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| 1 killed, 2 injured in Erie County collision HURON, Ohio - One person was killed and two others hurt seriously early Sunday when a motorcycle and car collided on Rye Beach Road at State Rt. 2 in Erie County's Huron Township, authorities said. The motorcycle driver, Charles A. Downing, 58 of Milan, Ohio, was pronounced dead at Firelands Regional Medical Center. His passenger, Ann M. Downing, 41, also of Milan, was taken to Firelands Regional Medical Center and later flown to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center. She was in serious condition there Sunday, a hospital spokesman said. A passenger in the car, 3-year-old Andrew C. Hovanec of New Brighton, Penn., about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, was taken to Firelands Regional Medical Center and later flown MetroHealth Medical Center. He was in good condition there yesterday, a hospital spokesman said. Mr. Downing was southbound on Rye Beach Road just after midnight when he struck the northbound car carrying a family of five from New Brighton. Driver Aimee Hovanec, the 3-year-old's mother, was turning left onto a westbound ramp of Route 2. Mr. Downing and his passenger were thrown from the motorcycle. Mrs. Hovanec, 34, her husband, Martin, 30, and her two other children, Natalie, and Tamara D. Wilson, 10, were treated at Firelands Regional Medical Center. |
| Gunman opens fire in Tennessee church, 7 injured KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A gunman entered a church and opened fire as congregants watched a youth performance Sunday, sending seven people to the hospital, officials and a church member said. None of the children were injured, said a church member who arrived moments after the shooting. The gunmen was tackled after firing three times with a shotgun, church member Steve Drevick said. Knoxville Deputy Chief Gus Paidousis said the suspect was taken into police custody. He didn't immediately release any other details. Some of the victims had head injuries, Drevick said. A hospital would not release their conditions. The gunman entered the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church and began firing a shotgun, said Drevick, who was called to the church immediately after the shooting to help out and later gave a statement to reporters. Drevick had spoken to several eyewitnesses and said no one at the church recognized the gunman. He said the gunman had more ammunition on him. There were about 200 people in the church at the time of the shooting watching a youth performance being put on by 25 children. Police had cordoned off the church with yellow and red tape, and were taking statements and collecting video cameras from church members who'd been taping the performance. Police at the church would not immediately release any information and did not return phone calls from The Associated Press. The seven patients were "in various stages of treatment," said Becky Thompson, spokeswoman for the University of Tennessee Medical Center. The church's minister was on vacation in western North Carolina at the time of the shooting but returned Sunday afternoon. "We've been touched by a horrible act of violence. We are in a process of healing and we ask everyone for your prayers," the Rev. Chris Buice said in a statement outside the church. A woman from a nearby Presbyterian church brought flowers to the scene. Carrie Niceley, 19, said an announcement about the shooting was made while she was attending her church Sunday. The Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church is a community that meets to worship and work together for social change, according to the church's Web site. Since the 1950's, the congregation has worked for desegregation, racial harmony, fair wages, women's rights and gay rights, according to the Web site. The congregation also has provided sanctuary for political refugees, fed the homeless and founded a chapter of the ACLU. |
| Unitarians move reflects plight of urban churches Sometime before noon today, members of First Unitarian Church will bid farewell to their stately Old West End building in a service filled with sermons and songs, including "In My Life" by the Beatles, before they drive to their new home on Glendale Avenue. The seven-mile trek will mark the end of a long journey in which the congregation studied, discussed, and debated - sometimes heatedly - the options for coping with a shrinking membership, soaring utility costs, and changing neighborhood demographics. That combination of factors is putting a squeeze on other Old West End churches, along with many historic congregations in urban areas nationwide, experts said. "Essentially what we're doing is downsizing," said the Rev. Rod Thompson, First Unitarian's interim minister. He will preach his final sermon at the church today and hand the keys to the new pastor, the Rev. Beth Marshall. The liberal, socially conscious congregation, which professes no creed and sports a weather vane atop its steeple rather than a cross, is moving from a 33,275-square-foot structure built in 1922 to one that is less than half that size, 13,098 square feet, built 18 years ago. than a cross, is moving from a 33,275-square-foot structure built in 1922 to one that is less than half that size, 13,098 square feet, built 18 years ago. The old sanctuary could sit 350 people while the new one has a capacity of 250. "We are going to have a great change, but we will get used to it," said Louise Bankey, 85, who has been attending First Unitarian since she was 10. "Unitarians tend to be practical people, not with their heads in the clouds. And we all have strong opinions," she said. Indeed, it took countless meetings and lengthy discussions before the members voted to move out of the historic Old West End into a relatively bland stretch of South Toledo. Ultimately, First Unitarian's decision to move was a matter of finances. As Mrs. Bankey put it, "It was so economically difficult to stay." Soaring costs Utility costs soared as high as $7,000 for a single winter month, and the church has had to tap into its endowment to pay the bills, Mr. Thompson said. Moving into a smaller, more modern facility will save about $40,000 a year, according to Allan Brown, an architect and member of the church's relocation committee. Meanwhile, First Unitarian's attendance has been in a steady decline, from a peak of more than 500 in the 1950s to about 140 today. Longtime members have seen the crisis looming for well over a decade, said Bob Rudolph, head of the relocation committee. "Years ago we had a group that was trying to devise a five-year plan instead of just going from one crisis to another, inch by inch and row by row," he said. Urban challenges William Tenny-Brittian, a church consultant in Columbia, Mo., said fewer Americans are attending church in general, and churches in urban settings face added challenges. "People are not going to church as much. We are, in fact, two generations away from the days when everybody went to church. That started to drop off in the 1960s, and it's been dropping off ever since. We are losing over a million members a year from the church in the United States," he said. Mainline denominations have been losing ground in the cities, Mr. Tenny-Brittian said. "Those that are quote 'thriving' tend to be few and far between. The churches that are thriving are mostly nondenominational, with conservative theology, and have high expectations of their members," he said. Over the years, affluent members of urban churches have moved to the suburbs and commute to church. As people from lower socioeconomic levels move into the area, "the people in the neighborhood now have nothing in common with the people in the church," Mr. Tenny-Brittian said. Moving in The buyer of First Unitarian's Collingwood building, which has agreed to make the $350,000 deal, is Greater Highway Deliverance Temple, a Pentecostal church based in New York City. Officials at the Manhattan headquarters declined requests to discuss their Toledo move. Several members of First Unitarian said it was essential to them that the Collingwood facility remain a church, and they were pleased that the new owners apparently have the wherewithal to maintain the building. "One of the big concerns was we can't just leave an empty building that's going to be boarded up with plywood," Mr. Brown said. "We don't want to do to that to Toledo. We're very fortunate to have found a congregation that can support it." Sitting empty, just across Prescott Street from First Unitarian, is the former Second Church of Christ. The 16,000-square-foot building with massive stone columns was purchased in 1995 by the Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth, Which He Purchased With His Own Blood Inc. The local church is entangled in a legal dispute with the national headquarters over property ownership and left the building vacant. Standing firm Leaders of other Old West End churches said last week that they are determined to stay in the Old West End and be a vital part of the community. The Rev. Larry Vriezelaar, pastor of First Congregational Church, said, "We've ignited a little bit of a fire at First Church and it's somewhat contagious. God is doing some really neat things for us." He said the church, well known for its spectacular array of Tiffany stained glass windows, has grown from 100 to more than 150 in the three years he has been there. Mr. Vriezelaar said moving has been discussed - but ultimately has been ruled out. "We believe in our heritage. If we all run from the Old West End, what does that say about the kingdom of God and ministry in the neighborhood?" The Rev. Kelly O'Connell, rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, said her congregation can relate to the pressures First Unitarian has experienced. "I can understand some of the stresses and constraints that they're dealing with. We're dealing with the same things and I'm sure Collingwood Presbyterian is dealing with the same things," she said. "Our churches were all built in the late 1800s and early 1900s and they're huge buildings, and we are faced with the maintenance costs and the utility costs." But over the last three years, she said, "St. Mark's has really committed itself to the neighborhood." For example, she said, the church offers summer programs for children and free meals and a "free garage sale" every month. Central United Methodist Church recently sold its building in the Old West End, on the corner of Central and Scottwood avenues, but found an innovative way to stay in the neighborhood. The church is renting a hall inside Collingwood Presbyterian. "We wanted to stay connected to the neighborhood," said Dan Rutt, chair of Central's relocation study committee. "We had a big old church that was draining a lot of money. It was too expensive to maintain. We felt Collingwood Presbyterian was a perfect match." Saying good-bye At First Unitarian, a "memorial service" was held last Sunday to pay respects to the old building. Emotions ran high and some members got choked up as they eulogized their longtime home. "There was both sadness and joy," member Julia Field McGhee said. "Many Unitarians are grieving today because of the necessary, and, for some, painful journey." But there are benefits to the move besides economics, Mr. Brown pointed out. Unlike the Collingwood Boulevard building, the Glendale church is both air-conditioned and accessible to the disabled. And after today's service, First Unitarian's members will hold a picnic in their large back yard, something they couldn't do on their postage-stamp property in the Old West End. Like most things in life, however, there's a trade-off. "It takes a fair amount of time to mow," Mr. Brown said. "I spent four hours on the tractor and another two hours with a push mower." Contact David Yonke at: dyonke@theblade.com or 419-724-6154. |
| Dragon Boat race propels education partnership effort Kraft Foods Inc. propelled itself with Flour Power. Toledo Fire Department had Blazing Paddles. And Brooks Insurance Agency dubbed its paddlers the Coverage Crew. They were among 44 teams from a variety of area organizations in the seventh annual Great Maumee River Dragon Boat Festival in International Park in East Toledo yesterday. The festival, which was presented by BP, included more than 1,200 paddlers. Organizations paid a minimum of $2,000 to enter the race. All proceeds benefit Partners in Education, a nonprofit organization that promotes partnerships between area schools and businesses, government agencies, churches, and other groups. The dragon boats, which are about 40 feet long, were manned by teams consisting of 20 paddlers, a person who steers the boat, and a drummer beating a cadence to set the pace. Paddlers had to be at least 16 years old, and each team had to have a minimum of eight female paddlers. Brian Niedzwiecki, vice president of Stautzenberger College and a member of Partners in Educations board, said dragon boating racing is ideal for the fund-raiser. People dont need to have athletic ability. Its about team work. The team that works together is the one thats going to win, he said. The event was about racing and much more. There was face painting, food, live music, and a childrens area with inflatable attractions, games, and a craft tent. The Chinese Association of Greater Toledo provided cultural activities, including martial arts demonstrations. I love bringing together groups of people who you wouldnt normally see together, said Gretchen LeBoutillier, the event coordinator for Partners in Education. The race is growing in popularity. Ms. LeBoutillier said last years race drew 39 teams; this years race had five more. Our audience has grown. People see its a great festival, she said. Melissa Hilt, a neonatal flight nurse for Toledo Childrens Hospital and a member of the University of Toledo department of pediatrics Pediatric Paddlers team, said the race was competitive. A lot of us get really into it. Its a great time, she said. Dr. David Krol, chairman of the department of pediatrics at the University of Toledo college of medicine, said the event builds camaraderie and its for a great cause. Jane Hamilton, of Toledo, brought her grandchildren, Emmy, 9, and Matthew, 6, to the festival to watch their parents race for the Silgan Can Co.s Can-Do Crew team. Im very impressed. It involves so many people, she said. While some worked hard in the races, others, such as Nancy Bartram, of Toledo, relaxed with a massage at the Chinese associations booth. Its incredibly relaxing. I could close my eyes and go to sleep, she said. Though the event ran smoothly, a few boats encountered some difficulty. The WSPD-AM 1370/Clear Channels boat, Radio Waves, steered into Blazing Paddles, the firefighters boat. Radio Waves flipped over. The Rowing Titans, KeyBank and St. Johns Jesuit High Schools boat, also flipped over. No one was hurt in any of the incidents. It happens; steering is very tough, said Pat Nicely, a Toledo fire captain. Contact Meredith Byers at:mbyers@theblade.comor 419-724-6101. |
