Great Lakes Journal: Rockets' red glare, cities' red ink, and illegal fireworks

We Ohioans eagerly look forward to the Fourth of July. We love fireworks displays -- actually, we have a fondness for anything that blows up. But this year, the skies of the Buckeye State will be considerably less festive than usual.

Some Ohio towns have been forced to severely cut back their Indepdence Day displays, or cancel them entirely. When the Cleveland suburb of Euclid canned its annual sky party, the mayor explained that, in light of a new 2.5 percent to 3 percent for city workers, it would seem callous to spend money to blow stuff up. Euclid also saved the estimated $150,000 cost of traffic control and cleanup by canceling the event.