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ProgressOhio Posts Steve Christopher Candidacy Filing Documents
By: Dave Harding, ProgressOhio
Posted Mar 12, 02:18 PM
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Posts in the category Public Infrastructure / Transportation
Project to Focus on Connecting Disadvantaged Ohioans in Northeast, Appalachia Regions
Columbus, Ohio Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today announced that the Ohio non-profit OneCommunity has been awarded $11.7 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act resources to expand broadband adoption by more than 14,000 disconnected Ohioans in Cleveland, Akron and several Appalachian counties.
Connect Your Community will create 58 direct new jobs in Ohio.
OneCommunity has received a total of $18.5 million in ARRA resources for the OneConnect Your Communiy program, which will also facilitate projects in Florida, Michigan, Mississippi and Kentucky.
In this increasingly technologically-driven economy, we are committed to expanding broadband access to all Ohioans and eliminating the digital divide Strickland said, "Broadband creates educational opportunities for disadvantaged Ohioans in urban, suburban and rural areas. I applaud the work of OneCommunity and its partners for their dedication to accelerating broadband adoption across Ohio."
OneCommunity is a non-profit that is committed to accelerating the adoption of information technology to drive economic development. OneCommunity connects more than 1,000 public and non-profit institutions via its regional fiber-optic broadband network, one of the fastest in the world. OneCommunity and its partners in Akron, Cleveland and Zanesville will lead the implementation OneConnect Your Community in Ohio.
The organization collaborates with public and private sector partners to lead innovative 21st-century programs in health care, education, government and economic development.
OneCommunity applied for the ARRA resources through the U.S. Department of Commercs National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).
The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program supports OneCommunitys intensive two-year effort to:
- Fund partnering agenciy capacity and ability to hire and train local residents to serve as a coordinated Connected Community Corps;
- Engage, train, equip and support thousands of disconnected community residents to become sustainable broadband adopters;
- Collectively develop and share effective broadband adoption and use strategies to serve as a national model.
How to Strengthen Ohio's Economy
How can we strengthen Ohio's economy? We need a buildup. We need to get back to making stuff, based on real engineering not just financial engineering. We need to launch an E.T.,energy technology, revolution with the same urgency as this bailout. Otherwise, all we will have done is bought ourselves a respite, but not a future. The exciting thing about the energy technology revolution is that it spans the whole economy — from green-collar construction jobs to high-tech solar panel designing jobs. Our No. 1
resource is our people. Let’s put people back to work-
retrofitting and repowering Ohio!
Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor of Ohio
Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/
for more info: contact 330-503-1407
How can we strengthen Ohio's economy? We need a buildup. We need to get back to making stuff, based on real engineering not just financial engineering. We need to launch an E.T.,energy technology, revolution with the same urgency as this bailout. Otherwise, all we will have done is bought ourselves a respite, but not a future. The exciting thing about the energy technology revolution is that it spans the whole economy — from green-collar construction jobs to high-tech solar panel designing jobs. Our No. 1
resource is our people. Let’s put people back to work-
retrofitting and repowering Ohio!
Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor of Ohio
Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/
for more info: contact 330-503-1407
Public Transportation Can Create More Jobs
According to a report released last week by Green Options:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A study by Smart Growth America found that every billion dollars spent on public transportation projects created over 16,000 months of employment, almost twice as much work as those created by simple highway expansion and renewal projects.
found that a billion dollars spent on fixing or expanding highways created an average of 8,781 months of job. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act spent over $27 billion on “shovel ready” highway projects, many of which that have yet to get underway. Of the $15 billion thus far spent on highway projects, approximately 138,831 full time job-months have been created, or sustained. These projects are as simple as repaving roads to updating our sorely dated bridges and rural roads. There is no doubt that the money spent here was sorely needed as America’s highway system gets more crowded and out outdated.
But the study found that public transportation projects employ almost twice as many people for the common sense reasoning that public transportation requires employees to operate buses, trains, subways, and other infrastructure. The stimulus invested just $8.4 billion in public transit projects, (and another $9.3 billion in high-speed train projects and expanding passenger train capacities, which wasn’t counted in the study.) Public transportation definitely got the shaft. The SGA study figures that of the $4.4 billion spent on those public transportation projects, 72,328 full time job-months have been created or sustained.
If the study is accurate, the government created 368,935 months of employment. If the numbers were reversed, and $27 billion was spent on public transit, and just $8 billion spent on highways, the government could have created 515,235 months of employment, or 40% more jobs spending the same amount of money.
What’s more, other studies have suggested you can save over $9,000 a year by using public transportation as opposed to driving a car. The House of Representatives also recently passed a $154 billion “mini-stimulus” for Main Street that includes another $27 billion for highways and just $8.4 for public transportation. If you’re keeping tally at home, that is $17 billion for public transportation ($26 billion if you count money towards trains) and over $52 billion for highway projects.
Again, common sense dictates that, while our highways definitely need fixing and improving, the best way to knock down unemployment is to permanently employ people, save them money on transportation, and reduce our dependency on cars. Public transportation also requires less land to acquire, more vehicles to purchase, more people to run and maintain those vehicles, and reduces congestion on roads.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's time Ohio has a Governor who will put public transportation at the top of his agenda for all cities in Ohio to help put people back to work.
Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor
Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/
for more info contact 330-503-1407
According to a report released last week by Green Options:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A study by Smart Growth America found that every billion dollars spent on public transportation projects created over 16,000 months of employment, almost twice as much work as those created by simple highway expansion and renewal projects.
found that a billion dollars spent on fixing or expanding highways created an average of 8,781 months of job. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act spent over $27 billion on “shovel ready” highway projects, many of which that have yet to get underway. Of the $15 billion thus far spent on highway projects, approximately 138,831 full time job-months have been created, or sustained. These projects are as simple as repaving roads to updating our sorely dated bridges and rural roads. There is no doubt that the money spent here was sorely needed as America’s highway system gets more crowded and out outdated.
But the study found that public transportation projects employ almost twice as many people for the common sense reasoning that public transportation requires employees to operate buses, trains, subways, and other infrastructure. The stimulus invested just $8.4 billion in public transit projects, (and another $9.3 billion in high-speed train projects and expanding passenger train capacities, which wasn’t counted in the study.) Public transportation definitely got the shaft. The SGA study figures that of the $4.4 billion spent on those public transportation projects, 72,328 full time job-months have been created or sustained.
If the study is accurate, the government created 368,935 months of employment. If the numbers were reversed, and $27 billion was spent on public transit, and just $8 billion spent on highways, the government could have created 515,235 months of employment, or 40% more jobs spending the same amount of money.
What’s more, other studies have suggested you can save over $9,000 a year by using public transportation as opposed to driving a car. The House of Representatives also recently passed a $154 billion “mini-stimulus” for Main Street that includes another $27 billion for highways and just $8.4 for public transportation. If you’re keeping tally at home, that is $17 billion for public transportation ($26 billion if you count money towards trains) and over $52 billion for highway projects.
Again, common sense dictates that, while our highways definitely need fixing and improving, the best way to knock down unemployment is to permanently employ people, save them money on transportation, and reduce our dependency on cars. Public transportation also requires less land to acquire, more vehicles to purchase, more people to run and maintain those vehicles, and reduces congestion on roads.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's time Ohio has a Governor who will put public transportation at the top of his agenda for all cities in Ohio to help put people back to work.
Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor
Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/
for more info contact 330-503-1407
The White House just announced its plan to spend $8 billion on high-speed rail, and it is a good start.
The biggest chunk of cash — $2.25 billion — went to California’s planned rail line connecting Los Angeles to the Bay Area. Next comes $1.25 billion for an Orlando-Tampa line — Obama is in Tampa today to make the announcement — followed by $1.1 billion for a St. Louis-Chicago line. (See the full map of projects below.)
Ohio will receive $400 million in federal economic stimulus funds to establish high-speed rail lines that will carry passengers between Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is downright giddy. On his Facebook page, he writes, “TODAY is the day! Welcome to the age of American High-Speed Rail, brought to you by President Obama and the Recovery Act.” And his blog is full of lofty praise, with lines such as, “I’ve said it before, and I believe it even more today: this is an absolute game-changer for American transportation” and “Today, as promised, we change the game.” He also includes a brief explanation of how these particular projects were selected:
Now, the particular investments we’re making today–they make sense. We’re connecting cities that are too close for efficient air travel but–with the highways connecting these cities nearly choked beyond capacity–too far for productive road travel. Cities like St. Louis and Chicago.
Here’s a map of the projects, with a breakdown of where the money will be spent. Click to enlarge:
Obama will tap federal stimulus funds to give out the money which is aimed at helping improve commuting throughout the country while also creating jobs, which is the overriding message of his Wednesday night speech.
Obama's appearance in Tampa with Vice President Joe Biden is fueling speculation that one of the awards will be for rail funds connecting Tampa and Orlando, but White House officials are not yet confirming which cities will benefit.
The officials said that a half-dozen cabinet members and top administration officials will appear in cities across the nation Thursday to announce awarding of the funds, which will be spread out across 31 states in all.
I believe Ted Strickland actually believes he is the Green Party Candidate for Governor with today's State of the State Address. I believe Ted Strickland is practicing what I preached last week: he will run as a lefty populist governor before the election and return to his conservative roots after the election.
I believe Ted Strickland forgot to mention he supported the nuke site in Piketon and the AMP coal plant in Meigs County because he wants folks to forget nuke and big coal lobbyists line his pocket with campaign contributions. I believe Ted Strickland forgot to announce his support of the Healthcare for all Ohioans Act because he doesn't want people to know he received a $10,000 contribution from Medical Mutual.
I believe Ted Strickland has not done enough to save our environment, really create new jobs, improve funding for public education, and improve Health Care for All Ohioans.
I believe Ted Strickland actually believes he is doing a good job as Governor of Ohio.
I believe you're wrong, Ted.
Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor
Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/
for more info contact 330-503-1407
I believe Ted Strickland forgot to mention he supported the nuke site in Piketon and the AMP coal plant in Meigs County because he wants folks to forget nuke and big coal lobbyists line his pocket with campaign contributions. I believe Ted Strickland forgot to announce his support of the Healthcare for all Ohioans Act because he doesn't want people to know he received a $10,000 contribution from Medical Mutual.
I believe Ted Strickland has not done enough to save our environment, really create new jobs, improve funding for public education, and improve Health Care for All Ohioans.
I believe Ted Strickland actually believes he is doing a good job as Governor of Ohio.
I believe you're wrong, Ted.
Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor
Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/
for more info contact 330-503-1407
Received via email from our friends at Americans United For Change:
What happened in Massachusetts yesterday is a call to action, not a cause for retreat.
The people of Massachusetts voted for change and they are frustrated with the seeming lack thereof. They are hurting and they have not yet seen Congress come forward to ease their pain, punish those who caused this crisis or make sure it cannot happen again.
Unfortunately, they picked the wrong side to blame. Regardless of how you feel about the way the health insurance reform effort has played out, it's important to note that most Democrats in Congress, and certainly the White House, supported swift, bold and effective change. The majority of Democrats in the Senate, for example, support the public health insurance option. But they couldn't get it done because the minority Republicans blocked an up-or-down vote.
When it comes to financial reform, the Obama Administration and Senate Banking Committee Chair Chris Dodd proposed strong legislation to reign in the abuses of the big banks that led to this mess in the first place. The banking committee's Republican leader, Senator Richard Shelby said "no way, no how, not ever."
You get the idea: Lack of change is not for lack of trying on the part of the majority of congressional Democrats. But despite being the majority, the Republicans have blocked them from voting.
Scott Brown is only going to make it harder to do what we need to do in America - like clean up Wall Street and provide good, affordable health care for all. He has shown on the campaign trail that he will stand firmly with his Republican colleagues in favor of the Bush-era policies and politics that got us into this mess in the first place.
And if that doesn't scare you into fighting even harder, I don't know what will.
Call your member of Congress at 202-225-3121 or write your Senators and Members of Congress through our website.Tell them to fight hard against Wall Street, the insurance companies and those elected officials who carry their water.
What Progressive Changes A Green Party Governor would bring to Ohio
By electing Dennis Spisak, the Ohio Green Party candidate for Governor this year, Ohio would begin moving in a progressive manner providing progressive changes to help the poor and working class bring themselves out of the 21st Century Great Recession.
What kind of progressive changes could Ohio accomplish?, fellow Green Party Member Howdie Hawkins wrote the following this past week:
It could have been different. When the Democrats swept into power, they had a mandate for bold progressive change. They could have enacted, with broad Center-to-Left popular support, a Green New Deal to address the interrelated crises of energy, climate, and economic depression. Instead of bailing out the big banks and automakers, they could have nationalized them on the cheap when they were insolvent. Public banks could have then restructured millions of mortgages on affordable, long-term, fixed-rate terms for homeowners facing foreclosure. The automakers could have been retrofitted to produce electric cars, mass transit, wind turbines, and solar panels just as the federal government had them make tanks, trucks, and airplanes for World War II. With investments from public banks and federal infrastructure spending guaranteeing a market for a green reconstruction of the nation's energy and transportation systems, US manufacturing, jobs, and the whole economy could have been renewed on a sustainable basis.
It could have been different. But what to do now?
The Democratic Party has been the graveyard for every broad progressive movement since the Populists more than a century ago. 2010 should be the year when progressive movements finally break their dependence on the corporate-sponsored Democrats and present their programs directly to the voters through their own independent candidates and party.
Let's make the choice in 2010 between a Green New Deal and the corporatism of the two old parties.
Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/
For more info: contact (330) 503-1407
By electing Dennis Spisak, the Ohio Green Party candidate for Governor this year, Ohio would begin moving in a progressive manner providing progressive changes to help the poor and working class bring themselves out of the 21st Century Great Recession.
What kind of progressive changes could Ohio accomplish?, fellow Green Party Member Howdie Hawkins wrote the following this past week:
It could have been different. When the Democrats swept into power, they had a mandate for bold progressive change. They could have enacted, with broad Center-to-Left popular support, a Green New Deal to address the interrelated crises of energy, climate, and economic depression. Instead of bailing out the big banks and automakers, they could have nationalized them on the cheap when they were insolvent. Public banks could have then restructured millions of mortgages on affordable, long-term, fixed-rate terms for homeowners facing foreclosure. The automakers could have been retrofitted to produce electric cars, mass transit, wind turbines, and solar panels just as the federal government had them make tanks, trucks, and airplanes for World War II. With investments from public banks and federal infrastructure spending guaranteeing a market for a green reconstruction of the nation's energy and transportation systems, US manufacturing, jobs, and the whole economy could have been renewed on a sustainable basis.
