Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis attacks Budget Director Sand Turk over cost analysis of land bank (The Plain Dealer, June 3, 2009)  Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis wants the county's budget director fired for producing an analysis that shows Rokakis' land bank initiative could cost county taxpayers millions of dollars.

Schools lose money to charters (Columbus Dispatch, June 3, 2009) The new Senate education-funding plan would restore millions in state aid to privately operated charter schools while giving $50 million less to traditional public schools than the House-passed budget.

Ohio college graduation rate is 54.5%, American Enterprise Institute study finds (The Plain Dealer, June 4, 2009) Just over half of American college students earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Ohio's 62 public and private institutions averaged 54.5 percent.

Editorial: Israelis at the incubator (Akron Beacon Journal, June 5, 2009) When executives with two Israeli firms recently announced they soon will set up shop in Akron's industrial incubator, it was yet another payoff from the careful planning and steady effort of Don Plusquellic and his economic development team to help rebuild the local economy.

Ohio a big beneficiary of locally grown produce (The Packer.com, June 5, 2009) Retail demand for locally grown produce continues to grow. Ohio towns and cities are changing their zoning codes to make way for urban farms. New farmers' markets continue to open. The number of "you-pick-it" operations in the state is growing.

Advocates say hike tax to aid for human needs (Toledo Blade, June 5, 2009) Lawmakers may be afraid to use the "tax" word inside the Statehouse, but about 300 advocates for food banks, child care, and other human services - many from Toledo - were more than happy to use it for them Thursday as they rallied outside.

CSU researcher says mayor has helped rebuild Akron (Akron Beacon Journal, June 6, 2009) The recall attempt against Don Plusquellic recently prompted a Cleveland State University professor to examine how the mayor's actions have affected Akron's economy.

Editorial: Rap on Ohio and Dayton costs jobs (Dayton Daily News, June 7, 2009) Losing NCR's world headquarters is not just heartbreaking for Dayton. It's also a kick in the teeth for Ohio.

Editorial: Demands by local judges put city, county in a financial bind (Youngstown Vindicator, June 7, 2009) Here's a warning to public officials who don't believe in making sacrifices: Keep it up and there will be a major backlash from the taxpayers.

Debt level not hurting city at all, analyst says (Akron Beacon Journal, June 7, 2009)  Akron has a lot of debt. More than $750 million. But the question is not whether Akron's debt is high, but whether it's too high.

Editorial: Cuyahoga County reform is a big step toward a better county (The Plain Dealer, June 7, 2009) The process wasn't pretty and it certainly wasn't public. For months, revolving casts of characters met separately and always behind closed doors, in hopes of crafting a 21st-century model for governing Cuyahoga County.

Reps want $1.2 billion for roads (Cincinnati Enquirer, June 7, 2009) Three Cincinnati-area lawmakers are seeking $1.2 billion in projects for their districts from a multi-year transportation bill that Congress hopes to pass this year - if lawmakers can figure out a way to pay for it.

Ohio governor trying to rally public on education (Akron Beacon Journal, June 8, 2009) With his education proposal and political strength hanging in the balance in the legislature, Gov. Ted Strickland is trying to enlist the power of the people.

Area's retail market cool but still tops rest of state (Columbus Dispatch, June 8, 2009) Columbus continued to lead the Cincinnati and Cleveland retail markets in the first quarter, according to Marcus & Millichap, a real-estate investment-services firm.

Study: Third of households in poverty (Warren Tribune Chronicle, June 8, 2009) A research project that examined the Mahoning Valley's economic health found that nearly a third of local households live below the poverty level, nearly 40 percent of local households are "asset" poor; small business ownership is less than half of the ownership rate in the rest of the state; and only about a 10.4 percent of all Youngstown adults have a four-year college degree.

Ohio can ride wind trend (Akron Beacon Journal, June 8, 2009) Does your company have anything to do with gears, bearings, brackets and couplings? Lubricating oil, epoxies or coatings? Generators, electronic parts, hydraulic pumps? Rebar and concrete? Casting, fabricating, machining? If so, the Ohio wind industry may need you.