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By now anyone who's interested in Cincinnati politics probably has heard about the insensitive and over-the-top comment posted Sept. 11 on Twitter by a leader of an anti-streetcar group.
Mark Miller, treasurer for the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST), posted the following:
3% of FDNY died 10 yrs ago by terrorism. Today Cincinnati lost 17.5% of fire companies by brownout to pay for a streetcar. Which is worse?
In a presentation to City Council Feb. 19, City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. unveiled an unexpected parking proposal that will solve a $25.8 million budget deficit for the 2014 fiscal year and avoid full privatization. The 30-year plan will also put more than $100 million toward economic development in the city.
The plan involves teaming up with the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority and some private operators to manage and modernize Cincinnati's parking assets. Dohoney called it a "public-public partnership" that will allow Cincinnati to keep control over rates, operation hours and the placement of meters.
The money raised by the plan will be used for multiple development projects around the city, including the I-71/MLK Interchange, Tower Place Mall and a high-rise that will house a downtown grocery store.
The new parking plan will cap rate increases at 3 percent or the cost of living, with any increases coming in 25-cent increments. Private operators will not be allowed to change operation hours, but hours will be initially expanded to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. downtown and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in neighborhoods.
The proposal will not immediately increase downtown's $2-an-hour rates, but it will increase all neighborhood parking meters to 75 cents an hour. Afterward, the rate cap will make it so downtown rates can only be increased every four years and neighborhood rates can only be increased every 10 to 11 years.
But the rate hikes will only come after technological improvements are made to parking meters. The new meters will allow users to pay with a smartphone, which will enable remote payment without walking back to the meter. After the plan's 30 years are up, parking assets will be returned to the city with all the new technological upgrades, according to Dohoney.
Some critics were originally concerned that private operators will aggressively enforce parking rules to run bigger profits, but Dohoney said enforcement standards will remain the same.
Enforcement will be done through booting instead of towing, according to the plan. Booting will only be used after the accumulation of three unpaid parking tickets, which is similar to how towing works today. The boots will be automatically removed once the tickets are paid, which will be possible to do remotely through a smartphone.
The plan, which is a tax-exempt bond deal, will provide the city with $92 million upfront cash and $3 million in annual installments after that, although the city manager said the yearly payments will increase over time. The city originally promised $7 million a year from the deal, but Dohoney said estimates had to be brought down as more standards and limitations were attached to address expressed concerns.
The money will first be used to pay for a $25.8 million deficit in the 2014 fiscal year. Another $6.3 million will be set aside for the working cap reserve and $20.9 million will be put in a reserve to pay for a projected deficit in the 2015 fiscal year.
The rest of the funds will be used for economic development. About $20 million will go to the I-71/MLK Interchange, which would match $40 million from the state. The project is estimated to create $750 million in economic impact, with $460 million of that impact in Hamilton County. Dohoney says the economic impact will create 5,900 to 7,300 permanent jobs, and ultimately bring in $33 million in earnings taxes, which means the plan will eventually pay for itself. He also says the funding from the parking deal will allow the city and state to complete the project within two to three years, instead of the seven to 10 years it would take if the city waited for support from the federal government.
If the state does not agree to take up the I-71/MLK Interchange project, Dohoney promised a "mega job deal" that will create 2,500 jobs.
With $12 million for development and $82 million in leveraged funds, the city will also take on massive development projects downtown. Tower Place Mall will undergo a massive conversion. The city will also tear down Pogue's Garage at Fourth and Race streets and replace it with a 30-floor high-rise that will include 300 luxury apartments, 1,000 parking spaces and a grocery store.
The plan will also use $3 million for the Wasson Line right-of-way and $4 million for the next phase of Smale Riverfront Park, which should be completed in time for the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
AEW, Xerox, Denison and Guggenheim will partner with the city and Port Authority for the plan. AEW will manage assets, Xerox will handle parking operations and on-street spaces, Denison will operate off-street spaces and manage facilities and equipment and Guggenheim will act as underwriter and capital provider.
After the City Council hearing, Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld released a statement that raised concerns about expanded meter operation hours, which Sittenfeld fears could burden certain neighborhoods. He also pointed out the plan will not fix Cincinnati's long-term structural deficit problems. Still, he said the local Port Authority's management could make the plan "worthy of support."
Sittenfeld has been skeptical of the parking plan since it was first announced in October. In the past, he warned privatization could cause parking rates to skyrocket. ©
It's the 1980s and '90s all over again in Cincinnati.
In a blatant attempt to do an end-run around the mayor, four members of Cincinnati City Council met with The Enquirer's editorial board today to unveil a budget-cutting plan that includes merging the city's Police Department with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.
The council faction hadn't discussed the far-reaching concept previously with Mayor Mark Mallory or City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. but had held discussions with Sheriff Simon Leis Jr. about the idea.
One of the most common complaints among many residents over the decades is that Big Business controls City Hall and municipal government, not citizens. Although some officials have denied it, that seems to be the case when it comes to who will be the next city councilperson.
At least three of Cincinnati City Council's four new members will appear at a meet-and-greet event next week in Price Hill to answer questions.
Chris Seelbach, Yvette Simpson and P.G. Sittenfeld are scheduled to attend the Jan. 5 forum, which will be held at Elder Hill School's Schaeper Center. It's uncertain at this time whether the fourth and final new council member, Christopher Smitherman, will attend.
During an election year, city council and the mayor member profess to care about the most vulnerable in our society, but their actions are speaking much louder than words. Mayor Mark Mallory allowed a city budget proposal to go forward that would have eliminated all human services funding and the meager investment was only restored after groups like the YWCA Battered Women's Shelter and the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless organized strong and vocal opposition and the money was restored.
Catherine Smith Mills, a new Republican candidate for Cincinnati City Council, is raising eyebrows with her campaigning.
Mills held a fundraiser April 8 that featured former Police Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. as the keynote speaker. In a press release touting the event, Mills is quoted as saying, "As a first time candidate, I am so lucky to have the support and mentorship of Republican leaders in Cincinnati like Tom Streicher."
Hamilton County Commissioners voted today to axe Music Hall from a proposed sales tax increase designed to pay for renovations to that structure and Union Terminal. Now, only Union Terminal will benefit from the potential tax hike, which county voters will decide on in November. Voters won't get a chance to decide whether a similar hike will pay for Music Hall.
Mayor John Cranley and Cincinnati City Council are not happy about the change-up.
"As mayor of this city, I'm deeply offended when we're treated as second-class citizens in our own county," Cranley said during a vote approving the city's contribution to renovations at today's council meeting. "We have done our part. We will pay the tax if it is passed. In no other jurisdiction, not even Hamilton County, is being asked to cut its budget … for these institutions."
Cranley said asking city taxpayers for more money represents a kind of double taxation, since they would also be paying the county sales tax increase.
Ostensibly, council was voting to approve annual payments toward upkeep of both Union Terminal and Music Hall for 25 years. The $200,000 yearly commitment to each building adds up to $10 million. Cranley floated the plan last week as a demonstration of the city's commitment to the landmark buildings.
Council approved that money unanimously, but that vote is mostly symbolic now that the fragile plan to fund both renovations with a tax hike, first proposed by a cadre of area business leaders called the Cultural Facilities Task Force, has fallen through. Hamilton County Commissioners Greg Hartmann and Chris Monzel said the proposed contributions, which the city already makes, don't represent a renewed effort to fix the buildings.
The city has also pledged another $10 million toward Music Hall repairs. Those contributions weren't enough for Hartmann, who had been the swing vote on the three-member commission. He signaled he would not vote for the original 14-year, .25 percent sales tax increase designed to raise much of the $331 million needed to repair the buildings.
Instead, he voted with fellow Republican Monzel today for an alternate tax measure that left Music Hall out of the deal, raising $170 million over five years for renovations to Union Terminal only. Democrat Todd Portune, who supported the original plan, voted against the new deal.
Former P&G CEO Bob McDonald, who led the task force designing the original deal, said the new plan jeopardizes more than $40 million in private donations, as well as historic preservation tax credits.
"The idea that somehow there's going to be more money falling from space or that this money will be put forward for an alternate plan is a fallacious assumption," McDonald told the Cincinnati Business Courier. "That money has been committed to us personally for this plan."
Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld called the development "frustrating."
"I'm not here to add gasoline to the fire, but I think logic is a fair expectation of our elected leaders, and after people have said repeatedly that plans haven't been vetted, that questions haven't been answered, they've now moved forward with something that has no vetting," Sittenfeld said, referring to criticisms of the original plan by anti-tax groups like COAST. "I hope people don't forget what happened eight blocks from City Hall anytime soon."
Monzel said that the plan's details would
be worked out in the coming weeks, and that he wants to keep the county
from overextending itself.
"Going back through the real-estate records, it's clear that time and time again the city has stepped forward," said Councilman Kevin Flynn. He highlighted the city's rescue of Union Terminal from a failed plan to turn it into a mall in the 1980s. The city bought the building from a developer after the plan crashed and burned. Flynn also said the city has made significant contributions to 136-year-old Music Hall's upkeep since the 1800s.
The organization's Ridership and Development Director celebrated Metro's announcement on Thursday that it will provide health and dental benefits to domestic partners of its employees.
