MuRrAy HiLL

Great news. Germany is as cloudy as NEO, and they are leading the world in solar energy production. Great to see Cleveland continuing to have more leading examples for the good old (new compared to Germany?) US of A.

I thinnk an AWESOME stone facade with or without windows is in order...to help highlight to Old Stone Church.

Is this one better? I can't tell...I have my computer on mute: http://www.woio.com/category/211979/video-landing-page?clipId=6652751&flvUri=&partnerclipid=&topVideoCatNo=0&c=&autoStart=true&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=flv

WOIO Action 19 news is getting national attention for its "puppet court" coverage of the Jimmy Dimora trial as cameras, twitter, and blogs are banned: Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/cleveland-television-station-covering-high-profile-ohio-bribery-trial-with-on-air-puppet-help/2012/01/20/gIQAQ4AsCQ_story.html Here's a clip:

Great to hear! Downtown will be rocking TONIGHT with 2 Basketball games, 4 shows at Playhouse Square, 3 Comedy Club acts, and House of Blue events..plus the avg Friday night crowd. Saturday, the highlights are definitely the Chinese New Year celebration in Asiatown and the opening of the Aquarium..which is exactly what I'll be doing tomorrow.

PRESS RELEASE on the new 8-story hotel...note the last paragraph beginning with "The hotel will be LEED certified": Thursday, January 19th, 2012 University Circle Breaks Ground on Courtyard by Marriott 153 Room Hotel to Serve Region’s Fastest Growing Employment & Visitor Center CLEVELAND (January 19, 2012) – As snow falls on University Circle, it is refreshing to see the contrast of new buildings, like the MOCA and Uptown developments, rise up and illuminate the winter sky. University Circle Inc. (UCI) will join University Hospitals, Snavely Group, and Concord Hospitality Enterprises to welcome yet another exciting project in the Circle and reprieve from our gray winter. A new 8 story, 153-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel will begin to take shape at what is now the growing epicenter of activity in University Circle. The hotel is expected to open in spring 2013. “Thanks to a great University Circle, City, and County collaborative, this project will give our millions of visitors annually another quality hotel in University Circle’s world-class neighborhood,” said Chris Ronayne, president of UCI. “It’s a great example of how public/private partnerships can work in our city.” The new Courtyard by Marriott – University Circle hotel is being built on Cornell Drive directly across from University Hospitals’ main campus and new Seidman Cancer Center, around the corner from the new Uptown and MOCA developments, and a short walk from the Circle’s great arts & cultural and educational institutions. University Hospitals is thrilled to provide a convenient and affordable lodging option for its patients and their families and friends. “The new Courtyard by Marriott Hotel will be a pivotal component of the exciting growth currently underway in University Circle,” said Steven Standley, chief administrative officer at University Hospitals. “The hotel will be a great benefit to our patients and their families, visiting physicians and other travelers to this vibrant neighborhood.” One of UCI’s 8 Strategic Investment Projects, the new hotel takes advantage of $15 million from New Markets Tax Credits that UCI sought and was awarded two years ago. The estimated cost of the hotel is approximately $27 million, and will provide approximately 135 construction jobs and 55 full-time equivalent jobs. The County and City of Cleveland made needed investments to help UCI and its partners get the project done. “The County is pleased to participate in the development of this hotel, which we are confident will make a significant economic impact to University Circle and the Greater Cleveland area,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald. “As home to nationally-renowned hospitals, cultural institutions and schools, it makes sense that this area should have hotel that can serve the many individuals who come to Cleveland for health care treatments or tourism.” “It’s great to see yet another building go up in the city of Cleveland,” said Mayor Frank G. Jackson. “The Courtyard by Marriott in University Circle and dozens of recent multi-million dollar investments around the city have made Cleveland one of the largest economic growth centers in the Midwest.” UCI has been fortunate to work with a locally headquartered, but nationally renowned and experienced developer in the Snavely Group. Snavely has a long history of leading hotel projects across the country, and it brought Concord Hospitality Enterprises, one of the nation’s top-ranked hotel developers and operators, and Braun & Steidl Architects, a local planning and design firm with a portfolio of projects throughout the country and Canada, to help them create a top tier hotel. “The Snavely Group is honored to be a part of the growth that University Circle is experiencing. The areas success is a testament to the stakeholders’ vision and commitment. We believe our addition of the Courtyard by Marriott will complement the community’s continued progress. The Snavely Group is proud to partner with UCI in achieving their vision,” said Peter L Snavely Sr., President of the Snavely Group. The hotel will be LEED certified and is being built in the context that respects University Circle’s historic and modern architecture. The complex is an infill project built entirely on two surface parking lots owned by UCI and University Hospitals. Visitors will find a hotel with an urban design respectful of the density, walkable nature, and architectural heritage of University Circle. The hotel will offer valet and enclosed parking and first-rate amenities for its guests. # # # About University Circle Inc. (UCI) University Circle Inc. (UCI) is the development, service, and advocacy organization responsible for the growth of University Circle as a premier urban district and world class center of innovation in health care, education, and arts & culture. www.universitycircle.org http://www.universitycircle.org/news/2012/01/university-circle-breaks-ground-on-courtyard-by-marriott

