Ron Paul Lovers Blow Up Republican Poll in Cuyahoga County
National media have mostly ignored the fact Texas Congressman Ron Paul came within 152 votes of leader Michele Bachmann in the Iowa Presidential Straw Poll earlier this month. Now local Republicans are doing some Ron Paul ignoring of their own. And feisty local supporters of the feisty congressman are up in arms about it. On…
Ohio Teachers Question New Boss’ Love of Tests
Back in spring, John Kasich replaced Ohio’s schools superintendent with a veteran administrator with ties to Northeast Ohio. Stan Heffner’s résumé includes a 15-year stint as the boss at Madison Local Schools in Lake County. Since 2004, he’s been an associate superintendent for the state Board of Education, in charge of how public schools measure…
And Now, Muppets Singing “To Morrow”
“To Morrow,” a song about traveling to Morrow, Ohio (a real place), written by Bob Gibson for the Kingston Trio, performed by Muppets. Sure, why not? (Trivia: Two members of Blessid Union of Souls were born in Morrow. Now you know.)
Sand Continues to Be a Problem in Madison
Earlier this summer we told you about a not-so-neighborly shoreline dispute between lakefront property owners in Madison and a wealthy neighboring town (“Sand Blasted”). Homeowners claim their beaches have washed away ever since a marina was built next door in North Perry two years ago. North Perry, in turn, points a finger at Mother Nature.…
Tuesday Music Department Swag Giveaway
We have two prize packages for you today. The first is all about Brooklyn punks Cerebral Ballzy. We have a T-shirt, CD, and button. The second comes from Adult Swim: a Cheeseburger 7-inch vinyl single and sticker, plus a Metalocalypse Dethlok T-shirt. If you want to win one of these packages, just leave a comment…
Online Petition Asks Cleveland to Forgive Beachland Tax Debt
The recent news that the city of Cleveland is smacking the Beachland Ballroom with $400,000 in uncollected admissions taxes and penalties has led to an outpouring of support for the club, which has been a catalyst for revitalization in its North Collinwood neighborhood. Erin Bell, a staffer at Cleveland State’s Center for Public History &…
Man Steals $800 Sex Toy Doll After Breaking Into Adult Store With Semi
Raging hormones, loneliness, and a bout of horniness will drive even the most self-respecting and even-keeled man to do weird, out-of-character, regrettable things. West Sixth street is littered with the ghosts of such acts of desperation. Some acts are more desperate than others, however. Consider the case of a man who recently stole a semi…
Pic of the Day: Jimmy Dimora Billboard (Updated)
Update: As if this is surprising to anyone, Jimmy Dimora’s name is misspelled on the billboard as “Dimara,” a fact that came to light once the fine folks with the eagle eyes over at NewsNet5 took a closer look. *** A billboard on I-271 celebrates the history of Bedford Heights. “Celebrating 50 years,” it reads,…
Afternoon Brew: Thieves Crash Into Courthouse, Ohio Turns Down Money, Ohio Takes Money, and Romney Rules Ohio
Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you very seriously debate the merits of scotch vs. beer for happy hour. — When cops trailed a stolen car speeding at more than 100mph, they probably thought the criminals were trying to make a getaway. When the car crashed into a courthouse, they promptly realized…
Report: Cavs to Retire Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ Number
I can put it up in the rafters myself. No ladder needed. You get it? I’m tall. Zeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Such will be the enthusiastic reception one day when the big Lithuanian, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, returns to the court at Quicken Loans arena to have his number retired. According to LithuanianBasketball.com, that day may be pretty soon. Like…
Huron Hospital Will Close August 22
Update: It’s August 22, which means Huron has ceased providing “inpatient, emergency and trauma services — the latest step in streamlining the amount of patient care at the hospital before it permanently shuts its doors Oct. 3,” according to Cleveland.com. Just an FYI. *** Some public service loose ends in healthcare… When the Cleveland Clinic…
Video: Dennis Kucinich Urges Marijuana Legalization at ‘Hempfest’
