Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More CLEVELAND — Cinco de Mayo isn’t Mexico’s Independence Day but it is still widely celebrated in Ohio and across the world The community’s growth also brings over many traditions Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 food and traditions aren’t unfamiliar to Marin Leibas who grew up with Mexican parents and has lived in Lorain for nearly 64 years they call us because we’re United States-born,” Leibas said Leibas is helping bring back a long-time tradition in the community He is leading dozens of people in parading the streets of northeast Ohio and is leading celebrations for Cinco de Mayo community members are also invited to try traditional Mexican cuisine dance to mariachi music and watch the 2025 Little Queen Pageant coronation outside of Mexican Mutual Society.  “We have an Aztec dance group coming that's going to be actually “I've actually got some lowrider cars and some antique cars coming because Leibas said he’s hoping to educate older and young generations by commemorating Mexican history and heritage and we forgot some of the things that we grew up with,” he said he isn’t alone in trying to reunite the community and reignite cultural customs Joel Arredondo followed in his family’s steps serving his second term as president of the Mexican Mutual Society.  The Cinco de Mayo celebration has been around for several decades brought to Lorain by his parents’ generation in the 1920s wanted to bring some of their traditions from Mexico a sense of recognition and accomplishment,” Arredondo said As thousands of Ohioans prep for a full weekend of partying he wants this year’s Cinco de Mayo celebration to center around one key principle to bring that back to the community,” Leibas said “Too many of our kids have walked away from the culture there listening to other music than their own They're not being part of the the mainstream movement here.” Ohio — Lorain Police Chief James McCann was ordered to turn in his badge and gun and placed on paid administrative leave amid an investigation into his actions and decisions According to a letter from Lorain's mayor and safety service director dated April 25 the investigation will determine if McCann's actions and decisions as chief align with departmental policies and professional standards The letter does not specify any particular incidents but says the investigation is related to a March Office of Professional Standards report examining claims of retaliation and discrimination by a former Lorain police lieutenant investigators did acknowledge McCann is "often unprofessional in the work environment with his comments" and referenced what they called McCann's "boorish and unbridled personality." McCann is barred from making any public statements that could interfere with or influence the investigation That investigation is being handled by the newly formed public corruption unit of the Lorain County Sheriff's Office A sheriff's spokesman said investigators received and are reviewing statements and information but did not know how long the investigation could take The sheriff's office said if any potential criminal acts are found those findings will be turned over to the county prosecutor's office Deputy Chief Mike Failing will serve as acting chief while McCann is on leave By Avery WilliamsPublished: Apr 2025 at 2:43 PM EDTEmail This LinkShare on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInLORAIN Ohio (WOIO) - Lorain police say a 64-year-old woman died Wednesday after she was hit by a train Lorain police have identified the victim as Sharon Matusiak Officers say they were called out around 1:30 a.m they found a woman unresponsive near the train tracks a Norfolk Southern train struck and killed Matusiak while she was walking on or near the tracks Officers say the crossing signals and gates were operating as intended when the woman was hit Lorain police and Norfolk Southern police will continue investigating Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lorain Police Department Traffic Bureau at 440-204-2115 Ohio — Despite several restaurants closing in 2025 and concerns over the economy a Cleveland barbecue spot is expanding and opening a second location Eighteen months ago, Sweet Pork Wilson’sopened at the corner of West 117th Street and Madison Avenue in Cleveland is being prepped more than 20 miles away in the city of Lorain: 301 Lakeside Avenue it was home to Jackalope Lakeside and then Erie Steak and Seafood Company you can’t go wrong,” said co-owner Jason Brooks you have a captive audience with the boaters out there there’s no other barbecue restaurants out here.” The beginning of 2025 was tough for the industry “You look at January and February and across the country, sales were down for restaurants compared to the same time a year ago,” said Ohio Restaurant and Hospitality AlliancePresident and CEO John Barker “January was down about 2.5% and then February was down significantly Barker said numbers for March are coming in positive He said the top three concerns for operators right now are the economy but there are all kinds of exceptions to that,” he said Brooks sees what’s before him as an opportunity and he’s hired back some of the staff who used to work at the previous restaurant “We’ve built a great culture at Sweet Pork Wilson’s He said the Lorain location