At the end of a typical Sunday mass at St. Cecilia church on Cleveland’s east side, traditional ritual gives way to spontaneity as members of the congregation drift from their pews and begin to embrace each other.  This mix of people of diverse ages and racial backgrounds, seemingly recharged by the past hour of prayer and fellowship, makes Christie Okocha smile. 

CHRISTIE OKOCHA: I love it absolutely.  There’s such a sense of community.  It’s so relaxed, people are so loving, so accepting.  And the priest is absolutely the best.

DAN BEGIN: For some of these people, the sign of peace hug is only time they will be touched all week long.

Pastor Dan Begin has led this flock since 1980.  In that time, he and his parishioners have also embraced the impoverished Mt. Pleasant community that surrounds the church building, through hunger programs, day care and counseling.  But, one year ago, the members of St. Cecilia were informed by Bishop Richard Lennon that their parish would be one of fifty churches in the Diocese that would be closed or merged due to the historic population shift from cities like Lorain, Akron and Cleveland to the suburbs.  The Bishop came armed with maps and charts as he spoke to reporters the day after the closing announcement.

BISHOP LENNON: This outward migration is clearly having a major impact on parish finances, membership, and mass attendance, especially in our cities. 

Bishop Lennon got few arguments about that.  But, a number of parishes have complained that church closure decisions were drawn up by people with no connections to the neighborhoods and no connection with urban life.  Dan Begin says that what looks good on paper doesn’t always mesh with the experience of people who live there

DAN BEGIN: I have a lot of serious questions.  Bishop Lennon knows that my sense of how this is working is not his sense.  I guess I can’t really expect him to thoroughly understand what I understand after being here thirty years.

Dan Begin’s brother Bob heads St. Colman parish on Cleveland’s Westside.  He too got orders to close, last March.

BOB BEGIN: The pattern of church closings was, as I saw it, almost like someone who had read a management book about franchises, like McDonald’s.  So, each church is a separate McDonald’s.  And, if it doesn’t have enough customers or if its customers, combined with the customers of another one nearby would work, then why would we have two of them?  You don’t realize that only a third of the people in this neighborhood have cars, and if it’s more than a mile to church, they’re not going to go to church.

Bishop Richard Lennon’s predecessor, Anthony Pilla, has been quiet over the past year about the reconfiguration of the diocese that he headed for a quarter of a century.  But, he’s clearly upset about what has transpired since last March, though he refuses to pass judgment on Lennon.

ANTHONY PILLA: This is a lot more than buildings.  People on the outside --- bottom line people --- only see buildings and numbers.  This is not a corporation.  This is a faith community.  There’s a difference.

Anthony Pilla has a long relationship with the Begin family.  As a young man, he was ordained by their uncle Floyd, a former Bishop of the Cleveland Diocese.  In turn, Pilla was one of Dan’s teachers in seminary school, and he counseled Bob, last year, when the initial church closing announcements were made.

ANTHONY PILLA: I advised him that the church does establish an appeals process.  Present the facts in as convincing a way as you can with as much specific evidence as possible, and just trust that if you put that out there, it will be listened to and heard.  And that’s what happened.

Bob Begin rallied his congregation quickly to file an appeal. Thousands of petition forms were distributed to members and friends of the church. 

BOB BEGIN: There were two Facebook accounts that pulled up thousands of people immediately.  And we turned in 4000 of those petitions into the Bishop. 

And the Bishop reversed his decision on St. Colman….with some conditions.  The parish has been given five years to boost attendance and perform building repairs that could amount to a million dollars.  Bob Begin says the church is well on the way to meeting those goals --- attendance has steadily risen and the collection has almost doubled.  By contrast, his brother Dan chose not to appeal the Bishop’s decree…but, he’s found a different way to maintain his east side parish community.

BOB BEGIN: He’s keeping it together on the internet, and he’s expanding it.  And they won’t need a building, so they’ll have no overhead.  It’s a great experiment.

Dan Begin’s experiment is called “Scattered Seed” --- based around a social networking site for parishioners --- sort of a spiritual Facebook, that will keep members in touch with each other.  Once the St. Cecilia building officially closes, next month, the plan is to have informal monthly gatherings at a variety of churches across NEOhio.  Parishioner Mary Powell likes the symbolism of being a “scattered seed”, but says she’s still got some pain to work through.

