MuRrAy HiLL

The Plain Dealer gets first place honors in Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards Tuesday, June 23, 2009 More at Cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/124574585767390.xml&coll=2

From IdeaStream: http://www.wcpn.org/WCPN/news/26737/ Downtown Cleveland Alliance Seeks Public Input In 2005, several hundred downtown property owners got together and made the decision to pay an additional tax. The money collected has gone to create the Clean and Safe Program. Its most visible element is the folks who wear yellow shirts and assist with safety and upkeep in Cleveland’s downtown neighborhood. The Downtown Cleveland Alliance runs that program. Executive Director Joe Marinucci says it’s up to property owners whether to renew the program. {that five year decision ends next year. And we are now beginning the planning process to go back to the property owners and asking them to once again make a five year decision on self assessment.} The annual levy ranges anywhere from 45 bucks, to tens-of-thousands of dollars depending on the size of the property. The Alliance is hosting a series of forums, today and tomorrow, to solicit feedback from the public. It hopes to have a five-year blue print in place by Labor Day that it can present to property owners.

On the other end of the spectrum...USAToday did an article on the Priest from St. Colman: Hell-raiser in a collar still winning fights Posted 13h 10m ago | Comments 6 | Recommended 5 E-mail | Save | Print | CLEVELAND — He is this city's rebel priest, a hell-raiser in a collar who broke laws to protest the immoralities of war, racism and poverty. He took on the government, the military, the weapons industry and the Catholic Church. He destroyed property, was jailed, suspended from the priesthood and targeted by the FBI. That was 40 years ago, when the Rev. Bob Begin first took his vision of Christianity to the streets. Today, at age 71, he appears calm and contemplative — a far cry from the angry young man who splattered blood inside Dow Chemical's corporate offices and hijacked St. John's Cathedral to protest the Vietnam War. More at cleveland.com: http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-06-22-bob-begin_N.htm

http://www.examiner.com/x-6513-Cleveland-Sports-Examiner~y2009m6d22-League-Park-A-connection-to-Clevelands-past-and-future League Park: A connection to Cleveland's past and future June 22, 8:35 PM By: Cory Felegy Ariel view of the original League Park. (Photo from ballparks.com) Take a drive down Lexington Avenue on the east side of Cleveland and you’re likely to see a blend of urban decay peppered with pockets of renewal. Boarded houses and demolished lots are mixed with new construction and fresh coats of paint. Drive far enough, to East 66th and you’ll reach a vintage-looking brick building connected to an aimless brick wall running the length of the block. For Cleveland baseball fans, you have reached hallowed ground: the remains of League Park, the original home of the Cleveland Indians. Before the days of the enormous Municipal Stadium, Cleveland had its own neighborhood ballpark, very much in the style of Fenway Park in Boston. Originally built in 1891 and renovated in 1910, League Park was the site of several historic landmarks in baseball history. It’s where Babe Ruth hit homerun number 500. Joe DiMaggio hit in his 56th consecutive game at the park. And it was the site of the 1920 World Series that included the only unassisted triple-play in Series history. After the 1946 season the Indians moved to Municipal Stadium full-time and League Park was dismantled in several stages by the city after it took over the property in 1951. All that remains is the ticket building, the wall running along E66th, and a large empty field. Without some kind of intervention soon, those remnants will crumble with the rest of the park. Since the 1970’s there have five different plans to restore League Park and all have failed for one reason or another. But a new group has emerged to take up the cause - The League Park Society. Founded in 2008 after the latest renovation plan fell through, this group’s sole purpose is the restoration of a storied Cleveland landmark. The society’s Director Russ Haslage is a passionate baseball fan who is leading the way to rebuild. Upon our meeting out at the location, he was eager to show me around. “Can you believe this is the spot where Ruth stood when he hit number 500?” We were at the approximate location of home plate, looking out to right field where a 60 foot wall once stood. (The short porch in right, only 290 feet from home, demanded a high wall to keep baseballs from landing on passersby on Lexington Avenue. The Green Monster in Fenway is only 37 feet high by comparison.) Haslage envisions a complete restoration of the park in the vintage style of brick and green trim (see concept drawings in the slideshow and below). The surviving ticket building and wall of course would remain. But a new ballpark would be created including grandstands, a museum and gift shop, and of course a ball field. The infield would be artificial turf that could be peeled up to allow different levels of play, from little league all the way to pro dimensions. Proposed events include baseball camps, little league games, vintage-style games, neighborhood and city events, and even a potential homerun derby by current Indians players. The Cleveland Indians currently support the venture but are reluctant to become directly involved. This is because the city has yet to throw its support behind the project by leasing the lot to the League Park Society; a step that is crucial to the success of the development. “We’re not asking the city for a dime,” says Haslage. “But we need the city’s support to begin the project.” Without a lease, the League Park Society can’t apply for the federal grant money it needs to finance the plan. Right now the society is relying on donations alone, and hopes to receive corporate sponsorship once the renovation begins. Total cost is approximately $10 million but only a fraction of that amount is needed to get the project off the ground. “Once we have the city on board, we can put in a playing field right away. That’s the easy part. Then construction can start while games are being played here.” The city could be dragging its feet due to the overwhelming amount of other problems the mayor and city council are currently dealing with. Crime, foreclosures, and job loss are all immediate concerns. But a restored League Park has the potential to become a cornerstone in the revival of an entire neighborhood. There is already new residential development right across the street from the site. Say’s Haslage, “It’s the neighborhood’s park. It belongs to them.” He emphasized the fact that this would be a public park, open to all when not in use for previously booked events. The support by the neighborhood is evident as residents passing by expressed interest in Haslage’s concept drawings. A major step in the process of happens this week as the League Park Society has a scheduled presentation with the Cleveland Planning Commission at a community meeting. This is an opportunity for the group to state their case to key area leaders and hopefully move the plan from the backburner on the city’s list of concerns. To bring League Park back from the brink of total destruction will require a monumental effort from the League Park Society and a commitment from the city. But the wheels are in motion. What a loss it would be for the game of baseball if the development of a condo or a convenient store rises where legends of the game once walked. This is Cleveland sports history in our midst and it deserves a revival. For more info: To join the League Park Society or donate to the renovation please visit their homepage at www.leaguepark.org

