I-90 Exit Ramp to West 25th Re-Opening Rescheduled For Later This Week: UPDATE
ODOT is predicting brazenly that the exit ramp to West 25th Street will “reopen prior to the July 4th holiday.” From what we can gather, crews are laying down asphalt this very moment. See below for our sporadic and nonplussed updates. *** May 28 update The exit ramp to West 25th Street off I-90 eastbound…
Mom Who Dropped Toddler into Cleveland Zoo Cheetah Pit Sentenced
Update II: Cheetah Mom was sentenced yesterday to one year of probation, counseling, and parenting classes. Central Ohio’s Michelle Schwab was charged with child endangering and pleaded no contest in a May hearing. Posted on May 6, 2015 at 2:49 p.m. Update: The mother who made headlines last month for holding her two-year-old son over the…
Entertainment District Open-Container Bill Signed by Governor: UPDATE
Gov. John Kasich signed the legislature’s open-container bill this week, opening the door to more liberal booze policies in certain “entertainment districts” around the state. Cleveland, no doubt, will play host to a few. The law is effective immediately. Stay tuned for more as the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County begin studying how best…
Local Producer Releases Cavs Playoff Video
The regular season is over, and the wonderfully interminable NBA playoff run lies ahead. The Cavs locked up dat No. 2 seed, so they’ll take on the Celtics in the first round. Local producer DJay Burnz cut a video to keep the momentum high. “I’m a family man just wanting to pursue my dreams and goals,”…
Carlos Santana Celebrates 29th Birthday at MOCA
Carlos Santana’s birthday arrived last week, heralded by yet another now-traditional home run. He and the Tribe were on the road in Houston, so he held off on celebrating in style until the team got home and got through that tough Tigers run. Hennessy hosted and sponsored a birthday party for the first-baseman at MOCA…
Green Local School District Settles Lawsuit From Teacher Fired Over Anti-Dairy Farm Facebook Post
The federal civil rights lawsuit filed last month by a teacher who was essentially fired for making an anti-dairy farm Facebook post has been settled, with the school district agreeing to pay up. The ACLU of Ohio and PETA represented teacher Keith Allison in the lawsuit against the Green Local School District and its administrators…
Justice William O’Neill to Ohio Dems: Run Away!
After a piss-poor statewide showing in 2014 — remember when we all found out that Ed FitzGerald didn’t even have a driver’s license for like a decade? — the Ohio Democratic Party is on the ropes. Their next Big Race: the U.S. Senate seat presently occupied by Sen. Rob Portman. With 17 months until the…
Art Treasure Hunt Just Part of ‘Don’t Panic!’ Exhibit From E11even 2
Bob Peck and Rich Cihlar have known each other for about a decade. Peck’s abstract, graffiti-influenced paintings were frequently on display in Cihlar’s exhibitions at his former gallery, Lakewood’s Pop Shop and (Art)ificial Gallery. Cihlar also uses spray paint, but his process involves layers of stencils to create form and depth in his more representational…
Ben and Jerry’s is Giving Away Free Ice Cream Today
Ice cream mogul Ben and Jerry’s is offering free scoops to patrons from 12 – 8 p.m. today. That’s right: free “scoops,” meaning you can go back for seconds or even thirds, though we reckon long lines will deter most folks from double dipping. Here’s a handy store locator to help you find the nearest…
Five Classical Events to Catch This Week
It’s a Gallic invasion this weekend at Severance Hall as guest conductor Lionel Bringuier and cellist Gautier Capuçon team up with The Cleveland Orchestra for a four-course feast of French music. The radio spots are hawking Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero” as the prime attraction, but there are other tasty entries on the menu as well: Camille…
Friday Opening Set for Bomba Tacos & Rum in Rocky River
Bomba Tacos & Rum, the new “premium fast-casual” taco concept from the folks at Paladar Latin Kitchen, is slated to open for lunch and dinner this Friday, April 17. Brunch service will follow sometime this summer. The attractive 4,000-square-foot space on Detroit Road near Linda Street features a large wrap-around bar that seats 25. A…
CMSD Board to Swear in Current and New Bond Accountability Commission Members
