buildingcincinnati

From the 2/7/07 Urban Daily Citizen: Union Township considers wind power By SHAUN DUNLAP Staff Writer [email protected] MUTUAL - There were some mixed reactions about constructing wind turbines in Union Township during the Union Township Zoning Commission meeting Wednesday night. The commissioner members did not come to a definite decision on what to do. Commissioners and residents heard from Jack Webb, a member of the Monroe Township Zoning Commission in Logan County, regarding the wind turbine resolution there. Webb said the zoning commission in Monroe Township has the same priorities as the one in Union Township when it comes to the construction of the wind turbines: the safety of the landowner, construction at no cost to the land owner, protection of properties adjacent to the land with the turbine, and assurance that the structures don't become a burden to the land owner or an eyesore to the community. The visibility of the turbines was a concern among some of the residents at the meeting. Reportedly, the structures will be at least 200 feet in the air. Full article at http://www.urbanacitizen.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=142703&TM=4118.064

And I stole it from Dusty Rhodes! I seriously wonder if someone at the Enquirer reads my blog, because this happened three weeks ago--and they didn't do a story until now. There's more background on this project in a thread over in the Architecture section if anyone's interested.

Thanks for breaking the Reds' collective scoring slump!

From the 4/29/07 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel: * PHOTO: The “high wall” at Gatling's Broad Run Mine has been “concreted” for safety and stability. Miners enter the hillside here and have so far made it 340 feet underground on a slope. The same procedure will likely take place at the proposed operation on Yellowbush Road if the mining permit is approved. Beth Sergent/photos Broad Run Mine reflects plans for Racine operation By Beth Sergent Sunday, April 29, 2007 5:25 PM EDT NEW HAVEN, W.Va. - For now, picturing a coal mine operation along Yellowbush Road may be difficult unless you visit the Gatling Broad Run Mine in New Haven. According to engineers employed with Gatling Ohio, the Broad Run Mine is a reflection of what the company wishes to implement in Meigs County. “This is as good as it gets in the mining industry,” Ed Griffith, representative of Broad Run Mine, said during a tour of the facility. Entering the operation, visitors first see the bath house and mine offices where employees are going to and from on new man buses which transport the workers to the actual coal mine. Above the main entrance to the coal mine the hillside or “high wall” has been “concreted” for safety according to Griffith. MORE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2007/04/29/news/local_news/news02.txt

From the 4/30/07 Newark Advocate: * PHOTO: Model homes are surrounded by empty lots in Park Ridge subdivision off of River Road in Granville. Park Trails subdivision is seen in the background. Morgan Wonorski, The Advocate Subdivision off to slow start Granville housing market dive has negative, positive effects By BRIAN MILLER Advocate Reporter GRANVILLE -- Rockford Homes hardly could have timed its entry into the Granville housing market worse. Just as the builder was getting its marketing off the ground for the 142-home Park Ridge subdivision, the housing market took a dive. In the six months since it began marketing homes, the builder has sold two, neither of them yet built, company president Bob Yoakam Jr said.. It had hoped to sell about 20 to 25 homes per year. "We won't do better until the market gets better," says Yoakam. "There are not as many buyers. We have to compete with existing homes for sale." From the standpoint of Granville School District finances, the slow sales could be seen by some as good news. The school board has been concerned student enrollment from the subdivision would have a negative financial impact on the district. Full story at http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070430/NEWS01/704300304/1002/rss01

From the 4/30/07 Blade: $20.5M FACILITY TO PREPARE RESPONDERS 800 watch as Owens lights fire on training By DAVID YONKE BLADE STAFF WRITER For about 3 1/2 hours yesterday afternoon, Owens Community College was the safest place to be in northwest Ohio. The community college in Perrysburg Township celebrated the grand opening of its $20.5 million Center for Emergency Preparedness with demonstrations by area law-enforcement officials, firefighters, emergency medical crews, and other first responders. The sprawling center includes a mock bank and gas station, a pile of concrete rubble simulating a collapsed two-story building, a "burning" tanker truck and automobile for firefighter training, and a pad where a Boeing 727 soon will be parked for use in simulated hostage situations and bomb and drug searches. "There is no other center like Owens' in the entire country," President Christa Adams said in opening remarks. More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070430/NEWS21/704300353/-1/RSS

