Ohio Marijuana Card brings doctors and patients together
In September 2016, a comprehensive bill (Ohio HB 523) was signed into law, legalizing medical marijuana in Ohio. Now that the program is up and running—with dispensaries opening soon—many prospective patients have been wondering how and where to obtain their marijuana card, and where to find both doctors and dispensaries. Ohio Marijuana Card helps make that connection.
Will it be tourists or new residents that take CLE to the next level? The answer is both.
With downtown Cleveland projected to hit 20,000 residents by 2020 and the advent of Destination Cleveland's #VisitMeinCLE campaign, all eyes are on Cleveland as both a short-term and long-term destination.
Cleveland embraces its rich tapestry of immigrants, with a little help from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
The Land has been a welcoming place for immigrants since the dawn of the 20th century—when Cleveland was the nation’s fifth most important immigrant gateway city. Over 100 years later, immigrants continue to be a vital part of Cleveland’s population. Their significant impact is felt not only in Cleveland’s economy and vibrancy, but also celebrated in the city’s cultural offerings.

Take a visual journey through the great work of five organizations highlighting Cleveland’s immigrants with grants from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
Old Brooklyn celebrates the opening of its first brand-new school building in 54 years
Yesterday, a festive ribbon-cutting celebration feted the opening of William Rainey Harper—replete with drum corps, performances by Pre-K students, and an appearance by CMSD CEO Eric Gordon. The school welcomed its inaugural groups of Pre-K to third grade students on August 13, becoming only the third CMSD school to follow the International Baccalaureate model. It's also the first new public school to be constructed from the ground up in Old Brooklyn since the mid-1960s.
We're amped up about the Rock Hall's efforts toward sensory inclusion
Imagine 100,000 watts of surround sound pumping out high-voltage performances from 100 artists including Prince, the Rolling Stones, and Metallica, shown on 12-foot-high moving screens. Top it off with 761 laser lighting cues (one per second), and the Rock Hall’s “Power of Rock Experience” is one potent multimedia mashup.

For many people, “Power of Rock” amounts to a highly memorable music experience, but for those with sensory processing issues, it can be a whole lotta overload.
PHOTOS: The Malls come alive with the sounds of InCuya
From Cake to SZA to Rock Hall inductee Booker T. Jones, more than 20 musical acts descended on downtown Cleveland this weekend for the inaugural InCuya summer music festival. Along with enjoying 10+ hours of live music each day, festival-goers also got free admission to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, along with other special touches that added ample Cleveland flavor to the amped-up event. (Check out our pre-coverage for more details.) FreshWater's managing photographer, Bob Perkoski, was there to capture the sounds and sights.
Seven shades of green: An inside look at seven of Cleveland's most sustainable buildings
This week, 2,300 energy professionals flocked to Cleveland’s convention center for the Department of Energy's Better Buildings Summit. In honor of the Summit setting up shop in Cleveland, FreshWater has compiled a list highlighting some of our city’s most compelling eco-friendly buildings. From a green-minded school to a sustainable brewery to an energy-efficient steel mill, these seven projects are shining examples of Cleveland’s commitment to going green.
PRE4CLE's annual report shows kindergarten readiness on the rise
If PRE4CLE’s annual report is any indication, the road to kindergarten readiness for Cleveland youth is getting a lot smoother. Released yesterday, the report touted a 110 percent increase in the number of high-quality preschool programs in Cleveland since July 2016—a big jump from the organization’s original goal of a 30 percent increase during that time period.
Happy trails: Euclid finally ready to break ground on game-changing waterfront trail
For Euclid residents, Lake Erie has always been something of a shimmering mirage: a beautiful resource always within sight, but perpetually just out of reach. After all, Euclid—one of six lakefront communities in Cuyahoga County—has four miles of shoreline, but 94 percent of that number is privately held by homeowners.

