County Jail Corrections Officer Fired for Use of Excessive Force
[image-1]On Oct. 26, 2017, a Cuyahoga County jail corrections officer named Martice Campbell struck an inmate with a closed fist twice while the inmate, who posed no threat, was sitting at a table. That’s according to a disciplinary letter from the county’s human resources department on Dec. 12 to Campbell informing him he’d been fired.…
During Massive Power Outage, Cleveland Public Power Gets Owned by Reporter Ed Gallek
Yesterday, a fire at the Cleveland Public Power W. 41st Street substation caused a massive power outage on Cleveland’s west side. In a press release, the city estimated that roughly 40,000 customers were without power. It was, for the record, the day after Christmas and temperatures were dipping into the single digits. CPP crews completed…
Indie Rockers Atlas Genius to Headline Annual Brite Winter Festival
An alternative rock band out of Adelaide, South Australia, Atlas Genius will headline the annual Brite Winter Festival that takes place on Saturday, Feb . 24, on the West Bank of the Flats. Other notable acts include local bands such as Seafair, Obnox, Herzog, Freshproduce and Morning[a]BLKstar. More than 40 bands will perform on six…
8 Concerts to Catch in Cleveland This Weekend
FRIDAY, DEC. 29 Pigeons Playing Ping Pong/Jones for Revival Cleveland remains a pivotal touring stop for many bands working the East Coast and Great Lakes routes. It’s a city assembled by the bricks of music and art, poetry and experimentation. For a young band from, say, Baltimore, Cleveland may as well be a home away…
Happy Christmas, You Scumbags
As Scene tradition dictates, we shut down for the Christmas break with “Fairytale of New York.” Listen to it pronto. Then listen again. Read the whole backstory for the best Christmas song ever written. Then listen a couple more times. We’ll see you back here Wednesday morning. Happy Christmas.
Fresh LeBron James Documentary Depicts Sweet Rise to the Top
“No one has ever gotten to the top on their own,” LeBron James explains in the mini documentary Long Live the King, which dropped today on his Uninterrupted website. The film recounts James’ rise from a gifted youth in Akron, to one of the best athletes in the world. Throughout, he focuses on how people…
Great Lakes Ice Coverage, 1973 – 2017
The Great Lakes are freezing faster than last year, and the year before, thanks to quickly dipping temperatures across the upper Midwest. That may seem like the kind of news solely in the purview of weather and water nerds, but it shouldn’t be. The Great Lakes support a few billion dollars of industry, including shipping,…
L.A. Rapper Teams Up With Local Hero King Chip for New Music Video
Los Angeles-based rapper Jackson Hunter has just released a new music video for his track “The Perfectionist.” It features local hero King Chip (formerly Chip Tha Ripper), and the two trade verses in the dynamic video. “The goal of the video was to showcase the lyrics and their emotions specifically by having all performance shots…
BrewDog Bar in the Works for Cleveland, Says USA CEO
BrewDog only recently stormed the United States by planting a very big flag in Columbus with the opening of its new 100,000-square-foot brewery in Canal Winchester, just outside of town, but this Scotland-based brewery has been making big noise for a decade. Launched in 2007 by a pair of 24-year-old beer lovers, BrewDog played by…
Cleveland is Not One of the 30 Most Exciting Food Cities in America, According to Zagat
It’s that time of year, kiddos! No, we’re not referring to the annual gathering of family and friends in celebration of Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and Festivus. We’re referring to the venerated year-end tradition called Listicus, practiced by media pros since time immemorial. This annual tradition is marked not by the lighting of candles or the…
Number of Ohio Children in Foster Care is Soaring as Opiate Addiction Crisis Ravages Families
[image-1]Earlier this year, state attorney general Mike DeWine called for more Ohio families to step forward and join the foster care network. There was a growing need, according to his office, shaped in large part by the sprawling and deadly opiate addiction crisis. When we reached out to the office, employees there confirmed that dozens…
Area Theaters to Host a Special Screening of ‘The Room’ in January
Thanks to The Disaster Artist, the new James Franco movie about making of the cult classic The Room, the film’s popularity has soared. Locally, Cleveland Cinemas regularly hosts midnight showings of The Room, but now Fathom Events, a company that books special one-night screenings at movie theaters throughout the nation, will screen the movie at…
