THE STATE OF THE FREE PRESS 2025
The story being censored could be yours (whether you know it or not)!
By Paul Rosenberg
REWIND: 1972
Fleetwood Mac led the cover that December and honestly should have been on every cover since.
A Year of Stories, a Year of
We published more than 1,000 stories during the past year on, well, just about anything a Clevelander could care about -- the ever-evolving discussions on the future of Cleveland’s lakefront, the ever-present drama at Cleveland city council, the dynamic and growing food scene, the shows we went to and the ones you should have been at, the creatives continuing to push the city’s art scene in new and exciting directions.
Carrying on Scene’s historic legacy in Cleveland isn’t something we take lightly, and our small but mighty newsroom takes it as our North Star to do so with integrity and an eye and ear to what matters to residents.
This doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Hundreds of thousands of you have read our stories over the past year, informing what we cover and how, providing feedback (even when it’s filled with vulgarities and insults), and hopefully taking what you learned and turning it into action, whether that means supporting a new restaurant, checking out a gallery, taking your research into the voting booth or calling a council person about something happening in your community.
It’s always a conversation, and one that
Thanks
we enjoy. Sometimes that’s simply clicking on a link, sometimes that’s getting in touch with a tip. Sometimes it’s telling us how we failed and can improve.
As we turn the calendars to 2025 and a year that already promises plenty of turmoil and promise in every corner of the region, we wanted to say thank you for engaging with Scene, however you do so.
Should you think Scene an indispensable part of your media diet, if you feel that Cleveland is better off with a strong independent local outlet that digs a little deeper, that calls BS when it’s merited, that tells stories you won’t find anywhere else, we’d also ask that you consider becoming a Scene Supporter at clevelandscene.fundjournalism.org. One-time donations are encouraged, recurring monthly donations are welcome, and we promise to put your money to good use. Thank you to all of you who have already done so.
Here’s to another year of muckraking, bad jokes, good food, civic drama and all manner of Cleveland weirdness.
Cheers, Vince Grzegorek Editor-in-Chief Cleveland Scene
UPFRONT
’THIS IS MY DESTINY’: TIM MISNY MOCKUMENTARY IN THE WORKS FOR SUMMER 2025 RELEASE
By Mark Oprea
WHEN CONSIDERING TIM
Misny’s brand recognition across Northeast Ohio, there’s no doubt that it’s prodigious.
Ask your best friend, your coworker or your neighbor, and they’ll know. They drive daily by one of Misny’s 299 billboards across the state. They’ve seen his 15-second commercials, or the music video or Mike Polk Jr.’s comedy skit that parodies them. They know about Misny’s “people’s” eyebrow and, of course, his trademark phrase: “I’ll make them pay.” (A phrase Misny has actually legally trademarked since 2009.)
And come next summer, they will have a new piece of media to further bolster Ohio’s most-advertised megalawyer: a mockumentary on Misny’s seven decades of life, set to begin airing at international film festivals and freemium streaming services by August 2025.
Currently in the pre-production stages, the hour-long feature on Misny and his 43-year-long climb to legal stardom and to beatification as a Cleveland meme is being produced by Moe Taylor, the head of BrainDagger Films.
Used to making psychedelic films on subjects such as hallucinogens and pandemic-era Costa Rican life, Taylor and his assistant producer, Matthew Klesel, decided to pursue a project on Misny after a late November brainstorm in Ohio City. Taylor had just started a film festival based in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico, and seemed to be hunting locally for a subject worthy of an hour of mockumentary.
Almost instantly, at a table at Sacred Vortex, Misny’s name popped up. As did the format they would tell it in.
“Our vision is somewhat like, ‘millennial meme culture meets 60 Minutes meets ‘Billy On The Street’,” Klesel, 35, told Scene. “And we’re gonna kind of weave it into a Documentary Now type of vibe.”
“There’s total potential and appeal,” Taylor, 46, added nearby. Because “everyone thinks they’re buddies with Misny because they see him every day, but they don’t really know anything about him.”
Misny, who gave Taylor the go ahead “almost immediately” on November 21, said he saw
BrainDagger’s pitch to cover his life story in a mock format as a natural extension of his own reach in the public sphere. A kind of bookend to his first ever TV appearance in 1993. (“When I had hair,” Misny joked.)
Also, Misny is set to turn 70 in April. A film, following four decades of fighting wrongful death and injury mixed with a kind of folk hero recognition, felt like the right way to start his legacy era.
“I feel that my life has kind of evolved to the point where I feel for the first time in my life—I feel very calm, very purposeful,” Misny said recently, sitting on a leather sofa in his hunting lodge in Misnyland, his 80-acre estate in Waite Hill, Ohio. “I feel that I found my identity of who I am and why I’m here.”
As he likes to tell it, Misny’s sense of identity—that i’ll-fight-for-you personal injury lawyer feared by all—started when he was eight years old. The grandchild of Slovak and Croatian immigrants, Misny was taken to Tower City often by his grandmother, Veronica, that was sort of a posttraumatic experience: his grandfather, Joseph Vulich, had fallen to his death years earlier during a bricklaying job.
It was, Misny said, the wrongful death case to begin a career of wrongful death cases.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, Misny seemed to always find a way to weave the personal with the professional. As a reporter for the
Sun News, he was once punished for penning a fictional obituary. In his late twenties, as an assistant prosecutor for the City of Euclid, Misny made a routine of starting trial with a turn of phrase, a kind of hook to capture the jury.
Chasing authenticity was a dictum Misny said came straight from his legal mentor, attorney David Lombardi. “He always said, ‘Never tell a lie’” in court, Misny recalled. “Think of a five-gallon, clear jug of water. Take one black drop of ink, and 20 minutes later, the whole thing is gray.”
Amateurish TV spots showed a balding Misny attracting potential clients with a sharp pointer finger aired come the 1990s. Ads that would, along with garnering cases against healthcare insurers or the RTA, turn Misny into a kind of local celebrity. One in the class of the hoarse furniture guru Mark Norton and comedy duo Big Chuck and Lil’ John.
But it wasn’t until the late aughts when Misny seemed to find his real footing in branching out into the public sphere. A client’s grandmother had been riled by a doctor who had put her eight-year-old grandson on life support. An artery had been cut. The doctor was, Misny proved, poorly trained.
“The grandma poked her skinny little index finger in my chest and she said, ‘Now, you go make them pay,’” Misny recalled, using a brow and finger for emphasis. “And I said, ‘Yes, ma’am, I promise I will.”
Misny’s success, both as an overbranded folk hero and as a Robin Hood fighting hospitals, has led to an irony for a man with hundreds of employees, 20 offices statewide, which get, he said, 13,000 inquiries per week. (Of which Misny takes “less than five percent.”) And millions from lawsuit cuts. Which Misny is well aware of, sitting comfortably, despite a recently-torn meniscus, by a three-foot tall fireplace, sipping kombucha in his two-story hunting lodge on an 80-acre plot of land named after him. An estate with all the trappings of wealth -- an enclosed pool, a baseball diamond down the drive.
“You know, if someone said I’m anticapitalist, it’s kind of hypocritical—I live at Misnyland,” Misny said. He looked at the 10-foot-tall fake giraffe across the room. At a glass casing full of deer antlers. At dozens of photos of his wife, Stephanie, and three kids. “There are times I think, is this all real?”
On two tall chairs nearby, Taylor and Klesel grin with an infectious awe: Misny is here oh my god.
“The number one thing I want people to know in this film: He is a goofball. He is a nice guy. He is a funny dude,” Taylor said. “He is not a big mean guy that is just pointing at you.”
Klesel smiled at Misny. “I mean, I’ve never met a lawyer that I wanted to be friends with.”
Photo by Mark Oprea
STATE OF THE FREE PRESS 2025
The Story Being Censored Could Be Yours (Whether You Know It Or Not)!
By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
WITH ANY “TOP 10” LIST, there’s a natural tendency to look first at number one, and neither I nor Project Censored would discourage you from doing that, when it comes to their annual list of the top censored stories of the year. This year, the top story is about workplace deaths and injuries — with striking racial disparities, particularly for much-maligned foreign-born workers. Injury rates for southern service workers — predominantly Black — are especially alarming, 87% in one year, according to one poll. Sensationalized deaths and injuries make the news all the time, but workplace deaths and injuries (nearly 6,000, and 2.8 million respectively in a year) are another matter altogether. They’re a non-story, even when advocates strive to shine a light on them.
But this pattern of what’s deemed newsworthy and what isn’t leads to a deep point. In the introduction to the list, Associate Director Andy Lee Roth writes that “readers can only appreciate the full significance of the Project’s annual listing of important but underreported stories by stepping back to perceive deeper, less obvious patterns of omission in corporate news coverage.” And I couldn’t agree more. This has always been a theme of mine as long as I’ve been reviewing their lists, because the patterns of what’s being blocked out of the public conversation are the clearest way of seeing the censoring process at work — the process that Project Censored founder Carl Jensen described as “the suppression of information, whether purposeful or not, by any method … that prevents the public from fully knowing what is happening in its society.”
