The inaugural Great Lakes Venture Fair will take place at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown October 17-18, on the heels of the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds annual conference. The fair is a collaborative effort  between  JumpStart, Ohio Capital Fund, Ohio Venture Association, TiE Ohio, CincyTech and TechColumbus and will bring together investors and startups from across the Midwest.
 
“It’s a chance for the venture capital communit... Read more >

It's not unusual for former students to approach Larchmere resident Joe Golden on the street and tell him how much they enjoyed taking his classes. The 60-year-old Cleveland resident has been teaching martial arts out of The Golden School of Urban Self-Defense -- a dojo located in his basement -- for several decades now.

"In the black community, there are a lot of young people who don't have any dads in the house," says Golden. "They're missing ... Read more >

In the best of cases, getting a book published can take one to three years from start to finish. Or, you can do it the way Richey Piiparinen and Anne Trubek did with Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology. The pair of Cleveland writers managed to compress the entire Sisyphean process into an implausible three-month timeframe.

Thanks to the efforts of numerous neighborhood activists, once-blighted properties in Glenville and throughout Cleveland are being transformed into orchards, gardens and inviting green spaces. These incremental quality-of-life improvements are helping to craft a smaller city of higher quality.

The Cedar Center North project, envisioned as a bold, mixed-use development featuring a midrise condo building above new shops and restaurants, is a far cry from what the original developer and community backers had hoped for originally. Gone are the high-end condos, replaced by an upscale strip retail center filled with familiar national chains.

The Coral Company and DeVille Developments broke ground on the project, which has been in the works since 2001 but stymied by t... Read more >

With mounting evidence that a shortage in primary health care access is one key contributor to health disparities in the U.S., a Cleveland-based health center is plugging a local gap by opening a new primary care clinic on the city's west side.

"To us, health care is having a regular source of care, a place where you can get in to see the doctor or nurse practitioner the day you need service, the first place you turn," says Jean Polster, Executive Director o... Read more >

Until recently, there was a void in Cleveland's art scene: the lack of a community darkroom, studio and photographic gallery. That will change with the opening of Cleveland Print Room, an educational organization located in the ArtCraft Building.

The organization "aspires to build awareness and foster appreciation for fine art, hand-processed photography," according to its Facebook page. Cleveland Print Room will offer workshops, affordable work space and co... Read more >

Phoenix Coffee has introduced a direct trade coffee from Amado Nervo, in the Chiapas area of Mexico, to its menu. By purchasing the coffee directly from the growers, the middleman is eliminated and more money goes directly to the farmers.

“It’s a town of about 1,100 people and coffee is their only crop,” says Christopher Feran, coffee and marketing director for Phoenix. “We’re having a direct impact on the people of Amado Nervo. We like to co... Read more >

The City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County have invested millions of dollars in public money to help make urban development projects happen over the years. But do they provide the maximum benefit to the taxpayers paying for them?

Amanda Woodrum, a researcher at the liberal think tank Policy Matters, says that Northeast Ohio leaders have not always maximized the public benefits of development projects. Yet cities like Cleveland have a tool at their disposal called Community... Read more >

"The burlesque performer was the original sex symbol of America," states Bella Sin, a third generation performer herself. "It was an art form." Come see one of the hottest entertainment forms from the 1950s -- and 2010s -- on Saturday, August 4, when 35 neo-burlesque performers steam up the Beachland Ballroom during the 2nd Annual Ohio Burlesque Festival.

Startup Lakewood is looking for new businesses and the organization is willing to help entrepreneurs take their ideas to fruition. The second annual Ideation Challenge showcases the new ideas and new business startups that will add to the diversity of the Lakewood business community. 

“We think there are all sorts of people right here in Lakewood who have ideas for businesses but haven’t taken the steps to launch them,” says Mike Belsito, Lakewood&r... Read more >

Incoming ninth graders at Max Hayes High School took it to the parking lot last week, Thursday, July 26, to race the cars they had crafted as part of the Take it to the Max program. Part summer camp, part school orientation, nearly 60 students participated in two WIRE-Net program sessions to see if a career in manufacturing is the right path. Max Hayes students concentrate on manufacturing in their studies.
 
"The goal of the program is to introduce the students ... Read more >

Cleveland's near west side will gain another signature community park when the redeveloped outdoor space at Zone Recreation Center, which is comprised of 22 acres of land south of Lorain Avenue between W. 53rd and W. 65th streets, reopens this Saturday.

A public ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on Saturday at 11 a.m. The celebration will include a farmers market, food trucks, kickball, skateboarding, three-on-three basketball tournament and dog park dedication.... Read more >

When late summer rolls around, my kids and I are desperate for adventure. From our house in the Heights, that usually means we’re heading down the hill to Cleveland, where over the years we’ve discovered countless family-friendly things to see and do. The options are many and growing, but here is our pick for Top 10.

Stephen Love got involved in helping to clean up Euclid Beach Park when he visited his grandmother in North Collinwood and was shocked by its neglect.

"I visited the state parks and the beaches were terrible," says the Cleveland Heights resident, who works as an Information Specialist at the Cuyahoga Land Bank. "It was a wakeup call to see how I could get more involved."

To capitalize on the artistic energy of the Waterloo Arts District and dr... Read more >