News 2008-08-04 Andanh.com

Leaders in Toledo-area pushing forward on economic development
Toledo needs to move forward quickly on economic development in the wake of James Hartungs firing Friday as president of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, according to local political and business leaders.
In these economic times, its just critical that everyone stay focused on moving forward, said Tina Skeldon Wozniak, president of the Lucas County commissioners. We cant afford to let it be a distraction. Fellow Commissioner Ben Konop said Mr. Hartungs dismissal creates an opportunity to take a new look at economic development because several other development-oriented agencies also are at a crossroads. The Lucas County Improvement Corp.s top executive recently resigned, he noted, and the city of Toledos economic development effort is in transition. We need to analyze what were doing well, and what were not, Mr. Konop said. Perhaps we can take a new direction, which we certainly need at this point.
Well miss Jim, well miss his vision, said Tony Reams, executive director of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments, whose local planning role includes transpor-tation projects that have included port authority collaboration. But there are a lot of others who are also leading Toledos job-growth efforts, Mr. Reams said, and well do everything within our power to make sure this region continues to move in the right direction. Brian McMahon, a local developer who supported Mr. Hartungs advocacy for establishing an intermodal terminal complex to capitalize on the regions convergence of transportation assets, said the port presidents highly publicized firing could hinder the nationwide search for a replacement.
There is no one here who has the port credentials, locally or nationally, to replace him, Mr. McMahon said. After nearly five hours of closed-door deliberations spanning two days, the 13 port directors voted unanimously Friday morning to fire Mr. Hartung with cause for reasons that were not disclosed. The board reviewed the findings of an investigation launched in response to allegations by Mayor Carty Finkbeiner that Mr. Hartung improperly steered a lobbying contract for a consortium of local entities, including the port authority, to a West Toledo lobbyist with whom Mr. Hartung was accused of having an affair. The Northwest Ohio Legislative Consortium employed Kathy Teigland as its Washington representative from 2001 through 2007. Mr. Hartung yesterday issued his first public statement after the firing, saying in a written release that his personal life should not be used for political gamesmanship. He also defended his record as port president and in hiring Ms. Teigland.
Kathy Teigland did an outstanding job as the representative of Wise and Associates when the consortium was first created and continued to successfully represent the consortium following the Wise contract, Mr. Hartung wrote. While I understand the questions that have been raised about the consortium, I have not compromised my professional integrity or my commitment to the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and to the best interests of northwest Ohio. Mr. Hartungs employment contract made him an at-will employee, meaning that the port directors could fire him with or without cause provided they gave 60 days notice. The with cause provision in the dismissal resolution means that the agency intends to deny Mr. Hartung the severance compensation he would otherwise receive under the contract, including nine months pay at three-quarters of his salary rate, continuing health coverage, and pension contributions. The severance pay alone would be worth about $100,000 to Mr. Hartung, whose attorney, Kevin Greenfield, said Friday that a contractually required appeal hearing will be requested when he and the ports lawyers meet tomorrow.
Report withheld The port authority on Friday denied a Blade request to inspect the investigative report upon which the port directors based their vote. The report was prepared by Spengler Nathanson, a local law firm, and that firms James Jeffery said on the port authoritys behalf that it is covered by the attorney-client privilege exception to Ohios public-records law. John Robinson Block, co-publisher and editor-in-chief of The Blade, responded that the newspaper will pursue its legal avenues to obtain access to the report. Mr. McMahon said he believes the report will eventually come out, but in the meantime, regardless of what the report says, now we have to live with the results of this. Even if Mr. Hartungs dismissal is justified, the developer said, it could have been accomplished without what he considers to have been Mr. Finkbeiners political grandstanding. The matter could have been handled behind the scenes, he said, with Mr. Hartung, 65, potentially allowed the opportunity to retire. No matter how much lipstick we try to put on this, it does not come off well for this community, Mr. McMahon said.
Upbeat or pessimistic? Mr. Finkbeiner said last night that Toledo will do just fine during the post-Hartung era in terms of attracting businesses to the area. Economic development does not begin or end with one man, he said. People who are interested in expanding or coming to Toledo or northwest Ohio are more interested in the packages we have to offer or the incentives that we put together for them. Mr. McMahon said he is especially concerned about the impact on discussions with the developers of a proposed deepwater container-ship terminal in Melford, N.S., for which Mr. Hartung wanted to establish Toledo as a Great Lakes feeder port. The former port president was part of a local delegation that visited Melford last month, and Melford officials are scheduled to tour Toledos port facilities later this month. But Steve Fought, an aide to U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo), who was also part of the Melford tour, said the tour here must go on without dwelling on the controversy involving Mr. Hartung. He said Miss Kaptur is dismayed that were talking about personalities rather than the all-important priority of job creation. Will [the firing] delay economic development? Only if we let it. There is too much going on to let one person, one incident interfere with progress, Mr. Fought said. Mr. Hartungs firing from the port authority also removes him from the LCIC executive committee, on which the port president holds a seat, said Kathleen Kovacs, the executive committees chairman. She said she did not know how the termination might affect LCIC Executive Director Matt Sapara, who is also the port authoritys development director. The former port president, she said, will be missed by local economic development leaders. Mr. Hartungs been a wonderful proponent for helping to move the areas economy forward, especially in transportation issues, Ms. Kovacs said. Ive always appreciated his candor and thoughtfulness on economic development. A learning curve Several members of the port authoritys board of directors said they believe the transition, while perhaps not seamless, will be smooth. When you lose your leader of 14 years, you have to feel a little uncomfortable, but one thing I believe Jim did was put together a great team, said Nadeem Salem, chairman of the port boards airport committee. The port authority has functioned quite well with the good people that are there, and I have no doubt that the current staff under the direction of the new interim president will carry on the work of the port authority. We will continue to be strong. Whoever succeeds Mr. Hartung will face a substantial learning curve after taking office, director Michael Frank said. With any sudden change of leadership, there are unfortunate effects, and a significant period of adjustment, Mr. Frank said. In my opinion we have a magnificent staff, and I think they will effectively step into the breach. I expect the port authority to embrace the challenges and opportunities this presents, and I expect us to be productive, said Thomas Palmer, a past board chairman. All of us are committed to making that happen. Blade staff writers Rod Lockwood, Gabe Nelson, and Alex Parker contributed to this report. Contact David Patch at:dpatch@theblade.com or 419-724-6094.

Toledo's unsolved killings weigh heavily
In the weeks since Mary Abrell's oldest son was killed outside a church festival about a block from her East Toledo home, she has been praying for his killer.
She asked God to provide the person responsible for fatally shooting her 19-year-old son, Kenneth Kimble, Jr., with the courage to go to the police.
"I want God to help me through this and I want God to help him," she said. "It would be best for him to turn himself in. He would be at ease."
Mr. Kimble was shot once in the chest about 10:10 p.m. July 18 near the corner of White and Idaho streets after apparently fighting with another man outside the St. Thomas Aquinas Church Festival, police said. He died shortly after arriving at St. Charles Mercy Hospital.
The former Waite High School student who aspired to play professional basketball is among five homicide victims in Toledo this year whose killings remain unsolved.
The city has had 11 homicides so far this year - just two fewer than the total at the end of last year.
But all of last year's homicides were solved, which Toledo police Chief Mike Navarre said was unusual. The average clearance rate for homicides in cities comparable to Toledo is 60 percent, he said.
While Mr. Kimble's death was more recent, some of this year's homicides have been unsolved for months - frustrating both police and the victims' families.
It has been six months since firefighters discovered the body of Gordon Wright, 24, hidden in a third-floor attic in a central-city duplex at 1025 Marmion Ave. The structure had been set on fire.
Police determined his body had been there for a few days before the fire was set Feb. 13. Wright, who died from head injuries, was Toledo's first homicide victim this year.
Detective Bob Schroeder, the lead investigator in the Kimble and Wright slayings, said unsolved homicide cases aren't easily forgotten.
"It's not a case you just walk away from," he said. "The homicides, you carry around. You're driving home thinking about what you can do tomorrow or what's coming down the road or what you need or what you'd like to have."
The detective, who has been assigned to the investigative services bureau since 1997, said several challenges exist in homicide cases, such as getting witnesses to share information with police.
"No one wants to get involved or no one wants to stand up even though they know what is going on is wrong," he said, noting that's either because they are afraid or are apathetic.
Police estimate that at least 100 people witnessed the shooting of Mr. Kimble, yet few have come forward to identify the shooter.
A $5,000 reward was offered July 21 to anyone with information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the deaths of Mr. Kimble, David Babcock, 46, and Clyde Goetz, 53.
The three men were killed within a week of one another, but their deaths are not related, police said.
A suspect in Mr. Babcock's death since has been arrested.
Detective Schroeder said the reward money has generated some phone calls, but "there's a lot of guesses that come in from people trying to hit the lottery."
Ms. Abrell said she hopes the witnesses to her son's killing can put their fear behind them.
"They have to get over being afraid and tell police what they know," she said.
In addition to finding witnesses willing to talk, police also need strong evidence linking a person to the crime scene, Detective Schroeder said.
"What I know and what I can prove are two different things," he said.
Although no one has been charged in the death of Wright, Capt. Ray Carroll, head of the investigative services bureau, is confident the man responsible is serving prison time in another state for an unrelated crime.
"It's frustrating for [detectives] when they know who did it, when they talked to the guy who did it, but the evidence is not there," Captain Carroll said.
Also frustrating, the captain said, is when killers randomly target their victims.
"Some victims have known enemies. Some victims are involved in criminal activity. Other people are totally innocent victims," he said.
Captain Carroll cited the case of Mr. Babcock, who was riding his bicycle to work to save money on gas and was killed July 15 after an argument with a man in the 800 block of Western Avenue.
"There is nothing to indicate [Mr. Babcock] was involved in anything other than going to work," Captain Carroll said. "It's hard to try to find motivation for that."
A 19-year-old South Toledo man, Dounche Jones of 235 Western Ave., who lived just a few blocks from where the shooting occurred, was arrested July 24 in Mr. Babcock's death. He remains in the Lucas County jail.
For Detective Schroeder, there is nothing better than convicting a murderer.
"It's one of the best feelings in law enforcement, knowing you put somebody away for a long time for murder," he said.
Contact Laren Weber at:
lweber@theblade.com or 419-724-6050.

