Plain Press

  • 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…

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  • St. Luke’s distributes book bags filled with school supplies

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  • 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,…

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  • 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…

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  • Cleveland School Board members support remote learning option for first quarter of school year

    Cleveland School Board members support remote learning option for first quarter of school year by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, August 2020)            All the Cleveland Board of Education members weighing in at the July 21st Board of Education meeting spoke in favor of students staying at home and engaging in remote learning for the first…

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  • Cleveland City Council has a chance to do the right thing as it reviews tax abatement policy

    Cleveland City Council has a chance to do the right thing as it reviews tax abatement policy by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, August 2020)            Cleveland City Council announced in a July 23rd press release that it plans to hear a presentation from the Department of Community Development on a tax abatement study at its…

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  • Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon calls for levy renewal and 5-mill increase

    Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon calls for levy renewal and 5-mill increase Open letter to the editor: Dear Friends and Supporters of Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD): (Plain Press, August 2020)            This evening (July 7, 2020), I made a recommendation to the Cleveland Board of Education that the Board consider asking the…

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  • The Cleveland Foundation, Cuyahoga County and T-Mobile create a Greater Cleveland Digital Equity Fund

    The Cleveland Foundation, Cuyahoga County and T-Mobile create a Greater Cleveland Digital Equity Fund (Plain Press, August 2020)            The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a spotlight on digital inequities in Greater Cleveland that bar students from accessing their education in an age of remote learning, prevent underemployed and unemployed adults from finding or applying for…

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  • Cleveland City Council declares racism a public health crisis

    CITY COUNCIL POLICIES CONTRIBUTE TO CLEVELAND’S HIGH CHILDHOOD POVERTY RATE Cleveland City Council declares racism a public health crisis CITY COUNCIL POLICIES CONTRIBUTE TO CLEVELAND’S HIGH CHILDHOOD POVERTY RATE by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, July 2020)    At its June 3rd meeting, Cleveland City Council declared racism is a public health crisis. The legislation was unanimously passed by…

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  • Organizations work to address the digital divide

    Organizations work to address the digital divide (Plain Press, June 2020)   The arrival of the coronavirus COVID-19 in Cuyahoga County brought to the forefront the necessity to address the digital divide. A number of community leaders and advocates for social change have come forward, urging action to address this serious issue. Schools and health care…

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