DJ Cause&Effect will spin contemporary and classic Latin hits (salsa, bachata, merengue and reggaeton). Texas-based artist Michael Menchaca, whose work is on view in A Graphic Revolution, presents a selection of original party visuals. Menchaca’s video art combines imagery from video games with ancient Maya texts to explore Latinx identities in a contemporary landscape. The event also features salsa and Afro-Caribbean dance basics with dance group Caribe Conexión. The night begins with an original poetic response to artist Belkis Ayón’s print I Always Return, on view in the exhibition, by actor-poet Andrew Aaron Valdez, host of Voces Fuertes Open Mic, Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center.
Get ready for the event with a virtual MIX: Viva kit featuring a Spotify playlist created by DJ Cause&Effect, a list of local Latinx-owned restaurants, instructional dance videos from Caribe Conexión, artist bios and downloadable Zoom backgrounds.
Share your photos of your MIX vibe using #MIXatCMA and #museumfromhome.
About Graphic Revolution: Prints and Drawings in Latin America
This is the first exhibition to highlight the museum’s collection of works on paper produced in Latin America over the past century. Representing a wide range of countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba and Mexico, the works survey how artists have explored national and cultural identity during periods of political upheaval and dramatic social change.
Curator Britany Salsbury discusses several works from the exhibition in the museum’s “On View Now” video series.
The CMA is a leader in the use of technology to enhance visitor experience both on-site and online.
MIX: Viva and “On View Now” are part of the museum’s free dynamic digital initiative Home Is Where the Art Is, which showcases the museum’s globally recognized digital resources and features a variety of newly created fun and engaging programs for people of all ages. With this initiative, the CMA has leveraged technology to bring works of art to people, responding to changing needs in new, enriching and innovative ways. These sustainable digital experiences will continue now that the museum has reopened.
How to Join MIX: Viva:
Zoom (with “dance cam”) Join the party through Zoom for a chance to be featured in a live “dance cam” that will spontaneously occur throughout the hour. A link to join will be posted to cma.org/mix or on the museum’s Facebook page. You can also send an email (subject line: “MIX: Viva”) to mix@clevelandart.orgto receive a link in your inbox.
Facebook Watch live on the CMA’s Facebook page from your smartphone, iPad or computer.
NOTE: Virtual MIX parties are both pet- and child-friendly.
Join CMA curators, educators and other invited guests in a live online discussion about works in the collection that address issues people are facing today. Participate in the conversation by making comments or asking questions.
Re-visioning Art and History Wednesday, Aug. 5 at noon
At this moment, engaged citizens across the world are questioning the systems, structures and values that museums are built upon. Join Andrew Cappetta and Key Jo Lee to discuss how these much-needed critiques will inform CMA programs like Desktop Dialogues and Close Looking at a Distance, explore objects that reshape what is known about art and museums including Fred Wilson’s To Die upon a Kiss, and learn the value of adopting multiple perspectives to understand works of art.
Starting at 12:30 p.m., all participants are welcome to continue the conversation and interact in an informal, live Zoom video conference meeting. A link to join this additional discussion will be provided during the program.
The Cleveland Museum of Art would like to thank Chase Private Client for their generous support of MIX: Viva.
An excerpt from Cleveland.com’s newsletter (signed by Chris Quinn):
“If you’ve never been in a debate with columnist Ted Diadiun, think dog with a bone. When he digs in, there’s no prying that bone loose.
I cannot count the hours I’ve spent going at it with him on whether newspapers erred when they made all of their content free online at the dawn of the Internet. Ted’s thought: Why would any company spend a fortune to produce a high-quality product – our content – and give it away? He says people should pay for things they value.
Come Monday, Ted will get his wish. Partly.
This is about so much more than an academic debate about strategy, though. The simple truth is we need your support to continue producing the journalism you value. Our watchdog reporting. Our bounty of information on surviving the pandemic. Our unique perspectives on your favorite sports teams. Our exclusive take on spending your entertainment dollar.
Ask yourself this: Where did you turn this week when you learned that the speaker of the Ohio House, one of the three most powerful people in the state, appears to be a crook, someone accused of masterminding a $60 million bribery scheme? For many people reading this, I know that answer. You turned to us.
You turned to us because when big news happens, you turn to the source you trust. Just as you did when the coronavirus became a pandemic.
My asking for your support is about whether you feel reassured by the fact we are here, whether you take solace knowing we care about you and look out for your interests. Do you rely on us to make sure tax dollars are not wasted, to ask the necessary questions of those in power, to keep you informed on what is happening in Northeast Ohio.
If you do, then please help us keep doing it. Please consider subscribing, to our website or to The Plain Dealer. Digital subscriptions to cleveland.com cost $10 a month or $100 for a year. At $100 a year, we are talking less than 28 cents a day. You can sign up here.
Starting Monday, access to some of our journalism will be limited to our digital and print subscribers. You’ve been seeing stories tagged as exclusive on our website for more than a month, and on Monday, we’ll reserve those stories for people who support our work.
Rest assured that most of the content on our site will remain free. Perhaps 10 to 12 stories a day will be tagged for subscribers only. We will experiment to see which stories have the greatest value for paying subscribers. And as we learn which stories our subscribers engage with the most, we will work to expand those offerings… ”
Says ongoing FBI investigation is an unnecessary distraction from the people’s work
SUBMITTED
State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) today called for the resignation of Republican Speaker of the House Larry Householder (R-Glenford) following federal charges that he engaged in a $60 million bribery, racketeering scheme. This is the second FBI investigation into House GOP leadership in three years.
