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Kailub Russell claimed the overall at the second round of the GNCC Series in Georgia. Photography by Ken Hill
Heavy rainfall made things treacherous at the second round of the AMSOIL AMA Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis at the Aonia Pass MX Park in Washington, Georgia, March 16, creating extreme conditions for the pro race. But when things got tough, the defending champ, Kailub Russell, got going and emerged victorious after battling it out for the overall lead with defending XC2 Pro Lites Champion Grant Baylor in the final moments of the race.
Russell wasn't out front for most of the race, but the Factory/FMF/KTM rider pulled it together in the end to secure the overall win to gain 30 points towards the championship chase. It wasn't without a fight from his KTM teammate and XC2 Pro Lites rider Grant Baylor, who quickly joined the overall battle on adjusted time. Since the second row takes off approximately one minute behind the XC1 class, perhaps Baylor had an advantage in making his way through the pack.
"Last night I was hoping it would hit us hard with the rain because I was looking forward to a mud race," Russell said. "We changed some things on the bike and it worked out because got some points on Charlie," Russell said.
Before the 1 p.m. race began, the GNCC Course Marshalls decided that the race would be shortened to a minimum of two hours due to the heavy rainfall throughout the day. With the leader coming in at 2:17:54, Sunday's race was just short of a typical three-hour GNCC.
Rocky Mountain ATV/MC's Josh Strang grabbed yet another $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award with his AmPro Yamaha teammates Paul Whibley and Jordan Ashburn close behind. It didn't take long for guys like Factory FMF/KTM's Charlie Mullins and the XC2 front-runners of Baylor and Maxxis/KLIM/DirtWise KTM Race Team's Rory Mead to join the Yamaha riders in the lead battle, where a chaotic chain of events unfolded until the end.
It was Russell who held strong in the final moments, where he laid down his fastest lap of the day on lap five with a 26:59.7. For that, Russell took home an extra $150 with the KR4 Performance Fastest Lap Award en route to his first win of the season.
Despite a valiant effort from the second row, Grant Baylor missed the overall victory by only four seconds after time adjustment.
Ashburn put himself into podium contention right away as he latched onto the lead pack on the opening lap. Ashburn showed his strength in the tough conditions, moving up to the second place position just after the halfway mark. Although Baylor finished ahead of Ashburn in the overall, the Tennessee native took second place in the XC1 class, finishing less than one minute behind Russell, and third overall for the day.
Whibley came in for fourth overall just six seconds behind his teammate Ashburn, while Strang captured fifth overall for the day.
Round-one winner, Mullins finished sixth overall to salvage points and maintain the lead after two rounds of racing.
Factory FMF/KTM's Steward Baylor secured sixth place in XC1 and eighth place overall for the day despite running into issues with his vision. Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda's Chris Bach took seventh in the class and ninth overall, while Rockstar Energy/WMR/KTM's Ryan Sipes finished eighth in the class and fourteenth overall for the day.
The XC2 Pro Lites class saw a second unique winner in two rounds as the Reigning XC2 Champion Baylor topped the field with an impressive ride from the second row.
Maxxis/KLIM/DirtWise KTM Race Team's Rory Mead finished second and XC2 rookie Trevor Bollinger taking third.
Factory FMF/KTM's Kacy Martinez grabbed her second consecutive victory in the WXC Premier Women's class, while N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha's Becca Sheets and teammate Jessica Patterson rounded out the WXC podium.
1. Kailub Russell (KTM)
2. Jordan Ashburn (YAM)
3. Paul Whibley (YAM)
4. Josh Strang (YAM)
5. Charlie Mullins (KTM)
6. Steward Baylor (KTM)
7. Chris Bach (HON)
8. Ryan Sipes (KTM)
9. Takeshi Koikeda (HON)
10. Adam Bonneur (HON)
1. Grant Baylor (KTM)
2. Rory Mead (KTM)
3. Trevor Bollinger (HON)
4. Ricky Russell (YAM)
5. Shane Hufford Jr (KTM)
6. Layne Michael (HON)
7. Sam Evans (YAM)
8. Callan May (YAM)
9. Zach Love (KTM)
10. Steven Squire (YAM)


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And the new head coach is .... Raheem Morris
I was taught a good little lesson once...what does a story and coin have in common? They both always, absolutely always, have two sides. People will want to replace Raheem Morris as head coach for two reasons, Their frustration at a 3-13 season and no one single tangible thing to blame it all on except the coach, or the immediate availability of another person that sounds like a better deal.
No. 2 has been eliminated, with Bill Cowher now admitting he probably will not return to coaching in 2010, and Shanahan on an airplane headed to Washington at press time. With the removal of big name coaches, Bucs fans need to settle down and let reality hit them right in the face: Raheem Morris is probably the best coach the Bucs can have in 2010.
Within three games, we realized this season was over. In 2004, even an 0-4 start didnt end our season, we were in the playoff race until week 13. In 2006, another 0-4 start gave way to 2-4 and a comeback attempt in the Meadowlands. It didnt seem over until "Jingle Bells" got airplay. But this season, when you saw Josh Johnson take the field against the Eagles, you knew the best we could hope for this year was a stretch where the Bucs show improvement, look more like the Bucs of old, and give us a reason to hope for 2010.
Well spank me and call me Suzie...thats what just happened! The Bucs have won two of the last three games, and two of them against impossible odds. Had we won three games in a row that would have been too much like we were ready for the turn around. We are not!
But what Head Coach do you want to bring in to do 2009 all over again with? well you wont have to worry about that. If there is one thing the Glazers have shown us since 1995 when they came onboard, They are good business men.
They do not make their living making hasty decisions. They know you don't jettison your out of date veteran players and make the playoffs the next year. They know you don't tell your new Coach and General Manager to pick up one of them fancy new quarterbacks, and he will be Dan Marino reborn.
And most importantly, the Glazers know the fastest path to a sold out stadium and return of the waiting list is not a big name head coach. Because Tony Dungy was not this...yet after five wins in 1997 you couldnt get a seat anymore. Remember, most of us wanted Jimmy Johnson or Steve Spurrier, not Mr. Stoic himself.
So play the blame game if you must. Just take aim at the right targets:
The offensive line was told to lose weight, learn the zone blocking system, then told to scrub that system, gain weight again, and learn the old system again. No wonder they regressed. Despite all that, Cadillac Williams finished only 179 yards shy of a 1,000 yard season. Thats just over 400 yards per Patella injury!
Antonio Bryant was hurt all pre-season and it took a 7th round draft pick to step up this year as a reliable starting WR.
Josh Freeman came into the franchise in the 8th game and had Sammy Stroughter and Maurice Stovall as his starting wide receivers.... having worked with neither of them in an offseason designed to get two or three quick wins for Leftwich or McCown.
Most important is the return to Buccaneer football in the last few weeks of the season. Since the Nov. 22 game vs the Saints, the Bucs have been competitive against all teams NOT from New York.
Changes will be made, perhaps a new offensive coordinator will be found, Defensive Backs and Defensive line coaches, who are both Jim Bates guys, are sure to be replaced. Three new young players will be added, five of the best 99 players in college football, to our Bucs....
But one change that wont happen, is Raheem Morris as head coach. Because the hot names are just not available anymore to excite the fans; Then again, Jon Gruden is probably still available.


