Imagine Dragons turn up the intensity at Jacobs Pavilion
Dancing throughout last night’s sold out show at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica, Imagine Dragons’ lead singer Dan Reynolds carried the show from start to finish. The band’s new album, Night Visions, is filled with songs about emotional struggles, and Imagine Dragons played those songs as pure rock ’n’ roll numbers with steady backbeats, techno-style bass-lines…
Ariel Castro’s Sentencing Slated for Thursday Morning
In what should hopefully be the last newsworthy update to this monster’s life, Ariel Castro will appear for a sentence hearing tomorrow morning. He’ll be getting life behind bars – plus 1,000 years. He’s also expected to speak during the hearing and, per anticipations, expound on the woe-is-me nonsense he uttered during last week’s hearing.…
Sun News Employees Also Facing Layoffs, Moves Today
Following this morning’s round of layoffs at The Plain Dealer (scratch that – at the homes of Plain Dealer employees, via phone), more of the same is taking place at the Sun News office in Valley View. As sources in the newsroom explain today, reporters, editors, photographers et. al. are meeting one-on-one with the company’s…
Sweet Melissa’s Hopping the River to East Side
Sweet Melissa, the popular west side restaurant with locations in Rocky River and Avon Lake, is hopping across town. The owners say they hope to open their new Shaker Heights location, in the former home of North Park Grill (20630 N. Park Blvd.) at Fairmount Circle, by early November. “We were approached by the developer…
15 of the Cutest Animals Currently Up for Adoption at the Cleveland Animal Protective League
Cleveland Animal Protective League is host to a whole bunch of insanely adorable animals. We’ve compiled a slideshow of some of the cutest balls of fur around, all of which are just itching to be given a new home. While we know these photos are irresistibly adorable, we must warn you not to get too…
Plain Dealer Journalists Told To Wait By The Phone In The Morning For Layoff News
With a newsroom-wide email fired off this afternoon, Plain Dealer journalists were given a new assignment: Wait. The inevitable announcement of layoffs was sent out to all newsroom employees today. They were told to wait by the phone tomorrow morning for news of whether or not they’ll be “separated from employment,” as the message goes.…
21 Cool Things You Can See at the Cleveland Public Library’s Superman Exhibit
The Cleveland Public Library is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Man of Steel with an exhibit which runs until Sept. 14. We’ve compiled a slideshow of some of the neat things you’re bound to see when you stop by. From autographed photos of celebrity supermen (and women), to limited edition superman cereal, and droves…
Ravenna High School Goes Blue With New Turf
Via Colin Harris Smurf Turf Ravenna High School is tossing down some fresh turf in the stadium ahead of football season. The Record-Courier’s Colin Harris tweeted out a photo of the new gridiron gear. It’s a bold, vivid blue. Boise State-style. Hell, let’s call it Smurfesque. The new turf is part of a series of…
Bruell’s Version of Shake Shack Coming to PlayhouseSquare
Observant downtown visitors might have noticed the exhaust vents rising from the small glass kiosk in the center of Star Plaza in PlayhouseSquare. Now that the colorful sign is exposed, everybody can see that Dynomite burgers is just about to open. Long in the works, Dynomite is the latest eatery by local mega-operator Zack Bruell.…
Forever Festival Will Showcase 200+ ‘Live Digital Concerts’
Bob Weir Beginning Aug. 4, “Earth’s first live digital music festival” will showcase more than 200 bands at venues around the world. And fans can tune in (for free and/or pay-per-view) for seven days of tunes without even leaving the couch. The first-ever Forever Festival will be headline by Bob Weir and Kings of Leon…
An Oberlin Man is Threatening Actor Richard Roundtree
The Threat Management Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department got in touch with investigators in Oberlin on July 22 to outline a series of threats made against actor Richard Roundtree, famous for his role in 1971’s “Shaft.” One of the letters threatened to have the actor’s “throat cut” before explaining that he would be…
Rapper Nelly Reflects on Kickin’ It with Amanda Berry at Rover Fest
