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, February 6, 2009

Topics: Education, Economy, Politics, Other
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Newsmaker: Scott Wolstein, Principal, The Wolstein Group. Wolstein just returned from Chicago where he reportedly convinced leaders of MMPI, managers of the proposal Cleveland Medical Mart, that his Flats East Bank site is a better choice for a new convention center/Medical Mart than one behind Tower City Center. Wolstein has proposed a $366-million project to be built on Cleveland’s lakefront. But Wolstein’s site stands only as an alternate. The Cuyahoga County commissioners and MMPI want to build the new convention center on the site of the old. An on-going engineering study will determine if the old site is viable.

Roundtable: Scott Stephens, Catalyst Ohio; Brian Tucker, publisher and editorial director, Crain’s Cleveland Business; Christopher Evans, editorial writer, The Plain Dealer.

Jobs Lost: Companies with large northeast Ohio workforces announced job cuts this week as recession tightened its grip on the nation. PNC, new owner of National City Bank, will cut 5,800 jobs, some of them in Cleveland. Lincoln Electric is offering buyouts to trim its staff and will suspend the company’s 401-K match. Lubrizol Corporation announced a cut of 170 jobs, about half in the Cleveland area.

State of the Schools: Cleveland schools CEO Eugene Sanders says he plans to get rid of teachers who aren’t performing well and close schools where students are failing. Sanders made the remarks in his annual state of the schools address. He’s interpreting Governor Strickland’s school reform plan as giving him the power to hire and fire teachers at will. Union leaders say the new policy isn’t yet clear.

Open Discovery: The Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office has agreed to share police reports and other investigative material with defense attorneys, a process called open discovery. Prosecutors have made it a practice to withhold some information deeming it necessary to protect victims and witnesses. But defense attorneys convinced local judges the practice is unfair to defendants who might be deprived of exculpatory evidence.

Obama Nominees: Two people nominated to be top advisers to President Obama withdrew from consideration this week over concerns about their tax dealings. The President’s pick for secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Daschle withdrew as did Nancy Killefer who would have served as the White House chief performance officer. Commerce Secretary nominee Bill Richardson withdrew last month. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner faced tax questions but was confirmed.

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