Cleveland's Michael Symon Writes Love Letter to Hometown

Read the letter and tell us what you love about Cleveland

Chef Michael Symon, owner of Eton Plaza's B-Spot and other area restaurants, showed a little emotion and a lot of Cleveland pride in a touching love letter to Cleveland for The Huffington Post today. Raised in North Olmsted and a graduate of Lakewood's St. Edward High School, he reminisces about places all over the area: I remember when I was young and I would spend my entire weekends with you and my grandfather: heading to the Eastside and staying with my grandparents; taking the rapid Downtown; shopping at the Westside Market with all its fabulous aromas of smoked meats and baked breads. It is here I found my true love for food, for going to the historic Terminal Tower to pick up my Grandma at Higbees and heading back east to cook split …

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Horseshoe Casino is Opening: Do You Care?

How to you feel about the new close-to-home gambling spot?

The new Horseshoe Casino is set to open Monday night. Big crowds are expected to swarm in when the doors open at 9:30 p.m.  But while some people will celebrate the new casino, others will barely note it's there, and others believe it never should have been built. Obviously, developers believe it'll be a big hit—in fact, it is estimated the casino will draw 5 million visitors during its first year, Ohio.com reports. Will you be one of them? What are your feelings on downtown Cleveland gambling?

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Wanted: Bird Bloggers in Brecksville

We want your bird photos, your bird observations. Heck, we'd even like to see your birding videos!

Seriously, my favorite radio station is any public radio station and I often pester the editors with re-enactments of the stories I hear.  So when WCPN featured The Cleveland Natural History Museum's Harvey Webster in a show all about birding I was inspired to reach out to you directly.  In the program, Webster mentioned the Audubon Society's weekly bird watching events at parks across the region and several great local bird blogs.  But I'll bet Brecksville has some undiscovered bird bloggers. And I personally invite you to start your own blog and share your bird photos, observations, heck you can even post a video if you have it.  Are you already blogging about birds? You can post your blog on Patch and reach a wider, local audience.  …

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Union President Says Romney Not a Leader: Letter to the Editor

What do you think about this Service Employees International union president's open letter to GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney?

Dear Mr. Romney: Your welcoming letter to President Obama felt a little sketchy to me.  I remember, as I am certain my fellow Ohioans remember, you supporting actions, or in many cases inaction, which would have cost Ohioans their jobs, their homes and their rights. You, Mr. Romney, made it clear that you don't understand how average Ohioans live and support their families.  That is why you did not support the auto industry bail out and in fact said "Let Detroit go bankrupt."  Unlike you, President Obama understands that the auto industry is the backbone of livable-wage jobs for Ohio's middle class and without those jobs they could not feed their families or pay their mortgages.  That is why President Obama bet on the America worker and as…

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Poll: What Are You Most Looking Forward to This Summer?

Summer vacation is just about a month away.

For students in the Brecksville-Broadview Heights school district, there’s less than a month between them and summer vacation. So in the spirit of daydreaming, we want to know what you’re most looking forward to about that warmest of seasons. Do you have a big vacation booked? Plans to spend afternoons swimming? Or is it all about the grill for you? There is no wrong answer here! Take our just-for-fun poll below and be sure to elaborate in the comments—I’ll use them to help focus our summer coverage. And don’t forget to head over to this week’s Readers’ Choice to nominate some great “staycation” spots!

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Brecksville Bomb Plot: What You're Saying About Whodunit

FBI arrested five men Monday night who officials say had a plan to blow up a bridge in Brecksville.

Five men were arrested by the FBI Monday night on charges they planned to blow up a bridge in Brecksville's portion of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The FBI said in a press release the public was not in danger, and an undercover FBI employee had controlled the explosive devices. In addition, the explosives were inoperable. Arrested were: Brandon L. Baxter, 20, of Lakewood; Anthony Hayne, 35, of Cleveland; Joshua S. Stafford, 23, of Cleveland; Connor C. Stevens, 20, of Berea; and Douglas L. Wright, 26, of Indianapolis. The five men each were charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of attempted use of an explosive, said Mike Tobin, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice, Northern District of Ohio. …

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Road Closures Planned and Frozen Yogurt Shop Opens: Week in Review

Catch up on the news this week in Brecksville.

Miss a story or two this week? Don’t worry—you can catch up quickly by reading the summaries below. And don’t forget to check out our blogs! Lila Tamulewicz wrote a post on Thursday about National Volunteer Week and the rewards she sees when she volunteers.

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Pizza and Burritos: Readers Want More of Both in Brecksville

Cast your vote in our just-for-fun poll!

Last week, I asked you what restaurants you’d like to see in Brecksville, and you certainly came through! The most popular suggestions were a sit-down pizza and pasta restaurant or a Chipotle. Two people mentioned that they’d like to see an Indian restaurant, like Cafe Tandoor. Some other suggestions included Yours Truly, an Aladdin’s Eatery, an Arby’s or a Rockne’s. Frank LaRose, Brecksville’s economic development director, said there are no new restaurants in the works at the moment, but the city would like to see some eateries included in the VA Medical Center site redevelopment. LaRose said that the city hopes the site turns into an office park, with some convenience retail and some dining options, like a nice lunch place or a …

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What Restaurant Would You Want in Brecksville?

Come add to the conversation.