NORTHEAST OHIO NEWS

Real-Time Updates for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio

Cleveland police announce results of year-long drug investigation

by Mark Puente/Plain Dealer Reporter

Thursday January 08, 2009, 2:01 PM

CLEVELAND — Mayor Frank Jackson plans to announce the arrests of gang members related to a drug-trafficking investigation today at 3 p.m. at police headquarters. City, county, and federal law enforcement officials will be present.

The street gang targeted is the Broadway Kings, who police said trafficked drugs.

Cleveland police have been working for the past few years with federal agents and prosecutors to charge gang members in federal court. More than 100 people have been convicted since 2007. People found guilty of drug and gang crimes typically receive longer prison sentences in the federal system than the state court system.

U.S. financial system 'more stable,' bailout chief Kashkari says

by Associated Press

Thursday January 08, 2009, 2:00 PM

WASHINGTON -- The head of the government's $700 billion financial rescue program says the effort has made the nation's financial system more stable.

Neel Kashkari, the assistant treasury secretary in charge of the bailout program, says the effort had made remarkable progress since it was passed by Congress on Oct. 3.

Kashkari called the financial system "fundamentally more stable" than when the legislation was passed, and says the rescue program helped to stem a series of financial institution failures.

Cleveland assembles business leaders to advise on airport operations

by Henry J. Gomez/Plain Dealer Reporter

Thursday January 08, 2009, 12:59 PM

Mayor Frank Jackson has tapped the private sector for advice on how to operate the city-run Cleveland Hopkins International and Burke Lakefront airports.

A dozen business leaders will sit on Jackson's strategic advisory committee, but the panel will have no decision-making authority. Members will serve as "advocates on the street for both the airport and the business community, communicating the airport's priorities as well as the business community's needs," airport Director Ricky Smith said in a prepared statement.

"As users of both airports, these members have a vested interest in seeing the airport grow into a premier facility and they are willing to help us get there," Smith added.

Jackson had been working to assemble the committee for more than year. Members include Les Vinney of Steris Corp., Mal Mixon of Invacare Corp., local attorney Fred Nance, Sandra Pinalto of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and Tom Zenty of University Hospitals.

Obama economic speech warns of worse problems if Congress doesn't approve spending plan

by Associated Press

Thursday January 08, 2009, 12:45 PM

Associated PressPresident-elect Barack Obama speaks about the economy at George Mason University.

Updated 12:45 p.m.

FAIRFAX, Virginia -- President-elect Barack Obama warned of dire and long-lasting consequences if Congress doesn't pump unprecedented dollars into the national economy, making an urgent pitch Thursday for his mammoth spending proposal in his first speech since the election. (Watch video of the speech.)

"In short, a bad situation could become dramatically worse" if Washington doesn't go far enough to address the spreading crisis, the Democrat said as fresh economic reports showed an outlook growing increasingly grim.

Since his November election, Obama has deferred to President George W. Bush on foreign policy matters such as the Middle East. But, with the worsening of the economic situation, Obama has waded deeply into domestic issues as he works to generate support for his plan to create jobs and jolt the economy into recovery.

In the speech at George Mason University outside Washington, Obama asked Congress to work with him "day and night, on weekends if necessary" to pass a revival plan within the next few weeks so that it can be ready for his signature shortly after he takes office on Jan. 20. The U.S. Conference of Mayors said the president-elect's audience included several mayors, among them those from Akron and Columbus in Ohio.

Oberlin schools sued over rape of 13-year-old with disabilities

by Michael Sangiacomo/Plain Dealer Reporter

Thursday January 08, 2009, 12:40 PM

ELYRIA — An Oberlin couple has filed suit accusing the Oberlin School District of failing to protect their 13-year-old mentally disabled daughter from being sexually assaulted by classmates at Prospect Elementary School.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Lorain County Common Pleas Court, the parents accuse the school district of negligence and violating the federal laws designed to protect disabled children.

Arlene Craft, attorney for the girl's family, said in the lawsuit that two students in the girl's special-needs class began having sexual relations with the girl when she was 12.

The girl has Down syndrome.

Oberlin police said they investigated the allegations and turned their findings over to county juvenile court authorities.

Cleveland officer surrenders on kidnapping, rape charges

by Mark Puente/Plain Dealer Reporter

Thursday January 08, 2009, 12:04 PM

A Cleveland police officer surrendered today to face kidnapping, rape and sexual battery charges, police said.

Duhamel Torres, a 2nd District patrolman, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman while he was on duty, police spokesman Lt. Thomas Stacho said. Torres turned himself in this morning after investigators obtained a warrant for his arrest, Stacho said.

