Frank W. Lewis
@frankwlewis.bsky.social
Associate editor at SignalCleveland.org, Philly expat, dog guy, whatever Gotham needs me to be. Go Birds. 🦅
I talked to a college class today and a student asked a question that involved the idea that “the internet is forever.” I responded but then explained that actually it’s not. Content lasts as long as someone pays the server fees.
Phil Lewis@phillewis.bsky.social · 3w agoBET Digital has permanently removed all its digital news articles from its website to 'prioritize video content,' I'm told. Years of news articles are now gone forever. Some writers were able to save their stories; some weren't
If any of you Harvey Pekar fans are looking for a one-of-a-kind item, Pekar's daughter has his old copies of Rolling Stone for sale on ebay. She's raising funds to archive his papers. Many have the mailing label w/ his name & address! Grabbed one of these myself! www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
Part of the reason I pursued this story is that I believe it’s important to show people that change is possible. It’s an honor to meet people like Mr. Anderson and the others who gave me their time and trust to tell this story. They give me hope. signalcleveland.org/how-tanishas...
How a man’s persistence forged the alliance behind Tanisha’s Law
It took over a decade and a growing group of allies to pass Tanisha's law. Her uncle Michael Anderson's quiet persistence helped drive them.
signalcleveland.org
Amped up about recent Cleveland Public Power blackouts? Plug in with OurCPP--a group of residents advocating for a transformed Cleveland Public Power--to learn how together we can hold CPP accountable. Community meeting at 6 pm July 28 at Cleveland Public Library Lorain Branch, 8216 Lorain Ave.
#Flock supporters demanded a recount — and got it. But a possible amendment would create perfect conditions for a study of how effective LPRs are in #Cleveland. signalcleveland.org/bombarded-wi...
‘Bombarded with Flock’: Council committee will reconsider license plate reader contract
Cleveland Public Safety officials will have another chance to make a case to council members that license plate readers make the city safer.
signalcleveland.org
Cleveland is already home to several data centers, albeit smaller ones than their hyperscale counterparts. Known as carrier hotels or colocation centers, they house companies’ servers and connect to internet providers. You’ve probably walked or driven past them downtown.
A look at Cleveland's little-known downtown data centers
Data centers have long been part of Cleveland's tech infrastructure — long before today's artificial intelligence boom.
signalcleveland.org
Hazel in Watership Down. It’s my earliest memory of crying over something sad but beautiful. I mean, El-Ahrairah personally inviting him to join his owsla? IYKYK.
Anne Thériault@annetheriault.bsky.social · 4mo agoWas chatting about this during an interview with an author, but it was interesting enough that I’d like to open up the question to all of you: what’s the first literary/fictional death that made an impression on you as a kid? Mine has to be poor old Mary Lennox’s family in The Secret Garden.
A reader sent me this, a text message poll looking for supporters of license plate readers in #Cleveland. If you got one too, please let me know. frank@signalcleveland.org.
I really wish people aspiring to write understood what a competitive advantage being able to write without AI will be in the coming years.
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 4mo agoI knew my writing students were using AI. Their confessions led to a powerful teaching moment | Micah Nathan
The City of Cleveland is trying to rein in the Community Police Commission at the same time that it presents the commission’s independence as a reason to end the consent decree. signalcleveland.org/cleveland-po...
Cleveland’s police oversight commission clashes with City Hall
The commission’s unsuccessful attempt to intervene in federal court led to an exchange of accusations and a new dispute over independence.
signalcleveland.org
My old friend and former colleague Jimi Izrael wrote about how a psychotic cat named Lugosi and a poorly timed dad joke got him banned from adopting. (His rights have since been restored).
jimi izrael@jimiizrael.bsky.social · 6mo agoMy colleagues laughed when I tried to explain that the “meteor” was in fact an exfiltration mission — the Roswell bodies are at Wright Patterson AFB — so I’m saddened but not surprised to see them join NASA in the cover-up. I will keep fighting for the truth. signalcleveland.org/meteor-sonic...
Sonic boom? Experts break down Northeast Ohio’s rare event
Residents across Northeast Ohio heard a loud boom Tuesday morning. Officials say a meteor over Cleveland likely caused the shock wave.
signalcleveland.org
NO NO NO YOU DON’T GUYS LET ME PLEASE SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF FREE TAX USA federal is free, state is $16, handles even my chaotic freelancer taxes just fine, same step-by-step “designed for normies” kind of interface as TurboTax but NOT EVIL tell everyone you know www.freetaxusa.com
FreeTaxUSA® - Free Online Tax Filing for Federal Returns
100% free federal tax filing. E-File your tax return directly to the IRS. Prepare federal and state income taxes online. 2025 tax preparation software.
freetaxusa.com
gwen howerton@kissphoria.bsky.social · 7mo agoremember when the IRS put out a a free online tax filing system where you could just do your taxes through the IRS and it was actually well made and was pretty well recieved and then the tax filing industry and Republicans killed it and now you have to use TurboTax again
A few months ago, I asked the City of Cleveland for logs showing who is accessing its #Flock license plate reader images and why. They rejected the request on the grounds that state law exempts the images from public records requests. But I wasn’t asking for images …
What kind of camera is this? I know that Cleveland has #Flock license plate readers but I can’t find other photos of this model online.
