Luke_S

Because its not about ensuring accurate and updated records or securing our election systems but adding friction to processes that should be simple to discourage people from participating.

Anyone have any insight on this? Is it poor management/decision making from the City of Akron or sour grapes from a developer that lost out on a bid? Some of the quotes make it sound like there wasn't really a development plan and the bid may have been a bit directionless. Developer says more lucrative offer to buy Akron’s PNC Center was rebuffed by Arielle Kass November 18, 2024 The 23-story tower in Akron’s downtown is to be sold for $2.8 million to an unidentified buyer from Northeast Ohio in a deal that’s expected to close next month, Signal Akron reported in September. That buyer signed a letter of intent to buy the PNC Center from its current owner, the Development Finance Authority of Summit County. The DFA has not publicized who that buyer is, and the buyer has not come forward. But Joe Scaccio, the president and owner of Akron-based J-RS Cos., said he offered to pay more for the building — $3 million — and was disappointed that inquiries he made last summer to the DFA didn’t result in an opportunity for him to purchase the tower. He said he expected the PNC Center to cost three times as much as it did and didn’t know why his interest hadn’t been entertained. ... In addition to the $2.8 million purchase price, Akron City Council is considering forgiving up to $170,000 in deferred lease payments the city is owed, Sean Vollman, the deputy director of economic development for the city, told Signal Akron previously. https://signalakron.org/developer-says-his-more-lucrative-offer-to-buy-akrons-pnc-center-was-rebuffed-joe-scaccio/

Greater Cleveland RTA gets $800,000 for bus stop upgrades, improved microtransit links Ideastream Public Media | By Zaria Johnson Published November 18, 2024 The agency was awarded $800,000 from the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Workforce Mobility Partnership Program. The agency will use $500,000 of the grant to make improvements at as many as 50 bus stops across Cuyahoga County, said GCRTA Deputy General Manager for Engineering and Project Management Mike Schipper. ... The remaining portion of the grant will fund a feasibility study identify opportunities for microtransit between Cuyahoga and Lorain counties akin to the Solon Workforce Connector Program and the ConnectWorks program in Cleveland. https://www.ideastream.org/environment-energy/2024-11-18/greater-cleveland-rta-gets-800-000-for-bus-stop-upgrades-improved-microtransit-links

More investment coming through to Akron as a result of the Polymer Tech Hub designation. Bridgestone Americas plots out Akron's first new tire plant in 70 years November 19, 2024 05:50 AM Dan Shingler Bridgestone Americas, which employs about 45,000 worldwide, says it has begun work on a new plant in the city, at 381 W. Wilbeth Road, to produce butadiene, a key ingredient in synthetic rubber — and therefore also a key component in nearly all of the tires on the road today, not to mention at mines, farms, racetracks and other places tires are used. Bridgestone is getting a big boost in terms of public money from the Department of Energy and is partnering with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, one of the federal government’s 17 national labs across the country. The DOE reports it’s putting $9.2 million toward the project, which Bridgestone says will be a pilot plant focused on producing butadiene from ethanol. https://www.crainscleveland.com/manufacturing/bridgestone-americas-building-akron-pilot-plant

All of Clifton could use a severe road diet, hopefully this is just the start of rethinking this stretch of road. Lakewood announces Lake-Clifton connector project Published: Nov. 18, 202 By John Benson, special to cleveland.com The estimated $9.6 million project includes repurposing the westbound lanes into a shared-use path and the eastbound lanes into one eastbound lane and one westbound lane. There will also be the installation of a roundabout at Lake Road, a mid-block crossing at Forest Road, new decorative street lighting and tree plantings. “This project grew out of the Cuyahoga County Lakefront Public Access Plan and the Clifton Boulevard-Lake Road Enhancements Engineering study, a joint venture between the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission and the Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works,” said Trevor Hunt, Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works senior project manager for lakefront projects. https://www.cleveland.com/community/2024/11/lakewood-announces-lake-clifton-connector-project.html

Can't say I've spent much of my time watching this season, but I'd disagree. Decisions like Manzel and Watson seem to be overrides of the front office. If Jimbo would get out of the way and just pay the bills I think we'd be fine.

