A bystander was killed last weekend when a suspect being chased by Cuyahoga County Sheriff's deputies crashed into her car at St. Clair and Addison Avenue. It's raising anew questions about police chase policy and the sheriff's downtown safety patrol.

37-year-old Sharday Elder was killed. She was the mother of two.

The Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office formed the safety patrol in 2023 to help Cleveland address downtown crime. In the last five months, three bystanders have died during chases.

The story begins our discussion of the news on Friday's "Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable."

Cleveland City Councilmember Richard Starr sent a letter to the mayor's office this week questioning why the investigation into an explosion and fire at the Rainbow Terrace Apartments in June has yet to be finished.

An explosion at the complex on Garden Valley Avenue injured four people and left dozens of others without a home. A fifth injured person, Cordrae Sheffield died weeks later of injuries he suffered while rescuing his stepchildren from the fire.

The state's requirement that those registering to vote at an Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles provide proof of citizenship is being challenged in federal court. The requirement is a provision in transportation budget, which went into effect in June.

East Cleveland is beefing up police presence, enforcing parking bans and establishing a drunk driving check point this weekend, coinciding with Shaw High School's annual reunion weekend. Last year, saw three shootings and 11 people injured after reunion weekend.

The long sought removal of the Gorge Dam in the Cuyahoga River got a boost yesterday when Governor Mike DeWine and other officials announced a plan to remove nearly a million cubic yards of sediment from behind the dam at the Gorge Metro Park, straddling Akron and Cuyahoga Falls.

Gov. DeWine has ordered the Ohio Pharmacy Board to categorize kratom, the plant and any synthetic product made from it, an illegal drug. Kratom is a botanical herb from Asia that is sometimes referred to as 'gas station heroin.'

Two Norton High School graduates spent 24 hours going round the Tallmadge circle all for their YouTube viewers.

Guests:
-Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Taylor Wizner, Health Reporter, Ideatstream Public Media
-Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV
-Stephanie Haney, Host, "Sound of Ideas"