No, I'm not ignoring the Tigers. They have been getting some good press in our local papers with pictures as they improved their record to 16-1 on the season. I'm just as excited for them as I was last week.
For a brief recap the men in the orange & black took their second win over Southern Local this past Friday. Did you see the picture of Zane Carter in last Saturday's ER with his head band over his eyes? He could probably see better if he would push that up a little higher!
Then on Tuesday the Tigers played their last away game of the regular season at Jackson-Milton bringing home another victory with a 51 point margin. J-M is not having a good year. There were 12 different Tigers scoring in that game. The coach played them all and got some of the younger guys more game experience. It was a lop sided win over a winless team but you can't tell your players not to play their game.
In that last game the Tigers won a share of the Inter-Tri County League title for their tier. It was back in the 1970s since that happened. They moved up to number 6 on the latest AP poll. It's going to take a supreme effort to get much higher but it could happen.
On Sunday they had the drawings for the tournaments. Wellsville is second seeded and will open in New Philly February 18th against Steubenville Central Catholic. However, as Jeremy Carter said we're not thinking about that yet.
Last night's game against Beaver Local was cancelled due to weather. Does anyone know if that game will be made up? At this point it's a meaningless game but I'm looking for bragging rights here. They already notched up wins against everyone else in the area - Toronto, Southern, East Liverpool and Oak Glen. Then there is the risk of someone getting injured. If it was up to me it would be a tough call and it can't be considered an easy win. The Fighting Beavers would love to possibly knocked them down in the polls if they could.
Another exciting happening this week is WKMXlive.com. Thanks to Terry Brown and some supporters it looks like they have found a way to clearly broadcast the games. When they started back they were using a cell phone to computer system that didn't pan out. If they had a good connection with the cell phones the background noise was drowning out the announcers. When they were up in Austintown they didn't have a good signal. About all you could hear were screeches. Now they got some new equipment that gives them a computer to computer hook-up and it has provened to make a world of difference.
They gave it a test run last night with the Lady Tiger's 8th grade game. It was dern near perfect. They will be using it tomorrow night and for the rest of the season. They are even going to do the girl's game Monday evening. It wasn't too noisy last night. Hopefully the new stuff will be effective in a gym full of screaming people. At any rate anyone in the world with an internet hook-up will be able to hear the Tigers.
The Tigers wrap up the regular season at home with games against Leetonia tomorrow night, Lowellville next Tuesday and possibly a make-up with the Beavers. We're pulling for you guys. Just please remember what got you this far. Good luck.
Did I ever mention it's not going to get any easier? :-)
ole nib
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tet
Like the Beatles sang about Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band "it was forty years ago today that Sgt. Pepper began to play"... Change the name from Sgt. Pepper to "the Cong" and you folks that are old enough to remember will recall that four decades ago on this date the all out offensive that is known today as the Tet Offensive began. It was the beginning of the end. Unfortunately the politicians took a few more years before they got the picture. Sound familiar? Just change the country and that thought even has meaning in today's times.
I was in-country for what we vets commonly refer to as Tet. I was stationed near Pleiku in II Corp. Life for a young greenhorn changed for this G.I. Suddenly I began to seriously see what that conflict was all about. After wading through all the rhetoric that war was for a country that wanted to be independent of foreign domination. Uncle Ho, as he was popularly referred to, was trying to lead his native country to become a democratic society. Things would have been quite different back then if it wasn't for Eisenhower.
On the heels of WWII Eisenhower didn't want to get into another battle and especially against the French. Viet Nam was a French possession back in those days. France was a strong U.S. ally and Ike considered them good friends. Consequently he counseled against American involvement in that jungle paradise. In the infancy of the Cold War, Russia welcomed Ho with open arms. Did you know that Eisenhower put the first American troops in Viet Nam? They were called advisers and observers. It was a small number compared to what it built up to in later years. The Russians poured big money into RVN to buy the soul of Ho Chi Minh.
When the Tet Offensive came around a lot of things changed across the pond. Suddenly towns were off limits and for a time being troops were permitted to fight without first asking if they could return fire. I even witnessed a trooper slowly going bonkers stressing out about the new surge "Charlie" was putting on. It was sad to see but that guy got out of there early because of it. Around Pleiku the Americans were boss doing the day and "Charlie" ruled the night. For awhile it all changed after the beginning of Tet.
A few months later my tour was up. I got "short" and me and my guardian angel rotated back to the states. Care to share any thoughts on Tet?
ole nib
I was in-country for what we vets commonly refer to as Tet. I was stationed near Pleiku in II Corp. Life for a young greenhorn changed for this G.I. Suddenly I began to seriously see what that conflict was all about. After wading through all the rhetoric that war was for a country that wanted to be independent of foreign domination. Uncle Ho, as he was popularly referred to, was trying to lead his native country to become a democratic society. Things would have been quite different back then if it wasn't for Eisenhower.
On the heels of WWII Eisenhower didn't want to get into another battle and especially against the French. Viet Nam was a French possession back in those days. France was a strong U.S. ally and Ike considered them good friends. Consequently he counseled against American involvement in that jungle paradise. In the infancy of the Cold War, Russia welcomed Ho with open arms. Did you know that Eisenhower put the first American troops in Viet Nam? They were called advisers and observers. It was a small number compared to what it built up to in later years. The Russians poured big money into RVN to buy the soul of Ho Chi Minh.
When the Tet Offensive came around a lot of things changed across the pond. Suddenly towns were off limits and for a time being troops were permitted to fight without first asking if they could return fire. I even witnessed a trooper slowly going bonkers stressing out about the new surge "Charlie" was putting on. It was sad to see but that guy got out of there early because of it. Around Pleiku the Americans were boss doing the day and "Charlie" ruled the night. For awhile it all changed after the beginning of Tet.
A few months later my tour was up. I got "short" and me and my guardian angel rotated back to the states. Care to share any thoughts on Tet?
ole nib
Mighty Mouse Comes Out Again
Read all about it in today's local papers. He made the front page of both. Even got his picture in the MJ. Thanks to Google Images we found a better one.
Claiming that he has become a target and is being threatened he crossed all the t's and doted the i's and refiled his complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission. We did a couple of pieces back in November on this subject. I'll refrain from other comments until after the probable cause meeting February 28th. According to Jeremy we should know what the commission decides to do with this after their meeting.
ole nib
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The BIG Picture
In a community such as Wellsville, Ohio, everyone knows everyone else's business and if you don't then you know someone that does. It happens in a small community. It's a way of life. All you have to do is ask around. Even if you don't want to ask around you can just keep your ears open and learn a lot. You won't find that in a big city.
Since writing Shooting in The Ville last Wednesday I have heard quite a few disturbing things related to what occurred last Tuesday night. Also some of the comments were disturbing. Instead of getting indignant one commenter said shootings occur all the time, not only in the ville, but in other communities too and we should just get over it. I hope that person is not one of our residents. What happened last Tuesday should never be accepted as a common everyday occurrence that we should just accept and move on.