However, that elusive status is about to change after the Euclid City Council’s vote to move forward with Phase II of its Waterfront Improvement Plan.
Portrait of a neighborhood: Old Brooklyn
Take an in-depth look at the past and present of Old Brooklyn, the site of FreshWater's first-ever On the Ground community reporting project.
Chain Reaction update: Meet the businesses that might be setting up shop in Old Brooklyn
Now that Old Brooklyn has been chosen as the site for the second iteration of Cleveland Chain Reaction, who are the businesses that will set up shop on its streets? This week’s Business Pitch Showcase took Chain Reaction hopefuls one giant step closer to answering that question. With the field narrowed down from 107 initial applicants, the remaining 18 semi-finalists took center stage at COSE’s downtown headquarters to give their “Shark Tank”-style pitches for why they should be one of five businesses chosen to receive at least $100,000 of investment.
PHOTOS: Inside the colorful catharsis of Rooms To Let 2018
Former FreshWater editor Erin O'Brien may have put it best when she said that Rooms to Let "is not dancing on a grave. It's leaving flowers on it." Held last weekend, this thought-provoking annual event enlists local artists to transform houses slated for demolition into meaningful, active art installations. Each year, Rooms to Let takes place in Slavic Village (which Cleveland.com called "Ground Zero" for the foreclosure crisis). Take a deeper look into this evocative effort with Bob Perkoski's pictures taken on-site.
Fresh Take: Say goodbye to the elitist art scene. The future of art is street murals and graffiti.
As Cleveland artist Loren Naji sees it, the art world should be an inclusive place—with his recent CAN'T Triennial event embodying that philosophy. As FreshWater caps off its Arts & Culture-themed month, we asked Naji to share his thoughts on where the art world is headed...and why he thinks stuffy museums and exhibitions will soon be the stuff of the past.
Downtown's very first lakefront apartments are on the horizon
Twenty years ago, the initial North Coast Harbor project was completed—capping off the addition of a $10 million manmade inner lake, surrounding promenade, and a three-acre park. Over the past two decades, the area has seen the addition of the Steamship William G. Mather Museum, the Rock Hall, FirstEnergy Stadium, Great Lakes Science Center, and more. Now North Coast Harbor is ready to take its master plan next-level with the debut of downtown’s first true lakefront living option: Harbor Verandas.
Step by 'step:' How PRE4CLE is helping local preschools ramp up kindergarten readiness
In 2016, Collinwood-based A Jubilee Academy carried a two-star Step Up to Quality rating—not high enough to be considered high-quality by the state. Two years later, A Jubilee Academy is the only five-star SUTQ center in the Collinwood area. Students participate in cooking classes, music education, and also study Mandarin twice a week. Children have individual cubbies instead of sharing them. Preschool enrollment has doubled, and a new classroom will open in the fall. So what made the difference? An intense 90-day Accelerated Quality Improvement Model (AQIM) program.
PHOTOS: From here to 'Infinity," the unmistakable imagery of Yayoi Kusama at CMA
The "Polka Dot Princess" has inspired artists from Andy Warhol to Damien Hirst, and now her "Infinity Mirrors" exhibit is set to leave its indelible mark on The Land (running at CMA through September 30). Each infinity room allows visitors just 30 seconds to take in, but Bob Perkoski's photos will let you linger a bit longer.
Six big, bold ideas that could change Cleveland as we know it
While many Clevelanders are familiar with the big-name construction projects intended to transform the face of the city, a series of bold concepts from dedicated Northeast Ohio visionaries are also aiming to put Cleveland on the forefront—from innovation to design to technology. Though some of these ventures are still in the hypothetical stage, all share an audacious vision of what Cleveland's future can hold. See our six picks for the big, bold ideas poised to change the Land as we know it.
Could electric school buses make the grade in Northeast Ohio?
In the thick of summer, school buses may be the last thing on many families’ minds, but for sustainability-minded school officials, it’s a different story. Electric school buses—battery-powered, zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs)—are now operating in multiple test markets across the country, including several in cold-weather regions. And in the near future, these familiar-looking but innovative machines could be humming around the streets of Cleveland.
CIA's new Great Lakes Research exhibition puts the region's art culture FRONT and center
Certain images may come to mind when considering the art culture in different parts of the United States—the East and West Coasts, or the Desert Southwest. But what stands out about artistic culture in the Great Lakes region? That's exactly what Michelle Grabner set out to explore when she launched a yearlong tour of artists’ studios around the Great Lakes last year, investigating the heart of the Rust Belt and its influence on the art created in major cities.