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Tag: Tanya Velazquez

  • Ohio nonprofit receives $250,000 in NASA STEM Innovator Award

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    CLEVELAND — Helping students piece together parts and explore technology is Bill Scott’s passion. He’s the executive director of Youngstown nonprofit Advanced Methods in Innovation (AMI).

    What You Need To Know

    • AMI is one of more than a dozen institutions receiving more than $5 million in NASA cooperative agreements to create STEM education for free

    • A growing number of after-school programs are now providing science, technology, engineering and math learning opportunities, according to the Afterschool Alliance

    • While STEM learning is rising, enrollment is declining, with many low-income families citing cost as the number one barrier to afterschool participation 

    “We have our 3D printing farm, where we have about 50 3D printers, and they have various sizes and capabilities,” Bill Scott said. “We’re able to print some various filament types. We use these to build our project kits, and we also print student projects.”

    Working with K-12 schools in the Mahoning Valley area, AMI helps teams of students research and create designs using 2D or 3D software and also develop their own solutions to different NASA-related challenges. The group is part of 29 institutions nationwide that submitted proposed projects to NASA and were selected to help provide learning opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math beyond the classroom.

    Students create their own tail and wing design and test which airplane can fly the furthest. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    AMI President John Scott said their two-year proposal includes delivering kits to more than 3,500 students and educators to support different NASA challenges, including “Gaining Traction on Mars” and “Let it Glide.”

    “With the resurgence of interest in space with the Artemis program, they felt it was a good time to bring more attention to the opportunities for students to learn about NASA, to learn about aerospace, to learn about space in schools, so they came out with a solicitation for proposals,” Scott said.

    He said they’re also planning on launching other initiatives using the STEM Innovator fund, including a Mars Community 2050 project and hosting adventure weeks in Ohio libraries.

    AMI President John Scott and 3D-printed model.

    AMI President John Scott and 3D-printed model. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    The projects aim to foster learning and build skills in an industry where women represent around a quarter of computing and engineering jobs, and Black and Hispanic STEM workers are significantly underrepresented.

    “A lot of students learn to lose their interest in STEM because they don’t think they’re strong in mathematics when, [in] reality, math isn’t the key gatekeeper to STEM, technology is a gatekeeper to STEM,” Scott said. “What we want to do is get students comfortable with technology, with the emerging technologies, so they’ll explore some of these careers.”

    Maria Arredondo is the Next Gen STEM project manager at NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. She said NASA hopes to use these regional partnerships to inspire the country’s next generation of innovators and aerospace workers.

    Mission Integration Center at the NASA Glenn Research Center.

    Mission Integration Center at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    “The STEM Innovator Awards are valued at a $250,000 award amount, and nationwide we made about $4.5 million in awards to 18 organizations for STEM innovators,” Arredondo said.

    While AMI has strong roots in northern Ohio, Scott said, he hopes the organization’s partnership with NASA will help them reach classrooms across the state.

    “For us, NASA provides an opportunity with our statewide initiative to have a vehicle to reach out across the state and have other people learn about our program,” Bill Scott said. “… [These] activities allow kids to design and make things and express their creativity. I think that’s really key.”

    You can check out some more photos below:

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  • More than 100 Ohioans join Happy Dog Takes on ICE Forum

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    CLEVELAND — More than 100 community members joined for the City Club of Cleveland’s Happy Dog Takes on ICE forum as anti-ICE protests are taking place around the state.

    What You Need To Know

    • Widespread demonstrations followed the Trump administration’s efforts to end Temporary Protected Status for more than 300,000 Haitian Americans earlier this week

    • Springfield, Ohio is home to tens of thousands of Haitians, though many have left the city after President Donald Trump falsely claimed that many of the immigrants were abducting and eating pets

    • Ohio House Democrats said they’re planning to propose legislation that would bar ICE from schools, churches and hospitals

    While a federal judge has postponed the Trump administration’s termination of TPS for Haitians, many Ohioans are expressing concerns that Cleveland and other major cities in the state could be next in experiencing a potential surge in ICE operations.

    Patrick Espinosa is the founder and managing partner at Sus Abogados Latinos, which is the only fully bilingual and Hispanic law firm in Ohio, based in Painesville. He joined other legal experts on stage at the Happy Dog on Cleveland’s west side, to discuss recent changes to U.S. immigration system under President Donald Trump, from increased deportations to large-scale ICE operations in several U.S. cities.

    “The best way to, to fix our immigration system is for everybody to understand how it actually works and to avoid tragedies like we’ve seen in the last couple weeks,” Espinosa said.

    From left to right, Patrick Espinosa, managing partner & Founder of Sus Abogados Latino; Lynn Tramonte, executive director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance; and Chriss Schmitt, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and forum moderator.

    From left to right, Patrick Espinosa, managing partner & Founder of Sus Abogados Latino; Lynn Tramonte, executive director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance; and Chriss Schmitt, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and forum moderator. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    Americans’ attitudes toward ICE tactics have soured in recent weeks after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis last month, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll. Around 60% of voters disapprove of the way ICE is enforcing immigration laws and think the recent ICE-involved shootings in Minneapolis are a sign of a broader issue in the way ICE is operating. 

    Cleveland City Council passed an emergency resolution opposing proposed statewide legislation that would require state and local agencies to cooperate with ICE operations in Ohio. Still, the Ohio Immigrant Alliance said they’ve noticed a shift in federal immigration enforcement over the last year.

    “It’s happening here. It’s not at the level – it’s not in your face like Minneapolis … but, I mean, we have to be ready, and it’s going to get worse,” said Lynn Tramonte, the executive director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance.

    While the country has experienced significant changes to immigration policy and enforcement tactics, Espinosa said the reason why people are migrating to the United States hasn’t changed.

    “They do own businesses. They do work. They do pay taxes. They have children. They’re married to U.S. citizens,” Espinosa said. “… What immigrants are actually doing, it’s always been the same. And if you look at different studies put on by different groups, immigrants are more likely to be entrepreneurs, are more likely to employ more people.”

