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Feagler and Friends - Trouble Counting Votes

Feagler and Friends

State of the State: Governor Ted Strickland delivered his first State of the State message this week. Strickland promised to hold the line on spending while sharply increasing the number of Ohioans on the Medicaid rolls; he called for a moratorium on new charter schools and challenged state universities to forego a tuition increase next year.

Trouble Counting Votes: Ohio's new Secretary of State expresses concern that Cuyahoga County's electronic voting system may be swamped by the flood of voters expected at the polls for the 2008 Presidential election. Jennifer Brunner says the county's computer servers don't appear to be up to the task. Local officials say they're working to upgrade the servers. Brunner's office is preparing a test to make sure systems in Cuyahoga and other counties can assure all votes will be counted.

Officers Cleared: Two Cleveland police officers no longer need fear criminal charges in the fatal shooting of a teenage robbery suspect in his bedroom. Brandon McCloud was felled by officers who thought he was reaching for a weapon. The Cuyahoga County Grand Jury reviewed the case this week and declined to indict officers Phillip Habeeb and John Kraynik.

Juvenile Injustice: Court officials took steps to appoint a full-time juvenile court magistrate replacing a system of rotating magistrates. The court acted after a 17-year-old boy was released from detention by a part-time magistrate after being charged with raping his girlfriend. The boy allegedly tracked down the girlfriend and shot her, inflicting a serious wound. Critics say the rape charge and the boy's criminal record should have been grounds for keeping him in detention.

Can't Get No Satisfaction: Grandmaster Flash, Van Halen, R.E.M., The Ronettes and Patti Smith were added to Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this week. But the induction ceremony was in New York City, not Cleveland, which never fails to annoy Mr. Feagler.

March 19, 2007