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, August 29, 2008

Topics: Education, Economy, Politics
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Roundtable: Becky Gaylord, editorial writer, The Plain Dealer; Scott Stephens, education reporter, The Plain Dealer; Bill Sheil, investigative reporter, WJW-TV (Fox 8 I-team)

Politics Round-up: The 2008 Democratic convention wraps up in Denver with a big show of party unity before tens of thousands at Denver’s Invesco Field. Senator Hillary Clinton helped set the stage with a strongly pro-Obama speech, then a floor motion to accept the nomination of Barack Obama by acclamation. Obama delivered his acceptance speech on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “Dream” speech in Washington. Republicans are gearing up for their convention, starting Monday in Minneapolis. Senator John McCain is set to introduce his running mate Friday afternoon in Dayton.

Replacing Stephanie Tubbs Jones: The passing of the 11th District Congresswoman leaves a vacancy that’ll have to be filled by a special election. Governor Strickland has set November 18th as the date for the election. Multiple candidates could also require an October primary. Democrats will get down to the business of filling out the campaign slate when they return home from the Denver convention. A memorial service for Tubbs Jones is set for Saturday at Public Hall.

School Report Cards: When Ohio school report cards came out this week, one of the criteria used to judge student progress was something called “value-added.” This standard assesses a student’s progress, rather than judging a student against a rigid test. The value-added standard tended to raise the overall scores of districts around the state.

Newsmaker: Amy Hanauer, executive director, Policy Matters Ohio:
The Cleveland think tank’s 2008 State of Working Ohio report, released in time for the Labor Day weekend, shows Ohio’s low- and moderate-income people slipping farther behind wealthier families. Inflation-adjusted wages for 2007 were reported lower for low-income people than they were the year before. Productivity has doubled since 1973, but that gain has not been matched by growth in median family incomes. Union membership continues to fall in Ohio…14 per cent of the work force now compared to 21 per cent in 1989.

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