Shootings do occur frequently in other communities. How many times do we turn on the t.v. news or pick up a newspaper from Youngstown or Pittsburgh and see stories related to illicit drug deals that result in guns being fired? Too often. It doesn't make it acceptable. There was an article in the USA Today a couple of weeks ago entitled Drugs replace steel in Rust Belt. It was a story about how the drug scene blossomed to big time in Aliquippa after the closing of J&L. It told of how some turned to dealing in drugs to support themselves and how lucrative it was compared to working at a minimum wage job. It's not too far fetched to say this is what has happened in the ville and other communities up and down the river. There seems to be no shortage of users who will beg, borrow or steal to support those that are dealing. It's easy money compared to working an honest job. It is not something that we have to tolerate or turn a blind eye to. Even though it may seem to be I don't think it is something our police are ignoring.
What is disturbing to me is that I'm beginning to believe that the characters involved in last Tuesday's shooting have been on the radar screen for some time now without anything being done about them. What is more disturbing was that there were three children "under the age of 18" in the house that was the target of the shooting. It was just by the graced of God that one of them didn't get hit. What is most disturbing to me is that the safety of our children and our community is being held in jeopardy because the WPD hands are tied preventing them to make any kind of arrests. After what I was told that I got the impression that I wasn't seeing the BIG Picture.
Contrary to other's opinions I don't think the officers of WPD are totally inept. They are not the "Keystone Cops" that some indicate they are. They have had problems that in the past year have been brought to light and that is being handled. Yes, there are many things that happen in the ville that we don't hear about or read in the local papers. I partially blame that on the lack of aggression on the part of some reporters. Aren't police logs public information? There might even be some dealing going on with promises of bigger stories yet to come. Who knows? Even if that is true there would be nothing on police logs if no arrests are made. Notes on on-going investigations are not a matter of public record until arrests are made and it goes to trial. Then it becomes a matter of public record and names of the perpetrators can be used in the forum of public opinion.
Last Tuesday's shooting is the second incident in the ville in the past few months that did make the news and to date no arrests have been made. In both cases there was probable cause to make an arrest. A guy shoots his wife and openly admits to police that he did is still on the streets. Fifty "hits" of suspected heroin is found in a house and no one is under lock & key. This kind of crap is what makes WPD the laughing stock of the area and the butt of a lot of scorn. It is extremely disturbing that the people of the ville have to live in fear because hands are tied. While various levels of law enforcement are trying to get their acts together on these matters things just continue to deteriorated in the ville.
It shouldn't have to be this way and we Wellsville tax payers are not shelling out our tax dollars trying to be considerate of others in law enforcement. Speaking for myself I am not paying to be in fear of driving through some areas in town. It's time things are handled differently by our police and we residents need to speak up. I don't know about you but I'm fed up. It's way past the time that things get turned around. Consideration is good to a point. I think that point has long been passed.
What can you do? At the very least call the Mayor's office and register a complaint. Call members of council. If you can fit it in your schedule go to the council meetings and speak up. Reporters from our local papers are there. Call the police if you witness any suspicious behavior in your neighborhood. It may look trivial but who knows?
The administration and police know that positive actions need to be taken. Let them know that it is at the least disturbing. Let them know we don't deserve this kind of treatment and we shouldn't have to tolerate it.
ole nib
Since writing Shooting in The Ville last Wednesday I have heard quite a few disturbing things related to what occurred last Tuesday night. Also some of the comments were disturbing. Instead of getting indignant one commenter said shootings occur all the time, not only in the ville, but in other communities too and we should just get over it. I hope that person is not one of our residents. What happened last Tuesday should never be accepted as a common everyday occurrence that we should just accept and move on.
Shootings do occur frequently in other communities. How many times do we turn on the t.v. news or pick up a newspaper from Youngstown or Pittsburgh and see stories related to illicit drug deals that result in guns being fired? Too often. It doesn't make it acceptable. There was an article in the USA Today a couple of weeks ago entitled Drugs replace steel in Rust Belt. It was a story about how the drug scene blossomed to big time in Aliquippa after the closing of J&L. It told of how some turned to dealing in drugs to support themselves and how lucrative it was compared to working at a minimum wage job. It's not too far fetched to say this is what has happened in the ville and other communities up and down the river. There seems to be no shortage of users who will beg, borrow or steal to support those that are dealing. It's easy money compared to working an honest job. It is not something that we have to tolerate or turn a blind eye to. Even though it may seem to be I don't think it is something our police are ignoring.
What is disturbing to me is that I'm beginning to believe that the characters involved in last Tuesday's shooting have been on the radar screen for some time now without anything being done about them. What is more disturbing was that there were three children "under the age of 18" in the house that was the target of the shooting. It was just by the graced of God that one of them didn't get hit. What is most disturbing to me is that the safety of our children and our community is being held in jeopardy because the WPD hands are tied preventing them to make any kind of arrests. After what I was told that I got the impression that I wasn't seeing the BIG Picture.
Contrary to other's opinions I don't think the officers of WPD are totally inept. They are not the "Keystone Cops" that some indicate they are. They have had problems that in the past year have been brought to light and that is being handled. Yes, there are many things that happen in the ville that we don't hear about or read in the local papers. I partially blame that on the lack of aggression on the part of some reporters. Aren't police logs public information? There might even be some dealing going on with promises of bigger stories yet to come. Who knows? Even if that is true there would be nothing on police logs if no arrests are made. Notes on on-going investigations are not a matter of public record until arrests are made and it goes to trial. Then it becomes a matter of public record and names of the perpetrators can be used in the forum of public opinion.
Last Tuesday's shooting is the second incident in the ville in the past few months that did make the news and to date no arrests have been made. In both cases there was probable cause to make an arrest. A guy shoots his wife and openly admits to police that he did is still on the streets. Fifty "hits" of suspected heroin is found in a house and no one is under lock & key. This kind of crap is what makes WPD the laughing stock of the area and the butt of a lot of scorn. It is extremely disturbing that the people of the ville have to live in fear because hands are tied. While various levels of law enforcement are trying to get their acts together on these matters things just continue to deteriorated in the ville.
It shouldn't have to be this way and we Wellsville tax payers are not shelling out our tax dollars trying to be considerate of others in law enforcement. Speaking for myself I am not paying to be in fear of driving through some areas in town. It's time things are handled differently by our police and we residents need to speak up. I don't know about you but I'm fed up. It's way past the time that things get turned around. Consideration is good to a point. I think that point has long been passed.
What can you do? At the very least call the Mayor's office and register a complaint. Call members of council. If you can fit it in your schedule go to the council meetings and speak up. Reporters from our local papers are there. Call the police if you witness any suspicious behavior in your neighborhood. It may look trivial but who knows?
The administration and police know that positive actions need to be taken. Let them know that it is at the least disturbing. Let them know we don't deserve this kind of treatment and we shouldn't have to tolerate it.
ole nib
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Another Smooth Council Meeting
Wellsville council's second meeting of the new regime appeared to be more business like from reports in both local papers this morning. So, instead of making some snide remarks about love in the air, I'll get down to business too.
