Economic News From Ohio's Regions

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News From Around Ohio

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Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University

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Weekly News and Opinion from Ohio's Newspapers
September 15 - 21, 2009

Greetings!

Welcome to the latest issue of Economic News from Ohio's Regions, a new weekly newsletter from the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs and Cleveland State University. We'll search Ohio's papers to bring you economic news and key happenings that impact Ohio's regions.

News From Around Ohio

Editorial: Get creative (Akron Beacon Journal, Sept. 16, 2009) The devastating news about city layoffs has arrived. Now attention must focus on finding savings to protect jobs.

Dayton economy slow to bounce back (Dayton Business Journal, Sept. 16, 2009) Dayton was ranked as one of the weaker U.S. economies bouncing back from the recession, according to a quarterly Brookings Institute report.

City council refuses to OK mayor's pick for port board (Toledo Blade, Sept. 17, 2009) A majority of Toledo City Council refused last night to vote to confirm Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's appointments to two expired seats on the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority board.

Ohio jobless rate falls to 10.8% (Dayton Business Journal, Sept. 18, 2009) The Department of Job and Family Services said the state's seasonally adjusted jobless rate fell to 10.8 percent last month, compared with 11.2 percent in July and 6.7 percent in August 2008.

Editorial: Finally a casino bid that's good for Ohio
(Cincinnati Enquirer, Sept. 19, 2009) The loss to the state adds up to an estimated $1.4 billion a year - or $121.74 for each of Ohio's 11.5 million residents. Nearly a billion and a half dollars a year, bleeding out of the Buckeye State's borders while waves of red ink engulf state, county and city budgets.

Turning grass into gas (Bowling Green Sentinel, Sept. 19, 2009) It was just about a year ago, on Aug. 23, 2008, that Bowling Green State University student James Baker recorded an idea in his journal for an improved method of converting organic material into usable energy. Known as biomass gasification, the process reduces sources such as grass or wood to produce synthetic gas similar to natural gas or propane. These fuels can be used in a variety of applications, from automobiles to heating furnaces.

Stimulus pool wide, shallow (Columbus Dispatch, Sept. 20, 2009) Some jobs-hungry Ohio counties win, some lose in hunt for federal money. One analyst compare federal stimulus money to peanut butter, spread so thin that it can't do much to nourish the economy.

Cuyahoga County corruption probe creates doubts about property appraisals (The Plain Dealer, Sept. 20, 2009) The federal probe of corruption in Cuyahoga County moved beyond besmirching the people in power Friday and cast doubt on the integrity of one of the county government's most vital functions -- appraising property.

Editorial: Paying for Youngstown arena is now a matter of 'principal' (Youngstown Vindicator, Sept. 20, 2009) The decision by Youngstown city government to borrow $11.9 million for its share of the construction cost of the $45 million sports/entertainment center has been discussed ad nauseum. The "long-term debt be damned, full speed ahead" crowd won the day. This newspaper and others advising caution were ignored.

Editorial: Advance Ohio (Akron Beacon Journal, Sept. 20, 2009) On Tuesday, the Ohio House advanced the cause of economic development in the state. A 56-38 majority approved legislation prohibiting discrimination in housing and the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill promises no small step forward: It opens the way for Ohio to pull from a larger realm of available talent.

Legislators unveil plans to stimulate state economy (Middletown Journal, Sept. 21, 2009) Area state lawmakers today unveiled proposals by Ohio House Republicans to spur economic development. The group revealed extensive plans to bring about job creation and industry growth.

Study Finds Northeast Ohio Can Revitalize Its Economy by Becoming Center for Electric Vehicle Technologies and Manufacturing (Reuters, Sept. 21, 2009) with a substantial increase in the use of electrically powered vehicles nationwide and a retooling of its manufacturing base to support production of these vehicles, Northeast Ohio could potentially gain more than 10,000 new jobs and increase its annual economic output by billions of dollars, according to results of a study commissioned by the Cleveland Foundation.

Editorial: Frontier Ohio (Akron Beacon Journal, Sept. 21, 2009) Looking for encouraging signs about a struggling state economy? Take heart in an assessment of the Third Frontier project released last week. The analysis by SRI International and the Georgia Institute of Technology's Enterprise Innovation Institute found that Ohioans have received an impressive return on their investment, $681 million in state money generating $6.6 billion in economic activity.

Property values decline 21% across Lucas County (Toledo Blade, Sept. 21, 2009) Property values that zoomed up three years ago in a revaluation by then-Lucas County Auditor Larry Kaczala have since fallen, according to the preliminary revaluation.