“Larry Householder must resign the Speakership immediately. The staggering allegations against him are an unwelcome distraction from the important work that must be done to serve the people of Ohio during a once-in-a-century pandemic,” said Rep. Sweeney. “Ohio’s nearly two decades of one party rule have culminated in a Republican culture of corruption and the FBI investigation of two GOP Speakers of the House in three years. Ohioans deserve far better, and I am committed to restoring public trust and accountability in our government. If Householder does not resign in the very near future, then I will call upon on my colleagues across the aisle to convene the House and vote him out.”
But a complete repeal is needed as a minimum to undo the bill’s gutting of the clean energy standards, advocates say.
By Kathiann M. Kowalski
This article provided by Eye on Ohio, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Ohio Center for Journalism in partnership with the nonprofit Energy News Network. Please join our free mailing list or the mailing list for Energy News as this helps us provide more public service reporting.
Both Republican and Democratic Ohio lawmakers are pushing to repeal the state’s nuclear bailout bill after this week’s release of a federal criminal complaint against House Speaker Larry Householder and others. Clean energy advocates say that would be a start, but more is needed to address eight years of lawmakers’ actions to slow the growth of renewables in the state.
The complaint alleges a $60 million bribery and conspiracy scheme that led to the passage of House Bill 6 last summer, followed by the defeat of a referendum effort to give voters a say on the bill. Amounts involved are about 20 times more than amounts that could be tracked through public documents.
HB 6 is primarily known as a “nuclear bailout” for providing six years of subsidies for the FirstEnergy Solutions/Energy Harbor nuclear power plants in Ohio totaling roughly a billion dollars, but it also gutted the state’s renewable energy and energy efficiency standards, and provided bailouts for two 1950s-era coal plants in Ohio and Indiana.
And while Gov. Mike DeWine has recently shifted his position from defending HB 6 to saying he wants to “repeal and replace” it, legislators from both parties say the whole thing should be thrown out. DeWine has said his office had no involvement in the alleged scheme. Yet he signed the law within hours after Householder secured its passage last summer.
Whether due to actual or perceived corruption, HB 6 “is a corrupt piece of legislation. All of it — not just part of it,” said Rep. Mike Skindell, D-Lakewood. “Therefore, the entire thing needs to be repealed. … That is one step in restoring the confidence of the citizens which was broken because of this corrupt process.”
“Those of us who are free-market conservatives are against the bill. Those of us who care about consumers and predatory pricing are against the bill. And it’s why those of us who want more renewable energy, not less, are against the bill,” said Rep. Laura Lanese, R-Grove City.
“Ohioans deserve an immediate and full repeal of House Bill 6 in order to restore the public’s trust in the legislative process, and also to get Ohio’s clean energy future restarted,” said Miranda Leppla, vice president of energy policy for the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund. “There is simply no room to consider anything less than a full repeal of this bill, as it is corrupt to the very core. Ohio lawmakers should consider what policies are best for Ohioans, without the corrupt influence of pay-to-play politicians and lobbyists working to influence their decisions.”
“I think this fiasco of HB 6 is just symbolic of the pay-to-play culture that has been in operation for a decade or more,” said Steve Melink, founder and CEO of Melink Corporation in Cincinnati. An analysis of lawful, reported campaign contributions from the utility, nuclear and coal industries in Ohio shows substantial increases in election years after a competitive generation market finally began developing in the state.
Efforts to give preferences to FirstEnergy and utility and fossil fuel interests didn’t start with HB 6. Bailout proposals have been on the table since at least 2014. And efforts to limit or repeal Ohio’s clean energy standards have been underway since at least 2012. A 2014 law imposed a two-year “freeze,” and then former Gov. John Kasich vetoed another bill to erode the standards. Other bills for nuclear and fossil subsidies and for weakening the standards were proposed in 2017 and 2018. And then Householder was elected.
HB 6 “was much more than a bailout for uneconomic nuclear and coal plants. It was an attack on renewable energy and energy efficiency that First Energy, and its allies in the legislature, had been pushing for years,” said J.R. Tolbert, managing director for Advanced Energy Economy’s national business group.
What more is needed?
“Ohio has some fundamental changes that need to be made to get back on track in our fight against climate change,” Leppla said. “These include fixing our wind setbacks, prioritizing efficiency as a money- and energy-saving resource, and fixing our power siting board process to ensure renewables have an even playing field.”
Removing a 2014 provision that tripled property line setbacks for wind turbines “is the very first change that has to happen” after a full repeal of HB 6, said Sandy Buchanan, executive director of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
“When the rules changed, it essentially froze the number of wind projects,” said IEEFA data analyst Seth Feaster. That caused communities to miss out on revenues, more financial stability, better credit ratings and indirect job benefits, he and Buchanan noted. Meanwhile, a lot of wind projects moved to other states that were more welcoming.
The constant push to limit or repeal the state’s renewable energy and energy efficiency portfolio standards has also hurt, Melink noted. The portfolio standards act as incentives to attract and develop clean energy and other businesses that want renewable energy by setting enforceable targets, which the market then moves to meet, he said.
“A totally unregulated market is too open to the kinds of things that we’re witness to with HB 6,” Melink said. “Setting standards and rules is a good thing.”
“Businesses need some certainty that before they make investments to grow their businesses, that there are good laws that will be in existence for some period of time — that we’re not going to be going back and forth every year or two years, changing our minds about these things,” Melink continued. “No company is going to make a major investment to grow a clean energy economy with that scenario.”
Other concerns focus on how regulators and the courts have applied the state’s energy laws, including provisions that currently limit or preclude refunds of unlawful charges.
Even before HB 6 passed, for example, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio allowed a credit support charge. The Supreme Court of Ohio found that the charge was unlawful, but declined to make FirstEnergy refund charges to consumers. A delayed repeal of HB 6 could also let utilities collect charges under the law.
“FirstEnergy and FirstEnergy Solutions should not be allowed to financially gain from the poisoned fruits of a crooked tree,” said Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “If the U.S. Department of Justice’s allegations of corruption are proven true, then the mandatory rate increase imposed by House Bill 6 on Ohio consumers should be invalidated, and FirstEnergy and FirstEnergy Solutions/Energy Harbor should be required to disgorge their financial gains and refund those excess charges to consumers.”
Other pending legislation could make matters even more challenging for renewables. House Bill 246, for example, “does little to address the serious issues plaguing the PUCO and [Ohio Power Siting Board]’s opaque and inconsistent processes, especially as it relates to siting renewable energy projects in Ohio,” Leppla said. The bill could also make the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel more subject to political sway.
One or more bills to repeal House Bill 6 are being introduced next week, Skindell and Lanese said. But that repeal of House Bill 6 is not yet assured.
“Given the press of other business, repealing HB 6 is not a good idea because it would result in a rate increase for all Ohio ratepayers,” said House Majority Floor Leader Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati. Seitz has pushed to limit or repeal Ohio’s renewable energy and energy efficiency standards since at least 2013. He and other House leaders have issued a joint statement saying they are reviewing the federal allegations and do not have knowledge of other representatives’ involvement.
“Repealing HB 6 doesn’t solve all of the challenges faced by clean energy companies or corporations trying to meet their sustainability targets in Ohio, but it’s a good start,” Tolbert said.
“We need to start from scratch,” said Sen. Stephanie Kunze, R-Hilliard. She added that the whole HB 6 process reminded her of baking a cake, in which supporters said “We’ll say that Ohioans want this cake, but really we want this cake, and you have to bake it for us.”
Graduation 2020 in Cleveland was covered in four parts by the West Park Times in collaboration with Neighborhood Media with assistance from a grant provided by Solutions Journalism.Cleveland’s solutions were found to be derived from Toledo, so we followed up with them and their success as well.
STORY 1
West Park senior learns to adjust in a changing world
No prom, no traditional graduation ceremony, no hanging out with friends.
It would be perfectly normal if members of the Class of 2020 feel cheated and depressed as they watch a national pandemic wash away their senior year.
But that’s not the case, says Faith Habrat of West Park. “I’ve talked a lot with other seniors, and we agree. We started the year together, and we are going to end it together. We’ll just remember all the good times. We’ll be fine.”
“We are trying not to feel cheated. We understand that everyone is doing what they can.”
But she admits,”It has been scary. It’s not the senior year I expected.”
Prom has been pushed back to July, and may not happen at all.
“I’m not really huge on prom,” she said. “But to not have it is very upsetting. It is a good time to share with friends.”
Before the shutdown, Faith attended the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine, located next to the sprawling Cleveland Clinic campus. Since March, he has studied at home.
“I try to cope with that. Life is hectic, and its really frustrating and hard. We text and e-mail our teachers and our principal a lot throughout the day. They are very helpful. We want to make sure we know what their expectations are.”
This summer, Faith will work as a camp counselor at Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU). After that, she begins work on a psychology at the University of Cincinnati.
For now, she is focusing a school-by-school drive-thru graduation ceremony that all Cleveland seniors will eventually particpate in.
Her graduation party was “no big get-together.” but a drive-by parade of family and friends as they drove past her house on Woodbury Ave., on Sunday afternoon, May 24.
As a star softball player for 10 years, Abby Peterson learned to hit whatever pitch was thrown. This year, as a graduating senior at St. Joseph Academy, she saw a lot of real-life curve balls and changeups because of the pandemic:
Her spring softball season washed away completely, including a long-planned trip to Myrtle Beach.
Her summer softball season was cut in half.
She watched her graduation “ceremony” on a video at a drive-in theater.
Her restaurant employment was interrupted.
Her on-campus college orientation become a virtual experience.
Prom and the traditional “Walk of Roses” ceremony may or may not happen.
That’s a lot of change to throw at an 18-year-old. Through it all, Abby maintained a 4.2 grade point average, graduated with high honors, and regained her job at Applebee’s Restaurant in Rocky River.
Her positive attitude helped.
“There was a lot of uncertainty this year,” she said. “We never knew what was going to happen. We learned to live in the moment. Nothing in life is guaranteed.”
“Batter up!”
Softball should been a major part of her senior year. Abby pitches and plays infield. During her junior year, the team enjoyed a record-setting 21-6 season.
“This would have been a great year for us. Now, we’re not happy. It’s kind of sad. I really wanted to play one more season,” Abby said.
“An extended break”
“At first, they told us we would be back in 3 weeks, and we were happy for an extended break. Then, the break kept getting longer and longer. The school year ended really fast.”
At home, Abby quickly adopted a routine of waking up early, tackling her work in four subjects, and taking long walks in the Metroparks later in the day. There were a lot of Zoom meetings, e-mail and work in Google Classroom.
“I had never even heard of Zoom before,” she said. “As much as possible, our teachers tried to run the classes as if we were really there.”
It all led up to a graduation ceremony spread out over several days for social distancing. SJA assembled a video of all graduates picking up their diplomas, and played it at drive-in theater in North Ridgeville. Students and their families watched from cars, but classmates were nearby, and the social time was both safe and enjoyable.
A future filled with question marks
Graduation party? Maybe. Prom? Maybe. Walk of Roses? Maybe. When to leave for college? No date set yet.
