Morning News Archives
October - December 2000

• December 2000
• November 2000
• October 2000

Building the Past Anew: The Fisk Opus 116 Organ at Oberlin College's Finney Chapel
Thought to have originated with the ancient Greeks, the pipe organ is one of the world's oldest musical instruments. This year, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music—one of North America's top schools for classical musicians—is building a new organ in its premier concert hall in Finney Chapel. The process of installing the organ began last August and will take nearly a year to complete. 90.3's Karen Schaefer takes us on this behind-the-scenes tour of a work-in-progress—the Fisk Opus 116. Aired December 29, 2000

Tuning In to Religious Broadcasting: Programs Give People Another Approach to Faith A trade group monitoring religious radio and television says more people are tuning in, and they have more choices than ever before. According to a survey last year by the Barna group of California, at least 80 million adults tune in each week to a religious show on radio or television. The increase in programming corresponds to a nation-wide religious renaissance that could be changing how schools, media and civic organizations approach faith in everyday life. Janet Babin reports. Aired December 29, 2000

Cleveland Gangs Part 2: Local Programs Help Kids Avoid the Lure of Gangs While the number of gangs in the Cleveland area is down, according to recent state statistics, the lure of "the life" over young people is still a big concern. With most parents -- whether husband and wife or single -- holding down jobs, more kids than ever are left unsupervised after school hours. In some communities there are programs and facilities where kids can learn, keep occupied and stay out of trouble. Other locales are not so fortunate. 90.3's Bill Rice reports.

Cleveland Gangs Part 1: Less Gang Activity Shows Hope for a Safer City A recent survey of law enforcement agencies throughout the state identifies at least 700 gangs in Ohio, with members totaling more than 13,000. Those numbers are actually lower than those of a similar survey done four years ago. But State Attorney General Betty Montgomery says the 2000 study is considered more accurate, and that comparing it to the 1996 survey may be misleading. She stops short of concluding the threat of gangs is waning, but that suggestion does jibe with the assessments of some gang experts here in Cleveland, as 90.3's Bill Rice reports. Aired December 27, 2000

Celebrating Kwanzaa: Afrocentric School Incorporates Holiday Into Lesson About Cultural Heritage Today, people all over the world will celebrate the first day of the week-long Kwanzaa season. The African American holiday, which means "first fruits" in Swahili, is celebrated in homes, churches and even schools. In fact, it is the theme for schools like Stewart primary school in Akron. The public school is the only one in Akron's district to identify itself as "Afrocentric," a move the school made in August. And as 90.3's Tarice Sims reports, students are learning why Kwanzaa and other aspects of cultural heritage, are important parts of their education and daily lives. Aired December 26, 2000

Dealing with Increased Airport Noise: Problem Has Locals Concerned as Cleveland Hopkins Plans Expansion Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is waiting for final approval of its expansion plans, but some residents in surrounding communities continue to worry that more room for planes will mean less peace of mind for them. 90.3's Janet Babin reports. Aired December 20, 2000

The Future of the Cleveland School Voucher Program Last week the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati ruled that the Cleveland school voucher program is unconstitutional. That decision upheld an earlier federal court ruling that the voucher program violates the separation between Church and State. Opponents of the voucher program are applauding the ruling. They say public tax dollars shouldn't support predominantly religious schools. But supporters say the four-year old pilot program is working, providing nearly four thousand poor families the means to buy a better education for their children. In the meantime, the state says it will appeal the case all the way to the U.S Supreme Court. 90.3's Karen Schaefer has this report. aired December 18, 2000

Improving Cleveland's Image: Getting the Word Out to the Country About the Comback In recent years the city of Cleveland has made giant strides in cleaning up its image. We call ourselves the "comeback city." But while citizens, business and political leaders pat each other on the back, the rest of the country still might not have gotten the message. Many believe the image problem is hurting Cleveland's ability to attract talented workers and to cultivate new businesses. A study released earlier this year seems to bear this out. But to find out how outsiders really see the city, we came here, Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Aired December 14, 2000

Disabilities Advocates Call for Support Under former President George Bush's Administration, Richard Thornburgh helped spearhead one of the most far-reaching pieces of U.S. civil rights legislation -- the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ten years later, the former Attorney General and others are calling on cities like Cleveland to not only offer financial support to disabled persons, but stamp out the negative stigmas that have been attached to them as well. 90.3's Tarice Sims has this report. Aired December 8, 2000

