“Cuyahoga” Means Crooked – For Rivers AND County Commissioners (An Editorial)

Cleveland is located in Cuyahoga County, and the Cuyahoga River flows through the city of Cleveland on its way to Lake Erie, separating the city into” “east siders” and “west siders. The word “Cuyahoga" translates to “crooked river" in the Iroquois language, as the river has a crooked, winding pattern as it snakes through the area.

The name Cuyahoga couldn’t fit better for the "crooked" Cuyahoga County Commissioners, one of which who is being charged for several counts of corruption and the others appear to be mentioned in that commissioner's indictment (but not charged with any wrongdoing). There are also other related charges for an auditor, contractors, and even judges. In fact, Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, is at the center of one of the biggest local corruption cases in U.S. history. While many have been charged already, and Dimora’s indictment has been expected by many since his home, and those of other commission members and contractors were raided by the Feds about 2 years ago, it’s likely that this is not the end of the Federal investigation or Federal charges for others.

The Plain Dealer also noted ”The reach of the scandal might turn out to be highly unusual, said Case Western Reserve University law and political science professor Jonathan Entin, because it involves an old-fashioned, political-party operation, far more common in 19th- and early 20th-century U.S. politics..."It starting to look like the classic 'machine,' " Entin said after reading Wednesday's indictments.”As the Democratic county chair, Jimmy Dimora built a party organization" that has no peer in contemporary local politics.”

It’s more than an embarrassment for the Cleveland area; it’s a disgusting display of greed and misuse of power. While one of the county auditors, Frank Russo, has already cut a deal with the Feds, Dimora continues to proclaim his innocence. While people are innocent until proven guilty, the 177 pages of indictment against Dimora make it hard to believe that he is as squeaky clean as he professes. Dimora is currently on a brief leave of absence, but said he plans to finish out his term, which is not too much longer. With the county voters already voting for change in the structure of their county commissioners and the process to elect new officials is underway, Dimora should just step aside. While he probably did not want to step aside before any indictments were made, now that he has been indicted and will be putting his full attention to his defense, it is not fair for county residents to have leadership that not only can’t be trusted, but that has no time to represent the public.

The city of Cleveland and the residents of Cuyahoga County deserve to have politicians that they can trust. While the indictments and the scandal are likely not over, as the new county government structure and the related election moves forward, there must be checks and balances put in place to ensure that this never happens again – because Clevelanders only want crooked rivers, not politicians.



Check out my blog home page for the latest Cleveland information, All Things Cleveland Ohio, here.

Cleveland Ohio Skyline (Cuyahoga River West Bank View)

The weather has been outstanding here in Northeast Ohio as of late, so it was a perfect time to head to downtown Cleveland to take some photos and videos. Here’s one short video of the Cleveland skyline, taken from the west bank of the Cuyahoga River.




Check out my blog home page for the latest Cleveland information,
All Things Cleveland Ohio, here.

Settler’s Landing On Cleveland's Cuyahoga River

I was in an artistic mood today while I was going through some pictures of Cleveland that I look this past July. Some pictures looked rather boring, I admit. But I found one that I took in the Settler’s Landing area that had promise. Settler's Landing is on the shore of the Cuyahoga River where Moses Cleaveland arrived on July 22, 1796. There is a small park at this location, along with an RTA (light rail) station

My photograph was taken looking south toward the Detroit Superior Bridge (AKA the Veterans Memorial Bridge). It looks plain and generic in its original form, so with one quick color enhancement, a more interesting view of the landscape and sky appears.

Settler’s Landing can be found on the banks of the Cuyahoga River, on Old River Road, west of the Terminal Tower and Tower City.






© allthingsclevelandohio.blogspot.com

Check out my blog home page for the latest Cleveland information,
All Things Cleveland Ohio, here.

Touring Cleveland With Lolly The Trolley

San Francisco has steep hills and their famous cable cars. Cleveland’s terrain is much flatter, and we have our own unique sightseeing transportation. If you’re visiting Cleveland, or even if you live in the area, you may see the bright red trolleys driving through the downtown area. That’s Lolly The Trolley, a City Sightseeing Tour. Each Lolly The Trolley vehicle holds less than 40 passengers, and offers one and two hour narrated tours, covering some of Cleveland’s most prominent places of interest, such as the Flats with the Cuyahoga River and port; the North Coast Harbor, which is home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Great Lake Science Center, the Downtown area, which includes the Terminal Tower and other landmark buildings and architecture, the West Side Market; Playhouse Square; University Circle and the Cultural Gardens, and many other sights along the way. The open trolleys allow passengers the ability to hear all the sounds of the city, and get some fresh air at the same time. (Yes, there IS fresh air in Cleveland.)

They also offer specialty tours of specific sights of interest, such as a Bridges Tour (there are lots of bridges in Cleveland) and Lakeview Cemetery, where famous people such as President James A Garfield,John D. Rockefeller, and Elliot Ness, among others, are buried. The trolleys can also be chartered for special trips for conventions, meetings, or just about any event.

