A particularly grim series of events unfolded across the Cleveland metro area this week, beginning with the surrender of a man accused of one of the more harrowing hit-and-run incidents the city has seen in recent memory. Tyrelle Taylor, 26, turned himself in to Cleveland police after spending more than two days as a fugitive following a deadly crash that killed 35-year-old bicyclist William Mays. The trouble reportedly started on West Sixth Street in the chaotic aftermath of a Browns victory on Sunday, when Taylor allegedly squealed his tires in heavy traffic, ignored officers' commands, and swerved through crowded streets — striking multiple cars and eventually losing a wheel. Despite that, police say he crossed the Detroit-Superior Bridge while driving in the bike lane, struck Mays, and then dragged him for several blocks before his truck finally became disabled. Taylor allegedly fled on foot, leaving Mays to die. Mays had ties to the Highland Hills Police Department, which had gifted him a new bicycle just months ago after learning his had broken down. Taylor now faces charges of aggravated vehicular homicide and failure to stop after a crash causing death, with investigators noting he was also driving on a suspended license. [1]
The most jarring moment in Ohio's governor's race this week didn't come from a debate stage — it came from an anonymous-looking internet ad featuring Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton's estranged mother calling her own daughter a liar. The ad, which claimed Acton fabricated her hardscrabble childhood, quickly drew fierce and bipartisan backlash once court records told a starkly different story.
Acton has spoken openly about surviving childhood abuse, including living in a tent at one point — a detail her estranged mother, Donna Arthur, flatly denied in the ad. But Mahoning County court documents show that Acton's stepfather was arrested and charged with sexually abusing her when she was 12 years old, and that police did in fact find him living in a tent with the family at the time. Her mother lost custody after remaining married to the stepfather, who jumped bond and became a fugitive until his death in 2004 [2].
Acton's younger brother, Phil Stern, went on camera for the campaign to condemn the ad, saying Amy "always got the worst" of the abuse they both endured — a rare and painful family disclosure made necessary by the ad's circulation [1][2]. Sexual assault survivors, and even some Republicans, recoiled at the tactic; one GOP voter told reporters he would no longer support Acton's opponent because "no good mother would ever do that to her child" [2].
That opponent is Vivek Ramaswamy, who initially kept distance from the ad — his team said only that "Ohioans deserve to know" Acton's mother doesn't support her. But in a significant development, Ramaswamy subsequently took direct responsibility for the ad [3], a move that is likely to intensify scrutiny of his campaign in the final stretch of the race.
Ohio's U.S. Senate race has surfaced an issue that doesn't fit neatly into the usual partisan boxes: the explosive growth of data centers and what they're doing to residents' energy bills. It's a rare moment in modern politics where both candidates are competing to be the *toughest* on a powerful industry — even as they trade accusations of hypocrisy over who enabled it in the first place [1].
Democrat Sherrod Brown is hitting Republican Jon Husted hard, arguing that Ohio's roughly 225 data centers arrived on Husted's watch and have cost taxpayers some $2.5 billion in tax subsidies — all while driving up electric rates and consuming land and water with little community input. Husted fires back that Brown is playing both sides, noting the incumbent senator once happily promoted data center arrivals in press releases when he was in the Senate and only turned critic when it became politically convenient.
Husted's counter-offer is the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would require data centers to build their own electricity infrastructure rather than passing those costs onto consumers. He blames Democrats — including Brown — for blocking the bill while still claiming the affordability mantle.
Where the two actually find common ground is on local control: both say communities should have a meaningful say over whether a data center moves in at all, and both favor pulling back the generous tax breaks that have made Ohio such a magnet for the industry. That convergence may be the most telling signal of where voter sentiment sits heading into November.
Lorain County voters head into November with a genuinely contested race for a county commission seat, pitting Republican incumbent Jeff Riddell against Democratic challenger Carolyn White and Independent write-in candidate Andrew Lipian [1].
Riddell, seeking a second term, has centered his pitch on fiscal discipline — the current board slashed millions from the county budget to close a major shortfall, a move that carried real costs: the Turning Point Youth Shelter shuttered, and a bruising, eight-month-plus labor dispute with Job and Family Services workers dragged on. He frames those choices as responsible stewardship. "We strongly believe that you live within your annual means," he told News 5 [1].
That record is precisely what his opponents are running against. White, a council member and licensed investment representative, says the JFS strike was her galvanizing moment — she argues the current commission has lost sight of residents' basic needs. Lipian, who jumped in as a write-in candidate this summer after hearing voters say they wanted another option, brings experience at the village, city, and county levels and similarly pledges to reopen negotiations with JFS workers. Both challengers also want to redirect development energy toward blighted area redevelopment rather than Riddell's push to extend sewer lines into rural parts of the county — an infrastructure effort that has stirred distrust among some rural communities worried about industrial encroachment.
Trust and communication are the throughlines of the challenger campaigns, while Riddell says skepticism of the sewer project simply reflects disagreement, not a genuine breach of faith. With the November election fast approaching, voters will decide whether steady-hand fiscal management or a change in direction better serves the county's future.
Beyond the race for Congress, this November's election carries another layer of consequential decisions happening largely beneath the radar: voters in nearly every state will weigh in on 145 state ballot measures spanning taxes, abortion, transgender rights, and the mechanics of democracy itself [1].
On the economic front, the debates are striking in their range. Florida voters could triple the existing property tax exemption — from $50,000 to $150,000 — a move that homeowners are cheering and local governments are dreading, warning it would "completely upend" how public services get funded. Tennessee, meanwhile, is considering a permanent constitutional ban on ever enacting a statewide property tax. At the other end of the income spectrum, California is floating something genuinely unprecedented globally: a one-time 5% wealth tax on billionaires earmarked for healthcare and social services. Colorado is also eyeing higher rates on earners above $500,000 [1].
Culture war flashpoints are plentiful as well. Four states — Arizona, Nebraska, Colorado, and Washington — will vote on sex-based requirements for school athletic teams, revisiting the contentious transgender rights debate. On abortion, Idaho, Nevada, and Virginia are all considering measures to enshrine the right, while Missouri looks to further restrict access [1].
And then there's the question of who gets to vote and how. Six states are putting new voter ID requirements on the ballot, and Michigan is taking aim at campaign finance, proposing to limit political donations from utility companies and government contractors [1].
Taken together, these measures offer a reminder that while presidential and congressional races dominate the headlines, the ballot box this fall is shaping policy across virtually every corner of American life.
The North Ridgeville Police Department has landed more than $63,000 in federal grant funding aimed at making the city's roads safer — a meaningful win for a community that's seen troubling crash numbers in recent years. Local data tells the story plainly: over the past three years, the department has recorded 147 impaired driving crashes resulting in 34 injuries and two fatalities, making the case for more robust enforcement hard to argue against [1].
The money arrives as two separate grants, both administered through the Ohio Department of Public Safety. The first, just over $31,000 from the Impaired Driving Enforcement Program, will fund officers targeting drug- and alcohol-related incidents primarily during evening and overnight hours — when impaired driving risk tends to peak. The second, a little over $32,000 from the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, puts additional officers on the road during morning and evening rush hours, when commuter congestion creates its own hazards [1].
Practically speaking, both grants cover officer overtime rather than new hires, stretching existing personnel further across a city that spans 25 square miles of roadways. Department officials were candid about the challenge: the city's size makes comprehensive coverage difficult with current staffing levels. This funding effectively buys more eyes on the road through September 2027, keeping the program sustainable well beyond a single enforcement season [1].
For smaller municipalities that often lack the budget flexibility of larger cities, federal pass-through grants like these can be the difference between reactive policing and genuine prevention — and North Ridgeville appears ready to put every dollar to work.
Westlake City Council is moving to put guardrails on the growing popularity of e-bikes and electric scooters, weighing a new ordinance that would set a minimum riding age of 14, cap speeds at 28 mph, and ban the devices from sidewalks, shared-use paths, trails, and other pedestrian walkways [1].
Council President Dave Greenspan framed the proposal as a long-overdue response to resident concerns — particularly from parents pushing strollers and seniors out for walks who've found themselves sharing sidewalks with fast-moving electric devices. The worry isn't just about numbers: a nearby incident in Olmstead Falls, where a child on one of these devices was struck by a semi-truck, underscores that when accidents do happen, they're increasingly serious [1].
The ordinance wouldn't stand alone. Westlake officials say they plan to pair any new rules with an education push through local schools and continued outreach from the police department — a nod to the reality that many young riders have never sat through a driver's ed class and may not have a clear sense of road rules or their own vulnerability [1].
Reaction among residents is predictably mixed. Some think the restrictions don't go far enough; others argue that trails, at least, should remain open to the devices. If the council passes the ordinance, it would take effect within ten days of being signed, with violators subject to ticketing [1].
It's a balancing act familiar to communities across the country as e-mobility devices outpace the regulations designed to govern them — fun and practical, but not without real risk.
