As some 76 million baby boomers retire, they are stirring a “silver tsunami” across the country, testing public and nonprofit agencies as well as the housing market. Fresh Water checks in to see how Northeast Ohio is preparing for the trend.

A 27-year-old skateboarding organizer is running for City Hall chief despite tough competition. Does he have a chance?

For John Kulbis, inventor of Safety Skin reflective skin spread, the light bulb went off in 2010 when he leaned against a wall while painting a home interior. A dash of white paint from the wet surface striped Kulbis's arm, leading to a creation meant to make joggers, cyclists and pedestrians easier to see on the road.
 
Today, Safety Skin is the first product of Road Wise, Kulbis's Cleveland-based startup. The reflective spread is applied directly to the skin... Read more >

Fresh Water managing photographer Bob Perkoski was on hand to capture these evocative images from last Saturday's demonstration in Downtown Cleveland, which was attended by some 15,000 people.

As a small-business owner, Mark D’Agostino knows firsthand the difficulties of staffing a human resources department. All too often, HR employees are overworked, undertrained and unsupported by company leadership, he says.
 
To address these issues, D’Agostino launched ConnectedHR, a professional services firm that provides its 30 clients with experienced HR consultants. ConnectedHR personnel work on-site at companies—albeit off their payroll and ben... Read more >

While the Cleveland Renaissance rises all around us in gleaming fashion, Fresh Water takes a steely look inside five spots that evoke the Rust Belt's hey day.

Jereme Westfall, owner and artist of Work of Arc Welding, prides himself on breathing new life into discarded objects.
 
A damaged cello Westfall purchased from a music store, for example, is now a lighted sculpture complete with ribbed metal wings. The instrument can no longer play a beautiful concerto, but it's still lovely to behold, says its owner.
 
From his workshop at Steelyard Commons, Westfall also welds a unique identity onto working lamps, ... Read more >

A zoomin' fleet of electric go-karts? The next must live neighborhood? What made the RNC such a success? We've got all that – and more.

Click here for a roundup of some of Fresh Water's most popular stories from 2016.