🎸 On this date in 1965, Bob Dylan brought his first tour with a full rock band to Cleveland Music Hall.

🌧️ Today's weather: Chance of light rain, with a high of 51 and a low of 37.

Today’s newsletter is 1,062 words — a 4-minute read.

An exhibition celebrating former Cleveland Mayor George Voinovich has opened at City Hall, inviting residents to revisit the legacy of a politician who helped steer the city out of financial crisis and into a new era of corporate-led development.

Why it matters: Voinovich, who served as mayor from 1980 to 1989 before becoming Ohio's governor and later a U.S. senator, remains one of the most consequential figures in modern Cleveland political history.

• The exhibit goes further, calling Voinovich "arguably the most significant political figure in Ohio history."

Driving the news: "Together We Can Do It!" features photographs, archival records, artifacts and personal stories exploring Voinovich's career and Slovenian and Serbian heritage.

Flashback: Voinovich took office after Cleveland's tumultuous Dennis Kucinich years, promising to restore financial credibility and rebuild relationships with the business community.

• His administration helped stabilize city finances and ushered in a period of downtown investment and redevelopment that became a model for urban comebacks nationally.

Between the lines: That comeback was hardly spontaneous. Cleveland's corporate executives actively recruited and financed Voinovich as a repudiation of Kucinich's confrontational, populist politics.

• A 1989 Fortune magazine retrospective described how a "benign conspiracy" of business leaders organized to exert influence over City Hall, championing public-private partnerships and a business-friendly development strategy.
• The approach mirrored the Reagan-era economic philosophy that prioritized private investment and wealth creation, with the expectation that prosperity would eventually benefit the broader population.

💭 Sam's thought bubble: What's very clear from the exhibition on the second floor of City Hall is that local leaders deeply respected and cherished Voinovich as a convener, a cheerleader and a workhorse.

• I was personally touched by his commitment to peace in the Balkans and by multiple photos of him campaigning by bicycle.

What's next: The free exhibition, first presented at the Slovenian Museum & Archives, remains on display during regular City Hall hours through May 31, 2027.

Cleveland has stood in for everything from New York City to Washington, D.C., on the big screen — but some movies let The Land play itself.

State of play: One of the most recent examples was the 2024 comedy "Lost & Found in Cleveland," which showcased Playhouse Square, Public Square, the West Side Market, Slavic Village and other parts of Northeast Ohio.

In honor of "Lost & Found in Cleveland" finally streaming on Amazon Prime Video, we're counting down the five movies that best capture the city's character, culture and landmarks.

5. "Light of Day" (1987): Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett bring Cleveland's blue-collar rock scene to life, including performances filmed at the legendary Euclid Tavern.

4. "Lost & Found in Cleveland" (2024): Martin Sheen, June Squibb and an ensemble cast headline this love letter to Cleveland, following residents whose lives intersect when an antiques appraisal show comes to town.

3. "A Christmas Story" (1983): Sure, it's set in Indiana. But Ralphie's house in Tremont and the Higbee's department store scenes have made Cleveland a holiday movie destination.

2. "Major League" (1989): Never mind that much of it was filmed in Milwaukee. The movie's opening scene featuring various shots of Cleveland during the late 1980s scored to Randy Newman's "Burn On" is as Northeast Ohio as it gets.

1. "American Splendor" (2003): Paul Giamatti portrays legendary Cleveland comic book writer Harvey Pekar in this acclaimed biopic filmed around Cleveland and Lakewood.

• Few movies capture the city's working-class soul better.

🏗️ The proposed demolition of a historic building on West 3rd Street would facilitate the next phase of Sherwin-Williams' downtown headquarters — a "significant mixed-use development" that will include a hotel. (NEOtrans)

🎨 The West Side Market and Destination Cleveland are on the hunt for artists to paint a mural on new utility yard walls in 2027. (Cleveland.com)

🏡 Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have both allies and detractors among their new neighbors in Bratenahl. (Page Six)

🍗 Good Company opens its latest outpost today in Little Italy. (Cleveland Scene)

Cleveland's anti-surveillance activists are urging City Council to reject Mayor Justin Bibb's proposed switch from Flock Safety to Axon license plate readers.

Why it matters: The Flock No Cleveland campaign writes in a new letter that replacing one surveillance vendor with another ignores growing public opposition to AI-powered mass surveillance.

Catch up quick: Council introduced legislation Monday authorizing a one-year Axon contract, with four renewal options, to replace the city's roughly 100 Flock cameras.

• Council voted in July to extend the current Flock contract for six months as the city considered new vendors.

The intrigue: The proposal does not currently specify a contract price nor the total number of cameras.

• "They're essentially asking you to write them a blank check," Flock No writes.

What they're saying: "Swapping out Flock for a different vendor is not going to magically erase public opposition to having our movement history and everyday activities being logged in a massive database," the group tells council members.

The other side...

The Force will be strong at Blossom Music Center next summer, with a little Hogwarts magic thrown in.

State of play: The Cleveland Orchestra has announced two blockbuster movie concerts for 2027, featuring the music of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Star Wars: A New Hope."

• Both films feature iconic scores by legendary composer John Williams, giving audiences a chance to experience the music performed live while watching the movies on giant screens.

Zoom in: Conductor Brett Mitchell will lead the orchestra through "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" on July 31 and Aug. 1.

• Conductor Jacob Joyce will bring Williams' Oscar-winning "Star Wars" score to life Sept. 3-5.
• The orchestra will also celebrate John Williams' music during a previously announced show on March 12.

If you go: Tickets are on sale through the Cleveland Orchestra's website.

🎭 Sam simply cannot stop listening to "Low Low Low the Musical," a theatrical rendition of Flo Rida and T-Pain's 2007 anthem "Low." It's Greatest Showman-esque!

✈️ Troy is on his way to Los Angeles for this weekend's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony.

This newsletter was edited by Tyler Buchanan.