It could have been different. But what to do now?
The Democratic Party has been the graveyard for every broad progressive movement since the Populists more than a century ago. 2010 should be the year when progressive movements finally break their dependence on the corporate-sponsored Democrats and present their programs directly to the voters through their own independent candidates and party.
Let's make the choice in 2010 between a Green New Deal and the corporatism of the two old parties.
Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/
For more info: contact (330) 503-1407
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today joined U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Sec. Tom Vilsack to outline how more than $2 million in new funds for Ohio broadband expansion will help stimulate new economic growth and create jobs. Brown and Vilsack were joined by U.S. Reps. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15) and Zack Space (OH-18).
On Thursday, Vice President Biden announced Ohio will be one of the first states to receive funds through the USDA’s Recovery Act broadband grant and loan programs. More than $7 billion in recovery funds will be invested in broadband projects, $2 billion of which will be made available on a rolling basis over the next 75 days.
“As we work to chart a stronger future for our rural communities, broadband infrastructure will play an important role in creating new economic opportunities and help put more people to work,” Sec. Vilsack said. “The broadband funding we are providing will bridge the digital divide in areas of the country that have been historically underserved, while strengthening local and regional schools, businesses and healthcare institutions.”
“This project is about creating jobs for Ohio families and opportunities for Ohio businesses,” Sen. Sherrod Brown said. “It will help our small towns compete successfully in new markets. Expanding broadband is critical to ensuring the prosperity and continued legacy of all our state’s communities.”
Read More »My opposition to Columbus' casino-in-progress isn't vehement or any way morality-based, it's just a Not in My Neighborhood kind of thing.
Yes, it bothers me that Franklin and surrounding counties voted against Issue 3 to allow casino gaming in Ohio, but a casino will be foisted on us anyway. And it bothers me that we allowed out-of-state corporations to rewrite the Ohio constitution. Plus, these outsiders apparently can circumvent local zoning laws, much to the dismay of Arena District and Grandview Yard neighbors. In addition, the FOP really sold-out its soul on Issue 3 endorsements. And, oh yeah, we can now look forward to lawsuits from Native American tribes who want to build casinos here.
These things trouble me, but I guess we have to get used to it and move ahead. Alas, the casino nut has been cracked in Buckeyeland. But what kind of casino?
It will be windowless, I bet. Lots of free parking, so more high-rise parking garages need to be built. A lavish buffet -- most likely a pretty good deal if you can eat before 3 p.m. Throbbing background music. Like most Midwest casinos, there will be a cheesy faux-Vegas feel to it.
At least it won't be a fake riverboat casino that are common in this part of the country. What is the deal with Midwesterners gambling while floating?
I don't want a casino in my neighborhood, but if the developers insist, I won't be boycotting it. I just hope they'll have a roulette table.
http://www.hamilton-co.org/Boe/
http://www.hamilton-co.org/Boe/pollsearchs1.asp
http://www.hamilton-co.org/Boe/Pollresults2.aspPolling Location
The following is your polling location and any special instructions necessary once you arrive to vote. Click the Ballot number under the Ballot column to view a printable copy of your ballot for that location.
This is your Home Address:
House #____ Street Name_______ Zip_____
This is your polling location :
Precinct Name SYCAM J-O
Polling Location
SYCAMORE J
BETHEL BAPTIST TEMPLE
Entrance
Polling Place Address
CLASS ROOM
8501 PLAINFIELD RD
Click The Link Below To View Your Sample Ballot (PDF Format)
89100
I haven't seen 2 out of the 7 instructions before, so these 2 instructions of the 7 may or may not have been there on sample ballots from past elections:
In the area designated "Instruction Text:"
"Do not use inks that soak through the paper."
"to vote for a write-in candidate,you must completely fill-in the box provided to the left of the words "Write-in" and write in the name of the candidate or candidates on the line provided."
http://www.hamilton-co.org/Boe/pollsearchs1.asp
http://www.hamilton-co.org/Boe/Pollresults2.aspPolling Location
The following is your polling location and any special instructions necessary once you arrive to vote. Click the Ballot number under the Ballot column to view a printable copy of your ballot for that location.
This is your Home Address:
House #____ Street Name_______ Zip_____
This is your polling location :
Precinct Name SYCAM J-O
Polling Location
SYCAMORE J
BETHEL BAPTIST TEMPLE
Entrance
Polling Place Address
CLASS ROOM
8501 PLAINFIELD RD
Click The Link Below To View Your Sample Ballot (PDF Format)
89100
I haven't seen 2 out of the 7 instructions before, so these 2 instructions of the 7 may or may not have been there on sample ballots from past elections:
In the area designated "Instruction Text:"
"Do not use inks that soak through the paper."
"to vote for a write-in candidate,you must completely fill-in the box provided to the left of the words "Write-in" and write in the name of the candidate or candidates on the line provided."
Monday, September 28, 2009
I saw the story about the Butler County budget in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
I saw the story about Section 8 housing coming to Butler County on the web site of WCPO. These 2 stories are so very interesting when read together.
REPUBLICANS AND TEA - BAGGERS SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO WELFARE - NOT JUST US DEMOCRATIC AND GREEN SLACKERS! (EVEN THOUGH IN OUR FANTASIES WE TRY TO IMAGINE REPUBLICANS AND TEA -BAGGERS HAVING TO CHOOSE BETWEEN TAKING THE METRO OR NOT GETTING TO WORK. I've plenty of other daydreams with humiliation themes.
******************************************************************************************************************************
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090917/NEWS0108/909180364/1055/NEWS/Butler+budget+group++List+essentials
Government
Cincinnati.Com » Government
Last Updated: 3:14 pm | Thursday, September 17, 2009
Butler budget group: List essentials
By Amber Ellis • aellis@enquirer.com • September 17, 2009
The latest suggestion from a new Butler County budget group involves creating a list to separate the essential and non-essential services the county provides.
Advertisement
Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds, a member of the group, said the distinction is needed to understand what the county has to provide and what should be eliminated as department heads brace for more cuts. He asked commissioners to consider the idea during their Thursday morning meeting.
"It goes back to needs and wants," Commission President Don Dixon, also a member of the budget committee, said.
The board did not take any action on the recommendation. Instead, they put it under review much the same way they did earlier suggestions made by the group of elected officials and financial experts looking to help solve the county's budget woes.
Earlier ideas include forming a separate fund for debt payments, creating a draft budget and asking commissioners to put updates about the group's progress on the county's Web site.
The group formed this summer after a round of mid-year budget cuts, dozens of layoffs and other reductions.
In all, county officials trimmed more than $8 million and borrowed $5 million from cash reserves to balance this year's $91 million general fund budget.
The county finance team is still crunching numbers, but if revenue continues to drop, another $4 million to $9 million will need to be trimmed next year.
It is unclear what cuts will be made and how those will impact services.
***************************************************************************************************
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Section-8-Waiting-List-To-Open-In-Butler-Co/PHhyjSPM5E2tBmQGC0Nj2Q.cspx
Section 8 Waiting List To Open In Butler Co.
Reported by: Terry Helmer
Email: thelmer@wcpo.com
Photographed By: Terry Helmer
Last Update: 2:02 pm
Saturday,October 3 will be the date for anyone wishing to get on the waiting list for Butler Metropolitan Section 8 housing.
It's been five years since the waiting list was last opened back in 2004. Over 2,300 applications by low income residents were received in a six hour period back then. It's taken The Housing Authority 5 years to get all but 70 of those 2,300 persons placed with vouchers for housing.
Butler Metropolitan Housing has almost 1,000 persons currently using vouchers for housing. Barbara Brown Section 8 Manager says, "because of the economy the way it is, we expect a lot of new people that have never had assistance before."
Brown estimates as many as 5,000 people may file pre-applications on Saturday.
Besides the Section 8 housing applications, other agencies dealing with low-income based programs such as food stamps, energy assistance, and Legal Aide will be there to tell people about those services.
The application for housing vouchers will be at the New Life Vineyard Church, on Princeton Road in Hamilton. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3. The agency will hand out numbers on a first come first served basis.
I saw the story about the Butler County budget in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
I saw the story about Section 8 housing coming to Butler County on the web site of WCPO. These 2 stories are so very interesting when read together.
REPUBLICANS AND TEA - BAGGERS SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO WELFARE - NOT JUST US DEMOCRATIC AND GREEN SLACKERS! (EVEN THOUGH IN OUR FANTASIES WE TRY TO IMAGINE REPUBLICANS AND TEA -BAGGERS HAVING TO CHOOSE BETWEEN TAKING THE METRO OR NOT GETTING TO WORK. I've plenty of other daydreams with humiliation themes.
******************************************************************************************************************************
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090917/NEWS0108/909180364/1055/NEWS/Butler+budget+group++List+essentials
Government
Cincinnati.Com » Government
Last Updated: 3:14 pm | Thursday, September 17, 2009
Butler budget group: List essentials
By Amber Ellis • aellis@enquirer.com • September 17, 2009
The latest suggestion from a new Butler County budget group involves creating a list to separate the essential and non-essential services the county provides.
Advertisement
Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds, a member of the group, said the distinction is needed to understand what the county has to provide and what should be eliminated as department heads brace for more cuts. He asked commissioners to consider the idea during their Thursday morning meeting.
"It goes back to needs and wants," Commission President Don Dixon, also a member of the budget committee, said.
The board did not take any action on the recommendation. Instead, they put it under review much the same way they did earlier suggestions made by the group of elected officials and financial experts looking to help solve the county's budget woes.
Earlier ideas include forming a separate fund for debt payments, creating a draft budget and asking commissioners to put updates about the group's progress on the county's Web site.
The group formed this summer after a round of mid-year budget cuts, dozens of layoffs and other reductions.
In all, county officials trimmed more than $8 million and borrowed $5 million from cash reserves to balance this year's $91 million general fund budget.
The county finance team is still crunching numbers, but if revenue continues to drop, another $4 million to $9 million will need to be trimmed next year.
It is unclear what cuts will be made and how those will impact services.
***************************************************************************************************
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Section-8-Waiting-List-To-Open-In-Butler-Co/PHhyjSPM5E2tBmQGC0Nj2Q.cspx
Section 8 Waiting List To Open In Butler Co.
Reported by: Terry Helmer
Email: thelmer@wcpo.com
Photographed By: Terry Helmer
Last Update: 2:02 pm
Saturday,October 3 will be the date for anyone wishing to get on the waiting list for Butler Metropolitan Section 8 housing.
It's been five years since the waiting list was last opened back in 2004. Over 2,300 applications by low income residents were received in a six hour period back then. It's taken The Housing Authority 5 years to get all but 70 of those 2,300 persons placed with vouchers for housing.
Butler Metropolitan Housing has almost 1,000 persons currently using vouchers for housing. Barbara Brown Section 8 Manager says, "because of the economy the way it is, we expect a lot of new people that have never had assistance before."
Brown estimates as many as 5,000 people may file pre-applications on Saturday.
Besides the Section 8 housing applications, other agencies dealing with low-income based programs such as food stamps, energy assistance, and Legal Aide will be there to tell people about those services.
The application for housing vouchers will be at the New Life Vineyard Church, on Princeton Road in Hamilton. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3. The agency will hand out numbers on a first come first served basis.
Time for America to Get on Fast Track?
Europe and Asia Have Advanced High Speed Rail Systems. Can America Catch Up?
(CBS) At the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, the glory days of American train travel are remembered and celebrated.
They were days of big machines - and big dreams. The biggest of all was the construction of tracks that would tie the country together from east to west: the transcontinental railroad.
It was a massive contruction project using cutting edge technology. Starting in the middle of the Civil War, the transcontinental railway took just six years to complete, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone.
It was an accomplishment against the odds, according to former California treasurer and longtime rail travel enthusiast Phil Angelides.
"Look, in the middle of the Civil War, when 600,000 Americans were dying of disease and on the battlefield, that's when Abraham Lincoln pushed through the transcontinental railroad that ended right here on this spot," he said.
Its western terminus was in Sacramento, but the transcontinental railroad had an impact across the country. Trains became engines for American prosperity - opening millions of acres of land to farming and moving passengers, mail and freight between growing cities. By 1890, 164,000 miles of rail were laid and trains dominated transportation.
But then came the 20th century, with automobiles and airplanes. By 1957, planes were carrying more passengers and a growing interstate highway system provided an attractive alternative to riding the rails.
"In the 1950s, this country made an immense investment in roadways. Like no other country in the world. So, we really did build an economy around automobiles. And we built an economy around cheap gasoline," Angelides said.
But some other countries chose to invest in railroads - high speed trains that travel more than 150 miles per hour. For decades, superfast trains have been a reality in Europe and Asia. And for decades, American travelers have been envious.
In 1964, Walter Cronkite took a ride on Japan's "Bullet Train."
"Behind me is the new Takaido super-express - capable of bulleting down these tracks at 160 mph," Cronkite said then.
In 1990, when the TGV in France was setting speed records, "Sunday Morning's" very own Charles Osgood took a close look.
"It is really very pleasant sitting here watching the countryside going by at 200 mph. There was a time when we used to do things in the new world and here in Europe they would look at us and say 'Too bad we can't do it here.' Now it seems to be the old world where new things are happening - new things like this and it makes us wonder why can't we do it too," Osgood reported.
Today, the fastest train in the United States is the Acela in the Northeast. While the Acela is capable of 150 mph, the tracks are so bad it limps along at an average of 80 mph.
But true high speed rail could be coming to the Northeast and nine other busy corridors, including Florida, Texas, Illinois, California and the Pacific Northwest.
"The federal government under President Obama has made it clear it's going to be a partner in building high-speed rail," Angelides said.
The president's stimulus plan committed $8 billion for high speed rail development.
"Building an new system of high speed rail in America will be faster, cheaper and easier than building more freeways and adding to an already overburdened aviation system," Mr. Obama said in April.
