In light of the unprecedented economic catastrophe brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, the Cleveland Scene is heartbroken to tell you we temporarily laid off 5 employees today. The cuts came from virtually every department including sales, production, editorial and circulation. It’s our sincere hope that after weathering this storm, we’ll be able to bring back this incredibly valued staff, but at the moment we can’t offer a timeline.In the spirit of transparency, since we are a free publication and website, 100% of the Scene’s revenue comes from Clevelanders being able to gather in public — in restaurants, bars, theatres, museums, parks and at our own events and festivals. Since a majority of our advertisers are ceasing operation as quarantine measures go into effect, we simply don’t have a path forward with our full staff. Remaining employees across the company are taking a pay cut and covering multiple roles for the time being.“I don't have the words to describe the level of despair I'm feeling about today's agonizing decisions,” Scene Publisher Andrew Zelman said. “My hope is that in the near future, we can bring these employees back and celebrate our 50th anniversary in July. Until then, our very small but scrappy staff remains committed to Cleveland, our advertisers and to delivering journalism for the city we love"We don’t know what the future holds, but because Cleveland needs as muchinformation as possible during these trying times, we’ll be working our asses off to bring you the stories you need — and some you don’t. To continue serving you, we ask that if you can support us through donation , please do. Every single contribution will go toward keeping your free, independent news source in operation another day.It’s a hell of a time for everyone, but we’re up for the challenge and are grateful, dear reader, for your loyalty and support.With love,The Cleveland Scene family