Here are your morning headlines for Monday, March 21:
- Ohio redistricting panel charts course to 4th map proposal
- Labor dispute between projectionists, CIFF settled
- Akron council expected to pass mayor’s budget
- Some Ohio Republicans raise talk about impeaching Chief Justice over redistricting decisions
- Deshaun Watson trade done, Browns defend decision to add QB
Ohio redistricting panel charts course to 4th map proposal
(Statehouse News Bureau) -- The Ohio Redistricting Commission is going back to the drawing board after the Ohio Supreme Court rejected its third attempt at state House and Senate district maps. The commission took the first steps this weekend at a new bipartisan process. The commission initiated a plan to have Republican and Democratic mapmakers draft new state legislative district maps together. Up to this point, Republican and Democratic legislative caucuses have drafted separate plans, then presented the proposals to the commission. The three sets of plans adopted by the commission and rejected by the court were all Republican-drawn maps. The commission has until March 28 to adopt a fourth set of maps.
Labor dispute between projectionists, CIFF settled
(Cleveland.com) -- A labor dispute between union film projectionists and the Cleveland International Film Festival has been settled as the festival moves to its new location at Playhouse Square next week. Cleveland.com reported last week that union workers, which have a contract with Playhouse Square, won’t be running the projectors for the film festival because of a possible loophole in a collective bargaining agreement. The festival instead will use non-union Playhouse employees. Cleveland.com reports the agreement reached Saturday between Playhouse Square and the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 160 says the non-union rental video equipment company hired by the film festival will be the main operators of the equipment, but three union workers will be on-hand to provide technical help throughout the full stretch of the festival.
Akron council expected to pass mayor’s budget
(WKSU) -- Akron City Council is expected to move quickly in adopting Mayor Dan Horrigan’s proposed operating budget for the year. After hearings last week, the full council is expected to take up discussion when it meets Monday. While property tax revenue is expected to be stable for 2022, Horrigan’s budget projects a 3% drop in income tax receipts. The plan is to hold the line on water and sewer rates for the year. On the spending side, the mayor proposes adding to both the police and fire departments, adding new blood from its training academies. There’s also a planned increase in the number of public service personnel. The budget includes $65 million in additional federal COVID-19 relief funds. If it’s approved, this year’s operating budget would be a 4% increase over last year.
Some Ohio Republicans raise talk about impeaching Chief Justice over redistricting decisions
(Statehouse News Bureau) -- Some Republican legislators are saying that impeachment charges could be filed against Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who’s sided with the three Democratic justices in throwing out GOP-drawn legislative and congressional maps. But House Speaker and Ohio Redistricting Commission Chairman Bob Cupp said over the weekend he had no comment. Cupp was an Ohio Supreme Court justice from 2007-2013, serving alongside O’Connor. Fellow commission member and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said impeachment is “not a good idea”. The Democrat who defeated Cupp in 2012 as he sought re-election, former justice Bill O’Neill, says he’s stunned at the idea, and he and retired Republican justice Paul Pfeifer say it won’t happen.
Deshaun Watson trade done, Browns defend decision to add QB
(WKSU) -- The Cleveland Browns front office is responding to the controversy over the trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson, after a weekend of uproar on social media. In a statement Sunday, Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam say they are "aware and empathetic to the highly personal sentiments expressed" about the trade. They say they talked with Watson in person about his priorities before making the decision, along with general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski. They say they found him "humble, sincere and candid." A grand jury declined to indict him on criminal charges earlier this month. But Watson faces 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct. He has denied wrongdoing, and the Haslams say they will respect due process as his legal proceedings continue. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Rape Crisis center issued a statement Saturday saying the trade decision was triggering for many in the community and encouraged those in need of support to contact the center.
