Ohio State Fair’s Ride Malfunction Victims Settle With State
Update: State officials announced yesterday that a settlement agreement has been reached with those injured in last summer’s harrowing Ohio State Fair’s ride malfunction. We don’t know much about the agreement except that none of the money used will come out of the state treasury and the victims have agreed to release the state fully.…
Update: Original Members of the Cleveland Metal Band Breaker to Reunite for Metal Holiday Food Drive
Update: In addition to featuring a performance by the Ventura, Calif.-based hard rock band Night Demon, this year’s ninth annual Cleveland Metal Holiday Food Drive will also feature a special appearance by the veteran local metal act Breaker. The original members will reunite for the first time in more than 25 years. Local metal acts such…
Cuyahoga Valley National Park Welcomes Even More Science Classes with New Grant
[image-1]Cuyahoga Valley National Park is one of only a few beneficiaries of a $1-million grant to kickstart a program called Citizen Science 2.0. The whole point is to get local schools and teachers equipped with the resources to bring students closer to the field through, say, “hands-on scientific study of water quality and watersheds.” Even…
League Park is Stitching Together the Past and Future of Cleveland
Since reopening to the public in 2014, League Park has grown into its latest iteration in the annals of Cleveland history: as ballfield, a museum and a platform for programming that blends legendary moments of the past with a city’s hope for the future. From jazz concerts to youth clinics, the new League Park has…
18 Seasons and 18 Stories That Represent the Cleveland Browns’ Modern Era
The Browns’ preseason begins tonight against the Saints of New Orleans. Brock Osweiler, the latest name to bounce around the front office spin cycle, will take the helm at QB. You can almost write the rest of the season from there. But before all of that begins, we’d like to take you on a trip…
In Advance of Their Cleveland Concert, Alejandro Escovedo and Joe Ely Talk Going Sans Set Lists
A veteran singer-songwriter who’s performed in various punk, rock and alt-country outfits since the ’70s, Alejandro Escovedo moved to Austin in the ’80s and began to draw from the city’s rich heritage of blues and roots rock. On his latest solo effort, last year’s Burn Something Beautiful, he teams up with former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck…
Two Men Charged in I-90 Shooting That Injured Four-Year-Old Boy This Week: UPDATE
Leon Edwards and John Smith have been charged with attempted murder following the early Monday morning shooting of a 4-year-old boy. (See our original story below.) They have not yet been arrested. Spurred by an apparent bout of road rage, the two suspects allegedly chased down a woman as she drove onto the Shoreway. They…
The Wolsteins, Tony George and Other Big Donors to Mayoral Challengers Jeff Johnson and Zack Reed
City Councilmen Jeff Johnson and Zack Reed likely pose the greatest threat to Mayor Frank Jackson in the upcoming mayoral election. But like all the other challengers in the race, their coffers pale in comparison to Jackson’s mountainous war chest. Still, Johnson and Reed both have managed to elicit big-money support from a few well-known…
Former WMMS Program Director On the Legacy of Bruce Springsteen’s Legendary 1978 Agora Concert
In his original review for Scene of Bruce Springsteen’s Aug. 9, 1978, show at the Agora Jim Girard wrote, “In case you haven’t noticed, rock and roll has a new king. His name is Bruce Springsteen.” It was a bold statement, but everyone seemed to know that the show would be an experience they would never…
Rapper Big Boi to Play House of Blues in September
One half of the terrific hip-hop outfit Outkast, rapper Big Boi has just announced his Daddy Fat Saxxx Tour in support of his newest album, BOOMIVERSE. Sack 1, the first leg of the fall trek, includes a Sept. 18 stop at House of Blues. The seven-time Grammy-winning, RIAA diamond-certified musician’s latest album includes the hit…
Brock Osweiler. Really? — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
Our pals Andre and Zac return this week to talk about the impending Browns preseason, helmed by none other than Brock Osweiler at quarterback. Huh? The guys break down the weirdness from FirstEnergy Stadium, and much more in this episode. Stream the goods below.
City of Cleveland Will Pay $50,000 to Six People Arrested During Michael Brelo Protests
The city of Cleveland has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit filed by six men and women who were arrested during the 2015 protests that broke out following police officer Michael Brelo’s acquittal. According to attorneys involved in the case, the city will pay the plaintiffs $50,000. The lawsuit contended that Cleveland police officers infringed on…
Why Did Councilman Matt Zone Have a Campaign Fundraiser in Los Angeles?
