Military to offer plan for ending gay ban

There has been work going on behind the scenes for months.

clipped from www.washingtonpost.com By Craig Whitlock and Ed O'Keefe Washington Post Staff Writers Friday, January 29, 2010 The Pentagon has been studying ways to integrate gays into the military and, for the first time, will offer recommendations to Congress next week "on a way forward," defense officials said Thursday, following President Obama's declaration that he wants to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law this year. Defense officials declined to reveal details about the Pentagon's preferred approach for allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces. But they said that the military would prefer to phase in a new policy over time and that they would leave the details to Congress.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are scheduled to testify Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, officials said. Gates has been discussing policy with Obama but is still working on a plan, said a senior Pentagon official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

A spokesman for Mullen said the Joint Chiefs also have been researching possible approaches but have not reached a consensus. "The Joint Chiefs have been thinking through how they would go about offering their best advice on this issue," said the spokesman, Navy Capt. John Kirby. He said Mullen "will raise issues that we need to address" when he visits the Senate on Tuesday.

The congressional appetite remains uncertain for overturning the 1993 law, which allows gays to serve in uniform only if they hide their sexual orientation. Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) have said they favor a repeal, they have not pushed the issue. Republicans are largely opposed. So are some key Democrats, including Rep. Ike Skelton (Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

Wary of stirring opposition within the ranks, the Pentagon has also moved gingerly, deferring to Congress and the White House on how to proceed.

Some military leaders, including members of the Joint Chiefs, have resisted any change, saying the armed forces are already strained from fighting long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Among them is Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps. "Our Marines are currently engaged in two fights, and our focus should not be drawn away from those priorities," Conway's spokesman, Maj. David Nevers, told the Washington Times in October. "When the time is right, we have full confidence that we will be asked to provide the best military advice concerning the readiness of the Corps as it relates to this issue." On Thursday, Nevers said Conway's position had not changed.

But other current and former military officials have softened their stance since 1993, when President Bill Clinton signed the "don't ask, don't tell" legislation into law in a compromise after the military strenuously objected to his proposal to allow gays to serve openly.

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), a retired Navy admiral who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said he hopes Congress will act soon.

"I've always thought it was a policy that was discriminatory, and we were obviously losing some good sailors," he said. "I believe that having gone to war with these guys, how can you come home and not give them equal rights?"

Obama promised during his 2008 campaign that he would change the law, but he has come under pressure from gay rights groups for not making the issue a higher priority. During his State of the Union address Wednesday, Obama repeated his pledge but spoke about the issue only briefly, saying the current law "denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are."

Some gay rights organizations have urged the president to issue an executive order that would immediately overturn "don't ask, don't tell." But White House officials said that Obama thinks the best way to end the policy is with legislation and that he will leave the timing up to Congress.

Gay rights groups were already mobilizing Thursday to make the subject a campaign issue before congressional elections in November. The Human Rights Campaign announced plans to start a more than $2 million national grass-roots and lobbying campaign targeting lawmakers whose votes would be needed to pass a repeal.

Also Thursday, Obama reiterated his support for legislation under consideration in the House and Senate that would extend full domestic benefits to the partners of gay federal employees.

During a presidential town hall meeting in Florida, a University of Tampa student asked Obama about his position on equal rights for same-sex couples, noting that he had expressed support for a repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" during his State of the Union speech.

Obama said he hopes Congress will pass the legislation this year. "It's the right thing to do, and it makes sense for us to take a leadership role in ensuring that people are treated the same."

In June, Obama signed a memo that provides partial benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

Staff writers Greg Jaffe and Michael D. Shear contributed to this report.

Columbus Dispatch: Apartments to supplant Short North condos

clipped from www.dispatch.com Financing difficulties force change; at least 70 buyers left in lurch Wednesday, January 27, 2010 3:05 AM By Jim Weiker THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Ibiza condominium project was to be "the embodiment of an idealized city life," an 11-story "home for visionaries" in the heart of the Short North. But now that developers have decided to build apartments instead of 135 condominiums on the site, those who signed contracts for Ibiza homes have other phrases to describe the project: a huge disappointment, a massive frustration and a shattered dream. "This dream will never come to fruition," said Maria M. Unterbrink, who deposited $7,500 nearly two years ago for a two-bedroom condominium in the project at N. High Street and Hubbard Avenue. Unterbrink is one of more than 70 buyers who deposited an estimated $1 million total on their condos. She and others now worry that they will never see their money again. The exterior of the 11-story project will remain unchanged as an apartment complex, said an official with a sister company to the developer. ">

"I think people are really concerned about getting their deposit," said Mark McGuire, who put down $16,000 nearly two years ago for a condominium.

