Glass City Jungle

This in via e-mail:
UT College Republicans To Host FairTax Information Session
Toledo, OH, 4/19/09 — On April 28, the University of Toledo College Republicans will be hosting an informational presentation on the proposed FairTax bill. A representative from the Ohio FairTax Association will discuss the issues and inefficiencies with the current tax code [...]

The cover story for this week’s Toledo Free Press is T. Boone Pickens working with Owens Corning on energy conservation. The companion story is a recommended read. Jim Harpen’s column last week where he suggested our Mayor was like Nero and was “fiddling” while the City was burning created a response from the [...]

This week on Conklin & Company, on WTVG Take Three was first with Schylar Meadows, Bob Reichert and District 5 Toledo Councilman Tom Waniewski. The second segment was with Congressman Bob Latta and the third segment was with Ohio House Representative Peter Ujvagi. As always this is not a direct transcript of the [...]

Some of the information covered by JC Reindl in Lucas County Coroner mulls new ruling on inmate’s death has been reported on since Sheriff Telb and three others were indicted on federal charges. Yet when I came to this one part of the article, it made me pause:

But before the case was handed over [...]

When I read the Dispatch article I began to wonder more how this is going to impact Toledo, as well as noted the elimination of four of the five snow days. This means realistically that the school year will be extended each year since we always have more than one snow day. Or [...]

This in via e-mail from the office of Ohio House Representative Peter Ujvagi:
Rep. Ujvagi Pleased with President’s High Speed Rail Plan
White House Plan Specifically Includes Toledo
COLUMBUS – State Representative Peter S. Ujvagi (D-Toledo) said today he is very pleased with President Barack Obama’s strategic plan for high speed rail in the U.S. that includes [...]

This article written by Kevin Milliken appeared in the recent edition of El Tiempo, it serves a dual category purpose, since I think it qualifies for the “Something Nice” category of the blog as well. What I think is great about this program is that the youth are involved in helping to fix up [...]

I guess it goes to show you how uninformed some in our public are and how little they pay attention to City Council as well as the job our media does in informing people as to what is stated at City Council Meetings. While I hope the person selling the t-shirts to police officers [...]

This in via e-mail:
Hart Associates named top business-to-business agency in the U.S.
Firm earns distinction for fifth straight year
MAUMEE, Ohio – For five years running, Hart Associates, the leading integrating marketing communications firm in Northwest Ohio, has been selected as one of the top business-to-business agencies in the country by BtoB Magazine.
According to the published criteria, [...]

I’m wondering how the City can eliminate the School resource officers because they have a contract with TPS and TPS pays for half of the salaries of the officers. It’s been said but I have not yet been able to confirm that according to the contract with TPS the City would have to give [...]

As reported by some of the media last night, the expected layoff notices began today. Here’s the reporting countdown as far as time posted and numbers of layoffs reported:
2:18 p.m. Fox Toledo Sources close to the Toledo Police Patrolmen’s Association say at least 150 Toledo Police officers received layoff notices Friday afternoon.
2:56 p.m. WTVG [...]

I didn’t stay for the game, but since I worked today, I was Downtown and my husband came down during the afternoon to attend the Toledo Free Press Mud Hens Opening Day party and then we walked around Downtown for a bit. I do that often but it’d been a while since he’d been [...]

Some of you wanted to talk about the Tea Parties, so this post’s for you. Which Ohio City had the largest tea party turnouts? Columbus reported over 7,000; Dayton reported about 8,000; Cincinnati’s crowd was estimated at 4,000; Cleveland estimated 5,000, Canton had around 2,500; Medina had about 800 and in Toledo? [...]

Our Mayor, some would suggest, intentionally uses the ability to spend just under $10,000 so that City Council doesn’t have to approve the spending, it was hard to not point out that the Governor did something similar in reading that he hired an outside lawyer to write the school-funding plan paying him just under the [...]

I wonder what would happen if the State Auditor was a Democrat and expressed some of the same concerns Mary Taylor has. You can read the Blade, you can read the Dispatch or you can read the actual analysis sent out by Taylor.
It’s clear there is politics involved, which shouldn’t exist, there [...]

