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The gunshot-detection microphones the Dayton Police Department uses dispatched officers to West Dayton more than 2,200 times over the past two years.

The gunshot-detection microphones the Dayton Police Department uses dispatched officers to West Dayton more than 2,200 times over the past two years.

In 2020, the parole board made decisions on 953 people up for parole, 151 were granted release. There's no information on how many of those were “old law inmates” or any details on who received parole.

On Sept. 11, 2001, current Akron Canton Airport CEO and President Ren Camacho was working for the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, which had offices on the 73rd floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center.

A year after Black Lives Matter protests spilled into the streets of cities across the United States, how much change has occurred to achieve racial justice?

The Ohio Supreme Court has more impact on people's daily lives than the U.S. Supreme Court.

Although bipartisanship isn't seen frequently these days, there seems to be some agreement from both sides of the aisle on the need to reform bail in Ohio.

Even with bipartisan support to reduce Ohio's prison population, state lawmakers are increasing the number of felonies and penalties defendants face.

The relationship between businesses and schools in Ohio has often been contentious as they regularly spar over school tax bills, abatements and exemptions that affect the pocketbooks of both sides.

A listener asks if the school day should be shifted later for teens.

While the past year of the pandemic has been frustrating for many school districts, some have also looked at it as an opportunity.

A plan crafted by a group of legislators and school finance experts addressed inequities that plague the current funding formula. But the state House and Senate disagree on the approach.

Students in Hudson say no, but a school in Canton is making it work. We answer a listener's OH Really? question for Learning Curve, our series looking at K-12 public education in Ohio.

Families of students with disabilities share their experiences on remote education during the pandemic.

Although the pandemic caused preschool education to stop for many, a local kindergarten readiness program's enrollment is recovering as it expands services.

Preschool got walloped in the pandemic, and kids disappeared from classrooms. The loss was greatest in communities of color and poverty, but coming out of the shutdown, efforts are underway to recover and, perhaps, grow preschool post-pandemic.

Immigrant families struggle to support their kids and communities in an age of online learning.

College students explain what it's like to learn and work in the field in the midst of a pandemic.

Community educators examine the pros and cons of online learning and how it affects some kids better than others.

An Akron-focused media collaborative is taking an in-depth look at the city's rental market and the housing challenges that continue through the pandemic.

The business of recycling has changed — China is no longer buying. And communities in Northeast Ohio and across the country are feeling the economic squeeze. In this installment of our series Reduce, Reuse, Refocus, we took a look at emerging recycling technologies and how they could someday make recycling more economically viable.

If you live in the Rust Belt, you’ve likely seen your share of scrap metal yards. Scrap might look like rusted junk, but industrial recycling remains a robust industry. Industrial recycling, combined with commercial material from retail operations , makes up the majority of the U.S. recycling industry today.

Recycling in Ohio’s rural communities is all about choice and effort. If curbside is available, it’s expensive, leading many people to rely on dropoff centers. But some areas just want to do it their way, which can be a challenge.

When it comes to recycling plastic, most people check for a number on the bottom of every container. But what does that number actually mean, and why are some plastics not recyclable? This installment of our series, Reduce, Reuse, Refocus traces the life cycle of a piece of plastic.

Changes in international markets along with skyrocketing processing costs have thrown the industry into a tailspin. In this first installment of our series Reduce, Reuse, Refocus, we sort through the confusion about recycling.

This story was originally published on July 22, 2019. Fifty years ago a burning river mobilized a generation of environmental activism . Citizens pushed for new laws to regulate pollution, and our water and air has gotten cleaner. But significant environmental challenges remain including climate change, habitat loss, and plastics pollution. Our series Watershed looks at today’s environmental warriors and the road ahead.

Editor's Note: This story was originally published on December 20, 2017 Ohio’s 4 th Congressional District isn’t the longest in the state. Nor the most convoluted. Nor does it have the most disenfranchised voters. But it has the distinction of being near the top in all three categories -- and of being home to one of the most liberal communities in the country represented by one of the most conservative members of Congress. In the third part of our series “Gerrymandering: Shading the lines,” WKSU’s M.L. Schultze travels the 4 th – a study of contrasts from south to north. This is the story of Oberlin and Urbana – and the 14-county Congressional District that connects them. "The district is commonly referred to as Ohio’s duck, with its bill shoved into portions of Lorain, Huron and Erie counties ..." In Ohio State professor Ned Hill’s description of Ohio’s 4 th , Oberlin is toward the tip of the bill. Much further north and you’re in Lake Erie. And about the only place further east is

When the Cuyahoga River caught fire 50 years ago it helped spark an environmental movement in America. However, there was little coverage at the time and no known photographic evidence of the actual blaze. A photo that appeared in a 1969 Time Magazine article is often attributed to the fire. For our latest story in our series Watershed, a look at the power of photography and how it’s shaped our understanding of the burning river.

