andrew0816

Prison museum sprouting at former reformatory By LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal • September 26, 2009 MANSFIELD -- The Ohio Prison Museum, displaying historic artifacts from throughout the state's 32 prison institutions, will open in January inside the Ohio State Reformatory. The museum will be operated by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in cooperation with the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society, the nonprofit group that operates the 100 Reformatory Road prison-turned-museum. Ed Meehan, a volunteer with Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society, on Monday said the new museum will be on the first, second and third floors of the west administrative wing of the prison. Meehan said prison wardens are already sending items. A curator from the state prison will set up the exhibits. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

No one reacted that way, so I don't know why you are making a big deal out of something that didn't happen.

A world first: Vaccine helps prevent HIV infection By The Associated Press 09.24.2009 8:29am EDT (Bangkok) For the first time, an experimental vaccine has prevented infection with the AIDS virus, a watershed event in the deadly epidemic and a surprising result. Recent failures led many scientists to think such a vaccine might never be possible. The World Health Organization and the U.N. agency UNAIDS said the results “instilled new hope” in the field of HIV vaccine research. The vaccine – a combination of two previously unsuccessful vaccines – cut the risk of becoming infected with HIV by more than 31 percent in the world’s largest AIDS vaccine trial of more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand, researchers announced Thursday in Bangkok. Even though the benefit is modest, “it’s the first evidence that we could have a safe and effective preventive vaccine,” Col. Jerome Kim told The Associated Press. He helped lead the study for the U.S. Army, which sponsored it with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Read more at 365gay.com

$3.3M overhaul of Risman Plaza to start in spring Rachel Rathjens Issue date: 9/24/09 Section: News Lined with bricks, black picnic tables and a colossal water fountain, Risman Plaza isn't the most charming place on Kent State's campus. By Homecoming 2010, some of the bricks will be replaced with grass, some tables replaced with alternative outdoor seating, and the fountain will be gone. The Office of the University Architect is planning to start the $3.3 million Risman Plaza project in the spring of 2010. The project is being financed by capital funds accumulated in the last four years. "We want to update, improve, and make the plaza have a softer feel to it," said Michael Bruder, director of design and construction in the Office of the University Architect. "We want it to be a student-friendly place." Read more at kentnewsnet.com

Council puts mayor recall vote on ballot By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • September 23, 2009 MANSFIELD -- City Council voted 6-2, with two Democrats dissenting, to put a mayoral recall issue on the Nov. 3 ballot. Voters living in Mansfield will decide in six weeks whether Mayor Don Culliver should remain in office. Culliver said prior to the vote he has done nothing to warrant being cast out of office. "What we've tried to do all along is be fair, fiscally responsible and do the right thing by citizens. I could understand if there was some malfeasance, nonfeasance or any other kind of 'feasance,' " he said. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Mansfield area jobless rate edges down By TERRICHA BRADLEY • News Journal • September 23, 2009 MANSFIELD -- The Mansfield metro area no longer has the worst unemployment rate in Ohio, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The area had a 12.8 percent unemployment rate for August, down from 13.9 in July. Richland County is ranked 24th out of 88 counties at 13 percent, down from 14.3 in July. "When you see a number (unemployment) down like that, companies are hiring and people are going back to work," said Jason McManes, Workforce Investment Act supervisor for Richland County OneStop Employment and Training Center. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

New bus schedule draws controversy Doug Gulasy Issue date: 9/21/09 Section: News The Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority's newest bus route is drawing the ire of residents who are now forced to wait longer for their buses. PARTA's Black Squirrel route, which runs from Kent State's C-Midway parking lot to Wal-Mart in Ravenna and services the newly built Campus Pointe and Pebblebrook apartments, went into effect Aug. 23. To create room for the Black Squirrel, PARTA has reduced the frequency of its Interurban route to Ravenna, cutting out 10 trips in the process. Instead of running every half-hour, that route now runs every hour and five minutes. PARTA also reduced the number of trips for the Kent Suburban route between 6:30 and 11 a.m. The Interurban route to Stow was not adjusted. PARTA Operations Manager Joseph Yensel said the company wanted to create more bus service between Wal-Mart and the university and to provide transportation for the many students who live at Campus Pointe and Pebblebrook. Read more at kentnewsnet.com

I don't think I can make that one, but I will let you know when we get closer to October 3rd.

So, is this clean-up not happening?

