Cleveland, OH

Bill Clinton stops in Cleveland to rally Democratic faithful to get out the vote, back Sherrod Brown

Published

1 year ago

November 4, 2024

Bill Clinton stops in Cleveland to rally Democratic faithful to get out the vote, back Sherrod Brown

CLEVELAND – Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown hasn’t leaned much on heavy hitters to boost his campaign for reelection, but on Monday he brought one to Cleveland – former President Bill Clinton – to remind party faithful to get out the vote.

The message to several hundred party activists, elected Democrats and organized labor gathered at Cleveland States’ Wolstein Center was clear: Don’t let up now.

Speaker after speaker, including Brown and Clinton, urged supporters to call or text five people to encourage them to vote.

“You’ve got one more day,” Clinton said. “There’s a lot of people who haven’t voted yet. There’s a lot of people who don’t know who they’re going to vote for yet. You’ve got a lot of people who haven’t decided if they’re going to vote.”

Election 2024: An Ohio guide to the November election

Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, was making his closing argument in a race that has been the most closely watched — and expensive — U.S. Senate election in the country this year. His race against Republican businessman Bernie Moreno could decide which party controls the Senate.

Moreno brought in his own closers over the weekend, campaigning with conservative media personality Tucker Carlson, and Republican Sens. Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. Last week, Donald Trump Jr. and a revolving door of Republican senators joined Moreno on the campaign trail.

An appearance by a former president, however, has been a rarity in Ohio this campaign cycle. Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, endorsed Moreno and has appeared in his campaign ads but hasn’t been to Ohio to provide ground-level support since March, when Moreno was still locked in a primary fight.

Bringing Clinton to Cleveland on the eve of the election is no accident. Cleveland would be a key piece for a Brown election win. Cuyahoga County is reliably Democratic and the second largest county in the state.

Clinton carried Ohio in both the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections. At the time, Ohio was a battleground state that demanded attention from the presidential candidates, but both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, have largely been absent from the Buckeye State this cycle. Trump has won Ohio by 8 percentage points in both his presidential runs and is expected to win again this year.

Clinton’s appeal for Brown and other Democrats on the Ohio ballot was made to party faithful that will be helping mobilize voters to turn out on Tuesday. One thing about the “hard right” that Clinton said he admired is that they never give up.

“You should never give up,” Clinton said.

Brown is the only Ohio Democrat still holding a non-judicial statewide office in Ohio. He has been preaching a message of the dignity of work and connecting with key groups of voters, such as blue-collar Ohioans.

That was a message he reiterated Monday.

“For me, everything comes down to the dignity of work. If you work hard, you should get ahead,” he told the crowd. “For me, it’s all about whose side you’re on” — working class people or big business and Wall Street.

Turnout could be key for Brown on Tuesday.

His last election was in 2018, when he defeated Republican Jim Renacci while a slate of Republicans swept other state offices.

But this election, one with a presidential race on the ballot, is expected to have greater turnout. The challenge for Brown is to collect enough votes to top Moreno, even as Trump is expected to carry the state. Brown has collected some Republican endorsements to help bolster his case, including that of former Gov. Bob Taft, so far, the only Republican to beat Brown in a race.

And toward that goal, strong turnout in Cleveland, Brown’s home, and Cuyahoga County can offset a lot of Republican votes from other parts of the state.

Joining Brown and Clinton were a host of elected leaders and candidates – members of Cleveland City Council, Democratic state legislators, Supreme Court candidates, including two sitting justices, and U.S. Reps. Joyce Beatty of Columbus and Shontel Brown of Warrensville Heights.

They also made the same kind of plea: Call five people. Text five people. Help get people to vote.

Shontel Brown, who jokingly talked about support for her “cousin Sherrod,” said fate of the Senate hangs in the balance – not just because Sherrod Brown winning could be key to Democrats retaining control, but also because without him, working Ohioans will have no voice in the Senate.

That’s why turning out the vote is important, she said.

Getting that kind of turnout, though, requires a lot of boots on the ground, and that’s something Brown made clear he is grateful for – people to make phone calls to voters and people to visit households.

“With this race, and all the work door to door, I so appreciate the support of the labor movement,” Brown said. That support was evident at Monday’s event, as people repeatedly called out responses and cheers to his message.

Clinton told the crowd he always felt a sense of kinship with Brown because of his efforts to promote dignity for all workers.