| Habitat for Humanity hammers out 5 homes in 7 days Liz Long has never owned her own home - and never thought she would be able to do so. But that's about to change. Early Friday, local builders started construction on homes for Ms. Long and several other families as part of a Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity project that aims to build five homes in seven days. Ms. Long, 30, who has lived in low-income housing her entire life, said she is thrilled that she will have a place to call her own to raise her child. She and her 9-year-old daughter now live in a Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority building in Sylvania. The new homes will be built on Waybridge Road, off Bennett Road, between Laskey and Alexis roads in West Toledo. Habitat hopes to eventually have 10 homes on the street. The Habitat "Builders Blitz" is designed to showcase the skills of the professional builders, as well as to construct more houses than would be possible with the volunteer crews the organization typically uses. Georgia-based Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 and builds homes around the world for low-income families. The Christian group, which strives to eliminate homelessness and substandard housing, has built more than 250,000 residences. Home builder Michael Dean, president of Michael Development Ltd. and of the Home Builders Association of Greater Toledo, first became involved with Habitat when he participated in a builder's blitz two years ago. "I saw this young lady's [the new home owner's] children and how this house was affecting them," Mr. Dean said. "Knowing statistically what housing does for families, it is an opportunity for people to live a better life We enjoy giving back. This is the best way for builders to do it." The average price for the new Habitat homes is $70,000, and the structures average 1,100 to 1,200 square feet per home. One of the homes in this project is 1,600 square feet with five bedrooms because the family is large, but that's unusual. There is a shortage of affordable housing, at least 2.8 million units nationwide, according to estimates from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. This month, the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority has been accepting applications for the Housing Choice Voucher program, commonly called Section 8. The program allows eligible families to receive a voucher and rent from a private landlord, rather than living in public housing. Under the program, families pay about 30 percent of their income in rent, with the voucher subsidizing the remaining cost. When LMHA announced at the beginning of July it would be taking applications for the program and the program's waiting list for the first time in nearly a year, the agency was flooded with more than 4,000 applications - for less than 100 vouchers. While LMHA Executive Director Linnie Willis estimates that at least one-third of the applicants probably won't be eligible for the program, the sheer volume of people seeking help from Section 8 makes a statement about the need for more affordable housing, she said. "The number of applications we receive is a confirmation of the need to keep decent, safe, and affordable housing in this community," Mrs. Willis said, adding that issue goes beyond the ability of an organization such as LMHA or Habitat for Humanity to easily solve and requires the attention of state and national elected officials. In the meantime, Ms. Long, a nurse assistant at Sunset Village Retirement Community, has been putting in her required hours of "sweat equity" for Habitat. Homeowners must complete 300 to 500 hours of work, 50 hours of which must be on their own home. Habitat for Humanity homes are not given away. In addition to her sweat equity hours, Ms. Long must pay for her house. Homeowners also must attend financial management classes and a yearlong homeownership course, said Marilyn Jensen, director of development Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity. Ms. Jensen emphasized that the builders have volunteered their time, labor, and money. No more volunteers are needed for this project, she said. "It speaks very highly of the building community," she said, "In a time when the economy is so bad, housing starts are down, the foreclosures, 11 builders stepped forward to help we have had so much wonderful support." Contact Kate Giammarise at: kgiammarise@theblade.com or 419-724-6133. |
| Openness is antidote for conspiracies Ever since the Watergate scandal, the public has exhibited an innate skepticism about government. Conspiracy theories regarding hidden agendas and back-room deals thrive in this environment. So when William Carroll, chairman of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority board, says of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's request for an investigation into port authority President Jim Hartung's relationship with a lobbyist is "not his choice to make. This is a port board investigation," he is misguided. Such comments from Mr. Carroll, further fueled by the fact that he "wants to get his investigation concluded promptly but has no timetable for it," only serve to further cloud the issue and feed cynicism about governance and the responsible management of the public's precious taxes. Mr. Carroll conveniently forgets that the port authority is public, that it is a governmental entity, and that he and his board answer to the residents of Toledo and Lucas County. Mayor Finkbeiner is only performing as the people's representative - the very taxpayers who supply the income for Mr. Hartung's salary (and compensation for lobbyists, by the way). The people have a right to an independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigation of the facts. To be fair, Mr. Hartung and the lobbyist deserve the same. William Carroll ought to look around him because the walls, furnishings, and doors of the port authority offices are the property of the people of Toledo and Lucas County, and the use of these facilities is theirs to decide. He should be careful about hampering the investigation, or closing those doors to the people's right to know. The mayor's request for a wide-ranging outside investigation is justified. Clarity is the antidote for thoughts of conspiracy. Let's remember what Ben Franklin said regarding government corruption, "Sunshine is the best disinfectant." Michael Young San Diego Iraq weapons threat was Bush's idea Since when is the letter writer in the July 14 Readers' Forum privy to the "whispered" suggestions of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq into President Bush's ear by ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair? It is my understanding that the reverse was true. The threat of WMDs originated from the Bush Administration, not the Blair regime. Prime Minister Blair's insistence to the British people that joining the U.S. forces during the invasion of Iraq was necessary for both countries' safety was extremely unpopular from the beginning and it almost cost him his job. It's also news to me and I'm sure the rest of the world that, according to this letter writer, the British Empire is alive and well, or as he put it "a new U.S.-powered British Empire." Maybe he is being satirical, like the New Yorker's recent unfortunate attempt at satire, eh? Perhaps he needs to review his source of information and revise his obviously prejudiced and inaccurate opinion before releasing it for print. There are far too many erroneous and even malicious rumors and fallacies flying around our country these days to have more added to the garbage. Josephine Dresser Oregon Mayor right to fault population numbers Mayor Carty Finkbeiner deserves recognition for his continued effort to dispute the U.S. Census Bureau's recent estimates of the City of Toledo population. His effort to work with area businesses and government leaders to devise a more accurate number should be commended. The results have already proven successful in respect to other mayors' efforts in cities nationwide. Cincinnati's Mark Mallory is a shining example. Mr. Finkbeiner's support of this effort is important because an increase in population potentially brings more federal dollars to the city. And we all know, Toledo (like many struggling cities in the rust belt) needs more federal financing. Well done, Mr. Finkbeiner. Ravi Kumar Perry Potomac Drive Mayor plants flowers while Toledo sinks North Towne Mall slipped unnoticed into oblivion. Southwyck Mall, after a few minor seizures, is now history. Businesses large and small are vanishing. Our population is slipping away. The airport is sinking slowly in the West. On the 22nd floor of Government Center, the A's and B's ask what can be done to bring back these people and businesses. The Great One spreads his arms and pontificates: "Plant more flowers and they will come." Jesse Otto, Jr. 107th Street Concerts in the park are well-kept secret Every Thursday night in June and July, my friends, neighbors, and I meet at Walbridge Park for a concert. The concerts, which feature wonderful local talent, are free, open to the public, and probably one of the best-kept secrets (maybe until now) in Toledo. Even on hot days, the shade from the beautiful old trees and the breeze off the river offer two hours of fun and the ultimate in relaxation. Bring a picnic or something to cook on the grills provided. Go once and I guarantee you'll go again. Joan Peltier Princeton Drive Anthony Wayne levy should be rejected Once again, the Anthony Wayne school system is asking taxpayers to pass tax levies that have been previously voted down, even though the state auditor's report found the district to be overstaffed and suggesting that they could better utilize taxpayers dollars. In these troubled economic time, when people are losing their jobs, homes are in foreclosures in record numbers, food prices are rising, and gasoline continues to drain our funds, it is often a hardship to manage. Prudence requires us all to live within our budgets and sacrifice unnecessary spending. Asking seniors who are on limited incomes, or voters who have no children in school, to pay for students to play sports, be in band, and take part in extracurricular activities is unfair. We need to follow examples of other schools in our state that pay to play. We are taxed in excess for almost everything. In August, vote "no" on the Anthony Wayne tax levies. M. Anderson Schalow Whitehouse Zoo visitors treated worse than animals I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Toledo Zoo for a memory that will not be forgotten. We attended the Stevie Nicks concert on June 25. There was a constant rainfall. We were not allowed to bring in umbrellas. We were allowed to sit in the rain while being viewed by numerous stagehands and other personnel. (Now we know how the animals in the zoo feel.) We were never informed as to the status of the concert - canceled, postponed, when it might start. Soaked, we left without even a hint of an update. At least the zoo gives its animals shelter from the inclement weather. We have learned a couple of lessons: never attend a zoo amphitheater function and what it feels like to be treated worse than the animals housed by the zoo. Karen Pilatowski Petersburg, Mich. History is repeated with union rejection I think it's a shame that a Lucas County Juvenile Court Judge Denise Cubbon refused to recognize a union in her court. In 1934, Electric Auto-Lite also refused to recognize a union their workers were forming. It is one of the main reasons they went on strike. Here we are in 2008, 74 years later, and history is repeating itself. Sherrie Maurer Ogden Avenue Smile through the pain Its hard to make anyone smile when talking about todays fuel prices. Ill give it a try. Q: What is one good thing about sky-high fuel prices? A: It sure makes a $50 bill a lot handier. It can now do what the $20 bill used to do. LOUIS A. MARLATT, JR. Lyons, Ohio |
