Ivory-billed woodpecker, Ohio catfish among 23 species determined extinct

In September, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing 23 species from the Endangered Species Act.  The service said in a release that it had determined the species to be extinct based on the “best available science for each of the species.”  

Those species include the ivory-billed woodpecker—the largest in the United States.  Several other species of birds are on the list  including eight native to Hawaii. The list also includes several species of freshwater mussels, a bat, plants and fish—including a small catfish known as the Scioto madtom that was found only in the Big Darby Creek in central Ohio.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says climate change and loss of natural habitat are pushing more species to the brink.

 But first on The Sound of Ideas,  we begin with a discussion about a bill the Ohio House Republicans introduced last week that supporters say will give parents more choice in how to educate their children.  But opponents say the so-called "backpack bil" could harm the public education system as we know it in Ohio.  The bill would make every school aged child in Ohio eligible for a voucher for private education, regardless of their family income. It is called a backpack bill because the voucher money follows the student, as if they take it with them in a backpack.

 We are less than three weeks out from the November General Election and the selection of Cleveland's next mayor. Justin Bibb and Kevin Kelley have been picking up endorsements and campaigning across the city to consolidate their voter blocks. This week the two met in the final mayoral debate presented by Ideastream Public  Media in Partnership with The City Club of Cleveland.

A recent poll released by Baldwin-Wallace University's Community Research Institute puts Justin Bibb ahead of Kevin Kelley by nine points.  The poll, however, found 40% of voters remain undecided.

We have been covering the race and candidates in-depth since July and we pick up the campaign in our podcast with the final debate meeting between the two candidates.  You can follow the After Jackson: Cleveland's Next Mayor podcast and download it from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and NPR One.  We will also continue to bring you the episodes weekly here on The Sound of Ideas.

Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV 
Gavin Svenson, Ph.D., Director of Research & Collections, Cleveland Museum of Natural History 
Tierra Curry, Saving Life on Earth Campaign Director, Sr. Scientist, Center for Biological Diversity