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From the 12/25/06 Dayton Business Journal: Legislators to tackle specialty hospital issue Dayton Business Journal - December 22, 2006 by Tracy Kershaw-Staley DBJ Staff Reporter The battle over specialty hospitals is heating up again. Local health care leaders testified at recent state hearings on bills that would regulate specialty hospitals, requiring them to operate 24-hour emergency rooms to pick up a share of patients who cannot afford to pay for hospital services. While the session closed with those bills still pending, the General Assembly approved a 90-day moratorium on specialty hospital construction in Springfield, where a potential physician-invested project drew the ire of community hospital leaders. Among the local leaders speaking out in Columbus was Jim Pancoast, who said Good Samaritan Hospital expects to lose $7 million next year to a competing specialty hospital. The $7 million is Good Samaritan's profit margin -- money spent on indigent care and hospital investments in new technology and renovations, said Pancoast, Good Samaritan's chief executive officer. MORE: http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2006/12/25/story6.html

From the 2/9/07 Springfield News-Sun: Schools applying to move count week By Natalie Morales Staff Writer Thursday, February 08, 2007 Area schools will try to have their state attendance count week, scheduled for this week, moved so they don't lose funding for days of weather-related closings. The Ohio Department of Education recommended all districts that used calamity days because of this week's winter blast should apply to have the state-required count come from their previous full week of school, ODE Spokesman J.C. Benton said. Count week attendance is important because the results determine school funding for the rest of the school year. The state will average the February enrollment count and the October count to determine future funding. About $5,500 in funding is doled out per pupil. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/08/sns020907schools.html

From the 2/8/07 Dispatch: School-funding fix need not be rushed, Strickland contends Thursday, February 08, 2007 Mark Niquette THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Although committed to fixing what he sees as an unconstitutional school-funding system in Ohio, Gov. Ted Strickland said yesterday that it’s unreasonable to expect him to do it in his first budget, due next month. In an interview, Strickland responded to suggestions made this week by House Speaker Jon A. Husted that the new governor would include his fix for school funding in the upcoming two year budget. "I think it may be a little disingenuous for anyone, including the speaker, to assume that less than a month after I assumed this office that I’m going to have a solution to this problem when it has plagued Ohio for more than 10 years," Strickland said. Strickland, who has scheduled his first State of the State address for March 14, a day before he delivers his state budget to the legislature, said he has started meeting with various stakeholders to craft a legislative solution to school funding. If that fails, he’s committed to seeking a ballot issue. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/02/08/20070208-B3-00.html

From the 2/7/07 Blade: Speaker expects school-funding fix in Strickland budget By JIM PROVANCE BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU COLUMBUS - House Speaker Jon Husted (R., Kettering) said yesterday he expects Gov. Ted Strickland to propose a school-funding fix in his proposed budget due March 15 even though the new governor has shown little sign of being ready by then. Meanwhile, the ship may be sailing without both of them as a coalition of teachers' unions, school boards, administrators, and parents work to take a proposed constitutional amendment directly to voters. In an informal gathering with reporters, the speaker of the House said the Democratic governor and Republicans appear to be largely on the same page in terms of holding the line on taxes and fees, expanding health care for children, and investing in alternative fuels. The only real unknown is the governor's school-funding plan, he said. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/NEWS24/702070397/-1/NEWS

From the 2/6/07 (OU) Post: Proposal aims to 'Get It Right' Ohio public school funding to be overhauled Jessie Balmert / Staff Writer Local school officials support a proposed state constitutional amendment that would restructure the way public schools are funded and define the cost of educating each student. The proposal is a response from the “Getting It Right For Ohio’s Future” campaign, a coalition of 12 education organizations, to the current system of school funding, said Jim Betts, executive director of the Alliance for Adequate School Funding, one of the groups involved. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in the 1997 case DeRolph v. State of Ohio that the complicated school funding system was unconstitutional. DeRolph addressed the funding system’s reliance on property taxes, which allowed districts with higher property values to collect more money for schools. MORE: http://thepost.baker.ohiou.edu/articles/2007/02/06/news/17483.html