It’s not just that somehow all the news assignment editors in America overlooked this or that story. Where there are patterns of omission so consistently, year after year, they can only be explained by systemic biases rooted in the interests of particularly
powerful special interests. What’s more, in addition to patterns of omission in the stories as a whole, one can also find intersecting patterns within individual stories. The above description of the top story is an example: race, class, region, citizenship status and more are all involved.
At a big-picture level, there are three dealing with cyber issues and four that are each clearly dealing with the environment, corporate misconduct, harm to consumers and race. Or perhaps I should say seven dealing with race, the more I think about what “clearly” means. Two of the four stories I counted as dealing with race involved global environmental issues, which almost always have an obvious racial component, while a third, “Abortion Services Censored on Social Platforms Globally,” disproportionately impacts minorities in the U.S., as well globally. Those I counted as “clearly” with no problem. But another three are pretty damn clear, too, with a moment’s thought.
For example, story number seven, “Military Personnel Target Gen Z Recruits with Lurid Social Media Tactics” clearly involves cyber deception of social media consumers with the aim of luring them into a dangerous workplace from which they cannot simply resign once they realize they’ve been lied to or conned. But in addition to cyber, consumer and workplace harm, the target audience and resulting recruits are undoubtedly disproportionately non-white, though that’s not explicitly dwelt on. The same could be said for two other stories: “New Federal Rule Limits Transcript Withholding by Colleges and Universities” and “Controversial AcquittedConduct Sentencing Challenged by US Commission.” Anything involving education or the criminal justice system is bound to involve disproportionate harm to minorities, as statistics invariably show. In fact, all 10
could well reflect this reality. But that’s enough to make my point clear.
I’m dwelling on race because it’s important, but also because it’s easily highlighted in this context. But there are other hidden connections to be found in these stories as well. I’ll leave those as an exercise for the reader, as they say in the trade. But the point is, as you do more than just simply read these stories — as you reflect on them, on why they’re censored, whose stories they are, what harms are being suffered, whose humanity is being denied — you will find yourself seeing the world more from the point of view of those being excluded from the news, and from the point of view that you’re interconnected with them at the least, if not one of them too.
1. Thousands Killed and Injured on the Job, with Significant Racial Disparities in Deaths and Injuries
Working in America is becoming more dangerous, especially for minorities, according to recent studies reported on by Truthout and Peoples Dispatch, while the same isn’t true for other developed nations.
Workplace fatalities increased 5.7% in the 2021-2022 period covered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics or BLS’s Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Tyler Walicek reported for Truthout. “Nearly 6,000 U.S. workers died on the job,” he wrote — a 10-year high — while “a startling total of 2.8 million were injured or sickened” according to another BLS report.
The racial disparities were sharp. The average workplace death rate was 3.7 deaths per hundred thousand full-time workers, but it was 24.3% higher (4.6 deaths) for Latiné workers and 13.5% higher (4.2 deaths) for Black workers. The majority
of Latiné deaths (63.5%) were of foreignborn workers, and 40% of those were in construction. “It’s not hard to imagine that communication lapses between workers on an active construction site could feasibly create dangerous situations,” Walicek noted. Transportation incidents were the highest cause of fatalities within both groups. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals were second highest for Black workers, for Hispanic or Latiné workers it was falls, slips, or trips. Black people and women were particularly likely to be homicide victims. Black people represented 13.4% of all fatalities, but 33.4% of homicide fatalities — more than twice the base rate. Women represented 8.1% of all fatalities, but 15.3% of homicide fatalities — a little less than twice the base rate.
The non-fatal injury rate for service workers in the South, particularly workers of color, is also alarmingly high, according to an April 5, 2023 report by Peoples Dispatch summarizing findings from a March 2023 survey by the Strategic Organizing Center or SOC. The poll of 347 workers, most of whom were Black, “found that a shocking 87% were injured on the job in the last year,” they reported. In addition, “More than half of survey respondents reported observing serious health and safety standard [violations] at work,” and “most workers worried about their personal safety on the job, most believe that their employer prioritizes profit over safety, most do not raise safety issues for fear of retaliation, and the vast majority (72%) believe that their employer’s attitude ‘places customer satisfaction above worker safety.’”
“Compared to other developed countries, the United States consistently underperforms in providing workers with on-thejob safety,” Project Censored noted. “Walicek argued that this is a direct consequence of ‘the diminution of worker power and regulatory oversight’ in the United States.” U.S. workplace fatality rates exceeded those in the UK, Canada, Australia and much of Europe, according to a 2021 assessment by the consulting firm Arinite Health and Safety, Walicek reported.
“Workers are increasingly organizing to fight back against hazardous working conditions,” Project Censored noted, citing a civil rights complaint against South Carolina’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration or SC OSHA filed by members of the recently-formed Union of Southern Service Workers or USSW “for failing to protect Black workers from hazardous working conditions,” as reported by the Post and Courier of Charleston, South Carolina. The USSW complaint alleged that “from 2018 to 2022, SC OSHA conducted no programmed inspections in the food/beverage and general merchandise industries, and only one such inspection in the food services and warehousing industries.” On April 4, 2023, when it filed the complaint, USSW went on a one-day strike in Georgia and the Carolinas, to expose unsafe working conditions in the service industry. It marked the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination while supporting a sanitation workers strike in Memphis, Tennessee. Then on Dec. 7, USSW sent a petition to federal OSHA requesting that it revoke South Carolina’s state OSHA plan “because the Plan has failed to maintain an effective enforcement program.”
Neither the BLS findings nor the conflict between the USSW and SC OSHA have received much corporate media coverage. The BLS fatalities report was released in December 2023, with no U.S. daily newspaper coverage when Project Censored’s analysis was done. There was a story on the Minnesota findings by FOX in Minneapolis-St. Paul the month the report was released. And a full story on Green Bay ABC affiliate WBAY on April 12, 2024, “as part of its coverage of ‘Work Zone Safety Awareness Week.’” Project Censored noted.
“Corporate coverage of the conflict between the USSW and SC OSHA has also been scant,” they noted. While independent, nonprofits like DC Report, “have consistently paid more attention,” there were but two corporate examples cited covering the second action: Associated Press and Bloomberg Law, but neither addressed the issue of racial disparities.
In conclusion, Project Censored noted, “The corporate media’s refusal to cover the harsh realities of workplace deaths and injuries — and the obvious
racial disparities in who is hurt and killed on the job — makes the task of organizing to address occupational safety at a national level that much more difficult.”
2. A “Vicious Circle” of Climate Debt Traps World’s Most Vulnerable Nations
Low-income countries who contributed virtually nothing to the climate crisis are caught in a pattern described as a “climate debt trap” in a September 2023 World Resources Institute report authored by Natalia Alayza, Valerie Laxton and Carolyn Neunuebel.
“After years of pandemic, a global recession, and intensifying droughts, floods and other climate change impacts, many developing countries are operating on increasingly tight budgets and at risk of defaulting on loans,” they wrote. “High-interest rates, short repayment periods, and . . . the coexistence of multiple crises (like a pandemic paired with natural disasters) can all make it difficult for governments to meet their debt servicing obligations.”
“Global standards for climate resilience require immense national budgets,” Project Censored noted. “Developing countries borrow from international creditors, and as debt piles up, governments are unable to pay for essential needs, including public health programs, food security, and climate protections.”
In fact, The Guardian ran a story describing how global South nations are “forced to invest in fossil fuel projects to repay debts,” a process critics have characterized as a “new form of colonialism.” They cited a report from anti-debt campaigners Debt Justice and partners which found that “the debt owed by global south countries has increased by 150% since 2011 and 54 countries are in a debt crisis, having to spend five times more on repayments than on addressing the climate crisis.”
Like the climate crisis itself, the climate debt trap was foreseeable in advance. “A prescient report published by Dissent in 2013, Andrew Ross’s “Climate Debt Denial,” provides a stark reminder that the climate debt trap now highlighted by the World Resources Institute and others was predictable more than a decade ago,” Project Censored notes. But that report highlighted much earlier warnings and efforts to address the problem.
The concept of an ecological debt owed to the global South for the resource exploitation that fueled the global North’s development was first introduced “in the lead-up to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro,” Ross noted. Subsequently, “The Kyoto Protocol laid the groundwork for such claims in 1997 by including the idea of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ among nations, but climate activists did not fully take up the call for debt justice until the Copenhagen summit in 2009.” Prior to that summit, in 2008, NASA climatologist James Hansen estimated the U.S. historical carbon debt at 27.5% of the world total, $31,035 per capita.
