We aren’t consumed by forest fires in Northeast Ohio. We don’t get slammed with hurricanes. And we have all of the Great Lake Erie to protect us from running out of fresh drinking water. But we are not immune to natural disasters. Last week, the region was hit with massive back-to-back rainstorms. Firefighters rescued drivers from a flooded I-90 and 11 tornadoes touched down in Ohio, including one in Cleveland that started near East 71st Street and Chester Avenue and ended near East 89th Street and Euclid Avenue. Thousands of Northeast Ohioans are still without power. This week, Lake County experienced its biggest earthquake in four years, as well as two aftershocks. (And it’s only Tuesday.) All with the backdrop of a summer that started dry, with a wildfire haze, and turned incredibly rainy. (After Labor Day, the forecast looks like it will heat back up.) We all know weather is unpredictable, especially in Ohio. But the weather headlines this season have been dire. The American Red Cross says it has responded to nearly twice as many large disasters across the country as it did a decade ago. – Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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The colored dots represent recent earthquake activity. The gray dots are older occurrences. (U.S. Geological Survey) |
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Earthquakes: Lake County experienced three minor earthquakes on Sunday, shortly before midnight, with the 4.2 quake the biggest since 2019. It was followed by two aftershocks measuring magnitudes of 2.5 and 1.9, reports Peter Krouse. Abortion ballot language: The campaign backing the proposed abortion rights amendment said Monday it will ask the Ohio Supreme Court to require that the Ohio Ballot Board rewrite language that will be printed on Nov. 7 ballots. Laura Hancock reports the backers plan to ask the court to order the Ohio Ballot Board to adopt the full text of the amendment as the ballot language, instead of the summary it passed last week. Today in Ohio: Ohio’s redistricting process last year devolved into a monthslong fiasco that culminated in the use of congressional and state legislative maps even though they were deemed unconstitutionally gerrymandered. Now state elected officials are set to do it all over again. We’re talking about the next round of redistricting drama on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Medical marijuana: Gov. Mike DeWine and the General Assembly have bailed out the roughly 30 medical marijuana dispensaries that should have been opened by now – giving them more time and an opportunity to wipe clean any disciplinary actions on their records. Tucked into the two-year state budget bill is a provision that gives the dispensaries until Dec. 31 to open, plus other changes, reports Laura Hancock. Marijuana endorsement: U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, a South Russell Republican who formerly served as Geauga County’s prosecutor, on Monday announced support for a Nov. 7 ballot measure to legalize recreational, adult-use marijuana in Ohio. Sabrina Eaton and Laura Hancock report Joyce, who co-chairs the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, said his days as both a prosecutor and public defender made him recognize “early on that there are better uses of law-enforcement resources than pursuing low-level possession convictions” and to seek sensible reforms in Congress. Hunter Biden: Dissatisfied with the Justice Department’s handling of a probe into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, three House Committee chairs, including Ohio’s Jim Jordan, on Monday asked the Justice Department to provide documents on David Weiss’ appointment as special counsel to handle the case. Sabrina Eaton reports the trio wants the department to give them all documents and communications about Weiss’ appointment as special counsel, as well as any additional scope memoranda, directives, or instructions from the U.S. attorney general about the appointment. |
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Power out: About 12,000 people still do not have power in Northeast Ohio but that should be changing soon, according to FirstEnergy Corp. About 466,000 FirstEnergy customers were affected when tornadoes and storms ripped through the region last week. Molly Walsh reports crews are working 16-hour shifts to restore power to the areas that were hit the hardest: eastern Cuyahoga County, western Lake County, central Geauga County and central Portage County. Red Cross: Recent severe weather events are part of a worsening national trend that has led the American Red Cross to double its number of responses to large disasters across the country over the last decade, Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports. More than 50 Ohio families impacted by last week’s storms received Red Cross assistance totaling more than $33,000.In addition, several families received Red Cross cleanup kits to help address basement flooding, the organization reported. Top schools: Seven Greater Cleveland high schools, led by Solon and Rocky River, are among the best 25 public high schools in Ohio, according to the 2023-2024 U.S. News and World Best High Schools rankings released today. Solon ranks sixth and Rocky River eighth statewide. Nationally, Solon