Cleveland restaurant operators weigh in on ways to combat the industry’s challenges in light of a forecast by recent surveys that paint a bleak picture.

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If you’ve eaten at a restaurant this summer, you’ve probably witnessed the industry’s challenges: busy tables, overloaded servers, soaring food prices.

I’ve relished patio season as COVID-19 waned, but a summer survey shows restaurants are still dealing with shortages and dropping sales.

Cleveland values its foodie scene. Cheers to those who work so hard to create it.

Guardians at Kansas City Royals: Shane Bieber’s eight-inning gem carries Guardians to 4-1 win against Royals

Northeast Ohio Wednesday weather forecast: Sunshine returns

Restaurant industry: More than half of Ohio’s restaurant operators showed a drop in sales this year, according to a recent survey from the Ohio Restaurant Association. Marc Bona reports the survey paints a bleak picture of the industry, thanks to the fricassee composed of customer demands, continued staffing challenges and food-price hikes.

Child rape: A 37-year-old Cleveland man who raped three of his girlfriend’s daughters in a crime that nearly destroyed a family and added fuel to an already fiery political debate over abortion will spend the rest of his life in prison. Two of the girls, ages 10 and 12, became pregnant and received abortion care as a result of their pregnancies, reports Cory Shaffer.

Absentee ballots: Cuyahoga County elections officials said Monday they’ve begun to get questions from voters after the state performed its routine universal mailing of unsolicited absentee ballot applications last week. Andrew Tobias reports that election officials said the most common questions they’ve received were about whether the applications were legitimate.

Today in Ohio: Republican Cuyahoga County executive candidate Lee Weingart is proposing overhauling income taxes in favor of a flat income tax split with cities. We’re talking about how the idea could attract greater investment and federal dollars, in a subtle first step to the county thinking of itself as one, on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.

The Warrensville Heights City School District must share tax revenue from Chagrin Highlands corporate park with Beachwood City School District, even though a tax-sharing agreement they entered in the 1990s was never approved by the Ohio State Board of Education, a split Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

School taxes: A split Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the Warrensville Heights City School District must share tax revenue from Chagrin Highlands corporate park with Beachwood City School District, even though a tax-sharing agreement from the 1990s was never approved by the Ohio State Board of Education, reports Laura Hancock. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled on a three-decade battle between Beachwood and Warrensville Heights schools, which has lower attendance and graduation rates and pays its teachers on average about $30,000 less than those in Beachwood.

Whaley fundraising: Democratic gubernatorial nominee Nan Whaley has raised far less money than nearly every recent major-party nominee for Ohio governor by this point in the campaign, according to an analysis of state campaign-finance reports. The latest round of campaign-finance reports, submitted Tuesday, show that DeWine is continuing to extend his financial lead, Jeremy Pelzer reports.

Trump visit: Ex-President Donald Trump is coming to Ohio later this month to stump for Republican U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance, reports Andrew Tobias. Trump and Vance are scheduled to appear together on Sept. 17 at the Covelli Centre.

DCFS: Cuyahoga County’s Division of Children and Family Services staff have been operating on the assumption that they cannot stop children in their custody from leaving a county office building, even if they believe the child is putting themselves at risk. Kaitlin Durbin reports the county prosecutor’s civil division issued an opinion that said county employees do not have any authority to physically restrain, detain or otherwise prevent children, who are awaiting placement, from leaving the Jane Edna Hunter Social Services Center building.

Jail consultant: Cuyahoga County has approved spending an additional $744,000 to extend two consultant contracts for its controversial jail project, reports Lucas Daprile. The Cuyahoga County Board of Control voted to extend the contract with Project Management Consultants to provide “owner’s representative services” regarding the jail project, bringing PMC’s total earnings on the jail project to $2.47 million since 2019.

Zoo escape: An endangered Mexican gray wolf managed to breach an “outdoor, off-exhibit containment area” Sunday by climbing its way out. Peter Krouse reports the female wolf named Sarra was on a guest path for about five minutes.

Holden CEO: Holden Forests & Gardens announced Tuesday that its president and CEO, Jill Koski, is stepping down after five years at the helm to take on the same roles at Morton Arboretum in the Chicago suburb of Lisle, Illinois. The move will also take Koski closer to home and family in Chicago, reports Peter Krouse.

The remoted-controlled BeBot will be coming soon to Edgewater Beach, where it will be used to remove tiny bits of plastic and other debris.Courtesy of Meijer

Beach robot: Stewards of the Lake Erie shoreline will be getting some remote-controlled help when it comes to cleaning up marinas and beaches. Peter Krouse reports that one robot will scour and rake sandy beaches to remove bits of plastic and other debris. The other will skim across the water in such places as North Coast Harbor and do the same.

Eliot Ness: A lakefront house that once was home to Eliot Ness -- the man who took on Chicago mob boss Al Capone and later tackled crime and corruption in Cleveland -- is on the market for the first time in a generation. Robert Higgs tells the story of the Bratenahl house, including Ness’ stint in the 1940s. (Legend has it that Bob Hope and Audrey Hepburn once played tennis on a court in the front lawn.)

Saving your harvest: With food prices on the rise, it’s hard to see good food go to waste, especially when you have grown it from a seed, so Susan Brownstein dedicates this week’s column to ways to save your harvest before it goes bad. That includes pickling, canning, freezing and preserving.

Internet access: Salvadore Acevedo, a rising junior at Cleveland State University, spends most of his summer and holiday breaks from school helping low-income individuals in Cleveland get connected. Brenda Cain reports on his efforts for Digital C’s outreach department.

Officer shootings: Police departments across Ohio have referred 41 officer shootings this year to state agents, including seven incidents from the region. Kaylee Remington reports the state figure is slightly down from last year at this time, when authorities examined 47 shootings.

East CLE shooting: Authorities say Tyran Lewis was killed Monday during a mass shooting at Just Us Lounge & Deli, reports Olivia Mitchell. Lewis was pronounced dead at University Hospitals. Paramedics transferred nine others who were wounded to various hospitals.

“After 19 seasons in operation with 18 million riders experiencing the world’s first strata coaster, Top Thrill Dragster, as you know it, is being retired," Cedar Point said in an announcement Tuesday.

Top Thrill Dragster: After more than a year of speculation, Cedar Point has made it official: Top Thrill Dragster is closing permanently, reports Joey Morona.

Rock induction: Tickets for this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony go on sale Friday, reports Troy Smith. This year’s ceremony marks the annual event’s return to Los Angeles for the first time since 2013, taking place on Nov. 5 at the Microsoft Theater.

Rocking RV: While RVing their way through beautiful Nova Scotia, Jeff and Patti Kinzbach find a hidden gem of a campground near Cape Breton Island. The Hyclass Ocean Campground is on route to Cape Breton Highlands National Park and the spectacular 186-mile-long Cabot Trail drive.

Thanks for joining us this week in our redesigned Wake Up format. We appreciate the feedback you provided about our new look. Don’t forget, you can always find the latest Cleveland news by visiting cleveland.com. If you value the hard work of Cleveland journalists, consider becoming an cleveland.com subscriber.

— Curated by Laura Johnston with contributions by Cliff Pinckard

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