Cleveland forces residents to pay $20 million for stadium bills. When do wealthy team owners stop bleeding the taxpayers? Today in Ohio

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Chris Quinn (00:01.044)

It’s a Tuesday on Today in Ohio, the news podcast discussion from cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. Our friends in Ashtabula County are still digging out of snow and more is coming. This has been an interesting beginning to December. I’m Chris Quinn here with Leila Atassi, Laura Johnston and Lisa Garvin. And let’s begin with Leila. Sherrod Brown clearly is a lame duck now, as are his colleagues on a key banking committee. Why was Brown blasting some no shows for a committee meeting this week that was aimed at some accountability?

Leila (00:42.564)

Brown isn’t going quietly as his time as chair of the Senate Banking Committee winds down. This week he blasted the CEOs of TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax for backing out of a scheduled oversight hearing. These credit reporting giants had agreed back in August to testify before the committee on November 21st, but after Republicans won control of the Senate in last month’s election, they pulled out.

Brown, along with Democratic senators like Elizabeth Warren and Chris Van Hollen, called the move short-sighted and shameful. He accused the companies of dodging accountability now that the political winds are shifting. In letters to the CEOs of those companies, Brown slammed the credit agencies for reneging on their promise to testify. He said they owe the public transparency for their role in shaping Americans’ financial lives. He also suggested the CEOs are

banking on the incoming Republican majority to let them off the hook when it comes to scrutiny over issues like selling consumer data and the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports. This isn’t the first time these companies have faced heat from Brown’s committee. Just last year, these same CEOs made a rare joint appearance where they pledged to work on reforms like improving tenant screening processes and removing certain medical debts from credit reports. But now with Brown on his way out,

and the Republicans taking over, question is whether these promises will lead to meaningful change or just fade away with the current Senate majority.

Chris Quinn (02:11.432)

I’m not so sure that there won’t be accountability with the new administration. There is lots of talk often with Trump and with JD Vance about the big banks and the big businesses abusing data. So I’m not sure that they’re correct that they’re about what the future is. I kind of understand why the reporting agencies wouldn’t show up. They’re probably nervous about what’s to come.

And if they go in and they say anything here that’s going to get them in trouble with the incoming administration, things could get worse. They’re hedging their bets to see what will be expected of us in the future administration. I don’t think Trump is somebody that favors spreading people’s medical information in a credit report. My bet is he would argue strongly against that. So I’m not sure. It sounds like whining to me because

They’re on their way out. This is what lame ducks are. They don’t have any power. They’re not going to be in charge.

Leila (03:09.754)

Yeah, it just feels like, you know, if companies like these feel emboldened to skip oversight commitments because of an incoming shift in power, if that is what it is, I mean, what does that say about the balance of power between corporations and government? mean, should critical consumer protections and accountability hinge on who controls Congress? Or maybe, like you said, it doesn’t. And this is not at all related to anxiety over, you I don’t know. I mean,

Chris Quinn (03:39.188)

Look, maybe they’re big contributors. Maybe they’ve bought their way into favor and they’re saying, ha ha ha, you guys don’t count anymore. But I think it’s equally likely that they’re really nervous about what might happen because there have been a lot of Republican attacks on big data. So we’ll have to see.

Leila (03:39.416)

I feel like… Go ahead.

Leila (03:57.528)

Yeah, I mean, accountability shouldn’t be a partisan issue anyway. It’s about fairness and trust in systems that affect millions of Americans. So hopefully that’s the case with this new administration and the new balance of power.

Chris Quinn (04:12.948)

All right, you’re listening to Today in Ohio. Some great news from Ohio’s roadways from the Thanksgiving weekend after 13 people died on the highways during the holiday weekend last year and 19 the year before. Laura, how far did the number of deaths fall in 2024?

Laura (04:29.634)

We are all the way down to eight deaths. That’s the fewest since 2018. That’s when nine people died. And that marks the steep drop in traffic deaths, like you said. I mean, I don’t think we can say this is a trend yet because it’s one year, but it is good news. One death this year was attributed to an impaired driver. Three of the eight who died were not wearing seat belts. You wouldn’t know troopers are out when…

it’s a holiday weekend and they tell you they’re going to be there and they want to enforce the laws. This year they have the distracting driving law that they can enforce. can be a first, you know, it’s the offense that you can get pulled over for. So they arrested 247 people for driving drunk basically, 569 seatbelt violations and 297 drivers cited for distracted driving. So that’s a big increase from last year when it was just a warning, a 65 % increase.

and more people were cited with the seatbelt violations too, which is interesting because how do you know they’re not wearing their seatbelt? mean, how do you judge that from outside the car?

Chris Quinn (05:36.132)

I have the same question about the distracted driving, but it is remarkable how much driving habits have changed since Mike DeWine and the legislature put in the rules about enforcing distracted driving. Everything we’ve seen since that began has cut down on accidents and deaths. It’s really kind of shocking. But how do they know? It must be really, I guess we all have been driving down the road and you see somebody holding their phone in front of their face.

Laura (06:04.866)

Mm-hmm.

Chris Quinn (06:05.096)

And it must be that obvious because if you’re driving down the road and it’s down low and you just glance down at it, I’m not sure how the police would know that for certain.

Leila (06:15.258)

Well, isn’t it true that you can’t even have the phone to your ear, right? You can’t. So if they see you talking on your phone with your phone to your ear, then that is a reason to pull you over, which is much more obvious than texting on your lap.

Laura (06:19.554)

That’s correct.

Lisa (06:20.88)

Hands free.

Laura (06:30.252)

I mean, obviously there is the behavior of the car, right? Like if you are drifting in a lane, they could use that. The seatbelt thing, I’m not really sure of, but you’re right. This has been a big crackdown. Maybe this is the result, fewer deaths of the distracted driving law. If so, that’s great.

Lisa (06:33.526)

Right.

Chris Quinn (06:49.756)

Yeah, because that’s a serious drop in the number of people who died. So we’ll have to keep following this year to year to see if it continues. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. We speculated on Monday’s episode that one reason Mike DeWine is signing bills like the one blocking transgender people from using bathrooms is that he wants his pet project, the overhaul of the state fairgrounds, to continue to get big bucks from the legislature.

Coincidentally, it got some cash Monday afternoon. We say it wasn’t for his big legacy project, but it’s still some serious cash for the state fairgrounds. What is it?

Lisa (07:27.83)

Yeah, the Ohio Expositions Commission, which kind of oversees the Ohio State Fair, asked for a $2.5 million increase for the state fair budget that would increase their total operating expenses to $19.1 million if approved, and it was approved by the Ohio Controlling Board yesterday.

So the Expositions Commission says that inflation really affected their operations across the board from supplies, personal services, utilities, maintenance and repair. And they also had to outsource labor in the wake of post pandemic hiring slowdowns. So that costs more money as well. They also asked for spending $3.7 million for entertainment contracts for the coming year, including performers and stagehands and concert promotions, et cetera. And that will come from the operating accounts.

So last year they spent about $3 million on entertainment and they brought some big acts to the fair, including the Ohio players, Alabama, Ice Cube, Boys to Men and so forth. And they did have 1 million fairgoers last year based on ticket sales.

Chris Quinn (08:31.368)

Yeah, we did the big takeout, what, two, three months ago about the whole economics of this thing. And they’re generally pretty good, if I recall. Laura, I think you would remember better than me. I was a little bit surprised that they needed more money based on the reporting we did back a few months ago.

Lisa (08:47.82)

Well, I guess they’re blaming it on inflation. So maybe that’s what it is. And as you said, you know, this is not part of the big expo 2020, 2050 plan that DeWine has to give the fair a huge facelift, replacing most or all of its buildings at a cost of about $386 million.

Chris Quinn (09:08.884)

Okay, you’re listening to Today in Ohio. We’ve published a bunch of stories about the notoriously disgusting food served at the Cuyahoga County Jail and wondered why the county has not turned to Brandon Krastowski, who runs a gourmet restaurant with food prepared by people recently out of prison. Leila, did Krastowski get the new food contract in the end?

Leila (09:30.202)

No, he didn’t get the contract. Starting January 1st, Summit Food Service will take over as the new provider under a three-year, $18 million contract that was approved unanimously by county council. So the decision ends years of complaints, as you said, about how crappy the food is at the jail under the current provider, Trinity Services Group. Councilman Michael Gallagher acknowledged at a recent meeting the extra cost and

long wait to switch providers, but expressed hope that this new partnership with Summit will bring much needed improvements. But why Summit really? I when the county could have contracted with Christowski and his Edwin’s Leadership Restaurant Institute that has been really hugely successful, well, Summit has 30 years of experience in correctional food service, including at large facilities like the jail in Chicago.

