In 2017, MetroHealth floated a grand new vision for its 52-acre West Side campus: a “hospital in a park.”
The community embraced the $1.3 billion campus plan, which called for weeding out older buildings, adding new ones, and opening up half of the campus with public park spaces.
Here’s the hospital’s own PR: “We want to turn our campus into something everyone in our neighborhood, not just patients and visitors, can enjoy.”
Now, though, the idea of a 12-acre green space centerpiece on West 25th Street has been axed. The hospital no longer wants to raze a 1992-built Outpatient Pavilion in the way.
The hospital says it studied the need for future growth.
But what about the needs of the community?
— Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Changes to MetroHealth’s ‘hospital in a park’ plan raise calls for transparency - commentary (Litt) |
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Hospital in a park: Steve Litt explores two issues: whether the hospital system could have done a better job of delivering understandably disappointing news and how MetroHealth can deliver as much of the original vision for its main campus as possible, while serving its primary mission of providing high quality healthcare. Dark money: Senate President Matt Huffman has downplayed his association with Liberty Ohio, which a FirstEnergy lobbyist described in a recently released email from 2019 as “Huffman’s C4.” The dark-money group raised nearly $1.4 million from FirstEnergy and other companies and spent nearly as much in 2019 and 2020. Andrew Tobias reports $136,000 was paid to High Bridge Consulting, a Republican political firm in Columbus, and $500,000 went to two out-of-state firms, Ring Limited and Right Point. All three firms went to work for Huffman when he became Ohio Senate president. Jail waste: How did Cuyahoga County fail to recognize it was paying for a jail management system it never used? Lucas Daprile reports it boils down to the following: Fixation from top county officials on a contract signing bonus. County Council being left in the dark on what, exactly, they were approving. A failure to notice monthly charges for an unused service. Lost opportunities to recoup taxpayer money. And a government contractor who made mistakes with zero accountability. Today in Ohio: FirstEnergy Corp. is fighting to prevent the release of reports documenting the Akron electricity company’s internal investigations into the events surrounding the House Bill 6 scandal. We’re talking about how the federal judge ordered their release as part of ongoing litigation between FirstEnergy and large shareholders on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Child care: Ohio lawmakers from both parties introduced six bills last week designed to help address the state’s child care crisis, from expanding publicly funded child care and preschool to offering thousands of dollars’ worth of annual tax credits to employers and families. Jeremy Pelzer reports many of the new bills could – either by themselves or as a group – go a long way toward making child care in Ohio both more affordable and more accessible. However, it’s still not clear how expensive the proposals would be for taxpayers, nor is it certain any could pass. Pot prices: Ohio’s entry into recreational marijuana will launch in coming weeks with long lines, high prices and limited supply for customers, industry experts predict. Laura Hancock reports that you should expect Ohio adults to flood the retail businesses. Fracking clean up: The Ohio Oil and Gas Commission dismissed an appeal Friday in a case involving whether to hand the $1.3 million bill to clean up leaked hydraulic fracturing wastewater to a company owned by a Republican state senator and former commissioner. Laura Hancock reports that State Sen. Brian Chavez, a Marietta Republican who owns Deeprock Disposal Solutions, will not be held responsible. The commission noted a state law that says ODNR must order the owner of a well pay the actual documented cost of corrective actions when there’s an incident at the wellsite. Brown ads: U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s new ad attacking Bernie Moreno, his Republican Senate opponent in the November election, is fueling discontent among some of Moreno’s former colleagues in the car dealership business. Andrew Tobias reports that three Ohio auto dealers, who campaign finance records show have donated thousands of dollars to Moreno and other Republicans recently, issued statements on Friday through the Moreno campaign that call the commercial a clunker. Fibroids fight: U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown says that developing uterine fibroids “was like having an uninvited guest take over your body, month after month, for years,” creating painful, unpredictable menstrual messes that took such a mental toll that she finally resorted to getting a hysterectomy. Sabrina Eaton reports the Warrensville Heights Democrat on Thursday brought her battle against the common medical condition to Congress, introducing legislation she’s dubbed the U-FIGHT Act: The Uterine Fibroid Intervention and Gynecological Health and Treatment Act. |
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Immigrant population: It’s a problem that’s been vexing Cleveland’s leaders for decades: How to reverse the city’s population loss and get the region growing again, reports Susan Glaser. Joe Cimperman, the president of Global Cleveland, believes he has the solution: Attract and retain more immigrants and international students to Northeast Ohio, which has historically been a very welcoming place for people from other countries. Delinquent: The court tried referring Arveontae to intensive family therapy, but efforts stalled when his mother wouldn’t participate. The court referred Arveontae to a diversion program specializing in mental health. That also failed to launch; his mother couldn’t commit. Kaitlin Durbin and John Tucker report in their series, Delinquent, that Arveontae seemed to need more specialized support to be rehabilitated. And he’s not alone. A 2020 Case Western Reserve University report cited research that up to 30% of justice-involved youth suffer a serious mental disorder – a “cause for alarm.” Jacob Derbin vigil: Community members Thursday remembered the bright light of fallen police officer Jacob Derbin. Molly Walsh reports candles flickered as hundreds of residents filled the football stadium at Cuyahoga Heights High School, Derbin’s alma mater, to mourn the slain Euclid police officer during a vigil in his honor. Jecon Derbin funeral: On Saturday, Kaylee Remington reports on the funeral for Euclid police officer Jacob Derbin, sharing the live coverage of the ceremony. Cleveland marathon: The 47th annual Cleveland marathon, which brings in hundreds of runners from all over the country and the world, took place this weekend in downtown Cleveland in warm and sunny weather, reports Megan Sims.
