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Michael R. Bloomberg
Testimony Before the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committees
January 26, 2004
Chairman Johnson, Chairman Farrell, distinguished members of the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committees:
I want to thank you for the opportunity to address your committees regarding the proposed Executive Budget for State Fiscal Year 2004-2005.
This is the third time that I have appeared before you. In 2002, and again in 2003, I asked for your confidence in, and support for, the Big Apple. You gave us both—and they have been crucial to the City's recovery.
Today, I am happy to report to you on your "investment." New York City's economy is growing again. Unemployment, while still too high, is substantially lower than it was a year ago. Building permits are at record levels. Property values are up significantly. After 9/11, many people predicted Wall Street firms would flee the city. Not only have they stayed; they just completed their best year in three.
Our hotels are full, and international tourists are coming back to the city. In August, we will host the Republican National Convention, which will bring 50,000 visitors—and the attention of the world—to New York.
This recovery is all the more remarkable because it comes on the heels of the two worst years, with the two largest deficits, that the City has ever experienced. When we took office in January 2002, we faced a $5 billion budget gap. A year later, that gap had grown to $6.5 billion.
Our Administration responded by cutting some $3.4 billion out of City tax levy expenditures over the last 24 months, the difficulty of which I know you appreciate. Then, so as not to decimate the most-needed City services, we proposed, and our City Council enacted, an 18.5% increase in the rate of the only tax that we directly control: the City property tax. The people of New York City dug deeper into their pockets. They paid more out of their already-strained household budgets. But they maintained the essential services that make New York City attractive and economically competitive.
The City's allies in Washington, and here in Albany, also rallied to our side. During 2002, the State Legislature approved $400 million in aid to the City. And last year, we successfully worked together to restore more than $600 million of projected budget cuts to education and social services, to develop more than $500 million of no-cost fiscal relief initiatives, and to pass legislation relieving the City of $500 million in annual MAC payments—an issue whose resolution is now up to the courts to decide.
In total, you approved $2.7 billion in measures that were instrumental to our budget-balancing efforts and to our recovery.
You have every reason to be proud of those actions. All the 57 other counties in the state helped keep NYC—the greatest city in the world—safe, clean, and economically attractive. They have helped refuel the economic engine for the Empire State in a city—our city—that now annually pays some $2.6 billion more into the New York State treasury than it receives in State spending. That surplus of funds, as you well know, is distributed by you back to all the same people that helped the City in tough times. Talk about a great investment!
Today, New York City is the nation's safest large city. Over the last two years, we've driven crime down more than 10%. So far this year, crime is down an additional 4%. The subways are safer than at any time in modern memory. Our streets are cleaner than they've been in 30 years.
All our City agencies have learned to do more with less. For that reason, the quality of life in New York is, by virtually any measure, better now than it was in 2001. That's why people continue to want to live in New York, and why businesses are expanding in our city. They're confident about New York City's future—and with good reason.
This brightening economic picture has increased City tax collections. As a result, we expect to close out our current fiscal year with revenues running ahead of expenses. These revenues will be used to help balance the City's budget in Fiscal 2005 and 2006, as required by State law—and reduce any needed future aid to the City by the State down the road.
The improving economy is also why we fashioned a budget for Fiscal 2005 that takes into account the scheduled "sunset" of the tax increases enacted last year. Like the Governor, we oppose job-killing taxes, and we believe they should be phased out as promised. Sunseting the surcharges on the personal income and sales taxes benefits everyone who, as wage earners and consumers, helped pull the City through the fiscal crisis. That's a principled position that you, the Legislature, took when you approved those surcharges.
Following that principle, we also have proposed an annual property tax rebate of $400 to the owners of single-family homes, co-ops and condos—including seniors on fixed incomes. For these are the people who were hit hardest by the higher property taxes that helped get us through our fiscal crisis.
That rebate requires your approval—an action that I believe is principled, progressive, and prudent. The $400 rebate we propose amounts to $250 million—only nine-tenths of one per cent of our total tax revenues of $25.9 billion, and less than 2% of our property tax revenues. We are not cutting our overall tax revenues. But in most cases, the proposed rebate is 100% of the 18.5% tax increase that homeowners paid—a real reward for carrying the City in its time of need.
Hopefully, the economic rebound will continue, and we'll be able to extend this concept at a future date to renters. Fortunately, they generally have the benefit of fixed lease terms and rent stabilization that has delayed, or prevented, the full impact of the 18.5% tax increase from filtering through to them.
New York City's tax burden is roughly one-third higher than the average tax burden in the rest of the State. That's the reason that we have been able to provide the rest of the counties with $2.6 billion in annual financial support that has enabled those counties to keep their own tax burdens down. Last year, I asked for your help in reforming New York City's personal income tax as a way to strike a fairer tax balance among all the State's taxpayers. This rebate does that by providing tax relief for some of those who pay a higher share of the State's taxes, just as the sunsets of the P.I.T. and sales tax surcharges do for many others.
The people who would receive this rebate have ensured a future for themselves and their children. They are the heroes of our fiscal crisis. They deserve a reward now that the economy is improving. We will not stand by and let anybody deny them a rebate. It's their money. They should be able to enjoy it and spend it as they see fit.
Because of their help and yours…because we've made the choices we have…New York City is in a better, more competitive position economically than it has been in years. Our long-term prospects are excellent. That optimism—tempered by caution—is reflected in the City's latest financial plan, which I presented 11 days ago.
I sound a note of caution because of two factors: the volatility of the economically sensitive tax income that makes up so much of the City's revenue; and the steadily mounting expenses that are out of the City's control, but which we must pay.
We project that expenses over which we have control will remain essentially flat through Fiscal 2008. But our non-discretionary expenses, including debt service, pensions, and the local share of Medicaid, are expected to grow by $2.1 billion, or 13%, next fiscal year. This will bring these expenses to a total of $18.1 billion. And they will grow by another 10.4% in Fiscal 2006.
Such rising costs are nothing new. During the late 1990s, the go-go economy generated revenues that permitted the City to meet them. But no one expects a return to such heady days anytime soon. That makes it imperative that we address our long-term, structural problems, now.
The City is doing just that. Our budget for Fiscal 2005, for example, calls for containing our debt service costs despite a $2 billion increase in the school capital program. We're doing this by funding $200 million a year in pay-as-you-go capital. In addition, fringe benefit costs will be contained through an historic, already-negotiated agreement with the City's labor force, which calls for greater employee participation in health care costs.
Now we also need the help of our labor unions and of the State government to bring other non-discretionary expenses under control. That assistance is required to balance the City's budget for the next fiscal year, and to put our finances on a sound footing in the years ahead. We will also ask you to address with fairness and foresight the most important long-term responsibility that we face: the education of our children.
Let me begin with the City's budget for Fiscal 2005. It calls for $400 million of gap-closing assistance from the State government. We have provided you with a list of more than $900 million worth of such initiatives. In addition, we've also asked the MTA to take over operation of private franchise bus lines in the five boroughs—an action that would save the City $150 million in annual subsidies. This is an eminently reasonable request; every other transit system in the world wants to expand services. After all, it's what they are established to do. Before the MTA enhances adequate services elsewhere, they must take on the basics that are the essence of their mission—providing safe, reliable, affordable transportation for everyone in the City.
Many of the initiatives on our list would result in no cost to the State treasury. Others seek to reform State cost-shifts and caps in such areas as home health care savings, detention of State-ready inmates, and probation services. The initiatives at the top of our list focus on controlling and reversing mandated costs. And exhibit "A" is Medicaid reform.
The Medicaid program is one of the largest and fastest-growing expenditures in the City budget—and in every county budget in the state. New York City is expected to spend almost $4.4 billion on the State Medicaid program in Fiscal 2005, an increase of 11.5%, or $453 million, from the current fiscal year.
With Medicaid and its out-of-control growth, the State mandates the provider rates, program eligibility, and the level of services. City taxpayers just foot the bill.
From New York City to Nyack, from Long Island to the Niagara Frontier, you have heard Democrat and Republican county officials call for real Medicaid reform. I add my voice to that call.
I applaud the Governor for setting the stage for this reform. His proposal to take over the local share of Medicaid long-term care is one that is long overdue. Long-term care costs New York City more than $600 million a year, a figure that will steadily increase as our elderly Medicaid-eligible population continues to grow.
However, the Governor's proposal must be the beginning, not the end, of State action on Medicaid. There have been many other reforms discussed in recent months, from the Senate Task Force proposal of a State takeover of the costs of Family Health Plus, to the Association of Counties' plan to cap all increases in the Medicaid program. Each of these proposals would provide significant budget relief that would ultimately benefit local taxpayers; each deserves your consideration.
Medicaid cost containment must be a priority this year. But it must not take the form of a cost-shift to New York City. The Executive Budget includes several such well-meaning but expensive cost-shifts that would require the City to pick up additional costs.
For example, the State sets a limit on the average hours per client it will reimburse the City for home health care expenses paid by Medicaid. A few years ago, the City was told that the average hours of service per client must be lowered enough to save $33 million per year. The Executive Budget now proposes further restrictions to save an additional $11 million, for a total of $44 million annually. However, the number of hours per week each client receives is determined by a medical evaluation that prescribes the number of hours per week of service the clients receive. Under the Medicaid statute, we are obliged to perform this level of service. By setting this new target, the State Division of the Budget would shift costs to New York City, and call it a cost containment for the State.
There are similar problems with the budget's proposals on containing costs of providing funding to New York's teaching hospitals. The Executive Budget would shift more of the funding for the Graduate Medical Program from the State to the Medicaid program—which means that more of the costs would now be shared by localities, including New York City. In fact our share would increase by $25 million.
We also have to be careful in imposing Medicaid cost containments on our public hospitals and clinics. These facilities are the City's medical safety net; they provide critically important services to people who in many cases have nowhere else to turn for health care.
Imposing an assessment of seven-tenths of one per cent on hospitals, as the Executive Budget proposes, does not sound like a major problem. But for New York City's Health and Hospitals Corporation, it is. It will create an annual cost of up to $30 million for HHC. It also will, in essence, create an unfunded mandate. Our public hospitals and clinics are required, under the State law that established HHC, to provide a full continuum of comprehensive health and mental health services to New Yorkers, regardless of their ability to pay. But the new assessments included in the budget would make it impossible to meet that standard.
The excellent quality of care our public hospitals afford—and the equally high standards of management they have achieved—are reflected in the consistently outstanding accreditation ratings they have received over the last two years. Cost containment should not jeopardize the vital services they perform.
Enacting Medicaid cost containment is a difficult undertaking, one that I am sure you do not take lightly. We all know that everyone wants services, but no one wants to pay for them. I look forward to working with you, the Governor, and with county officials around the Empire State in finding ways to innovatively and effectively control Medicaid spending without sacrificing quality of care.
We also need to work with the State and with our municipal unions to reform a pension system that is spiraling out of control. Just to give you some idea of the magnitude of this problem: In the current fiscal year, the City's pension payments total not quite $2.4 billion. These costs are expected to grow by more than 25%, or $600 million, in Fiscal 2005, and more than 26% in Fiscal 2006. By Fiscal 2008, pension expenses for the City will reach more than $4.1 billion, an increase of better than 70% from current levels.
Even without granting a salary increase to the municipal workforce, pension and fringe benefit increases will drive the City's overall labor costs up by 5% in the next fiscal year, and another 5% the year after that. Workers won't see it in their checks, but we are legally required to pay these costs.
Other cities and counties around the State also face similar mounting costs. They create for local governments what the Manhattan Institute has rightly described as a "pension time bomb." The time to start defusing that bomb is now. This is a problem that State government has helped create, and that State government and the municipal unions must now work with us to solve.
Many ideas have been suggested for reforming the pension system. The Manhattan Institute has, for example, advocated moving from a "defined benefit" to a "defined contribution" plan. That idea, and other variations, are worth considering. Any pension reform you enact, however, must reduce pension costs, not raise them, for future generations of taxpayers.
To accomplish this, you must stop voting raises we can't afford, "presumption qualifications" that abuse any measure of fairness, and binding arbitration requirements that thwart democracy. We also need a new tier—Tier Five—in our municipal pension system. There is ample precedent for doing this; the pension structure has been similarly reformed three previous times. We need to revise that structure again, to reflect current economic and demographic realities.
For future employees, this new tier would establish pensions at reasonable levels, competitive with the private sector, where most city taxpayers work. They might even be without cost of living adjustments or supplemental benefits, things that most of our taxpayers who have pension plans do without. This new tier would require employee contributions throughout active service, and re-institute a ten-year vesting period. It also would increase age and service requirements to reflect the longer, healthier lives that future employees can reasonably expect to enjoy.
Because this reform would only cover future, not current, employees, it would take many years to realize significant savings from it. But the longer we wait, the worse the problem will become. Over time, the savings would be substantial. This is one key way to attack the long-term structural problem of our budget, and free the hands of future generations.
We have another, even more important duty to the future: Providing our children and grandchildren with the excellent schools they need and deserve.
Education reform is the defining issue of our time. Two years ago, I asked for your help in achieving that reform—and you gave it. The school governance law that the Legislature passed and the Governor signed was historic. It has permitted us to fundamentally overhaul the management structure and day-to-day operations of the nation's largest public school system.
Under Chancellor Klein's "Children First" program, we've established real accountability that runs straight from the teacher's desk in the classroom to the mayor's desk at City Hall. Our goal is to give New York the best public schools in the nation. How? By raising standards and improving student performance across the board.
To do that, we've used the authority you granted us with the New York City School Governance Reform Law to cut needless school bureaucracy by $250 million. We've redirected those funds where they belong: to classroom education.
Again with the help of that law, we've turned what were once administrative offices in the schools into more than 8,000 classroom seats—the equivalent of 13 schools that would have cost half a billion dollars to build.
We've implemented a citywide curriculum in reading and math, improved the recruitment and training of the next generation of school principals, and put full-time parent coordinators in all the schools.
To give you an example that shows you where we started, and how far we've come, consider this. Last September, we accomplished something fundamental—but unprecedented: We delivered more than eight million textbooks and other learning materials to all 1,200 schools before the first day of classes.
We're also committed to maintaining the orderly, crime-free environment that is essential to learning, and to providing a safe working environment for our teachers. We've deployed additional police to our most troubled schools, and established a "zero-tolerance" policy for students who commit the most serious offenses. Students who engage in chronic disruptive behavior—resulting in a third suspension within 24 months—will now be automatically removed to off-site suspension centers. We're doing everything it takes to ensure the basic right of safety to all our schoolchildren. We will not allow a few people to destroy the education opportunities of all the others.
The City of New York is doing all it can. It devotes a growing share of our own locally levied revenue to the school system. Our local support per pupil is more than 180% greater than the average in the next four largest cities in the State. Despite a deep recession and fiscal crisis, the City also has increased support for schools by $1.2 billion since 2002.
That extraordinary local commitment is necessary in large part because the City's Department of Education bears responsibilities much greater than those of any other school system in the State. More than 80% of our 1.1 million students, for example, qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. That is more than twice the average of New York State students outside the city. Some 18% of our students have limited proficiency in English, which also puts significant strains on our budget.
Nor do our responsibilities and our aid to our children stop at the schoolhouse door. Nearly one in four New Yorkers is under the age of 18, and many of them face enormous, and even potentially devastating, social and health care problems. In many cases, they lack parents, and the City's responsibility is to care and provide for them, and do for them what parents would.
For that reason, we provide Medicaid services to more than one million children… public assistance to more than 241,000 children… publicly funded day care to nearly 100,000 children… and services to nearly 100,000 children who are abused or neglected, in foster care, or homeless.
In total, these account for more than two-thirds of children needing health and social services in the entire State of New York. Children make up nearly three-fourths of those in New York City receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. In fact, the concentration of poverty we face is such that 14 cents of every budget dollar spent in the City goes for Medicaid and public assistance. Much of that assistance goes for New Yorkers under the age of 18—and that's on top of the 32 cents on every budget dollar that goes to education. Thus, the total that the City spends on helping and educating our youth is billions of dollars more than just the funds going through the Department of Education's budget.
Remember, in other localities, school districts levy taxes to pay for education, and counties collect the taxes that fund social services. In the Big Apple, education, health and social services for children all come from one treasury: the City government's.
This is a critical issue as you begin to address the task of providing equitable funding for New York City schools. As the Court of Appeals has ruled, the State's failure in this regard has denied our City's schoolchildren the sound, basic education that they deserve and that the State Constitution requires.
This has been a chronic problem. It's time to solve it. Justice demands, and now the Court requires, that the costs of that solution not be borne solely by our City's taxpayers. If the State's elected leaders fail to act wisely, a judge will seize the authority to make these decisions for us. That will be a sad day for New York State.
On the issue of school finance, the Executive Budget takes several major steps in the right direction. Its proposal to replace the current, Byzantine system of school aid formulas with "flex aid," for example, deserves high praise. This would give local districts greater autonomy in using State funds to fit local needs, and ensure that money goes directly to classrooms in the most cost-efficient manner.
The Legislature can also help us meet our education needs by correcting an oversight in the Executive Budget. As you know, the Division of the Budget projects that the City will receive a $56 million increase in education funding from the proposed statewide year-to-year increase of $147 million. However, this projection omits a $62 million "fiscal stabilization grant" the City received in the current fiscal year to pay for the additional 20 minutes per day in the teacher workday. Therefore, this budget actually reduces year-to-year education funding to New York City by $6 million. To meet our education needs—specifically to pay teachers for work they are performing—we need you to correct this oversight.
The Executive Budget also proposes creating a dedicated source of funds for high-need districts, including New York City. This would establish a system of State aid that would provide additional dollars to schools that need them most—a laudable and essential step.
However, creating a stable revenue source for this program is key. Education expenses—such as school construction and teacher contracts—are long-term and fixed; they therefore cannot and must not be funded from variable and unpredictable sources. This would only compound the difficulty of keeping the City's fiscal house in order in the years ahead.
Video Lottery Terminals have been proposed as a revenue source for this program. Personally, I've always disliked relying on revenues from gambling, because it is regressive. But an even more basic problem with VLTs as a source of education funds is that they won't provide the stable, predictable revenues we must have. If the State chooses to raise money that way, so be it. But New York City needs a guaranteed funding source for its schools, or it can't make long-term construction and labor commitments.
The response to the CFE lawsuit should not be built on a foundation that is unpredictable and objectionable. Instead, the State has an opportunity to do something truly impressive and far-reaching. That is, to help reduce class size in New York City schools—which in our elementary schools is now 30% greater than in the rest of the State.
How, you ask? The City's proposed $13.1 billion five-year capital plan will upgrade, build, and maintain school buildings in all five boroughs. This includes 63,000 new classroom seats that would go a long way toward ending overcrowding in New York City public schools. City government's contribution to this plan, $6.5 billion, is an increase of nearly 45% over what we spent on the last school capital plan. It includes $1 billion of pay-as-you-go spending from the expense budget. Now, we need the State to match the City dollar-for-dollar in funding this much-needed plan.
Over the last two years, Albany has played an indispensable role in New York City's recovery. The actions you have taken on the City's behalf have often not been easy. But they have been vital, and they have been greatly appreciated.
The decisions you make in enacting the State's budget can help cement the progress that New York City has made. Our crucial task is continuing to grow New York City's economy. The benefits of that growth will be felt throughout the State. We've shown what a great investment return you get by helping. But to realize that growth, government must continue to make New York a place where people want to live and businesses want to locate and expand.
New York has turned the corner because we've kept the streets safe…protected our quality of life…and begun the process of improving our schools. We need to maintain, and even pick up, the pace in all of those areas. To do that, we need City budgets that permit us to hire police officers, build affordable housing, and create world-class public schools—not budgets that are increasingly eat up by unfunded mandates and non-discretionary expenses.
The Division of the Budget has estimated that this Executive proposal will provide the City with the $400 million of assistance that is needed to balance the City's budget. But the devil is in the details—and as we review those details, our estimates of gap-closing assistance are lower than that figure.
To accomplish our
immediate and long-range goals, we need to maintain our strong partnership in
Albany. It's a partnership that provided relief and helped to fuel a recovery.
Now it must be a partnership for reform that will make it possible for future
generations of New Yorkers to reap the benefits of that recovery. I look forward
to working with you to uphold and strengthen that partnership. And now I look
forward to taking your questions.


