CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Gov. Mike DeWine criticized Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration for delaying a planned federal ban on flavored tobacco products.
That’s despite how DeWine has done little to stop the Ohio Legislature from banning cities from setting their own cigarette laws. We’re talking about the position on Today in Ohio.
Editor Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with editorial board member Lisa Garvin, impact editor Leila Atassi and content director Laura Johnston.
You’ve been sending Chris lots of thoughts and suggestions on our from-the-newsroom text account, in which he shares what we’re thinking about at cleveland.com. You can sign up here: https://joinsubtext.com/chrisquinn.
You can now join the conversation. Call 833-648-6329 (833-OHTODAY) if you’d like to leave a message we can play on the podcast.
More Today in Ohio
- Expect long lines and high prices when recreational marijuana goes on sale in Ohio, at least for a while: Today in Ohio
- FirstEnergy says it has its integrity back. Yeah, right. So why keep its own bribery investigation secret? Today in Ohio
- Welcome to the 21st century: Ohio finally closes the loophole that permitted spousal rape: Today in Ohio
Here’s what else we’re asking about today:
Can you believe this? The Ohio Legislature defied Mike DeWine’s veto to help sell more tobacco products, including to children, but his criticism is aimed at Joe Biden. How does play out?
Cleveland joined the rapidly increasing number of cities where colleges are arresting people protesting Israel’s continued killing of Palestinians on the West Bank. What happened? (More coverage could come tonight as this escalates)
Anyone hoping for more balance from the Ohio Supreme Court will be disappointed with this story. How unbalanced is the fundraising for the campaigns?
Mike DeWine is not the only governor questioning the seeming nonsensical idea of drafting National Guard members into Space Force. Who else is fighting the Biden administration’s strange idea?
A video of Euclid Police officer Michael Amiott’s beating of man in a 2017 traffic stop put him, and Euclid, into a national spotlight. He seemed to escape justice when County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said no felony occurred, but then a Euclid jury convicted him of a misdemeanor. Is he escaping justice again?
Where are scientists finding forever chemical plastics in the human body, and is that dangerous?
What is Team Wendy in Cleveland, and why is Ohio giving it a $3 million tax credit?
Is that Mayfield Heights activist investor getting closer to his goal os ousting the Norfolk Southern CEO?
We all know Terry Pluto is the best sports columnist in America. Now others know. What award did he win?
If you still haven’t walked the lower level of the Detroit-Superior Bridge, Cuyahoga County wants to give you yet another chance. When?
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Read the automated transcript below. Because it’s a computer-generated transcript, it contains many errors and misspellings.
chris (00:01.046)
The last day of April, the warm season is upon us and you’re listening to Today in Ohio, the news podcast discussion from Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer. I’m Chris Quinn here with Lisa Garvin, Laura Johnston and Leila Tasi. And Leila, can you believe this one? The Ohio legislature defied Mike DeWine’s veto to help sell more tobacco products, including to children. But his criticism is aimed at Joe Biden. How does he figure that one out?
Leila (00:30.957)
So the FDA announced Friday that the federal ban would be delayed indefinitely, the federal ban on flavored tobacco products, because of pushback from black civil rights leaders over mental cigarettes, which have been more heavily marketed to black communities. And because black communities use these products, use the mental products more frequently, the ban has really divided prominent leaders of the black community, some like the Reverend Al Sharpton.
warned that a ban would create a black market for flavored cigarettes and would invite more confrontations with police. Meanwhile, those in favor of a ban, including the NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus, say that it would save lives and it would lower cancer rates in the black community. But it’s an election year for Biden, so he has to weigh these things carefully or risk losing some black voters. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said there are
and that this will take significantly more time. And that really set off Mike DeWine. He put out a statement that said he’s deeply disappointed in Biden’s decision. He said, a new generation of Americans is becoming addicted to nicotine because of flavored tobacco and vaping products, including menthol. We need a uniform national flavor ban right away. That puts him in political company with Senator Sherrod Brown, who signed a letter with other
Leila (01:56.329)
calling on Biden to finalize the ban. And of course, DeWine is at odds with the members of his own party here in Ohio, who overrode his veto of the statewide ban on local tobacco regulations.