Fox Toledo is reporting, a possible sign of layoffs:
DOWNTOWN TOLEDO – Officers in the Toledo police department’s property room have been told to prepare over 100 boxes to receive equipment, sources within the department tell FOX Toledo News.
The city can neither confirm nor deny the report, according to Jason Webber, spokesman for the mayor’s office.
Still, [...]

Updated April 16th 12:03 p.m. – As posted on the Toledo Free Press website at 11:56 a.m. – Brian Schwartz has reported that the number of signatures needed has been reached.
The decision is in from attorney, Don McTigue who was brought in to decide if the Take Back Toledo petitions were [...]

It’s almost a fine art form here in Toledo where when someone points out something you don’t want to hear or accept, the blame turns on them. Yes, “shooting the messenger” syndrome. There is a gentlemanwoman in Toledo who has a chalk board out in front of his house where he writes messages, [...]

Yesterday I updated the coverage of this issue with an article written by Scott McKimmy in the Toledo Free Press related to the signature count and the Clerk of Council, Gerald Dendinger, hiring an outside legal consultant, Don McTigue. A case that Mr. McTigue previously argued was noted since in that scenario he [...]

Back in March WTOL covered the story of a lawsuit filed by attorney Scott Ciolek on behalf of Michael Mingione. Only a few moments of the video is shown, and there has been very little coverage of the incident beyond that newsclip. Scott Ciolek sent me the complete raw video file so that [...]

The following is items that created discussion or might be of interest, as always it is not a direct transcript of the Toledo City Council meeting. Councilman Tom Waniewski was absent.
Issue Notes – 2009 Assessed Services Program, $29,646,975
All present with the exception of Councilwoman Shultz voted yes.
Expenditure to Clifton Gunderson, LTD [...]

An updated story by Kevin Milliken in a recent edition of El Tiempo:
Viva South Leaders Complain About Credit Union Cash
Two Latino leaders have fired off a letter to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, questioning where the credit union cash is that was promised to Viva South Toledo to establish a way for migrant workers and [...]

If you watched Fox Toledo at four p.m. then you saw my third Rant & Rave which was on the topic of “sexting.” If you missed it? Check online later on the Rant & Rave page. If it’s not up yet? You can always watch some of the previous Rant & [...]

WTVG has just had a special report stating that Lucas County Sheriff Telb and several others in the Lucas County Sheriff’s department have been indicted on federal charges related to the death of Carlton Benton:

Four people have been indicted on charges of federal civil rights violations relating to the in-custody death of a detainee at [...]

This was sent to me via e-mail from a reader and I thought it’d be interesting to pass on. Toledo Mayoral candidate, Christopher Adams has turned to Craiglist as a way to get information about him and how to become involved in his campaign out there.

It’s that time again Toledo for Artomatic 419! If you have never attended? I recommend it, we’ve had a great time in the past, with even my teenage daughter, who rarely enjoys anything we try to do as a family, having a good time last year. Presented by the Arts Commission of [...]

Following up on a story that was first reported in the Toledo Free Press Sunday evening, most of our local television media reported on this story last night, WTOL, WTVG have new coverage, Fox Toledo originally covered this Sunday. NBC24 reported on this story but I did not see a link for it on their [...]

Ignazio Messina did a nice job in answering some of the questions raised here yesterday during the discussion on the media release sent out by Toledo Councilman Joe McNamara & City Council candidate Terry Biel, in

This one made me laugh, Konop claims Facebook win because a good number of the now 1,421 people who joined the group “Ben Konop for Mayor” don’t live in Toledo, and a few of us (like me) joined more than one of these groups. I joined Bell’s, Wilkowski and Konop’s and if Moody has [...]

This in via e-mail from the Re-elect Fisher campaign:
Fisher announces the start of her re-election campaign
Fisher to sign clean campaign pledge at Kickoff Fundraiser
Toledo, Oh: Darlene Fisher will hold a fundraiser/volunteer party Tuesday, April 14th from 6:30 – 9:30 pm at the Distillery, 4311 Heatherdowns Blvd to kickoff her re-election campaign, Working for the Community. [...]