Stories
For those wanting to take back control of winter after the recent reminder of what ol' Jack Frost can shovel out, here are three activities to choose from around the Metroparks for tomorrow.
All events are free and open to the public. Follow the links for more information.
Chickadee Feeding Hike, Rocky River Reservation, 10 a.m.
Wild black-capped chickadees can be remarkably friendly. Join a naturalist-led walk for an attempt to lure this gentle creature to your hand. We'll supply the black oil sunflower seed.
Mill Creek Dog Walk, Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation, 10 a.m.
Take a brisk walk with your pup along scenic Mill Creek. Enjoy the flora and fauna as well as hearing a bit of the history of the area. Dogs must be leashed and waste picked up. Walkers without dogs welcome.
Sunday Drop-By: Snowflake Matching, Watershed Stewardship Center at West Creek Reservation, 1 p.m.
Stop by the Watershed Stewardship Center to celebrate this snowy season with a fun game. Bring your friends to this friendly competition while learning about snowflakes. Are snowflakes truly unique?
All events are free and open to the public. Follow the links for more information.
Chickadee Feeding Hike, Rocky River Reservation, 10 a.m.
Wild black-capped chickadees can be remarkably friendly. Join a naturalist-led walk for an attempt to lure this gentle creature to your hand. We'll supply the black oil sunflower seed.
Mill Creek Dog Walk, Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation, 10 a.m.
Take a brisk walk with your pup along scenic Mill Creek. Enjoy the flora and fauna as well as hearing a bit of the history of the area. Dogs must be leashed and waste picked up. Walkers without dogs welcome.
Sunday Drop-By: Snowflake Matching, Watershed Stewardship Center at West Creek Reservation, 1 p.m.
Stop by the Watershed Stewardship Center to celebrate this snowy season with a fun game. Bring your friends to this friendly competition while learning about snowflakes. Are snowflakes truly unique?
The Great Lakes Science Center has partnered with the NASA Glenn Research Center to establish a temporary memorial for Senator Glenn.
Members of the public wishing to leave expressions of sympathy may do so beginning Friday, Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The memorial exhibit will be in place through Sunday, December 18. (Please note the Science Center will be closed Sunday, Dec. 11 and Monday, Dec. 12.) The Glenn memorial will be placed in the Wintergarden atrium of the Science Center, which is a publicly accessible space that does not require admission.
The Science Center is located at 601 Erieside Ave. at North Coast Harbor.
Members of the public wishing to leave expressions of sympathy may do so beginning Friday, Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The memorial exhibit will be in place through Sunday, December 18. (Please note the Science Center will be closed Sunday, Dec. 11 and Monday, Dec. 12.) The Glenn memorial will be placed in the Wintergarden atrium of the Science Center, which is a publicly accessible space that does not require admission.
The Science Center is located at 601 Erieside Ave. at North Coast Harbor.
Fresh Water checks in with supporters of Trump, Clinton and Johnson as well as those that did not vote.
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture will invest more than $14.5 million in grants to 241 nonprofits across the county in 2017. Fresh Water takes an inside look at four of the associated projects.
AT&T wants to connect low-income Clevelanders to the possibilities of the internet. And a new affordable online option provided by the communications giant is a big step towards closing the city's digital gap, company officials say.
AT&T, in concert with the U.S. HUD's ConnectHome initiative, is offering inexpensive internet service to qualifying area households at just $5 to $10 monthly. Rates depend on connection speed, notes Nicolette Jaworski, external affairs director for Cleveland and Toledo.
Families using the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are able to choose from three speed tiers - 10Mbps, 5Mbps or 3Mbps. Installation and equipment are free of charge for participating households.
"This is not a one-time deal," says Jaworski of the program available in 21 states where AT&T offers home internet service. "We're invested in the community and have just started to phase in the program."
On November 15, AT&T and the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) held a program information session at CMHA's Lorain Square Apartments. While AT&T doesn't have a target number as to how many Clevelanders will use the service, officials expect a healthy turnout considering the benefits the internet brings to an increasingly connected planet.
"The world has changed in that we know how critical a home computer can be to academic success," says Jaworksi. "The internet is a resource for kids to learn at home."
Young people are not the only potential beneficiaries of the program. Digital literacy is a boon for senior citizens in terms of bill paying, scheduling doctor's appointments or staying in touch with loved ones. Much of workforce and development training is online-based, adding another layer of capability to the program.
Cleveland school districts and community organizations may become future partners in the high-tech endeavor, Jaworksi notes. AT&T would like to see robust internet as part of city policy, considering fast online speed is a key facet of competitive business. Providing such technology to the area's low-income population can serve as the foundation for a strong, well-connected region.
"We want to give families here the tools they need to succeed," Jaworski says.
AT&T, in concert with the U.S. HUD's ConnectHome initiative, is offering inexpensive internet service to qualifying area households at just $5 to $10 monthly. Rates depend on connection speed, notes Nicolette Jaworski, external affairs director for Cleveland and Toledo.
Families using the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are able to choose from three speed tiers - 10Mbps, 5Mbps or 3Mbps. Installation and equipment are free of charge for participating households.
"This is not a one-time deal," says Jaworski of the program available in 21 states where AT&T offers home internet service. "We're invested in the community and have just started to phase in the program."
On November 15, AT&T and the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) held a program information session at CMHA's Lorain Square Apartments. While AT&T doesn't have a target number as to how many Clevelanders will use the service, officials expect a healthy turnout considering the benefits the internet brings to an increasingly connected planet.
