An empty lot on Lee Road will become green space until a new development project becomes available.

Situated between Meadowbrook and Tullamore roads, the empty lot was planned to be the site of the Terraces on Lee, a mixed use condominium and retail development, by Al Neyer, Inc. The project fell through when not enough condominiums were presold. The current housing slump and economic downturn makes finding a new developer unlikely in the near future.

Helene Morse once found a box on her Ormond Road front porch. Taped to the top was the note, “I hear you mend broken hearts.” Inside was a porcelain figurine, in pieces.

Ruffing Montessori School will host its sixth annual Fine Rug Sale on November 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the school’s gym at 3380 Fairmount Boulevard.  The public is welcome to this event, designed to inform about the unique workmanship and design inherent in these rugs and to display an array at affordable prices.  RugTime!, located in Chagrin Falls, has conducted this sale at Ruffing every year.  The extensive selection of designs and colors includes all sizes: area, runner, and room size.

October saw the completion of the "Heights Center Building Mural East" by Cleveland Heights painter Jesse Rhinehart.

Commissioned by Heights Arts to complement the "Heights Center Building Mural West" installed in 2004 by the same artist on the west-facing facade of the same building, the mural was adapted from a photo in the Cleveland Public Library archives and painted in the artist's Cleveland studio.

In the heat of the presidential campaign, Obama jewelry has emerged as the height of fashion. Bottle cap dangle Obama earrings and rhinestone-studded Obama brooches are the creation of two local artists -- Phyllis Brody and Bonnie Dolin. They are members of WomenConnect for Obama, a network of over 500 women in Northeast Ohio.

Consultants presented three options for a potential redesign of the Cedar-Fairmount business district at a public meeting on Sept. 18 at the Cleveland Heights Community Center. Option A would leave the current footprint of Cedar Road and the sidewalks. Option B would expand the sidewalks on both the north and south sides, creating the feel of a grand avenue. Option C would place a median down the center of Cedar Road, providing a safe stopping place for pedestrians crossing the busy street. Residents broke into three groups to evaluate each option. When the entire group reconvened, Option B seemed to be the clear winner.

“You are glowing with pride,” said Leszek Gorgol. “It is nice to hear you tell us about Cleveland Heights.”

Mr. Gorgol spoke, through a U.S. State Department interpreter, as one of ten visitors from Poland who recently visited Cleveland Heights. The Poles are leaders in local and regional governments and nonprofit organizations.

Spacesuit. Check. Flight path. Check. Airplane. Check. Pre-flight conference with historical aviators. Check. That’s what Cleveland Municipal School students experienced this May during their visit to the International Women’s Air & Space Museum thanks to the efforts of new exhibits designed by students from Beaumont School and John Carroll University. The International Women’s Air & Space Museum (www.iwasm.org) is located at Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport. Beaumont alumna, Toni Previte Mullee, '79, is the executive director.

What’d you do this summer? Take in the Tribe? Hit the beach?

Or did you spend a week discussing current events with Washington D.C.’s top policy makers? If you’re Mac Hertz, an eleven year-old from St. Ann School, you did.

Mac was one of a select group of fifth and sixth graders from across the nation invited to take part in the Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC) for a week this past June. The JrNYLC is a program that simulates real-world problems for tomorrow’s young leaders to creatively solve.

Every summer, Cleveland Magazine publishes its Rating the Suburbs issue and injects another dose of steroids into outer-suburban development. No surprise: the ratings are meant to affirm what matters to the people who advertise in Cleveland Magazine.

But these numbers are of little use to people who want to live in a close-in place like Cleveland Heights, University Heights, or Lakewood. We need a rating that measures the things that matter to people who value culture, walkable neighborhoods, aesthetic quality, true community diversity, easy access to urban amenities, a strong presence of local independent businesses, and, of course, good schools, good property values, and reasonable taxes. Call it the WMI: the What Matters Index.

On Sunday, September 28, FutureHeights will recognize the winners of the 4th Annual Best of Cleveland Heights Awards at a public ceremony and reception to be held at Nighttown, 12387 Cedar Road. The event begins at 3:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Ike spent some time pruning Cleveland Heights, "City of Trees", Sunday night.

The University Heights city council meeting on Sept. 15 will determine whether the city proceeds with a charter review that could eventually lead to a city manager form of government.

At issue is an ordinance establishing a commission to look into updating the city’s charter.  Council members voted 5-2 in favor of the ordinance at the council meeting on Sept. 2. Mayor Beryl Rothschild vetoed it the next day. It was, she said, only the second time she’d taken that action in her three decades as mayor.

Council members will decide whether to override or sustain that veto when they meet Sept. 15.  If the ordinance goes forward, a commission could consider shifting power and control from the mayor’s office to a city manager.

There’s a certain sense of adventure in exploring places that, while familiar, still retain a sense of mystery. These are the places that we've always wondered about, be they a building, a home, a forest or a field.

The 32nd annual Heights Heritage Home and Garden Tour will reveal the stories behind some of the city's most interesting residences. The self-guided tour will be held on Sept. 21, from noon until 6 p.m. It is sponsored by the Heights Community Congress, a nonprofit organization dedicated to social justice, fair housing and building community.

Supporters lined Coventry Road Friday, August 22 cheering on participants in the nationally sponsored Breast Cancer 3-Day walk to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Michael and Molly Radke, their baby daughter Fiona, and their friend Patricia Preisel were there to support Patricia’s daughter Connie, a speech pathologist who had once worked at Oxford Elementary School and Roxboro Middle School. Connie was walking for her cousin.

Annalyse Kitzberger loves zebras. She loves them so much that the eight-year-old dreams of someday having one of her own.

Her parents, Jeff and Sherri Kitzberger of Cleveland Heights, have their own dream: that a cure for bone marrow disease will soon be found so that Annalyse and others afflicted with the rare illness can be healthy.

To help make their dream come true, the Kitzbergers have devised a special musical and entertainment benefit. "Jungle Jam" is to be held Friday, Oct. 17 from 6:30 p.m. to midnight at the House of Blues in downtown Cleveland. It will raise funds to help find a cure for bone marrow disease.

The Heights Observer has expanded its community outreach efforts through collaboration with John Carroll University's WJCU-88.7 FM Radio Station.

Click on "Heights Now Launches" article for MP3 podcast link at: http://www.wjcu.org/media/heights-now

 

On Sunday, September 28 FutureHeights will announce the winners of the 4th Annual Best of Cleveland Heights Awards, a public opinion survey designed to highlight the most popular businesses in the Heights. Citizens who return a completed ballot to the FutureHeights office by September 2 will be eligible to win a $100 FutureHeights gift certificate.

FutureHeights has formed a new partnership with the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) to encourage consumers and business owners to support locally owned businesses and keep dollars within our community. FutureHeights has promoted local business through its Heights Shops program since 2003. COSE’s new I Buy Northeast Ohio (NEO) program will complement FutureHeights’ existing gift certificate and advocacy efforts.

The Heights Observer is expanding its community outreach efforts through collaboration with John Carroll University’s WJCU-FM Radio Station (88.7). Starting on August 18, WJCU-FM will launch the first in a series of 90-second weekly podcasts featuring stories from the current issue of the Heights Observer.

There are a lot more flowers in bloom on East Derbyshire Road. Owner-occupants were able to get free landscaping from the city of Cleveland Heights last fall, as part of the kick-off for the East Derbyshire Condo Project, a special city program using Community Development Block Grant funds.

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.

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.

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.