Stacho gave this description of the incident:

The woman was walking home and Torres offered her a ride. But he then drove past her house to a secluded area on Scranton Road and assaulted her. The woman, who is acquainted with numerous officers, told them about the assault. Those officers relayed the information to the department's Internal Affairs Unit.

Investigators received results from DNA tests Wednesday and consulted with prosecutors, Stacho said.

Torres has been on the force since October 2006. He was a Cleveland patrolman for about five years in the early 1990s, but resigned.

Steve Loomis, head of the patrolmen's union , said the public shouldn't rush to judgment on Torres.

"Everybody is innocent until proven guilty," Loomis said. "We look forward to our day in court."

Walgreen will cut 1,000 management jobs -- 9% -- in 2009

by Marley Seaman/Associated Press

Thursday January 08, 2009, 12:02 PM

Associated Press filePedestrians walk past a downtown Chicago Walgreens store. Drugstore operator Walgreen Co. said it will cut 1,000 jobs by mid-year.

NEW YORK — Drugstore operator Walgreen Co. said today it will cut 1,000 jobs by mid-year, or about 9 percent of corporate management, through a combination of voluntary buyouts and layoffs.

The Deerfield, Ill., company said the job cuts will come from corporate and field management and won't include store employees. The targeted workers will be able to resign or retire with severance pay and benefits based on their tenure.

Starting in February, the company will begin layoffs under less favorable terms.

The cuts come during a slowdown in consumer spending brought on by the U.S. recession, which has hurt retailers and led to weakness in drug sales. However, Walgreen's December sales figures showed some resistance to the slowdown, as customers turned to its stores for supplies of basic household items.

An Omelet of Memories at Cleveland's Big Egg: Michael Heaton

by Michael Heaton/Plain Dealer Reporter

Thursday January 08, 2009, 11:46 AM

Nighthawks at the diner

Emma's 49er

There's a rendezvous of strangers around the coffee urn tonight.

Those are the lyrics to an old Tom Waits song called "Nighthawks at the Diner." They came to mind recently when I read about the impending reopening of the Big Egg, the all-night diner on Detroit Avenue in Cleveland. Many moons ago it was the place to go after late-night adventures. The later the hour the more crowded it got. The cast of characters was always entertaining.

Retailers report dismal December sales

by Annie D'Innocenzio/Associated Press

Thursday January 08, 2009, 11:23 AM

NEW YORK -- Retailers reported dismal sales figures for December on Thursday as even Wal-Mart Stores Inc., one of the bright spots in the industry, finally buckled under the pressures of the deteriorating economy.

As the figures confirmed fears that the holiday season was the weakest in four decades, the malaise cut through practically all areas from kitchen gadget stores to jewelry purveyors and teen apparel retailers.

The deep discounts that began well before the official start of the holiday season spurred a number of merchants to cut their earnings outlooks, fueling more concerns about the health of the industry.

PNC credit rating cut after National City purchase

by Associated Press

Thursday January 08, 2009, 10:29 AM

NEW YORK -- Standard & Poor's has cut its investment-grade credit ratings on PNC Financial Services Group Inc. by one notch, due to some concerns over the bank's acquisition of National City Corp.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said the ratings downgrade reflects concerns over the size of the transaction and the bank's subsequent increased exposure to residential mortgage loans in some of the weakest markets in the country.

Cleveland-based National City had been Ohio's largest bank, but it experienced billions of dollars in losses due to its heavy exposure to risky mortgages.

Highways glazed and slushy this morning

by Donna J. Miller/Plain Dealer Reporter

Thursday January 08, 2009, 9:52 AM

Marvin Fong/ The Plain DealerJeffrey Fleming sweeps ice and snow from his neighbor's sedan on Castle Avenue in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood.

You might find yourself muttering on your drive to work this morning.

"What were those plow drivers doing all night?"

The National Weather Service has issued a lake-effect snow advisory for Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties until 7 p.m. today. Expect snow showers with a high near 30. Total daytime snow accumulation should be 1 to 2 inches, the weather service says. Snow showers will continue tonight, and there's a good chance of snow for Friday, as well, mainly after noon.

This morning, highway lane changes are a risky business, with mounds of slush between glazed tire tracks. Don't plan on reaching the speed limit.

No accidents had been reported on area highways by midmorning, and there were few delays or closings among area schools this morning.

CECOMS, the Cuyahoga County system for tracking accidents, reports no crashes this morning.

Useful weather links
• Cleveland.com's traffic page

• National Weather Service's latest forecasts

• NOAA weather observations at Burke Lakefront Airport

• WKYC's traffic cam overlooking the Innerbelt

Obstacles in Columbus slow Ohio's $1.6B stimulus plan

by Stephen Majors/Associated Press

Thursday January 08, 2009, 9:04 AM

Associated PressGov. Ted Strickland, in an interview Dec. 22.

