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 1, 2009

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Newsmakers—Terry Allan, Cuyahoga County Health Commissioner; Stephen Wertheim, director, United Way’s 211/First Call for Help. Swine flu has spread to eleven U.S. states and caused at least one death. The Centers for Disease Control have confirmed more than 100 cases, the majority in New York. Locally, swine flu, officially dubbed H1N1, has been limited to one confirmed case, although technicians are evaluating a handful of suspected cases. Despite the limited outbreak, two schools have shut their doors temporarily and a statewide flu information line has fielded hundreds of calls. Concern about the possible threat of flu forced cancellation of a health care event at the county fairgrounds this weekend that would have offered free care to thousands of people. Free care is already available from a number of sources, as Mr. Wertheim will explain.

Roundtable: Janet Okoben, higher education reporter, The Plain Dealer; Brian Tucker, publisher and editorial director, Crain’s Cleveland Business; Kevin O’Brien, editorial writer, The Plain Dealer.

Auto Restructuring: Chrysler and General Motors are going through major changes in their latest effort to survive a downturn that, for them, started well before the recession. Chrysler was expected to file for bankruptcy protection Thursday after government-brokered talks with creditors broke down. Chrysler is also expected to merge with Fiat. GM’s restructuring will close plants, kill thousands of jobs and retire the Pontiac nameplate.

New President for CSU: Cleveland State’s new president, Ronald Berkman, is the provost and chief operating officer at Florida International University. Trustees introduced Berkman this week as CSU’s sixth president, replacing long-time chief exec Michael Schwartz, who plans to return to teaching. Berkman takes over July 1.

Obama’s 100 Days: President Barack Obama marked his 100th day in office with an hour-long news conference at which he said the nation has made progress in the struggle to recover from the economic downturn. He also expressed surprise at the number of serious issues that came to a head simultaneously in the early days of his administration. 100 days in, 60 per cent of Americans approve of the job he’s doing, identical to the job rating of George W. Bush at the same point of his tenure.

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