In early April, the City of Cleveland, Enterprise Community Partners, Cuyahoga Land Bank, CHN Housing Partners, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, and the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless united with Rocket Community Fund to unveil the Make It Home Cleveland program. Aiming to address tax foreclosure and improve Black homeownership rates in East Side neighborhoods, the initiative offers renters the chance to become homeowners through financial support and housing stability services.

The thousands of people who descended on downtown Cleveland last weekend for the NCAA Women's Final Four were also treated to two free events: Bounce and Tourney Town, where Bob Perkoski caught all the fun.

In response to Cleveland's 2020 ranking as the worst city in overall outcomes for Black Women, Enlightened Solutions' initiated Project Noir—a study to assesses local disparities. Now the organization has launched Project Noir 2024 to reassess if, and how, things have changed.

The 48th annual Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) lifted the curtain to a packed house last Thursday, April 4 in Playhouse Square's Connor Palace Theatre with the unveiling of the annual CIFF trailer and a screening of the action/comedy “Thelma.” Read about opening night and learn what to catch this week at CIFF.

Planners have been hard at work, creating events, parties, and celebrations for the total solar eclipse over Cleveland today—the first time Cleveland has been in totality since 1808. If you haven't made your viewing plans yet, check out what University Circle, Inc., the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Great Lakes Science Center, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes have going on today!

Jason Toth's 2022 photo of a willow tree at Edgewater Beach sparked a transformative journey as he dealt with his POTS diagnosis. Two years later the former marketing exec has a booming career in Photographic Pop Art with J Toth Art in City Goods, and currently has an exhibit at Kaiser Gallery in Hingetown.

With hundreds of feature and short films to choose from at the upcoming Cleveland International Film Festival, We chose two films with Cleveland ties to highlight: "What's Next?," the story of a 101-year-old physician, and "American Delivery," a documentary on the vital work of nurses in addressing the country's maternal mortality epidemic. The MetroHealth System is featured and Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing worked on the film's advisory team.

In Cleveland's Lee-Harvard neighborhood, a collaborative effort between the Harvard Community Services Center, residents, local organizations like Classic Cuisine Catering, and Ward 1 officials are beginning to execute Lee-Harvard Community Master Plan to drive revitalization.

For a limited time, visitors to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History can view the "Discovering Dunkleosteus terrelli" exhibit and the learn the story behind the discovery of the armored fish that lived about 360 million years ago and is affectionately known as "Dunk."

After years of planning and collaborating, the next step in Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation's Innovation Square Neighborhood Plan—Aura at Innovation Square—became a reality this week with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Ohio has six laws that criminalize living with HIV—leading to at least 200 prosecutions in recent years. Caymir Weaver—born with HIV and 23 years old—is one of them.

The Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services and Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry announced that the 2100 Lakeside Men’s Shelter is opening a newly renovated addition to the largest homeless shelter in Ohio. The new shelter will have about 400 beds with more personal space and more privacy.

For several years, The Music Settlement staff members searched for new ways to serve aging adults through music. In January, the organization launched its Creative Aging department. Headed by teacher, coach, musician, and journalist Afi-Odelia Scruggs, four programs are designed to provide the profound health benefits music therapy can yield.

On March 1, LAND studio and Shaker Heights Public Library unveiled The Readers Garden, a public art installation by landscape architect Haemee Han, that features a reading porch of five clusters of larger-than-life books written by 13 local authors with ties to Shaker and the Cleveland area. The project celebrates Shaker's diversity and rich culture of reading and writing.

The City of South Euclid has more than 60 acres of parks in its four square miles, each with a wealth of recreation options. South Euclid Parks and Recreation director Daniel Subwick wants to add healthy eating to the menu at Bexley Park—the city's largest and most popular park.

Lakewood City Schools teacher Laura Balliett's pitch for The Cool School Comics won the grand prize at the 10th annual Accelerate: Citizens Make Change competition last Thursday, Feb. 22. Twenty-six entrepreneurs presented their business concepts. Read about the winners and their pitches here.

Award-winning, multi-talented Jon Batiste treated an intimate sold-out crowd of 700 people to a variety of melodies and sounds during his hour-long performance at Cleveland Museum of Art's Gartner Auditorium this past Sunday. Bob Perkoski captured some of the magic.

Ohio-focused Advanced Manufacturing Fund, a collaborative effort between MAGNET, JumpStart, and a group of private stakeholders, works with a variety of early-stage physical product and manufacturing ventures like—SweatID, Insitu Foods, and Octet Scientific—puts great ideas on the fast-track to success.

As a youngster, Addie Balester participated in many of Playhouse Square Education Department's programs. As an adult, she experienced her first Jump Back Ball last week, hosted by Playhouse Square Partners. She shares her experiences during the themed evening of Villains Unleashed: A Night of Chaos.

The long-awaited total solar eclipse sweeps across Cleveland in April with the opportunity to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event like no other. Astronomers at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History are especially excited to share their knowledge and plenty of fun activities and events for guests of all ages.