ClevelandUrbanNews.Com Blog, Ohio's Leader In Black Digital News

Clevelandurbannews.com and   Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump (pictured) on Thursday signed an executive order reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, putting it in the same group as common, over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Marijuana is now a Schedule I drug, down from a Schedule III drug, the most restrictive federal category that includes heroin and LSD. And the new change will have the most impact in states that outlaw marijuana. Ohio, which includes the majority Black city of Cleveland, is not one of them since voters sanctioned marijuana use at the ballot box in 2023.     Pushed by Northeast Ohio community activists, Ohio voters approved the Issue 2 referendum that made recreational marijuana legal in November 2023, alongside the Issue 1 referendum that made access to abortion legal. But Republican state lawmakers have worked hard ...

The women of Ohio's largely Black Five-Member Democratic Congressional Delegation- Top row: U.S. Reps. Emilia Sykes and  Shontel Brown-Bottom row: U.S. Reps. Joyce Beatty and Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in Congress   Brown, Kaptur Lead Ohio House Democrats in Letter to Trump administration demanding answers on frozen manufacturing funds All Ohio House Democrats join letter seeking information on the status of funding for Ohio's Manufacturing Extension Partnership     Clevelandurbannews.com   and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com Staff article by Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher Washington, DC –  Ohio   Congresswomen Shontel M. Brown (OH-11), a Warrensville Hts. Democrat,   and  Marcy Kaptur, a Toledo Democrat (OH-09),  have  led a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick   expressing concern regarding the abrupt withholding of all federal funding supporting Ohio's Manufacturing Exte...

Clevelandurbannews.com   and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com Staff article CLEVELAND, Ohio -Former Vice President Kamala Harris, a Barack Obama ally and the nation's first Black and first woman-of-color vice president, is bringing her "107 Days" book tour to  Cleveland, Ohio, at the KeyBank State Theatre at Playhouse Square early next year.  Harris replaced former President Joe Biden as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee after Biden bowed out due to health issues and plummeting campaign poll numbers.  Harris has written several books, with her recent memoir  " 107 Days"  (2025) being around  320 pages , while her earlier memoir " The Truths We Hold "(2019) is about  336 pages , and her children's book " Kamala and Maya's Big Idea "  (2022) has about 40 pages. Event Details For Book Tour in Cleveland Date and Time:  Wed., Feb. 25, 2026, at 7 p.m. EST. Location:   KeyBank State Theatre at Playhouse Square , Cleveland, OH . E...

Ohio state senator and Senate Minority Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) Clevelandurbannews.com and   Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher COLUMBUS, Ohio – Today,  Senate Minority Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood), a Lakewood Democrat whose 23rd state Senate district includes most of Cleveland's wards,  issued a statement after the Republican-dominated Ohio Senate voted to accept conference committee changes to Senate Bill 56 (SB 56). Antonio says the conference committee changes significantly alter the state's adult-use cannabis program and directly undermine the will of Ohio voters, who established Ohio's recreational marijuana industry by passing State Issue 2 in November 2023.  SB 56 now heads to the desk of Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature. Pushed by community activists statewide, Ohio voters approved the Issue 2 referendum that made recreational marijuana legal in November 2023, alongside the Issue 1 r...

  Clevelandurbannews.com and   Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com Staff article CLEVELAND, Ohio- As families continue to face financial strain following the end of the federal government shutdown alongside increased holiday season expenses, Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb and the Department of Public Utilities announced a 30-day extension of the moratorium on utility disconnections for nonpayment.  Effective Fri., Nov. 7, 2025, and now extended through Jan. 6, 2026, customers of Cleveland Water and Cleveland Public Power will not face service interruptions due to unpaid bills during this period. Account balances will continue to accrue, but the City is taking this step to ensure residents maintain access to essential services. Cleveland is a largely Black major American city where most residents live below the poverty line. The extension comes as the Christmas holiday nears and at a time when many households are still recovering from weeks without federal paychecks a...