SPORTS MENU TIPS EAST SIDEily NEWS During February Keith Smarts Tips To Help ISSUED FRIDAY Celebrate To Coach Cavs Kitchen Tasks SERVING LARCHMERE - WOODLAND, SHAKER SQUARE, BUCKEYE, WOODLAND, MT. PLEASANT, LEE & AVALON, HARVARD- LEE,.MILES- UNION, UNIVERSITY Black History CIRCLE AREA, WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, VILLAGE OF See Page 7 See Page.8 FREE HIGHLAND HILLS AND CITY OF EAST CLEVELAND READ ON- WRITE ON Tuesday,Jaouary21,2003-Friday,Jaouary24,2003 Building is symbol of neighborhood rebirth VOL.24No.2 "COVERING THE NEWS TODAY FORA BETTER TOMORROW" By REINALDO VAZQUEZ The historic building at 11801 Buckeye Road, which Three charged in Doug Rias' death is currently being renovated By REINALDO VAZQUEZ at Peabody Concert Club near Police found him after years of neglect, stands Cleveland State University on there with his seat belt on. as a symbol of the Buckeye Three men have been Christmas night. Bell, who had been Road Area's past and future. arrested and charged with mur­ · He left the club at shot once in the back, ran to When the building is der in connection with the 3:30 a.m. and dropped off an aunt's house who lived fmally renovated, the 20,300 death ofDOug Rias, who was a some friends at their homes. nearby. Bell was treated at square feet property, which is Bedford Heights High School He stopped at a traffic light at MetroHealth Medical Center listed in the National Registry student and basketball star. East 131 st Street and Harvard and released days later. of Historic Places, will soon The three arrested are Avenue. At that intersection, Lohn said that a New house the administrative of­ WiUiam Scott, 20, Ryan Hood, a; 1993 Toyota Camry pulled Year's Eve vigil held in Rias' fices of the Beech Brook So­ 21, and Phillip Carter, III, 18. alongside Rias and passenger honor led to the arrests. cial Service Agency, an agency Cleveland Police are Nikon Bell, 19. While at the "People came for­ that services children with spe­ not discussing the motive for Rias intersection, a man got out of ward," he said. cial needs. the killing, but Police Com­ murder. the Toyota Camry and shot at He said anonymous John Hopkins, execu­ mander Edward Tomba said the "I believe Douglas the two teenagers. tips helped crack the case. He tive director of the Buckeye three men had argued with Rias Rias was your average Ameri­ Rias was shot at urges people to continue talk­ Area Development Corpora­ over a piece ofproperty Tomba can young man," Lohn said. least three tirri.es and drove off, ing to the police. tion, the organization that Buckeye Area Development Corporation is renovating would not describe. Rias, a freshman at running his car into a pole at "Please keep talking helped bring in the social ser­ the historic Union Savings building at E. 11 8th and Buckeye Road Youngstown State University, to us," he said. vice agency to the building, Edward Lohn, Cleve­ Ferris Avenue. to house office suites. land Police Chief, described was home for Christmas break hopes the building's renova­ the killing as senseless and said and staying with his mother, tion will kick start the revital­ downturn," he said. will be built on the land ofthe he was confident prosecutors -carol Rias, in Bedford Heights. The Real Deal ization of the entire Buckeye The predominantly parking lot of St. Luke's Hos­ would get a conviction on the Rias attended a party Road Area. African American families that pital in the next three years. ~lders The "Jewel of Buck­ moved into the neighborhood Finally, the historic Eddie Johnson dies after The passing of eye", as Hopkins calls the after the "white flight" came building at 1180 I will be vacant By R T. ANDREWS building, is "architecturally to inhabit an economically de­ no more as of Aprill, the esti­ the most interesting building pressed area. mated grand opening. tough battle with cancer Two distinct pillars in the neighborhood," he said. "Many businesses Hopkins hopes that ByHOWARDTAUB of Cleveland's African­ It is also the most rep­ closed and fled, and no new in addition to attracting busi­ American c·ommunity, Anita resentative. investments were coming in," ness activity, the Buckeye Area Former Browns line­ Lewis Polk and Marvin M. When the Buckeye Hopkins said. neighborhood will also become The building's va­ an African American cultural backer Eddie Johnson died Fisk, died within 24 hours of Road Area was a predomi­ nantly Hungarian neighbor­ cancy came to represent the center. Tuesday night after a two­ one another at the start of hood before the 70's, the area's dire economic situation. Just like Harlem, Ho~ year battle with colon cancer. this year. building, built in 1927, first As the national kins believes there could be a Mr. Johnson started Ms. Polk was a dy­ housed a Union Trust Bank economy picked up speed "Buckeye Road Renaissance." 