Next week, Cleveland schools’ Board of Education Chair Denise Link will swear in the 14 members of the newly reconfigured Bond Accountability Commission. The group is something of a watchdog, meant to oversee the district’s construction and demolition spending. After months of uncertainty, Link re-appointed six current BAC members and appointed eight new ones. Amid…
Consent Decree Sludge: Consultants Get Big Bucks From City to “Help the Process”
As reported last week, Mayor Jackson and the City of Cleveland hired two PR consultants — both former Plain Dealer staffers — to assist in the city’s negotiations with the United States Department of Justice. In customary fashion, the city paid them handsomely for work that would strike most law-abiding, cop-fearing taxpayers as redundant. Consultant…
Akron Police Sergeant Accused of Stalking and Threatening His Ex-Girlfriend And Her New Boyfriend
A 19-year veteran of the Akron police department who was arrested last week for allegedly stalking and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend now faces additional charges for similar behavior towards her current boyfriend. Sergeant Eric Paull, 44, was arrested last Thursday (first reported by the Akron Beacon Journal), charged in the Akron Municipal Court with…
Yellowcard Singer Excited About Band’s Return to Cleveland
Everything changed for pop-punk band Yellowcard since the release of its 2003 platinum album Ocean Avenue. After going three years without a studio release, band issued Lift a Sail last year and changed up its sound a bit (though it still plays pop-punk and utilizes a violin). “It was hard at first when it…
VIDEO: Building Partially Collapses in Downtown Cleveland
Instagrammer djsip216 captured this video about a half an hour ago after a building partially crumbled on East 6th Street near Vincent Ave. sending bricks spinning to the ground and crushing a vehicle parked below. No injuries have been reported, and a cause of the collapse has not yet been determined. Watch below: the building…
Innerbelt to Close Nightly Through Wednesday This Week
There’s far too much traffic- and construction-related news to carry it all on the homepage here, but with the West 25th off-ramp closure and this week’s Innerbelt hoopla, we’re compelled to make sure everyone knows what’s happening in I-90 Land. (By the way, does anyone else miss John Horton’s Road Rant column in the Plain…
@1801SuperiorAve Is Driving the Bosses and Reporters at Cleveland.com Batty
Just about every media outlet has a troll and the man to the right is Cleveland.com’s. That’s not his real face, of course — Internet trolls don’t use real faces or names. That’s the face of Louis B. Seltzer, longtime editor of the Cleveland Press and legendary Northeast Ohio journalist. And the handle itself: just…
Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory Reopens Following Remodel With 3rd Annual Juried Exhibition
[re]define is the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory’s 3rd annual regional juried exhibition. This Thursday’s opening doubles as a grand re-opening following a winter of remodeling. The show was selected by this year’s jurors, Liz Maugans and William Busta. Maugans is the co-founder of Zygote Press and the Collective Arts Network and its CAN Journal…
“Art-Ini Auction” Combines Art and Vodka to Benefit the Cleveland Arts Prize
From 6 to 8:30 p.m. this Friday, Apr. 17, Harris Stanton Gallery’s Cleveland location hosts its 1st Annual Art-ini Auction, an art auction and vodka tasting party to benefit the Cleveland Arts Prize. More than 80 art items by regional and international artists represented by Harris Stanton Gallery will be available, with opening bids set…
Former Tribe Manager Charlie Manuel Practiced Baseball By Hitting Rocks When He Was a Kid
The funny thing about the old adages and apocryphal tales of woe that older folks spin when talking to us youngsters — I used to walk uphill to school both ways, etc. — is that they’re never true. Sure, things were different back then, but they were never as archaic and simple as they make…
The 9 Announces Date for Azure Sun Lounge Opening
Apparently saving the best for last, The 9 announced the opening day for its splashy rooftop bar, Azure Sun Lounge. That day is May 2. At more than 8,000 square feet, the bar is being billed as Cleveland’s largest rooftop and social destination. It will be open to the public.
