• Debate over tax breaks for nonprofit Cleveland area hospitals is also about racism and redlining

    Debate over tax breaks for nonprofit Cleveland area hospitals is also about racism and redlining by Stephanie Czekalinski & Michael Indriolo  This is part two 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, August 2022        Nonprofit hospitals like the Cleveland Clinic receive…



  • 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…


  • 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. …


  • Mayoral candidate Kevin Kelley promises stability

    Mayoral candidate Kevin Kelley promises stability by Bruce Checefsky (Plain Press, November 2021)        Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley placed second in the mayoral primary with 19 percent of the votes in an election the majority of city residents decided to sit out. Only 15 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. Justin Bibb placed…


  • 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.…


  • City Club hosts Clevelanders for Public Comment in a forum and a mock public comments session

    City Club hosts Clevelanders for Public Comment in a forum and a mock public comments session by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, May 2021)      The resident led movement, Clevelanders for Public Comment, now has a majority of Cleveland City Council — nine members — committed to passing legislation written by Near West Side activist Jessica Trivisonno that…


  • Black Lives Matter in Cuyahoga County speaks out about lead-poisoning of children in Cleveland

    To the editor:  (Plain Press, January 2021)    In March of 2021, a law will go into effect requiring landlords who own rental properties in the city of Cleveland to certify that those properties are lead safe. The law is necessary because some landlords and realtor associations are willing to allow families to rent lead toxic properties…



  • Cleveland Community Police Commission works to reform Cleveland Division of Police

    by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, October 2020)           Of late, much public discussion centers around the need for police reform. Here in Cleveland that effort is already underway. The Cleveland Community Police Commission has been working on reforming the Cleveland Police Department since 2015.    At its quarterly meeting held virtually on September 24th, the Cleveland Community Police…