Regional Features: Archive by Date

July 2001

The Future of Cleveland Public Health
Posted Tuesday, July 31
Cleveland's mayor-elect, Jane Campbell, is in the process of formulating a transition team to fill key positions at City Hall. Ms. Campbell says one of her first priorities will be to set the city's troubled health department in order. Dr. Carla Harwell, M.D. is a physician with University Hospitals Health Care System. Several days per week, you'll find her treating patients at the Otis Moss Jr. Ambulatory Care Center. She sees a range of clients, including people from some of Cleveland's low income neighborhoods. This summer, we asked her where she thought the next mayor's focus should be for public health.

Ohio’s Gold Rush
Posted Monday, July 30
When gold was found at Sutter's Mill in 1849, Ohioans were among those who joined the California Gold Rush, hoping to strike it rich. Most came home empty-handed, but a few returning '49ers tried panning Ohio streams. To their surprise, they found tiny flakes of gold. Today that discovery is still celebrated by a group of dedicated amateurs from the Gold Prospectors Association of America. Every Labor Day Weekend they sponsor an Ohio Gold Rush near the site of the state's first gold strike. As 90.3 WCPN's Karen Schaefer reports, there's gold in these Ohio hills.

National Auto Mechanic Shortage
Posted Tuesday, July 24
The people who repair cars and trucks can earn a good living. Today's vehicles are loaded with technology and are getting more complicated all the time. Trained professionals are required to fix modern vehicles, but fewer people are learning how. The industry is facing a shortage of 60,000 mechanics workers and is forced to go to great lengths to find help. 90.3 WCPN's Mike West reports.

Ohio Party Politics: The Republicans
Posted Friday, July 20
The Ohio state government is firmly under Republican control, but it wasn't that long ago when the reverse was true. In 1986 Democrats held majorities in both the House and the Senate, and democrat Richard Celeste held the governor's seat. Less than a decade later Republicans had taken over both legislative chambers and the governorship, and today they hold virtually all the elected executive offices as well. But no one - Democrat or Republican - takes it for granted that the GOP's dominance is here to stay. Ohio politics is volatile, and both sides say any number of things could turn the political tide by the 2002 election. In the first of two reports on state party politics in Ohio, 90.3 WCPN's Bill Rice looks at how Republicans are preparing to maintain their control in Columbus.

New Information On Our Bipedal Ancestors
Posted Friday, July 20
Last week in the journal Nature, paleontologists working in Ethiopia announced the discovery of some new human fossils that push back the date for the origin of our species to nearly six million years ago. The finds also show that walking upright - a trait researchers have long used to distinguish humans from other primates - is as old as humankind itself. 90.3 WCPN's Karen Schaefer reports.

Ohio Party Politics: The Democrats
Posted Friday, July 20
Being in the minority is often no fun, and perhaps no one in Ohio understands that more than Democrats occupying state government seats. Democrats have been out of power for a good decade now, and party leaders are itching to regain at least some of their former clout in Columbus. While elections for state offices are still more than a year away, Democratic strategies are beginning to take shape. In the second of two reports on party politics in Ohio, 90.3 WCPN's Bill Rice looks at what Democrats see as their best chance for success in 2002.

The Streak Stops Here
Posted Tuesday, July 17
An American baseball battle competed with European war reports for a couple of months in the spring and summer of 1941. A nervous nation on this side of the Atlantic was at least temporarily distracted by one of the most impressive feats in the history of baseball. 90.3 WCPN's David C. Barnett reports on how that history came to a climax in Cleveland, 60 years ago.

The Effects of Foot-and-Mouth Disease
Posted Friday, July 13
The sight of gaunt cattle, wasting away on British farmlands presented a disturbing sight for American TV viewers this past February. So far, no instances of Foot-and-Mouth or "Mad Cow" disease have shown up in Ohio. 90.3 WCPN's David C. Barnett reports on efforts keep it that way.

