Steven Litt, the PD’s architecture writer wrote a post about the legacy of outgoing Cleveland State University President Michael Schwartz.  His analysis was centered around, no surprise, the new architecture that was a part of Cleveland State’s Campus.

Litt’s praise is based on the replacement of some of the more drab elements of CSU’s campus:

That plan envisioned transforming CSU into a residential campus packed with amenities and street-friendly buildings that would spark an urban revival on fallow acres around the campus. It’s very much like what other universities are doing across the country, from Yale and the University of Pennsylvania to Notre Dame and Ohio State University.

Cleveland State has since committed roughly $280 million on its own or in partnership with developers to build 11 projects, all by different architects, but all aimed at piercing the university’s hard, concrete shell.

I think that the buildings that got replaced (especially the University Center) needed to be replaced (I can’t wait to see Rhodes Tower go the way of the dodo) but an aggressive (and necessary) physical plant redevelopment does not a good university president make.

CSU attempted to be more exclusive under the tutelage of President Schwartz. Why did this garner support when being an open and inclusive university did not. That is more the fault of the community and not the University. When the barriers (financial, social and economic) to higher education are getting higher, Schwartz’s CSU seemed to proceed undaunted.

Don’t get me wrong, nothing is wrong with higher standards at public universities in particular and public institutions in general but isn’t it the university’s job to educate those who come for that purpose? Not just those that can afford it or are already capable?

It's that time of year again. The time when we celebrate our wonderful country, our wonderful constitution and its wonderful freedoms like free speech, freedom of religion, the right to own as many damn guns as you damn well please, and the right to boast that you're more patriotic than the other guy who doesn't wear an American flag pin on his lapel. For many Americans, this means endless streams of beer, hot dogs, and cheap Chinese fireworks. Yet, this holiday weekend, don't forget our most precious freedom of them all. The freedom to rock out.

You can start the holiday weekend early, tonight at Now That's Class with The Coathangers, an all girl synth-punk band from Atlanta, and Cleveland's own, Hot Cha Cha, a band that one influential blogger labeled as having the best live show in town.

Then, on Saturday night, it's time to celebrate another one of America's freedoms, the freedom of choice. You can either hit the Beachland for its second installment of the Hello Cleveland concert series, a free show featuring Afternoon Naps, Houseguest, Living Stereo, To Be a High Powered Executive, Machine Go Boom, and The TV Oh Dees (And since this is July 4th weekend, they'll be serving America's national meat, the hot dog, for only a dollar). Or, if a free show and dollar dogs aren't your thing, then you can hit The Grog Shop where the F' Yeah tour will be in town with those crazy Israeli rockers, Monotonix, Team Robespierre, Crystal Antlers, and Totally Michael.

P4KTV: Monotonix - Live at The Cake Shop

It was a perfect dreary morning for starting to begin reading through the ridiculously large pile of books that has accumulated near the living room chair (Not to be confused with the gigantic pile of unread books in the office. These take precedent, they are from the library). I thought I would start out with the smallest of the bunch, a softcover book published by the American Planning

In an email the Councilman writes, “I’ll be proposing to the Charter Review Committee tomorrow morning a council restructuring recommendation of a mixed-system of 14-ward and 3-at-large seats.

In the attachment, I’ve included additional considerations for a reduction to 15-ward seats as well as a possible make-up of 14-ward with 1-at large seat.”

The Free Times examines the potential for the blockage of the Cuyahoga River Federal Navigation Channel and critiques local and federal efforts to address slope subsidence and bulkhead failure issues that threaten the shoreline.

I love art, and much in the Cleveland Museum's collection, and the old and newish CMA, but I am not convinced the current reengineering of the museum is economically positive for the region, and I am very displeased with their new slogan "art is back" as shallow and disrespectful to the real NEO arts community, which has never left. The museum needs to better explore its identity and role here, as so many arts organizations, our population and economy transition, and the CMA takes a proportionately larger share of the arts funding pie. If CMA is spending $100s millions constructing new edifices for old mold and cobwebs, I will be very disappointed. I'm waiting to see Rubb put his shine on anything, other than proclaiming art is back in a place it never left. What do you think... did art leave?

Cleveland State's Ned Hill appeared on this week's episode of Smart City Radio to talk about the Cleveland District of Design. He described economic development as "the art of connecting the dots that nobody else sees."