Lahman said she has used same-sex partner benefits in the past, when she went back to school.
"[My partner and I] know first-hand what it means to have the flexibility and equality as others do in the workplace," Lahman said at a press conference at Metro's office. "This is just a fantastic day and I'm so proud that Metro is able to do the right thing."
Metro is the first employer to say it will use Cincinnati's domestic partner registry if the initiative passes next week in City Council. Should it pass, Cincinnati will be the 10th city in Ohio to have a domestic partner registry.
Mayor John Cranley and City Councilman Chris Seelbach attended the press conference and spoke in support of the move.
Cranley called it "symbolically and substantively right" and during the announcement shared a memory in honor of Maya Angelou, her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at former President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993.
"She ended it with 'Good morning,'" Cranley said. "I think this is a good morning for Cincinnati, a new day."
Many of Cincinnati's major employers, including Procter & Gamble, Kroger and Macy's offer same-sex and domestic partner benefits.
Seelbach said while those companies already have systems to evaluate domestic partnerships, the registry will give other companies like Metro an easy way to provide those benefits.
"We are now leaders in the nation and the region to make sure everyone is welcome in our city, regardless of who they love," Seelbach said. "Everyone should bring their full self to their workplace and be able to do that with health benefits for their partners."
Seelbach said while Metro is the first to say it will use the registry, other companies like Cincinnati Bell have expressed interest.
Metro is a nonprofit tax-funded public service of the Southwestern Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) with around 850 employees.
One of SORTA's executive statements says the organization is committed to a work environment that "promotes dignity and respect for all."
Board Chair Jason Dunn said SORTA's commitment to inclusion is a great business decision.
"It shows that we value our employees," Dunn said. "It shows that not only is Metro on the cutting edge of transportation but also making sure we are open to talent and we are open to retaining great talent in our system."
Same-sex partners with a valid marriage license, same-sex partners registered by a government entity and same-sex partners with a sworn affidavit will be recognized by Metro for domestic partner benefits, which will take effect January 1, 2015.
Flaherty & Collins, the developer that wants to tear down a garage as part of its downtown grocery and apartment tower project, offered to pay for a tenant's move to keep the deal moving forward. The tenant, Paragon Salon, recently announced its intent to sue the city after Mayor John Cranley's refusal to pay for the salon business's move left the development project and Paragon in a limbo of uncertainty. With Flaherty & Collins' offer, the development deal should be able to advance without extra costs to the city.
But Cranley says he still wants 3CDC to review the downtown development project to set the best path forward.
Federal money will help Cincinnati keep and hire more
firefighters. The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response
(SAFER) grant provides nearly $8.1 million — about 2 percent of the
city's $370 million operating budget — to pay the salaries and benefits
of 50 firefighters for two years. Afterward, the city will need to pick
up the costs, which could worsen an operating budget gap that currently
sits at $22 million for fiscal 2015. The move would increase the
Cincinnati Fire Department's staffing levels from 841 to 879 and help prevent brownouts, according to the firefighting agency.
The Cincinnati Board of Health defied Mayor Cranley by
unilaterally pursuing a $1.3 million grant that will provide
preventative and primary care services to underserved populations. Rocky
Merz, spokesperson for the board, says the grant application complies
with guidance from the city's top lawyer. Cranley opposes the grant because the extra services it enables could push up costs for the city down the line.
Hamilton County officials will look for outside legal help in their fight against the city's job training rules for Metropolitan Sewer District projects. CityBeat covered the rules, known as "responsible bidder," in further detail here.
Smale Riverfront Park will receive $4.5 million in federal funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to control erosion and prevent flooding.
Crime around Cincinnati's Horseshoe Casino never materialized, despite warnings from critics prior to casinos' legalization in Ohio.
Ohio's prison re-entry rate declined and sits well below the national average, according to a study from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. The study found 27.1 percent of inmates released in 2010 ended up back up in prison, down from 28.7 percent of individuals released in 2009. In comparison, the national average is 44 percent.
Hundreds of Ohio school districts plan to test out the state's new online assessments for math, language arts, social studies and science.
The cold winter is pushing up natural gas prices, according to Ohio's largest natural gas utility.
A second baby might have been cured of HIV, the sexually transmitted disease that causes AIDS. Even with the potential successes, doctors caution it's still very much unclear whether the treatment provides a definitive cure for the deadly disease.
Meanwhile, a first-of-its-kind intravaginal ring could prevent pregnancy and HIV.
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A group of Greenpeace protesters face burglary and vandalism charges after a stunt yesterday on the Procter & Gamble buildings. Protesters apparently teamed up with a helicopter to climb outside the P&G buildings to hang up a large sign criticizing the company for allegedly enabling the destruction of rainforests in Indonesia by working with an irresponsible palm oil supplier. P&G officials say they are looking into the protesters' claims, but they already committed to changing how they obtain palm oil by 2015.
Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) will step in to resolve the status of a downtown grocery and apartment tower project. The previous city administration pushed the project as a means to bring more residential space downtown, but Mayor John Cranley refuses to pay to move a tenant in the parking garage that needs to be torn down as part of the project. Following Cranley and Councilman Chris Seelbach's request for 3CDC's help, the development agency will recommend a path forward and outline costs to the city should it not complete the project.
Meanwhile, the tenants in the dispute announced today that they will sue the city to force action and stop the uncertainty surrounding their salon business.
Cranley insists politics were not involved in an appointment to the Cincinnati Board of Health, contrary to complaints from the board official the mayor opted to replace. Cranley will replace Joyce Kinley, whose term expired at the end of the month, with Herschel Chalk. "Herschel Chalk, who(m) I'm appointing, has been a long-time advocate against prostate cancer, who's somebody I've gotten to know," Cranley told WVXU. "I was impressed by him because of his advocacy on behalf of fighting cancer. I committed to appoint him a long time ago."
The costs for pausing the streetcar project back in December remain unknown, but city officials are already looking into what the next phase of the project would cost.
Troubled restaurant Mahogany's must fully pay for rent and fees by March 10 or face eviction.
Through his new project, one scientist intends to "make 100 years old the next 60."
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Mayor John Cranley could dismantle a deal that would produce a grocery store, 300 luxury apartments and a new parking garage downtown. Cranley says he doesn't want millions put toward the deal, even though the developer involved plans to invest another $60 million. Councilman Chris Seelbach says the deal isn't dead just because of the mayor's opposition, and City Council could act to bypass the mayor, just like the legislative body did with the streetcar project and responsible bidder. To Seelbach, the deal is necessary to bring much-needed residential space and an accessible grocery store downtown.
Cincinnati officials and startup executives will try to bring Google Fiber, which provides Internet speeds 100 times faster than normal broadband, to Cincinnati. Google plans to hold a national competition to see which cities are most deserving of its fiber services. "Over the last several years, Cincinnati's innovation ecosystem has made tremendous strides," Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld said in a statement. "We're increasingly becoming a magnet for talented entrepreneurs across the country who want to come here to bring their big ideas to life. We need to ensure that we have the modern technological infrastructure to make Cincinnati nationally competitive."
Cincinnati's operating budget gap for fiscal 2015 now stands at $22 million, up from an earlier forecast of $18.5 million, largely because of extra spending on police pushed by Cranley and a majority of City Council. The city must balance its operating budget each year, which means the large gap will likely lead to layoffs and service cuts.
Commentary: "Budget Promises Spur Fears of Cuts."
Cranley won't re-appoint the chair of Cincinnati's Board of Health. When asked why, Chairwoman Joyce Kinley told City Council's Budget and Finance Committee that Cranley told her "he had to fulfill a campaign promise." Some city officials say they worry Cranley is putting politics over the city's needs.
Troubled restaurant Mahogany's needs to pay back rent or move out, The Banks' landlord declared Monday. The deciding moment for Mahogany's comes after months of struggles, which restaurant owner Liz Rogers blames on the slow development of the riverfront.
Kathy Wilson: "Mahogany's: Turn Out the Lights."
Cincinnati's Horseshoe Casino supports 1,700 workers, making it the largest of Ohio's four voter-approved casinos.
At least one airline, Allegiant Air, plans to add flights from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Headline: "Man wakes up in body bag at funeral home."
"A 30,000-year-old giant virus has been revived from the frozen Siberian tundra," the Los Angeles Times reports.
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City Council yesterday expressed support for a barebones parking plan that would upgrade all meters to accept credit card payments and increase enforcement around the city, which should boost annual revenues. The plan does not increase rates or hours at meters, as Mayor John Cranley originally called for. It also doesn't allow people to pay for parking meters through smartphones. The plan ultimately means death for the parking privatization plan, which faced widespread criticism after the previous city administration and council passed it as a means to jumpstart new investments and help fix the city's operating budget and pension system.
Councilman Christopher Smitherman plans to pursue changes to the city's political structure to give more power to the mayor and less to the city manager. Smitherman says the current system is broken because it doesn't clearly define the role of the mayor. Under Smitherman's system, the mayor would run the city and hire department heads; the city manager, who currently runs the city and handles hiring, would primarily preside over budget issues; and City Council would pass legislation and act as a check to the mayor. Smitherman aims to put the plan to voters this November.