will be a bit more seafood-focused because it's near the lake “But on the initial opening we’re going to have a condensed menu things that we can get out of the door really fast.” The restaurant is scheduled to open mid-to-late May Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInLORAIN Ohio (WOIO) - The investigation into Lorain Police Chief Jim McCann for allegations of discrimination and retaliation not only showed the claims were “unfounded,” it resulted in the termination of the LPD lieutenant who filed them after 19 counts of his own misconduct were revealed Editor’s Note: Graphic language is in the full Lorain Police Internal Affairs Investigation report linked here Below is the summary of the three different complaints Lt Corey Middlebrooks filed to the City of Lorain and the Lorain Police Department Office of Professional Standards findings: 2024 in a rebuttal memorandum after receiving written reprimand for poor work performance from McCann on Jan OPS listed these issues that were identified since Middlebrook was promoted to Patrol Operations Captain on Jan OPS said these performance issues prompted McCann to hold numerous in-person counseling sessions and had to “provide Middlebrooks with detailed instructions on routine tasks within his job description as he needed help comprehending those tasks.” OPS said Middlebrooks claimed “targeted retaliation and unfair treatment stemming from reporting misconduct within the department.” “He also disputed the accuracy of his reprimand,” OPS stated and argued that “it contained ‘opinions presented as facts’ and ‘portrayed false or inaccurate versions of events and interactions McCann formally replied to Middlebrooks’ rebuttal on June 10 OPS stated McCann told Middlebrooks that if he had “evidence of reprisals from any employee of the police department he was directed to report each incident in writing so each claim of retaliation could be investigated.” OPS said Middlebrooks filed the second complaint on June 12 which alleged the chief engaged in gross mismanagement Middlebrooks stated the retaliation allegation stemmed from McCann “ordered [him] questioned again about unsubstantiated statements and biased opinions,” which were previously raised in his written reprimand OPS reported McCann noted Middlebrooks did not provide any factual information or evidence that anyone had retaliated against him McCann registered Middlebrooks’ rebuttal as a formal complaint against the retaliation as the chief believed violated “Federal Law and Lorain Police Policy and Procedure,” OPS shared ”Chief McCann stated that Middlebrooks had filed an EEOC complaint on July 24 which was subsequently dismissed on August 5 He said Middlebrooks had ninety days to file a civil lawsuit after the EEOC’s dismissal Chief McCann asserted that Middlebrooks’s failure to file a civil lawsuit illustrates that he has zero evidence of any such claim Chief McCann asserted that Middlebrooks had been making false complaints to misdirect the police department and the city in hopes of receiving preferential treatment regarding his job performance and administrative violations and/or causing harm to his professional and personal reputations out of retaliation and spite for doing his job as the Chief of Police." Middlebrooks filed the discrimination complaint on July 16 just three days before he was demoted from Captain to Lieutenant “The disciplinary recommendation was based on the external investigation conducted by Jeremy Iosue and based on recommendations from the Employee Review Board (“ERB”) recommending that he be demoted based on his performance as captain Director Carrion concluded that Middlebrooks had committed gross misconduct had violated the department’s standards of conduct policy and had violated Ohio Revised Code §124.34 The Director noted that Middlebrooks had disobeyed direct orders from Chief McCann and had not planned for future contingencies The Director also wrote that evidence demonstrated that Middlebrooks had purposely made statements to mislead the Employee Review Board during his pre-disciplinary hearing Director Carrion said Middlebrooks’s performance as a Captain had been inefficient and marred with 43 unsatisfactory performance It was the Employee Review Board’s opinion that Middlebrooks was incapable of completing and fulfilling the duties of a Police Captain." OPS said Middlebrooks claimed he witnessed numerous instances of racism and unjust behavior in his 26 years of service with the Lorain Police Department He also alleged McCann “treated [him] in a manner that indicate[d] his intolerance of minorities,” “had subjected him to unannounced testing and unfair investigations and ordered him to perform tasks outside of his job classification…” OPS stated Some of the incidents of alleged discrimination by the City of Lorain and some of its employees happened over 20 years ago Middlebrooks failed to accept responsibility for his job performance He contends that Middlebrooks’s accusations are false and only meant to intimidate the city and the police department from taking disciplinary action against him,” OPS reported.