While a “loss and damage” fund “to assist developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change” was established at the 2022 Climate Summit, its current commitments ($800 million) fall far short of the $100 billion more each year by 2030 which the 14 developing countries on the fund’s board have argued for. Some estimates place the figure much higher, “at around $400 billion,” according to a Euronews story last June.
The climate debt trap “has received limited news coverage,” Project Censored notes. Aside from The Guardian, “ independent news coverage has been limited to outlets that specialize in climate news.” Neither of the two corporate media examples it cited approached it from debtor countries’ point of view. In May 2023, Bloomberg’s “ analysis catered to the financial interests of international investors,” while a December 2023 New York Times report “focused primarily on defaults to the United States and China, with less focus on how poorer countries will combat deficits, especially as climate change escalates.”
3. Saltwater Intrusion Threatens U.S. Freshwater Supplies
Sea-level rise is an easy-tograsp consequence of global warming, but the most immediate threat it poses — saltwater intrusion into freshwater systems — has only received sporadic localized treatment in the corporate press. “In fall 2023, saltwater traveling from the Gulf of Mexico up the Mississippi River infiltrated the freshwater systems of the delta region, contaminating drinking and agricultural water supplies as well as inland ecosystems,” Project Censored notes. “This crisis prompted a scramble to supply potable water to the region and motivated local and federal officials to issue emergency declarations.”
While outlets like Time, CNN and CBS News covered the saltwater intrusion at the time, they “focused almost exclusively on the threat to coastal Louisiana,” but “a pair of articles published in October 2023 by Delaney Nolan for The Guardian and [hydrogeologist] Holly Michael for The Conversation highlighted the escalating threat of saltwater intrusion across the United States and beyond.”
“Deep below our feet, along every coast, runs the salt line: the zone where fresh inland water meets salty seawater,” Nolan wrote. “That line naturally shifts back and forth all the time, and weather events like floods and storms can push it further out. But rising seas are gradually drawing the salt line in,” he warned. “In Miami, the salt line is creeping inland by about 330 feet per year. Severe drought – as the Gulf coast and midwest have been experiencing this year – draw the salt line even further in.”
“Seawater intrusion into groundwater is happening all over the world, but perhaps the most threatened places are communities on low-lying islands,” such as the Marshall Islands, which is
“predicted to be uninhabitable by the end of the century,” Michael wrote. Here in the U.S., “Experts said the threat was widespread but they were especially concerned about cities in Louisiana, Florida, the Northeast, and California,” Nolan reported.
“Fresh water is essential for drinking, irrigation and healthy ecosystems,” Michael wrote. “When seawater moves inland, the salt it contains can wreak havoc on farmlands, ecosystems, lives and livelihoods.” For example, “Drinking water that contains even 2% seawater can increase blood pressure and stress kidneys. If saltwater gets into supply lines, it can corrode pipes and produce toxic disinfection by-products in water treatment plants. Seawater intrusion reduces the life span of roads, bridges and other infrastructure.”
While Time, CNN and CBS News focused narrowly on coastal Louisiana, Project Censored noted that some news outlets, “including FOX Weather and Axios” misreported the threat as “only temporary rather than a longterm problem.” More generally, “corporate media typically treat saltwater intrusion as a localized issue affecting specific coastal regions,” they wrote. “Aside from a brief article in Forbes acknowledging the growing problem for coastal regions in the US and around the world, corporate media have largely resisted portraying saltwater intrusion as a more widespread and escalating consequence of climate change.”
4. Natural Gas Industry Hid Health and Climate Risks of Gas Stoves
While gas stoves erupted as a culture war issue in 2023, reporting by Vox and NPR (in partnership with the Climate Investigations Center) revealed a multi-decade campaign by the natural gas industry using tobacco industry’s tactics to discredit evidence of harm, thwart regulation, and promote the use of gas stoves. While gas stoves are a
health hazard, the amount of gas used isn’t that much, but “house builders and real estate agents say many buyers demand a gas stove,” which makes it more likely they’ll use more high-volume appliances, “such as a furnace, water heater and clothes dryer,” NPR explained. “That’s why some in the industry consider the stove a ‘gateway appliance.’”
In a series of articles for Vox, environmental journalist Rebecca Leber “documented how the gas utility industry used strategies previously employed by the tobacco industry to avoid regulation and undermine scientific evidence establishing the harmful health and climate effects of gas stoves,” Project Censored noted.
“The basic scientific understanding of why gas stoves are a problem for health and the climate is on solid footing,” she reported. “It’s also common sense. When you have a fire in the house, you need somewhere for all that smoke to go. Combust natural gas, and it’s not just smoke you need to worry about. There are dozens of other pollutants, including the greenhouse gas methane, that also fill the air.”
The concerns aren’t new. “Even in the early 1900s, the natural gas industry knew it had a problem with the gas stove,” Leber recounts. It was cleaner than coal or wood — its main competition at the time, “but new competition was on the horizon from electric stoves.” They avoided scrutiny for generations, but, “Forty years ago, the federal government seemed to be on the brink of regulating the gas stove,” she wrote. “Everything was on the table, from an outright ban to a modification of the Clean Air Act to address indoor air pollution.” The gas industry fought back with a successful multiprong attack, that’s being mounted again today, and “Some of the defenders of the gas stove are the same consultants who have defended tobacco and chemicals industries in litigation over health problems.”
Documents obtained by NPR and CIC tell a similar story. The industry “focused on convincing consumers and regulators that cooking with gas is as risk-free as cooking with electricity,” they reported. “As the scientific evidence grew over time about the health effects from gas stoves, the industry used a playbook echoing the one that tobacco companies employed for decades to fend off
regulation. The gas utility industry relied on some of the same strategies, researchers and public relations firms.”
“I think it’s way past the time that we were doing something about gas stoves,” says Dr. Bernard Goldstein, who began researching the subject in the 1970s. “It has taken almost 50 years since the discovery of negative effects on children of nitrogen dioxide from gas stoves to begin preventive action. We should not wait any longer,” he told NPR.
“By covering gas stoves as a culture war controversy, corporate media have ignored the outsize role of the natural gas industry in influencing science, regulation, and consumer choice,” Project Censored noted. Instead, they’ve focused on individual actions, local moves to phase out gas hookups for new buildings and rightwing culture war opposition to improving home appliance safety and efficiency, including the GOP Housepassed “Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act.”
5. Abortion Services Censored on Social Platforms Globally
On the first national election day after Dobbs, PlanC, a nonprofit that provides information about access to the abortion pill, posted a TikTok video encouraging people to vote to protect reproductive rights. Almost immediately, its account was suddenly banned. This was but one example of a worldwide cross-platform pattern.
“Access to online information about abortion is increasingly under threat both in the United States and around the world,” the Women’s Media Center or WMC reported in November 2023.
“Both domestic and international reproductive health rights and justice organizations have reported facing censorship of their websites on social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok as well as
on Google.” The governments of South Korea, Turkey and Spain have also blocked the website of Women on Web, which provides online abortion services and information in over 200 countries. At the same time abortion disinformation, for fake abortion clinics, remains widespread.
“Women’s rights advocacy groups are calling the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade the catalyst for the suppression of reproductive health information on social media,” Project Censored noted. “Hashtags for #mifepristone and #misoprostol, two drugs used in medical abortions, were hidden on Instagram after the Dobbs decision, the WMC reported,” as part of a wider pattern.
Within weeks of the decision, U.S. senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Amy Klobuchar (DMN) wrote to Meta, Ars Technica reported, questioning what the company was doing to stop abortion censorship on their platforms. “The senators also took issue with censorship of health care workers, Ars Technica wrote, “including a temporary account suspension of an ‘organization dedicated to informing people in the United States about their abortion rights.’”
“US state legislatures are currently considering banning access to telehealth abortion care,” Project Censored noted. “Furthermore, CNN reported that ‘at the end of 2023, nine states where abortion remained legal still had restricted telehealth abortions in some way.’”
There are similar censorship problems with Meta and Google worldwide, according to a March 2024 report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate or CCDH and MSI Reproductive Choices, which provides contraception and abortion services in 37 countries. This sparked a Guardian article by Weronika Strzyżyńska. “In Africa, Facebook is the go-to place for reproductive health information for many women,” MSI’s global marketing manager, Whitney Chinogwenya, told the Guardian. “We deal with everything from menopause to menstruation but we find that all our content is censored.” She explained that “Meta viewed reproductive health content through ‘an American lens,’” the Guardian reported, “applying socially conservative US values to posts published in countries with progressive poli-
cies such as South Africa, where abortion on request is legal in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.”
Abortion disinformation is also a threat — particularly the promotion of “crisis pregnancy centers” or CPCs which masquerade as reproductive healthcare clinics but discourage rather than provide abortion services. WMC reported on a June 2023 CCDH report, which “found that CPCs spent over $10 million on Google Search ads for their clinics over the past two years.” Google claimed to have “removed particular ads,” said Callum Hood, CCDH’s head of research, “but they did not take action on the systemic issues with fake clinic ads.”
