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In the early part of the 20th century, the American whitetail deer population had been nearly wiped out by unregulated hunting.
Gradually, conservation efforts took hold. Now, deer are everywhere east of the Rocky Mountains.
Not just adorably dancing through the Metroparks, but eating my hostas and defecating in my yard.
Twenty-three of the 44 states that responded to a National Deer Association survey said they have an “urban/suburban deer program” in place. That means managed hunting, hiring expert marksmen to cull the herd or using non-lethal methods, including sterilization.
Some Cuyahoga County communities have been culling for two decades.
Still, you’ll probably spot a deer or two this Memorial Day weekend. We’ll be off for the holiday, which honors the men and women who died serving in the U.S. Military.
— Laura
Overnight Scores and Weather
Guardians at Detroit Tigers: Guardians start four-game series against AL Central-leading Detroit with 7-0 victory
Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Cool weekend ahead
Top Stories
Suburban deer: Roughly half the cities in Cuyahoga County have taken steps over the past three decades to manage their encroaching deer populations, reports Peter Krouse. Many allow bow hunting. More than a dozen have had expert marksmen discreetly kill deer using rifles with silencers. Some do both.
Tax cut bill: The U.S. House of Representatives early Thursday narrowly passed a tax cut and spending package that President Donald Trump refers to as the “big, beautiful” bill, with Ohio’s Warren Davidson providing one of just two GOP votes against it. Sabrina Eaton reports the Miami County Republican opposes expanding the federal deficit.
Today in Ohio: Right now, when you can send your child to kindergarten depends on where you live and whether your school district decides kids must be 5 by either Aug. 1 or Sept. 30. A new bill in the Ohio statehouse would change the cutoff to whenever school begins in your district, which means it could vary across weeks in August. We’re talking about how confusing this seems on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
Statehouse and Politics
Westlake Democratic Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney speaks Wednesday at a news conference. She and her colleagues introduced three bills they say will combat dark money and prevent another House Bill 6 scandal.Ohio House of Representatives
Ethics bill: Nearly five years after the corruption scandal of House Bill 6 broke, the laws that enabled a $60 million bribery scheme remain largely intact. To prevent another scandal, Anna Staver reports that four Democratic lawmakers introduced a three-part reform package that would mandate disclosure of dark money donors, target petition-blocking tactics used to stifle citizen-led ballot campaigns, and stop individuals and companies who donate to political candidates from receiving state contracts.
Supreme Court: The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a mandatory prison sentence is required for offenders convicted of a felony involving a gun, reports David Gambino. The 6-1 ruling reverses an 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals decision that permitted a Cleveland woman to serve community control for a gun-related, third-degree felony.
Town hall: Recent developments in federal and state-level education policy became one of the major themes of cleveland.com’s forum that centered on the impacts of President Donald Trump’s federal cuts, reports Mary Frances McGowan.
Northeast Ohio News
EMS bills: Cleveland received an influx of unexpected cash from past-due ambulance bills, giving it up to $19 million to spend on a wide array of needs, including returning money to projects that were left unfunded to pay for repairs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Progressive Field. Sean McDonnell reports Cleveland budgeted for $16 million of EMS revenue in 2025, but the city has already received $22 million and now believes it will get $35 million by the end of the year.
CH mayor: Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren called accusations that his wife used antisemitic language in conversations and text messages “entirely false” and said the city will fight them. Cory Shaffer reports Seren said that screenshots of text messages from his wife, Natalie McDaniel, had been “altered” and that some of the comments attributed to McDaniel were actually made by him.
Profanity tirade: Cleveland Heights officials are refusing to release police body-camera footage of an incident in which Mayor Kahlil Seren’s wife is accused of unleashing a profanity-laced tirade at City Hall employees — prompting one First Amendment attorney to call the city’s justification “a joke,” reports Cory Shaffer.
Reducing violence: Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne announced a new initiative Thursday aimed at ending gun violence, reducing crime and providing youths with 2,000 jobs across Greater Cleveland this summer, Olivia Mitchell reports.
Browns stadium: The Cavaliers are concerned that talks over the potential use of Cuyahoga County sin tax money for capital repairs at a proposed Browns stadium in Brook Park could crush efforts to increase the tax to help pay for the upkeep of Rocket Arena and Progressive Field, Rich Exner and Jeremy Pelzer report.
Memorial travel: AAA projects that 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day weekend, defined as Thursday through Monday. Susan Glaser reports that’s up 3.1% from a year ago and an increase of 2.5% from the previous record set in 2005.
Business and Health
New day care center: The Rite Aid located at 1233 SOM Center Road was purchased for $2.4 million on April 4, making it the third largest commercial sale in Cuyahoga County last month, Megan Sims reports. The 14,000-square-foot building is slated to become a child care center.
Business pitch: Applications are now open for the eighth season of Cleveland Chain Reaction, a small-business pitch competition. Molly Walsh highlights that entrepreneurs can win up to $40,000 in funding and receive mentorship from business experts.
Crime and Courts
Rape sentence: A man convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl in Cleveland decades ago will spend the rest of his life in prison, reports Lucas Daprile. Eric Washington, 73, was sentenced to life in prison with the opportunity for parole after serving 70 years behind bars.
Arts and Entertainment
Ask Yadi: A reader seeks guidance on gift-giving etiquette for a combined birthday party. Yadi Rodriguez says it’s acceptable to bring a gift only for the person you’re closest to.
Maltz exhibit: The traveling installation “Lessons from the Tree of Life: Lighting the Path Forward” debuted Wednesday at the Maltz Museum in Beachwood. Peter Chakerian reports the exhibition offers a haunting, intimate look at the Oct. 27, 2018, Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh – the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
Tri CLE: Tri CLE Rock Roll Run has been named the Best Sprint Triathlon by USA TODAY’S 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards for 2025. Peter Chakerian reports the win puts Tri CLE at the top of multisport events nationwide, “highlighting the race’s exceptional course, community engagement, and impact in promoting triathlon accessibility.”
This image shows Tom Cruise in a still from the film "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning." (Paramount Pictures via AP)AP
‘Mission Impossible’: Tom Cruise returns in “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” a thrilling yet bloated action film featuring a global AI threat. Joey Morona reports on the nearly three-hour movie that delivers jaw-dropping stunts and nostalgic callbacks.
Pink Floyd: The Cleveland Museum of Natural History brings back its popular “Dark Side of the Moon” planetarium show, featuring Pink Floyd’s iconic album with cosmic visuals. Peter Chakerian highlights the summer engagement of this immersive musical experience.
Swenson’s collab Swenson’s Drive-In and Cordelia are collaborating on a unique menu featuring a special Galley Boy burger with pimento cheese and Kool-Aid pickles. Alex Darus writes about this culinary partnership celebrating Ohio’s food scene.
Car show: The 67th Father’s Day car show at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens is coming up, reports Marc Bona. This year’ show – June 15 – celebrates the 70th year of the Ford Thunderbird.
You’re all caught up
Don’t forget, you can always find the latest Cleveland news by visiting cleveland.com. If you value the hard work of Cleveland journalists, consider becoming a cleveland.com subscriber.
— Curated by content director Laura Johnston with contributions by by Cliff Pinckard.
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