Cleveland, like many cities, is in possession of numerous vacant lots -- 20,000 or so, say some estimates. Land banks, which purchase, raze and repurpose some parcels, is one solution. Urban farms are another.

In this lengthy essay in The New York Times, written by Michael Tortorello, another use of vacant land is discussed: ecological research.

"As it happens," reads the piece, "a team of local scientists has designated this accidental landscape an Urban Long-Term Research Area -- that is, Ultra. And having won a $272,000 exploratory award from the National Science Foundation, the researchers call their project Ultra-Ex. There's enough turf here for everybody: Ultra-Ex scientists are studying bird and insect populations, watershed systems, soil nematodes and urban farms.

Their mission? To document the ecological benefits that vacant lots might provide and to redefine the land, from neighborhood blight to community asset.

Read the compelling piece here.

When the editors of Food Network Magazine set out to uncover this country's finest pizzas, they solicited the opinion of Fresh Water editor (and Scene food writer) Douglas Trattner. Having recently devoured his 20th Sunnyside pizza from Bar Cento -- with runny yolk still dripping down his chin -- his response was immediate and definite.

In the September issue, which hits newsstands August 9, the magazine unfurls a map of "50 States, 50 Pizzas," in which they crown the best pizza of every state of the nation. The editors, like Trattner, were won over by Bar Cento's Sunnyside, which features salty pancetta and soft-cooked eggs with provolone and lots of black pepper.

For the full slice of the story, click here.

Melt Bar & Grilled, Cleveland's favorite grilled cheese emporium, has nabbed a spot in ESPN Magazine's list of top ten best sports bars in the country.

"We've been to thousands of them," the magazine claims, "dark, dank bars with the same overfried food, flat beer, sticky floors and TVs that never seem to have the right game on. But every once in a while, we stumble upon a joint that makes us happy we gave up our remote for the night. These are those joints…"

Melt sits at No. 10 and was the only restaurant listed in the tri-state area of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

"Think watching the Cavs is hard to stomach?" quips the mag. "Try eating five pounds' worth of grilled cheese and fries in one sitting," referring to The Melt Challenge, a dare to down Melt's monster grilled cheese featuring 13 different cheeses, three slices of grilled bread and a pile of hand-cut fries and slaw -- more than five pounds of food!"

ESPN's nod is the latest in a long string of national attention, which includes "Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives," USA Today, Esquire, "Man vs. Food" and others.

"Tech jobs are one bright spot in the economy," Businessweek announces. "The hiring spree taking place in that sector isn't limited to Silicon Valley. Cities across the country are enjoying a boost in employment thanks to information technology jobs."

"The tech sector is fueling a job boom that stands in stark contrast to the malaise of the general job market. The nationwide unemployment rate ticked up to 9.2 percent in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the same time, the unemployment rate for tech professionals dropped to 3.3 percent, from 5.3 percent in January."

And nowhere, according to a recent ranking by the magazine, is that growth stronger than here in Cleveland.

Claiming the No. 1 spot thanks to 107-percent growth, Cleveland saw the biggest boost in tech sector jobs in July compared to a year ago. Technology career website Dice.com tracks the cities with the biggest year-over-year growth in job listings.

According to the article, the companies that are doing the most hiring in Cleveland are IBM and Deloitte & Touche. They are looking for employees with skills in systems integration, software engineering and project management.

Read the rest of the rankings here.

Progressive, the fourth largest auto insurance group in the country, is looking to fill 108 sales, service, and claims phone representative positions as well as 23 information technology and analyst positions by the end of September.

Smart, outgoing people looking for a rewarding career are urged to apply.

"Progressive is known for taking risks and introducing innovative products," John Hoppes, national recruiting director at Progressive, is quoted in the BusinessWire article. "We are looking for energetic, customer-focused people who are passionate about finding new ways to solve problems and create ways to meet and exceed our customers' needs. In return, Progressive offers a culture that understands and welcomes diversity, rewards people for being themselves, thinking differently and for the ideas they bring."

Candidates must have an associate's and/or bachelor's degree for most positions offered except those in customer service roles.
In addition to medical, dental, vision and life insurance benefits, Progressive employees also enjoy potential bonuses, on-site fitness center, child-care subsidy and tuition assistance.