Powering the Future: NASA Glenn's Contribution to the International Space Station The Space Shuttle Endeavor lifted from the launch pad last Thursday without a hitch. Its mission was to install the first of the large solar arrays that will power the International Space Station. The station's power system was developed by engineers at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. But the job doesn't end there. The Glenn engineering support team is working around-the-clock to solve a mechanical problem with one of the array's two panels. Today, they'll be communicating their solutions to the astronauts, 250 miles up in space. 90.3's Karen Schaefer has this report. Aired December 7, 2000

Keeping the Peace: How the Middle East Conflict Affects Cleveland The Islamic commemoration Ramadan started last week, prompting thousands of Ohioans to being a month of contemplation and fasting. Although the word "Islam" refers to finding peace within yourself, many area Muslims' thoughts are on the violence that has returned to the Middle East. There's been heavy fighting overnight in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. CNN is reporting at least 35 people were injured. This marks the ninth week of violent confrontation between Arabs and Jews in disputed territories. 90.3's David C. Barnett reports on efforts to keep the peace in Cleveland. Aired December 5, 2000

Sick Homes Part Two: Building Healthy Homes to Fight Problematic Indoor Air Each year in this country, asthma affects more than 15 million Americans. Doctors say there's new evidence that asthma can be caused and triggered by the poor quality of indoor air. That's the air we breathe in our offices, in our schools -- and in our homes. While no one is regulating home air quality, health, government and civic leaders are working together to help improve home environments. But the private sector is also involved in the fight to slow the rapid growth of asthma. In Cleveland, one local builder is putting up Healthy Homes designed specifically for people with ailments triggered by problems with indoor air. 90.3's Karen Schaefer reports. Aired December 1, 2000

Sick Homes Part One: Combating Poor Air Quality in Homes Americans are increasingly aware of the health problems created by so-called sick buildings. Indoor air quality in workplaces and public schools is now at least partially regulated by federal and state agencies. But no one is regulating the air quality in your home. Doctors say they're concerned about the recent jump in the number of cases of diseases like asthma that are linked to poor air quality. They're working with government and civic leaders to combat this emerging threat to public health.90.3's Karen Schaefer reports. Aired November 30, 2000

IDEA Celebrates 25 Years: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Helps Disabled Children in School 25 years ago today disabled children around the country celebrated a huge victory. The IDEA, or, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, was passed, giving disabled children the right to learn in mainstream classrooms. More than two decades later there are still hurdles to overcome. The Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities has been trying to help parents become better advocates for their kids. In a recent meeting, 90.3's Tarice Sims found out what parents and schools need to know to continue the fight for inclusion. Aired November 29, 2000

The Debate about Electrofishing: Some Say Dated Technique Harms Fish One of the most important tools state wildlife biologists use to assess fish populations is about to change. The technique called electrofishing has been used since World War II to collect fish, then study them. Scientists use an electric current to stun fish so they can be easily caught and handled, then returned to the water. But for several years, an electrofishing controversy's been hatching between fisheries biologists. Instead of counting fish, some say the dated technique is killing them. 90.3's Janet Babin reports. Aired November 28, 2000

The Poverty Crisis: Debate about Welfare Program Cuts Continues
This past October about 2,000 Cuyahoga County residents stopped receiving monthly welfare checks as a result of reforms that limit welfare cash benefits to three years. November brought another round of cutoffs, and still more will lose their benefits in December, January, and so on into 2001. State and county officials embrace welfare reform as a necessary step in promoting self-sufficiency. But others who are opposed to the time limit see it as a setback in the War on Poverty. A group of those advocates met last weekend to take stock of their efforts to improve the lot of the poor. 90.3's Bill Rice reports. Aired November 22, 2000

High School Athletes Undergo Improved Physicals: Recent Incidents at Local High Schools a Wake-Up Call
High schools are now taking extra steps to protect their athletes. Doctors, and trainers routinely watch players from the sidelines at many games. "Normal" sports injuries happen all the time - a player may sprain their thumb or ankle, but sometimes the unimaginable happens. Last month two high school football players died during their football games. A few days ago the Summit County Coroner revealed that one of the athletes died because of cardiac arrhythmia. Just two weeks before that, another football player in Cleveland died of a heart attack brought on by a hereditary heart condition. These tragedies left many parents wondering if schools know enough about the health of their students. 90.3's Tarice Sims tells us about the improving health policies in High Schools sports. Aired November 20, 2000

