Stories
Last year, we wrote about the ever-evolving Towpath Trail Extension Project, and this week, we got the chance to check out Stage Three for ourselves. Almost two miles long, the trail runs from the northern entrance of Steelyard Commons to Literary Avenue in Tremont. Get a first look at the views from this new part of the Towpath Trail, courtesy of our managing photographer Bob Perkoski.
For more than 50 years, the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes has stood as both an environmental haven and educational resource on 20 acres that were once proposed as highways to connect Cleveland’s eastern suburbs to downtown. Now, the Nature Center is about to undergo a $2.5 capital improvement project to renovate the All People’s Trail (APT)—built in 1983 and perhaps the focal point of the preserve.
Shel Myeroff spent the better part of his professional life helping executives find their perfect jobs. He founded Solon-based Direct Recruiters in the late 1970s and spent 35 years growing the company. But at the end of the day, Myeroff would go home and unwind by making furniture in his basement.
Cleveland’s feminist chorus, Windsong, is celebrating an anniversary almost as old as modern-day feminism itself. This little-known cultural gem began 40 years ago with just a few members and has grown into a thriving arts mainstay since becoming official in 2002.
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. This installment includes jobs from Hattie Larlham, Blockland Solutions, LaunchHouse, Upcycle Parts Shop, GE Healthcare, Ohio City Burrito, Cleveland Foundation, and Grants Plus. Click here for the freshest job opportunities fit to print.
Is it possible that the mere mention of free hot wings could alter one’s destiny? For RedHead wines founder Marisa Sergi, the answer to that question was a resounding “Yes.”
When the Cuyahoga River caught fire on June 22, 1969, a 23-year-old Frank G. Jackson had just returned home from his tour of duty in the Vietnam War, and he remembers the eco-catastrophe as being “probably the last thing on [his] mind” at that time. A lot has changed in 50 years, and the now-Mayor of Cleveland is squarely focused on not only the health of the Cuyahoga River, but the city’s sustainability as a whole.
Your spirits will be instantly uplifted within mere seconds of sitting down with Karen McAlpine. The 38-year-old mother of three radiates a positive energy that is no less than supremely infectious. Currently, McAlpine is seeking an opportunity to channel her gift of an inspiring personality into a career where she can help people, make a difference, and somehow give back. Her ever-present smile only falters when she reflects on her experiences trying to secure such a job.
The Detroit Shoreway Community Development Corporation (DSCDC) owns more than 300 affordable housing units in the neighborhood, but Aspen Place apartments marks the agency’s first-ever new construction project for affordable housing.
When Lindsay Watson saw how many kids took to the streets to play Pokemon Go, it sparked an idea. In her 13 years working with children with conditions like Down’s Syndrome and cerebral palsy, the pediatric physical therapist often dealt with patients who resisted doing their repetitive and boring physical therapy exercises after leaving her office—but here was a game that inspired kids to ditch the PlayStation for the park without prodding from parents.
I’ll admit it: I’ve never cracked open a Harry Potter book, but I’m definitely a huge fan of the old-school, rabbit-and-hat variety of magic. So when our writer Ken Schneck invited me to test out the new glass wand-making class at Larchmere Fire Works with him, I was in faster than you could say, “Presto!” (After all, we can all use a little more magic in our lives.)
When it comes to sustainability, Cleveland has come a long way, baby. Not only is the city celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Cuyahoga River Fire—and the progress the river has made in the last five decades (it's now safe to fish!)—but this year marks the culmination of Sustainable Cleveland's 10-year initiative. FreshWater's new "People, Planet, Progress: A Decade of Sustainable Cleveland" series will highlight their efforts and achievements and mark the design of a new decade.
Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland. Check out our special Earth Day edition here!
Many people think the tunnels under the Soldiers Sailors Monument are secret passageways that lead to other parts of Public Square, but “that’s an urban legend,” according to Tim Daley, the Monument’s executive director. What does lay beneath the Soldiers Sailors Monument—built in 1894 to commemorate the valor and patriotism of 9,000 Cuyahoga County soldiers and sailors who served in the Civil War—is a labyrinth of concentric circles made of unfinished sandstone that Daley likens to European cathedral crypts.
From its perch atop a hill in Shaker Square-Buckeye, the Benjamin Rose Institute for Aging boasts an expansive view of Cleveland and its skyline that makes it easy to feel like anything is possible—and that was exactly the vibe at the conclusion of the Early Childhood Equity Forum, held there last Friday, April 12.
Timothy Gerber started using Percocet and Adderall when he was 15 years old. By the time he was 21, Gerber was addicted to heroin. When he was 24, in February 2015, his mother died of a heroin overdose—and so began Gerber’s own road to recovery at Stella Maris, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Tremont.
As the Top of the Hill project—a mixed-use development with apartments, retail, and parking at the top of Cedar Hill—nears approval from the city’s Architectural Board of Review (ABR), a group of Cleveland Heights residents are voicing their disapproval of the planned design.
Today 78th Street Studios is regarded as one of Cleveland’s primary art meccas with more than 60 creative businesses housed in its cavernous 170,000-square-foot complex, but a decade ago, there were less than 15 businesses inside the space. When it opened in April 2009, contemporary art gallery HEDGE Gallery became one of them.
After going dark last summer, Night Market Cleveland returns to Rockwell Avenue and E. 21st St. on Friday, June 21, for an all-new season of food, music, and family entertainment—and even more opportunities for visitors and locals alike to get to know this small, often insular, community.
When Kent Whitley talks about environmental issues, he doesn’t start with words like “sustainability” or terms like “carbon footprint."
“It’s so hard to talk with these big words. You have to go to the dictionary,” he says with a laugh.
Instead he brings the issues down to earth, to air, and to water.
“I say, ‘The lake is dirty...and it’s affecting you.’”
That kind of bluntness is how Whitley and others plan to convince African Americans that they have a stake in environmental policy.
“It’s so hard to talk with these big words. You have to go to the dictionary,” he says with a laugh.
Instead he brings the issues down to earth, to air, and to water.
“I say, ‘The lake is dirty...and it’s affecting you.’”
That kind of bluntness is how Whitley and others plan to convince African Americans that they have a stake in environmental policy.