Cleveland, OH
Jerod Mayo to replace Bill Belichick as Patriots head coach
CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 16: Linebackers coach Jerod Mayo of the New England Patriots looks on prior to a game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 16, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots have agreed to hire Jerod Mayo to succeed Bill Belichick as the team’s first Black head coach, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Details were still being worked out on Friday, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced the decision. Mayo played eight NFL seasons and won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots during the 2014 season.
Mayo’s hire comes a day after Belichick agreed to part ways with the Patriots after a 24-year run that included six Super Bowl wins.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JANUARY 09: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots and inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo talk on the sidelines in the fourth quarter of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on January 09,
Mayo immediately rose to the top of the list as a viable Belichick successor since the Patriots took the unique step of announcing they were giving the assistant a long-term extension last offseason. Mayo, along with Belichick’s son and fellow linebackers coach Steve Belichick, handled the play calling duties for the Patriots defense over the past two seasons.
Despite New England’s 4-13 record this season, the team’s defense has remained highly ranked in several categories despite losing top linebacker Matt Judon and rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez early to season-ending injuries.
Though it’s unclear what the terms of Mayo’s deal prior to last season entailed, it came after the 37-year-old interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs in Philadelphia and Carolina each of the past two years.
MORE SPORTS NEWS: Nick Saban retiring as Alabama’s head coach: ‘We will always consider Alabama our home’
In announcing the decision to part ways with Belichick on Thursday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft promised to move quickly on trying to fill the hole.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 12: Coach Jerod Mayo of the New England Patriots during the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on December 12, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. The Patriots defeated the Cardinals 27-13. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Kraft said that the mandate for the next coach would be a return to the postseason for a Patriots team that has missed the playoffs in three of the past four seasons and hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2018 season.
“We’re looking for someone who can help us get back to the playoffs and win,” Kraft said. “Believe me, after my family, this is really one of the two most important assets in my life. I am very upset when we don’t win games. It carries the whole week. So, I promise you I’ll be focused to do the best I can do to make sure we’re putting ourselves in the best long-term position to win for many years.”
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland marks America’s 250th birthday with lakefront fireworks show
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The city of Cleveland plans to light up the lake through its Fourth of July fireworks show in honor of America’s 250th birthday Saturday.
The city’s show “Light Up the Lake” will take place at 10 p.m. Saturday and last 20 minutes near Voinovich Park and North Coast Yard and be hosted by Downtown Cleveland.
What to know before you go
The city wants to remind the public of safety policies in effect.
All attendees aged 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or supervising adult who is at least 25 years old.
One adult must accompany no more than four minors.
All accompanied minors must remain with a supervising adult within the event perimeter, according to the city.
The city also said that event staff may request proof of age or photo ID from attendees at any point during the event.
The city warns that if maximum capacity is reached, entry into the show may be stopped until space becomes available.
Parking, transit options available for attendees
The city said that parking is available at metered street parking, the Great Lakes Science Center garage at 601 Lakeside Avenue for $15, and the Purple and Tans lots at 101 Erieside Avenue for $25.
The city does encourage attendees to use an all-day Greater Cleveland RTA pass for $5 to get around Cleveland and get to the show.
Voinovich Park to host pre-show watch party
Ahead of the show, Downtown Cleveland will hold a watch party starting at 5 p.m. with balloon art by Balloon Vibe, crafts by Crafty Fun World Entertainment and line dancing with Savvy Tempo Steppers.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Metroparks are said to also provide fun for watch partygoers.
Music will be provided by DJ Krooze.
The city said the watch party will have on-site food vendors and will end at 10 p.m.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Friday 7/3/26
After stealing the opening tilt of this four-game set on Thursday with a walk-off home run in the ninth, the Guardians once again find themselves sitting in a tie with the White Sox atop the AL Central.
It might only be July, but don’t be fooled. This is a massive series with hugely important playoff implications.
Can Cleveland take a second in a row? Or will Chicago bounce-back on Friday? Let’s preview this divisional clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
More MLB Content & Betting Picks
White Sox vs. Guardians prediction, preview
To me, Gavin Williams is one of the most frustrating starting pitchers in the sport. If you watch the hulking right-hander throw for even just an inning, you’ll wonder why he isn’t a perpetual All-Star. That’s how good the stuff can look at any given moment. However, the results and consistency always leave you wanting more. 2026 has been a perfect example. On the one hand, Williams owns a respectable 3.81 ERA and a career-high 28.3% strikeout rate. On the other, Williams’ xERA is a less appealing 4.54 and his 12.2% opponent barrel rate sits in the fifth percentile of the league. Make it make sense. Coming into Friday, Williams hasn’t been in the best form, either. The former 23rd-overall pick posted a 6.04 ERA across his five starts in June, surrendering 2.13 opponent home runs per nine and never once pitching out of the sixth inning. Not ideal.