From the 4/19/07 Fremont News-Messenger: Expert presents biomass information By LESLIE BIXLER Staff writer Clyde-area residents filled the Clyde High School cafeteria Wednesday during a special session with Clyde City Council members and the mayor as they listened to an in-depth presentation about the proposed biomass gasification plant. Peter Tien, president of Princeton Environmental Group, presented a slide show, which informed residents about the design and performance of such a facility, facts and photos of the facility's interior. Tien told residents the biomass gasification process artificially induces the decomposition of solid waste material. "We're doing what nature does to your garbage in 50 years, in 10 hours," Tien said. Total operation time of the process takes between eight and 12 hours per cycle. Full article at http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070419/NEWS01/704190301/1002/rss01

From the AP, 4/1/07: Will state be next corridor of energy innovation? Other states are working toward the same goal. COLUMBUS (AP) — New York had its Silicon Alley, Michigan its Automation Alley and Illinois its Silicon Prairie. Now comes Ohio in the parade of Silicon Valley wannabes. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and Gov. Ted Strickland, both Democrats, pledged during their 2006 campaigns to join forces in Washington and Columbus to make Ohio "the Silicon Valley of alternative energy." It was a lofty promise, not unlike ones Ohioans have heard before. Gov. Bob Taft launched his Third Frontier high-tech initiative in 2002, only to need two tries to secure the bond money to pay for it. Ohio later hung its high-tech hopes on landing the nearly pollution-free FutureGen power plant but lost its bid last year. Factors have aligned that could make alternative energy different. Congress is expected to respond to the global warming question with caps on carbon emissions — a reality that will force states to grapple with power plant emissions and other pollutants that more wind or sun power could help reduce. Full article at http://www.vindy.com/content/national_world/325227539907908.php

From the 3/27/07 Blade: Lawmakers visit alternative energy sites BOWLING GREEN — The wind turbines west of Bowling Green and a plant that makes solar panels in Perrysburg Township were examined by five state legislators yesterday during an up-close look at some of Wood County’s alternative energy sites. Rep. Bob Latta (R., Bowling Green), a member of the Ohio House Alternative Energy Committee, said after the tour that in addition to seeing in person what they talk about in committee meetings, the legislators also got to hear from industry representatives about their concerns. “There’s a little bit of frustration with folks in private industry in regard to the bureaucracy in the state of Ohio. Some states do it better than us,” Mr. Latta said, adding that Ohio needs to make it more appealing for such businesses to stay here. “We’d like to keep those home-grown industries and those technologies that have been developed in northwest Ohio,” he said, adding that it would help in local efforts to retain and create jobs. Full article at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070327/BUSINESS01/70327037/-1/BUSINESS

Link contains photos. From the 3/25/07 Defiance Crescent-News: Region going alternative - at least energy wise By LISA NICELY [email protected] The region is going alternative -- at least energy-wise. With calls for cleaner, more environmental-friendly energy sources, northwest Ohio has been working to draw more alternative energy businesses and sources to the region. The entrepreneurship of area residents has helped in this endeavor, according to officials. Defiance County is currently leading the six-county area, having two biodesiel companies already in operation, American Ag Fuels based in Defiance and PEC Inc. in Hicksville. Jerry Hayes, executive director of Defiance County Economic Development, said having the two companies really says a lot about the entrepreneur spirit of the companies' owners as well as the region. Full article at http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/1767162

From the 3/9/07 DDN: Sinclair seeking grant to create energy center By Thomas Gnau Staff Writer Friday, March 09, 2007 DAYTON — Sinclair Community College wants to establish a center devoted to spreading the word about energy technology, professors said Thursday. "We are at the infancy stage," said George Sehi, Sinclair's dean of engineering and industrial technologies. Sinclair is seeking a National Science Foundation grant for a Sinclair Energy Education Center, which would likely be housed in an existing but converted laboratory on campus, Sehi said. Sehi emphasized that the center would focus on education and application of existing technologies, not research and development of new technologies. Bob Gilbert, a Sinclair professor of mechanical engineering technology, has been named the center's director. Gilbert said the center would be a gathering place for Sinclair's energy-related programs and courses, such as a course on basic fuel cell production scheduled to be offered in the fall of 2007. Full article at http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/business/2007/03/08/ddn030907sinclair.html