Mothers who gave up babies unite to ease enduring pain
She remembers the first cry: thin, faraway, as though it were drifting up from the bottom of a well.
I heard a baby cry, Ginny Toth said, and that is all she recalls of the birth. The pain medication kept her senses dulled into numbness. The next morning, a nurse helped her into a wheelchair and put the baby in her lap. At this point, she remembers the soft forehead, the pale sweep of hair. And then the baby was gone lifted out of her arms as her mother ushered her into the waiting car. In 1968, raising a child was not an option for Ms. Toth. She was 18, unmarried, middle class, and coming of age in the years before the 1973 ruling in Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized abortion. Ms. Toths mother sent her away to spend her pregnancy out of town, with cousins of the family doctor, and arranged for the babys adoption with the help of the physician. Forty years later, Ms. Toth, 58, of Toledo still struggles with feelings of shame and grief about the baby she gave up.
In 2006, Ms. Toth and two friends founded a support group, First Mothers of Northwest Ohio, for women who became pregnant out of wedlock in the 1950s and 1960s and were forced by parents and social workers to put their babies up for adoption. Two years later, the group is still mostly women conservatively dressed, soft-spoken but has expanded to include anyone affected by adoption, Ms. Toth said. Baby-scoop era From 1945 to 1973, a tide of social and cultural changes swept through America. With the postwar economic boom came increased social mobility, and the newfound prosperity for many families created an atmosphere of conservatism and mass conformity. Meanwhile, this rupture with the past also manifested itself in changing sexual norms. Sexual activity among teenagers increased significantly during these decades, but sexual education lagged behind. It was a gross humiliation to a family to have a daughter be pregnant before she was married, said Mary Ross, regional director for the national nonprofit organization Concerned United Birthparents. Ms. Ross also gave up a baby in the years before Roe vs. Wade. It was as though everyone pretended that no one had sex, which was ridiculous because of course, they did, she said. And thus the stage was set for what some call the baby-scoop era of the 1950s and 1960s.
Between 1945 and 1973, 1.5 million babies were given up for nonfamily or unrelated adoptions, according to a 1984 study by Penelope L. Maza cited in Ann Fesslers The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade. With societys growing intolerance toward unwed, middle-class mothers, pregnant girls across the country were pressured by parents and social workers into relinquishing babies. As a culture, we pretended that was possible. We relegated mothers to secrecy and stigmatized them, Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, said. The girls who went away Cathy Beck was 16 when she started dating an older boy from out of town. After she missed her first period, she knew. But she didnt tell her parents until the school nurse called home six months into her pregnancy. At home, there was little discussion about the issue. Pack your bags, her mother told her. Youre going somewhere until this is over. Meanwhile, the father of her baby disappeared; Ms. Beck later found out he was married. In 1972, Ms. Beck moved into the Florence Crittenton Home in Toledo, which once housed unwed pregnant girls. The office had a safe filled with plain gold wedding bands. Before going outside, each girl was required to put on a ring.
Three days after Ms. Beck gave birth, her mother and a social worker slid a stack of papers in front of her and told her to sign them. Afterward, no one mentioned the pregnancy. Ms. Beck, 51, of Toledo now has two other children. Her only photograph of her first baby is a snapshot the nurse gave her. She has often looked at the pink face and curled fingers and wondered how her daughter is and what she is doing. More than 30 years passed before she attempted to make contact. When she heard about a woman who helped birth mothers reconnect with their children for a relatively small fee, she put down a deposit. Two days later, Ms. Beck had her daughters address and contact information. They soon met for lunch. When I saw her, I knew who it was right off the bat, Ms. Beck said. A healing process In a dimly lit room on the first floor of Park Church in South Toledo where First Mothers meets a young woman with an animated face and fluttering hands is telling the story of her birth. My mom never told my dad that I existed until after I was gone, said the woman, who asked to remain anonymous. She never graduated high school because of me.
She had discovered all of this within the last few weeks, after she finally made contact with her birth mothers family in Toledo. But her birth mother had not yet responded to attempts at communication. Around the circle, heads shook in sympathy. Shes reliving the loss, someone said, referring to the birth mother. When we gave up children, we were told that this is it we would never see this child again, Melinda Swartz, 64, of Monclova Township said. We didnt dare to let ourselves hope that we would. Ms. Swartz, who gave up a daughter for adoption in 1967, was one of the support groups original members. Everyone just wants to shove this under the rug again, the young woman said, her voice rising and breaking. Im here. Im alive. And then, in a calmer moment, she added: You dont know how much I looked forward to this meeting. Murmurs of agreement moved through the room.
The good thing about this group is that youre able to get the perspective of the other people, Jim Majo, 55, who was adopted, said during the session. Ms. Toth directs discussion when it stalls, but talk is largely generated by members stories. There are photos circulated, coos of She has your nose! and He looks so much like your daughter! One womans son found her through the Internet after 41 years. I just want to know where I came from, he wrote in an e-mail. I feel like a man without a country. The search Mr. Majo was 27 when he discovered that the parents who had raised him were not biologically related to him. He is a big, bearded man with bold tattoos etched on his arms and legs a dragon, an eagle, a motorcycle. He wears combat boots and a slick leather vest embroidered with Born Again, and Jesus is Lord. But when Mr. Majo speaks, his voice is soft, his manner somewhat shy. I was feeling a lot of hurt, anger, and betrayal directed at everyone, Mr. Majo said. More than a decade passed before he decided to search for his birth mother. Often, the search for a birth parent or child can take years. When adoption records are sealed, adopted adults must petition probate courts to receive information such as birth certificates and names of birth parents. Mr. Majo sent paperwork to the state of Ohio and received his birth certificate in 1988, but finding enough information to contact his birth mother took months of investigation and research. After he finally tracked down her name Ruth Diaz and her fathers address, he wrote her a long letter and sent it to her relatives. When Mrs. Diaz called Mr. Majos house shortly thereafter, she was in disbelief. She never had even seen the baby she gave birth to in 1952. Her mother had told her he was stillborn. I was flabbergasted, said Mrs. Diaz, 76, who now lives in California. They met for the first time when he flew out to visit her. Mrs. Diaz remembers seeing Mr. Majo walk down the ramp in the airport. I thought, his hair is reddish like mine, and hes got blue eyes like my oldest boy, Mrs. Diaz said. Now, Mr. Majo and his birth mother talk frequently. He even calls her Mom. Back in those days, [unwed pregnancy] was a no-no, Mrs. Diaz said. You were a bad girl. You were trash. Adoption today Social stigma surrounding unwed pregnancy and adoption has changed considerably. Back then, it was the idea of being pregnant that was such a terrible thing, Ms. Ross of Concerned United Birthparents said. Today, people say, how could you have given your baby up for adoption? But the adoption revolution has raised some concerns about the decreased percentage of unwed women relinquishing babies for adoption. Fewer than 2 percent did so as of the mid-1990s, compared to 8.7 percent from 1952 to 1972, according to a 1992 study by Christine Bachrach, Kathy Stolley, and Kathryn London. I think women now are being made to feel that its unnatural to surrender children for adoption, and I think thats wrong, said Elizabeth Bartholet, a professor at Harvard law school and faculty director of the Child Advocacy Program. During an era in which the conventional definition of family continues to expand, Ms. Bartholet is surprised that adoption has not become increasingly normalized, she said. Although single parenthood is much more accepted than it once was, adoption is also moving in a different direction. Instead of the secrecy and suppression of the postwar years, the trend favors open adoption, in which the child grows up fully informed about who his or her birth parents are and is able to maintain contact with them. Rachel Lucas, 18, of Oregon, one of the youngest mothers in Ms. Toths support group, got pregnant when she was 16. Her son is now 2 and living in San Diego with his adoptive parents, whom Ms. Lucas personally selected from a series of profiles. Ms. Lucas speaks to them about once a month, and they frequently send her photographs of her son. Her open adoption, she said, has worked extremely well, and the adoptive parents are amazing people. But it hasnt always been easy classmates taunted her about giving up her baby, and she often has felt very alone. I just knew he deserved a lot better than what I could ever give him, Ms. Lucas said. Above all, it is important to consider whether the best interests of the child might be served by placing him or her in a new family, Mr. Pertman of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute said. I think if you can keep a family together, you want to keep a family together, Mr. Pertman said. You just dont want to do it to the detriment of the people involved. Reunions After Ms. Toth gave birth in 1968, she felt totally numb, she said. In 1990, Ms. Toth found out that the names and address of her daughters adoptive parents had been in a drawer of her mothers desk for years. She wrote them a letter and eventually got her daughters contact information. Ms. Toth and her daughter met in 1998. She was pleasant, but indifferent, Ms. Toth said. Theyve seen each other a few more times since then, but Ms. Toth hasnt heard from her daughter since 2007. For Ms. Beck, who finally met her daughter three years ago, the reunion process also has been difficult. Its not all peaches and cream like you see on TV with these reunions with kids and mothers, Ms. Beck said. For some like Rachel Lucas relinquishing a baby for adoption is a fully informed decision. And our society, Mr. Pertman said, is gradually moving toward a policy of openness, honesty, and education about adoption. But for many unwed mothers of the 1950s and 60s, the adoption process was unrealistically opaque. In 1990, the adoptive mother sent Ms. Toth an album filled with photographs. There is a picture of the farm where her daughter grew up. It is a low white house in a field spiked with silos and trees. In one photograph she is 17 days old, dazed and chubby in a frilly white dress. As a freshman in high school, her face is dwarfed by glasses and her teeth glint with braces. At 21, she is sitting on a red car, her head cocked playfully and reddish hair blowing. Ms. Toth still flips through these pages, recalling where she was at each stage of her daughters life. They said I would forget, Ms. Toth said. You never stop thinking about it. Not for one day. Contact Laura Bennett at:lbennett@theblade.comor 419-724-6728.

4 are arrested after raid on suspected area meth lab in Montpelier
MONTPELIER, Ohio - Four men were arrested early yesterday morning at a local house after they were found to be operating a suspected methamphetamine lab, the Williams County Sheriff's Office said.
Acting on a tip from an anonymous caller who complained to Montpelier police that a strange chemical odor was coming from 704 Mill St., authorities searched the residence at about 1 a.m. They found an active production site, also known as a "cook," for methamphetamine, an addictive stimulant drug that affects the central nervous system.
Arrested were Robert Mitchell, 34, of Montpelier; Michael Metzger, 37, of Stryker, Ohio; Ryan Hartman, 30, of Montpelier, and Douglas Osmun, 35, of West Unity, Ohio.
All four were charged with illegal manufacturing of drugs. They are being held in the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio near Stryker pending arraignment in Bryan Municipal Court.
Montpelier police, sheriff's deputies, and the Multi-Area Narcotics Task Force participated in the investigation.

Frogtown Fair puts focus on environment
In the Civic Center Promenade building yesterday, a procession of leggy girls in heels sashayed down a makeshift runway. But instead of haute couture, the girls were decked out in something a bit less glamorous - busted computer parts.
The advanced student models from the John Casablancas Center in Toledo draped themselves in used electronics, cans, reusable plastic bags, and yard waste for the environmentally themed fashion show they presented yesterday at the Frogtown Fair in downtown Toledo.
The Frogtown Fair, held yesterday in and around the Erie Street Market, was an effort on behalf of the City of Toledo to encourage greener living among residents of Ohio and Michigan.
"This is an interesting way to get environmental messages across to the com-munity," said Brian Bahrs of the John Casablancas Center, whose students organized the fashion show. "It's one thing to get brochures, but it's exciting to have a live message."
The Civic Center Promenade bustled with displays from businesses and organizations, each promoting a specific facet of an environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Jan Hunter, owner of Naturally Native Nursery in Bowling Green - whose table was nearly engulfed by brightly colored plants- was selling flowers and grasses native to northwest Ohio.
"The native plants are adapted to the area's weather, soil, and wildlife," Ms. Hunter said. "They're better for the environment because they don't require oil-based fertilizers."
Kimberly DeStazio of Rossford stopped by Ms. Hunter's table because the hybrid plants in her garden had not been thriving.
"I've been looking for some native plants, so I'm really excited," Ms. DeStazio said.
"We're leaning toward the green thing as everybody is, I think."
EQ, an environmental company based in Wayne, Mich., attended the fair to raise awareness about an initiative that recycles batteries and light bulbs for businesses and consumers.
"People don't realize how detrimental it is to put a battery that could contain mercury in your trash," said Jamie Buckner, a sales representative for the company.
Gross Electric, Inc. of Toledo promoted energy-efficient lighting and recycling programs.
"I think we need to educate people and make them aware of what they need to do to be more energy-conscious," said JoAnn Cook, a lighting consultant for Gross Electric, Inc., who was distributing corkscrew-shaped fluorescent bulbs to passers-by.
Diane Shankland, a teacher at Start High School, came to the fair to research alternative energy.
She said the displays had made her even more aware of the environment.
"When I brush my teeth, I let the water run, but we really should be conserving water," Ms. Shankland said.
The Frogtown Fair also included breakfast foods made from fresh produce in the farmers' market, the jazz stylings of the Bob Rex Trio, and environmentally friendly activities for children and adults.
Just down the street from the Erie Street Market, the Mercury Pollution Prevention Partnership exchanged mercury thermometers for free digital ones, and Affinity Information Management provided free electronic waste recycling for items such as computer equipment, phones, VCRs, and cameras.
"This has been sitting around for months," said Pat Linehan of Sylvania, who was armed with a dusty printer, its cord dangling.
Outside the market, a line of cars snaked down South Erie Street, waiting to have their gas caps examined by representatives of the Toledo Division of Environmental Services.
"If you have a leaky cap, you will lose up to two tankfuls of gas per year," said Karen Granata, the chief of air resources for the Division of Environmental Services.
Ms. Granata estimated 50 cars had been tested by noon, and several needed their gas caps replaced.
"This saves people money and saves the environment," Ms. Granata said. "And nowadays, with us being pinched on both fronts, that's a very good thing."
Contact Laura Bennett at:
lbennett@theblade.com or 419-724-6728.

