Looking back on the year that was 2021 leaves us laughing and crying. But before we move on, we thought we needed to take a look back at the strangest, most ridiculous and craziest stories from the year that was. There was no shortage of odd and bizarre Northeast Ohio stories from 2021. Some of these stories we just can’t believe actually happened and some just blow our minds. They all made us say ‘What the Fuck’. Happy New Year to all and here’s to all the weird stories we know are coming our way in 2022.

All photos via Scene Archives unless otherwise noted

Tim Misney. All you need is a bald cap, your uncle’s Easter suit and your super serious face
“CMSD Occupational Therapist Resigns After Photographs Suggest She Participated in Storming of Capitol, Says She’s Moving On to Fighting Pedophilia in Government” January 8th “A CMSD occupational therapist submitted her resignation the day after photos surfaced and allegations followed that she participated in the riots in D.C., including entering the Capitol and posing for photos on the floor of Congress…The district confirmed Christine Priola’s resignation to Scene and shared her resignation letter, which said she was leaving her position because she refused to take a COVID-19 vaccine, because she doesn’t agree with how her union dues were used, and because, “I will be switching paths to expose the global evil of human trafficking and pedophilia, including in our government and children’s services agencies.”
“She Asked for the Chicken Wings to Be Taken Off Her Bill. Oak & Embers at Pinecrest Called the Cops” January 13th “Shirelle Copeland was all set to pay her family’s dinner bill at Oak & Embers in Pinecrest on Sunday evening, Jan. 3, but first had a request to the server: Could they please take an order of chicken wings off the tab? Copeland’s young son had ordered them and didn’t like them. They’d sent an order back almost entirely uneaten, got a new batch from the kitchen with sauce on the side, tried one wing, and left the plate again. Everything else on their tab, which was about $60, was fine…As Copeland didn’t expect, the answer wasn’t to give a discount or offer a free dessert or one of the many responses usually delivered in circumstances like this. The answer was that Oak & Embers was calling the Orange police department.”
“Cleveland to Give Rocket Mortgage Another Handout, Economic Development Brain Worm Thrives” February 3rd “The City of Cleveland will give Rocket Mortgage roughly $1 million over the next five years as part of a so-called job creation incentive package. The grant is now a standard offering, one of the city’s go-to tools in its economic development toolbox. It is equal to 0.5 percent of a company’s new payroll.”
“YouTube Pulls Ohio House Hearing Video for COVID-19 Misinformation From Attorney” February 19th “Tom Renz, an attorney for Ohio Stands Up, filed a lawsuit in federal court in September seeking to overturn any and all health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A federal judge last week deemed the arguments nearly “incomprehensible” and ordered Renz to show cause for why he shouldn’t dismiss the suit for procedural errors. The Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom, an anti-vaccine activism group aligned with Renz, posted to YouTube footage of Renz’s 35-minute, oftentimes rambling testimony to the House State and Local Government Committee. The video was soon taken down for violating YouTube’s terms of service.”
“Cleveland Councilman Ken Johnson Arrested on Corruption Charges” February 23rd “Cleveland City Councilman Ken Johnson was arrested by local FBI officers Tuesday morning after a federal grand jury indicted him on 15 corruption-related charges. The charges stem, per the Department of Justice, from a scheme in which Johnson and his assistant, Garnell Jamison, defrauded the city by submitting false monthly expense reports for a decade. Johnson received the $1,200 monthly maximum as reimbursement for “ward services” that were never performed. Johnson is also alleged to have benefitted from federal dollars he steered to the Buckeye Shaker Square Development Corporation.”
“Ohioans Bought a Ton of Guns in Turbulent 2020, FBI Data Shows” February 26th “In the United States, we’ve hoarded a lot of surprising things over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the beginning. Toilet paper. Beef. Puzzles. And here in Ohio, we apparently bought up all the guns. According to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), 976,751 firearm background checks were performed in Ohio in 2020. That’s a huge jump over the 638,495 checks performed in 2019.”
“Behold This Cleveland Bollard Art” March 9th “Captured by ace WEWS overnight news photographer Mike Vielhaber, this ingenious rogue bollard art can be seen at the corner of East 30th and Prospect. Bollard art!”
