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More Vegas flights take off from Cleveland

Las Vegas has historically been one of Hopkins' most popular nonstop destinations.

Travel

Northeast Ohio travelers will have more ways to reach Las Vegas when United Airlines <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="launches" data-vars-click-url="https://www.clevelandairport.com/about-cle/news-press/united-expands-cle-service-las-vegas-and-miami" data-vars-content-id="ef5b6e5d-8410-4ce8-aae6-d770ff245f39" data-vars-headline="More Vegas flights take off from Cleveland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.clevelandairport.com/about-cle/news-press/united-expands-cle-service-las-vegas-and-miami" target="_blank">launches</a> year-round nonstop service Thursday between <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Cleveland Hopkins International Airport" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/09/17/hopkins-jdpower-2026-ranking-airport" data-vars-content-id="ef5b6e5d-8410-4ce8-aae6-d770ff245f39" data-vars-headline="More Vegas flights take off from Cleveland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/09/17/hopkins-jdpower-2026-ranking-airport" target="_self">Cleveland Hopkins International Airport</a> and Sin City.Why it matters: The addition fills a gap left by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Spirit Airlines" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/02/spirit-airlines-shutdown" data-vars-content-id="ef5b6e5d-8410-4ce8-aae6-d770ff245f39" data-vars-headline="More Vegas flights take off from Cleveland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/02/spirit-airlines-shutdown" target="_self">Spirit Airlines</a>, which long provided cheap Cleveland-to-Vegas flights before the carrier ceased operations in May.

Bidding Cleveland's Sachsenheim adieu 

The cultural hall in the Stockyards neighborhood is shutting down Sept. 27 due to mounting repair costs

Food and Drink

The best thing I drank this week was a liter of Warsteiner at Sachsenheim. Why it matters: In all likelihood, it&#x27;ll be the last big mug of German beer I&#x27;ll enjoy at the cultural hall in the Stockyards neighborhood.

Chef Rocco Whalen's Cleveland picks for Panthers fans

The Fahrenheit chef dishes on his favorite local haunts ahead of Sunday's matchup with Carolina.

Carolina Panthers fans descending on Cleveland for Sunday&#x27;s Browns game have a hometown connection to help plan their weekend.State of play: Chef Rocco Whalen, who operates Fahrenheit restaurants in both Cleveland and Charlotte, shared his favorite Cleveland haunts with Axios.

Cleveland's restaurant renaissance spreads

National recognition is increasingly landing beyond downtown's restaurant core.

Cleveland continues to earn a seat at the national dining table — with the praise being passed around.Why it matters: National recognition from the James Beard Foundation, New York Times, Bon Appétit and others is increasingly landing beyond downtown&#x27;s restaurant core.<ul><li>That wider spotlight can draw diners — and their dollars — into more neighborhoods.</li></ul>

Cleveland wins $2 million grant for 200 East Side homes

State funding is part of Mayor Justin Bibb's broader push for development on the East Side

Politics

Cleveland will receive a $2 million state grant to help build 200 homes in a new East Side housing district.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Mayor Justin Bibb" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/06/09/cleveland-housing-innovation-district-east-side" data-vars-content-id="5da7ab7a-433f-47ed-82d9-e61b0323fb7c" data-vars-headline="Cleveland wins $2 million grant for 200 East Side homes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/06/09/cleveland-housing-innovation-district-east-side" target="_self">Mayor Justin Bibb</a>&#x27;s administration is trying to jump-start investment in parts of the Hough, St. Clair-Superior and Central neighborhoods, where decades of population loss and blight have made conventional development a dicey proposition.

RTA wins $20 million for Green Line station upgrades

Once work is complete, every station in RTA network will be ADA accessible.

Transit

The Federal Transit Administration has awarded the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/07/22/rta-ceo-frames-transit-levy-as-civic-investment" data-vars-content-id="64485051-6dc1-4bb3-8590-c2e1c2c7e105" data-vars-headline="RTA wins $20 million for Green Line station upgrades" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/07/22/rta-ceo-frames-transit-levy-as-civic-investment" target="_self">Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority</a> (RTA) $20 million to upgrade stations along the Green Line Rapid. Why it matters: Once the work is complete, every rail station in RTA&#x27;s system will be accessible to riders with disabilities.

RTA may postpone service cuts until after levy vote

Deeper reductions loom if voters reject a tax increase next year.

News

RTA riders may get an eight-month reprieve from service cuts previously scheduled to begin in December.Why it matters: The proposed delay would push reductions until August 2027, after Cuyahoga County voters decide in May whether to increase the sales tax funding the transit system.

What's in the new Cleveland Public Library union contract

Workers gained 15% average wage increases and other benefits in the approved contract that prevents a strike.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Cleveland Public Library workers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/08/24/cleveland-public-library-worker-strike-seiu-agreement" data-vars-content-id="f7d5bcfb-7fd1-4d95-b231-d0f099565ceb" data-vars-headline="What&#x27;s in the new Cleveland Public Library union contract" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/08/24/cleveland-public-library-worker-strike-seiu-agreement" target="_self">Cleveland Public Library workers</a> represented by SEIU 1199 voted to ratify a new three-year union contract Wednesday with higher pay and new benefits.Why it matters: For employees, the agreement provides significant improvements to their wages and working conditions. For the library, it prevents a strike that would have disrupted library operations.

