Cleveland.com's recent series on Sherwin-Williams and lead paint should be more of a local talker than it is.

Why it matters: The five-part series, authored by editor Chris Quinn, provides a rich and detailed history of the local company's industrial innovation and corporate governance while shining a spotlight on its complicity in the lead poisoning crisis.

• It demonstrates conclusively, with the aid of internal documents, that Sherwin-Williams knew lead paint was poisonous decades before federal regulation — but continued to market and sell it anyway.

What they're saying: Quinn tackled the topic in part as a corrective to years of inaction, he wrote.

• His own publication exposed the extent of lead poisoning in local children but rarely looked for perpetrators beyond "old houses, bad landlords, failed inspections and weak municipal action."
• "Did we ignore the obvious because [Sherwin-Williams] is such an important employer? A civic donor? A longtime advertiser? A source of the region's pride?"

Zoom in: The series targets not only Sherwin-Williams but state and federal lawmakers, who repeatedly sided with corporate interests and their powerful lobbyists over unwitting homeowners.

• A congressional proposal to label lead paint cans with a skull and crossbones failed in 1910, for example, even as European countries were banning lead-based paints.
• Nearly a century later, the Ohio Senate passed legislation preventing legal action against paint companies on public nuisance grounds, resulting in the dismissal of multiple lawsuits.

The other side: Sherwin-Williams spokesperson Julie Young told Axios that Sherwin-Williams sent Quinn a detailed statement in response to questions on July 9, but that none of its content was published by Cleveland.com.

• "The series contained several inaccuracies," Young said, and noted that Sherwin-Williams would be publishing a rebuttal.

👋 Sam here. I thoroughly enjoyed the series, but was surprised to see Quinn absolve Sherwin-Williams of any financial responsibility for solving the crisis it helped create.

State of play: In the final installment, he argues those responsible are long dead, and going after the current corporation would be neither fair nor pragmatic.

• Instead, he proposes that Sherwin-Williams capitalize on its history of visionary leadership and tap a rising-star executive to help Cleveland rid itself of lead paint once and for all.
• This "dynamo" would work alongside a board of directors that would include, in Quinn's vision, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam.

Between the lines: Much of the series labors to expose how corporations have invested enormous resources in advancing their own interests at the expense of consumers, which is why the conclusion felt like such a departure.

• And the pro sports owners who Quinn champions for "[getting] things done" are billionaires actively engaged in the extraction of massive public subsidies for their stadiums.
• Why would they be involved?

Flashback: Local journalist Roldo Bartimole wrote in 2001 that Cleveland's history of corporate responsibility was "tainted with a 'rich man's burden' flavor," and Quinn's proposal feels indebted to that lineage.

The bottom line: The series was nevertheless illuminating as a historical guide and cathartic as an exposé of Sherwin-Williams' culpability.

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🍗 The Ohio auditor found multiple compliance issues with Cleveland City Council's practice of distributing grocery store gift cards.

• Council President Blaine Griffin said he is working with the city's community development department to clarify guidelines and strengthen enforcement. (Signal Cleveland)

🎸 Independent entertainment venues are already seeing a boost from new Cleveland legislation that exempts them from the city's admissions tax. (Cleveland Magazine)

✈️ Southwest Airlines' nonstop service between Cleveland and Dallas will operate daily year-round beginning in March, though the route was initially announced as only a seasonal service. (Cleveland.com)

✏️ Urban Community School has acquired 10 parcels totaling 0.75 acres on Lorain Avenue in Ohio City, ending plans for a proposed housing development at the site. (NEOtrans)

The number of cyclosporiasis cases in Ohio has ballooned beyond 1,200 with nearly 50 in Cuyahoga County, per an Ohio Department of Health dashboard.

Caveat: Actual case numbers are likely much higher because of delayed federal health tracking and limited testing. Michigan and Ohio are currently most affected.

Catch up quick: Federal health officials initially attributed the "explosive diarrhea" outbreak to contaminated shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell in five states, including Ohio.

Zoom in: A North Olmsted man filed a lawsuit against a local Taco Bell location in federal court last week — the first lawsuit of the outbreak.

What they're saying: "My client didn't get sick because of bad luck," attorney Bill Marler said in a statement.

• "He got sick because contaminated produce moved through the supply chain and nobody stopped it."

The latest: The FDA said Sunday that a Taylor Farms sample flagged as positive for cyclospora was a false positive, leaving no confirmed positive product test although the voluntary recall still stands.

Threat level: Cyclosporiasis doesn't spread from person-to-person or "'run its course' the way a stomach bug typically does," HealthTrack chief medical officer Steven Goldberg tells Axios. Symptoms may improve and then return.

• "This is not a 'wait it out' illness."

If you suspect you have it, ask a health care provider to order a specific stool test to confirm, the Ohio Department of Health tells Axios. Routine tests don't include it.

• The illness is "highly treatable with antibiotics," but "delaying diagnosis and treatment could result in dehydration and related complications."

What's next: The department's dashboard is updated each Thursday afternoon.