Former Cleveland Catholic Charities Employee Who Embezzled More Than $2 Million Sentenced to Five Years in Prison
Update: Michelle Medrick, the former business manager for Cleveland Catholic Charities who admitted to embezzling more than $2 million from the non-profit over the course of six years, was sentenced yesterday by a federal judge to more than five years in prison. The 58-year-old North Royalton woman engaged in a scheme where she wrote more…
FirstEnergy Will Sell or Close Both Ohio Nuclear Power Plants
[image-1]UPDATE 2/22: The Plain Dealer reports that FirstEnergy does indeed plan to sell or close both the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear power plants. The Akron-based energy giant intends to offload all of its power plants by the middle of next year. Original Story: 12/29/2016 USA Today reports that the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station might soon…
J.G. Spooner Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Theft Charges
Update: Former 92.3 The Fan producer J.G. Spooner was sentenced this morning by Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Brian J. Corrigan to 30 months in prison for a variety of disgusting and sad scams. Spooner first entered into the crime blotter in 2015 after setting up a GoFundMe account for a woman fighting cystic fibrosis. He…
What’s Next After Record-Setting Heroin Overdose Deaths in Lorain County?
Like much of Northeast Ohio, Lorain County saw an unprecedented increase in fatal overdoses in 2016. The coroner’s office is awaiting final test results — which are due in three weeks or so, we’re told — but the year’s tally could reach 140. Without a doubt, the number will be higher at the end of…
Beachwood Mall Releases New Supervision Rules for Minors After Post-Christmas ‘Disturbance’
Beachwood Place mall is implementing new security measures starting this weekend after a post-holiday disturbance at the shopping center involving hundreds of people. Starting Friday at 5 p.m., teens 17 and younger must have an adult or guardian at least 21 years old accompanying them. Anyone who appears 17 or under will be asked for…
An Officer Involved in an Open Use-of-Force Lawsuit Wants to Fill Open Spot on Cleveland Community Police Commission
Lt. Paul Baeppler has graced the newsprint of Cleveland for years, and this week we’ve cause for another headline: Baeppler has expressed interest in filling a soon to be vacant spot on the Cleveland Community Police Commission. That’s notable, because Baeppler is currently a named defendant in an open use-of-force lawsuit in federal court and…
Au Bon Pain Highlighted as Success Story for Med Mart, Which Is Still 20-Percent Vacant
It’s time for the semiannual reminder that the Med Mart — known in countyspeak as the Global Center for Health Innovation — remains an enigma: The thing can’t seem to conjure up any sort of measurable success, even as it enters its fourth year as a $465-million development spur in the heart of downtown Cleveland.…
McDonald’s Out, MetroHealth In at Ohio City Hollywood Video Site
[image-1]Crain’s Cleveland, in a story published this weekend about investment along Lorain Avenue, reported that MetroHealth had purchased the Hollywood Video site on Lorain between W. 38th Street and Fulton Road. “The Dec. 6 sale…defuses the bitter debate between neighbors and plans to install a McDonald’s restaurant on the site,” wrote reporter Stan Bullard. City…
Here’s What Pops Up If You Search for “Cleveland Browns” in Google Maps Right Now
Search for “Cleveland Browns” in Google Maps. What you’ll find is essentially the epitome of the 2016-2017 season, and everything since 1999 to be honest. Yes, Google, Clowns is absolutely right.