They impressed the county with a variety of meal options that fit their budget and a strong plan for oversight and even potential plans to feed jail staff in the future. The other bidders included, well, of course, Edwins, but also Trinity, who I’m surprised they even bothered. But they both fell short. Trinity’s issues with low quality food and their skyrocketing commissary prices were really well documented by reporter Caitlin Durbin. So scratch them off the list.

And while Edwin’s owner, Brandon Christowski, argued that his proposal, which included culinary training for inmates, prioritized people over profit, that idea didn’t really resonate with someone counsel like Michael Gallagher. He said the jail’s short average stay and security concerns make it unrealistic to train inmates in the kitchen. Instead, he backed the summit plan as the safest, most practical choice to provide

nutritious meals for the 1300 or so people who are held at the jail each day. And, you know, of course not everyone’s happy. Christowski criticized the county for choosing what he calls the lowest bidder over a program that he thinks could really empower inmates and strengthen the community. But for now, the county is standing firm on their decision.

Chris Quinn (11:36.146)

Well, actually, I did think that the county councilman Gallagher had a good point about that, that most of the inmates at the jail are short timers, so there’s no benefit for the training. And the people that are there for the long haul are charged with serious violent crimes. And he doesn’t want them in the kitchen preparing food because that’s been part of the problem in the past. the Krosztawski model probably wouldn’t work in the county jail. And they’re going with

Leila (11:41.21)

Mm-hmm.

Chris Quinn (12:06.002)

the cost savings. thought the reasons that they used here made a lot of sense. look, I’m just glad that the company that’s been serving the slop is going to be gone. I do think the county council should be required to have lunch there once a month.

Leila (12:21.274)

Yeah, you know, I feel like this decision highlights kind of a deeper tension in how we view jails versus prisons and the role that these facilities should play in rehabilitation versus just containing people. mean, Gallagher, like you said, made it clear that the county’s county jails primary focus is on short-term care and safety, not long-term rehabilitation. But, you know, maybe there’s a little there’s a missed opportunity somewhere here.

I mean, even if the average stay is short, could a program like Edwin’s, you know, which blends food service with empowering, you know, programming, maybe that would plant seeds of change for some people. I mean, should we start thinking differently about what jails can accomplish? you know, mean, recidivism doesn’t just stem from prison populations. Many people cycle through county jails repeatedly. So maybe we’re missing an opportunity by not creating something here.

Chris Quinn (13:18.492)

On the other hand, the sheriff’s budget is busted, as we well know. The county is in the red, largely because the sheriff’s office is spending money way beyond its budget. having some fiscal care in this kind of decision isn’t a bad thing for the taxpayer.

Leila (13:21.996)

Yes, that’s true.

Leila (13:29.187)

Right.

Leila (13:35.29)

The Edwin’s proposal was considerably more expensive so you’re right there.

Chris Quinn (13:40.564)

All right, well, maybe they could have gotten some job training money, though, that would have subsidized it. You know, we talk all the time about all the job training money that’s available. Maybe they should have used that to subsidize the jail. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Sticking with the jail, what step is Metro Health taking to help save some money there on medical bills? Laura.

Leila (13:48.292)

Mm-hmm.

Laura (14:01.09)

They are hiring an overnight doctor that they’re calling a nocturnist. So this doctor will address the nighttime medical calls in the jail. The plan is to avoid millions of dollars in transportation costs for the inmates who would otherwise be sent to the hospital to Metro Health. And the jail has significant medical needs. know about this. The types of services that the inmates are receiving, they’re getting transferred because they might not, know, somebody who’s a jail warden,

wouldn’t know if someone’s got indigestion or having a heart attack. And they can’t decide, so they transport them to the emergency room at Metro Health. And that ends up really expensive for the taxpayers. So evenings and weekends are when the majority of these transports are occurring. So this will cut down on that. They’re also tracking the types of service that they’re getting. So they’re trying to get the telehealth options and set up treatment plans sooner so they can continue care in the jail without having to go to the hospital. When we’re talking millions,

We’re talking about three million a year basically. And that includes $2 million, just in overtime for the sheriff’s deputies and the corrections officers who have to supervise them because we don’t have enough workers at the jail. So then they work this overtime because they have to have someone working and that ends up being a lot more expensive. And they’re trying to get a second doctor because that is nocturnist, cannot work every night, overnight, all night.

