andrew0816

The show airs tonight at 9 on the Travel Channel. Do phantoms haunt the reformatory? Travel Channel's 'Ghost Adventures' team explores Mansfield landmark tonight By JAMI KINTON • News Journal • November 20, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Ever wondered if the Ohio State Reformatory is truly haunted? Zac Bagans promises that after tonight, you'll be a believer. The host and lead investigator on the Travel Channel's "Ghost Adventures" said he and investigators Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin visited the Mansfield prison in June. ... More at: mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Thanks everyone! Always glad to help! lol. Sweet. Let us know how it goes, I am sure you will have a blast. It is! Thanks so much!

Gay couples blast federal Defense of Marriage Act By The Associated Press 11.17.2009 5:31pm EST (Boston) Gay married couples suing the government over a federal law that doesn’t recognize same-sex unions say there is The lawsuit was brought by seven gay couples and three widowers, all of whom were married in Massachusetts after it became the first state in the country to legalize gay marriage in 2004. In court documents filed Tuesday, the couples say the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution because it denies them access to federal benefits given to other married couples, including pensions, health insurance and the ability to file joint tax returns. They argue that the law “eviscerates” the historic power of the states to establish criteria for marriage. ... More at 365gay.com

^Do you happen to have a list of the homes they plan on demolishing? In other news... Mansfield Blockhouse readies for open house By LOU WHITMIRE • November 17, 2009 MANSFIELD -- An open house will show off the newly restored Mansfield Blockhouse in South Park from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday . Sunda Peters, past president of the Richland County Genealogy Society, said stairs from a house built in the 1830s eventually will be installed inside the blockhouse, but for now officials are using a ladder to reach the upper floor. Plans include exterior stairs, too. ... More at: mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Ohio Episopalians open door to gay church weddings By 365gay Newswire 11.16.2009 10:31am EST The Columbus Dispatch reported last week that gay Episcopalians in central and southern Ohio will be able to marry in churches beginning Easter 2010. Bishop Thomas E. Breidenthal of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio announced at the 135th diocesean convention that he would lift the prohibition of same-sex unions in the church. ... More at 365gay.com

I actually haven't found them to be too difficult to figure out, although I agree about the height of the machines.

I needed a Cleveland fix and this wonderful November day compelled me to pay the city a visit.

Condemned house at issue in Mansfield By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • November 12, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Having recently learned she still owns the house she thought was lost to foreclosure last year, Tina Powell wants to move back in at 152 W. First St. The city, however, placed a demolition order on the home this fall. Powell insists she's the victim of a big mix-up. ... More at: mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Region will receive $650K for job training News Journal staff report • November 11, 2009 MANSFIELD -- A grant of $640,000 will become available in the coming weeks for 1,000 recently laid-off employees and those still with jobs in a four-county area, local officials announced Tuesday. "Richland County is a shining star" when it comes to labor pool development, Bob Zettler, a county work force consultant, told commissioners. "And that's a great credit to each of you." The federal Workforce Investment Act funding will make available up to $253,958 for Richland County, to help pay for advanced training in manufacturing, alternative energy, health care and information technology. ... More at: mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Yeah, but at least our other two towers and the Westinghouse Complex are still around. Totally agree.

^Wow, that is horrible. In Mansfield people generally hate Don Nash...or maybe that is just me. He is one of the people responsible for the demolition of The Leland Hotel. Same corner today:

Group targets north end for revitalization By MARK CAUDILL • News Journal • November 7, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Sixty-one percent of the housing on the city's north side is substandard. The North End Community Improvement Collaborative hopes to change that -- and more. Staff from the North Main Street organization presented the first draft of a community economic development plan Friday to about 30 people, including state Rep. Jay Goyal, Mansfield Mayor Don Culliver and City Council members Ellen Haring, Pat Hightower and Doug Versaw. ... More at: mansfieldnewsjournal.com

No, I don't have any photos. I don't think that they have released a list of the homes that they plan on demolishing.