Almost all of west side councilman Matt Zone’s campaign fundraising in the first half of 2017 came from an event in Southern California. On May 9, according to Zone’s most recent campaign finance filing, 18 individual contributors donated $17,050 at the fundraiser, which was organized and hosted by Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson,…
You Can Help Name Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s New Baby Giraffe
Sunday, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo quietly welcomed a baby giraffe. Not that mother Jhasmin’s labor was necessarily a quiet occasion, but after the media frenzy that followed the final stages of April the giraffe’s near-14-month pregnancy, this male African Masai calf’s entrance into the world was relatively discrete. Already weighing about 160 pounds and clearing 6-feet,…
U.S. Justice Department Reverses Stance on Ohio’s ‘Voter Purge’ Policy
Before the U.S. Supreme Court could get its hands on the case, the U.S. Department of Justice has intervened on Ohio’s “voter purge” policy. Reversing a position from the Obama administration, the DOJ has sided with Secretary of State Jon Husted and his office’s formal removal of registered voters from the state’s database. First, let’s…
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul to Play Hard Rock Live in October
Actor and musician Little Steven returned to the concert stage last year as he and his band the Disciples of Soul performed at London’s BluesFest 2016. Van Zandt will head back to Europe this fall for an additional leg of the Soulfire Tour 2017. He’ll also play a number of shows in the States, including…
BAYarts to Showcase Jessica Pinsky’s Latest Exhibitions
As an artist represented by Hedge Gallery at 78th Street Studios, instructor at the Cleveland Institute of Art and executive director of Praxis Fiber Worskhop, Jessica Pinsky is a very active member of Cleveland’s art community. BAYarts’ latest exhibitions include Jessica Pinsky’s Equal in the Sullivan Family Gallery and Teacher Tell Me a Story: The…
Appeal Denied for ‘Breaking Bad’-Inspired Cleveland Attorney
Cleveland lawyer Matthew King looked to the wrong TV show for inspiration. King, 46, who was found guilty of money laundering last summer after apparently learning the craft from Breaking Bad, has had his appeal denied. Inspired by Saul Goodman, the AMC drama’s resident attorney and star of its spinoff, Better Call Saul, King began…
LEGO Fan Convention Celebrates All Things LEGO in Cleveland Next Month
You can take your love for LEGOs downtown from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, when the BrickUniverse LEGO Fan Convention makes its way to Cleveland. Huntington Convention Center hosts the expo, where you can explore impressive, already-constructed LEGO formations or build your own. You can also meet professional LEGO builders (because that is a job)…
Iman Shumpert’s Will Ferrell Impression is Spot On: VIDEO
This morning, Bill Simmons’ The Ringer launched a “new and improved” version of its site, hosted by Vox Media’s content management system. One of the new, sillier features will be a “Table Reads” series, where (presumably) athletes will perform the lines of their favorite movie characters. In the inaugural installment, the Cavs’ Iman Shumpert takes…
Indie Comedy ‘Lost & Found in Cleveland’ to Begin Filming Locally Before Year’s End
Actors Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman, both of whom live in Los Angeles, met a few years ago at an audition. In the course of getting coffee after their audition, they came up with the concept for Lost & Found in Cleveland, a movie about five different people who try to have some items appraised…
Shocking Takeaways from Frank Jackson’s $150,000 Haul at Gates Mills Fat Cat Fundraiser
Of the 145 individuals and PACs that combined to give Mayor Frank Jackson $148,017 at a controversial June fundraiser in Gates Mills, only one listed a Cleveland home address. According to Frank Jackson’s most recent semiannual campaign finance report, one which illustrated the vast disparity between Jackson’s fundraising and the rest of the Cleveland mayoral…
Nike Drops 20 New LeBron Soldier XI Colorways, Fresh AZG Retros Coming Soon
Kyrie still wants out of Cleveland and the Browns just named a dude who was supposed to be released or traded as the starting quarterback for the first preseason game. But fear not Cleveland, we still have that LeBron James guy. And Nike is releasing LeBron’s sneakers in droves, just in time to buy those…
Ohio Attorney General Seeks More Money for Drug Testing Lab in Cuyahoga County
You don’t have to look far in Ohio to find a need for more public funding in the fight against the opiate addiction crisis. “Resources,” money, treatment beds: All are lacking to some degree or another as the overdose death toll rises in our state. In Cuyahoga County, law enforcement and medical professionals are bracing…
New Ohio Bill Prevents Schools from Suspending or Expelling Truant Students
Thanks to a new House bill, schools in Ohio can no longer suspend or expel students for missing too much school. “There are many reasons students miss school, but districts often can directly impact their students’ attendance,” the bill says. “By using data to identify and support students who may need extra support and services,…