Ibiza's developers insist that they are doing everything they can to return the deposits. But they acknowledge the money was spent on the project and that they must get the apartment funding before they can return deposits.

"Our goal is for their money to get returned. It's just a matter of time," said Raymond Brown, the managing partner of APEX Realty Enterprises, a sister company to the developer, ARMS Properties.

"We don't want to abandon the project," he said. "We're highly invested as well. We have more to lose than anybody."

In a letter to future occupants, developers blamed the change on "the meltdown of the mortgage market."

Brown said ARMS had an agreement with Huntington Bank to serve as the lead lender for the $35 million project, but that Huntington pulled out in late 2008.

"That left us in 2009 out in the market, and it was a shaky financial market," Brown added. "After we exhausted banks, we went to private-equity funds, and we kept hearing that if this project was a rental, we wouldn't have any problems financing it."

In the meantime, ARMS is "significantly delinquent" on a $4.8 million loan to purchase and prepare the land for development, said James Klein, the chief executive officer of the lender, Finance Fund, a Columbus-based nonprofit group that helps fund projects in low-income areas.

"Because of the nature of our funding, we have extended the workout period to give them every opportunity we possibly could.

"It was always our expectation when we moved into this project that it would go vertical, and at that point in time, with good, strong pre-leasing, it looked like it would do things that other condo projects have done, and then the bottom fell out."

Ibiza was to be a Short North landmark, the largest condominium project in the district: 135 units ranging from $159,999 for a one-bedroom, one-bath to $1,549,999 for a three-bedroom, four bath, two-story penthouse. It was to rise in two towers above ground-floor restaurants and shops.

Among the planned amenities were a roof-deck pool, concierge service, attached parking and a fitness center.

Brown said the exterior of the project will remain unchanged as an apartment complex, but the larger condos will be divided, giving the project about 155 apartments instead of 135 condos.

Brown said he hopes funding can be secured within 90 days for the apartment complex, with construction to begin soon after. He estimated the project would take 18 months to complete.

"Our goal is to convert it back to condos when the market comes around," he said.

Some buyers have expressed interest in renting an apartment in the building, Brown said. But others aren't sold.

"I absolutely do not want to live there in an apartment," Unterbrink said. "That is counterproductive to what I want to do, to purchase in a good neighborhood where my investment would grow."

Now, Unterbrink said she wants her money back, so she "can pick up the pieces and find a new dream."

jweiker@dispatch.com

HRC Announces Comprehensive Campaign to End Failed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Law

January 27, 2010

Brad Luna
Trevor Thomas

Human Rights Campaign Announces Comprehensive Campaign to End Failed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Law “Voices of Honor” Campaign Will Work to Make President’s Call for Open Military Service a Reality


WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization – today announced a robust campaign to end the failed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law in response to the President’s pledge in this evening’s State of the Union address to work with Congress and the military towards repeal. The “Voices of Honor” campaign will organize veterans across the country, generate media coverage and build focused campaigns in key states that will be critical to the final votes in the House and Senate.

“The Commander in Chief sent a clear message tonight that in a time of war, what matters is that our men and women get the job done – not whether they’re gay or straight,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Our ‘Voices of Honor’ campaign will bring about much needed action to end this law that the vast majority of Americans oppose.”

The “Voices of Honor” campaign will expand on HRC's field and legislative efforts through: an on-the-ground campaign manager in key states to build diverse local coalitions; public education through innovative media campaigns; activating grassroots contacts with Members of Congress; an online hub for action on repeal; and partnering with other key groups working on repeal including Center for American Progress, Servicemembers United and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

“Our country simply cannot afford this discriminatory law that hurts military readiness by denying patriotic men and women the opportunity to serve,” said Solmonese. “Ridding our laws of discrimination that weakens our national security will require continued leadership from the President as well as Congressional allies.”

More than 13,000 Americans have been denied the ability to serve – including more than 800 specialists with vital skills like Arabic linguists. The Military Readiness Enhancement Act, championed by Iraq War veteran Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Penn., would replace the failed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law with open service by qualified lesbian and gay servicemembers, ensuring that the military will no longer need to sacrifice those whose service it cannot afford to lose.

“Tonight the President also pointed out the successful passage last year of a strong hate crimes bill and linked that effort and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal to our common values,” said Solmonese. “We look forward to working with the President and Congress to advance an equality agenda on these and a range of other issues.”

