⚾ On this date in 1929, Babe Ruth hit his 500th career home run at Cleveland's League Park.

🌧️ Today's weather: Rain showers likely, with a high of 81 and a low of 68.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Robert Martens!

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🇺🇸 Situational awareness: President Trump will be in Ashtabula County today for the Patriot Games.

Today's newsletter is 1,074 words — a 4-minute read.

Aviation industry leaders and student pilots are pressing Cleveland City Council for equal time to advocate for keeping Burke Lakefront Airport open.

Why it matters: Mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne have spent months building the case for closing Burke and redeveloping its 450 acres.

• Airport supporters argue a recent series of council meetings did not give comparable weight to the people championing Burke as transportation infrastructure, a workforce pipeline and an economic asset.

Driving the news: Two letters sent to the council last week — one signed by more than 50 aviation and business professionals, the other by students and aviation workers — urged members to hold a dedicated hearing for the airport's supporters.

What they're saying: "The 'highest and best use' of this land is its current use: a world-class aviation facility that connects Cleveland to the global economy," one letter reads.

• "Once an airport pavement is removed for parks or apartments, it is gone forever."

Zoom in: Supporters point to Burke's economic impact as host of the Cleveland National Air Show, its role as Hopkins' primary reliever airport and its use for organ-transplant and medevac flights.

• The student letter argues that Burke is a unique educational asset, giving aspiring pilots a rare place to master complex communications and navigation skills without disrupting commercial traffic at Hopkins.

The other side: Council transportation chair Charles Slife defended the four previous hearings as balanced scrutiny of the administration's proposal.

• "This was not just a press conference," he tells Axios. "We were analyzing the finances and infrastructure critically."

What's next: Slife says council members have been touring Burke and that he's open to a fifth hearing centered on Burke users, but has prioritized more urgent legislative action.

• "I understand the enthusiasm, but it's not time sensitive in my mind."

✈ What should happen to Burke? Hit reply and let us know.

Does it feel too early for back-to-school conversations to be happening? You're not imagining things.

Why it matters: Summers are ending earlier and at different times — the days of a shared cultural "back-to-school" moment are gone.

• America's start-of-school season now stretches from mid-July to mid-September, depending on where you are.

The big picture: District calendars show nearly half of all U.S. schools will open by Aug. 16, according to dates compiled by MDR Education, a data company. Four in five will open before Sept. 1.

Zoom in: Ohio schools start on the later side, with just 14% open by the end of this week.

• Most school districts in Cuyahoga County have start dates between Aug. 17 and 26, while Cleveland Metropolitan School District's year begins Aug. 24.

Zoom out: Geography, state law and local decisions all play a role.

• Nearly all public schools in the Deep South open before Aug. 16. Almost none in New England do.
• Districts largely set their own calendars, but some states mandate start dates. In Minnesota, for example, districts generally cannot begin the school year before Labor Day, with limited exceptions.
• One reason cited for later starts in parts of the Northeast is protecting summer tourism by maintaining a seasonal youth workforce at beaches, camps and other vacation hot spots.

Between the lines: Where states don't impose calendar restrictions, districts cite their own reasons for earlier starts, which could include:

• Building more breaks and days off into the school year.
• Providing more instructional time before standardized testing.
• Ending the first semester before winter break.

⛈️ Thunderstorms at this weekend's MGK Day festival aborted MGK's set. What was supposed to have been the festival's fourth and final iteration may now be coming back.

• "There's no f***ing way I'm going out like that, so we might have to run this back next year," MGK said from the stage. (Cleveland Magazine)

🥬 The North Union Farmers Market is coming to Mall B downtown Tuesdays from 10:30am-1:30pm, Sept. 1-Oct. 6. (Cleveland Scene)

🅿️ Cuyahoga County plans to introduce significant parking rate hikes at county-owned lots and garages. (Cleveland.com)

🤔 Some Cleveland City Council members, including rookie Tanmay Shah, are questioning the prevalence of Tax Increment Financing arrangements (TIFs) as an economic development crutch. (Crain's Cleveland Business 🔐)

👊🏾 Troy here, with a place to enjoy the summer weather with your kids before the school year begins.

The intrigue: Squire's Castle is part of the Cleveland Metroparks' North Chagrin Reservation in Willoughby Hills.

• The gorgeous structure was built in the 1890s and belonged to Feargus B. Squire, a Standard Oil Company executive who was mayor of Wickliffe.

State of play: My three (very active) boys used the structure's remains as a playground of sorts they could sprint and climb through.

• There are several trails surrounding the castle, including one that leads toward the gorgeous Oxbow Lagoon.
• The massive lawn in front of Squire's is also a prime picnic area.

Pro tip: I also took my kids to the North Chagrin Nature Center, which is just a seven-minute drive away and has some cool turtles.

The bottom line: It's a nice way for your kids to burn off some energy and experience a bit of Northeast Ohio history.

More photos

The priciest home currently on the market in Northeast Ohio is a nearly century-old Waite Hill estate listed for $3.85 million.

State of play: Known as South Farm, the 9,500-square-foot home sits on more than 11 acres and was built for prominent Cleveland banker John Sherwin Sr. between 1918 and 1926.

• The grounds include woodlands, an orchard, a two-bedroom guest house, greenhouse, woodworking shop and historic tea house.

The intrigue: The estate was photographed by pioneering photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White, and Winston Churchill reportedly visited.

The bottom line: Listing agent David Ayers tells Crain's the property's combination of architecture, acreage and scenery is "unmatched on the market."

Go deeper: See the full listing.

🦫 Sam has never been to a Buc-ees and is wondering what all the fuss is about!

📺 Troy is hooked on Apple TV's "Silo."

This newsletter was edited by Tyler Buchanan.