CLEVELAND, Ohio – Ohioans overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment legalizing abortion two years ago. Now Republicans are trying to make abortions harder to get.
We’re talking about a proposed 24-hour rule on Today in Ohio.
Listen online here.
Editor Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with editorial board member Lisa Garvin, impact editor Leila Atassi and content director Laura Johnston.
You’ve been sending Chris lots of thoughts and suggestions on our from-the-newsroom text account, in which he shares what we’re thinking about at cleveland.com. You can sign up here: https://joinsubtext.com/chrisquinn.
Here’s what we’re asking about today:
In yet more evidence that Republicans in Ohio’s Legislature believe they are the lords and masters over the voters, and not our public servants, they are throwing out the overwhelming vote of the people and trying to regulate abortion again. What’s their unconstitutional proposal?
As if a billion dollars a year of state tax dollars is not enough, charter schools are getting another infusion of cash in Ohio. Where is it coming from?
The refusal by Cuyahoga County leaders to abolish the sheriff’s downtown patrol unit after two inexcusably reckless chases killed innocent people has put a spotlight on the weakness of this charter government. Are they finally starting to cave to common sense?
Dave Gilbert and his team have done it again, winning for Cleveland a signature event. What is it, and when will it be here?
The Cuyahoga County medical examiner ruled the death of a jail inmate who was in restraints a homicide, but that doesn’t mean anyone did anything wrong. How can that be?
Pity the poor city of Green, which has never been able to get its own Zip Code or even have its name in return addresses. It won a partial victory in its battle to be recognized by the U.S. Postal Service, but will it still sit in a half dozen ZIP codes?
A Cleveland Heights baker might end up with some major international renown. How so?
A Lake Erie College student came up with an innovative way to help a rescued goat. What is it?
Ohio has one of the top apple orchards in the U.S. in a new ranking, and it’s not Patterson’s? Sacrilege. Which one gets the honor?
More Today in Ohio
Cleveland’s street takeovers resolved without chases — or deaths of innocent bystanders
Nana nana boo boo: Bibb and Council prez Griffin trade childish barbs instead of talking
Ohio lawmakers just gave themselves a license to hide their bad deeds
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Read the automated transcript below. Because it’s a computer-generated transcript, it contains many errors and misspellings.
Chris Quinn (00:00.913)
Every once in a while we go for a short period of time without nonsense coming out of the Ohio legislature. And then it comes in a tidal wave. We’re talking about some of that today on Today in Ohio. It’s the news podcast discussion from Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer. I’m Chris Quinn here with Lisa Garvin, Leila Tasi and Laura Johnston and Lisa in yet more evidence than Republicans in Ohio’s legislature.
believe they are the lords and masters over the voters, not our public servants. They are throwing out the overwhelming vote of the people and trying to regulate abortion again. What’s their unconstitutional proposal?
Lisa (00:43.154)
So it’s House Bill 347 with the title, Wins, which is an acronym for Share the Health and Empower with Informed Notices, which sounds like gobbledygook. Right. So this is sponsored by Republicans, Josh Williams of Sylvania Township and Mike Odioso of Green Township. This would require a 24 hour waiting period before an abortion.
Chris Quinn (00:52.851)
Which is… It’s the opposite!
Lisa (01:08.856)
So the doctor can provide detailed information about the procedure, the risks of both abortion and a full term pregnancy, and alternatives like adoption. This is for elective abortions only. It does not cover people who have ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, or medical emergencies. Now for medication abortions, they have to inform patients that it’s possible to reverse it, but time is of the essence to do that.
So the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology says abortion reversal claims are not based on science and they are not up to clinical standards. They further stated that unfounded mandates are dangerous political interference and compromises patient care and safety. So on Wednesday testimony in the Ohio House Health Committee meeting, Williams conceded that the bill doesn’t specify who’s gonna write these materials and who’s gonna provide them on the abortion risks.
but he does say the bill aligns with standard informed consent for other surgical procedures. He says, if we believe abortion is an actual reproductive care, it should be held to the same standard, but there is no Ohio law that mandates a 24 hour waiting period for, he he pointed to his rotator cuff surgery or any other medical procedures. This would be the only one.