chris (02:08.734)
Yeah, but he’s using the bully pulpit of the governor’s office to attack the president and the opposing party in a way he was never this adamant with the legislature. He has a he is he’s the governor, right? He has the bully pulpit. Stand up and let the legislature have it. They’re the ones that were in the pocket of the tobacco company. They’ve never given a good reason for why they did what they did. And that’s where your sharp criticism should be. You know, you want a national policy. Where’s the state policy?
Leila (02:20.669)
Yeah.
Leila (02:34.91)
Right.
Leila (02:38.485)
Alright.
chris (02:38.542)
And I just it’s so easy to take a shot at Joe Biden. He’s in the other party. I don’t take any hits. Be you know, be a strong leader. You’re not going to run again. You got nothing to lose. Call out your party members, call out the legislature and say, you guys are killing people because of you being in the pocket of the tobacco companies. It’s got to stop. What would happen if you put the spotlight, the governor’s spotlight on the Senate president, on the House speaker and said, you’re in the pocket of tobacco companies?
Leila (02:41.905)
It is.
chris (03:08.086)
Damn you.
Leila (03:08.997)
He absolutely should do that. And I feel like this has always been Dewine’s weakness, hasn’t it? He’s never really stood up to his own party here in Ohio. Never. I can’t think of a time. And now you’re right. He doesn’t have anything to lose. He’s not running again. And it is, it is cheap to be, you know, throwing, throwing the grenade at Joe Biden. That’s so easy to do, but his, the real difference he could make is here.
chris (03:17.847)
But it’s G.
chris (03:29.448)
Right, right.
All right. I mean, he could throw grenades at Joe Biden all day long and his party members ago, Oh, good for Mike DeWine. You want to make a difference in the lives of Ohioans? Stand up to the people in your state that are doing bad, or at least give them equal treatment. I do. This one was one he just shook your head and thought that’s not leadership. You’re listening to Today in Ohio.
Cleveland is joining the rapidly increasing number of cities where colleges are detaining and arresting people, protesting Israel’s continuing killing of Palestinians on the West Bank. What happened, Lisa?
Lisa (04:06.928)
Yeah, yesterday at Case Western Reserve University, about 100 students gathered in front of the Kelvin Smith Library and they set up a free Gaza encampment. A protest planner, Sabrina Wicker, who is a junior at Case, says they were being detained and zip-tied within a half an hour of setting up that camp and police began taking down their tents. Twenty students were detained and later released without charges.
Case Western Reserve officials said they had stressed that no tents were allowed, but they kind of let that go by the wayside. They also said that the protests could only occur between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. But at about 7.30 last night, they decided to let the campers stay overnight, and then they gave wristbands out to faculty and staff, who’s had their IDs checked, so they were allowed to stay overnight. Case president Eric Kaler says that we support
peaceful freedom of expression, and Case Western Reserve police will respect that, but they will not tolerate any hate speech.
chris (05:08.758)
Yeah, I kind of like the way Case is dealing with this. This is a protest. This is what college students long have done. And the more you squeeze that and are intolerant, the more you spark more unrest. You do have to protect the facilities. As long as it’s nonviolent and peaceful, he’s letting them do their thing. And I think they made the right call in letting them stay overnight and providing some safety around it. It’s a different picture elsewhere.
Lisa (05:38.643)
And I didn’t realize this, but Case has actually been protesting Gaza occupation from April 19th. They had a die-in on April 19th, and they were accusing the president of a hostile stance on Palestine. And they were very upset about the university’s decision to suspend the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter on campus there.
chris (06:02.962)
Yeah, they’re trying to walk the line, but so far it seems like Eric Kaler is more enlightened than some of his colleagues elsewhere in the country. Of course, elsewhere in the country, you’re seeing some violence. Lisa, you mentioned before we started that at Columbia, they broke windows in a building as they took it over.
