What Happened Now? A Cleveland Newsletter
Issue 829: June 28, 2025
"What Happened Now?" is a lively roundup and analysis of the top stories of the day in Northeast Ohio from News 5's Joe Donatelli. It’s like getting the news from a friend who says there are heroes all around us.
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Don’t mess with first responders: A Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge temporarily banned a health insurance company from doing business in Ohio and appointed the Superintendent of the Ohio Department of Insurance as the company's conservator. We care about this because – as Sarah Buduson has reported – this particular insurance company is a provider that fills a gap for retired police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who have retired (which is not a small number of them) under 65 and ineligible for Medicare. In the order, the court found reasonable cause to believe the continued operation of Thin Blue Line Benefits Association is "financially hazardous to policyholders, creditors, or the general public." Watch the report.
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I have bad news for those of you hoping for property tax relief: And by that I mean, everyone who owns a home. The proposal to eliminate property taxes, and other proposals to overturn legislation overhauling higher education, and also to end qualified immunity, all will NOT be on the November ballot, reports Morgan Trau.
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Cleveland’s lead-safe law isn’t working: “Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer put out a report Thursday that lays out Cleveland’s progress on lead, or lack thereof, and suggests changes the city could make going forward. She said the city is at a crossroads and needs to deliver its limited resources in a more focused approach,” reports Cleveland.com.
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Disciplinary counsel recommends suspending judge: Ouch. The Ohio Disciplinary Counsel has called Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze dishonest, and it said she left a stain on the judicial system and that arrogance likely led to her legal troubles, reports Mark Puente from The Marshall Project-Cleveland.
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Garden Valley apartment fire hero: An explosion blew Cordale Sheffield from the apartment complex earlier this week. Rather than running from the chaos, he stormed back into the flames and saved two children, reports Kaylee Olivas.
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A real-life treasure hunt: Khristian Santana and his wife are quietly stashing money around the city under the name “Find the Cash Cleveland” (or their backup account Find the Cash CLE). The rules are simple: follow their Instagram, crack the clues, and race to the location before someone else beats you to the prize. Clues are cryptic. Drops are fast. And the rewards? Cold hard cash that ranges anywhere from $40 to $200, plus the occasional bonus, like tickets to a Cavs game. More from Elizabeth VanMetre.
