Ohio
Northeast Ohio road construction: What delays can driver’s expect?
CLEVELAND, Ohio — There are new traffic diversions, detours and closures for Northeast Ohio drivers to deal with as road construction projects continue to progress.
The Ohio Department of Transportation has released its list of upcoming detours for Cuyahoga County and other areas of Greater Cleveland. See the latest updates below:
I-90 east/I-490 west to I-71 south/Ohio 176 south will have various shoulder closures and off-peak lane restrictions between 8 p.m. through 6 a.m. through Saturday for striping.
The following closures will be in place at 9 p.m. today through 5 a.m. Saturday for striping:
The ramp from West 14th Street to I-71 southbound: The detour is Valentine Avenue west to Scranton Road south to MetroHealth Drive west to U.S. 42 south.
The ramp from West 14th Street to Ohio 176 south: The detour is Valentine Avenue west to Scranton Road south to MetroHealth Drive west to U.S. 42 south to I-71 south to Fulton Road south to Denison Avenue east.
I-490 east and westbound just west of I-77 will have various shoulder closures for bridge repairs and pavement work beginning Wednesday and continuing through November.
Buhrer Avenue pedestrian bridge over I-71 was closed to all pedestrian traffic Thursday and will remain closed through August. The pedestrian detour uses Clark Avenue.
Ohio 14 (Broadway Avenue) to I-480 westbound ramp closes at 7 p.m. Friday through 1 a.m. Monday for bridge repairs. The detour is I-480 east to Warrensville Center Road to I-480 west.
Miles Road entrance ramp to I-480 west closed Thursday night and will remain closed through 5 a.m. June 6. The detour uses Warrensville Center Road.
I-480 westbound between Miles Road and Northfield Road will be reduced to two lanes at 9 p.m. June 7 until 5 a.m. June 10.
I-90 over East 105th Street will have various lane restrictions beginning 7 p.m. today through 5 a.m. Monday for bridge repairs. There also will be lane restrictions beginning 7 p.m. June 7 through 5 a.m. June 10.
The following ramps will be closed for a short duration between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on June 6 for resurfacing. The ramps will not be closed at the same time.
Ohio 21 northbound to Ohio 17 westbound: Detour is Ohio 21 north to East 71st Street south to Canal Road east to Warner Road south to Ohio 17.
Ohio 21 northbound to Ohio 17: The detour is Ohio 21 north to East 71st south to Canal Road east to Warner Road south to Ohio 17.
Ohio 21 southbound to Ohio 17 westbound: The detour is Ohio 21 south to Old Brecksville Road west to Schaff Lane west to East Schaff Road north to Ohio 17.
Ohio 21 southbound to Ohio 17 eastbound: The detour is Ohio 21 south to Old Brecksville Road west to Schaff Lane west to East Schaff Road north to Ohio 17.
Ohio 17 westbound to Ohio 21 northbound: The detour is Ohio 17 westbound to Warner Road north to Canal Road west to East 71st Street north to Ohio 21.
Ohio westbound to Ohio 21 southbound: The detour is Ohio 17 west to East Schaff Road south to Schaff Lane east to Old Brecksville Road east to Ohio 21.
Ohio 17 eastbound to Ohio 21 southbound: The detour is Ohio 17 east to East Schaff Road south to Schaaf Lane east to Old Brecksville Road east to Ohio 21.
Ohio 17 eastbound to Ohio 21 southbound: The detour is Warner Road north to Canal Road west to East 71st Street to Ohio 21.
U.S. 422 at Main Market Road will have various lane restrictions maintained by a temporary traffic signal beginning on Monday and continuing through mid-August for a culvert replacement.
Liberty Street between Ohio 84 and Washington Street will be restricted to southbound traffic only beginning June 10 and continuing through August for resurfacing. The northbound detour is Bank Street to State Street to Erie Street.
Ohio 57, just north of Styx Hill Road, will close June 10 for a culvert replacement. The detour is Ohio 57 north to Interstate 76 west to Ohio 3 north to Ohio 162 east to Ohio 57, and reverse. Estimated completion is June 14.
