As spring finally arrives in Ohio, I walk around my neighborhood and can see for myself the great number of houses that are up for sale.  According to the Ohio Association of Realtors, the numbers of houses or condominiums that are up for sale are higher than last year’s as more people want to take advantage of the historically low interest rates. Keep reading the information below to give you a better understanding of what is happening in North East Ohio this week.

March Pending Home Sales Index for Ohio

The Ohio Association of REALTORS reports that the number of single-family homes and condominiums put under agreement in March rose for the 23rd consecutive month compared to the results from the prior year.

Goodyear, union begin contract talks for 6 plants

AKRON, Ohio — With the backdrop of an uncertain economy, shrinking unions and company cost-cutting, Goodyear and the Steelworkers are negotiating on a new national contract covering 8,000 tire workers at six plants.

The first round of talks in Cincinnati ended Thursday and recessed.

Cleveland Foodbank wins national award for excellence in food banking

The Cleveland Foodbank received the 2013 Mary Ruth Herbers SNAP Outreach Excellence in Food Banking Award at the annual Feeding America Network Executive Directors’ Forum recently held in Nashville. The award is given to the year’s most outstanding SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps) outreach program from the 202 food banks across the nation in the Feeding America network.