Abby plans to major in business at Ohio University, and may eventually go into Law or Marketing. Although OU plans to re-open this fall, no date has been set. Orientation has changed from an on-campus to a virtual experience.
“I’m just looking forward to a future without COVID,” Abby said. ” I want a normal freshman year at college, I am going to stay positive and move forward.”
Footnote: Abby’s biggest fans are her parents, Alan and Kelli Peterson — a proud 1993 graduate of SJA.
STORY 3
How the pandemic changed ‘pomp and circumstance’
It is often said that “necessity is the mother of invention.” That was certainly true this spring as the pandemic brought a halt to old ways of celebrating.
School officials were faced with a huge challenge ― plan a high school graduation ceremony that would satisfy necessary health guidelines/restrictions; give graduates the recognition they deserved, and still keep school traditions alive. The guidelines were mandated by Gov. DeWine and the Ohio Departments of Education and Health.
Let’s look at the two high schools in West Park.
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John Marshall High School
Graduates get ‘15 seconds of fame’
Horns honked. Families cheered and applauded. Cameras flashed. Students hung out of car windows as a car procession began. A pep band musician showed up with his drums and a sign reading, ‘Graduates, you rock.’ There were hugs, few tears, and lots of proud parents. Cars were decorated with balloons and signs. School district CEO Eric Gordon directed traffic wearing a cap, gown, and face mask.
Welcome to graduation in the pandemic era.
On June 17, JMHS graduates enjoyed 76-degree temperatures and clear skies. They gathered at Max Hayes High School, 2211 W. 65th St., chosen by CMSD officials because of the central location and unique parking layout. Here, John Marshall and all the West Side high schools could hold outside graduation ceremonies that satisfied all State-mandated social distancing guidelines.
Every parking spot was marked with a number. Students were assigned a number ahead of time ― one car per family. Some students arrived an hour before the ceremony started, for social time. It had been a long time since they were last together.
Right on time, the ceremony began with a pre-recorded National Anthem, and a few speeches. It was live-streamed, and everyone watched from their car.
When the roll call began, a car procession formed from the parking lot to a nearby loop road near the school. Each car stopped near decorations of balloons. The graduate stepped out, took two steps to get the diploma, have his photo taken, and tip his/her hat to the principal. As the car continued down the loop road, the graduate was greeted with more cheers, applause, and signs from faculty, family, and friends.
Their 15 seconds of fame were over ― and so were their four years of high school.
Find our full gallery of photos from John Marshall’s graduation day here. https://bit.ly/2ZXcKhf
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Saint Joseph Academy
Mixing compassion with strength
“Saint Joseph Academy is committed to honoring the Class of 2020 and upholding the dignity of these end-of-year traditions, while still protecting the health and safety of the entire Academy community,” SJA spokesperson Mackenzie Schuler said in an email. Founded in 1890 by the Sisters of the Congregation of St. Joseph, SJA is an all-girl Catholic high school in West Park. Students come throughout Greater Cleveland.
To start the graduation process, faculty and staff distributed caps, gowns and yard signs to members of the Class of 2020. The in-person commencement ceremony took place over three days ― May 18, 19, 20 ― to ensure that social distancing and other guidelines were followed. Photos and video were taken as each student was recognized. The video included a pre-recording of scripture readings, commencement speaker President Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis (who retires on June 30), a student speaker and traditional songs.
During her remarks, President Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis quoted former Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton, who once said, “I refuse to believe you cannot be both compassionate and strong.” She pointed out that Jesus Christ was also compassionate and strong, and urged graduates to follow that role model.
Links to photos and the video were posted on-line. Graduates and their families and friends were also invited to see the video at the Aut-O-Rama Drive-In Theater in North Ridgeville. https://www.sja1890.org/
Student speaker Sarah Scarpitti referred to the pandemic in her remarks.
“…the past few months have brought a lot of uncertainty to our days. No one anticipated that we would encounter such an obstacle this year, but we will be able to look back and smile ― because we are fighting to conquer it now. And for the Class of 2020, it’s going to be about moving forward with the lessons we learned from this unfathomable experience. So much light has been shed on some of the most fundamental truths of life. And I wholeheartedly believe that we, The Class of 2020 ― standing at one of the many pinnacles of our lives ― were awakened to some of these fundamental truths.”
“We understand that waking up to a new adventure every day is the ultimate blessing ― we won’t take for granted even the simplest moments that appear to be freely given. We realize that PHYSICALLY going to school is an extraordinary gift. We have felt the power of prayer and of hope. We stood face-to-face with the phrase “this, too, shall pass”. We have recognized, at one point or another, that suffering isn’t an individual hardship ― it’s a shared experience. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ’s name ― and solidarity and interdependence can heal even the deepest wounds.”
Schuler said the ceremonial Walk of the Roses procession, which attracts crowds along Rocky River Drive, is tentatively set for Tuesday, July 14, or a later date in 2020 to be determined.
“We hope that larger public gatherings may be allowed later this year,” she said. “There is no guarantee that conditions will be better in July or even later this year, and it may have to be cancelled. Let’s keep our fingers crossed ― and our hands washed!” She wrote. “We are so very proud of the Class of 2020 and grateful for their resilience in these tumultuous times!”
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The digital age
Memories of the event are already available. The livestream version that students watched in their cars has been added to YouTube. For the link, go to clevelandmetroschools.org/
Videos of this graduation ― and others ― will be aired soon on TV-43. Details will be announced.
District photographers also documented the event, and those images will be available soon.
A photo gallery can currently be seen here at the West Park Times.
VIDEO COVERAGE COMPARING TOLEDO SOLUTIONS WITH CLEVELAND’S
*All stories written by Jerry Masek, who also contributed additional photography – Video produced by the West Park Times in collaboration with Neighborhood Media and Rich Weiss of the Tremonster.
