MuRrAy HiLL

Interesting article.. Progess can hopefully be seen at the Interntional School at Cleveland State, and the school at Tyler Village for Cleveland. Harlem Children's Zone founder visits Cleveland, finds an audience eager to copy his success Published: Tuesday, August 24, 2010, 7:00 AM Margaret Bernstein, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Low-income urban children are ignored and discarded, and the nation is in peril unless someone does something about it, educator Geoffrey Canada said Monday during a speech in Cleveland. Canada -- founder of Harlem Children's Zone, a nationally recognized education program in New York -- told a crowd of about 1,400 that America is nearing the point where the number of children born to minorities will soon outnumber white births. "The country will fail if we don't solve this problem," he said. "You can't simply can't do what you've been doing and think you're going to fix this." His appearance at the Palace Theater was presented by PNC Bank's "Grow Up Great" program, a $100 million initiative to prepare children here and elsewhere for kindergarten. Canada cited several studies, including a just-released Schott Foundation report that found less than half of black males graduate from high school nationally. Cleveland's rate was 27 percent. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/08/harlem_childrens_zone_founder.html

A nice little editorial summary of this past week: http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/08/3_steps_forward_for_downtown_c.html

I'm not so sure this is necessarily a bad thing. If we had to raise taxes anywhere, I'd much rather it be here. Besides, should we be worried for being known as a place with "high bed taxes?" Cuyahoga County may boost bed tax, making rate among highest nationwide Published: Tuesday, August 24, 2010, 8:00 AM Laura Johnston, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Visitors to Cleveland already face the highest tax burden in the state: taxes on hotel rooms, taxes on parking, taxes on tickets to a Browns game or the Cleveland orchestra. And now, to pay for operating a proposed medical mart and convention center downtown, Cuyahoga County's lame-duck commissioners might boost the county's 4.5 percent portion of the tax on rooms. Commissioners can increase its bed tax by as much as 2 percent without approval from voters, county Administrator James McCafferty said, though he doubts they will push the tax that high. They are still negotiating with hotels and the city's tourism bureau, Positively Cleveland, McCafferty said. Positively Cleveland receives its main source of operating money, about $5.1 million, from the bed tax. Commissioners imposed a quarter-cent sales tax increase to finance the $425 million medical mart and convention center in 2007. But the county still must come up with $6 million a year for Chicago-based developer MMPI to manage the project. http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2010/08/cuyahoga_county_may_boost_bed_tax_making_rate_among_highest_nationwide.html

Sky, how big of a pause are we talking? a few months? next spring?

^He does have a point. Not saying that no work being done is ever a good thing, but it least it's not how 668 Euclid looked while it was stuck in its silent phase. There is scaffoling, some basic construction signage, and people seem to actually know about this project. The state the building is looks like it's being renovated to the nearest passer-by, which already hurdles the one big obstacle--importance of perception. Side not: I can remember telling people a couple years ago about 668 Euclid, and they were either shocked by the news, believe me, or "it'll never happen." This project is going to happen--and as a small blessing--has the visible perception that it IS happening.

I'm not sure if this has been discussed much, but Key has remodeled is Higbee space...just in time for a casino to move in downstairs! KEY UNVEILS ITS NEW OFFICE SPACE IN HISTORIC HIGBEE BUILDING ON CLEVELAND’S PUBLIC SQUARE CLEVELAND, August 24, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — KeyCorp is unveiling this week its new high-tech, contemporary office space in the heart of downtown Cleveland following a complete renovation and refurbishment of three floors — about 221,000 square feet — of the historic Higbee Building on Public Square. Approximately 1,000 Key employees – about 20 percent of Key’s Cleveland-based workforce — will occupy the space, which retains a number of architectural elements of the historic Cleveland department store while at the same time anticipates changes in work styles and needs of employees and the highest standards for energy conservation and the environment. The space provides standard offices, but also work areas where staff can temporarily touch down, plug in and meet in small groups, huddle rooms and casual meeting areas with flat-screen TVs for online access and presentations. (See the accompanying Fact Sheet for additional detail and features.) “Our Higbee Building investment demonstrates our commitment to our headquarters city,” said Key CEO Henry L. Meyer III. “It maintains hundreds of jobs in the heart of our city. At the same time, the project capitalizes on new technology, contemporary space planning and anticipates changes in the way we work and employee preferences. In addition, we have designed the renovations with the highest environmental standards in mind.” http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/keycorp/45760/

Whatever this is worth CWRU was ranked #17 in the nation by the Washington Monthly. The categories used in the rankings were: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country): http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2010/national_university_rank.php Maybe CWRU is getting more notice nationwide?

