John Zagara, owner of Zagara’s Marketplace on Lee Road, wants more parking for his customers and better traffic flow in his parking lot.

Zagara held a meeting July 23 at the CH-UH Main Library and presented a plan for easing parking lot congestion at his grocery store. He also received ideas and input from about 25 neighbors in attendance.

On July 22 Cleveland Heights arts organization Heights Art stepped away from its idea of using the former Coventry Elementary School as a multi-tenant arts and nonprofit facility.

Captured at the intersection of Fairmount Blvd. and Coventry Road is a Smart car surrounded by six gigantic SUV's. One wonders how a paleontologist would interpret this scene.

With about 800 vacant houses in Cleveland Heights, foreclosures are a primary community concern. Three panelists addressed this issue at a program sponsored by the League of Women Voters on June 12 at Cleveland Heights City Hall.

Whether local, regional or national, it seems there are but five topics that dominate the news these days: the 2008 presidential election, the war in Iraq, the high price of gasoline, global warming, and the foreclosure crisis.

This may be one of the few times in history when national issues feel extremely local. With the exception of an actual home invasion, a homeowner is unlikely to feel more vulnerable then when a house nearby is under foreclosure and, subsequently, boarded up.

The League of American Bicyclists and FutureHeights are teaming up to offer a cycling class that teaches the skills needed to ride safely and confidently in traffic.

Summer vacation is well underway, but for many kids in Iowa, life is hardly idyllic. Severe flooding has led to evacuations and road closures. As flood waters recede and families are able to return to their homes, their focus will be on essential survival needs: shelter, food and safe water. Meanwhile, children's toys have been ruined.

Enhancing livability in the Cedar-Fairmount business district was the topic of discussion at the Cleveland Heights Community Center on June 5.

In the first of three planned public meetings, residents, business owners, consultants, and public officials focused on transportation. Representatives from City Architecture and Michael Baker Jr., Inc. presented their analysis of existing conditions in the district and attendees shared their reactions and ideas.

John Zagara, owner of Zagara’s Marketplace on Lee Road, wants more parking for his customers. The store’s parking lot needs more spaces, the traffic flow in the lot can be chaotic at times, and delivery trucks need more space to maneuver, he says. He has some planning ideas to ease the congestion, and he is inviting neighbors and residents to discuss them on Wednesday, July 23, 7:00 pm, at the CHUH Main Library.

The League of Women Voters reports on the latest Cleveland Heights City Council meeting.

 

Cleveland Heights resident Ralph Solonitz began doodling at an early age.

Fast forward 55 years, thousands of dollars in therapy and he still can't stop doodling.

Hillstone Road residents might be forgiven a stare or two the weekend of June 7, as they watched a garage being re-roofed by an all-woman crew.

Participants in Home Repair Resource Center’s women’s repair program, under the direction of Repair Instructor Jim Kunselman, did the entire job -removing the old roof covering, replacing water-damaged portions of the wood deck beneath it, and installing new modified bitumen roofing.

Dear mother, dear mother, the church is cold,
But the ale-house is healthy and pleasant and warm;
Besides I can tell where I am used well,
Such usage in Heaven will never do well.

My favorite pub in the world is the Wheatsheaf. It’s in a hamlet called Westwood near a village called Southfleet in Kent, England to be precise. It was built in 1414, probably hasn’t changed all that much and was the first in the county to ban smoking. In the winter, there is a fire and in the summer there is an excellent beer garden. They also serve real ale. It’s not fizzy, served at room temperature and a light variety thankfully does not exist. You hear the same conversations in there as in the pubs and bars in Cleveland Heights: people complaining about work, gossiping about the locals and men generally talking about things that happened to them while driving.

The year was 1966, the days of the Beehive Hair styles, when women used knitting needles to scratch their heads and they had their hair set once a week. Sabina Schaner’s mother, Brigitte, decided to open a beauty shop.

 

New Coventry Asian spot differentiates itself with Korean fare

Tree Country Bistro, Coventry’s newest Asian restaurant, took over the space formerly occupied by cult-followed Que Tal when it closed its doors after a 13-year run. The extensive menu features a taste of Japanese, Korean and Thai food including sushi, noodle and fried rice dishes, Thai curries and more.

Debit cards can be confusing. Many rules and fees often go along with them. Home Repair Resource Center offers Debit Card Ed 101.

Want to make a significant impact on a student’s life? Want to make a difference that matters? Step up and become a Homework Center Volunteer!

Meals on Wheels is currently celebrating it's 25 th year of service to the residents in University Heights, Shaker Heights and Beachwood communities. MOW is a non profit, volunteer based organization that provides healthy, warm meals to those who are unable to shop or prepare meals for themselves.

When a new Montessori High School (MHS) opens in University Circle this August, many of its faculty and staff will be able to coast down the hill from homes in Cleveland Heights. The first high school of its kind in Northeast Ohio, MHS has attracted faculty from Michigan, California, Washington, and Wisconsin, among other places. “I find the short commute, whether by bike, on foot or by car, to be very convenient,” says French teacher Sebastién Thiry.