From the 2/4/07 Warren Tribune Chronicle: School Spending: Money doesn’t equal excellence By ANGELIQUE McKOWAN Tribune Chronicle Youngstown City Schools spent nearly $15,000 on every student in the school district last year, yet received a rating of academic watch on the most recent state report card. Bristol Local School District spends less than half that amount and was rated effective by the state. Girard City School District had the fourth-lowest spending per student of all local schools analyzed and still received an excellent rating on the report cards. A Tribune Chronicle analysis of local school districts’ spending per student compared to their individual performance rankings from the state shows districts don’t always have to spend more to score better, but some educators maintain that money does make a difference. MORE: http://tribune-chronicle.com/articles.asp?articleID=14231 From the 2/4/07 Springfield News-Sun: Two VIEWS school funding amendment Plan to redo school funding in Ohio sets off a debate PRO: Solution to school funding is to end the dependence on property tax. By By Valorie Lough Sunday, February 04, 2007 For Don Reed, the proposed amendment is just the only way. Citing the Supreme Court's 1997 decision, Reed said the solution to public school funding is by ending the dependence on property tax. "I think that there is no other adequate solution that is likely to come forward," said Reed, member of Taking A Stand for Kids, and also a member of the Springfield City Schools Board of Education. "You have to reduce the reliance on property tax to fix the main problem." Reed agrees that if funding for schools doesn't come from property tax, it has to come from another source. But, he said, the state has to be responsible for that balance. The problem, Reed said, is that the legislature has failed to take responsibility for education in the past. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/03/sns020407mcgregor.html From the 2/4/07 Lima News: Sides debate value of state voucher program BY BETH L. JOKINEN - Feb. 4, 2007 LIMA — Tesha Banks made the decision last year to apply for a state voucher program and send her two boys to St. Charles Catholic School. Sue Reese made the same decision and sent her daughter to Lima Central Catholic High. Today, Banks is pleased with her decision, and her kindergartner and sixth-grader are thriving in their new school. She believes the eldest is being challenged more than when at Lima South Middle School. Reese, on the other hand, pulled her daughter out of the Catholic school, and she’s back in the Lima school system. It just wasn’t the right fit for the freshman, who is now feeling more at home at Lima Senior High School. The two families participated in the first year of the Ohio EdChoice Scholarship program, which offers pupils attending schools deemed to be underperforming scholarships to private schools. MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=34881

From the 2/2/07 Dispatch: GRAPHIC: Paying for schools QUINNIPIAC POLL Tax hike could sink Ohio schools amendment Friday, February 02, 2007 Darrel Rowland THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Although a huge majority of Ohioans say they would support a constitutional amendment giving more money to poorer schools, voters are split evenly if the proposal requires a tax increase, a new survey shows. In the first survey since education advocates rolled out a proposed constitutional amendment last month, 70 percent say the state should spend more on poorer school districts, and 65 percent back an amendment to make it happen. But when asked whether they would support a tax increase to make sure more cash goes to those low-income districts, 47 percent said yes, and the same percentage said no. The responses to that question vary widely across Ohio. In southeastern Ohio, a tax hike is favored 66 percent to 34 percent; in northwestern Ohio, an increase is opposed 56 percent to 41 percent. Central and southwestern Ohio narrowly back more taxes; the northeastern and west-central regions are narrowly against them. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/02/02/20070202-B1-05.html

From Northeast Suburban Life, 2/5/07: PHOTO RICH SHIVENER/COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF Restaurant, spa among Montgomery Triangle tenants BY RICH SHIVENER | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER MONTGOMERY - The status of the Montgomery Triangle Gateway project has been unclear since December. Attempts to reach Montgomery Gateway Partners - Bill Heckman and Jim Daniels - were unsuccessful before the Northeast Suburban Life deadline. Bob Nikula, public works director, said the city should finish its streetscaping on Cooper, Main and Montgomery roads by March. Bad weather could cause some unexpected delays, he said There will be no reconfiguration of the aforementioned roads, he said, adding that on-street parking on the east side of Montgomery Road will be available during select hours once Triangle project is completed. The city's streetscaping project includes the installation of new streetlights, sidewalks, road repair, trees and benches, Nikula said MORE: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070205/NEWS01/702050342/1062/Local From the 2/5/07 Cincinnati Business Courier: Dearborn courts companies to design jail expansion Argosy gaming tax to help foot bill for $26M project Cincinnati Business Courier - February 2, 2007 by Dan Monk Senior Staff Reporter Dearborn County is pursuing a jail and courthouse expansion that will cost up to $26 million and add 120 beds to a jail that now houses about 200. The facility has been running at full capacity for several years, thanks in part to a sharp increase in crime following the opening of the Argosy Casino in Lawrenceburg in 1996. Fittingly, the financing plan for the new jail includes the use of gaming-tax revenue to fund $612,000 in preliminary planning costs and about a third of the long-term debt that will be issued in 2010. The Dearborn County Council approved a financing plan for the new facility Jan. 22. It calls for the county to issue bond anticipation notes in 2007, the completion of the new jail in 2009 and the issuance of long-term bonds in 2010. MORE: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/02/05/story13.html