| A plan to save Scott SCOTT High School, the grand dame of Toledo Public Schools, should be in line for a face-lift if a proposal put together by district officials is smiled upon by the Ohio School Facilities Commission. School board members Darlene Fisher and Lisa Sobecki, working with Superintendent John Foley, TPS Treasurer Dan Romano, and district business manager Ron Victor, have gone the extra mile to save Scott from the wrecking ball while not breaking the district's bank account or placing a new burden on taxpayers. The problem has been that a full renovation of Toledo's oldest public high school, required under OSFC regulations, would cost $40 million, but the state was only willing to provide $28 million, which would have left the district - and local taxpayers - on the hook for the other $12 million. Under the proposal put together by TPS and board officials, Scott would be reassessed by the state with the goal of reducing the local share as much as possible, perhaps to as little as $3 million. The state's $28 million share would be secured by including two replacement schools in the proposal, but no action would be taken to design or build those schools unless the Scott renovation plan were to fail. Since the OSFC has been involved in formulating the proposal, there is every reason to believe that the commission will be disposed to work with the district to make renovation of Scott a reality. The final piece of the puzzle - providing the board approves the proposal and the reassessment results in a significantly reduced local share - will come in November, when voters would be asked to reauthorize the bond issue they approved in 2002 but which was not collected fully because the scope of the school building program was reduced. Fully collected, the bond issue would raise an additional $37 million, which could then be used for renovation projects across the district, including Waite High School, the former DeVilbiss High School, and Harvard, Crossgates, and Glendale-Feilbach elementaries, as well as Scott. Success for this proposal is not yet written in bricks and mortar. It will be considered by the school board's OSFC committee on Monday (a formality since Ms. Fisher and Ms. Sobecki are the committee) and, more importantly, voted on by the full board on Tuesday. The OSFC also has to sign off on the idea, and Michael Shoemaker, the state body's executive director, has pledged to give TPS every break possible to make the renovation plan happen. School officials and board members deserve a pat on the back for listening to the Scott community and putting together a plan to save one of the most magnificent buildings of its kind in the state, if not the country. Jesup W. Scott, the 19th-century Blade editor for whom Scott High School is named, saw Toledo as a city that would one day achieve international status. As a city aspiring to that level of prominence, it is fitting that Toledo remember and honor its past by preserving architectural gems such as Scott. This proposal is but the first step toward that end. |
| No smoking exemptions DESPITE the overwhelming vote in 2006 to ban smoking in public places in Ohio, there is a diehard movement afoot to water down that law by exempting some bars and private clubs. For any legislator who might be tempted to ignore the will of the voters, we have three words of advice: Forget about it. Contrary to the mewling of the Buckeye Liquor Permit Holders Association, this important public health question has been settled - in unmistakable fashion. Voters in the 2006 general election showed great discernment in defeating the tobacco industry's bogus "smoke less" issue by more than 1 million votes while handily approving the foundation for the broad "smoke free" statute we have today. There was no mistake, and no confusion. Ohioans wanted to be free of the tyranny of secondhand smoke, and nothing has changed. Moreover, other states, including Michigan and Pennsylvania, are moving in the same direction. Now that the smoking menace is on the run nationwide, from New York to California, it doesn't make sense to reverse course. Over the past two years, several bills have been introduced in the General Assembly by Republican legislators to provide exemptions for private clubs, family-owned taverns, and even theaters. None of these measures have gone anywhere, and for good reason. After initially - and unwisely - toying with the idea of exemptions, Gov. Ted Strickland considers the issue closed. And he's right. The voters have spoken. Bar owners frequently complain that they've lost business due to the smoking ban and that should come as no surprise to an industry that deals in the twin vices of smoking and drinking. But if business is as bad as they claim, perhaps it's because they haven't reached out and promoted their establishments to nonsmokers. If they would prefer to go out of business rather than adapt to the public's preference for clean air, it's their choice. |
| Gore's possible dream FORMER Vice President Al Gore made a speech in Washington last week that laid it on the line for what is left of American spirit and enterprise. He called for America to get its head out of the sand and embark upon a moonshot-style program to switch from carbon-based energy to clean, cheap, and renewable sources for 100 percent of the nation's electricity, all within 10 years. In issuing this challenge, Mr. Gore pointed out the geopolitical conundrum that grips the United States: We're now borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Middle East to consume in ways that are destroying the planet. Anticipating the predictable counter-argument that America could not possibly transform itself so quickly in the face of such a difficult problem, he pointed out - also accurately - that America had responded to President John F. Kennedy's challenge in 1961 to put a man on the moon in a decade by doing so in eight years. So, according to Mr. Gore, don't talk as President George W. Bush does about doing something about the problem by 2050. Without being apocalyptic, Mr. Gore stated flatly that the survival of the United States - as we know it - is at risk if we do not end rapidly our reliance on carbon-based fuels such as coal. He said it all has to change by 2018. He doesn't argue for that year as some sort of a magic talisman. He argues, quite realistically, that Americans' attention span is short. Targets 42 years off mean little or nothing. Mr. Gore's proposal is not crazy. In his speech he cited technologies - solar, wind, geothermal - that are already in use and in development. He did not speak of nuclear power, no doubt aware of the visceral, negative, albeit unrealistic reaction, of many Americans to that source of energy. He didn't add on many new ideas, in fact. He spoke of the threat of destabilization by "climate refugees," driven from their homes by global warming. He talked about a need for America to develop a Unified National Grid to enable it to move electrical power efficiently from one part of the country to another. He spoke of, but did not harp on, high gasoline prices and the positive effects on employment of the economics of the shift from carbon-based to clean, renewable energy. He also spoke of the expected resistance to this change by "special interests" - the oil companies, oil-producing countries, and the politicians whose campaigns are financed by those special interests. Mr. Gore's challenge, as we see it, is entirely on the mark for America. But first it must be accepted both by the people and by a national leadership unafraid to take a risk and see it through to completion. |
| Volatile driver to add owner to stuffed resume INDIANAPOLIS - Tony Stewart is no longer just stock car racing's most active volcano, and one if its most generous philanthropists, and a rare two-time champion in its elite series. The intricate enigma that is Tony Stewart morphed into something even more complicated recently when he officially became a team owner in the Sprint Cup Series. Next season, Stewart will own and drive for Stewart Haas Racing. "It seems like there's always something going on with Tony," Stewart's dad, Nelson, once said, shaking his head and adding an ornery, twinkling grin. There is. Stewart, who earned the nickname "Smoke" early in his career, has no back burner. He is up front about everything, and to a fault, keeps everything up front. Along with racing the grueling Sprint Cup schedule, which runs from early February to mid-November, and a select number of races in the Nationwide Series, Stewart owns racing teams in the USAC Midget and Sprint divisions, and in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Stewart also owns the legendary Eldora Speedway in New Weston, Ohio, southwest of Lima and near the Indiana line. He is part-owner of race tracks in Kentucky and Illinois. And Stewart is an actively involved, hands-on, mouth open, and expletives-not-necessarily-deleted kind of owner. "I love racing, and it's exciting for me being a part of racing on a number of different levels," Stewart said. "This team ownership thing makes perfect sense. This ought to show everybody how dedicated I am to what we're doing." Stewart, who has tussled with other drivers, openly criticized NASCAR's top brass, and called out Goodyear, the exclusive tire manufacturer for the Cup series, was involved in an incident Thursday night at nearby O'Reilly Raceway Park. He was there just watching a race - not driving in one - but Smoke still billowed. He reportedly knocked the headset off a USAC official while disputing a ruling that disqualified one of Stewart's midget cars from the race. Stewart allegedly then shoved the official as the confrontation continued. For the umpteenth time in his career, Stewart had reinforced the adage that pre-dates him by a multitude of millennia - where there's Smoke ... Stewart explained that his team had hurriedly fixed a flat tire and had the car ready to return to the race, but track officials did not provide a push truck to get the car back out on time. Stewart said he was upset because he had sponsors there to watch the race, and he was supporting his team. Close to his home and with some of his teams racing right in the neighborhood, this weekend is a relatively easy one for Stewart, who each week normally shuttles to multiple races, sponsor appearances and business meetings all over the country in a private jet. There are financial backers to court, planning sessions with his various management teams, and an endless list of charitable ventures he has never been able to tell no. "I honestly don't know how he does all of that," said Jeff Gordon, a four-time winner of the Sprint Cup Series championship. "I've had no desire to be the one making all of those decisions, and trying to focus on driving and winning races at the same time. Tony's got more than a full plate, but he seems to be able to handle it." Stewart, who is still looking for a driver for the second car his team plans to field in its 2009 Cup debut, remains a blend of grouchy and gracious, much like his racing hero A.J. Foyt, whom Stewart will honor by putting Foyt's traditional No. 14 on the lead Stewart Haas Racing entry next year. "A.J. and I always like to stir everything up," Stewart said. "We always like to do things that nobody says can be done, and both of us aren't going to go out and be spokesmen for Jenny Craig any time soon." Foyt, who has experienced the role of driver/team owner, acknowledges other similarities between himself and Stewart. "He shoots from the hip, just like I do," said Foyt, a four-time winner of the Indy 500. Stewart is here, in the center of the racing universe, trying to win another Allstate 400 at The Brickyard - the second-most prestigious run on the Sprint Cup schedule, behind the season-opening Daytona 500. Stewart, who is from nearby Columbus, Ind., and still lives there, won this event in 2005, and again last year. He is convinced he can put aside all of the distractions involved with his new team, and bring his current team, Joe Gibbs Racing, another trip to Victory Lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "What do you do when your career is over?" Stewart said. "You talk to drivers that have retired in the last three, four, five years, and it's hard to walk away from the sport. This gives me an advantage when the day comes I can't drive a race car or don't want to drive a race car. This is something I want to do the rest of my life." Yesterday, Stewart qualified 14th for today's race, and talked about his strategy for the 400 mile run around the Brickyard. "It's obviously better if you can get a good starting spot here, but the nice thing about Indianapolis is that the pit boxes are big and you don't have to worry about getting trapped in your pit box," he said. "But track position is always really important here. If you can get up there early and stay up there the rest of the day, you can get yourself in a position to win. But you have to get up there before about halfway through the race." Stewart, always the fast and often the furious, said his life got a lot more complicated now that he has taken on team ownership on the Cup level. But he promised to still find some personal time, so his myriad commitments don't eat him up, or negatively impact his life. "If you don't, you make yourself nuts," Stewart said. "I want this to be successful and I want it to be successful right off the bat. Whatever it takes to get it done, that's what we're going to do." Contact Matt Markey at: mmarkey@theblade.com or 419-724-6510. |
