Research Technology is no Small Potatoes

The Case Western Reserve Technology Transfer office initiated 12 new early stage companies. The Bio Enterprise Initiative has created, recruited, or accelerated 45 companies that attracted more than $165 million in new funding. Research expenditures by Case Western Reserve, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, University Hospitals, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland State, KSU and Akron U amounted to $901.5 million in 2004. Case, OSU and the University of Cincinnati accounted for 68,000 jobs in Ohio and contributed $6.3 billion in economic activity statewide.

Research is not done just for its own sake. Companies, foundations and the public sector can work together to bring more research funding to our region. Scientific research benefits us all, and this is a very good thing for all who live, work and raise families in Northeast Ohio.

Summarized from work by Edward Hundert, M.D., President of Case Western Reserve University 11/05

Homeland Security

Cooperating Entities
Level of cooperation between neighboring communities regarding homeland security:

Homeland security issues:

The respondents to American City & County's fourth annual homeland security survey say that lack of money remains their biggest problem. Nevertheless, far more jurisdictions report they received homeland security funds in 2005 than reported in 2004 - 69% vs. 56%. In addition, local governments appear to have abandoned the idea of raising taxes to pay for their part of homeland security costs, instead finding the money in existing budgets or the general fund. Respondents work for cities and counties and represent a cross section of communities ranging in size from 5,000 to more than one million.

American City & County 1/06

Regional Issues

Northeast Ohio residents used Voices and Choices forums and interview to identify problems they want addressed

• Not enough money for schools
• Too many schools performing below standards
• Unequal access to good and affordable schools and universities
• Not enough jobs with reasonable pay and benefits
• Unbalanced locations of good paying jobs, good schools, affordable housing
• Unfair tax structure

Voices and Choices is a project sponsored by 70 foundations.

PD 12/05

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Percentage of U.S. foreign-born soars

Immigration - both legal and illegal - has accelerated, pushing the percentage of the U.S. population born in other countries to the highest point in nearly a century. About 7.9 million people have moved to the United States in the past five years, the highest five-year period of immigration on record.

The 35.2 million immigrants living in the country in March 2005 is the highest number ever recorded - 2 1/2 times the 13.5 million during the peak of the last great immigration wave in 1910.

Mexico is the largest source of immigrants to the United States, followed by East Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Central America and South America, according to the report.

Activists have been arguing for year that America needs to better secure its borders against illegal immigrants, while others argue that the American economy would collapse without the cheap labor provided by undocumented workers.

Associated Press 12/05

In an enterprising bit of reporting, the Orlando Sentinel looked at suburban crime statistics in Orlando, comparing property crimes in gated and ungated subdivisions. The Sentinel's finding:

"Crime rates in ungated subdivisions are often as low as those in their gated neighbors." The Sentinel found that vandalism and smash-and-grab car burglaries were less frequent in gated subdivisions, but more serious property crimes (home burglaries and car theft) were about the same. Even the makers of these gates admit they don't offer real protection. Gates are ineffective because everybody knows the codes. Some residents post the codes on garage-sale signs out by the main road. "What people are buying is the perception of security," one academic who has studied gated subdivisions told the newspaper, "What they may be buying more is a sense of eliteness, and I guess that's worth something to people."

Governing 12/05

Home Value Appreciation in the U.S. 2000-2005 (Selected States)

Office of Fed. Housing Enterprise Oversight 12/05

The midwest region lags the nation.

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