Stories

LISTEN --> FreshFaces Podcast: Cait Kennedy of [unBail]
Our FreshFaces podcast is back for season two! Episode One features [unBail] executive director Cait Kennedy, who helped design the [unBail] app as a "Google maps for court cases" to help defendants better navigate the criminal justice system.
Black The Vote: Local NAACP calls for action hosts Saturday event to get out the vote
The Cleveland branch of the NAACP is calling upon volunteers at its Black The Vote event in the Harvard neighborhood to encourage residents to get out and vote.
Bridge Brigade transforms neighborhood blemish into work of beauty
Members of an Ohio City block club, the Bridge Brigade, just completed the second phase of their neighborhood beautification project—commissioning Cleveland artist Garrett Weider to paint a 100-foot mural on the side of a vacant building.
‘Watch us Grow:’ Historic May Co. building becomes The May, with modern living, retail
"Watch us Grow" once was May Company department store's slogan. Now, Clevelanders are again watching the iconic May Company Building, with its glistening white terra cotta façade, symmetrical detailing, and large windows facing Public Square, grow into a new life as The May—modern luxury apartments with a nod to the building's history.
Nourishing bodies and minds: Local colleges fight student hunger during the coronavirus pandemic

As local colleges reopen during the coronavirus pandemic, they’ve expanded efforts to provide food and emergency aid to students who are impacted by COVID-19—especially those who don't have family support.

Hikia "Coco" Dixon is creating a creative labyrinth inside the 5th Street Arcades
Inventive entrepreneur Hikia “Coco” Dixon is taking 5th Street Arcades by storm with her two shops. Now, she's taken over 20,000 square feet in the Arcades to provide affordable studio space for entrepreneurs of color. 
Answers to Ohio Civics Essential ballot issues quiz
Triple cream heaven: Marchant Manor Cheese plans to open shop doors by the holidays
A year after securing a storefront on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, Kandice Marchant is nearing completion of Marchant Manor Cheese Shop—with high hopes to be open for the winter holidays.
Now that's fresh! Season Two of our FreshFaces podcast goes live on Thursday, October 22
Our FreshFaces podcast is back with an all-new season featuring six innovators making positive change in Cleveland.
Door-to-door: Advocates canvass neighborhoods, informing tenants and trying to prevent evictions
Members of the Democratic Socialists of America and other organizations are hitting Cleveland streets, making sure residents know their rights, and how to get assistance, when facing evictions.
Who’s Hiring in the #CLE: Zygote Press, Metropolitan at the 9, Cleveland Restoration, and more
Need a job? Check out the latest edition of FreshWater Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply.
FreshWater launches Community Development Connection series on the resilience of CLE neighborhoods
FreshWater is embarking on a new series, Community Development Connection, a year of exploring the efforts of neighborhood-based organizations, leaders, and residents who are focused on moving their communities forward during a time of unprecedented challenge.
A taste of home… before a goodbye
Kathleen Osborne recently drove 18 miles to a gas station. Not to fill up the car, but to get a taste of the hummus all of Cleveland seems to be talking about.
Beauty for Ashes: One family’s struggle to overcome barriers and birth a child
While pregnant with her second child, Chasity Strawder was diagnosed with a digestive disease. She felt ignored, hopeless, and misinformed. Ten years later, Strawder is now a voice for other women who have lost hope during their struggles.
Head trip: How COVID-19 is affecting Cleveland's travel and tourism industry
COVID-19 has hit Cleveland's travel and tourism industry hard. Hotel occupancies are low and one in four employees in the industry were laid off this past summer. While the hotel industry awaits Congressional help, local museums and tourist attractions have gotten creative in their programming.
Howling for healthcare workers: How residents on one Cleveland Heights street show their support
Each night at 8 p.m. residents on Corydon Road howl to the sky—praising Cleveland's frontline workers for their efforts during the pandemic.
Can we talk? Latina-led startup Time2Talk helps bridge the cultural gap through conversation
Buenos Aires native, world traveler, and Gordon Square resident Marina Jackman has developed an app that takes a conversational approach to learning Spanish. 
Access to adventure: Lakewood couple launches store with secondhand outdoor retail, nature workshops
The Cleveland Outpost's mission is to make outdoor adventure attainable for everyone. The new store offers used equipment, workshops, and other programs to eliminate the barriers to enjoying everything Cleveland's trails and shores have to offer.
#PeopleofCLE: Angelo, the OG of Ohio City's pizza scene
Northeast Ohio is changing. These are the people shaping its future. Our latest installment.
Playhouse Square’s Lumen shines brightly as Cleveland’s largest residential project in 40 years
The much-anticipated official opening of the Lumen apartments in Playhouse Square—the largest residential building project in Cleveland in 40 years—happens today.