Nearly two years after a catastrophic fire lit up the sky over Cleveland Heights, the Marquee at Cedar Lee is officially open — and ahead of schedule, no less. The $60 million mixed-use residential complex burst into flames in January 2025, with firefighters spending more than 20 hours battling the blaze before it was brought under control. The cause was never definitively determined, though arson was ruled out. What followed was 21 months of cleanup, rebuilding, and — by all accounts — an outpouring of community support that developers say made all the difference.
The result is a 205-unit apartment community on Lee Road complete with a pool, fitness center, and pet spa. Tenants are already living inside, a full two years ahead of the original 2027 completion target. Dozens gathered in the building's lobby this week to celebrate with food, drinks, and tours, with organizers pausing to offer a heartfelt thanks to the Cleveland Heights Fire Department for their role in the long recovery.
Beyond the milestone for residents and the development team, local business owners are eyeing the reopening with real optimism. The Lee Road Business District took an economic hit when the building went dark, and with hundreds of new neighbors now moving in, nearby shops and restaurants are expecting a welcome surge in foot traffic. As one community member put it simply: "Here are a bunch of customers moving in, and the businesses are excited." For Cleveland Heights, it's a genuine comeback story.
After years of construction and plenty of anticipation from locals, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's brand-new Primate Forest exhibit has finally opened its doors — and by early accounts, it was worth the wait.
The centerpiece of the new space is an outdoor orangutan habitat, a first for this particular building. What makes it especially thoughtful in design is an elevated guest platform that essentially puts visitors eye-to-eye with the animals. As Zoo CEO Dr. Chris Kuhar explained during a preview walkthrough, orangutans are the most arboreal of the great apes — meaning they naturally spend their time up high — so a ground-level viewing area often leaves guests staring at the treetops. The new platform changes that dynamic entirely, offering sightlines both high and low [1].
Inside, a soaring day room nearly 40 feet tall gives the orangutans room to climb and move freely, with direct access to the outdoor space — a smart concession to Cleveland's famously unpredictable weather. Perhaps the most unique feature is a dedicated training area where visitors can watch zoo staff work with the orangutans on routine healthcare procedures like blood draws, injections, and heart checks, framing the animals as active participants in their own wellbeing rather than passive subjects [1].
To manage what promises to be an enthusiastic crowd, the zoo is using a timed-entry system for the exhibit — visitors scan a QR code, select a designated arrival window, and explore the rest of the zoo in the meantime. It's a small logistical touch that should keep the experience enjoyable rather than overwhelming. If you've been looking for a reason to head to the zoo this week, this is a pretty good one.
With the 2026-27 NBA season opening tomorrow night in Philadelphia, Jarrett Allen is making one thing crystal clear: Cleveland is home, and he has no intention of leaving. The Cavaliers center, who fielded plenty of trade rumors over the offseason, sat down ahead of tip-off to put those whispers firmly to rest — and to lay out just how locked in he is for another run with this core group.
Allen was candid about the emotional weight of those trade conversations. "If they trade me, honestly, I'll be devastated," he said, adding that he's built genuine roots in the city. But rather than letting the noise rattle him, he took a measured approach: "I can't control it, why worry about it?" It's a mindset that says a lot about his maturity and his trust in GM Koby Altman and the front office, who ultimately opted to keep him right where he is.
What makes Allen so valuable — and what the Cavaliers clearly recognized — goes beyond the box score. He emphasized his off-ball movement and screen-setting as underappreciated pillars of Cleveland's offensive flow, creating indecision for defenders and opening lanes for Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. That intangible impact was on full display in last season's playoff run, where the Cavs reached the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Knicks.
Now Allen is focused squarely on taking another step forward. "Two years ago, second round. Last year, conference finals. And now this year, the sky is the limit." With the roster largely intact and team camaraderie cited as their defining edge, the Cavaliers head into the new season with genuine championship ambitions — and their big man firmly on board.
One of Lakewood's most beloved live music spots has gone dark — at least for now. The Mercury Music Lounge, the Detroit Avenue venue that co-owners Shane Molotik and Rae Gentry lovingly revived in 2024, has closed its doors amid a dispute with the building's ownership over unfinished repairs [1].
The closure is particularly stinging given how much the duo invested in breathing new life into the space. By most accounts, they poured roughly $100,000 into the venue, upgrading its sound and lighting systems, adding a new bathroom, a merch room, and a renovated green room — transformations that had made Mercury a genuinely exciting destination for local and touring acts on Cleveland's west side. What they couldn't control, apparently, was the condition of the building itself, and a disagreement over who bears responsibility for outstanding structural or maintenance issues has now pushed things to a breaking point.
Venues like Mercury occupy a fragile, vital niche in any music scene — small enough to feel intimate, ambitious enough to attract real talent, and perpetually operating on the financial margins where a single unresolved landlord dispute can mean lights out. For Lakewood's arts community, which has watched the neighborhood build genuine cultural momentum in recent years, the timing couldn't feel worse.
Whether this is a permanent closure or a temporary pause while negotiations play out remains to be seen, but fans of the room — and there are many — will be hoping Molotik and Gentry find a path forward. Independent music venues are notoriously hard to build from scratch, and the Mercury's revitalized version had clearly struck a chord.
If you and your long-term partner have noticed the spark dimming in the bedroom, you're far from alone — and a Cleveland sex therapist is tackling the subject head-on in his latest column. This week, Matt addresses the phenomenon popularly known as "lesbian bed death," responding to a reader whose wife and she haven't been intimate in two years. The causes, she explains, are familiar to many couples regardless of orientation: body insecurity, unresolved past trauma, and the quiet drift that can happen when life gets heavy.
Matt's column is a good reminder that the term itself — coined decades ago and often wielded as a pessimistic stereotype — is less a clinical diagnosis than a cultural shorthand for something much more nuanced. Desire doesn't just evaporate on its own; it tends to get buried under stress, grief, self-doubt, and the accumulated weight of unspoken feelings. The good news, as Matt points out, is that these are workable problems. Reconnecting physically often begins with reconnecting emotionally, and that process can start with something as simple as naming what's been getting in the way.
For couples in similar situations — queer or otherwise — the column is worth a read not just for its practical advice, but for its tone: non-judgmental, grounded, and genuinely compassionate. Long dry spells can carry a lot of shame, and one of the most useful things a good therapist (or a good therapist's column) can do is help people feel less alone in the struggle before they figure out the next step forward.
Good morning from Cleveland — here's what's shaping up for your Wednesday, October 21st.
The big feel-good story of the week arrives tomorrow: the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo officially opens its long-awaited Primate Forest complex at noon Thursday. The immersive space features interactive elements like a light-responsive "mother tree," projection mapping, an elevated deck walk that puts you eye-to-eye with the animals, and a brand-new outdoor orangutan habitat — a first for that building. Entry is timed, so grab your slot via QR code before you head out [1].
On the development front, Cleveland Heights is celebrating a hard-won comeback today. The Marquee at Cedar Lee Apartments — which burned to the ground while still under construction back in January 2025 — is officially opening with a ribbon cutting at 2:00 p.m. on Cedar Road. City leaders hope the mixed-use building will add density and energy to the beloved Cedar-Lee commercial district [1].
In Cuyahoga Falls, the community is still processing a weekend tragedy at the Natatorium, where 63-year-old Craig Cyp allegedly shot and killed 61-year-old employee Sharon Dorne on Sunday morning. Cyp has been charged with aggravated murder, is held on a $1 million bond, and entered a not-guilty plea. The city is hosting a community support session tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the Natatorium, in partnership with the Summit County Victim Assistance Program [1].
As for the weather — enjoy it. High pressure is keeping Northeast Ohio in a gorgeous stretch through the weekend, with highs in the mid-60s Thursday through Saturday. Cavs home opener Saturday evening looks clear. A few more clouds creep in late week, but any rain chances remain slim [1].
A deeply troubling attack ad is roiling Ohio's governor's race this week, drawing rare bipartisan condemnation and shining an uncomfortable spotlight on Democrat Dr. Amy Acton's painful childhood history.
The ad, which has gone viral without any disclosure of who paid for it, features Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, flatly calling her daughter a liar and urging Ohioans not to vote for her. The problem? Court documents appear to contradict virtually everything the ad implies. Mahoning County records confirm that Acton's stepfather was arrested and charged with raping her when she was 12 years old. Police records also corroborate her account of living in poverty — officers found the stepfather residing in a tent. Acton's mother, rather than protecting her daughter, remained married to the accused abuser until his death in 2004, ultimately losing custody of her children as a result. Acton says she hasn't spoken to her mother since leaving the courthouse following her stepfather's charges — roughly 50 years ago.
The backlash has been swift and crosses party lines. Republican voter Mark Pupita said the ad cost Ramaswami his vote outright, while sexual assault survivors have publicly condemned the tactic as "atrocious and vile." Though the ad stops short of directly implicating Vivek Ramaswami's campaign — and his team denies responsibility — they did pointedly suggest "Ohioans deserve to know" that Acton's own mother opposes her, a statement that did little to distance them from the ad's message.
Acton has previously accused Ramaswami of dismissing her childhood trauma as mere "complaining." This latest episode seems likely to intensify that tension heading deeper into the race.
