Cleveland Monitor - Local News for Cleveland and Northeast OhioLocal news for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio: city hall, schools, events, business, public safety, weather, sports, and arts.https://clevelandmonitor.com/Trump likes data centers. Congress seems stuck. The midterms could deliver a verdict.https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/house-passes-data-center-ratepayer-bill-trump-objects-senate-stalls/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/house-passes-data-center-ratepayer-bill-trump-objects-senate-stalls/A poll shows just 11% of Americans back local data centers, as Trump attacks critics and Senate Democrats block Husted's ratepayer bill.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:13:02 GMTJudge says case challenging Trump’s anti-weaponization fund ‘still alive and kicking’https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/judge-trump-anti-weaponization-fund-case-alive/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/judge-trump-anti-weaponization-fund-case-alive/Judge Brinkema gave DOJ 30 days to produce documents on who structured the deal, questioning whether a functional equivalent to the fund still exists.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:06:00 GMTTrump administration faces second lawsuit to block ICE agents at pollshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/civil-rights-groups-sue-trump-block-ice-at-polls/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/civil-rights-groups-sue-trump-block-ice-at-polls/Nine groups including the NAACP and SEIU cite a federal law barring armed men at polls, as DHS denies any plan to target polling locations.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:03:06 GMTChildcare affordability among the top issues for Ohio votershttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-voters-see-childcare-affordability-as-crisis/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-voters-see-childcare-affordability-as-crisis/A GOP bill offering free childcare to workers in the industry has sat in committee for a year, with lame-duck session the last chance to pass it in 2025.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:00:38 GMTWorker files lawsuit one year after orphan well explosion in Ohio’s Wayne National Foresthttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/worker-sues-after-wayne-forest-orphan-well-explosion/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/worker-sues-after-wayne-forest-orphan-well-explosion/ODNR's investigation blamed Monroe Drilling for improper well control barriers on the unplugged well that killed two contractors and burned Chazz Bates.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:55:00 GMTOhio data center tax boondoggles just one example of Kasich corporate giveawayshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/kasich-corporate-giveaways-data-centers-jobsohio-clean-ohio/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/kasich-corporate-giveaways-data-centers-jobsohio-clean-ohio/Kasich's 2011 JobsOhio scheme also gutted Clean Ohio, a bipartisan brownfield program that generated $1.16 billion for the state before its 2021 partial revival.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:35:30 GMTBack-to-school isn’t just for Ohio’s kids. It’s also for tomorrow’s teachers.https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/adults-returning-school-become-teachers-ohio/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/adults-returning-school-become-teachers-ohio/As Ohio districts struggle with teacher shortages, flexible online degree programs are helping working adults with families and jobs enter the classroom.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:30:06 GMTBlack voters urged to cast a ballot in ‘most consequential election of our lifetime’https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/black-voters-urged-vote-consequential-election/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/black-voters-urged-vote-consequential-election/Redistricting after a Supreme Court ruling could cost up to 20 Congressional Black Caucus members their seats this fall, panelists warned.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:00:16 GMTDeveloper behind proposed Portage County data center gave Heidi Workman $6,589 eight days before panel appointmenthttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/geis-gave-workman-6589-before-data-center-panel-pick/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/geis-gave-workman-6589-before-data-center-panel-pick/Conrad Geis made Workman’s second-largest campaign contribution after his company sought to lift a Shalersville moratorium so it could market land for data centers.Sat, 19 Sep 2026 20:48:09 GMTMike Dovilla backed Ohio data center tax breaks, collected thousands from industry lobbyistshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/dovilla-backed-ohio-data-center-tax-breaks/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/dovilla-backed-ohio-data-center-tax-breaks/Records show Dovilla backed three separate measures expanding the tax break before lobbyists for QTS Data Centers gave his campaign nearly $3,000.Sat, 19 Sep 2026 04:18:13 GMTHusted took $630K from data center interestshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/husted-received-630k-data-center-donors/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/husted-received-630k-data-center-donors/Husted personally championed a sales tax exemption that helped bring a Google data center to New Albany, and his top aide has taken $94,000 in donations.Sat, 19 Sep 2026 01:05:44 GMTFirstEnergy wants rate hike as consumers in Ohio face record priceshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/firstenergy-seeks-rate-hike-amid-hb6-scandal-fallout/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/firstenergy-seeks-rate-hike-amid-hb6-scandal-fallout/Consumer advocates say the utility tied to the state’s largest public corruption case needs to rebuild trust and be held accountable.Fri, 18 Sep 2026 20:13:50 GMTHouseholds face higher heating bills this winter amid rising electricity and oil costshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-heating-bills-rise-9-percent-winter-2026/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-heating-bills-rise-9-percent-winter-2026/Home