Goodyear Blimp Turns 101, Cleveland Crime Crackdown, Big Boy 4014 Visits Cleveland: CLE Daily
Also in our daily news roundup for June 9, a campaign to eliminate Ohio property taxes is delaying its ballot push until 2027, former Cleveland councilman Basheer Jones has been released early from federal prison and state prosecutors have reindicted two former FirstEnergy executives in the House Bill 6 corruption case.
by Cleveland Magazine Staff | Jun. 9, 2026 | 6:45 AM
🌦️ 83°; Cloudy and thunderstorms
🏊🏻♀️ Time for a Dip: These Northeast Ohio spots offer plenty of ways to cool off when temperatures rise.
📺 Back on the Air: Al Roker is back in Cleveland and will be on WKYC this morning.
🦁 Asian Lantern Festival: Tickets for the Asian Lantern Festival at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo are now on sale.
ICYMI: On Saturday, Cleveland hosted its 11th annual parade and festival, celebrating Northeast Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community.
Today's Trivia
What hotel at East 55th and Central – later the site of Goodwill Industries – was advertised as “America's Finest Colored Hostelry?”
The Goodyear Blimp enters its next century of flight.
For nearly 20 years, Michael “Doc” Dougherty has worked for the Goodyear blimp. The chief pilot and operations manager for the iconic airship is often at the controls, maneuvering one of the Akron tire and rubber company’s four blue-and-yellow blimps in the world.
Doc: “It’s such a unique experience, and not that many people get to enjoy that. A lot of people are surprised when they see it up close; they’re even more surprised when they see it inside and how modern it is, the types of controls we have, just the way the blimp looks, the experience it is.”
A Century in the Sky: Goodyear launched its first commercial blimp in 1925, and it has been flying its airships above game days and major events ever since — a noticeable, immediately recognizable advertisement in Northeast Ohio skies.
101st Party: For its 101st birthday, Goodyear hosted “Bangr in the Hangr,” a party featuring DJs, mascots and photo ops inside Mogadore’s Wingfoot Lake Hangar.
Taking Flight: During the celebration, Cleveland Magazine had the opportunity to take a ride in the blimp and to catch up with Dougherty about his experiences.
Cleveland Police achieve notable success with their new crime-reduction initiative in less than two months.
On April 15, the Cleveland Division of Police launched its SPF-216 crime-reduction initiative to reduce violent crime and remove firearms and narcotics from city streets.
The Numbers: In just 48 days, the Cleveland Police Bureau of Special Services, SWAT, detectives, the NICE Unit, the Narcotics Unit and the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force have made numerous arrests per a press release.
Search Warrants Executed: 84
Felony Arrests: 90
Firearms Seized: 92
Money Seized: $450,000 in alleged drug proceeds
Drugs Seized: 22 kilograms
Gun Conversion: Out of the 92 guns seized, 10 of them were equipped or modified with illegal conversion devices to make them fully automatic guns.
Drugs Seized: With the 22 kilograms of drugs seized, 20 kilograms of it was cocaine and the remaining 2 kilograms were fentanyl.
Talk of the Town
Organizers looking to abolish Ohio's property taxes have shifted their focus from a 2026 ballot bid to 2027. The reason for the shift to next year's ballot is that the campaign did not receive enough Ohioan signatures to make this year's ballot.
Former Cleveland City Councilman Basheer Jones has been released early from federal prison but will remain under community confinement until August, according to Signal Ohio. Jones was sentenced to 28 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in December 2024.
After a hung jury in March, the state of Ohio has reindicted former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and vice president Michael Dowling in connection with the 2018 House Bill 6 scandal. The charges include bribery, conspiracy and fraud.
Fashion Talks brings a world of glamour to Cleveland.
Fashion & Trends | Photographed by Alyson Garfield
On June 7, the Fashion Talks Foundation brought its annual runway event to the streets of Cleveland under the dazzling chandelier in the Playhouse Square district. The event showcased globally inspired work from up-and-coming designers across the region, and celebration continued off the runway with coffee and cocktail pop-ups, a photo booth, raffles and live fashion sketches.
Photo of the Day: Big Boy 4014 traverses Northeast Ohio.
Photo by Adam Matthews
Big Boy No. 4014, the biggest, most powerful locomotive of its kind, traveled through Northeast Ohio on Monday as part of its East Coast journey to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. Thousands of Northeast Ohioans lined up to catch a glimpse of the massive train as it made its way, periodically letting out a loud whistle. Photographer Adam Matthews, who is behind Train Wizard Productions, captured this shot of the train passing Downtown Cleveland's skyline in the afternoon.
Yesterday's Trivia Answer
From 1982 to 2007, Cleveland hosted an open-wheel race generally known as the Cleveland Grand Prix at what unusual location? Burke Lakefront Airport
Check back tomorrow for the answer to today's question.
From the Editor
Blimps and big trains: Today, we present two special transportation stories in our daily newsletter. While rumbling locomotives and Goodyear's iconic airship are no strangers in Northeast Ohio's atmosphere, they remain incredibly unique sights.
I got the chance to fly in the Goodyear blimp, for the second time, at the "Bangr in the Hangr" event last week. Unlike my first bumpy blimp ride a few years ago, the ride was smooth and sunny.
The best part was when we took off: The pilots directed our attention to the view below, where two bald eagles showed off, twisting and soaring through the air, directly under the blimp. Incredible stuff. - Annie Nickoloff, Senior Editor
Correction: In Cleveland Magazine's June issue, Solon's school system has a Performance Index Score of 112.8, not 102.8.
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