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Crooked River Cast Show 22
19 Plays4 days ago
https://www.crookedrivercast.com
Crookedrivercast@gmail.com
- Sharrod Brown to run for Senate is Amy Acton the Dems only hope for Governor?
- Gay marriage activists now have something to cry about.
- Redistricting is in the news. Will Ohio be the next Texas?
- Dewine’s property tax “working” group meets again and again… While county auditors say….
- Why date centers matter to you but maybe not in the way you think it would.
- Bellbrook High School closes library till it can “figure out” what books it can have out and which they can’t.
- BREAKING! ODOT denies permit before it was applied for.
- Kill The Spotted Lantern Flies… Kill them DEAD!
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Transcript
Introduction and Show Overview
00:00:01
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Crooked Rivercast. I am Robert, your host for today's show. And joining me every week is my friend Tom to help us keep track of, stay on top of, stay in front of, if that's more your thing, of what's going on in Northeast Ohio.
00:00:16
Speaker
This is show 22 on August 16th. Another week, another show. See what's going on.
Tom's 72-hour Fast Experience
00:00:23
Speaker
Happy show day, Tom. Happy show day. Oh, Robert.
00:00:29
Speaker
day I get to release my frustrations on the world. Okay. Yeah. You know what? but Right now I don't care about any of that because I'm towards the end of my 72 hour fast.
00:00:42
Speaker
So. Oh, oh, oh boy. This could be this could be a, this could be a show. I don't know if I'm hangry Oh, you're beyond angry.
00:00:54
Speaker
Fasting completely? Just and mean have water. what coffee You know, coffee. Black coffee. Tea. And water. That's it. How's it going?
00:01:06
Speaker
It's alright. I mean, towards the end of it. Yesterday was tough. Last night was tough, actually. I don't know why. like The first time I've done this, this is the second time I've done it. First time I did it...
00:01:17
Speaker
ah I guess around hour 40, 44, so we're somewhere around there, I got kind of like flu-like symptoms for a couple hours.
00:01:28
Speaker
And then i was I was pretty good till the end. ah wow. And this time, I didn't get any of that. i The second day, I actually felt pretty good until i so a couple hours before bed, you know, in the evening.
00:01:43
Speaker
Just, man, the hunger just took over. I was like, oh, I'm just going to go to bed try to sleep through it, you know?
00:01:51
Speaker
But I didn't have a good sleep, so I'm a little crabby right now. Perfect for the show day. Perfect for the show day.
Movie Discussions: Happy Gilmore Sequel and Modern Comedies
00:01:58
Speaker
Well, um maybe it was something that could cheer you up this afternoon.
00:02:03
Speaker
i Have you seen Happy Gilmore? The second one? Have you seen the first one? Yeah. Yeah, I figured. Have you seen the second one? ah No, not yet. I recommend it. Yeah?
00:02:14
Speaker
Yeah, that's pretty good, especially for a sequel. I've heard mixed reviews on it, but... I thought it was good. I've mostly... Well, ah yeah, mostly I've heard good things about it. I mean, it's a sequel, so they're never as good as original. Yeah. Very rare occasions it's as good or better than original. This one is is good, though. It's funny. made me laugh.
00:02:35
Speaker
And let's see. I think my the biggest thing I noticed, I was waiting for that... There's always that moment in every show, it seems like now in every movie, where there's a woke moment. There's somebody somebody comes out as gay. There's something something about climate change. there's I'm seeing that less and less.
00:02:53
Speaker
Yes, yes. That's kind of what one of the reviews that I brought off, took away from it was there was ah there's a moment in there where I'm like, oh, here it is. and and ah And then they they like did a bait and switch, it seems like, Anya.
00:03:05
Speaker
It's always going to be a time when someone comes out as gay, and then, nope, it was something completely different. Yeah, yeah. That's something Adam Sandler would do, or any of those guys would do. Because because I don't think any, you know, because he's old school.
00:03:21
Speaker
And ah same with all his buddies that he puts in his movies, man. They're all old school. Hopefully comedy is actually coming back like the... I think the last good comedy movie was actually Hangover, the original one.
00:03:35
Speaker
Right. Yeah, that was good one. I just saw that not too long ago, or at least half of it or whatever. And by good one, I mean like one that wasn't like afraid to to do probably inappropriate comedy, you know?
00:03:50
Speaker
It didn't hold back. No. When, the you know, when nowadays, nowadays they would have definitely. See, I got to wait. ah I got to wait for, i got to find a couple hours to watch that myself because my wife just doesn't like ah Adam Sandler.
00:04:05
Speaker
Really? I mean, yeah, I guess. like it it's it's It's man humor mostly. Yeah. And she doesn't get it. It's a little too silly for her. I think sometimes. Yeah, it can be. If you think of Happy Gilmore, happiest place of his of his happy place, you know? yeah Yeah. This is is hot chick holding two pitches of beer.
00:04:23
Speaker
Yeah. They didn't hold back. They they they kept that in. Excellent. Well, to some extent. Yeah, I'll check that out. Yeah, definitely good. A couple of twists and turns in there. It's pretty good. i thought he I guess he's got a five five movie deal with Netflix.
00:04:36
Speaker
Something crazy. This will be the first one, I believe. now and ah One good thing is he put his ah buddy ah Rob Schneider in there because I don't think Rob Schneider has been finding a lot of work be besides his own comedy routines.
00:04:50
Speaker
Yeah. Seems to be that he's been ah blacklisted since he doesn't bend the knee to the mob. but Yeah. Good for him. Yeah. whenever He's in every Adam Sandler movie. like He's one of those staples. You got to have him. and Yeah. They're all good close buddies. was um Was Jim Brewer in there by any chance?
00:05:09
Speaker
i don't remember yeah he's probably not in there but he's another one that's like doesn't bend the knee i don't remember i i think i want to say yes but i'm not sure i don't know if he's if he's ever been in an adam sandler movie i can't think of one but he you know they come from that saturday night live um think so i was wondering if he if he put him in there just as a ah you know, handing some work to his friends.
00:05:35
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. i don't I don't, know. I'd have to look up the credits, but as far I remember, I don't, I don't know. I don't know. I'll go look, but it was good movie. I'd recommend it. Go see it. If you haven't seen it, if you want a good laugh, me and the family had,
00:05:53
Speaker
Spent some time and he had
Ohio Political Landscape: Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown
00:05:54
Speaker
some good laughs on it. So some belly, some belly laughs from Alexander. So thanks for that. The girls liked it. Well, yes. Well, yeah, actually both. they I'm trying to remember. They did. They both. Yeah, they both watched it. But my younger one had never seen the first one.
00:06:09
Speaker
Right. Okay. I mean, they, they, using a sequel, they cover that. They try to catch you up in case you haven't seen the the first one. and they do that a little bit. So you kind of get the idea, but we're going to watch the first one again anyway, because it brought back.
00:06:22
Speaker
I haven't seen it in a while. so that That was a classic. I mean, well, Jim Brewer was, I just looked it up. I'm sorry. I just looked it up. ah Yeah. He was in the first one. ah is he in the second one?
00:06:34
Speaker
I'm trying to find that. was like, yeah, I guess we could look. Could we?
00:06:41
Speaker
Jim Brewer Happy Gilmore 2 I can't find anything about the second one and would be surprised I would be surprised um
00:06:52
Speaker
if he wasn't he was Tooley in Happy Gilmore yes he is Jim Brewer does not imp appear in the movie Happy Gilmore 2 oh I wonder what happened there maybe he was just busy he was he is on tour he was on tour Yeah, ah John Daly has a but ah quite a decent role in it, so it's just good.
00:07:15
Speaker
That's awesome. Love John Daly. So the not golfer golfer, he's such a not, you know, not the typical golfer, which is why he's in the Adam Sandler movie. All right, so, yeah, again, another week, another show.
00:07:30
Speaker
let's Let's start with this.
00:07:33
Speaker
Sherrod Brown is running for Senate. Can we get a, can we, can we, where's my, oh, there it is. Yay!
00:07:45
Speaker
No, we're, I thought I was, we're celebrating because now he's not running for governor. Oh, he had no chance at governor. No, but he was one of the guys you were talking about because he's one of the few Democrats that has a name recognition in Ohio.
00:07:58
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. He was one of the ones there, what, is he going to put his name in for the governor's race? But no, he now he wants to challenge Houston.
00:08:06
Speaker
Well, I think that's his best chance, but Houston's got good name recognition, too, because he's been around for a while. So that's kind that's a hurdle hurdle for them to overcome. do we know about What do we know about Houston? Do we have any background in Houston? Maybe we should do a little little bit of a dig into so what he does in one of these shows,
Influence of MAGA and Trump Endorsements
00:08:27
Speaker
because...
00:08:28
Speaker
I mean, for I've seen some good stuff. I mean, I feel like I've seen good stuff in the recent past since we've been paying attention. ah yeah Well, the thing is, he there's been good stuff since ah Trump endorsed him. and To me, he's a rhino.
00:08:43
Speaker
So I wonder what he would be like if he's not getting pressured by MAGA.
00:08:49
Speaker
Yeah, I was listening to the Windsor Report. He was he was saying some COVID nonsense he was involved with. so Yeah. I wasn't sure exactly how... but how MAGA Houston is, but I would let that go depending on when, when that happened during COVID. If it happened the first couple of months, I'm kind of like, well, ah you know, nobody knew exactly what's going on, but if he was still touting, you know, lockdowns and stuff, all right a month, two months later, I'd be like, well, dude, it's not cool.
00:09:21
Speaker
And can, can Sharon Brown beat him? think it's possible. I think the only thing that's going to get that crowd out in large numbers is ah the um marriage.
00:09:38
Speaker
Yeah, our next story. Yeah. yep Well, i I think it's possible, but it's definitely going to be closer than the mayoral race, at least from what we can see.
00:09:50
Speaker
The gubernatorial race. the guba auditatorial yeah I'm stuck on a mayor for some reason. ah Yeah. So the governor's race. Now I think Tim Ryan has to run.
00:10:05
Speaker
I think Tim Ryan has to run now. For the gubernatorial? the gubernatorial. I think he has. I think it almost it's almost guaranteed. oh yeah. Because Acton's got no chance at all. Yeah. but and But I don't think anybody does really. Even even if There's a big turnout from the from the left, you know, Democratic turnout. I still don't think Ryan has a chance.
00:10:29
Speaker
So there's my question. Are they going to send a good old college try at it and try to get the numbers a little closer, or are they just going to let Amy be a sacrificial lamb?
00:10:41
Speaker
Well, I guess that would be up to Ryan. I think they would put Ryan in there if if he wants to, but... I haven't heard anything. Then I thought, whooh who is Amy? who Who is Amy? I'm listening to, think I was listening a clip from Charlie Kirk on a bunch of other stuff, but he brought up how no one's paid.
00:11:00
Speaker
There's been no um accountability for COVID debacles. And then I think, yeah, I'm looking at Ohio. We still got the same mayor, same governor. did again Same governor.