Chris Quinn (02:27.355)
Right, it’s nonsense. The voters spoke loud and clear in enshrining a right to abortion into the Constitution because our legislators and our governor had repeatedly tried to stick it to women by taking away the rights over their bodies. We spoke loudly and clearly we don’t accept that. Way more than a majority voted for it. This is unconstitutional. They are doing it again.
just to play. It’s the dog whistle, the culture wars, all the nonsense that comes out of these people when the people have made clear, we don’t want this. We don’t want anything like this. And I imagine it’ll get thrown out in the courts. You never know with our Ohio Supreme Court because they play party over the people. But this flatly flies in the face of what we voted for. And to try and double talk your way around it, it’s just not true. There is nothing else in Ohio law.
that requires a waiting period. He’s lying about that. And this should get thrown out immediately. His colleagues should say, the voters spoke, we serve the voters, but they believe they’re the kings and they will force their will down the throats of people who oppose them.
Lisa (03:39.622)
I think what concerns me most is we don’t know what kind of educational materials they’re going to provide and who’s going to provide them. mean, you know, these pregnancy crisis centers so-called are basically people who try to talk you out of an abortion. And I feel like that that literature might be similar.
Chris Quinn (03:56.532)
What’s next? That not only do you have a 24 hour waiting period, but you have to be in an institution for the 24 hours so they can barge you with messaging to try and talk you out of it. This should be blocked right here, right now. I wish Dave Yost would come out and say, this is illegal, they shouldn’t do it. They should be dealing with the real issues in Ohio, like the property tax crisis and some other things. And they play these ridiculous games. I just wish somebody with.
some kind of spine in the Republican Party would stand up and say, just stop. The voters spoke. Let’s obey the voters. You’re listening to Today Ohio. As if a billion dollars a year of state tax dollars is not enough, charter schools are getting another infusion of cash in Ohio. Laura, where’s it coming from? Who’s going to get it?
Laura (04:47.298)
Well, it’s the federal government over the next five years and it’ll be open to new charter schools, expanded charter schools, charter school personnel, new schools, improving existing facilities. We don’t know the exact guidelines here. We just know that Lyndick McMahon is going all over the place, 50 states, to make these kind of announcements and basically push for why we shouldn’t trust in public schools. She made this announcement at the Center for Christian Virtue. That tells you something. That’s a conservative public policy organization.
Chris Quinn (05:13.554)
Yeah.
Laura (05:17.1)
And it does feel like another piece in the wall in the fight against public schools. But Mike DeWine, who said he’s all for kids, said he supports this idea of focusing on high performing charter schools, particularly for kids who are underserved. mean, charter schools are different than private schools. I understand that. We’re talking about publicly funded, tuition free, open to all institutions. But come on, this is like
Clearly, we want to dismantle public education.
Chris Quinn (05:48.296)
Right. That’s what’s going on in Ohio and that’s what’s going on nationally. We are trying to crush public education and the people that will affect the most are people living in poverty in urban areas. It’s part of the war on cities by Republicans because cities largely vote Democratic. And it’s sad because we have a tax crisis going on right now in Ohio that all of their solutions would further cripple public schools. And yet
Laura (06:14.946)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (06:15.833)
more money for the private schools. I think ultimately they want to wipe public schools off the face of the state and have everything be private, which will really create a bigger class of haves and have-nots.
Laura (06:30.498)
I agree because even if this is a charter school and you’re like, look, anybody can go to it, it’s usually the kids who have the most, you know, supportive home life and the parents that are most involved and people that are pushing them that are going to go to the charter schools and the kids who probably need the most help and support are not having those kinds of people in their lives. I wish every kid had strong parents and a community support that really supported their education, but that’s unfortunately not the case.