MARY POWELL: I haven’t been scattered yet. Right now, I feel like a rejected seed --- rejected by the Diocese.  There’s not a whole lot we can do, but make the best of it.

Still, she sees this new grouping as a way to extend her church’s social service mission and connect suburban parishes to the Mt. Pleasant community.

MARY POWELL: What I think is driving all of us is a need to keep the church alive --- the awareness that a church can exist without walls. 

SOUND: Return to the initial sound of St. Cecilia parishioners hugging and talking. UP & UNDER

St. Cecilia’s last mass is scheduled for April 25th.  Bishop Lennon will be there to conduct the closing ceremonies.  In addition to nurturing the scattered seeds of his former church, Dan Begin knows he’ll be officially assigned to another parish, probably in a more populated part of the Diocese.  Another door will open, with another opportunity to take, another soul to embrace.  That’s just part of a tradition that goes a long way back in his family.

DAN BEGIN: It was just part of our way of thinking.  That’s what made you happy --- serving people.

WORLEY: “It all has to go.”

Penny Worley is president of Penny Worley auctioneers near Cincinnati. That’s one of the three auction houses with contracts from the FDIC to sell off all the leftover bits of failed banks.
WORLEY:“Everything from a 56 foot yacht to high tech conferencing systems, IT equipment, high end furniture.”

Worley and her competitors place these so-called “other assets” online for auction. The proceeds only go a small ways to make up the losses to the FDIC’s fund, but every bit helps.

Much of the furniture and computer equipment goes to small businesses.

But Worley says some have other ideas.

WORLEY: “There was an armored car in Florida that was being bid on by the owner of a strip club who had a clientele of rappers.”

BYERS: “I have a few rapper clients who come into my establishment now.”

Jason Byers is one of the owners of Vegas Showgirls in St. Petersburg.

BYERS: “They thought it was a really great concept to travel around in an armored car limo.”

Byers lost out on the armored car, but he keeps bidding on other stuff.

BYERS: “I’ve bought fireproof filing cabinets. Couches, TV’s. I’ve bought safes, under counter safes, big commercial safes, money counters.”

Those are particularly useful when your business involves a lot of dollar bills.

Byers says more people know about the auctions now. It’s harder to get a real steal. But he still thinks it’s an opportunity.

BYERS: “I’m 45 years old. This is the last time I’ll ever see the banks collapse like they’re doing so I gotta stock up on stuff that either I’m going to use or, if I don’t, I just sell it off to somebody else.”

Banks’ loss; Byers’s gain.

DCB: The most recent estimate for Cuyahoga County is 12,000 children and 15,000 adults --- and that dates back to 2006.

EW: How do they come up with those numbers?

DCB: Some researchers from the National Alliance to End Homelessness pulled those stats out of census data.  As you know, the U.S. Census Bureau does a national headcount every ten years, but they still do some surveys in the years in between, but these are estimates…samples… not a complete count.  So, the last time they did a sample was 2006 --- before the mortgage meltdown…before a lot more people started losing their homes.  The numbers they get from this year’s count could be very different.

EW: But, I understand that may not be an easy thing to do.

DCB: Yes. Census officials and city planners have told me they’re concerned that people may not own up to the fact that they’re “doubled up”.  Bob Brown, who heads the Cleveland Planning Commission, puts it this way:

ROBERT BROWN: There are a lot of households that are in temporary situations where they are doubling up with other family members.  They and their host may not understand that they need to be counted at that location, and they may be easily missed because the Census worker doesn’t necessarily know that there’s another household here because it seems like a single house --- that’s going to be a real challenge, this time. 

EW: I know in past years the Census Bureau has had problems counting the homeless population, but in this case, these are “homeless” people who are… living in homes --- other people’s homes.

DCB: Yeah, and the irony is that, in some cases, a person who lives out on the streets and sleeps in a homeless shelter at night has some advantages over the “doubled-up” person. 

EW: How so?

DCB: Cyleste Collins, a researcher at Case Western Reserve University did a study on this.  She says if you’re in a shelter, there are a lot of services and resources at your disposal. 

CYLESTE COLLINS: You’ll have regular meals, they’ll probably make sure that you get to school, they might have job-training, they might have parent classes --- things like that.  But, if you’re living on someone’s couch or sleeping on the floor of your friend or some relative, you might be totally invisible to the system. 