Dennis! Kucinich, along with “Gramma’s for Ganja” and “Moms for Marijuana,” spoke at “Hempfest” in Seattle this past weekend. Among other things, Dennis! said America should legalize gay marriage, pot, end wars, and all write our names with exclamation marks after them. He also urged the rally attendees to push for these outcomes themselves, saying…
The Pub in Rocky River to Re-Open as Burntwood Tavern
The carcass of The Pub in Rocky River was still warm when the team behind the Burntwood Tavern (504 E. Washington St., 440-318-1560) planted its flag on the property. The owners intend to open a west-side location of the popular Chagrin Falls restaurant by mid-October. When I spoke to owner Bret Adams last summer as…
Willoughby Hills Loves Being a Speed Trap for Motorists
“And don’t let me see you around these parts again.” Whether or not you drive up and down I-71 regularly, you’re probably familiar with Linndale, the postage stamp-sized town that lays claim to five feet or so of the highway and uses the span to levy tickets to stuff the meager coffers, making it widely…
Lorain Grandma Arrested After Child Found With Cocaine in Mouth
We truly appreciate the unofficial game of one-upsmanship Lorain residents play with each other to make the hallowed virtual pages of this rag. “You bite someone’s ear off and flash a toddler? I’ll let my kids drink themselves silly.” In Lorain’s personal Summer Slam, we have a new top entry. A grandmother was arrested after…
Afternoon Brew: Cedar Lee Makeover, Weed in Jolly Ranchers, Dog Thefts Up, and Chris Perez on Twitter
Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you fast in preparation for the hamburger festival this weekend. — Cleveland Heights has plans to spruce up the Cedar Lee neighborhood and is now looking for the money to do so. No truth to rumors plan simply is to ask all young black males to…
Exclusive: We Found Scarlett Johannson’s Hotel
Cleveland’s been aflutter over the parade of celebrities in town for Avengers filming, with some outlets soliciting fan photos, sightings, and notes about what Samuel L. Jackson may have had for breakfast. That’s all well and good, but the real money in star tracking is not finding the A-listers out in public, but sniffing out…
Dennis Kucinich to Speak at ‘Hempfest’ in Seattle
Pitted-olive enthusiast Dennis! Kucinich will join other illustrious speakers like Wayward Bill of the United States Marijuana Party, folks from “Moms for Marijuana” and “Gramma’s for Ganja,” and “Stinkbud” from High Times Magazine at Seattle’s “Hempfest” this weekend. The PD reports Seattle mayor Mike McGinn will also be there, but he’s the least credible of…
Science: Cleveland Covered in Dog Poop
We might sometimes pander to the lower denominators around these parts when we cobble together specious internet city rankings. Sure, they’re entertaining, easy-to-read, and who doesn’t like hollering at their friends in New York, “You may live in NYC, but Cleveland’s No. 1 in hanging laundry out to dry! Suck it!”, but they do little…
Peyton Hillis as Chuck Norris?
It’s Friday, it’s Browns gameday, it’s mere hours until the kickoff of the Great Lakes Classic, and it’s a pretty freaking slow news day, so… Here’s the intro video from Peyton Hillis’ personal website. He’s supposed to be Chuck Norris or something.
State Pulls Club Allure’s Liquor License After Years of Problems
Bullets from the last shooting hit John Q’s If you wanted to know what it takes for the Ohio Division of Liquor Control to pull a liquor license from a bar, here’s the final tally of problems at Club Allure that led the state to not renew its license: — 173 calls to the cops…
Vintage Video: Cedar Point in the 1960s
Like any other local TV news operation, NewsNet5 has its problems. But what it does spectacularly well that none of its competitors do is utilize its vast video archives, digging up choice vintage cuts from the past half century for little nostalgic slices of Cleveland history. Today, there are a trio of clips of Cedar…
Cleveland Removes Traffic Camera, Will Just Move It Somewhere Else
The traffic camera that used stand guard over Broadway and E. 88th St. was a veritable cash printing press for Cleveland, racking up more fines than every other camera in the city other than the ones at Chester and E. 71st St., 3,740 in only 194 days of operation in 2010. No more, according to…
Bite Size
Vampire movies are rarely laughing matters, but Fright Night adds just enough humor to its gore. Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin), a high-school senior living in Las Vegas, has cool friends, a hot girlfriend, and a new neighbor, who just happens to be a vampire. Charley is suspicious at first, but when a friend goes missing,…
