Nick Castele

Ohio

Reporter @SignalCleveland. Learned @MedillSchool. Public radio alum. Area dad. Magis. Send me news tips: [email protected], (216) 296-3192.

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Articles

Cyberattack stalls lawsuit over Shaker Square apartments

6 days ago | signalcleveland.org | Nick Castele

Cleveland’s two-year lawsuit against a Shaker Square-area landlord was set to go to trial Feb. 25. But days before that, a cyberattack halted the wheels of justice across Cleveland Municipal Court. A magistrate postponed the trial. It was one more bump in the city’s case against Shaker Heights Apartments Owner LLC, the owner of the set of apartment buildings along Shaker Boulevard. In a February trial brief, the city’s lawyers previewed their arguments.
Gateway taps leftover cash for Progressive Field scoreboard fix

1 week ago | signalcleveland.org | Nick Castele

The nonprofit owner of Progressive Field won’t need to dip deeper into taxpayer coffers to fix the Guardians’ scoreboard system. Instead, Gateway Economic Development Corp. — which received a $40 million lifeline from Cleveland and Cuyahoga County last year — will pay the bills with money left over from an earlier project. At a meeting Wednesday morning, Gateway board members agreed to buy new computer servers for the scoreboards for $376,000.
Maurer, Starr to face off in Cleveland City Council Ward 5 race

1 week ago | signalcleveland.org | Nick Castele

First-term Cleveland City Council incumbents Rebecca Maurer and Richard Starr will face off this year in the race to represent the redrawn Ward 5. The showdown is one consequence of Cleveland City Council’s latest round of redistricting. The new ward map, passed by council under Council President Blaine Griffin, eliminated Maurer’s Ward 12 and places her address in a ward with Starr.
Fight over potential gas station reignites in Cleveland City Council

1 week ago | signalcleveland.org | Nick Castele

A plan for a possible gas station near Cudell Park — one that appeared to have died out last year — is again fueling debate before Cleveland City Council. The fight is over less than an acre of land on the corner of West Boulevard and Madison Avenue. But it has taken on outsized political proportions. It pits some council members against Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration and a vocal group of West Side activists.
Guardians, Cavaliers and Gateway meet at Cleveland City Hall

1 week ago | signalcleveland.org | Nick Castele

The Guardians’ frosty home opener wasn’t the team’s only action this week. Representatives from the ball club, the Cavaliers and Gateway Economic Development Corp. visited Cleveland City Hall on Monday. They were at 601 Lakeside to meet with Bradford Davy, Mayor Justin Bibb’s chief of staff, according to Gateway board chair GiGi Benjamin.
Cleveland nonprofits waiting for neighborhood money from Trump

2 weeks ago | signalcleveland.org | Nick Castele

Mayor Justin Bibb is cautioning local nonprofits to pull back on spending as the city waits for news about the federal funding the groups rely on to serve Cleveland neighborhoods. The city has not yet heard official word on how much money it will receive from the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Nonprofit leaders say a lapse in federal dollars from City Hall could mean cuts in staff.
Cleveland dedicates $117 million in ARPA funds for housing

2 weeks ago | signalcleveland.org | Nick Castele

Cleveland is spending cash on houses — but not the way that you think. The city is targeting as much as $117 million from its $512 million American Rescue Plan Act windfall for home repairs and construction. That’s roughly $1 out of every $4.50 that the city received from former President Joe Biden’s administration in coronavirus pandemic stimulus funds. City Hall set an ambitious and expensive housing goal in 2021: building, renovating and preserving 100,000 units of housing by 2030.
Asking Cleveland about a parks tax; Bibb's celebratory spring

2 weeks ago | signalcleveland.org | Nick Castele |Amy Morona

Clevelanders just raised property taxes for city schools. Would they do it again for the parks and recreation centers? The Bibb administration floated the idea of a 2028 parks levy this week in its new master plan for the city’s recreation centers and green spaces. A new property tax would give City Hall more money for staff and maintenance at the parks. Signal Cleveland asked readers what they thought. Of the 23 respondents in our survey, 14 said they wouldn’t support a new tax.
Basheer Jones sentenced to 2 years, 4 months in federal prison

3 weeks ago | signalcleveland.org | Nick Castele

Basheer Jones has been sentenced to serve two years and four months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to pocketing money meant for the Hough neighborhood that he represented on Cleveland City Council. Jones, a 2021 mayoral candidate, admitted in December to charges that included conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Signal Cleveland partner WKYC reported details of Tuesday’s sentence.
A new tax for Cleveland parks? City Council is skeptical

3 weeks ago | signalcleveland.org | Nick Castele

Would Cleveland voters raise property taxes to pay for city parks? Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration is floating the idea of a new parks tax after a study recommended a levy for the city’s green spaces and recreation centers. The idea received a cold reception from City Council members on Monday. A parks levy wouldn’t go to voters until 2028 under a timeline drawn up by Olin, the consultant that drafted the city’s parks master plan.