Featured Stories

As CMSD returns to virtual school, Project ACT ensures the needs of homeless students are met
With about 1,000 students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District either living in homeless shelters or with relatives, Project ACT makes sure those students can continue in their current schools while also providing both technology and personal support during the uncertainties of the pandemic. 
Leap of faith: How COVID-19 has changed the way we worship
The pandemic may make it impossible for most houses of worship to congregate in-person, but institutions find their missions and prayers extend beyond the sanctuary walls. 
Thrifting and bonding in times of change
Nothing brings a mother and daughter together like a little bargain shopping to furnish a first apartment.
Meet six Fresh Innovators who are using their grit to make Cleveland great
They're creative. They're courageous. They're resilient. They're the Fresh Innovators, a group of talented professionals making a difference locally. The Cleveland Leadership Center and FreshWater Cleveland will salute the group virtually with Spark 2020: Grit to Great, the center's annual leadership symposium, tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 3.
Help Wanted: Extroverted empty nester in search of 'appropriate' social engagement
Kathleen Osborne lists the dos and dont's for a mother on social media...and other hobbies.
Riding the wave: Eastern suburbs prepare for new surge of evictions and foreclosures
Just like most of Cuyahoga County, Cleveland's inner-ring suburbs are expecting a wave of potential evictions and foreclosures because of the coronavirus. But officials are trying to provide assistance wherever they can in Shaker Heights and South Euclid.
Making it count: Community groups get creative in collecting census data during a pandemic
Cleveland is lagging in responses to the 2020 U.S. Census, so community groups are taking some creative measures to encourage traditionally hard-to-reach groups to be counted—and it's working.
Prison-to-employment pipeline brings new manufacturing talent to NEO companies
An innovative new program trains formerly incarcerated job seekers for open jobs in the manufacturing industry.
Digital Divide: CMSD, nonprofits, and providers scramble to get students online for remote learning
As CMSD students prepare to start returning to school next week, officials are working with providers and nonprofits to ensure every student has access to a laptop or other device and has an internet connection at home.
Navigating the challenges in protecting Cleveland’s homeless from COVID-19
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, area homeless shelters have struggled to protect the homeless community from the virus. Their efforts have met with challenges, and seen some successes, while the fight continues.
Reflections of moving forward as the youngest child leaves for college
Kathleen Osborne is a seasoned veteran at sending her kids off to college. But as her youngest prepares to flee the nest, she can't help but wax nostalgic from the dining room, which doubles as her home office.
A nested interest in controlling our worlds
When a seemingly harmless bird lands at her feet, and then proceeds to make himself at home on her lap, Kathleen Osborne begins to ponder whether birds could be harbingers of things to come.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo bringing a summer of socially distanced normalcy to guests
There's a lot to do at the Zoo these days! After a three-month shutdown, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is back open and touting its new rhino reserve, the Dinosaurs Around the World exhibit, and return of the ever-popular Asian Lantern Festival.
Two suburban school districts finalize facilities master plans during uncertain times
With shrinking populations and more community need, Lakewood and Shaker Heights School Districts are completing facilities master plans to accommodate students and residents—just in time to ponder the reopening of the schools during a pandemic.
A long march: Change can be hard, but sometimes for the best when a pandemic hits
Kathleen Osborne gets a bit melancholy and sentimental in times of change. But sometimes memories in the rear view mirror are not as bad as they might appear.
Business Unusual: Local manufacturers adapt, preserve jobs, and carry on during pandemic
When the coronavirus brought everyday life to a screeching halt and area hospitals worried they would run out of PPE, several Northeast Ohio manufacturers and other businesses stepped up to adapt their processes, save jobs, and make what was needed.
Decade of stewardship: Metroparks celebrates 103rd birthday, Brian Zimmerman marks 10 years as CEO
Happy 103rd birthday, Cleveland Metroparks! It's also the 10th anniversary of CEO Brian Zimmerman's tenure with the parks system. FreshWater sits down with Zimmerman to talk about the parks' assets, how the parks have been a refuge during COVID-19, and what's next for the ever-evolving Metroparks. 
I have my work cut out for me, and it’s perpetually hanging over my head
Kathleen Osborne strolls down Memory Lane when she considers cleaning out the lifetime of nostalgia that makes up a small village in her attic. It may be time... almost time.
County Human Rights Commission now taking LGBTQ discrimination complaints
The Cuyahoga Human Rights Commission was formed in 2018 to protect the basic human rights of the LGBTQ community. Last week, the commission began accepting and enforcing discrimination complaints under the county's Anti-Discrimination Ordinance.