Lakewood High Won’t Let Injured Student Wear Sweatpants
“Oh no. No sweatpants in here, missy.” What ensues when you take one student with a back injury whose doctors say she needs to wear sweatpants and pit her against a hard-nosed administrator married to the dress code? Hilarity. Pure, sweet hilarity. Meet (via Lakewood Patch) Stephanie Milligan, a 16-year-old Lakewood High student. On Thanksgiving…
Ohio to Lose Two House Seats According to Projection (Update)
Update: Yep, it’s official. Ohio will lose two congressional seats according to the Census Bureau. What does this mean? Ohio Republicans will be in charge of redistricting, and while nothing is close to being official, the PD notes that the Cleveland area will probably be one of the areas to lose a rep because the…
Governor Strickland Thinks Cleveland Didn’t Support Him Enough
We don’t support you? That’s just crazy. Here’s a picture of you eating bread to prove how much we support you. Governor Strickland’s last day in office will be January 9th. Ousted by Republican John Kasich, Strickland plans to spend his new-found free time analyzing everything John Kasich does. No, really. That’s one of the…
ACLU Bashes Dems Over Private Meeting
The private meeting held recently by newly elected Cuyahoga County Council Democrats sounded alarm bells to fans of trustworthy government. It also earned the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, which served up one of its patented glowering press releases last week. “It is deeply disappointing that County Council has opted to…
Med Mart Lures Exhibitors With Fancy Exhibit of Their Own
The folks behind Cleveland’s Medical Mart are out rustling up conferences and trade shows, the better to fill our forthcoming convention center’s exhibit halls with display booths. To accomplish this, they are setting up a display booth in the exhibit halls of other people’s conferences and trade shows. You may recall that the developer, MMPI…
Napping Man Shoots Himself In Car
Not the safest decision. 30-year-old Mahmoud Ajaj was driving with his family on the Ohio Turnpike early Monday morning when he realized he needed some shuteye. For safety’s sake, it’s always the wise choice to stop driving if you feel tired. Ajaj took safety to the next level, however, when he decided it was safest…
Afternoon Brew: Father Kills Son, Disgusting Child Abuse Case, Security Company Employee Robs House, and a Jealous Ex Kills a Man
The news has made us sad today. Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you reach for a beer or a whiskey or something, because it’s been a freaking depressing news day. — A Cleveland Heights man has been charged with murder for allegedly killing his son. The two were fighting Sunday afternoon…
Cleveland Clinic Employees Can No Longer Look at HotChicksWithDouchebags.com At Work
No pics like this for Cleveland Clinic employees. Workplaces regularly filter what Internet sites can and can’t be viewed on employees’ computers. Lots of places don’t allow workers on Facebook or other social media sites, and many block access to YouTube-like sites that can eat up bandwidth with streaming video or audio. And, of course,…
Will It Snow on Christmas?
Everyone wants a white Christmas, right? Even if you consider stories about the white stuff during the holidays pure media fluff on slow news days, you can’t deny that you want a sprinkling of powder to set the scene Christmas day. The sight of snow flakes hits us square in the sweet parts of our…
Bizarre, Sad Hit-Skip Accident
Police were alerted to a possible body by the side of Chagrin Road early Sunday morning. They arrived to find the body of Mark Smith, a 45-year-old Bainbridge resident. Smith died at the hospital from injuries sustained after apparently being hit by a car while he was walking down the road. Cops soon traced down…
Pic of the Day: Ticked Off Cavs Fan Lets Voice Be Heard
Basketball-reference.com, if you’re not familiar with the site, is an online repository of basically every NBA statistic, every NBA team, every NBA player, and every NBA season you could want. Individual pages can be sponsored by readers to help support the site. The Cavs fan sponsoring the 2010-2011 Cavs page wants you to know that…
State May Raise Speed Limit on Ohio Turnpike to 70 mph (Update)
Might be in your future. Updated: It’s official. The Ohio Turnpike Commission voted to bump the speed limit on the toll road up to 70 mph, a change that goes into effect on April 1, 2011. *** Vaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrroooooooooommmmmmmm. Obnoxiously rev those V6s, road hogs and speed freaks. The Ohio Turnpike Commission is considering a proposal…
Drunk College Student Arrested for Trying to Cut Down Pine Tree for Christmas
Alcohol, college, 30-foot-tall pine tree, Christmas season, cops — you can probably guess how this story ends. Welcome to our favorite libation-tinged act of holiday cheer on a college campus this week. The AP reports: Police in Ohio have arrested a Miami University student they say was drunkenly trying to chop down a 30-foot pine…
200-Pound Chandelier Falls in Courthouse
Dangerously beautiful. File this under: things we’re allowed to find rockingly hilarious because no one was injured. According to the PD and the AP, a 200-pound chandelier in a courtroom at the federal courthouse came crashing down last week. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Sadly, no one was around to witness the destruction. The accident…
A Message From a Loyal Scene Reader
The Scene box in front of the Galleria was papered with a message from what we assume is a very loyal Scene reader.
