EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — East Cleveland is the first-ever town to be placed under a receivership, meaning that after years of fiscal emergency, a court appointed third party is going to be taking over their finances in order to find a viable long-term solution.

East Cleveland has long been in debt.

“Part of the problem is that we have a lot of debt that hasn’t been quantified yet,” new Mayor Sandra Morgan said.

Morgan said the receivership was in the works before her term, but it is something she supports.

“I believe it’s a lifeline for us,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to right the ship, frankly.”

At a recent town hall, residents heard from the mayor and the court-appointed receiver, George Shoup.

“I’m dismissed as a receiver once we determine that the areas of financial distress has been resolved and that a viable plan going forward is in place,” Shoup said.

Morgan said the current estimate of the city’s debt lies around $50 to $65 million, largely as part of large settlements ordered where the police department was found guilty of abuse.

“There’s just an erosion of the infrastructure because no one bothered to invest,” Morgan said.

The city has consistently lost population since the 1950s. It was once at roughly 40,000 residents but is now around 14,000. Morgan said, if they want long-term financial stability, they’ll have to reverse that trend. 

“We’re planning for building housing, really all sorts of housing,” she said.

She said new developments, like more housing as part of the Circle East project, shows there’s a push for growth.

“There’s a lot of reasons to come to East Cleveland,” she said.

When asked about what she’d say to an East Cleveland resident who is skeptical about the receivership, she said, “the alternative is real grim.”

“We don’t really have any alternative, and this is a way for us to move forward,” she said.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – One woman is dead, and another is injured after a car crash early Saturday morning.

According to Cleveland Police, at around 2:34 a.m., officers responded to a one-car crash on St. Clair Avenue near East 107th Street.

Police said the car was driving eastbound on St. Clair and lost control as it negotiated a curve and went off the road, hitting a pole and a brick signage structure.

The driver, a 28-year-old woman, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

A passenger, a 25-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

Police told 19 News that neither occupant appeared to be wearing a seatbelt, and speed is believed to be a factor in this accident.

The crash remains under investigation.

This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.

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PARMA, Ohio (WOIO) – At 27 years old, Vasyl Shvets escaped the deadly war in Ukraine and came to Northeast Ohio for a better life, only to be gunned down as he was trying to make an honest living.

There is still no arrest in Shvets’ murder. He is the second Lyft driver killed this week in Cleveland.

As his loved ones prepare for his memorial service on Saturday at St. Andrew Ukrainian Church, they remember a young man full of life, love, and who worked tirelessly to help his family.

Reverend Dmytro Kasiyan of Florida tells 19 News that Shvets was not only a dear friend, but family.

“I know that he loved his fiancée very much. He wanted to start a family. He was great with kids,” Reverend Kasiyan said.

Second Lyft driver killed in 36 hours

Shvets was working as a late-night Lyft driver on Tuesday when he was shot and killed in his car, which then crashed into a dumpster on East 84th Street in Cleveland. He was the second of two Lyft drivers killed in a 36-hour period in Cleveland.

“He escaped for a better life here — all his family is in Ukraine. So, he began his new life here working very hard to pursue the dream. Coming here because this is the country of freedom and peace, but unfortunately, he was killed here,” Kasiyan said.

The Ukrainian native’s dreams of working for a better life died with him; his fiancée, as well as other family and friends, are devastated trying to find out what happened.

“Whether it was a drive-by or if he was getting robbed, Vasyl would have given everything. Nothing is worth your life,” Kasiyan told 19 News.

Family seeks answers

“It’s very frustrating because his fiance and family in general want answers. They haven’t heard anything from the police. They haven’t heard anything from Lyft,” Kasiyan said.

After arriving in the U.S. in 2023, Shvets focused on living the American dream, sending nearly every penny he made back to his mother, father, and sister in Ukraine — a family that never had a chance to say goodbye.

“We just want to see justice served,” Kasiyan said.

A memorial service for Shvets will be held at St. Andrew Church in Parma on Saturday. His body will be shipped back to western Ukraine to his family.

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