Cleveland Schools CEO Eric Gordon announced in September that he would step down at the end of this school year after 15 years in the district. Gordon ushered in a host of reforms, including the launch of the education reform initiative aimed at improving student performance districtwide called the Cleveland Plan, and the “Say Yes to Education” scholarship program. Under his leadership, graduation rates climbed from 52% to a record-high of nearly 81%. The community was surprised by his decision to step down, but “the timing and conditions were right for the district’s transition to a new school leader,” Gordon said. After a national search, Cleveland Metropolitan School District has narrowed Gordon’s replacement to two candidates, both of whom have worked for the district. They’ll be in town Monday and Tuesday to talk about taking over. - Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Warren Morgan, left, and Ricardo "Rocky" Torres are the two finalists for CEO of Cleveland Metropolitan School District. (Photo courtesy of CMSD) |
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CEO candidates: Warren Morgan and Ricardo “Rocky” Torres have advanced to the final stage in the search for a new CEO for the Cleveland school district and will be interviewed next week by eight community panels, the district’s board of education and Mayor Justin Bibb. The panels will include teachers, staff, parents, students, community partners, and union and district leadership, reports Hannah Drown. The board and Bibb will then select a candidate. Arts funding: Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the public agency that collects and distributes cigarette tax money for the arts across the county, appears to be moving toward offloading the management of a controversial grant program for individual artists. During a fiery board meeting, the CAC board voted to award a $20,000 grant to the nonprofit Assembly for the Arts, Greater Cleveland’s new arts council, to “refresh’' earlier research from 2017 about how best to provide grants to individual artists, reports Steven Litt. Childcare cut: State lawmakers this week removed $150 million from Gov. Mike DeWine’s budget plan that would have provided childcare scholarships for roughly 12,000 children of critical-care workers around Ohio. That’s upset childcare advocates, who argue the money is needed to help workers such as nurses, first-responders, and childcare workers themselves who are struggling to pay childcare costs that can reach $10,000 per year and beyond, reports Jeremy Pelzer. Today in Ohio: What Ohio Republicans are referring to as a “Parent’s Bill of Rights” is really just another attempt to rally their base around issues at the heart of the state’s culture wars. We’re talking about that wolf in sheep’s clothing -- House Bill 8 -- on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
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Lottery: As Gov. Mike DeWine’s office has launched an independent investigation into “HR irregularities” at the Ohio Lottery Commission, his state budget proposal is seeking to keep secret the findings of the commission’s internal audits until they’re completed. Jeremy Pelzer reports that language included in the massive two-year budget bill states that “any preliminary or final report of the findings and recommendations of an internal audit performed by the commission ... and all associated work papers are confidential and are not public records” until the final report is submitted to lottery commission leaders. Transgender sports: The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted to ban school athletics programs from letting people whose biological sex at birth was male compete in programs for women and girls. All Ohio Republicans supported the legislation, which passed, 219-203, and all the state’s Democrats voted against it. But the bill stands no chance in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats are in control, reports Sabrina Eaton. Wild animals: The Ohio Department of Agriculture has removed 10 dangerous and wild animals from a Vinton County animal rescue over the last four-and-a-half months after its owner was convicted of stealing money from the township where he worked. Former Vinton Township fiscal officer Cyril Vierstra, who legally changed his full name to Cy, used township money to buy a wildebeest, two snow owls from England, an animal trailer, animal food, five hot tubs, a drone, a popcorn cart, a snow cone machine, kayaks, telescopes, an above-ground swimming pool, a gaming system, and a projector and projector screen, among other things, for the Union Ridge Wildlife Center, Laura Hancock reports. |
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Jayland Walker protests: Akron police officers fired tear gas Wednesday night at people protesting a grand jury’s decision that declined to charge eight officers in the shooting death of Jayland Walker last year. Molly Walsh reports the city could not provide evidence Thursday that protesters initially provoked officers, as the department said it was looking into the sequence of events leading up to the incident on Copley Road. Climate change: There is no reasonable debate as to whether humans are inducing climate change. But some board members of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency don’t believe it. Peter Krouse reports that during a committee meeting this month, both believers and skeptics in climate change sought to invoke the Almighty when staking their positions on a climate-action planning document. Grocery help: The end of pandemic-era SNAP benefits earlier this year meant a loss of about $23 million that Cuyahoga County families were using to cover grocery bills amid inflated food costs, but agencies are partnering together to make sure no residents go hungry. Kaitlin Durbin reports the City of Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Cuyahoga County Metropolitan Housing Authority and Cleveland Department of Public Health are hosting giveaways five times throughout each month. |
