Franklin County Starts International Conflict With Canada
A Franklin County Commissioner meeting. Hear that ominous and growing noise? The war drums are beating across Lake Erie. A trade dispute between two nations is getting nasty, and you can thank those NAFTA-bucking nativists down in Columbus for inciting a possible international conflict. From the Columbus Dispatch comes this report: the Canadian consul has…
Lovedrug Want You to Spread Some of Your Holiday Joy
“Smoke ’em if you got ’em. boys. It’s Christmastime!” Local alt-rockers Lovedrug are funding their new album with a little help from you. It’s not exactly a new thing — hundreds of artists are reaching out to their fans to help them foot the bill for recording these days. Singer-songwriter Jill Sobule did it and…
Rudy Litto, Longtime Con, Beats Hospital Roommate to Death (Updated)
Not cool, Rudy. Update: Rudy Litto appeared before a judge this morning and pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, felonious assault and vandalism. His bond was set at $250,000 according to 19 Action News. *** It looks like a case of a bad roommate that came to a tragic end. 69-year-old Daniel Brown checked…
Heights Guitar Plays on Despite Death of Greg Stiles
When Greg Stiles, owner of Heights Guitar in Cleveland Heights, died unexpectedly of pancreatic cancer in February, it seemed the locally owned boutique music store didn’t have much chance of surviving him. Over 20 years in business, the affable, shaggy-haired, 60-year-old School of the Arts science teacher had developed a following with his staff of…
Richard Finch, Ex-KC and Sunshine Band Bassist, Guilty of Sex Abuse
A funky white boy. As anyone who’s tuned in to Celebrity Rehab knows, the post-rock lifestyle isn’t always a smooth run for once-famous musicians. Now, the man partly responsible for a slew of wedding staples your grandma loves to get down on has hit a bad patch and is heading for rehabilitation, but not the…
Attendance Slumps for Ohio High School Football Championship Games
St. Edward and Maple Heights celebrated state high school football titles last weekend, while officials from the Ohio High School Athletic Association lamented yet another decline in tournament attendance. The six championship games played this year drew just over 35,500 fans — about 3,500 less than last year, which was 9,000 less than the year…
The Lightbulb World is Laughing at Cleveland
Mayor Frank Jackson’s call for bids to supply Cleveland’s LED lights for the next ten years yielded only one more interested party than he got when he handled the dealings in private. The two players are both Ohio companies: General Electric of East Cleveland and ATC Lighting of Andover. Curiously absent is Sunpu Opto, the…
Browns Fans Taunt LeBron In Miami
The Cavs may have displayed little fight and less heart during LeBron’s return to Cleveland, but Cleveland fans admirably and proudly displayed their displeasure with James during the game. And it appears that fervent hatred isn’t limited to the geographic confines Northeast Ohio. According to the NY Post, LeBron was out for dinner in Miami…
Last Commissioners Meeting Filled With Contract Craziness
Peter Lawson Jones had to finish a bunch of contracts before doing more acting. With the clock ticking down to the installation of Cuyahoga County’s new government, the ink was flying at the county commissioners’ final two sessions. They signed off on some 150 contracts, some of which they presumably read. The transition team of…
Plain Dealer Probes Missing Clues, Then Misses Some More
As Cuyahoga County’s longtime network of corruption gives way in January to an innovative new network of corruption, The Plain Dealer paused for reflection recently on the scope of its coverage before and during the federal probe of Jimmy Dimora, Frank Russo, and pals. Ombudsman Ted Diadiun explained how now-departed Editor Susan Goldberg dispatched him…
Morning Brew: New Browns Coach, Rush Filming in Cleveland, Snow, and Grinches
Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you hire that kid down the street to clear your driveway for you. — Some say Eric Mangini is on the hot seat. And then there’s everyone who’s right. Sorry, kids, but Mangini’s going to be around next year. That’s not going to stop everyone from…
Cleveland Gets Lingerie Football Franchise
Quicken Loans arena will soon be invaded by scantily clad women playing football. Or something resembling football. Today the Lingerie Football League announced that Cleveland has been given a new franchise that will open play in the 2011 season. Say hello to the Cleveland Crush.