Village Administrator Jim Sarocco reported that the clean up of loose rock on 10th Street was accomplished in one day and what is left appears to be solid rock. If erosion or earth quake tremors don't cause further problems it should be safe for the time being. He also reported that 17th Street may have to be closed when they start the permanent repairing of that hole on Main. That would mean that business would be interrupted while the repairs are going on eliminating usage by the trucks. I was wondering why they couldn't use 18th Street doing that time. Although it would be an inconvenience for the residents on 18th they could temporarily ban parking on that street and the corners of Clark Avenue. That way 18th could be used as a temporary two way street and the trucks would have enough space to make the turn onto and off of Clark. Repairs shouldn't last more than a few days once started and commerce could go on uninterrupted.
Also of concern is the escalating cost of the roof repair on Village Hall. They keep finding things that have to be repaired before it's covered with the new roof. You'll have that in an old building once you take the cover off. In the long run it is more cost effective to take care of it now then have to go back later and tear up the new roof. My daddy always told me if you're going to do a job do it right the first time. There were no short cuts with that man. I know the expenditures are of major concern but it's still less expensive than building a new place from the ground up and it has to be done.
A village landlord asked council to forgive sewage bills on a couple of his units where the renters moved out leaving him with the bills. In Wellsville if a tenant moves without paying their water or sewage bills then those bills get charged to the owner. Is this a city ordinance? Other utility companies - namely gas & electric - go after the renters in this situation. Although it's sad to say there are some people that will take advantage of this system we have. They'll pay the deposit to move into a place and then move on when the shut off notices come. That puts a burden on the landlord and takes away from his disposable income they could be using to maintain the property. If this is a city ordinance I think council should look into changing it. Sticking the landlord with someone else's bill is a cop out and the village needs to go after those responsible.
In other news from the papers Janet Taggart of the Wellsville Crime Watch Committee chastised the executive branch of village officials for poor attendance at their meetings. Nothing was reported on when the meetings are held but one has to wonder if the time is mutually convenient for all concerned. Wellsville Terminals has offered to pave their portion of 18th St. Can we assume this is from Nevada to Main? It's a nice gesture from that company. Andy Beech was reappointed as Village Solicitor. It's hard to believe but Andy has been our legal man for 20 years. Did Bill Bush resign from that job that long ago?
Coming up in future meetings is consideration of assessing a tap-in fee for new sewage customers. It was news to me that we didn't have this already. At some point or other a village employee is involved with a new tap in and we can ill afford to give this service away for free. It is a commonly accepted cost of new building just about everywhere else. Also council is going to check into the excessive number of handicapped parking spaces in town. This is a touchy subject but I often get the feeling that a lot of those spots are not much more than reserved parking. I have no problem if there is a legitimate need for it and I'm not endorsing giving those with handicaps any grief. How many of those spots were for people that have moved on in one way or another? That is what is needed to be checked.
Although not mentioned in the reports of the council meeting last night I would like to say congratulations to Kim Meek on being selected as Tom Edgel's replacement at the Election Board. From what I read she is well qualified for the job and it's nice to see a Wellsville native get a break. Kim has been an assistant clerk in Village Hall the past few years. You go girl. Good luck.
ole nib
Village Administrator Jim Sarocco reported that the clean up of loose rock on 10th Street was accomplished in one day and what is left appears to be solid rock. If erosion or earth quake tremors don't cause further problems it should be safe for the time being. He also reported that 17th Street may have to be closed when they start the permanent repairing of that hole on Main. That would mean that business would be interrupted while the repairs are going on eliminating usage by the trucks. I was wondering why they couldn't use 18th Street doing that time. Although it would be an inconvenience for the residents on 18th they could temporarily ban parking on that street and the corners of Clark Avenue. That way 18th could be used as a temporary two way street and the trucks would have enough space to make the turn onto and off of Clark. Repairs shouldn't last more than a few days once started and commerce could go on uninterrupted.
Also of concern is the escalating cost of the roof repair on Village Hall. They keep finding things that have to be repaired before it's covered with the new roof. You'll have that in an old building once you take the cover off. In the long run it is more cost effective to take care of it now then have to go back later and tear up the new roof. My daddy always told me if you're going to do a job do it right the first time. There were no short cuts with that man. I know the expenditures are of major concern but it's still less expensive than building a new place from the ground up and it has to be done.
A village landlord asked council to forgive sewage bills on a couple of his units where the renters moved out leaving him with the bills. In Wellsville if a tenant moves without paying their water or sewage bills then those bills get charged to the owner. Is this a city ordinance? Other utility companies - namely gas & electric - go after the renters in this situation. Although it's sad to say there are some people that will take advantage of this system we have. They'll pay the deposit to move into a place and then move on when the shut off notices come. That puts a burden on the landlord and takes away from his disposable income they could be using to maintain the property. If this is a city ordinance I think council should look into changing it. Sticking the landlord with someone else's bill is a cop out and the village needs to go after those responsible.
In other news from the papers Janet Taggart of the Wellsville Crime Watch Committee chastised the executive branch of village officials for poor attendance at their meetings. Nothing was reported on when the meetings are held but one has to wonder if the time is mutually convenient for all concerned. Wellsville Terminals has offered to pave their portion of 18th St. Can we assume this is from Nevada to Main? It's a nice gesture from that company. Andy Beech was reappointed as Village Solicitor. It's hard to believe but Andy has been our legal man for 20 years. Did Bill Bush resign from that job that long ago?
Coming up in future meetings is consideration of assessing a tap-in fee for new sewage customers. It was news to me that we didn't have this already. At some point or other a village employee is involved with a new tap in and we can ill afford to give this service away for free. It is a commonly accepted cost of new building just about everywhere else. Also council is going to check into the excessive number of handicapped parking spaces in town. This is a touchy subject but I often get the feeling that a lot of those spots are not much more than reserved parking. I have no problem if there is a legitimate need for it and I'm not endorsing giving those with handicaps any grief. How many of those spots were for people that have moved on in one way or another? That is what is needed to be checked.
Although not mentioned in the reports of the council meeting last night I would like to say congratulations to Kim Meek on being selected as Tom Edgel's replacement at the Election Board. From what I read she is well qualified for the job and it's nice to see a Wellsville native get a break. Kim has been an assistant clerk in Village Hall the past few years. You go girl. Good luck.
ole nib
Shooting In The Ville
WTOV Channel 9 broke the story that there was a reported shooting on the 700 block of Washington Street in Wellsville in the early hours of the morning today. They quoted Chief Joe Scarabino as saying several shell casings & live rounds were found outside the house. He also told News9 that a white substance was found that is being tested to determine if it is heroin. According to the WTOV report no one was hurt in the shooting.
That's it for what was reported. Maybe they will have more on their newscast at 5. There was no report of any arrests. At this point any other comments would be pure conjecture. If the white stuff is heroin then I'm guessing a drug related turf battle. We'll have to wait and see what develops. I think the house in question is rental property.
We will try to add on to this story as things unfold.
ole nib
That's it for what was reported. Maybe they will have more on their newscast at 5. There was no report of any arrests. At this point any other comments would be pure conjecture. If the white stuff is heroin then I'm guessing a drug related turf battle. We'll have to wait and see what develops. I think the house in question is rental property.