Bridging the Digital Divide, Part Two: Information Kiosks In recent years, computer and telecommunications industry giants like Hewlett Packard, Cisco Systems and AT&T have invested millions of dollars in technology grants and free Internet accounts to help bridge the Digital Divide. While cynics might note there's a huge profit to be made from more people getting interested in getting online, many business people believe that a nation lagging behind in computer savvy could lead to economic stagnation. That's one of the reasons behind a new effort to widen public access to the Internet. Coming soon to an airport, truck stop or shopping mall near you - computer kiosks, where anyone can log onto the World Wide Web. 90.3's Karen Schaefer has this report. Aired November 17, 2000

Bridging the Digital Divide, Part One: Community Computing Centers Ever since the advent of the World Wide Web, pundits have expressed concern that the high cost of computers could widen the gap between rich and poor, leaving some people out of the Information Age. Many efforts have been made to bridge the so-called Digital Divide. Federal programs have brought the Internet into public schools and libraries and White House initiatives have helped create community computing centers, where children and adults can learn to use the new technology. But while government has partnered with business to provide computers, operating costs for computing centers remain a challenge. 90.3's Karen Schaefer has this report. Aired November 16, 2000

Pheasant Hunting to Increase in Ohio While most people enjoy turkey on Thanksgiving Day, some might be eating pheasants shot on public land. As90.3's Janet Babin reports, if it weren't for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, many hunters would come up empty handed. Aired November 16, 2000

New Convention Center Concerns: Location, Price Tag, and More Considered in Proposal
Major city projects typically have their supporters and detractors. The Euclid Corridor upgrade was approved late last summer by an initially skeptical city council, and many Cleveland residents question the wisdom of Mayor Mike White's Lakefront Development initiative. Opposition to construction of a new downtown convention center is not so evident - in fact, support for the idea can be found in most quarters. But there is much division over where a convention center should go, how much it should cost, and how to pay for it. 90.3's Bill Rice reports. Aired November 15, 2000

An Alternative to Public Schools: Community School Solution Becoming Reality
One of the big issues in this presidential race is education. Many public schools are in crisis throughout the country, including the Cleveland Municipal School system. Three years ago the state legislature came up with a solution. It passed a law creating charter schools now called "community schools" as an alternative to public schools. For the first time since 1997 individuals and private organizations that want to start a community school can apply to the Cleveland School district rather than the state. 90.3's Tarice Sims takes a look at the ongoing debate over the pros and cons of having community schools. Aired November 6, 2000

A Celebration of Life for Halloween: Restoring Graveyards for History's Sake On Halloween, most of us would rather stay out of cemeteries and graveyards. But some people believe that our final resting place is really a celebration of life. 90.3's Karen Schaefer takes us on a cemetery tour in rural Lorain County. Aired October 25, 2000

Campaign Finance Reform in Akron: Issue 10 to Draw Line Between Public and Private Funding of Campaigns There's strong tension in Akron between supporters and opponents of a campaign finance proposal on the November 7th ballot. Known as Issue 10, the ballot measure calls for full public financing of candidates who agree not to accept private campaign donations. Such voluntary systems have been adopted by a handful of states, but Akron would be the first city in the country to implement one should the measure pass. 90.3s Bill Rice reports. Aired October 25, 2000

Funding Programs About Domestic Violence: Victims Seek Help From Statewide Programs: Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery announced earlier this month, she will distribute over $5 million in federal funds to 69 domestic violence programs across the state. Last year 130,000 victims of domestic violence sought help from these programs. But people are still waging a private war, as only half of all cases are thought to be reported. As 90.3's Tarice Sims reports, many victims don't even realize they're abused because they aren't being physically attacked, and they often need to be convinced to seek help. Aired October 24, 2000

Statewide Funding Crisis For Local Programs: Tax Levy to Help Ease Burden of Parents: For most parents, the birth of a child is a happy event. But for parents of children born with Down's syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy - or other mental or developmental disabilities - it can be a time of heartbreak. One of the November ballot issues to be decided by Cuyahoga County voters is a tax levy to support services for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. At 3.9 mills, it's a slight increase over previous years. While there's a tradition of strong county support for mental retardation issues, officials are worried about what might happen if the levy fails. Advocates claim a lack of expansion in state funding over the last decade - coupled with a growing need for services - has created a statewide funding crisis for local programs. 90.3's Karen Schaefer reports. Aired October 20, 2000

