Adrian Ma

Freelance Reporter

Latest Stories (33)

For cheese importers, EU tariffs are a "wedge" issue

Oct 24, 2019
Gourmet cheese sellers are wary of what new tariffs might mean for holiday sales.
Various European cheeses on display at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Adrian Ma/WBUR

Massachusetts extends a lifeline to ailing nursing homes, but more closures are expected

Sep 3, 2019
They're pinched by rising costs and a shortage of skilled caregivers.
A physical therapy aide helps a man exercise at a nursing home.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Can Cleveland require contractors to hire local workers?

Apr 30, 2019
The Supreme Court of Ohio will decide.
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland is undergoing a $185 million renovation. The construction firm on the project has voluntarily agreed to comply with a local ordinance that requires contractors on certain publicly funded construction projects allocate at least 20% of the work hours to Cleveland residents.
Adrian Ma/ideastream

Ohio experiments with bitcoin tax payments

Apr 8, 2019
The state treasurer's office is trying something new.
A window display at the Blockland Solutions Conference in Cleveland this past December.
Adrian Ma/ideastream

The cost of youth unemployment

Apr 4, 2019
There are about 4.5 million young adults in their late teens and early 20s who are neither in school nor working.
Ricco Williams of Euclid, Ohio, never finished high school, but recently enrolled in a free tutoring program to prepare for the GED exam.
Adrian Ma/ideastream

GM shifts gears in Ohio, winding down production at Lordstown plant

Mar 8, 2019
For 1,500 workers, the road ahead is an uncertain one.
As the final Chevy Cruze shift ended, some workers gathered outside the plant to protest GM’s decision to put the facility in “unallocated” status.
Adrian Ma/ideastream

Can a lake have legal rights? Voters in Toledo, Ohio, will decide

Feb 22, 2019
Ballot measure supporters want to stop pollution in Lake Erie. Opponents say the measure could unleash a torrent of frivolous lawsuits.
Members of a grassroots group called Toledoans for Safe Water set up a sign on a highway overpass urging people to vote for the Lake Erie Bill of Rights.
Adrian Ma/ideastream

Construction backlog has builders upbeat, but workers are hard to find

Feb 11, 2019
According to a recent survey, 78 percent of construction contractors are having a hard time finding workers to fill open positions.
According to a recent survey, 78 percent of construction contractors are having a hard time finding workers to fill open positions.
David Becker/Getty Images

Celebrating the Lunar New Year with 'lucky money'

Feb 5, 2019
Some folks who grew up celebrating the Lunar New Year share their memories of giving and receiving "lucky money" both in person and in digital form.
Some folks who grew up celebrating the Lunar New Year share their memories of giving and receiving "lucky money" both in person and in digital form.
LOUIS ANDERSON/AFP/Getty Images

The upside (and downside) of an automatic raise

Jan 10, 2019
Several states automatically increase their minimum wage based on inflation. But is it enough?
Fantasia Pettis, 25, works at a Subway franchise in Cleveland, where she makes Ohio’s minimum wage, $8.55 per hour. “It’s a struggle,” she said when asked if she's getting by.
Adrian Ma/Marketplace