Ohio taking a wise stand on energy
A big thank you to The Blade for printing Thomas Friedman's July 22 column, which so clearly pointed out that America's big energy problem is not insufficient fossil fuels but, rather, the need to develop and pursue clean alternative sources of energy. This need applies both to oil and gas for cars and to coal and power plants for utilities.
In May, Ohio finally passed Substitute Senate Bill 221. In it, Ohio has wisely chosen to adopt some of the strongest energy efficiency standards in the country, and our state is also planning to invest in clean, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. To ensure the effectiveness of the new standards set forth in the law, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio must establish strong energy efficiency rules for utilities - with no loopholes. This will benefit both electric consumers and the environment.
PUCO's rules guide the programs that utility companies create, so the commission should consistently monitor and verify the utility companies' achievements in order to ensure public confidence in the energy efficiency program.
Additionally, fair incentives need to be provided for individual consumers and utility companies to invest in electric energy efficiency and/or alternative clean energy sources, because although efficiency and alternative sources save money in the medium and long term, such changes can require up-front investment. Efficiency in usage is the cheapest, cleanest, and most readily available energy resource. Energy efficiency reduces the need for new power plants and oil wells. Best of all, efficiency helps keep our environment clean.
Kristina Moazed
Parkwood Avenue
Iran's nuclear plant should be destroyed On July 20, The Blade reported that the highest level of international talks, with seven nations, not just the United States, had been held with Iran, in an attempt to finally get Iran to terminate its expanded nuclear enrichment program.
In 1935, Adolf Hitler abandoned the Geneva Convention, began rebuilding Germany's army, and claimed that his actions were only to provide a defense for his nation. Does anyone of the present generation remember what happened when the other nations of the world chose to take no action to stop Hitler from his plan? It resulted in World War II, the death of millions of soldiers and civilians, and the years of economic recovery throughout the Free World.
I realize that, being a part of that generation, being a conservative individual opposed to the 352 members of Congress who generally oppose suggestions from the presidency, or any outside source that is not a part of their party's political position, and particularly of a presidential candidate who has served in the military.
No doubt, many will believe my suggested solution to the Iran problem is extreme. It is this: With the capability of our Air Force, and that of other allied air forces, a stealth aircraft can fly over Iran's nuclear center, at 30,000 feet or more, and flying at the speed of sound, drop a bomb "through the window" of the plant producing nuclear enrichment, and stop its production immediately. No nationals need be intentionally killed, no armies must engage in extended war, and multi-national discussions can end now.
Let's do it now, not after the possible election of a candidate who has no military knowledge or experience. Shocked? Think history.
Dale K. Anderson
Colonel, U. S. Air Force (Ret.)
Ottawa Hills Tax gas guzzlers and lower speed limits Over the past several years there has been a constant increase in the number of huge sport-utility vehicles on the roads. These gas hogs have driven the price of fuel up, as have other factors such as the emergence of a middle class in what used to be the Third World countries we shipped our jobs to.
I can't feel a whole lot of sympathy for the guy down the street who can't afford to fill the new Hummer he just purchased with expensive fuel. Not only is he part of the price problem, he is clearly part of the global-warming problem. Remove all the hazardous materials from the beast, dig a big hole, and bury it.
I hope the next government increases the tax for large gas guzzlers and lowers it for small, fuel-efficient cars. Also, a modest reduction in the speed limit should be imposed, even if many drivers ignore it, as they will. Maybe a few speeding tickets will help. There is no excuse for 70 and 75 mile per hour speed limits anywhere.
The question of alternate energy sources should be a priority, but anything we do in that area will take time and the two things I mentioned would have an immediate effect.
Thomas Young
St. James Woods
Major parties share blame for our mess A recent letter in the Readers' Forum had a nice laundry list of things that are going wrong in our country. This included stock market correction, $4 gas price, mortgage foreclosures, etc. The writer closed his letter by saying all this happened under Republican watch. I chuckled a bit: after all, for the last 20 months Democrats have controlled both Houses of Congress. Since Democrats took over Congress the stock market has dropped over 10 percent, unemployment has gone up over 0.5 percent, banks have gone belly up, and the price of a barrel of oil has gone up 50 percent.
As a dedicated Libertarian, I laugh every time I hear one of our two main political parties try to blame the other. Democrats and Republicans share equally for the mess we find ourselves in.
Bob Thrasher
Carskaddon Avenue
Don't import from polluting countries I was watching ESPN the other day and it was showing how the government of China was asking citizens to help clean up the waterway where the Olympic rowing is going to take place. The algae was so thick in the water they had to corral it onto the beach, where citizens were loading it on trucks, then dumping it in a landfill somewhere.
They say the algae was caused by abundance of carbon dioxide in the water. This is the result of pollution from factories upstream. And now they are shutting down factories so the air pollution won't be so bad when the games are going on.
I'm sorry, but as an American I feel like a hypocrite. It is not all right for American companies to pollute our waterways and air. This is an extreme advantage for the Chinese. And people say it is free trade or that China is a developing country. We shouldn't allow products into the United States from other countries that won't adopt our (or similar) environmental or human rights laws.
Randy Fuhs
Fremont
Saying when troops will go aids enemy Instead of announcing a timetable for withdrawal of troops from Iraq, wouldn't it be a bit more humane to invite the Taliban and al-Qaeda to a going-away party for our troops? Since veteran war analysts like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Sen. Barack Obama have found it prudent to let the enemy know when the troops will leave, let's just have an intimate get-together with the enemy so when the beheadings resume and jihad is declared there will be kind feelings for the Americans who forestalled the violence.
After all, the generals failed to convey to the neophytes making these public announcements that telling the enemy a U.S. exit date just gives them time to lay low and prepare for the celebratory blood-bath when troops are "redeployed" to Afghanistan.
The heads-up will give the Code Pink ladies time to make cookies and punch for the returning troops so they are tucked into bed knowing, even though combat was wasted, the legacy of the left has placed the blame for this nasty, nasty war on the generals and President dedicated to protecting our freedoms.
Doesn't that just make you feel warm and fuzzy all over?
Jay C. Benoit
Fostoria
Gas prices make Toledo look good Come to Toledo. Why? Gasoline is 30 to 40 cents cheaper than in Perrrysburg, Sylvania, or any other major suburb. Im selling out and helping to bring the Toledo housing market back in order. Does anyone have a place Id like?
TED BERGNER Perrysburg

Kirk - China Olympics

An empty gesture on race
APOLOGIES are nice, especially when they are heartfelt, but they don't amount to much unless they result in substantive changes in behavior on the part of those who apologize.
That principle seems to strike at the heart of the latest example of collective breast beating in which the U.S. House of Representatives has issued an apology to African-Americans for slavery and Jim Crow legislation that over nearly four centuries made America somewhat less than the land of opportunity for millions of blacks.
One might argue that in recent decades we have become a nation - or at least a government - frequently adorned in sackcloth and ashes.
In 1988, for example, the government apologized to Japanese-Americans for having put them in internment camps during World War II. Our leaders also apologized in our behalf to native Hawaiians in 1993 for having overthrown the island kingdom's rulers 100 years earlier, largely at the behest of American business interests.
And Sen. Sam Brownback (R., Kansas) has called several times for an official apology to native Americans for past "instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect," not to be confused with a collective "my bad" for taking their continent away from them.
But while contrition is, as they say, good for the soul, it's not very useful - unless you're Rep. Steve Cohen (D., Tenn.).
The freshman lawmaker from Memphis, the first white representative from this black-majority district in three decades, is in a tough primary battle. That alone is sufficient to explain his interest in the official House mea culpa for past wrongs suffered by blacks in America, although he might point to loftier motives.
What all of these apologies have in common, however, is that they cost nothing. Indeed, they often are worded specifically to avoid any suggestion that something more than an apology might be owed for these past wrongs. As a result, they are of little use to the victims they are meant to make feel better.
Sadly, Mr. Cohen's resolution and the House's well-meaning vote may even have negative effects. Some people may see it as an opportunity to demand reparations, a discussion likely to lead only to recrimination and bitterness. Others will view it as a harbinger of the demise of "white America" and use it as another reason to call on voters to reject Barack Obama. Certainly, that narrow-minded view ought not to be fueled by empty gestures.
If Mr. Cohen and his colleagues in the House really are interested in making amends for slavery and institutionalized discrimination, there are better ways to go about it.
They could, for example, invest more in African-American neighborhoods - both urban and rural - to improve education and increase economic opportunities. And they could invest their time, effort, and the resources of government in helping to eliminate the subtle prejudices in everything from housing to loans to jobs that still deny many African-Americans their full portion of the American dream.
Actions such as these would speak much louder than simply saying, "We're sorry."

Fireworks are not the real culprit
In response to letters in the Readers' Forum about banning of fireworks, I say: Let's do it. Ban all of the things that go bump in the night. Motorcycles aid in killing people every day and have disrupted my sleep since I was a child. They race up and down the street almost every night, seven months out of the year. Ban them. Not to mention those annoying dumpster trucks I sometimes hear at 3 a.m. Ban them.
A psycho guy in Cleveland going on a mini-killing spree is not a valid reason to ban fireworks. If something as stupid as fireworks "made" him kill three people, I'm sure that a little dog yelping all night long could have ended in the same horrific results.
Our law enforcement had many other things to worry about than patroling for fireworks users two to three weeks out of the year. I contribute to society, pay taxes, and have to get up early just like many other proud hardworking Toledoans, but lighten up. Always remember: fireworks don't burn and blow things up, moronic people and unattended children do.
Brian Dymarkowski
Colleen Court
UAW wouldn't stoop to flattening tires As a United Auto Workers member, I take offense at Judge Denise Cubbon's calumnious remarks that the UAW was responsible for the flattening of two tires on her vehicle in retaliation for not recognizing the juvenile court system's workers' right to organize. Is it implausible that the judge encountered debris on Toledo's streets and that accounted for the flat tires? I recently had a flat tire in the city and found a roofing nail was the culprit. This allegation is beyond ridiculous and unwarranted.
No one works harder for their membership than Local 14 President Ray Wood, who serves with distinction. The UAW is and has been involved in a multitude of charitable causes in this community for which it does not receive the recognition it deserves for its members' time, effort, and financial assistance. Judge Cubbon's insensitivity cannot sully the UAW's good reputation in the workplace or the community.
A recent Readers' Forum contributor suggested the UAW buy two new tires for the judge. If Judge Cubbon has a problem paying for two new tires on her salary, or simply just fixing the flats like I do, maybe the UAW can organize the juvenile court judges and by doing so, improve their standard of living too.
Donald F. Swider
Lambertville, Mich.
The appearance of reassurance Regarding the closing of the northwest police station on Sylvania Avenue, I heard a city official say how reassuring it is when a resident sees a police cruiser drive by.
To this I say: Why doesnt the city buy a bunch of used cars and paint them to look like police cruisers and hire a group of homeless men to drive them around town? CLARENCE L. CRIST Broadway

