Public Meetings Report for the week of June 4, 2024

😎School's mostly out for the summer, and Cleveland City Council is on on it's 14 week break from regular meetings (and from in-person public comment). But, council managed to squeeze in a few big things before they left, including some late in the season Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) hearings.

In this week’s Public Meetings Report, Cleveland Documenters sat in on Cleveland City Council’s CDBG hearings to learn how the city plans to use around 28.3 million dollars in federal grant money to improve and increase affordable housing. They also caught an uncommon apology to city residents from a Department of Community Development official. Learn more in this week’s episode.👇🏿🎧📻

Their work has been compiled this week by Dakotah Kennedy. The Public Meetings Report is produced by Gennifer Harding-Gosnell. 

The Public Meetings Report is produced by Signal Cleveland and Cleveland Documenters, in partnership with WOVU 95.9FM “Our Voices United,” a Burten, Bell, Carr community radio station. 

Signal Cleveland meeting briefs: 

Documenters coverage: 

Signal Cleveland reporting: 

Recordings: 

Other resources:

“Community” was the overarching theme as the free “Carnaval In The Land” brought Hispanic and Latino traditions to a downtown Cleveland audience.

💃🏽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 organizers at the “Carnaval In The Land” to learn how “community” is important to them. 🎧📻👇🏽

Public Meetings Report for the week of May 29, 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 window policy for residents in the city’s historic districts. Learn more in about five minutes this week’s episode. 👇🏿🎧📻

Their work has been compiled this week by Anastasia Vanisko and Dakotah Kennedy. The Public Meetings Report is produced by Gennifer Harding-Gosnell.

The Public Meetings Report is produced by Signal Cleveland and Cleveland Documenters, in partnership with WOVU 95.9FM “Our Voices United,” a Burten, Bell, Carr community radio station.

Show Notes:

Signal Cleveland meeting briefs: 

Documenters coverage: 

Signal Cleveland reporting: 

Recordings: 

Other resources:

Public Meetings Report for the week of May 20, 2024

🏫The school year is almost over and the days are heating up. Meanwhile the Cleveland Police Department is preparing for the annual rise in Cleveland summer violence. Cleveland's young people also have neighborhood violence on their minds.

In this week’s Public Meetings Report, Cleveland Documenters listened in as Cleveland kids stepped up to the mic at Cleveland City Council to address gun violence. Plus, Documenters sat in as Karl Racine, lead monitor for Cleveland’s Police Monitoring Team updated members of City Council on the city’s progress on the consent decree. Get the details in less than five minutes this week’s episode. 🎧📻👇🏿

The Documenters whose work contributed to this episode are:

Show Notes:

Signal Cleveland meeting briefs: 

Documenters coverage: 

Signal Cleveland reporting: 

Legislation:

Recordings: 

Other resources: 

Public Meetings Report for the week of May 13, 2024

👩🏿‍🌾🌱It is officially garden season in Cleveland. While many of us have been weeding and making room in our garden beds, the city of Cleveland has been making room for a different kind of weed. 🥦

In this week’s Public Meetings Report, we hear about changes to Cleveland zoning laws that would allow recreational cannabis dispensaries throughout the city. Plus, Cleveland takes steps to enforce the ‘Art Modell Law’ as the Cleveland Browns contemplate moving to Brookpark, and Cudell residents continue their campaign to save Cudell Commons Park. Learn more in less than five minutes in this week’s episode.

The Documenters whose work contributed to this episode are:

Their work has been compiled this week by Anastasia Vanisko and Dakotah Kennedy. The Public Meetings Report is produced by Gennifer Harding-Gosnell. 

The Public Meetings Report is produced by Signal Cleveland and Cleveland Documenters, in partnership with WOVU 95.9FM “Our Voices United,” a Burten, Bell, Carr community radio station. 

Show Notes:

Signal Cleveland meeting briefs: 

Documenters coverage: 

Signal Cleveland reporting: 

Legislation:

Recordings: 

Other resources: 

The Five O’Clock Lounge in Lakewood hosts over 50 ‘Zombies’ for Greater Cleveland Food Bank Benefit

The walking dead of all ages left their graves for the 19th Annual ‘Zombie Walk’ from the Five O’Clock Lounge and down the Lakewood side of W. 117th St. on Saturday, April 27. The price of admission included canned goods to benefit the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Signal Cleveland sent Audio Producer Gennifer Harding-Gosnell into the fire - and chainsaws - to see what all the horror’s about. 

**No reporters were injured during the making of this recording. 

Show Notes: 

Public Meetings Report for the week of May 6, 2024.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers learn what it’s like to make it to the second round of the NBA playoffs again, Cleveland Documenters keep learning how to make local government more accessible for you. Among other things, at last week’s Cleveland City Council Utilities Committee meeting they learned about proposed increases to Cleveland water and sewer rates, a lease renewal for a Collinwood Cleveland Public Power facility, and that the Cleveland Department of Public Utilities is “significantly behind” on replacing sewer pipes. Gt the details in 5 minutes on this week’s Public Meetings Report podcast.

The Documenters whose work contributed to this episode are:

Their work has been compiled this week by Anastasia Vanisko. The Public Meetings Report is produced by Gennifer Harding-Gosnell. 

The Public Meetings Report is produced by Signal Cleveland and Cleveland Documenters, in partnership with WOVU 95.9FM “Our Voices United,” a Burten, Bell, Carr community radio station. 

Signal Cleveland meeting briefs: 

Documenters coverage: 

Signal Cleveland reporting: 

Legislation:

Recordings: 

Other resources: 

Public Meetings Report for the week of April 30, 2024

Residents of Cleveland and nearby suburbs come to Cleveland City Council’s Monday night regular meetings to make a public comment on an issue that affects them most: from pedestrian safety and police reform, to housing barriers and communities feeling left out of neighborhood development plans. 

In this week’s Public Meetings Report, we highlight five local commenters who stepped up to the mic at Cleveland City Hall and shared their thoughts with City Council and the public.

Show Notes: 

Nearly half a million children go missing in the United States every year, a fear that looms in many parents’ heads.

On June 17, 2023, this fear came true for the family of 16-year-old Cleveland resident Keshaun Williams.

William's mother, Sherice Snowden, sat down with Cleveland Documenter Marvetta Rutherford to talk about the process of looking for a missing child.

Public Meetings Report for the week of April 22, 2024

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the playoffs again. Meanwhile, Cleveland Documenters aren’t playing any games at these local government meetings. Last week, they caught a Cleveland City Council meeting packed with info to share with you, including residents speaking out against plans to build a new school building at Cudell Park, Council’s 14 week summer break plan, and complaints Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s hiring of his college roommate Phillip McHugh as public safety advisor. That and more in this week’s episode… in less than five minutes. Give a listen. 

The Documenters whose work contributed to this episode are:

Their work has been compiled this week by Doug Breehl-Pitorak and Anastasia Vanisko. The Public Meetings Report is produced by Gennifer Harding-Gosnell. 

The Public Meetings Report is produced by Signal Cleveland and Cleveland Documenters, in partnership with WOVU 95.9FM “Our Voices United,” a Burten, Bell, Carr community radio station.

Show Notes:

Signal Cleveland meeting briefs:

Documenters coverage: 

Signal Cleveland reporting: 

Legislation:

Recordings: 

Other resources: