Latest news with #ThePlainDealer
Chicago Tribune
08-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
McDonald's unveils spicy twist with new breakfast menu lineup
McDonald's announced Tuesday morning that it has turned up the heat on breakfast with the launch of its new Spicy McMuffin sandwich lineup. The limited time offer features three takes on the iconic McMuffin: the Spicy Egg McMuffin, Spicy Sausage McMuffin and Spicy Sausage McMuffin with Egg. Each sandwich is served on a toasted English muffin with melted cheese and either sausage or Canadian bacon. The sandwiches are finished with a drizzle of McDonald's signature Spicy Pepper Sauce. 'I love anything spicy and I'm a sucker for McDonald's breakfast, so this sounds like a fast-food dream, especially if I've had one too many cocktails the night before,' said Alex Darus a food reporter for and The Plain Dealer. According to McDonald's, the menu additions mark a significant seasonal update and coincide with the original Egg McMuffin's 50th anniversary. The company also noted that eggs used in the new sandwiches are now 100% cage-free in the U.S., part of their ongoing sustainability commitments. The spicy sandwiches are only available for a limited time at participating locations nationwide, but McDonald's did not say for how long the new sandwiches would be around. McDonald's recently announced the return of its fan-favorite Snack Wrap, which will be available nationwide Thursday. Here's a look at the newest limited-time items heating up the McDonald's menu this summer: Blueberry & Crème Pie: A sweet summer twist on McDonald's classic baked pie, this limited-time dessert features warm layers of blueberries and smooth vanilla crème in a golden, flaky crust. (Available nationwide while supplies last) The Daily Double: The double-patty burger is topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mayo, and now it's part of the McValue Meal Deal lineup starting at $6 or $7. (Available nationwide through the end of 2025) HERSHEY'S S'mores McFlurry: The seasonal McFlurry blends McDonald's vanilla soft serve with chunks of HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers. (Available now nationwide for a limited time only)
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ryan ‘seriously considering' run for Ohio governor, communications adviser says
Former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) is 'seriously considering' a run for Ohio governor, his communications adviser told The Hill on Monday. Dennis Willard said that different people have approached Ryan about running for governor, with some telling him 'that they're dissatisfied with the direction the country's going.' Willard said Ryan wants to spend time talking to people across Ohio but noted there was no specific timeline around when he might decide. Still, he suggested Ryan wasn't going to 'take too long to make a decision,' noting that others may be interested in running for Ohio governor if the former congressman opts against a bid. The news of Ryan's gubernatorial considerations was first reported by The Plain Dealer/ Ryan, who served in the House between 2003 and 2023, has made runs for president and Senate. He was seen a promising Senate candidate for Democrats in Ohio in 2022, but he lost to Vice President Vance that November by 6 points. Ryan's campaign lamented at the time that national Democrats hadn't invested enough in his race, though his loss also underscored Ohio's increasing rightward shift, no longer being seen as a battleground state. Willard suggested Ryan's race for governor would be different this go-around given the personal nature gubernatorial races take on compared to federal Senate races. 'One of the reasons why I think he's so interested in being governor is he feels, you know, number one, he can come home every night to his family and his young son and still be a very' 'present part of their lives,' Willard said. 'But also, I think that he would bring that personal touch to the governor's race.' 'He is an Ohioan, he's one of them,' he added, describing him as a 'magnet for people.' Former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton has already announced a bid for governor on the Democratic side; The Blade reported last month that Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D) could also run statewide, potentially as lieutenant governor if former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) runs for governor. Brown, meanwhile, could potentially run for Senate again in 2026 against Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who's serving out the remainder of Vance's Senate term, or governor. On the Republican side, former GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, Attorney General Dave Yost and businesswoman Heather Hill are running for the governor's seat. Asked what Ryan would do if the former senator decided to run for governor, Willard said that 'Tim would take that into consideration and make a decision on what he thought was best for Ohio at that point.' Still, Democrats have their work cut out for them. The last time a Democrat was elected governor was in 2006 with former Gov. Ted Strickland, the same year Brown ousted then-Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Ryan ‘seriously considering' run for Ohio governor, communications adviser says
Former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) is 'seriously considering' a run for Ohio governor, his communications adviser told The Hill on Monday. Dennis Willard said that different people have approached Ryan about running for governor, with some telling him 'that they're dissatisfied with the direction the country's going.' Willard said Ryan wants to spend time talking to people across Ohio but noted there was no specific timeline around when he might decide. Still, he suggested Ryan wasn't going to 'take too long to make a decision,' noting that others may be interested in running for Ohio governor if the former congressman opts against a bid. The news of Ryan's gubernatorial considerations was first reported by The Plain Dealer/ Ryan, who served in the House between 2003 and 2023, has made runs for president and Senate. He was seen a promising Senate candidate for Democrats in Ohio in 2022, but he lost to Vice President Vance that November by 6 points. Ryan's campaign lamented at the time that national Democrats hadn't invested enough in his race, though his loss also underscored Ohio's increasing rightward shift, no longer being seen as a battleground state. Willard suggested Ryan's race for governor would be different this go-around given the personal nature gubernatorial races take on compared to federal Senate races. 'One of the reasons why I think he's so interested in being governor is he feels, you know, number one, he can come home every night to his family and his young son and still be a very' 'present part of their lives,' Willard said. 'But also, I think that he would bring that personal touch to the governor's race.' 'He is an Ohioan, he's one of them,' he added, describing him as a 'magnet for people.' Former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton has already announced a bid for governor on the Democratic side; The Blade reported last month that Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D) could also run statewide, potentially as lieutenant governor if former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) runs for governor. Brown, meanwhile, could potentially run for Senate again in 2026 against Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who's serving out the remainder of Vance's Senate term, or governor. On the Republican side, former GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, Attorney General Dave Yost and businesswoman Heather Hill are running for the governor's seat. Asked what Ryan would do if the former senator decided to run for governor, Willard said that 'Tim would take that into consideration and make a decision on what he thought was best for Ohio at that point.' Still, Democrats have their work cut out for them. The last time a Democrat was elected governor was in 2006 with former Gov. Ted Strickland, the same year Brown ousted then-Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio).