Cleveland’s rush to get cash from downtown developers who received UDAGs – essentially free money - nearly 20 years ago could cost the city $750,000 to $1 million a year on each of three major gift-loans to wealthy developers.

In all, the city will receive $14.4 million less on $36.7 million worth of loans that would be repaid now rather than in 2010 and 2012. The lesser repayment relates to the discount developers will get for paying sooner than the due dates.

The tragedy lies in the likelihood that the funds will be quickly re-loaned to other downtown developers in much the same manner – no payments for years and no or little interest on the loans. Would that people facing foreclosures on their homes could get such generous terms.

Council members believed that they had a deal that each ward would get $100,000 from the payback kitty. Unfortunately, this is a drop in the bucket and there was talk last week that Mayor Frank Jackson may renege on those prior commitments.

The UDAGs (urban development action grants) were given usually as 20-year loans. The money came from federal funds given to cities based on their concentration of blight. Unfortunately, the money was used, not to fight blight in neighborhoods, but mostly for new downtown office developments.

read more

The Fourth of July holiday kicks off a little early in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Cleveland Orchestra Star Spangled Spectacular takes place tomorrow (July 2, 2008) at Public Square. The Cleveland Orchestra will be giving a free concert at 9 PM with other free events starting at 4 PM.

Weather permitting, there will be a fireworks display at 10:30 PM.

The Star Spangled Spectacular not only celebrates Independence Day, it celebrates 200 years of Cuyahoga County.

The orchestra will be conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero and will feature soprano Indra Thomas. nearby streets will be closed, so you might want to consider using the Rapid to avoid parking problems.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority met today for a budget meeting and discussed how they will cope with $20 Million shortfall that is expected by the end of 2009. The RTA has experienced an increase in riders with the price of fuel increasing but have felt the pinch at the pump themselves. It was recommended that the board raise the rates by 50 cents to counteract the shortfall. The measure will be voted on July 15th.

Join our moderator, Gladys Haddad, as she continues the community dialogue with residents, business owners, and community experts in the Strategic Investment Initiative Neighborhoods. The next discussion takes place in the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland.

Held at the headquarters of Third Federal Savings and Loan, this session brings together the following speakers to discuss the how neighborhoods are vital to the livable city.

Paul Huml, Chief Operating Officer, Third Federal Savings and Loan
Mary Beth Holdford, Manager of Corporate Responsibility, Arcelor Mittal Steel
Gene Bak, Executive Director, Polish American Cultural Center
Charles Gliha, Coordinator, Broadway Public Art

Listen to Slavic Village Part One

Photos courtesty of Slavic Village Development

Well, welcome to the halfway point of 2008.  That went quick, didn’t it?  What started out as a slow month, ended on a high note with lots of positive announcements throughout the region.  We’ve summarized a nice selection after the break.

June also saw one of the blogs we follow “going dark”, as they say.  Chris Varley’s Tech Futures blog, which grew out of a NorTech study around technology-based economic development, signed off this month with the following note:

The TechFutures site will remain up for some time to come, but this will be the last blog post in this forum.  As NorTech adapts to the changes around it, new priorities are emerging and new initiatives are being launched.  We invite you to revisit the stories and history of this project here on this site, but even more than that we encourage you to get and stay involved in the new projects NorTech and other economic development groups in the region pursue in the months and years to come.

There is a lot of positive change happening in the region, particularly around entrepreneurial activities and economic development.  NEOinc follows several regional blogs reporting on these topics.  Sometimes the posts shine a spotlight nationally (or internationally) on the region.  Every month we publish a short list of some of the stories we’ve noticed that embody the spirit of achievement, growth and change in our region.

Here is NEOinc’s June recap of the articles we feel speak to the growth and positive change that is happening quietly, every day, in our region.  

June ‘08 Recap

• Green technologies could benefit half a million Ohio workers
• Governor Strickland tours Akron accelerator
• Beachwood software company receives $13M investment
• Lorain County foundation gives, receives; Lorain Innovation Fund takes regional view
• Transforming workforce development 
• More wind power developments
• Akron wins All-American city award (for 3rd time)
• SageQuest closes $3.72M investment round
• Twinsburg company lands major power equipment deal 
• Timken gets $3.8M deal from China 
• Cleveland BioTech gets $1.35M
• Cuyahoga County creates $750K North Coast Technology Fund (we’ll have more details later)
• Morgan Foundation awards grants
• Neighborhood Progress wins $500K grant
• Goodyear outlines big investment plans 
• More help to grow your business (new fund announced)
• NE Ohio scores big with Third Frontier grants (ABJ story on how one grant helped keep a promising company in the region); More information on the specific entities getting grants
• Akron SCORE keeps growing
• Free workshops for entrepreneurs
• BioTech training gets $2M boost
• Willoughby firm gets contract for AEP work

This list certainly isn’t meant to be exhaustive, merely a representative sample of some of the more positive articles we saw throughout the month.  We want to hear from you too!  Please use the comment box below to share your thoughts with us here at NEOinc and our other readers.  Come on, you know you want to.

