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The monitor overseeing Cleveland’s police reform agreement says the city is at a “critical turning point,” and now must put new policies into practice. The city, the monitoring team and the Justice Department provided an update on the consent decree to U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver on Tuesday afternoon. “This is the point at which paper must be transformed into sustained, ongoing practice,” Monitor Matthew Barge wrote in his team’s latest semiannual report. He added that the city “still has a distance to travel” until it fully complies with the consent decree.

Needle exchange programs — also called "syringe services" programs — allow drug users to swap dirty needles for clean ones, but also can offer HIV screening, fentanyl test strips, and referrals to addiction treatment and other social services.

Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are preparing legislation that would welcome shared, motorized scooters back to city sidewalks. County council will take a first look Tuesday at an ordinance allowing the county’s sustainability department to license bike and scooter share programs. At the city level, Councilman Kerry McCormack says scooter legislation should be coming in the next few weeks.

A special grand jury indicted five Cuyahoga County corrections officers Monday on civil rights and other charges. Attorney General Dave Yost’s office accuses the guards of mistreating jail inmates. One of the guards is accused of failing to seek medical help for an inmate who later died of a drug overdose. Two pairs of guards are accused of physically assaulting inmates who were strapped down in restraint chairs.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s office says it has hired most of the social workers it needs to help kids at recreation centers who have endured trauma. Tracy Martin-Thompson, who leads the city’s efforts to reduce violence among young people, briefed Cleveland City Council Monday morning.

Construction season for the Ohio Turnpike kicked off this week. That means some slow going for people using I-77 but a new toll gate system will mean a quicker time for those using EZ Pass. The Turnpike Commission will be spending almost $200 million this year replacing pavement and bridges along the 60-year-old toll road. There’s something to slow down everyone. A 30-year plan to replace all the pavement and bridge decks is only one-fifth complete and this year Cuyahoga, Lorain, and Summit Counties will be the focus.

Many museums across the state and nation are working to better serve people who historically have not been visiting or feeling welcome. “Becoming an inclusive, diverse and accessible space is not something that can be achieved by a single program or exhibit,” said Johnna McEntee, executive director of the Ohio Museums Association.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) wants drivers to know that a stretch of Interstate 490, between East 55th Street and I-77, will be closed later this month. The shutdown will alow for construction on the third and final phase of the $306 million Cleveland Opportunity Corridor project. Julie Meyer, ODOT's project manager for the Opportunity Corridor, said that she knows the closure will be challenging for drivers at first, but the agency has worked with the City of Cleveland to identify detour routes.

Thanks for checking out "The Downtowner," about Cleveland's newest, oldest neighborhood. Downtown Cleveland is trendy. Are Clevelanders ready for this? That's what we explore in our podcast about the rise in interest in living Downtown, and what the city will need to do to sustain this growth. Check out all of our episodes on our show page.

In Israel, like in the United States, Independence Day is often celebrated with family and friends around the grill. But it’s also a time for tension in a new play from Israel that received its North American debut at Dobama Theatre last night.