Armond Budish to Announce Convention Center Naming Rights Deal With KeyBank
Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish is expected to announce <s>Tuesday</s> Wednesday at the State of the County speech a new deal with KeyBank as the naming rights partner for the Cleveland Convention Center. Specific contract numbers were not immediately known, but sources put the deal at more than $350,000 a year for 20 years, which…
Two of David Blatt’s Former Maccabi Players Talk About the Coach’s Style
We got our first real insight into Coach Blatt early in the season after querying him about the LeBron-Corners Offense. It’s like Dean Smith’s famed Four Corners Slowdown offense, only there’s no passing, just LeBron dribbling for 20-22 seconds before hoisting a fall-away three. Feeling the new coach out, we asked if this was the…
Review: ‘Deliciously Wicked,’ North Coast Men’s Chorus
One last show today, April 12, at 3 p.m. at the Regina Auditorium at Notre Dame College. Tickets available at the door. No matter how many Broadway musicals you’ve attended, there’s one thing you’ve probably never heard. That is: Hearing about 80 men sing some of your favorite stage tunes, lending those songs the power…
Two Prison Guards Arrested For Meth in Geauga County
Brandon Inghram, Sarahbelle Stafford, Timothy Winters. Stafford and Winters are corrections officers at the Lake Erie Correctional Institute The Geauga County Sheriff’s Office busted three people on meth-related charges on Wedenesday. Two of them are prison guards, the department announced today. According to the department, detectives got a search warrant for a home in Huntsburg…
Avett Brothers to Play Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica in August
When the Avett Brothers played in Columbus in 2013, we had this to say about the concert: “The Avett Brothers have grown tremendously in the studio since they hit the airwaves with ‘I And Love And You.'” Now, the bluegrass-inspired band is set to return to Northeast Ohio to play Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica on…
The Capital Grille to Build Restaurant on Site of Claddagh Irish Pub
Yesterday we learned the fate of the Claddagh Irish Pub building at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst. That restaurant, you’ll recall, abruptly closed its doors on New Year’s Eve 2014 after 11 years in operation. The structure will be leveled to make room for The Capital Grille, which will be constructing a brand new, free-standing 9,000-square-foot…
Hot Dogs at Progressive Field Voted Best in MLB
Add this to the growing list of reasons to catch the Tribe in action this season: The hot dogs at Progressive Field have been named the best in the major leagues. The folks at the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, which apparently is a real thing, put together a March Madness-style bracket to determine…
7 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, APRIL 10 Rock Week: Decade by Decade The Music Box kicks off Induction Week with a series of tribute concerts that pay homage to the rockers of yesteryear. Tonight, you can see two shows. In the smaller Supper Club, Walt Sanders & the Cadillac Band play songs by Elvis Presley. Then, up in the…
Review: Ars Futura at NEOSonicFest at the BOP STOP
By Mike Telin Since performing its inaugural concert in 2013, the Cleveland-based new music ensemble Ars Futura has quickly established itself as a dynamic force in the area’s burgeoning contemporary classical music scene. Judging from their engaging BOP STOP performance on Monday, March 23rd as part of NEOSonicFest, the ensemble is not only a collective…
Video: A Short Documentary on the Infamous Red-Face Chief Wahoo Moment Before Last Year’s Home Opener
Our position on Chief Wahoo has been long and well-documented, which is why we welcomed the national firestorm and debate that arose after the meeting between Wahoo supporter and red-face fan Pedro Rodriguez and Native American and longtime AIM face Robert Roche before last year’s home opener. The picture went viral, as did some of our…
Lauren Hill, Inspirational Mount St. Joseph’s Athlete, Passes Away After Battle with Cancer
Lauren Hill, the Mount St. Joseph’s freshman who made national headlines this year for her unwavering resolve and upbeat spirit despite a grim diagnosis of an inoperable brain tumor, lost her battle with cancer this morning. She was 19. Shortly after her 18th birthday, Hill was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a rare form of…
