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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.

Animated illustration of four different kinds of beers.

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

More passenger trains could be rolling through Cleveland in a few short years.

Driving the news: The Federal Railroad Administration plans to announce rail corridors it will study for potential Amtrak expansion in either November or December, spokesperson William Wong tells Axios.

Catch up quick: The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure package, signed into law by President Biden, allocated billions of dollars toward expanding rail service.

States and regional planning organizations like the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) have since applied for federal funding to study proposed corridors.

Zoom in: Last year, NOACA requested that the FRA study five routes that pass through Cleveland.

Cleveland-Buffalo-Rochester-New York City

Plus: The state applied for funding to study the long discussed "3C&D" line that would connect Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton.

State of play: Currently, only two Amtrak train lines pass through Cleveland — the Capitol Limited (D.C. to Chicago) and the Lake Shore Limited (NYC to Chicago).

Yes, but: Both depart Cleveland at inconvenient overnight hours, typically between 2-5am.

The intrigue: As Cleveland pursues massive development projects on both Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River, rail expansion advocates have proposed moving Amtrak service from the current station at North Coast Harbor to Tower City.

"The lakefront might suffice if you're convinced Cleveland will never see passenger rail expansion again," rail advocate and real estate blogger Ken Prendergast wrote in May. "Even so, there's significant value to be gained by uniting under one roof Greater Cleveland's individually small and disconnected passenger rail services."

The bottom line: "We've got a half a dozen irons in the fire for passenger rail in Ohio," Stu Nicholson, executive director of the advocacy group All Aboard Ohio, tells Axios. "Let's stop talking about stuff and get stuff built."

🚆 Worth your time: Earlier this year, Cleveland Magazine's Annie Nickoloff rode 1,000 miles on the Lake Shore Limited.

Details on Amtrak expansion studies expected soon

Multiple routes passing through Cleveland, plus Ohio's 3C+D line, are all on the table.

Illustration of a shrug emoji made out of railroad tracks.

More passenger trains could be rolling through Cleveland in a few short years.Driving the news: The Federal Railroad Administration plans to announce rail corridors it will study for potential Amtrak expansion in either November or December, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="spokesperson William Wong tells Axios." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2023/09/28/ohio-passenger-rail-expansion" data-vars-content-id="558cce87-a63e-4454-9003-adc81d3c1a94" data-vars-headline="Details on Amtrak expansion studies expected soon" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2023/09/28/ohio-passenger-rail-expansion" target="_self">spokesperson William Wong tells Axios.</a>

News

Transit

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.

Sports

👋 Sam here. I attended Tuesday evening's participatory budgeting debate and left feeling alternately energized and downtrodden.

Debating the news: The event was a refreshing, info-packed civics display. The two sides presented their cases for and against Issue 38 to an engaged audience at the Public Auditorium's Little Theater.

Yes, but: The arguments could ultimately be pointless. Hours before it began, legislators in Columbus held a hearing on Senate Bill 158, which would ban participatory budgeting statewide.

The Senate voted to pass SB 158 Wednesday, with a stipulation that it will go into effect immediately upon passage. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration. 

Details: Issue 38 would set aside 2%, about $14 million, of Cleveland's budget every year for projects to be decided upon by residents.

Supporters Jonathan Welle and Aleena Starks used a narrative, emotional approach, telling stories of their families, friends and neighbors and arguing that public resources should be in public hands.

"Streets over stadiums" and "people over politicians" were their go-to slogans.

The other side: Councilman Kris Harsh and Ward 13 resident Robyn Kaltenbach made rapid-fire, bulleted arguments that emphasized their qualms about the charter amendment language and the program's significant expense.

Issue 38's tangible harms (potential staff and service cuts in the city budget) outweigh its intangible benefits (civic engagement, resident empowerment), they argued.

(L-R) Kris Harsh, Robyn Kaltenbach, moderator Carrie Cofer, Jonathan Welle, Aleena Starks. Photo: Sam Allard/Axios

My take: Harsh should be commended for organizing the debate and presenting the case to voters. Giving residents information and arguments, and letting them make up their minds, is how a public issue like this should be decided.

Not by statehouse lawmakers unfamiliar with the issue.

Of note: The Bibb administration on Tuesday submitted written testimony opposing the state legislation. The Greater Cleveland Partnership, the area's chamber of commerce, testified in support.

