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Articles by Tom Feran
Master tape of Bruce Springteen's fabled 1978 Agora show: Whatever happened to ...?
Peggy Turbett, The Plain DealerHenry LoConti, owner of the Agora music hall, holds a three-disc set of Bruce Springsteen's 1974 and 1978 performances at the Agora. "Whatever happened to . . .?" is a weekly series updating some of the most newsworthy and interesting local stories covered in The Plain Dealer. Have a suggestion on a story we should update? Send it to John C. Kuehner.
Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music
It’s always cause for rejoicing when New Yorker music critic Ross (Listen to This) publishes a book, and this latest is on a scale worthy of the composer of the Ring of the Nibelung.
’The House That Rock Built:’ Book tells inside story of how Cleveland landed Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (excerpt)
Excerpted from “The House That Rock Built: How it Took Time, Money, Music Moguls, Corporate Types, Politicians, Media, Artists, and Fans to Bring the Rock Hall to Cleveland,’’ by Norm N. Nite and Tom Feran. The book, told from radio personality Nite’s perspective with former Plain Dealer reporter and editor Feran, draws on both first-person accounts and exclusive interviews and is a detailed record of the Rock Hall’s inception and creation.
PolitiFact - Can members of Congress retire with full pay after just one term?
Political trends come and go, but the classics endure. Such is the case with a chain email PolitiFact Ohio received to start the new year. When we received a nearly identical version a couple of years ago, we said it could be "a new classic of the genre." The email claims that Congress gets special perks nobody else does; complains that a complacent media ignores the news, and requests that recipients of the email forward it on to 20 more people.
The Beginning or the End: How Hollywood Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
In the aftermath of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, concerned scientists reached out to Hollywood in hopes a film could be made that would make plain the devastation caused by nuclear weapons. Mitchell ( The Tunnels) chronicles in intricate detail how MGM, the military personnel responsible for the bombings, and a cadre of Oak Ridge scientists all worked together to create The Beginning or the End (1947).
Fred Griffith, Cleveland TV legend, dies at 90
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Fred Griffith, who brought a neighborly style and restless curiosity to more hours of live and local television than anyone else in history, died Friday, July 19, at 7:14 a.m. at a nursing facility in Solon. He was 90. “He died quietly and peacefully, with his three children at his side,” his daughter, Gwen Griffith said. “He was surrounded by family. The one thing I’d like to say is that he loved every single fan who ever said hello to him or stopped to talk to him.
Plain Dealer lays off a third of unionized newsroom staff
By TOM FERAN • Apr 2, 2019 at 7:00 PM CLEVELAND — The Plain Dealer on Monday laid off 14 newsroom employees as part of a staff reduction first announced in December. The 14, most of them reporters and all members of Local 1 of the News Guild of the Communication Workers of America, account for about a third of the unionized news-gathering staff. One additional journalist will depart later this month.
Plain Dealer lays off a third of unionized newsroom staff
By TOM FERAN • Today at 7:00 PM CLEVELAND — The Plain Dealer on Monday laid off 14 newsroom employees as part of a staff reduction first announced in December. The 14, most of them reporters and all members of Local 1 of the News Guild of the Communication Workers of America, account for about a third of the unionized news-gathering staff. One additional journalist will depart later this month.
Plain Dealer lays off a third of unionized newsroom staff
The Plain Dealer's printing and production building on Tiedeman RoadThe Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Plain Dealer on Monday laid off 14 newsroom employees as part of a staff reduction first announced in December. The 14, most of them reporters and all members of Local 1 of the News Guild of the Communication Workers of America, account for about a third of the unionized news-gathering staff. One additional journalist will depart later this month.
Don Webster, one of Cleveland’s most popular TV personalities, has died at 79
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Don Webster, who became one of the most popular personalities in Cleveland television history during 35 years at WEWS Channel 5, died Thursday at his home in Westlake. He was 79. The unexpected death was announced by WEWS, but the cause was not immediately available. Webster retired from the station 19 years ago this week, but he remained an on-air presence doing commercials and through a tour business with his wife, Kandi.