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Game economy in MMO's
#1 Members - Reputation: 130
Posted 23 May 2006 - 03:26 PM
#2 Members - Reputation: 530
Posted 23 May 2006 - 09:55 PM
MMO economics are typically a balancing act of time, money pools and money sinks. Ideally, players should gain and expend a roughly equal amount of money or items in a given time. Assuming your paying missions are 'creating' money (the usual method) this gives a zero inflation rate, as no 'new money' is entering the system.
It's unusual to have a fixed amount of money in the system - this would rely on tracking the money through several NPC chains to produce a viable model. It's only really the Elite style trading games that attempt to do this.
It's sad to say, but the economic system of an MMO is often a 'rush job', tacked on top of various 'interesting' things to develop (like crafting recipes).
For Primogen, we're designing a flexible economic structure which is based on a flexible 'money pot' - there is a set amount of money in the system and we can add more or remove it, and it is tracked from its starting positions. There's a whole set of AI functions required to run the simulation which takes raw products and turns them into usable items of set quality (allowing us to have the system sometimes select quality over quantity, and also allowing us to give player crafters a niche). It works a bit like an abstract version of the Settlers.
Whilst this gives us a *functional* economy it's pretty experimental in terms of MMO grounds - there's a hell of a lot of NPCs that'll be wandering around. It should make a Primogen game world look busy (nice), but it may cause problems on low spec clients / connections and servers (bad!).
A good economy is one that's fun to play in! If you're having crafter players, they need a niche and an opportunity to make as much money and xp as a combat player. A combat player needs to be able to replace / repair their equipment and save a bit. Item design actually has a massive impact on game economies (actually terranova.blogs.com is probably a good place to look around now I think of it). Removing item decay (damage when you die / use it) from Starwars Galaxies made life suddenly very difficult for the crafting community, and all of a sudden many of the player cities became ghost towns. Nobody had to shop for kit any more. Further reducing the effect of item stats in combat made the choice of weapon pretty much irrelevant - again, shafting the crafters.
Having too much usable / high level loot is dangerous to your economy. If the best items to use are loot items, nobody will bother crafting in the end. At any potential stage in the development of your economy your money sinks (paying for stuff) should be in play. If all people do is loot for money and kit, and never spend the money (other than perhaps to buy stuff they can't be bothered looting) you're left with hyper-inflation in a money-generating system, and a stalled economy otherwise.
#3 Members - Reputation: 769
Posted 24 May 2006 - 01:18 AM
#4 Members - Reputation: 272
Posted 24 May 2006 - 01:50 AM
Ok, Rule number 1. Throw out everything you know about real world economics. This is important since there are so many differences that trying to apply the normal rules of economics most often does not work.
Rule number 2. Put back in any economic principal based on psychology. People still act like people in game or not.
The single biggest problem that MMO economies have is inflation. Now I can't say to have solved the problem of every more Uber gear, but as far as in game currency goes, that aspect of inflation can be controlled. But you have to learn to think a little differently. The idea of encouraging players to take money out is the dominant line of thought Bob Janova and _winterdyne_ booth demonstrate this point.
You need to take money (and items) out of the system at roughly the same rate as you add them. -Bob Janova
MMO economics are typically a balancing act of time, money pools and money sinks. -_winterdyne_
This line of thinking, to me is completely wrong (nothing personal guys) because it depends on players voluntarily putting money into something that removes it from the game. The problem is that people will not voluntarily do this unless it gets them something better; it is in the player's nature to hoard things unless they have to get rid of something, and many times they will get rid of it by trade with another player, which really removes nothing from the system. Simply put you can not count on players to just throw their wealth into a hole in the ground because the developer thinks that they should.
So what's the alternative? First you need to know that MMO money is Fiat Money. There are four major causes of inflation in the real world; Discovery of precious metals, Debasement (mixing precious metals with cheap ones), Supply disruption, and Printing of money. The first three are unlikely to happen in an MMO, but the last one Printing of Money happens frequently. If in the game every time you kill a rat, you get a couple of pieces of copper or whatever, the game is often just creating money out of nothing. The cumulative effect of millions and millions of dead rats will cause problems. So clearly this creation of money must be controlled in.
_winterdyne_ mentioned the idea of a fixed money supply as a possible solution. I don't really like this since it tends to benefit the already wealthy players, and new players will have a harder time escaping in game poverty.
Instead I prefer the Reward Restriction method. In an MMO you have an opportunity that real world economists would drool over. You can track every single transaction in the world and know exactly what the economy is doing at any given time. Because of this you can calculate exactly what the rate of inflation is in the game for a given time period. With this information in hand, you can then adjust the rewards players receive in game, If inflation is occurring, you reduce the amount of the rewards. If deflation is happening, you can increase the rewards.
Basically this is the inverse of the 'money sink' solution. Instead of trying to match the rate money moves out to the rate money moves in, you match the rate money moves in to the rate money moves out. Once this is working, you can get things to move faster by having plenty of reasons for money to move out. Consumables are the best way to do this. Healers need bandages and medicine. Archers need arrows. Blacksmiths need Coal for their fires, Bullets cost money, whatever is appropriate for the setting. You have got to nickel-and-dime the players to death.
It is absolutely critical that you control money going in, since the task of controlling money going out is impossible because money going out depends on the voluntary behavior of players.
#5 Members - Reputation: 151
Posted 24 May 2006 - 02:11 AM
#6 Members - Reputation: 530
Posted 24 May 2006 - 02:24 AM
Original post by zangetsu
OOH! OOH! OOH! My favorite topic!
Yay! I like this one too. I have a feeling it might get interesting, well, as interesting as economics gets...
... Basically this is the inverse of the 'money sink' solution. Instead of trying to match the rate money moves out to the rate money moves in, you match the rate money moves in to the rate money moves out. Once this is working, you can get things to move faster by having plenty of reasons for money to move out. Consumables are the best way to do this. Healers need bandages and medicine. Archers need arrows. Blacksmiths need Coal for their fires, Bullets cost money, whatever is appropriate for the setting. You have got to nickel-and-dime the players to death.
It is absolutely critical that you control money going in, since the task of controlling money going out is impossible because money going out depends on the voluntary behavior of players.
True - but the cost of required consumables (bullets etc) can be altered as well. This is actually a fairly good control point (since there are things that everybody needs). However you can't (as touched on) rely on 'work' money sinks, there always has to be something interesting to do with your cash.
Yes, the fixed money supply is a feature that can overbalance the economy if there isn't fixing of pricing. Put the price limitations (min and max) in place and you have a mechanism to force a certain level of stability in the economy. Of course, this disallows a true 'free market' except in the case of items not covered by the price limitation - ie unique or special items. If the game is designed in such a way that unique or special items aren't essential (they're just nice) the game remains playable to all.
There's a similar problem with reward restriction - assume a new player is receiving lower rewards for quests (because the economy is inflated) - how do you control upkeep and maintenance (consumables) costs in check so that everybody can afford what they need? Again price fixing is a really useful tool for stabilising the economy. You can't simply evaluate how much money someone has because there's nothing to stop them from muling it, and keeping their 'working' character broke all the time.
#7 Members - Reputation: 130
Posted 24 May 2006 - 02:42 AM
Take bullets. You have rough bullets and smooth bullets. Smooth being the better. The rough ones are a fixed price and useful, but the better, more sought after smooth bullets price goes up and down. Sometimes if the market is deflated enough, the price of smooth bullets will be less than rough bullets. This may ensure that new players will always at least be able to afford the cheapest items as they are fixed. If they want better items, they will have to be subject to inflation or deflation.
#8 Members - Reputation: 122
Posted 24 May 2006 - 03:16 AM
In FFXI something as simple as a Leather Vest(Level 7, 7 Defense) will end up costing newer players 5,000gil. The problem there is at an armor shop it only costs 625gil. People run bots that will sit at the armor shop and buy it out whenever there is a restock. It gets even worse when you look at the price of the Leather Vest +1. Same level, two more defense. It can cost up to 20,000gil.
Crafting is even worse. People have it in their head that the cost of crafting items should equal the cost of the item that they make. It costs a alot of gil to even start up. Would be crafters have to wait till they have 5 or 6 months of playing under their belt before they can afford to get anywhere with the crafting.
When I began playing this simply wasn't the case. The prices started to sky rocket when certain Linkshells(think Guilds) were founded. These Linkshells manage to have every character on 24/7(ala they have three or four people per character working in shifts). They have groups that constantly camp Natorious Monsters that drop the most sought after items. These items often end up costing players tens of millions.
#9 Members - Reputation: 530
Posted 24 May 2006 - 03:36 AM
Definitely worth bearing in mind though. Again, having a fixed amount of money in play, and not having money-generators makes trading in it for real world money difficult - as wealth is accrued it is harder to obtain more, and it can't be done consistently and continuously.
#10 Members - Reputation: 272
Posted 24 May 2006 - 03:39 AM
Original post by trapdoor
One of my visions is to have base weapons and consumables which are free to all. Any better items would then be subject to these unfixed prices.
Right, there needs to be a way for players to play even when they are destitute, but thats more of a mechanics issue then economics.
Original post by _winterdyne_
how do you control upkeep and maintenance (consumables) costs in check so that everybody can afford what they need? Again price fixing is a really useful tool for stabilising the economy.
This is something of an aside, but here is what you do. Each time a player buys or sells anything, where there is a single item (or multiples of the same item), you can record in a database that player 1 accepts that item X is worth N. Then you can take all the transactions for item X and calculate what the world as a whole thinks Item X is worth. you can then instruct NPC merchants to use this price (maybe adjusted slightly). The causes merchant prices to move into line with Player to Player purchases. Nothing makes me crazier than NPC's paying 1 gold for something you can easily sell to other players for 100 times that amount (anyone remeber Crushbone Belts in Everquest?)
The other part of this is that NPC merchant prices need to react to supply and demand. You can create a demand rating for every object. Each time the item is bought, you can increase its demand rating up to a hard limit of %100. Each time a player sells an item to a merchant you can reduce the rating to a lower limit of 0% (worthless). This rating slowly decays over time. THen you can muliply this rating by the price. So an item that a Merchant just can't sell will slowly become cheaper until someone thinks the price is reasonable.
There are probably flaws in this stuff, but to me it is very important to get the NPC merchants prices to change over time, and to be honest its kind of hard to come up with the mechanics to do it. The other trouble is what happens when players know too much about the system? could they try to manipulate it?
#11 Members - Reputation: 272
Posted 24 May 2006 - 03:50 AM
Original post by _winterdyne_
That's an interesting point regarding the shift-work to buy stuff out of the shops when they're restocked. I'd regard this as exploiting, definitely, and it's one of the reasons NOT to have quests as money-generators. Without access to infinite money, this sort of tactic is much more limited, perhaps to only one line of products, even from a fairly large number of players.
Definitely worth bearing in mind though. Again, having a fixed amount of money in play, and not having money-generators makes trading in it for real world money difficult - as wealth is accrued it is harder to obtain more, and it can't be done consistently and continuously.
With merchants reacting to demand, the price scalpers would have to pay the merchant would rise to match, preventing this sort of thing. Then once scalpers relized they can't make so much money doing this, they would back off, and demand would decrease pushing the price back down. (This is definitely scalping, the same thing happens with concert tickets. some asshole waits until the ticket office opens and buys out the front 4 rows, then sells them at 4x face value. In most places this is a crime.)
Reward restriction based on inflation fights this too. Quests that generate wealth have their reward reduced because abused quests create inflation, driving down the reward. eventually it stops being worth it....
Perhaps thought now that I think about it reward restriction shouldn't be global... perhaps the actions that generate wealth should be the first to suffer? kind of like instead of a flat %5 reduction accross the board, have a ceiling that lowers and affects the best rewards first. This would be good for new players as low level stuff would be largely uneffected, and high level players would be gradually slowed allowing new players to catch up.
Say for example the cieling started at 10,000. Then inflation is occuring so the cieling lowers to 8,000. The quest that used to be worh 9,000 is now pushed down to 8,000, and the high level players have to deal with that. The quest 1,000 quest that lower players would perform is unaffected.
#12 Moderators - Reputation: 10474
Posted 24 May 2006 - 03:59 AM
If you really want a working economy, you have to open the economy up to fair exchange with the outside world (i e, real US dollars). That'll balance the game economy better than anything else! You'll also have a good indicator of how well you're keeping inflation in check, in the player-established gold-to-dollars exchange rate.
Real virtual world economy nuts go to places like the Terra Nova discussion forum/blog.
#13 Members - Reputation: 100
Posted 24 May 2006 - 04:24 PM
Original post by trapdoor
I tried looking up how game Economy works. I'm thinking in a MMO sense. If someone has a few links on where to get info or knows the basics of how the Economy works, that would be nice. I would like to see an MMO where very very few people have a lot of gold in the end, so much that they don't even use any of it any more. But again, that the majority of people, even a minority of people don't live in virtual poverty. Money has to go somewhere and come from somewhere. Having items in the world cannot be infinite as the market would get saturated with too many.
Asside from this, I'm still unsure what makes a good economy or what a good market / auction looks like.
1. define the ceiling prices
You have to define the ceiling prices of either the finished goods or the raw material/semi-products. For example,in Lineage II the ceiling of items are defined by the NPC shop prices. The ceiling prices are carefully worked out by evaluating the pattern of money gain in game. Since lineage2 lacks money sinks, the prices of items grow exponentially as char leveling up.
The ceiling prices give player market a reference or framework for the economy to roll on, as prices of key items are already defined by npc shopes, while players are unable to sell those items with higher prices (unless there are geographical factors).
A crafter has the option to purchase raw materials from npc shops (once he decides that finish goods are profitable even the raw materials are from shops, or the game lacks raw materials), or to purchase from other players or to gather the raw materials by themselves. Anyway, the shop prices set the items' highest prices for either the raw materials, or semi-finished goods or finished goods. These shop prices are carefully designed, calculated according to money gain pattern.
Now, if you want a fully player driven market, you only set the prices for raw mats and semi-products and leave the finished good prices undefined (defined by players themselves).
2. define money gain pattern
This can be truly complicated. And the good or bad of a game economy will rely on this.
Money gains are usually from mob drops, selling of raw mats, semi-products, finished goods, properties, rares, from mini-grind treadmills (such as farming).
You can tell that when main money gain is from mobs while items are unbreakable (or almost unbreakable), players will yell that the economy is bad. Yet the more important point is that they'll keep playing. So a game bad economy can still be a good/fun game, such as UO.
So in order just to make the economy "good", you can reduce the money from mob drops and make the player gears breakable (money sink).
3. customer satisfaction
The problem is, it's difficult to maintain players' satisfaction once mob drops are reduced and items are breakable. So the key point becomes you are going to define an economy where mob drops are reduced, items are breakable while fun is still reserved.
One of the main goals is to make crafting fun. The second is to make the money sinks unnoticable to players, ultimately player majority should be hanging in a status that they are not rich, but they are satisfactory.
4. magic combination
To work out a magic relationship between char development path and item demands, subsequently money demands. A magic relationship between what classes can farm what kinds of raw materials, can craft what kinds of semi-products and what kinds finished goods. And carefully work out the inter-class dependences while reserving customer satisfactions.
For example, you can find a niche for soloers. Soloers are expected to be less communicative with others. They may like pvp and/or soloable classes with high DD. So soloers may best fit for classes like rogues, assasins, warriors, dual-wielders and etc. So they can be assigned the job of raw mat. gathering. They are expected to spend more time on doing rinse-repeat grinding and rinse-repeat raw mat. gathering.
So the main money gain for classes like rogues, assasins...etc. is to sell raw mats. This is a result of the time frame calculation of various types of players, the more the players are in grouping, the better they are the crafters of complicated items which requires the purchasing of cheap materials from other players. Of course, you dont need to tell the players that this is so, you just silently include this factor into your design.
Thou the main class income is defined, there are still side imcomes. Say, even for the soloers, they can craft certain items unique to their classes. For instance, warriors and dual wielders can craft gaunlets, rogues and assassins can craft leather boots. While other classes will not be able to produce gaunlets and boots as efficient and as good as the soloers.
Say, tanks are expected to be the social type players, so you can make them blacksmiths (main income) to craft complicated weapons and armors (but not gaunlets and boots).
5. define the item components
Items such as armours and weapons are made up of a mass-production stopper, raw mats and semi-products can be self-gathered, rat mats/semi-products must rely on other classes.
The stopper is the raw mats exclusively or almost exclusively sold by npcs, alternatively as rare mob drops. For example, if a sword can be sold to npc shops with a price of 100 golds, made 80 gold as the stopper. Which means, the player who makes such a sword need to by 80 gold of raw mats from npcs shops, 10 golds from self-gathered raw mats and self-made semi-goods (the making of semi-products follows exactly this same rule), another 7~15 golds for purchasing raw mat/semi-goods from other players.
The 80 gold acts as a stopper for mass-production and thus a stabilizer for defining the price of the final products. Say, if usually a lvl50 player has 1000 gold as flowing cash, he can make 50 such swords (20 gold each) without the stopper (in the hope that several of them are high quality swords). While with the stopper, they can only craft 10 swords (100gold each) with less chance of getting a uber one, then they have to wait for the products to sell in order to get the cash back. This prolongs the crafting cycle and avoids too much uber items flooding the market.
The next is to carefully define how the players can gain money (and lose money) on crafting. Yet it's fun even when they lose money on it once and for awhile.
For example, armours such as platemails are expected to breat at a rate abit less than swords, as the frequency of hitting mobs must be less than being hit by the mobs. So crafters will lose abit in crafting platemails when selling to npcs, they lose money on it till a high quality one is made and sold to the player market. Say the lowest cost of making a platmail 160 gold, it sells to npc at 150gold. But once a high quality one is made, it can be sold to the player market at 300~20000up golds depending on how uber the gear is after the process of crafting, enhancing and customizing.
6. The social aspect
Simple, if it's group friendly game, average players will have less time on crafting as grouping is fun. On the other hand, in a less group friendly or forced grouping game, players may pay more attention on the fun of crafting.
You have to evaluate the time the various types of players may involved in crafting to establish the crafting formula correctly for the possibility/chances of producing the uber items.
As a rule of thumb, hardcore players will most likely take up the line of play style of high damage output and pvp classes. First, no matter how they are detered by the game mechanics, they will still be the richest group of players, so you need to sink more money from them. Second, as they are gaunlet and boot crafters, thus gaunlet and boot crafting will be designed to be much less profitable, raw mat gather will guarrantee their survival (and rich if they are willing to invest time on it) thou.
Since they dont rely on crafting to make money while they may craft gaunlets and boots occationally especially requested by other players, they make them to make friends. Gaunlets and boots are thus relatively less breakable in order to avoid the creating of high demands in the player market.
As they need STR, str is thus the most expensive stats in the game. For example, a +10str sword is worth 100gold, a +14str sword may cost 800gold while a +17str sword may cost 2000up gold. That is, the damage output efficiency may go in a linear way (pve/pvp damage design), yet the str price may go exponentially (rate of uber gear production). Even so, the hardcore players will demand the most uber gear set with +17str.
STR thus sinks the money from the richest group of players, ususally, they are hardcore players with tons of time, and alone.
...........there are more, but i am tired of typing. This is actually the design of my current game. Where the economy is good, with not much inflation, crafting is truly fun. Player majority are not rich but it's not a burden to survive. Players are quite willing to spend money and feel happy to remain "poor".
[Edited by - Hawkins8 on May 25, 2006 1:24:37 AM]
#14 Members - Reputation: 100
Posted 24 May 2006 - 08:22 PM
Various gear sets may be designed for various purposes by different classes. Say, players may need a gear set for general mob grinding, one for pvp, 1 for gvg, one for 1vsMany hunting, 1 for group hunting, 1 for crafting...etc. This may be resulted if you can design a game where different skills/skill sets are used in handling different situations. This is easier to achieve in a turn-based combat system.
There are normal items, items which are enhancable by crafters, items which can be further customized by users after the crafter enhancement, trainable items after enhancement and customization...etc.
[Edited by - Hawkins8 on May 25, 2006 2:22:50 AM]
#15 Members - Reputation: 606
Posted 25 May 2006 - 02:19 AM
It's unusual to have a fixed amount of money in the system - this would rely on tracking the money through several NPC chains to produce a viable model.
Not nessesarily. If you just keep track of the amount that is in the world (ie how much has been droped) and how much is spent/goes into money sinks (ie goe to vendors and such). Then you can track the money in your game world quite easily without having toi track every single "copper piece" (you could do this for any item that your world spawns - and usually do anyway).
This also would allow you to change the amount being dropped. If there is too much money in the world then you can just cut back on the amount dropped (say the chance that money will drop). This allow you to control the amount of money (or other objects) in the game and so control inflation. If there is too much money then the value of an individual coin drops, where as if too little money is in the world then the value of that coin rises.
A good way to see the strength of an economy is the amount of money flow. In a good economy there is a lot of money flowing where as in a bad one the money becomes stagnent and ther is little flow.
Try to add methods that encourage players to spend money, either between them selves or in money sinks.
#16 Members - Reputation: 769
Posted 25 May 2006 - 02:44 AM
This line of thinking [sinking money], to me is completely wrong (nothing personal guys) because it depends on players voluntarily putting money into something that removes it from the game.
Things like item decay and taxes on public market sales also take money out of the game, and aren't voluntary as such. The bottom line is that if you add more money than you take out (assuming a constant number of active players, which a successful MMO will have) your economy will inflate and new players will find themselves at a disadvantage. By that I mean that a player joining today will find it easier than a player joining next year. Eventually this will cause new players to be priced out of decent items and make them stop playing.
The trick is to (a) reduce the universal value of drops (i.e. bunnies don't drop gold coins which can be used anywhere; maybe they drop bunny pelts that are only useful for low-level items), and (b) make the sinks so they take plenty of money away without the players thinking their money is being thrown away.
Keeping a fixed amount of money in the world (or a fixed amount per player) is simple to do – just keep track of inputs and outputs and adjust NPC prices and item drops to keep them the same. I don't think under a typical item-drop regime this is really practical, though, as it is unstable (higher drops cause more people to buy things and increase the output, causing higher drops ... runaway inflation of cashflow and prices, causing all the money to end up in a few players' hands; alternatively, drops and prices drop to near zero and you have no economy).
Fixing the price of certain items and not others will cause the 'unfixed' items to inflate (under usual MMO conditions) and the fixed ones (usually newbie items) not to, leaving you with a situation again where new players are priced out of decent items, becoming frustrated and leaving.
#17 Members - Reputation: 553
Posted 25 May 2006 - 11:51 AM
The token system.
This is essentially a way of creating a real-world economy which has very little guidance from players or admins, yet theoretically works and saves you lots of processing power. Long story short, every item in the world is worth one token, each gold coin too. Once your server has started up, it's just a matter of logging the movement of these tokens rather than their actual identities. Add some pixy dust, and a squirt of special sauce and you have yourself a magical bean factory filled with love piggies.
I didn't say it was sensible. But it's a possibility and it amuses me.
#18 Crossbones+ - Reputation: 2966
Posted 25 May 2006 - 01:52 PM
Keep base prices down low, and have all the 'best' items in the game user crafted (requiring skills that take some time to work on). Set the game up in such a way that older players are going to want to spend money, don't give them much reason to hoard too much. Being able to buy estates/castles and have to pay upkeeps and for guards or something similar (hireable heros that follow them)
Avoid having things like single "Spwan point of Uber baddy that drops this great stuff". This leads to people camping them and hoarding the drops. Idealy what you want is a slightly open landscape, where spwans are random, so if you are hunting bears, you can't keep going to the same spot day after day, you have to actually go look for them. Not only is this a little more fun and stops things seeming the EXACT same each time you do it, but it also makes it tens of times harder for people that would make a script to gather the drops.
Keep the gains in money low, and the spending needs low as well.
#19 Members - Reputation: 270
Posted 25 May 2006 - 08:13 PM
WHich drives me to my second point. You have to have a sink, somewhere, preferably one which cannot be escaped. If you want, you can make this food and beverage. In most MMOs, this is merely the sugar coating, because you can so easily skip it and never worry about your character having to eat or drink. And if you don't want your character to have to sleep at all, you should also have to buy those super power pills which enable your character to remain awake for days on end. But you should have to pay heavily for it, and also in terms of game time spent sleeping again after that.
Third point, if every item is crafted, you should have item decay, because it's all there is to it. You keep coming back to the crafters.
Fourth point, have the mobs have a sense of danger, so that you actually go HUNTING? and not ducksitting where they spawn. If the mobs actually sense danger in an encounter with you, they'll flee, and usually faster than you can catch them up. Which means that you should have the higher level folks CRAVE for something only the lower levels can get access to, as well as the other way around, just for the sake of having the money moving around, and not sitting in someone's pockets. Let's say only the lower levels, maybe only the first level, can hide their power long enough to be able to catch a fairy, or a gnome, or an imp, well, a magical creature which blood is used to enchant weapons and armors, and that said magical creatures will flee if they sense any magical creature blood in a huge radius around them? WHich means that, once you have yourself a magical weapon or armor, or anything, you have to rely on lower levels to provide you with magical creatures you cannot have access to.
Fifth point. If you're a crafter, you have to come into play with some sort of richness, because if you don't, then you're stuck. But here, we sort of hit a wall. What limits the ability of a power gamer to create a crafter character, buying at high price some unusable item from some alternate character, then deleting the crafter, and repeating the process? What limits the game from creating an infinite quantity of money? Well, maybe you could start with limiting the amount of money created PER ACCOUNT. I don't mind having large amounts of money around the world, as long as it can be divided between every character roughly evenly. This way, if you want to create an infinite number of crafters from the same account, it means that you will have to suffer from MANY goldless crafters, in the beginning. AND any other character doesn't come to the game with ANY money in his pocketsz. You should work to get anything, just like in Project Entropia's Olden Days...
#20 Members - Reputation: 530
Posted 25 May 2006 - 11:48 PM
We have an event-driven spawning and mob movement system (eg wolves are attracted by deer, which lowers the deer population in that area, forcing the wolves elsewhere). So no particular spawn points (for general creatures) to camp.
Also implemented are regional events (such as a dragon taking up residence). The location for such a lair is chosen from a large number of possibles, making camping difficult. Regardless, spawns are rigged NEVER to occur in visual range of players. Dragons etc only keep what they take (although there is a certain amount of 'ancient treasure' in the world).
Currency is based on a single common denominator (the Copper Piece), of which each currency is a multiple. (Eg a crown in one kingdom is 5CP, a guilder in another might be 15CP). Kingdoms are the top level geographical division for economy, and have a min and max tax rate, min and max value for raw resources, exchange rate control and the ability to mint coins from raw resources. Metalworkers can melt down coins for less raw resources than it took to make them (so you could make a gold candlestick from 300 gold coins, but why would you want to? - Other kingdoms might do this just to stimie the amount of currency in circulation). Under kingdoms are baronies, which have tighter tax control (between the min and max rates), tighter min and max buy / sell prices for resources. Under baronies are manors, which have a precise tax rate, but no further controls. Under manors are the individual traders - these have precise control of their buy and sell rates (within the limits set by their manor), which they will adapt according to supply and demand to make the best profit.
I have to point out that the economy for Bloodspear is also a mechanic in the top level kingdom-vs-kingdom (PvP) game.
NPCs can be bossed around by the heads of Manors by orders to various Guilds. Say a manor lord needs swords for his retinue- he'd put out an order to the blacksmith's guild, which forward the order to appropriate blacksmiths in the area. They purchase their goods from the miner's guild etc. etc.
Different social structures can be placed together to limit the pricing range - perhaps the blacksmith's guild takes a cut, paying less for the swords than they're selling them for. At each key point there's a player (more correctly a number of players) in control, attempting to fulfil a higher order.
It's basically an operating version of the feudal system, with a few tweaks to allow player competition for the ranking spots, and to prevent (massive) abuse from occuring.
We don't have uber items. Even the top level items confer only a partial advantage. We do have a *very* flexible crafting system, allowing a crafter to modify the item they're creating by adding traits which affect the stats of the item (and the difficulty of the task!). For example, 'heavy' is a trait that can be applied to all weapons. They do more damage, take slightly more materials to make, but weigh more. 'sharp' is applied to edged and piercing weapons, they inflict no more damage but pierce soft armour. We also allow negative traits (for badly failed crafting, or those attempting to make more difficult items) - these decrease the skill required to make the item - 'shoddy', 'fragile', 'weak' etc, all with appropriate stat effects. Although nobody is going to want a negative-traited item, needs must where the devil drives, and if you need a sword, you need a sword. It goes without saying that negative-traited items sell for a lot less than decent ones of the same type.
For some purposes (mostly enchanting) certain traits may be required ('fine quality or better'), meaning that top quality crafters are always going to be required.
In terms of starting characters off, the gameflow for Bloodspear involves a tutorial stage geared around a chosen background profession 'apprenticeship'. The quests given teach about relevant skills, provide some resources, money and a feel for the world. After completing their apprenticeship they're on their own.


