To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic Cuyahoga River fire in 2019, thousands of Clevelanders flocked to the streetcar level of the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which was transformed into a wonder of light and sound. Nearly every year since, planners have been pondering what’s next for the bridge, commonly known as the Detroit-Superior Bridge for the road names on either side of the Cuyahoga River. The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency wants to “highlight the bridge as a unique historic and cultural destination amidst some of Cleveland’s most important civic landmarks.” It also wants to strengthen connections between downtown and Ohio City. About 14,000 vehicles (including 1,250 trucks) and 270 pedestrians and cyclists travel the bridge each day. Any renovation project aims to make the bridge safer for people. The federal government is helping the effort with a pot of funding aimed at reconnecting communities cut off by transportation infrastructure decades ago. — Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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The Veterans Memorial Bridge (Detroit-Superior bridge) in downtown Cleveland. When the bridge opened in 1918, it was considered the world’s largest double-deck, reinforced concrete structure. (David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com file photo) |
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Bridge level: A plan to re-open the former streetcar level of Cleveland’s Veterans Memorial (Detroit-Superior) Bridge as a public thoroughfare for cyclists and pedestrians, and as a venue for events, programming, and recreation will get $7 million from the federal government. Sabrina Eaton reports the federal funding will help pay for a feasibility study that will evaluate alternatives to improve connectivity to existing neighborhoods and surrounding assets and consider current construction and lifecycle costs. Jail problems: A jail expert concluded that Cuyahoga County’s “ill-designed” jail makes it less efficient and more costly to run, and the facility’s operations would be better off if they were handled by a sheriff who is independent of the county executive. Adam Ferrise reports on recommendations made as part of a longstanding lawsuit that settled on Tuesday. Today in Ohio: Former East Cleveland Police Chief Scott Gardner pleaded guilty Tuesday to failure to pay state taxes, and in return prosecutors dropped 23 financial charges, including theft in office, money laundering and grand theft. We’re talking about whether Gardner was overcharged on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Cellphones in schools: Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday gathered school administrators from around the state to discuss how they’ve instituted policies to restrict middle- and high-school students’ cellphone use while at school. Jeremy Pelzer reports that they agree limiting young Ohioans’ smartphone use not only helps them learn but makes them happier as well. Capitalism class: Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation Wednesday that requires the state Board of Education to incorporate the macroeconomic concepts of free market capitalism into its financial literacy standards for students, Jake Zuckerman reports. He did so over objections from House Democrats, who denounced it as redundant, partisan messaging. Abortion pills: Two of the largest retail pharmacies in the U.S. now administer the abortion-inducing prescription drug mifepristone from their storefronts in a select few states, but Ohio is not one of them. But Jake Zuckerman reports CVS cannot fill prescriptions in states with laws like Ohio’s, that say only physicians (and not pharmacists) can administer mifepristone. |
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Home sales: A townhouse-style unit that is part of a new complex at 22700 Lake Road on the edge of Lake Erie topped home sales in the Cuyahoga County for February, Zachary Smith reports. The nearly 2,900-square-foot home is listed in property records as having three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage. It was sold on Feb. 16 for just over $1.9 million and is on the third floor of the building. Eclipse glasses: Some old eclipse glasses say they need to be pitched after three years, and yet the American Astronomical Society says you can ignore that advice if the glasses meet certain criteria. Peter Krouse reports glasses with the ISO 12312-2 certification adopted in 2015 are safe for reuse indefinitely if the filters are not scratched or otherwise degraded. Eclipse travel: State officials said Wednesday that workers will restrict roadwork the day of the solar eclipse and reduce the size of work zones on the Ohio Turnpike to accommodate drivers on a day they are treating as a major travel holiday, Molly Walsh reports. Pandemic reflections: On this fourth anniversary of coronavirus locking us down, Peter Chakerian feels like we’ve never really reconciled what happened in 2020 with the pandemic — or much of what followed. He sometimes wonders if we ever will. Pickleball grant: An indoor pickleball facility that won a $100,000 grant from the city of Cleveland is expected to open sometime this summer, reports Courtney Astolfi. Euerle Group LLC owner Robert Euerle told City Council members last week that the facility planned for 12400 Crossburn Ave. in the Bellaire-Puritas neighborhood is expected to be the largest pickleball facility in the area once it opens. RTA renovation: Big changes are coming to the RTA’s East 79th Street Blue and Green Line Station in Cleveland, reports Megan Sims. The $10 million project’s goal is to make the station more accessible and sustainable, and connect it more to the surrounding neighborhood. |
