🐶 Happy National Make a Dog's Day. What special plans do you have for your pup?

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high of 65 and a low of 50.

🎧 Sounds like: "In the Heartland" by Michael Stanley Band.

Today’s newsletter is 1,099 words — a 4-minute read.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is spending $4 million to promote a personal attack ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton's estranged mother, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: With less than two weeks until Election Day, Ramaswamy is gambling that accusations from Acton's mother will damage his opponent's credibility in the eyes of voters, despite mounting bipartisan backlash.

Driving the news: Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed to Axios that it produced the minute-long commercial featuring Donna Arthur, who accuses her daughter of lying about her childhood.

• "She lies about her past," Arthur says. "She's lied her entire life."
• Sources close to Ramaswamy's campaign told Axios says the ad tested well with persuadable voters and began a $4 million statewide streaming campaign Tuesday night.

Catch up quick: Acton has said she was sexually assaulted by her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, at age 12 and that her mother sided with him.

• Court records confirm Arthur was charged with rape, pleaded not guilty, and was indicted by a grand jury but posted bond and fled Ohio. He remained a fugitive until his death in 2004 and the case never went to trial.
• Acton and her brother were removed from their mother's custody. According to her brother, their mother remained married to the stepfather until his death.

Acton accused Ramaswamy of exploiting her estranged mother for political gain.

• Her brother, Philip Stearns, condemned the ad and appeared in a response commercial defending his sister.

What they're saying: Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb joined the chorus of condemnation, calling the attack "cruel, deeply hurtful and beneath the dignity of public service."

• Cleveland.com editor Chris Quinn went further in a text to subscribers Wednesday, describing it as "the most vile political ad Ohio has ever seen."
• Illinois first lady MK Pritzker announced she had donated $500,000 in support of Acton's campaign in response to the ad.

The other side: Ramaswamy campaigned in Cincinnati yesterday with Republican Sen. Jon Husted and Vice President JD Vance.

• Vance downplayed the ad's content. "I'm a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America."

By the numbers: A mid-October Marist poll showed Acton leading Ramaswamy 50% to 43% among likely voters, before the ad controversy erupted.

Editor's note: This story was updated to clarify that Amy Acton's stepfather pleaded not guilty to a rape charge but fled Ohio and never stood trial. He remained a fugitive until his death in 2004.

The Cavs tip off the 2026-27 season tonight in Philadelphia against LeBron James and the 76ers.

Why it matters: We'll have had less than 72 hours to process the playoff demise of the Guardians, but time waits for no one.

Zoom in: The Cavs have one of the strongest (and costliest) starting lineups in the NBA and will once again face pressure to achieve postseason success in a suddenly powerhouse Eastern Conference.

• Here's how we think things will play out.

📈 The Cavs will earn a top-three seed

State of play: The East is crowded, granted, but many of the other projected top teams have significant health risks (76ers), roster holes (Pistons) or a gnarly championship hangover (Knicks).

Prediction: The Cavs win 50+ games for the fourth time in five seasons and secure home court in the first round of the playoffs.

🤩 Peyton Watson is the answer at small forward

State of play: Watson, acquired this offseason from the Denver Nuggets, has the size, youth and athleticism to be a long-term core piece.

Prediction: He'll be a defensive menace, leading the team in steals and trailing only Evan Mobley in blocks. He'll average between 12-14 points per game.

🕷️ Donovan Mitchell will sacrifice for the greater good

State of play: Mitchell now has four complete seasons under his belt as a Cavalier. The team's best regular-season performance (in '24-25) coincided with his lowest scoring numbers (24.0 points per game).

Prediction: Mitchell will dip even lower (say, 23.2 ppg), as he facilitates the continued growth of his teammates. He will be rewarded with a spot on the All-NBA third team.

Go deeper: Which guard off the bench will be the biggest spark plug?

🥬 Cleveland City Council is considering legislation that would allow certain Cleveland grocers to get a refundable tax credit of up to 100% of the municipal income tax withheld from employees' paychecks. (Signal Cleveland)

🚧 Construction has begun on Gateway66, an 80-unit, mixed-income housing development on East 66th Street in Hough. (NEOtrans)

🧸 An electrical fire in May at a local Salvation Army storage unit destroyed more than 2,000 toys for Cuyahoga County kids, leading the organization to seek help this Christmas season. (Ideastream)

🍽️ Moxie, one of Cleveland's premier dining destinations of the early aughts, is reopening Monday at Legacy Village. (Cleveland Scene)

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Michael Stanley Band's unforgettable three-night stand at the Agora, which produced "Stage Pass" — one of the most beloved live albums in Northeast Ohio music history.

Why it matters: The Oct. 22-24, 1976, concerts captured MSB's transformation from a popular local act into a regional powerhouse, cementing its place in Cleveland rock lore.

Flashback: The band released its sophomore album, "Ladies' Choice," earlier that year and was developing a loyal following thanks to heavy airplay on WMMS.

• To help establish MSB nationally, Epic Records executive and Cleveland native Steve Popovich pushed for a live album that captured the band's thrilling performances.

Zoom in: The three shows featured Stanley alongside guitarist Jonah Koslen, bassist Daniel Pecchio, drummer Tommy Dobeck and keyboardist Bob Pelander.

• The concerts kicked off with Stanley's powerhouse vocals on "Midwest Midnight."
• The peak moment came halfway through with a nearly 10-minute version of "Movin' Right Along."

Anniversary concerts

Don't be surprised if you see a lot of bright orange unicorns this Halloween.

State of play: Buddy, the title character from the comedy horror film that opened in August, is the top trending costume in the country this year, per Google Trends.

• "Buddy," filmed almost entirely in Northeast Ohio in 2025, proved to be a low-budget, box office success for producers BoulderLight Pictures and Cleveland-based Low Spark Films.

The intrigue: The Buddy costume is even outpacing Nikki, the main character from "Obsession," the blockbuster summer horror movie that may or may not be based in Ohio.

🚙 Sam is so thrilled to be donating his old vehicle to Re:Source Cleveland's "Wheels to Work" program.

👀 Troy is rewatching the "Jeepers Creepers" films to see if he can make it through the final two entries this time.

This newsletter was edited by Tyler Buchanan.