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00:00:01
Crooked River Cast Show 5
9 Plays5 days ago
Crookedrivercast@gmail.com
County Council members call for the Downtown Safety Patrol to be disbanded but what is it.
Cuyahoga County budget deficit
The unsheltered receive some shelter!
More DOGE cuts for Ohio?
Issue 2 clarification...
Akron Public Schools Superintendent on Pais leave.
Ohio E-Check Changing?
Shooter renovation with machine guns?
And more…
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Transcript
Introduction & Current Events in Northeast Ohio
00:00:02
Speaker
This is the Crooked Rivercaster show where we take a look at what is going on in Northeast Ohio. Like, does the downtown safety patrol need to be disbanded? Wait, what is the downtown safety patrol?
00:00:13
Speaker
The unsheltered get shelter. Doge cuts hit the LGBTQIA plus minus to the third power community and steel workers and probably some other stuff too.
00:00:24
Speaker
I'm Robert and with me as always is Tom. Oh my gosh, Tom. Tomorrow is Eastern already.
00:00:33
Speaker
If you believe
00:00:38
Speaker
it. And 420. Celebrating both. i was reminded by a coworker. Get high and eat ham.
00:00:45
Speaker
So this week, I just, I thought i I'd bring up, I did a nice drive through our beautiful and beautiful state this week. And I do this often. And it just, with this, our little show that we got going on here, it's It just made me reflect on how, I mean, it's just a great state.
00:01:05
Speaker
It's beautiful. There's a lot of stuff going on. Definitely a lot of orange barrels, which we'll touch on a little bit later. um But I just, I don't know. I just, it's a beautiful state and and it'll get you more beautiful later on in the year when I go on another couple of trips probably throughout the state.
00:01:20
Speaker
And I don't know. I just think we're, we're, we're pretty fortunate to be where we're at in Ohio. It's great state. So start with that for the week. How are you doing? Sounds
00:01:31
Speaker
are you doing? I'm doing a lot.
00:01:35
Speaker
Good. It's, a yeah, just getting ready for Easter. Yesterday we went to a fish fry at the Fire 45, which was pretty darn good. Where's that at?
00:01:51
Speaker
Fire 45? That's close by. It's in North Royalton on 82. Oh, okay. ah Broadview Heights. I'm not sure. i think it's North Royalton.
00:02:03
Speaker
Yeah, that was the last time for the fish fry this season. Last fish fry. It was my first time at the Fire 45, and I got to say I was impressed.
00:02:13
Speaker
Good. I'll keep it in mind. Fire 45. All right.
Controversy Over Downtown Safety Patrol
00:02:16
Speaker
right So we got some stuff going on this week in the great state of Ohio, northeast of Ohio. I think my biggest... ah Little can of worms I think it opened up this week was the Cuyahoga County Council calling for a ban on the downtown safety patrol.
00:02:37
Speaker
What's a safety patrol? Yeah, that's that's kind of why I clicked on it. this I figured it was probably some some part of the Cleveland Police Department.
00:02:49
Speaker
You know what I was picturing when I first saw the headline? Do you remember that... um What was that a comedy with the with the cops years ago from the 80s and 90s? Police. Wasn't a police?
00:03:01
Speaker
Police Academy. Yeah, Police Academy. But they remember they had citizens on patrol and they called it cops? Yes. That's what I was picturing. That is not this. ah okay. So what is the safety patrol? It essentially is an extension of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department.
00:03:17
Speaker
So Sheriff Harold Pretell created the downtown safety patrol in late 2023. i guess they're during a spike in violent crime and a staff shortage in the Cleveland police department. oh he He was an officer for nearly 30 years, it says.
00:03:34
Speaker
But it's been a point of contention with the Cuyahoga County of Council for ah couple of reasons. So what what do they do? Here's some, and well we'll get some statistics real quick. So since their inception in 23, they've confiscated 291 illegally possessed guns. 65 of those were said to be in connection with violent crimes, felonies, assaults, homicides.
00:03:57
Speaker
Deputies have also made 103 felony arrests. Here's the interesting stat to me. Conducted 4,946 traffic stops. how many citations do you think you got out of 4,946 traffic stops, Tom?
00:04:13
Speaker
Take a guess.
00:04:18
Speaker
Citations? Yeah, so if you pull somebody over, you give them a ticket, citation, or... you know Probably 4,975. 194. Oh, they're just pulling people over them over? Yeah. one hundred and ninety four oh so they're just pulling people over to pull them over I thought that was a very lopsided number.
00:04:34
Speaker
I didn't think it would be four thousand nine i think would be four thousand nine hundred and forty three be 4,943. 194 tickets, or it says traffic and misdemeanor citations. It seems like they're pulling over a whole lot of people that don't really maybe need to be pulled over. Yeah. Yeah.
00:04:51
Speaker
um And also, I will finish off, they confiscated $197,490 tied to illegal drug sales. So why is this in the news?
00:05:03
Speaker
And remember that 4,946 traffic stops with 194 citations. So they are in the news because on March 28th, the downtown safety patrol spotted a vehicle with windows they suspected might be illegally tinted too dark.
00:05:19
Speaker
With the officers tailing him, the 24-year-old Nigel Perry ran a red light and made an illegal turn. What happened after that? Well, a chase ensued.
00:05:32
Speaker
Officers later said that the suspect might have been drunk. So when they tried to pull him over, Perry sped. He he took off. ah The officers followed him in a chase that reached nearly 100 miles an hour, which I thought, i come on, he could do better than that nowadays.
00:05:46
Speaker
But it was through downtown Cleveland. In the attempts to evade the police, Perry collided into another driver, sending this woman's vehicle careening off the road down a 40-foot drop.
00:06:01
Speaker
um Perry's vehicle caught fire. ah Perry was trapped in the vehicle, believed he died instantly. And the 48-year-old Tama emia ah Westmoreland was thrown from the vehicle and died Sunday after two weeks in the hospital.
00:06:18
Speaker
This was horrific. and here's deal and And there's really no way to
00:06:25
Speaker
for and an audio podcast for you to see because the ODOT traffic cameras caught this. um But I did see ah there is a clip. This is from News Channel 5. In the beginning of it, we'll give you an idea from the reaction of the i'm safety patrol officer, how bad this was.
00:06:41
Speaker
This also gives us a little bit of background. ah It's about a minute long.
00:06:46
Speaker
The moment of impact heard in the voices of Cuyahoga Sheriff's deputies. Oh, boy. Suspect Nigel Perry died after slamming a Dodge Neon he was driving into the back of a Range Rover.
00:07:00
Speaker
Perry was trapped in the mangled metal at the Eddy Road exit from I-90. You're going to send a fire as well. We're to have fire and get from traffic. The Range Rover Perry hit flew over the traffic bridge in a ball of flames.
00:07:13
Speaker
The woman inside thrown from her vehicle a 40 foot drum. A lot of fire now that this vehicle down on the other side the bridge is like Exploding and popping on things. On the ramp, there appears to be confusion as deputies scramble to find a fire extinguisher.
00:07:29
Speaker
Do we have a fire extinguisher? The first one didn't work. Fire extinguisher, is there anymore? Deputies chase Perry from East 9th in downtown Cleveland. Records show Perry ran from a traffic stop, the initial pullover for a window tint violation, and concern over an expired plate.
00:07:46
Speaker
So...
00:07:49
Speaker
Council members are not happy. and They have had a problem with this safety patrol for quite a while. One of their concerns was liability with the county.
00:08:02
Speaker
And the other the other concern was budget. um They're pouring in $1.2 million dollars a year of the county budget into into this program.
00:08:14
Speaker
I'd like to know why most what most of those... pullovers were for. Yeah. Like what's the end game here?
00:08:25
Speaker
i mean, I know it's a safety patrol, but what are the, um, what are they pulling people over for? Are they just, uh, You know, ah well, according to that stat, 4,000, 5,000 pulled over, 5,000 people pulled over and 194 ticketed.
00:08:45
Speaker
In this case, they've started following this kid guy for, because his window's a little dark and then maybe for a possible fake license plate. So part of the issue is if this were the Cleveland Police Department, they never would have chased him.
00:08:59
Speaker
they don't They have a pretty strict policy of no chasing of ah of this kind of stuff. The county sheriffs or the safety patrol is a little different. They can do it if they feel, think what the reports say, if they feel that this person's a danger to the to community or to some you know immediate danger or something to that effect. And then they got the permission from a supervisor.
00:09:23
Speaker
And ah up till now, nobody knows if all that has happened. It doesn't seem like somebody whose windows are tinted and might have ah and a fake license plate is a menace to society. So there they're just profiling.
Cuyahoga County's Budget Deficit Solutions
00:09:38
Speaker
don't see anymore. It seems to be a case of over-policing, in my in my opinion. and And this is on top of the sheriff has been advocating to expand this outside of Cleveland to the rest of the county.
00:09:51
Speaker
I don't, I don't, I, to me, it sounds like over-policing. I get why they started it. There was a spike in crime, and then there was some shortage staff shortages on the Cleveland Police Department. i I see this as just a little bit too much for me.
00:10:06
Speaker
Well, of course. I mean, there they're they're racial profiling or bias profiling, whatever you want to call it. they're they're just They're profiling anybody. is it profile it's just over I mean, I guess the same maybe it's a similar thing. It's over-policing. that they if they they They were following looking for a guy because they thought his windows were might be over-tinted.
00:10:29
Speaker
Right. yeah You know, if you want to give him a ticket because he did something else, I'm cool with that. But you don't pull somebody over just because his windows are, you think they might be too dark, you know? I would say it is profiling, just not racially profiling. It's just profiling as would say. No, we don't know that. There's 4,000 pullovers. Oh, that's true. No, I mean, in this case, yeah. Yeah, in this case, we don't know.
00:10:52
Speaker
They couldn't see who was in the car because he had tinted windows. They were just assuming it's somebody with tinted windows. Usually somebody with tinted windows is a B, and C. That's what I would think in their heads.
00:11:02
Speaker
Usually somebody with tinted windows, there's drugs in the car. Usually tinted windows, there's something they can get them for other than... So that is bias-based policing. That's not cool either. No, yeah it's and it's like we're saying, we're talking about the same thing. It's over-policing, regardless of why, what what they use.
00:11:19
Speaker
So the council members, Sonny Simon, Mike Gallagher, and Mike Hauser have proposed legislation to prohibit sheriff from spending any money on the downtown patrol. That's new. That's something they just did after this investigation.