| Dominiak, Vaez win City of Toledo Singles titles Todd Dominiak just won't go away - and neither will his tennis skills. Dominiak, who has flirted with retirement more times than Brett Favre, didn't decide to enter the City of Toledo Singles Championships until the final moments before the registration deadline. Is Dominiak suddenly becoming forgetful in his old age? No. But admittedly, he had serious doubts of whether he could continue to mix it up with younger players. Turns out it's the young guys that can't hang with the wily veteran. For the 10th time in his decorated career, the 42-year-old Dominiak won the city championship yesterday at Toledo Tennis Club. Twenty summers after his initial title, Dominiak cruised past 25-year-old Joao Pinho 6-4, 6-2. Neela Vaez won the women's flight, topping JoEllen Kaufman in straight sets 7-6, 6-4 to capture her fourth city title. After losing in the finals last year, Dominiak all but walked away from singles competition saying, "Something drastic would have to happen for me to change my mind." Nothing drastic occurred. Rather simply, Dominiak was still confident that his knowledge and experience could offset any physical limitations. "I felt really good this year," Dominiak said. "I felt I was in shape. If I didn't feel like I could compete, I was not going to play." Dominiak, a pro at Belmont Country Club, said he will likely give it another run next year. And why wouldn't he after such an amazing and dominant performance? A win over Pinho was anything but a certainty. The Brazilian played on the Division I college level, and although this was his first tournament in two years, he keeps sharp as an assistant men's coach at the University of Toledo. "He neutralized my game pretty well," Pinho said. "My legs were kind of heavy today, but I was playing pretty well the first set. I couldn't keep up at the beginning of the second set. He played better." Vaez participated in the tournament for the first time since winning consecutive titles from 2003-05. The two-time state champion for Notre Dame Academy had scheduling conflicts the last two years. "I really like to play every year and it feels really good to get my crown back," Vaez said. "I just got it back." She's being modest, although trouble ensued at the end of the first set. Kaufman broke serve to send the set to a tiebreaker, and she quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Her advantage grew to 5-2 before Vaez claimed the next five points to win the set. "I just tried to keep my head and play every point as long as I could," Vaez said. The pressure was minimal compared to what she's experiencing in her daily life. Vaez, 20, must get A's or B's in all of her summer classes at Owens to become eligible to play at the University of Virginia in the fall. With just one chemistry course remaining, Vaez is in line to play for the Cavaliers where she will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. "I've been trying to train, but I had to do really well to get into school, so I've been off tennis for a little while," said Vaez, who played her freshman season at Purdue. Naturally, Vaez felt fatigued yesterday. But so did her opponent. Unlike the men's final, age may have been a factor as Kaufman, who turns 36 next week, was drained after the marathon first set. "I was disappointed that I lost because it was such a close set," said Kaufman, the champion in '06. "It would have been nice to win, but I think I wasted most of my energy trying to win the first set." Dominiak didn't waste much time or energy at any point in the week. He lost just one set in four matches, and he followed that setback with set wins of 6-2 and 6-2 to advance to the semifinals. Now that Dominiak has proven he can still beat the new generation of players, a new question has arisen. Who wins Todd Dominiak of 1988 or Todd Dominiak of 2008? "I think I can outthink him," Dominiak said of the 22-year-old version of himself. "I think he may outrun me, but I think I can out execute him. I think the new guy might narrowly beat the old guy." Contact Ryan Autullo at: rautullo@theblade.com |
| Bonine, Perez lead Hens to victory over Pawtucket The 500th Mud Hens game at Fifth Third Field wasn't a whole lot different than the first 499. There was a full house last night, which was to be expected. There was plenty of strong defense and good pitching by Toledo, which isn't uncommon. And there was a Hens home run - by Timo Perez - which has become a staple. There also was a 1-0 victory by the home team over Pawtucket, the 293rd victory by Toledo in seven seasons. The biggest reason the Hens were able to claim a win in the historic contest "and snap a four-game losing streak" was a fine effort by starter Eddie Bonine, who shut down the Red Sox on one hit over seven innings. "We beat a great team, so this is good for our confidence," Bonine said. "I was trying to mix up my pitches, and they hit a lot of balls at people. "Me and [catcher] Max [St-Pierre] did a good job of mixing up speeds, and when they hit the ball it was at someone. That's the way it goes some times." Bonine struck out seven and walked only one. The win was his 11th for the Mud Hens this season and his second since a promotion to Detroit shortly before the All-Star break. "I'd like to feel I'm not [different], but when you go up there you go through some really nervous games," Bonine said. "There's a different confidence that you have when you come back down, knowing you've gone through some things you never thought you'd go through." The closest Pawtucket came to scoring off Bonine was in the second, when the right-hander hit leadoff man Gil Velazquez with a pitch and Jonathan Van Every sacrificed Velazquez to second. But Bonine struck out Jeff Bailey and got Joe Thurston to pop out, the first two of nine consecutive batters Bonine retired. The Red Sox also had a chance to score in the seventh when Bonine hit Keith Ginter with two outs, but Clete Thomas made a fine diving catch of Jeff Corsaletti's sinking liner to keep Pawtucket off the board. "It would be all God's work if I threw a one-hitter," Bonine said. "We played some great defense, so I never thought about that. I just thought about pounding the strike zone and giving our team the best chance to win." Bonine threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 25 hitters he faced and threw 60 of his 98 pitches for strikes. "He was aggressive in and out, and had late movement on the ball," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said. "When you give him a game plan, he can implement it." The game's only run came in the fourth, when Perez cranked the first pitch of the inning by Pawtucket starter Michael Bowden into the Roost for his 12th home run of the season. Otherwise Toledo managed just seven hits and missed out on scoring chances in the first, fourth and eighth. Thanks to Bonine and relievers Francisco Cruceta and Blaine Neal, each of whom threw a scoreless inning, that wasn't a problem. "We scored just enough," Parrish said. "Our offense wasn't good, but it was good enough. That's because Bonine was really good, and the bullpen did a good job." Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com or 419-724-6481. |
| Local announcer has full plate In Their Words is a weekly feature appearing Sundays in The Blade's sports section. Blade sports writer Joe Vardon talked with Bill Clark, play-by-play man for Central Catholic football, area high school basketball (boys and girls), and baseball on WCWA (1230 AM). A graduate of St. John's Jesuit (1971) and Defiance College (1975), Clark has worked in Toledo for more than 30 years as a broadcaster and in advertising. In addition to his prep coverage, he is the interim radio color commentator for Toledo Mud Hens home games and hosts pregame and postgame shows for the Michigan State basketball network. Bill Clark said he feels like he's never worked a day in his life. Ask his wife, Carol, though, and she might tell you it seems like her husband never stops working. Clark, 55, is more than just the voice of Central Catholic football, seemingly the only local radio broadcaster regularly covering girls high school basketball, or the man filling in for Toledo icon Frank Gilhooley at Mud Hens games. He's also a salesman. Since joining WCWA in 1997, Clark purchases the airtime from the station and sells some of it to advertisers so he can broadcast games and host in-season, call-in shows. Before his current two-year run with Michigan State basketball, Clark hosted pregame and postgame shows for University of Michigan football and basketball, and had some in-game commentator duties as well. It was through his gig with the Wolverines that he ended up handling play-by-play responsibilities for UM's NIT championship victory at Madison Square Garden in 2004. But what Clark is most known for locally is his coverage of high schools. He said broadcasts between 75-90 high school events a year, and is spending his time now preparing his notes and lining up advertisers for Central Catholic's upcoming football season. They are time-consuming tasks indeed, but Clark said he can do them because of his family's support. His eldest daughter, Christi, kept his scorebook when he first started broadcasting games in the mid-90s, and his son, Jason, produces many of Clark's broadcasts. Bill and Jason co-hosted a talk show on WCWA earlier this year. "MY WIFE HAS been such a huge supporter. She's spent a lot of nights at home by herself, but she knows how much I love this. She's gone to wedding receptions by herself, she's gone to anniversary parties by herself, because I'm working pretty much from August to May. And then in June, I shut it down. I don't do anything, and for a while it used to bother me. Carol would say, 'Look, from August to May, you don't stop. So don't worry about it.' Now with the Mud Hens, it never stops. But it's fun. The hardest part is the selling it. The preparation and the actual broadcasting is the fun part. "I CAN'T WAIT to go to [Fifth Third Field]. I look forward to going every day. Jim Weber and Jason Griffin have been amazing. They've been doing it for so long, and the fact that Frank's not there, I still consider him a part of the team. I do a thing on the pre-game show called 'Gilhooley's Gallery,' and I wanted to do it even before I knew he wouldn't be able to do the games. He's got so much knowledge and he knows so many people. He's an icon, an absolute icon in this town. And he's been so good to me since 1977 when he helped me get into [Toledo television channel] 13." "ONE OF THE neatest things I ever did was when I was working for Michigan and Michigan played UCLA at Pauley Pavilion, and I met and talked with John Wooden. He was walking across campus with Keith Erickson, and Matt Shepard and I - Matt was the play-by-play guy at Michigan - we were walking across, and we saw him. He was with his daughter and Keith Erickson. We introduced ourselves and said, 'Coach, this is a real thrill.' Matt had one of those disposable cameras, and he said, 'Coach, would you mind if we took a picture?' And he said 'absolutely not,' and we took a picture with all of us. I still have it in my office. The guy was amazingly open and cordial. "THE NIGHT OF the state championship when Central [Catholic] was playing [in 2005], I was 10 feet off the ground. I probably could've hit somebody too. It was cold, and it was an amazing game. It's probably one of the best broadcasts that I've ever done. Tom Guitteau and I did it. We were both just so geeked up. And the game was amazing. Central ended up making a CD and giving it to the players of that entire game, which is kind of neat because they won it and it sounded that good. When St. John's Jesuit plays Central, plays St. Francis, those games go off the charts. They're such rivalry games in town, and that's part of having lived here all my life. I know how important these games are and I don't take them for granted. "EVER SINCE I started doing basketball games we've done girls games. And to be honest, my youngest daughter [Kati] played girls basketball at Central, and I always liked girls basketball. But it goes back to giving them a chance to get some publicity as well. She was fortunate enough to play in a state semifinal game and score a basket, and I was doing the game. That was a thrill, to be able to call you daughter's game in the state championships. My son, Jason, played at Central too and they won the district championship his senior year. He made a 3-pointer that gave them a lead they never lost, and I called that game. People came up to me after the games and said 'Is that Clark your son?' or 'Is that Clark your daughter? Because we can't tell by the way you do the game.' And I said, 'Well, that's important.'•" |
| Tigers' stopper springs a leak DETROIT - Justin Verlander's first pitch of last night's game sailed near Chicago shortstop Orlando Cabrera's head. It was a sign that the Tigers, not Cabrera, were in trouble. "He was warming up, before the first hitter had stepped in, and he didn't get one ball down," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "I didn't like what I was seeing." Verlander was off all night and suffered his shortest outing this season, and the Tigers lost 7-6 to the White Sox. His personal winning streak stopped at six games, and Detroit (52-51) now trails Chicago by 7 1/2 games for first place in the American League Central. Almost as poor as Verlander's performance was his timing. Chicago entered this three-game series leading the Tigers by 5 1/2 games. Detroit gave up ground Friday night when losing a game it appeared to have wrapped up until closer Todd Jones allowed a go-ahead, two-run homer with two outs in the ninth. The Tigers needed Verlander to stop the bleeding once again - three of his last four victories have come after a Detroit loss - but he couldn't. The Sox hammered his elevated pitches for seven runs on nine hits and a walk in four-plus innings. "He was a little bit like a bull in a China shop, he just couldn't get himself under control," Leyland said. "And that happens. I'm certainly not mad at Verlander. He was so pumped up, he forgot to pitch." Carlos Quentin, the AL's home run leader, socked his 27th homer in the third inning, a two-run shot that gave Chicago a 3-1 advantage. Jermaine Dye, who had the game-winning homer Friday night, homered again immediately following Quentin's blast. Detroit scored three in the fourth inning to tie it at four - two runs scored on Magglio Ordonez's infield single thanks to second baseman Alexei Ramirez's throwing error - but the Sox came right back. Verlander (8-10) let the first three hitters he faced in the fifth reach base, including Dye, who singled home A.J. Pierzynski. An RBI double by Jim Thome and Nick Swisher's sacrifice fly, both against reliever Bobby Seay, accounted for the rest of Verlander's runs. "That's never good. You score, they come right back and score," Leyland said. Last night's outing was certainly not the norm for Verlander. He hadn't allowed more than two earned runs in his eight starts since June 6 and the seven runs last night made for his highest earned-run total this season. The Tigers' hitters also had their chances to bail out Verlander. Ordonez, who hit a solo homer in the sixth off Chicago starter John Danks, led off the eighth with a double. Sox reliever Octavio Dotel recovered to strike out Miguel Cabrera, retire Gary Sheffield (who homered in the second) on an infield fly, and whiff Marcus Thames. Detroit loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh and pushed a run home on Dotel's wild pitch, but Carlos Guillen struck out with the tying and go-ahead runs on base. Curtis Granderson doubled with two outs in the ninth against Sox closer Bobby Jenks, but Placido Polanco struck out to end it. NOTES: The Tigers announced 45,280 tickets sold for last night's game, a Comerica Park record Detroit wore throwback uniforms honoring the Detroit Stars while the White Sox donned Chicago American Giants gear last night in celebration of Negro Leagues Weekend. Former Negro Leagues players Frank Crossan, Mel Duncan, Joe Douse, Herald Gordon, Gene Johnson, Marvin Jones, Cecil Kaiser, Alton King, Jim Moore and Ron Teasley were introduced before the game. Contact Joe Vardon at: vardon@theblade.com or 419-410-5055. |