Cleveland Metroparks Naturalist Jen Brumfield Breaks Cuyahoga County Birding Record — Again
In 2012, Cleveland Metroparks naturalist Jen Brumfield set a record for the most bird species seen in Cuyahoga County in one year. Now, as 2017 draws to a close, she’s broken her own record and set another high bar for birdwatchers in Northeast Ohio. Brumfield has seen 271 bird species as of Dec. 20, when…
Machine Gun Kelly Releases Retooled Version of ‘bloom’
Local rapper Machine Gun Kelly has just released a new pop-oriented single, “Habits.” One of two additional tracks included on the retooled version of his latest album, bloom, the confessional tune finds MGK alternating between rapping and singing as he evocatively confesses, “I fell in love with a very bad habit.” MGK has had a…
LeBron Tries to Get Candy for His Daughter Mid-game, Vitaly Potapenko Looks so Sad, Confused
LeBron's daughter wanted some candy mid-game. Man on a mission. 🍭🍬🍫 pic.twitter.com/ymkWySC00Y — ESPN (@espn) December 22, 2017 LeBron James’ daughter, Zhuri, wanted some candy during a timeout in last night’s Cavs game against the Chicago Bulls. Number-one dad LeBron began asking the coaching staff if they had any candy on them — it’s the…
Cleveland Indie Rockers Cloud Nothings Just Experienced One of Their Biggest Years, But They Don’t Feel Any Different
Dylan Baldi needed a break. So this last week, following a wondrous European tour, the Cloud Nothings frontman and his girlfriend headed to Mexico City, where he’s happy to report that he’s eaten as many street tacos as possible. “I just ate an al pastor taco for breakfast because I could,” Baldi confirms over the…
‘Molly’s Game’ Shows Aaron Sorkin is a Way Better Writer than He is a Director
Writer-director Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The West Wing) benefits from some stellar source material for Molly’s Game, his directorial debut which opens wide on Christmas day. Based upon Molly Bloom’s memoir Molly’s Game: From Hollywood’s Elite to Wall Street’s Billionaire Boys Club, My High-Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker, the movie features…
Breaking News: Rich Industrialist is an Asshole in ‘All the Money in the World’
The first thing most people will mention about Ridley Scott’s new drama, All the Money in the World, is how Christopher Plummer replaced Kevin Spacey after a storm of sexual assault allegations earlier this year. The film was fully edited and ready to go when Scott booted Spacey from the picture, cast Plummer, and re-shot…
Rock Hall Adds New Instruments and Artifacts to Its Beatles Exhibit
The Rock Hall always has had a Beatles exhibit. But the new exhibit unveiled today improves upon the previous incarnation. Notably, the new exhibit features a few key additions. One item, an Archibald Ramsden upright piano, is the piano that was in the basement where Paul McCartney lived in the ’60s with his girlfriend Jane…
All the Profane, Dumb and Otherwise Offensive Vanity Plates the Ohio BMV Denied in 2017
Thanks to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles we’ll never get to see personalized license plates, or vanity plates as they’re commonly known, with ridiculous statements like “CDS NUTS” and “1F4RT3D” in 2017. Because while we do have free speech in this country, there are still some things like racist hate speech, vulgarity and phrases…
36,540 Guests, $4.1 Million in Host Income — Cleveland’s Year in Airbnb
Airbnb, the popular service that allows you to stay in the house/apartment/spare room of a stranger who may or may not be secretly filming you, welcomed some 260,000 guests across Ohio in 2017. That number represents an almost 100-percent increase from 2016. A city-by-city breakdown is below. The top 3 should be no surprise. Cleveland’s…
City Slashes Pet Adoption Fees for Holidays
Cleveland’s Division of Animal Care & Control has announced a reduction in pet adoption fees from now until Dec. 24. The typical $61 fee will be only $40 through Christmas Eve. There are currently 87 “City Dogs” available for adoption at the city kennel (2690 W. 7th St.), which is open Mon-Sat 10 a.m. -…
Body of Young Boy Found Buried in Back Yard of West Side Home
On W. 80th Street, between Detroit Road and Lake Avenue, small clumps of neighbors stood outside smoking cigarettes Wednesday, peering uncertainly at the home of Larissa Rodriguez. There, the eyes of stuffed animals gazed back from a makeshift memorial on the front porch. The memorial was in honor of five-year-old Jordan Rodriguez, the son of…
Brent Kirby’s 10 x 3 Songwriter/Band Showcase Will Expand to Akron in 2018
