A Cuyahoga County jury this week acquitted Antoine "Fahiem" Tolbert and two fellow members of the grassroots activist organization New Era Cleveland on a slew of felony charges.

The big picture: The resounding not guilty verdict closes out a lengthy trial that sparked citywide debate over race, activism, and the right to self-police.

Catch up quick: The case centered on an August 2024 protest outside a Lee-Harvard gas station, which county prosecutors alleged was an armed attempt to extort and intimidate the owners.

• The defense claimed Tolbert and New Era members were staging a constitutionally protected boycott as part of broader community-based safety work.

Zoom out: The armed nature of New Era's activities — including safety patrols and citizen arrests — led the prosecution to characterize the organization as a vigilante militia.

Yes, but: The organization argues this work is vital in neighborhoods where traditional policing has fallen short, and that the charges against Tolbert, Austreeia Everson and Rameer Askew were a form of targeted legal retaliation.

State of play: Throughout the trial, the defense managed to discredit the prosecution's key witnesses and expose negligent police work.

• One of the more cinematic developments concerned a gunshot that rang out during the 2024 gas station incident, which prosecutors had pinned on New Era.
• But witness testimony and police bodycam footage suggested it was one of the gas station owners — not a New Era activist — who fired the shot.
• A police detective admitted she'd missed key moments when reviewing surveillance footage and never conducted gunshot residue analysis to test the owner's firearm.

What they're saying: Defense attorney Peter Pattakos called the trial "one of the most farcical and unconstitutional prosecutions in American history" in a Facebook post.

• "As regrettable as it is when police and prosecutors fail to fulfill their most basic duties, it's a genuinely glorious sight when 12 citizens pulled off the street apply basic common sense to deliver swift justice to remedy these failures."

The other side: "We respect the jury's decision," Lexi Bauer, spokesperson for the Cuyahoga County prosecutor's office, tells Axios.

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) will attempt a comeback Senate bid next year, according to sources familiar with the plans.

Why it matters: Brown, who served three terms in the Senate, is the party's best shot at flipping a critical seat in increasingly red Ohio.

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has been in hot pursuit of Brown, visiting him last month in Ohio to encourage him to run, Axios scooped.
• Brown had been interviewing campaign managers in recent weeks, Axios reported last month.
• An official announcement is expected in the next two weeks, we are told.

Go deeper: Senate Democrats' top remaining targets for the 2026 midterms

👀 Two billboards rising on the Opportunity Corridor, owned by the George family, are the result of litigation that will allow the demolition of a billboard on West 25th Street and Detroit Avenue — at the mouth of the planned Irishtown Bend park. (NEOtrans)

• Flashback: The park coalition paid the Georges $1.25 million as part of the deal. (Cleveland Scene)

☑️ Cleveland Councilman Joe Jones won the endorsement of Ward 1 Democrats despite recent probes into his workplace conduct and gift card distribution. (Signal Cleveland)

🎥 Two movies filmed in Cleveland are among the nearly 30 productions that have been awarded $46 million in refundable tax credits through Ohio's Motion Picture Tax Credit program. (WKYC)

It's safe to say brothers Travis and Jason Kelce's podcast will reach "New Heights" when the latest episode of their podcast drops tonight at 7pm.

The intrigue: The Cleveland Heights natives will host Travis' girlfriend Taylor Swift to discuss her upcoming album, "The Life of a Showgirl."

Driving the news: Swift announced her 12th studio album yesterday in a video clip shared on the "New Heights" social media accounts.

• The album's release date is still unknown, but Swift's website confirms copies will ship before Oct. 13.

Zoom in: The Kelce brothers launched "New Heights" in 2022 and signed a three-year, $100 million+ podcasting deal with Amazon studio Wondery in 2024.

• The podcast often mentions Cleveland and has featured fellow Northeast Ohioans like LeBron James, Machine Gun Kelly and Donovan Mitchell as guests.

What's next: Swifties are sure to tune into tonight's episode.

• All we know about her new album so far is the title and that hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback will likely produce.

Five years ago this week, Stipe Miocic cemented himself as one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts history.

Flashback: The Northeast Ohio native defeated fellow all-time great Daniel Cormier in a trilogy fight at UFC 252 on Aug. 15, 2020.

• Miocic broke the record for the most UFC Heavyweight Championship defenses at four.

Between the lines: It was the last win of Miocic's career.

• He would lose his final two fights before retiring in 2024.

In honor of the anniversary of Miocic's final win, we look at where he stands among the top 10 male mixed martial artists of all time.

Troy's top 10:

1. Georges St-Pierre
2. Jon Jones
3. Demetrious Johnson
4. Anderson Silva
5. Fedor Emelianenko
6. Khabib Nurmagomedov
7. José Aldo
8. Stipe Miocic
9. Daniel Cormier
10. Alexander Volkanovski

💭 Thought bubble: Miocic is one of the most under-appreciated fighters of his era, often snubbed on all-time lists.

• Current fighters could move into my list someday, but Miocic deserves his flowers now and forever.