Regional Features: Archive by Date

April 2003

ideastream Focus on Mental Health: Are the Bases Covered? Staffing in Community Mental Health
Posted Wednesday, April 30
As Cuyahoga County's Health and Human Services levy draws near, people who work in mental health have a lot on their minds. Funding for their field is in shaky condition. Many are concerned about whether staffing levels are adequate to meet demand. ideastream's April Baer reports.

Assessing Damage After Mentor Marsh Fire
Posted Wednesday, April 30
The fires are out at Mentor Marsh and wildlife officials are assessing the damage. A Cleveland botanist says the burning of 320-acres of Phragmites grass could actually be the opportunity marsh managers need to restore the area's original ecology. ideastream's Karen Schaefer has more.

ideastream Focus on Mental Health: Consumers Struggling For Independence
Posted Tuesday, April 29
Studies have suggested that poverty can increase your risk for developing mental illness. It's also true that mental illness can increase your risk of poverty. Every day, people from all walks of life are diagnosed with mental illness. The one thing they all have in common is a fear of becoming less independent. According to the Ohio Department of Mental Health, seventy eight percent of people receiving government assistance for mental disabilities are living below the poverty level. Ironically, some choose not to work, having found they simply can not afford to become more independent. ideastream's April Baer reports.

ideastream Focus on Mental Health: A Visit to the Near West Woodworks
Posted Tuesday, April 29
There are a number of program throughout the city of Cleveland that provide special support to people trying to work while they deal with with mental illness. One of these is a woodshop perched on the corner of West 25th Street. It's run by Spectrum of Support Services. Near West Woodworks employs up to twenty five people with mental illness, helping them develop job and social skills to get back on track. We visited Near West Woodworks and spoke to clients about their lives, work, and the subtleties of using a staple gun. (Special thanks to ideastream intern Liz Walker for production work on this story.)

Lorain Income Tax
Posted Monday, April 28
Like many communities around Ohio, the city of Lorain is facing a sizable budget deficit this year. Revenues are down in the Lake Erie port where steel and automaking are still the key industries. Lorain has also lost more than a million dollars in state funding and has had to scale back some emergency services. The state auditor has placed the city under fiscal watch until it can turn its projected $2.4 million deficit around. A broad coalition of community leaders - among them the Republican mayor - is supporting a temporary income tax they believe will put Lorain back on its feet. But one Democratic challenger says the temporary tax may not be enough to do the job. Ideastream's Karen Schaefer reports.

Shaker Lakes Nature Center Renovation
Posted Friday, April 25
This Saturday the Shaker Lakes Nature Center will unveil a renovated building showcasing sustainable architecture and building practices. Staff of the non-profit environmental education group are hoping the new building will encourage others to try greening their homes and businesses. Ideastream's Karen Schaefer has more.

Amphibian Decline
Posted Tuesday, April 22
For more than a decade, scientists the world over have been concerned about what appears to be a global decline in the number of frogs, toads and other amphibious species. It's not clear what's behind the loss of population and finding those answers may be complex. Scientists suspect there may be a number of different factors at work in each instance where declines have been documented. In order to discover what those factors are, researchers need to study how a given population behaves over a period of time. But there are surprisingly few such studies underway in the U.S. ideastream's Karen Schaefer takes us to one such project in Summit County, where a biologist and his students from the University of Akron are studying spotted salamanders.

The Competitive World of Temp Hiring
Posted Tuesday, April 22
Advocates for the poor and homeless say temporary workers are being abused. That's why they are starting their own hiring hall. Organizers want to offer workers training, social services and better pay. But some industry insiders say it can't be done in the competitive world of temporary hiring. ideastream's Mike West has this report.

Accounts of the Gulf War
Posted Monday, April 21
Journalists all over the world are still debating an article that ran in the New York Times last week. In the article, CNN Chief News Executive Eason Jordan admitted to withholding stories of torture and brutality by Saddam Hussein. Jordan says the silence was necessary in order to protect the lives of staffers working in CNN's Baghdad bureau. Media groups have criticized Jordan's decision to keep quiet, saying it was more of a business move to allow the network's Iraqi headquarters to stay open. One local woman disagrees. Now a master gardener in Cuyahoga County, Cookie Krizmanich worked with Jordan when he was head of CNN's international desk. After years of covering war zones and natural disasters, she shares a different point of view. ideastream's Renita Jablonski reports.

Huron’s Trauma Unit to Remain Open
Posted Friday, April 18
The man in charge of the Cleveland Clinic Health System's eastern operations says while the city has dodged a bullet, there are still many financial problems facing hospitals and emergency rooms. This week Clinic officials announced that the trauma unit at Huron Hospital would be shut down. A team of specialized surgeons decided to discontinue their contract at Huron, and at first it seemed they would not be replaced. Under pressure from local political leaders, the Clinic has agreed to keep the trauma unit open, drawing on staff from other hospitals. But Charlie Minor, President and CEO of the Cleveland Clinic's Eastern Region, says while the unit will remain open in the foreseeable future, there's little hope in sight for long term relief. He spoke with ideastream's April Baer.

