buildingcincinnati

From the 12/12/06 Springfield News-Sun: Siemens plants, employees try to figure out what's next By LaToya Thompson Staff Writer Monday, December 11, 2006 Union officials at Siemens plants in Urbana and Bellefontaine said employee morale dropped Monday as news settled in about the company's recent decision to close both facilities by 2009 and 2010. A company spokesman said Friday that the area facilities were no longer competitive in the market with the circuit breakers manufactured there. Siemens plans to outsource to Mexico and other third-party suppliers to become more cost efficient, he said. Workers in the Urbana Siemens plant will negotiate a closing agreement while union officers in the Bellefontaine plant will work with city and county government officials to try to keep the facility open. Workers at both plants are represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, IBEW. ... More at: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/11/sns121206siemensfolo.html

From the 12/9/06 Springfield News-Sun: Closing of Siemens plants leaves workers in 'total shock' 'A lot of lives will be destroyed because of this,' says one employee. By LaToya Thompson Staff Writer Saturday, December 09, 2006 Siemens employees in Urbana and Bellefontaine arrived to work for business as usual but were sent home shortly after hearing the plants would close by 2009 or 2010. "It was a complete and total shock," said Jerry Pendergraff, 49, who works in the Bellefontaine plant. People became emotionally upset after hearing the news, he said. ... More at: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/09/sns120906siemensinside.html

From the 12/8/06 DDN: Plants to close; 720 to lose jobs By LaToya Thompson Staff Writer Friday, December 08, 2006 Siemens Energy and Automation announced today it will close its manufacturing plants in Bellefontaine and Urbana, a decision that will cost the area about 720 jobs. Siemens Spokesman Michael Krampe, of the Alpharetta-based headquarters, said the company is forced to make difficult decisions to remain competitive. Closing the two plants will potentially save hundreds of other jobs in the United States, he said. ... More at: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/08/sns120806siemensWeb.html

From the 1/2/07 Newark Advocate: Pipeline will impact Somerset farm, others across southeast Ohio By LEEANN MOORE For The Advocate SOMERSET -- David Noll said the crop production over the pipeline that was installed on his family farm in the 1940s and again in 1989 is terrible. Now, Noll is preparing for an even larger pipeline to be installed through the center of his 260-acre farm in Somerset. The Rockies Express Pipeline-East is the easternmost extension of the pipeline system that, when finished, will stretch 622 miles with a route through multiple Ohio counties. The underground steel pipeline will be 42 inches in diameter and will carry between up to two billion cubic feet of gas per day from Colorado and Wyoming to natural gas markets in the Midwest and Eastern United States. Noll said the size of a 42-inch pipeline will have a detrimental effect on not only his farm, but the environment as well. Destroyed drainage systems, lower crop yields and soil compaction on the third-generation family farm are only a few of Noll's concerns. Full story at http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070102/NEWS01/701020305/1002/rss01

From the 12/15/06 Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Planned pipeline still on schedule By CARL BURNETT JR. The Eagle-Gazette Staff LANCASTER -Crews continue surveying property for the proposed 622-mile pipeline that will bring natural gas from the Rocky Mountains to eastern Ohio. The Rockies Express company plans to continue working on route selection and permit preparation between now and April 2007. Rockies Express hopes to begin building the pipeline in early spring 2008, with completion planned for June 2009, if all the permits are approved. The pipeline would be the largest in Fairfield County. "We are in a pre-filing phase of the process, and we are seeking permission from property owners for land access to survey property," said Allan Fore, spokesman for Rockies Express Pipeline LLC. Fore said the company is trying to find the best possible route for the proposed $4 billion pipeline planned to be built during the next three years. The pipeline will extend through four states and across central Fairfield County. If completed, it will be an additional source of natural gas for the Midwest and east coast. Full story at http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS01/612150317/1002/rss01

From the 12/8/06 Cambridge Daily Jeffersonian: Pipeline coming through December 8, 2006 John Lowe The Daily Jeffersonian A project to pipe natural gas from Colorado to eastern Ohio will entail the pipeline running through southern Guernsey County, county trustees learned Thursday. Rockies Express Pipeline is a proposed 1,663-mile natural gas pipeline system from Rio Blanco County, Colorado, to Monroe County, Ohio. Trustees here learned that the pipeline is expected to extend through portions of Jackson, Millwood, Richland, Spencer, Valley and Westland Townships. The construction here likely will entail the temporary closing of portions of the roads listed above. However, construction of the line here is not expected to take place until the spring of 2008. As the date for construction approaches, a series of public hearings will take place in which landowners and others can ask questions and voice concerns. Full story at http://www.daily-jeff.com/news/article/1154651

