MuRrAy HiLL

On a side note, Lebron has signed a multi-year deal with McDonalds. Still no multi-year deal with the Cavs though yet... ;) http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wirestory?id=9687317&page=1 Dwight Howard is currently getting $3 million a year from McDonalds, so I'm guessing Lebron will be earning a little more than that. Just a guess.

NASA Glenn Center move to Science Center a 'done deal' CLEVELAND -- NASA Glenn's Research/Visitor Center and the Great Lakes Science Center have signed a 10-year deal, moving the NASA facility to and making it part of the Great Lakes Science Center. The $3 million development is expected to open in 2011. About 20 exhibits will be moved to the center and installed in March, 2010. http://www.wkyc.com/news/education/education_article.aspx?storyid=129778&catid=35

Sherwin-Williams 4th quarter earnings up 30% By Shaheen Samavati, The Plain Dealer January 26, 2010, 11:55AM For more information Sherwin-Williams earning statement (PDF) Sherwin-Williams Co. said Tuesday that its fourth-quarter earnings increased by 30 percent as cost cutting increased efficiency and improved profits. Sherwin-Williams earned $65.3 million, or 58 cents a share, in its fourth quarter, up from $50.2 million, or 42 cents, a year earlier. Revenue dropped 5.9 percent to $1.6 billion. MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/01/sherwin-williams_4th_quarter_e.html

More AMAZING news for Downtown anyone?? Tom Hanks' cash gift pushes Great Lakes Theater Festival over top on Hanna Theatre campaign By Tony Brown, The Plain Dealer January 26, 2010, 11:46AM UPDATED: 12:37 p.m. Movie star Tom Hanks really lived up to his nice-guy rep this past week, making a significant cash gift that pushed Great Lakes Theater Festival’s campaign to renovate the historic Hanna Theatre over the top of its $19.3 million goal. Great Lakes - the professional classic theater in Cleveland where the 20-something Hanks learned his chops and earned his union actors’ card back over three seasons back the 1970s - will announce the gift Wednesday. http://www.cleveland.com/onstage/index.ssf/2010/01/tom_hanks_gift_pushes_great_la.html#_login

Here's a little promo video from the homepage of UC:

uh oh...chatter on this is spreading out. We also have: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/board,4.0. and http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,16992.30.html

I don't quite understand why the catholic church is fighting this. They must not be historic building advocates like the rest of us...

How about this for the feel good story of the day Gay Games judge loved Cleveland so much he moved here: Michael K. McIntyre's Tipoff By Michael K. McIntyre January 25, 2010, 7:00AM Cleveland didn't just win the 2014 Gay Games when it went all out to woo organizers this summer. It won the heart of the site Darl Schaaffselection committee's top judge, too. Darl Schaaff, who has lived in Alaska for more than three decades, bought a condo in Ohio City after he was "blown away" by Cleveland. MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/index.ssf/2010/01/gay_games_judge_loved_clevelan.html

Whatever happened to the Cleveland Clinic's 100,000-square-foot, $25 million reference lab to be built near the main campus next year? The building will now be about 130,000 square feet and is slated for completion at the end of 2011. "The reason there is a slight delay is there is a building there right now," Marchant explained. The EE building employees will need to be relocated before construction can begin. The Clinic's reference lab, which has been around for decades, already does about 12 million tests a year and employs about 850. After the new building is finished, it will employ up to 1,500 and sell testing specialties to institutions nationwide. -- Sarah Jane Tribble MORE AT http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/01/post_193.html

West Shoreway project gets a boost from Ohio lawmakers By Aaron Marshall, The Plain Dealer January 25, 2010, 6:00AM COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A long-awaited $60 million road project designed to transform the fast lanes of the West Shoreway into a tree-lined boulevard got a key assist from state lawmakers last week. Rep. Michael Skindell, a Lakewood Democrat, got language slipped into an unrelated bill that would drop the speed limit on a stretch of the West Shoreway, from 50 mph to 35. The bill passed the Ohio House Wednesday and now moves to the Senate. However, drivers aren't likely to see the speed limit drop until about 2013, no matter when state lawmakers end up getting the provision enacted. MORE AT http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/01/west_shoreway_project_gets_a_b.html

Cleveland's Landmarks Commission proposes 6 more Catholic churches for protection under historical designation By Michael O'Malley, The Plain Dealer January 25, 2010, 8:37AM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland's Landmarks Commission is recommending that six more Catholic churches be designated as historical city landmarks, which would give them some protection against demolition or structural changes. The Cleveland Catholic Diocese, which has been closing churches in an ongoing downsizing plan, opposes the designations that City Council will now consider adopting through legislation. In letters sent to the commission and copied to council members sponsoring the designations, the diocese called the proposals "extremely offensive." MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/religion/index.ssf/2010/01/clevelands_landmarks_commissio.html#_login

Nationally-Recognized Northeast Ohio Tech Company Growing and Hiring Posted by marin2008 One of the region's most successful - yet little-known - technology companies is poised to triple in size from 15 to 45 employees in 2010. Currently, the company's growth is outpacing its ability to hire qualified knowledge workers for high-end technology and sales positions. "I have a lot of faith we can do this again in Cleveland but we need the community's help. Sure, we could set up shop in the more tech-friendly cities like San Jose, Calif. or Seattle, Wash., but we are committed to our home town," Reynolds says. http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=160775&Itemid=58

Let's not forget we have a Cleveland Immigration thread if the discussion starts leaning that way: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,16992.30.html