| Team wont forget its Olympians The bat of the Mud Hens Jeff Larish was sawed off in his hands in the fourth inning of last nights game with Pawtucket. He did not get a hit in this time at-bat, but later collected one. In a few days, the clubhouse crew for the Mud Hens will close the lockers of Mike Hessman and Blaine Neal. They plan to cover the lockers with wood, then make the wood look like an American flag. The symbolism is obvious: the lockers of the two Mud Hens that will represent the United States in the 2008 Olympics will be unused while they play in Beijing. Both players look forward to all the opportunities the Olympic experience will afford them. My dad and my uncle were in China twice, and they just loved it, Hessman said. They had a good time over there, saw a bunch of cities and things like that. Ive always been the adventure-type, so Im looking forward to going and seeing different things. Both players said earning a spot on the Olympic team was something they never considered until about a month ago. I was worried about getting a job in March, Neal said. But Ive been lucky to play with a team that has had great success, and that has allowed me to have some success. And then the Olympic thing came up. Hearing about the Olympic team certainly was exciting. Hess and I both talked about how cool it would be to be on the team, and finding out I was on the team was the ultimate thrill. Hessman and Neal said their excitement grew as the date of the announcement drew closer. At the beginning I didnt know what to expect, Hessman said. As the decision came closer, it was something I became more anxious and excited about. Its something I really wanted to do. Getting the call to be a part of this really is something special. They will remain with the team until tomorrow, when they will fly to California to join their teams. After a brief orientation period the team will play a series of exhibition games against the Canadian Olympic in Durham, N.C., before traveling to Beijing. They are expected to return to the Mud Hens on Aug. 25. Its just something about representing your country and wearing that flag across your chest, Hessman said. Its just something to be proud of. Both were honored in a ceremony before yesterdays game, during which Mud Hens general manager Joe Napoli and manager Larry Parrish handed the pair Olympic jerseys and caps. I think I can speak for Hess when I say that, to get this type of honor, its very special, Neal said. To get the chance to wear that uniform with the flag across your chest is an honor. First, Ive never really been out of the country. Then to see the ceremonies and events that you see on TV is something to look forward to as well. THREE-DOT DATA: The home run by Perez gives him at least one hit in eight straight games. Last nights crowd of 11,158 was the Mud Hens 21st sellout this season, the 196th full house in the seven-year history of Fifth Third Field. |
| Manufacturing losses exact rising toll in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan The pudding cups are gone. So are the hot dogs, and bumper covers, and spark plugs. Even the toilets in Tiffin have been flushed away. Northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan have lost nearly 5,300 manufacturing jobs in less than two years, according to state and federal unemployment filings. And another 2,100 high-paying manufacturing jobs in the region are scheduled to disappear from the Toledo-areas economic map in the next several months. Politicians rail against the loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs especially in their own constituencies but then say they are powerless to fight the global economy, or openly support policies that contributed to the job losses. The latest large-scale casualty Norwalk Furniture Corp. in Huron County stunned its more than 500 employees with an immediate layoff notice on July 18 when its bank, Comerica of Dallas, abruptly cut off its credit. State and local officials are trying to engineer a resurrection of the upscale furniture manufacturer, but whether Norwalk Furnitures shutdown is permanent remained a mystery to the plants proud workers and city employees last week. On Friday, the company said Comerica has agreed to discuss a restructuring plan that would allow it to continue operations. I wish I had better news, Norwalk Mayor Sue Lesch said. I wish I had a magic wand. Since 1995, when the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect, Ohio has almost continuously shed manufacturing jobs, while losing ground overall to other states and regions. Consider: • Over the past five years, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana posted the three lowest growth rates in gross domestic product among all states, according to the Northeast Midwest Institute. • In 1990, Ohio had an average of 1,059,520 people employed in manufacturing, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of May, 2008, there were 762,200 persons working in manufacturing a loss of almost 300,000 good-paying jobs after years of steady decline. • Ohio saw its gross domestic product grow by 15.9 percent between 2003 and 2007. In the same period, the national GDP average was 26.2 percent. With Americas economy in trouble, and potentially in recession, industries are facing a double whammy: consumers who cant afford to spend like they could two years ago and intense competition from foreign manufacturers offering low-cost products. Possible culprits Democrats and Republicans battling for control of the White House and Congress have staked out markedly different positions on why manufacturing is struggling and how to resolve it. • An uneven playing field U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Toledo who has represented Ohios 9th Congressional District for more than two decades, said manufacturers in the United States are forced to compete on an uneven playing field in the world market. Essentially, American firms and the American people are being asked to compete against communist economies, managed economies, closed economies, and these create unbearable hardships, Miss Kaptur said. She said other countries subsidize the health and pension costs shouldered by corporations here, adding thousands of dollars to a cars price, for example. I would relieve the legacy costs on our manufacturers through tax policy, Miss Kaptur said. And while some would seek to characterize her stance as protectionism, she prefers the label reciprocity. • Regulation, energy costs Rep. Bob Latta, a Republican from Bowling Green who is new to Congress, sees the problem not so much as international competition but as government regulations and costly energy prices driving up the cost of doing business. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, Mr. Lattas 5th Congressional District has the most manufacturing jobs in Ohio 69,867 of them and is among the top 10 nationally. We have a very expensive area for electricity and natural gas, Mr. Latta said. He also noted that labor costs are higher here than in southern states. Weve got to do something about energy, Mr. Latta said. We have got to compete. We have found, and history has proved it, you cant build a barrier around this place. • Federal policies Norwalk resident George Mays, Mr. Lattas Democratic opponent in the November election, on Friday said federal policies are hurting Ohio and Michigan. The policies of giving tax credits to big corporations to do their manufacturing in other countries countries that dump their cheap products on our market, countries that dont respect the environment is just not right, Mr. Mays said. We need to have a different kind of negotiations on our trade treaties. Other countries should be required to bring their workers wages more closely in line with ours. • A variety of factors Last week, U.S. Sen. George Voinovich (R., Ohio) signed on to a Democratic-sponsored bill to beef up enforcement against thefts by international competitors of American business intellectual property. In a prepared statement, Mr. Voinovich told The Blade that a variety of factors are to blame for Ohios job woes, including unfair trade practices from China accompanied by the lack of activity by our government to require the Chinese to fix these problems. Other factors, he said, are health and energy costs, and a broken tax code. • Wrong-headed trade deals U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) said in an written response to questions from The Blade that it was time for economic policies in Washington that invest in Ohio. He decried what he called wrong-headed trade agreements that have shipped Ohio jobs overseas, deflated wages, and hurt communities. We want trade, and more of it. But, we want a trade policy that invests in Ohio businesses, creates good-paying jobs, and encourages new industry. Mr. Brown said he is working to change how trade agreements are written to ensure that environmental and labor standards are met by our trading partners, and by giving workers a seat at the negotiating table, we can create a level playing field and grow our economy. Automotive impact No local work force has been pounded harder over the last two years than those who work in the automotive industry, which has lost thousands of jobs as sales in North America dried up. Few autoworkers, either those at assembly plants or those making parts, have escaped the economic pressures of the declining industry. In the last two years, nearly 75 percent of the manufacturing jobs that have left the Toledo area have come from the automotive sector. Many of the jobs, such as those at Johnson Rubbers former plant in North Baltimore, disappeared when the product was no longer competitive or could be made cheaper elsewhere. Others, such as workers at JAC Products Inc., are losing, or have lost, their jobs because of manufacturing consolidation forced by high fuel and logistics prices. And there are others such as the more than 700 jobs that departed Chrysler LLCs Toledo Jeep Assembly complex this year through buyouts and layoffs that went away simply because of slow sales. Across North America, sales of all vehicles are expected to fall from 16.2 million units in 2007 to 14.2 million in 2008. The decline in manufacturing is a global phenomena, its not just a U.S. phenomena, said Dave Huether, an economist with the National Association of Manufacturers. Even the number of people employed in manufacturing in China has declined in the last 14 years by 16 million people. Its happening everywhere, Germany, Japan, Italy, everywhere they make things. The hemorrhaging of jobs seems destined to continue within the automotive industry, analysts say, as the number of financially viable suppliers shrinks with each increase in the price of steel or price reduction demand from automakers. The whole auto industry is in a recession, Mr. Huether said. An industry in recession According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing employment in the United States fell by 663,000 between June, 2006, and June, 2008. Nearly two-thirds of this drop approximately 406,000 jobs was in the automotive industry or sectors connected with housing. David Cole, director of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor and an industry analyst, agreed the auto industry is in a deep recession: The real question is how long is it going to last, and whos going to live long enough to meet the pent-up demand that this situation has created, he said. The global footprint of both General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Corp., he said, should help them survive by using strong global sales to supplement lost income in North America. Chrysler may feel the present situation more because its sales are more concentrated on this continent. Every one of them needs a return to health of the American market, because no matter how good they do overseas, they still depend on a healthy American economy, Mr. Cole said. Moving out For several decades, automotive jobs have migrated south from their traditional homes in Michigan and Ohio to the economically friendlier climes in the southeast United States and, more recently, Mexico. Chryslers decision to build two new Jeep plants in Toledo in the last decade stands in sharp contrast to those, especially foreign manufacturers, that have chosen to build south of the Mason-Dixon line. Some of the best-known foreign nameplates Toyota, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Hyundai, and Kia now build automobiles in the southeast United States, and not in Michigan or Ohio. Earlier this month, Volkswagen chose to build its new North American plant in Tennessee instead of Michigan. When states compete for manufacturing jobs, they often offer similar things to prospective employers: lower taxes, competitive logistical costs for their products, even access to cheaper raw materials. But the biggest portion of most manufacturers costs is for labor, and Ohio and Michigan are often passed over because their labor costs are perceived as uncompetitive with so-called right-to-work states, where unionized workers make up a very small percentage of the labor force. A counterpoint State and local economic development officials can respond to such arguments by pointing to studies such as this years Harbour Report, which said that the most productive automotive, engine, and transmission plants in 2007 were all located in the greater Toledo area. We are more productive, and we can show that, said Lloyd Mahaffey, the Ohio regional director for the United Auto Workers. The Ohio governors office has been aggressive in trying to attract manufacturing back to Ohio and dispelling that myth of higher labor costs, Mr. Mahaffey said. But if youre trying to lure facilities to Ohio, it has to start with the government. But its not just automobile and auto parts jobs that are heading elsewhere. Food giant ConAgra Foods has closed plants in the area in recent years they made pudding in Perrysburg and hot dogs near Hillsdale shifting that work to other plants where costs were lower. Contact Tom Troy at:tomtroy@theblade.comor 419-724-6058. |
