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Latest News Cedar Fairmount district plans summer of activities by Myra Orenstein Cedar Fairmount Special Improvement District is changing is summer programming from a one-day event to an all-season celebration. The Cedar Fairmount Special Improvement District (SID) is moving away from its traditional one-day festival to instead offer an entire summer of activities, from June through August. The district hopes to renew its pre-COVID vitality by encouraging more people to walk to Cedar Fairmount, dine at its restaurants, raise glasses and celebrate in its bars, discover the many unique items in its stores, and support its services. The summer’s plans and activities include Food Truck Tuesdays, Music Thursdays, and Family Arts/Entertainment Saturdays. Read Full Story Volume 14, Issue 7, Posted 9:32 AM, 06.08.2021 Latest News Releases New Volunteers Needed Volunteer with Hospice of the Western Reserve! - Hospice of the Western Reserve, June 14, 2021 Read More Heights Libraries wants public input on PEACE Park improvements - CH-UH Library, June 14, 2021 Read More Legal Aid Further Extends Eviction Prevention into Cuyahoga County Suburbs - Legal Aid, June 8, 2021 Read More Cleveland Water's 2020 Water Quality Report Now Available - Cleveland Water, May 3, 2021 Read More Heights Libraries shares vaccine information - Heights Libraries, April 17, 2021 Read More View more news releases Testing and a missed opportunity by Karen Rego What a year this has been for educators. Teachers moved from virtual instruction to hybrid to in-person teaching. Educators were asked to adapt at a moment's notice. Some of our students lost their original teachers and had to build relationships with new ones. After all the chaos, the last thing any educator wanted to hear was that the Ohio state tests were required as usual. Ohio state testing was not optional for our district. Parents could opt out for their children, but schools were still required to administer these tests. This seems especially misguided considering that some students lost access to their regular learning opportunities due to circumstances beyond their control. Why these tests were deemed necessary remains a mystery, but we do know that the scores will be used to judge and rank our schools and our teachers. Read Full Story Volume 14, Issue 6, Posted 11:24 AM, 06.15.2021 University Heights remembers the fallen on Memorial Day by Chase Mandell and Maeve Kozak Commander Rick DeChant delivered the featured remarks at UH's Memorial Day ceremony. View Image Gallery On Memorial Day, University Heights residents gathered at Walter Stinson Community Park to commemorate and remember those who have fallen in service to their country. “Today we remember the men and women that made this nation possible,” said University Heights Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan in his opening remarks. “We remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and sanctified with their blood the cause of freedom.” In the featured address, Commander Rick DeChant reminded the audience of the cost of freedom. “We who survive these heroes must always remember the price they paid,” he said, “and that freedom, indeed, is not free.” Read Full Story Volume 14, Issue 7, Posted 8:47 AM, 06.08.2021 Western Reserve Chorale presents online concert June 4–6 by David GIlson Since last September, the Western Reserve Chorale’s (WRC) artistic director, and pianist Sara Smith, have been meeting in a large space at Church of the Saviour every Tuesday night. They are the only two in the room while all other WRC members tune in for rehearsal via Zoom. While many music ensembles put their seasons on hiatus this past year, WRC found a way to continue to connect with one another and create music together. This effort is culminating in a virtual concert, available on YouTube June 4–6. Links for the concert can be found on the ensemble’s website, www.westernreservechorale.org . WRC invites the community to listen to and watch its upcoming concert. “In Her Voice” celebrates the contributions of female poets, including Emily Bronte, Maya Angelou, Elizabeth Barret Browning, Sara Teasdale, and Ysaye Barnwell. Read Full Story Volume 14, Issue 7, Posted 11:45 AM, 06.02.2021 RTA service changes coming to CH and UH by Vince Reddy The stretches of RTA's bus network shown in yellow will lose service on June 13. On June 13, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) will introduce its NEXT GEN service revisions, which will bring major changes to Cleveland Heights and University Heights. In 2019, RTA hired Jarett Walker and Associates to assist with redesigning its route network to improve service frequency and connectivity within the constraints of its financial resources. This type of streamlining has become common in the transit industry, with complete network redesigns in Houston and Columbus among the most notable. Read Full Story Volume 14, Issue 6, Posted 11:11 AM, 05.27.2021 UHFD delivers COVID vaccinations to the homebound by Mike Cook Homebound residents have struggled to get out for their COVID-19 shots. Now, the vaccine is coming to them, courtesy of the University Heights Fire Department and Chief Robert Perko. The UHFD is teaming up with the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging and local health departments to assist in the administration of the vaccine to homebound individuals in University Heights. Read Full Story Volume 14, Issue 6, Posted 11:30 AM, 06.01.2021 Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 5-24-2021 by League of Women Voters MAY 24, 2021 – special meeting Present were Council President Jason Stein, Council Vice President Kahlil Seren, Craig Cobb; Mary Dunbar, Melody Joy Hart, Davida Russell, and Michael N. Ungar. Also present were City Manager Susanna Niermann O’Neil, Clerk of Council and Finance Director Amy Himmelein, clerk of council and finance director, and Law Director William Hanna. A one-hour executive session was held prior to the special meeting to cover “claims or disputes involving the public body and review of labor contract negotiations.” The special meeting lasted ten minutes. Read Full Story Volume 14, Issue 7, Posted 9:56 AM, 06.14.2021 Forest Hill Church celebrates Juneteenth by Ajah Hales Elégie members Caleb A. Wright, Michael Hives, Mist’a Craig and Brian Barron. [photo by Aireonna McCall] Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Forest Hill Church Presbyterian has continued to press forward with services, programs and traditions. The church’s food pantry has tripled its service to families in need. Co-pastors John Lentz and Veronica Goines have delivered sermons digitally to the community and beyond, via YouTube, for more than a year. Now, the church’s Black History Education Committee plans to present the church’s first public event since the pandemic began. Forest Hill Church’s annual Juneteenth celebration has been a widely attended event for the past five years, though it was held digitally in 2020. Read Full Story Volume 14, Issue 6, Posted 11:08 AM, 05.27.2021 CH Green Team springs to action by Catalina Wagers CHGT's founders (from left) Catalina Wagers, Natalie Elwell and Alex Sitarik at Forest Hill Park doing a cleanup on Earth Day. Have you ever wondered if you are recycling correctly? Have you ever felt compelled to learn about, and promote, more environmentally sustainable practices in the Heights, but do not know where to start? You are not alone. The newly formed Cleveland Heights Green Team (CHGT) is a community volunteer organization focused on working with residents and local advocacy groups to identify opportunities and solutions intended to promote healthier and more sustainable environmental practices. The group’s three founders met while attending a Recycling Ambassador seminar offered by Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District in January. “As we introduced ourselves to the class, [I] learned that two other participants were also Cleveland Heights residents. We decided to connect and explore ways to work with...