Toledo Free Press – Feb. 13, 2011 by Toledo Free Press

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Are you miserable? Forbes names Toledo one of the country’s “Most miserable cities.” Toledo responds,

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OPINION

FEBRUARY 13, 2011

Visit www.toledofreepress.com m

■ A3

LIGHTING THE FUSE

Survival prospects

his past May, ProMedica Health System announced it had signed an agreement to bring St. Luke’s Hospital into its system. ProMedica President and CEO Randy Oostra and St. Luke’s President and CEO, Dan Wakeman, made optimistic statements and planned to have the deal completed that summer. But as we near another spring, that merger has been delayed. The Federal Trade Commission is seeking to prevent the merger under competition laws. In a market with a tremendously strong and successful competitor in Mercy, plus the University of Toledo Medical Center, that makes little sense, but federal government rarely relies on sense when interfering with business progress. Just days after President Barack Obama stood before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and to improve his administration’s relationship with business, the FTC will force a preliminary injunction hearing in South Florida. Ohio Attorney General Mike Thomas F. POUNDS DeWine supports the FTC’s hindering, a less than encouraging start to his term in office. Gov. John Kasich, during his Feb. 7 Rotary Club talk in Toledo, criticized the FTC’s efforts to block the merger, so some parts of Columbus understand the importance of this merger. As a member of ProMedica’s advocacy and government relations committee, I have seen firsthand the excitement about the potential St. Luke’s offers in terms of its people, technology and community relationships. Jamie Black, president of the St. Luke’s Hospital board of trustees, said in a written statement, “If the [FTC] can dismantle the St. Luke’s-ProMedica partnership, it will achieve what it seeks to prevent: It will reduce health care competition in metro Toledo from four to three hospital systems because in the long run St. Luke’s will not survive without ProMedica. “As St. Luke’s board members, we are obligated to do what is best for the institution and all who rely on it for care and employment. Through our partnership with ProMedica, we can continue to put patients first — always.” There is no issue with a merger as significant as this one being looked at carefully to make sure both parties and the community benefit. But as Black wrote, “We have been surprised by the [FTC’s] apparent failure to consider circumstances that are unique to competition among hospitals in the Toledo market before it decided to challenge the transaction. From the millions of pages of documents we have provided, the FTC has built a case around pieces of information that are misleading or taken out of context.” The FTC has its job to do, and obviously takes its mission seriously. But its aggressive and unwarranted efforts to stop the ProMedica/St. Luke’s joinder are misguided and harmful to the future survival prospects for St. Luke’s — and its patients. ✯ Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

A publication of Toledo Free Press, LLC, Vol. 7, No. 7. Established 2005. EDITORIAL Mary Ann Stearns, Design Editor mastearns@toledofreepress.com James A. Molnar, Lead Designer Brandi Barhite, Associate Editor bbarhite@toledofreepress.com Kristen Criswell, Special Sections Editor krapin@toledofreepress.com ADMINISTRATION Pam Burson, Business Manager pburson@toledofreepress.com

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Company loves misery Michael S. Miller will guest host the Feb. 14 broadcast of “Eye on Toledo” on WSPD 1370 AM, on the topic of the Forbes “Most Miserable Cities” list. Call the show at (419) 240-1370 and share your opinion.

hile channel surfing a few nights ago, I found a A crumbling infrastructure. A dearth of business leaders “M*A*S*H” episode that featured Jamie Farr in willing and able to step up. Mediocre leadership at the daily one of his more interesting subplots. Farr’s char- newspaper, the University of Toledo and nearly every facet acter, Cpl. Max Klinger, cleared a circle in the 4077th com- of political leadership on the state, county, city and school pound and doused himself with what he said was gasoline, board levels. But those problems are not unique to Toledo, nor are preparing to immolate himself unless Col. Potter agreed to they as bad here as they are in some areas. send him home with a Section 8 discharge. There are undoubtedly many miserable people in ToIt’s easy to take Farr for granted; he has been consistently gracious to Toledo as the decades have flown by, and ledo, but it would take a lot of research to determine how his comfortable celebrity status overshadows the amazing much of their state of mind is attributable to Toledo and how impact he had through cameos and minor subplots on much would be part of their life no matter where they live. I have lived and worked in Washington, D.C., Pitts“M*A*S*H,” working in the shadows of some of the greatest burgh, San Jose, Calif., South Florida and talents in television history. Southeast Michigan. Each of those cities ofFarr’s story parallels Toledo’s history. fers exciting things, but each of them also ofCompeting against bigger, richer cities, Tofers more than a few challenges that could be ledo has done well but is often relegated to described as miserable. the background and is under-appreciated Forbes can crunch its subjective factors despite its consistent contributions. and declare Toledo a miserable place to live, In the “M*A*S*H” episode, Klinger, but having lived and worked here for more soaking in “gasoline” and holding a match, than three decades, I strongly refute that desoffered these final words: “Scatter my ashes ignation. Toledoans are far too varied and inover Toledo.” teresting a group of people to be labeled as Apparently, Forbes magazine is ready to Michael S. MILLER sharing any one characteristic. There may be spread Toledo’s ashes over the Midwest. a tendency toward apathy and there is defiForbes named Toledo No. 12 of 20 U.S. cities on its recent “America’s Most Miserable Cities” list. nitely a deficiency of self-esteem, but that has its roots in The magazine said, “A recent economic analysis of the To- Midwestern humility, spiked with an inordinate amount of ledo metro forecast that employment would not return to bad-mouthing and negativity from daily media and a series pre-recession levels until after 2025. Unemployment has of egomaniacal politicians. I could assemble an army of people who love this city and averaged 10.6% during the past three years.” Other Ohio cities cited were Cleveland, No. 10, and spend their days working to make it a better place. I would Youngstown, No. 14. Detroit charted below Toledo at No. 15. need two more pages to list all of them and their respective Last year, the business publication ranked Toledo No. 15. affiliations, but many of them spread their Glass City Gospel Forbes looked at the 200 largest metro areas in the country, in these pages, through stories about their work or through with a minimum population of 249,000. It ranked the cities their own words. Rachel Richardson, Robert Russ, Kc Saint based on qualifiers such as unemployment, taxes, commute John, Jules Webster, Lisa Renee Ward, Michael Drew Shaw, times, violent crimes, weather and how professional sports Alan Cohen, Jennifer and John Rockwood, Marc Folk, Marteams played. Housing prices, foreclosures and convictions tini Rox, Sammy Spann, Doni Miller, Tom Pounds, Ed Beczynski, Warren Woodberry, Stacy Jurich, Contessa Porter, of elected officials were other factors. The first response from a classy Toledo guy like me is to Dustin Hostetler, Jerry Gray ... and there are many more. We could ignore the Forbes report and pretend it has no open a window facing the Forbes offices in New York City, thrust a middle finger high in the air and bellow, “#&@% impact, but I prefer we stand and fight for our reputation you, Forbes!” with pride and road-rage level anger. But that’s and show the nation that while we are not perfect, we certainly are not miserable, and we are not ready to have our not conducive to an intelligent discussion. Are we miserable? Certainly our city faces elements of ashes scattered to the wind. Oh, and by the way: “#&@% you, Forbes!” ✯ misery, but that’s not the same thing as being miserable as a way of life. Unquestionably, there are major crisis-level problems in Toledo. A declining population. Unemploy- Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo ment. City budget issues. Public school system troubles. Free Press Star. E-mail him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com. Thomas F. Pounds, President/Publisher tpounds@toledofreepress.com

DISTRIBUTION Charles Campos (419) 241-1700, Ext. 227 ccampos@toledofreepress.com PRODUCTION Lisa Stang, Photographer Charlie Longton, Photographer

Michael S. Miller, Editor in Chief mmiller@toledofreepress.com

STAFF WRITERS news@toledofreepress.com Jim Beard • John Dorsey • Emily Gibb • Vicki L. Kroll • Jeff McGinnis Sarah Ottney • Duane Ramsey Chris Schmidbauer, Sports Editor • Lisa Renee Ward, Web Editor Chris Kozak, Staff Writer Emeritus COPY EDITORS/PROOFREADERS Lisa Renee Ward, Brandi Barhite, Darcy Irons, Sarah Ottney

Toledo Free Press is published every Sunday by Toledo Free Press, LLC, 605 Monroe St., Toledo, OH 43604 Phone: (419) 241-1700 Fax: (419) 241-8828 www.toledofreepress.com. Subscription rate: $100 /year. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content in any manner without permission is strictly prohibited. Copyright 2011 with all rights reserved. Publication of advertisements does not imply endorsement of advertisers’ goods or services.

OPINION

A4 ■ TOLEDO FREE PRESS

THE HOT CORNER

FEBRUARY 13, 2011

GUEST COLUMN

So-called development No misery in Toledo’s quality of life

o far, Gov. John Kasich seems to Oh well, it’s a good plan if you’re a be a shoot-from-the-lip kind of venture capitalist commuting to guy. He often makes statements Ohio from California to run it. When we look at the bill, HB1, that don’t seem to have a very factual basis, but has rather an almost sanc- it’s even scarier. We’re setting up a timonious air that whatever pops into taxpayer funded state agency that the his brain at any given moment is sure bill states specifically is not considto be the answer to all our problems. ered a state agency. Huh? Governor Of course, if pressed for details, he Transparency has set up a program clams right up and moves on. This that basically removes all oversight, accountability, openhas been the modus ness about where the operandi for his much taxpayers’ money is vaunted JobsOhio being spent, and alprogram. The more lows the employees to that comes out on this lobby while they work! program, the more it They are not subject seems to be a scam to to audits by the state let Kasich’s financial auditor, nor subject buddies cut a fat hog to state ethics laws. in the derriere at the They are not subject to taxpayer’s expense. Don BURNARD oversight or investigaThe idea of privatizing economic development was tion by the inspector general. They sold to us as having great success in are not considered to be state emother states during the campaign. ployees and are not subject to public Florida in particular was held up as records laws, including the governor a shining example. The blog Plun- when he is acting as the chair. The only reports the public will derbund has reported extensively on what’s in play with this subject get will be self-analyses of how they and the problems with this entire basically feel they’re doing. This is JobsOhio scam. The newly elected what passes for transparency with Republican governor of Florida, King John, evidently. I’ve got a bad Rick Scott, recently announced feeling about this. Apparently, so that he was pretty much ending do all the major newspaper editoFlorida’s experiment with public- rial boards in Ohio, with the excepprivate economic development and tion of The Columbus Dispatch (the returning most of those responsi- newspaper equivalent of Fox News). bilities to a reinstituted Department The only good thing I see coming of Commerce. This was done with out of this is watching an interesting the blessing of the bigger business fight to see who gets the next Puplayers in Florida, many of whom litzer Prize for reporting on Ohio led the fight in 1996 to disband the corruption. This is going to make Coingate look like Amateur Hour. I old Department of Commerce. A Jan. 27 article in Bloomberg can hardly wait for the letters and estated, “Business leaders Thursday mails from all the self-professed libwere quick to applaud Gov. Rick ertarian money managers who write Scott’s proposal for reviving Florida’s me to start rolling, in explaining Commerce Department to stream- how wonderful all this is going to be. An interesting side note was proline economic development efforts. Associated Industries of Florida vided by Mark Kvamme, the aforepresident and CEO Barney Bishop mentioned commuting venture capsaid attracting new businesses and italist Kasich chose to lead JobsOhio. jobs requires a different approach In an interview with Ann Fisher on WOSU in Columbus, Kvamme than what Florida is doing now.” This is the program that Kasich stated that what set Ohio apart was said was going to completely change its central location and excellent the way we do business in Ohio to transportation: “We have rivers, we create jobs. So far, it has created a have railroads.” When Fisher asked small number of extremely high- him how that squared with turning paying jobs for several well-placed down $400 million for passenger cronies, but according to the GOP rail, he said she’d have to take that up governor and business leaders in with the governor’s office. No menFlorida, it is unlikely to do the job we tion of the fact that his home state of need done in Ohio. Another thing to California got that money. Another big thank you to the dilconsider is that the top three states with these types of plans also lead in igent team at Plunderbund for doing unemployment rates. I fail to see the the job that the mainstream media is upside here for the average Ohioan. largely ignoring. ✯

Finally, how can we forget about the hisread with interest a recent Forbes Magatory that the automobile industry has with zine article that listed Toledo as the 12th Toledo, the Toledo Complex, a local automo“most miserable city to live in.” I certainly bile factory is currently owned by Chrysler. In hope its other articles are better researched the 1990’s, Toledo Chrysler produced more and more accurate than this one, because this Jeeps than any other North American plant. Forbes list is flawed. Sections have operated as an automobile asI strongly disagree with its assessment of sembly plant since 1910. The Toledo Complex our city. I have lived in Toledo for many years has assembled Jeeps since the 1940s, and comand have found it to be a great place to live and prises two factories: Toledo North and Toledo raise a family. Toledo has many wonderful attributes Michael ASHFORD South, which itself includes the Stickney Plant and the Parkway Annex. working in its favor that I feel should Also, in the past year, Gov. Ted keep us off the most miserable cities Toledo and its Strickland signed into law legislalist. We have a great zoo with more tion that will make Toledo the hub of than 9,000 animals representing more citizens are working solar technology in Ohio. In June, Gov. than 800 species and nearly 1 million Strickland declared Northwest Ohio as visitors a year making it one of Ohio’s hard and will an official hub of solar energy research major attractions; the Toledo Museum and innovation. This has allowed for of Art, which was founding in 1901, has persevere through this an enhancement in investment and has more than 30,000 works of art; the Tocreated local jobs in alternative energy ledo Symphony Orchestra was formed tough time. To those in Toledo. in 1943 and employs nearly 80 profesEvery city in America right now is sional musicians; and the University who do not agree, suffering in some way due to the ecoof Toledo is widely known as a leader nomic climate, however, I feel that Toin research dollars and has twenty I say they don’t know ledo and its citizens are working hard two thousand students, making it the and will persevere through this tough second largest university in the state. our city and its people time. To those who do not agree, I say Toledo also has Tony Packo’s, a resthey don’t know our city and its people taurant that has been a part of Toledo history since 1932; and minor league and the strength that we and the strength that we all have. I see nothing “miserable” in our quality of baseball’s Toledo Mud Hens have been all have. I see nothing life. Go Toledo! a fixture locally since 1883 and have won two Governors’ Cup champion‘miserable’ in our MICHAEL ASHFORD ships in the past eight years and play State Representative in the beautiful Fifth Third Stadium quality of life.” Ohio House District 48 which seats 10,300 and opened in 2002.

