MuRrAy HiLL

Isn't there some 5-year rule about converting historic buildings into condos...meaning they need to be apartments for the first 5 years. I swear remember reading that a few years ago. Or am I just crazy...

Positively Cleveland Wants To Know What's Positive About Cleveland Positively Cleveland is encouraging fans of Northeast Ohio to share their favorite things about the region. The convention and visitors bureau is looking for videos, photos, tweets, links that show how much Cleveland has to offer. The winner will get a trip to bring a friend, family member or business associate here to explore everything they love about Cleveland Plus in its "Happy in CLE+" contest. http://www.newsnet5.com/station/22654524/detail.html

New collaboration between Cleveland Clinic, art museum to help Alzheimer's patients By Kaye Spector, The Plain Dealer February 24, 2010, 9:00AM Alzheimer's disease begins in the brain's memory center, destroying cells and causing problems with thinking and behavior. But in the disease's early- to midstage, areas of the brain that govern emotion, perception and creativity often remain intact. Those undistributed areas of the brain make it possible for patients to respond to the visual arts and music, even when they've lost connection to the everyday world. A symposium today on making the arts accessible to dementia patients kicks off a new collaboration between two of the town's venerable institutions, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Clinic. MORE http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2010/02/new_collaboration_between_clin.html

I'm in a happy mood now. Thanks MayDay!

Letter to the PD from a Texan: Cleveland's 'misery'? Texans didn't notice it http://blog.cleveland.com/letters/2010/02/clevelands_misery_texans_didnt.html

Case Western Reserve University receives $6 million in gifts By SHANNON MORTLAND 1:39 pm, February 22, 2010 Case Western Reserve University has received gifts totaling $6 million from five of its trustees. In the 2008-2009 school year, trustee Chuck Fowler and his wife, Char, gave $7.5 million to CWRU; board chairman Charles “Bud” Koch and his wife, Katie, donated $5 million; and former board chairman Frank Linsalata and his wife, Jocelyne, donated $3 million. CWRU raised a total of $108 million that year in private donations. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20100222/FREE/100229976

^Great news! Keep'em coming!

Look who we got. Not a bad signing at all (well he still needs to pass his physical) Russell Branyan tries to muscle in on playing time with Tribe Feb 19, 2010 Russell Branyan had a career year in 2009, but like so many fantasy owners, major league teams had a hard time believing Branyan could repeat his 31-homer season at age 34. Perhaps it's the new math or the depressed market for first basemen, but apparently Branyan could only get a one-year, $2 million contract offer from the Cleveland Indians. The Tampa Bay Rays were also interested, but could only give him a chance to split DH duties with Pat Burrell. In Cleveland, Branyan could end up seeing time at either first base or DH. MORE AT http://content.usatoday.com/communities/fantasywindup/post/2010/02/russell-branyan-tries-to-muscle-in-on-playing-time-with-tribe/1

Cleveland is getting it's Smooth Jazz stationed turned into more rock music. You like or don't like ?? Radio rebels turn back dial to the roots of Cleveland rock on WNWV FM/107.3 By Michael Heaton, The Plain Dealer February 20, 2010, 12:06AM Until December, the station known as the Wave played soft jazz. Now the new V107.3 (WNWV FM/107.3) is the first to offer the AAA format (adult album alternative), which combines new rock, old rock, new folk, live cuts, classic Motown, reggae, blues and soul. It's a sophisticated mix that appeals to people (the target demographic is age 30 to 50) who have steeped themselves in all forms of popular music over the last 40 years. It's a 20-year-old format that evolved from album-oriented rock stations trying to hang on to their older listeners. http://www.cleveland.com/music/index.ssf/2010/02/radio_rebels_turn_back_dial_to.html

How about this for interesting! Hungarian government joins battle to save St. Emeric's Catholic Church By Michael O'Malley, The Plain Dealer February 18, 2010, 11:55PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, joining a battle to save a Hungarian Catholic church on Cleveland's West Side, has brought out a big gun: the Hungarian government. Kucinich met this week with an aide to Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai to discuss St. Emeric church, a 105-year-old parish near the West Side Market that has been ordered closed as part of the downsizing by the Cleveland Catholic Diocese. "We understand the difficulties of the Catholic church, but this church, St. Emeric, is of special significance to the Hungarian community in Cleveland," Szombati said in a telephone interview from his office in Washington, D.C. "It's a significant place of worship and a significant place of gathering for Hungarians." St. Emeric celebrates Masses in both Hungarian and English. It has Hungarian language classes and various cultural programs. MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/religion/index.ssf/2010/02/hungarian_government_joinespar.html

Another start up -- Sounds like this guy has some good experience behind him. Pediatric medical device group launches in Cleveland to spur development of children’s products February 19, 2010 by Mary Vanac Moran already is talking with contract manufacturers who could make the devices. “My goal for the organization is not to do any direct manufacturing,” he said, but to build a large enough product design portfolio, and sales and marketing operation to make the organization and its spin-off companies sustainable. Moran picked up the pediatric medical device thread more than a year ago. Previously, he founded, managed and raised a round of venture financing for CSF Therapeutics, a developer of devices to treat neurodegenerative diseases and a spin-off company from the Cleveland Clinic. Girouard also said Cleveland is as likely a place as Minneapolis, a medical device powerhouse, to make devices for children or adults. “I think it may be a way that we can distinguish [Cleveland], grow a budding little device manufacturing core,” he said. MORE AT http://www.medcitynews.com/index.php/2010/02/pediatric-medical-device-group-launches-in-cleveland-to-spur-develop-of-childrens-products/