We’re also looking for other blogs to follow that report on positive entrepreneurship and economic development activities throughout Northeast Ohio.  You can review the list below of the blogs we currently follow.  Please post any additional recommendations via the comment box at the end of this post.

NEOinc’s blog reports regularly on entrepreneurial activities within the region, news and successes within the five incubators making up our collaborative, and resources available throughout Northeast Ohio.  If you found this post useful, please consider subscribing to our blog.  Our “Connect With Us” page will give you all the information you need to subscribe via your RSS reader or receive E-Mail updates.

Sources

NEOinc watches the following regional blogs.  Please use our “Contact Us” page, or the comment box below, to recommend a blog not on the list.

• Advance Northeast Ohio - the online home of our region’s economic action plan, which was inspired by Voices & Choices. Learn about the actions our region is taking to grow our economy and engage in conversations that shape the plan and evaluate our performance.
• Brewed Fresh Daily- topical, wide-ranging, and sometimes irreverant, George Nemeth’s blog is a clearinghouse for the pulse of Northeast Ohio.
• Cleveland Plain Dealer’s business blog
• Crain’s Cleveland
• NorTech - NorTech leads the region’s technology based economic development agenda. By supporting and nurturing Northeast Ohio’s most promising technology projects and initiatives, they help to create new technology industries and make the region ’s economy more globally-competitive.
• Ohio Means Business - The OBDC blog is a chance for Ohio executives to share their perspective on how locating in Ohio has enabled them to achieve both their professional and personal aspirations without having to sacrifice one for the other.

Mike O'Meara stopped by Mike O'Brien's Bookstore for one final goodbye. *

Podcast of the forum held on June 20th 2008 - William H. Neukom will speak on the World Justice Project, a multidisciplinary, multinational movement to advance the rule of law worldwide, ensuring justice for everyone.

Music Saves, that wonderful little record store next to the Beachland Ballroom run by Kevin and Melanie (aka Team Awesome) is celebrating their fourth birthday this weekend. This is no small feat when you consider most news about record stores these days involve their closing. To celebrate they'll have cake (to eat) and a low dough show in the Tavern featuring Hot Cha Cha, The Muttering Retreats, and Marie Corbo. With the ladies of Hot Cha Cha topping the bill, you know this is going to be a good time.

And there's more. Music Saves 4th Birthday Party, is also doubling as The Muttering Retreats CD release show. While I tend to steer clear of the indie pop scene, it's getting harder and harder to ignore some of the great pop music coming out of Cleveland these days from the likes of Bears and Afternoon Naps, both of whom recently visited NYC for a Twee as F*ck Party. And now, you can add The Muttering Retreats to that list. Skilled musicians, and talented wordsmiths, their debut is full of that sweet stuff ideal for soudtracking your carefree summer days in the city.

MP3: The Muttering Retreats - Pastiche

And there's still more. Don't forget that Music Saves actual birthday on July 17th. The Hold Steady will be rocking the Ballroom, and yours truly will be dj-ing the pre-show tailgate party in the Tavern.

Channel 3 aired stories about the increasing popularity of community gardening in Cleveland (video) and about the Farmland Center's FarmLink (video) program.

This past year has brought monumental change and uncertainty to the real estate industry and economic environment. From the mortgage crisis, to the housing market, to today’s rising fuel costs, consumers feel the pressure at every turn.

During this time, there are those choosing to shift their thinking toward the return to urban cores, reducing reliance on automobiles and promoting healthier lifestyles through walkable neighborhoods.

Across the country, and here in Cleveland, new developments are underway, the real estate forecast is starting to brighten, but more importantly, people are taking action and gaining control of their futures by investing in downtown living.

The Plain Dealer has recently taken note of the progress in Cleveland, and reader interest in the topic, with the launch of a Real Estate News section on Cleveland.com. Here reporters Shaheen Samavati and Michelle Jarboe guide readers through news and notes about construction and communities in Northeast Ohio, including some of the timely selections below:

Guided tour of Northeast Ohio's new home construction projects

Check out the video on that highlights new construction in Northeast Ohio and features The Avenue District.