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Imageomics: A new field of biological research is emerging, thanks to artificial intelligence, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen. It’s called imageomics (think genomics, proteomics, metabolomics) and it’s a new interdisciplinary scientific field focused on applying AI image analysis to solve biological problems. VA: More veterans — including those in same-sex marriages and those who are unmarried — soon will be eligible to receive in vitro fertilization through their VA benefits, reports Julie Washington. The VA will offer IVF benefits to qualifying veterans regardless of marital status and – for the first time – allow the use of donor eggs, sperm, and embryos. Stolen pay: Two Cleveland organizations are teaming up to hold monthly, bilingual wage-theft clinics with the goal of helping both English and Spanish speakers get their stolen pay back, reports Sean McDonnell. |
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Sex trafficking: A Cuyahoga County grand jury has indicted a Cleveland man accused of trafficking at least eight women across a dozen states, reports Olivia Mitchell. Deondre Inkton, 31, is charged with compelling prostitution, promoting prostitution, trafficking in persons, money laundering and possessing criminal tools. Puppy stolen: Parma police are searching for a suspect accused of stealing a 9-week-old puppy, valued at $7,000, from a store Saturday morning. An arrest warrant has been issued for an 18-year-old Cleveland man who police say ran off with Hazel, an Olde English bulldog, Molly Walsh reports. Motorcyclist dead: A Belleville man died Wednesday after he crashed his motorcycle into a guardrail, Olivia Mitchell reports. Sister killed: A Cleveland man on Wednesday admitted to killing his pregnant sister and her husband during a church picnic in a Maple Heights park last Labor Day, reports Cory Shaffer. Jason Iverson, 29, pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated murder, one each for the deaths of Mercedes Iverson and her husband Trea “Norbert” Carter, as well as the death of her unborn child. Sex sting: A former assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor who was arrested inside the Justice Center in 2021 as part of an underage sex sting had his law license temporarily revoked Wednesday. Cory Shaffer reports Joseph Bell must wait at least two years before he can ask the Ohio Supreme Court for reinstatement. Execution delayed: The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday delayed the execution of East Cleveland serial killer Michael Madison as his appeals continue to move through state and federal courts. Cory Shaffer reports lawyers for Madison, 46, asked a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge in December to vacate his conviction, a standard step in death-penalty cases. |
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Ask Lucas: How do you get my neighbor’s dog to stop barking all the time? Lucas Daprile writes if your neighbor is too strong to beat up, or if you’re a little rusty on your takedowns, you could always go with the hippy approach, which is to bring cookies and water to your neighbor’s dogs, until over time they begin to trust you. Jennifer Lopez: Pop star Jennifer Lopez has canceled seven concerts for her upcoming “This Is Me ... Now” tour, including a planned stop in August at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Cliff Pinckard reports. BW stars: The Broadway stars of tomorrow are at Baldwin Wallace – and performing this year at Market Garden Brewery in Ohio City, reports Joey Morona. Big Island: About one-tenth the size of Ohio, Hawaii’s Big Island can be circumnavigated in about five hours. Susan Glaser reports that what the island lacks in size, it makes up for in ecological diversity – from volcanoes to beaches, rainforests to snow-capped mountains. Celestial cocktails: Clevelanders are ready to celebrate the total solar eclipse, which hasn’t happened since 1806 in Ohio. To provide some inspiration, Alex Darus has 11 celestial cocktail recipes that are perfect to make while staying at home to watch the eclipse. Irish music: Plenty of bars and restaurants will play host to a variety of Irish and Celtic music, from ancient songs to covers of anyone from The Pogues to U2 to Thin Lizzy. Malcolm X Abram has options to relax with your celebratory beverage of choice in your venue (or venues, if you like pub crawls) of choice and enjoy the day. Things to do: St. Patrick’s Day is Sunday. Culminating with the parade downtown, Mike Rose has close to 50 events taking place across Northeast Ohio to help you get in the holiday spirit. |
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Man dies after being found with gunshot wound near wooded area Read more Dogs alert residents to Lake County house fire, leading to safe escape Read more Humane Society of Summit County seeks donations following fundraiser theft Read more Superintendent, Orange Boosters to try to iron out sponsorship policy Read more Parma ramps up sewer construction to ‘eliminate flooding in people’s basements’ Read more Willkommen: Parma hosts visiting German firefighter Read more Olmsted High students collar valuable experience in Polaris’ pre-veterinary science program Read more Adaptive reuse project planned for former Lakewood Board of Education buildings Read more Lakewood using $130,000 Cuyahoga County grant for preventative road maintenance Read more |
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