buildingcincinnati

From the 6/7/07 Enquirer: Blackwell: Overstaffing over Cincinnati Public Schools must get lean, she stresses BY BEN FISCHER | [email protected] Five days before releasing her $400 million-plus spending proposal for next school year, Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Rosa Blackwell said Wednesday that students and teachers should be prepared to live with less. "You can't have all that you want," Blackwell said. "But you certainly will have all that you need." http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070607/NEWS0102/706070341/

From the 5/15/07 DDN: UltraCell puts production plant near Dayton airport By John Nolan Staff Writer Tuesday, May 15, 2007 DAYTON — UltraCell Corp., a California-based, fuel-cell technology company, expects in June to initially occupy 20,000 square feet of the 100,000-square-foot building at 3250 Old Springfield Road near Dayton International Airport where it plans to establish a production plant for fuel cells, a company executive said Monday. UltraCell will take more space there in upcoming years if business develops as the company hopes, said Frank J. Beafore, UltraCell's vice president for manufacturing. Last October, the company first announced its plans to operate in Dayton. ... http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/business/2007/05/15/ddn051507ultracell.html

From Business First of Columbus, 5/14/07: $2 million for fuel cell R&D makes way to pair of Columbus-area firms Business First of Columbus - May 11, 2007 by Kevin Kemper Business First Hoping to spur more development and job creation in Ohio's emerging fuel cell industry, the state has awarded about $1 million each to two area technology companies. Plain City-based Velocys Inc. and the Columbus-based Edison Welding Institute will receive $1 million and $999,962, respectively, to help them develop fuel cell technology that can be brought to markets. ... http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/05/14/story16.html

From the 4/18/07 ABJ: Rolls-Royce unit acquires local firm Fuel cell division says SOFCo part of strategy to increase global output By Paula Schleis Beacon Journal business writer Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems, which opened its U.S. headquarters in North Canton last year, has acquired the local company it was sharing space with. SOFCo-EFS Holdings moved from Alliance to Stark State College of Technology last year to join Rolls-Royce as the first tenants of the $4 million state-funded "Fuel Cell Prototyping Center.'' ... http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/17095574.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news

From the 3/30/07 Wapakoneta Daily News: Powering fuel research Local plant receives state grant for innovative manufacturing By MIKE BURKHOLDER Assistant Managing Editor A Lima company, awarded a $1 million grant for its work on fuel cells, could be the headquarters for the innovative technology many believe will revolutionize the automobile industry, a company official says. Officials at the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) Wednesday awarded the grant to American Trim for its agile low-cost manufacturing of fuel a cell plate project. Researchers at the Lima firm, which operates a manufacturing plant in Wapakoneta, will use high velocity electromagnetic forming techniques to produce hydrogen fuel cells — a move that could make northwest Ohio the world leader in fuel cell research, technology and development. “That’s how Silicon Valley in California got started,” Research and Development Director Steve Hatkevich told the Wapakoneta Daily News. “It was mostly research and over time as people wanted to build they needed the people and resources and it sprouted up. We believe the same thing for fuel cells could happen here.” ... http://www.wapakdailynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4161&Itemid=27

