)
The smart thing for him, that statement would be, resign. I don’t know, given his poor judgment so far, might not be that. He might try and defend himself. If he says, I’m waiting for an investigation before I say anything further, then it’s the complete cop out. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. ODOT’s uncoordinated road construction in Northeast Ohio is making it increasingly difficult to get just about anywhere.
Laura, what’s the crazy stuff they announced this week that will further block all sorts of basic routes for people?
Laura (28:02.528)
Yeah, this 10 interchanges in the county now or will soon have full or partial closings and they’re all over the place. so, yes, driving the highways around Northeast Ohio this summer, not going to be pleasant. So the latest ones they announced are additional work zones at the I-77 and I-480 interchange in Independence, which is a tricky intersection when there’s no construction going on there.
So there’s overnight lane closings from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. on I-77 North ramp to I-480 West. That lasts through Saturday. And on the I-77 South ramp to 480 East during the same hours, that’s through Thursday. And yeah, I drive 77 South a lot because I go see my family in Summit County. And coming up soon, the 490 ramp from 77 is gonna be closed. So I’ll have to take
480 to 176 and then that closure already exists right there with the steel yard Commons exit Which makes the traffic so much worse of people trying to go west on 90 so if you were trying to go south in any way from I mean, maybe 271 fine, but from the Central or western side of Cleveland like you’re gonna get stuck somewhere
Chris Quinn (29:04.496)
Yeah.
Chris Quinn (29:19.998)
You can’t get on the 71 from 90 you can’t get on to 77 from 480 It’s just everything is congealed and you would think they would plan this stuff out Okay, if we’re gonna do this, let’s make sure this side remains open and just the nightmare It’s and and what I thought was interesting is they put out the release yesterday saying those extra 480 77 intersection lanes were gonna be closed but then ten minutes later they put out another release. Okay, okay
one lane will be open. It’s like, do you know what you’re doing? Do you have any clue as to how this is going? It’s just, it’s a shock, man. It’s just a shock.
Lisa (29:58.006)
Yeah, but to be fair, they have a really short construction season. I mean, it’s not like you’re in Florida where you can do this all year round, so they kind of have to plan around the weather, so... Suck it up!
Chris Quinn (30:08.966)
I don’t buy it. I don’t buy it, Leesak, because they often put those barrels out in late September. You know, it’s like you think that this construction season’s ending and then all of a sudden barrels go up.
Laura (30:20.778)
Yeah, I feel like there is a good at least six months of, mean, more like eight months of construction season, but it does always feel worse in the summer when it’s hot outside and you can smell the tar and you’re cranking up your air conditioning sitting in traffic.
Chris Quinn (30:36.658)
Yeah, I just wish it were a little bit more coordinated to help people get from one side of town to the other.
Laura (30:42.296)
I don’t even think we have everything because we’re just concentrating on, you know, the big ones in Cuyahoga County. If you’re trying to get on 77 in Richfield from Wheatley Road, that’s closed. mean, it feels like everywhere you are. And I know we probably say this every year, but it’s just like this does feel worse than than the past summers.
Lisa (30:55.749)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (30:59.694)
Yeah, well, and they didn’t lay it out at the beginning. When they announced the original 487 stuff, they said, this is what we’re doing. There was no indication. and by the way, in a few more weeks, we’re going to come back and hammer you even more. I think the communication has been lacking and some of the coordination could be better. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. That’s it for the Tuesday episode. Thanks, Leila. Thanks, Lisa. Thanks, Laura. Thank you for being here. We’ll return Wednesday to talk about the news.