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With Valentine's Day rapidly approaching, romance is in the air, and for many women that goes beyond the fragrant scent of roses to the smell of hot wax. In an effort to surprise someone, spice things up with a lover, or just make themselves feel a little sexier, every year aestheticians see an uptick in requests for everything from Brazilian waxes to dye jobs for your land down under. But a recent report from the University of California, San Francisco, shows that injuries from botched lady-scaping have grown exponentially over the past few years.
Pubic waxing and shaving were the primary causes of beauty-related injuries to that area, with scientists citing nearly 2,500 cases in 2010. And those were just the ones severe enough to send the poor girl hobbling to the ER. The scientists note that this is a "vast underestimate" of the real number of cases, many of which go unreported because, honestly, who wants to 'fess up to trying to wax their own back door?
If you're considering a nether region redesign, learn the health risks and best practices for four common popular procedures so you spend Valentine's in pleasure, not pain.
RELATED: No need to change a thing below the belt—surprise him instead by stripping down to some of the best lingerie for Valentine's Day and beyond.
When it comes to hot wax and blades near your business, it's worth the time and money to find a professional since this can be tricky to DIY, says Bridget M. Riley, laser hair removal specialist, esthetician, and electrologist, and owner of Boston Skin Solutions. Check to be sure the facility and aesthetician you are considering are licensed—not simply trained—by the state when you make your appointment.
Even with a skilled esthetician, waxing comes with a risk of ingrown hairs, which can lead to infections and abscesses (a collection of pus under the skin—sexy, eh?). To minimize the chances, Riley recommends coming clean and dry. "Avoid hot yoga or heavy cardio for a few hours before and after your appointment, as well as saunas and steam rooms," she says, "and take tepid showers." You need to be a stickler for hygiene on the salon's part as well: All tools should be sterilized in an autoclave and absolutely no double-dipping in the wax. "A lot of technicians believe the wax is hot enough to keep it germ-free," Riley says. "But it isn't."
RELATED: There's a lot of confusion when it comes to cosmetics and personal care. Are you falling for any of these nine beauty myths?
Dye Kits
He no longer has to know you're not a real blonde. But if you decide to match your drapes and carpet—or go wild with a neon bush—be cautious. "The dye can be really irritating, and if it migrates to any of the inner area, you could get a burn or a rash," Riley says. Go with a temporary dye, preferably one with a non-toxic vegetable pigment base, which is less irritating. For more lasting color or to dye your vulva—we are not making this up!—which naturally changes color as you age, seek out a pro with lots of experience and keep sharp eye on sanitation.
First popularized by an overshare from Jennifer Love Hewitt, vajazzling is any technique that involves the temporary decorating of the pubic area with things like stickers, glue-on gems, glitter, and henna tattoos. And thankfully this one is as safe as it is entertaining, as long as you stay away from your inner labia. "This shouldn't cause any long-term harm," says Dana Jacoby, M.D., an obstetrician and gynecologist in New Jersey. "However it can be a problem for those with sensitive skin, eczema, or allergic conditions."
RELATED: Stars are doing more than vajazzling. Read all about eight bizarre Hollywood beauty secrets.
If you want something more permanent, perhaps a piercing or real tat—you guessed it—seek out a licensed professional and be sure the facility is sterile. "The risks with these become more serious because you may be exposing yourself to HIV and hepatitis B and C," says Renee Horowitz, M.D., an obstetrician and gynecologist and director of the Center for Sexual Wellness in Michigan.
Edible Lotions, Gels, and Underwear
Eat it up, says Tanya Kormeili M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and clinical instructor at the University of California, Los Angeles, as most products are made from vegetable oils combined with various flavorings. If you have sensitive skin or allergies, however, test a lotion or gel on a small patch of skin at least 24 hours before you want to use it.