Previous news and most recent news from the 2/8/07 Dispatch: Newark Advocate: Granville says 'no' to buying Kraner land (2/7/07) Newark Advocate: Error may mar Kraner acquisition (2/6/07) Columbus Dispatch: Granville Township to vote on bond package (2/5/07) Newark Advocate: Final sales agreement of proposed land deal will not include hunting rights for Kraner (2/3/07) Newark Advocate: Granville man's letter opposes township buying Kraner land (2/1/07) Newark Advocate: Kraner land: Deal or no deal? (1/29/07) Newark Advocate: Kraner land: Committee would determine use of land (1/29/07) Newark Advocate: Kraner land: Acquired area might be different than map shows (1/29/07) Newark Advocate: Granville residents must weigh cost of schooling vs. cost of land (1/28/07) Newark Advocate: Granville voters have one shot at acquiring Kraner acreage (1/28/07) 850 homes planned as park idea fails Thursday, February 08, 2007 Tom Sheehan THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Multimillionaire businessman William Kraner isn’t deterred by this week’s defeat of a Granville bond issue to purchase about half of his 1,200-acre farm for green space. He now plans to develop most of the land, including building about 850 homes. The project, which also would include a commercial area with shops, some parkland and hiking trails, could begin within 18 months, Kraner said yesterday. Homes would be priced from $250,000 to $1 million. "I gave Granville an opportunity, and they passed over it," Kraner said. "I have heard for years about this land and what am I going to do with it. It’s too valuable land to let it sit there." Voters on Tuesday rejected a 20-year, 2.8-mill bond issue to buy 579 acres of the farm for $10 million. The plan called for parkland, hiking trails and other recreational uses on that land, which would have become a buffer against development. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/02/08/20070208-D1-02.html

Cool.

From the 2/2/07 Ashtabula Star Beacon: PHOTO: Despite ice-cold temperatures, crews are taking weekly water samples of the Ashtabula River. File Photo / The Star Beacon River work doesn't end in winter By SHELLEY TERRY Staff Writer [email protected] ASHTABULA - - Brrrr! The $50 million environmental cleanup in the Ashtabula River is pretty cold work these days. Winter weather stopped the dredging, but workers continue to take mud and water samples from the bottom of the river. "This is to assist in upgrading the water treatment system and to give the Environmental Protection Agency a better idea of the different kinds of sediments workers will be dredging this year, said Scott Cieniawski, an EPA Great Lakes National Program Office environmental engineer. Read More...

From the 1/25/07 Ashtabula Star Beacon: Official studying Ashtabula River for scenic river designation By SHELLEY TERRY Staff Writer [email protected] ASHTABULA - - There's a new face in town - - Matthew Smith, who's coordinating the watershed plan for the Ashtabula River, with hopes of getting it designated as a state wild or scenic river. Thanks to a $55,600 grant to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Orville resident is working full-time on the project from an office in Saybrook Township. "Right now, I'm writing the scenic river study," said Smith, who's official title is "assistant scenic river manager for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Natural Areas and Preserves." Read More...

From the 12/24/06 Ashtabula Star Beacon: Fields Brook pollution continues to affect river Cleanup has made only a slight improvement in overall water quality By SHELLEY TERRY Staff Writer [email protected] ASHTABULA - - Industrial contamination from Fields Brook continues to affect fish, aquatic plants, insects and soil at the bottom of the Ashtabula River, according to a new report from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The report compares the Ashtabula River to Conneaut Creek. The cleanup of Fields Brook, a tributary of the Ashtabula River, has brought about only a slight improvement in overall water quality of the Ashtabula River, as well as in the native fish communities, according to Ohio EPA. Read More...

