The $6 million settlement between Cleveland and the estate of Tamir Rice is not the last legal step in the case. An emotional Mayor Frank Jackson confirmed yesterday that a disciplinary review of the actions of officers Frank Garmbeck and Timothy Loehmann continues, though a Cuyahoga County grand jury declined to indict the two.
“A 12-year-old died, and regardless of fault or facts or anything, that should not have happened. And believe me, if I had my rathers, I wouldn’t be standing here in front of you talking about this. If I had my rathers, it sould not have happened. But that’s not the case, is it. So we deal with things as we have to deal with them.”
Jackson said the settlement protects the interests of the city and the taxpayers. The $6 million will be paid out over two years. The head of a Cleveland police union says the Rice family and lawyers should use money from a settlement to educate children about the dangers of handling real and replica firearms. Family attorney Subodh Chandra blasted Loomis' response, saying his comments reflect "all that is wrong with Cleveland's police division."
McGinty won in spending, but lost the race
Incumbent Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty outspent his Democratic challenger, Michael O’Malley 2-1 in the March primary – but still lost. According to Cleveland.com, that’s largely because of black voters angry with McGinty’s advice to the grand jury not to file criminal charges in the Tamir Rice shooting. McGinty spent nearly $200,000; O’Malley spent less than $90,000. No Republican is running for the office.
Details trickle out in slaying of eight
The investigation into the killings of eight family members in southern Ohio is in its fifth day. Pike County prosecutors have confirmed they found a grow-house sheltering hundreds of marijuana plants on one of the properties along with possible evidence of cockfighting. Investigators have offered no motive for the executions, nor identified any suspects.
Private address and the Ohio Senate
The Ohio Senate is continuing debate of legislation that would shield the addresses of victims of domestic violence, stalking and other crimes from use by government agencies. The bill before the State and Local Government Committee would let victims apply for a confidential address from the Ohio secretary of state if they're worried about attackers tracking them down. The address could be used when registering to vote or for any business with a government agency, such as a city water department, school or public university. Supporters are expected to testify today. The Ohio House approved the bill in January.
A move to close another Ohio abortion-provider
Operators of a Dayton abortion clinic are fighting to keep their license after being denied an exception to state rules requiring the facility to have an emergency patient transfer agreement with a hospital. The city's lone clinic has sought a variance from Ohio health officials since 2012.
New drone rules in Cleveland
Cleveland’s police will have the power to help enforce FAA regulations of both commercial and private drones.
At a special meeting last night, City Council passed legislation that requires drone operators to register with the FAA and requires them to notify an airport and its control tower if a drone will be flown within a five-mile radius of the airport.
The rules also require an operator to keep the drones below 400-feet altitude, within eyesight and never near a manned aircraft, over stadiums or near emergency vehicles.
Canton's outdoor drinking district is the first in Northeast Ohio
Canton has become the third city in Ohio and largest in the state to authorize a “designated outdoor refreshment area.”
Following a public hearing last night, City Council unanimously OK’d the downtown area -- where people can drink alcohol outside bars and restaurants. A state law passed last year allows cities to set up such districts. Canton’s covers nearly 69 acres downtown, including the arts district. The area still must be approved by the Ohio Liquor Control Commission.
Extending the moratorium on clean power
Ohio Sen. Bill Seitz has introduced a bill that would extend a moratorium for the state’s clean-energy standards until 2020. He says mandates are a bad idea. Seitz also pushed for the moratorium in 2014, making Ohio the first state in the country to roll back the renewable energy standards it has adopted. Environmentalists and other proponents of solar, wind and other alternative energy say the moratorium would undermine Ohio’s ability to reduce pollution and boost a growing economic sector. Gov. John Kasich has expressed reservations about extending the moratorium.
Kasich/Cruz truce may be crumbling
A day after Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Ted Cruz announced a deal to try to stop Donald Trump from getting the GOP presidential nomination, the alliance appeared to be stumbling. Kasich had said he would leave Indiana to Cruz, while Cruz would clear his active campaigning out of Oregon and New Mexico. But according to the Washington Post, Kasich declared Monday that his Indiana supporters should still vote for him, continued raising money in the state and made plans to meet today with Gov. Mike Pence. And a Cruz super PAC says it will still run an anti-Kasich ad there. Meanwhile northeast Ohio native and former University of Indiana basketball coach will campaign for Trump there tomorrow. Voters in five states, including Kasich’s native Pennsylvania, are going to the polls today.
Suicide ruling protest
The family of a Canton firefighter Tonya Johnson is protesting a ruling by the Summit County medical examiner that she committed suicide by walking into traffic on Route 8 in Akron. They maintain that the investigation was not thorough enough and that her community ties and religious beliefs make suicide unlikely.
More trouble for Manziel
Johnny Manziel is expected to be indicted as early as today on misdemeanor charges that he attacked his ex-girlfriend in January, an attorney for the troubled former Cleveland Browns quarterback says. The Browns cut Manziel, as did two of his agents.