Lisa (06:18.827)
Right, that happened just this morning. There are pictures of them smashing the windows out of the hall with a hammer to get in.
chris (06:26.158)
And that’s not okay. I mean, that’s where it stops being nonviolent and peaceful. And you’re going to have police step in, but maybe that’s what they’re trying to do is create that confrontation. That’s your alma mater, isn’t it, Laura?
laura (06:39.405)
Well, grad school, yes, I spent one year there, but I have to say I don’t have a great grasp of anything outside the J school at Columbia and maybe the library.
chris (06:48.702)
All right. All right. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Anyone hoping for more balance from the Ohio Supreme Court will be disappointed with this story. Laura, how unbalanced is the fundraising for the campaigns?
laura (07:02.085)
Hugely, which is not surprising in Ohio, right? Especially now that when you vote for the Supreme Court justice, you have a D or an R with their names, so you know who you’re electing. And this is a big deal because control of the court is up for grabs. And Republicans currently hold four seats on the court. The general election results could either tip it to Democratic control, which does not seem likely in Ohio, or solidify a very Republican advantage. Republicans have huge cash and fundraising advantages.
And I love this line from Jake Zuckerman who wrote the story. Well, money isn’t necessarily determinative of electoral success. It buys the staff, advertisements, and logistics that fuel campaigns. So obviously, if you have more money, you’re more able to get your message out and you’re going to see the names over and over again. And there’s a no incumbent race, Republican Franklin County judge.
Dan Hawkins, he raised $89,000 compared to 52,000 from Democratic Eighth District Appellate Judge Lisa Forbes. And then we have Democratic incumbent Justice Michael Donnelly running against the Hamilton County Common Plea Judge and then current Justice Melody Stewart Democrat running against Republican Supreme Court Justice Joe Deters. So that’s interesting.
chris (08:19.282)
Okay, you’re listening to Today in Ohio. Mike DeWine is not the only governor questioning the seemingly nonsensical idea of drafting National Guard members into Space Force. Laila, who else is fighting the Biden administration’s strange idea?
Leila (08:35.197)
Well, there’s a bipartisan group of 52 governors from US states who on Monday had joined Dewine in a letter that asks Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin to oppose a legislative proposal that would transfer to the Space Force several hundred Air National Guard personnel in seven states including Ohio, who perform space-related functions. The letter argues that National Guard assets are critical components of states and territories’
Governors have to maintain full authority as commanders in chief of them to adequately protect their communities. DeWine’s own letter that he sent a week earlier to President Biden, he wrote that he honors the commitment of Air National Guard members by ensuring that they can serve in the communities where they live, work and raise their families. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall defended the proposal earlier this month at a House Armed Services Committee hearing
it would affect between 500 and 600 total National Guard personnel. He said the switch would give unity of command to the Space Force and allow them to manage their relatively small force as effectively as possible. He said this really shouldn’t be such a big deal. He thinks that’s been politicized for no good reason. But even Air National Guard members have said when they were surveyed that they’re opposed to this proposal. The National Guard Association of the United States says that its members don’t want to transfer to the Space Force.
Many are part-time members with civilian jobs in high-tech fields, and they don’t want to serve full-time or be subject to moving.
chris (10:13.106)
I don’t really get what they would do. It’s not like we have Luke Skywalker flying around in the outer space protecting whatever. The National, we know what the National Guard does on the ground. I mean, we see them every time there’s an emergency and they’ve done lots of different things. But what is the need for all these members in Space Force? It’s not like we have a vast array of spaceships that they have to go and operate. I mean, is it drones? I just, I haven’t understood.
Leila (10:16.899)
Yeah.
Leila (10:37.639)
I don’t know, I’ve...
chris (10:41.706)
what the Space Force wants to commandeer these people to do.
Leila (10:45.165)
I’ve never read a good explanation of what Space Force does. Lisa, do you know? Ha ha.
Lisa (10:45.228)
Well, but they’re already...