So the bedbugs don't bite
SOMETIMES it seems as if politicians are always trying to put the bite on people by raising taxes, reducing services, and burying folks under an ever-increasing load of regulations. But here's a story about a politician who wants to spend some of your money so you won't get bitten.
State Rep. Dale Mallory (D., Cincinnati) is sponsoring a bill in the General Assembly that would take $335,000 in scarce state funds to set up a program in the Ohio Department of Health to address a scourge as ancient as civilization itself: the bedbug.
Lest anyone be tempted to dismiss Mr. Mallory's use of legislative time and tax dollars as, dare we say, buggy, it should be noted that bedbugs have been on the increase for a number of years. These fellow travelers in mankind's long march toward civilized society were thought to have been shown the door in modern, industrialized nations by the mid-20th century, thanks largely to the chemical DDT, vacuum cleaners, and better general hygiene.
Now, however, the little bloodsuckers can be found in homes, apartment buildings, and even five-star hotels from London to New York to Sydney - and everywhere in between. Just last year, Ohio State University sprayed 114 rooms in the Jones Graduate Tower after bedbugs were found in three rooms on two separate floors.
Susan Jones, an entomologist with the Ohio State Extension Service, told the Akron Beacon Journal that the bedbug surge could be the result of increased international travel. With literally tens of millions of people traveling into the United States annually, often from places where bedbugs are common, it makes sense that the tiny illegal immigrants stow away in the luggage, purses, and even on the bodies of visitors and returning Americans alike.
At only a quarter-inch in length and with an affinity for dark crevices, it's not surprising the nocturnal nibblers are able to hitch a ride unobserved. Once in country, they - or their eggs - can move from hotel to dorm to home with their host or stop off along the way to await the next traveler.
Ms. Jones told the Beacon Journal that she's received bedbug complaints from across the state, including Toledo, but Cincinnati, with 800 complaints last year apparently is Ohio's bedbuggiest city. Mr. Mallory, who took up the cause after being informed that bedbugs were plaguing area seniors, said the vermin are "out of control."
The $335,000 in Mr. Mallory's bill would be used to educate hotel owners so they could identify the offending insects and target treatment if they show up. Perhaps he could call it "Operation Sleep Tight."
Kidding aside, the bill would seem to be a judicious use of state funds. Ohio welcomes tourists but, with the possible exception of politicians, that does not include parasites that live by sucking the blood of hardworking Ohioans.

Favre to be reinstated, report to Packers Monday
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Brett Favre will be reinstated and added to the Green Bay Packers' active roster Monday.
The NFL announced the move Sunday after commissioner Roger Goodell had held off on granting Favre's request for reinstatement for nearly a week, hoping Favre and the team could resolve their standoff. By reinstating Favre, Goodell is following through on a recent promise to force action. The reinstatement will become effective at 1 p.m. EDT on Monday. Favre's agent, James "Bus" Cook, confirmed that Favre plans to fly to Green Bay on Sunday and report to the Packers on Monday. "That's the plan," Cook said in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Sunday. Favre could be on the field as early as Tuesday. Favre retired in March but has been having second thoughts. Team officials have insisted they are moving on with Aaron Rodgers, though, causing tensions to rise between Favre and the team.
It is not clear whether Favre's reinstatement indicates that he has rejected a long-term, multimillion-dollar marketing agreement offered by the team. Reinstatement could force the Packers to increase their offer to Favre in hopes that he remains retired and avoids turning their training camp into a media circus this week. Team officials publicly have ruled out releasing Favre, fearing he would immediately sign with division rival Minnesota. The Packers could still also trade him. The team has a scrimmage at Lambeau Field on Sunday night, then does not have another scheduled public practice until Tuesday morning. Favre's arrival in training camp could cause a major disruption to the team, although he would not likely begin practicing with the Packers right away. Coach Mike McCarthy has said the Packers have a plan in place should Favre report to camp. He first would have to pass a physical exam and a conditioning test, then would likely be limited to individual drills. Goodell told the NFL Network on Saturday that he thinks the situation has lingered long enough. "I think we have to force it," Goodell said. "I think it's come to the point where there need to be some decisions made on behalf of the Packers, on behalf of Brett, on behalf of all the fans."

Buckeyes want to get a look at prize recruit
COLUMBUS - Preseason camp is college football's purgatory. It is tortuous exertion in unbearable heat, normally accompanied by humidity that weighs on the participants like a cement jacket.
Players are not customarily eager or anxious or excited about the walking through those gates to get this ordeal started, but a number of the Ohio State Buckeyes used those very terms to describe their feelings on the eve of the start of their training camp.
Tomorrow they get their first in-person, up-close, live-action look at Terrelle Pryor, the quarterback of the future for the Buckeyes who might just be good enough to revamp the playbook of the present.
"He's a special player, a special talent, and since I haven't seen what he can do on the field yet, I'm kind of eager for camp to get started," Ohio State senior quarterback Todd Boeckman said. "I think everybody is looking forward to seeing what he can do, and we're excited about that."
Pryor was the most coveted, most pursued, and most hyped high school player in the country last fall. He led his Jeannette, Pa., high school team to state championships in both football and basketball, and was the two-time player of the year in football. Pryor is the only player in Pennsylvania high school history to both throw and run for more than 4,000 career yards.
"I think we all know Terrelle is a heck of an athlete, and we're all pretty energized about getting to camp since we'll get the chance to see what he can do, first-hand," senior All-American linebacker James Laurinaitis said.
"There's been a lot of hype surrounding him, and it will be nice to get out on the same field with Terrelle and see that talent at work. Camp is about a lot of things, and one of them is it's the first time we see a lot of the new recruits play. That's an exciting time."
Laurinaitis said he has been impressed with Pryor's work ethic and regimen over the summer, when the emphasis has been primarily on conditioning and strength training. And although Boeckman is clearly the starter and the offense is crafted to utilize his talents as a passer and the punishing running skills of tailback Beanie Wells, Laurinaitis likes the additional facet Pryor can bring as an elusive and athletic runner.
''If he proves we can put in some plays that will make our offensive attack more diverse, we'll definitely use him, even if it's only for a few downs here and there,'' Laurinaitis said. ''We'll see how it unfolds, but Terrelle definitely has that extra dimension. The kid's a special talent."
Malcolm Jenkins, a two-time All-Big Ten defensive back for the Buckeyes, said the best thing for Pryor to do is disregard all the hoopla that has surrounded him and concentrate on his preparation for the upcoming season.
"I think for a long time he's been hearing from everybody about how great a player he is, and how he should come into college and be a star right away, and all," Jenkins said. "He can't listen to all that hype or let all the attention affect him. Like every other guy, he's got a tough few weeks ahead of him when we start camp. His focus needs to be on that."
Although Ohio State coach Jim Tressel kept his specific plans for Pryor close to the vest at the recent Big Ten Conference preseason football meetings in Chicago, he did not rule out the potential of a modified two-quarterback system.
Florida was very effective with just such a system in 2006, when senior Chris Leak was spelled in certain situations by freshman Tim Tebow, who brought considerable running skills to the position.
"I think I am as anxious as anybody to find out what kind of things Terrelle can do for us," Tressel said. "It's not a matter of what position he plays or what year in school a player is. Our philosophy is that if you do the work, you'll get the opportunities.
"We still haven't got to camp, so it's early. But Terrelle has demonstrated that he is a very hard worker, and a young man who wants to learn as much as he can. If he deserves to rotate in there at quarterback, then that's what we'll do. Right now I can tell you he has demonstrated a desire to be the best quarterback he can be, and that's exciting for us."
With Boeckman returning as the starter and a well-proven commodity as last year's first-team All-Big Ten quarterback, Pryor will have the optimum environment to learn the offense and progress at a comfortable pace, according to Ohio State's two-time Heisman Trophy winner, Archie Griffin.
"I think this is an ideal way for a young man like Terrelle to come in," said Griffin, who remains a close observer of the football program in his role as president of the Ohio State Alumni Association.
"But he's a competitor, so even though Terrelle has Boeckman in front of him, he is going to compete, studying the game, and in the back of his mind he probably feels he can get in there and compete. I would try to use his talent the best way I could to help the football team."
Griffin said the Buckeyes need to play Pryor right away, since in this era of early departures for the NFL, his time at Ohio State might be cut short. Griffin also cited the case of another highly touted freshman who did not spend a lot of time on the sidelines with then coach Woody Hayes before testing the waters.
"I would not sit him down, because any more if you do that, you never know what is going to happen with that kid. You might only get two more years," Griffin said.
"Woody probably would do it like he did with Art Schlichter (1978-81). Schlichter was also a number one recruit coming out of high school, and Woody played him the very first game. Art Schlichter ended up being a fabulous football player at Ohio State."
Pryor and the rest of the Buckeyes report to a campus area hotel today, and the first practice is tomorrow.
Contact Matt Markey at:
mmarkey@theblade.com or 419-724-6510.

5 Olympic competitors have Toledo ties
For five Olympians with ties to northwest Ohio, the training and preparations are just about finished.
Countless athletes from across the world have spent the last year attempting to qualify for the Olympics.
When the Summer Games officially open in Beijing on Friday, these five will stand above the rest.
Olympic dreams have finally come to fruition for Anna Tunnicliffe, Scott Parsons, Petra Teveli, Blaine Neal and Mike Hessman.
Tunnicliffe, a former Perrysburg resident, will be compete in sailing in the Laser Radial one-person dinghy class in Qingdao, China.
She qualified for the Games way back in October, 2007, when she defeated 21 other racers in the U.S. Sailing Olympic Selection Trials in Newport, R.I.
In a recent e-mail to The Blade, Tunnicliffe said the U.S. sailing team arrived in Qingdao on July 27 and has been training there ever since.
After moving to Perrysburg with her family from Doncaster, England when she was 12 years old, Tunnicliffe joined the junior program at the North Cape Yacht Club in La Salle, Mich.
North Cape will always hold a special place in Tunnicliffe's heart because it was there that she envisioned her Olympic dreams.
"When I was 13, I decided that one day I wanted to go to the Olympics," Tunnicliffe told The Blade in December.
When Parsons arrives in Beijing, it will mark his second consecutive trip to the Olympics.
The Sylvania native and St. John's Jesuit graduate considered retiring from kayaking for about a year following the 2004 Olympics.
Parsons, who lives in Bethesda, Md., finished sixth in 2004 and qualified for this year's Games in part because of a bronze medal finish at the world cup in Augsburg, Germany.
With the kayak competition slated for Aug. 11-14, Parsons said he doesn't have any expectations heading into likely the last significant race of his career.
"I just want a result I'm happy with," Parsons said in an interview last month. "A medal would be great for sure, but I don't want to place too much importance on that."
When Teveli runs the marathon in Beijing on Aug. 17, she'll not only be representing her native Hungary but she'll also become the first University of Toledo product to run in the Games.
Teveli ran at UT from 2001-03 and cites her experience as a memorable time.
"It was a very useful period of time for my running in many senses, mentally and physically as well," Teveli said in an e-mail interview from Budapest last month.
"Thanks to my coach, Kevin Hadsell, and his positive attitude to everything, I managed to learn to deal with things either with successes or failures and also find and look at the good side of everything."
Although they have been unable to stick in the big leagues this season, Mike Hessman and Blaine Neal received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because of their minor league status - spots on the U.S. Olympic baseball team.
"Hearing about the Olympic team certainly was exciting," Neal told The Blade last month. "•'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."
The pair have already left the Mud Hens with the Americans first game on Aug. 13 against Korea and won't return until Aug. 25.
"It's just something about representing your country and wearing that flag across your chest," Hessman said. "It's just something to be proud of."
Contact Zach Silka at:
zsilka@theblade.com.