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  • Community reflects on one year of federal immigration enforcement

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    CLEVELAND — Verónica Martínez and her family first immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico over a decade ago, but she said it’s difficult to not be unsettled by President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

    What You Need To Know

    • The recent immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis and protests over the killing of two American citizens there in recent weeks are sparking demonstration across the country

    • Detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement have hit a record-high of more than 65,000 in the last year, according to the agency’s recent data

    • In Ohio, tensions are taking a toll on immigrant communities made up of people who came here for various reasons, many, hoping to pursue the American dream
    • Cleveland Heights residents are rallying around its neighbors as they navigate a year of change

    “We come from Mexico [after] living more than 14 years in El Paso, Texas, and we are a traditional Mexican family,” Martínez said. “…We migrated to this state of Ohio precisely to seek an education – better education for our son.”

    Martínez said she and thousands of other Cleveland Heights residents witnessed the impact of federal enforcement efforts firsthand a year ago, when six Cilantro Taqueria workers were arrested and detained without a warrant by ICE officers in Coventry Village. The restaurant said most of them have since self-deported.

    “Since this raid by the agents, many members of the community felt a deep indignation and disagreement about these processes that they were carrying out,” she said. “Now that we know that they were detained without having a due legal process, overlooking the rights that all the people living here in America have.”

    Dozens of community leaders, including Martínez, expressed their support for these workers and other immigrants in Ohio and nationwide, at an “immigration vigil” in Peace Park on Monday. The event was organized by members of grassroots movement Cleveland Heights for Immigrant Rights, which formed after the Cilantro Taqueria arrests.

    A crowd gathered in freezing temperatures across the street from Mexican restaurant Cilantro Taqueria in Cleveland Heights.

    A crowd gathered in freezing temperatures across the street from Mexican restaurant Cilantro Taqueria in Cleveland Heights. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    “Several community members began organizing and have worked hard throughout the past year to organize petitions to the City Council and the mayor to request that there be measures that legally support these unprotected and vulnerable people,” Martínez said.

    The vigil also paid tribute to Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis, along with others who’ve died in ICE custody since 2025.

    Mariamne Ingalls is one of several artists from the Indivisible NEO Arts Committee that constructed tombstones to display at the vigil. She said each of them include the name, age and details of their death.

    “The idea is to bring visibility to what’s going on,” Ingalls said. “More attention so more people can get together and reassert the lawful due process in this country.”

    The project was led by Kathleen Russell, Co-leader of the Indivisible NEO Arts Committee, which she said plans to create more installations in the future.

    The project was led by Kathleen Russell, Co-leader of the Indivisible NEO Arts Committee, which she said plans to create more installations in the future. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    Rep. Shontel Brown, D-District 11, stood with northeast Ohioans at Monday’s vigil to mourn “over 39 deaths across the country” under the Trump administration.

    “But, as it relates to Ohio, I get calls from constituents who are in in great fear,” Brown said. “…People are afraid to go to work. They’re afraid to go to school. They’re afraid to church.”

    The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign has divided Americans, according to polling from the New York Times and Siena released Friday, with more than 60% of voters saying ICE tactics have “gone too far.”

    Several Republicans have criticized the Trump administration response ICE to the fatal Minneapolis shootings, and has raised questions about state powers and trust in the federal government.

    Trump said he wants to de-escalate state tensions in Minnesota, after writing on social media that Americans should “LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB!” earlier this week.

    Martínez said she and others will continue showing up in the community with the hopes of sending a message.

    “Above all we want to communicate that we are alert, we are active and we are attentive, observing all the actions that are being carried out in all parts of the country,” she said. “And we also want to tell our local, state and federal authorities that we are a people that is organizing, that is organizing to follow the legal paths to be able to recover democracy in our country.”

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  • City Club of Cleveland speaker stirs controversy among LGBTQ community

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    CLEVELAND — Dozens of people gathered outside of the City Club of Cleveland to protest a sold-out Q&A session on “Faith, Policy and Influence.”

    What You Need To Know

    • The City Club of Cleveland prides itself on being one of the oldest free speech organization in the country

    • It’s now under fire for inviting Aaron Baer, the president of the Center for Christian Virtue

    • The nonprofit organization is one of the most influential advocacy groups in Ohio, and it’s been labeled a hate group twice by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its rhetoric on the LGBTQ+ community
    • The Center for Christian Virtue also backed House Bill 68, which bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth and was a large proponent for legislation that bans diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education

    More than 100 LGBTQ+ leaders called on the City Club to cancel or modify the forum in the weeks leading up to the event in a public letter to the organization’s board of director and its CEO Dan Moulthrop. In a written response, the City Club acknowledged the forum’s “controversial topic” but said it is continuing its role “to provide a space where speakers can be questioned directly.”

    Elizabeth Katavich is the lead advocacy coordinator at the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland. She said, she’s concerned Baer’s comments could be detrimental to gender diverse and marginalized communities.

    “We see it time and time again. There are countless statistics from the Trevor Project and many other organizations showing what a devastating effect it can have for major organizations like this to be given a platform,” Katavich said.

    The City Club of Cleveland said it is “focused on achieving diversity in ideology” of speakers and topics and will continue to be a place to “hear from candidates, lawmakers and policy leaders,” including ones the public may not agree with.

    Amanda Cole, Executive Director of Plexus LGBT & Ally Chamber of Commerce, said not enough action was taken by the City Club to mitigate the potential impact of Baer’s conversation.

    “I’m concerned that there was a lack of care in the framing of how this forum was put together. They absolutely have an impact on legislation and democracy, the shape of democracy in Ohio,” Cole said.

    While some audience members joined the LGBT Center in wearing lavender as a non-disruptive sign of support, others met across the street at Play House Square for “a public celebration of queer faith.”

    “By wearing lavender, by having strong visibility and a strong presence, and collective unity … we’re trying to build an effort both inside and outside, all across the board to show that we’re still here,” Katavich said.