| Monroe Bank and Trust is celebrating, with clouds MONROE Bank & Trust will celebrate on Friday 150 years of serving residents and businesses in Monroe County, Michigan. Weighing down that milestone, however, is a millstone around the community banks neck: The struggling economy of the state with the nations highest unemployment rate, 8.5 percent, and the fifth-highest foreclosure rate. Obviously, these are challenging times for a number of institutions, H. Douglas Chaffin, president and chief executive officer of the banks parent firm told Wall Street analysts last week after release of its less-than-robust second-quarter financial report. MBT Financial Corp. did respond to calls seeking comment. Few would argue that the current period ranks among the most challenging MBT, Monroe Countys largest bank, has ever faced. Quarterly profits exceeded $5 million in 2005 but have since declined, to a $2.7 million loss at the end of last year and a $1.7 million profit in the most recent quarter. MBTs provisions for loan and lease losses allotments banks set aside to cover loans that default have ballooned. They totaled $2.5 million in 2004, rose to $16.5 million in 2006, and hit $11.4 million last year, the bank said. In the first half of this year, they are at $4 million. The losses stem from the countys poor economy, resulting in home and business loans going sour. MBTs nonperforming loans those either in default, delinquent by 90 days, or restructured so that the bank no longer gets full payment total $44 million, more than twice what they were just 12 months ago. Add in $18 million worth of foreclosed properties the bank has acquired, and MBTs overall nonperforming assets total $62 million, or about 6.2 percent of all its loans and leases. Thats a very large number. Youd like to see it a lot lower, said David Scharf, an analyst with FTN Midwest Securities Corp. Investors, no doubt, would like to see a better numbers. The firms stock traded at more than $19 at the end of 2004, when the company announced plans to build an $8 million headquarters in downtown Monroe. Since then, MBT stock has plummeted, trading below $5 a share several days last week. In its call with analysts and in other statements, the banks management has sent clear signals that its steady dividend of 18 cents may be reduced by the end of the third quarter. Brad Millsaps, an analyst with Sandler ONeill, said he doesnt expect the dividend to be suspended, but a significant cut could be likely. MBT, he said, isnt earning enough profit now to cover its dividend costs, and I dont have them making enough money in 2009. A dividend cut would let MBT quickly raise capital and strengthen its financial reserves. It might get its stock going back in the right direction, Mr. Millsaps said. But Mr. Millsaps was critical of another $41 million worth of loans the bank has on its watch list for potential trouble. They have their challenges, and they have had them for some time, he said. Although MBT is sailing troubled financial waters, its situation is neither unique for a Michigan bank nor all that bad by comparison. According to BauerFinancial Inc., of Coral Gables, Fla., a financial institutions research firm, 28 banks and credit unions in Michigan have been labeled problematic, troubled, or worse. It rates banks from zero (failure) to five stars (superior). MBTs latest rating was 3½ stars, or between adequate and excellent. Monroe Bank & Trust is well capitalized and profitable. They had a small loss in the fourth quarter last year, but they came back to profitability, said Karen Dorway, BauerFinancial president. They have had a fairly significant jump in their nonperforming assets, which you dont like to see. Rick Maroney, a bank industry adviser and managing director of Austin Associates LLC in Sylvania, said that MBT has hit rough times, but so has most of Michigans banking industry. Anybody in Michigan is having these kinds of problems, Mr. Maroney said. The thing about MBT is they have over $120 million capital and $120 million in reserves set aside for loan losses. Thats a pretty strong institution. Mr. Scharf, with FTN Midwest, has a sell rating on MBT stock. He said the bank is strong and in no danger of failing or being acquired despite its $103 million worth of problem assets (troubled loans and those on the watch list) and swooning stock price. I suppose its always a possibility they could be taken out by another bank. They have a strong presence and are a good retail franchise, Mr. Scharf said. But I dont get the sense anyone else is ready to step up to that plate. In his talk with analysts, Mr. Chaffin said MBT is well positioned and we look forward to getting through this. It has a plan to raise capital quickly and has a strong capital rating, twice that of the federally mandated minimum of 4 percent, he said. Still, loan demand is slow, he added. Tom Myers, MBTs chief lending officer, said residential mortgage loans are a problem, representing $30 million, or 29 percent of the banks problem assets. And of the banks $104 million worth of problem assets either nonperforming loans or those on the watch list two-thirds are from homeowners. An additional 6 percent is attributable to one loan to an unnamed auto supplier, believed to be Plastech Engineered Products, which filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February. Brian Martin, an analyst with Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett, said MBT has it tough because it is unlikely to clear its bad loans from its books until the Monroe real estate market turns around. The bank clearly would like to unload many foreclosed properties it holds, but doing so is unlikely. If you had to sell your house tomorrow and you know the market [stinks], would you take $100,000 for it knowing youre taking a big loss? You probably wouldnt, he said. Mr. Myers, of MBT, said even though housing values have declined nearly 25 percent in Monroe the last three years, houses just are not selling. We have been pretty aggressive but when theres no buyers period were not going to take that additional step of logic and say theres no value at all to these properties. Theres just no buyers right now. Frank Pisanti, an agent with Gerwick Real Estate in Monroe, said foreclosures are slowing but are still high, and inventory is getting whittled away, which is a good sign. But the number of sold properties is still about the same. So while the inventory is shrinking a bit, its still a slow recovery, Mr. Pisanti said. He predicts the housing market where 50 real estate agents quit the local association in the last year probably wont rebound until years end. Meanwhile, housing values have dropped 15 percent in the last year. Complicating MBTs woes, Mr. Pisanti said, Michigan law lets the owner of a foreclosed property remain in the house for six months after a sheriffs sale to try to redeem the property. If a bank is not on good terms with the people, they take everything before they leave, the wiring, plumbing. They trash the house and then you have another 20 percent drop in value when you go to sell, Mr. Pisanti said. So most banks do short sales, buying a mortgaged property back for less than the outstanding loan balance. Short sales save a property from potential destruction, but add to a banks property portfolio. The bank, which is heavily involved in its community, has a big anniversary celebration planned for 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the county fairgrounds. But unless Monroes economy improves, the company is likely to continue to have problems. We have another 12 months or so ahead us that will be difficult, said Bill Morris, president of the private Monroe Industrial Development Corp. Still, he said, the suffering may be bottoming out. We are working with more companies now, either new companies or those planning expansions, than we have in the last two years, he said. Overall, we are seeing things starting to pick up right now. Contact Jon Chavez at:jchavez@theblade.comor 419-724-6128. |
| Tips on saving from the Greatest Generation No one denies that the economy today is putting the squeeze on consumers who find themselves trapped by rising fuel prices and the ailing housing market. While many grapple with the reality of having to cut back and find ways to make their dollars stretch further, there are some out there who remember even worse times. Senior citizens who lived through the desperation of the Depression and the rationing of World War II have plenty of ideas about how to get by when times get tough. Some of their practices were limited to the unique circumstances in which they grew up; others they still practice today. The Blade visited the J. Frank Troy Senior Center in the central city and Swan Creek Retirement Village in South Toledo to tap into the collective memory and wisdom of what some call the Greatest Generation. Inspired by those conversations, here are some suggestions. Ryan E. Smith 1. Plant a modern victory garden. Ray Barker, 78, Bowling Green During World War II, millions of Americans planted Victory Gardens in yards and other plots of land, accounting for up to 40 percent of nationally consumed vegetable produce. Now, as food prices rise, consumer plans to pursue vegetable and fruit gardening are up 7 percent over last year, according to a February study by the Garden Writers Association. 2. Buy used items or make your own. Marjorie Hoskins, 80, West Toledo Consider just one example: A shirt at a local Goodwill Industries store usually sells for only $3, no matter if its new or used. Jeans are $5 and a suit costs just $10. Not surprisingly, national Goodwill store sales for the first four months of this year are up 6 percent compared to the same time last year, according to a spokesman. 3. Dont eat out so much. Cook things from scratch, freeze some for later, and plan menus around leftovers. Lois Grasser, 80, South Toledo Americans eat out a lot 5.8 times per week on average, according to the National Restaurant Associations 2008 industry forecast. That can add up to a lot, with annual spending on food away from home topping more than $1,000 per person. 4.Get rid of extra credit cards and dont carry a balance. Bill Cameron, 81, South Toledo The average U.S. consumer carries four credit cards, and 14 percent of the population has more than 10, a survey released last year by Experian Consumer Direct showed. An expert there recommends paying on time each month and keeping the balance low compared to ones credit limit. 5. Ride the bus and walk to nearby stores. Rose N. McGee, 87, West Toledo A 2008 report by the American Automobile Association calculates that the annual cost (including gas, maintenance, insurance, depreciation, and other expenses) of owning a small sedan thats driven 15,000 miles per year is $6,320. Compare that to $480 for 12 monthly passes to ride TARTA. 6.Shop smarter; look for sales and use coupons. Betsy Reynolds, 86, South Toledo Clipping coupons for 20 minutes can save consumers 20 percent on their weekly expenses, according to the Promotion Marketing Association Coupon Council. Last year, Americans saved $2.6 billion with coupons at supermarkets, convenience stores, drug stores, and more. 7. Write out a budget and stick to it. Elmer Lotshaw, 84, Waterville Township More than a third of Americans do not use budgets regularly, according to a 2007 financial IQ survey by Consumer Action and Capital One Financial Corporation. The two groups say that creating a realistic budget means establishing short- and long-term financial goals and capturing all household expenditures, including setting aside money for saving. 8.Trade for goods and services. Frank Florez, 85, West Toledo Mr. Florez remembers a time in the 1930s when his family traded chickens for gasoline. Now, Web sites like Craigslist.com and uSwapIt.com make it easier than ever for cash-strapped consumers who want to barter goods 9. Dont buy what you cant afford. Louis Ravin, 96, South Toledo Just because you want something doesnt mean you need it, especially if you dont have the money. The good news is that examples abound of happy people who dont have a big house, the newest iPhone, or a giant plasma TV. |
