Cleveland, OH
World’s 1st billionaire left a legacy in Northeast Ohio
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – “Oh, he was a real rich guy. He was the first really, really rich guy,” explained Tom Kelly, author of “The Cleveland 200: The Most Noted, Notable and Notorious in the First 200 of a Great American City.”
“Cleveland boomed because of Rockefeller,” he added
Born in 1839, John Davison Rockefeller boomed as well, making his fortune in Cleveland with the founding of Standard Oil in 1870.
“He was brutal with his competitors,” said Kelly. “He found ways to put them all out of business.”
He not only built an oil empire but a mansion on Millionaires’ Row on Euclid Avenue, then a summer home at his estate at Forest Hill in East Cleveland, all while Standard Oil grew.
“He just kept building his business,” Kelly explained, controlling not just oil but the refineries and transportation. “He just kept buying everything up that just made it a total vertical and horizontal monopoly.”
That monopoly was broken up by the Supreme Court in 1911. Standard Oil was split into 39 different companies, but Rockefeller still prospered.
“He was very strait-laced person where he really didn’t have any fun with his money,” Kelly said. “He went to church. Oh, he loved golf! He was a terrible golfer, but he loved the game but that was his only recreation.”
Rockefeller left Cleveland over a tax feud in 1913, only returning when he died 25 years later in 1937 at almost 98 years old.
“He never came back to Cleveland again,” Kelly said. “It was regrettable that Cleveland pushed him away; Cleveland would have been New York City in a few more years.”
Aside from his family burial plot at Lake View Cemetery, signs of Rockefeller’s wealth and impact dot the city: he donated Forest Hill Park in East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights, the Rockefeller Building still stands on West 9th Street at the top of The Flats, Rockefeller Park just north of University Circle, and the Rockefeller Homes developed by his son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. are a few of his lasting legacies.
Rockefeller came from humble beginnings, the son of a con man, “Wild Bill” Rockefeller. He rose to heights previously unseen. And he proved something in the process.
“You didn’t have to come from royalty, you didn’t have to have Old World connections, you weren’t born rich, but you worked hard, you got rich, and you worked harder, you got richer,” said Kelly. “I think he was a model for millions of Americans.”
“I don’t think there’s ever been anyone quite like him.”
Copyright 2025 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Cuyahoga County takes a beating during Tuesday night’s severe weather
CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — Tuesday night’s storm ravaged various parts of Cuyahoga County, including Shaker Heights, Cleveland and North Olmsted.
Tornado Warning issued for 3 Northeast Ohio counties
During our travels throughout the county, we saw a massive tree uprooted out of a field near Woodbury Elementary.
The tree stood inches from South Woodland Road and luckily snapped in the direction of the field rather than the residential homes on the other side.
Over in Cleveland on West 54th Street and Courtland Avenue, police blocked off a section of that intersection due to a downed tree that fell near a playground.
There was also a telephone pole that snapped and was hanging over the top of the road.
In North Olmsted on Birch Circle, there were several downed trees in front yards.
“Oh, it was a mess the second, I mean, coming down and seeing those four trees lying up. There’s three in the front here just lying on their side all over the driveway, and all the neighbors outside, wondering what to do, you know, where to start,” Taylor Wright told me.
Wright wasn’t home at the time of the storm. Neither was his partner, Candace Kepler.
Kepler said she was down the street at Target when the store started making announcements to take shelter.
“They made an announcement saying that everybody needed to be escorted to the tornado hall, and they made us all just leave our shopping carts and everything. We all went to the back of the store and huddled in this little metal hall in the back of Target,” Kepler said.
For 35 minutes, Kepler said she was stuck inside the store, worrying about her teenage daughter who was home alone.
“She was pretty scared because she saw the trees come down,” Kepler said. “I wanted to leave, but they wouldn’t let me leave, so I just kept her on FaceTime and tried to see if our neighbors… they came over and grabbed her, so that was good. Just keeping her safe was really just a priority.”
Luckily, their daughter is safe and sound, and so are they.
“Had you seen anything like it before?” I asked Wright.
He said, “Not this bad, especially not around here. This was the worst I’ve seen it over here with trees for sure.”
As of 8:30 p.m., Kepler and Wright were without power.
They were anticipating that it would come back on by 9:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, neighbors are already acting fast to chop the downed trees into pieces.
“They were in the neighbor’s driveway, so I grabbed my chainsaw, and then Sam, our neighbor, his kid came over with one, and we just got them all picked up, chopped them all up, and put them all in the tree lawn,” Wright said.
Stick with News 5 as we continue to monitor the latest on storm damage.
We Follow Through
Want us to continue to follow through on a story? Let us know.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Guardians vs. Los Angeles Dodgers prediction, pick for Monday 3/30/26
Keagan Smith gives you a preview, prediction and pick for today’s game between the Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday’s MLB slate.
The opening days of the 2026 MLB season have been an absolute blast to watch, and as we roll into the second week of action on the diamond, there are plenty of games for fans and bettors alike to choose from.
On Monday night in the late window, the Cleveland Guardians (2-2) head to Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers (3-0). It’s a story of David vs. Goliath that certainly favors one team over the other given the nature of both lineups and their respective payrolls, but the beauty of this sport is that anything can happen on any given night.
