Regional News Stories Archive: June 2006

Finding Hidden Egypt
Originally aired Thursday, June 1, 2006
Sunday night, the Discovery Channel is featuring a documentary on the first tomb to be discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings since that of Tutankhamen. The show will likely feature several residents of Northeast Ohio who were part of the team that made the discovery. ideastream's Mark Urycki spoke with the associate director of the mission and filed this report.

Newspaper Economics
Originally aired Friday, June 2, 2006
A Wall Street analyst who watches the newspaper business says it is not a growth industry - but still a profitable one. Lauren Rich Fine of Merrill Lynch says papers like the Akron Beacon Journal and the Cleveland Plain Dealer may need to make some changes, but can still do well. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Kenneth Blackwell on News and Notes
Originally aired Monday, June 5, 2006
Republican Gubernatorial candidate Kenneth Blackwell rarely talks to Ohio reporters but he did do a national interview last week. Blackwell spoke on NPR's talk show, News and Notes, which is hosted by an African-American and focuses on issues of interest to the black population. Recent Poll found Blackwell, who is African American, running six points behind Democrat Ted Strickland. But he said his campaign is in better shape than he thought it would be after a tough primary battle. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Hospital Care Varies Among Older Patients
Originally aired Monday, June 5, 2006
A new study shows that hospital care for chronically-ill patients over 65 varies widely across the country. Researchers say that variation can be seen between hospitals in the same city. ideastream's Karen Schaefer focuses on the data for Cleveland and the implications for the some of the region's sickest patients.

NASA Glenn to Take Major Role
Originally aired Tuesday, June 6, 2006
The NASA Glenn Research Center will be playing a major role in the next generation of manned spacecraft - but that doesn't mean any extra jobs will be heading this way. Agency officials on Monday laid out the roles for the various space centers and the role they will play in building the ship that takes men to the Moon and Mars. But they noted they'll have to do it with less money than they have for the shuttle. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Dual Language School Program Faces Cuts
Originally aired Wednesday, June 7, 2006
For the past five years, a small school on Cleveland's west side has operated the state's only Dual Language program, where various subjects are taught entirely in Spanish or English. While similar programs are growing across the country, Cleveland's in danger of shrinking. The federal funding that began the program is set to expire. ideastream's Lisa Ann Pinkerton has the story.

Police Officers Cleared of Shootings
Originally aired Wednesday, June 7, 2006
A special prosecutor says that Cleveland police officers did not violate the law by using deadly force in several high-profile shootings over the past two years. But, ideastream's David C. Barnett reports that questions linger about one of the cases.

Inner Belt Rehab: Options for Inner Belt Bridge
Originally aired Thursday, June 8, 2006
The Ohio Department of Transportation has come up with eight options for a new inner belt bridge. The details were released yesterday as the department also defended its plans to revamp the I-90 inner belt. Depending on the design eventually selected, the bridge could give Cleveland quite a new look. ideastream's Lisa Ann Pinkerton reports.

The Weather Makers: Tim Flannery Interview
Originally aired Thursday, June 8, 2006
This weekend, former Vice President Al Gore's new movie on global climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, is opening at theaters across the country. But there's a new book on the subject that's also making waves. Tim Flannery is a zoologist from Sydney, Australia who's been speaking out on the need to reduce greenhouse gases. Flannery is the author of The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. His book appears to have softened his government's long-standing skepticism about climate change. He was in Cleveland yesterday for a book-signing and he spoke with ideastream's Karen Schaefer.

Making Change: Research vs. Entrepreneurship
Originally aired Friday, June 9, 2006
A new study from Cleveland State University finds that the Cleveland metropolitan area ranks fairly high among like-sized cities for innovation. But it does not measure up well for taking those ideas to market. Still, as ideastream's Mark Urycki reports, the situation is improving.

New Male-Only Bathhouse Raises Concerns
Originally aired Monday, June 12, 2006
The announcement of the opening of a new men-only bathhouse in Cleveland has sparked concerns from the gay community, AIDS educators and the health department about the spread of HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases. But they say those concerns can be alleviated if bathhouse owners promise to teach gay patrons about the dangers of unprotected sex. ideastream's Karen Schaefer prepared this report.

