CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell chased Detroit Pistons sharpshooter Duncan Robinson around screens to the baseline corner late in the second quarter. Mitchell beat Robinson to the spot and bumped him straight into his own bench as a punishment for making him work so hard defensively. Isaiah Stewart was a few steps away and gave Mitchell a light shove after seeing what happened. Mitchell looked up and then returned the favor before continuing to chase Robinson around the perimeter.
Cleveland, OH
Plan your perfect Northeast Ohio winter break
Have time off at the end of the year? Home for the holidays with the kids? Need to rest and recharge?
From dazzling light displays and winter wonderlands to hands-on art workshops, outdoor adventures and seasonal markets – there’s lots to do in Northeast Ohio. Some of it is even free.
HOLIDAY SPIRIT
Crown Point Parkway Festival of Lights
When: Through New Year’s Day; 5:30–10 p.m. weekdays, 5:30–11 p.m. weekends
Where: Crown Point Pkwy, Strongsville, Ohio
Details: Free walk- or drive-through community light display hosted by creator Dan Hoag since 1988. Visitors often park on Bennington Drive and walk under the illuminated archways.
Gingerbread Building Workshop
When: Multiple dates and times; reservations required
Where: The Jolly Gingerbread Makery, 1300 W. 78th St., Cleveland, OH 44102
Details: A 3-hour workshop where participants build and decorate a gingerbread house while enjoying sweets, music, and a creative holiday atmosphere. Cost: $44.52 for two people. All materials included. Online reservations required.
Winter Wonderland at The Sixty6
When: Dec. 20, 9 a.m.– 6 p.m.
Where: The Sixty6 Music Lounge, 1966 E. 66th St., Cleveland, OH 44103
Details: Free family event with breakfast and photos with Santa, vendor market, reindeer pen, crafts, and live music. Online reservations encouraged.
Inaugural Parma Pierogi Drop
When: Dec. 31, 8 p.m.–1 a.m.
Where: Sloppy Bobs, 5994 State Rd., Cleveland, OH 44134
Details: Free admission with refreshments for purchase. Features State Meats pierogies, bicentennial Schnitz Ale, treats from Breads and Beyond Bakery, live music, a rooftop pierogi drop, and fireworks after midnight.
BUY LOCAL
Screw Factory Holiday Market
When: Dec. 19 (6–10 p.m.); Dec. 20 (10 a.m.–6 p.m.); Dec. 21 (10 a.m.–3 p.m.)
Where: 13000 Athens Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107
Details: Free admission and parking. Annual holiday market featuring local artists and makers offering handmade gifts, décor, art, and more inside a historic former factory.
Paradise Galleria
When: Open weekly, Tues.–Sun., 12–6 p.m.
Where: 3910 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, OH 44113
Details: Free admission to explore a 13,000 sq. ft. “Mall of Dreams” filled with vintage designs, local vendors, a jacuzzi ballpit, secret passageways, and a whimsical slide to the basement vendor area.
LOOK AT ART
78th Street Studios Art Walk (THIRD FRIDAYS)
When: Dec. 19, 5–9 p.m.
Where: 1300 W. 78th St., Cleveland, OH 44102
Details: Free event showcasing art, music, food, and pop-up vendors across 60+ venues on four floors. Named Cleveland’s Best Arts Event by Scene and Yelp. A multisensory way to meet artists and explore Cleveland’s creative community.
Holiday Traditions Tours at the Cleveland Museum of Art
When: Through Dec. 28 on Wednesdays (5:45–6:45 p.m.), Saturdays (3–4 p.m.), and Sundays (3–4 p.m.)
Where: 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106
Details: Free with reservation. A guided tour exploring winter celebrations across cultures and time, highlighting art that represents light, generosity, and togetherness.
GET ACTIVE
MOCA Saturday FAM Day (Family, Art & Movement)
When: Jan. 3, 12–2:30 p.m.
Where: MOCA Cleveland, 11400 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106
Details: Free for Ohio residents. Movement and creativity session led by the 10K Movement, inspired by MOCA’s exhibitions. Open to all ages and skill levels.