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MEDIA

By Kristen Criswell

during the past three years.”

Toledo Free Press Special Sections Editor

Toledo’s outlook

krapin@toledofreepress.com

Toledo is miserable. Well, at least according to Forbes magazine. Forbes ranked Toledo as the No. 12 of 20 U.S. cities on its “America’s Most Miserable Cities” list released Feb. 2. This is the fourth year the magazine has rated miserable cities in the U.S. Last year, Toledo ranked No. 15 on the money magazine’s list. The first two years the list was limited to 10 cities and Toledo wasn’t ranked. Also included in this year’s list are other Midwest cities: Chicago at No. 7; Cleveland at No. 10; Flint, Mich., at No. 11; Youngstown at No. 14; and Detroit at No. 15. The list also includes eight cities in California, four from Florida and one from the East Coast. Kurt Badenhausen, Forbes senior editor and author of the list, said he doesn’t believe there is any bias for or against one part of the country in the rankings. He said previous “most miserable” lists have included New York City, Philadelphia and Buffalo, N.Y. This year the magazine decided to look at the housing market for the first time, which negatively affected California and Florida, he said. “All of the cities on this have lots of positive things for their residents to enjoy, but this list is focused on the hardships that they must endure,” Badenhausen told Toledo Free Press via e-mail. Forbes has many different lists that highlight the positives and negatives cities have to offer and the idea is to spark conversation about the issues, he said. To rank the most miserable cities, Forbes looked at the 200 largest metropolitan areas in the United States — with a minimum population of 249,000 to be eligible. It ranked the cities based on 10 factors, including unemployment during the past three years, tax rates, commute times, violent crimes, weather and how a city’s professional sports teams fared, according to a Forbes article on methodology. Housing prices and foreclosure rates as well as convictions of public officials in each region were also considered. While only the top few cities had much mention in the article, the magazine said this about Toledo in its slideshow: “A recent economic analysis of the Toledo metro forecast that employment would not return to pre-recession levels until after 2025. Unemployment has averaged 10.6%

Some in Toledo believe Forbes’ ranking to be inaccurate, some believe the ranking shouldn’t be given any attention at all and others feel Toledo has earned its designation. On Toledo Free Press’ Facebook page and website, several individuals commented about the state of the city’s psyche. Comments shared here are unedited. One reader commenting under the name Concerned said, “Let’s face it! Forbes got it right. The only way this city is going to succeed it for belt tighting. Making sure our tax money goes where it should and we need to stop letting outside media sources run this city into the ground. Lot’s of mistakes made over the last 20 plus years. Now we must pay for it and find a way to make things right.” Others who agree with the ranking said it was Toledo’s own fault for continually voting for the same people again and again. However, in general many of the comments received were positive about Toledo. “I moved here from Pasadena, CA. In Toledo we have no earthquakes, low crime, low smog, a great lake.4 seasons, great schools, parks, a great zoo & museum. Don’t listen too closely to others. Just poke your head out the window and enjoy the positive attributes of our city!” wrote Bill Steele. “I have no complaints. Lack of major sports teams? We’re within 4 hours of major cities, hell I went to the Wings game last night,” wrote Jeremy Pellek. “There’s plenty to do, a small but vibrant arts and music community, real estate is cheap, gridlock is almost nonexistent, crime is relatively low and people are mostly pleasant. Everyone but our PR department seems remarkably devoid of misery,” wrote Keith Bergman. Rachel Richardson, a local activist and musician who considers herself “a product of Toledo,” said she’s not upset about the ranking, but upset that it’s getting press. Richardson said she believes Toledo is a “magical” place and doesn’t tolerate any rhetoric to the contrary. Richardson, a contributor to Toledo Free Press Star, said the city has many artists and activists including traditional artists, musicians, ballet and theater troupes. “We shouldn’t have to answer to the people who say negative things about Toledo,” she said. “We shouldn’t have to

stop doing what we’re doing to defend what a wonderful place we live in.” Rich Nachazel, president of Destination Toledo, said Forbes’ assessment was mostly related to economics and real estate, which will improve as the economy does. Nachazel said residents are fortunate to live in this market. “If Toledo is miserable, then I love miserable. The Toledo area is a great area to be involved in,” he said. “I can’t think of too many places that have the big city amenities — great sports, the arts, universities — within an eightto-10-minute commute.” There is no question people in Toledo are hurting, but there is also no question people in Toledo are willing to help, said Bill Kitson, United Way of Greater Toledo president and CEO. “When a community surpasses a United Way campaign goal as this community did this year — and so close on the heels of an economic downturn; when more than 3,500 people raise their hand to volunteer in just one week following devastating tornadoes; when we see people start exploring what it really means to advocate for something they’re KITSON passionate about ... that’s a community I am proud to be a part of,” Kitson said. Area politicians said the ranking is an incorrect portrayal of Toledo. “We ought to extend an invitation to the editors of Forbes to come to Toledo; I think they’d change their mind in a hurry,” said Councilman Mike Craig. Craig said Toledo may be suffering economically, but so are a lot of other cities in the Rust Belt and those cities don’t have anything over Toledo. “There’s a lot of value to living in Toledo and I think [Forbes] is misinformed,” he said. Councilman Joe McNamara thinks the methodology Forbes uses to rank cities is flawed. “We shouldn’t be rated or compared to other McNAMARA cities on factors we can’t control; like weather and the presence of a pro sports team,” he said. McNamara said the methodology

Toledo free press photo by lad strayer

Forbes names Toledo a ‘most miserable city’

FOrbes ranked toledo as the nation’s 12th most miserable city.

also doesn’t factor in the positive things happening in Toledo, like the number of cultural entities in the city and its push to be a hub of alternative energies. Councilman D. Michael Collins said he’s disappointed Forbes did not appropriately define Toledo. “I’m not questioning their integrity, but I do think Toledo, and Northwest COLLINS Ohio, has been and remains a city to live in that has far more advantages than disadvantages,” he said. Collins said Toledo has a brilliant future and if public education and confidence in the municipality is fixed, the sky is the limit for Toledo. “I believe both of these are doable,” he said. “If we have a sustained effort to correct both of these, not only our reputation of Toledo but the quality of life will be looked upon by the nation as a very desirable place to live.”

What now?

Some in the community believe Forbes’ ranking is a result of the failure to get Toledo’s story to other parts of the country. Wendy Gramza, executive vice president of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, said she disagrees with the ranking and if Forbes had the current data on the city, Toledo wouldn’t make the list. Gramza said the ranking proves why the “Toledo Region Story,” a branding initiative for the region started last year, is so important. “[Forbes] has a thought in their heads about the Midwest and prob-

ably did much of their research through an Internet search engine,” she said. “We haven’t presented our story in those venues and they’re looking at old data and old story. It’s our responsibility to let them know the good things in the region.” The City of Toledo agrees with Gramza that if Forbes had more curGRAMZA rent information it wouldn’t think the city was miserable. “We have a number of tremendous assets that would prove to the contrary. If they looked at current data they would see our efforts to make a more vibrant regional community and see we’re far from miserable,” said Jen Sorgenfrei, public information officer for Toledo. “We think the efforts of the regional branding initiative, its partners such as the Toledo Chamber of Commerce, Destination Toledo and the University of Toledo, are incredible because Toledo has a good story to tell. I think we need to step up our efforts to get that good word out.” The Toledo Region Story is an effort by both public and private organizations to develop a unified brand for the region. Last year, the group hosted public events to develop Toledo’s story. Now that the story is developed, organizations involved are working toward getting out Toledo’s message of a new manufacturing economy. To see Forbes’ rankings, visit www. forbes.com/2011/02/02/stocktonmiami-cleveland-business-wash ington-miserable-cities. O

Community

A6 n Toledo Free Press

February 13, 2011

Politics

Review shows election outcome would not have been altered By Lisa Renee Ward

Toledo Free Press Web Editor news@toledofreepress.com

A Feb. 9 review found there were not enough questionable ballot envelopes to alter the outcome of the November election for Lucas County Commissioner. Under the supervision of two poll workers, one Republican and one Democrat, Toledo Free Press reviewed the more than 4,000 provisional ballot affirmation i d e nt i f i c at i o n envelopes from the Nov. 2 election at the Lucas County Board of Elections (BOE). 110 Roughly were found to be SARANTOU questionable. Prov isiona l ballots were at the heart of an election contest filed by Toledo City Councilman George Sarantou in Lucas County Common Pleas Court. Sarantou’s unofficial victory reported on Nov. 2 was changed to a victory for then Sylvania Township Trustee Carol Contrada, initially by 191 votes. A recount including provisional ballots changed the margin of victory for Contrada to 193 votes. Sa-

rantou filed a contest of election Dec. 13 and dropped the case Feb. 3. Sarantou said in a prepared statement on Feb. 3, “I believe in my heart that I won this election. But given the law on the subject, the only way I could show that in court would be to call individual voters to ask them how they voted, and I respect the rights of voters to vote privately, which is a hallmark of our democracy.” Sarantou told Toledo Free Press on Feb. 10, “My team identified approximately 1,500 provisional ballot envelopes that had some type of deficit. I stand behind my earlier statement and I also want to point out that I spoke to Secretary of State Jon Husted who has assured me his office will be investigating further.” Sarantou said he felt scenarios such as driver’s license numbers not being notated on the provisional ballot envelopes was something that should be addressed and hoped that the General Assembly would look at the voting laws after the Secretary of State had made recommendations. Linda Howe, executive director of the Lucas County BOE, told Toledo Free Press on Feb. 9 that information is not required on the provisional envelope and that the verification process involves information the BOE has access to that is not contained on the envelopes. Stephen Hartman, the attorney

representing Contrada in the election court case, told Toledo Free Press Feb. 9, “The number of envelopes they claimed were questionable, were less than they had previously represented. The truth of the matter is, the number of questionable ballots was less than the margin of victory, so he could not have won the lawsuit, even if he would have gone forward.” A majority of the identification envelopes a voter fills out before casting a provisional ballot list more identifying information than is required under Ohio law. There is a section on the provisional ballot that asks for “voluntary information” — phone numbers and e-mail addresses were included on numerous ballots. Driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers were written on a large number of envelopes. Less than a dozen provisional envelopes had the word “invalid” marked through and the word “valid” written. Approximately 100 ballots had language that suggested the vote was cast in the correct location but wrong precinct; it did not appear that there were enough questionable provisional envelopes to create a change in the electoral outcome based on the information listed on the envelopes. Most of the envelopes contained

notations from BOE employees that suggested the information on the provisional had been verified. A voter requesting an absentee ballot then attempting to vote in person was a common notation on the provisional ballot envelopes; in that scenario, the provisional ballot is held to make sure the person did not cast an absentee ballot. Provisional ballots that are cast in the right location but wrong precinct were the source of a directive issued by then Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner that stated that under a federal court order, “a provisional ballot cast by a voter using the last four digits of his/her Social Security number as identification may be counted if it is cast in the correct polling location but not the correct precinct. Only if the reason the

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vote was cast in the wrong precinct was poll worker error.” Howe said with the way Lucas County has manned provisional voting tables, with a ballot for each voting precinct and a label on each envelope, “It had to be poll worker error. There’s no other way a person can be given a wrong provisional unless they are given the wrong ballot.” There were close to 300 provisional ballots notated, “out of county.” “We check with the other county — check to see they were registered there as long as they were a registered voter and the signature matches, the vote counts,” Howe said. A copy of the registration card is faxed from one county to the other so the signatures can be compared. She said this only applies to voters within Ohio. O

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n A7

The moment traffic no longer mattered.