“Women’s rights organizations and reproductive health advocates have been forced to squander scarce resources fighting this sort of disinformation online,” Project Censored noted, which has gotten some coverage, but “As of June 2024, corporate coverage of abortion censorship has been limited.” The sole CNN story it cited ran immediately after the Dobbs decision, before most of the problems fully emerged. “There appeared to be more corporate media focus on abortion disinformation rather than censorship,” they added. “Independent reporting from Jezebel, and Reproaction via Medium, have done more to draw attention to this issue.”
6. Global Forest Protection Goals at Risk
The UN’s goal to end deforestation by 2030 is unlikely to be met, according to the 2023 annual Forest Declaration Assessment, Olivia Rosane reported for Common Dreams in October 2023. The goal was announced to great fanfare at the 2021 UN summit in Glasgow, but the failure of follow-through has received almost no notice.
The same month, the World Wildlife Fund issued its first
Forest Pathways Report, in which it warned:
The two largest tropical forests are at risk of reaching tipping points. This would release billions of tonnes of carbon and have devastating consequences for the millions of people who depend on the stability of their ecosystems. It would also have a global impact on our climate and catastrophic effects on biodiversity.
The problem is money, according to the report. “We are investing in activities that are harmful for forests at far higher rates than we are investing in activities that are beneficial for forests,” the coordinator of the report, Erin Matson, told Common Dreams. To meet the UN’s 2030 goal would require $460 billion annually, according to the report, but only $2.2 billion is being invested. Meanwhile more than 100 times as much public finance is “committed to activities that have the potential to drive deforestation or forest degradation,” known as “gray” finance, the report explained.
While the overall picture is dark, not all countries are failing. “Well over 50 countries are on track to eliminate deforestation within their borders by 2030,” the report noted.
As the report’s lead author, Mary Gagen, noted in an article published by The Conversation, “Global forest loss in 2022 was 6.6 million hectares, an area about the size of Ireland. That’s 21% more than the amount that would keep us on track to meet the target of zero deforestation by 2030, agreed in Glasgow.” At 33% over the necessary target, loss of tropical rainforests was “even more pronounced,” Gagen reported.
In her article, Gagen emphasized four key recommendations: (1) Accelerate the recognition of Indigenous peoples and local communities’ right to own and manage their lands, territories and resources. (2) Provide more money, both public and private, to support sustainable forest economies. (3) Reform the rules of global trade that harm forests, getting deforesting commodities out of global supply chains, and removing barriers to forest-friendly goods, and (4) Shift towards nature-based and bio economies.
Corporate media in the U.S. ignored both reports, though one story in the Washington Post discussed the subject the month after both reports were issued, but “made no direct reference to either of them,” Project Censored summarized. In contrast, “International outlets, including Germany’s DW and France 24, a state-owned television network, did produce substantive reports based on the Forest Declaration Assessment.”
7. Military Personnel Target Gen Z Recruits with Lurid Social Media Tactics
“If the military was a great, honorable profession, then they wouldn’t need to spend $6 billion a year bribing people to join,” journalist and veteran Rosa del Duca explained. Nonetheless, 2022 was the worst year for recruitment since 1973, when the draft was abolished. That’s the background to the story Alan MacLeod reported for MintPress News about the military, “using e-girls to recruit Gen Z into service.”
While MacLeod also deals with the army sponsoring YouTube stars — male and female — to “join” for a day as part of whole spectrum of social media efforts, his main subject is Army Psychological Operations Specialist Hailey Lujan, whose online videos feature “sexually suggestive content alongside subtle (and sometimes not-sosubtle) calls to join up,” Macleod reports. “The 21-year-old makes content extolling the fun of Army life to her 731,000 TikTok followers. ‘Don’t go to college, become a farmer or a soldier instead,’ she instructs viewers in a recent video. ‘Just some advice for the younger people: if you’re not doing school, it’s ok. I dropped out of college. And I’m doing great,’ she adds.”
Project Censored noted, “Lujan’s videos seemingly violate the code of conduct of the im -
ageconscious US military, and it is unclear what role the military has in producing Lujan’s content.” But that ambiguity is part of the allure.
“There are many active duty service members with large social media followings, but what makes Lujan stand out is her offbeat, Gen-Z style humor and how she leans into the idea that she is a military propaganda operation,” Macleod writes. “With videos titled ‘My handlers made me post this’, “’Not endorsed by the DoD :3’ or ‘most wholesome fedpost’, she revels in layers of irony and appears to enjoy the whole ‘am I or aren’t I’ question that people in her replies and mentions constantly debate.”
“I can’t believe she’s getting away with posting some of this stuff,” said del Duca in an interview with MintPress News, “Everyone learns in boot camp that when you are in uniform, you cannot act unprofessionally, or you get in deep trouble.” The Defense Department didn’t respond when MacLeod reached out for clarification.
“Lujan is not the only online military influencer, but her overt use of her sensuality and her constant encouragement of her followers to enlist make her noteworthy.” Project Censored noted. “She is using her femininity to recruit legions of lustful teens into an institution with an infamous record of sexism and sexual assault against female soldiers.” MacLeod wrote. “The branches of the US military are no stranger to partnerships with entertainment giants that traditionally engage viewers from all walks of life — as in armed forces’ partnerships with the National Football League. But this new attempt to appeal to niche youth audiences has not been scrutinized,” Project Censored said.
“It is now well-established (if not well-known) that the Department of Defense also fields a giant clandestine army of at least 60,000 people whose job it is to influence public opinion, the majority doing so from their keyboards,” MacLeod reported, adding that a 2021 Newsweek exposé “warned that this troll army was likely breaking both domestic and international law.” As of May 2024, Project Censored reported “no new coverage on this specific instance” that appears to take such lawbreaking to a new level.
8. New Federal Rule Limits
Transcript Withholding by Colleges and Universities
More than six million students have “stranded credits” due to the practice of colleges and universities withholding students’ transcripts to force them to repay loan debts. But a new federal Department of Education regulation will make withholding more difficult, Sarah Butrymowicz and Meredith Kolodner reported for The Hechinger Report in December 2023. Transcript withholding “has become a growing worry for state and federal regulators,” they wrote. “Critics say that it makes it harder for students to earn a degree or get a job, which would allow them to earn enough to pay back their debts. But the system of oversight is patchwork; no single federal agency bans it, state rules vary and there are significant challenges with monitoring the practice.” The rule was part of a package also intended to “strengthen the U.S. Department of Education’s ability to protect students and taxpayers from the negative effects of sudden college closures,” the DOE said in a press release. It went into effect in July 2024. Specifically, it prevents withholding a transcript for terms in which a student received federal financial aid and paid off the balance for the term.
“As Katherine Knott reported for Inside Higher Education ... the new policy is part of a set of regulations intended to enhance the DOE’s oversight of institutions by providing additional tools to hold all colleges accountable,” Project Censored explained. “But these protections do not apply to institutions that accept no federal student aid, including many for-profit colleges.” However, “The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is also investigating transcript withholding, which the Bureau has deemed
abusive because the practice is ‘designed to gain leverage over borrowers and coerce them into making payments.’”
“It’s a huge step forward, and it’s really going to benefit a lot of people,” Martin Kurzweil, an official at consulting firm Ithaka S+R, told Knott. The firm first identified the problem in a paper three years ago. He called the decision “stunning,” given it was just three years since his firm identified the problem.
“That’s lightning speed in policy terms,” he told Knott. “It speaks to the salience of this issue and unfairness in transcript withholding. I commend the Education Department for taking this so seriously.” Practically, it’s essentially a national ban, he added. “I suspect that for a lot of institutions, it’ll be more trouble than it’s worth to try to carve off a term that was completed but not fully paid for. It’ll be administratively difficult.”
Another expert — Edward Conroy, a senior policy advisor at the New America think tank, told The Hechinger Report something similar: that it probably helps all students, not just ones getting federal aid. “It wouldn’t completely surprise me if one of the institutional reactions was, ‘We’re just going to stop doing this period,’” Conroy told them.
“The number of students who are paying completely out of pocket isn’t that big; you don’t want to have separate administrative systems.”
This has already been seen at the state level, The Hechinger Report noted:
For instance, in 2022, Colorado passed a law prohibiting withholding transcripts from students requesting them for several reasons including needing to provide it to an employer, another college or the military. Carl Einhaus, a senior director at the Colorado Department of Education says that most institutions found it too burdensome to differentiate between which transcript requests were required by law to be honored and which weren’t and have opted to grant all requests.