Cleveland debates participatory budgeting as Columbus works to preempt it

Senate Bill 158 could invalidate local grassroots effort.

👋 Sam here. I attended Tuesday evening&#x27;s participatory budgeting debate and left feeling alternately energized and downtrodden.Debating the news: The event was a refreshing, info-packed civics display. The two sides presented their cases for and against Issue 38 to an engaged audience at the Public Auditorium&#x27;s Little Theater.

Politics

Potential Cleveland "sister city" locations

Cleveland's sister city relationships are growing.

Driving the news: Last week, Cleveland City Council passed a resolution declaring its intent to add Cape Town, South Africa; Kigali, Rwanda; and Tema, Ghana to its sister city list.

Why it matters: In partnership with city leadership, nonprofit Global Cleveland is working to diversify and expand sister city relationships to make them more reflective of and meaningful to Cleveland's current population, which is 48% Black and 13% Hispanic.

By the numbers: Cleveland's 24 sister cities are primarily in Europe. Only two are from areas where Spanish is spoken, four are in Africa, and two are in Asia.

What they're saying: "Our sister cities are an important part of our cultural fingerprint, but they don't necessarily reflect the complete story of Cleveland," said Joe Cimperman, executive director of Global Cleveland.

Flashback: President Dwight Eisenhower established the idea of sister cities in 1956 as a way to forge cultural, economic and diplomatic ties with cities around the world.

Between the lines: Though Mayor Jane Campbell added a number of sister cities in the early aughts, Cimperman told Axios the program had been languishing in recent years, until Global Cleveland took it over four years ago.

The most recent sister city addition was Beit Shean, Israel, in 2019, the first since Vicenza, Italy, was added in 2009.

The latest: Mayor Justin Bibb and the current City Council have embraced the idea and are open to using resident connections to develop new partnerships.

Details: For example, Kevin Clayton, chief of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Cleveland Cavaliers, helped make the Cape Town connection through his work in South Africa and his interest in cultivating partnerships through sports, Cimperman told Axios.

Local African American businessman Brian Hall helped with the Kigali connection.

Crystal Bryant, who recently served as executive director for the Cleveland NAACP, and Kwame Botchway, who chaired the branch's International Affairs Committee, coordinated the Tema connection.

What's next: Next year, Cleveland is hosting the 2024 Pan-Am Masters Games, an international competition for athletes over 50, which Cimperman said he hopes will be a showcase for the sister city program and an opportunity for deeper partnerships.

"The connections are there," Cimperman said. "We just have to use them."

Cleveland sister cities program expanding

Cape Town, South Africa; Kigali, Rwanda; and Tema, Ghana to join list of 24 connections.

Map of Africa with Cape Town, Kigali and Tema featured with purple pins

Cleveland&#x27;s sister city relationships are growing.Driving the news: Last week, Cleveland City Council passed a resolution declaring its intent to add Cape Town, South Africa; Kigali, Rwanda; and Tema, Ghana to its sister city list.

An exasperated Blaine Griffin twice cut off the microphone of public commenters at Monday evening's Cleveland City Council meeting.

What happened: Griffin, the body's president, explained his interpretation of the public commenting rules after the evening's first commenter called for the recall of Mayor Justin Bibb, county prosecutor Mike O'Malley and others in a passionate tirade.

"We will be cutting mics for anyone who insults or impugns the character of any official in this body," Griffin said.

When a later speaker, Chris Martin, began indexing individual council members' 2022 contributions from the Council Leadership Fund, Griffin interceded.

The other side: "I am not impugning the character of any councilor," Martin said. "I am merely stating the facts of who accepted money from the Council Leadership Fund."

The final speaker testified incoherently about Christian legislation and asserted that "Judaism is actually not a religion; it's a heresy."

The latest: On Tuesday, the council released a statement condemning those remarks.

"Cleveland City Council supports public comment. However, we will not support any comments that demean or single out any group on the basis of race, gender, sexual identity, religion, or any other reason."

Reality check: Procedures for public comment passed by the council in 2021 indicate that speakers "shall address the Council as a body and may not address any individual council member or other person."

It also restricts the use of "indecent or discriminatory language" and says that speakers must limit themselves to topics they identify on a registration form.

Yes, but: Andy Geronimo, director of the First Amendment Clinic at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, said policies at public meetings must comply with the First Amendment's prohibition against "viewpoint-based restrictions."

"City Council would likely have a very difficult time defending the rules prohibiting mentioning members of council (and the application of those rules to particular speakers) as a matter of First Amendment law," he told Axios.

"Accordingly, City Council would likely have a very difficult time defending the rules prohibiting offensive speech, or from mentioning members of council (and the application of those rules to particular speakers) as a matter of First Amendment law." 

Public commenters silenced at Cleveland City Council meeting on questionable grounds

Council President Blaine Griffin barred any comments "impugning the character" of members

A man in glasses holding a microphone in a wood-paneled legislative chamber with a police officer immediately behind him. 

Commenter Chris Martin just before his mic was cut. Screenshot: TV20 

An exasperated Blaine Griffin twice cut off the microphone of public commenters at Monday evening&#x27;s Cleveland City Council meeting.What happened: Griffin, the body&#x27;s president, explained his interpretation of the public commenting rules after the evening&#x27;s first commenter called for the recall of Mayor Justin Bibb, county prosecutor Mike O&#x27;Malley and others in a passionate tirade.

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.

Music

As members of PB Cle prepare for their debate Tuesday evening at Cleveland Public Auditorium, others in their coalition are traveling to Columbus to testify against legislation that would preempt Issue 38, the participatory budgeting charter amendment.

Why it matters: State Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) last week introduced Senate Bill 158, which would ban participatory budgeting in Ohio by mandating that only the city council can determine how a given city spends its money.

The latest: In a statement Monday, PB Cle called on Cleveland's elected leaders to denounce SB 158, which they called a "cynical ploy" to silence local voters.

Like this summer's Issue 1, SB 158 is a "statewide assault" on democracy, they said.

What they're saying: "No matter where Clevelanders stand on Issue 38, there is no room for Columbus to strip away our right to make decisions for ourselves," PB Cle said.

"Pro-democracy elected officials must call SB 158 what it is: a shameless attack on democracy. Silence on SB 158 is as good as an endorsement."

The other side: The Justin Bibb administration and the City Council adamantly oppose Issue 38, but Bibb and several council members have come out in measured opposition to Cirino's statehouse bill.

"While my administration is opposed to Issue 38, we have serious concerns about proposed state preemption laws and don't think the state should step into a local issue," Bibb said.

What's next: The Senate General Government Committee meets at 3pm to discuss SB 158. You can watch it here.

The local debate over Issue 38 between PB Cle representatives and Councilman Kris Harsh, the most outspoken opponent, is at 6pm Tuesday at Cleveland Public Auditorium. 

The free event is open to the public and will be streamed on TV20.

Go deeper: Before Tuesday night's debate, here's a refresher on both sides of Issue 38 from Signal Cleveland.

Participatory budgeting debates on tap

PB Cle members will testify against SB 158 hours before debate at Public Auditorium.

An organizer in winter gear speaks at a microphone outside Cleveland City Hall 

PB Cle's Jonathan Welle will be among the debaters supporting Issue 38 in tonight's event. Photo: Sam Allard/Axios 

As members of PB Cle prepare for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="their debate Tuesday evening" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/08/11/councilman-peoples-budget-cleveland-debate" data-vars-content-id="bed20ff0-39f1-4233-a8bb-f78aa3bc55e5" data-vars-headline="Participatory budgeting debates on tap" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/08/11/councilman-peoples-budget-cleveland-debate" target="_self">their debate Tuesday evening</a> at Cleveland Public Auditorium, others in their coalition are traveling to Columbus to testify against legislation that would preempt Issue 38, the participatory budgeting charter amendment.Why it matters: State Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) last week <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="introduced Senate Bill 158, which would" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/09/20/jerry-cirino-block-participatory-budgeting" data-vars-content-id="bed20ff0-39f1-4233-a8bb-f78aa3bc55e5" data-vars-headline="Participatory budgeting debates on tap" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/09/20/jerry-cirino-block-participatory-budgeting" target="_self">introduced Senate Bill 158, which would</a> ban participatory budgeting in Ohio by mandating that only the city council can determine how a given city spends its money.

National

EMILY's List head Laphonza Butler picked to fill Feinstein's Senate seat

California

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

Some Democrats fear Bidenomics branding is backfiring

Economy

The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried: Key players

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

PLATFORM BEER CO

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