Ohio claws back lead abatement grant from Cleveland | Reporters Roundtable

The state is clawing back more than $3-million dollars from a nearly $5 million grant it awarded Cleveland for a program that would help rid old houses of lead. The Ohio Department of Development administered the grant as part of the Lead Safe Ohio Program. It would pay up to $15,000 to remove old windows and doors, a major source of lead paint that chips and flakes and exposes occupants to lead poisoning. Lead can cause permanent neurological damage in children, and Cleveland has been working for years to remove lead from its older housing stock and the city's health director says there is actually promising news: Testing has shown for the second straight year a reduction in lead levels for kids. The story begins our discussion of the week’s top news on the Friday “Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable.” Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne wants to take control of finances for the county sheriff's department as overtime costs there soar. The sheriff has said he'll sue if that happens. Cuyahoga County prosecutors argued before the Ohio Supreme Court on Feb.11 that a murder conviction is appropriate for the man who struck and killed Cleveland Johnny Tetrick as the firefighter was responding to an accident on I-90. Leander Bissell was convicted of murder, but an appeals court reduced it to involuntary manslaughter. Bissell struck Tetrick as he drove around stopped traffic at an accident scene. A federal judge yesterday denied the Trump administration's request to pause a ruling that allows Haitians in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status to maintain that status. Thousands of Haitians with such protection live in Springfield. The administration's appeal continues. The Trump administration announced yesterday it was ending its immigration surge in Minneapolis. Border czar Tom Homan called Operation Metro Surge a success. Two U.S. citizens were killed, and widespread protests gripped the city. Homan credited coordination with local law enforcement as a factor in the operation's success. Protests continue across the country, including locally, where Thursday students at Cleveland Heights High School staged a long-planned walk out to show solidarity with immigrant families impacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Many of those participating have direct ties to immigrant communities and want schools to be safe spaces. This week, Akron became the latest city to oppose proposed bills in the Ohio legislature that would require local police to help with federal immigration enforcement. The College of Wooster is cutting staff in response to shrinking enrollment. President Anne McCall announced that the school is laying off 22 non-faculty staff. It's almost time for public schools to submit their budget forecasts to the state for approval and the districts in Cleveland and Akron say they'll need to make significant cuts over the next several years, despite already going through consolidation and collecting more money from taxpayers with levies. More than half of the public school districts in Ohio, part of a coalition called Vouchers Hurt Ohio, are suing the state over how it funds schools, diverting money to vouchers for private schools. Lawmakers who approve of the vouchers say they allow families to have education choice. A new bill introduced in Columbus would allow the state to yank funding from districts that sue. Guests: -Abigail Bottar, Reporter, Ideastream Public Media -Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media -Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV