Dark Humor Distinguishes Morning Bird’s New Single
Update: This past summer, the local indie band Morning Bird released a new single it recorded in quarantine. Now, the band has returned with yet another new single, the alt-country power ballad of sorts “Pawn Shop Drugs,” an epic, Drive-By Truckers-like tune that concludes with a brittle guitar solo. “The song recalls the story of…
Local Artist Elizabeth Adams Takes Her Pandemic 2020 Project On the Road
Cleveland photographer, painter and mixed media artist Elizabeth Adams’ latest series, “Pandemic 2020,” is a “visual journal.” She captures, through the camera’s lens, her long-time neighborhood of Tremont, the blossoming Cleveland spring and reverent moments with friends before revving up a rental car this past Thursday in order to break out West on a cross-country…
City Council Simply Will Not Take Hint, Continues to Make Excuses for Refusing Public Comment
The City Club of Cleveland will host Ward 7 Councilman Basheer Jones for a virtual forum Wednesday. It’ll be the latest conversation in a series that’s looking more and more like an official platform for potential 2021 mayoral candidates. Both City Council President Kevin Kellley and Health and Human Services Committee Chair Blaine Griffin appeared in recent…
Metroparks Study a Small Step in Long, Unlikely Journey to Move I-90, Reunite Gordon Park
The layout of the freeway and parks near the recently torn down FirstEnergy power plant has long puzzled city planners, east side Cleveland residents, and even the semi-aware itinerant motorist. This curvy part of Interstate 90 goes close enough to the lake that waves and fish sometimes hit cars when the waters get churning. The…
No News is Bad News: Russ Mitchell Says Include Scene In Your Media Diet
This is the final essay in a series from supporters/readers on why you should join the Scene Press Club. Recently, I was invited to speak to a group of Northeast Ohioans to discuss “The Changing Face of News.” I enjoy these conversations but these days I need to bring security! “How can we trust you…
‘Butthole’ Signs a Fitting End to News Cycle on Frank Jackson’s Quip
Before we put away Frank Jackson’s butthole-heard-’round-the-world comment, first let us remember that the quip was humanizing but has obscured what was otherwise a frankly depressing interview once again showing the mayor’s clear belief that elected officials can’t muster change to overcome systemic problems, and second, let’s enjoy these photos of a homemade Butthole sign…
Chagrin Falls Park, Black Neighborhood Next to Chagrin Falls, at Heart of Last Week’s Protest Controversy
Last week, the quaint suburban village of Chagrin Falls made the news for a Black Lives Matter rally organized by a local 16-year-old. The event was canceled due to community backlash and fears of riots, but approximately 100 people still came out to support the effort on June 2nd. Two days later, a larger Black…
Cedar Point to Reopen Beginning July 9, Facemasks and Reservations Required
When thrillseekers and families return to Cedar Point this summer, they’ll do so with facemasks and reservations. The park announced this morning that it’ll reopen with new safety guidelines beginning July 9th, with the first two days reserved for season passholders. Cedar Point will also take your temperature before you enter and limit capacity of…
CBD 101: All The Things You Need to Know
This article was originally published on Blue Ribbon Hemp. To view the original article, click here. We’ve all heard of it, but what exactly is CBD? Can it benefit you? What’s the best method of consumption? Will you get high? Let’s break it down for you! Here is your CBD 101, a guide to everything…
A Reader Responds to Former Solon Mayor Bob Paulson’s Cleveland.com Op-Ed Asking Northeast Ohio to Not Beat Up on Chagrin Falls
Former Solon Mayor Bob Paulson’s Op-ed to Cleveland.com — “Don’t beat up Chagrin Falls for protecting its quaint business district. Some Cleveland shop owners probably wish they’d done the same” — ends with this sentence: “That is not fair to a tiny village like Chagrin Falls.” With all do respect to your work in public service…
Chef Doug Katz to Open Chimi, a Ghost Kitchen Offering South American Food Via Pick-up and Delivery, This Friday
Over the past three months we’ve watched restaurant chefs, owners and operators scramble to survive the realities of the times by pivoting to take-out and delivery. These stopgap measures might help to keep the lights on, but not indefinitely. But what if you didn’t have the fixed costs associated with a brick-and-mortar restaurant to worry…
Cleveland Tourism Bureau Struggles to Build on Mayor Frank Jackson’s ‘Butthole of the World’ Campaign
When Mayor Frank Jackson recently declared that “Cleveland is perceived to be the butthole of the world,” city tourism officials thought they’d struck travel industry gold. Destination Cleveland had long struggled with its current slogan – the rather self-explanatory “This is Cleveland” – finding it only useful to people who’ve driven to Buffalo by mistake.…
Cleveland Police to Hold Solidarity Demonstration to Honor Officers on Front Lines, Black Shield Cries Foul
The Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association (CPPA) announced a #bluesolidarity demonstration to take place Monday at noon. For sixty seconds, local officers are invited to activate their blue lights and either place their hands over their hearts or salute a nearby flag. “We do this to show our support for our fellow officers, locally and nationally,…
TikTok Dance Inspires Social Distancing Among Young Ohioans