    Baer spoke to forum attendees about a variety of issues, including a recent spike in suicides among transgender and non binary youth, which he said, are not directly linked to a growing number of anti-LGBTQ+ policies despite key findings from several advocacy groups, health experts and researchers.

    He also accused pediatric clinics of causing irreparable harm to children seeking gender-affirming care.’

    “Children are being sterilized for life, and so they’re being harmed irreparably is not loving them,” Baer said. “… No child was ever born in the wrong. Not telling a child you were born to the wrong body is, is a heinous act.”

    According to the National Association of Social Workers, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) temporarily pauses puberty and is reversible; and while the treatment is safe for most teens and adults, the medication is typically prescribed to people age 18 and older. 

    Trans Ohio, the state’s first statewide transgender equity group, wrote in a statement to Spectrum News that regardless of Friday’s discussion, “Trans and gender diverse people have existed in every culture around the world throughout recorded history,” and that the community will always “be a part of society and a part of Ohio.

    And while many have denounced the City Club’s actions, others have expressed their support, including Republican U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno who cited the group’s right to free speech on social media.

    In the end, Cole said she hopes the community’s presence sends a message of positivity and resilience.

    “So my hope would be that if you’re frustrated, if you’re upset today, that you continue to let the City Club know, the board of directors know,” Cole said. “But also put that energy towards supporting the LGBTQ organizations that really, really need it so that we can support LGBTQ people to live full lives.”

    Here are some more photos from Friday:

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  • Kent State University features first North African fashion exhibit in the world

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    CLEVELAND — More than 40 clothing pieces and accessories from 24 artists and designers across the world are now on display at Kent State University, and all of them share similar roots.

    What You Need To Know

    • More diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have made their way to runways in recent years, but the fashion industry continues to face significant racial disparities

    • Nearly 70% of Black employees feel fashion jobs are inaccessible, according to the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CDFA) and PVH Corp.

    • Kent State University is helping bridge this gap by exhibiting the work of one underrepresented community

    Sara Hume is a professor and curator at Kent State University’s museum. The building also houses Kent State’s School of Fashion, which is among the top 25 fashion schools in the world and ranks fifth nationwide. The exhibit, “A Meeting of Cultures: Fashioning North Africa,” showcases the work of contemporary designers who are from Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Egypt.

    Hume said, it’s the 30th exhibition she’s worked on campus, but the first of its kind the world.

    “North Africa is full of centers of fashion. When you think about Paris, London, New York, it’s big fashion centers, but really, Casablanca is [an] amazing place and Cairo has wonderful fashions that are coming out of it,” she said. “I really want to open eyes of of people in America, in Ohio, to this richness and diversity.”

    The exhibition opened in September after several years of planning. Hume said. The exhibit is part of her larger, ongoing project to spotlight fashion from different African regions and address a common misconception in an industry where Black and African designers have historically faced underrepresentation.

    “Back in 2016, I organized an exhibition, ‘Fashions of Southern Africa.’ And that exhibition looked at fashion of South Africa and Namibia and the idea, in doing sort of smaller regions of Africa, is the message that Africa is not a monolith,” Hume said.

    The space is divided into three section: our land, disruptors and threads. Altogether, highlighting the community’s diversity and contemporary concerns in the industry.

    Hisham Oumlil launched his brand in 2005, which aims to highlight the intersection of cultures. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    Hisham Oumlil is the only U.S.-based designer in the exhibit and is from Casablanca, Morocco.

    “We have the native atmosphere that we refer to as Berbers … we have the Black Africans, we have the Arab influence, we have the Byzantine, the Phoenicians and then we have the modern European influences. So it’s so very rich … It’s worth, representing, at the world stage.

    Oumlil, his fashion journey began in 1995 while studying and working in fashion retail in San Francisco.

    Now, Oumlil is helping spread awareness of Moroccan culture through his clothing brand Oumlil.

    “North Africans … we have always been a point of inspiration for European designers, for example. And so, to be celebrated, I think it’s really wonderful,” Oumlil said. “And it’s important, in continuing this, important dialog about the beauty of cultural intersections all throughout the world.”

    While fashion history is often told through a western lens, Oumlil said, he’s noticing the beginning of a broader shift toward equity.

    “It’s all an evolution, and it requires a collective sort of work and also an understanding from all the parties involved … by including more voices. into the fashion global, conversation,” Oumlil said. “… We have had very, very successful fashion designers who are originally from North Africa that have made very important contribution to the world of fashion.”

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  • Nicolas Máduro’s removal sparks protests, celebrations worldwide

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    CLEVELAND — Marie Navarro is among the millions of Venezuelans celebrating Nicolas Máduro’s removal, but not all are one board with how it was done.

    What You Need To Know

    • Former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Máduro appeared in U.S. court facing drug and weapons charges

    • The United States launched strikes on Venezuela and captured Máduro Saturday morning, sparking controversy worldwide

    • In recent weeks, the United States seized two oil tankers off Venezuela and more than 110 people have been reportedly killed in recent U.S. airstrikes on boats it alleges were carrying drugs
    • Protests against US military action in Venezuela and celebrations of Máduro’s removal took place around the globe over the weekend

    Venezuela’s Economic Crisis

    Navarro first moved to the United States in 2017, and is now the owner of Tumbao58 at CentroVilla25 in Cleveland. She’s one of nearly 8 million Venezuelans who’ve left the country in search of better living conditions since Máduro took office.

    Venezuelans have endured more than a decade of economic devastation under a leader many consider illegitimate, including the United States. According to the Human Rights Watch, more than 80% of Venezuelans have been living in poverty and lack access to basic services like food and medicine.

    “It is something that we were waiting for, on my part, not with much eagerness because the Venezuelan people have been looking for our freedom for many years,” Navarro said.

    Maduro had maintained power through various tactics that violate human rights principles, including restricting internet access and jailing political opponents and critics. 

    History of U.S. intervention

    The United States has a long history of intervention in the Caribbean and other Latin American countries, which can be traced back to as early as the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, which has been used repeatedly by U.S. presidents to justify foreign intervention.