What we learned: In occasions such as these, it isn’t always easy to keep a distance from people. Graduates want photos with their family members and friends. They want those memories. But, in an era of COVID-19, these traditions weren’t always realities, and things were often put on hold. Photographs, celebrations, ceremonies – nothing was quite the same and none of it was done until it could be performed safely without furthering the spread of the virus. Overall, while sacrifices were made, the class of 2020 within the metropolitan school districts of both Toledo and Cleveland were able to successfully hold graduation ceremonies in a drive-through fashion.
There’s still time to join Challenge West Park, a community-driven, virtual scavenger hunt open to all ages.
“So far we have 13 teams participating,” notes Lindsay Wheeler of the Bellaire Puritas Development Corp. (BPDC), the organization responsible for organizing this community event. “Including a team from PPG and two from John Marshall.”
“John Marshall School of Civic and Business Leadership is in the lead with 1,200 points,” added Wheeler.
Registration is always open, so you can join any time. The challenge began, Monday, July 20th, and runs for a total of 4 consecutive weeks.
According to BPDC’s web page: “Challenges will task players with locating objects around the neighborhood, creating dances and songs, participating in community efforts, checking into a location or solving a riddle. ”
West Park United Church of Christ distributes non-perishable food items the second and third Saturday of every month to those in need from 9 until 11 a.m.
Our Pantry is currently walk/ride/drive up only for the safety of our guests and volunteers. We follow Local Health Authorities guidelines and recommend wearing a mask.
Please Bring your ID with you. You are welcome to pick up food anytime between the hours noted above. Please call the office at (216) 671-7228 for information on picking up for other families and delivery options for the home-bound.
Testing for those with COVID-19 symptoms or those who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 is available for free at the local federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs) below:
Neighborhood Family Practice
W. 117 Community Health Center – 11709 Lorain Ave.
By appointment only
Tests are available regardless of one’s ability to pay
Call (216) 281-0872 for information or to schedule an appointment
Results are back in one to three days
Neon Hough
8300 Hough Ave. (West Parking Lot)
By appointment only
Tests are free of charge to the patient
Testing done Mondays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
To schedule and learn more about COVID-19 testing, call (216) 231-7700
Signature Health
21100 Southgate Park Blvd.
By appointment only
Tests are free of charge to the patient
Testing done Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
To schedule COVID-19 testing, call (440) 578-8203
Care Alliance
Central Clinic – 2916 Central Ave.
Drive-thru and walk-up testing, by appointment only
Tests are free of charge to the patient
Call the COVID-19 Nurse Line at (216) 535-9100 and press 6
Testing done Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Results are back in 24 to 48 hours
The Centers
East Office – 4400 Euclid Ave.
Drive-thru and walk-up testing, by appointment only
Tests are free of charge to the patient
Call (216) 325-WELL (9355) to talk with an access specialist, be triaged by a nurse, and schedule your telehealth visit with one of our providers for screening for a test
Testing takes place on Wednesdays, following a Tuesday telehealth visit (required)
50+ groups outline policies to create a 21st century economy that’s good for workers, communities, and the environment
Policy Matters Ohiojoined a broad and diverse coalition of thought leaders and organizations from West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Ohio today to release a policy blueprint. By expanding economic opportunity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the blueprint outlines a vision for vibrant Appalachian communities where everyone is paid enough to support themselves and their family, where future generations can put down roots, where they have clean air to breathe and water to drink, whether they are white, Black, Brown or Indigenous. “The economy comes down to people working, buying and selling. People are the economy. What’s good for people is good for the economy,” said Hannah Halbert, executive director of Policy Matters Ohio.
“Right now, our nation is facing unprecedented challenges with the COVID epidemic, a deep economic downturn, extreme inequality, racism, police brutality and the consequences of a changing climate. We’re seeing what happens when powerful corporations use their wealth and influence to direct our public resources into their pockets through tax breaks and tax cuts, depriving our communities of important assets, like the public health infrastructure we need to stay safe and healthy.”
The “New Deal that Works for Us” is built on three pillars: Expanding opportunity through public investments: Creating good jobs that provide a future for all working people, including former coal workers, and regardless of the color of their skin, ethnic background or gender.
Building a 21st century sustainable economy: Putting people to work modernizing the electric grid, growing clean and efficient manufacturing, building a sustainable transportation system, repairing damage from the last century, and relaunching the Civilian Conservation Corps for “carbon farming” purposes.
Making sure all working people share in prosperity by growing unions and raising wages throughout the economy, ensuring universal health and child care, and promoting local ownership in the region.
Halbert said the blueprint can present opportunities for Ohioans working in extraction industries, which have been hit hard by the downturn. The most recent data show the number of Ohio jobs in mining and logging has declined nearly 16% over the year, to about 10,000. The jobs projected to grow fastest in Southeast Ohio — and statewide — are in the service sector, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family services. The top employer seeking workers in the region was Dollar General, according to the state job posting site, OhioMeansJobs.gov. Many of these jobs don’t pay people enough to make ends meet, Halbert said.
“In 2017, during the longest period of economic expansion in our nation’s history, the poverty rate in Appalachian Ohio was 17.2%, 17.8% in Appalachian W.VA., 13.3% in Appalachian Pennsylvania and 25.6% in Appalachian Kentucky,” she said. “Despite some improvement, last Friday’s state-level June jobs report showed that our region has lost more than one out every 10 jobs since February. The federal government needs to jumpstart our economy with federal infrastructure investments.”
