Good Morning, Cleveland! It's Wednesday, October 21st, and here is what you need to know.
News 5 gets first look inside Primate Forest ahead of grand opening
News 5 is getting a first look inside the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's Primate Forest this morning, ahead of its official opening tomorrow at noon. The fully renovated space is an immersive wildlife experience featuring hundreds of animals across 65 species, including orangutans, clouded leopards, otters and capybaras. Guests will discover habitats, interactive learning experiences and innovative technology throughout the CrossCountry Mortgage Forest Home, which serves as the gateway to the Primate Forest. For the first time in Cleveland Metroparks Zoo history, the orangutans have access to a new outdoor habitat, along with an expanded indoor environment. The new two-story day room offers the orangutans more opportunities to move, climb and explore, while giving guests different vantage points to observe them. The outdoor habitat includes an elevated deckwalk that brings guests closer to the animals. Returning favorites, including the langurs, orangutans and dwarf crocodiles, are featured in thoughtfully enhanced environments designed around animal wellbeing. A new Care and Conservation Room brings the zoo's conservation work front and center, helping guests see how it contributes to protecting wildlife and their habitats.
Amy Acton responds to Ramaswamy ad featuring her mother
A new campaign ad in Ohio's race for governor is putting a family feud at the center of the contest, and Vivek Ramaswamy is defending it. The ad, which comes from Ramaswamy's campaign, features Donna Arthur — the estranged mother of his opponent, Amy Acton. In the ad, Arthur accuses her own daughter of lying and urges Ohioans not to vote for Acton. At a campaign stop at Crosspointe Church in Westerville, Ramaswamy confirmed the ad came from his campaign. He said he wants the race to focus on issues like property taxes, health care costs and electric bills. He accused Acton of hiding from those issues and called for a debate. Acton is now firing back. The ad claims she lies about her past and that she did not grow up living in a tent. Acton said that is not true. She says she testified before a grand jury and that her mother and stepfather were arrested while living in a tent. I obtained court records that back up much of what Acton has said about her childhood, including abuse by her stepfather. Acton said she has not seen her mother since a day in court when she was 12 years old. That was in 1978. She said this is not the first time her mother has publicly called her a liar. Acton's campaign has already released a response ad called "Abuse," featuring her brother, Phil.
Cleveland Heights to open Marquee at Cedar Lee after fire forced a rebuild
The city of Cleveland Heights is opening a new mixed-use development today, less than two years after a fire caused major setbacks to the project. In January 2025, the Marquee at Cedar Lee apartments went up in flames while they were under construction. The building was almost complete at the time but had to be completely demolished and rebuilt. Today, the city is ready to open the building again, hoping to bring new housing opportunities and more business to the area. Anderson is the assistant director of economic development for Cleveland Heights. There will be a ribbon cutting at the building on Cedar Road at 2 p.m. today.
North Ridgeville police win $63,000 in grants for traffic enforcement
The North Ridgeville Police Department has secured more than $63,000 in federal grants to put more officers on city roads. Police say the money will fund high-visibility traffic enforcement, with officers targeting impaired and other unlawful driving behaviors. The department says there have been 147 impaired-driving crashes, 34 injuries and two fatalities in the past three years. Officials say the grants will help focus enforcement in high-crash areas. The funding comes from two federal programs. One focuses on impaired-driving enforcement. The other supports traffic enforcement during morning and evening rush hour. Police say the grants will fund enforcement efforts through September 2027.
Lorain is first community to win national dance education award
A national organization is making history in Lorain. The National Dance Education Organization has given its 2026 Executive Director's Award to the entire Lorain community — an honor that usually goes to one person. Lorain is the first community ever to win it. The award celebrates Lorain's fight to protect dance education, and it all started with the people who live here. When the district asked families what they wanted, dance was one of the top requests. So Lorain City Schools built a dance program that grew into a national model. But as I reported earlier this year, budget cuts wiped out eight of the district's nine dance teaching jobs. So families spoke up. They wrote letters and stood before the school board. Dance teachers and advocates across the country joined the fight. Now, partial funding is back, and middle school students can keep dancing. But the work isn't done. Advocates say elementary students still need dance back in their schools.
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Traffic impact
The Columbus Road Lift Bridge in Cleveland is closed this week for repairs. Crews are closing the bridge through Friday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Drivers will be detoured to Carter Road.
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