Social Services Worker, Boyfriend of Cleveland Mom Accused of Murdering, Burying Five-Year-Old Son, Also Indicted
Update: Cuyahoga County prosecutor Mike O’Malley today announced additional charges in the investigation of the death of 5-year-old Jordan Rodriguez, the boy found buried in a backyard on West 80th Street in December. His mother, Larissa Rodriguez, has already been indicted on a host of charges including murder. Christopher Rodriguez, her boyfriend, is now also charged…
Hard Rock Act Dorothy to Show Off New Songs at Beachland Ballroom
San Diego-born Dorothy Martin started singing when she was a kid and found inspiration by sifting through her father’s vinyl collection, listening to lots of Dolly Parton, Credence Clearwater, Janis Joplin and Pink Floyd. After moving to Los Angeles a few years ago, she put together the hard rock outfit Dorothy in 2014 with the…
Keller Williams Returns to Cleveland as a Solo Act Balancing on Two Record Releases
There’s no one in the jam business like Keller Williams. The guitarist is a powerhouse mainstay of festival bills and a frequent collaborator with a broad spectrum of rock, funk, soul and bluegrass bands and artists. Blending humor with irrepressible rhythm and lead skills, Williams forged a path early on with his penchant for looping…
Baby, It’s Cold Outside in Cleveland, Wind Chill Advisory in Effect
From the northern parts of Minnesota to Kyrie Irving’s new residence in Boston, the country is freezing over. Thousands of flights are canceled and even parts of Southern Florida have dipped into the 30s. Here in Northeast Ohio, the National Weather Service of Cleveland has issued a Wind Chill Advisory until Saturday. Issuing the warning…
5 Concerts to Catch in Cleveland This Weekend
FRIDAY, JAN. 5 Cowslingers/Lords of the Highway Before breaking up in 2005, the Cowslingers had made a name for themselves as a prominent local cowpunk band with a huge fanbase. The group created its unique sound by drawing from Link Wray, the Cramps, Johnny Cash and Jason & the Scorchers. Now, the band has announced…
Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrations and the Rest of the Classical Music You Should Catch to Start the New Year
Classical music begins stirring from its long holiday nap during the first two weeks of January, revving up from adagio to allegro by mid-month. The Westminster Choir — formerly the flagship ensemble of Westminster Choir College and now part of New Jersey’s Rider University, makes a stop at the Church of the Covenant in University…
New Pro-Choice Billboards Pop Up Around Cleveland
The billboard on South Marginal and East 55th reads “Abortion is a blessing.” On the other side of Cleveland, “Abortion is a family value,” is plastered at Bellaire and Guardian. Attempting to spark conversation and persuade folks to see abortion in a new light, Preterm, Ohio’s biggest procedure provider, is sponsoring 16 billboards around town, including the…
Mayor Frank Jackson is Still Dead Wrong about Public Square
In an interview with Cleveland Magazine, conducted the day after he won the mayoral election in November, (the unabridged version of which was published online yesterday), Frank Jackson suggested that inaccurate reporting was partially to blame for the Public Square controversy of 2016 and 2017. via GIPHY “Accurate reporting would help,” Jackson said, when asked why…
City of Cleveland Settles Veteran’s Panhandling Lawsuit
[image-1]A $29,000 settlement by the city of Cleveland has closed the lawsuit brought by homeless veteran John Mancini, in which Mancini alleged harassment from police officers. Mancini’s lawsuit became the centerpiece of a local conversation about anti-panhandling laws in the city. Cleveland’s anti-panhandling laws were repealed last summer. Mancini and the ACLU of Ohio argued…
Lakewood Ends Pit Bull Ban and Proposes New ‘Dangerous Dog’ Policies
The ban on pit bull ownership in Lakewood will end, though there are a few caveats in the new legislation. “The breed ban effectively ends today,” Mayor Mike Summers wrote in an email to council members last week, “because I do not see the merits of enforcing a feature we are likely to eliminate in…
Mockumentary Approach Benefits Biopic ‘I, Tonya’
Director Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm, The Finest Hours) could’ve told the story of Tonya Harding, the skater who allegedly engineered an attack on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan prior to the 1994 Olympics, in any number of ways. That he chose to stage his biopic as a mockumentary proved to be the right choice. In…
Sweet Melissa in the Heights Has Closed
In March of 2014, Sweet Melissa, the popular Rocky River restaurant, opened a new east side location across town. The new restaurant (20630 John Carroll Blvd.), located in University Heights near the campus of John Carroll University, closed its doors for good this week after nearly a four-year run. A message on the restaurant’s website…
Cleveland Was Bloody in 2017, But Three Fewer Homicides Than Last Year
In 2017, Cleveland saw 130 homicides, a decrease of three from 2016’s total. Almost all of the deaths were the result of guns. The year’s final homicide, tallied early Sunday morning, was the shooting death of a developmentally disabled 18-year-old in the city’s Broadway-Slavic Village neighborhood. Earlier in December, the remains of five-year-old Jordan Rodriguez…
