News 2008-08-07 Andanh.com

3 of 7 school levies pass in NW Ohio; Anthony Wayne voters OK renewal, but defeat new levy
Voters in the Anthony Wayne Local Schools approved an operating levy renewal yesterday, but also rejected a request for new funding that officials said was necessary if the district was to be removed from the states fiscal caution list.
The requests were for two 3.3-mill levies that would raise a total of $6 million annually for five years. Anthony Wayne Superintendent John Granger said last night that the failed levy would mean larger classes in all grades and fewer course offerings. We are not going to fill 15 teaching positions. The bottom line is, the Anthony Wayne schools will have maximum class size in every grade. We went backwards today, Mr. Granger said. His district was one of six in northwest Ohio with levy requests in the special election yesterday. Among the others, only two others passed, while the remainder of the districts levies were defeated.
In Anthony Wayne, the successful levy was a renewal of a tax that brings in $3 million a year and expires at the end of 2008. The levy request that was defeated was a new tax that would have raised an additional $3 million annually. Voters in the district defeated two previous levy requests in less than 18 months.
Anthony Waynes levy campaign had generated some opposition in recent weeks and months, with some local residents saying they didnt have additional money to give to their schools during a time of high gas prices, layoffs, a home foreclosure crisis, and an overall struggling economy. I still think a quality education can be achieved by spending less money, one opponent, Steve Magnatta, said last week. If the second tax had been approved, residents would have seen a tax increase of $101 per year on a $100,000 home. A mill equals $1 per $1,000 of a propertys assessed value.
Mr. Granger said the school district has cut $2 million from its operating budget since 2006 and has left 29 positions vacant to save money. He said the school district has 17 vacant teaching positions, and had said that if the new levy would fail, those positions would have to be covered by internal transfers, which means fewer teachers and more students. In the Lake Local School District, a request for a 5.63-mill continuing operating levy easily passed. It will generate $1.3 million annually and replace a five-year, 6.5-mill levy. It will not increase or decrease taxes. Lake Superintendent Jim Witt said adoption of the levy would facilitate his districts ambition to improve its Ohio ranking from effective to excellent, the states highest. We know that in these economic times, people could turn their backs on us. Were really thankful that they chose to support our kids, Mr. Witt said. School officials have said that about 85 percent of the annual revenue will go toward teacher and staff salaries as well as benefits, food service, and other expenses. The remaining 15 percent would cover day-to-day operations, including utilities. In Hancock Countys Liberty-Benton Local School District, a 7-mill levy to renovate and build new elementary and middle school facilities in the districts kindergarten through 12th grade building was defeated by a razor thin margin of 16 votes. The school board had pledged to collect only 5.97 mills.
The tax would have raised more than $10.4 million over 28 years. In the Liberty Center Local Schools in Henry and Fulton counties, voters turned down a 4.98-mill levy that would have paid to renovate and build new facilities for kindergarten through eighth graders. The cost of that construction project would have been more than $20.6 million. The combined issue would have cost $152.50 annually for the owner of a $100,000 home. In Fulton Countys Pike-Delta-York Local District, a three part request a 2.5-mill bond issue, a 1.8-mill levy, and a 0.5-mill levy for facilities construction and maintenance passed by a single vote.
However, there are 16 provisional ballots that will be counted on Aug. 16. About $10 million of the $25 million project must come from local taxpayers. If the levy does indeed pass after the provisional ballots are counted, it would cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $151 annually for the first 23 years and $135 for the remaining five years. Voters in the Arlington Local School District, also in Hancock County, handily rejected a 7.6-mill levy and a 0.5 percent income tax that would have paid for construction of a new kindergarten through 12th grade building. The property tax levy would have lasted 28 years and the income tax would have lasted indefinitely. Both items appeared on a single ballot. Both levies combined would have cost $232.75 annually for the owner of a $100,000 home. Liberty-Benton, Liberty Center, Pike-Delta-York, and Arlington schools all had projects before voters through the Ohio School Facilities Commission, which would have paid for portions of the projects. Contact Carl Ryan at: carlryan@theblade.com or 419-206-0356.

Former UT basketball played charged in point-shaving scheme
A former University of Toledo basketball player has been charged by federal officials in Detroit with accepting bribes for point-shaving Rocket games.
The charge against Sammy Villegas, a native of Puerto Rico, stem from the Rocket's 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons. "It was part of the conspiracy that Samuel Aviles Villegas and other persons known and unknown to the United States Attorney, did agree upon and carry into effect a 'point shaving' scheme to 'fix' University of Toledo men's basketball games," according to the federal charges, first filed in June. "[Villegas] did accept the payment of money and other things of value, in exchange for using his ability as a player to control events on the basketball court during games to attempt to ensure that the University of Toledo basketball team would score a certain number of points determined by the point spread," stated the charges against the former player. Villegas, according to federal officials, met with "a conspirator" on Nov.
30, Dec. 12, Dec. 16, and Dec. 22, 2005, and on Jan. 11, 2006, in Hamtramck, Mich., and in Detroit, and made or received four telephone calls from Jan. 26 through Feb. 4, 2006, to the same person. "On or about February, 4, 2006, [Villegas] played in the men's basketball game in Toledo, Ohio between teams from the University of Toledo and Central [Michigan] University, and during the game intentionally missed two free throw attempts," the federal charges stated. The charge also stated that Villegas acted "as an intermediary in paying money to another University of Toledo men's basketball team member who was a participant in the conspiracy."
If convicted, Villegas faces five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. He remains free on a $10,000 bond. Larry Burns, UT vice president for enrollment, marketing and communications, said the university will cooperate with the investigation "if we're asked to and if authorities need information. "Beyond that, we don't see us playing a role at this time as a university or athlete department. We didn't find out about this until today [Wednesday]. "Our initial reaction is of concern for the player and his family." Villegas, a shooting guard, made the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman team for the 2002-2003 season and was named Freshman of the Year. Villegas graduated from UT in 2006 with a bachelor of science degree in "individual programs" from the University College. He has turned pro and plays guard or forward for the Los Cocolos de San Pedro Macoris, in the Dominican Republic.

Civil rights charges possible in Lima police shootings
LIMA, OHIO The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday it will consider civil-rights charges against the Lima police officer who shot and killed an unarmed city woman seven months ago during a drug raid in her home.
Along with shooting Tarika Wilson, the shots fired by Sgt. Joseph Chavalia wounded the womans 13-month-old son, Sincere Wilson, whom she was holding. The infant was struck in the shoulder and hand, requiring a finger amputation. The Jan. 4 shooting took place in front of Wilsons five other children, who were hiding with their mother and baby brother in an upstairs bedroom during the raid.
An all-white Allen County Common Pleas Court jury on Monday found Sergeant Chavalia not guilty of misdemeanor negligent homicide and negligent assault charges. The police officer is white; Wilson was black. Shortly after the shootings, Lima city officials asked the FBI to investigate possible civil rights violations. Special Agent Spokesman Scott Wilson said Wednesday that the agency had forwarded its findings to the Justice Department. Justice Department Spokesman Jamie Pais said the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney Generals Office have been monitoring the states prosecution of the case since it began. "Following the review of all the evidence, [well] take appropriate action if the evidence indicates a prosecutable violation of federal criminal civil rights statutes," she said. Wilsons mother, Darla Jennings, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Sergeant Chavalia and the city of Lima for what her attorneys called Wilsons "negligent" shooting. During a Tuesday afternoon news conference, Attorney Derek Sells called for charges to be filed against the police officer.

Council members grill Toledo leaders about Erie Street Market
A number of Toledo City Councilmen launched a barrage of tough questions Wednesday against members of the Finkbeiner administration's decision to spend $80,000 without their knowledge to renovate into a concert venue part of the city-owned Erie Street Market.
Councilman D. Michael Collins, who led the attack against some of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's top officials, opened the hearing on the matter with an hour of grilling questions - asking early on why the city has "gotten into the nightclub business." Mr. Collins also called for the city to end its business association with local promoter Robert Croak, president of the Verso Group, Inc., because of his criminal history, felony conviction, and amount of money owed the Internal Revenue Service in taxes. Croak was convicted in 2002 on one count of forgery and has been arrested for but not convicted of underage alcohol sales, according to court records. He was subpoenaed to appear before Wednesday's committee of the whole meeting, which drew about 200 spectators. Several councilmen blasted the administration for approving $80,000 of renovation at the market for concerts and other events.
Councilman George Sarantou asked "why in the world didn't the administration pick up the phone" to let council know what was going on at the controversial city-property near downtown. "It was lousy communication," Mr. Sarantou said. Tom Kroma, assistant chief operating officer for the city, acknowledged that it was poor communication and that council should have been informed. Mayor Finkbeiner justified the action because the expenses were broken into different contracts - each below $10,000, which the mayor can order without council approval. Councilman Lindsay Webb suggested council ask voters to approve a change to the city charter and lower the threshold to $2,500. Councilman Frank Szollosi later said a charter revision would not be the answer. "We need a change in leadership," Mr. Szollosi said referring to the mayor. The mayor did not attend the meeting and could not be reached for comment Wednesday night. "I accept full responsibility for the city's commitment to transform the former flea market at the Erie Street Market into a multi-purpose entertainment facility," Mr. Finkbeiner said in a statement. "After a nationally recognized recording group was committed to coming to Toledo on Aug. 2, the city worked night and day to prepare for the rededication of the hall." Friday there was a "Metro Mixer," dubbed "First Fridays" at the market. A blues-rock duo the Black Keys performed Saturday. The city's profited $6,185 from the two events at the market - which does not take into account the cost of the renovation. Ms. Webb said she had lost all trust in the Finkbeiner administration. "I don't buy it that all the contracts just happened to come in under $10,000," Ms. Webb said, indicating there was a direction by the administration to make certain that happened. Paul Ringlein, administrator of facilities for the city, told her that there was no collusion regarding the contracts. Croak said he did not understand why there was an ongoing character assassination against him and would continue to book concerts and other events at the market.