00:11:33
Speaker
It happened. They still have yet to speak. The sheriff has yet to speak in front of county council. He was supposed to, I think he was supposed to speak this week and there was a ah death in in the sheriff's department. So he had to go to our funeral. so now going wait another two weeks.
00:11:49
Speaker
um So they're prohibiting, they they put legislation in prohibiting the sheriff from spending any many any more money on the downtown patrol, which would effectively bit disband the units. And it also prevents him about this.
00:12:01
Speaker
I, I don't know if you can answer this, but, uh, Most sheriffs in Ohio, I think, are voted on. Yes.
00:12:12
Speaker
Voted into office. Is Cuyahoga voted? Because I've never seen that vote come in. I don't see why not. Let's... Cuyahoga.
00:12:24
Speaker
Yeah, you can look that up. i'm goingnna I got a couple more little things here we can do. Oh, look. but So... They also ah want to go further with the legislation to prevent the sheriff from ah standing up um any other similar units with different names without counsel's express approval.
00:12:41
Speaker
Because this was done without the counsel's approval. So the sheriff is... is
00:12:48
Speaker
kind of Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but when you start coming up to a $1.2 million dollars a year budget for this program, and the can of worms I just opened is, i don't know if you're aware, I just found this out through this article.
00:13:02
Speaker
So here's the paragraph. For over a year, Gallagher, who chairs the council's, this is Mike Gallagher, Michael Gallagher, who chairs the council's public safety committee, has been warning about patrol's extra cost, about $1.2 million dollars a year at the time when the county also facing $25 million dollars budget deficit.
00:13:22
Speaker
Did you know the county is at $25 million? dollars They projected a $25 million dollar deficit this year? No, I had no idea. Can of worms opened. so By the way, the um the sheriff is the only sheriff in Ohio that is not elected. He's appointed.
00:13:40
Speaker
By who? By the mayor, I'm sure. Or the county council. Or or county council. That that changed in 2010- two thousand and ten yeah on the following a 2009 charter change that switched the selection method. And that, to me, that is BS.
00:13:58
Speaker
Yeah, it should be elected. i think maybe it had something to do with the whole, when they restructured the whole county government. I wonder if that changed then. You know, after the demoral and stuff, all this corruption.
00:14:11
Speaker
So I started, ahead. Yeah, i don't I don't have any more info than i just, ah you know, did a quick search and it changed in 2010 following a 2009 charter change. And that's about all it says.
00:14:25
Speaker
But it does all. It also says that Cuyahoga County is unique in Ohio. It's the only county in Ohio that appoints their sheriff, which is, don't even know if that's constitutional. Interesting.
00:14:40
Speaker
It is if you charter it, I guess, if if everybody votes for this stuff or it gets slipped in somewhere. I don't know. they They're also concerned about liabilities. That's the other reason they they kind of didn't like this because who do they sue now?
00:14:59
Speaker
Who's the family of this woman? are they going sue? Westmoreland. Because they're going to sue the county because it was the sheriff's department that did it. So why why would you, I think they should have shut this down, at least put it up to a vote or some some so somebody needs to oversee this stuff.
00:15:16
Speaker
and And one of the reasons is the budget. $25 million dollars budget deficit stems from a combined combination revenue shortfalls and increased spending. as outlined in the various reports. So I looked it up, I asked Grock, our super duper search engine, and asked them what's going on with the, you know, but budget deficit kind of Cuyahoga County. And so it gave me a couple reasons. So underperforming sales tax revenue was the main reason.
00:15:41
Speaker
Sales tax, which accounted for over 54% of the county's general fund, has declined for the first time in recent history. In the county? In the county. The county's budgeted for a 2.5% increase in 2025.
00:15:53
Speaker
percent increase in twenty twenty five um ah over what it collected in 2024, but collections, ah but 2024 collections already fell short by $9.8 million dollars due to high inflation, reducing consumer spending.
00:16:11
Speaker
That's what they're saying.
00:16:13
Speaker
I call, I'm calling BS on that. ah In some ways, yes. In some ways, no. and with if If everything costs more, that means you get more tax revenue from everything they buy.
00:16:24
Speaker
are some people pulling back a little bit? Possibly. Does it balance it out? Maybe. i mean i think the biggest thing is theyre they are they over-rely on sales tax. And that's a volatile... Yeah, it says right here. So one of the fifth points is the county has a history of dipping... Oh, no, that's not what this is They have a over-reliance on sales tax as part of the revenue, and that's a volatile source of income. It means it doesn't stay it's not steady. it It changes all the time.
00:16:54
Speaker
Right, right. The second reason that Croc said was, hey, look at that. Overspending in the sheriff's department.
00:17:03
Speaker
So increased operation costs, particularly in the sheriff's department, has driven up expenses. the department has faced high overtime costs and ah with 2025 budgets allocating million dollars in deputy overtime million for correction offices over time These costs have been difficult to reduce due to persistent staff shortaging shortages requiring overtime to maintain operations.
00:17:34
Speaker
So then i guess you could pull back your safety patrol and save some overtime.
00:17:41
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Are you, well. Yeah. I think if you're pulling over 5,000 people and only given 194 citations, there's some cutting to be done.
00:17:57
Speaker
That's what I see. I still don't get that. I still don't understand that. Yeah, I'm not a police expert, but I i i know, you know, somebody will pull you over for, you know, something...
00:18:10
Speaker
maybe let you off without a citation, usually with a little warning or it's a helpful. 50%? I don't even think it's 50%, dude. mean, in this 50% would something wouldn't even, if it was, if there were 5,000 pullovers 2,800 citations 4,000 pullovers,
00:18:25
Speaker
if there were five thousand pullovers and twenty eight thousand citation or twenty eight hundred citations with fourth five thousand pullovers It wouldn't be such a, i would say, okay, that seems reasonable. I'd be like, oh, those those cops are doing, you know, they're doing good.
00:18:38
Speaker
They're actually letting people off. They're telling people you're speeding and, you know, maybe that's what they're got tile light here. You know, have that fixed by tomorrow. Right. in this case, as we see the evidence, which show that maybe not, that's not what they're doing. They're trying to pull people over for tinted windows, let's say, and in this case, and try to catch them on other things.
00:18:57
Speaker
There's the profile. Yeah, yeah. What else is, why else is the is the county over budget? Rising personal costs. ah what's So 2020.05 budget includes significant salary increases, such as non-union negotiated raises and a 2% cost of living adjustment for all employees costing $9.8 million annually. Okay.
00:19:19
Speaker
Okay. So a 2.7, 2.2% cost of living adjustment is not significant salary increases. So that seems to make something probably look into a little bit more. um but Expenses for the Board of Education, jail food contracts, and other operational needs have pushed spending 661 million against the six hundred and thirty six million dollars in revenue
00:19:50
Speaker
Other financial pressures, the county faces additional costs, including $25 million dollars in property tax refunds to communities for past real estate appraisal expenses and $32 million for planning both playing a new jail until bonds can be issued.
00:20:11
Speaker
Declining federal funds and uncertain in-state support, such as local government funding, local government fund further strain the budget.
00:20:21
Speaker
So the county has been cutting and to address the deficit right here. So again, you know, the reliance on tax, sales tax, which is a volatile in and in the inability to reduce overtime spending due to staff critical staff challenges in critical areas like sheriff's department have exact because it made the deficit worse.
00:20:44
Speaker
To address the deficit, the county is looking at implementing measures, hiring freezes, cutting overtime, reducing travel expenses, and they're aimed to save $16.2 million. Doubts remain about the feasibility of the savings, particularly the you know ah county's historical struggles with curbing overtime.
00:21:09
Speaker
Right now, they are also pausing long-term investments to build cash reserves, targeting $100 million dollars by September of 2025 to weather financial uncertainties.
00:21:21
Speaker
So.
Addressing Homelessness in Cleveland
00:21:22
Speaker
Yeah, I think they should ah elect the sheriff. They should change that. You need to be accountable. Get back to voting for a sheriff. This guy's not managing the department.
00:21:36
Speaker
No. And overtime is, and get it, there's staff shortage. You got to staff the sheriff's department. ah just I just don't know why during this time you can still pour up $1.2 million to pull over 5,000 people and give them 200 tickets.
00:21:54
Speaker
Ridiculous. Yeah, I've never heard of anything. On top of the horrific crash that, you know, again, the policies for the sheriff's department differ from the policies of the Cleveland Police Department. Maybe they should be talking about this more and kind of be unified.
00:22:07
Speaker
There is an investigation ongoing with the crash because nobody can get a straight answer whether these guys actually have permission to chase this guy down. It doesn't seem like they would if they're, if they're.
00:22:20
Speaker
If they have to have probable cause, it's not probable If they have to have a reason, like he's an imminent threat, somebody with tinted windows and a fake license plate is not necessarily an imminent threat. Right, right. So did they get, and the next thing is they have to get approval from a supervisor. Did they get any of that? It's unclear at this time. Nobody's, well, one reason is the sheriff has yet to stand in front of city council. It's been two weeks and two people are dead.
00:22:45
Speaker
So we have that. Yeah. Yay. And right now they're cutting they're going to cut it. So it sounds like it's going to end. Good. Maybe a little too late for some people.
00:22:56
Speaker
Well.
00:23:00
Speaker
Next on the schedule, the rundown. Maybe a little, we'll bring it back up a little bit from that. but Please do, because that was depressing. More than 150 is interesting new term, but more than 150 unsheltered individuals now have new homes in Cleveland through the the A Home for Every Neighbor initiative.
00:23:28
Speaker
What is this? Well, it's it's an initiative with the city of Cleveland and i have I'll go with the clip, have some background on it first. You know, there's some grants going on. It's not entirely being paid for by the city of Cleveland, but I'll explain a little bit in the clip.
00:23:45
Speaker
Dazed out from the official start of winter, the Ohio Department of Development has announced more than $20 million dollars in grants to combat homelessness across the state. And today, the city of Cleveland hit a major milestone, housing more than 110 people who were living on the streets.
00:24:01
Speaker
One correction. this is This clip is from 2024, December time. And they just updated, or almost at 200 people now. so and Matt Rascone has more but from the groups behind the effort and the people who are benefiting.
00:24:14
Speaker
We saw an alarming rate of Clevelanders living on our streets and tents. Their stories vary, but their living conditions are similar.
00:24:24
Speaker
Now the city of Cleveland is going after the homeless problem head on. This is all about meeting people where they are. And historically, ah we haven't had a housing first approach.
00:24:36
Speaker
Here, Abbey Road Bridge, over by the West Side Market. Daniel Schaefer says he's been living this life ever since he was laid off three years ago. Today, his future is brighter and warmer.