is 227th and Rocky River 288th, Zachary Smith reports. Zoo exhibits: The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on Friday opened its latest major modernized animal habitat with Susie’s Bear Hollow, the sixth new exhibit since 2011. Zachary Smith reports the zoo is already looking forward to its next project, the Primate Forest, an expansion of the RainForest that will be home to endangered primate species, including gorillas and orangutans. CLE neighborhoods: Goodrich-Kirtland Park and St. Clair-Superior have undergone rapid racial, economic and cultural transformations accompanied by waves of disinvestment, decay and rising poverty. Steven Litt reports as part of our series, Get to Know Cleveland’s Neighborhoods, that the neighborhoods are packed with thriving businesses, industries and landmarks and are poised for reinvestment. |
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Tower City: Nowhere in Northeast Ohio is the boom in Black-owned businesses more apparent than Tower City Center. Within the last few months, Tower City has welcomed four new Black-owned shops to go along with the more than half-dozen Black-owned businesses that already call the downtown shopping center home, reports Brenda Cain. Sheetz facility: Sheetz has announced it is building a $145 million food-preparation and distribution facility in Findlay, reports Marc Bona. The company said the plant will create more than 700 jobs over five years. Data centers: Google announced plans Monday to spend $1.7 billion to expand its three Ohio data center sites to boost the tech giant’s artificial intelligence efforts and tools like Google search, Maps, and Gmail. Jeremy Pelzer reports the sites, which include a completed center in the Columbus suburb of New Albany and data centers being built in south Columbus and Lancaster, are the latest in a recent series of data-center investments in Central Ohio, which now total about $4 billion. Honey Hut: When locals found out last week that the Honey Hut Ice Cream franchise in Brunswick is closing at season’s end, many were upset about losing their favorite frozen treat. Paris Wolfe reports a 13-year-old started a petition to the owners from the “loyal residents and ice cream enthusiasts of Brooklyn.” Darnell Mayberry: Darnell Mayberry examines his bad money habits and cuts down some of his most enjoyable pleasures. Ignoring behaviors that bring us bliss can backfire and carry consequences, he writes. |
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Illegal voting: A judge on Monday sentenced a Shaker Heights attorney to three years in prison for illegally voting in the last two general elections, reports Cory Shaffer. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Andrew Santoli called 56-year-old James Saunders’ actions “purposeful, intentional and cavalier” in handing down the maximum sentence. Police partnership: Cleveland police and troopers of the State Highway Patrol have made nearly 100 felony arrests in the past two weeks to stem gun violence in the city, Olivia Mitchell reports. Deadly crash: Two men died in a fiery crash after their vehicle crashed head-on into another vehicle on Ohio 176 while they were trying to elude officers, Olivia Mitchell reports. Jibril Miguel Allen, 21, of Chardon, and Darnell James Prince, 23, of Burton, both died from injuries in the crash on Ohio 176 (Jennings Freeway), which occurred at about 8:15 p.m. Saturday. Fireworks: Brook Park Councilman Brian Poindexter is accused of shooting off fireworks in the city, where they are banned, Molly Walsh reports. Poindexter pleaded not guilty Friday to three charges of discharging or exploding fireworks, a misdemeanor, during his arraignment. |
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Ask Lucas: Anyone in the Midwest knows those last few weeks of summer are precious, writes Lucas Daprile. We’re running out of peaceful weekends to barbecue before the Cleveland Browns fire up the Weekend Sadness Machine™ for another season. Film fest: The lineup is set for the 16th edition of the Cleveland Italian Film Festival. Taking place on consecutive Thursdays from Sept. 14 to Sept. 28, the event showcases three films that represent the best of contemporary Italian cinema, reports Joey Morona. Best shakes: Cleveland.com regularly asks Yelp users where we can find the very best of a category. When Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez asked where we could find a great milkshake, P.J. Marley’s -- on Medina’s town square -- came back with rave reviews. AJ Rocco’s: A.J. Rocco’s, which has been closed since 2019 in the Gateway District, is looking to open this year as a bar-restaurant with a full kitchen, event space and a possible Airbnb rental. Marc Bona reports A. Brendan Walton ran the bar at 816 Huron Road and is making the jump to a bigger space with more offerings at 828 Huron. Bloody Lobster: Gibbs Butcher and Brews is kicking off Labor Day weekend with a one-of-a-kind brunch cocktail. The Olmsted Falls bar is selling a Bloody Mary garnished with an entire lobster, reports Alex Darus. RV Rocking: On Jeff and Patti Kinzbach’s Rocking the RV Life podcast, Jim and Melinda Mantel share their incredible adventures and funny stories – along with their decision to quit the RV life. |
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