“ Chief McCann also noted that Middlebrooks was placed on administrative leave for insubordinate conduct related to the investigation on Jan OPS completed the investigation on March 20 “The investigation ultimately determined that Lt Middlebrooks’s allegations of retaliation and discrimination were unfounded considering the legal definitions of discrimination and retaliation Middlebrooks failed to establish a prima facie case to support his claims did not find that Middlebrooks’s allegations were made with malice by clear and convincing evidence OPS further found that Middlebrooks committed numerous acts of official misconduct throughout this investigation Editor’s note: OPS shared Black Law’s Dictionary definition of prima facie as “established by sufficient evidence and can be overthrown only by rebutting evidence adduced on [offered by] the other side.” OPS listed the following administrative charges Middlebrooks faced from the investigation’s findings: A pre-disciplinary hearing was held for the administrative charges on April 10 where Middlebrooks offered a verbal explanation and written rebuttal Acting Lorain Chief of Police Jared Oliver found Middlebrooks guilty of the 19 total LPD administrative charges listed above violating the LPD policies and procedures listed Oliver had “no other choice but to recommended the termination of the Lieutenant’s employment with the Department” on April 15 in accordance with disciplinary procedures The findings were forwarded to City of Lorain Director of Public Safety/Service Ray Carrion who also found Middlebrooks violated the above policies and procedures including but not limited to: inefficiency and violation of any policy or work rule of the officer’s or employee’s appointing authority Carrion “terminated Middlebrooks effective immediately on April 17 and another was seriously injured in a Lorain parking lot police responded to a report of shots fired in the parking lot of 1139 Tower Boulevard unresponsive and wounded by multiple gunshots officers immediately performed life-saving measures and requested EMS respond to the scene The second victim was transported to Mercy Hospital of Lorain for treatment he was taken to Cleveland Metro Hospital by LifeFlight Medical Transport A man who police believe was involved in the incident was detained at the scene but no charges have been filed at this time Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lorain Police Department Criminal Justice Bureau at 440-204-2105 Ohio — After reaching out to several entities we are getting more insight into the safety of the East 28th Street railroad bridge and underpass I reached out to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA.) The agency is tasked with overseeing and auditing railroad bridge management programs to make sure they comply with federal safety standards is the responsibility of the track owner (i.e the railroad,)” said Deputy Director of Public Affairs Warren Flatau in a statement sent to News 5 “FRA does not maintain a national inventory of railroad bridges nor does it have statutory authority to directly inspect them.” I emailed the agency a significant portion of the video and was told bridge safety staff watched the video “multiple times and said there is nothing obviously unsafe about this bridge RELATED: 'Do you think this bridge is safe?' Lorain residents concerned with East 28th Street bridge CSX said it was inspected in November 2024 and is safe for railroad operations the railroad is also supposed to mitigate the danger of falling debris during routine inspection and maintenance Lorain’s safety service director told News 5 that a meeting will be happening soon with city leaders After emailing Mayor Jack Bradley Friday morning "Our engineers have the ODOT assessment of the bridge from last year which indicates the bridge meets minimum ODOT standards and the bridge is scheduled to be inspected again this year," he said "We are also reaching out to the railroad to do some maintenance on the bridge." Bradley said ODOT would not allow the use of the bridge if it posed a risk to safety or the public Ohio schools are anxiously awaiting the final state budget “We have to come up with a five year forecast for the schools to say how we’re going to spend our money for five years but the state tells us every two years how much money we’re going to get we don’t know,” said Lorain City Schools Superintendent Dr “I’m somewhere between nervous and a little scared based on what I keep hearing about where we’re going to end up being when it’s decided in June.” voters rejected a permanent improvement levy RELATED:Another election, another levy: Lorain County schools consider new funding measures on May ballot the district offered teachers on the higher end of the pay scale a $65,000 severance package to move on It would allow the district to hire teachers on the lower end of the pay scale "We’re losing some good people in there and again these are names and faces and people that have cared about our kids for 20 so that part’s difficult because they’d be difficult to replace,” said Graham “We have a whole lot of people at that level so we still have a lot of experience and quality people here to bring on those younger people.” Lorain Education Association President Julie Garcia said those younger teachers feel a little more secure “Because of our collective bargaining agreement “For those young teachers this gives them a chance to get their foothold they’re getting in here and they’re deciding if they’re going to stay or if they’re going to go.” Building maintenance is also a