Ohio Man’s Death ‘Exacerbated By the Hopeless Condition of the Cleveland Browns’
One Huron resident’s obituary recently caught our eye thanks to an attention-grabbing line about Cleveland’s own professional football team. Paul Stark passed away Wednesday “of complications from a brief illness, exacerbated by the hopeless condition of the Cleveland Browns,” the Sandusky Register reported. The Mansfield native was a lifelong sports fan, even until the end.…
Cleveland is One of the Best Places to Drink Champagne, According to Fodor’s Travel
In a recent article, “These 11 Places to Drink Champagne Are Anything Brut Flat,” Fodor’s Travel magazine recognized Cleveland’s own Coquette Patisserie (11607 Euclid Ave., 216-331-2841) as one of the best spots around the country to imbibe in the bubbly stuff. And with New Year’s Eve just around the corner, it’s a perfect time to…
After This Weekend, Music Saves to Close
We have fond memories of standing in a line that stretched down Waterloo Rd. in North Collinwood with other local music junkies on Record Store Day to buy limited edition vinyl releases that Music Saves would stock. Alas, Music Saves will close its brick and mortar business this weekend and will focus solely on online…
Great Lakes Ice Coverage More Than Doubled in Last Week; Lake Erie Freezing Fast
Since we last brought you some Scene Ice News on Dec. 22, the Great Lakes’ collective ice coverage has more than doubled. Surely you’ve noticed the face-numbing north shore temperatures lately; this may be the first year since 2000 that will see almost every part of Lake Erie frozen over. (This is different, according to…
16 Reasons We’re Rooting for the Browns to Lose Sunday
The Cleveland Browns, a once storied football franchise, limp into Pittsburgh this weekend for the 2017 season finale in a matchup against the Steelers. They do so with an 0-15 record, an owner still embroiled in a federal investigation of his company, and a head coach who has won just one of 31 games since…
City, DOJ Want Consent Decree Modified for Internal Affairs Hiring
The United States Department of Justice and the City of Cleveland have filed a joint motion in U.S. District Court asking Judge Solomon Oliver to amend the Consent Decree. The motion requests that the Consent Decree’s language be changed to allow for the hiring of a current or former law enforcement officer to lead the…
A Channel 19 News Crew Was Robbed at Gunpoint Last Night in Glenville
[image-1]Early last evening around rush hour a Channel 19 news crew covering a house fire in Glenville was robbed at gunpoint by a trio of suspects. The three males, who might have been juveniles, were wearing masks and approached the reporter and photographer around 5:30 p.m. on East 99th St. No injuries were reported but…
Local Indie Rockers Mr. Carnivore Debut New Music Video
With his former band, Shadow Division, local bassist Joe LaGuardia teamed up with local producer Jim Stewart to release a terrific EP. The band regularly played around town too. Now, LaGuardia has turned his attention to a new group, Mr. Carnivore. “This group is the realization of working in music for over 15 years now,”…
Here are the 10 Best Movies of 2017, According to Scene
Below, I’ve assembled my ten favorite films of 2017, a task that should have been straightforward, given my rating system, but which nevertheless became an agonizing process of continual shuffling and reassessment. These days, I grade movies on a 25-point scale: five points for script; five for acting; five for technical elements (visual effects, editing, sound…
Please Enjoy This Ohio Grandmother’s Lightsaber Skills
When your granddaughter gets Star Wars: Jedi Challenges as a Christmas gift, what else are you supposed to do other than try battling Darth Maul yourself? Nothing is the clear answer. It’s the only reasonable reaction. I got the virtual reality Jedi Challege for Christmas and my grandma wanted to play. Please enjoy her fighting…
Teen Jewelry Thieves Caught in Akron After Asking Police For Help in Escaping Cold
Two teen boys are accused of hiding out at Chapel Hill Mall’s JCPenney store and stealing handfuls of jewelry late Wednesday night, an Akron police report said. The pair was apprehended a few hours later outside Summa Hospital after waving down hospital police to say they needed to get out of the cold, News 5 reported. Police called…
Cleveland Police Union Calls Firing of Officer Who Shot and Killed Unarmed Robbery Suspect an ‘Unwarranted Attack on Its Police Officers’
Cleveland police officer Alan Buford, a 21-year veteran of the force, was fired this morning by the city in connection with a March 19, 2015, incident in which Buford shot and killed 18-year-old Brandon Jones, a suspect in a robbery of an eastside grocery store. Buford was indicted by a Cuyahoga County grand jury in…
Hue Jackson’s Job Status, New Year’s Eve and More — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
Andre and Zac discuss Hue Jackson’s 2018 job status, some of their favorite New Year’s Eve hits and misses, the best Decembers in Berea and more.