Chris Quinn (06:58.653)
You’re listening to Today in Ohio. The refusal by Cuyahoga County leaders to abolish the sheriff’s downtown patrol unit after two inexcusably reckless chases that killed innocent people. It’s put a spotlight on the weakness of this charter government. Laila, are these people finally caving to common sense and the intense scrutiny they’re under for failing their constituents?
Leila (07:22.357)
They’re edging toward common sense, Chris, but only after tragedy forced their hand. What sparked this, as you said, Chris, was two separate hundred mile an hour chases that killed three people, two of them innocent bystanders. And now leaders are finally tightening some rules on the sheriff’s downtown safety patrol. Council President Dale Miller says that the new policy that they’re going to be considering will set a much higher bar for when deputies
can chase, limiting it to violent felonies or obvious cases of impaired driving with more training and oversight. And that’s a step in the right direction, but it won’t go nearly far enough for victims, families, or the Cleveland NAACP who want the deputies fired and the entire patrol disbanded. The unit has been very controversial since it launched in 2023. And now the record of Deputy Casey Laudermilk, who was involved in both of these recent deadly pursuits,
Lisa (07:50.984)
And that’s a step in the right direction.
Leila (08:18.677)
is under scrutiny because he lied on his background check. The NAACP points out this unit tends to target black drivers with their citations and traffic stops. And the NAACP is demanding not just pursuit limits, but reforms to stop racial profiling altogether. So I guess county leaders aren’t moving on this, but it looks more like a face saving half measure than the kind of accountability and systemic change that…
Lisa (08:21.858)
The NAACP points out this unit.
Leila (08:45.699)
common sense and justice would really require in this situation.
Chris Quinn (08:49.374)
Right, it’s fake. Everything about this unit is crooked. They target black people. They don’t want black people downtown. They want to preserve downtown for white people, I guess. And they’re reckless and dangerous and they are expensive. The very heart of this is we can’t afford it. The county is in the red. This unit didn’t exist until Chris Ronane came in.
And he created it. It was an unfunded mandate. There was no money for it. And it’s putting this deeper into the red. These county council people are a bunch of cowards. They will not stand up to the executive. This should be disbanded immediately. It should have been disbanded months ago. And they play these games and make it look like they’re trying to be judicious. There’s nothing judicious about it. If it’s really showing this unit is targeting black people,
What is the county doing standing behind it?
Leila (09:45.572)
Exactly. And this half measure toward reform is just ridiculous. mean, one of the most baffling parts of this so-called new policy is that it still allows chases when a driver is impaired. I think about that. You’re going to let someone who’s already a ticking time bomb behind the wheel, drunk or high, push the pedal to 100 miles an hour,
through crowded city streets with deputies right on their tail, that is guaranteed to end in a crash. That person isn’t thinking straight. They’re not pulling over. They are not going to go, you know what? Now’s the time to pull to the berm. They’re going to keep going, and it’s going to be deadly. County council members, if any of you are out there listening, Chris Ronane, if you are listening, you don’t want to end the safety patrol fine.
Chris Quinn (10:17.48)
I’m your friend.
Leila (10:41.185)
But please reconsider that aspect of this chase policy. It makes no sense. It’s only going to cause more harm.
Chris Quinn (10:49.224)
We showed yesterday that there are many methods now, modern technology methods to track people down, absent chases. In the old days, you didn’t have that ability. But today, they have numerous ways. And they proved it by catching the whole raft of the hooligans who had done the street takeovers. They caught them all. So they don’t need chases to get these folks. They can put drones in the air, follow them to where they are, pick them up then, and avoid the 100 mile an hour chase.
Leila (10:56.887)
Yes.
