Last year, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank helped more than 420,000 individuals, its largest need ever. The 2024 Harvest for Hunger campaign set a record, collecting more than $9.77 million and thousands of pounds of food, serving more than 29.4 million nutritious meals across more than 20 counties. As the food bank kicks off its 2025 Harvest campaign, CEO Kristin Warzocha is expecting an even bigger need this year as food costs continue to rise. That’s why U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown invited Warzocha to attend President Donald Trump’s address of a joint session of Congress tonight. Brown wants to highlight potential cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. Her district has more SNAP recipients than any other district in Ohio, she said. “I want my colleagues to understand that these cuts will not make our country stronger, they will force more folks to rely on food banks — or go hungry,” Brown said. — Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Rainy and warmer |
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| Greater Cleveland Food Bank President Kristin Warzocha will attend tonight's address by President Trump as a guest of U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, a Warrensville Heights Democrat. (David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com file photo) |
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Trump speech: Just as it’s a yearly tradition for the president of the United States to address a joint session of Congress, it’s a yearly tradition for Congress members to invite guests to make political points. U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, a Warrensville Heights Democrat, announced Monday that she’s inviting Greater Cleveland Food Bank President Kristin Warzocha to be her guest at tonight's speech, reports Sabrina Eaton. Cleveland spending: Cleveland City Council is pulling $4.6 million from one of the city’s $61 million savings accounts to bolster the discretionary funds council members use for neighborhood projects — a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Mayor Justin Bibb and his finance team, Sean McDonnell reports. Council contends that taxpayer dollars should be put to work in neighborhoods rather than accumulating in a savings account that is greater than in recent history. Today in Ohio: Intel is delaying its computer chip factory in New Albany for five years. Will the company really follow through? We’re talking about the pause in the giant construction project on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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School breakfasts: Ohio schools recorded a slight uptick in the number of breakfast meals served to students last school year, though a recent state report says they aren’t serving as much as they did during the pandemic. Laura Hancock reports that 3,253 Ohio public, private and charter schools served an average of 452,644 breakfasts a day to students during the 2023-24 school year, an increase from the previous year. Voting case: More than three years before Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost secured an indictment of a legal immigrant for felony “illegal voting,” local prosecutors declined to charge her and investigators within Yost’s own office closed the case. Jake Zuckerman reports that in new court filings, Maria Dearaujo, a 62-year-old who had lived in the U.S. for 30 years at the time of her October 2024 indictment, said the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation looked into her case at the request of Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose in January 2020. Sheriff endorsements: Ohio county sheriffs are starting to take sides in the 2026 Republican race for Ohio governor between former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Attorney General Dave Yost. Yost, the state’s top law-enforcement official, trotted out endorsements Monday from 30 county sheriffs, reports Jeremy Pelzer. But 21 sheriffs – including one Democrat – are instead backing Ramaswamy. Concealed carry: Last year, Ohio issued more than 14,000 new concealed weapon permits to gun owners, reports Lucas Daprile. That’s less than any year since at least 2015, but it is still noteworthy because the permits are no longer needed to carry a concealed handgun. The state’s “Constitutional Carry” law went into effect in June 2022. PUCO appointment: Gov. Mike DeWine reappointed Lawrence Friedeman to a second, five-year term for a regulatory seat overseeing Ohio’s gas and electric utility companies and the prices they charge. Jake Zuckerman reports Friedeman, who worked in the private sector as an attorney representing Columbia Gas and others in the industry, was one of four finalists the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio’s nominating council sent to DeWine. |
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Building demo: While demolition of the former Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Center is expected to take 18 months, the Ohio Department of Transportation said that schedule will not delay a multi-phase Innerbelt project that includes work dependent on removing the nearby building, reports Rich Exner. Heights housing: The agreement is now official between the city and a Columbus-based nonprofit that plans to build a $22 million affordable housing complex for seniors on a former church site in Coventry. Cory Shaffer reports National Church Residences will pay $500,000 for the former Universalist Unitarian Church building at 2728 Lancashire Road in Cleveland Heights and two adjacent surface parking lots, totaling just over an acre of land. EMS hiring: Cleveland’s paramedics and EMTs are asking City Hall to beef up hiring for Cleveland EMS, saying that Mayor Justin Bibb’s proposed budget leaves the department understaffed. Sean McDonnell reports that EMS commissioners in October told City Council that they wanted another 11 positions in 2025, recovering