Plain Press

  • Tamir’s Campaign for Justice calls on officials to reopen civil rights case

    Tamir’s Campaign for Justice calls on officials to reopen civil rights case by Michael Indriolo (Plain Press, December 2021)                 Public square is always noisy; however, for a brief moment on Tuesday November 9th, a pocket of the Cleveland landmark was filled not with the sounds of busses and construction, but with song. A mother cries for…

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  • Clark-Fulton leaders pitch ambitious vision for neighborhood development

    Clark-Fulton leaders pitch ambitious vision for neighborhood development by Lee Chilcote (Plain Press, November 2021) After two years of planning amidst the difficulties of the Covid-19 pandemic, stakeholders in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood on the west side have unveiled the fruits of their labor: a master plan that is aimed at guiding equitable development in the neighborhood.  “Together, residents,…

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  • Council members balk at $20M ‘blank check’ for citywide broadband pilot

    Council members balk at $20M ‘blank check’ for citywide broadband pilot by Lee Chilcote (Plain Press, October 2021)   A proposal to allocate $20 million to help bridge the digital divide in Cleveland by creating citywide broadband met with some opposition at Monday’s city council meeting, with some members asking why there wasn’t more community involvement or a concrete plan…

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  • City of Cleveland is quietly blocking citizen planning efforts for safer, bike-friendly streets

    City of Cleveland is quietly blocking citizen planning efforts for safer, bike-friendly streets by Lee Chilcote (Plain Press, August 2021)     For more than a decade, community developers on Cleveland’s near west side have been working to create a new, improved streetscape on Lorain Avenue between West 25th and West 65th Street. It was always about more than potholes and…

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  • Formerly homeless youth leads charge in Cleveland for affordable housing

    Formerly homeless youth leads charge in Cleveland for affordable housing by Dan Polletta (Plain Press, August 2021)     When Kai Cotton offers advice to youth struggling with homelessness, they listen, because she was once in their shoes.       She’s no typical charity worker. She’s one who’s been homeless, who knows exactly what it is to have the rights and…

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  • Back to the grind: Scoot! Craft Cold Brew brings energy to Berea Road

    Back to the grind: Scoot! Craft Cold Brew brings energy to Berea Road by Ilona Westfall (Plain Press, August 2021)                       It’s not the first place you’d expect to find an incredible cup of coffee but tucked among the chain link fences and brick industrial buildings of Berea Road, Scoot! Craft Cold Brew seems right at home.      The off-the-beaten-path location…

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  • Ohio City developer to rehab historic funeral home on Lorain Avenue into retail, apartments

    Ohio City developer to rehab historic funeral home on Lorain Avenue into retail, apartments by Lee Chilcote (Plain Press, August 2021)     The Nunn Family Funeral Home at 4434 Lorain Avenue in Ohio City dates back to 1865, and the site operated as a funeral home until about 20 years ago, when it was converted into a daycare. Now, a…

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  • $6M Red Line Greenway opens after more than a decade of planning

    $6M Red Line Greenway opens after more than a decade of planning by Lee Chilcote Plain Press, June 2021        Beginning at the eastern edge of Zone Recreation Center and threading through Ohio City before connecting to the Centennial Lake Link Trail, the $6 million Red line Greenway connects the near west side to downtown Cleveland while offering views…

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  • Ohio City and Tremont respond to calls for more affordable housing

    Ohio City and Tremont respond to calls for more affordable housing by Marc Lefkowitz, The Land  (Plain Press, April 2021)        A new land trust on Cleveland’s near west side has a mission to increase permanent, affordable housing in the midst of a hot housing market. Ohio City and Tremont West Development Corporation have teamed up to form…

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  • 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…

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