In this photo taken on Wednesday, March 4, 2009, the …

AP Photo/Amy Sancetta | published: May 22, 2009

In this photo taken on Wednesday, March 4, 2009, the Severstal International steel company lies idle Warren, Ohio. With the auto plants and steel mills, once the lifeblood of this northeast Ohio town, now ghosts of their former selves, Warren's population has dwindled to about 43,000 and those left are being tested like never before. Now folks talk of a hopelessness, a weariness of spirit that is pervading every aspect of life.