California already has an ambitious plan for high-speed rail. Computer animation imagines trains zipping past clogged freeways at up to 220 mph.
So far, it's all still on the drawing board, but getting closer to reality.
"We call this a war room, so these maps get shifted and changed," Tony Daniels showed Blackstone
Daniels leads an engineering team planning some 800 miles of new track from San Francisco and Sacramento to Los Angeles and San Diego.
"It's got challenges, but challenges that can managed," Daniels said. "There's nothing that would give us any doubt whatsoever that this can be built. Not one."
It can be built, but will it? Daniels left his job with British Rail 30 years ago hoping to build high-speed railways in America.
"And there was an opportunity. In [1979] somebody said, 'Well, we're gonna do it in the United States,'" he explained. "And I said, 'Right. I want to go and try it.'"
And since 1979, Daniels said he hasn't gotten discouraged about the prospects of high-speed rail in the U.S.
"Absolutely not," he said. "And you'll get people saying, 'Yeah, he's too optimistic.' But we made it. This time, it's gonna go."
California voters approved a $9.9 billion bond issue last November to get work started. Even a recession won't get in the way, says Quentin Kopp of the California High Speed Rail Authority.
"We're California. We're the state, during the middle of the Depression, which built the Golden Gate Bridge. We're the state, during the middle of the Depression, which built the Bay Bridge. And a depression, economically - much less a recession - has never stopped the spirit of California," Kopp said.
Kopp is an enthusiastic salesman for high speed trains in California. He says it's the only way to keep the state's growing population moving.
"Let's just take that hypothetical of accommodating travel requirements of 50 million Californians in the year [2030]. We would have to spend money somehow, adding 3,000 lane miles of freeway, adding five runways at major airports, which can't be expanded today because of environmental reasons mostly," Kopp said.
Today the train from San Francisco to Los Angeles takes more than 12 hours. In a high speed train, the trip would be cut to just two hours and 38 minutes - 10 hours less.
And, according to Angelides, city center to city center will be faster than flying.
"You know, I traveled up today from Los Angeles. It's quote, unquote, "An hour and 15 minute flight." You know, but there's the trip to the airport. There's the hour you got to be there before the flight. You know, all probably end-to-end, a four hour trek," he said.
To run 220 miles an hour, the trains will have to go over or under all roads. That means building 600 new bridges or tunnels in a state where big projects often run into environmental concerns. But Angelides, whose Apollo Alliance promotes green industry, said the electric-powered trains are definitely green and worth the $40 billion price tag.
"Look there are a lot of environmental benefits. We can take a million cars off the road," he said.
But critics worry the benefits of high speed rail are overestimated and the costs have been underestimated.
"My concern is we've had a sales pitch," said Julie Quinlan, a mother of two and neighborhood activist who fears such a huge project is bound to go far over budget.
"At the same time, you're having teachers that are getting pink slips in California. And the public school system really needs to be taken care of. So, we need to balance this, and not waste a dime," she said.
Like the rest of Amtrak, California's passenger trains are heavily subsidized. Supporters of high speed rail, however, say the fast trains will operate at a profit.
"Everywhere that you put a high speed train in - once it's in, it makes money. Everywhere, without exception," said Daniels.
Opponents say the U.S. doesn't have a train culture - we'll never ride the way Europeans and Asians do. But those who have been pushing high speed rail for years believe America is finally getting on the right track.
"Once you've been on high speed rail, whether it's France or Japan or Spain or Germany - you never forget it," Kopp said. "And you realize that this is a technology whose time has come. As a matter of fact, it came in the last century. But it sure is 21st century for the United States of America."
We need high speed rail to rebuild America!
Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Green Party
Ohio Green Party
www.ohiogreens.org
www.votespisak.org/thinkgreen/
Europe and Asia Have Advanced High Speed Rail Systems. Can America Catch Up?
(CBS) At the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, the glory days of American train travel are remembered and celebrated.
They were days of big machines - and big dreams. The biggest of all was the construction of tracks that would tie the country together from east to west: the transcontinental railroad.
It was a massive contruction project using cutting edge technology. Starting in the middle of the Civil War, the transcontinental railway took just six years to complete, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone.
It was an accomplishment against the odds, according to former California treasurer and longtime rail travel enthusiast Phil Angelides.
"Look, in the middle of the Civil War, when 600,000 Americans were dying of disease and on the battlefield, that's when Abraham Lincoln pushed through the transcontinental railroad that ended right here on this spot," he said.
Its western terminus was in Sacramento, but the transcontinental railroad had an impact across the country. Trains became engines for American prosperity - opening millions of acres of land to farming and moving passengers, mail and freight between growing cities. By 1890, 164,000 miles of rail were laid and trains dominated transportation.
But then came the 20th century, with automobiles and airplanes. By 1957, planes were carrying more passengers and a growing interstate highway system provided an attractive alternative to riding the rails.
"In the 1950s, this country made an immense investment in roadways. Like no other country in the world. So, we really did build an economy around automobiles. And we built an economy around cheap gasoline," Angelides said.
But some other countries chose to invest in railroads - high speed trains that travel more than 150 miles per hour. For decades, superfast trains have been a reality in Europe and Asia. And for decades, American travelers have been envious.
In 1964, Walter Cronkite took a ride on Japan's "Bullet Train."
"Behind me is the new Takaido super-express - capable of bulleting down these tracks at 160 mph," Cronkite said then.
In 1990, when the TGV in France was setting speed records, "Sunday Morning's" very own Charles Osgood took a close look.
"It is really very pleasant sitting here watching the countryside going by at 200 mph. There was a time when we used to do things in the new world and here in Europe they would look at us and say 'Too bad we can't do it here.' Now it seems to be the old world where new things are happening - new things like this and it makes us wonder why can't we do it too," Osgood reported.
Today, the fastest train in the United States is the Acela in the Northeast. While the Acela is capable of 150 mph, the tracks are so bad it limps along at an average of 80 mph.
But true high speed rail could be coming to the Northeast and nine other busy corridors, including Florida, Texas, Illinois, California and the Pacific Northwest.
"The federal government under President Obama has made it clear it's going to be a partner in building high-speed rail," Angelides said.
The president's stimulus plan committed $8 billion for high speed rail development.
"Building an new system of high speed rail in America will be faster, cheaper and easier than building more freeways and adding to an already overburdened aviation system," Mr. Obama said in April.
California already has an ambitious plan for high-speed rail. Computer animation imagines trains zipping past clogged freeways at up to 220 mph.
So far, it's all still on the drawing board, but getting closer to reality.
"We call this a war room, so these maps get shifted and changed," Tony Daniels showed Blackstone
Daniels leads an engineering team planning some 800 miles of new track from San Francisco and Sacramento to Los Angeles and San Diego.
"It's got challenges, but challenges that can managed," Daniels said. "There's nothing that would give us any doubt whatsoever that this can be built. Not one."
It can be built, but will it? Daniels left his job with British Rail 30 years ago hoping to build high-speed railways in America.
"And there was an opportunity. In [1979] somebody said, 'Well, we're gonna do it in the United States,'" he explained. "And I said, 'Right. I want to go and try it.'"
And since 1979, Daniels said he hasn't gotten discouraged about the prospects of high-speed rail in the U.S.
