Screen

Profile

Layout

Direction

Menu Style

Cpanel

Pride in the CLE 2023 parade and festival draws thousands to downtown Cleveland, Ohio

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com Staff article
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Pride in the CLE, a parade and festival held annually in downtown Cleveland, Ohio in support of the LGBTQ+ community, stepped off on Saturday, June 3, 2023 from Public Square with a morning parade.
Thousands came out to the popular event, including the Cleveland Pride Marching Band, dignitaries, community organizations, activists, vendors, and a host of local mainstream and other media. The festivities took place from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. and are part of month-long Pride activities taking place across Northeast Ohio.

[ View the 2023 Pride Guide from the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland ]
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.


Read More...

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb to participate in U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting this weekend in Ohio, Bibb Cleveland's fourth Black mayor and its second youngest....By Clevelanddurbannews.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com Staff article COLUMBUS, Ohio-Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, the city's fourth Black mayor and its youngest at 36-years-old since Dennis Kucinich, will participate in the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Columbus this weekend, a gathering for mayors of cities with at least 30,000 residents. The 91st annual meeting is from June 2-5 and will be presided over by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez with Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther serving as the host. Some 200 mayors from across the country are expected to attend, including some 18 Ohio mayors, also including Akron's new mayor, Kahlil Seren, and the mayors of Cleveland Hts, Elyria and Lorain. Cleveland's mayor, who leads Ohio's second largest city behind Columbus, is scheduled to deliver remarks on climate issues, gun violence, entrepreneurial programs, business and technology, and the economy. He told reporters that his focus will be gun violence. In spite of never holding office before, Bibb, a Democrat and native Clevelander, was the top vote-getter in a seven-way primary in 2021  He ran for an open seat as to the retirement of longtime former mayor Frank Jackson, the city's third Black mayor who did not seek reelection after four terms in office.
A former banker and non profit executor, his campaign platform focused on decreasing crime and reforming the city's troubled police department. He went on to win the nonpartisan primary election with then council president Kevin Kelley, a White former White west side councilman and now common pleas judge, placing second. Thereafter, he won the general election with 63 percent of the vote compared to Kelley's 37 percent.
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.


Read More...

U.S. Senate passes debt ceiling bill, saving the country from default....U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance, both of Ohio, voted differently in terms of supporting or not supporting the legislation....Ohio Congresswoman Emilia Sykes comments

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com   By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Democratically-controlled U.S. Senate passed a debt ceiling bill Thursday night that averts what could have been a first-ever default had Congress not passed the measure by the June 5 deadline. All that is needed now is for President Joe Biden to sign the controversial measure into law, which he has promised to do.
If the June 5 deadline had not been met, the nation's bills would have gone unpaid, according to the treasury department, and the country would have ultimately fallen into default for the first time in American history.
Thursday's Senate vote on Capitol Hill was 63-36 with four Democrats, 31 Republicans and one Independent, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, voting no. Sen Sherrod Brown, a seasoned Democratic lawmaker who resides in Cleveland, voted yes and Ohio's other U.S. senator, J.D. Vance, a Republican neophyte elected to the Senate for the first time during the November midterm elections, voted against the bill.
The congressional legislation at issue suspends the country's $31 trillion debt limit for two years until 2025 to avoid a government shutdown and to allow for the government to keep borrowing money so it can pay its bills on time. It passed the Republican-dominated House of Representatives on Wednesday, 314-117.
President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pushed for a bipartisan compromise before the House passed the bill earlier in the week, though 71 House Republicans and 46 Democrats voted no. "The bipartisan budget agreement is not perfect, but thanks to Democratic leadership through the negotiations process, we arrived at a bipartisan agreement that funds our government while protecting critical programs for working people and growing the economy for everyone," Rep. Emilia Sykes told Clevelandurbannews.com in a press release on Wednesday after the House passed the measure.
Sykes is an Akron Democrat who voted for the bill and one of three Black members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.
The other two Black federal lawmakers from Ohio, Rep Joyce Beatty of Columbus and Rep Shontel Brown, a Warrensville Hts Democrat, were also among the Congressional Democrats who voted yes.
The president was elated as to his win relative to the debt ceiling It is the first major political compromise reached by the House under the leadership of Speaker McCarthy since the Republicans wrestled the House away from Democrats via the November midterm elections. And it comes as the 2024 presidential election nears. The liberal lawmakers who voted against the debt ceiling legislation, including Sen Bernie Sanders, a progressive, and Reps Alexandra Ocaseo-Cortez of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri, also progressives, say in large part that it is risky and will wreak havoc on the economy, and that marginalized groups remain subordinated. Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.


