Regional News Stories Archive: February 2005

90.3 at 9: Debating Evolution
Originally aired Monday, February 7, 2005
80 years ago, with laws on the books forbidding the teaching of evolution, the famous defense lawyer Clarence Darrow went before a Tennessee jury with an unusual request: to convict his client, who was charged with illegally teaching evolution. With a conviction, Darrow reasoned, he could appeal, and he just might get anti-evolution laws thrown out on constitutional grounds. The state court did set aside the guilty verdict - but on a technicality - and anti-evolution laws were not ruled unconstitutional. Well, we're a long way from 1925, and still battles rage over the teaching of evolution. How solid is evolutionary theory? And how should it be taught? Our guests discussed the topics with host Cindi Deutschman-Ruiz. They were Dr. Robert Lattimer, a chemist by training and a strong advocate of teaching alternatives to evolution; and noted anthropologist Dr. Bruce Latimer (no relation to our first guest) who's a proponent of evolution.

NASA Glenn Coverage: Research Budget Cut Will Affect NASA Glenn
Originally aired Monday, February 7, 2005
The President's proposed overall 2006 budget for the National Aeronautics and Space Agency will grow slightly in 2006 as NASA concentrates on its new missions of exploration and scientific discovery. But budgets for at least three of the agency's research centers - including the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland - will shrink, as ideastream's Karen Schaefer reports.

Bringing Back the Force
Originally aired Thursday, February 10, 2005
Hundreds of Cleveland safety workers were let go last year because of a $60 million budget deficit. Now, Mayor Jane Campbell says it's likely the city will rehire some of the laid off police officers. ideastream's Janet Babin reports.

Disparities in Healthcare
Originally aired Thursday, February 10, 2005
Although doctors and other healthcare professionals are sworn to treat people in need, the quality of that treatment sometimes can vary depending on a patient's racial or ethnic background. "Cultural competency" is a new term that is becoming increasingly popular in the medical community, these days. It suggests that there is more to treating a patient than taking a blood pressure or checking a heart rate. ideastream's David C. Barnett has this report.

David Satcher Interview
Originally aired Thursday, February 10, 2005
Web Exclusive - Addressing racial and ethnic health disparities is a challenge, because there are so many causes for differences in health care and well-being. During his tenure as U.S. Surgeon-General, David Satcher, put a big focus on solving health disparities. Dr. Satcher was in Northeast Ohio recently to attend a conference at HealthSpace-Cleveland. Speaking with ideastream's David C. Barnett, he noted that often, a person's lifestyle puts them at risk.

90.3 at 9: Healthcare Disparities
Originally aired Thursday, February 10, 2005
From infant mortality to strokes and mental health, minorities face major differences in the health care they receive. Health leaders are calling for better communication between health providers and patients to help foster and understanding of cultures and bridge the gap to better care. Researchers too are being called on to look deeper into why certain diseases affect minorities disproportionately.

NASA Glenn to Downsize
Originally aired Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Last week the National Aeronautic and Space Administration announced that under the President's 2006 budget the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland will see the largest downsizing in its history. 700 employees are slated to be cut from the workforce and nearly $120 million from its budget. Contractors, universities, even public schools will also take a big hit. Late last week, local leaders got together to organize ways to fight the cuts at NASA Glenn. ideastream's Karen Schaefer reports.

Amir Soas Interview
Originally aired Thursday, February 17, 2005
Medical advances have preserved millions of lives. But not everyone has the same access to the latest in medical technology. Disparities in the way medical treatment is applied exist between races and ethnic groups. Studies suggest if those disparities could be eliminated, more lives could be saved than by any advance in medical science. We've been addressing those disparities with a series of programs on the ideastream stations. One of those trying to do something about the problem in our community is Dr. Amir Soas, president of the Harmony Foundation. See Also: Healthcare Disparities information

Recruiting International Students
Originally aired Thursday, February 17, 2005
International students have become a hot commodity across the world. Their business and scientific expertise is being sought by emerging economies, and their tuition fees can boost a university's bottom line. Northeast Ohio schools are hard at work recruiting these prospects, but find they are up against tough competition. ideastream's David C. Barnett has this report. See Also: A World of Knowledge (Web Exclusive)

A World of Knowledge
Originally aired Thursday, February 17, 2005
Web Exclusive - This past week, ideastream's David C. Barnett sat down with a group of international students at Cleveland State University. They represented a cross-section of the world, including Qatar, Hungary, Germany, India, and Turkey. The conversation was wide-ranging, as well, covering such topics as: mixing with U.S. students; the impact of employment outsourcing; and the after-effects of September 11th. The discussion started off with a reflection on how the U.S. has become a less welcoming place, due to national security concerns. See Also: Recruiting International Students (Feature Story)

Bringing Character Education to the Young
Originally aired Friday, February 25, 2005
Lots of research supports the notion that the building blocks for literacy are set early in life, but some experts also believe kids begin early learning how to behave in the world. Schools are responding to this, and to ongoing concerns about youth violence, by bringing character education to younger and younger students. Today, ideastream's Cindi Deutschman-Ruiz takes us to two schools, where character education is assuming different forms.

90.3 at 9: NASA Glenn Coverage: Call-in Show
Originally aired Friday, February 25, 2005
While the space exploration budget is up, funding for science, education and aeronautics programs - the first "A" in NASA - is down. And the impact of those cuts is already being felt on several of the agency's national research centers, among them NASA Glenn here in Cleveland. Listen to the 90.3 at 9 call-in show about the future of NASA Glenn.

NASA Glenn Coverage: Interview with Former Director John Klineberg
Originally aired Friday, February 25, 2005
NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is facing the likelihood of drastic cuts in budget and workforce over the next year and a half. The bulk of those cuts will be made in aeronautics programs, one of Glenn's traditional strengths. But it's not the first time NASA Glenn has been threatened with downsizing. In the mid-1990's the entire space agency's budget shrank dramatically and many aeronautics programs were sliced. John Klineberg was the director at Glenn a few years before, from 1987 to 1990. He also worked at NASA headquarters overseeing aeronautics and space technology, then later served as chief of Goddard Space Flight Center before retiring in 1995. Klineberg spoke with ideastream's Karen Schaefer about the latest threats to aeronautics research.