00:24:47
Speaker
It's nothing but a blessing. And I couldn't think much more of it. I think it was a blessing. It was God's send for sure. um Otherwise, I wouldn't i wouldn't I couldn't be able to do it myself.
00:24:57
Speaker
Daniel is one of at least 112 people who now have a place to call home thanks to the city's a Home for Every Neighbor program. The program not only will get Daniel an apartment, but furniture and clothing thanks to groups like I'm in Ministry. i don't care how you got to where you're at. It doesn't matter to me one bit.
00:25:15
Speaker
We're going to help you. After they're off the streets, each person is assigned a caseworker who connects them with resources like job training, addiction recovery, and mental health services. Well, it's certainly not just a handout. It's stabilization. I think we could really end unsheltered homelessness in the city, and that would be amazing.
00:25:36
Speaker
Unsheltered homelessness. Seems like and then an oxymoron. that like two negatives or something? Yeah. Unsheltered homeless. So good news.
00:25:49
Speaker
I saw this as maybe a slightly different way to look at the problem that some of the other major cities across the country maybe haven't been doing. I shouldn't say they haven't, but I don't know for sure.
00:26:03
Speaker
What I've seen over the news, especially the the national news, is major cities, Chicago, in some cases, sometime, at some point New York was like this, maybe not so much now, California definitely, Austin,
00:26:17
Speaker
where they encouraged the homelessness. And I will say during this clip, some things I noticed, they they were showing the kind of December of 24. So it's six months ago, ah five months ago.
00:26:30
Speaker
they they're They're showing clips of tents in Cleveland on the sidewalk covered in snow. Right. ah Example of this, where did they get the tents? Yeah, we These are brand new tents. It's a hundred bucks a pop for those things. These are nuts. Yep.
00:26:45
Speaker
So that's the encouraging part that I see in a lot of cities. I'm sure Cleveland's doing similar things. I saw this as a ah different outlook. As the mayor says, previously, they've never tackled it head on with a housing first approach.
00:27:01
Speaker
I've always heard that you got shelters where you can go get food, you can go sleep, but how do you, how do you get back on your feet again with no, with, with no alarm clock, with no, maybe no shelter that night, maybe sleeping on it, maybe, maybe getting a shelter and getting harassed all night long.
00:27:18
Speaker
How do you, how do you get a job? How do you get out of the hole? So the city has poured $2 million dollars into this project. Seems to be all from grants.
00:27:30
Speaker
And the city will pay to individual individuals rent for a year and give them and and give them a social worker to help them, you know, ah mental health, job training, finding a job, keeping a job.
00:27:49
Speaker
Some of the elements that they were talking about, yes, were which is, this was kind of mapping geographic areas for housing focused outreach.
00:28:00
Speaker
So they're not just going, Hey, come on and get this outreach. Come on and get this money. They're actually going and talking to people and doing some research to see who, what I hope is they're actually going to look at people who can actually benefit, not just blindly giving it out.
00:28:16
Speaker
Right. So I do think it's going to help some out. I, but I think you're also going to get some that, People will fall out. They're not going to get 100%. Yeah, you know, somebody's got to take care of the apartments or the houses that they're renting and...
00:28:31
Speaker
You know, somebody's got to make sure they're getting their mental health care. Right. So they're conducting and of individualized need needs assessment was what else. So they're not just blindly giving this to everybody. Yeah.
00:28:42
Speaker
yeah They're putting some thought behind it sounds like. Yeah, sounds sounds good. Some other initiatives where they're offering the landlords a signing bonus and 12 months of guaranteed rent to help to help incentivize partners and partnering. Go ahead.
00:28:59
Speaker
Oh, no, I was going to say 12 months is more than enough time for somebody to clean up their act and, ah you know, um look for a job. If they mean it. If they mean well, if they mean like, I mean, everybody's to have problems. Everybody's not going to have, you know, maybe some for some people, 12 months isn't long enough.
00:29:15
Speaker
So they're not going to get 100% on this. I just, i'd like I like the, it's slightly different thinking. Maybe it's not that radical, I'm sure, but. with the way everything is in, in Cleveland's a very liberal city, but it's a sanctuary city and all the other stuff.
00:29:34
Speaker
And maybe they're they're starting to see some of the light. Well, yeah, no, this sounds pretty good. I mean, i do think for anybody that's really looking to improve their life that, um,
00:29:50
Speaker
12 months is more than enough time to get back on your feet. And, you know, but should be. Yeah. If you put, if if you're, if you're doing it in earnest and you're really meaning to do it. So they're also going partner with some service providers for mental health, employment and transportation support.
00:30:05
Speaker
So again, all these important things and impriving and providing intense case management during and after the move, which is critical. I mean, you have to do, you can't just give them a house and say, here you go.
00:30:19
Speaker
You got to teach them. me um some Some people need need to be taught how to live again. I mean, you're on the streets four or five years. don't know. You can't imagine you're just going to hop right into it. So a neighbor for a home for every neighbor is the initiative and it involves the county organizations. i want to at least give shout out because
00:30:37
Speaker
Organizations like Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Cleveland Meditation Center, Frontline Services, Westside Catholic Center, and then one in one the one they mentioned in the clip, which the I Am The Ministry, and also the ah an organization called Safe Spaces.
00:30:56
Speaker
Sounds good. So good things. Yeah. Sounds real good. I figure we we we do a lot of ripping on Cleveland, so maybe we should occasionally give them... Yeah, usually don't... them some props. Usually i kind of rip on the whole homeless, you know, trying to help the homeless thing because it's usually a ah farce of what they're doing.
00:31:16
Speaker
But this sounds pretty good. it's i'm I'm impressed. Not just throwing money down a hole, they're actually putting some thought and and focusing it. I just, I really, i did not expect to be impressed, like you said, when I clicked on the article.
00:31:31
Speaker
Maybe it's because somebody's not being put in charge by the city to do this. it's It sounds like it's more of a What's an outreach? I mean, you have all the yeah have all these other groups that know what they're doing.
00:31:44
Speaker
Right. They do this all the time, and they do it on a budget. And their salaries don't depend on um this lasting forever. we We are giving broad brushes to all these groups. We've not looked into any of them. i i would you know I'm just giving some grace to them to say they're not complete corrupt like the county or the city.
00:32:01
Speaker
Right. Maybe a little bit less. a little bit less at least. Yeah. So the good news, I like i like to see it and getting getting people off the streets. It helps it helps the city. it helps the people, obviously. It helps the city. It helps tourism.
00:32:15
Speaker
i don't i'm not going downtown if there's tents on the sidewalks. Just not. Yeah, who wants to do that? Who wants to start a business if there's tents downtown? Who wants to do anything, you know? Right.
00:32:27
Speaker
but Let's not get to a point where San Francisco literally has to pay. They have a budget for poop control in their budget. They have an app. They have an app to report human feces on the sidewalk.
00:32:39
Speaker
So let's not get there. Let's not wait until it gets that. Well, hopefully, you know, with the weather here, so it kind of prevents something. A little bit, yeah. right, and so good news on that.
Debate on Infrastructure Funding
00:32:51
Speaker
Easter good news, let's put that way. um Next would be, we had talked about last week issue two, and you had some questions, and shoot, I had some questions, like what the hell is it? What does it really mean?
00:33:03
Speaker
I got a little clip. I did a little follow-up, and we'll get some background on it so we know what we're doing here. Here we go. This is ah Channel 3 News. Last clip for the homeless was WKYC, Channel 3 News as well.
00:33:14
Speaker
Got a few from this week. Here's another one from Channel 3, issue two. What is it?
00:33:22
Speaker
Well, the May primary is around the corner, and the biggest issue on the statewide ballot is issue two. Yeah, it's something you'll need to know about. The constitutional amendment would allow the state to issue bonds in order to fund public infrastructure improvements.
00:33:35
Speaker
If passed, it would provide $2.5 billion dollars over 10 years. Doug Petkesh from our sister station in Columbus reports. One of the measures they're voting on is the statewide ballot issue, issue two.
00:33:49
Speaker
It would authorize the state to issue $250 million dollars worth of bonds per year for projects involving roads and bridges, water treatment plants, stormwater and sewer systems, and solid waste disposal facilities.
00:34:01
Speaker
Municipalities apply for low-interest loans and grants through the state capital improvement program. To ensure that that that our ah local government and municipalities have the critical resources that they need.
00:34:14
Speaker
Democratic State Senator Herschel Craig co-sponsored the bipartisan legislation to get the measure on the ballot. He says the state capital improvement program is critical as central Ohio grows dramatically in the next decade. All around the state, these are critical projects that helps our state, our families and our children, our workforce be able to move back and forth to work ah to make sure that that happens timely and effectively.
00:34:40
Speaker
How will it affect people's taxes if it's approved? Well, thank you for raising that that question. Yes, thank you. the good news is it does not raise taxes. Joan Johnston and Robin Jones voted yes.
00:34:51
Speaker
If you've driven around Ohio, you can tell we're very outdated on our highways. The way these roads are they need to be fixed bad. So I'm all for it.
00:35:04
Speaker
So that's what it is. So you do know, they they did mention low interest loans, also taking advantage of low interest loans through the state. That's part of the problem program too. What was glaringly missing from that report, unlike the school budget reports that we were hearing all last week about cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts to an increase,
00:35:25
Speaker
If this does not pass, this will be a cut to the budget for roads. this is This is what what was gra glaringly missing missing from that whole report is we've been doing this for 25 years. this is not nothing This is nothing new. This is and just a renewal of it and ah and an increase of $50 million. dollars So if you if this does not pass, there will be a cut to the roads because this money will not get to the city's.
00:35:49
Speaker
Oh man, you're telling me i have to go vote. Yeah. I think it'll pass anyway. It probably will. I think it'll pass anyway. it It has to do with Rhodes. And as you heard, those are two, those people that they interview were already voting.
00:36:05
Speaker
The voting is already open. Right. Right. So it's not an increase, as as the Democrat said, which is shocking, a Democrat would say. But any politician would say, this is not an increase.
00:36:17
Speaker
ah i think it's I think we need it. And if you have driven around the state, you can tell we we need it, especially up here in North and Cleveland.
00:36:31
Speaker
That road sucked. So $2.5 million dollars this is a 10-year deal. So $250 million dollars every year for the next 10 years. Some proponents are saying, you know, maybe it doesn't benefit every Ohioan because it's, you know, state funding going to different cities.
00:36:50
Speaker
local government should fund such projects with local revenue, which I generally agree with.