Home building in Greater Cleveland

Cleveland area housing prices up first time in year

Shaheen Samavati
June 25, 2008

"Home prices in the Cleveland area increased in April for the first time in almost a year, with improvement across all price levels, according to data released Tuesday.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home-price index looks at existing single-family homes sold in 20 major markets, including the Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor area.

Nationally, the index dropped 1.4 percent from March to April. But the Cleveland-area index rose 2.9 percent, marking the first month-to-month home price increase here since May of last year -- and the biggest one-month gain in the 20 metro areas..."


You can view the full article, and other articles and blog posts, at http://www.cleveland.com/realestatenews/

The City of Cleveland announced $4.6 million in Housing Trust Fund allocations for ten residential developments. All employ green building techniques. The projects are evenly divided between renovations and new construction.

Update: Crib Notes provides more details.

Great example of the programmable web in action. Walk Score will only increase in popularity and usefulness as gas prices go up:

Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle—not how pretty the area is for walking.

Your Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100. Here are general guidelines for interpreting your score:

• 90 - 100 = Walkers’ Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
• 70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It’s possible to get by without owning a car.
• 50 - 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
• 25 - 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
• 0 - 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

WalkScore

Why the "OVERgrowth?"

I sometimes get the complaint that the children’s garden is so "overgrown." This is a complaint of adult personages and not of children. Children seem to have no problem navigating the environment in which they find themselves. I thought of this particular comment yesterday as I was pruning the Little Leaf Lindens that stretch their arms over each side of the front garden gate. The bottom branches create a filtered view into the garden and a height requirement as adults must bend slightly or face branch brushing. Hershey Children’s Garden is built around immersion. The garden is designed as a full immersion experience with plant, flower, frog and dragonfly. As a gardener I want plants smacking you in the face. In this garden, people move for the plants and not the other way around.

Having said all that, I do take certain measures. My style of gardening is to provide a wild but controlled look to any space I manage. This is reflected most in the way woody plants are pruned. I prune to control growth so as to keep plants in scale with others or to provide filtered views or clear path ways. Kids do become intimidated when a path becomes too overgrown. We find kids do not choose a path if it is so congested that it looks like a scary place to be or an impenetrable barrier.
 

 

Two weeks ago, City Fresh's Maurice Small met with friends in East Cleveland to discuss City Fresh, urban farming, and how we may convert a typical urban convenient store, Brown's Market, into a pilot City Fresh local foods market. During our discussions, Maurice mentioned that a dedicated urban farmer may earn more than $30,000 per year from sales of food grown on one typical urban lot (say 1/10th an acre). That being the case, and considering our ever-growing need and realigning demand for locally grown food, and the fact food may be grown locally as cost effectively as elsewhere in the world, it occurred to me that the highest and best use for most of the land now cleared, abandoned, blighted and wasted in our urban neighborhoods is for urban farming. So that is a use we are now planning to be core to redevelopment of the Star Neighborhood. Intrigued? Discuss and plan for this reality with Maurice and friends this Tuesday, from 6-7 PM, at that house on Roxbury, in East Cleveland. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

The Cleveland area is the greenest part of the Buckeye state to drive in according to a recent study by Mens Health Magazine. The July/August edition of the popular periodical named Seattle, Washington, as the most friendly city for transportation in the United States. Cleveland ranked 26th in the study receiving a "B" grade. The study took in to account things like cities with the worst gas-guzzling offenders, the magazine tabulated data on gas consumption, measured miles racked up annually, checked air quality (ozone and particle pollutants), logged vehicle efficiency (that is, their size, age, and frequency of tuneups), and incorporated mass-transit quality and usage.

Here is a look at the 100 cities named in the study. The magazine hit stores today:

1. Seattle, WA A+
2. Burlington, VT A+
3. Portland, OR A+
4. Madison, WI A
5. Fargo, ND A
6. Rochester, NY A
7. Minneapolis, MN A-
8. Spokane, WA A-
9. San Francisco, CA A-
10. Norfolk, VA A-
11. Boston, MA A-
12. Oakland, CA A-
13. Buffalo, NY A-
14. Miami, FL B+

read more

It’s that time of the year..4th of July and that means fireworks. Here is the schedule for firework displays around the Cleveland, Ohio area.

