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, November 14, 2008

Topics: Economy, Politics, Health, Other
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Roundtable: Mike Roberts, freelance journalist; April McClellan-Copeland, reporter, The Plain Dealer; Dan Shingler, reporter, Crain’s Cleveland Business.

Manufacturing Loses Steam: More than half a million Americans filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week, a number not seen since the days immediately following the terrorist attacks of 2001. Hundreds of thousands of bleu collar jobs have disappeared in the last three months and new layoffs have been announced at GM Lordstown, Republic Engineered Products and Whirlpool. Ohio suffered a major blow this week when DHL announced plans to shut down its U.S. operations, idling more than 7,000 workers in Wilmington.

Medical Mart Threat? A published report says Cleveland is in a race with New York City interests to build and operate a Medical Mart, a one-stop shopping center for the latest in high-tech hospital equipment. New York companies say they’re in the advanced planning stages for a medical mart of their own and Cleveland leaders say the country is big enough for only one such enterprise.

Sean Levert’s Death: A Plain Dealer report says R&B singer Sean Levert, Sr. was denied prescribed anti-hallucinatory medication in the days before he died at the Cuyahoga County jail. The report implies Levert’s steadily declining mental state played a decisive role in his death last spring. There’s been no official comment from the Cuyahoga County sheriff’s office, operator of the jail. County prosecutors have absolved jail staffers of any wrongdoing.

Domestic Partner Registry: Cleveland City Council will consider a new law establishing a domestic partner registry similar to one in Cleveland Heights. It allows partners in non-traditional, including same-sex, relationships to make it a matter of public record. Backers of the registry hope it would encourage hospitals and other organizations to grant domestic partners the same privileges as spouses, but the registry would be non-binding.

Bad Roads? Ohio Department of Transportation is said to be weighing the possibility of a total replacement for the deteriorating Innerbelt bridge. Replacement would require a two-year detour for 100,000-plus vehicles that use the bridge daily. As it is, the bridge is off-limits to trucks and buses until further notice. RTA is testing concrete used in its Euclid Corridor Project after reports the concrete was formulated with a chemical that might corrode steel reinforcing bars used in the project. Corrosion could cause parts of the new road to crumble.

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