THE GREAT RECESSION

In-depth Report on National, Ohio and Cleveland Economic Crisis

On it's one-year anniversary, President Barack Obama hails the stimulus law for ensuring a second depression is no longer a possibility. Critics, who say the bill was a costly, debt-financed blunder, aren't buying it. Full story »

Suburban Cuyahoga County lost more than 35,000 jobs -- 7.4 percent of its employment -- from 2007 through 2009, according to a study from economic research analyst George Zeller. Cleveland lost 5,700 jobs, or 2.2 percent.  Full story »

The Commerce Department said today that incomes rose by 0.4 percent, the sixth increase in a row. That's slightly better than analysts' expectations of 0.3 percent growth. Consumer spending, meanwhile, increased by 0.2 percent, less than analysts' forecasts of 0.3 percent.  Full story »

Wages and benefits paid to U.S. workers posted a modest gain in the fourth quarter, ending a year in which recession-battered workers saw their compensation rise by the smallest amount on records going back more than a quarter-century. Full story »

The rate was down slightly in Cuyahoga County in December, unchanged in Lorain County and up marginally in other counties Full story »

Northeast Ohio's economic performance is tracking closely to the nation's, and that's a hopeful sign, Team NEO officials say. Full story »

Borders Group of Ann Arbor, Mich, the nation's second-largest retailer of books and other media after Barnes & Noble Inc., also is closing two-thirds of its stores to become leaner and more competitive.  Full story »

Consumer inflation was tame in 2009, with prices rising 2.7 percent. Yet families felt squeezed as their spending power sank in the face of falling wages, job losses and higher prices for energy, medical care and education. Full story »

Over sandwiches and brownies, Gov. Ted Strickland and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher stressed to American Greetings' leaders how important they are not only to Brooklyn and this area, but to the entire state of Ohio.  Full story »

After these cuts, Pierre's will employ 85 people at its manufacturing facility, warehouse and corporate offices at 6200 Euclid Ave.  Full story »

In an internal memo sent to employees on Wednesday, the company said that because the City of Brooklyn voted to increase the city's payroll taxes 25 percent last spring, to 2.5 percent from 2.0 percent, "we are launching a study to consider whether or not we should move the company's world headquarters to another location."  Full story »

The U.S. Department of Labor announced $100 million in grants to various labor unions and service agencies today to retrain industrial workers for green jobs. About $23 million of those grants will be available in Ohio. Full story »

The 36-year-old, family-run company will employ 1,175 after the cuts, down from 1,584 in October 2008. Full story »

Dick's, which has 12 other stores in Northeast Ohio, is the latest big-box store to announce it's leaving City View, which has already lost Jo-Ann, Wal-Mart, PetSmart, Circuit City and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Full story »

The greeting card manufacturer will shut down a manufacturing facility in Kalamazoo, Mich., that employs 225 people, as well as cut about 12 jobs from its Brooklyn headquarters between now and April. Full story »