From the 3/7/07 Fremont News-Messenger: Clyde biomass project triggers concern By ROGER HART News-Messenger correspondent A group of area residents met with Clyde City Manager Dan Weaver and Peter Tien, from the Princeton Environmental Group, Tuesday morning, to express concerns over the city's biomass gasification project. The group questioned Tien on many aspects and features of the proposed plant and repeatedly asked for a town meeting before the project proceeds any further. Last month, the council passed an ordinance authorizing the city manager to enter into an agreement with Princeton to purchase steam from the proposed plant, which will be built in Clyde. The passage of the ordinance was the first step in a long process, which includes gaining the proper certifications and permits from the Environmental Protection Agency -- a process that will take anywhere from 24 to 36 months -- before construction can begin. Full article at http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070307/NEWS01/703070302/1002/rss01

From the 2/2/07 Blade: Task force may study converting dairy waste Bio-digesters have supporters, skeptics By JENNIFER FEEHAN BLADE STAFF WRITER BOWLING GREEN - Though plenty of people would like to make the big dairies go away altogether, some who attended the first meeting of the Wood County Ag-Energy Task Force yesterday agreed it's worthwhile to explore the idea of using bio-digesters to convert cow manure to energy. "I think the digesters are a middle road. They're better than nothing and they have the potential to be very good," said Anne Graves, a microbiologist from Bowling Green. Ms. Graves was among several people who told the task force that no one seems willing to take responsibility for the proliferation of the large-scale dairy farms and the problems they cause to communities. The Ohio Department of Agriculture issues permits for dairies with 700 or more head of cattle, but representatives told the audience at one dairy permit hearing that the agency did not have jurisdiction over damage caused to local roads, flies, and other issues that result from the operations, Ms. Graves said. Full article at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070202/NEWS17/702020354/-1/RSS08

From the 1/31/07 Blade: Group invites opinions on waste-to-power plans By JENNIFER FEEHAN BLADE STAFF WRITER BOWLING GREEN - When State Sen. Randy Gardner announced plans to create a task force to investigate the potential for turning cow manure into electric power, he was overwhelmed with people wanting to get involved. As a result, the Bowling Green Republican and the Wood County commissioners decided to limit membership to themselves, but have invited everyone who wants to have a voice. The task force is holding its first forum from 10 a.m. to noon tomorrow in the commissioners' hearing room on the fifth floor of the County Office Building. Individuals may present oral or written comments about using bio-digester technology to transform animal and food waste into heat and electricity. Mr. Gardner said he was contacted by people in academia, agriculture, private industry, government, and private groups ranging from the Farm Bureau to the Wood County Citizens Opposed to Factory Farms. Full article at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070131/NEWS17/701310372/-1/NEWS

From the 1/31/07 Blade: Group invites opinions on waste-to-power plans By JENNIFER FEEHAN BLADE STAFF WRITER BOWLING GREEN - When State Sen. Randy Gardner announced plans to create a task force to investigate the potential for turning cow manure into electric power, he was overwhelmed with people wanting to get involved. As a result, the Bowling Green Republican and the Wood County commissioners decided to limit membership to themselves, but have invited everyone who wants to have a voice. "We want to use everyone we know as resource people in terms of input they would have, ideas they would have," Mr. Gardner said. The task force is holding its first forum from 10 a.m. to noon tomorrow in the commissioners' hearing room on the fifth floor of the County Office Building. Individuals may present oral or written comments about using bio-digester technology to transform animal and food waste into heat and electricity. Mr. Gardner said he was contacted by people in academia, agriculture, private industry, government, and private groups ranging from the Farm Bureau to the Wood County Citizens Opposed to Factory Farms. Full article at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070131/NEWS17/701310372/-1/NEWS