“Ohio Abortion Ban With Felony Charges Back in the Works, Targeting Roe v. Wade” March 12th “The battle on abortion in Ohio will only be stopped by the U.S. Supreme Court or a change in the U.S. Constitution, according to reproductive law experts and those once again pushing for abortion bans. Two state legislators have introduced a bill making abortion procedures a felony, which marks the second time in as many years that a bill was introduced hoping for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the national Supreme Court decision that said abortion was legal nationwide. A physician accused of “causing or inducing an abortion” would face an official charge of “criminal abortion,” which would be a fourth-degree felony under the newSenate Bill, introduced recently in the Ohio Senate.”
“Car Dealer, Blockchain Evangelist Bernie Moreno Launches U.S. Senate Bid, Promises to Fight Socialism and Cancel Culture” April 6th “Bernie Moreno, the luxury car dealer, blockchain evangelist and erstwhile member of the MetroHealth Board of Trustees, has formally announced his bid to claim Rob Portman’s seat in the United States Senate. Moreno, 54, is a Republican and first-time candidate who intends to run as an outsider and successful businessman in the mold of Donald Trump.”
“How to Eat Cicadas” April 23rd “Eating locally grown food is an important way of life for many people. But how many locavores’ diets will include the forthcoming Brood X cicadas, which are soon due to emerge in parts of Ohio after 17 years underground? The cicadas of the 17-year Brood X are edible for humans, prominent entomologist and cicada expert Gene Kritsky, Ph.D., says. In fact, cicadas are a clean, sustainable, vegetarian insect packed with protein.”
“Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams’ Romantic Relationship With Subordinate Raises Concerns, Draws Silence From City Hall” May 4th “As Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams went through a divorce last year from his wife of 24 years, there were whispers that he was romantically involved with a junior Cleveland police officer with whom he had at least one child. According to police and City Hall sources, it was more than a rumor. Documents also show that when his wife filed for the divorce in May 2020, Chief Williams’ mailing address listed with the court was a southwestern suburban home owned by that junior officer, Sgt. Sherrie Flores.”
“Bigger Than the Tea Party? Strongsville’s GOP Summit and the Delusions of the Trump Faithful” May 19th “For this crowd, the default position on the 2020 presidential election is that it was stolen. The default position on Covid-19 is that Gov. Mike DeWine is a commie rat bastard. Any elected Republican who supported DeWine or his authoritarian lockdowns must be voted out post-haste.”
“The Terminally Ill Girl Who Wasn’t and the Mom Who Lied About It” May 21st Even though LeBron retired his signature pregame chalk toss years ago, it’s become a popular thing to imitate. It didn’t go so well for one University of Central Florida student when he did it and caused his class to be evacuated and was later questioned by police.
“CLE Tiki Barge Full of Customers Crashes Into Parked Nautica Queen” May 25th “One of the two boats in the CLE Tiki Barge fleet crashed into a moored Nautica Queen yesterday, as captured by eyewitness video (see below) that made its way to TikTok before being deleted but not before being saved for posterity. There appears to have been little question, judging by the screams and warnings heard on the video, that the Tiki Barge was heading directly for impact with the Nautica Queen. And that’s exactly what ended up happening.”
“Ugliest, Best Cleveland Baseball Hat in Memory Gone But Not Forgotten” May 26th “New Era, the hat manufacturer, unveiled a new line of baseball caps Tuesday that caused quite a stir. The so-called “local market” caps featured clip art emblems meant to symbolize the cities where the respective pro teams play. The Cleveland hat, like others, includes the city’s zip code — 216 — to the left of the team logo. To its right is the image of a guitar, yet another reminder of Cleveland’s Rock n’ Roll heritage. The guitar, though, appears to be an acoustic or even classical guitar, one of many imprecisions for which the line earned instant derision.”
“And Then There Was One: Arthur Treacher’s in Garfield Heights Closes” June 15th “Ben Vittoria, owner of the two remaining standalone Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips restaurants, has closed one of them — the Garfield Heights location. That means his Cuyahoga Falls store is the last full-service Arthur Treacher’s in the country.”
“19-Year-Old Ohio Cat Becomes Internet Famous After Best Birthday Party” June 18th “One senior feline got a super special birthday party this week at Northside’s Cincinnati Animal CARE. And the nation took notice…The internet went wild for this sweet senior, and his story was featured on local and national media outlets, including HuffPost.”