heating costs are anticipated to rise by almost 9% this winter, according to a recent analysis.Fri, 18 Sep 2026 20:07:12 GMTOhio now has over 125 active moratoriums on data centers. See where they are.https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-138-municipalities-data-center-moratoriums/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-138-municipalities-data-center-moratoriums/A BGSU poll finds 78% of Ohioans back the pauses, as developers sue Urbana, Lordstown and other cities over shifting local rules.Fri, 18 Sep 2026 08:00:31 GMTReport accuses Ohio-based grocery giant Kroger of frequent overpricinghttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/kroger-overpricing-report-ohio-inspection-data/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/kroger-overpricing-report-ohio-inspection-data/The Center for Responsible Food Business found overcharges outnumbered undercharges nearly 3-to-1 across 389 Ohio inspections, hitting minority and senior shoppers hardest.Fri, 18 Sep 2026 07:55:56 GMT2,776 acres of Ohio’s Wayne National Forest leased for more than $11 million for frackinghttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/blm-leases-2776-wayne-forest-acres-11-million-fracking/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/blm-leases-2776-wayne-forest-acres-11-million-fracking/Ohio Environmental Council attorney Nathan Johnson says the sale violates environmental law and is preparing a federal court challenge over the first Wayne lease sale since 2017.Fri, 18 Sep 2026 07:50:19 GMTShould the state of Ohio ban property tax incentives for data centers?https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/should-ohio-ban-property-tax-incentives-data-centers/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/should-ohio-ban-property-tax-incentives-data-centers/New research suggests data center incentives sway roughly a third of siting decisions, raising questions about who bears the environmental costs versus who gets the tax breaks.Fri, 18 Sep 2026 07:35:27 GMTThe fight against Flock cameras in Ohio is just the beginninghttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/flock-cameras-mass-surveillance-ohio-fight/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/flock-cameras-mass-surveillance-ohio-fight/An analysis found Flock cameras wrongly flagged 71% of vehicles as stolen, while Texas deputies used the network to track a woman across state lines over an abortion.Fri, 18 Sep 2026 07:30:04 GMTNew report: tailgating is more expensive under Trumphttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/trump-tariffs-raise-tailgating-costs/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/trump-tariffs-raise-tailgating-costs/Ground beef is up 24% since Trump took office and gas hit $4.15 a gallon, as the report ties Canadian aluminum tariffs to pricier beer cans.Fri, 18 Sep 2026 01:08:27 GMTCaleb Stidham admits voting for himself in closed-door nominationhttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/stidham-admits-voting-himself-larose-confirms-fundraiser-timing/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/stidham-admits-voting-himself-larose-confirms-fundraiser-timing/Stidham denies the event was a GOP fundraiser even as LaRose confirms attending it the day before certifying him in a 2-2 tiebreaker.Thu, 17 Sep 2026 21:31:57 GMTRepublican insiders describe growing strain inside Ramaswamy-McColley campaignhttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ramaswamy-mccolley-campaign-strain-mccolley-sidelined/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ramaswamy-mccolley-campaign-strain-mccolley-sidelined/A source with direct knowledge of Rob McColley’s operation tells TiffinOhio.net the Ohio Senate president and Vivek Ramaswamy do not get along and that McColley has grown resentful after being shut out of strategy, messaging and key campaign decisions.Thu, 17 Sep 2026 20:27:27 GMTFracking industry pays $11 million for first leases in Ohio’s only national foresthttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/fracking-firms-pay-11m-wayne-national-forest-leases/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/fracking-firms-pay-11m-wayne-national-forest-leases/Five out-of-state gas companies win rights to drill under 2,800 acres of the Wayne National Forest, achieving a long-sought goal for the industry.Thu, 17 Sep 2026 17:06:14 GMTFed raises interest rates for first time in 3 years, battling persistent inflationhttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/fed-raises-rates-first-time-3-years-inflation/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/fed-raises-rates-first-time-3-years-inflation/Trump blasted the quarter-point hike as gas hit $4.37 a gallon amid the Iran war, while Fed Chair Warsh insisted the central bank stays in its own lane.Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:11:01 GMTOhio Chamber sues healthcare giant, accusing it of deceit, misinformationhttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-chamber-sues-unitedhealth-breach-contract-deception/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-chamber-sues-unitedhealth-breach-contract-deception/The lawsuit comes a year after the Chamber sided with UnitedHealth against pharmacy-backed legislation targeting drug-middleman practices in Ohio.Thu, 17 Sep 2026 08:00:10 GMTOhio report cards show 38 school districts need help to meet state standardshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/38-ohio-school-districts-need-support-state-standards/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/38-ohio-school-districts-need-support-state-standards/Columbus, Toledo, Dayton and Canton are among districts scoring lowest, even as statewide reading and math proficiency hit five-year highs.Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:55:14 GMTOhio voters are mad as hell, but will they actually hold any politicians accountable in November?https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-voters-angry-will-they-hold-politicians-accountable-november/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-voters-angry-will-they-hold-politicians-accountable-november/Polls show tossup Senate and governor races as gas hits $4.16, ACA premiums double, and 100,000 Ohioans lose SNAP benefits under federal cuts.Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:35:18 GMTNote to the Ohio legislature: Many school districts are in fiscal trouble.https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-legislature-120-school-districts-fiscal-crisis-charters-vouchers/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-legislature-120-school-districts-fiscal-crisis-charters-vouchers/More than 120 Ohio districts are cutting budgets as charter and voucher spending nears $4 billion, prompting calls for citizenship rules on charter board members.Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:30:47 GMTMax Miller ad misrepresents Poindexter’s positions on taxes, health carehttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/miller-ad-misrepresents-poindexter-taxes-health-care/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/miller-ad-misrepresents-poindexter-taxes-health-care/Poindexter's actual record shows support for modest local levies funding libraries and a hospital now facing Medicaid cuts Miller backed in Congress.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:22:35 GMTVivek Ramaswamy still facing lawsuit from former Strive VP who says she was fired after reporting sexual harassmenthttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ramaswamy-remains-defendant-strive-harassment-retaliation-lawsuit/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ramaswamy-remains-defendant-strive-harassment-retaliation-lawsuit/Joyce Rosely says she raised concerns about then-COO Ben Pham aggressively pursuing a newly hired subordinate. Two months later, Strive fired her. The retaliation claim tied to the harassment complaint was dismissed without prejudice last month, while separate whistleblower claims against Ramaswamy remain active.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:01:20 GMTIran war cost tops $40B and billions more monthly, budget analysis findshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/iran-war-costs-40-billion-cbo-analysis/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/iran-war-costs-40-billion-cbo-analysis/CBO warns the Pentagon's missile interceptor stockpile has been so depleted it could take years to rebuild if another conflict erupts.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:26:04 GMTFBI’s Patel dodges questions on election interference at rambunctious US Senate hearinghttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/patel-dodges-polling-place-questions-senate-hearing/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/patel-dodges-polling-place-questions-senate-hearing/Booker called Patel an incompetent lackey, Grassley told him to shut up, and Patel wouldn't rule out sending FBI agents to Michigan polling sites.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:22:28 GMTPoll finds voters favor US Senate candidates with plan for averting Social Security cuthttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/voters-favor-senate-candidates-social-security-plan/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/voters-favor-senate-candidates-social-security-plan/Nearly three-quarters of swing-state voters back a new payroll tax on income above $184,500 to head off a 22% benefit cut hitting in 2032.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:18:04 GMTOhio GOP lawmaker says university centers are not right-wing indoctrination. Professor pushes back.https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/cirino-defends-ohio-civics-centers-against-indoctrination-claims/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/cirino-defends-ohio-civics-centers-against-indoctrination-claims/Sen. Jerry Cirino is pushing new legislation to mandate student attendance after less than 1% of Ohio State students enrolled in the university's civics center in 2025.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:00:41 GMTCandidates for Ohio attorney general address Flock cameras controversy, make proposalshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/faber-kulewicz-flock-camera-debate-felony-privacy/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/faber-kulewicz-flock-camera-debate-felony-privacy/Kulewicz says Faber's felony proposal doesn't go far enough, pushing broader data privacy limits as Columbus and Reynoldsburg pause their own Flock programs over misuse.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 07:55:57 GMTOhio’s school AI policies need a proof-of-learning standardhttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-schools-need-ai-proof-of-learning-standard/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-schools-need-ai-proof-of-learning-standard/The state's model policy covers privacy and ethics but leaves teachers no way to judge whether AI helped students learn or just produce polished work.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 07:30:00 GMTPrices continue to rise despite Trump’s promises to end inflationhttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/trump-inflation-promises-prices-rise/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/trump-inflation-promises-prices-rise/Gas prices jumped 38% since Trump took office and 95% of Americans say they face an affordability crisis, a recent poll found.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 02:50:51 GMTAmy Acton pledges no individual stocks as governor, challenges Ramaswamy to sell data-center holdingshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/acton-challenges-ramaswamy-divest-data-center-stocks/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/acton-challenges-ramaswamy-divest-data-center-stocks/Ramaswamy has not said whether he will divest from NVIDIA, Microsoft and Amazon holdings after softening his earlier praise for Ohio's data-center boom.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 17:30:13 GMTOhio Supreme Court fast-tracks lawsuit seeking to remove Caleb Stidham from House District 89 ballothttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-supreme-court-orders-response-stidham-ballot-removal-suit/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-supreme-court-orders-response-stidham-ballot-removal-suit/The challenge targets the closed Republican committee meeting where Stidham participated in the 4-2 vote that made him the replacement nominee. Secretary of State Frank LaRose and the Erie County Board of Elections must answer the lawsuit by Thursday.