Corporate news coverage has been limited as of May 2024, Project Censored noted. There has been only limited corporate news coverage of the
transcript withholding rule. When the rule package was announced in October 2023, the Washington Post published a substantive report on the package, emphasizing the protections from sudden college closures, but only briefly noted the issue of transcript withholding. Early reporting in U.S. News & World Report and the New York Times (in a partnership with The Hechinger Report) did cover the issue. But the government’s response has gone virtually unnoticed.
9. Controversial AcquittedConduct Sentencing Challenged by U.S. Commission
You might be surprised — even shocked — to learn that federal judges can determine defendants’ sentences based on charges they’ve been acquitted of by a jury. But in April 2024, the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) — a bipartisan panel that creates guidelines for the federal judiciary — voted to end the practice as it applies to “calculating a sentence range under the federal guidelines.”
The change will significantly limit federal judges’ use of acquitted-conduct sentencing, as the legal news service Law360 and Reason magazine reported. The commission voted unanimously
“to prohibit judges from using acquitted conduct to increase the sentences of defendants who receive mixed verdicts at trial,” Stewart Bishop reported for Law360, but was “divided” on whether its proposal ought to apply retroactively. There are still narrow circumstances where such conduct can be considered — if it underlies a charge the defendant is found guilty of as well as the acquitted crime.
Acquitted conduct had been allowed under a lower standard — if the judge found the
charges more likely truth than not, rather than the jury’s standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
It’s “a practice that has drawn condemnation from a wide range of civil liberties groups, lawmakers, and jurists,” C.J. Ciaramella reported for Reason, which in turn has “raised defendants’ scores under the federal sentencing guidelines, leading to significantly longer prison sentences.”
But now, “Not guilty means not guilty,” chair of the USSC, U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves, said in a press release. “By enshrining this basic fact within the federal sentencing guidelines, the Commission is taking an important step to protect the credibility of our courts and criminal justice system.”
Project Censored noted that “Acquitted-conduct sentencing partly explains why two Black men from Virginia, Terence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne, have been serving life sentences for the murder of police officer Allen Gibson in 1998 despite being found not guilty by a federal jury in 2001,” a case whose reconsideration has been reported on repeatedly by Meg O’Connor at The Appeal The initial travesty of justice in this case was that police hid exonerating evidence from their original attorneys, and because of that, they pled guilty to lesser state charges. That was then used to give them life sentences in federal court, even though they were acquitted of murder in that trial. An evidentiary hearing was ordered by the Virginia Supreme Court in February, 2024, and the judge in that hearing allowed some new evidence to be introduced — but not all of it. Still, it’s possible that Richardson could be released from prison.
There’s been little corporate media coverage. Project Censored cited one story in Bloomberg Law, but nothing in the New York Times nor the Washington Post as of June 2024. In addition,
“Richardson’s and Claiborne’s cases have received nearly no national coverage by corporate outlets,” except for a March 2023 BET report, “which addressed coerced con -
10. Generative AI Apps Raise Serious Security Concerns
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) apps carry considerable risks, some poorly understood, which can result in exposing sensitive data and exposing organizations to attacks from bad actors. In response, both government and businesses have taken steps to limit or even block AI access to data.
Congress “only permits lawmakers and staff to access ChatGPT Plus, a paid version of the app with enhanced privacy features, and forbids them from using other AI apps or pasting blocks of text that have not already been made public into the program,” Project Censored noted. A follow-up regulation banned the use of Microsoft’s Copilot AI on government-issued devices. And the National Archives and Records Administration is even more restrictive. In May 2024 it “completely prohibited employees from using ChatGPT at work and blocked all access to the app on agency computers.” What’s more, “Samsung decided to ban its employees’ use of generative AI apps (and develop its own AI application) in May 2023 after some users accidentally leaked sensitive data via ChatGPT,” Priya Singh reported for Business Today in April 2024.
Programs such as ChatGPT and Copilot are built by a training process that collects and organizes data which can be regurgitated in response to just a snippet of text. They are then “aligned” with an added layer of training to produce helpful output — which is what ordinary users normally see.
But something as simple as asking ChatGPT to repeat
a word endlessly can cause it to break alignment and reveal potentially sensitive data, Tiernan Ray reported for ZDNet in December 2023. Researchers from Google’s DeepMind AI research lab found that ChatGPT “could also be manipulated to reproduce individuals’ names, phone numbers, and addresses, which is a violation of privacy with potentially serious consequences,” he reported.
“With our limited budget of $200 USD, we extracted over 10,000 unique examples,” the researchers wrote. “However, an adversary who spends more money to query the ChatGPT API could likely extract far more data.”
And while training data itself can hold sensitive information, users are constantly adding new sensitive data that can also be exposed. In an article for tech news site ZDNet, Eileen Yu cited a survey of some 11,500 employees in the US, Europe (France, Germany, and the UK), and Asia (Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea), which found that “57 percent of employees used public generative AI tools in the office at least once weekly, with 22.3 percent using the technology daily,” and that “31 percent of employees polled admitted entering sensitive information such as addresses and banking details for customers, confidential HR data, and proprietary company information into publicly accessible AI programs (and another 5 percent were unsure if they had done so).”
“Corporate media have given a lot of breathless coverage to the existential threat to humanity allegedly posed by AI,” Project Censored notes.“Yet these outlets have been far less attentive to AI apps’ documented data security risks and vulnerability to hackers, issues that have been given exhaustive coverage by smaller, tech-focused news outlets.”
Paul Rosenberg is a California-based writer/activist, senior editor for Random Lengths News, and a columnist for Al Jazeera English and Salon.
THU 01/02
Christmas Around the World
This special event that takes place from today through Saturday at Crushers Stadium in Avon will feature a tubing hill, a miniature golf course, entertainment, a 52-foot Christmas tree, and a special Glockenspiel adapted for the holiday season. Today’s hours are noon to 9 p.m. Check the website for additional hours and more information.
2009 Baseball Blvd., Avon, 440-9343636, christmasatw.com/.
Monsters vs. Grand Rapids Griffins
The Monsters play a rare weekday game today at 7 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as they take on the Grand Rapids Griffins.
1 Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
FRI 01/03
Annual Free Weekend
Each year at about this time, the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights opens ups its doors for a free weekend of shows.
Tonight at 9, Liquid Images, Louse and PIZZ take the stage. Shows also take place tomorrow and Sunday with a different group of local acts. See the venue website for more info.
2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.
Mary Defer: Secret Family Opening Reception
Artist Mary Defer explores her family background in the new exhibition, Secret Family, using the discovery of this family secret as a springboard to explore the “slow violence” (a term coined by scholar Rob Nixon) of generational trauma. The exhibit opens tonight with a reception that takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. at Praxis Fiber Workshop. 15301 Waterloo Rd., 216-644-8661, praxisfiberworkshop.com.
Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood
The two comedians bring their latest
show, Asking for Trouble, to the Akron Civic Theatre. The guys improvise new material every night from audience suggestions and participation. They’ll even come up with a song about each city during the performance with lyrics based on audience suggestions so come equipped with Akron factoids. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.
182 S. Main St., Akron, 330-253-2488, akroncivic.com.
SAT 01/04
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the 1975 film that still draws an exuberant, costumed crowd that likes to throw rice and dry toast and sing along to the songs in the movie, still draws big crowds to local showings. Expect a throng to show up for tonight’s screening that takes place at 9:30 p.m. at the Cedar Lee Theatre. Tickets cost $12. 2163 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights, 440528-0355, clevelandcinemas.com.
SUN 01/05
Cavaliers vs. Charlotte Hornets
The Cavs take on a Charlotte Hornets team that has really struggled this season and sits near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
1 Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
TUE 01/07
Life of Pi
A 16-year-old boy takes refuge on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in this play that’s based on the best-selling book by the same name. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at Connor Palace, where performances continue through Jan. 26. 1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
“History That Doesn’t Suck” creator and host Greg Jackson brings the live adaptation to town.|Photo courtesy HTDS
Potted Potter
Olivier Award-nominated actors
Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner take an irreverent look at the Harry Potter series in this two-man show. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at the Mimi Ohio Theatre, where performances continue through Jan. 11.
1511 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
WED 01/08
Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
At 7 tonight at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cavaliers take on the best team in the Western Conference in what could be a preview of the NBA Finals. Led by guard Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder play solid defense and stormed out of the gates this season. The Cavs stay home to play the Raptors tomorrow night at 7. 1 Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
Midnight Rental presents Secret Movie Night
Hosted by Lenora from the internet hit-series Midnight Rental, this movie night features what it deems to be the best in VHS horror, thriller and campy classics. The event begins tonight at 8 at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, and the club will feature a special movie night menu for the event.
2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.
THU 01/09
An American in Paris
Guest conductor Stéphane Denève leads the Cleveland Orchestra as it plays George Gershwin’s An American in Paris, the iconic 1928 symphonic poem that inspired the Gene Kelly film. The concert begins at 7:30 at Mandel Concert Hall, where performances also take place on Saturday and Sunday. 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.
