Regional Features: Archive by Date

October 2001

Drawing Conclusions: Cartoonists and September 11th
Posted Wednesday, October 31
Some of the strongest commentaries on the events of September 11th have come from the pens of editorial cartoonists. From effusive patriotism to savage rage, these artists have been creating images that react to a tragedy which words have failed to fully convey. 90.3 WCPN's David C. Barnett spoke with three of them.

Mayoral Control of Cleveland Schools
Posted Tuesday, October 30
Not long after the next mayor of Cleveland takes office in January another campaign will get underway - one that will shape the future of Cleveland's public schools. Both mayoral candidates - Jane Campbell and Raymond Pierce - say the school district has improved since Mayor Mike White took control of it in 1996. Whoever wins will have to take a stand on whether control of the district should remain in the mayor's hands. That question goes to citizens as a ballot referendum next year. 90.3 WCPN's Bill Rice has this report.

Mayor’s Race In Cleveland
Posted Monday, October 29
With no incumbent on the ballot, voters in Cleveland will choose a new mayor Tuesday for the first time since 1989. Both candidates are liberal democrats in their forties. Both say if elected they'll improve education and access to healthcare. But with an electorate distracted by terrorist attacks and no clear distinctions between the candidates, for some racial differences may be a deciding factor. From member station 90.3 WCPN, Janet Babin reports.

Security Assured at Oberlin Air Traffic Control
Posted Friday, October 26
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control center in Oberlin has made a public statement designed to reassure residents about security at the facility. 90.3 WCPN's Karen Schaefer reports.

Mayor’s Race - Finances
Posted Friday, October 26
Pre-General Election Finance Reports for the Cleveland mayoral candidates are in - 90.3 WCPN's Janet Babin reviews the reports for Jane Campbell and Raymond Pierce.

Big 8 School Districts Discuss Student Achievement
Posted Thursday, October 25
Education leaders from Ohio's eight largest school districts gathered in Cleveland this week to strategize on how to implement new state accountability standards. 90.3 WCPN's Bill Rice reports.

Is Our Airport Security Good Enough?
Posted Tuesday, October 23
Congress is back in session today and some lawmakers are hoping to revive debate over a new aviation security bill. The Senate unanimously approved legislation three weeks ago that would make the nation's 28,000 airport screeners federal employees. But House members remain divided over the issue. Democrats support federalizing airport security, while Republicans favor federal oversight of private security companies. Both parties agree on other security measures such as strengthening cockpit doors and putting more federal air marshals on domestic flights. But some people - among them the world's largest union of flight attendants -say other security loopholes are not being addressed. The bottom line is that many people are still afraid to fly. 90.3 WCPN's Karen Schaefer reports.

Venture Capital in Cleveland
Posted Friday, October 19
Some business leaders say the region has sat on the sidelines while other parts of the country have cashed-in on high tech economy. Many experts insist a lack of venture capital is to blame for the failure to attract more new companies. 90.3 WCPN's Mike West looks at what it takes to match good ideas with money from investors.

Making Affordable Housing Available
Posted Tuesday, October 16
Housing for low-income residents is in short supply in Cleveland, and the number of affordable units - along with people's ability to actually afford them - continues to diminish. Now housing advocates are worried that cuts in the state budget could add to the problem. 90.3 WCPN's Bill Rice reports.

Mayor’s Race - About Race
Posted Monday, October 15
Cleveland's two Mayoral Candidates seem to be having trouble disagreeing. Until recently Ray Pierce and Jane Campbell would speak gingerly about their differences during debates. Plus the two had to deal with a public not in the mood for polarization, after terrorist attacks ignited the urge for solidarity among all Americans. Many voters remain undecided, but those who have made a choice often end up citing race and gender as partial reasons for their decision. Could these basic differences end up deciding who the city's next Mayor will be? 90.3 WCPN's Janet Babin reports.

DNA Tests Release Man on Bond
Posted Friday, October 12
A few days ago Anthony Michael Green got his first taste of freedom. Yesterday, on his way to a celebration in honor of his stepfather, he said he thought about asking the driver to pull over and let him simply stand on the side of the road to experience a world without walls. Green was released on bond after serving 13 years of a combined 50-year sentence, for the rape and robbery of a terminally ill Cleveland Clinic cancer patient. The horror of that crime brought about what many people are calling another tragic situation - locking up a potentially innocent man. 90.3 WCPN's Tarice Sims reports one family's determination to free one of their own.

Stabilizing Funding for NASA Glenn Research Center
Posted Thursday, October 11
The price of a war against terrorism is putting new strains on the national defense budget. In order to meet those and other costs relating to the attacks of September 11, Congress seems to have temporarily abandoned its concerns with deficit spending. Nonetheless, some Ohio lawmakers and business leaders remain concerned about on-going funding problems at the state's second largest federal research laboratory. With the economy on the downswing, they say it's more important than ever to keep the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland going strong. 90.3 WCPN's Karen Schaefer reports.

Indian Teachers Arrive in Cleveland
Posted Friday, October 5
In past years the Cleveland Municipal School District has struggled to come up with enough math, science and special education instructors to fill its classrooms. But district officials have now discovered it's really not all that tough - as long as you're willing to travel halfway around the world. That's what they did last spring, and this fall Cleveland welcomed a group of new hires recruited from India. 90.3 WCPN's Bill Rice caught up with some of them shortly after their arrival in September, and has this report.

DNA Testing May Set Man Free
Posted Thursday, October 4
This week a Grafton Correctional inmate was expected to be released from prison after serving 13 years for a rape and robbery charge. Instead, the prosecution was granted another continuance for a hearing to introduce DNA evidence on behalf of Anthony Michael Green, so they can run their own tests. Despite this delay Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Anthony Calabrese has agreed to release him on bond next week so he will be able to attend his stepfather's retirement celebration. Green was convicted of rape and robbery in 1988 - since then he has been in prison serving a 50-year sentence for the crimes. But about a month ago, a DNA test was done that might prove he's the wrong man. 90.3 WCPN's Tarice Sims reports.

Cleveland National Guard Mobilized
Posted Thursday, October 4
Ohio National Guard units are being mobilized for deployment in U.S. military actions against terrorists. Next week it's the turn of the 135th MP Company in Brook Park. 90.3 WCPN's Karen Schaefer has the story.

Primary Election - Mayor’s Race
Posted Wednesday, October 3
And then there were two who would be Mayor. Cleveland voters have decided which two mayoral candidates will vie for the top spot next month. One is a political veteran with years of experience, the other is an attorney who's never held elected office. 90.3 WCPN's Janet Babin reports on the primary election for mayor of Cleveland.