Repairing Old Schools in Cleveland: Discussion Given New Light in Wake of East High Collapse:America's "old and crumbling schools," once a hot item in the nation's political dialog, has been pushed to the back of the shelf in recent years. But in Cleveland the condition of school buildings is drawing new and urgent attention, especially in the wake of the East High School roof collapse. While there's plenty of discussion of repairs and renovations to come, getting those projects off the ground will take time. 90.3's Bill Rice reports. Aired October 17, 2000

Using Hypnosis to Understand the Mind: Scholars have used many methods to study human behavior, including hypnotism, which has been around since the pyramids. One of the first recorded uses of hypnosis happened in the sleep temples of Ancient Egypt around 3,000 B.C. Today the practice continues to be viewed with some skepticism. As 90.3's Tarice Sims reports, despite the myths, the medical world has embraced hypnosis as a beneficial tool of the mind. Aired October 13, 2000

Recreating Lake Erie's Shoreline: New Waterfront Designs Call For More Public Spaces: In recent years, Cleveland's downtown waterfront has changed. The Flats, North Coast Harbor, and the Cleveland Browns Stadium have all contributed to the transformation of a once-derelict urban landscape. But local planners say that's not enough. Two new proposals to reshape the Lake Erie waterfront are now on the table. Critics say the plans need more public input. They say they want more public access to Ohio's greatest natural resource. 90.3's Karen Schaefer reports. Aired October 11, 2000

Painting "God's Children" An Interview with Artist Betty Ludwig: Betty Ludwig is a resident at Hospice of the Western Reserve. Before she was admitted, Connie Krug, a hospice art therapist, saw some of Betty's paintings and thought others should see them too. Betty describes herself as a simple woman who loved raising her family and painting pictures of people she saw in National Geographic Magazines. Connie Krug coordinated an art show featuring Betty's works, something she had never had before. It was a one day affair (September 13th) at Hospice House on Lake Shore Blvd.

Funding the Fight Against AIDS: Thanks to new drug therapy the number of AIDS cases and deaths in Ohio has dropped. But, that could be bad news for HIV and AIDS prevention and assistance programs - it could mean less government money for them. For 90.3, FM Tarice Sims reports. Aired October 6, 2000

"Stop the Hate" Breakfast Addresses Hate Crime: Yesterday members of area churches and other civic organizations gathered in downtown Cleveland to add a united voice to the growing movement against hate and hate crimes. The "Stop the Hate" Breakfast was a response not just to heinous, highly publicized crimes such as the murders of James Byrd - a black man - in Texas, and Matthew Sheppard - a gay man - in Wyoming. It also was aimed at addressing hate speech such as that painted on a building on Cleveland's east side. 90.3's Bill Rice reports. Aired October 6, 2000

Targeting Young Voters in November's Election: Whether you vote this November may have more to do with your age than your views on the issues. The 18- to 24-year-old block has the lowest voter turnout of any age group. Different organizations are targeting young voters in the upcoming election in Cleveland. 90.3 WCPN®'s Cecil Hickman has the story. Aired October 6, 2000

Reconnecting the Generations: New Charter School Attempts to Recreate Community:The new reality of single-parent homes and latch-key kids have slowly changed the traditional family structure. A child raised in modern America often doesn't have the benefit of learning from the experience of older siblings and grandparents. 90.3's David C. Barnett reports that a new charter school in Cleveland is trying to recreate a sense of community that seems to have been lost in contemporary society. Aired October 5, 2000

Labor Leaders Put Out Voter's Guide: Cleveland AFL/CIO Plans to Mail 90,000 to Local Residents: Cleveland labor leaders have come out with their judicial "slate" of endorsements. The list illustrates changing attitudes and alliances between candidates and big labor. 90.3's Mike West reports. Aired October 3, 2000

Examining the Role of the State Board of Education: Opinions on Importance of Board Vary Through State: Come election day this November, Northeast Ohio voters will choose two state Board of Education members; one in district 11, which encompasses Cleveland and some surrounding towns; the other in district 5, to the south and east of the city. Education professionals, government officials, and even the candidates, concede the state school board commands little attention among voters. Yet many put education at the top of their lists of concerns. Opinions on just how important the state board is in the grand scheme of Ohio education vary. 90.3's Bill Rice reports. Aired October 2, 2000