Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog

Who on Earth is "Dick Knoth" and Why is He Running for Mayor of Cleveland?

By Sam Allard on February 24, 2021 at 4:24PM

Who is the man pictured above? Is his name truly Dick Knoth?

Update: Matt Harlan's Chatty's Pizzeria in Bay Village to Open Tuesday, March 2

by Douglas Trattner on February 24, 2021 at 12:08PM

Back in December, we shared the news that Matthew Harlan, longtime employee of Michael Symon Restaurants, was opening his own place. Now we know that Chatty’s Pizzeria (28611 Lake Rd., 440-471-4485) in Bay Village will open on Tuesday, March 2.

Read Poems From the Cleveland Poets Featured in This Week's Cover Story

By Vince Grzegorek on February 24, 2021 at 11:20AM

George Clooney to Produce Docuseries on Ohio State Wrestling Team Sex Abuse Scandal

By Allison Babka on February 24, 2021 at 10:49AM

Actor/director/producer George Clooney plans to produce a docuseries about the sexual abuse scandal that has dogged Ohio State University for decades, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Clooney’s and Grant Heslov's Smokehouse Pictures will produce the series in conjunction with Sports Illustrated Studios and 101 Studios, Hollywood Reporter says.

Ohio's Older Foster Youth Await COVID Relief Measures

By Mary Kuhlman, Ohio News Connection on February 24, 2021 at 10:22AM

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Foster-care advocacy groups are hoping federal and state leaders move quickly on COVID relief for older foster kids. The "Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act" is part of the second federal stimulus package signed into law in December.

Savage Love: I Started Taking Antidepressants and My Kinks Vanished

By Dan Savage on February 24, 2021 at 10:13AM

I know you and other sexperts say that kinks are ingrained and not something you can get rid of, but mine have all vanished! Ever since I started on antidepressants, my relationship with my body and how it reacts to pain — both physical and mental — has completely changed.

Chef Ben Bebenroth to Launch Virtual Food Hall Featuring Multiple Concepts

By Douglas Trattner on February 24, 2021 at 10:13AM

Chef Ben Bebenroth wasted no time closing his farm-to-table bistro Spice Kitchen at the onset of the pandemic. It wasn’t because he knew precisely what to do next; it was because he was certain that he did not.

In a Market Not Exactly Lacking in Fried Chicken Options, Chicken Ranch Stands Out

By Douglas Trattner on February 24, 2021 at 10:08AM

No, it’s not your imagination. Cleveland, like many American cities, is awash in fried chicken places.

BorderLight Festival Returns This Summer with Outdoor, Socially-Distanced Program

By Jeff Niesel on February 24, 2021 at 9:56AM

Founded as a non-profit in 2015 by Cleveland-area theater artists Dale Heinen and Jeffrey Pence, the BorderLight International Theatre + Fringe Festival debuted in Cleveland two years ago. The festival featured drama, stand-up comedy, interactive experiences, solo performances, circus theater, street spectacles, physical theater and "conversation-provoking works addressing timely political, cultural and social justice topics."

From left to right: Brendan Joyce, Katy Ring, J. David, Brendan Joyce, Billy Lennon, Matt Mitchell, Kevin Latimer

A Young, Politically Engaged Group of Cleveland Poets is Building Community Through Art, On and Off the Page

By J. David on February 24, 2021 at 9:42AM

At its most basic and foundational level, an artistic movement is a shift in ideological persuasion. The disposition of the field is contrary to some position and a group, or many groups, will push back against it.

BLM Cleveland Launches Docuseries on Police Injustice Across Ohio. First Up: Euclid

By Sam Allard on February 24, 2021 at 9:23AM

Black Lives Matter Cleveland and two local filmmakers have launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance production costs associated with a new docuseries about police injustice across Ohio. The first four-episode season of the series, titled State of Injustice, will focus on the systemic abuse of the Euclid Police Department.

Singer-Songwriter Lauren Lanzaretta Offers Spiritual Message on New Album

By Jeff Niesel on February 24, 2021 at 8:47AM

just me and piano, writing from a place of pain,” she says. “I wanted to strip everything down and let the lyrics and my voice shine.”

Kindred Spirit to Open in Former Sawyer’s Space at Van Aken District

By Douglas Trattner on February 23, 2021 at 5:20PM

When Kindred Spirit debuts in mid-March, it will do so as a hipper, more approachable restaurant better suited to the neighborhood just outside its doors, states its owners. With interior design covered, they turned next to the food.

Ken Johnson, 37 years on Cleveland city council.

City Council Has Removed Ken Johnson From His Precious Committee Chairmanship

By Sam Allard on February 23, 2021 at 2:09PM

In the midst of marathon budget hearings, Cleveland City Council issued a statement from Council President Kevin Kelley Tuesday afternoon announcing that Ward 4 Councilman Ken Johnson, who was arrested Tuesday morning on federal corruption charges, will be removed as chairman of the municipal services and properties committee. Ward 2 Councilman Kevin Bishop will step in as chair of the committee that oversees the city's department of parks and recreation.

Local Filmmaker Debuts "Out For Fame," A Short Film on the Ethos of Graffiti Art

By Shawn Mishak on February 23, 2021 at 11:50AM

Local filmmaker Graham Emerson Beck’s short, poetic documentary film “Out For Fame,” which meditates on the art of graffiti, premieres this week in the 2021 Short. Sweet.

Cleveland Councilman Ken Johnson Arrested on Corruption Charges

By Sam Allard on February 23, 2021 at 10:38AM

Cleveland City Councilman Ken Johnson was arrested by local FBI officers Tuesday morning after a federal grand jury indicted him on 15 corruption-related charges. The charges stem, per the Department of Justice, from a scheme in which Johnson and his assistant, Garnell Jamison, defrauded the city by submitting false monthly expense reports for a decade.

Cleveland Baseball Team Hopes to Welcome Some Fans Back to Progressive Field in April

By Vince Grzegorek on February 22, 2021 at 2:26PM

The Cleveland baseball team announced today that, pending approval from state and local health officials, some fans will be allowed in Progressive Field at the start of the season. No fans saw live action at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario last year, and MLB only welcomed fans beginning with the National League Championship Series.

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