subset: commoncrawl


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Can A House Shrink One Swedish Family's Carbon Footprint?
We're all looking for ways to reduce the size of our carbon footprint, but most of us don't have a house that helps out with the task.
Watch this video about this unique opportunity for Swedish families to participate in the One Tonne Life Project (sic), a collaboration between an energy company, a house-builder and a car maker.
The project will determine if a typical Swedish family can cut their CO2 emissions from the average, about 7 tons a year to just one ton per year, according to Vattenfall's Annika Ramskold.
One of sixty local families that have volunteered to live in the house for the six month trial will move in in January – they'll be studied, and their emissions measured, all in the name of environmental science.
Image Credit: OneTonneLife.com


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Teen tries to escape flesh trade, collapses
On the afternoon of January 10, passersby found a teenage girl unconscious on the roadside near Wagle Estate, Thane
On the afternoon of January 10, passersby found a teenage girl unconscious on the roadside near Wagle Estate, Thane. When the girl was unable to provide her address, they escorted her to the local police station. What emerged was a tale of horror, torment and perversion that began a year ago.
Representation pic
The 14-year-old victim (name withheld) is originally a resident of 24 Parganas in West Bengal. She was lured to Mumbai by the accused with the offer of a dream job, and later forced into the flesh trade. One of the three accused, who are now in police custody, Ufiya Ghosh (36), had some relatives in West Bengal. A year ago, he along with co-accused Raju Haldar (26) visited their native place and met the girl. They then escorted her to the city.
No way out
The girl was brought to the house in Thane where the duo lived with the third accused Abdul Gazi (27). According to the police, the same day the miscreants called some customers to rape her in exchange for money. Whenever the girl refused to cooperate, they threatened and tortured her. She was often starved and never allowed to leave the house. The accused also deliberately burned her on some occasions. On Tuesday afternoon when the house was empty, the girl saw an opportunity and managed to escape. She ran a short distance but soon fainted due to her weak physical and mental state.
In terror
"We have kept the girl in our custody. She is traumatised and is not responding to our words. If any of our officers approach her to record her statement, she gets really scared. She does not speak any language other than Bengali. She will be taken for a medical examination soon," an officer from Wagle Estate police station said.
The three accused, who were arrested from their house in Ambika Nagar, have been charged under sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace). They have also been booked under The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. The accused were produced in court yesterday where they were remanded to police custody for seven days.
Police are also investigating whether the accused exploited any other girls with the same modus operandi.


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The best place to find the statute of limitations for your state is to check with your state attorney general's office or to review the actual statutes of your state, which can usually be done online.
Yes, there are lists online that have "statute of limitations by state" but these are not guaranteed to be correct and are quite possibly outdated, so it's best to go straight to the source for your own state and find out.
Once you know the statute of limitations that affects debt collection in your state, you need to know the "date of first delinquency" of any debt that has gone to collections.
The statute of limitations clock (usually) starts running from the date of first delinquency, so you'll need to use some basic math to determine if the SOL on the debt has expired. (Note: there seems to be some room for argument/discrepancy with regards what date matters for the statute of limitations, so it is advisable to consult with an attorney in your state regarding your specific case to be sure.)
Once you have this information, you can go about the dispute process with the collection agency in one of several ways.
One approach is to simply put the collector on notice that the debt is past the SOL, and if they have violated the law in any way in their attempts to collect (which is highly possible), you now have the right to sue and they do not. This leverage can be used to force removal of the collection account.
Note that it is a violation of the FDCPA for a collector to threaten to take an action that they cannot legally take. So if they are threatening a lawsuit on a debt that is past the SOL this is likely an FDCPA violation.
Another approach is to consider the fact that since the SOL has expired they have no "legal" authority at that point to collect on the debt. By this reasoning any collection attempts, including reporting to the credit bureaus, amount to extortion.
Some consumers have also employed the "squeaky wheel" method on debts that are past the SOL. The basic idea is that when the collector has no "legal option" for collecting the debt, consistent pestering from the consumer can become costly for the collector.
The problem with using the statute of limitations to fight collection accounts is that the courts haven't exactly worked out all the legal details yet. You could run into road blocks based on the gray areas of the law that haven't yet been hammered out in litigation.
Even with the legal ambiguity, techniques based on the SOL are still a useful and valuable addition to have in your credit repair arsenal.