The ramp from U.S. 224 west to I-77 north will close at 7 p.m. Wednesday through 6 a.m. Thursday. The detour is I-277/U.S. 224 west to Main Street to I-277/U.S. 224 east to I-77.
Various ramps on I-77 northbound at Wilbeth Road and Waterloo Road will close at 7 p.m. Wednesday through 5 a.m. Thursday for paving. The detour is Arlington Road to I-76 east or west.
Ohio 21 northbound under I-77 will close at 8 p.m. today through 5 a.m. Monday for bridge work. The detour is I-77 southbound to Ridgewood Road to I-77 northbound.
Ohio 21 northbound under I-77 will close at 4 a.m. June 8 through 5 a.m. June 10 for bridge work. The detour is I-77 southbound to Ridgewood Road to I-77 northbound.
Hines Hill Road will close between Boston Mills Road and Olde Eight Road beginning Monday and continuing through June 7 for bridge joint replacement. The detour is Boston Mills Road to Hines Hills Road.
Ohio 21 northbound under I-77 will close at 4 a.m. June 8 through 5 a.m. June 10 for bridge work. The detour is I-77 southbound to Ridgewood Road to I-77 northbound.
I-271 between the Cuyahoga Valley bridge and Ohio 82 has various lane restrictions until July.
Ohio 18 between Hametown Road and Cleveland Massillon Road will have various nightly lane restrictions between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. beginning Sunday. The restrictions will continue until late September.
State Street between Hiram Street and Fifth Street, and Wooster Road between Burt Street and Glenn Street are reduced to one lane in each direction through September.
Wooster Road eastbound will close Monday through late summer 2025. The detour is 31st Street to Norton Avenue to Wooster Road.
Beginning Wednesday, the following closures will be in place through early July:
State Street northbound: The detour is Wooster Road to the I-76 access road to State Street.
Romig Avenue at State Street: The detour is Hiram Street.
Left turns from New Street and Swigart Street: The detour is Wooster Road to Glenn Street to State Street.
Ohio 7 just north of Ohio 88 will close Monday through late July. The detour is Ohio 88 to Ohio 5.
Ohio 534 just south of Ohio 5 will close Monday through Thursday for a culvert replacement. The detour is I-76 to Ohio 225 to Ohio 5.
Ohio
Former Ohio State 5-star corner Aaron Scott Jr. lands at Big Ten rival
Former 5-star commit Aaron Scott Jr. has found his new landing spot, and it’s with a rival in the Big Ten. According to an announcement made on social media by Hayes Fawcett, Scott will continue his career with the Oregon Ducks.
Originally from Springfield, Ohio, Scott committed to the Buckeyes over Michigan and others in the class of 2024 as one of the best corners in the country. At the time, it was expected that he could be a big part of the future of the defensive backfield in Columbus. And while Scott received some playing time, he had yet to break into the starting lineup through the first couple of seasons and will have two seasons remaining at Oregon.
Scott had 11 tackles and 1 pass defended through his sophomore season and was expected to be in-line to compete for a starting spot at cornerback next season. It was a surprise when he entered the portal, and we may never really know what kind of situation and conversations occurred behind the scenes.
As a transfer, according to 247Sports, Scott is ranked as the No. 19 cornerback and 291st prospect. Oregon and Ohio State are scheduled to meet each of the next two years, but the Big Ten schedules have not been set when it comes to dates and times
We’ll continue to track the comings and goings of players in the portal as we move forward until it all calms down.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
Ohio
Northeast Ohio native Suzanne Conway brings experience back home to run Cain Park
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — It all started at Cain Park for Suzanne Conway, who will now be returning to the historic amphitheater as its general manager.
City officials announced her hiring Friday (Jan. 16) with Conway starting next month at the oldest operating municipally-owned performing arts venue in the country.
Conway stated in a city press release that she looks forward to “returning to Cain Park, where I began my career all the way back in 1999, and where I first fell in love with live venue entertainment.”
