Plain Press

  • City paint program could use a fresh coat; residents cite costly labor and slow process as issues

    by Doug Breehl-Pitorak (Plain Press, March 2022)      Tuesday Gibson lives with her mom, Barbara, in a 107-year-old home in Cleveland’s Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood. Gibson had hoped Cleveland’s Exterior Paint Program, which offers free paint and supplies to help residents repaint their homes and safely remove any hazardous lead-based paint, would provide enough support to give the home…

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  • City paint program didn’t work for most small suppliers, leaving Sherwin-Williams as main provider

    by Rachel Dissell (Plain Press, March 2022)      Cleveland’s effort to provide free paint for tenants and homeowners fell short of its goals over the past two years, with fewer than 400 of the expected 1,000 homes completed.       Administration officials also had hoped to use neighborhood paint and hardware stores as vendors for the program, and early…

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  • Homeowner’s bills higher in Cleveland than in Mentor

    To the Editor: (Plain Press, February 2022) I would like to comment on your article in the December 2021 Plain Press on property taxes. I grew up in Mentor and own the home I grew up in, and currently rent it out. The property taxes for that house are much lower than the Cleveland house I currently live…

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  • 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…

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  • Canines at upscale doggie bar and park complain about homeless humans

    Canines at upscale doggie bar and park complain about homeless humans To the Editor, (Plain Press, January 2022)           I have been a resident of the Near West Side of Cleveland for 25 years. Lately I have noticed there has been an increase in new canine residents in the neighborhood. It’s nice to know new dogs are…

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  • 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…

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  • 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…

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  • Legislation introduced to establish Ohio City Entertainment District

    Legislation introduced to establish Ohio City Entertainment District (Plain Press, December 2021)           Ward 3 City Council Member Kerry McCormack has introduced emergency legislation to Cleveland City Council to approve the application of Ohio City Legacy, LLC to establish an Ohio City Entertainment District. The entertainment district is designed to benefit prospective hospitality industry tenants in the…

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  • Coalition of community groups rally to “Stop Evictions Now!”

    Coalition of community groups rally to “Stop Evictions Now!” by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, November 2021)                 A coalition of groups of community activists from throughout Northeast Ohio converged on Public Square on October 20th for a “Stop Evictions Now!” rally as part of a coordinated national effort to speed the distribution of already allocated federal dollars designed…

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  • Council of Cleveland Neighborhoods presents concerns to mayoral candidates 

    Council of Cleveland Neighborhoods presents concerns to mayoral candidates  by Bruce Checefsky (Plain Press, November 2021)        With the majority of registered Cleveland voters staying home and choosing not to vote in the mayoral primary, it remains uncertain whether they’ll decide to cast a vote in the general election on November 2 for either Justin Bibb or…

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