Glass City Jungle

Updated – I’ve been told the three that the Governor will consider from – Cosme, Mandros and Coble.
The four finalists selected for Governor Ted Strickland to consider includes the name of a local attorney, Keila Cosme of the law firm, Cosme, D’Angelo and Szollosi, she is one of the founders of the law [...]

Personally I don’t think so, but politics and religion get intertwined into some races for office. Last night’s debate as written about in the Blade is a prime example of how religion can be tossed into the political arena.
Considering neither Mayoral candidate has any say over what is taught in a public school system, [...]

The press conference was held earlier today, the statement made by mayoral candidate Keith Wilkowski is below.
STATEMENT BY KEITH WILKOWSKI DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR OF TOLEDO, CALLING FOR THE FORMATION OF A JOINT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ZONE AT THE MARINA DISTRICT
The City of Toledo has invested millions of dollars in the Marina District but the end [...]

The Toledo Free Press reports online:
A source close to the negotiations has told Toledo Free Press that Huntington Bank is close to securing naming rights to the Lucas County Arena. The source said negotiations are not final and no commitment has been made, but the deal could close as early as Sept. 30.
No dollar amount [...]

This came on my FaceBook page just a few moments ago:
NBC 4
BREAKING: Ohio governor Ted Strickland has proposed freezing income tax cuts to fund education in the wake of a court decision that could halt his plan to put lottery slot machines at racetracks.
Columbus Dispatch has more.
Gov. Ted Strickland today proposed eliminating the [...]

What’s also interesting about the story as reported on by Fox Toledo is the video. Embedding still slows the blog down so head over watch. Can’t wait to find out who is in the video with mayoral candidate Mike Bell? Check below the fold.

The following was sent via e-mail as a guest Column From Representative Barbara Sears:
Cut Government Waste, Reduce the Debt

As a mother, I have always taught my sons the necessity of living within their means and avoiding accumulating debt. Especially with the onset of the economic recession, I have stressed the importance of trimming down excess [...]

This in via e-mail from United Food and Commercial Workers of Ohio:
United Food and Commercial Workers Unions of Ohio (UFCW), Rep. Dan Stewart and Rep. Kenny Yuko to Release Public Benefits Disclosure Report
WHO: Representative Dan Stewart (D-Columbus), Representative Kenny Yuko (D-Richmond Heights) and representatives of UFCW
WHAT: Representative Stewart and Representative Yuko and representatives of UFCW [...]

Absentee ballots have not been sent out and early voting is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, yet the primary results were just certified and a re-count which requires a 5 day time period is needed. Will the early voting be delayed? Will absentee ballots be sent out as is? That we won’t [...]

This in via e-mail on behalf of the four endorsed Democrats:
Candidates band together to spread message to Toledoans
Toledo, OH – Endorsed Democrats Joe McNamara, Adam Martinez, Terry Biel, and Aji Green have banded together to spread their message of change and new ideas. The partnership, called “Hungry4Change,” will include a combined canvassing effort, community appearances, [...]

The interesting part is that it’s been known for several weeks that they were not going to continue the River Walk portion, as reported in today’s Blade attributed to Don Monroe:

“They have done a ton of work here and spent considerable dollars sending people here as often as three times a month from different [...]

This in via e-mail from Michael Szuberla at toledogarden.org:
Green Economics and Urban Agriculture.
Dr. Wayne Roberts
Monday, September 28th 6:30pm
McMaster Center – Main Library
325 North Michigan St.
Dr. Wayne Roberts has worked tirelessly to demonstrate that what is good for the environment is also good for jobs and ordinary people. “It’s a vision that integrates economic, social [...]

As a mini update to an earlier post, shared by the Biodiversity Project the winners have been decided and some of the photos are amazing. You can visit Great Lakes Forever here to see the photos.
While they are all amazing, my personal favorite is “Sailors Smoke” by Mike Mikulich, what’s yours?

This in via e-mail from Hart Associates:
A statement from Sean and Carolyn Savage
On Thursday, September 24, 2009, Carolyn Savage gave birth to a healthy baby boy at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio.
At this time, we would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to the Morell family on the birth of their [...]

That is true, but considering it involved the Mayor it got more heated than that. Fox Toledo has the story, a short news clip video and a longer version of the video with more of the Mayor’s comments.
This has been a long stemming issue with the Mayor and some in the City, one example [...]

I received an e-mail pointing out that the Casino design being reported by Channel 5 in Cleveland looks a lot like the one reported in Cincinnati.
So, since we haven’t seen one proposed for Toledo, thought I’d share both. They are not exactly similar drawings when you look closely, the lights are different colors and [...]