Read More...

U.S. House of Representatives passes debt ceiling bill, which now heads to the Senate for possible approval....Ohio Congresswoman Emilia Sykes and President Biden comment....By Clevelandurbnanews.com

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com Pictured is Ohio 13th Congressional District Congresswoman Emilia Sykes   By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Following weeks of wranglings by Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike, the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a debt ceiling bill in hopes of averting what could be a first-ever default unless Congress passes the measure by the June 5 deadline.   If that deadline is not met, the nation's bills will go unpaid, according to the treasury department, and the country will ultimately fall into default for the first time in American history.   The debt ceiling bill at issue, H.R. 3746, suspends the country's $31 trillion debt limit for two years to avoid a government shutdown. Titled "The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023," it passed the Republican-dominated House 314-117 and now heads to a split Senate of sometimes cantankerous lawmakers where a vote could come momentarily. If it passes the Senate, which Democrats control, it would need President Joe Biden's anticipated signature to become law.   Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pushed for a bipartisan compromise before the House passed the bill on Wednesday, though 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats voted no. The measure approved by the House calls for the nation's debt limit to be suspended until January 2025. This would allow the government to keep borrowing money so it can pay its bills on time.
"The bipartisan budget agreement is not perfect, but thanks to Democratic leadership through the negotiations process, we arrived at a bipartisan agreement that funds our government while protecting critical programs for working people and growing the economy for everyone," said Rep. Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat who voted for the bill and one of three Black members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.   The other two Black federal lawmakers from Ohio, Rep Joyce Beatty of Columbus and Rep Shontel Brown, a Warrensville Hts Democrat, were also among the Congressional Democrats who voted yes.   In total, 165 House Democrats and 149 Republicans voted in favor of the bill while 46 Democrats and 71 Republicans opposed it. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez, D-N.Y., a Progressive Caucus member, was among the Democratic lawmakers who opposed the bill, as was Cori Bush of Missouri, a Black progressive. Those against it say it favors the establishment and is risky and politically motivated, and that it would wreak havoc on the economy. The president called bipartisan passage of the House bill 'good news' and urged the Senate to follow suit and pass the proposed legislation. It is the first major political compromise reached by the House under the leadership of Speaker McCarthy since the Republicans wrestled the House away from Democrats via the November midterm elections. And it comes as the 2024 presidential election nears.
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.


Read More...

16-year-old Cleveland teen found dead with multiple gunshot wounds behind abandoned middle school....By Clevelandurbannews.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com CLEVELAND, Ohio — As crime continues to increase in the largely Black major metropolitan city of Cleveland, a 16-year-old boy was found Tuesday with multiple gunshot wounds behind the abandoned Audubon middle school on the city's east side Police were called to the 3000 block of MLK Jr. Drive at around 7 p.m. and upon arriving they found the boy with multiple gunshot wounds. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene and police have not arrested any suspects in the case. This is a developing story. Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.


Read More...

