The headlines

Jail project: Cuyahoga County officials wrestling with what to do with the badly aging Justice Center in downtown Cleveland have looked to Franklin County, among other jails for inspiration. The Franklin County jail is preparing to open with state-of-the-art technology, health programming and lots of natural light, reports andrew Tobias.  Meanwhile, Kaitlin Durbin reports  Cleveland City Council this week walked back a symbolic blockade against using a Slavic Village property to help build a new jail.

Jayland Walker: On Wednesday, nearly 300 people filled the Akron Civic Theatre and honored Jayland Walker, the man who was shot to death by Akron police officers in an incident that has attracted national attention to the city. Olivia Mitchell and Kayle Remington report that mourners laughed about his jokes, remembered his quiet personality and praised his loyalty and honesty.

How’s Cleveland doing in handling income tax refunds? The city has handled about 25% of requests received in April, far less than Columbus, Cincinnati and Akron. We’re talking about Cleveland’s slow response on Today in Ohio.

Statehouse & politics

10-year-old abortion: Politicians such as Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan publicly questioned the existence of a 10-year-old rape victim who had left the state for an abortion. Sabrina Eaton reports   Yost and Jordan took a different tack Wednesday after police announced the arrest of a 27 years old Columbus man  accused of impregnating the girl whose case became the focus of national interest as states, including Ohio, impose stringent abortion restrictions in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows them to do so.

FirstEnergy lawsuit: An Akron federal judge on Wednesday dismissed attorneys representing FirstEnergy Corp.’s shareholders in a lawsuit over the House Bill 6 bribery scandal, Adam Ferrise reports.  U.S. District Judge John Adams wrote in an order that he believes the attorneys tried to evade his oversight of the case and that they refused to “offer a legitimate rationale” for a settlement in a companion case filed in federal court in Columbus.

Metro

Tax refunds: Columbus, Cincinnati and Akron are all beating Cleveland at refunding tax money to residents. Sean McDonnell reports  that while Cleveland has paid out 1,260 of about 5,000 individual tax refund requests so far, both Cincinnati and Columbus have sent money back to more than 6,000 taxpayers who requested it. And Akron is almost finished with the 3,500 requests it received.

Project diversity: Civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson met with community leaders Wednesday in Cleveland over their concerns for how to bring more diversity to massive construction projects underway by Sherwin-Williams in downtown Cleveland and in Brecksville, Megan Sims reports.  Two groups have accused Sherwin-Williams of backing away from including a Black-owned firm as one of the key construction partners on the company’s $600 million in construction projects.

Brownfields: Four brownfield projects in and around the edge of Midtown Cleveland have received state funding. Peter Krouse reports that enhances their chances of coming to fruition and paving the way for a concentrated revitalization of a blighted area of the city. The highest profile project is the long-vacant Warner and Swasey building near the corner of Carnegie Avenue and East 55th Street.

Spicebushes: A spicebush looks pretty unremarkable in summer, with smooth gray bark and simple green leaves. But in April, long before most plants begin leafing out, the spicebush erupts in delicate yellow pompoms of flower.

Business

Workplace falls: Occupational Safety and Health Administration data shows that workers at worksites across all industries are most at risk of falling on the job, reports Zachary Smith.  The list is intended to alert employers about potential hazards at a worksite and address the issues before a workplace incident occurs.