For SJ Santiago, the transition from the high-stakes environment of a hospital ward to the mystical landscapes of her debut novel was a process years in the making. Santiago, a registered nurse currently pursuing her master's degree, recently released her first fantasy book, "Blood Spells: The Awakening." The story follows a young woman named Aradia who, upon her 18th birthday, discovers magic is a tangible part of her biological heritage. According to Santiago, the narrative

A Cleveland garden expert says Memorial Day may be too late for some crops. Kelly Crotty of Kelly's Creations in the CLE has opened her Spring Cool Season Plant Reserve, offering starts timed for the region’s unpredictable spring. The reserve includes cool-weather favorites like lettuce, bok choy and herbs, grown locally and ready for outdoor beds or containers.

Two huge fireballs lit up U.S. skies in a single week, including the “Ohio Giant,” a 7-ton meteor that ended its 4.5 billion-year journey in Medina County. Researchers and collectors are now searching the strewn field for rare fragments that could offer a pristine look at the early solar system.

The Northern Ohio Mountain Bike Series has released its eight-race 2026 schedule, opening April 26 at Camp Tuscazoar in Dover and building toward the Ohio Mountain Bike State Championship on Aug. 2 in Ravenna. The lineup includes technical stops, a women-focused weekend at Mohican State Park, and a season finale with double points at Vultures Knob.

Firefighters from Parma Heights and neighboring departments responded to a house fire on Parkhill Drive, working quickly to keep flames from spreading to nearby homes. Officials said the fire was brought under control rapidly, with no injuries reported. The cause has not been released as investigators work to determine the origin.

From a shocking meteor airburst to a weekend filled with fandom, a major upgrade for local firefighters, and a milestone for Cleveland’s film scene, these are the stories that got people clicking this week. A loud boom that rattled homes across Northeast Ohio Tuesday morning has been confirmed as a meteor exploding high in the atmosphere. The daylight fireball was captured on dashcams and doorbell cameras, with experts estimating it was traveling more than 45,000 miles per ho

Sandusky Bay Pancake House is becoming a go-to stop for locals and tourists along Milan Road, serving scratch-made classics alongside vegan and gluten-free options. With a family-friendly dining room, patio seating and steady daily hours, the restaurant is carving out a bigger role in Erie County’s fast-growing breakfast scene.

Nearly 90,000 bottles of Children’s Ibuprofen Oral Suspension are being recalled after consumers reported finding a gel-like mass and small black particles inside. The FDA has upgraded the action to a Class II recall, citing possible temporary or medically reversible health effects. Parents are urged to check lot numbers and stop using affected bottles.

BlueWater Chamber Orchestra continues its 16th season with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a Prague-themed program at the Church of the Covenant in University Circle. World-renowned pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi will perform Kabalevsky’s “Prague Concerto,” alongside works by Janacek and Mozart. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish, with multiple parking options nearby.

Cleveland physician and educator Dr. Kwaku L. Carlisle Woods has been inducted into the Marquis Who’s Who biographical registry. The honor highlights a five-decade career spanning medicine, entrepreneurship and community mentorship, including work with youth football programs and Coach Sam Rutigliano’s Aiming Higher initiative. Woods also leads the Prometheus Reborn Universal Foundation.

Ohio lawmakers advanced House Bill 84, the “Innocence Act,” requiring websites that distribute obscene material to geolocate users and verify ages for Ohio access. The bill also creates criminal penalties for using someone’s likeness in sexual imagery without consent and empowers the Ohio attorney general to enforce compliance with steep civil penalties. It now moves to the Senate.

Castaway Bay is doubling down on year-round family fun in Sandusky, with an indoor water park built to beat unpredictable Ohio weather. Its Rocket’s Canopy Coaster is billed as northern Ohio’s only water coaster, launching two-person rafts through hills and tunnels before a splashdown. The resort also offers an arcade, craft room and escape room to keep families on-site longer.

Many Clevelanders think they speak without an accent, but linguists say the city sits at the center of the Inland North dialect and the Northern Cities Vowel Shift — a sweeping change in vowels that reaches across the Great Lakes. From “cat” sounding like “kee-yat” to a sharp “cot-caught” split, researchers trace how history, class and generation shape the region’s speech.

Emergency sirens will sound across Northeast Ohio at 9:50 a.m. March 18 as the state conducts its annual Statewide Tornado Drill. Officials urge residents to treat it like the real thing, review tornado watch vs. warning guidance, and identify safe shelter options at home, work and school before severe weather strikes.

America’s data center boom is accelerating as AI replaces general-purpose cloud demand, driving massive new builds and unprecedented pressure on the power grid. A new outlook projects up to $3 trillion in investment by 2030, with 100 gigawatts of capacity coming online fast. Ohio is emerging as a key hub as policymakers weigh who pays for the upgrades.

More than 1,500 students are heading to downtown Cleveland as the 27th annual FIRST Buckeye Regional brings 42 robotics teams to the Wolstein Center. With alliances, rankings and a shot at the FIRST Championship in Houston on the line, the three-day competition highlights the region’s next generation of STEM talent.

Seven Hills has reopened its renovated fire station, featuring specialized sleeping quarters designed with University Hospitals Parma Sleep Medicine Center standards. City leaders say the upgrades, including expanded locker rooms, a new training room and remodeled kitchen, will modernize the aging facility and support the department’s ability to retain staff while serving roughly 11,000 residents.

A loud, low-frequency boom rattled homes across Northeast Ohio Tuesday morning, from the lakeshore west side to areas as far south as Akron. Officials ruled out earthquakes, industrial incidents and supersonic flights. Video and audio evidence, along with reports to the American Meteor Society, pointed to a daylight meteor airburst over Lake Erie.

Cleveland’s underworld was shaped less by gang wars than by a rare alliance between the Mayfield Road Mob and the Cleveland Syndicate. Together, they built a durable “open city” model that fueled bootlegging, gambling and money laundering, and helped bankroll the rise of Las Vegas. Records and surveillance logs from the era remain preserved for researchers today.

For three days in last week, downtown Cleveland transformed into a living, breathing celebration of pop culture as FAN EXPO Cleveland returned to the Huntington Convention Center. Thousands of fans filled the convention halls March 13 through March 15, creating a weekend packed with celebrity appearances, elaborate cosplay, charity outreach, and the kind of spontaneous moments that only happen when comic books, movies, television, gaming and fantasy all collide in one place.