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Treatment of raw brines from desalination plants
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Warrior Sports, the equipment company that ran a marketing campaign that upset former Syracuse lacrosse player Jovan Miller and others, has apologized for the campaign and has deleted online references to it, according to a lacrosse website and a Charlotte, N.C. television station.
Warrior recent ran a social media marketing campaign for its Dojo shoe using the phrase "Ninja, please," which upset some African American lacrosse players who saw it as play on a phrase with racial overtones. Miller spoke out against the company and said he would not wear the company's gear. Since the company supplies the jerseys to Major League Lacrosse, a boycott would have prevented Miller from playing with the MLL's Charlotte Hounds.
Warrior has since apologized. From the Inside Lacrosse website:
While Warrior has not and may not release an official statement, a Warrior official told IL: "We certainly did not mean to offend anyone, and once we realized the campaign was being taken the wrong way, we removed mention of the tagline from all our social media. We've also reached out to Jovan Miller to talk with him. We apologize to anyone who was offended by this."
A Warrior Sports official also called a television station in Charlotte, N.C., that had reported on the controversy.
"We are not using it anymore and we do apologize if it was taken the wrong way," said Warrior Sports Chief Marketing Officer Dave Dixon in a phone call to NBC Charlotte," If we had thought it was going to be offensive, we wouldn't have done it
... "We apologized, we pulled it from the site and we are moving on."
Miller told Inside Lacrosse that he was surprised by how much publicity his comments generated. He also said he has received some hateful comments via social media sites.
"It's bothering me and it's to the point that I wish I hadn't said anything," Miller said. "I want to apologize to just about everybody because now it's not only made the lacrosse world more aware of the situation, but it's causing a rift. I didn't want to do that, I just wanted to let them know that I didn't approve of it. It's so hard not to feel like you're alienating not only yourself, but those around you. It's been so terribly misinterpreted."
» Previous coverage: Former Syracuse lacrosse player Jovan Miller boycotts equipment company over marketing slogan
» Lacrosse company responds to boycott over racial slogan [WCNC-TV]
» Jovan Miller, Warrior Respond to 'Dojo' Campaign, Mainstream Media Attention [Inside Lacrosse]