HRC has been laying the groundwork for repeal through programs like the “Voices of Honor” tour and “Legacy of Service,” which organized in key states to highlight the costs of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and promote the voices of gay and straight veterans who support repeal. More information is at www.hrc.org/VoicesOfHonor.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted in July 2008 found that 75% of Americans believe openly lesbian and gay citizens should be able to serve in the U.S. military. Additionally, veterans – especially younger veterans – are increasingly comfortable serving alongside gay troops. A December 2006 Zogby poll of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan found that 73% of soldiers reported being “comfortable … in the presence of gays,” and only 37% opposed repealing the DADT policy. Furthermore, the July 2008 Washington Post/ABC poll found that 50% of all veterans supported open service by lesbians and gays.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.


More here: http://www.hrcbackstory.org/

Obama to discuss rule on gays in military during the State of the Union

...According to Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

clipped from www.reuters.com WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is expected to talk about the "Don't ask, don't tell" rule that bars openly gay Americans from serving in the military during his State of the Union address this week, a senior lawmaker said on Monday. During his 2008 campaign for the presidency, Obama vowed to end the rule discriminating against gays and he renewed that pledge in a speech last year. "We were told by the Pentagon that they expected the president to say something in the State of the Union on it," said Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, referring to the speech Obama will deliver on Wednesday evening to a joint session of the U.S. Congress. But Levin added: "I have no idea" what Obama will say. In his speech at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Obama will lay out the challenges and set the tone for his administration in 2010.

Breaking: Ibiza Condos in Short North Turning into Apartments

clipped from www.columbusunderground.com The Ibiza condo project in the Short North has faced numerous delays since its announcement in 2006, and the lack of communication over the course of the past year have left many wondering if that dirt lot at High & Hubbard would ever see progress on construction. The veil of silence has just been lifted, and condo pre-buyers were informed via email that the project will now be moving forward as an apartment building instead. The developers are saying that there will be minimal design changes to the project, and that buyers would receive refunds on their investment in due time. The full email can be found below:

As you know, we have spent a year and tens of thousands of dollars to procure financing for the construction of IBIZA. The meltdown of the mortgage market has placed our primary lender in the position of being unable to take on new real estate loans at this time. (We had already begun construction with the assurance that our loan from that lender was in place.) Other lenders have reviewed the project and have even tentatively agreed to proceed, only to find out that they, too, were restrained by their liquidity and other issues unrelated to the economic viability of the project. (One of the reasons the lenders were so interested was that the loan-to-value ratio of the project would be 61%.) On the other hand, a number of lenders have indicated to us that they are ready and willing to proceed promptly with the necessary funding of the project as an apartment project. (Ironically, the rules for individual condominium unit loans have also changed, making it problematic for our buyers to obtain loans which, just a short while ago, were readily available.)

The probable impossibility of proceeding as a condominium is forcing us, reluctantly, to shift our focus to obtain financing for the construction of IBIZA as an apartment project. Millions have been spent through and including the commencement of construction, and only minor changes in layout and design will be required to make the project appropriate for apartments. (We will try to maintain the flexibility of keeping the option open for conversion at a later date when the market and lending rules permit.) We will be working with each buyer to refund their deposit. This will require a period of time to accomplish. We truly regret this complication.

We are diligently working with our lenders, architect, and legal team to accomplish this end. Once the project is funded, we will refund all of your deposits and statutorily required interest.

We are truly sorry for this turn of events, but it has been out of our control.

Thanks for understanding and working with us to make this a successful transition.

Sincerely,

APEX Realty Enterprises, LLC

Central Ohio Home Sales Jump 11% in December

clipped from www.dispatch.com Fueled by a federal tax credit, home sales in central Ohio closed the year out strong, prompting hope that 2010 will finally bring a housing recovery to the Columbus area. December's 11 percent increase in central Ohio home sales capped four months of steady gains, according to figures released this morning by the Columbus Board of Realtors. The increases were not enough, however, to push 2009's total sales over the previous year's. The 20,235 homes sold in central Ohio in 2009 were the fewest sold since 1997. Throughout the state, home sales declined 3 percent in December, and finished the year 8 percent below 2008. Experts remain hopeful that the market will stabilize this year, helped by a federal tax credit for home buyers that has been extended until June 30. Still, they acknowledged, the housing market remains dependent on a fragile economy.

"You're seeing signs that the market is getting better, but the two considerations hanging like dark clouds are the unemployment rate and the number of homes that continue to go into foreclosure," said Robert Fletcher, the chief executive of the Ohio Association of Realtors.

Home sales throughout the nation plummeted 17 percent from November but nonetheless closed the year out 5 percent above 2008, for the first annual gain since 2005.

"The market is going through a period of swings driven by the tax credit," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist with the National Association of Realtors.