Did anyone else notice all the listings in last weeks planning commission agenda....note: "Urban Garden District" on the first page. http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2009/061909CPC.pdf

A lot of buzz is starting in the Pennsylvania papers recently: http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2009/06/22/news/doc4a403ec252bed097479139.txt Altmire sowing seeds for high-speed rail to Cleveland By Tom Fontaine, Times Staff Published: Monday, June 22, 2009 11:30 PM EDT PITTSBURGH U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-4, McCandless Township, said Monday he is working to get the area between Pittsburgh and Cleveland labeled a potential high-speed-rail corridor. No plans are in the works to develop high-speed rail in the corridor. But the designation, Altmire said during a congressional hearing in Pittsburgh, could help spur development by positioning the corridor for federal transportation funding in the future. .......... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_630612.html Expanded rail service pitched linking Pittsburgh to Cleveland and Harrisburg By Matthew Santoni TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, June 23, 2009 In the ideal future officials imagined Monday, locally built high-speed trains would whisk commuters from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh in fewer than four hours, with the option to stop in State College or continue to Cleveland. With optimism stoked by the promise of $8 billion in federal stimulus money and $51 billion in upcoming legislation, business leaders, train advocates and public officials touted expanded rail service to three members of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in a hearing Downtown. ........

Tourists admire St. Casimir Catholic Church before it closes its doors Posted by Robert L. Smith/Plain Dealer Reporter June 22, 2009 21:25PM Categories: Real Time News, Religion CLEVELAND — Sightseers are something new to members of St. Casimir Catholic Church. In fact, it's been awhile since their landmark church drew any kind of attention at all. They're doing what they can to accommodate the tourists who have descended since the bishop decreed there is no room for St. Casimir in a smaller, leaner Cleveland Catholic Diocese. More at cleveland.com http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/06/tourists_admire_st_casimir_cat.html

Agreed.

Man, the Plain Dealer/ Cleveland.com has been crucifying Dr. Berkman with these stories...and he has even arrived in Cleveland yet! They really seem to be fishing for comments and hits. Cleveland State University's new president, Ronald Berkman, gets contract outlining bonuses, other perks Posted by Janet Okoben/Plain Dealer Reporter June 22, 2009 10:13AM Categories: Education, Real Time News CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ronald Berkman, who will become president of Cleveland State University next month, can earn up to $160,000 on top of his $400,000-a-year base salary, according to the terms of his contract CSU trustees approved this morning. The pact will give Berkman a $60,000 retention bonus each year on the anniversary of his hiring and allow him another bonus of up to 25 percent of his base salary if he meets goals and objectives established by the board. More at Cleveland.com http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/06/cleveland_state_universitys_ne_1.html

