Watching a freighter navigate the curves of the Cuyahoga River is mind-blowing. They’re steel behemoths, as long as the Terminal Tower is tall, many of them senior citizens by now. Yet the lakers continue to crisscross the Great Lakes, quietly delivering thousands of tons of iron ore, coal and aggregate to ports in industrial cities. The 72-year-old, 698-foot Michipicoten made national headlines this month when its hull cracked – how, no one knows. It had to be rescued on Lake Superior. But the boat is forever tied to Cleveland. Originally named the Elliott Hoyt II, in honor of a Clevelander, and owned by Middleburg Heights-based Interlake Steamship, the freighter in 1997 became the largest vessel to sail the Cuyahoga River. It’s had plenty of mishaps in its storied career.
— Laura
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Guardians at Toronto Blue Jays: Guardians mount late comeback but fall to Toronto, 7-6 Northeast Ohio weather forecast: In a word ... hot |
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Michipicoten, the freighter rescued on Lake Superior after water poured into a mysterious 13-foot gash in its hull earlier this month. (Photo by Michael Hull) |
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Cleveland freighter: Peter Chakerian and Peter Krouse report the Michipicoten had been spending its present days hauling iron ore from one side of Lake Superior to the other when earlier this month the ship suddenly took on water in its hull. DeWine dark money: Gov. Mike DeWine has said he didn’t know the extent of FirstEnergy’s dark money support for his gubernatorial races. But newly revealed text messages and other documents suggest he personally solicited some of the money from FirstEnergy’s top executive, reports Jake Zuckerman. Texts depict DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted as powerful insiders lobbying for House Bill 6, legislation that bailed out the nuclear plants while also providing FirstEnergy a roughly $50 million per year “decoupling” revenue stream. Today in Ohio: When the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday heeded Jim Jordan’s call to find U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over a special counsel’s recorded interviews with President Joe Biden, Ohio’s Dave Joyce was the only Republican who dissented. We’re talking about his principled stand on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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'Intellectual diversity': The Ohio Senate this week confirmed seven academics to oversee Cleveland State University’s new “intellectual diversity” center, set up by Republican lawmakers to combat perceived liberal bias on campus. Jeremy Pelzer reports the Senate’s approval of the appointees to CSU’s Center for Civics, Culture, and Society came over objections by a top Democratic leader that three are from outside Ohio and one has written “inflammatory” statements about LGBT and racial issues. Great Lakes help: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded Ohio State University $4,852,566 to spearhead a new educational initiative that will train workers to meet the specialized needs of the water industry in the Great Lakes, reports Sabrina Eaton. The Ohio money was part of $60 million in Inflation Reduction Act money that NOAA and the Department of Commerce awarded to nine projects around the country. Bernie in CLE: U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is headed to the Cleveland area next week to headline a union-hall rally in support of a proposed ballot issue that would ask voters to hike Ohio’s minimum wage to $15 an hour if the proposal qualifies for the November ballot, Andrew Tobias reports. Deep fakes: An Ohio House committee advanced legislation Wednesday aimed at cracking down on “malicious deep fakes” – synthetic videos or recordings that depict real people in a false, demeaning or sometimes sexualized light. Jake Zuckerman reports victims of a deep fakes intended to cause harm, should the bill become law, could file a lawsuit seeking economic and punitive damages from whomever created or distributed the media without consent. |
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Ransomware: After a week with sparse details and cryptic references to a “cyber incident” at City Hall, Cleveland officials on Friday admitted that city government systems were hit with a ransomware attack. Courtney Astolfi reports City Hall will be closed to the public again today. Refugee perspective: Ukraine, like most countries, has stricter gun laws than the United States and that has surprised at least one Ukrainian refugee in Cleveland. Molly Walsh reports the mom of an 11-year-old boy said she had heard about gun violence and crime in the United States, but she thought it was dramatized on television and not a common occurrence. Summer festivals: For years, weekend events have brought a slice of Americana to summer, with their fair food, homemade pastries, live music and rides. Today, summer festivals, whether sponsored by churches or communities, have become increasingly violent, as authorities say packs of youths attend simply to cause trouble, Molly Walsh reports. Events canceled: The City of Akron called off all large events last weekend after eight City Council members expressed safety concerns following the June 2 shooting that left one dead and 28 injured at a birthday party in the city, Kaylee Remington reports. Mayor’s crash: Mayor Justin Bibb this week has landed on a list of mayors who have faced controversy after their drivers used emergency lights or sirens to blow through traffic signals at intersections, resulting in crashes. Courtney Astolfi reports Bibb’s driver is under investigation for potential policy violations after surveillance video showed he used his emergency lights to cruise through a red light in downtown Cleveland. Fatherhood Initiative: Friday's 18th annual Cuyahoga County Fatherhood Initiative conference, held annually days before Father’s Day, recognizes some of the fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers and father figures in the community who are modeling healthy father-child relationships, Kaitlin Durbin reports. Our Best Life: Laura Johnston explains Gen Z slang, including the evolution of the word “preppy.” |
