Hope, gardens nourish town DHL left (Columbus Dispatch, July 12, 2009) In a town where the loss of thousands of jobs this year threatens despair, hope is growing in unlikely places - 20 garden plots that Wilmington College has built and persuaded 20 novice gardeners and their families to nourish. It's sprouting in the Buying Local First effort, a push to keep Wilmington businesses healthy. And it's germinating, slowly, in a plan to make the area a center for "green" business and workers.

Editorial: Investment Options (Akron Beacon Journal, July 8, 2009) Cities and regions that hope to be successful in a global economy increasingly must look far and wide to attract investors who have sufficient capacity to be productive partners. Now, Akron and Summit County are working on a joint effort to draw foreign investors who can help finance the $900 million Goodyear development project in East Akron.

Some Licking County offices to furlough workers (Newark Advocate, July 10, 2009) As Licking County offices prepare to pare their budgets to accommodate revenue shortfalls, some offices are expected to begin furloughs and huge cuts to nonessential services.

Editorial: Urban Advantage (Akron Beacon Journal, July 10, 2009) The ''greenfield'' option, sometimes referred to as the ''cornfield'' alternative, the lure of open land, fuels new development in affluent suburbs. Among the forces contributing to costly suburban sprawl are state tax incentives, inducements originally intended to spur redevelopment in distressed urban areas. Refocusing and simplifying the state incentives are now the important goals of a new Ohio Cities Task Force.

Editorial: Ohio is sinking. Where are you Gov. Strickland (Cleveland Leader, July 9, 2009) No wonder President Barack Obama's and Gov. Ted Strickland's popularity in Ohio is sinking like a lead weigh in water. New job figures for the start of July stink. Again. George Zeller, research analyst, reports today on the economic outlook and he's quite blunt. Alarmingly bad.

Local governments face hard choices as revenues dwindle (Dayton Daily News, July 11, 2009) As the economy continues to struggle and unemployment levels rise, cities are forced to make some of the same tough choices being contemplated in the Ohio Statehouse.

Local business eyes future minus GM (Mansfield News Journal, July 12, 2009) Businesses throughout north central Ohio have long enjoyed the benefits of having a corporate neighbor in GM's Mansfield/Ontario Metal Center. But if General Motors Corp. follows through with its plan to shutter the plant, the area's business community will suffer.

Metro Toledo construction off 50% for first half 2009 (Toledo Blade, July 12, 2009) Home construction plunged by more than half through June 30 in Lucas and Wood counties and in Bedford Township from the year before, according to the builders organization and municipal building officials

Editorial: Cleveland: the best location bleeding population (The Plain Dealer, July 12, 2009) Since 1950, the city has lost more than half of its population, has slid from seventh to 40th in the big-city rankings, and will plunge again after next year's U.S. census.

LCCC students boost local economy (Chronicle-Telegram, July 12, 2009) LCCC is among the top 10 percent of the largest employers in Elyria along with hospitals, city schools, and county and city governments. The city collected $609,957 in income tax in 2007 from LCCC and $643,798 in 2008 from the college, which employs 342 full-time and 816 part-time workers.

Sometimes tax is 'appealing' (Ashtabula Star Beacon, July 12, 2009) A county review of hundreds of property tax appeals is nearly at an end, and for many landowners their protests are paying off.

Green energy jobs take baby steps in Ohio economy (Dayton Daily News, July 11, 2009) While Ohio wrangles with grim statistics - the 10.4 percent unemployment rate, the 89 cents left in the state's rainy day fund - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, took a break a few weeks back to send out a press release touting a more positive number: Four.

Glen Echo: Pocket Neighborhood (Columbus Dispatch, July 13, 2009) Glen Echo Ravine might be among Columbus' under-appreciated assets, a green and inviting getaway that winds below a sometimes loud and belligerent city.

Northeast Ohio's economic output from professional, scientific and technical services sector grew 79 percent from 1993 to 2008 (The Plain Dealer, July 13, 2009) A region known for industrial brawn cranked out a sizable number of brainy jobs in the past 15 years, according to Team NEO, the region's business-attraction group.

Incubator part of vision for the Valley (Warren Tribune Chronicle, July 13, 2009) About $2.5 million in federal and state money to launch a ''green'' business incubator may be exactly the fuel Warren needs to join what an economic development group says is a regional growth sector.

More county layoffs 'inevitable' (Cincinnati Enquirer, July 13, 2009) Hamilton County will likely reveal at the emergency meeting how much departments will have to cut their budgets in order to balance the 2009 budget. Layoffs are likely, as the county grapples with yet another month of plummeting sales tax revenue.