Plain Press

  • County executive candidates Chris Ronayne and Lee Weingart offer different visions for Cuyahoga County

    Cuyahoga County Executive Candidates (L-R) Chris Ronayne and Lee Weingart by Bruce Checefsky               (Plain Press, November 2022) Democratic candidate Chis Ronayne and Republican hopeful Lee Weingart, candidates for Cuyahoga County Executive, could not be more different. Ronayne wants to build on his long-standing relationships with civic leaders and work with the nonprofit sector…

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  • New owner of the Variety Theater shares her vision for its future

    PHOTO BY CHUCK HOVEN Saturday, September 10, 2022; Variety Theater, W. 118th & Lorain Avenue: Westown Executive Director Rose Zitello says the Variety Theater has new ownership. The new owner, Kelly Flamos, former co-owner of Mahall’s in Lakewood, is working on the restoration of the entire building with hopes of opening the theater as a…

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  • 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…

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  • Cuyahoga County Executive Candidates’ Forum on Health, Human Services & Critical Needs

    Candidates Forum on Health, Human Services & Critical Needs (Plain Press, October 2022)   Join us Thursday, October 6th from 7-8:30 pm, for a Candidates Forum on Health, Human Services & Critical Needs, featuring County Executive candidates Chris Ronayne and Lee Weingart.  With a new County administration comes the opportunity for major changes in how we…

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  • November 8 Election set to change the Ohio Supreme Court

    November 8 Election set to change the Ohio Supreme Court by Bruce Checefsky (Plain Press, September 2022)                         Earlier this year, the Ohio Supreme Court invalidated legislative district maps and sent them back to the Ohio Redistricting Commission for revision, rejecting their fourth attempt at a plan for state redistricting as unconstitutional and unfairly favoring…

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  • Who pays property taxes to support services when the economy is dominated by nonprofits?

    by Stephanie Czekalinski  This is part three of a series examining the tax-exempt status of nonprofit hospitals in Northeast Ohio and how the loss of tax dollars impacts communities. (Plain Press, September 2022)           Fifty years ago, when Clevelanders needed to fund schools, pay for parks, or expand libraries, they relied on booming tax revenue from large…

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  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) interim reports are back!

    Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) interim reports are back! WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Plain Press, August 2022        Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Interim Reports are required for many households six months after an application or recertification. Interim Reports have been waived during the pandemic until now.      SNAP assistance groups that received an interim…

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  • Cleveland nonprofit hospitals get millions in property tax breaks. Many are asking, ‘Is it worth it?’

    Cleveland nonprofit hospitals get millions in property tax breaks. Many are asking, ‘Is it worth it?’ by Stephanie Czekalinski & Michael Indriolo Plain Press, July 20220                             Nora and David Brown live in a two-story single-family home in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood. The modest home on East 100th Street, with a gabled roof and an enclosed porch, is just a block away…

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  • Cleveland City Council weighs proposals to change Cleveland’s tax abatement policy

    PHOTO BY CHUCK HOVEN Monday, May 16, 2022; Cleveland City Council Meeting, Cleveland City Hall, 601 Lakeside Avenue: During the Public Comment period at the Cleveland City Council Meeting, Ward 4 resident David Beach addresses Cleveland City Council on the issue of the reauthorization of the City’s residential tax abatement program.  Speaking of the Justin Bibb…

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  • 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…

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