Mark Oprea, Author at Cleveland Scene

Lake Erie Watchdog Group Urges Governments to Regulate How Data Centers Dispose of Water

“The Lake Erie Foundation believes that the time to establish clear water-protection standards is before projects are built, not after environmental problems occur.”

by Mark Oprea October 22, 2026October 22, 2026

Cleveland News

Mercury Music Lounge Closes Amid Battle Over Outstanding Repairs

A leaky roof that was never fixed ultimately led owners Shane Molotik and Rae Gentry to put the kibosh on one of Lakewood’s few remaining independent venues.

by Mark Oprea October 21, 2026October 21, 2026

Food News

Lou’s Tavern in Little Italy Gets a Second Life

Jack Sparent dropped out of Cleveland State and put his efforts into turning one of the neighborhood’s oldest bars, which has been in his family for more than a century, into an Old World-style tavern.

by Mark Oprea October 19, 2026October 19, 2026

News & Views

Publicly Funded Stadiums Are Bad Business. Sports Economist J.C. Bradbury Says the Browns’ Brook Park Dome Won’t Be Any Different

“It’ll make more money for the Haslams,” he said, but “it’s not going to make any money for Cleveland.”

by Mark Oprea October 14, 2026October 14, 2026

Cleveland News

Cleveland City Council Set to Extend Data Center Moratorium to Early 2027

Cleveland, like a hundred other cities throughout Ohio, will keep its moratorium on data centers. At least until the end of January.

by Mark Oprea October 14, 2026October 14, 2026

Cleveland News

Lakewood Mental Health Facility Could Close Next Year After County Funding Cut

Future Directions, a space for those in recovery, will no longer operate come 2027 if new funding isn’t secured, its director said.

by Mark Oprea October 13, 2026October 13, 2026

Cleveland News

Cuyahoga County Launches New Site to Push for Transit-Oriented Development

The county development department hopes the one-stop site lures developers to build more units in transit-rich areas.

by Mark Oprea October 9, 2026October 9, 2026

Cleveland News

Burke Coalition Argues Lakefront Airport More Profitable, Important Than City Realizes

Eight representatives of the airport, which the Bibb administration wants to close and develop, said City Hall had been portraying the facility’s financial strain on Cleveland taxpayers all wrong.

by Mark Oprea October 8, 2026October 8, 2026