COVID-19 dominated the news in 2020. Our guide to facing the pandemic in Cleveland included a timeline of the first shutdown, a round-up of tips from the Ohio Department of Health, news updates from local reporters and government entities and more. In addition to these daily updates of the first month of the pandemic, we wrote a feature about how the city responded to COVID-19's first wave, explored how the pandemic was affecting every facet of life, shared portraits from patios of those hunkered down, helped you navigate takeout food during the restaurant shutdown and offered a special report on local hospital's cutting-edge research. Read More >>
2. Cleveland's Best Places To Live
We asked 10 locals to give us the insider info on their hometowns, from fave hangouts to mouthwatering bites, must-see events and the ways in which their suburbs have become more than just a place to call home. Here's their guide to why where we live matters now more than ever. Plus, this year's top 20 suburbs. Read More >>
3. Cleveland Fish Fry Guide 2020
Lent kicked off just before the pandemic hit, but that didn't stop one of Cleveland's favorite traditions. While restaurants were shut down, many spots and churches transitioned to takeout. Lent kicks off this season on Feb. 17, and we'll re-up our guide for the new year. Read More >>
4. Inside Lakewood Truck Park
The outdoor Detroit Avenue concept came just in time for patio dining season. From food offerings to future plans, we gave everything you need to know about Lakewood’s new 12,000-square-foot food truck park. Read More >>
5. How I Learned To Speak Cleveland-ese
"It is my life’s work to make sure my children do not say “pop.” The right word is “soda,” of course," writes essayist Sharon Holbrook. In this February piece, the New Jersey-native comes to terms with her children's Cleveland accent. Read More >>
6. Most Interesting People 2020
They're the foundation of our past and the hope for our future. They keep us grounded, inspire movements and help us see our city in new ways. We chatted with a 10-year-old fundraiser, a scene-stealing 90-year-old actress, a Latina beauty queen, a horseshoe champion and more. Read More >>
7. Spice Kitchen & Bar Is Permanently Closed
The farm-to-table restaurant in Gordon Square has ended service in mid-March, making it one of the first to shutdown due to the pandemic. They weren't alone, with Lola Bistro, Fire Food & Drink and Ushabu, which switched to a sports bar concept, being some of the most notable of restaurants to close. Read More >>
8. Where To Support Black-Owned Businesses
This year showed us how you spend your money has a major impact on your local community, which is why we created this directory of more than 200 Black-owned restaurants, shops and businesses to support. But 2020 exposed inequities in more than just commerce as the killing of George Floyd ignited a reexamination of race relations in the United States. We worked to amplify Black voices this year with our Why I Protest series, a celebration of Cleveland's Black women and more. Read More >>
9. "Your Whole Life Changes In A Moment"
A year after losing her husband, Fred, to a heart attack, Fox 8 News meteorologist Beth McLeod is sharing her story while forging a new path forward. Read More >>
10. When The Lake Freezes
"What happens to us never stops happening. We live what happens just once out in the world, but for the rest of our lives within us. What disappears returns, if only in the peripheral glimpse of a dream." Ohio poet laureate Dave Lucas ruminates on the beauty of an ice-covered lake. Read More >>