| Obama fails to grasp danger of appeasing Russian leaders Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has just scored big, winning over hundreds of thousands. Unfortunately for Senator Obama (D., Ill.), none of these hundreds of thousands will cast a single ballot in the November election. That is because they are citizens of the Russian Federation - Kremlin sycophants, to be more precise. Here's the rub. Mr. Obama has opposed excluding Russia from the Group of Eight industrial (and presumably) democratic nations - which include Canada but not China - for the sake of keeping Russia involved in nuclear nonproliferation. "It would be a mistake," Mr. Obama told CNN. "Look, if we're going to do something about nuclear proliferation, just to take one issue that I think is as important as any on the list, we've got to have Russia involved." He was responding to his Republican rival John McCain's suggestion that the increasingly rogue former superpower should be kicked out of the elite club of nations. We must be thankful Mr. Obama did not suggest Russia's membership in the G-8 be doubled so its self-serving leadership duo can attend in full force to better cast itself at home and abroad as having a worldwide acceptance. It is no secret that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is a figurehead, a facade for the man in charge - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. So why not indulge Mr. Putin's insecurities and his need for affiliation with the world's most powerful? Here's why: Appeasing Russia has not worked. Consider the developments such appeasement has spurred: •Russia has cast NATO enlargement as a direct threat. •Every U.S. military involvement in the world - from the U.S. military bases in Central Asia to deployment of a nuclear missile shield in Europe - is used by the Kremlin to vilify the United States. •Russia has used its fossil fuel wealth to intimidate its neighbors such as Ukraine, Georgia, Estonia, and Latvia in an attempt to undermine their pro-Western governments. Moreover, the Kremlin has been militarizing and saber-rattling for the purpose of "consolidating" the populace in the face of a fictional threat from a trusted Cold War foe - the West. The Kremlin has successfully used the nuclear nonproliferation card to blackmail the West into turning a blind eye on a restart of tyranny in Russia. Using language from the Cold War era, Russia's official ITAR-Tass news agency quoted Mr. Medvedev as saying that his nation will have to "adequately respond to the deployment of the U.S. missile defense elements in Eastern Europe." Security "cannot keep on a prayer," the president reportedly said. This is exactly the language the Kremlin used in regard to President Reagan's Star Wars program in the 1980s. And the best way to keep Russia in check would be a strong rejection, a la Mr. Reagan, who once declared the Soviet Union the "Evil Empire." It worked. Why not try it again? After all, security cannot keep on a prayer, to quote Mr. Medvedev. Finally, Russians were not suicidal back in the time of Mr. Reagan to be spreading nuclear weapons at their own peril. And they are not suicidal now. They are unlikely to allow the spread of nuclear weapons for fear of those weapons ending up in the hands of Muslim radicals. The Kremlin is paranoid about Muslims because of the Russian troops' notorious record of using excessive force in the predominantly Muslim Chechnya. The bottom line: Appeasement is no way to deal with Russia. Russians are best impressed with force. Take it from a Russian, Mr. Obama. |
| Stunning landscapes offer view of beauty, vulnerability Blade environmental writer Tom Henry is in Greenland doing research for an upcoming special report on climate change. ILULISSAT, GREENLAND - We looked right. We looked left. Emilie Guegan and I couldn't help keep our eyes from darting to windows on either side of us as we were packed shoulder-to-shoulder with about a dozen other people aboard a tiny aircraft along Greenland's spectacular western shoreline Wednesday. We looked in one direction and saw vast mountains of rock. We looked in another and saw Greenland's incredible ice sheet. Our jaws dropped no matter which way we looked. We felt so alive, so pumped up, and so breathless. Nature had invigorated us. Emilie, a geologist from France, was eager to make every second count on our 45-minute connecting flight to Ilulissat from Kangerlussuaq, a former U.S. military base in southern Greenland that has been the island's main point of entry. Ilulissat is a village of 4,500 people in northern Greenland that's 185 miles above the Arctic Circle. It is Greenland's third-largest community but, more importantly, it is a hub for scientists doing field work in one of the Earth's most important regions for unraveling the mysteries of climate change. As the adrenalin kicked in and my senses were awakened by a caffeine-like jolt despite the fact I hadn't slept for what seemed like days, I took a moment to reflect about the sights below. What makes Greenland, Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and - yes - even the Great Lakes region so exhilarating to some of us is not just their beautiful ruggedness, their seemingly invincible side - but also the knowledge they are more fragile than they seem at face value. Just like humans. Tough and vulnerable. But resilient. I couldn't shake the thought that perhaps - just maybe - our brains are hard-wired to appreciate the most majestic places on Earth not just because they look so amazing. But also because we see a little of ourselves in them. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Chris Korleski has stated that climate change is becoming one of the biggest stories of our lifetimes. Whether you agree or not, have an open mind about the issue. On Tuesday night, I had dinner at an outdoor cafe in Copenhagen with Konrad "Koni" Steffen of the University of Colorado, one of the world's leading Greenland researchers. He's come to Greenland at least once a year every summer since 1990. This year, he's coming three times and, as you're reading this, he is doing field work on the highest point of Greenland's ice sheet. Mr. Steffen represented the United States at a recent forum on climate change in St. Petersburg, Russia, and will be among the scientific presenters at an event in Copenhagen next year touted as the world's biggest attempt to bring industrialized nations together on the issue since the decade-old talks in Kyoto, Japan. Perhaps his most famous student is Ohio State University's Jason Box, who has been in Greenland at least once every summer since 1994. He has appeared on the Today show and, like Mr. Steffen, has drawn international attention for his work from such publications as the New York Times. I had dinner with Jason in Ilulissat on Thursday night. One thing the two have in common is a vision of hope. They don't view climate change as some apocalyptic, doomsday scenario. Mr. Steffen, who also was featured in a recent Rolling Stone magazine article, told me he's an optimist - even though America was developed and continues to operate on "cheap" forms of energy, such as oil and coal. This will surprise and perhaps irritate many of you, but he's of the opinion that $4 for a gallon of gas is still cheap, relative to other parts of the world. He's optimistic because of America's legacy for innovation. He said our urge to be a world leader in technology will likely carry over to the climate crisis, something that will likely never be solved but could at least be slowed down enough for societies to adjust. And show their resiliency. |
| On vacation, there's never enough time HART'S LOCATION, N.H. - There are only a few days left. When it started, this year's vacation - like last year, and the year before - looked like the White Mountains themselves, an expanse of peaks that seemed endless, a horizon so long that it seemed to have no end. And now it is almost over, like last year, and the year before. As we arrived at my favorite place on Earth in these New Hampshire hills, there was world enough, and time - time to visit all of my haunts, time to explore the paths I know so well and to examine the trails I have been meaning to follow, time to eat my favorite foods at my favorite places, time for all that and, because this was summer vacation, time to spare. For what is a vacation if there is not time to spare? And now - how did this happen? - it is almost over, and all that time is gone. I'll be back in the office soon, worrying about all the things that go wrong, fidgeting with next year's budget, trying to calculate how we, like everyone I know in these tough times with crowded hours, might do more with less and somehow reimagine the physics of work. But for a few days more - and then, I know, it will be for a few hours more - I am here, where, as the painter Thomas Cole, who hiked through the White Mountains 180 summers ago, found "an awfulness in the deep solitude," an awfulness that must be the admixture of fear and awe. In that time, we'll sit by the lake and ponder why, from this distance, the prickly firs on the side of the ski hill across the water look like Polartec fleece, and we'll climb up beyond Bemis Brook to see the water cascade down Arethusa Falls with such speed and such volume that we wonder whether the water will run out, and we'll look out upon the mountain vista and think that this isn't God's workshop, but His art studio. "The huge peaks are infested with flashes of color that change every moment," a writer said of the White Mountains in the 1890s, "and open their sides and kiss their summits and awaken their emotions." Awaken their emotions - and awaken our senses. The other afternoon, we went down the Swift River and rode it as it snaked past a jangle of rocks and ripples. This is the 39th summer I have done this, first with my father, then with my wife, then with our older daughter, now with the younger one. It seemed a miracle in 1969 and no less so now, a miracle that some 30 miles away, at an amusement park, people were paying to replicate the experience of racing down a river on their backs when, for free, you could do it right here, and have the mountains for a backdrop. But vacations are for miracles, and then we are ungrateful when denied the final miracle, the one that would let us remain here for another week, or another day, or another hour. I remember vividly the betrayal I felt one year when I had to leave the New Hampshire lake where we swam and picnicked and laughed and had to head for the car and then the airport and then the tie and suit coat that would be my uniform in less than a day's time. That afternoon, a sparkling afternoon where the color of the sky matched the color of the lake, I swam underwater for as long as I could, trying to make the moment last, trying to capture, if only for a moment, if only in my memory, the way it felt to have the cool water surround me, head to toe, front to back. This vacation ritual of thinking a lot while doing very little has been going on for countless years here. Karl Harrington, who helped create the trail network across the White Mountains, identified it in 1926: "In this out-of-doors age many adults like to break away from honking cars and jingling telephones for a week or two and breast the breezes, mount the cliffs, and rest beside some lovely lake in the manner of the simple life." We may do nothing on vacations, but that doesn't mean that nothing is happening. So much is happening, and that is the scary thing, the awfulness in my deep solitude this summer. So much is unchanging here, the hills and the valleys and the sunrise and the funny chill - I felt it tonight, while on a short stroll - which is New Hampshire's way of telling us not to be lulled into a false sense of summer security. The unchanging backdrop reminds me of how so much is changing. Our older daughter is in her summer term at college over on New Hampshire's western border, and when I visited her amid the many sighs and many cheers of the campus, I sensed it again - the feeling that time is forever but we are not. When we started taking our girls up here, loving them so much that we dared hope they would love what we loved, their childhoods looked like the White Mountains themselves, an expanse of peaks that seemed endless, a horizon so long that it seemed to have no end. And now those childhoods are almost over. I need not belabor the point. You know what it is. I'd like these days to last a little longer. I want another day, a few more hours. I write this column, or one very much like it, every year, on vacation. |
| Perish the thought of drilling Nineteen summers ago, my boots were on the ground in the remote Kongakut River watershed in the eastern Brooks Range of Alaska's famed North Slope. Oil was the underlying reason I was in Alaska for six weeks. Actually it was an oil spill, the Exxon Valdez. On March 24, 1989, about 11 million gallons started spewing into Prince William Sound more than 800 miles to the south. The Slope was a battleground for more drilling. It still is. When I think back on the experience, especially in light of the current frantic flap about drilling in the "barren" coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, I am called to a surprise that nature had in store for me one afternoon on the Kongakut. It was just a small, smooth, river-polished cobblestone, easily dismissed, one of millions. But a quarter of it was broken off in its helter-skelter tumble toward the sea and its damaged shape must have caught my eye while I was fly fishing for a grayling. I knelt to examine it and was amazed to find, in the stone's river-hewn niche, a miniature world. Bits of sand and soil had accumulated and a tiny patch of colorful lichen, an alga-fungus complex, flourished. Even here, in what seemingly would be a sterile rock and sand-filled river bar, the Arctic was displaying life in explosive profusion. All around that July afternoon the carpets of wildflowers were so thick and luxuriant and diverse and brilliant as to dizzy the mind. The floral perfume was so thick it made you wish for a breeze lest you gag on the overpowering sweetness of dead-calm air. Over the days and weeks on the Slope, guide Jim Campbell and I encountered barren ground grizzlies and moose in the isolated flats of dwarf willows and tag alders, caribou herds drifting around the coastal plain calving grounds, Dall sheep perched regally in the crags overlooking the valley floor where wolves cross-river daily outside the tents in the unending daylight. These sexy "charismatic megafauna" are what everybody talks about and wants to see. But that little, smallest bit of life, the lichen in the broken rock, was a testimony to how life on the Slope and the Plain is all connected in a complex web that