concern at some of the older buildings in the district “Roofs are starting to go and HVAC starts to go,” said Graham “What we had projected to rebuild a roof or replace a roof is going to cost multiples of what we originally thought.” Graham said it’s tough to budget because they don’t know how much things are going to cost at the time they’re needed “Budgeting is easy when things are predictable and right now things aren’t,” he said and talk to your people in the know and help defend the schools.” Earlier in April and after I interviewed Graham and Garcia the Ohio House passed a budget bill that slashed funding for public education LCS will also need to put a renewal levy before voters the director of communications and community relations the money generated would go directly into the general fund which is the primary operating fund for the district "These dollars support essential everyday operations but a continuation of existing financial support that helps maintain our current educational programs and services for students." Lorain City Schools forecasted budget by Wews WebStaff on Scribd Ohio — Some Lorain families and teachers say student behavior is disrupting school learning Concerns raised at a previous Lorain City Schools Board of Education meeting prompted a special work session on Tuesday “It’s just about the safety of my children at school,” Summer Williams told News 5 but just the other children that are in the classroom with them.” The mother of a preschooler and kindergartner attended her first school board meeting in the district on Tuesday She said she learned from a March 10 meeting that a student had chased her daughter and other kindergarten classmates with scissors And I didn’t know the extent of the situation I was never called by any principals or anyone for that matter,” she said Educators also shared their perspectives on navigating violent outbursts and addressing troubling behavior “We want to protect the teachers from being hurt while trying to educate our kids we want training,” Lorain Education Association President Julie Garcia said Other teachers and parents echoed similar anecdotes about a growing number of disruptions and violence in classrooms at last week’s meeting “I don’t even want to send my kids to school anymore Things need to be put in place to help the teachers help the kids,” one parent told the board on March 10 The lengthy discussion at that meeting prompted a special meeting Tuesday morning with more public comment and an explanation from the Board of Education about the strategies already being deployed “We have to continue listening - which is what we’ve been doing,” LCSD Assistant Superintendent Michael Scott told the board and audience members Tuesday Some believe the increasing number of student behavioral issues are related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent research from the National Center for Education Statistics found that more than 80% of public school leaders believe the pandemic’s lingering effects continue to negatively impact student behavior and mental health “A lot of experts warned us about this—that because of the way kids were socialized or not socialized - to expect some atypical behaviors,” said LCSD superintendent Dr He explained the district began preparing for challenging behaviors as students returned from remote learning five years ago behavior coaches and more assistant principals district leaders have focused on early intervention techniques and support teams for troubled students Graham said the district has already seen decreased fights and improved behavior at the high school level and progress in the primary schools is trending in the right direction he acknowledged more work needs to be done to improve communication with families and support for teachers But we have to shore up some of these gaps,” he said The teachers’ union is also calling for more training Garcia said many well-intentioned efforts to address behavior aren’t being implemented quickly enough Williams said she’s seen more support staff and resources in her daughter’s kindergarten class but she worries next year will bring new challenges “It just saddens me that it happened so late And I don’t know how effective that will be with 45 days left of school,” she said The Board of Education adjourned its Tuesday meeting after 2.5 hours but pledged to continue discussing student behavior and its efforts to address issues in the coming weeks Ohio — Monday night’s Lorain City Council meeting was filled with heated comments and frustration as a recent audit reveals dozens of city employees are making six figures On the agenda was the first reading of the proposed budget for this fiscal year Lorain’s payroll records show $42.6 million in personnel costs It’s a significant increase from the $36 million spent on employee payroll the previous year The proposed budget allocates a large chunk of it to police and fire Lorain City auditor Joseph Koziura told News 5 Monday that the city is simply spending more than it makes annually Last year ended with a $9.8 million cash balance That money was down from $13 million at the end of 2023 and has been slowly dwindling in recent years A list of city salaries provided by the auditor shows the highest-paid employees including the command staff for both the police and fire departments Police Chief