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A Call With My Parents:

Part II

Mom, Dad, and Walter (photo courtesy of Walter Checefsky)

A Call With My Parents: Part II (republished from The Tremonster)

by Bruce Checefsky

            I worried about visiting my parents for the Memorial Day weekend because of COVID19. I hadn’t seen them since last December. They live in northeastern Pennsylvania.   We weighed the risks, watched the weather forecast carefully so any visit would remain strictly outdoors. I rented a hotel for two nights nearby in a renovated 1930s train station. A few days before driving the seven hours east to visit, I still had my doubts. I was uncomfortable knowing that I might have been exposed to the virus and not know it. Both my parents are 89-years old and their health is what you might expect at that age.

            I phoned dad to ask him what he thought.

            “I have old A.G.E,” he said with humor uniquely his own. “Whatever you decide is fine.”

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Behind the Story of CMSD’s John Marshall Drive-Through Graduation Solution

by The West Park Times & Neighborhood Media

It is difficult to find an aspect of life that has not changed in the face of the current COVID-19 outbreak.  For that reason, it could have been easy to overlook the one small step Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s (CMSD) John Marshall IT High School graduates took in June—to them, it’s a giant leap for mankind.  After digging deeper, we found it was a giant leap for both CMSD and Toledo Public Schools (TPS), too.

This summer, The West Park Times published a three-part series (funded by the new local media collaborative, “NEO SOJO”) on graduation innovations from Cleveland high schools.

But in an interview with CMSD CEO Eric Gordon just before the graduation ceremony for John Marshall IT, he spoke to the seriousness with which his team took COVID-19 containment planning for Cleveland’s students and their families.

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Lead tests for children plummet in Cleveland; advocates worry about long-term fallout

This story is provided by ideastream as part of special community coverage of COVID-19 and funded by Third Federal Foundation and University Settlement.

By Rachel Dissell

CLEVELAND, Ohio — State shutdown orders meant to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus have created a double-whammy of lead poisoning risk for young children in Cleveland. 

Many of these children are spending more time in homes with potential lead hazards, and fewer are getting tested to see if they’ve been exposed to the toxin. 

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Mayor Jackson & County Executive Budish to Mandate Use of Masks Throughout City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County

Photo by Pille-Riin Priske

by Tatyana McknightJuly 3, 20200 Comments

Ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, Mayor Frank G. Jackson today signed an order requiring the use of masks, among other things, throughout the City of Cleveland. Click here to view the order. Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish announced his intent to bring before Cuyahoga County Council legislation next week mandating the use of masks in the county’s public spaces.

“The spike in coronavirus cases across the City of Cleveland warrants the mandated use of masks,” said Mayor Jackson. “If Clevelanders do not heed these critical warnings and prevention efforts, the effects will be disastrous to the economy and, most importantly, to individuals and families. No one is immune to this virus.”

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Your Voice Ohio: Will You Help Shape Ohio 2020 Election Coverage?

Photo by Morning Brew

by Doug Oplinger

Your Voice Ohio

The uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing protests for racial justice, concern for how the economic recession will affect businesses, families, and communities, and the overwhelming amount of misinformation circulating online about everything from vaccines to voting have already made 2020 a year unlike any other. 

Not surprisingly, people are stressed as they sort through unprecedented volumes of information (some of it intentionally misleading), worry about how to be safe and healthy, and pay the bills. 

Amidst this turbulent landscape, reliable information related to the 2020 presidential election has become increasingly urgent and important. In an effort to meet the information needs of Ohioans, more than 40 news organizations in the Your Voice Ohio media collaborative, including Neighborhood Media Foundation, will work together over the next five months to provide relevant, important information regarding the 2020 presidential election.

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Families weigh the risks of sending a loved one to a nursing home during the coronavirus pandemic

Photo by Laura Fuhrman

By Ginger Christ and Rachel Dissell

Data analysis and Graphics by Cid Standifer 

This article provided by Eye on Ohio, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Ohio Center for Journalism. Please join our free mailing list as this helps us provide more public service reporting.  

In early March, just as Ohioans were learning about the first cases of novel coronavirus in the state, Anna Bondar’s grandfather fell at his Cleveland home.

Luckily, the 92-year old, who lives with dementia, wasn’t injured badly.

The tight-knit family started to discuss the possibility of a nursing home, though they had serious reservations.

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Uphill Battle Ohio Job Seekers Face

Buckeyes Battle Uneven Playing Field; COVID-19 exacerbates trends; Women and Young Workers Hit Particularly Hard

By Kevin Williams 

Graphics by Cid Standifer

This public service journalism article provided by nonprofit nonpartisan Eye on Ohio, the Ohio Center for Investigative Journalism. 

Carmine Ballard graduated from The Ohio State University in 2016, with two Bachelor of Arts degrees— one in Psychology, another in Women’s and Gender Studies. Ballard’s parents helped them through college— paying their tuition. Yet, despite that, Ballard still ended up with about $10,000 worth of federal student loans by graduation, for living expenses during college.

Ballard graduated with a 3.0 average, and made the dean’s list several times. Ballard planned to get into counseling and spaces that served minorities and other at risk populations. 

However, after more than twenty-five applications and interviews that didn’t go anywhere, Carmine, short on cash after three months of applying, ended up taking a food service job to make ends meet. The $114 a month for their student loan repayment was too much to handle with very little income, so Ballard’s parents continued to help out.

“When I tried to apply for jobs, I just wouldn’t hear back. I couldn’t even get a job doing clerical work,” said Ballard. 

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Facebook Awards Grant to Erie Chinese Journal

Erie Chinese Journal

by Neighborhood Media Foundation

Late on Thursday, May 7, Facebook announced the Erie Chinese Journal was awarded a COVID-19 Local News Relief Fund Grant from the Facebook Journalism Project (FJP) Community Network Grant Program.  

The Chinese newspaper, which has its headquarters in Cleveland, is one of only 144 media outlets to be awarded a grant across the US from FJP, of which only four were located in Ohio.

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