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Throughout the day Thursday, downtown Cleveland passersby waited and waited to witness a staged car chase, crash and booming “explosions.”
Indeed, Thursday marked the first day crews were out in public preparing to film the new “Superman” movie.
Dump trucks unloaded big chunks of mangled fake concrete onto Superior Avenue. Lots of crumpled cars arrived on a flatbed. A fictitious Jitters Coffee has taken overRising Star Coffee’s storefront at the Arcade. The Leader Building now has a snazzy Daily Planet sphere over an entrance as the newspaper where Clark Kent, Lois Lane and others work.
No cameras were spotted on Day 1, however. That’s expected to change in the coming days as street closures remain in effect today and Saturday, and again next Tuesday. We’ll be there every day.
We’re also on the lookout for actors such as David Corenswet (Kent/Superman) and Rachel Brosnahan (Lane).
The movie is expected in theaters next summer. When you watch it and try to identify all the Cleveland landmarks, you can thank the Greater Cleveland Film Commission and an $11 million tax credit for luring the moviemakers to our city.
— Kristen Davis
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Cleveland transforms: Downtown Cleveland is ready for its closeup. On Thursday, a film crew for DC’s upcoming “Superman” movie started making Superior Avenue over for what it appears to be an explosive action scene. Joey Morona reports that means there will be some street closings.
FirstEnergy: A FirstEnergy executive indicted on bribery-related charges indicated he intends to call Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted as defense witnesses, reports Jake Zuckerman. Mike Dowling, a senior vice president of FirstEnergy who was accused alongside the company CEO of paying a $4.3 million bribe to a top DeWine appointee, included Ohio’s two top executive officials in a witness list filed late Tuesday afternoon.
Ransomware attack: Cleveland officials can’t yet say whether the recent ransomware attack allowed hackers to steal sensitive personal information from city employees and members of the public, reports Courtney Astolfi. A spokeswoman for Mayor Justin Bibb on Thursday didn’t definitively rule out the possibility that Cleveland could eventually pay a ransom to regain access to information that was potentially stolen, but said City Hall is not “actively negotiating” with the hackers and officials “have no intent of paying the ransom at this time.”
Today in Ohio: The U.S. Department of Justice intervened this week in a lawsuit over a state election law that says only a postal worker or a close relative can handle a voter’s mail-in ballot. We’re talking about whether that law disenfranchises people with disabilities on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
Reinstated license: The Ohio Supreme Court has reinstated the law license of a Noble County defense attorney who threw a Pringles potato chip can filled with his own feces into the parking lot of a crime-victim advocacy center, reports Jeremy Pelzer.
Minimum wage: U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to raise the national minimum wage to $17 an hour, reports Andrew Tobias. But, he said a proposed Ohio ballot measure that would raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2026 for nontipped workers and for all workers by 2029 is a step in the right direction.
Cleveland RNC: “Horrible” or not, Donald Trump now appears to be set to stay in Milwaukee for next month’s Republican National Convention after media reports in Chicago from earlier this week initially linked his overnight plans to the former president’s property in the Windy City. But Trump showed no public signs of foot-dragging when it came to the last big GOP convention, held in Cleveland in 2016, Andrew Tobias reports.
Space weapons: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner, a Dayton Republican, on Thursday compared the threat of Russian nuclear anti-satellite weapons to the Cuban Missile Crisis and accused President Joe Biden’s administration of failing to address it, reports Sabrina Eaton.
Tire retreading: Two congressional Democrats from Northeast Ohio want to incentivize consumers to purchase retreads as a way to encourage buying American-made tires and promote jobs at retreading facilities, reports Sabrina Eaton.
Recreational marijuana: State employees aged 21 and older can use recreational marijuana while they’re off duty, but only if they work in positions not subject to random drug testing, reports Laura Hanco*ck. The policy was updated in December after voters approved the initiated statute that allows adults aged 21 and older to use marijuana.
Record heat: Cleveland tied its record high temperature on the Juneteenth holiday amid a heat wave enveloping the region, reports Adam Ferrise. Cleveland broke the all-time temperature record on Monday and flirted with the record Tuesday. Wednesday marked the third consecutive day topping 90 degrees, making it the first June heat wave in Cleveland since 2017.
Surface temperatures: As the heatwave continues, Zachary Smith and Sean McDonnell went around Cleveland and its suburbs to measure the surface temperatures of different items people have to interact with everyday. Be careful this wee ... a plastic slide was measured at 152 degrees.
Kindland: On June 6, Kindland’s parent organization, Values in Action, celebrated its 30th anniversary with a “Values Matter” dinner-mixer and awards event, reports Peter Chakerian. Advance Ohio, which operates cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, was recognized for its ongoing Kindland series, which continues to bring readers face-to-face with stories of positivity, courage and kindness from all corners of Northeast Ohio.
Rocky River dinosaurs: If you’re out in any of Rocky River’s 10 city parks starting Sunday through July 14, you might spot a dinosaur, reports Cory Shaffer. Miniature figurines are hidden by Rocky River Parks and Recreation Foundation as part of the organization’s 2024 scavenger hunt.
UH layoffs: University Hospitals will eliminate more than 300 leadership positions as the health system continues taking steps to fix two years of budget shortfalls and cope with rising costs, reports Julie Washington. The cuts represent more than 10% of UH’s leadership.