We will try to add on to this story as things unfold.
ole nib
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
"Somebody Must Be Looking..."
Coach "Bug" was quoted as saying in this morning's ER "Somebody must be looking at us". He was referring to the Tigers move up in the latest statewide AP poll to Number 7. For the last two weeks they have been holding down the tenth spot. You're darn tootin' somebody must be looking and that impressive win last Friday got a lot of people's attention. You went from getting 31 first place votes last week to getting 77 this week. Congratulations men. You worked hard all season long through the injuries and sniffles and all that. You've doing good. Now you're getting some big time recognition.
However now is not the time to rest on your laurels. That is for the post season. With five remaining games left on the regular schedule everybody is going to be gunning for an upset. I think I mentioned it before but just in case, it ain't going to get any easier. There will be no gimmes. I'm not trying to be negative. You have shown us you can do it and I have faith you'll stick to the things that got you here. Just stick to the game plan and let old fools like me worry about the recognition.
The Tigers next two games are on the road and then they wrap up the regular season with three home games. They next play Southern Local this coming Friday night.
Good luck guys. We're all pulling for you.
ole nib
Monday, January 21, 2008
The Dream Lives On
Looking back over the years the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been one of the most influential figures in my lifetime. He was not only a hero to Afro-Americans he was a hero to the American conscious of the social injustice imposed on all people of different races and beliefs.
I lived through the years his cause came to light and through the marvels of television saw the movement unfolding from its infancy in the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. to the 1963 March on Washington and sadly the vivid reports of his assassination in 1968. Being from this area I must admit I was a very naive young man back then. I was a small town boy and didn't see much in that light. Seeing the civil rights movement underway was an eye opener for this kid from Wellsville. At first I was skeptical and then that skepticism turned into indignation for all the wrongs that were apparently accepted through out the land. I remember being told "polite people don't discuss those things" and thinking that was wrong too. Where does the Golden Rule fit in if we just turn a blind eye to what is going on? This great country of ours wasn't founded on thinking like that. That's not what we learned in our schools or places of worship. Social injustice wasn't right and MLK, for people like me, took the lead to open a lot of eyes in his lifetime.
In 1963 MLK told us he had a dream. Although conditions have vastly improved over the last 40 years there are still things to do. With the grace of the good Lord maybe someday that dream will become a reality. The memory of the efforts of the preacher from Atlanta lives on and to this day continues to make us conscious for doing what is right.
God rest your soul Martin and may you sleep in peace looking down from the heavens seeing that your efforts were not in vain. Your dream lives on...
ole nib
Saturday, January 19, 2008
10th Street Rock Slide
Also of major safety concern is the falling rock off the hillside going up 10th Street. It was reported that Village Administrator Jim Saracco is keeping a close eye on it while he is waiting for bids to get it fixed. Earlier reports said that the County Engineer gave the village some help in providing a couple of barriers to catch the rock. When it was first discovered the roadway had one lane blocked off. With the Jersey barriers it's back open to two lanes but if you use that roadway be ever cautious and definitely keep your eyes on the road. There's some nasty potential that more rock could fall and God only knows where it will roll and bounce.
While I was out and about with the camera I got a couple of shots of the area. I'm not on that road very often and wasn't quite sure of exactly where it was. It's just up the hill a bit from the waterfall area. The dark areas in the middle of the pictures are not shadows. Those are holes in the rock facing where huge pieces fell off. You can see why Saracco is very concerned.
We don't know yet what the bids are going to be but I'm afraid this is going to be a costly one. Fortunately they caught it before any accidents occurred or the road got buried. Lets hope there is a simple, inexpensive fix.
ole nib
Was It Something I Said?
I seriously doubt if it was anything I wrote but in my comments on the last council meeting I mentioned that I would like to see "that sink hole on lower Main taken care of first". For any driver not familiar with the area it presented a dangerous situation. There was quite a dip in the street surface.
Well lo and behold it came out in the papers this week that they have a temporary fix and have lined up a company to make it permanent once the weather gives them a chance. The temporary fix looks like a combination of slag and dirt but at least it's fairly level for right now. With the truck traffic over that spot it won't last long and hopefully they will keep up with it until the weather breaks.
Above is a couple of pictures taken yesterday. You can enlarge them by clicking on the picture for a better look.
ole nib
Friday, January 18, 2008
What Happened Terry?
It is now 11:25 P.M. Friday night. That means I have been listening to what some would consider music for over four hours waiting to hear on WKMX what the Tigers did tonight. Along around nine it became apparent that the game wasn't going to be broadcasted as promised. I sadly hung in there hoping at least we would hear something on the chat portion. Not one single person at the station that I know of informed us of anything. No one! I cooked supper, had cocktails with the missus, ate supper and cleaned up the kitchen waiting. As Barry White sang, I was anxiously waitin', waitin' for you baby.
Frankly I'm disappointed to say the least after promoting WKMX and their efforts to bring us the games. What a wonderful public service. Homebound & I really appreciated it. Terry had sponsors lined up supporting his efforts and with the stream of music & the web cam picture of street lights in the night scene there doesn't seem to be any technical problems with the web site. So what happened to the game broadcast? I hope there is a good reason it wasn't on. Now I'm going to call it a night. I have to get up early to read the papers to find out what the Tigers did.
So - what do you have to say Terry?
Good night...
ole nib
Thursday, January 17, 2008
WHS Fighting Tigers
The Wellsville boys basketball team got back on the winning track Tuesday night with a 66-60 OT win over McDonald. Senior first year varsity player Nate Carman was the hero scoring eight points in the OT period. He calmly sunk four of four shots from the charity line like a true veteran of the game. He finished the night with 10 points.
Zane Carter led all scorers with 16 points followed by younger brother Jeremy with 12. The Tigers had a 12 point lead with just under 4-1/2 minutes to go in the fourth quarter but McDonald worked their way back to tie the game before the clock ran out. The Tigers came back to outscore McDonald 16-10 in the OT period. Nice going guys. Did I mention it isn't going to get any easier?
The Tigers are now 13-1 with six games remaining. After being on the road for three games the Tigers next play tomorrow night against Sebring right here in the ville. It's homecoming. They had a three point win over Sebring back in early December. Good luck guys. Did I say it ain't going to get any easier?
The Tigers held on to the number 10 spot in Division IV in the statewide AP poll. I was afraid last week's loss at Western Reserve might have knocked them out of the top ten. Although the AP poll doesn't have any bearing when we get to the play-offs later on it is a well deserved honor to get some state wide recognition. We have been there before but I'm proud of these men for showing us that their hard work is paying off. I hope they don't let the politics of the AP poll bother them. There are two teams with 9-3 records ranked sixth and eighth and that is nothing more than favoritism. There's no doubt that WHS should be ranked higher in that poll. With their work ethic and winning ways they'll get there. No doubt 'bout it.
Did anyone get to listen to the WKMX internet stream of the McDonald game? I didn't have the chance and I was wondering if they got some of the bugs ironed out. One of the biggest problems they had with the Western Reserve game was the crowd noise. It was drowning out the announcers and made it difficult to hear what was going on. I don't know how they can fix that other than the team blowing out their opponents and quieting the home crowd on away games. Unless they have an enclosed broadcast booth they'll even have that problem with home games. Terry Brown said they are going to do the rest of the schedule. Kudos should go out to Terry, WKMX and the stellar cast of announcers for giving us the chance to at least listen to the games in real time. Thanks for that.