Afternoon Brew: 1864 Grave Found in Backyard, Columbus Traffic, JobsOhio Moves Jobs Out of Ohio, and Punks Rob Church
Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you debate red snapper or cod for the fish tacos tonight. — Columbus is undergoing some open-heart surgery on its roads here pretty soon. Up to 15 highway ramps will close, among other inconvenient orange barrel-related moves. The Dispatch is looking for a name for the…
Ohio Asks College Kids Not to Drink
Via @OhioCapitalBlog (Mark Kovac), a press release from the state of Ohio asking college kids not to drink alcohol. Full text after the jump, as to not clutter this beautiful space with ridiculous sentences about freshmen not beer bonging a six-pack of Natty light for breakfast while standing naked in a wading pool. Also, note…
Pic of the Day: Larry Doby Stamp From Postal Service
Here’s what the Larry Doby “Forever” stamp will look like. The Hall of Famer is one of four former players being honored by the USPS. (Via @DarrenRovell)
Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Murder, Doubles Down on Becoming Enemy of Cleveland With Fashion Choice
Robert Doss made sure he was no longer welcomed as a son of America when he shot his ex-girlfriend in the head last year. She had wanted to break up with him; he got a gun and shot her. She’s still alive and recovering, though she is blind and deaf on one side of her…
Get Pumped for the Great Lakes Classic Tomorrow With a Song About the Great Lakes Classic
When the Browns and Lions square off in preseason football, it’s not any old preseason football game filled with the requisite fourth-stringers and slightly slurred, semi-comprehendable analysis from Bernie Kosar. No, when the Browns and Lions square off in preseason football it’s special, you know so because it has an official name: the Great Lakes…
Cleveland Restaurant Gets ‘Restaurant Impossible’ Treatment, Hopes to Cease Being Awful (Updated)
Update: The two-day makeover is complete, the Food Network camera crews have wrapped filming, Robert Irvine is now off screaming in another zip code, and the new Mad Cactus is open for business, this time hoping not to suck so much. The “Restaurant: Impossible” episode will air on November 2. In the meantime, what did…
Advocates Criticize Cedar Point Haunted House (Updated)
Google Images gave us this for haunted house, but we’re not exactly sure what’s going on here. Update II: The last update on this story from back in October of last year had Cedar Point refusing to back down under pressure from the National Alliance on Mental Illness to change the names of two HalloWeekends…
Mayor Jackson Vetoes Cleveland’s ‘Flash Mob’ Law (Updated)
Update: Cleveland City Council voted 14-2 (the two: Zach Reed and Jeff Johnson) to not override Mayor Jackson’s veto of the so-called “flash mob” ordinance. Vote still pending on whether to tell him that penis joke they heard the other day. *** Mayor Frank Jackson has vetoed the controversial “flash mob”/social media ordinance passed recently…
Akron Adds Fence to ‘Suicide Bridge’ to Prevent Jumpers
Akron will finally be adding fencing to the All-America Bridge, which is also known as the the Y-Bridge, but which is more commonly referred to as Suicide Bridge. Dozens have leaped to their deaths from the span since it was built in 1981. The between $1 and $1.5 million dollars for the fencing, which Akron…
Former Cuyahoga Leaders Left $10,000 in Unpaid Tickets
What did Johnny do this time? The past indiscretions, both public and private, of the Dimora/Russo era of Cuyahoga County government didn’t magically disappear when Ed FitzGerald took office. Every bribe, shady contract, and misdeed informs how business moves forward and serves as the backdrop for voters who watch and judge what happens with the…
Afternoon Brew: Historic District Approved, I-77 Closures, Facebook Helps Solve Crime, and CMSD Chief Talks
Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you wish you were literally doing anything else at this moment.— Despite some protests, Cleveland City Council approved the Wade/Magnolia area a historic district, meaning constructing new, modern buildings will be tough to do. Of course, you can still build spaceship-like monstrosities on CWRU’s campus. (WEWS)…