Morning Brew: Mangini on the Hot Seat, a Flash Mob at the West Side Market, Face Transplant Surgery Details, and Fun With the Census
Raise your hand if you think I should keep my job. Just me? Anyone else? Anyone…? Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you count down to Eric Mangini’s unceremonious dismissal. — The Browns lost to the Bengals yesterday, the second week in a row they have been beaten by a 2-win team.…
Black Keys to Play ‘Saturday Night Live’
A good 2010 is rolling straight over into a good 2011 for Akron’s favorite sons. The330.com reports that the Black Keys will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on January 8, their first appearance on the show. Jim Carrey will host SNL that night, which shouldn’t discourage you from tuning in to see…
Video: ‘A Christmas Story’ Premieres in Cleveland in 1983
Holy hell is this just about the coolest thing we’ve seen all week. Thanks to NewsNet5 for posting video from their archive of the Cleveland premiere of A Christmas Story on November 18, 1983, with bonus “red carpet” interviews with the star, Peter Billingsley (Ralphie). Watch, and then count down the days until the A…
Lachana Williams Arrested For Attempted Kidnapping After Hanging Around Maternity Ward (Update)
Update: Well, Lachana Williams has admitted to police that her intent was to steal a baby. Details from NewsNet5: Police said Williams admitted to staging a fake pregnancy and even told her family that she was about to give birth. She also told police she was checking out hospitals to try and steal a baby.…
Pic of the Day: Merry Christmas From the 1993-1994 Cleveland Cavaliers
There’s just too much awesomeness in this Christmas greeting from the 1993-1994 Cavaliers to pick out even a couple of favorites. Just soak it all in. (Via I Love the Hype)
Clevelanders Want Pretty Lights on New Inner Belt Bridge
Presented with the myriad architectural and design options available for the new Inner Belt bridge, Clevelanders seem most concerned with whether or not the structure will be bright and sparkly. ODOT and the city of Cleveland have been seeking input from the public on a few remaining details for the $287.4 million dollar span, which…
Teen Crashes SUV Into Garage
Even after reading the details of this teen’s accident in Seven Hills, which ended with him crashing an SUV into a random house, we’re still not sure how he accomplished the feat, so read on for yourself and let us know if you can make any sense of it. According to NewsNet5: Police said the…
Man Sees Jesus in Christmas Candy
Add another entry to the list of Food Items In Which People Have Claimed to See Jesus. This time it’s an Ohio man who says that the images of Jesus and Mary are on a piece of Christmas candy that he bought. And he’s positive of this fact. Well, mostly positive. Somewhere between 80-85% positive,…
Thieves Steal Cross Filled With Son’s Ashes
St. Peter does not approve. Take the bad karma of stealing jewelry from someone and go ahead and multiply it by a thousand if what you stole was no mere necklace, but a memento filled with the ashes of a dead relative. The Deccola family came home to their house on Gertrude to find their…
Morning Brew: Guide to Late-Night Eats, CSU in Trouble, a Kia Snow Plow, and Voinovich Gets a Bridge
Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you cross your fingers for anyone who has the Browns with more than 5.5 wins in Vegas as they head into what could be their last winnable game of the year Sunday. — The PD has a decent guide to restaurants slinging food 24 hours a…
A Real Boo Boo
Purists scoff at the cut-rate animation Joseph Hanna and William Barbera used in their TV cartoons The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, et al. But those shows had a droll appeal that wouldn’t be evident to anyone whose first encounter with Yogi — the talking, picnic-basket-stealing nuisance of Jellystone Park — and his sidekick Boo Boo is…
Game Over
Like last-year’s CGI 3D holiday spectacle Avatar, you need to see TRON: Legacy on the big screen. Unlike Avatar, you don’t need to see it. A sequel to 1982’s at-the-time state-of-the-art geekfest about a guy trapped in a computer, TRON: Legacy picks up 28 years later. Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges, reprising his role from the…
Afternoon Brew: Burger King Stabbing, Ohio Could Take Over Cleveland Schools, Accident at Longaberger Building, and a Male Enhancement Pill Ruling
Where every day is a picnic. Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while think about how cool it would be to work in a building shaped like a giant freaking picnic basket. — A Burger King employee stabbed another Burger King employee because he thought he was spreading rumors about him. At least…
Frank Russo Likely to Testify Against Jimmy Dimora
Loyalties tend to go out with the window when you’re staring down the barrel of a 22-year prison term. Frank Russo, who had previously stipulated in his plea deal that he would not testify against others in the government’s Cuyahoga County corruption cases, changed his tune yesterday. The new tune being that of a bird.…
