Fifty years after the Cuyahoga River burned on, the yearlong Cuyahoga50 celebration kicks off with Creative Fusion: Waterways to Waterways—an exchange program of sorts for local and international artists, designed to inspire the world with all the ways Cleveland has revived and reimagined its river.

With 20 cities in the running, Cleveland’s chances of becoming the next Say Yes to Education chapter—and only the fourth in the country to receive the distinction—were just a paltry five percent. Yet according to Say Yes founder George Weiss, it was no contest.

The Cleveland Amateur Boating and Boatbuilders Society now has a permanent workspace instead of PHASTAR, near the Foundry and the Cleveland Rowing Foundation. It's part of a larger community boating center that PHASTAR is putting together that will house other groups—each with a unique tie to boating, the river, or Lake Erie, according to CABBS President Ed Neal.
 

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is known by all for his work in the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s through nonviolence and civil disobedience. Many people in Cleveland, however, may not be aware of how often King came through Cleveland in the 1960s—and the lasting influence he had on the city. From civil rights and Christianity to politics and school sit-ins, King was a well-known presence in Cleveland.

Starting today, YWCA Greater Cleveland will distribute posters to those participating in the 2019 Women’s March taking place this Saturday, January 19, in Public Square. Signs are available for pick up at the YWCA administrative offices (4019 Prospect Avenue) before 7:00 p.m. today, Thursday and Friday, as well as from 8 to 10 a.m. on Saturday.

After nearly 12 years of vacancy, the former Cleveland Athletic Club (CAC) at 1118 Euclid Ave. will soon come alive again as the Athlon at the Cleveland Athletic Club Building. The building will feature 163 luxury apartments, offices, and commercial retail space—all paying homage to a facility loved by Clevelanders since the CAC first opened its doors in 1911, then abruptly closed in 2007.

The secret is out—Cleveland was recently named among the country's top six places to see Christmas lights, according to Google Trends data compiled by Lawnstarter. Our managing photographer Bob Perkoski set out to capture the magic in Public Square and spotlight Cleveland at the most wonderful time of the year.

The holiday season is all about giving and getting together with friends and family. Mia Sakai and Lindsey Neidus, co-founders of SEA (Spaces, Experiences, Activations), have taken those holiday sentiments a step further by melding the two to create a pop-up holiday cocktail spot: Lake Effects Bar, located in the renovated historic 1901 Kimpton Schofield Hotel.

At 60 years old, Rose has big dreams, but knows the first step towards any of her myriad goals is to get her GED. One of 22 siblings, she dropped out of high school many moons ago when she became pregnant. Raising four boys has understandably dominated the entirety of her life to date, but this summer, on a routine walk to the store in her Mt. Pleasant neighborhood, she looked in the window of Seeds of Literacy and spotted site coordinator Kara Krawiec.

“I could see her bouncing around, and I knew I had to go in to see what was going on in here,” recalls Rose. “I’ve been coming four times a week ever since.”

The 1950 holiday classic “Silver Bells,” written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, was inspired by the sounds of the Salvation Army Santas ringing bells on New York City street corners during the annual Red Kettle Campaign. Those bells have also been ringing on the streets of Northeast Ohio for most of the Salvation Army Greater Cleveland’s 150-year history. But these days—due to store closures and high use of credit cards—Major Thomas Applin says the Salvation Army is finding new ways to boost its largest and most known fundraiser.

Plain Dealer arts and entertainment reporter Laura DeMarco was so pleased with the reactions to her book Lost Cleveland­—a chronological look at beloved city landmarks and institutions that no longer exist—that she decided to write a second book on Cleveland’s living landmarks.

Got a great idea for improving Northeast Ohio? It's not too late to apply for the fifth installment of Accelerate: Citizens Make Change, a civic pitch competition slated for February 27, 2019 at the Global Center for Health Innovation.

With dozens of yoga studios throughout the Cleveland area, it's not hard to find your flow. Just ask Dawn Rivers of Daybreak Yoga, Melissa Klimo Major of Balance & Brews, and Anjua Maximo of GrooveRyde—all of whom own successful yoga businesses that are truly hitting their stride with new locations and ventures.

Most Clevelanders have driven past the former Quay 55 building thousands of times while zooming up and down the Shoreway. But what many locals may not know is that the building is now known as The Shoreline Apartments—designed to offer resort-style living right on the shores of Lake Erie, according to new owner John Carney.

Just over a month after opening its new 855,000-square-foot North Randall fulfillment facility, Amazon is already making its presence known around the Greater Cleveland area—with officials demonstrating how happy they are to be here and their desire to be a good neighbor.

When real estate giant Forest City first approached architecture and design firm Vocon back in 2016 about moving its 400-plus employees from its 240,000-square-foot headquarters inside the Terminal Tower to 111,000 square feet in Key Tower, Vocon design director Bob Porter’s creative juices started oozing.

Thrity Umrigar was merely going out to run some errands. But as she was waiting to pay a bill at her Cleveland bank, she turned around and saw a long line of people behind her. Suddenly, she wasn’t just an award-winning, nationally best-selling author; she was an engaged citizen who saw an opportunity that was just too good to pass up.

With today designated as World Homeless Day, the YWCA is turning its lens on Cleveland—where there are more than 22,000 people homeless annually, and about 4,000 people homeless each night (according to the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless).

Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland.