Oldmanladyluck

^Towards the end of this article in regards to the housing crisis. Kucinich just held a sub-committee hearing on Friday regarding the states like Ohio which obviously need of help from the feds but were left out of the Obama Administration's $1.5 billion giveaway regarding foreclosure counseling help for homeowners. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/02/kucinich_vows_a_fight_over_ohi.html Kucinich vows a fight over Ohio's exclusion from federal mortgage assistance program By John Mangels, The Plain Dealer February 20, 2010, 6:11PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich said today he will ask the Obama Administration to reconsider its decision to exclude hard-hit Ohio from a new federal effort to help states cope with the housing foreclosure crisis. $1.5 billion originally intended to help bail out troubled banks. Instead, the Troubled Asset Relief Program money will go to state housing agencies in California, Nevada, Florida, Arizona and Michigan, where it will be used to support new programs to keep homeowners from losing their properties.

I will expect to hear more about mergers after the next census. The housing market crash didn't just affect the City of Cleveland, which estimates it's population to be currently 325,000 (!!!) people, down from 475,000 just 10 years ago (the city hasn't seen a drop like that since the 70s). There hasn't been one, NOT ONE, community in this county which hasn't been affected. Expect Euclid to dip well below 50,000 this census, along with Cleveland Heights. Expect to see Parma's population to see a significant drop as well. If this next census isn't a wake-up call to the region, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. There are 59 separate municipalities in this County. Can we just imagine the duplication which occurs? How many police districts are there? Fire? EMS? Heck, some communities even separate their WATER (Cleveland Heights, for example). This is just wasteful, plain and simple. And with a shrinking population, it just seems even more-so unsustainable.

^I agree. I'm hoping that the Cavs saw something promising in Powe... a quick look at his stats don't show much (though he hasn't had much time ON the court). I guess we'll see. Shaq should know what the deal is as far as staying healthy while out for the next couple of weeks. Like you said, he's a veteran player and knows what it takes to win.

^#$*@! I'm hoping it's a partial tear. Though we have a great team in place, I don't want the team to lose their hold on the most games won during the regular season. We need home-court advantage during the playoffs.

I like this thread! I have a 4 year old daughter and recently moved back to Euclid. I would love to hear of the different things to do for her in the City! I guess this is breaking the rules- but McDonald's Hill on E. 222nd close to Euclid Ave. is a great sledding hill for kids, and best of all, it's FREE.

I'm DEFINITELY getting tickets to the game when Big Z returns!

^That IS big news... they've designed some fantastic projects. I guess we're in for a treat in regards to the Clinic's main campus- as how the campus has evolved thus far has been without regard to it's setting in a major city, along one of the city's historic thoroughfares in a once vibrant neighborhood. http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Practice/Default.aspx

^Yes, when using historic tax credits. It will be interesting to see the eventual plans for this building. This would definitely be able to compete with 668 in regards to luring renters. The lobby of the building is TOO kick ass... ahh, the possibilities.

Great job, Youngstown!

^Oh well... there goes that idea...

I completely forgot about that! It is exciting to hear that we may end up with another skyscraper downtown! I've learned not to get my hopes up though, and take the wait-and-see approach. But if LaTourette is speaking on it, there may be a serious proposal for this!

^LOL that sounds like a good fit, huh? Oh well... nothing we can do.

^If that is truly the case, Gilbert is going to be paying quite a hefty sum for the land to develop the casino. Any of those parcels may well have gone upwards of 50% in value, especially by being written into the Ohio Constitution for a casino.

