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Barry McBride · Why Does Cleveland Tolerate the Dolans?
July 9th, 2008
Let’s get this straight, right off the bat: I love the Cleveland Indians. I always have, even though our relationship has been distant in recent years.
In high school, I could recite the name of every pitcher the Indians had on their staff since the early 70s, when I started following the team. While in grad school, I spent nearly every Tuesday night at the Out-R-Inn off of High Street, watching some surprisingly decent teams of the early-mid 80s play on Channel 43 (games started at 7:30, the drinking started around 7).
I thought dealing Blue Moon Odom for Roric Harrison was a steal. I remember Greg Swindell’s huge strikeout game, in ‘86, I believe. I remember the old Stadium selling out thanks to a gas station promotion and Don Schulze pitching one of the best games of his career. I remember Angelo LoGrande, Luis Medina, and Joe Charboneau. To me, Len Barker’s perfect game is as clear as yesterday.
When the team went to the World Series in 1995, it might have been the greatest experience in my life as a fan, exceeding even the Buckeyes resurgence under Jim Tressel and their national championship.
After all, it was newspaper headlines from the Indians 1995 division clinching game, featuring a brightly smiling Kenny Lofton, which were preserved in picture frames in my rec room. I kept scrapbooks of every newspaper article I could find during that 1995 run.
My wife and I took my infant daughter to a game to sit in the bleachers a few months after she was born in 1989. They gave her a free t-shirt which served as her night-gown for many nights as a toddler. The memory is as clear as day, like many of that team which was so special to me.
And this is why it is so hard for me to watch the Dolan family destroy the franchise. Read the rest of this entry »
Derek Arnold · A Love Letter to President Schwartz
July 3rd, 2008
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: Read the rest of this entry »
George Nemeth · Councilman Cummins’ Restructuring Proposal
July 3rd, 2008
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.”
Douglas Craver · How does your neighborhood score?
June 25th, 2008
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!
George Nemeth · Cleveland—Mostly Eroding?
June 23rd, 2008
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.
George Nemeth · Joe Pulizzi, Custom Media Innovator
June 18th, 2008
Congrats to Joe (a Clevelander) and Junta42 (a Cleveland company):
I was surprised and honored yesterday to receive the Custom Media Innovator of the Year award presented by American Business Media at the Union Club in New York City…
George Nemeth · What’s the opportunity?
June 6th, 2008
Yeah, we know it’s bad. What can we change now to alter the future?
“During the first nine weeks of the second quarter of 2008, Ohio new claims for unemployment have been 19.8 percent higher than they were during the first nine weeks of the second quarter of 2007…So, the problem of job losses from the continuing 2000s recession remains a statewide problem across Ohio and within the Cleveland-Akron-Lorain-Elyria region,” Zeller’s latest report says.
George Nemeth · Starting fresh tomorrow
June 3rd, 2008
Beautifully blogged:
I am reminding myself “we are in it together”. You are my brother/sister. I am picking up my own litter and stepping on my own heels because we are all connected. I have a hard time loving Cleveland sometimes. Like any substantial relationship, I vacillate in my shallower thoughts. Like any real union, I am steadfast in my dedication.
Gloria Ferris · NOACA Comes to Brooklyn Centre
June 2nd, 2008
Brooklyn Centre has been chosen by NOACA as the site for one of four workshops in 2008 conducted by the National Center for Biking and Walking (NCBW). NCBW will be conducting the four- hour workshop that will identify real-world problems and hands-on solutions for making our community a more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly place.
The workshop will include a powerpoint presentation, a walk through the neighborhood, breakout sessions, and a “next steps” action plan.
The workshop is free, and the public is invited to participate, but seats are limited. Please contact Rudy Hauret and Gloria Ferris, coordinators for this event sponsored by Brooklyn Centre Community Association.
There are a few slots left so if you have the free time during the middle of the day, go to upcoming for the details.
Ed Morrison · BFD Learning Moment: Workforce strategy in Racine County
June 1st, 2008
Cuyahoga County needs a workforce strategy, but it’s no secret Cleveland’s business, government and foundation leadership is having a tough time putting one together. (It’s not easy.) Here’s a good model to follow.
Racine County, WI released its workforce development strategy last week. The event is notable for a number of reasons.
- First, it shows how a workforce development organization is moving to orchestrate economic development strategy. The core issue for economic developers in the years ahead will be brainpower. Who has got it? Who knows how to develop it? Who can deliver it to the door step of growing businesses? Effective strategies require bridging the gaps among education, workforce development and economic development.
- Second, the report is remarkably free of jargon. Too often workforce development strategies are technical documents that fail to move people to action. They focus on compiling statistics, not telling a story. The Racine report is different. It focuses on a story.
- Third, the Racine report does a good job of outlining a set of strategic outcomes. How will Racine County be different? We have a sense of a clearer direction than most strategies…which depend too much on vacuous visions or bumper sticker slogans. (For example: “We will match our talent with jobs”)
- Fourth, the report organizes a relatively small set of high level metrics. Metrics are important for two reasons. First, they can help us understand what’s working. In other words, they are a tool of learning. Equally important, metrics keep our conversations focused over a sustained period of time.
- Finally, the folks in Racine rolled out their plan with a video. In other words, they focused on telling their story not just in print, but also on the web.
You can read more about the Racine County strategy from this article.
You can download a copy of the report here.
Racine is not the only place where people are dramatically rethinking workforce strategy. Recently in Nashville, folks learned what was happening in Oklahoma, as the state moves from a job training system to a talent development system.
That’s what WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development), an important federal initiative is all about. Learn more.