Ohio's Senate race is heating up with two weeks to go, and Democrats are pulling out their biggest draw: former President Barack Obama is heading to Cleveland this Saturday to stump for Senator Sherrod Brown [1]. The visit is no casual campaign stop — Obama has become selective about where he spends his political capital, and his presence in Cuyahoga County signals just how seriously Democrats are taking this race. According to RealClearPolitics polling averages, Brown holds a modest lead of around two to two-and-a-half points over Republican challenger John Husted, though GOP strategists remain skeptical of the numbers, citing what they describe as "shy Republican" voters who aren't picking up the phone for pollsters [1]. Control of the U.S. Senate may well hinge on Ohio, making it one of the most closely watched battlegrounds in the country.
Meanwhile, the two candidates are drawing sharp contrasts on foreign policy. Ukraine has emerged as a genuine fault line in the race, intensified by the Trump administration's recent suspension of Russian sanctions — including those passed in honor of the late Senator Lindsey Graham — and a reported deal to purchase Russian diesel [2]. Brown didn't mince words, calling the moves "a gift to Putin" and accusing Husted of staying "strangely silent" on the issue. For his part, Husted pushed back on that characterization, stating plainly: "I'm for Ukraine. Ukraine is the victim in this particular war" — while expressing skepticism about Putin's trustworthiness in any negotiated deal [2]. The debate reflects a broader national tension over how far the U.S. should go in supporting Kyiv, and with a large Ukrainian-American community in cities like Cleveland, Toledo, and Youngstown, candidates ignore the issue at their peril.
A popular on-demand rideshare program in Lorain County is at a crossroads, and the people who depend on it are making their voices heard. Via LC — the county's microtransit service recognizable by its white, blue, and green vans — has grown from a 2024 pilot into a lifeline for thousands, now delivering more than 4,000 rides every month to residents of Lorain and Elyria who use it to get to work, medical appointments, school, and college. But its future is far from guaranteed.
County leaders convened a series of public meetings this week, and Tuesday's gathering at the Lorain County Transit Center drew a packed room of riders, drivers, and advocates who spoke with urgency about what losing the service would mean. "I'm going to be out of work," one rider said. "I won't be able to eat," said another. The testimonials painted a picture of a community that has genuinely reorganized its daily life around these vans.
The financial picture is the sticking point. A multi-million dollar grant launched the program, with the county and the cities of Lorain and Elyria chipping in local matches to keep fares roughly equivalent to a bus ticket. But the grant won't last forever, and county commissioners recently asked both cities to double their annual contributions — a request that caught local mayors off guard. Lorain is now exploring launching its own separate transit service, while Elyria says it intends to continue working with the county.
To their credit, county leaders say they're being proactive rather than waiting until the money runs dry. The program is funded through 2027, and stakeholders are already brainstorming alternatives: public-private partnerships, a dedicated transportation levy, or modest fare increases. The challenge now is turning that community passion into a sustainable funding model before the clock runs out.
A Cleveland-based startup may be on the verge of transforming one of road construction's most stubbornly old-fashioned jobs. RoadPrintz, Inc. — co-founded by Sam Bell and Wyatt Newman — has developed a 1,000-pound robotic arm that mounts on the back of a truck and paints road markings like arrows, lane lines, and bike lane designations with a precision and speed that leaves hand-stenciling in the dust [1].
The urgency behind the innovation is real. The Ohio Department of Transportation reported that 69 road crews had been struck by vehicles in a single year as of last August — a sobering reminder of just how dangerous it is to stand on active roadways with a paint can and a stencil, which, as Bell and Newman point out, is essentially how the job has been done for over a century [1].
Their solution, which they call a "Jensen operator-driven truck-mounted mobile robotic transverse pavement marking solution" (a mouthful they cheerfully acknowledge), lets workers stay safely inside a cab, selecting designs from a digital library on a touchscreen and initiating the whole process with the press of a button. The robot handles the rest in minutes [1].
The concept grew from a surprisingly humble starting point: a Northeast Ohio city that had to delay bike lane construction simply because hand-painting was too expensive. That question — *could a robot do this?* — launched eight years of development and a product that's now getting real-world use. The Pennsylvania Turnpike and the city of Houston are already renting RoadPrintz robots, and a contract with the Missouri Department of Transportation is in the works [1].
For now, the founders say they've paused further R&D to focus on getting the word out — not a bad problem to have when your homegrown technology is already rolling across the country.
For the elderly residents of Gateway Point Independent Living in Euclid, something as simple as getting to their own apartment has become a daily ordeal. Both elevators in the senior apartment building are currently out of service — one has been broken for more than a year, the other for nearly two weeks — leaving residents with mobility challenges, vision impairments, and other health conditions with no choice but to navigate the stairs [1].
The human toll is hard to overstate. Katherine Haywood, who is nearly completely blind, described how the outage makes everyday life a struggle. Another resident, Liz Kilgore, demonstrated the difficulty firsthand, and recounted helping a neighbor on the stairwell who was trying to carry her bag while using a cane. Beyond the indignity, there's a real safety concern: if emergency responders need to reach upper floors quickly, broken elevators could turn a bad situation catastrophic [1].
When News 5 investigator Jonathan Walsh spoke with the property manager, she acknowledged the problems but offered little reassurance — one elevator needs a custom-made part, the other is stuck on a software fix, and management has received no timeline from the repair company. Ward Councilman Richard Tolton says he, the mayor, and the city have been pressing building management to grasp the seriousness of the situation, and he noted that the ongoing outage may well constitute a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act — an avenue he says deserves further examination [1].
Residents also flagged a downed tree that has sat on the property for nearly two months, along with broader concerns about cleanliness and deferred maintenance. The property manager says past violations have been resolved and a cleaning crew services common areas three times a week — but for residents who feel ignored, the reassurances ring hollow. "As behalf of all the seniors that can't speak for themselves," one resident told Walsh, "something needs to be done."
Cleveland's restaurant scene is having quite a moment, with three notable openings landing on the radar this week — and each one tells a different story about where local dining is headed.
The most intriguing newcomer has to be Mestizo Kitchen & Café, set to debut at 2162 Rockwell Ave. in downtown Cleveland's Old Chinatown neighborhood. Partners Jessie Mendoza and Armando Llamas are bringing something genuinely distinctive to the table: a Mexican-Filipino fusion concept that draws on both of their cultural heritages. The pairing might sound unexpected, but the two cuisines share a surprising amount of common ground — bold flavors, rice-forward dishes, and a deep respect for communal eating. "Where two cultures meet on one plate" is their guiding philosophy, and honestly, that's enough to put this place on everyone's must-try list [1].
Meanwhile, Boom's Pizza — the fast-growing project from chef Ben Bebenroth — opened its Solon location (6130 Kruse Dr.) this past Thursday. What started as a single Lakewood shop in 2023 has grown into a legitimate small chain, and the suburban expansion suggests Bebenroth has found a formula that travels well [2].
And for a dose of nostalgia with a fresh coat of paint, the beloved Moxie returned this week at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst. Northeast Ohio diners of a certain era will remember the original Beachwood location fondly for its vibrant dining room and crowd-pleasing regional American fare — think crab cakes, crispy calamari, and wedge salads done right. The revival at Legacy Village opened Monday, October 26, offering both a homecoming for longtime fans and a first introduction for newer diners [3].
Folk music has always had a knack for arriving precisely when America needs it most, and if Cleveland's Agora Theatre this week was any indication, that moment may be now. Jesse Welles brought his brand of contemporary folk to the storied venue, delivering a set that Cleveland Scene described as channeling genuine "American angst" — a phrase that feels less like a marketing hook and more like an honest diagnosis of the cultural moment [1].
The review situates Welles within a long and weighty lineage: Woody Guthrie giving voice to a Depression-battered nation, then Bob Dylan picking up the torch a generation later for young Americans chafing against postwar conformity. It's a bold comparison to invoke, but it's also the right framework. Folk music, at its core, is a mirror held up to collective unease, and Welles appears to be doing the serious work of grinding that glass.
Cleveland has always been a city that takes its music personally, and the Agora — a venue with its own storied rock-and-roll history — proved a fitting backdrop for that kind of earnest, roots-driven performance. Whether Welles is on the cusp of a broader cultural breakthrough or simply resonating deeply with audiences already primed for something more substantive than the mainstream offers, the show seems to have left an impression worth noting. Keep an eye on this one.
Cleveland is serving up a packed weekend of autumn fun, and whether you're a foodie, a culture seeker, or just looking for a reason to get out of the house, there's genuinely something for everyone between Thursday and Sunday [1].
The weekend kicks off sweetly on Thursday with Lakewood's Chocolate Walk, a delightful event organized by Lakewood Alive that leans into the neighborhood's reputation as a haven for confectionery shops along Detroit Avenue. It's the kind of only-in-Cleveland evening that reminds you why local business districts matter — and gives you a perfectly good excuse to eat chocolate on a weeknight.