Lisa (10:49.447)
Well, no, I just know that because we did the story last week is that these people are already and have been for decades doing space related jobs. So it’s not like, you know, they’re getting a different job or a different assignment. They’re just taking the job they already do and consolidating it.
chris (11:05.822)
and switching it away from state control. Okay, you’re listening to Today in Ohio. A video of Euclid police officer, Michael Amiat’s, beating of a man in a 2017 traffic stop put him and Euclid into a national spotlight. He seemed to escape justice when County prosecutor, Mike O’Malley said no felony occurred, but then a Euclid jury convicted him of a misdemeanor. Lisa, is he escaping justice again?
Lisa (11:08.023)
Correct.
Lisa (11:34.719)
I guess you can say he’s getting off scot-free. The Eighth Ohio Appeals Court unanimously threw out those misdemeanor convictions of Euclid police officer Michael Amiat in connection with that traffic stop where Richard Hubbard III was thrown to the ground and within seconds punched and kicked several times and the video went viral. The appeals court ruled that the Euclid Municipal Court violated Amiat’s rights to a speedy trial.
That trial should have been held by May 2nd, 2022. Of course, the pandemic intervened. There were a lot of delays, but the trial was finally held in July where the jury found Amiat guilty of violating Hubbard civil rights and misdemeanor assault. So this means that Amiat’s conviction will be wiped from the record and it bars another trial on the issue. The court must also return a thousand dollar fine to Amiat, but the opinion of the appellate judges did note that there was a use of excessive force.
chris (12:29.342)
Yeah, you can do all you can to clear his record, but that video will never disappear. And everybody saw it, and I don’t think anybody with any common sense thinks he should be a police officer. Yet, he is. Blemish-free, officially. It’s amazing how this case has played out. I never understood Mike O’Malley’s call that there wasn’t a felony. He said that the victim didn’t suffer enough injury. But you saw the video. I mean, come on.
Lisa (12:53.636)
Mm. Mm-hmm.
chris (12:55.978)
There are people who’ve done far less than that, who have been convicted of felony assault. And because he’s an officer, everything changes. And he has his job back. It’s an astounding case because the video tells you he should not have a badge.
Lisa (13:06.551)
Ehh.
Lisa (13:11.575)
Right. And as you said, you know, he was suspended, but that was later overturned. So he is back at work. I don’t know if he’s on the streets. His attorney, Kimberly Corral, says she wasn’t surprised at the appeals court ruling. She says, we raised the issue several times about speedy trial. She also said that the prosecution was sloppy and it was used to placate public outcry that was generated by this video. But I will note that Hubbard, the victim, did get a $450,000 settlement from Euclid in a lawsuit that he filed.
chris (13:40.938)
I know, but this guy’s still a cop, which means there’s a vulnerability for that city every time he goes out on a call and he’s vulnerable to criticism every time he’s going to, I think this is one of those cases you just shake your head and say, how does this kind of thing continue to happen? You are listening to Today in Ohio. All right, Laura, where are scientists now finding forever chemical plastics in the human body and is it dangerous?
Lisa (13:43.226)
I know.
laura (14:06.285)
Well, I think it’s dangerous. You might disagree with me, but plastic has been found in the tissues of brain, lungs, fat, and the placenta. And now we know it’s in blood vessels. This study was published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine, co-authored by a Cleveland doctor. And they found evidence of plastic in the plaques that were removed from arteries of patients with atherosclerosis. And it seems to be that plastic is contributing to the cardiovascular disease. They found polyvinyl chloride, or
polyethylene, those are two familiar chemicals used in plastic, in more than half of the samples that they found. And they used a high resolution electron microscope and they could see visible jagged edge foreign particles of plastic. This to me is terrifying that there is just little pieces of plastic floating around in my bloodstream. And I don’t know what we’re going to do about it other than get rid of all the plastic.
