What Happened Now? A Cleveland Newsletter
Issue 724: January 17, 2025
"What Happened Now?" is a lively roundup and analysis of the top stories of the day in Northeast Ohio from News 5's Joe Donatelli. It’s like getting the news from a friend who may not be a senator but always represents. Subscribe Here.
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And Ohio’s next Senator is… Lt. Gov. Jon Husted. The man whose glorious mane helped carry Ohio through the pandemic will be moving from the Buckeye State to D.C., earning the coveted appointment to replace Vice President-elect JD Vance in the U.S. Senate. Interestingly – but not surprisingly – Husted’s first comments after the announcement were aimed not at the people of Ohio but at Donald Trump. "We have worked to make Ohio great again, and I look forward to working with President Trump and JD Vance to make America great again," he said. Husted has never been all that MAGA, but, in Ohio, power now runs through Mar-a-Lago. More on the Husted appointment from Morgan Trau.
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Arctic blast headed our way: Some of the coldest air we have felt across Northeast Ohio in years is expected early next week. Temperatures will plummet from the mid-30s early on Saturday to the single digits for highs and sub-zero temperatures for lows by Martin Luther King Jr. Day. With the impending cold, meteorologist Katie McGraw is making viewers aware of some changes to the cold weather alerts that may be issued in a couple of days.
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How not to thaw ice at your house: Don’t use a torch, or you could end up homeless.
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I will never, ever let this topic go: Over the years, News 5 has shown you countless clips of body camera footage we obtained at little to no cost as a way to help Ohioans understand what's going on in their community, but a new law will change that. A provision of HB 315 says police could charge for the "estimated cost" of processing the video — and you would have to pay before the footage is released. Governments could charge up to $75 an hour for work, with a fee cap of $750 per request. Now, lawyers and families who have utilized body camera footage in the past for legal purposes have denounced this change, reports Kaylee Olivas. It’s not just a media issue.
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Cleveland Scene has published a list of the best wing deals in town: And because wings are no longer a quarter apiece like they were back in the day, I am dutybound as a lover of wings and bargains to share this list.