Glass City Jungle

This in via e-mail from the office of Governor Ted Strickland:
Governor Signs Interim Budget, Renews Call for Republican Budget Solutions
Columbus, OH – Governor Ted Strickland today signed a seven-day interim budget to ensure critical state services continue at reduced funding levels.
The interim budget was included in House Bill 16, the biennial budget bill for [...]

This in via e-mail from Environment Ohio:
Dependence on Fossil Fuels Could Cost Ohio $993.6 Billion By 2030
Environment Ohio Call on Ohio’s Decision Makers to Repower America with Clean Energy
Columbus, Ohio – A new report, The High Cost of Fossil Fuels: Why America Can’t Afford to Depend on Dirty Energy, shows that Ohioans are [...]

I get tired of the scare tactics used by both political parties to try to raise money and to get volunteer support. I dislike this no matter which side is doing it, even if it’s my party. It’s not “support us because we are the party that best meets your political philosophy, who [...]

We’ll find out more tomorrow at Toledo City Council’s agenda review, but in anticipation of that, via the Blade:

After several false starts, multiple financing plans, and more than one missed deadline, the Finkbeiner administration says it now has the best deal yet to jump- start the planned mix of private and public investment for a [...]

Rumors have been out there the past few weeks as to would current District 2 Councilman D. Michael Collins run for mayor or not. I talked to him Friday and he was not ready to publicly confirm whether he was going to run but said he’d be making the decision in the next few [...]

This in via email from Brian Kaiser, Lucas County Green Jobs Coordinator:
EVENT LINKS ENTREPRENEURS TO OPPORTUNITIES IN THE GREEN ECONOMY
Are you interested in starting a “Green” Business but don’t know where to begin? Do you currently own a small business and want to know about opportunities to expand into the emerging green economy? [...]

I guess you should always make sure that before you do a press conference that none of the neighbors are against you. It’s mentioned in the Blade article about the press conference held earlier today:
After moving his press conference one block to avoid a heckler, Mr. Konop stopped along the way to tell residents [...]

This in via e-mail:
Tentative agreement has been reached between the City of Toledo and the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association
Mayor Finkbeiner and TPPA President Dan Wagner announce a tentative agreement has been reached between the City of Toledo and the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association. The package will be presented to the TPPA for ratification on [...]

This in via e-mail from the office of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur:
Kaptur Announces $688,690 Stimulus Award Award To Toledo-Based Neighborhood Health Association
TOLEDO – U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) today announced a $688,690 federal award for capital improvements to Neighborhood Health Association.
The award was made by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of [...]

This in via e-mail:
CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE LEAVES TEAMWORK TOLEDO
The group of six candidates running as Teamwork Toledo will see itself whittled down to five candidates as David “P.R.E.Z.” Washington, the last of the six to join the team has decided to leave as of today.
When asked what prompted him to make the decision, P.R.E.Z. commented, [...]

This in via e-mail:
Toledo Science Center’s new name is…
After months of work and thousands of suggestions from the public, the Toledo Science Center, formerly COSI Toledo, has a permanent name…
“The name really does a great job of describing exactly what our science center is all about,” said Robert C. Savage, chair of the Create [...]

This in via e-mail:
Mayor Finkbeiner Announces Healing Prayer Vigil for Robert Brundage
Mayor Carty Finkbeiner announced that there will be a healing prayer vigil for Robert Brundage, Community Social Justice Activist, who was attacked on the corner of Collingwood Blvd. and Victoria Place on June 22nd. The prayer vigil will be held this Monday, June [...]

This in via e-mail from the office of Governor Ted Strickland:
Governor Statement on Legislative Budget Discussions
Columbus, Ohio – Governor Ted Strickland today issued the following statement after the legislature cancelled a scheduled conference committee for the second day in a row.
The legislature is responsible for sending the governor a balanced budget by Tuesday, June [...]

Minutes after the airing of this week’s Conklin & Company on WTVG a release was sent out by the Moody for Mayor campaign:
Moody “Straightforward” on Conklin and Company
Mayoral candidate Jim Moody, joined by two other mayoral candidates, Ben Konop and Keith Wilkowski, was the guest of Lee Conklin of WTVG’s Conklin and Company today, June [...]

I wondered if any of those who called in to the WTVG newsroom asking about the perceived double standard actually called the police or the city’s 24 hour number to complain. It does however clearly suggest there is a double standard, especially since people are profiting from violating the law when it comes to [...]