Good luck Tigers. We're all pulling for you.
Did I happen to say it isn't going to get any easier?
ole nib
WOHI
Does anybody know what's going on with 1490 AM? It has been an ESPN station and I was getting into some late night listening of all the sports talk. Now WOHI is back to being an oldies station. Haven't seen anything in the papers about it. Thought maybe some of you good folks might have some knowledge you could share with us on why they changed back to the oldies.
ole nib
ole nib
Devon's Folly
Matt Stewart and commenters on ORL has been all over the MRDD levy issue in a couple of pieces. There's only a few thoughts that I want to mention. As you all know the County Commissioners voted to withdraw the new levy request from the primaries in March.
My first thought is that anyone who heads up a public agency solely funded by taxpayer money should be beyond reproach. I haven't had this feeling about Bill Devon since last fall when he first put the new levy on the ballot and tried to bully us voters into passing it. Back then the MJ estimated that there would be nearly $6 million carry-over into this year. That was recently confirmed by the County Auditor with the year ending figures. I think Devon needs to get an accountant to crunch the numbers before he comes out with his outlandish requests. He is obviously out of his league when he balances the books.
Devon's board of directors are apparently satisfied with letting him do his thing. Is this a rubber stamp board? They approved Devon's request for a lavish dinner meeting after Devon has laid off people. What? Didn't they think that wouldn't raise some eyebrows? That was a real slap in the face for the folks that lost their jobs. I won't even go into the cleaning contracts that were recently brought out.
Devon lost a ton of credibility when he threatened us with closing Robert Bycroft. Is he that arrogant to think that people all over the county wouldn't stand up and take notice? We voters have a strong history on generously supporting the special needs people. It's something to be proud of but it's not something that should be abused by the likes of Bill Devon.
When they voted to withdraw the levy Commissioner Dan Bing was quoted as saying it was "nice that there weren't any repercussions". True it didn't cost us any money but I think it is premature to determine if there are any repercussions. Only time will answer that. It was also noted that future levy requests by any agency will have to run their numbers past the County Auditor to reconcile their figures before determining whether to put the issue on the ballot. Well...duh! This should have been standard operating procedure from the get go. Good communication is the key to running an efficient business of any kind. Thankfully Nancy Milliken had the wisdom to question the MRDD levy request after looking at their figures and the initiative to bring her findings to light of day. We tax payers are not paying for a good ole boys country club membership.
I'm glad they resolved this before we next vote. Now we won't have the guilts for not supporting those that depend on our county's services at Bycroft and the County Sheltered Workshop. I don't know about you but I have had a nagging feeling of letting these folks down every since last fall's election when I voted against Devon's first request. That feeling of guilt is exactly what Devon tried to foist on us.
Thanks should also go to our area members of the Fifth Estate for keeping us informed. I like the job they have been doing.
ole nib
My first thought is that anyone who heads up a public agency solely funded by taxpayer money should be beyond reproach. I haven't had this feeling about Bill Devon since last fall when he first put the new levy on the ballot and tried to bully us voters into passing it. Back then the MJ estimated that there would be nearly $6 million carry-over into this year. That was recently confirmed by the County Auditor with the year ending figures. I think Devon needs to get an accountant to crunch the numbers before he comes out with his outlandish requests. He is obviously out of his league when he balances the books.
Devon's board of directors are apparently satisfied with letting him do his thing. Is this a rubber stamp board? They approved Devon's request for a lavish dinner meeting after Devon has laid off people. What? Didn't they think that wouldn't raise some eyebrows? That was a real slap in the face for the folks that lost their jobs. I won't even go into the cleaning contracts that were recently brought out.
Devon lost a ton of credibility when he threatened us with closing Robert Bycroft. Is he that arrogant to think that people all over the county wouldn't stand up and take notice? We voters have a strong history on generously supporting the special needs people. It's something to be proud of but it's not something that should be abused by the likes of Bill Devon.
When they voted to withdraw the levy Commissioner Dan Bing was quoted as saying it was "nice that there weren't any repercussions". True it didn't cost us any money but I think it is premature to determine if there are any repercussions. Only time will answer that. It was also noted that future levy requests by any agency will have to run their numbers past the County Auditor to reconcile their figures before determining whether to put the issue on the ballot. Well...duh! This should have been standard operating procedure from the get go. Good communication is the key to running an efficient business of any kind. Thankfully Nancy Milliken had the wisdom to question the MRDD levy request after looking at their figures and the initiative to bring her findings to light of day. We tax payers are not paying for a good ole boys country club membership.
I'm glad they resolved this before we next vote. Now we won't have the guilts for not supporting those that depend on our county's services at Bycroft and the County Sheltered Workshop. I don't know about you but I have had a nagging feeling of letting these folks down every since last fall's election when I voted against Devon's first request. That feeling of guilt is exactly what Devon tried to foist on us.
Thanks should also go to our area members of the Fifth Estate for keeping us informed. I like the job they have been doing.
ole nib
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
A Couple Thoughts
Seems like January is turning out to be a slow time for exciting news in the ville. Maybe it's just me. Gloomy cloudy days and cold temps definitely slow me down. This time of the year there are a lot of times I just want to slouch around and read whatever book I currently have but I do keep up with the papers. I look forward to that every morning and, yes, I like reading the print edition of the papers. I hope the Internet doesn't completely replace them while I'm still walking around God's good earth. I'm rambling. I know. So, here's a couple of things I've gathered some thoughts on from the papers that I'll share with you all.
Smith Withdraws His Re-election Bid
Tom Giambroni of the MJ broke the news Tuesday that Sheriff Dave Smith submitted a resignation letter to the Election Board to withdraw his petition seeking reelection 15 minutes before the deadline to do such things. I had to chuckle that the MJ scooped the ER on that story even though they both are owned by the same company. Yesterdays ER just reprinted Gaimbroni's article.
Although I think Smith did the sensible thing I have to question his motives. Was it pressure from his party or others? Is it an admission of guilt and just facing the inevitable? Is he going to move on to another job? There were regrets expressed and plaudits for his doing so. Lawyer Bradley Koffel said the decision to pull the reelection bid was solely Smith's. Koffel was quoted as saying "urine tests are inherently unreliable and most states don't allow it". Well partner this is Ohio and I always heard that urine tests are a pretty accurate method of determining what's in a person's system. Koffel is Smith's lawyer from Columbus that specializes in defending lawmen in trouble. Of course he is going to implicate that Smith's decision was premature.
Now we have to wonder what is going to happen. I believe if Smith does eventually go to trial and is found guilty he is automatically done being sheriff. Is this done immediately? I'm not saying Smith won't get out of this. He's paying big bucks for his defense. The next step is to see if the Guernsey County judge will let the urine test results remain as evidence against Smith. Who will the Republicans appoint as a replacement if he is found guilty. They have three candidates on the primary ballot and stated they are not going to endorse any of them since they are all well qualified. Will they appoint someone within the department, one of the three candidates or someone that is not involved in anyway at the present time? Will Smith eventually resign as sheriff before his trial? Speculation from a commenter on another post on here says Smith has a job waiting for him "at a local racetrack". It will be interesting to see how this unfolds to a conclusion.