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown's FEND Off Fentanyl bill wins law enforcement support nationwide, Brown a Cleveland Democrat and seasoned member of Congress....Some 109,680 people died in 2022 alone from the fentanyl crisis in the U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (pictured), a Cleveland Democrat and seasoned member of Congress, (D-OH) led the introduction to his Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act, a sanctions and anti-money laundering bill designed to help combat the country’s fentanyl crisis by targeting opioid traffickers devastating Ohio and other communities. If the proposed legislation passes Congress it would enhance current law so that U.S. government agencies can more effectively disrupt illicit opioid supply chains and penalize those facilitating the trafficking of fentanyl. Some 109,680 people died in 2022 alone from the fentanyl crisis in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the epidemic continues to deepen. The bill also ensures that sanctions are imposed not only on the illicit drug trade, but also on the money laundering that makes it profitable. Brown, who chairs the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, introduced the legislation with the committee’s ranking member, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and the leaders of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) and Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS). The bill now has over 40 cosponsors in the Senate. In addition to cost issues, critics of the bill say it heightens criminal penalties and that increasing criminal penalties does not necessarily decrease crime. But supporters of the initiative say it has merit, particularly law enforcement types. Read what law enforcement officials in support of the bill are saying about U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act: Sheriff Dallas Baldwin, Franklin County: “The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office continues to be committed to fighting the opioid epidemic that is devastating our country, virtually leaving no community untouched. I fully support all federal actions and sanctions to disrupt the flow of international trafficking of fentanyl from China through Mexico and the money laundering that the drug cartels are greatly profiting from. The FEND Act targets these dangerous drugs at the source, thus saving lives in Ohio.” Chief Deputy Rick Minerd, Franklin County: “Cartels in Mexico and transnational criminal organizations in China alike are capitalizing on the deep roots of addiction among Americans across the country. Their thirst for money comes at the expense of real lives. Law enforcement agencies are on the front lines of intercepting the supply of fentanyl and other deadly drugs before they seep into our communities, while clinicians work tirelessly to curb the demand from those suffering with substance abuse disorders. I applaud Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and his bipartisan colleagues who stand in support, with legislation such as the FEND and POWER Acts to monetarily sanction these criminal organizations, while also providing much needed tools to law enforcement for early detection.” Police Chief Scott Comstock, Zanesville: “The Zanesville Police Department is committed to fighting the opioid epidemic and recognizes the negative impacts fentanyl has had on communities. We support any measures that can be taken to limit the suppliers and any sanctions that can be imposed on the proceeds of these illegal gains that are being made at the expense of our citizens.” Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police: “Administrator Anne Milgram at the DEA has described fentanyl as ‘the single deadliest drug threat’ our country has ever faced, and she is right. We need to do more as a nation to interdict the flow of this drug and its precursors into our country and severely sanction individuals and organizations involved in making and distributing this poison. Senators Tim Scott and Sherrod Brown have developed a comprehensive approach that codifies an existing Executive Order giving the President broad authority to attack fentanyl trafficking by using all the resources of the United States. We strongly support this effort and look forward to working with them and with Senators Wicker and Reed to pass this important legislation.” Sheriff Jim Skinner, Collin County, TX (National Sheriffs’ Association): “Sheriffs across the country see the devastation that fentanyl is having on our communities. We praise Senator’s Scott, Brown, Reed and Wicker for their leadership and this legislation that would help stop the flow of this deadly drug. We hope that Congress will take swift action and give our communities and law enforcement added relief.” Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.


Read More...

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's leader in Black digital news

__________________________ CATCH UP BY READING OUR ARCHIVED ARTICLES AT KATHYWRAYCOLEMANONLINENEWSBLOG.COM
www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com BLOG ARCHIVES
2023, 2022-212, 2021-266, 2020-280, 2019-176 , 2018-181, 2017-173, 2016-137, 2015-213, 2014-266, 2013-226, 2012-221, 2011-135, 2010-109, 2009-5 Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.


Read More...

Rock and soul icon Tina Turner dead at age 83

Tina Turner — one of rock and soul music’s greatest icons and comeback stories — has died, leaving a seven-decade legacy that blazed a trail for divas like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Jazmine Sullivan and Annie Lennox. In a statement released Wednesday, her representative announced: “Tina Turner, the ‘Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll,’ has died peacefully today at the age of 83 after a long illness in her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland. With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model.” CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE AT YAHOO.COM Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.


Read More...
01234567

Cuyahoga County's crooked sheriff Steven Hammett resigns as Cleveland activists applaud the move and as new County Executive Chris Ronayne begins to craft his administrative team/Hammett is accused of helping Chase Bank steal residents' homes

  • PDF
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief, and a political and investigative reporter who trained for 17 years as a reporter with the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio-Investigative article

CLEVELAND, Ohio-Cuyahoga County interim sheriff Steven Hammett (pictured), the county's second Black sheriff and on the job hardly eight months after last year replacing interim sheriff Christopher Paul Viland, has abruptly resigned as new Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne, elected last November to the office, begins crafting his administrative team.The second largest of Ohio's 88 counties, the heavily Democratic county includes Cleveland and is roughly 29 percent Black

 

Sworn in as interim sheriff in May of last year by then  County Executive Armond Budish, who did not seek reelection to his post last year, Hammett submitted his resignation letter on Monday. He first joined the sheriff's department in 2021, serving as captain. He was the county's sixth sheriff in 10 years.

 

Both Budish and Ronayne are Democrats.

 

Community activists had called for a new sheriff in place of Hammett, citing his alleged harassment of Black women and Black homeowners for JPMorgan Chase Bank when he was police chief in University Hts, a middle to upper middle class Cleveland suburb  that is largely White and heavily Jewish. Also at issue is a county jail that remains in disarray since more than a dozen inmate deaths in the past five years and a 2018 U.S. Marshals report that found the conditions in the jail and the treatment of inmates inhumane and unconstitutional.

