By JOHN KEREZY, eyeoncleveland.com founder
FEB 1, 2026 — Eyeoncleveland.com will be presenting more fascinating features and human interest stories in February. We’re going to kick off the month by covering space, still a risky and dangerous area of exploration, especially deep space, beyond low earth orbit.
Artemis II is scheduled to liftoff from Kennedy Space Center soon (the current launch date is Feb. 8) to return humans to the vicinity of the moon after a 54-year absence. I wrote a story about this on my personal blog site last week – it’s linked just below.
But as we in Northeast Ohio know – or should know — the flight path to the moon runs through our area, specifically through NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and its Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky. Eyeoncleveland has a story in the works about our area’s NASA facility, and its pivotal role in assisting the Orion spacecraft in taking four astronauts around the moon. Look for it soon. Think you’ll enjoy it.
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Recently I met a mother who has dedicated her life into turning her own daughter’s tragic death into a transcendent cause. A drunk driver claimed Tiffany Olson’s life in 2005. Her mother, Christine, didn’t find out what happened until more than six hours after the accident.
Christine struggled to overcame the grief, depression and even suicidal ideations stemming from the accident. With help from neighbors and co-workers, she then chose to develop ways to help anyone else in the future who finds him or herself in a similar situation.
Thanks to Christine’s efforts, more than 20 states, including Ohio, have set up ways to make sure family members are reached first in an emergency. Soon you’ll be reading and hearing the story about Christine, her TIFFfoundation cause, and how it’s making a difference.
February is Black History Month, and the Winter Olympics will be held in Italy later in the month as well. Eyeoncleveland.com has a favorite Black Cleveland athlete. His name is Jesse Owens. Look for some news (you may not have known) about Jesse later this month on our site: How the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) unjustly leveled (what became) a lifetime suspension of Owens from track & field, and how it ruthlessly enforced the suspension.
Finally, a national organization is relocating its headquarters from South Carolina to Northeast Ohio. School Ministries is a non-profit you may not have heard about, but through eyeoncleveland.com you’ll learn what the group’s purpose is, who’s leading it, and what their big plans are in the near future.
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I worked in public and government affairs for 15+ years before transitioning to higher education teaching more than 20 years ago. I’ve become personally convinced that there’s only one way to save our democratic republic from ruin.
Congress cannot restrain its spending, and subsequently has extended the nation’s debt ceiling (debt limit) 78 times since 1960. The second biggest expense so far in this federal government fiscal year is paying interest on the federal debt.
A variety of factors have also led to some members of Congress holding down seats as Senators or Congressmen for 30 years, 40 years, or more. For example, Nancy Pelosi was first elected to the U.S. House in a special election in 1987. She’s been there ever since. She’s also made nearly half a billion dollars ($452 million) in stock transactions, doing 30 percent better than the S&P 500 and far outperforming Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. See below:
https://www.insiderfinance.io/congress-trades/politician/nancy-pelosi
Congress will NEVER rein in spending, nor impose term limits on itself. Those are two of the reasons why I believe it’s critical that we call for a convention of states, as outlined in Article V of our U.S. Constitution. From my experiences and knowledge, I believe it’s the only way to save our nation. Here’s a link to the column I wrote, recommending that President Trump personally get involved in the Convention of States movement.
A convention of states is a three-step process.
- Enough states (34) first pass resolutions to advance the measure, and then the states choose representatives
- Those representatives meet and propose amendments at a convention, which must be in keeping with what the states calling for amendments want (there cannot be a “Runaway Jury” scenario).
- Proposed amendments must then pass three-fourths of the state legislatures to become law. This is in Article V of our Constitution.
Like or hate Trump, I believe he’s the leader who could get the convention of states though Step One of this three-step process. About two thirds (specifically 20) of the necessary 34 states have already passed convention of states resolutions. Neither President Trump nor any future president would have sway in Step Two. Delegates from each of the 50 U.S. States will hold all of the decision-making power then.
You can help, and it can be a simple as just signing a petition. If you’re interested in the Convention of States movement, click here for more information:
https://conventionofstates.com/
There is no other way to right our government in 2026.
FEBRUARY 1776
Did you know that the British Army, mistakenly, believed that their Southern American colonies would easily fall back under British rule? They sent an expedition of 2,000 troops, under the command of Major General Henry Clinton, southward to suppress the rebellion and restore loyalty to England.
The British didn’t anticipate that North Carolina militia would resist, and resist they did! The militia blocked a major road crossing at Moore’s Creek Bridge, about 18 miles north of Wilmington. About 1,600 Loyalist forces came to the partially-dismantled bridge, where they were met by 1,000 North Carolina patriots who opened fire with muskets and cannons.
About 70 Loyalists, including their leader, lay dead. The Loyalists retreated or surrendered, and the British plans were thwarted.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress was debating whether Congress had the right to negotiate and form foreign alliances. And around the 13 colonies, Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense” was spreading like wildfire, even without modern media to assist.
Thanks for reading, and hope you’ll enjoy this month’s feature stories
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