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, June 22, 2007

Topics: Politics, Health, Economy
Short URL  Share Leave a Comment

Newsmakers: Dr. John Kuehn, professor of psychiatry, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine; Dr. Kathryn Burns, Chief Clinical Officer, Cuyahoga County Community Mental Health Board. The recent shooting death of a Cleveland Heights police officer by a man with a history of mental illness reignited debate over the way society deals with the mentally ill. A psychiatrist with long experience treating patients in mental hospitals went public this week with criticism of the Mental Health Board’s approach to treatment and its stewardship of public funding. He’ll discuss his critique with Mr. Feagler and we’ll hear response from a Board official.

Roundtable: Elizabeth Sullivan, foreign affairs writer, The Plain Dealer; Mark Naymik, politics reporter, The Plain Dealer; Greg Saber, reporter, WTAM 1100.

Sales Tax: The Cuyahoga County Commissioners are thinking about imposing a quarter-cent increase in the sales tax. It would raise a tax that’s already the highest in the state to 7.75 per cent. The commissioners hope the increase will pay for a new Cleveland convention center, and pour enough money into the county’s coffers to pay for other projects. The commissioners see a new convention center as an important catalyst for attracting a Medical Mart to downtown Cleveland.

Politics: Senator Barack Obama paid another visit to Cleveland this week to raise money for his presidential campaign. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced he was leaving the Republican party to pursue his political dreams as an independent. Speculation that those dreams could include a run for the White House further roil political waters already muddied by the presence of nearly 20 candidates.

Economic Inclusion: A new study this week suggests any approach to regional cooperation should be tailored to work for the benefit of Cleveland’s black community. The study done for the Presidents’ Council, a group of black CEO’s, says solutions to the problems of the core city should be provided by the entire region.

Middle East: U.S. troops increase pressure on Iraqi insurgents and insurgents respond with new attacks on the Americans. More than a dozen troops have been killed in attacks this week and insurgents have been lobbing mortar rounds at buildings in Baghdad’s Green Zone. Thousands of Palestinians have sought to flee Gaza this week in the wake a takeover by Hamas. Egypt’s president has called a for a summit next week, also involving Israel and Jordan, to determine how to respond to events in Gaza.

Leave a Comment

Please note that all comments must adhere to ideastream's discussion rules and terms of use. Name:

Email:

Comment:

Please enter the word you see in the image below:

Send questions and comments to feagler@wviz.org.