From the 2/8/07 Sandusky Register: Marina District proponents start 'positive' Web site By BRANDI BARHITE | Thursday February 08 2007, 9:10am SANDUSKY The supporters of the proposed Marina District project are getting organized. Members met Monday and in a news release Wednesday announced the group’s Web site, citizensforsanduskysfuture.com. http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/02/08/local_news/doc45cb02f338fd6594931952.txt

From the 1/31/07 Sandusky Register: Marina District foes: Vote or nothing By BRANDI BARHITE | Wednesday January 31 2007, 5:34am SANDUSKY Citizens for Responsive Government continues to reject the proposed Marina District project. In letters sent to the media, Sandusky City Commission was urged to either pull the plug on the project, place the issue on the May ballot or allow residents the opportunity to place the issue on the ballot. http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/01/31/front/153361.txt

From the 1/28/07 Sandusky Register: Sailing Club remembers past as future is built next door Sunday January 28 2007, 3:28am BRANDI BARHITE SANDUSKY As the Sandusky Sailing Club celebrates its 75th birthday this year, it’s reminding people of how far it’s come. City officials pushing to relocate city hall and build a waterfront community don’t know it all started with a one-room building built entirely by the members in 1933. http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/01/28/local_news/149277.txt

From the 1/19/07 Sandusky Register: City hall project won't cost extra, Will says By BRANDI BARHITE | Thursday January 18 2007, 11:13am SANDUSKY City residents won't have to pitch in for the relocation of the municipal building. At least that's what City Manager Mike Will has been working toward. It's also what Sandusky City Commission wants, Will said Thursday. http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/01/19/front/140506.txt

Both from the 1/10/07 Sandusky Register: Historic office confirms it wants Keller repaired By BRANDI BARHITE | Wednesday January 10 2007, 6:21am SANDUSKY Getting a permit to build a marina hedges on renovating the rundown Keller Building, or some other condition, the state confirmed Tuesday. Lisa Adkins, architectural reviews manager for the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, said the private money spent by Mid-States Development to replace the windows at the historic Chesapeake Lofts was allowed, but usually the Ohio Historic Preservation Office likes to be involved in rehabilitating a historic building. http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/01/10/local_news/129870.txt

From the 1/8/07 Sandusky Register: PHOTO: The fate of the Keller Building in downtown Sandusky remains uncertain. Once slated for demolition, commissioners are hearing another angle for the building. (Register file photo) Keller Building might be saved Commissioners not happy Will didn't keep them informed By BRANDI BARHITE | Monday January 08 2007, 2:46pm SANDUSKY Commissioners were surprised and angered to learn Monday that the Keller Building may be saved, despite voting for demolition several months earlier. They were also informed saving the rundown building is crucial to moving ahead with building a marina near the Chesapeake Lofts. The Keller Building and Chesapeake Lofts are part of the downtown Paper District project. http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/01/09/local_news/128729.txt

From the 12/24/06 Sandusky Register: PHOTO: Construction continues on the Chesapeake Lofts project in Sandusky, including the outdoor pool for the condominium residents. (Register photos/JASON WERLING) Condo-MAXIMUM By BRANDI BARHITE | Sunday December 24 2006, 8:12am SANDUSKY Developers are optimistic there's room for more condominiums in downtown Sandusky. The proposed Marina District project calls for 300 more residential units. That's in addition to the 191 Chesapeake Lofts already under construction in downtown, as well as 400 more eventually slated for the Paper District project. http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2006/12/24/front/112558.txt

From the 2/4/07 Enquirer: PHOTO: Zeke Adams' six-bedroom home (right) on East 24th Street in Covington's Wallace Woods is one of four that has already been rehabbed. Adams bought the house, which has three fireplaces, for $128,000. The Enquirer / Patrick Reddy PHOTO: Zeke Adams (left) talks with his friend, Oakley Farris, in the living room of Adams' rehabbed home on East 24th Street, Covington. Residents are proud of Wallace Woods' recent revitalization. THE ENQUIRER / PATRICK REDDY Area's revitalization brings pride Covington street no longer an 'eyesore' BY MIKE RUTLEDGE | [email protected] COVINGTON - Residents of East 24th Street are so proud of their area's recent turnaround within Covington's Wallace Woods neighborhood, they've put up a sign. "Within a one-year period, working with (neighborhood) associations and the city, we have totally changed this area of the street," said Zeke Adams, who moved in last year to a six-bedroom, four-bathroom house with three fireplaces. He and wife Angela paid $128,000. "This was one of the eyesores of Covington," Adams said about the area. Four homes already have been rehabbed, including the Adamses', "and we have three more as we speak," he said. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070204/NEWS0103/702040395/1059/rss13 From the 2/4/07 Enquirer: Hearing Feb. 13 for retail center THE ENQUIRER MT. WASHINGTON - The public will have a chance on Feb. 13 to comment on a proposed zoning change that would allow a $1.5 million retail project to be built on a vacant lot on the northeast corner of Beechmont Avenue and Roxbury Street. The public hearing will be conducted by Cincinnati City Council's economic development committee at noon, Feb. 13, at City Hall, 801 Plum St., in council chambers. Cole Realty Associates has proposed constructing a brick-and-stone building large enough to handle six tenants, including restaurants with outdoor seating at each end. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070204/NEWS01/702040380/