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Rock Hall business: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will play host to the June Jamboree on Tuesday, reports Malcolm X Abram. The outreach event hosted in conjunction with the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) of Northern Ohio and the Greater Cleveland Partnership will happen from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and is designed to help local minority and women-owned contractors and business owners connect. Nurse prep: University Hospitals is expanding its nursing preparatory program for high school students in order to accommodate a greater number of applicants, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen. The UH Future Nurse Academy now will include three locations, tripling the opportunity for area high school students to participate. Drowning rates: After decades of decreasing drowning rates in the United States, rates of people drowning increased, and racial and ethnic disparities widened following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Julie Washington. |
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Bodily fluids: A Cuyahoga County jail guard has been indicted with a convicted bank robber on charges of throwing bodily fluids at corrections supervisors Tuesday at the jail. Olivia Mitchell reports a county grand jury indicted Austin Casto, 25, on five counts of harassment with bodily substances. Murder for hire: Angered that a leader of his mosque asked him to lower his voice during prayer, Issa Yusef became so enraged that he planned to pay a man with a gun worth $400 and give him a Cleveland police uniform to wear to killing the mosque leader, according to prosecutors. Adam Ferrise reports the FBI recorded conversations that showed Yusef illegally trafficked guns and assisted in an effort to smuggle guns to the Middle East, hidden in humanitarian aid packages in a scheme that involved a Cleveland assistant principal. Murder conviction: Cuyahoga County prosecutors on Thursday dropped all charges against a man whose 2011 attempted murder conviction was overturned after his brother confessed multiple times to the shooting. Cory Shaffer reports that Octavius Williams will not face a second trial after spending eight years in prison for the shooting. Nude photos: A federal judge ordered a Streetsboro man to pay $150,000 to a woman whose stolen nude photos were twice posted online. U.S. District Judge John Adams in Akron issued the default judgment last week against Robert Campbell Jr., who never responded to court orders following the February filing of the lawsuit, reports Adam Ferrise. |
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Rolling Stones: The surviving members of the Rolling Stones certainly don’t act their age, at least onstage. Far from it. In fact, they were back in all their energetic, timeless glory in Cleveland on Saturday for a show at Cleveland Browns Stadium, their first time here since 2002, Malcolm X Abram reports. Amba: The Rolling Stones dined Thursday night at Amba, Doug Katz’s Hingetown restaurant, Paris Wolfe reports. LGBTQ+ businesses: Alex Darus has a guide to LGBTQ+owned and allied restaurants and bars to support during Pride month and beyond. Superman: Production on DC’s upcoming “Superman” movie looks to have started in Mentor and downtown Cleveland. This week, WKYC Channel 3 shot video of military-style tents, film equipment, cranes and what appears to be actors strewn across the beach at Mentor Headlands Beach State Park, reports Joey Morona. DineDrink: In the latest episode of “DineDrinkCLE: The Podcast,” hosts Josh Duke and Alex Darus talk about their favorite soul food restaurants in Northeast Ohio before Juneteenth, which is Wednesday. They discuss the deep roots between soul food and U.S. slavery, and how the homecooked comfort food has grown to become a culinary pillar of Greater Cleveland and beyond. Hepburn: “The Hepburn Style: Katharine and Her Designers” opens June 28 at the Kent State University Museum, curated from the museum’s collection of the actress’s estate pieces and her theatrical costumes, Paris Wolfe reports. ArtsFest: The Boston Mills Artfest will return for its 50th year June 28-30 and July 5-7, reports Megan Becka. The picturesque Cuyahoga Valley National Park will serve as the backdrop for the juried show, which will feature works by 300 artists from around the country. House of the Week: Surrounded by trees and pastures and backing up to a nature preserve, this sprawling 27-acre Bath Township property feels like a world away from Northeast Ohio. Priced at $3.85 million, the home offers four bedrooms, six bathrooms (four full) and an elevator. The listing also encompasses a two-story carriage house and two-story garage, reports Joey Morona. |
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