The hip-hop star who invited Cleveland kidnapping victim up on stage with him last weekend at Rover Fest told CNN he was pumped about meeting Amanda Berry. “What stuck with me the most, first of all, that she had a smile on her face, you know, that’s one of the most impressive things to me,…
UPDATE: An Ohio Bank Accidentally Foreclosed the Wrong House and Repossessed all of the Owner’s Stuff
UPDATE: The bank which accidentally foreclosed on the incorrect home and wrongfully repossessed all of the owner’s stuff issued a statement saying it wants to compensate Katie Barnett “fairly and equitably for her inconvenience and loss.” Yet at a fundamental level First National Bank of Wellston, OH seems to have a unique take on what…
Where’s Superman? 10 Funny Photos of Superman Hanging Out at the Cleveland Public Library
Superman is ready to chill. And to take some pics. At least that’s what the Cleveland Public Library is encouraging folks to do as part of its Show Us Your Superman competition this summer. Interested participants can borrow the life-sized Man of Steel cut out and take him anywhere in the library they please for…
FBI’s Nationwide Prostitution Sweep Saves One Child Locally, Arrests One Pimp
Over the weekend, the FBI and numerous local, state and national organizations conducted Operation Cross Country, a massive prostitution sting focused on 76 cities. In all, the effort brought 105 children to safety and put 150 pimps behind bars. The numbers are impressive in cities from coast to coast, and the Cleveland division of the…
11 Awesome Northeast Ohio Distractions for your Monday Morning
Happy Monday, right? You’re back in the saddle (or cubicle) and the work week is already dragging into eternity. This past weekend was SO AWESOME, but the next weekend is SO FAR AWAY. What the hell? Here are 11 little things to think about – nay, dwell upon, obsess over – as Monday lurches forward.…
Popular Cleveland Pickle Adding West Side Shop
Cleveland Pickle (850 Euclid Ave., 216-575-1111, www.clevelandpickle.com) chef and owner Josh Kabat signed a lease last Friday to open another location for his popular downtown sandwich shop. Located in the former home of Westside Yoga Studio (17100 Detroit Ave.), the Lakewood Pickle should be up and running by November 1, he says. “This is a…
Texas Rangers pitcher sucker-punched in Cleveland, police say no big deal (updated)
Tanner Scheppers Update: (4:56 pm) Here’s a statement from Cleveland police spokesman Sammy Morris: The incident involving Texas Ranger’s pitcher Tanner Scheppers did not occur on Public square as originally reported by the media. The preliminary investigation reveals that on Friday, July 26, at approximately 2:30 a.m. Texas Ranger pitcher Tanner Scheppers was involved in…
PEZAMANIA 2013: Here’s What the World’s Largest Gathering of PEZ Collectors Looks Like
Almost everyone has collected their fair share of PEZ dispensers as kids, but only a few go on to become master PEZ collectors. This weekend, Independence, OH is host to PEZAMANIA, the world’s largest gathering of PEZ collectors. For three days master PEZ collectors, dealers, and authors from across the nation, and beyond, flock to…
PHOTO: Cleveland at Night, a View from the International Space Station
Reddit user ninjabit posted this photo yesterday titled, “Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto, and a blue hint of sunrise. Taken July 23, 2013.” The photo was originally posted on the Great Lakes Science Center’s Facebook page. The image and caption come from Astronaut Karen Nyberg, who is currently on board the International Space Station. Pretty sweet pic.…
Michelle Knight was a Victim of Identity Fraud while She was Being Held Captive on Seymour Ave
Law enforcement officials are reporting that someone stole the identity of Michelle Knight as she sat captive for over a decade on Seymour Avenue in Cleveland. 19 Action News reports that a woman who knew the Knight family ran a scam with Michelle’s name to collect government benefits. The suspect reportedly maintained the scam throughout…
The 10 Best Brunch Spots in Cleveland
It’s finally the weekend, and the perfect time to grab brunch with the fam or friends. Our very own dining critic @jasonthefoodguy compiled this list especially for Q104. Check out the hot spots below and tune in here to listen to the Q104 segment.
