Regional Features: Archive by Date

December 2007

A Year of Living Dangerously
Posted Monday, December 31
The lives and deaths of Cleveland teenagers were a major focus of news stories this past year -- a teenage robber shot to death by his intended victim; a 15 year old girl stabbed to death with a steak knife; an enraged ex-boyfriend shoots an 18-year-old girl in the face. These reports seemed to come once a month, each adding to the sense of dismay around Cleveland over escalating conflict and violence among urban teens. ideastream®'s David C. Barnett recalls some of the more high profile cases, the fallout, and residents' response to a violent year in the city.

ACLU Calls For Changes In Cuyahoga County Elections
Posted Friday, December 28
Voting rights advocates are warning Cuyahoga County elections officials that if they move forward with a plan to switch to a new voting system, they may be violating state law. ideastream's Tasha Flournoy has this report.

Northeast Ohio Remembers Benazir Bhutto
Posted Friday, December 28
Northeast Ohio Pakistanis are closely watching the chaotic events in their native country following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Thursday. Ideastream's David C. Barnett has more.

Steelyard Commons Now
Posted Monday, December 24
Many Clevelanders are scrambling to finish up last-minute shopping today. This year - for the first time - city residents who favor the shopping center experience can find it in their backyard. Steelyard Commons, the city's first big-box retail center, just recently opened. Some controversy surrounded the complex when it was in the planning stages, mostly surrounding its anchor tenant, Wal-Mart Supercenter, and competition to existing businesses. Now that it's built and open for business, it appears to be attracting shoppers from near and far. ideastream's reporter Tasha Flournoy has more.

Cleveland Heights Officials Propose Income Tax Hike
Posted Friday, December 21
For the first time in nearly 30 years, Cleveland Heights workers and residents may end up paying higher income taxes. City officials say the city is cash-strapped and plan to put the issue on the March 2008 ballot. ideastream's Tasha Flournoy has more.

Toledo Science Museum Closing
Posted Friday, December 21
Toledo's science museum, unable to muster more support from voters, has announced it will close at the end of the year. More than 3 million people have visited the museum in its nearly 11 years of operation. But, museum officials say they can't afford to stay open. ideastream's Tasha Flournoy has this report.

Secretary of State will Break Tie on Cuyahoga’s Voting Machines
Posted Friday, December 21
Cuyahoga County elections board members were evenly divided yesterday on whether to scrap the county's touch-screen voting system and switch to optical scan machines. Now the decision will likely be made by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who supports adopting an optical scan system before the March 4 presidential primary.

Last Day for Eastside Catholic Center and Shelter
Posted Friday, December 21
Today is the last day of business for The Eastside Catholic Center and Shelter. The 22-year-old agency provided shelter for homeless women and children as well as drug treatment programs. ideastream's Mhari Saito reports.

Age Discrimination Examination
Posted Thursday, December 20
Tens of thousands of age-discrimination suits are filed every year in the United States and complaints tend to rise in a faltering economy. No surprise then that Ohio has had its fair share of age discrimination cases given all the job losses here in recent years. One of the largest settlements in the state involved an Aurora life insurance executive. He was awarded $16 million in damages but the case is on appeal. One recent study by researchers at Ohio State University showed that there is a spike in lawsuits involving workers in their 60s. That's due in part, the researchers found, to employer efforts to reduce pension and health-insurance costs by targeting older workers during layoffs. Ellen Simon, a plaintiffs attorney in Cleveland, has been in the forefront of some of the biggest cases in the state. She says discrimination often also occurs at a slightly younger age.

State Government: Unfinished Business of 2007
Posted Thursday, December 20
Electric bills, payday loans, and cocaine are among the issues that Ohio legislators wrestled with this year but didn't take final action on. As part of our look back at 2007, statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen reports on some of the "unfinished business" that lawmakers hope to wrap up next year.

Remembering J-Shawn
Posted Thursday, December 20
Several hundred people gathered last night in Glenville, last night, to memorialize the death of another Cleveland teenager. Ideastream's David C. Barnett has this report on an emotional service held for J-Shawn Richardson, an aspiring artist who was gunned down in a robbery attempt, last Saturday.

State’s Judges Test Mediation in Foreclosure Suits
Posted Thursday, December 20
Ohio judges are trying mediation to help with tide of foreclosure suits.

Board of Elections Deciding Fate of Touchscreens
Posted Thursday, December 20
The four-member Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is meeting again today to consider the fate of touch screen voting. ideastream's Dan Bobkoff has a preview.

Rock Hall Inductions Coming to Cleveland in ‘09
Posted Wednesday, December 19
It's been a frustration for Clevelanders for years. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has held its inductions in New York and other cities since the museum's founding. Well, that's about to change. ideastream's Dan Bobkoff has the story.

Santiago Survives Recall
Posted Wednesday, December 19
The first recall of a city councilman to make it all the way to a vote since the Cleveland City Charter was adopted came down to 251 votes. That means Ward 14's Joe Santiago will serve the rest of his term. ideastream's Kymberli Hagelberg has more.

Ford Making Gains
Posted Wednesday, December 19
There was some interesting news this year in Consumer Reports' issue on automobiles. Toyota -- which has long won top awards for reliability -- slipped a bit. And Ford -- which has struggled with reliability in past surveys -- made some sizable gains. Out of 44 models, Ford scored average or better on all but three. To try to get an idea how things have changed at Ford's factories in Northeast Ohio and around the world, ideastream's Eric Wellman spoke with Gary Johnson, Ford's global quality director for manufacturing.

A Look Back at 2007 State Government
Posted Wednesday, December 19
2007 was the year that two dozen strippers came to the statehouse to lobby Ohio legislators against proposed limits on x-rated businesses. The unusual scene symbolized some of the hot-button issues that lawmakers dealt with during the year. This week, statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen has been reviewing the year in state government. Today, a look back at that and other bills that lawmakers approved.

Akron Council President Wants Police Chief’s Resignation
Posted Wednesday, December 19
Akron City Council President Marco Sommerville used the bully pulpit of his unanimous reelection to call for the resignation of the city's police chief. ideastream politics reporter Kymberli Hagelberg has more.

Voter Advocates Criticize Ohio Plan
Posted Wednesday, December 19
A group of voting rights advocates released a report Tuesday that criticizes Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's plan to fix the state's voting problems. ideastream politics reporter Kymberli Hagelberg reports.

Learning Chinese Gaining Popularity in Schools
Posted Tuesday, December 18
If you think back to when you were in high school chances are Chinese was not among the language offerings. French, Spanish and Latin were certainly the big three. And for the most part they still are today. But these days a growing number of school districts are offering Chinese as early as middle school. There are about a dozen districts in Greater Cleveland that are offering it, including Beachwood. It's in the process of fazing Chinese in and fazing French out. Now in its third year, there are about 70 students in the program. Phil Wagner is assistant superintendent of the Beachwood Schools and oversees the curriculum. ideastream's Eric Wellman spoke with him about the change.

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