Luke_S

I found myself on the NOAA website today and was looking at the Marine Sanctuaries when I saw that there is a proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary. The page starts off, Lake Huron has Thunder bay and Lake Michigan has Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast. These sanctuaries claim to expand public access, recreation, tourism, research, and education. Old Woman Creek in Huron is already designated a 'National Estuarine Research Reserve' on Lake Erie. Seems like something we should be pushing for to try and get some more federal money to the region to help with pollution in the lake.

And now they added the ask Amy articles too. How much would the paper save by not paying for these syndicated articles? AP article too, I know where I can go to read The Associated Press for free if that's what I wanted...

It's not a real paper any more, Advance Publications saw to it. Bought The Plain Dealer and set up cleveland.com (no brand continuity between the two) with its own, separate, non-union news room. I'm not in the newspaper business, but I know enough to know you don't want to cannibalize your own product by creating a separate product with a competing news room. They continued to erode the product reducing daily distribution of The Plain Dealer to 3 days a week. Finally they fired The Plain Dealer's news room, the original and oldest news guild in the country. They announced the cleveland.com newsroom would be writing for both making it pretty clear Advance was using cleveland.com slowly get rid of the more expensive, union employees of The Plain Dealer. Those crime articles you are referencing are basically just news madlibs. It's hardly journalism. It provides no broader context of crime in the city, you can get just as good of quality from the Cleveland police blotter Twitter. Cleveland has been described as a news desert and when confronted by that face the editor in chief Chris Quinn throws a tantrum in a "Letter from the Editor". It's infuriating and depressing and shouldn't be allowed. Hasan Minhaj has a good explainer on how private equity is destroying local papers.

Agree with what you're saying here, my mistake.

Ohio has been ridiculously gerrymandered in favor of Republicans for at least the last decade, meaning those politicians only really face potential backlash during primaries if they aren't seen as being conservative enough by the base. Importantly, it is normally the most engaged and partisan voters voting in the primaries. You can push too far where even the R Next to the name won't be enough for some people and abortion may be the issue to do it.

We all know there are a lot of headwinds for Democrats heading into the general election in November, but I think there are a few "knowns" out there that could really change the political landscape. (1) With the leak of the the SC ruling overturning Roe it could energize an otherwise apathetic Democratic base. This could also turn away swing voters and moderates that would have otherwise supported Republicans in November. (2) The January 6th committee is still set to hold its public hearings and release their findings. Leaks from that suggest quite a few Republicans will receive some negative press from this, including Ohio Rep Jim Jordan. This could be followed by action by the Justice Department. Revelations from that committee could go either way; further pushing moderates and independents away from the Republican party, or galvanizing Republicans who feel constantly under attack. I hope the former rather than the latter.... (3) The full extent of the First Energy Bribery scandal, there is so much smoke around DeWine that its hard to believe he didn't at least know what was going on. Now that Whaley is out of the primary she can really nail DeWine and Republicans for corruption in Ohio between First Energy and the continual scandals around charter schools.

The FiveThirtyEight politics podcast covered the Ohio primaries last night, a couple interesting takaways: - Since Ryan didn't face a strong primary challenge he has been able to campaign for the general election this whole time, that means he doesn't have to pivot and tack towards the center now, so he'll have a consistent campaign message. He's also claimed some of the Trump talking points -- attacking China, calling for more funding of police... - However, Ryan only ran ahead of Biden by 1.5 points in his district. Their take away, Ryan doesn't have a strong track record of winning over many Trump voters. 538 also has Ohio as a partisan lean R+12 Full episode here: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/politics-podcast-ohios-gop-primary-and-what-to-make-of-the-draft-scotus-opinion/

This is pretty big for the Village of Peninsula. Having water and sewer could lead to a little development boom in the village since they now have to have water delivered by truck from Akron. I'm glad that they are taking a closer look at their zoning laws to keep the character of the village intact if the development does in fact come. https://www.ideastream.org/news/peninsula-and-cuyahoga-valley-national-park-settle-their-differences-after-decades-of-tension

There was a lot to like it this interview; interesting history of canal, park, and region more generally. There are erosion issues throughout the park, mostly affecting the towpath, here's a link to the parks full assessment of the impact. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/302e0fe1981b4fe1b115e98f6e5c3b3e?s=01 The small update of the Gorge Dam removal and extending CVSR into Cleveland are what really caught my attention.