FRI 01/10
Jim Jefferies: Son of a Carpenter
The Australian comedian who likes to joke about parenting and everyday life comes to the State Theatre at 7 p.m. The show is part of his Son of a Carpenter tour. 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Monsters vs. Laval Rocket
At 7 tonight and tomorrow night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the
Monsters take on the Laval Rocket. Tonight’s game will feature discounted concessions as part of a season-long Friday night promotion. Tomorrow night, it’s Cleveland Rocks Night, and the first 10,000 fans will receive a free WMMS Buzzard T-shirt.
1 Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
SAT 01/11
Dersu Uzala
Tonight at 7:30, the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque screens a 35mm print of this Akira Kurosawa film about the true story of Russian explorer Captain Vladimir Arsenyev (Yuri Solomin) and his friendship with Dersu Uzala. 11610 Euclid Ave., 216-421-7450, cia.edu.
History That Doesn’t Suck with Professor Greg Jackson
Based on a podcast by the same name, this live show featuring Greg Jackson, a professor at Utah Valley University, puts an exciting spin on world history. The show starts at 8 p.m. at the Hanna Theatre.
2067 East 14th St., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
SUN 01/12
Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers
The Cavs take on a very good Indiana Pacers team tonight at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Both the Cavs and Pacers should be in the playoffs when the season ends, so this game should be a tight one.
Tipoff is at 6.
One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
TUE 01/14
Lyrical Rhythms Open Mic and Chill
This long-running open mic night at the B Side allows some of the city’s best rappers and poets to strut their stuff. The event begins at 8 with a comedy session dubbed 2 Drinks & a Joke with host Ant Morrow. The open mic performances begin at 10 p.m. Tickets cost $5 in advance, $10 at the door.
2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-932-1966, bsideliquorlounge.com.
THE BIG GUY’S REBOUND
A new owner is guiding Stevenson’s Bar back to the glory days and beyond
By Douglas Trattner
FOR MANY YEARS, YOU COULDN’T pick up an alt-weekly, newspaper or magazine without reading about the legendary burgers at Stevenson’s Bar in Euclid. If Instagram had been around back then, the joint would have been crowned a “hidden gem” by the content creators who “discovered” it.
The original Stevenson’s Bar – in service until 2013, when the building was demolished – was an old-school diner, where the food was prepared behind the bar in a “kitchen” that consisted of a flattop and deep-fryer. It was largely a locals-only hangout save for the burger enthusiasts, who drove there for the inimitable Big Guy, a double-decker creation that bared a striking resemblance to the Big Boys prepared up the road at Manners.
As for why these particular burgers enjoyed such outsized appeal, the answer likely is a combination of factors such as time, place, taste and – as always – a bit of luck. Regardless the reason, those burgers – a seamless stack of twin patties, triple-split bun, cheese, lettuce and special sauce – kept the humble Stevenson’s Bar in the black for ages.
Stevenson’s Bar didn’t die in 2013, only the building did. Owner Bruce Cerne reopened in a new location a couple miles away. Miraculously, the vibe, menu and burgers all survived the move relatively intact. In 2020, Cerne sold the business to the property owner, who sold it to Perry Ward this past summer.
“I have a master’s degree in history,” says Ward. “I’ve been in food and beverage my whole life. I knew the previous owner. So I was immediately interested.”
An obvious question a food lover might ask is: Are the burgers as good as they used to be? The answer a few years ago would have been “probably not.” But these days, the answer is “they’re better than ever.”
“The burger lost its way in recent years,” Ward says.
One of the first things the new owner did was bring in James Foreman as consulting chef. Order the Big Guy – or the single-patty Lil Fella – today and you’ll enjoy top-quality ground beef from Blue Ribbon Meats, brioche buns from Orlando, and a “special sauce” with historic accuracy. The American cheese is still there, as is the bottomless satisfaction that comes with knocking one back.
Since taking ownership, Ward also has upgraded the kitchen, refurnished the backbar, installed faux-copper ceiling tiles, mounted sleek TVs and updated the restrooms. Next up is new flooring and furniture. These are changes that freshen up the joint without altering its personality.
“That’s the line we’ve been trying to walk,” notes Ward. “Finding success in bars and restau-
rants is very difficult and you don’t want to mess with that. But we don’t want to remain stagnant. We try and use the word ‘improvement’ rather than use the word ‘change.’”
In the coming weeks, diners will begin to observe some of those changes on the menu, which has remained essentially unchanged for eons. Low-value items like frozen zucchini sticks, breaded mushrooms and fried clam strips will be replaced by freshly made starters and sides. Stevenson’s will soon serve its first fried chicken sandwich starring jumbo tenders marinated for two days in buttermilk, pickle juice and hot sauce. Foreman makes a killer Italian beef sandwich with shaved eye of round and housemade giardiniera.
Other items that might soon appear include fried brussels sprouts with pork belly and sriracha honey, Coca-Cola-braised beef short rib tacos with chimichurri, pickled onion and crema, fresh-cut fries with truffle and parmesan, and made-toorder milkshakes – including the boozy variety.
It wouldn’t take much to step up the bar program – and Ward intends to do just that, adding
more beer, wine, cocktails and festive specials.
While the old haunt oozed charisma earned the honest way, the new digs felt a bit sterile by comparison. Right now the place is decked out for the holidays, but Ward intends to complement all the recent cosmetic changes with items that showcase Stevenson’s history and accolades. Many of the old press clippings and awards had been boxed up in the basement and he recently stumbled upon the old sign behind the garage. The vintage bowling machine is going nowhere.
“While I know we have to move in a new direction, I also wanted to make the history more prominent,” adds Ward. “Stevenson’s has always been a humble burger joint and I don’t want to lose that. I want us to remain true to the history and remain true to the area. Muddy boots will always be welcome here.”
Stevenson’s is now open for lunch and dinner every day of the week.
Photo by Doug Trattner
STEVENSON’S BAR
800 E. 200TH ST., EUCLID 216-999-715
BITES
Anthony Zappola to close Rice Shop at Van Aken, open Tony's Burger Shop in the new year
By Douglas Trattner
CHEF ANTHONY ZAPPOLA currently operates Tripi Italian Specialties in Ohio City and Lox, Stock and Brisket and the Rice Shop at Van Aken District in Shaker. Come the new year, one of those concepts will vanish.
“I’ve had the Rice Shop for 10 years – three locations, two cities,” Zappola says. “The Rice Shop is very difficult to source. It’s very difficult to staff. It’s very niche. It’s been 10 years and it’s time for a new concept and a new challenge.”
There is a reason why many chefs and operators are setting the bar a little lower these days, he explains. Between labor shortages, the cost of goods and services, increased competition and many other factors, it just makes sense to simplify things.
That’s exactly what Zappola will do with the Rice Shop space. When Shake It closed early last year, it opened up a market for burgers at Van Aken District, notes the chef.
“They we’re looking for burgers – they felt like it’s needed,” Zappola says of his District landlords. “I love the space, and I knew there was a gap for burgers.”
Rice Shop fans have up to and including Saturday, January 11 to enjoy popular dishes such as mochiko chicken, Kentucky fried fish and Korean beef. After some retrofitting of the space, Zappola will open Tony’s Burger Shop in early February.
“Simple, straightforward,” the chef says.
Although the menu hasn’t been formalized, diners can expect a concise roster of smash burgers, fried chicken tenders, grilled cheese sandwiches, fries and onions rings. In addition to the single and double smash burgers, there will be bacon burgers, mushroom and Swiss burgers, patty melts, and monthly burger specials. Diners will enjoy a variety of homemade dipping sauces.
Tony’s Burger Shop will be open for dinner Tuesday through Thursday evenings and lunch and dinner Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Michael Symon’s New Cookbook, Cooking Out, Available for Pre-Order
To the millions of fans who follow Michael Symon’s every move, March 25 can’t arrive soon enough. That’s when his newest cookbook, Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out: 100 Recipes That Redefine Outdoor Cooking, will be released in hardcover. This is the James Beard Award-winning chef’s ninth cookbook, and the eighth that Scene Dining Editor Douglas Trattner has served as co-author. Three of those books, Fix It with Food, Carnivore, and 5 in 5 landed on the New York Times best-seller list.
In this latest book, Symon builds on the wild success of his outdoor cooking show, Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out, which has been airing for five seasons. The cookbook features fan-favorites from that show alongside a slew of new recipes.
What is unique about this collection of recipes is that every item is prepared on the grill, including desserts.
“What I love about this book is that despite owning every conceivable type of grilling and smoking equipment on the market, Mike uses for this book an unassuming charcoal kettle grill – the kind that
Detroit and Elbur avenues in Lakewood has seen more than its fair share of bars – some long-lasting, others fleeting. Two weeks ago, One Star Bar (13601 Detroit Ave.) became the latest watering hole to join the register when the bar opened its doors to the public for the first time.
