A Wednesday evening panel hosted by the United Way of Greater Cleveland and NAACP Cleveland showcased the widely differing answers to a burning question: Is the 2015 consent decree between the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) and the U.S. Department of Justice accomplishing what it was meant to? On one side are representatives of Cleveland’s residents most deeply affected by the practices of the city’s police department. On the other are officials working directly on the reforms laid out in the agreement. Both sides have very different answers to that question.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced late Wednesday that the statewide curfew would be pushed back by one hour to 11 p.m., starting Thursday. The new hours of 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. begin Jan. 28 at 12:01 p.m. and will last through at least Feb. 11, according to the governor’s office. The change comes because the state’s overall hospitalizations for COVID-19 have remained below 3,500 for seven consecutive days.

Updated: 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021 The new, more contagious COVID-19 strain that originated in the U.K. has been discovered in Northeast Ohio, University Hospitals officials confirmed Wednesday. Since December, UH researchers have been tracking emerging variants found in COVID-19 patient lab samples in Cleveland, including B.1.1.7, the variant that circulated widely in the U.K., officials said.

Lorain County Commissioners are pushing back against claims they revoked more than $4 million in CARES Act funding from local organizations. Commissioners voted 2-1 earlier this month to revoke some pandemic aid, including grants to support local health programs and small business development.

A Warren resident is facing charges for his alleged involvement in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building Jan. 6. Stephen Ayres is charged with obstruction of justice, unlawful entry into restricted buildings and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds.

Ohio’s educators could start getting the COVID-19 vaccine as early as next week, but there’s a group conspicuously missing from the list: the early child care providers who look after Ohio’s infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers. Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday his team will continue to evaluate the state’s COVID-19 vaccine priorities after early child care workers submitted a petition with 11,000 signatures asking to be included in the upcoming vaccination tier for teachers.

Between pre-registration lists, phone hotlines, and websites, signing up to get a COVID-19 vaccine can be confusing. University Hospitals (UH) has released several ways people can sign up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine through the hospital system, even if they are not a UH patient, according to a news release. Vaccines are being administered at the UH Management Services Center in Shaker Heights.

Sen. Rob Portman stunned the Ohio political world Monday with his announcement that he won’t run for reelection. That leaves an open seat in 2022 as Democrats and Republicans vie for control of a closely divided Senate. It may not be long before candidates start running, according to David Cohen, the interim director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.

Cleveland will be the home to Ohio’s second “innovation district,” a health-care focused, $565 million job-creation partnership with the city's three major hospitals and Case Western Reserve and Cleveland State universities. Gov. Mike DeWine said the state expects the Cleveland Innovation District to spark 10,000 new direct jobs, through research and new businesses created or moving to the region along with 10,000 indirect new jobs and about $3 billion in economic impact as a result of the investment.

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