Hedging his bets

A day after they publish a Letter to the Editor that "Clevelanders need to see all the relevant data on Burke airport before a decision to close it". We'll see if they put the actual study findings behind a paywall too... https://www.cleveland.com/letters/2022/04/clevelanders-need-to-see-all-the-relevant-data-on-burke-airport-before-a-decision-to-close-it.html

If we are also able to win the Polymer Research and Development Center (posted in the Akron general business thread) Akron should be well positioned in the field and hopefully we see some spin off investments in the near future. University of Akron receives $2 million for graduate engineering fellowships https://www.ideastream.org/news/university-of-akron-receives-2-million-for-graduate-engineering-fellowships

Rise of the robots: Lincoln Electric adds to its manufacturing skills "In just three years, Lincoln Electric Co. has built in Euclid what may be the largest 3D printing factory of its kind anywhere. The operation, Lincoln Electric Additive Solutions (LAS), mates Lincoln’s core arc welding capability with robotics to give the 125-year-old company entry into additive manufacturing, a rapidly growing sector of the manufacturing industry. 3D printing puts down layers of material, using a computer-guided design, to create three-dimensional objects. LAS’s operation uses a kind of 3D printing called wire-arc additive manufacturing, or WAAM, that involves a process Lincoln has been working with for decades, arc welding. A robot-guided electric welder melts wire that is deposited layer upon layer in a process that uses multi-axis turntables to create a piece that may take days to build.Additive manufacturing contrasts with traditional component manufacturing, where blocks of material are stamped and then machined or cut to trim excess or where liquids are poured into molds and solidify when cooled. Additive manufacturing builds materials into a finished product, which may have channels or hollowed-out cores that traditional methods couldn’t create. In Lincoln’s case, that means melting welding wire in hundreds, even thousands of layers." https://www.crainscleveland.com/manufacturing/lincoln-electric-adds-its-manufacturing-skills

This polymer research and development center would be a huge win for the region, refocusing is on an existing strength. NE Ohio polymer industry hopes for big boost from federal funds "The University of Akron, Case Western Reserve and Kent State universities, and the region’s entire polymer industry, will get a new research and development center — if backers win $17 million in federal funding. ... Proponents expect to know in September if the project will become a reality, as that’s when they’ll learn whether the region’s application for $75 million in Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant funding succeeds. The polymer cluster initiative is the biggest single component of that request. ... The grant money and private funding would be used to build a 20,000-square-foot facility on campus — the specific location has not been determined — that would enable faculty and students from Akron and the other schools to work closely with manufacturers, Dhinojwala said. Ultimately, he hopes the center becomes self-funding via contracts with manufacturers and then grows larger." https://www.crainscleveland.com/manufacturing/ne-ohio-polymer-industry-hopes-big-boost-federal-funds [Mod edit: note, subscription required]

I'm not sure it's so much ignorance or lack of understanding the issues on the part of NIMBYs, I think they're more concerned with their home or property values declining if there are more housing options available. Still, this is selfish and bad for the community. Which is, long-term, bad for property values. (Though @Cleburger, sounds like you've had this conversation before, so maybe is just lack of knowledge...)

Just need to get him elected so he has some clout behind his words!

Cleveland's Healthline among rapid transit systems that improve property values, OSU study says: Multi-family residences saw a 41.5 percent increase in their property values. https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/state/clevelands-healthline-among-rapid-transit-systems-that-improve-property-values-osu-study-says#:~:text=Cleveland's Healthline among rapid transit,increase in their property values.&text=CLEVELAND — A new study reveals,benefit to nearby property values.

In case anyone needs a refresher this is a nice summary of circumstances surrounding the HB6 fraud scheme. How dark money enabled and hid the corruption, and how gerrymandering allows the rot to fester as voters have no recourse to hold elected officials responsible. ideastream: Dark money helped Ohio utilities subsidize coal plants, delaying climate action at ratepayers' expense. https://www.ideastream.org/news/dark-money-helped-ohio-utilities-subsidize-coal-plants-delaying-climate-action-at-ratepayers-expense