“It went awesome,” says owner Jimmy Bacha. “It was crazy packed.”
Bacha, along with partners Patrick McGinty, John Calo, Brian Taubman and Franco Caringi, plan to keep things simple at One Star, borrowing plays from the successful predecessors while steering clear of tactics used by doomed forerunners.
“We all went to O’Toole’s when it was O’Toole’s,” Bacha says, referring to one of the more long-lived inhabitants of the building. “They did it right, with that kind of neighborhood bar vibe.”
But then the building became a sort of revolving door of ephemeral ventures.
“We’re not a dive bar,” Bacha stresses. “We just want to be a corner bar with affordable drinks and affordable food. Comfortable.”
50 percent of home cooks have at home,” says Trattner.
The recipes range from fresh and fun starters like Grilled Halloumi and Watermelon Kebabs and straightforward entrees such as Grilled Swordfish with Salsa Fresca to an elegant Tomato Tart Tatin. Cooking techniques employed include direct-heat setups, indirect-heat setups and a combination of the two. Long cooks, such as the one used in the Pastrami-Smoked Pork Belly, utilize the Snake or Minion Methods.
Symon even boils water for pasta on the grill – a move he will defend with passion.
“When I’m cooking outside—filming or not—the last thing I want to do is split my time between my indoor kitchen and the grill,” he says. “I truly believe that anything that can be made inside can be made outside on a standard charcoal grill. Yes, I will admit that it might be easier to do some things indoors, like boiling water for pasta or baking a finicky cake, but where is the fun and adventure in that?!”
The book can be preordered now for delivery beginning in March.
Now Open: One Star Bar in Lakewood
The building at the corner of
The name is a tongue-in-cheek stab at the unkind nature of online reviews, say the owners.
“Our aim isn’t to be a one-star venue—that would defeat the purpose. Instead, we strive to run an establishment that upholds the highest standards possible without being slaves to yesterday’s reviews,” they explain.
One Star Bar handed the kitchen over to chef Daniel Racco of Heart of Gold restaurant in Ohio City, who is preparing upscale bar food in-house. Guests can enjoy snacks and starters such as loaded fries, “confit” chicken wings, cauliflower wings, and a pub salad with or without a fried (or grilled) chicken thigh. Heartier items include smash burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, veggie burgers, Italian subs and others. All sandwiches come with waffle fries.
The cocktail list still is a work in process, says Bacha, but visitors can expect a fine selection of beer, wine and classic cocktails.
One Star Bar is open 2 p.m. to close Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to close Saturday and Sunday. The kitchen hours are slightly different.
Chef Anthony Zappola.|Photo by Doug Trattner
MUSIC
ZIGGY STARDUST MEMORIES
Multi-media program traces David Bowie’s history in Cleveland
By Jeff Niesel
LOCAL MUSICIAN/BOWIEOLOGIST
Thomas Mulready says WMMS helped introduced him to the Thin White Duke way back in the 1970s.
“[Former WMMS programmers] Billy Bass and Denny Sanders tell the story of how an RCA exec brought a blank green label LP to the station, and Sanders listens to ‘Changes’ and ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’ and thinks, ‘What the fuck is this?’ He loved it,” says Mulready one afternoon from the Root, a café near his Lakewood home. “He took it to Billy, who was so fed up with Southern rock. It was exactly what he was looking for, and they played the hell out of it. When the first Bowie show came to Cleveland, all the stars aligned. Belkin Productions brought the show in, Record Revolution was stocking the album.”
Mulready didn’t see that first show in 1972 or the second one that came at the end of the tour. He did, however, see Bowie play Public Hall in 1974.
“That was a disappointment on some levels,” he says when asked about the concert. “He didn’t have the Spiders from Mars with him. The band was studio musicians who were hidden in the corner. He’s got this stage with a bridge that goes up and down and the arm that comes out for ‘Space Oddity.’ I wanted to see the band. The show wasn’t a total disappointment. It was a shock. He continually shocked his audiences in that same way.”
Mulready says that he then had “the prototypical Bowie experience of catching up” to what Bowie was doing and then being thrown for a loop by his next release.
In 2013, Mulready began to chronicle Bowie’s career in a multi-media presentation that has evolved into the program he now presents on a regular basis at rock
clubs around Northeast Ohio with glam rockers Vanity Crash. The Bowie shows evolve, and Mulready and Vanity Crash present new shows on new topics each year. And they’ve even presented in Chicago and on a rock ‘n’ roll Caribbean cruise.
Coming up, Mulready and Vanity Crash will present their latest program at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10, at the Bop Stop. For that show, local musicians Meganne Stepka and Kate Hart of Moon Echo Garden will join him. Mulready and Vanity Crash will then present the program at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, at Jilly’s Music Room in Akron. Chrissy Strong will join them at that show. And at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12, they’ll collaborate with Nate Pazzo Bocchicchio and Ruby Rose Weston of the Cowboy Princess Brigade at the Beachland Tavern.
Over the years, Mulready has added to his program and interviewed a number of musicians who played with Bowie. His first inter -
view was with Bowie’s drummer Woody Wodmansey after a show at the Odeon.
“I got to interview Woody and that may have been the first real interview I did for the program,” says Mulready, who adds that he’s done about a dozen interviews in addition to extensive research.
“I have everything Bowie ever released,” he says. “I have every bootleg that I know about. My hard drives are packed full. I have documentaries. I probably have two dozen of those. There are primary sources and secondary sources, and I use whatever is available. I’m not writing a book. I’m putting on a show, so I use videos. We have audio of the first time he played ‘Drive-In Saturday’ live at his second show at Public Hall. It’s a beautiful recording. When you can tell a story and have something to look at and listen to, there is nothing like that.”
In addition, local photographer and writer Anastasia Pantsios will present an exhibition and sale of
her Bowie prints from that very first show, plus his other appearances in Cleveland.
“We have a lot of new material in this show,” says Mulready. “I talked to [guitarist] Mick Ronson’s biographers in England who have written a book about him and do a show that’s a little like ours each year. What I try to do is spit all this information out so fast. We can pack in so much on video. It’s not a lecture. You can see people are stunned. We then cut to a live cathartic song and people wanna get up and dance. I want people to be entertained while being educated. You’re out for a good time and all of a sudden, this guy who knows Bowie inside and out is spouting. You will get deeper than you’ve ever been. And we’ll play some great rock ’n’ roll. I make sure everyone in the audience is connecting on some level.” jniesel@clevescene.com
David Bowie in Cleveland in 1972.|Anastasia Pantsios
LIVEWIRE Real music in the real world
01/03
Annual Free Weekend
Each year at about this time, the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights opens ups
its doors for a free weekend of shows. Tonight at 9, Liquid Images, Louse and PIZZ take the stage. Shows also take place tomorrow and Sunday with a different group of local acts. Consult the venue’s website for a complete
schedule and more details.
2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.
Wish You Were Here
The locally based Pink Floyd tribute act
plays tonight and tomorrow night at 7 at the Agora. The shows celebrate the group’s 30th anniversary as well as the 50th anniversary of the Floyd album Wish You Were Here 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.
Cracker returns to the Beachland Ballroom. See: Friday, Jan. 10.|Jason Thrasher
SAT 01/04
Maura Rogers & the Bellows
This local singer-songwriter writes autobiographical tunes that chronicle personal details from her life such as her health issues (she underwent a kidney transplant a few years back), and she regularly alternates between rock and folk. Lea Marra & the River Boys and Alec Stewart open. The show begins at 7:15 p.m. at the Beachland Ballroom, and it doubles as a birthday party celebration.
15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.
MON 01/06
Anthony Raneri
On tour in support of a new solo EP, Everyday Royalty, the Bayside singer performs tonight at 8 at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights. Songs such as “I’ll Be Fine” feature jangling guitars and soft vocals as Raneri explores his softer side. Singer-songwriter Nate Bergman opens.
2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.
WED 01/08
The Lustre Kings
This rockabilly group led by guitarist Mark Gamsjager, a rockabilly devotee who’s taught for the National Guitar Workshop, brings its Elvis Birthday Bash tour to the Beachland Tavern. The show begins at 8 p.m. 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.
FRI 01/10
Cracker
Led by singer-songwriter David Lowery, Cracker formed in the ‘90s after Lowery’s previous band, Camper van Beethoven, splintered. The alt-country-ish band had a few hits back then, but its catalog runs deep. The group just released a collection of re-recordings, demos, outtakes, collaborations and live tracks that presents an alternate history of the band (five tracks are previously unreleased and six are rare and long out-of-print). Expect the band to dive into it tonight at the Beachland Ballroom. The show starts at 8 p.m. Singer-songwriter Johnny Hickman, a member of Cracker, opens. 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.