There are moments when life is taken out of our hands and placed in someone else’s. In June, 9-year-old Parker was struck by a car and critically injured. The Life Flight nurse, Renea, focused on stabilizing him as they flew to the trauma center at Mercy St. V’s. His mom stayed right by his side, grateful for every breath he took. Parker’s story is one of the thousands of lifesaving moments made possible by the region’s first and most experienced critical air transport team. These are the moments you know you’re in expert, caring hands. The moments of Mercy.

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Community

A8 n Toledo Free Press

February 13, 2011

Briefs

Savages author book about baby mix-up

In September 2009, Carolyn Savage gave birth to a baby boy that wasn’t her own. Due to an embryo mix-up at a fertility clinic Carolyn was implanted with another couple’s embryo. For Carolyn and her husband Sean, of Sylvania, terminating the pregnancy was never an option and they decided to carry the baby to term and give him to his rightful family, Shannon and Paul Morell. On Feb. 14, the couple will release “Inconceivable: A Medical Mistake, the Baby We Couldn’t Keep, and Our Choice to Deliver the Ultimate Gift,” a book chronicling their experience. The Savages are scheduled to appear on “Dateline NBC” on Feb. 11 and the “Today” show Feb. 14 to share their story. The couple will also be signing their book locally at Barnes & Noble, 4940 Monroe St., Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. and Books-A-Million, 2105 Levis Commons Blvd., Feb. 19 at 4:30 p.m. The Morells, from Troy, Mich., also released a book, “Misconception: One Couple’s Journey from Embryo Mixup to Miracle Baby,” in May. O — Kristen Criswell

Quilter elected

The Ohio Council of County Officials elected Bernie Quilter, Lucas County clerk of courts, as secretarytreasurer of its organization. The Ohio Council of County Officials (OCCO) is a statewide group

aimed at uniting county governmental organizations throughout Ohio. OCCO represents and assists the governmental organizations in proposing legislation. The group also works to make sure all 88 county agencies can work together more effectively, Quilter said. “As secretary-treasurer I’ll be able to keep abreast of everything that’s going on across the state and share that with other county officials in Lucas County,” said Quilter, who was previously the president of the Ohio Clerk of Courts’ Association. OCCO is comprised of the County Auditor’s Association, County Commissioners Association, Ohio Judicial Conference, Ohio Prosecuting Attorney’s Association, Buckeye Sheriff ’s Association and County Treasurers Association, among others. Quilter’s two-year term as OCCO’s secretary-treasurer started Jan. 26. O — Kristen Criswell

Hyderabad, including its mayor, president of its chamber of commerce and business representatives, will be in town for the event. “These business people want to

invest in Toledo,” said Dr. Anwer Ali, Toledo Sister Cities International board member who chairs the Toledo-Hyderabad subcommittee, in a press release. The gala is Feb. 15 at 6

p.m. at the Toledo Club, 234 14th St. Tickets are $35 for the general public. For more information, visit pakistan sistercitiesoftoledo.homestead.com. O — Kristen Criswell

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n A9

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A10 n Toledo Free Press

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February 13, 2011

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February 13, 2011

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n A11

STORMING BACK

Mary Ellen K. Pizza, MD

Julie Blank thankful for replaced wedding rings

Physician FOCUS

Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep? With schedules filled with family, school and extracurricular activities, kids these days are pretty busy. Unfortunately, like adults, many children are sleep-deprived. Lack of sleep does more than make your child crabby. It can lead to health and emotional problems, impede physical development, damage the immune system, and contribute to weight gain and obesity. School-age kids generally need 9 – 12 hours of sleep each night. This sleep helps them recharge for the next day, while aiding in important development and growth. Here are a few tips for helping your child get the sleep they need: • Create a simple, calming bedtime routine for your child that can be used anywhere. • Don’t keep a TV in your child’s bedroom or use it as part of his/her bedtime routine. • Keep bedtime positive, never using it as a threat. • Make sure your child has enough physical activity during the day. • Limit foods and drinks that contain caffeine. The amount of sleep needed depends on the individual child. If your child can easily wake up in the morning and is awake and alert all day, he/she is probably getting enough sleep.

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Editor’s note: Toledo Free Press will follow the Blank family of Millbury for the next year as they rebuild their lives after a June 5 tornado destroyed their Main Street home. By Brandi Barhite Toledo Free Press Associate Editor bbarhite@toledofreepress.com

Julie Blank doesn’t need her wedding rings to prove her love for Ed, but Valentine’s Day reminds her why it is nice to have them again. In addition to the family’s home, the June 5 tornado swept away her engagement and wedding rings, which were soldered together. She also lost a diamond ring from a vacation in St. Thomas that she wore on her right hand. “I took them off at 11 p.m.,” Julie

said. “I went upstairs to go to bed and took out my contacts and took off my wedding rings and diamond ring, but I didn’t put on my pajamas because Casey had a friend spending the night and I went downstairs to iron clothes for church.” She would never see the rings again. After she finished ironing, the tornado siren went off. Since Julie always went into the basement when she heard the whistle, she headed downstairs with her family. “I never thought a tornado would hit. I go in the basement all the time. If I thought a tornado would hit, I would have taken shoes, my purse. I didn’t take anything,” she said. Julie said losing the rings was hard. She and Ed had just celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary in May by

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renewing their vows in Las Vegas. Ed didn’t lose his ring because he doesn’t take his off at night. Julie still takes hers off at night. “Oh God, it was devastating. It was the first thing I realized I had lost,” Julie said. Ed said aside from the devastation, loss of life and the utter shock, Julie was BLANK most upset with losing her wedding rings. That was the first thing that she really focused on in terms of what was lost pertaining to their personal belongings, he said. It actually was kind of depressing to her. “I recall her asking from her hospital bed on a daily basis if anyone had recovered her wedding rings,” Ed said. “I remember having to give her the bad news that they had not been found.” Ed knew Julie wanted to replace the rings, but he thinks she felt guilty because those who died in the tornado did not have that opportunity. Once she did get them, “I could see that this changed her mentality

and started to help her begin the healing process,” Ed said. Julie’s new rings are white gold instead of yellow gold and are all diamonds. Her original rings featured an emerald because it was the second marriage for both Julie and Ed. An emerald is also Ed’s birthFAMILY: stone, the same month they were married. She did not replace the ring from St. Thomas. “Our kids went to school together, we lived in the same community,” Julie said of meeting Ed. Julie’s son, Joey, and Ed’s son, Wes, are the same age. Julie and Ed welcomed Casey a year after they got married. For Valentine’s Day, Ed and Julie don’t have plans for the two of them, but the Blanks and close friends are getting together. “Holidays and birthdays are a bigger deal now. Every day is a little bit more special than it used to be,” Julie said. “We received a housewarming gift that said ‘every day is a gift,’ and it really is.” O

STORMING

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Anthony Wayne senior Jake Conklin signed his letter of intent to play baseball for Lourdes College on Jan. 25. “I chose Lourdes because I was looking for the chance to play baseball at the college level and I think it will be cool to be part of the first baseball team at a school,” Conklin said. “I think it’s a good opportunity to see how I fare at the next level with better competition.” Conklin is a utility player, who can play all the different infield positions, he said. During his past two years on varsity, Conklin had a .288 combined batting average. He plans on majoring in education. Conklin is the third recruit signed to the coach Andy Ham’s Gray Wolves. O — Kristen Criswell

12/29/10 12:26 PM

Community

A12 n Toledo Free Press

February 13, 2011

Employment

Kasich supports Chinese investment in Toledo By Kristen Criswell

Toledo Free Press Special Sections Editor krapin@toledofreepress.com

Gov. John Kasich argued the state needs to take a new approach to business and showed support for Chinese investment in Toledo during a recent visit to the city. At a joint session of the Toledo Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Toledo on Feb. 7, Kasich spoke bluntly about the problems facing business in the state, including many regulatory obstacles and high taxes. The governor emphasized that he’d like to make it easier for individuals and companies to do business in the state in order for Ohio to compete with the rest of the country. “These other states are eating our lunch,” Kasich said. “That’s why I am trying to create JobsOhio to be able to fight back. That’s why I want to balance the budget without taxes.” JobsOhio is a nonprofit publicprivate partnership that will promote economic development and eventually phase out the state’s Department of Development. The administration would move all the effective economic programs in Ohio under JobsOhio and would pursue new businesses for the state. Kasich said bureaucrats are often too slow and the state needs to operate at the “speed of business” to at-

tract business. JobsOhio would be comprised of a board of business professionals and it will be their job to attract business to Ohio, Kasich said. “The most effective person to talk to a business person is a business person,” he said. “Business people talking to business people is who gets it done.” Kasich said he hopes JobsOhio can eventually eliminate funding from the state and be solely from KASICH private funds. Kasich said he’d like JobsOhio to be an organization that can “answer the bell” and work with the potential of a Coke plant or Jeep site. House Bill 1, which addressed JobsOhio, was passed in the state House without Democrat support. Democrat Representatives Matt Szollosi and Teresa Fedor both said they have concerns about the transparency of JobOhio, without which the organization is ripe for abuse. “I have concerns about House Bill 1; for example why limit the inspector general’s authority to investigate wrongdoing and corruption with respect to this new entity? Why wouldn’t we require the state auditor to conduct

an annual audit of JobsOhio so taxpayers know how their money is being spent?” Szollosi said. “I hope it works. I would love to see jobs created in the state, but jobs will be created with or without this bill.” Republican Representative Barbara Sears said House Bill 1 just sets up the parameters of study for House Bill 1 and more will be added later dealing with transparency. The Senate has the bill and if it passes the House will vote on changes. In addition to the administration’s JobsOhio effort, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor is working on examining the regulatory laws to make sure they all make sense, Kasich said. He said Taylor is working with different chambers of commerce and the small business community to end the friction of getting business started. “If you find yourself tripping over the anthills imposed by government on your way to the pyramids, you call or e-mail us,” Kasich said. While taking questions from the audience, Kasich applauded Mayor Mike Bell’s efforts to sell city property to Chinese investors. Kasich said the mayor and the city should not let the “naysayers win.” “If we can get significant foreign investment in Toledo ... you have to be kidding me if we pass that opportunity up. That would be sinful, because there are a lot of people that would

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gain from it,” he said. City Council passed the sale of The Docks property Feb. 8 and the city entered into a memorandum of understanding that morning for investment in the Marina District by the same Chinese investment group. Kasich also spoke about the charter school movement and the possible privatization of the Ohio Turnpike. In

addition, Kasich addressed the $8 million deficit facing the state. The governor said he doesn’t shudder at the large deficit because it’s something the state has to deal with, without raising taxes. “We can’t raise taxes to deal with [the deficit] ... I don’t want the state to be in a worse competitive situation than we’re already in,” he said. O

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n A13

EDUCATION CHAMPIONS

YWCA works to lower teen pregnancy rates Editor’s Note: Toledo Free Press, United Way of Greater Toledo and 13abc’s “Bridges” with Doni Miller are profiling 12 education initiative programs in Northwest Ohio. This is the fifth story in the series. By Sarah Ottney Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

A trio of YWCA-administered programs aims to help combat Lucas County’s historically high teen birth rates by engaging Toledo Public Schools (TPS) students both inside the classroom and out in the community. Reducing the Risk — the sexual education curriculum used in all TPS middle and high schools — as well as two afterschool programs, the YWCA Carrera Program and the Teen Outreach Program, are making strides toward that goal, program coordinators say. The efforts earned Lucas County an Outstanding Emerging Innovation award from the national organization Healthy Teen Network in 2009. Although teen birth rates dropped in 2008, Lucas County still had the highest rate among urban counties in Ohio for the third consecutive year, according to the Ohio Department of Health. It has consistently led or been near the top among Ohio’s urban counties during the past two decades. The birth rate of girls aged 15-17 dropped 13 percent in Lucas County from 2007 to 2008, while the birth rate of girls aged 18-19 dropped 8 percent. There were 805 babies born to teen mothers in Lucas County in 2008, about 70 percent to girls aged 18-19. “Historically, we lead the state in high teen birth rates, but that is pushed by the 18- to 19-year-olds,” said Carol Haddix, teen pregnancy prevention coordinator with the Lucas County Family Council. “Take them out of the equation and we’re on par with everyone else. We’re trying to make inroads with that population, but it’s a tough population because they are out of school and we don’t necessarily have access.” All three programs include the parents. “We can do things with kids, but if we don’t reinforce it with parents and have them on board and working together, it can’t be successful,” said Deb Ortiz-Flores, executive director of Lucas County Department of Job and Family Services, the main funder for the programs. Job and Family Services has invested $3,486,468 in teen pregnancy prevention programming since 2008,

Ortiz-Flores said. The YWCA was selected to administrate the programs through a competitive bid process, said Associate Executive Officer Shelly Ulrich. “Prior to going with the three programs that we have, there were many different agencies that were delivering various different curriculums and programming and the messages weren’t always consistent, so this has really helped to kind of rein in the information that kids are receiving,” Ulrich said.