WOW! Cleveland's Jewish community wants to welcome the world By Robert L. Smith, The Plain Dealer January 23, 2010, 5:00PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After the Soviet Union collapsed, the region's Jewish community guided more than 6,000 Russian Jews to Northeast Ohio. Before the Russian wave, it helped to welcome refugees from Vietnam, gaining insight into the art of resettlement. Now the Jewish community is poised to parlay its immigrant expertise once again. It's assuming a leadership role in the effort to create an international welcome center in Cleveland. The Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, the chief planning and fundraising agency for the region's 80,000 Jews, is committing resources to a center designed to attract international talent and investment. It's offering expertise, start-up funding and the prospect of an enticing location -- its headquarters building on Playhouse Square. MORE AT http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/01/clevelands_jewish_community_wa.html

ONE MORE:

There we go. I was waiting for a response. I walked into that building and asked the security guard if I could go to the top. He politely informed my in broken English that in seven months I could come back and he would let me up...once the construction is finished. It's going to be a five-star hotel...just like every other hotel being built in Doha right now... I'll get a decently indepth photo thread up here before too long.

Interesting read from Litt: Cleveland Museum of Art needs to plan exhibits with star power By Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer January 24, 2010, 12:00AM The need is immediate. The Vinoly expansion throws down a gauntlet. It includes a pair of special-exhibition galleries designed to provide a total of 12,000 square feet of space, enough to hold most of the biggest touring exhibitions mounted by the nation's leading museums. Exhibitions in 2012 will focus on works by Rembrandt in American collections, American art of the 1920s and '30s, and the paintings of African-American artist William H. Johnson. The schedule signals a quickening pace, which is good. But with the exception of Rembrandt, it lacks obvious star power. It also avoids making a major commitment to 20th-century abstraction. MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2010/01/cleveland_museum_of_art_needs.html

A great interview of Sergio Abramof http://www.cleveland.com/mycleveland/index.ssf/2010/01/restaurateur_sergio_abramof_be.html

Zoos in Akron, Cleveland are roaring despite a bearish economy By James Ewinger January 23, 2010, 4:00AM Zoos in Cleveland and Akron had healthy attendance records last year in spite of, or possibly because of, the stumbling economy. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo saw 1.19 million visitors in 2009 -- the 17th year in a row that the turnstiles welcomed more than a million people. The Akron Zoo had more than 316,000 visitors last year, one of its best years ever. The peak year was in 2008 when its jellyfish exhibit opened, drawing a crowd of close to 329,000. MORE AT http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/01/zoos_in_akron_cleveland_are_ro.html

NHL doesn't even get that many people for most games!!

We must have lost this thread in the great UO cleansing. IMO, one of Cleveland's best kept secrets: Lake Erie Monsters entertain record-setting crowd with overtime win By Dennis Manoloff January 23, 2010, 12:52AM Lake Erie Monsters broke the franchise attendance record Friday night as 18,626 crowded into The Q to watch the Monsters beat the Texas Stars in a 5-4 overtime thriller. It was Shaquille O’Neal bobblehead night.The Monsters defeated the Texas Stars, 5-4, Friday night in overtime in front of 18,626 patrons and 10,000 Shaquille O'Neals at The Q. The Shaq bobblehead giveaway helped produce the largest crowd in the three-season history of the franchise. It also ranks number five on the American Hockey League's all-time list for regular-season attendance. The Monsters' previous high was 17,627 (April 11, 2009). MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/monsters/index.ssf/2010/01/lake_erie_monsters_entertain_r.html

Judge to decide who owns Cleveland Cold Storage Building, which is in the way of the westbound Inner Belt Bridge By Karen Farkas, The Plain Dealer January 22, 2010, 5:58PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If Fred Finley wins a court battle to regain ownership of the Cleveland Cold Storage building, he is likely to face another legal fight, this time with the Ohio Department of Transportation. The vacant 82-year-old concrete structure on West 14th Street, best known for its large painted billboards, stands in the way of the new westbound Inner Belt Bridge. MORE AT http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/01/judge_to_decide_who_owns_cleve.html

So I was just thinking how great an evening it's going to be in Downtown Cleveland tonight...Buzzing with Celebs and people!! Not to mention the decent chance of random celebs in for the Kobe vs Lebron match-up Here's a quick list.... :-D Cavs VS Lakers -- Lebron and Shaq vs Kobe round II. 8 pm Kim Kardashian and Troy Smith Haiti fundraiser on W. 6th 9:30 pm -- http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2010/01/kim_kardashian_troy_smith_host.html Cleveland City Club --"The State of Downtown" 12 pm -- http://www.downtownclevelandalliance.com/page/Downtownquarterlyseries.aspx?parent=12 CSU Redesigning Public Square Forum 5:30 pm-7:30 pm -- http://www.downtownclevelandalliance.com/page/Public-Square.aspx?parent=34 Playhouse Square "Chicago" 7:30 pm -- http://www.playhousesquare.com/Events/Events.aspx?EventID=1840 Pickwick and Frolic "Basile" 8 pm -- http://www.pickwickandfrolic.com/Hilarities/bio/comiclibrary/Basile.html House of Blues concert (Phil Vassar) 7:30 pm

Zack Bruell's latest restaurant, Chinato, strives for good Italian food at reasonable prices By John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer January 20, 2010, 11:30AM Zack Bruell likens the opening of a restaurant to being tired of what you have in the refrigerator. Which might come as a surprise from Bruell, who owns three acclaimed restaurants in the area: Parallax, L'Albatros and Table 45. Make that four -- starting Wednesday, Jan. 20, when Bruell opens Chinato on East Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland. MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2010/01/zach_bruells_latest_restaurant.html