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Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
One of the most widely quoted poems ever written, "The Road Not Taken" was completed in 1915 and first published in Frost's volume Mountain Interval (1916). Taught in high school classrooms across the English-speaking world, it's become popular as a depiction of rugged individuality, of "straying from the beaten path." But is it that simple?
According to critic William Pritchard:
[Frost] characterized himself in that poem particularly as 'fooling my way along.' He also said that it was really about his friend Edward Thomas, who when they walked together always castigated himself for not having taken another path than the one they took. When Frost sent 'The Road Not Taken' to Thomas he was disappointed that Thomas failed to understand it as a poem about himself, but Thomas in return insisted to Frost that 'I doubt if you can get anybody to see the fun of the thing without showing them and advising them which kind of laugh they are to turn on.' And though this sort of advice went exactly contrary to Frost's notion of how poetry should work, he did on occasion warn his audiences and other readers that it was a tricky poem. Yet it became a popular poem for very different reasons than what Thomas referred to as 'the fun of the thing.' It was taken to be an inspiring poem rather, a courageous credo stated by the farmer-poet of New Hampshire. In fact, it is an especially notable instance in Frost's work of a poem which sounds noble and is really mischievous (Frost: A Literary Life Reconsidered, 1984)


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Unprecedented drills cause consternation amongst conservatives
by Paul Joseph Watson, Infowars:
The Department of Defense has confirmed foreign media reports that Russian troops are set to target terrorists on Americans soil as part of an unprecedented joint drill with the United States which will take place in Colorado next month.
As we reported yesterday, Airborne troops from Russia are set to take part in drills focused around targeting terrorists at Fort Carson between May 24 and May 31. The soldiers will also be mingling with the local community, attending a baseball game in Colorado Springs during their stay.
Although it marks the first time Russian troops will train on U.S. soil, soldiers from a plethora of different nations have been involved in similar drills for well over a decade.
Please follow SGT Report on Twitter & help share the message.


