We boil down what happened in Cleveland this week.

Record cold stuns city

Tuesday morning saw the third day in a row for Cleveland, with record temperatures falling to eight degrees. Sunday’s five below zero and Monday’s negative 12 below zero also set records for the city.

The weekend saw several accidents, with Valentine’s Day travellers hit with snowy and icy road conditions. The weather also resulted in numerous snow emergency parking bans, road closures, flight delays and the temporary closure of the Greater Cleveland RTA’s green line between certain stops.

Meanwhile, Lake Erie is freezing, with 93.5 percent of the lake covered in ice as of Feb. 15. This is the highest out of any of the Great Lakes.

Still, this isn’t the coldest year on record. For the month of February, this year currently ranks as the fourth coldest in Cleveland’s history, after 1979, 1978 and 2007. For the year so far, it’s the eighth coldest.

Anti-abortion bill makes reappearance in Ohio House

Two Ohio Republicans are leading the charge to outlaw abortions once the fetus’ heartbeat can be detected. House Bill 69, also known as the “heartbeat bill,” is similar to a previous bill which failed to pass through the Ohio House in mid-December.

Representatives Christina Hagan of Alliance and Ron Hood of Ashville introduced the bill, which would make abortions illegal as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The only exceptions are to prevent death or serious harm to the mother.

“We’ve come a long way in protecting the unborn; we should always continue to do that,” Hagan told the House in December, according to the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “It should remain central to our mission and our focus.”

The law would also create a committee to promote adoption as an alternate option.

“Politicians do not know or understand a woman’s specific situation,” said Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio President and CEO Stephanie Kight in protest of the bill. “They shouldn’t be allowed to make personal decisions on her behalf. Women, their families and physicians should be trusted and respected to make the health care decision that is best for their family.”