Note: I wrote this post yesterday evening and for some unknown reason my ISP knocked me off line while I was in the process. Google has an autosave program built in but it only works while you're on-line. Consequently only part of my effort was saved. Today I had to go back, edit what was saved and refinish. Sometimes I hate ISPs & modems. I'm going to wrap this up before that black cloud comes back.
Stay warm...
ole nib
Smith Withdraws His Re-election Bid
Tom Giambroni of the MJ broke the news Tuesday that Sheriff Dave Smith submitted a resignation letter to the Election Board to withdraw his petition seeking reelection 15 minutes before the deadline to do such things. I had to chuckle that the MJ scooped the ER on that story even though they both are owned by the same company. Yesterdays ER just reprinted Gaimbroni's article.
Although I think Smith did the sensible thing I have to question his motives. Was it pressure from his party or others? Is it an admission of guilt and just facing the inevitable? Is he going to move on to another job? There were regrets expressed and plaudits for his doing so. Lawyer Bradley Koffel said the decision to pull the reelection bid was solely Smith's. Koffel was quoted as saying "urine tests are inherently unreliable and most states don't allow it". Well partner this is Ohio and I always heard that urine tests are a pretty accurate method of determining what's in a person's system. Koffel is Smith's lawyer from Columbus that specializes in defending lawmen in trouble. Of course he is going to implicate that Smith's decision was premature.
Now we have to wonder what is going to happen. I believe if Smith does eventually go to trial and is found guilty he is automatically done being sheriff. Is this done immediately? I'm not saying Smith won't get out of this. He's paying big bucks for his defense. The next step is to see if the Guernsey County judge will let the urine test results remain as evidence against Smith. Who will the Republicans appoint as a replacement if he is found guilty. They have three candidates on the primary ballot and stated they are not going to endorse any of them since they are all well qualified. Will they appoint someone within the department, one of the three candidates or someone that is not involved in anyway at the present time? Will Smith eventually resign as sheriff before his trial? Speculation from a commenter on another post on here says Smith has a job waiting for him "at a local racetrack". It will be interesting to see how this unfolds to a conclusion.
Note: I wrote this post yesterday evening and for some unknown reason my ISP knocked me off line while I was in the process. Google has an autosave program built in but it only works while you're on-line. Consequently only part of my effort was saved. Today I had to go back, edit what was saved and refinish. Sometimes I hate ISPs & modems. I'm going to wrap this up before that black cloud comes back.
Stay warm...
ole nib
Friday, January 11, 2008
WKMX To Broadcast Tigers Live
Can't make it to Western Reserve to see the Tiger's game tonight? Here's the next best thing. Put http://www.wkmxlive.com/ in your web browser, click and listen to it. Starting tonight those good folks are going live broadcasting the action. The action starts at 7 P.M.
Tim/Terry Brown advised us today that they are starting the live stream once again tonight. Video of the game will be available tomorrow. The best part is that it doesn't cost a dime to hear our Tigers in action. Now you don't have to wait for a phone call or tomorrow's newspapers to find out what happened.
Sorry Mr. Brown. Can't remember if it is Terry or Tim but thanks.
Tune in and root the Tigers on to victory. And remember WKMX Rocks!
ole nib
Thursday, January 10, 2008
And They're Off
From reading MJ's Erin Colella's and ER's Jeremy Lydic's accounts of the first council meeting of the new year I could almost get the feeling of the love in the air among our administration and legislators. They even made nice to Diane Dinch and gave her a plaque for her community service as a former council person. Neither Dinch or Surace was shown smiling in the picture in The Review but I 'spect this was due to fatigue. It was probably a long day for both.
According to both accounts this year's main priority for the village is street repair with 17th Street heading the list. Depending on how much money is available for the street fund Highland Ave. & Ridge are near the top of the list also. No doubt these streets are in poor condition but personally I would rather see that sink hole on lower Main taken care of first.
Joe Soldano was named President Pro-Tem and he named his choices for the various committees. Interesting to note is that Don Brown advised Soldano that for personal reasons he didn't want to chair any committees but he would serve on them. Can't you just feel the love? For some of us it is tough to let go and move forward.
Joe Surace advised that the Cleveland attorneys are diligently working on the employee manuals and we should see the police manual first. This is after all the i's are dotted, the t's crossed and as many billable hours as they can get is accomplished. Fiscal Officer Dale Davis said it is costing us $200 an hour. Can they expedite that before we have to use up the street fund?
It was also noted that the new owner of the old Sterling China building doesn't know what he's going to do with it but at least he's going to clean it up. Let's hope so. With the vandalism and weeds it's a definite eyesore and for the residents down that way I sure it is a real pain. The longer he lets it go the less attractive it's going to be for a potential user. Maybe it's time to start checking the zoning codes.
Another interesting note is that Sharon Buswell of the all volunteer Alley Cat Aide Brigade put the bite on council for funding. She was reported as saying they are going to hold some fund raisers but the first round-up is going to cost somewhere around two grand. The round-up is where they trap, neuter and turn 'em loose program. In checking their web site I couldn't find anything that is planned for a fund raiser. What's up with that? Now Dale Davis has to check and see if there is any extra cash laying around Village Hall.
Village Administrator Jim Saracco is getting bids for fixing the hillside that is slipping away on 10th St. If the state wouldn't fess up to dumping contaminated dirt at 9th St why does he think they'll take care of the hillside? True the making of Route 7 into a four lane caused a lot of problems but all I can foresee is finger pointing when it comes to taking the blame. That hillside should be another priority for the Street Committee.
It was refreshing reading reports of the year's first council meeting without any brouhaha taking place. It must've been boring for the reporters present. For now stay tuned and bask in the love.
As my friend says, it's the "Wellsville Zone".
ole nib
According to both accounts this year's main priority for the village is street repair with 17th Street heading the list. Depending on how much money is available for the street fund Highland Ave. & Ridge are near the top of the list also. No doubt these streets are in poor condition but personally I would rather see that sink hole on lower Main taken care of first.
Joe Soldano was named President Pro-Tem and he named his choices for the various committees. Interesting to note is that Don Brown advised Soldano that for personal reasons he didn't want to chair any committees but he would serve on them. Can't you just feel the love? For some of us it is tough to let go and move forward.
Joe Surace advised that the Cleveland attorneys are diligently working on the employee manuals and we should see the police manual first. This is after all the i's are dotted, the t's crossed and as many billable hours as they can get is accomplished. Fiscal Officer Dale Davis said it is costing us $200 an hour. Can they expedite that before we have to use up the street fund?
It was also noted that the new owner of the old Sterling China building doesn't know what he's going to do with it but at least he's going to clean it up. Let's hope so. With the vandalism and weeds it's a definite eyesore and for the residents down that way I sure it is a real pain. The longer he lets it go the less attractive it's going to be for a potential user. Maybe it's time to start checking the zoning codes.