chris (15:00.606)
And I guess because plaque is so sticky to begin with that as this stuff circulates in your bloodstream, it must be capturing it somehow and thickening the plaque. This was all done in the carotid artery. So they don’t know if it’s closer to the heart where blockages occur. And I guess that’s where the next phase of research goes. But if this turns out to be a serious contributing cause to heart disease, that’s gonna take.
laura (15:13.979)
Mm-hmm.
chris (15:29.894)
years and years to clean up because as we pointed out, these forever plastics are everywhere. How long would it take to remove them from the environment?
laura (15:39.149)
I mean, literally they are in our water. The public drinking water, Cleveland water, does a pretty good job of getting out most of the nanoplastics. I believe Pete Krause has written stories about this. It’s worse than bottled water. But we’re getting these all in different ways. We can ingest them, we can inhale plastics. There’s skin exposure. They interact with tissues and organs. And you’re right, like the idea is, and there are going to be more studies, that plastics can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
It’s terrifying. And it’s like what we talked about with the Alzheimer’s study and air pollution last week, that you don’t need to clean up the environment just for the environment’s sake. It’s also for people’s health. Everything is intertwined here.
chris (16:22.386)
And another, we’ve started a newsletter this week, I believe it publishes today, that’s going to every week examine groundbreaking research that comes out of Cleveland’s health institutions. And yes, Kahler will include Case Western University. They sent me notes saying, why wasn’t I named? And anywhere in Ohio that is doing verified, peer-reviewed research and.
laura (16:38.353)
Hehehehehehe
Lisa (16:39.336)
Hehehehehehe
chris (16:48.706)
There was a Cleveland doctor involved in this study, which we continue to be in all the groundbreaking studies. It’s a source of pride for Ohio. That’s why we’re doing the newsletter. So, thank you for joining us.
laura (16:51.088)
Mm-hmm.
laura (16:57.045)
Yeah, and Gretchen Kruder-Crowan and Julie Washington, our health reporters, do a really good job of breaking down what could be complicated science and making it understandable for all of us who don’t have medical degrees.
chris (17:08.138)
That newsletter is aptly called Medicle. M-E-D-I-C-L-E. And you can sign up for it at cleveland.com slash newsletters. You can also sign up for a new newsletter coming from our very own Laura Johnston, who was writing about life in the forties. Her introductory column will be published this week. And it also is an email newsletter. You can sign up at the same place. You’re listening to Today in Ohio.
Lisa (17:13.687)
Clever.
chris (17:33.578)
What is team Wendy in Cleveland and why is Ohio giving it a $3 million tax credit? Layla.
Leila (17:39.765)
Team Wendy is a helmet manufacturer with a Cleveland presence that was named after the founder’s daughter who died from a traumatic brain injury, suffered during a skiing accident years ago. Actually, Laura pointed out in the newsroom yesterday that Wendy Park at Whiskey Island is also named after her. Well, the company has announced that it’s planning an expansion that includes hiring 200 more people in Cleveland. Team Wendy won a 10-year, $3 million tax credit on Monday to support plans to expand its current location.
on St. Clair Avenue in the Collinwood neighborhood. And Team Wendy will now consolidate some positions from California and will double its Cleveland workforce from 200 to 400. This expansion will create $15 million in new annual payroll by 2027. The tax credit is performance-based, and Team Wendy will only get the full tax credit if they meet their employment goals.
This is a company that first began in 1997. They started then making protective snow ski helmets naturally. But in 2004, the company started to expand to develop a new combat liner for ballistic helmets. And since then, they’ve grown and now specialize in helmets for military, law enforcement, and adventure sports. British company Avon Protection acquired Team Wendy for $130 million in November of 2020. And together, the company employs 900 people in the United States and England.
chris (19:01.902)
Wow, that’s a big, that’s a big deal. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. All right, Lisa, is that Mayfield Heights activist investor that we’ve talked about getting closer to his goal of ousting the Norfolk Southern CEO?
Lisa (19:16.739)
It certainly appears that way. They are getting some big-time support. This is Ancora, which is an activist investor firm based in Mayfield Heights in Westlake. They did get some support from Cleveland Cliffs, which is a big Norfolk Southern customer, and from two Teamsters unions that represent one-half of all Norfolk Southern workers. And this is in their bid to oust CEO Alan Shaw.