00:11:11
Speaker
Now we have... the person who helped the governor keep us locked down as, as a candidate for the democratic party. So I looked up, i was like, what's, what's, let me get some more stuff on Amy.
00:11:24
Speaker
So I found, believe, yes, news channel five, who else were, we are very heavy again on, on, on ABC news channel five clips today, especially Morgan Troll. She's that chick is everywhere, man.
00:11:37
Speaker
I don't know what she never sleeps. So let's hear a little bit about Amy. Let's maybe we can, See what she's about. So this was, this clip is from new channel five a week after she announced, I think it's about five, six months ago ah when she announced her, her run for the gubernatorial race.
00:11:58
Speaker
Dr. Amy Acton quickly became the face of the state's efforts to fight the COVID pandemic in 2020. Joining Governor DeWine in his daily briefing, she developed the following. There were Facebook fan pages, Rosie the Riveter-type memes, and other shows of support for a woman who was literally Governor DeWine's last cabinet pick a year earlier. Never in my life did I expect a phone call or a job like this.
00:12:20
Speaker
ah product of a broken home, she faced financial struggles growing up, use and neglect, moving from place to place before the age of 12, including a time she spent homeless living out of a tent, experiences she told me a month into the pandemic that didn't break her, but rather shaped her.
00:12:35
Speaker
It's made me have a certain resiliency and a focus in crisis. Oh, really? And an ability to tolerate. That ability to tolerate would soon be tested.
00:12:47
Speaker
She soon was on the receiving end of the frustrations expressed by a growing number of Ohioans over the state's handling of the pandemic. There were protests outside of the statehouse, outside of her home.
00:12:57
Speaker
ah By June, she had had enough. This week, Dr. Atkin told me that she feels it is time for her to step down. She went to work for the Columbus Foundation, but resigned a year later to consider a run for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, move at the time that came to the delight of many of the state's GOP hopefuls. I would love to run against Amy Acton.
00:13:17
Speaker
and She's like the Fauci of Ohio. She withdrew her name from consideration in April of 21 and spent the better part of the past four years out of the public eye before making this week's announcement she's running for the Democratic nomination for governor.
00:13:29
Speaker
News fine political analyst Tom Sutton says given the lack of a Democratic bench in Ohio, she has a shot at the nomination. This time around, there's really no other identified Democrat who's announced or who people are talking about.
00:13:40
Speaker
This is in part because Democrats have failed to win statewide office for years now. Five years later, though, does she still have that name recognition? Is the name Dr. Amy Acton ring a bell? It does not. Is the name Dr. Amy Acton wearing a belt?
00:13:53
Speaker
but I love that lady. ah You know who she is? yes She helped us when we had the pandemic going on. She was like the greatest thing we had in Ohio. Despite his enthusiasm, given the current political makeup in the States, it says it's a Republican's race to lose. Whoever wins that nomination will be the odds-on favorite, I think, against whoever the Democrat is in 26, including Dr. Acton.
00:14:14
Speaker
In Cleveland, John Kasich, News 5. She was the greatest thing in Ohio. That whole clip. You got any spare change? Oh, we got an ISO. Yeah, she helped us when we had the pandemic going on. She was like the greatest thing we had in Ohio.
00:14:30
Speaker
Hell yeah. ah So that would, and I'm like, yeah, no, you cannot be the governor of Ohio. No way in hell can you be the governor of Ohio because,
00:14:44
Speaker
There was no qualification. I she had a hard life. She'll resign after like three months. Yes. She'll have a press conference or two, and then she'll be like, there might be somebody who shows up with a sign outside her house, and she'll go running, running and down the street.
00:14:57
Speaker
Something right with her. I don i don't know. this So there's Amy Acton. There's something. There's a lot. Is Amy Acton the Democrats' best hope for gubernatorial race in Ohio?
00:15:07
Speaker
but Will they just throw in the towel and let her run solo, or is Tim Ryan going to get the race? Oh, I can't wait to find out. I can actually I could actually wait. I don't know.
00:15:19
Speaker
i The amount of money ah Vivek is raising, I don't even think they care. They might just throw this one away. They might, but also the amount of money that Amy Acton has raised is quite shocking. Not just because she's the only one there.
00:15:37
Speaker
so I don't know Maybe that's by default. She's just getting a lot of, I'm just shocked that so she would get for the Democrats, our record. It doesn't even touch Vivek, but.
00:15:49
Speaker
I mean, it's like, it's seven times less. Oh, no, I know. I didn't think she'd even break a million. Right. and In that time frame. I was shocked that she was over a million already, I should say.
00:15:59
Speaker
So to me, that's, I mean, they're they're looking at it going, and holy crap. Look what we just did. It's a million because there's nobody else. If there was anybody else, i' would'd yeah I'd be curious, you know?
00:16:11
Speaker
Right. I think that's three pretty accurate, I would think. That's the only reason she's really at that level. And then we still got on the Republican side, you still got Trestle thinking about running, which, you know, from what I heard ah from some people I know who have actually talked to Trestle.
00:16:34
Speaker
you You know some people that actually talk to him Yeah. And what he's telling them under his breath? Yeah, this is and never going happen. Yeah. Well, first of all, nprr hes he's got a little bit of, well, not a little bit. He's got a good amount of name recognition, but yeah he's he's got no chance. And and when
Accountability for COVID-19 Policies in Ohio
00:16:52
Speaker
you when he does talk about any politics, he's wet sponge.
00:16:56
Speaker
Yeah. He sounds like he's giving you a pep talk at halftime because he's a coach. Well, he does that, but he he knows nothing about the topics. He's kind of he's kind of like... He's a pretty face for Hawaiian.
00:17:10
Speaker
Yeah, I guess. I don't know. He got put in there... ah as a favor or something. I don't know. That was, that was strange, but probably probably for, i don't know how old Trussell is, but it could be just as simple as for the next gubernatorial race.
00:17:25
Speaker
Speaking of age, you know, share Brown's like 72. When do these efforts retire? ahs retire Why? Why would you? Listen, he's 72.
00:17:38
Speaker
he He'll be 73, I assume, if he won he would when he takes office. And that takes him to 79.
00:17:48
Speaker
You know, it's like, God,
00:17:52
Speaker
it'd be You know, there there are some I i i i don't you know mind, but he's already lost. Mm-hmm. They say he's for the working class, but he's he's really not. he I don't know, man.
00:18:10
Speaker
I mean, ah ah yeah, okay. I don't know. i Why would you retire if you could just keep getting this cushy job over and over again? Really, it's not like like, well, yeah, you'd like to spend some time with your family and go on vacations. Yeah, they do all that, and we pay for it.
00:18:25
Speaker
Right, right. mean, so why why would you work Plus all that in so insider information too. Yeah, it makes you very, very wealthy. in Your family members, is not you, of course. Family members are very wealthy, coincidentally.
00:18:40
Speaker
But there' is a ah there's a Babylon Bee video that came out of month or two ago, which is constituents goes to a representative. and he just He's honest.
00:18:52
Speaker
you know She comes up, I'm so sorry to... take up so much of your time going, honestly, I know I got, I really have nothing to do all day today. This is really what I do when he's playing with Legos. It's true. Yeah, it's that's what i mean. Like, well, yeah, they well, why would you want to work at 74 years old, 75 years old?
00:19:08
Speaker
Well, first, some people do. but Not even that. You know that that um not really worked you know that ah that one that's probably being redistricted out of her district in Texas, that Jasmine Crockett?
00:19:20
Speaker
Mm-hmm. All the staffers. and And ah I don't know where which show I heard it on, but, you know, they have a pretty good insight on how... how DC works and all the staffers know each other for all the reps, you know, but they're all like saying that she doesn't do a damn thing except, uh, try to try to make something go viral.
00:19:43
Speaker
She doesn't do any, any work at all.
00:19:48
Speaker
It's like, it's, it's like the cushiest job there is out there. In some ways i applaud her for not doing anything.
00:19:57
Speaker
Maybe I want Congress to do more of nothing. Because usually when they do something, they screw up. They screw it all up. the The problem is when something is happening, they don't do anything to stop it. Yes.
00:20:09
Speaker
Like the good, like the, even the good ones. I, you know, as much as, uh,
00:20:17
Speaker
I don't know if I really like her. i like what she does. ah Marjorie Taylor green. Like she'll be there on the floor when there's a vote. She's present. She's always present. And if something's trying, you know making its way through just because there's like six people voting on it, she'll make sure she calls everybody in to do a roll call vote or whatever they call it. Yes. So, yeah you know, regardless of what you would think of her policies,
00:20:47
Speaker
you got to You have to sit there and go, yeah, that's what I would want my um rep to do. At least she's present trying to keep, yeah, she gets a bad rep in a lot of ways because she's she was a regular person who just, I mean, I think if I remember correctly, she didn't, I mean, she was like kind of a surprise to get into into office. and She's a business owner. her and hurt Well, hurt now now her ex, I think, but they owned a construction company, I believe.
00:21:14
Speaker
Yeah, I think so, yeah. I mean, she's she's like I don't know. I've heard a few interviews. I like her. you know, sometimes she gets a little... ah
00:21:23
Speaker
little kooky. A little well wacky. Yeah, she got she got kind of, you know, she was spewing some, uh, anon, not the blue anon stuff. What's the MAGA side? QAnon. QAnon stuff. It's not even MAGA, it's just QAnon.
00:21:40
Speaker
yeah So she was spewing some of that because she didn't have all the information and it's not, you know, it's not, uh, It's easily done. you know, you could you could fall into that trap pretty easily if you're not reading everything.
00:21:54
Speaker
Yeah, and i think I think it'd be nice in some ways if we could give some of our reps some slack because that, you know, sometimes they're going to make if it's not all run through a focus group, sometimes you're going to have them say things that are...
00:22:07
Speaker
and Everybody complains about politics political speak and politicians being so polished and, oh, they're just talking down to me or, you know, it's all prepped stuff. And then when we get off the cuff stuff, you know, such as our president, this and that, oh, my gosh, I can't believe what they, you know, it's like, come on.
00:22:23
Speaker
Well, here's the thing. I think most people forgot that the the people's um Congress, the the representative, is supposed to be the one that kind of says stuff off the cuff and it should be, sometimes it's going to be wrong. Sometimes it's going to offend people. Sometimes it's, you know, sometimes it's spot on.
00:22:43
Speaker
Yeah. And, uh, the Senate is, are supposed to be the, um, I guess the, more distinguished. Yeah, well, that's how it was, right? Yeah. No, I'm not, I'm not, I'm saying it weird like that, but yeah, that's exactly what they, that's what it was intended for. Well, the the Senate was supposed to be the people with higher education and the reps were supposed to be basically your neighbor.
00:23:07
Speaker
Yeah. Right. Yeah, it's like one was much closer to people. That's the house. And then ah to slow it down and and check another check to the checks and balances was the Senate.