Could Cosm be the entertainment portion of the development? Crain's Cleveland - Dan Gilbert, David Blitzer invest in Cosm entertainment venues

NOACA is conducting a 5 county regional Metro Park connectivity survey. It's great to invest in trail infrastructure, but while taking the survey it was hard not to feel that we are quickly approaching the point of diminishing returns on trail infrastructure so long as we continue to not invest in protected bike infrastructures in the communities these trails begin, end, or pass through. Regional Metroparks Trails Connectivity Study The Regional Metroparks Trails Connectivity Study will develop a trail network plan for the entire Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) region. This network will connect park areas to each other, and enhance park access to residential neighborhoods. NOACA is working with Cleveland Metroparks, Lake Metroparks, Geauga Park District, Medina County Park District, and Lorain County Metro Parks to develop the trail network plan. Project Goals: 1. Develop a connected regional trail network 2. Connect regional parks with one another through the creation and expansion of regional trail routes 3. Increase share of the regional trail network for non-recreational trip use 4. Improve residential access to park areas with a strong focus on environmental justice communities for recreational and non-recreational use 5. Assist and support the development of a multi-modal transportation system, including first- and last-mile transit connections 6. Improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists in the NOACA region 7. Reduce the transportation carbon footprint in the NOACA region 8. Mitigate the negative impacts of traffic congestion

If you're right and he is going to make a play for governor this would seem like a short sighted decision... The Columbus Dispatch - Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy moving finance firm from Ohio to Dallas

The state and counties Democratic party need to do a better job of campaigning, fundraising, and organizing every year, not just during elections, but where were the local politicians? Where were Bibb and Ronayne acting as surrogates for Harris and Brown? Did I just miss it or do they not realize maintaining the campaign infrastructure for national races can be leveraged when they run for reelection? Another big part of Ohio's problem is the hollowing out of local media. That's not a sufficient explanation though since local media is a shell of its former self throughout the country.

If I remember correctly there was a rail to trail conversion in Solon that got a lot of residential pushback because it ran behind peoples houses and residents were concerned that it would used by drug dealers, prostitutes, ect... FWIW now that the first leg has actually been created it has a lot of support from the community and they support extending the trail.

Another suburban county is pursuing an intercity multi-modal trail system. We'll see if this gets the push back that some others have. Medina County Park District aims to connect three cities with trail Published: Nov. 04, 2024 By Emily Canning-Dean, special to cleveland.com MEDINA, Ohio -- The Medina County Park District is working with officials in Brunswick, Medina and Wadsworth to create a trail connecting the three cities. Medina City Council’s Finance Committee will be asked to consider a proposal from Park District Director Nate Eppink to commit to providing $15,000 per year to the district for the next three years. ... Those funds would be used to create a trail planner position within the park district. ... “We have a number of multipurpose trails this person could assist us with, but for the first few years they would be focusing on identifying publicly owned land, looking at rights of way and grant opportunities that would assist in (creating) trails to connect the three cities.” https://www.cleveland.com/community/2024/11/medina-county-park-district-aims-to-connect-three-cities-with-trail.html

Ohioans can weigh in on passenger rail, freight train safety via statewide survey 91.7 WVXU | By Isabel Nissley Published November 4, 2024 The Ohio Rail Plan Survey helps shape Ohio's railroad policy and priorities. Rail Development Commission Executive Director Matthew Dietrich says its open to anyone. ... The survey responses will be used to update the Ohio Rail Plan. The state uses the document to compete for federal grants. It is updated every four years, and considers the interests of various groups. ... Survey questions are open-ended and cover topics including passenger rail, trains in communities and freight transportation. https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2024-11-04/ohio-rail-plan-passenger-rail-freight-train-safety-survey Ohio State Rail Plan - 2024 Survey

