State wants faster return on jobs funds
Local officials worry stricter rules could affect Prime Ohio II park Everdeen Mason State jobs officials want to see return on taxpayer investment sooner, and that worries local economic development officials seeking funds for a long-term project they say could lead to hundreds of jobs. The Ohio Department of Development is one of the main […]
Rule to invest in Ohio slighted
This story in the Columbus Dispatch digs into what’s happening at the Ohio Venture Capital Program and looks at plans to invest another $100 million in the program, which passed the Ohio house in May. Policy Matters research director Zach Schiller recently testified on this issue, HB 511, and raised alarms that the funds were […]
Local groups provide free foreclosure help, warn homeowners against scams: Plain Dealing
Sheryl Harris New foreclosure filings are down, but many consumers still struggle to stay in their homes. Local nonprofit housing agencies are offering a series of free events this month to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. At the same time, they’re banding together to warn homeowners away from scammers who claim to offer foreclosure help –for […]
U.S. jobless rate rises for first time in a year
Job growth also below expectations, fueling worries about recovery. Randy Tucker U.S. employers added far fewer jobs than economists had expected last month, dousing the momentum behind stronger job gains in the first part of the year and pushing up the unemployment rate. Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 69,000 in May, less than half of […]
Appalachia’s despair
Editorial Northwest Ohioans are likely to take cold comfort, at best, from the observation that the opposite corner of the state is even more economically challenged than this one. But attention to Appalachian Ohio offers a necessary reminder that even as the state’s economy and employment climate continue to recover, many of our neighbors in […]
Process eased for Mechanicsburg vacant properties
Matt Sanctis Village hopes to get abandoned properties on the market. MECHANICSBURG
Kostyu: Holes growing in safety net
Paul Kostyu Many Ohioans are unable to meet their family needs despite hard work, according to a recent report that finds a tattered social contract in need of updating. The report released this month by Policy Matters Ohio, a left-leaning non-profit policy research organization based in Cleveland, concluded that if Ohio families are to meet […]
Work sharing could limit layoffs if Ohio legislature approves bill
Olivera Perkins Ohio is trying to make it harder for employers to lay off workers. Instead of giving workers the ax, employers would be encouraged to cut their employees’ hours under a bill pending in the Ohio House. In turn, employees would be able to receive unemployment benefits for their reduced hours. The practice is known as […]
Fractious on fracking
This editorial from the Toledo Blade cites our work as it questions Gov. John Kasich’s proposal to use a stronger fracking tax to cut income taxes, and the state legislature’s apparent unwillingness to consider a fracking tax. Ohio seeks to reap the economic benefits of greatly increased oil and natural-gas extraction through the enhanced use of hydraulic fracturing, […]
Fewer jobless per home
Randy Tucker But doubled-up family living is still at a record high in Ohio The Great Recession forced throngs of Ohioans to double up with family and friends, helping to fuel a dramatic increase in the number of multi-generational households. But as their economic standing improves, many of the so-called “boomerang generation’’ may strike out […]
Loans at lower rates, harder to get
Chelsey Levingston Local homeowners able to refinance their mortgages at today’s record low interest rates could save hundreds of dollars on monthly payments, putting more money in their pockets to spend on other things. Fixed-interest-rate mortgages for 30-year loans in the U.S. had an average 3.79 percent interest rate as of Thursday, compared to an […]
VIDEO: Amy Hanauer on NEOtropolis “Call Me the Breeze”
Executive Director Amy Hanauer on Western Reserve Public Media’s “NEOtropolis” discussing the economic benefits of renewable energy. Interview starts at the 10:00 mark. NEOtropolis: Call Me the Breeze