Reducing the Risk

It was the same with sex education at TPS before Reducing the Risk was implemented districtwide in fall 2007, said YWCA Youth Development Director Jama Hayes. “Everyone was doing something a little bit different,” Hayes said. “Some were doing an awesome job, some were doing a mediocre job and some were doing nothing but showing movies.” YWCA staff members come into 10th grade health classrooms to teach the 16-lesson series. The middle school version of the program, called Draw the Line/Respect the Line, is taught in eighth grade. In accordance with TPS’s “abstinence-plus” policy, abstinence is stressed in every lesson, but birth control methods are also discussed, Haddix said. “Basically, it’s a curriculum that empowers the youth to be able to make decisions for themselves rather than being coerced and pushed into situations,” Haddix said. “It empowers them to be their own person and be able to make the decisions for themselves and not be apologetic about the decision they’re making.” Students role-play to practice handling situations that may arise, Haddix said. They also have assignments to talk to their parents about topics addressed in class. “It opens up the line of communication,” Haddix said. “As a parent, you don’t know when is the right time to have this conversation. You might be more nervous than the kids are, so it’s a way to begin the conversation if you haven’t already.” Both middle and high school students were found to have increased parent involvement, knowledge of preg-

nancy and STD transmission and confidence in their ability to utilize delay tactics as a result of the curriculum, according to a two-year program evaluation by Lucas County Family Council.

Teen Outreach Program

Teen Outreach Program (TOP), an afterschool club with an emphasis on service learning that also provides general information about reducing risk, has grown from five students at a few North Toledo schools in 1995 to 210 active members at all six TPS high schools today, Hayes said. Students design their own projects, which have included graffiti removal, community gardening and working with children and seniors, Hayes said. The groups also do several joint projects each year. A program evaluation found TOP students attended school more regularly and performed better than their TPS classmates and had a 100 percent graduation rate. “The more that a student can connect to their community, it shows less teen pregnancy, less dropouts, more connectedness to family members and school,” Hayes said. “It builds stronger kids and stronger community ties.”

A+

Education Champions

YWCA Carrera Program

The YWCA Carrera Program, housed in East Toledo’s former Franklin Elementary building, is the only program of its kind in Ohio and one of only seven outside of New York City, where the model originated. A single group of 49 students, who started together as fifth-graders in January 2009, will remain in the program together through high school. Now seventh-graders, the students are bused to the building every day after school, where they participate in lifelong sports, self-expressional art projects, tutoring, career investigation, financial literacy projects and sex education. They receive medical and dental care and attend cognitive group therapy once a week. “The way to get a sexuality message to stick is if you work with young people on all the things that make them whole, not just sexuality issues,” said Michael Carrera, director of Adolescent Sexuality and Pregnancy Prevention Programs for The Children’s Aid Society, who developed the model. “What we have to do is create a climate where

they believe good things will happen in their lives because when young people believe good things are likely for them, they reduce risk on their own.” Topics in their Family Life and Sexuality Education class include abstinence, healthy versus unhealthy relationships and the dangers of “sexting.” Age-appropriate information about birth control and STDs will be incorporated as they get older, said Program Coordinator Penny Tullis. “Dr. Carrera believes that hope is the greatest contraception and so we do a lot of things in terms of helping kids reach their full potential,” Tullis said. “One of the things he really stresses is to see the kids as at-promise, not at-risk.” Studies have shown students in Carrera programs have less sex than the average U.S. teenager, dramatically fewer pregnancies and STDs when in their upper teens and no HIV cases to date, Carrera said. One of the biggest improvements in Toledo has been a decline in physical fighting, Tullis said. “That was a huge issue when they came to us,” Tullis said. “We definitely feel like we are making an impact. What they face in their community is huge, however, and so we’re always working to show them something different than what they often see in the rest of their lives.” Although challenges tend to grow as the kids get older, Carrera said he is pleased with the progress so far. “We’re seeing some really, really good outcomes already, even though it’s early,” Carrera said.

Other programs

Expelled students are another student segment at risk for teen pregnancy. In response, the YWCA started the Youth Development Outreach Program in 2008. An agreement with TPS will usually allow students to return to school at the halfway point of their expulsion period if they have attended the academic sessions at the YWCA. The program has served about 40 kids with almost all returning to school, Hayes said. Other Lucas County prevention programs include Mercy Health Partners’ Positive Choices and United North’s Plain Talk. Haddix said she is encouraged by the community’s willingness to discuss teen pregnancy. “In the past, if you said teen pregnancy, you were almost shunned,” Haddix said. “Now people will actually have a conversation, which is really refreshing.” For more information, visit www. ywcatoledo.org. O

A14 n Toledo Free Press

community

february 13, 2011

photo courtesy melissa prior

EDUCATION

From Left, AngelinA Guerrero, Chloe Warnimont, Victoria Fullwood, Terrence Gregory, Katie Holmes, Alissa Aiken, Erick Idrogo and Fitzroy Hemmings.

Class sends 1,000 paper cranes to Japan By Blair Bohland

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

One-thousand is a substantial number, especially if it refers to meticulously crafted origami cranes. Queen of Apostles School teacher Melissa Prior and her fifth-grade class created the cranes after being inspired by a Japanese story. “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes,” by Eleanor Coerr, tells the true story of a young Japanese girl diagnosed with leukemia. She hears a legend that one who creates 1,000 paper cranes could have one wish granted. She took on the challenge but passed away before completing them. “I had three friends, Julia Camp, Abby Pietrowski and Tiffany Fenwick, who all came in to help teach my students how to fold the

cranes,” Prior said in an e-mail to Toledo Free Press. “I had to find some people who knew how, because we were all thumbs. Once we learned how to make the cranes it only took a few class periods. Our whole class could probably fold them in our sleep now!” Prior said she was excited when her students asked if they could make the cranes. “I read the book ‘Sadako and the 1,000 Paper Cranes’ when I was younger and I remembered it into my career,” Prior wrote. “I read this book with my fifth graders this year and they were inspired by Sadako’s drive and courage to beat leukemia, which she sadly didn’t do. They asked me if we could make 1,000 paper cranes and I said, ‘absolutely’.” Making 1,000 delicate paper cranes took time, especially with only 14 students. Some worked all

recess to complete the mission. “Many of the students took paper home to make them in their spare time. A fifth grader, Angelina Guerrero, would take 15 to 20 papers home every day and bring them all back as cranes the next day. Another girl, Chloe Warnimont, did the same thing. We made it to our goal in about six 45-minute class periods,” Prior said. The cranes range in size from a quarter to as large as a hand. Erick Idrogo made sure the boys did their part, creating some of the tiniest cranes of the flock. Another student named Katie Holmes also worked overtime. “She’d pull out construction paper in her

spare time at home and bring the cranes back to school the day after. She’s still making them now. She really enjoyed herself,” said her father, James Holmes. But eventually the question surfaced: What should they do with all of these birds? “I learned where we could send the cranes when I did an Internet search about the little girl, Sadako Sasaki,” Prior said. The cranes are nestled in a giant box until enough donations can be accumulated to send them to Japan. When they finally take flight, the birds will land at Sadako’s Children’s Peace Memorial in Hiroshima’s Peace Park. Prior and her fifth-grade class will also join the Paper Crane Database. “I feel the children need the most inspired and enthusiastic teachers,” Prior said. “The students drive to do this project made it go so fast. I was so proud of them.” O

seniors

february 13, 2011

Rave Cinema Classics Series

Mondays at 1 p.m. at Rave Motion Pictures at Levis Commons. Admission $2. Feb. 14: “My Favorite Brunette” (1947) Comedy/romance with Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour and Peter Lorre. A baby photographer, on death row in San Quentin, tells reporters how he got there — by taking care of his private-eye neighbor’s office. Heartland - Holly Glen Heartland - Holly Glen For information, call (419) 874-5963. Our cardiac recovery servicesOuse an Proudly Announces: Our cardiac recovery services use an Proudly Announces: individualized approach to delivering

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Work with elders to pay for care

ou may be taking care of elderly parents now or looking at that possibility in the near future. According to a report from USATODAY/ ABCNews/Gallup Poll, 41 percent of baby boomers are helping take care of elderly parents by providing personal help or financial assistance or both. If financial planning and long-term care planning have not been done previous to the need for care, the burden falls on the caregiving family member. Decisions about how care will be paid for, who will be responsible for managing the estate as Debra well as how the long-term care will be given, can cause stress and contention among family members. It is best for parents and all family members to be involved in planning for future financial needs. The financial resources being used today could change drastically with the occurrence of a stroke, illness or onset of dementia. In order to plan financially for long-term care, you need to know what the costs are now and what they will be in the future. Every year, MetLife does a survey of long-term care costs. Their 2010 survey shows that the average daily rate for a private nursing home is $229 which is up from $219 in 2009. Assisted living monthly base rate cost rose to $3,293 in 2010 from $3131 in 2009. Home health aides average $21 an hour. Planning financial needs can be very difficult, considering you do not know when long term care will be required or how long it will be needed. You can determine what will be needed in certain living situations. Staying in your home for care will require Professional Home Care assistance, travel accommodations to doctor appointments, help with shopping, meals, medical supplies and medication and possibly a 24-hour attendant. Even if a family member is doing most of the

care, eventually professional care will be required or a move to a nursing home facility will be necessary. When evaluating your present income and assets, consider how they would work for future needs. O What are my care options? O What type of long-term care can I afford? O Do I have long term care insurance? O Are there assets I can sell? O If I stay at home how will I pay for care? O Do I have to sell the house to pay for other living arrangements? ROIDL O Are there other financing alternatives? O Do I have life insurance or the means to pay for a funeral and burial? O Will my spouse be cared for financially? O Should I do Medicaid planning? O Do I have the legal documents that may be needed? An article by Thomas Day, director of the National Care Planning Council, titled “Paying the Cost of Care,” reviews some of the financial options that can be used. “Tangible assets that might produce enough income to pay for longterm care might include investment property such as rentals, commercially leased property, land, a farm, second home or a business ... ” “Some individuals are heavy into real estate and short on cash. If the intent was to cash out of the investment at some future point, then a sale is warranted. But, it seems a shame to sacrifice in early years to establish an investment only to throw it away to long term care. It would make more sense to use income from the investments to buy long-term care insurance.” Long-term care insurance is one option for paying for care. Long term care insurance helps pay for the care you need when you can no longer care for yourself. It can protect your fam-

ily’s financial future and your own investments. There are qualifications that need to be met with health and age. This type of insurance is more expensive the older the person and almost impossible to get if age-related illness has already occurred. Senior financial planners, elder law attorneys and veteran benefits consultants can assist you in evaluating your needs and future planning. Senior financial planners are expert in working with seniors and their families to set up long-term care plans. They usually work with an elder law attorney and care manager (professional) to give you all options and resources for care. Elder law attorneys help with Medicaid planning and asset protection as well as legal documents needed for final requests. If staying in your home is a desired option, a reverse mortgage can supply the funds to pay for home care. Another option for veterans who served during a time of war is the Aid & Attendance Benefit. This benefit provides extra income up to $1,949 to help pay for home care, assisted living and medical costs. It will also pay for widows or widowers of the veteran. To learn more about qualifications for these benefits contact a veteran benefit consultant in your area. Knowing your needs and financial resources is paramount before making any long-term care decisions. Working together, both parents and family members can ease the stress and burden of elder care needs. O Debra Roidl, MSW, member of the National Care Planning Council, is a Certified Care Manager in the local greater Toledo area. Read more about her eldercare services at her website, www. independentcaresolutions.com. Debra is available to speak to speak on a wide array of topics. You can reach her for more information by calling (419) 3678835 or e-mailing debra@independent caresolutions.com.