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The reason animal proteins trigger the release of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1 more than plant proteins may be because the relative ratios of amino acids in animal proteins more closely resembles our own.
Animalistic Plant Proteins
While animal proteins increase levels of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1, and most plant proteins bring levels down, "high quality" plant proteins, such as soy, may not significantly affect levels in either direction. This, however, may depend on the quantity consumed.


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Each product is sewn start to finish by one person – assembly line techniques used by the competition cannot begin to match the Port Canvas commitment to quality. Every sewer provides years of experience and pride which are incorporated into each design through to the finished product. You will even find their initials proudly inscribed on the backside of the label.
The Port Canvas Company has been making soft canvas products in Kennebunkport, Maine, since 1968 – 42 years and thriving. History has clearly shown all the stress points and allowed Port Canvas to incorporate time-proven defenses against premature failure. Things like double-stitched seams, large double-folded hems and extending the handles under the bag are just a few of the steps taken to ensure longevity.
"One of the greatest joys has been getting to know a wide variety of customers from all over the world. Each year, we look forward to seeing the summer residents return to Kennebunkport and the surrounding area. Regular visitors are another source of interaction as they pass through going 'downeast.' Please stop by and say hi; we would welcome the opportunity. 'A stranger is a friend we haven't met yet.'"


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current owners of the property, Stacy and Michael Semaan, who would maintain it would be more cost-effective to demolish the home rather than renovate it, and neighbors concerned about the property values of their homes being affected by the demolition.
Nearby residents Mary Breiner and Jeff Weber submitted the application for the historic landmark designation.
Planning Commission ruled on Dec. 6, 2012 that the mansion, located at 13474 Edgewater Drive, was eligible to be designated a historic landmark, but deferred the decision when the commission met again on Jan. 3. The commission was short-handed at that meeting, and commission chairman Mark Stockman expressed concern about making a quick decision on the first residential property to apply for the designation.
On Jan. 10, Mark Reinhold, the architect for the Semaan family, presented plans for a new house to the Board of Building Standards, but that meeting was used a work session and no vote or decision was made.
A Heideloff family member, who asked not to be quoted directly, provided clarification about why the family left the property. The house had not been vacant for five years before the Semaan family purchased it, according to the family member. The information provided indicated that one of the occupants had some health issues and in 2009, it was recommended that he move to a place with first-floor accommodations.
The family member said the house was visited frequently and continued to be their mailing address. Also, there was a twice-monthly cleaning service and continued lawn care/gardening service. A new roof was added in 2010, according to information provided by the family.
The family member said the house was never in financial distress, but admits the housing crisis affected them because of several out-of-state properties they owned. The family member said through a settlement with their bank, they returned those properties along with some other family assets, including the house on Edgewater, to help offset their losses.
The family member acknowledged the almost 100-year-old structure needs some work, but said all necessary issues were disclosed when the property was listed for sale. However, the family member maintains the needed renovations were not why they left the house.
Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 in the auditorium at Lakewood City Hall and is expected to discuss the status of the house. The meeting is open to the public.


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Crown Max Decor, Inc.
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Our crown molding contractors have earned us a well deserved reputation for affordable prices, expert designs & finishing. Our South Fl- crown molding installers are professional craftsmen who know just the right material for any use and situation in our semi-tropical South Florida climate. As always – We Offer Free Estimates & Consultations and interior designers are welcome.


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Winter Weather Awareness Day
November 17th, 2010
With the winter weather season quickly approaching, it is important to become prepared and aware of the dangers of winter storms. The National Weather Service in Topeka will observe November 17th as a day to help remind residents how to prepare and stay safe when the first winter storm comes rolling through.
Blizzards, ice, snow, and sleet are all too common across northeast Kansas. Winter phenomena can be as intense as a blizzard and last as long as days. Road conditions can deteriorate quickly, and power lines may snap with the onset of icy conditions. The Winter of 2009-2010 was a perfect example with the Christmas Eve Blizzard, multiple winter storms, and sub-zero temperatures. For more information on averages and extremes from past winters, scroll down to the header, Winter Averages and Extremes.
Break down of winter weather terminology used by Meteorologists
Winter Weather Message: Segmented product issued every few hours giving details and information on winter weather watches, warnings, advisories, cancellations and safety information.
Winter Storm Watch: Severe winter weather is possible in the affected area. May include; snow storm, ice storm, blizzard, dangerous wind chills, or a combination of these items. Issued 12 to 48 hours in advance.
Winter Storm Warning: Significant and possibly life-threatening severe winter weather will occur, or is about to begin. For example: snowfall of 6 inches in 12 hours and/or 8 inches in 24 hours, a mix or snow and freezing rain or sleet. Issued within 12 hours of conditions.
Blizzard Warning: Wind at least 35 mph with falling or blowing snow reducing visibility to under ¼ mile for at least three hours.
High Wind Warning: Wind gusts above 57 mph or sustained winds at 41 mph or higher, for at least an hour.
Ice Storm Warning: Heavy ice accumulation will cause dangerous and damaging situations, such as downed utility lines and icy roads.
Wind Chill Warning: Wind Chill values colder than 25 below zero.
Winter Weather Advisory: Any combination of winter events that cause significant inconvenience, but probably not life-threatening when caution is exercised. For example; 1-5 inches of snow, light sleet or freezing drizzle, some blowing and/or drifting snow etc…
Snow Advisory: New snowfall of 1 to 5 inches is expected.
Wind Advisory: Sustained winds between 31 and 40 mph.
Wind Chill Advisory: Wind chills of 15 below to 25 below zero.
Freezing Drizzle Advisory: Light ice coating on roads and highways, but no damage is expected to trees/power lines.
Blowing Snow Advisory: Wind-driven snow reducing visibility to ¼ mile or less.
Dense Fog Advisory: Widespread fog with visibility under ¼ mile.
Winter Averages and Extremes
With winter quickly approaching, it's time for people across northeast Kansas to start gearing up for a return of cold and snowy conditions. Below are some statistics from Topeka and Concordia which reflect some averages and extemes from winters past. To see the climatological output for this upcoming winter be sure to visit the Climate Prediction Center.
|Earliest First Snow
October 9th
October 8th
|Latest First Snow
January 21st
December 31st
|Average Snow Amount
19.6 inches
22.8 inches
|Record Low Temperature
-26 deg
-33 deg
|47.9" (1911-12)
|59.1" (1959-60)
|44.4" (1959-60)
|54.0" (1943-44)
|43.2" (1992-93)
|45.2" (1957-58)
|42.9" (1978-79)
|44.0" (1970-71)
|42.5" (1914-15)
|43.8" (1911-12)
Least Snowiest Cold Seasons (July through June)
|3.6" (1916-17)
|2.5" (1903-04)
|4.5" (1922-23)
|3.1" (1910-11)
|4.7" (1965-66)
|6.4" (1988-89)
|5.0" (1907-08)
|7.6" (1980-81)
|5.3" (1927-28)
|8.1" (1965-66)
Below we have provided links on safety, past winter storms over northeast Kansas, and additional articles of interest:
Click here for more information about staying safe and warm during the winter season.
Topeka Tiller November 2010 Newsletter
National Winter Weather Preparedness Page
Owlie Skywarn™ Winter Storm Coloring Book
February 22, 2010 Winter Storm
Winter Storms - The Deceptive Killers


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It's been a while since I blogged because I've been busy coughing and running a fever. Don't be jealous. It hasn't been as pleasant as it sounds.
The bug the kids had last week, I got, and was basically in bed for a week. I don't remember ever being so sick and it's a slow recovery. The cough is kind of hanging on and I get tired easily, but the worst is behind me.
Today I am taking my four younger boys out for some much needed fresh air and exercise. Last week all of the older kids were gone to a film festival and I was sick, so the four yung'uns were left pretty much to themselves which basically means lots of wii and eating nachos. After an early ortho appointment we will do what every red-blooded American boy wants to do on his first day out of the house in week…. see Cinderella and eat froyo.
And we'll definitely blast some music in the van and rock 'til we drop. Maybe some show tunes….let the good times roll.
I do have a few reflections on being sick and in bed for a week. There's always something good to find no matter what you're going through. First, I got my entire DVR cleaned off and watched every show I ever recorded, including The Wizard of Oz, which I don't remember recording. But I watched it anyway.
Second, I am pretty sure I caught up on all of the rest & relaxation that I have missed for the past couple of years. I can check that off my to-do list.
Third, we don't have to figure out if we are going to take a spring break this year. That was decided for us. No school for a week. Bam. Done.
In other news, my kitchen makeover got pushed back a few weeks since we have been sick. Also, in rethinking the project, I feel like I need to drastically reduce the budget for it. So I have been sitting on the bench in the kitchen and staring at the walls. I did buy the paint already, but I am undecided as to how to proceed because I originally planned some new cabinets but they're not in my new budget. The puzzle I am trying to solve is how to get a well done look for basically, well, no money.
It is kind of my favorite problem to have because it forces me to come up with some of my best ideas by being restricted with a tight budget. The summer before last I made a great towel holder in the boys' bathroom out of scraps and I would never have come up with it if I had been able to just go buy something.
I built this cabinet last year that solved three problems in my bathroom for very little money….
While I stare at my kitchen and watch a princess movie with 4 superhero fans, I hope you have a great day.
See ya!


