Regional Features: Archive by Date

August 2006

Examining Faith: Unitarian Universalist
Posted Tuesday, August 15
For some Americans, religion or faith are alien terms, impenetrable and intimidating. For millions though, religious belief is at the center of their identity - a way of making sense out of the chaos of daily life. Today we being a series of occasional glimpses into the personal searches of Northeast Ohioans to find their own spirituality, or how they've learned to live without religion in their lives. We begin with a Unitarian Universalist from Akron who says he came to believe that all of us are granted only a partial view of the truth.

Saying Goodbye to Mike Douglas
Posted Tuesday, August 15
On December 11th, 1961, a 36-year-old Chicago crooner named Mike Douglas debuted a Cleveland daytime talk program that would soon be syndicated nationally. The Mike Douglas Show won the singer national fame for his sweet voice and self-effacing style. Although the entertaining program eventually moved to Philadelphia, Douglas said that a part of his heart - and his family - stayed in Northeast Ohio. Douglas died at a Florida hospital last Friday at the age of 81. Now, in tribute to the popular performer, we present an excerpt of a program produced seven years ago by ideastream's David C. Barnett and Al Dahlhausen. On that occasion, Douglas and several members of his original production staff gathered to reminisce about days past.

3rd Anniversary of Blackout
Posted Monday, August 14
Three years ago Monday, North America suffered it's largest electricity blackout ever. 40 to 50 million people were affected by a loss of power that was first sparked by a problem in Northeast Ohio. Millions of dollars have since been spent and officials say they are better prepared. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Terror Threats: Interview with Andrew Thomas
Posted Thursday, August 10
We spoke with Andrew Thomas, assistant professor of International Business at the University of Akron about Thursday's terrorist threat developments in Britain. Thomas is the author of the books Aviation Insecurity and Air Rage.

RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman Visits Cleveland
Posted Thursday, August 10
The man who helped George Bush win Ohio two years ago told an audience in Cleveland Wednesday that the defeat of Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary in Connecticut this week indicates that party is out of touch. The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Ken Mehlman, questioned the resolve of Democrats who oppose the war in Iraq, calling them "Defeat-o-crats." ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Housing, Part 2: New Housing in Cleveland
Posted Wednesday, August 9
Social scientists have warned that core cities can act like black holes. If too much of the population spreads out to the suburbs, the city collapses and sucks down everything around it - including the suburbs. Cleveland seemed to be in that danger in the 1990s. But Mayor Mike White's administration began offering tax abatements to attract homeowners back to the city. Now developers are trying what was recently considered impossible: building new, profitable housing developments in the city. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Another Potential Conflict of Interest at the Cleveland Clinic
Posted Wednesday, August 9
This week, the Wall Street Journal reported on yet another possible conflict of interest at the Cleveland Clinic. This time it's at their Florida facility, where a radiation therapy provider who receives a significant portion of the Clinic's oncology business has just endowed a $500,000 research chair in oncology. Some ethicists are crying foul, including Dr. Glenn McGee, the editor of the American Journal of Bioethics. Speaking to ideastream's Dan Moulthrop from his cell phone, he said there may not be an actual conflict, but with a place as important as the Cleveland Clinic, that's not the issue.

Voinovich & Strickland Speak Out Against Gambling
Posted Tuesday, August 8
A Republican former governor sat down with a Democrat who hopes to be governor Monday to share their common disdain for gambling. Senator George Voinovich and Congressman Ted Strickland say the so-called Learn and Earn proposal to allow slot machines at Ohio horse tracks is a no-win game for the state. But several Cleveland-area politicians are supporting the plan. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

The Medicare Doughnut Hole
Posted Monday, August 7
Thousands of Ohioans who signed up for the Medicare prescription drug program that began this year may soon be facing out-of-pocket expenses they didn't expect. It's called the doughnut hole, a gap in Medicare coverage that could cost individuals hundreds, even thousands of dollars. Political analysts say the issue could become a political football by election-time this November. ideastream's Karen Schaefer prepared this report.

9-11 Conspiracy: Guido Stempel Interview
Posted Monday, August 7
According to pollsters, more than a third of Americans believe the government holds some responsibility for the 9-11 terrorist attacks. The poll, by the Scripps Howard News Service out of Ohio University, showed 36% of overall said it is either "very likely" or "somewhat likely" that federal officials either participated in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon or took no action to stop them. Poll respondents suggest that's "because government officials wanted the United States to go to war in the Middle East." The conspiracy theories involve a cruise missile attack on the Pentagon, rather than the airplane that is said to have hit it, and government-planted explosives in the World Trade Center that caused the collapse of the towers. 36% of Americans believe this. It might sound like a lot, but maybe not with a little context. We talked with pollster Guido Stempel, professor of journalism at Ohio University.

Sanders Interview Preview
Posted Friday, August 4
It's been over a month since Dr. Eugene Sanders moved from Toledo to take the helm at the Cleveland Municipal School District. He's been getting to know his new district and home in that time, but the general public has had little time to get to know him. Sanders talks with ideastream's Dick Feagler in his first extensive interview since starting his new job. ideastream's Lisa Ann Pinkerton has this preview.

Shaker Heights Windfall - Judy Rawson Interview
Posted Friday, August 4
This week, the city of Shaker Heights came across an $11 dollar windfall in estate taxes - that's about eight million more than it typically collects. The exact source of this small fortune isn't yet clear, though there are some exceptionally wealthy residents who recently died. ideastream's Dan Moulthrop caught up with Shaker Heights Mayor Judy Rawson yesterday to discuss the find.

Hooking Kids on the Creative Fun of Science
Posted Thursday, August 3
30 years ago, the U.S. ranked third in the number of students graduating in science. Today, we've dropped to 17th. One reason for the decline, some say, is that young people simply lack exposure to the field. So in the last decade, programs have sprung up across the country designed to hook kids on the creative fun of science before they reach high school. ideastream's Lisa Ann Pinkerton visited the site of one such effort - an engineering summer camp at Cleveland State University.

National Night Out Against Crime
Posted Tuesday, August 1
Tonight (Tuesday), people in cities across the country will be walking their neighborhood streets in a show of solidarity against crime. National Night Out is a 23-year-old event that features flashlight walks, block parties and cookouts, all aimed at fostering a sense of community. ideastream's David C. Barnett reports now on a west side Cleveland neighborhood that's trying to maintain a sense of safety in a time of diminished police presence.

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