Chris Quinn (11:18.94)
And yet they won’t stop it. I don’t agree with you that it’s fine to keep it. The only answer here is to get rid of it. Cleveland police are charged with keeping downtown safe. The consent decree has made the police department so much better of a police department. They actually care about the residents and they no longer act like they’re the occupying force that was originally described. Let Cleveland police handle this. They know what they’re doing. The sheriff’s office does not.
Leila (11:46.7)
Yeah, honestly, the only reason officers want to chase at all is so they can pretend they’re a hero in an action movie or it’s because the adrenaline gets the best of them and they’re not backing down. It’s like road rage, but completely sanctioned. And Chris, yeah, to clarify, I am against the patrol in general, but it does not seem like we’re anywhere on the same page with Chris Ronane on whether to dissolve this downtown safety patrol. So…
So if there is going to be a policy, it needs to be the right kind.
Chris Quinn (12:18.516)
Okay, you’re listening to Today in Ohio. We talk all the time about the Durfa leadership in this town, but Dave Gilbert has proven repeatedly to be a strong leader. He and his team have done it again, winning for Cleveland a signature, signature event. Lisa, what is it? When will it be in Cleveland?
Lisa (12:37.416)
Yes, Cleveland was chosen as the host city for the 2030 Special Olympics USA Games. And this was announced Wednesday at a big press conference at Key Tower downtown. Greater Cleveland Sports Commission CEO David Gilbert says, Cleveland is a city with heart and we are ready to welcome the athletes, family and fans with open arms. So this will attract 4,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states that will compete in 16 sports.
And that’s not even mentioning all the family members and fans who will be coming and filling up hotels and eating at our restaurants. So the Cleveland bid, and they really were strong on this Cleveland bid. mean, they really said, hey, we’ve got volunteers, we’re ready to go. Their bid highlighted that the existing sports infrastructure that we have, the wealth of community support and the financial readiness for the games.
So the commission worked with the Special Olympics Ohio on a plan that they backed with millions in secured funding. So they had the money in hand and they already have thousands of volunteers committed to working this event. Officials who came to visit Cleveland were impressed with the site visits and planning will begin immediately. They have to figure out where the venues are, the lodging situation and community engagement. So details will be coming.
Chris Quinn (13:55.741)
I continue to be amazed at what Gilbert is able to do, either with the Tourism Agency or the Sports Commission. We’ve gotten all the bigs, except maybe the Super Bowl, which we don’t have a dome stadium for, or the Olympics. We’ve had the senior games and the RNC. I got to see his organization in operation firsthand as they worked to bring the National Association of Black Journalists here just last month.
What they do is they act like a concierge. They don’t have people come to them and ask for things. They are there. What can we do for you? Here’s all the things we can do for you. What do you need? How can we help? They just do everything right as a service oriented agency. And I don’t know why more places in town don’t adopt that. Cleveland City Hall could certainly adopt that with building permits and things.
but they just do it right over and over. We have gotten so many more events than we really have a right to given the size of our city. And this is a huge one. I this is one of the big, big events, right?
Lisa (15:00.021)
Right.
Yeah, I mean, you know, we’ve had Ninja Warrior here. We’ve had the NCAA Final Four for the, I mean, it’s amazing. And it makes it all the more of a head scratcher. What was the International Scholastic Society said that they weren’t going to come to Cleveland because of our DEI or whatever it was. So that makes it more of a head scratcher.
Chris Quinn (15:23.634)
Yeah, think congratulations for landing this. This is a whale. we’re lucky we have Dave Gilbert. I wish he were involved in more things because he brings real leadership to what he touches. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Here’s a weird one. The Cuyahoga County medical examiner ruled the death of a jail inmate who was in restraints a homicide, but also says that doesn’t mean anyone did anything wrong. Laura, how can that be?
Lisa (15:26.364)
Big deal.
