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Usher, Chris Brown bring R&B party of the summer to Cleveland

The two stars performed more than 50 songs over 2 1/2 hours.

Music

Usher and Chris Brown&#x27;s concert at Huntington Bank Field featured an abundance of hit anthems, flashy dance moves and more screams than a roller coaster drop at Cedar Point.The big picture: The duo&#x27;s co-headlining show Tuesday was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="one of the biggest" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/05/30/greatest-concerts-cleveland" data-vars-content-id="fcce8915-024e-42eb-830b-a28c39dbf91f" data-vars-headline="Usher, Chris Brown bring R&amp;B party of the summer to Cleveland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/05/30/greatest-concerts-cleveland" target="_self">one of the biggest</a> R&amp;B concerts to ever hit Northeast Ohio.

New bike path will connect Edgewater to Cudell

Cleveland has secured $100,000 to begin planning the route in Wards 11 and 12.

Transit

Cleveland has secured $100,000 from the state to begin planning a shared-use path along West Boulevard connecting Cudell to Edgewater Park.Why it matters: The project aims to calm traffic while making it safer and easier for people to reach the lakefront without driving.

Ohio among states reporting stomach parasite infections

The Ohio Department of Health's data lists more than 30 cases of cyclosporiasis since May 1.

Health

Ohio is one of 17 states with reported cases of a gut-wrecking parasite that&#x27;s plaguing the U.S. as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="health" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/health" data-vars-content-id="5317b579-6365-48ba-8be5-3af75ce3f329" data-vars-headline="Ohio among states reporting stomach parasite infections" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/health" target="_self">health</a> officials investigate what&#x27;s driving an increase in cases.The big picture: The gastrointestinal illness — called cyclosporiasis — is caused by a microscopic parasite spreading through contaminated food.

Participatory budgeting for Columbus, but not Cleveland

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

Politics

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.

Cuyahoga County bans gun-shaped lighters

The new ordinance is named for Tamir Rice and arrives amid with stricter consumer protection enforcement.

News

Cuyahoga County has become the first county in Ohio to ban the retail sale and display of gun-shaped novelty lighters.Why it matters: Some Ohio cities regulate novelty lighters on the basis of fire safety, but county officials say this is the first to specifically target them as a violence-prevention measure.

East Side lands $10M grant to transform vacant lots

The Bezos Earth Fund grant will help turn 600 vacant East Side lots into parks, green spaces and gathering places.

Cleveland has landed a $10 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund to transform hundreds of vacant lots into green spaces on the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="East Side" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/06/09/cleveland-housing-innovation-district-east-side" data-vars-content-id="d3750ba8-55da-4665-aea1-0eb393b9fb6e" data-vars-headline="East Side lands $10M grant to transform vacant lots" 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">East Side</a>.Why it matters: The investment targets Hough and St. Clair-Superior, where more than half of all parcels are vacant after decades of population loss and disinvestment.

RTA sales tax increase may head to the ballot box

Board members will decide whether to seek the agency's first sales tax increase since 1975.

The RTA board is expected to decide Tuesday whether to ask Cuyahoga County voters for the agency&#x27;s first sales tax increase in more than 50 years.Why it matters: Without new revenue, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="transit officials say RTA" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/06/25/rta-service-cuts-tax-2026" data-vars-content-id="20807b59-5886-4e2b-992e-fc83f6beec84" data-vars-headline="RTA sales tax increase may head to the ballot box" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/06/25/rta-service-cuts-tax-2026" target="_self">transit officials say RTA</a> will have to begin incrementally cutting service. <ul><li>With it, the agency says it can expand bus and rail service while avoiding a looming fiscal cliff.</li></ul>

Cleveland Hopkins breaks ground on new Gold Lot

The 1,600-space lot marks the first phase of CLEvolution, the $1.6B modernization plan.

