• Tremont residents should examine how to maintain a diverse neighborhood

    Tremont residents should examine how to maintain a diverse neighborhood by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, October 2022)  Tremont residents should be encouraged to participate in Ideastream’s Justin Glanville My Changing Neighborhood discussions where there is an examination of how to maintain a diverse neighborhood when gentrification is occurring.    The Tremont neighborhood could use some…


  • Additional funding needed for mental health programs and services

    Additional funding needed for mental health programs and services by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, October 2022)  Individuals suffering from mental health crises often find themselves in court when it would be more appropriate for them to receive treatment that would allow them to have a path toward recovery from their illness. Instead, many end up…


  • Cleveland’s approach to community development should put people before developers’ profits

    Cleveland’s approach to community development should put people before developers’ profits by Chuck Hoven Plain Press, May 2022             The City of Cleveland’s tax abatement program is coming up for renewal at the end of May. For many years, the City has used tax abatement as a means of attracting new residents and improving its housing stock…


  • National Coalition for the Homeless plans to open a regional office in City of Cleveland

    National Coalition for the Homeless plans to open a regional office in City of Cleveland by Bruce Checefsky (Plain Press, January 2022)                 The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) plans to open its first field office in its 40-year history in Cleveland, Ohio this coming summer. Brian Davis, who served for many years as the director of the Northeast Ohio…


  • Twenty groups protest anti-protest efforts that are happening locally and statewide

    Twenty groups protest anti-protest efforts that are happening locally and statewide (Plain Press, January 2022)           Defending Democracy and Dissent, along with 20 other organizations, held a protest on Saturday, December 4th, that began on Public Square and ended in front of the Justice Center. The protest highlighted recent efforts to criminalize peaceful protesting in Cuyahoga County…


  • Southern Christian Leadership Conference President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Charles Steele denounces Sherwin-Williams

    Southern Christian Leadership Conference President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Charles Steele denounces Sherwin-Williams by Bruce Checefsky (Plain Press, December 2021)                 Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO0 of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), co-founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., traveled to Cleveland last month to meet with the CEO of Sherwin-Williams. …


  • Help for youth aging-out of foster care

    Help for youth aging-out of foster care by Tonya Sams (Plain Press, December 2021)                 Aging out of the foster care system can be a very challenging time for youth who are also navigating the transition from childhood to adulthood. Without a birth certificate, social security card, or other identifying documentation, it can be extremely difficult to…


  • Tamir’s Campaign for Justice calls on officials to reopen civil rights case

    Tamir’s Campaign for Justice calls on officials to reopen civil rights case by Michael Indriolo (Plain Press, December 2021)                 Public square is always noisy; however, for a brief moment on Tuesday November 9th, a pocket of the Cleveland landmark was filled not with the sounds of busses and construction, but with song. A mother cries for…


  • Residents want more notice, better access to information on local government meetings 

    Residents want more notice, better access to information on local government meetings  by Doug Breehl-Pitorak and Rachel Dissell    In June, Cleveland City Council passed a law that allowed it — and other city boards and committees — to meet virtually or in person with 12 hours’ notice for members of the public who might want…


  • The Pace of Passage: How Quickly City Council Makes Laws and What That Means for Clevelanders 

    The Pace of Passage: How Quickly City Council Makes Laws and What That Means for Clevelanders  by Doug Breehl-Pitorak,  Cleveland Documenters (Plain Press, October 2021)   During a July forum for mayoral candidates, Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley answered what seemed like a simple question: “What are your thoughts on what constitutes adequate public notice and…