Sound of Ideas

Connecting skilled workers with in-demand and available jobs in Northeast Ohio can be challenging for businesses. Each year, Team NEO, a private, non-profit economic development organization focuses attention on the demand and supply imbalance in the region's workforce. This year, Team NEO's "Aligning Opportunities" report looked specifically at K-12 students and young adults and how they could factor into closing the talent gap regionally. We're going to talk about the report and the workforce landscape for young people in Northeast Ohio to begin Wednesday’s “Sound of Ideas.” Later in the hour, we will hear from Dr. Amy Acton. She’s currently running for the 2026 Democratic nomination for Ohio governor.

Retired Shaker Heights pediatrician and grandfather Dr. Arthur Lavin founded Grandparents for Vaccines to encourage child vaccination by sharing stories about deadly but preventable diseases.

A bevy of new bookstores have opened across Northeast Ohio over the past several years, in line with a national trend of growing demand for local retailers.

The Cleveland school board will decide, likely at its Dec. 9 meeting, whether to approve a massive consolidation plan presented this week by CEO Warren Morgan. The plan calls for closing 18 buildings, ending leases on five others and operating 29 fewer schools in the district. Some schools will relocate. Some, like Collinwood and Glenville high schools, will merge. Morgan said consolidation is needed because of a 50% decline in enrollment since the turn of the century, massive projected budget deficits and a desire to offer better services for students in a more concentrated district. We will begin the Friday “Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable” with the school consolidation plan and discuss the rest of the week’s news as well.

The American Heart Association has new guidance on choking response for infants, children and adults, and for treating individuals with suspected opioid overdose.

We will recap the 2025 election results with some of the winners and discuss levy and school board results in Northeast Ohio districts.

The ongoing federal shutdown means that some Head Start organizations have run out of money and are cutting services.

The future of food stamp benefits is uncertain as the federal government shutdown continues into its second month. We'll hear how leaders in Tuscarawas County are preparing for increased food insecurity.

SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, for roughly 1.4 million Ohioans could run out on Nov. 1 if the government shutdown continues.

We'll talk to a national advocate and a leader from Cleveland's Joseph & Mary's Home about the challenges people experiencing homelessness face, and the organizations serving them.

Not all tariffs are created equally. Northeast Ohio business owners and an economics professor discuss the pros and cons of tariffs in the region.

Akron recently became the third city nationwide to join Work for America's "Spotlight City" initiative, a program aimed to hire displaced federal workers for jobs in local government.

This week, the Ohio House passed two property-tax related bills. Supporters say the bills will provide more than $2 billion in tax relief over the next three years and say the measures are the most significant property tax reform in decades. But according to others, the bills won't help all Ohio property owners and claim the bills do not go far enough in overhauling the current system. Separately another proposal from Ohio Sen. Andrew Brenner a Republican from Delaware County would completely reshape school funding. We will talk about the House bills as well as the proposal from Sen. Brenner to begin Friday’s “Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable.”

Bibb is running against community activist Laverne Gore who declined to participate in a candidate interview.

Millions of K-12 students participate in afterschool and out-of-school-time programs nationwide. But, according to the DC-based advocacy group Afterschool Alliance, for every 1 student enrolled in a program, five more are waiting to be able to join. The Alliance spotlights the work and achievements of afterschool and out of school time programs, which also include summer programming, with the Lights On Afterschool nationwide event which will be Oct. 23. The programs, advocates say, are critical for Ohio's workforce, providing safe places and activities for students whose parents work. But some programs are concerned about the future of their funding. Later, we will talk with the Community West Foundation about its efforts to create a financial safety net for the nonprofit organizations providing a safety net for those in need.

The agriculture industry in Ohio is dealing with issues like an aging population, trade war over produce and big corporations wanting to buy up valuable farmland.

Just in time for Halloween, local historians chat about Northeast Ohio's many creepy corners, and cinephiles discuss their favorite horror films.

After a yearlong battle, the city of Cleveland and the Haslam Sports Group announced a deal this week in which the city ends its objections to the Browns move to Brook Park. The city will get $100 million over 15 years from the team, money to raze the existing stadium and to help Cleveland revitalize the lakefront without the Browns. The city dropped its lawsuit and its challenge to a permit allowing the new complex to exceed Federal Aviation Administration height restrictions. The story begins our discussion of the week’s news on the Friday “Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable.”

Kidney stones are a common ailment that affect 1 in 10 people in their lifetime.

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network recently reported a 37% increase year-over-year in domestic violence-related fatalities. Franklin and Cuyahoga counties lead with the most documented cases.