European critics lavish praise on touring Cleveland Orchestra Published: Monday, August 23, 2010, 7:46 AM Zachary Lewis, The Plain Dealer The Cleveland Orchestra's 2010 European Tour continues, and the reviews are pouring in. What's more, the mixed opinions expressed in the earliest reviews seem to have given way to glowing feedback. On Monday, the orchestra was settling into Merano, Italy, for a performance Tuesday, Aug. 24 featuring Schubert's Symphony No. 4 and Strauss's "Ein Heldenleben." Behind the group at this point are two concerts at Scotland's Edinburgh International Festival, a debut at Austria's Grafenegg Music Festival, and a return visit to the Abbey of St. Florian in Linz. On Thursday, Aug. 26, the orchestra begins its residency in Lucerne, Switzerland. Reviewing the first concert in Edinburgh, MusicWeb International said the orchestra "laid down a standard that others will struggle to follow. The Clevelanders are arguably the finest orchestra playing in the US today." http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?action=post;topic=7533.0;num_replies=96

In case any of you are bored today, here's the history of CWRU:

Some chatter on the E.14th street renovations and expanded productions at Hanna theater and 14th Street Theater http://www.cleveland.com/onstage/index.ssf/2010/08/playhousesquare_spotlights_the.html

This is also borderline "Mall Renovation" thread, but great news to finally hear about this momentum. Cleveland Planning Commission grants convention center preliminary approval Published: Friday, August 20, 2010, 1:11 PM Laura Johnston, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Planning Commission today conditionally approved the design for a downtown convention center, giving the go-ahead to slope the mall between Public Auditorium and a to-be-designed medical mart. Members have not yet signed off on the mart building, the other half of Cuyahoga County's $425 million, taxpayer-financed project, because they haven't seen detailed drawings. They also want more information on the square footage and layout of the underground convention center and more frequent meetings with the county's developer, Chicago-based MMPI. But their approval allows the county to move forward with its plans, including breaking ground as soon as October. http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2010/08/cleveland_planning_commission_grants_convention_center_preliminary_approval.html

Here's a map of the acquired land: http://media.cleveland.com/open_impact/photo/casino-graphicjpg-36f133e328966bd1.jpg

The International School is OPEN: Cleveland school district, Cleveland State University team up to open new school Published: Thursday, August 19, 2010, 7:00 PM Thomas Ott, The Plain Dealer A new Cleveland school opened Thursday, easing its first students into a program that will supplement the basics with Mandarin Chinese. The Campus International School, a joint venture between the school district and Cleveland State University, welcomed 60 first- and second-graders a week before most other city students resume classes. Sixty kindergartners will arrive Wednesday, bringing the school to capacity. About a fourth of the students come from the suburbs. Campus International, the latest addition to the district's "innovation" portfolio, will grow by a grade each year until it extends through high school. It's in leased classrooms at the former First United Methodist Church, on Euclid Avenue at East 30th Street, but officials hope to move eventually to a building at the neighboring university. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/08/cleveland_school_district_clev.html

Cleveland in the Wall Street Journal: Cleveland Rocks? JumpStart Wants To Make It So By Russell Garland Nearly a decade ago, a group of community leaders decided to focus on Cleveland’s economic future instead of its past. They wanted to make Northeast Ohio, once a center of industrial innovation, a good place to start companies again and were vexed by the fact that while Great Lakes pension funds, foundations and endowments were a major source of venture capital nationally, little of that money flowed back to the region. Tapping state and private funds, the group set out to create an ecosystem to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. JumpStart Inc. is a centerpiece of that effort. It’s a nonprofit business accelerator providing entrepreneurs with financing and advice as well as promoting economic development initiatives and running outreach programs to encourage entrepreneurship. As a measure of JumpStart’s success, she said that her venture group has invested $16.5 million into almost 50 companies since its launch in 2004 and those companies so far have raised about $120 million in follow-on rounds. http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2010/08/19/cleveland-rocks-jumpstart-wants-to-make-it-so/

TransDigm Group is sole Cleveland company in Fortune's fastest-growing list Blog entry: August 19, 2010, 1:21 pm | Author: SCOTT SUTTELL TransDigm Group Inc. is in some pretty nice company. The Cleveland-based supplier of aircraft parts makes Fortune magazine's list of the world's 100 fastest-growing companies, landing at No. 85. Increased defense spending has helped, but the company also has been an aggressive acquirer in recent years. Only one other Ohio company made the list: First Financial Bancorp of Cincinnati, at No. 54. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20100819/BLOGS03/100819822

