Newsmaker: Maury Feren, WWII U.S. Army medic
The Cleveland Heights resident is to receive the French Legion of Honor, the highest decoration the French government can bestow on a foreign national. Feren, now 97, was part of the Allied force that pushed the German army out of France near the end of the war. He served in five major battles, including the Battle of the Bulge and is seen by the French as one of the country’s liberators. He’s well known to Greater Clevelanders as the man who for decades ran Baskets by Maury, a produce business.
Roundtable: Mark Naymik, Metro Columnist, The Plain Dealer; Bob Dyer, columnist, Akron Beacon Journal; Jill Miller Zimon, blogger, Writes Like She Talks.
Kasich Rating Improves
A new poll gives Governor Kasich the highest approval rating of his governorship, 53%. It’s the first time a majority of Ohioans have sided with the Governor. The same poll showed Kasich leading in head-to-head comparisons with Democrats who may challenge him in 2014.
Sequester Festers in Washington
Barring a last minute agreement, the federal government is poised to postpone $85 billion in spending, starting Friday. Sequestration was a poison-pill compromise adopted last year to kick in if Congress and the White House couldn't agree on measures to slow down deficit spending.
Lawsuit Charges Wrongful Death
The families of three students shot and killed a year ago at Chardon High School have filed suit claiming monetary damages from the relatives of shooter T. J. Lane. The suit accuses them of enabling the shootings. Among those named are Lane’s parents and grandparents and an uncle whose gun was the murder weapon. Lane pleaded guilty this week and faces a possible life sentence.
Tales of Snowplows and a Fallen Landmark
The Plain Dealer’s Mark Naymik shone the spotlight recently on Shaker Square, one of the country’s first outdoor shopping malls. Once a showplace, the Square has taken on a tattered appearance with buildings, sidewalks and roadways in need of work. The Square’s owner has pledged the buildings will get exterior paint after the end of winter. Meanwhile, Akron is both amused and appalled at video evidence that a city snowplow operator dutifully plowed a street that was devoid of snow.