Fed Directs $50 Million to Auto Towns

The Federal Government will steer $50 million in assistance to communities with auto plants that have experienced significant layoffs, The Associated Press reports.

The money will come from federal stimulus funds and be used for job training and placement.

Cleveland Bike Station in the Making

The city of Cleveland is considering installing a commuter bike station in downtown,Green City Blue Lake is reporting.

Chicago's Millennium Park bike station

The plan will include covered, secure bicycle parking, a maintenance shop and shower facilities. The city is working withClevelandBikes and a nonprofit national organization called Bike Station.

The Architecture of St. Louis

Welcome to the Gateway City, St. Louis, Missouri, home to Nelly, William S. Bowdern and some fabulous architecture. Above is the city’s modest city hall. The city built this building in 1890, when it outgrew “the municipal barn,” according to the city’s urban design and planning agency.

The Cuyahoga County Landbank: A Glimmer of Sunshine for Cleveland?

Since meeting with approval from the Ohio General Assembly in December, the new Cuyahoga County Landbank has spurred some creative rethinking for landuse in Cleveland.

Among the proposals:

Retraining Manufacturing Veterans in Toledo

What does it take to retrain middle-aged factory workers?

NPR takes a look at the process in this story about a Toledo-area couple, both in their 50s, who are back in high school learning algebra and training for their first white-collar jobs.

The effort paid off for Jim Buford, who recently got a job installing solar panels.

Toledoan Crosses Country on Vegetable Oil

Toledo resident Stacy Jurich, 23, traveled 10,000 miles across the United States this winter on a Mercedez Benz powered by vegetable oil.

Detroit Public Schools Files for Disaster Relief

Detroit Public Schools has filed for federal disaster relief, The Detroit News reports.

I think this is wise. I think what’s happening in Detroit should be treated similar to a natural disaster.

Marcy Kaptur Shares My Bank Rage

Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo) made the headlines at Politico today for “exploding” on AIG officials.

Following a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Wednesday, Kaptur reportedly accused an AIG trustee of sending money to banks that are exploiting her constituents.

“They hire outside people to come in and rape us,” Kaptur said, her voice rising. “It’s outrageous.”

Outrage. I like it!

Ohio House Passes Foreclosure Moratorium

The Ohio House of representatives has passed a moratorium on foreclosures, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

House Bill 3 will place a six-month moratorium on foreclosures, under certain conditions.

The Trainwreck That Is Our City Schools

A Detroit News story today about an effort to reform a Detroit Public School caught my eye.  The story was about Osborn High School, where only 4 percent of students passed the math and writing portions of the Michigan merit exam last year.

Did you know what the graduation rate in Detroit Public Schools is? 37.5 percent! The lowest in the country.

Why We’re Staying

Amber Arellano says it better than I ever could in today’s Detroit News.

“It’s tough for some folks to understand that many of us want to be here [in Detroit]. We didn’t end up here by inertia or lack of vision or better options. We’re educated and mobile; we can live anywhere. We choose to stay — or to return.”

“We return because we love the people and the culture. We stay because we’re proud of our roots, of who we are. We’re not naïve about this region’s daunting challenges; we’re choosing to tackle them. We’re committed to our families and communities.”

Photo Essay: Detroit-The Troubled City

Photographer Bruce Gilden shines a light on the situation in Detroit in this Magnum photo essay and it’s not pretty. Actually, it’s really, really scary.

There’s a few things I like about this though.

Jim and Pam Wedding in Youngstown?

I didn’t catch this week’s episode of “The Office,” and now look what happened.

Apparently, Jim and Pam were planning to get married in Youngstown, which proves definitively, according to this blog, that the show’s writers have no knowledge of Rust Belt geography.

Jim + Pam = Jam

Youngstown’s Treez Please

When you live in a city with lots of problems, it’s easy to get discouraged. What can one person do?

For Youngstown resident Debra Weaver the answer is trees. The self-employed attorney launched a program with two friends to turn vacant lands into controlled urban forests while helping combat global warming.

She calls her volunteer group Treez Please.

Cincinnati’s Prospect Hill

More urban photography from readers across the region. Today’s edition: Cincinnati’s Prospect Hill.

Don’t Jump! Akron’s Suicide Bridge and the Stimulus Bill

All the big national media sources are clucking about the city of Akron’s decision to spend more than $1 million in stimulus money to prevent people from jumping off a bridge.

The New York Times ran a story today about the so-called “Suicide Bridge,” or Y-bridge, as it is known for its distinctive fork. Almost 30 people have taken a final plunge over the its side since 1997, The Times reports.

Akron's All-American/"Y"/Suicide Bridge

Banking on Foreclosures

A Cleveland based for-profit company is looking to establish a “foreclosure clearinghouse” to deliver bank-owned properties to government entities and nonprofits.

ideastream in Cleveland reports REO Clearinghouse is planning to streamline the purchasing process for local agencies that have been endowed with stimulus money to address the housing crisis.

Welcome to the Forefront of the Housing Crisis, Cincinnati, Columbus and Indianapolis

It’s kinda nice to read a story about the housing crisis that isn’t set in my backyard (Cleveland) for once.

This time, my hometown of Columbus is front and center in the sad story of houses without owners. A neighborhood in west Columbus was found to have the highest vacancy rate in the country, according to an Associated Press analysis, based on Housing and Urban Development and Postal Service data.

This is kinda unusual because Columbus is generally regarded to be the golden child of Ohio in these parts.

I know the Columbus neighborhood well.

Pennsylvania’s Emptiest Town

The Philadelphia Inquirer published an interesting piece today about Pennsylvania’s emptiest town: Monessen.

A view of downtown Monessen, Pennsylvania, towards the coke plant.

Once a bustling steel town that packed gambling halls and pizza parlors, Monessen has dwindled from 12,000 to about 8,000 today.

Cleveland’s Ghost Train

Did you know Cleveland has a ghost train?

Spooo-ooo-ooo-key

What’s a ghost train, you ask? Why it’s just like a regular train except all the passengers are DEAD!