1 big thing: Terry Francona bids farewell

On the job hunt?

2. PB debate this way ... 

3. The Terminal: Liberating local news 

Illustration of a the Axios logo made out of shipping containers.

4. 🍽️ Dinner + a show: Blossom season finale

🎢 It's Thursday. On this day in 1969, Euclid Beach Park — the beloved Northeast Ohio amusement park — closed its gates for good.

☔ Today's weather: Showers likely with a high of 70°.

🎧 Sounds like: "This Ain't Goodbye" by Train

💡 Situational awareness: Playhouse Square will debut its theaters' new marquees this evening with a free outdoor party, capped with a performance by Andy Grammer. 

Today's newsletter is 900 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Thanks to our editor Lindsey Erdody and copy editors Rob Reinalda and Yasmeen Altaji.

🍹Sam thinks that after the closing of The Spotted Owl this year, Cleveland has been desperate for another cocktail bar. He's hoping Amazonia, opening next week in Lakewood, delivers. 

🏝️ Troy is obsessed with the new season of "Survivor" and now needs to figure out how he can get on the show. 

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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Cleveland.

Axios Cleveland

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1 big thing: It's Beer Week

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Details on Amtrak expansion studies expected soon

2. 🚉 Choo-choo! Amtrak expansion studies due soon

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3. The Terminal: Healthy local news consumption

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4. 👍 See it or skip it 👎

The Jigaw puppet from Saw sits on a bike.

❓ Happy Friday. Today is National Ask a Stupid Question Day.

We believe the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

☂️ Today's weather: Slight chance of showers, then partly sunny with a high of 72.

🎧 Sounds like: "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" by ZZ Top

Today's newsletter is 941 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🏡 Sam is obsessing over this Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired home for sale in Akron. 

🎞️ Troy is a father who loves horror movies and plans on seeing both "Saw X" and "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie" this weekend.

1 big thing: Stipe Miocic ready to regain his title

Stipe Miocic raises his arms after a fight. 

New legislative maps create tossup districts in Cleveland suburbs

2. 🔎 A closer look at our new legislative districts

Side by side maps of Ohio's new state legislative maps (L: House, R: Senate) in the Cleveland area

3. The Terminal: Helping you process tons of material

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4. 🍺 Brews on Tues: Beer and cheese, a match made in Cleveland 

A new career is waiting for you

5. 🛣️ Highway signage to go 

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⚾ Happy Tuesday. On this day in 1993, the Indians played their final game at Cleveland Stadium.

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny with a high of 82.

🗳️ Situational awareness: There is one week left to register to vote in the Nov. 7 general election. You can register or update your registration address online.

💪 Membership makes a difference. Join as a member to directly support our local journalism.

🎧 Sounds like: "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor

Today's newsletter is 930 words — a 3.5-minute read.

⚔️ Sam acknowledges that it sometimes feels like an off-brand mashup of "Game of Thrones" and "Lord of the Rings," but he's nevertheless really enjoying "Wheel of Time" and is looking forward to the Season 2 finale this weekend. 

🏋🏾 Troy is considering copying David Njoku's pregame look for Halloween but will probably have to work out A LOT more to pull it off. 

1 big thing: Our not-yet-noteworthy convention center

A rendering of an outdoor second-floor terrace next to a 4-5 story beige building with modern windows.

2. How to get the updated COVID vaccine

3. The Terminal: Your local news glow-up 

Illustration of one of the Guardians of Traffic, wearing glasses and reading the news on its phone.

4. 🏈 Browns struggle without Deshaun Watson

5. 📸 Capturing Cleveland

Terry Francona waves goodbye to fans at Progressive Field. 

🚘 Monday is here. Today is National Name Your Car Day. What do you call your vehicle?

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny with a high of 76.

🎧 Sounds like: "This Place Sucks" by The Queers

🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Cleveland member Amy Lubbering!

🎸 Situational awareness: For the first time, the annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air on live TV.

The ceremony, set for Nov. 3 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York,  will stream on Disney+.

Today's newsletter is 912 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Thanks to our editor Lindsey Erdody and copy editors Matt Piper and Yasmeen Altaji.

🍿 Sam saw "The Creator" this weekend, which featured one of the most darling child performances he's seen in years. 

💿 Troy spent the weekend listening to Lil Wayne's new mixtape and is ready for the release of his next album, "Tha Carter VI."