Commentary: "WCPO's Sloppy Streetcar Reporting Misses Real Concerns."
The Cincinnati Art Museum maintains five political cartoons from the famed Dr. Seuss (Theodore Seuss Geisel), but none are currently on public display. The cartoons call back to the history before World War II, when most of the world played ignorant to the horrors of the Holocaust and Americans had yet to enter the war. Dr. Seuss loathed the villains on the world stage, and his cartoons promoted a message of interventionism that would eventually lead him to join the Army to help in the fight against the Axis powers. When he returned home, he would write the famous stories and books he's now so well known for.
Mayor Cranley and some council members appear reluctant to accept a routine grant application that would allow the Cincinnati Health Department to open two more clinics because of the potential effect the clinics could have on the city's budget. Cranley and other council members also seem concerned that the Health Department played a role in the recent closing of Neighborhood Health Care, which shut down four clinics and three school-based programs after it lost federal funding.
Ohio legislators approved a bill that forces absentee voters to submit more information and reduces the amount of time provisional voters have to confirm their identities from 10 days to one week. For Democrats, the bill adds to previous concerns that Republicans are attempting to suppress voters. The bill now goes to Gov. John Kasich, a Republican who's expected to sign the measure into law.
The Ohio legislature continues wrangling over how to give schools more snow days.
More than 175,000 claims have been filed over winter damage, potentially making this winter one of the costliest in decades.
Robot suits could make mixed martial arts blood-free.
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The mayor and a supermajority of City Council backs efforts to establish a domestic partner registry for same-sex couples in Cincinnati, Councilman Chris Seelbach's office announced Tuesday.
If adopted by the city, the registry will allow same-sex couples to gain legal recognition through the city. That would let same-sex couples apply for domestic partner benefits at smaller businesses, which typically don't have the resources to verify legally unrecognized relationships, according to Seelbach's office.
Specifically, the City Council motion asks the city administration to reach out to other cities that have adopted domestic partner registries, including Columbus and eight other Ohio cities, and establish specific guidelines.
Seelbach's office preemptively outlined a few requirements to sign up: Same-sex couples will need to pay a $45 fee and prove strong financial interdependency by showing joint property ownership, power of attorney, a will and other unspecified requirements.
"As a result of a $45 fee to join the registry, we believe this will be entirely budget neutral, meaning it won't cost the city or the taxpayers a single dollar," Seelbach said in a statement.
If the plan is adopted this year, Cincinnati should gain a perfect score in the next "Municipal Equality Index" from the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group that, among other tasks, evaluates LGBT inclusion efforts from city to city. Cincinnati scored a 90 out of 100 in the 2013 rankings, with domestic partner registries valued at 12 points.
Seelbach expects the administration to report back with a full proposal that City Council can vote on in the coming months.
Following county commissioner's Feb. 12 meeting, the dispute between Cincinnati and Hamilton County over contracting rules for Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) projects appears to be heading to court.
The court battle comes after the county dismissed multiple concessions from the city and put MSD's revamp of the local sewer system on hold in protest of the city's rules. With a federal mandate looming, both sides agree a resolution is needed soon to avoid costly fines from the federal government.
For many across the city and county, the conflict is understandably confusing. The debate has often been mired down by biased media reports and political talking points that obfuscate the issue. Jargon referencing "responsible bidder," "local hire," "local preference," unions, apprenticeship programs, a pre-apprenticeship fund and contractors make it even more difficult to grasp what is going on.
Cutting through the politics, here is what the responsible bidder rules actually do and why the city and county seem incapable of compromise.
What is responsible bidder?
It's a city ordinance that essentially forces MSD contractors to adopt job training measures known as apprenticeship programs and pay for a pre-apprenticeship fund. By requiring the training options, the city hopes workers will be able to improve their skills and successfully transition to other jobs once their MSD work is finished.
Apprenticeship programs take workers through extensive on-the-job and classroom-based training in which they can hone their skills in a specific craft, such as electrical or plumbing work. Because workers get paid for their work while participating in an apprenticeship, the programs are typically characterized as an "earn-while-you-learn" model.
The pre-apprenticeship fund will put money toward programs that will teach newcomers basic skills, such as math and reading, so they can eventually move up to an apprenticeship program.
The rules don't apply to every MSD contractor. Contracts worth less than $400,000, which make up roughly half of MSD's sewer revamp, are exempted.
What about local hire and local preference?
Those are ordinances separate from responsible bidder that give preference to Cincinnati-based businesses. They try to keep MSD contracts within local companies.
What's the conflict about?
The conflict is between Cincinnati and Hamilton County, which jointly run MSD. The Democrat-controlled city supports the rules, while the Republican-controlled county opposes them.
The city and county also dispute which governing body can set policy for MSD. Under a 1968 agreement, the county owns and funds MSD, and the city operates and maintains it. City Council argues the agreement allows the city to set policy for MSD, but the county disagrees. Both sides acknowledge the set-up is far from ideal.
So, did the city's rules halt MSD projects?
No. Nothing in the city's ordinances forces MSD projects to stop. County commissioners singlehandedly halted MSD projects in protest of the city's rules. If it were up to the city, work would continue today.
Why are these projects so important?
By federal decree, the city needs to revamp the sewer system to bring it up to environmentally safe standards. The project will cost $3.2 billion over 15-20 years, making it one of the most expensive in the city's history.
If the city and county don't carry on with the revamp soon, the federal government will begin issuing fines. By some guesses, the fines could begin rolling in by the end of the year.
Why does a majority of City Council support responsible bidder?
Councilman Chris Seelbach, the Democrat who championed the rules, says they will boost local employment and create more job training options for the city's struggling workforce.
Other Democrats on council agree, although some, like Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, believe the ordinance is "imperfect."
Does responsible bidder benefit workers?
Some research suggests it would.
The left-leaning Center for American Progress (CAP) in a December report argued apprenticeship programs provide an opportunity to revitalize the U.S. workforce.
"By 2020, America is projected to experience a shortage of 3 million workers with associate's degrees or higher and 5 million workers with technical certificates and credentials," the report claimed. "Compounding our inadequate workforce development system, research shows that employers are now spending less on training than they have in the past. At the same time, industry surveys show that a lack of qualified workers is a top concern for many employers."
Citing a 2012 study from Mathematica Policy Research, CAP estimated apprenticeship programs alone can boost a worker's lifetime earnings and benefits by more than $300,000. Over 36 years of employment, that's an average gain of nearly $8,400 a year.
Why do county commissioners oppose the rules?
In terms of policy, county commissioners say the responsible bidder rules favor unions and burden businesses.
On a legal basis, the county argues the city's responsible bidder rules conflict with state law and the local hire and preference rules enforce unconstitutional geographic preferences.
Does responsible bidder actually favor unions?
Since unions tend to offer better and more apprenticeship programs, yes.
But the rules don't exclude non-union businesses from participating. For example, Ohio Valley Associated Builders and Contractors maintains some non-union apprenticeship programs that would qualify under the law.
Still, most of the union favoritism debate centered around a regulation the city actually offered to give up. Specifically, under current rules employers are only eligible to contract with MSD if they have apprenticeship programs that have graduated at least one person a year for the past five years. In October, Seelbach offered to strip the mandate and replace it with an incentive program. The county seemed unmoved by the proposal.
What about businesses? Does responsible bidder burden them?
By requiring businesses to adopt apprenticeship programs and put 10 cents for each hour of labor into a pre-apprenticeship fund, the law certainly places more regulations on businesses. Whether the requirements are a burden is subjective.
John Morris, president of the Ohio Valley Associated Builders and Contractors and an opponent of the law, told CityBeat the pre-apprenticeship fund's requirement will increase business costs by $2-3 million over 15-20 years.
Citing MSD estimates for the cost of labor, Rob Richardson, regional manager of the Laborers' International Union of North America, said the fund will cost businesses $1.5 million.
Even if someone accepts Morris' estimate, the requirement adds up to at most 0.1 percent of the $3.2 billion project.
More broadly, some supporters of the city's rules question whether placing a burden on businesses is innately a bad thing. The basic point of government regulations is to make the economy and businesses work better for the public. In that sense, regulations are always going to burden businesses to some extent.
For example, financial regulations burden big banks and financial institutions. But many Americans agree the regulations are necessary to avoid another financial crisis like the one that plunged the country into the Great Recession.
Still, critics argue the extra regulations would increase the cost of business, and the impact could ultimately be felt by MSD ratepayers.
Why don't the city and county just compromise?
They kind of tried, but it seems the philosophical split between Hamilton County Republicans and Cincinnati Democrats is too strong to reach a substantial agreement.
The city, for example, has offered multiple concessions to the county. In May, City Council modified the law to ease some requirements and add an exemption for contracts worth less than $400,000, which covers half of the contracts involved in MSD's sewer revamp. In October, Seelbach offered to replace a strict mandate with a looser incentive program. Seelbach also told CityBeat on Feb. 6 that he would consider raising the contract exemption from $400,000 to $750,000.
In return, the county rejected the concessions and instead offered to establish aspirational inclusion goals and some funding for local job training programs — as long as the city repealed its rules altogether.