From there, the weekend opens up into a fuller spread of arts, music, and community happenings across the metro area. Cleveland Scene's roundup — which clocks in at 15-plus picks — reflects just how much is bubbling up in the city as fall settles in. The mix of events captures the eclectic, unpretentious spirit Cleveland does so well: you're as likely to find a gallery opening or a live music set as you are a neighborhood festival or a themed culinary crawl.
If you haven't already bookmarked Cleveland Scene's full event calendar, this is a good weekend to start the habit. The city's cultural calendar tends to get denser as the holiday season approaches, and October is a particularly rich month for experiential events that lean into the season. Get out while the weather still cooperates — and save room for chocolate.
Tuesday is shaping up to be another gorgeous day in Cleveland — meteorologists are calling for plenty of sunshine, temperatures in the mid-60s, and that pleasant cool-mornings-warm-afternoons rhythm that makes October in Northeast Ohio so appealing. The good weather holds through at least Wednesday, with a slight cool-down possible by Friday and near-70° warmth (with added humidity) penciled in for the weekend, before rain and chill arrive early next week [1].
On the local governance front, Cleveland City Council made two notable moves Monday night. First, members voted to extend a moratorium on data center permits through January 29th — the original ban had been set to expire Tuesday, and only one council member dissented [1]. Second, council approved a significant transformation for the IX Center: under a new lease agreement, the IX Center Corporation will gradually phase out events over the next three years, making way for large manufacturing tenants managed by Industrial Commercial Properties (ICP). City leaders say the deal, which includes a tax credit tied to new job creation, should generate meaningful income tax revenue for Cleveland down the road [1].
Meanwhile, in Lorain County, a popular ride-share program called Via LC faces an uncertain future. The service — which lets riders book door-to-door trips at standard bus fares — has been a lifeline for residents getting to work, medical appointments, and grocery stores, but Lorain and Elyria may not renew their financial contributions. Commissioner Dave Moore is exploring options including a countywide tax and additional grants, while urging residents who depend on Via LC to contact their elected officials. Two public community meetings are scheduled — Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Lorain County Transportation Center [1].
The most harrowing story out of Northeast Ohio this week comes from Cuyahoga Falls, where a woman was shot and killed inside the city's Natatorium during what appeared to be a targeted attack. Sharon Dorne, 61, a Cuyahoga Falls city employee, was gunned down Sunday morning while working with a personal trainer. Suspect Craig Cip, who later turned himself in to police, was arraigned Monday on aggravated murder charges and is being held on a $1 million cash bond. Frantic 911 calls captured the chaos — a retired Akron police officer spotted Cip's vehicle fleeing the scene, while another caller described standing next to Dorne when she collapsed. The city is hosting a community support session Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Natatorium for residents shaken by the violence [1].
In Cleveland, a deeply disturbing case moved through Cuyahoga County courts as 29-year-old Devin Thompson pleaded not guilty to 20 counts including rape, kidnapping, and aggravated murder. Prosecutors allege Thompson sexually assaulted five teenage girls — with accusers telling the judge he held a gun to one victim's head — and fatally stabbed 16-year-old Mitanna Penn inside a Near West Side apartment. In a gut-wrenching courtroom moment, one teen revealed she is pregnant with Penn's child. Thompson, already on Lake County probation for stalking and harassment, dismissed the accusations as fabricated. A judge set bond at $200,000 on the sex charges, on top of a $1 million bond on the murder count [2].
Ohio's statewide races are heating up on two fronts, with voters getting a clearer look at where candidates stand on pocketbook issues and gun rights.
In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican challenger Jon Husted sat down with News 5's John Kosich for a rare moment of relatively civil exchange. Both candidates acknowledged that affordability is the defining concern for Ohio voters, though they differ sharply on how to address it. Brown pointed to ending the war driving up energy costs and cracking down on congressional stock trading as his top priorities, while also emphasizing his role in shaping the USMCA trade deal to better protect American workers. Husted, meanwhile, touted Ohio's historically low unemployment rate and championed a "working family tax cut" framework — including no taxes on tips, overtime, or Social Security — as the path to easing financial pressure on families. The race carries national significance: a Brown victory would likely return Senate control to Democrats [1].
Over in the governor's race, the contrast on gun policy couldn't be sharper. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is pledging to become Ohio's "most pro-2A governor ever," specifically promising to lower the handgun purchase age from 21 to 18 — a position bolstered by a recent DOJ opinion suggesting the current restriction may be unconstitutional. Democrat Dr. Amy Acton, drawing on her background as a public health official, is pushing back with what she frames as common-sense reforms: universal background checks and red flag laws. She notes that polling — including from Fox News — shows roughly 80% of gun owners support such measures. Ohio's top police union has also urged lawmakers to stop loosening gun laws, arguing it makes their jobs harder [2].
The relationship between Washington and Kyiv appears to be entering genuinely dangerous territory. Over the weekend, President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traded pointed public accusations — Trump claiming Zelenskyy doesn't actually want peace, and Zelenskyy firing back that the U.S. is essentially pressuring Ukraine into capitulation to Russia [1]. It's the kind of open diplomatic rupture that would have been unthinkable in the early years of the conflict.
What's driving the tension is a series of side arrangements the Trump administration has been quietly assembling with Moscow. Most notably, a diesel deal that allows Russia to export fuel to global markets — something the White House frames as relief for American consumers facing high energy costs, but which has left Zelenskyy furious [1]. Ukraine has also accused the U.S. of slowing intelligence sharing and scaling back satellite communications, charges the administration denies.
Adding another layer of complexity, the *Wall Street Journal* is reporting that Vladimir Putin is floating the idea of a three-way summit — Putin, Trump, and China's Xi Jinping — to decide Ukraine's fate, pointedly without Kyiv at the table [1]. Trump, for his part, explained his posture on Truth Social, writing that he doesn't want to do anything that would push Russia away from peace negotiations.
For everyday Americans, this geopolitical drama has a practical edge: Ukraine and Russia continue to strike each other's energy infrastructure, and any disruption to Russian diesel production ripples into global fuel markets — including prices at the pump in places like northeast Ohio [1]. As one reporter put it on air this week, it's genuinely hard to keep up with the pace of developments. Zelenskyy himself has warned that the period between now and the midterm elections may be the most dangerous stretch yet for his country.
There's a genuine reason to feel hopeful today out of northeast Ohio. Lake County has earned a remarkable distinction: it leads the entire nation in reducing overdose deaths, posting a 75.2% decline since 2020 — the steepest drop among all 550 counties analyzed in a new study by Addiction Recovery Guide, which examined CDC records covering more than 630,000 deaths nationwide [1][2]. For context, Ohio as a whole already claimed the biggest statewide decline at 53.2%, making Lake County's numbers all the more striking.
It wasn't long ago that Lake County was at the epicenter of the opioid crisis, losing 90 to 100 residents a year at the peak of the epidemic. What turned the tide, local officials say, is a sustained, collaborative push that braids together law enforcement, treatment providers, education, and federal and local funding. Narcotics agents have arrested hundreds of drug traffickers, but crucially, the county has also shifted toward getting people help rather than simply making arrests. A program called Project Connect links individuals struggling with addiction directly to recovery providers, while a Quick Reaction Team — a dedicated overdose response unit — follows up after near-fatal incidents. Expanded residential treatment and recovery housing round out the safety net.
The human side of these statistics comes through in the story of Angela Julian, who has been sober since September 17, 2024. She credits Lake Chicago Recovery Centers with saving her life, describing herself as someone who "was prepared to die or be in prison" before finding help [2]. Her words carry a quiet power: "I don't quit being an addict, but I'm an addict in recovery today."
The numbers are trending in the right direction — and the work, everyone agrees, continues.
After nearly six decades as a fixture in the community, Nestlé has announced it will gradually close its Solon, Ohio factory and relocate production to Gaffney, South Carolina. Employees learned the news abruptly — during an off-site meeting where, according to one worker, executives took the stage and delivered the news in under five minutes [1].
The closure is part of what Nestlé USA describes as an effort to "better serve customers and optimize its network." Workers have been offered severance packages tied to their tenure, and the company says it is collaborating with state and local partners on transition support. The timeline gives employees some runway — the buildings aren't expected to be empty until July 31, 2027 — though the uncertainty is already weighing heavily on staff. "I got to go out and look for another job," one worker told News 5. "People been here for a lot of years don't even know how to apply for other jobs."
For some, the announcement wasn't entirely a surprise — rumors had circulated — but the reality still landed hard. Notably, workers were not offered transfers to other Nestlé facilities, leaving many to navigate a job market many haven't touched in years. Solon Mayor Edward Krauss called it "difficult news" for the city and the families affected. The closure marks the end of a relationship between Nestlé and Solon that stretches back nearly 60 years — a significant loss for the local economy and identity of the Cuyahoga County community.
