Welcome to the Sound of Ideas reporters roundtable.

I'm Stephanie Haney in for Mike McIntyre.

Thanks for being with us on the table today.

What's going on with us representative for Ohio Max Miller, who faces abuse allegations and calls from within his own party to step down and forgo seeking reelection this November.

We'll tell you what he's saying about his plans for the future.

More measles cases have been reported in Northeast Ohio will share where and what symptoms to watch out for.

The process of reviewing immigration status for Haitians previously living in the US with temporary protected status has begun.

We'll break down how the process is moving along, including a tracking system that's been put in place.

Ohio's sales tax holiday started this morning with exemptions on clothing and school supplies.

This year, you'll need to make those purchasing decisions a lot more quickly.

We'll explain why.

Plus, football is officially back and being celebrated this weekend in canton, and women's basketball made a big splash this week right here in Cleveland.

You'll hear that call shortly.

Joining me here today at the Idea Center we have environmental reporters.

Zaria Johnson Zaria welcome.

Good morning.

Also with us we have Kabir Bhatia, senior arts and culture reporter and host of our weekly arts and culture show.

Applause.

Kabir, welcome.

Hi.

Thanks for having me.

Calling in on video from Columbus.

We have Sarah Donaldson from the idea of Stream Statehou Hey.

Good morning.

If you want to share your thoughts with us, you can go ahead and email us at so-i at.

Or you can message us on Instagram at The Sound of Ideas.

First up on the table today, US House Democrats and Republicans are calling on representative Max Miller to step down from Congress and bow out of his reelection campaign.

This was related to domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife, Emily Marino, who is the daughter of Republican U.S.

Senator for Ohio Bernie Marino, and also former girlfriend Stephanie Grisham, who served as white House press secretary during President Donald Trump's term in office, his first term.

The House Ethics Committee has officially launched an investigation into the claims against Miller, which is something Miller not only welcomed but said he would file to initiate himself to, quote, clear his name, and he denies any wrongdoing.

Miller is running for reelection for Ohio's seventh congressional district, which covers parts of Cuyahoga and Holmes counties and all of Medina and Wayne counties, against Democratic challenger Brian Poindexter.

So, Sarah, at this time, Miller says he's staying in the race.

Tell us what's happening there.

Yes.

So I just checked Miller's social media feed in the last couple of minutes, and there are no updates there.

He has maintained that he plans to stay in the race.

No plans to resign.

He hasn't hinted that either.

And of course, there have been growing calls from Republicans, members of his own party, including starting to be in Ohio because Ohio Republicans had been kind of hesitant to call on him to resign.

But he's seeing more of those calls.

But he maintains that he's staying in the race.

And we do know that the deadline for him to make a decision on that, that might be contrary to what he's been saying already, if that's going to happen.

That has to happen sometime on Saturday.

The reason for that is the deadline for Ohio Republicans to replace him on the ballot is Monday at 4 p.m., but there's a 48 hour notice requirement.

So we will be watching closely for what happens with this on Saturday, a 48 hour notice requirement for those Republican leaders in those counties within his district in order to find a replacement for that.

Now, Sarah, has President Donald Trump commented on the matter?

He's been asked several times about what he thinks.

And so far, President Trump has called them allegations.

He said it's really a family matter, which is the way that a lot of other Republicans have been responding to it.

And of course, Max Miller went on CNN and did an interview with Jake Tapper.

He's been doing some national media interviews, and he said that Trump told him privately that his candidacy doesn't look good, which would be in line with polling that we've seen.

And of course, I'm always hesitant to rely on polls.

But in this case, Miller does look in some ways underwater.

Now, Emily Marino recently filed a restraining order in Cuyahoga County against Miller, accusing him of assaulting her attorney.

Can you tell us what Emily says in this filing?

Yeah.

So this is just the in the ongoing court battle between the two.

Of course, there have been tons and tons of filings, but Emily Moreno's affidavit said Miller had harassed, threatened and communicated directly with her attorney and her two previous attorneys and will continue to do so unless a court gets involved.

She's alleged that Miller actually put his hands on her attorney, and also made kind of disparaging claims about that person's fiancee.

So, you know, just a very bitter situation that's been going on.

We do know that Max Miller sued Emily for defamation prior to this restraining order.

She has filed to have that case dismissed, saying that it was retaliation or an attempt to silence her from speaking on a matter of the public record.

We also know that Miller previously sued his ex-girlfriend Grisham, for defamation that was related to her abuse allegations against him.

We know that he settled that lawsuit, but that has come up again because in conversations about what's happening with this child custody dispute, which is where we are seeing these abuse allegations come up again from Emily Moreno.

Miller allegedly violated the settlement that he had with Grisham by talking about the claims that she had made and saying that she was dishonest about those.

Both of those cases continue to play out.

Will certainly be keeping an eye on those now.

Meanwhile, Emily's father, Senator Bernie Moreno, also a Republican, has spoken out about the allegations against Miller for the first time, despite them being public for quite some time now, which is a criticism that Miller had of the timing.

Senator Moreno brought up a specific exchange related to his granddaughter, the child of Max Miller and Emily Moreno, and a blue bunny stuffed animal.

What can you tell us about that, Sarah?

Yeah, and I want to note that Senator Moreno weighed in for the first time, like you said on Sunday, and argued that the reason that he has been so quiet about it is that Emily Moreno, his daughter, encouraged him to stay quiet.

That, you know, this was a family matter until, quite frankly, Max Miller began to speak out more publicly about it because Moreno was responding to that video that Miller live streamed on X. But as for The Blue Bunny, this has been an ongoing conversation, essentially.

You know, Mother Jones looked into this, and I should note that Mother Jones has done some investigative reporting into Miller over the last month that I would say, has caused this renewed scrutiny of Miller.

They say that this Blue Bunny has just been that reporting, says that this blue bunny has just been an ongoing thing.

This child relies on the bunny, and Miller at times has kind of withheld the bunny as part of a broader pattern of controlling behavior.

At least those are the allegations.

