Emmy Award-winning Feagler & Friends is a lively, weekly half-hour television discussion of local and national issues impacting lives in Northeast Ohio. Hosted by award-winning journalist and former Plain Dealer columnist, Dick Feagler, Feagler & Friends explores the various issues behind today's news. With a changing ensemble of "friends" ranging from journalists to community and political leaders, Feagler & Friends takes on issues from many different perspectives. Always entertaining and never boring, Feagler & Friends is the program for people "in the know" in Northeast Ohio.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Topics: Education, Politics, Economy
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Roundtable: Erick Trickey, Cleveland Magazine; Harry Boomer, 19 Action News; Edith Starzyk, The Plain Dealer.

Newsmaker: Peter Lawson Jones, Cuyahoga County Commissioner. The leadership of Cuyahoga County has spent more time in the spotlight lately than any other period in recent memory. From the costly real estate maneuverings involving the Ameritrust complex…to questions about the location of the new Medical Mart and Convention Center…to a call for overhauling the very structure of County government itself…the three men at the helm of that government have been under a lot of scrutiny.

Complexities of the Ameritrust Complex: Some hail it as an architectural gem, while others suggest it resembles an ice cube tray. No matter what you call it, the Marcel Breuer tower and it’s more stately sister sit on a prime and pricey piece of downtown Cleveland property that’s been largely abandoned for a couple decades. The recent real estate dealings involving the Ameritrust complex is the subject of a critical article in the new issue of Cleveland Magazine.

MedMart/Convention Center: The site selection committee for the new Medical Mart and Convention Center is due to make its recommendation in the next week or so. A number of locations have been suggested over the past few years, but only a couple were being taken seriously, until recently. Now, we’re hearing that the costs of building at Tower City or rehabbing the old convention center may be going up substantially, and a new site at 55th and Chester has been added to the mix.

Reorganizing County Govt: The frustrations of cash-strapped coffers and charges of padded payrolls have prompted calls for re-tooling the way that Cuyahoga County does business. The alleged cyber-antics of the former Recorder didn’t exactly improve the image County government. A few days ago, state lawmakers put the brakes on a reform plan aimed at giving local voters a chance to shake-up the system.

Educating the Educators: Much lip service has been given to the idea that “children are the future” and yet, if recent research is to be believed, we aren’t serving that future very well. This past week, the Plain Dealer examined the state of teacher training in America, making the argument that too few public school educators make the grade. In addition, the lack of minority teachers in Ohio has been branded an “absolute crisis.”

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