Which side would win the court battle?
It's hard to say. Both sides — and their lawyers — seem pretty confident about their legal standing.
So what's next?
At the current rate, it looks like the city and county are heading to court. Whether the process involves a full-on legal battle or mediation between the city and county's lawyers remains uncertain, but it's clear something will eventually have to give.
This blog post will be regularly updated as the situation develops.
Mayor John Cranley on Feb. 12 officially unveiled his plan for Cincinnati's parking meters, lots and garages, providing the first clear option for the city's parking system since the Greater Cincinnati Port Authority agreed to halt the previous plan.
The proposal seeks to effectively replace the previous administration's parking privatization plan, which outsourced the city's parking assets to the Port Authority and several private companies, and maintain local control of the city's parking assets.
Here's a breakdown of the plan and all its finer details.
What is Cranley's parking plan?
It's a plan for Cincinnati's parking meters, lots and garages. More specifically, Cranley calls his proposal a "framework" that focuses on upgrading the city's parking meters and keeps City Council's control of parking rates and hours.
Cranley's plan, based on a Feb. 7 memo from Walker Parking Consultants, achieves his goals in a few ways:
• The city would issue bonds, backed by future parking revenues, to upgrade all parking meters to accept credit card payments.
• The amount of enforcement officers under the city's payroll would increase to 15, up from five, to provide greater coverage of the city's parking meters. (Currently, a few areas, including major hubs like the University of Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine, are effectively unenforced for two to five hours a day, according to Walker.)
• Neighborhood meter rates would go up by 25 cents to 75 cents an hour. Downtown rates would remain at $2 an hour.
• Sundays and holidays remain free.
Cranley says the underlying idea is to maintain a few key principles, particularly local control over rates and hours. He cautions Walker's proposal, including expanded enforcement hours, could change with public input and as City Council puts together the final plan.
Does the plan let people use smartphones to pay for parking meters?
No. Cranley says the upgraded meters will support the technology, but it will be up to council to decide whether it's enabled in the future.
Smartphone capability is a double-edged sword: It introduces its own set of costs, including shorter battery life for meters. It also allows customers to avoid under- and overpaying at parking meters, which decreases citation and meter revenues. But smartphone access also increases ease of use, which could lead to higher revenues by making it easier to pay.
The parking privatization plan promised to provide smartphone access at all parking meters. The previous administration and Port Authority championed the feature as key to increasing convenience and revenue.
OK, that explains the parking meters. What about the parking garages?
Cranley's plan makes two changes to garages:
• The Port Authority would take over Fountain Square South Garage. The Port would be required to cover expenses for the garage, but any net revenue could be used on projects within the city.
• The city would issue bonds, backed by future parking revenues, to build a garage at 7th and Broadway streets.
Otherwise, things remain the same as today.
In other words, the city would be on the hook for parking garage repairs and upgrades, which Walker estimates would cost roughly $8 million in capital expenses over the next five years.
But the city would also continue directly receiving around $2 million per year in net revenue from parking garages, according to Walker.
Still, the city isn't allowed under state law to use the revenue from parking garages for anything outside the parking system.
The parking privatization plan tried to do away with the restriction by putting the Port Authority in charge of garages. State law allows agencies like the Port to tap into garage revenues for other uses, such as development projects.
But without the previous administration's plan, Cranley claims the Port Authority declined to take over more facilities beyond Fountain Square South
Garage. Given the rejection, Cranley says it's up to council to figure out another way to leverage garage
revenues beyond putting them back in the parking system.
What does Cranley's plan do about the thousands of parking tickets already owed to the city?
Nothing. By Cranley's own admission, the city needs to do a better job collecting what it's owed. But he says that's something City Council will have to deal with in the future.
So why did Cranley oppose the parking privatization plan?
Cranley vehemently opposed giving up local control of the city's parking assets. He warned that outsourcing meters to the Port Authority and private companies would create a for-profit incentive to ratchet up parking rates and enforcement.
The previous administration disputed Cranley's warnings. They pointed out an advisory board, chaired by four Port Authority appointees and one city appointee, would need to unanimously agree on rate and hour changes, and the changes could be vetoed by the city manager.
Without any changes from the advisory board, the 30-year privatization plan hiked downtown parking meter rates by 25 cents every three years and neighborhood rates by 25 cents every six years. The plan also expanded enforcement hours to 8 a.m.-9 p.m. in Over-the-Rhine and parts of downtown.
Still, City Council would lose its control of rates and hours under the privatization plan. Cranley and other opponents argued the outsourcing scheme could insulate the parking system from public — and voter — input.
Cranley also opposed the privatization plan's financial
Under the old deal, the city would receive a lump sum of $85 million and annual installments of $3 million, as long as required expenses, such as costly garage upgrades or repairs, were met.
In comparison, the city currently gets roughly $3 million in net revenue from parking meters and another $2 million in net revenue from parking garages. (As noted earlier, the parking garage revenue can only be used for parking expenses.)
Cranley characterizes the lump sum as "borrowing from the future" because it uses upfront money that could instead be taken in by the city as annual revenue.
Related: Compare Cranley's plan with the parking privatization plan.
Why does Cranley think his proposal is necessary?
It solidifies the death of the parking privatization plan. That's important to begin the process of legally dismantling the previous plan.
The plan also increases net parking meter revenues from roughly $3 million to $6 million in the next budget year and more than $7 million per year within five years, according to Walker's original estimates. (The estimates are likely too high because they assumed evening hours would expand around the University of Cincinnati, Short Vine in Corryville, Over-the-Rhine and downtown. But Cranley shelved the expansion of hours, with no estimates for how the changes will affect revenues.)
Since parking meter revenue, unlike garage revenue, can be used for non-parking expenses, the extra revenue could help plug the $20 million gap in the $370 million operating budget.
Why do some people oppose Cranley's plan?
Some people supported the parking privatization plan. They saw the lump sum as a great opportunity to invest in development projects around the city. Without the lump sum, critics claim Cranley's plan accepts all the pain of the previous plan — increased enforcement, rates and hours — for very little gain, even though the city would get more annual revenue and upgraded parking meters and garages.
Politics are also involved. After the contentious streetcar debate, there's not much Cranley can do without some critics speaking out.
When will Cranley's plan go into effect?
City Council first has to approve Cranley's plan for it to
become law. Council will likely take up and debate the plan at the
Neighborhood Committee on Feb. 24 and set a more concrete timeline
after that.
This blog post will be regularly updated as more information becomes available. Latest update: Feb. 19.


text:
No rating
GreatSchools Rating
Teacher quality
Principal leadership
Parent involvement
The Teachers and Principal all know the students names and are very involved. You can tell they truly love children and it shows when my kids come home from school or when they are simply playing with others on the playground. The small school in a quiet neighborhood is just what we wanted with a focus on the children and their educations rather than their social status. The teachers are very committed and seem to be involved in and out of school. Math is a focus for our family and I've seen very positive results with the system the school implemented this year. Very beautiful new school with amazing computers in and out of the classrooms.
Highcliff Elementary is a great neighborhood school consisting of about 200 students. It's secluded within a neighborhood, not close to the busy road at all. Nearly all the students know each other regardless of which grade they're in. The Book Of The Month Language To Literacy program is a school-year-long program that incorporates cross grade activities, field trips and assemblies/events to the current book the school is reading. I would not want my children to be anywhere else but Highcliff Elementary!!!!!
Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.
The Community Rating is the school's average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.
156 Peony Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15229
Phone: (412) 318-1582
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ramblings of a fragile, naive little girl who desires to be thought of as more than just a fountain of specious and soulless rhetoric.With a heart held together by duct tape
May 1, 2012
♥ 1,373 notes
@11: 08pm
Omg I just noticed what you did with this hahahaha. I love it! Tristan has been my favorite boy name for like.. ever...


text:
The vast majority of American workers drive to work, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Seventy-six percent of United States workers drove to work alone in 2009, 10 percent carpooled, 5 percent took public transportation, and 5 percent used other means. The remaining 4 percent worked at home.
Eighty-one percent of Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN Metro Area workers drove to work alone in 2009, 10 percent carpooled, 2 percent took public transportation, and 3 percent used other means. The remaining 4 percent worked at home.
Few walk to work. Nationally 2.9 percent of workers walk compared to 2.2 percent in the metro area. The percentage of workers walking to the office varies across counties. In Boone County, Kentucky just 0.7 percent walk to work compared to 3.2 percent in Hamilton County, Ohio.
More than 7 out of 10 Americans live and work in the same county. In Cincinnati, 61percent live and work in the same county. That percentage ranges from a high of 82 percent in Hamilton County to a low of 39 percent in Campbell County.
Crossing a state line to go to work is not common. Nationally, only 4 percent of workers cross the state line each morning on the way to work. In the Cincinnati metro area, 11 percent work in another state. For 55,000 workers living in Northern Kentucky (Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties), the morning commute means crossing a state line. Just 2 percent of Warren County workers cross a state line.
Nationally, among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 25.1 minutes to get to work compared to 24 minutes in the Cincinnati metro area. Most Americans leave for work between 6:00 am and 8:30 am (58 percent nationally and 59 percent in metro area).