9 believed dead in firefighter copter crash in California
SAN FRANCISCO Nine people are missing and feared dead in the crash of a helicopter that was carrying firefighters over a Northern California forest, the officials said Wednesday.
The helicopter was carrying 11 firefighters and two crew members when it went down Tuesday night in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, said Ian Gregor, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. Four people were taken to hospitals with severe burns, including two in critical condition, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The Sikorsky S-61 chopper was destroyed by fire after crashing under unknown circumstances in a remote mountain location, Gregor said. FAA and National Transportation Safety Board investigators were headed to the scene, about 215 miles northwest of Sacramento.
The nine were presumably killed in the fire that destroyed the helicopter, Gregor said. The firefighters had been working at the northern end of a fire burning on more than 27 square miles in the national forest, part of a larger complex of blazes that is mostly contained. Two of the injured were flown in critical condition to the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Forest Service spokesman Mike Odle said Wednesday. The other two were taken to Mercy Medical Center in Redding in serious condition, he said. Another firefighter assigned to battle the same series of wildfires died late last month when he was hit by a falling tree.

Accelerate drive to more nuclear power
I love America, but what has occurred in this great country within the last 60 years is a calamity. We seem to have lost our direction in so many ways, with so many problems.
One that stands out is what's happening in relation to our fossil-fuel mess. When will people recognize that we are at the end of an era? Our present modes of ground transport - using depleted and polluting sources of fuel - are expiring.
We need a major government effort - much larger than the space program - to design and develop a nationwide system that will use electricity produced in abundance by our own, independent atomic reactors.
We've had this inherent capability for the last 60 years and scientists have learned how to minimize the risks in their operation. This electric energy could be used to power "levitated" electromagnetic vehicles. Let's get started - now.
Richard A. Martel
Pemberton Drive
Church does not condone divination
This is in response to the writer of "Talking with spirits is devilish practice" in the July 28 Readers' Forum. Divination is not a practice that the Catholic church accepts or promotes. The catechism of the Catholic church clearly states, "All forms of divination are to be rejected." It goes on to say, "They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone."
The writer assumed too much from the article and should have done a little more research before he wrote. I believe that his wrath should have been directed more toward Blade religion editor David Yonke for thinking that this was something worth printing. He cast his story in a way that it is legitimate religion. I, as a Catholic, would not condone such practices (divination or channeling), and neither would anyone who is in a "Jesus-centered church."
The church speaks for itself. All one has to do is listen.
Thomas E. Rawlins
Glenbrook Drive
No choice in city's private-trash system
Our hard-working trash collectors were blind-sided last spring by a secret "pilot program," in which the program's recipients were not even given the courtesy of choice or basic information.
Residents were treated as if they were nothing more than a common variable in a feeble experiment to possibly save the city money. What are the results of this pilot program? How much money was spent? Does having one person on a truck actually save money? Were the tax-paying residents satisfied with the service? Have the answers to any of these questions been revealed to the taxpayers?
Let's not just sit back and allow Toledo's Solid Waste Division to announce, without discussion or input, yet another poorly planned pilot program. First, explain to us how using a private firm for Toledo's trash collection will save money and give the level of service that our current collectors perform.
How many more jobs need to be at risk or eliminated before Toledo residents start taking a proactive approach? We need to be asking more questions and follow the paper trail of how and where our tax money is being spent.
Maybe it's not always at the bottom of the totem pole where we need to cut. Perhaps a look to the top could answer some of our city's money woes.
Sherry Wohlfarth
Boyd Street
Toledoans are blind to downtown assets
I appreciated Tom Crothers' July 26 guest column in The Blade and wish to echo his optimism for downtown development. I recently returned to Toledo after living in Boston for a decade. From my new home in the Warehouse District, I am impressed with what the area has achieved.
I am too familiar with the typical Toledoan's assessment that there is nothing to do downtown or that it used to be better in some way.
Locals are usually baffled that I would move from Boston to Toledo, much less enjoy it. This is a jarring commentary on local pride. Likewise, I am surprised at this mischaracterization of my surroundings.
As Mr. Crothers said, we get what we expect. Therefore, I encourage your readers to support some of the places that have exceeded my expectations.
Try dinner at Manhattan's or Rockwell's, enjoy a cup of coffee at Downtown Latte, listen to the genius jazz at Murphy's, browse the Swan Creek Candle Company, explore the 20 North Gallery, or take a ride on the Sandpiper.
These downtown destinations provide high-quality, convenient alternatives to suburban entertainment and prove that there are, in fact, great things to do downtown.
This is our central city to share. I am encouraged by Mr. Crothers' enthusiasm and look forward to the resurgence that the Greater Downtown Business Partnership and its member organizations seek.
Zachary Vassar
South Huron Street
Port Authority needs to open up meetings
The fat cats at the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and Regional Growth Partnerships are taking themselves too seriously. Who could resist with such important sounding names? Why the secrecy and closed meetings?
An animal marks its boundaries by defecating. That is what these organizations are plotting for the western edge of Lucas County, the Oak Openings Area. The intermodal plan involves the destruction of more than 1,500 acres of mature trees, endangered plants, wildlife, and our homes nestled among them. We learned about the plan by seeing a map in The Blade. A meeting was organized but the room chosen was too small to accommodate those concerned.
The developer, Brian McMahon, was too cowardly to face the crowd and sent a shill in his place. The meeting accomplished nothing and was prematurely brought to a close, Mr. McMahon's representative making a hasty retreat. He denied my statement of his idea of green is the backside of a dollar. There were no representatives of The Blade or Toledo 11, who endorsed the plan, present.
With thousands of vacant, concreted acres already in the county, who gives these pirates the power to dig for more gold? A flyover of the area was done but no Bambis were spotted. This precious area will have another chunk taken from it through the ignorance of these men.
I suggest they attend class on the true regional growth; the wildflowers, trees, and animals unique to our jewel, Oak Openings. Let them use their shovels to bury their waste, not make more.
Martha Evans
Swanton
Brunner misguided on vote efficiency
As a former resident of the Toledo area, I still keep an eye on the local scene and felt compelled to comment on this. I was grateful to read that Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner will oversee the Lucas County Board of Elections for the upcoming presidential election. However, I was confused when I read that she felt that the office was running adequately under the direction of Jill Kelly and the current board members.
If memory serves me correctly, during the 2008 March primary, the Democratic ballots were wrong and had to be corrected and mailed a second time to more than 6,000 voters. There were almost 1,000 ballots that weren't counted because they did not fit into the identification envelopes that were provided. There were misplaced and missing memory cards on election night, and Lucas County was the last to report its results to the secretary of state's office - and this was just one election.
If the secretary of state thinks this was adequate, I would hate to see what she believes is a poor performance.
Wade P. Streeter
Detroit
Airlines must enforce carry-on rule Why can't the airlines enforce their rules about one carry-on piece of luggage?
One carry-on bag does not mean one carry-on and one back pack. On a recent flight I saw a woman with three children with one bag each and one huge bag that looked like a garbage bag. Let the person checking the boarding passes also check the one-bag allowance. Anything more should be put in the baggage compartment. Tony Wellinger Holland

Perilous Pakistan
THE visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to Washington last week spotlighted the basic problem between the two countries but did little to solve it.
Mr. Gilani covered the bases. His visit included meetings with President Bush and likely Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama, and a phone conversation with probable Republican nominee Sen. John McCain. The main issue is that Pakistan has become an operating base for some Taliban, al-Qaeda, and other elements opposed to American, NATO, and Afghan forces loyal to President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan. Worse, the opposing forces receive sympathy and assistance from some Pakistani elements, reportedly including part of the countrys military intelligence arm, the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence. ISI support for the Taliban would not be extraordinary, since the Taliban are the heirs of the Afghan mujahedeen whom the United States sustained through ISI against Soviet forces in Afghanistan during the Cold War.
The nub of the problem is that the United States has been carrying out attacks inside Pakistan against the opposing forces. Some of those attacks kill Pakistanis, including civilians, as well as their intended targets. The Pakistanis consider the attacks a violation of their sovereignty, but have not yet resisted them militarily, as far as we know. The position Mr. Gilani expressed during his visit is that if the United States has intelligence that indicates activity by opposing forces inside Pakistan, it should provide this information to the Pakistanis, who then would deal with the threat themselves. At the same time, he maintains, Pakistani forces lack the means to act on the intelligence, using this as a basis for asking for Predator drone attack aircraft and other sophisticated equipment from the United States. Since 9/11, Pakistan has received $10 billion in U.S. aid, much of it military. It wants more, including $230 million to upgrade its F-16 aircraft, which are more suited for fighting India than for attacking the Taliban or al-Qaeda. The other complication is the fragility of the civilian government which Mr. Gilani heads. He was chosen as prime minister by the de facto head of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Asaf Ali Zardari, the widower of the assassinated Benazir Bhutto. Mr. Gilani is considered to be weak, and other Pakistani civilian politicians want his job. More menacing, considering Pakistans history, is that previous fragile civilian governments have become easy prey for military coups. President and former general Pervez Musharraf is no longer head of the army, but there is no reason to believe that Pakistans armed forces would be averse to a coup, based on the American military violations of the countrys sovereignty and general disorder in its northwest region. Couple a weak civilian government, with America continuing to carry out raids, and increasingly aggressive Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in the Afghanistan border area, and the result is high probability of worse trouble to come in Pakistan, with no obvious way out for the United States.