00:23:18
Speaker
So, yeah. But sometimes I think you got to realize that sometimes you're getting regular people and that's what we want. And then when you treat them this way, then you get the politicians such as Sherrod Brown, who's been in there for 35 years. Yeah.
00:23:31
Speaker
You scare people that want to do good things. Push them away from maybe even trying for office because why I want to go through that when I say something just off the cuff that's a little bit weird?
00:23:42
Speaker
And again, you asked why they don't retire. I'm goingnna pull this right back around. This is one of the reasons because there's nobody else there. There's nobody challenging them. So why? There's nobody, you know, so. Well, there's nobody challenging them because you got to raise so much money. that That's another thing. We got to get money out of the. It's true.
00:23:58
Speaker
The thing.
00:24:00
Speaker
That's a whole other topic. Yeah, yeah.
00:24:05
Speaker
But on that note, if you if you got any suggestions for us, didn't like that take, like that take, whatever it is, shoot us an email, subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app, share the show with your friends, send us a line if if you if we're missing something that you think we need to cover, cover more in depth.
00:24:28
Speaker
crookedrivercast.com or email us at crookedrivercast at gmail.com and we will get back to you. Thank you very much for the email and all the other stuff. You occasionally get some input from listeners and that's always great. We really do appreciate everybody listening.
00:24:46
Speaker
Really do.
00:24:48
Speaker
On to the next, speaking of, were we talking about? ah Tied into this gay marriage um activist, gay marriage amendment? About the ah the next the next next election year election cycle, ah i think this will, what happens in the Supreme Court is going to be big.
00:25:15
Speaker
Yes. I got my opinions on it. If you want, you know, we'll talk about it afterwards. Yep. So they actually, we talked about it last week and don't want to beat the dead horse, but now I was asking why they're so worried about getting this marriage amendment.
00:25:30
Speaker
Um, the anti-marriage, I guess there's an amendment on the constitution of marriages between a man and a woman. and believe it is kind of the text of it. And they want to put another one in to overrule that.
00:25:42
Speaker
And I said last, I said, why, well, will this may be all all to do about nothing because why are they worried? Well, the, person who originated this, I guess ah we'll see in this clip, has asked for this for another another case to be reviewed.
00:26:00
Speaker
And the activists are worried that SCOTUS is going to overrule. Supreme Court's going to overturn their decision and send it back to the states where Ohio has this marriage amendment, which would make gay marriage illegal.
00:26:15
Speaker
I got a couple minutes, a little clip here. Let's see what we can get out of this. ah mark Again, News Channel 5. Good old Morgan. Here she comes again. A former Kentucky clerk who denied a same-sex couple a marriage license has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review her case.
00:26:32
Speaker
In 2015, remember, Kim Davis said her freedom of religion allowed her to deny the couple, but the courts didn't agree. Only months earlier, the Supreme Court decided in Obergefell v. Hodges, a landmark case from Ohio, that same-sex couples have a right to marry.
00:26:47
Speaker
Well, now Davis is asking the court to overturn that ruling. Columbus Bureau reporter Morgan Trow explaining tonight how LGBTQ plus advocates are trying to fight against this by taking the law into their own hands.
00:27:00
Speaker
Really? It's been 10 years since the U.S. Supreme Court. Wait, they're going to take the law in their own hands. like Does that mean what you think it means? but It sounds like they're going to take the law in their own hands.
00:27:12
Speaker
Court decided Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage across the country, including Ohio. But the state constitution still bans same-sex marriage.
00:27:23
Speaker
That means if the Supreme Court overturns Obergefell, same-sex marriage would be illegal in Ohio once again. So many of us hear equal rights and think, well, I already have all my rights. i have what I need.
00:27:37
Speaker
And that's not necessarily the case for everybody. On Monday, former Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who was jailed for refusing to provide a marriage license to a same-sex couple, asked the Supreme Court to take up a case that explicitly overturns that decision. LGBTQ plus activist Lise Regula says he knows that he can't change what the court will do, but there are other options.
00:28:00
Speaker
What Ohioans do have control over is being able to put forward ballot initiatives that help to protect our state, help to protect our community. Regula and his organization, Ohio Equal Rights, just got one step closer to enshrining marriage equality into the state constitution. OER has been approved to start collecting signatures for the Ohio Right to Marry Amendment, which would remove the provision that bans same-sex marriage, something Christian conservative activist Lizzie Marbach is prepared to fight.
00:28:30
Speaker
That directly goes against our First Amendment right to practice our religion, um but also it is spitting in the face of God, because not only does he define what marriage is, but he also is who created the sexes. That's perfectly fine for her to believe.
00:28:45
Speaker
We are not a Christian nation. Marbach says her faith is why she's also against OER's other ballot proposal, the Ohio Equal Rights Amendment, which would prohibit government discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. She says this is just meant to fight against bills that lawmakers passed last year.
00:29:04
Speaker
important not to allow men into women's bathrooms and boys into a ah young girls' sports. ah Morgan, come on. You know better than that.
00:29:16
Speaker
So what did she say? ah Discrimination against the genders, on whatever she said. By the way, you is there any more to that clip? No, that's it. I got something here from Liz Regula that was speaking in the clip.
00:29:32
Speaker
Yeah. Hang on. Okay.
00:29:41
Speaker
My name is Dr. Lise Regula. I'm a lecturer at the University of Dayton, live in Columbus, Ohio, as well as am the new advocacy associate for men having babies. I am a trans man and prior to transition, I served as the surrogate and helped to create two happy, loving families. Also prior to transition, I actually donated eggs through anonymous egg donation it's
00:30:11
Speaker
something that I was glad to be able to do. Yeah, that's what we're dealing with here. Okay, so I... okay so i
00:30:23
Speaker
Wow. Okay. They're good. They're good because, because no, I know I'm just saying, yeah, good. No, I'm just and in general. I didn't, I didn't realize I thought that was a gay man speaking and in the videos that I was watching.
00:30:38
Speaker
That's how good they are now. That's what they want. That's what they want you to think. that But my, I guess my point is nowhere in any of the articles, this is his third or third time. I think I've seen him in a news channel five,
00:30:51
Speaker
segment. Oh, really? And they've never mentioned that he's trans. That I remember. No, here's here's of her. Here's her. don't know. Here's her little write-up on her profile thing.
00:31:07
Speaker
He has been an egg donor and a surrogate, currently lives in a very queer home in colbus Columbus, Ohio, with his daughter, cat, in memory of his husband.
00:31:21
Speaker
But, oh, here. Well, that was different. Yep. Wowsy, but different. Can we all say societal breakdown? Can we say that? Yes. We're seeing it as as we're. so And then i guess what I was going to get to is Morgan. ah Don't bring up that. That's a trans individual at all.
00:31:41
Speaker
And just use the pronouns as they want them to use it. And don't let anybody know this. But it's a little more than just seems on and and sex and gender. they want They've got like 15 different things they want to put in this amendment. Right. That you can't protest that you can't ah discriminate against. But we're not a Christian nation.
00:31:59
Speaker
Yeah. mean, ah huh? We're not? I mean, obviously we're not a theocracy. Stop it, Rob. Whoa. Not supposed to come in on the show.
00:32:13
Speaker
This is Satan. you know. Don't let the listeners know. beatanency my plan is working.
00:32:24
Speaker
Yes, it is, actually. because what What was that? They want... That's strange. We'll talk about after the show because we're supposed to keep that stuff on the dial low. But whatever.
00:32:40
Speaker
I know. We'll talk. We'll talk. We got recordings now, Tom. That's okay.
00:32:45
Speaker
So is prohibiting discrimination by state and local governments because of race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, or expression regardless of sex assigned at birth,
00:32:59
Speaker
pregnancy status, genetic information, disease status, age, disability, recovery status, familial status, ancestry, national origin, or mental military and veteran status.
00:33:11
Speaker
ah You left out a few, Morgan. That's kind of the thing. That's what scares me about this. is Somebody's going to read this and go, oh, well, you know, yeah, there's the LGBT, but there's all these other things in there too.
00:33:23
Speaker
So currently we can discriminate against all these things.
00:33:28
Speaker
but I can discriminate against someone's race, against their disease status, against their age. No, actually I can't.
00:33:36
Speaker
It's just a a ruse to get, i mean, like she said, we got so you you couldn't tell 15-year-old boy who wants to be a girl, you could not tell this person not to go into a public restroom at a school.
00:33:56
Speaker
um Tom, he's here again, Tom. time me Tom, you back? Tom. Wait, what happened? Are you off your meds? I haven't eaten in almost 72 hours. Oh, so definitely. ah um We've got talk after the show. We've got some problems. You need to eat some food immediately.
00:34:16
Speaker
Yeah. So they do have something to cry about. would also like to bring up why we have marriage licenses. Does anyone, can and can we all have this discussion maybe now? Like we can maybe all agree on something.
00:34:31
Speaker
Like maybe we shouldn't have a, we shouldn't have to ask the government if I can marry somebody. Does that not make sense?
00:34:41
Speaker
Because originally it was just a formality, like letting the government know that you were two are together. And then it became, what did they use to use marriage licenses? for Oh, yeah, to discriminate, to make sure you you didn't have any any any interracial marriages.
00:34:58
Speaker
They used that for decades, for generations, actually. You used the marriage license process to keep you from marrying somebody who they thought was not worthy or of a different race.
00:35:09
Speaker
Now, what are they doing with it? How about we had this discussion? Let's get rid of marriage licenses. Let's just have a marriage registry. Like it's not a, can I get a license? It's, oh, by the way, I am married to this person.
00:35:21
Speaker
What do you think?
00:35:24
Speaker
am not sure. Okay. i am not sure
00:35:32
Speaker
Only from the tax credit thing. I get that. Yeah. um I guess they don't they don't need ah they don't need a license. They should just ah a registry. Right. But then who who who's to say who wouldn't just register, you know, couple of... couple of ah couple dudes living together. Yeah. Yeah, why not?
00:35:55
Speaker
Yeah, but then they get the tax credits. Yeah. I'm okay with it. Yeah. I mean, i'm um that's not the best situation, but it's better than having ah dudes in women's lock locker rooms.
00:36:06
Speaker
i'm I'm fine with that. It's just I'm wondering if that's the reason they don't want to do that.
00:36:16
Speaker
Yeah, I get the it's what we've always done. i think there's a better way to do it, and I think we could do it without getting permission. So I have a marriage certificate and a marriage license.
00:36:29
Speaker
and but but But should it be between a man and a woman?
00:36:34
Speaker
I don't really care. What about a man and a dog? That's not a, that's, you can't marry, ah you know, how do you, how do you have consent from that dog? Ah, well, it's a smart dog.
00:36:47
Speaker
I get, I get the, uh, the slippery slope, but I also, what I lean on is freedom. like ah Less government to me is always better in most situations. And that's, that's what I see in this is I said this past shows, everybody screamed when this, everybody went, yay, I got my rights to marry.
