Monday, September 17, 2007

Wall to Walsh coverage ..


Kudos to Lisa Kindleburg of Akron whose ABJ Letter highlighted the misrepresentation of state report cards when applied to an entire school district. She finds that while the state lists the Akron Public Schools as a whole earning a "continuous improvement," the moniker is misleading.

In reality, Firestone and Ellet each earned "excellent" rankings that are glossed over if the district is looked as a whole. Home buyers and parents should compare Apples to Apples when choosing a school. For example, comparing Revere or Hudson's "excellent" ranking to the "continuous improvement" of all of APS might be unfair.. when instead you should compare one high school with another. Lisa earns an "excellent" herself.

Sherri Bevan Walsh will be busier than normal tomorrow. She'll be prosecuting a kidnapping and rape case herself. James Tayse is accused of kidnapping a 31-year-old woman and her 18-month-old daughter in Pittsburgh, driving them to Ohio, and then attacking her. Two witnesses reportedly were watching Channel 3 News when they spotted Tayse's car and called police.

The case should be good theater for courthouse pundits. Walsh won't be alone; lead prosecutor Mary Ann Kovach will also be in the courtroom. I'd be most interested in seeing Walsh's direct examination of the victim to see how her caring demeanor comes across the jurors. Two weeks ago, Walsh told me her nights and weekends were pretty cramped with case preparation but that she was feeling pretty energized by the opportunity to try a case herself again.

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