Lolly The Trolley can be a lot of fun, and a very enjoyable way to learn about the city, either from a visitor’s, or an area resident’s, viewpoint. More information can be found on their web site, LollyTrolley.com

Here is a short video of someone’s trip on Lolly The Trolley.




Check out my blog home page for the latest Cleveland information, here.

The Return of the Cuyahoga: PBS Documentary Airs April 22

PBS will be airing the documentary “The Return of the Cuyahoga” on Tuesday, April 22 at 9:00 PM. A preview is below. Please note that the airdate listed in the video is not correct for the Cleveland PBS station, WVIZ, so if you’re reading this blog from outside the Cleveland area, please check your local listings for dates and times. (UPDATE April 18: My DVR program guide now indicates this will air on the WVIX HD channel on 4/18 at 10PM...but the on-line TV Guide does not. My suggestion is to verify your local listings for availability today on WVIZ HD or the regular WVIZ channel.)

I can clearly remember when the river burned in 1969, and also remember feeling ashamed of how Cleveland's industry had abused this great waterway. I also recall, even at my young age, of being concerned about the health of the river, the people who lived and worked near it, and the wildlife that depended on the river. It is good to know that when the river burned in 1969, it fueled outrage across the country and fueled the fire, so to speak, for making the river well again.

The Cuyahoga River has been key to the area's settlement and industry in Cleveland. Our continued efforts toward preservation is vital to the survival of the region's people and wildlife. This is a show that Clevelanders – past and present – should not miss.

Here are a few excerpts from the PBS web site about the documentary:


The Return of the Cuyahoga

"THE RETURN OF THE CUYAHOGA is a fascinating look at the life, death and rebirth of one of America’s most polluted rivers. Perhaps best known as “the river that burned,” the Cuyahoga is, in fact, an emblematic waterway. Its history is the history of the American frontier, the rise of industry, and the scourge of pollution. In 1969, when the river caught on fire, the blaze ignited a political movement that not only saved the Cuyahoga and its communities, but continues today with the current environmental movement.

The Cuyahoga caught fire as far back as 1883. In 1914, a river fire threatened downtown Cleveland, until a providential shift in the wind turned it away. In 1918, a river fire spread to a shipyard and killed seven men. The Cuyahoga burned again in 1936, 1948, 1949 and 1952. Then on June 22, 1969, the polluted Cuyahoga, slick with oil and full of debris, caught on fire. The river didn’t just burn in Cleveland — it burned in the nation’s imagination. Along with the rise of other social movements in the late sixties, the country was also beginning to take note of our damaged environment. The fire started a chain of legislation and events that continue today, including the creation of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, Earth Day, and the Environmental Protection Agencies at the federal and state levels. The Cuyahoga is America’s best example yet of a watery success story. The dead river came clean — and back to life again.

“This is a truly national story,” says filmmaker Larry Hott. “Rivers in industrial cities across the country were catching fire due to the build up of oil, waste and debris. The Rouge River in Michigan, the Schuylkill in Philadelphia, and the Chicago River all burned as often and as drastically as the Cuyahoga.”


“About the Cuyahoga River

When the United States was a new nation, the Cuyahoga marked the western frontier: beyond it, all was unclaimed land — Indian Territory. But by 1870, the river was on a frontier of a different kind: the industrial frontier. On the river’s banks arose the country’s pride and joy — a burgeoning multitude of smoking factories in a booming display of what was called progress. But, as it flowed through Akron and Cleveland, the river became a foul-smelling channel of sludge, with an oily surface that ignited with such regularity that river fires were treated as commonplace events by the locals.

After many fires, the river burned again in 1969 just as a third kind of frontier swept across the nation: an environmental frontier. And the Cuyahoga River became a landmark on this frontier too, a poster child for those trying to undo the destruction wrought by the rampant industrialization of America.

“This is a good news story, something we don’t often hear about the environment nowadays,” says Hott. “The river was a mess forty years ago but it’s getting better now due to the efforts of a coalition of organizations and businesses. For the Cuyahoga, and perhaps other rivers in America, there’s reason to hope.”


Cuyahoga River flowing through the Cuyahoga Valley National ParkThe Cuyahoga’s story is a particularly apt example for future environmental efforts, because the river can’t just be “set aside” as a pristine wilderness park — it runs right through Cleveland, after all. And, like most American rivers, the Cuyahoga has to serve widely varying needs — aesthetic and economic, practical and natural, human and animal. The challenge sounds impossible: how to maintain industrial uses of the river, encourage recreation and entertainment, and still preserve the nature in and around the river…a seemingly impossible challenge and yet one that much of our nation is facing today. “




Preview:The Return of the Cuyahoga





Check out my blog home page for the latest Cleveland information,
here.