And we should note that we did have Abby Vassals, who is the reporter with Mother Jones, who had published that investigation that is bringing up this renewed interest.

We had her on the sound of Ideas.

So if people are interested, they can hear that breakdown of that reporting.

Very thorough reporting.

Abby Work looked at 2000 public record documents, more than 2000 pages of documents.

Now, Miller says that Senator Moreno is not being honest about the exchange related to the Blue Bunny, says that Moreno is playing politics and discounted him speaking out now, as we said, saying that the senator was afraid Miller would reveal information about him, not clear what he was referring to there.

I want to share an email now as we bring in U.S.

Senator for Ohio, John Huston, into this conversation.

Denise in Cleveland writes, let's nip this in the bud.

John Huston is not running for reelection.

He was never elected senator.

The wording isn't as smooth.

He's running for retention.

So thank you for that note, Denise.

Yes, US Senator John Huston is up for election this November.

He was previously appointed to fill the seat that was left vacant when JD Vance became the vice president.

So Republican Senator John Huston running for election, as I said, against Democrat Sherrod Brown.

He shared his thoughts on the conversation regarding Miller yesterday on X. Tell us about that, Sarah.

Yeah.

And I will note that before that, Husted had been pretty mum on the subject.

I asked him about it about a week ago and he declined to comment, saying he didn't know much about him.

But Houston made a pretty lengthy statement on X yesterday, just essentially saying that he felt it would be the right thing for Miller to both step aside from Congress and drop out of the race.

His race, Miller's race for reelection because of the just strenuous family situation that has become very public.

Another email comment now in from Vijay and he says, I feel nothing but discussed at Max Miller.

Mother Jones has reported on his violent incident as a student in Shaker Heights.

What a disgrace to my fellow alumni at the high school, Vijay says.

I only wish Bernie Moreno and John Houston had spoken up earlier.

What were they waiting for?

Apparently they accepted the perpetrators on January 6th and the Victimization of Young Women by Jeffrey Epstein.

Their judgment seems questionable.

Vijay, thank you for sharing that perspective with us.

Also, just a reminder here we will be watching what Max Miller says over the next day or so.

The deadline for him to be replaced, if that is going to happen, is Monday at 4 p.m.. There is a 48 hour notice requirement, as I mentioned, for leaders to name a candidate to replace him, which has to be done by Monday at 4 p.m.

so we will hear by sometime on Saturday if there's going to be a change.

A quick public health update now.

Last Friday, we reported that the Ohio Department of Health had declared the third outbreak of measles in Ohio this year.

Four people were infected at that time.

As of yesterday, at least 45 cases have been confirmed.

Sarria where these cases located.

So we're seeing them in ten counties across the state that includes Tuscarawas County, Wayne County, Trumbull County, Ashtabula and Georgia County.

Georgia confirmed five cases this week, and health officials are saying that individuals who were infected went to Bloomfield horse sale on July 18th, so anyone who might have been there in particular should be mindful of any symptoms that come up and they could present through August 25th is expected.

So okay, so for people in northeast are have a concern about possibly contracting measles.

What are those symptoms that might present high fever cough runny nose red and watery eyes.

But there's also this rash that develops about 3 to 5 days after those initial symptoms.

And that'll typically start on the face and then spread elsewhere on the body.

So not necessarily a good situation.

Not comfortable at all.

All right Zaria, what are our state and county health departments doing to try and stop the spread of more measles cases?

They're reminding the public that this is a highly contagious disease and they're encouraging people to get vaccinated.

Vaccine rates for kindergartners have decreased over the last six years, from about 90% to about 85%, according to the health department, the state health department.

And that's contributing to more childhood cases of measles.

But they're working.

Health officials are saying that two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are 97% effective in preventing measles in both kids and adults.

And so the state health department is partnering with county health departments in these affected counties to develop plans to reduce exposure and then also, again, encourage people to get the vaccination.

Okay, thanks for that, Zaria.

Now, speaking of our public health, Cuyahoga County voters will decide on three county issues this November, including a proposed increase to the Health and Human Services levy and also two charter amendments that could reshape county government operations.

So it could be your first on the levy.

Why are county leaders asking voters to approve an increase?

What will this support?

Well, as everyone says, everything's getting more expensive.

Dale Miller, who's been there for 15, 16 years, so he would he would know this better than anybody.

He just points out after Covid there's been inflation.

We're getting cuts in state money, federal money, all sorts of issues.

And of course, the cost of health care is continues to go up.

It's never going to go down.

So all of that combined, if they don't pass any sort of levy, they're going to be 3 million in the hole I think by next year.

Yeah, that'll be hard to set a budget with the kind of a deficit.

Certainly.

What would the Health and Human Services levy cost for people if it passes?

Okay.

So that's every $100,000 evaluation.

It's going to be an extra 87 bucks, 8750.

It's two and a half mills.

So if you have a $200,000 home, it's going to be about $160 extra on your home, but it's going to generate, all told, their thinking $111 million.

So they could certainly use that.

This isn't the only county issue that will appear on the ballot.

Tell us what else could be.

There's going to be, well, there's going to be two charter amendments, one that restricts the county executive authority to remove board and commission members, and then a separate one charter review commission.

It meets every ten years.

There's going to be one sort of splitting who gets to a point to that county council and the county executive if it passes.

Okay.

Let's talk about something that has been a hot topic of conversation.

The sheriff's issue in Cuyahoga County, Cuyahoga County is the only county in the state of Ohio that has an appointed sheriff.

There was talk about maybe changing that up, maybe getting something on the ballot to do that.

What's happening there?

It's not happening.

It's not going to be in the ballot.

There's of course pros and cons.

People have been arguing about this.

But Martin Sweeney, who again, longtime councilman, just said he's pulling it.

He said it's not going to pass at this time.

So he's probably going to reintroduce it later or someone will and they'll have more discussions.

But for now it is off the table.

So is that why, presumably why it was withdrawn?

They just don't think they have the numbers for it to pass.

That's that's what what he thinks at this time.

Okay, now to Springfield, where at least a dozen Haitians who recently lost temporary protected status are being required to report for in-person federal immigration check ins.