As winter looms on the horizon, Ohio's transportation crews aren't waiting for the first snowflake to fall. ODOT District 12 recently lined up all 114 of its snow plows for thorough inspections, with drivers running through mechanical checks on everything from brine systems to cab controls. The department has 91 drivers ready to cover 2,390 lane miles in Cuyahoga County, and spokesperson Brent Kovac noted they met their goal of clearing roads within two hours after a storm's end 99% of the time last winter. Salt stockpiles are already building — more than 30,000 tons are in storage ahead of a season that consumed over 51,000 tons last year. To stretch supplies further, ODOT produces liquid brine in-house, which both cuts costs and helps activate road salt more efficiently. On a sobering note, the department is renewing its plea for driver awareness: plow trucks were struck 58 times statewide last year, a reminder to slow down and move over when you see crews at work [1].
Meanwhile, not all of Northeast Ohio's lights are ready for the dark months ahead. In Elyria, resident Edgardo Gutierrez has been sounding the alarm since June about nearly 20 broken, flickering, or missing streetlights in his neighborhood — a number that has grown, not shrunk, since he first raised the issue. The city itself counted more than 500 lights out or damaged earlier this year, and while FirstEnergy and the city have addressed roughly 300, progress has felt painfully slow to residents. With Halloween approaching and nights growing longer, Gutierrez calls it a genuine safety hazard for the children in his neighborhood. The Elyria mayor says he's meeting with FirstEnergy this week, and the utility reportedly committed to overtime crews through year's end — though FirstEnergy had not responded to press inquiries at air time [2].
For the second consecutive year, Ohio has crossed the billion-dollar threshold in public funding directed toward private school vouchers — and this time, the price tag climbed even higher. State spending across Ohio's five private school voucher programs reached $1.173 billion for fiscal year 2026, according to data from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce [1].
The milestone is striking not just for its scale, but for its speed. It wasn't long ago that voucher spending at this level would have been unthinkable in Ohio's education budget; now it's becoming routine. The EdChoice program, which allows students to use public funds to attend private and parochial schools, has expanded dramatically in recent years after the legislature removed income caps and made virtually every Ohio family eligible.
Supporters argue the programs deliver meaningful school choice to families who might otherwise be trapped in underperforming districts. Critics, however, point out that the money flows heavily to religious institutions and comes at the direct expense of public school funding — a tension that shows no sign of easing as enrollment in the voucher programs continues to grow.
With Ohio now budgeting over a billion dollars annually for private school subsidies, the debate is less about whether the programs exist and more about where the ceiling is. As public school districts face mounting fiscal pressure, the question of accountability — how voucher schools spend the money and what outcomes students achieve — is likely to grow louder in Columbus in the months ahead.
Two notable openings are giving Cleveland food lovers something to look forward to this fall. The bigger splash may come from PopUp Bagels, which is bringing its first Ohio location to Eton Chagrin Boulevard on October 23. What started as Adam Goldberg's "pandemic passion project" out of Westport, Connecticut in 2020 has quietly become one of the more interesting bagel success stories in recent memory — the brand now spans roughly 60 locations across a dozen states. The secret sauce is a centralized dough model that keeps quality consistent without requiring each outpost to master the fermentation process from scratch. If the lines at other locations are any indication, Eastsiders should expect a crowd on opening day [1].
Meanwhile, a beloved Little Italy institution is getting a second act. Lou's Tavern, a neighborhood staple with deep roots in the Murray Hill scene, is reopening under the stewardship of Jack Sparent — a former Cleveland State wrestler whose path to the restaurant business was anything but straight. After the university cut its wrestling program during his sophomore year, Sparent found himself adrift, eventually discovering a passion for hospitality that led him here. There's something fitting about a young owner reviving a tavern with that kind of neighborhood soul — Lou's has always been the kind of place that feels like it belongs to the street it sits on, and Sparent seems intent on honoring that [2].
Together, these two openings capture the range of Cleveland's dining scene right now: a fast-scaling national concept finding its Ohio footing, and a homegrown story of reinvention just a few miles away.
If you're looking for something to do in Cleveland this weekend that will linger in your mind long after you leave, Seat of the Pants Productions' staging of Tennessee Williams' *Suddenly Last Summer* deserves your attention. The company has transformed a corner of the Hildebrandt Building — that wonderfully repurposed factory with its hulking brick smokestack and exposed industrial bones — into something almost startlingly beautiful: a lush, verdant conservatory that serves as the play's central, suffocating setting [1].
The contrast couldn't be more deliberate or effective. Williams' 1958 one-act is one of his darkest works, a psychological pressure cooker involving memory, madness, manipulation, and a deeply disturbing act of violence lurking just offscreen. Setting all of that gothic dread inside a space bursting with greenery, tucked within a raw industrial shell, gives the production an immediate, almost tactile tension before a single word is spoken.
Seat of the Pants has built a reputation for intimate, detail-oriented productions, and this one appears to be no exception — "dark and detailed" is the characterization from the reviewer, which feels exactly right for material this dense and demanding [1]. Williams wrote *Suddenly Last Summer* as a companion piece to *Something Unspoken*, and while it's frequently revived, it rarely gets the close, committed treatment it requires. A smaller company working in an unconventional space may actually be the ideal environment for it.
If you haven't been to the Hildebrandt Building before, this might be the perfect occasion to discover it. The production runs for the next few weeks, giving Clevelanders ample opportunity to catch what sounds like one of the more atmospheric and ambitious local theater offerings of the season [1].
With Election Day closing in, Northeast Ohio has become a magnet for political star power. On Saturday, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made a high-profile appearance at Kent State University to rally support for Rep. Emilia Sykes, who is fighting to hold her seat in Ohio's competitive 13th congressional district. AOC told the crowd she found it "tremendously moving" to witness firsthand the connection Sykes has built with her constituents — a nod to both the congresswoman's local roots as a Kent State alum and her pledge to show up for the people she represents [1].
The visit underscores just how much both parties have their eyes on Ohio this cycle. Political analysts note the state is once again being treated as genuinely competitive — not just in the 13th district race, but in the marquee Senate and governor's contests as well. That competitiveness has brought a flood of campaign cash and recognizable names from across the political spectrum. Earlier in the week, former President Trump held a rally in Youngstown to boost Republican Senate candidate JD Vance and GOP gubernatorial hopeful Vivek Ramaswami [1].
On the Republican side of the 13th district race, candidate Carrie Coleman is making a direct pitch to independent voters, arguing that low-engagement voters who sat out previous elections are the key to the outcome. "Everything's on the line," she told News 5, echoing a sentiment heard from both camps — though each, of course, means something very different by it. For young voters at Kent State, the message from both parties was the same: this one matters, so show up.
Friday evening brought a startling weather event to the Lake Erie shoreline in Lorain County, where a fast-moving line of storms spawned at least three confirmed waterspouts — and may have briefly delivered a tornado to the community of Sheffield Lake.
Viewer-submitted photos helped News 5 Cleveland meteorologists piece together what unfolded around 5:47 p.m., as a powerful storm boundary rapidly intensified as it approached the lake. Radar showed a telltale pocket of intense rotation pulling inland near Sheffield Lake — and the station's exclusive rotation detector lit up with red, a rare summer signal. Residents described hearing what sounded like a freight train, and the damage told a vivid story: one homeowner found her old landline telephone ripped from the house and embedded in a backyard privacy fence. Another reported her daughter spotted a funnel cloud descending nearby while driving [1].
The critical question — whether a waterspout briefly made landfall and technically became a tornado — remains inconclusive. The National Weather Service suspects a brief tornado may have occurred, but no formal survey is planned, as damage appears fairly isolated along Idlewood and Kennallorth Avenues. Under the rules of meteorology, a waterspout that crosses onto land is classified as a tornado, making the distinction more than semantic [1].
It's a remarkable sequence for a summer storm in northeast Ohio — and a good reminder that Lake Erie's shoreline communities can face threats that develop almost too quickly to track.
If you're looking for a reason to embrace the weird this weekend, Chardon Square has you covered. The Cryptids and Curios Festival rolled into Geauga County for its second year, transforming the picturesque town square into a haven for lovers of the strange, the spooky, and the gloriously unexplained [1].
Founded by Jesse Harpu, the festival is exactly what it sounds like: a full-throated celebration of cryptids — those creatures spotted by believers but never confirmed by science, think Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and Mothman. This year's event expanded considerably from its debut, with over 50 artisans spread all the way around the square, plus a dedicated author's den for those who prefer their monsters between the pages of a book [1].
The atmosphere leaned fully into the season. A Wendigo wandered the grounds (for the uninitiated, that's a cryptid, not a misprint), a stilt walker worked the crowd, and a Dark Mermaid made appearances for photo opportunities with curious kids. Costumes were encouraged but not required, and the Heritage House offered warm apple cider, coffee, and hot chocolate for anyone who needed a break from the chill — because hoodie weather, as Harpu cheerfully noted, is apparently just part of the charm now [1].
Running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the festival felt like the perfect marriage of a fall farmers market and a monster convention — local food trucks, handmade goods, and the occasional creature stalking past your elbow. For a region that takes its autumn seriously, this one looks like a keeper.