From the 1/25/07 Lantern: Center looks at energy solutions Tom Over Issue date: 1/25/07 Section: Campus Ohio State researchers are looking at different ways to combat problems caused by the use of oil ranging from pumping carbon dioxide into the ground to producing alternative fuels. "We have to find substitutes (to fossil fuels) or make some major gains in conservation, or we face some major increases in the cost of our lifestyles," said Fredrick J. Hitzhusen, a professor in the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Science. Hitzhusen is one of 11 scientists who proposed the OSU Center for Clean, Sustainable Energy. Last June, the center received funding from the university as a part of the Targeted Investment in Excellence, an OSU initiative aimed at addressing the world's most-pressing social and scientific questions. "As a very large public university, Ohio State is in a unique position to host such work because it has many... of the relevant disciplines in-house," said Malcolm Chisholm, professor of chemistry. He and other leaders at the center are looking to get more research funding through state and federal grants, Chisholm said. Full article at http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2007/01/25/Campus/Center.Looks.At.Energy.Solutions-2677738.shtml

From the 4/30/07 Dispatch: * PHOTO: The first phase of Liberty Place in the Brewery District, 135 apartments in five buildings, should be open for occupancy in late May. The project, first announced in 2000, has been delayed because of questions surrounding the reconstruction of I-70/71, putting plans for seven additional buildings on hold. MIKE MUNDEN | DISPATCH * PHOTO: Onesimo Sanchez, with the Brickman Group, lays down sod at Liberty Place. Although the green stuff wasn't put down until earlier this month, the property manager, in a fit of optimism, filled the pool March 1. * MAP Liberty Place lays out luxury Long-delayed Brewery District complex should be ready for first tenants in May Monday, April 30, 2007 3:24 AM By Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The tale of Liberty Place apartments can be told by the numbers. Not the number of apartments, their square footage or the cost of renting the Brewery District units. Rather, the building numbers as created by developer Winther Investments. "We're opening buildings one, two, 10, 11 and 12," said property manager Jeannette Tannert. Eventually, Liberty Place will have 12 buildings, but only five will open this spring. There will be 135 apartments among them, less than half the planned total of 314 units. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/04/30/ZONE0430.ART_ART_04-30-07_C10_IC6H83U.html

From the 4/30/07 Springfield News-Sun: Losing a home: ripple effect Neighborhoods pay a price, too Empty houses can create a sense of decline, hurt property values By Samantha Sommer Staff Writer Monday, April 30, 2007 Two homes on Teresa Mills' block of Scott Street are empty. The homeowners lost them in foreclosures. "The homes sit empty and of course then the windows get broken, and weeds and stuff start piling up," she said. "It makes a lot of difference when nobody is living in the houses." Mills, president of the Selma Road Neighborhood Action Program, owns three houses on Scott Street in Springfield. ... More at: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/04/30/sns043007foreclosureneighbor.html

This actually made the news down here. And our local stations are terrible at covering Ohio. (If it had been done successfully, I'm sure they wouldn't have mentioned it.)

"Talking with the readers - most important listening to the readers' reactions - is a key part of the philosophy of the Local Information Center." They NEVER talk with their readers in their blogs. They post the topic and then completely leave the conversation. I expected there to be more comments at the bottom of that story's page, but there were only about a dozen last time I checked. And only one or two could be considered positive.

