East Cleveland: East Cleveland City Council named a law after a child who died in a police chase, a tribute that rallied residents and sought to limit the maddening number of pursuits that have divided the city. But the law has never been enforced, reports John Caniglia. So how do you reform a city that doesn’t want to reform itself? Possibilities include merging with another city, filing for bankruptcy, working with the Justice Department to reform its police department and obtaining day-to-day fiscal help from the state. But all would take a radical push from the state or federal government, Caniglia and Adam Ferrise report.

Hotels Cleveland: After more than 18 months of pandemic-induced paralysis, the hotel development pipeline is showing some signs of life, with a new W hotel slated for the Tower at Erieview, a $62 million renovation of the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, and bids to buy the Westin Cleveland Downtown, one of the city’s main convention-oriented hotels, which is facing a foreclosure action. While it may be too early to say that the hard times are over, it’s almost certainly true that the worst times are in the past. Hotel occupancy in downtown Cleveland in August was 62.7%, reports Susan Glaser. The Huntington Convention Center expects occupancy to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.

Horseshoe Lake: The Shaker Historical Society is embracing the recommendation of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District that calls for removing the Horseshoe Lake dam and restoring the area to its natural streams -- not what those hoping to save the lake wanted to hear. Peter Krouse reports the issue is far more complex than whether a historic mill pond that once powered a woolen mill for a radical religious community should be saved from extinction. It’s about the environment, recreation and, of course, cost.

Unemployment fraud: Unemployment fraud has been an enormous problem in Ohio during the coronavirus pandemic, as scammers have exploited stolen personal information from hundreds of thousands of state residents to obtain about half-billion dollars of taxpayer money. So why doesn’t the state proactively tell people about suspicious claims filed in their name, or at least allow residents to check to see if scammers filed a claim using their identity? Jeremy Pelzer reports that the answer is it's difficult to determine how to contact someone about a claim flagged for fraud and that making information public could lead to more fraud.

This Week in the CLE: Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine says he doesn’t plan to recuse himself from hearing a trio of lawsuits challenging new state House and Senate districts that his father, Gov. Mike DeWine, voted to approve. We’re asking how that makes sense on This Week in the CLE, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.

Judge dies: Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Joseph D. Russo died Saturday night. He was 59 years old. His death was confirmed Sunday by Judge Brendan Sheehan, who said Russo died unexpectedly. Sheehan says he does not know if Russo was suffering from any illness at the time of his passing, Jane Morice reports.

Vax-2-school: Beginning today, parents and adults ages 12 to 25 can register at ohiovax2school.com to enter to win scholarships in the state’s latest coronavirus vaccine lottery. Laura Hancock reports winners will receive money in a 529 education savings account that they can use at Ohio colleges, universities, technical trade schools or career programs. A total of 155 scholarships will be awarded.

Possession ruling: Cocaine found in a woman’s system while she gave birth in a Seneca County hospital is not sufficient enough to charge her with felony cocaine possession, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled. The Ohio Supreme Court voted unanimously to vacate Kelly Foreman’s conviction, Kaylee Remington reports.

Abortion statistics: The number of abortions performed in Ohio increased 2.5% between 2019 and 2020, Laura Hancock reports. The Ohio Department of Health says 20,605 abortions were performed in Ohio last year.

Mauling death: A baby girl died Sunday after she was attacked by at least one dog at a home in Akron, police said. Investigators say two pit bulls became agitated as two adults fought in the home. Police say at least one of the dogs then attacked and mauled the 16-month-old child, Jane Morice reports.

Lakefront plan: The Cleveland City Planning Commission on Friday unanimously approved a plan developed by Cleveland Metroparks and other public agencies to use clean, recycled sediment dredged from the Cuyahoga River to create 76 acres of new parkland between the East 55th Street Marina and Gordon Park on the city’s East Side. Steven Litt reports the project, which could cost roughly $300 million, would include 150 acres of land and water.

Townhouses: The Cleveland City Planning Commission on Friday gave its OK to developers who plan to build 42 townhouses on lots behind the former St. Luke’s Medical Center in the city’s Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood. Eric Heisig reports the goal for the 2.2-acre property near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and East 112th Street was to offer new homes in a majority-Black area that had not seen as much development as other parts of the city, even though it is close to higher-priced areas like Shaker Square, Larchmere and University Circle.

Garfield Heights shooting: The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is assisting Garfield Heights police in their probe of a Sunday morning shooting. Ohio BCI spokesman Steve Irwin confirmed the agency is helping investigate a shooting involving officers that took place Sunday morning, but he was not able to provide a time or place of the incident, Jane Morice reports.

