The United States has about 309,000 public swimming pools. Last year, about a third of them closed, at least sporadically, because of the country’s ongoing lifeguard shortage. That’s according to the American Lifeguard Association, which blames COVID for closing pools and canceling lifeguard training courses. For whatever reason – the seasonal nature of work or the overscheduled summer days of teenagers – it's hard to find workers, even though Cleveland stepped up pay, recruiting and training efforts. And so, Clevelanders will also see closed swimming pools this summer. I can’t quite comprehend the lack of interest in what seems like the quintessential American summer job. I signed up for lifeguarding classes as soon as I turned 15 and I had my first job that summer, earning $4.25 an hour to protect swimmers, clean the bathrooms and teach shivering preschoolers how to blow bubbles. I loved it. After five years of lifeguarding, I still yell “No running!” at kids on a pool deck and I joke that when I retire, I’ll return with my whistle. Meanwhile, my 11-year-old can’t wait for her turn in the chair.
— Laura
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Overnight Scores and Weather |
Guardians at Cincinnati Reds: Tanner Bibee sets career high in strikeouts, but Guardians fall to Reds, 4-2 Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Sunny and hot |
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Cleveland city pools, like this one in Tremont's Lincoln Park, are officially open for the 2024 season. But hours are subject to change due to an ongoing lifeguard shortage. |
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Lifeguard shortage: Cleveland city pools are officially up-and-running for the summer, but operating hours are restricted again this year because of a worsening lifeguard shortage, according to the city. Courtney Astolfi reports that despite wage hikes and other concerted efforts to boost recruitment, fewer lifeguards applied for city pool jobs in 2024 than they did last year, when there was already a shortage. State budget: At the same time that Ohio lawmakers are preparing to pass a $2.5 billion capital budget later this month, the state is careening toward ending its fiscal year with hundreds of millions of dollars less tax revenue than anticipated. So why isn’t the state’s tightening financial situation forcing it to tighten its belt? Jeremy Pelzer reports that the money from the capital budget – the spending plan for construction projects and equipment around the state – will come from state bonds and money left over from the state’s last fiscal year. Anti-DEI: New legislation from U.S. Sen. JD Vance would ban the federal government from offering or funding diversity, equity and inclusion programs, reports Andrew Tobias. The Dismantle DEI ACT not only would wind down existing programs offered by the federal government, but also would forbid government contractors from using government money to pay for DEI programs. Merrick Garland: The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday heeded Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan’s call to find U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over a special counsel’s recorded interviews with President Joe Biden as the counsel examined whether Biden mishandled classified documents. Sabrina Eaton reports that the resolution passed 216 to 207, with Rep. Dave Joyce the only Republican to vote against it. Today in Ohio: Colorado was the first state to legalize recreational marijuana sales. But now its sales are crashing, with dispensaries and cultivators shuttering. On Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour podcast, we’re talking about whether the trend has any lessons for Ohio. |
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J&J: Ohio will receive about $27.7 million as its share of a $700 million multistate settlement with Johnson & Johnson regarding the company’s marketing of its talc baby products, reports Jake Zuckerman. The states alleged Johnson & Johnson marketed its talc baby and body powders as safe, despite evidence linking talc, which contained asbestos, to ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Clean power: U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced Wednesday that he’ll back a congressional drive to overturn a clean power plan that the Biden Administration announced in April. Sabrina Eaton reports that Brown said the final regulations would be particularly harmful to Ohio’s rural electric cooperatives. |
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Harvest for Hunger: The Harvest for Hunger campaign – the annual collaborative food-bank initiative - raised more than $9.8 million and thousands of pounds of food, translating to 29,526,151 meals for hunger-relief organizations. Marc Bona reports that organizers said the 33rd annual campaign set a record. Last year, more than $9.775 million and thousands of pounds of food were collected. Medina restaurants: More than 700 restaurants and food places in Medina County were cited during the most recent inspection year. Zachary Smith reports less than 20% of them received more than 10 citations. Camels loose: Amid the manic rides, the roller coasters and the lines of Cedar Point, a few camels decided to step out and go for a stroll Tuesday night, reports Molly Walsh. Videos circulating online show the animals left their enclosures at the Sandusky amusement park’s petting zoo on Frontier Trail. |
