In a Huffington Post blog item titled “Transit Initiatives Boosted by Employers,” Laura Barrett writes of the vast amount of good that follows support and investment in public transit.
 
In the piece, Barrett highlights numerous benefits, including job creation, as one of the key factors in drumming up support for new transit creation.
 
“For every $1 billion investment in transit, 60,000 jobs are created, making transit one of the best job generators in our economy.”
 
Our fair city was cited as an example of success when public support paired with corporate involvement work together for the greater good.
 
“Cleveland's two largest employers, The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals of Cleveland, were involved in a campaign for the HealthLine, one of the nation's most successful Bus Rapid Transit lines.”
 
Read the full post here.

The BBC's Jane O'Brien covered the Cleveland Orchestra's novel efforts to reach new (read younger) audiences by performing outside Severance Hall. In this video, O'Brien follows the orchestra from Severance Hall to Happy Dog in Gordon Square as they perform to enthusiastic young crowds.
 
"It is often easier and cheaper to experience great orchestras online and while older music lovers might shudder at the idea, research shows that most Americans under the age of 30 actually prefer it. But Cleveland, Ohio, boasts one of the world's top orchestras and rather than accept the empty seats at Severance Hall, the musicians decided to seek out new audiences in an unlikely venue."
 
Enjoy the video here.

In a Christian Science Monitor story titled “An art museum uses technology to lure young patrons,” writer Nicole Wallace explores Cleveland Museum of Art's use of technology to attract younger audiences.
 
"As cultural institutions across the country struggle to attract young visitors, the Cleveland Museum of Art is embracing cutting-edge technology to try to lure new audiences to its collection of masterworks," she writes.
 
“The goal is to make the museum more welcoming, especially to young people who mediate the world through the screen,” David Franklin, director of the museum, is quoted in the piece.
 
Wallace goes on to highlight the 40-foot touch-screen wall, the ability to create personal tours via an iPad, and even touches upon Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period in the La Vie exhibit.
 
Check out the full story here.

In a Huffington Post Travel list titled “America’s Top 10 Memorial Day BBQs,” the editors tout the last weekend in May as the beginning of summer, and the unofficial way of celebrating is by firing up the grill and enjoying a cold beverage.
 
“Across the country on Memorial Day weekend, the BBQ tradition carries on in regional and national barbeque competitions and festivals, so wherever you'll be spending the long weekend, there's bound to be a smoker near you.”
 
Cleveland’s own Great American Rib Cookoff gets a nod thanks to its plethora of delicious offerings plus its rocking musical lineup featuring Buddy Guy, Rick Springfield, and Bret Michaels.
 
Check out the full list here.

In a The Wall Street Journal feature titled “Rust-Belt Cities Reach Out for Immigrants,” writers Mark Peters and Jack Nicas touch upon how rust belt cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit were a draw to immigrant workers who knew they would be able to find manufacturing jobs.
 
As time went on, those jobs disappeared, populations began to decline, and immigrants no longer looked to those cities to begin their new life in the United States.
 
“During the fresh immigration surge in recent decades, however, newcomers largely bypassed Detroit, Cleveland and St. Louis as manufacturing there -- and other cities in the region -- dwindled. They opted instead for cities such as Phoenix and Dallas.”
 
Peters and Nicas go on to explain the steps many rust belt cities are taking in an effort to grow their populations, one of which is luring immigrants back into the area through various grants and other programs.
 
Read the full feature here.

In a Salon story titled “Cleveland: Ground zero for the housing bubble,” Edward McClelland shares a compelling tale of how the housing collapse hit Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood with a first-hand account from a lifelong resident.
 
“If houses go to heaven, then Classen Avenue, in the Cleveland neighborhood of Slavic Village, has been the scene of a mass Rapture. Ted Michols watched it all happen. A retired trade magazine editor, a bachelor, a man who likes to sit on his porch and share the neighborhood with passersby he’s known fifty years, Michols has lived his entire life in a little square house his grandfather bought in 1923.”
 
McClelland writes of Michols experience from the very beginning of the end up to modern day troubles and turmoil in his lengthy feature.
 
Read the complete piece here.

Writer and Cleveland resident John Hyduk offers up a personal tale of what it means to grow up a sports fan in this town and -- spoiler alert -- it ain't pretty. In the poignant New York Times essay, Hyduk shares an emotion shared by many here: We've been disappointed since 1964.
 
"As a Cleveland sports fan, I hold these truths to be self-evident: no matter how promising the plan or how high the draft pick, someone will screw it up," he leads off with.
 
Sure, there's mention of The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, Red Right 88… but also that glimmer of hope that rolls around with the start of each season.
 
"The first pitch of spring slaps leather, the Indians hang around first place in May, and sports again becomes something beyond a balance sheet. A kickoff sails high into the autumn air, and for a moment, anything’s possible. This year will be different. And for a few hours, you hardly notice the days of your life piling up at your feet."
 
Read the rest here.

In a New York Times post titled “The Cure and Feeding of Small Business,” writer and economics professor at UMass explains that while big business is still able to garner generous grants and tax incentives by promising jobs within political boundaries, it often comes at a price to small business and other civic services.
 
Once such model that is working well to foster success for the smaller enterprise as well as create jobs for the community is the worker-owned cooperative, like those at Evergreen Cooperatives in Cleveland.
 
“Promotion of worker-owned cooperatives is a way to create entrepreneurs and jobs at the same time. The Evergreen Cooperatives of Cleveland represent a stellar example, recently called out by the Federal Reserve Board member Sarah Bloom Raskin as an effective model of local economic development.”
 
Check out the full story here.

Town Hall will be the newest addition to Ohio City's growing list of food- and beer-centric establishments when it opens later this month. The bar and restaurant boasts a swanky interior with polished concrete floors and colorful wood tables imported from Indonesia. The venue also features a lengthy wooden bar and an open, airy feel thanks to garage doors up front.

But Town Hall is more than just another taphouse on a street that's now full of them, promise its owners. It aims to bring a new fast-casual dining concept to the street.

"There are a lot of good restaurants on the street, but we offer something different," says Christa Fitch, manager of Town Hall, which is owned by Fabio Salerno (Gusto, Lago), Bobby George (Barley House) and Sean Heineman (Ballantine, Willoughby Brewing Co.). "This is a place where you can grab soup, salad and a glass of wine or have a meal in the restaurant. We think it's the best of both worlds."

The space, which was gutted down to the studs and rebuilt, last housed Alaturka and Villa y Zapata. The new owners cut an opening between the two storefronts to create two connected businesses: a cafe and bar-restaurant.

The cafe side will feature a juice bar and menu items including flatbread pizzas and gluten-free salads. Comfortable chairs and a well stocked magazine rack invite lounging. The cafe, which is counter service-only, will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The restaurant will feature mostly fast-casual fare along with "supper plates" like grass-fed steak and scallop tacos. A good portion of the food will be locally grown and organic. The bar will feature 25 rotating taps of beer, many of them local.

Town Hall features both a front and a rear patio, the latter with a beautiful wooden gazebo that echoes the natural wooden decor found throughout the interior.

Fitch says she already has hired 35 people, many from the near-west side neighborhoods, and will likely hire more as the venue gets up and running.

The opening is presently set for May 27, with a grand opening weekend planned for June 20.


Source: Christa Fitch
Writer: Lee Chilcote