“I’m probably the last president who will have lived in a house with no indoor plumbing. We were working people with dignity,” he said. “Sherrod keeps score the old-fashioned way. Are people better off than they were before?”

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Cleveland, OH

Ohio State football has flipped a 4-star recruit from Florida State, and he’s the son of a former Steelers linebacker

Published

17 hours ago

November 6, 2025

Press Room

Ohio State football has flipped a 4-star recruit from Florida State, and he’s the son of a former Steelers linebacker

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State football program has added another member to its 2026 recruiting class by taking a player away from another Power 4 school.

Jay Timmons, the nation’s No. 136 player and No. 17 cornerback, had been committed to Florida State since June 24. His flip is notable because he had planned on following in the footsteps of his father, Lawrence Timmons, who starred at as a linebacker for the Seminoles from 2004-06.

Jay Timmons plays for Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pa., just north of Pittsburgh. His father played 11 seasons in the NFL, 10 of them with the Steelers, and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2014.

After almost six months as a member of the class, the four-star recruit is choosing to follow his own path by flipping to the Buckeyes.

The four-star recruit joins New Jersey native Jordan Thomas in the class. His addition also fills the loss of Jakob Weatherspoon, who flipped to North Carolina in July.

Overall, Timmons’ decision gives Ohio State’s ninth-ranked recruiting class 22 commitments.

Here is the class as it stands:

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Cleveland, OH

Cleveland Schools announces massive consolidation plan to close 23 buildings

Published

1 day ago

November 6, 2025

Press Room

Cleveland Schools announces massive consolidation plan to close 23 buildings

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland Schools expects to close 23 buildings and operate 29 fewer schools under a sweeping restructuring plan that would amount to the district’s largest overhaul in decades.

Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Warren Morgan said the changes are necessary to confront steep drops in enrollment, rising operating costs and a looming $150 million deficit. Changes would take effect before the 2026-2027 school year.

The plan, introduced to the school board Wednesday night, would save CMSD at least $30 million annually if approved. Those savings would mostly come from the district cutting administrative staff, including principals and assistant principals, on account of reducing the number of schools.

Morgan told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that the number of teachers should stay roughly the same as CMSD’s footprint shrinks, but some layoffs and new hires may occur, as the schools need different personnel.

Consolidation won’t just save money, Morgan said, but will also allow CMSD to offer a better education to more students.

He said during Wednesday’s board meeting that Cleveland’s schools have “pockets of excellence.” Some schools have great academics and others have great sports programs. But to offer all students an excellent education and extracurriculars, action is needed.

The plan significantly shrinks CMSD’s physical footprint. The district will go from 61 PreK–8 schools to 45, and from 27 high schools to 14. Amid the consolidation, 18 CMSD-owned buildings will be closed, and five leased spaces currently used as schools will also be phased out.

In some cases, students won’t change school buildings at all. Several Cleveland high schools like John Hay and John Marshall contain three different “schools” on one campus, each with its own administration.

In those cases, the campus will become one high school. Morgan said specialized programs currently offered at the schools will continue even after the mergers.

Some schools will not merge but will move to a better-maintained building that has capacity.

Morgan emphasized that nearly all of the changes are mergers, not straight closures. This means students won’t be dispersed, and their entire school community can move together into a new building. Cleveland schools also allow school choice, which gives students an opportunity to move freely if parents desire.

District officials say 95% of affected students will move into schools in stronger building conditions, and all students will gain expanded academic and extracurricular opportunities.

Morgan acknowledged the deep disruption that school closings will cause, but he said the district cannot maintain a system built for twice as many students as it now serves.

Since 2000, CMSD’s enrollment has dropped by more than 50%, from 70,000 students in 2000 to 34,000 today. Morgan attributed that downward trend to the drop in the region’s birthrate, not losing students to charters or private schools.

But CMSD largely uses the same footprint as it did 25 years ago.

Because of low enrollment, there are fewer than 5,000 students currently enrolled in schools that will either be merged or moved amid the consolidation plan.

Morgan said additional central-office and administrative cuts will still be needed to stabilize CMSD’s long-term finances.

The board is expected to vote on CMSD’s consolidation plan Dec. 9. Morgan said he does not expect any changes to the plan between now and December, saying district officials have done public engagement for over a year.

Many students and parents want the decision made soon, Morgan said, so they can start preparing.