Chris Quinn (15:27.476)

I’m glad to hear they’re doing it because the costs are kind of out of control with the jail and anything they can do to rein that in is good for the taxpayer who is getting pounded as we’ll be discussing a little later.

Laura (15:40.686)

Well, hopefully they’ll get better care too, right? Like if there’s a doctor on site, then it won’t be a question of whether they should transport them and they’ll be able to get more immediate care. It can only help. Obviously, this is a tough job to fill. So they are trying to work to get more of their residents at MetroHealth into correctional medicine and register the jail under a special federal program that allows the doctors to access loan forgiveness because

Medical school is expensive and if you could just put in a couple of years at a jail and get all of your debt forgiven, that might be really appealing to young people.

Chris Quinn (16:17.83)

Okay, you’re listening to Today in Ohio. Secretary of State Frank LaRose has closed the books on the November election in Ohio with the official numbers. Lisa, what was the turnout? How does it compare to other presidential elections? And how much did Donald Trump officially win Ohio by?

Lisa (16:23.817)

you

Lisa (16:35.682)

So, officially 5.85 million votes were cast in Ohio. That’s 71.7 % of all registered voters in the state. Donald Trump got 3.18 million votes. Kamala Harris got 2.53 million votes. Her, actually her results trailed Biden’s 2020 results by 123,000 votes. Democrats lost votes in this election. Donald Trump got a

little bit more. He got about 25,000 more votes against Harris than he did against Biden in 2020. So just a slight bump there, but it was already a Trump state. Back in 2020, the last presidential election, it was only 74 % turnout, just under six million votes cast. The record turnout was in 1992. Over 77 % of Ohioans voted. Bill Clinton carried the state over George H.W. Bush and independent Ross Perot.

The very lowest turnout since 1980 was in 2000. Only about 63.7 % of people voted. This was George W Bush versus Al Gore. And then Bush carried Ohio in that elections. So now Ohio elections officials have to do a formal audit of the results. They have to compare the count of hard copy ballots and the electronic counts to make sure they’re squared up. LaRose says, this is kind of funny.

He says we usually have a 99.9 % accuracy rate. He says Democratic and Republican officials are the best in the nation and they’re making it easy to vote and hard to cheat.

Chris Quinn (18:12.634)

I’m still surprised that Donald Trump did better than last time now that he’s a convicted felon and he was found by a civil court jury to have sexually assaulted a woman. I just wonder if the people that are moving into Ohio are moving here because they want to be part of the red wave and that people who are more on the blue side are leaving the state. I just find it hard to believe that people in the middle

largely decide the elections, voted in greater numbers for him, knowing all of this ugly stuff about him. And I would suspect it has more to do with the changing population of the state.

Laura (18:54.838)

New York Magazine had a story about a family from Ohio that moved to Brooklyn. It was a transgender child and her parents, I think we’ve probably written about this child and they said they couldn’t live in Ohio anymore so they moved to New York and I think we’re seeing probably that in both, you know, both red and blue.

Chris Quinn (19:15.356)

Yeah, that would explain it more to me than people in the center just deciding, yeah, I didn’t vote for him last time, but now that he’s been convicted felon, now that I know that he sexually molested a woman, now that I know that he tried to to orchestrate the overthrow of our government, I think I’m going to vote for him this time.

Laura (19:32.376)

I know, but it’s also a reaction to the last presidency, right? Like people just could have been really unhappy with Biden and people were really upset about the cost of eggs and gas. I don’t really, I don’t feel the same, but there are people that it’s just a reaction to them thinking they’re not doing as well as they want to be.

Lisa (19:42.592)

of eggs, yeah.

Chris Quinn (19:43.954)

Ha ha ha ha.

Lisa (19:52.576)

Well, and I think too, is we might have some first time voters because Trump really, you know, got a lot of support from young adult men, both white men and Latino men. And some of these might’ve been first time voters that said, okay, I’m going to vote for Trump. And it was only 25,300 votes more than, than he beat Biden by. So it’s not a big number, but it is there.

Chris Quinn (20:05.768)

at

Chris Quinn (20:14.792)

That’s a good point, Lisa. That probably has a lot to do with it as well. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. While Dee and Jimmy Haslem try to stiff the public for $1.2 billion for their fantasy of a dome stadium, we still have bills to pay for the existing sports facilities in Cleveland. Leila, how is Cleveland meeting its latest $20 million obligation?

