Opioids panel: The decision of how Ohio will spend hundreds of millions of dollars – and maybe more – in opioid settlement money will be up to a new non-profit, whose board met for the first time on Monday. Jeremy Pelzer reports the 29-member OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board consists of state representatives, local government leaders (including Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish), addiction treatment experts, and others from around the state.
METRO
Stimulus spending: Members of Cuyahoga County Council gave early approval, through several committees Monday, to spend part of the $240 million in COVID-19 stimulus money allocated to the county through the American Rescue Plan Act, Lucas Daprile reports. The county’s community development committee unanimously voted to approve spending $2.5 million to stabilize the Cuyahoga River hillside known as Irishtown Bend and $19.4 million to provide affordable broadband to tens of thousands of county residents.
Safer streets: Cleveland streets could become safer under a Complete and Green Streets ordinance headed to City Council on Wednesday, reports Steven Litt. Co-sponsored by Mayor Justin Bibb as one of 85 items on the to-do list for his first 100 days in office, the ordinance calls for stronger efforts to install landscaping to absorb storm runoff and to equip more streets with safety features that could include “low-stress” grade-separated bike lanes, sidewalk bump-outs at corners, and raised crosswalks, or “speed tables,’’ that would naturally slow traffic.
Outdoor dining: For the third summer in a row, Cleveland officials want to extend pandemic-era rules that would allow restaurant and bar owners to expand seating into parking areas, streets and other public spaces, Courtney Astolfi reports. Though the pandemic-era program expired in November 2021, Mayor Justin Bibb intends to introduce legislation Monday to City Council that, if approved, would allow it to continue through November 2022.
Pet tribute: Jaeger Keene, a German shepherd mix, passed away on March 22, 2022. His owner, Susan Keene, writes in the first of dozens of pet tributes featured on cleveland.com: “There’s NO dog out there as perfect, as loyal and as loving as him. My world will never be the same, but I’m grateful that I was given the gift of his love.”
BUSINESS
Stouffers 100th: This year, Stouffer’s is marking its 100th year in business, reports Marc Bona. The frozen-food company began when Abraham and Mahala Stouffer started serving buttermilk and crackers at a counter in the downtown Cleveland Arcade. Now part of Nestle in Solon, Stouffer’s has a cooking hub, where hours of trials and tastings result in restaurants getting a finished product or a grocery store being able to stock frozen lasagna.
Gas prices: The current average price of gas in Ohio is $4.294 per gallon of regular unleaded fuel, the highest average price on record for Ohio, reports Zachary Smith. In the seven Greater Cleveland counties, the average price peaked at $4.31 per gallon in Geauga County on Friday.
Airfare: Travelers nationwide are gobbling up overpriced airline seats for the summer vacations they haven’t taken in three years. Susan Glaser reports that summer airfare from Cleveland to West Coast cities has skyrocketed compared to summer 2019 prices, before the pandemic rocked the travel industry. Fares are up 99% to Los Angeles, and an eye-popping 159% to San Francisco. In addition to demand, increasing jet fuel prices and decreased seat capacity due to pilot and other staff shortages are causing prices to spike across the country.
Football HOF: The Hall of Fame Village may no longer be “powered by” Johnson Controls, now that the technology company is trying to terminate two deals with the resort company. Sean McDonnell reports Johnson Controls International said it was trying to end two deals made with the Hall of Fame Village next to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
CRIME & COURTS
Police shooting: An off-duty Cleveland police officer shot and killed a teenager in self-defense in Milwaukee during a robbery attempt, according to authorities. Milwaukee police said the 17-year-old boy had a firearm when he was shot. The shooting took place at 12:19 a.m. Sunday morning in the city’s north side. Police would not provide any details on the incident.
Fatal shooting: Police are investigating after Chris’Shon Coleman, 20, of Cleveland, was shot to death about 3:15 a.m. Saturday on East 40th Street near Quincy Avenue in the Central neighborhood, Olivia Mitchell reports. No arrests have been made and police have not identified a suspect in the shooting.
ATV crackdown: Authorities have seized a stolen car and six all-terrain vehicles during a raid on a home on Cleveland’s West Side last week, reports Olivia Mitchell.
Brew Kettle: Investors in The Brew Kettle have agreed to dismiss a lawsuit they filed last month that accused the craft brewery’s co-owners of leaving the company “on the brink of collapse.” Cory Shaffer reports that owners Christopher T. Russo and Rodney Davis, who bought the business in 2013, agreed to resign and sell their combined 25% share of the company’s stock to investor Bryan Weber and relinquish their roles managing the company’s day-to-day operations and finances.
Police chases: Over the first four months of 2021, East Cleveland police officers were involved in a car chase almost once per day, with 40% of them ending in crashes. The new podcast series “Chased,” hosted by reporter Olivia Mitchell, explores the problem of police chases in East Cleveland.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Crocker restaurants: West Siders can get hamburgers at Shake Shack and Indian food from Choolaah at Crocker Commons, which is across from Crocker Park, reports Marc Bona.
Memphis Kiddie Park: Memphis Kiddie Park is celebrating 70 years of summertime kid happiness this season, reports John Benson. The amusement park opened in 1950 with nine mechanical rides, including the train, merry-go-round, airplanes, hand cars, boats, Ferris Wheel, jeeps, Skyfighters and the Little Dipper -- the oldest continuously operating steel kiddie coaster in North America.