00:36:57
Speaker
So I also said, what's $250 million? dollars this This is most likely coming out of the Ohio budget for transportation. So their transportation budget for the state of Ohio is $11 billion. This is $250 million that.
00:37:16
Speaker
It's a drop. It's a drop, but it's needed. i mean, yeah and it's not for every project in the city. If if if the city has to do a bridge and it, you know, and they may have to wait another five years before they can do it.
00:37:27
Speaker
In this case, they get done a little sooner.
00:37:31
Speaker
Does this mean they're going to fix the pothole that I hit every day on 90? Most likely, no. I was driving down one street the other day. And it's it was horrible. it's like i was driving down Baghdad after we bombed it. and But I saw brand new, pat I mean, there's there's potholes everywhere.
00:37:52
Speaker
Like, every you know, the the line that crack in the in the asphalt and then it turns into a big pothole every 20 feet. Yeah. Yeah. They patched a little patch here and then 10 feet up they like a little patch here. I mean, next there's huge holes next to all the coal patch they put in, but I'm like, so I'm thinking, what made them patch that and not that?
00:38:11
Speaker
Well, there's plenty of potholes in me filled. So I don't think cutting cutting the transportation, cutting the budget to fix roads is what we need right now. Right. So did a quick look on what all the projects they have in Cleveland.
00:38:22
Speaker
Thought maybe we could talk about some construction projects. And I said, no, there's way too many. So just on a ah ah grand 40,000 foot view, the statewide scope for infrastructure projects this year, they have 38 initiatives costing over $10 million. dollars and ten for 10 million?
00:38:43
Speaker
Yeah, 38 initiatives each. They have 38 initiatives, each of those over $10 million. dollars Oh, okay. They got some pretty big projects going on. Yeah. um They're going to improve 5,538 miles of pavement.
00:38:56
Speaker
That's enough pavement to pave a two-lane road from New York to San Diego. okay Additionally, they're looking at 844 bridges that will be repaired or upgraded in one hundred and 171 large scale safety projects aimed at reducing crashes.
00:39:14
Speaker
Safety enforcement is another big one they're going to do. Go ahead. No, that sounds good and all. I like the repairs, but and we need repairs that last longer than a season, too. Yes.
00:39:25
Speaker
Yes. Finding a way a better way to do do our roads would probably help. Looking at other countries and some new technology would help. Doesn't the bid have to go to the lowest bidder in Ohio?
00:39:38
Speaker
That's a good question. I don't know. Yeah, we got to look that up because... um It might be the case. i think that's what I think that's the case, and I think that's also like part of the problem, too.
00:39:50
Speaker
It can be. a We might need to do a special episode on that. I like it. I'm writing it down. And safety enforcement is the next thing. So they've increased their funding for annual funding to $191 million in supporting crash reduction efforts.
00:40:10
Speaker
So this means sometimes rearranging um intersections and such to make them well more little less accident prone. But the one thing that stuck out to me is everybody should pay attention to is the state of Ohio Highway Patrol would be boosting work zone enforcement.
00:40:27
Speaker
So they are going to be putting way more cops out on the roads in the construction zones. They say previously reduced fatalities by 20% when they do this. So slow down when you see the barrels, please. Yeah.
00:40:40
Speaker
Yeah. And the cops will make sure you are. then we put way more of those.
00:40:48
Speaker
you know I know it piques my attention when I come up to orange barrels with red and blue lights flashing. Right. Makes me pay attention a little bit more. and i often think if I was that construction worker, I'd want that cop there too.
00:41:00
Speaker
There's too often, too often there's barrels there that with nobody working also. So, yeah you know, yeah, it's good to put a cop there when there's actually people working there to make sure people slow down.
00:41:14
Speaker
Okay. I agree. And all that good. There's some major problems. mean, if you drive through Columbus... They are, they're spending, they got a billion dollar project going down to Columbus for the next five to five or eight years. They're still working on it.
00:41:29
Speaker
I've driven through it. as It's pretty, pretty amazing. Reconstruction of 71 and I-70, I believe it is down there. um So that's good. i have one more quick clip that we can talk about real quick.
Local Political and Economic Discussions
00:41:45
Speaker
ah The Akron public school superintendent is on now on paid leave. Oh, I saw that on your list. I didn't i didn't get a chance to read into that. We don't touch much on I just want to, I got a ah little, about a minute clip that will explain it.
00:41:59
Speaker
And it's a pretty quick synopsis after that I have. There you Tonight, we're taking a closer look at the findings from an independent investigation led to the discipline of Akron School Superintendent, Dr. Michael Robinson.
00:42:13
Speaker
He's now on paid leave. Education Station reporter, Daniel Wiggins, explains what's inside the report. and the district's next steps. Sorry, i was gonna I forgot to say before, it's a mess, but there might be something that stands out for you on maybe why he's under such scrutiny. See if you can figure it out.
00:42:33
Speaker
24 pages, 16 interviews, taking four months to complete. Those are the numerical details concerning the independent investigation into Akron Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Michael Robinson.
00:42:46
Speaker
The results confirming a number of accusations of bullying, harassment, and retaliation against the controversial superintendent. According to the report, Robinson blatantly retaliated against the chief of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department under the guise of district restructuring.
00:43:04
Speaker
He gave a formal notice to the DEI chief announcing the elimination of the position and the suspension of their contract. Robinson offered this employee a position three levels lower than chief, but allowed their pay to stay the same.
00:43:21
Speaker
Investigators say the chief has a relationship with the board member critical of Robinson. So, did you catch it?
00:43:31
Speaker
So maybe maybe because he went after DEI there, maybe little extra critical on him. Yeah, I was thinking the guy should get a raise. Bottom line is the school board is a mess right now. Somebody needs to step up and fix this.
00:43:44
Speaker
I'm reminded of a Limp Bizkit tune. This is all about the he said, she said b s And that's what this really is.
00:43:55
Speaker
Teachers union's filing complaints about hidden emails from the superintendent. He's using some Google where you can schedule emails to disappear out of your inbox.
00:44:07
Speaker
And teachers union is kind of complaining that that's not... and The superintendent says that the emails disappear out of your box. They're still in in and the county backup or the files for the yeah or for the school board, rather.
00:44:20
Speaker
So there's all kinds of mess and people of Akron, God bless you. Cause you need some help.
00:44:29
Speaker
Keep an eye on it. Yeah. And those are the big ones. I think, I mean, the, the, um, I see you have some stories in your lineup that I'd like to try and touch on.
00:44:44
Speaker
Which ones would you like to try first? ah Ro Khanna, visiting Cleveland. Yes. Yes, we got a... yeah Let me pull it up here real quick.
00:44:56
Speaker
He seems to be... Why is he coming to Cleveland? I don't know. We got a cal California congressman visiting Cleveland, talking at the City Club of Cleveland.
00:45:07
Speaker
He's a progressive from Silicon Valley in California. And he wants to reconnect voters to the Democratic Party. And I got a clip here. I'll play.
00:45:21
Speaker
What we need in this country is a new economic patriotism, not a second gilded age. That's part of the reason Ro Khanna, a progressive congressman from Silicon Valley, came to Cleveland to talk about the future of the Democratic Party, a speech carried nationally on C-SPAN, sharing the economic message that he told me his party should be selling to Ohio voters, lot of them former Democrats who voted for President Trump. Here is our vision on the economy.
00:45:45
Speaker
Here's how we're gonna create more manufacturing jobs. Here's how we're gonna create ah higher paychecks for folks, give people more stock ownership. Here's how we're gonna invest in communities like Lorraine and Jefferson ah in Ohio. you'd like to see a Marshall careful program used to rebuild Europe after World War II for the American economy.
00:46:04
Speaker
Combine the technology of Silicon Valley with the industrial might of the Ohio Valley. Bernie Moreno told me the White House is doing this through the tariffs that he believes will drive manufacturing back to America, to Ohio. At the end of this process, America is going to come out stronger and healthier.
00:46:21
Speaker
And I think President Trump said it right. We're going to rebuild this country with American hands, with American heart, with American pride. Conor disagrees. Senator Moreno knows better. He used to be a car dealer. Come on. he used to know He knows what's going to happen with these tariffs.
00:46:35
Speaker
The prices are going to go up. Taking on Republicans is nothing Conor shies away from. Vice President J.D. Vance frequently on the receiving end of his jabs to getting into a social media dust-up in February.
00:46:45
Speaker
possible preview, then, of a future presidential showdown? City Club of Cleveland has a long history of places that people come to test the waters, in a sense. Are you looking at 2028? Would you rule it out?
00:46:56
Speaker
Of course, what I'd love is for everyone to adopt my economic patriotism. Whoever wants to run in the future, take my platform. This is, I think, what's going to bring this country together. And Cleveland Club has a history of when you give an important speech, people pay attention. And so I'm hoping that people will read the remarks and that this becomes part of the national conversation. But you won't rule it out.
00:47:17
Speaker
You never rule out anything in life.
00:47:20
Speaker
Be careful. He sounds like a Republican.
00:47:25
Speaker
Economic patriotism. Kind of like what? Make America great again? Yeah. Yeah. America first, maybe? America first? Or is that already taken? but me He wants to use the Marshall Plan.
00:47:40
Speaker
that we used in Europe. What? I just, I just wanted to bring this. Oh my gosh. Yeah, go ahead. Yeah, no, this is not good. But I just wanted to bring it up because it's, I think he's going he's, he's putting his ah feet in the water to test ah or testing the waters to see if he could run in 2028. That's quite, quite obvious.
00:48:02
Speaker
Yeah. Do that whole thing. He's, he's like, he's slimy. yeah mean, if, but if you ask me, I get what he's saying. i just don't know how you contrast that with. Oh, he's got no plan. Yeah.
00:48:17
Speaker
It's literally what the Republicans and Trump has been saying forever. It's we got to bring all these back. And i don't think and when these people get it elected, such as this guy, what's his name? Ronan?
00:48:30
Speaker
Ro Khanna. Ro Khanna. Yeah. they talk they talk They talk about bringing jobs back, making America stronger, and when they get in the office, they keep doing the same things over and over again.
00:48:41
Speaker
what we're What we're currently seeing is is now that President Trump's in office, things are actually happening. People maybe not like it. ah But something's happening, right?
00:48:54
Speaker
but In the past, a guy like this would get in. We want to bring jobs back. Gene brought big jobs back. And they they what do they do? They lead the tariffs. They let the foreign countries put the tariffs on. They let China increase the tariffs. They let Europe increase tariffs. But we're not allowed to have any tariffs.
