home stories blog

stories

A collection of stories from a variety of news organizations. Click here to find all of Richard's news stories.

Ideastream Public Media •

Cleveland's Gordon Park offers a rare chance for better East Side lakefront access, students say

Gordon Park on Cleveland's East Side — part of Cleveland Metroparks' Lakefront Reservation — offers a long list of amenities spread across its 122 lakefront acres. There are boat ramps, walking trails, tennis courts and a picnic lawn.But ever since Interstate 90 was built in the 1950s, East Siders have had a hard time accessing the park, and Lake Erie in general.Cleveland Metroparks has been working on solutions to the problem for several years. And they’ve recently gotten some help from student...
Ideastream Public Media •

This 90-year old runner from North Olmsted won't slow down

When she was growing up, Marilyn Olsen of North Olmsted says girls didn’t play sports. She herself was a party girl, preferring dancing to any organized exercise.“When I got out of high school, it was the bars or the ballrooms,” Olsen said. “Never, never anything athletic, but the dancing was good.”That changed when she was 45. A coworker recommended that Olsen join her for a race, and from there she fell in love with the sport of running. She ended up placing third in her first 5K.“I tried it a...
Ideastream Public Media •

Mansfield's 'Pothole Haters' aim to leave no road unpaved

Eric Miller says Mansfield has some of the best roads in the state. But it wasn’t always like this.“Our streets were in deplorable condition,” Miller said. “They were falling apart, most of the streets were in terrible shape, and we just needed to do something about it.”Back in the 1980s, Miller — a lawyer — started a group called the Committee for Better Streets, dedicated to fixing the streets for everyone.The idea, he says, was this: “How can you, as a modern-day citizen, do something that he...
Ideastream Public Media •

‘I speak lead': Through fungi and stories, Cleveland advocates tackle environmental justice

Robin Brown’s former home sits on the corner of East 116th and Luke Avenue, in Cleveland’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Today, the home is abandoned; porch floorboards are torn up, paint chips are peeling off the side of the home, and windows are broken.However, this vacant home ended up changing Brown’s life in a way she would’ve never expected. Brown says she was driving to pick up her daughter from daycare when she received a phone call from her daughter’s physician with some startling news.“...
Ideastream Public Media •

'It's not gonna stop.' Cleveland food pantry vows to continue despite federal funding cuts

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland's Detroit Shoreway neighborhood distributes fresh produce through the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry Program, which served more than 4,000 families last year.Vidorian Massingale, affectionately known as Chef Vi, is the executive chef for the church’s mobile pantry. Before this job, she was working in food service in schools, but wanted a career that could help people more directly.“I love working here,” Massingale said. “Everybody is just so...
Ideastream Public Media •

Despite Cleveland's unpredictable weather, these beekeepers hope to keep the hive alive

It’s a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon so, naturally, I’m spending the day outside. But I’m not relaxing or tanning — today, I’m an honorary beekeeper.I'm joining Danie White for a hive drop, where we’re moving bees from a temporary hive to a more permanent structure. White is helping Lexxus Davis, her friend and fellow beekeeper, acclimate the bees to a new hive in Davis’ garden in Cleveland's Central neighborhood. We’re all decked out in thick, white beekeeping suits to protect ourselves fro...
Ideastream Public Media •

After shooting, Shaker Heights Public Library remains a space for everyone

A 15-year-old Shaker Heights High School student is accused of shooting and killing an 18-year-old peer in front of the city’s main library branch on Van Aken Boulevard on April 1.The shooting was highly disturbing for local parents, including Nogira Fitch. The day of the shooting, her son called her to pick him up early, but she had a schedule conflict.“And then an hour later, I hear about this,” Fitch recalled in the library's parking lot several weeks after the shooting. “So, immediately, fea...
Ideastream Public Media •

'Will my life be cut short too?': Cleveland 10-year-old wants action after gun violence kills friend

Lorenzo Roberson is like any other 10-year-old. He enjoys playing basketball and football — he even wants to play for the Minnesota Vikings when he grows up. He’s energetic, talkative and fidgety. However, Roberson, like many children affected by gun violence, carries a heavy burden. Kaden Coleman, his best friend, died as a result of gun violence in early February.After losing his friend to gun violence, Lorenzo wanted to relay a passionate message to City of Cleveland officials to save his own...
Ideastream Public Media •

Voter turnout is low for Latinos. Can these Cleveland canvassers reverse the trend?

Alberto Ramos Cordero and Micaela Barrett have been out canvassing 20 hours per week over the last few months. They recently spent time roaming Ward 12 on Cleveland's southwest side, home to a high concentration of Latino residents. They've been working to raise the Latino voter turnout for the November election.Cordero and Barrett, who are members of Cleveland’s Young Latino Network, arrived for a recent shift around 3:30 p.m., parking their car at the corner of West 20th Street and Natchez Ave...
Ideastream Public Media •

Organizers call for community investment from Huntington after push to reopen Buckeye bank

Mary Boyle is a depositor at Huntington Bank. Back in October 2023, she came home one day to some unwelcome news.Her local bank in Cleveland's Buckeye neighborhood would be one of the 34 branches closing in Ohio by Feb. 9, 2024, a letter said, citing a spike in violent crime in the area.Boyle had seen businesses leave Buckeye for years. She noticed a pattern: when businesses leave Buckeye, their departure affects the neighborhoods they leave and the residents who remain, which forces even more b...
Marketplace •

How a bank failure 150 years ago still shapes many Black Americans’ relationships to financial institutions

The Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company, also known as the Freedman’s Bank, was established in March 1865 by white abolitionists, bankers and philanthropists. According to the Treasury Department, the bank was created to “help develop the newly freed African Americans as they endeavored to become financially stable.” Within the first few years, the bank flourished, with 37 established branches and more than 100,000 depositors in total.However, the bank failed after less than a decade, due to a...
Marketplace •

How are Black communities in the rural South dealing with digital redlining?

