Regional Features: Archive by Date

January 2003

Witness to War: Clevelander Recalls Tet Offensive
Posted Friday, January 31
We remember where we were when the planes hit the buildings or when the shots rang out in Dallas. But some people have different ghosts haunting their memories - psychic wounds, which become fresh again with the passing of an anniversary. 35 years ago, American troops were fairly new in Vietnam and their involvement was limited relative to what it would become. One of those troops was 25-year-old Cleveland-area draftee Lou Pumphrey who was serving as a public information officer for the Army's 1st Infantry Division stationed at Lai Khe, about 30 miles northwest of Saigon. Pumphrey was asleep the night of January 30th, 1968 when rockets started raining down. It was the beginning of the Tet offensive, a major turning point in the war. Pumphrey had a tape recorder rolling when the bombardment started and helps us witness a key moment in American, as well as Vietnamese, history. He talked about his experiences with Ideastream's Paul Cox.

A Quiet Crisis: Great Universities and their Cities - Part 2
Posted Friday, January 31
Yesterday Severance Hall was the site of a special colloquium on university-city partnerships.

A Quiet Crisis: Great Universities and their Cities - Part 1
Posted Thursday, January 30
Case Western Reserve University and the city of Cleveland are stepping into a partnership they say will touch many sectors of the community.

ideastream Focus on Mental Health: Mental Health Board Profile
Posted Tuesday, January 28
This year voters in Cuyahoga County will be asked to approve a tax levy to support health and human services. It's meant to fund the care provided at Metrohealth Medical Center, the County Department of Children's Services, and other places. It would also provide much-needed funding for the county's Community Board of Mental Health, which is trying to turn around after years of mismanagement. ideastream's April Baer produced this profile of the new local leaders selected to steer the board.

HUD Funding Cuts
Posted Tuesday, January 28
Public housing authorities are taking hard hits from the strained state budget. Now, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is warning local governments that less funding is in the pipeline from federal sources. As ideastream's Janet Babin reports, it's not clear how much less money will be coming, and how Northeast Ohio's public housing residents will be affected.

ideastream Focus on Mental Health: Mental Health Funding Troubles
Posted Monday, January 27
For at least seven months, people with serious mental health problems in Cuyahoga County have not been getting the help they need. The situation may only get worse as state funding cutbacks could mean fewer dollars at the local level. Ohio's constitution mandates that the state shall care for people with Mental Illness. For several years now, local communities have been under enormous pressure to pick up the slack. ideastream's April Baer reports.

ideastream Focus on Housing: HUD Cuts Could Affect Public Housing Residents
Posted Friday, January 24
Public housing authorities are being hard hit by strains on state budgets. Now, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is warning local governments that less funding is in the pipeline to local housing authorities. But just how much less, and how it will affect public housing residents in Northeast Ohio, is unclear. ideastream's Janet Babin reports.

The State of Poverty in Ohio
Posted Thursday, January 23
In the midst of the state's budget crisis, a report from community agencies shows that poverty in Ohio has reached new porportions. ideastream's Karen Schaefer reports.

Team NEO
Posted Thursday, January 23
There are many programs and organizations that are trying to increase business activity in northeast Ohio. But community, political and business leaders agree that more needs to be done. That's why a new player has entered the field. It's called Team Northeast Ohio, or Team NEO. Leaders of the new organization claim they can do a better job in convincing companies to invest in the region. Its mission also includes helping northeast Ohio's established companies with grow and expand. However, some members of business community are already questioning the effectiveness the new effort. ideastream's Mike West has this report.

Making Change: Israeli Bioscience Invades Northeast Ohio
Posted Wednesday, January 22
Northeast Ohio's next great economic engine may be Bioscience. Northeast Ohio business owners, politicians and academics are meeting with 15 biotech companies from Israel this week. The goal of the Bioscience Israel conference is to show Israeli biotech companies why Northeast Ohio is the ideal location to expand their businesses. Last year, ideastream's Shula Neuman reported on the initial efforts to lure Israeli firms, when a regional contingent traveled to Israel. As part of Making Change: Reinventing our Economy, Shula reports on whether both the Israelis and the natives are finding the visit to Cleveland worthwhile.

More Than Just Schools
Posted Friday, January 17
In Cleveland, it could be said, a rebirth is going on. Last year the state awarded more than $800 million to rebuild the school system - that's on top of another $350 million by a local levy. 58 brand new schools will be built, another 50-some completely renovated over the next decade. Such an opportunity comes along only once in a lifetime, local leaders say, and they're envisioning not just a rebuilding of education in the city, but a transformation. ideastream's Bill Rice takes a futuristic look at how schools here might become... more than just schools.

Making Change: NASA Glenn Persues Earthly Goals
Posted Friday, January 17
In order to reinvent our economy, we need to be able to compete with similar regions for new talent and industries. Well a recent survey of eight metropolitan areas found Cleveland trailing comparable regions in several categories, including employment growth. And in our Making Change series, we've discovered today, much of our region's job creation comes from small companies. So, when small businesses succeed... we all win. Well, Cleveland's NASA Glenn Research Center is doing its part cultivate that success... by helping small business owners use cutting edge technology to grow their companies.

Bethlehem Steel on the Block
Posted Tuesday, January 14
At this time last year the steel mills owned by bankrupt LTV in Cleveland looked like they would shut down for good. The company was liquidating and almost ruined their furnaces by turning them completely off. The mills were saved when a group of investors called the international steel group bought LTV. The new owners, led by W.L. Ross are now making steel and profits. Managers of ISG say they are ready to expand by purchasing the bankrupt Bethlehem Steel Corporation. ideastream's Mike West looks whether the young company is biting off more than it can chew.

Will Lake Erie Succumb to E-Botulism?
Posted Monday, January 13
There's a new threat to Lake Erie's health that's been affecting wildlife populations on the eastern end of the lake for the last three years. A virulent form of botulism known as Type 'E' has been responsible for the deaths of more than 6,000 rare and endangered birds in New York state alone. Countless numbers of different species of fish have also perished. E-botulism is a normal part of the Great Lakes ecosystem, but such outbreaks are rare. Scientists think the outbreak could be linked to the same conditions causing the growth of new dead zones in Lake Erie. No cases of e-botulism have yet been verified in Ohio, but experts are concerned it could be headed our way. ideastream's Karen Schaefer reports.

Making Change: Living Downtown
Posted Wednesday, January 8
Only one Cleveland neighborhood showed residential growth over the last decade, and it may not be where you would expect. According to the census, "downtown" experienced a 28 percent increase in population. Advocates for downtown redevelopment are hailing the news, and this week, the new owner of the Galleria officially announced plans to revive the struggling mall. With more people living downtown, the mall may stand a better chance of surviving. As part of Making Change: Reinventing our Economy, ideastream's Shula Neuman reports on the boom-let in residential housing and how the continued growth of downtown could contribute to the growth of all of Northeast Ohio.

No Child Left Behind
Posted Tuesday, January 7
It's been about a year since Congress passed an education bill calling for mandatory annual testing of school children nationwide. Known as the "No Child Left Behind" Act, the measure also requires detailed tracking of children's academic progress. States' reactions have been mixed. Some say implementing the standards is too costly and resent the federal intrusion - Nebraska is even challenging the constitutionality of the Act in court. In Ohio "No Child Left Behind" is embraced at the state level, but some local school administrators say they'll be hard-pressed to meet the federal standards. ideastream's Bill Rice has more.