WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2025 |
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Brace yourself if you despise encountering any type of traffic. Two ramps at the Interstate 480 and I-77 interchange will be closed for more than four months so ODOT can replace bridge decks. You read that right, four-plus months: Late April through early September. (We also learned of a detour on Ohio 176 that starts Monday and goes through November). The I-480/I-77 detours are dreadful and will impact about 16,000 motorists daily. In one example, if you’re driving east on I-480 and want to take I-77 north to get to Cleveland, you’ll have to remain on I-480, exit at Transportation Boulevard and then get on I-480 west to access I-77 north. If you already loathe driving over the Valley View Bridge, prepare yourself for a back-and-forth all summer. — Kristen Davis |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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A sign on I-480 east before the I-77 north ramp lets people know that they will need to take a detour starting April 28 and lasting through September. (David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com) |
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Major detours coming: Two major ramps connecting Interstate 480 to I-77 will be closed this spring and summer so bridge decks can be replaced, forcing about 16,000 motorists a day to find new routes, Rich Exner reports. Food Bank: The shelves of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank will be emptier after the U.S. Department of Agriculture quietly canceled 553,000 pounds of food that was expected to help those facing food insecurity, Molly Walsh reports. The food bank learned on Tuesday that it is a victim once again of funding cuts under the Trump administration. Twenty semi-truck loads of food, worth $1 million, from the Emergency Food Assistance Program have been canceled. Moving cannabis: For many companies that transport cannabis and the cash generated by it across Ohio, there are few better candidates for the job than current or former police officers, Lucas Daprile reports. The skills required for law enforcement transfer well to the cannabis transportation industry because officers are trained to “be aware of your surroundings and know how to react and know what to avoid." Intel agreement: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says state officials have little power to claw back $600 million in state grants awarded to Intel for a $28 billion computer-chip manufacturing complex in Ohio, Jeremy Pelzer reports. The grant money is part of more than $2 billion offered by Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration to the Intel project. Today in Ohio: The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is facing the potential loss of about $2 million worth of food for local families because of the cancellation of federal support for emergency food assistance. So how many Ohioans will go hungry as a result? We discuss that and more on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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School funding: Public schools could lose state funding for using student names and pronouns that don’t align with their birth gender without written permission from parents, reports Laura Hancock. House Bill 190 also penalizes schools if administrators, employees or contractors even ask students for their preferred names and pronouns. Officer harassment: Two Ohio House Republicans proposed a bill Tuesday that would allow sentences of up to six months for those who “harass” police officers – legislation its sponsor said could clash with citizens’ basic First Amendment rights, reports Jake Zuckerman. House Bill 20 establishes a new offense for those who “harass” – defined as conduct causing “substantial emotional distress” to an emergency responder in a manner that hinders their ability to perform their legitimate official duties. Greenland visit: Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance are heading to Greenland on Friday to receive a briefing on Arctic security issues and to meet with U.S. Service members, Sabrina Eaton reports. Emission legislation: U.S. Rep. Max Miller wants the Department of Energy to collaborate with private industry on a dedicated research program that would develop and promote the use of low-emission cement, concrete and asphalt products, reports Sabrina Eaton. Miller teamed up with North Carolina Democrat Valerie Foushee on legislation they call the Innovative Mitigation Partnerships for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies (IMPACT) Act. China, Iran ban: Ohio Republicans are pushing to ban “foreign adversaries” from buying land near critical infrastructure, citing national security risks like espionage or cyberattacks, Anna Staver reports. But one Northeast Ohio Democrat warns the proposal could also stop foreign-born athletes and doctors working in Cleveland from buying homes. Politics and vacation: Americans are increasingly making decisions about where to go on vacation based on their political views, according to a recent poll of U.S. travelers. According to the poll, the percentage of travelers who say politics will “greatly impact their travel choices” has increased from 24% in September to 42% in March, Susan Glaser reports. |