Early voting: Voters living in the communities that held Sept. 14 primary elections will begin early voting Oct. 7, two days after other communities can start casting ballots in the Nov. 2 election, Cameron Fields reports. The deadline to request a recount in Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Bay Village Ward 3, Solon Ward 4, Lakewood, East Cleveland and Garfield Heights is Wednesday.

COVID tests: Demand for at-home COVID-19 tests is climbing in Northeast Ohio as more venues and events require a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination for admission. The increased demand has brought concerns of shortages of the rapid at-home tests, which libraries are having trouble keeping in stock, reports Cameron Fields.

Delta waning: After rising throughout the summer, the delta variant of the coronavirus appears to be on its way out, according to new data unveiled Friday by the Ohio Department of Health. Laura Hancock reports that the delta variant appears to have peaked between Aug. 15 and Aug. 28, when it made up 90.6% of the genomic sequencing performed during that time. Its presence has since decreased.

Pregnancy vaccinations: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has strongly recommended COVID-19 vaccinations either before or during pregnancy, because the benefits of vaccination for both pregnant women and their fetuses or infants outweigh known or potential risks. The CDC’s urgent health advisory was meant to increase COVID-19 vaccination among women who are pregnant, recently pregnant or might become pregnant in the future. Only 31% of pregnant women have been vaccinated against COVID-19, reports Julie Washington.

Recycling rates: Recycling has become a lot more challenging in recent years as the markets for such materials as plastic and paper are not as lucrative as they once were. Yet all but two Cuyahoga County cities – Richmond Heights and Cleveland -- still recycle, and Cleveland hopes to reinstate its program on a voluntary basis later this year. Peter Krouse lists the top 10 cities by population in Cuyahoga County when it comes to recycling and composting in 2020.

Sheriff’s deputies: The Cuyahoga County Jail once again had to employ sheriff deputies and protective services over the weekend because of a major staff shortage of correctional officers, reports Olivia Mitchell.

Suicide: A 28-year-old Concord Township man on trial for two killings died by suicide Friday afternoon in the parking lot of the Lake County Common Pleas Courthouse in Painesville, Kaylee Remington reports. Blake Sargi never walked into the courthouse. Instead he shot himself.

Fugitive charged: A federal inmate who eluded authorities after attending the funeral of his 10-year-old daughter has been charged with escape, John Caniglia reports. The allegations stem from Joe Fletcher III running from officials after a federal judge allowed him to attend the services Aug. 18 without a police escort. U.S. marshals arrested him in the basement of an Akron home two days later.

Explosives: Federal prosecutors Friday charged a Mogadore resident with lying to authorities about explosives. John Caniglia reports Andrew Dodson, 32, was accused of making the statements to FBI agents on July 23, a day after he was stopped in Orange on an alcohol-related driving offense and officers found a large stash of chemical precursors that can be used in making explosive devices.

School threats: The Nordonia Hills superintendent is asking the FBI and police to investigate after a former student made Facebook threats against educators for making students wear masks in schools, reports Kaylee Remington.

Bob Gibbs: U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs, a Republican from Holmes County, tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday and is quarantining at home in Ohio. Sabrina Eaton reports that Gibbs, who is vaccinated, is the third member of Congress from Ohio to test positive for the coronavirus in the past two weeks.

COVID roundup: For the second consecutive week, coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have fallen in the state of Ohio. The seven-day average of cases remains notably high (5,793, as of Saturday) compared to the summertime low of 211 (on July 8). However, this is the first time in nearly one month that the seven-day average has been this low, Jane Morice reports in the weekly COVID roundup.

COVID timeline: The Ohio Department of Health issues guidance to more than 3,500 coronavirus-vaccine providers for booster doses of the Pfizer/Comirnaty vaccine. Marc Bona recounts the news in his weekly coronavirus timeline.

Trick-or-treat: When will your city host trick-or-treat? Brenda Cain has a list, plus a list of municipal Halloween events in Northeast Ohio.

Spiderman robot: The stunts we love to watch in movies like "Spider-Man: Homecoming" usually rely on a combination of green screen, stunt performers, and computer-generated models. At the new Avengers Campus at Disneyland Resorts, radical stunts are being performed everyday by a robotic acrobat. See the video on cleveland.com’s sister site, Wired.

House of the Week: A Streetsboro Road “modern masterpiece” in Richfield is on the market for $4,995,000. Joey Morona reports the 2015, 5,111-square-foot home is the creation of its current owners, a designer and an architect.