http://www.wksu.org/news/ WKSU News Headlines en-us Copyright 2010, WKSU Radio Thu, 2 Sep 2010 10:41:43 -0400 WKSU RSS Generator 1.2 East Canton High School remembers fallen soldier killed in Afghanistan Akron City Council approves November ballot issue to fund police and fire services Summit County judge to rule on DNA evidence of police captain convicted of murder WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26210 Thu, 2 Sep 2010 09:49:57 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Ohio Baubles, bangles and beads are joining the bubbling fountains in The Avenue at Tower City. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26199 Thu, 2 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Kabir Bhatia Arts and Entertainment A new report from the Ohio Supreme Court shows that after a four-year decline, Mayor's Courts are handling more cases again. These are courts run by villages and small towns outside the state judicial system. They hear cases involving local laws, and most often, speeding tickets -- often tied to towns with notorious reputations as speed traps. Defenders of Mayor's courts say they are more efficient than municipal courts and add revenue to cash-strapped towns. They haven't won over former State Representative Larry Wolpert from Ohio's 23rd district near Columbus. He led the fight to do away with Mayor's Courts. And he lost. He says it's time Ohio did away with them, "there's no overview, they're not court of record,they basically have no rules. They're totally ad-hoc based in that little community." Cuyahoga Falls mayor Don Robart believes his city's move to mayor's court two years ago will save money. According to Robart, "hosting the municiple court cost Cuyahoga Falls 8 million dollars over the past 20 years." Two counties lead the state in the number of Mayor's Court cases, Hamilton County surrounding Cincinnati, and Cuyahoga County. WKSU's Jeff St. Clair reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26197 Thu, 2 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Jeff St. Clair Ohio Douglas Prade was convicted of murdering his ex-wife in 1997. He has insisted since the time of his arrest that he is innocent. And now he's trying to get new DNA tesing in the case. Summit County Common Pleas Judge Judy Hunter heard arguments about that Wednesday. WKSU's Tim Rudell reports WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26208 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 21:23:42 -0400 Tim Rudell Crime and Courts Next year, Cuyahoga County will print all ballots and election materials in both English and Spanish under an agreement between the Board of Elections and the U.S. justice department. The board voted along party lines -- Democrats Sandy McNair and Inajo Davis Chappell voting for the settlement. Republicans Jeff Hastings and Rob Frost voting against. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner cast the tie-breaker in favor of the agreement. Jose Feliciano, head of the Cleveland Hispanic Roundtable, says the bilingual ballots will empower citizens who were educated in Puerto Rico. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26207 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 17:46:24 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Politics The CSPA will vote on the tentative agreement Wednesday night. It is the only one of the city's unions that agreed to concessions both this year and last year. The concessions include furloughs, a wage freeze and a delay in longevity pay. Union President Chuck Victor says failure to ratify an agreement would result in layoffs. WKSU's M.L. Schultze and Alison Ritchie report. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26206 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 17:39:33 -0400 M.L. Schultze and Alison Ritchie Ohio Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic says a personnel clerk is responsible for a mix-up this week in police layoff notices, and the police union is responsible for the layoffs themselves. The city is laying off 40 police officers unless the union makes contract concessions. Akron sent out the notices beginning last week before it discovered it made a mistake calculating seniority for six officers. So it rescinded those six layoff notices, and sent new ones to six others. Union President Paul Hlynsky blasted the mayor and maintains the layoffs are a sham, as are the city's budget projections. Plusquellic defends the layoffs as necessary and the mix up on notices as an honest mistake by a clerk. And he fired back with a litany of police misdeeds over the years. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia and Tim Rudell report. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26205 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 17:18:30 -0400 Kabir Bhatia and Tim Rudell Government Akron and Summit County have merged health departments. After a year of negotiations, the president of the county health commission and Akron's mayor signed a deal effectively folding the city's health department into the county's. WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26204 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 17:15:51 -0400 Tim Rudell Government The two sides generally agree on the issues contested. The staff union is demanding a long-term contract to guarantee pensions, job security, and health care benefits. The OEA worries about accepting that, because the union depends on dues from working teachers, and next year there could be big layoffs. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26203 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 17:02:46 -0400 Bill Cohen Ohio Continental Airlines C-E-O Jeff Smisek says the soon-to-be merged Continental/United airlines is still committed to Cleveland...and he dismisses a report that flights to and from Hopkins Airport could be cut by more than 80-percent. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier says Simsek is denouncing the report r as a distortion of the facts. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26201 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 16:26:31 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Economy and Business Mayor Don Plusquellic says he feels terrible about a mix-up in layoff notices in the Akron Police Department, but won't blame the clerk who made the mistake. He does, however, continue to blame the Akron police union for the layoffs themselves. The city says without contract concessions, it must lay off 40 officers. It sent out the notices beginning last week before it discovered it made a mistake calculating seniority for six officers. So, it rescinded those six layoff notices, and sent them to six others. Union President Paul Hlynsky blasted the administration, saying it's playing with people's lives, has created a sham financial crisis and doesn't need to lay anyone off. Today (Wednesday), Plusquellic blasted Hlynsky, saying he's picking on a clerk whose department has been cut by two thirds. WKSU's M.L. Schultze and Tim Rudell report. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26200 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 16:19:46 -0400 M.L. Schultze and Tim Rudell Government A Northeast Ohio man was among five soldiers killed when a bomb exploded in Afghanistan Monday. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Kessler was 32 and a graduate of East Canton High School, where he was remembered for an ornery but never-failing smile. The school district is dedicating a new building tomorrow (Thursday) and will have a moment of silence for Kessler. He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Support Battalion, and his unit was attacked in the Arghandab River Valley of Afghanistan. He and the other four who were killed were all based at Fort Carson, Colo. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26198 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 14:37:55 -0400 Kabir Bhatia People First Energy has applied to keep a historically troubled power plant operational for the next two decades. The Akron-based energy giant has applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the operating license of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station another 20 years past its current expiration date of 2017. First Energy shut the plant for four months this year after discovering problems with cracked nozzles in the reactor head. First Energy spokesperson Todd Schneider says those issues and others will be resolved. Chris Wallis reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26195 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 11:24:34 -0400 Chris Wallis Environment U.S. Senate candidates Lee Fisher and Rob Portman will hold three one-hour debates before the November election. They'll be in Toledo, Cleveland and Columbus and will be conducted by the Ohio Newspaper Organization, a consortium of the state's eight largest newspapers. The Cleveland debate will be at the City Club on October 8th. Other details on dates and locations have not yet been announced. Portman, a former congressman and trade representative, and Fisher, Ohio's lieutenant governor, are running to succeed retiring Senator George Voinovich. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26194 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 11:21:27 -0400 M.L. Schultze Politics Ohio veterans won't be taxed on their bonuses after all. That's the word from the IRS. Statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen reports. WKSU's Bill Cohen and Casey Braun report. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26193 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 10:04:12 -0400 Bill Cohen and Casey Braun Ohio State telling people to avoid contact with water at LaDue Reservoir Akron mistakenly notifies six police officers of lay-offs Summit County celebrates the opening of its new animal shelter WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26192 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 09:07:05 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Ohio Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller's recently disclosed leukemia hasn't kept him away from his regular spot in the Indians press box, while Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown is severing all his ties with the Cleveland Browns. WKSU commentator Terry Pluto talks about the approach of the two men and the two teams. WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26191 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 05:45:24 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Sports Last night the candidates vying for the most powerful county-level position in the state participated in their last forum before next week's partisan primaries. Seven candidates for Cuyahoga County executive...three Republicans, three Democrats and one Green party member, took questions at Cleveland State University. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26189 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:17:58 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Government Here are exerpts provided by the White House on President Obama's speech tonight on the war in Iraq. The speech will air at 8 p.m. on 89-7, WKSU... http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26188 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:28:02 -0400 Politics Akron says it mistakenly notified six police officers they are being laid off, and is rescinding their layoff notices. But now it will be laying off six other officers. The city said today (Tuesday) that it miscalculated the seniority of some officers when it sent out notices over the past four days. But now six other officers who thought their jobs were safe will get notices tomorrow (Wednesday) that they're the ones who will lose those jobs. The city is laying off 40 police officers, saying it can't avoid the cuts unless the police union makes contract concessions. The union has questioned the city's math and motives. The contract dispute has gone to fact finding. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26187 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:56:07 -0400 M.L. Schultze Government The state is now telling people to avoid all contact with the water in LaDue Reservoir. It upgraded the advisory on the reservoir based on the results of the latest testing for toxic algae blooms. The reservoir is in southern Geauga County and is connected to Akron's drinking water supply. But state officials have tested the treated drinking water separately and say it is safe. Another area reservoir, East Branch, is under an algae advisory at lower levels than LeDue. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26186 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:42:26 -0400 M.L. Schultze Environment Provisions in the ethics code would prohibit county officials from accepting certain gifts of hiring relatives. David Freel, executive director of the Ohio Ethics Commission, said the county is trying to set a higher standard than just what's legal. Alison Ritchie reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26185 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:04:02 -0400 Alison Ritchie Ohio A national conference of railroad supply companies was held Tuesday in Columbus for the 3-C project. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26184 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:24:23 -0400 Bill Cohen Ohio The dispute over who is hosting the Gay Games in Cleveland is heating up, with letters from lawyers over everything from trademarks to art work. But all sides still say they want the games in Cleveland in four years. Hundreds of receipts, documents and e-mails involving the city of Cleveland, the Federation of Gay Games and the Cleveland Synergy Foundation document growing concerns in the spring and early summer over the foundation's ability to host the games in Northeast Ohio in 2014. And now a letter from the attorney for the federation to the attorney for the Synergy Foundation demands that Synergy stop using any material related to the Gay Games and stop presenting itself as the host because that's "factually incorrect and misleading." The federation pulled the plug on Synergy in early July, saying it had violated the licensing agreement to host the games. That's about the same time Cleveland was raising questions about how little private money the foundation had raised for the games and about documentation for money the city had advanced to Synergy. Valarie McCall is chief of government affairs for Mayor Frank Jackson. She says she doesn't want to exaggerate the problems, but "These are taxpayers' money and we have a fiduciary responsibility to the public to ensure the trust. ... We live in Cuyahoga County right now and we're going to ensure we do everything by the books, here." Synergy's attorney, John Climaco, would not comment on the record, but the group has insisted it is the legal licensee for the games, and has fulfilled it obligations. The city fronted Synergy nearly $67,000 to win Northeast Ohio's right to host the games and approved $700,000 more to get the games going. Beyond the trademark demands, the letter from the federation also demands the return of artwork loaned to Synergy by a federation board member. WKSU's Vivian Goodman reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26183 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:13:28 -0400 Vivian Goodman Sports Parts of the new federal health care reform law will begin Wednesday. Additional health care reforms will be put in place later this month, including one that allows parents to keep their adult children on the family health care plan until age 26. However, opponents of the new law say it's an expansion of government that will have negative repercussions. WKSU's Jo Ingles reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26182 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:13:18 -0400 Jo Ingles Health and Medicine The Federation of Gay Games is demanding that Cleveland Synergy Foundation stop representing itself as the host of the games in Cleveland and Akron in 2014. The San Francisco-based governing body for the games notified Synergy in July that it was terminating its license, a move Synergy is fighting. That was about the time that the city of Cleveland was raising questions about Synergy's lagging fundraising and documentation of some of its expenses. The city had authorized more than $750,000 toward the games. In a letter dated Monday, attorneys for the Federation demand that Synergy stop using any Gay Games logos and other materials, saying it risks infringing on copyrights. It also wants back private artwork loaned to Synergy by a federation official. Synergy and its attorneys would not comment on the record. But it has said that it remains the legal licensee for the games. Meanwhile, the City of Cleveland wants more documentation regarding the money it gave Synergy to bid for the games and begin staging them. I talked earlier today with Cleveland's Chief of Government Affairs Valarie McCall and the President of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, David Gilbert. WKSU's Vivian Goodman reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26181 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:41:50 -0400 Vivian Goodman Sports Cuyahoga County officials are planning ways to re-hear thousands of property tax cases after a lawyer affirmed this week that the way the county has been doing things for years is illegal. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports that Monday's legal opinion more than doubles the backlog of cases involving hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate taxes..... WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26179 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:51:50 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Government James Traficant's supporters are jubilant after the Mahoning County Board of Elections decided the former congressman and convicted felon has enough valid ballot signatures to run again for Congress. Werner Lange is a volunteer with the Traficant campaign. He says after a hard fight to get Traficant on the ballot, his supporters expect a sweet victory in November. And Lange says he's not looking for political allies. Chris Wallis reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26178 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:21:31 -0400 Chris Wallis Politics Mahoning County Board of Elections allows Traficant to run as an independent Illegal closed-door sessions lead to backlog of Cuyahoga County tax cases Judge orders mental health treatment for bear owner after fatal attack WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26177 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:48:07 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Ohio The national Center for the History of Psychology is in Akron. Who knew? Not that many people. That's one reason why the Smithsonian-affiliated archive and museum is moving into a big new home. WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. WKSU's Tim Rudell and Christopher Wallis report. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26169 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Tim Rudell and Christopher Wallis Science and Technology The alliance also wants immunity for people who call 9-1-1 when they've witnessed an overdose. WKSU's Jo Ingles reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26176 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:38:10 -0400 Jo Ingles Health and Medicine State Auditor Mary Taylor says the Ohio Lottery Commission is -- for the most part -- doing things right. The agency had nearly $2.5 billion in sales in the year ending in June and is in sound financial shape. But Republicans have questioned how the lottery is running, and Taylor launched the review over the objections of the agency. She is the running mate of Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich. But her audit includes no findings against the lottery, and endorses the lottery's switch to a new vendor and its process to evaluate vendors. And it says, overall the lottery is well run. Taylor does say it could save money by cutting 30 staff positions and closing two regional offices. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26175 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:31:47 -0400 M.L. Schultze Ohio A legal opinion issued today says the Cuyahoga County Boards of Revision should redo thousands of property tax assessments affecting hundreds of millions of dollars in property values. All are linked to so-called "closed-door" rulings that never had a legal basis. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports on the opinion provided by a Columbus tax attorney...... WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26174 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:03:06 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Government The new legal opinion says those 16,000 people will have to be offered new hearings to challenge county auditors' assessments of their properties. Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones said the county will do whatever it needs to do to expedite hearings. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26172 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:50:55 -0400 M.L. Schultze Ohio The City of Akron has reached a tentative deal with another of its five unions. The Civil Service Personnel Association will be voting on the package Wednesday. It represents about 350 clerical and administrative workers. And it is the only one of the city's unions that agreed to concessions this year and last year. The concessions include furloughs, a wage freeze and a delay in longevity pay. Yet the union was still facing layoffs when its contract expires next month. The two sides have been negotiating since December. Akron has already reached deals -- including concessions -- with its firefighters and service workers unions. It's gone to fact-finding with police and nurses. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26171 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:50:41 -0400 M.L. Schultze Government Former Cleveland Indians star Manny Ramirez is expected to be back on the field in Cleveland tonight -- but this time wearing a White Sox uniform. The Dodgers are trading Ramirez to Chicago to finish out the final 32 games of the season. The White Sox are hoping he'll help the team's fading hopes of clinching the American League Central Division. Ramirez debuted with the Indians in 1993 and stayed with the team for seven years, where he set the Indians' single-season record for RBIs at 164. Ramirez went from Cleveland to Boston and then spent parts of the last three seasons with the Los Angeles. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26170 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:14:40 -0400 M.L. Schultze Sports Employees at the Worker's Compensation Council have settled a religious discrimination lawsuit Authorities have found more than 40,000 pot plants in Ohio this month Two new research vessels being built for the Great Lakes Science Center are expected to help strengthen research on Lake Erie WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26168 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:56:33 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Ohio About 400 Chrysler dealers, including those from Ohio, are gathering in Detroit today to try to decide if they want to start selling Fiat and Alfa brands. Fiat became the dominant partner of Chrysler when the automaker went into bankruptcy last year, and plans return to the U.S. market in December with its subcompact Fiat 500. Among those in Detroit is Chuck Eddy of Austintown, who told The Detroit News he needs to know more about what Fiat will require in the way of facilities, staffing, capitalization and marketing. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26167 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:01:50 -0400 M.L. Schultze Economy and Business An Ohio EPA task force says water quality in western Lake Erie has taken a dramatic turn for the worse this past decade after years of improvement. Phosphorus from agricultural runoff is blamed for toxic blooms of blue-green that endanger humans, fish and wildlife. Outbreaks this year led to warnings being posted in East Harbor, near Sandusky, and more than a dozen inland lakes advising visitors to avoid the water. The EPA's Linda Merchant-Masonbrink says we need to better understand how phosphorus moves from the land into the watershed. But she says funding for testing is limited with with the EPA looking at only about a dozen lakes. She's disappointed that after years of success, meeting clean water standards is once again a challenge - "everything improved so much in the 90's, and now we're back to where we started really in the 70's." The EPA Phosphorus Task Force recommends changes to agricultural practices to reduce runoff. They say farmers need to limit the amount of phosphorus-based fertilizers used, and to adjust the time of year they're applied. WKSU's Jeff St. Clair reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26166 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:34:57 -0400 Jeff St. Clair Environment Ohio is getting 400 million dollars in federal "Race to the Top" money, including about 30 million dollars for Cleveland and nearly 10 million dollars for Akron. Education officials are now planning on how to spend that money. WKSU's Karen Kasler reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26159 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Karen Kasler Education The Ohio Department of Transportation wants more than 11 million dollars in federal funds to begin preparing for electric cars. ODOT is seeking a share of the 600 million dollars the U.S. Department of Transportation has set aside for innovative programs across the nation. If approved, Ohio will use the money to buy nearly 140 electric vehicles for universities and other public and private institutions. It will also set up nearly 900 charging stations across the state. Scott Varner, ODOT's deputy director, says his department is the first leading a unified effort towards an electric future. Chris Wallis reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26153 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Chris Wallis Environment The Joffrey Ballet returns to Blossom after a successful concert last season, which marked the first ballet at the summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra in three decades. WKSU's Vivian Goodman reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26051 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Vivian Goodman Arts and Entertainment Low levels of bacteria causing algae blooms across the state have been found in treated public drinking water in Ottawa county. That water is drawn from Lake Erie. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency tested eleven public drinking water systems, and found small amounts of microcystin, the algae toxin that could harm the liver, in two of the water supplies. The amounts found are well below World Health Organization guidelines. And consumption advisories have not been put into effect. Chris Wallis reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26165 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:35:25 -0400 Chris Wallis Environment Visitors seem to be flocking to Wingfoot Lake despite a toxic algae alert. WKSU's Tim Rudell reports on the first full day of public access to Ohio's newest state park. WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26164 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:51:35 -0400 Tim Rudell Environment Attorney General Richard Cordray explained that monitoring sex offenders is a daunting job for local law enforcement officials. WKSU's Jo Ingles reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26162 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:21:02 -0400 Jo Ingles Ohio The Cleveland schools have moved from "academic watch" to "continuous improvement" in the latest state report card. It's the equivalent of achieving a "C" on the state's 26 standards which include test scores, attendance and graduation rates. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports, that as the district enters this school year under its' sweeping transformation plan, administrators hope to keep up the momentum. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26161 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:14:04 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Education This year marks the first time since 1998 that there has been an open seat in the US Senate to represent Ohio, so it was always thought that the contest to win that seat would be aggressive and expensive. Ohio Republican Party chairman Kevin DeWine and Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern talk about the race to replace Sen. George Voinovich, and some of the other critical contests on this fall's ballot. WKSU's Karen Kasler reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26160 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:07:12 -0400 Karen Kasler Politics The number of Ohio school districts earning "D" and "F" ratings stayed the same last year, compared to the previous year. However, those earning "A" ratings increased 40%. The school grades are determined by 26 factors, including attendance and graduation rates. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26158 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:45:42 -0400 Bill Cohen Education The Cleveland Museum of Art's trustees took almost a year to pick the new director they named yesterday. David Franklin is deputy director of the National Gallery of Canada and known for his scholarship in Italian Renaissance and baroque art. He comes to CMA in the midst of its $350 million renovation and expansion program scheduled for completion in 2013. He says he's not a "builder-director" and doesn't need to be since Rafael Vinoly's architectural plans are set and construction is well underway. But he's excited about hearing from the community about the final phase which includes an enormous glass atrium. And he's planning exhibitions to draw international attention and culminate at the museum's centennial in 2016. WKSU's Vivian Goodman reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26156 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:06:14 -0400 Vivian Goodman Cleveland Museum of Art hires eighth director Traficant supporters get a chance Monday to prove he has enough valid signatures Deal to sell minority share of the Cavs to Chinese investment group is dead WKSU's Jeff St. Clair reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26155 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:30:26 -0400 Jeff St. Clair Ohio Hot dogs and baseball have a long history. On Thursday, Progressive Field made room for another kind of dog with its first-ever Puppypalooza. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia has more. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26154 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:13:42 -0400 Kabir Bhatia Lifestyle Rust continues to mean big money for Northeast Ohio. WKSU's Tim Rudell reports that the University of Akron just got six million dollars in federal funding for a national corrosion research center WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26152 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:59:22 -0400 Tim Rudell Economy and Business Democrats will pick the temporary successor to Stark County Treasurer Gary Zeigler on Sept. 7. They'll also be figuring out which Democrat will be running to permanently succeed him. The Stark County commissioners threw Zeigler out of office on Monday. They insist he's personally responsible for his former chief deputy stealing millions of dollars from his office. Zeigler does not agree, but did not show up to protest his removal. Now the Stark County Democratic Executive Committee must pick the person who will run the office until the November election, and pick the Democrats' candidate to fulfill the rest of Zeigler's term. It runs for two more years. The interim and the candidate can be the same person, but don't have to be. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26151 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:44:53 -0400 M.L. Schultze Politics A FirstEnergy power plant that has been burning coal is undergoing a $200 million conversion in order to burn wood and biomass fuels. When it starts operations, it will be one of the largest such power plants in the world. For Ohio Public Radio, WOUB's Fred Kight has details on the project and the views of at least one opponent... Fred Kight reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26149 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:31:58 -0400 Fred Kight Environment A new statue of Ohio inventor Thomas Edison will help represent Ohio in Washington D.C., if a special legislative panel gets its way. The Committee has picked Edison over 9 other nominees, and is calling on the full legislature to make that same decision. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26148 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:22:38 -0400 Bill Cohen Ohio The health and well being of Cuyahoga County can impact the entire region, which, after all, markets itself as "Cleveland Plus." So, as Cuyahoga voters prepare to start electing members next month for an entirely new form of government, people outside the county are watching to see if the corruption and financial problems plaguing Cuyahoga will change. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26146 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:49:17 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Government Legislatures have been considering several solutions including: cutting back government programs, reorganizing the bureaucracy, or raising taxes. However, now they are looking to the public for solutions. Go to www.bpmc.legistlature.state.oh.us to submit your ideas. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26144 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:23:52 -0400 Bill Cohen Ohio Ohio Department of Transportation applies for funding for electric vehicles Still undecided whether or not Cuyahoga County will print bilingual ballots Health officials testing another body of water in Ohio for blue-green algae WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26143 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:32:31 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Ohio One of the best indicators of the economic health of a region is measuring the growth, or decline, in manufacturing jobs. Even though only about 1 in 7 people actually make products in Northeast Ohio, manufacturing creates jobs in other area like distribution, administration, and services. There is some good news for our region according Harold Miller, a professor of public policy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. His research shows that in the first half of this year Cleveland leads the nation in the creation of manufacturing jobs. WKSU's Jeff St. Clair reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26133 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Jeff St. Clair Economy and Business The Northeast candidates for the state's new gambling commission include a Cuyahoga County Commissioner, the county's new Democratic Party chairman, a clinical therapist, a police union official and a half dozen other lawyers and investment specialists. WKSU's M.L. Schultze has more on the people who want to keep their eye on the nascent gambling industry in Ohio... WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26142 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:10:36 -0400 M.L. Schultze Economy and Business Akron's mayor says he doesn't want to ask voters for an income tax to pay for safety forces...but, in a way, he is. WKSU's Tim Rudell has more on an unusual "revenue re-direction" idea floated yesterday (Tuesday) by the top man in Northeast Ohio's number-two city WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26141 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:20:06 -0400 Tim Rudell Politics Supporters of James Traficant are celebrating today's (Wednesday's) decision by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. And they're sure Traficant will be on the November ballot as an independent candidate for the 17th Congressional District. The district covers parts of Trumbull, Mahoning, Summit and Portage counties. Today (Wednesday) Brunner ordered two of those counties -- Summit and Mahoning -- to reconsider the number of valid voter signatures they required Traficant to have and to reconsider some signatures they threw out. Traficant campaign volunteer Werner Lange says the former congressman is now just about 20 signatures away from making the ballot and has plenty of proof to validate the remaining signatures. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26140 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:30:51 -0400 M.L. Schultze Politics Cuyahoga County Commission Peter Lawson Jones has applied for the position. Other applicants include: anti-gambling advocate Tom Smith, Ohio Supreme Court visiting judge Dale Crawford, and former State Representative Catherine Barrett. WKSU's Karen Kasler reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26139 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:13:30 -0400 Karen Kasler Ohio Ohio's Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich says excessive state regulations are hurting Ohio's business climate and those regulations need to be reviewed. Governor Strickland underscored that Ohio has eliminated more than 280 regulations and revised more than 2,000 others during his adminstration. WKSU's Jo Ingles reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26138 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:58:43 -0400 Jo Ingles Politics Ohio's budget planning commission met Wednesday to discuss the upcoming budget deficit. Ohio senator Bill Sykes says the state could save millions, if future inmates could earn time off their sentences by attending drug treatment programs or job training classes. Ohio's prisons now hold 33% more inmates than they were built to hold. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26137 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:57:57 -0400 Bill Cohen Ohio On Friday morning, NASA Glenn Research Center breaks ground on its newest office building, the first step in a 20-year master plan to revamp the entire campus. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26136 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:39:23 -0400 Kabir Bhatia Environment The congressional comeback of James Traficant is in limbo. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner broke a 2-2 tie of the Trumbull County Board of Elections today, which put on hold any decision on Traficant's place on the November ballot. Traficant is running as an independent for the 17th Congressional District, which covers parts of Mahoning, Trumbull, Summit and Portage counties. Independent candidates have a much higher threshold for the number of signatures to make the ballot. And Traficant is challenging how many of his nominating signatures have been thrown out by elections boards in Mahoning and Summit counties. Brunner's telling Summit County to clarify how many signatures he needed in the first place. And she's telling Mahoning County to hold a hearing on signatures it has disqualified. Brunner's spokesman Patrick GallAway says the boards will have to act quickly because early ballots must be printed and ready by Sept. 18th. Chris Wallis reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26135 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:51:20 -0400 Chris Wallis Politics Cleveland housing officials say it's unlikely that the teenage home of African American poet Langston Hughes will be torn down. The house on Cleveland's east side where Hughes rented the attic in the early 1900's has been marked condemned. It comes less than a year after a community housing group saved the foreclosed home from demolition and offered to preserve it. It usually takes at least four months for a condemned property to be torn down. Earlier this year, the Cleveland Landmarks Commission nominated the property for historic designation. Ron O'Learly with the city's building and housing department says the city will help the Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation keep the landmark standing. WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26134 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:01:41 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Economy and Business US Department of Education awards Ohio schools 400-million dollars in "Race to the Top" funds State taking Cleveland bar to court over nearly 50-thousand dollars in fines Akron mayor says he may seek ballot issue to move money from school construction to safety WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26132 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:28:32 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Ohio Starting this weekend, high school football will dominate Friday nights in many Northeast Ohio communities. WKSU commentator Terry Pluto believes that despite some excesses, high school football has a positive influence on teenage boys. WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26131 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:59:10 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Sports In 2003, Akron voters approved a quarter of a percent income tax to build schools. Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic wants to get an issue on the November ballot to divert a third of the money in each of the next three years to the safety forces, but only if the city's police union accepts contract concessions. The mayor says the action is necessary because the city's budget situation is critical. WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26130 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:18:06 -0400 Tim Rudell Economy and Business The state is taking a suburban Cleveland bar to court over $49,000 in unpaid fines and what it says is the bar's repeated refusal to abide by the state's smoking ban. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26129 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:05:53 -0400 M.L. Schultze Health and Medicine The state issued an alert Friday that untreated water from Lake Rockwell contained traces of the bacteria. The lake supplies the city of Akron with drinking water, so the state tested the treated water as well. The results of that test were released Tuesday, and the state says the water is safe to drink. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26128 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:02:39 -0400 M.L. Schultze Steve Divone of C-Span was with the bus when it was parked at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus Tuesday. He explained how the high-tech bus has proven to be a valuable learning tool. WKSU's Jo Ingles reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26127 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:36:06 -0400 Jo Ingles Ohioans voted last fall to give veterans the bonuses. Veterans or their surviving families could be eligible to receive up to $5,000 in bonuses. Governor Ted Strickland said its a way for Ohioans to show their gratitude. WKSU's Jo Ingles reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26126 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:19:05 -0400 Jo Ingles Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is expected to decide in the next twenty-four hours on whether convicted felon and former congressman James Traficant will be on November's ballot. Brunner's spokesman Patrick Gallaway says she is reviewing the tie vote by the Trumbull County Board of Elections on whether Traficant collected enough valid signatures to be on the ballot as an independent candidate for the 17th congressional district. Chris Wallis reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26125 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:15:34 -0400 Chris Wallis Politics Advocates and officials at a foreclosure summit meeting in Columbus Tuesday are not confident the foreclosure crisis will let up anytime soon. Cindy Flaherty of the Ohio Housing Finance Agency spoke with Ohio Public Radio's Bill Cohen. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26124 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:56:52 -0400 Bill Cohen Economy and Business Mixing trash with recyclables at the curb could be costly for some Northeast Ohio residents next year. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26123 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:00:06 -0400 Kabir Bhatia Environment Over the next four years, Cleveland, Akron and Canton public schools are expected to get more than $41 million from the federal Race to the Top competition. The U.S. Department of Education announced today (Tuesday) it's awarding $400 million in total to Ohio and its nearly 550 participating schools. The money is coming through the second round of the Race to the Top, and is supposed to boost performance at public and charter schools. Cleveland is slated to get nearly $30 million; Akron nearly $9.2 million and Canton more than $2.7 million. Cleveland Schools spokesman John Hairston says the district hopes use the money to fill a budget gap and attract other money for academic improvements. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26122 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:45:49 -0400 M.L. Schultze Education The Ohio Supreme Court has suspended the law license of former Cuyahoga County Recorder Patrick O'Malley for two years. O'Malley's trouble with the law predated the two-year-old Cuyahoga Countycorruption probe and was tied to sex, not money. He resigned in May 2008 after investigators found obscene materials on his home computers that had been downloaded from 1998 through 2004. He pleaded guilty in late 2008 to transportation and importation of obscene materials and his law license has been temporarily suspended since then. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by three years of probation. The two-year license suspension is twice as long as the high court's disciplinary board had recommended. And though O'Malley gets credit for the time his license already has been suspended, he's not allowed to apply to have it reinstated until his probation is up. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26121 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:13:10 -0400 M.L. Schultze Crime and Courts State clearing more toxic algae blooms Multistate Asian carp lawsuit sees first day in court Stark County Commissioners boot Treasurer Gary Zeigler from office WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26120 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:33:18 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Ohio The Stark County commissioners have booted the county treasurer from his job -- based on a little-used state law and the theft of nearly $3 million. And as WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports, the move means Stark County voters will have time to pick his replacement. WKSU's M.L. Schultze and Tim Rudell report. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26119 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:22:01 -0400 M.L. Schultze and Tim Rudell Government The Stark County commissioners have booted Treasurer Gary Zeigler from his job. At a special meeting today, the commissioners voted to remove Zeigler despite his vows -- and a lawsuit -- to remain in office. Earlier this summer, Zeigler's former Chief Deputy pleaded guilty to stealing nearly 2.5 million dollars from the treasurer's vault and another 400-thousand dollars is missing. Zeigler's not been accused of profiting from the theft, but the commissioners and other Democratic and Republican leaders in the county say he's personally responsible for what happened on his watch. Zeigler had stalled his removal with a lawsuit, but a visiting judge today lifted an restraining order holding up the removal. Zeigler's chief deputy will take over for up to the next 45 days until the Stark County Democratic executive committee picks a temporary replacement. And a permanent replacement will be picked by voters in November. WKSU's M.L. Schultze and Tim Rudell report. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26118 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:08:11 -0400 M.L. Schultze and Tim Rudell Government Test results last week showed trace amounts of toxins from blue-green algae in Wingfoot Lake. But, WKSU's Tim Rudell reports that Ohio's newest state park is still set to open on schedule WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26117 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:37:27 -0400 Tim Rudell Environment Kasich's proposal would replace the department with a private 12 member board that would operate as a non-profit corporation. He says the 12 business leaders in charge of bringing jobs to Ohio would answer to the Governor. Ohio's Attorney General Richard Cordray Cordray says Ohio laws on open meetings and records would not apply to the private group, exempting decisions on how to spend hundreds of millions of dollars from public view. And he says he doesn't think it would be constitutional for a private board to operate with public money. WKSU's Jo Ingles reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26116 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:59:19 -0400 Jo Ingles Politics Lakes affected by this summer's toxic algae blooms may be feeling the effects long after the visible signs of the bacteria are gone. Jen House, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Health, acknowledges this summer's heat has contributed to the blooms, but summer's end doesn't mean it's safe to go back in the water. Chris Wallis reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26115 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:42:14 -0400 Chris Wallis Environment Patrick Gallaway, spokesman for Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, says many voters of Puerto Rican descent cannot understand English well enough to vote on their own. WKSU's Jo Ingles reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26114 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:41:00 -0400 Jo Ingles Government Blue-green algae continues to be a problem in the state's lakes this summer. Jen House, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Health, says high amounts of phosphorous, as well as warmer water and sunny days, have helped the naturally-occurring bacteria to grow so much this summer. She says the Ohio Department of Health is investigating six cases of people who may have been sickened by harmful algae in Lake Erie. She also had some advice for those headed for the water. Chris Wallis reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26113 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:36:02 -0400 Chris Wallis Environment Habitat for Humanity's mission is building houses. Now, the Stark County chapter -- one of the most active in the country -- is adding "green" to that mission. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26112 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:04:57 -0400 Kabir Bhatia Ohio Ohio is reporting its first human case of West Nile Virus this year. A 74- year-old man from Putnam County in northwest Ohio is expected to fully recover, but the confirmation of his case shatters hopes that the state would get through this year no human cases of the illness. Jen House speaks for the Ohio health department. In an interview with Ohio Public Radio's Bill Cohen, she says Ohio has come a long way in controlling the spread of the illness.....since it peaked here nearly a decade ago. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26111 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:14:11 -0400 Bill Cohen The president of a Cleveland company has been charged with bribery in the ongoing Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District corruption investigation. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26109 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:42:20 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Crime and Courts It's summer, and time for Ohio to once again battle raccoon rabies. Starting tomorrow (Tuesday), health and natural resources officials will be dropping hundreds of thousands of white packets, about the size of a ketchup pack, in wooded areas of Northeast Ohio counties along the Pennsylvania and West Virginia border. The packets are coated with a brown fishmeal glaze that raccoons love to eat, an authorities hope the animals will also devour the rabies vaccine that's tucked inside. The idea is to keep the potentially deadly disease from spreading south and west across Ohio, and this decade-long campaign has worked so far. Ohio Public Radio's Bill Cohen asked Jen House of the Ohio Health Department for details about this year's vaccine drop. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26108 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:18:32 -0400 Bill Cohen Health and Medicine In the military, 12 weeks of basic training can get you a soldier. But returning to civilian life can take years. Much of the responsibility for the transition falls to the Veterans Administration, but community-based groups like one in Tallmadge are helping veterans make that transition by acknowledging that military service changes people permanently. WKSU's Jeff St.Clair reports. WKSU's Jeff St. Clair reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26107 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:17:29 -0400 Jeff St. Clair Lifestyle Breakaway church pastor may meet with the bishop about returning to the fold Captive bear that killed a 24-year-old Ohio man has been euthanized Five-million dollars to go to preserve coastal land in the Great Lakes region WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26106 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:06:13 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Ohio Nearly $5 million will go to help preserve coastal land in the Great Lakes region, funded by the federal EPA's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Two of the five projects are in Ohio " one on Kelleys Island, and the other along the Lake Erie shore. They will be receiving a total of more than $1 million, which will be matched by state and local agencies. Liz Mountz is a coastal management specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She says that when these areas are acquired by public agencies, they are protected from development and generally available for public access. She explains why these two areas in Ohio were selected. Chris Wallis reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26102 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Chris Wallis Environment The pastor of a breakaway Catholic church in Cleveland says he's still deciding if he'll meet with the bishop about returning to the fold. The new church was formed after the original St. Peters was closed earlier this year in the Cleveland Catholic Diocese's downsizing. As WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports, Father Robert Marrone performed his second Sunday Mass yesterday in a rented factory building now called the "Community of St. Peter. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26104 Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:34:25 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Lifestyle The Ohio Elections Commission says Congressman Zack Space broke election law with a TV ad aimed at his Republican challenger, Bob Gibbs. But it is not fining nor reprimanding Space for the ad, which accused Gibbs " a state lawmaker -- of voting for a pay raise for himself but not for tax breaks for Ohioans. Space is a Democrat from Dover who is running for this third term representing the 18th Congressional District. The district runs from Tuscarawas and Carroll counties south, east and west through 10 other counties, and it's been a swing district for years. The race is expected to be targeted by Republicans and Democrats. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26101 Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 M.L. Schultze Politics The state has taken one state park off its watch list for toxic algae blooms, and added two reservoirs that feed the city of Akron's water supply. But the state says it does not expect the outbreak to affect Akron's drinking water. Cleared is West Branch State Park in Portage County. What was thought to be an algae bloom turned out to be other biomass. But the East Branch and LaDue reservoirs in Geauga County have been added to the watch list because tests of them show the toxic bacteria above recommended levels. People are advised not to swim or have any other contact with the raw reservoir water. The bacteria is killed by water treatment processes, but the state is doing extra tests at Akron's water treatment plant to ensure the bacteria is no threat. Ohio's been fighting outbreaks of the neurotoxins at more than a dozen parks and lakes this summer. They're fed by phosphorus runoff from farm fields and by warm, sunny and calm weather. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26103 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:29:34 -0400 M.L. Schultze Environment The head of Akron's police union is calling out Mayor Don Plusquellic, saying his 2010 budget is a deception. But, the Mayor is not stepping into the street for a showdown. WKSU's Tim Rudell reports WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26100 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:20:23 -0400 Tim Rudell Politics A massive recall of eggs linked to a national salmonella outbreak has hit Ohio. Iowa's Hillandale Farm issued the recall today (Friday). More than a thousand people have been sickened by salmonella growing in the eggs. The company says its lab tests have confirmed the link. Another Iowa egg farm, Wright County, recalled 380 million eggs earlier this week. The Hillandale eggs are distributed in Ohio under the names of Hillandale Farms, Sunny Farms, Sunny Meadow, Wholesome Farms and West Creek. The eggs were sold between April and August. Health officials are recommending people throw away or return the recalled eggs. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26099 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:26:06 -0400 M.L. Schultze Health and Medicine A breakaway Cleveland Catholic parish will celebrate its second unsanctioned mass this Sunday...defying continued requests from Cleveland Diocese Bishop Richard Lennon to suspend the services. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26097 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:48:23 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Lifestyle Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern critized Kasich's association with the failed Wall Street firm, Lehman Brothers. Ohio Republican Party chairman Kevin DeWine underscored that Ohio has lost nearly 400,000 jobs during the Strickland administration. WKSU's Karen Kasler reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26096 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:40:42 -0400 Karen Kasler Politics This morning near Mentor High School, the elder sister of a 16-year-old suicide victim relived the fall evening in 2008 when she found the girl hanging from her bedroom window. Suzana Vidovic believes her sister, Sladjana, was bullied to death. The Vidovic family yesterday filed a lawsuit against the Mentor schools for failing to protect Sladjana despite the family's frequent complaints. Against the backdrop of Mentor High School and surrounded by supporters and family, Suzana Vidovic said her sister had been happy, a good student, and involved in sports until the bullying began: WKSU's Vivian Goodman reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26095 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:45:32 -0400 Vivian Goodman Crime and Courts There's another small bit of good news on Ohio's unemployment front. The official jobless rate has dropped again, though not by much. Statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen has the numbers. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26094 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:35:52 -0400 Bill Cohen Economy and Business State officials touting massive solar energy project State parole board recommends Keith execution Fire on Kelley's Island destroys shops WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26093 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:35:16 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Ohio Saturday night, the band 15-60-75 celebrates their 40th anniversary with a concert in Kent. They're more well known over those four decades as "the Numbers Band." Critics and musicians have given them high praise but the group has never quite received the national attention that local fans had expected. WKSU's Mark Urycki has this look at their career. WKSU's Mark Urycki reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26087 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Mark Urycki Arts and Entertainment The Ohio governor's race is getting more heated....and personal. In the past, Democratic Governor Ted Strickland charged that his Republican challenger, former congressman John Kasich, has always voted for opening up trade regulations. Now, Kasich supporters are firing back. They're calling Strickland a hypocrite for some of his stands and votes on trade issues. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26092 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:34:53 -0400 Bill Cohen Politics Donations from Cleveland-based Minute Men Human Resources of $50,000 to help poor families buy school uniforms does not ease critics' worries. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District requires students wear uniforms, but said earlier this year they were no longer able to help pay for them. The school district spent nearly $350,000 on uniforms last year. James Hardiman, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, commends the donation, but says the school district still has a legal obligation to those children. Chris Wallis reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26090 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:18:35 -0400 Chris Wallis Ohio What's being called the Midwest's largest solar energy project was the setting for a high-profile ceremony in Upper Sandusky, Ohio today. The project is massive, and it just began generating power a few months ago. Diana Drysdale is vice president at PSEG, the company that owns the project. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26088 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:07:32 -0400 Bill Cohen Environment Another Maple Heights school administrator has been charged in the Cuyahoga County corruption investigation. And, as WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports, these allegations include auctioning off school equipment and bribery. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26086 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:27:35 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Crime and Courts In a matter of weeks, the world's largest hydrogen fuel-cell generation system is expected to roll into Northeast Ohio and be hooked up to FirstEnergy's Eastlake power station. WKSU's M.L. Schultze talked with Ballard Power Systems about attempts to put fuel cell technology on a clean-energy par with wind and solar. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26085 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:03:03 -0400 M.L. Schultze Environment Cuyahoga County's prosecutor is rejecting a federal push for the board of elections to print Spanish language ballots for November's election. But, WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports that a former federal prosecutor says delaying bilingual ballots could hurt the county's election results. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26083 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:23:37 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Government 2009 saw the lowest total number of new cases filed in Ohio courts in 10 years. But WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports domestic violence cases climbed... WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26082 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:02:44 -0400 Kabir Bhatia Ohio Keith was convicted the 1994 murders of three people in Bucyrus, Ohio. Keith has always insisted his innocent. His supporters say Keith had an alibi and a second suspect wasn't fully investigated. The Ohio Parole Board has voted 8-0 against Keith. The members say what they heard at the hearing was considered during the trial. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26081 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:03:29 -0400 Bill Cohen Taylor criticizes Obama's stimulus package Five-hundred new jobs may come Ohio's way Water bill hike on hold for Cleveland WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26080 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:44:15 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Ohio The final link in a hiking and biking trail from Cuyahoga to Tuscarawas County is being forged with the purchase of 11 acres of land along the Cuyahoga River for the Towpath Trail. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26074 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Kabir Bhatia Lifestyle On October 2, 2008, Sladjana Vidovic's older sister found her hanging out of a window with a rope around her neck. She was 16 and said in her suicide note that for half of her life, ever since her family emigrated from Bosnia, she had been bullied at school. The lawsuit filed today alleges that her family repeatedly complained about it but that Mentor School officials allowed the bullying to continue. WKSU's Vivian Goodman reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/25854 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Vivian Goodman Education Cleveland Congresswoman Marcia Fudge addressed jobs, green energy, and childhood obesity Wednesday during her annual state of the district address. And, WSKU's Kevin Niedermier says she also fielded a question from a Tea Party member. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26078 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:51:50 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Government Five hundred new jobs may be on the way as part of Northeast Ohio's broadband development. WKSU's Tim Rudell has more on the potential effect of a federal stimulus grant aimed at moving the region forward in high tech WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26077 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:44:23 -0400 Tim Rudell Economy and Business While Taylor criticized Mr. Obama for adding to the deficit, she acknowledged the state likely wouldn't turn the money down -- whether a Republican or Democrat is in the governor's mansion. Taylor's running mate, John Kasich, has strongly criticized the stimulus package. WKSU's Karen Kasler reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26076 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:30:15 -0400 Karen Kasler Politics To hear President Barack Obama tell it, the nation's economy is on the upswing. And that's the message he brought to Ohio today. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26075 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:15:26 -0400 Bill Cohen Politics The Cleveland Orchestra's principal keyboard, Joela Jones, performed two organ solos by Charles Ives at Usher Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland in the opening concert of this year's European tour. Tonight concludes the orchestra's first return to the Edinburgh Festival in six years. WKSU's Vivian Goodman reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26073 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 08:34:45 -0400 Vivian Goodman Arts and Entertainment Browns fans tuning into this month's preseason games see a familiar face offering commentary, former quarterback Bernie Kosar. The Youngstown native led the Browns the last time they were really considered good, in the late 1980's. Since then, his personal battles have overshadowed his glory days on the field. Now, Kosar is rebuilding his life. WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26072 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:26:52 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Sports Gubernatorial candidate John Kasich says he has a plan to create jobs in Ohio Former Cuyahoga County information services director pleads guilty to bribing Russo Strickland still pushing for additional DNA testing in seven criminal cases Ohio's state park system is about to grow WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/25057 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Ohio Something unusual is happening in a corner of Portage County. Tucked into the rolling countryside near the Stark and Summit county lines, a new state park is opening...and WKSU's Tim Rudell reports that hasn't happened anywhere in Ohio for nearly 25 years. It's also happening at a time when the state park system is facing big environmental and financial challenges. WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26071 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:44:53 -0400 Tim Rudell Lifestyle Mr.Obama is scheduled to be in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday. It will be his 9th visit to the state since his election in 2008. However, the President's approval ratings have been falling. So is his visit a good thing or a bad thing for both Democrats and Republicans? Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler asked that question to the leaders of Ohio's two major political parties, Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern and Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine. WKSU's Karen Kasler reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26070 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:28:43 -0400 Karen Kasler Politics The advocates are pushing to send more non-violent offenders to halfway houses and drug treatment programs rather than prison. They hope these changes will reduce Ohio's prison costs, while maintaining safety. The proposal may come up for a floor vote later this year. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26069 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:16:11 -0400 Bill Cohen Government Tomorrow the Ohio Parole Board is expected to recommend whether Kevin Keith will live or die. Advocates...including death penalty proponents from around the country...believe the Stark County native may not have killed 2women and a little girl 16 years ago. Keith was convicted primarily on eyewitness testimony that may have been tainted. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports that Governor Ted Strickland...who will ultimately decide if Keith gets clemency...also has concerns. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26068 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:07:34 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Crime and Courts Kasich would replace it with a 12 member commission of business leaders, who he'd appoint and who would answer to him. By doing this, he said he'd get rid of the red tape and restrictions that keeps businesses from locating and expanding in Ohio. Kasich said the board members would not work on a contract basis or as state employees. WKSU's Jo Ingles reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26067 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:37:55 -0400 Jo Ingles Politics Gov. Ted Strickland is still pushing for additional DNA testing in seven criminal cases, but acknowledges state lawmakers have more leverage to make that happen than he does. Strickland and Attorney General Richard Cordray have asked prosecutors in seven counties to turn over DNA samples for further testing. The cases have been profiled by the Ohio Innocence project, and a lab has offered to do the testing for free. Local prosecutors are opposing retesting, something Strickland says he does not understand. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26065 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:21:42 -0400 M.L. Schultze Crime and Courts The Obama Administration's manufacturing policy czar told a group of manufacturers in Cleveland today that congress is holding back that industry's growth.... WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26064 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:11:24 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Economy and Business Cuyahoga County's former information services director pleaded guilty today to bribing Auditor Frank Russo. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports that Daniel Weaver is the latest of more than three dozen defendants cooperating with federal investigators in the corruption probe targeting Russo and Commissioner Jimmy Dimora...... WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26063 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:01:49 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Crime and Courts The Wyandot solar energy project in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, includes 59,000 solar panels spread across 80 acres. The energy produced will be enough to power about 1,500 houses. The project will unveil Thursday. WKSU's Bill Cohen reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26062 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:08:10 -0400 Bill Cohen Environment When Bishop Richard Lennon of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese closed St. Peter's Church last April, parishioners took matters into their own hands. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26061 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:55:43 -0400 Kabir Bhatia Lifestyle Warning signs are now posted at 11 Ohio lakeshores telling people to avoid the water. East Harbor beach on Lake Erie near Sandusky joins 10 inland lakes at Ohio state parks where excessive amounts of blue-green algae have been detected. The algae, actually a primitive bacteria, can produce harmful toxins when it overpopulates. This summer's warm weather, and an increase in pollutants from agricultural run-off have led to algae blooms in western Lake Erie and nearly a dozen inland lakes. The Ohio EPA's Linda Merchant-Masonbrink says Grand Lake St. Mary's in western Ohio is the worst hit. She says although there are no human deaths attributed to algae poisoning, the toxins pose a serious threat to animals, "4 dogs died around Grand Lake and they're investigating to see if it was caused by the algae." Burr Oak state park is also warning visitors to stay out of the water. Warnings at the remaining lakes are undergoing testing to determine if the algae still poses a risk. On a side note: The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says it wants to minimize the economic damage to the area around Grand Lake St. Marys in western Ohio. So, through the end of the year, the agency is offering half-price discounts on camping and shelter house rentals at the lake. Department Director Sean Logan says every dollar spent at the state park adjoining the lake brings benefits to the wider community. The state on Monday kept an advisory in place warning people against coming in contact with the lake water, which even means no boating. The state is refunding this year's dock rental fees for boats stuck on the lake. WKSU's Jeff St. Clair reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/26055 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Jeff St. Clair Environment