For the better part of two decades, John Caniglia was the guy we’ve aimed at the mountain top.

Whenever we had a challenging story, one where uncooperative sources or hard-to-get records made success unlikely, we’d ask John to climb the mountain. We’d have been content if he made it halfway, but not John. He scaled the mountain. Every time.

John, our criminal justice editor of late, covered crime and courts for most of his reporting career. The Plain Dealer has been his home since 1998, and he’s retiring at month’s end in what will be a huge loss for Cleveland journalism.

Before he goes, I want to make sure you know why he has been so special for this town. Not by reading words from me. I reached out to some others. Read what they say, and you’ll see why I say there is no one else like

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