Darrel White Charged For Letting Maggots Eat Sick Wife (Updated)
Update: Darrel White has avoided jail time. According to 19 Action News, White pleaded guilty to “failure to provide for a functionally impaired person” and reckless homicide. He received five years probation. *** In a story you probably don’t want to catch up on if you’re eating dinner soon… Darrel White has been charged with…
Morning Brew: Local Price is Right Winner, Train Catches Fire, Cavs Lose to LeBron Again, and Akron’s Holiday Water Gift
What’s better than The Price is Right? A Mark Price is Right t-shirt. Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you check what time it is on your Casio calculator watch. — A local woman who won some prizes on The Price is Right back in September has finally received her swag. The…
What Happens When a Silo Filled With 125,000 Bushels of Corn Explodes?
That’s exactly what happened in Norwalk recently. A silo exploded, spilling $725,00-worth of corn, damaging houses (the one next door has to be demolished), and causing a general mess of little corn kernels. Video from WEWS:
Christmas Light Display Honors Fallen Officers
The story, from Fox 8, about a family in Twinsburg that has put on a fantastic Christmas light display for years, and their decision this year to support Project Blue Light, a program benefiting fallen officers. Watch the story here. After the jump, check out a video of their light display synchronized to “Amazing Grace.”…
RIP Bob Feller
Bob Feller passed away last night at the age of 92. Whatever your personal feelings about Rapid Robert, it’s still a sad day — he was perhaps the greatest player ever to don an Indians uniform after all. Do yourself a favor and read this essay from SI’s Joe Posnanski, a Cleveland native, as you…
Council Members Disappointed With Sanders’ Exit
“It’s been fun, but you just don’t say no at Bowling Green.” Talent has just been skipping town left and right. First He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named booked for South Beach. Then, Plain Dealer Editor Susan Golderg exited stage left for a job running Bloomberg. And now, the latest to make for the county line is Cleveland School’s boss…
Pic of the Day: Lighthouse Encased in Ice
That pic comes via WKYC, who captured some pretty stunning images and video from the shores of Lake Erie as a chilly combo of ice, waves, wind, and cold covered a lighthouse and other shoreline structures in beautiful ice. Video below.
John Kasich Wants More School Snow Days
The one thing Ohio kids need is more time off. Gov-Elect John Kasich isn’t even strapped into the pilot’s seat yet and he’s already wussing out. What force has the Wall Streeter-cum-politician back peddling? None other than Ohio’s notorious winters. Channel 5 has a story about how Kasich has been telling the press he’d like…
Peter Lawson Jones Hopes to Support His Family By Being an Actor
Lawson Jones hopes being a thespian pays the bills. While assorted Cuyahoga County Commissioners ponder their future in politics and jumpsuits, Peter Lawson Jones is following two very different paths: fatherhood and theater. He has earned widespread praise for the Cuyahoga County Fatherhood Initiative, launched six years ago to help absent fathers be more involved…
Akron Aeros To Serve Hot Dog Stuffed Inside a Brat Stuffed Inside Kielbasa On Hoagie With Sauerkraut
It’s like this, except the hot dog is inside the brat. The Akron Aeros have officially won the week. The Tribe’s AA affiliate recently announced a new dining option for next year. After plumbing the depths of their demented and inspired stomachs, they have come up with the “Three Dog Night,” which is a hot…
Rock Hall Goes Old-School for Class of 2011
Neil Diamond and his chest hair celebrate their Rock Hall induction This is why we don’t go to Vegas. We figured the Beastie Boys were a sure bet to be inducted into the Rock Hall next year. We were wrong. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum announced its 2011 inductees last night,…
Notre Dame College Forced to Update Sexual Assault Procedures
Tucked away in suburban South Euclid, Notre Dame College was the scene of a string of rapes and assaults that the school allegedly tried to pocket away from authorities a few years back. Scene chronicled their misadventures in the 2006 story “Hush.” It seems that a former dean, Patricia O’Toole, withheld information from campus police…
Morning Brew: Ugly Christmas Sweaters, Kidnapping Hoax Goes Viral, Russo to be Sentenced, and Census Confirms We’re Getting Poorer
Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you reassure your grandma that the Nigerian prince who really wants an Wii for Christmas and wants her to buy it for him is not real. — The PD has discovered that people wear bad Christmas sweaters during the holidays on purpose to be ironic. Keep…
THE EVIL EYE’S ENEMY
Maryanne Petranek learned to drive while she was still wearing the green plaid skirt that was her uniform at Regina High School. In the 39 years since, she has racked up no traffic tickets. “But I have had people accuse me of not liking safe roads,” she says. Though she has her detractors, Petranek mostly…
Stay In!