"We'll likely have another surge in the spring as home buyers take advantage of the extended and expanded tax credit. By early summer the overall market should benefit from more balanced inventory, and sales are on track to rise again in 2010. However, the job market remains a concern and could dampen the housing recovery job creation is key to a continued recovery in the second half of the year."

StoryCorps Sunday.....For Our Community....11 weeks...11 stories

Robert Madden

I love the StoryCorps Project. I have searched their site for interviews about our culture and community. So far, I have found 11. Click on the link above or the link below. Enjoy. (Sorry that I can not post the recording here) To listen to the others, just search my blog for Storycorps.

clipped from www.storycorps.org StoryCorps » Listen » Stories » Robert Madden “When I was 10, I told my parents I was going to marry a man.” Robert Madden (R) tells his friend Tom Kurthy (L) about coming out to his parents. Recorded in Santa Monica, CA. Categories: Discovery, Featured, Growing Up, Identity

FHA Home Loans: Harder to get an Uncle Sam mortgage

Some changes are happening. They will not effect a large number of buyers.

clipped from money.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- It's going to be harder to get a government-backed mortgage from now on. Looking to shore up its weakening finances, the Federal Housing Administration is set to announce stricter standards on Wednesday. The agency, which insured nearly a third of new mortgages in 2009, will increase the premium it charges for its mortgage insurance and require those with weaker credit scores to come up with larger downpayments. The FHA will also reduce the amount of money a seller can provide a homebuyer for closing costs, as well as tighten its enforcement of lenders. "Striking the right balance between managing the FHA's risk, continuing to provide access to underserved communities, and supporting the nation's economic recovery is critically important," FHA Commissioner David Stevens said in a statement. "Importantly, FHA will remain the largest source of home purchase financing for underserved communities."

FHA loans have skyrocketed in popularity during the mortgage crisis since the agency backstops banks if borrowers stop paying. But housing experts are growing increasingly concerned about the agency's ability to handle rising numbers of defaults. (Cash cushion shrivels for FHA.)

In November, the agency reported that its reserve fund has dropped to .53% of its insurance guarantees, well below the 2% ratio mandated by Congress and the 3% ratio it had last fall. The fund covers losses on the mortgages the agency insures.

Federal housing officials, who took several steps to shore up the agency's finances last year, promised to do more at a congressional hearing in December. The new announcement is the latest set of changes to FHA policies.
What the new rules mean

FHA is making these changes in order to bring its reserve fund up back up to the 2% ratio, Stevens said in a conference call with reporters. However, the agency also wants to make sure that the new rules don't disrupt the housing market and don't hurt FHA's ability to assist the underserved.

The agency will increase its up-front mortgage insurance premium to 2.25%, from 1.75%. It will also ask Congress for the right to hike its ongoing premium, currently as much as .55% monthly. The agency will then shift some of the increase in the up-front premium to the ongoing charge.

Raising the premium is the best way to add to the reserve fund, Stevens said.

The move isn't likely to hurt borrowers much, said Thomas Lawler, founder of Lawler Economic & Housing Consulting. Most homebuyers will likely finance it so it will only bump up their monthly payments by a little.

"This doesn't increase the amount they need to bring to the closing table," Lawler said.

The FHA will also require borrowers to have at least a credit score of 580 to qualify for the agency's 3.5% downpayment program. Those with lower scores will have to pay at least 10%. However, this rule may have little practical effect since Stevens recently said the average borrower score is 693.

The new policy also will reduce the amount of money sellers can provide to homebuyers at closing to 3%, down from 6%, of the home's price. That change will bring the agency in line with industry standards and remove the incentive to inflate appraisals.

Finally, officials plan to clamp down on lenders offering FHA mortgages. The agency will more closely monitor their performance, as well as seek legislative authority to require mortgage firms to assume liability for all loans they originate and underwrite. It will also publicly report lender performance data.

One thing the agency did not do is to broadly increase the downpayment requirement. Many industry observers said such a step is necessary to reduce FHA loans' high delinquency rates. Borrowers with little equity in their homes are more likely to default or walk away.

The agency has seen a spike in delinquencies amid the mortgage meltdown. Some 14.36% of FHA loans were past due in the third quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. This compares to 9.64% of all loans.

"They are not addressing the fundamental issue -- that FHA loans are too risky," said real estate finance consultant Edward Pinto, former chief credit officer for Fannie Mae (FNM, Fortune 500) in the late 1980s. Borrowers "need more skin in the game."

FHA did not increase minimum downpayments more broadly because its borrowers with credit scores above 580 were generally timely with their payments.

"The reason why we drew the line at 580 is that there are clear performance drop offs as you drop down credit score tiers," Stevens said.
Agency plays crucial role

As banks have clamped down on mortgage lending, the FHA program has emerged as one of the few ways people can buy a home.

