Reporting Public Policy

A Reporting Project of the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Author: Caelin Mills

Budget cuts Group Project 

Public libraries: a new chapter of funding, education and technology

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The cost of knowledge: the state of funding in Ohio’s public libraries By: Caelin Mills Funding public libraries remains the most crucial aspect of maintaining the role libraries play in communities across the country. Despite this, many voters are unaware of the sources of funding and importance of locally sourced funding Read More >   As technology advances, libraries direct more money to innovations By: Dylan Reynolds As Americans change the way they consume media, public libraries are keeping pace, updating the types of materials they offer to reflect the needs of their communities.  Read More >   Educating the new-age librarian By: Faith Riggs With the rise of technological advances in

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Group Project 

The cost of knowledge: the state of funding in Ohio’s public libraries

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Words by: Caelin Mills Funding public libraries remains the most crucial aspect of maintaining the role libraries play in communities across the country. Despite this, many voters are unaware of the sources of funding and importance of locally sourced funding. This is why Larra Clark, Deputy Director of the Public Library Association, partnered with the American Library Association and the Online Computer Library Center to publish a study titled From Awareness to Funding in 2008 and again in 2018. Originally, the study’s purpose was to identify segments of the public who were more or less interested in supporting their local libraries and to uncover the motivations and barriers driving this

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Cops Courts Health Public Health Public Safety 

Portage County diversion program educates teens, college students caught drinking underage

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Words by: Caelin Mills Portage County’s diversion program aims to give first time offenders a second chance and educate them on the dangers of underage drinking. According to Linda Broska, programs coordinator for Kent’s Family and Community Services, the program was written in 2000 at the request of the prosecutor and municipal court judges at the time.   “Oct. 27, 2000 is when the underage consumption diversion program came into play and that is the program that we use now,” Broska said. First, the offender must have no previous alcohol-related convictions. They must then enter a guilty plea upon arraignment, where the judge can offer the program. Judge Barbara Oswick

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Economics Jobs 

Small businesses see financial growth in first year of tax overhaul, but the cause remains unclear

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Words by: Caelin Mills and Nicholas Hunter Less than a year after President Donald Trump introduced his overhaul of the tax system, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Portage County businesses are seeing an uptick in business growth and revenue. It is unclear, however, whether the bill is the cause for this success. The bill, to be first implemented in fiscal year 2018, passed with the notion it would alleviate financial burdens on small business owners and middle class workers throughout the country. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act by on Scribd “The biggest winners will be the everyday American workers as jobs start pouring into our country, as

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City of Kent Economics 

Downtown parking meters garnering mixed reactions after first three years of operation

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Words by: Caelin Mills and Nicholas Hunter Local business owners have started seeing the changes Kent City Council promised the new parking meters would bring to business since their installation in May 2015. Bridget Susel, director of the Kent Community Development Department, said meters had not been used downtown since the 1970s. “They were brought back because when the downtown redevelopment was completed,” Susel said. “Many of the first floor restaurants and retail operations wanted to fulfill greater turnover for patrons.” Lauren Heroux, the general manager of Tree City Coffee, said the local coffee shop was not directly involved in the decision-making process. “I know the owners definitely paid attention

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Uncategorized 

Affirmative action: diversity in numbers

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Written by: Caelin Mills and Kathryn Monsewicz The Trump administration pushed back on his predecessor’s affirmative action policies in July by retracting memos and letters released throughout Obama’s presidency. The Departments of Justice and Education rescinded seven policy guidelines which advise schools on how they can consider race in their admissions processes.  According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the concept of affirmative action is a result of the 1960s Civil Rights movement, following the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision in an effort to desegregate and diversify schools. President John F. Kennedy first coined the phrase in 1961, in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, stating

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