Leila (20:38.124)

Well, so this plan came up for a vote at City Council last night. And honestly, after all the rage that we saw out of council members about this, we were expecting a razor thin vote at council on whether to spend 20 million for repairs at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and Progressive Field. That’s what was on the table. But it turned out to be pretty anticlimactic yesterday because it passed pretty comfortably.

with just three council members, Jenny Spencer, Mike Polenski, and Brian Casey voting against it. So this payment will settle the city’s half of a $40 million bill owed to Gateway, which is the nonprofit landlord for the Cavs and Guardians publicly owned facilities. But the decision sparked really heated debate at City Hall leading up to this vote with critics calling it an obscene payout to billionaire team owners.

while Cleveland struggles to meet its basic needs. The funding is required though under lease agreements that were made in 2017 and 2021, which mandate public funding for major repairs. Historically, these costs were covered by the county syntax on alcohol and cigarettes, but inflation has driven up repair costs while syntax revenues have really stagnated. And that’s forced the city and the county to make up the difference. The proposal to cover Cleveland’s 20 million share

involves dipping into the city’s general fund and also federal COVID relief money, that ARPA money, and even redirecting loans that were earmarked for other projects like new SWAT facilities and firefighter turnout gear. Up until the vote yesterday or last night, council members seemed pretty deeply divided over this. Some, like Ward 14’s Jasmine Santana, described it as gut-wrenching to have to make this vote given the city’s unmet needs from

crumbling police stations to a lack of affordable housing. And others like Council President Blaine Griffin argued that it’s a necessary evil to fulfill legal obligations while avoiding penalties. But opponents were warning that these payouts highlight Cleveland’s bigger problem. Mike Polancik used the phrase that, you know, Cleveland is a major league city with minor league neighborhoods.

Leila (22:53.908)

And some council members like Jenny Spencer were pushing for long-term solutions instead. She wanted to renegotiate syntax funding or introduce new visitor fees for gateway events. But in the end, like I said, most council members fell in line and voted to send this one through.

Chris Quinn (23:11.132)

Well, this dates back to when elected officials sold us down the river with the lease, which this council approved, previous council members approved, that gives the teams the ability to spend profligately with no say so by the public officials. We’re just on the hook to pay the bills. And this isn’t the end. mean, what’s amazing about this is it comes after

The public agreed to huge renovations at millions of dollars of cost to these two facilities. This is on top of that. They keep adding things saying, well, you’re on the hook. The lease says you have to pay for it. And they’re taking it out of the general fund that pays for police and fire and recreation. And it’s wrong. I thought that the best comment was one of the council people that said, no, let’s hold it out. Let’s see if we can negotiate a better deal, which previous governments have managed to do.

Leila (23:47.012)

Right.

Chris Quinn (24:04.422)

Instead, they’re bending over backwards to pay them. And it does, I do marvel at the fact that this is going on at the very moment the owners of the Browns are trying to get another 1.2 billion from the public. We don’t have the money. I mean, we clearly don’t have money and yet that’s what’s going on in the backdrop. We struggled to pay the 20 million. They’re borrowing it. They’re borrowing money to pay back this debt for half of it. It’s just unbelievable.

That’s what they’re doing to the public. The citizens of Cleveland, many of them live in poverty and this government is saddling them with more debt for millionaire team owners.

Leila (24:35.716)

right.

Leila (24:44.836)

Right. mean, the question always is whether this cycle of taxpayer subsidies for professional sports teams is sustainable or fair. I mean, the burden should not fall on local taxpayers, many of whom will never set foot in these arenas. Really, it’s time for Cleveland and cities across the country to rethink these lease agreements and push for models where team owners who reap massive profits

Laura (25:02.423)

especially

Chris Quinn (25:03.528)

But they

Leila (25:13.156)

Take on a larger share of the costs. Enough is enough already.

Chris Quinn (25:16.04)

But this was hidden in the original lease. you know, when we all sat down when they redid the arena five, six, seven years ago, there was a total dollar cost. This is what the public’s part will be. This will be what the team’s part will be. There’s no discussion about this. And so these bills just keep coming. It’s a fiction when the deal is made because it’s going to be far more expensive. And it’s coming on the backs of people that have very little to begin with. The citizens of Cleveland

are not wealthy and yet they’re the ones paying for this kind of thing. It’s ridiculous that this is happening and I couldn’t believe with all the bluster these council people had, they all voted in favor of it except for what? Three you said, right? It’s ridiculous. They’re gutless. They’re just gutless. They should have stood up to it and said, no, I stand for the taxpayer. We want a better deal. And they didn’t. And what is Blaine Griffin doing as council president? He must be feathering his nest for a

Leila (26:01.848)

Yeah, three, right.