From the 4/29/07 Blade: * PHOTO: Nick & Jimmy’s in Toledo, and other bars allowed customers to smoke because enforcement rules have not gone into effect. ( THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH ) * PHOTO: Delaney’s Lounge in Toledo displays a sign of the times, indicating the establishment accepts donations for legal fees to fight Ohio’s indoor smoking ban at public places. ( THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH ) OHIO SMOKE-FREE WORKPLACE ACT Enforcement day nears for public smoking ban Rules, fines begin Thursday unless courts act By JOE VARDON BLADE STAFF WRITER Brian Duncan wasn’t puffing a cigar while sitting in Delaney’s Lounge in Toledo last week, but he said he frequents the establishment when he wants to enjoy a drink and a smoke. Those who have similar tastes have been able to go to places such as Delaney’s, even though a majority of Ohio voters on Nov. 7 approved a ban on smoking in bars, restaurants, and most other indoor public places. At the Bronze Boar, Nick and Jimmy’s, and Daddy Oh’s in Toledo, Quarters Bar and Grill in Perrysburg, and the Village Idiot in Maumee, just to name a few local bars, patrons have been able to smoke since the ban went into effect because its specifics had yet to be ironed out. Read more: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070429/NEWS02/70429001/-1/RSS From same: Ohio smoking-ban foes may create legal logjam Appeals process could take years, many miles By JIM PROVANCE BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU COLUMBUS - Those planning to go the distance to appeal fines for violating Ohio's smoking ban should be prepared to put a lot of miles on their cars. Some opponents of the voter-passed law have talked about creating a logjam of appeals in protest, but such battles eventually would lead to courts in Columbus, would take months or potentially years to resolve, and could cost far more than the fines imposed. The latter would be especially true for individual smokers, whose fines would be $100 maximum. "If you check out Colorado, it cost the state $6,000 for a $200 fine," said Bill Delaney, owner of Delaney's Lounge in Toledo. "If this is the process, we could jam up Franklin County court till hell freezes over. Everybody thinks this is going to work out fine, but people are still smoking yet." Read more: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070429/NEWS24/704290327/-1/NEWS From the 4/29/07 DDN: Smoking ban to be enforced Thursday The law took effect Dec. 7, but some restaurants and bars have ignored it; now there will be penalties. By Tiffany Y. Latta Staff Writer Sunday, April 29, 2007 At a Mason bar last week, a man drinking a beer lit a cigarette and blew smoke in the air — and no one said a word. But at a bar in Lebanon, a bartender said smoking wasn't allowed indoors and later went outside and fired up a cigarette with four others. Smoking has been banned in restaurants and bars since Dec. 7, and self-enforcement by business owners has been sketchy. Read more: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/04/28/ddn042907smoke.html

From the 4/29/07 Dispatch: GOP, Strickland joust over solution to school funding Sunday, April 29, 2007 7:33 AM By Catherine Candisky and Mark Niquette THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Majority Republicans in the House have pledged to implement "Gov. Ted Strickland's School Funding Solution." The governor says he's amused when he reads a comment like that from the House budget briefing document released last week. It depicts Strickland's education budget as his plan to fix school funding, when he has made it clear he is still developing that plan. "Let's just put it this way: The name of our softball team out of the governor's office is SB1," Strickland said. "Some people think that stands for 'Softball 1." Actually, it refers to the House and Senate leaders' announcement earlier this year that they were reserving House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 for Strickland's school-funding plan. "They can enjoy themselves, and I'll try to accept it in good humor," Strickland said. The Democratic governor repeatedly has said his two-year state budget proposal includes only a first step toward fixing Ohio's school-funding system and is not the education reform he pledged during his campaign for governor last year. But House Republicans don't see it that way. From their perspective, the governor's budget plan is a ringing endorsement of the school-funding formula they implemented two years ago. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/04/29/edbud.ART_ART_04-29-07_B1_Q16HI5E.html From the 4/29/07 Enquirer: School spending foes mobilize Conservatives look to add board seats BY MICHAEL D. CLARK | [email protected] Two years ago, an active, yet loosely-organized group of public school spending critics gained their first few seats on local school boards. This year, they hope to gain much more power. Self-proclaimed "fiscal conservatives" already hold single seats in Fairfield, Mason, Little Miami, Northwest and Monroe schools. This fall, anti-tax activists plan to support entire slates of candidates in hopes of capturing majorities in some districts and gaining new footholds in others. As many as three more activists hope to join Fairfield's school board, where member Arnie Engel, elected in 2005, has emerged as one of the region's most outspoken critics of public school spending. A two-member anti-tax slate is running in Milford. Multiple candidates also are expected in Mason, although none has filed yet. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070429/NEWS0102/704290338/ From the 4/29/07 DDN: * GRAPHIC: Dayton and Lakota Public Schools' "core" budgets * GRAPHIC: Administrators Dayton's poverty rate means more spent for special programs Lakota is about the same size, but spends $23.5 million less on special ed than Dayton, where 1 in 5 receive aid. By Scott Elliott Staff Writer Sunday, April 29, 2007 For one private duty nurse at Gorman Elementary School, the school day begins not at the schoolhouse door but at her student's home, where she dresses and feeds a severely handicapped child. Then she rides the bus with him to school. The student's class has a teacher and two teaching aides for six students, in addition to the private nurse and two school nurses on duty. All of this, by law, is paid by Dayton Public Schools. For more several severely handicapped students, Dayton spends more than $50,000 a year. Half an hour down the Interstate 75 toward Cincinnati, Lakota is a sprawling school district in a fast-growing suburb that last year passed Dayton to become the seventh-largest school district in Ohio. But although Lakota is similar in size to Dayton, its students — and the district's responsibilities because of them — are completely different. MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/04/28/ddn042907dpslakota.html From the 4/29/07 ABJ: Education fund flaws ignored By Dennis Willard COLUMBUS - To look at the homes hugging the Portage Lakes shoreline, one would think the Coventry school district is awash in local property tax dollars. And according to the way the state -- meaning the Ohio School Facilities Commission -- ranks districts, Coventry is one of the wealthiest. So wealthy, in fact, that Coventry is not eligible for school facility money until 2012, and then the state's contribution to the district's building needs would be 20 percent. Coventry, according to the state, needs to replace four of the six buildings in the district at a cost of $54 million, which means the local taxpayers there would be responsible for $43.2 million, or 80 percent. MORE: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/17152935.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news From the 4/29/07 Cuyahoga Falls News-Press: Woodridge Board backs placing funding issue on ballot by Phil Keren Editor Peninsula -- The Woodridge Board of Education threw its support behind an effort to fix the state's funding of public schools. The Board on April 23 voted 4-1 in favor of a resolution backing the placement of a proposed state constitutional amendment on the November ballot. Board member Cheryl Hoover cast the dissenting vote. The amendment is being proposed by Getting It Right For Ohio's Future and would, according to the resolution: * provide every child a high-quality education by declaring education as a fundamental right; * reduce the frequency of local school tax levy requests and provide immediate property tax relief for senior citizens and disabled citizens; * protect state funding for school facilities, local government and higher education; and * assure a steady, fair funding mechanism for the public schools. MORE: http://www.fallsnewspress.com/news/article/1920601

