Cleveland firefighter’s death leads Ohio lawmakers to seek tougher penalties for

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In the frenzy of the lame duck legislative session, Ohio House members unanimously agreed on at least one measure Thursday — requiring a minimum five-year prison sentence for anyone convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide in cases where the victim is a firefighter or an emergency medical worker.

Killing a police officer already carries the five-year minimum.

The requirement was added to a law that would ban police from stopping guns from being sold or carried in areas where a riot is happening or might take place. It would also declare gun stores an “essential business” that can’t be shut down by the state during a declaration of emergency.

The overall amendment passed by a 55-22 vote.

– Laura

Browns at Houston Texans: 1 p.m. Sunday, NRG Stadium, Houston. TV: WOIO Channel 19. Radio: WKRK FM/92.3, WNCX FM/98.5, WKNR AM/850.

Northeast Ohio weekend weather forecast: Get ready for a mixed bag of weather 

Firefighter minimum sentence: Less than two weeks after a Cleveland firefighter was killed during a hit-and-run along Interstate 90, Ohio lawmakers are seeking to set a higher minimum prison sentence for drivers who kill firefighters on the road. Jeremy Pelzer reports that under current Ohio law, anyone convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide while under the influence faces a mandatory prison term of somewhere between two and eight years, as well as a lifetime driver’s license suspension.

Horseshoe Lake: The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is inviting the public Saturday and Sunday to help plan the future of a reconfigured 60-acre park on the site of Horseshoe Lake in Shaker Heights by participating in an exercise resembling a game. Steven Litt reports the “players,’’ so to speak, will be asked to sit in groups of six to eight people at tables supplied with drawings of three potential realignments of Doan Brook showing how the stream could flow through its flood plain after the removal of the dam that once held back Horseshoe Lake.

Today in Ohio: Completely abolishing Ohio’s state income tax, long a conservative pipe dream, has never been closer to becoming a reality. We’re talking about how the state could make up about $10.8 billion from income taxes on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.

Referendum threshold: Republican state lawmakers have tweaked a proposal to change the bar for approving a constitutional amendment. Andrew Tobias reports the latest version would require 60% approval from voters to pass state constitutional amendments proposed by the state legislature, as well as amendments launched by citizens groups.

Nursing homes: Within hours of publicly unveiling the idea, the Ohio House passed legislation Thursday providing $615 million in state and federal funds to nursing homes in the state, Jake Zuckerman reports. The money goes to an industry heavily reliant on Medicaid dollars that spends lavishly on politics.

Bank discrimination: U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat who chairs the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, is aiming to keep banks from discriminating against Black and brown customers, and turning them away because of their skin color. Sabrina Eaton reports Brown noted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has “repeatedly gone after financial institutions for their treatment of Black consumers,” and has collected $637 million from discriminatory banks, tens of millions of which have gone directly to minority consumers who experienced discrimination.

Police commission: A Cleveland City Council committee is scheduled to meet today to vet Mayor Justin Bibb’s 10 nominees to the Community Police Commission. Courtney Astolfi reports council could approve all nominees as early as Monday, paving the way for the commission to begin its work, more than one year after voters remade the 13-member body and granted it broad new police oversight powers over officer discipline, department policies and training, among others.

Stimulus projects: Cuyahoga County could approve $1.3 million in COVID-19 stimulus money on several projects, including the restoration of an historic synagogue, affordable housing and more. The largest of the proposed expenses is $500,000 to restore the historic Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights, reports Lucas Daprile.

Teacher trust: While hot-button topics continue to divide the nation, does the public trust teachers to handle them well in the classroom? Hannah Drown reports nearly eight out of 10 Northeast Ohioans trust teachers to be a positive role model, teach age-appropriate content and support academic learning and success, according to a new Baldwin Wallace University poll commissioned by cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.

Natural history: The Cleveland Museum of Natural History will be closed Dec. 6, but when it reopens at 10 a.m. on Dec. 7, admission will be waived, giving the public a free opportunity to see some of the newest, reimagined spaces and exhibits. Paris Wolfe reports the free day is a way for the museum to show off the progress on its $150 million transformation, which is about halfway done and slated for completion in 2024.

Boutros’ salary: MetroHealth paid ousted CEO Dr. Akram Boutros $10.6 million since 2018, including $4.2 million in bonuses, some of which the MetroHealth board of trustees says Boutros paid himself without authorization. Kaitlin Durbin reports the additions nearly doubled his salary in some years and exceeded it in others, according to pay records released Thursday by the hospital.

Long COVID: Pregnancy causes changes to a woman’s immune system that put her at higher risk for serious illness due to COVID-19 infection, but those same immune changes have also led researchers to speculate that they might have an unusual and unexpected benefit – protection against long COVID-19. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports that studies are being conducted across the country, including in Cleveland, to gain a better understanding of how COVID-19 affects people differently.

Giant Eagle perks: Which is better at Giant Eagle, myPerks or Fuelperks+? The unfortunate and disappointing answer is that “it depends,” but Sean McDonnell is switching to myPerks. With myPerks, customers get a $1 reward for every 50 perks and they can take money off their total bill, whether it’s gas or food.

COVID-19 cases: Ohio on Thursday reported 16,091 new COVID-19 cases in the past week, the highest number since mid-September. Julie Washington reports the number included eight days rather than the normal seven because of Thanksgiving, but the per-day average of 2,299 was still higher than at any time in the weekly reports since the state averaged 2,936 cases a day in reporting 20,552 on Sept. 15.

Capitol attack: Three Lake County residents are charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt at stopping Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s election, Adam Ferrise reports. One of the men, Ryan Swoope, 28, is accused of pepper-spraying a U.S. Capitol police officer. Two others, Saul Llamas, 29, and Jordan Siemers, 25, are charged with several felonies related to entering the Capitol building. All three are from Perry Township.

Judge questioned: A prosecutor on Thursday asked a Cuyahoga County judge if she tried to cover up a shooting involving her son and his wife last year, Cory Shaffer reports. Common Pleas Judge Cassandra Collier-Williams took the stand in the same building where she presides, and Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Kevin Mayer peppered her with questions about why she waited more than 15 minutes to dial 911 after her son told her he and his wife engaged in a shootout.

Police ruling: The Ohio 8th District Court of Appeals on Thursday ruled that former Cleveland police officer Alan Buford should regain his job and collect back pay, five years after the city fired him for violating its use-of-force policy during a fatal shooting. John Tucker reports that in a 13-page opinion, Judge Lisa Forbes affirmed the 2018 ruling of an arbitrator, who declared that Buford’s termination was unjust. Judges Mary Eileen Kilbane and Mary Boyle concurred.

Drunk bus driver: A Medina Schools bus driver was arrested Wednesday and accused of operating a bus with students onboard while under the influence of alcohol, reports Molly Walsh. Medina police charged Herbert Ferguson, 56, after he failed a random alcohol test conducted after his…