- Crisis in the courts
There may be one thing Republicans and Democrats agree on right now: that there is a crisis in the federal court system. Not surprisingly, they totally disagree on whose fault it is. But here's the big surprise: there might be a solution that all sides can like. The crisis, in short, is the more than 70 vacancies on the federal bench. It's a bigger problem than it sounds: it can take over eighteen months to fill a vacancy; and civil cases can take more than four years to resolve. And now that we've entered the presidential election season, the Senate has stopped tending to current nominations. On this hour, Dan Moulthrop sits down with two federal court watchers to dissect a recent panel in which we hear from a sitting federal judge, a top aide to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and voices from all sides of the issue. It's heady, complex stuff, simply explained.

- Development Baklava, the special
The post-recession economy has changed the world of development deals. In the past, a major project might involve a handful of investors. Today, projects require so many "layers" of financing, there's now a new metaphor to describe it: baklava financing. Here's the full size radio special.

- Hacking the Economy, a one hour special
The post-recession economy doesn’t work for everyone, and sometimes, you need a little creativity in order to survive. Many Northeast Ohioans have taken to figuring out ingenious work-arounds to traditional economic forces. In other words, they’re hacking the economy.

- The Fracking Economy
New methods of drilling for natural gas and oil have opened up previously unreachable resources deep below the Earth’s surface in Ohio. Depending on your perspective, drilling with hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the Marcellus shale is either the Ohio’s greatest economic opportunity or greatest environmental threat. Turns out, it’s a little of both. Join Civic Commons hosts Dan Moulthrop and Noelle Celeste as they travel the region looking answers from a variety of geographic and geologic perspectives.

- Read (listen) all about it--books that changed lives
Summer books, some are life changers.

- Another Listen: Make Lemons into Lemonade
Another listen to a show broadcast in late winter, since we're coming into lemonade season. When life gives you sludge, old medical equipment and poop...make nature preserves, life saving supplies and energy.

- Development Baklava
Complicated commercial development can have as many layers of financing as Turkish pastry has layers of phyllo.  

- Hacking the Economy
Alternative economic strategies are growing--go Kickstart your Cash Mob into the TimeBank.

- Roll Call for Reform
Yes we need quality teachers...but do we really know what that means?

- Deep in the heart of fracking
Texas has been fracking for years...so what does Ohio's gas exploration future look like?

- Mayor Jackson: I'm calling the roll
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson sat down with The Civic Commons on Friday, April 20, to talk about his education reform plan. This is the raw tape of the interview, and we'll be using it in an upcoming program.

- A good teacher a day keeps ignorance away
Good teachers are akin to saints, so do they need a union contract to protect them?

- Bullies be Gone
Bullies are everywhere, but we have ways to make them stop.

- When we talk about race
How do YOU talk about race? And why can it be so touchy?

- Another Listen: A Spiritual Feast
Local chefs make food that's out of this world.

- Rocked and Loaded, part 2
Hydraulic fracturing is a complex issue. Is it more like Satan's ploy to ruin the environment or God's answer to structural unemployment?

- Lights, Camera--Forums!
The Cleveland International Film Festival starts March 22, here's the low down on the cool documentaries.  

- Make Lemons into Lemonade
When life gives you sludge, old medical equipment and poop...make nature preserves, life saving supplies and energy.  

- Remain Sustainable
Sustain or die. Some folks think it's pretty simple.

- Rocked & Loaded
An earthquake rocked Youngstown, and now everybody wonders if it has to do with fracking. 

- And so with Trust so shall ye reap Collaboration
Sometimes you want to get up in the grill of certain politicians and shout, "Get over it! Collaborate or get the hell out of the way!" But then you realize that angrily shouting in an elected official's face might just land you on a watch list somewhere. So don't indulge, just take the biblical view of things...as in you reap what you sow. Elected officials who decide to trust and build relationships with fellow pols will increase their support with smart-minded voters like Civic Commons Radio listeners. And will be rewarded both here and the hereafter, or at least possibly reelected for another term or two.

- Recycle that trashy attitude
Trash talk isn't just for sports--it's for everybody who ever uses anything anywhere. Because there is no "away" when it comes to garbage, it always has to go somewhere, and how we deal with it is a measure of our commitment to our natural world and each other. So grab your bottles and cans, throw the coffee grounds on the compost heap and join Dan and Noelle as they talk all things trash with bureaucrats, students and an eco-conscious auto mechanic who doesn't like driving cars. Guests: Jenita McGowan, Cleveland's Chief of Sustainability; Ivan Henderson of Cleveland Public Power; Ron Owens, Commissioner, City of Cleveland's Department of Public Service; Sam Bell, owner, The Lusty Wrench and John Carroll University students Caitlyn Falsaco and Chris Razek. .

- Prosecution, not Persecution
Fresh off the smashing success of the Civic Commons on-line forum that featured candidates vying to be the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor and citizens who wanted to know what they stood for (www.http://goo.gl/5af5v), Dan and Noelle bring a bunch of new perspectives to prosecute in the studio. Well, really they just had some great conversation. Guests: Jonathon Witmer-Rich; Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Russell Johnson; Richmond Heights City Council, Michael Jones; Breaking the Cycle, Jim Dixon; Citizen's League, Felicia Haney; The Call & Post; Wes Millican; The Akronist.

- Show #45: Still Seeking Civility
Back in show #2 we decided that "civility" is an action word, and now, a year later, we take our act to Akron to see some more of it in action. Join Dan and Noelle as they learn about the stellar efforts of Akronites to make their community more civil, more inclusive and more affirming. There are positive vibes bouncing throughout the Rubber City, and not all of it is emanating from the nationally celebrated rock music of Akron's own The Black Keys. But they are helping.

- Show #44: Mommy, where do jobs come from? (Part 2)
Well, in part 1 we figured out how incubators, accelerators and certain marketing companies create jobs but we're still left with lots of questions. Join Dan and Noelle as they continue on their quest for knowledge about just where jobs come from, and what we all can do to make more of them.