How a Cleveland State prof attended the royal wedding (photos)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Kimberly Ruggeri of Kirtland may not be an international A-lister, but she qualified at least for the B-list on Saturday. Ruggeri was one of the 1,200 people invited to the grounds of Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Her front row seat in front of the entrance to St. George's Chapel gave her a VIP view. "It was really fun," she said by phone from her room outside London. "I was very excited to go.
Mystery Remains Unsolved 67 Years After Girl's Disappearance
It was a mystery that became almost folklore, a warning told by parents about the sort of thing that could happen, though no one knew what did happen. Only that a 10-year-old girl went to the park one August evening 67 years ago and vanished without a trace. Meg Roberts, born in 1964, heard the story from her mother almost a generation later, and "it absolutely affected her parenting," she said. "She was strict, and always wanted to know where we were, who we were with.
Mystery remains unsolved 67 years afterCleveland girl’s disappearance
CLEVELAND (AP) — Clevelanders too young to remember Beverly Potts, even those born years after she disappeared in 1951, grew up knowing her name and her story. It was a mystery that became almost folklore, a warning told by parents about the sort of thing that could happen, though no one knew what did happen. Only that a 10-year-old girl went to the park one August evening 67 years ago and vanished without a trace.
Mystery remains unsolved 67 years after girl's disappearance
CLEVELAND (AP) — Clevelanders too young to remember Beverly Potts, even those born years after she disappeared in 1951, grew up knowing her name and her story.It was a mystery that became almost folklore, a warning told by parents about the sort of thing that could happen, though no one knew what did happen.
Mystery remains unsolved 67 years after girl's disappearance
CLEVELAND (AP) — Clevelanders too young to remember Beverly Potts, even those born years after she disappeared in 1951, grew up knowing her name and her story.It was a mystery that became almost folklore, a warning told by parents about the sort of thing that could happen, though no one knew what did happen.
Mystery remains unsolved 67 years after girl's disappearance
CLEVELAND (AP) — Clevelanders too young to remember Beverly Potts, even those born years after she disappeared in 1951, grew up knowing her name and her story.It was a mystery that became almost folklore, a warning told by parents about the sort of thing that could happen, though no one knew what did happen.
Mystery remains unsolved 67 years after girl’s disappearance
CLEVELAND >> Clevelanders too young to remember Beverly Potts, even those born years after she disappeared in 1951, grew up knowing her name and her story. It was a mystery that became almost folklore, a warning told by parents about the sort of thing that could happen, though no one knew what did happen. Only that a 10-year-old girl went to the park one August evening 67 years ago and vanished without a trace.
Mystery remains unsolved 67 years after girl’s disappearance
CLEVELAND >> Clevelanders too young to remember Beverly Potts, even those born years after she disappeared in 1951, grew up knowing her name and her story. It was a mystery that became almost folklore, a warning told by parents about the sort of thing that could happen, though no one knew what did happen. Only that a 10-year-old girl went to the park one August evening 67 years ago and vanished without a trace.
Mystery remains unsolved 67 years after girl's disappearance
CLEVELAND (AP) — Clevelanders too young to remember Beverly Potts, even those born years after she disappeared in 1951, grew up knowing her name and her story.It was a mystery that became almost folklore, a warning told by parents about the sort of thing that could happen, though no one knew what did happen.
Mystery remains unsolved 67 years after girl's disappearance
CLEVELAND (AP) — Clevelanders too young to remember Beverly Potts, even those born years after she disappeared in 1951, grew up knowing her name and her story.It was a mystery that became almost folklore, a warning told by parents about the sort of thing that could happen, though no one knew what did happen.
Mystery remains unsolved 67 years after girl's disappearance
CLEVELAND (AP) — Clevelanders too young to remember Beverly Potts, even those born years after she disappeared in 1951, grew up knowing her name and her story. It was a mystery that became almost folklore, a warning told by parents about the sort of thing that could happen, though no one knew what did happen. Only that a 10-year-old girl went to the park one August evening 67 years ago and vanished without a trace. kAm|68 #@36CED[ 3@C? :? `hec[ 962C5 E96 DE@CJ 7C@> 96C >@E96C 2=>@DE 2 86?6C2E:@?