Fewer Clevelanders Being Murdered This Year
Police are keeping menaces like this little girl off the street. Good for you, Cleveland. You’re killing fewer people this year than at any point in the last decade and possibly the last half century. Congratulations for keeping the sanity. According to the Plain Dealer, there have been just 66 homicides to date in the…
Pic of the Day: New Dinosaur Discovered With Help of Clevelander
Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Behold the Koreaceratops hwaseongensis. The new dinosaur was discovered by two scientists and Michael Ryan, a paleontologist with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The remains were unearthed two years ago in South Korea. The name is in honor of the Hwaseong City region where the fossil…
FitzGerald Dishes Details on New County Gov’t
Today we finally got some details on the re-organization of county government under new top dog Ed FitzGerald. The country exec-elect says he plans to trim down the government and organize the staff into new clusters, according to Channel 3. FitzGerald released his plan this morning.
Cleveland by Google Autocomplete
Gizmodo posted a kinda fascinating map of the country based on what Google suggests first with autocomplete for each state. For Ohio? Ohio State Football, which seems about right. It got us thinking about what Google had to say for Cleveland. What does Google suggest when you start searching our fine city? And what about…
Video: Cincinnati Mascot Arrested at Game For Throwing Snowballs
Moments before being arrested. The Cincinnati Bearcats mascot was throwing snowballs during Saturday’s game when police approached to let the fella know that he should knock it off. M. Robert “Bobby” Garfield III (yes, that’s his name), the man inside the suit, took exception and shoved the officer. Bad move, Bearcat. Cops took him to…
It’s Going to Keep Snowing, and Snowing, and Snowing
Now this feels more like it, right Cleveland? With snow already plastering the ground around the area, forecasters are saying another 4-9 inches will fall before Tuesday night. Hot diggidy damn. According to the Lorain Morning Journal, there’s a wrap-around low pressure system that is flushing the region with cold air, and picking up plenty…
New County Council Dems Caught in Backroom Dealings
Bad Politicians: The Next Generation? So the brand spankin’ new Cuyahoga County Council has already been smeared with BS, causing critics to say it’s business as usual among local politicians. Before the county’s legislative body could even mouth an oath of office and table up for their inaugural official sit down, a group of Democrats…
Stephen Loomis, Police Union Chief, and Councilman Jeff Johnson Argue Over Warehouse District Incident
Tempers flared this morning at a court appearance for Jason Ruiz, the guy involved in a Warehouse District incident earlier this year after which he claimed the officer was racist. Ruiz apologized to the officer involved during the proceedings, but it was afterward when things got interesting. Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association President Stephen Loomis cornered…
Ethics Investigator Says Bob Taft “Not Fundamentally Corrupt”
Former governor Bob Taft pleaded no contest back in 2005 to four misdemeanors stemming from his failure to disclose gifts from lobbyists. And then there was that whole Coingate thing. The Republican finished out his second term in office, but not without a taint on his legacy. Now the lead ethics investigator, in an interview…
Man Tries to Break Into Carl Monday’s House
You don’t want to anger this man. It’s a crapshoot for a criminal when choosing a home to break into. Could be loaded with goods, could be empty. Could be empty, the owners could be home. There could be a dog, there could be an alarm. It could belong to just anyone, or it could…
Darius Clark Whipped, Burned, Beat Children
Darius Clark. Darius Clark was sentenced to 28 years in prison after being found guilty of a slew of truly heinous acts against his girlfriend’s children. According to the PD, Clark, 23, left a trail of violence through the home, repeatedly abusing and assaulting the 3-year-old son and small daughter of Taheim L. Traywick, who…
Concert Review: Ozzy Osbourne at the Q
Iron Man, O.G. Even Ozzy Osbourne’s most diehard fans know you have to rate one of his concerts — even the somewhat abbreviated one he performed last night in front of a three-quarters full Quicken Loans Arena — on a a curve. It’s common knowledge that hard living and advanced age have cut into both…
It’s About To Get Really Cold and Snowy
That fancy and confusing graphic means it’s about to get friggin’ cold in Cleveland, according WEWS. And not just a little cold, the coldest it might be all winter in Cleveland. Awesome.