I’m genuinely baffled by the idea that reporting and writing are completely separate pursuits and the latter can be automated
Will James@willjames.bsky.social · 7mo agoI cannot stress this enough: writing is thinking.
Everything I learn about Cleveland police use of surveillance tech raises more questions. My latest for Signal Cleveland but certainly not the last on this topic. (Bonus: an anecdote about Cleveland’s role in popularizing surveillance nearly 70 years ago.) signalcleveland.org/what-police-...
What police surveillance technology looks like in Cleveland
Video cameras and license plate readers are just some of the surveillance tools Cleveland police are using across the city.
signalcleveland.org
So many people are deeply cynical about politics and government, and with good reason, so it’s important to talk about the wins. A lot of people worked hard for several years to achieve this goal. They succeeded because they simply refused to give up. signalcleveland.org/cleveland-ci...
Tanisha's Law to change Cleveland mental health crisis response
The law creates a new role in the Division of Emergency Medical Services to oversee response to calls about people in mental health crisis.
signalcleveland.org
The Sparrow and Children of God by @mdoriarussell.bsky.social . I’ll need about $1b but it’ll be one of the best sci-fi series ever made.
AkivaMCohen@akivamcohen.bsky.social · 9mo agoOK, less contentious post: You've been placed in charge of a movie studio, and have an unlimited budget to adapt any work of your choosing that has never been made into a live-action TV series or film. What are you picking? For me: PC Hodgell's Kencyrath Cycle and there's no close second
Can personal AI accounts be hacked and mimicked? Because it seems like that would be an especially effective way to influence certain people without them ever knowing.
Michael Hobbes@michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 9mo agoIf we are banning cell phones for kids we need to be talking about banning chatbots for boomers www.persuasion.community/p/my-chatgpt...
Reading court filings for a story and came across this at the end of an affidavit: “FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT.” I love legalese.
I can't think of two songs that capture the current moment better than "Life During Wartime" and "Nothing But Flowers" David Byrne saw the future
Kevin M. Kruse@kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 10mo agoWoke up to a new De La Soul album and a David Byrne Tiny Desk (including "Nothing but Flowers"). All right.
It's amazing how so many billionaires - who have WAY more money than they could possibly need in 500 lifetimes - REALLY want to avoid paying small slivers of tax money to benefit a common good like social safety services for less fortunate countrymen within the society that made them billionaires.
i think if you want to have those disgusting LED headlights on your car, you should have to do a test where they blast you point blank with your own headlights and then you have 15 seconds to successfully complete some sort of vision-based task, and if you can't do it they push your car off a cliff
three men are standing around a table with a surprise batman written on it
Alt: The Joker says “surprise Batman” to two henchmen as they look at a machine. It’s a gif from the 1960s Batman tv series.
media.tenor.com
NPR@npr.org · 11mo agoScientists filmed bats to see how they communicate while swarming. They found a surprise: In urban settings, rats attack bats. What are the implications for bats ... and virus spread to humans? n.pr/3WNy2KL
I’m honored and grateful that people in Shore Acres trusted us with the story of a beloved neighbor whose passing left a hole in the heart of the neighborhood. signalcleveland.org/shore-acres-...
Shore Acres mourns loss of neighbor who ‘kept us all connected’
Dan Postotnik’s neighbors nominated him as one of Cleveland’s unofficial ‘mayors’ for his decades of looking out for everyone.
signalcleveland.org
Barring a mad rush to the Board of Elections’ drop box, Cuyahoga County is going to see a big drop in the return rate for requested mail-in ballots. signalcleveland.org/thousands-of...
Thousands of Cuyahoga County mail-in ballots still not returned
Voters who requested mail-in ballots can take them to the Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. or vote by provisional ballot at polling place.
signalcleveland.org
If you’re just tuning in to the Cleveland elections, here’s what you need to know. signalcleveland.org/cuyahoga-cou...
Cuyahoga County elections: Got questions? We’ve got answers
Tuesday is your last chance to vote in Cuyahoga County for mayors, city council members and local judges. Here’s what you need to know.
signalcleveland.org
