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Donald Trump catapulted Springfield, Ohio, into the center of the 2024 presidential election when in a debate he repeated baseless, debunked rumors that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating pets.
“They’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” he said. “And this is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame.”
He was repeating claims spread on social media by his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, who later said that to get media attention, sometimes “I have to create stories.”
Soon national media converged on the city, infuriating Gov. Mike DeWine, who called in the State Highway Patrol to protect school children.
The lie stigmatized “a town and its residents in the name of campaign rage,” declared Politifact. And so, the fact check website named the statement the 2024 Lie of the Year.
— Laura
Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Rain, snow return
Biggest lie: Of all the political lies told in 2024, none was bigger than the assertion by president-elect Donald Trump and vice president-elect JD Vance that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating local dogs and cats. Jeremy Pelzer reports that PolitiFact on Tuesday named the bizarre claim as its “2024 Lie of the Year.”
Jazmir Tucker: Authorities say that a gun carried by Jazmir Tucker, who was fatally shot by an Akron police officer, had been fired shortly before the encounter, reports Lucas Daprile. Two shell casings recovered Thanksgiving night were matched to a gun recovered from Tucker.
Today in Ohio: Amazon Web Services intends to invest an estimated $10 billion to bolster its data center infrastructure in Ohio. Ohio’s goal is to create hundreds of new, well-paying jobs by the end of 2030 and strengthen the state’s role as a major technology hub. But we’re talking about how these stadium-sized centers suck electricity on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
Brown speech: With more than 300 attendees in the Senate gallery for his final floor speech, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio focused on how his respect for the dignity of work was developed at an early age growing up in Mansfield as plants were closing, Robert Higgs reports.
Ohio’s 17 presidential electors are sworn in Tuesday before casting the state’s 17 electoral votes for president-elect Donald Trump.Jeremy Pelzer, cleveland.com
Electoral votes: Ohio’s Electoral College members officially cast the Buckeye State’s 17 electoral votes for president-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday, reports Jeremy Pelzer. Trump’s 17 Ohio electors, during a 30-minute meeting in the Senate chambers at the Ohio Statehouse, each cast their vote for the Republican nominee, as well as Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance as vice president.
SNAP benefits: Cuyahoga County has seen a record number of people whose food stamp benefits were stolen in the first two weeks of December, just as a federal program that helps victims of SNAP assistance theft keep food on the table is set to expire. Cory Shaffer reports that in the first two weeks of December, the county saw 1,199 people report cases of stolen benefits. That’s up from 1,126 reported in the entire month of September, and 98 cases in both June and July.
Legislative agenda: The Ohio General Assembly is preparing to end its current two-year session this week in a time-honored way: passing a frenzy of bills in a marathon session that could last well into the night. Jeremy Pelzer reports there are still plenty of bills on the table that, if passed, could affect — if not either delight or enrage — large numbers of Ohioans.
Airport survey: A community survey will help inform the design of a new Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The survey, devised by Cleveland’s Robert P. Madison International architecture firm, seeks to develop a sense of place for both the airport and the city, reports Susan Glaser.
It appears Cleveland is not in the running for a National Women’s Soccer League expansion team.Cleveland Soccer Group
Women’s soccer bid: Cleveland will not be awarded the next National Women’s Soccer League franchise. Joey Morona reports that according to Sportico, the women’s professional soccer league has entered exclusive negotiations with a group from Denver to become the NWSL’s 16th team.
Talent Alliance: Over 400 Greater Cleveland college students and 70 employers braved the rainy weather on Monday for the second annual Winter Career Expo, reports Megan Sims. The goal is to get more students to stay in the Cleveland area after graduation instead of seeking job opportunities outside of Northeast Ohio.
Bar fire: Officials said an early morning fire Tuesday destroyed a bar in Mentor-on-the-Lake, reports Olivia Mitchell. Crews received a call at 4:38 a.m. involving the blaze at Cardinal Sports Bar and Grill on Andrews Road.
Worm bin: If you live in an apartment or don’t want to put food scraps in an outdoor compost bin, vermicomposting is a great alternative to regular composting. If your worm bin is inside, you can easily add table scraps all year long.
Vaping study: A recent report found that U.S. sales of e-cigarettes from 2019 to 2023 increased 47%, raising concerns about youth addiction to vaping. Flavors such as fruit, candy and mint make up more than 80% of those sales, reports Julie Washington.
Pinecrest: Toastique, a woman-founded café, is set to open in Pinecrest in 2025 along with three other businesses, reports Marc Bona. Toastique serves gourmet toasts, smoothie bowls and other nutritious options.
14-year-old charged: A 14-year-old Cleveland boy who was shot by police Saturday when authorities say he tried to drive over officers is now facing 10 charges stemming from the incident. Olivia Mitchell reports the boy was charged Monday in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court with seven counts of felonious assault, two counts of receiving stolen property and one count of handling firearms in a motor vehicle.
COVID scheme: An Aurora man was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison for running separate schemes involving check fraud and coronavirus relief funds, reports Adam Ferrise. Darmani Hawkins, 21, cashed about $700,000 in checks stolen from the mail and took $425,000 more in fraudulent COVID-19 relief checks meant for people who were unemployed during the pandemic.
Sergeant indicted: A Cleveland police sergeant has been indicted following an October shooting at a Painesville Township elementary school, reports Lucas Daprile. A Lake County grand jury indicted Alexander Sinclar, 35, of Madison, after authorities said he fired a gun in the parking lot of Riverview Elementary School, causing panic and prompting a school lockdown.
Former officer sentenced: A former Preble County deputy sheriff who served as a school resource officer was sentenced to prison Monday after a jury found him guilty of engaging in a sexual relationship with a student, Laura Hancock reports.
Ask Yadi: What should you do if you see your therapist in public? Unless you acknowledge them first, they shouldn’t say anything to you, writes Yadi Rodriguez.
Marble Room: New Year’s Eve calls for a decadent meal and Marble Room Steaks & Raw Bar aims to deliver with a 13 — yes, 13 — course tasting menu, reports Marc Bona.
Christmas pie: Ohio Pie Co. is offering free medium pizzas on Christmas Day to folks in need of a delicious meal. While both stores will be officially closed on Dec. 25, the owners offered a kind gesture for anyone without plans for the holiday, reports Alex Darus.
Pancake House: A new Original Pancake House is opening in Avon in summer 2025, reports Paris Wolfe. The fourth OPH in Northeast Ohio, it will take over the space currently occupied by Heck’s of Avon.
‘Mufasa’: “Mufasa: The Lion King,” the photorealistic computer-generated animated prequel, combines a gripping narrative and exciting action with seven mostly forgettable original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, writes Joey Morona.
Barry Manilow: Any fans of entertainer Barry Manilow who missed his 2015 “One Last Time” tour or his more recent “last show” in Cleveland on his aptly titled “Hits! 2023″ final tour can rejoice as they will have one more time to bask in the Manilow glow. Malcolm X Abram reports the 81-year-old Grammy, Tony and Emmy-winning singer-songwriter-producer has declared that his show on June 5 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will not only be his last show in Cleveland but the last show of his storied half-century-plus performing career.
Don’t forget, you can always find the latest Cleveland news by visiting cleveland.com. If you value the hard work of Cleveland journalists, consider becoming a cleveland.com subscriber.
— Curated by content director Laura Johnston with contributions by by Cliff Pinckard.
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