DCB: For instance, the system doesn’t know about Bryan, a guy who’s living in a doubled-up situation on the west side of Cleveland --- lost his job...got divorced....he and his ex-wife had to sell their house for a lot less than it was originally worth. He’s still trying to adjust to this new reality of living in someone else’s living room.  He told me he’s really starting to missing his medical insurance.

BRYAN: Everything costs so much money.  I need to go to the dentist, actually.  That’s a big one. 

DCB: He’s heard that there are probably free or low-cost medical services that he’s eligible for.  But, that idea rubs him the wrong way…says it’s a little embarrassing.

BRYAN: I don’t… (sighs)…I don’t like things for free.  I don’t know.  If it comes down to it, I guess I will. 

EW: What’s it like for him to live doubled-up with someone else?  Does that get awkward or embarrassing for him? 

DCB: He’s not comfortable with the situation.

BRYAN: It’s kind of hard living here --- trust me.

DCB: You see, he’s living with… his ex-wife, Jennifer.  It may not be the typical doubled-up situation, but it’s still awkward.  But, Jennifer says there have been some benefits.

JENNIFER: It’s…we get along so much better.  We’re friends now.  I think we lost that in our marriage, and…I think we’re friends --- we’re good friends. 

BRYAN: I stay in the front room, she’s upstairs. We don’t ever…I just…try not to think about it.  As soon as I can get out, I will.  But, I do owe her, I owe her a lot for helping me, because I don’t even know where I would have went.

JENNIFER: Until he gets a job and gets on his feet.  I am not going to kick anybody out who doesn’t have a job. 

DCB: Bryan’s moving day may be coming soon --- he had a job interview, last week.

BRYAN: I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  I’m not counting my chickens before they’re hatched.

DCB: If things go smoothly, they’ll only have one more major hurdle --- the kids.

EW: They have children?

DCB: Well, they’re really a couple of dogs, named Dozer and Giggles.  Jennifer doesn’t want to think about who gets custody.

JENNIFER: We don’t talk about that.  (laughs weakly) It probably all depends on where he goes.  I’m sure, starting out, he’s going to have to get an apartment.  And then, go from there.

BRYAN: I don’t honestly know --- when I leave --- what we’re going to do.

Edwards desire before her death was to leave a legacy in medical education. 
The Foundation was impressed by the unprecedented partnership between the science-based school and nine area science and medicine institutions.

Brian McDonald is Executive Director of the Edwards Foundation.  He says the program will impact ALL 400 students at the advanced school through special lectures, programs, and opportunities at CASE’s medical school.

BRIAN McDONALD:
“We have no delusions that these kids need our help… They’re already performing really well on their own. But the stuff that they’re gonna get out of this is going to make them even more competitive. And then at the end of this educational event, we’re going to be able to award one of those students a full ride scholarship to CASE undergraduate, and then follow that with a full ride scholarship to CASE Medical School.”

That’s a package with an estimated value of $468,000 in 2010 dollars…

Beginning with this year’s juniors, the foundation will award the 8 year educational scholarship to one school of science and medicine graduate, every year.

Joan C. Edwards was an English immigrant who traveled the country as a musician and actress, before marrying and settling in West Virginia. A second endowment will be placed at Huntington’s Marshall University, for additional medical education scholarships.

Rick Jackson, 90.3.

ROBERT REIDY: I’ve got about 280 here.  The people who signed these are in favor of immigration reform and they’re calling for these Senators and Congressmen should do everything in their power to make this happen.

Piles of similar postcards are being delivered to all of Northeast Ohio’s Congressional delegation.  It’s part of a nationwide ecumenical effort that backs legislation that would allow illegal immigrants to remain in this country and have a legal route to citizenship. 

A recent federal report estimates that there are as many as 11 million undocumented immigrants across the U.S. --- about 95,000 in Ohio.  Opponents of liberalized immigration say legalizing those already here is a disservice to the millions waiting in in line who’re following immigration rules.  Rev. Tracey Lind of Cleveland’s Trinity Cathedral says she realizes that Congress is currently pre-occupied with a troubled economy and healthcare reform, but…

TRACEY LIND:  ...I rank this as just important as economic issues and healthcare and education, because I think it’s part of the fabric of our nation.  And it is a part of the economy, and I think we need to not to be the underground economy.