Another data point hopefully pointing towards the passage of Issue 1. Ohio Issue 1 backers outraise, outbid campaign attempting to kill it The Statehouse News Bureau | By Sarah Donaldson Published November 1, 2024 Still, the Oct. 24 filings with Secretary of State Frank LaRose show Issue 1 is commanding some serious cash and attention. Citizens Not Politicians—the coalition behind the constitutional amendment proposing a 15-member independent commission take over the political mapmaking process—outraised Ohio Works, which wants to kill the effort, by nearly double. From July 1 to Oct. 16, the official Citizens Not Politicians committee recorded $10.9 million in contributions. Citizens Not Politicians reported spending even more than that, with no cash on hand, although a spokesperson said they continue to fundraise. ... Ohio Works saw far fewer small donors. Only 10 individuals gave less than $200, versus the more than 1,500 donors who gave less than $200 to Citizens Not Politicians. https://www.ideastream.org/2024-11-01/ohio-issue-1-backers-outraise-outbid-campaign-attempting-to-kill-it

University of Akron gets $2 million from feds to help recycle electric vehicle batteries Published: Oct. 31, 2024 By Sabrina Eaton, cleveland.com WASHINGTON, D. C. - As part of an effort to promote recycling of electric vehicle components, the U.S. Department of Energy is giving a $2 million grant to University of Akron. The University will use the grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help eliminate the flow of plastics/polymers from end-of-life electric vehicle battery packs to landfills, while simultaneously retrieving and recycling them to be used as raw materials for new batteries. ... Akron’s money was among $45 million it announced for eight projects around the country to address recycling of batteries and other components for electric-drive vehicles. https://www.cleveland.com/news/2024/10/university-of-akron-gets-2-million-from-feds-to-help-recycle-electric-vehicle-batteries.html

Latest polling from BGSU and YouGov shows that as Ohio voters have learned about Issue 1 it's support has dropped, however a clear majority of Ohioans surveyed support adopting Issue 1. The sample was split in half (500-500) for questions nine and 10, which examine voter preferences relating to Ohio Issue 1. The margin of error for those two questions is +/- 5.14 percentage points. ... While in September nearly 3 in 10 likely voters had heard nothing about Issue 1, now just 10 percent have heard nothing about it. As in September, Issue 1’s proponents have the advantage, but that edge has narrowed over the past month. The proportion planning to vote yes on Issue 1 has dropped from 60 percent in September to approximately 56.5 percent in October. https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/democracy-and-public-policy-research-network/bgsu-poll.html

This is just a patent though, do they even have a working prototype? And I feel like we've been over this before, but aren't Burke's runways too short for fully loaded cargo planes?

I'm extremely biased towards the post office site because I wanted the stadium to move there from the beginning; however, I wonder if that site has become more appealing with the impending investments that will be made for the soccer stadium. I know that parcel is smaller and offers less development and parking revenue opportunities for Jimmy, but I would think he will be able to demand higher rents for anything he puts there than in Brook Park. And with the soccer stadium it wont be on as much of an island on the other side of I-90. And if Jimmy really does want to play developer then offer to lease him the stadium site for $1 for 50 years if he pays for demolition of the old stadium.

I'm very suspect of polling manipulation arguments, in part because I want to believe the polling in Ohio is wrong--due to herding, skewing, or some other manipulation--and wanting something to be true is reason enough to think it may not be. But Sherrod can fight gravity for only so long as split ticket voters become more and more rare... though looks like we'll see Arizona voters split their votes between President and Senate and depending which way Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania go those three states are candidates for splitting Presidential and Senate votes as well. There isn't consistent polling in Ohio though and maybe some questions around demographic shifts and whether Ohio's voter realignment was largely complete in 2016 (or by 2020 at least) or if that is still underway and how pollster's assumptions about these changes affect the weighting of their polls.

Not to mention the legal immigrants in the country that would undoubtedly be swept up in a mass deportation campaign without any semblance of due process.

With the Browns in the current stadium until at least 2028 wouldn't the timeline not work for the NWSL expansion? Or would they play at a college stadium for the first few seasons?

It'll be horribly expensive, TBD on whether its embarrassing...

Isn't the point of the Lakefront Development Corp specifically to avoid this?

I did. They produced fairer maps. And you have, again, failed to provide evidence for why fairer maps couldn't be drawn.

You pretend like there weren't alternative maps proposed to the redistricting commission that achieved a more representative and balanced map without violating federal law. One of those maps were drawn by experts in that field. I think the burden of proof is on you to prove that it can't be done, because its been proven that it can.