Jim McCann made over $235,000 in gross wages Adding up how many city employees make six figures RELATED: Lorain reviews 2025 budget as auditor warns of unsustainable spending “Each department and where the money goes hit the internet It's ridiculous,” longtime Lorain resident Jayne Morales said Morales believes one of the biggest contributors to the problem of high salaries is “we hire family.” but I pay rates in the city and I have business in the city,” she said “These people are elected to build up their city You can't build a foundation brick by brick like this You're tearing everything that your parents and grandparents have built as a legacy You're tearing it down by allowing this to happen.” This is all while Lorain Councilman Dan Nutt said the city is looking at an estimated $3.3 million deficit There's a lot of line items for each department and there's just a lot going on,” Nutt said It is my experience from years past that expenses are overestimated many solutions to reducing expenses were discussed Nutt said the police and fire union contracts are negotiated and finalized before going before the council adding that those contracts have already been approved “We are more or less stuck with that whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depending on your point of view The only thing that I believe could be up for discussion would be the raises that were passed for elected officials,” Nutt said “I do think that pay for elected officials should but I think those raises were a little heavy.” Nutt said that even cutting those raises may save the city only $200,000 Two hundred thousand dollars is nothing to just wave away so that is absolutely something we should look at,” he said While Nutt hasn’t compared Lorain city employees’ salaries more specifically the police chief and fire chief “It is more expensive to attract and retain,” Nutt said Although the proposed budget underwent its first reading on Monday a motion was made to suspend rules and cast a vote It failed as three council members rejected the idea “I'm hoping during the second reading that the rules are suspended so we can have a robust discussion and go back and forth and address people's concerns about the contracts the pay raises for the elected officials and other things in the budget as well,” Nutt said Nutt added the budget doesn’t allow for new hires so “technically,” the city is on a hiring freeze If a hiring freeze were put up for an official vote Nutt would vote yes with the stipulation that police are not lumped in Nutt has been in office for four years but will not be seeking reelection for various reasons one of which is the "political theatrics" he has seen over the years and how the budget is now being impacted “I'd like to be a little more brass tacks and let's go through it line item by line item and find out where we can cut Let's get this thing passed and move on because the citizens don't want us in there debating each other just so that we look good in front of a camera,” Nutt said Morales hopes the finalized budget for this fiscal year will reflect the best use of taxpayer dollars She plans to continue voicing her concerns but feels it may not matter There's a couple of us that aren't going to give up and I'm going to do everything I can to get more and more people here every week because that's the only thing that we can do and to get more of you guys here That's the only way we're going to get the word out,” Morales said Hilton requested a forensic audit in 2019 regarding Lorain utilities She said she was hoping city council would have looked differently at their finances afterward “It said the city was going to be bankrupt by the year of 2026 We warned them with that financial audit and they didn't listen to me They didn't listen to nobody,” Hilton said The deadline to pass this fiscal year’s budget is April 1 The next Lorain City Council meeting will be the first Monday of March Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInLORAIN COUNTY Ohio (WOIO) - According to Elyria Police Captain James Welsh fugitive James Meadows was arrested by U.S Meadows was taken into custody in the 500 block of Bell Ave Multiple police agencies had been searching for Meadows since Thursday morning He was wanted for a parole violation and for allegedly assaulting two Sheffield Village Police officers during a traffic stop on March 22 Lorain County Sheriff Jack Hall said around 8 a.m Marshals received a tip that Meadows was spotted at a gas station in the area of Russia Road between SR 58 and Pyle S Residents had to shelter in place for several hours during the search Sheffield Village Police officers pulled over a car Meadows was riding in on March 22 and once they realized Meadows had a warrant out for him Video obtained by 19 News shows Meadows fighting with the officers and then took off running with one of the handcuffs still on his wrist Ohio — The Lorain auditor warns the city’s current spending is unsustainable The word of caution comes as Lorain City Council members review the final budget proposal for 2025 City auditor Joseph Koziura told News 5 Monday the city is simply spending more than it’s making annually 2024 ended with a $9.8 million cash balance “I told the mayor he’s going to have to sharpen his pencil,” Koziura told News 5 over the phone Monday He said people are the city’s single