Do yourself a favor and head downtown at some point through the weekend to experience the thrill of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four. Better yet, grab your daughter or niece and their friends and watch their wonder at all the sights around them, even if they get nowhere near Caitlin Clark or Dawn Staley. When the Women’s Final Four was here in Cleveland in 2007, some friends and I watched the semifinal games at a restaurant near the arena. The vibe was electrifying. The place was teeming with college coaches who were in town for their annual convention and shoulder-to-shoulder with groups of fans of the four qualifying schools. Every few minutes we saw another luxury NCAA-branded bus full of people drive by. There are all sorts of free events daily through Sunday’s championship game. No game ticket is needed to feel the energy and bask in the magnitude of the moment. — Kristen Davis |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Coaches Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma remember the lean days of women's basketball coverage. Caitlin Clark can't imagine it. And their difference in experience illustrates the crucial moment building in Cleveland. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com) |
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Women’s Final Four: The NCAA women’s basketball stars have arrived in Cleveland and the crowd awaiting them at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, like the momentum their sport has generated this college basketball season, is massive, writes Jimmy Watkins. Task force: The U.S. Marshals in northern Ohio have launched a permanent missing-children task force. In recent months, Adam Ferrise reports, they helped find a 1-year-old girl and her 17-year-old mother who were kidnapped in Marshallville and gained a confession from a Columbus woman accused of killing a 5-year-boy and dumping his body in a sewer. Marijuana rules: Patients would have more options for purchasing marijuana under newly proposed rules being reviewed by state officials. Laura Hancock reports the proposed rules would expand dispensary hours, OK internet order-ahead, self-serve kiosks and more. RTA tracker: The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has a new website to help the public track its $393 million investment in new railcars. The website includes information on RTA’s pursuit of new railcars, future and past milestones, the latest project news and more, reports Lucas Daprile. Today in Ohio: Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens says lawmakers are unlikely to take any action to change Ohio’s new recreational marijuana law, at least before the state starts sending out licensing applications to dispensaries in June. We’re talking about how Stephens is the one standing up for the will of the voters who passed marijuana legalization in November’s election on Today in Ohio. |
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Sam Randazzo: A judge has denied an ex-regulator’s request to get his Ohio corruption trial moved. Andrew Tobias reports that U.S. District Judge Timothy Black ruled he was not persuaded that keeping the case in the federal courthouse in Cincinnati would be a medical, financial and emotional burden to the defendant, compared to moving it to Columbus, where Randazzo lives. Dennis Kucinich: The author of the "Art Modell" law recently spoke with reporter Sabrina Eaton about the current Browns stadium situation brewing between Cleveland and Brook Park. Dennis Kucinich is currently mounting an independent campaign for the congressional seat that represents the section of Brook Park where the stadium would be located, but questions whether a stadium actually could be built on that site. Stolen funds: A Columbus man who served as a campaign treasurer for more than 100 candidates since the 1980s was charged in federal court with wire fraud after an investigation found nearly $1 million missing. Laura Hancock reports William Curlis was charged by a bill of information that was filed Thursday by the Cincinnati-based U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Ohio. A plea agreement also was filed in the case, but it was not immediately made public. |
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Gaza resolution: Mayor Justin Bibb opted not to sign a resolution passed by City Council that calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, returning the unsigned resolution to council staff on Wednesday morning. By declining to sign it, the resolution formally went into effect, reports Courtney Astolfi. Solar eclipse: Wondering what to expect during Monday’s total solar eclipse? Peter Krouse breaks down the timing of the event, how long it will take, what you can expect to see and much more. In addition, Sean McDonnell reports a survey of 180 businesses in Northeast Ohio shows that more than 80% are doing something different for employees that day, with options ranging from breaks and watch parties to remote work options and shutting down completely for the day. And Cliff Pinckard provides details from WKYC's Betsy Kling's forecast. Stadium efforts: Before there was a Gateway, a Browns move to Baltimore or a new Browns stadium on the lakefront, there were years of work in Cleveland toward gaining support for a domed stadium. Rich Exner’s timeline breaks down prior attempts and a history of efforts for a domed stadium in Northeast Ohio stretching back to 1984. |
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Building sold: The former BP Tower at 200 Public Square is now under new ownership. Megan Sims reports the building sold for $54 million, well below most recent listed sale price on record. It is now owned by New York-based Namdar Realty Group. Film debut: A 101-year-old Cleveland Heights doctor and TikTok sensation is making his film debut this weekend at the Cleveland International Film Festival, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen. Dr. Howard Tucker is the subject of a documentary chronicling his life called “What’s Next.” |
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Hopkins bust: Two men were indicted Thursday in federal court in Cleveland on charges of conspiring to possess drugs with the intent to distribute and possessing with the intent to distribute. The pair are accused of flying from California to Cleveland with more than 16 pounds of cocaine in their luggage, reports Adam Ferrise. Sex offender: U.S. marshals on Thursday arrested a sex offender after he fled the United States in 2015 to avoid facing criminal charges in Cleveland. Stephan Pittman, 46, who once impersonated former NFL quarterback Vince Young in scams to swindle to people out of thousands of dollars, was picked up in Fort Washington, Maryland, Adam Ferrise reports. House fire: A woman jumped from the second floor of a home to escape a fire Thursday in Cleveland’s Broadway-Slavic Village neighborhood. Investigators say the fire was intentionally set and it started in the stairway of the two-family home, reports Olivia Mitchell. Court ruling: A Logan County judge’s decision to let a witness testify via live video feed in a man’s rape trial was unconstitutional, but it was not enough to overturn his conviction, the Ohio Supreme Court held Thursday. The justices also held that even if the remote testimony was removed, there was still overwhelming evidence that Eli Carter committed sexual battery against the woman, so his convictions stood, Cory Shaffer reports. Fatal shooting: Warrensville Heights police are investigating the slaying of Cleveland man. Olivia Mitchell reports officers found Christian Collier on the ground with a gunshot wound. He was transported to MetroHealth Medical Center where he later died. |
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WMMS: The “golden era” of WMMS FM/100.7 is upon us. As Pete Chakerian writes, the legendary rock radio station’s “Buzzard” identity turns 50 this year and David Helton’s off-handed mascot caricature, like the station itself, has ultimately become an emblem of rock 'n' roll music’s legacy and heyday. Ask Yadi: When someone tells you they love you, do you have to tell them you do too? Yadi Rodriguez says it's a word that should not be thrown around lightly. Film fest: Voting is now open for the eighth annual Kids Film It Festival. Founded by Northeast Ohio native Ryan Levine when he was in the seventh grade, the event will take place online on May 17, reports Joey Morona. Art purchase: The Cleveland Museum of Art has acquired a depiction of Hell from Dante’s "Inferno," bringing it one step closer to an influential Renaissance master artist. Steven Litt reports the small terracotta relief sculpture was created by Pierino da Vinci, nephew of Leonardo. |
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Road construction in Northeast Ohio: Detours drivers can expect Read more North Ridgeville teacher honored for her work with water Read more Where are the $1 million homes in Ohio? Half a million? See a city-by-city list Read more One more honor for retired Orange mayor: a letter from President Biden Read more Orange Planning and Zoning Commission to discuss Lander Road rezoning request April 16 Read more Fairview Park’s anti-racism task force offering workshops, making inroads Read more Brooklyn service director inducted into Lake Erie Basketball Officials Hall of Fame Read more Parma considering $2.3 million update to first responder communications system Read more |
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