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Popular jobs: Industries that are prevalent in Cleveland, like healthcare, social service and production, also are more prevalent in other metropolitan areas that are growing slowly or losing population than those seeing population booms over the past decade. Zachary Smith reports a new Bureau of Labor Statistics report compared popular jobs in metropolitan areas with at least 1 million people with the lowest population growth. Lordstown Motors: Lordstown Motors said it has to raise its stock price to $1 or higher or it may be delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange, reports Sean McDonnell. To raise its trading price, the electric pickup truck manufacturer said in an SEC filing that it may pursue a reverse stock split if shareholders vote to approve it. East Fourth: Downtown Cleveland is one step closer to getting the city’s first designated outdoor refreshment area, or DORA. The Cleveland Planning Commission is set to approve the DORA today, which would allow patrons on the East Fourth Street corridor to have alcohol in designated plastic cups while outside the bars and restaurants, reports Megan Sims. Price hike: Electricity prices will double for many Northeast Ohioans this summer. If you want to avoid paying more come June, now is the time to shop for a better deal, Sean McDonnell writes in his weekly Saving You Money column. The standard price will jump to 12.4 cents a kilowatt hour in FirstEnergy territory this June, up from 5.9 cents in May. Measles: Summit County health officials are investigating one confirmed case of measles in an unvaccinated person and have started contact tracing, trying to identify any other people who have been exposed to the highly contagious disease, reports Julie Washington. COVID boosters: Giant Eagle and CVS are among local pharmacies where the elderly and people with weak immune systems can get a third, updated COVID-19 booster shot, reports Julie Washington. Weekly cases: The number of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio continued moving in an encouraging direction, dropping from 5,165 last week to 3,372 this week, reports Julie Washington. Women’s Summit: The fourth annual Women’s Summit brought together female leaders in Greater Cleveland for a day of networking, mentorship and inspiration. Dave Petkiewicz has photos of the event, with nearly 300 attendees and more than three dozen speakers. |
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Discovery Tours: The former vice president for Discovery Tours will spend five years in federal prison for stealing some $1.5 million from his family’s company, a move that caused the cancellation of school trips for 5,000 Northeast Ohio students. Adam Ferrise reports Joseph Cipolletti sobbed as he told U.S. District Judge Pamela Barker that he regretted his decision to take money from the Mayfield company that set up educational trips for students to Washington, D.C., Chicago and other major cities. Lawsuit dismissed: A federal judge on Thursday tossed out a lawsuit filed by Isaiah Andrews, who spent 45 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. U.S. District Judge James Gwin sided with the City of Cleveland and former police officers, who Andrews’ attorneys accused of withholding evidence that pointed to another suspect in the 1974 slaying of Andrews’ wife. Adam Ferrise reports the judge placed the blame solely on the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office for failing to turn over evidence to Andrews’ attorneys. Hudson homicide: Police are investigating after a 41-year-old man was found dead of gunshot wounds Wednesday evening inside a home in Hudson, Cliff Pinckard reports. Todd Morgan, 41, a Hudson resident, was shot in the head and body, according to the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office. DoorDash shooting: A 22-year-old DoorDash driver making a delivery Wednesday night in Akron has died after he was wounded in what police are calling a “senseless shooting.” Cliff Pinckard reports two suspects are in custody in connection with the shooting death of Jaevierre Greer of Akron. |
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Cuyahoga Valley: Cuyahoga Valley National Park offers all sorts of activities. And now you can camp, with the debut of Valley Overlook at Camp Mueller, a new private campground and cabin community in the heart of the Cuyahoga Valley, reports Susan Glaser. Airport eats: Several popular restaurants at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, including Wow Bao, 800 Degrees Woodfired Kitchen and Cantina Taqueria, have recently reopened after being closed for more than three years due to the pandemic. Susan Glaser reports Shake Shack, the popular burger and milkshake eatery in the airport’s main terminal food court, should reopen in late May or early June. Hofbrauhaus: As sunshine and higher temperatures return to Greater Cleveland, restaurants are opening patios. Hofbrauhaus Cleveland will open its Biergarten with a traditional German Maifest celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 7, reports Paris Wolfe. Chicken wings: The chicken wing has become a staple of the U.S. diet, as American as hamburgers, pizza, and, yes, even apple pie. The Best Of team evaluates wings at 13 pizza chains. Christmas Run: The Cleveland Christmas Run will replace the just-canceled A Christmas Story 5K/10K. The new event will be coordinated by the same organizers, Road Runner Enterprises, but will focus on the city, not just one attraction, Paris Wolfe reports. Things to do: Whether you’re a fan of dance, music, live theater, art, comedy or sports, Cleveland is hopping this weekend. Joey Morona has 17 things to do, including the Cleveland Ballet concluding its season performing with its own live orchestra for the first time. |
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Stark County man sentenced to 30 years in prison for kidnapping 5-year-old, possessing child pornography Read more Macedonia GetGo to receive $100,000 bonus for selling $253 million Powerball ticket Read more Kings Island enacts chaperone policy after weekend arrest; Cedar Point won’t follow Read more Unidentified driver leads police on high speed chase in Berea, then foot chase in Cleveland Read more Berea woman loses $2,000 in gift card scam; CVS worker saves her from further loss Read more Bishop-Elect Anne Jolly visits Medina’s St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Read more More than 40 businesses to take part in May 4 job fair at Solon Community Center Read more Pepper Pike community survey shows desire for sidewalks Read more North Olmsted Police Department tweaks supervisor language Read more University Heights looks to fill vacant City Council seat Read more |
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