00:49:08
Speaker
Exactly. So you can run your mouth all you want. But what what you're going to be going up against is a guy, j d Vance, who sat on, you know, who saw the guy who could do it, who actually had action.
00:49:22
Speaker
So be careful. Yep. Yeah, this is going to be a tough hill for him to climb. I didn't realize he grew up in Philadelphia and his wife is from Cleveland. He got married and at the Severance Hall in 2015. So he might he might have been might have had a visit here with family and tried to try to work in a speech here at the City Club.
00:49:46
Speaker
Interesting. Yeah. Interesting. All right. Well, I keep an eye on that one. That's, that should, I mean, the campaign starts already. a Yeah. We're, we're, where we're about it. We're about it. don't know. Six months, but yeah, people are testing the waters. I don't know if he's, I wouldn't call it campaigning, but he's, he's definitely testing the waters.
00:50:08
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. That should be an interesting one. What else you got? We got, um, know back, back, back to that. I mean, for, for a second here, you know, the, the one thing is that I don't, there isn't really a Democrat that's, he he might be doing this because there isn't a single Democrat that I can think of that's capable of running in the 2028 at this point.
00:50:34
Speaker
Right? I don't see anybody. It's got a long time come to to get there. Yeah. so But I mean, anybody you know people are pushing Bernie Sanders and AOC at this point. and that that That's just, you know, they're astroturfing that.
00:50:47
Speaker
um Yeah, that's ridiculous. other ah Other than, i think AOC c can do a pretty good job as ah somebody that helps somebody run, but she can't run.
00:50:59
Speaker
She's she's a use an empty vessel. Yeah. She has nothing up there. And Bernie's, you know, at this point too old and he's he's kind of, he's lost all the people that were, yeah, he's he sold out.
00:51:14
Speaker
Totally. Before it used to be, all the billionaires and the millionaires, we got to tax them. And now it's like just the billionaires because not, you know, he became a millionaire. didn he didn't Didn't this guy just bust on Marino for being a car salesman and now they're going to push a former bartender? Yeah, yeah exactly. Who auditioned for the job?
00:51:35
Speaker
but you Yeah, well. Who was one of many who auditioned for the job? People forget though. Oh, yes, they do. All right. and Enough on that, I guess. Yeah.
00:51:46
Speaker
All right. What else do you want to start with? um and Some of these ah Biden rules being overturned? Sure. i think I did touch on this a little bit. so they're looking to remove some of the overdraft fees, regulations that were in there.
00:52:05
Speaker
But what's the bigger issue here though, right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, because, okay, the House overturned the Biden-era $5 limit on overdraft fees.
00:52:16
Speaker
And, um you know, you you had a lot of the ah wanker Democrats crying about this. And um there are, they overturned it mainly to avoid ah ah lawfare.
00:52:35
Speaker
Because it it is an unconstitutional rule. um And if you go back to West Virginia versus the EPA, which um the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA can't make laws, basically. They can't make Was that recent?
00:52:52
Speaker
What was that? Wasn't that recent? Yeah, that was like, oh that was and two years ago? Yeah. I'm not sure. Oh, 2022. Yeah, three years ago. so um The EPA can't make rules with, I mean, like laws or rules, if you want to call without congressional authorization. And this is basically the same thing. They're they're making a rule without any anything to do with Congress. and And in my opinion, like I like the sound of the rule. I don't think, I think i think banks, you know, $35 or whatever they charge for an overdraft fee is freaking crazy.
00:53:29
Speaker
But you can't tell a business what they can charge. Right. Especially now when everything's digital. So why do you need a $25 overdraft fee? Because the computer did something, you know, it's not like there's some human watching it. I agree that it's, you know, they're overcharging, but you can't tell a business that they can't, you can't tell a business what to charge.
00:53:54
Speaker
you know what I mean, they can if they pass a law. They could. We do it all the time. We do it in Ohio with power companies. You could. But, you know, I go back to, i i personally think this this is this is going back to, you can go back to Obama bailing out the banks and um the banks, the big banks eating up those small banks by buying them.
00:54:17
Speaker
And now you have very few banks or you have very few companies um banks competing yeah So they they can they can charge whatever they want. And yeah, if you want to if you want to regulate that, fine. But you got you got to pass a law on that, not ah not a rule.
00:54:33
Speaker
So this goes back to what I think happens a lot. And it's been happening. I've seen it, I don't know, 10, 15 years. Congress does does pass a law.
00:54:45
Speaker
but the law is vague and the law states that the, let's say in this case, I believe this was set in the EPA case, here's this law, we're going to cut carbon emissions and the EPA gets to make the rules.
00:54:56
Speaker
So Congress passes a law and and transfers and sends their power to an agency, which is not the way it's supposed to be. the The law is supposed to be drafted to tell the agency what they can and can't do.
00:55:11
Speaker
And in a lot of these cases, it's just the Congress passing a law giving the agency the permission to do whatever they want, which is complete crap. It's not how they, it's a cop out for Congress.
00:55:24
Speaker
They don't want to, they're are EPA or there's a congressional group or caucus, whatever it does, bank regulations. And so they're giving them the power and getting and taking away all of the negative press off of Congress. So I wasn't, I just, EPA.
00:55:43
Speaker
Right. They're a bunch of cowards. Congress is cowards and they're, they're, they're a lazy bunch of folks. So they don't want to do their jobs.
00:55:54
Speaker
True, I do agree with on that. I did think we did pass up a story, though. We didn't even talk about the Doge cancellations.
00:56:07
Speaker
Oh, we can get to that. That's cool. Yeah, let's stop. let'll We'll get right to that. oh just to touch on that, a ah judge just scrapped the U.S. rule capping credit card late fees at $8, which...
00:56:19
Speaker
which um Which I think just goes back to this ah this overturning of Biden rule. they just They're just they're they're going ah trying to avoid lawfare.
00:56:30
Speaker
the The banks were set to start suing. um you know So that's what they're avoiding there. on On the other hand, a large part of bank revenue is overdraft fees, or it used to be until this law. Not their interest rates? Jesus Christ. Well, the interest rates, yes. But they i mean I remember...
00:56:51
Speaker
I do remember some of this coming across and and hearing some of the stats. I mean, there was and they and hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars every year just overdraft and service fees of any kind. it it's it's It's quite a revenue stream for the banks. And I can see why they are so upset because they want this revenue stream back. Yeah, it's it's gross what they do. Yeah.
00:57:11
Speaker
But, you know, it's got to be done. If we want to regulate that, it's got to be done the right way. Yeah, I agree. so And i don't think... So the people making the rules also get donations from the people they making rules for?
00:57:34
Speaker
Oh, yeah. How do you think they get campaign? Right. That's why $170,000 a year, and in within five years, you're you're worth $10 or $15 million. dollars So there's a reason that happens over time and time again. so it's it's hard.
00:57:48
Speaker
Again, I think maybe this is another reason why Congress says, here's this law, and then we'll have this other agency do it. That way our people giving us money won't get mad at us. I don't know.
00:57:59
Speaker
Maybe I'm digging too far into it. Well, if Congress avoids it, then the banks can always sue. you know Right, and then they're not going to make their bank people unhappy they' that are contributing to their campaign.
00:58:13
Speaker
Right. Because i didn't I didn't make the law. That was this community over here. on Yeah. It's hairy. It's gnarly. Yeah. And speaking of gnarly and hairy, Doge cancels $250,000 Ohio grant installing LGBTQ plus historical markers around the city.
00:58:33
Speaker
Yeah, you know those brown signs you see all over Ohio. They're usually in the shape of Ohio, aren't they? ah The sign, it's a brown s square, like a rectangular sign. It's got the state of Ohio on there. And then it's got, um I forget, it is a the letters are like in gold, I think. Yeah, so it has, yeah, it's a square. It's got a little shape of Ohio at the top of it sticking out. Got some Buckeyes on there. And then, yeah, it's brown and gold. You've seen them, people probably all over. Yeah.
00:58:58
Speaker
Hmm. Hmm. Seems like a lot of money for what now?
00:59:04
Speaker
Well, you know, let's see here. Yeah. I know one of them was initially put up at the ah site of the first Ohio gay bar.
00:59:16
Speaker
That is not closed. Yeah, that that was like that was through, um that was through ah I would say, people that were um patrons of the of the bar. So that that one doesn't bother me.
00:59:29
Speaker
Oh, yeah. that's ah The problem isn't the the placards. The problem is who's paying for it. Yeah. ah You could put up all the placards you want. I don't want to pay for them, though. So Doge canceled $25 million dollars dollars worth of funds that were awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
00:59:49
Speaker
um like An Ohio grant worth two hundred nearly $250,000 for historical LGBTQ plus landmarkers has been canceled by Doge.
01:00:00
Speaker
And I think there's some people in an uproar about it. The Ohio History Connection received nearly $250,000 federal grant in 2022 to fund marking diverse Ohio projects.
01:00:16
Speaker
Guess how many signs that paid for? i fifty Uh, 50. 10. How many have been put up? None. Okay. It never got started.
01:00:30
Speaker
So they got the grant in 2022. It is now halfway through. and yeah where's this? so they haven even got the money I guess they didn't get it. They were awarded it, but they didn't get it. They didn't start it, at least.
01:00:44
Speaker
So go ahead. Well, that's my thinking. Did they get this money in 2022 two and they've been it's been three years with no placards up? Where's the money going to? Or did they even get money? staff members and participants have to be trained in cultural competency, in trauma-informed care to support this work.
01:01:07
Speaker
I mean, and don't understand why this is... Where's the one... They they had the one bar... Yeah, so Ohio's first and longest-running lesbian bar once stood. That's one of the first placards that was wasn't paid for by this.
01:01:22
Speaker
It was paid for by ah Prototype for Making Diverse Ohio. Ohio History Connection, like you were saying, put up the sign in June of twenty three Honoring Summit Station in Columbus University District as one of the first lesbian pubs in the nation that welcomed patrons for nearly four decades.
01:01:46
Speaker
Okay. They closed yeah down. They closed down in 2009 or something like that. but They ran off carpet.
01:01:54
Speaker
But where's the, I want to, there was some initiative that they had, maybe this is it. No, that's the trauma enforced. Yeah. So trauma enforced.
01:02:08
Speaker
So they have to be trained to take care of anybody who's been traumatized. hey Oh, here it is. So they're first installed nearly near the Dayton Metro library in 2009 and nine
01:02:23
Speaker
There's only one in central Ohio. This is the first one installed. The Metro Library 2009 to commemorate Ohio's natural born. Natalie Clifford Barney, a lesbian writer who hosted literary, a literary salon in Paris.