The coalition to Reimagine Appalachia, was born out of a broad recognition that years of policies pushed by absentee corporations and their politicians have created an economy that doesn’t work for most people living in the Ohio River Valley. There continues to be a desperate need for family-sustaining jobs in communities of all sizes. This is especially true because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hamstrung already-struggling local economies in the region, while limited federal assistance to families is set to run out. However, COVID adds to existing economic pain in the region.
Appalachia has long provided the raw materials for the prosperity of the nation, while the region itself has suffered high rates of poverty and unemployment, and low wages. Bad actors in the extractive industries have also left our land scarred, and our workers and neighbors sick, particularly our neighbors of color. In response, a group of economic, environmental, and community leaders, along with grassroots organizations came together to brainstorm the best pathway to a 21st century economy that’s good for workers, communities, and the environment.
“By gathering ideas and input from groups around the region, we’re building a vision for where we want to go and identifying the steps necessary to get us from here to there,” said Ashley Spalding, research director for Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. “We just need to get federal policymakers to commit the resources.”
Endorsements for the blueprint come from a diverse array of organizations representing the voices of residents across four states in the Ohio River Valley, and are listed in the blueprint itself.
“Federal policymakers are designing stimulus packages and we are on the brink of an election. Now is the time to amplify our voices to ensure the people of Appalachia have a say in how our region rebuilds,” said Stephen Herzenberg, economist and executive director of the Keystone Research Center. “Appalachia needs to be at the table for national climate change conversations, or we’ll be on the menu.”
In the coming months, the coalition will roll out a series of white papers fleshing out the details of the framework. During that period, it continues to seek additional input and support from interested stakeholders, union leaders, grassroots and grasstops organizations, thought leaders, and elected officials. The Reimagine Appalachia coalition will build the vision of a 21st century Appalachia and then work together to make that vision a reality.
Due to European travel restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) has had to postpone indefinitely its presentation of the special exhibition Picasso and Paper this fall (September 22–December 13, 2020). The CMA hopes to reconstitute the show in a future year. Changes to the special exhibition schedule will be announced soon.
“For several years, the CMA staff has been working very hard to bring to Cleveland the large and important exhibition Picasso and Paper,” said William Griswold, director of the Cleveland Museum of Art. “Unfortunately, with the surge of coronavirus infections in this country, the EU has implemented travel restrictions that inhibit the ability of lenders to take part in the installation of the show. There is no way around this, and so we and our exhibition partners, the Royal Academy of Arts, London, and the Musée national Picasso-Paris, have had no choice but to postpone the Cleveland presentation.”
Picasso and Paper is currently on view at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, through August 2, 2020. Tickets are sold out.
Picasso and Paper is organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in partnership with the Musée national Picasso-Paris.
Please visit cma.org and follow the museum on social media for the most up-to-date information.
About the Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 61,000 objects and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The museum is a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship and performing arts. One of the top comprehensive art museums in the nation and free of charge to all, the Cleveland Museum of Art is located in the dynamic University Circle neighborhood.
The Cleveland Museum of Art receives funding from a broad range of individuals, foundations and businesses in Cleveland and northeast Ohio. The museum is supported in part by residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and made possible in part by the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically. For more information about the museum and its holdings, programs and events, call 888-CMA-0033 or visit ClevelandArt.org.
Experience, explore, and engage in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville through Cleveland Opera Theater’s abridged mini-series
The first-of-its-kind mini-series event, Cleveland Opera Theater presents a reimagined telling of Rossini’s comedic masterpiece, Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), created especially for our ’20 / ’21 online season. Featuring world class artists from Northeast Ohio and around the world, this entertaining and fresh interpretation will provide family-friendly entertainment and laughs for all ages.
• Saturday, July 25, FREE Summer Concert: on “National Hot Fudge Sundae Day” and “Wine and Cheese Day,” with good pairings possible for fans of all ages Streamed at: www.clevelandoperatheater.org/experience
o July 25, Ep. 1 – Premiere of the Barber Mini-Series
o Aug. 1, Ep. 2
o Aug. 8, Ep. 3
o Aug. 15, Ep. 4
• Sunday, August 30, FREE Summer Concert: Streamed at: www.clevelandoperatheater.org/experience in partnership with Dunham Tavern Museum, on “National Toasted Marshmallow Day -” perfect for s’mores.
o Aug. 30, Ep. 5 – Finale of the Barber mini-series
The Barber mini-series is free to all but donations can be made at ClevelandOperaTheater.org and are greatly appreciated.
Donations are accepted through our website at ClevelandOperaTheater.org.
The mission of Cleveland Opera Theater is to advance opera through innovative, accessible, and inclusive experiences. Our vision and our motto is “Opera For All.” We invite you to experience, explore, and engage in opera with us!
“If Ohio is going back to work, we need child care.”
That opinion, shared by many, is painfully clear to Horizon Education Centers Executive Director David Smith.
Horizon operates 12 facilities, including one next to the Triskett Rapid Station in West Park.
Horizon spent $2.7 million to build that center. It opened in May 2019, with a full capacity of 210 students. Within a year, it served 160 students each day. The site is popular with commuters who can drop off their children before riding the Rapid to jobs Downtown and in University Circle.
When COVID-19 hit…
Like much of Ohio, the center closed in mid-March. When it reopened in June, the daily capacity was capped at 68 children via state restrictions.
The children are there but the revenue is not enough to cover expenses.
“It’s like we are selling $5 bills for $4 each,” Smith said. “We are losing about $10,00 each month. The challenge is the same for all 12 facilities. We may have to temporarily shut down the Triskett center again.”
Where did the other students go?