Laura (15:51.235)
Well, because the medical examiner is not charging anyone, right? Like, that’s going to go to the prosecutor’s office. But Tasha Grant is 39 years old from Cleveland. She died of a physical restraint in the setting of congestive heart failure. This was the third jail death of the year, which is not what we were dealing with a couple of years ago, but it does raise your eyebrows a little bit. She was transported from the jail to Metro Health.
on May 2nd because of quote, pre-existing conditions that resulted in an emergency and she died at the hospital three days later. She was at the jail because she was charged with assaulting two university hospitals, Southwest General Medical Center police officers in September. She’d been indicted and she’d undergone testing for mental health issues while she was there. But you’re right, that medical examiner put out a statement that said the determination of homicide by this office is a medical
legal term and does not imply wrongdoing, this kind of determination will be addressed in the legal system.
Chris Quinn (16:49.631)
But if we restrain somebody to the point that the restraints are responsible for their death, I would argue somebody did something wrong. That’s not supposed to happen.
Laura (17:00.622)
And that might be the case, right? We might see charges coming out of there. I hope there is a thorough investigation from, I mean, I guess it will have to be a third party. It’s not like the sheriff’s department is going to investigate itself because you’re right. This is questionable. If homicide means somebody killed her.
Chris Quinn (17:20.799)
We’ve had three deaths in the jail this year, I think, but but many of the deaths in the jail in recent years have been drug overdoses from people that come in already on the way or they’re getting drugs in the jail. But when when somebody dies like this, it really does raise questions about how we operate in the jail. These people are the wards of the public. Once you’re take your liberty is taken away. The public has a responsibility to look out for your safety. And that
Laura (17:23.362)
Mm-hmm.
Laura (17:48.483)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (17:50.164)
did not happen here. It gets back to our previous conversation. We’re wasting money and wasting time with the Sheriff’s Office on the downtown patrol where the Sheriff’s Office should be 100 % focused on cleaning up its behavior at the county jail.
Laura (18:03.714)
Yeah, and look at those dates, right? So the original assault that she was charged with happened in September. Grand jury in October. We don’t know exactly when she entered the jail, but it was May 2nd that this emergency happened. Like, I hope she wasn’t in jail all of those months.
Chris Quinn (18:19.861)
It’s another one that’s going to cost the taxpayers dearly too. There’ll be a lawsuit. There’ll be a settlement just like the deaths and those chases. The sheriff’s office is costing taxpayers a fortune with its poor practices. We’ll see. Maybe the investigation will come out and say restraints were appropriate and nobody could know that she’d be in distress from the restraints and there was no sign of that until too late. So maybe, maybe, but
Laura (18:22.989)
Yes.
Laura (18:26.968)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (18:46.751)
We’ve seen this before where they over restrain somebody and ignore their distress. I wonder if there’s good video on this from inside the jail. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Pity the poor city of Green, which has never been able to get its own zip code or even have its name in return addresses. Laila won a partial victory in its battle to be recognized by the US Postal Service, but will it still sit in a half dozen zip codes?
Leila (19:15.459)
Yeah, this is a small but meaningful victory for green. The U.S. Postal Service will finally let the residents and businesses put green on their mailing addresses. But for a city that’s been long carved up among the six different zip codes tied to Uniontown and Akron and North Canton and Clinton, this is, you know, there’s still a fight to be fought here. The Akron Canton Airport, the Maps Air Museum and local restaurants like Twisted Olive.
Now they won’t be mislabeled as somewhere else, but like I said, the postal service threw in a wrench in this whole story. They flatly refused to give green its own zip code. That means the city will still deal with the headaches that come with split zips, like tax dollars going to the wrong jurisdictions, residents struggling to qualify for Summit County benefits, even businesses being denied franchises because zip boundaries make it look like they’re stepping on another location’s turf.
Last year alone, Green traced more than $600,000 in lost tax revenue to this confusion. The mayor is calling the name change a big win, but says it doesn’t go nearly far enough. Green plans to keep pressing Congress where Representative Amelia Sykes already got a zip reform bill through the House. Senators Bernie Moreno and John Huston are being lobbied to pick it up in the Senate. And Green is even hiring a lobbyist to join more than 70 other cities with the same problem.