Veteran of the Month Kingston is very honored to present

JERRY FELDSTEIN

After attending Scott High School, Jerry enlisted in the Navy at age 17 and served for two years. During WWII, he was a Signalman on the merchant cargo ship SS John Swett. Most of his service time was spent in the South Pacific and the Philippines, where he also spent some time working at a fleet hospital. Jerry has a daughter and two sons that reside in the Toledo area, along with five grandchildren. He enjoyed his “Honor Flight” in August 2010.

n A15

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seniors

A16 n Toledo Free Press

february 13, 2011

Life

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seniors

february 13, 2011

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n A17

COMMUNITY

BG church fills four trucks with donated food Special to Toledo Free Press news@toledofreepress.com

While many people were preparing for the NFL Super Bowl on Feb. 6, a group from Brookside Church decided to use the day to buy food for those less fortunate. Kevin Crawford, lead teaching pastor of Brookside Church, conducted a special sermon based on the book “Money: God or Gift” and led his congregation of 200 people to Meijer

to buy food for the Bowling Green Christian Food Pantry. He challenged them to buy enough food to fill up four trucks provided for them. “We as a community want to take a step in a way, to be a blessing to the Bowling Green community and beyond,” Crawford said. “Everything we have has been a gift from God. We’re not owners of these gifts. We’re stewards and we’re entrusted with it to distribute it the way God has called us to.” Sara Martin, administrator for

Brookside Church, said Crawford talked a lot about some scriptures and they have been reading through the book “Money: God or Gift.” “He’s been really challenging the thinking about what sacrificial giving really is and what it means for our families,” she said. “We are giving in several ways but can we give more? I really do think it’s a challenge and a hard thing, but it’s something we’re called to do and we want to take that seriously.” Delores Kelly and her son Roger

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Davis, both graduate students at Bowling Green State University, attend Brookside and took part in the food drive to fulfill their duties to the community. “It’s important to give back because when God blesses us, we should be able to share with someone else,” Kelly said. “There’s someone out there who’s hungry. We should be able to give something to someone else that is in need.” Davis agreed. “It’s what we’re called to do by God,” he said. “We have to always be generous to others who are less fortunate.” Martin said there are a lot of ways Brookside Church encourages service and a lot of it comes through its life groups because it is not a church with a building. “We really rely on our families that meet together outside that church,” she said. “We encourage our life groups to do things to reach out to their neighbor. We reach out to anybody that has a need. We try to do that in our everyday life, not just as a church but within the individual families that we have.” Kimberly Willcutt, manager of Meijer Bakery and Deli, said she was pleased to assist in any way she could for the food drive. “We want to be able to give back to the community and show them what we have,” Willcutt said. “We want to welcome them into Meijer and assist them in their mission to give back to the community.” Crawford said this was the first

time he and his congregation have gone shopping together to buy food. “We have collected food for the food pantry on a Sunday morning, but we’ve never gone as a church to go and buy food for the food pantry,” he said. Willcutt said Brookside Church is the first organization Meijer has seen to organize a shopping food drive. “This is basically the first of its kind,” Willcutt said. “It feels good and we’re excited. It gets your blood pumping to have all these people come in here. We’re all one today.” Founded on January 4, 1984, the Bowling Green Christian Food Pantry’s mission is to provide food for people in Wood County who have short-term emergency food needs. They strive to serve those in need in a loving, nonjudgmental and compassionate manner. Shirley Woessner, director of Bowling Green Christian Food Pantry, said she was blown away by Brookside’s donation. “We got a lot of donations over the holidays, but those donations were going through so fast,” Woessner said. “What Brookside Church has done for us is absolutely wonderful. Brookside does a beautiful job and I just can’t thank them enough. It brings tears to your eyes.” Barbara Crites, a member of Brookside Church, said she couldn’t have been happier than to take part in donating to the food pantry. n CHURCH CONTINUES ON A18

photo by richard autry

By Richard Autry

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Brookside CHurch filled four trucks with donated food items.

seniors

A18 n Toledo Free Press

february 13, 2011

ACTIVE SENIORS

Senior Classic seeks senior athletes for summer event

By Kristen Criswell

Toledo Free Press Special Sections Editor krapin@toledofreepress.com

n CHURCH CONTINUED FROM A17 “When the Lord fills your heart and you are blessed beyond measure, you can’t help but bless others,” Crites said. “We saw a need in the community through the pantry being empty and needing supplies, so we wanted to bless others and we came together as a church to fill all these trucks full of food and take them to people in need.” Woessner said the amount of people her food pantry serves varies from month to month. “We serve between 100 and 150 families, which individual-wise runs anywhere from 200 to 300 people,” she said. “The food brought to us should last us a good month or month and a half.” Woessner said those in need who want to be served must get a referral. “They can go to a social service agency, the Salvation Army, Job and Family Services or a church they’re affiliated with,” she said. “They get a referral and come here to get their food. I’m just thrilled to death to have all of this food that we can stock our shelves with. “The shelves get kind of barelooking sometimes but we never turn anybody away that is eligible that comes in with a referral.” Martin said church members want to glorify God and donating to the food pantry is one way they can do that. She said they have been learning a lot about giving and generosity. “We have been very blessed by the Lord and the good gifts he has given us,” Martin said. “We want to extend that in a tangible way to community. This is just one step in the way of doing that and we’re hoping that other people will be encouraged and catch on as well.” Crawford echoed that sentiment. “God has generously given us his grace,” Crawford said. “And we’re called to distribute his grace in multiple different ways. And the gospel in his grace is the center of why we’re giving.” O

On the web

visit www.www.brooksidechurch.net. and click on links for more information.

so individuals may compete against their peers. Brackets for competition are ages 50-54; 55-59; 60-64; 65-69; 70-74; 75-79; 80-84; 85-90; 90+. The classic will feature a wide range of events for individuals to choose from, including track and field, swimming, tennis and table tennis, bowling, softball, 3-on-3 basketball, horseshoes and golf. Participants can sign up for as many sports as they wish.

photo by richard autry

While summer may seem far off for some, the Area Office on Aging (AOoA) is gearing up for its fifth annual 50+ Sports Classic in June. The AOoA encourages anyone older than 50 to sign up and participate in the day’s events.

“Exercise is one of the best ways for seniors to stay healthy and live long healthy lives,” said Justin Moor, vice president of communications and operations for the AOoA. “This event really provides an opportunity for seniors to have fun and meet people who enjoy doing the same activities they do, so they can continue doing them throughout the year.” Competitions are divided among age groups

Brookside CHurch members shopped at Meijer for a Bowling Green food Pantry on SUper Bowl Sunday.

Our s facilitieing are gon! gree

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Winners will receive medals for their events. The 50+ Sports Classic is June 11 at St. Francis High School, 2323 W. Bancroft St., with the opening ceremony starting at 9 a.m. Early registration is $20. Those interested in signing up can fill out the form on page A19 and mail it to the AOoA. More information about the event can be found online at www.areaofficeonaging.com. O

seniors

february 13, 2011

2011 50+ St. Francis de Sales High School, 2323 W. Bancroft St.

An Olympic Event for People 50 Years of Age or Older

REGISTRATION FORM First Name: _____________________________ Last Name: _______________________________ Phone: (_______) ________________________

Address: ___________________________________________ City: ______________________ State: ________

Zip: __________

E-mail Address: ________________________________________ Event Waiver and Release

In consideration of the foregoing, I, for myself, my heirs, executors, administrators, personal representatives, successors and assigns, waive and release any and all rights, claims and courses of action I have or may have against the 50+ Sports Classic. The Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio, Inc., and its affiliates, their agents, employees, officers, direct ors, successors and assigns, the St. Francis deSales High School, the City of Toledo, the City of Toledo Parks and Recreation Department, all other facilities where 50+ Sports Classic events are held, and any and all sponsors, their representatives and successors, that may arise as a result of my participation in The Event and any pre- and post- event activities. I attest and verify that I am physically fit and have sufficiently trained for the completion of this event and my physical condition has been verified by a licensed medical doctor. Further, I hereby grant the Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio (AOoA) permission to use my likeness in a photograph, video and audio in any and all of its publications, Web site entries and commercials, without payment or any other consideration. I understand and agree that these materials will become the property of the AOoA and will not be returned. I hereby irrevocably authorize the AOoA to edit, alter, copy, exhibit, publish or distribute this photograph, video and audio for purposes of publicizing the AOoAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs or for any other lawful purpose. In addition, I waive the right to inspect or approve the finished product, including written or electronic copy, wherein my likeness appears. Additionally, I waive any right to royalties or other compensation arising or related to the use of the photograph, video or audio. I hereby hold harmless and release and forever discharge the AOoA from all claims, demands and causes of action which I, my heirs, representatives, executors, administrators, or any other persons acting on my behalf or on behalf of my estate have or may have by reason of this authorization. I am competent to sign in my own name. I have read this release before signing below and I fully understand the contents, meaning, and impact of this release. By signing below, I agree to the above waiver and release.

_______________________________________________ Signature (Required to Participate)

_______________ Date

Location: Ottawa Park Golf Course, 2201 Ottawa Dr. 7:15 a.m. Golf Location: St. Francis High School, 2323 W. Bancroft St. 9:00 a.m. Opening Ceremony 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Participants Can Do the Following Field Events Anytime During This Timeframe: - Discus - Javelin - Shot Put - Long Jump 9:30 a.m. - 100 Meter Run 9:50 a.m. - 1500 Meter Run 10:30 a.m. - 400 Meter Run 10:50 a.m. - 200 Meter Run 11:00 a.m. - 800 Meter Run 11:20 a.m. - 1500 Meter Speed Walk 11:20 a.m. - Lunch & Track/Field Medals at Reg. Table 11:40 a.m. - Table Tennis Location: St. Francis High School, 2323 W. Bancroft St. 11:40 a.m. - Swimming: 200 Meter Freestyle 11:50 a.m. - Swimming: 200 Meter Individual Medley 12:00 p.m. - Swimming: 50 Meter Breaststroke 12:10 p.m. - Swimming: 50 Meter Butterfly 12:20 p.m. - Swimming: 50 Meter Freestyle 12:30 p.m. - Swimming: 100 Meter Indiv. Medley 12:40 p.m. - Swimming: 200 Meter Backstroke 12:50 p.m. - Swimming: 200 Meter Breaststroke 1:00 p.m. - Swimming: 100 Meter Freestyle 1:10 p.m. - Swimming: 100 Meter Butterfly 1:20 p.m. - Swimming: 100 Meter Backstroke 1:30 p.m. - Swimming: 100 Meter Breaststroke 1:40 p.m. - Swimming: 500 Meter Freestyle 1:00 p.m. - Foul Shooting Contest 2:00 p.m. - 3-on-3 Basketball 3:00 p.m. - Volleyball Location: Ottawa Park, 2201 Ottawa Parkway 10:00 p.m. - Tennis Location: Navarre Park, 1020 Varland Ave. 10:00 a.m. - Softball Location: Jermaine Park, N. Cove Blvd. & Upton Ave. 11:45 a.m. - Horseshoes Location: Bowlero Lanes, 4398 Monroe St. 5:00 p.m. - Bowling

Registration Fees (By paying this registration fee once, you can participate in an unlimited number of events, including

team events. If you are only playing in a team event, your team only has to pay the registration fee listed below. Team members who are also playing in an individual event must fill out their own registration form and pay their registration fee.)

$20 Early Registration (registration form must be postmarked/submitted by June 1, 2011) $30 Registrations After June 6 (registration available June 11 at St. Francis 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.)

For Those Participating in a Team Event, Please Have Your Team Captain Fill This Out for the Entire Team. For Those Who Want to Participate in a Team Event, But Who Do Not Have Teammates, Please Fill Out Your Name As the Team Captain and We Will Try to Place You on a Team

Registration is also available on-line at www.areaofficeonaging.com/sports.pdf

Sport: Basketball

Method of Payment: Check / Money Order payable to: Area Office on Aging Mail check / money order and completed registration form to:

Team Name: Team Captain:

Visa

Mastercard

{

Area Office on Aging, Attn: Fiscal Dept. 2155 Arlington Ave. Toledo, Ohio 43609

Card Number: Expiration Date: MONTH

3 Digit Security Code:

n A19

Please Check All the Events You Wish to Enter

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Date of Birth: ________/_________/19_____

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

Tennis

Player 2: Player 3: Player 4: Player 5:

Bowling

Softball

Player 6: Player 7: Player 8: Player 9: Player 10: Player 11:

(Player 1)

YEAR

Signature: ____________________________________

Volleyball

Please Choose Your T-Shirt Size(s)

XXL

community

A20 n Toledo Free Press

february 13, 2011

Paid Advertisement

This Week Collectors Are Paying Cash! International Vintage Guitar Collectors Association By Bryan Durbin STAFF WRITER The International Vintage Guitar Collectors Association will be placing ads in newspapers, radio and running television spots this week asking people to bring in any and all guitars. Those that do bring in their guitars will be able to speak with collectors one on one and have their items looked at with an expert set of eyes. With the help of these IVGCA members, offers will be made to those that have vintage and modern guitars. Highest prices are paid for those made before 1970. All guitars will be examined and purchased including vintage guitars, acoustic guitars, banjos, any and all other types of musical instruments. Those that decide to sell their items will be paid on the spot. If you are like a lot of people you might have an old Vintage Guitar lying around. If you have ever wondered what it’s worth, now might be your chance to find out and even sell it, if you choose. Vintage guitars could be worth a lot according to the International Vintage Guitar Collectors Association also known as IVGCA. Collectors will pay a fortune for Vintage Guitars, Banjos, Acoustic Guitars and even Drum Sets for their collections. If they are rare enough, one could be worth over $100,000 according to David Mcintosh, Vintage Guitar Collector and IVGCA member. One 1960 Gibson Les Paul went for $100,000 to a collector in July of 2007. While that is an extreme example, many rare and valuable guitars are stashed away in attics, closets, basements, or in a garage around the country. The IVGCA and its collectors have organized a traveling event in search of all types of Vintage Guitars and Instruments. “Even common guitars can be worth a significant amount due to high collector demands,” says Mcintosh. The rarest guitars these collectors are looking for include: Martin, Gibson, Gretsch and Rickenbacker. These guitars always bring big premiums according to the IVGCA. While the IVGCA’s specialty is guitars, they are also examining other instruments, including drum sets, banjos, flutes, clarinets, etc. The IVGCA says, “You never really know what you have until your item is evaluated by experts.” Whatever kind of instrument you may have, bring it in to our experts. Think about it. You could walk away $100,000 richer!”

