Cuyahoga County Council wants investigation of Armond Budish over port authority board

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A mix of rain and snow is possible this morning, changing over to all rain as temps warm to about 41 degrees. It will be breezy, with gusts up to 36 mph. There is a slight chance of showers overnight and wind gusts will be around 28 mph. Temps will be around 30 degrees. Read more.

MLB: Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox, postponed

Nomination questions: Cuyahoga County Council has asked the Inspector General’s office to investigate whether Executive Armond Budish lied to them when he said there were no concerns with appointing labor leader Dave Wondolowski to the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Board, even though he holds a conflicting public office. They pointed to founding documents from when the port authority board was created in 1968, which expressly prohibit board members from holding other public offices, Courtney Astolfi reports.

Mart value: Cuyahoga County’s Global Center for Health Innovation has struggled since opening in 2014. With talk of investing tens of millions more dollars, real estate reporter Eric Heisig explores what the beleaguered building might fetch if the county decided to offload it. Despite its financial troubles, county officials have given no indication that they want to cut their losses and sell the 235,000-square-foot facility, which officials consider inextricably intertwined with the connected Huntington Convention Center.

Party of one: Former President Donald J. Trump endorsed memoirist and venture capitalist J.D. Vance in the ridiculously expensive and self-funded race to replace U.S. Sen. Rob Portman. Today in Ohio tackles the former president’s influence on the race and what it might mean for the rest of the candidates who were all clamoring for Trump’s anointment as the chosen candidate.

Holy rollers: Ohio political candidates are boasting about their endorsements from pastors, reverends and other religious figures from around the state. Landing the support of religious leaders in political campaigns can be very important. However, it might seem curious that religious leaders are endorsing candidates, given that churches and other religious organizations could lose their tax-exempt status if they engage in any partisan politics. Jeremy Pelzer explores how religious leaders who endorse must walk a fine line and how little attention the IRS pays to the issue.

DeWines ill: First Lady Fran DeWine tested positive for the coronavirus just days after it was announced that her husband, Gov. Mike DeWine, contracted the virus. Laura Hancock reports that a spokesman for the governor said, much like her husband’s symptoms, Fran DeWine is experiencing mild effects of the virus. Both DeWines are quarantining at home. The 75-year-old governor is continuing to work — taking calls and having virtual meetings at home.

Unleaded: U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, U.S. HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb attended a roundtable discussion about lead poisoning at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland on Monday. As Courtney Astolfi reports, the Democrats praised the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Brown said will provide Ohio $70 million this year to replace contaminated pipes, with more funding over the next four years.

Disaster plan: The Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management is seeking public input to help update its policies for how to respond to natural or manmade disasters, Kaitlin Durbin reports. The All-Hazards Mitigation Plan serves as the blueprint for reducing property damage and saving lives after hazard events, such as tornadoes or floods.

New normal? So, it snowed again. Odds are it accumulated in parts of Northeast Ohio. A month into spring, the region experienced yet another wave of mid-April chilliness. Is Cleveland’s weather cursed, is it climate change or is this just the new normal? We look at where our temperature’s supposed to be at this time this year and whether there’s any hope we’ll get there this year.

Newburgh lows: Newburgh Heights Mayor Trevor Elkins pleaded guilty on Monday to three campaign finance-related crimes and agreed to resign as mayor immediately. Cory Shaffer reports that Elkins admitted that he used his campaign money for personal expenses 651 times for a total of more than $134,000 since he became mayor of the small Cleveland suburb in 2011.

Appeal: Prosecutors want an appeals court to find that a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge wrongly interpreted the state’s anti-corruption laws when the jurist acquitted former Brecksville City Councilman Jack Petsche of having an unlawful interest in a public contract last month, Cory Shaffer reports.

Dyngus Day: While the weather was less-than-hospitable on Northeast Ohio’s favorite Polish holiday, celebrations went off without a hitch in and around Cleveland. Annie Nickoloff takes us inside Dyngus Day Cleveland’s event Monday in Gordon Square (despite the sleet). “This year we’re getting back to almost normal,” said event organizer Adam Roggenburk. “Gordon Square is the Dyngus Day headquarters and Gordon Green is the capital of it today. All these bars and restaurants down here today will be completely full.”

COVID improvement: Another sign that the pandemic might turn a corner, the Cleveland Clinic announced it is changing its visitation policies amid COVID-19 and will allow more people to visit patients while also dropping age restrictions. Sean McDonnell reports that beginning today, inpatients can have two people visit them at a time, with no limit on the number of people who visit throughout the day, while following all other restrictions like visitation hours and mask requirements.

Shipping ahoy: United World Line, part of the Greater Cleveland-based shipping and logistics company World Group, announced Monday that it’s adding offices near two key ports in Long Beach, California, and Vietnam. Sean McDonnell reports that the company announced the new offices, saying they were opened to respond to rising demand.

Fifth Third: Fifth Third Bank will raise its minimum wage to $20 an hour, giving employees in Cleveland and elsewhere a raise. Fifth Third announced Monday that it will raise its minimum wage beginning July 4 and adjust wages to the four job levels above the bank’s new minimum wages. The company said more than 40% of its workforce will see a pay increase midyear, Sean McDonnell reports.

Bombs away: The popular event space 100th Bomb Group closed amid the pandemic after 37 years of operating next to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The revamped space now has a new life as The Aviator, and Marc Bona has a look inside the one-stop shop for weddings and other events.

Income drops: After gradual increases in median income in the Cleveland-Elyria metropolitan area through the fall and early winter, income dipped in February with the latest report from the federal government. Zachary Smith reports that Cleveland-Elyria’s median income peaked in January at over $1,044 a week, the highest since 2019, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks median income before taxes each week. In February, earnings dropped to $1,023, lower than in December.

Firefighter arrested: A 25-year-old Cleveland firefighter faces criminal charges after telling a 911 dispatcher that he accidentally shot his roommate inside their Willoughby apartment, according to Willoughby police. Olivia Mitchell reports that Willoughby police arrested Kevin McCarthy outside the apartment building. He faces a charge of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Christian Kilburg, who died of an apparent gunshot wound.

Documentary now: The Chagrin Documentary Film Festival is looking to raise $1 million to secure its forever home in downtown Chagrin Falls. Joey Morona reports that Fevered Dreams Productions, which produces the 13-year-old festival, has launched its first-ever capital campaign with sights on buying and renovating a building in the village’s historic Triangle district to be used as the nonprofit’s headquarters, and provide screening and event space for year-round programming.

Lose yourself: Rapper Eminem is one of the most successful artists of the 21st century and the biggest name on this year’s ballot for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Troy Smith, as part of his ongoing series, looks at the case for (and against) allowing Slim Shady to join the ranks of one of Cleveland’s most well-known…