🌫️ Yikes! Cleveland Ranks in Bottom 10 for Pollution

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Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop. Cleveland’s got construction dust, hot dogs, no beer (for now), and a ticket you’ll elbow someone for. Let’s get into it before something else reopens... or closes 🛠️🌭🍺

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In today’s 216 Scoop Edition:

• Check out the future of West Side Market as construction looms

• Rock Hall Class of 2025 inductees are here

• Open again: Parma’s love for Hot Dog Diner summons it back to beloved location

• Oh, soot! Cleveland air quality is at the top, er, bottom ten for pollution

• The hottest summer ticket goes on sale

• Great Lakes Brewing closes for renovation

• Browns draft: No-nonsense approach + historic drop = lottery ticket

  
  
  John Petkovic & Victor Takakura

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IN THE NEWS

Check out the future of West Side Market as construction looms

After years of meetings and discussions, the long-promised, much-anticipated renovation of the West Side Market is progressing quickly.

Construction is set to start next month and now we get a glimpse of what it’s going to look like.

Cleveland Public Market Corporation, the non-profit organization that manages the market, has released renderings of the $68 million dollar makeover that show a reimagined food hall, produce market and outdoor seating area.

The beloved institution is one of the city’s biggest tourist destinations -- attracting 800,000 visitors annually, one-third of them tourists from outside of Northeast Ohio.

It’s also a historic jewel that provides a storied link between the past and present.

The CPMC insists that the renovation won’t alter the iconic interior and exterior of the 1912 Market Hall – other than the addition of seating and event space that can accommodate 100.

Instead, the first phase will focus on reversing decades of neglect that resulted in power shortages and the loss of vendors. It starts with the largely vacant produce hall between the market and parking lot and will deal with structural issues, heating and cooling, and modernizing stalls.

CPMC has secured about $50 million in funding so far and figures it will take another $18 million to complete the final phase of the project – which would create a prepared foods hall, two full-service bars and dinner service.

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Rock Hall Class of 2025 inductees are here

The King used to boast: “50,000,000 Elvis fans can’t be wrong.” Indeed. But apparently 330,000 Phish fans were wrong.

The jam band cruised to victory in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Fan Vote, trouncing runner-up Bad Company by almost 50,000 votes… And yet failed to get inducted into the heavenly reaches of the glass palace on East Ninth.

Here we go, the Rock Hall Class of 2025 Inductees: Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, Soundgarden, and the White Stripes.

The induction ceremony is Nov. 8 in the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Phish is only the second artist to win the fan vote but not get inducted in the same year. The first was Dave Matthews Band, in 2020, which got inducted four years later.

The Rock Hall also announced it special award winners: Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon will be honored with the Musical Influence Award. Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye will be honored for Musical Excellence. Record executive Lenny Waronker will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

Open again: Parma’s love for Hot Dog Diner summons it back to beloved location

Parma is home to some of the area’s coolest old-school spots -- family-owned, with vintage vibes and classic charm.

The scene took a hit when it lost one of its most beloved spots in February, when the Hot Dog Diner and Burger Co. announced that it would be closing in favor of a new location.

The news sparked a rush of its creative hot dog and burger offerings – like the Coney Dog, Slaw Dog, and Tail Wagger and Pierogi Burger. The eatery had to move up its closing because it had run out of food.

The Dog had been open for 25 years and developed a cult following for its award-winning wieners, burgers, hand-cut fries and condiments. Located in an old-style Taco Bell, it boasted a nostalgic, homespun vibe – which patrons felt would be lost with a new location.

The response to the closing struck an emotional chord with the community, its staff and owner, Bob Berry – who has decided to eschew another new location and reopen the old spot.

Berry has upgraded the kitchen equipment, given the space a fresh look and brought back the former owners -- aunt and uncle Natalie and Dave Teare -- as advisors.

On Saturday, business was back to usual, and the onion rings tasted the same.

Oh, soot! Cleveland air quality is in the top, er, bottom ten when it comes to pollution

Allergy season enters peak weeks in May. But there’ a good chance tree and grass pollen aren’t the only reasons for wheezing and sneezing.

The annual “State of the Air” report by the American Lung Association has found that Cleveland’s air is among the worst in the country for particle pollution.

The Lung Association has measured smog and soot levels for 26 years and ranks cities based on their number of unhealthy air days.

It finds that Cleveland had seen a dramatic decline in air quality during its last three-year measuring period (2021-2023), going from 54^th to 9^th worst in the country.

According to the report, 46% of the country is breathing air that has above-normal levels of pollutants.

Cleveland is also among the worst cities in the country for asthma, with the sixth highest percentage of asthmatics, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Ohio and Midwest rank near the top of asthma incidence – with Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo and Akron all displaying abnormally high levels.

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The 216 Rundown

The hottest summer ticket goes on sale

It’s the biggest art party of the summer and a chance to greet the longest day of the year with music, dancing and revelry.

It’s also the hottest ticket of the year, which means you need to act fast if you plan on attending Solstice 2025 – Saturday June 21, at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Tickets for the annual soiree go on sale at 9 a.m. Monday for museum members. The presale continues until tickets have sold out or until 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29.