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DNA advances: Case Western Reserve University researchers have developed a new method of DNA testing — one they say could greatly expand its uses in medical research. Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports the method rapidly and accurately amplifies very small amounts of DNA into samples large enough to be used in conventional medical testing, making identification possible with samples that would have otherwise returned poor or no results. Real estate agents: The state of Ohio wants to help residents choose the real estate agent that will fit their needs, reports Megan Sims. Kicking off Homeownership Month, the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing released its “Finding the Right Real Estate Agent Guide,” which is an online resource for prospective homebuyers and sellers. |
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Overturned conviction: The Ohio Supreme Court this week chose not to review the case of a man whose 2011 conviction was overturned after he spent eight years in prison for a shooting that his brother confessed to committing. Cory Shaffer reports the decision means that Octavius Williams will get a chance to clear his name of attempted murder and other charges in a 2010 shooting that he has long maintained he didn’t commit. Officer arrested: A corrections officer for the Cuyahoga County Jail was arrested Wednesday on multiple criminal counts, authorities say. Cliff Pinckard reports Austin Casto is facing five felony counts of harassment by inmate, harassment with a bodily substance. Fire death: A man was found dead inside of a burning two-story home Tuesday in the city’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Olivia Mitchell reports firefighters responded about 8:25 p.m. to the home in the 3200 block of East 123rd Street, where smoke was coming from the second floor. |
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Pixar animator: Cleveland native Kristina Kovacs calls her job as an animator at the acclaimed, Disney-owned animation studio Pixar a dream. Joey Morona reports you can see her work in “Inside Out 2,” the sequel to the 2015 Oscar-nominated film about the anthropomorphic emotions inside a young girl’s mind. JazzFest: For 45 years, Cuyahoga Community College’s jazz festival has brought jazz and music icons, legends, future legends, local luminaries and fans to theaters and stages in Cleveland. Malcolm X Abram reports this year it takes place June 20-22 indoors and outdoors at Playhouse Square in Cleveland. Hi-Fi: A new bar coming to Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood aims to bring the hi-fi Japanese listening bar experience to Northeast Ohio, reports Alex Darus. Bad Medicine is scheduled to open its brick-and-mortar bar in August. World Series of Rock: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Library & Archives will honor the 50th anniversary of the noted “World Series of Rock” concerts with a new exhibit that opens with a special Cleveland History Days event from 3 to 7 p.m. on June 26 at the Library & Archives in Cleveland. Peter Chakerian reports the exhibit features photography and artifacts from the famed concerts that took place at Cleveland Municipal Stadium from 1974 to 1980. Horror films: The Crowne Plaza Hotel Airport will be horror central from June 20 to 23 when the 13th annual International Horror Hotel Film Festival takes over. Everyone who appreciates horror, slasher, fantasy, action, martial arts, and sci-fi film genres is welcome at the four-day scare fest. Paris Wolfe reports this year marks the greatest number of submissions in the festival’s 13-year history. Escape hotel: Out of desperation comes creativity, says Columbus entrepreneur Marty Parker, who saw many of his businesses – from escape rooms to axe-throwing venues – shut down during the COVID pandemic. So he got creative, combining his escape room skills with the need for private accommodations, reports Susan Glaser. In 2022, he opened Romantic Adventure Getaways in Mount Vernon. |
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Cleveland man killed on city’s East Side Read more Richmond Heights has plans for two Juneteenth celebrations Read more A little history lesson to start your summer: Chagrin Falls school board got its start 175 years ago Read more Matt Schneider is new Olmsted Township fire chief Read more Sewer district to open Parma’s Upper Ridgewood Basin Read more After vetoing anti-discrimination legislation, Brooklyn Mayor Ron Van Kirk introduces Connecting Commission Read more Medina County District Library announces new and expanded services Read more |
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