Join ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Watch Party Downtown Cleveland Next Week
There’s no need to watch the American Ninja Warrior finals at home next week, when you can do so downtown, surrounded by other fans and a even a couple of Cleveland ninjas. The Greater Cleveland Film Commission hosts a watch party Monday, Aug. 14, at the Corner Alley Downtown from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. And…
Machine Gun Kelly and Cloud Nothings Among the Highlights at Lollapalooza
Numerous bands come from around the world to perform at Lollapalooza, the four-day music festival that takes place each year at Chicago’s Grant Park. Two of this year’s acts — rapper Machine Gun Kelly and indie rockers Cloud Nothings — came from Cleveland. They were among the many highlights at the festival, which concluded yesterday.…
Group of Mostly Black Detroit Residents Takes Photo at Site of Dan Gilbert’s Controversial Ad
On Sunday, about two weeks after Detroit’s largest developer made national headlines for plastering a downtown building with mostly white faces and the words “See Detroit like we do,” a few dozen Detroiters posed for a photo in an effort to more accurately represent the people of the city. This time, the faces at 600…
Cleveland Orchestra Music Director Franz Welser-Möst Wins Prestigious European Award
“Go see the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom” is on everyone’s Cleveland Bucket List. You can — and should — do that this week. Scene enjoyed a lovely evening under perfect twilit skies on Saturday, as the orchestra treated Northeast Ohio to Tchaikovsky. For that and much more, we have Franz Welser-Möst to thank. And on…
Highs and Lows as the Cleveland Orchestra Tackles Tchaikovsky at Blossom
Saving the most popular music for last is an old, transparent gambit designed to keep concertgoers from fleeing at intermission. Last night at Blossom, the Cleveland Orchestra also saved its best playing for after the break. Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 made up the first half of the program. Throughout the concerto, the orchestra was…
New Sci-Fi Thriller ‘The Dark Tower’ Represents a Case of Squandered Potential
Everything after the opening scene of The Dark Tower, a film about how its titular building holds the world together and keeps “darkness” at bay, is a convoluted mess. Theoretically, the film, which opened yesterday areawide, seems like a happy compromise between superhero flicks with increasingly long runtimes and, say, hour-long Disney movies. But skeptics…
Terry Francona and His Dad Just Launched Their Own Marinara Sauce
Cleveland Indians’ manager Terry Francona and his father have launched their own line of marinara sauce. The new blend, out this week, is called, Tito & Son Pasta Sauce. Tito Sr. played for the Indians from 1959 to 1964. The sauce was produced with the help of Barnstorm Marketing and RBA Sports. Bob Barlow, the owner of…
SummerDine Event Benefits Local Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier
On Wednesday, August 16, the Cleveland chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier will hold its annual fundraising celebration. The mission behind the organization is largely focused on assisting and promoting women in the professions of food, wine and hospitality. SummerDine, as the event is called, is atypical in that it takes place at various restaurants all…
Trump Nominees Give FERC a Quorum Again. What’s Next for Nexus Pipeline?
With U.S. Senate approval last night, Neil Chatterjee and Robert Powelson were confirmed as members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The body has a voting quorum for the first time since former commissioner Norman Bay resigned in January. Chatterjee and Powelson, nominees named by President Donald Trump, are almost sure to bring a more…
Rock Hall of Famer David Crosby to Play the Kent Stage in November
[image-1]The co-founder of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, singer David Crosby has been inducted into the Rock Hall twice. He’s recently became rather active too. Back in 2014, he released his first solo album in two decades. Last year, he followed it up with Lighthouse. And next month, he’ll release Sky Trails, an…
Mansfield Newspaper Hosting Community Baby Shower to Educate on Infant Mortality, Sleep Safety
We’ve written about the Los Angeles-based Baby Box Co. before and pointed out Ohio’s alarming infant mortality rate, and today we bring you the story of a small newspaper in Mansfield that’s doing something about the issue. With the help of the Baby Box Co., the Richland Source is hosting a community baby shower on Sept.…
Lady Macbeth: Boredom and Death in Steamy Period Drama
Among other chilling reactions you may experience after the viewing of Lady Macbeth, the new period drama from rookie director William Oldroyd that opens Friday at the Cedar Lee, is that it’s one of the starker depictions of boredom available in recent cinema. Katherine (Florence Pugh), is a young bride sold into marriage and then…
Lyndhurst Native Plans Rock Climbing Gym for Ohio City Masonic Arts Center Building