Maumee Dearest - Erie Street Market

Northview's Cooper retires with 585 victories
After 33 years of developing high school hockey players, Northview coach Jim Cooper announced recently it was time to retire.
Cooper's career record is 585-354-34, which includes three state runner-up finishes, seven final-four appearances and six conference championships.
"I just felt like this was a good time to do so," Cooper said.
During Cooper's tenure the Wildcats were one of the state's top hockey programs.
In their state title games, the Wildcats fell 4-3 in overtime to Kent Roosevelt in 1982, 4-1 to Lakewood St. Edward in 1990 and a heartbreaking 6-5 overtime loss to to Parma Padua in 2006.
"In the '06 season we had a great run and we ended up as state runners-up," Cooper said.
The final match of the 2008 season would end up as Coop-er's last, but he didn't officially retire from the position until last month.
"I had not told anyone of my plans after the game, but I had a sense that was my last game," he said.
"The sport today is year-round and it requires some young legs. I felt like I took the program as far as I could and now it's time for someone else's turn."
"Cooper is going to be sorely missed with 32 years [as varsity coach] and the reputation he's built with the program," Northview athletic director Chris Irwin said.
Cooper's replacement has already been chosen. One of his former Northview players, Mike Jones, will take charge of the program. Cooper's assistants, Steve Elliott and Doug Carter, will remain as assistants for Jones.
Cooper endorses the hiring of Jones, who has coached club hockey in Sylvania in recent years, and played at Bowling Green State University and a couple years professionally, including making the 40-man roster for the Tampa Bay Lightning for one season.
"Mike is an outstanding coach and is an even better person," Cooper said. "When you've got assistant coaches like Steve and Doug getting behind a guy like Mike, it's going to be great."
The Wildcats finished 30-4-2 last season, losing to St. Francis de Sales in a district final. Three of their defeats came at the hands of the Knights, who lost in the state semifinals to eventual champ Lakewood St. Edward. Northview defeated St. Edward twice during the season.
"We just couldn't figure [St. Francis] out," Cooper said.
Contact Donald Emmons at:
demmons@theblade.com or 419-724-6302.

Mud Hens go deep, but fall to Louisville
LOUISVILLE - After Monday night's 11-0 loss to Louisville, Mud Hens manager Larry
Parrish considered his team's upcoming pitching prospects. "We need a pitcher to go deep. Real deep," Parrish said.
Last night, Toledo ace Eddie Bonine couldn't go deep enough. The right-hander, who came in tied for second in the International League with 12 wins, gave up nine hits and six runs in 61/3 innings. Then the Hens' bullpen didn't do him any favors, yielding four runs over the final 12/3 innings as Louisville overcame a quartet of Toledo two-run homers for a 10-8 win in front of 8,945 at Louisville Slugger Field.
The loss dropped Toledo seven games behind the Bats in the IL West. It also marked the Mud Hens' fourth four-game losing streak of the season. Toledo lost six straight from July 1-6.
Timely hitting was the name of the game last night as 11 runs were scored with two outs, including the first seven.
Five of the six runs Louisville scored against Bonine came with two out.
"Bonine wasn't sharp," Parrish said. "He gave up some runs early, then we put him back out there in the seventh, but we probably shouldn't have. But he only left one guy on first and they scored three runs [after he left]. We didn't get a very good job from our bullpen tonight."
Toledo kept it close, though.
Jeff Larish hit a pair of two-run homers and Brent Clevlen and Dusty Ryan each hit one.
"We stayed in it, we had some guys come to hit pretty good, but we just never caught up," Parrish said.
Kevin Barker's two-run homer to left-center in the first gave Louisville a 2-0 lead.
The Bats doubled their lead in the third with three straight two-out hits.
However, hot-hitting call-up Ryan got Toledo back into the game in the fourth with a two-out, two-run home run to straightaway center field. It was the first Triple-A homer for Ryan.
Louisville added another run in the fourth on a two-out RBI-single by Danny Richar.
The Mud Hens cut the Louisville lead to 5-4 in the sixth on Larish's one-out, two-run homer off the foul pole in right field. It was the 19th home run of the season for Larish, who came in hitting .125 (6-for-48) against the Bats this season, and the first two runs of the game scored when there weren't two outs.
The loss dropped Bonine to 12-3 and two of those setbacks have been to the Bats.
Clay Rapada came on in the seventh and gave up an RBI triple to Anderson and a two-run single to Luis Bolivar. The Bats added two more in the eighth.
Clevlen's 20th home run of the season in the ninth accounted for the final score.

Amstutz promises improved defense for UT
The University of Toledo football team is not ready to worry about its 2008 opponents yet. The players dont move into their preseason homes at the residence halls until today and the first orders of duty in practice tomorrow are basic drills.
Some lofty ambitions have already been set, though, according to coach Tom Amstutz. Our goal is to be the most improved defense in the nation, Amstutz said. That starts with the personnel returning, and getting good speed on the field. As training camp begins tomorrow, the Rockets understand the goals have to be high to seek the type of improvement the program needs to get back to its previous success. No one in the program is blind to the struggles the last two seasons two straight 5-7 records and losing marks in the Mid-American Conference.
Even though senior Keith Forestal says, Last year, thats old news, he knows the Rockets have some work to do to make others feel the same way. We need to realize for the past two seasons, our record hasnt been glorious, Forestal said. We have to take every practice and every drill seriously. We cant candy-coat anything, weve got to look at the reality. The reality is that we did not have good seasons and weve got to turn this around big time. The older players are putting the responsibility on their shoulders. Senior Nick Moore said after a talk with offensive coordinator Chris Hedden, he is on a mission to improve the teams leadership. The last few years [Hedden] has felt weve kind of lost the edge in leadership which has led to losing records, Moore said. He wants to challenge me to step up and be that guy to get the team up. Perhaps most key to the teams energy has been the return of several players who were injured early in the 2007 campaign, including captains Tyrrell Herbert and Sean Williamson. You can see the boost of confidence around the whole team and the program that they bring, Forestal said. Youve got the experience on the field, the seasoned players. The Rockets start practice a few days later than other teams because their first game isnt until Sept. 6 at Arizona, a week later than most teams. They have 29 practices before then, including three two-a-days, to determine who will replace nine starters from last year. Hedden needs to make sure his offense is in place and fine-tuned in his first year as coordinator, and defensive coordinator Tim Rose needs to find the players that will achieve Amstutzs goal to have the fastest team we can put on the field. UT has more to work with than last season, with 105 players expected to report to camp today. We have a full squad, we have a lot of guys who are really excited to play and compete, Amstutz said. Im glad to get our numbers back up and get going again. NOTE: Two Saturday practices are open to the public: Aug. 16 at 10:30 a.m. and Aug. 23 at 9:30 a.m. Both will be at Carter Field across from the student recreation center, as the Glass Bowl is not available because of the FieldTurf installation project. Contact Maureen Fulton at: mfulton@theblade.com or 419-724-6160.

Swisher HR sinks Tigers; White Sox prevail in 14 innings
CHICAGO - Nick Swisher hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the 14th inning last night as the Chicago White Sox rallied for four runs off Joel Zumaya and beat the Detroit Tigers 10-8.
Detroit had taken an 8-6 lead in the top of the inning when Placido Polanco hit his second homer of the game, a two-run shot off Matt Thornton.
But Detroit's bullpen woes continued.
Zumaya (0-1) gave up a single to Orlando Cabrera and a double to Carlos Quentin. When Tigers shortstop Edgar Renteria fumbled Jermaine Dye's grounder for an error, Cabrera scored and the lead was down to one.
After Jim Thome struck out for the second out, Swisher homered into the right-center field seats.
Swisher had entered the game in the 11th after Paul Konerko had been removed for a pinch-runner in the 10th.
Adam Russell (4-0) worked two-thirds of an inning in the 14th for the win.
Ken Griffey Jr., meanwhile, moved into his new locker yesterday at U.S. Cellular Field, and quickly made himself at home.
Chicago's newest slugger is hoping to spend a lot of time in his new digs in October.
Acquired in a trade with the Reds last week, Griffey made his home debut against the Detroit Tigers last night - he went 1 for 6 - after going 3-for-7 with a pair of RBIs in his first three games with the White Sox.
He got a rousing standing ovation before his first at-bat and waved to the crowd before stepping in the box. He then struck out swinging against left-hander Nate Robertson.
Griffey acknowledged having some butterflies on the way to the park.
"These guys were in first place before I got here," he said. "I feel like usually I'm probably the loud one before the game but in no way shape or form am I on this team."
Griffey is just one drive shy of tying former Cubs star Sammy Sosa for fifth on the career list with 609 homers.
If not for so many injuries during his 8 1/2-year run in Cincinnati, there would certainly be more homers, and Griffey might have been the one challenging Hank Aaron's record that Barry Bonds passed last year.
"I don't really worry about it," Griffey said. "I came up as a second hitter, so I really wasn't thinking about home runs. It just happened.
"Even now the main thing is getting guys over and getting them in, it's not hitting the ball out of the ballpark. But that is what people are fascinated with, is the home runs."
The White Sox are hoping the 38-year-old Griffey can give them a spark offensively and steady, if not spectacular, play in center after playing right field the last two seasons. They're most interested in run production from the middle of their order - Griffey was batting seventh last night.
"When I had the initial conversation with him, I explained we were not asking you to be our everyday center fielder. We're only asking you to go out there when you feel great," general manager Ken Williams said. "We have the luxury of the designated hitter."
What Griffey wants is a chance to be in the playoffs for the first time since he was with the Mariners in 1997.
Even though he's slowed down, Griffey said he's not ready to stop playing anytime soon. He makes $12.5 million this season, and has an option for 2009 at a $16.5 million salary. If the White Sox don't want to pick up next year's option, Griffey will be owed a $4 million buyout.
"I love baseball," he said. "I don't think I'd rather do something else at this point in my life."

