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, October 16, 2009

Topics: Economy, Politics, Health, Other
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Roundtable—Joan Mazzolini, reporter, The Plain Dealer; Brian Tucker, publisher and editorial director, Crain’s Cleveland Business; Bill Livingston, sports columnist, The Plain Dealer.

Stimulus and Jobs: Federal stimulus money has so far created or preserved more than 14-thousand jobs in Ohio, according to state and federal reports. About half the jobs were in school settings, involving teachers or staff. Ohio has spent less than a quarter of more than $8-billion promised. The money has had little impact on the state’s unemployment rate, still close to 11 per cent.

Hopeful Signs? The Dow industrials closed above the 10,000 mark for the first time in more than a year this week. The average will have to go some to top the all-time high of more than 14,000 set in October of 2007. But some of the signs are hopeful. Corporate earnings have largely improved and investor confidence is growing. But market watchers warn many factors such as the continuing high jobless numbers show recovery could be weak and prolonged.

Quickening Pulse for Health Reform: The Senate Finance Committee passed a health care reform measure. Senator Max Baucus’s measure has a price tag estimated at $829-billion and joins four other health care bills that have been passed by committees in both houses. If health care reform is to pass negotiators will have to find a way to combine the measures, a process that will take place on the House and Senate floors.

No Quit in Quinn: Browns back-up quarterback Brady Quinn has put his Avon Lake home up for sale. But Quinn says it’s not an indication he wants out of Cleveland; he merely wants smaller living quarters closer to the Browns practice complex in Berea. Quinn was the starting quarterback when the 2009 season began, but was soon replaced by Derek Anderson.

Halloween Hijinks: What was supposed to be a wry seasonal joke soon became a bone of contention for Kings Island amusement park near Cincinnati. The park recently created a display made up of skeletons dressed as recently-departed celebrities, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Steve McNair among them. After a loud, angry public outcry the park disarticulated the skeletons and apologized for showing poor taste.

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