House of Blues to Offer a Free Thanksgiving Dinner for Those in Need
Back in 1992, the original House of Blues in Cambridge, Mass. began a tradition of serving the homeless and needy on Thanksgiving. House of Blues here in Cleveland has carried on that tradition for the past decade. Once again this year, it will offer a full Thanksgiving buffet dinner to those in need from 11…
Noodlecat Will Open at Crocker Park on Nov. 13
Update: Better late than never. Jonathon Sawyer’s Noodlecat will open in Crocker Park, finally, on Nov. 13, almost exactly a year after initial plans were announced. It was to be the second location, but Sawyer shuttered the downtown Noodlecat location earlier this year. That location, on Euclid Ave., will soon be home to another ramen…
Now Open: Chicago’s Home of Chicken & Waffles
Chicago’s Home of Chicken & Waffles, located on Prospect Ave. downtown in the old Rathskeller spot, is now open. Yes, the menu is built around multiple versions of waffles — nearly two dozen different versions — but the all-day menu also offers plenty of other southern favorites. Chcek out the full menu here. *** (Original…
An Akron Man Set Himself on Fire After Yelling About Donald Trump: UPDATE
We return from a long holiday weekend to relay the Akron Beacon Journal’s excellent follow-up work in the wake of an unsettling story. Kenn Gilchrist, the man who set himself on fire in Akron this month, remains at Akron Children’s Hospital with third-degree burns. (See original story below.) Gilchrist has led a life worth celebrating…
Heck’s Cafe to Open Downtown Location on Euclid Ave.
Good news for downtown workers, residents and general fans of Heck’s Café. Owner Fadi Daoud is once again expanding the 40-year-old brand that he purchased about ten years back. On the heels of expanding the original Ohio City location (2927 Bridge Ave., 216-861-5464, heckscafe.com) by purchasing and remodeling an adjacent property, and opening a second…
Local Reggae Act Carlos Jones to Play Holiday Bash in Willoughby
Local reggae act Carlos Jones and the PLUS Band rank as one of the hardest working groups in the region. Now, the band has just announced that this year’s annual pre-Thanksgiving Holiday bash will take place at 10 p.m. tomorrow at the Player’s Club at the Lost Nation Sports Park in Willoughby. Jones has also…
Matthew Dellavedova is Getting a Hollywood Biopic
[image-1]Fox Sports Australia broke the news we’ve all been waiting for: Matthew Dellavedova, beloved Cavaliers backup point guard (who now starts for the Milwaukee Bucks) will soon be the subject of a Hollywood film. The story will reportedly center around Delly’s struggles growing up in remote Australia, and his “unlikely path” to the NBA, where…
Ohio Man Kicked Out of Six Bars in One Day: “If Partying is Wrong, Then I Don’t Want to Be Right.”
[image-1]He’s persistent. That’s about the nicest way of putting it. Police say Vincent White, a 23-year-old Akron man, managed to get kicked out of six bars in downtown Youngstown over the weekend, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. That’s an impressive stat on its own. It’s all the more impressive given the fact that downtown…
Cleveland Police Just Bolted the Doors at First District Station To Prevent Eight Protesters from “Overtaking Lobby”
On this, the two-year anniversary of Tamir Rice’s death, demonstrators have gathered at Cleveland Police’s first district headquarters on W. 130th Street. They’re “occupying” the police station all day, organizers say, in preparation for an official press conference at 5 p.m. Samaria Rice is scheduled to give remarks on the occasion of the anniversary. This…
This Candle Smells Like Ohio, Whatever That Is
Home smells like …carnation and honeysuckle? At least that’s what the Homesick Candle line says of its Ohio scent, which is supposed to remind you of the great Buckeye state when you light it up. While we’re not so sure about that — If anyone has bought one of these, do report back — it…
City Council Moving on Major Johnson Court Development
Last night, City Council approved a tax-incentive plan that greatly moves forward the proposed Johnson Court development — a renovation job that will bring 98 loft apartments to what are currently a bunch of vacant, 100-year-old buildings on a mostly forgotten alley in the Warehouse District. (We wrote about this project almost three years ago…
The Led Zeppelin Experience’s Jason Bonham Talks About His Father’s Legacy
When the surviving members of Led Zeppelin — singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones — needed someone to fill in for the late drummer John Bonham so they could play a reunion show in 2007, they enlisted Bonham’s son Jason. A notable drummer of his own right, Bonham has drummed for…
It’s OSU/Michigan Week, and the Steelers are Bullies — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
The Browns lost their 11th game of the season, this time to the Steelers. Andre and Zac discuss that and more in the first podcast of Thanksgiving week. Subscribe to A to Z on iTunes here. Download the episode directly here. Or stream below.
