Six Northeast Ohioans are competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics, beginning with opening ceremonies today and running through Aug. 11. Nearly 600 Americans will take part in 33 sports over the 15 days. What are your favorite events? I’m a swimmer, so those are among my favorites. A few weeks ago, I watched the Olympics swim team trials in Indianapolis, where organizers built an incredible pool inside Lucas Oil Stadium. It may be the closest I ever get to the Olympics. I also can’t wait for artistic swimming; for the first time in 16 years, the United States is sending a full team of nine. And of course, gymnastics with Simone Biles. Plus all our Northeast Ohio athletes. Let the games begin! — Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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LeBron James is one of six Northeast Ohioans who will compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. (Associated Press) |
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Ohio Olympians: Meet the six Northeast Ohioans who will be in Paris for the Olympics. Tim Bielak explains when you can watch them compete. Chasing 'Superman': How did cleveland.com cover the making of the "Superman" movie? Joey Morona narrates how our team gave readers a rare glimpse inside the making of a major Hollywood motion picture on a tightly secured, closed set. Today in Ohio: Sorry, no podcast again Thursday because Editor Chris Quinn is sick with COVID-19. |
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Ohio ballot: National Democrats are moving ahead with plans to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris for president via an online vote prior to next month’s Democratic National Convention, arguing that it’s needed to forestall a GOP legal challenge intended to keep Harris off the Ohio ballot in November, Jeremy Pelzer reports. But Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is balking at that argument, saying that Democratic leaders are using fears about Ohio as an excuse to ram through Harris’ nomination and avoid a contested convention. Redistricting: Ohio Republicans are considering trying to foil a redistricting reform amendment that recently qualified for the November ballot by putting up a separate redistricting proposal of their own to compete with it, according to a Republican state lawmaker who said she has discussed the plans with legislative leadership, Andrew Tobias reports. Chicken wings: The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that a man who choked on a bone in what were supposed to be boneless wings cannot proceed with his lawsuit against the restaurant that served him, reports Jake Zuckerman. False registration: A Lake County Common Pleas Judge on Thursday sentenced the Democratic congressional candidate challenging incumbent GOP U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce of South Russell to 30 days in the Lake County jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of filing a false voter registration. Sabrina Eaton reports the Lake County Sheriff’s Office filed the charge in March against Brian Bob Kenderes, the only Democrat who filed paperwork to seek the Republican-leaning seat in Ohio’s northeast corner that represents all of Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula, and Trumbull counties, and all but a sliver of Portage County. Redistricting amendment: Ohio Republicans are considering trying to foil a redistricting reform amendment that recently qualified for the November ballot by putting up a separate redistricting proposal of their own to compete with it, reports Andrew Tobias. |
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Convention center: Cuyahoga County Convention and Facilities Development Corp. today will mark completion of a yearlong, $51 million renovation and expansion of the onetime Global Center funded largely with public dollars. The goal of the project was to turn the four-story, 11-year-old building at 1 St. Clair Ave. N.E. into a fully integrated part of the adjacent Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, located beneath the downtown Mall. The event will conclude a 15-year urban saga marred by flawed logic, civic hubris and too much deference paid to the Cleveland Clinic, writes Steven Litt. Construction permits: Mayor Justin Bibb on Thursday signed an executive order pledging to streamline and improve Cleveland’s cumbersome construction permitting process. Courtney Astolfi reports the goal is to make Cleveland a better place to do business and improve predictability and efficiency in obtaining a permit, which, at times, can involve sign-offs from 10 or more city departments. EPA grants: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded more than $20 million in Community Change Grants to the MetroHealth System and the Trust for Public Land in Ohio to take on issues of climate and environmental justice in disadvantaged communities. Peter Krouse reports the money will be used on “projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience and build community capacity.” Collective Thoughts: A community-led group called Collective Thoughts is bringing people together to think about, listen and learn from each other’s perspectives, perhaps reshaping opinions. Kaitlin Durbin reports the group, which meets at 9 a.m. on the second and fourth Sundays of each month, shares thoughts on local issues, like addressing homelessness, gentrification and rental properties, as well as national topics, like gun rights, education, cancel culture and the presidency. Smart park: More than 2,000 Northeast Ohio travelers have taken advantage of the newest amenity at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport – a reservation system that guarantees a parking spot within a short walk of the terminal. Susan Glaser reports the airport last month launched the system, which allows travelers to reserve a space in the Smart Parking Garage in advance of their trip. Art fund: The City of Cleveland’s new $3 million Transformative Art Fund is giving money to seven Cleveland artists who will lead creative teams with more than 200 participants in projects unfurling across the city over the next year. Steven Litt reports projects include painting murals in six neighborhoods, deconstructing and recycling a vacant house in Kinsman, activating public spaces in Asia Town, creating a garden in Clark-Fulton and staging festivals in Hough. Drought: Moderate drought conditions continue in Northeast Ohio, although the areas of the drought have shifted east, while conditions in southern Ohio have continued to worsen, reports Zachary Smith. The portion of the state classified as being in a severe drought expanded slightly this week, mainly in southeastern Ohio. Athletic complex: Urban Community School on Cleveland’s West Side may soon be getting a new athletic center. Plans submitted to the Cleveland Planning Commission show a new athletic center for the school that would be located on a 