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The iOpener: Trump Promises Great Lakes Funding; Northeast Ohio Pitches For Missile Site

Algae bloom hit western Lake Erie in 2017. [Aerial Associates Photography, Inc. by Zachary Haslick]
Algae bloom hit western Lake Erie in 2017.

Good morning, iOpeners. It's Friday, March 29, 2019. 

After a proposed 90 percent cut to the $300 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, President Trump said it would be fully funded at rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan last night. The initiative has often been under threat of losing funding, despite bipartisan support in Ohio and other Great Lakes states. The GLRI provides funding to 16 federal organizations to strategically target the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem with a goal of clean water for drinking and recreation.

The suspect in yesterday's hit and run accident that critically injured two members of a road crew near the University Heights South Euclid border is Wiley Bridgeman according to Fox 8, who spent 39 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of murder. He was released in 2014 and awarded $2.4 million from the state in 2016 over wrongful imprisonment. Charges are pending against Bridgeman.

Members of Ohio's congressional delegation are hoping the Pentagon will choose Northeast Ohio as the site for a future intercontinental missile defense site. In a letter to the Acting Secretary of Defense this week, members said the region's infrastructure and skilled workforce make it ideally suited for the project. But Ian Williams, who studies missile defense at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, says that might not be enough. The Pentagon is expected to issue a preliminary recommendation on a future site soon. But Williams expects the final decision will depend on whether congress appropriates additional funds for the project.

The Cleveland Indians lost the regular season opener to the Twins in Minnesota 2-0. Pitcher Jose Berrios held the Indians to just two hits and Marwin Gonzlaez knocked in both runs for Minnesota in the 7 th inning off Indians pitcher Corey Kluber. The teams take Friday off before playing two more this weekend. Cleveland’s home opener in Monday against the White Sox at 4:10pm

Weather: Rain and some fog this morning, with a high of 46 today. More rain showers tonight, with a low of 42. Rain tomorrow as well, with a high of 52. But it gets colder Saturday night with a chance of snow Sunday morning. 

Glenn Forbes is supervising producer of newscasts at Ideastream Public Media.