To find out more about jobs at Progressive, visit here..

To read the article, click here.

In this Bloomberg article titled "BofA Donates Then Demolishes Houses to Cut Glut," reporter Lindsey Rupp details the mortgage service provider's plan to donate 100 foreclosed houses in Cleveland.

"Bank of America Corp., faced with a glut of foreclosed and abandoned houses it can't sell, has a new tool to get rid of the most decrepit ones: a bulldozer."

With so many foreclosed -- and in many cases blighted -- homes flooding the market, experts say prices are depressed and buyers are driven off, causing housing values to keep dropping.

"There is way too much supply," Gus Frangos, president of Cleveland-based Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp., is quoted in the article. "The best thing we can do to stabilize the market is to get the garbage off."

According to Case Western Reserve University and Neighborhood Progress, there are as many as 13,000 foreclosed and abandoned properties in the city. Demolishing all of them could cost as much as $250 million.

BofA will kick in as much as $7,500 for demolition ($3,500 in areas eligible to receive federal funds).

Read the entire article here.

Movies presently being filmed in Cleveland are translating into millions of dollars and thousands of room nights for area hotels, according to the Ohio Department of Development. The films, most of which are taking advantage of the new Ohio Film Tax Credit, could generate close to $5.3 million in economic activity and more than 41,000 room nights, according to an article in HotelNewsNow.com.

Indeed, those figures might be modest, says Katie Sabatino, public information officer for the state development department. "There are plenty more film and TV projects that come to Ohio and use hotel nights that do not use the tax credit, and since there is no real film permit in Ohio, it is impossible to know exactly how many room nights are used," she is quoted in the article as saying.

"The Avengers," which is filming in Cleveland now, is the largest feature film ever made in Ohio, according to the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. That film alone is responsible for gobbling up 27,000 room nights, says the commission's Ivan Schwarz. Six other movies are currently being filmed in Cleveland.

Check out the rest of the screenplay here.

A recent article in Dredging Today titled "Port of Cleveland Unveils Plan for City's Lakefront Development" outlines the Cuyahoga County Port Authority's immediate plans and challenges.

"The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority's plan will try to bring jobs to the lakefront while creating recreational development like the kind that once thrived in the Flats," says the article. "Making that happen means shoring up the slowly-sliding Irishtown Bend and finding a suitable home for heavily metallic sediment dredged from the Cuyahoga River and port."

Development has already begun, it continues, mentioning Scott Wolstein and Fairmount Properties' $275-million East Bank project. The article also states that the Port Authority recently purchased a four-story building on West 9th Street for $3.1 million, which will serve as its new home.

Other development, most notably around Cleveland Browns Stadium and the shoring up of Irishtown Bend, are also mentioned.

Read the rest here.

Meanwhile, the Port of Cleveland is currently soliciting feedback on its Strategic Action Plan. Review the Strategic Action Plan and give your feedback through the online survey. The Port will review all public comments and the Board will later vote on proposed recommendations.

Last May, Councilman Joe Cimperman participated in the annual Community Food Security Coalition, a food policy conference in Portland, Oregon. Turns out, he killed.

"The surprise darling of the Community Food Security Coalition conference last May was a little-known city councilman from Cleveland," Hannah Wallace writes for Faster Times. "He spoke fervently about his city, a city of flourishing community gardens, backyard bee hives and chicken coops, a city where all farmers markets accept food stamps, where schools get discounts for sourcing local food, and where both trans-fats and smoking on playgrounds are banned. His name? Joe Cimperman."

In this lengthy Q and A, Cimperman discusses some of the efforts that are helping Cleveland become a "food justice utopia," and a model for other cities to emulate.

Cimperman explains how in 2007, Cleveland became the first city to pass an urban farm zoning law, leading to an explosion of community gardens. He says that by 2020, the goal is to have a community garden within five blocks of every Cleveland resident.

He also mentions progressive city programs like urban chickens and bees, farmers markets accepting food stamps, and shoring up food deserts with fresh produce.

"Community gardens just make us a nicer city," Cimperman says in the article. "They make us share more, pay more attention to each others' kids, understand each others' cultures more. There are just so many ancillary benefits to community gardens -- we can't imagine."