Dancing in a white-and-black t-shirt and gray sweatpantsto Jordyn’s “Big Up’s,” social-media influencer Charli D’Amelio seems like she’s just having fun. But her TikTok video is a #distancedance challenge aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 among the app’s dedicated users. D’Amelio’s video is a part of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s effort to encourage young…
After Closing on July 25, Ushabu in Tremont to Reopen as Bar Oni, a ‘Japanese Sports Pub’ Featuring Yakitori
Over the weekend, chef Matt Spinner announced that come July 25, he will close Ushabu, his shabu-shabu, sushi and Japanese tasting-course concept in Tremont, adding that the close-quartered dining arrangement no longer made sense. He also said that news regarding its replacement would be forthcoming. Today, we can announce that the new concept will be called…
The Ultimate Guide to CBD and Seniors With Joint and Back Pain
This article was originally published on CBD Seniors. To view the original article, click here. A total of 65 million adults have reported a recent incidence of back pain. In total, there are 16 million adults who deal with chronic back pain. During your lifetime, you have an 80 percent chance of you dealing with…
Chef Matt Spinner Will Close Ushabu in July, Reopen New Concept In Its Place
Chef Matt Spinner’s hot-pot, sushi and Japanese tasting course concept at Ushabu and its tiny dining room stood little chance in the face of a pandemic that limits seating. Things, he and other chefs operating with a just a handful of tables and booths are realizing, look different on the other side of this thing.…
Shelby Olive to Play a Virtual Release Party on June 19 at Musica to Celebrate the Release of Her Single
Akron-based singer-songwriter Shelby Olive has just released her timely new pop single, “Overthinking,” a song about uncertainty and anxiety. “The song’s about the habit of spiraling out of control in your brain,” Olive says in a press release about the tune that features crooning vocals and shimmering synths. “We fixate too often on small things and…
Butthole Serfdom: Frank Jackson Will Not Reduce Police Budget, Feels No Extra Urgency
The fact that Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson uttered the word “butthole” in a recorded national interview Wednesday should be newsworthy for no reason other than its hilarity. It is a measure of the mayor’s discursive blandness that any colorful word or expression inserted into his rambling non-answers, in any venue, tend to overshadow more substantive…
Best CBD Oil for Pain: Buyer’s Guide
Everyday life, stress from work, worries about finances and other problems we are facing constantly are often triggering pain, anxiety, or lead to various health conditions. Naturally, everyone is looking for a relief mainly through medicine, but even more through incorporating healthy habits into their daily routine. It’s understandable that people prefer to find a…
Police Renew Search for Sen. Rob Portman’s Missing Testicles
It’s one of the most enduring mysteries in Ohio history: What happened to Sen. Rob Portman’s testicles? Now, four years after they were officially declared missing, police have reopened the cold case. Detectives say they were spurred by Portman’s silence over recent events in Washington, D.C., when President Donald Trump ordered peaceful protesters tear-gassed and…
Op-Ed: Saturday’s Protest Turned Chaotic Because of Brutality by Cleveland Police, Not an Amorphous Group of Radicals
The events of Saturday, May 30th, were the result of multiple and cascading failures: The failure of leadership at the local level. The failure of our law enforcement agencies to act in the manner that their position and profession should demand. The failure of our society to meet the needs of our most oppressed, desperate,…
Local Hardcore Band Donates Proceeds From Sales of New EP to Black Lives Matter
The locally based hardcore group Last Gasp began recording its new album Second Wave just as the pandemic hit. It somehow managed to finish the release, which is out now on all digital outlets. The album addresses the current social and political climate, and the band will donate proceeds from sales to Black Lives Matter…
Kings Island Sues Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton Over Continued Coronavirus Closure
The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law in Columbus — the same law center that filed suits on behalf of a bridal shop and gyms — has now filed lawsuits against Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton on behalf of Kings Island and Kalahari Resorts. The suit claims, as the others did, that the…
Now Open: Minh Anh Restaurant in Detroit Shoreway
Minh Anh Restaurant (5428 Detroit Ave., 216-961-9671) in Detroit Shoreway has reopened for business. Their first day back was Wednesday, June 3. The dining room is open, but at greatly reduced capacity. Take-out, which might be the preferable option for many, is available from 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, noon-9:30 p.m. Saturday and noon-8 p.m. Sunday.…
Contact Tracing: Next Step in Slowing Spread of COVID-19 in Ohio
When people are first diagnosed with COVID-19 in Lorain County, they receive a call from someone like Mitch Dandurand, an epidemiologist at Lorain County Public Health. He asks them to think about whom they have been in close contact with in the past few days. This is the first step in contact tracing, which has…
How Coronavirus Stress May Scramble Our Brains
I’m on deadline, but instead of focusing, my mind buzzes with unrelated tidbits. My first-grader’s tablet needs an update before her online school session tomorrow. Heartbreaking deaths from COVID-19 in New York City make me tear up again. Was that a kid’s scream from upstairs? Do I need to run up there, or will my…
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo to Resume Zooing June 17th