Catching Up With Camelot, Part Two
Posted Thursday, July 12
Cleveland developers are moving forward this week with plans to demolish the abandoned Ward Bakery building. But as the wrecking ball does its work reducing the building to rubble, an unresolved conflict still stands tall: the fate of a dozen homeless people who lived in this building, and called it Camelot. Last summer, the group brought the demolition to a halt by refusing to leave, over three days of protests and prayer. The squatters' didn't exactly win their fight-the court case they filed has fallen apart in recent months. But the battle for Camelot paved the way for one couple who helped fight it. One year after leaving the building, Pamela Wagner and her fiance, Eduardo Lauriano have a roof over their heads and a steady paycheck. But their world is anything but stable. 90.3 WCPN's April Baer continues her report, "Catching Up with Camelot." (Photos of Camelot demolition by Pete Dell)

Catching Up With Camelot, Part One
Posted Wednesday, July 11
Demolition continues this week on a building that once was a haven for downtown Cleveland's homeless. The abandoned Ward Bakery near East 55th and Chester was slated for redevelopment by the city last summer. But that redevelopment project became a battle for squatters' rights last August, when about a dozen squatters refused city orders to leave the crumbling building, which they affectionately called Camelot. The group including two very passionate activists named Eduardo Lauriano and Pamela Wagner. Eduardo Lauriano- Where we gonna go? I dunno where we're gonna go. Maybe we'll go to the police station, sleep at their home! Maybe we'll go to the mayor's house! How do you like that? Pamela Wagner- There needs to be more space for mothers and children in the shelters. I just spent the past month in Akron, because there was not enough room for mothers in the shelter! Eduardo and Pamela's story brought issues of homelessness and poverty to light in a way that was hard to ignore. With two children, sub-standard job skills, and limited financial prospects, they represent the lifestyle of over 40% of the population of Cleveland, according to statistical reports gathered last year by the Federation for Community Planning. While the legal case over squatters' rights hasn't come to fruition, their struggle goes on. 90.3 WCPN's April Baer recently caught up with Pamela and Eduardo, to see how their lives have changed.

The Tall Ships Set Sail
Posted Tuesday, July 10
The majesty of 14 tall ships recently graced the Cleveland waterfront, attracting thousands of visitors to the coast of Lake Erie. This collection of ships, part of the Tall Ships Challenge Race Series, brings back an old-time sailing era to today's spectators. 90.3 WCPN's Paul Cox has this report. (Photos by Karen Schaefer)

Preserving Sheldon Marsh
Posted Monday, July 9
An important state nature preserve appears threatened by development. Over a year ago, Barnes Nursery in Huron dredged an irrigation channel to Lake Erie along the edge of Sheldon Marsh. Owners say once complete, it will actually replace lost wetland habitat. But some local residents and at least four government agencies don't agree. They want the preserve to be restored to its former state. 90.3 WCPN's Karen Schaefer brings us this report on the battle over Sheldon Marsh.

Rare Skin Cancer in African Americans
Posted Friday, July 6
Most people believe skin cancer is caused by over-exposure to the sun and not enough sunscreen. And for the most part that's true - exposure to ultra-violet rays from the sun is the number one cause of skin cancer - but it's not the only cause. For the most part, those with darker skin pigmentation have a natural sun protection factor, so when a skin cancer diagnosis is made it's a horrible surprise. 90.3 WCPN's Tarice Sims reports one African American victim who is struggling to understand this rare illness.

The Thrashing Popularity of Skateboarding
Posted Tuesday, July 3
The economy may be slowing, but skateboards are rolling out of stores quicker than ever. Over the last 40 years, skateboarding has withstood safety concerns, insurance issues and recessions to become one of today's hottest individual sports. Chances are you've seen neighborhood kids jumping off the curbs in area parking lots or taking advantage of the local skatepark. As 90.3 WCPN's Renita Jablonski reports, it's media attention that has the wheels of skateboarding spinning at record speed.