 

When he was police chief in University Hts, research reveals that Hammett used White cops to stalk single Black women homeowners and to break into the homes of homeowners going through illegal foreclosure proceedings with JPMorgan Chase Bank and other unethical lenders. And he would help police steal their personal property for JPMorgan Chase Bank, including high-priced cars from their garages. An investigation also reveals that those who complained or fought back in court were often maliciously prosecuted locally and erroneously indicted with the help of the county prosecutor's office, dirty cops, and corrupt judges.

 

"We are pleased that  interim sheriff Hammett has resigned and we look forward to a replacement that will serve the best interest of the county and the Black community and other marginalized groups," said activist Alfred Porter Jr. of the Cleveland-based grassroots group Black on Black Crime Inc.  “Many victims under his tenure should be breathing a sigh of relief since he is gone as sheriff.”

 

Per the charter, the county sheriff is appointed rather than elected, and in cooperation with the county executive and the county council, a bipartisan, largely Democratic council that consists of 11 elected members. Former sheriff Cliff Pinkney was the county's first Black sheriff. He resigned in May of 2019, also amid controversy.

“Captain Hammett is a long-time law enforcement professional with a proven track record of leadership in our community,” Budish said in a  statement emailed before he swore in Hammett as sheriff in May of last year. “I am confident in his ability to lead the sheriff’s department as our law enforcement staff continue to protect and serve the residents of Cuyahoga County.”

 

Hammett joined the sheriff’s department in September of 2021, four years after he was police chief under then University Heights Mayor Susan Infeld, who lost reelection in 2017 amid allegations of public corruption and assisted theft of residents homes for JPMorgan Chase Bank via illegal foreclosures. She lost  in an upset election to current University Hts Mayor Michael Dylan, a Democrat like Infeld who brought in his own police chief when he assumed office. When Infeld lost as mayor Hammett was ousted along with her. He is a Solon resident and has over 35 years of law enforcement experience. He began his career as a Cleveland Hts patrolman and has also served as a deputy chief for Shaker Heights.

 

The  damning report released in November of 2018 by U.S. Marshals on county jail conditions generated local and national news, a dreadful look at how inmates are mistreated such as withholding food for punishment, jailing juveniles with adults, rat and roach infested jail facilities, and a paramilitary jail corrections officers unit dubbed "The Men in Black" who intimidate and harass inmates. The report also found profound mistreatment of female inmates, and that pregnant women were being jailed on floor mats and denied adequate healthcare.

 

Several lawsuits remain pending regarding the county's now infamous jail, which has been led by Warden Michelle Henry since 2020. Former county executive  Budish ' decision not to run for reelection last year follows what began as a raid of his offices in downtown Cleveland after the series of jail deaths that peaked in 2018.  Another FBI raid would follow, and so would indictments, though not of Budish, 69 and a lawyer.There have in fact been indictments and convictions of at least nine jail guards, the former jail director, and former jail warden Eric Ivey, who is Black.

 

Ivey took a misdemeanor plea deal with no jail time before Common Pleas Judge Nancy Fuerst with an agreement that he act as a snitch.

 

Hired in 2015 after Budish took office for a first term, former sheriff Pinkney was succeeded by Gregory Croucher , who resigned in April of 2021 amid controversy, and  Croucher, who is White, was succeeded by Viland, also White. Viland hardly lasted a year when Budish, last May, ousted him from his sheriff duties for the since removed Hammett.

 

The FBI and other outside authorities have been visiting the jail on a routine basis since late in 2018 when inmates began popping up dead in mass. The Cleveland jail merged with the county  jail per a regionalism plan adopted by county and city officials in 2017, which created nothing but more problems. Activists say the jail remains a problem They are also concerned with an array of other issues, including excessive bail and sentences, malicious prosecutions, grand jury tampering, indictment fixing, and the denial of indigent counsel and speedy trial rights to indigent Black defendants. Data also show that White inmates are getting favorable treatment and that Black inmates are more harshly disciplined.

 

Cleveland community activists picketed in front of the Cuyahoga County Justice Center in 2018 over judicial and prosecutorial malfeasance, police misconduct, and the overcrowding of the county jail, a continuation of activist rallies that began in 2016. Hastened by the coronavirus outbreak, activists had been picketing regularly at the Justice Center in downtown Cleveland over jail conditions, in front of Budish' gated home in affluent Beachwood, where they called for his resignation, and at county administrative headquarters before county council meetings.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.


 

Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 February 2023 17:20

Latest News

Ads

Our Most Popular Articles Of The Last 6 Months At Cleveland Urban News.Com, Ohio's Black Digital News Leader...Click Below