By Kathy Wray Coleman, Publisher, Editor-n-Chief, Cleveland Urban News.Com, Ohio's Most Read Online Black Newsaper

CLEVELAND,Ohio-At least forty-eight people are dead, a third of them in New York alone, and over 7.5 million customers across the nation in 15 states and the District of Columbia are without power because of Hurricane Sandy. And as the presidential campaign enters its final week, the country is taken by storm literally, and by virtue of a neck and neck race to the White House that has the Republican and Democratic parties fighting each other tooth and nail to the finish line.

From the Metro Desk of Cleveland Urban News.Com, Ohio's Most Read Online Black Newspaper (A one-on-one interview with President Barack Obama (pictured) undertaken by Robyn Simone (pictured) of Radio One's 93.1 WZAK FM Radio Station in Cleveland during a campaign visit by the president to Cleveland to urge Ohioans to vote, and to vote early). CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO FIND YOUR VOTING LOCATION IN OHIO

CLEVELAND,Ohio- Ohio is a key battleground state on the road to the White House and President Barack Obama, through the Obama for America Campaign, gave Cleveland, OH its respect as he acknowledged the majority Black city's number one R&B, classic and soul leader by giving Radio One's WZAK 93.1 FM radio personality Robyn Simone an exclusive one-on-one interview.  (Editor's note: Read the one-on-one interview below this brief synopsis).

America's first Black president is reaching out to urban radio stations all over the country and courting the Black vote, just as he did in 2008. And during the interview with Simone, which aired on WZAK, Obama talks about medicare and medicaid, foreclosures, and efforts by Mitt Romney and the Republicans to cut taxes for the rich on the backs of the middle class and the poor. The president also discusses Obamacare, and he speaks on gun violence in response to the shootings earlier this year by T.J. Lane  in the Chardon High School cafeteria, shootings in the Chardon, OH. community that left three students dead and several people injured.

The assistant program director and mid-day radio personality  for WZAK who has been burning up the radio airwaves since 1998, Simone has made waves as a true leader and professional in her field. Her herein one-on-one interview with President Obama reminds the Black community, particularly in urban cities in the pivotal state of Ohio such as Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, Akron, Youngstown and East Cleveland, of the importance of voting, and voting early.

The following interview was transcribed by Cleveland Urban News. Com Reporter Johnette Jernigan from a previously aired radio segment audio with the permission of Simone and Radio One's 93.1 WZAK FM.

INTERVIEW

Robyn Simone of Radio One's 93.1 WZAK FM Radio in Cleveland: We’re trying to get this thing together here.

United States of America President Barack Obama: I know that’s right.

By Johnette Jernigan and Kathy Wray Coleman, Cleveland Urban News. Com and The Cleveland Urban News.Com Blog, Ohio's Most Read Online Black Newspaper

CLEVELAND, OHIO -  Barack Obama’s private airplane landed at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, OH Thursday night to a cheering crowd of 12,000 people and neared the president to a podium where he spoke for nearly a half an hour on his political platform, the importance of early voting, and the necessity of winning Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and Ohio.

And America's first Black president announced that he had won the endorsement of Republican Colin Powell, the first Black U.S. Secretary of State, who served under former president George W. Bush, and a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Bush. (Editor's note: Powell also endorsed the Democrat Obama for president in 2008).

“I just got the endorsement from Colin Powell,” said Obama. “I am glad to be back in Cleveland, Ohio.”

By Kathy Wray Coleman, Executive Publisher, Editor, Cleveland Urban News. Com and The Cleveland Urban News.Com Blog

CLEVELAND, Ohio- After coming off of a win where polls showed that he trampled Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romey during the third and final presidential debate, which was Monday night on foreign affairs at Lynn University in New York, President Barack Obama will speak to grassroots supporters Thursday night at Burke Lakefront Airport in downtown Cleveland, OH.

"The president was on his A game during the debate Monday night and Mitt Romney was all over the place with mumble jumble and cowboy diplomacy," said state Rep. John E. Barnes Jr (D-12), a Cleveland Democrat who said that he will be among a host of Democrats in Ohio, including Cleveland area Black elected officials, that will be out this evening to hear the first Black president of the United States of America speak to the American people.