Cleveland

Six months into the coronavirus pandemic, and four months after Ohio Governor Mike DeWine allowed playgrounds to reopen, the backboards on the basketball court at Herman Park in Cleveland are empty squares, devoid of baskets. The swingsets are empty too, except for some creaking hooks that are supposed to hold the swings.

Updated: 6:05 p.m., Friday, Oct. 2, 2020 Everyone in the hall at Tuesday’s presidential debate tested negative for the coronavirus before entering the event, according to a statement from the Cleveland Clinic, which co-sponsored the debate with Case Western Reserve University and helped develop and enforce COVID-19 safety protocols.

Updated: 12:11 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020 Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson characterized the first 2020 presidential debate held in the city Tuesday night as “very orderly and peaceful,” in a virtual press conference Wednesday afternoon.

The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections will be allowed to collect ballots at a second location near the board’s headquarters, as Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose partially lifts a prohibition on plans to expand ballot drop-off locations.

An ongoing battle in federal court has caused confusion on when the 2020 U.S. Census will actually end, but while that gets sorted out, Cuyahoga County officials are still pushing to increase the region’s response rate ahead of next week’s deadline.

Though in-person attendance at the first presidential debate of 2020 was intentionally sparse to help prevent the possible spread of COVID-19, both candidates had plenty of loyal supporters scattered around Northeast Ohio Tuesday night.

Follow live updates and fact checks beginning at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday. President Trump and Joe Biden are expected to cover a range of topics, including the coronavirus and the economy.

A variety of items will be prohibited in the event zone outside next week’s Presidential Debate at the Cleveland Clinic, including nun chucks, axes, swords, sabers and paintball guns. But real guns are not on that list. That's because in Ohio, state law overrules municipal gun bans, and Ohio's laws allow for open carry or concealed carry of a weapon with a permit.

Updated 9:51 a.m., Friday, Sept. 25, 2020 Cleveland police will take an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to Tuesday’s presidential debate, working with the Ohio National Guard and federal agencies to provide security, Safety Director Karrie Howard said Wednesday. The Cleveland Clinic, which is co-hosting the event with Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), has agreed to cover the city’s overtime costs, Howard said.

Cleveland has passed Detroit to become the mid-to-large-sized city with the highest poverty rate in country, according to new annual U.S. Census Bureau estimates released this week. Both cities have seen their poverty rates fall over the past few years, but in 2019, Detroit caught up with its smaller Midwest peer. At 30.8 percent, Cleveland’s poverty rate is just 0.2 percentage points higher than the Motor City’s, a difference within 2 percent the margin of error.