Cavs Assistant Coach Tells LeBron to STFU
LeBron dawdled by the Cavs bench a couple times last night, chatting with JJ Hickson and other Cavs players. Here’s assistant coach Jamahl Mosely telling LeBron to just shut the fuck up. (Via Bob’s Blitz)
Rodney Stewart, Local Minister, Nabbed in Sex Ring (Updated)
Update: Stewart has been sentenced to one year in prison, according to 19 Action News. *** This one goes the distance in the gruesome category. A 43-year-old Broadview Heights preacher has been hit with charges related to his pastime: scouring the internet for weird, illegal sexAs Fox 8 reports, Rodney Stewart, a minister at the…
Craigslist Missed Connection at Cavs Game
Because no one else covers the Craigslist Missed Connection beat like us, here’s a post that went up after the Cavs/Heat game last night. This guy’s not going to let the prospect of a girl with a boyfriend or an ass-whooping at the hands of LeBron jam up his game: CAVS VS HEAT GAME -…
Those Wiretapped by Feds in Cuyahoga County Corruption Investigation Get Letters
We’re listening, Jimmy. The continuing drama that is the FBI’s investigation into corruption in Cuyahoga County has been fueled by many things — outright criminality, less-than-bright public officials, indictments, accomplices turning state’s evidence — but the most damaging evidence seems to come from the FBI’s wiretaps of the key players. You’ll remember that the information…
Throwing Beer and Brothers in Handcuffs: Photos of the Few Incidents During LeBron’s Return
Cleveland was remarkably behaved last night. Well, perhaps it’s not so remarkable, but we were behaved, comporting ourselves in a dignified but passionate manner. The boos were loud (to start), the chants en-masse (to start), and the energy high, all until the Cavs went down by double digits and their soul-sucking performance sucked the life…
Video: Mo Williams Gives LeBron the Cold Shoulder
Say what you will about how Mo Williams played last night, at least he was one of the few Cavs who treated LeBron like an opponent. In a league where everyone is buddy buddy and on a team where JJ Hickson, Jawad Williams, and others fraternized with LeBron like it was no big thing, Mo…
Pic of the Day: Beers Thrown at Heat Fan
While Cleveland comported themselves reasonably well last night, there were scattered incidents around the Q. One happened to be right in front of us. A Heat fan paraded to the front row of the upper deck and started taunting the crowd, popping his jersey, taking it off and waving it around in the air. Cavs…
Cavs Assistant Coach Tells LeBron to Shut the F*&# Up
LeBron dawdled by the Cavs bench a couple times last night, chatting with JJ Hickson and other Cavs players. Here’s assistant coach Jamahl Mosely telling LeBron to just shut the fuck up. (Via Bob’s Blitz)
Men Pose as Women to Sexually Assault Underage Boy
If you’re a nice young man and you meet two young women on Facebook and they invite you down to the Inter-Continental Hotel for some sex and they offer to send a limo to pick you up, it’s probably too good to be true. Worse than that, they’re probably just men. Even worse than that,…
Matthew Bellamy, That LeBron Fan, Will Be at the Game Tonight
The chronicles of Matthew Bellamy continue. His 15 minutes of fame, which should have ended shortly after he was escorted out of Jacobs Field this summer, were extended recently when the Heat reneged on their offer to fly him down to Miami for a game. And now, he’s back again. Ohio.com reports that Bellamy will…
The Last Cuyahoga County Commissioners Meeting Ever
Jimmy Dimora, Tim Hagan, and Peter Lawson Jones convened this morning for the last-ever meeting of the Cuyahoga County commissioners. Voters may be looking forward to a new government come January, but there’s still a wistful tear in our eye as the commissioner system, which has existed since 1810, dies.According to the PD: Cuyahoga County’s…
Cleveland “Not a Police State” for LeBron’s Return
Many have worried, probably justifiably, that things could turn ugly tonight upon LeBron’s return to Cleveland. The Cavs, the league, Cleveland police, and the Miami Heat have coordinated to keep fans and players safe. And while rumors of severe crackdowns on fans are probably far-fetched, as Dan Gilbert himself tweeted earlier this week, there will…
Video: A Trailer for LeBron’s Return to Cleveland
As if you needed anything else to get you pumped for the return of the Whore of Akron tonight…
Mike Summers, New Lakewood Mayor, Gets Interesting Welcome to the Job
When Lakewood Councilman Mike Summers was deciding whether to throw his hat in the ring as the city’s replacement mayor, he weighed heavily the job’s many burdens. Last week, at the meeting where he was chosen to replace County Executive-elect Ed FitzGerald, Summers got a firsthand taste of what he’s in for. A hotheaded resident…
Calling BS on Lust’s Bad Rep
Last month, we wrote about the battle brewing between downtown nightspot Lust and its wealthy landlords. It seems they want to boot the business — and its mostly black clientele — from the West Sixth Street home [“The Deadly Sin,” November 17, 2010]. Central to the debate are the landlords’ claims that the crowd at…
John Boehner Supports Bathroom Equality
Let this news serve as notice that our government does indeed tackle the tough issues and is not always subject to dawdling around red tape when vital decisions need to be made. Ohio’s own John Boehner announced yesterday that there will be a new ladies bathroom in the House conveniently located near the chamber. According…
Does John Kasich Hate Animals?
