Subscribe to the Wake Up, cleveland.com’s free morning newsletter, delivered to your inbox weekdays at 5:30 a.m.
Millennia Housing Management owns Key Tower, where the company is headquartered. The 30-year-old company also owns the attached Marriott hotel building, the posh Marble Room restaurant and more than 280 apartment developments in 26 states.
That’s affordable, market-rate and senior housing for more than 86,000 people.
The company this year was barred from receiving new federal housing contracts after claims of poor living conditions, high crime rates, gas leaks and a deadly explosion in apartments in Millennia’s federal housing choice voucher program.
On Thursday, agents from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Department of Agriculture raided the $3.7 million home of Millennia owner Frank Sinito in Waite Hill. No charges have been filed.
— Laura
Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens: 1 p.m. Sunday, Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland. TV: WOIO Channel 19. Radio: WKRK FM/92.3, WNCX FM/98.5, WKNR AM/850.
Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Chance of showers, then sunshine this weekend
Millennia: When federal agents descended on the home of Millennia Companies owner Frank Sinito early Wednesday, it sparked the latest in a series of negative headlines for the Cleveland-based company. Lucas Daprile provides details on the company, which is one of the largest owners of low-income, federally subsidized properties in the country.
‘Modell law’: The Browns filed a lawsuit late Thursday against the city of Cleveland challenging the “Modell Law,” a state law designed to stop teams from leaving cities that subsidized them with taxpayer money, Sean McDonnell reports. Dave Jenkins, chief operating officer for the Haslam Sports Group, said in a statement that the team is “seeking clarity on this vague and unclear law.”
Voting lawsuit: Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office has quietly begun requiring suspected non-citizens to show proof of citizenship at the polls before being allowed to vote, despite a 2006 federal court ruling that such a requirement is unconstitutional, according to a new lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. Jeremy Pelzer reports the emergency federal court filing seeks to block the revised policy, which was put in place just weeks before the Nov. 5 general election.
Today in Ohio, the daily news podcast of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.
Today in Ohio: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost called a news conference this week to announce six legal, noncitizen immigrants had been indicted for felony illegal voting. A day later, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Mike O’Malley announced one of the people indicted had been dead for two years. On Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast, we’re talking about indicting a dead man.
Heartbeat ban: An Ohio judge on Thursday tossed the so-called fetal “heartbeat” law, ruling that the ban is unconstitutional after Ohioans enshrined reproductive rights in the state constitution in 2023, reports Laura Hancock. Under the law, which had been on hold for two years, abortion generally was banned as soon as a fetal heart tone could be detected, typically around six weeks into a pregnancy and before many women know they were pregnant.
Vote by mail: On Tuesday, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections had processed 69,000 vote-by-mail ballots. By Wednesday, numbers had jumped to 80,000, reports Kaitlin Durbin. It’s not unusual for the board to take three to four days to process and verify ballots.
Issue 1: Opponents to the state redistricting reform amendment claim it would bar participation in a new citizens panel by Ohio’s heroes – men and women who have served in the military, police officers and firefighters. Robert Higgs reports that proponents of the issue, Citizens Not Politicians, say the charge is hyperbole meant to confuse voters “that has been fabricated out of whole cloth by the politicians because they want to keep gerrymandering.” Who’s right could depend on how a court interprets provisions in the amendment that bar certain people or their family members from participating.
Unemployment fraud: A state audit identified $3.25 million in improperly paid COVID-19 unemployment benefits issued by the state and multiple subcontractors it hired to help respond to a sudden economic crisis, reports Jake Zuckerman.
Voter challenge: Summit County’s four-member election board deadlocked Thursday in a party-line vote on whether to cancel Democratic U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes’ voter registration in Akron over a residency challenge, punting the final decision to GOP Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Republicans challenged the congresswoman’s registration after Sykes’ husband – Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce – listed her as a member of his household on a routine ethics form, reports Sabrina Eaton. The couple say they maintain separate residences.
Jill Stein: A federal judge tasked with deciding whether to overrule presidential candidate Jill Stein’s disqualification from this year’s Ohio ballot says he will delay a ruling until a state court has a chance to weigh in. Jeremy Pelzer reports that U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson’s ruling raises the prospect that it might not be clear until just before – or, potentially, even after – Election Day whether Ohio will count votes cast for Stein, the Green Party presidential nominee.
