In an average year, more than 1,000 Ohioans die by guns, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Monday on the "Sound of Ideas," we'll highlight a new Ideastream Public Media series investigating the impacts of gun violence in Northeast Ohio communities. The initiative is part of Ideastream's "Connecting the Dots," project, which highlights the intersections between race and health.

Although national rates of gun violence deaths have decreased since the COVID-19 pandemic, rates in cities like Cleveland and Mansfield have continued to increase. In 2023, Cleveland recorded three times the state rate of deaths by firearms, a five-year record high.

Later in the hour, we're previewing an exciting event. Tuesday, Feb. 11, the "Sound of Ideas" team heads to the Julia De Burgos Center on Cleveland's west side for our latest Community Tour stop.

The Community Tour allows us to get out of the studio here at the Idea Center and into a neighborhood to talk about a specific issue or topic.

This time around, we'll be discussing Cleveland's Latino community, stemming from a recent storytelling workshop held at the de Burgos center.

To end Monday's show, we're highlighting a new series from The Ohio Newsroom focused on stories about black excellence in Ohio.

The series highlights well-known and unknown people and places in our state's history, from places that were integral to the underground railroad during the times of slavery, to Black inventors, artists and architects who have shaped our everyday lives.

The series is broadcasting each Tuesday and Thursday this month on public media stations across the state during the usual "Today from the Ohio Newsroom" segment on Morning Edition and All Things Considered, which for WKSU listeners is at 6:45am and 4:45pm.

Last week, our host Jenny Hamel got a sneak peek at some of the stories from the series by talking to Kendall Crawford, Reporter with The Ohio Newsroom and student storyteller, Alanna Marshall.

Guests:
- Justin Glanville, Deputy Editor, Engaged Journalism, Ideastream Public Media
- Conor Morris, Education Reporter/Producer, Ideastream Public Media
- Stephen Langel, Health Reporter/Producer, Ideastream Public Media
- Stephanie Metzger-Lawrence, Digital Producer, Ideastream Public Media
- Richard Cunningham, Producer of Engaged Journalism, Ideastream Public Media
- Ricardo Leon, President and CEO, Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation
- Kendall Crawford, Reporter, The Ohio Newsroom
- Alanna Marshall, Fourth Year Journalism Major, University of Cincinnati