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Gov. Mike DeWine in December vetoed a bill that would dually ban minors from gender-affirming care and transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams in K-12 and college, after talking to families and concluding that healthcare decisions should be made by parents in consultation with medical experts, not by government.
As a compromise, DeWine unveiled his own set of rules banning transgender surgeries for minors. Regardless, the legislature overrode the governor’s veto in a law that’s currently being challenged in court.
Now, a panel of state lawmakers approved his rule banning minors from having gender surgeries, along party lines.
Everyone who testified Monday opposed the rule, with many arguing that it conflicted with other laws, went beyond the scope of state authority and confused healthcare professionals about whether they’re allowed to treat transgender Ohioans.
That’s dangerous, since transgender people experience a greater risk of suicide.
— Laura
Guardians at Boston Red Sox: ‘Pesky’ pinch-hitter Will Brennan sparks Guardians offense in 6-0 win over Red Sox
Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Sunny day, showers late
Transgender youth: A state legislative panel on Monday cleared a rule prohibiting transgender minors from having gender-affirming surgeries at a time when the future of transgender care for Ohio youth is unclear as a lawsuit challenging a new state law unfolds. Laura Hanco*ck reports Gov. Mike DeWine proposed the rule as part of a broader package of changes in January after he vetoed House Bill 68, which bans minors from surgeries, puberty suppressants and hormone replacement therapy.
Natural gas: Two Ohio House Republicans introduced a plan to further subsidize the development of natural gas pipelines in Ohio. Jake Zuckerman reports the bill would take $20 million of state funds to create a revolving loan program that charges no interest for five years to governments that purchase easem*nts for pipelines.
Rethinking Child Care: A forum brought together community leaders and child care providers to discuss how the lack of high-quality child care hurts the state’s economy and to explore solutions. Julie Washington reports Ohio businesses want to help employees solve their child care problems, whether that means offering flexible employee schedules, buying slots at a local day care for employees’ use, or adding on-site day care.
Today in Ohio: A bill that would require police officers to screen victims of domestic violence to assess the risk that they could be killed by their partners, among other changes for survivors, was introduced in the Ohio House for the third time. When it gets to the Ohio Senate, will Senate President Matt Huffman finally pass the bill? We’re talking about the importance of protecting women from abuse on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
Pension fund: The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is giving $7.5 million to the Valley View-based Teamsters Local 73 pension plan as part of a program to shore up underfunded pensions that was established by the American Rescue Plan, reports Sabrina Eaton.
Sherman auction: William T. Sherman is one of Ohio’s most famous historical figures. A collection of his artifacts could fetch at least several hundred thousand dollars when it is auctioned publicly on May 14, Andrew Tobias reports.
Wrongful imprisonment: State officials on Monday approved paying an initial payment of nearly $131,000 to a Canton man who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than four years, reports Jeremy Pelzer. Aaron Culbertson, sentenced to eight years in prison in November 2018, was freed in late 2022 after the Ohio Innocence Project, the nonprofit representing him, presented new information showing he was not one of two people who held up a Canton woman at gunpoint in February 2018, when Culbertson was 16.
Lakefront money: Cleveland City Council’s finance committee on Monday delayed its vote on Mayor Justin Bibb’s request for more money to plan for different scenarios that could unfold on the downtown lakefront. While city officials on Monday did not explicitly say the extra money they’re requesting is to plan for scenarios in which the Browns or the stadium are no longer present on the lakefront, Finance Chief Ahmed Abonamah said the final lakefront master plan will account for all potential outcomes, Courtney Astolfi reports.
Official fired: A top Cleveland safety official was fired Friday for breaking several policies after she crashed a city car that carried four children in February, reports Olivia Mitchell. A disciplinary hearing was held for Jakimah Dye, the assistant director of public safety, on March 27, when she was accused of misconduct. She was found to be negligent of her duty, while damaging public property and a city vehicle.
Fashion Week: Forty-two student designers will show off 163 looks at the 2024 Annual Fashion Shows at Kent State University’s School of Fashion April 25-27. The three shows will take place in the Kent Student Center Ballroom on the Kent Campus, reports Paris Wolfe.