From the 1/7/06 Enquirer: Multimedia * Graphs: Gun crimes rising (PDF) Police ramp up gun crackdown More cases routed to stricter federal court BY SHARON COOLIDGE | [email protected] Cincinnati police arrested Jason Miller in June 2005 after they caught the 23-year-old carrying a loaded .357 revolver - a gun he was not allowed to have because of a prior felony conviction. A few days later, a Hamilton County grand jury decided not to charge the Colerain Township resident. Yet three months later, Miller was behind bars again - this time accused of killing two people and wounding a teenage girl in the crossfire of another shooting at an Over-the-Rhine apartment building. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070107/NEWS01/701070359/1077/COL02

From the 1/1/07 Enquirer: PHOTO: Milton Trite III, at the 100 Male March, holds the megaphone for Sharon Muhammad, the wife of slain Richard Muhammad. The Enquirer/Meggan Booker PHOTO: Marchers walk through the rain down Rockdale Avenue during the 100 Male March on Sunday in Avondale. Many were troubled by the death of Richard Muhammad. THE ENQUIRER/MEGGAN BOOKER March mourns activist's death Crowd promotes peace, change BY KIMBALL PERRY | [email protected] AVONDALE - Almost as many tears as raindrops fell Sunday morning when outraged mourners gathered to condemn Friday's homicide of Richard Muhammad and rage against attitudes that cultivated the killings. "Our community is dying. These boys are taking their manhood in a pistol ... and we're watching them die out here," said Victoria Straughn of Avondale. Straughn, one of about 75 at the 9 a.m. ceremony paying tribute to Muhammad, was referring to Cincinnati's 84th homicide of 2006, setting a modern high for the city. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070101/NEWS01/701010331

Multimedia * http://Map detailing Cincinnati homicide locations (PDF) * Homicides by year, police district (PDF) Record causes city to react Some warn trends behind the increase are spreading BY QUAN TRUONGG | [email protected] With 86 homicides in 2006, the year was Cincinnati's deadliest since police began keeping consistent records in 1950. The record number of homicides follows the recent blueprint for violent deaths - drugs, weapons and broken families. "Ninety percent of all homicides are drug-related," said Hamilton County Coroner O'dell Owens. "When you peel the onion back, even self-defense violence is because of drugs." Drugs, guns and bloodshed have long plagued large cities like Cincinnati, Owens said, but whatever happens in the inner city eventually seeps into the suburbs. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070101/NEWS01/701010329/1056/COL02

From the 12/31/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: Victoria Straughn and Iris Roley, both friends of Richard Muhammad, march in Avondale as mourners gathered this morning to condemn Cincinnati's 84th homicide of 2006. The Enquirer/Meggan Booker Mourners condemn record Supporters: 'Tell on our babies to stop Cincinnati killing BY KIMBALL PERRY | [email protected] AVONDALE Almost as many tears as rain drops fell this morning when outraged mourners gathered to condemn Fridays record-breaking homicide of Richard Muhammad and rage against attitudes that cultivated the killings. Our community is dying. These boys are taking their manhood in a pistol and were watching them die out here, said Victoria Straughn of Avondale. Straughn, one of about 75 at the 9 a.m. ceremony paying tribute to Muhammad, was referring to Cincinnatis 84th homicide of 2006, setting an all-time high for the city. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061231/NEWS01/312310009 From same: Latest victim tried to end violence BY PEGGY O'FARRELL | [email protected] The violence that Richard D. Muhammad tried to stop on Cincinnati's streets has claimed his life. The community advocate was found shot to death Friday night at the Sycamore Hotel at 7759 Reading Road in Roselawn. He was Cincinnati's 84th homicide victim in 2006, a record-breaking year for homicides in the city. Cincinnati police issued a warrant Saturday night for Phillip Harris, 20, in connection with Muhammad's death. Harris is wanted for complicity to murder. His last known address is 1653 Summit Road, Cincinnati. He is described as black, 5 feet 10 inches, 145 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Sgt. Robert E. Liston, homicide supervisor with the Cincinnati police, wouldn't give any details on the circumstances surrounding Muhammad's shooting. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061231/NEWS01/612310388