Here’s What the ‘Save the Plain Dealer’ Campaign Has Planned for When Layoffs Are Announced (Likely, Next Week)
That slow grind of Advance Publication’s march toward a more digital-friendly, less-staffed-newsroom for the Plain Dealer’s world will finally be coming to a head as soon as next week. And what does the Save the Plain Dealer campaign have in store when the layoffs are announced and the newsroom is gutted? Here’s the internal email…
Man Banned From Local McDonald’s For Returning Half-Eaten Food
It’s not just police-blotter fun, it’s police-blotter fun with the bonus of fast food! From the ABJ comes this report of a fast-food fan who has taken to digging into Mickey D’s around the area only to return with half-eaten Big Macs and such, hoping for a half or full return on his value-menu purchases.…
The Cleveland Kidnapping Survivors Issued this Statement after Hearing Castro’s Plea
19 Action News reported that Jones Day issued the following statement on behalf of the survivors after they heard about Castro’s plea: “Amanda, Gina, and Michelle are relieved by today’s plea. They are satisfied by this resolution to the case, and are looking forward to having these legal proceedings draw to a final close in…
Concert Review: Mastodon at House of Blues
For heavy metal band Mastodon, 2011’s release of its fifth studio album, The Hunter, was big. It helped propel the band further up the ranks of mainstream metal, earning highly positive acclaim from many major music critics. While Mastodon has yet to divulge much information about the release of its next album, the band played…
Life in Prison Plus 1,000 Years for Ariel Castro
Ariel Castro appeared before Judge Michael Russo today. He accepted a plea agreement that ultimately garnered him a life sentence *plus* 1,000 years in prison. “I don’t care for the wording, but I will plead guilty,” he told the judge as the roster of 977 counts against him was read. Throughout the appearance, Russo repeatedly…
Swenson’s Drive-In Hits the Streets on New Food Truck
Swenson’s Drive-In originated back in 1933, when founder Wesley T. “Pop” Swenson began selling his tasty hamburgers from the back of his station wagon. He went on to open his first real shop the following year, and the rest, as they say, is history. In the years since, the regional chain has grown to seven…
Cleveland Eats: 20 Things You Ate This Week
Looks like you had quite the appetite this week, Cleveland. With the help of Instagram, we’ve compiled a list of your top eats over the last seven days. From loaded breakfast sliders, to beef and mushroom udon, and honeydew, cucumber sorbet, there’s clearly no shortage of good eats here in town. Planning to grab some…
Megabus Adding Routes, Cleveland Becoming Hub
In a press release yesterday, the ultra-low-fare bus service Megabus announced that it will be adding eight new routes nationwide on August 1, bringing the total Cleveland daily departures and arrivals to 11. To accommodate the increased traffic, Megabus will be changing its Cleveland pickup location from W. 3rd St. to the Stephanie Tubbs Jones…
A Man Returned an Overdue Library Book 41 Years Late and Paid the $300 Fine
An Ohio bookworm surprised a Champaign County library recently by returning an overdue title- 41 years late. The library posted a photo to Facebook of the book, “The Real Book About Snakes,” along with a note and $299.30 in cash, which was to cover the $.02 a day fines, WDNT reported. The note reads, “Sorry…
Concert Review: Mac Miller at House of Blues
Because of the infatuation that many of today’s rappers have with releasing mixtapes rather than studio albums, it can be hard to judge just how much a hip-hop artist has done by looking solely at his or her track record with a major label. Such is the case for Pittsburgh native Mac Miller, who, despite…
13 Nearby Places to get Incredible Ice Cream
Earlier this week we wrote about how July is National Hot Dog Month. But did you know that July is also National Ice Cream Month? In case you need to play catch up or just feel like indulging yourself, we’ve created a list of some of the best places to get incredible ice cream here…
Melvins bring 30th anniversary tour to Grog
Last year, the Melvins came through town on a record-breaking tour that found them playing 51 shows in 51 days. Drummer Dale Crover, who brings the proto-grunge sludge rockers back to the Grog Shop tonight as part of the group’s 30th anniversary tour, says it wasn’t as grueling as you might think. “When you’re on…
Lou “The Dog Man” Rodgers Was in Fact Let Go By The Tribe
Photo by Karin McKenna Rumors started trickling out after this post by ClevelandSports360 and all along Twitter this morning: Lou “The Dog Man” Rodgers, revered saint of the dog at The Jake, was let go by the Tribe’s concession service. (It’s unclear whether the Tribe knew, but they certainly know now.) We got in touch…
East Cleveland Residents Search Neighborhood, Rally For Hope
ERIC SANDY/SCENE Men scour the woods behind an East Cleveland civic center July 24. The men ambled through thick, overgrown brush and across dirt riddled with broken glass and trash. Most of them brandished gnarled sticks or wooden posts, which they used to sift through leaves and litter in search of the worst: another body.…
11 Indians’ Double Plays That Don’t Look Like Double Plays
Back in the days of Omar Vizquel and Robbie Alomar, Cleveland was something like the Double Play Capital of professional baseball. Asdrubal Cabrera and Jason Kipnis have certainly carried the torch — if with less choreography and flair — and we’ve assembled some of their finest double play moments below. All of them have hilarious…
Another Killer, More Dead Women: Why?