    Gloria La Riva is an organizer for the Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) Coalition and a longtime activist in Latin America, including Venezuela. 

    “There has not been anything like this since the U.S. takeover of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines in 1898,” La Riva said.

    La Riva said she met Máduro herself in 2000 when he was a young political activist.

    “People don’t know much about the history of Venezuela, but from the turn of the 20th century until 1999, the U.S. ruled over the vast resources that Venezuela has” La Riva said.

    Still, Navarro said she is hopeful Máduro’s removal from office is the first step in addressing the longtime needs of Venezuelans.

    “Our country is in ruin … so, I am sure that this whole transition is going to greatly favor us for the people, that is, the people are going to see the fruit of their wealth again,” Navarro said.

    Venezuelan Oil and Narcotrafficking

    U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Máduro’s government of engaging with drug trafficking.

    “I’ve been in Venezuela since 2001 many times, and in the very beginning there was a lot of violence, a lot of drug violence, a lot of gun violence. You could see 100 people murdered on a weekend in the capital of Caracas. That doesn’t happen now,” La Riva said.

    Trump also announced Saturday the U.S. will run Venezuela and take control of its massive oil reserves.

    Delcy Rodiguez, who’s previously served as Vice President to Máduro and vowed to work with Trump, was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president Monday morning.

    “Trump admitted that the aim is, he said, we will take back the oil, the land and the resources that have been stolen from the U.S.…Venezuelan resources do not belong to the United States. It belongs to the Venezuelan people for their economic benefit,” La Riva said.

    The United States’ recent military action in Venezuela is the latest escalation in increasingly tense relationship between the two countries revolving around Venezuela’s main raw material, La Riva said

    “So, beginning with President Obama, a very heavy series of sanctions had been imposed, more than 1000 sanctions, economic … on the country, on its leaders, on the resources, [on] the oil corporation of CITGO in the United States, which belongs to Venezuela, was confiscated by the U.S.” La Riva said.

    Contemporary US-Venezuela Relations

    “I had been working for 20 years at two large companies.  Those jobs don’t exist anymore,” Navarro said. “This is due to all the failed economic policies that have made it impossible for any company, anywhere in the world, to be sustainable over time.”

    Venezuela is home to the largest crude oil reserve in the world. Navarro said she hopes the United States will help Venezuelans rebuild their country rather than exploit it.

    The U.S. was Venezuela’s primary market for oil until Hugo Chavez took power in 1999. Now it’s China and Russia.

    “Venezuela has undoubtedly already been invaded by Russia, China and Cuba, who have been stealing all our oil and all our wealth for years,” Navarro said. “… Perhaps the United States, in this role, could act as a kind of police force that could stop these kinds of events. Right? I’m not… I’m not entirely against this decision.”

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  • Parma hosts inaugural New Year’s Eve Pierogi Drop

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    CLEVELAND — Justin Sollinger’s giant pierogi is mounted on a 30-foot pole on the roof of restaurant Sloppy Bob’s in Parma, and no, you can’t eat it.

    What You Need To Know

    • While millions of Americans are tuning in to see the famous ball drop at Times Square, many northeast Ohioans are gathering for their own New Year’s Eve celebration.

    • Parma is home to the largest Ukrainian population in Ohio, along with Polish and other Eastern European communities.

    • At the heart of the city’s Ukrainian Village, Sloppy Bob’s is adding a unique cultural twist to an iconic tradition.

    “It’s built out of a piece of plywood… a prefabricated metal frame… heavy fabric,” Sollinger said. “A lot of steel, spray paint, epoxy. It’s got a whole lot of stuff in there.”

    Sollinger hopes it’s the start of a new tradition. The restaurant is partnering with the City of Parma and nonprofit We Are Parma Proud to host the inaugural Parma Pierogi Drop. The event kicks off the New Year and celebrates the city’s bicentennial anniversary.

    Kelly Lasecki and her husband co-own Sloppy Bob’s, which has served Parma residents in the Ukrainian Village for the last seven years. She said the idea for the Pierogi Drop came about during her and her husband’s most recent trip to their go-to destination, Key West.

    “We were out there this last year, and we decided … they drop a conch shell from Sloppy Joes… what would be better in Parma than to drop a Pierogi,” Lasecki said.

    State Meat’s sister company Mama Maria’s Kitchen cooked hundreds of their famous pierogies for Sloppy Bob’s NYE celebration. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    Lasecki said the celebration also shines a spotlight on the city’s strong Eastern European roots, inviting residents to explore traditional foods and festivities along State Road.

    “They’re going to shut the streets down, and you’ll be able to do like a bar crawl and meet safely walking back and forth,” she said. “And then there’s a couple of food trucks going on. We have live music outside of Sloppy Bob’s.”

    While he’s excited for the giant pierogi’s grand landing, Sollinger said, he has even higher hopes for future celebrations.

    “This is the first year. So we only had a few months to plan it,” he said. “We want it to be bigger and bigger and bigger and better next year and make it like three times the size it is now.”

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  • Women-owned and operated auto repair shop is first of its kind in Cleveland

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    CLEVELAND — Popping car hoods and changing car parts has been Carbae’s passion for more than a decade. She’s the owner and operator of Carbae’s Auto Service and Repair, which is the first business of its kind in Cleveland.


    What You Need To Know

    • Women in the automotive industry are a small but growing minority in the United States

    • A northeast Ohio business owner, who goes by the name “Carbae,” is opening doors to the next generation of women in the industry

    • Carbae said that her business is the only woman-owned and operated auto repair shop in Cleveland, which first opened its doors in May

    Carbae said her auto repair journey began in 2015 as a roadside technician at AAA, becoming the only female tech in Ohio.

    She graduated from Ohio Technical College three years later and worked at other local auto repair shops before starting her own business offering mobile services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Women represent 12% of all mechanics in the United States. Carbae said, she’s hoping to help bridge that gap.

    “When I started out, we only represented 4% of mechanics in the United States. So I feel like that number is growing,” she said.

    She said, she’s hoping to continue inspiring other women to step out from behind the steering wheel.

