Kabir Bhatia

Political corruption, moneyed influence, and Cedar Point are all part of a new documentary about one of the Great Lakes’ worst maritime disasters, which happened 105 years ago today.

“Eastland: The Shipwreck That Shook America” is about the ship that capsized in Chicago in 1915, killing 844 people. Prior to that, it was used for many years as a ferry between Cleveland and Cedar Point.

The conversation around defunding police has included debate on whether law enforcement should be responding to calls involving a person’s mental health.

In Northeast Ohio, there have been incidents – some fatal -- involving police response to people experiencing a mental health crisis. But there are ways mental health experts and police are working together.

The faculty union at the University of Akron rallied over the weekend to ask for support of what they feel should be the school’s core mission: education. They’re concerned about efforts to plug a $65 million budget shortfall that could deeply impact teaching positions. And they argue that the university spends too much on athletics.

As some Ohio libraries re-open, others are scaling back or reversing their plans in the face of an increasing number of coronavirus cases.

Two Akron landmarks are getting a new lease on life: The Tangier restaurant and the former Akron Beacon Journal building.

Akron officials today unveil a new cultural plan after two years of community forums and public review. And residents have overwhelmingly asked for more public art in the city.

Young people have been on the front lines of the current social justice movement. And in Shaker Heights, two teenagers are developing a plan -- the “Just Society Proposal” -- to bring about reforms in the city’s police department.

“The only way to fix systematic racism is systematically,” says 14-year-old Ethan Khorana. He is of Indian descent. He’s co-authoring the proposal with his friend, 15-year-old Madison Maynard, who is black.

Hundreds of people lined up in West Akron for free, in-car coronavirus testing. The parking lot at House of The Lord Church was filled with the sound of idling cars on Saturday morning as people crept toward a row of doctors and technicians from Summa Health and Summit County Public Health. 

As employees return to work in Ohio, questions remain about how 2020 tax returns could be affected by the stimulus money that many Americans got as part of the CARES Act. We ask an expert in this edition of “OH Really?”

Juneteenth celebrations continued over the weekend as marchers took to the streets in Cleveland -- both to mark the end of slavery in America and to look for ways to address the challenges facing people of color.

Cleveland NAACP President Danielle Sydnor helped organize the march on Saturday through the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood. At the end of the march, neighborhood vendors had set up booths alongside tables with information on how to register to vote.

For decades, supporters of cleaner water have been working to rid the Cuyahoga River of its dams, which impede the flow of water.

Restoring that flow is improving water quality and providing new opportunities for wildlife and recreation on the river.

The latest project -- removing the Brecksville Dam -- has revealed a bit of history that dates back almost 200 years.

Indian-Americans in Cleveland rallied Sunday in support of Black Lives Matter.

Starting at the Indian Cultural Gardens, the group marched, discussed, and took a knee for 8:46 in honor of George Floyd, the Minnesota man killed May 25 by a Minneapolis police officer.  

This week, entertainment venues across the state are reopening following three months of shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. As things open back up, officials in Summit County want people to continue acting responsibly when it comes to preventing the spread of the disease.

Residents in East Cleveland may soon be getting a text message encouraging them to complete the census. The effort is being funded by a grant aimed at making sure people complete the census—especially those considered hard-to-reach.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is reopening to the public on Monday, June 15.

The Brecksville Dam removal project hit a milestone this week, as waters receded enough to reveal the historic Pinery Dam that’s been submerged since the 1950s.

The older, wooden dam is nearly 200 years old and was intended to divert water from the Cuyahoga River to the Ohio & Erie Canal just to the east. It’s currently being studied by Cuyahoga Valley National Park historians.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose hosted Akron civic and business leaders today for a virtual roundtable on minority business.

The discussion focused on ways to help entrepreneurs connect with services and capital – whether starting a business, or growing one.

Akron Deputy Mayor James Hardy says last year, the city spent just five percent of its budget with minority contractors. He says they’re committed to changing that.

Protesters took to the streets in Akron again over the weekend, just ahead of a move by City Council tonight to consider declaring racism a public health crisis.

Cleveland Clinic researchers are reporting in a new study that suicide-related emergency room visits have fallen during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Clinic’s Director of Operations and Quality Improvement Officer for Emergency Services is Dr. Baruch Fertel. He says, compared to last year, psychiatric visits are down 28 percent, and visits related to suicide are down 60 percent. He says the reason could be that many people are putting off care.

The protests over the killing of George Floyd continued in downtown Akron today. Several groups held events calling for an end to racism and police brutality.

Officials with the Summit County Public Health Department say – when it comes to protests – they’re concerned about it leading to community spread of coronavirus.

Northeast Ohio communities have seen a number of protests following the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Health Commissioner Donna Skoda says protesting is their right, but she asks that it be done safely.

Editor's Note: This story was originally published June 4, 2014

On this date in 1974, the Cleveland Indians nearly beat the Texas Rangers at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. That is, until they had to forfeit due to a riot on Ten-Cent Beer Night. It's one of many nights that lives in infamy for Cleveland Indians fans.

Many baseball clubs offered beer for a nickel, dime, or quarter in the early ‘70s -- without much trouble.

Businesses in Downtown Cleveland opened today for the first time since last weekend’s protests over the killing of George Floyd. The city has imposed curfews since Saturday.

Deon Sankey was outside, taking a break from cleaning up at the bar where he works near Progressive Field. He says there will likely be more peaceful protests. And he says people need to understand the difference between a protest and a riot.

Businesses in Ohio are re-opening and schools are making plans for this fall. But you’ve still got questions about the future of telemedicine, and when and how libraries will reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic.

We answer those questions and more in this week’s edition of “OH Really?”

For decades, factories in Cleveland's Industrial Valley have sent smoke and even fire out of their smokestacks – a process known as “flaring.”

Margaret Liske from Hudson has always wondered about the smokestacks along I-77 near Cleveland.

“They belch out huge, high billows of smoke and -- at night -- fire. Why is this potential heat not somehow recycled [or] reused?”

For the answer, we asked Krishna Rao, a chemical engineer who recently retired as president of Valley View-based plastics firm, Nanofilm.