NBC launched a new series this week dealing with the drama inside the world of musical theater.   The show, “Smash,” is also funding outreach that brings theater professionals to 20 schools across the country.

The only Ohio school to get the special training is in rural Portage County.  Jeff St. Clair reports

New I-90 bridge plan
Regency Windows closes
Planned Parenthood affiliates merging   Jeff St. Clair reports

FirstEnergy is a step closer to building an electrical substation to power an 85 million dollar expansion at Republic Steel’s Lorain plant. The expansion may mean as many as 450 jobs.

The plant will need an additional 100 megawatts of power to operate a new steel furnace. That’s the equivalent to powering about 60 thousand homes.

The Ohio Power Siting Board’s staff approved FirstEnergy’s preferred location for the station on Lorain’s east side. Now, the board is ready to take public comments.

FirstEnergy spokesman Mark Durbin says he is not expecting much opposition to the substation.  Valerie Brown reports

  Jeff St. Clair reports

The Fair Finance trustee has filed lawsuits for tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars over the two years since the small Akron-based lender collapsed.  But this week, he went after more than a billion dollars from lenders who helped the now-indicted owners acquire the company.  WKSU’s Tim Rudell reports on the pursuit of deep pockets.  Tim Rudell reports

Consumers are giving more  thought to where food is grown.  For fresh taste, health benefits, and the good of the local economy, many Northeast Ohioans patronize family farmers.  To meet the increased demand, farmers are planting and harvesting even while the cold winds blow and the snowflakes fall.  For today’s Quick Bite, WKSU’s Vivian Goodman introduces us to a year-round farmer from the northeastern edge of the state.  Vivian Goodman reports

For the second time in a month, Vice President Joe Biden was back in Columbus Thursday.

This time, he was speaking at an Ohio Newspaper Association event. And as Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles reports, Biden’s message was upbeat and optimistic.  Jo Ingles reports

Five of the nation’s largest mortgage companies have agreed to pay $25 billion to settle complaints that they’d ripped off homeowners. Ohio's attorney general has plans for spending the state’s share -- $335 million. Statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen reports.  Bill Cohen reports

Gov. John Kasich’s second State of the State address has gotten mixed reviews in Ohio and around the country. It’s been called “stirring but vague” and “rambling,” and one headline noted it contained “little meat.”

But Gov. Kasich says he’s not deterred by what’s been written and said about him in the wake of the speech.  Karen Kasler reports

Ohio is expected to get more than $300 million from today’s multi-billion-dollar national settlement with five mortgage lenders. 

The Ohio part of the settlement includes more than $100 million in loan modifications, and 44 million dollars in cash for those who lost their homes because of fraud on the part of the banks.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown has been pressuring the banks to modify mortgages for more than two years.  Laura Fong reports

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown estimates Ohio communities could get 6 billion dollars to keep raw sewage out of rivers, streams, lakes -- and basements --- if Congress passes The Clean Water Affordability Act

Brown reintroduced this week a bill originally sponsored by retired Republican Sen. George Voinovich in 2009. It would help communities replace outdated sewer systems that overflow during downpours. 

Brown says he expects bi-partisan support for the bill, which will help communities pay for upgrades that cost billions of dollars.  Laura Fong reports

  Amanda Rabinowitz reports

Congressional redistricting has created a long, narrow district that snakes along Lake Erie from Toledo to Cleveland.  The new 9th District pits longtime Democrats Marcy Kaptur of Toledo and Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland against each other in the March primary. WKSU’s Kevin Niedermier reports on how the candidates are selling themselves to voters on opposite sides of the state.  Amanda Rabinowitz reports

Ohio is expected to get more than $300 million from a national settlement with five mortgage companies.  The five agreed to pay $25 billion nationwide and admitted to using fraudulent foreclosure practices.

Statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen reports that Ohio homeowners will get a share of the settlement cash, but Attorney General Mike Dewine emphasizes that the state will also use some of the money in an unusual way:  Bill Cohen reports

The man convicted of setting the deadliest fire in Cleveland history is getting a new trial

Antun Lewis was convicted last year of setting a house fire that killed nine people—including eight children. Today (Wednesday), a federal judge granted Lewis a new trial saying the prosecution witnesses were unreliable.

Angelo Lonardo is one of Lewis’ defense attorneys.  Valerie Brown reports

One of the biggest barriers some students face entering college is finding the cash to pay for it. The Akron public schools and the University of Akron are looking to fix that part of the equation. They’re planning to guarantee top students a full-tuition scholarship to the University of Akron. 