From the 12/30/06 Kentucky Post: Leis backs proposal to curb gun violence By Joe Wessels Post contributor Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis said he supports a proposed program to curb gun violence in Cincinnati. The program - first implemented by David Kennedy, a former Harvard University researcher and currently a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York - dropped gun-related deaths in Boston nearly 70 percent in 18 months and has been replicated in about 20 cities around the world. "We're ready for anything that works," Leis said. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AE/20061230/NEWS02/612300351/

From the 12/28/06 Cincinnati Post: War on crime may go 'holistic' By Joe Wessels Post contributor Cincinnati is poised to take on a "holistic" crime-fighting approach that includes a get-tough attitude on sentencing violent criminals along with teaching young people methods of resolving conflict short of violence. To help it do so, city officials want to hire David Kennedy, the director of the Boston Gun Project, which is credited with curbing youth violence in that city in the mid-1990s. The program began in 1995 and midway through the next year spawned "Operation Ceasefire," a violence-reduction approach that targeted Boston's youth gang members and repeat offenders. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061228/NEWS01/612280376

From CityBeat, 12/27/06: CPD reforms meant more money for crime prevention programs By Bootsie Princeton As she promised earlier this year, Police Chief Rachel Thornton returned 5 percent of the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) operating budget. The funds already have been committed to social service programs that have been proven to reduce crime -- including job training, drug rehab and at-risk youth intervention -- and some innovative community outreach initiatives begun two months after Thornton became chief on Jan. 30. Presenting a symbolic check to Mayor Mark Mallory and members of City Council, Thornton thanked the politicians for their support of her reform efforts within the department that made the redistribution of funds possible. http://www.citybeat.com/2006-12-27/cover.shtml

From the 12/26/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: This weekend, Joshua Harden (left, with his sister, Marquilla Cook) became the city's 83rd homicide of the year. Provided photo Guns used in city's 82nd, 83rd homicides Record set; North Fairmount shooting kills 19-year-old father BY DAN HORN AND QUAN TRUONG | [email protected] AND [email protected] Cincinnati broke a record this weekend that it didn't want: The city surpassed its modern record for homicides with the shooting deaths of two men, the 82nd and 83rd homicides of the year. "This is tragic," Mayor Mark Mallory said Sunday. "We need to live in peace in this community." The Saturday night death of 19-year-old Joshua Harden in North Fairmount, like so many others this year, involved a gun and two young men with a history of drug arrests. It's a combination that police and elected officials say is fueling violent crime. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/NEWS01/612260330 From the 12/26/06 Eastern Hills Journal: Problem streets in Oakley see some improvement BY FORREST SELLERS | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER OAKLEY - A more visible presence by police has helped curtail problems at Brownway and Robertson avenues. "They have been giving direct patrols," said Jim Assum, a retired police officer and head of Oakley's Crime and Safety Committee. "The prostitutes have gotten the word that you don't mess around in the area." Direct patrols involve officers paying close attention to problem locations. Both Brownway and Robertson have had incidents involving prostitution and distribution of drugs. [email protected] 248-7680 http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/NEWS01/612260302/1090/Local

From the 12/17/06 Enquirer: Anti-gun group marches against crime BY FEOSHIA HENDERSON | [email protected] Members of CeaseFire Cincinnati had planned to just hand out candy and holiday cards Saturday as part of a membership drive. Instead, they also found themselves marking Avondale's eighth shooting since the anti-gun group was created. About 15 people met at the Avondale Community Pride Center, where 5,000 small plastic bags of candy had been collected. The group is based on a similar group called CeaseFire Chicago. Since the Chicago group began its campaign, crime has been reduced by 60 percent in the participating neighborhoods, according to the Cincinnati group. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061217/NEWS01/612170370/1056/COL02

From CityBeat, 12/13/06: Fun with Numbers Marijuana stats don't tell much By Greg Flannery You'd have to be stoned to draw any conclusions from City Manager Milton Dohoney's report on the impact of Cincinnati's new marijuana law. It's one of those reports that's most telling for what it doesn't say. For example, the report says police arrested 2,330 people for possession of marijuana between March 29 and Sept. 30. But it doesn't say that that's significantly down from a comparable period last year. The report covers the first six months of an ordinance making possession of less than 100 grams of pot a fourth-degree misdemeanor, with a possible 30-day jail sentence. Repeat offenders can be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor, carrying up to six months in jail. http://www.citybeat.com/2006-12-13/news3.shtml