A Northeast Ohio native, Conway brings a wealth of experience back home, having worked in recent years for the country’s largest music venue operator, the House of Blues (HOB).
She has served as general manager at HOB Chicago and San Diego, as well as Director of Music Hall Operations for HOB Dallas.
Conway actually started in 2018 as the assistant general manager for HOB’s operation of Masonic Cleveland.
“After the incredible opportunities I’ve had to grow and do what I love all over the world, I am beyond proud to come home to Cain Park,” she added.
“I cannot wait to bring the best, most diverse live entertainment to Cleveland Heights.”
Her resume also includes early stints in patron services for Great Lakes Theater and a position at Cain Park as Assistant Operations Manager.
Conway then branched into tour management for David Copperfield, film festival operations for Sundance, and managing theater companies at The Old Globe in San Diego.
“She returned for a second tour of duty at Cain Park as Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator,” the city press release noted, adding that her experience has not been limited to the entertainment industry.
“Ms. Conway also counts race director for Susan G. Komen Northeast Ohio, as well as community development manager for the American Cancer Society’s Greater Cleveland Chapter among her career accomplishments,” city officials added.
As she steps into her role operating the entertainment complex at Cain Park, it will look like more of a renaissance than ever.
“Conway’s taking the helm at Cain Park comes at a time of great opportunity, driven in part by the city’s investment of over $5 million in infrastructure improvements,” largely through post-pandemic federal grants, officials said.
The overhaul included seat replacements in the theater and amphitheater, upgrading the audio/visual system, completely renovating the artist and administration building, pavilion roof repairs and adding new lighting on paths and throughout the park.
“In addition, the city built amphitheater-style seating and improved ADA access to the park on its South Taylor end where reinvestment in the Cain Park Village plan continues,” the press release stated.
The work includes restoration of the Taylor Tudor buildings, a $25 million renovation of a mixed-use space near the park.
“We’re truly excited to welcome Suzanne Conway to manage Cain Park. She will arrive at a very exciting time for the city,” Cleveland Heights Mayor Jim Petras said.
Petras added that with unanimous approval from City Council, Cain Park’s 2026 production budget was doubled and the decision was made to elevate Cain Park to its own city department in the near future.
“We were so impressed with her appreciation and reverence for Cain Park as a venue and as a community asset.”
Her salary has also been bumped up to a pay range in line with the city’s communications chief and parks and recreation director.
To learn more, log on to cainpark.com.
Read more from the Sun Press.
Ohio
Bodyguards for GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy didn’t have required Ohio licenses
COLUMBUS, Ohio—During several of Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s recent public appearances, he was accompanied by at least two bodyguards who weren’t registered with the state as required by law, a cleveland.com analysis shows.
The revelation comes as the Columbus-area entrepreneur is moving to fire the Ohio company providing his security after one of his family’s bodyguards was arrested on federal drug‑trafficking charges.
Social-media photos posted by ARK Protection Group of Wayne County; Rpm Gazbpda. the company’s owner who describes himself online as Ramaswamy’s “head of security”; and Ramaswamy’s campaign depict at least two men with Ramaswamy’s security detail during recent events who state records show either had an expired Ohio security-guard license or no such license at all.
Under Ohio law, all security personnel – including personal bodyguards – have to be registered with the state and pass a background check, then renew that registration annually.
They also need additional state certification in order to carry pistols, revolvers, or semi-automatic weapons on the job – which, among other things, requires at least 25 hours of firearms training.
If anyone’s caught working a security job without state permission, both they and their employer can face criminal charges, punishable with jail time and fines.
The Ohio Department of Public Safety, which regulates the state’s private security industry, can additionally fine violators $100 for each day they broke the law, as well as put offending security companies out of business.
However, photos posted by ARK Protection Group on Facebook and Instagram showed (and tagged) Christopher Endres at a Ramaswamy speech at the University of Cincinnati on Dec. 1. Other photos show Endres standing alongside Ramaswamy at Turning Point USA event in Phoenix, where Ramaswamy spoke on Dec. 20.
