Plain Press

  • South of Lorain Block Club seeks answers about Greenwood Pool closure

    STAFFING, POOL MAINTENANCE AND SPLASH GROUNDS DISCUSSED by Chuck Hoven    (Plain Press August 2026) The closing of Greenwood Pool was the topic residents of the South of Lorain Block Club came to discuss at a July 7th meeting at the offices of Ohio City Incorporated. At the meeting, block club members had an opportunity…

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  • City Council approves use of eminent domain to purchase site for new fire station at Madison and West Boulevard

    (Plain Press August 2026) At its July 15th meeting, Cleveland City Council approved an ordinance “declaring the City’s intent to begin the process of purchasing, through eminent domain, the former CVS property” located at 10022 Madison Avenue (Madison at West Boulevard) for the purpose of building a new Firehouse 23. Last year residents protested a…

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  • Final report offers no clarity on Cleveland’s Transformative Arts Fund spending and impact

    PHOTO BY ANASTASIA PANTSIOS September 6, 2025; The Art Garden Project, W.50th and Storer Avenue: Cleveland-based Dominican artist Ariel Verges (also known as BlackBrain), paints a mural. The Art Garden Project is a large-scale community initiative, on Storer Avenue and nearby neighborhoods, catalyzed and funded by the city’s Transformative Arts Fund (TAF). PHOTO BY ANASTASIA PANTSIOS…

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  • Tanisha’s Law calls for compassionate approach in responding to mental health and behavioral health crises in Cleveland

    by Chuck Hoven      (Plain Press May 2026) After over a decade of community advocacy, the City of Cleveland now has in place a law that calls for a civilian led alternative to police response to calls for help with a mental health or behavioral health crisis. The new City Ordinance (1198-2024) is named for…

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  • City of Cleveland launches Financial Empowerment Blueprint to advance economic stability and wealth-building for residents 

       (Plain Press May 2026) On April 2nd, the City of Cleveland announced the launch of its Financial Empowerment Blueprint, a comprehensive, data-driven plan to help residents achieve greater financial stability, reduce housing cost burdens, and build long-term economic security.     A statement from the City of Cleveland says, “Developed through extensive community engagement and cross-sector…

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  • Cleveland’s $600 million youth problem

    by Tessa Jackson, Faubourg Advisors    (Plain Press May 2026) A pediatric therapist posted something on social media this week that’s been sitting with me. Teens, he argued, don’t need another program, pipeline, or productivity metric. They need a third space—somewhere to simply exist, unoptimized and unbothered.    He’s right. And after twenty years in…

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  • Welcome Nikki Hudson and Phil Kidd to their new positions

    by Greg Cznadel    The monthly Democratic Ward Club meeting January 14th at the Estabrook Recreation center in Old Brooklyn was the first combined meeting of residents from the new Ward 4 (formerly Ward 13) and the new Ward 11. Normally, Councilman Kris Harsh, Ward 4, has a guest speaker from the City, followed by…

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  • Board of Education and citizens tasked with reviewing plan calling for massive change in the school system

    by Chuck Hoven    (Plain Press December 2025) The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) Board of Education and the citizens of Cleveland are tasked with reviewing a plan for the future of the school district that will have a profound impact on the future of the City of Cleveland. The plan is titled Building Brighter…

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  • November 4, 2025 – Unofficial Election Results

    (Plain Press December 2025) (Official results will not be available until November 25th at www.boe.cuyahogacounty.gov ) (Post Election Vote by Mail, Provisional and Post Election Day – not yet recorded by the Plain Press publication date) (Also see close election in Cleveland Ward 12 – if a recount is requested official results may be delayed)…

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  • The poor pay for Cleveland’s politics of privilege

    by Chuck Hoven    (Plain Press November 2025) Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Community Solutions Emily Campbell issued a report in September of 2022 that said “the United States Census Bureau’s 2021 one-year estimates show that nearly 105,000 people in the City of Cleveland lived in poverty in 2021. Of those, more than…

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