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Karin Connelly Rice

Stories by: Karin Connelly Rice

Karin Connelly Rice enjoys telling people's stories, whether it's a promising startup or a life's passion. Over the past 30 years she has reported on local community members and businesses for publications such as Inside Business, Cleveland Magazine, the Rocky River/Lakewood edition of In the Neighborhood, and the Amherst News-Times. At Fresh Water Rice focuses on Clevelanders who are shaping and embracing Clevelandespecially those making positive changes in the city's underserved neighborhoods.
Opioid-related deaths in NEO have risen 125%. These two agencies are tackling the problem head-on.
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.
Heights citizens just want great designs for Top of the Hill development
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.
Off to market we go: Inside the 2.0 version of Night Market CLE and AsiaTown Food Tours
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.
 
Archeologist reveals evidence of the hidden waterways of the Cuyahoga Delta
Not surprisingly, Cleveland’s geological landscape 200 years ago was quite different than today’s modern, industrialized city. In 1820, spring-fed streams ran freely throughout the region, running through neighborhoods like Cleveland Heights, Kinsman, Scranton Flats, and Ohio City. Last Saturday, April 6, these now-hidden waterways took the spotlight during a sold-out tour: Exploring Cleveland's Hidden Waterways.
To raze or not to raze? Beaumont's decaying Painter Mansion begs the question
Surrounded by a historic stone wall in Cleveland Heights, Beaumont School's 21-acre campus is rich in Cleveland history, but the on-site Painter Mansion is showing all of its 114 years. School officials say they have no use for the deteriorated mansion, and the renovations would be too costly, so it’s time to tear down the house—but Cleveland's preservation community wants the historic home to get a second chance.
New energy is infused into former Barking Spider with opening of Cosmic Dave’s Rock Club
In case the psychedelic decor and music posters that wallpaper his Dave's Cosmic Subs shops don't give it away, rock-and-roll energy encompasses founder Dave Lombardy—and the opening of Cosmic Dave’s Rock Club in the former Barking Spider Tavern space on the Case Western Reserve University campus has him even more energized.
Land Conservancy study finds Cleveland's east side neighborhoods rebounding from foreclosure crisis
Cleveland's east side is steadily emerging from the 2010 housing crisis—with the number of vacant and distressed structures decreasing significantly while home prices are on the rise.

So go the findings of a 2018 report by the Western Reserve Land Conservancy that examined 13 Cleveland neighborhoods (including Fairfax, Slavic Village, and Shaker Square). 
Bohemian rhapsodies and business woes: Coventry routinely cycles through good times and bad
As businesses depart the street and pedestrian traffic wanes, Cleveland Heights' iconic street is gearing up to get its groove back.
Into the groove: Wax Mage owner spins vinyl records into trippy works of art
Heath Gmucs sees his world in living color. As pressing operations supervisor for Tyler Village-based record pressing plant Gotta Groove Records, Gmucs started to see a more colorful potential behind the traditional black vinyl records he's been turning out since 2010.
With the Van Aken District in motion, Shaker Heights is setting its sights on the future
In some ways, the Van Aken District may seem like it was built overnight, but everyone involved in the intricate planning and construction of the shopping destination touted as Shaker Heights’ new downtown will be quick to assert that the planning began 18 years before the first brick was even laid. Now, in a unique collaboration between the City of Shaker Heights, the Shaker Heights City School District, and Shaker Heights Public Library, officials are once again developing a strategic long-term plan for community facilities.
 
This Clevelander is changing the game for how people of color are portrayed in media
Auden & Company's Janae Bryson is changing the media game by starting a stock photography business aimed at promoting positive images of people of color.
The sweet life: Business is starting to "pop" for Daisy Cakes
It was Amy Mucha’s love for koalas that drew her into the baking business. Knowing that Mucha is obsessed with the animal, her mother-in-law bought her a book on how to make cake pops for Christmas in 2011—simply based on the fact the book had instructions on how to make koala cake pops.
Baroque music, pioneers in history & modern drama: CAC partners go big to celebrate women in March
March is Women’s History Month—a time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women through the years. Many Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC) partners are taking the month to heart with meaningful projects that spotlight iconic women through drama, music, and historical recreations. Find out how Women in History, Dobama Theatre, and Burning River Baroque are making Women's History Month 2019 one to remember.
Ohio City Farm is thinking Spring with CSA enrollment and new offerings
The growing season at Ohio City Farm is just over two months away, and this week, farmers with Refugee Response are starting to plant the seeds for the ninth year on the six-acre farm—offering up the harvests to more than 20 local restaurants and members of the farm’s CSA program.
Three years and 800 rides later, Squad FiftyOne is Cleveland's go-to transport for pet emergencies
Yalanda Medina is a rescue woman—a rescuer of pets in need. In 2016, she started her pet emergency medical response company Squad FiftyOne on Cleveland’s east side—one of only a few such companies in the country.
Cheers! Sipt café serves up healthy food and drink with an extra boost for what ails you
Carina Grenier opened Sipt in February to give customers a healthy, fresh option for fueling up in Beachwood's fitness plaza.
The fixe is in: Two March restaurant weeks showcase Northeast Ohio eateries
March is the season to sample new menus in Northeast Ohio as two Restaurant Weeks kick off.
How two Cleveland boomerangs are making waves on the med tech scene with MedPilot
Who says Cleveland isn’t a tech hub, let alone a medical tech hub? Not Matt Buder Shapiro, Nate Spoden, and Jake Myers, co-founders of MedPilot. In fact, the team believes so much in the city’s potential for business growth that they relocated MedPilot from New York City to Cleveland last year, where they set up shop at 5500 S. Marginal Road.
Get out and enjoy the remaining days of February with CAC-fueled events
With February drawing to a close and Cleveland weather set to warm up for a few days, there’s no excuse not to get out and enjoy the many Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) activities that focus on the outdoors—from a Slovenian-inspired Mardi Gras to a one-of-a-kind music and art festival to close encounters with birds and owls. Check out these family-friendly events that are sure to seal the deal for an unforgettable winter weekend, Cleveland-style.
LAND studio is putting the 'public' in public art with a community-designed gathering place
It takes a village to build a community gathering place, and LAND studio is looking for that village to help build its latest public art project—Forum, a large, permanent outdoor pavilion designed to be a setting for public engagement and community gatherings.