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

CLEVELAND,Ohio- Craig Robinson (pictured), the older and only brother of First Lady Michelle Obama, and also President Barack Obama's brother-in-law, will speak at 7 pm tonight, Oct 2, at Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church in Cleveland, 1161 E. 105th St,. for a get out the vote rally.

Today marked early voting in Ohio, a pivotal state that determines presidential elections.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Greater Abyssinia at 216-795-1842.

Robinson, 50, is the head men's basketball coach at Oregon State University.

Reach Cleveland Urban News.Com by telephone at 216-659-0473 and by email at editor@clevelandurbannews.com.

CLEVELAND, Ohio–Ohio State Sen. Shirley Smith (D-22) (pictured) will lead a host of elected officials, community activists and registered- and non-registered voters in Cuyahoga County in a march beginning at 1 pm on Tuesday, Oct 2, at the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, 2930 Prospect Ave in Cleveland, to a block away  to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, 2925 Euclid Ave., to vote.  (Editor's Note: For more information contact Smith's Senate office at 614-466-4857)

Oct. 2 is the first day of voting in Ohio and a number  of events are underway throughout the state.

“There is nothing more important in our democracy than our right to vote,” said Smith, a Cleveland Democrat. “Starting Oct. 2, registered voters in Ohio will have the opportunity to choose candidates and decide on local and state issues.”

2012 GET OUT THE VOTE SLEEP OVER RALLY

Start: 10/01/2012 7:00 pm

End: 10/02/2012 8:00 am

Make your vote Ohio's first!

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

CLEVELAND, Ohio- Madeleine Albright (pictured), the first female U.S. Secretary of State who served under the Bill Clinton administration, will meet today, Oct 1., in Cleveland with a group of women for a round table discussion on behalf of the Obama for America Campaign.

"She's a great woman and one who set the standard for women in politics," said Dr. James M. Coleman,  a retired Cleveland schools assistant superintendent recruited for his expertise on intra-group relations during the desegregation era as a member of the schools  desegregation team in 1980. (Editor's Note: Dr. Coleman is the father of Cleveland Urban News.Com Publisher and Editor-n-Chief Kathy Wray Coleman, who has been invited to event along with Cleveland Urban News.Com Reporter Johnette Jernigan).

Dr. Albright, 75, once a college professor,  will meet with area women at The Stone Mad Pub on the west side of Cleveland, Oh, the Obama for America Campaign said in a press release.

CLEVELAND, Ohio- The Cleveland schools second levy debate, held Tues, Sept. 25 in Ward 1 at the Harvard Community Services Center, was informative and  got heated, with News Channel 3's Lynna Lai covering it, among other media, such as Cleveland Urban News.Com, Ohio's most read Black and urban online newspaper (www.clevelandurbannews.com). (Editor's Note: Community activists thank Elaine Ghostin, CEO of the Harvard Community Services Center, for permitting the debate at the community facility).

Watch the Channel 3 (WKYC) news video above and read Lai's story on the event below this story. (Editor's Note: Some people at the debate voted 39 to 13 against the levy  via a poll taken by The Imperial Women Coalition, the sponsoring group of the debate that drew more than 125 people to Cleveland's predominantly Black east side).

Debating for the levy that, if passed by Cleveland voters, would bring some $67 million annually for four years,  were Debbie Kline and Gerald C. Henley, a former Cleveland School Board member.

And debating against it were Kimberly F. Brown and Donna Walker Brown.

State Rep. John Barnes Jr. (D-12) opened up the debate, which was moderated by state Rep. Bill Patmon (D-10), and had panelists of Roz McAllister, Frances Caldwell and Kathy Wray Coleman.

Community Activist and Lil Africa Owner Michael Nelson sang a song and community activists gave the Cleveland African-American Museum a community service award.

Linda Matthews and John Hariston represented Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH), and Hairston, Fudge's executive director and a former community relations director for Cleveland schools, spoke on the congresswoman's role on the education committee in Congress.

State Sen. Nina Turner (D-25), a proponent of the levy, canceled at the last minute, allegedly because of preparation for the visit by President Obama to Kent State University on Wed. Grassroots have said that the invitation remains open for a debate with Turner, a sponsor of the state law that represents Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson's educational transformation plan (Editor's Note: Jackson controls the city schools and appoints members of the Cleveland Board of Education pursuant to state law).

State Sen. Shirley Smith (D-22) spoke at intermission on Senate Bill 33, also known as the collateral sanctions bill ,that she sponsored that permits the expunging of either a felony and a misdemeanor, or two misdemeanors.

SB 33 takes effect today, Smith said.

Former Cleveland School Board Member Genevieve Mitchell spoke on the now defunct Cleveland schools desegregation court order and mayor control, and The Oppressed People's Nation, led by Ernest Smith, spoke on Black empowerment.

A previous grassroots debate, which was also sponsored by a coalition of grassroots organizations that include The Imperial Women, The Carl Stokes Brigade, Cleveland Jobs With Justice, Stop Targeting Ohio's Poor,Black on Black Crime, The Oppressed People's Nation, The Northeast Ohio Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, Ohio Family Rights, People for Parental Equality, Peace in the Hood, The Underground Railroad and the Cleveland Chapter of the New Black Panther Party, was held on Aug. 30 at Lil Africa in Cleveland.

Also at the debate, community activists called for the Ohio Supreme Court to hold the Ohio State Legislature in contempt of court for ignoring three of its orders to revise the state's unconstitutional public school funding formula that gives rich children more monies than poor children through property taxes that partly fund the schools.

By Lynna Lai, Channel 3 News

CLEVELAND -- It was an emotionally-charged debate in the heart of Cleveland's Lee-Harvard neighborhood.

Community activists organized an informative debate at the neighborhood community center, moderated by State Rep. Bill Patmon, to help educate constituents about Issue 107, a 15-mill property tax levy to fund an overhaul of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.City and business leaders say the outcome of the election will make or break the school system.

"What do you tell a senior citizen if she can't afford her medication?" argued levy opponent Kimberly F Brown. "Yes, our schools need to be fixed, but not on the backs of our taxpayers!"

Supporters of the levy fired back, including former Cleveland School Board President Gerald Henley.

"It's like you're taking the kids and throwing them into the lake, and letting them bottom out," he said. "It's already bottomed out. What are you going to do about it?"

Opponents of the levy appeared to outnumber supporters 2 to 1. For many voters, their minds are already set. However, for the estimated 14 percent of voter who are undecided, school and city leaders have a message about Cleveland's future:

"Education is key to our success," said Mayor Frank Jackson at an earlier meeting with the Council of Small Enterprises, or COSE.  Jackson and CMSD CEO Eric Gordon made their pitch for the levy to local small business owners by stressing that the success of the entire region depends on overhauling Cleveland schools.

"There will be people who say it's a bad investment," said Gordon. "The reality is, while we're not where we want to be, we have made great gains."

The district has not passed an operating levy in 16 years. In that time, it's seen a 23 percent increase in the graduation rate.

Meanwhile, the district has seen a total loss of 168 million dollars infunding over the last 2 years because of state and federal cuts.

"We're talking accountability and responsibility!" shouted opponent Brown, to a cheering crowd at the debate.

CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO GO TO CHANNEL 3 (WKYC) NEWS TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS STORY