Some are being fitted with GPS ankle monitors.

Sarah, where is this taking place and what's the purpose of the ankle monitors?

Yeah.

So this is was reported by our friends over at WYSO but the US Department of Homeland Security notified some Haitians to report to their office in Blue Ash, Ohio, which is a suburb near Cincinnati.

And they got letters asking them to go to that office.

And the monitors are going to be tracking their movement until a court date, about 30 days out from that check in meeting.

So what happens at that check in meeting?

30 days out?

Sarah.

Yeah, I don't have details on that quite yet, but I will tell you, Stephanie, that I asked Senator John Husted about just concerns as TPS ended and, you know, a potential a surge or increased Ice action.

And he said that he's been told by the Department of Homeland Security that they are only looking at criminal violations.

But, of course, you know, the news of these ankle monitors was certainly concerning for advocates in the area.

What happens to people without transportation who can't get to Blue Ash?

What if they miss this initial check in meeting before that future appointment?

So Wiseau was told by the executive director of the Springfield Haitian Support Center that if people cannot make the appointment, they have to write a reason on the form, scan it and email it back within 24 hours.

But that executive director also told a few so that he has driven folks to their appointments and the ankle monitoring.

Is that something that is optional?

Is that required or the consequences there?

If someone doesn't comply with the ankle monitoring portion of this?

It does sound like if they these Haitian folks either don't show up for their appointments or they refuse the ankle monitor, they could be arrested or they could be deported.

So you talked about the person from the Springfield Haitian Support Center actually driving people to Blue Ash.

Can you tell us anything about any other community organizations, what they might be doing to help support these people?

Absolutely.

There are lots of groups, including Saint Vincent de Paul, the Springfield Haitian Support Center, other faith leaders who have been helping affected families with food.

Of course, you know, the state has been looking at this concern that if Haitian folks begin to be deported, there are babies who have been born in the United States who through birthright citizenship are citizens.

So there's a real humanitarian concern there.

But there is an Ohio immigrant hotline for folks who need assistance, and that's for 197774357.

Okay.

Thanks for sharing that with us, Sarah.

We know Northeast Ohioans are speaking out against immigration deportations that they believe are happening in the Summit and Stark County area.

Around 200 protesters gathered outside Akron Canton Airport last weekend as two flights, believed to be carrying immigrants being deported left the airport.

Kabir.

Why are protesters demonstrating at Akron Canton Airport?

Well, you kind of hit the nail on the head.

It's because these flights are going out with people who are being deported with immigrants.

It's a company.

Eastern Air Express is the actual carrier.

And since April, they've had about 130 flights.

And their planes come in and usually pick up folks who are being taken away and leave.

So finally on Saturday, as this came to light, as you said, 200 protesters showed up at the airport to protest not an insignificant number of people there.

What messages are the protesters hoping to convey?

Well, essentially, you know, immigrants are welcome here.

Stop ice.

A lot of the signs said, one lady pointed out one of the protesters that, you know, it's due process for everyone, not just citizens.

So they want to make the area, I guess, in their view, more welcoming.

And a good place to do that would be at the spot where a lot of these people are being taken away from Ohio.

Come here.

This is something that we've been following for some time now.

It was covered here last week.

What did the airport have to say about its role in this?

Well, they're all is that they lease space to various operators.

You know, I think I don't know if they still do, but Timken, for example, you know, they have planes.

Timken, by the way, is not involved in this.

I'm just using them as an example.

They might have flights going out of there for for corporate folks or other companies, charter companies, not just the regular carriers that you and I would use, you know, United, that sort of thing.

So the airport said all of these independent companies that are leasing space, and you can kind of see that on the north end of the airport when you're looking straight at it.

If they're complying with all the rules, you know, there's not much that we can do.

We have a contract with them.

And the actual contractors called AB flight.

Eastern air is just the the actual planes.

And they said flight is complying with all of the rules here.

They're not being unsafe or anything like that.

So they do what they do and we've leased space to them.

And that's the contract.

That's the contract.

So to be clear, the air port could stop the flights happening, but it would be in breach of contract.

If it happened, they would be in breach of contract.

The airport would.

Yes.

And if AB flight becomes in breach of contract for some reason, then the airport could say goodbye.

But that has not happened yet.

All right.

In other news, the Akron Canton Airport recently received a $9 million federal grant to help repair passenger bridges and renovate some of its other facilities.

President Trump's transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, said upgrading our runway infrastructure is part of our work to usher in the golden age of transportation.

Tell us a little bit more about that money, where it's come from and how it can be used.

Well, this was part of a whole nation wide thing.

I think all but a half dozen states got some money.

It was a pool of $870 million.

And as you said, we got 9 million.

And it's going to be for things like baggage handling equipment, terminal upgrades, safety equipment, that sort of thing.

I don't know how often you fly out a cake, but from 22,008 to 2018, that kind of redid the entire airport.

And this just seems in my mind, like the cherry on top of that, where they're going to just refine some of those things, maybe add to it with the 9 million, and that's what it's going to be used for.

But they haven't actually said yet what that money is going to go towards.

That was prime time for me at Akron Canton.

You know, being from canton, I was flying in from the West Coast.

I was flying in from East Coast.

Now I get to drive.

There you go.

Which is much, much, much better.

Yeah.

True to the West Side now, here in northeast Ohio, in Lakewood, the school district has settled a lawsuit settlement over its consolidation plan, sending Lakewood City Schools back to the drawing board.

The district says it will discuss its facilities, needs and enrollment trends publicly during its next two Monday board meetings.

It hopes to present final recommendations to the board by early September.

The lawsuit was filed last year by a group of parents after the board voted to close one of Lakewood seven elementary schools due to declining enrollment and repurpose it as a preschool.

Zaria what did the lawsuit filed by Friends of Lakewood School allege?

Yeah, so parents who are in that organization, Friends of Lakewood Schools, they allege that the district violated Ohio's open meetings law, and that law requires public bodies, which would include the school district, to conduct official action and deliberations in open meetings at the public can watch, listen to, maybe weigh in on if given the opportunity.

