Roundtable: Leila Atassi, reporter, The Plain Dealer; David Arredondo, Vice-chairman, Lorain County Republican Party; Greg Saber, freelance reporter.
Sentence in Child Killing
Helen Fettes, 81, of Olmsted Falls will spend five years under house arrest and can never again drive legally. That’s part of the price she’ll pay for running down and killing Charles Kho, 13, and trying to cover it up. She’ll also pay a fine and $128,000 in restitution. The panel will discuss the sentence and the notion that perhaps older drivers should take tests to qualify for a license.
No Longer Browns Stadium
The electric utility FirstEnergy has purchased naming rights to Cleveland Browns Stadium for an undisclosed amount. Henceforth, the stadium will be called FirstEnergy Stadium - Home of the Cleveland Browns. It’s the first time in franchise history that the stadium will have a corporate name. The team is allowed to sell the naming rights and reap the benefits under terms of the stadium lease.
New Rules for City Employees
The city of Cleveland is preparing to pass a new law forcing city workers to live at least within shouting distance of their place of employment. A new residency law requires all city workers to live within the state of Ohio and safety forces within Cuyahoga or contiguous counties. State law goes against residency requirements, but a loophole allows cities to keep safety forces on a short leash.
Gun Restrictions
President Obama says he’ll put all his effort into new gun control measures in the wake of the Connecticut school shootings. Obama wants to renew and tighten restrictions on military-style weapons and require background checks for all gun sales. The President also issued 23 executive orders on the gun matter, prompting some Congressman Republicans to accuse him of trying to circumvent Congress.
Fox Locks in Kucinich
Cleveland’s long-time former Congressman will start a new life as a political commentator for the top-rated Fox News Network. Fox says Kucinich will provide analysis and commentary across a wide range of the network’s programs.
Special Guest: William H. Fulton
The local attorney was in his teens and living in Puerto Rico when he met a young minister named Martin Luther King. Fulton’s father, Robert, was a Presbyterian minister who invited King to deliver a series of lectures in Puerto Rico in 1962. He did and persuaded the elder Fulton to move his family to Birmingham, AL for a teaching post at an all-black college. Birmingham turned out to be the epicenter of the civil rights movement and Robert Fulton was arrested along with King and others during a march in the spring of 1963. Fulton will discuss his memories of Dr. King.