CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Former co-owner of the legendary Cleveland restaurant Sokolowski’s University Inn has died.

65-year-old Michael Sokolowski passed away on Tuesday, according to his obituary.

Established in Tremont in 1923, Sokolowski’s University Inn was Cleveland’s oldest family-owned and operated restaurant. It was a recipient of the prestigious James Beard “American Classics” Award in 2014. It closed it doors for good in 2020.

Read Obit below

MICHAEL PAUL SOKOLOWSKI, age 65; passed away peacefully on February 24, 2026. Beloved husband of Patricia (nee McCue); loving father of George McDougall (Erika) and Sara; grandfather of Nicole and Emerson; Son of the late Bernard Sr. and Marion (nee Szwejkowski); dear brother of Bernard Jr. (Mary) and Mary Lou Balbier (Ronald); loving brother-in-law, uncle and dear friend of many. Mike was the co-owner of Sokolowski’s University Inn, a Cleveland landmark restaurant since 1923 and a James Beard Award winner. He played baseball and football for Cleveland Central Catholic and graduated from Otterbein University. Michael was a member of the Greater Cleveland Umpire Association, officiating many Cleveland Indians Fantasy Camps. He loved cooking and taught classes at the Polaris Career Center for their community culinary arts program. Mike loved music, attending many concerts, and playing drums in bands and for his parish church masses. Former President of the Cleveland Society of Poles and a member of the Knights of Columbus Trinity Council. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Cleveland Central Catholic High School, 6550 Baxter Ave., Cleveland, OH 44105.

Mass of Christian burial at St. John Cantius Catholic Church, 906 College Ave, Cleveland, Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 12 noon. Interment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Family and friends received at the church, Saturday from 10 a.m.-12 noon.

Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.

Members of the Missouri and Illinois congressional delegations are split over President Donald Trump’s decision to attack Iran.

And some Democrats are criticizing Trump for launching the attack without conferring with Congress — and before lawmakers could vote on a war powers resolution that would have restricted the president from using force against Iran.

American and Israeli troops launched airstrikes around Iran on Saturday. In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump cited Iran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs as rationale for the attack. The Republican chief executive added that “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties that often happens in war, but we’re doing this not for now.”

“We’re doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission,” Trump added.

Early reaction to Trump’s decision among Missouri and Illinois political figures broke down along party lines.

Congresswoman Ann Wagner, R-Missouri, said in a statement that “for nearly fifty years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has proven itself to be utterly committed to violence, chaos, and instability.” Wagner, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, added that “the United States, along with the support from many of our allies around the world, will no longer allow this regime to wreak havoc at will.”

“As the President stated, Operation Epic Fury is a clear and necessary action to raze the Iranian ballistic missile industry to the ground, annihilate the Ayatollah’s navy, and ensure Iranian terrorism and nuclear threats can no longer destabilize the globe,” Wagner said. “The multiple statements of support from across the Western world illustrate the importance of this action.”

Wagner is alluding to how the leaders from a number of countries, including Canada, Australia and Ukraine, backed Trump’s decision to attack Iran.

U.S. Rep. Mark Alford, R-Missouri, said in a statement on X that he backed Trump’s “swift and bold action to finally hold the regime accountable.”

“The Iranian regime is the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, a destabilizing force across the region, and a threat to U.S. allies, interests, and bases in the Middle East,” Alford said. “Tehran is directly responsible for the deaths of countless Americans over the years.”

“As I’ve said for weeks, through either the easy way or the hard way, the Ayatollah needs to go,” Alford added.

Missouri Congressman Sam Graves said in a statement that Trump “took decisive action to protect our service members, our homeland, and our national security before that threat could grow.” And Congressman Mike Bost, R-Illinois, applauded President Trump acting decisively to protect America’s national security interests.

“God bless our military men and women in harm’s way; may the uncertain days ahead lead to a lasting peace for years to come,” Bost said.

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Illinois, said Trump has “taken decisive action to defend America’s interests and confront those who threaten our security.”

“As our elite Armed Forces carry out Operation Epic Fury in Iran, we lift up our brave service members and the allies standing beside them in prayer for their safety and success in the mission,” Miller said in a statement on X.

Eric Lee

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Durbin, Pritzker decry decision

Democrats representing Illinois and Missouri roundly condemned Trump’s decision to attack Iran, including Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.

Duckworth said in her statement that “too many Americans believed him when he promised that he would get our nation out of foreign wars and bring prices down for families.” The Democratic lawmaker added Americans “can clearly see with their own eyes that he was lying”

“Instead, Donald Trump chose to put American lives and national security at risk while threatening to draw us into yet another expensive, taxpayer-funded forever war without Constitutionally-required authorization, a defined end-state or a real plan to prevent the instability that could come next,” Duckworth said. “He is making that choice while his chaotic policies here at home continue driving costs for middle-class Americans to record highs.”

While noting “there is bipartisan support for stopping the development of nuclear weapons in Iran, there is no consensus for another interminable war in the Middle East.”