Posted in: American Community Survey, Census, Demographics, Transportation


text:
December 11th, 2011George's Skin Cream Giveaway
By J. DesRochers
The snow is softly falling, and the bite of Jack Frost is in the air. Your skin is cracked and dry, but George's Special Dry Skin Cream offers "relief for all kinds of skin problems". George's Skin Cream was created by pharmacists Skip Gibson and George Doherty who have been formulating creams for over 35 years. George's Lotion provides you with long lasting relief from the aches and pains of harsh winters, hot summers, and all other skin problems.
In 1977, George Doherty was contacted by a dermatologist to create a rich moisturizing lotion that would complement the skin but consist of as few ingredients as possible. After many long hours of experimenting George came up with the perfect cream that would be sold at George and Skip's Calgary pharmacy. Today George's Special Dry Skin Cream is recognized as one of Canada's fastest growing brands sold in drug stores, pharmacies, grocery retailers and convenience stores throughout Canada. Read more…


text:
- NATO security certification opens new markets for Australia's Senetas
- Senator wants Whisper to explain how it tracks users, shares their data
- The 'Backoff' malware linked to data breaches is spreading
- Cyberespionage group launches sophisticated phishing attacks against Outlook Web App users
- Disaster as CryptoWall encrypts US firm's entire server installation
Lower Security Risks with Virtual Patching
This white paper reviews patch management challenges and explains the need for a new model to combat today's many attack vectors. "Virtual patching" shields vulnerabilities in critical systems until an actual patch is available, or as permanent protection in the case of out-of-support software, eliminating the need for expensive support contracts or customised patches.
Please supply your email address to access the content.
- 5 great examples of augmented reality in marketing
- Catch of the Day retailer hooks fresh customer insight with NPS
- Tourism Australia's Nick Baker wins AMI Marketer of the Year
- Content marketing can't be measured on the last-click: Outbrain CEO
- Latest crowdsourced guide rates top A/B testing vendors for marketers


text:
|Frugal Fridays
|All Classes
2014 Pinterest Parties
Join Ali Conn Payne and your fellow Pinterest Friends to create projects that functional and fabulous!
September 11 - Alabama String Art
September 25 - RESCHEDULED CLASS - "You are My Sunshine" Wooden Wall Hanger
October 2 - Burlap Bubble Wreath
November 6 - Recycled Pallets Christmas Tree
All sessions are Thursday Evenings from 6pm-9pm. Adult Only Session.
Water/Tea Provided - You are welcome to BYOB!
Fee per session: $35 - Includes all materials needed to complete the project
Creative Altered Pages
Creative Altered Papers Workshop
Come experience what all the excitement is about!!!
Learn the process and make beautiful altered papers with us!
We will then use our papers to create stunning works of art!
Leave the workshop will a finished painting!
When: Saturday, November 8th, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Where: Shelby County Arts Council
Fee: $45.00 (all supplies included)
*We will have a 30 minute lunch break at 11:30. Bring a sack lunch or go next door to Johnny Rays and purchase their Brown Bag Special (BBQ sandwich, chips & drink) for $6.00
Drawing: LEARN TO DRAW! ALL LEVELS
An introductory class that offers a fun experience! Instructor Jerry Roldan will explain the equipment and what an artist looks for when he makes a work. Drawing is the signature of the artists....if you can write your name - you can draw!
Classes focus on individual topics such as Line Drawing - Still Life - Self Portrait
First class - Introductory Fee $10.00
Tuesday Evenings 6:00-7:30pm
Ages 12-Adult
Music Lessons: Guitar, Piano, Voice and Violin through Shelby County Arts Council's Music Program
- Classical training provided through Shelby County Arts Council's Music Program
- Learn music theory and technique
- Professional Muscians are the Instructors
- To read more about our Professional Instructors, please click here.
- Call to discuss your scheduling requirments and class fees.
Painting - Vibrant Animals Workshop
Painting Vibrant Animals
Entertaining and informative workshop on creating bright, colorful animals Her simple instruction includes sketching tips, loose application of paint, unique color schemes, blending, proportion study, and building a balanced composition.
Click here to learn more about the Artist: Kellie Newsome
- Bring a photo of the animal you want to paint.
- Canvas for painting (8x10 or larger)
- Paints provided
- Wear your "paint clothes"
Saturday, January 31, 2015
10am-4pm. Bring a lunch
Workshop Fee: $115.00
Painting: FALL OPEN STUDIO
- Bring your own supplies
- Artists are invited to come and paint in our studio.
- Enjoy the company and encouragement of your fellow artists.
- All mediums are welcome.
CALL the SCAC to reserve your spot!
Tuesday's - 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Ages 15 - Adult
Open house, no instructor
$7.00 fee per day
Painting: Meet the Masters
Students learn about 35 of the Greatest Artists in History. Explore the techniques that revoluntionized the art world.
- Easels, canvas, and paint are just some of the tools used in this painting & art history class
- Investigate artwork by the masters & explore various art mediums during this 4-week course
All supplies included.
4 week Sessions per class
- Homeschoolers - Wednesdays 1:30-2:30
- Ages 5 - 8 - Beginners, Wednesdays 3:30 - 4:30pm
- Ages 9-12 - Advanced, Thursdays 3:30-4:30
Private lessons avaiable. Call to schedule (669-0044)
Instructor: Edna Sealy
Painting: Open Studio with Bruce Andrews
Open Studio with Bruce Andrews
Most Friday's from 10:00 to Noon.
Call to confirm class time 205 669 0044
Painting: RELAXED, CREATIVE, PRODUCTIVE Monday
- Relaxed Studio Class, you decide your project!
- No experience necessary!
- Personalized attention given by professional painting Instructor!
Now Enrolling for 2014 Sessions:
February - May 2014
August-November- 2014
4 week sessions, Ongoing Ages 15 – Adult
Instructor: Lynn Dodson
Supply List of Recommended Materials Provided Upon Request
Location: Shelby County Arts Council
Regular price: $80/month
Painting: Throw an Arty Party
- Get a group together and throw an Arty Party!
- Great for a Teen Birthday Party! We will work with you on the design of the painting to fit your party theme!
- Great for Corporate Team Building!
- From beginner to advanced, students will be led through a creation of a beautiful painting!
Ages 6 – Adult
Call to schedule private arty party 205-669-0044
Regular price: $300 for up 12 people
Photography: CLICK! Basic Digital PHOTOGRAPHY for adults
- Use your camera to express yourself and record special moments in your life!
- Learn about those confusing buttons - Camera functions and more!
- Bring your digital camera!
- Personal attention is given!
Thursdays, 6:00 - 8:30pm
Instructor: Paris Farzad
4 week sessions
Ages 15 - Adult
Regular price: $75/Session
Photography: SCAC Photography Round Table
If you can answer yes to any of these questions then this forum is for you!
1. I'm interested in theme photgraphy.
2. I want to develop my photography style.
3. I want honest feedback on my photography.
4. I'm not sure my photographs capture the mood I want.
5. I am ready to advance from amatuer to professional.
6. I want advice on my equipment, lighting, and tools.
Time: 6:00 - 8:00pm
Meets the first Wednesday of each month.
Follow us on Facebook for the latest on the RoundTable Meeting Dates and Monthly Projects!
Facilitator: Hank Siegel
Location: Shelby County Arts Council in Columbiana
Only $5!
Ages 12 and up.
Shelby County Arts Council's Photography Round Table will be facilitated by Hank Siegel, a professional photographer who has earned his Certificate for Completion of Digital Photography Program with Paris Farzad, SCAC's very own Basic Digital Photography Instructor. This group is not a class; it is a casual but informative venue for amateur to expert level photographers to come together to share their ideas, tips, advice, tricks, and knowledge with each other. This group is highly recommended for those who are planning to take or who have already taken our "Click! Intro to Basic Digital Photography" class offered on Thursday evenings with Paris Farzad or comparable.
Pinterest Parties - Fall in Love
Fall in Love with Pinterest Parties at the SCAC!
Ali Conn Payne Loves to Lead! Join us for her upcoming Pinterest Parties at the SCAC.
September 11 - Alabama or Auburn String Art
October 2 - Bubble Burlap Wreath
November 6 - Recycled Pallets Christmas Tree
Thursday Evenings, 6-9pm
Bring your favorite beverage and a snack to share. All supplies needed to complete the projects are included with the Class Fee.
Pottery: Beginning Free-Form Pottery with Candye Lundy
- Make a unique hand-built vessel your very first class!
- This is a hand building - clay class!
- Develop and improve skills and become more accomplished in the art of ceramics
- Supply list will be provided, but no need to bring anything to the first class. Clay supplies can be bought at class.
- Students will be given over-view of glazes to order for use on projects
- Small class size! Space is limited to 6 students
Sessions -
September 23-October 28, 2014
Instructor: Candye Lundy
Tuesdays, 10:30am - 1:00 pm
6 Weeks
Ages 15 – Adult
Regular price: $115
Pottery: Build, Throw, Fire! Tuesday evening Wheel-class with Nita Terrell
Build, Throw, Fire!
