Cleveland, OH
NOACA Study Details Dangers of Downtown Cleveland Streets, Paves Way for Solutions
Mark Oprea
Cyclists downtown last summer. A recent study by NOACA teased bike lanes in Cleveland’s future.
Last Friday, in a boardroom at the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency, a team of transportation consultants from Columbus detailed the culmination of three years of studies done on the streets of Downtown Cleveland.
The results, in a 45-slide presentation, clarified the area’s need for a makeover: To put roughly 80 percent of its streets on a road diet—shortening their widths. To build center medians on those like East 9th. To link bike lane pathways already in planning stages.
“You can see a little bit of a network forming, but not a lot,” Steve Thieken, a planning specialist at Burgess & Niple, the firm responsible for the study, said at last week’s meeting, according to Cleveland.com. “Compared to peer cities, many have a more completed system.”
What the end product of NOACA’s three-year Downtown Livability and Transportation Study does, besides acknowledge Downtown’s gaping lack of safe bike lane infrastructure, is two-fold.
Besides laying foreshadowing framework for the City Mobility Plan, NOACA’s downtown overlook—which cost a quarter of a million dollars—will enable the Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects, and other departments, to pinpoint and better apply for state and federal funds that could, one day, pave way for actual construction.
Which, the study pointed out, carries both elements of contemporary design and a glowing need to remake streets into safer transportation routes. Along with a meaty proposal for, say, throwing a center lane and bike path onto the four-to-six lane beast that is East 9th St., the study found that 40 percent of those surveyed regularly felt unsafe riding bikes or scooters.
NOACA’s notch in Cleveland’s pursuit of more modern street design contributes to a growing narrative for what the city itself could look like in the next decade, as more gradually come further in line under a principle becoming more obvious: we need to right the wrongs of past planning decisions.
Or, as a slide labeled “Untapped”in Friday’s presentation put it: “Many downtown streets are designed for rush hour and special event traffic, which can lead to higher vehicle speeds during non-peak hours.” In other words, infrastructure drives behavior.
“People have to remember that streets aren’t only for automobiles,” NOACA President Grace Gallucci told Scene in a call Thursday. “And that’s how you have to discuss this with people for [these plans] to make sense. And I mean, people who are driving want to be safe too.”
Burgess & Niple
Where bike lanes are—and are not—downtown, in teal, blue and pink, a slide from NOACA’s presentation last week showed.
Burgess & Niple
Where bike lanes and shortened streets could be or will be in Cleveland’s future.
And just as long as NOACA’s been developing its study—and much, much longer in Greater Cleveland lore—ideas on which Downtown streets to overhaul have been gathering.
As its study teased last Friday, those ideas are wide-ranging: six total cycle tracks on Downtown’s east side; a bike trail that runs from Public Square to Progressive Field; an East 9th Greenspace Corridor that links Downtown’s front door to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“Oh, that’s such an unpleasant experience,” Audrey Gerlach, the VP of economic development for Downtown Cleveland, Inc., a partner in NOACA’s study, said. “I don’t want to push a stroller, or a wheelchair [down East 9th], even as an able-bodied person.”
“To me, this is definitely not an if but a when,” Gerlach added. “Consultants in town to study this is important—but we all instinctively know that East 9th is dangerous.”
As for actually making East 9th safer, and not just more aesthetically pleasing with tree lines and median refuges (resting spots in the middle of crosswalks), only City Hall itself is in the jurisdiction to bring Downtown’s streets into the 21st century.
Calley Mersmann, a senior strategist for transportation and member of the city’s Mobility Team, told Scene that the study she helped steer over the past three years has real world applications as far as bankrolling projects to enhance Downtown’s walkability. Mersmann suggested that the Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects, along with other departments, could leverage said study into grant funding from—ironically—NOACA’s own Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative. (Up to $2 million a year, though.)
“Because this plan exists,” she put it simply, “we can tap into that.”
As for the Mobility Plan, which could include a network of unified bike lanes across the city, that should be released to the public by early 2025.
NOACA’s study …
“This plan kind of took those ideas to the next step by instituting them as recommendations,” she said.
Her colleague, and active transportation planner, Sarah Davis agreed. “It’s helpful to have that zoomed in perspective as we’re going into this citywide,” Davis said. “And to be able to focus in more specifically. That this is out there, and people are thinking about it.”
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Published: June 10, 2026
By Mallory Mattingly
The Cleveland Browns are focused on more than winning games this season; they want to win souls for Christ.
Several Browns players hosted an even called “Cleveland for Christ,” which saw multiple players get baptized, including the team’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, Carson Schwesinger.
How great is this?
Cleveland linebacker Carson Schwesinger got baptized at a CLEVELAND FOR CHRIST event in Berea, OH.🎥 Lucas Cochran media pic.twitter.com/jSBYa6HeGT
— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) June 8, 2026
According to Fox News Digital, the event featured “quarterback Shedeur Sanders, running back Raheim Sanders, cornerback Tyson Campbell, safety Daniel Thomas and of course, team chaplain Nobles C. Darby among others. It brought together some members of the local community and Browns players for a time of praise, worship and fellowship.”
Browns QB Depended on God for Game-Winning Touchdown: ‘Thank You, Jesus’
“It’s so important to share your testimony. I encourage my teammates, anybody around me, because I look at it like this: A lot of people are not going to church, so you might be the only Bible that somebody ever reads. It’s important how we carry ourselves on and off the field,” Browns safety Daniel Thomas told the crowd of people at the event, per Sports Spectrum.