Major misses: A top 10 list of those golfers who havent been to the top
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. Its a compliment, sort of, to be considered the best player never to have won a major championship. On one hand, youre a pretty good golfer. On the other hand, youve never proved it on the biggest stages in the most pressure-packed moments on the greatest courses. With defending champion Tiger Woods, always the favorite at a major venue, sitting out this weeks PGA Championship while recovering from knee surgery, the door is cracked for a first-time major winner. Blade sports columnist Dave Hackenberg offers this list of the 10 best golfers never to have donned a green jacket, sipped from the Claret Jug, or hoisted the 27-pound Wanamaker Trophy thats up for grabs this week at Oakland Hills Country Club:
1. SERGIO GARCIA (LEFT): Its his putter, you say, but he proved at the Players Championship that the flat stick is capable. It seems like hes been around forever, but the Spaniard still has this weeks event, plus four majors next year, before celebrating his 30th birthday. Plenty of time. 2. ADAM SCOTT: Movie star looks have yet to land him a role in a happy ending. He tied for third at the 06 PGA, but in his other 29 career major starts he has been anything but a factor. Theres no question he has the game and theres little question it will eventually happen. 3. STEWART CINK: With Woods on the shelf, who do you think is leading the point standings in the race for the U.S. Ryder Cup team? After going winless since 2004, Cink has a victory, two second-place finishes, and two thirds this year. If not for a missed putt of less than two feet at the 01 U.S. Open, you might not be reading this paragraph. 4. STUART APPLEBY: Hes an eight-time tour winner and he mimics that success in the majors, to a degree. Hes always there on Thursdays. Hes often one of the leaders on Friday. Hes in the hunt on Saturdays. But never on Sunday. 5. JUSTIN ROSE: This guy has all the talent in the world. He also has the unfortunate propensity to go sky high at least one round in just about every major in which he has played. If he wins this week, hed be the first European to take the PGA since 1930. 6. K.J. CHOI: A major championship is uncharted territory for the handful of Asian golfers who have competed through the years. But the Korean has as good a shot as any because hes too good, too strong, too focused and too confident not to find a way.
7. ANTHONY KIM: He probably doesnt belong on this list because hes only 23 and has years and years to get it done. Guess is, hell accomplish it sooner rather than later. Kim captured his first PGA Tour event earlier this year, has a sub-70 scoring average and, arguably, is the best young American in the game.
8. LEE WESTWOOD: Long considered an underachiever, hes made an effort to change physically and reach fighting trim. It nearly paid off at this years U.S. Open, where he came within a shot of joining Tiger and Rocco Mediate in their riveting playoff. Has played well of late and this could be the week. 9. LUKE DONALD: Another of the still-young guns who has come close on a couple of occasions. But he wont do even that this week. He had a solid year going three top-10 finishes until a wrist injury forced him to withdraw from U.S. Open. He hasnt played since. Maybe next year. 10. STEVE STRICKER: Dont laugh. Hes No. 10 in the World Golf Rankings and hed have to go belly-up this week to be excluded from the U.S. Ryder Cup team. If Sergio Garcia putted like Stricker, hed have won multiple majors by now. And if Stricker could strike the ball like Sergio Missed the cut: Kenny Perry (no PGA Tour player seems less impressed with majors), Ian Poulter (a green jacket would never go with those pink pants), Hunter Mahan (young, fearless, and determined), Henrik Stenson (would be fi rst Swede to win a major), Colin Montgomerie (once was near the top of this list, but has faded over time, which probably is not a good thing).

Signs of new life restoring hopes for Norwalk furniture firm
NORWALK, Ohio - Phum. Phum. Phum.
The rapid-fire sound of staplers is sweet music to the ears of employees at Norwalk Furniture Corp., whose futures were clouded last month when the firm closed in a financial crisis.
But the 106-year-old company, which appeared finished when the doors shut July 21, is slowly coming back to life after buyers surfaced, Comerica Bank agreed to reinstate financing, and the Ohio Development Department extended a lifeline.
"I believe in miracles," said 44-year-old Rita Linder, a furniture upholsterer who has worked at the company for nearly two decades.
"I'm hopeful," added co-worker Tim Murray, who was hired in 1988.
"Our goal is to bring the company back as quickly as possible to past levels," Charles Rowe, Jr., president of IRG Capital Group LLC, said during a news conference at the Huron County plant 70 miles southeast of Toledo.
IRG Capital, an Akron firm, and Blackbird Capital Partners, an investment firm based in Cincinnati, hope to complete the deal by Aug. 15. Mr. Rowe, who would become interim chief executive if that happens, declined to discuss terms of the deal. Norwalk, which specializes in upper-end furniture, has more than $100 million in sales annually, Mr. Rowe added.
He said it is too soon to say when 250 laid off workers will be recalled or if there will be workforce reductions. That will be determined by incoming orders and the findings of a just-started review of operations, he said.
Before the crisis, the company employed 500 people at the plant and corporate headquarters in Norwalk. Another 400 people work at plants in Fulton, Miss., and Cookeville, Tenn., and a chain of company-owned retail stores.
Yesterday, a company receptionist accepted congratulations from well-wishers and explained that production won't fully resume until vendors restart material deliveries to the factories. With Comerica's resumption of financing yesterday, that should happen soon, officials said.
A portrait of company founder C. Edward Gerken, whose family controls the firm for now, hangs in the lobby.
"I'm a happy guy," Jim Gerken, chairman, told reporters yesterday. "I have a long-term interest in the success of this company."
He declined to say what his future role will be.
Mr. Rowe, of IRG Capital Group, said the Gerken family will be involved in the firm for some time but wouldn't say if the sales agreement left them any ownership interest.
The state of Ohio aided the sale with a $2 million low-interest loan. Officials in Fulton, Miss., extended similar aid.
Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who was involved in negotiations, described the Norwalk deal as the "most rewarding, fulfilling, and satisfying" project of its kind in which he has been involved
"We were able to turn something around quickly," he told reporters at the plant.
"If you are a customer of Norwalk Furniture," he added, "have no doubt they are back and they are stronger than ever."
Contact Gary Pakulski at:
gpakulski@theblade.com or 419-724-6082.

Profit nearly triples for Cedar Fair in quarter
SANDUSKY - Amusement park operator Cedar Fair LP seems to be doing all right with the "staycation," reporting second-quarter results yesterday that more than doubled analyst estimates and drove its share price up significantly.
However, company officials cautioned that with just under half of their season to go, park attendance at their properties was relatively flat, and in-park spending was down slightly.
In addition, "During these trying economic times, people just aren't playing the games or taking a souvenir home with them," said Dick Kinzel, chairman of Cedar Fair, parent company of Cedar Point and 10 other regional amusement parks and other properties.
The firm reported a second-quarter profit of $14.7 million, or 26 cents per limited partner unit, up 167 percent from $5.5 million, or 10 cents per unit, for the same period a year ago.
The amusement park company said it had sales of $296 million for the quarter ending June 29, up 8 percent from $274 million for the period a year earlier.
The results reflect an additional 75 operating days at its 11 amusement parks, 6 outdoor water parks, 5 hotels, and one indoor water park during the second quarter of 2008 over the same quarter in 2007, the company said.
Wall Street responded to the report favorably, lifting the price of shares 13.5 percent to close at $22.60.
In a conference call with analysts, Mr. Kinzel said that Cedar Fair, which purchased Paramount Parks for $1.2 billion in 2006, isn't in a financial position to pursue the purchase of the regional amusement parks owned by Busch Entertainment Corp.
Analysts have speculated that Belgium-based beverage giant InBev NV would sell amusement parks like Busch Gardens as part of its purchase of Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion.
"If someone needed a management company to go in there and manage those companies, we'd be interested in talking with them," Mr. Kinzel said.
The company said it is exploring the sale of land it owns outside Toronto and Cleveland, and said the 82 acres outside Toronto could provide proceeds of up to $82 million, which would be used to pay down debt.
All of the firm's parks had a total of 7.6 million customers who spent an average of $40.45 each in the second quarter, compared with like-park attendance of 6.7 million and average spending of $40.68 a year ago. Mr. Kinzel said the soft economy in the Midwest is hurting Cedar Point and Kings Island in Ohio and Michigan Adventure in Michigan.
Contact Larry P. Vellequette at: lvellequette@theblade.com or 419-724-6091.

Area consumer savings and loans

VIEW: Consumer savings and loans for August 5, 2008.