Man, too bad there's nothing to do in Cleveland this weekend! ;) Jan sucks! PLAYHOUSE SQUARE BROADWAY SERIES: Jan 17-29: Hair http://www.playhousesquare.org/broadway/hair.html Rink at Wade Oval (University Circle): Jan 1 - Jan 29 http://www.universitycircle.org/events/2011/12/the-rink-at-wade-oval CLEVELAND PLAYHOUSE: Jan 15-Feb 5: Ten Chimneys http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com/main-stage/ten-chimneys Jan 20: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/schedule/ Jan 20: Cleveland State vs Green Bay (nationally televised) http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/325/cleveland-state-vikings Jan 20: Last Call Cleveland @ Playhouse Square http://www.playhousesquare.org/default.asp?playhousesquare=11&urlkeyword=Events-Tickets Jan 20-21: Flanagan's Wake @ Playhouse Square http://www.playhousesquare.org/default.asp?playhousesquare=11&urlkeyword=Events-Tickets Jan 20-21: Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall http://www.clevelandorchestra.com Jan 20-22: Dean Edwards @ Improv http://www.clevelandimprov.com/fullcalendar.aspx Jan 20-21: Bill Bellamy @ Pickwick and Frolic http://tickets2.ticketfusion.com/store/one/index.html?store_id=7673&page_type=sched Jan 20-22: Vince Morris @ Pickwick and Frolic http://tickets2.ticketfusion.com/store/one/index.html?store_id=7673&page_type=sched Jan 20-22: 16th Annual Tri-C High School Rock Off @ House of Blues http://www.houseofblues.com/tickets/eventdetail.php?eventid=71928 Jan 21: Lake Erie Monsters Hockey vs Oklahoma City http://www.lakeeriemonsters.com/schedule/ Jan 21: Saving Cities Brainstorming Brunch #8 (Shaker Square) http://neophileohio.blogspot.com/2012/01/upcoming-cleveland-planning-events-in.html Jan 21: Cleveland Sketch Crawl http://www.clevelandsketchcrawl.blogspot.com/ Jan 21: Asian Plaza and Asiatown Center’s Chinese New Year Celebration http://www.asiatowncleveland.com/events.asp Jan 21: Greater Cleveland Aquarium OPENING DAY http://greaterclevelandaquarium.com/ Jan 21-23: Asiatown Lion Dance http://www.asiatowncleveland.com/events.asp Jan 22: Cleveland State vs Milwaukee (battle for 1st place in Horizon League) http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/325/cleveland-state-vikings

Uh oh... Cleveland Browns want city to spend $5.8 million for stadium repairs Published: Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 6:30 PM Updated: Thursday, January 19, 2012, 1:16 AM Thomas Ott, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns want the city to give the team seven years of football stadium repair money -- $5.8 million -- right now. The team contends the work is necessary to maintain a 12-year-old stadium battered by a sometimes harsh northern climate, and it has asked for an exception to a 30-year lease that calls for the city to set aside $850,000 a year for major repairs. Under the complicated proposal, the Browns would get this year's $850,000 plus $5 million from the next six years of repair money drawn from the tax revenue collected countywide on alcohol and tobacco sales and administered by the city. In exchange, the city would not have to make its annual contributions from the tax money to a stadium repair fund for the next six years. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/01/browns_want_to_spend_58_millio.html

Another project that flew under our radar: Demand from families who want to stay at Ronald McDonald House has been so great that more than 3,100 families have been turned away in the last four years. So far, donors have pledged $8 million toward the $12 million goal. Groundbreaking for the project is scheduled for April, and construction should be completed by May 2013. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/01/greater_cleveland_aquarium_ope.html

