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

Former Cleveland Ward 4 Councilman Kenneth Johnson Clevelandurbannews.com and- Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com   CLEVELANDURBANNEWS.COM, AKRON, Ohio – Former Cleveland Ward 4 Councilman Kenneth Johnson, 75, who was convicted of corruption and tax charges by a federal jury in Akron, Ohio on  July 30, was sentenced on Oct 8 before U.S. District Court Judge John Adams. Adams sentenced Johnson to six years and ordered him to pay restitution of some 740,000. Prosecutors had urged the judge to hand the former councilman a ten- year sentence coupled with an order that he pay back $750,000 for stealing $200,000 from the city's coffers and the federal government. Johnson apologized and told the Judge that while he had made some mistakes that he did not "purposely break the law." In turn, the judge admonished Johnson, saying his case was not about mistakes but about "criminal conduct." Some Black leaders and

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson Clevelandurbannews.com and- Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief, associate publisher and political and investigative reporter CLEVELAND, Ohio- Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson delivered his State of the City address Thursday evening at Cleveland Public Auditorium before a live audience, the Black mayor's final address before he leaves office at the end of the year.  A former city council president and four term Democratic mayor in his 16th year as chief executive of the largely Black major American city of some 372,000 people, Jackson is retiring and did not seek an unprecedented fifth term this year. Council President Kevin Kelley and newcomer Justin Bibb, also Democrats, will face off on Nov 2 for a nonpartisan general election runoff. It is the first time the mayoral seat has been open since Jackson ousted  then incumbent mayor Jane Campbell in 2005. “For the past 16 years, I have worked as mayor to stabilize the

  Clevelandurbannews.com and- Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief, associate publisher and political and investigative reporter. CLEVELAND, Ohio- Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and the city of Cleveland invite the public to join the mayor at Cleveland Public Auditorium in downtown Cleveland on Thurs., Oct 7 for his final State of the City address. Doors open at 4:30 pm and remarks will be at 5:30 pm Everybody is welcome to this in person event, city officials said. A former city council president and four term Black Democratic mayor in his 16th year as chief executive of the largely Black major American city of some 372,000 people, Jackson is retiring at the end of the year and did not seek an unprecedented fifth term this year. “For the past 16 years, I have worked as mayor to stabilize the city, position it for the future and ensure that all can participate in a better quality of life,” said Mayor Jackson. “This is my last State of the City addre

    Former Cleveland Ward 4 Councilman Kenneth Johnson Clevelandurbannews.com and- Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher and editor in chief   CLEVELANDURBANNEWS.COM, AKRON, Ohio – Former Cleveland Ward 4 Councilman Kenneth Johnson, 75, who was convicted of corruption and tax charges by a federal jury in Akron, Ohio on  July 30, will be sentenced on Oct 8 and prosecutors are urging the judge to hand him a ten- year sentenced coupled with an order that he pay back $750,000 for stealing from the city's coffers and the federal government. Some Black leaders and community activists, speaking on condition of anonymity, say that a ten-year sentence for a 75-year-old Black man is too harsh, and is racist.   Johnson's four-year city council term was set to expire on Dec 31 and though he was suspended from office on April 20 by a three-judge panel of retired judges appointed by Ohio Supr

Women's March Cleveland head organizer Kathy Wray Coleman, pictured second from left behind the Women's March Cleveland banner, leads thousands of women across the Carnegie Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio on Sat., Oct 2. Cleveland's march drew thousands and was one of the largest marches in the country. It was also was one of more than 600 sister marches held nationwide on Oct. 2 under the umbrella of Women's March National to protest recent attacks on abortion and reproductive rights by Republican-dominated state legislatures across the country, including in Texas and  Ohio. Every mainstream media outlet in Cleveland covered the event ( Photo by David Petkiewicz  Photography of Cleveland.com) Clevelandurbannews.com and- Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com   CLEVELAND, Ohio-  Women's March Cleveland's Oct 2 Rally and March for Reproductive and Civil Rights  drew thousands of women and their supporters to Market Square Park on Saturday in Ohio's City's neighbor