Why is Pennsylvania faring better than Ohio in this economic downturn?
“[A]lthough the recession has hit both states hard, the troubles in Ohio are clearly much worse,” this Associated Press story reports, citing an index of unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcies in more than 3,000 U.S. counties.
This story attributes the difference to PA’s more diversified economy, especially its education and health-care sectors.

But, parts of Ohio have invested heavily in these fields as well. I’m not sure what the reason is but the numbers cited in this story do show a pretty stark …

All you members of GLUE – Great Lakes Urban Exchange- may remember hearing (and seeing!) Will Allen and learning about his amazing urban farm, Growing Power, in Milwaukee.
In fact, we at Rust Wire featured some photos from Growing Power back in March.
Now, The New York Times has noticed Allen and the work he is doing.
For those of you not familiar with the project, Growing Power is  “14 greenhouses crammed onto two acres in a working-class neighborhood on Milwaukee’s northwest side, less than half a mile from the city’s largest public-housing …

The Wall Street Journal is carrying a story about growth in many big cities since the last census.
The paper reports the recession is having a chilling effect on suburban sprawl. Researchers also predict migration to the Sun Belt is cooling.
Philadelphia, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Chicago and Columbus, Ohio are among the big winners.

Detroit and Cleveland, not so much.
“Cities are showing a continued vitality as hubs of activity even as some suburban and exurban areas go through tough times,” said William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. “It emphasizes the …

   I can hardly believe it, but the Pittsburgh Post Gazette says it’s true. Between 2000 and 2006, the city of Pittsburgh imported  2,300 Californians for a net gain of 100 more residents than lost to the sunny state.

   This article says that people are growing weary of higher-cost mega-cities like Boston, Washington and Los Angeles. They’ve got to go somewhere, The P-G opines. It might as well be the Rust Belt.
   The Rust Belt is American’s next frontier, the article says. It’s a bold statement, but I guess I …

Model D Media has a great video featuring attendees of Great Lakes Urban Exchange’s “I Will Stay If …” campaign kick-off party May 14. GLUE will be traveling to different cities around the Rust Belt encouraging young people to share their hopes for their city.
Check out these photos.

See more pictures at GLUE’s Web site.
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  Along with the Penguins being in the Stanley Cup finals, the city of Pittsburgh got some exciting news last week: it will host the G-20 summit this fall.

  Part of the reason the city was chosen is to highlight its recovery from the loss of the steel industry during the 1980s.
  I’m not sure everyone in Pittsburgh would agree that the city (and the surrounding Mon Valley) would really agree that the area has “recovered” – ever been to Braddock? But compared to the economic problems the rest of …

A federal judge has thrown out the city of Cleveland’s lawsuit against a number of large banks that the city believes contributed to the crisis in foreclosures.

The city is appealing, according to this Plain Dealer blog post.
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The city of Cleveland is considering installing a commuter bike station in downtown,Green City Blue Lake is reporting.

The plan will include covered, secure bicycle parking, a maintenance shop and shower facilities. The city is working withClevelandBikes and a nonprofit national organization called Bike Station.
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The New York Times asked a number of economists to respond to the question, “do we need a domestic auto industry? Many American manufacturing industries, like textiles and electronics, long ago moved to other producing countries. Why is the auto industry different?”

I know this is a few weeks old, but it took me awhile to get through it all.
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What does it take to retrain middle-aged factory workers?
 
NPR takes a look at the process in this story about a Toledo-area couple, both in their 50s, who are back in high school learning algebra and training for their first white-collar jobs.
The effort paid off for Jim Buford, who recently got a job installing solar panels.

 
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