That said, it’s not like Anthony Kay has been all that much better. The former NPB star has had his moments this season — including tossing six scoreless innings against the Guardians back on June 22 — but for the most part, Kay’s struggled back in North America. Over 17 appearances and 80.0 innings, Kay sports a 12th percentile xERA (5.40) and just a 19th percentile strikeout rate (17.7%). Kay’s also been particularly poor on the road, registering a 6.40 ERA and 6.55 FIP within the split. The LHP’s one redeeming quality has been his ability to neutralize opposing left-handed bats, which is actually a skill that should come in handy versus Cleveland. Between Travis Bazzana, Chase DeLauter and Steven Kwan, the Guardians have a lot of everyday LHBs. In fact, the team ranks fifth in left-on-left plate appearances in 2026 (435).
That inflexibility is part of the reason why the Guardians are once again having issues with run production. Obviously an injury to Jose Ramirez (wrist) also isn’t helping too much in that regard. Over the past 30 days, Cleveland is hitting just .219 as a club — the worst mark in the American League. The Guardians’ .282 expected wOBA and 81 wRC+ are the lowest figures in the AL in that span, as well. A team that willingly traded real assets this season for Patrick Bailey is floundering offensively? I can’t believe it. I’m truly shocked.
White Sox vs. Guardians pick, best bet
Best Bet: Under 8.5 (-128)
The thought process here is two-fold. First and foremost, the Guardians have been the worst-hitting team in the AL for the past month by average (.219), expected wOBA (.282) and wRC+ (81). Secondly, I’ll bank on the upside of Gavin Williams, whose best start in June did come against the White Sox, when he allowed two earned runs and struck out eight over five frames.
Strong Lean: NRFI (-140)
It’s the under — but quicker! The left-handed Anthony Kay should have the advantage early on, with so many LHBs at the top of Cleveland’s lineup. Meanwhile, Williams sports a 2.74 ERA and a 3.19 FIP when pitching at home in 2026.
Cleveland, OH
Lakewood power outage: Day two leaves businesses, residents scrambling
LAKEWOOD, Ohio (WOIO) – A power outage stretching into its second day left roughly 1,200 customers without electricity across Lakewood’s southwest side, forcing small businesses to operate on bare-bones staffing and sending at least one diabetic resident scrambling to keep insulin refrigerated.
Businesses push through with cash and calculators
At the Lakewood Garden Center, manager Isabella Dombrowski kept the doors open despite sweltering conditions inside the shop — no power, no fans.
“It is swampy and it’s disgusting and I’m pissed the power is out,” Dombrowski said.
With no electronic registers, staff switched to cash-only transactions, counting back change by hand and using phone calculators to process sales.
“We try to service people how we can, even if it’s running with bare-bones staff and our phone calculator — we will work with you,” Dombrowski said.
Resident forced to relocate insulin amid outage
For Hunter Duseau, the outage created a medical emergency.
“For me the most frustrating thing is I’m diabetic and I have to keep my insulin refrigerated, so I had to scramble to get it to my friend’s house,” Duseau said.
Mayor points to Lauderdale substation, calls out FirstEnergy
Lakewood Mayor Meghan George said the outages trace back to the Lauderdale substation, which knocked out power to much of the city’s southwest side. She visited Haze Elementary Friday morning, where FirstEnergy crews were installing a backup generator for that substation.
“I was just at Haze Elementary this morning, where FirstEnergy is installing a backup generator for this Lauderdale substation,” George said.
The mayor did not hold back in her criticism of the utility.
“For FirstEnergy to continue to fail us is completely unacceptable,” George said.
FirstEnergy responds, cites heat wave and infrastructure investment
In a statement to 19 News, FirstEnergy acknowledged the impact of the outages and attributed the strain to an extreme heat wave driving elevated electricity demand across the region.
“We understand the frustration and hardship these outages have caused for Lakewood residents, especially during this period of extreme heat,” the statement read. “Our crews, engineers and system operators have been working around the clock to restore service safely and as quickly as possible for affected customers.”
FirstEnergy said it is investing millions of dollars in infrastructure upgrades and reliability improvements for Lakewood and surrounding communities and said it appreciates Mayor George’s advocacy for residents.
Power has since been restored. Power had been flickering on and off since Wednesday.
Free water available at area Giant Eagle locations
FirstEnergy said free water is available for customers beginning Thursday at 4 p.m. through Sunday evening, or while supplies last, at the following Giant Eagle locations:
- 14100 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107
- 3050 W. 117th St., Cleveland, OH 44111
- 22160 Center Ridge Rd., Rocky River, OH 44116
Residents are also encouraged to use available cooling centers and community resources during the ongoing heat event.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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