Cleveland Toboggan – The Chalet
When: Open weekends (with or without snow) through late February
Where: 16200 Valley Pkwy., Strongsville, OH 44136
Details: Twin 700-foot refrigerated toboggan chutes. Tickets $13–$15 for multiple rides. Reservations required.
Ice Skating – Thornton Park Ice Arena (Shaker Heights)
When: Public skating schedule varies
Where: 3301 Warrensville Center Rd., Shaker Heights, OH 44122
Details: Admission $4–$9; skate rentals $3.
Ice Skating – Cleveland Heights North Rink
When: Public skating schedule varies
Where: 1 Monticello Blvd., Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Details: Admission $2–$5; skate rentals $2.
Ice Skating – Public Square
When: Open daily 12–10 p.m.; check holiday hours
Where: 3 Public Square, Cleveland, OH 44115
Details: $15 per person including skate rental.
Cross Country Skiing + Snowshoeing (Lake Metroparks)
When: Hours and availability depend on conditions
Where: Pine Lodge Ski Center & trails, 8668 Chardon Rd., Kirtland, OH 44094
Details: Rentals $3–$5/hour or $12–$30/day. Trails at Penitentiary Glen and Chapin Forest offer scenic winter routes. Snowshoe rentals vary by site.
Sledding at Cleveland Metroparks
When: Open when weather and snow conditions permit
Where:
• Barrett Sledding Hill – Rocky River Reservation, Berea
• Engle Road Sledding Hill – Big Creek Reservation, Middleburg Heights
• Big Met Golf Course Sledding Area – Rocky River Reservation, Fairview Park
• Edgewater Park – upper area off the Shoreway
Details: Use hills only with proper equipment and safe conditions.
SEE NATURE
Light Up the Night Luminary Walk
When: Dec. 19, 2025, 6–8 p.m.
Where: Rocky River Nature Center, 24000 Valley Pkwy., North Olmsted, OH 44070
Details: Free self-guided luminary walk with hot chocolate, snacks, animal exhibits, and a craft. The trail is under one mile on natural surfaces.
Luminary Walk: Moonlight Mammal
When: Dec. 30, 2025, 4:30–6:30 p.m.
Where: Nature Education Building, 401 Buttermilk Falls Pkwy., Mayfield Village, OH
Details: Free luminary-lit marsh walk with crafts, hot chocolate, and animal exhibits. Indoor options available if weather is poor.
Rockefeller Park & Greenhouse
When: Open daily 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Where: 750 E. 88th St., Cleveland, OH 44108
Details: Free botanical garden with indoor/outdoor displays, seasonal exhibits, and specialty plant collections.
Candyland at Lake Metroparks
When: Open daily Nov. 22, 2025–Jan. 4, 2026, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Where: Penitentiary Glen, 8668 Kirtland-Chardon Rd., Kirtland, OH 44094
Details: Free indoor Candy Land-themed adventure with crafts, exhibits, scavenger hunts, hot chocolate, weekend programs, and nature gift shop.
CREATE
Junk Journaling at the Library
When: Dec. 27, 2:30–4 p.m.
Where: Cleveland Public Library – South Branch, 3096 Scranton Rd., Cleveland, OH 44113
Details: Free journaling workshop using new and recycled materials. Supplies provided; bring personal items to customize your journal.
Holiday Pop-Up! Open Studio at the Cleveland Museum of Art
When: Dec. 27–28, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Where: Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106
Details: Free, drop-in art-making sessions for all ages. Create reflective vessels inspired by the past year and the year ahead.
LISTEN TO MUSIC
Monday Night Jazz at Brothers Lounge
When: Every Monday, 8–10 p.m.
Where: The Brothers Lounge, 11609 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, OH 44102
Details: Free jazz orchestra performance inspired by classic large-ensemble traditions.
Chamber Music at the Cleveland Museum of Art
When:
• Wed., Dec. 17, 2025, 6–7 p.m. (Harpsichord program by QinYing Tan)
• Fri., Dec. 19, 2025, 6–7 p.m. (Linking Legacies ensemble performing works by African American composers)
Where: 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106
Details: Free concerts inspired by artworks displayed in the galleries where each performance takes place.