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St. Louis Comes in Second for Most Dangerous CityDetroit, not St. Louis, is America's most dangerous city.
GM to Announce $1B Factory Investment, New JobsMultiple factories will get part of the money, but GM does not plan to state where the new jobs will go.
Nationals' Scherzer, Boston's Porcello Win Cy Young AwardsJustin Verlander's supermodel fiance, Kate Upton, fired off on Twitter with her disappointment.
PHOTOS: Blues Honor Jackman Before Thursday's GameAnd Jackman received a special message from former teammate, Steve Ott.
Green Day Concert PostponedGreen Day has postponed the first three dates of its upcoming club tour, including Tuesday night's show at the Pageant in St. Louis, due to illness.
Downtowns are Coming Back to Life, But What About St. Louis?There is a national trend of companies trading office parks for downtown high-rises.
St. Louis Ranks No. 4 on 'Most Dangerous' Cities ListThe annual list of "most dangerous" cities is out, and St. Louis is on it once again - but does not rank No. 1 as in past years.
Last of 3 Fugitives in Detroit Drug Case Captured in St. LouisEarnest Proge Jr., 38, was captured Wednesday in the St. Louis area.
Hot Cars At The Detroit Auto ShowThe North American International Auto Show begins this week in Detroit with media and industry previews.
Three Questions For GM Product Chief Mark ReussIt's clear that General Motors is no longer being run by bean counters.
Performance Cars Promise Fun, Modest Pain At PumpAutomakers are unveiling a bevy of performance cars in Detroit.
Revamped Honda Fit Gets New Engine, TransmissionOnce the king of the subcompacts, Honda's Fit is getting a badly needed update.


text:
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text: Benjamin Herrenschmidt writes:> Unless missed something, I think it's narrowed already. When loaded from> yaboot, there is no relevant difference between zImage and vmlinux here.> IE. yaboot parses the ELF header of the zImage itself and ignores the> special notes anyway so only the CAS firmware call is relevant in both> cases, no ?Good point. However, it would be the parse-elf-header firmware call,rather than the CAS firmware call, since 91a00302 modified thefake_elf structure (to make it consistent with the CAS structure) butnot the CAS structure.Paul.


text:
In Memoriam: Roger Sorrells
Roger Sorrells was born in Plaquemine, Louisiana, on December 15, 1936, the son of B.J. and Maurine C. Sorrells. He received a Bachelor's degree in Physics (1960) and a Master's degree in Mathematics (1962) with a thesis entitled "Number Sequences" from the University of Texas. In 1961, he married Cynthia Hammond Wickizer, whom he later divorced. They had a daughter Alexandra. He taught mathematics at San Antonio College and Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) in San Marcos.
After San Antonio College purchased a PDP11 computer and allowed him to work on it, he became a computer scientist, working on a Ph.D. in Computer Science at Texas A&M University from 1971 to 1982. In 1978, he joined the TAMU Computing Center where he eventually became the head of the Help Desk. There, he recruited and trained students to answer questions and assisted many graduate students in troubleshooting their computer programs. According to one student, sitting across from Roger with a program in hand was the ultimate key to success in his doctoral program. In 1991, he received the President's Meritorious Service Award and in 1992, retired from his position. He continued to assist with the World Shakespeare Bibliography. He was active in Mothers against Drunk Drivers, Compassionate Friends, and the Lions Club.
He and Gloriana St. Clair came together at Texas A&M in 1984. They subsequently travelled extensively in projects related to digital libraries in general, and the Million Book Project in particular. His interests included walking, biking, hiking, spelunking, snorkeling, reading, nature, the Shakers, Chautauqua, science, and politics. At Carnegie Mellon University, he was a founding member of the Highlands Circle.
Roger died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 2, 2011, from Advanced Stage Parkinson's disease.
His daughter Alexandra predeceased him when a recidivist drunk driver killed her on New Year's Eve 1982. His longtime partner Gloriana St. Clair; his brother Mike Sorrells; his dear friends Hal Manzke, Darla Comeaux, and Pam Ferguson; and their families survive him. A host of friends, colleagues, and co-conspirators from hiking and biking, his book groups, the World Shakespeare Bibliography, Carnegie Mellon University libraries, the Million Book Project, and Texas A&M University have lost a great friend.
The Roger Sorrells Engineering & Science Library was named and dedicated on April 17, 2012, thanks to a very generous endowment from Gloriana St. Clair.
Indicate Friends of the Library and Additional Comments: Sorrells.
Banner photos from left:
Gloriana and Roger in Australia
Roger in the kitchen
Roger, Darla and Gloriana at Chautauqua
Gloriana and Roger in India


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Brad Greenlee
WesabeBrad Greenlee is a developer at Wesabe, a personal finance startup, and has been developing web applications since 1995. He is a startup junkie, having been a co-founder or key architect/developer at four startups. His first startup experience was co-founding iSYS, one of Hungary's first ISPs. Later, Brad was critical to the early success of iSyndicate, a content aggregator, and served as CTO of Triporama, a group travel planning startup. Brad has a degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.


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By Immodesty Blaize
Tiger Starr has risen from nothing to become burlesque's most sensational showgirl…She's bewitched an adoring public and media with her old school Hollywood glamour, hourglass curves and wickedly, sexy stage shows.
Tiger's life is a whirlwind of glamour, diamonds, celebrity parties and more than her fair share of suitors. She seems to finally have it all. But though she may have the talents to bring any man – or woman – to their knees, Tiger never lets her friends or lovers get too close. Only now, she's finally ready to take a chance on love...
But beneath all the glitz and the feathers, she's hiding more than her modesty. As she prepares for the most important show of her life, it seems somebody is intent on exposing the dark secrets of her carefully guarded past.
Unfortunately, there's more than one likely candidate. Is it one of Tiger's discarded lovers? A rival showgirl? Or even her jealous sister? As her world starts to unravel, Tiger will have to fight for survival, by delivering the performance of her life…
For any of you who have never heard of Immodesty Blaize she is most famous for being a burlesque performer and when I saw her talking about her book Tease on Paul O'Grady's show a while ago I also knew that one day I was going to have to locate it, buy it and read it. I mean, corsets, scandal secrets, murder and mystery and burlesque... how could a Minx resist?!
The title tease links directly to the idea of burlesque, it is all in the tease, and the book does just that. The characters are over the top and adorable, just what you would expect in a world where jewelled nipple tassels are this seasons must have. Tiger Starr is a complex character with many secrets, the most obvious being her on stage persona is not really her and dealing with people who believe it is. As we read the book we discover the real Tiger. We watch helpless as she receives pink notes threatening her, we watch her life and relationships fall apart in private as she paints on a crimson smile and goes to greet her audience, we hope that she finds the love she deserves, we gasp as the teases of her past become clear and we sympathise with her. When an attempt is made on her life... we fear for her safety. Just exactly who is trying to destroy her and why?
This is a good book by an amazing burlesque star (that is the only way I can describe Blaize's persona- she makes me want to put on my tassells and shimmy) and a new writer. The book has been dubbed a bonk-buster, and yes in some ways it is, Tiger enjoys sex and doesn't hold back, however this is more than an erotic novel, it is a sexy thriller. The plot is intriguing and fast paced, the notes and chapters written by her nameless stalker create tension, the characters are larger than life, and yes unbelievable in a real context, but this isn't a real world, this is showbiz dahrling! Tiger is strong with a personality which tugs at your heart strings, the secondary characters are interesting so much so you want to slap them sometimes! Yes I do get very excited about books.... *blushes*
I also like the written style, Immodesty Blaize has a true storytelling narrative, giving emotion and description in a conversational way which is very appealing in a summer read. I read the hardback which is pictured above, but it is now out in paperback.
I give Tease 4 pink panties out of 5, a very sexy frilly read!


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|« Back to calendar
|« Previous Event | Next Event »
Crafty Kids Program
Held every Sunday!
Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: White Sands National Monument Visitor Center's Courtyard
Created By: White Sands National Monument - Managed by White Sands Park Rangers
Get your hands involved in learning! Join rangers in the visitor center courtyard for a one- hour craft and interpretive program. Rangers will share surprising facts about the creepy crawlers, amazing adapters, and out-of-this-world geology of White Sands while guiding kids through a take-home craft project. Targeted age range is 6–10 years old. Parents are welcome to stay and participate in the program. Program is free.
For more information, visit http://www.nps.gov/whsa or call (575) 679-2599, ext. 236 or (575) 479-6124.