Cleveland City Council finally passes legislation to seek bids for purchase of LED lights Published: Wednesday, August 18, 2010, 11:58 PM Mark Gillispie, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland City Council finally approved Mayor Frank Jackson's controversial legislation aimed at purchasing millions of dollars' worth of LED lights. The measure passed, 12-7, Wednesday with council members Dona Brady, Tony Brancatelli, Brian Cummins, Jeff Johnson, Mike Polensek, Zack Reed and Jay Westbrook casting dissenting votes. It was the Jackson administration's second try at convincing council to give one company the exclusive right to sell the city LED street lights, tube lights and traffic lights for 10 years in exchange for building a manufacturing facility here and creating 350 jobs. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/08/cleveland_city_council_finally.html

LOVED that place!

HALLELUJAH!! Dan Gilbert, Forest City reach deal on land for Cleveland casino Published: Thursday, August 19, 2010, 10:30 AM Reginald Fields, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert has reached a deal with Forest City Enterprises to acquire land for his downtown Cleveland casino along Huron Road next to Tower City. Gilbert's Rock Gaming LLC will acquire about 16 acres from Forest City, including land immediately adjacent to Tower City and part of the Riverview parking lot, the two companies announced Thursday morning. The companies have also agreed on a mulityear lease for the Higbee Building, where Gilbert hopes to open a "Phase 1" casino as early as next year while moving forward with development of the main casino. http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2010/08/dan_gilbert_forest_city_reach.html

Mayor Frank Jackson, and a parliament of civic leaders, endorses an immigrant welcome center Published: Thursday, August 19, 2010, 6:00 AM Robert L. Smith, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A proposed Cleveland international welcome center is attracting prominent and influential supporters, including a voice long seen as quiet on the issue. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said he will join a blue ribbon committee charged with designing the center and outlining efforts to attract immigrants to Northeast Ohio. The step is a new one for Jackson who, in the past, seemed to dismiss immigrant attraction strategies as an answer to Cleveland's decline. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/08/mayor_frank_jackson_and_a_parl.html

I'm HIGHLY considering selling my car and going car-free again. I'll be living in either Downtown Cleveland or Little Italy by Oct...so it shouldn't be too hard.

One more Lebron blogging: http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/9553492/23941526

Eric Mangini: Cleveland Browns will abandon the brown-pants look 09:48 AMYahoo! BuzzShare Browns returned to their white shirt-on-white pants look for last weekend's road game in Green Bay. Last season they wore brown pants with the white shirt as their primary road uniform, a look that drew scorn from some fans. Coach Eric Mangini told The Cleveland Plain-Dealer the Browns won't use the brown pants anymore. "It wasn't very well-received," Mangini said. "I hope we can get to the point where we can wear fruit on our heads and people wouldn't notice." http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/08/eric-mangini-cleveland-browns-will-abandon-the-brown-pants-look/1

Oh Lebron... Cleveland still on LeBron James' mind LeBron James won't rule out returning to play for Cleveland some day, but admitted in an interview with GQ Magazine that owner Dan Gilbert's letter to fans on the night James left the Cavaliers gives him "a lot of motivation" for when he and his new Miami Heat teammates play his former club. James told GQ: "I understand that a lot of people would be hurt" in Cleveland by his decision, but also said that growing up, he and his friends from Akron didn't always like Cleveland. Akron is about 40 miles south of Cleveland. "It's not far, but it is far," James told GQ. "And Clevelanders, because they were the bigger-city kids when we were growing up, looked down on us. ... So we didn't actually like Cleveland. We hated Cleveland growing up. There's a lot of people in Cleveland we still hate to this day." http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5470162

It looks like a new store is opening in Asiatown: • Lenox Beauty Supply will have a grand-opening party at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at the store, 3820 Superior Ave., Cleveland. It will include a fashion show by designer Lanne Kim, cocktails, food, music and dancing. Cost is $35 in advance and $45 at the door for general admission; VIP tickets, which include food and drink, are $100. Call 440-725-0567. http://www.cleveland.com/style/index.ssf/2010/08/stylish_events_in_cleveland_ar.html

U.S. news has CWRU ranked at 41st in the nation again, and best in Ohio. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/08/ohio_colleges_and_universities.html