11 indicted in theft of data from 41M cards
BOSTON - Eleven people, including a U.S. Secret Service informant, have been charged in connection with the hacking of nine major retailers and the theft and sale of more than 41 million credit and debit card numbers, the Justice Department announced yesterday.
The case is believed to be the largest of its kind ever prosecuted by the department. The charges include conspiracy, computer intrusion, fraud, and identity theft.
The indictment returned yesterday by a federal grand jury here alleges that the people charged hacked into the wireless computer networks of retailers including TJX Cos., BJ's Wholesale Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market, Barnes & Noble, Sports Authority, Forever 21, and DSW.
The indictment alleges that the hackers installed programs to capture card numbers, passwords, and account information and then concealed the data in computer servers that they controlled in the United States and Eastern Europe.
At a press conference yesterday, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said the total dollar amount of the alleged theft is "impossible to quantify at this point."
U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan said that although most of the victims were in the United States, officials still haven't identified everyone whose numbers were stolen.
Mr. Sullivan said the thieves cruised through different areas with a laptop computer, looking for accessible wireless Internet signals. Once they found a vulnerable network, they installed programs that captured card numbers as they moved through a retailer's processing networks.
Three of the defendants in the case are U.S. citizens, one is from Estonia, three are from Ukraine, two are from China, and one is from Belarus. One individual is known only by an alias online, and his place of origin is unknown.
Justice Department officials said the alleged ringleader, a U.S. Secret Service informant who helped the agency take over a Web site being used to transmit stolen identifiers and stolen credit card numbers, is in custody in New York but would not comment on the status of the others.

Perrysburg company fined $7,000 by OSHA

A Perrysburg machine-making company has been fined $7,000 by federal regulators for violations within two weeks after one of its employees died in March when an object was hurled out of the machine he was operating. The death of Jeffrey Pierce, 35, of Perrysburg, at Jerl Machine Inc. has been under investigation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
But the agency found five serious violations in visits to the firm in March and April. It cited the company at 11140 Avenue Rd. for not properly providing ratings and safety data on a lifting hook device, not having a lock-out tag-out procedure on one machine, not training employees on lock-out tag-out techniques, and allowing various machinery to operate without safeguard devices in place. The firms appeal period expires this week.

Seth Rogen, M.I.A. lead Pineapple Express
"...as human beings we are capable of making sense of situations based on the thinnest slice of experience."
Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and The Tipping Point.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6

RIPE FRUIT: Yahoo critics give Pineapple Express a 'high' five. Compare with Blade movie critic Kirk Baird's review. Don't confuse the flick with this other Pineapple Express, which actually rolls through the Dole Plantation near Waikiki, Hawaii. See how many stoner movies you can remember on this list? The list skips Easy Rider and considers the genre's beginning as Cheech & Chong. (KC) CATCHY: Mathangi Arulpragasam (M.I.A.) is a Sri Lankan Tamil living in England who scores the lead musical credit with Paper Planes in Pineapple Express. Joe Strummer and Mick Jones share songwriting credit with M.I.A. on the song, which includes a guitar riff sample from the song "Straight to Hell" by The Clash. (KC) MORE SISTERS: Start with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 trailer move on to the movie, and then finish at 'your source for all things sisterhood', with the Sisterhood Aptitude Test and Sisterhood Soul Mate Quiz. (KC) HOLY MARBLE MOUTH, BATMAN! Don't feel sheepish if Don't feel sheepish if you have a hard time understanding Christian Bale as Batman in Dark Knight because you're not the only one. (RL) TUESDAY, AUGUST 5 SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED: Although Amy Winehouse had previously been rumored to be the voice of the next James Bond theme, we now receive word of a duet - Detroit's own Jack White and Alica Keys. Hear it Nov. 7 when the 22nd James Bond film - Quantum of Solace - makes its North American release. (KC)
ASIAN GAME SHOWS: Hockey helmets and a giggling studio audience means somebody's going to fall hard. We start with a game of Human Tetris and end with 'Vic Romano' sending healthy, young spandex-clad athletes out to tear a hamstring in binoculars soccer. (LB) NO. 4: Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The Conchords, "formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo" examine the Issues (Think About It). (KC) MONDAY, AUGUST 4 BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR: No doubt politicians welcome a friendly bump from entertainers who jump on their bandwagons, but sometimes maybe not so much. Ludacris gives Barack Obama a friendly shout-out rap style and, well, Obama's not so happy with it. (RL)
WOW: Never say these guys aren't athletes. As this year's X Games continued this weekend, people still couldn't forget about skateboarder Jake Brown's four and a half story plummet last year. (RL) JAY LENO CAN RELAX: Even though the world's oldest joke has been discovered, it's not very funny. (RS) THIN SLICING Have some Thin Slices to contribute or comment on?
Rod Lockwood Kevin Cesarz
ARCHIVES Week 1 Slices Week 2 Slices

Movie review: Pineapple Express ''
About 90 minutes into Pineapple Express I looked at my watch. Not from boredom, rather from bewilderment.
The film was nowhere close to a conclusion; there would be another 20 minutes of explosions, violent mayhem, and buddy love before the credits rolled. And thats one of myriad problems with Pineapple Express, an action-comedy about two stoners who unwittingly find themselves caught up in a deadly drug war and on the lam it doesnt know its target audience. A film about and, presumably, for stoners should avoid testing the attention span limits of its drug-addled audience. (See the Cheech and Chong Guide to Stoner Films.) It also doesnt help the movie that many of its jokes based largely on requisite high-as-a-kite hijinks involving paranoia, emotional outbursts, and clumsiness fall flat. What Pineapple Express has in its favor, though, are Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) and James Franco (the Spider-Man movies), who anchor the film as stoner-slacker Dale Denton, and his toked-up dealer Saul Silver, respectively. The pair have great on-screen rapport, perhaps because of their previous work together on the short-lived, critically acclaimed 1999 NBC series Freaks and Geeks. (In fact, Rogen and Franco come across as the grown-up extensions of the high schoolers they played on the show.)
Dale is a process server who spends most of his days getting high in a gas-guzzling Cadillac and serving unwitting people with a court summons, as well as dealing with his high school girlfriend. (The gag of a 20-something dating a high school senior is good for an initial laugh, but quickly becomes creepy.) Saul is a drug dealer who spends his life on a couch watching reruns of 227 in a thick haze. Life for the duo goes awry after Dale leaves Sauls apartment with a bag of Pineapple Express, a super strain of marijuana sold only by Saul. Dale subsequently witnesses a murder by a crooked cop (Rosie Lopez) on the payroll of a dangerous drug lord (Gary Cole), and, while recklessly fleeing the scene, leaves behind a still-smoking joint that is quickly traced back to Saul. Thus begins a series of misadventures, narrow escapes, and violent encounters involving hitmen, rival drug lords, and high school parents that is short on logic and even shorter on laughs. Rogen and fellow screenwriter Evan Goldberg, as well as Judd Apatow, who is co-credited with the story, have an obvious affinity for 80s action-comedy fare like Beverly Hills Cop. Pineapple Express is replete with dated keyboard themes, a la Harold Faltermeyers Axle F, and its story bounces the protagonists between dangerous encounters a la Beverly Hills Cop. Whats missing, though, is a sense of fun; that subtle wink and trademark guffaw a young Eddie Murphy gave the audience in times of desperation that kept the tone light. Instead, Pineapple Express delights in jokes about a piece of an ear being shot off, and a head being crushed by a charging car. This is Beverly Hills Cop for the Pulp Fiction generation. While not a complete misfire from Team Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad), there isnt anything particularly memorable about Pineapple Express. As a comedy it doesnt work, and as a counter-culture statement it falls short. (Nancy Reagan certainly would wince when Dale and Saul sell Pineapple Express to high school students for some quick cash.) By the end of the films overlong and messy finale, the buzz is long gone. Contact Kirk Baird at kbaird@theblade.com or 419-724-6734.

Regnier leaving as Ch. 13 anchor
Longtime WTVG-TV, Channel 13, reporter and anchor Rebecca Regnier is stepping down from her morning anchor duties.
Regnier, who co-anchors the top-rated 13abc Action News Good Morning with Jeff Smith and Sashem Brey, is leaving the news show Aug. 15 to spend more time with her family.
"My kids are in high school so I really want to be with them," she said. "I can do things with them now, but I'm so tired I'm in a fog most of the time."
Regnier, 39, said she wakes up at
2:45 a.m. and is at work by 4 a.m., but the after-school activities of her two sons keeps her busy until 10 p.m. most nights. "I just need to give myself a break. I've been going and going," she said, adding with a laugh, "I think sleep is totally underrated as part of your health." Regnier will continue to produce and report WTVG's weekly People, Places and Things segment, which airs Fridays, and will help with the station's November election coverage, as well as produce a weekly report that is being developed for her.
Brian Trauring, WTVG news director, said Regnier's easy-going demeanor will be missed at the Disney-owned ABC affiliate.
"Clearly, she's a valuable anchor, but she does a lot more than that," Trauring said. "She's a great journalist and has a great instinct. She's also a really nice person, who's the same behind the scenes as she is on the air. She's got a great personality. We're going to miss that."
He said her departure was unexpected, but the station supports her decision. "We respect the fact that she has chosen to make a change based on what's best [for] her family," Trauring said. "But we're very pleased that she'll still continue with the broadcast."
WTVG will not replace Regnier, he said, but will return to a dual-anchor format for the Good Morning program.
Regnier joined WTVG 12 years ago as a reporter. She was promoted to weekend anchor and later to morning anchor, her dream job at the station.
"For me, becoming the morning anchor was the big goal," she said. "It wasn't a matter of sticking it out in terms of (promotions to) other jobs; it was the pinnacle."
With her final shift as morning anchor quickly approaching, Regnier said she's looking forward to her new life off-camera and with her family - though she's still not sure what she's going to do with all the extra time.
"I've worked my whole life full time, for the most part," she said. "I'll probably be going nuts. It'll be different, but I'm excited."
Contact Kirk Baird at:
kbaird@theblade.com or 419-724-6734