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Flash Sale Now On @ The Book People
Let's be honest, The Book People have some sort of offer on more often than not. Today, their Flash Sale has started and it's way better than most of the offers they usually have on.
Prices start from £2, so snap up some lovely reading material for yourself, the kids or your other half.
The Flash Sale is full to the brim with smashing savings. I am even tempted to stick some books by for that festive celebration at the end of the year.
Here are my favourites from The Book People's Flash Sale:
- Julia Donaldson Picture Book Collection - 10 Books (Collection)* RRP £69.90 now £10
- Stick Man* now £3.99
- Daisy Duck & Friends Collection - 10 Books (Collection)* RRP £63.90 now £9.99
- Are We Nearly There Yet? Audio Collection - 10 CDs (Audio)* RRP £40 now £9.99
- What If ...? Collection - 10 Books (Collection)* was £49.90 now £9.99
- BrainBox: Mr Men and Little Miss* RRP £11.99 now £5
- Biff, Chip and Kipper Levels 1-3 - 33 Books (Collection)* was £163.67 now £15
- Orla Kiely: Baby Journal* RRP £20 now £8
Home delivery is free on orders of £25 or more, or costs £2.95 on smaller orders.
TOPICS: Books
3 comments
- Faiha S.
Any free delivery codes?
- Ceridwen J.
- Leigh F.
there are some good books on here


text:
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Contemporary designers Philippe Starck and Eugeni Quitllet pay dutiful homage to their predecessors by seamlessly combining Jacobsen's, Saarinen's, and Charles and Ray E.' most famous chair designs into a single piece. This high quality reproduction is a reinforced polypropylene and is durable even for indoors and also outdoors.
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text: On Sun, May 04, 2003 at 12:07:42PM +0200, Michael Banck wrote: > On Sun, May 04, 2003 at 10:18:29AM +0200, Petter Reinholdtsen wrote: > > Based on this experience, I am surprised to find out that the > > maintainer isn't notified when his package is scheduled for removal. > > And I see that it helps to send an email to get them to fix the > > package. > > The BugScan messages are sent to debian-devel-announce. > Debian-devel-announce is a mandatory list for developers. Therefore, > developers are notified of removals. qed. Sure, and you have to scan 757 entries for checking if one of your package is going to be removed. It would be much more correct to send a mail to <package>@debian.org for each entry that is going to be removed. Friendly, Sven Luther


text:
Discussion in 'Photography Equipment & Products' started by sazzy, Oct 1, 2006.
Needs to be an all in one and print good photos!!
Canon Pixma IP4200 or IP5200 for quite a bit under £100, plus you save money on ink as they only use 3 colours + black, instead of the 6 colours in other printers. Quality doesn't suffer as far as I can see.
Got to be any Epson All in one especially the ones with inbuilt card readers i.e RX420 etc.
Separate names with a comma.


text:
Round two between two divisional rivals as the New York Giants head to DC to take on the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football. The Giants hold a two-game lead in the division and a win would give them a commanding lead over the Redskins with five left to play.
When these two teams met back in week seven, Robert Griffin III almost pulled off the upset at Metlife Stadium. Late in the fourth quarter, RGIII hit Santana Moss with a 30-yard touchdown pass to give the Redskins a 23-20 lead. Eli Manning then pulled out another fourth quarter comeback with a 77-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz to re-take the lead. A Redskins fumble ended their comeback attempt that afternoon and the Giants escaped with a victory.
The Giants will have a little bit of a different look on offense without Andre Brown. Look for a lot more of first-round pick David Wilson and maybe a little of ex-Redskin Ryan Torain running the ball behind Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants need to be a balanced team in order to win. When they are, they're dangerous offensively like they proved last week.
On the Redskins side, RGIII may be the only football player in the world that makes Johnny Football look like a scout team player. Griffin threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns in the Redskins win on Thanksgiving against the Dallas Cowboys. Alfred Morris, the Redskins rookie running back, added 113 on the ground and a TD himself. He'd have a good shot at Offensive Rookie of The Year if not for his teammate.
If the Redskins are going to win this game, they need to make the Giants one dimensional offensively and hit on big pass plays against a secondary that has the propensity to give them up.
For the Giants, they need to stay balanced and figure out a way to limit RG III's big play ability. They also need Kenny Phillips to be healthy in the secondary. At the time of this post, he sat out practice with a reoccurring knee issue. The Giants three safety look is a key to their defense.


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Tryouts for the Fall 2017/Spring 2018 will be held on Wednesday, April 26th, Thursday, April 27th, Monday, May 1st and Tuesday, May 2nd.
Click here for details.
Good luck to all of the Tinton Falls Soccer Club teams for the spring 2017 season!
The Tinton Falls Soccer Club Board has written a letter regarding the US Soccer Player Development Initiatives. Please take a few minutes to read the letter and supporting documents.
Thank you for your continued support.
Jersey Area Girls Soccer League Member
Tinton Falls Soccer Club


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Women's Basketball Opens Second Half of MIAA Schedule With 63-46 Win Over Olivet
Saturday, January 23, 2010
(written by sports information student assistant Mitch Blankespoor)
Looking to build off of a win against Alma in which the Knights had 22 turnovers, the Calvin womens basketball team took on the Olivet Comets on Saturday. The Knights remained undefeated this year at Van Noord Arena winning the contest 63-46.
Both teams started out shooting hot from the floor. Olivet (5-13, 4-5MIAA) hung with favored Calvin (16-2, 8-1MIAA) for the first ten minutes of the game. With Calvin leading 15-8 with 11:59 remaining in the first half, the Knights half court defense stepped it up a notch. Olivet would only score eight more points the entire half. Calvin ended the half on a 17-8 run to lead 32-16 at the half.
Calvin had a balanced scoring attack at the half. Freshman Carissa Verkaik led Calvin at the half with eight points. Amber Benthem, Brook VanEk, and Courtney Kurncz had five points each. Olivet was led by Olivia Yarrell with six points. The Knights shot 37% from the field and from three point range. The Comets, on the other hand shot 29%. The rebounds were about even with Calvin holding a slight edge 17-14. The biggest difference in the first half was the free throw shooting. While Olivet was perfect from the stripe, they only got there four times. Calvin shot 75% from the line, but took 12 shots.
The beginning of the second half was all about runs. Olivet opened up with a 5-2 run. Calvin responded with an 11-3 run of their own to take a 20 point lead: 45-25. Olivets Alison Focht hit a jumper that stopped the Knights run. Calvin just went on another run. This one was an 11-5 run. This put Calvin ahead by 24, its biggest margin. Olivet was able to cut Calvins lead to 17 points, which is what the final game spread was.
Calvin had two players in double digit scoring. Carissa Verkaik, a freshman from Holland Christian scored her tenth double-double. She finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks; a stat she is 5th in nationally averaging 3.7 blocks per game. After being introduced into the 500 rebound club earlier this week, senior Brook VanEck led the Knights with 13 points and grabbed six boards. Kaitlyn Oleksyn and Olivia Yarrell had 12 points to lead the Comets. Olivet only shot 28% for the game while Calvin shot 41% from the field. The big difference in the game was the fouls. Olivet was whistled for 36 fouls in the game to Calvins 20. Because of this, the Knights lived at the line. They were 26 of 38 from the line for 68%.
Our defensive goal was to play the gaps. We were still playing a man-to-man defense, but it worked kind of like a zone, Calvin head coach John Ross said after the game. Carissa has played well this year. We expected some zone from Olivet in order to stop Carissa. We didnt see it though. Our guards continue to knock down shots when Carissa gets double teamed.
The Knight will go to Saint Marys next week, a team they defeated 64-58 at Van Noord Arena earlier this year. Saint Marys always gives us fits. They beat us three times last year and twice at home. They will be hungry for revenge. John Ross.
John Ross Post-Game Audio Interview


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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — For law enforcement. finding that one car involved in a shooting or AMBER Alert can be like finding a needle in a haystack.
But that's where license plate readers can be invaluable.
"We can't be everywhere and I say 'we' (as in) law enforcement," Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said.
The Wake County Sheriff's Office has two of the readers, mounted on cruisers.
RELATED: License Plate Covers Banned in Arizona
Harrison said they've been incredibly useful. Raleigh police also use them.
Right now they're only able to install the readers on city roads or private property. A new bill would expand that to state roads.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WFMY News 2 App now.
Rep. John Faircloth (R) from Guilford County sponsored House Bill 242.
"It doesn't take a photograph of the person in the car or anything like that. But it picks up that license and it will immediately send it to all the spots," Faircloth said.
The readers alert officers on patrol in the area and in other areas that there's been a match.
"I really don't have concerns with it," said Jerome Drayer of Willow Spring.
"I'm at this gas station there could be a camera on me now. If that's the case, I'm OK with that," Paul Norman of Raleigh said.
"No, I don't want them to be able to just read my license plate anytime they want," Carol Clontz of Fuquay-Varina said.
"If you'll look right there those license plates, they're open to the public and that's the way we look at it," Sheriff Harrison said.
There's no sponsor for the bill in the Senate yet.
Faircloth said if it passes the House, he's confident it will find a sponsor in the Senate.
If passed, the North Carolina Department of Transportation would need to approve agreements with law enforcement.


text:
This resource is no longer available
A Mainframe Alternative for Increased Reliability and Availability
Times have changed since mainframes were king, and now it's time to replace or expand your IT infrastructure to lower costs. Read on to learn how consolidating and virtualizing on industry-standard x86 servers can provide greater compute power and easier management. Also inside, discover how running Linux on x86 servers can provide reliability, availability and serviceability.