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 16:33:34 GMTSelf-driving trucks are cruising Ohio roadshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/self-driving-trucks-ohio-roads/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/self-driving-trucks-ohio-roads/Trucks that drive themselves are whizzing between Indianapolis and Columbus, with human backups at the ready. The fully driverless vehicles are confined to a corporate park — for now.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 16:28:53 GMTHow Ohio college students can register to vote on campus or back homehttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-college-students-voter-registration-oct-5-deadline/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-college-students-voter-registration-oct-5-deadline/Though potential changes around voting by mail have sparked confusion ahead of the Nov. 3 election, nothing is changing about voting in Ohio. Residents have until Oct. 5 to complete or update their voter registration.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 16:25:04 GMTUS Supreme Court blocks Trump rule limiting mail voting, sides with Dem stateshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/supreme-court-blocks-trump-mail-voting-restrictions/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/supreme-court-blocks-trump-mail-voting-restrictions/Kavanaugh's concurrence says the rule may be legal but too rushed for the midterms, while dissenters Thomas and Alito say it should stand for now.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 16:12:11 GMTTrump EPA to strip greenhouse gas limits for power plants, a key Biden climate policyhttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/trump-epa-strips-greenhouse-gas-limits-coal-natural-gas-power-plants/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/trump-epa-strips-greenhouse-gas-limits-coal-natural-gas-power-plants/Sen. Whitehouse warns the rollback could push more states to impose their own emissions limits, while Evergreen Action disputes EPA's no-climate-impact claim.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 16:09:36 GMTU.S. Senate Dems disclose Trump administration operation dug through state voter rollshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/senate-dems-reveal-trump-dhs-voter-roll-operation/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/senate-dems-reveal-trump-dhs-voter-roll-operation/A whistleblower says DHS agents impersonated voters and faced quotas of five checks per hour, sometimes flagging U.S. citizens due to faulty data.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 16:03:33 GMTAs Ohio Haitians worry, violence in their home country spreadshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-haitians-fear-deportation-as-haiti-violence-spreads/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-haitians-fear-deportation-as-haiti-violence-spreads/Gang violence in Kenscoff killed 47 and displaced dozens as Ohio deportation flights land Haitians in Cap-Haitien, near areas many fled originally.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:55:03 GMTCoal-to-solar project lands a rare clean-energy win in Ohiohttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/recurrent-energy-149-mw-solar-battery-hamden-vinton-county/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/recurrent-energy-149-mw-solar-battery-hamden-vinton-county/A new state law and reclaimed mine land helped the Vinton County project avoid the local opposition that has blocked other Ohio solar farms under a 2021 statute.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:50:25 GMTOhio buried its own court ruling. Now it wants you to blame the tax bill instead.https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-hides-tif-abatement-deals-blame-homeowners-instead/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/ohio-hides-tif-abatement-deals-blame-homeowners-instead/TIF deals and tax abatements shift the burden onto homeowners while Ohio's 2025 tax overhaul left corporate exemptions untouched, decades after courts ruled school funding unconstitutional.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:30:22 GMTAIPAC backed Jon Husted with nearly $550K; Sherrod Brown got nonehttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/aipac-routes-543k-to-husted-senate-bid-brown-gets-none/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/aipac-routes-543k-to-husted-senate-bid-brown-gets-none/More than $538,000 in individual donations were routed to Husted through AIPAC's fundraising network, while AIPAC's PAC gave him another $5,000. Federal records reviewed for Brown show no comparable AIPAC money.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 22:04:38 GMTHusted political committee got nearly $500K from a bank he worked for while in officehttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/husted-political-committee-got-492k-from-heartland-bank/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/husted-political-committee-got-492k-from-heartland-bank/Ohio's ethics law exempts campaign cash from conflict-of-interest rules, but Common Cause calls Heartland Bank's donations to Husted nearly legalized bribery.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 07:55:35 GMTData centers are on the November ballot in these 18 Ohio communitieshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/data-centers-november-ballot-18-ohio-communities/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/data-centers-november-ballot-18-ohio-communities/One petition organizer in Piqua turned health fears from a battery plant into a mayoral recall bid after Meta proposed a 1,400-megawatt facility there.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 07:50:43 GMTLowering Medicare eligibility age would be a lifeline for Ohioanshttps://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/lower-medicare-eligibility-age-ohio-healthcare/https://clevelandmonitor.com/posts/lower-medicare-eligibility-age-ohio-healthcare/Laid-off Ohioans 55-64 stay jobless roughly 33 weeks on average, while ACA marketplace premiums jumped 20% after subsidies lapsed.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 07:30:55 GMT