Regional Features: Archive by Date

March 2003

Urban Budget Woes
Posted Monday, March 31
Last fall's guarded optimism for a quick economic recovery has, in many quarters, shifted to grim resignation to a more entrenched slowdown. The news is especially bad in urban centers, where many of the state's poorest citizens are concentrated. In and around Cleveland, many advocates for the poor say recent and pending cuts to the state budget are crippling efforts keep their constituents housed, fed and working. Last week they detailed their plight before the legislative committee of city council, which is backing a push to get some of those funds restored. Ideastream's Bill Rice reports.

Making Change: Thinking Big: Debating the Convention Center
Posted Friday, March 28
During a special one-hour call in show, we'll discuss the merits of these arguments in favor of a new convention center and we'll weigh the flaws of the proposal. Our guests and your phone calls will explore the issue of whether or not such major investments offer any substantive return for individual taxpayers.

ideastream Focus on Mental Health: Local Services - Slipping Out of Balance
Posted Thursday, March 27
State and federal budget reductions are putting heavy strains on community mental health services. Overall spending cuts in Governor Taft's budget proposal are estimated to reach one and a half billion dollars over the next two years. Yesterday, we looked into the kinds of cuts the state is considering. In the meantime, local leaders are trying to do more with less. In some places, like Cleveland, they have asked for levy support from voters. But since levies are a tough sell in weak economic times, cuts in basic mental health services are becoming more likely. ideastream's April Baer reports on how cuts have shaped the local menu of services.

ideastream Focus on Mental Health: Budget Cuts and Mental Health
Posted Wednesday, March 26
Ohio is on a collision course with a three billion dollar budget deficit. Hard times have taken a toll on the state's savings, revenues, and investments, and drastic measures are being considered to balance the 2004-2005 state budget. The proposed cuts are threatening a number of different services, among them, mental health. ideastream's April Baer reports on what the cuts are going to mean.

Portrait of an Iraqi Woman
Posted Tuesday, March 25
It's almost a week since the war with Iraq started. Unprecedented media coverage has allowed us a peek into what it may be like from a soldier's perspective. A Cleveland area woman who used to call Baghdad home has been awake since the first day of the war. She shares her perspective with ideastream's Renita Jablonski.

Stepping Forward to the USO
Posted Monday, March 24
Anti-war protests were staged throughout the state this weekend, and right here in northeast Ohio. Meanwhile some people in the area were busy working to support U.S. troops, or stepping forward to become part of the ranks themselves. ideastream's Renita Jablonski spent time this weekend at the local United Services Organization facility and filed this report.

International Aid for Women
Posted Wednesday, March 19
March is a month when we celebrate women. Throughout Women's History Month we pay tribute to their contributions. On International Women's Day we highlight their needs. But there's an organization in Cleveland that focuses on women 365-days a year. And they do so around the world and right around the corner. International Partners in Mission recently relocated its headquarters to Cleveland. ideastream's Karen Schaefer has this profile.

Making Change:  The Big Deal on Public Investments
Posted Wednesday, March 19
There are many questions surrounding Cleveland's proposal to build a new convention center, including cost, location and timing. Since voters may ultimately be asked to approve public funds for a new center, one big question must be answered... will it really have the economic impact so many are promising? As part of Making Change: Reinventing Our Economy, ideastream's Shula Neuman wondered if ANY public investment has ever paid off.

Waterfront Planning
Posted Tuesday, March 18
Cleveland is a city that was founded on the water. Lake Erie provided the benefits of waterborne transportation and the Cuyahoga River offered industrial sites close to Great Lakes shipping. During the Rust Belt years, many of those enterprises declined and the city turned its back on the water. But recent renovation in the Flats and Mayor Jane Campbell's new waterfront planning initiative have revitalized interest in what a focus on the water could do for the community. One Cleveland group that promotes sustainable urban design has created a tool to help citizens identify elements of a successful waterfront. ideastream's Karen Schaefer reports.

Working After Military Service
Posted Friday, March 14
Over 27,000 Ohioans are members of the National Guard and Reserves. Nearly 3,000 have already been called into service and the number increases almost daily. They leave behind families, jobs and friends. But military breadwinners also have to pay bills while serving their country. To make matters worse, some are bound to return from war injured and not able to do their old jobs. ideastream's Mike West explores the economic aftershocks of being called to military duty.

Revealing Plans for the Convention Center
Posted Friday, March 7
Plans for a new convention center in Cleveland will be shown to Northeast Ohioans next week. It will be the first opportunity for the public to receive a formal presentation of each of the proposed sites. Residents however have already started weighing in on the plans. A series of meetings kicks off a public process in the convention center debate that has been absent until now. ideastream's Renita Jablonski reports.

Student Protesters Converge on Public Square
Posted Thursday, March 6
Wednesday was a day of protest against the looming war with Iraq for many students across the country. The National Youth and Student Peace Coalition, and Not In Our Name, or NION, organized the nationwide effort. The Northeast Ohio Anti-War Coalition, and the local NION chapter helped mobilize students in the Cleveland area. The early part of the day found some leafleting intersections and hanging banners at strategic public places. In the afternoon students converged on Public Square for an anti-war rally and march. 90.3's Bill rice reports.

Transforming Dire to Desirable
Posted Wednesday, March 5
Thousands of people in Cuyahoga County are desperate to get into subsidized rental apartments, and remain on waiting lists. Despite the great need, many of the available units are run down, unkempt, even dangerous. While tenants are making great strides at improving subsidized housing, ideastream's Janet Babin reports that a commitment from a private owner can transform a site into a desirable place to live.

Making Change:  Building it Green
Posted Wednesday, March 5
The latest trends in building technology are apparently turning back the clock. Cleveland is about to see its first "living roof" on a commercial building. Think of a "living roof" as something you might see in ancient Babylon---you know, the hanging gardens. The rooftop is just one component of the area's first green, commercial building. It will grow atop the Cleveland Environmental Center, which opens for business this spring. As part of Making Change, ideastream's Shula Neuman tells us why environmentally conscious construction could be part of the solution to Reinventing our Economy.

Minority Franchising Key for Commercial Development?
Posted Tuesday, March 4
Inner-city Cleveland is in economic trouble. Blocks of run down houses border some of the best hospitals in the world. Large expensive homes overlook vacant lots and condemned houses. These urban neighborhoods were once vibrant communities. However, efforts are being made to revive them. New houses are being built and there are financial incentives for commercial development. But some businesses leaders say it's not enough. They insist an important ingredient is missing - franchises. ideastream's Mike West has this report.

Coping with the Frozen Earth
Posted Tuesday, March 4
It has been a very harsh winter in northeast Ohio. But some jobs have to be done despite months of freezing temperatures. Construction workers in northeast Ohio are finding ways to cope with frozen earth in order to keep people on the job and their business moving forward. ideastream's Mike West has this report.

ideastream Focus on Housing: The New Life Community
Posted Tuesday, March 4
In her State of the City Address, Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell promised to build 1,500 new housing units. But affordable housing options in Northeast Ohio continue to dwindle. Advocates say Cleveland has lost 1,000 units of affordable housing over the last three years, and up to 4,000 are on Cuyahoga County Metropolitan Housing Authority waiting lists for subsidized housing. Even scarcer are programs that prepare families for the rigors of finding and being able to pay for a home. One program that teaches women with children to find a job and a place to live, is New Life Community in Cleveland. The program transforms homeless and jobless women with children into self-sufficient, productive members of society. ideastream's Janet Babin reports.