Expanded Coverage

The U.S. Supreme Court has dealt Ohio's leaders a setback when it comes to the death penalty. The justices will not take up a decision made by a lower court that's put Ohio's death penalty on hold until certain conditions are met. In an interview with Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says the high court is refusing to allow the execution of a man convicted of killing a Trumbull County couple in 1986.  Jo Ingles reports

For months, environmental activists have been calling for a moratorium on the drilling technique known as horizontal fracturing (fracking) – at least until it’s declared safe by the federal EPA. Ohio’s attorney general is not joining the call for a moratorium, but he is joining the environmentalists’ call for tougher rules on fracking. Statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen reports.  Bill Cohen reports

Ohio manufacturers, high-tech companies, and researchers will soon be able to transmit computer data 10 times faster. That’s because of a huge improvement in Ohio’s broadband network. John Conley helps oversee it. In an interview with statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen, Conley gives examples of what the new improved system will allow.  Bill Cohen reports

  Amanda Rabinowitz reports

In the NFL, the key to winning is in a team’s so-called family tree. And it plays out much like a Shakespearean tragedy. NFL teams align themselves with one of two families who have very different styles of play. The Cleveland Browns have the “father” of one of those families at its helm -- team President Mike Holmgren. But, after two seasons, they’ve had little success. WKSU commentator Terry Pluto talks with Amanda Rabinowitz about the family structure and how the Browns plan to make it work.  Amanda Rabinowitz reports

Ohio’s congressional delegation plans to meet Thursday with the state adjutant general to talk about cuts in the Air National Guard and Reserves.

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman says the meeting was set up after the Air Force floated restructuring plans last week that will affect installations in 33 states. They include the Youngstown Air Reserve Station.

Six aging C-130 Hercules aircraft are now based in Youngstown. The Air Force plans to replace them with four modern versions. Portman says he and the rest of the delegation just want to make the case on the value of the base.  M.L. Schultze reports

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich wrapped up his campaign swing through Ohio today with a stop in Cleveland. The former House speaker toured the Jergens company, which makes fasteners for manufacturing processes, WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports the visit came a day after Gingrich did poorly in 3 other state's primaries, a fact he ignored in Cleveland.  Kevin Niedermier reports

Clarification: Gov. Kasich is considering leasing the turnpike but not selling it. The original version of the story said both options are being considered.


In Tuesday’s State of the State address, Gov. John Kasich says Ohio could benefit from leasing the turnpike, but he isn’t going to rush into it.

The Department of Transportation will decide Monday whether to approve a nearly $3 million contract for a Texas consulting firm to study privatizing the turnpike. The new contract is twice the original proposal, but ODOT says the additional cost will allow a more thorough study.

Gov. Kasich says he is open to other options. And in his speech, he maintained that the state would not give up complete control of the 241-miles of toll road.  Valerie Brown reports

The northeast Ohio branch of Susan G. Komen Foundation says it is ready to put recent controversy behind it and Tuesday’s resignation of a national senior vice president should help.

The resignation followed backlash over Komen’s plan to cut funding to Planned Parenthood. Komen’s new policy would have prohibited funding for groups under federal investigation, and a congressman opposed to abortion launched an investigation into Planned Parenthood last year.

Sophie Sureau is executive director for the northeast Ohio branch. She says the new policy made sense at first, but the agency was not certain what Komen meant by “investigation.”  Valerie Brown reports

Ohio Gov. John Kasich delivered his second State of the State address Tuesday at a school in Steubenville. Kasich’s main theme was Ohio’s economic comeback.  Bill Cohen reports

The 2012 primary season is in full swing in Ohio. Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich came to Cincinnati Tuesday. State polls show he’s ahead of fellow candidate Mitt Romney. From Ohio Public Radio member station WVXU, Tana Weingartner reports.  Tana Weingartner reports

The Summit County Port Authority plans to use a new type of tax credit to get private investors to put up money for business and real estate ventures.

That’s part of a strategy that the Port Authority unveiled Tuesday morning to help create and retain jobs. The authority manages some 71 million dollars in assets, much of which finances the expansion of businesses in Summit and elsewhere in the region. Toby Rittner is the president of the national Council of Development Finance Agencies. Rittner says using public finance is essential to Summit County’s economic recovery.  Laura Fong reports

  Amanda Rabinowitz reports

Governor John Kasich is breaking with tradition by delivering his State of the State speech at Wells Academy in Steubenville today. The 300-student public elementary school is one of the highest rated schools in the state.

