KSU Ashtabula poised for record enrollment (Ashtabula Star Beacon, August 26, 2009) Kent State University's Ashtabula campus is on the brink of a record-setting season, officials said. If numbers hold, the school could begin the fall semester with 1,920 students, the most ever, said Kelly Anthony, director of enrollment management and student services.

Youngstown,Warren jobless rates top State (Youngstown Business Journal, August 26, 2009) The Mahoning Valley's two largest cities, Warren and Youngstown, had the highest unemployment rates among Ohio's cities in July, the state Department of Job and Family Services reported Tuesday.

Jobless rate down slightly in Mansfield, up in Richland County (Mansfield News Journal, August 27, 2009) Richland County's jobless rate rose to 14.3 percent from June's 14.1 percent. A year ago in July that number was 7.7 percent.

County jobless rate falls, just a blip, or a trend? (Marietta Times, August 27, 2009) Washington County's unemployment figures dropped by a full percentage point from June to July, leading some local officials to speculate the end of the economic recession might be on its way to the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Toledo hires new Director of Development (Toledo Free Press, August 27, 2009) Mayor Carty Finkbeiner introduced Ricci Gardner Sr. as the new director of development for the City of Toledo. He previously served as vice president of the automotive business unit of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad.

Ohio leads nation with manufacturing losses (Columbus Business First, August 27, 2009) Ohio was one of 49 states nationwide to see a decline in manufacturing jobs during the past year, but no other state saw more jobs in the struggling sector vanish, according to an analysis of new federal data.

Northeast Ohio's economic recovery (The Examiner, August 28, 2009) Many economic forecasters think the official numbers coming out in the first quarter of 2010 will show that "The Great Recession" will have ended before 2010 began. However, there is a good chance those of us in Northeast Oho (NEO), along with many other areas of our country, may not realize that numerical technicality.

Maritime Museum eyes Toledo (Toledo Blade, August 28, 2009) Toledo's downtown may be getting a world-class museum. The Great Lakes Historical Society has met with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority Seaport Committee to discuss moving its museum exhibits in Vermilion to the Toledo Maritime Center on Front Street in Toledo's Marina District.

Local economy improved in August (Cincinnati Enquirer, August 28, 2009) An index measuring the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky indicates the local economy has reached a bottoming out and the recession may not last much longer.

In Ohio, Stimulus funds 1,138 highway jobs in July (Forbes.com, August 28, 2009) President Barack Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package for the nation meant 1,138 highway construction jobs created or continued in Ohio in July, the first full month that figures were available to the state.

Feedstock Research Facility to support agriculture, impact economy (Wooster Daily Record, August 28, 2009) Drivers along Selby Road might catch a glimpse of a tannish, nondescript-looking feedstock facility. hile there's not much to the box-like structure from the exterior, on the interior it is a state-of-the-art operations that will further research into animal and aquatic life nutrition.

Editorial: Ready for a steep climb (Akron Beacon Journal, August 30, 2009) What impressed the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation about the BioInnovation Institute was the sense of purpose and shared commitment of the Akron community. Dr. Gerald Austen, an Akron native and chairman of the foundation, talked about the ''daring vision'' and the ''remarkable display of unity.'' The foundation put up $20 million of the initial $80 million investment.

Cuyahoga County land bank close to acquiring first property (The Plain Dealer, August 30, 2009) Cuyahoga County's new land bank is likely to acquire its first properties this week, starting a new phase in the local battle to combat an unprecedented foreclosure crisis.

Towpath trail idea really floats (Akron Beacon Journal, August 30, 2009) The newest segment of the Towpath Trail in South Akron includes a floating section that runs nearly a third of a mile along Summit Lake's southern shoreline and passes under the Kenmore Boulevard bridge. Completion from Summit Lake to Waterloo Road also signals a major milestone: The Towpath Trail is nearly complete in Summit County.

Dayton area counties get $900,000 towards community upgrades (Dayton Business Journal, August 31, 2009) In total, nine Ohio municipalities will receive a total of $2.4 million from the Neighborhood Revitalization Grant Program, a program of the Ohio Department of Development's Community Development Division, which is funded with Community Development Block Grant Program funds.

local recipients are among nine Ohio companies involved in location or expansion projects that - if they opt to expand in Ohio - would create 405 positions and retain 1,446 jobs.