Pacino’s Charm Carries ‘Danny Collins’
Al Pacino has proven time and again that he can play a tough guy. His performances in films such as Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface and The Godfather demonstrate the intensity he can bring to a role. But now, at age 74, it’s probably time for him to leave those types of roles behind. He gracefully…
Chamba Music Slated to Kick Off Residency at Happy Dog at Euclid Tavern
Last year, bassist Ed Sotelo and flautist Kathryn Metz, an ethnomusicologist who works at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, started playing Brazilian music as Bossa Novella. “Kathryn and I wanted to play Latin American music from different countries,” says Sotelo, who describes himself as a “dude whose parents are from Argentina…
Scene Podcast: Talking Baseball, Talking Tribe
This week, Craig Lyndall is joined by Pete Beatty to talk about all the Indians you can handle before the home opener tomorrow. They tackled the attendance topic, the “Dolans are cheap” narrative, Victor Martinez (yet again), bad luck, appreciating Charlie Manuel, Manny Acta being a swell dude, renovations at Progressive Field, and a whole…
Mushroomhead Launches Fund to Help Singer’s Wife Combat Cancer
Singer Jeff Hatrix is a veteran on the local metal scene. Years ago, he sang in the metal band Purgatory before becoming a member of Mushroomhead. Tragically, his wife Stacy has just been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer and has started chemotherapy. The band has plans to tour extensively in 2015, and Hatrix will…
Launch Party for ‘The Syndicate for the New Arts’ at the Bop Stop Sunday
By Mike Telin With so many outstanding conservatories and schools of music located in Northeast Ohio, it was only a matter of time before the area became a new hotbed for contemporary classical music. And why shouldn’t it be? On Sunday, April 12 at 6:00 pm, the most recent addition to this increasingly vibrant scene,…
Cavs Clinch Division Title and Everyone’s Pretty Happy
The Cavaliers didn’t play a great game against the Milwaukee Bucks, even though for a moment in the second quarter, while Kyrie was scoring 17 points, it looked damn pretty. They moved the ball well much of the night on offense yet still seemed to settle for a lot of (admittedly open) three-pointers, yet still…
Cleveland Classical Guitar Society International Series Presents Vladimir Gorbach This Saturday
By Mike Telin On Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 pm at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights, the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society will present the final concert of this season’s International Series with a performance by Vladimir Gorbach. “I’m really looking forward to the concert and getting to know Cleveland,” the Russian-born guitarist said during a…
Singer-songwriter James McMurtry Returns with First Studio Album in Five Years
Known for his literary lyrics, veteran singer-songwriter James McMurtry says he can thank his high school poetry teacher for giving him a way with words. “I started writing verse in high school,” he says via phone from his Austin home. “It came pretty easy. I had a good poetry teacher who taught rhyme schemes and…
Kenko to Bring Fast Casual Sushi, Hibachi Experience to University Circle
Shinto Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar (17070 Pearl Rd., 440-878-3868) in Strongsville has been chugging along for 11 years. But management knows that many of its loyal customers don’t have the time or money to make frequent visits to their favorite suburban Japanese restaurant. So Shinto is bringing the restaurant to them, so to speak.…
Progressive Field Sells Some of the Cheapest Beer in the Major Leagues
A new study by Business Insider reveals that the Cleveland Indians sell some of the cheapest beer in the major leagues. A small draft beer at Progressive Field will only set you back $4.00 — that’s $1.98 cheaper than the national average. Cleveland’s low prices are matched only by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who also sell…
EDM Acts Breathe Carolina and Duelle to Premiere New Song at Liquid
When indie/emo/electronic act Breathe Carolina (David Schmitt, Tommy Cooperman, Eric Armenta, Luis Bonet) came through Northeast Ohio a couple of years back on the Warped Tour, the band was one of the only acts on the bill to draw a big crowd to the Blossom pavilion. The band’s emo sound was altered by the electronic beats…