Federal audit blasts Ohio manufacturing program

A Commerce Department watchdog questioned $20.9 million in costs statewide, including millions by Cleveland-based MAGNET

A <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="scathing federal audit" data-vars-click-url="https://www.oig.doc.gov/wp-content/OIGPublications/OIG-26-025-A_Final-Report-SECURED.pdf" data-vars-content-id="1d50d155-3c30-4376-aa1f-3ee4d3bb070b" data-vars-headline="Federal audit blasts Ohio manufacturing program" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.oig.doc.gov/wp-content/OIGPublications/OIG-26-025-A_Final-Report-SECURED.pdf" target="_blank">scathing federal audit</a> accuses Ohio development officials and manufacturing nonprofits of mismanaging millions of taxpayer dollars intended to help small and midsized manufacturers.Why it matters: The findings threaten the future of Ohio&#x27;s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). <ul><li>It&#x27;s a decades-old state and federal initiative whose Northeast Ohio affiliate, MAGNET, has already lost millions in funding under the Trump administration and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="laid off nearly half its staff" data-vars-click-url="https://www.advancedmanufacturing.org/states-of-the-industry/ohio/ohio-s-magnet-lays-off-half-its-staff-amid-funding-freeze/article_d741b34d-4568-4f21-ae4f-0e05284ccbf4.html" data-vars-content-id="1d50d155-3c30-4376-aa1f-3ee4d3bb070b" data-vars-headline="Federal audit blasts Ohio manufacturing program" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.advancedmanufacturing.org/states-of-the-industry/ohio/ohio-s-magnet-lays-off-half-its-staff-amid-funding-freeze/article_d741b34d-4568-4f21-ae4f-0e05284ccbf4.html" target="_blank">laid off nearly half its staff</a> earlier this year.</li></ul>

Cleveland unemployment drops again

The low, declining figure is under the national rate and suggests its labor market remains solid.

Cleveland&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="unemployment" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/23/jobless-claims-unemployment-ai" data-vars-content-id="9ea3b549-46fa-4ba9-b566-04b9670ab512" data-vars-headline="Cleveland unemployment drops again" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/23/jobless-claims-unemployment-ai" target="_self">unemployment</a> rate edged lower in June in tandem with the national rate, dropping the metro area&#x27;s jobless rate to a seasonally adjusted 3.3%, new federal data shows.Why it matters: While nearly half of the country&#x27;s cities and metro areas tracked in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="jobs report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/metro.nr0.htm" data-vars-content-id="9ea3b549-46fa-4ba9-b566-04b9670ab512" data-vars-headline="Cleveland unemployment drops again" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/metro.nr0.htm" target="_blank">jobs report</a> posted higher unemployment rates, Cleveland&#x27;s low, declining figure suggests its labor market remains solid.

The cost of raising a child just jumped again

Families in the Cleveland saw a 6.7% increase in the cost of raising a child from 2025 to 2026.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it&#x27;s also costing more money. Why it matters: The increased cost of raising a child puts additional pressure on family budgets at a time when housing, child care, health care and other <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="everyday essentials" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/25/trump-gas-prices-gallup" data-vars-content-id="a5751f31-9bcf-4c02-9876-3193d1f46e4a" data-vars-headline="The cost of raising a child just jumped again" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/25/trump-gas-prices-gallup" target="_self">everyday essentials</a> already cost more.

Kalshi traders back LeBron return to Cleveland

Cleveland has become the popular choice over the past several weeks.

Sports

As Cavs fans await LeBron James&#x27; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="big offseason decision" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/08/lebron-james-free-agency-next-team-pitches" data-vars-content-id="985ca087-9d2b-4654-8558-3c91fe463fed" data-vars-headline="Kalshi traders back LeBron return to Cleveland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/08/lebron-james-free-agency-next-team-pitches" target="_self">big offseason decision</a>, the topic has become popular on prediction market Kalshi.How it works: The site operates like a stock market. Bettors can buy and sell predicted outcomes for real-world events.

Participatory budgeting for Columbus, but not Cleveland

Columbus is launching a pilot program three years after Cleveland quashed one.

Columbus begins a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="financial experiment" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/07/06/city-council-participatory-budget-9-million" data-vars-content-id="f2e46736-f732-445d-891a-739c8d1eb796" data-vars-headline="Participatory budgeting for Columbus, but not Cleveland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/07/06/city-council-participatory-budget-9-million" target="_self">financial experiment</a> this week, handing over the keys to a portion of the city&#x27;s budget to the public for the first time.Why it matters: Clevelanders might be jealous.

Cleveland is dialing back parking rates

City Council reversed parts of Mayor Justin Bibb's parking overhaul, lowering rates and restoring free Sundays.

Cleveland City Council approved lower parking rates and shorter enforcement hours at its final meeting before the summer recess last week — and we have thoughts.State of play: Council members said downtown parking had become <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="too expensive" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/01/28/parkmobile-parking-downtown-rates-2026" data-vars-content-id="0f4b726c-802a-4e0c-900a-4b56a0ff872e" data-vars-headline="Cleveland is dialing back parking rates" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/01/28/parkmobile-parking-downtown-rates-2026" target="_self">too expensive</a> under Mayor Justin Bibb, who introduced new rates and eliminated free evening and weekend parking earlier this year.

Money

Cleveland wins $2 million grant for 200 East Side homes

RTA wins $20 million for Green Line station upgrades

RTA may postpone service cuts until after levy vote

What's in the new Cleveland Public Library union contract

Federal audit blasts Ohio manufacturing program