So yeah, Green can finally put its name on the map, but without a single zip code, it’s still this patchwork community that’s fighting for an identity that the post office doesn’t seem eager to give them.
Chris Quinn (20:52.277)
This seems so dumb and monolithic by the post office. Bernie Moreno has clout with Donald Trump. And this seems like the kind of thing Donald Trump would put out a midnight executive order on. You would hope Bernie Moreno would go to Donald Trump and say, look, we got this growing town in Summit County in Ohio that just wants a zip code and the post office won’t give it to them. Can you help here? This is the kind of thing Donald Trump loves to do because it diverts attention from all the bad stuff he does. And it’s fair.
Leila (20:55.459)
Yeah.
Leila (21:09.409)
Right.
Chris Quinn (21:21.801)
They should have a zip code. Why wouldn’t you just say, sure, we’ll give you a zip code? They’re growing by leaps and bounds anyway.
Leila (21:29.079)
They are. Yeah. Part of why this stings so much for green is how dramatically the city has grown since the 60s when zip codes were first drawn up. Back then it was mostly farmland with fewer than 10,000 people who lived there. So nobody really worried about assigning it that distinct identity. But today it’s one of the county’s fastest growing cities. I think they’re closing in on 30,000 residents and they have more than 1200 businesses. So that kind of growth makes this patchwork
zip system feel really outdated and unfair. But the Postal Service said that creating a new zip code for green wouldn’t help their operations and could actually disrupt mail service. I feel like the post office is prioritizing its own logistics over the city’s need for some tax accuracy and emergency response and community identity and all the things.
Chris Quinn (22:21.897)
You don’t have to have a post office for every zip code, right? This wouldn’t require them to open a post office in the new zip code, I don’t think. Maybe that’s the problem.
Leila (22:33.963)
I don’t know if it does. trying to think about, I don’t know. That’d be worth following up on. But in the letter from the Post Office or from the Postal Service, they explained that zip codes are not, that they’re assigned based on mail volume, delivery routes and facility capacity and geography and staffing, things like that. Those very logistical things, not civic identity or anything that Green is concerned about. So their request, yeah.
Chris Quinn (23:00.243)
Yeah, but with 30,000 residents, I’m pretty sure they can make the case they have male volume. This just seems venal and it could be fixed so easily. I hope Bernie Marino gets involved. John Huston doesn’t have any clout with anybody, but Bernie Marino does. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. All right, we’re going to talk about a baker, we’re going to talk about a goat, and we’re going to talk about an apple orchard. But stick with us. These last three stories of the week are kind of interesting.
Leila (23:09.304)
Yeah.
Chris Quinn (23:28.659)
Lisa, a Cleveland Heights baker might end up with international renown. How’s that to be?
Lisa (23:34.44)
This is so exciting for me because this is my bakery and anybody who likes bread would love On The Rise Artisan Breads in Cleveland Heights on Fairmount Boulevard. They are representing the United States next month in Mont D’Aldupain, which is a biennial competition in France. On The Rise head baker and owner Brian Evans will lead a three person team in competition with 20 other countries. They found out about this last June, so last year, and they’ve been refining the 18 required
products for the competition. For example, they have to bake 12 perfect croissants weighing exactly 60 grams and they’re limited as to time and the quantity of dough that they use. They also must create an aromatic bread that represents their culture. So Evans kind of struggled with that concept at first, but he got inspired by a caramelized onion sourdough that he bakes for Heritage Steak and Whiskey restaurant in Woodmere.
He said he added smoked wheat to that recipe and Nigella seed. And he says it’s one of the best smelling breads I’ve ever pulled from the oven. The products that they are doing in the competition will be available at On The Rise after the competition. And Evan says Cleveland has an amazing food scene. And now we can showcase that on the international stage.
