Goodbye, City Center (Columbus Dispatch, February 4, 2009)  Nearly 20 years after City Center opened as the shining star of central Ohio's retail universe, the obsolete and nearly abandoned mall will be demolished. It is to be replaced by an urban park and, within several years, a collection of buildings that will contain homes, offices, restaurants and shops.

Editorial: Budgeting in the moment (Akron Beacon Journal, February 4, 2009) The governor scrambles resourcefully in crafting his spending plan. Unfortunately, Ohio still faces a challenging structural deficit.

City council start chipping away at Toledo's $8.1M deficit from '08 (Toledo Blade, February 4, 2009) In an attempt to begin fixing Toledo's financial crisis, a councilman last night offered up the first idea to chip away nearly $1 million from the city's unexpected deficit left over from 2008.

Ohio budget plan shares gain, pain (Toledo Blade, February 4, 2009) Although Ohio spending will increase overall during the next two years, the budget proposed by Gov. Ted Strickland has plenty of winners and losers.

Canton, Stark County get nearly $8 million to fight the effects of foreclosure (Canton Repository, February 3, 2009) The funding isn't to stop foreclosures. It can be used to acquire land and property; to demolish or rehabilitate abandoned properties; and/or to offer down payment and closing cost assistance to low- to moderate-income homebuyers.

Trumbull County job loss is 20 percent since 2000 (Youngstown Vindicator, February 4, 2009) Trumbull County has lost more than 20 percent of its jobs since 2000, which amounts to a cut in total payroll of $1 billion a year, a new study says.

Loss of jobs spurs more cuts in Warren (Youngstown Vindicator, February 4, 2009) With job losses piling up at area companies since city council passed its 2009 budget in early December, the city will have to cut expenses about $1.5 million more in the next couple months, auditor David Griffing told council's finance committee Tuesday.

Lake Twp. plans economic district (Bowling Green Sentinel Tribune, February 4, 2009) The official paperwork for creating a Joint Economic Development District with the city of Toledo got a first reading at Tuesday's Lake Township Trustees' meeting.
The JEDD, which would generate income tax revenue for the township and the city, encompasses about 80 acres of undeveloped land around Metcalf Airfield between Drouillard and Lemonye roads.

Strickland proposes big budget for cash-strapped state (Marietta Register, February 4, 2009) Strickland's proposed executive budget for the upcoming biennium assumes the state's use of $3.4 billion in federal stimulus funds to balance the General Revenue Fund and avoid additional cuts.

State budget plan is step back from earlier pledges (Coshocton Tribune, February 4, 2009) At issue: how much backtracking is allowed in a free falling economy with a state budget that Strickland says is the tightest in 46 years.

Northeast Ohio institutions commit $16 million to venture investments (Crain's Cleveland Business, February 6, 2009) A coalition of regional institutions announced that it has committed $16 million to create the NEO Capital Fund. The money is just a fraction of the $100 million goal announced in October 2007.

Ohio has lost 262,383 jobs - 5% of its workforce - since 2000, data shows (The Plain Dealer, February 5, 2009) Manufacturing alone lost nearly a fourth of its jobs, according to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. The figures are based on employers' reports through the first half of 2008.

Governor pushes for state stimulus help (Akron Beacon Journal, February 6, 2009) Gov. Ted Strickland planned today to discuss the need for the federal stimulus bill as a boost for states to create and save jobs.

Editorial: Trains become better choice for Ohio cities (Dayton Daily News, February 2, 2009) Not long ago, all talk of ambitious passenger rail plans for Ohio was pretty much limited to a few stalwart dreamers. The state's voters rejected a train proposal decades ago, and that pretty much settled things for the pragmatic classes in Columbus. No longer a dream, passenger rail service is now a government policy.

Editorial: Strickland's gamble (The Plain Dealer, February 8, 2009) For every $10 in Gov. Ted Strickland's proposed state budget, almost $1 would be one-time money. That's a recipe for a whopping tax increase in two years -- after Strickland is safely re-elected or a Republican replaces him.

Mayor presses for cooperation to tackle area's economic woes (Ashland Times-Gazette, February 7, 2009) Mayor Glen Stewart on Friday stressed the need for "teamwork" to navigate economic hardships, while advocating procedural changes to attract jobs, strengthen infrastructure and adapt to a changing business climate.

UD researchers discover important advance in fuel cell technology (Dayton Daily News, February 7, 2009) The Holy Grail of engineers and environmentalists - a cheap, pollution-free fuel cell that can power everything from cell phones to automobiles - may be a major step closer to reality, thanks to a team of researchers at the University of Dayton.