Old Brooklyn

Calabrese advocates for transit funding at Statehouse
Joe Calabrese, CEO and General Manager of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) advocated for more transit funding in testimony on Feb. 16 at the Statehouse.

"RTA is the largest public transportation agency in Ohio. My employees, who reside in 16 of Ohio counties, serve approximately 50 million customers each year in Cuyahoga and several neighboring counties," said Calabrese in his address.

"Public transit in Ohio is a $900 million industry that supports many manufacturers, suppliers and jobs.

Public transit gets workers to work, students to school, connects important destinations, drives economic development and provides mobility to many Ohioans who have no other mobility option due to economic realities or disabilities."

Read his comments in their entirety here.
 
Cleveland Coffee and Dellavedova create a buzz with a new blend
Just in time for Australia Day today, Tuesday, Jan. 26, Cleveland Coffee Company yesterday introduced a new coffee blend in honor of Australian native and Cavs point guard Matthew “Delly” Dellavedova, called G’Day Mate.

Created by Delly himself, the blend is of Sumatra and Peruvian coffees – Sumatra, which borders Australia, and Peruvian, which is known for its velvety texture, create a rich aroma and bold flavor.
 
After going through the chain of command, Cleveland Coffee owner Brendan Walton first invited Delly to come to his roaster back in December, after taking note of the basketball player’s love for coffee during the NBA Playoffs.
 
“It seemed to be his beverage of preference before, and sometimes during, the game,” says Walton. “So I invited him to our warehouse to do coffee roasting 101, which was cool because he’d never seen it done before. He was very interested and asked a lot of questions, so we had him do one of the roasts.”
 
Walton says Delly, who drinks his coffee black, prefers a dark roast with bold flavor. So after tasting a few blends, Walton and Delly developed a suitable flavor profile in G’Day Mate.
 
Walton delivered the new blend to 40 area retailers yesterday. The G’Day Mate blend will be available through the end of June in stores, online and at Walton’s cafe in A.J. Rocco’s, 816 Huron Road.
 
Furthermore, Walton announced that Cleveland Coffee Company will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from G'Day Mate sales to All Faiths Pantry, a non-profit organization in Old Brooklyn that works with the Cleveland Food Bank to deliver groceries to seniors and other people with limited mobility.
 
“I think it will go over well, and Delly was very receptive to that,” says Walton. “[Executive director] John [Visnauskas], he’s a good soul working to help people out. I’m sure it will sell.”
 
The Cavs played their first "Australia Day" game last night against the Minnesota Timberwolves and wore their gold uniforms to honor Australia’s colors, gold and green. The Cavs won, 114-107.
Metroparks' Emerald Necklace glitters with activity the year round
Whether the mild winter continues or Jack Frost breathes chilly air over us and lays a snowy blanket beneath us, the Cleveland Metroparks offers a host of activities for people of all ages and abilities throughout the winter months.
 
County approves $10 million for quality preschools
The expansion of early education in greater Cleveland received a $10 million boost last week when Cuyahoga County Council and executive Armond Budish reached a biennial budget agreement for 2016 and 2017.
 
The two-year investment creates the Cuyahoga Early Childhood Trust, a public-private partnership meant to attract private funds to continue the push for universal, high-quality pre-kindergarten education to children across the county.

It’s the kind of support partners of the PRE4CLE initiative say is necessary to achieve and surpass the original goal of enrolling 2,000 additional children into high-quality preschool seats at public and private schools in Greater Cleveland by 2016.
 
“We are so grateful to the county leadership for this new investment,” PRE4CLE director Katie Kelly says. “It’s going to make a big difference in the amount of kids served across the county. The impact on Cleveland will be significant in not just number of students served, but the quality of our early learning program.”
 
The investment will fund teacher education and retention programs, as well as social, emotional and behavioral support for low-income students. According to the council presentation supporting the investment, there are 20,800 preschool-aged children in the county, but only 4,700 are in high-quality programs.
 