Wooster - July 4 - 9:30 PM @ Kinney Field
Willoughby Hills - June 28 - 9:40 PM @ Community Days
Willoughby -July 4 - 9:45 PM @ South High School
Akron - July 4 - Dusk @ The Innerbelt (M.L.K. Jr. Freeway)
Ashland - July 4 - Dusk @ Community Stadium
Alliance - July 4 - Dusk (9:45 PM) @ Silver Park on Union Ave.
Wickliffe - July 4 - 10 PM @ Coulby Park
Westlake - July 4 - Dusk @ Clague Park
Westlake - July 5 - Dusk @ Crocker Park
Ashtabula - July 5 - Dusk @ Walnut Beach
Aurora - July 5 - Dusk @ Sunny Lake Park
Avon Lake - July 3 - Dusk @ Weiss Field
Wellington - July 3 - Dusk @ Lorain County Fairgrounds
Strongsville - July 4 - 9:30 PM @ Foltz Park Soccer Fields
Wadsworth - July 3 - Dusk @ Memorial Park
Bainbridge - July 4 - Dusk @ River Road Park
Bay Village - July 4 - Dusk @ Cahoon Park
Bedford - July 6 - 9:45 PM @ St. Peter Chanel High School
Shaker Heights - July 4 - Dusk @ Shaker Middle School
Solon - July 4 - Dusk @ Solon Community Park
Spencer - July 4 - Dusk @ Firestone Park
Berea - July 4 - Dusk @ Coe Lake
Bratenahl -July 5 - Dusk @ Bratenahl Village Park
Broadview Heights - July 10-13 every night 10:45 PM @ City Hall Grounds
Portage Lakes - July 5 - Dusk @Turkey Foote Lake
Put-in-Bay - July 4 - Dusk @ The Island
Sandusky - July 4th - Dusk @ Washington Park
Broadview Heights - July 10-13 (each night) 10:45 PM @ City Hall grounds
Brook Park - July 13 - Dusk Behind City Hall
Brunswick -July 3 - Dusk @ Brunswick High School
Oberlin - July 4 - Dusk @ Hamilton Road Recreation Complex
Orrville - July 4 - 10 PM @ Orr Park
Parma - July 4 - Dusk @ Jamesday Park next to Tri-C West
Canton - July 2 - 8 PM @ McKinley Monument
Canton - July 4 - Dusk @ Downtown Canton
Cedar Point - July 4 - 10 PM @ Cedar Point (Admission required to watch from the park.)
North Canton - July 4 - Dusk @ Down Main St.
North Olmsted - July 4 - Dusk @ North Olmsted Park
North Ridgeville - July 3- Dusk @ South Central Park
Cleveland - July 4 - 9:45 PM. Lakefront where Lake Erie meets the Cuyahoga River.
Conneaut - July 4 - Dusk @ Conneaut Lakeview Park
Cuyahoga Falls - July 5 - Dusk @ Blossom Music Center
Medina - July 3 - Dusk @ Medina High School
Mentor - July 4 - 9:30 PM @ Mentor High School
New Philadelphia - July 5 - Dusk @ Tuscora Park
Eastlake - July 4 - Dusk @ Classic Park Stadium
Elyria - July 3 - Dusk @ Cascade Park
Euclid - July 4 - Dusk @ Memorial Park
Kent - July 5 - 10 PM @ Downtown Kent
Lakewood - July 4 - Dusk @ Lakewood Park
Lorain - July 4 - 10 PM @ Lakeside on the east side of Barry Bridge
Fairlawn - June 29 - 10 PM @ Bicentennial Park
Garfield Heights - June 27 - 10 PM @ City Fest
Geneva-on-the-Lake - July 4 - Dusk @ Geneva-on-the-Lake Municipal Golf Course
Grafton - July 3 - Dusk @ Willow Park
Hiram - July 5 - Dusk @ Hiram College
Hudson - July 5 - Dusk @ Barlow Farm Park
Huron - July 5 - 10:15 PM @ Boat Basin Ampitheatre
Independence - July 3 - Dusk @ Elmwood Park

Cleveland State University's current President, Dr. Michael Schwartz, announced Monday that he will be giving up his post at the end of the 2008-2009 academic school year, effective July 1, 2009. Following a one-year sabbatical, Schwartz says he will return to CSU, but this time to teach.

CSU is now in the market for a new president. The school's board of trustees will begin a nationwide search for his replacement. If they are unable to find a replacement by his July 1, 2009 departure date, an interim president will be appointed.