text:
Settlement of Boonesborough
The Kentucky Trail Blazers
The following is a greatly condensed and summarized version of information from "Daniel Boone, The Life and Legend of an American Pioneer", by John Mack Faragher. The first edition was published in 1992. It was researched and produced from a large quantity of historical materials, some of which have not been published before. Additional information was obtained from "Daniel Boone" by John Bakeless, published in 1939.
Daniel Boone and a small company of hunters, had first come to a special site on the banks of the Kentucky River, known as Sycamore Shoals, in 1767. He returned many times to hunt and trap near this site during his famous "long hunts". In 1773, he led an ill-prepared and ill-fated emigration attempt, thr", by John Mack Faragher. The first edition was published in 1992. It was researched and produced from a large quantity of historical materials, some of which have not been published before. Additional information was obtained from "Daniel Boone" by John Bakeless, published in 1939.
Daniel Boone and a small company of hunters, had first come to a special site on the banks of the Kentucky River, known as Sycamore Shoals, in 1767. He returned many times to hunt and trap near this site during his famous "long hunts". In 1773, he led an ill-prepared and ill-fated emigration attempt, through what was then known as the "Great Warrior's Path". This attempt resulted in the loss of his eldest son, and several others, to Indian attacks. These attacks were intended by Cornstalk, a principal chief of the Cherokees, to discourage the settlers from entering the Indian lands. And, in this case, they succeeded, and all returned to their homes in a state of depression. Many other settlers, and legions of Virginia surveyors already in Kentucky, were also driven out, or scared out, by the threat of Indian attack.
In late 1773 and early 1774, there were many attacks on the small forts along the length of Virginia's Clinch Valley, including Moore's Fort, near where the Boone family lived. Boone was placed in command of this fort, as a Lieutenant of the Rangers, the Virginia frontier militia, and later promoted to Captain, under Col. William Preston. All young men of the frontier served in the militias upon coming of age. Boone had already distinguished himself in many Indian skirmishes and as a guide and hunter for the militia. After the defeat of the major Indian forces in November, 1774, by a force led by Col. Andrew Lewis, and subsequent surrender of the Indian Chief Cornstalk, the local militia was disbanded.
The Wilderness Road
Late that year, the "Kentucky Fever" was in full force. Cheap land east of the Appalachians, was scarce. Many young men, needing land and crops to support their growing households, looked to the rich, virgin lands to the west. By 1774, attempting to seize the moment, and enormous profits, land speculators were eyeing the Kentucky lands. Among them were Richard Henderson, John Williams, John Luttrelle, William Johnson, Thomas Hart, and Nathaniel Hart. These speculators formed the "Transylvania Company", and enlisted Daniel Boone to guide and lead an expedition into the new lands, to cut a trail and road, and to assist with the selection and settlement of an acceptable site for a fort and town. Boone joined in this venture, having been promised two thousand of acres of prime land for himself and his family.
The speculators negotiated a questionable pact and bill of sale with the defeated Cherokee Indians, on March 17th, 1775, that ceded the Indian lands west of the Appalachians to the Transylvania Company. However, the Indians and Henderson all knew that this pact was merely window dressing. Regardless, ads were placed, and more than a score of men were recruited from the Clinch valley, about ten more from the Yadkin valley, and seven from Rutherford County, NC, led by Capt. William Twitty. All had been promised ten pounds wages for a month's work, and the opportunity to be the first on the lands to stake claims. And so the expedition was mounted.
This party of about 35 or so men, with Boone's wife Rebecca and daughter Susannah as camp keepers, hacked out the beginnings of what came to be known as the "Henderson and Hart families, arrived on April 20. Daniel Goodman was certainly a member of this group. See "The Henderson and Williams Family Connections", later in this document. With the arrival of the Henderson and Hart party, the total count of those present at the new site of Boonesborough by the end of April, 1775, was about eighty. This was reduced further shortly after their arrival, as Capt. Nathaniel Hart had a disagreement with some of the other leaders, and moved his family and supporters at a separate location upriver.
The Establishment of Boonesborough
Additional disagreements and issues among the settlers of "Boone's Fort", or Boonesborough, its civil name, and its neighboring settler communities, led to the assembly of delegates from the various interests in May, 1775, which came to be known as the "Boonesborough Convention". One day later, news of the battles of Concord and Lexington, fought nearly a month before, finally reached the settlement. Later, not satisfied with the results of the convention, which were heavily weighted in favor of Henderson's Transylvania Company and its claims, many of the unhappy settlers drafted the following described petition to the General Assembly of Virginia, dated October 15, 1779.
Until 1792, when it became a state, Kentucky was a County of Virginia. According to "Petitions of the Early Inhabitants of Kentucky to the General Assembly of Virginia, 1769 to 1792", Ansel Goodman and Daniel Goodman were among those listed as present in Boonesborough in its early days, including the famous pioneer, Daniel Boone. This is "Petition No. 9" in the aforesaid book. This historic petition is officially entitled: "Statement of grievances by the inhabitants of Boone's Fort and request for a grant of six hundred and forty acres for a town site and board of trustees". Daniel Goodman had been killed, and Ansel had returned to Bedford County, but their names on this famous petition still places them in the midst of these historical events.
The main intent of this petition was to prevent certain powerful and ambitious individuals from monopolizing all the best land around the fort for their own purposes, while the rest of the community had to be exposed to risk of Indian attacks. It recognizes the military deeds of one Capt. Nathaniel Hart (Nat. Heart), one of the organizers and leaders of the expedition, and his associates. It also recognizes the great risks and contributions of a group of men, who's primary purpose was to guard and protect the fort and settlers from hostile Indian attacks. As will be shown, Ansel Goodman was among this group. Special mention is made of Daniel Boone, who found the site on the Kentucky River, and guided the settlers to it. It establishes certain building codes, such as, "a house of at least twelve feet square, with a stone, brick, or mud chimney", to be built on blocks of land around the fort. The chosen lots must be surveyed and staked, and the houses must be completed and occupied within three years of the grant, or be forfeit back to the town. A duly elected Board of Trustees is named, to replace the one pushed through the previous convention by Henderson and his associates.
Although Henderson's Transylvania Company vigorously contested the settler's petition in the Virginia General Assembly, and to the Continental Congress, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, among others, denied the validity of Henderson's and most of the Transylvania Company claims, and asserted the rights of Virginia and North Carolina to all of the lands of Kentucky. From that time, the attentions of the settlers turned to the war with England, and in particular to defending their property and kin from the Indians, now allied with the British and the French-Canadians in their efforts to drive the American settlers back to the east.
Goodmans at Boonesborough
Several events are documented in the annals of the Boonesborough settlement of this time, in which Daniel and/or Ansel Goodman played a part.
Daniel Goodman
Thomas Henderson first mentions Daniel Goodman in his diary on Sunday, 11th June, 1775. This was shortly after their arrival at Boonesborough, and the initial Boonesborough Convention. In this passage, he writes: "Daniel Goodman went away with ..(others).. Wrote by Daniel Goodman to my wife, Daniel Williams, and Jno. Christmas.". This diary is now in the "Lyman Draper Collection", of the University of Wisconsin, along with many other documents about the settlement of Kentucky. This establishes that This Daniel Goodman was closely related to the Henderson family, to be entrusted with that correspondence.
On April 24th, 1777, the cattle refused to leave the fort. Boone sent two men out to investigate. Finding nothing, they were returning to the fort when they were attacked and fired upon by a small band of Shawnees. One fell, and was set upon and scalped. The other escaped into the woods. The other men of the fort were soon on the heels of the attackers, but ran into an ambush not far from the fort, and barely made it back to the fort with their lives. As Simon Kenton subsequently reported in his journal, also now in the "Lyman Draper Collection", "40 or 50 Indians attacked Boonesborough, killed and scalped Danl. Goodman, wounded Capt. Boone, Capt. Todd, Mr. Hite, and married Stoner. Indians 'tis thought sustained much damage.".
Ansel Goodman Enlists
In August of 1777, the settler's pleas to the eastern government for relief were answered. Among those answering the call were fifty volunteers from Bedford County, VA, recruited and led by Capt. Charles Gwatkins. Bedford is just at the eastern base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Bedford and its neighboring county to the west, Botetourt, were on the western edge of the Piedmont Plateau, at the gateway to the Appalachians, and to the Cumberland Gap.
These men were to serve as "defenders of the residents" and some, including Ansel, were also "Indian Spies", or scouts. Daniel Goodman was killed at Boonesborough, April 7th, 1777, the year Ansel enlisted. Ansel was not present when Daniel was killed, but may have known of the events from other kin, or heard it from Capt. Gwatkins. The Bedford contingent also included some of the men's families. These may have included Ansel's wife, Edith, and their children if any. However, her name does not appear on any list of Fort Boone settlers, so iIn August of 1777, the settler's pleas to the eastern government for relief were answered. Among those answering the call were fifty volunteers from Bedford County, VA, recruited and led by Capt. Charles Gwatkins. Bedford is just at the eastern base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Bedford and its neighboring county to the west, Botetourt, were on the western edge of the Piedmont Plateau, at the gateway to the Appalachians, and to the Cumberland Gap.
These men were to serve as "defenders of the residents" and some, including Ansel, were also "Indian Spies", or scouts. Daniel Goodman was killed at Boonesborough, April 7th, 1777, the year Ansel enlisted. Ansel was not present when Daniel was killed, but may have known of the events from other kin, or heard it from Capt. Gwatkins. The Bedford contingent also included some of the men's families. These may have included Ansel's wife, Edith, and their children if any. However, her name does not appear on any list of Fort Boone settlers, so it is likely she remained at home in Bedford. His petition for pension details his recruitment by Capt. Watkins, and the march to Boonesborough, but no details about his family. See the text of that pension, included later in this document, for details of this and his other adventures.
Ansel did not arrive at Boonesborough until mid-1777, so he was probably not directly related to the Daniel Goodman killed at Boonesborough in April of that year, and who was of the Granville Co., NC Goodman family. However, they may well have been cousins.
Ansel Captured at Blue Licks
In January of 1778, the Boonesborough salt supplies, essential to the settlers for many reasons, were desperately low. Daniel Boone agreed to lead a party of men to the lower salt spring on the Licking River, known as The Blue Licks, to make salt for the Kentucky settlements. On January 8th, Boone left with a party of about 30 men, on horseback, with large iron kettles for the boiling of the salt waters. Ansel Goodman was in this party, which was involved in one of the most controversial escapades of Col. Boone's life. After four weeks of back breaking work, in the miserable January weather, they had produced several hundred bushels of salt. The river having risen, they were idled, waiting for Capt. Gwatkins and his relief column.
On February 7, while hunting and trapping for the men, Boone and two others encountered a large war party of Indians under Chief Blackfish. Boone and the others were captured taken prisoner. Knowing that the war party was heading for the weakened Boonesborough, he managed to work out a deal with Blackfish. He and his men at the salt lick would become Blackfish's prisoners, go with the Indians to be prisoners of war, and then accompany them back to the fort in the spring to surrender its occupants. Of course, he had no intention of doing any such thing. Upon their return to the site, the other men thought it was the relief party. Instead, Boone told them to lay down their arms and surrender, as they were totally surrounded by Indians. This they grudgingly did. They were then tied with buffalo thongs, or "tugs", heavily loaded with salt, kettles and other supplies, and forced to march to Old Chillicothe, on the Little Miami, which was then a large Indian town. There, some were to be "adopted" into the Indian families. List of those captured with Boone and Ansel Goodman at The Blue Licks.
According to Ansel's statement in his petition, and in his words (sic): "The night after he was taken, his arms were tied behind him, a rope or Buffaloe's Tug tied fast around his middle and then made fast to an Indian on each side of him, and the one around his arms was made to go around his neck and tied fast to a tree, and in that position he had to sleep in the snow, a little while before he reached the Indian Town he was compelled to strip himself, and was entirely naked, his arms again made fast and a load of Bare meat packed upon him. It was a heavy load. Indeed, he was packed heavily from the time he was taken until he arrived at the town." On nearing the town, Ansel and others were forced to run a "Gantlet", during which they were beaten and bruised. Prior to entering the town, on Feb. 28th, 1778, they were also forced to strip naked, and required to commence singing at the top of their voices, to give notice of their approach.
Later, Boone was adopted by Blackfish. Ansel and about ten others were adopted by other Indian families. On March 10th, 1778, Boone and the rest of the captives who were not adopted, about 20 in all, were taken by Blackfish to the British fort at Detroit, to be sold for a bounty of twenty pounds for each man. Only Boone returned with Blackfish to Chillicothe Town. The rest were to remain with the British as prisoners of war. A few died in captivity, but most eventually escaped or were released.
Blackfish and most of his warriors, along with some British soldiers, left the Indian town to lay siege to Boonesborough. Ttaking advantage of the Indian warriors' absence during the siege, Ansel and two others escaped. Knowing that the Indians had intended to lay siege to Boonesborough, and thinking it to be doomed, they were making their way to the Falls of the Ohio, where they had heard from the Indians that there were white men, when they stumbled into some of the war party and were pursued. Hendricks was recaptured, and punished heavily by the Indians for his attempted escape. However, Goodman and Foreman escaped, and eventually made it to the Falls of the Ohio, where Capt. Harrod had established a fort and settlement known as Ft. Harrod, or Harrodsburg. There they served as soldiers for two months, before returning to Boonesborough, and then to their homes in Virginia. In all, according to his petition, Ansel was in service on the frontier for one year and nine months.
Ansel Returns to Bedford
When the salt makers were captured, and the sad news reached Boonesborough and their families, all were thought dead and lost. So, about two months later, in March of 1778, Rebecca Boone and many of the other families of the captured men went back east to their own families. They were accompanied and protected by some of the Rangers, who had mutinied, and were abandoning Kentucky. Upon their return to Virginia, a local paper published an account of the capture at The Blue Licks. In "Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution, 1775-1783" by John H. Gwathney, on p. 316 is mentioned a Bedford newspaper article regarding Ancill(sic.) Goodman of the Kentucky Expedition, "Edith Goodman, wife of militia soldier 'captivated' by the Indians in Kentucky."
Ansel eventually returned to Bedford about April or May 1779, to rejoin his family. He later appears on a tax list in Bedford as "Anselam" in 1782. Also in 1782, a John Goodman was in Bedford, and James Goodman was in Botetourt County, just west of Bedford. My ancestor Amos Goodman was born in 1782 in Bedford, son of Ansel's brother John Goodman.
Miscellaneous Notes
"Ansylem" Goodman appears next in the Stokes County, NC census of 1790, but not in Bedford, VA. Bedford County, VA is due north of Stokes County NC. In that census, he is shown with two male children under 16, 3 female children, and probably his wife. The 1790 census of NC also has an Ancil Ferrell in Franklin Co. (p. 59). Peter Goodman is in Wilkes Co. (p. 124), and Ansel Bailey in Wilkes Co. (p. 122).
By 1810, and also in 1820, Ansel was in Adair Co., KY, later divided, and that part where he resided became Russell Co. When Ansel Goodman filed his petition in 1832 in Russell County, KY, for a pension for service as a private in the Rev. War, he was about 80. That would place his date of birth at about 1752 or earlier. His oldest children may have been born as early as 1768-70.
Other Goodmans in Bedford County marriage records at about that time include: David Goodman who married Nancy Deal in 1789. Martha Goodman married Matthias Reynolds in 1788, the Rev. John Goodman presiding, and they removed to Barren / Hart co., KY. Robert Goodman married Ann Neal in 1796. This Robert Goodman was probably the son of either Ansel Goodman or Bartellot Goodman. Rhody Goodman married Matthias Cane in 1794, her father Bartellot Goodman giving permission. Robert may have been the son of Ansel Goodman, since the Robert Goodman who was the son of the John Goodman who d. 1790 in Greene Co., TN, married Sarah Bowles in Cumberland Co., VA in 1797. Bartelott Goodman may have been an older brother or uncle of Amos and John Goodman. A Bartellot Goodman was in Capt. Throgmorton's Company of Rangers in 1759, and Capt. Bullit's Company of Rangers in 1762, He resided in Louisa Co., between Hanover and Albemarle counties, where he paid taxes in 1777, and was granted land in Louisa Co. in 1779 and 1780 for service in the Virginia Colonial Militia.
At the end of the Revolutionary War, and once the Kentucky lands were relatively well secured from Indian attacks, many of the early settlers who had left Kentucky because of the dangers, returned to Kentucky, or sent their children and heirs, to reclaim their previously staked lands. Many veterans of the Revolutionary War were granted lands on the frontier by the new Congress, and many Goodmans were among them. Ansel Goodman eventually moved back to Kentucky, as well, settling in that part of Adair county thateventually became Russell county. The Goodman clans certainly would have sent word to their other kin in Virginia, North Carolina, and the new state of Tennessee, that the new frontier was the place to be!