The first woman’s body was discovered at the intersection of Shaw and Hayden last Friday. News reports began rolling in last Friday following the discovery of a woman’s body wrapped in plastic bags inside a garage at the corner of Hayden and Shaw in East Cleveland. Her name was Shetisha Sheeley. She had been missing…
Steely Dan delivers epic concert at Jacobs Pavilion
At this point in their 30-plus year career, Steely Dan’s Walter Becker and Donald Fagen have taken on the role of bandleaders. They conduct as much as they play. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. During an epic two-plus hour concert last night at a sold-out Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica, they let their stellar…
Apocalypse Now: Our Q & A with Weird Al Yankovic
Weird Al Yankovic has written a number of brilliant parodies over the past 30 years. Songs such as “Another One Rides the Bus,” “Eat It,” “Like a Surgeon,” “Fat,” “Amish Paradise” and “White & Nerdy” are classics. On his latest album, last year’s Alpocalypse, he took aim at pop acts such as Taylor Swift and…
Band of the Week: The Commonwealth
Meet the Band: Patrick Burke (guitar), Andrew Kuhar (vocals, guitars), Nicholas Kuhar (drums) Straight Outta St. Ignatius: Band members originally met at St. Ignatius, where, as Nicholas Kuhar says, they “fiddled around with some orchestral rock.” “From an early stage, we played around with us being a miniature orchestra more than a rock band,” he…
Can We Have Real Growth, Please? An Ohio City Resident Speaks Out
Discussions have been coursing through Ohio City: discussions about development, demographics and growth. While many of the folks we’ve talked to have been enthusiastic about new projects on the Near West Side, a few residents remain skeptical about changes to a place they cultivated decades ago. Alex Nosse, a second generation Ohio City dweller and…
The Life of Lenny: Musical Maven Leonard Bernstein is Explored in a Fine Solo Show at the Cleveland Play House
As you take your seat for Maestro: Leonard Bernstein, now at the Cleveland Play House, the person in question is being shown on a large backdrop—a kinescope of one of Bernstein’s popular music lectures from the early days of television. That is a wonderful framing device for what is to come, since this one-person touring…
Rising Star Chef: Brad Ball at Lolita
When asked to describe his “chef behind the chef,” Iron Chef Michael Symon doesn’t mince words. “He has the best hands for charcuterie in Cleveland; as good as I have had in Italy,” Symon boasts. “Brad is a tireless worker with an incredible thirst for knowledge.” He’s talking about Brad Ball, sous chef and charcuterie…
Also on Stage: The Who’s Tommy
Let’s say you’re a senior in high school and you have to do a senior project. Here’s an idea: Why not produce and direct a one-night production of the Who’s rock opera Tommy, utilizing a mix of Broadway and local talent, and then make it a benefit to raise $10,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS…
Regional Beat: The Natives
Bring Down Babylon (self-released) facebook.com/thenativescleveland.com This young Cleveland act has been around for a couple of years now and has slowly started to raise eyebrows. It finished in second place at the 2012 Tri-C High School Rock Off and has opened for acts such as Flobots and iPhonic. Now, it’s finally delivered its debut. The…
Culture Jamming
TOP PICK Starbuck (E1 Entertainment) While an American version of this French-Canadian version is already in the works, we’re guessing it won’t top the original. Patrick Huard plays Starbuck, a destitute guy who’s donated countless sperm over the years in the attempt to make ends meet. When a lawyer comes to him with a class…
Caged: How Ohio Politicians Keep the State’s Puppy Mill Business Booming with Little Regulation
“It’s kind of hard of believe that it took this long to get this done,” Gov. John Kasich quips with his pol-tinged half-charm. “I mean, wh-what was the holdup, right?!” He is surrounded by animal advocates and more than a few bouncy pups, all of whom seem to cast raised eyebrows as the governor scribbles…