UM offense unlike other Big Ten versions
There aren't many ways to describe what the spread offense is in its most basic form.
"It's defined by people that remove players from the box offensively by formation," Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said.
Fair enough. But for as easy as it is to explain the spread, it's just as difficult to defend against. Thus, at least eight of 11 Big Ten teams will run some form of it this season.
Rodriguez has made a career out of using the spread - which is to line up offensively with multiple receivers split wide and typically one running back, forcing linebackers and safeties out of the middle of the field.
He's run the offense in each of the last 18 seasons, either as a head coach at West Virginia and Glenville State, or as offensive coordinator at Tulane and Clemson.
But the spread Rodriguez will teach when the Wolverines begin fall practice for the 2008 season tomorrow might be a little different from what he ran for seven seasons with the Mountaineers.
And it will certainly be different from the spread plays Ohio State coach Jim Tressel works on when the Buckeyes begin practice tomorrow, as well as those at Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Penn State, and Northwestern.
That's another reason why the spread is so appealing - not just in the Big Ten, but nationwide. There are so many options an offense has once it spreads out the defense.
"I think it adds additional pressure," Tressel said. "Using all the field, using the quarterback as a runner, in some cases. Some people don't run the quarterback. You do what your guys can do. Spread is a deployment. Conceptually, what are you going to do? All of us spread."
Rodriguez historically has used the spread to run the ball. In fact, Rodriguez's style is more specifically referred to as the "spread-option," highlighting its tendency to feature running quarterbacks.
In seven seasons at West Virginia, Rodriguez's offenses never finished in the top 100 nationally in passing. Mountaineers quarterback Pat White - a master when it came to operating Rod-riguez's schemes - rushed for a team-high 1,335 yards and 14 touchdowns a year ago. He also threw for 1,724 and 14 scores.
The Wolverines don't have a Pat White, at least not one who has taken a college snap yet. True freshman Justin Feagin is considered a dual threat at quarterback, but it is likely too much to ask of him to be ready to start when UM opens up Aug. 30 against Utah.
The odds-on favorite to open the year as the Wolverines' main quarterback, redshirt freshman Steven Threet, actually ran a version of the spread at Adrian High. But at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, Threet is unquestionably a thrower before he's a runner.
And the spread is completely new to UM's returning players. Former coach Lloyd Carr featured a traditional, pro-style offense with fullbacks and pass-catching tight ends.
"We're going to have to be at our creative best as coaches because of the inexperience we've got," Rodriguez said. "You're talking about four or five guys on the offensive line will be first-time starters, a couple of the wide receivers, running backs, you're talking all the way across the board. There's a lot of young guys playing for the first time, so we've got to be creative."
"But you can't be creative to the point where we create confusion for ourselves. It's kind of a little balance that we've got to come up with. We're not going to forfeit. We're going to do what we can with what we put out there."
Ron Zook, who is entering his fourth season as Illinois coach, uses the spread because it was the toughest offense to plan for when he was a defensive coordinator. And, as Rodriguez will agree, it can be adaptable to the players on a particular roster.
"It gives people an opportunity where personnel-wise you may not be as good as others. It levels the field a little bit," said Zook, whose quarterback Juice Williams ran the spread optimally in Illinois' 28-21 upset win over the Buckeyes last year.
Williams threw for four scores in upending top-ranked Ohio State, but he picked up three crucial first downs on runs during the Illini's game-clinching final drive.
When Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter takes the field this season, he will also be operating out of the spread. But the plays he runs will look nothing like what Williams does at Illinois.
Boilermakers coach and Toledo native Joe Tiller is credited with bringing the spread to the Big Ten when he came over from Wyoming following the 1996 season. Tiller's offense is wide open and pass happy, and is routinely among the nation's leaders in passing yards.
Tiller, who's entering his final year as the Boilermakers' coach, isn't surprised that so many teams in his conference - and across the country - now use some form of the spread.
"Young people love to throw and catch and run around, high-five each other and have fun playing the game," Tiller said. "I think this style of offense is a fun style to participate in. Young people, if you want to keep them involved in the sport of football, you have to provide an outlet that's enjoyable to them, not just [a] highly disciplined or regimented style of play.
"So it doesn't surprise me at all that the spread offense has really swept the nation."
Tressel's Buckeyes sometimes line up in a spread formation, and might do so more this year when freshman phenom Terrelle Pryor is on the field. But Ohio State, especially with its veteran offensive line and bruising tailback Chris Wells, can just as easily punish defenses with a traditional I-formation offense.
Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema has one of the few Big Ten teams that stays away from the spread.
"The thing I like about being at Wisconsin right now is we're unique," he said. "You line up with a tailback and a fullback and you got some big ugly guys up front that come down hill."
But Bielema said the Badgers will devote double the amount of time from last season preparing to defend against the conference's various spreads.
It's probably a good idea. They'll see plenty of them this year.
Contact Joe Vardon at:
jvardon@theblade.com or 419-410-5055.

Longtime golf pro proud of legacy
In Their Words is a weekly feature appearing Sundays in The Blade's sports section. Blade sports columnist Dave Hackenberg talked with Don Kotnik, the head golf professional at Toledo Country Club who is widely recognized as one of the best golf teachers in the United States.
In a profession where names and locations change on a fairly regular basis, Don Kotnik found a home in 1972 and never left.
Kotnik, a PGA Master Professional, has headed up golf operations at Toledo Country Club for 36 years.
Earlier this year, for the second time, he was named one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 teachers in the United States. Another magazine, Golf Digest, has listed Kotnik as one of Ohio's top five teachers for each of the last five years.
Kotnik, 64, is a member of seven halls of fame, including the PGA National Golf Professional Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in 2005. Twelve years earlier, he was named the nation's top club pro by the PGA of America.
Kotnik made a cross-state move from Barberton to play football and golf at the University of Toledo in 1962. Shortly after marrying in August, 1967, Kotnik and his bride, Rochelle, moved to Hawaii for nine months. He then relocated to Jackson, Mich., for his first golf pro job at Jackson Country Club.
He returned to Toledo in 1970 as an assistant at Toledo CC, became head pro at Highland Meadows early in 1972, and returned to Toledo CC for good as head professional in November of that year.
In 1973, Kotnik and a former assistant, Greg Fish, co-founded the Toledo Junior Golf Association, one of the top organizations of its kind in the country to this day.
Kotnik became the 17th Master Professional in the United States in 1980. That group numbers about 245 today.
And, from 1974-91, Kotnik served as the UT men's golf coach. He said he's proud that all but one of his players during those 17 years earned a degree.
Don and Rochelle Kotnik have three children - Michael Don, the PGA head pro at Orchid Island Club in Vero Beach, Fla.; Lisa Lynn, a blues singer who lives in New Orleans, and Amy, an educational fund-raiser in Chicago.
"BEING IN THE same job at the same club for 36 years, 38 if you account my two years as an assistant, seldom happens in the modern era of this profession. One of my predecessors, Marty Cromb, was here for 40 years, but it wasn't that unusual back then. When I first came here there were two philosophies. You'd stay eight to 10 years and then leave for something fresh. Or you put down roots and raise a family. I didn't want to be one of those guys who retires at age 60 to spend more time with his family because it seems like that's too late. They're grown and gone by then. So I stayed put. One of the great things about my job was that my daughters and son, who started caddying when he was 8, all worked here. It allowed me to take a negative aspect of the profession, the hours and the demand on your time, and make it a real positive.
"MY LONGEVITY is the product of great relationships with great people. I have several more years on my contract and, yeah, I'd like to break Marty's record of 40 years. I've had great lines of communication with our golf committee chairmen and the club presidents. I think you have to see into the future a little bit and realize what members would like to see improved before they ask for it.
"I'M VERY proud of the number of former assistants and former players of mine at UT who are now head professionals, directors of golf or owners/general managers of golf clubs. My goodness, there must be 30 of them, at least. David Graf (Inverness) and Steve Mulcahy (Lima Shawnee) both played and worked for me. Greg Fish (South Toledo) and Nick Myers (Highland Meadows) are former assistants. Those would be the guys still in the area.
"GREG WAS MY first assistant, and he and I co-founded the junior association. My goal when I work with kids is different than with more advanced players. I'm not necessarily trying to teach championship players. I'm trying to keep them interested in the game and try to help create a life-long experience for them. I try to help everybody learn the game well enough to shoot in the 90s. With the handicap system, if you shoot in the 90s you can play with anybody and you can enjoy the game for a long, long time.
"JACK MURPHY was the [assistant] coach who recruited me to Toledo in 1962. It was the only college that agreed to let me play two sports. I thought it was the greatest learning experience of my life, especially when Clive Rush, my first football coach, was fired and Frank Lauterbur came in. Then it was a true test of will. You saw the Bear Bryant movie, what was it, Junction Boys? Well, FXL made Bear look like Mother Teresa. We didn't have enough guys left for a full travel squad my sophomore year. The guys who made it through that, well, we really made it. We became great friends and really forged a bond. Not just the players, but the coaches too, like Frank, Murph and Mario Russo.
"The biggest I ever got was 6-foot, 223 pounds in 1963. I played both ways at linebacker and then either fullback or center on offense. We didn't platoon then. Today, some quarterbacks are 6-5, 250. I can't see myself playing linebacker in this day and age. No, absolutely not.
"GOLF MAGAZINE'S Top 100 panel is about the highest honor a teacher can receive. You have to be able to teach the entire game, but if I have a specialty or a strong point I think it's in understanding how people learn. The three basic ways people learn are from past experiences, from failures and from self-discovery. I think understanding that and knowing how to approach it is more important than knowing how to teach.
"My son and I are going to introduce a new method of teaching next December at the PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit. It has taken us quite a while to come up with it and it's designed for teaching younger people and beginning players. We take the concepts of failure and self-learning and try to make it fun for players to discover how to make themselves better. We think it's a concept that will really help increase participation in golf.
"It's sort of a new chapter in my career and it's something I'm very excited about."
Contact Blade sports columnist
Dave Hackenberg at: dhack@theblade.com or 419-724-6398.

