Sound of Ideas

Ohio libraries will get more funding under the House's budget, which was passed Wednesday. That after intense backlash over proposed library funding cuts prompted lawmakers to reconsider. Still, there's big worry about future budgets because lawmakers refused to restore the method of funding libraries in place since the Celeste administration of earmarking a set percentage of the General Revenue F...

A survey of nearly 1,500 residents reveals that Clevelanders were two to three times more likely to have unmet food, housing and transportation needs, as compared to the state and nation.

In Cleveland, large parcels of land for development or redevelopment are hard to come by. But a new project may be a rare opportunity to reimagine a current industrial brownfield site and bring people back to the city. Spurred by state and city funding, the former National Acme building on East 131st Street will be demolished and the newly vacant land remediated. Combined with an adjacent parcel o...

A proposed state budget calls for the end of the Public Library Fund, as libraries from across the state descend on Columbus for Library Legislative Day.

April 7 is the last day to register to vote in the May 6 Primary Election. Visit your county board of elections website to learn about changes to polling locations and accepted forms of identification.

The Ohio House unveiled its version of the state budget this week. The two-year spending plan makes several changes to proposals put forth by Governor Mike DeWine in his budget. One major change involves funding to K-12 public schools, with House Republicans signaling the intention to move away from the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan agreed to in 2021. The six-year plan attempted to overhaul...

The Rust Belt Humanities Lab at Ursuline College is using community events and guest speakers to help students and residents re-imagine the region and its future.

The pandemic has permanently altered K-12 education, leaving long-term consequences that are still felt today by students, teachers, administrators and parents. Many experts are concerned that these challenges will persist for years to come. Today, students—both locally and across the country—are still struggling to catch up. The latest scores from the Nation's Report Card reveal that fourth and e...

Two MetroHealth medical professionals have published a collection of case narratives exploring health inequities among patients and health care providers.

Local organizations are working together to bring Shaker Square back to its glory days and make it a thriving destination for year-round shopping, dining, and recreation.

Cleveland lost two council seats this year as prescribed by the city’s charter and based on population numbers from the decennial census. Ward maps were redrawn to accommodate the reduction in the council’s size. That process means that a third of Cleveland’s voters will have to cast their ballots at a new polling location in the upcoming May primary. The potential for confusion has raised concern...

The “Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act,” or Senate Bill 1, will eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, prohibit faculty strikes and grants university trustees more power over financial decisions.

A new Ohio law will lift driver's license suspensions for people with unpaid court fines and fees. The law takes effect on April 9. Going forward, courts can no longer issue immediate license suspensions when drivers don't pay a court fine or fee. It's a change advocates have been seeking for years, arguing that license suspensions unfairly impacted low-income drivers and people of color. Later in...

The Trump administration is working to fully eliminate the Department of Education, and has started by closing some of the smaller offices and laying off staff.

America is becoming a nation of homebodies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we all spent more time at home - sometimes more than we'd have liked to. However, researchers have found that the trend of spending more time at home actually predates the pandemic by several decades. And perhaps unsurprisingly, technology may play a role in our reluctance to step outside the front door. In this episode, we'...

The mayor of Cleveland and the Cuyahoga County executive tag teamed this week to hammer the Cleveland Browns' plan to build a new complex in Brook Park with a domed stadium as its centerpiece. The story begins our discussion of the week's news on the "Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable." Also on the Roundtable, Senate Bill 1 sailed through the Ohio House this week. The bill sponsored by Republica...

How does Northeast Ohio measure up against peer cities regionally and nationally? Team NEO and the Cleveland Talent Alliance discuss where we're ahead of the curve and where we need to gain ground.

It's been 10 years since an Ohio law went into effect that gave 400,000 adopted Ohioans the chance to access their original birth certificates and adoption files.

Seeds of Literacy serves hundreds of Northeast Ohioans each year from a wide variety of backgrounds.

This month, President Donald Trump rolled out tariffs on goods coming from Mexico, Canada and China. Amid talks of economic uncertainty, the U.S. stock market is seeing historic declines.

The Haslam Sports Group laid out the case for state funding of a mixed-use development in Brook Park that would include a domed stadium for the Cleveland Browns. The team wants the state to approve $600 million in bonds, paid off with taxes generated by the project, and sought to reassure legislators that the risk to taxpayers would be minimized. One way to minimize the risk? The team would provid...

Most people look forward to spring, but some scientists and entomologists are warning that with climate change, insects that spread diseases are wintering less.

Unemployment rates have been at historical lows for the past several years, but that doesn't mean it's easy to find a new job. Employers aren't hiring, and many job seekers are reporting that it's taking six months or longer to find

Tuesday on the "Sound of Ideas," we'll discuss air travel and safety with two experts, including some recent headline-grabbing incidents and the lessons learned from them. We'll also talk about the air traffic controller shortage and staffing and how that's affecting travel. Later in the hour, there's a new sheriff in Stark County for the first time in more than a decade.