Tribe Teammates Chip in $35,000 so Jack Hannahan Can See Birth of His Child
Tribe utility infielder Jack Hannahan had a lot on his mind when the Indians were in Boston recently. His wife, Jenny, was in Cleveland and expecting to go into labor with the couple’s first child at any minute. Eventually, the kid was on its way and Jenny phoned Jack with the news: get on a…
Lorain Corrections Officer Admits to Killing Wife (Updated)
Update: After news broke that (now former) Lorain County corrections officer William Dembie stabbed his wife to death last week, it was only going to be a matter of time before details the likely turbulent or troubled would emerge. The Chronicle-Telegram reports today that there are accusations on both sides of spousal abuse. Dembie’s lawyer…
Cleveland Will Stink Badly Next Week, Not Friday
The Flats East Bank project is rolling along. There’s a big crane down there and everything. Steel! Girders! Construction hats! One of the next steps in making the long-deserted stretch of land the Midwest’s OC-like playground is to excavate a reserve of coal tar residue buried in the ground. Once exposed to the sun, the…
Avon Resident Calls Cops About Illegal Immigrants, Except Not Really
“Which way to Avon, OH?” This choice police blotter item from the Sun News this morning deserves a line-by-line breakdown. Let’s jump right in. AVON Land where defenses of racial diversity usually include: “I’m friends with this black guy at work.” SUSPICIOUS CONDITION, SCHWARTZ ROAD: Police received a report on Aug. 6 from a nearby…
Brecksville’s Old Spanish Tavern to Re-Open as Seared Steakhouse
By mid-September, Brecksville will be home to an ambitious new steakhouse concept called Seared. The 250-seat restaurant is going into the space (8188 Brecksville Rd.) formerly occupied by Old Spanish Tavern, Mama Rosa Ristorante, and many other failed eateries. “This will be a little different than just a steakhouse concept,” explains GM Robin Schulze. “There…
Ohio Statehouse Gets a Bar (Updated)
Update III: A third update on a story about — gasp — beer and liquor possibly being served in the statehouse? Yep. The AP chimes in this time with a lengthy piece as debate continues over whether a bar will open in the statehouse basement. Citing hype-filled stories and a media blitz, the caterer in…
Seeing is Disbelieving
Surrealism” has been such a constant throughout the summer gallery season that you wouldn’t be blamed for assuming this paper enforces some sort of quota for the term’s usage. (We don’t.) Most galleries have used the word in its broadest sense, to describe experimental shows or those that otherwise bend expectations. At the near West…
Local Band in Focus
Meet the Band: Matt Kaz (vocals, piano, guitar), Alex Beck (guitar, violin), Dylan Jones (drums), and Jeff Farmer (guitar and keyboards) History Lesson: The Painesville band hooked up in college and decided to keep playing together after graduation. After losing two members, they picked up Jones and Farmer last December. Because Mozart Doesn’t Sound Nearly…
On View This Week
At Arts Collinwood: Hazy Days of Sommer This summer marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Kokoon Club, modernism’s first outpost on the North Coast. And with impeccable timing, Arts Collinwood is hosting a tribute to one of the troupe’s founding fathers, William Sommer. InSommer Sequence, Cleveland artist Mark Keffer makes a long-considered…
Spare Some Strings?
Modern rock duos are all about gimmicks. The Black Keys twist their guitar-and-drums combo into a sort of indie version of the blues. Mates of State got the whole cute-couple thing going on. And the White Stripes had a drummer who couldn’t play the drums. Nashville’s Jeff the Brotherhood are indeed brothers: Jake and Jamin…
At the Arthouse
Octubre In this new deadpan comedy from Peru (do they make any other kind of comedy in Peru?), a tough old moneylender finds a baby on his doorstep. So he sets out to find the kid’s mom, one of the city’s prostitutes. In the meantime, the dude’s super-religious neighbor takes care of the baby and…
CD Review: Hercules & Love Affair
It’s not often you hear forest-children flute in a disco track, but then again, Hercules & Love Affair mastermind Andy Butler has never exactly been your run-of-the-mill DJ. The song in question, “Painted Eyes,” is a sonic thrill ride, with loads of explosive little production details emerging through a swirl of pulsating synth-bass. On 2008’s…
Suck for Luck?