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers more focused on financing Haslams' new Browns stadium than taxpayers
Thomas Suddes is a former legislative reporter with The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and writes from Ohio University. Almost 57 years ago, the Cleveland Browns racked up a 10-4 record with Blanton Collier as head coach. That same November of 1968, Ohio voters approved an (initial) $759 million issue of state general obligation bonds. Now, in 2025, Ohio's General Assembly may rejigger that 1968 bond authorization. Their goal is to somehow find $600 million to help Jimmy and Dee Haslam, owners of the Browns (2024 record 3-14, under head coach Kevin Stefanski), build their team a stadium in suburban Brook Park, not Cleveland. Pricey bond lawyers will tell the legislature that using voters' 1968 bond authorization to help the Haslams would be OK. And, no doubt, those learned women and men — the lawyers, that is — would be persuasive. Legally. But an Ohioan has to ask her or himself whether voters who backed the bond authorization had a clue that it might be trundled out decades later by deal-making state legislators to subsidize professional sports investors. The state's official handout on the then-proposed 1968 bond plan said it earmarked $500 million of bond proceeds to build highways. The rest would: fight water pollution fund college-, technical- and vocational-school buildings, juvenile jails, and parks and airports; and, oh yeah — finance "other state buildings and structures, including those for police and fire training.' (Emphasis added.) Those same voters agreed that such undertakings would 'directly or indirectly create jobs, enhance employment opportunities, and improve the economic welfare of the people of the state.' But there's robust debate over whether stadiums and other subsidized sports operations generate net new growth for a given region or cannibalize the entertainment spending a locality already produces. No, Ohioans haven't been shy about approving state-backed bond issues, and it's also worth noting that thanks to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's stewardship of Ohio's finances, the state has earned sterling ratings from the national bond-rating agencies. The State Budget Office reports that Ohio voters, from 1921 on, have approved '20 constitutional amendments (authorizing) the incurrence of state general obligation debt and the pledge of taxes and excises to its payment.' Still, if, as seems likely, Ohio's lobbyist-lubed General Assembly opts to sell bonds to help the Haslams, that — long range — is far more expensive to Ohio taxpayers than what DeWine has suggested. Rather than rack up more bond debt, the governor wants to double Ohio's 20% sports gambling receipts tax — paid by sports gambling companies, not gamblers — to 40%. (Effective in early 2022, legislators initially set the tax rate at 10%. Effective in July 2023, they boosted the tax to 20%.) Doing what DeWine wants, boosting the tax to 40% to help pay for a Brown stadium (and fund state aid for new venues likely demanded by owners of Ohio's other professional sports franchises) would be demonstrably cheaper for taxpayers than the legal fees and law-office work that a 25-year bond issue would require. As drafted, the legislature's plan would instead find money to repay the Browns' stadium bonds by pooling state taxes collected inside the Brook Park stadium site. The legalese: '[The] incremental major sports facility mixed-use project district state tax revenues [that are] expected to be generated by the transformational major sports facility mixed-use project.' Note: Expected. Meaning: Taxpayers wouldn't, in theory, be on the hook to pay off the stadium bonds because state taxes on hospitality, meals and merchandise paid for inside the Browns' proposed Brook Park enclave wouldn't go into Ohio's General Revenue Fund. Instead, that money — assuming it's enough — would pay off the bonds. If you think that sounds like one of those convoluted gizmos that the renowned cartoonist Rube Goldberg dreamed up, you'd be correct. For now, forget that the Haslams' Brook Park plans snub Cleveland and its historic ties to the Browns. What's especially revealing is that a General Assembly that won't fairly fund public schools, yet lavishes tax money on private schools, and which offers no relief to Ohio homeowners crushed by skyrocketing property taxes, just can't do enough to comfort Ohio's financially powerful and politically connected. Thomas Suddes is a former legislative reporter with The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and writes from Ohio University. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio plan to fund Cleveland Browns stadium needs scrutiny | Opinion
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Will Brown run for Ohio governor? Doesn't sound like he's ready for rocking chair.
