Local News

As a tribute to local hero Charles Ramsey, the man who helped free Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight earlier this month, Hodge's Cleveland has created the "Ramsey Burger".

The Ramsey Burger includes an 8-ounce all-beef patty, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles on a sesame seed bun. If that sounds familiar, it should. These are the same ingredients in the Big Mac that Ramsey was eating when he responded to the calls from the trapped women.

The World Series of Poker is finally coming to Cleveland, but it won't be until 2014.

The WSOP's 2013-14 circuit tour was released on Wednesday and includes a run in Cleveland from March 20 to 31, 2014. Another new stop has been added to the tour, which will be at the Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati from September 19 to 30, 2013.

The WSOP tour will kick off on August 17 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, and will travel to 22 cities before the Circuit National Championship is held in May 2014 at Caesars Atlantic City.

The winner from each of the 22 stop's Main Event will automatically earn a place in the national championship.

The Horseshoe Casino Cleveland was due to have been on the WSOP in March of this year, however those plans were scrapped when Ohio gambling regulators refused to allow the use of the ballroom at the Cleveland Renaissance Hotel.

The Cleveland Corned Beef Company and Angelo's PIzza are joining scores of local residents and businesses in stepping up and helping the three missing women who were found alive after being held captive in a Seymour Avenue home for a decade.

The Cleveland Corned Beef Company's restaurant is located at 5164 Pearl Rd. in Cleveland, and the event will run from 7am to 6pm. The company will donate 100 percent of its sales on Saturday to the Cleveland Courage Fund.

Angelo's Pizza, which is located at 13715 Madison Ave. in Lakewood, is also donating 100 percent of pizza sales on Thursday to the Cleveland Courage Fund. Employees are also donating their hourly pay to the kidnapping victims.

The Cleveland Courage Fund was set up last week to benefit Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight, who were held captive for about ten years before Berry escaped and got police to help rescue the others.

According to research by Marchex Institute, Ohio leads the country in swearing, with residents dropping curse words every 150 words. On the other side of the spectrum, when it comes to being courteous and dropping in the pleases and thank yous into our conversations, Ohioans rank pretty low and have been ranked as "not courteous" by the research group.

The researchers scanned for curse words from A to F to S, and then linked the frequency of those words with all 50 states. The worst offenders were put in the "Sailors" category and include:

1 - Ohio
2 - Maryland
3 - New Jersey
4 - Louisiana
5 - Illinoise

The least frequent users of curse words were placed in the "Goody Two Shoes" category and include:

1 - Washington
2 - Massachusetts
3 - Arizona
4 - Texas
5 - Virginia

Ariel Castro, 52, who has been arrested as the suspect who kidnapped and held captive three young women in his Cleveland home for a decade, will plead not guilty if indicted on kidnapping and rape charges, according to the man's lawyer.

Attorney Craig Weintraub says that Castro is not a "monster" as he has been portrayed in the media, stating:

"The initial portrayal by the media has been one of a 'monster' and that's not the impression that I got when I talked to him for three hours. I know that family members who have been interviewed by the media have expressed that as well."

One of the women held in Castro's home on Seymour Avenue for 10 years, Amanda Berry, has a six-year-old daughter named Jocelyn by Castro. Attorney Jaye Schlachet notes:

"I can tell you that Mr. Castro is extremely committed to the well being and positive future for his daughter, who he loves dearly. And if people find that to be a disconnect from what he's alleged to have done, then the people will just have to deal with it. We just know how he feels about his little girl."

Two other women - Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight - were also rescued at the same time Amanda Berry escaped from Castro's home.

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Noelle Scaggs. Noelle is the co-lead singer of the band Fitz And The Tantrums.

Fits And The Tantrums is headlining their own tour this summer while aslo opening some shows for Bruno Mars.

What's the difference between headlining your own show and opening for another artist?

The time slots, its 35 - 40 min when opening when headlining its hours. Also all of our fans buying tickets to see us when headlining and when opening we are trying to gain fan base so its a mixture of fans. There's a difference in fans depending on the city. In New York we have a huge fan base already.

Have you always had a passion for music?

Yeah I kind of stumbled into it. My father had a huge vinyl collection front to back. I listened to Parliament and Temptations while digging through his vinyl collection. I was aloud 1 hour of television a day so I would watch the video channel writing down the lyrics of songs and trying to learn the process of song writing. Trying to learn by singing in my room before performing in front of crowd.

Kidnapped in April 2003 at the age of 16, Amanda Berry was freed earlier this month after escaping the abductor who held her captive for a decade. Berry, now 27, had been sexually abused by her captor and gave birth to her six-year-old daughter during the time she was held against her will. Now, her relatives in Tennessee are hoping that she will join them there to start a new life.

Berry's mother, Louwana Miller, passed away while she was being held captive in the Seymour Ave. home, just miles from where she lived in Cleveland. Her mother never gave up hope that she would be found alive.

Berry's relatives are hoping that she will move to Tennessee so that she can be closer to her father and extended family.

Ariel Castro is accused of holding three women - Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight - captive in his Cleveland home for a decade. Castro's brothers, Onil and Pedro Castro, said during an interview with CNN that they want the women to know how sorry they are for what they've been through, and hope that Ariel "rots in Jail."

Pedro Castro said:

"I'm just grateful they are home and out of that horrible house, and I'd just tell them I'm sorry for what Ariel done."

Pedro and Onil say that they have no sympathy for Ariel Castro, "brother or no brother", and one even referred to him as a "monster." Onil Castro also commented that he wanted Ariel to "suffer in that jail to the last extent."

Pedro Castro added:

"I don't care if they even feed him," Pedro Castro said. "The monster's a goner."

Pedro Castro also said that he was shocked to learn that Gina DeJesus was one of his victims, because they had known her father for a long time and Ariel had even gone to a vigil for her when she went missing. He also said that he'd been in the house, but never noticed anything strange. He did, however, say that part of the house was blocked off by curtains and a radio or TV was always on.

Spokesman Jim Wooley read a statement from the three young women who were kidnapped and held captive at a Seymour Ave. home in Cleveland for a decade or more, and thanked law enforcement, their supporters, and all of the prayers that have been said for them. The families of the girls also requested continued privacy in the statements read outside the Justice Center.

Amanda Berry is quoted in the statement as saying:

Thank you so much for everything you're doing and continue to do. I am so happy to be home with my family."

Gina DeJesus also said in the statement:

"I'm so happy to be home and want to thank everybody for all your prayers. I just want time now to be with my family."

And Michelle Knight, the first of the three to have been kidnapped, said:

"Thank you to everyone for your support and good wishes. I am healthy, happy and safe and will reach out to family, friends and supporters in good time."

Preliminary results from DNA testing have confirmed that Ariel Castro, the 52-year-old man accused of kidnapping and raping three young women, is the father of the 6-year-old girl who was born in captivity.

The girl, Jocelyn, is the daughter of Amanda Berry. Berry is one of three women who was kidnapped and held captive for a decade at Castro's Seymour Ave. home in Cleveland.

According to the Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation, a sample of Castro's DNA was received late Thursday afternoon. BCI staff worked through the night to confirm the paternity of the girl.