Good Morning, Cleveland! It's Thursday, January 29th, and here is what you need to know.
Schools face tough call on whether to close in the cold
Winter weather whiplash for families in Northeast Ohio. There are more than 75 school closings across our area today including Akron Public Schools and Canton City Schools. Other districts will remain open today like Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Riverside Local Schools. Caught in the middle are caregivers. Some scrambling to find childcare while others are questioning if it's safe to send their kids to school. News 5's Tessa DiTirro has more on how this brutal cold if forcing both parents and superintendents to make tough decisions.
Browns hire Todd Monken to be next head coach
The Cleveland Browns entered their offseason immediately looking for a change in leadership after firing Kevin Stefanski after six seasons as head coach, the day after the season finale in Cincinnati. General manager Andrew Berry immediately began the search for a new head coach and found their guy in Todd Monken, according to league sources. This morning, we talked to fans about what they think of the new hire.
A sign of spring
The Cleveland Guardians are packing up and making their way to Arizona for spring training today! Pitchers and catchers will report on February 10th and the first workout is on the 17th. The Guardians will start cactus league play on February 21st against the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark. The team's home opener is on Friday, April 3rd, where they'll play the Cubs for a three-game series.
Stark County reports sharp increase in deadly crashes
Stark County officials are raising concerns after new data shows a significant increase in deadly crashes in 2025. According to the Stark County Traffic Fatality Review Committee, the county recorded 31 fatal crashes last year, up from 25 in 2024 and 19 in 2023. Those crashes resulted in 33 deaths, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and motorcycle riders.
Grocery costs continue to climb in 2026
Grocery shopping will be more expensive in 2026. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts food prices overall will rise 3% this year. Beef prices have already surged more than 15% from 2025 levels, with costs expected to climb further. Prolonged droughts and reduced cattle inventory are contributing factors to the price increases. Good Morning Cleveland anchor Mike Brookbank looks at what’s behind the big spike in prices.
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Your forecast
Lake effect snow, brutal cold... We're stuck in an arctic loop. The next time we see 20s isn't until next week. We're actually dropping even lower early Friday morning and testing records! Stay strong, stay warm. This will break, eventually.
Visit our News 5 weather page to see today's forecast.
Traffic impact
View our News 5 Traffic Map to see any road closures or delays due to weather or crashes.