FINALLY some city-council members are starting to wake up and realize the shape this city is in, and where the region needs to go from here. This next census will not be kind to Cleveland (as if the last 5 were), but further "discussions" aren't needed IMO. Action is needed. As a region, we've discussed this to death already. Many on City Council know it's time for radical change in how Cleveland is governed: Brent Larkin By Brent Larkin February 21, 2010, 8:00AM The four of them have represented the city of Cleveland in elected office for a combined 106 years, 98 of them as members of City Council. As a group, they have lived in the city for two centuries. One needn't be fans of Councilmen Michael Polensek, Ken Johnson, Jay Westbrook and Jeff Johnson to appreciate that these four have forgotten more about daily life in Cleveland than those of us in the suburbs will ever know. And every one of them thinks this: Cleveland is a city in desperate trouble. Polensek: "We've got affordable housing, great lakefront possibilities and cultural institutions second to none. But if we don't get our act together in a hurry, we're toast." More at http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2010/02/many_on_city_council_know_its.html

Nice!

Looking Good!

Those look great! Looks like you got around recently!

^I would like to know as well. Great pics, great thread!

I felt that the paper (and the business interests in the region) would want the Port to move to Burke instead of waiting 20+ years for the CDF to fill (remember, Dike 14 was begun in the 70s... the E.55th site plan is more than 2 times that size). I have to say that this makes more sense- I still haven't bought into the idea of moving the Port to E.55th based on the time line given. I know the logistics regarding site attributes, however waiting 20 years for the port to move is longer than I would like to see as a resident of this region. I know I'm not alone on this. If Chicago and Kansas City can close their airports to open up land for development, it can be done here. This is our lakefront, and we deserve better.

^I would assume so, seeing from a previous story that Gilbert and FCE were having issues (like that couldn't have been forseen, though Gilbert pushed for their site during the convention center fiasco). Nevertheless, we know that the casino will go behind Tower City, so FCE will benefit by the sale of the land along with the increase in foot traffic to Tower City.

Can't believe this hasn't been posted yet... Cleveland port authority board member calls for closing Burke Lakefront Airport By James F. McCarty,The Plain Dealer February 19, 2010, 9:00AM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A new proposal to close Burke Lakefront Airport and use the land for development, parks and a relocated port is being floated to members of Cleveland City Council and Cuyahoga County commissioners. richardknoth.jpgSpecial to The Plain DealerRichard KnothAttorney Richard Knoth, a member of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority's board of directors, authored a 13-page memo ( burke.pdf) that calls for converting the city-owned reliever airport on the downtown waterfront into "Project Emerald City." More at http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/02/post_218.html

I don't like this way of thinking. Perception is not 9/10 of reality. If you lose your job and/or your house, if your car gets vandalized or stolen, etc., it's not perception, it's reality. Therefore, "this" doesn't need to be stopped. It just needs to be ignored. Fix the actual (not the perceived) problems with the city and perception will eventually catch up. Letting perception trump reality is great for used car salesmen and investment bankers selling mortgage-backed securities, but it's seldom as good for the buyer. Try telling that to the suburbanite who is afraid to visit downtown because of "perception". Or the family member who talked down on the city who you've had to correct. Or the co-worker who moved away to perceived "greener pastures". Or the college students who graduated and moved away because of the "perception" of cities such as Atlanta, Houston, or Miami. Or an old friend who only knows Cleveland for the negative news stories which are perpetually pushed through both the national and local media. And so on. Perception = $, plain and simple. We can discuss this in full on the "Cleveland's Perception" thread. Sure, WE can ignore it. But again, to the public who doesn't know any better, or doesn't take the time to look for what's really going on in the city, or how the city's economy is REALLY doing when compared to the national economy (or even cities of comparable size), etc., Forbes and the negative slant of our local news media is all they know.

On a serious note, there HAS to be someone at Forbes who felt slighted by his employment in Cleveland. I mean why the frack is it that Cleveland ends up at the top of these lists, EVERY time? Perception is 9/10 of reality to those who don't know any better, including the local population. This needs to be stopped... HOW is the question.

I actually like this idea!

This trade actually was the better of the two possible deals. We get to keep JJ Hickson, who has shown promise and growth on the team. Z will be back as a Cavalier by the end of March. I hate to see him go, but he'll be back before we know it. This team can go all the way this year!! We have much more depth than the team which made it to the finals and was swept by the Spurs.