Dr. Schwartz has served as CSU's president since May 2001. During his time there, some of his most notable accomplisments include the gradual raising of admissions standards as well as the $250 remaking of the school's campus.

Dr. Schwartz issued a statement today in which he said:

“After serving as president for seven years, I feel that the advancement of CSU and the accomplishments of its faculty, staff and students have far exceeded my expectations.

read more

Podcast of the forum held on June 20th 2008 where Carl Pope discusses Finding Gold in All the Right Places: A New 21st Century Economy.

Brad Masi of the New Agrarian Center describes how community gardening can be used to combat food deserts, using a new community garden at Huron Hospital in East Cleveland as an example.

Two weeks ago, City Fresh's Maurice Small met with friends in East Cleveland to discuss City Fresh, urban farming, and how we may convert a typical urban convenient store, Brown's Market, into a pilot City Fresh local foods market. During our discussions, Maurice mentioned that a dedicated urban farmer may earn more than $30,000 per year from sales of food grown on one typical urban lot (say 1/10th an acre). That being the case, and considering our ever-growing need and realigning demand for locally grown food, and the fact food may be grown locally as cost effectively as elsewhere in the world, it occurred to me that the highest and best use for most of the land now cleared, abandoned, blighted and wasted in our urban neighborhoods is for urban farming. So that is a use we are now planning to be core to redevelopment of the Star Neighborhood. Intrigued? Discuss and plan for this reality with Maurice and friends this Tuesday, from 6-7 PM, at that house on Roxbury, in East Cleveland. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

What are you noticing about Cleveland today?

This Monday starts the deconstruction of Stanard School in the St. Clair Superior Neighborhood. This deconstruction project is headed by Ward 13 Councilman Joe Cimperman, The Department of Building and Housing, and the St. Clair Superior Development Corporation with technical support from the Ohio EPA.

Most of the usable wood has been reclaimed and the bricks will be re-used by community and market gardens among others. The New Agrarian Center has been documenting the process with video. The goals: keep construction waste out of landfills, make the deconstruction pay for itself through sales of some of the materials, provide materials for community groups in need. I hope this is one of many projects like this.

Lustfelt 4 My Rustbelt

After several months of work the team of Matt, Dave, Tyler, and myself finally went live with our first podcast called Security Justice a few days ago. Let me tell you...getting a podcast up and running was no easy task but it finally paid off. Special thanks to Dave for getting the mixer, microphones, software and related technology to record the podcast. Also thanks to Dual Core for letting us use their music in our podcast!

We just released episodes 1 and 2 the other day along with the web site. Our podcast has a pretty cool local feel to it. We record live right after the Northeast Ohio Information Security Forum at Mavis Winkle's Irish Pub in Independence, Ohio near Cleveland. We have a live audience which allows for some pretty unique interactions as well as comments and input directly from the crowd of fellow security geeks. :-) We interview the presenters from the Northeast Ohio Information Security Forum (takes place the 3rd Wednesday of every month) and discuss recent hot security topics. In addition, we plan on having "special edition" podcasts which will consist of interviews with well known security researches and "security celebrities". We have one that will be released here in a day or two.

Anyway, check us out! Let us know of any feedback that you have either here or via the Security Justice web site. Thanks for listening and for supporting the local Cleveland security community!

You can also follow Security Justice on Twitter or FriendFeed!

Looking for an affordable night out with the children this weekend? The city of Berea is once again offering free movies in their downtown triangle. This summer their are three dates starting with a showing of "Alvin and the Chipmunks" tomorrow night at 9:30. The Downtown Berea Business Network will show one movie a month from June through August. Here is the entire schedule:

June 21st "Alvin and the Chipmunks"
July 19th "The Goonies"
August 16 "Mousehunt"

For information on the outdoor movie events, please call 440-891-3316.

Already a one daily newspaper town, the Cleveland newspaper scene is about to get even more dismal: due to a recent acquisition, Cleveland's two major alternative weeklies, the Cleveland Scene and the Cleveland Free Times, will merge into one.

Times-Shamrock Communications purchased the Cleveland Scene from Village Voice Media, as well as the Cleveland Free Times from the Times Publishing Co. for an undisclosed sum. The two alt weeklies will merge beginning in July, and will run under the Scene name.

Matt Fabyan, the current publisher of the Free Times, will become the publisher of the new alternative weekly.

read more