What Was He Thinking?
It’s been five years since Mark Sahley cheated death. Now he figures it’s time for another round. In November 2005, the Cleveland firefighter learned he had Stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a deadly form of cancer that did not bode well for recovery. Almost a year later, after a battle that whittled his body down to…
Anti-frackers rally at the Ohio statehouse
Fracking opponents in Columbus Environmental news aggregator EcoWatch reports that more than 250 people gathered on the statehouse lawn in Columbus earlier today to demand a moratorium on fracking and the disposal in Ohio of the toxic waste water byproduct of fracking. The injection of that waste water into wells has been blamed for causing…
Life Lessons from the Police Blotter: Don’t, Under Any Circumstance, Ask a Teenage Girl for Her Pantyhose
“Oh these? I need all these . . . for my car . . . exhaust . . . yes sir, all of them.” This seems like it should be a no-brainer. Something intrinsically, head-smackingly obvious. Grandpappy doesn’t really need to gently take you on his knee and explain why it’s never a good idea…
Afternoon Brew: Panty Thief, Jim Donovan Gets Anchor Gig, EPA Investigating Cancer Cluster, and Commissioner vs. Videographer
Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you suspiciously eye your Quagmire-like neighbor. — Cops say a panty thief is on the loose in Elyria. Everyone loves a good panty thief story. (WOIO) — The EPA will investigate a cancer cluster near Sandusky, one that’s been garnering press coverage and outrage for years.…
Trash incinerator hearing draws large crowd of opponents
Brian Cummins with someone who doesn’t like pollution very much A public hearing was held last night at the Estabrook Recreation Center on Fulton Road on the proposed trash incinerator Cleveland Public Power wants to build on Ridge Road on the near west side. According to a report from environmental public advocacy group Ohio Citizen…
Too Pudgy? Clinic Medical Students Not Learning How to Operate on You
If you are packing extra pounds, you may have more to ponder than your increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Today’s doctors-in-training might have no idea of how to operate on you should you need surgery. You also may want to squelch any do-good desire to donate your body to science.…
Make-a-Wish Helps Sick Boy Blow Up Building
Out in Erie County the massive ConAgra grain silo came tumbling down in an intentional explosion, part of a four-year project by Huron to clear the massive complex — built in 1947, vacant since 2001 — to make way for river-front development. Nothing too remarkable there, right? Boom goes the dynamite, or so the saying…
New Machine Gun Kelly Video is All About the Fans
Machine Gun Kelly, subject of one of the most popular Scene covers stories of 2011, released the video from “The Return” yesterday. MGK solicited submissions of fans mouthing the lyrics to the song and then compiled them all for the final product, which ended up pretty damn cool. Watch for yourself.
Hospitality Restaurants to Build Upon Rosewood Grill Success
Cleveland-based Hospitality Restaurants is growing again. In addition to the group’s current portfolio, which includes the highly successful Cabin Club (Westlake), Salmon Dave’s (Rocky River), Blue Point Grille (Warehouse District), Delmonico’s Steakhouse (Independence) and Rosewood Grill (Hudson), plans are in the works for a new Strongsville eatery. Slated to open this summer in the Plaza…
Brandon Shullick, HIV Positive, Arrested for Not Telling Sex Partners (Updated)
This guy wins automatically. Update: Brandon Shullick, the shithead who infected three women with HIV after sleeping with them and not making the all-important step of informing them that he was infected, was sentenced Monday to five years in prison. Via the Chronicle Telegram: “My actions are inexcusable,” Shullick said. “There’s not a day that…
Katy Perry’s Dad Delivered Anti-Semitic Rant at Westlake Church
Hey, can’t control who your parents are. But you can ask them to refrain from public hate speech. As we told you last week, pop princess Katy Perry’s So-Cal, God-rocking missionary mom and dad, Keith and Mary Hudson, were in Northeast Ohio last week to speak at the Church of the Rise, a nondenominational shop…
