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This is the fifth and final installment of our weeklong series highlighting monuments to Cleveland women.

Who she was: Renowned rock critic for the Plain Dealer, notable both for her gender — she was the first major female rock critic — and her age.

She was known as both the "world's oldest rock critic" and "world's oldest teenager" until her retirement in 2002.

The details: The bronze statue of Scott, complete with her trademark red glasses, was unveiled at the Rock Hall in 2012.

Seated and with notepad in hand, Scott appears ready to conduct her next interview.

The statue's permanent home is the Rock Hall's Library and Archives at Tri-C.

Of note: If the statue recalls that of Stephanie Tubbs Jones, it may be because both were created by local artist (and former president of the Cleveland Institute of Art) David Deming.

Go deeper: Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Dorothy Fuldheim, Ruby Dee, Linda Anne Eastman

Monuments to Cleveland women: Jane Scott

Legendary Plain Dealer rock critic was "world's oldest teenager."

Black and white image of Jane Scott flashing a peace sign.

World's oldest teenager Jane Scott in 1978. Photo: Adrian Greer Michael Short/Fairfax Media via Getty Images

This is the fifth and final installment of our weeklong series highlighting monuments to Cleveland women.Today&#x27;s monument: Jane Scott (1919-2011)

News

All week, we're highlighting monuments to the women of Cleveland for Women's History Month.

Today's monument: Linda Anne Eastman (1867-1963)

Who she was: Director of the Cleveland Public Library (CPL) from 1918 to 1938 and the first woman to lead a metropolitan library system in the United States.

Eastman helped implement an "open shelf" system, in which patrons could browse and select titles for themselves, launched services for the blind and disabled, and oversaw the construction of CPL's main library on Superior Avenue.

The details: Today's "monument" is not a statue or mural, but a garden — the Eastman Reading Garden, between the main library and the Louis Stokes Wing.

Originally opened in 1937, the garden was renovated and rededicated in 1998.

Between the lines: Only 32% of monuments to women are figurative, Sue Mobley, the director of research at Monument Lab, told Axios this month.

"The rest are super abstract, so … it looks like a fountain or a bird bath," she said.

Of note: The CPL branch at Lorain and West 117th is also named for Eastman, though it's closed for renovations.

Monuments to Cleveland women: Linda Anne Eastman

Former Cleveland Public Library director was America's first woman to lead a major library system

Black and white image of Linda Eastman / Selfie of reporter Sam Allard at urban reading garden 

Linda Eastman, and Sam Allard at the eponymous reading garden. Photos: Cleveland Memory Project (L); Sam Allard/Axios (R)

All week, we&#x27;re highlighting monuments to the women of Cleveland for Women&#x27;s History Month.Today&#x27;s monument: Linda Anne Eastman (1867-1963)

Cuyahoga County spends millions annually detaining low-level offenders before trial because they cannot afford bail.

Why it matters: Pretrial detainees constitute more than 70% of the U.S. jail population.

The average county jail stay is about 30 days, but for those who can't afford bail and stay until trial, the average is 104 days.

The county says it costs $165 per day to detain an inmate.

State of play: Ohioans last year approved Issue 1, the statewide ballot measure requiring judges to consider public safety when setting bail amounts.

A bipartisan coalition of opponents argued that Issue 1 would exacerbate a two-tiered justice system: one for wealthy people who can afford bail, and another for everybody else.

What they're saying: "Issue 1 showed how powerful fear mongering is," David Gaspar, CEO of the Bail Project, told Axios. "When you shift the narrative to public safety, without saying that bail was never intended to promote public safety, you start to mix the issues."

The other side: A majority of Ohioans, including elected leaders on both sides of the aisle, touted the safety benefits of Issue 1.

"The issue of community safety is something that's really important to me," then-Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley told the Columbus Dispatch.

Reality check: Bail was created as a mechanism to ensure that offenders showed up for trial, not to keep them locked up.

Judges were already allowed to detain the most dangerous offenders without the possibility of bail if they posed a serious risk to others.

Yes, but: Despite the statewide mandate, The Bail Project wants to eliminate cash bail altogether. Gaspar says that nationwide 92% of its clients return to court — 95% in Cleveland.

