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Ohio has one of the lowest thresholds in the country for publicly subsidized childcare, meaning it’s harder for families here to get help.

Currently, income eligibility standards for publicly funded childcare is 142% of the federal poverty level ($42,600 per year for a family of four). Gov. Mike DeWine wanted to raise the bar to 160% of the poverty line ($48,000 per year for four). That bump, which would cost an estimated $202 million over two years, would pay for 15,000 more Ohio children to attend daycare.

The governor said his budget plan “reflects our obligation to make sure every Ohioan has the tools to succeed, to get a good job, to live their dreams, whatever they may be. So, let us start with our children.”

Still, Ohio would be much stingier than some states. Take, for example, South Carolina, where the limit is 300% of the federal poverty level. (This could be one reason Ohio ranks 29th among states in the Annie E. Casey’s annual KIDS COUNT survey.)

The Ohio Senate, though, rejected DeWine’s plan. The Senate budget would raise eligibility only to 145% of the poverty line, or $43,500 in annual income.

In addition, the Senate removed language that would adjust reimbursement rates for publicly funded childcare providers every year, rather than every two. And the Senate wants to give $14 million less to the state’s Step Up To Quality system, the state’s childcare rating program, than the $40 million in total sought in DeWine’s and the House’s budget proposals.

While cleveland.com is asking Ohioans to rethink childcare in the midst of a crisis, it’s clear the Senate is not making kids a priority.

- Laura

Overnight Scores and Weather

Guardians at San Diego Padres: Guardians pitchers surrender four homers to Padres in 5-0 loss

Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Some sun, then a rainy afternoon

Statehouse and Politics

Advertising election: An Ohio government panel has approved spending roughly $322,000 to advertise the Aug. 8 election that will decide State Issue 1, reports Andrew Tobias. The money will pay to publish legally mandated information about State Issue 1 for three consecutive weeks in one newspaper in all 88 Ohio counties starting on July 16.

Issue 1 opposition: A group of business leaders and corporate executives signed an open letter opposing State Issue 1, a ballot initiative that would make it harder to amend the state constitution if passed in a special August election. Sean McDonnell reports this comes a month after the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Restaurant Association and other major state business groups endorsed the issue — showing that business leaders are split on the topic.

Outing transgender kids: An Ohio House panel advanced a bill that would allow parents to object to sexuality content in schools, including instruction that includes “gender ideology,” and require notifying parents when a student requests to identify as a gender that doesn’t align with their “biological sex.” House Bill 8, a bill the Republican cosponsors are calling “The Parents’ Bill of Rights,” passed the Ohio House Primary and Secondary Education Committee on Tuesday, largely along party lines, reports Laura Hancock.

Rail safety: A committee-altered version of a rail safety bill that Ohio U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and JD Vance introduced after a February train derailment in East Palestine Ohio is likely to get a vote on the Senate floor next week, Brown predicted Wednesday. Brown said the Railway Safety Act of 2023′s original language was changed, postponing the date when old tank rail cars that ship hazardous materials would have to be upgraded with newer, safer rail cars, Sabrina Eaton reports.

Northeast Ohio News

Ohio kids: Ohio is failing to meet the needs of its children and one of the reasons is a lack of affordable childcare, according to a report released Wednesday from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports the 2023 KIDS COUNT Data Book report analyzes state by state how children and families are faring in terms of social and economic factors that affect child well-being. In terms of the best states for children, the report ranks Ohio in the bottom half - 29th overall.

Cleveland’s Promise: After weeks of work, fifth-graders at Almira School presented folklores their class prepared in a program called “Artist in Residence – a folklore is more than a story.” Hannah Drown reports the program was created in the late 1990s by professional actor, writer and director Hassan Rogers, with a week-long writing phase which began by defining a folktale – a fictional story without a happy ending that uses nature characters and includes elements of choice, consequence and lessons.

Business and Healthcare

AFL-CIO appeal: After initially fighting the decision to fire him, labor leader Dan O’Malley said Wednesday he has withdrawn his appeal and won’t try to get his job back at the North Shore Federation of Labor, Cleveland’s chapter of the AFL-CIO, Sean McDonnell reports.

