The Connect Podcast With Special Guest Matt Fish

by Aaron Calafato on May 25, 2018 at 2:55PM

Welcome to episode 41 of The Connect. This episode features my conversation with Matt Fish.

The Cavs: In Deep Trouble or Business as Usual? — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson

by Vince Grzegorek on May 25, 2018 at 2:53PM

Andre and Zac talk a little Browns, discuss the Indians in Chicago, then dive into the Cavs' issues and their chances of salvaging the Eastern Conference Finals. Subscribe to A to Z on iTunes here.

The Center and Near West Theatre Host LGBTQ+ Youth Prom This Saturday

by BJ Colangelo on May 25, 2018 at 2:20PM

For the second year in a row The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland (The Center) is presenting a LGBTQ+ Youth Prom to allow an inclusive experience for teens of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions (SOGIE). The Center is joining forces with Near West Theatre, who will be housing the event for an enchanting evening of music, dancing and fun.

In Surprise Move, C. Ellen Connally Will Run for Chair of County Democratic Party on Progressive Ticket; Trevor Elkins to Run for Vice-Chair

by Sam Allard on May 25, 2018 at 2:04PM

In a surprise shift, Newburgh Heights Mayor Trevor Elkins and former judge and Cuyahoga County Councilwoman C. Ellen Connally announced Friday afternoon that Connally, not Elkins, would be running for chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party. Elkins, who had been the face of a progressive challenge to powerful party factions, will run alongside Connally as vice-chair.

Tri-C Just Got More Expensive, But It's Still the Cheapest in Ohio

by Rebecca Goldfarb on May 25, 2018 at 12:49PM

Cuyahoga Community College has just announced its plans to increase its tuition for the first time in four years. The $10 boost per credit hour was approved Thursday by the Tri-C Board of Trustees, according to a press release.

One Squirrel Takes Out Power in Downtown Akron This Morning

by Laura Morrison on May 25, 2018 at 11:31AM

This morning went dark for many homes and businesses in downtown Akron, after one squirrel got a little too curious. The rodent apparently meandered into a spot he or she should not have been, breaking into a downtown power substation at about 8:39 a.m., disrupting the machinery.

Cleveland's Current Air Quality Is Unhealthy For Sensitive Breathers

by BJ Colangelo on May 25, 2018 at 11:15AM

Just in time for the first outdoor holiday of the year, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) has issued an Orange alert for air quality covering most of Northeast Ohio. From Lorain to Akron, the air quality has been classified by the NOACA as "unhealthy for sensitive groups," and the organization urges active children and adults, people with lung diseases/asthma, and senior citizens to reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.

Circle Health Services Provides Fentanyl Test Strips To Combat Ohio Opioid Crisis

by BJ Colangelo on May 25, 2018 at 10:37AM

In an effort to combat Ohio's opioid crisis, Cleveland-based Circle Health Services is providing fentanyl test strips to users who require the services of their needle exchange. Lisa Fair, a program director at Circle Health Services, told Fox 8 that “most of the drugs, 85-90 percent of the drugs, are laced with fentanyl.

Rock Hall to Open New Exhibit About Rock on TV

by Jeff Niesel on May 25, 2018 at 9:46AM

The exhibit includes interviews with Mike Meyers, Martha Quinn, Kelly Clarkson, Micky Dolenz, Kevin Eubanks, Cyndi Lauper and Paul Shaffer. “So many rock icons first broke out on television — and still do,” says Karen L. Herman, the Rock Hall’s Vice President of Collections & Curatorial Affairs.

County Sheriff's Deputy Shot Man on I-90 Eastbound Near West Boulevard Exit

by Sam Allard on May 24, 2018 at 9:53PM

A Cuyahoga County Sheriff's deputy shot a man on I-90 near the West Boulevard exit at about 8 p.m., Cleveland.com and others are reporting. The man was taken to MetroHealth in critical condition, EMS on scene has said, but the circumstances surrounding the shooting are not yet known.