ODOD press release, 3/28/07: STATE AWARDS $9 MILLION FOR FUEL CELL DEVELOPMENT Third Frontier Fuel Cell Funds for 13 Projects to Create 617 Jobs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 28, 2007 Columbus, OH -- Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher today announced that more than $9 million in grants have been awarded to 13 entities for the advancement of fuel cell research and production in Ohio. The funds were awarded through the Third Frontier Fuel Cell Program (TFFCP) and are expected to result in the creation of 617 jobs. Nine companies and research collaborations received awards to assist in the Research, Development, and Commercialization Projects of fuel cell technologies and four Ohio companies were awarded grants for fuel cell and related technology Market Readiness Demonstration projects. "The projects awarded today are exemplary models of collaboration between industry, government, and universities," said Lt. Governor Fisher, who also serves as Director of the Ohio Department of Development and Chair of the Third Frontier Commission. "Governor Strickland and I are proud to support these collaborative endeavors that foster innovation and facilitate economic growth." 2007 TFFCP Award Recipients for Market Readiness Demonstrations Projects and Collaborators University of Dayton, located in Dayton (Montgomery County) was awarded $499,966 for its Accelerated Testing Demonstration for Market Entry project, in which the University of Dayton will validate the real world reliability and application compatibility of the XX25TM fuel cell that has been developed by UltraCell Corporation. UltraCell Corp is constructing a manufacturing facility in Vandalia, Ohio and is expected to create 235 jobs during the next three years. The collaborators on this project are: UltraCell Corp.; Motorola Labs Energy Technologies Group; Mound Technical Solutions; Daybreak; Montgomery County Department of Sanitary Engineering. Catacel Corp., located in Garrettsville (Portage County) was awarded $400,473 for its Heat Exchanger Demonstration on TMI Fuel Cell System project, in which Catacel will demonstrate the implementation of its heat exchanger device on a solid oxide fuel cell developed by Technology Management, Inc. (TMI). Catacel projects that product sales will reach $15.5 million by 2012 and will create about 85 jobs for the heat exchanger product alone. NexTech Materials, Ltd., located in Lewis Center (Delaware County) was awarded $250,000 for its H2S Sensor for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems project, in which NexTech will demonstrate its Hydrogen Sulfur (H2S) Sensor in Delphi's Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC)-based products. Cellex Power Products Corp., located in Anna (Shelby County) was awarded $500,000 for its Full Product Solution for the Adoption of Hydrogen Fuel Cells in Industrial Vehicles project, in which Cellex will demonstrate the market readiness of onsite hydrogen generation for fueling a fleet of fuel cell powered lift trucks. The collaborators on this project are BOC Group and OKI Systems. 2007 TFFCP Award Recipients for Research, Development & Commercialization Projects and Collaborators American Trim, located in Lima (Allen County) was awarded $1 million for its Agile Low-Cost Manufacture of Fuel Cell Plates via Electromagnetic Forming project, in which American Trim will use high velocity electromagnetic forming (HVEF) to produce usable prototype bipolar plates that have all the required flowfield features. At the conclusion of this project, American Trim expects to have the design and manufacturing parameters required to produce commercial quantities of fuel cell plates sufficient to support a full production line employing 270 people. The collaborators on this project include General Motors Corporation and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University. Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems (US) Inc., located in North Canton (Stark County) was awarded $998,870 for its Establishing Ohio-Based Manufacturing and Supply-Chain for a 250 kW Fuel Processing Subsystem for a 1-Megawatt Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System project, in which Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems (RRFCS) will attempt to reduce the cost and prepare for the manufacture of the External Fuel Processor, an important sub-system of the 1 Megawatt fuel cell power system that is currently being developed by RRFCS. The collaborators on this project are SOFCo-EFS Holdings (SOFCo) and Edison Materials Technology Center (EMTEC). UltraCell of Ohio, located in Dayton (Montgomery County) was awarded $999,125 for its Fuel Cell Systems for Extended Run Times project. UltraCell has developed a reformed methanol fuel cell known as the XX25TM that it plans to commercialize in 2007. The collaborators on this project are: Select International Corporation; University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI); and Edison Materials Technology Center (EMTEC). Mound Technical Solutions, Inc., located in Miamisburg (Montgomery County) was awarded $494,040 for its Enhancement of Comprehensive Fuel Cell Test System Products project. Mound Technical Solutions proposes to complete its development and testing of a comprehensive fuel cell test system (CFCTS). The collaborators on this project are: Inorganic Specialists, Inc.; University of Dayton Research Institute; Miamisburg Mound Community Improvement Corporation; Edison Materials Technology Center (EMTEC); John Hogan (self); and Tom Hoying (self). Wellman Products Group, located in Solon (Cuyahoga County) was awarded $1 million for its Fuel Cell Stack Subassembly Manufacturing in Ohio project. This project will create a manufacturing line at Wellman's Medina operation that will allow the company to supply collaborator, United Technologies Corporation Power (UTC) with advanced components for its next generation phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC). Catacel Corp., located in Garrettsville (Portage County) was awarded $613,457 for its Novel Fuel Desulfurizer-embedded Processor for Sulfur-laden Logistics Fuels project, in which Catacel will develop an effective solid-phase sulfur-tolerant sorbent that can be coated onto metal foil. The collaborator on this project is the University of Toledo. Catacel expects the project to lead to the creation of 27 new jobs by 2012. Edison Welding Institute, Inc., located in Columbus (Franklin County) was awarded $999,962 for its Metal Interconnects for Fuel Cells project. The project will establish the capability to design, assess, prototype, and manufacture metallic interconnects for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). The collaborators on this project are: NexTech Materials; F.C. Brengman; Mound Laser and Photonics Center; and Plug Power. Velocys, Inc., located in Plain City (Franklin County) was awarded $1 million for its Advanced Reforming Technology for Fuel Cell Enabled Industrial Vehicles project, in which Velocys will complete development and commercialization of its microchannel reactor as a stationary hydrogen generator for fuel cell applications. Project collaborators Cellex Power Products and Nuvera Fuel Cells will provide fuel cells for testing at Velocys and Battelle. Collaborator QuestAir Technologies will supply the pressure swing absorption unit. Contained Energy, Inc., located in Shaker Heights (Cuyahoga County) was awarded $1 million for its Development of Direct Carbon Fuel Cell Systems with Breakthrough Energy Density for Mobile Defense and Security Applications project. Contained Energy, Inc. (CEI) has exclusively licensed the Direct Carbon Fuel Cell (DCFC) technology (up to 100 Megawatts) from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The collaborators on this project are: Case Western Reserve University; University of Akron; Army Research Laboratory; Foster-Miller; University of Dayton Research Institute; The Davey Tree Expert Company; Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR), Robotics; Powdermet, Inc.; Cuyahoga Community College; and National City Bank. Created in 2002, the Ohio Fuel Cell Initiative is a $103 million program that aims to spur job creation in Ohio while positioning the state as a national leader in the growing fuel cell industry. The initiative is an integral part of the Third Frontier Project, a $1.6 billion high-tech research program designed to create jobs and bring new products to market. To date, more than $62 million in funds have been awarded to Fuel Cell projects across the state. http://www.odod.state.oh.us/newsroom/2007PR/releases/1728.asp