From the Cleveland Leader: Three Ohio Cities Being Considered to Host FIFA World Cup Submitted by Leader Staff on June 17, 2009 - 11:33am. 37 American cities have made the cut and will bid to host World Cup soccer matches in either 2018 or 2022. Included on that list are three major Ohio cities - Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. The United States' application is due to FIFA in May 2010. A 24-member executive committee will study the bids and conduct site visits. They will also name the two host nations for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in December 2010, ending a 21-month bid and review process. In addition to the 37 candidate host cities, the committee also released a list of 45 stadiums associated with each city. In Cleveland, the Cleveland Browns Stadium is being considered, while Ohio Stadium and Paul Brown Stadium are being considered respectively in Columbus and Cincinnati. Read more at http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/10339

http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2009/06/cleveland_museum_of_arts_openi.html Cleveland Museum of Art's opening of the East Wing is an important milestone in the expansion by Steven Litt / Plain Dealer Art Critic Sunday June 21, 2009 The floors are polished, the paintings are up, the labels are set and the lights are focused. The new galleries of the Cleveland Museum of Art's East Wing, wrapped in sawtooth facades of granite and marble stripes, are ready for the public. Everyone from museum director Timothy Rub to security supervisor John Williams is poised for one thing: how Clevelanders react when the new wing opens Saturday. Trustees hope a positive response will help them raise the remaining $138 million needed to finish the $350 million project, which they consider vital to the city's future...

^^ Nice article, thanks for posting!

Two aquariums being built anyone?? I'd take it to boast downtown :-D

Too bad they can't save the facade.... http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=14th+and+prospect+cleveland&ie=UTF8&split=0&gl=us&ei=4F88SsX4E4nssQOXy5z5Cg&ll=41.499369,-81.681719&spn=0.011684,0.019226&z=16&layer=c&cbll=41.499477,-81.681546&panoid=iebDhTm6iRgE8ncRlig9XA&cbp=12,148.64,,0,-23.87

The only thing is, it deals heavily with what property Jacobs owns.

CNN giving Cleveland Clinic some love: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/19/sotu.cleveland.clinic/ King: Cleveland Clinic pushes into future By John King CNN Chief National Correspondent CLEVELAND, Ohio (CNN) -- As he walks the halls of the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Steven Nissen makes the next generation of health care in America sound quite simple. "Everything that we do is done with the patient at the center of the picture, not the doctor at the center," Nissen says as he takes a visitor on a tour of the clinic's world-renowned cardiac center. The clinic is consistently among the country's best in quality ratings, and its costs are among the lowest -- which is why President Obama often cites the Cleveland Clinic as an example of how health care in America should be, and why Nissen and other leading doctors here are frequently consulted by lawmakers and administration officials pushing major reforms this year....

ok...I guess it's just a little expanded from the article above. http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/124540034090550.xml&coll=2 MMPI executive Mark Falanga warns med mart project now faces rush to market Friday, June 19, 2009 Jim Nichols Plain Dealer Reporter Cleveland's medical mart-convention center project finally seems to be over most of its hurdles but must keep barreling forward to stay ahead of existing - and emerging - competition, a top official said Thursday. "We're over the hump and feel we can move forward now, but time to market is a critical factor," said Mark Falanga, a senior vice president with MMPI. That company, known until this month as Merchandise Mart Properties Inc., is Cuyahoga County's private-sector partner in the development of a giant downtown convention, meeting and merchandising facility aimed at the health-care and medical industry...

hmm... http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/124540035790550.xml&coll=2 Unlike other cities, Cleveland's RTA has a heart; it won't kick riders off the bus if they don't have exact change Cleveland service an exception nationally Friday, June 19, 2009 Karen Farkas Plain Dealer Reporter If you board an RTA bus and realize that you have only a $5 bill for the $2 fare, the driver may give you a break. .....

http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2009/06/cleveland_museum_of_art_herald.html Cleveland Museum of Art heralds opening of new East Wing with Summer Solstice Celebration by Steven Litt / Plain Dealer Art Critic Friday June 19, 2009 The Cleveland Museum of Art held a traditional fund-raising party last summer when it completed the renovation of the galleries in its neoclassical 1916 building. A thousand wealthy benefactors got the first look-see before the museum threw the doors open to the public a week later. This year, the museum is holding a completely different kind of opening bash to celebrate the completion of its new East Wing, which opens Saturday, June 27. ...

