Regional Features: Archive by Date

April 2002

TRW Vs. Northrop/Grumman
Posted Monday, April 29
Lyndhurst-based TRW is fighting for it's life. Defense contractor Northrop/Grumman is trying to gain control of the company with a hostile takeover bid. Almost daily both sides try to convince stockholders to go along with their plans. 90.3 WCPN's Mike West has the latest on the battle over TRW, and the possible future of one of Northeast Ohio's oldest and largest corporations.

Indian Teachers Update
Posted Thursday, April 25
One of the problems faced by many American public school districts is a chronic shortage of teachers, especially in math, science and special education. Scarce new graduates are quickly snapped up by wealthy schools, while more financially challenged districts find themselves casting far afield to find qualified candidates. Last year Cleveland followed the lead of a few other cities, and hired 50 new teachers fresh from India. They arrived six months ago amid some apprehension from skeptics. But the experiment has, by many accounts, gone rather well. 90.3's Bill Rice reports on their progress.

Concerns About Fair Housing
Posted Wednesday, April 24
Today (4/24/02) Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell gives her first state of the city address. It was just a few months ago Mayor Campbell gave her inaugural address and told citizens one her administrations goals was to improve living conditions create a unified community. Those charged with that mission acknowledge fair housing is a big obstacle - and not just for Clevelanders. The Ohio Civil Rights Commission had 442 cases referred to them last year that's up slightly from the year 2000. Akron and Cleveland made up about half of the referrals. But local power is limited when it comes to righting such wrongs. 90.3 WCPN's Tarice Sims reports.

Environmental Effects of Free Trade
Posted Monday, April 22
When the North American Free Trade Agreement was passed by Congress, many environmentalists predicted disaster. They foresaw a pollution nightmare, as industries moved across international borders to take advantage of differences in local environmental law and enforcement. But eight years later, many say the most significant challenges to environmental protection have been made under Chapter 11. That's the clause that allows foreign investors to sue local governments if they believe their trade rights have been violated. Opponents charge these cases have allowed private companies to overturn environmental laws, effectively reducing governments' ability to protect the public good. But NAFTA supporters say closer scrutiny reveals that many challenges were actually brought against trade protectionist measures disguised as environmental law. Both sides will square off next month as Congress debates new fast track legislation that includes similar investor protections. 90.3 WCPN's Karen Schaefer has this report.

Are Independent Gas Stations a Dying Breed?
Posted Friday, April 19
Gas station owners claim they're being run out of business by their own oil companies. The so-called "independent operators" say oil suppliers want to see the end of small, locally owned filling station. They also warn that consumers will ultimately pay the price. 90.3 WCPN's Mike West has the story.

Akron’s Economic Transformation
Posted Friday, April 12
Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic calls his city a secondary market to Cleveland, but he says that's not a bad thing. Over the past few years downtown Akron has undergone an economic transformation. The city felt it had been losing money to its suburbs. However, five years ago, the construction of Canal Park began changing Akron's economic fortunes. At more than $30 million, the stadium project did not initially have unanimous support among the city's residents. But now many businesses are thankful the government took the risk, mostly because of the roughly half million citizens the stadium helps to attract to downtown each year. But as 90.3 WCPN's Tarice Sims reports, both city officials and business owners feel Akron still has a long way to go.

Davis-Besse Repair Meetings
Posted Wednesday, April 10
Last week, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission held a public hearing to present its preliminary findings on the damage at the Davis-Besse nuclear plant near Toledo. In March, plant operator FirstEnergy found that leaking acid had eaten a football-sized hole in the lid of the reactor. The NRC's findings make it clear the company should have detected the damage sooner. Now the Commission must decide if FirstEnergy's proposed repair plan will meet operational and safety guidelines. It's meeting with the company today outside Washington. But nuclear industry watchdogs say any repair would be an experiment, since it's the first time this kind of damage has ever been seen. They're calling for replacement, not repair. 90.3 WCPN's Karen Schaefer reports.

The Real Cleveland Indians - Part 2
Posted Monday, April 8
(As we learned earlier this hour,) the Native Americans who once lived in the Cuyahoga Valley - the original Cleveland Indians - left the area before the first Europeans arrived. But the region's natural resources were too rich to remain untapped. By the early 1700's, other tribes from as far away as Canada drifted south, where they were soon confronted by a growing European population. Those historic tribes were eventually moved onto western reservations. But today's Cleveland Indians have their own story. As 90.3 WCPN's Karen Schaefer reports, it's a story closely tied to activist Russell Means the American Indian Movement.

The Real Cleveland Indians - Part 1
Posted Monday, April 8
Opening Day for the Cleveland Indians baseball team brings with it an annual reminder of Cleveland's true Native American population. For the last several years, a group of local Native American activists has picketed the first few games of the season. They're protesting the use of the Chief Wahoo logo, which they say depicts Native Americans in a racist way. But apart from that protest, few Clevelanders ever come in contact with the city's indigenous people. And even fewer know the long history of Native Americans in Northeast Ohio. 90.3 WCPN's Karen Schaefer brings us this portrait of the real Cleveland Indians.

Minority Health Month Highlights Concerns
Posted Friday, April 5
April is Minority Health Month and earlier this week the city of Cleveland kicked things off with the first local celebration in the country. But, the reality of minority health leaves little to celebrate. The American Heart Association says African Americans and Hispanics have more severe hypertension than whites. Also, African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans have a greater risk of type-2 Diabetes. 90.3 WCPN's Tarice Sims reports on the cultural factors that contribute to such health concerns in minority communities and what the health system is doing to alleviate those problems.

A Quiet Crisis: Enhancing Intellictual Stock at Local Colleges
Posted Thursday, April 4
Bill Rice examines the endowed chair - a distinguished appointment reserved for the best and brightest academia has to offer.

Growing Allegations Plague Catholic Church
Posted Tuesday, April 2
Another lawsuit accusing the Catholic Church of pedophilia has been filed, this time in Toledo. A suburban Columbus woman says she was a victim of abuse for 10 years beginning in 1964. This filing is the latest in a growing list of allegations against the Catholic Church. 90.3 WCPN's Renita Jablonski traveled to Slavic Village and found that regardless of denomination, people are expressing emotions about the issue that are very strong - and very mixed.

Study Shows Black Youth In Trouble
Posted Monday, April 1
African Americans make up about a third of Cuyahoga County's youth population. But according to statistics from the Ohio Department of Youth Services, in recent years African Americans have accounted for nearly 75% of the youth committed to O.D.Y.S. facilities. A new Case Western Reserve Unversity Study examines this disparity, and as 90.3 WCPN's Renita Jablonski reports, local leaders agree that this trend will only continue to grow more severe unless investments are made to strengthen communities.

Update on Inspection of Davis-Besse Hole
Posted Monday, April 1
Federal regulators will brief the public this week on their inspection of the Davis-Besse nuclear plant near Toledo. Last month it was discovered that severe corrosion had eaten nearly all the way through the 6-inch thick lid of the plant's reactor vessel. Since then plant owner FirstEnergy has admitted it failed to inform the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about earlier signs of leaking acid and corrosion. Ohio Congressional leaders are now calling for an investigation of the plant's safety. Meanwhile, energy markets are waiting to hear if the NRC will require costly inspection outages at any of the nation's other 68 nuclear plants of similar design. 90.3 WCPN's Karen Schaefer reports.