UT grad's poem lands in a top magazine
Marcus Jackson couldn't wait to get his hands on last month's controversial issue of the New Yorker, the one whose cover caricature of Barack and Michelle Obama set the political world abuzz.
It wasn't the cover that interested the Toledo native, though; it was a piece of poetry - his poetry.
Tucked within the distinguished magazine's pages in its July 21 edition was a narrow sliver of verse by Mr. Jackson titled, "Mary at the Tattoo Shop." In less than 140 words, it tells the tale of a 14-year-old who gets her name permanently imprinted on the back of her neck while accompanied by a friend.
As a young writer who had seen fewer than a dozen of his poems published, it was the crowning achievement of his professional career so far. Mr. Jackson, 26, said he learned that his poem - one of a batch of 40 or 50 that he had sent out to various publications - had been accepted late last year while he was at work.
"I was just thrilled for about a week straight," he said. "I went into the conference room and I did a little silent dance."
Competition among poets for space in the New Yorker is fierce. The magazine receives about 600 poetry submissions a week, with each submission usually consisting of several poems from a single contributor, said Paul Muldoon, the New Yorker's poetry editor.
In the case of Mr. Jackson's poem, it stood out by providing a new way of looking at the phenomenon of tattoo parlors, he said.
"One of the things that we're interested in, I guess, is the poem that is going to modify one's sense of the world," Mr. Muldoon said.
A graduate of Start High School and the University of Toledo, Mr. Jackson received a master's degree in poetry from New York University in 2006. These days, he lives in Manhattan and works as an office manager for a magazine publisher.
Writing wasn't always a passion of his, and it didn't always get the results he wanted. His first poem was an attempt to win back an ex-girlfriend with some rhyming couplets. It didn't work.
There was a time when he assumed he would just skip college and get a job with Jeep in Toledo, but his father, Raymond, worked at UT and encouraged him to study there. That's where Mr. Jackson started writing seriously and fell in love with poems in particular.
"When you come across a poem that you like or that you love ... from a reader's standpoint, there isn't one thing you would want to change," he said.
Rane Arroyo, professor of English and creative writing at UT and one of Mr. Jackson's mentors, said that he is proud of Mr. Jackson and he touted the young man's work for being precise and real.
"He has a Midwest tone to his work and a sense of honesty," he said. "He's not imitating other people."
"Mary at the Tattoo Shop" is based on a real-life experience with an old friend at a tattoo parlor in West Toledo that is no longer around, according to Mr. Jackson.
"I just wanted to get the scene down because it was a straight-from-memory poem," he said.
So he focused on details, like the sound of the tattoo gun "that buzzed loud as if trying to get free." The poem describes the aftermath, too, including how "my finger glistened in salve as I reached for her swollen name."
As he revised and trimmed it, Mr. Jackson hoped the emotion would come to the surface on its own.
"You don't want to proclaim," he said. "You just want to lay things out in a kind of neat, under-control manner and then whatever kind of emotion will surface will surface."
On the day described in the poem, Mary was the only one who came away with any ink. Thanks to the New Yorker, Mr. Jackson now has a lot less painful way to show off some of his own.
Contact Ryan E. Smith at:
ryansmith@theblade.com or 419-724-6103.

'Dark Knight' sets a speed record in hitting $400M
LOS ANGELES - Add another entry for The Dark Knight in Hollywood's record books: The Batman Begins sequel has climbed past $400 million at the box office in just 18 days, the fastest pace ever, a studio executive said yesterday.
As of Monday, The Dark Knight had taken in $400.04 million domestically, according to distributor Warner Bros.
Jeff Goldstein, general sales manager for Warner, said the film hit that mark in less than half the time it took for the previous record-holder, Shrek 2, which crossed the $400 million level on its 43rd day of release.
That put The Dark Knight at No. 8 on the all-time box-office charts.

Series hails the best of the worst
Its the movie program that wouldnt die.
Attack of the B Movies, the best of the worst in American sci-fi and horror cinema, returns for a second run at Maumee 18 Cinema de Lux, 1390 Conant St. in Maumee. The program, which includes such classic B-movie fare as The Brain That Wouldnt Die, The Wasp Woman, Attack of the Giant Leeches, and Werewolf in a Girls Dormitory, runs at 7 p.m. Thursdays for 13 weeks. Each showing includes a double-feature presentation. Tickets are $5. The series kicks off tonight with The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews, and concludes on Halloween with the Screecher Feature Quadruple Bypass Scarathon, which features the ghoulish quartet of Nightmare Castle, Dementia 13, House by the Cemetery, and Night of the Living Dead. Somewhere, Ed Wood is smiling. For more information, call 419-891-5039.

Observations from a brief Toledo visit
An assortment of Lemmon Drops culled from a 24-hour stop in Toledo:
•Just for giggles, I wanted to see if it was still there.
And it was.
Two years ago, shortly before I left The Blade, a colleague, Ken Rosenbaum, had a suggestion for a column tidbit. Unfortunately, I never got around to mentioning it.
Well, what do you know? I have another chance, if only for one day.
It's something I saw every day on my way to work, but I never saw the humor in it until he pointed it out. I'm talking about the long-abandoned Ted's Hamburger Shop, at Erie and Monroe streets in downtown Toledo, and the Avenue of the Arts street sign on the same corner.
Individually, both look out of place. (Ted's is an unqualified eyesore, and Avenue of the Arts conjures up images of class.)
Together, though, they are kind of quirky - in a good way.
But I suspect most first-time visitors to downtown see them individually - and that's not good.
Maybe the next time I'm sitting at the stoplight, the Ted's building will be spruced up or, better yet, occupied.
•From I-75, Bass Pro Shops looks pretty darn impressive.
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, Lucas County is better off having it in Rossford rather than the Marina District, where Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner wanted it.
•The most beautiful sight on the trip: The downtown arena taking shape, as seen from The Blade building on Superior Street.
You did good, Lucas County commissioners.
•The Toledo Walleye.
You're kidding, right?
•Reynolds Road, between Glendale Avenue and Heatherdowns Boulevard, has really blossomed. The lampposts, eye-catching median (cement and red bricks), and flowers make the Reynolds Corridor a candidate for the cover of Toledo's next tourism brochure.
•My eyes got a little misty upon seeing the shuttered Super Cinemas. My wife and I spent many a Saturday night in that place.
•As I listened to the local talk shows on WSPD-AM (1370), it felt like I was participating in some weird self-loathing experiment. All I heard was people complaining about Toledo.
•One thing I don't miss about northwest Ohio is the constant fluctuation of gas prices. I'll gladly pay a consistently higher price in exchange for weeks of stability, as I do now in the Sunshine State.
•Call it a hunch, but "Carty Gets Results" - the best political slogan I heard in my nine years in Lucas County - won't be used in the 2009 Toledo mayoral campaign.
Russ Lemmon, a former Blade columnist, is a columnist for the Press Journal in Vero Beach, Fla. He can be reached at lemmon@aol.com.

Tiger isn't here, but the PGA is still a major
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. - So, Tiger Woods isn't here.
So what?
Sure, it's unfortunate for the fans. Sure, it's tough on those PGA Championship officials charged with selling tickets. Sure, it's a reality check for all those hotels in the Detroit area that counted on those $300-a-night rooms being filled. Sure, it's bad for the sponsors who rely on Tiger to get all that free TV time for their swoosh. And, sure, it's not all that pleasant for Woods either.
But the last time we checked the PGA is still a major championship. They're still going to present that big, bulky Wanamaker Trophy come Sunday evening. Minus one player, albeit the best player, it still boasts the top field of all the majors.
"It's unfortunate for Tiger and it's a shame probably for the spectators, but I don't think it takes anything away from the tournament," the flamboyant Brit, Ian Poulter, said yesterday at Oakland Hills Country Club. "I mean, it certainly didn't take anything away from the [British] Open championship."
Well, some think it did.
In fact, a media type asked Padraig Harrington, who won the British at Royal Birkdale, if it was any less gratifying having conquered a Tiger-less field.
Harrington could do no more than shake his head and offer a weak chuckle.
"You can only win the tournament you're playing in, you can only win the week you're playing, and you can only beat the field that [is] there," Harrington said in his lilting, high-pitched Irish accent. "So it's irrelevant at the end of the day who is in the field."
What's next? Does Geoff Ogilvy's U.S. Open win in 2006 get an asterisk because Tiger missed the cut? Should Phil Mickelson's three-inch jump for joy at the '04 Masters mean any less because Woods was in the middle of a swing change and finished tied for 22nd? Heck, if Tiger not contending is an issue, should Shaun Micheel's surprise triumph at the '03 PGA even count? After all, Woods had completed 18 holes and was in the parking lot, stashing his clubs in the trunk of his Buick Rendezvous when Micheel teed off in the final round.
So, Tiger Woods isn't here. So be it. He is the greatest talent of his era and perhaps every other era, and the steely bravado that allowed him to go 90 holes for his astounding U.S. Open win days short of knee surgery that has sidelined him for the rest of the season will be missed. The game certainly is not better off for his absence.
But the games go on and they can't be considered any less meaningful.
Harrington stuck his tongue far into his cheek when he pointed out that Woods wasn't the only big name missing at Royal Birkdale.
"I've got to say, Jack Nicklaus didn't play in the Open championship and neither did Arnold Palmer or Ben Hogan," he said. "We can list a number of players, the greats of the game, that weren't there."
Well, Hogan never did care for the rigors of travel over the pond.
But Harrington made his point which, basically, went like this: Tiger wasn't there and, by the way, I don't care.
He shouldn't. Winning a major championship is tough enough, in and of itself. It's a battle of nerves and resolve, a test of talent, of every club in the bag, on the toughest of courses in the toughest of conditions. When you overcome 40 mph winds that bend the pins sideways, well, you shouldn't have to be contrite about winning an event Tiger was forced to skip.
Poulter, who finished second at the British Open, admitted that "my second might have been third, or whatever, I don't know." And he notes that Woods' absence "might mean that I'm one place further up the leaderboard come Sunday. But I don't think it takes anything away from the tournament. It is what it is. I think it's an opportunity for a lot of people to try to take advantage of the world's No. 1 not being in the golf tournament."
And the golfer who takes the greatest advantage, the one who is declared a major champion on Sunday evening, shouldn't have to apologize for it.

