Karin Connelly Rice

Karin Connelly Rice enjoys telling people's stories, whether it's a promising startup or a life's passion. Over the past 20 years she has reported on the local business community for publications such as Inside Business and Cleveland Magazine. She was editor of the Rocky River/Lakewood edition of In the Neighborhood and was a reporter and photographer for the Amherst News-Times. At Fresh Water she enjoys telling the stories of Clevelanders who are shaping and embracing the business and research climate in Cleveland.

The Severance estates: Three farms encompassing 200 acres in the early 20th Century
Cleveland Masterworks: In the early 1900s, three members of the Severance Family developed three majestic estates in Cleveland Heights. While some signs of the manors still exist today, most people know the Severance Town Center on most of the land.
Tremont is the place to be this weekend, with two popular events
Tremont will be hopping this weekend, thanks to Tremont West Development Corporation, with two of the neighborhood’s most popular events happening—Walkabout Tremont and Taste of Tremont.
Positive memories: Six RTA bus stop wraps in Union Miles feature historic figures
Working with RTA, artist Kevin "mr. soul" Harp, and the City of Cleveland, the Union Miles Development Corporation installed six bus stop wraps featuring historic figures to enliven the neighborhood.
Spaced out: Artist Isaiah Williams’ latest creation pays tribute to the Metroparks
Mural Artist Isaiah Williams worked with LAND studio and the Cleveland Metroparks to create a five-wall mural on a warehouse behind Merwin's Wharf in the Flats.
Tudor Arms Hotel: A swanky gothic revival cornerstone in University Circle
Cleveland Masterworks: The 1930s Tudor Arms building. designed by Frank Meade, has seen a rich history, from its origins as the exclusive Cleveland Club, to a hotel and nightlife hotspot, to the current modern-day hotel.
History lessons: Canalway’s Cleveland History Days returns with more than 50 events
Canalway's annual Cleveland History Days starts Friday, with more than 50 events, talks, activities, and tours over nine days.
Tour the past: County opens Veteran’s Memorial Bridge lower deck, hosts talk about future plans
The subway level of the Veterans Memorial Bridge will be open this weekend for tours and a discussion about creating a public "Low-Line Park" on the level that was closed in 1954.
EDWINS owner offers $250 in exchange for guns
EDWINS founder Brandon Chostowski is offering $250 in credit to use in his restaurants and shops to anyone who turns in a gun in an effort to reduce gun violence in Cleveland.
Baldwin Water Treatment Plant: A wonder and a workhorse
Cleveland Masterworks: In the 1800s, three-quarters of Cleveland's population lacked potable water. The 1925 Baldwin Water Treatment Facility—the largest such facility in the world at the time—changed that.
International flair: World music to take the stage at CMA’s Summer Solstice
Cleveland Museum of Art's Solstice 2023 is putting an international spin on the musical lineup—with groups from around the world making their Cleveland debut.
'Huge win:' EDWINS leader passed over for Beard Award, but still counts his victories
EDWINS Leadership Restaurant and Institute founder Brandon Chrostowski may have been passed over for the James Beard Award for outstanding restauranteur, but he still sees the nomination as a "huge win" for his mission. And he had a blast in Chicago.
Cleveland City Council approves $5 million in ARPA funds for Habitat for Humanity
Cleveland City Council passed an ordinance on Monday to provide $5 million in ARPA funds to Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity. The funds will be used to build and rehabilitate homes in underserved neighborhoods under Habitat's five-year strategic plan.
Flat Iron Café: Cleveland’s oldest Irish bar
Cleveland Masterworks: The Flat Iron Cafe was established in 1910 on the east bank of the Flats, serving as a hotel and bar for hungry and tired workers and sailors. Today, 113 years later, the bar is still a Flats favorite.
Gardening victories: From war gardens to community gardens, Clevelanders have green thumbs
As Memorial Day weekend and the summer planting season approach, the FreshWater staff took a look at Cleveland’s history of community gardening to support the country’s war efforts and help with food insecurity.
Clean and Beautiful: Advocacy group plans second neighborhood clean-up event in Mount Pleasant
Neighborhood advocacy group Clean and Beautiful Cleveland Block2Block is on a mission to clean up Cleveland neighborhoods, one street at a time. On June 3, the group will be in Mount Pleasant, picking up litter and planting flowers. Volunteers are needed!
Warner & Swasey Observatory: A hilltop gem turned architectural relic
Cleveland Masterworks: In 1919 Worcester Warner and Ambrose Swasey built an observatory on a hill in East Cleveland, intending to use it for their own interests. In 1920, the partners in Warner & Swasey Company decided to gift the land and the observatory to Case School of Applied Science. For 60 years the facility was used for groundbreaking astronomical research before the city's light pollution forced it to close. Today, the observatory sits abandoned, decayed, and vandalized—a ghost of its former glory.
Metroparks Zoo prepares to open Susie’s Bear Hollow habitat
Early this summer the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will open its new Bear Hollow, an $8.5 million 18,600 square foot facility. Designed by Van Auken Akins and WDM Architects, the habitat will house two adult Andean bears and two adult sloth bears.
The Caxton Building: A haven for artists and entrepreneurs for 120 years
Cleveland Masterworks: Cleveland architect Frank Seymour Barnum designed the 1903 Caxton Building for a group of successful entrepreneurs who wanted to accommodate the needs of printers and artists. With its Romanesque design with great architectural detail, reinforced concrete floors, large windows, and its signature water tower perched on the roof, the Caxton continues to be a small business haven to this day.
Hanging out: Group aims to turn Coventry space into an outdoor living room
A group of Coventry residents and artists wants to turn Harvey Pekar Park on Coventry into an outdoor living room to encourage socializing and increase foot traffic to local businesses. The group is raising money through the ioby and Cuyahoga Arts & Cuyahoga Arts & Culture match program.
Marching on: Parade the Circle makes its triumphant return after three years
After a three-year hiatus, Parade the Circle is about to return. The huge workshop tent is going up and people are welcome to come create their costumes, take a workshop, or help the contractors and artists.