COLUMBUS -- Roughly half of a $1.6 billion stimulus package Ohio lawmakers agreed upon last June is either tied up in a lawsuit or still needs approval as the state deals with one of the most difficult economic environments in its history.

Lawmakers and Gov. Ted Strickland agreed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on industries such as advanced energy and biomedicine in the coming years to try to create tens of thousands of jobs.

But they still must find the money to fund the portion of the stimulus designated for the upcoming two-year budget, which is projected to have a $7.3 billion deficit.

Funds from the sale of bonds and a tax credit for historic preservation -- a total of $360 million -- are already available for use. But half of the stimulus package, including spending to create jobs in the advanced energy and biomedical industries, still faces several potential obstacles, including:

• A lawsuit involving the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation is holding up the release of $230 million for the package. The foundation claims the money must be used for tobacco prevention efforts and can't be siphoned off for the stimulus package.

• Strickland's decision to veto lawmakers' wish to use $200 million from the state's so-called "rainy-day fund" to fund local infrastructure projects means a new source for that money must be found.

Lebanese start firing rockets into Israel from north

by Ibrahim Barzak and Steve Weizman/Associated Press

Thursday January 08, 2009, 7:35 AM

JERUSALEM — Lebanese militants fired at least three rockets into Israel early today, threatening to open a new front for the Jewish state as it pushed forward with a bloody offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 700 people.

Two people were lightly injured, and the rockets that exploded in Israel's north raised the specter of renewed hostilities with Hezbollah, just 2½ years after Israel battled the guerrilla group to a 34-day stalemate. Hezbollah started the 2006 war as Israel was battling Palestinian militants in Gaza.

No group claimed responsibility and Lebanon's government, wary of conflict, quickly condemned the rocket fire. Israel fired mortar shells into southern Lebanon in response.

For a second day, Israel said it suspended is Gaza military operation for three hours to allow in humanitarian supplies.

Yaron Kaminsky/Associated PressAn Israeli firefighter looks at the damage made after a rocket fired from Lebanon hit a building in the northern Israeli coastal town of Nahariya.

Hail to the chief: Editors' Picks for Thursday from The PD

by Peter Zicari

Thursday January 08, 2009, 7:20 AM

No matter that it's 12 days early, the real "chief" in Cleveland is coach of the Browns. Like Barack Obama, he has intractable problems to solve, but Terry Pluto says Eric Mangini is the best man available for the job.

Here are more of the editors' favorite local stories for today from The Plain Dealer:

Former East Cleveland detective admits misusing police computer to help dealer boyfriend

by Peter Krouse/Plain Dealer Reporter

Thursday January 08, 2009, 6:15 AM

Former East Cleveland police Detective Tiffiney Cleveland pleaded guilty Wednesday to using her police computer to help her future husband, a drug dealer, avoid arrest.

Cleveland admitted giving information to Lesean Roberts, a convicted cocaine dealer, that prompted him to call off a drug deal. She ran the license plate of a potential drug buyer who was really an undercover agent, according to Cleveland's plea agreement.

Under the terms of her deal, Cleveland faces a likely term of between one year and 18 months in prison when she is sentenced.

Overall, Cleveland pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including mortgage and financial fraud, as well as conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Cleveland helped Roberts obtain two mortgages and a car loan by providing false information, according to court documents.

Cleveland had been a police officer since 1998. She married Roberts in June 2005.

Portage County Commissioner Chris Smeiles' daughter repays $12,000 tuition grant

by James Ewinger/Plain Dealer Reporter

Thursday January 08, 2009, 5:05 AM

The daughter of a Portage County official has repaid a $12,000 tuition grant that remains under investigation by state authorities.

The money that came out of the federal Workforce Investment Act went to Lisa Smeiles, daughter of County Commissioner Chris Smeiles, so she could complete her final year of college in 2007.

Two audits last year found that she was not eligible for the money, which is intended to help the unemployed and underprivileged. The Workforce Investment money is funneled through the state and on to a group that passes the funds to Geauga, Ashtabula and Portage counties.

The audits found that other officials' adult children received similar grants for which they were not eligible, but Smeiles is the only one to repay any of it so far.

The state continues to view the grants as "in question" and has yet to issue a finding for recovery.

NorTech report shows high-tech job growth in Northeast Ohio, points to more

by Shaheen Samavati/Plain Dealer Reporter

Thursday January 08, 2009, 3:59 AM

NorTech, a regional technology-development organization, hopes the past year's harsh economic conditions won't reverse the growth seen in high-tech employment between 2004 and 2007.

NorTech and Cleveland State University are finishing up an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers for 2007, the most recent data available.

A preview of the report shows that Northeast Ohio continued to produce more high-paying jobs in high-tech industries during that year, while overall employment declined slightly.