So, whether you have one instrument you think might be valuable or a large collection you recently inherited, you can talk to these collectors for free. If you’re lucky, you may have a rarity worth thousands. Either way, there is nothing to lose and it sounds like fun.

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n A21

FINANCES

By Duane Ramsey

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER dramsey@toledofreepress.com

Image Integration Systems (IIS) of Perrysburg is entering a growth phase in its business and recently received a significant investment in capital from Plymouth Venture Partners to finance that planned growth. IIS specializes in the automation of accounts payable processes and document management software solutions. It offers a suite of content and workflow software, DocuSphere, an accounts payable system with all associated consultation, installation, implementation, training and support, according to IIS President Brad White. The firm’s primary business is automating accounts payable for JD Edwards software package users, generally large corporations with $500 million in sales and up, White said. It serves customers around the world, including Border’s Books, Macy’s, Marathon Oil, Royal Dutch Shell Oil, the Shaw Group and Turner Industries. “We have one of the best solutions for JD Edwards,” with about 6 to 8 percent of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software but wanted to move into Oracle and SAP that represent 60 to 70 percent of the ERP marketplace, White said. DocuSphere can reduce the manual system for processing invoices in 14 to 15 days to three days and the cost to process invoices from $15 to $3 per invoice, he said. IIS needed capital to help it expand and “serve a tenfold increase in the size of the playground we work in,” White said. “There’s a real need for capital in this region and we’re right for this size market,” said Mark Horne, CEO and managing partner of Plymouth Management Company with investor Bob Savage of Toledo, Jeff Barry and Ann Arbor’s Ian Bund, chairman and founder. Plymouth Venture Partners is actively looking to make about 18 investments of $1 million to $3 million in growth stage companies primarily in Ohio and Michigan with estab-

toledo free press photo by duane ramsey

Local software firm receives venture capital investment

Brad White (seated) demonstrates DocuSphere for investors Bob Savage and Mark Horne.

lished revenues between $3 million and $7 million, according to Horne. IIS generated revenues of about $3 million last year, providing accounts payable solutions for 70 percent of its customers that receive a return-oninvestment as fast as six months with its application. The firm expects to double that revenue in the next year, White said. “It’s really great having these guys in our backyard. There is a considerable amount of value they bring to the table. I don’t have experience in building a plan or growing a company while they have a super track record,” White said. After making 29 investments with Fund I, the venture capital firm has raised nearly $30 million in capital for Fund II, the only new fund in Mich-

igan, according to Horne. “The benefit of a strong record with Fund I has allowed us to raise additional capital for Fund II,” said Horne, who works out of offices in Ann Arbor and Toledo. Savage was involved in seven of the 29 investments with Fund I and joined the firm last year. He continues to manage investments by his firm, Savage Consulting, and Rocket Ventures of the Regional Growth Partnership. As part of the investment in IIS, Savage has a seat on its board of directors and Horne serves as an observing member of the board. “We always take a board seat with our investments and try to have two partners actively involved with the companies we invest in,” Horne said. “A month into the investment,

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the company is already ahead of plan by hiring five new people this year,” Savage said. IIS hired two sales executives, a business analyst, development manager, and lead quality assurance person. It could be adding several more new hires in the near future, White said. Two objectives of the plan were adding sales resources and expanding product into the Oracle and SAP markets, Horne said. Image Integration Systems is a privately owned C-corporation with four shareholders, including Plymouth Venture Partners as one shareholder. It has operated in the Toledo area since 1993 and from its current location in Perrysburg since 1999. The original founders of IIS worked for Software Alternatives, which went

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out of business in 1993. IIS rose out of the ashes of that company upon recommendation by JD Edwards, which used the original system developed by Software Alternatives. IIS started with six people and has experienced slow controlled growth, moving from a reseller of software to a developer of it, White said. The company has 18 employees with 10 directly involved in the software process. One programmer telecommutes from Colorado while a project leader living in Maryland travels around the world, working with clients Monday through Friday. “Our transactional processing is different than others. It’s not an accounts payable program that drives the system. We let the business process drive what happens,” White said. O

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onstructing a financial plan, much less having the either renter’s or homeowner’s — so be ready. Do you file your own taxes? If not, someone (please use a discipline to stick to it, is no easy task. As Americans grow up and enter the work force, there is a period of CPA) is going to want to get paid for filing your taxes for you. All of these expenses (and more) need to adjustment to the “real world” and the responbe considered as we young Americans begin sibilities that come with being mature adults. entering the work force and providing for ourUnfortunately, this has been no different selves. Of course, let’s not forget the imporfor recent generations (late members of Gentance of saving, which is absolutely a must for eration X, Y and even some older members anyone who ever wants to retire. of Generation Z) who have graduated from Many employers provide retirement benecollege or grad school and are now looking fits for their employees, most often as a 401(k). for work. It’s important to spend a little time, after being Thanks to many of the Baby Boomers, hired, to learn a little about any retirement quite a few members of these generations now entering “maturity” are really anything but. Dock David TREECE benefits offered by your employer. If they have a 401(k) setup for their employees, find out Many of the Baby Busters (X), Millennials (Y) and Internet Generation (Z) might just as easily be lumped whether they match employee contributions. It’s also good to know the limits on contributions, as well as investment together to form The Allowance Generation. You heard me right: We had it too good. Our parents options within the plan. If your employer doesn’t have a plan, be the responsible made things too easy for us. Many of us newly crowned “adults” have never had to balance a checkbook or even pay adult and set one up for yourself. There are plenty of tools our own bills. We’ve grown accustomed to spending what- available to help people put money away for retirement, ever is handed to us, a habit that can be dangerous now that many of which will also help save money on taxes. Spend some time doing research, or find a professional to help you we’re grown-ups. It’s time we, as budding Americans, adjusted our thinking navigate the world of finance. Most importantly — and this is a lesson for investors of to become responsible members of the American machine. At the top of the list is the realization that a weekly paycheck is all generations — is not to get discouraged. Understand that not an allowance, so do not go spend it all. We have obvious everything fluctuates: the stock market will go up and down; expenses, which some of us have been taking care of for a while jobs will come and go; household expenses will change. The best thing we can do is adjust. Improvise, adapt, now. We need to set aside money for outlays including: Rent (or a mortgage payment if you’re lucky enough to overcome, but don’t abandon your plan in frustration. have bought a house); car payment; auto insurance; utilities Anyone who wants to see retirement will have to stay disciplined and stick with his or her plan. Nobody ever said like gas and electric. Sound simple? Hold on a second; let’s not get ahead of growing up was easy. O ourselves. There are plenty of other less-obvious expenses, Dock David Treece is a discretionary money manager with and we need to be prepared. For instance, if you own a car, chances are at some point Treece Investment Advisory Corp. and a stockbroker licensed something will go wrong with it. Service and repairs cost with FINRA. The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investmoney; might as well start putting aside money now. Whether you rent or own, you’ll want insurance — ment advice or used without outside verification.

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A24 n Toledo Free Press

Business Link: money matters

february 13, 2011

THE RETIREMENT GUYS

s we sit here warming our tootsies, making our way out of this week’s winter snowstorm, the good news is, spring is coming. I (Mark) got to experience some of that early. In January, I turned the big 5-0 and told my wife Lisa that I did not want any surprise party and just wanted it to be another birthday without too much Mark fanfare. Although I Nolan did not want a party, Lisa wanted to give some kind of gift to recognize this landmark event. I am a huge lifelong Detroit Tigers fan and was a decent athlete back in the day, so she asked me if I would like to attend the Detroit Tigers Fantasy Camp. My answer was, “YEAH YEAH YEAH!” If you have never heard what this kind of fantasy camp is, it is a week of going to Florida where the Detroit Tigers have spring training and playing baseball and hanging out with other nuts like me, as well as former Detroit Tiger players. Attendees are assigned to a team and compete with the other teams to “win the championship.” You are given a personalized locker and both a home and away Tiger uniform with your name on the back and the number of your choice. I chose number 11, which was always my number going back to Little League and just so happens to be the number of the great former manager of the Tigers Sparky Anderson, which the Tigers will retire in his honor this season. I must say that I think I looked pretty good in the uniform. I sure felt good. I was assigned to a team that would be coached by former Tigers pitcher Walt Terrell and Jim Price, who was a catcher for the 1968 World Champions and currently serves as an announcer on the radio for the team. You may remember some of the former players that were there to serve as coaches, you may remember if you are a baseball fan: Willie Horton, Mickey Lolich, John Hiller, Willie Hernandez, Rick Leach and Milt Wilcox among others. The theme of the camp was Mr. Tiger, the great Al Kaline, who was honored at a banquet and conducted a hitting clinic. As the coaches explained what to expect for the week they said that the motto of the camp was to “start out slow and taper off.” Since the average age of the campers attending was about 52, boy they were right. They understood that by the middle of the week campers would start dropping like flies

with injuries. That is why 16 players on a team were not too many. I got through the first day OK. It consisted of several hitting and fielding clinics, batting practice and our first game. We lost and unfortunately, our team got into a bad pattern of not being able to score many runs. The second day wasn’t any better as far as winCLAIR ning and we lost our BAKER two games in what would end up being a five-game losing streak. I fully intended before I got to Florida to do everything possible not to get hurt. I wanted to make sure I would come back in one piece so I could continue without a problem taking care of my responsibilities here at home. That did not happen. I hit a ball and while

running to first base realized if I did not speed up I would be called out. My athletic instincts took over and I accelerated to try to beat the throw and felt something pop in the back of my leg. I went tumbling to the ground and “pulled a hammy” (hamstring), and to add to my embarrassment from gracefully falling on my face, I was called out. Would our team be able to recover from our five-game losing streak? Would I be able to overcome my injuries (notice this is plural)? Would I get the autograph of my favorite player? To be continued ... O

For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 p.m. on 1370 WSPD or visit www. retirementguysradio.com. Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC. The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. (419) 842-0550.

Photo courtesy Mark Clair

When a game isn’t just a game (part 1)

Mark Clair in full Tiger mode at Fantasy camp.

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FUNDRAISERS

Red Cross sees stars for Oscar Night By James A. Molnar

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer jmolnar@toledofreepress.com

Attendees of the eighth annual OSCAR Night at Owens Community College on Feb. 27 will get star treatment from the moment they arrive. Guests are driven from their cars to the red carpet and greeted by cheering fans and flashing lights. They are then interviewed by WTOL 11 personalities Chrys Peterson and Jerry Anderson, both of whom have been greeters since the event’s inception. “You really get the feel of Hollywood in Toledo,” said Jodie Tienvieri, organizer of the event and communications manager for the Greater Toledo Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. “It’s a great way for an entrance.” The “black-tie preferred” soirée benefits the local chapter of the Red Cross. Last year, the event raised more than $47,000 with nearly 500 people in attendance. “I really think people enjoy dressing up,” Tienvieri said. “It’s kind of nice to have an event where you can ‘paint the town red.’” From 6 to 10 p.m., the choices are endless for guests at Owens’ Center for Fine and Performing Arts. The Academy Awards will play on the big screen in the auditorium. Local swing, jump blues band Hepcat Revival will entertain in the dessert

photo by colleen taylor, TSS photography

february 13, 2011

HepCat Revival at the 2010 Red Cross Oscar Night.

room. A DJ will help guests cut loose in another area. This year, gaming has been added. Guests can play blackjack, poker or the Big 6 wheel in the gym to win raffle tickets. Prizes for the raffle include a TV, jewelry and a week at a condo in Orlando, Fla. More than 25 local restaurants are donating food and volunteering their time. From BBQ to sushi, a variety of foods will be offered. “We call it heavy grazing,” she said.

“No one walks away hungry.” With no set program or schedule, guests can mingle and roam between different areas throughout the evening. “Not only do people think it’s a great event for the community, people know it’s a great cause to be attending for,” Tienvieri said. Tickets for OSCAR Night are $100 each and can be purchased by calling (419) 329-2619 or visiting www.red crosstoledo.org. They can also be purchased at the door. O

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sports

A26 n Toledo Free Press

february 13, 2011

BAUMANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s BREAKDOWN

UT hockey club features a few good men W ithout much outside funding, sponsorship or press, the University of Toledo Ice Hockey Club is quietly making a positive impact on the Toledo community and the players who don the UT sweater when they step on the ice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely something thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a point of pride for us,â&#x20AC;? Rocketsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; General Manager Greg Urig said in a phone interview with Toledo Free Press. Urig, who graduated from Toledo last year with his bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in mechanical engineering, spent four years with the UT Ice Hockey Club as a player, serving as team president for three of those years and team captain his senior year. Urig realized the importance of charity and the impact of giving

back after Toledo took on Monroe County Community Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now defunct club hockey team three years ago, when MCCC invited the Rockets to take part in its Big Brothers Big Sisters charity event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what really got the ball rolling,â&#x20AC;? Urig said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We saw what a great event that was that they put on, and it was a great opporMike tunity for us. After participating in that event, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve really started to push and try to do some more on our own to help raise awareness for different causes [and] help give back to the community that gives us the opportunity to play hockey.â&#x20AC;?