Inside Business honors Cleveland’s establishment leaders
Rebecca Bagley: Is she really the only young woman leader in Northeast Ohio? Thanks to blogger Jill Miller Zimon for bringing this to our attention at her blog Writes Like She Talks: Cleveland’s Inside Business magazine has just released its “Power 100,” its annual lists of top area leaders in various categories. Zimon points out…
Delonte West Wasn’t Actually Banned From White House Visit, Plus More From West’s Busy Week
We love us some Delonte West. Despite the fact that the guard no longer calls Cleveland home, he burrowed into a soft spot in our hearts during his short time here, and we can’t help but root for the guy no matter where he and his three-wheeler are. Which brings us to Delonte’s busy week.…
Ten Plays That Defined the Browns Season
A special submission from Browns fan and Scene reader P. Rogie. (Aka: Brian Cuglewski.) With yet another morbid season of football behind us, Cleveland Browns fans once again receive the gift of hindsight this time of the year. The lesson: things change quickly. Or, more aptly, things return back to normal. Despite playing for a…
Here’s the List of Words Lawyers Can and Can’t Use at the Dimora Trial
“We agreed — you can’t say ‘moob’!” Down in Akron, they’re finally done chewing through potential jurors in the Jimmy Dimora trial; 12 supposedly diligent and upstanding members of the community have been seated to hear the case. Testimony is expected to begin this week. The court will digest the prosecution’s considerable accusations against the…
Michael Symon Can’t Slow Down
Michael Symon clearly is not one to coast. Currently on the Cleveland-based chef’s dance card is an ever-expanding restaurant empire, multiple appearances on the Food Network, and a starring role on “The Chew,” one of the highest-rated daytime talk shows. Next up for the Iron Chef is the first of what might be multiple airport…
Cloud Nothings Recognized by Rolling Stone, Humblebrag
Cloud Nothings gets a shot out in Rolling Stone as a “Band to Watch” for “Attack on Memory,” the band’s second album. Dylan Baldi tweeted out a pic of the blip in RS, which got him a second nod of recognition — from Humblebrag. Such is the life of a young rock star in Cleveland…
Hear a Song From Asleep’s Upcoming Steve Albini-Recorded Album
Youngstown rockers Asleep are gearing up for the release of their new album next month by giving fans an early listen to the record’s opening song. Head on over to Guitar World to hear “Hip to Deaf.” Like Cloud Nothings’ new album Attack on Memory, Asleep’s Unpleasant Companion was recorded in Chicago with Steve Albini.…
Puppy Sales On Hold at Ohio Dog Auction
Cuties. Anyone who’s spent a chunk of time inside the Ohio Dog Auction in Farmerstown isn’t likely to shake the experience soon. Located in a barn right in the gut of Amish country, the site is where dog breeders and puppy mill barons from all over the country east of the Mississippi come to hock…
The Rest of the Country Still Thinks Cleveland Blows
Yep, it’s like that Remember how we told you a few weeks ago that Clevelanders think other Clevelanders are kinda ugly? Turns out the rest of the country doesn’t think too highly of us either. Not that that’s breaking news. Cleveland has been a regular on Top 10 shit lists for a decade now. A…
30-year-old Joey’s Not Welcome Back, Says Owner
Mike Leonetti, owner of Joey’s Restaurant in Chagrin Falls, says that despite his intentions to rebuild following a devastating fire on November 30, he is no longer welcome by his landlord to do so. “We got a letter on Christmas Eve that said they were terminating our lease,” Leonetti says of his landlord Mike Belkin.…
Oberlin Protesters Look Prescient After Youngstown Fracking Earthquake
It’s easy to dismiss Oberlin College students for being idealistic lefties who fight the system while the rest of the free world watches football. But this time around, they look less like kooks and more like canaries in the hydraulic-fracturing mine. On November 30, a contingent of Oberlin students became the first protesters of hydraulic…