Cleveland’s two rock climbing gyms—Cleveland Rock Gym and Climb Cleveland—may soon have some competition. Earlier this month, 29-year-old Lyndhurst native and entrepreneur Kevin Wojton acquired the Ohio City Masonic Arts Center located at 2831 Franklin Blvd. Wojton and his wife have been climbers for about a decade, and they have big plans to convert the…
Trump Administration Cuts Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grants, Affecting Northeast Ohio School Districts
One of the more controversial – and overlooked – financial cuts made by the Trump administration so far is now being directly felt here at home as several Cuyahoga County school districts will lose out on around $2 million in funding for a federally-funded teen pregnancy prevention program. Awarded in 2015, the Cuyahoga County Board…
nuCLEus Developer Seeks Tax Financing Deal with Cleveland Metropolitan School District and the City
The next major private-public deal to confront the residents of Cleveland arrives in the form of nuCLEus, the so-called “catalytic event” disguised as a 54-story mixed-use downtown project next to Quicken Loans Arena. Stark Enterprises, the developer, first won approval for the idea in 2014; now, the group is trying to figure out how to…
Corey Lewandowski Just as Worthless as Expected at the City Club
Whatever it was that former Republican strategist and deposed cable news commentator Corey Lewandowski hoped to communicate to the paying audience at the City Club of Cleveland Thursday afternoon, the takeaways from this controversial forum will have little to do with his remarks. How could they? Lewandowski’s speech, and his wobbly answers to seven audience…
Cuyahoga County Could Receive Five Medical Marijuana Dispensaries In New Draft Proposal
[image-1]The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has released a new proposal that could potentially lead to 18 medical marijuana dispensaries placed in Northeast Ohio, with five of them being located in Cuyahoga County. The Board of Pharmacy is responsible for determining the dispensary locations, which in addition to the five in Cuyahoga County include…
How 11 Cleveland Neighborhoods Got Their Names
OHIO CITY — Originally, and just as self-explanatory, the “City of Ohio” was founded in 1818 and served briefly as a municipality in the 1830s before being annexed to Cleveland in 1854. The still-bustling neighborhood, now home to more than 9,000 residents, is probably best-known for the West Side Market, which opened in 1912. During…
Study: Republican National Convention Dropped $188 Million into Northeast Ohio Economy
The 2016 Republican National Convention left the greater Cleveland area a combined economic impact of $188.4 million, according to Tourism Economics, “the national leader in event impact analysis” commissioned by the 2016 RNC Host Committee to study the event. Direct spending alone accounted for some $110 million across a seven-county region during the week of…
After 20 Years on Lee, Parnell’s Pub Moving to Cedar-Fairmount
After 20 years in the same location, Declan Synnott is relocating his bar. Parnell’s Pub (2167 Lee Road, Cleveland, 216-321-3469), opened two decades ago as the Charles Stewart Parnell’s Pub, will be moving down the hill to the Cedar-Fairmount neighborhood of Cleveland Heights. Synnott is currently renovating the former Ten Thousand Villages space (12425 Cedar…
8 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, AUG. 4 Brantley Gilbert/Black Stone Cherry/Tyler Farr Country singer Brantley Gilbert, who issued his debut, Modern Day Prodigal Son, in 2009, came into the spotlight after country superstar Jason Aldean turned tunes such as “Dirt Road Anthem,” a song Brantley co-wrote with Colt Ford, and “My Kind of Party,” into chart topping hits. His…
Acting Out! Fest Returns to Blend Arts and Comedy with Mental Health Awareness
After months of planning, Cleveland-based artist Derek Hess and his longtime business partner Marty Geramita announced plans for their second annual Acting Out! Fest, including an expanded lineup of free live music, art, stand-up comedy, films, and talks at venues throughout Gordon Square from Sept. 13 to 16. The weekend features more than 15 events…
Improv Cash Mob to Bring Laughs, Support for Coffee Phix
Though it’s definitely been growing over the past few years, the going has been a bit tough over the past year for the crew at Coffee Phix Café. Construction of a new business development and the corresponding demolition and road work on the building, which will include a sprawling new Marc’s and plenty of parking,…
Ampersand Expands its Vintage Furniture Store, Fueling Little Italy Retail Renaissance
Turns out you don’t have to be a restaurant or café to be a thriving local business in Little Italy. A little more than a year ago, Cleveland residents Bryan Simmons and Craig McDonald opened up the vintage home goods boutique Ampersand Goods, located at 2026 Murray Hill Road. Just this week, the store expanded…
Details Announced for This Year’s National Hamburger Festival
Now in its 12th year, the National Hamburger Festival keeps upping the ante and adding more activities. This year’s event will take place on Aug. 12 and 13 at Akron’s Lock 3. The event will feature more than 50 different kinds of hamburgers served by more than a dozen mostly independent eateries. “In addition to…