00:37:06
Speaker
And I said, you just got permission to marry.
00:37:10
Speaker
that could be taken away from you. Why should the government tell me who I can or can't marry? Very well said. know. No, you're right. I get it. don't agree with it.
00:37:22
Speaker
I don't think, I think that a man, marriage was, is there's there for a reason, and that is to keep the family together. It's is for family unity. That's kind of what, so that that was the idea of it originally.
00:37:33
Speaker
I get how it's not traditional. But when I'm looking at both sides, I lean towards less government. Okay. It may not always work out the way we like it.
00:37:46
Speaker
Speaking of less government, redistricting has come into the news.
00:37:53
Speaker
And lately it was Texas. Texas brought it into the forefront nationally because there is all kinds of shenanigans going on in Texas. Texas is not redistricting.
00:38:05
Speaker
They're gerrymandering.
00:38:08
Speaker
Same thing. Yes, but when the Republicans do it, you call it gerrymandering. Oh, that's right. But when the Democrats do it, you call it redistricting. Right, of course. You ever notice that?
00:38:19
Speaker
Yes, that's a good point. That's good point, yeah. I think I brought this on the last show. was like, well, I don't...
00:38:26
Speaker
There seems to be there'd be a better way to do this that's not so political because it just seems like it's when the one side gets in and has the authority or gets in charge, they gerrymandered, redistricted in their way.
00:38:39
Speaker
And if it flips back, it goes another way and just keeps going back and forth. And this is where you have this. But so Texas Was it by choice? I can now don't remember. Now, was Texas by choice? they were Were they redistricting by choice? i think they voted on it.
00:38:56
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And I don't think Ohio is by choice. I think this is just a general, they do this every six years or something like that. Three years. I can't remember. ah Yeah. i it's said in the It's every ah six years, but this time we're they're talking about it after three years?
00:39:13
Speaker
ah Because of the, mainly because of the,
00:39:19
Speaker
Right now, it's I think it's 10 to 5 as far as Republicans versus um Democrats in Ohio. And it probably should be more like 12 to 3. Mainly because of the... the da the amount Trump won by last two times and also DeWine, because they're winning by like 11 points, you know?
00:39:49
Speaker
Right. And I think the couple that they're talking about redistricting are... Republicans saying out of touch with their community because they barely won elections and this, that. Well, I have a clip. we can they They kind of go through some of this stuff that's going to happen.
00:40:04
Speaker
But basically what they want to do every few years is look at the constituents in the areas and see if they can redraw. the So there's 15 districts in Ohio, one House of Representatives member per district.
00:40:18
Speaker
So we have 15 House of Representatives members. 10 are Republicans, 5
00:40:25
Speaker
Democrats. And if they redistrict it in a way where they can make those districts more Republican, it'll go, you know, they can have more better chance or almost and a lot of times guaranteed.
00:40:37
Speaker
It goes one way or the other, Democrat or Republican. And, uh, and here's what, uh, there's a new source I found. This is called Columbus on the record. This is a YouTube show They got a 20, 30,000 subscribers.
00:40:54
Speaker
but didnt Oh, all the, all the, um, I'm, I'm imagining it's all left, uh, leading. no No? No. This is much more like face the nation kind of feel to it.
00:41:05
Speaker
Very old school media kind of feel where, you know, it was one guy and he goes to this guy and goes to that guy. And then you have like a conservative, a liberal, and then somebody in between it felt like. Okay. um So, and they go over what's going on. And the first guy you you listen to is, I think he's the the lefty of the group.
00:41:23
Speaker
And you'll immediately hear why when he describes a quote that he can't verify. It's really weird. But, i I should send you this video because I watched this video a few times as I was pulling the clip and ah he only blinks one eye.
00:41:41
Speaker
and maybe Maybe he's got a ah glass eye. Yeah, but wouldn't that still blink? I don't know. That's why I don't know. He only blinks one eye and I'm just like, he must have a glass. Maybe he's winking.
00:41:53
Speaker
No, I mean, like, is a len blinked blink, blink, blink, blink. I'm like, it's, I'll send you video. It's creepy. I'm not trying to make fun of the guy. I'm trying to, I'm like, why does he only blink one eye? I think he might have ah prosthetic in one eye.
00:42:05
Speaker
Oh, okay. But I just, I kept going, what is off with this? im like, he's only blinking one eye. It's crazy. But anyway, so here we go This is Columbus on the record. Redistricting.
00:42:17
Speaker
Welcome to Columbus on the Record, I'm Mike Thompson. Once again, Ohio lawmakers are drawing legislative districts. This time they will draw congressional maps. They will slice Ohio into 15 districts. Those maps could decide which party controls Congress after the 2026 election.
00:42:35
Speaker
Ohio now has 10 Republicans and five Democrats representing it in the House. President Trump wants Ohio to join states like Texas, drawing maps that will favor Republicans so the party can maintain its narrow majority in Congress.
00:42:50
Speaker
Jake Zuckerman, the Texas maps were very aggressive. Think of this one question as we're listening to this, because it'll you come up towards the end. Why? There's a reason why the Republicans actually have the majority in the House right now, it has and it has to do with gerrymandering.
00:43:08
Speaker
What? Yeah, it has to do with gerrymandering. and you'll It'll get towards the end. trying to favor Republicans in theory. Will Ohio Republicans try to do the same thing? What's the word?
00:43:20
Speaker
Well, there was a headline out a few weeks ago in Punchbowl News where I believe the quote was something of how cruel do Republicans want to be? I can't independently verify that, but I think that kind of thing is why so right now. And we know what Texas just did. Texas's map would flip.
00:43:33
Speaker
He literally didn't even know. There was a headline out a few weeks ago in Punchbowl News where I believe the quote was something of how cruel do Republicans want to be? I can't independently verify that, but I think that kind of thing is right now. And when you look at what Texas just did, Texas's map would flip five current Democrat seats to likely Republican seats.
00:43:51
Speaker
And Democratic states of California and New York have immediately responded and indicated they're going to do the same thing for Democratic candidates. So I think it's pretty clear this is becoming a pretty bare knuckle, pretty plainly partisan brawl.
00:44:02
Speaker
Mark, There's five Democrats now. ah Realistically, how many seats could Republicans pick up if they drew more favorable maps to them? The high end is 13. 12 is more likely. Marcy Cappter in the northwest part of the state has been well out of step with her constituency for the last few cycles.
00:44:22
Speaker
Amelia Sykes in the greater Akron area is also fairly extreme on the left. Both of them are at risk. A lot of this will depend on what kind of year the Republicans have in 2026. Normally, we would see the party that's in the White House to suffer losses in the House races.
00:44:38
Speaker
But Donald Trump is on a on a on a tear of great achievements. If the economy continues to be strong, it might be a much more mild effect in 2026. Herb is that's the name names you hear most often. Kaptur, Sykes, Marcia Kaptur was it a narrow. She had a narrow win last time, but she's still pretty popular. Yeah. Yeah.
00:44:57
Speaker
Yeah, those are the two. and But I think, you know, one question will be, will the leadership and Republican leadership in the House and the Senate have the appetite to do this? Because it'll be a very messy process. It'll go through lots of stages and all of that.
00:45:11
Speaker
And they could decide that we don't need to do this. I mean, even though they're being pressured by the White House. Sounds Republican. say look ah We'll just make some modest modest changes in the district. Sounds like what they would do.
00:45:22
Speaker
That's probably very naive on my part because like typically when you have the pen, you want to, in fact, take advantage of it. But it is a very so very complicated process. The Republicans would win at the end of the process if they decide to go very, very aggressively.
00:45:37
Speaker
That's because they have super majorities and the Supreme Court now has are changed since the last time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. know, it's interesting. they go um ah In the last election cycle in the state of New York, the New York legislature, Democratic controlled, ignored changes in the New York Constitution and did, you know, they got very greedy.
00:45:58
Speaker
and created a set of districts. And of all things, the Democratic New York so State Supreme Court overturned the Democratic legislature. You don't hear that that often and force them to go back.
00:46:09
Speaker
And it's actually the Democrats failed to pick up three or four seats in New York. And that was the difference between control of the House. And so as people talk about redistricting, but you know you You know, you always look at midterm elections, the wave, the midterm effect or whatever.
00:46:23
Speaker
But I think we're getting more sensitive that the that this redistricting can have. We'll determine the outcome. ah So the reason one of the reasons, maybe, if not the biggest reason is that the Republicans control the House right now, he's saying is because they failed at gerrymandering New York and creating.
00:46:44
Speaker
Three more seats. Three more Democrat seats.
00:46:49
Speaker
I thought that was a great ah great little comparison there because everybody's complaining about the gerrymandering, yet Well, look at Massachusetts, Illinois. That's what Newsom's saying. We're going to gerrymander California. like like oh Okay, go ahead. You've already done it. you' You've already done it. what are you going to pick up one seat? Not even? There's some constitutional thing in California they have to do. it has to go up for a vote. I don't think...
00:47:21
Speaker
Newsom can do it on his own. so No, they have they have to put it up for a vote there. So he's he's just, yeah he's running for president. yeah But I wanted to get back to, um ah actually, I forgot to mention in the last segment there about the gay ah gay marriage. But ah ah the only the only thing, the only way I think Democrats have any...
00:47:43
Speaker
real chance in Ohio, especially is ah if the Supreme court takes on the case of well marriage equality.
00:47:54
Speaker
Yes. That will, that'll the base. Yeah. And that's going they're going to be, shoot they're going to be choosing or deciding in June of next year, if they're going to take the case on, which I don't think they will.
00:48:07
Speaker
ah Thomas, the the greatest Supreme Court justice ever ever, wants to, but I don't think there i don't think they'll take it on. I just kind of want to throw that in because this this kind of works into this too.
00:48:19
Speaker
Sure. um Redistrict, you know, what do you think about the redistricting here in Ohio? I mean, it's something that has to be done. I know, when was watching more of this clip and on Columbus on the Record, they had mentioned later on about there was a proposal a couple years ago to change the process of redistricting to make it a nonpartisan, as or as nonpartisan as you can.
00:48:48
Speaker
And it was shot down, and i I couldn't tell by who, which side who who shot it down. it has to be done. It has to be done. i just I just wish it wasn't so politicized.
00:49:00
Speaker
i mean Again, this is this in most ways would benefit my point of view, the way they're doing it now. I just always go, now, this this helps me now. What about 15 years from now?
00:49:13
Speaker
What if things change in Ohio? I mean, it it would take a lot, but I mean, we are talking about Republicans here. so Republicans never never take the bull by the horns.
00:49:24
Speaker
they ah They always kind of They tread lightly, whereas when the Democrats do have a ah bit of bit more pull, they go for the knockout punch. Republicans never do.
00:49:38
Speaker
Right. I think part of that is, so my feeling is, just because they do it doesn't mean we should have to do it. I guess that's not necessarily a winning strategy from time to time. oh Right now, I think that's what you got to do.