1 big thing: Student loan payments resume

Illustration of an envelope, shaped like a graduation cap, stamped with a "payment due" notice

2. 🏀 Six takeaways from Cavs media day

Tristan Thompson with a microphone and arm around Donovan Mitchell's shoulder during a photoshoot

3. The Terminal: Assembling your local news links 

Nina Turner launches national worker organization in Cleveland

4. Nina Turner launches national worker organization

Nina Turner speaks at a microphone, backed by a crowd in masks holding blue Nina Turner for Congress signs

🌮 It's Wednesday, not Tuesday. Yet it's still National Taco Day.

🌞 Today's weather: Sunny with a high of 84.

🎧 Sounds like: "The Debt I Owe" by Lou Reed

📱Situational awareness: FEMA and the FCC will issue a nationwide emergency alert test today on all cellphones, wireless devices, radios and TVs at 2:20pm local time.

Today's newsletter is 909 words — a 3.5-minute read.

⛳️ Sam has just been informed that today is "National Golf Lovers Day." He is dismayed to report that he is not on a golf course at this very moment. 

😱 Troy is in the midst of a weeklong horror movie binge that beings with the original "Exorcist" and ends with the new "The Exorcist: Believer" film. 

The monthly budgets of more than 1.8 million Ohioans will change this month.

Driving the news: October marks the end of the pandemic pause on federal student loan payments.

Why it matters: After a three-plus-year break from payments, experts warn of a messy return to debt repayment for borrowers, Axios' Kelly Tyko writes.

Student loan debt will especially be tough on younger people, who typically have lower incomes.

Catch up quick: More than 37,000 Ohio borrowers are eligible to get their combined $1.7 billion in debt erased following loan relief adjustments to Income-Driven Repayment plans implemented by the government in July.

Yes, but: That still leaves more than $60 billion of student loan debt for Ohioans, most of which will be paid back starting this month.

Zoom out: More than 40 million Americans, who collectively owe more than $1 trillion in student loans, will have to make loan payments again.

Zoom in: Ohio has the sixth-highest number of borrowers in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

More than half of those borrowers are under age 35.

What's next: Due dates for the first payments vary, but the Department of Education says borrowers will get a bill, with payment amount and due date, at least 21 days before the due date.

Borrowers can apply for the new federal SAVE Plan, an income-driven repayment plan that calculates monthly loan payments based on income and family size.

The Biden administration also created a yearlong "on-ramp period" during which borrowers won't be reported to the national credit rating agencies if they default on payments.

💭 Troy's thought bubble: Biden's original student forgiveness plan, which the Supreme Court rejected, would have wiped out the rest of my debt.

I'd rather spend my monthly payment on my kids.

Be smart: Use this Axios explainer to figure out your student loan status.

Student loan payments resume for 1.8 million Ohioans

October marks the end of the pandemic pause on federal student loan payments.

Loans

The monthly budgets of more than 1.8 million Ohioans will change this month.Driving the news: October marks the end of the pandemic pause on federal student loan payments.

News

Education

Former UFC champion and Valley View firefighter Stipe Miocic is getting ready for the fight of his life — and, once again, he's the underdog.

Driving the news: The 41-year-old Euclid native is about a month away from facing Jon Jones for the heavyweight championship at UFC 295 pay-per-view on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden.

"Some of the best of all time have fought at Madison Square Garden," Miocic tells Axios. "It's going to be a pretty amazing night on Veterans Day. Something to check off my bucket list."

Why it matters: Miocic-Jones is the most anticipated UFC fight of the year. Miocic will try to recapture the title he first won in 2016 but lost to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in 2021.

The intrigue: Miocic had initially hoped for a rematch against Ngannou, who left the UFC for the Pro Fighters League this year.

Yes, but: A showdown with Jones — a two-division champ who many consider to be the best mixed martial artist of all time — may be the bigger fight.

"He's really good at what he does," Miocic says of Jones. "That's why he's beaten so many great fighters. Unfortunately, this time, he has to face me."

By the numbers: Miocic holds the UFC record for most wins in heavyweight title fights with six. However, he is a 3-to-1 underdog heading into UFC 295, given that Jones hasn't lost since 2010.

"I think it's a Cleveland thing," Miocic says. "People just want to poop on us all the time. I'm used to it. But I'm here to fight and anything can happen."