But according to the lawsuit, the district's Facility Facilities Planning Task force met behind closed doors and conducted public business while they weren't in public session, so people weren't able to watch and listen like the law requires.

So we know that this lawsuit was settled.

What has the school district said in response?

Yes.

So the superintendent didn't give details about the settlement, in particular in her statement to Connor Moore.

Sorry.

Reporter but she emphasized that the settlement isn't an admission of any wrongdoing.

The school board said that they're resolving the case.

They chose to resolve the case to avoid the time and the expenses that comes with litigating it.

And I'm sure Connor Morris will be all over this as it continues to develop.

So we will be continuing to cover this next Tuesday at 9 a.m.

on The Sound of Ideas with education reporter Conor Morris.

But to be clear here.

So this lawsuit wasn't necessarily about the consolidation plan itself.

More so the transparency or lack thereof of the process.

But the people who brought the suit are not happy with the plan itself.

So what are they really pushing back against here?

Yeah.

So the school district decided to close Lincoln Elementary School, and they want to repurpose it into an early childhood learning center.

And so the parents and the Friends of Lakewood Schools says that closing down that school would shift what they call a neighborhood school model and prevent some kids from being able to walk to school if they have to.

If Lincoln's clothes and they have to go to a father elementary school elsewhere in the city.

So that's a big concern here with the parents.

All right.

We've got more to talk about, including a lawsuit filed by Cleveland and Columbus business owner Bobby George.

Also, the sales tax holiday happening this weekend and baby Cavs at the Ohio State Fair.

But first, here is Sound of Ideas coordinating producer Drew Macias with a look at what we have planned for you all next week on The Sound of Ideas.

Hi, drew.

Oh, hey, Stephanie.

I didn't see you there.

Nice job at the roundtable.

Here's a look at what's coming up on the Sound of ideas.

Next week, Monday, we'll bring you a City Club of Cleveland conversation between child psychologist doctor Lisa Damore, who we've had on this program before, and Doctor Dana Susskind, whose new book looks at the intersection of parenting in the age of artificial intelligence.

Tuesday, we'll hear from our education reporter, Conor Morris, who's following the plan consolidation of some Lakewood public schools in a lawsuit that's happening there.

Plus, we'll hear from local athlete Katie Spotz as she gears up for a solo rowing expedition across the Pacific Ocean.

Don't want to miss that conversation.

Wednesday, we'll hear from the Red cross who's declaring a blood crisis?

Only the second time in their history they've used that language.

Plus, we'll get the latest on the fight against HIV and Aids Thursday.

We're talking about fracking here in Ohio and some concerns over pollutants leaking into water supplies.

Plus, we'll bring you in episode of our music podcast, shuffle.

Of course, those topics are subject to change based on breaking news that happens throughout the week.

And now back over to you in the studio.

Thank you.

Drew.

As drew mentioned there, we'll be talking about the Red cross calling for blood donors next week.

I want to take a moment here to clarify a couple of misconceptions we shared last week here on the Reporters Roundtable.

Last Friday, Mike McIntyre shared what he believed to be true based on something he was told a long time ago that he personally could not donate blood due to being an insulin pump dependent diabetic.

He wanted me to let you know that that is not always the case, that some people who use his insulin pumps can donate blood.

Part of the consideration there is what type of medication you might be on in addition to overall health.

Also, there was a comment made about not being able to donate blood related to travel.

There can be restrictions on donating based on that.

It does vary though, depending on where you've been and how recently you've returned.

So if you have questions about your ability to donate blood, you should go to Red cross.

They spell out everything there.

You can also call the Donor Client Support Center.

That number is 1-866-236-3276 with questions.

Again thank you for that.

Look ahead drew very impressed with your ability to let us know what's happening next week.

We always appreciate it.

You're back with the Sound of Ideas reporters roundtable from Ideas Stream public media.

I'm Stephanie Haney and today from Mike McIntyre, along with Ideastream reporters Kabir Bhatia and Zaria Johnson.

Also, Ideastream Statehouse news reporter Donaldson.

A reminder before we get back to the show to take our ideas Stream news quiz.

You can find that on our website at ideastream.org/quiz Now.

In more legal dispute news, Bobby George, longtime Cleveland restaurateur, is suing Ohio lawmakers and legislative staff after the legislature rescinded grant funding for a downtown redevelopment project.

At the time the money was revoked, George was criminally charged with nine felonies, including attempted murder, rape and kidnaping.

George later pleaded guilty to the violent felony of attempted strangulation.

Sarah, who are the players in this lawsuit?

Yeah, and credit here to Morgan Traore at the Ohio Capital Journal who's been reporting on this.

But the players are the Ohio River investments.

That's an investment group that includes George Management.

They're suing the Ohio Senate president, Rob McCauley, the House speaker Matt Huffman, and the Office of Budget and Management director, as well as a GOP spokesperson.

This is over a canceled $3.5 million state grant.

And the lawsuit argues the state breached the signed grant agreement when state leaders pulled it.

State leaders say they pulled the money.

Just pulling the money was justified under the circumstances of these, you know, very serious allegations.

Sarah, what else does the lawsuit claim in terms of why the grant should not have been revoked?

Well, according to the filing, it says that state leaders, quote, unilaterally nullified assigned contract based on allegations against someone who actually wasn't on the grant.

Okay.

And what was the goal of the project that is at the center of this dispute?

Yeah, it was a redevelopment grant.

So it was intended to help redevelop a portion of the Cleveland Flats East Bank, including apartments, nightlife venues, all of that as part of this downtown revitalization effort.

And has the state responded to this filing?

Yes.

So the office of the Senate Majority Caucus, which obviously also represents Senate President Rob McColley they called the lawsuit a political stunt that should be dismissed quickly.

Other state leaders, including Speaker Matt Huffman and Governor Mike DeWine, have declined comment.

Just because the litigation itself is working through the courts.

Sarah, can you tell us what George's eventual guilty plea related to the case that brought all of this up means for him in terms of consequences?

So George pleaded guilty to felony attempted strangulation as part of a deal with prosecutors, and was sentenced to five years of probation.