Banks are more willing to make FHA loans because they come with a federal guarantee to cover losses if the borrower defaults. And borrowers can more easily qualify for FHA loans because they only need 3.5% down and can have lower credit scores.

As a result, demand for FHA loans has exploded. The agency guaranteed more than $360 billion in single-family mortgages in fiscal 2009, which ended Sept. 30, more than four times the volume in 2007.

The agency insured about 30% of home purchases and 20% of refinanced mortgages in 2009. Nearly 50% of first-time homebuyers go through the agency.

Wonder Bread Factory in Italian Village Reborn as Wonderland

clipped from www.columbusunderground.com Press Release: Artists, Musicians and Small Businesses Team up to Take Over Former Wonder Bread Factory It’s been almost a year since Wonder Bread moved out of their Italian Village bakery on 4th Street near the Short North. Now, a group of innovative entrepreneurs are looking to turn the 65,000 square foot factory into a hub for the creative class in Columbus and beyond. The project is being called “Wonderland” and it will combine artist studios, shared office space, band rehearsal and recording facilities, venue and performance space, gallery space, and a mix of start-up and established retail all under one roof. The goal is to provide a resource for artists, musicians, and small businesses to achieve individual success, as well as to establish an icon in Columbus that highlights our outstanding local creative industries to the world. More information can be found online at WonderlandColumbus.com

Getting things off the ground are Adam Brouillette (Couchfire Collective), Andrew Dodson (Central City Recording), David Hunegnaw (The Sandbox Columbus), Kevin Lykens (Lykens Companies) and Josh Quinn (Tigertree). The group is forming a non-profit organization to manage the property, to keep rent costs down and to provide a vehicle to seek donations and grants to encourage growth and job creation within the creative community. They will each focus on a specific area – arts, music, business, retail – and provide business counseling and information resources for tenants as well as day-to-day management of the property.

There will be an informational meeting on January 29th at Junctionview Studios (889 Williams Ave, Grandview Heights) from 6:30pm-9pm for anyone who may be interested.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland tells supporters his running mate is Yvette McGee Brown

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer

clipped from blog.cleveland.com COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gov. Ted Strickland today told supporters that he has selected the director of a Columbus nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse as his running mate for this year's gubernatorial election. Yvette McGee Brown, director of the Center for Child & Family Advocacy at Nationwide Children's Hospital since 2002, is also a former juvenile court judge in Franklin County. Brown has been considered the likely pick for about a week and early this afternoon Strickland, a Democrat, confirmed his choice in an e-mail to campaign supporters. He also posted a video introducing Brown.

"I know that Yvette will make a wonderful lieutenant governor because she's spent her entire life fighting for Ohio families," Strickland said in the e-mail. "She is the daughter of a single mother who worked two jobs to support her family.

"Yvette found remarkable opportunities here in Ohio," he said. "She's taken those remarkable opportunities and used them, not to further her own goals, but to make life better for average Ohioans, especially our children."

Brown, 48, is black and figures to help Strickland bolster support among African-Americans, which political observers say is not as strong as one might think for a Democratic leader.

Strickland's opponent, former Republican Congressman John Kasich, last week announced that state Auditor Mary Taylor, who is white, will be his running mate. Kasich hopes that Taylor, who lives in Summit County, can help pull votes from Northeast Ohio where Democratic support is stronger.

Strickland will kick off his re-election bid today with a press conference at 2:30 at the Ohio Democratic Party headquarters.

And like Taylor last week, even before she is officially introduced, Brown is already being slammed by political opponents and cheered by supporters.

State Republican leaders have blasted Brown for having no experience in state government and no record in state budgeting issues, which Taylor has.

"I couldn't think of a more uninspiring pick, and I wonder how she feels knowing she's the governor's eighth choice because everyone else said no," state Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine, said in a statement. "Clearly, no one else wanted to run with Ted Strickland because they know he's a one-term governor."

Brown hardly would be the first lieutenant governor candidate without previous state fiscal experience.

Most recently, former Republican Lt. Gov. Maureen O'Connor, who served under Bob Taft, was a Summit County prosecutor before being tapped by as Taft's running mate. O'Connor is now an Ohio Supreme Court Justice and candidate for Chief Justice.

Democrats have championed Brown's work on family and children's issues, which Strickland has tried to make a centerpiece of his first term in office.

But this race still figures to hinge on who Ohio voters will hold accountable for the state's dismal economic condition and struggling rate of job creation since Strickland has been in office.

Strickland has blamed the national recession -- started on Wall Street in 2008 -- for affecting nearly every state in the country, especially Ohio. He has said that he is positioning the state to emerge from the troubles in better shape than when the economic problems hit.