Dorothy Tomazic
OBITUARY
Dorothy Tomazic, age 89, passed away peacefully on January 12, at Hospice of the Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio, surrounded by her loving family and a lifelong sports fan.Born on May 16, 1936, in Cleveland, Ohio, Dorothy was a lifelong resident of Mentor, Ohio, a community she loved and called home for all her years. She was a woman of quiet strength, lifelong curiosity, and gentle generosity, and she will be fondly remembered by all who knew her.Dorothy was a proud graduate of her beloved Ohio University and dedicated her life to education. She began her teaching career at Collinwood High School before earning her master’s degree in Elementary Education. She later taught at Huntington Elementary School, where she nurtured young minds with patience, kindness, and a genuine love for learning. Teaching was more than a profession to Dorothy’it was a calling.Outside the classroom, Dorothy found great joy in reading and gardening. An avid reader, she was rarely without a book and often had three or four books going at once. She also loved tending to her garden and especially enjoyed visits to Pettiti’s Garden Center. A lifelong sports fan, Dorothy cheered for her favorite Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar and followed basketball star Caitlin Clark.She was preceded in death by her father, Anton Tomazic; her mother, Sophie (nee Walland) Tomazic; and her brother, Raymond Tomazic.Dorothy is survived by her loving nephews Raymond (Sandra) Tomazic and Anthony (Natalie) Tomazic, and her sister-in-law, Rita Nucciarone. She was a cherished great-aunt to Blaise (Hayley), Tyler, Mitchell (Julianne), Ashley (Rick), Nicki (Matt), and Leah (David), and a devoted great-great aunt to Braylen, Aubrey, Fitz, Miley, and Mia, all of whom brought her immense pride and joy.Dorothy’s gentle spirit, love of learning, and deep devotion to family, books, gardening, and sports will live on in the hearts of those who were blessed to know her.A Memorial Mass for Dorothy will be held on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 11:00 AM at St. Gabriel Catholic Church, 9925 Johnnycake Ridge Road, Concord Township, Ohio. Followed by a Celebration of Life at 12:30 PM at the Redhawk Grille, 7481 Auburn Rd. Concord Twp. OH 44077.
Cleveland, OH
10 Takeaways from Cavs Game 4 win over Pistons: Cleveland shows they can match Detroit’s physicality
Before the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 116-109 Game 3 win over the Pistons, head coach Kenny Atkinson said that he wanted his team to adapt to Detroit’s physicality and what the referees are allowing. Plays like that show what he meant.
Basketball games aren’t always won by the more physical team. It’s a contact sport that rewards size and strength, but the outcome is ultimately decided by who puts the ball through the hoop more consistently.
That said, in a series like this, doing so is much easier if you’re able to get into the paint and create from there.
The Cavs couldn’t do that in the first two games of this series. The offense was stagnant, often relying on the guards to create against a set defense. And when the ball did get kicked out to the perimeter for open threes, the shots weren’t falling, as is often the case for an offense that is moving side-to-side instead of north and south.
The Cavs were the aggressors in Game 3. They completed more of their shots in the restricted area and were able to get to the free-throw line more consistently. Both are things they weren’t able to do throughout the first two games of the series.
This was most true for Mitchell. He went 6-8 on shots at the rim after taking just one there combined in the first two games. A renewed focus on getting downhill woke up what was a dormant Cavs’ offense.
There was a level of decisiveness from Mitchell that wasn’t in the first two games. Instead of trying to probe the defense for openings in an effort to look for a perfect shot, he attacked whenever he had any sliver of daylight. This included pushing his advantage in semi-transition off missed shots and turnovers.
Here’s six baskets that Mitchell was able to get by just simply carrying his momentum from the backcourt into the front court. That accounts for nearly half of his made field goals.
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These aren’t fast-break or transition baskets, but they might as well have been from an efficiency standpoint. Mitchell is one of the most difficult players to stop when he has a head of steam. That allowed him to more easily showcase the skills that make him one of the most dominant scoring guards in the league for years.
Detroit’s defense is tough for a 6’2” guard to crack. We know that Mitchell can be lethal with his jumpshot, even though he’s struggled with that through three games. Getting downhill in semi-transition like this offsets some of those concerns. It’s why he was able to get an efficient 35 points in a game the Cavs desperately needed to win.
