📰 Wait... did the mayor really say that?

Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop: Rudy’s just dropped 30 paczki flavors, and Parma is emotionally unprepared 🍩🤯

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John Petkovic & Jude Perez

“Watch some Netflix, binge on some bad reality TV -- but, please, be safe,” said Mayor Justin Bibb, as he implored people to stay home during the weekend storm.

Easier said than done for the 30.4% of employed that work on an average weekend day.

That’s roughly 547,000 workers in Greater Cleveland, largely in healthcare, transportation, and hospitality.

The last one was hit hardest by the snowpocalpse porn, TV recommendations from politicians and sudden disclosure of a salt shortage.

“We didn’t get advance notice from the city,” says Jay Novak, owner of Whiskey Bar on East Second. “We’re trying to get ready for a Friday and I find out about a salt shortage from a customer.”

(Two other downtown operators confirmed there was no warning.)

Suddenly losing an entire weekend can be devastating, especially amid a difficult economic environment.

The first warning of a shortage came in early September, via supplier Champion Mulch & Landscape Supply.

On Jan. 21, the city stated it had yet to receive a “portion of salt” from Cargill that was ordered in August without providing details on the depths of the problem.

“It’s a challenging economy and a rough winter,” says Novak. “We need communication from the city.”

Reports that Jose Ramirez will sign a contract extension that keeps him in Cleveland until 2032 led to a rush of commentary…

Only $175 million, $25 million a year?

Compare that to MLB’s insane contracts -- like Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets.

Jose has been a bargain, from the beginning,

He was an unheralded prospect when he signed with the Indians as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic. Signing bonus: $50,000.

Ramirez played on weed-strewn fields that were also home to grazing donkeys.

Too small and slow and no power – a utility player at best, said scouts.

But even on his first Major League single – in 2013 – you could see the hustle and attitude that made him Cleveland’s most beloved athlete. He makes a big turn around first, looking to extend a single into a double.

By 2016, he became one of the best all-around players in baseball.

A rare journey capped off by something rarer in today’s MLB:

Rather than chase insane contracts, Ramirez will play his entire career with the same team.

Follow our Instagram and Facebook pages to watch his first career hit.

Turning an Old-World tradition into a pop phenomenon is fun and all – so you long as you get to eat the food and not have to make it.

The latter is why Lidia Trempe will work 19-hour days until Feb. 17.

That’s when Parma’s pierogi and paczki queen, and owner of Rudy’s Strudel, celebrates Polish Mardi Gras.

Roll out Paczki Day – when long lines form at 4 a.m. waiting to get their paws on deep-fried and filled pre-Lenten pastries.

Last year, Rudy’s sold more than 125,000 paczki (pronounced PUNCH-ki) – all filled by hand. 

This year, it feels like she’s also preparing for a wedding – one in which Rudy’s, open since 1948, is the junior member.

“We’ll have 31 flavors and our biggest this is year is the collaboration with Malley’s,” she says, referring to a paczki that boasts the chocolatier’s rich fudge sauce and crunchy toffee pieces. “We’re 78 and they’re 91.”

 “It’s amazing to work with a brand that generations love,” she adds. “But I for sure won’t get any sleep between now and the big day.”

Cavs vs. Magic: They’ve won 7 out of 10, with different players stepping up each night. Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade and Tyrese Proctor pitched in as the Cavs won in Orlando on Saturday. The two teams meet for a rematch -- 7 tonight in Rocket Arena. Info.

👉 View Listing on Zillow

Stunning displays, revolutionary designs. “Renaissance to Runway: The Enduring Italian Houses” is both – and its mix of the here and now and the then and there will change your perceptions of about fashion.

But you don’t have much time to see it: The Cleveland Museum of Art exhibition closes Sunday.

It features more than 100 fashions from legendary Italian houses -- Versace, Pucci, Ferragamo, Armani and Valentino – and explores how they were inspired by Renaissance, Mannerist and early Baroque periods. Info.

Cleveland references make cameos in Jim Jarmusch’s films going back to “Stranger Than Paradise.” The Cuyahoga Falls native’s 1984 breakthrough follows NYC misfits road-tripping to Cleveland while listening to “I Put a Spell on You” (by hometown legend Screamin’ Jay Hawkins).  They end up visiting Lake Erie in the dead of winter, freezing and staring out into the void... “So, this is it... Lake Erie.”

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16 °F 🌡️ 4 °F | 🌨️➡️⛅ (AM Snow Showers / Clearing) | 35% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 15 mph (≈ 13 knots)

15 °F 🌡️ -1 °F | 🌤️ (Frigid / Partly Cloudy) | 20% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 12 mph (≈ 10 knots)

10 °F 🌡️ 3 °F | ☁️ (Overcast / Flurries) | 20% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 10 mph (≈ 9 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. Magic, 7:00 PM January 26 (Monday)

Home vs. Lakers, 7:00 PM January 28 (Wednesday)

Away vs. Suns, 9:00 PM January 30 (Friday)

Away vs. Trail Blazers, 9:00 PM February 1 (Sunday)

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