“Noted Cleveland Sports Twitter Personality @Reflog_18 Wants Larry Householder’s Open House Seat” June 21st “A Licking County resident known widely online for his Ohio sports commentary and having once organized the Cleveland Browns 0-16 parade is vying for the Statehouse seat left open by the expulsion of Rep. Larry Householder. Chris McNeil, a Granville native who goes by the name “Reflog_18” on social media, submitted his interest Friday in being appointed to the vacant 72nd District seat.”
“A Black Bear is Wandering Around Willoughby and Other Lake County Cities” June 28th “A young black bear making its way around Lake County drew plenty of calls to authorities and police in the last week, with the most recent sighting happening in Willoughby on Sunday.”
“New Report Highlights Dangerous Contamination at Some Lake Erie Beaches Around Cleveland” July 12th “The Environment America Research and Policy Center recently released the 2021 edition of their “Safe for Swimming” report, where they summarize fecal contamination testing results at over 3,000 United States beaches…At the 54 beaches in Ohio that the study tested, they found 49 beaches to have unsafe water on at least one day. Fourteen beaches were potentially hazardous on 25% of days tested.”
“Federal Judge Rules Against Barrio In Its Trade Infringement Lawsuit Against Condado Tacos, Calls Barrio’s Concept Wholly Generic” July 13th “Federal Judge Pamela Barker last week ruled against Barrio in the trade infringement lawsuit it filed in 2018 against Condado that alleged Condado stole its concept and that former Barrio partner Joe Kahn violated an agreement with Tommy Leneghan and Sean Fairbairn by opening Condado restaurants in Columbus and then Northeast Ohio suburbs.”
“West Side Councilman Literally Out Here Putting Steering Wheel Locks on Basketball Hoops Because of ‘Basketball, Gambling and Guns’” July 28th “Ward 16 city councilman Brian Kazy has literally put steering wheel locks on the basketball hoops at Jefferson Park (Lorain Avenue and W. 133rd), so distraught is he over the tripartite scourge of basketball, gambling and guns.”
“Skyline Chili’s Coveted Sneakers Are Now Available for Purchase for a Limited Time” August 9th “The Ohio chili chain held a sweepstakes to give away 100 sneakers to fans who wanted to represent Skyline in every step of their lives. And because the sweepstakes was so successful, Skyline announced on Aug. 9 that they have decided to make the shoes available for purchase for a limited time.”
“Gov. Mike DeWine Won’t Say He Regrets Picking Energy Regulator Now at the Center of Historic Bribery Scandal” August 13th “A huge Ohio utility paid Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s pick to be the state’s top utility regulator millions and the regulator, Sam Randazzo, proceeded to do favors for the utility that were worth at least hundreds of millions, the utility and federal prosecutors have said. But more than a year into one of the biggest public-corruption scandals in Ohio history, the governor’s staff won’t say that DeWine regrets hiring Randazzo in the first place.”
“Former Mobster Who Scammed Flats East Bank With Rascal Flatts and Toby Keith Restaurants Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges” August 18th “Frank Capri, a former mobster turned government witness turned developer who scammed the East Bank of the Flats with Toby Keith and Rascal Flatts-branded restaurants that never opened, pleaded guilty last week in Arizona to federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and tax evasion.”
“NFL Draft Led to a Kajillion Dollars of Economic Impact in Cleveland, Says Company Whose Sole Mission Is to Justify Mega Events” August 19th “The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission announced this week that the NFL Draft in Cleveland created $42 million in economic impact…The $42 million number here comes from an Economic Impact Calculator made by Destinations International, a company whose sole mission is to help tourism bureuas look good by putting hard numbers behind events.”
“Ohio Brewery Dealing With Online Backlash Created by Dumbass Tweet by Dumbass Josh Mandel” August 23rd “The problems with the tweet — a server coming to work while sick to interact with customers, the whole Covid thing, the idea of low-paid, tipped staffers in America being forced to work while ill because they lack paid sick-time, the market upheaval that has allowed workers to decide for themselves whether they want to return to grueling work in the pandemic that often comes with measly wages and no benefits — weren’t lost on anyone except Josh.”
