1. Season Three Of Serial Podcast Shines Light On Cleveland Courts By Dillon Stewart
Serial announcing it would launch a new approach and examine Cuyahoga County's justice system in its third season was big news — both for fans of the hit podcast and watchers of the city. We previewed the new season and interviewed host Sarah Koenig in the first of three interviews published with the podcast's hosts.
2. Erika's Real World by Ken Schneck
Erika Lauren was diagnosed with obscure condition known as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, in March. The WMMS radio personality talked to Cleveland Magazine about the harrowing discovery, her search for answers and working to put her life back in order in our October issue.
3. Most Interesting People 2018: Savannah James By Lynne Thompson
She's much more than LeBron James' wife — she's an influential powerhouse as the founder of Women of Our Future. In our January profile, Queen James dished out details on falling for the NBA Superstar, philanthropy and more in her most revealing interview ever.
4. Flower Child by Ken Schneck
When Maria McNamara died from brain cancer 11 years ago this month, she left a legacy of joy and caring for others through the Prayers for Maria Foundation. In our July issue, we wrote about the McNamara's journey and Maria's field of sunflowers, which helps bring awareness and raise money to fight childhood cancer, being threatened by development.
5. ESPN Chronicles Cleveland's Catch-22 By Barry Goodrich
In sports, numbers never lie. But sometimes, a number represents something more than a mere outcome. Just ask ESPN producer Jeff Ausiello, whose obsession with Cleveland sports and the number 22 began while he was washing dishes during the 2014 NFL Draft. In July, we spoke to Ausiello about examining Cleveland's unluckiest number.
6. 25 Best Restaurants: Marble Room by Kim Schneider
When Marble Room opened last year, the swanky, 1920s-style, art-deco dining room looked gorgeous on our Instagram feeds. But the food — ranging from steaks to sushi — backed up the view on the plate. We named it our 2018 Best New Restaurant in the May issue.
7. Under the Microscope: Listening To 'Serial' As A Clevelander By Dillon Stewart
True crime podcast fans in Cleveland were pumped to hear the genre-defining show turn its scope on Cleveland. But after an early preview of the first episode, it was clear that this wasn't going to be the entertaining listen many of them hoped for. In this essay, a homer writes about what it feels like to be under the national microscope.
8. What Have We Learned From The William Preucil Story? by Rebecca Meiser
Rebecca Meiser reported on the Cleveland Orchestra concertmaster's alleged abuses 11 years ago. Now he's suspended. What took so long? We recount Meiser's initial reporting and the fallout, or lack thereof, of the allegations.
9. Lessie Brown Celebrates 113 Years Of Life By Abby Burton
The oldest known person in America is from Cleveland Heights and celebrated her 114th birthday this year. In the September issue, we told her story of family, faith and appreciating every day. (Plus, we shared her famous sweet potato cobbler recipe!)
10. Rating The Suburbs: Rocky River by Sheehan Hannan
It had been almost 20 years since River ended its back-to-back-to-back run atop our rankings in 1999. But that doesn’t mean the West Side 'burb of more than 20,000 had lost any luster. With great schools, a housing market hot enough to get that river water boiling — and oh yeah, did we mention the yoga-on-a-paddleboard place? — Rocky River once again topped our June Rating the Suburbs list.