Digest the rest here.

For its latest ranking of the Best Hospitals in the Unites States, U.S. News studied nearly 10,000 specialists and almost 5,000 hospitals to rank the best in 16 adult specialties, from cancer to urology. Among the factors considered in evaluation are death rates, patient safety and hospital reputation.

Out of those 5,000 hospitals, only 140 were nationally ranked in one or more specialties. The Cleveland Clinic was ranked nationally in 16 adult and 10 pediatric specialties, landing it once again on the Best Hospitals Honor Roll.

For the 17th consecutive year, the Clinic was ranked #1 in cardiology & heart surgery, a spot it has owned since 1994. Other adult specialties rankings include #2 in gastroenterology, #2 in nephrology and #2 in urology. The Clinic also ranked favorably in among pediatric specialties.

Examine the full report here.

Cleveland Public Library has partnered with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to offer its patrons free weekly music downloads.

"CPL knows how passionate Clevelanders are about music, and the importance of music in our community, its history, and its future," CPL director Felton Thomas explained. "CPL has a history of providing our patrons with access to music -- starting as far back as sheet music and records and evolving to CDs. In today's digital world, providing free downloads is the logical next step to give our patrons a way to experience their favorite music."

The music download service launched this week. Library patrons access the available music through a new MyTunes page on the library's website. Cardholders can download up to three songs a week and over 150 per year from Sony's entire catalogue. Patrons get to keep the songs they download forever, legally, and at no cost to them.

To learn more about the service click here.

Multiple sources are reporting that key scenes in director Joss Whedon's film "The Avengers" will be shot at NASA's Plum Brook Station. The 6,400-acre test facility near Sandusky boasts the Space Power Facility, the world's largest space environment simulation chamber. The massive chamber can simulate a low-earth orbiting environment.

Shooting is scheduled to begin next month and will include Earth-bound stars Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans.

Other principal scenes for the Marvel Comics-based flick are being shot in and around Cleveland throughout the summer. Countless residents have enlisted their services to act as extras in the film in the hopes of snagging a frame of screen time.
 

Neighborhood Progress Inc. has approved more than $1.8 million in grants that will support nine community development corporations in Cleveland. The grants were awarded based on the organizations' history of carrying out transformative programs as well current market conditions that will enable these programs to spark additional investment and growth.

That money will go toward making those neighborhoods safer, healthier, more prosperous places to live and work. The grants will support a wide range of projects, including real estate development and restoration, urban green space transformation, commercial-property renovation, and efforts to improve streetscape safety and appearance.

Joel Ratner, president of Neighborhood Progress Inc., said in a release, "We see this financial support as the catalyst for new businesses in the Waterloo commercial district in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood. And, as a lifeline for residents in the Fairfax neighborhood who are raising grandchildren and need access to safe, affordable housing that can easily accommodate non-traditional families."

Here's a complete list of the organizations and the amount each was awarded:

Buckeye Area Development Corp. $195,000
Burten Bell Carr Development Corp. $190,000
Detroit Shoreway Community Development Corp. $225,000
Fairfax Renaissance Development Corp. $190,000
Famicos Foundation $190,000
Northeast Shores Development Corp. $195,000
Ohio City Near West Development Corp. $195,000
Slavic Village Development $221,500
Tremont West Development Corp. $195,000

Last weekend, the Cleveland Orchestra opened up Blossom's backstage doors to area bloggers and media types for a casual "meet the musician" panel discussion. With nary a string, reed or drumstick in sight, the cultured quartet performed with understated charm as they chatted about starting out.

"Every Korean kid has to take piano lessons," said Jung-Min Amy Lee. Alas, her teacher reported that she did indeed have musical talent, but it wasn't in piano. Lee considered the cello, but her mother nixed those aspirations. "My mom said, 'No. That thing is so big, I'm going to have to carry it around for her!'" so Lee settled on the infinitely more manageable violin.

She wasn't the only one who struggled. Principal timpanist Paul Yancich detailed his long family history with classical music and how he started out as a bit of a black sheep.

"They could not find an instrument that I liked," said Yancich. His father suggested the French horn. "I had one lesson and that was it." So it went until he saw a pair of drumsticks sticking out of a schoolmate's pocket. Yancich was hypnotized and never looked back.

