Oct. 17, 2019
Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish has asked the intriguing question: What if you could walk, run or ride a bike along nearly the entire lakefront in Cuyahoga County? We consider some answers to that question and analyze Budish’s bold lakefront vision on the latest episode of This Week in the CLE. Laura Johnston, my cohost, has spent two years focusing on the lake as coordinator of Rockthelake.com, making her among the most qualified to talk about the plan. I maintain that the recent interest we’ve seen in the lake is the result of Laura’s thorough coverage. Chief political reporter Seth Richardson and his editor Jane Kahoun join us to talk about the Democratic Presidential Debate that took place in Ohio. We go pretty deep on a discussion about the candidates and their stance on guns, and Seth offers his insights into which candidates stood out. Jane continues the discussion on guns with the latest on the push for voters to decide on whether Ohio should have universal background checks with gun sales. And, as we note, no conversation with Jane is complete these days without an update on the move to have voters consider that $900 million bailout for FirstEnergy Solutions’ nuclear plants. (Spoiler: Bailout opponents won a big court ruling.) City Hall reporter Bob Higgs offers his analysis of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s State of the City Address, which focused on an unusual topic for such speeches, the disparity between rich and poor in the city and those who profit from that disparity. Most people seemed to agree that it was one of Jackson’s most powerful speeches. Reporter Mary Kilpatrick keeps the poverty discussion going with thoughts on her story about what MetroHealth Systems is doing to provide job training. It’s not just about job skills. We close out the poverty thoughts with news from Bob about the planned razing of one of the most forbidding places in the city, the Woodhill Homes public housing complex. Bob also talks about Jackson’s plan to restore the city tree canopy, part of the mayor’s sustainability efforts of the past decade. And we all have something to say about the move in Cleveland Heights to replace its government structure with an elected mayor. Cleveland Heights voters will decide that issue next month. Federal Courts reporter Eric Heisig stops by for a deep dive into the opioid trial that began this week. Eric provides all of the ins and outs and maneuvering that has been going on, even as a jury is seated for hear the evidence. Former rock critic – and current life and culture editor – Mike Norman offers a whole bunch of thoughts on the latest round of nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And he analyzed why so few women are on the ballot. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