We also do know that Cleveland City Council has started the process to prevent the renewal of George's liquor license related to this guilty plea.

Thanks for breaking that down for us, Sarah.

Now in East Cleveland, residents will vote this November on whether to increase the city's income tax.

Officials are working to pull the city out of a fiscal emergency that has lasted more than a decade.

Kabir, can you tell us more specifically why the city leaders are asking for this increase?

Okay, buckle.

Buckle up.

Here we go.

When we redid this set, we didn't put in seat belts.

But buckle up.

The city since 1988.

Starting in 1988, it has been in fiscal emergency almost that entire time.

There was about six years when it wasn't fiscal emergency.

Now, for the last 14 years.

And because of that, of course, there's a state comptroller who looks over the finances, court appointed.

And because of all that, they are obviously having a lot of money troubles.

So because of this fiscal emergency, their finances are pretty rough, and they're going to be sending out unpaid tax notices, the total about $1 million to residents.

So that's what's going to be happening with this proposal that they're going to come up with.

You know, a lot of fiscal issues happening, a lot of things going around these days.

What would the proposed tax increase mean for East Cleveland residents paychecks?

Well, it's right now it's 2%.

The tax is going to go to 2.5%.

It's been a 2% since 1982.

So it's a little bump up to 2.5% in their paychecks.

Of course they're going to see that.

But the city argues well, a lot of folks work here, but they don't live here.

So that's that's one consideration.

All told, they're expecting this is going to raise about $970,000, but that 970.

And then let's be optimistic and say they get the entire million in unpaid that they're looking for.

They're still two, 2.6 million in unpaid bills right now.

So that's it's going to make a dent, but it's not going to take care of the issue.

I'll tell you what.

You want to get confused.

Look at income taxes, what you pay based on where you live, based on where you work.

It can be very, very confusing.

What concerns have been raised about this proposal, Kabir?

Well, I mean, we've seen East Cleveland stories over the years as far as their finances about what's happening.

And residents are saying, look, can we at least get some sort of accounting, be a little more transparent?

Tell us, where is this money going?

I think the phrase one resident used in the story was, we're pouring water down a bottomless pit, something like that, which, you know, he does have a point.

Unfortunately, the court appointed receiver says these records are incomplete.

From East Cleveland, we don't know where they are.

There's not a good way to do a lot of that transparency or audit right now.

Okay.

Last week we talk about the lack of staffing at the East Cleveland Police Department.

How does the city's financial situation affect public safety?

Well, they've got the 16 police officers, I think one part time, 15 full time, but they are relying on help from the sheriff's office, from the Highway patrol, Housing Authority, police.

But that costs a lot.

And I think in June the number was $20,000.

It ended up costing the city just for one month of that, that assistance.

So it's definitely going to be an ongoing issue if they can't hire their own officers and if they keep relying on outside agencies.

Also coming up for a vote in November, there will be one statewide ballot issue this election year whether to add the current photo ID requirements for in-person voting to the Ohio Constitution.

Sarah.

A government issued photo ID is already required for in-person voting.

So what exactly are voters deciding on with issue three?

Yeah, it's really simple because you're right, it is already the law that you have to show a government issued photo ID to vote in person.

This would just enshrine that in the Constitution.

So if the legislature wanted to go back and change that a future legislature did, it would be harder to do because if voters pass issue three, then it's a constitutional requirement to show photo ID to vote in person.

Is that sort of the crux of why supporters want this issue on the ballot?

Is there anything more to it than that?

Well, that depends on who you ask, because of course, opponents of this ballot amendment argue that supporters of this ballot amendment Republicans have supported it largely elected Republicans.

The opponents, the Democrats, are arguing that Republicans are doing this to juice turn out to increase turnout, because voter ID is pretty popular.

You know, polling generally shows it above 80%.

But supporters say they're concerned that a future legislature could come back and get rid of photo ID laws.

And they feel very strongly that photo ID laws have a place in the Constitution.

That is an interesting wrinkle.

They're related to the voter turnout and whether or not this measure might bump that up a little bit for either side of the aisle.

What are opponents of the merits of issue three saying?

Yeah.

The argument here is just a that, you know, it's repetitive, that it's already in state law, and B, by putting it in the Constitution.

Again, the argument is that you may have to go back to the Constitution to make any changes.

And someone like Democratic Senator Bill Damara has argued that there may be technological changes in the future that, you know, folks could maybe use a thumbprint to identify themselves.

But this constitutional amendment doesn't count for that.

I do not like using my biometric data for things personally.

That's just a I didn't want to scan my eyes of the earth.

I don't either.

Not a fan of that, just personally.

Sarah, there are no other statewide ballot issues this year, but not for lack of trying.

Tell us what happened with measures related to property taxes and data centers?

Oh my gosh, there were more than just those two.

I mean, I think there were 5 or 6 groups circulating petitions to try and make the ballot, and they just couldn't get the number of signatures that they needed.

So of course, property taxes will not be on this ballot.

That group is still collecting signatures for 2027 as well as that data center amendment.

But Secretary of State Frank Larose, who has been supportive of making it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution because right now it's a 50% plus one threshold, meaning you just need a simple majority to amend it.

Republican lawmakers, Republican officials have wanted to bring that to 60%.

And of course, there was a failed effort to do that.

But all that to say, Larose says, that the fact that signatures are this barrier to getting onto the ballot is a good thing.

And those measures that we were talking about there, of course, the property taxes issue was an opportunity for voters to vote on whether they wanted to ban property taxes and also banning large scale data centers.

Sarah, thank you for that.

We have a few updates now related to the Cleveland Clinic.

The clinic launched what it says is the nation's first long term prescription drug drone delivery program in the US.

This week, some patients in Beachwood were able to get their prescriptions delivered in as little as 30 minutes.

Zaria, tell us more about how this program works.

From ordering the prescription to having it show up on your doorstep.

Yeah, we're seeing images now.

It's really cool and I'm jealous that I'm not participating.

But once the prescription is filled, it's placed into the secure pod and then carried by one of those drones that's taken to the patient's home.

