Arab-American populations are among the fastest-growing in the U.S., and Ohio has more than doubled its Arab-American population between 2000 and 2022. However, mainstream anti-Arab sentiment can be isolating for many young Arab-Americans.In part to combat negative stereotypes and isolation, media producer Rafa Saab and engineer Rania Khalaf co-founded ArabiKids, a subscription service that delivers children's books in Arabic to U.S. families. The company started in Boston, but Saab now runs the...

Cleveland lawmakers are seeking new ways to address the city's environmental issues after losing more than $3 million in lead remediation funds. The state is revoking $3.3 million given to the city to address lead poisoning, as part of the Ohio Department of Development’s Lead Safe Ohio Program.Though the city is making slow progress, Cleveland has some of the highest rates of lead poisoning in children. The rate dropped to a new low of 14.5% in 2025, but that’s still much higher than the nation...

It’s 10 a.m. on a Friday, and the gym inside Friendly House in Mansfield is buzzing as a dozen or so seniors laugh and follow the steps to the Electric Slide.This event is a favorite offering from the iConnect program, which seeks to reduce isolation and loneliness among people over 55.Tending to participants' needs and trying out an occasional step of her own is Deborah Wherry Bey, the program's leader.“We do technology, book clubs, we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we went to Motown,...

Inside the laundry room at Homeward Bound, a homeless shelter in Wooster, a volunteer folds the latest batch of bedding, while a washing machine spins a sudsy load."We do a lot of laundry as you can imagine. We provide all the bedding and the shower and towels and stuff like that," says Brandon Barnes, the shelter's executive director.Homeward Bound opened earlier this year and can accommodate up to 44 people at a time.Wayne County doesn't have as many homeless people as more urban counties like...

This story came from Ideastream Public Media’s engaged journalism team, as part of our commitment to telling stories with people and communities across Northeast Ohio.On a recent Saturday morning, a conference at Lorain County Community College kicked off the county's new chapter of Black Girl Rising, a nonprofit helping Black girls build confidence.Girls and teenagers from across the county sat together at tables, listening intently as speakers and panelists discuss a topic of growing importanc...

Robin Brown’s former home sits on the corner of East 116th and Luke Avenue, in Cleveland’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Today, the home is abandoned; porch floorboards are torn up, paint chips are peeling off the side of the home, and windows are broken.However, this vacant home ended up changing Brown’s life in a way she would’ve never expected. Brown says she was driving to pick up her daughter from daycare when she received a phone call from her daughter’s physician with some startling news.“...