From the DCA newsletter: CUDC moving to PlayhouseSquare Today,1305 Euclid Avenue will welcome its first tenant, Kent State University's Cleveland Urban Design Collective (CUDC). CUDC will move into the 2nd floor of the Cowell and Hubbard building and occupy8,600 square feet. Terry Schwarz, interim director for CUDC said that the new facility in PlayhouseSquare will help them to grow their student enrollment and expand opportunities for their students to study urban design in a truly urban setting. Currently, the staff of the CUDC collaborates with communities throughout the Northeast Ohio on urban design and planning projects. The new facility will house up to 36 people, up from 24 at their previous location. In addition to the graduate students from KSU's College of Architecture and Environmental Design, they will have 14 urban design staff members and faculty. Making use of the large bank of windows off of Euclid Avenue and 13th Street, they have created an open loft-like environment. When asked why they chose to locate downtown in PlayhouseSquare, Schwarz said, "Our design practice has expanded and evolved in the ten years that the CUDC has been here in Downtown Cleveland. The District of Design seems like an especially appropriate location as our new base of operations, a high-visibility location from which we can connect to all of the diverse populations that we serve." Many architects house their offices in the district and the offices of AIA Cleveland are just up the street on Huron Avenue.For more information visit www.cudc.kent.edu Cowell & Hubbard Building Receives Tax Credit The Cowell & Hubbard Building at 1305 Euclid was one of the 12 recipients of the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Awards. The awards are given to owners planning to rehabilitate historic buildings throughout the state, as part of the Ohio Bipartisan Job Stimulus plan which aims to create new jobs. The rehabilitation of the building will preserve and restore significant and historic exterior and interior features, while augmenting secondary spaces for new uses as the building's historic mezzanine, grand staircase, and vault will be saved. The first floor will also serve as retail and/or restaurant space, with offices occupying the mezzanine level. Kent State University's Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative will be the first tenant of the newly renovated Cowell & Hubbard Building. NEWSLETTER: http://view.exacttarget.com/?j=fe621570716202757417&m=fef81274726402&ls=fdfc10707c63007d73157277&l=fec910787066057f&s=fe2610777463027d721d70&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe6c1d707765047a7514

Continue this thread? Why not. Four Cleveland chefs are semifinalists for James Beard Foundation awards By Joe Crea, The Plain Dealer Cleveland's growing profile on the nation's culinary scene received a boost Thursday, Feb. 18. Four of the city's chefs are among the semifinalists for honors in the prestigious 2010 James Beard Foundation Chefs and Restaurants Awards. Last year, that prize went to "Iron Chef" Michael Symon for his work as chef-owner of Lola Bistro on East Fourth Street downtown. The awards will be presented to the winners Monday, May 3, in New York City. MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/taste/index.ssf/2010/02/four_cleveland_chefs_are_semif.html

Article on Z flying out to Washington: Zydrunas Ilgauskas off to join Washington Wizards, unsure about return to Cleveland Cavaliers By Mary Schmitt Boyer, The Plain Dealer February 19, 2010, 11:04AM It has been a tough three days for Ilgauskas. After a long practice on Wednesday, he spent two hours with some teammates at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital visiting terminally ill children. As soon as he stepped outside, he got the call from Cavs general manager Danny Ferry telling him he'd been traded after 14 years with the Cavs, who made the 7-foot-3 center from Lithuania their first-round pick in the 1996 draft, No. 20 overall. "It was emotional,'' Ilgauskas said of the call with Ferry, a friend and former teammate whose voice quivered when he told reporters about the phone call during a press conference on Thursday. Though it has been widely rumored that Washington will release Ilgauskas, who would be able to sign back with the Cavs in 30 days, nothing has been discussed to this point. "Right now I'm a Wizard,'' he said. "I think eventually they'll let me go, but that's just my guess. They haven't told me anything yet. First I've got to go to Washington, and hopefully after a couple of days they'll let me go home.'' MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/02/zydrunas_ilgauskas_off_to_join.html

Sherwin-Williams Co. to acquire Arch Chemicals Inc.'s Sayerlack brand 9:11 am, February 18, 2010 Sherwin-Williams Co. (NYSE: SHW) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Industrial Wood Coatings business of Arch Chemicals Inc. (NYSE: ARJ). Sherwin-Williams did not say what it will pay for Arch Industrial Wood Coatings, a company in Pianoro, Italy, that sells products under the Sayerlack brand name. Its net sales in 2009 were $147 million. MORE AT http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20100218/FREE/100219828

WOW

The Facebook group "Secret Cleveland" is really taking off. I joined when it had 500 people and now they're at 10 times that, all in one week! Check it out if you haven't already: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=14980&post=99896&uid=297061759063#!/group.php?gid=297061759063

Prok, have you been there??