Mystery remains unsolved 67 years after girl's disappearance
CLEVELAND (AP) — Clevelanders too young to remember Beverly Potts, even those born years after she disappeared in 1951, grew up knowing her name and her story.It was a mystery that became almost folklore, a warning told by parents about the sort of thing that could happen, though no one knew what did happen. Only that a 10-year-old girl went to the park one August evening 67 years ago and vanished without a trace.kAm|68 #@36CED[ 3@C? :? `hec[ 962C5 E96 DE@CJ 7C@> 96C >@E96C 2=>@DE 2 86?6C2E:@?
Beverly Potts vanished 67 years ago, and the mystery remains unsolved
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Clevelanders too young to remember Beverly Potts, even those born years after she disappeared in 1951, grew up knowing her name and her story. It was a mystery that became almost folklore, a warning told by parents about the sort of thing that could happen, though no one knew what did happen. Only that a 10-year-old girl went to the park one August evening 67 years ago and vanished without a trace.
Students lead thousands in March for Our Lives rally on Public Square (photos)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- United in numbers and a fervor that recalled demonstrations of an earlier era, a student-led throng estimated as large as 20,000 rallied on Public Square on Saturday as part of the March for Our Lives movement demanding action on gun control. "I was overwhelmed," said Shaker Heights High School junior Kevin LaMonica, one of the students from about a half-dozen area schools who organized the midday rally and march through downtown streets.
Paul Sciria, 88, Cleveland's first TV street reporter, founded La Gazzetta Italiana
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Paul Sciria, the gravel-voiced legend of Cleveland television news who built a successful second career in print and public relations, died Friday. He was 88 and a resident of Mayfield Heights. The cause was apparently a heart attack, according to his family. Short, with heavy-rimmed glasses and an unmistakable voice, Sciria became as prominent as most anchors after becoming the first full-time street reporter in Cleveland television in 1957.
Remembering the night Chuck Berry came to the house (photos)
They were playing and we were singing and my wife was fixing sandwiches until 3 or 4 in the morning. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Chuck Berry and Norm N. Nite, the disc jockey and music historian, were friends for more than 50 years. They stayed at each other's homes, in Berry Park near St. Louis and in Cleveland. Nite introduced Berry at the concert recognizing Berry as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's American Music Masters honoree.
Beverly Jarosz: a voice preserved, 52 years after unsolved murder (photos)
CANTON, Ohio -- Beverly Jarosz was 16 years old and passionate about art and poetry when she was murdered in what became one of Northeast Ohio's most infamous unsolved crimes. On Saturday — on what would have been her 68th birthday — her sister, Carol, gave their mother a gift to prove that dreams and love don't have to die: a published book of Beverly's poetry.
Ohio Tree Climbing Championships showcase skills at a high level (photos)
KIRKLAND, Ohio — Justin McVey and Ellie Vosler climbed to the top of their field on Saturday as the male and female winners of the Ohio Tree Climbing Championships at Holden Arboretum. About 30 climbers from around the region competed in the day-long event sponsored by the Ohio chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. Dozens of other professionals, instructors and students served as judges, provided support service and shouted encouragement and advice.
Ohio Public Defender’s Office says sex offender registry doesn’t improve public safety
"The sex-offender registry has been around for a long time, and the research that's out there says that it has no positive impact on the public safety." Ohio will begin tracking arsonists this summer through a new registry similar to the one used to track sex offenders. A law passed last year by the General Assembly will require people convicted of arson-related offenses to register at their local sheriff's office each year for at least 10 years. Failing to register will be a felony.
Sen. Sherrod Brown likens rooting for the Red Sox to rooting for the drug companies
Politics and policy were the scheduled topics when Ohio's Sen. Sherrod Brown appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program Aug. 4, 2011.
Sen. Sherrod Brown says three-quarters of low-income workers don’t have paid sick days
Typhoid Mary was a cook. Working at that job made her single-handedly responsible for multiple outbreaks of typhoid fever, in and around New York City, about a century ago. PolitiFact Ohio couldn't help recalling that bit of history recently after reading advice for the flu season from the Centers for Disease Control, which urged sick people to stay home from work and school to avoid the spread of illness.