How it works: The Bail Project is a national nonprofit with local teams who identify clients in the justice system, pay their bail from a revolving fund, and work with them to return to court.

"We don't go knocking on doors and dragging people in," Gaspar says. "We simply provide reminders and transportation assistance.

"Whether it's substance abuse, mental health, housing, we let our clients identify what would help them develop and move forward, and then we make connections with community services that already exist."

The latest: Gaspar and The Bail Project founder Robin Steinberg will appear today at the City Club of Cleveland for a forum on bail reform.

Worthy of your time: The Plain Dealer's "Justice for All" series in 2016 explored the issue in depth.

The bottom line: "When you're talking about human beings, you have to talk about human solutions," Gaspar says. "This isn't some manufacturing plant where you just have to keep the cogs moving.

"You have to pause and give real attention to the person standing in front of you if you want to help them not stand in front of you again."

Cuyahoga County bail reform in the shadow of Issue 1

With The Bail Project, 95% of local offenders return to court for trial.

Illustration of a pair of handcuffs in the shape of a dollar sign.

Cuyahoga County spends millions annually detaining low-level offenders before trial because they cannot afford bail.Why it matters: Pretrial detainees constitute more than 70% of the U.S. jail population.

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has only 12 reserved parking spaces, per records obtained by Axios, and they don't belong to who you might think.

Driving the news: The managers of seven airlines — American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United — and five chiefs in the city's Department of Port Control are the lucky few.

Thought bubble: Requesting records of reserved parking spaces is an old alt-weekly trick, a good way to determine who's got premium power via premium perks.

I'd assumed that Mayor Justin Bibb would be granted a reserved spot, given his well-documented travel — at least 10 out-of-state trips in 2022.

The latest: News Channel 5 obtained records from the city showing the mayor's travel expenses exceeded $70,000 last year.

That figure does not include overtime pay for the police officers on Bibb's security detail.

Of note: Axios asked the city how the mayor prefers to get to the airport — personal vehicle? chauffeur? RTA? — but a spokesperson declined to release that information "for security reasons."

Hopkins reserved parking spots are for a select few

Airline managers and port control chiefs, not politicians, get the premium perk.

Photo illustration of Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb with lines radiating from him. 

Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Sarah Rice for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has only 12 reserved parking spaces, per records obtained by Axios, and they don&#x27;t belong to who you might think.Driving the news: The managers of seven airlines — American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United — and five chiefs in the city&#x27;s Department of Port Control are the lucky few.

Politics

We're highlighting local monuments to Cleveland women for Women's History Month. Today we've got a giant of stage, screen and the civil rights movement.

Who she was: An acclaimed actress and activist best known for originating the role of Ruth Younger in the theatrical and screen adaptations of "A Raisin in the Sun."

Born in Cleveland, Dee grew up in Harlem. She returned many times to star in productions at Karamu House and the Great Lakes Theater Festival.

The details: A 40-foot mural of Dee by Los Angeles "Godfather of street art" Kent Twitchell was unveiled in 2013 on the East 89th Street side of Karamu.

The intrigue: The mural has deteriorated beyond recognition over the past decade.

Tony Sias, Karamu's president and CEO, told Axios that it wasn't properly sealed when installed and that Karamu has plans to replace it.

Monuments to Cleveland women: Ruby Dee

Karamu House says it will replace 40-foot mural damaged by elements.

Side by side images of a 40-foot Ruby Dee mural on a brick wall in 2013 and (in much worse shape) in 2023. rent condition. Photos: provided by Karamu House (L) and Sam Allard/Axios (R)

The Ruby Dee mural shortly after its unveiling in 2013 and its current condition. Photos: Provided by Karamu House (L) and Sam Allard/Axios (R)

We&#x27;re highlighting local monuments to Cleveland women for Women&#x27;s History Month. Today we&#x27;ve got a giant of stage, screen and the civil rights movement.Today&#x27;s monument: Ruby Dee (1922-2014)

Sam Allard

Featured stories

Hopkins reserved parking spots are for a select few

Monuments to Cleveland women: Jane Scott

Monuments to Cleveland women: Linda Anne Eastman

Cuyahoga County bail reform in the shadow of Issue 1

Monuments to Cleveland women: Ruby Dee