There's something deeply satisfying about a small Jesuit university in University Heights, Ohio, outshining the entire world in college radio — and that's exactly what John Carroll University's WJCU has done. The station has claimed a historic double honor from the International Student Broadcasting Championship: the 2024 Station of the Year award, judged by industry professionals, and the 2025 People's Choice Radio Station of the Year, decided by popular vote. According to station general manager Jason Soal, no school anywhere in the world has ever won both [1].
The achievement is a testament to a program that draws students from well beyond the communications department — STEM majors, business students, and sports management hopefuls all find their way to the mic. Senior Nicolina Samak embodies that spirit perfectly: she recently became the first woman ever to win the championship's Best Color Commentator award, a milestone she described as putting "such a spotlight on John Carroll and the hard work that we put in here." [1]
What makes WJCU's success particularly compelling is how it bridges classroom theory and real-world practice. Representatives from the International Student Broadcasting Championship flew in from Australia to personally deliver the trophies — an encounter that gave students a rare window into how college radio operates across different cultures and media landscapes. For roughly 50 students rotating through the station, the experience translates into leadership, public speaking, scheduling, and social media savvy that no syllabus alone can provide. In a media industry hungry for versatile, battle-tested talent, WJCU is quietly producing some of the best-prepared young broadcasters on the planet.
A Cleveland mother is demanding answers — and accountability — after her 16-year-old son, Mitanna Penn, was stabbed to death inside a Loop Avenue apartment, allegedly by a man who was already well-known to the justice system. Devin Thompson, 29, now faces an aggravated murder charge in Penn's killing, which occurred just six days after Thompson had been indicted on 20 separate counts of illegal sexual conduct involving five different teenage girls — conduct spanning from 2018 through last July. Prosecutors had already moved to classify him as a sexually violent predator, and this wasn't even his first conviction: Thompson received a sexual battery conviction in 2019, serving only two years of probation.
Penn's mother, Mianna Good, arrived at the scene just as her son's body was being wheeled out. She later visited the crime scene herself, describing what she saw as a brutal, chaotic struggle. "My baby was running through the house getting stabbed and butchered," she said. Her grief has hardened into determination, and she's asking the question many will find painfully reasonable: how was Thompson free at all, given his prior conviction and the fresh indictment hanging over him?
It's a sobering reminder of how gaps in the system — lenient sentencing, delayed prosecution, or inadequate monitoring of repeat offenders — can have irreversible consequences. Good says she will attend every court date until Thompson is sentenced, however long that takes.
The City of Cleveland stepped back into the spotlight this week to address the ongoing fallout from last year's devastating gas explosion at Rainbow Terrace Apartments in the Garden Valley neighborhood. At a public news conference, city officials shared the latest findings from the investigation and outlined what comes next — both in terms of accountability and continued support for the residents whose lives were upended by the blast [1].
While specific new conclusions from the investigation weren't detailed in full, the city's decision to hold a formal briefing signals that the case remains very much active and that officials are aware of the community's need for transparency and closure. Gas explosions in residential apartment complexes carry particularly high stakes — displacement, trauma, and deep questions about infrastructure maintenance and oversight don't simply resolve themselves when the smoke clears.
Notably, the city emphasized that support services for affected residents remain in place, a reminder that for many families, the recovery is still very much ongoing. How long those resources will be available — and whether they're adequate — are questions the community will likely continue to press.
A 16-year-old opened fire at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon on Thursday, killing three young children — ages 5, 8, and 11 — and one teacher, in yet another devastating act of school violence to shake the country. Two others remain in critical condition: a 7-year-old child and a second teacher, both hospitalized following the attack [1].
According to police, the teenage gunman forced his way into the school by shooting through locked doors with a long gun — a grim reminder that even recently upgraded security measures have limits. Classroom locks at the school had been replaced as recently as 2022, designed to automatically secure when doors close, but the shooter bypassed them entirely [1].
The attack ended when a bystander fatally shot the suspect — a moment Oregon's governor publicly recognized as heroic. "To the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life," she said, "your actions carry a heavy emotional burden." Police arrived just three minutes after the first 911 call, by which point the shooter was already down [1].
Bend, a small and close-knit community, held a vigil overnight as shaken parents — some of whom waited up to four hours to confirm their children were safe — began to process the unthinkable. Authorities have not yet released the shooter's name and are still investigating whether he had any prior connection to the school or what motivated the attack [1].
Brace yourself if you're in the Cleveland area — a rough stretch of weather is moving through, bringing a triple threat of heavy rain, strong winds, and a notable cold snap [1]. News 5 Cleveland has been tracking the system closely, and while the detailed forecast breakdown runs nearly 20 minutes, the headline is simple: this isn't a day to leave the umbrella at home.
Wind will be a particular concern, with gusts strong enough to make driving feel dicey and potentially cause tree damage or scattered power outages — the kind of conditions worth monitoring throughout the day. The heavy rain component means low-lying areas and poorly drained roads could see standing water, so give yourself extra time if you're commuting. And once the rain clears, don't expect relief in the form of warmth — cold temperatures are trailing right behind, signaling that the pleasant stretch of milder days may be on pause for now.
If you're planning anything outdoors in the coming 24–48 hours, it's worth checking updated forecasts as the system evolves, since timing and intensity can shift. For the latest conditions and radar, News 5 Cleveland is your best local resource.
With National Moveover Day arriving tomorrow, Ohio State Highway Patrol and AAA are joining forces to remind drivers of a rule that's been on the books since 1999 — and one that carries genuinely life-or-death stakes. Ohio law requires motorists to either move over a lane or slow down significantly whenever they see a stopped vehicle with flashing lights on the roadside, whether that's a police cruiser, fire truck, or tow truck.
The numbers tell a sobering story. So far this year alone, OSHP has recorded more than 3,300 moveover-related incidents statewide, encompassing both crashes and violations. Looking back further, from 2020 through 2024, OSHP cruisers were involved in 55 moveover crashes — resulting in two civilian deaths, 16 injured troopers, and 29 injured civilians. The danger was on full display just this past Wednesday night in Canton, when a driver failed to move over for Canton Fire units blocking lanes on I-77 and plowed into a vehicle operated by firefighter Christopher Birkhard, leaving the driver with serious injuries. As one Canton fire official put it plainly: "I'm more concerned about losing a firefighter on the freeway than I am in a fire." [1]
AAA is doing its part to reinforce the message beyond just awareness campaigns — the organization has installed digital "Move Over / Slow Down" message boards directly on its tow trucks and service vehicles, a strategy backed by their own research showing that flashing reminders can *double* driver compliance with moveover laws. Fines for violations vary by court jurisdiction, but OSHP's core message is simpler than any dollar amount: the person on the side of that road has a family waiting for them at home. [1]
If you're regularly taking SR 176 North or I-71 North to hop onto I-90 West, you'll want to reroute your commute for the foreseeable future. The Ohio Department of Transportation closed that connecting ramp starting Friday at 11:00 a.m. after inspectors discovered a hole in the driving surface during a routine bridge inspection — the kind of find that's better caught early but still means headaches for drivers in the meantime [1].
ODOT spokesperson Brent Kovac says crews are working to get things back to normal, with a target reopening date of next Friday. Until then, drivers are being directed to follow a posted detour, though some may choose to exit earlier and cut through the Steelyard area or navigate surface streets like West 14th Street [1].
Speaking of West 14th — at least one local business is quietly rooting for the delay. Pace Cafe, a scratch kitchen and coffee shop that's been a neighborhood fixture for two years, sits right along one of the alternate routes and is already thinking about how to welcome the extra foot traffic. They make everything in-house, from bagels to housemade syrups, and say they already attract a surprising number of road-trippers who stumble in by accident. A little detour signage might just be the marketing boost they didn't know they needed.
Bottom line: build in some extra time if this ramp is part of your regular route, and keep an eye on ODOT updates as the repair timeline develops.
Akron residents are raising urgent alarms about Memorial Parkway, a just-over-one-mile stretch of road that has seen 97 accidents over the past three years — 15 of them resulting in injuries [1]. The concern isn't abstract: on October 3rd, Robert Kelly was struck by a hit-and-run driver while walking his dog, Snicker Doodle, in a crosswalk at Merryman Road — with the walk signal in his favor. Snicker Doodle was killed. Robert remains in a rehab facility recovering from a broken leg and other injuries, and the driver has not been identified.
Neighbors describe a road where speeding is routine, with cars clocking well over 50 mph on a stretch where the posted limit is 35 and an elementary school sits nearby. "I'm so sick and angry that somebody just could not wait," said one resident. Mother of three Haley Starvaji, whose children attend that school, says she personally witnessed a crash involving a driver going far beyond the speed limit. Traffic posts installed over the summer don't appear to have made a meaningful dent.
The good news: Akron has secured a federal Safe Streets for All grant worth more than $460,000, which will include a study of Memorial Parkway beginning in January, incorporating resident input and potential infrastructure recommendations. City Councilman Fran Wilson, who called the 97-accident figure "shocking," says ideas on the table include roundabouts, lane reconfigurations, and expanded bike infrastructure. Residents like Starvaji are also pushing for crosswalk buttons at the intersection where Robert and Snicker Doodle were hit — a relatively simple fix that could save lives while the larger study plays out.
