You need to calm down. It’s not just a Taylor Swift lyric. It’s a reminder about the solar eclipse, which will reach totality in Cleveland about 3:15 p.m. April 8. The path of totality is where the moon completely obscures the sun, giving viewers the fullest experience of a solar eclipse. The path will make its way from Texas through parts of the Midwest, including Ohio, and into New England. Plenty of sites across Northeast Ohio, from Cedar Point to Spire Academy, are hosting festivals to mark the phenomenon. Plenty of schools are taking the day off. But while the eclipse could easily cause traffic jams on Cleveland highways, you probably don’t need to horde water and toilet paper like it’s Y2K. (Not that we needed to then, either.) Lorain County is warning residents of possible: Shortages of food, gas, and supplies. Increased traffic or jammed roadways. Increased wait times for services such as hospitals, restaurants and gas stations. Possible loss of cellphone signal due to system overload.Cautionary management or overreaction? You could always just stay home and look up (wearing the proper protective glasses, of course). — Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
Northeast Ohio weather forecast: A mix of winter conditions |
|
|
This map shows the path of the 2017 total solar eclipse, crossing from Oregon to South Carolina, and the 2024 total solar eclipse, crossing from Mexico into Texas, up to Maine, and exiting over Canada. (Ernest Wright, NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio) |
|
|
Solar common sense: Lorain County and other parts of Greater Cleveland are hoping for a memorable - and profitable - turn in the spotlight from the rare solar eclipse, Peter Krouse reports. But while officials in states that were within the path of totality in 2017 cite periods of congestion, and the need to plan for it, none contacted this month suggested the need for the level of survival mode Lorain County is promoting. Civil discourse: In an election year, Ohioans are used to attack ads, bombastic speeches and social-media vitriol. But does that have to mean we, the voters, must be at each other’s throats? Braver Angels aims to find healthier, more productive ways for people with opposite political opinions to disagree with one another, and Baldwin Wallace University is integrating the training into a class for all students. Lucas Daprile sat in on a workshop. Today in Ohio: A year after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine and released tons of chemicals, a bipartisan railroad safety bill languishes. We’re talking about which politicians have taken the most money from the railroad industry on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s half-hour news podcast. |
|
|
Senate race: Ex-President Donald Trump has issued his all-important endorsement in Ohio’s ongoing Republican U.S. Senate primary election, backing Bernie Moreno in the GOP contest to face Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in November. Andrew Tobias reports on whether anything else really matters in the Republican primary following Trump's endorsement. Congressional race: Is it better to have an old hand or new face in Congress? Republicans in Ohio’s 5th congressional district will answer that question in next month’s primary when they decide whether they want to keep veteran U.S. Rep. Bob Latta of Bowling Green or pick newcomer Robert L. Owsiak Jr. of Sheffield Lake, Sabrina Eaton reports. Randazzo trial: Describing himself as aging and cash-strapped, yet innocent on all counts, former Ohio utility regulator Sam Randazzo asked his trial be transferred from Cincinnati to the state capital, reports Jake Zuckerman. Biden visit: President Joe Biden will visit the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine on Friday, the White House announced Saturday night. Biden is expected to meet with residents affected by the accident. Semiconductors: The Biden-Harris administration announced Friday that it expects to invest at least $5 billion in semiconductor-related research, development and workforce needs as a way to complement work being done in places like Ohio to build up the nation’s semiconductor manufacturing capacity. Sabrina Eaton reports the investment will be in a new National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), whose location has yet to be announced. Joe Manchin: U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who is weighing running for president as an independent, is booked to appear at The City Club of Cleveland on Thursday. Laura Hancock reports that last month, Manchin – who gained clout in negotiations on Democratic-priority legislation to push the policies more to the right – launched Americans Together, an organization connecting voices in the middle. |
|
|
Brecksville Bees: The trophies – and there are many of them – tell only part of the story of the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees’ 20 consecutive OHSAA team state championships in gymnastics. The hardware belongs to two decades of remarkable young athletes, teenage girls who have endured the pressure of the Bees’ legacy with the poise of seasoned pros, turning in one unblemished performance after another. Meet the gymnasts who set the gold standard. Women’s commission: After a long delay, members of Cleveland’s inaugural Commission on Black Women and Girls were sworn-in by Mayor Justin Bibb on Thursday. Courtney Astolfi reports the commission exists to advocate for programs and legislation that’s intended to improve outcomes for Black women and girls, along with their families and communities, by addressing systemic inequalities and structural obstacles that lead to poor outcomes. CSU president: Cleveland State University President Laura Bloomberg, who has been in the role less than two years, is a finalist to be the University of Minnesota’s next top leader, Kaylee Remington reports. If Bloomberg heads to the University of Minnesota, this would be two consecutive presidents that departed CSU in less than five years. Black history: Since 1997, LaJean Ray has been the director of Catholic Charities’ Fatima Family Center, where she leads the way in making a difference by helping people in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood, reports Molly Walsh. Ray is among the Black community leaders being profiled as part of The Plain Dealer’s and cleveland.com’s celebration of Black History Month. |
