A portion of a 75-acre capped landfill site in Brooklyn will soon be home to one of Ohio’s largest solar arrays that could save Cuyahoga County as much as $3 million in utility bills over 25 years. Construction begins this week on placing 35,530 solar panels—each one about the size of the American Flag—on 17 acres of the landfill.

After a decade in their space on Starkweather Avenue, Joshua and Amanda Montague—the husband-wife team behind Lilly Handmade Chocolates—will be closing up shop in their Tremont confectionery and cocktail bar on May 25. In July, the couple will reopen in a cozy space at 2032 W. Schaaf Rd. in the South Hills sector of Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood.

The Pinecrest site at I-271 and Harvard Road is buzzing with activity as construction workers keep moving—even through yesterday’s snow and frigid wind—toward the rolling opening of the $230 million mixed-use development on 58 acres in Orange Village. New additions include Silverspot Cinema, Graeter's Ice Cream, and Sweeties Big Fun, a surprise joint venture between Big Fun toy store and B.A. Sweetie Candy Company.

Three years in the making, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) is ready to release its Progress Index to the public. Aimed at fostering inclusive Cleveland communities of choice and opportunity, the Index had previously been available to Cleveland’s 31 community development corporations (CDCs), who helped test and fine-tune the tool.

Trey Kirchoff has a nose for good coffee and he seeks to spread his love of a good roast with the rest of Cleveland. This spring, Kirchoff will partner with Mason Adkins and Berto Huertas of Sixth City Cycles to open Coffee, Coffee, Coffee—a combination coffee shop and bike shop in Old Brooklyn. The new shop will open in the former Familyography space at 4193 Pearl Road.

Read more about this unique blend of coffee and bikes here.

A vintage blade sign that has been a landmark of Old Brooklyn since the 1940s is coming full circle. Having once marked the location of the old Atlas Furniture building at 4274 Pearl Road, it will soon become the marquee for the future Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation headquarters in the same location.The historic sign will serve as the neighborhood’s centerpiece after it is restored and takes its place on Pearl Road in the summer of 2018, says Jason Powers, OB... Read more >

The first incarnation of Vino Veritas was a successful restaurant and wine bar in the heart of Little Italy—even ranking on the 2015 Cleveland Hot List as a top wine bar. But by 2016, owner Anthony Nunes Insana had set his sights on a bigger picture for his wines, which he had been making in the basement of his Little Italy establishment.

Opportunity presented itself when Insana stumbled upon Rising Harvest Farms, a 2.3-acre plot of land in Old Brooklyn. &... Read more >

There's a whole campaign underway to bring the Forest City back to life. Here's the story of the foot soldiers in that effort—trees raised to green up our urban neighborhoods.

Cleveland is home to confectionary pleasures of all sizes, shapes and flavors, meaning area bakery owners need to get creative in how they brand their businesses.

Check out Cleveland's fresh selection of uniquely themed bakeries here. 

Ed “Chef Ed” Michalski has opened more than 40 restaurants in his career, but when he opens the doors to The City Diner in the next few weeks, it will be the first time the food service veteran does so as the owner.

“I just want to make sure everything is perfect,” Michalski says. “When guests walk in for the first time, I want to knock their socks off. You never get a second chance.”
 
Michalski cites his roles as executiv... Read more >

Welcome to "Over The River," a monthly calendar of exciting activities taking place throughout the area. Have a fun event you want to share with your fellow Clevelanders? Drop us an email.
 
Our June listing is packed with summer movie goodness, poetry and a little bit of yoga.

Get all the 411 here.

Last month, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) hosted its third annual Vibrant City Awards Lunch. More than 500 city leaders, stakeholders and community development professionals gathered at Cleveland's Edgewater Park to celebrate leading neighborhood revitalization efforts.

Click here to see who received the honors.

Fresh Water contributor Christopher Johnston steps inside Cleveland's human trafficking scene to uncover some dark realities — and the people and organizations battling them.

From big cats to a beloved gorilla, Tad Schoffner has come to understand the animals of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo like no one else.

Iraqi kebobs, duck blood soup and hard to find Latino spirits — that's just for starters in this under-the-radar roundup of some the best (and little known) noshing in the 216.

Cuyahoga County residents are going green by banding together to reap the benefits of solar energy — and they're saving plenty of green as well.

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.