Savage Love: A Little Outside Help
Dear Dan — I’ve been mostly happily married for 15 years. I’m a straight man. I love my wife. We used to have a great sex life. But after many years, children, and just day-to-day reality, our sex life is now pretty unsatisfying. While my wife was barely GGG at the beginning, now she will…
Cleveland Heights Freaks Out, Cancels Arts Fest Because of Social Media “Chatter”
Fearful of another “flash mob”-style riot that marred the 2011 Coventry Street Fair, officials in Cleveland Heights canceled the festivities that were to have taken place Sunday afternoon. It’s the second year in a row that the event has been called off. Police Chief Jeffrey Robertson, who said the decision was “not just a snap…
Captive in Ashland
Steven Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, is standing before a not-quite-packed room of reporters. It is June 18. “We are yet again reminded that modern-day slavery exists all around us,” he says. That phrase—”modern-day slavery”—has stuck around as the linchpin of a case that originated in October 2012. The mid-June press…
Exhibition at Loren Naji Asks Artists to Push the Envelope of Taste
A male figure lies supine on bathroom tiling, his head buried in a T-shirt that his uncoordinated limbs cannot wrestle off his body. His shirt is lifted up enough to expose his belly and the line of his boxer shorts, where a friend’s socked foot sits, threatening to pin him to the linoleum. This moment…
37 Hours in Columbus
For some folks, summer’s the time for Mickey-filled family vacations, grueling multi-state bike trips, or freewheeling hops aboard the music festival circuit. Not us; we prefer to summer right here in Cleveland, where the climate finally suits our clothes, and our gardens, dogs and chickens keep us pleasantly engaged. That’s not to say that we…
Letters: On The Merle of Free Sandwiches; How Mayor Gorden and His City Council Pals Created the Worst Suburb in Northeast Ohio
There are so many things wrong with your article, it pains me to even read it. So why again is Beachwood the worst suburb in America? Your title and the first three paragraphs are an appalling mockery of the community. Sam Allard, have you even traveled outside of Ohio? Your naive negative remarks certainly suggest…
Review of the Week: Fruitvale Station
Fruitvale Station may be 2013’s first must-see movie. It’s a gritty, day-in-the-life account of 22-year-old Oscar Grant III, a black man who was trying to get his life straightened out on New Year’s Eve, 2009, before a fatal assault by white police officers on the Bay Area Rapid Transit stop which gave the film its…
Film Spotlight: The To Do List
Three years ago, comedic actor Bill Hader and his wife Maggie Carey spent the summer in Santa Fe, where Hader was filming the sci-fi comedy Paul. While Hader went to the set each day, Carey worked on her script for The To Do List, a film about the coming-of-age of Brandy (Aubrey Plaza), a high-school…
Sermon Says: Imagine Dragons Guitarist Talks about the Band’s Quick Rise to Fame
When country singer Tim McGraw made his entrance onto the Blossom stage earlier this summer, the Imagine Dragons tune “Radioactive” played at full volume on the house PA system. With its percolating electronics and defiant chorus (“welcome to the new age, welcome to the new age”), the song got the audience (and the beefy McGraw)…
The Ramos Gin Fizz: A Drink So Nice, You’ll Shake It Twice
Fresh off a term as Governor of Louisiana, and a few years removed from the end of Prohibition, Senator Huey Long pulled off a publicity stunt of Dukakis proportions in July of 1935. He flew in bartender Sam Guarino from the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans to show the staff at the New Yorker Hotel…
Noise Addict: Swans Frontman Reflects on 30 Years of Screaming and Scheming
Swans frontman Michael Gira originally thought he would be a visual artist. Since childhood, he regularly created illustrations and “devoured books on art.” He even went to art school. “It wasn’t for me,” he says when asked about his art-school experiences. “Somehow my experience in art school soured me to the whole thing.” And yet,…
