The war with Iran continues to drive one of the sharpest gas price surges in recent history, including in the Cleveland area.

Why it matters: Gas prices are approaching $4 per gallon, meaning a tank that might have taken $40-$45 to fill last month might cost over $60 this week.

Driving the news: Metro Cleveland was averaging about $3.86 as of yesterday for regular gas, a month after it had averaged $2.84, per AAA.

• The statewide average was $3.83 as of yesterday, while the national average was $3.98.

Flashback: We're a far cry from early January, when Cleveland gas prices were at their lowest point in three years.

Zoom in: Prices vary significantly depending on your location in the Cleveland area, per GasBuddy, which crowdsources prices.

• Yesterday morning, gas was reported as $3.49 at the Gas USA station on West 177th Street and $3.29 at the EXBO location on Bellaire Avenue.
• At the other end of the spectrum was the Shell location on Carnegie Avenue and the busy BP station across from Progressive Field, both priced at $4.09.

Yes, but: At least we aren't in parts of California, where prices have surpassed $6.

What they're saying: The White House insists prices will fall rapidly once Trump's military objectives in Iran are achieved.

• "President Trump has been clear that these are short-term disruptions. Ultimately, once the Iranian regime is neutralized, oil and gas prices will drop rapidly again, potentially even lower than before the strikes" began, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement.

The other side: Some analysts say it could take weeks to months for prices to ease, even after the war begins to wind down. That could keep gas prices elevated into the summer.

Cleveland City Council approved the city's $2.3 billion budget at its meeting this week, including about $920 million in General Fund spending for core services.

Driving the news: The plan passed 11-3 — with Stephanie Howse-Jones, Tanmay Shah and Richard Starr voting against — after weeks of negotiations with Mayor Justin Bibb's administration.

Why it matters: The city is entering the year with unusually strong reserves, giving officials room to invest in infrastructure and staffing.

By the numbers: Cleveland ended 2025 with $73 million in its payroll reserve fund, $70 million in its rainy-day fund and $92 million in the General Fund.

• Council and the administration agreed to allocate an extra $17.5 million toward priorities like housing, parks and streets.

Zoom in: The largest line item is $8 million for street resurfacing, bringing the total 2026 investment to $20 million.

• Nearly $1 million will be allocated to hire 15 new junior executive assistants for council members.

The bottom line: The balance sheet, for the moment, is healthy.

☕️ Dahlia Coffee Co. is expanding to a second location in Old Brooklyn. (Cleveland.com)

⚖️ The jurors in the FirstEnergy corruption trial have told the judge they can't agree on whether former executives committed bribery. (News5)

📈 CSA Group, an organization that creates industrial safety standards, is making Cleveland its U.S. headquarters with a planned 290,000 square-foot facility at Valor Acres in Brecksville. (NEOtrans)

🏀 Former Sherwin-Williams CEO John Morikis, Hyland Software's Chris Hyland and Blackstone's A.J. Murphy are all new minority investors in Cleveland's WNBA franchise. (Crain's Cleveland Business 🔐)

Ohio is one of only three states that hasn't enacted legislation targeting AI deepfakes in recent years, according to Ballotpedia.

Why it matters: Existing laws don't do enough to stop bad actors from using real people's PG social media photos to fabricate "deepfake" sexual content with AI tools.

Driving the news: Three Arizona women say in a lawsuit that pornographic videos depicting their likenesses began circulating online after AI platforms were used to create sexual content based on their Instagram posts.

• Congress has stepped in. The Take It Down Act, passed last year, makes posting nonconsensual images a federal crime and requires platforms to remove them within 48 hours.

Zoom out: Outside Ohio, Missouri and Alaska, state laws vary widely. Many remain narrowly focused on election misinformation or child exploitation.

Reality check: Most legislation puts the onus on victims to find and report pornography.

• And most women, including the plaintiffs in the Arizona case, are completely unaware they've been targeted until "it's way too damn late," and someone they know has seen the explicit content, their attorney, Nick Brand, told Axios.

The latest: Alliance for a Better Future launched this week. It's a coalition of conservative groups that wants "common-sense" guardrails around AI development, and is ready to put polling, money and PR campaigns into the fight.

Go deeper: Arizona women's deepfake lawsuit targets AI porn industry

"I thought someone was joking with me."

Count Shakira among those who were surprised by her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination last month.

What they're saying: "I had to double-check, and then I just felt really grateful," she said last week.

• "It's not something you expect. I'm so over the moon with my fans who've been supporting me for 30 years already, and they continue to accompany me and to make things like these that sound almost impossible happen."

The big picture: Shakira has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2016 but received her first nomination this year.

• She is the first native Colombian to be nominated and would be the first female inductee to hail from Latin America.

What's next: The class of 2026 will be announced next month.