Ted Strickland on News and Notes
Originally aired Monday, June 12, 2006
One of the hot topics for politicos in Ohio this year is whether gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell can take African American votes from Democrats purely by the color of his skin. The ultra-conservative Republican is black and told NPR's News and Notes show that he has attracted as much as 40% of the African American vote during his statewide election to Secretary of State. Blackwell's opponent, Democrat Ted Strickland, spoke on the show last week and was not willing to give up the Black vote. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Making Change: Growing Bilingual Attitude in Northeast Ohio
Originally aired Tuesday, June 13, 2006
A recent population report documents a striking increase in the number Hispanics living in the U.S. As a part of Making Change: Building the Region's Future, ideastream's David C. Barnett reports that some Northeast Ohio institutions and agencies are reacting to this demographic shift with a bilingual attitude.

Ohio Primary Colors
Originally aired Wednesday, June 14, 2006
An independent committee is reviewing the primary election in Cuyahoga County after problems delayed the vote tallies to be reported until the week after election day. But for all those glitches, election officials are warning that the November voting could be much worse. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

What Are You Reading?
Originally aired Thursday, June 15, 2006
Summer's just about here, so what are you reading? We sent our trusty intern to the Coventry neighborhood in Cleveland Heights to ask some folks at Mac's Backs Bookstore. ideastream's Dan Moulthrop asked Chagrin Falls branch Librarian-in-Chief Jim McPeak for his summer reading recommendations.

Redefining Health Care: Michael Porter Interview
Originally aired Thursday, June 15, 2006
Skyrocketing costs, restrictions on care, millions uninsured - few of us would disagree that the U.S. healthcare system faces big challenges. Now there's a new approach to improving the system from the Harvard School of Business. Michael Porter is co-author of Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results. He was in Cleveland this week at the Cleveland Clinic, where he spoke with ideastream's Karen Schaefer. He says the basis for fixing healthcare is competition.

Violent Crime on the Rise
Originally aired Friday, June 16, 2006
The FBI's 2005 crime report released this week shows the first national increase in violent crime in more than four years. Some of the biggest increases are seen in Midwestern cities like Cleveland, where violent crime rose nearly seven percent. But some local safety experts say that's not an immediate cause for alarm. ideastream's Karen Schaefer reports.

Children’s Health: Keeping Healthy with Fun Park Food
Originally aired Monday, June 19, 2006
Every summer, people flock to amusement parks to be slung around, twisted, dunked or otherwise made happily nauseous. Traditionally, it's also an occasion for indulging our culinary senses with corn dogs, funnel cakes and other fun food that is not particularly nutritious. Lisa Ann Pinkerton reports, however, that a healthy diet can be maintained these days - if you're so inclined and willing to work at it.

Children’s Health: Who Helps the Healers?
Originally aired Tuesday, June 20, 2006
This week, we focus on the topic of children with cancer - stories of struggle, survival and loss. Starting Wednesday night on WVIZ, the PBS documentary A Lion in the House will plunge viewers into the lives of five families who are trying to cope with their children's struggle with cancer. Over the course of four hours, the filmmakers show how the stress of this often terminal disease affects not just the patient, but also nearly everyone he or she touches. It's the focal point of our look all this week at childhood cancer. This morning we begin with the perspective of those who are often left out of the emotional equation - perhaps mistakenly so. That's the medical staff. ideastream's David C. Barnett examines who helps heal the healers.

The Spirit of Innovation Launches
Originally aired Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Akron-based Goodyear christened its newest blimp Wednesday, the Spirit of Innovation. The name came from a public contest. Hudson High School Chemistry Teacher Matthew Harrelson suggested the winning name. He and his family get to ride on the zeppelin. The blimp was built at Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake hangar in Suffield. Company spokesman Eddie Ogden told ideastream's Mark Urycki that the looks haven't change much but the airship has some innovations of its own.