Both from the 3/11/07 DDN: Ohio building head of steam in fuel cell technologies Employment isn't large yet, but the state has attracted two headquarters and plans for plants and research projects. By John Nolan Staff Writer Sunday, March 11, 2007 Ohio is beginning to assert itself as a center for making components for fuel cells, the power sources used by industry and which the military covets for portable power on the field of battle. Manufacturing of the fuel cells remains largely concentrated in New York and Connecticut, and the biggest U.S. market is California, the leaders of fuel cell technology companies said. ... http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/10/ddn031107fuelcell.html Seminar touts future of fuel cells The event at the Engineers Club will discuss alternate energy sources and how today's manufacturing can meet the needs of tomorrow. By Thomas Gnau Staff Writer Sunday, March 11, 2007 KETTERING — Talk to Michael Martin about fuel cell technology, and watch him get excited. Martin, vice president of alternative energy technology at the Edison Materials Technology Center — also known as "EMTEC" — wants to spread the word about fuel cells and the opportunities they represent for Miami Valley manufacturers. To that end, EMTEC is offering a "short course" on fuel cell and hydrogen reformer manufacturing on March 29 at the Engineers Club of Dayton. ... http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/business/2007/03/10/ddn031107cell.html

From the 4/10/07 (KSU) Stater Online: Geauga Lake removes two roller coasters X-Flight and Steel Venom vanish, to reappear elsewhere Ryan Haidet Issue date: 4/10/07 Section: Features It's a common summer tradition — spending a good ol' day at the local amusement park. When guests arrive at Geauga Lake and Wildwater Kingdom in Aurora this summer, however, they will see that two of the 10 roller coasters are gone. The park has announced that X-Flight and Steel Venom (formerly called Superman — Ultimate Escape) will be removed from the park. http://media.www.stateronline.com/media/storage/paper867/news/2007/04/10/Features/Geauga.Lake.Removes.Two.Roller.Coasters-2830957.shtml

Link contains a photo. From the 3/10/07 ABJ: Coasters rolling on out Geauga Lake losing X-Flight, Steel Venom to other parks; other changes include smoking areas, new restaurants, Wildwater Kingdom VIP cabanas By Paula Schleis Beacon Journal Roller-coaster lovers won't find X-Flight or Steel Venom at Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom when the park opens May 26. The two attractions are being moved from Aurora to other amusement parks owned by parent company Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/business/16875386.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_business