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As part of the American Express Unstaged concert series, John Legend and the Roots took to the stage at Terminal 5 in New York to cover Arcade Fire's album "Funeral". John Legend took lead vocals. The John Legend and Roots collaboration was released in September 2010.
Support for John Legend's UK tour has been confirmed as British singer-songwriter Jess Glynne.
John Legend is the latest artist confirmed for Ireland's Live at the Marquee festival.
John Legend will embark on his first arena tour of the UK during summer 2015.


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Brownstone Quilters Guild
PO Box 228, Waldwick NJ 07463
Thank you for a successful 2011 Quilt Show!
Brownstone 2011 Raffle Quilt
"Friendship Garden"
Cranes in Flight
by Elizabeth O'Sullivan
First place - Bed pieced
Hand quilted by myself
Traditional block,
with original applique design on the border
A Wreath for all Seasons
by Kathi Kruk
Honorable mention - Machine workmanship
Original design
by Elizabeth O'Sullivan
2nd Place - Wall Pieced
Hand quilted by myself
"Kimonos" pattern by Betty Blais
by Kathi Kruk
Honorable mention -
Quilted by Colleen Nunes
Pattern: One Block Wonder by Maxine Rosenthal
Give Peace Another Chance
by Donna Weber
Honorable mention - Large Wall Pieced
Quilted by self
Pattern: The Peace Quilt ~ Margaret Rolfe ~ That Patchwork Place
Undersea Fantasy
by Judith Fringuello
1rst Place - Innovative
Quilted by maker and original design
Quilted by maker and original design
Gift of friendship
Submited by Barbara Bergstein
2nd Place - Group Wall Quilt
Applique by Susan Zuniga
Machine quilted by Judy Zindel.
Pattern. The Blue Collection by Maggie Walker
Down on the Farm
by Margaret Farabaugh
3rd Place - Group Wall quilt
Quilted by Peggy Szasz
Pattern: Storybook Farm by McKenna Ryan
Small Flower Basket 2
by Barbara Khan
Best of Show
Quilted by Barbara Khan
Pattern : original
by Barbara Khan
quilted by Ann Hutcheon
Pattern: Wm Morris in Applique
Tossed Salad
by Susan Hammer
3rd Place - Wall Quilt Pieced
Quilted by maker
by Susan Hammer
Honorable mention- Large Wall Quilt Applique
Quilted by maker
The Wickersham Signature Quilt
Australian Love Beads
by Nancy Strife
Honorable Meention- Small Quilt Applique
Quilted by maker
A Leisurely Trip Around the World
by Nancy Strife
1rst Place- Small Quilt Pieced
Quilted by maker
Pattern: traditional Amish, inspired from Amish Quiltmaker by Bettina Havig
Celestial Magic
by Anja Bogaerts
1rst place -large group wall quil
quilt top and design by Anja Bogaerts
quilted by Barbara Meunier
New York Beauty
by Anja Bogaerts
2nd place - large group wall quilt
quilt top by Anja Bogaerts
quilted by Barbara Meunier
pattern: Karen A. Stone


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County adopts Office of Law Oversight
Three years of work to provide independent civilian oversight of internal investigations by the King County Sheriff's Office came to fruition Monday, as the Metropolitan King County Council unanimously approved legislation to implement the creation of a new Office of Law Enforcement Oversight.
"The Office of Law Enforcement Oversight will increase transparency in potential police misconduct cases and restore the public's trust that legitimate concerns will be fairly and thoroughly investigated," said Council Vice Chair Bob Ferguson. "Meaningful civilian oversight of the Sheriff's Office internal investigations process is important to the accountability and integrity of our county government."
"The people of King County have continued to ask for transparent and independent review of complaints against Sheriff's deputies," said Councilmember Julia Patterson, co-chair of the Council's Law, Justice, Health and Human Services Committee. "The overwhelming majority of the men and women who work for the Sheriff's Office have seen their reputations threatened by the actions of a few. Moving forward with civilian oversight protects the people who put their lives on the line every day while restoring public confidence that complaints will be taken seriously."
Ferguson and Patterson first called for civilian oversight of the Sheriff's Office in January 2006, following an investigation that raised serious concerns about inadequate handling of misconduct allegations. The council conducted nearly a year of research, intensive discussion with citizens and experts, and a review of how other jurisdictions provide effective oversight.
The new Office of Law Enforcement Oversight will report directly to the King County Council. The office will be responsible for receiving complaints of alleged misconduct, actively monitoring the Sheriff's internal investigations unit, and assessing its thoroughness and objectivity. The office will present an annual report about the complaint investigation process that will include recommendations for improvement.
Many elements of the reforms were negotiated as part of a new labor contract between the county and the King County Police Officers Guild, the union representing Sheriff's deputies. The negotiation process concluded last year, and the Council approved the new contract in December.
Where specific provisions of the new contract differ from the reforms originally passed by the Council in 2006, the legislation adopted today enacts oversight language consistent with terms of the contract. The legislation implements many reforms that were part of the original ordinance, including:
• permanent and ongoing law enforcement audit process to analyze and suggest course corrections for investigative processes and policies.
• A countywide citizen panel to provide input for the director of the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight on policies, procedures, and practices related to the investigation of officer misconduct. The 11-member panel would aid the office in informing the community about the sheriff's discipline policies and foster communication between the public and the Sheriff's Office.
• A voluntary officer-citizen mediation process as an alternative method of resolving complaints, which would allow willing citizens and officers to meet with a professional mediator to discuss and resolve their differences.
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Corporate Execs: NCUA Mum on Legacy Assets
Corporate executives tell Credit Union Times they don't know anything about NCUA's legacy assets plan, including whether or not their investments will be included.
First Carolina Corporate FCU's president/CEO David Brehmer said he hasn't had any formal discussions with NCUA Board or staff regarding the regulator's legacy assets plan, nor does he know of any other corporate executive who has.
Should the NCUA include all corporate-owned private label MBS in its legacy asset plan, and the $2.3 billion First Carolina is forced to recognize unrealized losses as a result, it would further deplete the corporate's 2% net worth. Brehmer called the NCUA's lack of transparency "frustrating" and it is breeding apprehension, distrust and even anger among his members as they try to plan for the future.
Kevin Brauer, senior vice president of member relations for the $9.5 billion Members United Corporate FCU said, "if approached by the NCUA, Members United stands ready to discuss our thoughts in regard to any proposed legacy assets plan."
Mid-Atlantic Corporate FCU Senior Vice President of Marketing Leigh E. Philibosian said the NCUA hasn't met with CEO Jay Murray, nor has NCUA asked for any information regarding the $4 billion corporate's investments.
Missouri Corporate CU President/CEO Dennis DeGroot said he isn't privy to legacy assets plan details, but added his $775 million corporate probably doesn't own any qualifying investments.


