CLEVELAND, OH.–AES Indiana workers are helping people in Cleveland, Ohio who were impacted by storms and tornadoes that ripped through the area on Tuesday.
First Energy of Cleveland requested help during what’s called a Great Lakes Mutual Aid call Tuesday morning. AES heard their request and decided to help.
“When they need help, they’ll ask, ‘who do you have?’ or ‘are you able to send people?’ because they needed additional resources to come up and help Cleveland and the surrounding counties,” said Kelly Young, public relations director for AES Indiana.
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Young reiterated that AES Indiana always make sure they take care of people in their area first before responding to calls like this from around the Midwest. In this instance, they felt compelled to help.
“We’re sending out 12 of our linesman with buckets and digger trucks along with a supply truck, a garage mechanic, and a team leader from our lines. The length of stay will really depend on the amount of damage that they see once they get there,” said Young.
Young said once the workers were told they had to go, they went home and backed their bags, then off they went to Cleveland.
At one point Tuesday night, more than 400,000 people in Cleveland did not have power because of the storms.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost general manager Mike Gansey after his promotion to president of basketball operations with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Now Cleveland’s president of basketball operations, Koby Altman, and owner Dan Gilbert must find a replacement for Gansey.
The good news is that the replacement search should be somewhat easy, as the team already has a qualified candidate in waiting.
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Assistant general manager Brandon Weems should be promoted.
Weems joined the organization in 2015, but his Cleveland roots run much deeper than that. He’s an Akron native that played high school basketball at St. Vincent St. Mary High School. You guessed it, he’s childhood friends with free agent superstar LeBron James. They played peewee football together before going on to win multiple state championships in high school basketball.
But this is a hire that would do more than pander to James, who is still contemplating his NBA future according to several reports. It would continue Cleveland’s internal stability. Altman has developed a culture of consistency, calculated decision making and player development. Weems has been around the organization from its championship-winning season in 2016 through the rebuilding years and into an Eastern Conference championship contender.
After Weems was done playing, he started a coaching journey at Kentucky under John Calipari. He spent three seasons and was part of the 2012 championship-winning team. After that, he served as an assistant coach at Oakland University in Michigan.
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He’s partly responsible for the success of expediting the Cavs out of the NBA Draft Lottery and into a constant playoff contender.
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Consistently being promoted within the organization, Weems oversees Cleveland’s amateur scouting efforts. He also has scouting duties at the college and international ranks. Weems is also responsible for assisting Gansey with NBA Draft preparation, from scouting to player rankings and information gathering on each prospect.
The Cavs have consistently drafted well since Weems joined the organization. Outside of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, the Cavs also have more recently hit on Jaylon Tyson and Tyrese Proctor.
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The elephant in the room – LeBron
According to Altman, the Cavaliers plan on running this thing back. At his end of season media availability, Cleveland’s president of basketball operations stated his belief in winning a championship with Mitchell as the team’s best player. He sounded committed to Mobley, James Harden and Jarrett Allen.
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While keeping the core intact, another obvious move would be pursuing LeBron in free agency. According to reports, James felt “unappreciated” at times throughout the season by the Los Angeles Lakers organization.
Desperate for a championship, the Cavs wouldn’t take LeBron’s mindset for granted. It’s a reunion that makes plenty of sense.
Weems’ connection with LeBron is obvious. It would be a hire that would move the organization another step closer to winning a championship, especially if they land LeBron. But Weems would also be a great partner for Altman to drive the Cavaliers forward into the future, too.
CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 30: Cleveland Guardians left fielder Stuart Fairchild (17) makes a catch for an during the fifth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians on May 30, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire via Getty Images