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Nursing homes and sports leagues are reopening even as COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Ohio. But the pandemic’s persistence has one city back in shut-down mode. South Euclid had re-opened playgrounds and the city-owned dog park, but as of Monday they’re closed again, along with organized league play on the ball fields. The closures are due to a spike in COVID-19 cases there, said Keith Benjamin, the city’s community service director.

Cuyahoga County was originally set to ban plastic bags this July. But when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the ban was put on hold until January 2021, so retailers wouldn't have more chaos amid the pandemic. Now, it might not come back anytime soon, as a bill to place a one-year moratorium on plastic bag bans and fees heads to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's desk.

Most people don’t want to think about their waste after it’s flushed down the toilet, but researchers can actually use waste samples to test for COVID-19. The Ohio Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency are partnering to test sewage and wastewater for the presence of coronavirus genetic material, ribonucleic acid (RNA) fragments, in feces in several Ohio cities including Cleveland.

The stress from the coronavirus pandemic is one of the factors behind an increase in calls to the Northeast Ohio mental health hotline this year. Officials from the Cuyahoga County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board, or ADAMHS Board, are concerned that the added stress from the holidays will make it even more difficult for some people to cope.

Updated: 5:18 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 Federal prosecutors accused a former Cleveland public schools employee of breaching the Senate chamber during last week’s pro-Trump storming of the U.S. Capitol building. Christine Priola is charged with unlawful entry, disorderly conduct and unlawful activities on Capitol grounds, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court Thursday.

The family of Arthur Keith, the 19-year-old man killed by housing authority police in Cleveland a week ago, is asking for an outside agency to conduct an investigation of the shooting.

Federal prosecutors have charged former East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton with obstructing justice, alleging he lied to investigators during the course of a bribery and fraud investigation. Norton faces one count of obstruction, according to a Monday filing in federal court. A former city hall employee, Vanessa Veals, was also charged with obstruction.

The Cleveland International Film Festival plans to stay virtual next year. CIFF announced today the 45th annual festival next April will be online due to both the uncertainly around the pandemic and the state of the film, theater and event industries. "We truly believe, based on science and community circumstances, it is the best decision taking into consideration the safety of all those involved," said CIFF Executive Director Marcie Goodman.

Cleveland’s Lebanese community has begun fundraising efforts to support Beirut after an explosion brought death and destruction to the city earlier this week. The American Lebanese Community Council of Northern Ohio is asking for donations to support Beirut. Proceeds will go directly to recovery efforts, according to Chairman Pierre Bejjani.

Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University officials are preparing to host the first presidential debate of 2020 on September 29. During a global pandemic, those preparations mean preventing the spread of COVID-19, but details of how they will do that remain unclear. Safety is a priority when deciding the details of the debate, the Clinic's Dr. James Merlino said.