Now Open: Yours Truly at the Halle Brothers Co. Building
After 35 years in the business of feeding suburban diners in Chagrin Falls, Hudson, Mayfield Village, Medina and Mentor, among other spots, Yours Truly restaurant has opened in the heart of downtown. Its newest location might just be its most unique: the former jewelry department of the historic Halle Brothers department store. “We’ve always wanted…
Search Continues for Missing Plane in Lake Erie
The third day of search and recovery operations is under way for the twin-engine Cessna that disappeared over Lake Erie late on Dec. 29. More than 100 pieces of debris have been discovered so far, many of which appear to be connected to the missing plane. “We want to remind everyone that this is an…
Fifth Annual DayGlo Show Will Color Walk All Over Waterloo
During 2017’s first Walk All Over Waterloo monthly art walk event, Waterloo Arts hosts an opening reception for the Fifth Annual DayGlo Show from 5 to 10 p.m. this Friday, Jan. 6. Each year, the Cleveland-based DayGlo Color Corporation donates gallons of its unique paint to artists throughout Northeast Ohio. The artists use the paint…
Cuyahoga County Jail Corrections Officer Arrested for DUI, Possession of Marijuana
Cuyahoga County jail corrections officer Antonio Woods was arrested on December 22nd, by a Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department deputy no less, for a DUI and possession of marijuana. Cuyahoga County spokesperson Mary Louise Madigan confirmed there is now an open investigation into the incident. In the meantime, Woods has been placed on administrative leave. There…
Praxis Fiber Workshop Highlights Three Local Artists This Weekend
Praxis Fiber Workshop is beginning the new year with a group exhibition of three artists who utilize very different media in a similar exploration of light, color, shape, transparency, texture and materials. PRISM features Petra Soesemann’s large-scale quilts, Dan Tranberg’s latest series of paintings and Judy Wolfe’s hand dyed and woven tapestries. “This show represents…
BAYarts Will Show New Works by John W. Carlson, Douglas Max Utter
BAYarts kicks off the new year with an opening reception for its latest exhibitions from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6. These new exhibitions include John W. Carlson and Douglas Max Utter’s Between Presence and Projection, presented in collaboration with Hedge Gallery at 78th Street Studios, which represents both artists’ work. Both established…
FTA Demands $12 Million from RTA; Mayor Jackson’s Public Square Nightmare Scenario Arrives
In the most striking and authoritative corrective to Frank Jackson’s Public Square decision-making to date, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has issued a letter demanding $12 million in 30 days from the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA). So egregious is the city’s ongoing violation of a previous contract that the FTA didn’t even wait…
Happy Near Year From the Fellas — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
Christmas, Cavs, Browns, wins, why they don’t do New Year’s resolutions, and more. Subscribe to A to Z on iTunes here.
Video: A Trumpet Player on OSU’s Marching Band Kicked a 55-Yard Field Goal
[image-1]Austin Brizee, a second-year trumpet player with The Ohio State University’s marching band, kicked a 55-yard field goal after band practice on Tuesday. Watch the video below. Brizee is from Lyndhurst. He and the rest of the The Best Damn Band in the Land will perform during Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl. Also riding on the kick…
Woman Struck by Bus at Public Square Has Died
A woman who was stuck by a bus at Public Square earlier this month has died. The 69-year-old Shaker Heights woman was hit at about 7 a.m. on Dec. 7. She was legally crossing Rockwell when an RTA bus turned left from East Roadway. Joan Kuendig sustained critical head injuries and has been in intensive…
Listen to Dining Editor Doug Trattner Talk About the Highlights of 2016 in Cleveland Food
Doug Trattner ate his way around Northeast Ohio again this year, partly for his own benefit, but mainly for you and your stomach. While you’ve read and enjoyed his recommendations, we’re all just puttering away here at work waiting for the holiday weekend and maybe our brains aren’t functioning at a level that would support…
Greensky Bluegrass Takes Some Time in the Studio to Stretch Their Legs
The divide between stage and studio is always a fascinating line to cross for those bands who dabble in live improvisation regularly — “jam bands,” you could say — and each new record is a chance to blur the line just that much more. With the latest chapter in the story of Greensky Bluegrass, that’s…
Browns Pull Out of Plans for Training Camp in Columbus, Again
[image-1]The plans for the Browns and Columbus to build a facility in the state capital and for the orange and brown to hold a large portion of the team’s training camp there, beginning in 2018, are off. Again. The Columbus Dispatch reports today that the team has “backed out” of the deal, which would have…