01:02:39
Speaker
Whoa. Definitely need a placard for that person. Yeah. I didn't make a bullet point on that. I forgot to. Yeah. So so there's I'm stalling to pull it up because it was pretty funny. The second was placed on West 28th Street to honor lbg gee LGBT civil rights movement near, oh, that's the, oh, near the Lesbian Gay Community Service Center.
01:02:58
Speaker
Did we know we had one of those? Okay. Again, put up all the placards you want, but why does it have to be funded by the government? why Why did my tax dollars have to fund it? Isn't there some rich gay people that can help you out? We're no longer funding it. So it's a good thing. Here's ah here's another good one that was cut.
01:03:17
Speaker
There was $265,000 for Queens College in York.
01:03:22
Speaker
for queens college in new york It's not Ohio, but I thought this was funny. Why BIPOC teens read Japanese comic books?
01:03:34
Speaker
Okay, so there's $140,000 going out to University of South California. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I got to know. Did did they find out? Oh, they cut it. that's They cut it. Oh, doge!
01:03:45
Speaker
Sorry. There was $140,000 going to the University of South Carolina to create safe spaces for LGBTQIA plus individuals in libraries.
01:04:01
Speaker
There was $6.7 million for California State Library to enhance equitable library programs.
01:04:11
Speaker
Oh, here's my favorite one. And I don't know how I feel about this, but i they slashed an Ohio State professor's grant worth nearly $700,000. Wow.
01:04:26
Speaker
that was studying the link between cannabis use disorder and LGBTQ plus women. I saw that. Yes, people. what What happens when gay people smoke weed?
01:04:41
Speaker
but They get more gay? I don't know. Probably very similar to what heterosexual people smoke weed. They get lazy, they start eating Cheetos, and they fall asleep. Yeah. Yeah.
01:04:56
Speaker
I mean, it it's just screams corruption. who Somebody said, I need a job. ah Let me think of... Oh, here's a way. It's ridiculous.
01:05:07
Speaker
i'm I'm kind of jealous because, like like, why can't I just figure out some kind of study to... Where's my cut of the corruption? Yes. Like, $700,000 to study the link of cannabis use disorder. $700,000. cow.
01:05:23
Speaker
oh I mean, all you got do is go buy a bag, twist up a doobie, and smoke it with your gay friend. And then that costs $700,000. That's some really good weed, man.
01:05:34
Speaker
Really good weed. Then again, you know, this guy might have been a genius. if if If it's a guy, it's they're just saying professors. Oh, yeah. So, like, let's see. Give $700,000. Now I can just smoke weed with LGBTQ women.
01:05:51
Speaker
And maybe he's just, maybe he's focusing on lipstick lesbians.
01:05:57
Speaker
but and seeing if they can convert. Oh, my goodness.
01:06:04
Speaker
Oh, my goodness. So, like i said in the opening, what else is Doge cutting? It's not just the LGBTQIA plus carry to three over to the third power. It's also steel workers.
01:06:17
Speaker
Yep. Yep. So i you had one rundown about a steel mill in J.D. Vance's former territory. Yeah, Middletown, Ohio. This is a little out of our... area, but it's near Cincinnati.
01:06:31
Speaker
500 million was slated for Cleveland Cliffs to upgrade the old furnaces. They were upgrading um their furnaces from coal to hydrogen, natural gas, and electricity instead of coal.
01:06:44
Speaker
And another 75 million was awarded to the company for a similar project in Pennsylvania too. So that was cut by Doge. And I'd and they don't really give a reason.
01:06:56
Speaker
It's just a cut. A doge is just doing cuts. So this is not a final decision. And I have a clip here. Do you want it? Absolutely. Shoot.
01:07:09
Speaker
Cleveland Cliffs Middletown Works steelmaking operation was granted a $500 million dollars grant from the Biden administration. When we look at the grant and the potentials that that it offers, it's it's big. The grant would be used to replace the steel plant's coal-burning blast furnace with a hybrid unit that burns hydrogen and natural gas. It's going to modernize um U.S. steel production locally, but also on a national level.
01:07:36
Speaker
Cleveland Cliffs Middletown Works is already one of the largest employers in Middletown, but the grant could add over 100 permanent jobs and thousands of other jobs could also come to the city with it.
01:07:48
Speaker
With the potential grant, it obviously offers a lot more, you know, construction jobs and there could be some other companies that come to town to to support the updated facilities. So there's a lot at stake. I reached out to the office for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 1943, which is the union within the steel mill. The union president, Sean Coffey, spoke to CNN about the situation, saying, quote, if they decide to not go through with it, that's 170 jobs we won't be getting in the next five years.
01:08:21
Speaker
Does it change the outlook of Middletown Works? It depends on what the future holds. According to West, they have not received any word from Cleveland Cliffs about the funding, but they remain hopeful, especially with someone in the White House with local connections. We're hopeful that the administration, especially having JD Vance from Middletown,
01:08:41
Speaker
that they will evaluate it closely and understand that U.S. s produced steel is is one of the top priorities. The U.S. Energy Department said in a statement that no final decisions have been made regarding the funding cut, according to CNN. What we need.
01:09:01
Speaker
I see. So nothing final yet. but Nothing final. No this no decision has been made. But there's a lot of... ah i got I got a couple of thoughts here.
01:09:12
Speaker
So they say it could create 100 or 170 jobs. I've heard two different numbers there. What does that mean? Like, what kind of jobs are you creating? they They never say what the job is. They didn't mention 100 permanent jobs and 1,200 construction jobs.
01:09:29
Speaker
Well, okay, construction jobs, I agree. that Which are temporary. But what are the 100 permanent jobs? Yeah. Usually when you upgrade something, you need fewer people.
01:09:39
Speaker
Good point. And how many people are already there? or our dog Or does it, if they don't have this, will they be shutting down and will 100 jobs be gone? it It doesn't sound like it. created or Is it created or saved jobs?
01:09:52
Speaker
Yeah. Well, i know it said created. yeah it does say created. That's what the article says. This is from, ah ah
01:10:04
Speaker
who wrote this? I'm looking at ABC. Channel 4, WCPO, Channel 4 in colum Columbus or Cincinnati. Cincinnati, it looks like. Yeah. So this... So my my question is, why does Cleveland Cliffs need welfare from the government to put a new furnace in? They don't make enough money to borrow... ah They can't borrow the money and invest it like everybody other the company does?
01:10:30
Speaker
So all I think this was was a green initiative by the Biden um ah administration. And i i think...
01:10:41
Speaker
i don't think I think the final decision has been made. I think it's cut because Trump is all about the beautiful coal, clean coal. Beautiful, clean coal, baby. yeah got to say You can't say coal without saying beautiful, clean. It's a law now.
01:10:54
Speaker
Which I think is fine. I think, you know, know... which which i think is fine i um i think you know i know I know these places have to upgrade and all that stuff, but um they they need to do it on their own.
01:11:11
Speaker
and And Trump's not going to cut any jobs in coal because of something like this. If the federal government is forcing you to upgrade your current furnace that is working fine, I could see why the company would say, then give me some money.
01:11:28
Speaker
Right, right. Exactly. forcing me to spend this money. At least give me some of it. So yeah that there's there's there's part of it And that's probably what this is. We've seen this. and If you've driven around and and and you know, for example, when you drive down the shoreway in Cleveland, you're coming across the lake. Say you're coming from the east side of Cleveland along the shoreway to downtown.
01:11:49
Speaker
There's a big, huge hole along the shoreway where a coal-fired power plant used to be that they tore down because ah I would assume some of the same regulations. First Energy decided it's it's more cost-effective to tear it down and and take that power and buy it from somebody else than it is to refit these coal-fired furnaces they put the regulations so high.
01:12:13
Speaker
and getting And getting new furnaces, i think most of the cost is in regulations too. so Yeah, yeah. So this, this will come back. They're not going to. yeah And if they don't, it's not like the, doesn't say the plant's going to shut down. They're just not going to have the extra jobs and the new furnace.
01:12:32
Speaker
Yep. I would i also assume the new firms probably make them more efficient and more cost effective, you know, to new firms. Yeah, but at whose expense? True. Oh, you know, I, yeah, they're going to reap the rewards and get most of it paid for by the federal government. No, they should pay for it. Yeah. so Is steel going to get cheaper from them? No.
01:12:50
Speaker
No, no. No, actually not. It's going to go up because they can. All right. That's good. I like that. I like the fact that it's not nothing definite. I don't want to see any steel mills shut down.
01:13:03
Speaker
At this point, we got enough them. We need more. We need more of them. Yeah. And, you know, I could see possibly some help if this increases output and lowers costs.
01:13:15
Speaker
Maybe some help from the, from the federal government, I could see possibly. All right. Good on that. Yeah. right. Next.
Machine Gun Kelly's Cleveland Ventures
01:13:25
Speaker
Ohio e-check is changing.
01:13:28
Speaker
Oh yeah. I've been hearing about this for a while. Yeah, we hear about it all the time, though. I think about 20 years I've been hearing this. Yes. What's the dealio? I did catch a little bit, a clip or a ah news report on this.
01:13:41
Speaker
And they want to go with like some honor-based thing or something? Yeah, it's just going to... So what they're what they want to do is they they're basically getting rid of it, but they're going to try to stay compliant to the um ah federal wow enforcement of clean air, I guess.
01:14:01
Speaker
But currently, I didn't know this, and it and it makes sense, but only seven counties in Ohio have it. and yeah We're lucky to have to be one of them, but I guess that's based on population, I'm assuming.
01:14:15
Speaker
But what they're doing is that they want to possibly self-certify without visiting e-check centers. So I think they would just, bet it would just become a thing when you go renew your plates that you would just check a box kind of like you do with ah insurance.
01:14:33
Speaker
And yes that your car is compliant or you know doesn't have the e-check light on. Yeah, and if you... And and this other this this is long overdue. What they want to do is they they want to save, because it costs Ohio $11 to $12 million dollars a year to do this.
01:14:54
Speaker
So you want to cut that. And the thing is, the cars nowadays really don't emit, you know, they don't emit as much pollution as they used to.
01:15:07
Speaker
And the older cars are disappearing, so there's less of that. to worry about. And I'm trying to find, because yeah, seven out out of the 88 counties have an e-check.
01:15:20
Speaker
um
01:15:22
Speaker
Some Ohioans, especially affected in effective counties view e-check as inconvenient, costly, or outdated, giving given improved vehicle technology. some of Some call it a scam and a waste of time.