Toledo has done just that. This year marked the second straight season the Rockets hosted a Cystic Fibrosis Benefit Game, where it raised and donated $2,040 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in its contest with Akron at Tam-OShanter Nov. 13. That is an increase from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total of more than $1,600. On Oct. 29, BAUMAN Toledo hosted a Kids Night when it played Michigan, where up to three kids got in free with the admission of an adult present in a game that included giveaways, prizes, chuck-a-puck, costume contest and player autographs. In ad-

dition, the Rockets will host its third annual Big Brothers Big Sisters game at home on Feb. 19 against Wright State to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Ohio. Toledo also knows how to have fun. This year marks the second consecutive season for Winterfest, which the club modeled after the NHLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Winter Classic. The Rockets will host Jackson Community College from Michigan at Ottawa Park Ice Rink for outdoor games at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13, which are free for UT students and will feature an open skate afterwards. Through the sponsorship of the UT Sport Club Council and Campus Activities and Programming, the

team hosted a snowman-building contest as well as Snowtag (pronounced Snow-taug), where students built sleds to race on the hill at Parks Tower. The event was modeled after Red Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flugtag, using sleds instead of flying contraptions. And, in UT Ice Hockey Club fashion, charity is involved with Winterfest. Proceeds from the games will go to the Cherry Street Mission, and fans who bring canned goods will receive free admission. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We could be a hockey team and everyone would be OK with it,â&#x20AC;? Urig said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No one would fault us for just being a hockey team, but to take on that extra challenge of doing all this charity work, I think it teaches you a lot of great things.â&#x20AC;? O

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RETAIL

By Duane Ramsey

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER dramsey@toledofreepress.com

Not only are batteries included, they are almost exclusive at the new Batteries Plus store that opened Jan 25 in Toledo. With access to more than 40,000 batteries and accessories, it is likely to meet the battery needs of consumers and businesses. Located on Secor Road just north of Central Avenue, it is the franchise company’s first store in Northwest Ohio, according to Krishna Mallya, owner of the Batteries Plus store. “We carry batteries for just about everything that runs on them,” said Mallya, who opened his first Batteries Plus store in Ann Arbor about a year ago. “We go with good, better, best in brands of batteries to offer a wide variety,” he said, adding that Duracell, Energizer, Procell and Ray-o-Vac are the top-selling brands. Mallya opened his second Batteries Plus store in an existing 1,500-squarefoot building formerly occupied by an American Cellular store that relocated in Westgate Village. The nation’s largest battery retail chain focuses on the $24 billion battery industry, serving both consumers and business customers by offering a one-stop source for all their battery needs, according to the company. Mallya reported that about 60 percent of the business is retail, selling batteries and accessories to consumers. The remaining 40 percent is

commercial, selling to businesses. “Batteries Plus provides unmatched service and expertise along with batteries of virtually every shape and size,” he said. “In an age of increased portability, our society is dependent on batteries and we look forward to meeting the ongoing battery needs of the Toledo community.” Batteries Plus stocks batteries for thousands of household products such as flashlights, cell phones, digital cameras, hearing aids, laptop computers, electronic devices, toys and watches. It also carries batteries for cars, golf carts, motorcycles, mobility scooters, construction, lawn and garden equipment and marine uses. The battery store also sells accessories including battery chargers, cleaners, terminals and jumper cables for cars and trucks to help customers handle any battery problems caused by the heat or cold. “We have batteries for the new Kindle electronic book,” Mallya said. The store also carries batteries for cordless phones and tools, car and garage door remotes, programmable vacuum cleaners and lithium photo batteries. Batteries Plus of Toledo tests car batteries and the charging and starting systems of all cars for free. We will recommend the right battery for your vehicle and install it while you wait, said Mallya. The Toledo store also has the equipment to assemble, rebuild, test, condition and design custom battery packs for rechargeable household and commercial products in its on-site

toledo free press photo by charlie longton

Batteries Plus opens first store in Northwest Ohio

From left, Dan Louks, manager; Krishna Mallya, owner; and associate Andrew Rupp at the new Batteries Plus store.

Tech Center. “Rechargeable batteries are a growing market and our future,” said Mallya, who is closely involved in the commercial side of the business. Mallya hired two full-time employees, Dan Louks as manager and Andy Rupp as an associate, both from Ida, Mich. He said he plans to hire a third part-time employee for the Toledo store. As the nation’s leader in battery recycling, Batteries Plus stores offer recycling of old lead acid, nickel

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Batteries Plus is the largest and fastest growing battery retailer with 430 stores in 45 states, selling more than 50 million batteries per year. It was designated as the nation’s fastest growing specialty retailer by Inc. Magazine and ranked as the No. 1 battery franchise by both Dun & Bradstreet and Entrepreneur Magazine. O

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wheels

A28 n Toledo Free Press

february 13, 2011

INDUSTRY

Super Bowl Eminem ad sends shivers through Motor City

DETROIT (AP) — To a pulsating beat, hip-hop star Eminem drives a sleek Chrysler through the streets of Detroit, proudly cruising by the city's landmarks, towering skyscrapers and the hopeful faces of its people. His journey ends with an unapologetic message: “This is the Motor City, and this is what we do.'' A day after it aired, one of the most talked-about Super Bowl ads sent shivers of pride through the battered city, which hopes car buyers are willing to look past Chrysler’s billiondollar bailout and embrace the idea that if a vehicle is “Imported from Detroit,” that’s reason enough to buy it. “It’s like an anthem or rallying cry for Detroit,” Aaron Morrison of Mason City, Iowa, told The Associated Press via Facebook. “It makes me want to buy my next car made in America.'' The two-minute ad was unusual for its length, airing during a broadcast in which a 30-second spot costs $3 million. And it framed the gritty urban images, including vacant factories, with an attitude that embraced the city's past and its survival instinct. “What does this city know about luxury, huh?” the narrator asks.

“What does a town that's been to hell and back know about the finer things in life? Well, I’ll tell you — more than most. You see, it’s the hottest fires that make the hardest steel.” “Because when it comes to luxury, it’s as much about where it’s from as who it’s for. Now, we’re from America, but this isn’t New York City or the Windy City or Sin City, and we’re certainly no one’s Emerald City.” The Chrysler ad was “the big story of the night,” according to NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey Co. that tracks online buzz. Consumers repeated the “Imported from Detroit” slogan in online comments, the company said. For Chrysler, which emerged from bankruptcy in June 2009, right before General Motors, the commercial kicked off an advertising campaign that it hopes draws buyers back to showrooms and revives the brand. “Detroit’s ascendancy mirrors Eminem’s own struggles and accomplishments,” Chrysler brand CEO and President Olivier Francois said in an e-mail to the AP. “This is not simply yet another celebrity in a TV spot. It has meaning. Like his music and story, the new Chrysler is ‘Imported from

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1. Based on Polk U.S. Vehicles In Operation registration statistics MY 1991-2011 as of July, 2010. 2. No down payment with approved credit through Toyota Financial Services – Tier I Plus, Tier I, II & III customers only. See dealer for terms and condition. 3. Toyota Financial Services $500 Bonus/Subvention cash only available on new 2011 Camry (excludes Hybrid). May be combined with Toyota Financial Services special reduced APR and Lease offers, but cannot be combined with Toyota $1,250 customer cash. Must take retail delivery from new dealer stock between 2/1/11 and 2/28/11. 4. New 2011 Camry LE Model 2532. Lease end purchase option $13,557. $1,999 Due at Lease Signing includes $1,150 Customer Down Payment + First Month’s Payment of $199 + $650 Acquisition Fee. Toyota Financial Services $500 Bonus/ Subvention Cash must be applied towards due at signing – reduces $2,499 due at signing to $1,999 due at signing.* 5. New 2011 Camry LE 2.5L 4-cylinder 6-speed automatic (22 MPG City), new 2010 Prius 51/48/50 city/hwy/combined, new 2011 RAV4 4x4 2.5L 4-cylinder (21 MPG City), and new 2011 Sienna LE 2WD 8-passenger 2.7L 4-cylinder (19 MPG City). Actual mileage will vary. 6. New 2010 Prius 5-Door Hatchback II Model 1223. Lease end purchase option $13,908.* 7. New 2011 RAV4 4x4 Model 4432. Lease end purchase option $15,595. 8. New 2011 Sienna LE Model 5538. Lease end purchase option $17,460.* 9. Customer cash directly from Toyota Motor Sales, U. S. A., Inc. Dealer participation may affect consumer cost. 10. Covers normal factory scheduled service.Plan is 2 years or 25K miles, whichever comes first. The new Toyota vehicle cannot be part of a rental or commercial fleet or a livery or taxi vehicle. See plan for complete coverage details. See participating Toyota dealer for details. * NO SECURITY DEPOSIT subject to approved credit through Toyota Financial Services/Toyota Lease Trust (TLT MI & OH) – Tier I PLUS customers ONLY. Excludes state and local taxes, tags, registration and title, and insurance. Ohio sales tax due at lease inception. License and applicable fees are extra. Lessee may be charged for excessive wear based on Toyota Financial Services/Toyota Lease Trust (TLT MI & OH) standards for normal use and for mileage in excess of 36,000 miles at the rate of $0.15 per mile. A $350 Disposition Fee is due at lease termination. 2, 4, 6, 7, 8 & 9: Must take retail delivery from new dealer stock between 2/1/11 and 2/28/11. APR, Customer Cash & Lease offers may not be combined. See participating dealer for details. Individual dealer prices may vary. Offers may vary by region. VEHICLE IMAGES USED FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY. Expiration for this ad is 2/28/11.

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Still, Chrysler said, the entire commercial was shot in Detroit with a local cast and crew, and the voiceover work was done by Kevin Yon, who is from Michigan. O

Wieden + Kennedy, a Portland, Ore.based agency known for its work with Nike. Chrysler switched after its previous advertising agency, a famous firm called BBDO, closed its Detroit office.

Detroit’ with pride.” Of course, the tagline is not without some irony: Italian automaker Fiat Group SpA now owns 25 percent of Chrysler, and the ad was produced by

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february 13, 2011

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

n A29

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ARTS Life

A30 n Toledo Free Press

february 13, 2011

IN CONCERT

By Vicki L. Kroll

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer vkroll@toledofreepress.com

“I’d plug in my guitar and look out across the room, And I’d dig into my heart and try to sing the truth” — “An Unexpected Rain” Her album titles say it all: “Brave and Crazy.” “Never Enough.” “Yes I Am.” “Your Little Secret.” “Breakdown.” “Skin.” “Lucky.” “The Awakening.” “Fearless Love.” Melissa Etheridge is one rocker who isn’t afraid to bare her soul; she likes her music raw. “Melody, lyric, rhythm and [a good song] has to have a spirit, a soul in it, something that connects with listeners and makes them want to sing it, feel it, hear it, dance to it — it gives something to the listener,” Etheridge said. The singer-songwriter has shared her life through music. And it’s been a highly publicized story. As her career took off, she told the world she was gay. Then she and her partner, Julie Cypher, had two children, thanks to surrogate father David Crosby. Following their breakup, Etheridge wed actress Tammy Lynn Michaels in 2003. One year later, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2006, Michaels had twins. The couple split last year. Through it all there have been songs: “Bring Me Some Water,” “No Souvenirs,” “Ain’t It Heavy,” “Come to My Window,” “I’m the Only One,” “I Want to Come Over,” “Angels Would Fall,” “I Want to be in Love,” “I Need to Wake Up.” Her latest single, “Broken Heart Sun,” a duet with Serena Ryder, will be released in Canada on Feb. 15. Etheridge will play at 9 p.m. Feb. 26 at Caesars Windsor. Ryder will open. Tickets range from $54 to $82. The Grammy- and Academy Award-winning artist answered questions from her Los Angeles home for Toledo Free Press. TFP: Is it true your daughter, Bailey, helped name your latest disc, “Fearless Love”? Etheridge: Oh yeah. This was the first album that my kids were actually interested in and I told them from the beginning I was writing it, kind of showing them the process of what I do. And she said, “Well, have you thought of a title for your album yet?” And I said, “I’m thinking of ‘Songs of Fear and Love.’ ” And she goes, “Oh, Mom, that’s way too long.” And I said, “Well, I don’t know, how about just ‘Fearless’?” And

James Minchin III

Etheridge on ‘Fearless Love,’ Bowersox, Broadway

she goes, “Mom, that’s Taylor Swift’s album.” And she said, “How about ‘Fearless Love’?” And I thought, whoa, that’s pretty cool, yeah. I’ll have to write a song because it sounds so cool. TFP: It’s a great title. Etheridge: The whole subject of fearless love is what the album is about. There’re only two choices: You’re either choosing love or choosing fear, and the stages of love are what move you ahead. So “Fearless Love” is a song, a statement: I want a fearless love; I won’t settle for anything less; I’m going to move, I’m going to reach

for this and what I believe in. TFP: Another song on the disc, “Miss California,” is about something you believe in. Etheridge: “Miss California” comes from a very frustrated place in me. I’ve lived in California for 30 years. I love this state. I’ve always been here because I felt very comfortable and very accepted and it’s a very open, artistic place. When we went through the whole Proposition 8 [that banned gay marriage], I couldn’t believe what was happening; it turned me upsidedown. I was surprised because I

thought we’d all gotten over that here in California, but some people’s fear is deeper than you know. So I decided I wanted to write a song that’s along the lines of — of course you remember Burton Cummings and The Guess Who’s “American Woman”? Now I remember as a kid listening to that song and kind of singing it, and my dad was like, “You know that’s a protest song.” And I was like, “What?” “He’s singing about the country of America, not really a woman.” And I went, oh, that’s interesting. So I thought I

want to write a song that’s rockin’ and it sounds like a love song, but it’s really a political song. TFP: What is “Drag Me Away” about? Etheridge: It’s a song saying I’m not ready to die; I’m going to heal. I’ve got too much to do. It’s sort of about breast cancer and going through that and thinking about death and having a spiritual awakening after that. TFP: People still talk about your tribute to Janis Joplin at the 2005 Grammys. What did that performance mean to you? n ETHERIDGE CONTINUES ON A31

ARTS Life

february 13, 2011 n ETHERIDGE CONTINUED FROM A30 Etheridge: It was one of those fear and love choices: I had the opportunity to do this, I could love myself and go “OK, I’m going to be bald, but I love myself, I’m going to do it,” or I could have said, “Oh, I’m going to be bald and been fearful and said no.” And so I chose love and it was a triumph for me. TFP: You’ve become a spokes-

woman for several causes — gay rights, the environment, breast cancer. Was that a surprise? Etheridge: What I find is the more I just live honestly and speak honestly, the more activist that is considered. I don’t attend meetings or go anywhere or do anything, I just stand up and say, “Hey, I’m gay, or hey, I think this is silly, why don’t we do this. And it

AT THE CHEF’S TABLE

Saturday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. With Chef Bill at our Maumee Location Contact Chef Bill for details or reservations at 419-794-4000.