Ohio Memorial Day Weekend Traffic May Suck More Than Usual

by Laura Morrison on May 24, 2018 at 4:35PM

Holiday road travel has the potential to make you want to tear your eyeballs out normally. But 2018's Memorial Day Weekend could be especially terrible traffic wise, thanks to a potent combination of more travelers and more road construction.

Get Ready to Cry Over the Cuteness of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's Baby Snow Leopard Triplets

by BJ Colangelo on May 24, 2018 at 4:03PM

Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert to Renovate May Company Building on Public Square

by Sarah Parr on May 24, 2018 at 3:54PM

A Precious New Deer Species Has Arrived at the Akron Zoo

by Rebecca Goldfarb on May 24, 2018 at 1:00PM

A new species recently made its way into the Akron Zoo. The zoo gladly accepted two new Siberian musk deer, Vlad and Anastasia, who were being cared for at the Bronx Zoo in New York before arriving in Akron.

Ohio Murderer Tries to Avoid Death Penalty with Offensively Ridiculous 'Gay Panic' Defense

by BJ Colangelo on May 24, 2018 at 12:44PM

The Ohio Parole Board was presented with a laughably offensive plea for mercy today as death row inmate Robert Van Hook tried to claim "homosexual panic" as the reason he fatally strangled, stabbed and mutilated the body of David Self after luring him out of a gay bar Cincinnati in 1985 before fleeing to Florida. By definition, a homosexual panic or "gay panic" defense is when the defendant claims they acted in a state of violent temporary insanity because of unwanted homosexual advances from another individual.

Why is 'SOLO?'

by Sam Allard on May 24, 2018 at 11:51AM

If you dispense with the notion that 28-year-old Alden Ehrenreich is playing a "young Han Solo" in Solo: A Star Wars Story, the latest installment in what has quickly become a sprawling cinematic universe, you'll have a much less fidgety viewing experience.  Think of Ehrenreich as a Hank Bolo or a Stan Bulbo or a Frank Grillo.

Cleveland Councilman McCormack's 'Aggressive Behavior' Ordinance Would Bring Discrimination and Uneven Police Enforcement

by BJ Colangelo on May 24, 2018 at 11:05AM

On Monday May 21, Cleveland's Ward 3 Councilman Kerry McCormack proposed an ordinance that would make approaching someone in an aggressive or intimidating way on a sidewalk, in a park or at an outdoor ATM a misdemeanor. McCormack is claiming the ordinance is in response to complaints from visitors downtown regarding verbal abuse and being followed.

Flogging Molly Guitarist and Dropkick Murphys Drummer Talk About the Bands' First U.S. Tour Together

by Jeff Niesel on May 24, 2018 at 9:57AM

is from Ireland. He has a different perspective lyrically and sonically.

Case Western Researchers Determine Domestic Violence Victims Are Higher-Risks for Homicide

by BJ Colangelo on May 23, 2018 at 3:15PM

Researchers at Case Western Reserve and members of the Cuyahoga County Domestic Violence High Risk Team (DVHRT) hope to reduce fatal domestic violence cases countywide by focusing on higher-risk cases, starting with Cleveland. DVHRT is a task force of criminal-justice professionals, victim advocates, and researchers who, along with CWRU researchers, partnered with the 1st and 5th district Cleveland Police Departments to assess what steps can be taken to prevent domestic violence and homicides

Cleveland's Public Works Leadership Took $5,000 Trip to Asphalt Convention in Houston, Skipped Asphalt Convention in Cleveland

by Vince Grzegorek on May 23, 2018 at 3:13PM

While millions of dollars have been pumped into repairing Cleveland's streets after the passage of the 2017 city income tax hike, there's plenty of work left to do and the subject remains contentious: There have been arguments contending some wards are left behind while others reap allotments for work, persistent reporting by the dogged team at Channel 5 about how the city decides which roads get fixed and why roads that desperately need attention are ignored, and questions from city council about why repairs made as recently as two or three years ago have already failed. That falls under the auspices of Michael Cox, the Director of Public Works, and his streets commissioner Rand Scott.