Good Morning, Cleveland! It's Wednesday, January 21st and here is what you need to know.
Cleveland launches new on-street parking system in 3 districts
The city of Cleveland has just launched its new on-street parking system at Tower City, Civic Center and the Gateway District. The city says the goal is to make it easier to find parking downtown and make its streets safer and more accessible. One of the biggest changes is that free weekend parking in downtown Cleveland has been eliminated. The city says it has been a problem because people sometimes park on Friday night and don’t move their cars for the entire weekend.So they made these changes in hope of creating more accessible and available parking. Paid parking will now be enforced downtown seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Ohio City will have paid parking from Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Sunday, street parking will stay free. The new standard base rate for parking will be $1.50 per hour. People will now be able to stay up to four hours. But it will cost up to $10.50 and it will be higher during events.
City of Sandusky working to restore water operations
The city of Sandusky has been working around the clock to address an emergency-like situation at its Big Island Water Works plant. Crews have been working to break through heavy ice and restore water flow at the intake pipes, serving the plant. A breakthrough occurred early Tuesday night in stabilizing this system. The city posting on Facebook that water has begun flowing again from the city’s backup intake in the Sandusky Bay. While flow has not yet returned to full capacity, the water currently being drawn in is being used to help replenish the system. That process will take time, and so water conservation remains important. Water-use restrictions remain in effect. This means people should only use water when necessary and keep it to a minimum. More work to remedy this situation is expected today.
Blood shortage prompts Red Cross to give away Super Bowl tickets
Northeast Ohio residents are being urged to roll up their sleeves as the American Red Cross warns of a severe blood shortage that could delay lifesaving care for patients across the region. To encourage donations, the Red Cross said those who give blood or platelets through Jan. 25 will be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LX in the San Francisco Bay Area. Donors who come in between Jan. 26 and Feb. 28 will receive a $20 e-gift card to a merchant of their choice.
January is the worst month for scams
This morning, Good Morning Cleveland anchor Mike Brookbank is sharing that there's one month in particular that is overwhelmingly the most dangerous for getting duped. According to Aura, the digital security company says we're smack dab in the middle of it right now. Kristin Lewis with Aura says a perfect storm is leading to a lot of successful scams. It's one part post holidays -- and concerns about gift deliveries and delays. And the other part is the upcoming tax season. So, they're seeing a lot of package and w-2 phishing scams along with IRS impersonation scams.
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