Attempts at immigration reform in 2006 and 2007 failed to gain traction in Congress, and the Obama administration isn’t expected to bring the issue up again until later this year.

CINDY MORIARITY:
“It’s been unbelievable. We have people calling us that we haven’t talked to in a long time. My coworkers are so excited and so supportive. Family is going crazy. Everyone. Everywhere we go. It’s so much fun.”

Such is the life of a parent - when your kid makes the U-S Olympic team.

Especially when it’s unexpected, as in the case of Bobsledder Jamie Moriarity.
The 28 year old was a University School and Cornell University football player who lost his NFL dream to an injury; but as his father Tom of Pepper Pike relates - Jamie found his new sport; `almost’ by accident.

CINDY MORIARITY:
“He watched it on the Olympics, and when they talked about the athlete’s backgrounds and stuff; he said ‘You know I think I could do that. And it looks like fun.’ That’s how he got involved. He approached them and got a tryout and made the team - four years ago.”

He fit right in with the American Bobsledders, and spent the four years since competing all across North America, from the team base at Lake Placid.

Moriarity’s trek culminates at The Whistler Sliding Centre in Vancouver on the 26th, as the Brake Man for USA sled number three. His parents and three sisters will be there, along with two other Ohio families, also cheering on offspring competing in this year’s games. 

That includes a caravan of 16 people rooting for Brianne McLaughlin, a graduate of Elyria Catholic High School, and the daughter of Susan and Brian McLaughlin of Sheffield. Brianne is on the U.S. women’s hockey team...top ranked in the world at the moment.  She’s 22, started skating at age four - and her mother says she soon found her niche, when she tried out as a goal-keeper.

SUSAN McLAUGHLIN:
“Most of the kids didn’t like it, and she did. So she got the net; and never left. She was five years old and has always been in the net.”

The women’s first game is Valentine’s Day against China, but McLaughlin - looking ahead at two weeks of games - thinks she already knows who’ll be in the final event.

SUSAN McLAUGHLIN:
“it’s gonna be incredible, with the venue we’re at in Canada, filled with Canadians, and its’ their number one sport there..... it’s gonna boil down to Canada and the U-S.”

Also on the U-S women’s hockey team will be Kelli Stack of Brooklyn Heights. She’s a graduate of Cuyahoga Heights High School and Boston College, and a two-time member of the U.S. Women’s National Team. She’ll be playing forward.

He and County Administrator Jim McCafferty met with the reform group’s Public Engagement Committee to discuss the logistics of opening all meetings to the public.

MARTIN ZANOTTI:  After meeting with the group it was clear that, if we’re going to err, we’re going to err on the side of openness, so we’ve instructed all the co-chairs that any full committee meetings that they have should be scheduled in advance and open to the public.

Zanotti says the legal threats didn’t factor into the decision.

MARTIN ZANOTTI: This just got rushed, we’re still trying to get organized.  There’s no playbook for how to do all these things.

The two officials fielded listener questions on The Sound of Ideas, yesterday, and one point of contention arose over the extent to which the public will be involved in the planning process.  While emphasizing the importance of public input, Zanotti said that some meetings would have to be private due to sheer logistics.

MARTIN ZANOTTI:It’s not practical to expect every single meeting can be open to media questions and those things.  Reports will be made, the information will be made public, but there are going to be times times where people actually need to sit in a room of five or six people and just be able to do some work.

When it was suggested that perhaps an unobtrusive web camera could be set-up to broadcast such proceedings on the internet, Zanotti didn’t totally dismiss the idea, but noted that some of those meetings will involve sensitive issues, such as the elimination of some county jobs and that it would be important to maintain some level of privacy for those affected.  Former county commissioner and state lawmaker Tim McCormack has a different take.

TIM McCORMACK: If you’re conducting the public’s business, then the meeting should be open.

McCormack was on the Judiciary committee that wrote Ohio’s Sunshine law for public meetings, and while acknowledging that there may be some exceptions when it comes to people’s privacy, he says there’s a larger issue of regaining the public’s trust in government, across the board.

TIM McCORMACK: The roughest days may be ahead of us, in terms of federal government action, and the erosion of confidence is ahead of us in even a more significant way.  So, now is the time to draw just the opposite by restoring some confidence.