Put lawn on water schedule
Is your lawn starting to suffer? Looking a bit brown around the edges? Dont worry. Its just starting to batten down the hatches to get through the blistering heat of August and September.
With temperatures staying in the mid-80s, most types of turf go dormant in the hot summer. Grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue, and tall fescue are at their best when temperatures are cool, 60 to 75 degrees. That is why they are categorized as cool-season grasses. Put your turf on a diet during the summer. Fertilizing encourages the roots to grow, and when they grow, they need more moisture. Hydro hike Dry turf will turn dark purple, gray, and blue first. As the roots search for moisture without luck, the blades will turn yellow, then brown, a sign the turf is dying.
Theres another way to see if your lawn needs a drink: Take a hydro hike. When the turf has used up all of the moisture in the soil, it will start to wilt. If the blades bounce back after you step on them, your turf has plenty of moisture. But if you can still see your footprints, the grass could use some water. How much? You might think watering your lawn for just a few minutes every day would help your grass stay green, but it could be hurting it in the long run. Getting the roots to grow deeper will keep your lawn healthier and greener longer through some of the toughest drought conditions.
Short, frequent watering keeps turf roots at the top of the soil line where they will dry out more quickly. The roots also are more vulnerable to disease and damage if they are near the surface. Get the water to go deeper by letting the sprinkler run longer. This makes the roots reach down deeper into the ground and able to stand up to 100 degree heat and longer periods without rain. One inch to an inch and a half of water per week will help your lawn stay green. That inch of water will soak into the soil about six to eight inches to give your roots plenty of water for the next week. Tuna-can trick Not sure how much water you are putting on your turf? Try the tuna can trick to see how much water your hose puts out per hour. Set a clean tuna can somewhere in the spray radius of your sprinkler. Let the water run through it for an hour, then check the amount of water in the can.
Thats how much your water pressure will produce in an hour. Let it run until you get an inch in the can, and try to do that once a week. Early morning The best time of the day to water your lawn is in the early morning. The temperatures are still mild and the winds usually are calm. More water will get down to the roots instead of evaporating if you water during the still morning hours.
As the temperature goes up during the day, extra moisture on the blades will evaporate. This is good because it creates less of a chance of mold and other disease issues cropping up. Watering at night can create problems. Cool evening temperatures dont allow the water to evaporate and the foliage will be too wet. A healthy stand of turf can survive four to five weeks of drought conditions without a whole lot of damage if temperatures arent blazing hot. If the weather is both hot and dry, turf may only be able to take three to four weeks of stress. Once the turf comes out of its dormant stage, it will start to turn green again, and its back to the mower!

South Asia, Mideast vie for top hot spot
In Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India signs point to trouble ahead. It is hard to imagine that South Asia has become more dangerous than the Middle East, but it seems to be the case.
What is new, first, is that the Taliban, which some of the Afghans and the United States drove out of Afghanistan in 2001, mostly to Pakistan, seems to be coming back in strength. The second is that Pakistan, under Pervez Musharraf, for better or for worse, had been somewhat stable but now has become decidedly not so. Third, we have India, the world's largest democracy with economic growth consistently a multiple of America's, experiencing economic pangs and facing dots of disorder across its length and breadth.
Finally, the horrible icing on the cake: India and Pakistan, nuclear powers who, with Israel, do not accept International Atomic Energy Agency inspection of their nuclear weapons facilities, are sniping at each other over the 60-year-old territorial issue of Kashmir, which has led to three wars between the two South Asian powers.
Starting in 2004, some observers saw a movement toward peaceful resolution of the problem under Mr. Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. But not now, at least for the moment. A battle took place between them on the line of control last week.
All of this could have come to a head at the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Sri Lanka over the weekend. But the association, an eight-nation organization, is not the problem-solving forum it could be. The Colombo summit appears to have included fine words but little consideration of basic issues. SAARC is useful as a talking place, but it cannot offer regional problem-solving, particularly on issues involving its most powerful members, India and Pakistan. (The United States is one of nine observer nations.)
Probably most disturbing in South Asia is India's slippage. We know Afghanistan is a mess. We also know that Pakistan is a cockpit of competing civilian, military, Islamic, and tribal forces. Refreshingly, India seemed to be on a steady course. Now, terrorism in cities in 6 of its 28 states raises questions, among them: What will be the government's response? It seems the attacks are being carried out by a movement calling itself Indian Mujahideen, apparently lodged among India's 150 million Muslims. Trouble involving India has reached into Afghanistan, with a bombing in June at the Indian Embassy in Kabul.
The Indians blame Pakistan for the attacks, specifically Pakistan's military Inter-Services Intelligence agency. That body has been a close partner of the CIA since the 1980s when the United States worked with the agency to support the mujahideen resistance to a Soviet-backed government in Afghanistan. Pakistan has received some $10 billion from the United States since
9/11, mostly in military aid, much of which has gone to ISI. Another problem for India is a so-far-slight decline in its economic prospects from recent golden days. It has claimed 9 percent growth for three years. This year Indian forecasters predict 9.5 percent; more cautious foreign observers say 7 percent. The lower figure is impressive but any drop is painful, and there is always a fear of worse to come. Another troublesome figure is 12 percent inflation in wholesale prices. India's oil import bill is expected to jump from $69 billion last fiscal year to $120 billion this year. (Maybe we'll get our jobs back?)
So what is there to do? Little can be expected from SAARC. It is helpful to have in place a forum where the leaders of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and its other sometimes bellicose members can talk without the protocol and visibility of state visits. But SAARC summits tend to focus on energy, trade, and development; useful subjects but comfortingly vague and irrelevant to some of the sensitive areas of potential confrontation among its members.
The United States has little role to play in South Asia. Because of Afghanistan it is condemned to dance with the Pakistani bear or to invade it, easily as much of a potential nightmare as the other thought: bombing and/or invading Iran, or letting Israel do it.
Our relatively positive relationship with India has a dark cloud over it. India's parliament, after much debate, ratified the nuclear pact with the United States, which would provide U.S. aid to develop India's civilian nuclear power industry. There is little reason to believe our Congress will do likewise before it throws it in for the elections.
The Middle East is in a sort of paralysis; its snakes eye each other warily but without much tail-rattling. We almost could wish for comparable armed torpor in South Asia.

Detroit, Flint among fastest-dying cities in U.S.
DETROIT Detroit and Flint have made Forbes magazines list of what it calls the nations 10 fastest-dying cities.
Only Ohio has more cities on the list with four: Canton, Cleveland, Dayton and Youngstown. Forbes says the cities are there because of their declining populations and slow economic growth.
Also making the list are Buffalo, N.Y., Charleston, W.Va.; Springfield, Mass., and Scranton, Pa. The cities are listed alphabetically and are not ranked.

$2.6M pipeline to carry Toledo water to Berkey

Mayor Carty Finkbeiner yesterday announced construction of a $2.6 million pipeline to carry municipal water to the western Lucas County village of Berkey. The city will pay the cost and residents of Berkey will be assessed about $15,000 per household over 30 years to pay for the construction, in addition to paying for the water. Four contractors are working on the project: Hanks Plumbing & Heating, Gleason Construction, Crestline Paving, and Maguire Iron. Mr. Finkbeiner said the city gains customers and tax-sharing revenue from any new businesses that locate in Berkey, should the village implement an income tax. Berkey must also limit residential development with the use of Toledo water, as specified in an approved Berkey land-use plan. In 2006, Toledo City Council approved an agreement for water sales to the unincorporated parts of Lucas County, if township residents want to pay for it, including Berkey.
The deal allows Toledo to sell water to rural western townships if they adopt policies that restrict growth and agree to share any resulting tax benefits with the city.