When promoting the event, Thomas shared on social media that it would be a time of “service and baptism.”
“This is a special moment for my brothers and I, as we’ve prayed about finding a way to impact this amazing community through Christ. We can’t wait to come together and celebrate faith in such a powerful way,” the safety said.
Browns chaplain Nobles Darby also helped lead the event. He always challenges his players to “leverage their platform to point other people to Jesus Christ, and this [event] is gonna be an opportunity to do that,” he said in a promo video.
“This event is really rooted in Acts 2:38, where Peter says, ‘Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and then you’ll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,’” he added.
Browns cornerback Tyson Campbell called the event “powerful.”
“The Word says, ‘When two or three are gathered in My name, I am among them.’ So, God’s gonna be present, and I’m excited to see what He has in store,” Campbell added.
We applaud these athletes for using their platform to not only impact their community but to also share the gospel with their teammates and fans.
Read Next: Cleveland Browns Tight End Praises God After Sustaining Burn Injuries
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2026 marks the 75th anniversary of Topps Baseball cards, and to help celebrate, rare buyback card redemptions are being inserted into packs of 2026 Topps Series 2 Baseball. This continues an event that started with Series 1, but this time the cards are different, but equally as iconic. Names such as Jackie Robinson and Mickey Mantle will have redemption buyback cards that can be pulled, along with key hobby chases such as Ken Griffey Jr. All of the cards will be graded, but the grade is not specified on the redemption.
Here is a look at some (but not all) of the iconic cards that can be pulled from the product.
Hall of Fame Vintage Cards Make Up A Portion of Included Buyback Cards
While every single card included is iconic in its own right, there are a few that stand out, starting with a few Hall of Famers.
Hank Aaron
The 1954 Topps Hank Aaron Rookie Card is included on the list. Aaron is best known for setting the all-time home run record with 715 HRs, which was later broken by Barry Bonds. Aaron’s rookie is condition-sensitive due to the card’s colors and size.
The card features a full profile of Aaron, and high-grade copies will sell for good money. While it is not known what grade the redemption will be, any collector would love to have this card in their collection.
Mickey Mantle
Who doesn’t want a Mickey Mantle card in their collection? Mantle’s 1956 card can be pulled from 2026 Topps Series 2. This release includes both an action shot of Mantle and a headshot. While it may not be the 1952 Mantle, any vintage Mickey Mantle card has traction in the hobby.
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente’s Rookie Card is a grail card for many, and one lucky collector will be able to pull the coveted redemption for it. Clemente was a standout star for the Pittsburgh Pirates and is still well respected in the hobby today.
A PSA 5 of this card sold recently for $5,927, showing that hobbyist interest remains years after Clemente’s untimely passing.
Recent Baseball and Hobby Stars Are Also Featured On The Checklist
Ken Griffey Jr.
Ken Griffey Jr. is one of the biggest names in the hobby when it comes to collectability, and his rookie card appears in the 1989 Topps Traded set. Like the other cards featured here, it can be redeemed.
While this may not be the most expensive card throughout the whole checklist, it is a rookie card of a hobby phenomenon.
Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter finds his way into the buyback redemption checklist with his 1993 rookie card as well. Jeter’s rookie card is iconic because its background resembles a baseball field, with the words “1992 Draft Pick” written above him.
It is a hard card to miss out in the wild, and is a key part of Topps history.
Clayton Kershaw
One of the newer cards featured in the buyback redemption program comes from the 2008 Topps Update and Highlights set. The card is a Clayton Kershaw Rookie, which has risen in value since his retirement.
What might seem like a common card to many can sell in PSA 9 condition for between $175-$200.
Any collector would be thrilled to add any of these cards to their collection. With Topps including these as buyback redemptions in the 2026 Topps Series 2, collectors will have the chance to add these cards in graded form. While they might be tough pulls, they do represent Topps’ history well.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Ohio House announced it passed Amanda Dean’s Law, legislation that increases penalties for abuse of a corpse.
Amanda Dean, a 36-year-old mother of four, who was murdered by her boyfriend Fred Reer in 2017. Investigators with BCI determined that Dean was killed inside a residence where the couple lived, and that he later cleaned the crime scene and disposed of evidence. Dean’s body has never been found.
The Bill was sponsored by State Rep. Gayle Manning (R-Avon) and Kellie Deeter (R-Norwalk)
“Abuse of a human corpse is a profound violation of dignity and deeply traumatizing for families, and Amanda Dean’s Law ensures that Ohio law treats these offenses with the seriousness they deserve and holds offenders fully accountable,” said Manning.
“House Bill 654 strengthens Ohio law by establishing enhanced penalties for offenders who dismember, mutilate, or intentionally disfigure a human corpse, particularly when those acts are committed to conceal a crime, obstruct justice, or impair a criminal investigation,” said Deeter. “This bill is about dignity, accountability, and justice. Amanda Dean’s Law sends a clear message that Ohio will not tolerate conduct that dishonors the deceased or compounds the suffering of surviving family members.”
Key provisions of Amanda Dean’s Law include:
Reclassifying abuse of a corpse that outrages reasonable family sensibilities as a felony of the fifth degree;
Increasing penalties for gross abuse of a corpse to a felony of the fourth degree;
Elevating the offense to a felony of the third degree when the conduct involves dismemberment, mutilation, or intentional disfigurement;
Establishing a felony of the second degree when such acts are committed to conceal a crime, obstruct justice, or impair a criminal investigation or prosecution.
The bill now advances to the Ohio Senate.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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