Hotel CLE: The new Hotel Cleveland will officially open for business in June, reports Megan Sims. After several years and $90 million, Hotel Cleveland, formerly the Cleveland Renaissance Hotel, is nearing completion at 24 Public Square, with officials announcing Monday that they plan a grand reopening in early June.
Top Thrill: Cedar Point has reached a financial settlement with a Michigan woman severely injured after a part from the roller coaster Top Thrill Dragster hit her in the head while she was waiting in line for the ride. Susan Glaser reports the settlement comes just weeks before the ride, which was closed down after the August 2021 incident, reopens to the public after a major overhaul.
HQ buy: Park Place Technologies has officially bought its new headquarters, closing a deal to buy an office campus from Progressive Insurance for $17 million. Sean McDonnell reports the sale was first announced in December and includes three buildings at 747 and 755 Alpha Drive, north of Wilson Mills Road in Highland Heights, and is one of a few campuses that Progressive had along that road near Interstate 271.
Kia upgrades: If you’re a KIA owner and your vehicle needs anti-theft upgrades, this weekend may be your most convenient opportunity to do so, reports Sean McDonnell. Kia announced that it is holding an event at the Cleveland Aquarium where Kia owners can get free anti-theft software upgrades. The automaker is partnering with several local dealerships to hold the event.
Stock market: It was a slow week last week in the stock market for Ohio companies, reports Zachary Smith. Stock prices were down for every large company in Ohio, breaching more than 4% loss for some. Only seven major Ohio companies saw losses of less than 2%.
Coach indictment: Lou Cirino, the former football coach at Strongsville and West Geauga high schools, pleaded not guilty Monday to sex charges involving a student. A Geauga County grand jury indicted Cirino, 40, of Chesterland, last month and accused him of gross sexual imposition and sexual battery. The indictment alleges the incidents took place when he was a teacher and coach at West Geauga.
Child abuse: One year before police discovered the body of a 5-year-old boy buried in his mother’s backyard in Cleveland, a Cuyahoga County child services worker was assigned to investigate allegations that another child in the family was being abused. Cory Shaffer reports the worker went to Larissa Rodriguez’s home twice in January 2017 and wrote in case reports that she saw all five children who lived there and found nothing to substantiate the allegations.
LeBron tattoos: A well-known Cleveland Heights tattoo artist should be paid after the popular video game “NBA2K” used the tattoos he inked on LeBron James, because the video-game maker “painstakingly copied” the artist’s copyrighted works and never compensated him for it, a lawyer argued Monday. Adam Ferrise reports lawyer Todd Tucker made his arguments during opening statements in a civil trial in federal court in Cleveland.
Ask Lucas: A writer says they’re cursed by a neighbor who goes on his back porch with an oboe and plays experimental jazz to the local Canada goose population. Lucas Daprile writes that the obvious solution here is to also pick up an instrument and join. If you don’t know how to play one, just blow on an empty milk jug. Again, it’s free jazz. You don’t actually need to know what you’re doing.
Film fest: The 48th Cleveland International Film Festival wrapped up the in-person portion of the event on Saturday with the Closing Night Awards Ceremony. The documentary “American Delivery” was named best film, winning the coveted Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award. “American Delivery,” like more than half of the in-person feature film lineup and nearly all of the short films, is now available to watch at home during the online version of the festival, reports Joey Morona.
Best tots: Your “Best of Cleveland” team has opinions on potato puffs. Tater tots are one of the quintessential American comfort food classics, rife with nostalgia for generations of Americans. The team cooked these 20 different variations of frozen tator tots in the oven on the recommended setting and time and ranked them.
Football HOF: The Pro Football Hall of Fame has extended “A Legacy Unleashed,” its special Browns exhibit. The exhibit, which will remain open until April 28, celebrates the franchise’s eight championships, including the anniversaries of the 1954 and 1964 NFL titles, reports Marc Bona.
Don’t forget, you can always find the latest Cleveland news by visiting cleveland.com. If you value the hard work of Cleveland journalists, consider becoming a cleveland.com subscriber.
— Curated by Laura Johnston with contributions by Cliff Pinckard
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