Larry Doby died in June 2003. Two decades later, on Wednesday, Doby’s family received the Congressional Gold Medal at Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. Cleveland’s All-Star center fielder was the first Black man to play in baseball’s American League. He had little time to prepare, said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who in 2017 sponsored Doby for the honor for his 17-year playing career and his contributions to the American civil rights movement. The bill had 72 co-sponsors. “On July 4, 1947, Larry Doby was playing for the New York Eagles in the Negro Leagues,” Brown told reporter Paul Hoynes. “He signed with Cleveland, took an overnight train and walked onto the field at Comiskey Park in Chicago on July 5 to make his debut.” At the beginning of his major league career, No. 14 had to eat at separate restaurants and stay at separate hotels. “His legacy as a trailblazing player and manager endures to this day, and he will always remain one of the great heroes that our national pastime and nation have ever known,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. Congratulations to Doby and his family. -Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Warmer weather on the way |
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Larry Doby, the first Black player to appear in the American League, is shown at Comiskey Park in Chicago on July 5,1947, before his big-league debut. (Associated Press file photo) |
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Larry Doby: Larry Doby was a Hall of Famer who appeared in seven All-Star Games and two World Series, and hit .288 with 273 homers and 1,099 RBI in his career, reports Paul Hoynes. On Wednesday, Doby's family received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the United States along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Community police: The embattled Community Police Commission may sign off on a policy change that could prevent police leaders from issuing new policies without pre-approval from the commission. Mayor Justin Bibb believes it will have much broader consequences that could threaten the lives of Clevelanders and police officers, reports Courtney Astolfi. Transgender bills: The Ohio Senate passed a bill Wednesday afternoon that would prohibit minors from receiving gender-affirming care and transgender females from playing girls’ and women’s sports. Laura Hancock reports that before landing on the governor’s desk, the bill must return to the Ohio House, which already passed the bill on June 21 but will have to decide on whether to agree with changes made in the Senate. Today in Ohio: When the Ohio House Finance Committee met to consider changing the recreational marijuana rules voters just approved, critics had a reaction. We’re talking about how lawmakers want to change the weed law -- including not letting home growers share -- on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Tobacco law: The Ohio House voted Wednesday evening to override a veto by Gov. Mike DeWine that nixed a proposal to block cities from setting stricter tobacco laws than those of the state, Laura Hancock and Jake Zuckerman report. The House’s 60-31 vote, largely along party lines, is the first in the veto override process. Next a three-fifths majority of the Senate must also vote to override DeWine’s veto. Marijuana law: The legislature appears poised to finish for the year without having made promised changes to the voter-approved recreational marijuana initiated statute, Laura Hancock reports. That doesn’t mean the issue is dead in the legislature. The second year of the two-year 135th General Assembly begins Jan. 1. Gas prices: The state General Assembly passed legislation Wednesday, introduced just one day prior, allowing gas companies to charge customers up to an estimated $67 million per year to build pipelines to speculative megaproject sites. Jake Zuckerman reports the extra costs to customers each month would be limited to a modest $1.50. However, companies could continue to charge customers for up to five years if they can’t recover the full cost of the project sooner. H2Ohio: Ohio will begin testing its major rivers for the presence of “forever chemicals,” which are manmade contaminants linked to health problems in humans, and will also be taking additional measures to improve water quality across the state, reports Peter Krouse. H2Ohio Rivers will also include surveying for the presence of freshwater mussels, which are an indicator of water quality; taking steps to remove or alter dams no longer serving their intended purpose; and preserving riverside forests that are important to healthy streams. Steel surge: Both Ohio’s U.S. Senators want the Biden administration to stop a surge in steel imports from Mexico that violates a 2019 agreement between the United States and Mexico, and that they say threatens the U.S manufacturing base and national security. Sabrina Eaton reports a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators including Cleveland Democrat Sherrod Brown and Cincinnati Republican JD Vance are sending a letter to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan that blames the steel influx from Mexico for at least one plant closure, the loss of over a thousand new and existing jobs, and the deferment of hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment. Impeachment inquiry: The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted along party lines to move forward with an impeachment inquiry into the Biden family’s business dealings that is being spearheaded by Ohio’s Jim Jordan and two other GOP committee chairs, Sabrina Eaton reports. |