Warren G
This g-funk pioneer had a big hit in 1994 with the single “Regulate (Featuring Nate Dogg),” a song that shows off his effortless flow. He also famously introduced Snoop Dogg to Dr. Dre, essentially launching the fellow Long Beach, CA-based rapper’s career. He performs at 7 p.m. at House of Blues.
308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.
SAT 01/11
Floyd Nation
Since Pink Floyd splintered when band co-leaders David Gilmour and Roger Waters could not work out their creative differences, tribute acts have sprouted up to keep the British psychedelic band’s legacy alive. Tonight at 8 at MGM Northfield Park, Floyd Nation will revisit all the Floyd classics as it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the band’s album Wish You Were Here 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark. mgmresorts.com/en.html.
Lea Marra & the River Boys
Playing open mics in her tween and teen years opened up the experience of performing in front of people for local singer-songwriter Lea Marra. Connecting with other musicians in high school and befriending drummer Joe Linsky in school led to her first band, the indie outfit the Tom Katlees, which released one full-length before breaking up in 2019. Her next band, the Dream Catchers, evolved out of the Tom Katlees and delivered two albums.
The bluegrass-influenced River Boys became her latest backing band; it’s the group that will back he when she returns to the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights. The concert begins at 8 p.m. 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.
SUN 01/12
The Elvis Birthday Tribute Artist Spectacular Birthday Edition
Elvis impersonators will be on hand for tonight’s celebration of what would have been the King’s 90th birthday. The show will feature on the early years as well as the military years and the Las Vegas residencies. It all begins at 7 p.m. at the State Theatre. 1519 Euclid Ave, 216-771-8403, playhousesquare.org.
SAVAGE LOVE
DAMAGED GOODS
By Dan Savage
My husband and I have been together fifteen years and been through pretty much all of the ups and downs sexually that a monogamous relationship offers. Two years ago, my husband was in an accident and broke his back. The accident resulted in some mild-tomoderate nerve damage to his legs and a newfound case of premature ejaculation. I adore my husband and while toys normally help finish the job for me, I’m left wanting for our old sex life. I’m also worried about his satisfaction. His lack of endurance stresses him out and I end up feeling like it’s more important for me to fake an orgasm, so he doesn’t feel bad and worry about his performance.
He’s tried Cialis but it causes more nerve spasms than it’s worth. I’m at a loss. I’ve found very little in my research on back injuries and the effects on sexual functions and don’t know what else to do or where to look. I want to be satisfied like I used to be, but I also don’t want to broach the subject with my husband without having an action plan in place. He’s not as open about discussing things and definitely a sensitive soul. I just want to ride my husband like I used to and selfishly not worry about holding back for his sake. I know he wants the same. How the fuck do we get back there?
Back Where We Belong
“Sexual dysfunction due to back and spinal cord injuries are very common,” said Dr. Rachel Gelman, a physical therapist who lives and works in the Bay Area. “There are reports of premature or rapid ejaculation after back injuries, which makes sense: erections and ejaculation require a lot of systems to be working together well, one of which is the nervous system.” So, if the nerves running to and from your husband’s cock were damaged or compromised during his accident, BWWB, is there anything that can be done?
“There are many treatment options available,” said Dr. Gelman. “I would strongly recommend having him consult a sexual medicine provider. The Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA)
and The International Sexual Medicine Society (ISSM) are great options to get resources and find a local provider. There are also sex therapists and counselors that can discuss exercises or strategies to address his PE.”
Dr. Gelman also had a few recommendations — a few sex sex tips — while your husband waits for his first appointment with a specialist.
“She could try having him wear a condom,” said Dr. Gelman, “the theory being that a condom can help reduce sensitivity and delay ejaculation. And if they want to spice things up — and justify the condom they could pretend they’re meeting for the first time and recreate their first few weeks of dating. Another option might be one of the various desensitizing ointments and creams that contain lidocaine available over the counter.”
Zooming out for a second: I’ve been on the receiving end of one or two of those desensitizing creams in my time, BWWB, and I strongly recommend very carefully applying it only to the last couple of inches of his hard dick before carefully rolling a condom over the whole thing. You wanna numb his dick, not your hole.
Zooming right back in: Even if your husband agrees to seek treatment, BWWB, and even if that treatment proves effective, the process is gonna take some time. So, this is how your husband’s dick works — at least for the time being — and both Dr. Gelman and I think you should make the best of it.
“This could be an opportunity to play around with new routines and sexual activities,” said Dr. Gelman. “Try more toys — BWWB mentioned that toys are usually a win for her — and go slow and take more time to build things up. And sex doesn’t have to end just because he climaxed. Depending on how long his refractory period is, they could take a break, have a snack, and then go for round two. Or he could just focus on BWWB’s pleasure after his climax.
“And while I fully support BWWB’s desire to ride her husband to her heart’s content like she used to,” said Dr. Gelman, “it’s important to remember that our bodies do change over time.”
Ideally, this process — we age, things change — is a gradual one, and we discover new tricks, new pleasures, and fun new ways of getting off. But when changes come fast, BWWB, their very swiftness can make it hard to adjust.
“I hear the distress this issue is causing for BWWB and her husband,” said Dr. Gelman, “and those feelings
are perfectly understandable. But a reminder that stress and anxiety can be mood killers.”
So, in addition to asking your husband to see the doctors and do the work so he can maybe last longer again someday, you should invite your husband to do things he can nail right now: oral sex, mutual masturbation, internal and external vibrators, big and small strap-ons, etc. To build up his confidence again, BWWB, you need to put the focus on joy and pleasure — both of you do — and take the focus off penetration and endurance. And if you approach other routes to pleasure as good and possibly great sex and not as sad consolation prizes, BWWB, you can start having great sex again tonight.
Dr. Rachel Gelman is a pelvic floor specialist and a sexuality counselor. You can follow her on Instagram and Threads @pelvichealthsf and learn more about her work — and pelvic health in general — at her website pelvicwellpt.com.
My fiancé is a lovely man, and we have a wonderful relationship. My mother is a difficult woman, and we have a complicated relationship. She followed my fiancé on Instagram after I introduced her to him, and then — after extensive sleuthing she found his alt. My mom is now convinced my fiancé is abusing me because we’re into BDSM and she wants me to call the wedding off. This is rich coming from a woman who made zero effort to protect me and my sisters from any of the abusive men she married. My mother disinvited us for Christmas, which was frankly a relief, but now she’s threatening to send screenshots to my very Christian sisters and their husbands if I don’t break things off with my fiancé and “get mental help.” I worked hard to reestablish a relationship with my sisters in adulthood (I’m the youngest, they left home as soon as they could) and I’m afraid I won’t have any family at all when this is over. How do I navigate this?
Boy’s Disturbingly Shitty Mom
Your mom has a weapon in her hands right now — screenshots of your fiancé’s alt — and there’s only one way to disarm her: tell your sisters everything. You don’t have to send them screenshots of your own or (God forbid) links to your fiancé’s alt, BDSM, you only have to give them a rough but accurate outline: you and your fiancé are kinky, you shared some pictures on an obscure corner of the Internet, and your mom somehow managed to find them. Emphasize to your siblings that you wouldn’t be sharing these details
about your sex life if your mother hadn’t invaded your quasi-privacy (you guys did share those pics publicly) and wasn’t now trying to blackmail you by threatening to send screenshots to your sisters. If they’re upset to learn these facts about your sex life, BDSM, tell them to go yell at your mother. And if your sisters are judgmental about your kinks and/or concerned for your safety, BDSM, feel free to copy and paste this into your group chat: “BDSM is cops and robbers for grownups minus pants, plus orgasms — and studies have shown that adults who enjoy this kind of sex play with other consenting adults are just as emotionally healthy as people who do not. So, there’s no need to worry about me and the only person who should be ashamed of themselves right now is mom.”
Tell your sisters they can decide for themselves what, if anything, they wanna share with their husbands their husbands, their problem — and urge them not to open any emails or texts they get from mom with attached photos. Then send a long text to your mom: let mom know you told your sisters everything, let mom know you’re not breaking up with your fiancé, and let mom know — at least for the time being she’s not invited to your wedding. Then let mom know you will call the actual cops (not the pretend ones) and press charges if she sends those screenshots to your sisters or anyone else. Most people who get arrested for revenge porn (“revealing sexually explicit images [with the] intent of causing distress or embarrassment”) are angry exes, BDSM, but revenge porn is a crime even when a parent does it. Let your mom know.
And finally, BDSM, you will have family when this is over. Because your soon-to-be husband and the people in your lives who love and support you — as individuals and a couple — are already your family. They may not be your family of origin, BDSM, but they’re definitely your family of destination. Don’t let what you might lose… and stand to benefit from losing… blind you to what you already have.
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Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/ askdan!
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