Opera in Little Italy! Diners at Little Italy's La Dolce Vita are served arias amid the antipasti Published: Thursday, January 19, 2012, 2:00 PM Donald Rosenberg, The Plain Dealer The menu at La Dolce Vita in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood occasionally expands in grand fashion. Along with pasta, customers savor tidbits of Puccini. Garlic-glazed greens with stuffed chicken breast are accompanied by morsels of Verdi. And what could be a more delectable dessert companion than a melting slice of Mozart? Arias and duets meld seamlessly with Italian cuisine at Terry Tarantino's venerable restaurant, where young artists hoping to pursue operatic careers sing for their supper two Monday nights per month. On a recent evening, five singers who study at or graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music raised their voices amid salads, antipasti, wine and other goodies that flowed from the kitchen. Most of the time, they sang from a little stage at one end of the room where CIM faculty member John Simmons -- subbing for regular pianist Adam Whiting -- played an upright piano. http://www.cleveland.com/musicdance/index.ssf/2012/01/diners_at_little_italy_restaur.html

Helllll yeah! Great work!

More apartments for the love of God!

Steris Corp gets a mention in a national article: Rising Factory Output Gives Economy a Lift By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER and DANIEL WAGNER AP Economics Writers WASHINGTON January 18, 2012 (AP) ---------------------------------------------------- Among the manufacturers faring better is Steris Corp., which makes sterilization equipment and other medical supplies. Hospitals and drug companies are buying more of the company's products. Steris, based near Cleveland, says it has added 250 employees in the past 18 months and is still hiring. It has more than 5,000 employees globally, about half of them in the United States. Steve Norton, a spokesman, said Steris has benefited from being part of a regional cluster of biomedical firms and research facilities. Some manufacturers in the region that once focused on auto parts are now also making components for medical devices, he noted. "The Midwest continues to be a manufacturing leader," Norton said. http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/factory-output-soared-december-lifting-economy-15385869#.TxfiA_lNuSo

Cleveland still gets the national respect with beer places: Buckeye Beer Engine La Cav du Vin Bier Markt Market Garden gets a mention in the Bier Markt write up as well. America’s 100 best beer bars: 2012 Pubs, dives, taverns, canteens, watering holes and holes-in-the-wall: Once again, we’ve surveyed the lay of the beer-bar land and found 100 one-off spots where there’s a barstool any beer lover can call home. http://draftmag.com/new/feature/americas-100-best-beer-bars-2012/

cma included on list of 10 can't miss museums in the country Thursday, January 19, 2012 GotSaga, an interactive site that allows people to share stories, recently featured an article on the 10 best museums in the country. No surprise, The Cleveland Museum of Art was on the list. Also sharing the list are The Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. "The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum situated in Wade Park, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000 works of art from around the world. The Cleveland Museum of Art has remained historically true to the vision of its founders, being the only major American museum keeping general admission free to the public." http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/inthenews/cmacantmissmuseum011912.aspx

food truck owner to open restaurant inside historic agora theater Thursday, January 19, 2012 From cable TV shows to busy downtown streets, food trucks are all the rage these days. Yet short of firing up a Winnebago or launching a fleet of food trucks, owners' growth plans are limited by size. "It's such a small space, everything has to be done more frequently," complains Jae Stulock of Umami Moto, which dishes out Asian fusion cuisine to hungry lunch crowds and late night revelers everywhere. Stulock's solution? First, he found an unused kitchen in the Agora Theatre that could be used for all-important prep work. Once that was secured, he decided to launch a restaurant to complement his fast-moving food truck business. http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/devnews/thehipprestaurant011912.aspx

More Cleveland companies expanding: parkbase debuts new loyalty program product, leads to 30 to 50 new hires Thursday, January 19, 2012 Writer: Karin Connelly SparkBase, a leading loyalty program and gift card processor, launched a new way for merchants to reach their customers through smart phones. Paycloud allows customers to sign up for loyalty programs on their phones, eliminating the need for plastic cards and key tags to take advantage of special offers. The launch of Paycloud only adds to SpakBase’s rapid growth. “We’re going to be hiring like gangbusters in the next six weeks,” says Hardman. SparkBase currently has 36 employees and is interviewing for 30 to 50 open sales reps positions. http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/innovationnews/paycloud011912.aspx Cleveland company GrafTech looks to hire more veterans Posted: 01/18/2012 Last Updated: 8 hours and 12 minutes ago By: Cristin Severance, The Ohio News Network CLEVELAND - A Cleveland-area company wants to put servicemen and women back from war, back to work. The manufacturer, GrafTech, is looking to hire veterans for dozens of open positions. GrafTech already has 42 veterans working there and it is looking to hire up to 45 more in northeast Ohio. Sen. Sherrod Brown was at GrafTech Wednesday highlighting the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, a new law that provides tax credits to companies that hire unemployed veterans. http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/cleveland-company-graftech-looks-to-hire-more-veterans#ixzz1jtEDJFAr