From the 2/28/07 Sandusky Register: Geauga Lake gets new digs From staff reports | Wednesday February 28 2007, 12:26pm AURORA Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom in Aurora, Ohio, announced this morning details about variety of park improvements for the upcoming season. Cedar Point’s sister park will introduce two new shows this summer — the “Magic and Comedy of Tim Hill” and “LEGO Racers.” http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/02/28/front/doc45e59c16254fc468497532.txt

Both from the 6/4/07 DDN: Dayton interns plan fun Summer in the City Program offers social outings and events to show off the city and inspire college-age workers to stay in the area. By James Cummings Staff Writer Monday, June 04, 2007 DAYTON — — Hope Smalls, 19, traveled around a lot with her military family and spent much of her childhood in Chicago before moving to the Page Manor military housing area about eight years ago. "I asked the other kids what they did for fun, and they said they went to corn mazes. I thought 'Oh, my God. I'm living out in the country!' " Smalls said the Dayton area definitely has grown on her since then. "I actually love going to corn mazes now," she said. Read More...

Link contains a photo. From West Life, 2/28/07: Hoggys Restaurant closes By Kevin Kelley Westlake Published Feb. 28, 2007 Crocker Park experienced its first commercial casualty. Hoggys Restaurant closed at the end of business Feb. 18. Tim Huter, the chains CEO, personally drove from corporate headquarters in Columbus to tell employees the news. It was a pretty sad day for us, Huter told West Life. Weve never closed a location before because of poor sales. Employees reacted with tears and sadness, Huter said, but not anger. The locations 30 employees have been offered jobs at the chains other Cleveland area restaurant in Valley View. Huter said due to employees schedules and transportation issues, its still unclear how many will accept jobs in Valley View. All of the managers are relocating with Hoggys, he said. Hoggys in Valley View is doing great, Huter added. READ MORE AT: http://www.westlifenews.com/2007/02-28/hoggysclose.html

Yeah, and Milwaukee lost today, making them 33-27. This is anyone's division to lose!

From Business First of Columbus, 6/4/07: Reds move up in money standings Business First of Columbus - June 1, 2007 by Steve Watkins For Business First The ownership rule of Bob Castellini has not only improved the Cincinnati Reds' performance on the field - although not this year - it has improved the financial results, too. The Reds were the seventh-most profitable team in Major League Baseball last season, despite playing in one of its smaller markets. The club netted $22.4 million in operating income last year, according to Forbes magazine's annual estimate of teams' financial results. That was up 22 percent from $18 million in the prior year and just $1 million shy of the highest level since at least 1998, Forbes said. The profit came in a year that saw the Reds place 22nd among the 30 teams in revenue, with $146 million. But considering the team plays in the 28th-largest MLB market - only Kansas City and Milwaukee are smaller - that ranking doesn't look bad, either. Steve Watkins is a reporter for the Cincinnati Business Courier, an affiliated newspaper. Full story at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/06/04/story16.html

From the 5/29/07 Cincinnati Post: Reds Slump: And not just on the field Many fans steering clear of the ballpark By Kevin Goheen, Post staff reporter The Reds are owners of the worst record in the National League. Their place in baseball's attendance standings isn't much better. Through the first 28 home games, or approximately one-third of their home schedule, the Reds are on pace to draw fewer than 1.9 million fans to Great American Ball Park. That would be the smallest attendance figure in the park's brief five-year history. Season attendance figures Top 12 season attendance figures for the Reds, ranked by average per game. Only the first season of Great American Ball Park, 2003, ranks in this list. The rest were from Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field, which had a higher capacity. Year Attendance Avg. 1976 2,629,708 32,466 1994 ¹ 1,897,681 31,628 2000 ² 2,577,351 31,431 1978 2,532,497 31,265 1977 2,519,670 31,107 1993 2,453,232 30,287 1990 2,400,892 29,641 1991 2,372,377 29,289 1979 2,356,933 29,098 2003 2,355,259 29,077 1992 2,315,946 28,592 1975 2,315,603 28,588 ¹ - 60 home games played because of players strike. ² - 82 home games played. Full story at http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070529/NEWS01/705290353

From the 6/6/07 News Leader: Settlement agreement with city ends developer's zoning complaint by Jeff Saunders Reporter Macedonia -- Under terms of a settlement reached last winter between the city and a development firm, an 80-home subdivision geared mainly toward individuals age 55 and older may be built on 23 acres off South Bedford Road... E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 440-232-4055 ext. 4105 http://www.the-news-leader.com/news/article/2089532 From the 6/6/07 News-Herald: Concord Twp. land up for debate again Sue Karel [email protected] 06/06/2007 A Concord Township developer is again attempting to circumvent a conservation easement, which restricts development, that was in place on 28 acres of land when it was purchased in 2002 from well-known area conservationist Victoria Van Loon... http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18433239&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21849&rfi=6