Vote Now: The 40 Semi-finalists in Scene’s Redesign the Indians Contest
It has long been suspected that Chief Wahoo, the controversial Cleveland Indians logo, is not long for this world. It’s not a question of if the logo should be retired, but of when. Conversations about the Cleveland Indians team name and logo spread across the country in 2016 as the Indians advanced to the World…
Assault on Officer Shows Safety Risks of ‘Double Podding’ for Guards and Inmates at Cuyahoga County Jail
On January 17, 2016, Cuyahoga County Jail corrections officer Matthew Norman was assaulted by an inmate while double podded. That practice, which has been under fire by corrections officers and their union for years, has one guard watching two pods housing as many as 96 inmates in total. (The entire jail holds about 2,000 inmates.)…
Bishop Richard Lennon Diagnosed with Dementia, Will Retire
Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon has announced his early retirement. Due to his declining health, Lennon sent a letter to Pope Francis in late November asking that he be relieved of duty, and the Pope has honored that request. Lennon said at a press conference Wednesday morning that he has been diagnosed with vascular dementia. Lennon…
Area Sports Talk Host Angry at Generous $20,000 Donation to Cleveland Food Bank
[image-1]When the Browns topped the Chargers on Christmas Eve it seemed the long battle over the reverse perfect season 0-16 parade would finally be over. No winless season, no parade, and with that, the end of weeks of rants about and defenses of a celebration that would never happen. The only real news, besides the…
CMA’s Annual Staff Show Puts Spotlight on Employees’ Most Personal Work
As its yearlong centennial celebration comes to an end, the Cleveland Museum of Art celebrates its talented employees with its annual Staff Show at Transformer Station. Although the show is held each year, this year’s exhibition seems particularly special as the museum reflects on its first century before beginning its next. Hosted by Fred and…
Band of the Week: Impending Lies
MEET THE BAND: Davo Billock (vocals, guitar), James Skrtich (guitar, vocals) Jim LaMarca (bass), Chad Heck (programming, vocals), Roger Lewis (drums) IT STARTED AS A SUPERGROUP: Originally, Skrtich started writing songs for the band in 2010. He then recruited members of heralded local hard rock acts like Scalera, Vendetta Point, Resist, Puppet, Ground Lift, Element,…
How No-showing Your Dinner Reservation Has a Ripple Effect on Small Restaurants
It had all the makings of the perfect Saturday night in the restaurant world. Ushabu, open for just over a month, was riding high from positive reviews. Though tiny by modern standards, the 25-seat Asian bistro was booked solid from 4:30 through 9:30 p.m., at which point tables would remain largely filled through closing time…
All-You-Can-Eat Sushi and Hot Pot Make a Comeback at Kintaro
First things first: all-you-can-eat restaurants and all-you-can-eat buffets might sound like the same concepts, but they are separate beasts. We’ve all visited restaurants looking to ladle out whichever premade foods we want onto a plate for a fixed price at the buffet, but “all you can eat” implies a true challenge for a steal. At…
21 Local Acts You Should Pay Attention To In the New Year
Mourning [A] BLKstar The digital clock in our Corolla meanders toward midnight on a cold Wednesday as we skid along the border of Ohio City and Detroit-Shoreway. We eventually land at the rehearsal space for Mourning [A] BLKstar. A ground-level door creaks open. We are beckoned. Inside, the members of the group are arranged cozily…
The Best Films of the Year, According to SCENE
Twenty-sixteen, we’re told, has been a banner year for both TV and film. And yet, Scene endured a nonstop barrage of some of the worst big-budget offerings in memory. This year produced even more startling evidence of Hollywood’s increasing polarization. At one end, you’ve got brand-name franchises, cinema as spectacle, heartless action without pause. At the other,…
An Overview of All the 2016 Releases You Might’ve Missed
About this time of year, arts and culture rags tend to deliver their takes on the year’s 10 best albums/books/movies. Most lists read roughly the same. If Radiohead put out an album that year, you know it’s gonna be on everyone’s list. The same goes for whatever socially conscious rapper issued a new release. Often,…
Savage Love: Revolution Hall
Earlier this month, we recorded our Savage Lovecast Christmas Spectacular live at Revolution Hall in Portland, Oregon. The audience submitted questions on tiny cards before the show, which allowed questioners to remain anonymous and forced them to be succinct. More questions were submitted than my guests and I could get to, so I promised the…