Then the drone floats about 300ft off the ground and lowers the package, the prescription down before turning, returning back to its charging stations.

The deliveries can take between 10 and 30 minutes.

But the company the drone company says the average is about 18 minutes.

And the drones are autonomous, so they're not driven by anybody, not piloted by anybody.

So there's no worries about, you know, somebody knowing your address or when they're delivering a medication, for example, and they don't land in your yard either.

So it's pretty in terms of a disturbance.

It's pretty pretty chill.

It seems like anyway.

Yeah, that's very interesting.

Who's eligible to use the servic So right now it's just eligible to patients in Beachwood in particular who live within five minutes of the Beachwood campus.

And these medications that they're delivering currently can't require any sort of refrigeration or special handling.

But this is an optional service that comes at no additional cost.

And in the event that weather is a bit tricky or the drones are at capacity, the prescriptions could still be delivered by courier if needed.

So what's next for the program?

So they're hoping to expand it.

Thankfully, they started last week with about 20 successful deliveries, but the clinic wants to expand to other parts northeast Ohio.

Over time, they hope to be able to add in that refrigerated medication along with lab samples, medically tailored meals, or medical supplies.

And they also hope to expand to apartment buildings, which again, I live in an apartment, so fingers crossed.

This is like really cool.

I like, reach out my window and grab my prescription or something for it to discussion on.

Exactly.

All right, well, in other news, this week the West Side Market is getting a new teaching kitchen.

That's thanks to a $1 million gift from the Cleveland Clinic.

The project will be part of the market's larger $70 million renovation, which is already well underway.

Zaria what's the vision for the teaching Kitchen?

So the West Side Market will collaborate with the clinic on nutrition and food access program.

So they're going to partner with chefs and merchants to host cooking classes or demonstrations that could be public events or even private, more intimate events.

And the Teaching Kitchen will replace an unused women's locker room up on the second floor of the market.

All right.

We know that the West Side Market is in the middle of a funding campaign.

Their goal is to raise several million more dollars by the end of the year.

They need to do that to reach that $70 million mark that they need to hit to fully fund their renovation.

So we'll be keeping an eye on that.

Now, while we're talking about the Cleveland Clinic, the clinics Villa Sano Bike to Cure Cancer Research fundraiser is coming up very soon.

That's the weekend of September 18th and 19th.

I'll be riding in the bike ride as I have for the past several years.

This will be my seventh year doing so.

Actually, my hubby, Mike Polk Jr.

You may know from WKYC he'll be riding in it to.

And this weekend he's hosting a WKYC talent show to benefit the fundraiser that is this Sunday at Hilarity Theater on East fourth Street in Cleveland that starts at 7 p.m.

I will be participating in this talent to be determined.

We will see what I can come up with between now and then, but I will be there.

I hope you will be there too.

You can get tickets at hilarity that is this Sunday, August 9th at 7 p.m.

the doors open at 615.

Now here's a major development from another major hospital system in town.

A new once a day pill for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer is now available to patients at University Hospitals.

Seidman Cancer Center is the first hospital to offer the treatment in Northeast Ohio, and researchers say it could significantly extend survival rates for some people.

Could be.

What are the findings of the most recent trial of this drug?

Well, there was 500 patients, and they of course, they were in the trial.

And they found that administering this after chemo stopped having really an impact, doubled their lifespan from to about 13.2 months.

Well, yeah.

Once they were on this drug, they also reported, you know, less symptoms, a better quality of life in general.

So the most common side effect was skin rash.

So in this trial so far phase three trial it's called Dirac's.

And and it actually seemed pretty effective.

And who can receive the treatment right now.

Well it's under this compassionate use sort of headline where people who they're they've they're being treated.

They've been treated.

And, you know, the other treatments are not doing what they could be doing.

Not as effective.

They're the ones who are going to be able to receive this and it's at no cost.

Oh, okay.

So that's nice.

Very important for people who have that barrier to getting the care that they need.

What do we think this might mean for the future of cancer treatment?

Well, crass.

Crass.

That's the mutated gene.

They've been trying to isolate that for probably 40 years with this.

They seem to be on that track, and it could be opening up the door to to isolating that for other cancers.

So it's not just pancreatic cancer in this case that that could be a target for this drug in the future.

So that's where we're at right now.

But very early in the game for this very early.

And we do like promising no matter when it comes early or later for sure.

If you've got shopping to do to get the kids ready to go back to school and you haven't started yet, you better get moving.

Because Ohio's sales tax holiday started this morning at 12 a.m., and it wraps up Sunday night at 11:59 p.m.. Kabir, why is this year's tax holiday so short?

Okay, this is this is not me speaking.

Somebody wrote this into the notes.

I don't know who it was.

They said that the the Statehouse dropped the ball was the opinion of the person who wrote.

I don't know who wrote that, but who has access to those.

I don't know.

There's there's two dozen people.

So I'm not I'm not pointing fingers, but essentially, yeah, it covers items up to $500.

And well before it did up to $500.

It was two weeks, I think two years ago, ten days last year.

But this year it's back to being just a weekend, which is, I think, what it was even before Covid and after Covid, they had expanded it.

And now it's back to this short window.

Okay.

And so we just kind of covered there how this is different from years past.

It had been ten days and years passed.

It had been 14 days.

And they only do this if there's a surplus of 60 million or more.

So, you know, I guess we're rolling in dough here in Ohio despite East Cleveland.

And what was the other one that we talked about having issues financially.

Sure.

But because of that, yeah, they're able to they're still able to offer it.

But it's only two days this year.

Okay.

Different limits also on what you can buy this year.

Tell us about that.

All right.

So it's clothing up to $75 which I don't except for shoes.

What would that be.

I mean, for kids, I'm saying.

Yeah, you two, these outfits are clearly we can find deals.

So sorry a no sorry knows where to get the.

But for kids, it's a $75 limit.

And then things like school supplies, pens, book bags.

It's only up to 20.

Now, if you want a Pokemon book bag or something that's already going to, you're paying 20 just for the tag that says Pokemon.

