Comin’ at you from the Franklin Hall Newsroom, it’s Thursday March 11th, I am Betz Rund and here’s what’s happening.

The unemployment battle continues a little closer to home these days as the jobless rate jumps up in Kent.

The City of Kent saw an increase of one percentage point from the 7.2 percent rate in December of 2009 to 8.2 percent in January of 2010.

Out of the roughly 16,400 people in the city’s labor force, 1,300 are unemployed.

Kent’s jump in unemployment has added to the 1.3 percentage point increase in Portage County, bringing the jobless rate from 10.7 to 12 percent

The county’s unemployment rate is now higher than both Ohio’s rate of 10.8 percent and the country’s current jobless rate of 9.7 percent, which dropped from 10 percent in December.

Portage County is currently ranked as 60th among Ohio’s 88 districts.

While Ohio struggles to keep jobs, the Kansas City School Board will be cutting approximately 700 jobs at the end of the school year.

According to USAToday, the school board voted 5 to 4 to close 29 of the districts 61 schools in an effort to erase a $50 million deficit.

Superintendent John Covington said that the move comes after years of decreasing enrollment.

Over the past 40 years, enrollment has dropped from more than 75,000 students to about 17,500.

Fewer students means less money, said Covington.

Now for a look at the weather

It’s finally starting to feel like spring in Kent and grass couldn’t be a more welcome sight after all the snow.

It’s currently 45 degrees and sunny with a high today of 65.

For more news, sports and entertainment updates, head on over to Black Squrrial Radio ,Com

From the Franklin Hall Newsroom, I am Betz Rund and that was your news in a nutshell.