Health and Human Services Levy Taxing on Voters
Posted Thursday, April 17
When Cuyahoga County voters head to the polls this May, they won't be picking their favorite candidates. Aside from a few charter amendments in some localities, taxes will be the prevailing question. Only one tax issue will be on the ballot county-wide; the county health and human services levy, which expires at the end of 2003. The HHS levy has enjoyed broad support from voters in the past. But today's tough economy makes this a precarious time to ask residents to vote themselves a tax increase. ideastream's Bill Rice reports.

Making Change: Investments, Athersys and NEO’s Biotech Future
Posted Wednesday, April 16
Northeast Ohio boasts two high-tech, emerging industries whose growth is considered vital to the region: polymers and bioscience. With University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University and The Cleveland Clinic within spitting distance of each other, it's no surprise that small bio-science firms are emerging. Recently, however, the region's most visible firm, Athersys, is rumored to be looking for another city to call home. As part of Making Change: Reinventing Our Economy, ideastream's Shula Neuman reports on what role Athersys-and the entire bio-tech industry-may fit into our local economy.

China Trade
Posted Monday, April 14
The "Made in China" label used to carry the reputation of cheaply made, poor quality goods. But that image is changing as the list of Chinese-made goods coming to America is now almost endless. It's been a good for consumers who enjoy low prices. Business managers are also happy with the arrangement. Lower manufacturing costs equal higher profits. Besides that, many say they're forced to use foreign factories because their competitors are doing the same thing. But at least one group is unhappy. ideastream's Mike West reports that some workers say the Chinese are taking their jobs.

Ohio Federation of Teachers Conference
Posted Monday, April 14
Over the weekend Ohio's largest education organization concluded its three-day annual conference in downtown Cleveland The Ohio Federation of Teachers has 53 local affiliates statewide, including Cleveland. Laying out its agenda for the coming year, OFT officials made it clear the group hasn't abandoned the battle over equity in the schools. ideastream's Bill Rice reports.

Blue Star Mothers
Posted Friday, April 11
Even though the war in Iraq appears to be winding down, bullets are still flying in Baghdad. At home many Americans are displaying the familiar colors of Old Glory in support of U.S. troops. But another emblem of red, white and blue has begun to appear in the front windows of some U.S. homes and businesses. The blue star service banner is hung by families who have loved ones serving in the military during wartime. Its 86-year history began right here in Ohio. But few now recall how widely it appeared during WWII or what it meant to the neglected veterans of the Vietnam era. ideastream's Karen Schaefer profiles the blue star program - and reminds us what it means when blue stars turn to gold.

Interview with Ruth Wade
Posted Friday, April 11
Web Exclusive - Wade was a part-time case worker for the Canton American Red Cross Chapter at the time the Blue Star Mothers feature aired. The following interview was conducted by ideastream's Karen Schaefer.

ideastream Focus on Mental Health: Who’s Taking Care of Children’s Health?
Posted Monday, April 7
The welfare of Ohio's most vulnerable populations is being called into question, as Ohio and its counties try to mend their ailing budgets. Among groups believed most at risk - children struggling with mental illness. The Federation for Community Planning recently commissioned a survey on mental health care. Its preliminary results suggest that only 16% of Cuyahoga County's children in need are being served. There is growing concern that the health care system is failing to provide overall psychiatric facilities for people under eighteen. In an interview aired Monday, April 7th 2003, ideastream's April Baer recently spoke about the problem with Dr Robert Findling, director of child and adolescent psychiatry for University Hospitals Health System.

ideastream Focus on Mental Health: Going Only Halfway: Covering the Costs
Posted Monday, April 7
There are 23 agencies that receive money from Cuyahoga County to provide services for children. However, each has a different mandate, and a different way of navigating the complicated web of funding. Beech Brook began as an orphanage 150 years ago. Today its staff cares for children with a variety of needs, from those in foster care to kids living in risky situations at home. In an interview first aired Monday, April 7th, ideastream's April Baer spoke with Beech Brook's executive director Mario Tonti about the demand for services.

Ret. Admiral William Crowe Visits Cleve, Part 2
Posted Friday, April 4
In the second part of the interview, broadcast Friday, April 4th, Admiral William Crowe commented on the apparent discord between Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and some of the nation's top military leaders. Admiral Crowe says these disgreements are best viewed in context of a larger question: what is the role of the military in American society?

Media Consultant Telling Stations to Play It Safe
Posted Friday, April 4
A Cleveland-based consulting firm has been sending an unmistakable message to radio stations all over the country - know where you stand on the war. McVay Media compiles polling data on radio listeners, and then issues recommendations based on those polls for music and talk stations across the country. ideastream's April Baer called the company's president Mike McVay, to ask what he's telling stations about war coverage.

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