The iOpener: Cleveland May End Pot Penalties; Voter Purge Notices Mailed

Good morning, iOpeners.  It's Tuesday, July 30, 2019.

Following the lead of Columbus and Dayton, Cleveland’s city council is considering a bill that would eliminate the penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana. Ward 6 Councilman Blaine Griffin, who introduced the measure on Monday, said he proposed the legislation with the hope of reducing excessive incarceration for minor offenses. It would eliminate fines and penalties for possession of 200 grams of pot or less. Marijuana possession is still illegal under state law and carries fines. 

Cleveland Heights voters will decide this November whether they want to switch to an elected mayor and eliminate the current city manager position. Cleveland Height’s city council voted to put the issue on the November ballot.  The group, Citizens for an Elected Mayor, has been lobbying for the change.  It collected more than 4,000 signatures to put the issue on the ballot. 

Notices are on their way to 235,610 Ohioans who are at risk of being purged from the state’s voter rolls. County boards of elections mailed the notices on Monday. Secretary of State Frank LaRose has told local elections officials that he wants their list of inactive voters submitted to his office by mid-August. Community groups want those lists, too, so they can assist affected voters in updating their information and keep them from being dropped from the rolls. LaRose said he plans to give groups the information “in the next day or so.”

Meanwhile, Secretary of State LaRose wants counties to start preparing now for potential conflicts during the 2020 primary, which has been moved to March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. LaRose said county boards of elections should start thinking about how St. Patrick Day festivities could affect their operations.  “If they’ve got a polling location that’s along a parade route, then they have time now to move it,” he said. 

An Akron man died after a deer struck by a car went airborne and flew through the window of his SUV.  73-year-old Michael Modjallal was driving east along a road in western Pennsylvania when the deer hit his windshield. His passenger, 70-year-old Lucia Modjallal, has been hospitalized. The driver who struck the deer was not hurt.

The Indians have just 48 hours to make trades that will strengthen their post-season chances, and they’re likely to make a move for a reliable hitter to shore up the middle of their batting order. Those on the market include Seattle slugger Domingo Santana, Baltimore’s Trey Mancini and the Reds’ Yasiel Puig. The MLB trade deadline is Wednesday at 4 p.m.

The Indians return home to begin a three-game series tonight against the Houston Astros.

Weather forecast for Cleveland: Mostly cloudy, with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. High 81.  Tonight, a slight chance of lingering showers overnight. Cloudy, low 68.  Tomorrow, a slight chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms before 7 a.m. Partly sunny, high 78.