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Climate change — and the high cost of imported fuels — are big concerns in the isolated islands of Hawai'i, where some members of the visitor industry are participating in tonight's consciousness-raising Earth Hour, going dark from 8:30 to 9:30. They're also using the event, the brainchild of the World Wildlife Fund, as a chance to educate and entertain.
The Fairmont Kea Lani on Maui, for example, will turn off nonessential lights for an hour. Guests will be encouraged to shine a (provided) flashlight from their guest room from their lanai as a show of support for the environment.
A special Earth Hour cocktail, Moonlit Tide, will be offered in the resort's Ko restaurant and Luana Lounge; it's made from organic vodka, organic watermelon, organic watermelon and fresh ginger, and requires muddling and shaking shaken but no electric blender (although chilling the martini glass it's served in does use some energy.) The lounge will also feature unplugged live entertainment. (I'd love to hear more acoustic music at Hawai'i resorts — if you've ever been jetlagged and trying to sleep in your hotel room while amplified music is playing nearby, you know what I mean.)
While the specialty drink and the flashlight show may seem superficial, a press release from Fairmont notes that the brand measured its carbon-dioxide "footprint" in 2008 using United Nations protocol, and plans a 20 percent reduction by 2013. All 60 Fairmonts are participating in Earth Hour; on the Big Island,the Fairmont Orchid will celebrate going dark with free hot chocolate and s'mores over an oceanside fire pit, and complimentary stargazing led by local astronmer Wayne Fukunaga of Star Gaze Hawai'i.
The Earth Hour lights-out will also be observed at the four Four Seasons resorts in Hawai'i (and 44 others in the luxury chain) with candlelight dinners featuring sustainable ingredients. For the two resorts on Lāna'i, executive chef Fabrice Huet has created menu using Big Island oysters, Keahole lobster, Kona black cod, Moloka'i potato puree, Kula corn wasabi broth, Kaua'i shrimp, Hāmākua mushrooms and Hawaiian snapper caught off Lāna'i by local fishermen. Bennie's Farm on the former Pineapple Isle will supply produce for the meal, which will be served at the Dining Room at the Lodge at Koele and as part of the private Ocean Hale experience at Manele Bay.
On O'ahu, where the city (and county) of Honolulu have signed the Earth Hour pledge, the Bishop Museum will also switch off most lights at 8:30. The permanent exhibition "Science on a Sphere" in the museum's Watamull Planetarium has a new interactive companion piece focused on global warming.
Kaua'i County Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. has also joined the Earth Hour effort, pledging to have all nonessential lights, computers and printers in county departments turned off for the entire weekend, as well as for tonight's hour without power.
To see who else has signed the Earth Hour pledge, visit www.myearthhour.org.


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About the App
- App name: scrypt
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- App website: https://www.tarsnap.com/scrypt.html
Install the App
- Press
Command+Spaceand type Terminal and press enter/return key.
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ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)" < /dev/null 2> /dev/null
and press enter/return key. Wait for the command to finish.
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brew install scrypt
Done! You can now use


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Browsing La Pine, Oregon Planning Documents by Author "Oregon. Dept. of Environmental Quality"
Now showing items 1-1 of 1
Deschutes County : Work plan, La Pine National On-Site Wastewater Treatment and Disposal Demonstration Project Deschutes County (Or.). Environmental Health Division; Deschutes County (Or.); Oregon. Dept. of Environmental Quality; Geological Survey (U.S.) (Deschutes County (Or.), 1999-02)The Deschutes County Environmental Health Division (Deschutes County), Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), working in cooperation, are addressing the issue of groundwater ...