Over the past 50 years, freight traffic on the lower Cuyahoga River has increasingly competed with smaller watercraft as the river has rebounded to become a recreation channel. Watershed is a series looking at our waterways and what the future holds for them. This installment looks at one river, competing interests. The Rockside Road Trailhead in Valley View is generally considered the start of the lower Cuyahoga. To the south, there’s wildlife and lush vegetation. But head north and you’ll see an area scarred by the remnants of industrialization. Meg Plona is a biologist with Cuyahoga Valley National Park , and she’s also a kayaker. “There are safety zones that are setup for paddlers," Plona said. "You have traffic with freighters coming in and out. And when the freighters come in, they take up the entire width of the navigation channel, along with the jet propulsion and propellers that really thrust a lot of water and can push you aside easily. Although it’s flat water and looks easy

The Cuyahoga River and many other Northern Ohio streams and rivers are part of the Lake Erie Watershed, which encompasses 33 of Ohio's 88 counties, or more than one-third of the state. The lake provides drinking water to millions of people. This week our series "Watershed" is taking a closer look at Lake Erie.

In the early 1970s there was a cooperative effort between the United States and Canada to lower the amount of pollutants entering the Great Lakes. Around that same time a young northeast Ohio native was beginning a four-decade career at Ohio State University focused on cleaning up Lake Erie.

Fifty years ago, the Cuyahoga River caught on fire . It wasn’t the first time this had happened. And it really didn’t become a big deal nationally until more than a month later when Time magazine ran an article on the fire. Fifty years later, the river has rebounded. Watershed is a series from WKSU News looking at our waterways and what the future holds for them. In our opening story, we take a look at the current state of “the burning river.”

In recent years, many Northeast Ohio schools have seen an increase in the number of mental health issues affecting students. Part of the reason is a lack of access to care. But a growing number of local pre-schools are trying to help identify mental health and behavioral issues early-on. This follow-up to our series, “ Navigating the Path to Mental Health ,” looks at how one program is helping parents, students and teachers. It’s a typical school day at Wonder World Child Development Center near the Akron Zoo. In the classroom for four-year-olds, the kids are learning calming exercises from Lauren Pannell, a coordinator from the TAPS program. TAPS is short for “ Toddlers and Preschoolers Succeeding .” But part-way through, a little boy named Raashan is getting annoyed that it’s not his turn. And with that, he heads into the hallway – and calms down. By himself. Self-limiting Dr. Steven Jewell, the director of pediatric psychology and psychiatry at Akron Children’s Hospital, says that’s

An estimated one-point-nine million U.S. veterans are now receiving mental health services. But studies commissioned by Congress and the Department of Defense ( NIH, 2017 ), ( National Acadamies of Science, Engineering & Medicine, 2018 ), and ( VA, 20180 ), say that may be half the number who should be.

In the world of mental health, emergency hospitalization can be a loaded topic. For some people, the image of a psychiatric hospital brings to mind movies like "Girl, Interrupted" or "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." The reality is far different — and the process behind deciding to hospitalize someone — also known as “pink slipping” — can be hard for the patient and the professional alike.

Northeast Ohio police are increasingly turning to new methods when responding to people experiencing a mental-health crisis as police departments are shifting their training to better serve people who need their help.

One of the barriers to finding the right mental health care in Ohio can be the cost. However, there are providers who offer services at little or no cost to low-income clients. In this installment of our series "Navigating the Path to Mental Health," WKSU’s Mark Arehart looks at the financial challenges facing both patients and providers.

Nearly 60 years ago, mental-health treatment began its move from massive warehouses like the old Massillon State Hospital to community-based care. But the path to effective treatment continues to face challenges: from old stereotypes to new medications. In the third installment of our series, “Navigating the Path to Mental Health,” WKSU’s M.L. Schultze explores the evolution among providers, advocates and patients. Diane Mang and her mother, Peggy, are preparing the cheesecake brownies for regular bingo crowd at the Knights of Columbus hall in Massillon. “You’re going to put cherries on top?" Diane asks, with a hint of doubt in her voice. "Yeah, that’s what it called for," her mother responds. The relationship is easy and open -- built on the love since the Mangs adopted their baby girl in 1972. But Diane acknowledges it wasn’t always that way. “I thought I was going to die," she recalls. "They put me in five-point straps -- both feet, both wrists and your forehead were strapped to the

Editor's note: Mike Quirk was originally misidentified in this story. Mental-health care can be hard to access in much of Ohio, especially away from the larger cities. This installment of our series Navigating the Path to Mental Health looks at the challenges along the way to finding and getting mental-health services. There are nearly 12 million people in Ohio. But there are just 3,300 licensed psychologists and only about 1,100 psychiatrists. According to state licensing data, these practitioners are concentrated around larger cities. That means wide-spread mental health deserts for rural and small-town Ohio, where first contact with care often comes in emergency rooms or crisis centers after behavioral issues have grown severe. Delayed first contact John Carroll is a crisis intervention specialist in Tuscarawas County. He says that’s a hard way to start mental health treatment. “It’s challenging to meet people when they need things peeled off the wall.” Mike Quirk lives in Akron. He

One out of five Americans, this year, will experience a mental health disorder. Yet, for all its prevalence, many people dealing with mental health crises still face stigma and shame. In the first installment of our series “Navigating the Path to Mental Health,” WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair brings us the stories of four people fighting the stigma.