Program Directory

 
Feagler and Friends - Bridge Safety, Cleveland Water Deals
Feagler and Friends
 
 
 
Newsmaker: Arthur Huckelbridge, Jr., D.Eng., Professor of Civil Engineering, Case Western Reserve University. A Minneapolis bridge collapses into the Mississippi River, killing at least four people and cutting off a major interstate artery at the height of rush hour. It's got people everywhere asking, 'could it happen here?' Cleveland's Innerbelt bridge is almost a decade older than the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis and it's in line for total replacement. Dr. Huckelbridge is a recognized expert on bridge health monitoring. He'll share that expertise with us.

Roundtable: Chris Sheridan, editorial writer, The Plain Dealer; Richard Osborne, editor, Ohio Magazine; James Ewinger, reporter, The Plain Dealer.

Justice Department vs. Euclid: Attorneys are preparing to make their opening arguments Monday in a government lawsuit that accuses the city of Euclid of rigging city council elections so black candidates can't win. The city is 30 per cent black, but city council has never had a black member. The Justice Department sued demanding a change. City officials have refused a proposal to settle the case, preferring to take their chances with a judge.

Cleveland Water Deals: Several suburbs have inked quid pro quo deals with the City of Cleveland agreeing to share tax revenue when companies leave the city for the suburbs or vice-versa. In return the suburbs get discounts on Cleveland water and Cleveland pays for some of the maintenance on suburban water mains. Sounds like a good deal, but so far just a handful of suburbs have signed up.

How Now Dow Jones? Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is poised to take control of the Dow Jones empire, including the venerable Wall Street Journal. Murdoch already owns 100 newspapers world-wide along with Fox News and the popular internet site MySpace. The $5-billion takeover hinges in part on the government agreeing that it doesn't violate anti-trust laws.

Toy Recall: Major toy maker Mattel is recalling nearly one million toys because they're coated with lead paint. Mattel says all the toys being recalled were manufactured in China. The toy maker is working with retailers to ensure the products are pulled off the shelves, but the recall did not occur in time to prevent tens of thousands of toys being sold to consumers. The recall is the latest in the series of incidents that call into question the safety of Chinese-made goods.

August 6, 2007