"Absolutely not," he said. "And you'll get people saying, 'Yeah, he's too optimistic.' But we made it. This time, it's gonna go."
California voters approved a $9.9 billion bond issue last November to get work started. Even a recession won't get in the way, says Quentin Kopp of the California High Speed Rail Authority.
"We're California. We're the state, during the middle of the Depression, which built the Golden Gate Bridge. We're the state, during the middle of the Depression, which built the Bay Bridge. And a depression, economically - much less a recession - has never stopped the spirit of California," Kopp said.
Kopp is an enthusiastic salesman for high speed trains in California. He says it's the only way to keep the state's growing population moving.
"Let's just take that hypothetical of accommodating travel requirements of 50 million Californians in the year [2030]. We would have to spend money somehow, adding 3,000 lane miles of freeway, adding five runways at major airports, which can't be expanded today because of environmental reasons mostly," Kopp said.
Today the train from San Francisco to Los Angeles takes more than 12 hours. In a high speed train, the trip would be cut to just two hours and 38 minutes - 10 hours less.
And, according to Angelides, city center to city center will be faster than flying.
"You know, I traveled up today from Los Angeles. It's quote, unquote, "An hour and 15 minute flight." You know, but there's the trip to the airport. There's the hour you got to be there before the flight. You know, all probably end-to-end, a four hour trek," he said.
To run 220 miles an hour, the trains will have to go over or under all roads. That means building 600 new bridges or tunnels in a state where big projects often run into environmental concerns. But Angelides, whose Apollo Alliance promotes green industry, said the electric-powered trains are definitely green and worth the $40 billion price tag.
"Look there are a lot of environmental benefits. We can take a million cars off the road," he said.
But critics worry the benefits of high speed rail are overestimated and the costs have been underestimated.
"My concern is we've had a sales pitch," said Julie Quinlan, a mother of two and neighborhood activist who fears such a huge project is bound to go far over budget.
"At the same time, you're having teachers that are getting pink slips in California. And the public school system really needs to be taken care of. So, we need to balance this, and not waste a dime," she said.
Like the rest of Amtrak, California's passenger trains are heavily subsidized. Supporters of high speed rail, however, say the fast trains will operate at a profit.
"Everywhere that you put a high speed train in - once it's in, it makes money. Everywhere, without exception," said Daniels.
Opponents say the U.S. doesn't have a train culture - we'll never ride the way Europeans and Asians do. But those who have been pushing high speed rail for years believe America is finally getting on the right track.
"Once you've been on high speed rail, whether it's France or Japan or Spain or Germany - you never forget it," Kopp said. "And you realize that this is a technology whose time has come. As a matter of fact, it came in the last century. But it sure is 21st century for the United States of America."
We need high speed rail to rebuild America!
Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Green Party
Ohio Green Party
www.ohiogreens.org
www.votespisak.org/thinkgreen/
Please consider circulating this information for the good of our communities:
I grew tired of waiting for my Food Stamp Ohio Direction Card.
Prior to calling the number below today, September 1, 2009, I received mailed information from Ohio Department of Job and Family Services saying that I would receive the card. The only thing that was emphasized was the requirement to call in to activate the card and get a PIN #.
I called 1 - 866 - 386 - 3071 from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services mail I received.
I spoke with a Customer Service Representative named Olivia in Utah.
Olivia told me that the only way to physically obtain the Ohio Direction Card is to call and request it.
She said to expect it to between 5 - 7 days.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I grew tired of waiting for my Food Stamp Ohio Direction Card.
Prior to calling the number below today, September 1, 2009, I received mailed information from Ohio Department of Job and Family Services saying that I would receive the card. The only thing that was emphasized was the requirement to call in to activate the card and get a PIN #.
I called 1 - 866 - 386 - 3071 from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services mail I received.
I spoke with a Customer Service Representative named Olivia in Utah.
Olivia told me that the only way to physically obtain the Ohio Direction Card is to call and request it.
She said to expect it to between 5 - 7 days.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Local news
Cincinnati.Com » Local news
Last Updated: 5:32 pm | Friday, August 21, 2009
Hannity concert closed to most media
The Enquirer • August 21, 2009
Tickets are pretty much sold out for the Sean Hannity Freedom Concert at Kings Island tonight.
Advertisement
At 2 p.m., less than 100 seats -- all with obstructed views -- were left at the 10,000-seat Timberwolf Amphitheatre, said Kings Island spokesman Don Helbig.
The concert lineup includes Billy Ray Cyrus, Charlie Daniels, Lee Greenwood and Michael W. Smith performing at 7 p.m.
Hannity himself, plus other political guests, also are expected to speak . However, most media outlets -- except Fox News -- have been excluded from covering the event by Hannity's organizers, Helbig said.
The sixth annual concert series benefits the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund started by Oliver North to help dependents of deceased or disabled U.S. military veterans. North will attend the show.
If you go, you can share your news and photos with the community by visiting www.cincinnati.com/share.
Cincinnati.Com » Local news
Last Updated: 5:32 pm | Friday, August 21, 2009
Hannity concert closed to most media
The Enquirer • August 21, 2009
Tickets are pretty much sold out for the Sean Hannity Freedom Concert at Kings Island tonight.
Advertisement
At 2 p.m., less than 100 seats -- all with obstructed views -- were left at the 10,000-seat Timberwolf Amphitheatre, said Kings Island spokesman Don Helbig.
The concert lineup includes Billy Ray Cyrus, Charlie Daniels, Lee Greenwood and Michael W. Smith performing at 7 p.m.
Hannity himself, plus other political guests, also are expected to speak . However, most media outlets -- except Fox News -- have been excluded from covering the event by Hannity's organizers, Helbig said.
The sixth annual concert series benefits the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund started by Oliver North to help dependents of deceased or disabled U.S. military veterans. North will attend the show.
If you go, you can share your news and photos with the community by visiting www.cincinnati.com/share.
"Four in ten people have no access to any latrine, toilet, bucket or box. Nothing. Instead, they defecate by train tracks and in forests. They do it in plastic bags and fling them through the air in narrow slum alleyways. If they are women, they get up at 4 a.m. to be able to do their business under cover of darkness for reasons of modesty, risking rape and snakebites.
"Four in ten people live in situations where they are surrounded by human excrement because it is in the bushes outside the village or in their city yards, left by children outside the backdoor. It is tramped back in on their feet, carried on fingers onto clothes, food, and drinking water.
"The disease toll of this is stunning.... Poor sanitation, bad hygiene, and unsafe water -- usually unsafe because it has fecal particles in it -- cause one in ten of the world's illnesses. Children suffer most. Diarrhea -- nearly 90 percent of which is caused by fecally contaminated food or water -- kills a child every fifteen seconds. The number of children who have died from diarrhea in the last decade exceeds the total number of people killed by armed conflict since WWII."
-- The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters by Rose George.
"Four in ten people live in situations where they are surrounded by human excrement because it is in the bushes outside the village or in their city yards, left by children outside the backdoor. It is tramped back in on their feet, carried on fingers onto clothes, food, and drinking water.