Smith said many parents found alternative care, such as high school students or older siblings home for the summer. A survey found that 70-percent of parents are single heads of their household. The survey also showed that 80-percent of parents who continue to use Horizon are “essential workers,” with jobs in grocery stores, transportation and health care.
Even if state restrictions are lifted, the classrooms may be hard to fill right away, Smith says. Many parents have a fear of COVID and most already have made alternative plans for the summer. When schools re-open, the need for Horizon centers will increase.
More state aid would help Horizon stay open until fall. Horizon has received some federal aid, but not nearly enough.
“If Ohio could lift its group size restrictions, it would give us a fighting chance, “Smith said.“If Ohio is going back to work, we need child care.”
Beginning in the month of August 2020 bulk pick-up will operate on its regular schedule. Bulk pick-up will be conducted on the first full week of each month on residents’ regular collection day.Residents should follow regular bulk pick-up guidelines.
As a reminder, residents are permitted to up to three bulk items on tree lawns. More info on proper disposal:
· Residents may leave out for collection items such as appliances, tables, chairs, mattresses, box springs, couches and furniture.
· All mattresses, box springs and cloth furniture must be wrapped in plastic.
· In addition to the three items, residents may leave out up to four tires.
· The City does not accept construction material.
· Boxes and loose bags are not bulk items.
· Carpet must be cut and rolled into 3-foot long pieces and must not exceed 40 pounds
The Division of Waste also reminds residents of the following waste regulations:
· Only waste in officially issued City carts will be accepted and loose trash or bags outside City roll carts will not be accepted
· The following will be not be accepted in or outside of roll carts: construction materials, paints, hazardous waste, bricks, dirt, concrete, cinder blocks, auto parts, loose metal items, medical waste or fluorescent tubes
· Do not place hot charcoal ashes in roll carts
· Do not place ammunition or explosives in City cart. Contact the Division of Police for instructions
· Roll cart lids must close
· Do not place carts behind parked cars
· Place black cart and blue three feet apart on tree lawn
· No more than 20 bags of yard waste per collection
For more info about waste collection, please call Cleveland’s Division of Waste Collection at (216) 664-3711.
During the week of July 27, 2020, the residential resurfacing will begin in Ward 16. Advance notice signs will be posted to advise the public of road improvements. The following streets will be resurfaced and completed by the end of September 2020:
· Carrington Avenue (West 130th Street to West End)
· West 135th Street (Bennington Avenue to Wainfleet Avenue)
· West 135th Street (Sandiego Avenue to Lorain Avenue)
· St. James Avenue (West 140th Street to West 143rd Street)
· Bennington Avenue (West 127th Street to 12905)
· West 143rd Street (Elsetta Avenue to Courtland Avenue)
One lane of traffic will be maintained for local traffic for the duration of each project and no detours are expected. Access to all businesses, residences and side streets will be maintained during construction. On-street parking will not be allowed during construction.
The sound of various machines and conveyer belts clanking is the first thing that Anthony Allen hears when he walks into the Amazon Fulfillment Center.
He can hear the click-clack of his tattered boots as he walks along the hard concrete floor on the way to his work area. Allen oversees workers that will sort a few thousand packages a day to where they need to go.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has arose, government officials have been advising Americans to stay at home but some jobs, including warehouse workers, are considered essential and continue to function as usual.
“They have made some changes in how we operate,” Allen, a 20-year-old supervisor, said. “We take our temperature right when we walk in and they encourage us to social distance and wear masks.”
Allen is one of more than a million Americans that work in package delivery warehouses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Business Insider, Amazon plans on adding 75,000 jobs to help the company meet demand during the pandemic. Dr. Cigdem Ataseven is a professor in the Department of Operations and Supply Chain at Cleveland State University.
“Delivery companies are more important now than ever because people have the ability to stay in their house and receive the goods they need rather than going to a store,” said Ataseven in an email interview.
She also believes that there’s a correlation between more jobs being created and people buying more products online.
“Amazon hiring such a large number of employees in a short period of time is a result of the increasing number packages going through the system,” Ataseven said.
Jacob Ruda is a delivery warehouse worker at Merging Streams Logistics in Medina, where they gave employees the option to come into work or take a partial layoff if they do not feel safe.
“I’m glad I had the option to stay home if I wanted to,” Ruda, who is 19, said. “More than half of my coworkers decided not to come in.”
Ruda explains that his employer still takes sanitary precautions for the workers who decide to come into work.
“You can see them wiping down anything that people touch on a daily basis,” he said. “I feel like they’ve done enough to make me feel comfortable to come in.”
Back at the Amazon Fulfillment Center, Allen continues to go to work every day wearing a mask that he is given soon after making sure his temperature is at a normal level.
“I have to work to make money,” Allen said. “I’m relying on the company to do whatever they think is needed to protect us.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a spotlight on and exacerbated systemic digital inequities in Greater Cleveland, barring students from accessing their education in an age of remote learning, preventing underemployed and unemployed adults from finding or applying for jobs, and denying residents – especially older adults – access to medical support through telehealth services. More than one in five households in Cuyahoga County have no internet access of any kind, with more than half of Cleveland households that make less than $20,000 completely disconnected from the digital world. Additionally, more than half of Cleveland seniors over the age of 65 have neither a home computer nor internet access.
“Internet access is critical to day-to-day life,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. “Our world is becoming increasingly more technological and we do not want to see any family left behind because they don’t have access to a computer or internet. As County Executive, it’s been one of my top priorities to take a look at the ways we can decrease the digital divide and increase prosperity and quality of life in Cuyahoga County.”
