Axios Cleveland

March 11, 2026
🤟 Happy National Promposal Day. Good luck to all those kids shooting their shot.
🌧️ Today's weather: Rain, with a high of 66 and a low of 32.
⚖️ Situational awareness: Ohio is one of several states planning to pursue its own lawsuit against Live Nation after the company's DOJ antitrust settlement.
- Locally, Live Nation operates Blossom Music Center and House of Blues, and will run a new amphitheater on downtown's riverfront.
Today's newsletter is 1,049 words — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: "Forest City Cleveland," huh?
Cleveland's new men's professional soccer team has a name: Forest City Cleveland.
Kicking the news: Set to begin play in the MLS NEXT Pro league in 2027, the club unveiled its brand identity yesterday after a yearlong design process led by Cleveland Soccer Group.
Why it matters: The launch marks a milestone for CSG's multipronged effort to bring pro soccer to town, and signals the start of ticket sales, merchandise drops and community events ahead of the team's debut.
Context: MLS Next Pro, created as a bridge between MLS and MLS youth academies, is a third-tier league that debuted in 2022.
By the numbers: More than 3,000 people participated in surveys, focus groups and interviews that helped shape the name and crest, CSG said in a news release.
Zoom in: The club's name repurposes Cleveland's historic nickname, "The Forest City."
- The crest portrays the 350-year-old sycamore in Cuyahoga Valley National Park known as the "Die Hard Tree."
- The brand was developed by Cleveland native Alex Kocher and strategist Mo Fitzgerald, who have experience in professional soccer branding.

💭 Sam's thought bubble: It's odd that they don't say so, but I assume the name is a play on "FC" — football club — as in FC Barcelona or Juventus FC.
- Unfortunately, "Forest City Cleveland" is syntactically bizarre. Nonsensical, in fact.
- "Windy City Chicago," "City of Brotherly Love Philadelphia," "The Big Easy New Orleans." These are not team names. They are city nicknames followed by the name of the city itself.
- The obvious move here would have been to call the team Forest City Football Club (i.e. Forest City FC/FCFC), and then rely on the fanbase to concoct nicknames. Alas.
What's next: The club will host watch parties and community events throughout 2026.
- The brand identity for the local women's team is set to launch May 4.
2. 🏀 Historic MAC tourney tips off
The biggest MAC men's basketball tournament in more than 25 years kicks off tomorrow at Rocket Arena.
Why it matters: The Miami University RedHawks' undefeated run could land two teams from the Mid-American Conference in the men's NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999.
State of play: The MAC tourney begins with No. 1 seed Miami taking on No. 8 seed UMass at 11am. The victor will face the winner of No. 4 Toledo vs. No. 5 Bowling Green (1:30pm).
- The other side of the bracket features No. 2 Akron against No. 7 Buffalo (4pm) and No. 3 Kent State vs. No. 6 Ohio (6:30pm).
The intrigue: Miami went 31-0 during the regular season and will likely earn an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament regardless of what happens over the next few days.
- Should Miami lose, it would open the door for the MAC tournament winner to earn an automatic trip to the big dance as well.
Flashback: The last time that happened was in 1999, when Miami and Kent State both made the NCAA tournament.
- Kent State lost in the opening round, while Miami — led by star Wally Szczerbiak — made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen.
Rocket Arena is also hosting the women's MAC tournament, which starts today.
- Miami's women's team is also a No. 1 seed.
If you go: Tickets for the men's tournament are at a premium.
- Prices start at $42 for tomorrow's opening round, with floor seats going for $255.
3. The Terminal: Adoptable headlines
🧑🧑🧒 Cuyahoga County finalized 261 adoptions in 2025, the most in at least a decade, far surpassing the previous high of 198 in 2024. (Cleveland.com)
⚽️ A proposed USL soccer stadium on the Wolstein Center site — not to be confused with the "Forest City Cleveland" and potential NWSL stadium south of Gateway — is now on hold. (NEOtrans)
🥞 Pastimes Café in Lakewood is the newest addition to Cleveland's booming breakfast-and-lunch dining scene. (Cleveland Scene)
👣 There has been an "unprecedented" surge in Bigfoot sightings in Portage County, with five "high-credibility" reports in 96 hours. (The Bigfoot Society)
4. Maurer back at City Hall
Former Cleveland City Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer is joining Mayor Justin Bibb's administration as a senior adviser for lead accountability.
Why it matters: Cleveland continues to grapple with childhood lead poisoning rates. City Hall is under pressure to better coordinate enforcement, remediation and prevention efforts after a series of embarrassing headlines in recent weeks exposed cracks in the system.
What they're saying: "Protecting Cleveland's children from lead exposure is one of the most urgent public health challenges we face," Bibb said in a news release.
- He said Maurer's experience and expertise made her an ideal candidate to lead a "cross-departmental team to strengthen coordination, increase accountability, and accelerate our progress toward safer homes for Cleveland families."
Catch up quick: Maurer previously worked as a Legal Aid attorney and helped draft an early version of Cleveland's 2019 lead-safe housing law.
- She represented Ward 12 on City Council from 2022 to 2025, co-chairing the Lead Safe Advisory Board.
- Last year, she authored a report arguing that Cleveland's lead safety system needed a reset.
5. 🏠 Mapped: HOA fees

More than a quarter of the Ohio homes listed for sale in 2025 came with homeowners association fees, and those dues climbed from a year earlier, Realtor.com data shows.
Why it matters: HOA fees add to the already high cost of homeownership.
By the numbers: 25.9% of Ohio homes included HOA fees for maintenance and amenities like pool, gyms or snowplowing.
- The median monthly fee stood at $125 in 2025.
The big picture: Nationwide, roughly 44% of homes listed for sale on Realtor.com last year had HOA dues, up from 42% in 2024.
- The median monthly fee rose to $135 from $125 in 2024 — and dues can even stretch beyond $500.
🤵🏻♂️ Sam can't recommend musical theater enough for those who are interested in attending a bunch of proms.
🪩 Troy is giving a shoutout to his 2002 high school prom date Sheena and the amazing, sparkling dress she wore.
This newsletter was edited by Tyler Buchanan.
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