Mayor of Parma Wants To Reinstate Patrols
Parma Mayor Gerald Boldt wants to bring back a controversial traffic squad that he did away with in 2001 during a labor dispute with police, but there is resistance from City Council. Police on Patrol Arresting Speeders, known as POPAS, would put extra officers on the streets, court fines would be used to pay overtime. Boldt canceled the program when he learned it was losing too much money and tax revenues were subsidizing what was supposed to be a self-sustaining program. Police upset with Boldt over stopping POPAS and his demands they pay some of their health insurance, staged a work slowdown that cost the city $616,000 in fines.

Malpractice Insurance Costs May Close Trauma Unit
Effective May 31, the neurosurgeons treating many of Huron Hospital's head-injury cases are terminating their contracts, causing the hospital to lose its high-profile trauma unit. The rising malpractice premiums also drove the Willoughby-based surgeons to consolidate their offices. The surgeons are sticking with five East Side hospitals they believe to be in more economically stable areas - Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights, The Lake Hospital Systems, Southpointe Hospital in Warrensville, Euclid Hospital in Euclid, and Marymount Hospital in Garfield Heights. Politicians are asking The Cleveland Clinic - parent company to Huron Hospital - to step in and try to work something out.

Justice Department Examines Euclid Elections
The Justice Department is examining how Euclid elects its school board members and some City Council members to determine whether minority candidates have equal opportunity. Lawyers from the Justice Department's civil rights unit in Washington visited City Hall and the school board offices last week, reviewing meeting minutes dating back to 1989. The Justice Department is reportedly looking at potential violations of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 in a number of U.S. communities, and Euclid is one of them. If the Justice Department deems the Euclid systems were biased, the city and school board could make changes on their own, negotiate a consent decree with the government or, possibly, face a lawsuit by the Justice Department.
 

Westgate Dillard's To Remain Open
School officials in Fairview Park and Rocky River are breathing a sigh of relief following the announcement that Dillard's, Inc. will keep open the store at Westgate Shopping Center. The grand opening for a new store at nearby Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted was scheduled for Wednesday morning, and school officials worried that the Westgate store would close, meaning the loss of thousands of dollars in tax revenues. The new store has actually been open since Saturday, and retailers at the Westgate store say they've seen no decrease in shopping at their location.

As War Nears, Security Increased
As the deadline for a U.S. invasion of Iraq approaches, security in northeast Ohio has increased noticeably. Police officers randomly stop vehicles outside of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, searching trunks for anything suspicious. Troopers for the Ohio State Patrol watch carefully as trucks pull into inspection stations. Even the Regional Transit Authority is making preparations, placing signs on buses asking riders to report unattended packages or unusual behavior. Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell is asking residents to go about their lives as usual, but to be vigilant about their surroundings.

Police Aid Sought for Shelter Cleanup
Problems at a local women's shelter are reportedly so bad that Catholic Charities officials have asked Cleveland police to step in and help. Last year, about 100 homeless women were relocated from a rundown shelter to the Bishop Cosgrove Center and officials say, unfortunately, many of those women brought their drug problems with them. Officials have requested police intervention following reports of drug dealing outside the center at East 18th and Superior. Cosgrove Center is designed to be a short-term stop for homeless women and children when other shelters are filled, and will be used until a permanent replacement shelter can be found.

Parma Council Plans Probe of Police Overtime Allegations
Parma City Council members Monday night said they plan to hire investigators to look into allegations of overtime abuse against the city's police department, and any officers found to have acted illegally will face disciplinary action. Council members plan to use a chunk of the $500,000 they stripped from the police overtime fund to pay for the investigation. In the meantime, Mayor Gerald Boldt says the search for a new Safety Director to replace Robert Dybzinski, who resigned last week, could take at least two weeks.

 

Consultants Recommend Lakefront Changes
A group of consultants have unveiled to the Lakefront Plan Advisory Committee its list of suggestions for improvements to Cleveland's Lake Erie shoreline. The proposals, which grew from ideas given last summer in a series of community meetings, include moving Interstate 90 near East 55th Street several hundred yards south and adding and expanding parks and beaches. The group says some of the projects can be completed within a few years, while others could take as many as 20 years. The committee will debate the proposals at their next meeting and then hold public discussion forums.

Hearings Planned on Inner Belt Plans
Two public meetings are scheduled next week to discuss the four revised proposals for improvements to be made to Cleveland's Inner Belt. The meetings, set for 5:30 p.m., will last three hours. The meetings will be held Tuesday at Cuyahoga County Community College's Metropolitan Campus Theater and Wednesday at the Slovenian National Home.

Error Causes Councilman's Removal From Ballot
A paperwork technicality has disqualified a Brunswick councilman from running for his current office on May's primary ballot. Petitions needed for a candidate to have his name on the ballot mistakenly stated that John Rocha was running for 'Ward 4,' rather than 'Brunswick,' as required. The Medina County Board of Elections met following a complaint filed by Rocha's challenger and made the ruling Thursday. Rocha, who has served on Brunswick's council since 1996, says he will run as a write-in candidate.

Road Rage Crash Leads in Parma Hts. to Murder Charge
A Parma Heights man has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after a suspected road-rage incident killed a Hinckley Township driver. Witnesses say Todd Kahn, 19, caused Michael Balint, 19, to run his car off the road as the two chased one another up Pearl Road in Parma Heights. Balint died of head injuries when his car vaulted off the road and into a tree. His passenger, a 17-year-old girl, was treated for injuries

Construction Vehicle's Fuel Tank Contained Heroin
Authorities in Broadview Heights have called in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration following a surprising discovery Thursday. Police say they confiscated just under two pounds of heroin, which was found by workers in the fuel tank of a new construction vehicle at Ohio Machinery Company. The heroin is believed to be from Mexico, where part of the vehicle was assembled. It was mixed in with diesel fuel in the tank.