"The disease toll of this is stunning.... Poor sanitation, bad hygiene, and unsafe water -- usually unsafe because it has fecal particles in it -- cause one in ten of the world's illnesses. Children suffer most. Diarrhea -- nearly 90 percent of which is caused by fecally contaminated food or water -- kills a child every fifteen seconds. The number of children who have died from diarrhea in the last decade exceeds the total number of people killed by armed conflict since WWII."
-- The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters by Rose George.
http://www.local12.com/news/state/story/Dangerous-conditions-close-Pike-Co-mine/gLO7wmS_yUCuVJdv1pswPw.cspx
Dangerous conditions close Pike Co. mine
Last Update: 7/24 2:31 pm
BELFRY, Ky. (AP) - Workers are pumping millions of gallons of water out of a mine in Pike County after it was shut down for safety reasons.
Federal officials ordered the Freedom Energy Mine at Sidney Coal Company to close last week after a buildup of water in a sealed portion of the underground mine. Officials were worried about the seal failing and water flooding into a work area.
The mine is a subsidiary of Richmond, Va.-based Massey Energy. A Massey spokesman says 28 of the 162 miners employed at Freedom Energy have been inactivated. The rest were moved to other mines while the water is pumped out.
Spokesman Jeff Gillenwater said on Friday that the pumping will continue for another two weeks or more.
He says after that, the mine will be reopened and the inactive workers will return.
---
Information from: Appalachian News-Express, http://www.news-expressky.com
Dangerous conditions close Pike Co. mine
Last Update: 7/24 2:31 pm
BELFRY, Ky. (AP) - Workers are pumping millions of gallons of water out of a mine in Pike County after it was shut down for safety reasons.
Federal officials ordered the Freedom Energy Mine at Sidney Coal Company to close last week after a buildup of water in a sealed portion of the underground mine. Officials were worried about the seal failing and water flooding into a work area.
The mine is a subsidiary of Richmond, Va.-based Massey Energy. A Massey spokesman says 28 of the 162 miners employed at Freedom Energy have been inactivated. The rest were moved to other mines while the water is pumped out.
Spokesman Jeff Gillenwater said on Friday that the pumping will continue for another two weeks or more.
He says after that, the mine will be reopened and the inactive workers will return.
---
Information from: Appalachian News-Express, http://www.news-expressky.com
My comment - I wish Democrat Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper would acknowledge and respect the metaphor involved in where homeless people choose to sleep. Long live faith - based corporations as they profit unfettered in their roles as government contractors. Just like the privatized prisons.
*********************************************************
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090714/NEWS01/307140023/
By Mark Curnutte • mcurnutte@enquirer.com • July 14, 2009
The Enquirer/Mark Curnutte
A man sleeps in the doorway of the Hamilton County Courthouse Tuesday morning on Main Street in downtown Cincinnati.
Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper said this afternoon that the problem of homeless people sleeping on the plaza of the courthouse has grown noticeably worse and needs to come to an end.
Advertisement
“It’s clearly unacceptable for it to be used this way,” Pepper told The Enquirer. “The building needs to be clean and safe and perceived that way.”
In recent weeks, the population of people sleeping on the plaza’s 22 benches and in doorways and against walls has swelled to more than 30 a night, advocates for the homeless say. The numbers this year, even adjusted for the traditional summer increase, are higher than in recent memory.
Pepper plans to involve the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, Cincinnati Police and advocates to come up with possible solutions.
“In the big picture, it’s why we have shelters,” he said. “We should not turn a blind eye to the people in need, but we need to deal with it.”
The county facilities department cleans the plaza each weekday morning and would regardless of whether homeless people slept there. Discarded clothing, cardboard, newspapers, beverage containers and feces are deposited in a portable Dumpster. Benches and the plaza floor are cleaned with a disinfecting detergent and sprayed with a low-pressure hose, said facilities director Ralph Linne.
Streams of urine runs from the walls down the cracks of the sidewalk.
He said a group of homeless people live around the courthouse and the adjacent Hamilton County Justice Center.
“We clean because of normal usage every day,” Linne said. “A flock of pigeons can leave waste on the benches.”
Some homeless people like to sleep outside and avoid shelters, including the region’s largest, the Drop Inn Center in Over-the-Rhine.
"I think the positive is what he said about collaboration," said Josh Spring, director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, when told of Pepper's comments. "We're on board. We'd much rather have collaboration than confrontation. Hopefully we can come up with some lasting solutions.
(2 of 2)
“You have different personalities in homeless people, here and nationwide,” Spring said. “For some the shelter setting works. For others, they only stay in a shelter in the winter when it’s almost obligatory. Then, in the summer, for some people, they prefer and feel better emotionally to camp out.”
The outdoor camping group tends to sleep under bridges, along the Ohio River bank in downtown Cincinnati or at the courthouse, where they feel an additional sense of safety.
Darren Hardy, 44, an unemployed homeless man who slept on one of the plaza’s 22 benches overnight Monday, said the benches fill up fast and that other people are sleeping on flattened cardboard boxes, carpet remnants and newspapers spread out on the concrete surface.
“The police don’t mess with you up here; you hear them drive past,” said Hardy, who used his duffle bag for a pillow and loaned his jacket to a woman sleeping on the bench across from him.
The Drop Inn Center is averaging 250 people overnight this summer, compared to 200 a night last summer, said director Pat Clifford. If the center runs out of beds, it spreads sleeping mats on the floor.
“No one is turned away,” Clifford said.
The county will look into “good-cop and bad-cop” solutions, Pepper said.
“The line `we’re here because no one says we can’t be’ is not acceptable,” he said.
*********************************************************
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090714/NEWS01/307140023/
By Mark Curnutte • mcurnutte@enquirer.com • July 14, 2009
The Enquirer/Mark Curnutte
A man sleeps in the doorway of the Hamilton County Courthouse Tuesday morning on Main Street in downtown Cincinnati.
Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper said this afternoon that the problem of homeless people sleeping on the plaza of the courthouse has grown noticeably worse and needs to come to an end.
Advertisement
“It’s clearly unacceptable for it to be used this way,” Pepper told The Enquirer. “The building needs to be clean and safe and perceived that way.”
In recent weeks, the population of people sleeping on the plaza’s 22 benches and in doorways and against walls has swelled to more than 30 a night, advocates for the homeless say. The numbers this year, even adjusted for the traditional summer increase, are higher than in recent memory.
Pepper plans to involve the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, Cincinnati Police and advocates to come up with possible solutions.
“In the big picture, it’s why we have shelters,” he said. “We should not turn a blind eye to the people in need, but we need to deal with it.”
The county facilities department cleans the plaza each weekday morning and would regardless of whether homeless people slept there. Discarded clothing, cardboard, newspapers, beverage containers and feces are deposited in a portable Dumpster. Benches and the plaza floor are cleaned with a disinfecting detergent and sprayed with a low-pressure hose, said facilities director Ralph Linne.
Streams of urine runs from the walls down the cracks of the sidewalk.
He said a group of homeless people live around the courthouse and the adjacent Hamilton County Justice Center.
“We clean because of normal usage every day,” Linne said. “A flock of pigeons can leave waste on the benches.”
Some homeless people like to sleep outside and avoid shelters, including the region’s largest, the Drop Inn Center in Over-the-Rhine.