largest expenditure Police Chief Jim McCann made more than $235,000 in gross wages while the Fire Chief made more than $220,000 A viewer letter to News 5 called the personnel spending “inflated” and recommended the city cut costs with attrition a hiring freeze or addressing overtime pay “Inflated personnel costs necessarily preclude adequate spending on street maintenance Mayor Jack Bradley explained the large payroll is partially due to overtime and a retroactive pay increase from contract negotiations He also said the city has had to prioritize better pay to attract and retain staff and stay competitive with other cities We were used to having workers that were paid decently,” Bradley said He said the city’s $2.2 million year-end budget shortfall was a positive sign especially compared to the $8 million shortfall originally projected for 2024 “I don’t think anybody should hit the panic button but I do think we should keep an eye on it He told News 5 that in addition to trimming expenses in many departments the city made more money than expected in 2024 It was projected to bring in about $39 million but actual revenue was closer to $42.3 million like a new Go-Kart track and the expansion of a construction equipment supply company as a positive indication of things to come who want to come to Lorain and open new businesses,” said Bradley Both Bradley and Koziura said the loss of pandemic relief funds has been difficult to navigate as the city reels from an economic hit dealt by the pandemic Both also worry efforts to cut costs at the federal level could mean fewer federal grants for the city Koziura said Lorain should still have a positive cash balance at the end of 2025 and 2026 but he is less certain the current spending patterns can be sustained beyond then Bradley said he was optimistic the current model is sustainable Lorain City Council could vote on the 2025 budget on Feb but members have until April 1 to approve the annual budget Ohio — More than six months after the closure of a well-loved Lorain restaurant a new business is taking over the downtown storefront and hoping to spark more investment on Broadway Dayna Santiago has spent several months transforming the vintage-inspired Broadway Mary’s into an industrial chic event space called Venue 939 but the large disco ball and old payphone remain as a nod to the former restaurant somehow we were going to keep Broadway Mary alive,” Santiago said After weathering pandemic restrictions and a large construction project RELATED: ‘Just give the food away:' Broadway Mary's bids farewell with gift to customers Venue 939 has been transforming the former Broadway Mary’s location into Lorain’s only all-inclusive event space “I wanted somewhere where people could walk in and it’s a total vibe for them With close to a decade of experience as an event planner Santiago said she saw demand for an all-inclusive event space She also saw a need for investment in her hometown “What was easy for me is – this is my city Another seemingly easy decision was bringing former Broadway Mary’s owner Mary Szefcyk on as Venue 939’s new head chef “I’m just going to be in the kitchen doing my culinary magic,” Szefcyk said “It was important to keep Broadway Mary on Broadway The pair have known each other for years and when the restaurant closed Szefcyk began helping cater events for Santiago The former owner said it’s a bittersweet opportunity to return to the building in a new role “I missed the community engagement with people coming in every day But also sometimes it’s ok to let something go because – look at it We have something maybe even better coming on board,” Szefcyk said she explained inflation and stagnant sales made Broadway Mary’s overhead and operation costs untenable Other Broadway businesses have also shut down in recent years and left the stretch of downtown with numerous vacant storefronts Szefcyk and Santiago hope Venue 939 can be a catalyst for more investment in the area “I have faith that more businesses will see that we’re coming in “People are still kind of nervous to invest on Broadway Lorain neighbors told News 5 they’re eager to see more businesses in the downtown area I just feel like downtown kind of gave itself a bad name People were scared to come down here and open up new things But you’ve got to start somewhere,” said Mariah Moore Both the former and new owner of the Broadway property said they hope to spark more investment and community support for local businesses And that’s what we’re here to do,” Szefcyk said Ohio (WOIO) - Lorain Police are investigating after a suspect reported a fake hostage situation at Lorain High School to 911 According to a social media post from Lorain City Schools the suspect sent a message to 911 Monday morning saying someone was being held hostage at Lorain High School “Our administrative team acted swiftly while ensuring minimal disruption to the learning environment,” the post said Lorain High School’s administration searched the building in under 15 minutes and found no hostage situation “The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority We take all threats seriously and respond with appropriate measures,” the post said “We are working closely with the Lorain Police Department to investigate the source of this false report.” 19 News reached out to Lorain Police for any updates on the case