“Jake Paul Trainers BJ Flores and Jacob Chavez Were Arrested Monday Afternoon in Westlake for Allegedly Assaulting a Man at Crocker Park” September 1st “Jake Paul might not have knocked anyone out on Sunday night in his pay-per-view boxing match in Cleveland, but two of his trainers might have the day after. BJ Flores and Jacob Chavez were arrested by Westlake police Monday afternoon for allegedly assaulting a man outside of Yard House in Crocker Park, according to a police report and incident log obtained by Scene via a public records request.”
“Parma Man Gets Upset Black Amazon Driver Threw His “Black Liars Murder” Sign, Calls Police and Fox 8” September 8th “The Parma man is upset, you see, because a Black Amazon driver delivering something to his house noticed that, among his Trump signs and pro-police signs, he had one that read “Black Liars Murder” and took immediate offense, throwing the sign into the street…Unfortunately, Parma police are also still on the “case.’”
“Umm, What’s Going on With These Wildly Inconsistent Downtown Cleveland Population Numbers?” September 17th “At the City Club’s “2021 State of Downtown” presentation Friday afternoon, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance’s President and CEO, Michael Deemer, announced that earlier this year, the downtown neighborhood surpassed its population goal of 20,000 residents. It will now “march toward” its new goal of 30,000….But recently released neighborhood fact sheets published by the nonprofit Center for Community Solutions show a far lower total population. According to its data, only 12,165 people live downtown.”
“U.S. Customs Agents Nabbed Thousands of Fake Covid-19 Vax Cards and Pfizer Stickers in Ohio” September 20th “U.S. Customs & Border Patrol (CBP) recently seized thousands of counterfeit vaccination materials at the Port of Cincinnati. In a release, CBP says the agency retrieved five shipments of the contraband, including 1,683 counterfeit vaccination cards and 2,034 fake Pfizer inoculation stickers.”
“The Tiny Car From the Viral Cleveland Tweet Had Quite a Saga This Weekend” September 20th “By now you’ve likely seen the viral video on Twitter/IG/wherever you consume your social media of the tiny car that made a surprise and hilarious entrance at the end of a clip capturing the scene of a recent accident in Cleveland. The conspicuous ride — if a series of followup tweets is to be believed, and why wouldn’t they — had quite the journey in the days after (before?) it became a nationwide icon.”
“Psychotic Email from Mike Polensek Warns of Cleveland’s Portlandification, Illustrates Toxicity of Entrenched Power” October 19th “Mike Polensek, the Paleozoic Cleveland city councilman from Collinwood, has sent an absolutely batty email to a Ward 12 (Slavic Village) resident, warning against what he describes as a sinister faction of leftwing women running for council. These women, led by the evil tyrant queen Rebecca Maurer, are hellbent on turning Cleveland into Portland, Oregon, he says…In this deranged worldview, these candidates—Maurer in Ward 12, Polensek’s challenger Aisia Jones in Ward 8, and Kate Warren in Ward 13 (Old Brooklyn), whom Polensek describes as “in cahoots with” Maurer—are out to overthrow the current council with the ultimate agenda of defunding the police and controlling the new administration.”
“Two Ohio High Schools, Including Hudson, Cancel Fall Productions of the Same LGBTQ-Themed Play” October 26th “Though Hillsboro High School and Hudson High School are separated by more than 200 miles, they now share one thing in common: productions of the same LGBTQ-themed play have now been canceled on both of their stages. Last Thursday, after weeks of rehearsal of “She Kills Monsters,” the Hillsboro High School cast was told by school administrators that the play in this southern Ohio city had been canceled due to the fact that one of the characters in the play might be gay.”
“Cleveland Guardians Roller Derby Team Sues Cleveland Guardians Baseball Team in Federal Court Over Name” October 27th “The Cleveland Guardians roller derby team, which has operated under the moniker for years and which had maintained a social media presence and owned the clevelandguardians.com website, today filed a federal lawsuit in the Ohio Northern District Court seeking an injunction against the Cleveland Guardians Major League Baseball team, alleging the professional organization violated the rights of their squad with the team’s name change.”