*UPDATE* La Dolce Vita bistro owner buys his restaurant's building in Little Italy By Michelle Jarboe, The Plain Dealer February 02, 2010, 6:17PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Restaurateur Terry Tarantino has purchased the building that houses his La Dolce Vita bistro in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood. Property records show that Tarantino has paid $725,000 for the three-story building. The sale closed today -- barely three months after the property changed hands at a court-ordered auction. "Right now I have some aspirations," Tarantino said, adding that he wants to see whether the building can be converted into a small hotel. "It's got a great location. And it's got a pretty good restaurant underneath." MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/02/la_dolce_vita_bistro_owner_buy.html

Work resumes at the former Ashbury Towers housing project on Cleveland's West Side By Michelle Jarboe, The Plain Dealer February 14, 2010, 3:00AM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Construction has started anew at a long-stagnant housing development on Cleveland's West Side. Developer Marc Strauss slowly is reviving the former Ashbury Towers townhouse project on West 53rd Street, near Interstate 90. Since November, he has sold two homes and put another under contract. And workers soon will resume construction on six boarded-up homes on the property, repairing a neighborhood eyesore. "The community is elated," said Alex Brazynetz, executive director of the Stockyard Redevelopment Organization. MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/02/work_resumes_at_the_former_ash.html

Some big changes may be coming for East Cleveland, including some major demolitions. But also, proposed connectivity to University Circle via Euclid Ave. New Mayor Gary Norton hopes to bring big changes to struggling East Cleveland By Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer February 14, 2010, 4:20AM EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This time, it could be different for East Cleveland. Decades of dysfunction have ravaged this poor, inner-ring suburb of Cleveland, leaving it with moonscape lots awaiting development on Euclid Avenue, hundreds of vacant houses and some of the grimmest economic statistics in the state. MORE AT http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/02/new_mayor_gary_norton_hopes_to.html Some of these houses look like they do no deserve to be eliminated....but that's my urban bias talking http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1898+penrose+ave,+east+cleveland&sll=41.516097,-81.592541&sspn=0.010572,0.027423&gl=qa&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1898+Penrose+Ave,+East+Cleveland,+Cuyahoga,+Ohio+44112&ll=41.5267,-81.592584&spn=0,359.972577&z=15&layer=c&cbll=41.516085,-81.592538&panoid=Ou8goLwaiEBcsL1nGpIA3Q&cbp=12,267.02,,0,15.69

Good ole FCE always making things interesting, but still progress nonetheless--and talk of a the temporary casino that Mayor Jackson is pushing. Could a Cleveland casino open next year? Don't bet on it By Brent Larkin February 14, 2010, 5:10AM Only after voters approved the gaming issue did Gilbert's team engage in serious discussions over the price of the land and other issues. And those talks soon turned very ugly. This is a tricky site, with parking and infrastructure issues. Forest City officials viewed Gilbert & Co. as wanting a handout. Gilbert's advisers accused Forest City of price gouging. Some even wanted Gilbert to ask voters for permission to build the casino elsewhere downtown. But after weeks of acrimony and angry accusations, the two sides are close to a deal. Still to be selected are a design team and a casino operator, and casino enabling legislation still needs to come from the state legislature. MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/02/could_a_cleveland_casino_open.html

Some possible rumblings of the Agora moving/donating to CMSD: Saturday, February 13, 2010 Cleveland Rock icon the Agora's future is in flux Owner offers the building to Cleveland schools WKSU's Vivian Goodman reports The owner of the Cleveland Agora wants to donate it to the Cleveland schools and make the landmark in rock and roll history the new home of the Cleveland School of the Arts. He's looking for a smaller location and has offered his building to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. The Cleveland School of the Arts building at University Circle is dilapidated and the district plans to rebuild or move. But Lo Conti says the district doesn't seem too interested in the Agora and will likely rebuild at University Circle. He maintains that's largely because of unfounded fears about safety at the 50th and Euclid location. MORE AT http://www.wksu.org/news/story/24915

L'Ablatros is offering wine classes. Five 2-hour sessions for $150. "Series fee is $150 which includes the two hour classes, flights of wine from each region, hors d’oeuvres and study material." http://www.cleveland.com/taste/index.ssf/2010/02/lalbatros_in_clevelands_univer.html

WHOA. Where did this come from?? Cleveland signs agreement to build small fuel plant fueled by municipal waste By John Funk, The Plain Dealer February 11, 2010, 6:59PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The city of Cleveland has signed a $1.5 million agreement with a New Jersey company to design a small power plant fueled by municipal waste. The Princeton Environmental Group will design a 20-megawatt power plant for the city's Ridge Road Transfer Station. A megawatt is 1 million watts. The plant, the first of its type in the country, would cost about $200 million and employ about 100 people. It could supply about 6 percent of Cleveland Public Power's 350 megawatt peak load. If the Cleveland plant is built, Princeton intends to build a manufacturing plant here in three to four years to build gasifiers, Tien said. MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/02/cleveland_signs_agreement_to_b.html