Volunteers join RTA in scorching clean-up along the Red Line
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- About 25 volunteers showed up Saturday to lend their labor and sweat to the first of three weekend clean-ups along the RTA Red Line tracks between Tower City and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. They joined more than two dozen transit workers cutting back trees, whacking weeds and picking up mounds of trash in preparation for the start of the Republican National Convention on July 18.
Alan Freed, 'father of rock,' gets a memorial in stone (photos)
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Alan Freed always enjoyed drawing a crowd. He did it again Saturday, 51 years after his death, with a celebrity-studded and respectfully rocking memorial unveiling at Lake View Cemetery. About 400 people — family members, friends, fans and the curious — watched on the lawn behind Wade Chapel as Freed's son Lance drew the cover from a gleaming granite monument depicting Freed on side and a jukebox on the other.
A 'homecoming celebration' will see Alan Freed's ashes to rest
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Rock 'n' roll is here to stay. And so now is Alan Freed, the disc jockey and showman who championed the music and popularized its name. On Saturday, May 7, more than 51 years after his death, his ashes will get a final resting place and a granite monument will be unveiled to his memory in a 1 p.m. public ceremony at Lake View Cemetery. "I think this is his homecoming," said his son Lance, who has spent months planning the event.
Marvin Wilson, Cleveland's enterprising Tamale Man, dies at 70
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Marvin Wilson, who called himself the man with the plan, decided in the 1960s he could support his young family by selling 50-cent tamales from a motorized scooter. The family grew to nine children, and the price of tamales went up. The scooter gave way to delivery trucks, a carry-out stand and finally a sit-down restaurant, Wilson's Hot Tamales, that has employed four generations of Wilsons.
Mother Angelica, EWTN founder, had roots and early fame in Northeast Ohio
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Mother Angelica, who died at 92 on Easter Sunday in her monastery in Alabama, was known worldwide as the founder and face of EWTN, the Eternal Word Television Network. But her roots were in Northeast Ohio, where her enterprising inventiveness first bore fruit decades earlier. She was born Rita Rizzo on April 23, 1923 in Canton. When she was 5, her parents were divorced, an estrangement that she said left a lasting mark on her life.
Allegiant Air offers sale fare to Florida of $39
If you're thinking of fleeing the February cold, a Presidents' Day pledge of Allegiant could be just the ticket. The low-cost carrier Allegiant Air is offering one-way airfare of $39 from the Akron–Canton Airport to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The $39 fare started Saturday and "will only be available until next Tuesday," according to airline spokesman Brandon Myers. "It is a reduced rate in honor of Presidents' Day." More information is at allegiantair.com and akroncantonairport.com.
Estate auction reveals Floyd Loop and Bernadine Healy as a prominent but private couple (photos)
GATES MILLS, Ohio -- Dr. Floyd Loop was sometimes thanked in unusual ways for his lifesaving work as a heart surgeon. From the president of the Philippines came a footlocker-size humidor full of hand-rolled cigars. A thoracic surgeon in China gave him the wooden carving of a leaping horse. A tour of the Loop house turns up an exotic curved dagger and scabbard, giver unknown, and a framed silk weaving that bears the likenesses of Loop and his wife, Bernadine Healy.
GOP debate drew record TV ratings
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Republican presidential debate from Cleveland Thursday night was the most-watched primary debate in history, according to early ratings from Nielsen. Fox News averaged a 16.0 household rating between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., according to Nielsen, which means the cable channel was watched in 16 percent of the nation's households with TV. On a normal night, Fox News gets between a 1.0 and 2.0 rating.
Museum teams unearth 4,000-year-old home in Sheffield ( photos,video)
SHEFFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- The earliest known residents of Lorain County left no historical records of who they were and how they lived. They left only fragments of evidence, buried by time, that yield their secrets only to patient exploration and trained eyes. Patience, hard work and study paid off this summer for Dr. Brian Redmond, curator of archaeology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and his team of dedicated diggers.
