Imagine launching a kayak from downtown Cleveland. Swimming near Cleveland Browns Stadium. Browsing shops steps from Lake Erie. Apartments, a hotel, entertainment spaces and a food hall: All are features of a lakefront plan presented Thursday by Mayor Justin Bibb, kicking off a second round of community input. Bibb aims for a “people’s lakefront,’’ not a top-down vision imposed by planners – even if those planners are by James Corner Field Operations, a nationally recognized landscape architecture firm that designed the 2016 renovation of Public Square and co-designed New York’s High Line Park. No costs or funding sources have been identified for the plan, including a curved land bridge connecting the downtown malls with the lakefront. But a bridge was estimated in 2021 at $229 million The city’s goal now is to bring the new plans to 30% completion by the end of the year, making it possible to calculate costs and begin seeking federal infrastructure grants. Members of the city’s North Coast Lakefront project team will fan out for pop-up events at grocery stores, neighborhood festivals and parks citywide throughout the summer to gather input. What would you like to see? -- Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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This rendering shows a lakefront land bridge connecting downtown Cleveland to waterfront attractions, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Browns Stadium and the Great Lakes Science Center. (James Corner Field Operations) |
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Lakefront: The designers of a proposed lakefront “land bridge’' connecting downtown Cleveland to Lake Erie north of Cleveland Browns Stadium have thrown a curve and a beach into their plans. Steven Litt reports a draft proposal unveiled by the city Thursday afternoon at the Great Lakes Science Center calls for an extension of the downtown Mall that would travel toward the lake in a long, gentle arc, descending gently to a beach and a development zone north of the stadium. Issue 1: There’s out-of-state money aplenty funding both sides of State Issue 1, the amendment that proponents say is needed to protect Ohio’s Constitution from out-of-state interests. On Thursday, campaign groups spending for or against Issue 1 had to file reports documenting their financial activities. Andrew Tobias reports that Person, One Vote, the campaign working to defeat the measure, has raised $14.8 million, with all but $2.3 million from out of state. The official “yes” campaign, Save Our Constitution, raised $4.8 million — $4 million of which came from conservative Illinois billionaire Richard Uiehlein. Tobias reports an allied group, Protect Women Ohio Action Fund, spent another $3.6 million, with all but $200,000 from the Concord Fund, a conservative dark-money group in Washington, D.C. Today in Ohio: An elections complaint accuses Secretary of State Frank LaRose of illegally running a de-facto campaign for the U.S. Senate for months without disclosing how it was funded. We’re talking about a complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission against LaRose, who recently announced his run for U.S. Senate, on Today in Ohio. |
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Unemployment theft: The computer code flaw that led to scammers stealing nearly $190,000 in Ohio unemployment benefits and freezing tens of thousands of genuine accounts doesn’t threaten other parts of the state’s online security system, reports Jeremy Pelzer. However, there are a number of still-unanswered questions about the code flaw that the state’s unemployment office has declined to answer, citing security concerns. Car thefts: As the phenomenon of youths hijacking easy-to-steal Kias and Hyundais around the state continues, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said the problem is best left to local prosecutors. There’s no state-level legal fix in the works either, reports Jake Zuckerman. Meanwhile, cities are cleaning up the destructive and sometimes lethal messes caused by chaotic drivers, sometimes as young as 11 years old, who steal them. Wind farm: The Ohio Supreme Court rejected a challenge Thursday seeking to block construction of a 71-turbine wind farm in northern Ohio. Jake Zuckerman reports the court unanimously rejected claims from plaintiffs that state regulators failed to consider adverse effects to the area’s water supply, noise, “shadow flicker,” and impacts to birds. Endangered bat: The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted 220-209 to reject the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s decision to list the northern long-eared bat as endangered. The bat is found in more than 30 states, including Ohio, reports Sabrina Eaton. Its numbers are dwindling because of a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome which affects bats that hibernate. |
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Violent streak: As crime in Cleveland continues to spike this summer, public officials have said publicly and privately that violence is the worst they’ve ever seen. Citywide, homicides are up 27% compared to this time last year and shootings are up more than 10%, reports John Tucker. Officials said the crime spike is fueled in part by rising juvenile violence, with murders committed by children this year currently at 23 - the same level as for all of 2021. Jail food: Trinity Services Group’s contract to provide food in the Cuyahoga County Jail is expected to be extended at least another two months despite serious concerns over its quality, and officials gave no indication whether the county will eventually shop for a new vendor. County Council’s Public Safety and Justice Affairs Committee recommended the $937,000 extension to the full body for final approval, reports Kaitlin Durbin. Prosecutor’s race: A law professor who has helped lead grassroots efforts for improved public safety and jail reform is now looking to make some of those changes