From the 2/4/07 Blade: GRAPHIC: A snapshot of home sales in Lucas County Area house prices fall but inventory shoots up Slowdown felt most in market’s midrange By GARY T. PAKULSKI BLADE BUSINESS WRITER THE RESIDENTIAL real estate market in northwest Ohio last year can be summed up in three words: houses, houses, houses. Although prices for existing homes declined modestly in a much tougher market than just a few years ago, the number of unsold homes skyrocketed. As of Dec. 31, nearly 8,100 houses and condos were for sale, a 17 percent jump since 2005 and nearly 40 percent in two years, according to the Toledo Board of Realtors. The price of a mid-range single-family home in metro Toledo and surrounding counties fell 4 percent in 2006 to $112,000, according to preliminary figures from the Realtors group. That compared to an increase of 1 percent nationally. The price is about half of the U.S. median of $222,000 as of December. In neighboring Monroe County in Michigan, median prices rose 5 percent to $165,000, but sales fell 15 percent to 1,262, according to the Monroe County Association of Realtors. Prices in 2006 were unchanged from a year earlier in Toledo ($80,000) and in Lucas County overall ($98,500), according to the county auditor’s office, which records property sales. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070204/BUSINESS05/70203009/-1/RSS04

From the 12/24/06 Blade: Toledo lofts, condos generally faring well Downtown on pace with market By GARY T. PAKULSKI BLADE BUSINESS WRITER When Ben Konop decided he wanted to live downtown, the 30-year-old single lawyer was able to bag a roomy two-bedroom condominium for under $150,000 last year. Mr. Konop, who was just elected as a Lucas County commissioner, paid $300 less than the original purchaser had three years previously when the warehouse at 100 South Huron Street was newly converted. He recognizes that, given the volatility of the downtown market, he may not recoup his purchase price when he sells. "I didn't buy it for investment purposes," Mr. Konop said. "I bought it for the quality of life. I realized I was something of an urban pioneer down here. But I think the condo has the potential to be a good investment." MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061224/BUSINESS05/612230338/-1/BUSINESS

From the 12/28/06 Blade: GRAPHIC: Mixed results on area retail vacancies GRAPHIC: More empty offices downtown, fewer in the suburbs GRAPHIC: Industrial space usage stayed steady REAL ESTATE Picture varied for commercial space in area Retail demand up; vacancies in offices, factories nearly flat By GARY T. PAKULSKI BLADE BUSINESS WRITER ASKING RENTS for retail space shot up nearly 30 percent on average in the Toledo area last year, but that hasn’t scared away scouts for major restaurant and store chains. Look for more retailers to enter the area in 2007 and others to expand, commercial real estate executives said. Firms said to be eyeing the area for new sites include California’s Del Taco, the nation’s second-largest Mexican fast-food chain; Starbucks, which has two free-standing stores under development; and Chipotle Mexican Grill, which recently entered the Toledo market. Despite some bumps in the local economy, commercial agents who specialize in sales and rentals of stores, offices, and industrial properties sounded an optimistic note in interviews last week. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070128/BUSINESS05/70128005/-1/BUSINESS

From the 12/26/06 Blade: AREA ECONOMY RGP halts index of factory activity By JON CHAVEZ BLADE BUSINESS WRITER A barometer of local manufacturing activity, produced for more than a decade by Toledo's Regional Growth Partnership, is no more. Citing a need to prioritize its resources to create jobs, rather than "just measuring stuff," the partnership has halted its monthly manufacturing index. It surveyed factories in northwest Ohio to measure whether production was growing or contracting. "It is another data point … but there are a lot of data points," said Steve Weathers, president of the partnership. "We find it more useful talking to CEOs and learning what their problems are and what they find useful." Still, the index was the only local benchmark of the manufacturing community. Other economic figures that are available include unemployment, home sales, car sales, and bankruptcies. But none measures production, inventory, raw-material prices, vendor deliveries, and new orders at local factories. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/BUSINESS06/612260312/-1/BUSINESS