00:49:49
Speaker
What you got to do it. I i think that it's out of, him you ask my opinion, I think it's out of control. That's what I think. You see some of these states like Illinois, where literally it follows a freeway ah across half the state so they can connect two of these communities together to make sure whoever's in that district stays in that district.
00:50:07
Speaker
Massachusetts is 40% Republican. Yet there's zero Republican representatives. Yeah. So.
00:50:18
Speaker
Yeah. So you got balance it. Yeah. I think, I think more importantly on this part, which is, I think is going to hurt and help more, and but it won't be in 26 is that the um census,
00:50:30
Speaker
to get rid of, to get out the illegals out of the vote. I think that's a winning strategy. The non-citizens. Yeah, even if they're, yeah, okay. That's gonna be a big battle, but i think that's a big one too.
00:50:43
Speaker
I'm kind of confused by that, because right now, you know, that's what Trump would like, and I think that's a good idea. is I don't know why illegals are represented and our Senate census, but Didn't the Supreme Court say, no, we can't do this the last time Trump was president?
00:51:04
Speaker
Or was it because of a timing thing? It was a time. I think it might have been because of a timing thing because it was too late to change the census before they sent it out, basically. Yeah, maybe that's why. And then I think there was a ruling on it, and said no, and I think it might have been because it would have delayed it. Yeah. It has to be done every 10 years or possible.
00:51:23
Speaker
And so or the confusion or the argument is, real quick on the census part, is the wording in the Constitution says all persons should be shall be counted. and It does not say all citizens.
00:51:38
Speaker
Well, yeah, well, you're going to have to go back to the Federalist Papers and see what they meant, right? Yes. because Because I think what they meant by that was the slavery, the slaves.
00:51:51
Speaker
I don't think they were thinking of, I don't think they were even thinking of illegal aliens, because they are, you know, mean, if you're here illegally, you are...
00:52:03
Speaker
a criminal basically. you know, I think it needs to need a ruling on that clarification. So I think that, but that that's going to be a huge, if that gets through the way they want it, that'll be a huge change. There's lot of California, there's a lot of, lot of places around here that, well, if if that changes, bluff if that changes, I think that, uh, the Democrats are done for a couple of generations.
00:52:29
Speaker
Yes. I think that's only way in a lot of places they're staying in, Yeah. And power. Yeah.
00:52:38
Speaker
That wraps up redistricting. So there's going more about about this. They want to try to cut out two or three democratic seats, make them Republican. um And I think, I think they're going to do it.
00:52:50
Speaker
And as I said in this clip, publicans have a majority in this ah state Supreme court. So they do,
00:53:02
Speaker
redistrict and it gets, there's a lawsuit. It's almost guaranteed to the state will win. The Republicans will win the lawsuit because they control Supreme court. So here we go.
00:53:13
Speaker
if it makes sense, do it. And, but in this case, guess you got to fight fire with fire sometimes because yeah they have, they redistricted some of these blue states like crazy. All right.
00:53:26
Speaker
Enough of that. Let's, let's move on to the next one, which, Which for case anyone doesn't remember, along with DeWine's vetoes of, don't know, 60 vetoes or 50 vetoes or whatever he did it in the ah in the last budget line item vetoes, a lot of them were on property tax. But he did promise a property tax working group.
00:53:49
Speaker
Well, that working group has met. Oh, I think they've got some great ideas. Yeah, wait till you hear what the ideas are. They're so and innovative, I can't even believe it.
00:54:02
Speaker
So I had a few places to get ah clip on this. And i i again, went with News Channel 5. And I really tried not to, but they had they had the best clip because they actually had snippets from the meeting, from inside the meeting.
00:54:21
Speaker
And i just want to point out kind of some of the attitudes that we're dealing with. um And then also listen to some of these great ideas that they came up with because they may sound familiar, you know.
00:54:33
Speaker
So let's start start with that.
00:54:36
Speaker
Yeah, that's that's my clip setup, I think. Yeah, I think that's it. So basically, News Channel 5 again, and it's Morgan Trowell. Again, I told you, she is everywhere. Busy. Busy, busy.
00:54:47
Speaker
Working group. Here we go.
00:54:51
Speaker
Ohioans like Brian Massey have been begging lawmakers for some relief, and the clock is ticking for solutions. We don't think that people realize what's on the line. The state's new property tax working group met to discuss each of the Republicans' proposals to decrease taxes, all of which could impact schools.
00:55:08
Speaker
The members debated capping schools' rainy day funds, changing the school funding formula, allowing counties to take money away from schools, and limiting property tax increases. And Fort Fry School Superintendent...
00:55:21
Speaker
Hold on a second here. Do anybody recognize any of those? Tom recognize any those ideas? Yeah. Weren't they in the bill? There are all the things that DeWine vetoed, right?
00:55:31
Speaker
So they're all discussing things to bring up to DeWine. And all of them are the things he vetoed.
00:55:39
Speaker
Hmm. We continue. Hold us back just a little bit. Here we go. increases and Fort Fry School Superintendent Stephanie Starcher spoke out against another proposal banning emergency or substitute levies on the ballot or a request for an increase to a current levy.
00:55:57
Speaker
We're actually adding to the taxpayer burden. The chair of the group Bill Sykes said limiting these levies would prevent unclear ballot questions that raise taxes. Substitute for what? Because the voters really have no way of knowing what the hell are we substituting for.
00:56:11
Speaker
Lake County Auditor Chris Galloway says that this option would hurt local governments. If there's someone that thought that doing this was going to change the property tax situation in all for Ohioans, they're out of their mind.
00:56:25
Speaker
But he was a fan of allowing a three-person county budget commission to unilaterally take money away from schools if they deem it necessary. am about i say and lower your les if you don't we will do it for you Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus said that this was undemocratic.
00:56:44
Speaker
If three elected officials in Hamilton County decided to overturn the will of the people, I'm going to have an issue with that. Massey says that he wants voters to have a choice and knows that the taxpayers have to pay for municipalities, but not at his expense.
00:56:59
Speaker
To vote for property tax levies, you're funding your own demise. The group will continue working and discussing policy until their deadline at the end of September. At the Ohio State House, I'm Morgan Trowell reporting.
00:57:11
Speaker
Now, a couple things here, not at not at his expense is not exactly accurate. I think that's kind of doing them wrong. that's So Thomas Massey is one of the ones leading up the amendment to abolish property taxes. We've played clips of him before, we talked about him before on the show.
00:57:29
Speaker
at at it At the expense of ah of his house. That's what he meant. That's what you should have said. At the expense of pushing seniors out of their homes that they've been living in for 30, 40 years. um And I love how they package it.
00:57:44
Speaker
Well, the auditor says, well, if you think this is going to change property taxes, you're out of your mind. But he's okay with, what was it? A ah group of three individuals who, how did Morgan say? would agree upon taking money away from schools, or you could say giving money back to the taxpayers that schools don't need.
00:58:02
Speaker
No, but we're we're going to package it as and frame it as taking money away from schools. So, oof, Morgan, Morgan, Morgan, come on.
00:58:15
Speaker
and i think i think ah I think that's, these are kind of the, you can hear some of the attitudes that they're dealing with. there People don't know what they're really asking about or or we' we're really going to increase the tax burden on that.
00:58:27
Speaker
No, the problem is the tax burden.
00:58:31
Speaker
Bring room for Tom.
00:58:34
Speaker
I don't have much say to add to that. Well, there's two stories that actually go along with this too. Cause this one I pulled from last week that I pushed, I pushed into this week from last week, uh, auditors talk property tax future and fight to the, to end it.
00:58:49
Speaker
So they, this is articles, um, WKBN 27, I think out of Youngstown and they're talking to their auditor, county auditor. And the article really goes through,
00:59:01
Speaker
23 to 24, the increases and how they people were able to defend or fight the increase. And there were some errors, but basically they did a really good job.
00:59:14
Speaker
Things are going up and and how you can... they They do make some mistakes occasionally, but you know pretty much they're good. But ah think the attitude is this.
00:59:27
Speaker
Here's a quote. It's unrealistic. You think about it. There are three taxes, property, sales, income tax, right? the There are only three ways to get money, really, McKenum said.
00:59:44
Speaker
Would you have to increase income tax? And right now, the law does not permit a lot of entities like townships can't put on income taxes.
00:59:55
Speaker
but Where's the money going to come from? It's unrealistic. No, no, no, no, no. what look What's he... Okay, so... The township doesn't get... doesn't get um income tax.
01:00:09
Speaker
You know, that's one of the nice things about living in a township is that you don't get the regional income tax bill. But the state still collects income tax and they can...
01:00:23
Speaker
distribute it. So I don't, I don't get what this cry baby is talking about. And that's the same. The auditor in the clip was like, uh, do you think this is going to change property taxes? You're out of your mind. And this guy's saying what, what I hear him saying is what are we supposed to do? There's only three ways to tax people.
01:00:40
Speaker
Really? i think there's about a billion jillion ways to tax people. You could tax them as long as it it gets passed and approved. You can figure out anyway, you could tax people. fries, $18 for a large and $9 for a small and put it towards schools if you really wanted to. well love But his argument is, yeah, you're right. ridiculous. There's only three ways to get taxes. Bull crap.
01:01:03
Speaker
There's a lot more than three. we could And you can tax people on anything. But you could still do the income tax, which I think is the which i think is the fairest way to do it. i yeah It would just be a different way to go about it. all yeah Then each school district would have to get together with the state, tell them what they need, and the state just distributes it.
01:01:24
Speaker
And they figure out the income tax. It's it's it's not a difficult thing to do. It boils down to one thing, really, is in the state constitution, it says the state shall ah so supply or... I forget the wording now.
01:01:38
Speaker
Fund. Fund, yeah. The state shall provide, I think it is, the school's funding or... So it is in the that was the whole ruling four times on the kind ah Supreme Court of Ohio.
01:01:50
Speaker
It's unconstitutional because of this one line. Right. It says the state shall provide. So, yes, like you to your point, income tax, that would be the the biggest way. That's how the state gets most of its money through income tax. But the state could they could just put a school tax on it.
01:02:04
Speaker
I think the guy's crying because he'd lose his job I think there'd be a lot of jobs, government jobs gone if they did it the right way. yeah because it'd be a lot less need for all these people. And to my next point, he even brings up what I've brought up before, which is, hey, first of all, let's start here.
01:02:24
Speaker
It doesn't take $20,000 year educate a child Oh, why not? How can hundreds of schools, I'm i'm a conservative state, conservatively say hundreds of schools.
01:02:35
Speaker
I would bet if I looked into it, was probably more than a thousand. How can hundreds and hundreds of schools in Ohio do it for way less? In some cases, half of what the state averages. Why?
01:02:47
Speaker
Why? Well, maybe here's here's a good point. Maybe he says this guy, McKenum, I think is his name. He's an auditor at we have a young stone. He says, and he questions, it should say, do we need, but he just says, we need 14 school districts in Mahoning County.
