• Issue 24: What’s next?

    Issue 24: What’s next? by Cleveland Documenters (Plain Press, January 2022)                 As the new year approaches, Cleveland Documenters are wondering what’s next regarding Issue 24, the amendments to the City’s charter that aim to strengthen civilian oversight of police discipline in cases of alleged misconduct.      Here’s what we know.      The charter amendments officially took effect on Nov. 22.…


  • Cuyahoga County Department of Appraisals updates information on 2021 property taxes

    Cuyahoga County Department of Appraisals updates information on 2021 property taxes by Bruce Checefsky (Plain Press, December 2021)                 Michael Chambers, Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer, admits most people fail to understand how property taxes work. At the November Lincoln Heights Block Club meeting at the Tremont Taphouse, he talked about an update on 2021 property taxes.      Chambers…


  • 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. …


  • American Rescue Plan Act survey responses provide window into what Cleveland needs now

    American Rescue Plan Act survey responses provide window into what Cleveland needs now by Zachary & Lee Chilcote (Plain Press, December 2021)                 This past summer, the city of Cleveland mailed surveys to more than 120,000 homes and businesses asking residents, “How would you spend $511 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to make Cleveland healthier and…


  • November 2, 2021: election results

    November 2, 2021: election results Mayoral contest (Plain Press, December 2021) Justin Bibb won the November 2nd mayoral election receiving 36,168 votes or 62.86% of the votes cast. Kevin Kelley received 21,352 votes or 37.14% of the votes cast. The total of 57,520 votes cast in the mayoral contest represents 23.2% of the 247,264 registered voters in…


  • Muddy waters: Issue 24 raises heated debate about police accountability

    Muddy waters: Issue 24 raises heated debate about police accountability by Michael Indriolo (Plain Press, November 2021)   LaTonya Goldsby was a teenager when the story of Rodney King’s brutal beating at the hands of LAPD broke. Again, she watched her TV with burning eyes when George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin in 2012. Then, Mike Brown was…


  • Ten Clevelanders address City Council Meeting during its first Public Comments period in over 100 years 

    (Plain Press, November 2021)   Ten Cleveland citizens took part in a historic event, the first Public Comments period at a Cleveland City Council meeting in over 100 years. The occasion was the Monday October 4, 2021 meeting of Cleveland City Council. The ten citizens taking advantage of this public forum to speak to their fellow citizens…


  • Ward 12 City Council Candidate Survey

    Ward 12 City Council Candidate Survey (Plain Press, November 2021) The three community newspapers that serve areas of Ward 12 – Neighborhood News, Tremonster and the Plain Press — collaborated in creating this survey. The survey questions were asked of Rebecca Maurer and Anthony Brancatelli, the top two finishers in the City Council Primary Election.…


  • Justin Bibb vows to modernize City Hall

    Justin Bibb vows to modernize City Hall by Bruce Checefsky (Plain Press, October 2021)   For Cleveland mayoral candidate Justin Bibb, leadership is all about relationships. The 34-year-old son of a social worker and first responder advanced from the primary to the general election November 2 along with City Council president Kevin Kelley in the first mayoral…


  • 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…