Endres’ state registration with ARK Protection Group expired in February 2024, according to Department of Public Safety spokesman Bret Crow.
The company set its Instagram account to private on Friday.
Photos posted to Ramaswamy’s Instagram account on Jan. 12 show a second bodyguard, Jacob Owens, accompanying the candidate during a visit to Chillicothe. State records show no sign that Owens has ever been registered to work as security (Ohio does not recognize security-guard licenses or registrations from other states).
In an email, Crow stated that neither Endres nor Owens were included in ARK Protection Groups’ roster of private security guards that it submitted to the state.
Crow would neither confirm nor deny that state officials are investigating ARK Protection Group. However, Crow added that a post by D.J. Byrnes on his left-leaning blog, The Rooster, “contains real information.” The Rooster was first to report ARK Protection Group’s employee‑registration issues.
The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com has reached out to Owens for comment. Endres was briefly reached by phone Friday morning but hung up when a Plain Dealer/cleveland.com reporter identified himself.
A third ARK Protection Group bodyguard for Ramaswamy’s family, Justin Salsburey of Bellefontaine, was arrested Dec. 30 on charges that he and his wife received and sold counterfeit OxyContin pills containing fentanyl, as well as Adderall pills. Salsburey’s security guard license expired last June, though it wasn’t immediately clear if he continued to provide security for Ramaswmay beyond then.
In a statement Friday, Ramaswamy campaign spokeswoman Connie Luck didn’t directly answer questions about how Ramaswamy came to hire ARK Protection Group, nor what vetting – if any – he did of the company or its employees before hiring them to protect him and his family.
“The Ramaswamy family’s contract with Ark Protection Group specifies the requirement to comply with all relevant laws and regulations,” Luck stated in response.
Luck added that “in light of last week’s deeply troubling developments,” Ramaswamy and his family have “begun the process of relieving Ark Protection Group of their responsibilities and transitioning to a new service provider,” Luck stated.
When Luck was asked whether the “troubling developments” only involved news of Salsburey’s arrest, she replied, “This decision was set in motion following last week’s developments.”
Luck also provided a statement from Gazboda stating that he and his company “are sorry to have disappointed the Ramaswamy family.
“Their safety and protection remain our utmost priority, and we are supporting them as they transition to a new security service provider,” Gazboda says in the statement.
The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com has reached out to Gazboda for further comment and details.
While Ramaswamy was the most frequent public figure to show up on ARK Protection Group’s social-media accounts, he wasn’t the only one.
Other photos on the company’s Instagram account, as well as Gazboda’s Facebook account, showed the retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant with celebrities such as singer/rapper Jelly Roll and prominent conservative political leaders such as Donald Trump Jr., ex-U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and commentator Tucker Carlson.
Theodore Owens, executive director of the Ohio Association of Security & Investigation Services, the state’s main trade group for private security services, said in a phone interview that he was “flabbergasted” to read about ARK Protection Group’s issues – first with Salsburey’s arrest, and now with its registration issues.
“I hate to say this, but it makes the whole industry in Ohio now look bad,” said Owens, who’s not related to Jacob Owens. “I wish you could see me, because I’ve got my face in the palm of my hand right now.”
ARK Protection Group is not a member of Owens’ trade group, and Owens – a 20-year veteran of Ohio’s private security industry — said he hadn’t heard of the company before reading about Salsburey’s arrest last week.
Owens said his organization has already been working with state lawmakers – he declined to say exactly who – to introduce legislation later this year to update Ohio’s regulations for private security personnel – from creating new standards for training and firearms qualification to cracking down on security companies that pay employees under the table (which means the employees aren’t eligible for workers’ compensation if they’re attacked or hurt on the job).
Owens said hearing about ARK Protection Group’s issues has motivated him to push even harder to get those reforms in place.
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, we need to talk to our legislators again and really start working on this,’” he said.
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