01:03:05
Speaker
Oh, he's Mahoning County, I guess, which I think is up the Youngstown area. Do we need 14 school districts districts in Mahoning County? So every school district has school board.
01:03:18
Speaker
There are dozens, and just in Mahoney County, dozens of people that are on the payroll that could be eliminated if they consolidated. Maybe maybe me make it seven, not one.
01:03:32
Speaker
Like Florida has done. And i'm I'm not saying this is a great option. I'm just thinking, let's look outside the box a little bit, people. What have other states done? Florida, every county is a school board, period.
01:03:45
Speaker
thousands of jobs would be lost and millions would be saved, probably billions. Because you would literally have not to pay all these people $150,000 a year. Yep. Yeah.
01:03:58
Speaker
So ah there they're looking at ways to reduce the tax burden, but they're not looking at ways to reduce the cost. Where's the inefficiencies?
01:04:09
Speaker
Nobody wants to look at that. i just want to talk about how complex complex it is, Tom. Yeah. Well, if they look at that, they would have, you know, if somebody honest looked at that, they'd be like, well, we don't need you. We don't need you. We don't need you. yeah I don't, I don't, you know, they're looking.
01:04:27
Speaker
So the property tax amendment is still going. And the last I looked through, when i was looking at through this, um, this story, one of the other news outlets that I was looking at had mentioned speaking with the reform property tax group, the group that's pushing this amendment to abolish property taxes. They are looking to get on the May 26 ballot.
01:04:50
Speaker
And it doesn't, they're almost halfway. That's like the primary ballot. That's the primary ballot for, for the November. And which the, uh,
01:05:02
Speaker
The vote for the property tax to abolish property tax. They want to get on that one. Yeah. They're pushing to get on the May ballot. Oh, okay. I wonder why. don't know.
01:05:13
Speaker
Do they want more low turnout? Would be better for them? i don't know. Well, less time for the fear mongering. Yeah. And more, there's going to be a lot more people for this than they are against it. I would think.
01:05:27
Speaker
maybe ah primary be better, they're thinking, or maybe they're thinking, get on the ballot as soon as we can. don't know.
01:05:34
Speaker
I thought i we mentioned that. Yeah, I didn't think, I i didn't see that coming. But you know what? if the If it did pass in May, that would give ah the the governors a gubernatorial race, ah ammunition.
01:05:50
Speaker
Well, give them something to talk about for sure. yeah What are going to do? Yeah. Yeah. What you going to do, Amy? Because so far I've followed her on X. and She says nothing. Nothing. There's no plan for anything besides. No.
01:06:03
Speaker
Yeah. How bad everything is. She's never said ah anything about policy. not not a Not a once. That is true. That's why I followed it. Because I wanted to i figured I'd see something eventually. but Anywho.
01:06:17
Speaker
Let us know what you think about this story or the other ones we've talked about. crookedrivercast.com or email us at crookedrivercast at gball.com.
01:06:29
Speaker
Go to your favorite podcast app and subscribe. We really appreciate you listening. We have fun doing the show. We hope that comes out in the show. it is It helps us educate ourselves. We're hoping we can educate you at the same time. So share the show with your friends. If you know anybody else who's always been like, what the heck's going on in Ohio?
01:06:46
Speaker
Share the show. Tell your friends. Appreciate it.
01:06:51
Speaker
Check. doing better this week, Tom. doing better. You're doing very well. A plus.
01:06:57
Speaker
I saw this come across, this next one, and I thought we could bring it up real quick at least. And the fact, I keep seeing this more and more in my industry, and I think people need to know about this why ah data why do Why should data centers matter to people?
01:07:14
Speaker
why they do matter to people and maybe not in the way that you would think like, okay, data centers, computer stuff. I can, you know, I can, when I post my food pics on Facebook, it gets up there faster. The AI tells me, you know, how to speak a little quicker, but really no. I mean, that obviously affects you in that way, but the other way it's been affecting us in Ohio and and surrounding states, it's not just Ohio, it's a bunch of states.
01:07:37
Speaker
And some of them are trying to make make correct this So the headline for ah Channel 3 WKYC was states feel pressure to act as evidence mounts that data centers share blame for higher electric bills.
01:07:53
Speaker
So what's the basis? What's the genesis of this story, as they would say? Well, basically, as they put more and more data centers, let's say in Ohio, they have to build up infrastructure.
01:08:06
Speaker
So these places are massive buildings, usually usually multiple ones on site. and They take an enormous amount of power and water and all kinds of resources. And a lot of places, it costs a lot of money, a lot of investment for infrastructure for the power companies.
01:08:20
Speaker
So how does this affect us? Well, when the power companies go back to the regulatory agency and said, we've spent we want a rate and hike increase. And a regulatory agency says, well, why would you want that? And they say, look at all this infrastructure we put up. We've put all this investment in.
01:08:33
Speaker
We want a rate hike. Okay, well, that seems valid. Okay, we'll get you approval of this rate hike. So the price goes up. But really, the people who are using this infrastructure are these huge multi-billion dollar companies who have all gotten ah bulk deal on a lot of this power. a lot of times they' they're they're getting a deal or or a discount because they're such a large user.
01:08:59
Speaker
So then that way, so then then what happens then is the extra money that They're not being charged for the infrastructure. We are being charged for the infrastructure. Or least it's being spread out to everybody.
01:09:12
Speaker
There's a lot of reasons why our power is going up. Supply and demand is the other one. The supply getting pretty thin in Ohio.
01:09:22
Speaker
Tell me about it. Because... I'm looking at my volt meter here in the in my studio, and it's running about five volts less than it normally does.
01:09:35
Speaker
That's what it's doing been doing. For a while, there was times it would drop under 110
01:09:43
Speaker
When it gets warm out, the electric companies kind of, they try to limit ah you know the power because they got to share it and try to keep the the grid from going down.
01:09:54
Speaker
And now this is in Ohio. I think it's it's it's double because over the last 10 years, what we've done in Ohio is closed nuke plants. I think the one is going to stay open. It hasn't closed yet.
01:10:06
Speaker
We closed one nuke plant. I think they're talking about keeping the other one open. Yeah. And at the same time, we've also gotten rid of all the coal power plants that were used during this time, during the peak season.
01:10:18
Speaker
Middle winter, middle summers, peak season. Mostly middle summer. At the same time, we're building up all this infrastructure in Columbus and around the state. And like i said, there's over 100 data centers in Ohio projected in the next five years.
01:10:33
Speaker
Yeah, that's people got to realize the the future of energy is ah nuclear power plant. It is nuclear. What's happening from what I see is there's a, we've talked about a little bit, they've put legislation to speed up the approval process for power plants and they're relying heavily on natural gas because we've got tons of it sitting right underneath the state.
01:10:53
Speaker
They could basically just pull right from the, almost right from the source and and pump it right into these these gas fire but these gasfired plants, which are, again, way better than coal. It's just...
01:11:04
Speaker
we decided to take the coal plants down before we put the infrastructure in. i got a question, though. Okay, so it's cost it's causing energy costs to go up for for the individual consumer, right?
01:11:21
Speaker
Right, yep. Now, the counties and the cities, are i don't you know I don't know how it exactly works, but I would think it's, or the state, it's collecting quite a bit more tax on this, right?
01:11:35
Speaker
um On the bills, on the actual power bills themselves? No, not the bills. I'm talking about just data centers. data centers and In some cases, yes, but in some cases they also get tax abatement for Well, they get tax abatement for a while, but they are collecting more tax. mean, you you don't get an abatement without actually there being ah more taxes is produced in other ways.
01:11:59
Speaker
Meaning from, from employing an income tax because you got more employers, yeah employees, I should say. But yeah. Okay. So you eat there's, there, excuse me, they are generating more tax revenue.
01:12:16
Speaker
So why can't they take some of that extra tax revenue and offset the cost to the individuals? Yeah.
01:12:25
Speaker
I don't know. i mean, good point. I would, I would come back with these data centers. Don't do not employ a lot of people. Maybe construction wise they do. Yes. Construction wise they do for a while and there's still maintenance.
01:12:40
Speaker
I got a better idea though. Okay. How about you you at you add a service fee to Amazon or to Google, you know, the billion-dollar companies? Yeah, yeah.
01:12:51
Speaker
They are the ones that should be – if you're going to put data centers in the middle of nowhere and you've got to put all these what power lines in and substations and stuff, that's part – to me, that's what I'm seeing as a problem. And that's what this article kind of going over is where everybody's footing the bill – the small business and individuals footing the bill for infrastructure that is only needed because these big companies are coming in, putting these huge buildings in and tapping into the power grid.
01:13:18
Speaker
They should be paying for this infrastructure or at least part of it or a large chunk of it. Because it I mean, in in the long run, it does affect, is is good for everybody in the, in, in the surrounding areas because you have more robust and a newer infrastructure.
01:13:32
Speaker
But the reason that's being put in is because these big companies are coming in. They should be paying for most of it, if not all of it, but it's a way to incentivize them to get here.
Economic Impact of Data Centers
01:13:42
Speaker
I think.
01:13:43
Speaker
Yeah. You want them to come here, but okay. So why do we want them to come here? I thought it was because it creates jobs, but it's only temporary jobs.
01:13:55
Speaker
Construction jobs. And um there's other jobs that probably come about, but as far as the data center itself, I mean, it's a data center. There can't be that. There's not a thousand people in a data Yeah. So it's not creating a,
01:14:08
Speaker
what you would call like a economic nucleus of people like rest, you know, people aren't going to open up a restaurant nearby because going to lunch traffic. Right.
01:14:20
Speaker
Yeah. I would say a little bit. Yes. But not, I don't, I'm not like a typical office building or a cluster of industrial park where they have a lot of people going there every day. I don't, i don't know for sure. i But I just imagine these are highly automated facilities.
01:14:32
Speaker
I mean, you know, they're huge buildings, multiple on site. So there are going to be some and high paying jobs too. So to your point, yes, but I don't think that's where you, I don't think, I think you, you text the ah companies that are doing this. I mean, no you're right.
01:14:48
Speaker
No, and the high-paying jobs aren't going to be local. They're going to be working out of... Good, yeah. but And theres there are some tech... Because you're going to have need more more technically advanced people to to repair these computers, you know, hands-on kind of stuff. so There's maintenance. but Maintenance.
01:15:02
Speaker
Yeah, there's main there there is some benefits to community as far as jobs. It's just not... When you build an industrial park or, and you know, some office buildings, that's where you get a lot of income tax because you've got a lot people just coming there every day to work and that.
Controversy at Bellbrook High School Library
01:15:17
Speaker
So I would just... Yes, supply and demand is part of it, but this is there's also a part because we just had a First Energy, I think, just went to the regulatory agency asking for a rate hike.
