Tremont

In gentrifying Ohio City, helping the ones who need it most
Not everyone's feeling the craft food boom in Ohio City. The nonprofit May Dugan Center has anchored the corner of Fulton and Bridge for 46 years, helping poor residents meet their basic needs.
Cleveland's immigrant population to get a shout-out during Welcome Week
The September events will celebrate the contributions of immigrants and entrepreneurs to their communities.
From high-flying adventure to hidden secrets: the Metroparks' top 10 discoveries
An obstacle course amid the treetops, miles of mountain bike trail and a mysterious 130-year-old rock? We've got that and then some: Fresh Water Cleveland has rounded up ten of the Metroparks' best hidden gems, quirky trails and thrilling courses.
Cleveland area record stores hitting their groove
It's no secret that vinyl sales are on the rise across the country, fueled by disenchantment with digital listening. Cleveland is a vinyl hotbed, boasting an impressive 11 record stores.
5 key takeaways about school improvement in Cleveland
A new report shows that while some progress has been made in improving the schools, there is still a long way to go. The conditions are now right for faster changes, leaders say.
Local, organic groceries now just a click away
Northeast Ohio has three organizations dedicated to getting fresh produce and sustainably-grown goods to consumers through online ordering.
This weekend In Cleveland: Cain Park Arts Festival and more
This weekend, shop arts and crafts from all over the country at the Cain Park Arts Festival, attend a free swing dance under the Playhouse chandelier, check out the Cleveland Flea and more.
Jason Minter plans to pedal Italian treats around Cleveland neighborhoods
When Jason Minter has fond memories of his grandmother, Connie Pugh, and her fascination with PBS programming. “Every Sunday we would go to my grandma’s after church and she was always watching PBS,” he recalls. “She would say, ‘PBS brings all these cultures to me right in my living room.’ My grandmother never left the city.”

Years later, in 2012, Minter was in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy as a teaching assistant with Texas A&M’s college of architecture study abroad program when he discovered affogatos – gelato topped with a shot of espresso. The experience reminded Minter of his grandmother’s travels via public television.
 
After duplicating the affogatos for some friends back home in Tremont, Minter was encouraged to start a business of it. He kept testing his recipe and attended Cleveland State’s Meet the Lenders program last summer, where he got additional encouragement, Minter started Connie’s Affogato.
 
Minter then decided to enter the Old Brooklyn business plan competition, and was one of three winners. “We approached the competition with the understanding that opening a bricks and mortar storefront would be unfeasible for Connie's Affogato at this point,” he explains. “Instead we proposed a new model for economic development with a substantially lower barrier to entry than existing models. The competition judges responded positively to our strategy.”
 
The mobile affogato shop will be equipped with a specially-made bicycle – complete with a freezer, stove and “storefront” – with help from Soulcraft Woodshop and CWRU’s ThinkBox.  Espresso will be brewed on the bike, while he plans to get his ice cream from a local supplier.
 
Connie’s Affogato will serve Old Brooklyn, as well as area festivals and fairs. “The city of Cleveland is my canvas,” Minter says. “I see a Cleveland where people are spending a little less time in their homes and car and contributing to a vibrant street life.”
 
Minter plans to take growth one step at a time. He is on schedule to open May 1 next summer with just one mobile storefront, then grow accordingly. While he says it’s not necessary, his plan includes opening a bricks and mortar storefront in three years. “You got to let the market guide you,” he says.
PRE4CLE aims to close preschool gap
The PRE4CLE program, which was recently recognized by the White House, is halfway to its goal of enrolling 2,000 additional four-year-olds in high-quality preschools in Cleveland.
Choosing the right school can spell success
A key component of the Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools is helping families choose the right school. Neighborhood ambassadors are charged with informing the community about school choices.
This weekend in Cleveland: Parade the Circle and more
This weekend, hold onto your humanity at MOCA’s summer exhibition opening, witness the vibrant beauty of Parade the Circle, watch Prince’s Purple Rain under the stars at a free movie night, shop the Flea and more.
La Placita offers testing ground for Hispanic entrepreneurs
The monthly open-air market, which is set for this weekend, brings together over 30 eclectic local makers and food purveyors.
One woman show spotlights transgender lives in Cleveland
Christine Howey, a local theater critic, poet and actor, decided to live as the woman she knew she was when transgender individuals were not so visible.
Hack for good: How can we use technology and open data to spark change?
A group of civic hackers explored how transparency can be used to monitor the new consent decree and address disparity.
CPL 'book bike' set to ride this summer
Engaging with patrons and the community has always been a priority for Cleveland Public Library, says youth services librarian Maria Estrella. CPL is taking this all-important mission on the road this summer with a brand new "book bike."

The bike, actually an oversized orange tricycle, will serve nearby neighborhoods as a roving book depository and checkout station. Community members will be able to sign up for library cards on the spot, and search for reading materials in the system catalog thanks to the bike's capability as a traveling Wi-Fi hotspot.

"We'll have popular books and new releases as well as children's books," says Estrella.

The bike, introduced to the public on May 29 in the main library's Eastman Reading Garden, will act as a roaming literacy advocate and outreach tool at downtown events like Walnut Wednesday. Daycare and school visits will also be part of the bike's hot weather agenda.

"Local branches can borrow the bike, too," says Estrella. "It's going to be all over the place."

The three-wheeled library joins CPL's BookBox, a mobile unit of the main library that will offer its wares this summer at University Circle for the Wade Oval Wednesdays concert series. Both book-distributing entities are meant to reach communities lacking easy library access, with the hope of catching interest from downtown Cleveland pedestrians.

Ultimately, CPL's newest initiative is pedaling a creative way to implement library services, Estrella maintains.

"The bike is a wonderful opportunity to get information to people and show them what we're about," she says. "It's great to be able to bring the library to the community." 
Tri-C business program elevates small companies to new levels of success
The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small  Businesses initiative has brought new jobs and economic opportunity to Northeast Ohio in its first three years.