Man, let's just get Shaq, Yao, Chris Bosh... Yao Ming says Cleveland move "unknown" Posted 2h 51m ago | Comment | Recommend E-mail | Save | Print | By Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press Writer BEIJING — Houston's Yao Ming has called a possible move to Cleveland an "unknown," but did nothing to dampen ongoing speculation that the Cavaliers' new Chinese part owners want to sign him. In a recent interview with his hometown Shanghai TV station, Yao said he continued to have "much affection" for the Rockets, the team that picked him as a first-round draft pick in 2003 and with whom he has played all six of his NBA seasons. More at http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2009-06-19-2526682166_x.htm From Chinese source: Yao open to becoming Cavaliers' 'x-factor'(China Daily) Updated: 2009-06-19 09:19 Comments(0) PrintMail Houston Rockets' center Yao Ming has spoken for the first time about his highly anticipated move to the Cleveland Cavaliers as an "x-factor" after Chinese businessman Huang Jianhua's purchase of a minority stake in the franchise last month sparked the rumors. "It's (joining Cavaliers) still unknown," said the NBA all-star giant of his potential partnership with 2009 NBA MVP Lebron James during an interview with Shanghai TV. "Whether he is Chinese (Huang Jianhua) or foreign (Rockets boss Leslie Alexander), they are just bosses." China Daily/Reuters More at http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2009-06/19/content_8301209.htm

well, looks like we can at least be extras in the movie to add the Cleveland element: http://www.mlive.com/movies/index.ssf/2009/06/val_kilmer_christopher_walken.html Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken filming "The Irishman" in Detroit by Jessica Nunez | MLive.com Wednesday June 17, 2009, 2:29 PM More proof that Detroit is on the way to becoming the next Hollywood. A new mobster flick staring Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken is filming in Detroit for the next several weeks. "The Irishman" will be released in 2010 and takes place in Cleveland, but will be shot entirely in the Motor City. They even shot what are likely some of the last moving pictures of Tiger Stadium. The best part about it (other than the slightly increased chance of running into Christopher Walken at American Coney Island) is the movie needs local extras -- lots of 'em. WXYZ.com, June 16 -- Producers are looking for 100 35-50ish year old white males to be Cleveland "Dock Workers." All extras can wear vintage clothing from the 1970's if you have it in your wardrobe. Err on the side of bland and plain rather than bright or patterned style construction clothes. Slickfire, a local online video production company, got some behind-the-scenes footage of a pyrotechnics shot for the film near Eastern Market.

CSU getting some more respect and beefing up their schedule a little bit: Cleveland State men's basketball team will join Kentucky, Stanford, Virginia in Cancun Classic by Staff reports Thursday June 18, 2009, 11:14 AM Cleveland State's men's basketball team will play in the eight-team Cancun Challenge from Nov. 18 to 25, the school has announced. Cleveland State joins Kentucky, Stanford and Virginia as the featured squads in the tourney, with each of the four schools playing four games, two of which will be played at home. The Vikings will host Florida A&M on Thursday, Nov. 19; and Sam Houston State on Saturday, Nov. 21. CSU then continues play in Cancun against Kentucky on Tuesday, Nov. 24 before closing out tournament play against either Stanford or Virginia on Wednesday, Nov. 25. All times will be announced later in the fall. More at Cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com/sports/csu/index.ssf/2009/06/cleveland_state_mens_basketbal_10.html

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,19154.30.html

http://www.cleveland.com/medical/index.ssf/2009/06/rainbow_babies_and_childrens_h.html Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital again garner high rankings from U.S. News & World Reports by Brie Zeltner/Plain Dealer Reporter Thursday June 18, 2009, 12:00 AM For the second year in a row, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital has ranked second in the nation in neonatal care based on U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of childrens hospitals. Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital maintained its No. 4 ranking in neurology and neurosurgery, and both hospitals landed in the top 30 in the country in eight pediatric specialties. Instead, it ranks the top 30 programs in 10 pediatric subspecialties. This new system, which includes scores in four new specialties, is closer to the one used for adult hospitals...

A little more info: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/06/jacobs_plans_to_bring_aquarium.html Jacobs plans to bring aquarium to Powerhouse in the Flats Posted by Gabriel Baird/Plain Dealer June 17, 2009 18:23PM Downtown Cleveland could hook residents and tourists with a plan announced Wednesday to put a state-of-the-art aquarium in the Powerhouse in the Flats. Jacobs Investments is teaming up with a New Zealand-based company to put an aquarium on the building's ground floor as soon as next summer. The team has approached the city, county and others about helping to pay for the project, which would have aquatic life from the Cuyahoga River, the Great Lakes and saltwater exhibits...