Cleveland News

Cleveland Clinic marked its 90th anniversary in robust fashion, seeing a record number of outpatient visits, improving patient care through clinical and research achievements, opening new outpatient health and surgery centers, and enhancing the system’s already-sound financial health.

In his annual “State of the Clinic” address, Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Delos M. “Toby” Cosgrove, M.D., reported that the health system’s total revenue in 2011 increased 5 percent over 2010, reaching $6.18 billion. Operating income rose 22 percent to $305 million, and investments were up 10 percent, reaching $4.3 billion.

Police arrested several Cleveland Independent School District students on Thursday in an ongoing investigation into narcotics trafficking at one of their schools. Cleveland ISD police began rounding up the students about 10 a.m. at Cleveland High School, 1600 E. Houston.

They are facing charges ranging from delivery to possession of a controlled substance, officials said.

A judge sentenced the parents of an 8-year-old Cleveland boy who died from Hodgkin lymphoma to a maximum term of eight years in prison. Willie Robinson died in March, 2008, after suffering for months from undiagnosed swollen glands. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael Astrab handed down the sentences Thursday for Monica Hussing, 37, and William Robinson Sr., 40, of Cleveland.

“If anybody, anybody didn’t know this kid was sick,” Astab thundered from the bench, “they are seriously, seriously disturbed.”

Prosecutors said Thursday they plan to appeal a judge’s order granting a new trial for a Cleveland man convicted of setting a fire that killed eight children and a woman in the deadliest house blaze in the city’s history.

A federal jury convicted Antun Lewis, 28, last year of using gasoline to set the 2005 fire that killed Medeia Carter and the eight children, aged 7 to 14, who were attending a birthday sleepover at her house. He faced a possible life sentence.

City leaders unveiled a plan Tuesday aimed at reinventing public education in Cleveland’s schools. Mayor Frank Jackson, Schools CEO Eric Gordon along with leaders from the Greater Cleveland Partnership, Cleveland Foundation, The Gund Foundation and The Breakthrough Charter Schools unveiled the plan.

The group says the plan recognizes that the current public schools model for Cleveland is not working.

Republican Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich stopped in Cleveland Wednesday during a tour of the Buckeye State. He came to Jergens Manufacturing to highlight how American manufacturing can be successful and bring more jobs to the area. Speaking to workers inside the facility, he told them how his plan for allowing companies to write off their new equipment expenses could allow companies to modernize and reinvest.

“They would be able to modernize so rapidly that no one could catch up with them and so we want to have a tax code that really favors manufacturing jobs,” said the former House Speaker.

Authorities have raised the alert level for Cleveland Volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, suggesting it may be on the verge of erupting ash and disrupting air travel. More >

The Indians made a move with the pitcher they’ve only known for the last 11-plus years as Fausto Carmona. Carmona, who was arrested last week in the Dominican Republic on false identity charges, was placed on baseball’s restricted list Thursday by the club.

The Indians had to apply to the commissioner’s office in order to have Carmona placed on the list because of his unusual legal entanglement. Players on the restricted list do not count against a team’s 25- or 40-man roster and will not be paid until they report.

Most Cleveland sports fans, we can safely assume, hate LeBron James. But that doesn’t apply to the city’s sports stars, some of whom continue to look to James for professional advice and guidance. Per the Sun-Sentinel and ESPN: “As high school stars, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson met James at his invitation-only camp. Ever since then, the two Cleveland Cavaliers rookies have kept in contact with James, looking at him as a source of advice. It doesn’t matter that James broke Cleveland’s heart, leaving the Cavaliers to play for the Miami Heat. James’ relationship with Irving and Thompson remains the same. ‘I think besides what I do individually, I think that’s just what I was born to do, and that’s just try to give back,’ James said.

The grand-opening ceremony for the Greater Cleveland Aquarium took place Thursday afternoon in the FirstEnergy Powerhouse at the Nautica Entertainment Complex to officially open the new world-class aquarium. More >