The Cleveland Monsters launched Project Lake Blue to protect and celebrate local freshwater resources through education, action, and stewardship. The ALH team will work with Cuyahoga County Fresh Water Institute, Ocean Conservancy,  and fans to protect Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River. The initiative debuts with a special theme night at the game this Thursday, March 26.

Spectrum awarded the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority a $25,000 grant to support workforce development programs. More than 2,000 residents have received job training since 2022 through the Spectrum Community Center Assist initiative, with over 600 job seekers advancing their employment goals in 2025 alone at the Spectrum Training & Technology Center at Lakeview Community Center.

Destination Cleveland issued a call for artists in its Murals Across the City program. Three artists will be chosen to create murals on Cleveland buildings—adding to the nine existing murals in city neighborhoods. Artists have until March 30 to submit their portfolios.

Cuyahoga County secured $23.1 million in state historic tax credits for 10 projects in the second half of 2025, with the West Side Market and a former Flats grain mill each receiving the maximum $5 million allocation. The credits are crucisl to Cleveland's urban revival, generating hundreds of millions in investment while preserving the city's historic identity.

Lake Erie Ink and Cleveland Museum of Art will host the 14th annual Kids' Comic Con with free workshops, seminars, and events for young artists. The three-day event at CMA's Clark-Fulton Community Arts Center includes virtual programming with Nickelodeon storyboard artists, a teen cosplay party, DIY workshops, and craft talks—all in a space where young comic enthusiasts can learn, create, and connect.

AIA Cleveland recently hosted architects Sung Ho Kim and Heather Woofter for an immersive Body of Work lecture at their interdisciplinary firm Axi:Ome. The event showcased their philosophy of using physical model-making as a primary design tool—offering attendees a  glimpse into how architecture is imagined and tested through hands-on experimentation.

St. Edward High School alumnus and substitute teacher Montorie Foster Jr. is headed to Super Bowl LX as a member of the Seattle Seahawks. His path from St. Edward to the NFL is one of persistence through injuries, academic excellence, and an unwavering commitment to his dreams.

Benjamin Colas, founder of Forest City Academy, is pitching his Stronger Together concept at the Cleveland Leadership Center's Accelerate competition. Stronger Together would offer free parent-child workout classes, held in local parks, and  designed to promote family bonding. As both an educator and parent, Colas envisions scalable classes as a solution for families seeking both physical health and quality time together.

FreshWater writer Jill Sell is inspired by one of the memorial benches established by the Toni Morrison Society's "Bench By The Road" project. Sitting in the winter cold, Sell reflects Morrison's powerful characters and themes while connecting them to personal memories of childhood discrimination.

The Cleveland Leadership Center's Accelerate pitch competition is coming up in February. Meanwhile, FreshWater Cleveland is talking to some of the entrepreneurs about their visions to make Cleveland a better place to live, work, play, and visit in hopes of winning funding. Today, we talk to two CWRU juniors, who are pitching their sustainability app uniSWAP.

The Cleveland Leadership Center's 12th annual Accelerate: Citizens Make Change pitch competition takes place on February 26 at the Huntington Convention Center, featuring 35 presenters pitching 26 innovative ideas.

The Gathering Place, celebrated the opening of its new fitness studio at its Beachwood headquarters on Monday, Jan. 5. The enhanced facility offers fitness programs for individuals and families affected by cancer. The expansion represents the organization's commitment to whole-person cancer care.

In 1854, Frederick Douglass delivered his only commencement address at Western Reserve College in Hudson, challenging scientific racism and calling for moral courage. Student filmmakers have revived this piece of history through the award-winning documentary "Just and Perfect," just in time for Douglass' great-great-great grandson to visit the campus where the original speech was delivered.

Rudy's Strudel and Bakery and Malley's Chocolates partnered up to create a paczki with chocolate fudge and toffee filling, adorned with Malley's signature green and pink powdered sugar. The collaboration combines Rudy's generations-old pastry expertise with Malley's 91-year chocolate-making tradition. The limited-edition paczkis are available exclusively at Rudy's until Fat Tuesday.

The 17-story1905 Rockefeller Building at West 6th Street and Superior Avenue stands on historic ground once occupied by the Weddell House, where Abraham Lincoln stayed during his 1861 inaugural trip. After a colorful history, the Rockefeller Building faces an uncertain future following years of neglect and vandalism.

Benjamin Rose built a thriving meatpacking empire in 1840 and, as business grew, commissioned architect George H. Smith to design the Rose Building—the city’s "New Center" in 1902. Upon his death, Rose's fortune established the Benjamin Rose Institute to support aging community members. The Rose building now begins a new chapter with Spark GHC’s "Project Scarlet," carrying forward Rose’s vision for a vibrant city center.

CWRU's Sears think[box] is the nation's largest free public makerspace, offering equipment, materials, and mentorship in a 50,000-square feet space to students, professionals, and the community. Think[box] levels the playing field so anyone can access typically expensive tools and transform their ideas into reality.

Nonprofit DigitalC has connected more than 7,500 households to high-speed internet and trained over 17,500 residents in digital skills since launching its citywide connectivity effort in January 2024. The organization completed Cleveland's next-generation broadband network in one of the fastest community-based deployments in the country, and has begun expanding its Cleveland Model to other cities.

Nonprofit workforce development services provider Towards Employment will host its annual Holiday Alumni Bash and Gift Giveaway this weekend to support current and former program participants and their families. The event has evolved from a small toy drive into a family event to spread holiday cheer.