You may recall that Governor-of-the-moment Ted Strickland brokered a deal last summer between the U.S. Humane Society and its opponents at the Ohio Farm Bureau that helped dodge a contentious ballot initiative for 2011. The pact called for humane euthanasia, elimination of restrictive pens, and removal of sick animals from the meat supply, in addition…
Full Metal Awesome
Two of metal’s most celebrated singers are now on the road together. Ozzy Osbourne may be the headliner, but Rob Halford has burned a legacy that’s just as bright over the past 35 years. Of course, Osbourne would have earned his status even if the only thing he ever did was front Black Sabbath. But…
CD Review: Affiance
Affiance start their debut album with Peter Finch’s famous Network quote: “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” And in “Call to the Warrior,” Dennis Tvrdik sings, “Through the darkness, we will fight.” No Secrets Revealed is pretty much the band’s call to arms. The intricate guitar lines racing through…
CD Review: Ke$ha
For most of 2010, Ke$ha has hosted a crass alternative to Lady Gaga’s Andy-Warhol-meets-Björk costume party, drinking away the recession in the hit “TiK ToK” and indulging a schoolgirl fantasy in “Mr. Watson.” On this nine-song follow-up EP to Animal, Ke$ha flaunts her lack of growth, taking Hall & Oates’ “Maneater” to its literal extreme…
On Stage This Week
APORKALYPSE! Convergence-continuum concludes its 2010 season with this “porkalicious world premiere” from prolific playwright, author, and company member Chris Johnston. The dark comedy emerged from a workshop Johnston completed in 2007 and somehow manages to bring together AWOL Marines, a Persian love goddess, a family pig farm, corporate-American agri-business, and accordion-toting carolers for an adults-only…
CD Review: My Chemical Romance
The last time we heard from My Chemical Romance, frontman Gerard Way was leading a black parade of gloom, doom, and general misery. That was four years ago. Things have changed a bit for pop-punk’s most theatrical tunesmiths. On their fourth album, they replace the epic-length Queen tributes and it’s-showtime! Liza Minnelli cameos with lean…
Home Theater
Looney Tunes Super Stars (Warner) Don’t let the skimpy packaging and blah series name fool you: The 15 cartoons found on each DVD are aimed at collectors hoping to fill in gaps. The latest two entries — Foghorn Leghorn & Friends Barnyard Bigmouth and Tweety & Sylvester Feline Fwenzy — load up on classic toons…
CD Review: Ne-Yo
On his fourth album, Ne-Yo relates the tale of three garbage-men-turned-superheroes who can have anything they want, except for love. It’s a creative excuse for our heroes to hook up with as many girls as they can handle, but the sci-fi- and anime-inspired Libra Scale is really about Ne-Yo’s near-flawless execution. Lines like “Hit it…
Hostel Fire
Melvin Lalich is a man at peace with his lot in life. A former mortgage broker, he’s made his living for years by flipping homes in and around Cleveland: buying low and selling high, and leaving his corner of the neighborhood a little better than he found it. “You know that ball on the back…
CD Reviews: Robyn
In “Call Your Girlfriend,” the girl who earlier this year was “Dancing on My Own” and pleading for a reliable fuck buddy in “Hang With Me” finally gets the last laugh. Now if only she could get the object of her affection to grow a pair and tell his girlfriend what he just confided in…
Stay In!