From the 12/8/06 Chillicothe Gazette: Hopewell Park a must-see sight By LORI McNELLY Gazette City Editor The Great Barrier Reef, the Great Wall of China, the old city of Jerusalem and Stonehenge are all on the list of the United Nations must-see world treasures. And, maybe, one day, so will the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. Historians and state officials are taking the first steps of a long application process that could eventually see the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park on UNESCO's World Heritage List... (McNelly can be reached at 772-9366 or via e-mail at [email protected]) http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061208/NEWS01/612080317/1002/rss01 From the 12/7/06 Western-Star: Fort Ancient seeks World Heritage Site designation By Daniel Wells Staff Writer Thursday, December 07, 2006 Fort Ancient State Memorial may join the ranks of Versailles, Stonehenge and Australia's Great Barrier Reef if an Ohio Historical Society plan is successful. The society wants the ancient Hopewell Indian site in Washington Twp. and two other Hopewell sites in Ohio to be placed on the United Nation's World Heritage Site list, which currently includes 830 sites across globe... Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4527 or [email protected]. http://www.western-star.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/07/ws120706fortancient.html

From the 12/8/06 Dispatch: GRAPHIC: What's new PHOTO: Baldwin Tower falls towards its northeast corner during its implosion in 2004. PHOTO: Helping Hands, a sculpture by Omar Shaheed, is placed at the entrance of the new heart and surgical center at Grant at the corner of 6th and E. Town streets. GRANT MEDICAL CENTER Haven of healing Grant prepares to open doors to its new $59 million surgical and heart center Friday, December 08, 2006 Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH It took demolition workers 12 seconds to bring down Baldwin Tower at Grant Medical Center in May 2004. Grant officials are hoping that the nearly 1,000 days it’s taken to build something in its place will be worth the wait. Grant Surgical and Heart Center opens Jan. 2, with a new approach to caring for patients and families that might surprise people who are used to the old Grant hospital. [email protected] http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/08/20061208-G1-00.html

That really fucked up my plans. I was going to use the Dick's Sporting Goods gift card I got at Christmas to pick up some Bucks national championship gear. What the hell do I do now? :(

Here are some construction pics from January 3, 2007. Framing is done on at least one building and they're working on foundations for one or two more. I hope you can see that in these pics. The entire worksite is surrounded by chain link fence.

I still like that "Gordon Terrace" one, three years later. That guy looks like he's not to thrilled that you're taking his picture.

F*CK!!!

From the 1/4/07 Garfield-Maple Sun: Affects of the CityView sale are still unknown (GC: Umm...it's "effects") Thursday, January 04, 2007 By John Kametz Garfield-Maple Sun GARFIELD HEIGHTS For now, it is unclear how the sale of CityView Center to a New York grocer will affect the future of the big-box retail shopping development. However, it already is bringing some behind-the-scenes changes. CityView's original owner and developer, John McGill, acknowledged, last week, that New York grocer/apartment owner Thomas Klein won the $100 million bid to buy the problem plagued mall, off Transportation Boulevard. Built over a former landfill, CityView has come under repeated scrutiny from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for various problems, including methane gas..... http://www.cleveland.com/sun/garfieldmaplesun/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1167932269216770.xml&coll=3

From the 12/29/06 PD: $100 million bid wins City View Grocer from N.Y. becomes new owner of Garfield Hts. center Friday, December 29, 2006 Henry J. Gomez Plain Dealer Reporter A New York grocer has submitted a winning $100 million bid to buy City View Center, a big-box shopping complex that opened atop an abandoned landfill in Garfield Heights this year. Original developer and owner John McGill, weary of repeated scrutiny from environmental regulators, put the property up for sale in September. He had sought $100.5 million. "He loves it and wishes he didn't have to sell it," said Mark Luttner of the Sekulovski & Luttner Group, a Chicago-based real estate brokerage firm that marketed City View on McGill's behalf... To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-5405 http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/business/1167385446132270.xml&coll=2

From the 12/28/06 Garfield Maple-Sun: CityView not an added stress: police Thursday, December 28, 2006 By John Kametz Garfield-Maple Sun GARFIELD HEIGHTS The high visibility and proximity of CityView to Interstate 480 and Transportation Boulevard make it attractive to both shoppers and shoplifters. But both police and the mall management say they see no need, for now, to increase security beyond regular patrols. Several times recently including over the holiday period shoplifters have successfully or unsuccessfully attempted to shoplift items from stores. In one Dec. 15 incident, for example, two men loaded large plasma television sets from Wal-Mart into a car, then fled north onto Transportation Boulevard and, presumably, nearby I-480.... http://www.cleveland.com/sun/garfieldmaplesun/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1167327860270320.xml&coll=3