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A SERVICE OF OHIO'S PUBLIC BROADCASTING STATIONS
A SERVICE OF OHIO'S PUBLIC BROADCASTING STATIONS
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Bob Kloos, V.P. Endangered Catholics.
As the head of Northeast Ohio's 800,000 Catholics, Bishop Richard Lennon has made some hard choices about the future of the Church. The Bishop says tough economic times... a lack of priests... and a shift of population from the cities to the suburbs forced him to close or merge 50 parishes. For the past year, a group of parishioners, called Endangered Catholics, has held protests, challenging this downsizing of the Diocese.
Roundtable:
Scott Stephens, Catalyst OHIO; Harry Boomer, 19 Action News; Dick Russ, WKYC News
Shrinking Cities, Shrinking Churches:
Akron, Lorain and Cleveland have many grand religious buildings that are expensive to maintain. But as parishioners leave the inner city, collection plates keep getting lighter. Northeast Ohio isn't unique in closing Catholic churches. And a number of other denominations have also faced the same dilemma.
Shrinking Cities, Shrinking Schools:
Cleveland Schools CEO Eugene Sanders is also facing criticism for his plan to close buildings and reduce staff across the district. This past week, the school board voted to layoff nearly 800 employees --- including over 500 teachers. Among the hardest hit were those working at some brand new specialty schools that have been showplaces of academic success. Sanders says such cuts might be reversed if the teachers would agree to pay cuts.
Packing Heat in Ashtabula:
Budget woes in Ashtabula County have taken their toll on the local Sheriff's Department. There is only one police cruiser to cover a county that stretches out over 700 square miles. Based on that lack of police presence, a local judge is calling on citizens to arm themselves --- just in case. That isn't going down well with some residents who fear their corner of Northeast Ohio will turn into the Wild West. The judge says he was just trying to make a point about the cost of law and order.
Setting Sights for Mars:
The budgeting picture is a bit brighter for NASA Glenn which recently got the okay from Washington to hitch a ride to Mars. A few months ago, President Obama sparked some concern about the future of the local space agency when he said he would scrap plans for new moon flights. Then, late last week, he announced a new deep-space program which puts NASA Glenn back on track to explore the Final Frontier.
April 23, 2010