Principal clarinetist Frank Cohen succinctly explained why he chose the clarinet as a kid. "It was the only instrument I could get a sound out of."

The rocky start-ups notwithstanding, when the musicians joined the rest of the orchestra, their performance of the John Adams Violin Concerto and Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 dazzled the audience.

Principal violinist Stephen Rose summed up the orchestral experience thusly:

"You do really feel like one small, small part of this massive, beautiful, round sound. It's a special kind of feeling." Judging from the audience's thunderous applause, that feeling spread throughout Blossom amphitheatre.

The Orchestra's line up for the 2011 season at Blossom features shows from Broadway Classics to the music of Irving Berlin and the Joffrey Ballet. They run every weekend though September 10. With incredibly reasonable ticket pricing from $19 to $53, and books of 10 flexible lawn tickets for $139, everyone can afford to enjoy this staple of cool Cleveland culture.


Writer: Erin O'Brien

Groundbreaking Cleveland rock music critic Jane Scott made as many fans as she did cover them for the Plain Dealer. Thus, upon learning of her recent passing to that great Green Room in the sky, a national outpouring of affection bubbled up in the national media.

A New York Times obituary wrote, "At a time when newspapers were famously inhospitable to women, Ms. Scott made her career by tackling a beat that few writers of either sex wanted -- a beat that barely existed when she began writing about rock 'n' roll in the mid-1960s."

"In Cleveland, Ms. Scott could scarcely walk down the street without fans stopping to take her picture. But she was known far beyond the city, profiled in print, on radio and on television throughout the country and abroad."

Clearly. Read the whole obit here.

Writing for The L.A. Times music blog Pop & Hiss, Holly Gleason says, "If Jane Scott leaves a legacy, beyond thousands of stories filed, it's the artists who knew they were somebody because she turned her notebook toward them. As Reed enthused for her 80th birthday, "I love Jane Scott. I always have, I always will. When I was in the Velvet Underground, Jane was one of the only people I can remember who was nice to us. Interested in the music, the styles -- a very smart, guileless lady who loved music and musicians and had unbiased attitudes towards the evolving culture."

"Her writing gave music deeper context for generations in the city hailed as the "Rock & Roll Capitol of the World." She captured the essence of rock coming of age, growing into maturity and finding its way into the 21st century. Her mark will be felt for years to come."

Read the rest here.

According to a ranking produced by Grist, an environmental news magazine, Cleveland is the best-suited U.S. city to stand up to climate change. Writer Jeff Opperman compiled his list based on readily available information, such as risk for climate-related disasters, water-supply disruption, and heat-stress rankings.

The top five cities that are most resilient and least vulnerable to climate change are Cleveland, Milwaukee, Detroit, Chicago, and Minneapolis.

"Why do Rust Belt cities do so well in my rankings?" asks Opperman. "Because they have a sustainable water supply (in four of the cities, the Great Lakes); their heat stress rankings are relatively low; and they are less vulnerable to natural disasters that will be exacerbated by climate change, such as floods, landslides, and wildfires."

Looking at the bottom five -- Phoenix, Houston, Sacramento, Las Vegas, and Miami -- Opperman states:

"One obvious observation is that the most climate-vulnerable cities include some of the fastest growing regions of the country, while the most climate-resilient include several cities with flat or even declining populations. So the country's population is shifting away from places that are better-equipped to deal with climate change and toward areas that may face the greatest disruptions from climate change. Many of the most resilient cities are former industrial giants in need of new economic drivers. Transforming our economy to one that runs on much cleaner energy will require significant expansion of "green industries" with associated job growth. So, despite the relatively lower vulnerability of the Clevelands and Milwaukees and Detroits of the world, these cities should still pursue the investments required to prevent climate change. Those investments could provide an important spark for economic revitalization."

Read the rest here.

Grub Street, the New York Magazine food blog, posted a recent mention of Jonathon Sawyer's soon-to-open Cleveland restaurant, Noodlecat.

Titled, "Ex-Parea Chef Opens NYC-Inspired Noodlecat Next Week ... in Cleveland," the article reminds readers that Sawyer once led Michael Symon's short-lived Parea restaurant in New York City. (It also reminds readers that he accidentally poisoned himself with a false chanterelle.)