Cleveland School District’s Current Crisis: High Levels of Lead Found in Water
[image-1]In a city (and county) already plagued with concerning rates of lead poisoning, the news out of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District last week should prompt urgent action. And while the district is removing hundreds of drinking fountains and faucets and other water sources in the schools flagged with the most alarming lead levels in…
Newly Formed Local Act the Liars Revival to Play Release Party at CODA
The newly formed local act the Liars Revival boasts that it has “carefully modernized the true Americana/folk sound with lyrics and melodies that will sing to the working (wo)man’s soul.” Led by singer-guitarist Jason Patrick, the co-host on WJCU 88.7 NEO Rocks! and the occasional host of Brent Kirby’s weekly 10×3 singer-songwriter showcase at Brothers…
Video: ‘LeBron: The Musical,’ Inspired by ‘Hamilton’
All 13 years of LeBron James’ NBA career are crammed into nearly five minutes in “LeBron: The Musical” by Dose. The whole cast of characters is there, including a mouthpiece-chewing Steph Curry, as well as Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving.
‘The Nutcracker’ and Five More Classical Music Events to Hit This Thanksgiving Weekend
Once the food coma passes, here are some post-Thanksgiving Day events to enjoy, some of them raising the curtain on the Christmas season. Two interesting guests join The Cleveland Orchestra this week. Dallas Symphony music director Jaap van Zweden, soon to be music director of the New York Philharmonic, and Russian piano phenomenon Daniil Trifonov…
Cleveland Native Jerome Jennings to Headline Two Nights at Nighttown
There’s a Cleveland connection to the title track on The Beast, the latest effort from jazz drummer Jerome Jennings. It’s based on an incident in which a Princeton police officer pulled over Jennings, a Cleveland native, while he was driving home from a gig at 2 a.m. Jennings had a tiny Cleveland Browns football helmet…
Infant Mortality Rose in Ohio in 2015, Black Babies Continue to be at Greater Risk
An alarming report released last week by the Ohio Department of Health showed that the infant mortality rate in Ohio rose in 2015, despite millions of dollars devoted to the cause. Cuyahoga was among the worst-performing counties in the state, jumping from 8.1 to 10.5 infant deaths per 1,000 lives births last year. (A total…
Chrissie Hynde Talks About the All-Star Ensemble That Contributes to the Pretenders’ New Album
Initially, the Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde says she admired Black Keys/The Arcs singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach “from afar.” When she made a list of people she’d like to produce a new Pretenders’ album, he was at the top. They both hail from Akron. “I’ve seen his band over the years a couple of times,” she says…
Video: Ohio Firefighters Demonstrate How Deep Frying a Turkey Can Go Wrong
Thinking about deep frying the turkey this Thursday? Of course you are, it’s freaking delicious. There’s a lot that can go right and, naturally, a lot that go dramatically wrong when sticking a giant bird into a vat of piping hot oil. Which is why the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters released some friendly…
Video: Browns Fan Wearing a Onesie Jumps Off School Bus After Loss
The Browns dropped what feels like their 55th game in a row yesterday, losing to the Steelers. We all knew what would happen before the game even started. And after yet another loss, one brave fan in a onesie took out his anger the only reasonable way possible: jumping off a bus and through a…
Shaker High School Newspaper Editor Discusses How Students Covered Last Week’s Suspensions, Bomb Threats
Recently, the student journalists of The Shakerite, Shaker Heights High School’s newspaper, found themselves in the middle of story that was grabbing national ink. Two students were disciplined after exposing another student’s derogatory statements about her black classmates, and — among several bomb threats and a schoolwide walkout — the ACLU got involved and demanded…
Pro Tips for Surviving This Year’s Thanksgiving, Once Again
Many people are anxious about Thanksgiving this year. This national holiday is all about gathering together with those that you love and giving thanks, and is also the second time many family members will be seeing each other since Donald Trump was sworn into office a while back. Which leaves many of us with this…
Police Officers in San Antonio and St. Louis Shot Over Weekend, Texas Officer Dead
Police officers in San Antonio and St. Louis were shot this weekend. The officer in Texas died. The officer in St. Louis is in critical but stable condition. Below, coverage from our sister papers in those two cities. Manhunt Underway For Suspect Who Executed SAPD Detective in Broad Daylight Near Police Headquarters By Michael Barajas…
Another Anti-Trump Protest Set for Dec. 3
[image-1]You may have joined the crowd protesting against President-elect Donald Trump in Cleveland last week. These sorts of events are taking place all over the country lately, what with a highly contentious transfer of power gripping the attention of the entire world. The “Trump is Not My President” protest will occur again in Public Square on…
Forty Years Later, a Former Cleveland Paperboy Revisits the Sexual Assault that Changed His Life
I was among one of the last generations to experience the now antiquated way newspapers were delivered, which has been portrayed as a gleeful boy riding a bike while tossing folded newspapers to the homes of appreciative customers. In my case, I did my route on foot. I worked seven days a week, in any…