Very interesting quote/stat about Rosetta -- I had no idea: Rosetta boasts 1,500 team members spread across nine offices in places like New York, Los Angeles and Toronto, among others. But thanks to 450 staffers locally, Cleveland is now Rosetta's largest. Add to that a dose of giving the people what they want and the downtown choice was obvious. More than 100 Rosetta staffers live downtown -- a staggering 22 percent. With upscale choices like the Bingham in the lively Warehouse District and The Residences at 668 hovering over frenetic East 4th Street, the central downtown location caters to the youthful Rosetta demographic both residentially and socially. http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/features/rosetta011912.aspx

VIDEO update: http://www.wkyc.com/news/state/article/225661/23/Added-hotel-rooms-to-downtown-Cleveland-brings-promise

Although they've been digging around for about a month now, tomorrow there will be a groundbreaking ceremony at the site: Courtyard by Marriott Groundbreaking January 19 - 3:00pm to 4:00pm http://www.universitycircle.org/events/2012/01/courtyard-by-marriott-groundbreaking

GLBC expansion! 02.27.12: GLBC To Enter Northern Virginia Posted January 18, 2012 02.27.12: Great Lakes Brewing Company To Enter Northern Virginia Virginia The Newest State For Distribution January 18, 2012—CLEVELAND, OHIO—Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC), Ohio’s most celebrated craft brewer of award-winning lagers and ales, announces its plan to enter Northern Virginia with Hop & Wine Beverage on February 27, 2012. On the heels of rolling out Central Pennsylvania (February 1st) and Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill (February 20th), Northern Virginia is the latest distribution area in the company’s strategic growth plans. Hop & Wine Beverage currently distributes GLBC products throughout Washington DC; Virginia will become the 13th state to receive GLBC’s craft beers. Customers can expect to see GLBC’s year-round family of beers in package and draft, as well as the new “Taster’s Pack” (a sampler 12-pack). The new market rollout will involve multiple customer appreciation events, meet-and-greets, tastings and giveaways throughout the area. GLBC currently serves 13 states and Washington DC. Founded in 1988 by brothers Patrick and Daniel Conway as the first craft brewery in the state of Ohio, GLBC is nationally known for its exceptional family of beers including Dortmunder Gold Lager, Eliot Ness Amber Lager, Burning River Pale Ale, Commodore Perry India Pale Ale and Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. Visit greatlakesbrewing.com/washingtondc-nova and follow @GLBCinDC on Twitter for exclusive updates and event announcements. https://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/news/02-27-12-glbc-to-enter-northern-virginia

BUMP. Many more additions

I also bought a family pass and will post my reviews as they come.

Greater Cleveland Aquarium ready to splash Cleveland with Saturday's opening day Published: Monday, January 16, 2012, 10:00 PM Regina Garcia Cano, The Plain Dealer Swim with the sharks. Touch a stingray. Eyeball an octopus. Cleveland's newest attraction is built to let people from the North Coast get to know fish from all over and from all angles. Inside, visitors will traverse a 150-foot-long tunnel and get a look at the underbelly of fish, while at the same time standing next to multicolored specimens that until recently lived in the waters off Key West. Welcome to the $33 million Greater Cleveland Aquarium. The building, which opens Saturday, holds the promise of injecting new life into the west bank of the Flats. It will be the only freestanding aquarium in the state and contain a million gallons of water in 40 tanks. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/01/greater_cleveland_aquarium_rea.html

Very interesting upcoming event: City Centers, Casinos and Retail-A Panel Discussion International Council of Shopping Centers in partnership with Downtown Cleveland Alliance presents the Ohio Alliance program, City Centers, Casinos and Retail, a panel discussion on Thursday, February 16th at 11:30am at Tower City Center. The new casino developments have been generating lots of interest over the last few months. Join ICSC and Downtown Cleveland Alliance for a panel discussion to discuss the downtown Cleveland casino project and its impact on retail opportunities. The panelist of experts includes: Duane Bishop, Executive Vice President, Forest City Commercial Group; Nathan Forbes, Managing Partner, The Forbes Company; Joseph A. Marinucci, President &CEO, Downtown Cleveland Alliance and Chris Warren, Chief of Regional Development, City of Cleveland. The Alliance program is a special ICSC initiative that provides forums for the public and private sectors to network, share ideas, discuss industry issues and explore retail development opportunities. For more information about this event or to purchase tickets visit www.icsc.org http://downtowncleveland.com/profile/Event/City-Centers-Casinos-and-Retail-A-Panel-Discussion