A CLE Connection to R.E.M.: CLE Daily

🌤️ 82°; Clouds and sun

🎗️ Dolly Parton Has Died: The country music icon and Dollywood namesake died Tuesday at 80, her family announced in a video posted to her Instagram by nephew Bryan Seaver. Parton had stepped back from performing this year while being treated for kidney stones; her family plans a small, private service and asks for donations to her Imagination Library literacy nonprofit in lieu of flowers.
📚 Library Staff Vote Today: Staff members ratify or reject Monday's tentative contract deal that averted a strike, with the library's board of trustees voting Thursday. No terms have been released yet.

⚖️ Hospital Defends Detention Policy: Cleveland Clinic filed a court response defending its practice of detaining people who bring gunshot victims to the ER, denying claims of unlawful search in a federal lawsuit while quietly clarifying the policy to require "reasonable suspicion."

🔥 Church Fire Ruled Arson: Fire investigators say the blaze that gutted the vacant, century-old former Friendship Baptist Church on East 55th Street Friday was set intentionally, using a photo posted to social media as evidence. Fire officials say arrests could come within days.

ICYMI: 30 Rock's beloved "Cleveland episode" had a Northeast Ohio native behind half its jokes — writer Jack Burditt, now an executive producer on "Ted Lasso." "I wrote those jokes because of my absolute love for Cleveland," he says.  

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Trivia Question

This Cleveland gangster — whose career spanned from Prohibition to the city’s 1970s mob war — became the highest-ranking member of the Mafia to testify, both before Congress and in the 1980s Commission trials in New York.

Music: Don Dixon shares his music journey, from co-producing R.E.M. to making Cleveland Christmas music.

By Annie Nickoloff

You might recognize Don Dixon from his production work with the Smithereens, or his team-up with Mitch Easter in producing R.E.M.'s early records, Reckoning and Murmur. Maybe you've caught him on tour with Mary Chapin Carpenter, experienced his band Arrogance in the '70s, or witnessed his performances in the Cleveland holiday supergroup Ohio City Singers.

Local Legends: Both Dixon and Marti Jones, his wife and musical collaborator, are based in Canton, not far from where Jones grew up in Uniontown, Ohio.

Don Dixon: "We didn't expect to live here forever. But it just turned out to be a great place to live. I love it here, and I made really good friends, like with Chris Allen and all The Ohio City Singers folks."

We caught up with Dixon to hear more about his music work and his important role in R.E.M. history, along with the story of how he met Jones and moved to Northeast Ohio, in an episode of The CLE Connection, Cleveland Magazine’s podcast that takes a look at Cleveland’s surprising ties to major pop culture moments.

Listen to the conversation.

Talk of the Town

LeBron is bringing a PGA Tour event back to his hometown. The LeBron James Family Foundation is partnering with the PGA Tour on a new amateur-pro event, set for July 6-7, 2027 at Firestone Country Club's South Course in Akron. It'll feature pros and amateurs from the tour's Pathway to Progression program, returning big-time golf to Firestone a year after the club lost its PGA Tour Champions stop.

A federal audit wants Ohio's money back. Auditors found $20.9 million in misspending across Ohio's manufacturing job-training program over a decade, including questionable spending by Cleveland's MAGNET on PPE sales, events and board-connected internships. Federal officials could end the program entirely; MAGNET has already laid off about half its staff since funding was paused in December. 

FirstEnergy's fix for Lakewood could take a decade. CEO Brian Tierney told a Crain's breakfast that replacing the city's outdated electrical system would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take seven to nine years. State regulators, meanwhile, caught the utility cooling substation transformers with garden sprinklers and have proposed a $3 million fine over the outages. 

Both Ohio governor candidates want to rein in data centers, but nobody's sure how. Vivek Ramaswamy and Amy Acton have each called for some form of restriction on the data center boom, and whoever wins picks all five PUCO members who set the rules data centers operate under. Groups on all sides say the candidates' actual proposals remain vague. 

A West Side family's barbed wire gets to stay, for now. Phillip and Alicia Stewart added the extra barrier to their West 197th Street fence after months of vandalism, trespassing and shootings on their property. A city appeals board ruled the code-violating wire can remain until the underlying criminal cases work through court; Alicia Stewart said the family has lost sleep and her daughter has missed school. 

Another West Side ramp closure is coming for I-90 drivers. The eastbound exit to West Boulevard closes Aug. 31 for about 60 days of reconstruction, ODOT says. The detour routes drivers through West 117th Street and Lorain Road to reach West Boulevard. 

Things To Do: Music Hop, Garlic Fest and pinball galore.

By Jeff Niesel 

Myles Smith at the Agora | Music | Aug. 30

Much like singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, this laid-back British singer-songwriter has an unassuming style and lets his carefully crafted pop songs such as “Stargazing” and "Hold Me in the Dark" speak for themselves. The concert begins at 6 p.m. at the Agora. 5000 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com

Browns vs. New England Patriots at Huntington Bank Field | Sports | Aug. 27

The Browns play a preseason game against a New England Patriots team that made it all the way to the Super Bowl last year. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. at Huntington Bank Field. 100 Alfred Lerner Way, Cleveland, 440-891-5000, huntingtonbankfield.com

The Cleveland Pinball and Arcade Show at the Holiday Inn Independence | Recreation | Aug. 27-30

This event that takes place Thursday through Sunday at the Holiday Inn in Independence promises to offer "gameplay, seminars, vendors, and entertainment for pinball players, arcade game fans, families, and anyone looking to experience the sights and sounds of a massive arcade," as it's put in a press release. 6001 Rockside Road, Independence, clevelandpinballshow.com

Heights Music Hop in Cleveland Heights | Music | Aug. 28-30

FutureHeights, a nonprofit community development corporation, presents this music festival in the "walkable business districts" of Cleveland Heights. Performances will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday both inside area businesses as well as on outdoor stages throughout the districts (Cedar Fairmount, Noble, Cedar Lee and Coventry Village). On Friday alone, 10 Cedar Fairmount venues will host 17 performances. Consult the website for more info. Various locations, heightsmusichop.com

Cleveland Garlic Festival at Shaker Square | Festival | Aug. 29-30

The Cleveland Garlic Festival takes place this weekend at Shaker Square, home to the weekly North Union Farmers Market. The annual event will be held from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. This year, over 40 varieties of garlic from area farms and vendors will be available. Proceeds benefit North Union Farmers Market. 13000 Shaker Blvd., Cleveland, clevelandgarlicfestival.org

For our full list of things to do, visit clevelandmagazine.com/things-to-do.

Yesterday's Trivia Answer

What diplomat and namesake of a Cleveland high school married into a prominent Cleveland family, lived on Millionaire’s Row on Euclid Avenue and worked in the administrations of three separate Ohio-born presidents? John Hay

Check back tomorrow for the answer to today's question

From the Editor

I'm bummed to have to miss the pinball and arcade show this weekend, but I'm also excited Cleveland Pinball League is just around the corner. (For what it's worth, I'm not very good at pinball, but one time I had a few lucky games in CPL's D-Division playoffs and took home the second-place trophy, which is now proudly displayed in our basement game room.)

There's a cool, vibrant pinball scene in town, and this weekend's show is a good moment to experience it!

— Annie Nickoloff, Senior Editor

Have a story idea? Tell us what we should cover at conversation@clevelandmagazine.com.

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