Plain Press

  • New billboard campaign brings awareness to suicide and crisis resources in Cuyahoga County

    PHOTO BY BOB SANDRICK, THE LAND Latoya Hunter Hayes, the Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) board’s chief of external affairs, is working on a new campaign to bring awareness to the 988-hotline resource. by Bob Sandrick, The Land                    (Plain Press July 2025) A county agency charged with helping those with…

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  • Anti-eviction program helps residents in Northwest Neighborhoods

    by Bob Sandrick, The Land    (Plain Press October 2024) A nonprofit provider of affordable housing in Cleveland has devised an innovative and perhaps groundbreaking eviction-avoidance program that it hopes will serve as a model throughout the city and even the country.    Northwest Neighborhoods, which owns and manages more than 350 rental apartment units…

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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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  • 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…

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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 wants better system for tracking nuisance complaints. Will the City step up? 

    Cleveland City Council wants better system for tracking nuisance complaints. Will the City step up?  by Lee Chilcote Plain Press, May 2022             Spring in Cleveland may bring warmer weather, but for City Council members, it also brings a raft of complaints about trash, tall grass, and weeds in their communities.      At a meeting of the council’s Health,…

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  • Equity is on the (Transit) line: Two transit riders nominated to RTA board

    Equity is on the (Transit) line: Two transit riders nominated to RTA board by Aja Hannah Plain Press, May 2022             Leaning into the street, a resident flags down her bus. She wears thick gloves as she holds onto the bus stop sign. A light rain falls, washing old salt and snow down a nearby drain.       There…

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  • Full circle: Local initiative aims to rev up circular economy in Cleveland

    Full circle: Local initiative aims to rev up circular economy in Cleveland by Lee Chilcote (Plain Press, February 2022)  Plastic is everywhere, and we can’t seem to get rid of it. It litters our streets, clogs up our waterways, and fills up our landfills. So why not turn it into art, protecting the environment while creating…

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  • Why has childhood lead testing plummeted in Cleveland, and what can be done about it?

    Why has childhood lead testing plummeted in Cleveland, and what can be done about it? by El Jay’Em (Plain Press, February 2022)  Mayor Justin Bibb’s office recently posted a position for a senior strategist to oversee the city’s efforts to combat lead poisoning who would report to the mayor. The position aims to be pivotal in helping Cleveland…

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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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