some of the positions cut from the budget two years ago. Home sales: There were 10 homes in Cuyahoga County that sold for at least $1 million in January, two of which netted over $2 million. Megan Sims reports the top spot went to a 5,000-square-foot colonial in Chagrin Falls known as the “Sears-Adams” house, according to a Zillow listing. It was listed for $2.7 million and sold for $2.5 million. Shelter expansion: The Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter expanded its facilities, promising to provide more benefits for dogs despite the overall capacity remaining unchanged. Kaitlin Durbin reports the county unveiled a 2,100-square-foot expansion on Friday, showcasing extra space for training, outdoor play and connecting dogs with their potential “furever” families. Fulbright scholars: Oberlin College and Conservatory was recognized as the national top producer of Fulbright grant honorees among undergraduate-only institutions for the 2024-25 academic year, reports Hannah Drown. With 19 students and alumni awarded grants, the school year also marks the most honorees from Oberlin College in a single academic year. |
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Sherwin-Williams: Sherwin-Williams announced Monday it is looking to reduce staffing by offering voluntary buyouts to some employees. Eligible employees who decide to leave the company at the end of June will leave “with enhanced financial support to pursue other career opportunities or retirement,” reports Molly Walsh. Flu vaccine: Eggs are disappearing from store shelves due to shortages caused by the avian flu outbreak, but never fear — the eggs used to make the flu vaccine are safe. That’s because eggs used for vaccine manufacturing come from isolated flocks that are kept safe from disease, reports Julie Washington. Steel jobs: Worthington Steel has announced plans to permanently close its Cleveland manufacturing facility, resulting in the loss of 55 jobs, reports Molly Walsh. The Columbus-based company notified state workforce officials Feb. 27, indicating that operations will wind down starting April 30, with a final closure date of May 31 as part of a regional consolidation. |
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Explosion: A Cleveland man was sentenced Monday to nine to 12 years in prison for killing a woman when he crashed his car into an apartment building, setting off an explosion, reports David Gambino. Christopher Terry, 40, was found guilty in January of involuntary manslaughter, vehicular assault, failure to stop after an accident and tampering with evidence in the Nov. 19, 2023, death of 68-year-old April Yarbrough. Drive-by shooting: A Cuyahoga County grand jury on Monday indicted two men and accused them of aggravated murder in the Feb. 1 drive-by shooting death on Interstate 480, David Gambino reports. Michael Alvarado, 21, and Michael Roman, 30, shot multiple rounds at Johndiel Rivera as he drove home from work in the interstate’s westbound lanes, according to prosecutors. Menacing: An Eastlake man accused of using security cameras he installed at Cuyahoga County businesses to menace and harass women was indicted on Friday. David Gambino reports a county grand jury charged Robert Hocevar, 57, with 26 counts, including burglary, menacing by stalking with sexual motivation and telecommunications harassment. Union embezzlement: A former union treasurer was sentenced Friday to four years on probation for embezzling $89,000 from his union during a seven-year span. Adam Ferrise reports that Kenneth Kleinhenz, a former treasurer of the now-defunct United Steelworkers International Local 1-673, also will spend eight months on house arrest and must pay back the money he stole. |
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Ask Lucas: If you can’t stand to do another four years of doom scrolling, should you stop reading the news? No, writes Lucas Daprile. If you’re too broke to care about freedom or if you hate the First Amendment, you could always try helping people locally. 'Hamilton': “Hamilton” is returning to Playhouse Square this summer, but if you want to be in the room where it happens, you’ll need to plan ahead. Tickets for the smash-hit musical’s June 17-July 6 stint at the KeyBank State Theatre go on sale at 10 a.m. on March 10, reports Joey Morona. Mac and cheese: Thirteen Northeast Ohio restaurants showed off their creativity Sunday in competition at the ninth Mac N Cheese Throwdown at The Madison event center in Cleveland’s Asiatown, reports Paris Wolfe. Monster trucks: Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live is scheduled to roll into Rocket Arena for a pair of shows, reports Marc Bona. With a theme of “Glow-N-Fire,” the show adds what is billed as a “fiery twist.” Eric Clapton: Three-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Eric Clapton will be going on a limited-run tour of America in late summer that includes a stop at Rocket Arena on Sept. 11. The Wallflowers will open, reports Malcolm X Abram. City Goods: The City Goods retail concept, on the edge of Cleveland’s Hingetown neighborhood, is being reinvented. Instead of seven, small “hangar” buildings filled with 20-plus creative makers, City Goods is reopening as just one building with 10 makers, reports Paris Wolfe. |
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Medina looks into feasibility of adding turf inside field house Read more Medina County’s three cities join forces to apply for housing grant Read more Playground construction to begin this week at Medina’s Ken Cleveland Park Read more Berea City Council delays vote on Cleveland Browns' District 46 project Read more Orange school board hires consultant in search for treasurer Read more Kent State Fashion Show to highlight top student designs in April Read more West Shore Chamber of Commerce toasts retiring director John Sobolewski Read more Hale Farm & Village to host Maple Sugar Festival, pancake breakfasts soon Read more |
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