TOP PICK — DVD Peanuts Holiday Collection (Warner) This box featuring the three undisputed classics from Charlie Brown and friends makes its Blu-ray debut, just in time for Christmas. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown totally rule, but A Charlie Brown Christmas is the greatest holiday special ever. The dancing,…
Get Out
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2 Onstage Dinner Theater at CPT Described as “a loving send-up of avant-garde pomposity” and “dinner theater of the absurd,” Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant is like a trippy Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding meets the local-food movement. A cast of crazy characters cavorts through a loose plot line about one member of an oddball…
MIDDLE EAST KRAUTROCK, ANYONE?
There comes a point in every artist’s life when music becomes more than just something to do to pass the time — when the urge to create overtakes the luxury of listening. For Dylan Von Wagner, frontman for New York indie rockers Linfinity, that point came when he was 17 years old and he heard…
Sorry, We’re Closed
In May, East Cleveland fire fighter Jonathan Alexander had just finished a 48-hour shift when he arrived at his Catalpa Road home to find a strange car in his driveway. He blocked the vehicle with his own, noticed that the keys were in the ignition, and started to investigate. That’s when he saw one of…
Concert Time
NELLIE McKAY Nellie McKay is somewhere in her 20s — the actual date of her birth is disputed, and she doesn’t like to talk about it. This reflects her artistic approach: Since 2004’s debut album, Get Away From Me, McKay has steered far away from trends. Her piano-based jazz-pop is among the most innovative music…
We Get Mail
Welcome to Maxwell’s House I am soooo happy that Maxwell is back [“Maxwell Returns to Airwaves, Shakes Up WNCX Formula,” at clevescene.com’s Scene & Heard blog]. I wish it was in the afternoon, but I understand WNCX is trying to kick Rover’s butt. They need to let Maxwell and his crew do what Maxwell and…
Bites: New Chili Restaurant in Ohio City
Local artist Ian P.E. admits he is a habitual entrepreneur. In recent years he’s launched a magazine, temporary art galleries, and atypical art shows. “I’m always looking for a good idea,” he explains. His latest? A chili-themed restaurant. Along with his mom and partner, Phyllis Enggasser, P.E. expects to open Palookaville Chili (3900 Lorain Ave.,…
‘CUE TIP
Pig roasts, if you haven’t heard, are the hottest thing in backyard blowouts. As evidence of barbecue’s ballooning popularity, caterer Scott Slagle offers this nugget: “Five years ago there were 100,000 contestants taking part in barbecue competitions across the nation. Last year that number rose to 400,000.” It’s irrelevant whether those figures are accurate —…
On View This Week
On view now at area galleries and museums: Akron Art Museum: Who Shot Rock & Roll: The Brooklyn Museum of Art’s groundbreaking show is a dizzying tour of the images that helped shape how we hear the music. Its 174 photos capture everyone from Chuck Berry to Amy Winehouse — artists whose self-presentation is as…
At the Arthouse
Animal Kingdom Guy Pearce and a bunch of other Australian actors star in this taut thriller about a crime family, an impressionable teenage boy, and the ruthless grandmother at the head of it all. It’s a coming-of-age story framed by drugs, violence, and a woman named Smurf. Cinematheque. At 8:45 p.m. Thursday, December 2, and…
Film Capsules
Burlesque (PG-13) — An early Christmas gift for Proposition 8 opponents, writer-director Steven Antin’s indifferently constructed, lazily written backstage musical is still worth checking out if you’re a guilty-pleasure enthusiast. Christina Aguilera (not terrible) plays a small-town waitress who, after hopping a bus to Los Angeles, gets a job as an all-singing, all-dancing showgirl at…
DELAYED ATTRACTION
You wouldn’t have seen a movie like The Warrior’s Way in the multiplexes a generation or two ago. The film — which opens all over the place on Friday — is a martial-arts extravaganza starring Dong-gun Jang, a South Korean actor who’s appeared in some of his country’s biggest blockbusters. Before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon…
Kid Rock
Just after their daughter was born three years ago, Sarah and Jayson Benn of Shivering Timbers (myspace.com/shiveringtimbersmusic.com) penned some songs they could sing to her. “We just wrote these silly tunes,” says Sarah. “We never thought anything would happen with them. That they are so broadly appealing really boggles my mind.” The songs didn’t receive…