The accusations of “bad faith bargaining” have come from both sides, back in January of this year:
The charge against the City of Toledo claims Mayor Finkbeiner engaged in bad faith bargaining by publicly disclosing matters from private negotiation sessions.
The two sides have gone back and forth on the accusations, but there is a pattern [...]

This in via e-mail from the office of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur:
Kaptur Supports Clean Energy Bill with Key Provision to Benefit Great Lakes States
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Great Lakes states including Ohio would benefit greatly from creation of new Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway renewable power federal authorities thanks to a key amendment that Congresswoman [...]

When I read some of the articles in this week’s Sojourner’s Truth, I felt some trepidation about this, because I realize something about internet discussion and our nation as a whole. It’s hard to talk about the topic of reparations in a fair or realistic manner. As I read Reverend Perryman’s Never [...]

This in via e-mail:
Profitable Day for Mayor and Neighborhood Touring Team
While on the weekly van tour, Mayor Finkbeiner and city officials toured Emerald Street, where neighbors have been working to clean-up litter, plant flowers and mow grass in preparation for the Fourth of July. While in route to Emerald St., the Mayor and team came [...]

As stated earlier, as each candidate for office turns in the required numbers of signatures a basic background check using public record information will be done. The same time frame, from 1990 to the present (that will be 20 years from the date they would take office) and the same standards will apply [...]

I’ve lost count of the times the question of paid petitioners not being completely honest with people when seeking signatures has come up, especially related to gambling and related to Arno Political Consultants. It should not shock anyone that with the latest effort to get casino legislation before voters it’s happening again, where once [...]

This in via e-mail from the Ohio Democratic Party:
Challenge To Ohio GOP Leaders: “Are You Out Of Ideas Or Just Afraid To Lead?”
COLUMBUS – Today, the Ohio Democratic Party responded to Republican attacks on Governor Strickland’s leadership on the state budget.
Following Republican defeats in 2008, Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine issued this directive [...]

This in via e-mail:
Popular Famous Dave’s Pulled Pork Eating Contest Returns at Smoke on the Water – Ribs for the Red Cross Event
Back for seconds, the Famous Dave’s Pulled Pork Eating Contest will feature stomach-to-stomach competition at the Columbia Gas of Ohio Smoke on the Water- Ribs for the Red Cross event.

This guest post was received via e-mail from Ohio House Representative Peter Ujvagi, who has some different thoughts on some of what was shared here last week related to the Ohio House.
Let me congratulate Representative Barbara Sears on her “Short notes from the floor” last week. However, it may be worthwhile to note [...]

I always wondered why there was no charge for the Sheriff’s Office to provide patrols/protection for some of the townships, including Springfield, but I assumed it was part of some type of reciprocal deal, especially with the location of the one substation in Springfield Township. Apparently that is not the case when you read [...]

NBC24 has the story; part of it:
TOLEDO — Toledo City Councilman D. Michael Collins says an anonymous person has paid off controversial parking tickets handed out to residents recently. He says the tickets were paid off at One Government Center but did not say who the person was, “It is my understanding (that) [...]

In reading the Blade today with the statements of Lucas County Republican Party Chairman Jon Stainbrook and 9 is Fine supporter Dave Schulz, where it stated by Jon Stainbrook that:
…the language in the petition is confusing and could be interpreted to mean council will increase by nine members, rather than dwindle in size.
“The petition language [...]

Today at a Toledo Mud Hen’s game, an 8 year old boy was hit by a piece of a broken bat. It’s not the first time, nor will it probably be the last time someone has been injured by a broken wooden bat. Back in April, umpire Kerwin Danley ended up with a [...]

This in via e-mail from the Wilkowski for Mayor campaign:
Wilkowski Unveiled his plan to bring jobs to Toledo at News Conference Today
June 24, 2009 – Democratic Mayoral Candidate Keith Wilkowski shared his strategic vision for bringing jobs to Toledo today. Surrounded by supporters, Wilkowski unveiled his comprehensive economic development plan that will attract and retain [...]

The OEA (Ohio Educational Association) has been running ads on television that suggest/promote supporting Governor Strickland’s educational plan in a manner that would help public schools more than charter schools. The idea of educational choice is one that has been debated here and other places for quite some time.
What’s interesting though is viewing both [...]