Home ownership: The state on Thursday announced nearly $25.9 million in grants and targeted tax credits to help Ohioans achieve home ownership in the latest round of a program that has so far benefited 24 counties. Thursday’s round of funding included more than $25.7 million in grants toward the construction, purchase, or rehabilitation of 130 homes and $119,274 in planned tax credits to support the construction or rehab of three homes, Robert Higgs reports.
BYOB: Cuyahoga County can’t legally enforce its ban on plastic bags, so it is spending more money trying to encourage voluntary compliance, reports Kaitlin Durbin. The Board of Control approved another $25,000, on top of $200,000 already committed, to more aggressively market the county’s BYOB – Bring Your Own Bags – program.
Drought conditions remained stagnant throughout Ohio with more than a dozen counties still in exceptional drought conditions.U.S. Drought Monitor
Drought: Only Geauga County saw any improvement in drought conditions over the past week, reports Zachary Smith. It became the fourth county in Northeast Ohio to return to completely normal conditions after slipping back into abnormally dry conditions earlier in the month, according to weekly data released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
COVID: The number of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio continued its slow retreat, moving down slightly from 2,874 last week to 2,751 this week, the state reported Thursday. That’s a week-to-week drop of about 100 cases. It was the sixth week in a row that COVID-19 case numbers decreased, reports Julie Washington.
Street takeover: One man has been indicted and another was arrested by a Cleveland police task force Wednesday in connection with a massive street takeover in late September, reports Olivia Mitchell. A Cuyahoga County grand jury handed up an indictment for Jordan McDonald, 25, of South Euclid.
Casino cheating: A Tennessee man who’s been convicted of cheating at multiple casinos — and is banned from gambling in Ohio — has again been accused of cheating at craps, this time at a table in downtown Cleveland. Sean McDonnell reports that Ellis Quinn, 62, of Memphis, is charged with violation of casino gaming laws.
Stabbing: A 22-year-old man is accused of fatally stabbing a Cleveland man Monday on the city’s West Side, reports Olivia Mitchell. Christian Beaton was charged in Cleveland Municipal Court with murder. He is being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail on $1 million bond.
Ask Yadi: If a restaurant brings you out a dessert of its choosing to your table without your knowledge, are you supposed to just accept it and pay for it? Yadi Rodriguez writes that this is an awkward situation and she would call the restaurant and speak to them about it.
Pickleball tourney: What is billed as the Midwest’s largest pickleball tournament is scheduled to be held in downtown Cleveland over three days in December. Pickle in the Land is scheduled at Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland from Dec. 13 to 15, Marc Bona reports.
MGK: Machine Gun Kelly will perform at halftime of the NFL’s international game in Munich on Nov. 10. Malcolm X Abram reports the game will feature the New York Giants vs. the Carolina Panthers at Allianz Arena.
French onion soup: To gear up for soup season, Alex Darus lists 19 of the best takes on French onion soup from Greater Cleveland restaurants. Everywhere from dive bars to high-end restaurants have their own version and they’re all worth trying.
Things to do: As the holiday draws near, get ready to enjoy a bunch of Halloween-related events this weekend. Other things going on around town include Browns, Cavs and Monsters games, closing weekends for several popular shows, a gymnastics exhibition starring Olympian Simone Biles and much more! Mike Rose lists more than two dozen events taking place this weekend and beyond.
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 content director Laura Johnston with contributions by by Cliff Pinckard.
Solon resident explains why he posted petition against Chagrin Valley Islamic Center Read more
Kraus says as long as he’s Solon mayor, Chagrin Valley Islamic Center ‘will never go away’ Read more
Halloween weather forecast not too scary, but there is chance of showers Read more
Boy pulls knife on haunted house actors at Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Berea Read more
Medina seeks public feedback on downtown street resurfacing Read more
Medina’s Spring Grove Cemetery is more than a graveyard; it’s also an arboretum Read more
Medina County Parks offer fun programs and fall color this November Read more
Solon Schools’ Comet Care initiative seeks to provide relief for hurricane victims Read more