With WNBA expansion on the horizon, multiple reports say that Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert intends to make a bid to bring a franchise back to Cleveland.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has talked about the league having 16 teams by the 2028 season. The league will be at 13 teams to start the 2025 season with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries. Toronto and Portland, Oregon have already been announced as the home of future franchises.

Gilbert, whose Rock Entertainment Group also owns the Columbus Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, in addition to the Cavaliers told CNBC, “I just feel extraordinarily confident that, should a team be given to Cleveland, in part because of the city, in part because of what sports means here, in part because of the Cavs, it would immediately be a huge success.”

Ohio State-WNBA connection: Katie Smith, Jacy Sheldon return to Ohio State basketball

Cavaliers CEO Nic Barlage also spoke to CNBC, which was the first to report on the bid, about the potential of the WNBA finding a home in Cleveland.

“We have this unique convergence of infrastructure, culture and these foundational pieces that we think make Northeast Ohio, and specifically Cleveland, a great opportunity to expand from a WNBA perspective,” he said.

Cleveland hosted one of the WNBA’s eight original teams. From 1997 to 2003, the Cleveland Rockets competed in the league before the franchise folded due to low attendance.

Last year, Columbus added a professional women’s team to its city, as it welcomed the Pro Volleyball Federation’s Columbus Fury.

Columbus also had its own professional women’s basketball team, the Columbus Quest, which lasted two seasons from 1996-1998 in the now-defunct America Basketball League.

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15

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Cleveland, OH – A cold front will sweep through Northern Ohio on Wednesday, bringing cooler temperatures, rain, and gusty winds. Many areas may see their first snowflakes by Thursday.

According to the National Weather Service in Cleveland, rain chances will peak Wednesday afternoon, with precipitation forecasts exceeding 80% in cities like Cleveland, Akron, and Canton. Winds will gust between 30 and 35 mph, enhancing the chill.

By Thursday, colder air will settle across the region, potentially creating conditions for the season’s first snow. Areas along Lake Erie, including Ashtabula and Erie, have higher snow chances. Rain will taper off, but breezy conditions will persist.

Travelers should plan for slick roads and reduced visibility during rain and potential snow periods. Forecasters advise staying updated as conditions evolve.

This weather marks a shift to a wintry pattern, with temperatures expected to drop below seasonal norms for several days.

Stay prepared for changing conditions as Northern Ohio transitions to winter.

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CLEVELAND — A Cuyahoga County judge hopes to set an example by imposing a maximum sentence for a teen labeled as a “Kia Boy.”

Tuesday, Judge Nancy Margaret Russo ordered a 16-year prison sentence and lifetime driver’s license revocation for Monroe Larkin, III.

The 17-year-old pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and felonious assault for his role in an August 2023 crash that killed one woman and critically injured another.

“She was full of life, laughter and love, the kind of person who could light up a room without even trying,” Leslie Reyes Figueroa said of her younger sister during Tuesday’s sentencing hearing.

Her other sister, Gardenia Calderon, added, “A lot of things in this life are not for certain. But this, growing old with my sisters, I was sure of.”

Janet Reyes was riding in a car with her friend in August 2023 when a stolen Kia Optima hit the pair.

Woman dies after police say stolen KIA crashes into car in Old Brooklyn

Woman dies after police say stolen KIA crashes into car in Old Brooklyn

The 21-year-old was killed on impact, and her friend driving suffered a traumatic brain injury and lost an eye. The friend was unable to attend Tuesday’s hearing because of her ongoing recovery from the crash.

“My incredible sister, who had her whole life ahead of her, [was] taken by boys who call themselves ‘Kia Boys’ – running around our neighborhoods, causing trouble, causing harm to our communities and now causing death to my sister and badly injuring her friend,” Calderon said.

Larkin was driving the stolen Kia. Surveillance video showed the car reaching 88mph on Pearl Road before colliding with the other vehicle at State Road.

“You caused this. You caused their pain. You caused the death of another human being, you interrupted whatever life that person was supposed to have. That’s a heavy burden you’re going to have to carry,” Judge Russo told Larkin from the bench.

Reyes’ family begged for a sentence long enough to teach a lesson. Larkin’s defense attorney asked the judge to consider his client’s age and troubled home life.

Reyes was the second person killed in a crash with a stolen Kia in less than a month. The judge noted the trend of young people stealing cars plaguing Northeast Ohio.

“I hear a lot of people talking to me of – ‘Oh, the person is 17, the person is 16.’ But you knew exactly what you were doing,” Russo told Larkin. “Everybody in this room knows about the terror that’s going on in this community from people who use their age as some kind of shield for committing criminal acts.”

When Larkin’s case was bound over from juvenile court to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, he was facing nearly a dozen charges, including murder.

He accepted a plea deal to reduce the charges to one count each of felonious assault and vehicular homicide. Before sentencing, he briefly apologized to the Reyes family and told them he accepted full responsibility for his actions.

The judge ordered two consecutive eight-year sentences for each charge and told him he would lose his driver’s license indefinitely.

Reyes’ family said they were satisfied with the sentence and hoped it would prevent other families from experiencing their grief.

“The truth is there are many more kids like you in the streets,” Calderon told Larkin in court. “And if we continue letting them get away with horrific crimes, how can our communities get any better?”