Rift divides local Tea Party groups By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • September 19, 2009 MANSFIELD -- When it comes to political goals, the two Tea Party groups holding rallies in the Mansfield area aren't exactly each other's cup of ... well, you know. One group, the Mansfield Tea Party Patriots, focuses strictly on promoting three principles it says stem back two centuries to the Boston Tea Party -- limited government, fiscal responsibility and free market capitalism. The other, the Mansfield North Central Tea Party Association, brings religion to the forefront at its rallies and on its Web site. It bills itself as the only nonpartisan Tea Party group in Mansfield. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Unions mum on effort to recall Mayor Culliver By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • September 19, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Despite a frustrating year that brought major layoffs for municipal employees, city labor unions are unlikely to meddle in the mayoral recall, their leaders say. "I don't see getting involved in it, no way shape or form, because I work here," said Dale Blamer, vice president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The union, representing workers in several city departments, won't negotiate a contract again for two years. However, Mayor Don Culliver could still be in office at that time, and it would be uncomfortable for the union to sit across the negotiating table if its membership had decided not to back him, Blamer said. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Will feds fund more demolition, rebuilding? Could be largest project in city history By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • September 17, 2009 MANSFIELD -- A second round of federal foreclosure funding could lead to the largest reconstruction project in city history. The project would raze dilapidated housing and rebuild on those same sites with money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Community Development Director Cindy Baker is optimistic favorable news will arrive in early December. If so, it could mean $5,219,500 is heading here as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding. The city was allocated $1,698,773 in the first round. "That would be the largest grant in the history of the city, for community development," she said. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Federal $ to pay for Mansfield demolitions By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • September 16, 2009 MANSFIELD -- City council approved demolishing 16 dilapidated houses Tuesday. Federal funds will pay to tear down 13 of those homes. It's the first round of a larger project involving $1,698,773 in Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds the city has been allocated. The program was created to aid urban areas suffering from increased vacancies and property devaluation resulting from the foreclosure crisis. Cities can use the grants to acquire land and property, demolish or rehabilitate abandoned properties, or offer down payments Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Mayoral recall is on, maybe for Nov. 3 By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • September 16, 2009 MANSFIELD -- There will be a mayoral recall vote in Mansfield. The only question is when. It could be Nov. 3 if council acts swiftly, Richland County Elections Director Paulette Hankins said. Barbara Walter, who led a drive to collect at least 1,813 signatures in an effort to oust Mayor Don Culliver, forwarded 502 additional signatures to Clerk of Council Mary Heminger on Tuesday. Culliver, a Democrat, is in his first term as mayor. Walter is a Republican, but says party affiliation had nothing to do with the recall campaign. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Change wanted in charter recall provision By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • September 15, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Marcia Webb, president of the Mansfield branch of the NAACP, told council Monday night recall provisions in the city's charter language -- now being invoked in an attempt to recall Mayor Don Culliver -- "are defective." Webb asked council to consider revising the language of the charter since it doesn't require any specific lawful rationale as a condition for removing an elected officials. "The current process is flawed because for any reason or no reason at all, any citizens of Mansfield can file a petition for the recall of a duly elected official," Webb said. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com.

Awesome news, Jones are the best chips in the world! Jones Potato Chip Company -- Expanding to meet customer growth By LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal • September 13, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Jones Potato Chip Co. is in the midst of a $3 million expansion at a new location on Bowman Street, just one mile north of the existing plant at 265 Bowman St. The move -- still in progress -- will enable the small business to expand its presence in the snack food industry, owner Bob Jones said. Jones, 52, the youngest child of original founder Frederick Jones, is part of a family that has been making marcelled potato chips in Mansfield since 1945. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com Mansfield's Arthur Avenue plagued by vacancy By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • September 13, 2009 MANSFIELD -- On Arthur Avenue, residents wonder whether they're on a sinking ship. Advertisement By their estimate, as many as half the houses packed tightly on the street's tiny lots are empty -- abandoned by landlords or owners. Pam Briggs would love to buy one of the larger houses on Arthur. She has her eye on what she sees as a wonderful fixer-upper. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com More and more commercial properties being sold at auction By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • September 13, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Several commercial buildings in the Mansfield area -- the Ambassador Hotel among them -- will be put up for sheriff's sale Oct. 9. Nearly 30 properties around Richland County will be sold that Friday morning, at the county prosecutor's request, after court foreclosures were filed to try to recover a total of $851,846 in delinquent taxes. Richland County treasurer Bart Hamilton says it's the largest single sheriff's sale he can remember. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Some disgruntled citizens want to get rid of Mayor Don Culliver of Mansfield. For some background info, click here. I initially didn't post anything about this because I didn't think that it would go anywhere. However, there is a possibility that it might actually happen. Mayoral recall drive short 168 signatures By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • September 11, 2009 MANSFIELD -- It's official: 168 more valid signatures must be collected before a petition to recall Mansfield Mayor Don Culliver can be placed on a ballot. Petition organizer Barbara Walter said she's confident she and others working on the recall campaign will gather that number this weekend. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

MVP's makes its debut By LOU WHITMIRE • September 11, 2009 MANSFIELD -- MVP's Sports Bar and Grille celebrated its grand opening Thursday with a newly remodeled interior and patio. Co-owners Doug and Tina Mowery of Crestline and Michael "Sammy" Sertell of Mansfield bought the building at 275 Park Avenue West, formerly home to Mama's Touch of Italy restaurant. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Agency makes push for green energy in north central Ohio By ERIK SHILLING • News Journal • September 10, 2009 MANSFIELD -- A Cleveland nonprofit agency paid a visit Wednesday to urge local politicians and businessmen to see green in their investments, however far down the road the payoff will come. The benefits of many major clean energy initiatives -- such as wind and solar energy and extensive biofuel use -- could be far off, but that didn't discourage the optimism of supporters. Read more at: http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20090910/BUSINESS/909100320/-1/newsfront2/Agency-makes-push-for-green-energy-in-north-central-Ohio

Wow, thanks for sharing.

I know that there are plans for a hotel, but I am not sure if they are going to renovate that one or build new. Also, the last two photos are where the project would expand (with hotel/convention space, retail, office, residential, and parking).

Here are some recent pictures of the music and speech construction and Acorn Alley.

Wow, they have come a long way on the Howe House. Nice pictures, thanks for sharing.

Elms -- and its burgers -- are back By LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal • September 7, 2009 MANSFIELD -- The Elms Tavern re-opened this summer with a new owner and a new look. But some things haven't changed at the neighborhood bar, 308 S. Diamond St., that dates to about 1940. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Personal trainers open shop in Mansfield's Carrousel District By LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal • September 5, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Allen and Lisa Antonelli have gotten a workout running their own business