Regional Features: Archive by Date

August 2003

Graffiti Arts Festival Embraces Spray-Can Murals
Posted Friday, August 29
Graffiti often draws negative reactions but Labor Day weekend the city embraced spray-can murals. Cleveland Public Art hosted the Second Annual International Graffiti Arts Festival. The idea is to give writing on the wall a new name - "art" instead of "vandalism." But for serious aerosol artists, graffiti already has that connotation. ideastream's Renita Jablonski got a taste of graffiti passion this week. She spent time with some local artists at one of their favorite LEGAL spots, and brings us this sound portrait.

Ethanol: The Challenge (Part 2 of 2)
Posted Wednesday, August 27
Prices at the gas pumps have jumped in recent days and many state officials are now looking toward ethanol. The corn-based additive promises everything from cleaner air to job creation. New state assistance programs now provide money for building ethanol plants. The state also offers tax incentives once the refineries are producing. But many challenges for ethanol lay ahead. Previous efforts to manufacture ethanol have failed and now environmentalists and some researchers warn against its use. ideastream's Mike West has this report.

Ethanol: The Promise (Part 1 of 2)
Posted Wednesday, August 27
Prices at the pump are way up this week. Since the blackout, the cost of a gallon of regular gas in Ohio has been as high as a $1.83 a gallon. Alternative fuels have long been discussed. But have never mounted a serious challenge to gasoline. Perhaps ethanol has come the closest. Many farmers, politicians and business leaders say ethanol shows great promise for the state's struggling economy. About half of Ohio's gas stations already put ethanol in their gasoline. That makes the state one of the top consumers of ethanol, but not a drop is produced in Ohio. ideastream's Mike West reports.

Making Change: Making Change through Technology Transfer
Posted Wednesday, August 20
The area's business leaders believe a new convention center could be the catalyst to economic growth for the region. However, there are others who believe we should be paying more attention and energy encouraging "technology transfer." Tech transfer capitalizes on the region's strengths by taking all that research from places like Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic and finding commercial applications. As part of Making Change: Reinventing our Economy, ideastream's Shula Neuman sheds some light on the economic potential for technology transfer in the region.

In the Dark: Dealing with the Recent Blackout
Posted Monday, August 18
Life seems to be getting back to normal in northeast Ohio after Thursday's massive blackout, but the city is still dealing with some outstanding problems and is waiting, along with the rest of the country, for some answers. ideastream's Renita Jablonski reports.

ideastream Focus on Housing: Hidden Lives
Posted Thursday, August 14
In any city, including Cleveland, many things go unseen. We don't know what goes on in the apartments we pass on the way to work, or what's really happening down by the railroad tracks or underneath a bridge. As part of our series on affordable housing, ideastream's Janet Babin uncovers two lives that otherwise might have remained hidden. She has this profile.

Revamping Local VA Hospitals
Posted Wednesday, August 13
Members of a federal commission looking into revamping the Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities were in Cleveland yesterday. The commissioners heard testimony from Veterans groups and others concerning the proposed consolidation of two area VA hospitals. ideastream's Bill Rice reports.