01:15:37
Speaker
It is. It is at this point. um i got this info from News Channel 5, by the way. And the the funniest thing about this article was this this does not have to be approved by the EPA. And then the next line, I think it said something like, Ohio is working with the e EPA.
01:15:55
Speaker
So I don't know what the what the thing is there. But ah this, I am hopeful. And I think the... the Ohio Republicans are hopeful that this will pass just because ah Lee Zeldin is the head of the EPA now. He's the director of the EPA.
01:16:15
Speaker
Supposedly since 2020, the Ohio House Republicans have put in a couple of resolutions. I think the most recent was House Resolution 56.
01:16:26
Speaker
and they oh theyve Oh, they've passed resolutions urging Congress to eliminate e-check. but Yeah, urging. Yeah. I mean, it's burdensome and less effective which ah less effective than with modern car designs, which have reduced emissions by 71% since 1996.
01:16:47
Speaker
However, the EPA and environmental advocates emphasize e-check rollout to maintain air quality. Hmm.
01:16:57
Speaker
yeah I bet you there are some people disappointed with this, though. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. The auto repair shops. Because what I was trying to do, a quick check, because I could have sworn I heard something years ago that the only reason we still have this is because there's an ongoing contract with a company.
01:17:17
Speaker
And, you know, the the people that and run this, the...
01:17:23
Speaker
e-check places where you actually have drive your car. I haven't driven my car into e-check and I just go in and plug it in and it reads the stuff and then it passes me or doesn't. It always passes me. But the there's a company that runs at those stations, those testing stations. It's not the state of Ohio.
01:17:39
Speaker
Mm-hmm. For some reason, I heard that's one reasons why it's still on, because we had an ongoing contract, and after that, they were going to give it. doesn't appear that way. Yeah, it's not in this article, at least. Yeah.
01:17:53
Speaker
So. All right. That's good. What else you got? Anything else you feel like you need me to talk on? We got shooter's renovation on the west side of the bank. I heard they're renovating with they're going to renovate it with machine guns.
01:18:06
Speaker
That's what I heard. No? Excuse me. Yeah, machine and Machine Gun Kelly is... Oh, Machine Gun Kelly. thought it way to renovate it was Machine he's part owner on that of the Shooters on the River, is it called? I forget what it's called. But they're they're changing the name to Shooters Yacht Club.
01:18:26
Speaker
And I think any every Gen Xer and boomer probably knows this place that's in the Cleveland area. And they're having... yeah It's a $1 million dollars renovation. It's 37 years old, 38 years old.
01:18:41
Speaker
It's expected to take four months. So in early August, it should be open. It's kind of cool. It's they're cool, so except for the whole, they're trying to call it a yacht club.
01:18:53
Speaker
seems Well, it's it you know. Isn't there a strip club right across the parking lot? Pardon of me? Isn't there a strip club across the parking lot over there? is it Is it still there? i don't know. don't know. It used to be called Tiffany's. Is it still called Tiffany's?
01:19:05
Speaker
I don't know. I would imagine that would be, the you know, if the last thing to leave the flats are probably be the nudie bar, because it probably gets to most people. I don't even know if that's there yet. It might not be. don't know. I'm just saying. Yeah. Yeah.
01:19:16
Speaker
It's a 15,000 square foot two-level space in 50,000 square foot sugar warehouse. I've been there many times, yeah. Yeah, I was there times. My dad used to work there. My dad used to work there security. really? Years and years ago. I was ah she i was probably 10 or 12. Okay. And he used to work did do security down there. runs Oh, no kidding.
01:19:36
Speaker
yeah ah Thomas Flynn is the director of construction. He's um for Beachwood-based TurnDev. who's oversea He oversaw the demolition of the interior too, which was about a $50,000 project to demolish that.
01:19:51
Speaker
It's leased from Nautica Entertainment, which also owns the Powerhouse, Jacob's ah Pavilion, and Lady Caroline's Cruise Ships, which i I'm not familiar with.
01:20:02
Speaker
think they basically own that whole section over there. The Powerhouse, which has which has the comedy club and stuff in it, and like a piano, dueling piano, or at least they did. I'm sure it's changed. then they got I didn't know they owned all that too.
01:20:14
Speaker
And Machine Gun Kelly, who's whose name now is MGK, I guess. Oh. ah How does a douche become more of a douche? um Well, can't have Machine He also, on the east side of the bank, he um he owns the Club ah coffee club coffee is called And it opened in 2020, and it's a nod to the big six that died at the age of 27. Kurt Cobain, Hendricks, Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Amy Winehouse, which is kind of... That's kind of cool.
01:20:47
Speaker
Yeah, that's kind of cool. Actually, I want to stop in there and see if they have a memorabilia there. Makes me want to go down there and and see what it's all about. because those are Yeah. And, it's funny because the the first time I ever heard of... machine I heard the name Machine Gun Kelly. I was at i was at my barber.
01:21:03
Speaker
that Barbara was talking with one of the patrons there and i they're talking about machine gun Kelly, you know, a rapper from Cleveland. I'm like, I never heard of this guy. This is probably, don't know, right around the five years ago, six years ago. I never heard of the guy, you know, I'm, I'm old.
01:21:23
Speaker
And, uh, right there with you. Uh, i'm I'm listening to them. I'm like, Machine Gun Kelly, man, that's a great name. Then I had looked him up and listened to him, and i was like, oh, I was disappointed. not Not your type, huh? Not your style?
01:21:36
Speaker
No, not not really. And then he came out with a punk album, which kind of like a punk rock album, which... ah Punk doesn't mean it's not a style of music. It's an attitude. I don't think he's a, he's a, he's really punk.
01:21:53
Speaker
He's kind of a guess from one elbows or the other you can't just go one to the other. He's changed styles a couple of times and he's, he's talented. I'm not going to say he's not. He married Megan Fox, which is kind of cool.
01:22:04
Speaker
Oh, he just stepped him up a couple of notches. Yeah. Yeah. But I just saw the movie subservience with Megan Fox. Have you seen that? It's on Netflix. No. but I recommend it. It's pretty good.
01:22:15
Speaker
It's a, she plays a so this guy's wife is sick and he needs help around the house. He has a little daughter. And she plays a a humanoid robot.
01:22:27
Speaker
Oh. So it's like this it's like this ah super hot robot. And she she she she she becomes um aware, let's say.
01:22:39
Speaker
So it gets it gets confusing for the guy. Because naturally, the housemaid should always be a super hot robot. What could go wrong? Yes, yes. so So the movies the movie's plot is, it's kind of generic, but it's actually, she does a really good job, which is, perfect it was a perfect role for her in, her and Machine Gun Kelly make a perfect couple.
01:23:02
Speaker
Two soulless.
01:23:05
Speaker
Nice. people yeah mean they got something common so she played this i mean she's like totally soulless in this but but she plays it perfectly which is she plays a perfect robot all that being said i'll take machine gun kelly's money and yeah no that's investment into cleveland and i'll take any you know what money to invest i looked into him because i i want to know a little bit more about him before i kind of crack jokes about him but uh
01:23:34
Speaker
he's doing very well, but he's not really... His music isn't what makes him popular. It's more about his divisive personality that people either hate him or love him, so it kind of drives his...
01:23:47
Speaker
I guess his wealth up a little bit, you know, because because of his divisiveness, his his as my controversy. Well, this might be controversial, but somebody else is like that in in the music industry, Taylor Swift.
01:23:59
Speaker
I think I ah give her lots of kudos, and not necessarily because of her talent, because her marketing skills. I don't, I think she's talented, but when I watch her dance, I i want to, I need, I need to smoke something to calm me down because it's like so retarded.
01:24:16
Speaker
Well, that's, yes. Again, to my, to my point is and she, I think a lot of her popularity, maybe similar to ma Machine Gun Kelly is the way she marked, the way she talks to her fans, the way she was, she used social media, especially early on, you know, I think that's a lot of her popularity is because, because of that. And it's just, it snowballs.
01:24:36
Speaker
And maybe he's trying to do the same thing, just on a different, yeah like, like, like Taylor Swift was all very, let's be nice to my Swifties and this and that. Maybe he's trying to, you know, cause he's got a different, persona and all that stuff. But, you know, it's just the way that it's a way to go. It's not necessarily the most talented or the best music that gets out there. It's it's what gets out there is what sticks.
01:24:56
Speaker
It never really has been. it's It's always been about that. It's just, it's,
New Women's Minor League Soccer Team in Cleveland
01:25:00
Speaker
I think it's more, um, what how, yeah I think, uh,
01:25:06
Speaker
Social media kind of brings that out a lot more than it used to. I mean, well, we didn't we didn't have social media before. right And it was pushed, the same thing was pushed by by big corporations or or yeah producers and music companies were doing it where now it's the individuals are more more and more doing it.
01:25:23
Speaker
Yep. So you kind of almost, ah to point out all that to say, you almost have to be like this to get, to stick out. You have to put yourself out there in any way you can, I guess.
01:25:34
Speaker
I suppose so. Yeah. I wish it wasn't like that, but that's what it is. how yeah i never even He was he's so famous and I never heard of him before before that time sitting at the barbershop.
01:25:46
Speaker
And he he did win. I forgot to mention, he did win the Apollo. How he became famous was he he got kicked out of um his home when he graduated high school.
01:25:58
Speaker
And let me, let me, he won the amateur night at the Apollo Theater in New York. Oh, okay. That's kind of what, and he was the first rapper to ever do so. okay. Which kind of launched his career. Yeah.
01:26:11
Speaker
And I kind of want to, I'd like to know, like, i get, this is a little different, but I would like to know, like, who taught him to kind of be this divisive person? Because he when' when I listened to him, it it couldn't have been him because he, he,
01:26:28
Speaker
i don't want to I don't want to rag on the guy, but he doesn't seem like the sharpest knife in the drawer. Oh, see what you're saying. Okay. Yeah, it's it's an age-old story, I guess.
01:26:42
Speaker
It's who's around you, influencing you. All right, but but again, please, please, we love you, Machine Gun. Invest more money in the flats because we can use open up um Open up more restaurants downtown. I hope you make lots of money to invest more.
01:26:57
Speaker
Yes, please.
Legal and Social Issues in Ohio
01:26:59
Speaker
Okay, so a couple of quick things maybe we can touch on before we cut out of here. i We've had this in the rundown a couple of weeks. there Cleveland is getting a women's soccer team.
