Cleveland's WIRE-Net is one of five programs cited in this national report on innovative city partnerships. The report came out this week. The report is available here. The press release is available here.

Thank you, Ed, for your detailed analysis, without which the average citizen, even one who is interested in ODOT’s I-90 upgrade, may just read the Plain Dealer reports and never question the propriety of  where we, the public, stand at this point in the process. As you have pointed out, ODOT is not following its own Planning Development Process.  Even without reading the many paged PDP manual, which is available online at ODOT’s site, a little logical thinking would suggest that something is amiss if the public comment  period ends after, and the economic impact studies are not completed before, ODOT has selected the engineering firm to work on possible bridge designs for its preferred alignment (All emphases above and following are mine.)

I just received an email from "Citizen" Ed Hauser, the man who saved Whiskey Island, which he sent to 100s of community leaders and members of the press and government, which challenges the process that is being followed in determining the fate for Cleveland's I-90 bridge, Inner-belt trench, and ultimately the entire look and feel of our city.

According to Case Management Professor Sandy Piderit, on her NEOBEAN (North East Ohio Breastfeeding Education and Awareness Network) site:

Hitting stride with "are you depressed yet" and concluding with something like "thirty years from now, today's 20-&-30-somethings will look back on their generation as the one that saved the American Dream or lived through its demise", Director of Economic Opportunity Program at Demos and author of "Strapped, Why America's 20- and 30-Somethings Can't Get Ahead" Tamara Draut gave an audience of 20- and 30-Somethings and others lots to think and talk about at a very interesting and refreshing forum at Cleveland State.

One Cleveland and Case Western, thanks to Lev Gonick, have really put the Cleveland community on the map as one of the world's top 'intelligent communities'.  This was, in large part due to excellence in defining IT infrastructure and strategic planning.   This is a significant follow up to Intel corporation's designation of Cleveland as one of its top three "worldwide digital communities," due in large part to the impact of OneCleveland.

June Holley was leading this week's forum. June is a nationally recognized researcher and practitioner in identifying, leading and coaching innovation networks.

Our first question from June: What would you like to see happen in Cleveland?

Cleveland City Council recently hosted hearings on sustainability programs of the City. an effort to take a long-term look at city acitivities and their cost and impact.  I was pleased to attend, but I have to confess to being less enthused than other comments I've read.  The content of the hearing, the report of the "sustainability initiatives" by Cleveland Sustainability Manager Andrew Watterson and the overall value and importance of sustainability initiatives by ECOCity's David Beach, was absolutely terrific.  Mr. Watterson has done a great job to engage offices to embrace initiatives and really move forward.  David Beach framed the overall issues effectively and clarified the importance of sustainability for the overall health and progress of the region.  Sadly, however, I thought the demonstration of value was largely one way and several Members of Council demonstrated only moderate familiarity, appreciation and understanding of the issues.

Wisconsin is learning the lessons of the Irish Miracle. Simple enough: education, innovation, collaboriation. We know the path ahead. But somehow, we are not executing very well, according to this insightful commentary. Read more.

Date: Wednesday, February 8

So often economic development focuses on job creation, new venture creation, and the connection of resources to opportunity.  While these are all important drivers of economic growth, we must also consider the impacts of sound ethical consumer and business practices.  On the consumer side, customers of businesses need to understand the terms of business transactions and employ sound money managment techiques to ensure transactions are conducted resource efficiently.  This enables consumers to save more, and in time not only enhance quality of life but  accumulate  savings which eventually have greater economic impact and contribution - allowing the consumer to spend more, generate greater tax revenue for all levels of government, inspire diverse investments or even new business ventures.

Cleveland, OH January 25, 2006  – The Cleveland Arts Prize invites all art lovers in Northeast Ohio to nominate outstanding creative artists for the upcoming 2006 awards. Candidates can be nominated on-line at www.clevelandartsprize.org from January 31 through March 15.

Zsolt Bognar was at once extraordinary and authentic in his performance Wednesday night of Tchaikovsky's 2nd Piano Concerto at Kulas Hall, on the Cleveland  Institute of Music campus.  Bognar, a student of Sergei Babayan, was passionate in his interpretation of the rarely heard concerto in G Major.  His keyboard fingering provided an awesome display of his growing physical and mental virtuosity. 

Networked Creative Industries Build Innovating Regions

Alex Michaels (Prelude2Cinema) lead our forum this evening begining with a call to action: we can benefit by working together to strengthen our NEO film industry. Alex suggested we place renewed value on some important behaviors: the value of being adaptable, having a clear vision that is inclusive of others and sharing resources with others so everyone can benefit. The Knight film incubator initiative will be a co-operative effort everyone will benefit from.

Ohmigod! Taking public transit just got easier. Visit the RTA website http://www.gcrta.org

Ohio Congressman Bob Ney is certainly entitled to have the facts proved before he’s considered guilty, but it’s a disservice to voters to claim the charges against him are “just politics” or “the way things work in DC.”  By asserting that these allegations are “the way things get done,” supporters drag politics and government lower and give disgusted voters more reasons to give up on government.  To really understand the accusations and why the allegations are more than routine, readers need to understand the nature of the charges and the facts at hand.

I was reading a series on the working poor from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (you know, Cleveland had two newspapers once--Seattle has the Times and the P-I--but I digress) and I thought of a way to (1) jumpstart Ohio's economy and (2) bring bright, motivated people to Ohio. 

How about this:

When I drove by the back of the Science Center on January 24th, the three steel turbine tower sections were gone.  Just the brown lawn - dead where the tower had been stored.

I assume the tower had been craned onto a low bed and taken to a welding shop where it would be set up in a straight line on a series of   rollers and welded back together AND radiographed. 

Date: Wednesday, February 1

Time: 5:00 P.M. to 6:45 P.M.

Place: Myers University, Chester Campus

Nortech gets a star in my book for forging a new collaboration between our Nano-Network and an affiliate organization in New Mexico. Read more. Learn more about the partner here.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has released a new report on the impact of global competitiion on our cities. The picture is mixed, with the biggest challenges facing the Midwest. Read more.

As the article notes: "[D]eclines in manufacturing due in part to outsourcing will contribute to a softening of the nation's overall output, with blows to cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh."

           

      I sat for lunch at the table with Mayor Brewer of East Cleveland last Tuesday at NeoExcellence Roundtable.  I had read the PD’s review of the events surrounding Mayor Brewer’s anxiousness to get physically into the City Hall. The PD article left a very negative image.  Listening in person to Mayor Brewer left a positive image. Here’s one reason Mayor Brewer recalled for us at lunch:

Civic leaders in Gladwin County, MI are pulling together the threads of an economic development for the firtst time.

The local chamber has been the epicenter for these efforts. From the looks of this article, the chamber has managed an inclusive process. It's a lesson that some chamber executives in much larger organizations here in NEO can learn.