The bottom line: Win or lose, this could be Miocic's last fight.

"I'm 41, and I feel great," he says. "Right now, I'm [focused on] Nov. 11. After that I'll sit down with my family and decide what's next."

How to watch: UFC 295: Jones vs. Miocic will air on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

The cost is $79.99 for current ESPN+ subscribers and $124.98 for new subscribers.

Stipe Miocic relishes underdog role against Jon Jones

Miocic and Jones will face off in the main event at UFC 295.

Cleveland's champ. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Sports

Former UFC champion and Valley View firefighter Stipe Miocic is getting ready for the fight of his life — and, once again, he&#x27;s the underdog.Driving the news: The 41-year-old Euclid native is about a month away from facing Jon Jones for the heavyweight championship at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="UFC 295" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-295" data-vars-content-id="4e0effc1-545a-416c-89ea-cb8e26a6a9db" data-vars-headline="Stipe Miocic relishes underdog role against Jon Jones" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-295" target="_blank">UFC 295</a> pay-per-view on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden.

The Guardians have three games left this season, but last night marked the end of an era.

Driving the news: Terry "Tito" Francona, who plans to retire after this season, managed his final home game at Progressive Field, which saw the Guardians beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3.

Why it matters: Francona is the winningest manager in Cleveland history with more than 900 victories, including six postseason berths and a World Series appearance in 2016.

Flashback: Francona's MLB career began as a player with the Montreal Expos in 1981.

He went on to play for several teams, including Cleveland in 1988, the same franchise that his father, Tito, played for in the 1960s.

The intrigue: Francona turned to coaching in 1991 and managed Michael Jordan during his short-lived minor league run with the Birmingham Barons in 1994.

Francona would go on to manage the Philadelphia Phillies and lead the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles.

Zoom in: He became manager in Cleveland in 2012, where he won American League Manager of the Year honors in 2013, 2016 and 2022.

Yes, but: The 64-year-old has dealt with major health issues in recent years, scheduling a shoulder replacement surgery and a pair of hernia operations for this offseason.

What they're saying: "It's time," Francona told the MLB radio network earlier this month.

"My body is telling me that. My head is telling me that. And I don't want to stay on for the wrong reasons. ... I've been pretty clear with the guys I work for, told them to start preparing."

The bottom line: Francona is a future Hall of Famer and one of the most beloved figures in Cleveland sports history.

His ties to the community include a pair of restaurants and multiple charity organizations.

What's next: The Guardians, who have been eliminated from postseason play, will close out the season with three games in Detroit against the Tigers this weekend.

It's less than a three-hour drive, in case you want to catch Tito's last game.

Terry Francona bids farewell at Guardians' final home game

Francona is the winningest manager in Cleveland history with more than 900 victories.

You will be missed. Photo: Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Baseball

The Guardians have three games left this season, but last night marked the end of an era.Driving the news: Terry &quot;Tito&quot; Francona, who plans to retire after this season, managed his final home game at Progressive Field, which saw the Guardians beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3.

If you love craft beer, good food and pairing the two — which seems like 90% of Clevelanders — this is the week for you.

Driving the news: Cleveland Beer Week kicks off Friday and runs through Oct. 8 at various breweries and restaurants.

Why it matters: This is not just another weeklong, generic celebration of something in Cleveland.

Beer Week, founded in 2009, predates the rush of other themed weeks — Pierogi Week, Burger Week, Wing Week, etc. — and has a well-rounded list of events to back it up.

Worth your time: Beer Week's website lists more than 100 celebrations. We narrowed it to several standout events.

Admission is free unless otherwise noted:

Details: You get fresh oysters paired with your favorite beer from Maine Beer and Oxbow Brewing starting at 10am Saturday at Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood.

Details: Marengo's Hoof Hearted Brewing provides the fuel for Pins Mechanical Co.'s pinball tournament from 6-9pm Wednesday. You can still sign up for the free tournament.

Details: Face off against some of your favorite local brewers in fun games like cornhole, mini bowling and more from 6-8pm Wednesday at Wild Eagle Saloon in Broadview Heights.

Tickets are $40 and include 20 beer samples.

Details: One of the most popular events of Beer Week is free sampling of beers from homebrewers in the area from 7-10pm Thursday at the Cleveland Brew Shop on Lorain Avenue.