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Strike threat:Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities employees are threatening to go on strike following months of failed negotiations for a new contract, a move which could have an “extreme” impact on services, according to the union that represents them, Kaitlin Durbin reports. Members have not yet set a strike date, though, and are hoping to negotiate a new contract before they have to, according to Michael Wood with SEIU. Home repairs: The city of Lorain and the Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority are working with Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity to help revitalize the city’s South Lorain neighborhood, reports Megan Sims. Habitat has pledged to spend $600,000 on at least 30 critical home repair projects in the southside neighborhood. Demolition delayed: The demolition of a car dealership destroyed by a fire has been pushed back because of an asbestos study, according to the Cleveland Building and Housing Department, Olivia Mitchell reports. BYRIGHT Auto Sales, located at 4810 Lorain Ave., was scheduled for demolition Tuesday. The building and several cars were damaged after a fire on Dec. 9. Investigators ruled the fire an arson. |
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Gas prices rising: The average price for a gallon of gasoline in Ohio rose this week, going from $2.890 on March 17 to $3.083 Monday, Molly Walsh reports. In the Cleveland, Lorain and Elyria metropolitan area, gas prices have also climbed, AAA reports. Ohio tech company: Eagle Electronics, created in September largely by the O.H.I.O. Fund, boasts of starting production this month on the first 4G modules ever made in the United States, Rich Exner reports. The modules are small computer components that connect any number of things to the internet through cell towers. Allergy forecast: Allergy sufferers in Cleveland and Akron can look forward to less wheezing and sneezing this spring, reports Julie Washington. That’s because allergy season is forecast to be better than average in both areas, according to the 2025 Allergy Capitals ranking from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, a nonprofit patient-focused organization. |
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Pastor charged:A Cleveland pastor who was carried out of a Cuyahoga County Council meeting last month while protesting the county’s investment in Israel bonds has been charged with a felony, reports David Gambino. Rev. Evan Bunch, 38, was indicted Monday by a county grand jury on charges of felony obstructing official business, along with misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, disturbing a lawful meeting and disorderly conduct. Illegal vape operation: An owner of a butcher shop in University Heights was charged in connection with multimillion-dollar operation that authorities say sold illegal, unregulated THC vape cartridges around the country, Adam Ferrise reports. Eyton Senders, one of two brothers who bought Tibor Kosher Meats in 2019, worked with several others as the secret owners of Dank Vapes and Dankweeds, which sold more than 3.7 million cartridges across the country for at least $110 million, according to federal prosecutors. Hit-and-run suspect: Police have identified a suspect in a hit-and-run crash at a Marc’s parking lot in Parma, an accident that injured a woman and her 2-year-old child. The suspect is an 88-year-old Parma resident, but police have not released the resident’s name because he has not been arrested nor charged, Lucas Daprile reports. |
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‘The Body Play’ debuts: "The Body Play," a new work by Madison Wetzell, will make its world premiere Friday at Cleveland Public Theatre, Joey Morona reports. Directed by Paige Conway, the show is a physical comedy that tackles the serious subjects of chronic illness and the often frustrating healthcare system. 'Black Panther' concert: The Cleveland Orchestra and conductor Anthony Parnther present “Black Panther In Concert” this Friday and Saturday at Severance Music Center, Peter Chakerian reports. This limited engagement features famed composer Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar and a Grammy-winning score performed live by the Cleveland Orchestra to underscore the motion picture in its entirety. Broadway lineup Akron: Playhouse Square has revealed the lineup for its 2025-26 Broadway in Akron series, featuring a mix of award-winning hits, beloved classics and family-friendly favorites coming to E.J. Thomas Hall, reports Joey Morona. The season kicks off Sept. 30-Oct. 1 with “The Book of Mormon,” the Tony Award-winning musical satire that follows two young Mormon missionaries sent to Uganda on a life-changing journey. |
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Shaker looks at ‘proactive’ approach to apartment code enforcement Read more Strongsville to sell 87.5 acres of industrial land as the city extends Foltz Parkway Read more Valor Acres park featuring indoor pavilion & stage wins final approval in Brecksville Read more Olmsted Township trustee surprised by administrator’s licensure issue Read more Avon Lake voters to decide May 6 on renewal levy for city services Read more |
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