Featured Stories

Home for the holidays: Local food entrepreneurs set up shop at The Grocery at City Goods
The Grocery at City Goods, a new food-focused retail concept in Ohio City, brings together local food entrepreneurs under one roof. Launched through a partnership between City Goods, JumpStart, and Ohio City Incorporated, the pilot program offers a platform for small businesses to showcase their products during the holiday season and grow their brands.
Young guns: Manufacturing aims to attract a new generation of makers
Half of American manufacturing companies are facing employee shortages, driven in part by an aging workforce. Companies like Lincoln Electric are attracting and retaining young talent through competitive wages and partnering with MAGNET's training programs to change perceptions and ensure a sustainable workforce.
Shaw and Warrensville Heights marching bands to perform in Hawaii on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
The Shaw High School and Warrensville Heights High School Marching Bands will participate in the 2024 Pearl Harbor WWII Memorial Parade in Hawaii this weekend. The band members, and leaders, are trying to contain their excitement as they prepare to honor veterans and commemorate the 1941 events at Pearl Harbor.
Independent spirit: Loganberry Books celebrates 30 years of quirky charm and literary treasures
The beloved Loganberry Books is celebrating its 30th anniversary this weekend. Known for its large, eclectic collection of books and unique atmosphere, the store has become a community hub for readers and popular for its various events and book clubs. Owner Harriet Logan reflects on the store's history and the importance of physical bookstores in the digital age.
Support the good news in Cleveland! Contribute to FreshWater to keep independent journalism alive in Cleveland
After 14 years of shining a light on the people and organizations making a difference in Cleveland and its inner-ring suburbs, FreshWater Cleveland is launching its first fundraising campaign. Help us keep sharing the good news and support FreshWater!
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture awards $10.75m in grants to 300 nonprofits
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture this week approved nearly $11 million in grants to support 300 Cuyahoga County nonprofit organizations of all sizes in 2025, with 15 organizations receiving funding for the first time.
From dinner table to community lifeline: The Steak Club Foundation’s mission to end food insecurity
The Steak Club Foundation started as a casual dinner group to reconnect friends and network and evolved into to a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing food insecurity. The group provides meals, runs food pantries, and supports local communities. The foundation's guiding principle, "No Service, No Steak" reflects the commitment to giving back.
Puzzle pieces: CMNH researchers delve into humanity’s ancient past in Kenya
Cleveland Museum of Natural History anthropologists Emma Finestone and Ebeth Sawchuk spent last summer in Kenya, conducting fieldwork crucial to the study of human evolution—excavating sites spanning 3 million years and studying how herders and farmers moved around the Central Rift Valley over the last 5,000 years.
Lucy at 50: The CMNH team's ongoing role in human origins research
Fifty years ago, the discovery of an Australopithecus afarensis in Ethiopia by Cleveland Museum of Natural History paleoanthropologist Don Johanson and his team  revolutionized our understanding of human evolution. Lucy's journey from fossilized bones to scientific icon illustrates Lucy's impact and the contributions of Northeast Ohio to human origins research.
Arts extension: Issue 55 gives estimated $160M boost to Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s grantmaking
Cuyahoga County votes approved Issue 55 earlier this month—replacing and expanding the cigarette tax levy that funds Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. The approval will raise $160 million over the next 10 years, which will allow CAC to fund thousands of nonprofit arts and culture groups like BAYarts and Oh Sew Powerful.
Furnishing hope: Chair-ity transforms lives of former foster youth
What started 10 years ago as a high school senior project for then-16-year-old Maria Paparella, has evolved into the thriving Chair-ity—a nonprofit that furnishes apartments for young adults who are aging out of foster care.
Pitching in: South Euclid nonprofit KeyStone leads community beautification effort
South Euclid residents Linda Thurston and Michael Sering, along with a group of volunteers, are making an impact in their city with KeyStone Community Services. The nonprofit recently cleaned planters along Mayfield Road in a beautification effort funded with a grant from One South Euclid CDC, and helps seniors with property maintenance.
A Wild Urban Refuge: Cuyahoga Valley National Park mural celebrates 50 years, invites reflection
Artist Arlin Graff's new mural, "A Wild Urban Refuge," celebrates Cuyahoga Valley National Park's 50th anniversary and the transformation of the Cuyahoga River. Inspired by local wildlife and the park's conservation efforts, the mural highlights the importance of environmental stewardship.
Arts approval: Cuyahoga County voters pass Issue 55 to fund Cuyahoga County Arts & Culture
Cuyahoga County voters this week approved Issue 55, expanding the cigarette tax that funds Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. The new tax will generate $160 million over 10 years for hundreds of local artists and nonprofit arts and culture organizations.
Hitting a high note: Cleveland musician uses trumpet talents to produce popular national hits
Trumpet player turned music produce Sammy Haig has made significant strides in the music industry by blending classical training with modern production techniques. His talents have led to collaborations with major artists like DJ Drama, Tyler, The Creator, and Meghan Trainor.
Photos: Cleveland Public Theatre celebrates 20 years of Día de Muertos
The 20th Annual Día de Muertos Festival on Saturday brought thousands to Cleveland Public Theatre and the Detroit Shoreway. Curated by Artistic director Héctor Castellanos Lara, the event featured a colorful procession, traditional music and dance, ofrendas created by local artists, and Mexican cultural traditions to honor ancestors and lost loved ones.
Halloween Feast: South Euclid's Fall annual festival has music, games, food, and free pumpkins
The City of South Euclid will host its  Halloween Feast at Bexley Park this weekend, packed with activities, cash prizes, food, and live music.
Seasoned startups: MAGNET Mspire pitch competition puts mature companies in spotlight
MAGNET's ninth annual Mspire pitch competition awarded $85,000 to seven innovative manufacturing startups in a diverse range of concepts and industries, from sustainable energy solutions with Accelerate Wind's turbines to cake pop molds made by Daisy Makes, to health technology developed by Auxilium Health.
Assembly for the Arts Awards $170,000 to 17 Artists through the 2024 Creative Impact Fund
Assembly for the Arts, the nonprofit focused on increasing equity in the arts and culture community, has awarded $10,000 to each of the 17 Cuyahoga County artists chosen for the 2024 Creative Impact Fund, funded through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. FreshWater highlights three recipients: Humble G tha Fiddla; Hanji expert Aimee Lee; and spoken word poet and storyteller Chris Webb.
Two million books: Literacy Cooperative, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library hit literacy milestone
Since 2017, The Literacy Cooperative has partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to send free books each month to local children. Working with local groups like Heights Family Foundation, United Way, and the Bruening Foundation, the groups have now distributed two million books.