01:15:28
Speaker
And one of the reasons is because they took away that the e ah tax off your bill for these coal-fired plants in southern Ohio that were out of date and inefficient. and they So they want to raise it to cover that, but they also had mentioned all the infrastructure they had been putting in.
01:15:42
Speaker
Which I'm not saying it's all for data centers. there's a they They do infrastructure investments continually, I would imagine. Right. yes We got some old infrastructure. But just keep, I mean, ah just to keep everybody, you know, hey, it's not it's not all greed from the power companies. Some of it is.
01:16:01
Speaker
Next. Next is, oh, some shenanigans. Shenanigans are afoot, Tom, in Bellbrook High School. bellbrook high school which i believe is around dayton area i want to say between dayton and columbus something like that oh where's the i don't see a link for that i didn't put a story in there oh i'm horrible oh i am a horrible person there's no story in there well you could i got a clip you can listen to what's okay clip so they they showed up at school for the first day of school and the library was closed yeah you think of maybe why
01:16:36
Speaker
They didn't know which books they were allowed to put out and which they weren't. So they had to close the library down until they figured it out. So here's the here's the clip. And I apologize. This this audio and this clip is horrible. It was up and down, loud and soft. So I tried to find happy medium.
01:16:50
Speaker
See how I did.
01:16:53
Speaker
Here at 10 o'clock, Bellbrook Sugar Creek residents were shocked today to learn from their kids that the library at Bellbrook High School has been closed on the first day of school as a result of a new policy enacted back in April.
01:17:05
Speaker
New New supporter Evan Bales is in Bellbrook getting answers about why this happened. Jack Belbrook Sugar Creek Schools heard from multiple residents Thursday about that new rule regulating sexual content and gender ideology in books.
01:17:19
Speaker
School board members also tried to clear up some misconceptions, but some parents still think the policy needs more time. Library needs to be open tomorrow. After a new Ohio law was passed back in April, Bellbrook Sugar Creek Schools enacted a new policy where they interpreted the definitions of those terms and also required parents to sign a waiver to permit their kids to read that content.
01:17:41
Speaker
If something is inherently private, it would be if you did it on a park bench, what did an officer arrest you for? But parents soon found the library was closed altogether, with the district superintendent saying they needed time to... Reviewing the materials in the high school library.
01:17:59
Speaker
and April. Since April, parents I spoke with said they weren't pleased with the direction the school board had taken. Several saying the policy was too broad and that they can sort books and keep the library open.
01:18:11
Speaker
I'm, of course, very disappointed. I mean, I think libraries and access to information are pivotal. We can come together on middle ground in some of these places. And the middle ground here is don't close the library.
01:18:23
Speaker
A staff member I spoke to off camera also confirmed that some English teachers are removing classroom libraries to avoid controversy altogether. If you feel that teachers are moving their classroom libraries and make you look bad, or that library at the school makes you look bad,
01:18:40
Speaker
really isn't own actions policy make look It's not clear when the library is going to open back up. The district superintendent says that it could be days or weeks before it's open again.
01:18:52
Speaker
Reporting in Bellbrook, Evan Bales, 2 News. They only had since April, Tom, to figure this out. And they just don't know what, it's very they're very confused on what books See, I thought, i and it said Bellbrook Sugar Creek, so I thought this was Amish country, but this is this is kind of close to date yeah Dayton and Miami-Bert.
01:19:13
Speaker
Yeah. It's really quite... there's it's It's going to take a little time to start on that process. That's cool. April, they haven't started on it yet.
01:19:25
Speaker
And that to me, they were off. They got a summer time off. yeah time more they They were able to enact a policy in April, but not figure out what to do. but How to, how to, they know, you know exactly which books everybody's talking about.
Browns' Stadium Permit Confusion
01:19:38
Speaker
Stop playing games. Silly. Just because it says girl or she in the book doesn't mean no. That's not the, they're talking about books that, yeah.
01:19:50
Speaker
That's for sure. For sure. And next is, was a breaking news, Tom breaking, breaking. This came in yesterday, late, late last night. I found, I saw this coming across X and I thought I was going to push to next week. And then I saw and this morning, another post by the Caga County board of commissioners.
01:20:09
Speaker
And then I was like, huh, this is interesting. So the Browns got a shocking letter. They said, Shocking. Shocking letter. They were quite confused by, and we'll see in this clip why they're confused, but they got a letter from the ODOT Transportation Safety Board, ah Department Transportation ah ah Aviation Division, on August 1st that the letter ah says that they there the stadium's going to be too high for the, to be that close to the airport.
01:20:44
Speaker
And thought, well, this is interesting. And i didn't think it was, I mean, think gonna be a story we could talk about. And then I saw this, I heard the clip and then I saw another clip from Ronane and I figured, well, now we gotta put it in. So here, let's hear 19 news.
01:20:56
Speaker
Yeah, not channel five. Imagine that. 19 news on ODOT says no, no to the Browns.
01:21:04
Speaker
Everywhere, Cleveland's number one news at noon starts now with a breaking news alert. Breaking! Breaking ground news and it's a bombshell. but ODOT's aviation unit has denied Haslam Sports Group permit to build a new dome stadium in Brook Park.
01:21:22
Speaker
Thanks for joining us. I'm Nicole Versansky. So ODOT claims the building would be too high and interfere with air traffic at Hopkins. um sorry I'm I'm going to pause it real quick. I just want point out there are some shenanigans, I think, going on here. That's kind of why I pulled the story up and see if you can figure out what I'm talking about when you listen to this. Yo, man, it's too high.
01:21:42
Speaker
man, too high. Yeah, yeah you'll you'll catch it. Listen. Jeff Slauson joins us now with these breaking details. I think this letter from ODOT was a surprise to the Haslam Sports Group, too. Yeah, this was shocking for many reasons here. Number one, the FAA had already said that it was clear for the Browns to be able to build the stadium and that it would not have any issues with air traffic related to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
01:22:07
Speaker
That's number one. Number two, Haslam Sports Group claims they never applied for the permit that they got denied for. So there's a lot of confusion as to... what they actually are getting denied for if, again, they never applied for it.
01:22:21
Speaker
In the official letter that was sent from ODOT, they gave this map. This is Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Right here is the generic area in which the Brown Stadium would take place. Now, they claim... So he's looking at a map of what looks like the yeah traffic patterns around how they come in and land on different runways and stuff.
01:22:42
Speaker
And he kind of points out where it's at. And it it is right next to or right under what the flight pass looks like. Right. it is within this zone here, it has to be below a certain threshold. Now, in the map that they actually showed, it's unclear which threshold the Browns would be breaking here.
01:23:00
Speaker
So the specifics when it comes to what they're accused of not being able to follow through with and what was denied, again, a little hazy in this. 58 feet too tall, essentially, is what ODOT is claiming.
01:23:12
Speaker
They say that the highest point of the stadium, again, a little hazy in this. 58 feet too tall essentially is what ODOT is claiming. They say that the highest point of the stadium needs to be reduced by 58 feet, and then the Brown Stadium would be in accordance with what they deem as not causing any issues with traffic control for the airport. Again, the FAA said they had no issues with that.
01:23:36
Speaker
So what they put it at is it cannot exceed 150 feet. Then they continue on to say that 163 feet would be approved. So some confusion even in just how tall the actual stadium could be. So the two solutions that are provided from ODOT, you either make the stadium about 50 feet shorter to about 163 feet tall, which would include then building deeper into the ground and then changing, obviously, the permitting process.
01:24:00
Speaker
or moving it further away from the airport. Let's bring that map up again really quickly here to show you what that potentially could entail. Again, this area here, this is where the stadium would go in. Right now it's portioned for the northern lot of this.
01:24:15
Speaker
there is a potential they can move it further south, but there's also a chance that that doesn't even go with the way that ODOT wants that to be. Now, we are still waiting for a comment from Brooke Park on this. However, we did get a statement from Haslam Sports Group reading, quote, our aviation consultants were surprised by ODOT's letter from two weeks ago, which is flatly at odds with the FAA's careful analysis and determinations resulting from well over a year of in-depth work. That found our proposed stadium,
01:24:44
Speaker
poses no airspace hazards. They've also noted several other existing structures in Ohio that exceed the height ODOT apparently now finds objectionable. Interesting. already begun working collaboratively with ODOT to explain the stadium's heights and the detailed work we've done more fully, which shows no safety or efficiency issues to Cleveland Hopkins International Airports. The obvious question is what comes next?
01:25:08
Speaker
ODOT has allowed a 30-day window for this to basically be discussed by Hazem Sports Group and ODOT. They can go back at them for it. We're about halfway through that time frame. Hazem's also hoping to actually speak with ODOT in person before the formal process to say they don't agree with this takes place.
01:25:24
Speaker
But all of this falls into a timeline. The Browns want to start construction in 2026 and new permits, obviously not a part of that. There you go. So I was like, oh, this is interesting.
01:25:35
Speaker
Hmm. So the Browns got denied for a permit that they didn't apply for. Hmm. And reading through some other reports, it sounds like according to 19 News, the mayor of Brook Park, 19 News is the one who told the mayor of Brook Park about this letter. He hadn't seen it yet.
01:25:53
Speaker
He hadn't heard about it yet. So I'm like, hmm. And I hear this, I see this post on X from the Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners. And it says, it's talking about this and how Renee has been, you know, against it, all this other stuff. And I said, huh, this is interesting. So then I pull up another clip. is ah So this came out yesterday last afternoon, the clip we just saw. I think yesterday evening they had another report on it, which I listened to, or watched, and I thought, this is kind of interesting.
01:26:24
Speaker
the brown Again, the Browns got denied a permit they didn't apply for. How did that happen? Let's listen. Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronane has been a vocal critic regarding the team's plans to leave Cleveland, citing air and ground traffic concerns, among others.
01:26:41
Speaker
In July, Ronane wrote letters to ODOT and the Federal Aviation Administration no asking for a meeting and impact analysis. There's no indication his letters caused this denial, but something caught ODOT's attention.
01:26:55
Speaker
And this is, as proposed, going to be the closest stadium in the country to an airport. um And when you look at that fact, there's all kinds of problems that open up with that.
01:27:06
Speaker
Huh. So my theory is they just want to they they just want to try to delay the Browns as much as possible. Because if they have to move the stadium, they're going to to through permit process again, which will delay ah beginning of construction.
01:27:18
Speaker
Right. Shenanigans. Shenanigans. Chris Ronan, he's a Cuyahoga County executive. Yep, he's the leader of the Board of Countries. He does not want the stadium to move out of the lakefront.
01:27:33
Speaker
He is hand-in-hand, let's just put that way, with Mayor Bibb.
01:27:42
Speaker
Some would say hand in something else, but hey, hand-in-hand, I'll go with this clean show. Clean show. but That was a little shocker. So here's here's the thing. FAA says okay, but the ODOT says it's not okay. That makes no sense to me.