Children’s Health: Courage of a Lion: Bognar & Reichert Interview
Originally aired Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert are intimately familiar with childhood cancer. They spent six years following five families who fought childhood cancer. And, unbeknownst to the doctors who asked them to make the movie about pediatric cancer and these children and families who fought it, their own daughter had survived lymphoma. They spoke with ideastream's Dan Moulthrop about making the movie and why it's so difficult to talk about the end of life.

Children’s Health: A Lion in the House Premiere at Sundance
Originally aired Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar's documentary on childhood cancer had it's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah this past January. ideastream's David C. Barnett spoke with the filmmakers at Sundance about the origins of A Lion in the House.

Delphi, GM Workers Must Decide Future
Originally aired Thursday, June 22, 2006
Union workers at Delphi and General Motors plants around Ohio will have to decide by Friday whether to stay with their present jobs. The companies are offering buyouts or early retirement but with both firms facing bankruptcy, it's a tough call for some employees. ideastream's Mark Urycki spoke with some and filed this report.

Homeless Clinic Serves Many Needs
Originally aired Friday, June 23, 2006
You might think that society's most down-and-out have no place to turn for healthcare but the ER. But many major U.S. cities have built healthcare clinics specifically designed to treat the homeless. Cleveland's homeless clinic on St. Clair Ave. offers a full range of services, from to diabetes care to dentures. ideastream's Karen Schaefer prepared this report.

Ohio Hopes to Land Honda Plant
Originally aired Monday, June 26, 2006
Consider this, back in 1982, the New York Times ran a story titled, "In Ohio, the enemy is Japan." Today, though, Ohio is mourning the new Honda assembly plant they didn't get. Though they've long had extensive operations in Ohio, Honda's next U.S. expansion is happening in Indiana. So, how did Honda go from the Midwest's economic enemy to economic lifeline? We asked Dan Moulthrop to look into it.

Limiting Greenhouse Gases
Originally aired Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Yesterday the Ohio Environmental Council released a plan to help the state reduce global greenhouse gas emissions that capitalizes on many of Ohio's traditional industries. But one critic charges the plan doesn't go far enough. ideastream's Karen Schaefer reports.

Poverty Summit
Originally aired Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Last week, the Brookings Institution released a study showing that middle-income neighborhoods in American cities shrank between 1970 and 2000. In metropolitan areas, a polarization took place in which poor people were more likely to live in poor neighborhoods and rich people were more likely to live in rich neighborhoods. Coincidentally, the same day that report was released, the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank was hosting a conference on the concentration of poverty. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

New Lease on Life with FES Technology
Originally aired Wednesday, June 28, 2006
This week in Boston a group of Cleveland patients are telling doctors at a medical conference their stories about how a bio-medical technology has changed their lives. All four patients have suffered severe spinal cord injuries. But today, thanks to a technology called functional electrical stimulation, they're able to breath on their own, stand and walk, even do needlepoint again. ideastream's Karen Schaefer prepared this report.

Potential Savings in School Renovations
Originally aired Thursday, June 29, 2006
A local preservation group says Cleveland's school district could save just under $20 million if it renovated four historic schools instead of building new ones. The Cleveland Restoration Society suggests the cost savings and cultural preservation it's report details could be just to tip of the iceberg. But the Cleveland Municipal School District isn't as optimistic. ideastream's Lisa Ann Pinkerton reports.

Sanders’ First Day
Originally aired Friday, June 30, 2006
The new Cleveland Schools CEO, Eugene Sanders, began his new job today, and he's bringing a number of top level staff with him from Toledo - people who helped him turn around the struggling school system there. ideastream's Lisa Ann Pinkerton reports.

Making Change: Weathering the Loss of a Major Employer
Originally aired Friday, June 30, 2006
When we talk about business trends and the changing economy, we often overlook the human stories that live behind all the bar graphs and statistics. As part of Making Change: Building the Region's Future, ideastream's David C. Barnett brings us the story of a couple in Lorain and how they are weathering today's loss of a major employer.