This in via e-mail from Northwest Ohio Charter School Coalition:
More Charter School Parents Receive Threatening Letters from TPS, As Investigation Continues
(Toledo, OH) — The Northwest Ohio Charter School Coalition (NWOCSC) reported Friday that more charter schools said their parents received threatening letters from Toledo Public Schools demanding an appearance at a TPS Attendance Hearing or [...]

This in via email from the office of Representative Jennifer Garrison, who is also running for Secretary of State:
Rep. Garrison Pushes Amendment for Open and Accessible Elections
Seeks to Restore Remote Site Voting Hours In House Bill 260
COLUMBUS – Majority Floor Leader Jennifer Garrison issued an open letter to Speaker Budish, Chairman Dan Stewart of [...]

I can imagine what would happen if Monty Python updated this classic skit to meet today’s internet…Something to enjoy on a Friday afternoon.

Well, there wasn’t really wild rejoicing but it was at least some slight good news, Income tax collections for Toledo show uptick in the Blade, part of:
Income tax collections for the city of Toledo are still down over last year’s revenue, but officials admitted Thursday that they were cautiously pleased to see a slight upswing.
The [...]

This in via e-mail from Kevin Joyce, Executive Director of Black Swamp Conservancy:
Rep. Marcy Kaptur Co-Sponsors Landmark Agriculture and Open Space Conservation Bill
Perrysburg, OH (September 24, 2009) Private landowners—and especially family farmers—will be the beneficiaries of legislation, co-sponsored by Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), to make permanent the federal tax incentive for donations of conservation easements.
The [...]

This sent via e-mail from TruthPAC:
League of Women Voters opposes two amendments
COLUMBUS DISPATCH
September 22, 2009
The League of Women Voters of Ohio is opposing Issue 3, a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot to allow full-scale casinos in Ohio. The measure is not an appropriate use of the state constitution, the group says.
For similar [...]

This in via e-mail from Ohio Jobs and Growth Plan:
Mayor Frank G. Jackson endorses Issue 3
Calls casino vital for Cleveland’s Downtown development
CLEVELAND (September 23, 2009) – A first-class casino in downtown Cleveland, one of four to be built in Ohio cities if State Issue 3 is approved by voters, would be an integral [...]

This in via e-mail from the Northwest Ohio Charter School Coalition:
NWOCSC Investigates Threatening TPS Letters Sent to Charter School Parents
(Toledo, OH) — The Northwest Ohio Charter School Coalition says it has launched an investigation into threatening letters sent to parents of charters school students ordering the parents to appear at a Toledo Public School [...]

This in via e-mail from Ken Leslie and 1Matters:
Tent City is Set to Rise Again Celebrating 20 years of Advocacy
Started in 1990 as the Homeless Awareness Project, 1Matters Tent City will celebrate 20 years of volunteer effort helping the unhoused have a voice in the system.
Set for October 30th to November [...]

This in via e-mail from the office of Senator Jon Husted:
Ohio Senate passes Husted Redistricting PROPOSAL
COLUMBUS—The Ohio Senate achieved another step today in reforming Ohio’s partisan system for drawing legislative districts with the passage of Amended Senate Joint Resolution 5, sponsored by State Senator Jon Husted (R-Kettering).
SJR 5 restructures the current commission that draws [...]

This in via e-mail from Bob Tenenbaum Senior Counselor of The Milenthal Group:
MTR Gaming – the West Virginia-based casino company that is behind the so-called “TruthPAC” — and State Rep. Lou Blessing continue to argue that the proposed 33 percent casino tax rate in State Issue 3 is too low in comparison to other states [...]

This in via e-mail from Toledo Public School Board member Darlene Fisher:
Scott Oversight Committee Resolution
Yesterday evening, Tuesday September 22nd, the Board passed a resolution authorizing a Scott Oversight committee. On the surface, the establishment of this committee would appear to be a positive step. Unfortunately, the Board has established a committee in name [...]

This in via e-mail from the Brown for Secretary of State campaign:
Marilyn Brown, Democratic Candidate for Secretary of State Statement on SJR5: Husted Partisan Redistricting Scheme
The following statement may be attributed in whole or in part to Marilyn Brown, Democratic Candidate for Secretary of State
“As public servants, I believe the process we use [...]

This in via e-mail from the 1Sky Campaign:
Takoma Park, Md. – 1Sky Campaign Director Gillian Caldwell applauded President Obama for addressing the challenges of climate change during his speech today at the United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York, but urged the president to take a much more active role in ensuring the [...]