“We know it’s one of the most important factors in providing high quality outcomes for students,” Kelly says of teacher education. “Those additional supports in staff coaching and training on how to help students experiencing those challenges is a big part of quality as well. It can make our already good programs even better.”
Metroparks, partners quietly exalt and nurture the fragile Cuyahoga
The Cuyahoga River's watershed extends south to Stark County. While the infamous fire of 1969 has faded, the river is still troubled, but efforts both natural and beautiful are underway to turn the tide.
Cleveland Jam's sweet new creations made from local wine and beer
Jim Conti found a hobby in making wine five years ago. While his friends loved his wine, he wanted to do something with sediment left at the bottom of his bottles.

“I didn’t want to throw it away,” he recalls. “I thought about what I could do with it. I tried it, and it was pretty good.”

Then one day it came to Conti: Why not make jams out of the sweet sediment left over from the wine her created? After many recipe trials and taste tests, Cleveland Jam was born. Since 2013 Conti and his two partners, Dennis Kramer and Dennis Schultz, have been producing jams and jellies made from local wines and beers.
 
Conti begins the jam making process by boiling down the wine to remove the alcohol, then processing it into jams and jellies. After perfecting the wine jellies, he thought “why not beer?” So Conti went to work on making beer jams as well.
 
Cleveland Jam now has five beer jams and three different wine jellies – all made with local brewers, vineyards and locally-grown produce. The company’s signature wine jelly flavors are Dynamite White Zinfandel, Rock and Roll Merlot and Press Play Cabernet.
 
The company has its own half-acre vineyard in the Clark-Fulton district off W. 25th Street on Sackett Avenue. The eight varieties should start producing fruit in the next two years. The site is actually an old brewery from the prohibition age and Conti hopes to open a storefront there. His ultimate dream is to open urban vineyards all over the city.
 
In addition to his original Beer Jam, Conti began working with Great Lakes Brewing Company last year to create Burning River Pepper jam. In July the two companies released Eliot Ness Fig-Apple jam. “They put it on prosciutto sandwiches,” Conti says. Cleveland Jam also makes two beer jellies with a brewing company in Catawba – blueberry IPA and mango habanero.
 
The jams are used on menu items at Great Lakes and are available in Great Lakes gift shops.  Their popularity is keeping Conti busy these days. This summer Cleveland Jam was chosen as one of three companies in the Old Brooklyn Community Development’s business pitch competition to receive a grant to open a storefront in the Old Brooklyn. Conti says he hopes to open in the city in the next few months.
International yo-yo champion calls Cleveland home
At just 15 years old, Colin Beckford has the moves when it comes to his yo-yo. In fact, he is an international champion in the sport.
Can becoming a 'global employer' expand Cleveland's talent base?
An upcoming Global Cleveland event will encourage area companies to share best practices in hiring foreign-born brainpower.
In gentrifying Ohio City, helping the ones who need it most
Not everyone's feeling the craft food boom in Ohio City. The nonprofit May Dugan Center has anchored the corner of Fulton and Bridge for 46 years, helping poor residents meet their basic needs.
Cleveland's immigrant population to get a shout-out during Welcome Week
The September events will celebrate the contributions of immigrants and entrepreneurs to their communities.
From high-flying adventure to hidden secrets: the Metroparks' top 10 discoveries
An obstacle course amid the treetops, miles of mountain bike trail and a mysterious 130-year-old rock? We've got that and then some: Fresh Water Cleveland has rounded up ten of the Metroparks' best hidden gems, quirky trails and thrilling courses.
5 key takeaways about school improvement in Cleveland
A new report shows that while some progress has been made in improving the schools, there is still a long way to go. The conditions are now right for faster changes, leaders say.
Local, organic groceries now just a click away
Northeast Ohio has three organizations dedicated to getting fresh produce and sustainably-grown goods to consumers through online ordering.