• RTA’s NEXT GEN planning process for changes to the 2021 bus routes raises questions about equity

    RTA’s NEXT GEN planning process for changes to the 2021 bus routes raises questions about equity by Bruce Checefsky (Plain Press, December 2020)           In 2019, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) facilitated a study for improvement of the bus network with Jarett Walker + Associates. Jarrett Walker, PhD, an international consultant in public transit network design and policy,…


  • Cleveland City Council removes the city’s requirement to hire off-duty police officers at neighborhood block parties

    Cleveland City Council removes the city’s requirement to hire off-duty police officers at neighborhood block parties by Lee Chilcote, The Land (Plain Press, December 2020)           Spurred by a grassroots, citizen-led petition that garnered more than 1,000 signatures, Cleveland City Council passed legislation at its November 18th meeting to remove the requirement for hired police at block parties. The…



  • Monument to the Unelected


  • Planners seek community input on bringing bus rapid transit to West 25th Street

    Planners seek community input on bringing bus rapid transit to West 25th Street by Ken Schneck (Plain Press, November 2020)  25Connects, a community planning effort led by RTA that aims to support walkable, transit-oriented development on West 25th Street between Detroit Avenue and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, is hosting a virtual public meeting on Wed., Oct. 14 at 6 pm.…


  • In Memory — Ted Thelander

    In Memory Ted Thelander (Plain Press, November 2020)                 Ohio City resident Ted Thelander died at age 85 on June 11th of this year. Ted Thelander was instrumental in offering advice, sharing his expertise, and mentoring Near West Side residents in many battles with political corruption and troubling nightclubs. Thelander also became involved in addressing a number of…


  • Boys & Girls Clubs opening sites on Cleveland’s West Side

    Boys & Girls Clubs opening sites on Cleveland’s West Side (Plain Press, October 2020)           Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio (BGCNEO) is opening two new ClubSmart Learning Centers – places where kids doing digital schoolwork can get in-person help — on Cleveland’s West Side.             A ClubSmart Learning Center will open Monday, Sept. 28 at The…



  • City Council approves legislation to stabilize hillside at Irishtown bend

    City Council approves legislation to stabilize hillside at Irishtown bend (Plain Press, October 2020) At its September 23rd meeting Cleveland City Council adopted legislation (Ord. No. 592-2020) authorizing the city to join the Cuyahoga County Port Authority on a major project to stabilize a hillside eroding into the Cuyahoga River, threatening commercial shipping. The hillside, known as Irishtown…


  • 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…