Max Strus provided several things the Cavs desperately needed. His energy and effort changed the game defensively. Strus forced several turnovers, including an incredible steal off a Cade Cunningham inbound pass that led to a critical two points the other way to break a 104-104 tie.
Plays like that encapsulate who Strus is as a player, and why he’s so valuable to the team.
“There’s just so many things he does that don’t show up in the box score,” Mitchell said.
One of those things is screen setting. The Pistons turned the momentum around in the second half by switching more ball screens, similar to what the Toronto Raptors did in the first round. This stalled out Cleveland’s offense at the start of the third quarter before it got going again in the fourth.
Strus’s ability to set hard picks helped get the offense going. The Pistons tried to hide their weakest defender, Duncan Robinson, on Strus. Solid screens forced Detroit to switch, allowing James Harden to get one of his several closing baskets against the matchup he wanted.
You can’t see the screen in this video, but this mismatch doesn’t happen without it.
This showed us what the best version of the Mitchell and Harden backcourt could be. Harden said it was a “small dose” of their full potential afterward, and you could see why.
Mitchell had it going throughout, but he deferred to Harden in the high-leverage moments to get the job done. Harden delivered by knocking down clutch baskets on three-straight possessions, including the game-sealing three over Tobias Harris.
Harden brought them over the finish line, scoring nine points in the fourth quarter, but had just 10 points leading up to it. He had 10 fewer shots than Mitchell overall and wans’t the main focus of the offense.
It’s a different role than what we’ve seen from Harden over the past decade, but one he’s completely embraced because he knows what life is like for Mitchell — the guy forced to carry the fate of the team on his shoulders.
“I talked to Don a few times today, and it’s like, “All right, if you ever feel like tired or you need [a break], you know, I’m available,” Harden said. “I understand what that feels like when you’re that age, and you’re used to scoring 30 points and you know you’re the guy. So, you got to pick and choose and find your spots where you want to take them and where you want to just let them go. … Tonight was one of those cases where he looked like he needed a break, and he called on my number.”
Mitchell and Harden are very different players, but have run into similar roadblocks during their careers. Their playing style has led to incredible regular-season success, but neither has achieved the playoff team success their talent would lead you to believe they should.
Few can relate to the internal weight and frustration Mitchell has felt from playoff losses more than Harden. If they’re going to break through together, it will be due to performances like this.
“I am who I am, he is who he is, but that what makes us so dynamic,” Mitchell said. “Having a trust in him and vice versa is why those moments happen.”
The Cavs passed the test in Game 3. They responded with the physicality they needed to make this series competitive again. They know how to and can beat this team. Now, they just need to show that they can meet that physicality consistently, and not just once every couple of games.
“At the end of the day, it’s just 2-1,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got to find a way to win Game 4. … We’ve got another opportunity to play in front of the greatest fans in the league. Hopefully, we get another one.”
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Crowds gathered along the Lake Erie shoreline Saturday morning to welcome the USS Cleveland as it arrived in its namesake city.
The Freedom Class littoral ship will be historically commissioned in Cleveland on May 16 during its weeklong stay, after which it will officially join active service in the U.S. Navy.
The arrival of the ship is a milestone for Ohio and the nation, marking the first time in the 250-year history of the United States that a U.S. Navy warship will be commissioned in the State of Ohio.
“There have been 81 ships in the history of the U.S. Navy that have been named after cities in Ohio or the state of Ohio itself, but out of all 81, this is the first that will be commissioned in its namesake city, so this is an incredibly historic moment and it’s fitting that it’s happening for the 250th anniversary of the Navy and our nation,” USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation Director Nick Lippert said.
Ahead of the commissioning ceremony next weekend, the public is invited to tour the ship starting Sunday, May 10, at the North Coast Yard. The USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation is hosting a “Community Day” Sunday that will include live entertainment, family-friendly activities, food, drinks and more.
“This special event will connect the crew with the community of Northeast Ohio for a day of excitement and celebration as residents will have the opportunity to meet the Sailors, learn more about the ship and our Foundation, and kickoff Commissioning Week in true Cleveland fashion,” the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation website reads.
Tours will be available through Thursday, May 14.
Click HERE For more information about the tours and the weeklong celebration.
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