defies the understanding of a single human mind. And the refuge's coastal plain - seen by some as featureless, treeless, worthless tundra - is the biological heart of the refuge, pumping out life which, in the case of many migratory birds, flows south across the continent. Plants and animals there tread a frantic path, allowed just a few weeks to do what takes months, April to October, in more temperate latitudes to complete. Sprouting, growing, budding, pollinating, blooming, seeding, or mating, nesting, hatching, rearing. June is spring, July summer, August autumn. Don't believe it's just about polar bears or caribou, the political poster children nowadays. Each strand of the web is connected to all others Yes, the refuge is remote with a capital R. Getting there is problematic and expensive. Most of us will never have the chance to see it. I would go there again, before anywhere else in the world, given the chance. That is because the refuge is a world, not just a national, natural treasure. It encompasses an entire functioning, intact ecosystem. There are few, if any, other intact ecosystems left on the face of this planet. Most everything else has been manhandled and tinkered with to death, or nearly so. The refuge is a testament to America's foresight and leadership in world conservation. When you hear glowing descriptions of the small "footprint" of modern drilling technology - supposedly only 2,000 acres among the 1.5 million acres in the disputed coastal plain - envision a spiderweb on a big windowpane. A spiderweb, if you simply tote up the area of its silk strands, may cover the barest fraction of a square inch though the web may span many square feet. So it will be with the spiderweb effect of haul roads, drilling pads, helipads, pipeline and service roads, sump pits, spill ponds, housing, machine shops, and more. The drilling spiderweb is not one little corner, not a mere 1/9600 or 0.000104 percent of the whole refuge, as 2,000 acres is out of 19.2 million. Its impact will have reach. It is not an insignificant postage stamp on an envelope the size of a football field. And what of the pipeline? Well-made but now 31 years old, it is aging under the weight and flow of 15 billion barrels of highly corrosive crude oil. More leaks, more spills, more repairs, more maintenance, more damaged tundra can be expected. What then, as it inevitably wears out? Who will pay? Where will the tons of gravel for the roads, pads, housing, and such come from? Will they come from the beds of nearby rivers and streams that are home to char, Dolly Varden, grayling, and other spectacular fish? What about all the used-up or broken down construction or pipeline and drilling equipment? Left to rust? Too expensive to ship junk back south. Too many Arctic villages across the globe, including Alaska, already are on their ways to being junkyards. Where lies our responsibility for that unpaid social cost? Why isn't Big Oil drilling the millions of acres in Arctic leases it already owns? We are 4 percent of the world's population, have just 3 percent of the proven oil reserves, yet use 25 percent of the world's oil. The numbers are so badly skewed that the political mantra about oil independence at our current consumption is a joke. So, many questions remain either unanswered, ignored, or the replies are spun. The solutions begin with forward-thinking national policy decisions. They are not new. Jimmy Carter, his other politics aside, correctly outlined them in 1977. And was essentially ignored. Non-oil solutions could work, given leaders with the will to think beyond the next election purse, with the will to tell us to swallow the bitter pill of our negligence and self-indulgence. For more than 30 years the only policy has been the big easy fix, business as usual, buy now pay later. Trouble is, now is "later." Doing 55-60 mph in a 55 and 65 in a 65 has saved me at least 5 percent in fuel - not for one tank but many tanks for many months for thousands of miles. I kept track. And that was just a simple change in personal behavior that cost nothing, saved me money. Multiply that by millions of cars and drivers. Conservation can help buy some time and always is prudent. It leaves something worthwhile for generations to come. Large-scale wind and solar, among others, are real, ready-now solutions, given the same kinds of incentives we dole to Big Oil, Big Farm, and others. Such are the issues underlying the Arctic refuge dispute, much as oil underlies its coastal plain. The Arctic refuge is home to 45 species of land and marine mammals, from the pigmy shrew to the bowhead whale; 36 species of fish, and 180 species of birds, from shorebirds to peregrine falcons and golden eagles, ducks, geese, swans and myriad more. Some of the birds fly over northwest Ohio and Lake Erie en route to their wintering grounds. And that's not counting the complex base of plants and insects and other life on which the wildlife stands. Visit on-line at arctic.fws.gov and see for yourself. Don't believe a phonied-up set-piece photo of a bear or a caribou under the pipeline, implicitly portrayed as if it were nature's blessing that all will be well. Start demanding real answers to real questions. Suppose you flew over Lake Erie on a cloudy, foggy day - like a planeload of politicians did recently on a "fact-finding" tour of the Arctic refuge. Suppose you looked down and didn't see any walleyes or even any eagles. Just like they did not see any polar bears or caribou or "bambi" on the arctic coast. Big surprise. Would you then declare, bald-faced, that there aren't any fish or wildlife in Lake Erie and so it would be just fine to drill for oil and gas there? Of course not, because you know better. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ought to be the last place we drill for oil, not the next. |
| Monroe County's Plum Creek added to international refuge MONROE - North America's first international wildlife refuge has expanded with the inclusion of Plum Creek, 126 acres in Monroe County. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, U.S. Reps. John Dingell (D., Dearborn) and Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo), and Michigan Lt. Gov. John D. Cherry, Jr., were present for a ceremony in Monroe yesterday to sign the deed that incorporates the land into the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. The refuge spans 5,100 acres from the mouth of the Detroit River to Lake Erie in Monroe County. The Monroe County commissioners unanimously approved legislation in March that awarded the wetland to the wildlife refuge operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "To have a world-class wildlife refuge that is accessible to people is a really a great benefit to conservation," Mr. Kempthorne said. Plum Creek Bay, a coastal wetland habitat, is home to over 40 species of fish. It also is inhabited by 29 species of waterfowl and 300 species of migratory birds. Management of the refuge is shared by the United States and Canada. Mr. Dingell, a lifelong conservationist, spearheaded the move by Congress to create the refuge and emphasized the importance of preserving the land. "We borrow this world from those who come before us," he said. "I want to preserve this valuable land for me, my kids, and the generation that will follow them," he added. President Bush signed legislation in December, 2001, establishing the first International Wildlife Refuge in North America. "This brings me more joy than anything else I do," Mr. Dingell said. |
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| Average gasoline prices fall below $4 per gallon CAMARILLO, Calif. A national survey shows gas prices have dropped a fraction below the $4-dollar mark. The average price of regular gasoline at self-serve stations was $3.996 a gallon Friday. Mid-grad... |
| Transsexual challenges Cleveland locker-room ban CLEVELAND An embarrassing question from a boy in a locker room inspired Karen Deamons to fight the city: Why was there a woman in the men's room? Deamons, 53, decided she would no longer abide by Clev... |
| Biwott, Proach run to victories in 23rd HOF 5-mile run CANTON Perseverance paid off Sunday for Timon Biwott of Elkhart's, Ind. Biwott overtook Craig Leon of Athens, Ohio, in the final mile to win the 23rd annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Fest... |
| Browns' Chudzinski takes a look ahead BEREA In his first interview since last season, Browns Offensive Coordinator Rob Chudzinski revealed some of his disposition toward building on his breakout 2007 season. For the entire interview, plea... |
| 23rd Annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival 2-mile and 5-mile run results 23rd Annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival 2-Mile Run Men Overall 1, Scott Hilditch, Stow, 9:44.50; 2, David Marchione, Canton, 10:17.25; 3, Destin Heasley, Massillon, 10:33.15; 4, Ch... |
| PGA: Chez Reavie wins Canadian Open OAKVILLE, Ontario The Small Unit came up big in the Canadian Open. Chez Reavie, proudly sporting an Arizona Diamondbacks logo on his light blue shirt, won the national championship today for his first... |
| NASCAR: Johnson survives tire debacle at Indianapolis INDIANAPOLIS Jimmie Johnson celebrated his second victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a burnout. Appropriately, one of his tires exploded. Johnson survived horrendous tire troubles that made S... |
| Goose Gossage, Dick Williams join baseball Hall of Fame COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. For more than two decades, Rich "Goose" Gossage unnerved batters as one of baseball's most menacing and dominating relief pitchers. On Sunday, it was his turn for the jitters. "This ... |
| LaBeouf booked for DUI after late-night wreck Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:43:38 GMT LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Shia LaBeouf was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Sunday after an early morning wreck in which the "Indiana Jones" star injured his hand and knee, authorities said.... |
| Western painting, bronze fetch $9M-plus at auction Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:01:45 GMT RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Two iconic pieces by turn-of-the-century artist Charles M. Russell - a painting depicting a stagecoach holdup and a bronze sculpture of two Native Americans on a buffalo hunt - have sold at an auction for more than $9 million.... |
| Renowned Egyptian director Chahine dies at age 82 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:33:06 GMT CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Youssef Chahine, one of Egypt's most lauded movie directors whose films over nearly five decades often went on Fellini-esque flights of fancy and tackled social ills and Islamic fundamentalism, died Sunday in Cairo. He was 82 years old.... |
| Soap opera shakes customs of Arab married life Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:11:17 GMT RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Every evening for the past four months, a tall young man with soulful blue eyes has been stealing hearts across the Middle East, from the refugee camps of the Gaza Strip to the gated mansions of Riyadh.... |
| Nicaragua poet's sword mightier than pen Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:58:27 GMT MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) -- The pen may be mightier than the sword, but it isn't quite as attractive for thieves.... |
| Lange's Stillwater home up for sale again Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:24:15 GMT STILLWATER, Minn. (AP) -- A house in Stillwater owned by actress and Minnesota native Jessica Lange can be yours for just under $2 million.... |
| Network news presence at Beijing is NBC, the rest Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:01:04 GMT NEW YORK (AP) -- NBC News could rent a small plane just for the top news personalities going to Beijing to cover the Olympics: Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry, Lester Holt, Richard Engels, Kevin Tibbles and the Weather Channel's Jim Cantore among them.... |
| Iowa case raises question: Is stripping an art? Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:30:27 GMT DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa doesn't have any all-nude strip clubs - but it does have performing arts centers where women dance naked.... |
| Tabloid reunites UK politician with stolen bike Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:29:10 GMT LONDON (AP) -- British opposition leader David Cameron has been reunited with his stolen bicycle thanks to a tabloid newspaper and a supporter of the rival Labour Party, the paper reported Sunday.... |
| FDA faulted over unapproved uses of medications Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:16:26 GMT WASHINGTON (AP) -- When a state trooper pulls over a speeding motorist, the officer usually writes out a ticket on the spot.... |
| Cancer warning adds wrinkle to parenting debate Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:25:01 GMT NEW YORK (AP) -- When Amy Morris' twin boys, then 11, went on an academic trip to Washington last year, she agreed to give them cell phones at the program's request. But this summer she was dismayed to learn that girls at her 8-year-old daughter's day camp were using cell phones they'd taken along in their backpacks.... |
| Air pollution still an issue in Beijing Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:05:15 GMT BEIJING (AP) -- The Chinese capital was shrouded in thick gray smog on Sunday, just 12 days before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games. One expert warned that drastic measures enacted to cut vehicle and factory emissions in the city were no guarantee skies would be clear during competitions.... |
| Inflation's next front is retailers as costs rise Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:59:49 GMT NEW YORK (AP) -- Coming to a store near you: Even higher prices.... |