Timothy Gerber started using Percocet and Adderall when he was 15 years old. By the time he was 21, Gerber was addicted to heroin. When he was 24, in February 2015, his mother died of a heroin overdose—and so began Gerber’s own road to recovery at Stella Maris, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Tremont.

As the Top of the Hill project—a mixed-use development with apartments, retail, and parking at the top of Cedar Hill—nears approval from the city’s Architectural Board of Review (ABR), a group of Cleveland Heights residents are voicing their disapproval of the planned design.

Today 78th Street Studios is regarded as one of Cleveland’s primary art meccas with more than 60 creative businesses housed in its cavernous 170,000-square-foot complex, but a decade ago, there were less than 15 businesses inside the space. When it opened in April 2009, contemporary art gallery HEDGE Gallery became one of them.

After going dark last summer, Night Market Cleveland returns to Rockwell Avenue and E. 21st St. on Friday, June 21, for an all-new season of food, music, and family entertainment—and even more opportunities for visitors and locals alike to get to know this small, often insular, community.
 

Jeff Bargiel wants to warm up your yoga routine. As the founder of Toasti, Bargiel has created a heated yoga and exercise mat that makes it easier to get muscles loose and workout-ready—a necessity if you live in a not-so-toasty environment like Cleveland. The avid yoga practitioner first came up with the concept after shivering through one too many home yoga routines.

Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz is quoted as saying, “The only sustainable prosperity is shared prosperity.” Northeast Ohio still has a long way to go on that front, though the region is working diligently to decrease the gap. FreshWater's new "CLE Means We: Advancing Equity and Inclusion in Cleveland" series will highlight innovative programs and emerging leaders driving equity and inclusion in Cleveland. Click here to learn more about it.

When Lakewood resident Katie Tackett started her Muse Room podcast in late 2018, fellow podcaster Katie Dalebout shared some sage wisdom: “Podcasting is the new networking.” This assertion rings true for just about every podcaster—affording the chance to curate a dream lineup of interviewees—and we listeners get to go along for the ride. 

If Shaker Heights feels a bit more fragrant this spring, you can thank teacher Tim Kalan. Since 2016, Kalan has been leading garden clubs for kids in second through fourth grades at Lomond and Onaway Elementary Schools, and they’re about to enter their fourth planting cycle.

Not surprisingly, Cleveland’s geological landscape 200 years ago was quite different than today’s modern, industrialized city. In 1820, spring-fed streams ran freely throughout the region, running through neighborhoods like Cleveland Heights, Kinsman, Scranton Flats, and Ohio City. Last Saturday, April 6, these now-hidden waterways took the spotlight during a sold-out tour: Exploring Cleveland's Hidden Waterways.

Joe Deinhart knows his tea. After all, he’s spent 25 years distributing high-end tea to restaurants and coffeehouses via Solstice Roasters, his Cleveland-based coffee roastery and beverage distribution company. So when Paula Hershman—his long-time friend and owner of local company Storehouse Tea—called about collaborating, he knew it would be the perfect addition to his roster.

Surrounded by a historic stone wall in Cleveland Heights, Beaumont School's 21-acre campus is rich in Cleveland history, but the on-site Painter Mansion is showing all of its 114 years. School officials say they have no use for the deteriorated mansion, and the renovations would be too costly, so it’s time to tear down the house—but Cleveland's preservation community wants the historic home to get a second chance.

Welcome to the latest edition of FreshWater Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This installment includes jobs from Lincoln Electric, Cerity Partners, CMSD, Cleveland Clinic, HelloFresh, CBRE, and more. Click here for the freshest job opportunities fit to print.

When Terrasana opened its doors on March 28 to become Cuyahoga County's first medical marijuana dispensary, it brought a sigh of relief to cannabis users throughout the Cleveland area. Prior to the opening of its Garfield Heights store, Ohio Marijuana Card holders had to travel to dispensaries in Canton or Wickliffe to get doctor-prescribed cannabis to treat the 21 state-approved medical conditions that qualify.

In case the psychedelic decor and music posters that wallpaper his Dave's Cosmic Subs shops don't give it away, rock-and-roll energy encompasses founder Dave Lombardy—and the opening of Cosmic Dave’s Rock Club in the former Barking Spider Tavern space on the Case Western Reserve University campus has him even more energized.

Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland. This month's installment includes events from Sustainable Cleveland, Loganberry Books, HEDGE Gallery, and more. Give it a read here!

Cleveland's east side is steadily emerging from the 2010 housing crisis—with the number of vacant and distressed structures decreasing significantly while home prices are on the rise.

So go the findings of a 2018 report by the Western Reserve Land Conservancy that examined 13 Cleveland neighborhoods (including Fairfax, Slavic Village, and Shaker Square). 

Running from March 27 through April 7, the 43rd installment of the Cleveland International Film Festival is in full swing. With a theme of “Welcome,” #CIFF43 is spotlighting 211 feature films and 237 short films representing 71 countries—but even with such a diverse cast of characters, there is no shortage of selections with Cleveland connections.

Our Founding Fathers designed "separation of powers" as a way to keep any single branch — executive, legislative, or judicial — from gaining too much power.