Cliff CEO, Lorenco Goncalves in a letter said that we believe in shareholder activism when there’s a plan. And this appears to be the case in this effort by Ancora. And he says, you have my support. So Ancora said that Shaw’s leadership is why Norfolk Southern is underperforming. They’re looking to elect seven new board members, including former Ohio governor, John Kasich, and proposed new CEO, Jim Barber, who is a former UPS executive.
gone on the defensive or the offensive, they’re asking their investors to vote for its 13 nominees only. And the yearly shareholder meeting comes up May 9th, which is next Monday, but investors are already voting on this.
chris (20:26.606)
It’s amazing the power of one person, what they can do when they really put their mind to it in corporate America, in government or whatever else. And this is somebody with a single minded intent slowly whittling away at it and just might be successful in removing a top CEO from a railroad.
Lisa (20:43.719)
And they’ve done it before. I mean, they’ve gone in on coals and bed bath and beyond, so they have a track record of success.
chris (20:51.411)
Yeah, I would not count them out. We’ll have to see how that vote goes. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. We all know Terry Pluto is the best sports columnist in America. And now others across the nation know again, Laura, what award did he win?
laura (21:06.473)
Hi, yeah, Terry Pluto won first place for sports columns and sports features in the headliner award competition. This is one of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing journalistic merit. It was founded in 1934 by the Press Club of Atlantic City, but is a national award that looks in two categories for most of its awards, for a top 20 media market, which Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer fall into, and then outside of that range.
But according to the judges, they said, sports writers become more than the voice of their city’s fans. They become the heart of the fans, the conscience of the fans, and the memory of the fans. Terry Pluto of the Plane Dealer fulfills this mission. You can’t obviously submit everything. Terry Pluto is prolific. I don’t know if you ever just look at how much he has written, but it is huge. So the columns are on LPGA Pioneer Renee Powell.
entering the golf hall of fame, former Browns quarterback Bernie Kozar struggles with CTE and the early life of LeBron James. And that’s showed sports writing at its best about character, empathy and community. And then we have two other reporters who won awards as well. Jake Zuckerman got second place in environmental writing for that top 20 media market for his reporting on fracking at state parks. If you remember, of course, we’ve talked on this podcast a lot about how it happened.
and how natural gas was declared green energy. And then we decided, hey, let’s open up our parks. And then Caitlin Durbin, one third in public service for her reporting on children housed at the Cuyahoga County’s Jane Enda Hunter social service office building. And she got action with that series and they’re building a campus for those kids now.
chris (22:46.458)
I get a lot of email from people about Terry Pluto. I don’t know that there’s ever been a more beloved journalist in Northeast Ohio. People just love him. He is devoted to his readers. We were changing his newsletter to make it a reward for subscribers. He also has a podcast, which you can find anywhere you get podcasts. But we wanted to make it a reward for subscribers. And I said, let’s take one of the pieces of content you write and switch it.
and just put it in the newsletter. It’s the only place you’d get it. He wouldn’t have it. He’s like, no, I’ll do something extra. You’re right, he’s prolific, but he’s doing something extra because he wants to make it special. He figures if this is a reward, he wants to make it a real reward. And he insisted on adding to his already heavy duties. I hope he never retires. Way to go, Terry, congratulations. And congratulations to Jake and Caitlin.
laura (23:33.869)
I
laura (23:37.913)
And you know, Terry spent a lot of his earlier career at the Akron Beacon Journal. So people have followed him for a very long time at either place. And I love how he has adapted to the digital journalism that we do with his, you know, Hey Terry columns. And he just, it’s not like he’s an old school traditional journalist who never changed. Like the fact that he’s embracing this newsletter, he writes all of these pieces. He does a podcast. I mean, hats off to him.