With the latest controversy over the city wanting to demolish 57 homes without the oversight of the local preservation group, I thought that I would start this topic to document the process and for future preservation issues in Mansfield. The first article was already posted here, and an update: Demolitions concern downtown group By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • November 6, 2009 MANSFIELD --The Richland County Historical Society now has historical review consulting status, allowing it to review the city's demolition lists. Downtown Mansfield wants to pursue similar status. But that group won't be included in the city's new two-year deal with the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, Mayor Don Culliver said. "We're not going to have 10 different entities that are going to put in red tape and slow down this process," the mayor said. "We can't have people at the end of the process, saying we're going to stop the process." ... More at: mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Some good news... If biz trends hold, AK Steel to hire 20 By LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal • November 6, 2009 MANSFIELD -- AK Steel's Mansfield plant is anticipating hiring about 20 people sometime after the first of the year, assuming business conditions continue to warrant it, a company spokesman said Thursday. "This would be in anticipation of normal attrition. Current total employment at Mansfield Works is about 320," spokesman Alan H. McCoy said. Brian Speelman, president of United Steelworkers Local 169, was pleased to hear the news. ... More at: mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Happy birthday UO! If it wasn't for this site I wouldn't know half as much about Cleveland as I do now and probably wouldn't have visited in November 2007, which is when I fell in love with the city.

^Thanks for the photos. :)

Funds on hold over dispute with historical society Federal money was slated for wide-ranging demolition, cleanup project By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • November 3, 2009 MANSFIELD -- About $1.6 million in federal funds, earmarked for the city to clean up dilapidated properties, have been suspended. City officials told council Monday long-time historic preservation commission chairman Alan Wigton stirred up an e-mail campaign that has put a halt on National Stabilization Program funds. Wigton contends the city is failing to comply with the historic preservation act. The Richland County Historical Society has asked to be given consultant status under federal law. The group wants to review buildings that are slated for possible demolition or rehabilitation using federal funding. Wigton claims the city's community development office has delayed a decision on that request. ... More at: http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20091103/NEWS01/911030319/-1/newsfront2/Funds-on-hold-over-dispute-with-historical-society

Homeless housing to help revitalize 'hood By LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal • November 2, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Ed Meehan, president of the Harmony House Board of Directors, said the property was acquired with federal Community Development Block Grant funds in 2009. "We also got federal funding for the renovation," Meehan said during a tour of the apartment complex Friday. "We tore all the windows out and put in all new insulated windows." The large brick structure, built in 1914, was vacant for several years. It sports a new deck and railings, new shingles on the roof and new furnaces, light fixtures, duct work and more. The apartments also have new plumbing and electrical work that has been approved by the city building and codes department, Meehan said. ... http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20091102/NEWS01/911020305/-1/newsfront2/Homeless-housing-to-help-revitalize--hood

US: Mass. can’t “force” federal gay marriage By The Associated Press 10.30.2009 3:00pm EDT (Washington) States that allow gay marriage can’t force the federal government to provide benefits to those couples, the Obama administration argued Friday in court papers in a lawsuit by Massachusetts. The Justice Department is at odds with Massachusetts – the first state to allow gay marriage – over a 1996 federal law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Massachusetts sued in July, saying that law is discriminatory and deprives gay couples in the state of some federal spousal benefits. Read more at 365gay.com

Obama signs HIV/AIDS bill extension; implements lifting of AIDS travel ban Jennifer Vanasco By Jennifer Vanasco, editor in chief, 365gay.com 10.30.2009 12:13pm EDT (Washington) President Barack Obama signed an extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS bill this morning. The legislation provides care, treatment and support services to nearly half a million people, most of whom are low-income. Obama also announced that the Department of Health and Human services has finally crafted a new regulation spelling the end to the HIV Travel and Immigration Ban. The regulation goes into effect in January. Read more at 365gay.com

Steel mill's civic fund kaput after 83 years 3 charities benefit from final act of giving By LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal • October 29, 2009 MANSFIELD -- The steel mill civic fund, in operation since 1926, officially dissolved this month, ending 83 years of financial support to the community. In closing the fund Wednesday, Doug Cox, secretary and treasurer of the Armco Civic Fund, and Brian Speelman, president of United Steelworkers of America Local 169, said the fund helped generations of people. The $6,338.69 remaining in the account was donated to Friendly House ($2,500), Catholic Charities ($2,000) and United Way of Richland County ($1,838.39). Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Wow, thanks for sharing.

Can the mods please combine this thread with this one now that it has been cleaned?

Congress extends hate crime protections to gays By The Associated Press 10.23.2009 8:12am EDT (Washington) Physical attacks on people based on their sexual orientation will join the list of federal hate crimes in a major expansion of the civil rights-era law Congress approved Thursday and sent to President Barack Obama. A priority of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., that had been on the congressional agenda for a decade, the measure expands current law to include crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The measure is named for Matthew Shepard, the gay Wyoming college student murdered 11 years ago. To assure its passage after years of frustrated efforts, Democratic supporters attached the measure to a must-pass $680 billion defense policy bill the Senate approved 68-29. The House passed the defense bill earlier this month. Read more at 365gay.com