    “I want to be able to offer classes here one or two days a week… get some girls who are really passionate and about doing this,” Carbae said.

    Jazz White joined the auto repair team a month ago but has worked in the car industry since a young age. 

    “I’’ve been doing this since I was 12,” White said. “My grandfather used to work at Ford, and he started real young, when he was, like 17. He moved down here with my grandmother from Marion, Alabama … He just taught everybody how to work on cars, and since then, I just never stopped.”

    White said she’s also an Ohio Technical School graduate, now using her experience and expertise to help others.

    “That’s really what [we’re] promoting right now. Just women empowerment and Black women empowerment,” White said.

    And while they’ve received significant support, Carbae said, they’re still pushing for more progress in the community. 

    “I also want to maybe be able to provide cars like the women who catch the bus with all the kids in the snow,” Carbae said. “… It should be a program out here to help them get vehicles and teach them how to maintain them. And that’s that’s what I want to do. That’s what my passion is.”

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  • Akron man deported after living in U.S. for 44 years

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    CLEVELAND — Brittani Sisouphanh is spending her first holiday season without her father Sone Rassavong who was recently deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to his home country Laos.

    What You Need To Know

    • Brittani Sisouphanh is the daughter of Laotian immigrant Sone Rassavong, who she said was wrongfully arrested and deported by ICE earlier this year

    • The United States is home to an estimated 245,000 Laotian Americans

    • U.S. President Donald Trump is upping restrictions on nationals from more than a dozen countries he’s classified as “high risk,” including Laos

    Sone Rassavong first moved to the United States in 1981 as a refugee and lost permanent resident status after being accused of violating a protection order, Sisouphanh said. He was living in Texas at the time, she said, and lacked access to reliable transportation to check in for parole.

    “He didn’t understand what really comes with probation. So he had missed a day to go check in with his parole officer, and when he missed that appointment, they put a warrant out for his arrest,” Sisouphanh said. “He did not know that you check in once a month, and he just — they put him in jail, for missing that.”

    Sisouphanh said her father was detained by ICE officers that same year after serving several months in jail. 

    Still, she said, her father never received full due process.

    “Under ICE custody, they told my dad, again, no legal representation. They told my dad that if he signs this paper, he can go home. So he signed the paper,” Sisouphanh said. “And my dad has broken English. He doesn’t understand very well, but he didn’t know signing the paper, he was signing his status to be changed from permanent resident to deportation.”

    After signing the deportation order, Sisouphanh said, her father moved back to Ohio and had been living in Akron under a work visa.

    He checked in with Homeland Security and applied to renew his work authorization card each year, Sisouphanh said.

    “We went there just going to check in like normal, not knowing that my dad wasn’t going to come back out with us. I didn’t give any time for him to say bye to family or anything like that. Whatever he had on is what he had to go with,” she said.

    Rassavong is one of tens of thousands of Laotian Americans who became at risk of deportation after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing full restrictions and an entry ban on all immigrants from Laos and Sierra Leone.

    The White House wrote online last week that the limitations imposed under the proclamation are part of Trump’s promise “to restore travel restrictions on dangerous countries” and secure the nation’s borders.

    Sisouphanh said she and other family members have had limited contact with Rassavong since October.

    “It was so hard to be in communication with him. I had to call lots of places, talk to lots of people. I was able to find him on an app, and we were able to communicate that way. But, he did go to Laos and he did share some experience. Getting there was very traumatizing, inhumane,” she said.

    Rassavong is now being detained in Laos, being transferred to the country from a U.S. detention center last week, Sisouphanh said.

    “It’s going to be a culture shock, for sure,” she said. “He left Laos when he was 15, and he stayed in a camp in Thailand till he was 17, and then came to America when he was 17.”

    The impact of Rassavong’s deportation is being felt by many others in the family, Sisouphanh said. He was the head of their family as the father of seven children and grandfather of 13 grandchildren.

    “It changed my way of living because I was living with him the day to day life. And when the day he went, I had work … I just didn’t know how to deal with it,” said Logan Rossavong, Sone Rassavong’s youngest child.

    Still, Rossaving’s family said they’re holding on to hope.

    “When we were on FaceTime, he lost weight …  but right now he’s doing good,” Logan Rossavong said. “He’s trying to keep it, you know, positive, trying to make the best of it.”

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  • Cleveland nears 50th anniversary of school desegregation

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    CLEVELAND — Leah Hudnall’s grandparents moved to Cleveland, along with hundreds of thousands of other Black families from southern states during The Great Migration. She said many incoming residents were forced into redlined neighborhoods with overcrowded schools that were segregated under the city’s historic “Relay” policy.

    What You Need To Know

    • Leah Hudnall, several other nonprofits and civic leaders came together to create a political history campaign now called Relay Cleveland

    • Campaign director Leah Hudnall said the exhibit showcases the history of desegregation in the city’s schools, which will remain on display at the Cleveland Public Library through February

    • The exhibition features the lived experiences of former educators administrators, students and activists across generations

    The Cleveland Relay Policy split the school day into morning and afternoon sessions with Black students only attending for half of the day, rather than sending them to white schools with space in their classrooms during the 1950s and 60s. The NAACP sued the State of Ohio and Cleveland Schools in the 1973 Reed. v. Rhodes court case. The policy didn’t come to an end until 1976, when U.S. Federal Judge Frank Battisti declared that Cleveland schools had been operating a segregated system, Hudnall said.

    As part of subsequent reintegration efforts, Batiste also mandated crosstown busing, transporting students from predominantly Black schools on the city’s east side to whiter suburban schools on the west side.

    (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    “Now what you have are Clevelanders, elders in our community who are 70 and 75 years old, who may have only gotten three hours of the third grade or they may not have started kindergarten until they were seven years old,” Hudnall said.

    The exhibit also highlights the Cleveland’s larger role in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, Hudnall said.

    “You have parents, like Mrs. Daisy Craggett and Mrs. Clara Smith, who created a committee called Relay Parents March to fill empty classrooms,” she said. “… parent groups like that all banded together with historic organizations like the NAACP and Core Congress on Racial Equality, and they came together under a banner, calling it the Unite Freedom Movement.”