Bang Messiah’s New Mixtape Captures the Feel of an Era
Local deejay and producer Bang Messiah has been a fixture on the local hip-hop scene for quite awhile. To put things in a better perspective, he has credits that go all the way back into the early ’90s when he worked with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony when they were still known as Bone Enterprises. On a chilly…
Prosecutor Elect Mike O’Malley Makes Groundbreaking Pledges for Criminal Justice Reform
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor-elect Mike O’Malley addressed a crowd of more than 1,500 people at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church Thursday night, pledging to enact several significant criminal justice reforms. His announcements can be attributed in large part to the advocacy and pressure of the Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC), self-described as the “largest non-partisan electoral bloc” in…
Author Margot Lee Shetterly to Deliver Keynote at Case’s Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation
The story of a group of African-American women mathematicians who worked behind the scenes in relative obscurity for what is now NASA, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race became a New York Times bestseller upon its release earlier this year. Its…
Cleveland Community Police Commission Members Ask Steve Loomis to Resign From Commission
[image-1]In recent months and weeks, Cleveland police union president Steve Loomis has a) been issued a six-day suspension by the chief after an altercation involving a family member and current officer at the union hall (Loomis will appeal), b) has come under investigation for wearing his uniform at a Trump rally despite being off duty,…
Michael’s Restaurant and Bar to Offer a Free Thanksgiving Dinner
[image-1]Michael’s Restaurant and Bar owner Michael Petrakis attributes the suspension of the restaurant’s free Thanksgiving feasts to “a difficult economy and the demolition of much of a surrounding shopping center.” With the Rocky River shopping center’s revitalization (a new Whole Foods store has been a key development), the restaurant will once again host a free Thanksgiving…
Sharp Dialogue Distinguishes the New Teen Dramedy ‘The Edge of Seventeen’
In the past decade or so, a slew of films have offered a look at what life for teens might be like in the 21st century. Juno, which centered on teen pregnancy without coming off too preachy, stands out as one of the better movies in the genre. While The Edge of Seventeen, currently showing…
Texas Developers May Build a Luxury Resort for the End of the World in Ohio
[image-1] Preparation for the apocalypse has been in vogue for years, and Vintuary Holdings of Dallas has been cashing in on demand for luxury lifestyle amenities on the other side of the end of the world. The development company is currently building out the 700-acre Trident Lakes community in Texas, where wealthy survivalists can gather in an…
Local Comic Shop Day Ushers In Holiday Shopping Frenzy
The holiday season has become a busy time of year for local comic shops, fans and collectors thanks to several events, including Local Comic Shop Day, Carol & John’s Black Friday Sale and Genghis Con, the region’s premier independent and small print comics convention. While we’ll have more info on this year’s Genghis Con next…
Sociologists Urge MLB Commish to Rid Baseball of Native Nicknames, Logos
The President of the American Sociological Association (ASA), Dr. Michelle Lamont, sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred this week, urging him to “use his power to rid Major League Baseball of all Native American team nicknames and other such symbols.” The letter was sent to Manfred on the assumption that he’ll be meeting…
Anti-Semitic Note Left at the Home of Oberlin College Employee
Oberlin police are investigating an apparent hate crime after an anti-Semitic note was left at the home of an Oberlin College employee. The home was also vandalized. The incident comes just days after an Oberlin professor was fired for anti-Semitic comments. While the culprit hasn’t been found just yet, dean of the College of Arts…
Akron Teen Records Himself Shooting at Neighbor’s Home on Facebook Live
An Akron teen was seen shooting into a neighbor’s home on Facebook Live. That made it all the easier for cops to track him down and place him under arrest. Thankfully no one was hurt. You can watch a snippet of the video here. Tanya Watts, the 15-year-old’s neighbor, says she was in her home…
There Were More Than 36,000 Write-In Votes Cast in Ohio for This Election
[image-1]A new Associated Press report confirms more than 20,000 “uncertified” write-in votes cast in Ohio during the Nov. 8 presidential election. That’s on top of the 16,000 votes cast for “certified” write-in candidates. John Glenn and Urban Meyer were “favorites” among the write-in set this year, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Reports that the late…
Westlake Pastor Accused of Molesting Adopted Daughter Gets Probation
[image-1]Paul Endrei, 56, the founding pastor at Westlake’s Church on the Rise, was sentenced yesterday in Lorain County Common Pleas Court to three years of probation on child endangerment charges. Endrei was also forbidden from being a pastor ever again. Endrei was accused of sexually assaulting his adopted daughter between 2005-2013, accusations (and their aftermath)…
College Football Madness and Browns/Steelers — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
On college football madness, Browns-Steelers and other assorted issues . Subscribe to A to Z on iTunes here. Download the episode directly here. Or stream below.