Cavalera Conspiracy’s Max Cavalera is ‘Proud to be a Metal Head’
Most people mellow with age. Not singer Max Cavalera. The former guitarist in Sepultura, Cavalera fronts Soulfly and Cavalera Conspiracy, a band he formed with his brother Igor, also a Sepultura alum. His music has only gotten heavier as he’s gotten older. Cavalera Conspiracy’s new album, the aptly titled Pandemonium, features blistering guitar riffs and…
No Sleep in the CLE with Justin Markert and Stephanie Sheldon
On this week’s episode of No Sleep in the CLE, Justin sits down with the founder of the Cleveland Flea, Stephanie Sheldon. They talk about the history of the Flea and how it turned into a giant Cleveland event and how Stephanie got her start in architecture and then transitioned into branding small businesses —…
Veteran With Pit Bull Service Dog Sues Lakewood, Animal Warden
A veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is suing the city of Lakewood and the animal warden after two ordeals and a court case last year for not muzzling and leashing his service dog, a pit bull, at the city’s dog park. According to the lawsuit, Fairview Park-resident Patrick Boyd brought his pit bull to…
Green Day’s Studio Albums, Ranked
For last year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Scene gave me the opportunity to talk about KISS by listing their best and worst makeup-era studio albums. This year, Green Day is getting into the Rock Hall, and I’m back to evaluate their studio catalogue (I’ve omitted rarities compilations like Shenanigans and Demolicious).…
The Brew Kettle Takes Home Top Honors for IPA in National Blind Taste Test
We’re pretty big hop heads here at the Scene HQ, which is why we’re pleased as punch to report that one of our own northeast Ohio’s breweries has snagged top honors in a national blind IPA taste test. The folks at Paste Magazine spent hours/days/weeks agonizing over 116 distinct American-style Indian Pale Ales to crown…
1,000 Foot Water Slide to Take Over Cleveland Streets this Summer
Slide the City, a traveling water entertainment company from Utah, is bringing its enormous, two-lane water slide to northeast Ohio this summer, with plans to hit three major cities: Cleveland, Akron, and Youngstown. For a fee, riders can whiz through 1,000 feet of city streets on inner tubes or other flotation devices, which seems like…
Zygote Press ‘4U’ Exhibition to Showcase Printmaking Programs of Four Schools This Weekend
Each spring, Zygote Press showcases the work of the talented students and faculty of printmaking programs at four local universities: Cleveland Institute of Art, Kent State University, University of Akron and a rotating “wild card” school. This year’s wild card selection is Oberlin College. From 1 to 3 p.m. this Saturday, April 11, Zygote will…
Familiarity Breeds Contempt: It’s NBA Playoff Time!
The best part of the playoffs is the grudge match aspect of the whole thing. The basketball tournaments in Europe are all single or double-elimination tournaments. The NBA is sort of rare in this. Certainly baseball has a little bit of it, but as it’s a different pitcher each night, it’s not the same as…
Cleveland Consent Decree Discussion to be Held at CSU Today
Confused by all this talk of a consent decree between the Cleveland Division of Police and the U.S. Department of Justice? Of course you are. Even Mayor Frank Jackson seems a little tepid when he discusses the matter at public hearings. Today at 5 p.m., the American Constitution Society Northeast Ohio Chapter will join several other groups…
Better Than a Listening Tour: “People’s Tribunal” on Police Brutality Scheduled For Saturday
The cold-blooded murder of 50-year-old Walter Scott by South Carolina police officer Michael Slager is only the latest in a long list of civilian murders by law enforcers. That list, of course, locally includes Tamir Rice, Tanisha Anderson, Timothy Russell, Malissa Williams, and Brandon Jones. Among other things, Walter Scott’s death means we can start…
Reminder: Traffic in Downtown Cleveland Will Be Terrible on Friday
If you are planning to drive in to downtown Cleveland on Friday, don’t. At least, not if you can help it. With the Progressive Field gates slated to open at 2 p.m for the home opener., first pitch planned for 4:10 p.m., and the Cavs vs. Celtics match scheduled for 7:30 p.m., downtown Cleveland will…
Film Review of the Week: While We’re Young