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WYFF News 4 at 6: February 28, 2014UPDATED 8:45 PM EST Feb 28, 2014
WYFF News 4 at 6: February 28, 2014Video Transcript
NEWS 4 AT SIX STARTS NOW.. HILTON GREENVILLE SKY CAM... THE SUN IS IN THE PROCESS OF SETTING. TONIGHT WILL BE COLD AND WET IN SOME PLACES... BUT THE OPPOSITE IS EXPECTED FOR THE WEEKEND. NEWS 4 METEOROLOGIST CHRIS JUSTUS IS IN FOR JOHN TODAY.. CHRIS TELL US ABOUT OUR WEEKEND... A WEAK STORM SYSTEM IS MOVING IN FROM THE WEST TONIGHT LOSING MOISTURE AS IT MOVES OVER OUR AREA. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SOME LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS MAYBE MIXED WITH A FEW SLEET PELLETS OVERNIGHT IN THE UPSTATE. THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS MAY SEE A QUICK DUSTING BUT THIS STORM WILL HAVE VERY LITTLE IMPACT ON OUR AREA. A WEAK STORM SYSTEM IS MOVING IN FROM THE WEST TONIGHT LOSING POLICE IN SPARTANBURG SAY THEY ARRESTED AN ATTORNEY FOR PRACTICING LAW.. WITHOUT A LICENSE. WYFF NEWS FOUR'S MIKE MCCORMICK IS LIVE AND LOCAL AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.. MIKE.. HE IS CHARGED. RIGHT.. THIS IS THE WARRANT FOR BREACH OF TRUST.. AND NOW A FELONY CHARGE IS PENDING, TOO. 51:59 "i'm just trying to get the estate squared away." THOMAS MORGAN'S MOM DIED IN EARLY 2013... 48:05 "I wanted all the t's crossed, all the i's dotted." HE SAYS A FRIEND REFERRED HIM TO ATTORNEY JOHN KEVIN OWENS.. WHO WAS RENTING AN OFFICE IN THIS LAW FIRM'S BUILDING IN SPARTANBURG. 49:12 "I thought he was on the up and up." MORGAN SAYS HE PAID OWENS BETWEEN SIX AND SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS... 49:27 "We had agreed on $1,500, he'd handle everything." BEFORE FINDING OUT THAT OWENS' LAW LICENSE WAS SUSPENDED. 51:22 "so he took my money and he hadn't done anything in probate." THE COURT HAD NO RECORD OF MORGAN EVEN HAVING AN ATTORNEY.. SO HE WENT TO POLICE.. AND INVESTIGATOR JOHN BURGESS.. 10:17 "we usually don't get those type of cases with an attorney practicing with a suspended license." ACCORDING TO A DOCUMENT FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT.. OWENS' LICENSE WAS SUSPENDED IN MAY 2013.. FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS. 53:09 "he seemed like a nice enough fellow." POLICE SAY OWENS CONTINUED PRACTICING LAW.. AND DUPED MORGAN IN THE PROCESS. 55:38 "I don't know where he's went crazy, I don't know." OWENS IS NOW CHARGED WITH BREACH OF TRUST. HE APPEARED IN BOND COURT FRIDAY MORNING.. 20:30 "based on your record, the court is going to issue a personal recognizance bond of $2,000." AND WOULDN'T TALK TO US AS HE WALKED OUT.. 47:42 "could we get your side of the story? I'd have to direct all comments to my attorney." NOW HE HAS AN ATTORNEY.. BUT THOMAS MORGAN... DOES NOT.. 52:45 "it drove me crazy, because it scared me to death that I'm going to lose everything I had." POLICE SAY THEY BELIEVE THERE ARE MORE VICTIMS OUT THERE. IF YOU THINK YOU'RE ONE OF THEM.. CALL CRIME STOPPERS AT 1-888-CRIME-SC. MIKE MCCORMICK, WYFF NEWS FOUR, LIVE IN SPARTANBURG. THANK YOU MIKE.. GREENVILLE COUNTY DEPUTIES SAY A MAN USED HIS VEHICLE TO TRY AND KILL SOMEONE THIS AFTERNOON. INVESTIGATORS HAVE CHARGED DUNG Q DANG WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER. IT HAPPENED AT THE INTERSECTION OF EDWARDS ROAD AND WINDMERE DRIVE. DEPUTIES SAY DANG INTENTIONALLY HIT THE VICTIMS VEHICLE. WE'RE TOLD THE VICTIM WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL WITH HEAD TRAUMA. DANG IS IN THE GREENVILLE COUNTY JAIL AWAITING A BOND HEARING. ANYONE WHO HAS INFORMATION ON THIS CASE IS ASKED TO CALL CRIME STOPPERS AT 23-CRIME. IN ANDERSON... POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR A MAN ACCUSED OF STEALING EVERYTHING FROM ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT.. TO COLLECTIBLE COINS. OFFICERS SAY DESHON CLARK WAS IDENTIFIED THROUGH FINGERPRINTS TAKEN FROM STOLEN ITEMS FROM TWO HOMES. THEY SAY CLARK BROKE INTO A HOME BACK IN 2013. POLICE SAY SEVERAL ITEMS WERE FOUND BEHIND A STORAGE BUILDING ON CORNING STREET WITH HIS FINGERPRINTS ON THEM. INVESTIGATORS SAY HE ALSO BROKE INTO A HOME ON CORNING STREET AND ITEMS FROM THAT HOME WERE FOUND AT A NEARBY VACANT HOUSE. POLICE BELIEVE CLARK IS ALSO INVOLVED IN OTHER CRIMES. IF YOU KNOW WHERE CLARK IS CALL CRIME STOPPERS AT 1- 888-CRIME-SC. THERE'S A REWARD FOR AN ARREST AND CONVICTION. IF YOU'VE EVER LEFT YOUR CAR RUNNING IN YOUR DRIVEWAY TO WARM IT UP ON A CHILLY MORNING.. YOU MAY WANT TO THINK TWICE BEFORE DOING IT AGAIN. GREER POLICE SAY FIVE RUNNING VEHICLES HAVE NOW BEEN STOLEN FROM PEOPLE'S DRIVEWAYS. WYFF NEWS 4'S TIM WALLER IS LIVE IN GREER WITH MORE TONIGHT. THIS IS SOMETHING MANY PEOPLE ARE GUILTY OF DOING, MICHAEL... FIGURING OUR VEHICLES WILL BE SAFE IN OUR DRIVEWAYS FOR JUST A FEW MINUTES. BUT THOSE FIVE PEOPLE IN GREER, WHO HAD THEIR CARS STOLEN, TOLD POLICE IT HAPPENED.. JUST LIKE THAT. IT HAPPENED AGAIN THIS WEEK.. AT THIS GREER APARTMENT COMPLEX AT 7:05 IN THE MORNING. POLICE SAY A WOMAN "STARTED HER CAR AND LEFT IT RUNNING TO WARM UP." "IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES," SHE TOLD THEM, "IT WAS GONE." A BLUE 2002 JEEP LIBERTY, LIKE THIS ONE, STOLEN.. AND HERS ISN'T THE FIRST. "We know of five that are related or we believe they're related by the similar circumstances." GREER POLICE SAY THE VEHICLES STOLEN FROM PEOPLE'S DRIVEWAYS.. INCLUDE ALL MAKES AND MODELS. AND THEY SAY IT'S HAPPENED IN ALL PARTS OF TOWN.. NOT JUST ONE AREA.. BUT FIVE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS. THEY BELIEVE THIEVES ARE LOOKING FOR UNATTENDED CARS. "They look for the exhaust coming out or some other sign to let them know the vehicle is running. You know, the keys are in it. It's unattended." THE ONLY ADVICE THEY CAN OFFER... AS TEMPTING AS IT IS ON A CHILLY MORNING, DON'T DO IT. "Well, don't leave your car by itself running. You just can't do it right now. If you bundle up and sit in the car until the windows defrost until you drive away, but just don't leave it alone." THERE IS AN ORDINANCE IN THE CITY OF GREER.. AS WELL AS MANY OTHER CITIES ACROSS THE STATE.. THAT MAKES IT ILLEGAL TO LEAVE YOUR UNATTENDED CAR RUNNING. IT'S A MISDEMEANER CHARGE.. AND YOU COULD BE TICKETED FOR THAT, IF CAUGHT. BUT THE BIGGER DANGER HERE IS THIEVES.. LOOKING FOR EASY OPPORTUNITY. TIM WALLER, WYFF NEWS 4, LIVE IN GREER. FIRE HEAVILY DAMAGED HOME THIS MORNING... IN WOODRUFF. IT STARTED THIS MORNING AROUND 10:00 ON WESTMORELAND ROAD.... YOU CAN SEE WHERE FLAMES TOOK OUT MOST OF THE ROOF. FIREFIGHTERS SAY THE FIRE ACTUALLY STARTED IN AN OUTBUILDING.. BUT SPREAD TO THE HOME.. ONE PERSON WAS HOME.. BUT ESCAPED UNHARMED. THE DAMAGE FROM THIS MONTHS WINTER STORMS ARE TOTALING INTO THE MILLIONS. SOUTH CAROLINA OFFICIALS SAY PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES ARE COMING UP TO ABOUT 120 MILLION DOLLARS... SO FAR. OFFICIALS SAY THE RISING TOTALS WILL QUALIFY THE STATE FOR FEDERAL HELP DEALING WITH STORM COSTS. IF DECLARED, IT WOULD BE THE FIRST FEDERAL DISASTER IN SOUTH CAROLINA IN ALMOST A DECADE. THE
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Excellent quality
They gave my bay window in the kitchen the "wow" factor!! I love them....the ruby color is beautiful!!
This looks and feels like a much more expensive window treatment. It looks great in my guest bath.
Exactly what I've been looking for! I did have a problem with one of the panels. Some of the stitching along the top (where the rod goes through) was not there. I could have returned them but it only took a minute to fix it on the sewing machine. I bought 3 pairs...they look great!
They are simply beautiful! Very well sown,lined and very elegant in my living room!
The valances, lined, are beautiful. The ruby color perfect. The drape and gather is soft and elegant. I especially like the pattern for it compliments and embelishes the background, A+ quality.
Valance is of excellent quality & style. The stitery is close knit leaving one with impression of excellent care when product was made, "no cheap look". Bought for my laundry room, but unwrapped package in kitchen and that is where they were hung. Wish I had bought more. May just do that!


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Bishop Blasts "Gay Conspirator" McKellen
The Rt Rev Joseph Devine doesn't read Hillary Clinton's playbook. The Bishop of Motherwell refuses to apologize after blasting a so-called "gay conspiracy". Devine alleges that we gay folk are working on a coalition with other "persecuted" groups, like Holocaust survivors. The Catholic leader also points a finger at actor Ian McKellen.
The homosexual lobby has been extremely effective in aligning itself with minority groups.
It is ever-present at the service each year for the Holocaust memorial, as if to create for themselves the image of a group of people under persecution. We neglect the gay movement at our peril.
I want to ask you if you are able to see the giant conspiracy that's taking place before our eyes, even if we didn't see it at the time. I take it you're beginning to see that there is a huge and well-orchestrated conspiracy taking place, which the Catholic community missed.
Drat! Our plans have been discovered! Abort, abort!
As a Catholic, I'm ashamed of this charlatan. He's a disgrace even to the Catholic teaching on homosexuality…which is retrograde enough!
I hope not only all gays, especially in the United Kingdom, and good Catholic people everywhere denounce this tool. Believe me, he'll back down if he feels the wrath of the everyday Catholic come down on him.Mar 13, 2008 at 10:44 am · @Reply ·
And speaking of the Holocaust, they missed that, too! Oh, no wait. The Pope actually actively colluded with the Nazis.
What a shmuck.
Maybe the gays are represented at Holocaust memorials cuz the Nazis put gays in the concentration camps too… while Catholic Italy, Austria and Vichy France were colluding with Hitler??
That is where the pink triangle comes from, reverend.
May as well say that he had "a conspiracy" with the Nazis. What an idiot, I don't know when combining forces or interests is a conspiracy, unless it is underhanded. This guy like most "true believers" is a boob.
I love the persecuted desperation this reeks of. We don't have to "align" ourselves with other groups facing discrimination. The monolith we all fight stands in stark contrast to our small, but persistent efforts. The people who guard the gates and force us out of society live in fear we will gain some power over them and do eaxctly what they have done to us. I struggle every day to remember to try and be energetic and active without being vengeful.
OMFG, how dare anyone step to the most adorable man in the world, Sir Ian. That is a straight up sin.
The more a man has irrational fear and loathing of gay people, the more likely it is that he is gay and ashamed. Straight people come to an intuitive understanding when they grow up and think for themselves. Devine is probably gay and ashamed of it and is hiding behind "The Cloth"! I hope he doesn't take out his angst on his altar boys!