The bag is going to be extra, but unfortunately it doesn't cover.

That means the $20 limit.

You can't put that towards computers, iPads, phones, and especially the graphing calculator, which those are usually 100 bucks I think.

Yeah, T 84.

So not doing any ads for Texas Instruments.

But yeah, this year.

Those are the limits which seem different from the past.

Yeah.

Technology advances fast.

I think it was the T 83.

Well, I think it's up to buy one.

It's not so bad.

You can use an 83.

It's just not colored the advancement.

You're right.

Certainly.

And you mentioned some of the things that are not included there.

What are other things that are not included?

Not just anybody.

I can't go out there and fulfill my business needs.

No, no, it's not for businesses.

You can't go and buy a television, even if it's a small one that falls under that.

Boats, cars, that sort of thing.

Sending your kids again, the notes in here.

Someone had to note that marijuana and alcohol are exempt from this.

So I don't know if that's meds.

But anyway, unlike last year, food purchased in a restaurant is not covered.

Okay, I didn't even realize last year the food was covered.

So you got to get you got to eat while you're doing all that shopping.

Well, yeah.

If you're a Costco and you want to go get the hot dog, well.

But if you take it to go, there is no tax.

Anyway, I'm getting far into the weeds with this.

That's those are the things that are not covered.

And it's very different.

They're going to bring it back next year.

They said they plan to but maybe they'll expand it back again.

Not just the time but the items and the the monetary limits.

Yeah, yeah.

And you can always maybe you decide that you want it to go and then you change your mind and then you have it right there, you know, not eating any dishonesty.

Of course.

Just maybe you just, you know, change your mind.

Yeah.

Can we expect another extended holiday in the future, or is this the new norm?

Well, I don't know.

They said that they're going to do expanded.

Who is it?

The General Assembly is the ones.

They've authorized it to be expanded.

But I don't know.

Is that three days instead of two, or is that back to ten or back to 14?

We'll see.

They haven't said yet.

Okay.

We'll have to keep an eye on that if you are in need of school supplies.

But money is tight right now.

Various businesses across Northeast Ohio will be distributing free school supplies throughout the rest of the month.

We have a list of locations and times at Ideastream so you can keep an eye on that.

They're now on the topic of your household budgets.

Enbridge wants to raise natural gas bills for Ohio customers by an average of $9.50 per month.

The proposal must be reviewed by the state Public Utilities Commission, Hugo, before it can take effect.

Sarah, why does it want to raise its rates?

Yeah.

So it's the same argument you're hearing from a lot of utilities right now.

And it's twofold.

They argue that they need to replace aging infrastructure, in this case pipelines, and also that there are higher operating costs that they need to cover.

So they are telling state regulators they need to collect $163 million more each year.

Okay.

And how was this rate estimate determined?

So there's still a little bit of discrepancy between what the office of the Ohio Consumers Council is calculating.

That is a state agency that advocates on behalf of utility consumers.

They estimate the average residential customer would pay about $9.50 more per month if this proposal was approved.

But in bridges latest estimate is about $7.60.

So that's a little bit lower.

And the proposal would increase the fixed monthly charge on customer bills.

Why is that so important for people to understand here.

Yeah.

So with utility bills there are these fixed costs that you know, some of them are writers, some of them are different ways that bills are calculated.

But those fixed costs come into calculation with also your monthly usage.

So even if people are using less natural gas, if this is approved, it's still going to be harder to lower your bill by conserving energy because you still have a higher fixed cost.

What you consumer advocates say about the plan.

The City of Saint Mary's told cleveland.com that higher fixed charges would place an undue burden on the elderly and those living on fixed incomes, because those costs can't be reduced, like I said, through lower energy use.

And of course, the Ohio Consumers Council has raised alarm bells about this, Maureen, as their council says, quote, families are already stretched and affordability must come first.

Ohio customers will have an opportunity to weigh in about this.

So tell us about that.

Yeah.

So this has to go before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio or like you said, they've scheduled public hearings.

So there was one already held on Thursday in Akron, and there's another one scheduled in Cleveland for August 19th.

So residents have the opportunity to go out and make their voices heard before regulators actually make a decision on this proposal.

Okay.

We got an email now in from David B in Cleveland Heights that I want to share.

David says, thank you for the clarification that diabetics can now donate blood after not being able to.

I have been donating blood regularly as a type one diabetic ever since I found out that I was eligible.

I never knew that it was what it was about diabetes that kept us from being able to donate blood for many years, but I'm glad that they are able to now.

So David, be in Cleveland Heights.

Thank you for that.

We appreciate it and glad that's going to help you out here.

I just wanted to mention my father with the restrictions.

He used to travel a lot for work, and I can't remember a single country where they said, oh, you were just there, you can't donate.

So that was good.

And for me, I always get the reminders and there's a lot of cool things that they'll give you.

Thank you.

Gift card, that sort of thing.

Last year I think it was Cedar Point tickets.

So there's another incentive.

There you go.

There you go.

All right.

Let's talk about healthcare leadership news.

Now, summa health has named its new permanent president and chief executive officer.

It's Jennifer Eslinger.

She'll start at the end of September.

Kabir, what experience does she bring to the role?

She has been with health systems all over Detroit, Nashville, Dallas, Rochester, all over the country as a top leadership role, CEO, CEO, president.

So she's at mobile, Alabama.

So she's been with a lot of very big health systems.

And now she's going to be here in Akron.

Okay.

Why is this leadership change so significant to the area?

Well, this is as we all heard, go took over summa.

And this is sort of the transition that it continues under HATCo So she's the first one who has been appointed under that.

And they acquired them last year.

So it took him until now to get somebody permanent.

And the acting president Daryl Tol what happens there.

He's going he's with HATCo So he'll just go back up to HATCo and be the CEO there.

He'll I guess essentially be her boss.

Okay.

Well we haven't talked about a lawsuit in a few minutes.

So let's talk about another one now.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is calling on the gas station giant Buc-ees to drop what he says is an absurd lawsuit over a small convenience stores beaver logo.

Zaria, what is this lawsuit about?