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HS sports divisions: The Ohio High School Athletic Association is studying the potential expansion of more divisions across multiple sports, and the OHSAA’s board of directors could act on a proposal by early 2024, reports Matt Goul. Boys and girls basketball are among the potential sports that could see an increase to six or seven divisions, along with girls volleyball, baseball, softball and boys and girls soccer. Child campus: Cuyahoga County is moving forward with its plan to find better housing for youth involved in the county’s Division of Children and Family Services. Lucas Daprile reports the county has selected Cleveland Christian Home as the location for its planned Child Wellness Campus to offer physical, mental and behavioral health services for youth who are involved with the county DCFS. Marianne Crosley: The Cleveland Leadership Center announced Wednesday that Marianne Crosley will be stepping down as president and CEO, and the board has started to look for a successor. Crosley has been in the role since March 2010, Sean McDonnell reports. The organization did not say why Crosley decided to step down. Kindland: Greater Cleveland Volunteers manages a program called Chat Pals, matching up folks with volunteer opportunities throughout Cuyahoga County and building relationships. In his Kindland series, Peter Chakerian reports the phone- and video- based initiative designed to fight isolation and loneliness in the region’s older adult population is doing their kindest by bringing people together. Ice skating trail: Metroparks Toledo debuted the ice skating trail earlier this year, a 1,000-foot-long loop path adjacent to the Maumee River and across the river from downtown. Dubbed the Ribbon, the trail is the cold-weather centerpiece of the park district’s new Glass City Metropark, a terrific outdoor space fashioned from property that once was an industrial wasteland, reports Susan Glaser. |
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MetroHealth: Construction of MetroHealth System’s Outpatient Health Center, formerly known as APEX, has slowed as the health system rethinks how to meet healthcare’s changing future, reports Julie Washington. These design changes will increase construction costs, part of the hospital’s $1 billion transformation plan. Danita Harris: Cleveland news TV anchor Danita Harris is leaving WEWS Channel 5 after 24 years, reports Joey Morona. Corky & Lenny’s: With news of the sudden closure of Corky & Lenny’s Delicatessen rippling through the community on Tuesday, Peter Chakerian and Paris Wolfe caught up with Amanda Kurland -- who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Kenny -- for an exclusive interview. She talked through the events leading up to the decision to shutter. |
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Carjacking: Two of the suspects accused of carjacking assistant Ohio State football coach Keenan Bailey appeared in court Wednesday for an initial appearance on robbery charges, reports Molly Walsh. Authorities said Anyrie Wallace, 18, of Cleveland, and Ja’Brian Howard, 18, of Euclid, joined two youths in stealing Bailey’s Dodge Durango at gunpoint Monday while he was at Ginn Academy on East 162nd Street recruiting players. Street takeover: A Cleveland man is accused of carjacking a man at gunpoint during a street takeover in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood. Jontrell Crockett, 26, is charged in federal court in Cleveland with carjacking and using a gun during a violent crime, Adam Ferrise reports. Fire investigation: Cleveland police and firefighters are investigating a house fire that started early Wednesday morning, reports Molly Walsh. A 53-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man were arrested at the home. East CLE police: The trial of two former East Cleveland police officers charged with taking bribes from an illegal dump operator aims to provide a window into the depth of corruption that tore through the small, cash-strapped city. Cory Shaffer reports that an asistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor said the East Cleveland way was "when you know what you’re doing is wrong, but you don’t think you’re going to get caught.” War crimes: A Parma Heights man admitted Wednesday to lying to U.S. authorities about his war crimes conviction for killing a civilian during the Croatian war in the 1990s. Jugoslav Vidic, 55, hid the conviction so he could obtain refugee status in America. Adam Ferrise reports Vidic, 55, pleaded guilty in federal court in Cleveland to one count of lying on his green-card application. Grinch-like theft: Cleveland police say two suspects broke into the Cudell Recreation Fine Arts Center and stole a Christmas tree and yuletide spirit Monday morning, Molly Walsh reports. |
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Ask Lucas: Trash-talk aside, don’t get caught up in this false dichotomy between skiing and snowboarding, writes Lucas Daprile. Embrace your working-class midwestern roots and turn the resort into a sleddin’ hill. Winning cabbage: A humble Cleveland restaurant made the New York Times list of “23 of the Best American Dishes of 2023.” Paris Wolfe reports they chose Prosperity Social Club in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood for its stuffed cabbage. Bar gifts: Everyone’s home bar could use a sprucing up from time to time, so why not during the holiday season? Alex Darus has 13 great gifts that would be essential for any home bar. |
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Suspect in fatal shootings in Euclid, Cleveland arrested by federal authorities Read more Akron store clerk shot, killed by man trying to buy a cigar, police say Read more Man shot inside home on Cleveland’s East Side, police say Read more Man robbed, shot Tuesday afternoon on Cleveland’s West Side Read more Chagrin Falls High School’s Financial Literacy Team makes history -- wins stock market challenge and heads to nationals Read more Re-elected Middleburg Heights councilman relinquishes seat due to health Read more Beachwood Councilman Eric Synenberg running for District 21 state representative Read more Lakewood to raise water and sewer rates to cover major stormwater projects Read more Tired of state school report cards, Olmsted Falls Schools creates its own model of accountability Read more Olmsted Township police officers officially switch to 12-hour shifts Read more |
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