Good Morning, Cleveland! It's Wednesday, June 3rd, and here is what you need to know.
Cleveland cracks down on violence against healthcare workers
Cleveland City Council has passed a new ordinance aimed at protecting healthcare workers from violence. Under the new ordinance, “menacing” a health care worker is upgraded from a fourth-degree misdemeanor to a first-degree offense, carrying a mandatory minimum of three days in jail and up to six months behind bars. The Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and MetroHealth pushed for the legislation after a spike in workplace violence. Starting next year, the city will publish an annual report tracking these threats. The report will break down where incidents happen and who is involved. It will also include recommendations to improve safety and staffing protocols.
Cleveland City Council passes new parking ordinance
Downtown Cleveland's parking rules could be changing again. Cleveland City Council passed a new ordinance Monday night that would change on-street paid parking hours and lower rates in and around downtown. The measure now heads to Mayor Justin Bibb for approval. The changes come six months after the city overhauled its parking program at the start of the year. Those changes eliminated free weekend parking downtown, raised the hourly rate to $1.50 with a 4-hour cap, and introduced special event zones for sports games and concerts. Council members say they have since received numerous complaints from local businesses, employees, and residents. Under the new ordinance, parking enforcement in downtown Cleveland would run Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays would be free, except during special events. Outside of downtown, enforcement would apply Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., with weekends free. The ordinance would also lower parking rates to between $1 and $3 per hour. Special event parking would start at $8 per hour. Pay stations accepting coin and cash would be required within 600 feet of every downtown parking spot.
Lorain City Schools cancels planned job cuts after Issue 5 levy passes
Lorain City Schools is keeping its promise to voters following the passage of Issue 5, canceling several planned job cuts across the district. All-day preschool will remain in place. Every kindergarten class will keep its teaching assistant, and each elementary school will retain its own dedicated counselor. Middle school dance programs and student clubs are also saved. The district said it will continue to move forward in a responsible and transparent way.
Meeting tonight in Akron on Memorial Parkway safety concerns
Akron Ward 1 Councilperson Fran Wilson is hosting a community meeting tonight focusing on safety along the Memorial Parkway corridor. Activists have been fighting for a year to make changes to the road. They say the road is a vital community connection but is unsafe for pedestrians and bicyclists. Vision Zero Akron, a traffic and road safety advocate group, is asking the city to consider changes like putting up barriers between the car and bike lanes and expanding the nearby school zone. The meeting is set to start at 6 p.m. at the Balch Street Community Center.
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Traffic impact
On Thursday, the Ohio Department of Transportation will be closing the intersection of State Route 18 and State Route 511 to construct a single-lane roundabout. Traffic on State Route 18 will be detoured to State Route 58 north to U.S. 20 west to State Route 60 south to State Route 18. All traffic on State Route 511 will be detoured to State Route 162 east to State Route 58 north to U.S. 20 west to State Route 511. Crews plan to have the roundabout completed by Friday, August 14 and reopen the intersection before the Lorain County Fair.
View our News 5 Traffic Map to see any road closures or delays due to weather or crashes.
