Tony Ganzer

Reem Atia’s family arrived in Cleveland just days after a heavy December snowfall in 2016. It was her first time seeing snow and a stark contrast to life in Jordan, where her Syrian family had first sought refuge.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed life for many of us, including university researchers keeping an eye on Lake Erie. Teams only recently set off into the lake for water quality measurements, meaning they don’t have as much data as usual this year, and lab work is still disrupted by social distancing.

Boosters for the Youngstown-area economy have ever more frequently dubbed the Mahoning Valley as “Voltage Valley,” hoping technology will give far Northeast Ohio a needed jolt. A big piece of this transformation is the new life supporters are trying to breathe into a shuttered GM plant in Lordstown. An electric truck company named Lordstown Motors could be a tent pole for this future tech strategy. ideastream’s Glenn Forbes joined Tony Ganzer on All Things Considered to talk about Lordstown Motors.

Cities of today, no matter where they are, big or small, seem to have the same problem: how to also be a city of tomorrow. The definition of what "city of tomorrow" can vary widely, but it might include how to have reliable and efficient technology for the city, businesses, and residents as well as how to train workers for jobs that will keep a city competitive and thriving.

The local governments suing drug companies over the opioid crisis have not reached a settlement in the more than 1,800 lawsuits pending in federal court in Cleveland. But attorneys for the plaintiffs are proposing a way to divide up any settlement dollars among — possibly — all cities and counties across the country. The attorneys are asking Judge Dan Polster to approve the plan at a June 25 hearing. All Things Consideredhost Tony Ganzer spoke with ideastream’s Nick Castele about the cases, the proposal and if a settlement is likely.

Despite the U.S., Mexico, and Canada signing a deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, tariffs and national politics have kept speedbumps…

Case Western Reserve University’s law school Tuesday celebrated with a reception the biggest gift in the school’s history: $10 million to establish the Coleman P. Burke Center for Environmental Law. Burke is the founder of major East Coast commercial real estate companies, and a donor to a number of environmental causes.

Over the course of nearly ten years, Elizabeth Perez has been fighting the immigration system on behalf of her undocumented husband, Marcos. He was deported after a traffic stop in 2010. Perez is a Cleveland Heights Marine veteran, and a mother of four, and is featured in the film “Marcos Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” from FRONTLINE, Independent Lens and VOCES, airing Monday, April 15 at 9 p.m. on WVIZ/PBS.

Last week U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer launched what Politico called a charm offensive on Capitol Hill amid high-profile trade deals being sought with China, and Canada and Mexico, among others. Some Democrats in the House majority have voiced concerns over the deal to replace NAFTA, especially over labor and environmental regulations.

Why Ohio? Thanks to a nearby Honda plant, Columbus is full of bakeries, highly-regarded restaurants, markets and other retailers specializing in Japanese food, ingredients and wares.