"The world has changed in that we know how critical a home computer can be to academic success," says Jaworksi. "The internet is a resource for kids to learn at home."
Young people are not the only potential beneficiaries of the program. Digital literacy is a boon for senior citizens in terms of bill paying, scheduling doctor's appointments or staying in touch with loved ones. Much of workforce and development training is online-based, adding another layer of capability to the program.
Cleveland school districts and community organizations may become future partners in the high-tech endeavor, Jaworksi notes. AT&T would like to see robust internet as part of city policy, considering fast online speed is a key facet of competitive business. Providing such technology to the area's low-income population can serve as the foundation for a strong, well-connected region.
"We want to give families here the tools they need to succeed," Jaworski says.
This Thursday, Dec. 8, from 4 – 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn South Cleveland, 6001 Rockside Rd. in Independence, LEEDCo will host an open house featuring the components of the forthcoming Icebreaker Wind project, including information on the associated equipment, materials, services, and labor. The group will also give a brief presentation at 4:30 p.m. that will be repeated at 6 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
For more information and to register, please click here.
For more information and to register, please click here.
Local student's prom dress collection gets AP attention
Ashley Wilson had her eye on dresses for a birthday gift and not just one dress. Not even just one closet full of dresses. For her 18th birthday on Dec. 17, Ashley asked for dozens of dresses.
Before you conjure up Veruca Salt in full brat mode, before you think of Ashley as selfish or materialistic, know this: She'll never wear any of those dresses. She wants to give them away to girls who can't afford them.
"I thought what better way to celebrate your birthday than helping other people?" said Ashley, a senior at Villa Angela St. Joseph.
Get the rest of the story from the Associated Press here or here.
Before you conjure up Veruca Salt in full brat mode, before you think of Ashley as selfish or materialistic, know this: She'll never wear any of those dresses. She wants to give them away to girls who can't afford them.
"I thought what better way to celebrate your birthday than helping other people?" said Ashley, a senior at Villa Angela St. Joseph.
Get the rest of the story from the Associated Press here or here.
While most Clevelanders were finally finishing off the Thanksgiving leftovers, these organizations were busy announcing loans and programs aimed at helping area small businesses, entrepreneurs and employees with good ideas.
-A unique collaborative of organizations and institutions has launched a small business lending program to help African American and minority businesses create and maintain jobs for residents and build community wealth. With a focus on bringing capital to underserved groups, the National Urban League’s Urban Empowerment Fund, Morgan Stanley, the National Development Council, the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County have come together to offer the Capital Access Fund of Greater Cleveland (CAF).
CAF is a three-year program that provides minority business owners with access to capital offering 50 loans totaling $8 million as well as pre- and post-loan counseling to ensure the success of those small business borrowers. With a goal of creating or maintaining a minimum of 300 jobs within those three years, CAF already has completed 8 loans totaling $1.4 million helping to create or maintain 70 local jobs.
Read more here.
-Bad Girl Ventures Cleveland celebrated their fall 2016 graduation and five-year anniversary on November 30th by awarding two $15,000 loans, in partnership with the Economic Community Development Institute (ECDI), to the following women entrepreneurs: Liza Rifkin of Liza Michelle Jewelry and Angelina Rodriguez Pata of Blackbird Fly Boutique. Both are located in Ohio City.
-The MetroHealth System hosted its second Think Tank Competition on November 30. Modeled after the ABC show Shark Tank, employees submitted their ideas for a chance to win money to fund projects for the betterment of MetroHealth. Two winners were awarded a cool $150,000 each.
Their projects include one aimed at the development of a strategic approach to reduce the risks of opioid dependence and addiction for patients and the community through integrated pathways, analytics, informatics, and education. The other will create a formal team/department to administer and coordinate all of event medicine needs.
Read more here.
-A unique collaborative of organizations and institutions has launched a small business lending program to help African American and minority businesses create and maintain jobs for residents and build community wealth. With a focus on bringing capital to underserved groups, the National Urban League’s Urban Empowerment Fund, Morgan Stanley, the National Development Council, the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County have come together to offer the Capital Access Fund of Greater Cleveland (CAF).
CAF is a three-year program that provides minority business owners with access to capital offering 50 loans totaling $8 million as well as pre- and post-loan counseling to ensure the success of those small business borrowers. With a goal of creating or maintaining a minimum of 300 jobs within those three years, CAF already has completed 8 loans totaling $1.4 million helping to create or maintain 70 local jobs.
Read more here.
-Bad Girl Ventures Cleveland celebrated their fall 2016 graduation and five-year anniversary on November 30th by awarding two $15,000 loans, in partnership with the Economic Community Development Institute (ECDI), to the following women entrepreneurs: Liza Rifkin of Liza Michelle Jewelry and Angelina Rodriguez Pata of Blackbird Fly Boutique. Both are located in Ohio City.
-The MetroHealth System hosted its second Think Tank Competition on November 30. Modeled after the ABC show Shark Tank, employees submitted their ideas for a chance to win money to fund projects for the betterment of MetroHealth. Two winners were awarded a cool $150,000 each.
Their projects include one aimed at the development of a strategic approach to reduce the risks of opioid dependence and addiction for patients and the community through integrated pathways, analytics, informatics, and education. The other will create a formal team/department to administer and coordinate all of event medicine needs.
Read more here.
Walking the Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail reveals the details of fascinating sights, from stunning infrastructure and industry to magical cities and even a ghostly wetland.
An image roundup from points across the 216 full up with Santas and skaters and sparkling holiday finery as captured by Fresh Water's managing photographer Bob Perkoski.