"I think the positive is what he said about collaboration," said Josh Spring, director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, when told of Pepper's comments. "We're on board. We'd much rather have collaboration than confrontation. Hopefully we can come up with some lasting solutions.
(2 of 2)
“You have different personalities in homeless people, here and nationwide,” Spring said. “For some the shelter setting works. For others, they only stay in a shelter in the winter when it’s almost obligatory. Then, in the summer, for some people, they prefer and feel better emotionally to camp out.”
The outdoor camping group tends to sleep under bridges, along the Ohio River bank in downtown Cincinnati or at the courthouse, where they feel an additional sense of safety.
Darren Hardy, 44, an unemployed homeless man who slept on one of the plaza’s 22 benches overnight Monday, said the benches fill up fast and that other people are sleeping on flattened cardboard boxes, carpet remnants and newspapers spread out on the concrete surface.
“The police don’t mess with you up here; you hear them drive past,” said Hardy, who used his duffle bag for a pillow and loaned his jacket to a woman sleeping on the bench across from him.
The Drop Inn Center is averaging 250 people overnight this summer, compared to 200 a night last summer, said director Pat Clifford. If the center runs out of beds, it spreads sleeping mats on the floor.
“No one is turned away,” Clifford said.
The county will look into “good-cop and bad-cop” solutions, Pepper said.
“The line `we’re here because no one says we can’t be’ is not acceptable,” he said.
Railpower on rise again
Jul 12, 2009
Jim Martin Jul. 12, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- ERIE'S OTHER LOCOMOTIVE MAKER -- Canada-based Railpower Technologies Corp., which had its U.S. headquarters in Erie -- was split into pieces by bankruptcy early this year. But just a few months later, some of the company's technology, patents and employees have resurfaced in Erie under new ownership. And what's more, one key company official is indicating there's a possibility the company's local presence could grow substantially. Kentucky-based R.J. Corman Railroad Group LLC, which purchased many of the old company's assets, has established a new Erie-based division to make hybrid and conventional yard switcher and medium-horsepower locomotives. R.J. Corman, which operates several short-line railroads and specializes in railroad construction, equipment rental and derailment services, has about 800 employees nationwide. Only about nine report to work in Erie, in addition to a handful of other employees who are located elsewhere but are part of the Erie division that's been dubbed R.J. Corman Railpower. Unlike GE Transportation, which builds the locomotives it designs, Railpower Technologies hired outside manufacturing firms to build the 200 locomotives that currently are in service around the world. That could change, said Mitch Gillispie, a holdover from the old company and vice president of locomotives at the new Erie division. Gillispie said the company will consider whether its locomotives, which have been touted for low emissions and reduced fuel consumption, will be built in the future by contract manufacturers or whether that work will be moved in-house. If the latter happens, he said, there's at least a possibility that the locomotives could be built in Erie. "Everything is under review at this point," he said. "I can't say we are going to commit to it, but there is a potential possibility." The presence of GE Transportation, one of the world's leading producers of locomotives, could influence the decision. "General Electric has been an icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) in the Erie area, and that would be one of the advantages," Gillispie said. "The locomotive supplier base has already been established." Noel Rush, the company's vice president of strategic planning and development, said it was too early to offer details. "This is still very early in our ownership," he said. "We have been active in letting our railroad clients know that our company has ownership."
------------------------------------------------
Rail Power being built in PA....Why not Ohio?
Where are our state leaders???
Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Green Party
Ohio Green Party
www.ohiogreens.org
www.votespisak.org/thinkgreen/
Jul 12, 2009
Jim Martin Jul. 12, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- ERIE'S OTHER LOCOMOTIVE MAKER -- Canada-based Railpower Technologies Corp., which had its U.S. headquarters in Erie -- was split into pieces by bankruptcy early this year. But just a few months later, some of the company's technology, patents and employees have resurfaced in Erie under new ownership. And what's more, one key company official is indicating there's a possibility the company's local presence could grow substantially. Kentucky-based R.J. Corman Railroad Group LLC, which purchased many of the old company's assets, has established a new Erie-based division to make hybrid and conventional yard switcher and medium-horsepower locomotives. R.J. Corman, which operates several short-line railroads and specializes in railroad construction, equipment rental and derailment services, has about 800 employees nationwide. Only about nine report to work in Erie, in addition to a handful of other employees who are located elsewhere but are part of the Erie division that's been dubbed R.J. Corman Railpower. Unlike GE Transportation, which builds the locomotives it designs, Railpower Technologies hired outside manufacturing firms to build the 200 locomotives that currently are in service around the world. That could change, said Mitch Gillispie, a holdover from the old company and vice president of locomotives at the new Erie division. Gillispie said the company will consider whether its locomotives, which have been touted for low emissions and reduced fuel consumption, will be built in the future by contract manufacturers or whether that work will be moved in-house. If the latter happens, he said, there's at least a possibility that the locomotives could be built in Erie. "Everything is under review at this point," he said. "I can't say we are going to commit to it, but there is a potential possibility." The presence of GE Transportation, one of the world's leading producers of locomotives, could influence the decision. "General Electric has been an icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) in the Erie area, and that would be one of the advantages," Gillispie said. "The locomotive supplier base has already been established." Noel Rush, the company's vice president of strategic planning and development, said it was too early to offer details. "This is still very early in our ownership," he said. "We have been active in letting our railroad clients know that our company has ownership."
------------------------------------------------
Rail Power being built in PA....Why not Ohio?
Where are our state leaders???
Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Green Party
Ohio Green Party
www.ohiogreens.org
www.votespisak.org/thinkgreen/
First bond package to use federal stimulus dollarsCOLUMBUS -- Ohio Treasurer Kevin L. Boyce announced today the completion of a $50 million bond sale to improve the state's logistics and distribution infrastructure, saving $2.1 million in the deal by using a federal stimulus program.
The sale marked the first time Ohio has used the Build America Bond Program in a bond deal, a move that helped the state cut down on interest costs.
The deal also was the first bond issuance under the state's $100 million Logistics and Distribution Infrastructure Program, administered by the Ohio Department of Development and created as part of the $1.57 billion Bipartisan Job Stimulus Plan passed last June by the Ohio General Assembly.
“We're pleased to have used this federal stimulus program for what it was intended -- to save money for states like Ohio and help stimulate the economy," Treasurer Boyce said. "Helping create jobs and saving taxpayer dollars are ways we can help Ohio emerge from this difficult economic environment."
The $50 million bond package will fund loans aimed at improving and expanding Ohio’s logistics and intermodal distribution centers. These funds are expected to help create 350 jobs and 270,000 construction hours in Ohio.
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By: Dave Harding, ProgressOhio
Posted Mar 12, 12:39 PM
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Posted Mar 12, 10:40 AM
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By: Ohio Consumer Advocate
Posted Mar 11, 10:26 PM
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By: David Lore, Licking County Pro-Active Citizens
Posted Mar 11, 12:19 PM
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By: David Lore, Licking County Pro-Active Citizens
Posted Mar 11, 12:19 PM
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FDIC Chairman on Mortgage Interest Deductions & Consumer Protection
By: Ohio Consumer Advocate
Posted Mar 11, 10:03 AM
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By: Ohio Consumer Advocate
Posted Mar 11, 10:03 AM
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