Bocce Flick ‘Breaking Balls,’ a Film Fest Favorite, is Getting Local Run
A documentary film about bocce ball that was a smash hit at the Cleveland International Film Festival is getting a limited local run. Breaking Balls, directed by CSU film instructor John Vorlis, will premiere at Atlas Cinemas Great Lakes Mall Friday Jan. 12 and will screen twice daily through January 18. Breaking Balls has had…
Reunited Cowslingers to Play the Beachland in Support of New Album
Before breaking up in 2005, the Cowslingers had made a name for themselves as a prominent local cowpunk band with a huge fanbase. The group created its unique sound by drawing from Link Wray, the Cramps, Johnny Cash and Jason & the Scorchers. Now, the band has announced the release of a new album, Real…
Ohio Minimum Wage to Increase by $0.15 Next Week
In January, Ohio’s minimum-wage earners will get a slight pay bump. The $8.15 they currently make per hour will increase to $8.30, in accordance with a 2006 minimum wage ballot initiative that requires wage adjustments in line with inflation. (The 15-cent increase is not at all what activists mean when they mention the “Fight for…
Indie Rockers Mister Moon and Singer-Songwriter Emily Keener Talk About Their Upcoming Show at Mahall’s
A self-described “eclectic alternative rock outfit,” the local band Mister Moon [pictured] released a terrific new EP, Point One, last year. The disc opens with the droning “Waste,” an atmospheric tune that features hushed vocals. The Alt-J-like “Peer” benefits from perky synths and rattling percussion. Consisting of two drummers, two keyboardists and two guitars, the…
LeBron Thinks Fans Will Learn to Love “The Land” Alternate Jerseys
The Cavaliers have unveiled their fourth and final jersey in the Nike portfolio for the 2017-2018 season. The City Edition uniforms, with “The Land” lettering across the chest, are the first gray uniforms in Cavaliers franchise history. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, LeBron helped design the unis and isn’t worried about the social media backlash.…
A Look Back at 20 of the Year’s Best Concerts
After a time period when it seemed as if the biggest tours skipped town, 2017 found major acts returning to the city. Hall of Famers such as U2, Green Day, Tom Petty, Roger Waters, Patti Smith and Red Hot Chili Peppers put on stellar performances while eventual Hall of Famers such as Chance the Rapper…
Match Made in Heaven Results in New Ownership for Iconic Bialy’s Bagels
Jews have a word to describe the preordained meeting of two individuals. It’s beshert, and the Yiddish term usually is reserved for the ancient practice of matchmaking, but its use with respect to the recent sale of Bialy’s Bagels is inescapable. There had been murmurings that the longtime owners of Bialy’s Bagels (2267 Warrensville Ctr. Rd.,…
Get Out: Everything You Should Do This NYE Week in Cleveland (Dec. 27-Jan. 2)
WED 12/27 Mike Bonner Call the sitter. Comic Mike Bonner takes the stage at the Improv tonight for a parent-friendly routine. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s kid-friendly. Bonner has made a name for himself as a relatable, down-to-earth comedian who understands the everyday struggles of being a father. From dirty diapers to his daughter’s…
The Year That Was and the Year That Will Be in Cleveland Visual Art
It has been a heck of a year for visual artists here in Cleveland. We have seen the voice of the individual artist rise, the planning of a triennial along with a dismissal involving sexual misconduct, as well as the passing of two beloved artists. We bore witness to fantastic exhibitions, interesting work and artists…
Band of the Week: Tropidelic
MEET THE BAND: Matthew Roads (vocals), James Begin (trombone/vox), Bobby Chronic (guitar), Darrick Willis (drums), Pags (bass), Derek McBryde (trumpet) IT CAME FROM KENT: This local jam band formed in 2008 in Kent and famously built a following after self-distributing over 10,000 free copies of its self-produced first EP, Rebirth of the Dope. After releasing…
Soup Dumplings and Chinese Noodles Will Keep Us Coming Back to LJ Shanghai, the Newest Addition to Asiatown
Eating food in a restaurant rarely is a dangerous endeavor. Outside the odd places that prepare fugu – aka puffer fish – or serve imprudently foraged wild mushrooms, most dining experiences are generally harmless. That’s not the case when it comes to Chinese soup dumplings, innocuous looking things that can melt the skin right off…
Project Censored: The Missing Stories of 2017
In America, we commonly think of press freedom and censorship in terms of the First Amendment, which focuses attention on the press itself and limits on the power of government to restrict it. But the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, drafted in the aftermath of World War II, presents a broader framework. Article 19 reads:…
Savage Love: Quickies
Dear Dan, I have been with my unicorn boyfriend for four months. The sexual chemistry between us is out of this world! I’m a woman who’s very open-minded when it comes to trying new things: I’ve had threesomes and foursomes, tried every toy on the market, done anal sex, BDSM, and many other things. He…
The Best of Cleveland Theater in 2017
So, we’ve put one more year of local theater in the can. Who knew we’d still be alive to write this list, let alone read it? No nuclear war yet. But, you know, I’m typing as fast as I can just in case. Here are some notable winners from 2017 in categories that are random,…