Chris Quinn (24:53.344)
I knew you were the right person for the question. I’ve never met anybody who’s as discerning about bakeries as you are. Anytime we mention a bakery, you know it and you know what its products are. So this is cool. I’m glad that, I’m glad you’re excited about it.
Lisa (24:55.381)
yeah.
Lisa (25:07.612)
Well, and just a note, because our opinion editor, Betsy Sullivan, lives in Bay Village, way on the west side, she drives all the way to the east side to go to On the Rise. So that’s how devoted some of their fans are.
Chris Quinn (25:20.648)
some good news for Cleveland Heights after a summer of scandal. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. All right, on to the goat. And we are not talking about the greatest of all time. A Lake Erie college student came up with an innovative way to help a rescued goat. Laura, what is it?
Laura (25:37.945)
This is Abby Butcher and she’s using a 3D printer at her school to make a prosthetic leg for the goat. She is a junior majoring in psychology, minors in criminal justice, legal studies and writing. So seems pretty busy. She runs an animal sanctuary in Madison that houses 17 goats, three horses, seven pigs and numerous chickens. So Zelda, that’s her goat with a crushed patella, a dislocated shoulder, exposed bone and severe tendon damage that she’s going to help
Zelda out by creating this plastic prosthetic leg. It showed her that you don’t, I mean, obviously it’s to help this one goat, but she wants to work with technology in the future to play a bigger role in animal welfare. She wants to take this and run with it for her career, which is super cool.
Chris Quinn (26:26.032)
It is cool. It’s one of those stories you read and just think, OK, I never would have expected that. I hope it works out for her. And maybe she will become the greatest of all time at making goat fake legs. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. I’m throwing the flag on this one. Ohio has one of the top apple orchards in the US in a new ranking, and it’s not Patterson’s Fruit Farm. Boo, boo, sacrilege. Which one gets the honor, Leila?
Leila (26:53.945)
my gosh, yeah, not Patterson’s, it’s not Ritman, it’s not Mapleside Farms. The Ohio farm that cracked USA Today’s list of the top 10 apple orchards in the country is Apple Hill Orchards in Mansfield. It came in ninth overall just ahead of Milburn Orchards in Maryland. Apple Hill has been around since the Great Depression and it’s still family run. It offers more than 30 varieties of apples, everything from Paula Reds to Johnalicious to
the Luda Crisp, and it’s not just apples. They’ve got cider, apple donuts, hayrides, a kids train. There’s a climbing tractor and a barnyard full of goats, sheep, and ducks. The farm actually operates in two spots. They have the flagship in Mansfield, which is perched on one of the highest elevations in Ohio, and then another in Fredericktown, about 20 minutes away. Mansfield is only about an hour and a half from Cleveland, so it makes it a fall day trip destination.
And so yeah, Patterson’s may feel snubbed, but Apple Hill’s mix of history and variety and family fun really earned it this national spotlight this season.
Chris Quinn (28:03.55)
It does seem to me that whenever you talk about apples, everybody is loyal to their place. But I don’t care. Patterson’s is number one in my mind. It always will be. That place is one of my favorite places to go. I go to it repeatedly all fall long into the spring. I just want to know if these judges visited Patterson’s.
Leila (28:22.723)
But isn’t Patterson’s too crowded now?
Laura (28:25.944)
Well, can we just, the USA Today one, is that just based on voting? I mean, that’s all their top 10 list is usually just like everybody click on this link. So, I mean, I doubt they visited every apple orchard in America.
Chris Quinn (28:40.266)
Well then, it’s a bogus ranking and Patterson’s remains number one. All right, you’re listening to Today in Ohio. That does it for a week of news. Thanks Lisa, thanks Leila, thanks Laura. Thank you for listening. We will return Monday to talk about some more news.
Leila (28:40.535)
come on.
Laura (28:43.438)
That’s right, who needs best of Cleveland when you have Chris Quinn and his apple recommendations?