01:27:09
Speaker
people maybe something This is heads up for people. Yeah, I think they finally, they finalized, they found one, right? They found one. They have a team. and they They shot first for the ah professional women's league. and And i think notice I think Colorado got it or Denver or somebody got it. So what the city Cleveland's gotten is the league below that.
01:27:28
Speaker
So it's a minor league of women's soccer. Right. So ah ah more power to you. The only issue I see real quick is they still don't have funding for the stadium that they want to build.
01:27:38
Speaker
out they Out there stadium, they have a spot for it. They found a location for it? They found location for it. um Okay. It is basically, it's just outside of downtown.
01:27:50
Speaker
It's kind of in the flats. um It's like I-90, when you get off I-90 and 9th Street, and you go around the curb, you come out, it's going to be right in that area down there. and you're talking you're talking about, because the Coliseum is going to be across the street from Jacobs Field, or whatever, the Progressive Field. Yeah.
01:28:10
Speaker
um So this is going the facility where they practice and train. coliseeum we Coliseum? What Coliseum? Well, they're not Coliseum. I don't know what you want to call it. The stadium. field ah Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. It's going to be yeah across from Jacobs Field. so it's it's But it's kind of like down in that lower area. Because across from Jacobs Field is like is a big bridge, basically.
01:28:31
Speaker
When you go in in front of Tower City. and that if If you look to your left as you're going, if Jacobs Field's on your right, On the left is basically a bridge.
01:28:41
Speaker
Underneath there is parking for some stuff, and it's going to be kind of down in that area. Okay, so this is... So they're going to have their training facility and their stadium all in one? As far as I know, yes.
01:28:53
Speaker
okay because it sounded like... Another article I read, it sounded like it was going to be two different facilities. but i Could be. ah could ah I could have had that wrong. Yeah, these are, again, the head these are stories that we have touched on, and we just want to give you guys a heads up. So I'm not sure. i ah My biggest...
01:29:12
Speaker
When I read the article, when I skimmed through the article, the biggest thing I took away from it was they're still looking for a $50 fifty million dollars investment for the stadium. Right. they have They have yet to do that. And it to me, it tied in with the whole Browns thing because they're trying to get money from the state, from the county, from the city.
01:29:28
Speaker
And so are the Browns. And then you've got the Bengals, all these sports teams. It looks like a cool idea. I just, I guess, I guess there's a market for it. There's a growing market. They keep telling me there's a growing market for it, but I, you know, i don't know.
01:29:45
Speaker
But take, check that out. It's something come maybe we'll, as it gets closer, if they start having some funding, we can, we could touch on it. Cause it is nice. It's nice more development in the downtown area, which is great.
01:29:56
Speaker
and We kind of touched a little bit on this about the parental social media consent law. And it put on a injunction earlier this year or late 2024.
01:30:09
Speaker
Well, the quick, quick heads up is the judge just apparently struck it down. So that last year's law that has been struck down and it's not in play. So they can't enforce it. They can't enforce it, but the state of Ohio is going to try again.
01:30:21
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. um What else? Anything else you want to touch on real quick? I got this clip here that I think people should hear because it it' get ah gave me a good laugh.
01:30:35
Speaker
Okay.
01:30:40
Speaker
Gender reveal gone bad. but Because just as Andrew Soliday started spinning his tires, leaving a cloud of smoke behind, Kenton police were on the scene.
01:30:52
Speaker
And they didn't see pink or blue, they saw red. or it
01:31:00
Speaker
That's when the gender reveal turned into a burnout bust. Get out the Get out the car! Police ordered the driver of the muscle car to get out. Andrew Soliday was immediately placed in handcuffs. Can I explain? No. I'm sorry. They just called me and asked me to come for a gender reveal. I mean, I understand why they stopped. They saw the smoke. But once they pulled up, my hands are out the window, and the grandmother and mother and everyone and me is telling them it's a gender reveal.
01:31:26
Speaker
To run up on me with guns out and and treat me like that it was just crazy to me. It was for a gender reveal is all we were doing. As the grandmother of the couple having the gender reveal on Lawrence Road, Northeastern Canton, tried to explain to officers what they were doing, police did say they were sorry and not trying to ruin the moment.
01:31:45
Speaker
We're used to dealing with people that are doing burnouts and running from us. All right. That's why we don't know what's going on. That's why we're getting out with guns blazing. But the expectant couple who, by the way, will welcome a little boy in August feels solid. They deserves a personal apology from.
01:32:00
Speaker
All right. That's enough of that. I just, first of all, gender reveal. This, this is like the most America thing to ever happen for a gender reveal party. Yeah. So they they burn out.
01:32:13
Speaker
I never knew this existed. so i know what you're going to say. I think I know what you're going say. That's what I'm going ask. Go ahead. Okay. So there's a car out in front of the house. I guess everybody looks out the window and the guy does a burnout and he either spits out blue smoke or pink smoke.
01:32:30
Speaker
And I never knew that that existed until I looked it up and you could buy this stuff. It's great. Yeah, you can buy tires like that. Pardon of me? color You can buy tires that have color embedded in the in the rubber.
01:32:42
Speaker
Ah, okay. Cool. So I saw this on a YouTube channel I watch, Vice Grip Garage. So he he does burnout competitions when he does all this car stuff. But one of the things he does is he builds these old cars into burnout cars.
01:32:57
Speaker
And he's got a huge following and so he's ah you know he's very American focused. so he does when he does his burnouts, he has a red tire and a blue tire. And he burns out with red, and red white, and blue.
01:33:07
Speaker
Because some of the smoke comes out white. Right, right. Very cool. Yeah, he he he his idea and buys him like that. So is that what this guy did? You think? He had to. It had tires put on his... I think they sell like a powder or some type of liquid you could put on your tires to do Maybe that's it too, yeah. He had a high horsepower. It looked like a Hellcat. Oh, that's what it was. Charger. Charger. Yeah, I did see Yeah, and he did a burnout in front the house and cops saw it and chased him. I became infuriated when I found...
01:33:39
Speaker
first saw this. He didn't go anywhere. Exactly. Well, they stopped him. He didn't go anywhere. He pulled right over. His hands were out the out the door and um they had guns on him.
01:33:51
Speaker
And that infuriated me. I was just like, these are just the typical pigs. Hmm. And I got mad. But then again, i thought about it for a minute. I don't know the neighborhood. The neighborhood looks a little sus.
01:34:02
Speaker
So i don't I don't know what the neighborhood's like. And then they did he they didn't personally apologize to the guy, but they they did apologize after They explained themselves. sound like They explained themselves and they let it they they didn't give him a ticket. They didn't arrest him. They put cuffs on him, but they never arrested him.
01:34:23
Speaker
or ah you know gave him a citation. So so ah good good story. good ahead. Yeah, I feel better about it. i was i was like I was so ah pissed at when I first saw this because I was just like, okay, these guys are idiots, but that's fine.
01:34:38
Speaker
They're just being idiots. And he didn't... you need a gun You can argue if this is safe or not, but from what I saw, there's a video of it. It it wasn't unsafe. The guy knew what he was doing. he was obviously yeah He's obviously done this a few times.
01:34:52
Speaker
Yes, and he has the car to do it, and which is cool. Yeah. and i don't i don't I don't see why guns a-blazing was necessary. I could see the aggressive, an aggressive posture by the cops.
01:35:05
Speaker
They could have had their guns on their on the holster, or their hands on their guns. Yeah, the guns on their holster. they They could have kept their guns in their holster, but they they they were pointing at it. at him and that's effed up man yeah that's it's it's you're asking for problems whenever you pull a gun up when you have somebody it's one thing if you if you if you win a few blocks or something yeah if you win a high speed chase and then you know yeah but then again i then like you said One of the things that most civilians don't understand is what it feels like to walk up on a car that you just pulled over.
01:35:38
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And not know what the hell's inside. And then you, and then add on top of that, most of the time when they pull up on the situation like this, it's, it's bad. Right. This is not no normal burnout situation. He's probably thinking it's a, ah you know, they do those ways, shut down the intersections and they just do burnout competitions. A street take a street take takeover. Yeah, but there's no other cars.
01:35:59
Speaker
True. i get I get all that. i' you know I'm just trying to see both sides of it. like Guns should not have been pointed. Because that some of the comments are on the video, this is ah just a YouTube click clip from channel 19, I believe. And...
01:36:11
Speaker
and um Some of the comments were like, well, this is what happens when there's street takeovers and stuff. I'm like, there's no street takers. There's no people there. It's just one car doing a burnout.
01:36:22
Speaker
Yeah. You know, and there's blue smoke. you got you You got to sit there. If you're an officer, you got to sit there. and Maybe you don't know what what that means, but you don't come out with guns. What was the reveal? I mean, it was it a boy or a girl? I got to know.
01:36:35
Speaker
but so it was blue so It was blue smoke as a boy. Right. Merk, another boy. We need more boys. Merk. Yeah. I just always have to stress.
01:36:45
Speaker
preconceived notions by humans. We all have them. And when you're police officer and all you are surrounded by the crap of society, you get chips on it. You get a pre-existing, I mean, you he already had, it sounds like he they already had a idea what they thought this was probably because time and time again, when they come up to somebody, they don't get that, I'm sorry,
01:37:09
Speaker
you know, with my hands out the window. Right. get They get a slightly different attitude, you know. so and It's not an excuse. It's just, it's human nature. So people, I try to keep that in mind. Like, ah I'm not a cop.
01:37:20
Speaker
I was upset when I first heard the cops did that. And then when I paid attention to the... to the neighborhood a little bit more. i I wouldn't call it a bad neighborhood, but it's definitely a neighbor that's got, you know, some problems.
01:37:34
Speaker
But that's, yeah yeah, be careful. Be careful. Just even a gender reveal and get you shot.
01:37:44
Speaker
Do
Show Conclusion & Next Week's Teasers
01:37:45
Speaker
something cooler like fireworks or something. um then Then what would happen? Then the cops would show up, guns blazing. Anyway. I'm just kidding. i've seen There's plenty of fail videos for gender reveal when it comes to so um fireworks.
01:38:01
Speaker
were they you Yeah? Blows up in their face. Oh, yeah. Fail videos. Okay. I think we hit all the big ones. I think I'm satisfied. about you?
01:38:13
Speaker
I'm good. I think next week we'll have um another show and we're going to try to hit some more stories, maybe wrap, maybe touch, follow up on a few more that we touched on today and see there are updates. um I think if you've, you're good, I'm good.
01:38:29
Speaker
Let's, let's wrap it All right. Well, we will talk to everybody next week. Have a good week. Happy Easter. Happy Easter.