Pottery: Build, throw, Fire! Tuesday evenings with Nita Terrell
Six-weeks pottery class- majority wheel throwing with some hand building
- Learn pottery techniques through productively working; on the wheel or through hand-built pieces
- Learn new skills or develop and improve skills by explore wheel throwing and hand-building techniques in a fun and relaxing environment.
- Learn about glazing, and select what color combination works for your projects.
- Personal training time is plentiful due to our small class size (limited to 6 students minimum of 2)
- Supplies: Supply lists will be provided at our first meeting, with some supplies available for purchase at that time.
- We will throw on the wheel for the first class so bring an old towel if you can.
Aug 5 – Sept 9
Sept 16 to Oct 21
Oct 28 – Dec 2
Instructor: Nita Terrell
Tuesday, 5:00 - 7:30pm
6 Weeks
Ages 15 – Adult
Regular price: $115
Pottery: MUDSLINGERS
- Students will be guided through the process of clay wheel-throwing while given freedom to add their own personalities to their work.
- Learn pinch & coil construction techniques and wheel throwing.
- Explore glazing techniques with bright, colorful, professional grade ceramic glazes!
Sessions are 6 weeks:
Call the studio for details on registering for this class.
Wednesdays, 4:00 - 5:30pm
Ages 8 – 12
Location: Shelby County Arts Council Studio – Columbiana
Pottery: Open Studio
Open Studio at the SCAC!
Our pottery studio will be open for use! The monthly fee includes use of space, tools, wheels and firing in the kiln.
You must supply your own clay and glazes! We bisque fire at Cone "04" and glaze fire at Cone "6".
Monthly Fee is $50.00 and must be paid in advance! Studio Guidelines will be posted.
Fall Hours: Monday Evening 5-9pm, Tuesday Evening until 6pm and Thursday Morning 10am-4pm.
Private Visual Art Tutoring for Youth
- One-on-one tutoring for youth is one of the best ways for a serious young artist to exercise their creative and technical muscles.
- Our private students are encouraged to create works based on themes or in a series, to think critically about art, and investigate work by the masters and explore and experiment with new art mediums.
Ages 8-18
Lessons are $25/hour
Call SCAC to schedule. 205.669.0044
Location: Shelby County Arts Council
Studio - Columbiana
Minimum 4 lessons
Available instructors: Lynn Dodson, Edna Sealy, Jerry Roldan, Deanne Thorn, Bruce Andrews


text:
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The LuxeLiving SpotlightWelcome to Luxe Living, a blog that brings you a bit of luxury to your busy life.
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How Much Do Americans Spend On Their Pets – Infographic
This was such an eye opening infographic on how much we pamper our fur babies. I know that my pets have always been pampered – they are well protected with pet insurance so that if anything were to happen – … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Infographics, Pets Tagged animals, cats, dogs, infograph, infographic, pampering pets, pet ownership, spending on pets, trupanion, vet insurance, vpi Leave a comment
Infograph: How to Pull Off the Perfect Marriage Proposal
Guys that are thinking about proposing….here's a cute guide on how to pull off the perfect marriage proposal. Valentine's Day is the most popular day to propose to your girlfriend. And proposing without a engagement ring – 33% of brides … Continue reading
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Dream Dictionary
Welcome to Dream Dictionary!
A dream featuring an artist responding with an encore predicts satisfying rewards for work well done; however, if the artist refuses the request, you can expect some joy but not much reward.
Dream Decoding 101
Take our crash course in dream interpretation!
Bedside Notes
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text:
Ousted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, whose corruption case put the national spotlight on big male hair and crooked Chicago politics, has reinvented himself as the author of a book that claims to offer insights into White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's political ambitions.
Blagojevich, who faces trial after allegedly trying to sell President Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat, says in the book, "The Governor," that Emanuel asked him for help in reclaiming his congressional seat after two years with the Obama administration, according to NBC News.
Emanuel, who entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002 as the Democratic representative for the North Side of Chicao, apparently hoped to regain his seat in the 2010 congressional elections.
NBC said an Emanuel spokesman declined comment.
The Chicago Tribune's account of the new Blagojevich book says the former governor blames overzealous prosecutors and political enemies for his spectacular downfall.
He also says his guiding light in selecting a new senator to replace Obama was the question: "How much do I love the people of Illinois?"
He wound up choosing Democrat Roland Burris, the book says, because of Burris' famously big ego — no one but him would accept the appointment and fight to be seated under the circumstances, according to the Tribune.


text:
LOHAN chap to launch Raspberry Pi eye in the sky
High Altitude Ballooning (HAB) geezer Dave Akerman will tomorrow dispatch a Raspberry Pi camera into the stratosphere, promising live images from altitude as the diminutive snapper drifts from Blighty into European skies. Dave, who's head hydrogen handling honcho for our Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) mission, …
Pi. High.
Touch the sky!
Across the English Channel?!
Please remember a flotation device, we all remember what happened to that poor Reg Playmonaut!
Re: Across the English Channel?!
It's a one-way unmanned mission; no Playmonauts will be harmed!
I'd say "North Sea" was more likely than "English channel" A quick look at the forecast charts suggests the balloons will fly somewhere between Stavanger and Schleswig-Holstein, depending on your rise rate.
Re: Channel?
Yes, the flights will head across the North Sea.
No aerial APRS? I did not know that.
I did not know that OfCom didn't allow aerial APRS (my Favorite Cousin Charlie has no problems with it). Anybody know why?
Re: No aerial APRS? I did not know that.
As I understand it (and I'm not a Ham) they don't allow airborne amateur radio transmissions *at all*. Hence our use of unlicensed transmitters with a frequency and power rating that is specifically allowed.
Re: No aerial APRS? I did not know that.
Hi DaveAke
I can confirm as a ham that airborne operation of any sort is specifically excluded from the UK amateur license
Nice easter egg
Probably being slow here, but nice web page header...
aeronautical mobile operations
I think it is silly that we're not allowed to use amateur radio from airborne devices. I have listened to a US Ham transmitting from an aircraft (on 14MHz) returning from a disaster relief operation in Haiti.
I can understand that they may wish to limit the power, and possibly dictate which bands are used (perhaps 430MHz and higher) so as to reduce the possibility of interference on a wide scale, but I cannot seen any reason for the current outright ban.
Paul (another radio amateur).
All hail ...
... the Pimonaut
It's sad that they ban ham radio transmissions from the air over there. On this side of the pond, we do amateur radio in the sky a lot, including using balloons to lift antennas and repeaters and normal airborne operations (particularly for emergency services, such as search and rescue). Once I talked on the 2 meter band to a couple of hang gliders over 60 miles away – I'm near sea level, they were up at 7,000 feet (2,134 m)
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I am very concerned to learn that SB 58 is being considered and will change rules which were written five years ago to ensure the health of Ohio's citizens and protect our natural environment from some of the dirty practices of energy production. As a retired Intensive Care RN, I have seen the results of […]
Burning fossil fuels is unhealthy
11/11/13 at 4:50pm by Letters Editor | Comments
Urges Duke Energy to clean up Miami Fort
10/11/13 at 11:54am by Letters Editor | Comments
Duke Energy's Miami Fort site in North Bend is among Ohio's worst carbon-polluting power plants. Duke Energy promotes reduction of pollution and energy demand by consumers. For example, it encourages consumers to use energy-efficient light bulbs. As we consumers do our part, Duke Energy should do its part. The EPA is to propose and implement […]
Tougher limits on carbon pollution needed
09/20/13 at 11:52am by Letters Editor | Comments
In July, The Enquirer ran an editorial declaring that Ohio needed to burn less coal, in part due to climate change. In fact, Ohio's power plants are the second-most carbon-polluting in the country, according to a report on the 100 dirtiest coal-fired power plants in the US by Environment America. These greenhouse gas intensive power […]
Administration's stance on coal hurts American jobs
07/29/13 at 11:53am by Letters Editor | Comments
Beijing, the capital of China, has five times more pollution than the most polluted US city, Riverside, Calif. They have a target to reduced pollutants, mostly from coal fired factories by 30 percent in five years. Third world countries produce 60 percent of the world's pollutants. Environmentalists meanwhile are going to destroy American clean coal producers […]
Politicians must look to future energy sources
07/29/13 at 9:09am by Letters Editor | Comments
The Enquirer Forum on the "Future of Coal" demonstrated the complexity of transitioning from fossil fuels to cleaner forms of energy. What was striking about the commentary of Sen. McConnell and State Sen. Bill Seitz was their adherence to maintaining the status quo. Rather than mouthing condemnation of the President and EPA with no constructive […]
Future of coal cannot be 'more of the same'
07/25/13 at 12:03pm by Letters Editor | Comments
Regarding "Debating the future of coal" (July 22): The future of coal cannot be more of the same. The fact is that coal burning emits higher levels of CO2, mercury, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide and contributes far more than other fuels to industrial carbon pollution. Furthermore, that pollution was just measured at the highest […]
Whole Earth approach to climate change needed
03/05/13 at 11:56am by Letters Editor | Comments
I am glad The Enquirer opened dialogue about climate change on the front page headlines. It is an issue that severely needs addressing, as well as the toxic mess this world of countries is brewing. All life is balanced on this delicate thread that links all. People continue to take a micro approach to what […]
Let's cut entitlements for corporate class, too
03/04/13 at 8:45am by Letters Editor | Comments
We've become all too familiar with the word "entitlement" during the budget/sequester discussion ("Feds downsize amid GOP calls for more cuts" Feb. 24). Let us try it another way. What if we say that the corporate class believes it is "entitled" to deforest, extract via any means, pollute and continue their most comfortable, privileged lives […]
EPA working on limits to carbon pollution
01/09/13 at 11:56am by Letters Editor | Comments
Scientists confirmed what many Ohioans already assumed: 2012 was the hottest year on record in the United States ("It's official: 2012 was hottest year ever in U.S." Jan. 8). Combined with devastating events like Superstorm Sandy and the record drought that engulfed much of the country, the past 12 months offered an alarming picture of […]
Educated public can solve energy issues
07/23/12 at 8:25am by Letters Editor | Comments
Stephen K. Melink's op-ed piece on eliminating fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy sources was a breath of fresh air ("Time for cleaner energy is now" July 13). However, it omits a crucial factor in this switchover, namely a public that is more educated about the devastating effects of fossil fuels. For example, burning […]
About The LettersThe Enquirer receives dozens of letters to the editor each week - and because of space limitations, only a fraction of them can appear in print. Here online, we are able to post all of the letters we receive that add to the community conversation. We do not post letters that we deem inappropriate, however. Join the conversation by submitting a letter below or adding your comments to posted letters.