Medina toxins: While toxic chemical releases have decreased throughout Northeast Ohio overall, Medina County saw an increase from 2021 to 2022, reports Zachary Smith. More than 218,000 pounds of toxic chemicals were released in 2022 than the year before.
Chemotherapy research: Cleveland Clinic researchers believe they may have discovered one of the ways that ovarian cancer cells resist chemotherapy, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen. The results may help them identify patients unlikely to benefit from the treatment, the researchers say.
College Now: College Now has named Warrensville Heights native Michele Scott Taylor as its new CEO, reports Megan Sims. The organization helps Northeast Ohioans pursue postsecondary education. She will take on the role at the start of 2025.
Ben Venue Laboratories: A pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Bedford that was once home to Ben Venue Laboratories has changed hands again, which will lead to more than 200 workers losing their jobs amid the transition, reports Sean McDonnell.
COVID cases: The number of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio climbed for the third straight week, going from 1,370 last week to 1,489 this week, reports Julie Washington.
Browns car crash: Lonnie Phelps, a defensive end for the Browns, was arrested Wednesday night and accused of crashing his SUV into a Florida restaurant and then refusing to cooperate with officers, according to a police report. Phelps was charged with drunken driving and damaging property after the accident at the Red Shoe Island Bistro, a high-end restaurant in Key West. The Browns have waived Phelps.
Child p*rnography: FBI agents found thousands of images of child p*rnography on the laptop of a former star of the reality TV show “90-day Fiancé,” reports Adam Ferrise. Michael J. Eloshway, 42, had 7,182 videos or images of child sexual assault on his computer seized from his home during a May 2023 raid, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer King wrote in court records.
Shooting conviction: A Cleveland man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for killing two people last year. A jury convicted Malik Blackwell, 23, last week of two counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of Timothy Nash and Anthony Norman.
Theft scheme: Yue Cao, 34, an employee at an Ohio bank, pilfered some $2.1 million from elderly customers’ accounts by stealing information he had access to and opening online accounts that he controlled, reports Adam Ferrise.
Firefighters honored: The Cleveland Division of Fire on Thursday honored the 50th anniversary of two firefighters who died in the line of duty, reports Olivia Mitchell.
Indictment: A Cuyahoga County grand jury handed up an indictment Thursday that accuses three men of killing a woman in front of her two children, reports Olivia Mitchell. The grand jury charged Jamar Skanes, 49, of Garfield Heights, Alontez Beasley, 34, of Cleveland, and Clarence Bennett, 43, of Cleveland, with aggravated murder, conspiracy to commit murder, murder and felonious assault.
Summer days: It’s the first official weekend of summer and there’s plenty to do across The Land, reports Joey Morona. The next few days are packed with festivals, concerts, theater performances and more. But which ones are worth your time?
Paddlefest postponed: In an unfortunate bit of irony, the Blazing Paddles Paddlefest planned for Saturday on the Cuyahoga River in downtown Cleveland has been postponed because of the blazing weather, Cliff Pinckard reports.
Great Council State Park: Susan Glaser reports on Ohio’s newest park, on land where the Shawnee people once gathered. The centerpiece of the park is a 12,000-square-foot interpretive center modeled after a historic Shawnee longhouse. Inside the center are dozens of exhibits that chronicle the tribe’s earliest years in what would become Ohio, as well as the state’s long and complicated history with Native Americans.
Rock climbing: Looking for a relatively affordable activity to try outside? Sean McDonnell tries rock climbing for the first time in our ongoing “Summer Camp for Grown-Ups” series.
Ohio Pie Co.: Ohio Pie Co. just launched Road Dogs Gotta Eat, an effort to feed bands that stop in Northeast Ohio for shows, reports Alex Darus. The pizza brand announced the news via Instagram with a bit of background about the idea.
Vegfest: The Cleveland Vegan Society returns with its annual Cleveland VegFest after a five-year hiatus, reports Peter Chakerian. The daylong event sprouts at the Huntington Convention Center this Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.
‘Hell on Wheels’: PETA is planning an in-person demonstration with its “Hell on Wheels” vehicle in downtown Cleveland this weekend to discourage locals from dining at Mabel’s BBQ, Shake Shack and other restaurants that serve meat, reports Alex Darus. The truck is a realistic rendition of a pig transport truck, covered with images of pigs in crates on their way to slaughterhouses.
Ask Yadi: Yadi Rodriguez answers a reader’s question about moving to a new venue for a family event after having a frustrating experience.
Firework displays: Downtown Cleveland Inc.’s annual Light Up The Lake fireworks are coming up for the Fourth of July, reports Marc Bona. The fireworks – which launch from the Port of Cleveland – are set to go off at dusk, approximately 10 p.m., and last for 20 minutes.
Vicious Biscuit: The first 100 guests today at Vicious Biscuit, 3900 Medina Road, Montrose, receive a free entrée every month for a year as long as theypurchase an entrée their first visit, reports Paris Wolfe. Everyone can enjoy $5 mimosas all day for this grand opening special. The restaurant opens at 7 a.m.
Don’t forget, you can always find the latest Cleveland news by visiting cleveland.com. If you value the hard work of Cleveland journalists, consider becoming a cleveland.com subscriber.
— Curated by content director Laura Johnston with contributions by by Cliff Pinckard
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