Cleveland leaders yesterday unveiled The Midline, a sweeping plan to transform more than 350 acres of long-vacant industrial land on the city's East Side into a business district and greenway.

Why it matters: It's the largest industrial redevelopment project in modern Cleveland history. The vision includes new factories, multipurpose trails, and community-centered public spaces.

• It's also Mayor Justin Bibb's most ambitious attempt to date to reconnect historically disinvested neighborhoods to jobs and economic growth, part of his agenda dubbed the "Cleveland Era."

Zoom in: The Midline stretches through parts of the Central and Fairfax neighborhoods, stitching together fragmented parcels along the old Norfolk Southern rail corridor.

• Leaders hope to lure advanced manufacturing, biomedical and R&D employers to the district.

By the numbers: The Midline envisions 1.5 million square feet of industrial and commercial space with more than 2,500 good-paying jobs, per a press release.

• Once fully realized, the project is projected to generate as much as $100 million in annual tax revenue for the city.
• A multi-use greenway is also planned, with parks and trails that connect to nearby RTA Rapid Transit lines.

What they're saying: Keisha Gonzalez, the new executive director of Land Studio development firm partnering on the project, noted yesterday that 30% of nearby residents bike out of necessity, so the trails are more than recreational infrastructure.

• "The Midline is an effort to turn barriers into gateways," she said.

The big picture: The project is part of a broader effort by the Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund, launched by the city in 2023 with pandemic-era federal dollars and Cleveland Foundation support to prepare industrial land for redevelopment.

• Roughly $11 million has already been spent on land acquisition, demolition and environmental work in the Midline footprint.

Between the lines: Bibb emphasized yesterday that the project is more about people and neighborhoods than buildings or ribbon-cuttings.

• He said his grandparents left the segregated South for industrial jobs in Cleveland that promised a pathway to the middle class, and that today's residents deserve the same opportunities.

What's next...

One of the most high-profile murder cases in recent Northeast Ohio history is the subject of a new Netflix documentary.

Driving the news: "The Crash," which premieres tomorrow, looks back at the murders of Strongsville residents Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan.

Flashback: On July 31, 2022, Strongsville teen Mackenzie Shirilla, 17, was driving her boyfriend, Russo, 20, and friend Flanagan, 19, home from a party when she crashed her car into the Plidco building on Alameda Drive.

• Russo and Flanagan were pronounced dead at the scene, while Shirilla was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

Shirilla was charged with murder after police determined the crash was premeditated as an attempt at murder-suicide to prevent Russo from breaking up with her.

The other side: Shirilla's defense and family argued she had been previously diagnosed with a disorder that, along with being dehydrated, caused her to pass out while driving.

Yes, but: The judge in the 2023 bench trial didn't accept the defense's medical argument and sentenced her to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 15 years.

Zoom in: "That split second changed all of our lives forever," a friend of Shirilla, Russo and Flanagan says in "The Crash."

• The 90-minute documentary features new interviews, police bodycam footage, text messages and more.

✏️ CMSD and the Cleveland Teachers Union have agreed to bring back roughly 60 laid-off teachers as long-term substitutes for the next school year. (Signal Cleveland)

🍻 Rocky River Brewing Co. plans to reopen next month after a fire forced the beloved brewpub to close its doors last year. (Cleveland Scene)

• Owner Gary Cintron has brought on Vaughn Stewart — formerly of Bookhouse — as brewer.

🚂 Attorney General Dave Yost has filed a lawsuit against a Brecksville man accused of taking customers' money for collectible model trains he never delivered. (19News)

🎙️ Longtime Guardians public address announcer Bob Tayek has died at 75. (Cleveland.com)

👋 Sam here. The best thing I ate this week was the focaccia from Leavened in Tremont.

State of play: My wife and I hosted book club Tuesday — Jacqueline Harpman's "I Who Have Never Known Men" — and wanted some bread to go along with our Italian spread.

Zoom in: The Leavened focaccia is fermented in olive oil, baked to a golden crisp and topped with rosemary and sea salt.

• It's sold in hearty rectangular loafs ($6), optimized for slicing. We cut ours into mini stalks and used them as pesto dippers for an impromptu appetizer.

The intrigue: If you're a real focaccia head, Leavened offers rotating specialty loaves Friday through Sunday, alongside a full artisanal menu of breads, sandwiches and pizza.

• And if you're like me, you may not be able to resist a cinnamon bun, pepperoni roll or scone as you check out.

Stop by: 1633 Auburn Ave., the first floor of the Tappan apartment building.

• Open Tuesday through Sunday.

Tick bites are sending a record rate of people to the ER for this time of year, according to new CDC data.

Why it matters: "Tick season is here and these tiny biters can make you seriously sick," says Alison Hinckley, epidemiologist with the CDC, in a statement.

By the numbers: Across Midwest states, April saw 137 ER visits for tick bites per 100,000 total ER visits — up from 70 in April 2025, according to preliminary data from the CDC's Tick Bite Tracker.

• The region's weekly ER visit rates for tick bites are the highest for this time of year since 2017, the CDC reports.

Between the lines: Lyme is the most common tick-borne illness in the U.S., but ticks also transmit anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and several other illnesses, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Tips to prevent tick bites