TOP PICK — VIDEO GAME Donkey Kong Country Returns (Nintendo) It’s been a while since one of the most beloved characters in video-game history starred in a game, and this comeback for the Wii is a great vehicle. It plays a lot like Donkey Kong’s old-school adventures, but zapped with new-generation spark. Caves, carts, cannons…
On Stage This Week
Aporkalypse! — Convergence-continuum concludes its 2010 season with this “porkalicious world premiere,” a dark comedy from playwright, author, and company member Chris Johnston. Through December 19 at The Liminis Theatre, 2438 Scranton Rd. Tickets are $12-$15. Visit convergence-continuum.org or call 216-687-0074. Black Nativity — A soulful retelling of the Gospel of St. Luke from an…
CD Review: T.I.
Fresh out of prison, and now back again after a parole violation, T.I. at least plays it safe on record. Maybe too safe at times. On his seventh album, his reliable rhymes and beats ride the usual grease-free Atlanta bounce, especially the laser-perfect organ and wash-guitar shadings in “How Life Changed.” The 30-year-old rapper gets…
CD Review: DEADMAU5
After generating some mainstream buzz with 2009’s For Lack of a Better Name, plus a high-profile gig at the Winter Olympics earlier this year, Toronto DJ Deadmau5 swings left of center on 4×4=12, a progressive house album designed mostly for sweaty, throbbing dance floors. The 11-track record is structured like a giant circle — building…
CD Review: Flo Rida
Flo Rida’s face and name may be on the cover of Only One Flo (Part 1), but good luck picking out the Florida rapper and singer on his third album. Between the guest-heavy choruses, hip-hop cameos, and overpowering beats (from party producer David Guetta, among others), the star is all but buried in the busy…
CD Review: Girls
It’s fitting that Girls released a cover version of Skeeter Davis’ 1963 melancholy classic “The End of the World” earlier this year. The San Francisco duo sounds like the ’60s’ saddest pop group on its 2009 debut Album. And things aren’t a whole lot cheerier on the six-song Broken Dreams Club EP. Christopher Owens still…
On View This Week
DRILL BITS Lakewood’s Screw Factory enclave hosts Last Minute Market It’s the most wonderful time of the year over at the Screw Factory, the former warehouse turned artists’ enclave on the eastern end of Lakewood. Painter Arabella Proffer plans to take advantage of foot traffic during the factory’s “Last Minute Market” this weekend — not…
CD Review: Tape-Toons
(myspace.com/tapetoons) Channeling alt-rock’s ’90s glory days, Kent’s Tape-Toons sound like a blast from the grungy past on their debut album. “Walk the Dog” and “Settle Down” incorporate elements from the Pixies’ hookiest cuts, and “She Drove a Spike” pairs Nirvana-like energy with the Butthole Surfers’ goofy freefall. Gravel Love hinges on frontman Andrew Bittaker’s lazy…
At the Arthouse
Room in Rome Two young women hook up in a hotel room in this new lesbian drama from Sex and Lucia director Julio Meden. Expect lots of soul-searching sprinkled in with the sex. Cinematheque. At 7:15 p.m. Friday, December 17, and 8:40 p.m. Saturday, December 18. Blast of Silence Little-seen crime thriller from 1961 about…
Your Weekly Concert Calendar
CLOUD NOTHINGS It’s been a good year for 19-year old Westlake resident Dylan Baldi, who records as Cloud Nothings. His debut EP, Turning On, came out early in the year and was reissued in October with bonus songs. The New York Times and Pitchfork drooled all over Baldi’s basement project. An expanded Cloud Nothings toured…
Bites: Neighborhood Soda Fountain Opening in Cleveland… Really
Jeffrey Moreau had always envisioned opening a sweet shop upon retirement. He just didn’t realize that retirement would come so soon. The former creative director of a Cleveland ad agency is putting the finishing touches on Sweet Moses, a 1920s-style soda fountain that will open in late January in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood west of…