The Greater Cleveland Digital Equity Fund, initially launched with $3 million in commitments, will strategically and efficiently address immediate and long-term needs surrounding broadband access, computing devices, digital literacy, and technology support. In addition, The George Gund Foundation announced a $1 million grant to support digital access needs for Cleveland Metropolitan School District students and Say Yes scholars who lack the necessary technology access and devices to learn remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, including hotspots, Wi-Fi access and laptops.
As additional partners join the Greater Cleveland Digital Equity Coalition and resources grow, the Fund will be used to support a comprehensive, short-term strategy for K-12 students in Greater Cleveland, including Cleveland, East Cleveland, Euclid, Warrensville Heights and additional inner-ring suburbs that have high need. T-Mobile will provide 7,500 unlimited data hotspots and $1 million of in-kind equipment donations over the next two years through its EmpowerED initiative, while local organizations PCs for People and RET3 will provide up to 10,000 computers and/or ongoing support to students in public schools and partner charter schools in Greater Cleveland.
“The Greater Cleveland Digital Equity Coalition is a comprehensive effort to keep public, private, nonprofit and philanthropic partners engaged with the overall strategy of addressing digital inequities in Greater Cleveland,” said Leon Wilson, Cleveland Foundation chief of digital innovation and chief information officer. “It will help us to best understand how to deploy the dollars in the Digital Equity Fund and it will create a unified voice as we advocate together for additional dollars to our region, as well as substantive changes to broadband policy at state and national levels.”
The Coalition will ensure that organizations on the ground have the resources and political support to work quickly and effectively to bridge the digital divide. Strategies will focus on engaging and supporting students, underemployed adults, and senior citizens as key demographics.
“The ability to connect to friends and family, work and education, medical care, and more has become a basic requirement of life in the 21st Century, akin to being able to make a phone call or visit in person,” said Shontel Brown, Cuyahoga County District 9 Councilwoman. “Our social, political, and economic system has created and perpetuated the digital abandonment of the most vulnerable members of our community. This program is a way that we can start to right that wrong.”
“There are many underlying reasons why a person may be cut off from the robust and interconnected digital world: lack of access to the hardware itself or perhaps digital redlining that plagues inner cities, or maybe just a lack of experience and training in using the internet,” said Yvonne Conwell, Cuyahoga County District 7 Councilwoman. “The Digital Equity Fund addresses this complex problem holistically, with multifaceted solutions.”
Coalition members are also seeking additional refurbishable computers to distribute throughout the community. If individuals, organizations and corporations are interested in donating used technology, please contact PCs for People at (216) 600-0014 or e-mail cleveland@pcsforpeople.org.
“Pre-pandemic, students without internet access beyond the traditional school day were already negatively impacted by the expanding homework gap, but this upcoming school year promises to exacerbate this digital learning gap as kids try to keep up with distance learning,” said Dr. Kiesha Taylor, T-Mobile’s National Education Administrator. “When organizations driven by a common purpose come together – as done here with the Greater Cleveland Digital Equity Fund – the results can be extraordinary. T-Mobile is proud to support this much needed initiative.”
Leaders of the Greater Cleveland Digital Equity Coalition include the following, with 60-70 additional organizations contributing their voice and expertise:
Clevelanders are being fed a daily diet of divisive politics, pandemics, racism, violence, and the stock market is currently an economic roller coaster.
Is it any wonder that we have just been named “the most stressed city” in the nation? Great. That’s another thing we can stress about.
Stress is now part of the ‘Big Three of medical issues. Your doctor will tell you this: To stay healthy, be smoke-free, maintain a healthy body weight, and reduce your stress.
Stress: bad news and good news
The bad news: too much stress can kill you.
The good news: there are many things you can do to reduce your stress, and West Park is rich in resources. People often say things like, “Bob stresses me,” and that’s not correct. What you mean to say, “I allow myself to become stressed by what Bob does.” Yes, you can control your stress, more than you realize. Here are your stress-busters.
What you can do right now
Select stations that tell the news without hype. Public TV and NPR keep you informed, and are better for your health.
Laughter IS the best medicine. At least once a day, tune in to the Comedy Channel or share a good joke.
Take a hike, Mike. The Metroparks are open 24/7.
Listen to Michelle Star talk about yoga.
Michelle Star of West Park has practiced and taught yoga for 50 years. She has experienced stress but does not dwell on it.
“When you are stressed, you focus your attention outward, on your panic and anxiety. You may not even be aware of your own inner peace and strength,” she says.
“Take your focus away from news of the day and turn it inward. After 50 years, I know it works.”
You can search for online videos for “Michelle Star yoga.” She also offers private classes. Send your questions to MichelleStarYoga@gmail.com.
One of West Park’s greatest assets has gone 100 percent on-line, to protect the health of nuns who reside there. All offerings are listed on their web site — yoga, massage, reiki and much more. Call (216) 688-1111 or send questions to info@riversedgecleveland.com.
Looking for a workout?
Gunning Recreation Center, 16700 Puritas Ave., has reopened, with an indoor track and weight room. Call ahead to make a reservation — they have to monitor how many people are inside the building. Be sure to wear a mask…
The YMCA has also re-opened at 15501 Lorain Ave. For info, check their web site or call (216) 941-5410. Again, wear a mask.
Practitioners include four Licensed Massage Therapists (LMTs) and a certified hypnotist. All sessions are by appointment and all state guidelines are followed. For a massage appointment, call (216) 671-6080.
For a hypnosis session — in-person or via Skype — call (216) 210-5504.
*Jerry Masek, a certified hypnotist in West Park, is active in local holistic groups. If you have a topic for a future column, send it to westparktimes@gmail.com.
Note: This column is in no way intended to replace or contradict advice given by a professional physician or doctor.