Expanded Coverage

Kurt and Noele Wimmer had big plans for the isolated, triangular plot of land they bought in North Ridgeville in 1974. But nearly four decades later, the Lorain County couple is fighting the power company to save 50 trees in their back yard. WKSU’s Kabir Bhatia has more on a case Ohio’s highest court will decide.  Kabir Bhatia reports

Cleveland’s struggling school district needs to embrace good charter schools, revamp teachers’ union rules, and give more flexibility to high-performing schools.

Those are some of the main goals of a new school reform plan unveiled by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.  He says Cleveland’s schools need to be reinvented to stop the downward slide fueled by poverty and population loss.

As WKSU’s Kevin Niedermier reports, the mayor says his plan supplies the urgency needed to fix the school system, but not everyone is convinced.  Kevin Niedermier reports

Marlington Local Schools got a $50-thousand check from the State of Ohio Monday.  The money will help repair buildings.  But it was not a grant.  And, it wasn’t the State’s money--it actually was Marlington’s. WKSU’s Tim Rudell explains.  Tim Rudell reports

Activist groups on Ohio's political left are lambasting a group on the political right for what they contend is "undue" influence over Ohio legislators.  Bill Cohen reports

Healthy workers are less likely to get injured on the job, but if they are injured, they recover more quickly than others. That's why the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation is now offering grants to companies that set up wellness programs for workers. Administrator Steve Buehrer says the first step is a health assessment of each employee.  Bill Cohen reports

A redeveloping area around the University of Akron is getting more security. Starting at midnight tonight, there will be five to eight private security officers patrolling 15 blocks during overnight hours. University Park Alliance is a nonprofit organization that’s working to revitalize 50 blocks of the city surrounding campus. The group is spending 300-thousand dollars a year for the service.  Bill Cohen reports

A former dumping site for sediment dredged from Lake Erie is open today as a wildlife habitat.

Dike 14, now called the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve is an 88-acre patch of land east of Cleveland. The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority took over the property and has been working for several years to allow visitors to use the site as a wildlife retreat.

Harvey Webster is with Cleveland Museum of Natural History. He says he hopes area schools will use the new preserve as a “land lab” for science classes. He says the park may also bring some additional income into the city from what he calls an eclectic group of consumers.  Valerie Brown reports

Republican Governor John Kasich’s decision to move his state-of-the-state address to Steubenville may be unprecedented, but it’s not drawing major fire from a former Democratic governor. Richard Celeste says he’s okay with it.  Bill Cohen reports

Governor John Kasich will give his State of the State address tomorrow (at one today), but—for the first time in nearly a century—the speech won’t be delivered on Capitol Square in Columbus. Kasich will give the annual speech with a joint session of lawmakers at Wells Academy, one of the state’s highest performing public elementary schools.  Jo Ingles reports

  Jeff St. Clair reports

Ohio is on its way to becoming a national leader in waste-energy production.  At least that’s the vision of one company that turns bio-waste into natural gas and electricity.

In this week’s Exploradio   -  how a cow’s belly could be the model for Ohio’s energy independence.  Jeff St. Clair reports

It will be easier to get emissions testing for your vehicle this summer. Drivers have complained that there are too few e-check stations in Northeast Ohio.
The testing is required every two years for drivers in seven counties, including Summit and Cuyahoga, because of ozone pollution in the region.
Starting in June, the test will be offered at more than 50 auto repair shops and 16 self-serve kiosks.
Lube Stop President Tom Morely says the free electronic test will take about ten minutes.   Maranda Shrewsberry reports

Ohio is revving up its campaign against prescription painkiller abuse. You’re likely to see or hear it in several ways.  Bill Cohen reports

Four out of every 10 college freshman in Ohio have to take at least one remedial course. That’s a class that essentially teaches what students should have learned in high school.

The Board of Regents wants to reduce that number by eliminating remedial classes at the state’s four-year universities. It says that will save the state, universities, and students money. StateImpact: Ohio’s Ida Lieszkovszky visited Wright State University in Dayton to talk to students taking remedial classes.

Expanded Coverage

The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2012 includes three players eligible in their second year, and one who has been out of the game for more than five decades.   Kabir Bhatia reports