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❒Single ❒Taken ✔Middle aged Man enthusiast
Hey! I'm Mana, or Alex, a derpy queer fanboy residing in Vancouver. I'm an artist, cosplayer, and oldermansexual (with an avid love for silver foxes)
Lover of Hannibal, Hanna's not a boys name, Tarantino Films, The Avengers, Sherlock Holmes stuff, Misfits, etc etc..
Artist of the Webcomic GREY
Writer is Rifa
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
someone help [sweats uncontrollably] someone….someone….hel- so m e on [eyes roll back] uhm uhm help [falls against kitchen counter] sOMEONE PLEASE HELP [gasps for air, water starts pouring from the ceiling] sOMEONE PLEASE HELP WILL GRAH-[runs into the forest screaming and shooting a gun wildly at nothing]
*shrugs* It was just a mild seizure.


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Spread some Pixie dust on your Christmas this year with a beautiful Tinkerbell Christmas tree topper. These toppers are great for anyone who loves Tinkerbell or just wants a unique topper that sparkles and shines.
Tinkerbell Star Christmas Tree Topper
This is a battery operated tree topper that features Tinker Bell sitting atop a shining star.
The star lights up and when in the dark you can still see Tinkerbell sitting on the star as if she is watching over. Tink has a glittering dress and sparkling wings that really draw attention to the pretty little Pixie.
If you are a fan of Tinkerbell or you have a little fan of this favorite pixie at home, then this tree topper is perfect for your tree this year. It goes great with a Disney themed Christmas or just on a children's tree.
The topper measures 12" H x 7" W x 3" D.
Light Up Tinkerbell Tree Topper
This may look like a simple tree topper, but this light up Tinkerbell tree topper will shine and brighten your tree this holiday season.
Tinker Bell's wings light up as does the main area of her body to illuminate the adorable Pixie on top of the tree. The fairy is holding an actual working red jingle bell that adds the spirit of green and red colors to the topper.
Tinkerbell has sparkling wings and is pictured with her famous shining green dress. The topper measures 10″ tall and attaches to the top of the tree with a metal securing in the back.
The topper requires 2 AA batteries for it to light up.
Share the magic this holiday season and place a shining and illuminated Tinkerbell on the top of your Christmas tree.


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Conversion of amorphous WO3-x into WS2 nanotubes
Whitby, R.L.D., Hsu, W.K., Kroto, H.W. and Walton, D.R.M. (2002) Conversion of amorphous WO3-x into WS2 nanotubes Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 4 (16). pp. 3938-3940. ISSN 1463-9076Full text not available from this repository.
Official URL: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2002...
Removal of the carbon template from WS2-coated multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCN) composites, produced WS2 nanotubes with intriguing microstructures. TEM characterisation shows that the intermediate phases of amorphous WO3–x-WS2 nanostructures, support the previously proposed growth model for WS2 nanotubes on MWCNs.
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Updated | 4:13 p.m. Though the first round of the Bret Michaels-Tony Awards scenery battle may have gone to the scenery, the singer emerged from the awards show with only minor injuries, a publicist for Mr. Michaels said on Monday morning.
On Sunday night, Mr. Michaels, the musician and lead singer of the rock band Poison, performed with his band mates and the cast of "Rock of Ages" during the opening number of the Tonys show. As he was exiting the stage, he appeared to be hit on the head by a descending backdrop.
In a telephone interview, Joann Mignano, a publicist for Mr. Michaels who accompanied him to the Tony Awards, said that Mr. Michaels sustained bruises to his lips and his nose, and was sent for X-rays after the show to make sure he had not broken his nose but suffered no serious injuries. The Associated Press reported that Mr. Michaels fractured his nose and received three stitches in his lip.
"He said, 'I'm a trouper. I've gotten hit by harder things,'" Ms. Mignano said. Read more…


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The 2013 Benedict & Donna Zobrist Scholarship is designed to provide opportunities for undergraduate study in both Europe and Asia. This $2,500 award is based on academic merit and quality of submitted application materials. To honor President Truman and perpetuate his support of international student exchange, the Harry S. Truman Good Neighbor Award Foundation sponsors scholarships to underwrite the exchange of students between the United States and other countries, particularly Europe and Asia, for educational purposes. The Zobrist family has generously agreed to award $2,500 scholarships for outstanding Northwestern students to honor the memories of Benedict and Donna Zobrist.
The 2014 Benedict & Donna Zobrist Scholarship is available for degree-seeking Northwestern University undergraduates. Awards may not be used for international study following graduation (as in summer programs post-graduation). The scholarship may be used for the following IPD programs in Europe and Asia:
The deadline corresponds with IPD program application deadlines, and the Fellowship application can be found on the Northwestern Study Abroad Online Application System.
For Spring 2015 programs: November 1, 2014
For Fall 2015 and Full Year 2015/2016 programs: February 10, 2015
For Summer 2015 programs: March 1, 2015
For Winter 2016 and Winter/Spring 2016 programs: June 1, 2015
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Public Health in China, Beijing
Summer 2010
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European Union Studies, Paris, France
Fall 2009
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Summer 2009
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Office of International Program Development (IPD) - 1800 Sherman Ave, Suite 4-700 | Evanston, IL 60201-3777 | Phone: 847-467-6953 | Fax: 847-491-5434 | E-mail: email@example.com | Last updated 10/02/14 | World Wide Web Disclaimer & University Policy Statements | © 2014 Northwestern University


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You've probably heard of the term ISO before. But do you know what it means? If someone told you that you need to raise your ISO settings to compensate for the diminished light, would you know what they're talking about? If you don't know, here is a quick guide, straight from the EDU Advantage Team.
Todd Schneider, from Epson, delivers a presentation on color theory and creating printer profiles which will help produce the best prints possible on your Epson printer. Todd provides an in-depth look at how to maximize the performance of the Epson driver and printer, so that you learn how to obtain optimal color and black-and-white results.
In general, the menus and exposure options found on point-and-shoot digicams are not all that different. If you can get one up and running, chances are you can get most any of them up and running. The shapes, locations, and nomenclature of the menu buttons and icons vary camera to camera, but the logic behind them are pretty much the same.
I'm often asked for recommendations on what headphones to use with an iPod or other portable media device. Recently, there's been a trend towards questions about "traditional" headphones from people wanting to listen to their iPods at home or in the office. So how do we choose a traditional headphone that's comfortable, offers good sound quality, and won't break the bank? Here are factors to keep in mind.
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Firm Hand Spanking
More exclusive models, more locations, more spanking, strapping, paddling and caning than any other site. Firm punishments from experienced administrators and realistic scenarios are the hallmarks of Firm Hand Spanking. All shot in HD with accompanying high-resolution stills. One of the best spanking sites on the Internet today.
All comments on Firm Hand Spanking
Tiger, October 13, 2014
sara, September 26, 2014
rosy, September 18, 2014
andy, August 12, 2014
Pleasure4Us, July 08, 2014
Pleasure4Us, July 08, 2014
I love redheads, butt (not red red heads). Spankee is submissive by handing cane to spanker. Nice taste in furniture in scenes. Spankee has nice firm bottom good for caning. Well make overall.
Pleasure4Us, July 08, 2014
yope, June 29, 2014
bahman, June 18, 2014
salari_masoumeh, May 07, 2014
Mary, April 13, 2014
Andy, April 08, 2014
Jay, March 12, 2014
Jay, March 05, 2014
Kat and Samantha are a great pair. I love seeing one get punished while the other squirms and cowers in the corner knowing she is next.
Jay, March 05, 2014
Jim, February 18, 2014
englishclassic, December 30, 2013
tom, December 27, 2013
Baggins, December 24, 2013
its her beautiful face [especially her pretty mouth] and her little noises that make her so sexy and addictive and so very different from the rest
Mr. Spank, December 08, 2013
Stacy I love you in the movie you are in you have a beautiful ass made just for spanking, I would love to be in a movie with you over my knee spanking you bottom to beautiful red.
