Just as the U.S. Supreme Court this week begins to hear arguments about the constitutionality of the federal Affordable Care Act, several Northeast Ohio foundations have banded together to provide nonpartisan, consumer-friendly information to help citizens navigate this complex new law.

The public education effort takes place as liberal and conservative groups across the country launch a fight not only over the constitutionality of the law, but also over how it's perc... Read more >

For years, staff at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (CRCC) have watched as rape crisis programs throughout the state have either closed or downsized. The combination of a poor economy and lack of dedicated funding have put many of these programs out of existence -- and left sexual assault victims in less populated counties without services.

A new partnership between the CRCC and the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence (OAESV) hopes to change that by serving as a voice f... Read more >

The Cleveland Plus Marketing Alliance is celebrating its fifth birthday promoting Northeast Ohio as a vigorous regional entity. Like any proud parent, Cleveland Plus executive director Rick Batyko is eager to show off the campaign's accomplishments over its first five years of life. Fresh Water writer Douglas J. Guth spoke with Batyko about the campaign's successful past as well as the Wadsworth native's hopes for the region's future.

Just moments before they took the dais for the Lockwood Thompson Dialogues, presented by the Cleveland Public Library in partnership with LAND studio, local author Michael Ruhlman and award-winning photographer Penny De Los Santos sat down with Fresh Water. The free-flowing conversation touched upon topics ranging from the local food movement to the Cleveland dining scene to food photography. Have a listen.

The Cleveland Clinic hopes to hire 600 registered nurses at an upcoming career fair, held March 28-30 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Stanley Shalom Zielony Institute for Nursing Excellence organized the event, “Nursing Now at Cleveland Clinic,” to fill vacant positions and prepare for increased demand for nurses as baby boomers retire.
 
It is projected that one million nurses will be needed nationwide by 2020. The Clinic currently employs about 11,000 n... Read more >

Thanks to roadway improvements and striking new signage, University Circle is becoming easier to navigate all the time. Yet it's a grim joke among cyclists that navigating the spaghetti intersection at Stokes, Martin Luther King Jr. and Cedar is akin to taking your life into your hands.

This issue affects more than a small, insignificant sliver of the population: According to City of Cleveland Bike Planner Marty Cader, the number of bike commuters continues to rise ea... Read more >

A newly unveiled school facilities plan in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District (CH-UH) has the potential to blend historic preservation and neighborhood schools with cutting edge, 21st century learning environments, school leaders say.

The plan calls for eliminating several schools, tearing down 70s-era additions to older, historic buildings that will be preserved, and creating new interiors and additions to facilitate a technology-oriented, interest-... Read more >

What makes a neighborhood thrive? Is it a coffee shop? A fistful of chef-owned bistros? What about a grocery store and dry cleaners? When it comes to Cleveland's various neighborhoods, some seem to have all the pieces in place. Ohio City, Tremont, Detroit Shoreway… these budding burgs appear to have everything a resident could want and need. But do they?

Against a backdrop of vacant, foreclosed homes and empty lots, U.S. Representatives Steve LaTourette and Marcia Fudge this week unveiled the bipartisan Restore Our Neighborhoods Act of 2012. The new legislation seeks to provide $4 billion to states and land banks to issue 30-year demolition bonds to demolish vacant, blighted homes across the country.

"This country needs to come to the realization that sometimes you just need to tear it down and start over," LaTo... Read more >

It's the "Year of Local Food" in Cleveland, say the organizers of Sustainable Cleveland 2019. It's also the year that Congress is set to reauthorize the farm bill, the largest piece of food and farm legislation that determines how food reaches our plate.

These two events may seem disconnected, but they really are not, says Tia Lebherz, an organizer with Food and Water Watch, whose job is to energize the Cleveland Fair Farm Bill Campaign. In fact, the bil... Read more >

A new business in South Euclid aims to take advantage of Cleveland's growing reputation as a healthcare leader while also capitalizing on rising consumer interest in alternative medicine. The Heights Wellness Center, which is located at Cedar and Warrensville roads, employs chiropractors, herbalists, acupuncturists, Reiki healers and yoga instructors to create customized wellness programs for its customers.

Founder Sandy Lawrence points to the fact that the Center is ... Read more >

MedWish International, a Cleveland company that recycles medical supplies and equipment discarded by local hospitals, medical device companies and individuals by redistributing them to developing nations in desperate need of such items, won the $100,000 technology upgrade grand prize in Toshiba’s Helping the Helpers Technology Makeover.

MedWish beat out 150 U.S. non-profit charities by submitting a two-minute video to Toshiba for Good Facebook page, explaining how t... Read more >

Throughout its 20 year history, Eden Inc., a nonprofit developer of affordable housing, has "flown under the radar," says David Fearn, Manager of Grants Development and Community Relations. If so, then one might say that Eden's recently launched sustainability efforts constitute a coming out party -- one to which all of its neighbors are invited.

Eden has always been a community-minded agency; its housing developments serve low-income and often mentally ill ... Read more >

Local jobs in the biomedical field are plenty and area companies are having trouble finding qualified people to fill them. To help remedy that, Global Cleveland and BioEnterprise have teamed up to host a virtual biomedical job fair March 26-30 to attract talented people in the field to the region.
 
“One of the consistent complaints we hear is that small and large biomedical companies in the region are not getting enough talent to meet their growth desires,&rdqu... Read more >

The Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium, a major public initiative to help move Northeast Ohio towards a more sustainable, resilient future, will launch a public engagement process in the next few months. Young professionals are among the first constituencies being targeted in this effort to create a sustainability plan for the region.

"We're looking at how we are using land through the lens of sustainability," explains Jeff Anderle, Communicat... Read more >

Freshbag, which offers corporate wellness programs and an online fresh foods-shopping and delivery service, is growing faster than founders Ian Wong and Max Wilberding anticipated. The company is adding to its current six pickup locations and forming new partnerships.
 
Later this month, Freshbag will add 1-2-1 Fitness, on the Case campus, as a new pick up location. Wong says more locations are in the works. Furthermore, the company is expanding its chef repertoire wi... Read more >