Kasich, however, who has federal budgeting experience, has blamed Strickland for not doing enough to steer Ohio out of this fiscal mess. He has said other states are in better economic condition than Ohio because of actions their governors took.

Current Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher is running for the U.S. Senate.

Hotel planned in Short North moves across High Street and grows

clipped from columbus.bizjournals.com Plans for a hotel and parking garage complex in Columbus’ Short North have expanded across High Street. Pizzuti Cos. expects to show its revised plans Jan. 19 to the Italian Village Commission calling for a boutique hotel of up to 130 rooms on a city-owned parking lot a block north of the Cap at Union Station. The Columbus-based developer initially proposed building the hotel and related development on the west side of High Street, on the site of the former United Commercial Travelers of America building at 632 N. Park St. and an adjacent surface parking lot. That site remains part of Pizzuti’s plan and would get a parking garage with up to 46,000 square feet of offices above it in the revised proposal. Developments on both sides of the street would offer ground-floor space for retailers and restaurants. “We want to create a dynamic front door to the Short North,” said Joel Pizzuti, the company’s president. “It’s a wonderful project for the city and for the Short North.”

High hopes

Redevelopment of the United Commercial Travelers property has languished since Dublin developer Patrick Grabill proposed a condominium tower and parking for the site in April 2007. Pizzuti Cos. took over the contract to purchase the property and in February 2008 unveiled plans for a 160-room hotel. It later reduced the hotel rooms to 130 but added 60,000 square feet to the complex for offices.

It also said it would fill the front portion of the United Commercial Travelers building with the acclaimed fine arts collection of company CEO Ron Pizzuti.

But the project stalled amid concerns by the Victorian Village Commission, which steers development on the west side of the Short North. At issue was the project’s 10-story height, nearly twice the 60-foot-high limit developers face in the Short North without needing a zoning variance.

Original plans also called for demolishing the back of the cross-shaped office complex, a sensitive issue in the historic neighborhood.

Pizzuti’s most recent plans call for a hotel as high as 15 stories in Italian Village on the east side of High Street, depending on the number of guest rooms. The Italian Village Commission approved a variance for the 11-story Ibiza condominium tower at 830 N. High St. That project, which includes a public parking garage, remains unbuilt while its developer tries to secure financing.

Rex Hagerling, a Moody Nolan Inc. architect who serves as Italian Village Commission chairman, said the hotel’s height will drive much of the debate over the proposal.

“There are a lot of questions,” he said, “so I’m sure there will be a lively discussion.”

Pizzuti said some details of the project will depend in part on how many guest rooms the Italian Village Commission approves for the hotel and what the Victorian Village Commission will OK for the office space and parking garage elements.

“All the numbers are going to change,” he said, “because it depends upon how much (development) the commissions approve.”

Columbus Development Director Boyce Safford III in a Dec. 21 letter to Pizzuti supported the developer’s plan to add a parking garage in the Short North.

“If this project does happen,” Pizzuti said, “it will be a private-public partnership and the city will have a big role.”

The city had hoped the Ibiza project, with a parking garage bolstered by city financing, would provide about 250 public spots several blocks north of Pizzuti’s proposed development.

Pizzuti Cos. has hired Smallwood Reynolds Stewart Stewart & Associates Inc. of Atlanta as the project’s design architect and Jonathan Barnes Architecture and Design Ltd. of Columbus as the urban planning consultant.

Pizzuti said the developer will present “massing studies” of the hotel project showing its relative size to surrounding buildings.

“It has yet to be determined what those buildings will look like,” Pizzuti said. “It will certainly fit into the neighborhood.”

Great news for progressives! Kasich 'tweets' his pick of Taylor as running mate

clipped from www.dispatch.com Republican John Kasich just made it official, "tweeting" to supporters that state Auditor Mary Taylor is joining his gubernatorial ticket. Kasich and Taylor have scheduled a 3 p.m. news conference at the campaign's Downtown headquarters, but Kasich notified supporters at 1:30 p.m. via Twitter that Taylor would be his lieutenant governor candidate. "Please join me in welcoming Mary Taylor as OH's next LG. We are committed to working to bring jobs and prosperity back to our sate (sic)," Kasich tweeted. Campaign spokesman Rob Nichols said more than 10,000 people signed up to follow Kasich on Twitter.

Kasich selected Taylor, who has been a vocal critic of Gov. Ted Strickland's administration and budget proposals, because of her experience and insight during a time of economic downturn and challenges, Nichols said.

"In this current economic climate, there's absolutely no one more eminently qualified for this position," he said.