"Last year, Food & Wine named Sawyer Best New Chef for his work at Cleveland's Greenhouse Tavern. Noodlecat's menu, inspired in part by Sawyer's after-work trawls through New York's subterranean noodle houses, will feature ramen, soba, and udon. The chef told the Daily Meal that David Chang makes New York's best ramen, but that he also looked to Hung Ry, Rai Rai Ken, and Yakitori Taisho while researching the menu for Noodlecat. Menu research also took Sawyer to Japan, Canada, and even Australia."

Read the rest of the scoop here.

In an article titled "Go Big, Get Air, Get Fit" in the July 2011 issue of Wired magazine, Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park is included along with other off-beat exercise options.

"Weights. Treadmills. Spin classes. Let's face it," begins the article, "workout innovations just haven't kept pace with advances in TV, iPad, and snack-food technology. That said, a few forward-looking gyms offer activities that might actually compete with our Twitter/Netflix/PizzaRanch fixations."

Writer Steven Nereo calls Ray's the only brand of indoor park in the country built specifically for mountain bikes. "There are separate areas for beginners and experts, with wood ramps and assorted obstacles (like rocks and logs, for example) connected by looping trails. The buildings are closed during the summer months, when Ray's can't compete with Mother Nature's gym."

Ray's will re-open October 1, 2011 -- bigger and better than ever.

In a Fast Company article titled "The Rise Of Shared Ownership And The Fall Of Business As Usual," writer Jeffrey Hollender calls Cleveland's Evergreen Cooperatives, "the economic model of our future."

"A new model in Cleveland -- in which workers own companies that are supported by the city's big businesses -- has the potential to change the economics of the city and its workers," he begins.

Evergreen Cooperatives, which has been featured in Fresh Water, is an economic model that pairs anchor institutions like the Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University, and University Hospitals -- which spend over $3 billion per year on goods and services -- with new employee-owned businesses.

"Together," explains Hollender, "these organizations collaborated on a business model that is designed to create community wealth in the city's poorest neighborhoods. They do this by committing to invest in businesses not with venture capital, but by purchasing services from them. These purchasing decisions by large institutions fund the development of a network of sustainable, community-based businesses that are partially owned by the workers themselves, which develops a workforce skilled at democratic and participatory management and creates a new generation of leaders committed to rebuilding their communities."

Following a research visit to Cleveland, Hollender had this to report:

"Ohio Cooperative Solar was profitable in its first five months in operation; current annual revenue is projected to be $1.3 million. At the end of the fiscal year, a portion of profits will be allocated to each OCS employee owner's capital account, furthering the idea of people-focused business.

"The Green City Growers, a hydroponic greenhouse, expects to break ground on the construction of a four-acre greenhouse this summer, with its first crop ready for harvest in the spring of 2012. When fully operational, it will produce 5 million heads of lettuce and 300,000 pounds of herbs annually and employ between 30 to 40 workers year-round."

Read the whole of Hollender's examination here.

"A rare case of Cleveland envy is helping to fuel the latest proposal for improving transit service between Downtown [Pittsburgh] and Oakland," begins a recent article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

What local officials in that town to the east covet in our own beloved town is the RTA HealthLine, which uses energy-efficient bus rapid transit vehicles to connect Public Square with University Circle and beyond.

Writing for the Post-Gazette, Jon Schmitz says, "Local officials who visited that city's HealthLine, a 6.8-mile bus route with many of the attributes of a light-rail line, want to build a similar system here."

His research pointed out that Cleveland's HealthLine trimmed a formerly 30-minute ride to 18 minutes, while boosting ridership and fueling some $4 billion in investment along the Euclid Avenue Corridor.

While Pittsburgh officials were skeptical that the BRTs would be a suitable (and far more affordable) alternative to light rail, they left Cleveland as supporters.

"This had the feel and the comfort of light rail," Allegheny County's development director Dennis Davin said in the article.

"We see this as a major regional economic development and real estate project," said Ken Zapinski, senior vice president for transportation and infrastructure for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

"This is really an urban revitalization project that happens to have buses involved," said Court Gould, executive director of Sustainable Pittsburgh.

Read the rest here.