    While the exhibit celebrates nearly half a century of progress in education, Hudnall said, it is only a piece of an ongoing journey toward educational equity.

    Public data from the Ohio School Report Card shows many schools rated under 4 stars in 2024.

    (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    “Cleveland saw a growth in many areas, graduation rates and academic success,” she said, “All of that led to what we all experienced together as a global community. The pandemic, which kind of shattered all of that hard work.

    Greg Deegan is the executive director of Teaching Cleveland, which joined other local groups, researchers, educators and leaders on the Relay Campaign Committee team. Deegan, who worked as a high school teacher for over 20 years, said many challenges still remain in Cleveland’s school system. 

    The Cleveland School District approved a plan Tuesday to close and consolidate dozens of schools in the city after facing a decades-long enrollment decline and budget deficit.

    “The more we talk about it, the more we sort of have a community conversation about this, the more we can be more well equipped for the challenges and opportunities today and what we see in schools,” Deegan said.

    Now, Hudnall said, the’re calling on other community members to “carry the baton.”

    “Our children in Cleveland need us,” Hudnall said. “They need us as neighbors, and they need us to actually get back in the game, on to fight for fair education.”

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  • Day of the Dead sawdust carpets, altars celebrate life through tradition

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    CLEVELAND — A decades-long tradition from Guanajuato, Mexico is now returning to the Pivot Center for Art, Dance & Expression to celebrate Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

    What You Need To Know

    • Day of the Dead is rooted in Mexican and Latin American history but is now celebrated by millions of people across the globe during the first two days of November

    • Ways of celebrating the holiday can vary, but all traditions center around the believed unification of the living world and spirits in the afterlife

    • A local artist is partnering with the Mexican Committee of Cleveland and other groups to share the art and history of making Day of the Dead sawdust carpets and altars

    El Tapete de la Muerte/ Carpet of Death

    Artistic Director Hector Castellanos Lara is leading workshops to assemble a grand “tapete de muerte,” or, “carpet of death,” made of sawdust, sand and other natural materials. He said sawdust rugs are a Holy Week tradition in several Latin American countries but was transformed into a Day of the Dead tradition by a group University of Guanajuato students in 2008. 

    The tradition grew in popularity and was adopted by the Pivot Art Center in 2022, and has returned each year since, Castellanos Lara said.

    “We start making classes [on] how to apply the sawdust and the colored sand to tiles that are made of foam board,” he said. “And, parents and grandparents and children, they come and they’re making their own.”

    He said each student makes decorates an individual tiles that are placed around a central image, altogether forming a larger art. He said, the carpets will remain on display until the center’s Day of the Dead celebration on Sunday.

    “La Catrina” is a skeletal figure that’s become a national symbol for Day of the Dead in Mexico. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    “The ceremony will end with the Catrina [who] will walk over the tapete de la muerte and everything will be moved around. All this, all those colors… those will be all over,” Catellanos Lara said.

    Ofrendas/ Altars 

    The Pivot Arts Center is also inviting members of the community to participate in a more common Day of the Dead tradition: building altars. These displays also known as “ofrendas,” hold offerings meant to invite the spirits of loved ones.

    Frances Araujo is one of several families invited by the Comité Mexicano de Cleveland to construct one of these altars. 

    Day of the Dead ofrendas often showcase a mix of indigenous and Spanish histories, commonly featuring items like a “copal” – used in ceremonies as incense – and religious crosses.

    Day of the Dead ofrendas often showcase a mix of indigenous and Spanish histories, commonly featuring items like a “copal” – used in ceremonies as incense – and religious crosses. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    “Despite the pain that the death of a loved one can cause us, we also take it with joy and remember it with with affection,” she said.

    Day of the Dead altars typically showcase which often include, photos of deceased loved ones, bread of the dead, flowers and other symbolic objects, Araujo said.

    “We put candles, which is for them to walk toward the light,” she said. “We put the water to them, so they aren’t thirsty on the way. … Also the food that they liked or their favorite.”

    The holiday’s history

    Ancestral elements also hold an important space on the altar, said Lucia Gutierrez, who is an indigenous, Purépecha medicine woman and biochemical engineer.

    Gutierrez grew up in Michoacán, Mexico, where she said the holiday spans longer than two days and is known by a different name.

    “So we actually don’t call it Noche de Muertos.’ We call it ‘Noche de las Ánimas,’ which can be translated to ‘Return of the Souls.’ But it’s actually like weeks for that celebration,” Gutierrez said.

    A growing number of people celebrate Day of the Dead each year, she said, but it’s important to recognize its indigenous roots.

    Lucia Gutierrez shared her homeland’s traditions with other community members at the Young Latino Network’s

    Lucia Gutierrez shared her homeland’s traditions with other community members at the Young Latino Network’s

    “For a lot of indigenous people … in order to preserve traditions, we have to mix our tradition with religion, or different things that now we are used to,” she said. “Before that, there were elements that were part of our daily life, like the use of ‘copal’, or the use of salt, or the use of fire.”

    While Día de los Muertos traditions can vary, Castellanos Lara said, all represent the celebration of life.

    “It’s important because that’s the only way we can transmit those to our children,” Castellanos Lara said. “And the new generation that will continue these beautiful events and traditions annually.”

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  • Wedding couples celebrate the spooky season at Akron Civic Theatre

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    AKRON — Dressing up for Halloween is an annual tradition for Brian Rubenstein, but this year, he isn’t just wearing his costume for trick-or-treaters.

    What You Need To Know

    • More than two-thirds of Americans are celebrating Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation

    • This holiday, several northeast Ohio couples are showing how walking down the aisle is nothing to be scared of

    • Akron Civic Theatre is partnering with Summit County to provide people with an opportunity to get married at the nearly 100-year-old venue

    Rubenstein and Ian McCormick were one of many couples walking down the aisle at the Akron Civic Theatre this holiday weekend. 