Here are CMSD’s recommended school mergers and closures.

K-8 schools merging

Students from the “transitioning school” will move into the building of the “welcoming school.”

• Hannah Gibbons will merge into Memorial (students move to the Memorial building)

• Euclid Park will merge into East Clark (East Clark building)

• Stephanie Tubbs Jones will merge with Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR building, renamed Stephanie Tubbs Jones)

• Mary M. Bethune will merge into Daniel E. Morgan (Daniel E. Morgan building)

• Mary B. Martin will merge into Wade Park (Wade Park building)

• Alfred A. Benesch will merge into George Washington Carver (Carver building)

• Bolton will merge into Harvey Rice (Harvey Rice building)

• Charles Dickens will merge into Andrew J. Rickoff (Rickoff building)

• Adlai Stevenson will merge into Whitney M. Young Leadership (Whitney Young building)

• Miles will merge into Robert H. Jamison (Jamison building)

• Mound will merge into Albert Bushnell Hart (Hart building)

• Mary Church Terrell will merge into Wilbur Wright (Wilbur Wright building, renamed Wilbur Wright School of the Arts)

• Waverly and Louisa May Alcott will merge into Joseph M. Gallagher (Gallagher building)

• Charles A. Mooney will merge into Denison (Denison building)

• Valley View Boys’ Leadership Academy will merge with Kenneth Clement Boys’ Leadership Academy ** (Mary M. Bethune building)

K–8 specialty schools moving to improved buildings

These schools keep their programs but move into buildings that are in better condition.

• Stonebrook–White Montessori will move into the Stephanie Tubbs Jones building (renamed Michael R. White Montessori)

• Kenneth Clement Boys’ Leadership, merged with Valley View, will move into the Mary M. Bethune building (renamed Kenneth W. Clement Boys’ Leadership Academy)

• Dike School of the Arts will move into the Mound building (renamed Dike School of the Arts)

• Tremont Montessori will move into the Waverly building (renamed Waverly Montessori)

High schools merging

Students from the “transitioning school” move into a “welcoming school” building.

• Collinwood High School will merge with Glenville High School (Glenville building)

• Campus International High School will merge with John Hay High School (John Hay building)

• MC2STEM High School will merge with East Tech High School (East Tech building)

• New Tech West and Facing History New Tech High School will merge with James Ford Rhodes High School (Rhodes building)

High schools merging within their existing campuses

Merged into a single high school at the campus’s main building.

• John Hay Campus: the Cleveland School of Science & Medicine, Cleveland School of Architecture and Design and Cleveland Early College High School will all become John Hay High School

• Benjamin O. Davis High School: the Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School and Cleveland High School for Digital Arts will merge

• John Marshall Campus: the John Marshall School of Civic & Business Leadership, John Marshall School of Engineering and John Marshall School of Information Technology will become John Marshall High School

• Lincoln-West Campus: the Lincoln-West School of Global Studies and Lincoln-West School of Science and Health will become Lincoln-West High School

• James Ford Rhodes Campus: the James Ford Rhodes College and Career Academy and James Ford Rhodes School of Environmental Studies will become James Ford Rhodes High School

• Garrett Morgan Campus: the Garrett Morgan School of Engineering & Innovation and Garrett Morgan School of Leadership & Innovation will become Garrett Morgan High School

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Cleveland, OH

Investigation uncovers $17K SNAP fraud scheme in Cleveland

Published

2 days ago

November 5, 2025

Press Room

Investigation uncovers K SNAP fraud scheme in Cleveland

CLEVELAND — The Ohio Investigative Unit said it conducted an 11-month Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program trafficking investigation in Cleveland in partnership with the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Nutrition Services.

The investigation found that Sagarmatha Home Decor LLC in Cleveland illegally exchanged over $17,000 in SNAP benefits for cash, clothes, appliances and more.

A search warrant was executed at the business and the owner’s residence, which resulted in a total of $63,309 being seized.

OIU said the owner has been indicted by the Cuyahoga County Grand Jury on multiple felony counts, which included the illegal use of SNAP benefits, money laundering, telecommunications fraud and grand theft.

Additionally, in Cleveland, OIU said it conducted an operation that led to the confiscation of four illegal firearms and suspected methamphetamine. Three people were also arrested, who OIU identified as “violent felons,” including one offender who was on parole for attempted murder.

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