Indy due to pound Mud Hens
INDIANAPOLIS - Held scoreless for 20 consecutive innings by Toledo pitchers, the Indianapolis Indians erupted for 18 hits last night in an 11-3 triumph over the Mud Hens.
All 10 Indians who batted in the game contributed at least one hit. Matt Kata led the rout with three runs batted in on four hits, including a double and a home run.
Toledo had blanked the Indians in two consecutive games. Indianapolis hadn't scored since the eighth inning of Thursday's game at Fifth Third Field.
"We'd shut them out a couple of games in a row," said Toledo manager Larry Parrish. "They were due to score some runs. We didn't expect it to be 18 hits and 11 of them, though."
The Indians broke through for a run in the first inning off the Hens' Anastacio Martinez (2-4). Brian Bixler led off with a single to center and Andrew McCutchen followed with an infield single to short. Erick Almonte's throw to first was in the dirt for an error, allowing Bixler to take third. When Nyjer Morgan grounded to second, Bixler sped home to give the Indians a 1-0 lead.
Indianapolis made it 6-0 in the second. The first run came on back-to-back, one-out doubles by Jason Delaney and Kata. After Kata stole third, Michel Hernandez smashed a 1-0 pitch over the right-center field fence for his third homer of the season.
Bixler singled, but was caught stealing. After a walk to McCutchen and a hit to left by Morgan, Indianapolis had runners at the corners and Parrish went to his bullpen.
Jeremy Johnson came on to face Luis Ordaz, who ripped a single up the middle. McCutchen came in to score with Morgan taking third. Johnson drilled Ryan Mulhern on a 2-2 pitch to load the bases and, when the first pitch to Luis Cruz was in the dirt, all three runners advanced.
The onslaught continued in the third. Delaney led off with a walk, then Kata drilled a 91-mph fastball over the right field wall to give the Indians an 8-0 advantage.
While Martinez's night shut down after 12/3 innings, Indians starter Corey Hamman (2-2) breezed through the first three.
Toledo scored a pair of runs in the fourth. Brent Clevlen opened the inning with a walk and went to third on Jeff Larish's two-base hit. Clevlen scored on Almonte's infield out, and when Dusty Ryan followed with a triple off the wall in the right field corner, the score was 8-2.
The Indians added three more in the fifth. With two away, Bixler singled off Larish's glove at first. After Bixler stole second, McCutchen walked and Morgan tripled to left-center. Ordaz then grounded to third, but when Kody Kirkland threw wildly to first, Morgan strolled home to make it 11-2.
Kirkland got a run back for Toledo in the sixth. Michael Hollimon walked, took second on defensive indifference, and then came home on Kirkland's triple to close out the scoring.
Hamman, who struck out seven, walked three and gave up five hits in six innings, gave way in the seventh to Evan Meek for two innings and Marino Salas worked the ninth.
Casey Fien and Ian Ostlund finished up for Toledo, also combining for three scoreless innings.
Freddy Guzman stole second in the third inning - his 40th swipe of the year. Guzman entered the game tied with Wayne Lydon of Syracuse for the International League lead.
The series wraps up this afternoon. Chris Lambert (11-6) will start for Toledo against Russ Ohlendorf (1-2). Lambert's 3.38 earned run average is eighth in the IL.

Vasquez ends victory drought
INDIANAPOLIS - Right-hander Virgil Vasquez won for the first time since June 24 and Kody Kirkland drove in all the runs Toledo needed as the Mud Hens topped the Indianapolis Indians 3-0 last night.
It was the second consecutive shutout for the Hens, who blanked the Indians 8-0 Thursday at Fifth Third Field.
The Mud Hens scored twice in the second inning off Daniel McCutchen. Michael Hollimon worked a two-out walk and moved to third on Dusty Ryan's double. Both scored when Kirkland followed with a two-base shot off the right field wall.
"It was a good night," said Kirkland. "I was fortunate enough to put a ball in play with a few runners in scoring position. That always works out good."
McCutchen (0-2) was making his second start for Indianapolis since coming to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. The right-hander came over in the July 26 trade that sent outfielder Xavier Nady and pitcher Damaso Marte to the New York Yankees.
Vasquez (7-11) held the Indians hitless through the first three innings. Indianapolis designated hitter Luis Ordaz led off the fourth with a double and took third on Ryan Mulhern's fly ball to center. With the infield drawn in, Jason Delaney sent a line drive toward second that Hollimon snared. The threat ended when Luis Cruz flied to left.
Clete Thomas made it 3-0 in the third, driving McCutchen's first pitch over the right field wall for his eighth homer.
The victory snapped a personal five-game losing streak for Vasquez. After the fourth-inning double by Ordaz, the Indians didn't have another hit until a Cruz single in the seventh.
"I had a great time," said Vasquez. "I had great support from the team. We had the new catcher out there, Dusty Ryan, and he did a fabulous job.
"Hollimon kept talking to me out at second base, making me smile all night."
Vasquez gave up two hits, three walks and two hit-batters with a pair of strikeouts. Francisco Cruceta pitched the eighth and Francis Beltran worked the ninth for his third save.
Toledo manager Larry Parrish praised his pitchers for shutting down Nyjer Morgan, the speedy Indianapolis leadoff hitter. "We've kept him off base pretty much the last couple of nights," said Parrish. "He creates a lot when he gets on base."
Timo Perez went 0-for-5, snapping a 13-game hitting streak.

Mud Hens to sell International League playoff tickets
The Mud Hens will put on sale individual tickets and five-game packages for the International League playoffs at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
First-round games are scheduled at Fifth Third Field on Sept. 4 and 5. Championship round games are scheduled the next week, with dates depending on how the Mud Hens qualify as finalists.

Racing for 100-mpg prize
AROUND the world, scores of tinkerers and millionaires are busy in their garages, pushing hard against the laws of physics and the envelope of automotive engineering.
Their goal: a vehicle that balances ultra-high gas mileage, performance, and affordability.
Their mechanism: the $10 million Progressive Automotive X Prize competition.
"It's not the prize that's spurring a lot of them. It's a lot of money, but for a lot of them, it's an opportunity to raise awareness of their idea, and to promote their idea," said Carrie Fox, a spokesman for the X-Prize Foundation.
"The best part of throwing a prize out there is that you never know what's going to come back to you."
Announced in 2006 and sponsored by Progressive Insurance, the Automotive X Prize is an international contest with the aim of jump-starting a new generation of viable, super-fuel-efficient vehicles.
The independent competition is to see who can design, build, and bring to market vehicles that get a minimum of 100 miles per gallon.
In addition to the significant technological challenges, designers must create vehicles that people want to buy, can be mass-produced, and meet market needs for price, size, capability, safety, and performance.
The winning vehicle must win a cross-country race, run in stages, along the roads that most people drive daily.
Two vehicles will share the $10 million. A "mainstream" competition, with a $7.5 million prize, focuses on traditional four-seat sedans; an "alternative" race open to a variety of designs offers a $2.5 million prize.
The alternative competition seems to have sparked the imagination of auto enthusiasts, and has the closest tie to Toledo.
In June, Applied Technologies Inc., of Maumee, delivered the prototype of the ZAP Alias - a three-wheeled two-seater. ZAP, of Santa Rosa, Calif., says the highway-rated vehicle can exceed 100 miles per hour and travel more than 100 miles before needing a recharge.
Although it turned heads in Toledo at a June roll-out, it looks a bit mundane in the company of some of its X-Prize competitors.
For example, consider the AirShip: an electric-powered four-seater that glides along not on wheels but on spheres. Built by AirShip Technologies Group, of Oregon, it uses magnetic levitation similar to European and Japanese high-speed trains instead of a traditional suspension and drivetrain system.
It also uses a "drive-by-wire" computed-aided steering system akin to the flight control of modern jets.
Then there's the Aptera Typ-1, a three-wheeled electric two-seater that is to go on sale later this year in California.
Classified as a motorcycle, the ultra-aerodynamic Aptera (Greek for "wingless flight") is a plug-in hybrid that boasts fuel economy of up to 300 miles per gallon.
"I think the probability is very, very high that Aptera will walk away with the prize," said a confident Steve Fambro, Aptera's co-founder and chief executive officer. "We have the most efficient vehicle in the world."
Although electric drivetrains are popular among entrants, teams in the alternative race aren't focusing exclusively on that technology. Zero Pollution Motors, of France, will enter an automobile that uses compressed air to operate a 75-horsepower engine that will drive a small six-passenger car.
The first stage of the Automotive X Prize race is set for New York City, said Ms. Fox.
When it kicks off in 2009, qualifying entrants - those that meet engineering requirements and can also be built and sold - will begin their multicity, multistage race.
The race probably will pass through Ohio and Michigan on at least one leg, Ms. Fox said. "There are a number of cities in Ohio [and Michigan] that are interested. We'll probably announce those cities this fall," she said.
The foundation is in discussions with Indianapolis about holding a leg of the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where entrants could display their top speeds.
"Getting these vehicles out on roads and testing them in a controlled environment will allow us to see if that 100 miles per gallon is a real number for these vehicles," Ms. Fox said.
One that might do well at the speedway is the all-electric Tesla Roadster, a production two-seat sports car that has a 220-mile range and goes from zero to 60 mph in under four seconds.
It is likely to be challenged by the Velozzi, a two-seat electric-hybrid sports car that claims a 200 mph top speed and needs just three seconds to go from zero to 60.
But in X-Prize race, speed isn't as important as going to market with a product and having someone with deep enough pockets to manufacture the vehicle, said Todd Pratt, vice president of Fuel Vapor Technologies, another competing team.
"I know the hardest part won't be the 100 mpg, it will be the manufacturing. This competition isn't worth three cents if cars don't make it to market," Mr. Pratt said.
His car, the two-seat, three-wheeled Al, reached 92 mpg with its former powertrain, but now uses an electric-gas hybrid powertrain to extend range and fuel efficiency, Mr. Pratt said.
"Our focus is in that wonderful balance between performance and mileage. People will accept electric drives and high-efficiency vehicles a lot quicker if there are no compromises," said Mr. Pratt, whose team is based in Maple Ridge, B.C.
"I tell people to remember that the costs of technology always come down. I remember that I paid $1,200 for my first [compact disc] player, and look at them now."
Contact Larry P. Vellequette at:
lvellequette@theblade.com or 419-724-6091.

FITNESS CENTER IN PROGRESS IN MAUMEE
The steel frame takes shape for the building that is to house Urban Active fitness center, 1361 Conant St., in Maumee.
The 47,000-squarefoot gym, scheduled to open by January, will be the second metro Toledo location of Global Fitness Holdings LLC, of Lexington, Ky.
It operates an Urban Active at 2859 North Holland-Sylvania Rd. in Sylvania Township.

Auto sales in U.S. plummet in July
A rising tide may lift all boats, but apparently a sinking economy will drown almost everybody.
The largest automakers in the world - both foreign and domestic - recorded large North American sales losses in July as high fuel prices, rising unemployment, and a faltering economy cut a wide swath through the automotive industry.
Chrysler LLC, the owners of Jeep, saw its sales fall a staggering 29 percent in July compared to the same month a year ago.
General Motors' sales fell 26.1 percent, Ford 14.9 percent, Mazda 13.3 percent, Toyota 11.9 percent, and Honda 8.2 percent. Of the major automakers selling vehicles in North America, only VW, Suburu, Nissan, and Daimler AG saw their sales rise.
Sales of Toledo-made vehicles plummeted compared to a year ago.
The iconic Jeep Wrangler saw its sales decline 31 percent to 6,093 units compared to 8,829 units a year ago.
Jeep Liberty sales dropped 42 percent to 3,766 units from 6,534 units a year ago, while Dodge Nitro sales fell 64 percent to 1,651 units from 4,602 sold during July 2007.
For the year, Wrangler sales are off 29 percent to 52,536 units through the end of July, compared to 74,480 sold during the first seven months of 2007. Sales of the Liberty are down 21 percent year-to-date to 44,676 units, compared to 56,648 units last year, while sales of the Nitro have dropped 39 percent to 25,549 units from 41,814 units a year ago.
Sales figures for domestic automakers aren't likely to improve soon, even though gasoline prices have fallen dramatically in recent weeks.
Chrysler officials announced last week that the company planned to stop leasing vehicles in August after suffering huge losses in its financial arm on pickup trucks and SUVs being turned in at lease end. Both Ford and General Motors also recorded losses from leases, but chose to continue the practice - for now - after Chrysler's abrupt announcement.
Dan Henneman, Jeep Unit chairman for United Auto Workers Local 12, said yesterday that future orders for Jeep Libertys, Wranglers, and Dodge Nitros made by his members at the Toledo Jeep Assembly complex had fallen sharply.
"The orders just aren't there," Mr. Henneman said. "We were averaging about 800 [Liberty or Nitro] orders a day. Right now, we're lucky if we get 100, and a lot of days, it's below that."
Workers on the Liberty/Nitro line have been laid off through Aug. 25 because of slow sales. Mr. Henneman said that after being off a month, if Chrysler brought workers on the Liberty/Nitro line back tomorrow, there would only be enough orders for eight days of work.
Workers on the Wrangler line are still working, but their order volumes also have fallen dramatically, Mr. Henneman added.
The breadth of yesterday's abrupt sales slowdown illustrated to local dealers that the problems facing the nation's domestic auto producers weren't all concentrated in their product lineups.
"The country definitely has issues," said Ralph Mahalak, Jr., owner of the Monroe Dodge Superstore in Monroe, Mich. "It's definitely a challenging time, and there are people that will deal with the challenges better than others."
Contact Larry P. Vellequette at:
lvellequette@theblade.com or 419-724-6091.