Don't miss out one these exciting Heights Library Programs:

With hundreds of residential units, and more than 1 million square feet in commercial space, Severance Town Center is “just what the doctor ordered,” as far as the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is concerned.

Expanded service to Severance Town Center on the Route #821 Circulator bus is an added benefit for riders of this route.

 

The League of American Bicyclists and FutureHeights are teaming up to offer a cycling class that teaches the skills needed to ride safely and confidently in traffic.

Cycling for transportation is becoming more attractive as gas prices rise and having the right cycling instruction can ease the transition to a less car dependent lifestyle.

As Baby Boomers start to retire they’re asking themselves “Where do I go from here?” Cleveland Heights resident Charlotte McGowan decided to explore that question in a unique way-- by biking cross-country.

Sr. Jeanne Tighe, sfcc, began her teaching career at Gesu School in University Heights in the 1969-70 school year as an 8th grade science and math teacher.

Upon her retirement in June, she shared memories about the Gesu community’s wonderful families, students, faculty, staff members and parishioners living throughout the Heights.

As I look forward to studying for a master’s degree in comparative journalism at the University of Swansea, Wales, I feel that I can finally assess how the Heights area has affected me.

As a Shaker Heights resident throughout high school and later an undergraduate linguistics student at Cleveland State University, I have grown to know Cleveland Heights thoroughly, thanks in large part to a good friend whom I'll call "Monica," a native of Cleveland Heights.

See where the Heights Observer has been lately! Send us your photos: info@futureheights.org.

See where the Heights Observer has been lately! Send us your photos: info@futureheights.org.

Longer daylight hours and no homework signal the perfect time for families to enjoy some leisure time together. Whether your child is already in early elementary school, entering Kindergarten this fall or is still in preschool, summer is the perfect time to brush up on school readiness skills.

On one of my recent drives, my ears perked at the topic on BBC’s “World Have Your Say” hosted by Ros Atkins. The globally conscious segment of the British Broadcasting Corporation gives guest speakers all across the world the opportunity to express viewpoints that range from politically correct to radical (by the standards of mainstream media). The subject of the show was child-rearing.

Students at Fairfax and Canterbury Elementary Schools have new, sturdy handmade picnic tables and benches thanks to the generosity of Heights High graduate Mackenzie Brubaker.

Tashay Roberts received the Officer Jason D. West Memorial Scholarship at Cleveland Heights High School’s Senior Scholarship Awards Ceremony on May 28th. Tashay is the first graduating senior to receive the scholarship, which was created this year as a way of honoring Officer West’s memory and keeping his name and legacy alive. Officer West, a member of the Cleveland Heights Police Department, lost his life in the line of duty on May 26, 2007.

If you ask the teachers and staff at Roxboro Elementary School in Cleveland Heights what their favorite yearly event is, almost everyone will say Children’s Ink.

 

If you think you know Heights High, guess again.

During a two-hour tour of the sprawling Heights High complex on a recent Saturday morning, a dozen “tourists” learned little known facts about its design, construction, and current condition.

Heights High graduates are definitely “taking the road less traveled, marching to the beat of their own drum and thinking outside the box” when it comes to continuing their post graduation studies!  Here’s just a sample of what some of our graduates have been up to.

The Cleveland Heights High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame inducted ten new members on May 8 at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven. The Hall of Fame was created as a way for Heights to honor the accomplishments of its alumni while giving current students solid examples of what they can accomplish in life, hearing from adults who sat in the same seats and walked the same halls as they do.

You can help kids devastated by the recent floods in Iowa enjoy their summer.

Summer vacation is well underway for your children, but for many kids in Iowa, life is hardly idyllic.  Two Cleveland Heights moms are raising donations to ease the trauma for these children.

The Heights Observer is looking for people, ages 1-100, to get involved in the paper. After all, the Heights Observer is all about citizen journalism and its power to tell local stories at a grassroots level. We are looking for volunteer writers, photographers, designers, and illustrators. It doesn't matter if you are a professional or amateur, our editorial staff will be glad to have you.

Turn on the local TV news at 6 p.m. and you won’t find it. Flip through the pages of any local “news” paper, free or otherwise, and you won’t feel satisfied. Sit down at your computer, search for “Cleveland Heights Local News,” then sift through banners and pop-up ads, and you might get lucky. You would probably learn more while sipping a mocha at the local coffee shop, or walking down your sidewalk hoping to encounter a talkative neighbor. All you want to know is what someone (anyone) in your community thinks about the new housing development being built down the street, or when that new restaurant on Lee Road is going to open, or when that pot-hole riddled road around the corner is going to be repaired.

None of this news is terribly important on a national or even regional level, but it is, perhaps, the information that is most relevant to your daily experience. And, it is information that has not been easy to find.