59 of60 games between 1984 namic, forceful; trailblazer. branch and then a wholesale during the early 90's, new in­ Hopkins has been and 1988. Whether as activ­ ist, entrepreneur, journalist club that sold pop, candy and vest~ents began to breathe with BADC for ten years and On the day his ca­ or social worker, she was al­ juice at wholesale prices. new life into the neighbor­ has been its executive director reer ended, Mr. Johnson im­ ways distinguished by pas­ But at the onset of hood. Business activity since Oct. 2002. mediately went directly to Johnson sion and zest. the "white flight," the sudden started cropping up. Before BADC, Mr. Browns owner Art Modell, In whatever she move ofwhites from inner city "The Buckeye Road Hopkins was a social worker who was observing the sum­ at 2:00p.m. Rev. Paul Andrei did, she made a difference. neighborhoods into the sub­ Area underwent a rebirth," in Toledo and Cleveland with him will officate the services. mer practice, and thanked The hundreds of urbs, the building became va­ Hopkins said. the Children and Family Ser­ Mr. Johnson was a for giving him the opportunity people at her funeral cut cant. Currently, the neigh­ vices. He grad~ated in 1988 member ofHarvest Mission­ to play in the NFL. across all lines of race and According to Hop­ borhood continues to attract from David Myers University Mr. Johnson was a ary Baptist Church, 3649 class in the community. kins, the "white flight" phe­ new investment and develop­ with a degree in business ad­ man that was loved by all that E.93rd Street in Cleveland. The high and nomenon devastated the ment. ministration. he touched. He was a member of the mighty sat next to the low neighborhood economically. Huntington Bank Hopkins lives with Mr. Johnson is sur­ church's trustee board. and empty-pocketed. "The 70's and the opened Dec. 30 at 11623 Buck­ wife, Traci; daughter, Ay1iJ1a; 80's saw a continual economic eye Road, and 84 new homes and sons, Hasan and Najeeb. vived by his wife, Terri; and Rev. A.F. Caver is Anita had treated three children, Rashan; Fisk the pastor of Harvest Mis­ them all the same, mindful as derived from an extended Elelise; and Elexis. sionary Baptist Church. He she was of the Biblical in­ community family. Services for Mr. junction that God is no re­ For those were the By REINALDO VAZQUEZ begin this summer. Johnson will be held on will conduct a memorial ser­ specter of persons. days when lawyers, teach­ Plans for the existing Monday, January 27, at vice for Mr. Johnson at his Hundreds also at­ ers, bricklayers, hotel door­ The Buckeye Area St. Luke's Hospital building are Church On The Rise, 3550 church on Sunday, January tended the memorial service men, doctors, and chauf­ Development Corporation and still being worked out, but Crocker Rd., Westlake, Ohio 26 during their service. for Mr. Fisk. feurs, all lived side by side Neighborhood Progress, Inc Hopkins thinks that the build­ Marvin was much in the same block and stay­ are teaming up to build 84 ing will probably be turned into less the hurricane, more the BE offers career opportunities at-home mothers patrolled homes on the land ofthe park­ offices, condominiums and deepriver. The workplace has fectively get, keep, or improve the streets with all-seeing ing lot of St. Luke's Hospital, apartments. He was quiet, vastly changed o:ver the past your job. eyes. according to John Hopkins, ex­ The construction of humble, devoted to commu­ the 84 homes is part ofa larger few years: Whether employed It wasn't just the ecutive director ofthe BADC. nity, family and profession. plan to rehabilitate the Buck­ This listless economy as an investment banker, pi­ class heterogeneity that The project, which is He was committed scheduled for completion eye Road Area. The plan in­ has left professionals with one lot, or engineer, you're not ex­ made .those days special. to providing dental services within three years, will begin cludes commercial and cultural ofthe toughest job markets in empt from becoming a casu­ It was the shared Hopkins to all regardless of income, the first of its three phases borhood Progress, Inc. is development of the area. more than a decade. alty of corporate cutbacks. ethos of a people honed by and labored in a variety or' this summer. scheduled to build a 40, 000 After the homes are Corporations are The situation is generations of grandpar­ ventures to create that real­ The first phase will square foot medical facility at built, Hopkins plans to encour­ slashing payrolls, restructuring even worse for African Ameri­ ents, aunts and uncles of ity, most notably as dental see the construction of 25 to East I 16th Street and Shaker age residents of the houses employee retirement benefits, cans; The black unemploy­ every hue and station and director of Hough­ 30 homes.