Reports: Christina Applegate has breast cancer
LOS ANGELES - Actress Christina Applegate reportedly is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
Ame Van Iden, publicist for the 36-year-old actress, released the following statement late Saturday: "Christina Applegate was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer. Benefiting from early detection through a doctor ordered MRI, the cancer is not life threatening. Christina is following the recommended treatment of her doctors and will have a full recovery." Applegate has earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her starring role in ABC's comedy "Samantha Who?" Applegate plays the title character, a young career woman who awakens from an eight-day coma remembering nothing about her past. The series debuted last October and marked the return to television of Applegate, who helped establish the upstart Fox network in 1987 as ditzy teenager Kelly Bundy on "Married ... with Children." The raunchy comedy ran 11 seasons and has been airing in syndication ever since.
She won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2003 for her portrayal of Amy Green, the younger sister of Jennifer Aniston's character on "Friends." Applegate earned a 2005 Tony Award nomination for her Broadway role in "Sweet Charity." "I'm really grateful that acting is the job that was chosen for me," Applegate told The Associated Press in April. "I get really lost when I'm not working. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with myself. Thank God for dance class and The New York Times crossword puzzle and 'American Idol.' But acting is what I really have to do." Applegate is among the celebrities scheduled to appear on the "Stand Up To Cancer" one-hour television special to be aired on ABC, CBS and NBC on Sept. 5 to raise funds for cancer research.

Motor City Madman is a savvy survivor in a crazy business
He may be the Motor City Madman, but hes about as crazy as a fox.
Ted Nugent is a savvy, sober, nearly 60-year-old survivor of the often savage and sometimes scurrilous music industry, and hes become almost as famous for firing arrows at animals as he is for fiery guitar riffs. The multi-platinum-selling rocker and outdoors activist storms back to the Toledo area for a concert Friday night at The Andersons Northwest Ohio Rib-Off with his 2008 Rolling Thunder tour. On July 4, the Nuge celebrated his 6,000th career concert, a Cal Ripken-like figure that breaks down to a whopping 150 shows per year for 40 years. What does Nugent credit for such staying power?
Sheer animal willpower, he said in an interview by e-mail. My bow-hunting lifestyle taught me incredible disciple growing up, and my parents insisted I always put my heart and soul into everything I do. Driven by the primal scream of Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and all those amazing black heroes forced me to really attack my music. I cannot be stopped, he said. The two-pronged attack of music and bow hunting has been Nugents primary M.O. since childhood. Born in Detroit on Dec. 13, 1948, Nugent started hunting at age 5 and playing guitar at age 9. He formed his first band, the Royal High Boys, when he was 12; opened concerts in Cobo Hall for the Supremes and the Beau Brummels when he was 14, and scored a Top 40 hit, Journey to the Center of the Mind, with his band the Amboy Dukes when he was 19. His career went wild in the mid-1970s after signing a solo deal with Epic Records and releasing a series of platinum-selling albums: Ted Nugent and Free for All, both released in 1976, Cat Scratch Fever in 1977, Double Live Gonzo! in 1978, and Weekend Warriors in 1979. At a time when many, if not most, rock and roll stars were abusing drugs and sometimes dying from the habit, Nugent has always been adamantly opposed to drug use and has fired scores of band members who indulged. Sobriety has its benefits, as he said in an anti-drug message in Saginaw, Mich., in 1991: Jimi Hendrix thought I was stupid, and I thought he was a god. Now hes dead and Im still Ted. Its also helped keep his mind sharp, he told The Blade when asked to name some memorable moments from his 6,000 concerts. Being clean and sober for almost 60 years now, plus the fact that I dearly cherish every musical moment of my life, I do indeed remember every concert Ive ever performed, and believe me, there have been no bad ones. I play the same for two naked black trackers in Botswana as I do for 300,000 people at Cal Jam. The music owns me.
Nugent has sold more than 30 million albums in his career and has the highest-grossing concert tour for three straight years, 1977 to 1979. In 1989, he formed the supergroup the Damn Yankees, with ex-Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw, ex-Night Ranger bassist Jack Blades, and drummer Michael Caretellone. That group sold 5 million albums before splitting up in 1993. Nugents notable hit singles are usually based on a rattling guitar riff, including Cat Scratch Fever, Wango Tango, and Yank Me, Crank Me. He said he doesnt try to write songs in the way some rockers do, but lets the music come naturally. Ive never really worked on my music or songwriting. Since I play my guitar throughout the year and am surrounded by the worlds greatest musicians, like Mick Brown on drums and Greg Smith on bass on this 08 Rolling Thunder tour, new songs squirt out of me constantly. Every one of the hundreds of songs Ive written over the years all came out of an impromptu jam session or a spontaneous guitar orgy. I love this stuff.
Asked to name his artistic influences and inspirations, Nugent said he has myriad musical heroes, spanning a range of eras and genres. I love em all, he said, listing Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Lonnie Mack, Keith Richards, Jimmy McCarty of Mitch Ryder, the three blues Kings B.B., Albert, and Freddie Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Gibbons, Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and John Sykes. I could go on and on. Overall, I would say that the music of the black masters like James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, Booker T. all hit me the hardest. I crave soul and groove, he said. He also craves the hunt. He eats everything he kills, he said, and calls his lifestyle a perfect harmonious ballet. Nugent has proven himself to be a skilled woodsman. In 1974, he won the U.S. National Squirrel-Shooting Archery Contest by hitting a squirrel from 150 yards. He told The Blade he had just done some hunting the day of the interview. I zapped a woodchuck today that had been burrowing under my Michigan barn, he said. In May, I arrowed a magnificent behemoth black bear in Alaska with my brother John. It was wonderful. Nugent put his gift of gab to work as a radio talk-show host for more than 10 years, has written four books including Kill It & Grill It and the upcoming Nugent Manifesto, and is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. He said there would be no shortage of options if he were not a success in the music or hunting world. I literally have a whole bunch of diverse careers going on at once here, all of which I dearly love and am fulfilled by, he said. I really enjoy writing, doing public and private speaking engagements, and I have also been a sheriff deputy for more than 30 years and conduct fugitive felony arrest raids. He also said he may consider running for office. It is almost bad enough out there for me to run right now. I will consult with my campaign manager, Mrs. Nugent, and let you know ASAP, he said. With such a busy life and wealth of activities, Nugent has a surprisingly simple way of measuring success: In smiles and laughter, he said. Contact David Yonke at:dyonke@theblade.comor 419-724-6154.

Finding gold in California: 2 natural treasures just across the bridge from San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO Go ahead and leave your heart in San Francisco the next time youre there; just make sure you keep your hiking boots. Youll need them for a day trip to nearby Marin County, where you can walk among ancient redwoods, roam with a herd of elk, and maybe even feel the earth move.
Its hard to imagine such an astonishing, natural wonderland existing so close to a metropolis but here, just on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, are two national treasures, Muir Woods National Monument which celebrates its centennial this year and Point Reyes National Seashore. Begin by leaving the crazy streets of San Francisco behind. You wont miss them since the wild, winding roads leading around Marin County are just as fun. Follow them to skyscrapers of a different sort at Muir Woods, tucked into a canyon 12 miles north of the city. It was about this place, among the last untouched bastions of coast redwood trees, that conservationist John Muir said, This is the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world. Dont believe him? Just look up. Towering redwoods the tallest trees in the world seem to stretch up forever as their thick veins of reddish bark reach relentlessly toward the sky.
Shafts of light make their way to the hiking paths below, where nearly 1 million people annually walk along a boardwalk with their heads craned back to get a better view. They stand in awe at the sight of something as simple as a tree, which here can top out at more than 250 feet high. (Imagine what it must be like to confront the tallest in the world, which was measured at nearly 380 feet in Redwood National Park.) Despite all the visitors meandering around and there are many who flock here on tour buses Muir Woods remains a peaceful place. The thick trees, some of them more than 1,000 years old, stand like times sentinels. One display presenting the cross-section of a dead tree shows, by examination of its many rings, how it kept watch all the way back to before 1100. Today, the area resembles something out of prehistoric times, or at least Return of the Jedi. It is populated by ferns and oversized trees that grow up to 14 feet wide. There was a time millions of years ago when redwood-like giants covered most of the Northern Hemisphere, but now climate change has driven redwoods back to a few strips along the coast of California and Oregon where rainfall and fog still provide the moisture they require.
Of course, preservation is the whole point here, and this year the monument happily celebrates 100 years of doing just that. The land was bought by William Kent in 1905 to protect it from logging, and he turned it over to the federal government three years later, requesting that it be named for Muir, the naturalist. Because of the crowds these natural skyscrapers attract, guidebooks suggest visiting midweek in the early morning or late afternoon, when its less crowded. An equally effective way of leaving the crowd behind is to take one of the hiking trails that branch off from the main paths along the cool canyon floor. While there are 1.5 miles of paved or boardwalked trails at the bottom of the park that are mostly flat, these longer, rougher routes lead up and out of the canyon. They provide a more strenuous walk that tries and slowly, achingly succeeds at lifting you above the treetops.
The view from the summit is worth it, and it provides you with a hint of what is to come if you continue on your adventure through Marin County: steep, twisting mountain roads that lead past lush greenery and suicidal cyclists. If you try one of these hikes, though, be sure to plan your route in advance or take a map. Some loop back to Muir Woods while others lead to different parks, and you dont want to end up like my brother and me lost. It may be hard to imagine not being able to find your way back to 250-foot trees, but it happens. Once youre finished with Muir Woods, dont head back to the Bay Area just yet. Follow the legendary Highway 1 a little further north along the coast, past some quaint beaches and more great hiking trails, and youll find another hidden gem: Point Reyes National Seashore. Situated on a peninsula 30 miles north of San Francisco, this park is out of this world, or at least it seems like it. The park is actually on a different tectonic plate from the neighboring land, resulting in completely different and redwood-free terrain. A short paved walk that leads from the main visitors center will take you along the infamous San Andreas Fault Zone, where the Pacific plate grinds into the slower-moving North American plate. A reconstructed fence there with an 18-foot gap in it gives visitors a concrete way of understanding just what happened when the peninsula jumped to the northwest during the 1906 earthquake. Geology doesnt entirely account for the mystery of this place, though. The weather helps too. Here, the wind pushes at you without remorse, more than any other place on the Pacific Coast. Buildings and trees appear strange through fog that can wisp around like quicksilver spirits. And then, just when you think youve gotten used to this unusual landscape and know what to expect, you stumble across a herd of elk. Aside from being home to innumerable beef and dairy cattle, Point Reyes boasts a herd of nearly 400 tule elk, which once had been hunted to the brink of extinction. We found some lazily munching at the landscape just off the side of the road, where they seemed to materialize out of the mists. Their heads perked up for pictures, but they otherwise ignored us. Point Reyes promises numerous other zoological treats, too, assuming you can see them through the fog. (The peninsula is the second foggiest spot on the continent.) Between January and April, gray whales often can be spotted off the coast, and we saw sea lions and elephant seals loafing on the sandy beaches. There are beaches for people to enjoy, too, and miles and miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking, but it couldnt feel more different from the old-growth forest down the road at Muir Woods. While there are some fir and pine forests here, this landscape we explored along the eastern part of the park was barren and harsh, windswept, exposed to the elements. Theres something very invigorating about that. It makes you eager to make the long walk to the top of a ridge, lured by the promise of a fading sun. It teases you into walking down 300 steps to an 1870 lighthouse built to protect mariners from the dangerous conditions. It even calls you to the very edge of the cliffs here, steep, majestic walls of rock that call to mind their more celebrated British siblings in Dover along the English Channel. Its not hard to imagine how comforting they must have been to the famous Englishman Sir Francis Drake, who stopped here in 1579 prior to crossing the Pacific Ocean on his way around the globe. Eventually, like Drake, youll have to leave this beautiful place too. But dont worry. As you leave Point Reyes and the setting sun highlights the road ahead of you snaking back and forth, in an out of deep crevasses in the earth youll smile and know: The funs not over yet. Contact Ryan E. Smith at:ryansmith@theblade.comor 419-724-6103.