Akron’s Rock the Lock concert schedule kicks off May 27 at Lock 3 "The full lineup includes: May 27: Into The Blue ELO Tribute with Sunflurry June 3: Draw The Line The Endorsed Aerosmith Tribute with Lady Lyre June 4: Donnie Iris and The Cruisers with Ravenwood (tickets available at The Akron Civic Theatre) June 10: Fleetwood Macked Fleetwood Mac Tribute with Kerosene June 17: Dirty Deeds The AC/DC Experience with Akron’s Magic Alex ($5 admission) June 24: Satisfaction International Rolling Stones Tribute with The Twistoffs July 1: E5C4P3 Journey Tribute with Monica Robins & The Whiskey Kings (RWB Fest) July 2: Bruce in The USA World’s #1 Tribute to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with Sinners and Saints (RWB Fest) July 3: The Best of Queen featuring The Georgia Players Guild with Xcess featuring Andrea (RWB Fest) July 8: Best of Times A Tribute to STYX with The Michael Weber Show July 15: Double Vision The Foreigner Experience with Blue Hour ($5 admission) July 16: Who’s Bad The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute with Umojah Nation July 22: Atomic Punks The Tribute to Early Van Halen with Neil Zaza July 29: Hard Days Night A Beatles Tribute with The Angie Haze Project Aug. 12: Full Moon Fever Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Tribute with Ben Gage Aug. 19: Hotel California The Original Tribute to The Eagles with Walking in Circles ($5 admission) Aug. 26: Straight On The Heart Tribute with The Ladies Night Sept. 2: ZOSO The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute with Ravenwood (Pizza Fest)" https://www.cleveland.com/akron/2022/04/akrons-rock-the-lock-concert-schedule-kicks-off-may-27-at-lock-3.html

Partners make push to expand the region's NASA programs "For the first time in a long time, a group of state and local leaders made the argument that Northeast Ohio deserved a larger share of the $22.6 billion budget requested for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for fiscal 2022, and the group is doing the same for the $26 billion in NASA funding the White House plans to request as they look to bring $830 million to NASA Glenn as part of the fiscal 2023 appropriations budget. ... President Joe Biden in March signed into law a bill that included $10 million for a new runway and $29.5 million for a Department of Defense Space Force program to reactivate a previously decommissioned hypersonic tunnel at NASA Armstrong. The hypersonic program has seen renewed interest as word spread of a Russian-made hypersonic missile that can travel up to five times the speed of sound. ... Another line item in NASA’s fiscal 2022 budget — $1.5 million for the Ohio Aerospace Institute’s Research Center Partnership Initiative — is part of the effort to grow a commercial ecosystem around NASA Glenn. OAI president and CEO John Sankovic agrees with Bryant that securing NASA Glenn as a Lead Center is crucial to stabilizing funding and attracting related businesses." https://www.crainscleveland.com/government/partners-make-push-expand-regions-nasa-programs

Bibb is continuing to not take things as they are, is looking at pulling parks and rec out of public works and into its own department. Given how well city parks are maintained something needs to be done. And I did not realize just how much falls under public works, so this seems to make sense What can a standalone parks and recreation department do for Cleveland? Mayor Justin Bibb wants to find out https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/04/what-can-a-standalone-parks-and-recreation-department-do-for-cleveland-mayor-justin-bibb-wants-to-find-out.html

Starts off unnecessarily pessimistic, in my opinion, but has some interesting history about the riverfront site and the past plans and proposals. Will highly-regarded architect David Adjaye do his best work along the Cuyahoga River at Tower City for Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock? - Commentary https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/04/will-highly-regarded-architect-david-adjaye-do-his-best-work-along-the-cuyahoga-river-at-tower-city-for-dan-gilberts-bedrock-commentary.html

The Washington Post: Amtrak moves to take over Union Station through eminent domain. "Amtrak is using eminent domain to try to seize control of Union Station, a move that the passenger railroad said is necessary to realize long-planned expansion and modernization of the nation’s second-busiest train hub. The historic station, a fixture in the heart of the District, is owned by the United States, but it is leased to and operated by other entities. In a complaint filed Thursday in the District Court for the District of Columbia, the railroad sought control of the property interest owned by Union Station Investco LLC, a subsidiary of the New York based-Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., which has subleasing rights of the station through 2084. Amtrak said it hopes to take over operations and management of the train hall to pursue multibillion-dollar investments at the station, including a long-planned concourse expansion and major repairs to a tunnel that runs under the station and is “in serious need of repair or replacement.”" https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/04/14/amtrak-eminent-domain-take-over-union-station/

Cleveland Magazine: How the Columbus Intel Plant Impacts Northeast Ohio https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/news/articles/how-the-columbus-intel-plant-impacts-northeast-ohio

Here's an article from Vox that may help provide broader context of the proposed laws. https://www.vox.com/23021971/florida-gay-trans-lgbtq-laws