    “It is my favorite holiday,” Rubenstein said. “I like the, you know, pretty much the whole month of October. A spooky, scary thing. but it’s also tied to, you know, a deep changing of the seasons, the changing of the year.”

    And they aren’t the only ones keeping the spooky spirit alive on their special day.

    Nico Stinziano and Jessica Wheeler are also celebrating their next big milestone, while representing a classic, dark romance: Morticia and Gomez Addams. 

    The two are high school sweethearts, now tying the knot after getting engaged on the same date two years ago.

    “We just kind of went up to the courts, and they actually told us that was the only day available, which was perfect because that’s the day we wanted. So it kind of just works in our favor,” Stinziano said.

    And next Halloween, Rubenstein said he and McCormick are planning to host a larger wedding party for all their friends and family.

    “More to be able to save up money and have the actual celebration and stuff that we want,” Rubenstein said. “But we did want to get the actual, legal part done with first, and that just removes one obstacle that we don’t have to deal with on that day.”

    Still, Rubenstein and McCormick said they’re celebrating more than just their marriage and Halloween.

    “I remember a time when I didn’t think this was something we’d ever be able to do, and it it’s like a dream come true, a miracle to be able to do this here,” McCormick said. “We made it. We hit the finish line. It’s on paper now.”

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  • Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame honors migrant women advocate

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    CLEVELAND — Mónica Rámirez has dedicated most her life to helping migrant women, and now she’s being recognized for advocacy work as part of the Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame’s class of 2025.

    What You Need To Know

    • Seventy percent of agricultural workers are foreign-born, according to the National Center for Farmworker Health, Inc.

    • In Ohio, immigrants account for around 5% of the state’s population, and within this group, around half are women

    • Mónica Rámirez, founder of Justice for Migrant Women, is being recognized for her lifelong commitment to advancing the rights of migrant and rural women

    • The Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame has been honoring the state’s pioneers of human rights each year since 2009

    Born and raised in Fremont, Rámirez is the daughter and granddaughter of farmworkers. Rámirez said she began her advocacy work at age 14, later graduating from The Ohio State University in 2003, and becoming the first attorney in the country to specialize in handling cases of sexual violence and gender discrimination against farmworker women.

    She eventually made her way back home, and is now the president and CEO of nonprofit Justice for Migrant Women based in Fremont.

    Rámirez created “The Bandana Proect” to raise public awareness of sexual violence against U.S. farmerworker women while working at the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2007. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    “Unfortunately, sexual violence against farmworker women is a crisis in our country,” Rámirez said. “When that first report came out in the 1980s, 90% of the women who had participated said sexual violence was a major workplace problem for them.”

    Rámirez said this percentage has remained steady over the last few decades. Still, she said the organization’s reach extends beyond this issue.

    The center also provides legal aid, civic training, mental health services and other resources to thousands of other migrants and farmworkers nationwide.

    “All together, since 2020, we have distributed more than $10 million in aid,” Rámirez said. “Here in Ohio, we’ve distributed about $2 million in aid. And then we’ve also worked with partners across the country to provide resources to individuals in 34 other states and in Puerto Rico.”

    Rámirez launched “The Humans Who Feed Us” – a national project telling the stories of immigrants employed across the food supply chain.

    Rámirez launched “The Humans Who Feed Us” – a national project telling the stories of immigrants employed across the food supply chain. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    Mary Alice Espiritu is the office manager for the Justice for Migrant Women center. She also grew up in northwest Ohio but has strong roots in Texas and Mexico.

    “My grandparents are from Mexico … my parents were born in Texas. They decided to finally come to Ohio, to have other opportunities of work, and they settled here in Fremont,” she said.

    Espiritu said came to know many other immigrant families of similar backgrounds in the area, now working directly with the community.

    She said, while the organization has made significant strides over the last decade, migrant women continue facing several disparities.

    “Low wages, the childcare, but also the transportation,” Espiritu said. “And to be able to travel to their workplace or even taking their children to school – since [we’re] in the rural area we don’t have, like the public transportation that there are in bigger cities.”

    Working alongside Rámirez, she’s hoping to bridge that gap.

    “In the migrant or rural communities, I feel that those resources, resources are even more limited simply because if there’s language barriers, those resources aren’t offered to them, in their language.”

    While Rámirez has made her mark in Ohio history, she said the organization’s work is far from over.

    “We have to keep telling the stories of everyday people because that is how we’re going to be able to better know people,” Rámirez said. “But also … best protect people in this time of attempting to erase.”

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  • City of Akron releases Innerbelt Master Plan

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    AKRON, Ohio — A small stretch of road known as the “Innerbelt” was meant to connect to major highways in Akron in the 1960s, but the construction project has since been abandoned.

    Now, the city is hoping to transform what’s become a point of division to a symbol of unity.

    What You Need To Know

    • Several courts have taken action to block part of the Trump administration’s ban on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs over the last few months

    • The DEI ban put a pause on a re-development project in Akron, which had been awarded $10 million dollars under the Reconnecting Communities Pilot program

    • The city said it is hoping to overcome that roadblock by honoring the past and building a more connected future



    The city released a “Phase One Report” last year, detailing more than two years of engagement data, case studies and recommendations for carrying out its Reconnecting Our Community initiative. The development program was formally launched in 2022 and aims to rebuild the Innerbelt space through community-based collaboration. Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said they’re now launching a master plan, implementing input from members of the community. 

    “I’m a little nervous because its like $200 million of work back there, and that’s a lot of years of work, but I am confident we can do it,” Malik said.

    The city said the plan covers the entire Innerbelt area, including Wooster Avenue and Howard Street – two historic Black commercial, cultural corridors – along with nearby neighborhoods.

    Roberta Rogers was born and raised on Poplar Street in the Akron Innerbelt area.

    She said her family and many others were displaced from the area during the Innerbelt’s initial construction.

    Urban Planner Siqi Zhu said the master plan includes enhancing Vernon Odom Blvd. to be a more walkable, active commercial destination. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    “It was a beautiful home and beautiful community,” Rogers said. “We had neighbors and friends that we cared a lot about, and there were stores and post offices and businesses in the area too, that are all gone.”

