Do you like your grass clipped neat as a golf course green? Or do you prefer a shaggier surfer cut? The catchy spring trend has been “No Mow May,” which is hard to say and maybe harder to watch as dandelions bloom and weeds grow all month long. It’s a movement meant to provide sustenance to bees and other pollinators at a time when garden and tree flowers have yet to emerge. But it comes with much controversy, not just over how it looks, but also over whether it’s environmentally friendly. Maybe participants can save their patience for No-Shave November instead. -- Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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A number of homes in Cleveland Heights take part in the city’s “No Mow May,” which allows residents to refrain from mowing to encourage the growth of native wildflowers. (David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com) |
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Mow or no: No Mow May - aka the bees vs. the people - is drawing to a close. But it may take a while to declare a winner. Experts say the idea is noble, but a less extreme approach - not mowing as often, for example - is a more practical approach to sustainable lawn management, reports Peter Krouse. East CLE informant: Less than a month after firefighters extinguished the blaze that burned for a week at the former ARCO Recycling Center in East Cleveland, investigators from three federal law-enforcement agencies sat down with the man who ran the disposal site. Cory Shaffer reports the man told the agents in a proffer interview in November 2017 that he had been paying cash to multiple East Cleveland officials in the five years since he began doing business there, a move to curry favor with the upper echelons of the cash-strapped city. Kia thefts: The spike in Kia and Hyundai thefts, brought on by a social media craze that detailed how to steal the imports, has inadvertently boosted Cleveland’s coffers at a time when it says, in a federal lawsuit, that it “has suffered economic damages” because of the thefts. Victims of car theft, or their insurance companies, paid more than $100,000 last year for towed vehicles, reports Molly Walsh. Teacher shortage: Ohio schools are struggling to retain teachers, a state report shows, and the growing rate of teacher attrition could signal an even bigger problem for future classrooms as the state’s pipeline of prospective educators is lagging. A recent report from the Ohio Department of Education shows teacher attrition — those not returning to their jobs in the classroom — is up in schools across the state. As schools try to fill the vacancies, lawmakers in Columbus are considering ideas to fill the shortage — from allowing military veterans without college degrees to enter the profession to increasing minimum teacher pay, reports Laura Hancock.
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August election: Top Ohio Republicans backing a proposal to make it harder to change the Ohio Constitution have predicted a groundswell of voter participation while defending their decision to schedule a rare August election to decide the issue. But Republicans privately are preparing for a typical tuned-out summer electorate and voter turnout close to what would be an historical low, reports Andrew Tobias. Cuyahoga County officials are urging voters who plan to vote early in the upcoming Aug. 8 special election to get their ballot requests in now. Drilling: After more than a decade of delays, oil and gas drillers will be able start applying today for permission to drill underneath Ohio state parks and other state-owned lands. Already, energy companies have expressed interest in drilling under state lands, though it will take at least six months – and possibly much longer than that – before any drilling could start, Jeremy Pelzer reports. Unemployment improvement: The U.S. Department of Labor announced Friday the availability of $653 million in federal grants for states to upgrade their unemployment insurance technology systems. Jake Zuckerman reports states including Ohio experienced lag times for abruptly unemployed workers who deserved benefits, while scammers ripped off residents and walked away with vast sums of public dollars. Sherrod Brown: U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is heading into an election year while finding himself in the increasingly tough position of relying on a Republican-leaning electorate to let him continue his political career. The dynamic could make Brown’s latest reelection bid the toughest campaign of his decades-long career. Andrew Tobias reports how the stalwart progressive is showing signs of how he plans to tackle the problem. |
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Gordon move: Eric Gordon, who steps down in July as the CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, will become the senior vice president of student development and education pipeline at Cuyahoga Community College. Hannah Drown reports the college announced that it created Gordon’s position in an effort to “intensify its focus on student growth and the support needed to help students advance from one educational level to the next.” Cuyahoga chief: After just five months on the job, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne’s chief of staff, Eric Wobser, is resigning to return to Sandusky. Kaitlin Durbin reports he will become CEO of the Greater Sandusky Partnership. Budish move: Former Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish is joining Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Public Affairs and Education as the Mandel public service executive in residence. Kaitlin Durbin reports Budish will work with the college’s dean to “enhance the impact” of the new Levin College nationally and “advance the college’s teaching mission and desire for civic improvement, sustainable regional development, and an appreciation of public service.” Memorial Day: Northeast Ohio had near-perfect weather Monday to honor and celebrate those who have served and fallen for