Regional News Stories Archive: July 2006

Children’s Health: Infant Hearing Screening Update
Originally aired Monday, July 3, 2006
Each year, more than 5,000 babies across America are born with moderate to profound hearing deficiencies. An estimated 450 of them are born here in Ohio. No other birth defect is more common - yet until recently, many babies with this handicap weren't readily diagnosed. That delay sometimes meant the child would develop more disabilities later on. This past weekend marked the two-year anniversary of legislation mandating hearing screening for all newborns in Ohio. As part of our continuing coverage of children's health, ideastream's Annie Wu has this update.

What Concerns You About Ohio?
Originally aired Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Opinion polls over the years have shown a variety of issues dominate the minds of Ohio voters and residents. Before the campaigns for the fall elections start going full steam toward November, reporters from public radio stations across the state hit the streets to ask this question: "What concerns you about Ohio right now?" Here are some answers they received, from all parts of Ohio.

Better Living Through Smoking?
Originally aired Thursday, July 6, 2006
Better living through smoking - that might be the catchphrase for arts organizations in Cuyahoga County. County Commissioners have voted to place a proposal on the November ballot that would raise cigarette taxes to help fund arts and cultural organizations. If voters agree, the price of a pack of cigarettes would jump 30 cents. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Stilts and Life Skills
Originally aired Thursday, July 6, 2006
Next week brings Cleveland its second Ingenuity Festival, where all types of art from film to ballet will be transformed by technology. This year, the festival is putting the spotlight on almost 40 local kids, with a little help from a traveling troupe of San Francisco stilt walkers. ideastream's Lisa Ann Pinkerton has the story.

Walking for Single Payer Healthcare
Originally aired Monday, July 10, 2006
Last week, a Cleveland man set off on a walk around Ohio to raise awareness about what some consider a crisis - the lack of affordable health care for hundreds of thousands of Ohioans. He's a member of a statewide group of activists who are hoping to put a single payer healthcare plan on the November 2007 ballot. That's another way of saying they want universal, government-sponsored healthcare. But the group still has a long way to go before it collects the necessary petition signatures. Critics say there's not much support for the plan. ideastream's Karen Schaefer prepared this report.

The Sound of 1,000 Drums
Originally aired Tuesday, July 11, 2006
This week, the Ingenuity Festival of Art and Technology begins in downtown Cleveland. To kick it off in public square is a "Symphony for 1,000 Drums." What does that sound like? ideastream's Dan Moulthrop asked Festival Director James Levin to describe Sunday's rehearsal of the symphony.

Making Change: Voice Your Choices for Solutions
Originally aired Wednesday, July 12, 2006
We've heard the list of Northeast Ohio problems before: racial divisions, an under-trained workforce, and a lack of funds for public schools. A regional program designed to find practical solutions to these and other issues has just announced the next step of it's action plan. As part of Making Change: Building the Region's Future, ideastream's David C. Barnett has this update on the Voices and Choices project.

GOP Site Selection Committee to Visit Cleveland
Originally aired Wednesday, July 12, 2006
A small group of out-of-towners will be taking a tour of Cleveland and its landmarks in a couple weeks. If you see them, smile, because they could end up bringing millions of dollars to the city. They are the site selection committee scouting locations for the Republican National Convention in 2008. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Cleveland’s Image
Originally aired Wednesday, July 12, 2006
For additional perspective on Cleveland's chances of nabbing the Republican National Convention we thought it would be fun to talk to people outside of Ohio and learn just what kind of image the city has with people across the country. Correspondent Matt Laslo gathered these impressions from tourists visiting the nation's capital.

An Emigrant’s Tale
Originally aired Thursday, July 13, 2006
America has long been seen as a magnet for people from around the world. But, there are also those who make the journey in the opposite direction. ideastream's David C. Barnett tells us the story of a Cleveland woman who is returning to her ancestral homeland, nearly six decades after her father made the journey to America to start a new life.

Mini-Medical Clinics on the Rise
Originally aired Monday, July 17, 2006
Imagine going to the store for a loaf of bread and while you're there you'll also get a throat culture or have your diabetes checked. A few minutes later, the nurse practitioner hands you a prescription you can fill at the pharmacy while you shop. Sound convenient? In-store mini-medical clinics are a hot new trend in healthcare delivery that's catching on around the country - and they've just arrived in Ohio. But doctors are worried that quality of healthcare may be compromised. ideastream's Karen Schaefer reports.

World Have Your Say: Founding Editor Mark Sandell Interview
Originally aired Monday, July 17, 2006
In the beginning of July, WCPN began airing a new show on weekdays from the BBC. It's called World Have Your Say, it's less than a year old, and it's a new and very different kind of show. So, ideastream's Dan Moulthrop called Founding Editor Mark Sandell to find out a bit more about what he and his staff set out to do with the show. World Have Your Say airs at 1:00 PM weekdays.

Terrorism Insurance for Public Schools
Originally aired Monday, July 17, 2006
We recently learned of a change in how public schools are insured. Typically, your local public school is insured against fire, liability if your child falls off the jungle gym, and worker's compensation. But now, there's terrorism insurance, and across Ohio, more and more schools are buying it. Dave Peterson works for the Hylant Group, which offers terrorism insurance as part of the package they sell to some 380 schools in Ohio. He says from the insurance company perspective, one of the biggest difficulties with this new kind of coverage is its lack of predictability.