After making due for the past few weeks with drive-thru Cruise the Zoo event after weeks of being completely closed, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is set to reopen on June 17th. Gov. Mike DeWine yesterday announced zoos and other entertainment attractions including movie theaters and museums could reopen as soon as June 10 under new…
Ohio Bill Would Make Cocktails To-Go Permanent
Ohio House Bill 669 — which had apparently first been named House Bill 666 ~spooky~ — was introduced toward the end of May by Republican State Reps. D.J. Swearingen and Jeff LaRe. And it’s recently been gaining some traction (in the way that they had their third hearing about it Thursday). Nicknamed the Businesses Expansion…
How to Be Safe Attending a Protest During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Exercising your first amendment right is part of being a responsible citizen in this country. Unfortunately for those wanting to protest police brutality and racial injustice against Black people, we are also in the midst of a global pandemic that spreads very easily. So, if you’re out protesting, and want to stay safe from COVID-19,…
Toast in Gordon Square Reopens for Indoor, Outdoor Dining Tonight, June 4
Toast (1365 W 65th St., 216-862-8974) in Gordon Square, closed since the middle of March, reopens for dine-in service tonight, June 4. The current hours and days of operation are as follows: dinner 3-9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, and brunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Here’s what to expect upon arrival: Guests will enter through a new…
Local Rockers Shok Paris Take a DIY Approach on Their First Studio Album in 31 Years
Formed in 1982, local rockers Shok Paris received national attention and even toured with acts such as Savatage and Lizzy Borden before calling it quits in 1989. But after reuniting in 2010 to play a music festival in Germany, the band caught a second-wind and began writing new material. It’s finally released the long-in-the works…
Legal Challenge of City of Cleveland Curfew Withdrawn
Update: Ondrejech told Fox 8 that the city indicated to him today that when the curfew expires tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. it will not be extended any further. As such, he’ll withdraw his legal challenge. *** (Original story): A motion seeking a temporary restraining order from a federal judge to prevent the city of Cleveland…
Former Ohio City Galley Eatery Rice Shop Opens Today in Former Lox, Stock and Brisket Space in University Heights
Chef Anthony Zappola will open the Rice Shop (13892 Cedar Rd., 216-785-9490) today in the former home of Lox, Stock and Brisket in University Heights. The Asian-fusion concept began life in Las Vegas, where the chef lived and worked, and was revived at the Ohio City Galley. The creative, well-executed eatery found an enthusiastic following…
No News is Bad News: Councilman Kerry McCormack Says Put Your Money and Values Into Action
This is the fourth in a series of essays from readers/supporters asking you to contribute to the Scene Press Club. Cleveland Scene is an important source of local journalism and we must support it. We live in a time when local journalism is slowly, perniciously under attack . Newspaper ownership across America is getting rid…
Cleveland City Council Passes Ordinance to Allow Outdoor Dining, Drinking in Parking Lots, Streets, Other Rights-of-Way
As hoped, Cleveland City Council has passed an emergency ordinance that establishes a temporary program for bars and restaurants to extend outdoor seating into parking lots, streets and other public rights-of-way, including on-street parking areas and parklets. The simple act of allowing bars and restaurants to spread out into adjacent space enables them to increase…
Scenes From Northeast Ohio’s Smaller, Peaceful George Floyd Protests
Last Saturday’s Justice for George Floyd protest in downtown Cleveland, which remained peaceful early on and turned chaotic after Cleveland police launched tear gas into the crowd and reportedly failed to properly convey an order to dispel, was the largest assembly of its kind in the region, but not the only one. As the city…
Cleveland Police Used These Launchable Chemical Grenades at Saturday Protest
Among the munitions that Cleveland Police officers used Saturday afternoon were launchable “Spede-Heat” chemical grenades that discharge a payload of gaseous chemicals and cause severe burning in the eyes, nose and chest for 10-20 minutes to those exposed. Without appropriate warning, police began launching these grenades while also shooting pepper spray, flashbang grenades, wooden bullets…
Savage Love: When I’m With a Partner I Care About, I’m Nervous About Sex
Here goes: I’m a 32-year-old gay male, and I have trouble staying out of my head during sex. I feel like there may be many issues. The one non-issue is everything works fine on my own. When I’m single or “available,” I’m OK. Let’s be honest: I’m a slut, and I enjoy it. But when…
Blu in Beachwood to Host Weekly Pop-Up Taqueria Starring Painesville’s Famed La Casita
For years, enlightened taco aficionados have been making the short pilgrimage to Painesville on summer weekends to dine at the incomparable La Casita. Each year, from spring through fall, the seasonal restaurant would emerge behind Marcos Campos’ Latin grocery, complete with outdoor kitchen and seating. This magazine featured the spot a few years back. Those…
Using the Power of Protest to Propel Social Change
CINCINNATI — The right to protest is powerful, and Ohioans fighting for social justice can learn how to ensure their voices are heard at an online event this evening. According to Robin A. Wright at Cincinnati’s Beloved Community Church, protests throughout history have been used as legitimate and meaningful passports to reform. She noted that…