Local singer-songwriter Brent Kirby began his 10 x 3 Songwriter/Band Showcase in June of 2011. Modeled after the showcases Kirby had played in Nashville when he lived there, the weekly event that takes place at Brothers Lounge has been a hit. In the past six years, some 1500 individual acts who have performed their original…
Jessica Lea Mayfield Releases New Holiday-Themed Music Video
To celebrate the holiday season, Amazon Music has released an Indie for the Holidays playlist. Today, Jessica Lea Mayfield issued an Amazon Original video for her version of Loretta Lynn’s “To Heck With Ole Santa Claus” that appears on the Indie for the Holidays playlist. Christopher Good, a guy who recently directed videos for Kevin…
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Ups the Ante for the Tour That’s Coming to the Q
Earlier this year, the prog rock act Trans-Siberian Orchestra suffered a major loss when charismatic founder Paul O’Neill died. But in the wake of that tragedy, the group has returned to the road for its Winter Tour 2017. The tour will present “a completely updated presentation” of the DVD The Ghosts of Christmas Eve. It…
New Maps Show Direct Link Between Western Ohio Farms and Increased Algae Bloom Threats in Lake Erie
As sprawling algae blooms turned the Maumee River green in downtown Toledo this fall, Lucas County Commissioners turned up the heat on the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the many western Ohio farmers that are contributing to the dramatic uptick in Lake Erie’s phosphorus levels. “Don’t defend the status quo that is poisoning our lake,” Lucas…
You Are Cordially Invited to Mayor Frank Jackson’s Fourth Inauguration Ceremony
On January 2, Mayor Frank Jackson will take the oath of office and officially become the longest-serving Mayor in Cleveland’s history. Everyone’s invited to City Hall to attend the ceremony. January 2 is a Tuesday. Things’ll get underway at 10 a.m. After Jackson’s swearing-in, there’ll be some light refreshments and tours of the Mayor’s office…
Get Out: Everything You Should Do This Week in Cleveland (Dec. 20-26)
WED 12/20 Bo Dacious A veteran of the comedy world, Bo Dacious has done standup for over 13 years now. He pushes the boundaries by joking about more serious topics such as race, physical appearances, people taking advantage of fame and the struggles of trying to succeed. He has a conversational tone that makes the…
A Guide to Surviving (and Actually Enjoying) This Season in Cleveland
The instinct, once the sun disappears and the temperatures drop and snow begins to fall, hits hard. It tells you to hunker down, to hibernate, to hide indoors, ideally beneath blankets, probably watching the same Parks and Recreation episodes you’ve seen a dozen times. This weather, this godforsaken season… not fit for man nor beast,…
Savage Love: Loving Lesbians
Dear Dan, I am a 22-year-old Italian man, 100 percent straight, sensitive and sporty. I have been reading Savage Love for years in Internazionale. I have one question for you: Why do I always fall in love with lesbians? Why do I instantly fall in love with girls who have that something more in their…
Gary Oldman’s Remarkable Performance Distinguishes the War Drama ‘Darkest Hour’
Actor Gary Oldman’s lengthy career demonstrates the British actor’s incredible range. He’s played good guys (Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight Trilogy) and bad guys (a corrupt DEA agent in The Professional). He’s been a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and he gave a memorable performance in 1990’s arthouse hit Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are…
‘Downsizing’ is ‘A Modest Proposal’-Like Satire That Doesn’t Quite Reach the Mark
In a way, Downsizing, the new film from director Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants) could be considered ahead of its time. Several years ago, well before the trend of living in tiny houses and embracing a minimalist lifestyle took off, Payne and screenwriter Jim Taylor started working on a movie about a group of Norwegian…
LBM is Carving Out a Niche in Birdtown With Dynamite Cocktails and a Sharp Menu
We were tucked into a dim corner of the bar sipping on a cocktail blended with bitter artichoke liqueur, gin and Icelandic-style yogurt while listening to heavy metal music and snacking on raw beef garnished with a black-as-death chicken egg. At a nearby table we spotted concert jerseys bearing the names Motörhead, Testament and Pantera,…
Band of the Week: Dan Miraldi
MEET THE BAND: Dan Miraldi(guitar, vocals) MANY MUSICAL INTERESTS: Singer-guitarist Dan Miraldi has a wide range of musical interests that range from Paul McCartney and the White Stripes to Fall Out Boy and Bob Dylan. A Northeast Ohio native, he originally started out listening to Elvis Presley and the Beatles, but eventually gravitated toward modern…