Dr. Floyd Loop, heart surgeon who led Cleveland Clinic to preeminence, has died
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Dr. Floyd Loop, the pioneering heart surgeon who led the Cleveland Clinic as chief executive from 1989 to 2004, died Thursday at 78 after a long illness. Loop reversed the clinic's financial losses and oversaw the center's growth in size and reputation that made it a world-renowned medical colossus. He retired in 2004 and lived in Gates Mills and Naples, Florida.
Fred Drenkhan, former Bay police chief, was first at Sheppard murder scene
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Fred Drenkhan won a measure of immortality by being the first police officer on the scene of the Marilyn Sheppard murder, in 1954, and putting the handcuffs on her husband, Dr. Sam Sheppard, a few weeks later. Drenkhan, who was issued patrolman's badge No. 1 when Bay Village became a city in 1950 and later became its chief, died Wednesday in the community he served for more than 60 years. He was 88.
Michelle Knight conquers her fears after 'dangling in the wind'
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Michelle Knight endured more than a decade of unimaginable torture in captivity. "Now I like to read Stephen King novels. I like a little scare in my life," she said Saturday in a wide-ranging public discussion at the Cleveland Main Library. She plans to go skydiving because "I'm adventurous" -- and because she had a fear of heights to overcome.
William Schweitzer, 70, lawyer who represented baseball in Washington
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- William "Bill" Schweitzer, a lawyer and top Washington lobbyist for the American League and Major League Baseball for more than 20 years, died Tuesday from a heart attack at his home in Alexandria, Virginia. He was 70. His death was announced by BakerHostetler, the law firm where he had worked since 1973 and served as managing partner of the Washington office. A Cleveland native, he served until recently on the board of University School, where he was an alumnus.
10 years after she was shot, Clevelander celebrates survival
The anniversary of a shooting might seem like an odd occasion for a party. To the family and friends of Naomi Colston, however, her remarkable survival and recovery were as worth celebrating as her 56th birthday. "We are celebrating her life," said sister Oretha Carpenter, who led the planning for the party Feb. 28 at the Zelma George Recreation Center. "This is something good taking place here.
Beverly Jarosz murder, 50 years later, getting new attention
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The trail went cold less than two days after the murder. "We're no nearer a solution now than we were when the body was found," a detective said. "For all I know, we're farther away from one." A public appeal brought tips by the thousands -- by phone, by mail and in person.
Carl Reese, Cleveland radio legend, is dead at 83
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Carl Reese, the genial broadcaster whose warm voice was heard for more than 50 years on Cleveland radio, died on Wednesday after a long illness. He was 83 and longtime resident of Westlake.
Lights, action! Winterfest shift to Playhouse Square sparkles downtown (photo gallery)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Winterfest moved its holiday tree-lighting uptown to Playhouse Square on Saturday, flooding Euclid Avenue to Public Square with the sort of foot traffic not seen since the golden age of downtown department stores, more than half a century ago. By 6 p.m., a largely family crowd packed Euclid from the Winterfest stage at East 14th Street almost to East 9th Street, for the lighting of the city's official holiday tree and the new Playhouse Square chandelier.
2 trucking companies contend Jimmy Haslam directed Pilot Flying J rebate fraud
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee -- Two trucking companies accuse Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam of directing a fuel rebate fraud for his truck stop chain, Pilot Flying J, according to documents filed in a federal court on Friday. The companies, Keystone Freight Corp. and National Retail Transportation, said the truck stop chain taught its employees to defraud the trucking companies in a conspiracy directed by Haslam.
TV's Ed O'Neill adds and asks for support to finish Traficant film
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Actor Ed O'Neill, the Youngstown native known for his roles on "Modern Family" and "Married ... With Children," is lending his name to a crowd-funding campaign for a documentary about the late former congressman Jim Traficant. The 90-minute documentary, "Traficant: Congressman of Crimetown," was all but finished in September when Traficant was fatally injured in a tractor accident at his family farm in Greenford, filmmaker Eric Murphy said.
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