🐷 Pork, pierogi, and superstition season 🥟

Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop: Cancel your resolutions, reschedule your parties, and settle in. The Buckeyes are playing for more than a win, and everyone knows it 🥂➡️🏈

Don’t keep us a secret: Share the email with friends (copy URL here)​

Happy New Year, Cleveland!

We say goodbye to a year that featured several transformative stories in the city. We usher in hopes for a better life.

There are countless ways to ring in NYE tonight. Check out our guide.

There’s also New Year’s Day – when we celebrate with classic Cleveland cuisine.

It features staples and traditions brought over from the Old World and American South. Even more are unique hybrids, like the Polish Boy.

“The weather gets colder, we have football games and holidays – and we all start eating like Clevelanders,” says Lidia Trempe, Cleveland’s pierogi queen and owner of Rudy’s Strudel and Bakery.

The New Year’s Day menu often starts with "lucky" foods that bring prosperity.

Central European customs include pork with dumplings. Some incorporate black-eyed peas for good fortune, blending Southern U.S. influences.

Pork & sauerkraut symbolize progress (pigs root forward) and wealth (cabbage = money). Italians pair herring (fertility) with lentils. Japanese long soba noodles represent longevity. Soul food collard greens equal money and are paired with cornbread (gold) and ham hocks.

These traditions were born in the home and spread to Cleveland’s culinary scene. They became standards on New Year’s Day.

Will Buckeyes be the next team to make history and leave fans celebrating on NYE?

Only one team has won back-to-back national titles in the College Football Playoff era – and only 14 have done it since 1936.

OSU’s march toward another title begins at 7:30 tonight, when they take on Miami in the Cotton Bowl.

Last year’s run was one of the craziest comebacks in sports after one of the worst losses in team history against Michigan.

This year, the Buckeyes seemed invincible until their highly powered offense went AWOL in a loss to Indiana on Dec. 6.

Was it a necessary humbling that propels the team forward?

Odds: Buckeyes (ranked No. 2) are favored by 9.5 points against the Hurricanes (No. 10).

Stakes: Winner advances to the Jan. 8 semifinal vs. the Georgia-Ole Miss victor, on the way to the Jan. 19 national title.

Check out our guide to Buckeyes watch parties in the 216 Rundown below.

It’s the story of the little student-run radio station that could. The community loved it – not just for its music and personalities, but also for its heart and passion.

Ideastream and Cleveland State’s collusion in a hostile takeover of WCSB became one of the most unlikely Cleveland stories of 2025. And the NPR affiliate’s canning of staff and programming didn’t play out like ‘smooth jazz.’

The loss of a cultural jewel that served the city for a half-century sparked a boycott, protests and the unanimous condemnation of Cleveland City Council.

The story has now gone national.

Spin, a music and lifestyle magazine, published a scathing attack of Ideasteam and CSU “secretively negotiating” the takeover and “gaslighting” the community.

“This happened in Cleveland, of all places,” goes the piece. “The city where the words ‘rock and roll’ were first transmitted across the airwaves and into the bloodstream of America.”

Did you take a few hundred photos this week, Cleveland?

Between the holiday gatherings and the New Year’s Eve celebrations tonight, your phone is likely reaching its limit. But before you pay for another month of expensive Cloud storage—or worse, lose those memories to a crashed phone—there is a better way.

Meet ThePhotoStick® OMNI—the one-click wonder that finds and protects every memory you’ve ever captured.

Why 1.5 Million people trust ThePhotoStick® OMNI:

As seen on: ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC.

New Year Special: Save up to $120 today!

Don't risk losing your cherished holiday memories to a hardware failure or accidental deletion. Start the New Year with the peace of mind that your memories are safe.

OSU’s march toward another title begins at 7:30 tonight, when they take on Miami in the Cotton Bowl. There are watch parties a plenty, to complement NYE celebrations in bars around town.

The Big One: The Ohio State Alumni Club of Greater Cleveland will host the official watch party at Buffalo Wild Wings in Strongsville.

There are several spots favored by Buckeyes fans hosting soirees:

Saucy Brew: Beers and cheers always flow during games at the Ohio City brewery.

Hail Mary’s: The deals on pizza and beer a tough team to beat at this Westlake spot.

Hooley House: The Irish-pub-meets-sports-bar in Brooklyn is always hyped for the Browns. Whoa, check out those 36 TVs, including those 120-inchers.

Jack Cleveland Casino: The sportsbook area is a fun place to people watch – and the screens are big and are loaded with games.

PJ McIntyre’s: Raise an Irish pint to the scarlet and grey at this West Park classic.

Rivals Sports Grille: The beer list is as impressive as the rows of TV sets.  

Saucy Brew: Beers and cheers always flow during games at the Ohio City brewery.

Winking Lizard: A Lakewood superstore of sports bars, there are enough TVs to follow all the action. It’s like being in Best Buy with good food...

👉 View Listing on Zillow

The Cavs return to Rocket Arena today after a three-game road trip to play the Suns (3:30 p.m.) -- and they didn’t drop the ball in San Antonio.

Cleveland got a much-need win against the Spurs, 113-101, that could mark a turning point in its disappointing season.

The much-maligned Jarrett Allen reminded everyone that he was an all-star, notching 27 points and 10 rebounds and playing stellar defense.

Donovan Mitchell managed only 10 points, but his rough game wasn’t all bad for the team.

He deferred early to his starting bigs -- Allen, Evan Mobley and Dean Wade – and it helped the Cavs find a flow that involved everyone in the game…

Which is what they have struggled doing this season.

Thirty years ago, Akron’s punk club the Crypto hosted a 1976 NYE show starring Cleveland’s legendary Dead Boys, with two fine bands from the Rubber City — King Cobra and, yes, Devo,

Ooh and don’t forget! Tag @The216Scoop on Facebook & @scoopcle on Instagram to get your photos in the Scoop!

31 °F 🌡️ 16 °F | ❄️ (snow / blowing snow) | 100% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 14 mph (≈ 12 knots)

23 °F 🌡️ 16 °F | ☁️ (mostly cloudy) | 20% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 12 mph (≈ 10 knots)

28 °F 🌡️ 17 °F | ☁️ (mostly cloudy) | 10% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 9 mph (≈ 8 knots)

_{Please note that weather conditions can change rapidly. For the most up-to-date information, consider checking a reliable local weather service.}

Home vs. Suns, 3:30 PM December 31 (Wednesday)

Home vs. Nuggets, 7:30 PM January 2 (Friday)

Home vs. Pistons, 2:00 PM January 2 (Sunday)

Thanks for reading The 216 Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who’s always looking for new Cleveland food spots.

Watch this quick video (start at 0:50) to see how easy it is to add our app to your home screen!