Ideastream News

01/17/2026

A grand building once stood on the corner of North Main and Columbus Streets in Downtown Kent. Built in 1889, the Kent Opera House boasted plush seating for 900 and a first-class stage. The performance venue also served as a meeting place for the International Order of Odd Fellows, a global fraternal organization that had raised $20,000 to construct the building.

It soon became a destination for traveling shows in the days before motion pictures, even drawing stars like W.C. Fields to Kent. Throughout numerous financial difficulties over the decades, its decline was hastened by the Great Depression. Once dubbed the "handsomest building in town," it closed in the '50s and was demolished in 1963.

Got a building in your neighborhood you've always been curious about? Send it to [email protected].

📸: Kent Historical Society Museum

01/17/2026

Protesters showed up with rainbow umbrellas and protest signs. A small handful threw red paint at the City Club windows. One person was arrested.

The Center for Chrisian Virtue has lobbied for legislation that counters LGBTQ advocacy.

01/16/2026

Events are planned across Northeast Ohio over the coming days to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.

Events are scheduled across Northeast Ohio on the federal holiday, Monday, and the days leading in honor of the civil rights leader who fought against segregation and systemic racism.

01/16/2026

Get your Pics On Route 66! A collection of postage stamps celebrating the Mother Road's centennial spotlights the work of Lakewood photographer David J. Schwartz.

Route 66 turns 100 in 2026, and the U.S. Postal Service will commemorate the occasion with a centennial stamp collection featuring the photography of David J. Schwartz.

01/16/2026

The majority of Ohio's volunteer fire departments are staffed by volunteers. While the number of volunteers is decreasing, the number of calls those departments have to respond to is increasing.

The majority of Ohio's volunteer fire departments are staffed by volunteers. While the number of volunteers is decreasing, the number of calls those departments have to respond to is increasing.

01/16/2026

Cleveland City Council’s safety committee approved on Wednesday downgrading a new office that would send mental health workers to nonviolent 911 calls to a bureau within EMS as part of legislation being considered by council.

The city's plan for non-police response to mental health calls would be overseen by a bureau within EMS, instead of a cabinet-level department as originally proposed.

01/16/2026

An arctic cold front moved through Northeast Ohio this week, sending temperatures plunging by as much as 25 degrees in a single day. For some, the abrupt change has coincided with symptoms that feel like the start of a cold, even when they’re not actually sick.

Northeast Ohio residents may notice runny noses and sinus pressure after this week's abrupt temperature changes brought cold, dry air that can trigger symptoms.

01/16/2026

Two Republican lawmakers said they'll introduce a bill to fight fraud in publicly funded child care centers, saying the state isn’t doing enough to catch it. This comes a day after two of their GOP colleagues introduced their own anti-fraud bill and praised state officials for their work.

Two Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill that they say will fight fraud in publicly-funded child care centers, saying the state of Ohio isn’t doing enough to catch it.

01/16/2026

The Cleveland Clinic on Thursday announced plans to open a Level 1 trauma center at the health system's main campus in Cleveland.

Cleveland Clinic said it hopes to establish a Level 1 trauma center at its main campus in 2028. It would be the third such center in Cleveland, after others operated by MetroHealth System and University Hospitals.

01/16/2026

Curious how AI will shape life in Northeast Ohio? Get human‑generated answers in Ideastream Explores: Artificial Intelligence, starting Feb. 9th on WKSU and ideastream.org.

01/15/2026

Cleveland’s Nature Nvoke blends post-punk, blues and Afro-futurism into music rooted in ancestral inspiration. Nate Eberhardt joins WKSU's Shuffle to talk about his sound, overcoming a challenging era and releasing a new EP — his first with a full band.

A Cleveland Heights musician is shaping his sound from the music that’s moved him. On this week’s Shuffle, Nate Eberhardt discusses his Afrofuturist post-punk band, Nature Nvoke, and its sound.

01/15/2026

A federal judge in Columbus ruled Ohio State University likely violated a student's free speech last year after he was expelled after he posted pro-Palestine and anti-Israel comments on social media.

Second year student Guy Christensen and the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio sued Ohio State last year, alleging the university violated his 1st and 14th amendment rights.