01:27:54
Speaker
but I had brought up the fact that it is like right next to iran right next to the airport. Around the same time they announced this, I had coincidentally seen this Fantastic Horrors, I think is the name of the YouTube channel. i Yeah, I remember you mentioning that. and it It was like a ah ah small three-seat plane that landed and crashed into a mall, which was directly next to an airport.
01:28:16
Speaker
And I'm like, oh, that's interesting. But hey, it's the chance you take to get a bronze stadium. It's the risk
Invasive Spotted Lanternfly Alert
01:28:23
Speaker
you take. So i think I think they're just messing with them. I think it's going to be fine. They're going to figure it out because really what they'll do is dig dig deeper maybe or move it.
01:28:31
Speaker
But they're saying if they move it, they're not sure if it's still the same problem. Digging deeper might get into the water table too. I would imagine they're going down. They're going pretty far down. Yeah.
01:28:41
Speaker
Yeah. It would change a lot of things. They'd have to ah reissue all the permits and all the plans. So how does ODOT know anything about the stadium height if the Browns didn't give him the information?
01:28:55
Speaker
Mm-hmm. It may be going off of a letter from a rename, maybe. I'm sure that she had nothing to do with it, Tom. Complete coincidence. All right. ah So on that, we'll keep an eye on that. That's ah that's some interesting stuff, but I think think they'll get past it because, you know, Haslams have lots of money in lawyers, so they should be fine.
01:29:17
Speaker
On to our final segment for the day. we hang on one second. let me break you there. Please. um I just wanted, there's one, before we go into the good good segment, I wanted to ah mention everybody, we mentioned this in show number nine.
01:29:34
Speaker
It's about the but a spotted lantern flies. yeah Have you seen any? I don't think I have. Okay. I just saw a couple here in our yard, in our garden.
01:29:48
Speaker
And at work, I work close to the lakefront, and our parking lot was just full of them. So are those weird spotted looking ones? Yeah, they're spotted and they light They're a gift from China. China.
01:30:01
Speaker
Yeah. china i And I think they were first, we were spotting them last year and they were just telling everybody to kill them when you see them. So everybody, Google spotted lanternfly and try to Google or try to find what the, um, they, they make these nests in trees and destroy them because they can actually take over, um,
01:30:29
Speaker
ah they'll They'll eat your oak trees, though and they don't eat the leaves. They don't eat the bark. They they get the sap out, and I think that kind of poisons the trees.
01:30:40
Speaker
Vampire flies. Yeah, kind of. ah yeah Well, everything yeah. From China. i mean I'm not somebody that knows a everything about that, but um we don't have the trees that they eat in China or that they um devour in China, so they they look for fruit.
01:31:00
Speaker
trees here and think there's some oak that they which makes sense because if it's an oak tree making nuts then that would uh fill that and there's a couple other trees so uh you know if you're seeing these strange they look like a big moth with black spots yeah on their wings and they got it like red dots on their bo black bodies they' they're they're uh Bizarre looking. I started seeing them at work as beetles and I didn't know what they were at first because they don't, they kind of just look like a red beetle almost or a white or red dot dotted beetle. And then they turn into these moth looking things. What are they called again?
01:31:43
Speaker
ah Spotted lantern flies. Okay. Just, just Google it. Look up what the nests look like and get rid of them if you see them. Because the old lantern flies.
01:31:56
Speaker
Yeah. And that was, yeah, we, I don't think we, I don't know if we have a Lincoln or show notes from show at show number nine, but we'll put one in this one.
01:32:07
Speaker
Yeah. Kill the lantern flies.
Local Events Highlight
01:32:10
Speaker
That's what i'm putting in there. Kill the rabbit. right. Thank you for that. That's good. Good news. Good. ah Good thing.
01:32:19
Speaker
Kill those suckers before they, uh,
01:32:23
Speaker
Yeah. Take over China. Well, before they, before they, you know, people like growing their own fruit, apple trees and cherry trees and plum trees and all that. Just, just be, just be on lookout for them. Cause they can, they can just destroy that. They've already taken over our 5G. Don't let them take over our flies too. Okay.
01:32:42
Speaker
Yeah.
01:32:45
Speaker
On to the good things.
01:32:51
Speaker
We've got a few of them this week. ah One, we'll circle back around. We had talked about this, the Hulk Hogan American Freestyle League that is launching in Cleveland on Wednesday, August 20th.
01:33:04
Speaker
And they have planned a tribute to their late founder. So this is a league that he he he had been promoting and helping up and running. And with his recent passing, they're do little tribute. And the first launch is going to be in Cleveland on the 20th.
01:33:21
Speaker
Keep an eye for that. If you're wrestling fan, I think check it out because it looks pretty cool. Yeah, looks really cool. it's It's more of ah I don't think it's like big-time wrestling, right? No. It's more of a real wrestling thing.
01:33:34
Speaker
Right. More and less pomp and circumstance, maybe sounds like, but more more wrestling wrestling. Yeah. So check out. A little little bit of a twist, but a little something for the Hulk.
01:33:47
Speaker
Yes. Next on our list... I think you put this up from last week, wasn't it? Garlic Fest? Oh, okay. oh Were you going to do the Vet Fest? Let's do this first. Yeah, fine because I um i got a clip on the Vet Fest.
01:34:01
Speaker
Food and Wine called it the smelliest food festival in America. And August 23rd and Sunday, August 24th, there is a garlic festival.
01:34:15
Speaker
It is I
01:34:19
Speaker
just saw it. And it just went away. Shaker Square. or Square. I put it in my notes. It's literally in my notes and I'm i'm not looking at you. I'll process benefit North Union Farmer's Market. That's what I kept getting stuck in. Okay, yeah shake yeah. I have it right here in the notes. August 23rd and 24th at Shaker Square Garlic Fest.
01:34:40
Speaker
Definitely no vampire flies at that place. Yeah, no. And yeah, it's just going to be a bunch of different garlic-centric food.
01:34:51
Speaker
So yeah but actually, who yuy kind of, yeah, I love garlic, so... Garlic fries, garlic ice cream, even garlic beer. Dear Lord.
01:35:02
Speaker
Garlic ice cream, I'd at least try. i i I don't know about that. I'd try it, at least. I wouldn't buy it. Well, you know what? Cream and garlic, that's not so bad.
01:35:13
Speaker
Man, that's a lot of beer The beer and garlic, I'm not so sure about. but I'm thinking those two flavors, but you never know. Garlic fries, though, sound good. Garlic fries are tremendous. Yeah. Parmesan garlic fries, even better. Oh, yeah.
01:35:26
Speaker
Oh, I'm hungry. yeah i am too
01:35:30
Speaker
ah sorry um and uh last but definitely not least we have coming up on august 20th 22nd and 23rd in north ridgeville is the fourth fifth annual fourth annual garlic fest garlic fest
01:35:51
Speaker
it' the one i hasn't eaten it Who's the that hasn't eaten in three days? Wait. a The VetFest. VetFest. I got a little clip here. Let's check it out what it's all about. Maybe somebody will get it right. They're calling it the Legacies of Legends, and you'll soon know why. Our series continues now, getting ready for VetFest 2025. A great way to acknowledge veterans, do some good, and have some fun.
01:36:15
Speaker
We actually made a stage bigger. huge It seems like everything will be bigger and better at the fourth annual Vet Fest. The two-day event is scheduled for August 22nd and 23rd at Vickery Park in North Ridgeville. It's a festival of music and fun, but its purpose is so much bigger.
01:36:33
Speaker
It celebrates the sacrifices made by U.S. veterans raising money for veterans in need. But that's not all. It's just as important as raising the money and spreading the awareness, you know, and letting these veterans know they're not alone.
01:36:47
Speaker
Tom is a U.S. Navy veteran himself. He says proceeds from the event go to vetted organizations that help veterans in need, especially those in crisis. We're tired of losing our brothers and sisters.
01:36:59
Speaker
This space will be full of food trucks, vendors, and hopefully thousands of people. The musical acts on that big stage include the grandson of Waylon Jennings, Way Jennings.
01:37:10
Speaker
Thomas Gabriel, the grandson of Johnny Cash, is scheduled to appear. So is Jesse Keith Whitley, the son of Lori Morgan and Keith Whitley, all here to help serve those who have served.
01:37:22
Speaker
Hey, they just... Good feeling. VetFest organizers are giving News 5 viewers an added bonus as well. You can look for this story at news5cleveland.com and see how you can save 25% on your ticket price to VetFest 2025.
01:37:38
Speaker
Sorry, you were saying? They talked about Wade Jennings, yeah Thomas Gabriel, and Jesse Keith Whitley, but they skipped right over Hank Williams IV. Oh. oh That was just weird.
01:37:51
Speaker
Yeah, that's the other that's more of a recognizable name than the other one guy was. Well, you got Jennings. I mean, everyone knows Waylon Waylon Jennings, yeah. but Thomas Gabriel, I didn't know. I didn't recognize the name because it's yeah not Cash. Right, that's what meant. Why would you go with that one and not the one that's...
01:38:07
Speaker
yeah Hank Williams, the fourth, I haven't heard yet. I know the third is, you know, well you know you got Junior and then there's the third who who tours regularly. i haven't heard of wake Hank Williams, the fourth yet.
01:38:23
Speaker
Yeah. Interesting. Cool stuff. This coming weekend in North Ridgeville at Victory Park, is that what it said? Yeah. yeah on friday The Friday's music lineup, I think, is mostly local stuff. Bad Juju, modern vi ah Modern Vinyl, Josie and the Corruption, which I've never heard of, and Rick O'Shea, which those last two might not be a local.
01:38:47
Speaker
Looks pretty good. And you get 25% off. You go to the News Channel website, and they got some coupon there. So go and check it out. Get a little discount. And have some fun. so Looks like a good event. Supposed to be a nice weekend for it.
01:38:59
Speaker
Well, wait. and so You know what? Head to the Garlic Fest first. Yes. Eat up some garlic. Drink garlic beer. And then go to the... Vet Fest.
01:39:10
Speaker
Go from east to west. And when you want a good seat, everybody will back away because you will stink. You'll be plenty of elbow room. Hence the garlic beer.
01:39:24
Speaker
Can you imagine those burps? Clear a room, probably. Or at least a 30-foot radius if you're outside. health like yeah Good tips. Good tips for our listeners. You'll be in the front row.
01:39:35
Speaker
We've got all of them. We've got all the good tips for you guys. Don't worry.
Show Conclusion and Listener Engagement
01:39:38
Speaker
Just come here for all those good tips. That's for sure. All right. i think that wraps us up, Tom. I think we have ah another week, another showdown.
01:39:47
Speaker
Start preparing for the next one. I appreciate everybody for listening. We really do appreciate. Go check out our website, crookedrivercast.com. Send us an email, crookedrivercast at gmail.com. Go see where we're at on X. you got We have a blog post at the website for every show with some links and all kinds of information. So as we build it, more will be there.
01:40:08
Speaker
So again, appreciate everybody for listening and we'll talk to you next week. Peace.