Downtown CLE: An organization dedicated to promoting downtown Cleveland has rebranded itself and will now call itself Downtown Cleveland Inc. A series of changes include a revamped board structure and updated chair and officer positions, reports Sean McDonnell.

Selling cars: There’s a new website dedicated to solving a specific problem for car enthusiasts — the often annoying process of buying and selling vehicles online, reports Sean McDonnell. Drivedowncars.com, a sort of boutique website for car enthusiasts, aims to simplify things. Instead of haggling over prices or placing bids in a live auction, vehicles are listed and drop in price each day for a week until they’re sold.

Gun buyback: Brandon Chrostowski, founder and head chef of EDWINS Leadership Restaurant and Institute, is fed up with escalating gun violence in Cleveland and wants to do something about it. That’s why he is giving a $250 credit for each gun turned into an Edwins establishment, reports Paris Wolfe.

Crime and Courts

‘Misleading’ numbers: Cleveland police officials Wednesday clarified what they called misleading national reports that cited an alarming rate of missing children in the city. Police Chief Wayne Drummond told reporters the number of missing youths is up 20% from last year. Of the 1,072 kids who have gone missing this year, more than 1,020 have returned home. The rate led some to believe that the youths were being abducted and used in sex trafficking, Olivia Mitchell reports.

Rape/murder suspect: Prosecutors say a Cleveland man gave a 14-year-old girl a lethal dose of fentanyl and then recorded himself raping her as she overdosed, reports Cory Shaffer. Ronnell Lillard-Giles, 31, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter, rape, unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, corrupting another with drugs and child pornography charges involving the girl’s death on Feb. 1.

Scott Gardner stands next to Allison Hibbard — East Cleveland Police Chief Scott Gardner appears in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Sept. 21, 2022.Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com

East CLE chief: A Cuyahoga County grand jury has slapped indicted former East Cleveland police chief Scott Gardner with 11 more charges that accuse him of money laundering and passing bad checks. The indictment handed up Tuesday alleges that Gardner, 48, wrote thousands of dollars in checks he knew wouldn’t clear from a police union account to his private security company that employed off-duty police officers, reports Cory Shaffer.

Reward offered: Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County is offering a $2,500 reward for information about the disappearance of EMT Lachelle Jordan last month. Jordan limped into the Open Pantry convenience store on Euclid Avenue with no shoes and a torn shirt. She had been missing for five days and said the people who kidnapped her tried to burn her alive, reports Olivia Mitchell.

Sergeant charged: A Cleveland police sergeant has been charged with dereliction of duty, a second-degree misdemeanor, after being accused of failing to assist a fellow officer during a high-profile shooting in January. Sgt. Antwuan Wells, a 10-year veteran, is the focus of an internal affairs investigation following a Jan. 21 officer shooting outside of Belinda’s Night Club in the city’s Cudell neighborhood, John Tucker reports.

Terrorism plea: A U.S. Army soldier from Stow pleaded guilty Wednesday to terrorism charges that accuse him of trying to aid ISIS in an attack on American forces in the Middle East and in New York. Adam Ferrise reports that Cole Bridges, 22, pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempting to murder U.S. military service members.

Arts and Entertainment

Juneteenth guide: Honoring a June 19 date in 1865 when Union generals announced the end of the Civil War and the freedom from bondage in Texas, the holiday marks the official end of slavery in the United States. See a list of Northeast Ohio cities and organizations marking Juneteenth with special events and celebrations.

Hip hop: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will play host to a star-studded opening on June 29 for its “Hip Hop at 50: Holla If Ya Hear Me” exhibit. Rock Hall inductees Chuck D of Public Enemy and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run DMC will join a discussion about the PBS documentary series “Fight The Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World,” reports Malcolm X Abram.

You’re all caught up

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— Curated by Laura Johnston with contributions by Cliff Pinckard

Gov. Mike DeWine made kids a priority in his budget. The Senate wants to cut extra childcare support: The Wake Up for Thursday, June 15, 2023