Cleveland lakefront development moves forward without Browns | Reporters Roundtable

Cleveland's makeover of its lakefront to better connect it to Downtown took a major step forward this week. The North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation, a nonprofit created by the city, selected DiGeronimo Development from Brecksville as the master developer for the lakefront transformation including a reimagining of the site where the current Browns stadium sits. The stadium will be demolished after the 2029 season as the Browns depart for a new stadium complex in Brook Park. The story begins our discussion of the week’s news stories on the “Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable.” The Cleveland Teachers Union says the district needs to step up its monitoring of buildings and improve its security staffing. At least 100 teachers have had their cars broken into in school parking lots recently, and in one case a car was stolen. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine this week told universities and colleges in the state to get fully on board with the Science of Reading literacy curriculum or face consequences. An audit found 10 programs are not fully following a 2023 state law that requires future teachers be given instruction solely in the phonics-based system. Ohio has joined a new voter registration database to ensure election integrity. Secretary of State Frank LaRose says the states in the database will remove ineligible or illegal voters through data sharing agreements. The Trump administration is ending legal status for around half a million Haitians living in the U.S. by Feb. 3, including the more than 10,000 Haitians living in Ohio. During last year's presidential campaign, President Trump shared false and derogatory claims about the Haitian community working in Springfield, southwest of Columbus, and said that immigrants were taking over the city. Gov. DeWine, who has supported the Haitian community in Ohio, said he's concerned about what will happen to this population, and to the overall economy in Springfield. Akron leaders say the city needs a new police headquarters. After two years of consideration Mayor Shammas Malik says the police headquarters will stay right where it is. Rather than build a new site, the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center will undergo a $67 million dollar renovation. This week the Cleveland Metroparks shared on Instagram photos and videos of a "fisher cat" from a trail camera earlier this year. It marked the first sighting of a fisher in Cuyahoga County in 200 years. Fisher cats are neither fishers nor cats. They're carnivorous members of the weasel family and live in wooded areas. Guests: - Matt Richmond, Criminal Justice Reporter, Ideastream Public Media - Abigail Bottar, Akron-Canton Reporter, Ideastream Public Media - Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV