Featured explainer

Does Cleveland fine property owners when they make changes to their buildings without permission?
During an Aug. 10 Landmarks Commission meeting, commission members dug into questions about an improper awning at Saucy Brew Works, a brewery and restaurant in Ohio City.
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It’s Cleveland City Council public comment time again
What you need to know to sign up and make a public comment at Cleveland City Council.

FAQ: Form-based code, a zoning reform plan coming to Cleveland
The Cleveland Planning Commission (CPC) is preparing to introduce form-based codes, an alternative to the zoning codes the city has relied on for generations. This shift will transform the decision-making processes that determine what gets built and where. Here’s a look at what it means.

The basics of how bail and bonds work (Explainer)
Bail is an agreement between the court and a person accused of a crime, which allows the person to be released from jail while waiting for their court proceedings.

Bail reform in Cuyahoga County (Timeline)
The paths to bail reform elsewhere have included statewide legislation, civil rights lawsuits and systems change on the local level. In Cleveland, the most recent push for reform started around 2016. Since then, justice system officials have implemented some changes that have reduced the overall use of cash bail but have not eliminated it.

Get ready to vote and make sure it counts
The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 7 contest is a month away, Oct. 10. Now is the time to make sure you have your ID ready. New Ohio voter ID laws are in effect. The legislation requires photo ID to vote in-person

Home sweet accessible home: Tales to Demystify (Comic)
Comic creator John G explains what can make a home more – or less – accessible for a person who uses a wheelchair.

Gateway, the nonprofit managing your tax dollars for sports facilities, explained
The nonprofit signs off on repairs to Progressive Field and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on behalf of those paying a ‘sin tax’ on alcohol and cigarettes. But its influence and financial liability extends well beyond.

Most CMSD students attend school outside of the ZIP code where they live (Map)
About two-thirds of CMSD students attended a school in a different ZIP code from where they lived, according to district data that reflected enrollment for a single day in November of 2022.

Cleveland parents embrace school choice but transportation remains a barrier (Podcast)
Most Cleveland Metropolitan School District students attend a school outside of their neighborhood. About two-thirds of CMSD students attended a school in a different ZIP code from where they lived, according to district data that reflected enrollment for a single day in November of 2022.

Cleveland school choice through the decades (Timeline)
In the past, Cleveland students were automatically enrolled in their neighborhood school. During the era of desegregation busing, many white families left the public school district for private schools or fled the city for the suburbs.
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