Taylor has blasted Strickland for what she has said is an over-reliance on federal stimulus funds and other concerns, warning that the next two-year state budget could require massive spending cuts or a major tax increase as a result.

Asked why Taylor, the only Republican in a statewide nonjudicial office, opted to be Kasich's running mate rather than seek re-election, Nichols said, "As auditor, all she can do is warn and recommend. As lieutenant governor, she can create policy."

At the same time Kasich electronically announced his running mate, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern held a press conference to condemn the ticket.

Redfern said Taylor took a pay raise last year while Strickland and others in state government did not and said she would not be able to help Kasich sell his platform -- including a proposal to phase out Ohio's state income tax.

"We are confident that when Ohio voters learn about John Kasich's record . . . that they will send Ted Strickland back to the governor's office," Redfern said. "Mary Taylor does nothing to change that."

Redfern also referred to what he called Taylor's "work ethic or lack thereof," suggesting that Taylor often has been absent from the auditor's office in Columbus.

"For the last three years, few have seen Mary Taylor here in Columbus working on behalf of the people of the state, and few have heard from her unless she (was) being critical of the governor's budget," Redfern said.

At year's end, Taylor, 43, will give up the auditor's post she has held since 2007, leaving the Ohio GOP scrambling for a candidate to replace her. The filing deadline is Feb. 18.

Taylor faced a tough re-election challenge from Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper, who is expected to show at month's end that he raised considerably more money than she.

Ohio GOP officials haven't discussed whom the party might field in the auditor's race. One person mentioned as possibility, state Rep. Josh Mandel, the leading GOP candidate for state treasurer, said today that he's committed to running for treasurer.

"I am 100 percent staying in the state treasurer's race," Mandel said. "I am not running for state auditor."

Both parties are targeting the auditor's race as a high priority because the auditor, along with the governor and secretary of state, sits on the State Apportionment Board. Whichever party wins two of those three seats on Nov. 2 will be empowered to apportion legislative districts in its favor for the next 10 years.

Asked what impact Taylor's decision not to seek re-election would have on the auditor's race, Redfern said he was "pleased the Republicans have ceded the race to the Democrats."

Strickland has not yet named his running mate or officially kicked off his re-election campaign but is expected to do so in the coming days, according to an e-mail from his campaign to supporters yesterday.

The campaign offered to let supporters to be "the first to know" who Strickland selected with an e-mail notification if they signed up with the campaign and encouraged them to have their friends and family sign up as well.

The moves by Kasich and Strickland are reminiscent of last year's presidential campaign, when Democrat Barack Obama in particular did anything he could to collect supporter e-mail addresses for future contacts and also promised to announce his running mate to those who signed up for it.

Strickland so far has declined to say or confirm who is considering for his running mate to replace Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who is running for the U.S. Senate this year.

Speculation this week has focused on Yvette McGee Brown, a former Columbus judge, and Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams. Others mentioned as possibilities in recent weeks include state Reps. Jay Goyal of Mansfield and Matt Szollosi of Toledo.

Nichols said Kasich considered a number of potential running mates but that a screening committee overwhelmingly recommended Taylor.

Earth Day Moving to Franklin Park from Goodale Park for 2010

clipped from www.columbusunderground.com Columbus’ Annual Earth Day Celebration will be ringing in the new decade with a relocation from Goodale Park to Franklin Park. This year’s event will be titled “The Update” and consists of both large-scale volunteer efforts as well as a celebratory festival of what is to be accomplished. The volunteerism aspect will take place on April 17th and 18th at various worksites located throughout the city, while the festival takes place on April 22nd at Franklin Park. The event is organized by Green Columbus, who have set this year’s goal at engaging 10,000 volunteers and making the Columbus Earth Day efforts the largest in the nation. If you’d like more information on getting involved, visit Update2010.org.

Prop. 8 Trial: The Legal Future of Marriage Equality

The nation's first federal trial on whether a ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional is set to begin this morning in San Francisco.

U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker will preside over a two-week trial on a lawsuit in which two couples claim that California's ban on same-sex marriage violates their federal constitutional rights to due process and equal treatment.

The court will be releasing video segments of the proceedings.

StoryCorps Sunday.....For Our Community....11 weeks...11 stories...week 3

John Brown and his brother Paul Corbit Brown

I love the StoryCorps Project. I have searched their site for interviews about our culture and community. So far, I have found 11. Click on the link above or the link below. Enjoy. (Sorry that I can not post the recording here) To listen to the others, just search my blog for Storycorps.

clipped from www.storycorps.org StoryCorps » Listen » Stories » John Brown and his brother Paul Corbit Brown “The announcer was saying all these untrue things about gay and lesbian people...” John Brown (R) tells his brother Paul (L) about an encounter with a local radio station in West Virginia. Recorded in Charleston, WV. Categories: Featured, Identity, Struggle

My friend, Doug Whaley's unexpected new heart leads him into new decade.