Gudi, December 12, 2013
rowanbruce, December 01, 2013
wowww, beautiful, nothing better than good old fashion discipline, I love the sound, of the smack, of each stroke on the bottom.
Pete, November 24, 2013
Tim, November 22, 2013
Marco, November 21, 2013
lendryad, October 25, 2013
MARYNUNG, October 18, 2013
tom, October 14, 2013
vilton, October 04, 2013
Laranida, September 13, 2013
whosp, September 09, 2013
Irish, September 07, 2013
I love to see Mrs. Bryant getting her bad little ass cheeks spanked. I would do anything to be able to bend Valeries booty over my knee and wear her naughty rear end out with my hand and wooden hairbrush.
Jimmy James, September 01, 2013
Pat, July 18, 2013
Thomas, July 18, 2013
Pat, June 28, 2013
Nick, June 26, 2013
Hugo, June 26, 2013
SpankGuy, June 26, 2013
Nick, June 26, 2013


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- A new post every Monday and Thursday.
Most-Viewed Posts
Darrow Miller
Darrow Miller is co-founder of the Disciple Nations Alliance and a featured author and teacher. For over 25 years, Darrow has been a popular conference speaker on topics that include Christianity and culture, apologetics, worldview, poverty, and the dignity of women.
From 1981 to 2007 Darrow served with Food for the Hungry International, and from 1994 as Vice President. Before joining FH, Darrow spent three years on staff at L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland where he was discipled by Francis Schaeffer. He also served as a student pastor at Northern Arizona University and two years as a pastor of Sherman Street Fellowship in urban Denver, CO.
In addition to earning his Master's degree in Adult Education from Arizona State University, Darrow pursued graduate studies in philosophy, theology, Christian apologetics, biblical studies and missions in the United States, Israel and Switzerland.
Darrow has authored numerous studies, articles, Bible studies and books, including
• Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Culture
• Nurturing the Nations: Reclaiming the Dignity of Women for Building Healthy Cultures
• LifeWork: A Biblical Theology for What You Do Every Day
Darrow's latest book, Emancipating the World: A Christian Response to Radical Islam and Fundamentalist Atheism released in June.
Recommended Resource
Tag Archives: university
A Calling for Christian Professors
Daryl McCarthy decribes how his life was profoundly impacted a few years ago by a stranger who, in his university days, had himself been deeply influenced. … a particularly brilliant professor galvanized his life and radically changed his worldview, his … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Training Tagged Education, Great Commission, Osama bin Laden, university 2 Comments
Should C.S. Lewis Have Chosen "Full-time Ministry"?
Recently we published a blog about Dr. Daryl McCarthy's efforts to place Christian academicians in university classrooms around the world. Today we want to return to another important dimension of Dr. McCarthy's thesis. He begins with the following cogent observation: … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Education, Worldview Tagged C. S. Lewis, Education, university, Worldview 3 Comments


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A miniature horse, birds, rabbits, guinea pig and a small pig named Willa visited the Gonzales Healthcare Center on Saturday.
The menagerie was accompanied by volunteers from Petite Farms and St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church youth group.
Organizer Becky Petite said the visit is part of a ministry that connects youths with older adults "who don't get many visitors."
The animals, Petite said, are an "ice breaker for conversations between the young and elderly."
Copyright © 2014, Capital City Press LLC • 7290 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70810 • All Rights Reserved
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Artwiculate Turns Twitter Wordsmithing Into a Game
Who says Twitter is full of pointless babble? Certainly not Artwiculate, a new Twitter-based "Word of the Day" competition that aims to help us learn new words and earn points for using them cleverly. Every day a new word is chosen, and simply sending a tweet containing that word will enable your update to appear on the Artwiculate site. Once there, other users can vote whether your usage was "liked" or whether it was inaccurate.


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Sage gets Fucked then thrown off the bus
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Sizzling and naughty babe Sage Evans is a slut that loves some attention. So the bangbus team picks her up and fucks her hard on board.
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and found 11 items
399cc, 64bhp, 130mph, Insurance group 11
The Yamaha FZR400 was always over-shadowed by the class-leading Hondas, both the CBR and V4 NC30 and NC35s, and, on track, was a little behind Kawasaki's ZXR400 for sheer speed. However, the rev-happy Yamaha FZR400RR attracted the hooligans by the bucket load, drawn to the high-revving engine, sharp handling and high corner speed. And, as it was also always considerably ...
599cc, 108bhp, 160mph, Insurance group 14
Hardcore, know the score. The Yamaha YZF-R6 is a sexy uber-capable track bike that works on the road too. It caught the 600 race rep class napping and nothing came close until Suzuki launched its 2001 GSX-R600 – that's a long time to rule the 600 roost and shows just how good the original Yamaha YZF-R6 was.
248cc, 21bhp, 80mph, Insurance group 6
The Yamaha XV250S Virago is a trusty, reliable and easy to ride option on which to hone your biking skills. If you fancy a big cruiser later on, the Yamaha XV250S Virago is a great place to start: it's got the looks and appears bigger than a 250, so you won't feel left out down at the Ace. The Yamaha ...
124cc, 13bhp, 60mph, Insurance group 4
If you're starting out on two wheels then the Yamaha XV125 Virago V-twin is one of the best made little motorbikes you can choose. Reliable motor, solid chassis, nice low seat and wide `bars give a feeling of confident control on the machine. Later XVS125 models have an extra 3bhp in the V-twin motor and the bike is 4kgs lighter ...
892cc, 90bhp, 127mph, Insurance group 12
Introduced two years after its little 600cc brother, the bigger Yamaha XJ900S Diversion is a real, no-nonsense all-rounder. Ok, so it lacks outstanding performance or any semblance of sexiness but who cares? For bikers on a budget who ride in the real world, the Yamaha XJ900S Diversion is hard to beat. Has a long standing and respectable heritage, too.
998cc, 150bhp, 175mph, Insurance group 16
The third and final great sports bike of the nineties. The FireBlade set the agenda, the 916 added finesse and the Yamaha YZF-R1 topped them off with extra power and madness. Even today the original Yamaha YZF-R1 is a sports tool to be reckoned with and updated Yamaha YZF-R1s are even more potent and easier to use too.
49cc, 6bhp, 30mph, Insurance group 3
The Yamaha TZR50 is an act of brilliant folly but tempting nevertheless. A screaming, old-school, supersports, 50cc sixteener, with all the bluster, mayhem, carnage, testosterone and manicness that implies. Being Japanese the Yamaha TZR50 is fairly durable too, though it can't match the performance of its European rivals.
1002cc, 145bhp, 165mph, Insurance group 16
The Yamaha YZF1000R Thunderace started out as Yamaha's last throw of the old school superbike dice, and resulted in the final incarnation of the FZR1000 EXUP. But ironically the Thunderace has proved to be a better big bore sports touring motorcycle than out-and-out superbike – albeit a humungously fast one. If you like your superbikes big and brash and with room ...
249cc, 21bhp, 80mph, Insurance group 7
When the XV250S Virago was discontinued, the new Yamaha XVS250 Drag Star replaced it. They're very similar and that's good news for owners: the long-running Virago branch of the Yamaha family has a great reputation. The little Yamaha XVS250 Drag Star is just as good and, if your heart's set on a smaller capacity cruiser, you'll find it hard to ...
849cc, 77bhp, 130mph, Insurance group 12
Fairly revolutionary when launched and certainly years ahead of its time the Yamaha TDM850 was a sort of Multistrada 12 years before Ducati thought of it. As a serious 'street trailie allrounder it's pretty effective, too. The later 900 is better, but the Yamaha TDM850 is still decent, good value, different, and largely overlooked.
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- AARP - http://blog.aarp.org -
Managing the Medicare Maze
Posted By Kate Hays On September 23, 2011 @ 1:18 pm In Health Talk | Comments Disabled
Are you 65, or fa [1]st approaching it? There was a wealth of knowledge for you in yesterday's Life@50 University Session on Medicare.
Some of the questions asked: What's the difference between a traditional physical and the Medicare Wellness Exam? What's the difference between supplemental and secondary insurance?
Find the answers to these questions and more at the following links:
Medicare: www.medicare.gov [5] or call 1-800 633-4227
Social Security: www.socialsecurity.gov [6] or call 1-800-772-1213
State Health Insurance Program (SHIP): www.shiptalk.org [7] 1-800-677-1116
Article printed from AARP: http://blog.aarp.org
URL to article: http://blog.aarp.org/2011/09/23/managing-the-medicare-maze/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://aarpblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/medicare-stamp.jpg
[2] www.aarp.org/medicare: http://www.aarp.org/medicare
[3] www.aarp.org/doughnuthole: http://www.aarp.org/doughnuthole
[4] www.aarp.org/getthefacts: http://www.aarp.org/getthefacts
[5] www.medicare.gov: http://www.medicare.gov/
[6] www.socialsecurity.gov: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/
[7] www.shiptalk.org: http://www.shiptalk.org/
Click here to print.
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