“Study: Ohio’s Vax-a-Million Covid Vaccine Lottery Did Nothing to Increase Jabs” October 27th “’Estimates of the association between an announcement and vaccination rates were very small in magnitude and statistically indistinguishable from zero… No statistically significant association was detected between a cash-drawing announcement and the number of vaccinations before or after the announcement date, a period that included announcements of lottery winners for most lottery states.’”
“Study: Clevelanders Freaking Love Taking Pictures of Our Three Buildings” October 28th “Analyzing the number of skyline pics posted to Instagram across the world, Pixsy found that Clevelanders rank 15th on planet Earth for the most IG skyline posts (12) per 1,000 residents. Forest City residents, it turns out, really just can’t stop taking photos of those three buildings, probably while wearing their Cleveland t-shirts.”
“Feds Seize $441,000 of Counterfeit Sports Championship Rings in Ohio” October 29th U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Cincinnati recently seized a total of $441,000 worth of fake sports championship rings. CBP says in a press release that the rings were found in three separate shipments. Two shipments were seized Oct. 5, with 94 rings coming from Singapore and United Arad Emirates.”
“George Family Sues Irishtown Bend Park Group After Port Authority Takes Early Step Toward Eminent Domain on Their Building” November 8th “Tony and Bobby George, who own the Royal Castle building at the corner of West 25th and Detroit that has become a hiccup in the Irishtown Bend Park project’s goal of acquiring all the parcels needed for a unified 23-acre park, filed a lawsuit on Oct. 26 against the Port of Cleveland and the other groups involved in the project after the Port in September took an early step toward eminent domain proceedings on the property. (Full lawsuit at bottom of article.)”
“Temperatures Reach Record Levels in Great Lakes, a Troubling Trend Fueled by Climate Change” November 8th “The Great Lakes are reaching record warm temperatures, which could generate more lake-effect snow, threaten fish habitats, and disrupt livelihoods that depend on the massive bodies of freshwater. The temperatures of each of the five lakes are about five to six degrees above average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.” Photo via Sue Thompson/FlickrCC
“Cleveland Introduces Bill Prohibiting Release of Balloons into Atmosphere, And Not a Moment Too Soon” November 12th “The bill arrives, alas, 35 years after Cleveland’s famous balloon disaster of 1986, in which the United Way attempted to set a Guinness world record by releasing 1.5 million helium-filled balloons in downtown Cleveland. The mass of multi-colored balloons was swept away by an approaching stormfront, ultimately shutting down a runway at Burke, littering beaches as far away as Ontario and causing multiple car crashes due to distracted drivers.”
“Cincinnati is Vrbo’s Top-Trending Destination for 2022, Surprisingly” November 24th Sure, Ohioans know that Cincinnati is a pretty awesome city. But a top travel destination? Really? That’s what a new report from vacation rental agency Vrbo says. Its annual trend report looks at travel demand from a 12-month period to forecast which destinations will be hot for the following year. Travel was … well, odd… in 2020 and 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, upending some previous predictions.
“Bizzy Bone Threw a Bottle and Instigated a Fist Fight at Last Night’s Bone Thugs and Three 6 Mafia Verzuz” December 3rd “Perhaps you missed Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia Verzuz, either because you were otherwise occupied or because the affair, held live at and streamed from Hollywood Palladium, started after most folks had gone to bed. If you did, you missed Bizzy Bone turning the usually cordial battle into a fight after interrupting the event after a few songs by saying, “Hey yo, hey. Before we even get started, you ugly motherfuckers ain’t fit to be mocking me while I’m on the motherfucking stage. Like straight the fuck up,” and throwing a bottle at his opponents. A fist fight then broke out.”
“Ohio Senate Votes to Allow Concealed Carry of Guns Without Training or Background Checks” December 16th “The Ohio Senate passed legislation that will allow any Ohioans 21 and older to carry a concealed weapon, so long as they’re allowed to possess it under state and federal law. Currently, Ohioans must pass a background check and demonstrate proof of eight hours of training to obtain a concealed carry license. Senate Bill 215 nixes these guardrails, along with a requirement that armed people “promptly” inform police officers that they’re carrying a concealed weapon during a stop.”

Scene's award-winning newsroom oftentimes collaborates on articles and projects. Stories under this byline are group efforts.