In 2021, Justin Bibb was a 34-year-old nonprofit executive when he bested Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley – also vice chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party – in the mayor’s race. That same night, Cincinnati elected Aftab Pureval, a then-39-year-old lawyer. And this month, Akron chose 32-year-old Shammas Malik, a Harvard-educated attorney and first-term city councilman over longtime Akron official Marco Sommerville, the deputy mayor for intergovernmental affairs. Voters “want a transformative leader, and that person may or may not look like a mayor has always looked like,” Malik said. Those leaders may help develop the Democratic Party in a state gerrymandered to overwhelmingly favor Republicans. -- Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Shammas Malik is set to become Akron’s newest mayor in November. Malik won the Democratic primary and will not face any challengers in the upcoming election. (David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com) |
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Millennial mayors: Shammas Malik, a 32-year-old city councilman with a Harvard law degree, won Akron’s Democratic primary earlier this month, the latest millennial person of color to get elected mayor of a big Ohio city. Andrew Tobias reports what the new mayors could mean for Ohio politics. Jim Brown: When Jim Brown died Thursday night at age 87, he was not just the greatest Cleveland Brown of all time. His legacy encompasses more than his time in the NFL, from which he retired as the league’s all-time leading rusher and soon became a Hall of Famer. It branched out to social activism and acting, and also included a complicated personal life. See dozens of stories on Brown’s life and legacy. Geauga investigation: More than two years ago, some Geauga County officials wanted to ditch an independent contractor handling the water department’s IT in favor of the county’s own IT system— a requirement under Ohio law. Since then, there have been public meetings filled with officials shouting, a wastewater plant shutdown, a lawsuit filed by commissioners against other county officials, and a Russian-based hack of the water department’s emails. This month, reports Adam Ferrise, investigators for the Geauga County prosecutor, along with the FBI and U.S. Secret Service, simultaneously raided the office of a Department of Water Resources employee and a contractor’s business and home. Today in Ohio: A state panel has set the language for State Issue 1 on the Aug. 8 election, asking voters about “elevating the standards to qualify for and to pass any constitutional amendment” -- but not clarifying that they’re changing the approval requirement from 50% plus one vote. We’re talking about trying to trick voters into minority rule on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
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Enhanced licenses: Ohio last month became the sixth state to authorize enhanced driver’s licenses and ID cards, which will allow residents to more easily cross the border into Canada, Mexico and Caribbean nations. Officials in the other states that already offer enhanced driver’s licenses, or EDLs, say the licenses are popular and have generally worked well, reports Jeremy Pelzer. However, the four Canadian provinces that began offering EDLs in the late 2000s have since stopped, citing low demand and more convenient alternatives. |
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Electric rates: Cleveland City Council issued a news release Friday calling on Mayor Justin Bibb to explain what residents might be able to do to prevent increases in electric bills during June and July. Courtney Astolfi reports council’s statement comes on the heels of two public hearings in which members of council’s Utilities Committee criticized Bibb and his team for failing to shop around soon enough for electricity aggregation services for Cleveland FirstEnergy customers. Outreach specialist: Cuyahoga County Council is hiring a communications expert to help elevate its image, reports Kaitlin Durbin. The new, full-time communications and outreach position will advise council members on how to better connect with the communities they serve, share council’s actions and coordinate media strategies “to enhance the county’s and council’s profile.” City increases: Kent, the popular college town in Portage County, had the highest percentage of population increase for any Ohio city from July 2021 to July 2022, according to new census estimates released Thursday. Zachary Smith reports Kent added more than 2,000 people to its population, amounting to a 9.6% increase, more than double any other Ohio city. Bedrock: Early stage “conceptual” plans for a massive downtown riverfront development proposed by Bedrock, the real estate company headed by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, won unanimous approval Friday from Cleveland’s City Planning Commission. Steven Litt reports the project calls for building 3.5 million square feet of offices, apartments, retail, and entertainment spaces between Tower City Center’s unfinished western edge and the Cuyahoga River. |
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Unemployment: Ohio’s unemployment rate hit a record low in April, dropping to 3.7% for the first time since at least 1976, which is when the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking unemployment this way. The state’s unemployment rate dropped from 3.8% in March, which was already the lowest rate Ohio had seen since 2001, reports Sean McDonnell. Restaurant inspections: Each year, cleveland.com publishes a series of stories identifying which food businesses have the most health department violations in the Greater Cleveland area. Zachary Smith reports how we get the data from the Ohio Department of Health for the previous inspection year, which begins on March 1 and runs to Feb. 28 of the following year. Rock Hall: Members of Cleveland’s City Planning Commission on Friday unanimously approved mid-stage “schematic’' plans for a proposed $100 million expansion and renovation of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Steven Litt reports the decision enables the Rock Hall to seek final approval of its plans for adding a 50,000-square-foot wing on the west side of architect I.M. Pei’s iconic glass pyramid overlooking Lake Erie at North Coast Harbor. |
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Infants' deaths: Two infants were found dead on Saturday evening on Ludlow Road in the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood, Cleveland police said. Police released few details but said the homicide unit is investigating the deaths, Megan Sims reports. Lottery fleece: A Euclid man who admitted to fleecing elderly residents by telling them that they had won a lottery or sweepstakes was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison. Adam Ferrise reports Javon Spencer, 31, must pay back $267,000 to his 64 victims and spend three years on post-prison supervision. |
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Playhouse: Cleveland Play House has found its new managing director: Rachel Fink, the current executive director at the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago. Joey Morona reports the appointment marks a homecoming for Fink, who was raised in University Heights and participated in CPH’s children’s theater troupe. Cleveland Marathon: The 46th annual Cleveland Marathon started bright and early Sunday morning for tens of thousands of race competitors and spectators. John Pana has an aerial view of the event. House of the Week: The modern farmhouse at 5687 Graven Way in Wadsworth is the kind of home you’d see on HGTV, reports Joey Morona. Built in 2019, the 7,000-square-foot home is priced at $2,185,000 and offers four bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms and a walkout lower level. |
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Midges are back in Northeast Ohio Read more Two drivers lead police on high-speed chases, crash vehicles in Brook Park Read more Come see the works of more than 100 artists, local and national, at Legacy Village’s Art in the Village, June 3 and 4 Read more Pepper Pike Mayor Bain lauds city finances, services in 2023 address Read more They’ll be kidding around in the Medina County Parks in June Read more Akron’s Jennings CLC chess team win big at Ohio Middle School and High School Chess Championship Read more Lakewood City Council awards $1.5 million in ARPA funds Read more NEORSD busy in Parma with numerous flooding-related projects Read more |
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