Another interesting note is that Sharon Buswell of the all volunteer Alley Cat Aide Brigade put the bite on council for funding. She was reported as saying they are going to hold some fund raisers but the first round-up is going to cost somewhere around two grand. The round-up is where they trap, neuter and turn 'em loose program. In checking their web site I couldn't find anything that is planned for a fund raiser. What's up with that? Now Dale Davis has to check and see if there is any extra cash laying around Village Hall.
Village Administrator Jim Saracco is getting bids for fixing the hillside that is slipping away on 10th St. If the state wouldn't fess up to dumping contaminated dirt at 9th St why does he think they'll take care of the hillside? True the making of Route 7 into a four lane caused a lot of problems but all I can foresee is finger pointing when it comes to taking the blame. That hillside should be another priority for the Street Committee.
It was refreshing reading reports of the year's first council meeting without any brouhaha taking place. It must've been boring for the reporters present. For now stay tuned and bask in the love.
As my friend says, it's the "Wellsville Zone".
ole nib
Surace Still On the Block
County Common Pleas Judge Dave Tobin ruled this week that the village is not liable in Ed Wilson's slander lawsuit against Wellsville and Mayor Joe Surace. However Surace is still in play in the suit.
Tobin stated that the lawsuit hinges on whether Surace's comment to Channel 9 were in fact true at the time he made the statement. You will recall that Surace commented that Wilson was being investigated for failing to go to the Yost murder scene. This was reported to be part of the WPD investigation by the Cleveland law firm. According to the newspaper accounts the issue is not whether Wilson was ordered to the murder scene but whether he was being investigated for it at the time of the statement. Evidently that point was not made clear in the documents the good judge reviewed. Tobin said the village isn't liable due to state law against such suits.
Now the next move is up to the Mayor's lawyers. There was no indication that the judge set a trial date in either of the local newspaper's account of the proceedings. From what I read I'm guessing Judge Tobin is giving the Surace legal team time to amend their original filing and clarify this point. I hope so and I hope those folks can satisfy Tobin that Wilson's failure to go to the crime scene that night was part of the WPD investigation. If they can do that then Wilson doesn't have a case and it can be thrown out according to what was reported that Tobin said.
As I stated before I don't think this suit has merit and it is costing us Wellsville taxpayers money. Matt Stewart of ORL questioned who will foot the bill for the legal fees since the village is immune. Who do you think? Didn't council vote to allow the Mayor engage the law firm.
ole nib
Tobin stated that the lawsuit hinges on whether Surace's comment to Channel 9 were in fact true at the time he made the statement. You will recall that Surace commented that Wilson was being investigated for failing to go to the Yost murder scene. This was reported to be part of the WPD investigation by the Cleveland law firm. According to the newspaper accounts the issue is not whether Wilson was ordered to the murder scene but whether he was being investigated for it at the time of the statement. Evidently that point was not made clear in the documents the good judge reviewed. Tobin said the village isn't liable due to state law against such suits.
Now the next move is up to the Mayor's lawyers. There was no indication that the judge set a trial date in either of the local newspaper's account of the proceedings. From what I read I'm guessing Judge Tobin is giving the Surace legal team time to amend their original filing and clarify this point. I hope so and I hope those folks can satisfy Tobin that Wilson's failure to go to the crime scene that night was part of the WPD investigation. If they can do that then Wilson doesn't have a case and it can be thrown out according to what was reported that Tobin said.
As I stated before I don't think this suit has merit and it is costing us Wellsville taxpayers money. Matt Stewart of ORL questioned who will foot the bill for the legal fees since the village is immune. Who do you think? Didn't council vote to allow the Mayor engage the law firm.
ole nib
Tigers Ranked Number 10
In the first AP poll released the Wellsville Tigers boys were ranked number 10 statewide with 32 points. Congratulations to Coach Thompson and the guys on the team. You guys are getting some well deserved attention. There were some one lost Div. 4 teams ranked higher but I think you all will move up with your winning ways.
You're now 12 & 0 with your win over Lowellville Tuesday night. Keep up the good team work and you're bound to move up. You only got eight more games left on the regular schedule. There's a lot of folks pulling for ya. Just take one game at a time and play each one like it's for all the marbles.
The Tigers travel to Western Reserve tomorrow and to McDonald next Tuesday before coming home next Friday. Good luck guys.
Now - what's with the girls team?
ole nib
You're now 12 & 0 with your win over Lowellville Tuesday night. Keep up the good team work and you're bound to move up. You only got eight more games left on the regular schedule. There's a lot of folks pulling for ya. Just take one game at a time and play each one like it's for all the marbles.
The Tigers travel to Western Reserve tomorrow and to McDonald next Tuesday before coming home next Friday. Good luck guys.
Now - what's with the girls team?
ole nib
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
It's For The Kids
Last Saturday in the MJ the editorial was praising two Wayne County school districts for making an innovative move naming one superintendent for the two school districts. By eliminating one superintendent it was estimated that "about $200,000 in taxpayer's money" will be saved. The editorial went on to say that "Ohio's system of school districts is obviously and woefully inefficient". That got me to thinking.
It seems like each and every election at least one school district is putting new tax levies on the ballot. Around here the most notable is Beaver Local. Not having much industry in their district they have to rely mostly on property taxes to keep their doors open. In a depressed area there is a lot of home owners with budgets stretched to the limit. As a result it is increasingly difficult to get a new levy passed. Everybody wants the best for their children's education but there is only so much we can afford.
If I counted correctly in Columbiana County there are 13 school districts including the JVS. Then there is the CC Education Service Center. That makes 14 different entities and each and everyone of them have a superintendent, a Board of Education and principals for each school in their district. Time after time each board exhibits a reluctance to really get serious and change the status quo to save their districts money. I couldn't find anything on the county's different web pages but there use to be a County Board with yet another superintendent. There is a state board with 19 members and a president. In addition to that the state has Area Coordinators. We're in District 7 which is headquartered in New Philly and we have three different Area Coordinators. To me that seems like a lot of over lapping of administrative duties for our school systems. There's a lot of money being spent on salaries and benefits that could be poured back into our schools for our children's education.
Why not follow the lead of those two Wayne County districts? Why not have one county superintendent and BOE for all the districts in the county? It would have to come out of the state legislature. I don't see any district willingly changing the antiquated way they do business. It's a radical idea and the folks we send to Columbus would have to show some serious intestinal fortitude to change this system. However, it could be done and state wide the savings would be tremendous. Even in our county the savings would be immense. Yes, a lot of superintendents would be out of a job but in most cases they could be absorbed back into their districts as principals or teachers. With normal attrition through retirements or relocations, etc. there will be such positions available.
Our educational system is increasingly overwhelmed with costs of benefits alone. We do not need all of the duplicated administrators when we have a principals doing basically the same job. As individuals we have to learn to live within our means when changes occur in our lives. Educators have to do the same. As the MJ editor said the Ohio government leaders have to take a serious look at public school reform. This is just one idea to start with. Our children deserve better without mom and dad being taxed to death.