Yeah.

So there's this store called Beavers Mini Mark that's in Beaver Creek, which is kind of close to Dayton.

Buc-ees filed this federal trademark lawsuit against Beavers Mini Mart, saying that they're the Beavers Beaver logo is too similar to the Buc-ees logo branding mascot.

All that, and Buc-ees is saying that could confuse customers.

All right, well, what else does governor Mike DeWine say about this?

Called this absurd, and he's asked Buc-ees to drop the suit.

He said that Beaver Creek has this connection to beavers that goes back decades, and that the Beaver Creek should be able to represent their community, the community's identity with the Beaver branding.

With a beaver.

With a beaver.

Exactly.

Now, are these two places close to each other, Buc-ees and the Beaver Creek mark?

Are they similar kind?

I mean, so the only Buc-ees in Ohio is in Huber Heights, which is in Montgomery County, and this Beavers mini mart in Beaver Creek is about a 20 minute drive.

So maybe I've only been to one Buc-ees, so maybe I could get them mixed up.

But if you go into buckets all the time, maybe you could tell them apart.

Sure.

If you're a Buc-ees fan, for sure.

Now, what is the store owner in Beaver Creek in the community there?

Say?

Yeah.

He said that Buc-ees never informed him that the logo was or presented a trademark infringement, or asked him to change the the Beaver Creek logo before Buc-ees filed the lawsuit.

But Beaver Creek residents are in support of it, and they're saying that Buc-ees is overreaching.

So okay, so they are four Beavers.

Mini mart remaining the Beaver.

Exactly the reason lawsuit got the attention of last Week Tonight host John Oliver.

Tell us about that.

Yes.

So John Oliver made a couple jokes telling Buc-ee's to pick on a company its own size.

And he showed this graphic similar to the Buc-ee's logo, but the caption says Buck off, buck off.

And for a limited time, he's selling products with this meme ified Buc-ee's logo.

And those profits will go to a nonprofit called Hunger Free America.

I want to compliment your diction there with the buck off that.

Yeah, you know how to make that clear.

We'll get that.

We'll get that out there straight away.

All right.

From beavers to baby cows.

A group of calves have made their debut at the Ohio State Fair.

Now you have a chance to name them.

Sarah.

Where can people visit the cows?

Yeah, they're at the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association Animal Life and Learning Center.

And I should note, I feel like this is the place to brag that I have been to the Ohio State Fair six times already, and my seventh will be on Saturday, so big State Fair fan.

All right.

Any good names in the mix so far?

Sarah I haven't seen them yet, but I have been focused on all the other adorable animals that are on display at the new agriculture center.

There's baby piglets, there's a baby alpaca.

They are all adorable.

Why aren't tiny animals just so cute?

They're just so cute.

So a couple of the ones that I have seen.

Sunny, Rosie, Moodonna, Udderly, Mooana.

So those are some good ones.

Sarah.

Where can audience members share their suggestions?

Organizers are asking the public to vote on names in the comments of the Ohio State Fairs Facebook post, so you can head to social media and comment.

All right, simple enough there.

Well, if you're not tied up visiting those baby cows or spending every day at the Ohio State Fair, which would not be a bad choice.

This is a great weekend to head to canton for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Triumph Festival.

Tomorrow morning, the Grand Parade will kick off in downtown, and the enshrinement ceremony for this year's class of Hall of Famers begins at noon on Saturday.

Who's being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year?

Drew Brees probably the biggest name.

Larry Fitzgerald, Adam Vinatieri, Roger Craig and the one Ohio connection Luke Kuechly who's from Cincinnati.

Okay.

We do need to let people know about a youth curfew that's happening this year.

Tell us about that very quickly.

It's 9 p.m.

downtown in the Dora area.

And then at 11 it's pretty much everywhere.

So keep that in mind.

If you have young kids and you're going to be there.

All right.

Well, it is official.

Cleveland's new WNBA team will be named the Sirens.

The team will make its splash on the court starting in the 2028 season.

Zaria.

What was the inspiration behind the name?

I love this name.

Obviously the mythical siren inspired the names and the logos, but team president Allison Howard said the five waves in the Sirens hair represents the five players on the basketball court and also the five Great Lakes, and the blue color scheme is a nod to the former Cleveland Rockers, whose team colors were black, blue, silver, orange and white.

Okay, so you're a fan.

Do you like it?

I think it's so funny.

I think it's I think it's chic.

It's it's cute.

It's, you know, kind of like, mythical and mysterious, I love it.

Yeah.

Come here.

That's what we like.

Yeah.

I don't know.

Sirens, Rockers.

They're all good.

I'm just glad it's back.

The WNBA.

Absolutely.

I'm a huge fan, by the way.

I'm a Pisces.

I'm a water sign.

I was going to be okay.

There we are.

Right there with it.

Zaria, there's a fan fest scheduled for tomorrow.

What do folks need to know?

Yes, it's at Edgewater Beach from noon to 5 p.m.

tomorrow.

It's a free event.

They'll have entertainment, interactive displays, some merch, and some special guests.

All right.

And there are season ticket deposits available.

If you put down that deposit, it's 28 or $100.

I think you get some perks at the Fan Fest, too.

That is all for today.

My thanks to Sarah Donaldson at the Statehouse News Bureau, Zaria Johnson and Kabir Bhatia here with me in studio.

If you missed any part of today's show, you can hear a rebroadcast tonight at 9 on 89.7 WKSU.

Find it on any podcast app and on the Ideastream Public Media YouTube page.

You can watch the television version tonight at 5 on PBS WVIZ To get the last word on today's topics, email us at SOI@ideastream.org and find us on Instagram at the Sound of Ideas.

Monday on the Sound of Ideas will bring you a City Club of Cleveland conversation about parenting in the age of artificial intelligence, so make sure you check that out.

I'm Stephanie Haney, filling in for Mike McIntyre, who will be back in the host seat next Friday for your Reporters Roundtable.

Thanks for listening, watching, and keeping the conversation going.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

And our closing song for today, of course.

Sirens by Imagine Dragons.