Ohio's early voting numbers are telling an interesting story heading into November — and it cuts two different directions at once. In-person early voting is surging compared to the 2022 midterms, a sign that engaged Ohioans are showing up in force ahead of what's shaping up to be a consequential election. At the same time, absentee ballot requests have dropped off noticeably, suggesting voters may be shifting their habits back toward in-person participation after years of pandemic-era mail voting [1].
The stakes explain the energy at the polls. Ohioans are choosing an entirely new bench of statewide leadership this cycle — governor, attorney general, treasurer, and more — alongside a U.S. Senate seat and the full slate of congressional and state legislative races. That's a lot of ballot to fill out, and apparently a lot of motivation to do it early.
With three weeks still to go before Election Day, it's too soon to read these numbers as a definitive forecast. High early in-person turnout doesn't necessarily translate to a higher overall turnout — some of these voters may simply be people who would have voted on Election Day anyway, just choosing the convenience of early voting. The drop in absentee requests, meanwhile, could reflect anything from shifting preferences to lingering skepticism about mail voting following years of politically charged debate over its security. Either way, Ohio election officials and campaign operatives on both sides will be watching these figures closely as the deadline approaches.
Ohio's junior senator Jon Husted sat down with News 5 Cleveland for a brief but notable conversation, touching on what appears to be the state's political landscape and the dynamics of his Senate role [1]. While the short runtime keeps the specifics close to the vest, the interview signals that Husted — who has been a fixture in Ohio Republican politics for years, having previously served as Lieutenant Governor under Mike DeWine — remains an active and visible presence as Ohio continues to be a closely watched battleground state.
Ohio has long punched above its weight in national politics, and with Senate races drawing increasing attention and outside money, any signals from incumbents about their priorities or intentions carry real weight. Husted's willingness to engage with local Cleveland media suggests an effort to stay connected with constituents across a state that spans very different political communities, from the urban corridors of Columbus and Cleveland to the rural counties that have shifted dramatically rightward over the past decade.
Keep an eye on Husted as election season draws closer — Ohio rarely sits still politically, and this kind of local media engagement is often an early indicator of where a senator's focus is heading.
The question of whether Ohio will resume executions after a years-long pause is shaping up to be one of the sharpest fault lines in the 2026 governor's race. Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy are staking out starkly different positions — and a botched execution in Tennessee has given the debate fresh urgency.
Acton says she would continue the moratorium on executions that incumbent Governor Mike DeWine has maintained throughout his tenure. She's leaning into DeWine's own reasoning: the death penalty isn't a proven deterrent, it's enormously expensive, it prolongs anguish for victims' families, and Ohio has seen a dozen death row exonerations. The Tennessee incident — where an inmate survived two supposedly lethal doses — only reinforces her position. For the worst offenders, she argues, life without the possibility of parole delivers real justice without the risks. [1]
Ramaswamy, positioning himself as the law-and-order candidate, says he intends to resume executions for the most egregious crimes where guilt is beyond any shadow of doubt. He's not brushing off the Tennessee debacle either — he says he'd be open to alternative methods, insisting any execution carried out under his watch would be "ethically appropriate, scientifically sound, effective, and swift." [1]
Worth noting: DeWine himself has asked the Republican-controlled legislature to abolish the death penalty outright, removing the decision from future governors' hands entirely. Republican leadership declined. So the fate of capital punishment in Ohio may ultimately rest on whoever wins the Statehouse in 2026 — making this debate far more than academic.
Ohio is escalating its fight against prediction market platforms, with Governor Mike DeWine and Attorney General Andy Wilson moving from warnings to formal legal action — and so far, the companies aren't blinking.
The dispute centers on platforms like Polymarket, Kalshi, Coinbase, and Robinhood, which allow users to trade "event contracts" tied to sports outcomes. Ohio officials say that's just sports gambling by another name, and it's happening without a state license. DeWine, who says he noticed the platforms' ads running during baseball games, isn't hiding his frustration: "This is pure and simple gambling and these people are trying to get around it — and they're just laughing at everybody." [1]
On October 2nd, Ohio's Casino Control Commission sent cease-and-desist letters to 10 companies, threatening both criminal and civil penalties. Wilson says the state could also claw back profits the platforms earned while operating in Ohio. The 14-day deadline has now passed, and not one of the sites made changes. Polymarket and Robinhood responded with statements essentially arguing that federal oversight — not state law — governs their operations, a position Kalshi has also raised in court. [1]
It's a genuinely tangled legal question. But Ohio's position is straightforward: if you want to offer sports wagering here, get licensed. That process can cost upward of a million dollars, carries a 20% tax on sports betting revenue, and requires users to be at least 21 — obligations the prediction market platforms have so far shown little interest in meeting. Lawsuits appear to be next. [1]
If you've been counting on your airline to cover dinner and a hotel room when your flight goes sideways, you may want to rethink that assumption. Starting October 19th, the Department of Transportation will reclassify ten common causes of flight delays and cancellations as events "outside an airline's control" — effectively letting carriers off the hook for the meal vouchers and lodging they've often provided in the past [1].
The newly designated "not our fault" list is broader than you might expect. It includes unscheduled maintenance, aircraft damage from weather or foreign objects, cybersecurity attacks, government system failures affecting flight safety, medical emergencies, and even the removal of an unruly passenger. That last one is particularly eyebrow-raising — a disruption caused by another traveler's behavior could now become *your* financial problem [1].
Travel industry watchers are calling this a significant setback for passengers. Flighty analyst Katie Nastro put it plainly: this change "blurs the lines" on when stranded travelers are actually eligible for compensation, and it's "a really unfortunate scenario" for anyone caught in one of these situations [1].
So what can you do? A few practical steps worth taking before your next trip:
The bottom line: the safety net just got a lot thinner. A little preparation now could save you from being stuck at Gate C7 with an empty stomach and a full-price hotel bill.
Cleveland's Agora Theatre got a proper dose of heavy metal thunder recently, as WASP rolled through town on their "1984 To Headless" tour — a nostalgia-fueled trek that gave longtime fans a chance to relive some of the band's most iconic eras. If you were anywhere near East 24th Street that night and heard the distant roar of guitars, now you know why [1].
Opening duties fell to KK's Priest, a band that carries some serious pedigree. The group features K.K. Downing, the founding Judas Priest guitarist who left that band back in 2011, alongside Tim "Ripper" Owens — a name that resonates deeply in Cleveland, where the Akron native first made his bones before landing the Judas Priest vocalist gig in the mid-90s. Having Owens on a Cleveland stage is always something of a homecoming, and the crowd no doubt felt that local pride mixed in with all the leather and volume [1].
Together, the two acts made for a night that leaned hard into classic heavy metal's golden age — the kind of show that reminds you why the genre built such a fiercely devoted following in the first place. Cleveland, with its deep rock and roll roots and a fanbase that never really let go of the old ways, is exactly the right city for a bill like this. The Agora, one of the Midwest's most storied rock venues, provided the perfect gritty, intimate backdrop for the proceedings [1].
If you've ever wondered what happens when art-rock ambition meets post-punk accessibility, King Crimson's early-1980s trilogy with Adrian Belew offers a pretty compelling answer. *Discipline* (1981), *Beat* (1982), and *Three of a Perfect Pair* (1984) represent one of the band's most beloved and distinctive chapters — a period when the famously cerebral prog legends found something approaching a melodic middle ground without sacrificing any of their experimental edge [1].
Belew, who had already made a name for himself touring with David Bowie and Frank Zappa, brought an almost paradoxical warmth to Crimson's dense sonic architecture. His vocals and guitar work softened the band's more forbidding tendencies, threading accessible harmonies through Robert Fripp's signature interlocking guitar patterns and the propulsive rhythmic interplay of Tony Levin and Bill Bruford. The result was a lineup that could challenge your ears and hum along inside your head at the same time — no small feat for a band that had built its reputation on deliberate difficulty.
That era has since taken on an almost mythological quality among prog devotees, and it's easy to hear why. These albums feel like a bridge between worlds — between the gnarly experimentation of 1970s progressive rock and the textured, atmospheric sounds that would define much of the decade's art music. Cleveland Scene's recent revisit of the Belew-era catalog arrives as a timely reminder that this particular King Crimson lineup, though long disbanded, still rewards close listening. Whether you're a longtime fan or a curious newcomer, it's a fine excuse to pull out *Discipline* and remember what adventurous rock music can sound like when it's firing on all cylinders [1].
A policy change meant to save lives at the Cuyahoga County Jail may itself be on life support — hampered by the very communication failures that contributed to a string of inmate deaths in the first place. Earlier this year, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department quietly updated its employee handbook to require corrections officers to perform CPR during serious medical emergencies, a meaningful shift in protocol. The problem? Months later, many jail staffers still don't know the rule exists [1].