|
|
MetroHealth changes: In the year since Airica Steed has taken over MetroHealth System, she has put reforms in place to ensure that unauthorized payments to employees couldn’t happen under her watch and regain the trust of the public and hospital employees. In the wake of Akram Boutros’ leadership, Steed took steps to make what she characterized as “very loose” oversight more rigorous, and cut policies that did not meet industry standards, reports Julie Washington. Home sales: Only four homes in Cuyahoga County broke the $1 million threshold in January, with the most expensive a lakefront colonial in Rocky River that went for $3.25 million. Zachary Smith lists the most expensive home sales. Balloon warning: FirstEnergy reminds people to handle helium-filled foil balloons safely for Valentine’s Day, reports Sean McDonnell. Metallic coating on balloons conducts electricity and if it comes in contact with power lines it can be dangerous — and cause a power outage. Super Bowl ad: Cleveland’s legendary Dawg Pound wasn't in the spotlight on Super Bowl Sunday. But Destination Cleveland launched a new national ad campaign during the Puppy Bowl, the pooch-friendly matchup that preceded the game on Sunday, Susan Glaser reports. |
|
|
Crash lawsuit: A woman whose husband and two daughters died in a head-on crash in southern Ohio has sued an Independence-based moving company and two trucking companies, accusing them of negligence, reports Adam Ferrise. Jamie Johnson of Fairborn filed the lawsuit last week in federal court in Cleveland over the June crash that killed her 45-year-old husband Nathan, 15-year-old daughter Savannah, and 13-year-old daughter Karaline. House fire: A fire in East Cleveland destroyed a home Friday, displacing a family of five. Molly Walsh reports the blaze damaged two other houses, but there were no reported injuries. Car vs. house: University Heights police say a drunken driver crashed her car into two brick homes on Bushnell Road earlier this month, reports Molly Walsh. Conviction overturned: An appeals court has overturned the 2011 conviction of a man who spent eight years in prison for a shooting that his brother has confessed to committing. Cory Shaffer reports the move comes more than four years after Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley rejected a recommendation from his office’s Conviction Integrity Unit to drop the charges against Octavius Williams. |
|
|
Super Bowl ads: Most advertisers used humor and big-name celebrities to push their products in commercials during Sunday's Super Bowl. With time, money and a message to get across, some of the ads hit their mark wonderfully. Marc Bona has a list of favorites. The halftime show: Usher did his best during his Super Bowl halftime performance to remind folks that he has three decades of hits from which to draw. The 45-year-old filled his 13-minute set in Las Vegas with a medley of hits, packed so tight it would’ve been easy to miss the musical whiffs of some of the roughly 14 songs he touched, Malcolm X Abram reports. The broadcast: How did CBS do in broadcasting one of the most-hyped Super Bowls in recent memory? Marc Bona has the positives and negatives. Taylor Bowl: As the Kansas City Chiefs and Travis Kelce won anotherSuper Bowl title in Las Vegas on Sunday against San Francisco, there was no escaping “Tayvis.” Ashley Bastock explains the phenomenon that is the celebrity power couple of the moment. Puppy Bowl: Dozens gathered Sunday at Terrestrial Brewing Company in Battery Park on Cleveland’s West Side to take part in its sixth annual Puppy Bowl event. Megan Sims has highlights. Rock Hall: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame unveiled 15 nominees for its 2024 inductions on Saturday and 10 of them were first-time nominees, including Mariah Carey, Cher, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Lenny Kravitz, Sinead O’Connor, Ozzy Osborne and Sade. Malcolm X Abram reports the other nominees include Mary J. Blige, the Dave Matthews Band, Eric B. & Rakim, Jane’s Addiction, Oasis, and A Tribe Called Quest. Madonna: Madonna has seldom looked back, but her “Celebration” tour is all about examining the decades of her music, her many transformations and, subsequently, her effect on American pop culture and music. Malcolm X Abram reports it is a two-hour audio-visual extravaganza. Exhibition canceled: The FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art announced Friday it is canceling its exhibition planned for the summer and fall of 2025 and is permanently shutting down the project, Steven Litt reports. Classic CLE: There are a staggering number of quenching quaffable IPAs brewed across North America, including several in Cleveland. Peter Chakerian focuses on Fat Heads’ Head Hunter IPA, which is marketed as an “aggressively hopped West-Coast IPA” — and The Brew Kettle’s White Rajah IPA, which is also a West Coast in spirit, but positively East Coast in terms of crushability (read: “drinkability”). |
|
|
Berea plans resurfacing for busy stretch of Bagley Road Read more NOPEC grant enables Berea to continue energy efficiency focus Read more New Orange Councilman Jeffrey Foster looks forward to continuing community service Read more Berea City Schools to switch from Nike to Under Armour for sports uniforms Read more Beachwood council faces another anonymous, accusatory public records request Read more |
|
|
NEW! DINE DRINK CLE NEWSLETTER |
Get the latest news about Cleveland’s restaurant and bar scene. The latest on openings, closings, tastings and other events, plus features, guides, and recommendations from our team of writers and critics. Click here to sign up. |
|
|
Want the top headlines but don't have time to read? Listen to cleveland.com’s Today in Ohio podcast on Spotify, Google or Apple Podcasts. |
|
|
WANT TO SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER WITH A FRIEND? |
Did someone share this newsletter with you? Click here to never miss a day! |
|
|
To contact the newsrooms for any of our publications regarding technical support, news tips, classified ads and other inquiries, please click here. |
|
|
Unlimited Digital Access. |
|
|
Start today for $1 (cancel anytime) |
| |
|
Start today for $1 (cancel anytime) |
| |
|
INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING
OR SPONSORING OUR NEWSLETTERS? |
|
|
|
