Checking in with the “Keep Chief Wahoo” crowd
After decades of tiptoeing around Chief Wahoo fans, The Plain Dealer finally endorses a phasing out of the controversial Cleveland Indians' mascot. What do the Wahoo-ligans think?
Growing Up Poor in ‘80s Mansfield
Our writer details what it was like to grow up in poverty in Reagan-era Mansfield, Ohio.
A History of Cleveland’s Garment Industry
The Cleveland garment industry's history overlaps with that of Jewish immigration to the city and growth of the Labor movement. And you can see that history in still-standing former factories.
Fun Town: Chicago’s Last Amusement Park
The story of Fun Town is a vital part of South Side black history. There was fun, peace, and soul.
A Rust Belt Playlist
The story of the industrial Midwest can be told through the music it inspired. From John Lee Hooker to MC5 to Eminem, here's our playlist of 20 Rust Belt tunes.
Cleveland’s Blues Brothers
When Mr. Stress needed a hand, friend and fellow harp player Colin Dussault was ready with a moving van to help him out.
Train Dreams, Part 2
The brothers invade downtown & reshape the city forever.
Sticking With Flint
An excerpt from Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City
Train Dreams, Part 1
The Strange, Forgotten History of the Van Sweringen Brothers
Fort Gratiot
Detroit’s fortunes turned in the 1960s. So did my father’s.
Opportunity Corridor
By Pete Beatty. I moved away from Cleveland in 1999. When I return to visit, I spend about 10 percent [...]
The Biggest Little-Known Book Award
No one stumbles upon the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award collection at the Cleveland Public Library. The books are shelved in three locked cabinets of the Treasure Room, a drum-tight chamber in Special Collections.