Durbin, who is not seeking reelection this year, pointed out he was one of 23 senators to vote against authorizing military force in Iraq in 2002. Trump attacked Iran without receiving any authorization from Congress — and before lawmakers could vote on a war powers resolution aimed at restricting military force without permission from the country’s legislative branch.

“A war in Iran with the goal of regime change could be another long-term military commitment with deadly consequences for thousands of American troops,” Durbin said. “The rash and unpredictable conduct of President Trump is a well-established worry in many ways but an impulsive commander in chief is a deadly combination.”

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Democratic Reps. Wesley Bell and Nikki Budzinski both released statements criticizing Trump’s decision to strike Iran. Budzinski, an Illinois Democrat, said “the Constitution is clear: only Congress has the power to send our nation to war.”

“This is a grave responsibility — one we take with the utmost seriousness. But the same cannot be said for President Trump,” said Budzinski, who added she would support a War Powers resolution. “Once again, he has disregarded the principle of coequal branches of government. And now, the consequences could be profound and dangerous.”

Bell said in his statement that “no one should mistake opposition to this war for sympathy toward that government.” But the Missouri Democrat added “launching a regime change campaign without a clear strategy, a defined end goal, or honest preparation for the costs is dangerous and shortsighted”.

“Military force is the most serious power our country can exercise,” Bell said. “It requires clarity of purpose, clearly defined objectives, and a credible plan for what comes next. War is not something you enter lightly, and it is not something you get to redo if it goes wrong. The American people and their Representatives deserve to know that every diplomatic option was fully exhausted before we put our troops in harm’s way.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a potential presidential candidate in 2028, also blasted Trump’s decision for having “no justification, no authorization from Congress, and no clear objective.”

“But none of that matters to Donald Trump — and apparently neither do the safety and lives of American service members,” Pritzker said in a statement on BlueSky. “Donald Trump is once again sidestepping the Constitution and once again failing to explain why he’s taking us into another war. Americans asked for affordable housing and health care, not another potentially endless conflict. God protect our troops.”

Schmitt and Hawley mum for now

As of Saturday morning, Missouri Sens. Eric Schmitt and Josh Hawley had not released statements about Trump’s decision to attack Iran.

Both Missouri Republican senators were critical of Democratic President Joe Biden’s push to provide Ukraine with weapons to repel Russia’s invasion.

But they’ve been largely supportive of Trump’s foreign policy moves, even as some elements of the president’s political coalition have been fiercely critical of his interventionist decisions in Venezuela and Iran.

When asked about potential military action last week in Springfield, Hawley called Iran “a huge threat to the region, to our ally Israel — but also to our interests.”

“Iran absolutely cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and needs to be put in their box and kept in their box,” Hawley said. “And we need our allies in the region, particularly Israel, to be strong, to keep them deterred, and contained long term.”

This story has been updated with additional comment.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers plan to sign wing Jalen Slawson to a two-way contract. The 26-year old forward has spent the ongoing campaign with the Pacers G League affiliate franchise, the Noblesville Boom. It’s a one-year pact covering the rest of the 2025-26 season.

Slawson was a second-round pick back in 2023 and spent his rookie season with the Sacramento Kings. That campaign, the Furman product appeared in 12 games and averaged 0.7 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. Since then, he has bounced around between the Orlando Magic and Pacers organizations.

Most of Slawson’s time in the pros has come via the G League. With the Kings and Magic affiliate teams, the forward averaged between 12 and 13 points per game while being a solid passer and rebounder for his position.

That got him a training camp invite with Indiana last fall. Slawson spent all of the 2025 preseason on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Pacers, and he appeared in all four of the team’s tune-up games ahead of the regular season. He averaged 2.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Slawson was waived just before the regular season, but the Pacers affiliate team owned his G League rights, and he’s spent the entire season with the Noblesville Boom. That’s where the 6-foot-7 forward has popped – he’s averaging G League career highs of 19.2 points and 5.4 assists per game for the Boom this season, including an improved 34.7% three-point percentage.

He’s been among Noblesville’s best players this year, and with the team losing many players to injury or overseas opportunities, he has recently become the G League’ club’s top option. Even with more responsibility and attention, Slawson has continued to produce.

Now, he gets a call up to the Pacers via a two-way contract. He’s eligible to be active for 13 of the Pacers final 22 games – two-way contract players are only able to appear in a maximum of 50 games in a league year, and that ratio of games gets prorated if they are signed mid-season.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle had good memories of Slawson’s play for Indiana during the preseason. “ I think he’s an NBA player,” Carlisle said. “He’s had a good year with the Boom and this will be a great opportunity for him to play some games.”

Two-way contracts provide a salary that is half of the NBA’s rookie minimum, which would equate to $636k over the course of a full season. Prorated for the current day on the calendar, that means Slawson will make about $161k on his two-way with Indiana the rest of the season.

Two-way deals have no impact on a team’s salary cap, so the Pacers have no changes to their spending reality. They opened up a two-way spot by converting the contract of Quenton Jackson earlier this weekend.