Details: The Lady Caroline ship gets in on the Beer Week action with a night of beautiful views and 20 beer samples during a three-hour cruise that boards at 6pm.

Details: Buckeye Beer Engine cracks open its selection of Lambic beers — spontaneously fermented ancient beers — just one night a year. That will take place on Oct. 6. from 6-10pm.

Details: Burke Lakefront Airport opens its Signature Flight hangar for a night of more than 100 beers, food, a silent auction and more from 6-10:30pm on Oct. 7.

💭 Troy's thought bubble: You'll probably catch me at Chimay Burger & Beer Night at Buckeye Beer Engine on Monday.

💭 Sam's thought bubble: Masthead beers will be on tap this week at X Indoor Golf in Avon, with $1 from every pint donated to Beer Week charities.

"Hear that, sweetheart? It's for charity!"

Cleveland Beer Week: 7 events to check out

Beer Week has a well-rounded list of events through Oct. 8.

Beer

If you love craft beer, good food and pairing the two — which seems like 90% of Clevelanders — this is the week for you.Driving the news: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Cleveland Beer Week" data-vars-click-url="https://www.clevelandbeerweek.org/" data-vars-content-id="ba3179c7-3f9d-4bd3-9b91-67e6e21c7b17" data-vars-headline="Cleveland Beer Week: 7 events to check out" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.clevelandbeerweek.org/" target="_blank">Cleveland Beer Week</a> kicks off Friday and runs through Oct. 8 at various breweries and restaurants.

Food and Drink

Things to Do

Summer may be over, but the concert schedule in Northeast Ohio remains hot.

Driving the news: The first big concert of the fall takes place at 8pm Wednesday, when Peter Gabriel performs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Why it matters: Gabriel is just one of several big names that will close out what has been a big year for concerts in Cleveland.

Hall of Famers: In addition to Gabriel, Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Eagles and Kiss will visit the FieldHouse on Oct. 17 and Oct. 22, respectively, for what both bands have billed as their final tours.

Plus: Bob Dylan brings the long-running tour of his 2020 album "Rough and Rowdy Ways" to Akron Civic Theatre on Oct. 21.

Depeche Mode, which hasn't performed in Cleveland since 2001, will be at the FieldHouse on Nov. 10.

Buzz worthy acts: Country rap phenom Jelly Roll, who cleaned up at the 2023 CMT Awards, closes out Blossom Music Center's concert season on Saturday.

Coming off a standout performance at Kid Cudi's Moon Man's Landing festival in 2022, Playboi Carti headlines Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Oct. 15.

Best of the rest: The remainder of shows range from mainstream hitmakers like P!nk performing at the FieldHouse on Nov. 8 to R&B singer Raphael Saadiq reuniting with his former group Tony! Toni! Toné! on Oct. 8 at State Theatre.

💭 My thought bubble: This fall is loaded with bucket-list concerts for local music fans.

I'm looking forward to instrumental rockers Explosions In the Sky's The End Tour, which stops Thursday at the Agora.

Depeche Mode to Playboi Carti: Cleveland's fall concert schedule

The list of shows also includes Eagles, Peter Gabriel, KISS and more.

Depeche Mode's lead singer performs on stage. 

Enjoying the not so silent sounds of Depeche Mode. Photo: Aldara Zarraoa/WireImage

Entertainment

Summer may be over, but the concert schedule in Northeast Ohio remains hot.Driving the news: The first big concert of the fall takes place at 8pm Wednesday, when <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Peter Gabriel" data-vars-click-url="https://www.rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com/events/detail/peter-gabriel-io-the-tour-230927" data-vars-content-id="e2e7c38b-9bdc-438f-b5c6-ba5b909e0a5c" data-vars-headline="Depeche Mode to Playboi Carti: Cleveland&#x27;s fall concert schedule" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com/events/detail/peter-gabriel-io-the-tour-230927" target="_blank">Peter Gabriel</a> performs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Troy Smith

Stories

Student loan payments resume for 1.8 million Ohioans

Stipe Miocic relishes underdog role against Jon Jones

Cleveland Beer Week: 7 events to check out

Terry Francona bids farewell at Guardians' final home game

Depeche Mode to Playboi Carti: Cleveland's fall concert schedule

Newsletter editions

💸 Student loan reckoning

🥊 Miocic vs. Father Time

🏗️ Convention center lowdown

🍻 Beer here!

⚾ Goodbye, Tito