Axios Cleveland

May 13, 2026
🎸 On this date in 1982, Journey played the first of two nights at Richfield Coliseum on its "Escape Tour."
- The band will play Rocket Arena in November.
🌧️ Today's weather: Chance of rain showers, with a high of 60 and a low of 46.
Today's newsletter is 1,122 words — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: History of the Ohio State Reformatory
One of the most distinctive landmarks in all of Ohio is a roughly 80-mile drive southwest of Cleveland.
Why it matters: The Ohio State Reformatory dates back 130 years, having been a prison, a premier haunted destination and the site of major conventions and festivals.
State of play: ParaPsyCon 7, which attracts everything from ghost hunters and UFO researchers to Bigfoot believers, takes place at the reformatory this Friday through Sunday.
- It's just a warm-up for several events planned there this summer, most notably the annual Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival (July 17-19) that drew 90,000 attendees last summer.
Flashback: The reformatory, designed by prominent Cleveland architect Levi Scofield, opened in 1896.
- It served as a prison until 1990, when a federal court ordered its closure following a class-action lawsuit alleging unconstitutional conditions.

The Ohio State Reformatory Preservation Society formed in 1995 and has rehabilitated the facility, which is now an official museum that hosts walking tours, escape rooms, car shows and more.
The intrigue: The reformatory is also a popular filming location, most notably for 1994's "The Shawshank Redemption."
- Other movies filmed at the prison include "Tango & Cash" (1989), "Air Force One" (1997) and "Judas and the Black Messiah" (2021).
If you go: The reformatory hosts a variety of tours almost daily through mid-July.
- There are also several paranormal events from late July through August.

2. 🚫 Flock of opposition
Resistance to Flock Safety surveillance cameras is spreading across Northeast Ohio as the scope of the company's data collection comes to light.
State of play: Critics say the cameras create sprawling surveillance networks with few safeguards that can be used by federal immigration authorities and others.
- Supporters, including municipalities like Cleveland, argue they help police solve violent crimes and locate stolen vehicles.
The big picture: Flock cameras automatically scan and log license plates, creating searchable databases accessible to participating law enforcement agencies nationwide.
- Civil liberties advocates warn the system lets police cast broad investigative nets, track residents' movements and share data with outside agencies.
- Concerns escalated this year amid reports that some federal agencies used Flock systems for immigration-related searches.
The latest: In Shaker Heights, the activist group Shake Off Flock recently uncovered records showing hundreds of immigration-related searches conducted through Shaker Heights' Flock network by agencies outside Ohio.
- That prompted the city to ban immigration-related searches and begin daily audits of system activity.
Zoom out: Opposition groups are also mobilizing in Cleveland and Cleveland Heights.
- Cleveland Heights recently passed restrictions barring Flock data from being used for civil immigration enforcement.
- In Cleveland, activists have pressured City Hall to halt a proposed expansion of Flock technology and want to end the Cleveland Metropolitan School District's contract.
What they're saying: "These systems ... always begin with claims they're in the public good, but we've seen time and time again over history that they turn into abusive systems of fascists," said Cleveland.com editor Chris Quinn on the "Today in Ohio" podcast.
- "The only way to fix it is unplug it."
The other side: Flock Safety supports communities "taking an active role in setting policies around how this technology is used," spokesman Paris Lewbel tells Axios.
- "All of Flock's products are designed with privacy, transparency, and local control at the forefront."
- Lewbel says Flock introduced search filters to all law enforcement customers nationwide that provide "built-in guardrails to prevent searches tied to uses prohibited by law or agency policy."
3. The Terminal: Trauma bonding
🏥 A Signal Cleveland analysis found the city of Cleveland does not need an additional Level 1 trauma center, which Cleveland Clinic is pursuing. (Signal Cleveland)
🏚️ Two real estate investment influencers are accused of running a Ponzi scheme in which they used distressed properties in Cleveland to swindle investors. (Cleveland.com)
🏗️ CSU is seeking design teams to renovate the Woodling Gymnasium on Chester Avenue, a $30-$60 million project that will allow for the demolition of the Wolstein Center. (NEOtrans)
📽️ The Cleveland Cinematheque has tapped David Huffman, who worked in marketing and programming at Cleveland Cinemas for more than 20 years, as its new director. (Ideastream)
4. 🏀 Beat Detroit!
The Cavs head into Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup against Detroit on Wednesday night with a challenge on their hands.
State of play: The Cavs remain undefeated at home in this year's playoffs and have tied a series that began with two dispiriting losses.
- Yes, but: They are winless on the road, and will have to steal a game in Detroit if they are to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The intrigue: If they win Wednesday (8pm, ESPN) in Detroit, the Cavs will have an opportunity to clinch the series in front of a home crowd Friday.
By the numbers: Donovan Mitchell's 39 points in the second half on Monday tied the most by any player in a single half in NBA postseason history.
- And the Cavs 25-0 scoring run, spanning the end of the second quarter to the middle of the third — a certified Cavalanche — is their longest such run in the play-by-play era (since 1997).
Zoom in: Evan Mobley stuffed the stat sheet, racking up three steals and five blocks alongside 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
- He's the first Eastern Conference player to reach those marks in a single playoff game since Michael Jordan.
The intrigue: The Beard appeared.
- James Harden — whose confounding turnovers and defensive lapses epitomized Games 1 and 2 — was a fourth quarter assassin in Game 3. He dished out 11 assists with only two turnovers in Game 4.
5. 👶 America's most popular baby names


The names "Liam" and "Olivia" are the country's top baby names for the seventh year in a row, according to Social Security card applications submitted at birth.
The big picture: The 2025 top 10 ranking didn't change drastically since 2024.
- Emma moved down to spot No. 3 for girls, after six years at No. 2.
- Ava fell off the list, while Eliana was a new name at No. 10.
- The top four boy names all held their spots.
The intrigue: Two K names are considered the fastest-risers of last year, according to the SSA.
- For boys: Kasai, which means "fire" in Japanese and Swahili.
- For girls: Klarity, an altered spelling of "clarity."
Other novel spellings climbing the ranks: Neithan and Madisson.
📚 Sam discussed the sparse and gripping post-apocalyptic novel "I Who Have Never Known Men" with his book club last night.
👨🏾🍳 Troy has become obsessed with cooking anything he can in his new air fryer.
This newsletter was edited by Tyler Buchanan.
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