Report questioned racial disparity in Cleveland driving stops, arrests | Reporters Roundtable

A new assessment from the federal monitor overseeing Cleveland's implementation of the consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice found that police stop Black drivers disproportionately more than drivers of other races. The city has been under the federally mandated consent decree for a decade after being found to engage in a pattern and practice of unconstitutional policing. The goal is to improve operations and restore community trust. The story begins our discussion of the week’s news on the “Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable.” The Cleveland Metropolitan School District this week voted unanimously to greenlight a massive reorganization that will reduce the number of schools by a third. The district said the changes are needed to align its footprint with current enrollment, which has steadily declined over the last few decades. The legislature passed sweeping legislation that will make changes to the state's laws for recreational marijuana and intoxicating hemp. The senate passed SB 56 this week and it's up to the governor to sign it. Cuyahoga County two-year, $2 billion budget this week that includes significant cuts to social service programs. Some members described it as the "worst" budget since this form of government began in 2011. This week a judge weighed in on a legal challenge to the state's plan to use $600 million in unclaimed funds to help fund construction of a new Browns stadium in Brook Park. A lawsuit challenging the funding mechanism is working its way through the courts, and a judge denied an appeal to block the plan while the case is going on. Major League Baseball this week approved the sale of the Akron Rubber Ducks baseball team to Prospector Baseball Group. Ken Babby, the principal and founder of Fast Forward Sports Group, has owned the team since 2012 and oversaw its rebranding from the Akron Aeros to the Ducks. He recently became CEO of the Tampa Bay Rays. Guests: -Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media -Zaria Johnson, Environment Reporter, Ideastream Public Media -Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV