On its inaugural year, University Circle's Showcase in the Circle & Circle Home Tour attracted over 400 people. For its second act, organizers anticipate much larger crowds.
 
"The size of the event is expected to grow this year given the amount of residential and commercial development happening right now in the Circle," says Erika McLaughlin, Public Affairs Manager for University Circle Inc.
 
The purpose behind this free event is to &... Read more >

What if colleges weren't ranked by what they can do for you, as those published by U.S. News & World Report are designed to show? What if a national college survey looked rather at what colleges are doing for the country? That's precisely the tack taken by Washington Monthly, which just released its 2011 national universities rankings.

"We all benefit when colleges produce groundbreaking research that drives economic growth, when they offer students from ... Read more >

"Greater Cleveland has the potential to become the national leader in the growing renewable energy economy," Mayor Frank Jackson writes in a Plain Dealer editorial.
 
Jackson says that Cleveland must do what it takes to bring about LEEDCo's goal of planting a 20-megawatt wind energy pilot project seven miles offshore from downtown. More than just an overblown science experiment, the project will be the country's first freshwater wind farm, creating a... Read more >

It's only fitting that as Cleveland's urban farms continue to attract national attention, so too should Cleveland's pioneering urban farmers.

On September 16, 2011, Maurice Small will receive such an honor when he receives a Rodale Institute Organic Pioneer Awards. Held annually in Kutztown, Penn., the awards recognize the farmers, scientists and activists who lead the organic movement in America.

Honored for work as youth organizer, Maurice Small was... Read more >

Two Ohio angel investment groups -- one from Cleveland, one from Columbus -- have landed on Entrepreneur magazine's list of Top 10 Angel Investor Groups.

"Sometimes a company's future growth is contingent on landing angel investment funding," the article's author writes. "The challenge is to find the right angel investor who is passionate about your business."

"You can get started with this resource list of the largest angel i... Read more >

Just when you think there couldn't possibly be any national media outlets out there that haven't yet praised Matt Fish's grilled cheese empire Melt Bar & Grilled, along comes Field & Stream magazine.

In the Sportsman’s Notebook section of the latest issue of the world's leading outdoor magazine, “Wild Chef” Jonathan Miles mentions Melt's Lake Erie Monster, pronouncing it one of the best ways to enjoy a catch.“Melt Bar &a... Read more >

When Happy Dog owner Eric Williams offered up his hot dog bar to food-truck operator Chris Hodgson for a night, he had no idea USA Today would get wind of the bash.

Hodgson, chef and owner of the popular food trucks Hodge Podge and Dim and Den Sum, is currently a participant in Season Two of the Food Network's "Great Food Truck Race." Hosted by Tyler Florence, the series features eight top food trucks competing for a $100,000 grand prize.
 
For ... Read more >

"Partying is hardly the main purpose," promises RTA Bar Crawl organizer Joe Baur.

To be held Saturday, August 27, the Crawl will utilize public transportation to ferry attendees from urban location to urban location, with stops Ohio City, University Circle, Little Italy, Larchmere/Shaker Square and E.4th Street. The day-long event steps off at 1 p.m. and winds down in Ohio City at 8 p.m.

"The purpose of the RTA Bar Crawl is to show Clevelanders and our suburbani... Read more >

This coming Sunday, August 14, food truck impresario Chris Hodgson will make his cable TV debut when Season 2 of the Food Network's "Great Food Truck Race" takes to the airwaves.

Hosted by Tyler Florence, the series features eight top food trucks competing for a $100,000 grand prize. Over the course of seven weeks, the trucks engage in a cross-country battle, with one team being eliminated at each stop. Thanks to omnipresent social media, Hodgson fans in Cleveland know th... Read more >

"If you're all about 'The Avengers,' then Cleveland is the place to be," says this recent item on MTV's website.

The article reports that the four-week filming schedule is for a pivotal -- and explosive -- scene in the Marvel Comics superhero flick.

"Word is that a big battle will be shot [in Cleveland]. Odds are it will be the biggest battle of the film and appear toward the end."