From the 6/6/07 Youngstown Vindicator: Mill Creek's Cinderella Bridge getting a face-lift Work on the $524,000 project begins Monday and continues through September. YOUNGSTOWN — One of the best-known symbols of Mill Creek Park is getting a fresh look. The Suspension Bridge, also called the Silver Bridge, Cinderella Bridge or Fairy Tale Bridge, will be rehabilitated to restore its beauty and structural integrity. The project starts Monday and will continue through September. http://www.vindy.com/content/local_regional/317200071531728.php School officials break ground at elementary school East Liverpool Review, 6/6/07 School officials and project contractors held a ground-breaking ceremony at North Elementary School’s construction site on Tuesday to officially celebrate the building project getting underway. “It’s awesome; we’re totally excited about it,” said principal Andy Trotter. “We’re going to move out of what used to be to what can be.”

From the 6/5/07 DDN: Good Samaritan Hospital to build new heart center By Kevin Lamb Staff Writer Tuesday, June 05, 2007 DAYTON — Good Samaritan Hospital will build a dedicated heart center within its walls, similar to but larger than the unit Kettering Medical Center announced a year ago today. The $18 million facility, called Good Samaritan Heart and Vascular Hospital, will occupy 75,000 square feet on the bottom three floors of Seton Tower, spokeswoman Michelle Zendah said. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer, with part of it opening next summer. The new unit will have 84 beds in private rooms and a separate Benson Drive entrance with adjacent parking. Like Kettering's, it will be connected to the emergency department and include all cardiac diagnostic and treatment services. The two new heart units will compete with 47-bed Dayton Heart Hospital, which opened in 1999 with Good Samaritan doctors as leaders. MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/05/ddn060507heartweb.html Buddhist temple coming to Kettering Dayton Daily News, 6/6/07 A building permit has been issued to members of Shinnyo-en to build a Buddhist temple at 5727 Bigger Road, the city's chief building official said. Shinnyo-en is a lay Buddhist organization serving the needs of Shinnyo-en followers and their communities throughout the U.S. When the $300,000 project is completed, it will be the first Buddhist temple in Kettering and one of two in the greater Dayton area. "Kettering is a diverse community that welcomes new ideas and customs," said the city official, Terry Welker. "The space was previously a multitenant unit. I'm not sure when construction will begin, but they've got the green light to go forward."

From the 6/5/07 Enquirer: Homicides outpaced average BY EILEEN KELLEY | [email protected] Cincinnati appears to be bucking a trend. While the nation as a whole experienced only a slight rise in homicides from 2005 to 2006, the Queen City experienced a 12.7 percent increase. And likewise, while the nation saw a significant increase in robberies - 6 percent - Cincinnati saw only an 0.8 percent increase, according to preliminary FBI data released Monday. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070605/NEWS01/706050404/

From the 6/6/07 Pulse-Journal: South Lebanon, Hamilton Twp. annexation hearing continued Wednesday, June 06, 2007 By Tiffany Y. Latta Staff Writer Hamilton Twp. trustees and residents hope their petition against a proposal to annex nearly 143 acres to the village of South Lebanon will be enough to convince Warren County commissioners to reject the idea. But trustees and dozens of residents who say the annexation will "harm the good of the territory" won't get an answer for at least two months. County commissioners on Tuesday decided to continue a public hearing on the matter until Aug. 23. http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/06/pjl060607southlebweb.html From the 6/6/07 Enquirer: Erbeck Farms' zoning request withdrawn THE ENQUIRER Erbeck Farms Ltd. unexpectedly withdrew a request for a zoning change Tuesday only hours before its application was going to be considered by the Deerfield Township Board of Trustees. Passage would have required a unanimous vote by trustees to overturn last month's recommendation for denial by the township zoning commission. The company's plans for a 79-acre site north of Fields Ertel Road and west of Wilkens Boulevard included a mix of single- and multi-family housing units plus a 3-acre commercial or retail project. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070606/NEWS01/706060366/