Frank Jackson Has Raised A Whole Lot More Money Than All Other Mayoral Challengers Combined
When Cleveland City Council passed a major increase to caps on campaign contributions last year, Council President Kevin Kelley argued that the new, higher caps would help out challengers as they built war chests to take on powerful incumbents. But campaign finance reports for the first half of 2017, filed by six mayoral candidates with…
Tommy’s Restaurant in Cleveland Heights Ships Milkshake to Hospice Patient in Arlington
Tommy’s Restaurant in Cleveland Heights fulfilled a longtime devotee’s wish to drink one last mocha milkshake. Emily Pomeranz, who grew up in Cleveland Heights, was living in the D.C. area when pancreatic cancer led her to a hospice in Arlington, Va. She wasn’t able to travel to Cleveland to get her fix, so her friend Sam Klein,…
Stunning Visuals Characterized the alt-J Concert at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
Over the past decade, British indie rockers alt-J have developed their sound to become more expansive (and louder too). These days, they sound more like Pink Floyd than Radiohead. When playing live, the band doesn’t entirely seek to retain the delicate nature of its studio recordings but rather amplifies things to the extent that the…
A Lack of Stage Presence Doesn’t Derail Car Seat Headrest Concert at the Beachland
If patrons in the audience at the Car Seat Headrest show that took place last night at the Beachland Ballroom attended without prior knowledge of the band or its sound, they might have left pleasantly surprised, if not somewhat puzzled, by what they had witnessed. For roughly an hour and a half, the quartet’s mastermind,…
Savage Love: Crossed Dressers
Dear Dan, My wife has been seriously ill for three years, and I have been her sole caregiver. The doctors here weren’t getting the job done, so we made the difficult decision for her to move 2,000 miles away to start over and be near her family. Our sex life has been nonexistent since she…
Extra! Extra! Read All About the Hoofing in ‘Newsies’ at Porthouse Theatre
Okay, before we begin thisreview, let’s review our terminology. Once upon a time there were “labor unions,” groups of employees who banded together to fight for the rights of workers who were often abused by their employers. Weird, right? These days, with plutocrats in full blossom and an autocrat in the White House, the idea…
The Food Is Messy At Boiler 65, (and That’s Good), But So Is The Service
I was returning to my booth after a quick trip to the washroom when the owner intercepted me. “So how was everything,” he inquired. “How was the customer service?” “I think you know,” I responded without missing a beat. I directed his attention to our table, which was nearly concealed from view beneath a quagmire…
What the History of One Cleveland Neighborhood Can Teach Us About Race and Housing Inequality
The trim, brick and wood colonial at 15508 Talford Ave. is unassuming. Located in the southeasterly Lee-Harvard neighborhood, the house was built in 1947 and comes in at just under 1,200 square feet. Modest by today’s standards, it represents an earlier, post-World War II dream of suburban single-family housing — and stands as an object…
Get Out: Everything You Should Do This Week in Cleveland (Aug. 2 – 8)
WED 08/02 Keep Talking Keep Talking is an exciting storytellers program where locals can share their real-life experiences on a theme. The series offers attendees the chance to grab a drink and a dog while listening to some of their Cleveland neighbors tell tall tales. The theme for tonight’s event is “Parents.” It starts at…
Band of The Week: We Banjo 3
Meet the Band: David Howley (banjo, vocals, guitar), Martin Howley (banjo, mandolin, tenor guitar), Enda Scahill (banjo, mandolin, tenor guitar), Fergal Scahill (fiddle, guitar, bodhrán) THREE GUYS WITH BANJOS: About seven years ago, David Howley formed the band with his brother, Martin, and Enda Scahill. “It was three guys with three banjos,” says David Howley.…
How We See ‘Detroit’
The lethal confrontation at the center of Detroit, Kathryn Bigelow’s arresting new drama that opens Friday in wide release, takes place at the Algiers Motel at the height of the Detroit riots in 1967. Three black men died that night, though the historical record remains fuzzy on how the violence escalated. The movie attempts to…
Local Artist Returns to Form Amid a Hellish Bout With Pain and Anxiety
The reports of Stephen Kasner’s death have been greatly exaggerated. While Kasner disappeared from the scene for several years due to health issues and the nightmare of what it’s like to be uninsured, his work is healthier than ever. His ethereal paintings and mixed-media pieces, always prone to leaving viewers’ jaws agape, are taking on…
La Posada Brings More Than Just Beans and Rice to the Latin Table
With its dark carpeting and chandelier lighting, La Posada in Old Brooklyn feels less like a restaurant and more like a church banquet hall. Which is exactly what it is: The space is rented from St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church. La Posada has been open for a month now. The food is great, but the…