"A movie like this is guaranteed to have a big battle," the article conti... Read more >

Each day, thousands of hungry Ohioans eat nothing.

The Cleveland Foodbank in association with the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks and Charter One, have launched the Nothing Campaign to bring awareness about the growing issue of Hunger in Ohio. Cans of Nothing can be purchased for $3.00 and will provide at least 12 meals to help feed our hungry friends and neighbors.

To learn more and to make a donation, visit this site.

Cleveland, like many cities, is in possession of numerous vacant lots -- 20,000 or so, say some estimates. Land banks, which purchase, raze and repurpose some parcels, is one solution. Urban farms are another.

In this lengthy essay in The New York Times, written by Michael Tortorello, another use of vacant land is discussed: ecological research.

"As it happens," reads the piece, "a team of local scientists has designated this accidental landscape an Urban Long-T... Read more >

When the editors of Food Network Magazine set out to uncover this country's finest pizzas, they solicited the opinion of Fresh Water editor (and Scene food writer) Douglas Trattner. Having recently devoured his 20th Sunnyside pizza from Bar Cento -- with runny yolk still dripping down his chin -- his response was immediate and definite.

In the September issue, which hits newsstands August 9, the magazine unfurls a map of "50 States, 50 Pizzas," in which they crown the bes... Read more >

Melt Bar & Grilled, Cleveland's favorite grilled cheese emporium, has nabbed a spot in ESPN Magazine's list of top ten best sports bars in the country.

"We've been to thousands of them," the magazine claims, "dark, dank bars with the same overfried food, flat beer, sticky floors and TVs that never seem to have the right game on. But every once in a while, we stumble upon a joint that makes us happy we gave up our remote for the night. These are those joints…"
... Read more >

"Tech jobs are one bright spot in the economy," Businessweek announces. "The hiring spree taking place in that sector isn't limited to Silicon Valley. Cities across the country are enjoying a boost in employment thanks to information technology jobs."

"The tech sector is fueling a job boom that stands in stark contrast to the malaise of the general job market. The nationwide unemployment rate ticked up to 9.2 percent in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A... Read more >

Progressive, the fourth largest auto insurance group in the country, is looking to fill 108 sales, service, and claims phone representative positions as well as 23 information technology and analyst positions by the end of September.

Smart, outgoing people looking for a rewarding career are urged to apply.

"Progressive is known for taking risks and introducing innovative products," John Hoppes, national recruiting director at Progressive, is quoted in the Busine... Read more >

In this Bloomberg article titled "BofA Donates Then Demolishes Houses to Cut Glut," reporter Lindsey Rupp details the mortgage service provider's plan to donate 100 foreclosed houses in Cleveland.

"Bank of America Corp., faced with a glut of foreclosed and abandoned houses it can't sell, has a new tool to get rid of the most decrepit ones: a bulldozer."

With so many foreclosed -- and in many cases blighted -- homes flooding the market, experts say prices are depr... Read more >

Movies presently being filmed in Cleveland are translating into millions of dollars and thousands of room nights for area hotels, according to the Ohio Department of Development. The films, most of which are taking advantage of the new Ohio Film Tax Credit, could generate close to $5.3 million in economic activity and more than 41,000 room nights, according to an article in HotelNewsNow.com.

Indeed, those figures might be modest, says Katie Sabatino, public information of... Read more >

A recent article in Dredging Today titled "Port of Cleveland Unveils Plan for City's Lakefront Development" outlines the Cuyahoga County Port Authority's immediate plans and challenges.

"The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority's plan will try to bring jobs to the lakefront while creating recreational development like the kind that once thrived in the Flats," says the article. "Making that happen means shoring up the slowly-sliding Irishtown Bend and finding a suitabl... Read more >

Last May, Councilman Joe Cimperman participated in the annual Community Food Security Coalition, a food policy conference in Portland, Oregon. Turns out, he killed.

"The surprise darling of the Community Food Security Coalition conference last May was a little-known city councilman from Cleveland," Hannah Wallace writes for Faster Times. "He spoke fervently about his city, a city of flourishing community gardens, backyard bee hives and chicken coops, a city where all farm... Read more >