From the 6/6/07 Lima News: New subdivision planned Heather Rutz | [email protected] - 06.06.2007 AMERICAN TOWNSHIP — Developers plan an 81-home subdivision for 43 acres on the southwest corner of Eastown and Diller roads. The development, Whispering Creek, received approval for its overall development plan Tuesday from Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Commission’s Developmental Controls Committee. The first phase will include all single-family homes, while the second phase will include what the developer calls “patio” homes, designed for single families, but on smaller lots. A third phase calls for town houses. The subdivision incorporates planned unit design, a more flexible way of designing homes in a denser configuration and then creating open space. More at http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=39258

Link contains another photo. From the 6/6/07 Fremont News-Messenger: PHOTO: A SIGN is posted at a residence just south of the land that has been sold for a proposed dairy farm. Photos by Charlie Longton/News-Messenger Farm moving forward Large-scale dairy farm group buys 75 acres By MATT SANCTIS Staff writer WOODVILLE TOWNSHIP -- One of two large-scale dairy farms may have taken another step toward completion after a recent sale involving roughly 75 acres of land just south of Woodville. According to documents filed in the Sandusky County Auditor's Office on May 30, the New Ijsselstein Dairy Leasing LCC paid $462,500 for about 75 acres of land near Sandusky County Road 32 in Woodville Township. The land was purchased from Black Swamp Holdings, a company managed by Sandusky County Commissioner Dan Liskai. Liskai did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday afternoon. Several members of Sandusky County Citizens Protecting Our Resources, a local group of residents opposed to the large dairy farms, requested the commissioners ask the county prosecutor's office whether the sale creates a conflict of interest due to Liskai's role as commissioner. On the Net Sandusky County Citizens Protecting Our Resources: http://www.sc-cpr.org Vreba-Hoff Dairy Development: http://www.vrebahoff.com MORE: http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070606/NEWS01/706060302/1002/rss01

From the 6/6/07 Warren Tribune Chronicle: GM official: Deal is near By staff, wire report WILMINGTON, Del. — A deal appears near for General Motors Corp., Delphi Corp. and the United Auto Workers union, GM Chairman Rick Wagoner said Tuesday. Delphi is the parent of Warren-based Delphi Packard Electric, which has about 900 active workers and thousands of retirees who are waiting for word on their pensions, health care and other benefits. Also, Wagoner announced GM awarded two lithium-ion battery development contracts to two companies for the Chevrolet Volt, a battery-powered electric concept car. The Volt uses the same architecture as the Chevrolet Cobalt built at GM’s Lordstown Complex. Lordstown is trying to win a new vehicle from GM when the Cobalt ends production in the summer of 2009. ... http://tribune-chronicle.com/articles.asp?articleID=18953

From the 6/6/07 Urbana Daily Citizen: Commissioners asked to weigh in on turbines BREANNE PARCELS Staff Writer Union Township resident Bob McConnell and attorney Lauren Ross asked the Champaign County Commissioners to consider forming a committee to focus on issues related to the proposed wind turbine installations in Union and Wayne townships during the commissioners' regular meeting Tuesday. "This has come up as a concern for many of us," said McConnell, a member of Union Neighbors United, a group which has opposed the location of proposed turbines and claims they will hurt property values and negatively impact the landscape. Ross said she filed an appeal in Champaign County Common Pleas Court last week on behalf of McConnell, his wife and Julie Johnson, who opposed the installation of an anemometer to measure wind speeds on Ault Road. The Union Township Board of Zoning Appeals granted a conditional use permit to Everpower to install the anemometer after a public hearing on May 14. McConnell said the 195-foot tower was erected in his "side yard" a few days ago, but he wasn't sure if the equipment had been mounted, due to the height and lack of lighting. "In essence, we can look out our kitchen window and see it," he said. "It isn't nearly as obtrusive as cell towers." Full article at http://www.urbanacitizen.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=144083&TM=48228.62

Link contains a photo. From the 6/6/07 Enquirer: Board proceeds with Blackwell evaluation BY BEN FISCHER | [email protected] The Cincinnati Board of Education is moving ahead with plans to evaluate Superintendent Rosa Blackwell for the recently completed school year despite her objections that such a move could violate her contract. After months of semantic wrangling, the board now hopes to schedule the review for late July, board President Eileen Cooper Reed said. The step could lead to another raise of her annual salary, which is currently $203,820. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070606/NEWS0102/706060341/