The situation is a troubling case study in how institutional reform can stall between the policy page and the prison floor. It's one thing to write new expectations into a handbook; it's another to train a workforce, build accountability systems, and change a culture that may have long defaulted to waiting for medical personnel rather than intervening directly. At a facility that has already weathered intense scrutiny over preventable deaths in its custody, the gap between intention and implementation isn't just a management headache — it's a matter of life and death.
Cuyahoga County's jail has faced years of criticism over inmate welfare, and this latest development suggests that systemic change remains frustratingly elusive. Advocates and oversight bodies will likely push for concrete training records, certification requirements, and clear disciplinary consequences for non-compliance — the kinds of structural supports that turn a handbook update into an actual practice. Without them, the new CPR mandate risks becoming another well-intentioned measure that arrives too late and too quietly to matter.
A new poll out of Ohio is delivering some uncomfortable numbers for the White House ahead of the midterms: 57% of Ohioans say they disapprove of President Trump's performance in office, and Democrats are holding onto small but meaningful leads in key races across the state [1]. That's a notable data point in a state Trump has leaned on as part of his political base.
Despite that headwind, Trump has been barnstorming Ohio and other battleground states, apparently betting that making himself the centerpiece of the midterm conversation will energize his coalition more than it galvanizes the opposition. It's a classic base-mobilization gamble — but the polling suggests it may be a harder sell than the White House is counting on. Persistently high consumer prices appear to be a significant drag on his approval, a reminder that kitchen-table economics have a way of cutting through partisan loyalty when wallets feel the squeeze.
For Democrats, the small leads are encouraging but hardly a cause for celebration — slim margins in Ohio have a history of evaporating on election night. Still, if Republican enthusiasm isn't enough to overcome broad disapproval of the president's economic stewardship, the party could find itself in a genuinely competitive fight for seats it might otherwise have taken for granted. Ohio, as it so often does, looks poised to be one of the more revealing tests of where the national mood actually stands.
A significant legal blow has landed on one of Ohio's most contentious education policies: an appellate court has ruled the EdChoice school voucher program unconstitutional, finding that it improperly diverts taxpayer dollars away from the public schools that serve roughly 90% of Ohio students [1]. The three-judge panel — notably all Democrats — determined that the state has funneled some $2.5 billion in a single budget cycle toward private schools, which operate without the same oversight requirements as public institutions.
More than 300 public school districts are celebrating the ruling, including Cleveland Heights-University Heights schools, which was among the first to join the lawsuit. District officials there described a direct financial wound: state funds were literally pulled from their accounts to cover private school tuition costs [1].
That said, don't expect vouchers to disappear anytime soon. The court is allowing the program to continue while the case winds its way to the Republican-controlled Ohio Supreme Court, where EdChoice supporters say they're confident of a favorable outcome. The case is widely expected to be taken up within the next two court terms [1].
The ruling is landing squarely in the middle of Ohio's governor's race, drawing sharp contrasts between the candidates. Democratic contender Dr. Amy Acton has used the moment to push for fully funding the state's bipartisan public school funding formula, calling it a constitutional obligation. Republican Vivek Ramaswami has stood firmly behind EdChoice, framing it as giving families — particularly those in struggling urban districts — the freedom to seek better options. One pointed exchange captured the ideological fault line neatly: when both candidates were asked whether millionaires should qualify for vouchers, Acton called the spending a "crime against public schools," while Ramaswami declined to answer directly [1].
In a notable test of grassroots pushback against the tech industry's infrastructure boom, residents of Conneaut, Ohio will head to the polls this November to vote on a measure that would ban large data centers from setting up shop in their community. The proposed ban would apply to any data center development exceeding 25 megawatts — a threshold that would effectively block the kind of massive, industrial-scale facilities that tech giants and AI companies have been racing to build across the country [1].
Conneaut, a small Lake Erie city in Ashtabula County, may seem an unlikely flashpoint in the national conversation about data center sprawl, but communities like it have increasingly found themselves in the crosshairs of developers drawn by available land, power infrastructure, and favorable logistics. These facilities, while promising jobs and tax revenue, often bring concerns about noise, water consumption, strain on local power grids, and the mismatch between industrial scale and residential character.
Putting the question directly to voters is a meaningful move — it reflects a growing sentiment that decisions about transformative land use shouldn't be left solely to zoning boards or city councils. Whether Conneaut's residents vote to draw a hard line could send a signal to other small cities weighing similar pressures. A "yes" vote would make Conneaut one of the few communities in Ohio to codify such a restriction through direct democracy.
The Ohio Department of Transportation has kicked off a new safety improvement project along State Route 241, signaling a continued push to address problem areas on the state's roadway network [1]. While specific details from ODOT about the full scope of the project — such as targeted intersections, signage upgrades, or lane modifications — weren't fully outlined in initial coverage, safety-focused initiatives on rural and suburban state routes like SR 241 typically involve a combination of improved lighting, updated traffic controls, pavement markings, and realignment of hazardous curves.
Projects like this one rarely make headlines until something goes wrong, but ODOT's proactive approach is worth noting. State routes that connect smaller communities to larger corridors often carry a disproportionate share of traffic incidents relative to their size, and targeted improvements can make a meaningful difference in reducing serious crashes over time. If you drive SR 241 regularly, it's worth watching for construction activity and adjusting your commute accordingly as the work gets underway.
Stay tuned for more specifics from ODOT as the project progresses — details on timelines, lane closures, and the full improvement plan should become clearer in the weeks ahead.
The Federal Trade Commission is taking aim at a company accused of doing something particularly cruel: preying on people who were already victims. The FTC has filed suit against Digital Forensics, a cybersecurity firm that allegedly collected at least $60 million over three years from hundreds of desperate consumers seeking help with sextortion — a scheme in which criminals threaten to release intimate images unless victims pay up [1].
According to the lawsuit, Digital Forensics didn't just fail to deliver on its promises — it allegedly made things worse. Victims describe signing contracts, handing over thousands of dollars, and then never hearing from the company again. One victim, Cheryl Simmel Roth, says the company withdrew roughly $2,500 from her account after she reached out for help with identity theft and a hack. "They lied to us and said they could help, and they didn't," she said. "They made it worse." [1]
The alleged deception ran even deeper. The FTC claims the company directed dissatisfied customers to *fake* Better Business Bureau websites — designed to look legitimate but actually controlled by Digital Forensics itself — to suppress complaints and maintain a veneer of trustworthiness. The BBB of Greater Cleveland, which helped the FTC build its case, confirmed consumers were misled into thinking they were dealing with the real organization [1].
The case is a stark reminder that scammers often fish in the most vulnerable waters. Anyone dealing with sextortion or identity theft should report directly to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and verify any cybersecurity firm through the official BBB website before paying a cent. Digital Forensics did not respond to requests for comment.
If you're looking for a reason to get out this weekend, Zarna Garg's return to Northeast Ohio is a pretty compelling one. The Indian-American comedian — whose sharp, self-deprecating takes on motherhood, immigration, and family life have earned her a devoted following — will take the stage at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Mimi Ohio Theatre, and this particular homecoming carries some genuine warmth behind it.
Garg isn't just passing through. She studied at the University of Akron as an undergraduate before going on to Case Western Reserve University for graduate school, meaning the Cleveland area played a formative role in shaping the woman who would eventually turn the chaos of raising kids and navigating two cultures into genuinely funny material [1]. There's something special about watching a performer return to a place that knew them before the punchlines.
Her comedy tends to zero in on the particular pressures of being an Indian mother in America — the expectations, the contradictions, the humor hiding inside everyday domestic life. It's the kind of material that lands hard whether you've lived that experience firsthand or simply recognize the universal exhaustion of parenthood. Garg has built her reputation on finding the absurdity in the mundane, and audiences who catch her live consistently note how effortlessly she makes a packed room feel like a conversation among friends.
For Northeast Ohio locals, this one feels personal. It's not just a touring comedian coming through — it's someone who walked these same streets, earned degrees here, and is coming back with something to say about the life she built since leaving.
Cleveland's Violet Ray has never been a band content to stay in one lane, and their new album makes that clearer than ever. The local punk outfit — rooted in the scrappy, politically charged tradition of '90s Cleveland punk — is stretching its sound in ways that feel both ambitious and earned [1].
Frontman Billy Somerville knows this territory well. He cut his teeth fronting the Hooligans, a beloved local punk act that called it quits back in 2000, and spent the years that followed clearly thinking hard about what he wanted to say next. About a decade ago, he launched Violet Ray with a specific mission: make music that means something, that pushes back, that has a point of view. That ethos hasn't changed — but the sonic palette apparently has.
The new record finds the band moving beyond the straight-ahead punk framework, incorporating influences and textures that signal a group growing into something harder to categorize. For longtime fans of Cleveland's punk scene, that kind of evolution can feel like a risk, but Violet Ray seems to be threading the needle between honoring their roots and refusing to be defined by them. In a city with a rich and often underappreciated rock history, that's no small thing.
Cleveland has always punched above its weight when it comes to cultivating artists who are as interested in ideas as they are in volume, and Violet Ray fits squarely in that tradition. If this album is any indication, Somerville and company are just getting started.