http://www.wksu.org/news/ WKSU News Headlines en-us Copyright 2013, WKSU Radio Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:42:05 -0400 WKSU RSS Generator 1.1 This week, The Plain Dealer and public radio's StateImpact Ohio collaboration have been reporting on a new measure of teacher performance called "value-added." It rates individual teachers based on the amount of progress their students make, using test scores and a complex statistical formula.  About 16,000 teachers are tracked now in the initial roll out.  The results will play a major role in determining a teacher's pay, starting next year in some schools.  That would be huge change for Ohio.  StateImpact's Ida Lieszkovsky has our latest installment in our series: "Grading the Teachers." WKSU's Ida Lieszkovszky reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35918 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Ida Lieszkovszky Education Coal fired power plants in Ohio could be required to limit the amount of pollutants discharged into waterways if a new set of US EPA rules is enacted. WKSU's Jeff St. Clair reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35927 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:34:23 -0400 Jeff St. Clair Government Education funding and tax cuts are two of the main issues a six-member committee will tackle tomorrow  as they begin work on the final blueprint for Ohio's budget. Republican Scott Oelslager is a member of the conference committee negotiating differences between the House and Senate versions. The Stark County Senator expects the committee of four Republicans and two Democrats to compromise on a budget that spurs job growth. GRACE MURRAY reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35926 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:09:01 -0400 GRACE MURRAY Government A leak in a pipe in the reactor cooling system is causing a short-term shutdown of the Perry nuclear power plant.  WKSU's Tim Rudell reports that the problem started over the weekend, and the response to it is continuing WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35924 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:32:00 -0400 Tim Rudell Economy and Business WKSU's Jeff St. Clair reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35921 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:03:23 -0400 Jeff St. Clair Military vets running out of time for bonuses Northeast Ohio well-represented on state budget committee Ohio posts record flu cases Gas prices are moving back down Lawmakers debate new regulations for capturing loose dogs Statehouse proposal calls for $2 million in security upgrades Cleveland gun buyback nets 352 firearms Ohio AG: Be wary of new rental property scam Beachwood officer shoots suspect   WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35917 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:11:18 -0400 Amanda Rabinowitz Americans spend around $4.3 billion each year on herbal medicine.  Nearly one out of five take botanicals of some kind each day, very few of them under doctor's orders.  But in this week's Exploradio, WKSU's Jeff St.Clair finds that researchers at the Northeast Ohio Medical University are proving plants can provide powerful medicine.   WKSU's Jeff St. Clair reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35915 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Jeff St. Clair Health and Medicine What makes a good teacher?  That question is at the heart of efforts to radically alter the way teachers are evaluated and rewarded.  Ohio is one of 32  states trying out a new yardstick called "value added."  It's rigorous, data driven and controversial.   StateImpact Ohio and The Plain Dealer have analyzed initial results from the process in a series we're calling "Grading the Teachers." WKSU's Ida Lieszkovszky and Molly Bloom report. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35914 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Ida Lieszkovszky and Molly Bloom Education The Cleveland Police Department held its annual gun buyback over the weekend, swapping gift cards for certain types of firearms. Opponents say such programs waste taxpayer dollars and destroy desirable weapons. And as WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports, in many cases it comes down to a matter of economics. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35916 Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:28:27 -0400 Kabir Bhatia Crime and Courts Parts of the city of Akron's website are open for business after a hacking attack last month.The site is able to process payroll tax payments, which are due tomorrow (Saturday). But several parts of the site remain off-line during repair efforts.A Turkish group claimed responsibility for the hacking attack and leaked thousands of taxpayer records online. The FBI is investigating, as other cities -- including Lansing, Mich., and Mobile, Ala., -- were also hit.Akron has been in contact with several credit-reporting agencies to provide free or expedited assistance to anyone affected. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35913 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:34:10 -0400 Kabir Bhatia Crime and Courts As advocates for Medicaid expansion continue to hope lawmakers will consider it, legislators from both parties have introduced a bill that they say will reform the government insurance program for low-income people. WKSU's Karen Kasler reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35912 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:31:27 -0400 Karen Kasler Politics Two controversial bills backed by abortion opponents are making their way through the state budget process. Now, there's a free-standing bill in the Ohio Legislature that would limit and enact new rules for abortions performed in the state. Backers say it would reduce the number of abortions in Ohio. Opponents say it will deny women their constitutional rights and dictate questionable health practices and information. WKSU's Jo Ingles reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35911 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:25:05 -0400 Jo Ingles Politics Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson is accusing Ohio's attorney general of tainting the criminal investigation into last November's massive police chase and shooting that left two people dead. The criticism focuses on how the attorney general handled a report he released four months ago that found big failures in Cleveland's department. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35910 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:41:24 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Crime and Courts Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson today provided an update into the investigation of a deadly police shooting last November.Jackson says some officers did not follow orders during the nearly half-hour pursuit that ended with the shooting deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams in East Cleveland.And he disagrees with Attorney General Mike DeWine that a "systemic failure" led to the shooting. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35904 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:18:03 -0400 Kabir Bhatia Crime and Courts GOP chairman meeting with black leaders in Cleveland Captain America wraps shooting Mayor Jackson says no 'systemic failure' in Nov. shooting http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35903 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:15:16 -0400 Ohio Confirmed: Storms spawned five tornados in western Ohio New Cleveland Convention Center opens today Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice opposes death penalty Final bridge bomb plotter found guilty Fitch gives Ohio Turnpike bonds 'strong' rating  Steubenville teens convicted of rape to be labeled sex offenders Imperial Ave. lot could become a memorial park to Sowell victims Medicaid bill provides few details on proposed reforms Healthcare workers for the poor must call-in West Shoreway to reopen on Saturday WKSU's Jeff St. Clair reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35902 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:34:01 -0400 Jeff St. Clair About seven years ago, serious discussions started about replacing Cleveland's inadequate downtown convention center so the city could attract bigger conventions and visitors' money.This afternoon, the ribbon will be cut on the new $465 million complex. The new convention center helped spark a $2 billion building boom in downtown Cleveland. And as WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports, making all these projects work together has been a priority from the beginning. WKSU's Kevin Niedermier reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35890 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Kevin Niedermier Economy and Business Small farms are making a big difference. Ohio’s landscape is dotted with family farms supplying as many as 260 farmers markets, a 150 percent increase in the last decade. Informed consumers increasingly hanker for pesticide and hormone-free, locally-grown produce, and beef and poultry that’s humanely raised. And many new small-scale farmers find satisfying that hunger can be satisfying work.  For today’s Quick Bite, WKSU’s Vivian Goodman takes us to Garrettsville for a tour of The Lucky Penny Farm. WKSU's Vivian Goodman reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35823 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Vivian Goodman Lifestyle It may just be a coincidence but 911 will be the sentencing date for the last of five suspects in a scheme to blow up a northeast Ohio bridge -- a plot that was actually an FBI sting.  The accused co-conspirator was found guilty by a Federal Court jury for attempting to use weapons of mass destruction in terrorist acts. WKSU's Tim Rudell reports from Akron. WKSU's Tim Rudell reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35900 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:39:47 -0400 Tim Rudell Crime and Courts Two years ago, 59 of Ohio's 88 counties were identified as having too few dentists to meet the needs of their communities.David Maywhoor of Dental Access Now says a new report shows the problem is getting worse -- especially in rural counties. WKSU's Jo Ingles reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35899 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:36:11 -0400 Jo Ingles Health and Medicine The Affordable Care Act has sparked a lot of debate since it was proposed. And with the federal health insurance plan taking effect soon, there are a lot of numbers being tossed around. There also is a lot of confusion about how much the changes will cost consumers and companies. WKSU's Karen Kasler reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35897 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:25:28 -0400 Karen Kasler