Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin is moving to double the amount of money that supporters can give to council campaigns.  Griffin’s legislation raising contribution limits could come up for a vote as soon as Monday. That is council’s last meeting before its reduced summer schedule begins.  The measure would allow an individual to give as much as $3,000 annually to a council campaign, twice the $1,500 currently set by city code. A council campaign could accept as much as $6,000 per year from a political action committee. The current limit is $3,000.  Griffin said h ..read more

??All Clevelanders were invited to US Bank Plaza on Saturday, May 25, to celebrate and learn about the traditions of many of the city’s Hispanic and Latino communities at “Carnaval In The Land,” hosted by Cleveland Play House. Party goers took dance lessons and saw how screen-printing works. They ate ethnic dishes like jerk chicken and ginger curry chickpeas, and experienced music and costumes that represented nations in Central and South America.  For this audio soundscape, Signal Cleveland audio producer Gennifer Harding-Gosnell talked with attendees and organi ..read more

A small business expo focused on “underrepresented and underserved communities” will be held Saturday at Cuyahoga Community College. The OH-11 Small Business Expo will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 1 at Tri-C’s Eastern Campus, 4400 Richmond Road in Highland Hills. Several federal and local agencies and nonprofits focused on business development will participate. They include the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Cuyahoga County Office of Small Business and the Urban League of Greater Cleveland’s Entrepreneurship Center. See: Cuyahoga County opens new office to help entrepreneurs ..read more

A Cleveland official delivered an apology this week to residents who turned to city programs for help with home repairs and were met with delays or no response at all.  The Community Development department, which runs programs aimed at repairing homes, storefronts and reducing lead exposure is working on fixing those problems, Assistant Director Anthony Scott said.  “We owe a lot of citizens a lot of apologies,” Scott told City Council members this week.  “We have not moved things as effectively as we should,” Scott said, referring to residents who likely submitted applications ..read more

Ace Taxi and Bamba Tea relied on funding and expertise from Cuyahoga County’s small business program to forge promising new paths as economic fallout from the pandemic hovered. Business for Ace Taxi slowed to a crawl during the early days of the pandemic, which motivated management to re-envision how it would deliver transportation services. This led to Ace Taxi eventually starting RideCLE, a local rideshare service allowing people to order a cab via an app. The business on East 55th Street also developed a new niche transporting people in wheelchairs. The county’s help included a $50,000 gra ..read more

A proposed law that could help more Ohioans restore their suspended driving privileges passed in the Ohio Senate unanimously last week.  Advocates say the bill, which has garnered bipartisan support, would bring relief to drivers saddled with what are often called debt-related suspensions. That includes not having proof of insurance, failing to pay court fines, or missing child support payments. The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles issued nearly 200,000 new debt-related suspensions in 2022, according to an investigation by The Marshall Project – Cleveland and WEWS News 5.   Clevel ..read more

Hey Cleveland, I hope everyone enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend. If you are looking to keep the summer feeling going, we have another weekend full of family-friendly events! Let’s take a look at what is on deck as we move into June. Little Italy Summer Walk Experience the magic of Little Italy as the community comes alive with the works of talented artists from all around the world. From Friday, May 31 through June 2, explore the many galleries, studios and outdoor exhibits lining the streets of Little Italy. While you are there, take some time to enjoy all the tasty Italian cuisine this un ..read more

While people may recognize Rachel Zake as an actress who appeared in shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “House of Lies” and “Anyone But You” (a web series she wrote and starred in), she is also making a name for herself as a playwright.  “My first love will always be acting,” the 40-year old playwright said in a recent phone interview. “But what I love to do is tell stories. Stories tell us who we are. They connect us to each other.”  Zake, who grew up in Chagrin Falls, began her career as an actress, author and playwright in Los Angeles. Ten years ago, she returned to Cleveland, where ..read more

Public Meetings Report for the week of May 20, 2024 ?Now that Memorial Day has come and gone, summer is unofficially here! Cleveland City Council just wrapped up its Community Development Block Grant hearings, and is about to take their 14 week summer break from regular meetings. Cleveland Documenters, on the other hand, won’t be taking any breaks.  In this week’s Public Meetings Report, Cleveland Documenters got an update on the new Primate Forest coming to the Metroparks Zoo, and the end of the Euclid Beach Mobile Home Park. Plus, the Cleveland Landmarks Commission discusses a new windo ..read more

This week I was lucky to get a tour of the Cleveland Public Library Main Branch from a librarian in the history department. As someone who loves to learn new things, my visit to the library gave me an abundance of ideas for future news quizzes — starting with today’s first question.  Stay tuned for an upcoming story on other unexpected finds from the Cleveland library. Plus, take a few minutes to learn about Parade the Circle (which is coming up June 8), the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and more in the latest news quiz. Congrats to quiz takers Ann T., Erick G., Karima M. and Marge C ..read more