As news of the fire at the West Side Market spread, the Cleveland community was in disbelief. And then it got to helping. While untold amounts of food and product were lost, and 100s of employees continue to go without work, scores of loyal shoppers and fans are doing everything they can to ease the pain.

Explorys, which offers a secure software platform that allows healthcare systems to summarize, analyze and manage data, has moved into the former home of MOCA. The Cleveland-based company currently has more than 80 employees and is expected to climb to between 110 and 125 by next year.

Back in 2011, Fresh Water ran a feature about Ohio's newly instituted Film Production Tax Credit, which helped attract big-budget productions like "The Avengers" and "Alex Cross," plus smaller films like "Take Shelter" and "Fun Size." We decided to revisit the topic to see how it's working out for Cleveland, and Ohio.

In Cleveland's green-building scene, all eyes are on two new homes -- ironically called passive homes -- that take energy efficiency to jaw-dropping extremes. We wanted to see what it's really like to live in the city's greenest homes.

What's next? It's a question we all wish we had the answer to. But for folks looking to settle down, that question undoubtedly refers to place. In this running series, Fresh Water explores emerging Cleveland neighborhoods that are primed for growth. This week, writer Joe Baur examines North Shore Collinwood.

If you've enjoyed a drink at Lolita on a weekend night during the past two and a half years, chances are good Will Hollingsworth poured it. During that same period of time, Hollingsworth has been formulating his greatest recipe yet: The perfect bar, which will open this summer in Tremont.

It's been more than three years since the bodies of 11 women were discovered on Imperial Avenue. The home of convicted serial killer Anthony Sowell has since been demolished, but the empty lot will soon see a memorial project thanks to a grassroots group that includes architect Kevin Robinette.

When it opens this spring, The Katz Club Diner will become the sixth enterprise to hazard a bet on the twin diner cars on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. But this time around -- thanks to the skill and experience of chef-owner Doug Katz -- the odds are not stacked against its success.

Each year in Cuyahoga County, 20 fortunate artists are awarded $20,000 Creative Workforce Fellowship grants to pursue their art, which often takes a back seat to more pressing needs. The fellowships also help to brand the region to outsiders as an artist-friendly place to live.

Catanese Classic Seafood, a 30-year-old fish company that recently moved into the Flats, has reached agreements to purchase the entire catches of two local fishing crews that scour Lake Erie. That arrangement is likely to net more than 600,000 pounds of yellow perch alone next year -- as well as an additional 8 jobs.

Throughout its colorful history, the Agora complex in MidTown has been home to a vaudeville theatre, burlesque house, and one of the nation's premiere concert venues. Now, thanks to an evolving landscape outside its door, it's being redeveloped into start-up friendly office space.

It's not that younger Clevelanders don't appreciate classic art forms like ballet, fine art, literature or the symphony. It's that they don't necessarily appreciate the medium. To engage new audiences, traditional arts institutions are working hard to make their art forms more accessible, less intimidating, and just plain fun.

It's crunch time, folks! In less than three weeks, the 2012 holiday season will be a memory. We feel your pain. To help, we've stitched together a provocative assortment of gift ideas that should knock out your list in no time flat. This year, keep it fresh, keep it tasty, keep it local.

Recent transplants to Cleveland arriving from so-called "big-ticket" metropolitan markets say that they are experiencing appreciable cost savings in terms of housing, transportation, entertainment and food. And that translates to a better standard of life with little lost in terms of quantity and quality of offerings.

Staying put in the 216 for the holidays has never been so easy -- nor so much fun. Thanks to a bevy of new attractions and eateries, combined with wonderful old traditions, locals and visitors alike will have no shortage of festive holiday fun. In this colorful slideshow, Fresh Water photographer Bob Perkoski highlights some of the season's best eats, treats, and places to be.

To succeed as a region, Cleveland needs hungry, highly skilled immigrants willing to risk it all for a chance to build their dreams. With an estimated 30,000 open positions in high-skill industries in the region, the time is now to market Cleveland as a place friendly to outsiders. Fortunately, Radhika Reddy and others are on top of it.

Local funny man Mike Polk Jr. has both enraged and delighted Clevelanders with his irreverent "tourism" videos, which have garnered more than 10 million views. He also created and starred in the HBO weekly web show The Man in the Box. For his latest effort, Polk leaves the Internet behind and dives into print with Damn Right I'm From Cleveland, which local publisher Gray & Co. debuted earlier this month.

To be truly successful at neighborhood redevelopment, CDCs must change how they do business, says Joel Ratner, president of Neighborhood Progress Inc. They must adopt a holistic strategy that combines bricks-and-mortar development with high-performing schools, social services, and other amenities that residents need and want. 

When we launched this publication -- 100 issues and just over two years ago -- our mission was to share stories about the people, businesses and organizations that are working daily to make Cleveland a more desirable place to live, work and play.