Northeast Ohio Air Pollution, Immigrant Son Brewery Finalist, Evoo Opening: CLE Daily

🌤️ 65°; Partly sunny

🏀 Cavs Watch Party: The Cleveland Cavaliers are hosting an official watch party at The Clevelander today at 7 p.m.

📖 Local Book to Start Reading: Preorder The Misny Method by Tim Misny & Jim Kukral.

📚 More Books: The City of Parma Heights has opened its new state-of-the-art library.

ICYMI: Gray Media Group is expected to move WOIO, WUAB, and WTCL stations to Independence before the end of 2027.

Today's Trivia

What Cleveland neighborhood was its own municipality until its annexation into the city in 1910 – not long after a tragic fire in one of its schools?

Northeast Ohio air quality still fails EPA standards.

News | By Jaden Stambolia

The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) released its 2025 Air Quality Trends Report last week, which shows that Northeast Ohio air quality has been improving significantly in recent years, but the region as a whole is not in compliance with the majority of EPA standards.

Mobile Impact: Transportation was the largest source of emissions, accounting for over 27% of emissions released across the region's eight counties in 2024. That 27% is still lower than the United States average transportation emissions (29.5%) and the state of Ohio (31%)

The Leader: Cuyahoga County, the most populated county in the region, accounted for 57.4% of Northeast Ohio emissions in 2024.

• Lorain County accounted for 14.8%, Medina County for 11.6%, Lake County for 11% and Geauga County for 5.1%.

The Human Cost: The NOACA reports estimate that in 2023, air pollutant emissions caused 670 to 1,300 deaths in Northeast Ohio.

• Out of those deaths, it is estimated that four of them were infants.

The Financial Cost: It's estimated that air pollutant emissions in 2023 resulted in 56,000 lost workdays in Northeast Ohio, leading to $18 million in lost wages.

Formaldehyde Pollution: In a 2025 ProPublica report, formaldehyde levels in Cleveland are pushing cancer risks well above EPA guidelines.

Read more about the 2025 ProPublica report on Cleveland's Neighborhoods and suburbs.

Kristina Marinaj and Ornela Martinaj of Kristina's Family Restaurant.

Photo of the Day | By John Skrtic

At Kristina’s Family Restaurant at 9912 Lorain Ave., it was great to once again stop back into this excellent diner where the grill is always working and coffee is poured continuously. It has been a steady West Side anchor for over a decade and a half now, the kind of place that holds its place in the neighborhood through routine, regulars and familiar faces.

It was especially good to get a picture of owner Kristina Marinaj, who runs the restaurant with her husband, alongside their daughter, Ornela Martinaj. Kristina opened the restaurant in 2010, after emigrating to Cleveland from Albania in 1999.

Read more about Marinaj's story coming from Albania to Cleveland.

Talk of the Town

After Cleveland lost out on an NWSL team, Columbus was awarded one that will begin playing in 2028. Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam helped Columbus land the league's 18th franchise, paying a reported record fee of $205 million.

John Carroll University is adding women's flag football as a varsity sport, with its first season kicking off in Spring 2027. The program's first head coach, Felicia Teeter, will also serve as running back coach for the JCU men's football team.

The Ohio Supreme Court issued an opinion allowing political endorsements by judges serving in the state. The 5-1 majority opinion makes Ohio the first and so far only state in the union to allow judges to make such endorsements.

Evoo in Legacy Village is opening on April 27. The restaurant is being run by Brad Friedlander and Michael DuBois, with the vision of Evoo as an upscale-casual Greek bistro.

Immigrant Son Brewery eyes top brewer title.

Food & Drink | By Jaden Stambolia

Immigrant Son Brewery in Lakewood is a national finalist for the Samuel Adams Brewing & Business Experienceship.

The Lakewood brewery, founded by Andrew Revy, will showcase its beer and business story on June 11 at the Dumbo Loft & Terrace in New York, where voters will decide America's next top craft brewer.

Why This Matters: The winner not only gets the opportunity to learn from Samuel Adams brewers, but they will also be able to collaborate on a specialty beer with the Boston brewery.

The Finalists: Joining Immigrant Son Brewery are Florian East Lagers & Ales out of Michigan;

• Intermission Beer Company from Virginia;

• Oak Park Brewing Co. based in California,

• Pilot Brewing in North Corlaina; and

• Soul Mega from Washington, D.C.

Read more about who Revy is and where he spends his off hours in Cleveland.

Yesterday's Trivia Answer

ASM’s Materials Park in Novelty is notable for an open-air example of what kind of structure, invented and touted by architect and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller?

Geodesic dome

Check back tomorrow for the answer to today's question.

From the Editor

Craft beer sales in the United States are declining. However, here in Cleveland, craft beer is an interesting spot. 

Last year, there were more closures than openings across Ohio's craft beer industry. This is why Market Garden Brewery brought in a new president to help diversify its product. 

However, Great Lakes Brewing and Fat Head's were both ranked among the top 50 craft brewers by volume in a Brewers Association report.  We now have news that Immigrant Son Brewery is a finalist for a Samual Adams award, which, if they win, would allow them to create a specialty beer with the nationally recognized brand. 

Now, if you asked Market Garden's new president, Paul Corto, how to become a multibrand powerhouse, he would lay out Boston Beer Co. as a blueprint for evolution.

He said that the company has gone from its flagship Samuel Adams beer to a broad portfolio that includes Twisted Tea, Truly and Angry Orchard.