the United States. Joshua Gunter has photos from the Memorial Day ceremony at the Shaker Heights War Memorial. Cleveland's Promise: On an afternoon in mid-April, Almira Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Mary Hejnal is working with a group, preparing them for the English Language Arts portion of the Ohio State Test (OST). The OST is administered to fifth-graders every spring, in two parts each for English Language Arts, math and science. But many of the kids struggle with questions that require extended written responses, Cameron Fields reports. House fire: One person and two dogs died in a house fire on Saturday, reports Olivia Mitchell. A neighbor called police at about 1:24 p.m. and reported they saw smoke coming from a nearby residence in the 14900 block of Sherwood Drive. Lighthouse sale: The West Pierhead Light in Cleveland Harbor is one of four lighthouses the federal government hopes to sell at auction and one of 10 it is looking to dispose of this year, reports Robert Higgs. The move is part of a program run by the General Services Administration that aims to preserve the lighthouses. Properties are given away to qualifying entities or sold at auction to the public. |
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Summer jobs: Businesses struggled to hire people the past three summers. But this year, many Cleveland-area employers report having a much easier time recruiting seasonal employees. Sean McDonnell reports the Cleveland Metroparks are on track to hire about 1,200 to 1,300 seasonal workers this summer, reaching a headcount not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Toxic chemicals: Portage County hosts 23 facilities that reported toxic releases in 2021 to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to new data released earlier this year. Combined, these facilities released 152,322 pounds of 34 toxic chemicals into the environment, Zachary Smith reports. |
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Capitol riot: An Ohio bartender was ordered Friday to spend 8½ years in prison for leading a band of militia members into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta’s sentence of Jessica Watkins was less than half of what federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., had requested. A jury convicted Watkins and other members of the Oath Keepers in November. Officer fired: A Cleveland police officer facing scrutiny for altering a criminal filing without prosecutors’ consent has been terminated. Patrol Officer Lisa Mielnik, a 26-year veteran assigned to the Domestic Violence Unit, was fired on Thursday, reports John Tucker. The letter says that in December 2020, Mielnik added an extra charge to a suspect’s file after a city prosecutor already signed off on the initial charges and in 2019 Mielnik wrongly charged a Columbus-area man with domestic violence. Murder charge: A Summit County grand jury has indicted a woman in the slaying of a Cleveland State University professor last month. Molly Walsh reports Terreionna Paschal, 31, of Cleveland, faces several charges in the death of Todd Morgan, 41, including aggravated murder with a firearm, a special felony, and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. Infant death: Police in South Euclid are investigating the death of a 1-year-old, Olivia Mitchell reports. The office of the Cuyahoga County medical examiner identified the infant as Roni Bell. Fugitive dead: A fugitive who escaped with another inmate from an Ohio prison last week was found dead Sunday in the Ohio River, Olivia Mitchell reports. Bradley Gillespie, 50, and another prisoner escaped from the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima. Auction theft: Thieves sped off with two stolen sports cars as a car auction opened its gates Thursday morning, reports Olivia Mitchell. The chase of one of the cars reached speeds of 163 mph before the stolen vehicle slammed through a telephone pole. |
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Best barbecue: Cleveland.com’s Best of Cleveland team has spent the month of May -- AKA National Barbecue Month -- canvassing our readers for where they find those perfectly smoked ribs, the ones that are moist and meaty, and sauced to perfection. Our readers have chosen the Top 3 best barbecue rib purveyors in “The Land.” Botanical teas: The alcohol-free movement has a new buzz – kava and kratom. These South Pacific botanical teas are coming to downtown Willoughby in mid-June. Lindsey Kronk and Mathew Butler are opening Kava Sol, reports Paris Wolfe. Tina Turner: Tina Turner, who died Wednesday at age 83 following a lengthy illness and a string of health problems, last performed in Cleveland at Gund Arena in 2000 during her Twenty-Four Seven Tour, but her roots as an R&B and rock-star performer in Northeast Ohio go much further back into the 1960s, when she was the star of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. That show, reports Malcolm X Abram, frequently stopped in Cleveland to perform multi-night stands at legendary local venues, including Leo’s Casino. House of the Week: A New England-style home in Sandusky sits on a peninsula down the street from Cedar Point, with views of Lake Erie in the front and Sandusky Bay in the back. Joey Morona reports the 5,078-square-foot home, built in 1997, offers three bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, a finished walkout lower level and a three-car garage for $1,450,000. |
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Male armed with AR-15-style rifle robs boy, 14, of shoes at park’s basketball court Read more 2 dead, 1 injured following car crash in University Heights Read more Dirt-bike rider dies after crashing into curb, pole Read more Woman arrested after trying to urinate on Safety Town in Brook Park Read more Medina third-graders get inside look at city government Read more Avon Lake Schools outlines plans for new construction Read more All Faiths Pantry Wheels for Meals fundraiser feeds the soul Read more |
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