It first showed up on fan message boards — not just for the Browns, but for the Bengals, Redskins, Bills, and the rest of the NFL’s supposed bottom-feeders for 2011. “Suck for Luck”: a rallying cry for ineptitude, or just a palliative reminder that the prize at the top of next April’s NFL draft is…
Rolling on the River
While many contemporary musicals congratulate themselves on taking up dicey themes (e.g., bipolar disorder in Next to Normal), they have nothing on the first true musical play ever produced. Back in 1927, Show Boat took on the incendiary topic of miscegenation, and did it in eloquent style. Now the intrepid Mercury Summer Stock company is…
Lights Out
I’m a big fan of everything British,” Nick Sanders told me four yeas ago, just as he was getting ready to open The Pub in Rocky River. Apparently, the same wasn’t true of his neighbors: The faux British pub closed its doors abruptly two weeks ago. “Unfortunately, the Rocky River Pub is not performing at…
CD Review: Nicky English
(nickyenglish.com) Nicky English’s gruff delivery sounds like it’s been stewing at the bottom of a whiskey bottle for some time. On his debut album, the singer-songwriter’s ragged barroom swagger takes on everything from rockabilly to prickly folk-punk and garage-pop. Together they make for a casual back-porch intimacy, like longtime friends slowly getting lit and swapping…
CD Review: Blue October
Everything’s a big deal to Justin Furstenfeld. So it wasn’t much of a shock when Blue October canceled a tour a couple of years ago following the frontman’s panic attack. Since then, his marriage fell apart and he was derailed by a bitter custody battle. So you can imagine the anxiety levels on the Houston…
Stay In!
TOP PICK – CD Archers of Loaf: Icky Mettle (Merge) These North Carolina indie rockers were indie rock when the term actually meant something. Their 1993 debut deservedly gets the deluxe, two-disc treatment, complete with singles, b-sides, and leftovers. The band’s powerful jagged sound can still be heard in any number of today’s best bands.…
Concert Calendar
Murder by Death This Indiana indie-rock band came to life 11 years ago with a cry of post-core prog rock. Now they’re singing about whiskey-induced saloon standoffs and western romances. The conversion is somewhat of a mystery, but we have a theory that involves repeated listens to Johnny Cash albums before recording 2006’s In Boca…
The Beachland’s Waterloo
It’s another balmy Friday night on Waterloo Road, and the throng is pouring in early. The cars parked up and down the street signal a bigger show than usual at the Beachland Ballroom — and less ink and facial hair than a typical night might draw. Today’s triple bill attracts a hodge-podge of humanity: from…
On the Border
As anybody who has ever made tacos at home can tell you, one of the most important steps is heating the shells. Hard taco shells straight out of the box taste little better than the box itself. It is only after a brief, intense heat that the bland, rubbery shells emerge crisp, corny, and muy…
Home Movies
The Big Lebowski: Limited Edition Blu-ray (Universal) One of the best, funniest, and most quotable movies of the past 15 years is finally on Blu-ray. Jeff Bridges should have won an Oscar for his role in the Coen brothers’ 1998 cult comedy about a missing rug, mistaken identity, and a kidnapping. The Dude ranks as…
Film Capsules
Sarah’s Key (PG-13) Kristin Scott Thomas plays Julia, an American journalist living in France with her businessman husband Bertrand and teenage daughter. Just as they begin renovation on his family’s apartment, Julia becomes obsessed with writing a story about a 1942 incident in which French police arrested close to 14,000 Jews. The Starzynski family, including…
Day Trippers
Imagine meeting and sharing a bed with someone on the night of your college graduation, then leaving the next day to start the rest of your life. You keep in touch, become friends — then best friends, and remain that way for the next 20 years. Now place London and Paris as the backdrop, and…
CD Review: Jeff Bridges
The seeds for the debut album by Jeff Bridges were planted two years ago, when the Oscar winner played a down-and-out country singer in Crazy Heart. On this record’s 10 songs, he sings the same sort of ragged Americana that gave his grizzled movie character a second chance. He even enlisted Crazy Heart’s musical collaborator,…
Get Out!
Thursday | 18 Funny Stuff Tommy Davidson Tours Cleveland For funny man Tommy Davidson, inspiration is everywhere. “My stand-up just comes from me being here,” he says. “I’m on tour for life.” A veteran comic who has starred in legendary shows like In Living Color and MadTV, Davidson has been selling out venues for decades.…
We Get Mail
Rebirth of a Chef My husband, who has been in the kitchen for nearly 20 years, has taken the same way out as so many other chefs: We now are urban farming, selling at Gordon Square Farmers Market, raising our own chickens, and volunteering tons of time to teach others canning, healthy eating, and how…
Boddie and Soul
On October 25, the Numero Group — the Chicago record company that’s excavated cool but little-heard R&B treasures from around the country since 2003 — will release Boddie Recording Company: Cleveland, Ohio, a three-CD/five-LP box that could turn out to be one of the year’s most eye-opening sets. The label recently uncovered a few unreleased…