Government A group is using an interactive website to collect data on Northeast Ohioans' vision of the region's future. Jeff Anderle of the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium says ImagineMyNEO will help collect data through the summer from residents who prefer online communication to public meetings. LYNDSEY SCHLEY reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35895 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:06:42 -0400 LYNDSEY SCHLEY Government A lawyer and the director of a Cleveland non-profit pleaded guilty today to 10 counts of tax evasion. Edward Kramer ran Housing Advocates, Inc. Mike Tobin of the U.S. Attorney's office says Kramer withheld taxes from the payrolls of employees of the agency but never paid them to the government. He also failed to file tax returns in 2009 and 2010 and under reported his income for 2007 and 2008t. Tobin says that resulted in about $500,000 of untaxed income and $80,000 of taxes that the government never received. LYNDSEY SCHLEY reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35894 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:39:43 -0400 LYNDSEY SCHLEY Crime and Courts Ohio's U.S. Sen. Rob Portman says non-profit groups engaging in political activity need a clear set of guidelines on what they can - and can't - do and still keep their tax status.In a conference call today, the Republican senator said groups such as labor unions, super PACs and other non-profits need clear and rational rules on lobbying and other political engagement.But he considers that a separate issue from the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35893 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:37:56 -0400 Kabir Bhatia Government UPDATE: 5:20 P.M., JUNE 13A federal jury in Akron spent little more than an hour deliberating this afternoon before convicting the fifth man accused of plotting to blow up a bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in  April of 2012. Twenty-four-year-old Joshua Stafford was convicted on all three charges he faced, including conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. He claimed he didn't know what his four co-defendants had planned when they planted what they thought was plastic explosive at the base of the bridge. The explosive turned out to be fake, supplied by an FBI informant. The others all pleaded guilty to various charges and were sentenced to six to eleven years in prison.****************  The case against the last of five men suspected to plotting to blow up a bridge across the Cuyahoga Valley National Park went to federal jury in Akron this afternoon. An FBI affidavit says 24-year-old Joshua Stafford joined the plot to blow up the Route 82 bridge in April of 2012 just two days before the men bought what they thought were real explosives from an FBI informant. And Stafford, who represented himself in the four-day trial, insisted he didn't know what his co-defendants planned.  But prosecutors say tapes clearly make their case. Stafford was originally found mentally incompetent to stand trial. His co-defendants all pleaded guilty, though their lawyers had maintained the informant engineered the plot. TIM RUDELL reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35891 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:31:38 -0400 TIM RUDELL Crime and Courts The latest numbers from the U.S. Census show Ohio's population continues to hold steady, though the people continue to shift within the Northeast Ohio region. WKSU's M.L. Schultze has more on what the latest numbers show. WKSU's M.L. Schultze and GRACE MURRAY report. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35886 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:28:59 -0400 M.L. Schultze and GRACE MURRAY People Ohio's population remains stagnant Capital punishment task force back at work Bridge bomber suspect says he didn't know what his friends planned Push for more for Ohio's rural, urban districts WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35884 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:12:59 -0400 M.L. Schultze Ohio Defense suggests plea in Castro case Overnight storm results in power outages across multiple counties Trial ends for bridge bomb-plotting suspect Local CIA deputy director steps down Budget committee sets to work on separate versions State budget negotiations to exclude Medicaid Task force looks at Ohio's capital punishment law  Ohio foreclosure rate falls but still one of the nation's highest Akron priest retires after serving prison sentence Ohio House asks president, congress to process veterans' claims faster Cleveland police training emphasizes pursuit education Purchase of Ohio tire maker won't cut jobs at manufacturing plants WKSU's Jeff St. Clair reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35883 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:04:12 -0400 Jeff St. Clair One of the earliest and most consistent signs of the recovery of Ohio's manufacturing economy is having trouble.The $34 billion-a-year Great Lakes shipping industry is lighter this year - not because of lower demand, but because of lower water levels. WKSU's M.L. Schultze spoke with the vice president of the trade association for the shippers, who says it's a long-term problem that is supposed to have a long-term solution in place. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/35877 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0400 M.L. Schultze Economy and Business