Thomas Suddes is a former legislative reporter with The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and writes from Ohio University. tsuddes@ The likely 2026 party slates for Ohio's statewide elected offices are starting to fill out, with ex-U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, hovering in the background. Voters retired Brown in November, replacing him with Westlake Republican Bernie Moreno. But, Brown writing in the celebrated liberal magazine The New Republic, whose founders included the renowned journalist Walter Lippmann, said he'll remain in the arena. This, from The New Republic article's sub-headline: 'Reconnecting the Democratic Party to the working class is an electoral and a moral imperative, and it will be my mission for the rest of my life.' That doesn't sound like sipping iced tea in the rocking chair of a retirement home's sun porch. It sounds instead like a statewide 2026 campaign for a return to the Senate (by unseating appointed Republican Sen. Jon Husted of Upper Arlington) or running for governor of Ohio next year against whomever the GOP slates for that job. If a Brown governorship were to emerge, that would create a potentially vexing dilemma for the Ohio Democratic organization, loyal to long-term officeholder Brown though it may be: An Ohio Democrat is already running energetically for the party's 2026 gubernatorial nomination: Bexley Democrat Dr. Amy Acton, a Youngstown native, who — during the COVID pandemic — bravely and energetically served as director of Ohio's state Health Department in (Republican) Gov. Mike DeWine's administration. It'd be interesting to see if, or how, Brown's in-party fans might attempt to slide fellow Democrat Acton – a highly qualified female candidate – out of her quest for the governorship. Republicans who've announced they're seeking for the GOP's 2026 gubernatorial nomination are Ohio Attorney General David Yost, of Columbus; Upper Arlington tech zillionaire Vivek Ramaswamy; and Heather Brazell-Hill, of Morgan County's Malta. Besides Acton, other Ohio Democrats who've announced they're seeking statewide executive office nominations in 2026 are a second physician, Bryan Hambley, of suburban Cincinnati's Loveland, who's running for Democrats' nomination for secretary of state; and former state Rep. Elliot Forhan, now of Greater Cleveland's Brooklyn Heights, a Yale Law School graduate who's running for Democrats' 2026 nomination for Ohio attorney general. For many years, this had been a classic definition of Ohio politics, a definition formulated in 1960 by Thomas Flinn, a scholar then at Oberlin, later a member of Cleveland State's faculty: 'Ohio is now and has long been a competitive two-party state in which the Republicans enjoy the advantage. From the close of the Civil War to the election of 1896 the Republicans carried the state in every presidential contest (seven), but the outcome of these elections in Ohio was invariably close.' Not now, though, due to the GOP's statewide successes and Ohio Democrats' weaknesses. Ohio cast its presidential electoral votes in 2016, 2020 for 2024 for Donald Trump and his running mates — last year, for now-Vice President J.D. Vance, of Butler County's Middletown. Take a glance: Ohio Republicans control every statewide elected executive office. They've run the Ohio Senate since January 1985 – for 40 years, almost certainly an Ohio record – and controlled Ohio's House for all except two years since January 1995 (that is, 28 years – contrast that with Democrat Vern Riffe's 20-year Ohio House speakership, from 1975 through 1994). Republicans hold both of Ohio's federal Senate seats, with Westlake's Moreno and Upper Arlington's Jon Husted. And in ironic mimicry of 1983, a year of the locusts for Ohio Republicans, Democrats now hold only one statewide elected office – the Ohio Supreme Court seat held by Justice Jennifer Brunner. And then there's what was once Ohio Democratic bedrock: Mahoning County (Youngstown), for decades an overwhelming bastion of Democratic power, cast 54% of its vote for Trump, 50.2% for Senate nominee Moreno, and 51.7 % for J.D. Vance (in 2022, for the Senate). All that leaves Ohio Democrats out in the cold unless they field an appealing and potentially victorious 2026 statewide ticket— without alienating the party's key constituencies, which happen to include those Democratic women backing Amy Acton for governor. Thomas Suddes is a former legislative reporter with The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and writes from Ohio University. tsuddes@ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Will Sherrod Brown challenge Amy Acton for Ohio governor nod? |Opinion