Seneca County officials: Audit difficulties fixed
TIFFIN - Seneca County officials say all of the problems identified in an annual audit of the county's finances have been corrected, including a $546,313 bank error that took nearly nine months to fix.
The lengthy audit report, released by State Auditor Mary Taylor yesterday, included three "significant deficiencies" and one instance of noncompliance for irregularities that showed up in 2007.
Most notably, the county's Emergency Medical Service office failed to bill for services for six months of last year, and one of the banks the county does business with erroneously debited $546,313 from a county checking account in September - a mistake that was not corrected until June 30.
County Treasurer Marguerite Bernard said she discovered the error last September but had tried unsuccessfully to work with the bank's local branch to rectify it. The bank was not identified in the audit.
"It was a bank error - strictly a bank error, not a local bank error," she said.
Ms. Bernard said the bank's main office in Cleveland ultimately credited the full amount to the county's account along with $14,316 in interest that could have been earned had the error not been made.
Commissioner Dave Sauber said the problems with EMS billing have been resolved, although the agency will be working for some time to overcome the financial mess left by former EMS Director Roy Myers, who was fired by commissioners last year for insubordination.
Current Director Ken Majors said the agency failed to send out bills totaling around $300,000 last year. It has since hired an outside firm to handle the billing, which is done on a weekly basis.
In the meantime, the agency is working to repay $110,000 loaned to it by commissioners to start 2008 as well as about $240,000 in debt for equipment purchases made by Mr. Myers.
"We're going to get this taken care of. It's just a matter of time," Mr. Majors said. "Our billing company is doing an amazing job."
The state audit recommended the county auditor have an employee other than the payroll clerk review payroll records to make sure they are accurate. Auditor Larry Beidelschies said he now has an employee from his fiscal division and real estate division doing "spot checks" of payroll records.
Finally, the audit showed concern that the county had appropriated more money than it expected to receive from a variety of grant sources in 2007. Mr. Beidelschies agreed the funds should not have been listed in that way, but he said in each case, the county knew the remainder of the grant money appropriated would be received after the end of the calendar year the state looked at.
Mr. Beidelschies, who recently announced plans to retire mid-way through his third term, said the county is in good financial shape. Estimated revenue for the year is on target, and the county is living within its budget.
"I'm pleased with the audit," he said. "That's what my goal is here in this county."
Contact Jennifer Feehan at:
jfeehan@theblade.com or 419-353-5972.

Fostoria leader proposes city-manager government
FOSTORIA - Saying the city needs to adjust its power structure, City Council President Joe Droll last night proposed switching Fostoria from a strong mayor to a city-manager form of government.
"It's become apparent to me we need to do this. I've never seen things as difficult here as in recent months," Mr. Droll said. "I think the city would be well-served in taking politics out of the mayor's position."
Invited to the meeting were councilmen and members of a charter commission formed in 2006 to draft a city charter voters ultimately adopted. Mayor John Davoli arrived toward the meeting's end but did not speak.
He has come under fire in recent months for, among other things, terminating Safety-Service Director Bill Rains without explanation, then trying unsuccessfully to hire North Baltimore Village Administrator Kathy Healy to fill the vacancy.
Under city-manager government, Fostoria would have a mayor and council, but the mayor's role would be ceremonial with no administrative duties.
Five members of the charter commission expressed varying degrees of support for the proposal, but said they thought it would be best to wait to make the change until Mr. Davoli's term expires at the end of 2011.
Mr. Droll said he has asked the law director to research the timing for such a ballot proposal.

Toledo city council meetings on carryouts rouse strong reactions
Toledo City Council was engulfed yesterday in contentious debate, including allegations of "backroom" meetings, about proposed changes to a Toledo law that licenses convenience stores.
Councilman Joe McNamara took umbrage yesterday that council President Mark Sobczak and Councilman George Sarantou have held three meetings with carryout owners who have sued the city over the law.
"It was extremely irresponsible for members of council to meet with the store owners without the law department," said Mr. McNamara, who used the "backroom" term.
He said Mr. Sobczak has created a dangerous precedent of allowing those who sue the city to discuss deals with council outside the courtroom.
"It is in litigation now. It needs to be decided in the courts," Mr. McNamara added.
Yesterday's agenda-review meeting became so heated that at one point Councilman Michael Ashford, who said his district is heavily affected by carryouts, stormed out of council chambers while Mr. Sobczak attempted to explain the reason he had met with the store owners.
Mr. Sobczak said he objected to characterizing the meetings as secretive, and said it was prudent to attempt a compromise.
"To that end, the meetings were held with the full knowledge of the administration of the city," he said.
In June, U.S. District Judge James Carr granted a temporary restraining order against the law that was later extended to the end of August, said Jim Bishop, an attorney for the city of Toledo.
Mr. Sobczak said, "There were indications from the court that there was room to compromise."
An alliance of Toledo convenience store owners, called the Midwest Retailers Association, decided in April to challenge the city law that requires such businesses to be licensed at a cost of $250 a year, install security cameras, and turn over surveillance video to police. City Council on Dec. 11 approved, by a 9-2 vote, the requirement for the stores to be licensed.
City officials promoted the law as a tool to curb crime, loitering, littering, and underage liquor sales.
The law applies to stores smaller than 5,000 square feet selling food and beverages. Some merchants claim a requirement to hand over surveillance video to police within eight hours constitutes an unreasonable search and seizure.
Among the changes proposed would be a reduction in the number of hours surveillance cameras must be operated and the time owners would have to maintain the video and elimination of the need for color video.
Police would also not be able to make periodic inspections of the video.
Councilman Lindsay Webb suggested repealing the entire controversial law and assigning a task force to examine how the city should proceed with the licensing of carryouts.

Cleveland Indians to remain safe at home Wed, 6 Aug 2008 14:55:00 EST
A lease deal to keep the ballclub at Progressive Field until at least 2023 is near completion.

Profits at Ferro more than double Wed, 6 Aug 2008 09:19:00 EST
The maker of specialty chemicals benefited in the latest second quarter from higher sales and lower selling, general and administrative expenses.

Ford to pay $1.4 million Ohio EPA penalty Wed, 6 Aug 2008 13:12:00 EST
The settlement allows the automaker to wrap up operations at its Cleveland Casting Plant without further investment in enhanced pollution control equipment.

NASA Glenn awards big contract Wed, 6 Aug 2008 16:41:00 EST
The research center has extended a follow-on contract that totals $88 million to a Maryland-based computer science and software engineering company.

Nordson buys distributor in South Africa Wed, 6 Aug 2008 08:36:00 EST
The maker of automated spraying equipment said the acquired company has been the exclusive distributor of its products in that nation for nearly 20 years.

'Green' programs pushing landfill into the red Wed, 6 Aug 2008 08:43:00 EST
The cost of dumping trash in central Ohio will go up $2 a ton next year, while landfill officials consider new ways to pay for operations. One landfill, near Grove City, relies on revenue from each ton of trash dumped there. But it also pushes recycling to reduce the amount of trash it gets.

Steve and Barrys may stay open under Chapter 11 Wed, 6 Aug 2008 08:38:00 EST
Discount retailer Steve and Barry's filed an agreement Tuesday that could keep its brand name alive.The chain, which maintains 276 locations throughout the country, including one in the Eastwood Mall in Niles, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month.

UA appealing $3 million for land Wed, 6 Aug 2008 07:06:00 EST
The university has been exercising eminent domain on its south and east border for more than a year, and most of the process went smoothly. But the school thinks $3.1 million for four properties and a parking lot was too rich an award for the property owners.

Kent State faculty may get pay hikes, perks Wed, 6 Aug 2008 07:09:00 EST
The 850 faculty members on the eight KSU campuses would be eligible for raises of 13.5% over three years, bonuses, higher minimum salaries and bigger raises upon promotion.

Cedar Fair stock on upswing Wed, 6 Aug 2008 07:18:00 EST
Net revenues increased 8%, but some analysts say the company's numbers are deceptively high because of an additional week added to the fiscal quarter -- meaning the actual results are relatively flat or even slightly down.

Lorain to receive $1 million to demolish abandoned homes Wed, 6 Aug 2008 07:25:00 EST
The money would be the city's portion from the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, which included $3.9 billion in Community Development Block Grant funds.

Wendy's ranking slides to No. 4 Wed, 6 Aug 2008 08:36:00 EST
Wendy's International, long ranked No. 3 among fast-food restaurants based on total sales, has ceded that standing. Subway took the No. 3 slot in the latest rankings by QSR Magazine, an industry publication.

Big O thinks disinfectant's a slam-dunk Wed, 6 Aug 2008 07:27:00 EST
Former NBA star Oscar Robertson and Cincinnati native says his company, Orchem Corp., has a product that wipes out the potentially deadly MRSA virus within two minutes of application and eliminates other infections.

CleveX secures $1.4 million in financing Tue, 5 Aug 2008 10:50:00 EST
The Cleveland Clinic spinoff says it will use the money to commercialize a device that removes skin lesions.

Clinical cardiology chief leaving Clinic Mon, 4 Aug 2008 04:30:00 EST
Dr. Gary Francis has taken a position as a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota, which is where he started his career.

Norwalk Furniture finds a buyer Tue, 5 Aug 2008 08:46:00 EST
An investment firm affiliated with Industrial Realty Group, in partnership with a Cincinnati investor, has agreed to purchase the assets of the troubled furniture maker.

Weight-loss firm is latest Riverside purchase Tue, 5 Aug 2008 15:17:00 EST
The private equity firm has bought Results Weight Loss of Naples, Fla., its 18th acquisition of the year.

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