The Cleveland International Film Festival is gearing up for its 50th anniversary, with the main slate opening April 9 and a special retrospective launching first. The 7x7+1=CIFF50 series runs Feb. 17 through April 4, featuring seven programs of award-winning shorts from the CIFF archives, plus a new bonus short made for the 50th season. Tickets are $15.

Pi Day is back, and Northeast Ohio shoppers can score $3.14 deals on circular favorites. Giant Eagle is discounting 8-inch apple and apple crumble pies, plus rotisserie chicken pot pies, as part of its March 14 promotions. Some deals run through the weekend, but popular items can sell out fast at high-volume stores.

Euclid’s Shore Cultural Centre is moving ahead with new renovations after landing a $19,327 Ohio History Fund grant. The project will modernize two restrooms near the historic auditorium, a key gathering space for thousands each year. Shore’s proposal was among just 15 selected statewide out of 68 applications, city officials said.

Two Westlake High School juniors are in the final 24 hours of a seven-week fundraising push for leukemia and lymphoma families. Maria Tadross and Claire Wenham, leading Team Hope, are aiming to reach an $80,000 goal before the Student Visionaries campaign deadline. Donations and corporate matching are still being sought.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are moving ahead with a plan to remake the “Meet Me Here” plaza into a permanent tribute to the team’s 2016 NBA championship. The redesign includes a full-size, Cavs-branded basketball court open to the public, along with tiered seating, landscaping and art. Construction is slated for completion by June 1, 2026.

She got right into the thick of it, reporting live from the expo floor and introducing herself to the Cleveland 13 family. You could hear the genuine excitement in her voice when she talked about why she chose this network as her new home. She’s always been about heart and community, and she told the crowd that the vision behind Cleveland 13 is exactly why she wanted to be back on our screens. It wasn’t just a weather report; it felt like a long-overdue catch-up with an old f

For more than two decades, Strano was part of the fabric of Northeast Ohio mornings at WKYC. Viewers woke up to her forecasts, her energy and her steady presence before sunrise. She was not an outsider who landed in Cleveland for a job. She was born and raised here. A graduate of John Carroll University, she built her career from the ground up, launching weather segments at her campus radio station and helping found JCUTV while still a student. She secured her first televisio

As safety threats and lockdowns rise across northeast Ohio, Cornerstone of Hope is offering free crisis training for educators and community leaders. The April 2 seminar at the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio will focus on preventing, intervening and recovering from school shootings and other traumatic events, with keynote speaker Jim Adams. Advance registration is required.

Golfers in Northeast Ohio are finding a way to play year-round at X-Golf, an indoor golf simulator facility with multiple locations across the region, including Broadview Heights. The venue combines high-tech golf simulators, instruction from a PGA professional, food and drinks, and event space designed for casual players, leagues and private gatherings.

According to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the updated barn provides double the room for the animals compared with the previous facility. It is equipped with several high-tech features, including heated floors and an improved ventilation system to maintain air quality during the colder months. Outside the main structure, the exhibit now includes a large shade structure and a heated patio. These additions ensure the kangaroos and emus have access to comfortable microclimates e

North Ridgeville High School student Jaina Cormack has been named Ohio’s 2026 nominee for the National 4-H Roth Scholars Program, a two-year pilot that emphasizes leadership and career-ready “soft skills.” As a nominee, she is expected to receive a stipend to research a community challenge and put her findings into action through 4-H.

Cleveland’s younger median age hides a grim reality: many residents are not living long enough to raise the city’s average. Public health data shows life expectancy lagging the nation, with striking gaps by gender and ZIP code. The “Shaker Gap” highlights a 23-year difference just miles apart, shaped by historic redlining and ongoing barriers to healthy food and housing.

Buzzard Day returns to Hinckley Reservation on March 15 as residents gather to spot the first turkey vultures of the season. Cleveland Metroparks will host the official observation from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Buzzard Roost, where visitors may see a “kettle” of 20 or more birds circling on warm air currents.

A Franklin County magistrate issued a preliminary injunction blocking Ohio from reclassifying unclaimed funds as state property after 10 years. The ruling finds House Bill 96 likely violates Ohio’s takings and due process clauses, halting plans to transfer $1.7B-$1.9B to a sports facilities commission, including $600M tied to a proposed Browns stadium in Brook Park.

More adults are showing up at clinics with new allergies to foods or pollens they have tolerated for years, experts say. Doctors point to immune-system shifts, new environments and factors like microbiome changes or hormones. Symptoms can be mistaken for recurring colds or sinus infections, making a proper diagnosis key.

FAN EXPO Cleveland is back March 13-15, 2026, bringing major celebrity guests, cast reunions and packed show floors to the Huntington Convention Center. From “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” icons to “Twilight” events and after-hours parties across downtown, organizers say tickets and photo ops are already in demand.

A new bakery is coming to Cedar Center North this winter. Plant-based dessert brand Cinnaholic will hold its grand opening at 13953 Cedar Road in South Euclid on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, with a four-hour promotion offering $2 cinnamon rolls from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The company says its entire menu is 100% vegan and free of dairy, lactose and cholesterol.

Mentor has finalized the 2026 Mentor Rocks summer concert schedule, bringing national acts like Phillip Phillips and Night Ranger to the Mentor Civic Amphitheater. The free Tuesday night series runs June 2 through Aug. 25, with weekly food trucks, a beer garden and festival-style amenities for crowds across Northeast Ohio.

The Geauga County Maple Festival is gearing up for its 2026 centennial and is calling on local bakers to enter its annual baking contest. Entries must be made from scratch and use real maple syrup, not extract, with drop-off set for April 23 at the Chardon VFW. Organizers say newly uncovered historical footage from early festivals will be featured during the anniversary weekend.

Two Medina teens turned after-school window washing into KDM Outdoor Services, now serving five counties and more than 300 clients across Northeast Ohio. As the founders graduate, they are moving into a fully licensed, insured operation, expanding into commercial work and snow plowing, and pledging 5% of annual profits to UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.