Speaker(s): Daniel Flannery, CWRU Professor and Director, Begun Center for Violence Prevention; David Weiss, Mayor of Shaker Heights; Carole Ballard, Director, Education & Training, ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County; Jeffrey DeMuth, Shaker Heights Police Chief. Nine out of 10 calls for police are for nonviolent encounters.  Nationally, there’s talk about defunding the police and reallocating … Continue reading Community Safety Challenges, Oversight and Reforms

Speakers: Johnie Rose, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor and Program Director, Preventive Medicine Residency Program, CWRU School of Medicine and Director, UH Preventive Medicine Residency One out of every 17 people in the US has had Covid19. Approximately 80% of the population must be immune before normal lifestyles can return.  When might this happen? Are current … Continue reading Living with COVID-19: What’s Next Medically?

Speakers: Jessie Hill, Professor, CWRU Law School; Catrina Otonoga, Preterm Manager, Policy and Partnerships Since the 1973 Roe v Wade Decision, abortions have grown increasingly restrictive.  Between 2011 and 2019, states enacted 483 new abortion restrictions. In 2017 Ohio had 14 facilities providing abortions. Now there are 9. Given the current US Supreme Court, what … Continue reading Reproductive Freedom: Supreme Court or State’s Rights

Speakers: Tom Sutton, Political Science Professor, Baldwin Wallace and Director, Community Research Institute. Biden’s margin of victory was half what had been predicted in 2020.  Less than 6% of survey respondents answer phones due to robocalls.  Internet polling samples based on income, race, age, or education, pose formidable challenges. Much of democracy depends on being … Continue reading Politics and Polling: What Went Wrong?

Speaker(s): Bob Rosenbaum, Advertising and Market Development, Heights Observer; Melissa Hirsch, Owner, Unbar Café, Shaker Heights; Katie Van Dyke, Director, CSU Ohio Small Business Development Center, Cleveland. Amazon’s profit last quarter: 5.2 billion; Walmart’s recent profits: 1 billion/month. While these earnings show huge gains, the pandemic has particularly hit small business. Many have closed. How can small … Continue reading Small Businesses: Chronicling the Effects of Covid-19

Speakers: David Lopez, MD, President and CEO, Psychiatry Networks; Mark Rood, Family Medicine Specialist, Cleveland Clinic. How has Telemedicine affected your healthcare? It saves time and reduces cost. But what about Medicare coverage, lab tests, insurance reimbursement or disadvantaged communities? Have we rushed too far too fast? What does the future hold?

Speakers: Dr. Debbie Cowden, MD, Director, Ohio Health Project and Board Member, Faith Communities Together for a Sustainable Future (FaCT); Ted Auch, Ph.D, .Director, FracTracker Alliance, Great Lakes Program. What's it like to live over a gas fracking well…. or near an injection well? There are 2,400 fracked wells in East Ohio Gasland's 5 million … Continue reading Earth Day Stories from Ohio’s Gasland

Speaker(s): Mark Salling, Professor, CSU College of Urban Affairs and Chairman, Cleveland Census Statistical Areas Committee; Freda Levenson, Legal Director, Ohio ACLU Voting rights are under attack.  Over 45 states have introduced 360 bills to restrict voting.  The new Ohio House and Senate redistricting maps should be introduced in mid-September.  Will they follow voter-approved rules … Continue reading Voting, Redistricting, & Political Power: What’s at Stake?

Speaker(s): Mark Sniderman, CWRU Weatherhead School of Management and former Executive Vice-President, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. How is the US economy recovering from the Covid 19 pandemic?  Rising real estate prices, inflation, and help wanted signs are everywhere. Given the trillions spent on economic aid to the US population, when will the debt ceiling … Continue reading The National Economy: Future Bumps in the Road?

Speaker: Mark Weber, former Dean, Kent State University Libraries, and member, UU Congregation of Cleveland. Today's issues are overwhelming. Join us for an interactive, engaging "Sanibel Discussion" on today's current events. What community issues do you want to discuss? Audience members have up to 90 seconds to give their opinion and re-focus the discussion. Via … Continue reading A World in Crisis: A Rousing Sanibel Discussion

Speaker(s): Randy Partain, Minister, UU Congregation of Cleveland; Elliott Ingersoll, Professor, CSU Department of Counseling, Supervision and Adult Learning. As religious faith has declined, political polarization has dramatically increased. Has religious belief become politicized? What is the current role of religion in our personal and public life? Why does loyalty to a political party or … Continue reading Intersection of Religion & Politics

Speaker: Scott Osiecki, CEO, Cuyahoga County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services, (ADAMHS). The Cuyahoga County Diversion Center opened in May. It provides treatment rather than jail for non-violent, low-level offenders, along with services for the mentally ill and drug addicted. The Center is staffed with psychiatrists, doctors, nurses and treatment specialists. Are police … Continue reading Cuyahoga County Diversion Center: How Does It Work?