In today’s economy, broadband internet is virtually essential. It affects people’s ability to apply for jobs or work from home, pay bills, turn in schoolwork or use telehealth services. But in many communities across the rural South, residents don’t have reliable and affordable internet access. Black households in the South suffer the most; 38% of Black residents don’t have home internet, according to a 2021 study. Some residents pay exorbitant prices for spotty broadband service or rely on co...
Marketplace •

The messy money reality at the center of the debt ceiling fight

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Time is running out for federal officials to prevent an economically catastrophic default on U.S. debt. I know! We’ve done that story over and over and over again as raising the debt limit — something that used to be a routine part of running the government — has become increasingly politicized.But at the heart of the debate over government borrowing, there is an uncomfortable truth: This economy only works, because we believe in it together. On a special...
Marketplace •

Understanding the civil rights movement as a labor and economic movement

When discussing the civil rights movement, many focus on its political and social implications. But we rarely hear about the economic ideals that drove the movement. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech starts with an economic metaphor. King describes the economic hardship Black Americans face: Nearly 60 years later, Black Americans are still waiting for the check to clear. When reevaluating the civil rights movement, it becomes clear that economic justice is one of the topics...
Marketplace •

How do “school-hardening” tactics affect students, teachers and their communities?

After the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the national conversation has been focused on the prevention of mass shootings at schools. Texas lawmakers have discussed practices and techniques that would strengthen the security of schools, from arming teachers to using bulletproof shields. In 2019, after a shooting at a high school in Santa Fe, outside Houston, the state allocated $100 million toward security upgrades to schools.By one estimate, U.S. schools spend almost $3 bill...
WAMU •

Rev. William Lamar Talks About White Supremacy, The Black Church And Civil Rights

On Saturday, supporters of the President held a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally in the District. The President and his supporters still falsely claim that the election was rigged in President-elect Biden’s favor, without any sufficient evidence of election fraud. Later that evening, members of the Proud Boys trespassed onto the properties of two historic Black churches and burned Black Lives Matter signs.

Black churches have a long history in civil rights, from the abolition movement in the 1800s to the Civil Rights movements in the 50s and 60s. So, what is the Black church’s role in today’s fight for civil rights?

We speak to Rev. William Lamar IV, pastor of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal about the Proud Boys’ protests on Saturday, and the church’s role in fighting for social justice.
WAMU •

Discussing The Future Of Black Politics With Candace Hollingsworth

Race is taking the front seat in American politics. After the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others, protesters flooded the streets, demanding racial equity and police accountability. President-elect Joe Biden secured the election, thanks to the surge of black voters of color in key cities and swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. And, Kamala Harris will be the first Black and South Asian woman to serve as Vice-President, in the coming months.

Candace Hollingsworth, mayor of Hyattsville, MD, is resigning from her position to lead a newly-formed Black-centric political party called Our Black Party. Our Black Party aims to prioritize the issues of Black people.

Are the needs of the Black community being addressed? What does the future of Black politics look like, in America and within our region?
WAMU •

How Will The 2020 Elections Affect Chances For D.C. Statehood?

As the results of the 2020 elections continue to trickle in, the journey toward D.C. statehood may be in jeopardy. In June, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 51, a bill that would admit the District of Columbia as the 51st state in the union. However, chances of the bill passing in the Senate in the next Congress seem slim, as Senate Democrats will not likely win a majority.

We talk with the host of 51st, a podcast from WAMU that covers the history of the District’s fight for statehood, what statehood might mean for D.C. and how advocates are fighting for that future. But — in this electoral limbo — how realistic is that future?
WAMU •

D.C. In Turmoil: Protest, Police And D.C.’s Black Community

On Memorial Day, George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis after police officer Devin Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck. Floyd’s cries for breath, captured on video, became a rallying cry. The country watched as Minneapolis descended into riots, angry that black people are still dying at the hands of police. In D.C., for several nights in a row, protesters have thronged the area around the White House. Most of the demonstrators are peaceful. Some have turned violent.

The backdrop to the protests is a pandemic during which the relationship between black D.C. residents and the Metropolitan Police Department has eroded. Officers’ new power, to arrest those who fail to heed social distancing mandates, has caused tension between D.C.’s black community and police. Many residents say officers are not wearing required personal protective equipment while interacting with the public. These actions are perceived by D.C.’s black community as new additions to a list of grievances against the MPD.

Today we look at escalating friction between the MPD and the District’s African American community and activists. How did it get to this point? How might it get better?