Warehouse District Set to Welcome New Mexican Eatery
The Warehouse District is about to gain a Mexican restaurant. El Guero (1300 W. Ninth St.) is scheduled to open in early February in the double storefront most recently occupied by Phoenix Coffee. Slang for “happy gringo,” El Guero will be a 50-seat, fast-casual eatery. Diners can expect a layout similar to Chipotle, but with…
Nancy Alden out at WDOK
Longtime air personality Nancy Alden, who held down the midday slot at WDOK FM 102.1, has been let go by the CBS Broadcasting-owned adult contemporary station, which declined to renew her contract. Alden has worked in Cleveland broadcasting for almost 30 years, most of them at WDOK. According to the Plain Dealer, program director Dave…
Obama’s Return Brings Back Tears
A sign of better times. One day after the President paid a visit to Shaker Heights High School, we share the ruminations of Scene contributor Ted Schwarz, who grew up in Shaker and recalls a time when a black man on the school’s front steps would have given few pause to cheer … “There’s a…
Video: ‘Huge Group of Girls’ from Last Call Cleveland
From the guys at Last Call Cleveland, a new video that might just put W. 6th street (and any other number of “going out” locales) in perfect perspective.
The Quality of Cleveland Life Report
Your guide to living in fabulous Cleveland.Leaner Government: Cuyahoga County determines it can save $91 million by consolidating offices, giving up space formerly occupied by Jimmy Dimora’s thighs. Banking Resentment: Senator Sherrod Brown blasts banks for walking away from foreclosed homes; also ticked about cheap suckers given out at teller windows. MIA on the Radio:…
Rick Case, Auto Dealer King, Pressing Charges Over $450 Pen
Flying high, on morality. Rick Case is more than just a multimillionaire auto magnate with dealerships in Ohio, Georgia, and Florida. He’s also a petty, vindictive son of a bitch who favors kingly writing utensils. That’s the word seeping out of south Florida, where Case was flying from Fort Lauderdale when he left behind a…
A Cake Unfit for the King
LeBron prefers fourth-quarter icing. Yeah yeah, we’re all over and done with the former chosen one too. Yet tales of LeBronian douchebaggery never grow stale. Take this snippet from the Miami Herald, which found that the King of South Beach recently rejected a free cake that had been ordered for his private birthday & engagement…
On View This Week
One-Night Show at William Rupnik Gallery: An Art Lover’s Buffet William Rupnik Gallery’s Annual Group Invitational is an omnivore’s buffet: a survey of the entirety of the Cleveland art scene. A staggering variety of styles — painting, sculpture, metalwork, photography, and freestanding and illuminated installations — are represented. Among the more striking images, Ryan Jaenk’s…
Tweet & Eat
These are heady times for Jonathon Sawyer, chef-owner of downtown’s Greenhouse Tavern and Noodlecat. Most recently topping his brag list: creating a blowout dinner at the Beard House in New York; a slot on Time magazine’s year-end Top 10 Food Trends list (for his artisanal vinegars and bitters); a “one to watch” nod for his…
Drink of the Week
The problem with most boozy hot chocolate drinks is one of emphasis: They taste like booze, not hot chocolate. Pier W pastry chef Emma Scheer set out to change all that when she considered the possibilities presented by an old family favorite. “I started out with my grandma’s hot chocolate recipe and took it from…
Local Band in Focus
Meet the Artist: Multi-instrumentalist Jes Maybe records by himself (singing and playing guitar, keyboards, ukulele, and more), but Erika Duhon, David Sleeps, and David Novak join him onstage. Prolific as Pollard: Inspiration is a constant problem for the 31-year-old Clevelander. Maybe has recorded 20 albums and EPs over the past few years. “At any given…
CD Review: Bob Gatewood
(Indy 4)If there ever was music made for the NASCAR-watching, summer-barbecuing set, this is it. From the album’s feel-good title to the way Put-in-Bay singer-songwriter Bob Gatewood fastidiously observes the object of his desire (“She wipes her mouth with one hand/Holds her napkin in the other”), Be Good to Yourself rocks melodically and safely. Gatewood’s…