If available, tickets for the public go on sale at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The 14^th installment of the event is heavy on the brass instruments and horn sections with live sets from Da Land Brass Band (Cleveland), Balkan Paradise Orchestra (Spain), El Laberinto del Coco (Puerto Rico), and Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico).

It also rolls DJ sets in the museum atrium, along with projections, light displays and themed decorations and the chance to check out galleries, including the much-anticipated Takashi Murakami exhibition (which opens May 25). More info here.

Great Lakes Brewing closes for renovation

Since 1988, Great Lakes Brewing has been the anchor bar of Ohio City and leader of the area craft beer movement. It has managed to stay at the top of the heap – even as the game has gotten more and more crowded – by adjusting its products.

Now, Great Lakes will make some adjustments to its mothership, 2516 Market Avenue.

The brewery will temporarily close its brewpub on May 5 for renovations to the space and menu. Great Lakes is shooting for a soft reopening on May 14. The beer garden space is closed for a revamp, starting today, and will re-open the same day.

A refreshed menu will feature a "mix of reimagined GLBC classics, along with creative new brew-infused elements,” according to a Great Lakes Press release.

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NOTES ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Browns draft: No-nonsense approach + historic drop = lottery ticket

Browns fans came into the draft expecting to get a unicorn (Travis Hunter). Instead, they got a wrestler (Mason Graham).

Not a glamorous pick, but the team sought to fill holes and accumulate talent while positioning itself to draft a quarterback next year. It was on track to be a no-drama draft, with solid picks to fills holes at linebacker, tight end and running back…

Then came the historic drop of the quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Is there another time that prospect went from being a consensus top 5 pick to falling all the way to the fifth round?

• Never, which is why the Browns stepped in to draft him – even after they had already drafted a quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, two rounds higher.

• Contrary to the hyperbolic takes on social media, the move is akin to buying a dirt-cheap lottery ticket.

• Sanders’ fall will result in him missing out on more than $40 million in his first contract – from $46 to about $4.6 million.

• The Browns took Gabriel over Sanders because they saw him as a better fit as a backup QB. He has the temperament to fill that role;

• Sanders sees himself as ‘legendary,’ a star. But his drop made him a value at pick 144. It’s boom or bust – he starts or he’s gone. Either way, it doesn’t cost them much.

VINTAGE CLEVELAND

A new report by the American Lung Association finds that 46% of the country is breathing air that has above-normal levels of pollutants — and that Cleveland is the 9th worst when it comes to pollutants in the air. That’s nothing compared to the 1970s, when Cleveland’s reputation was tarred by its air pollution problems and memories of the Cuyahoga River catching fire in 1969. This photo, taken by the EPA, as part of a national report, captures air pollution as cars traverse the Industrial Flats via the old Clark Avenue Bridge, 1973.

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WEATHER

Monday
68 🌡️ 46 | 🌤️ | 25% | 💨 9 mph

Tuesday
72 🌡️ 57 | ⛈️ | 80% | 💨 12 mph

Wednesday
57 🌡️ 44 | ☁️ | 40% | 💨 9 mph

Live Shows in the 216

Monday

Agora Theater & Ballroom | Ethan Bortnick | 7:00 PM

Agora Theater & Ballroom | BoyWithUke | 7:00 PM

Mahall’s | Mamalarky | 7:00 PM

Mahall’s | kennedy mann | 7:00 PM

Joy Clark in Concert | Joy Clark | 7:30 PM

The Foundry Concert Club | Cal in Red | 8:00 PM

The Foundry Concert Club | Whitehall | 8:00 PM

The Winchester | Ray Flanagan | 8:00 PM

Beachland Ballroom & Tavern | Justin Jeansonne | 8:00 PM

Tuesday

The Roxy | Varietopia with Paul F. Tompkins | 7:00 PM

House of Blues Cleveland | Neon Trees | 7:00 PM

House of Blues Cleveland | The Tisburys | 7:00 PM

Grog Shop | J. Robbins | 7:00 PM

Grog Shop | Bob Mould | 7:00 PM

TempleLive at Cleveland Masonic | Unearth | 7:00 PM

Packard Music Hall | Soulja Boy | 8:00 PM

Wednesday

House of Blues Cleveland | Protest the Hero | 6:00 PM

1875 Winery & Restaurant | Danny Christian | 6:00 PM

Beachland Ballroom & Tavern | Shallow Alcove | 7:00 PM

Beachland Ballroom & Tavern | lighthearted | 7:00 PM

Beachland Ballroom & Tavern | Love With Johnny Echols | 7:00 PM

House of Blues Restaurant & Bar | Between the Buried and Me | 7:00 PM

Beachland Ballroom & Tavern | Factual Brains | 8:00 PM

_{For tickets and more info}

The 216 Sports Area

Upcoming Games

Cavaliers

Away vs. Miami Heats, 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 28th.

Guardians

Home vs. Twins, 6:10 pm EST, Monday, April 28th.

Home vs. Twins, 6:10 pm EST, Tuesday, April 29th. (Theme Night - Golf Night)

Home vs. Twins, 6:10 pm EST, Wednesday, April 30th. (Theme Night - Star Wars)

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