I try to make a healthy effort to page through the news online a few times a day. Sure, I’m not as well informed as some, but I try to have some clue about what’s going on. I’ve always felt the news intentionally tries to be a bit dismal, but it seems to be even worse lately. I could be wrong, but I’d swear that in the past, we used to only hear about a local murder, rape or beating once or twice a week. I’m seeing these things almost every other day now. By the way, when I say local, I really mean Toledo, but it seems these things have been spilling over into Bowling Green, too. Remember the recent ‘shotglass in the eye’ saga, or the stories surfacing lately about a break-in near campus? What’s wrong with people? I work a night shift in Toledo. Usually, I’m not leaving work until around 1 a.m. Our parking lot is mainly fenced in, but not completely, and it is quite dark. As an added benefit, there are an awful lot of creepy noises there. You know the type – the ones that make you run to your car, clutching your keys like some sort of weapon that could defend you against a crazy mob of sorts. It’s probably not that bad, I’m just a big coward when it comes to wandering around at night. I take these news stories to heart, and always have. I’ve been reading lately about the disappearance of Tiffany Chambers. Without asking exactly why two drunk people would be falling asleep in their car in the middle of the night, the story is rather horrifying. Her body was recently found, and authorities say they see no foul play, but who could really say? There seems to be a recent increase in stabbings, as well. I decided to try to find a comparison between crime in Toledo, and the national averages. On every Web site I went to, Toledo’s crime rates in everything from arson, rape, beatings and break-ins were a good bit higher than the national average – not comforting. It begs a question, though. Why are things like this here? The Toledo Blade had an interesting headline recently that may offer some insight into the situation. The unemployment rate in Toledo is among the worst in Ohio, at 14.3 percent. Now, take a gander at the national average of 7.6 percent. Is there a possibility there is some of correlation here? Desperate times lead to desperate measures for some people. With more people hungry and fearful of becoming homeless, looking for any way to support themselves or their families, it’s no wonder the rates of break-ins and robberies have soared. Sometimes these sorts of crimes go wrong, and lead to murder. Or, with tensions soaring at home, violent crimes will undoubtedly increase. Of course, this leads to yet another question. Why are the unemployment rates so high here? This is where I get a little foggy. I’ve been hearing ads on the radio lately for a campaign to recall Toledo’s mayor, paired with some claims he is making Toledo less business friendly. Perhaps Toledo is just a dying industrial city. We need to work on revitalizing Toledo. If the violence and desperation in Toledo is spilling over into Bowling Green, helping out Toledo could help us out, too. If Toledo became a great place to find jobs or a great place to go for entertainment, and a friendlier place in general, perhaps we could attract more students here.