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River nips Fort Frye
They were raising the roof Tuesday night at River High.
Coach Mark Romick's Pilots and invading Fort Frye produced a four-quarter dandy with River finally prevailing 48-47 via a dramatic ending.
Romick's quint won for the second time in three outings while Fort Frye is off to an uncharacteristic 1-3 start. River has a Friday night road test at Caldwell.
No more than five points separated the Cadets and Pilots during Tuesday's tight tussle which saw Fort Frye gain a 15-13 edge following the first eight minutes.
A closely contested second panel saw River leave the floor at halftime down by a single tally at 24-23. A 12-9 third period spurt enabled the Fort to maintain a 36-32 upperhand.
In the closing minutes, River senior Cody Caldwell drained a clutch go-ahead three-point bucket. The Cadets, however, responded behind ace guard Shon Smith who buried two free throws for a one-point FF edge.
At the other end, River senior Kam Brown toed the line and confidently converted twice for what proved the final reading with 20 ticks on the clock.
Fort Frye's Smith then saw his potential game-winning jumper fail to fall just ahead of the final buzzer and the Pilots were celebrating a key early season victory.
Caldwell's 13 points topped River with teammate Chad Isaly providing 10-point support. The Cadets' Smith led all scorers with 20 points. Seth Lagrean and Jordan Anderson donated 11 and 10 tallies, respectively.
River shot 14-of-34 from the field and collected 28 rebounds. Brett Price pulled down seven stray shots and Caldwell snared six for the victorious Monroe Countians.
Shadyside 60 Zanesville Rosecrans 42
At Zanesville, Shadyside's Tigers (2-1) used a 34-18 second half upperhand to post a prized Tuesday night.
Coach Ed Andes Orange & Black led 12-8 after one period and 26-24 at halftime before pulling away during a decisive 20-9 third panel uprising for 46-33 command.
Shadyside sophomore Austin Dorris enjoyed another productive outing, posting a game-leading 18 points. Dorris was joined in double figures by teammates Adam Stupak (12) and Jared Brooks (10).
Monroe Central 81 Shenandoah 76
At Sarahsville, the invading Seminoles of Scooter Tolzda made it three wins in as many starts to open the 2012-13 campaign.
In an entertaining up-and-down affair, Monroe motored to a 23-20 lead after one period then extended the spread to 40-32 at halftime. A 24-point third panel outburst enabled Tolzda's quint to forge 64-50 command at the final break before Shenandoah made a fourth quarter run which came up short.
The Seminoles received a prime time game-high 30-point output from senior guard Cameron Jorris who also landed six rebounds.
Jorris connected no fewer than seven times from three-point range.
Also in twin digits for the winners were Levi Brown and Bryan Duffy each of whom tallied 12 points. Kordell Antill and Korey Lafferre netted nine markers apiece.
Lafferre nabbed eight of the Noles' 40 rebounds. Josh Guiler grabbed six and Chandler Kuhn snared five. Lafferre distributed six assists and recorded two steals.
Turnovers were even at 16 apiece.
Buckeye Trail 66 Caldwell 39
At Old Washington, the Trail Warriors remained unbeaten through four starts with a wire-to-wire wipeout of Caldwell.
Senior Zach Roe rifled home a game-leading 24 points and distributed five assists. Warriors' teammates C.J. Beaver, Josh Toland and Tyler Starr supported with eight points apiece.
Toland landed 11 of the winners' 40 rebounds. Turnovers favored Caldwell, 20-14.
Bishop Donahue 96 St. John Central 36
AT Bellaire, the invading Bishops placed four players in double figures in overwhelming the Fighting Irish.
Bryce Jones netted a game-high 20 points and was joined in twin digits by Bishops Chase Truex (16), Lavonte Hampton (13) and Josh Miller (13). John Alvey paced the Irish with a 14-point performance.
No further details were provided. St. John's was slated to entertain Weirton Madonna this evening.


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HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- While paying for cleanup from the March 2 tornadoes, the Madison County Commission is still waiting on about $1 million in federal and state aid for the April 27, 2011, tornadoes.
Bill Sizemore, the accountant for the Madison County Emergency Management Agency, said Friday that estimate would be "safe," and it could be even more. FEMA is responsible for 75 percent of that estimated $1 million, and the state for 10 percent.
Waiting on those funds has put the commission in a financial hardship in wake of last month's storms that damaged and destroyed several dozen homes throughout the county, according to Madison County District 1 Commissioner Roger Jones.
He is expecting the FEMA and state funds to recoup more than $900,000 the district spent recovering from the 2011 storms. District 1, in the northeast part of the county, also took a beating in the March 2 storms.
"It's put us in a pretty good budget crunch," Jones said. "We've received just a little bit of the money that we are entitled from the April 27 storm of a year ago. We're still waiting on the vast majority of that money."
Sizemore said District 4 Commissioner Dale Strong is also expecting about $45,000 in reimbursement. Sizemore said the costs associated with debris removal, which could also be reimbursed, aren't clear. Strong could not be reached for comment last week.
According to Sizemore, FEMA has already paid the county $759,258.40 of a promised amount so far of $956,060.01. The $1 million county officials are hoping for is still pending final approvals.
Another, unrelated payment of about $465,000 is "getting in the queue to be finalized (from FEMA)," Sizemore said.
The bulk of the money yet to be received is reimbursement for debris removal, Sizemore said, because FEMA must carefully review those applications. A FEMA debris team was established after in Birmingham after the storms.
"They write the projects and submit them for review," Sizemore said. "I think what happens in a lot of cases is they have personnel turnover and various things like that that can slow that process down a little bit."
The county has not received any state reimbursements, Sizemore said.
Madison County did not qualify for FEMA aid after the March 2 storms because the level of damage did not meet federal baseline criteria.
"Not only are we having to finance this storm debris but we haven't gotten our money from (last year)," Jones said. "I just hope we don't have any more. It's scary."
Follow me on Twitter @paul_gattis or email me at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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As spring approaches, there's more to do around the garden. Several upcoming events in the Beaverton area highlight various aspects of gardening, including confessions from an expert gardener and a workshop on how to get the best results from your beds of flowers and vegetables.
The Aloha Community Library is bringing in naturalist Elaine Murphy to provide tips on recognizing the area's birds of winter. The program starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, at the library, which is located at 17683 S.W. Farmington Road in Aloha.
On Wednesday, Feb. 19, the Cedar Mill Garden Club will host gardening columnist Barbara Blossom Ashmun, who will share some of the gardening mishaps she's experienced over the years. The free presentation will start at noon at the Beaverton Activities Center, located at 12500 S.W. Allen Blvd. in Beaverton.
On Saturday, Feb. 22, Dennis' 7 Dees Garden Center will hold a workshop on composting, mulching and improving drainage. The class will also help attendees solve basic garden problems, increase flower production and improve fruit and vegetable yield and flavor. The class costs $5. It will start at 10 a.m. at the Cedar Hills garden center, located at 10455 S.W. Butner Road.


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Saturday: Great Lakes (Greg Harris, 2-3, 5.33) at South Bend (Braden Shipley, 1-2, 3.63), 7:05 p.m.
Monday: West Michigan Whitecaps (Jonathon Crawford, 1-1, 2.73) at Great Lakes (Jonathan Martinez, 3-4, 4.03), 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday: West Michigan (Buck Farmer, 4-2, 2.02) at Great Lakes (Zachary Bird, 2-4, 4.58), 7:05 p.m.
Wild: Loons pitchers walked seven batters and added five wild pitches, while South Bend walked nine Loons and threw two wild pitches, but the Silver Hawks managed to hold off Great Lakes for a 9-7 win, handing the Loons their 13th loss in the last 16 games. The Loons fell to 16-19.
Tough start: Luis Chirinos started, but lasted just two four innings. He gave up eight hits, four runs, two walks and two wild pitches. His ERA rose to 7.11. Ralston Cash made his first appearance of the year for the Loons, but gave up three runs, three walks and two wild pitches in one inning. Jacob Rhame followed with two innings of work, giving up two hits and two runs.
Good finish: For the second consecutive game, converted starter Brandon Martinez finished the game with a shutout inning. Martinez struck out two to give Loons pitchers 12 strikeouts for the game, led by Rhame with five.
Hitters: Josmar Cordero has gotten off to a hot start since joining the Loons Thursday. In Friday's game, the Great Lakes first baseman had four hits and a stolen base. Paul Hoenecke added three hits, with Jacob Scavuzzo adding two.
Walks: The Loons drew nine walks, with Kyle Farmer and Alex Santana drawing two walks each.
Big innings: South Bend put the game away with five runs in the sixth inning, although the Loons put up four runs in the seventh and another two in the ninth to cut into the final margin.
Road trip: The Loons finish their three-game series Saturday against South Bend. After an off day Sunday, the Loons return to Dow Diamond for a seven-game homestand beginning Monday with a three-game series against West Michigan.
Radio: WLUN-FM, 100.9