Think about it...
ole nib
It seems like each and every election at least one school district is putting new tax levies on the ballot. Around here the most notable is Beaver Local. Not having much industry in their district they have to rely mostly on property taxes to keep their doors open. In a depressed area there is a lot of home owners with budgets stretched to the limit. As a result it is increasingly difficult to get a new levy passed. Everybody wants the best for their children's education but there is only so much we can afford.
If I counted correctly in Columbiana County there are 13 school districts including the JVS. Then there is the CC Education Service Center. That makes 14 different entities and each and everyone of them have a superintendent, a Board of Education and principals for each school in their district. Time after time each board exhibits a reluctance to really get serious and change the status quo to save their districts money. I couldn't find anything on the county's different web pages but there use to be a County Board with yet another superintendent. There is a state board with 19 members and a president. In addition to that the state has Area Coordinators. We're in District 7 which is headquartered in New Philly and we have three different Area Coordinators. To me that seems like a lot of over lapping of administrative duties for our school systems. There's a lot of money being spent on salaries and benefits that could be poured back into our schools for our children's education.
Why not follow the lead of those two Wayne County districts? Why not have one county superintendent and BOE for all the districts in the county? It would have to come out of the state legislature. I don't see any district willingly changing the antiquated way they do business. It's a radical idea and the folks we send to Columbus would have to show some serious intestinal fortitude to change this system. However, it could be done and state wide the savings would be tremendous. Even in our county the savings would be immense. Yes, a lot of superintendents would be out of a job but in most cases they could be absorbed back into their districts as principals or teachers. With normal attrition through retirements or relocations, etc. there will be such positions available.
Our educational system is increasingly overwhelmed with costs of benefits alone. We do not need all of the duplicated administrators when we have a principals doing basically the same job. As individuals we have to learn to live within our means when changes occur in our lives. Educators have to do the same. As the MJ editor said the Ohio government leaders have to take a serious look at public school reform. This is just one idea to start with. Our children deserve better without mom and dad being taxed to death.
Think about it...
ole nib
Sad, Sad Ending
The collegiate football season came to a close last night with the Ohio State Buckeyes for the second year in a row dropping the ball and losing the BCS Championship game. Two years in a row the Bucks started the game like a house on fire and failed to maintain their lead as the game went on.
I thought this year was going to be different. They took the opening kick-off and were very business like when Beanie Wells broke a 65 yarder for the first score with 13:34 left in the first quarter. LSU appeared to have a serious case of the jitters when they snapped the ball over the quarterback's head on a 3rd & 7. That made it fourth and forever forcing the Tigers to punt. I thought here we go. On the next series the Bucks got three points on a field goal making it 10 zip. Then in the second quarter the Scarlet & Gray got hit with flags on two stupid penalties - a late hit and a face mask. By then LSU was settling down and with 13:00 left in the second they made it a tied game. It was all down hill from there. I have to say the roughing the kicker penalty against the Bucks looked like home cooking to me. It really looked unintentional. The replay showed the defender was air borne before the LSU punter got the ball off.
Yea it was a sad night at the nib house. I live and die for the Steelers and the Buckeyes. It's has not been good the last few days and now I have months to get over it. At least the day is going to be unseasonably warm with a little sunshine. That helps.
The Buckeyes got to the championship game through the back door with the topsy turvy season all over the country. They started out ranked number one and held on until Illinois beat 'em. After that there were four different number ones in the BCS rankings and that was late in the season. This morning the Bucks are ranked anywhere from 3rd to 5th depending on which poll you look at. The AP poll ranks them number 5.
Now they go into a rebuilding year. I hope the juniors that are eligible for NFL draft this year stick around for their senior season. Most notable of them being James Laurinatis. That would be a big help going into next year. Mean while I'll try to get a grip and remember that life goes on. If served up I'll just have to get a taste for humble pie.
I wonder if Tressel is going to change the security codes to 3824 on campus?
ole nib
I thought this year was going to be different. They took the opening kick-off and were very business like when Beanie Wells broke a 65 yarder for the first score with 13:34 left in the first quarter. LSU appeared to have a serious case of the jitters when they snapped the ball over the quarterback's head on a 3rd & 7. That made it fourth and forever forcing the Tigers to punt. I thought here we go. On the next series the Bucks got three points on a field goal making it 10 zip. Then in the second quarter the Scarlet & Gray got hit with flags on two stupid penalties - a late hit and a face mask. By then LSU was settling down and with 13:00 left in the second they made it a tied game. It was all down hill from there. I have to say the roughing the kicker penalty against the Bucks looked like home cooking to me. It really looked unintentional. The replay showed the defender was air borne before the LSU punter got the ball off.
Yea it was a sad night at the nib house. I live and die for the Steelers and the Buckeyes. It's has not been good the last few days and now I have months to get over it. At least the day is going to be unseasonably warm with a little sunshine. That helps.
The Buckeyes got to the championship game through the back door with the topsy turvy season all over the country. They started out ranked number one and held on until Illinois beat 'em. After that there were four different number ones in the BCS rankings and that was late in the season. This morning the Bucks are ranked anywhere from 3rd to 5th depending on which poll you look at. The AP poll ranks them number 5.
Now they go into a rebuilding year. I hope the juniors that are eligible for NFL draft this year stick around for their senior season. Most notable of them being James Laurinatis. That would be a big help going into next year. Mean while I'll try to get a grip and remember that life goes on. If served up I'll just have to get a taste for humble pie.
I wonder if Tressel is going to change the security codes to 3824 on campus?
ole nib
Friday, January 4, 2008
How About Them Tigers!
To paraphrase a popular C&W song, Boys ain't they something?
Yea, we're talking about the Wellsville High School's boys basketball team. Even though I'm not much of a roundball fan I'm picking up a buz for this year's team. Last week-end they took the 13th Annual Potter Holiday Classic championship to improve their record to an undefeated 10 - 0 so far on the season. They knocked off Oak Glen last Friday with a three pointer by Zane Carter at the buzzer. Then Saturday night they took the championship from the Potters with a 39 - 33 win on the Potter's home court. They did this while the Carter brothers were warming the bench for awhile after getting into early foul trouble. That just shows you they got some depth with the talent on that team.
Coach Dave "Bug" Thompson has been doing a tremendous job the last couple of years and it appears to me he has got this team believing in themselves. No doubt one of his biggest jobs is going to be keeping his men down to earth. Being undefeated they are going to be a target for their opponents in their last nine games of the regular season. I don't want to jinx them but it ain't going to get easy in the next month. Everybody they will be playing will crank it up a notch and be gunning to be the ones to knock the Tigers out of the undefeated ranks. I'm sure the coach and his assistants will keep this in the Tiger's minds. There won't be any easy wins but from what I read it won't be a problem for this year's team.
The Tigers return to action tomorrow night against Toronto at home. Congratulations Tigers on your season so far and good luck with the remaining games. The picture above came from the WHS web site.
Yea, I haven't seen a buz around town for a basketball team since back in the Bobby Dawson's days. The Tigers have gotten people talking and impressed with their workmanship. Lord willing they can keep it going. There's a lot of us pulling and praying for 'em.
Go Tigers....
ole nib
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