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport broke ground Wednesday on the first piece of its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$1.6 billion transformation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2025/06/04/clevolution-hopkins-airport-construction-project-overhaul" data-vars-content-id="e2298f1a-08cc-4afe-a046-0af89ead1b31" data-vars-headline="Cleveland Hopkins breaks ground on new Gold Lot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2025/06/04/clevolution-hopkins-airport-construction-project-overhaul" target="_self">$1.6 billion transformation</a>.Why it matters: Work on the new 1,600-space Gold Lot marks the public launch of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="CLEvolution" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2025/05/06/cleveland-hopkins-airport-terminal-project-clevolution" data-vars-content-id="e2298f1a-08cc-4afe-a046-0af89ead1b31" data-vars-headline="Cleveland Hopkins breaks ground on new Gold Lot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2025/05/06/cleveland-hopkins-airport-terminal-project-clevolution" target="_self">CLEvolution</a>, the ambitious modernization plan that will culminate in a new terminal opening in 2032.

A notorious toxic site in Collinwood is coming down

Demolition has begun at the long-abandoned Advanced Medical Systems property.

Crews began demolishing on Monday the former Advanced Medical Systems site on London Road in Collinwood. Why it matters: The facility once manufactured and serviced medical radiation equipment containing Cobalt-60 and has been both an eyesore and an environmental hazard <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="since the 1980s" data-vars-click-url="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/30/133/471508/?__cf_chl_f_tk=mO8juwiZNZWxvkqJL9fbSacdg8Lwl74vvjK67NHI5as-1782750139-1.0.1.1-P4yvtu.r5Cu5POcUQewtEapvyfmzn8uRkPjlCOal16c" data-vars-content-id="6f388ae3-24d1-448f-a92a-ae455441da04" data-vars-headline="A notorious toxic site in Collinwood is coming down" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/30/133/471508/?__cf_chl_f_tk=mO8juwiZNZWxvkqJL9fbSacdg8Lwl74vvjK67NHI5as-1782750139-1.0.1.1-P4yvtu.r5Cu5POcUQewtEapvyfmzn8uRkPjlCOal16c" target="_blank">since the 1980s</a>.

What to know as dangerous heat grips Northeast Ohio

The local forecast calls for temperatures above 90 degrees through Friday.

Climate

A major <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="heat wave" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/26/heat-wave-dome-july" data-vars-content-id="dd5ea549-6880-41c5-9cbf-61ac7cf6ef4a" data-vars-headline="What to know as dangerous heat grips Northeast Ohio" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/26/heat-wave-dome-july" target="_self">heat wave</a> that began Monday will reach its boiling point over the next few days.Why it matters: Heat stress is the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="top weather-related cause of death" data-vars-click-url="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-heat-and-health" data-vars-content-id="dd5ea549-6880-41c5-9cbf-61ac7cf6ef4a" data-vars-headline="What to know as dangerous heat grips Northeast Ohio" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-heat-and-health" target="_blank">top weather-related cause of death</a> in the U.S.

Cleveland pumps the brakes on data centers

City Council's utilities committee backed a three-month moratorium while the city studies infrastructure, zoning and community impacts.

Cleveland may soon be the next Ohio city to pass a moratorium on new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="data centers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/05/18/ohio-data-center-tax-breaks" data-vars-content-id="9d09203d-9e8d-494f-8a48-4c0df593079f" data-vars-headline="Cleveland pumps the brakes on data centers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/05/18/ohio-data-center-tax-breaks" target="_self">data centers</a>.Why it matters: The city is grappling with the impacts of the facilities and ironing out its zoning code to regulate their size and location.

Cleveland's hidden bridge returns for tours

The Veterans Memorial Bridge's historic streetcar level will open Saturday for the America 250 celebration

Cuyahoga County is reopening the lower level of the historic Veterans Memorial Bridge this Saturday for free, self-guided tours.Why it matters: Visitors rarely get access to the bridge&#x27;s original streetcar tracks, offering dramatic views and a glimpse into Cleveland&#x27;s transportation history.

News 🗞

Cuyahoga County bans gun-shaped lighters

Ohio parasite cases climb

Usher, Chris Brown wow 40,000

East Side lands $10M grant to transform vacant lots

Ohio among states reporting stomach parasite infections