The 2011 Modell Awards
In the pantheon of Modellian greatness — the one over on Brookpark Road, just past the Fox’s Den — there is but a short list of qualities that ensure an individual’s rightful membership. Honor. Determination. Gratitude. It sure ain’t any of those, but damned if we can remember what they are. And through the years,…
Home Movies
Mildred Pierce (HBO) Kate Winslet won an Emmy for her lead role in this five-and-a-half-hour miniseries about an emotionally fragile mom and her bitch of a daughter. Mildred Pierce was originally shown in five parts, but do yourself a favor and clear your schedule to take it all in at once. You’ll want to get…
Savage Love
Why do most people assume that all nonmonogamous relationships are destined to fail? Because we only hear about the ones that do. If a three-way or an affair was a factor in a divorce or breakup, we hear all about it. But we rarely hear from happy couples who aren’t monogamous, because they don’t want…
One Proggy Evening
You don’t find too many indie-rock bands these days that talk up their proggy side. Even groups that have such inclinations tend to dismiss them outright or wave them off as something else. Not Call Me Constant. The Cleveland quartet’s epic new “Chiaroscuro” is named after a shading technique in art that adds depth through…
Cold War Comfort
There’s a cold, calculated method to the way Tomas Alfredson handles the secret-agent game in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It probably has something to do with living in Sweden, where cold and calculated is almost a way of life. The director’s structured approach to vampires in 2008’s Let the Right One In shook up the…
Film Capsules
The Devil Inside It’s the first week of the new year, and you know what that means: dumping ground for movies that weren’t good enough for a holiday release. This horror film — directed and populated by people you never heard of — is about a woman trying to figure out why her mom killed…
Tasty Twosome
Where do you go when you get a hankering for something deliciously exotic, but the wallet’s feeling light? For folks living and working on the East Side of town, two spots immediately come to mind. Set just a few miles apart on Mayfield Road, Taste of Jamaica (Caribbean fare) and Taste of Kerala (South Indian)…
Concert Calendar
Johnny & the Apple Stompers The self-proclaimed “hardest-drinking band in Northeast Ohio” is used to pro bono performances, often taking to the streets of their hometown of Kent — presumably to scrounge together enough cash to pay the night’s bar tab. Johnny & the Apple Stompers play a folky, bluegrass style of music, complete with…
Stay In!
TOP PICK Portlandia and The Increasing Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (IFC) These two IFC comedy shows return for their second seasons on Friday, starting at 10 p.m. with Portlandia. Some big names will join stars Fred Armisen (from Saturday Night Live) and Carrie Brownstein (from the excellent Wild Flag), including Tim Robbins, Kristen Wiig,…
Get Out!
Thursday | 05 At Cleveland Public Theatre Big Box o’ Talent Today marks the opening of Cleveland Public Theatre’s annual Big Box series, an award-winning performance program that provides space, production staff, and marketing support to independent local playwrights, directors, actors, and designers. Extending across the next seven weekends, the series not only gives artists…
We Get Mail
The Keepin’ It Real McKoy Art McKoy was the man [“Art McKoy: ‘I May Even Go Out With a Bang,'” at the Scene & Heard blog]. It’s too bad WTAM kisses Mayor Jackson’s ass. Art had a handle on the real issues. His replacement, Councilman Zack Reed, tries to paint a rosy, positive picture of…
At the Arthouse
Blackthorn Remember the classic ending of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, where the outlaw duo met their end in a hail of gunfire? Well, apparently Butch made it out alive and is now living in Bolivia as a horse dealer named James Blackthorn. But he’s got one last score on his mind. This cool…