    Now, Rogers said, she’s hoping to see the city revive the communities’ legacy.

    “Fortunately, however, this group is trying to rebuild the area and give us back community once again, which will be wonderful,” she said.

    The mayor invited other local leaders and the Innerbelt design team to discuss their strategies for supporting Akron residents. 

    Urban planner Siqi Zhu said the Sasaki design team has divided the restoration plans into the five stages, which include, making neighborhood-based investments, strengthing east-west corridors, and connecting open spaces and activating Innerbelt-adjacent assets.

    The design team is now handing off these plans to the city, Zhu said, also setting a timeline for reaching short-term and long-term goals.

    “This is the moment when we take these ideas, and again … start to turn them into reality in the next one year, five years, 15 years and 30 years,” he said.

    (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

    “The last idea is to focus on the actual highway infrastructure and how we can incrementally undue, untangle that infrastructure, which requires a lot of thoughtful studies and steps, for the reason that this is still an active highway,” he said.

    Millions of dollars in federal funds remain frozen for Innerbelt project after being halted during President Donald Trump’s DEI crackdown.

    Zhu said they’re working with the city to overcome this hurdle.

    “And that’s one of the big reasons why we broke up the master plan into these smaller, incremental steps,” he said. “That starts with, one to five years and then building on that. The one to five year projects are intentionally developed in such a way that they are within the sort of resource envelope of what the city has.”

    Still, repairing the Innerbelt means recognizing the lasting impact of its past, Zhu said, and looking beyond the geographical scar left behind.

    “It’s not just about putting back physically with the way it was, but rather looking at economy, housing, open space, culture, history, try to repair all of these different aspects, and not just the physical sort of highway and roads,” he said.

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  • Akron Marathon celebrates 23rd anniversary and city milestone

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    CLEVELAND — The 2025 Akron Marathon is taking off this weekend as the city continues to celebrate its 200th anniversary.

    What You Need To Know

    • Akron Public Schools laid off around 160 faculty members, including teachers, last summer

    • Now, the district said it is looking to fill around the same number of jobs before school starts this week

    • Statewide, the teacher attrition rate – or those no returning as a teacher – has risen in recent years, while the number of newly credential teachers has declined since 2013.

    Four months of training is paying off for Eric Westog who was the first half-marathoner to cross the finish line this year. 

    He is one of more than 8,000 participants who stood behind the start line at sunrise. Westog said he’s been running for around 15 years, but it’s only his second time participating in the annual Akron Marathon, Half Marathon and Team Relay event.

    “This year I was actually entered for the full marathon, and I switched this morning because my daughter has a fever back home. So I wanted to get done sooner so I can get back home,” said Westog who is from Michigan.

    Anne Bitong, President and CEO of the Akron Marathon, said participants are traveling new revamped routes across the downtown area.

    “This is an all new finish line this year,” Bitong said. “We had a change in the course, so we flipped the first 13 miles of the race course, and then we’re finishing right here on South Main Street, the heart of Akron with the all new renovated lot three. So, we think our runners are going to love it.”

    And while the Marathon is celebrating it’s 23rd anniversary, Biton said the event is also recognizing a significant milestone in the city’s history.

    “It’s Akron’s birthday, the bicentennial. So all of our participant shirts and medals feature the 200 Akron logo, and it’s just a great way to celebrate Akron with that foot tour. Traveling around our city with amazing landmarks,” she said.

    Fhiannon Stevenson is an employee with FirstEnergy and long-time participant in the Akron Marathon. She is helping lift the spirit of celebration at the marathon.

    “I have run every day for the last five years. So I’ve run on plenty of birthdays, never a race like this,” she said. “So I think I’m just going to pretend they’re all cheering for me.”

    Still, for other participants, the race is only a piece of a longer journey that lies ahead.

    “I would love to qualify for the Olympic trials in the marathon,” Westog said. “So I’m going to go plan to go for that in the spring.”

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  • Young athletes in Cleveland to compete at the 2024 AAU Junior Olympics

    Young athletes in Cleveland to compete at the 2024 AAU Junior Olympics

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    CLEVELAND — Six-year-old Naomi Maxwell is one of a dozen young athletes preparing for the Amateur Athletic Union’s Junior Olympics in Greensboro, North Carolina, this year.

    What You Need To Know

    • Twelve young atheltes from a track team in Cleveland will be comepting in the 2024 AAU Junior Olympics in Greensborough, North Carolina

    • These athletes are part of Good2Great, a youth development program in Cleveland that has its own track team of children from ages 5 to 18

    • The Junior Olympics track and field competition will begin July 28 and go throguh Aug. 3 at the Triust Stadium at North Carolina A&T State University


    “We have practice Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” Maxwell said. 

    Naomi and her peers are part of Good2Great, a youth development program based in Cleveland that formed a track team in 2018. 

    Cordale Scott, former Glenville High School and University of Toledo Football Star, said the group has one mission.

    “To use track to tap into the kid’s character or, you know, mentorship, things like that,” Scott said. “So we use sports to tap into the kids’ mindset.”

    Athletes from ages 5 to 18 can join. Nia Sims began track at 12 years old, and now after three years, is competing in the Junior Olympics for the first time.

    “I’m very excited,” Sims said. “I have a lot of support from friends, family, but also kind of nervous because it’s going against kids all over the nation, not just from Ohio.” 

    Sims qualified for the competition last year, but she lacked the financial means to go. This year, her loved ones made sure that didn’t happen.

    “My mom did like a GoFundMe, for, like, the expenses to go. So we raised over $400, I mean, $4000,” Sims said.

    Like Sims, young athlete Alexander Ellison won’t let any obstacle get in his way.

    “Alex had an injury during indoor, and then he was able to come back and really compete at a high level and make it to nationals,” Scott said. “ So very excited for Alex to be able to experience this year.”

    Now less than three months away, these athletes say they’re ready to hit the track and take home the gold.

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