Midges: The spring convention of sex-crazed midges is going on as we speak, and while it may be a little gross to realize the swarming insects are reproducing, know they are doing so for the good of the planet. Peter Krouse reports they are especially active along Lake Erie, where they come off the water, but ponds and wetlands further inland also produce the winged buggers. Home sales: In April, two homes in Cuyahoga County sold for more than $2 million each: one in Rocky River and one in Solon. Zachary Smith reports four additional homes, located in Bay Village, Beachwood, Bratenahl, and Westlake, sold for more than $1.2 million. |
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Unemployment: Ohio’s unemployment is back at 4% after many months of being at historic lows. The state’s unemployment rate was 4% in April, up from 3.8% in March. Ohio’s unemployment rate had been under 4% for 16 straight months and had even dipped as low as 3.3%, a record-low for the state, reports Sean McDonnell. Clinic settlement: The Cleveland Clinic Foundation has agreed to pay $7.6 million to settle allegations that the Clinic failed to disclose that a former researcher had funding from foreign sources on grant applications to the National Institutes of Health. Olivia Mitchell reports the settlement stems from allegations that the Clinic failed to notify the federal health agency that the researcher, who had three federal grant awards, had received foreign aid. Airport customer service: Frontier Airlines announced a series of changes Friday designed to improve its dismal customer service ranking with travelers, including more transparent pricing, the elimination of change fees for most fares and the reinstatement of phone support. The carrier, which is consistently ranked among the worst by U.S. travelers, is calling the changes “The New Frontier,” reports Susan Glaser. Starbucks: A federal administrative law judge has ruled that Starbucks wrongfully fired an employee that helped unionize the chain’s University Circle store, and ordered that he should get backpay and be reinstated. Sean McDonnell reports that the ruling from the National Labor Relations Board came last week, close to two years after the worker was fired in July 2022. Life hacks: Life is so busy and fast these days, sometimes we just need a little extra help with tasks. We find ourselves searching for anything that could make regular to-dos easier, faster or less tedious. Kaylee Remington explores gadgets – from cooling underwear to dry shampoo -- to improve your life. Loiter: Loiter Cafe and Marketplace in East Cleveland is a comfortable space for people to hang out, order coffee, tea and sandwiches or pick up convenience items like milk, eggs, tea, honey and more. In mid-June, Loiter will be the first business to open in the new Circle East development near the border of Cleveland and East Cleveland, reports Paris Wolfe. |
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Akron chief: Akron Deputy Police Chief Brian Harding has been promoted to the top position in the police department. After serving as acting chief since January, following the departure of previous chief Steve Mylett, Harding was named a finalist for the position in April, reports Molly Walsh. Virtual reality: Law enforcement officers statewide will begin using “immersive virtual reality” to boost their training. Molly Walsh reports officers can participate in six scenarios, lasting eight to 12 minutes. The scenarios simulate officers responding to calls involving mental health, domestic violence, school violence, suicide and irate families. Murder indictment: A man charged with murder in the October slayings of two brothers at a Bedford Heights restaurant was indicted this week on new charges, reports Cory Shaffer. Shawntell Ellis, 29, now faces charges including involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, weapons violations and grand theft tied to the deadly shootings of Joshua and Dominic Cunningham outside of A Touch of Italy. Capitol riot: A Painesville man was charged Friday in the siege on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Larry Lucas, 57, is accused of entering a restrictive grounds, disruptive conduct in a restricted grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and demonstrating in a Capitol building. |
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Old 86: Old 86 has spent exactly a year providing a third space for locals to enjoy domestic beers and loud rock and roll music in Cleveland’s Gordon Square neighborhood. The bar has become a neighborhood watering hole for people opting away from crowded breweries or overcomplicated cocktail bars, reports Alex Darus. Cher: Cher has apparently changed her mind and will be in Cleveland in October for the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions after all, reports Malcolm X Abram. The legendary singer says, “I’m going to have some words to say. I’m going accept it as me.” Rock Hall: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Library and Archives will host an open house event on June 26 to celebrate it’s new exhibit about the “World Series of Rock” concerts that took place from 1974 through 1980 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, reports Malcolm X Abram. House of the Week: Chagrin Falls is the sort of place many people dream about living in with its tree-lined streets, pretty natural surroundings and charming downtown, reports Joey Morona. 49 Church Street is in the middle of all of it, built in 1903, thoughtfully renovated and priced at $1.25 million. |
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Kelsey Elizabeth Cakes closing Avon Lake location, opening in Bay Village Read more Berea City Schools’ financial forecast shows FY25 deficit spending Read more Middleburg Heights urges state to enact property valuation freeze Read more Third time’s a charm: Berea mayor gets partial cannabis ban Read more |
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