From the 4/29/07 Marion Star: Ethanol plants: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Benefits and pitfalls part of the package By JOHN JARVIS The Marion Star MARION - One Marion-area pork producer has taken on an outside job to prepare for the impact of rising corn prices attributed to the growing number of ethanol plants in the United States. A Prospect grain elevator operator contemplates marketing strategies as he waits to know the challenge he will face. More at: http://www.marionstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070429/NEWS01/704290309/1002/rss01

presOhio...Thanks for the visuals! The write-up of the rally from the 4/29/07 Tiffin Advertiser-Tribune: Crowd rallies to ‘Save our Courthouse’ By Zachary Petit A crowd gathered at the county courthouse Saturday despite the chilly and overcast morning, frequently applauding and raising their voices to echo a sentiment posted on a nearby sign: “Don’t tread on the courthouse.” A trio of speakers — including an impersonator of the 1884 building’s long-dead architect — spoke on behalf of saving the structure slated by county officials to be totally or partially razed. Following a rifle salute by the United Veterans Council, local resident Doug Collar kicked off the “Rally ’Round the Courthouse” event where state preservationists declared the building to be Ohio’s No. 1 most endangered historic site. “There has been a very small group of people who have carried the ball on this,” he said. “We have to expand it now, because if we don’t act soon it’s going to be too late.” Full story: http://www.advertiser-tribune.com/articles.asp?articleID=7876

From the 4/29/07 PD: Coal gets drafted Proposed $4 billion Ohio plant would yield clean-burning synthetic fuel for military Sunday, April 29, 2007 John Funk Plain Dealer Reporter Try to imagine a coal-fired bomber. Or battle tank. Or naval frigate. All clean-burning, as well. The Pentagon has been working for a decade to make that a reality, to create a secure source of fuel insulated from global tensions. Its Assured Fuels Initiative is the modern equivalent of trying to turn lead into gold. In this case, the lead is dirty Appalachian coal -- mixed with 30 percent environmentally acceptable wood waste. The gold is ultra-clean synthetic jet and diesel fuel, created in a process first used extensively by the German military 60 years ago. Read more at: http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/business-2/117774955341450.xml&coll=2