College enrollment falls
College enrollment dropped statewide for the second year in a row.  The Ohio Board of Regents says enrollment rates fell nearly 6 percent in 2012 compared to last year.  Rates are now close to pre-recession levels when the economic nosedive drove students back to school in record numbers. 

The Dayton Daily News reports the number of students fell by more than 31,000 this year at the state’s 61 public colleges and universities.

The enrollment decline is attributed to the large number of students graduating early ahead of the switch to semesters at more than a dozen institutions. 

Other factors in the decline include reductions in the number of students qualifying for federal financial aid, and an economy that has some choosing work over school.

Total enrollment in Ohio is just over 507,000.

Obama back in Ohio
President Barack Obama will be courting the student vote again in Ohio.  This Friday the Obama campaign is holding an outdoor rally at Cleveland State University.  The President campaigned last week at Bowling Green and Kent State universities. 

A spokesman for the Romney campaign critized the President’s choice of venues saying “college students and recent graduates are struggling in today’s job market.”

Mitt Romney has not scheduled stops in Ohio this week.

WKSU will carry the first of three presidential debates LIVE tomorrow night at 9pm.

Winter storms will get names 
Blizzards blowing off of Lake Erie this winter may have names to remember them by. 

The Weather Channel says it will start unofficially naming winter storms in a system similar to those given tropical storms and Hurricanes.

Over the years Buffalo residents have been naming snowstorms blowing in from Lake Erie after snakes.

The Weather Channel plans to use Greek and Roman names for winter storms.

The most important factors in whether a storm is named will be snowfall, ice accumulations, and wind speed.