The view from the Idea Center

“ Please no. Please god no. It can’t be true.”

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Kevin Love didn’t even mention NBA legend Kobe Bryant in his heartbroken tweet on Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t necessary. By that time, smartphones everywhere were buzzing with banners announcing Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash. News that his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also killed in the crash came soon after.

The Cavs, in a statement, described being in “disbelief and shock at the horribly sad news.” Tributes are likely at the Cavs’ game tonight in Detroit against the Pistons. Several NBA teams that had games Sunday night took 24-second and 8-second shot clock violations, in honor of the numbers Bryant wore, according to The New York Times.

Another story to keep your eye on this week is the upcoming expansion of EdChoice, the program that allows students at public school buildings deemed underperforming or failing by the state to get a voucher for a private or religious school. Due to a new definition of a failing school, the number of EdChoice-eligible schools in Ohio will more than double to 1,200.

Some state lawmakers are trying to stuff the EdChoice-expansion genie back in its bottle. They want to amend the eligibility guidelines before they go into effect Feb. 1,when students can begin applying for vouchers.

ideastream’s education reporter, Jenny Hamel,  explained on "Morning Edition" today the balancing act these lawmakers face .

“School officials say they are losing millions of dollars but – some parents are really happy about this choice,” she told me.

See you bright and early tomorrow morning on the radio,
Amy Eddings

Need to KnOH

Headlines from Northeast Ohio and Beyond

• Ohio Governor's Award Honors Lorain Arts Advocate Joan Perch
• Summit County Human Trafficking Cases Are Down; Prosecutors Worry About Criminal Shifts
• 75 Years After Auschwitz Liberation, Survivors Urge World To Remember
• Nathaniel Jones, A Cincinnati Civil Rights Icon And Youngstown Native, Dies At 93
• After Contentious Interview, Pompeo Publicly Accuses NPR Journalist Of Lying To Him

Your ideas

It's been 75 years since the Soviet Army liberated the prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp. If you're a survivor or a descendant of one, what thoughts go through your mind on this anniversary? Call us at  (216) 916-6476, comment on our Facebook page or join the conversation in Public Square. We'll feature some of your thoughts and comments here in Noon(ish) and on Morning Edition.