Site plan needed for Beech Brook
When he was just a young teenage schoolboy, George Washington sat down and copied out 110 “Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior.”
What invention of the last 100 years do you still use and appreciate? Think hard because we’re not talking about the big, world-changing stuff like the automobile, television or Google glasses, but the insignificant things we take for granted.
In Chagrin Falls and Pepper Pike, developers and municipal leaders are putting plans on the back burner. We believe it is because residents have voiced their concerns and objections.
History surrounds us. Each of our cities, townships and villages have tales of women and men who worked to settle and grow the communities that today we call home.
Dateline “Chagrin Falls” – It was heartening to see so many people turn out at a village council meeting, last week, to stand as one to save a historical house instead of standing by to witness a bulldozer make rubble of it.
At the time of the American Revolution, the future United States was a small, colonial backwater on the world stage. Yet it somehow produced an array of talented, creative thinkers who forged this republic we still inhabit.
Washington’s warnings
We do love our cell phones. So much so that we cannot seem to put them down while shopping, walking or driving. And although cell phone use can come off as being rude to those around us, it is downright dangerous when we are behind the wheel.
Solon City Council held an emergency meeting on Monday morning to approve a nine-month moratorium on new leases and other development activity at the Uptown Solon Shopping Center.
It’s time to put on the brakes.
Site plan needed before vote
It’s three in the morning and I cannot get to sleep. There seems not enough sheep on the planet to make that happen. My brain thinks it’s three in the afternoon.
Auburn’s zoning in jeopardy
Residents of Pepper Pike over the last few months have been asking a lot of questions about a plan that would create a town center on property being sold by Beech Brook, a behavioral health agency. There has been standing room only in a number of city government meetings. People have freely …
Question: What strikes without warning, throws us into crisis mode then leaves just as suddenly and without explanation? No, it is not an unannounced visit from the IRS or extraterrestrial kidnappers.
Should porches count as part of the square footage of a house? Chagrin Falls Village Council is considering this question in a proposed zoning amendment that is up for a third and final reading on Monday. Often, porches, decks and other outside living spaces are not considered part of the of…
Recently it came to my attention that the office workplace has abandoned the tie and shave everyday look and embraced the casual no shaving style. I thought who am I to fight fashion and joined the men who’ve chosen facial hair club.
Knowing due process
You no doubt remember the old line attributed to Ben Franklin when he was asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention had created. “A republic, if you can keep it.” Well, I’ve noticed an interesting thing in recent years: it has bipartisan appeal.
The cold, craziness of traveling by air
Live, work, play in one convenient area. That’s mixed use in a nutshell. And mixed use is a phrase that is becoming more common as developers, investors and municipal leaders look to the future of communities.
Have you seen that television ad showing the elegantly dressed older woman gently dabbing a little foundation on her perfect cheekbones as she muses, “They say after a certain age you no longer care about your appearance. I wonder what that age is.”
Older folks may move a little slower than the impatient ones behind us in the check-out aisle would like, but that does not mean we have lost our intellect or ability to contribute to society.
Individuals in this country should feel free to openly express their views without fear of being dragged into court. Although free speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, apprehension over voicing opinions appears to be increasing in this country.
It’s not too late for a Men’s New Year’s Resolution: to show up in even greater numbers at this year’s Women’s March than ever before. Wherever they’re being held in Washington, D.C. or Anchorage, Alaska, let’s encourage men to march for gender equity and to transform manhood.
Transparency on all issues
Two things to think about as the new year begins.
A free market in alcoholic beverages has never existed in American history.
Looking back at 2019, we see a year filled with changes, progress, setbacks, protests, agreements and achievements.
Environmentalists agree that eliminating single-use plastic bags will be good for planet Earth. Plastic bags are inexpensive. And even though they are considered single-use, the bags often see new life as trash can liners, animal waste retrievers or containers for items stored at home.
Does God exist?
Another year down the tubes and another one facing us square in the face and taunting us to have a “Happy New Year.”
Not long ago, I was in a meeting to talk about a public policy issue. It was a little complex, and as we considered the various angles I began to think about what it would take to translate talk into change on the ground. I wasn’t analyzing the politics of it; I was focused on the types of p…
Holiday stories handed down from generation to generation embrace the magic of the season. One of those true stories dates back 122 years when 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon sent a letter to the New York Post asking about Santa Claus, known for delivering toys and good cheer on Christmas. Virg…
“Man on the Street” interviews used to be one way journalists gauged public opinion on hot topics of the day. Then social media came along and took the shoe leather out of the equation.
Progress in conquering Alzheimer’s
My God, they put Jesus and his parents in cages, as though that’s what U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents would do – you know, keep the spirit of love and compassion from entering the United States of America.
The first thing I noticed about Jim was how thin he was. But then most of the dogs picked up by Cleveland Animal Care and Control are skinny so I didn’t think much about it.
One vote.
Let farm continue
Pretty sure kids are the only ones who experience an unbridled joy and great expectations that come with this time of year.
To me, it was a thunderclap. Years ago, when I was in Congress, we were in the midst of a tense, contentious debate. Members had gotten irritated, levying charges back and forth, and tempers were rising. Then one member stood up, asked for our attention, and said to us, “Let’s remember: trus…
“Jingle bells, the kids have grown and they’re all off at their significant other’s families for the holidays.”
Back in the last century, 1955 to be exact, a folk singer named Pete Seeger wrote a song born of the “Ban the Bomb” movement and the never-ending cycle of war, death and those left behind to repeat the folly.
Social media and the internet force us all to update the way we think about giving. I urge Ohioans to be generous with their pocketbook — and with their time in checking out those seeking donations during the holiday season.
Woodmere Village Council members have made it clear that they are concerned about an efficiently run government, with attention to fiscal responsibility. That’s good for residents who pay for the operation of the village through their tax dollars.
Arbordale Avenue residents are fed up. Homeowners filled Solon City Council chambers earlier this week to complain about the $1.83 million road project with no end in sight.
Save Grove Hill
Welcome to the second annual edition of a compilation of comments written by the local folks who hang out on the Chagrin’s Village Block Club Facebook page, whom we affectionately refer to as “Blockheads.”