Laura (26:10.04)

And you.

Chris Quinn (26:15.58)

a run for office and he needs campaign contributions from the wealthy.

Laura (26:20.268)

The thing is it is just Cleveland, right? I mean, it’s Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. And yet these facilities are used by everyone in the whole region. And we had this big idea, right, to tax everyone with a sales tax and create a facilities commission. And maybe someday people will come around to that idea. But I was having conversations about the Browns and Gateway with people over the weekend, and they’re like, well, yeah, we should have it. And it’s like, but you live in Avon, like you live in Lorain County. You’re not paying for any of this.

Chris Quinn (26:48.464)

Yeah, Ted died and had a column saying the same thing while he sits out in rural Geauga County, not paying a dime for any of it, saying, I think it’s great. I would be warm in my seat. And it’s a you know what, then let’s do the regional funding that we proposed back, back in the summer where every county raises its sales tax by a quarter percent and pays for the damn thing.

Laura (26:48.824)

How is that fair?

Laura (26:57.121)

Yeah!

Laura (27:05.261)

Right.

Leila (27:11.342)

Well, when we say, I just want to clarify, when we say everyone in the region uses it, that’s not true. A handful of sports fans use it. I don’t use it. My family doesn’t use it. I mean, do you guys go to Brown’s games?

Laura (27:27.705)

Which is-

Chris Quinn (27:28.116)

You haven’t been to a Cavs game, Leila? We’re talking gateway facilities. You’ve been to the baseball stadium,

Leila (27:31.684)

To a Cavs game? I’ve been to a Cavs. No, you’re right. I’ve been to a Cavs game. But I would be happy to pay more on a ticket to fund that facility and its upkeep.

Laura (27:39.502)

Yeah, which is one of the ideas that they raised, right? Like to create another special district like they’re doing with the lakefront to charge people for parking and restaurants and the people who are using the facility to pay more. I’m 100 % behind that, right.

Leila (27:52.888)

that’s fair, but I don’t want to pay tax from, you know, where I live to pay for Brown Stadium, which I disdain. If I go there, I’m happy to pay for it, but no way.

Laura (28:03.47)

Mm-hmm.

Chris Quinn (28:05.46)

All right, moving on. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Most of Greater Cleveland dodged the bullet with the weekend snow, but our friends in Asheville County got socked. Lisa, you love to look at this data. What are the numbers?

Lisa (28:18.658)

Yeah, Ashtabula really got walloped and we have updated numbers that are in this morning’s Cleveland.com website. So, Ashtabula as of Monday morning, they had like 56.7 inches, but they have now over five feet of snow, 61.2 inches in Saybrook, which is in Ashtabula County. That was the highest across our region, 47 inches in Geneva.

but just a little bit further away, there was only two inches in Cherry Valley and then Edgewood in Ashtabula County had over 41 inches. As you said, most of Cuyahoga was really not affected. Even I’m in the primary snowbelt, I didn’t get a whole lot. The most we saw in Cuyahoga was five and a half inches in Euclid and then Lindhurst had about 1.2 and Highland Heights 1.8 inches.

Lake County actually declared a state of emergency in their area. North Madison got 45 inches as of Monday morning, Perry 28 inches, East Lake 13.7, and Mentor on the Lake 26 inches. Now, Geauga County, not really affected. The highest total there was about 14.8 inches in Thompson, and Burton only got about four inches.

Lorraine, Portage and Summit got mostly a trace. I think the biggest reading in those three counties was Barberton, three inches.

Chris Quinn (29:38.996)

I was glad that we didn’t get socked. It seems like every morning you get up and there’s a new layer of light frosting. But when are we going to see the sun again? That’s what I want to know. It’s been a week without sunshine. I want to see some sun.

Laura (29:52.75)

I just had a glimpse like during this podcast recording. I see blue sky right now. Yeah.

Lisa (29:54.1)

Yeah, I did too. Yeah. I do too. Yeah, right now.

Chris Quinn (29:57.3)

today? All right. All right, good. Well, let’s hope that’ll that’ll cheer us all up. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. That’s it for the Tuesday episode. Thanks, Leila. Thanks, Laura. Thanks, Lisa. Thank you for being here. We’ll return Wednesday with another discussion of the news.