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A new report examining water accessibility in “water-rich” Ohio shows affordability is an issue for residents in both urban and rural areas. The study from the Alliance for the Great Lakes and Ohio Environmental Council shows that while water costs are essentially the same across the state, households in lower income brackets have more difficulty paying for service. In nearly 80 percent of Ohio communities, a month of basic water and sewer service costs more than eight hours of minimum-wage labor, according to the report.

The Cleveland Clinic spent more than $1 billion on outreach, education and assisting low-income patients last year, according to the 2018 community benefits report released Wednesday. The report details the clinic’s spending to improve community health, including education, subsidized health services and research. Spending was up 6 percent from the previous year, bringing increases across the board.

Abby L. Vandiver has self-published stories about amateur sleuths solving crimes since 2013. A bit of a sleuth herself, she followed the example of other writers to learn the ropes of how to self-publish and market the books. “I’d find people that were selling their books and I'd stalk them online,” she said. “I'd buy their book, I'd sign up for their newsletter, and I do things just to find out: How are they doing this?” Writers may study her now instead, since she landed a book deal with a large publisher.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is considering a plan that would prioritize bus frequency in the downtown area at the cost of low-population zones. A consultant gave the final presentation on the system redesign study to the RTA board Tuesday.

Legal battles over the opioid crisis will carry on into 2020, as several more cases begin to move toward trial in federal courts around the country. After overseeing thousands of opioid lawsuits from his Cleveland courtroom for the past two years, U.S. District Judge Dan Polster has begun sending cases to other federal judges. Polster has recommended that suits brought by the Cherokee Nation, city of Chicago and San Francisco be moved to federal courts in Oklahoma, Illinois and California.

Preliminary data show the infant mortality rate has dropped for every demographic in Cuyahoga County in 2019 except white babies, for which it increased slightly. The overall rate in 2019 (not counting December) was 7.75 per 1,000 live births, compared to 8.65 in 2018. Although the African American infant mortality rate dropped from 15.49 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018 down to 13.97 in 2019, Cuyahoga County Board of Health statistician Richard Stacklin said black babies are still more than 3.5 times more likely to die than white babies.

The Cleveland Public Library celebrated its 150th year in 2019 — and 2020 will be equally eventful, the library's director said. Perhaps the most visible changes, Director Felton Thomas told ideastream, will come as part of a 10-year project to rebuild or extensively renovate all 27 of its branches.

For the 50th anniversary of May 4, 1970, Kent State University is offering a series of events, from panel discussions and film showings to museum and art exhibits. It’s part of a yearlong observance of the day that four students were shot to death by Ohio National Guard troops during the course of an anti-war protest. The commemoration is managed by a former member of the student-run May 4th Task Force, Rodney Flauhaus.

Updated 12:45 p.m. 12/31/19: Local courts have tried to streamline the intake process for new defendants, but a major consolidation of bail-setting hasn't happened, according to a progress report on bail reform from Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

George Rodrigue will step down as editor-in-chief of the Plain Dealer next month. Rodrigue will transition to work at the paper’s sister company, Advance Local. Rodrigue will step down March 1, according to his column on cleveland.com. He’ll be replaced by the paper’s current managing editor, Tim Warsinskey, who has worked at the Plain Dealer for 30 years.