Director Noah Baumbach’s latest chatty, effervescent treatise on middle age, While We’re Young, is both Ben Stiller’s finest turn in years and the most nuanced portrait of Brooklyn hipsterdom we’ve probably ever seen onscreen. I’m not the first critic to point out that it feels in many ways like the indie analog to Seth Rogen’s…
Film Spotlight: Short.Sweet.Film Fest
A Few years ago, local film aficionado Michael Suglio was watching a few bands play at Now That’s Class when he realized that hosting a film festival in an informal, club-like atmosphere was a good idea. In 2012, he successfully launched his Short.Sweet.Film Fest at Ohio City’s Market Garden Brewery. This weekend, Suglio brings an…
Music Box Concert Series Offers a Comprehensive Overview of Rock’s History
Taking Place from april 10 to 17, Music Box Supper Club’s “Rock Week” will offer a decade-by-decade tribute to Rock Hall inductees. Each night, local musicians and “select national performing artists” will celebrate rock’s history. And it’s all for a good cause too. At each performance, Music Box will collect donations for the annual Harvest…
Rape is a Four-Letter Word, and the Obscenity of it Slams Home in Extremities at Blank Canvas Theatre
One minute you’re comfortable and the next, you feel a noose slowly twisting on your neck, cutting off oxygen, making you dizzy and terrified. This not only happens to one character in Extremities, now at Blank Canvas Theatre, it also happens to the audience a mere few minutes after the curtain rises. And that noose…
Band of the Week: Foxygen
Meet the Band: Sam France (vocals, guitar, drums, piano, horns), Jonathan Rado (guitar, bass, keyboards, piano, drums) California Dreaming: California natives, singer Sam France and guitarist Jonathan Rado first met in a sixth grade math class. They eventually became friends and started Foxygen when they were still teenagers. “We were just soul mates — we…
Life in the Emerald City of Media Startups — or So It Is Postulated
Content marketing czar Joe Pulizzi has already enticed thousands of visitors to the windswept shoals of Lake Erie for his annual Content Marketing World conference — this year’s keynote: John Cleese — but that’s not all he’s done to preach Cleveland’s gospel. He’s teamed up with a couple other media companies in Cleveland to put…
How the Indians Were Built Through a Series of Nifty Trades
“THE DOLANS ARE CHEAP.” “Chris Antonetti and Mark Shapiro have been in place too long.” “The organization is stagnant.” There aren’t any bits that are older and more tired in Cleveland sports. The narrative needs to be buried. Your Cleveland Indians are the most stable and well-run franchise in town and it isn’t close. I…
A Lesson in Talking to Your Favorite Indians Players on Twitter from Trevor Bauer
We couldn’t think of a more interesting player on the Tribe roster to chat about non-baseball stuff with than Trevor Bauer. He’s built drones to fly over spring training games, after all. Who cares that MLB said that was against the rules? He’s taken over the @Indians Twitter account to live-tweet a game. He’s worked…
The Identity of the Indians in Modern-Day Cleveland
The Chip on Cleveland’s shoulder is old. We didn’t develop the us-against-the-world mentality when the jobs went away. The Chip was here before the river burned, before the city defaulted. The Chip is older than Harvey Pekar, older than white flight, older than the Great Depression. In fact, the Chip is as old as Cleveland…
Tito At Home: Four Years Removed From an Ugly Exit in Boston, Terry Francona is Happy in Cleveland
Indians skipper Terry Francona has told the story before, but he tells it again when asked to evaluate his status in Cleveland. When Tribe General Manager Chris Antonetti came to Francona to talk about a contract extension in late 2014, he told his boss he had to tell him how much he was even making…
A Live Drawing Event at SPACES Will Captivate Our Eyes and Minds
Over the past five years, SPACES Monster Drawing Rally has become the region’s most exciting, can’t-miss visual art event of the year. For one night only, this Saturday, April 11, from 6 to 9 p.m., more than 100 local and regional artists will be drawing live at SPACES. This family-friendly, live drawing event serves as…
Q: Can You Ever Have Enough Tacos?
Converting skeptical diners is as much a part of the new-restaurant game these days as satisfying enthusiastic ones. For each customer eager to experience the new place in town there’s an equal or greater number of cynics more interested in being “first” than being happy. That’s especially true when a concept is the opposite of…
