The first miles of the Towpath Trail opened in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in the early 1990s. The flat, single-lane path follows the route of the historic Ohio & Erie Canal, where mules pulled canal boats full of passengers and goods in the 19th century. From the beginning, that path has been made of crushed limestone, aside from boardwalk sections through wetlands. Now, though, the national park is considering paving all 20 miles of the Towpath. The National Park Service says high levels of foot, bike and horse traffic create rutting along the trail that worsens in wet weather. Pavement could better accommodate large numbers of visitors and cut down on bike accidents. I’ve been riding and walking the Towpath since the ‘90s and it seems odd to pave a perfectly smooth swath through the natural beauty of the woods. But plenty of other national parks have paved paths. -Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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The National Park Service is planning to pave a large section of the Towpath Trail that currently is covered with crushed limestone. (John Pana, cleveland.com file photo) |
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Paving the Towpath: Runners and hikers are stumbling over a Cuyahoga Valley National Park plan to resurface 16 miles of the Towpath Trail that are currently hard-packed, crushed limestone with chip-sealed asphalt as part of a multiyear plan to update park facilities. The resurfacing is part of a National Park Service plan that would expand and improve the parking at the park, create accessible trails, and add an equestrian trail bridge, among other things, reports Sabrina Eaton. Today in Ohio: The voter-approved recreational marijuana law is largely silent on how Ohioans are supposed to get their legal weed. So can you buy it in Michigan? We’re talking about how you’re probably safe to bring it over the border on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Home buying: As Ohioans looking to buy a new home face sky-high mortgage rates, rising prices and a limited number of houses on the market, a new state program aims to give them a bit of a financial boost. Jeremy Pelzer reports the Ohio Homebuyer Plus program, which is set to go live in January, will allow residents to create special savings accounts with participating banks that pay interest rates somewhere between 1% to 4% higher than usual. LaRose disclosure: Frank LaRose filed a mandatory campaign finance disclosure that shows that he and his wife, Lauren, own assets worth somewhere between $800,000 to $1.9 million, reports Andrew Tobias. These include a joint USAA savings account containing somewhere between $500,000 to $1 million in cash, as well as mutual funds in LaRose’s state retirement account worth somewhere between $282,005 to $630,000. Charging station: Ohio has opened the first electric vehicle charging station in the country built and funded through the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill President Joe Biden signed more than two years ago. The charging station is at a Pilot Travel Center at Interstate 70 and U.S. 42 in Madison County, about 25 minutes west of Columbus, reports Andrew Tobias. |
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School threats: School officials across Northeast Ohio say they received emails this weekend that warned of bomb threats, messages authorities said were not credible. Administrators said the FBI is investigating with local authorities, as there have been similar messages sent across the state. Most expensive sale: A lakefront home in Rocky River sold for $3.25 million in November, making it the most expensive home sold in Cuyahoga County for the month, reports Zachary Smith. Among the other sales in the top 11 for the month, all over $1.2 million, were two homes each in Moreland Hills and Pepper Pike, an additional home in Rocky River, and one home each in Bratenahl, Gates Mills, Hunting Valley, Orange and Westlake. Ohio refugees: Cleveland, like much of the United States, is getting an influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa, reports Zachary Smith. In 2023, 46% of all refugees who came to Ohio were from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (a separate country than Republic of the Congo). White Christmas? Folks who love the Yuletide season often have visions of waking up on Christmas morning, staring out the window and seeing a glistening landscape covered in fresh snow. So what are the chances of that happening this year? Not good, Cliff Pinckard reports. |
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Carbon monoxide: As the temperature outside drops, Ohioans naturally crank up the heat indoors. But in sealed, heated indoor spaces lurks a silent killer: carbon monoxide. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports that roughly 100,000 people end up in the ER every year due to accidental poisoning by carbon monoxide, and it’s responsible for more than 400 annual deaths. Money Talks: There are four basic principles for becoming rich. The first is spending less than you make, writes Darnell Mayberry. Mastering this will automatically grow your net worth. But for many of us, it requires an extreme mindset makeover, which mandates we examine and eradicate long-established habits. Sheetz: The newest Sheetz gas station in Greater Cleveland is having its grand opening on Dec. 21, just a few days before Christmas. The new store is at the northwest corner of Brookpark and Pearl roads — just south of Interstate 480 — and sits on the border of Cleveland and Parma, Sean McDonnell reports. |
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East CLE trial: Jury selection began Monday in the case of two former East Cleveland police officers accused of taking bribes from a former dump operator who was working as an FBI informant. Cory Shaffer reports Demarkco Johnson and Von Harris are each charged with several felonies, including racketeering, conspiracy, bribery and forgery. Doctor suspended: A doctor in Beachwood had his medical license suspended after being accused of sexually assaulting patients, according to police reports and the State Medical Board of Ohio. The board voted to suspend Dr. Jan Kriwinsky’s medical license in a special hearing Nov. 22, Molly Walsh reports. Mistaken arrest: Lorain police arrested a man with the same name as a sexual-assault suspect without first checking to see if he was the right person sought in the case, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday. Adam Ferrise reports the lawsuit says Luiz Alvarez Roman ended up in jail for 15 days before one of the victim’s family members told police that they had the wrong man. |
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Ask Lucas: How can you start saving money in 2024? It’s your future, so it’s your job to plan for it, unless of course you make it someone else’s problem, writes Lucas Daprile. RV Rocking: In this week’s episode of “Rocking the RV Life,” the Kinzbachs share a story about a family’s business that has grown to become a four-dealership RV business and how the decision to start renting trailers led to where they are today. They also talk about the various rock bands they’ve rented to over the years, including the Michael Stanley Band and Aerosmith. |
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2 women robbed at gunpoint by teens after arranging sale of iPhone Read more Suspect in fatal shooting in Richmond Heights surrenders to police Read more Recreation committee tests waters on reopening Heights High pool for community swimming Read more South Euclid council approves 2024 budget, despite differences with judge Read more Adjourned: Bill Lamb retires from Medina City Council Read more Eastlake man dies in 2-vehicle crash near Mansfield Read more Joseph Burke ready to take on Rocky River Municipal Court judgeship Read more Westlake Porter Public Library has new app, two new trustees Read more Local school bus safety activist not optimistic about seatbelts to protect children Read more |
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