• Boys & Girls Clubs opening sites on Cleveland’s West Side

    Boys & Girls Clubs opening sites on Cleveland’s West Side (Plain Press, October 2020)           Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio (BGCNEO) is opening two new ClubSmart Learning Centers – places where kids doing digital schoolwork can get in-person help — on Cleveland’s West Side.             A ClubSmart Learning Center will open Monday, Sept. 28 at The…


  • Kolou Marketplace opens to serve the neighborhood

    Kolou Marketplace opens to serve the neighborhood by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, October 2020)           The Kolou Marketplace at 4700 Bridge Avenue is now open and serving the neighborhood.    Siba Beavogul, Kolou Beavogul and their son Laville and daughter Tenin hosted an opening ceremony for Kolou’s Marketplace on August 27th, 2020. The store will serve as a…


  • November 3, 2020 General Election

    What’s on the Ballot? (Plain Press, October 2020)           Registered voters can check to see what is on the ballot by visiting the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website at: boe.cuyahogacounty.gov and clicking on “What’s on my ballot?”. Fill in the information requested – election date, City, ward and precinct and nonpartisan election. If you don’t know…


  • City Council approves legislation to stabilize hillside at Irishtown bend

    City Council approves legislation to stabilize hillside at Irishtown bend (Plain Press, October 2020) At its September 23rd meeting Cleveland City Council adopted legislation (Ord. No. 592-2020) authorizing the city to join the Cuyahoga County Port Authority on a major project to stabilize a hillside eroding into the Cuyahoga River, threatening commercial shipping. The hillside, known as Irishtown…


  • Ward 15 Councilman Matt Zone announces plans to resign from Cleveland City Council to take helm at Thriving Communities Institute

    Ward 15 Councilman Matt Zone announces plans to resign from Cleveland City Council to take helm at Thriving Communities Institute To the Editor: (Plain Press, October 2020)           After 19 years on council, I will transition off by mid-November. This was a difficult decision to make; I love serving this community and particularly, the passionate members who…


  •   COVID-19 evictions could leave more women without a vote by Malcolm Burnley and Rachel Dissell, The Fuller Project  This story was originally published by The Fuller Project, a nonprofit newsroom reporting on issues that affect women. (Plain Press, September 2020)       Lynn Rodemann walked up the driveway, a mask fixed tightly to her face. A…


  • COVID 19 Update

    COVID 19 Update (Plain Press, September 2020)       As of August 23, 2020, the city of Cleveland Department of Public Health reported 4,840 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 110 deaths due to the coronavirus. Zip codes 44102, 44113 and 44105 had the highest number of confirmed cases among city of Cleveland zip codes (coded red meaning…


  • Cleveland Tax Abatement Study recommendations stir policy debate

    Cleveland Tax Abatement Study recommendations stir policy debate by Bruce Checefsky                                                                               (Plain Press, September 2020)       Michael H. Norton, Chief Policy Analyst at Reinvestment Fund, summarized the 109-page Cleveland Tax Abatement Study at the Committee of the Whole Council Meeting streamed live on July 29 on YouTube. He concluded the presentation with six broad recommendations: Cleveland should…


  • Resources available for determining educational options for area students

    Resources available for determining educational options for area students (Plain Press, September 2020)       There are a number of resources for parents and students interested in finding out how local schools are approaching this upcoming school year. While the Cleveland Metropolitan School District has announced its first quarter (9 weeks) will happen remotely with online education,…


  • Lead tests for children plummet in Cleveland; advocates worry about long-term fallout

    Lead tests for children plummet in Cleveland; advocates worry about long-term fallout  This story is provided by Ideastream as part of special community coverage of COVID-19 and funded by Third Federal Foundation and University Settlement. by Rachel Dissell (Plain Press, August 2020)                  CLEVELAND, Ohio — State shutdown orders meant to prevent the spread of…