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Whether you are juicing for weight loss or looking for new recipes to add to detox or juice cleanse program, here is a very simple recipe to add to your list. Cucumbers are fabulously cleansing and low in sugar and calories so great for helping you achieve your weight loss goals. The lemon is not only there to help brighten up the cucumber juice flavor, but is also a "go to" ingredient for most cleanses.
This juice is also alkalizing and just an amazing daily juice recipe as it is not loaded with sugar and so simple to make. If you already love squeezing fresh lemon into your water, this is a great way to enhance the nutrient value with the cucumber.
1 large cucumber (more or less depending on much yield)
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup water (optional)
Wash and prep the ingredients as you typically would and for what fits best in your juicer. Peel the lemon and only put the lemon wedges through the juicer. You can add a little water to stretch out the juice or dilute the lemon a bit more if it is too strong for you.
Republished by Blog Post Promoter


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How to Find Cheap Air Travel to/from Orange County
Travelers to Los Angeles are fortunate to have several airport options to choose from, and which one is best will depend on where you are headed. Los Angeles International Airport might be the largest airport in the Los Angeles area, but John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Santa Ana is a good alternative, especially for those visiting Disneyland. It is the only commercial airport in Orange County.
John Wayne Airport is only 14 miles from Disneyland, as opposed to LAX's 35 miles – so if Disneyland is your ultimate destination, this is probably the best airport for you. It does have quite a short runway, which will not allow planes larger than a Boeing 757 to land or take off, but you might still be able to use John Wayne Airport. Between the shorter runway and local noise restrictions, taking off from John Wayne Airport is likely to be unlike any you have experienced before – a nearly full-power takeoff is followed by a steep climb. The stuff in the overhead compartments will certainly shift during that flight.
You will find a list of airlines serving John Wayne Airport here, and flight schedule information here. To help you get around the airport, there is a terminal map here. Your dining options are listed here, and your shopping options here. The rest of the passenger services are listed here. Oh, and be sure to pay your respects (or something) at the statue of the airport's namesake. A map of the ground transportation options is linked on this page, and you can find out about shuttles here, taxis here and buses here.
The Orange County area is also served by Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Bob Hope Airport (BUR) and LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT).
Please check out our Orange County area deals to the right. They are updated daily.


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The man who conducted Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge's wedding ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey in April is confident the couple will end the run of bad royal marriages.
Reverend Dr. John Hall, the Dean of Westminster Abbey, spent time with the newlyweds when they were discussing the wedding of the year – and he's convinced theirs will be a marriage that lasts, unlike that of William's parents and his Uncle Andrew and Aunt Anne.
Hall says, "I'm very hopeful that this is an absolutely devoted couple. What I saw was the fruits of their years, I think, of knowing and developing a love for each other, their knowledge of each other, of their maturity.
"There were particular moments during the Bishop of London's address where he said, 'You've made your choice, you've made your commitments, you've said I will…' and, at that point, the two of them simply spontaneously… turned to each other and smiled. I thought that was a particularly delightful moment, which I found very encouraging and reassuring.
"My sense… is that this couple will be together 'til death… They're a remarkable couple."


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With its granite-counter kitchens, lush landscaping and 24-hour gym, the Lakewood Pointe apartment complex near Tampa hardly fits the image of low-income housing.
The 144-unit unit complex in Florida, however, was built under a government program that gives developers millions of dollars in federal tax credits in exchange for providing affordable rents.
Now, under a new Florida law that was supposed to help charities, a handful of these wealthy developers are getting another lucrative benefit. They have found a way to move dozens of apartment complexes off the property tax rolls, saving themselves as much as $115 million in taxes a year but reducing revenues for already hard-hit schools and local governments in a way no one expected.
Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough and Hernando counties could lose a total of nearly $18 million annually.
The developers say the tax breaks will leave them with more money to maintain the apartments and keep rents affordable well into the future. But there is nothing to stop them from pocketing their tax savings as profit.
"I'm okay with people getting rich, but I think this is unseemly," said Cathy Jackson, executive director of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida.
In 2011, the Legislature passed a law designed to give Habitat for Humanity and other nonprofit organizations a tax break so they could build apartments for the needy. Savvy for-profit developers realized that by forming their own nonprofit organizations they could qualify for the same tax breaks, saving themselves huge bills on each complex.
"It's all entirely legal," said Wellington Meffert, general counsel of the Florida Housing Finance Corp., which administers affordable housing programs in the state. "But what it will do is take a fair amount of taxable property off the tax rolls."
At least 11 complexes statewide already have qualified for the tax exemption, and dozens more are potentially eligible.
The savings are enormous:
Lakewood Pointe , in Seffner, paid $71,360 in property taxes last year. This year, it paid $829.
The 348-unit Woodberry Woods apartment complex in Brandon paid more than $180,000 last year. This year, the tab is $2,004 even less than the taxes on many nearby single-family homes.
"If the state is going to lose $115 million in terms of taxes, it's going to impact school systems, it's going to impact roads, it's going to impact all of the infrastructure services that made these (apartment complexes) what they are," Jackson said.
Two companies based in the Orlando area, CED and Atlantic Housing Partners, have led the way in seeking the property tax breaks.
Founded nearly a quarter century ago by Alan Ginsburg, CED became one of the nation's largest builders of affordable rental apartments using federal tax credits, tax-exempt bonds and low-interest loans.
CED has developed scores of complexes in Florida, including Woodberry Woods, Lakewood Pointe and seven others in the Tampa Bay area. While some units rent at market rates, most are set aside for people making less than the median income for an area. Those tenants pay below-market rent ranging from about $600 for a one-bedroom apartment to about $910 for a four-bedroom.
As Ginsburg, now 74, grew older, CED stopped building and several of its executives started Atlantic Housing Partners. Among its projects are one in Tampa and another, primarily for seniors, that was due to start construction this month in downtown St. Petersburg.
All of the CED and Atlantic Housing apartments are managed by the same management company and a growing number are now partly owned by the same nonprofit organization, Southern Affordable Services, or SAS.
The developers created SAS to take advantage of the 2011 law, which was intended to make sure that Habitat for Humanity and other nonprofits that provide low-income housing could get property tax breaks even if they set up separate companies, called limited partnerships, to build larger-scale apartment projects.
The new law allows limited partnerships to get the exemption on property used for affordable housing if there is a nonprofit general partner like Habitat. But there was an unintended flip side.
"Some large for-profit developers were clever enough to figure out that they could set up a nonprofit corporation and it would basically become the general partner" eligible for the exemption, said Meffert of Florida Housing Finance Corp.
At a Dec. 7 meeting of the corporation's board in Orlando, CED and Atlantic Housing won approval to make Southern Affordable Services the general partner of 79 complexes, laying the groundwork for the companies to get millions of dollars in property tax relief. Some board members voiced reservations.
Cliff Hardy, a member from Tampa, noted that a legislative analysis estimated the impact of the new law at just $200,000 a year statewide. But Hillsborough County alone lost nearly $370,000 this year in property tax revenues and eventually could lose as much as $12 million annually.
The law actually could cost local governments more than $100 million a year, said Hardy, who has called it "a ripoff of the taxpayers."
Joe Sanchez of Miami said the board had little choice but to approve the transfer of general partnership interests to the nonprofit SAS.
"It's absolutely going to affect local governments," he said, "but I think we're caught up in a battle that's really not ours. I would hope local governments continue to fight this but right now it's a law before us."
The law slipped through with so little discussion that many in local government are unaware of it, let alone the potential impact.
"We have not taken a position, and really it hasn't even bubbled up," said Amber Hughes, legislative advocate for the Florida City and County Management Association.
Municipal revenues in Florida have dropped 20 percent in the past few years, and any further loss of money would be a serious blow, said Tarpon Springs City Manager Mark LeCouris .
Riverside, a 304-unit complex built by CED in Tarpon Springs, has been paying about $230,000 a year in property taxes but is among those now eligible for an exemption.
"I don't know if whoever passed this (law) exactly realized the true effect," LeCouris said, "but we're at the point now where if we keep losing funds the public will see services lessened."
The biggest hit could be to Florida schools, which depend heavily on property taxes. The taxes Hillsborough County already has lost could have paid the salaries of almost 10 beginning teachers.
"If you look at where the school districts, community colleges and universities are in this state, all of those have taken cuts to where we're pretty much back to the '06-'07 level," said Hillsborough Schools superintendent MaryEllen Elia. "A hundred million out of the tax roll that's potentially very serious for education funding and other legitimate costs."
To get an exemption for affordable housing, the owners must notify the county property appraiser each year of the number of units designated for low-income tenants. In Hillsborough, the appraiser's office granted almost total exemptions for three of CED's apartment complexes this year despite concern that the for-profit partner could derive more benefit than the nonprofit created to qualify for the exemption.
"The reason county property appraisers have had a heart attack is that for the first time you have tax exemptions going to a for-profit entity or entities," said Will Shepherd, general counsel for the Hillsborough appraiser. "That's contradictory to how exemptions are traditionally applied in Florida law, that you've got to be a nonprofit."
Scott Culp, executive vice president of Atlantic Housing Partners, said his company and CED "were not involved in any way" in lobbying for the law that could save them millions of dollars in property taxes. But once it passed, he said, they saw it as a way to keep rents low beyond the 15 years required of projects that get tax credits and government loans.
"The difference now is that with a nonprofit general partner you have an opportunity to continue the affordability, which the for-profit didn't have any incentive to do," Culp said.
As word of the new law spreads, nonprofits that have long provided affordable housing worry that the Legislature could remove the property tax exemption even for them.


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