Back in the mid 1980's, Doug was a founding force behind the creation of Stonewall Columbus.

clipped from www.snponline.com * Whaley was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a condition that keeps the heart from pumping properly and can lead to blood clots and stroke. By KATHLEEN L. RADCLIFF Published: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 10:01 AM EST Douglas Whaley has been ringing in 2010 with a heart full of gratitude. Whaley, 66, received a new heart as he underwent heart transplant surgery Nov. 23 at the Ross Heart Hospital at the Ohio State University Medical Center. Dublin resident Douglas Whaley was scheduled to receive a heart transplant sometime in 2010, but on morning of the day before Thanksgiving, Whaley received a call from the hospital indicating that they had a heart ready for him, and asked if he could make it to the hospital within 40 minutes. He did, and is now recovering well from the procedure.

To celebrate the gift of life -- despite a few complications that landed him back in the hospital -- Whaley went ahead with a previously planned "New Year, New Heart" party with 30 guests. They included his son and daughter-in-law flying in for the occasion, on New Year's Eve, said Rachel Lewis, Lifeline of Ohio media relations and community outreach coordinator.

"Despite Doug's bump in the road, he and his family were still celebrating -- the party still went on, and he called in from the hospital and was put on speaker phone around 11:30 p.m. to wish everyone a happy New Year," Lewis said via e-mail Monday, Jan. 4.

She said Whaley, of Dublin, was scheduled to be discharged from the hospital Jan. 4.

"When he called, he told his friends, 'Your problem is -- you're all in the wrong place, the party is in Room 5004 at Ross Heart Hospital. Get down here right away,' " Lewis said.

Lifeline of Ohio is the not-for-profit organ procurement organization that promotes and coordinates organ and tissue donation in Central and Southeastern Ohio.

Organ and tissue donation provides a second chance at life for thousands of Americans waiting for a transplant, Lewis said.

The road to a new heart for Whaley began in 1999, when the former OSU law professor realized something was amiss.

"I knew something was wrong back in 1999, because my heart started beating way too fast," he said via e-mail. "That sent me to the emergency room."

Whaley was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a condition that keeps the heart from pumping properly and can lead to blood clots and stroke, Lewis said.

His condition continued to worsen, and impeded him from completing simple tasks or walking more than 20 feet. In January 2009, Whaley was put on a pacemaker and listed for a heart transplant.

Doctors told him it likely would take at least a year before a heart would be available for him, so he braced himself for a long journey, he said.

"I knew I was dying," Whaley said. "I quit buying clothes, making long-term plans and concentrated on living long enough for the transplant."

As recently as October, Whaley said, he was told the operation would not occur until sometime in 2010.

Whaley said he was working on his computer the morning of Nov. 23, when he received the phone call for which he thought he would have to wait a while longer.

"Mr. Whaley, we have a heart for you," was the message, he said. "It's the most startling sentence I've heard in my life."

"It is one thing, however, to appreciate a possible next year's heart transplant sometime in the future, and quite another to get the call and think -- today, they're going to rip me open, take my heart and replace it with another," he said.

"I have never driven as carefully as I did going to the hospital 10 minutes later."

"Now, I have a life again, and that is a miracle," he said.

Whaley said his surgeon came by days later and told him when he first saw his new heart, he thought, "That's a beautiful heart."

A nurse who watched his surgery said the heart removed was three times the size of his new heart.

"I was home and happy eight days later," he said. "So, from being on the verge of dying, I am filled with life again."

Whaley said he plans to write the heart donor's family early in 2010.

"They must be allowed a period for their grief," he said. "I do hope the letter will enable them to find some sort of closure.

"Whether they reply or not is irrelevant."

In addition to his party, as well as acting and directing in local theater productions, Whaley said he looks forward to an upcoming trip he didn't think he was going to be able to make anytime soon. It will be a trip to Las Vegas with his nephew Aaron, a student at Miami University who turns 21 in July.

"I have been going to Vegas for decades and know the place well," he said, adding his sister and ex-partner both live in the city.

"I never thought this trip would take place because of declining health, but I sent an e-mail to Aaron, and we are in the process of picking a date for next summer," Whaley said.

"Doug is one of the lucky ones," Lewis said.

"There are more than 105,000 Americans waiting for a transplant and, sadly, 18 men, women and children die every day waiting."

For more information about organ and tissue donation, visit lifelineofohio.org or call 1-800-525-5667.