Home Movies
Despicable Me (Universal) One of the year’s best animated movies has tons of stuff for grown-ups, like a cool voice cast (including Steve Carell, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, and Danny McBride), a smart story (a baddie straight out of a James Bond movie wants to shrink the moon), and funny recurring jokes (English isn’t even…
Pie in the Sky
Ask a restaurant critic about the bane of his existence and more likely than not it will be Italian restaurants. Like corner pubs and Chinese take-outs, every neighborhood’s got one and few truly rise above the fray. Driving clear across town to eat at yet another mom-and-pop meatball shop — well, that’s just crazy. That’s…
Swan Dive
Darren Aronofsky knows a lot about obsessions. In fact, he’s consumed by them. The 41-year-old director’s debut feature from 1998, Pi, is all about a mathematician’s compulsive search for the answer to the universe. Requiem for a Dream, from 2000, falls even deeper, as four characters become ravaged by their addictions. And 2008’s The Wrestler…
Cleveland is No. 1
It’s been almost a year now since Forbes gave us the finger. In February, the business magazine with a fetish for lists revealed the results of its “Misery Index,” a comparison of cities across the country designed ostensibly to ensure another generation of ill-targeted Mistake on the Lake jokes. Their rating system encompassed nine criteria:…
Once Upon a Time
Akron indie rockers Clemens have been working the same grassroots indie aesthetic for more than ten years, regardless of the changes that have passed through the scene. Their sound is nestled somewhere between Sunny Day Real Estate and Jimmy Eat World, filtering some odd sounds through more conventional rock structures. With singer Bo Bishop at…
We Get Mail
Welcome to Your New County Government “Leadership is nobody’s business”? Then why in hell did we vote for reform [“New County Council Dems Caught in Backroom Dealings,” at the Scene & Heard blog]? It’s not going to happen, but all of them should be canned now. Where is Ed FitzGerald? Does anyone believe there are…
Reese’s Stinky Pieces
Despite its generic, forgettable title, How Do You Know features a needlessly convoluted plot — especially for a romantic comedy. Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) likes Matty (Owen Wilson). Matty likes Lisa. George (Paul Rudd) also likes Lisa. Competition ensues, and Lisa must choose between the two guys. George is wrapped up in some sort of federal…
Stella! Stella!
When the pop-punk band Stella Park (myspace.com/stellaparkrocks) hooked up with producer Dan Malsch in the Pocono Mountains to record “My Disaster” and “Heartbreak,” two new songs they recently posted on MySpace, they almost didn’t make it to the studio. “Our GPS couldn’t get a signal,” recalls singer-guitarist Jeremy Vandress, who formed the group in 2009…
Get Out!
America knows Dave Coulier best for his eight-year run as Joey Gladstone on Full House, but the sitcoms on his résumé are greatly outnumbered by cartoons. Coulier has lent his voice to shows ranging from The Muppet Babies to Cartoon Network’s Robot Chicken. He brings his voices to Hilarities this weekend for five shows, Friday…
Rappin’ Presents
Ever since Kurtis Blow first invited Santa to his house party on 1979’s “Christmas Rappin’,” hip-hop artists have tried their hands at yuletide rap tales, sipping eggnog and Hennessy, sighting Santa in the ghetto, eating turkey dinners at church, passing out gifts, and blazing up spliffs. For indie rapper Sage Francis, Christmas is crystallized in…
Y2Gay
At parties, we seek out witty people because they are the ones who can make us giggle — especially when the night is young, the quips are darting, and the drinks are fresh. But eventually, the punch lines begin to lose their fizz and everyone starts looking for their coats. That’s the feeling one gets…