from the top. Kaitlin Durbin reports Matthew Ahn will run for Cuyahoga County prosecutor in next year’s race, facing fellow Democrat and incumbent Michael O’Malley. Airport connection: The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is launching a new workforce-connector program to expand job opportunities near the airport. Kaitlin Durbin reports employees and jobseekers who use the 54, 78 or 86 bus lines or who ride the Red Line can be picked up at RTA’s Brookpark Station and shuttled for free directly to their jobs throughout the Aerozone Alliance region, which includes Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the NASA Glenn Research Center. Drought map: Drought conditions across the state continue to decline, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Peter Krouse reports that nearly 8% of the state was experiencing a “moderate drought” as of Tuesday, with about one-third of the state either in moderate drought or “abnormally dry” conditions. |
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Progressive HQ: Progressive Insurance says it will consolidate its offices, leaving its current headquarters on Wilson Mills Road and making its second campus on North Commons Boulevard its new corporate headquarters. Sean McDonnell reports the company started letting many employees work from home at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and most employees are still choosing to work from home instead of the office. Lincoln CEO: Lincoln Electric CEO Christopher Mapes will retire at the end of 2023, leaving the role open for Steven Hedlund, currently chief operating officer, to become the company’s new leader. Sean McDonnell reports Mapes had been president and CEO of the Euclid-based manufacturer of welding equipment since 2012. Weekly COVID: The number of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio climbed for the third week in a row, from 1,678 last week to 2,054 this week, reports Julie Washington. |
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PIB problems: Put-in-Bay might have to restrict the number of golf carts available to rent on the island after village roadways became clogged with vehicles Saturday evening, reports Susan Glaser. Island officials were forced to call for law-enforcement backup to help disperse the crowds and break up fights. SWAT teams from three counties were sent to assist. Pinkey Carr: The Ohio attorney general’s office has asked the Cleveland Municipal Court’s judges to recuse themselves from hearing the criminal case of their former colleague, Pinkey Carr. Cory Shaffer reports the Thursday filing asks that a visiting judge be appointed to preside over Carr’s case. She faces three counts of falsification, a first-degree misdemeanor. Body found: Authorities recovered a woman’s body from the North Reservoir at Portage Lakes on Thursday morning, reports Olivia Mitchell. Catherine Altizer, 49, of Akron, was pulled from the water just before 7 a.m., according to the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office. Opioid OD: A Cleveland Heights man is accused of causing his 16-month-old niece to overdose twice in consecutive days, reports Adam Ferrise. He is charged in a federal indictment that accuses him of continuing to sell fentanyl and Xylazine, a particularly deadly combination. |
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Ask Yadi: If you’re shopping and you change your mind about an item, can you just throw it anywhere? Absolutely not, Yadi Rodriguez writes. That soup does not belong in the frozen foods section and that shirt definitely isn’t produce. Indiana modern: Ordinary Indiana? Not Columbus, which became a mecca of modern architecture in the second half of the 20th century. Susan Glaser reports J. Irwin Miller, a Columbus native and the chairman of Cummins Engine Co., encouraged the use of some of the world’s best-known architects when his company established a fund that covered the design fees for dozens of public projects. Great Lakes Theater: Richard Parison Jr. has been named the new executive director at Great Lakes Theater. Joey Morona reports Parison will work alongside longtime producing artistic director Charles Fee, who oversees the artistic vision of the institution. Best of: When Art Modell pulled the Browns from Cleveland in 1995, hundreds of jobs were lost – including that of Bruno DiSiena, who served as head cook for the players and coaches at the team’s Berea facility. DiSiena started Bruno’s Ristorante & Catering, which remains one of Greater Cleveland’s most beloved restaurants. Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez report it recently finished third in our cleveland.com “Best Lasagna in Cleveland” poll. New boat: The Lady Caroline, a new dining cruise ship set to replace the Nautica Queen, will take sail from the West Bank of the Flats with passengers for the first time next week, Sean McDonnell reports. Things to do: On this last weekend of July, there’s plenty to do, including local community festivals, stage shows, multiple concerts featuring classic acts, minor league baseball and much more. Mike Rose has 22 possibilities. |
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South Euclid woman fatally shot on Cleveland’s East Side Read more Authorities identify dead victim stuffed in storage container in Cleveland’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood Read more Richmond Heights firefighters rescue man from ravine Read more Fuel Cleveland vintage motorcycle, van show July 29-30 in Summit County Read more Middleburg Heights awards $1 million contract for Big Creek Parkway flood control Read more Cuyahoga County Council denies Olmsted Township-Berea annexation request Read more Pepper Pike residents may get chance to vote on sidewalks Read more Chagrin Falls Schools taps Jessica Ross as the high school’s new assistant principal Read more Residents back off on challenging Parma High School demolition Read more |
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