Hough Riots Anniversary
Originally aired Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Forty years ago Tuesday, the Midwest was also suffering through a hot day. Chicago's mayor had sprinklers put out in the streets. NASA Launched Gemini 10 with astronauts Michael Collins and John Young. And on that Monday evening, Rocky Colavito helped the Cleveland Indians beat the California Angels at Cleveland Stadium 6 to 1. Only 7,000 fans showed up at the game but they could probably see smoke rising over the city as they went home. Much of the Hough neighborhood was in flames in Cleveland's first race riot. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Bringing the Middle East Conflict Home
Originally aired Tuesday, July 18, 2006
In an age of satellite TV and cell phones, Greater Clevelanders with Israeli or Lebanese connections have been closely following recent events in the Middle East. ideastream's David C. Barnett spoke with some area residents for whom the conflict is very close to home.

Mayors’ Meeting About Public School Funding
Originally aired Wednesday, July 19, 2006
After a recent meeting of Ohio mayors and school officials, one education leader says he finally is convinced they are nearing consensus. What the group is trying to do is no less than completely change the way Ohio pays for its public schools. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

No More Gas: The Electric Car Revolution
Originally aired Thursday, July 20, 2006
Imagine if a car could take you to and from work and on errands for only two cents a mile. Imagine if you never had to buy gas again. Well, such cars actually exist. They're electric and one's made right here in Northeast Ohio. As Lisa Ann Pinkerton reports, high gas prices may improve the market for electric vehicles in the coming years, but mileage gasoline cars plan to give them stiff competition.

Ohio Secretary of State Not Deciding on Vu’s Fate
Originally aired Friday, July 21, 2006
The Secretary of State's office says it will not decide whether Cuyahoga County Elections Director Michael Vu will be fired. The County Board of Elections met Friday morning and split along party lines in a vote to dismiss Vu and his chief deputy. They expected Ken Blackwell to break the tie but Blackwell Spokesman James Lee says they will not get involved in personnel issues. That means the motion to remove Vu fails and he will keep his job. But the board members are clearly not happy with his performance. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

U.S. Public Printer Converting to Digital
Originally aired Monday, July 24, 2006
You may have thumbed through a federal tax booklet in April or sent away for a pamphlet on home insulation - or something - from Pueblo, Colorado. Both of them were produced by the United States Government Printing Office. And the man overseeing the operation is from Cleveland. He's now converting much of the operation from paper to cyberspace. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Housing, Part 1: Cleveland Average Incomes on the Rise
Originally aired Tuesday, July 25, 2006
A report on personal income that came out last month found that Ohioans in almost every city and wage bracket saw a loss in income from 2000 to 2003. But one break with the trend was seen in the city of Cleveland where average income rose slightly. The study authors contributed that to the recent growth of middle class families in the city. That small gain has provided a little optimism for those hoping to improve Cleveland's financial health through new housing. ideastream's Mark Urycki has the first part in a series of reports on housing in Northeast Ohio.

On The Job in Ohio: Movie Maven
Originally aired Tuesday, July 25, 2006
This summer, we're beginning an occasional series about Ohioans and their work. To kick it off, we'll spend a little time with the man who has been bringing movies to the masses in Cleveland for almost three decades.

Mohican Deforestation
Originally aired Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Mohican State Forest near Mansfield is one of the most popular outdoor recreation sites in Northern Ohio. But environmental groups say this public resource is threatened by a gas company's plan to cut down trees along miles of pipeline through the forest. The utility says it's a matter of public safety. But state officials are also questioning the need to cut so many trees. ideastream's Karen Schaefer reports.

Miss Ohio Reigns at Idea Center
Originally aired Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Melanie Murphy lives in Brook Park, she's studies communications at Cleveland State University, and she's just been named Miss Ohio. She stopped by our studios recently - and we should mention she was wearing a tiara - and she told ideastream's Dan Moulthrop she's been competing in pageants since she was sixteen.

Luring Young Adults Back to Cleveland
Originally aired Thursday, July 27, 2006
Like many rust belt cities, the Cleveland metropolitan area has lost many of its young people to seemingly hipper places like New York, Chicago and Seattle. Since young people will always have a burning desire to explore life outside their hometown, one organization in Northeast Ohio has set its sights on several east coast schools, and their young talented students who are open to the idea of careers in Cleveland. ideastream's Lisa Ann Pinkerton reports.

Eminent Domain Rejected for Norwood
Originally aired Thursday, July 27, 2006
The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected the use of eminent domain by the city of Norwood in a closely watched case. It was the first challenge of the property rights law since the U.S. Supreme Court gave its consent to the general use of taking land. The Ohio court restricted the use of eminent domain, but it's not clear whether the case will play a role in a prominent Cleveland project. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Eminent Domain Still Available For Future Projects
Originally aired Thursday, July 27, 2006
City officials and developers are still digesting what yesterday's Ohio Supreme Court ruling will mean to them. The Court restricted the use of eminent domain by local governments when it's used for economic development. But it appears the tool will remain available in the future. ideastream's Mark Urycki reports.

Flooding in Lake County
Originally aired Friday, July 28, 2006
Thursday's torrential rains led to the evacuation of more than a hundred people from homes flooded by rising waters of the Grand and Chagrin Rivers in Lake County. As floodwaters recede, emergency crews are turning from rescue to clean-up operations, including rounding up boats set adrift on Lake Erie from marinas in Fairport Harbor. ideastream's Karen Schaefer reports. Officials in Lake County have set up an emergency hotline for residents affected by the flooding. Call 1-440-953-5469 or 5470 for help.

Don’t Put Me In a Box
Originally aired Monday, July 31, 2006
The word "homeless" conjures different images for different people - many of them negative. A new program allows homeless people to tell their own stories to community groups across Northeast Ohio. It's called "Street Voices" and it's shaking up some stereotypes. ideastream's David C. Barnett reports.