A five course sampling of the regional cuisines of India with matching wines. A culinary and ht. cultural delight.

looks like activism. TFP: You recorded a live version of “I Run for Life” with Crystal Bowersox last fall to benefit Komen for the Cure. When did you first hear of her? Etheridge: I don’t watch “American Idol.” My kids came in and said, “Mom, there’s a girl auditioning who’s got your autograph on her guitar,” and I thought, what? And so I looked,

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

and they were like, “She’s good!” And I watched it, and I could see the raw, real talent that reminded me of myself growing up in the Midwest, playing in the bars, playing in the bands, and so I reached out to her because I thought she had talent. Tot like star-overnight talent, but the kind that sticks around, the talent that wants to create, to perform and to transmute energy and music. And I met her and she indeed is that, and she’s a friend of the family. TFP: You filled in for Billie Joe Armstrong in “American Idiot” on Broadway, and you performed in “Million Dollar Quartet” last year. Is that something you want to pursue? Etheridge: Not so much performing on Broadway, because I think that’s some of the hardest work that any performers do, and I don’t know if I want to work that hard [laughs].

n A31

But I am in the process of creating a musical for Broadway. TFP: Offer a tease about the show? Etheridge: It’s just a very classic Broadway musical; I’m old-school. TFP: Would you say a few words about the power of music? Etheridge: I think in this day and age where we thought technology would lead us to some sort of sterile, white place where we all talked and dressed the same, I think it’s so amazing to see one of the things that remains strong and important is music. People still love to be entertained, they love to take music and fill themselves with it, and that will never change. O

On the web

visit www.melissaetheridge.com and click on links for more information.

Call Chef Bill per person Kolhoff for details. red. Reservations required. Limited seating.

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©2011 Oldemark LLC. The Wendy’s name, design and logo, and Frosty are trademarks of Oldemark LLC. and are licensed to Wendy’s International, Inc. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and design and Wendy’s Wonderful Kids and design are registered trademarks of Oldemark LLC. and are licensed to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

CLASSIFIED

A32 ■ TOLEDO FREE PRESS

COMMUNITY

FEBRUARY 13, 2011

FOR SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

MISCELLANEOUS

The Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA) is seeking proposals from qualified licensed, and insured electrical contracting companies for the purpose of providing electrical construction and repair services to LMHA.

The Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority is seeking bids from qualified contractors to furnish all labor, materials, and equipment for the following project(s):

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PROJECT LMHA – Agency Wide PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING DATE Tuesday, February 22, 2011 @ 10:00am at 201 Belmont Modernization Department, Toledo, OH 43604 PROPOSAL DUE DATE Tuesday, March 1, 2011 @ 10:00am at 201 Belmont Modernization Department Please direct questions regarding this proposal to, Tom Neeb (419) 259-9419 or via email to tneeb@lucashmha.org. Copies of the plans and specifications for this project are on file at City Blueprint of Toledo, 3455 Briarfield Boulevard, Suite D, Maumee, OH 43537, (419) 243-7271. Please fax your order to (419) 243-6418. Visa, MasterCard, cash or company checks are accepted. These documents are also available at the following web address: www.lucasmha.org and selecting procurement, open solicitations. All offerors shall be required to meet the Affirmative Action requirements and Equal Employment Opportunity requirements as described in Executive Order #11246. Each bidder must insure that all employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, handicap, age, ancestry, creed, or military status.

PROJECT 550 Hyatt – Comprehensive Renovation McClinton Nunn Toledo OH 43605 PROJECT NUMBER 210125 WALK-THRU DATE Tuesday, February 8, 2011 @ 11:00am at 550 Hyatt BID DUE DATE Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 11:00am at 201 Belmont Modernization Department Bids will be opened and reviewed in the Modernization Department, at 201 Belmont Avenue, Toledo Ohio 43604, on the date shown above. Please direct questions regarding this project to, Kara Lennard (419) 259-9469 or email klennard@lucasmha.org. Copies of the plans and specifications for this project are on file at City Blueprint of Toledo, 3455 Briarfield Boulevard, Suite D, Maumee, OH 43537, (419) 243-7271. Please fax your order to (419) 243-6418. Visa, MasterCard, cash or company checks are accepted. These documents are also available at the following web address: www.lucasmha.org and selecting procurement, open solicitations. All bidders shall be required to meet the Affirmative Action requirements and Equal Employment Opportunity requirements as described in Executive Order #11246. Each bidder must insure that all employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, handicap, age, ancestry, creed, or military status.

The Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority is seeking bids from qualified contractors to furnish all labor, materials, and equipment for the following project(s): PROJECT 136 Ravine Park – Renovation Ravine Park Village 22 Poplar Street, Toledo OH 43605 PROJECT NUMBER 210083 WALK-THRU DATE Tuesday, February 8, 2011 @ 10:00am at 136 Ravine Park BID DUE DATE Thursday, February 17, 2011 @ 11:00am at 201 Belmont Modernization Department

The Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA) is seeking proposals from qualified licensed, and insured environmental, abatement and demolition companies for the purpose of providing hazardous material abatement services and demolition services to LMHA. PROJECT LMHA – Agency Wide PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING DATE Tuesday, February 22, 2011 @ 11:00am at 201 Belmont Modernization Department, Toledo, OH 43604 PROPOSAL DUE DATE Tuesday, March 1, 2011 @ 4:00 pm at 201 Belmont Modernization Department

Bids will be opened and reviewed in the Modernization Department, at 201 Belmont Avenue, Toledo Ohio 43604, on the date shown above. Please direct questions regarding this project to, Kara Lennard (419) 259-9469 or email klennard@lucasmha.org. Copies of the plans and specifications for this project are on file at City Blueprint of Toledo, 3455 Briarfield Boulevard, Suite D, Maumee, OH 43537, (419) 243-7271. Please fax your order to (419) 243-6418. Visa, MasterCard, cash or company checks are accepted. These documents are also available at the following web address: www.lucasmha.org and selecting procurement, open solicitations.

Please direct questions regarding this proposal to, Tom Neeb (419) 259-9419 or via email to tneeb@lucashmha.org. Copies of the plans and specifications for this project are on file at City Blueprint of Toledo, 3455 Briarfield Boulevard, Suite D, Maumee, OH 43537, (419) 243-7271. Please fax your order to (419) 243-6418. Visa, MasterCard, cash or company checks are accepted. These documents are also available at the following web address: www.lucasmha.org and selecting procurement, open solicitations.

All bidders shall be required to meet the Affirmative Action requirements and Equal Employment Opportunity requirements as described in Executive Order #11246. Each bidder must insure that all employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, handicap, age, ancestry, creed, or military status.

All offerors shall be required to meet the Affirmative Action requirements and Equal Employment Opportunity requirements as described in Executive Order #11246. Each bidder must insure that all employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, handicap, age, ancestry, creed, or military status.

Group, private, gift certificates. Contact Edgerton Art at 419.290.OILS (6457) for details.

EMPLOYMENT GENERAL MIGRANT SEASONAL HEAD START AGENCY seeking candidates for the following employment opportunities at various locations: Center Manager – AA degree or higher in ECE or Child Dev. 6 college credits in Bus. Mgmt. Prior supervisor and Head Start exp. and bilingual in English/Spanish is preferred. Child Development Advocate – AA degree or higher in ECE or Child Dev. Prior Head Start exp. and bilingual in English/Spanish is preferred. Family Service Advocate – HS diploma/GED w/ 2 yrs social service exp. Bilingual in English/ Spanish. Knowledge of community resources. AA degree in Social Sciences and health exp. is preferred. Health Aide – HS diploma/GED with 1 year exp. in Health Care Field. Nurse Aide Cert. or Certified Medical Assistant with Head Start/non-profit exp. and bilingual in English/Spanish is preferred. Teacher – AA degree or higher in ECE, Child Dev. or related field w/ exp. teaching preschool aged children. Bilingual in English/Spanish is preferred. Teacher Aide/Bus Aide – HS diploma/GED. CDA credential and bilingual in English/Spanish is preferred. Bus Driver/Custodian – 21 yrs of age and have HS diploma/GED or 6 mths equivalent work exp. with valid CDL, School bus/Passenger endorsements and required state certifications. Head Start exp. and bilingual in English/Spanish is preferred. Cook/Cook Aide - HS diploma/GED and demonstrated exp. in quantity food prep. 1 year exp. in planning/preparing special nutrition programs, schools or other institution meals and bilingual in English/Spanish is preferred. Please visit us online at www.tmccentral.org for a list of positions by center or submit Cover Letter, Resume and Official Copy of Transcripts to: hrohio@mail.tmccentral.org or TMC Ohio, C/O Human Resources 601 North Stone Street, Fremont, Ohio 43420 TMC is an EEOE

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RENTALS TOWNHOME / APARTMENTS Newly Renovated Gated Community. 1, 2, & 3 Bedrooms. Starting at $400/mo. Heat & Water Included. Move In Specials & Low Security Deposits. 419.386.8578

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES WANT TO PURCHASE WANTS TO PURCHASE MINERALS and other oil & gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557, Denver CO 80201

EXCITING CAREER Between High School and College! Over 18? Want to see America? Make Good Money traveling with successful young business group. Paid training, transportation and lodging provided. Call TODAY!

877-646-5050 Toledo Free Press publishes classified ads and cannot be responsible for problems arising between parties placing or responding to ads in our paper. We strongly urge everyone to exercise caution when dealing with people, companies and organizations with whom you are not familiar.

All real estate advertised in this paper is subject to the federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, in the sale, rental, or financing of housing. This Publisher will not knowingly accept any advertising that violates any applicable law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this paper are available on an equal opportunity basis. If you believe you have been discriminated against in connection with the sale, rental, or financing of housing, call the Toledo Fair Housing Center, (419) 243-6163.

deals on wheels

2011 TOYOTA YARIS 3 Dr. Lift/Back, Buy Brand New $12,980 JIM WHITE TOYOTA 419-841-6681

2010 TOYOTA CAMRY LE Loaded, Auto, Silver Fox $15,950 JIM WHITE TOYOTA 419-841-6681

1997 NISSAN 200SX SE-R

2011 TOYOTA COROLLA LE

Well Equipped, Black $4,995 JIM WHITE TOYOTA 419-841-6681

Auto, Air, Buy Brand New $15,980 JIM WHITE TOYOTA 419-841-6681

2005 CHEVY EQUINOX LS

2007 HONDA CR-V EXL

Loaded, Auto, White $8,995 JIM WHITE TOYOTA 419-841-6681

Blue, Auto W/OD $19,985 JIM WHITE TOYOTA 419-841-6681

MANUFACTURING A NEW STAFFING AGENCY IN TOLEDO taking applications for General Labor, Assembly, QC, Production, Warehouse & MORE! Starting at $8.00/hr. Must pass a background check and drug screen. We offer benefits and weekly pay. Call to schedule an interview 419.491.6167 Ext 130.

TV LISTINGS

FEBRUARY 13, 2011 Sunday Morning 8 am ABC 13 CBS 11 FOX 36 NBC 24 PBS 30 A&E BRAVO COM DISN ESN FAM FOOD HGTV LIF MTV TBS TCM TNT USA WTO5

8:30

February 13, 2011

MOVIES

9 am