1.2-acre site on the east side of West 47th Street, Megan Sims reports. Kindland: There's still time to participate in the Kindland/Values in Action annual “Summer of Kindness” initiative, which kicked off with the end of the 2023-24 school year. Peter Chakerian reports that you can complete acts of kindness on the “Summer of Kindness” challenge board, make your world a kinder, friendlier place and get in the mix for some amazing raffle prizes. Gorilla mother: Fredrika, better known as Freddy, is a gorilla at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo who, at 50 years old, has lived more than a decade beyond life expectancy for a gorilla in captivity. Robert Higgs reports the aged gorilla is actually nursing her baby, an experience has revealed much about the adaptability of gorillas and how they function as a family group. Skate class: More than two dozen kids gathered Wednesday at Lakewood Skatepark for free skateboarding lessons as part of a volunteer program dropping into halfpipes around the region, reports Cory Shaffer. Kid’s Skate Day, started by local mom Amanda Boots, featured four volunteer coaches who taught the youngsters basic skills, like balancing, pushing, turning and riding during the two-hour session. |
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MetroHealth leave: MetroHealth System CEO Airica Steed expects to return from medical leave by mid-August, reports Julie Washington. Rock Sports: Dan Gilbert’s Rock Entertainment Group is teaming up with Gray Media, one of the nation’s largest owners of local television stations, on a new TV venture that will bring free, live sports programming to audiences in Cleveland and Cincinnati. Joey Morona reports Rock Entertainment Sports Network will launch in the fall, broadcasting Cleveland Monsters, Cleveland Charge, Lake Erie Crushers and St. Edward football games over-the-air on channel 22.1. Sports medicine: Experts in sports medicine and performance technology gathered at Browns Stadium Thursday morning to share insights on the intersection of sports, technology and healthcare, Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports. Saving You Money: Did you know it is totally OK to bring outside food into Progressive Field? Sean McDonnell discovered you can bring your own chicken, Chipotle, pizza and snacks instead of buying $5 bottles of water and hot dogs at the park. COVID numbers: For the eighth consecutive week, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio worsened, rising from 3,896 last week to 4,575 this week, reports Julie Washington. Beginning in spring, case numbers moved steadily downward, but have been on an upward swing since early June. |
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Ru-el Sailor: Attorneys for the city of Cleveland on Thursday fired harsh accusations at a man who served 15 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, saying that Ru-el Sailor carried out a “pattern of fraud” in multiple courts over the last two decades. Adam Ferrise reports the filing in federal court in Cleveland doesn’t challenge Sailor’s innocence in his murder case, but it does say he gave false testimony, tried to tamper with witnesses and fabricated evidence in his quest to be released from prison and win a lawsuit he filed against Cleveland over accusations of police misconduct. ATV chase: The chase for a stolen ATV in Cleveland didn’t last long. A suspect grabbed the vehicle over the weekend, but he ran out of gas about a block from a nearby police station, reports Lucas Daprile. Akron police: Akron officials agreed to a slew of policy changes on Thursday as a part of a settlement in a lawsuit that accused police officers of using excessive force on protesters who demonstrated against a grand jury’s decision not to indict eight officers who fatally shot Jayland Walker. Adam Ferrise reports the lawsuit, filed by the Akron Bail Fund, accused police officers of unlawfully pepper-spraying and shooting tear gas at people demonstrating on city sidewalks. Medina shooting: The Medina County sheriff and a deputy involved in the fatal shooting of a woman outside of their office have returned to duty less than a week afterward, reports Olivia Mitchell. Homicide charges: A Cleveland man is facing homicide charges after police say he crashed into an SUV after speeding through a red light in the city’s Glenville neighborhood on Sunday, causing a passenger’s death, reports John Tucker. Abuse charge: A former Cleveland State University violin instructor is accused of sexually abusing a child over the span of several years. Odin Rathnam, 58, of Sheffield Lake, was arrested July 12 on a warrant involving rape from Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, court records show. |
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Rocket Pop: Peter Chakerian adores summer and anything that kickstarts the wayback machine to the July of his mind. He’s obsessed with the new Great Lakes Brewing Co. “limited edition” hard seltzer out now called Rocket Pop. Finders Keepers: Amany Makari, 59, is the owner of a resale store called Finders Keepers Corner in Berea, reports Kaylee Remington. She loves to decorate her home, so she decided why not continue to do something that makes her happy and help others beautify their home without breaking the bank. Bagel biz: Jarred Bournigal of Old Brooklyn has been obsessed with eating bagels his entire life. So much so that he learned to make them himself and recently began selling them out of his house as Old Brooklyn Bagels, reports Alex Darus. Verbena: Molly Cheraso opened Verbena Free-Spirited Shoppe, a coffee bar by day and spirit-free bar in in the afternoon/evening, in Hingetown one year ago. Little did she realize that functional beverages would become a big part of her non-alcohol menu, reports Paris Wolfe. Lonz Mansion: On Middle Bass Island, Ohio is working to restore the historic home occupied for decades by prolific winemaker George Lonz. Susan Glaser reports the $3.9 million renovation of the mansion, built in 1906 near the southern shore of the island, a short walk from what was once the largest winery in the United States, will feature a house museum to tour on the first floor, plus four bedrooms to rent for overnight stays on the second. Things to do: Summer is in full swing. Joey Morona has 20 events and activities to choose from, from festivals and theater shows to concerts, carnivals and more. |
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A giant lizard usually found in Africa surprises Lake County resident in backyard Read more Parma and Parma Heights police join forces with Tri-C for next Citizens Police Academy Read more Northeast Ohio road construction: Are there new detours drivers can expect? Read more Cleveland Heights loses parks and rec director, gains new ARPA consultants Read more Parma Schools completes Renwood Elementary demolition, talks with city about future of property Read more |
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