Come fight the Monday blues with us! Here’s a betting prediction and pick for tonight’s Guardians vs. Dodgers matchup courtesy of MLB odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Guardians vs. Dodgers prediction, preview
The Guardians made the postseason in 2025 with a surge over the second half of the campaign, and now they look to get back to the playoffs once again. They split the opening series of 2026 2-2 with the Seattle Mariners, and while an ugly 8-0 shutout did ruin the vibes to close things out, there were a couple of positives to glean. The biggest storyline by far was Chase DeLauter, the 24-year-old who debuted last postseason and has now started his first regular season by going 6-for-17 with four home runs. He’s been at the center of the production for a lineup with 13 runs in its four matchups, with the team slashing a combined .195/.262/.338. The biggest weakness of the Guardians thus far? A 32.4% K% that ranks third worst in the MLB, but obviously, it’s very early. Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan are bound to get rolling eventually though, so there’s no reason to panic while the bats heat up. The pitching staff has more reason to worry though, giving up eight home runs in four games with a high K% at 28.6%, but also an elevated BB% at 13.6%. Not a great way to start the year, now is it?
Out in the National League, the Dodgers went a perfect 3-0 to open their own season after taking all three games over the Arizona Diamondbacks. That was expected given the massive payroll of the back-to-back World Series champs, especially after adding Kyle Tucker to their embarrassment of riches over the offseason. They’re scoring over five runs a game through the first three outings with a slash line of .222/.320/.422, but the interesting part is a .200 ISO that ranks fifth in the MLB after hammering five deep balls along with a league-high hard-hit rate of 46.7%. The Dodgers are driving the baseball already, which doesn’t come as a shock to anyone. However, an 0.73 K/BB ratio ranks third best in the sport and is a little more surprising. Oh, and did we mention that Shohei Ohtani is just 1-for-8 at the plate to start the season? The pitching staff holds a 2.67 ERA that ranks sixth to go along with the fourth-best WHIP at 0.89 and the second-lowest BB% at just 5.0%. Los Angeles is scary so far.
On the mound for Cleveland is lefty Parker Messick, who threw just seven starts in his debut campaign last season. He amassed an impressive 2.72 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP, punching out 38 hitters in 39.2 innings. While he didn’t qualify for most grades per Baseball Savant’s advanced metrics due to sample size, he would’ve been in very high percentiles for BB%, barrel rate, hard-hit rate and more.
The Dodgers will roll out righty Roki Sasaki, who threw just 10 games for Los Angeles last season with eight starts. He ended with a 4.46 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, striking out 28 hitters in 36.1 innings of work. it was a pretty uninspiring result, all things considered, but he brings nice velocity with a 96.1 MPH average on the fastball. He had some serious command issues in Spring Training though, which we’ll work with for out best bet.
Guardians vs. Dodgers pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Dodgers as -199 Moneyline favorites at home this evening, while the Guardians hold +163 odds to win outright. The run total sits at an even nine.
Best Bet: Roki Sasaki over 1.5 walks allowed (-174)
The odds probably won’t do much for you at -174 unless you use this pick as a builder in a parlay, but there’s a ton of reason to feel bullish about a cash tonight. Sasaki allowed 15 walks in Spring Training. Now guess how many innings he pitched. Don’t look it up! No, it wasn’t 15-20 as you probably expected. It was 8.2. Again, he gave up 15 walks in 8.2 innings of work. The recent form is capital B Bad. You get it, but for the record, he had a 13.7% BB% last season as well. Command is not his strong suit.
Strong Lean: CLE Guardians +1.5 (-126)
Maybe things get dangerous for Cleveland with a young pitcher out there against such a star-studded lineup, but Los Angeles’ hurler isn’t particularly formidable. After the Guardians competed with the Mariners in their last series with two wins and a cover at +1.5, I like their chances to keep things feisty this evening on the road.
Cleveland, OH
Ohio Teams Start 2026 Season Strong – Cleveland Today
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›
The Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians both opened the 2026 MLB season with series wins, showcasing timely hitting, resilience, and standout individual performances to secure victories in their early matchups.
Why it matters
As two of Ohio’s major league baseball franchises, the Reds and Guardians victories to start the season demonstrate the state’s continued passion for the sport and the competitiveness of these regional rivals as they aim to contend for playoff spots in the new year.
The details
The Reds took two of three games from the St. Louis Cardinals, including a dramatic 9th-inning comeback win in the series opener. The Guardians also won their series against the Chicago White Sox, taking two of three games with a walk-off hit in the finale.
- The 2026 MLB season began on March 26, 2026.
- The Reds-Cardinals series took place from March 26-28, 2026.
- The Guardians-White Sox series was played from March 27-29, 2026.
The players
Cincinnati Reds
A professional baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio that competes in the National League of Major League Baseball.
Cleveland Guardians
A professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio that competes in the American League of Major League Baseball.
St. Louis Cardinals
A professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri that competes in the National League of Major League Baseball.
Chicago White Sox
A professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois that competes in the American League of Major League Baseball.
Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›
What’s next
The Reds and Guardians will look to continue their strong starts as they face off against division rivals in the coming weeks, with the Reds hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Guardians traveling to take on the Detroit Tigers.
The takeaway
The early season success of Ohio’s MLB teams demonstrates the state’s enduring passion for baseball and the potential for these regional rivals to contend for playoff spots in 2026, setting up an exciting season ahead for fans in the Buckeye State.
-
South-Carolina3 days agoSouth Carolina vs TCU predictions for Elite Eight game in March Madness
-
Miami, FL6 days agoJannik Sinner’s Girlfriend Laila Hasanovic Stuns in Ab-Revealing Post Amid Miami Open
-
New Mexico1 week agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Culture1 week agoDo You Know the Comics That Inspired These TV Adventures?
-
Minneapolis, MN6 days agoBoy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor
-
Science1 week agoAs mosquitoes go year-round in L.A., a promising fix hits a snag
-
Tennessee1 week agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Trader Joe’s Dip Head-to-Head Taste Test