Stories

Putting down succulent roots: Urban Planting to move to Clifton shorefront
Elio Calabrese doesn’t like to let moss grow under his feet. But he does like to preserve the carpet-like plant and use it for decoration. And as the owner of Urban Planting Cleveland, Calabrese produces unique custom moss decor to bring nature inside in virtually any environment.
 
Local artists renew their love for the Cle with version two of Love Letter mural
When their Love Letter to Cleveland mural in Ohio City succumbed to the weather in 2017, Laura and Gary Dumm launched a campaign to resurrect their beloved public art. Now it will be displayed outside the Cleveland Memory Project at CSU.
Why the Fairfax community is fighting to keep Bolton Elementary near the neighborhood
When 76-year-old Fairfax resident Walter Stanley attends a community meeting with a packed room, he sits close to the presenters so he doesn’t miss a thing. And at a recent Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD) meeting this spring, there was plenty to take in as residents and stakeholders provided input on the Cleveland Board of Education’s budgetary decisions concerning the fate of Fairfax’s Bolton Elementary School.
 
Las Tienditas welcomes the flavors of Southern Puerto Rico in its latest grand opening
Jean Garcia and Xaidy Rodriguez aren’t like other siblings their age.

For one, they’re both bilingual transplants native to Ponce, Puerto Rico, a small city of 145,000 on the southern part of the island. At 19 and 15 respectfully, Garcia and sister Rodriguez helm one of the youngest restaurant startups to open on Cleveland’s West Side, well, in ages.
Who's Hiring in CLE: Dimit Architects, JumpStart, Cleveland Foundation...
Welcome to 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.
PHOTOS: Dragons and pandas and pagodas, oh my! The bright lights of the Asian Lantern Festival
Here's the good news: this year's installment of the Asian Lantern Festival has 40+ all-new displays—from a 100-foot-long shark tunnel to a larger-than-life dragon. Here's the even better news: the festival has been extended through Sunday, August 11, so there's still plenty of time to get lit. 
How three brothers turned a fermenting hobby into a thriving business
Projected to be a $5 million to $7 million business in 2019, with sales growth expected to be as much as 500 percent, Cleveland Kraut is considered to be one of the fastest growing businesses in the fermented food industry.
Hats off! Cleveland Clinic Louis Stokes Internship celebrates its first cohort of graduating seniors
Not every high school junior can knowledgeably drop terms like “reiki” and “acupressure” into conversation, but thanks to her summer internship, Ashley Hayden can talk Eastern healing modalities with the best of them.
Racial equity trainings aim to build awareness about structural racism
Third Space co-founder Evelyn Burnett says the point of the workshops is simple: to build awareness around racial equity and inequity. More than 3,000 people from 700 organizations have attended the trainings, which are now offered monthly.
For La Villa Hispana youth, beating the summer heat means getting on beat at the Boys & Girls Club
For members of the Boys & Girls Clubs (BGCC) at Luis Muñoz Marin and Walton Elementary Schools, beating the summer heat means getting on beat.
Cleveland GiveCamp celebrates ten years of helping nonprofits
On Friday, July 19, 188 volunteers flooded the Burke Lakefront Airport for Cleveland GiveCamp's tenth year in the city, ready to rebuild 18 nonprofits’ websites over the course of one weekend. Some volunteers even opt to take the title literally and pitch a tent.
New child advocacy center helps children at time of greatest need
Each year, Cuyahoga County receives approximately 50,000 calls through the Child Abuse Hotline at the Division of Child and Family Services, according to the county website. These calls report acts of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect to children throughout Northeast Ohio. Nationally, abuse affects three million children annually, and causes the death of about four children every day.
Literary Lots turns vacant lot in Slavic Village into robot-themed playground
Kauser Razvi says she became motivated to create a literary lot based on the children's book The Wild Robot after the 2016 election. “It’s about identifying, bullying, isolation, and belonging,” she explains. "It's about having value in your own space."
Let there be BorderLight: New theatre festival is drawing performers from around the globe
From the Dublin Theatre Festival in Ireland to the Humana Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, Dale Heinen and Jeffrey Pence have had no shortage of inspiration in planning the debut BorderLight Festival—which they hope will add Cleveland to the list of “second cities” that have become perennial theatre festival destinations.
'What if Burke vanished into thin air?' Panel invites us to imagine possibilities
On Tuesday, July 30th, the Green Ribbon Coalition will host a panel discussion at Merwin's Wharf to imagine alternatives to Burke Lakefront Airport, including a new waterfront park.
From landfill to greenspace: Plans for Old Brooklyn park move forward
Four years after the Western Reserve Land Conservancy (WRLC) acquired the former Henninger Landfill on Pearl Road in Old Brooklyn, plans are moving ahead to convert the land into a 25-acre connector park that will link to Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and Brookside Reservation.
This dynamic councilwoman is amplifying the voices and visions of Ward 14 residents
If someone had told a teenage Jasmin Santana that she would one day be the first Latina elected to Cleveland City Council, she probably wouldn’t have believed it.
5 up-and-coming artists to watch in Cleveland
From a dynamic duo bringing back Glenville to a Sudanese designer working on a welcome center for Irishtown Bend, these artists are changing the city's creative landscape.
Portrait of a neighborhood: Fairfax is ready to enter its long-awaited renaissance era
For the last two decades, Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood has been master planning for a renaissance—and now its golden age is in sight. With an ideal location on the $331 million Opportunity Corridor and an array of developments and initiatives coming to fruition, the area is preparing to round the bend on a four-pronged Strategic Investment Plan that began in 2008.
Slideshow: Cleveland Tall Ships Festival blows back into town
FreshWater managing photographer Bob Perkoski was on hand to enjoy the festival and capture some of the fun. In this slideshow, he offers a visual tour.