chris (24:07.402)
The man has heart. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. If you still haven’t walked the lower level of the Detroit Superior Bridge, Cuyahoga County wants to give you yet another chance. Laura, when can people go there?
laura (24:20.421)
This will be summer solstice weekend, Friday and Saturday, June 21st and 22nd. We do know that the actual solstice this year is on Thursday the 20th. It will not be open that day. But the event is the second of its kind, sponsored in a year by the county. It’s got live music and art installation by Cleveland artist Chuck Carnack. And the idea is to activate this impressive level of the bridge as the prelude to the county plans for
greater public assets in the future. We still don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like, and they want people who come to give them feedback. This of course is the lower level of the bridge, which was built in 1918 and used by street cars until 1954. It’s going to cost about 50 grand for this event from the Cleveland Foundation. And obviously they’re working on the bigger thing. The county got $7 million from the federal government in March to create these detailed bid ready designs.
to figure out the next step for long-term use of the bridge.
chris (25:19.218)
Okay, you’re listening to Today in Ohio. All right, Laurie, we got some extra time. So give the podcast listeners a little bit of a preview of what you intend with your new column and what are you calling it?
laura (25:30.253)
It’s called Our Best Life and the idea is this prime time of us. I didn’t want to use the word midlife. We batted around some ideas for a column and I said, how about midlife no crisis? You said you are just asking for it, if you call it that. But this idea that we’re trying to do it all and do it all at once and enjoy our lives right now. A lot of us are raising kids. There’s worry about aging parents. You’re trying to be all in on your career.
chris (25:44.522)
Yeah.
laura (25:59.461)
But just taking a breath to recognize that we’re at the top of this Ferris wheel. It took us very long to get up here. We can see the whole vista from now. We know how fast the rest of our lives are gonna go. So just enjoying what we’re doing in this moment. So I have an introductory column that goes up on Friday. And then I’m gonna be exploring all sorts of things like slang that the kids are using these days and talking about our slang.
What else did I do? Finding that one thing that scares you and doing it and adding it to your already busy packed schedule, if you love it, because why not? We all need more moments of joy. The anxiety of taking a headshot, especially for women, I wrote about that. So I have all of these ready to go, but I keep having new ideas. Like I wanna write about the ridiculousness of youth sports. So.
Lisa (26:25.687)
I do. And finding that one that can scare you, and really adding it to your already busy schedule, and you love it because why not? We all need to enjoy. The anxiety of taking a headshot, especially for women, I have to come back. So I have all of you ready to go. So I’m going to go ahead and turn it over to the audience. So I’m going to go ahead
laura (26:50.05)
I’m happy to get ideas. It’s not gonna be just about being a mom, but just in this stage of our lives.
chris (26:55.302)
Right. And it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. It’s about the challenges. I should say, Laura has a high intensity job. She is what she and Leila is described as an air traffic controller, making sure all the content goes everywhere. I’m, as she said, a bit of a demanding boss. Not sure I agree with that, but that’s fine. But I have high standards. But...
Lisa (27:12.193)
Ha ha.
laura (27:15.07)
You have high expectations. Yes.
chris (27:18.946)
I do know that we don’t have a huge contingent of people in their 40s in our newsroom. We have people under 35. We have plenty of people in my generation. So we get that perspective fairly frequently. We don’t really have a lot of people like it’s Lalo Lara and a couple of others. And I know, I don’t believe we have as big a percentage of that population on our platforms. And I thought...
If Laura were to write a column, in addition to everything else she does, maybe it would have that appeal. But I didn’t want to go to Laura and just dump on her. So I just suggested the idea to her. By the end of that day, she had a page filled with ideas. I think it was just in a couple of weeks, she had five or six of them written. She’s all in, she loves to write. I think it’s going to be a great column. So sign up for it at cleveland.com slash newsletters. Let’s see where she takes us on this journey.
You’re listening to Today in Ohio. That’s it for Tuesday. Come back Wednesday for another discussion of the news. Thanks, Lisa. Thanks, Laura. Thanks, Leila. Thanks everybody who tunes in for these podcast episodes.