Indie Folk Duo The Weepies to Perform Acoustic Set at Music Box
Steve Tannen, one half of the serenely sing-alongable indie folk duo The Weepies, tells Scene the story of the Hurricane Festival, a heavy-metal-tinged music fest in Germany. He and Deb Talan (his and The Weepies’ other half) got mistakenly booked there in 2006. “Somebody screwed up,” Tannen says. No kidding. “The band was Tool… Do…
Local Cowpunks the Whiskey Daredevils Continue to Go Against the Grain
When the Cowslingers, a terrific local cowpunk act that picked up a bit of a national following during a decade-plus-long run, called it quits, singer Greg Miller assumed he was probably done with music. But when drummer Leo P. Love and Miller’s bass-playing brother Ken came to him four months later and wanted to start…
Train, Andy Grammer and Blue October to Play Q104 Holiday Show
When the San Francisco-based band Train played Blossom two years ago, it delivered a show that had broad appeal; the audience included children, adults and elderly folks. And the band catered to its entire fanbase with the performance too. Square-jawed singer Pat Monahan, who now looks a bit like a younger Huey Lewis, nimbly pranced…
Cleveland Police Union President Steve Loomis Suspended 6 Days
[image-1]Cleveland chief of police Calvin Williams has suspended Cleveland police officer and police union president Steve Loomis for 6 days for “improper conduct.” The suspension, which Loomis says he will appeal, stems from an alleged altercation between Loomis and another officer, who shares a child with one of Loomis’ daughters, at the police union hall.…
Woman Selling Genitalia-Shaped Cookies in Akron Friday to Raise Money for Planned Parenthood
She’s not a professional baker, and had the election last week gone differently these probably wouldn’t exist. But here we are and in the vein of folks raising money for and donating to causes like the ACLU and newspapers around the country after the presidential election, Akron native Rachel Whinnery started making and selling cookies…
Members of the Ohio City Singers Talk About the Tracks on Their New Album
About 10 years ago, local singer-songwriter Chris Allen, his sister Molly and Doug McKean worked up four Christmas tunes and then threw a big Christmas party to which they invited their musician friends. They played the four original tunes they had penned as well as a few choice covers, recorded them and delivered them on…
Anti-Trump Protest Planned for Public Square on Friday
[image-1] Following the activities taking place in other U.S. cities, Clevelanders will gather for a protest against President-elect Donald Trump in Public Square at 5 p.m. on Nov. 18. Check out the details on the Facebook event page. The event will include a roster of speakers and plenty of music and art. At 7 p.m.,…
Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park to Host ’80s Party on NYE
The ’80s are known for New Wave music and arcade video games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Quality musical acts such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, the Police, Guns N’ Roses, R.E.M. and U2 emerged during the period as well. Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park aims to celebrate all things ’80s with its Big ’80s…
Santorini Owner to Launch Late-Night Diner Concept in Warehouse District Space
We were sad to learn earlier this week that Tommy Karakostas had shuttered his contemporary Greek restaurant Santorini, but the good news is that he is not going anywhere. Instead, he is rebranding the space and will reopen it within a few weeks. “It lasted almost two years,” says Karakostas, who also operates the popular…
Sen. Sherrod Brown Trumpets the Working Class Plight in New York Times Op-Ed
With all eyes and ears turned toward the reality TV stylings of president-elect Donald Trump, it’s worth pulling back a bit and tuning into what our other representatives are saying. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, Ohio’s Democratic senator, who’s made a career out of championing workers’ rights, says that he’s hoping to find common ground with…
The Browns’ Sad Quarterback History Was a Question on Jeopardy! Teen Tournament
Easiest $800 the show’s ever offered. Need to check the rule book. But I'm pretty sure this means you made it @3rd_Goal pic.twitter.com/jSpNtggrvs — David Eddy (@deddy11) November 16, 2016 (Hat tip Busted Coverage)
Fox 8 Drew a Penis to Demonstrate Google Draw
Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got a red hot local TV news dong alert. Usually those come via inadvertent drawings on weather maps. Not this time. This time it comes via an on-air demonstration of Google Quick Draw from Gabe Spiegel. Bonus points for the unintentionally great, “You say the more you do this the quicker…
Grog Shop to Host Cruel Winter Fest 3, an Annual Local Hip-Hop Showcase
A fixture on the local scene for the past ten years, Wallace Settles (aka Dirty Jones) is the promoter behind the local showcase Cruel Winter Fest, which takes place at the Grog Shop on Dec. 9. This year’s incarnation of an event that’s billed as “the only annual independent hip-hop festival in Cleveland” will feature…
Tom Hanks Coming to Cleveland to Promote TV and Film Industry in the Region
Cleveland is quickly becoming the Hollywood of the Midwest with the likes of the Avengers and Fast & Furious franchises shooting in town. Now, Tom Hanks is returning to his acting roots to encourage TV and movie industry in the region. Hanks is actually a Cali native, but he made his stage debut in a…
Whole Lotta Confusion About the Water Quality in Berea
[image-1]Two stories from Cleveland 19 this week have muddied the perceptions of the water supply in Berea, offering readers blatant contradictions and stoking fears about lead coursing through the city’s pipelines. “Water drawn from taps in various locations in the city turned up crystal clear, yellow and brown and the opinions from residents varied just…
On the Power of Words, and Thanksgiving Turkey — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
Andre and Zac are talking about some of the best sports days of the year. Subscribe to A to Z on iTunes here. Download the episode directly here. Or stream below.
2016 Gift Guide: 33 Locally Made Gifts for the Friend, Family Member or Enemy in Your Life
Black Friday is almost upon us, which means holiday shopping season is about to kick into frantic gear. Why embed yourself into the frenzied lines though? Sounds like pure hell. And you know as soon as Thanksgiving rolls around, your social calendar is going to be littered with family get-togethers and holiday parties, and before…
The Certain Age of Aquarius…if You’re in the Mood for a Low-key Brazilian Drama
The easiest thing to say about Aquarius, the Brazilian drama that appeared at Cannes this year to rave reviews and opens Friday exclusively at the Cedar Lee, is that it’s a movie for the Cedar Lee crowd. We say that a lot here, but given the November bumper crop of Oscar-caliber films (looking at you,…
Film Spotlight: Levels Film Fest
When local rapper David “Vigatron” Norris originally met local rapper Mark “BKA Watts” Watson at an open mic night at the B-Side Liquor Lounge in Cleveland Heights, the two discovered they not only shared a love for spoken word and hip-hop, but also for film. “We performed there a bunch and we had a respect for each…
Savage Love: Mourning in America
Dear Dan, I’m a longtime fan and part of the 47 percent of white women who did NOT vote for Donald Trump. To say I’m disappointed, horrified, scared, and mad about the election is woefully insufficient. I donated $100 to Planned Parenthood this morning because I honestly felt like there was nothing else I could…
Anchored by Great Acting, ‘Annapurna’ Lacks Something More at None Too Fragile Theater
Is climbing a mountain, even one as daunting as the one mentioned in the title of this show, a good metaphor for a relationship between a man and a woman? Well, it’s difficult to make such an ascent, so you need commitment, trust and passion for the towering task at hand. That is the image…
Band of the Week: James McKeivier
MEET THE BAND: James McKeivier (vocals, guitar) BACK AFTER A BREAK: McKeivier grew up in the Canton area and started writing songs back then. He moved out of town and then back to the area in 2003. He began writing songs once again and really started taking the craft seriously in 2008. “I met up…
A Centuries-old Asian Tradition is the Main Dish at Ushabu in Tremont
I glanced over at my tablemate as she proceeded to add one ingredient after another into her pot of simmering broth. Vegetables, tofu, meat, udon noodles — all of it left to languish in the roiling concoction like some kind of Yankee Doodle Stew. “You’re doing it wrong,” I said in a tone that I…
Middle Eastern Cuisine Finds a Home in West Park
Cleveland’s west side has always been a melting pot of ethnic families and foods. At first, Italian and Irish immigrants dominated West Park, placed between West 117th Street and Rocky River Drive, filling the gap between Lakewood and Brookpark. Today, the area boasts one of the highest concentrations of Middle Eastern immigrants, hailing from Iran,…