RVers focus on smiles per gallon
Jody and Kathy McCollum heard all the talk about rising gas prices and travelers staying close to home this summer. They looked at their 37-foot-long motor home, which gets about eight miles per gallon and costs more than $300 to fill up.
Then they got in and drove away. People always say, Oh my god, how can you afford it? said Mr. McCollum, a Springfield Township father of four whose RV logged 2,200 miles on a vacation to the East Coast in June. The real question, he said, ought to be, How can we afford to fly and get a hotel? The economy may have hit some road bumps, but it hasnt been enough to force many RVers off the highways or out of the lifestyle theyve come to love. Nationally, even though sales are down, RV rentals are up 18 percent and campground bookings are up 23 percent, according to Kevin Broom, spokesman for the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, which represents RV manufacturers. Thats no surprise to Bob Labadie, president of Labadie RV on Airport Highway, even though business is a little slower than last year. I dont think anybodys going to cheat themselves out of a vacation, he said. They might not go as far, but theyre still going to go. So while five years ago people were renting RVs for big trips to Yellowstone National Park and other distant locales, now more are headed to upstate New York or Michigans Upper Peninsula, he said.
Thats exactly how Stephanie Brown, of Ypsilanti, Mich., has reacted. A couple of years ago, she and her husband took a three-month trip to Alaska. Not this year. No long trips are in our plans until gas comes down, she said. Last week, their 35-foot motor home was parked at the Monroe County KOA campground near Petersburg, Mich., just off U.S. 23. It wasnt an exotic, faraway destination, but as her grandchildren colored on a nearby picnic table, it was obvious why RVs still are so attractive to Mrs. Brown and others. Just take a peek inside: Theres a master bedroom with a TV, theres a microwave, stove, shower, bathroom, and most of the other comforts of home. Then, if you stop at a campground like this one, theres miniature golf, swimming, fishing, everything you could want including other sociable campers. One of them on this day happened to be Kathy Hassett, here with her mother and daughter. She has no plans to give up RVing, despite the economy. Already this summer the Westland, Mich. woman has been to Indiana and soon shell be on her way to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Were gone every weekend, she said. She likes the fact that its a comfortable way to see the country and more cost-effective than many alternatives. A survey conducted this spring by PKF Consulting confirmed her opinion, finding that fuel prices would have to more than double for typical motor home vacations to become more expensive than other forms of travel. For the McCollums, this was the third straight summer they took a trip since buying their motor home. The first two took them out West on family adventures that would have been difficult to duplicate by other means. The kids love it. ... Weve had a lot of memorable things that have happened, said Mrs. McCollum, whose children range in age from 8 to 16. We wanted to do some longer family vacations with them before they all kind of head out of the house. Of course, if they were making the decision about whether to buy an RV in todays economic climate, who knows what they might do, she said. Others certainly have been scared off. Dennis Oswalt, sales manager at All American Coach Co. on Alexis Road, said business is down a bit, as would be expected when money isnt as free-flowing for area residents. Unlike an automobile, this is a want item, not a need item, he said. And unlike a car, a motor home isnt going to get great mileage. But dont bother bringing up the subject with Ms. Hassett. Wearing a pink What Happens RVing ... Stays RVing T-shirt and enjoying a warm, sunny day, she wasnt about to worry about something like how many miles per gallon their RV gets. We dont have a clue, and we dont want to know, she said. How many smiles out of it? Thousands. Contact Ryan E. Smith at:ryansmith@theblade.comor 419-724-6103.

Country rocker Allan keeps things honest in his music and his life
Gary Allan has never pretended to be anything other than what he is: a rock star singing country music. Tattoos run up and down his arms. His electric guitar screams when he blasts through a riff on stage. Speakers pulse to the beat of the drum.
He also is honest. He doesnt do spoken interviews. Sometimes hell respond in an e-mail. The interviews stopped after his wife, Angela, killed herself in 2004 and Allan was left to pick up the pieces for his family. His honesty comes through in his songs. At a concert last year, Allan sat on the stage and sang Life Aint Always Beautiful. By the time he had finished, tears filled his eyes but the roar from the crowd caused him to break into a little smile. Im exactly the same on the stage as I am off the stage, he said in his biography for his current album, Living Hard, and what I found is, the bigger the arena, the more youre standing in the middle of those people, the more transparent you are. You can tell when somebodys not authentic or theyre trying to be something theyre not. Saturday night, fans will experience his emotional, high-energy show when he takes the stage at The Andersons 25th Annual Northwest Ohio Rib-Off.
Four years after his wifes death, Allans still hitting the touring trail hard, but hes also still piecing his life back together. His current single, Learning How to Bend, talks about that. I think my favorite song that I wrote on this album is Learning How to Bend, he wrote. I woke up one day with that title. And its me, you know Im still learning, learning how to bend. Allan was not an overnight success in Nashville, most likely because radio stations didnt know what to do with the La Mirada, Calif., native. His first single, Her Man, climbed to No. 7 on the charts and lifted his debut album, Used Heart for Sale, to gold status for sales of more than 500,000, but the next three singles off of the album barely charted. It Would Be You was another Top-10 hit for Allan in 1998, but he did not truly arrive as a bona fide star until 2002, when The One topped out at No. 3. He then followed that up with his first No. 1s, Man to Man and Tough Little Boys. In a testament to how overlooked his early career was, Allan was nominated for the Country Music Associations Horizon Award, which is typically given to a new artist, in 2003 eight years after his first recording contract. But theres no doubting his star power now. Prior to his current single, seven of his nine previous singles have climbed to the Top 10, including chart-toppers Nothing On But the Radio and Watching Airplanes.
Hes changed as a person, but hes still an unrepentant rocker, something he noted in his biography. Hopefully country music feels like they need somebody like me in the fold just to shake things up. Contact Brian Dugger at:bdugger@theblade.com.

Bo Bice tries to balance growing family, career
Whenever Bo Bice travels to Ohio, he said, theres just something about the Buckeye state that sparks a memory of home.
Thats why the long-haired Southern rocker said hes looking forward to coming back to the Toledo area to jam with his band at The Andersons 25th Annual Northwest Ohio Rib-Off. We love coming to Ohio. Weve been there several times, said the 32-year-old singer who is slated to play at the Rib-Off at the Lucas County Fairgrounds in Maumee at 7 p.m. on Thursday. One of the things I most like about traveling in general is as different as everything is in each town, there always seems to be something like being at home. These days, the singer who came in second place to Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of American Idol doesnt have a whole lot of spare time to spend at home in Nashville with his wife, Caroline, and their son, Aidan, who is almost 3 years old. Since returning from a Stars for Stripes tour in February to perform for U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan and Kuwait, Bice has been singing live in cities around the country to promote his sophomore album, See The Light, which hit stores last November.
The album, which the Alabama-born singer co-produced; recorded in his home studio, Rockhound Studios, and released under his own independent label, Sugar Money, gets back to the Southern boys rock and country roots. Its really getting back to what I do, he said in a soft drawl, explaining that he was not given the chance to be as hands-on with his inaugural album, The Real Thing. If people dig the Allman Brothers and Lynard Skynard, and ZZ Top, theyll really like the new album. Plus, since most of the songs on the album are meant to be played live, he said its a rush to tour around performing them, including his hit single, Witness. Were a real high-energy group. We love to put on a good show, he said of his family-oriented performances that can last up to 110 minutes. Its more of a party atmosphere than anything else. They see Im just a normal cat out here enjoying playing live music. Yet, the singer recently put the brakes on his tour for 10 days, a hiatus that will begin after his performance at the fairgrounds on Thursday. The break was planned around the due date of his second child a boy Bice and his wife plan to name Caleb. Though he said it will be tough leaving a toddler and newborn at home while on tour, its not completely unfamiliar territory. His oldest son was born in September, 2005, just four months after his stint on Idol, where he was known for being among the first rockers to compete in the competition. But Bice doesnt consider himself to be the one to have paved the way for rockers, including this seasons winner, David Cook. He said he was just there at the right place and time for the first season of Idol when producers raised the age limit from 26 to 28 and put together a live band for the show.
I think the stars lined up more than anything, he said. It wasnt anything that I particularly did. The same year, his first single, Inside Your Heaven, debuted on the pop chart at No. 1, and he released his solo debut album, The Real Thing. So he said knows how hard it is to juggle both a family and a rising musical career. Its kinda the same situation I was in before, he said. In some weird, twisted way, were almost used to it. Its hard, but you gotta do what you gotta do. We stay busy, but we like busy a lot better than slow. He said it does get much easier for him in the winter months, which is when he drops off the radar for a bit. I shut down at Thanksgiving, except for Christmas specials, until the first of February just to spend a lot of family time, he said. God and family are the most important things of my life. At the end of the day, even though I have a really cool job, I have to make a living, and they understand. It makes the time I get to spend at home more special. Until then, he said the jackrabbit pace wont be tapering off anytime soon. Hes already working on another album, a live version of See The Light that will come complete with bonus tracks, due out next year. Bice also has another trip overseas planned to entertain the troops this fall between working on a TV show the details of which he is keeping under wraps. I cant let the cat out of the bag, he said. But all kinds of fun stuff is coming for 2009.

Sounds: Thanks to Kerli's strong voice, there's hope for 'Love Is Dead'
LOVE IS DEAD Kerli (Island Def Jam) With a title like "Love Is Dead," 21-year-old Estonian singer/songwriter Kerli's debut might not be expected to resonate with smiley lyrics and a peppy mood.
According to publicity material, she has seen some tough times, which are reflected in her lyrics. But in one of pop music's little ironies, an early success was winning a competition to select a song to represent her country in the Eurovision Song Contest - a contest not known for angst-ridden lyrics and brooding rock arrangements.
Though her voice can at times seem rather fragile, particularly when set against muscular guitar-driven backing on a disc that has mainstream and alt-rock elements, there's often an underlying strength and determination in her songs, despite the darkness.
So its title notwithstanding, the disc is not a downer. In fact, t