Poll Shows Good Signs For Ohio Democrats

Remember, it is early.

clipped from columbus.bizjournals.com On the heels of their health-care reform victory, Democrats can take some comfort in the results of a closely watched Ohio poll by Quinnipiac University. The Connecticut school’s survey of 1,526 Ohio voters, conducted March 23, found Gov. Ted Strickland with 43 percent support for his reelection bid, while presumptive Republican challenger John Kasich had 38 percent support. That’s virtually unchanged from Strickland’s 44-39 lead in February, but a more comfortable margin than dead-heat results in earlier polls. To download full details of the latest poll, click here.

In the race to replace Republican Ohio Sen. George Voinovich in the U.S. Senate, Lt. Gov Lee Fisher and primary challenger Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner each pulled ahead of presumptive Republican nominee Rob Portman after trailing in an earlier poll. In a hypothetical match-up, Fisher defeated Portman 41-37 and Brunner nudged past with a 38-37 lead.

Peter Brown, assistant director of Quinnipiac’s polling institute, said in a release that the results point to firmer ground for Democrats in Ohio. Still, Quinnipiac recommended Dems take the good news with a grain of salt with several months to go before the November election.

“Perhaps it’s the passage of the health-care overhaul and the fact that people like being with a winner: There has been a small, but consistent movement toward Democratic candidates and causes in Ohio in the last month,” he said. “Whether this is the beginning of a long-term move or not won’t be clear for some time, perhaps until November.”

Regardless of how much the passage of the health-care overhaul boosted Democrats in Ohio, half of all voters in the state said they opposed the plan, while 43 percent supported it. But that’s down from 55 percent opposition and 36 percent support in November.

President Barack Obama’s job approval rating improved to a near split – 47 percent approval and 48 percent disapproval. In a November poll, 55 percent of voters gave the president a thumbs-down and 36 percent said they approved of the job he was doing.

As for the state’s leader, a deeper look at Strickland’s performance in the poll painted a shakier picture of his reelection bid despite an edge over Kasich, Quinnipiac said. Roughly half of all surveyed voters gave the governor a thumbs-down on his handling of the state budget and the economy, “worrisome signs for an incumbent,” Brown said.

Goodale Park Is Getting A Facelift

clipped from blog.dispatch.com Goodale Park is about to get a little more curb appeal. City Council members authorized $182,000 in capital spending last night for a landscaping project that will create a more formal entrance at the corner of Goodale and Park. Click here for a look at the architect's drawing. It looks kind of like the entryway at the opposite corner of the park, at Buttles and Dennison. Public Service Director Mark Kelsey said the project will spruce up a corner of the park that lost a bit of land to I-670. It will feature an 11-foot arch (without lights) and a red-brick plaza leading to a relocated foot path into the park. Kelsey said the project is being timed for completion -- weather permitting, of course -- before summer festival season. Columbus' Pride festival is expanding to two days this year (June 18 and 19), and ComFest will be in the park the following weekend (June 25-27). Posted by Robert Vitale, city hall reporter on March 30, 2010 11:18 AM | Permalink

Ricky Martin Comes Out On His Blog......He is Gay

clipped from rickymartinmusic.com A few months ago I decided to write my memoirs, a project I knew was going to bring me closer to an amazing turning point in my life. From the moment I wrote the first phrase I was sure the book was the tool that was going to help me free myself from things I was carrying within me for a long time. Things that were too heavy for me to keep inside. Writing this account of my life, I got very close to my truth. And thisis something worth celebrating. These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed. I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.

Columbus Dispatch Analysis: What's your home worth?

This proves that all real estate is local. See the maps and lists below.

clipped from www.dispatch.com While older suburbs remained stable, home values in Columbus' inner city and developing suburbs took a beating as the recession rocked the market Sunday, March 28, 2010 2:55 AM By Jim Weiker THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Home prices in central Ohio took a pounding during the past four years, but some areas withstood the blows better than others. While some communities saw average annual sale prices decline by nearly 47 percent from the peak of the housing boom, a handful of others weathered the storm largely unaffected. With Columbus-area home prices recently showing signs of stabilizing, The Dispatch examined how the region fared during the slump, comparing average sales prices in 53 communities in 2005, the peak year, with those of last year.

Using Columbus Board of Realtors' figures and districts, the newspaper found that prices overall in central Ohio fell about 11percent - from $173,571 to $154,133 - during the four years.

Inner-city neighborhoods and newly developed suburban areas, especially the New Albany area, suffered the biggest drops.

The healthiest regions tended to be well-established inner-ring neighborhoods such as Bexley, Clintonville, Upper Arlington and parts of the West and Northwest sides.

No area, though, skyrocketed during the housing recession. The best-performing municipality, Bexley, had a 5percent increase in sales price - about 1 percent a year.

It's possible to find homes in Bexley - unlike in many other communities - that sold for more during the past 12 months than during the boom.

For example, a three-bedroom home on Bexley Park Road that sold in September 2004 for $314,000 sold a year ago for $339,000.

Bexley and some other inside-the-Outerbelt areas also benefited by skipping the development boom, which ran up prices from 2002 through 2005 in fast-growing suburbs.

"It's been a tough market, but I'd say the No. 1 reason Bexley (has fared well) is that we don't have any new construction in our marketplace," said Mike Carruthers, a Coldwell Banker King Thompson agent who specializes in Bexley. "We've also got great schools, great neighborhoods, proximity to Downtown - all of that."

Bexley was one of just two areas examined that yielded price gains. The other, a stretch of northwestern Columbus just west of the Olentangy River, benefits from its proximity to one of the most stable employers in town, Ohio State University, and from the recent sales of expensive condominiums in its southern reaches.

Even older, stable communities such as Upper Arlington and Worthington saw declines in average sales prices - 3.1 percent and 4.4percent, respectively - which experts say is unprecedented.

"When you see prices declining even in historically sound areas, such as Upper Arlington - well, you've never seen that before," said William Uttley, owner of Columbus Appraisal and Consulting.

Uttley and others note that a change in average sales price from one year to another doesn't mean that all homes in that area changed that much in value; the comparison encompasses only the homes that actually sold during those years.

Still, some hard-hit areas provide many examples of individual homes that sold for less during the past 12 months than they did during the boom.

In the area around New Albany Country Club, for example, homes are selling for less - in some cases, far less - than they fetched four or five years ago.

A 5,100-square-foot home on Ratchford Court that sold in June 2005 for $1.07 million sold again in February for $505,900. Down the street, a home that commanded $1million in August 2006 sold in November for $415,000.

Those are extreme cases, but they illustrate that areas that boomed with big-ticket sales from 2003 to 2006 are now finding few buyers for those homes.

"Substantial oversupply is what hammered Delaware County the most," said Mark B. Neff, an agent with New Albany Realty. "There was so much speculative building.

"In New Albany, because of its popularity during the boom years, we saw some of that, too, but we don't have an oversupply problem so much as a lack of demand in the market. The million-dollar-plus homes are getting hit hardest."

On the other end of the price spectrum are parts of the central city - including the Hilltop, Franklinton and the Near East and East sides - where sales prices show little sign of stabilizing.

Some of those neighborhoods have been devastated by job losses and foreclosures, which sink housing values.

A few examples:

• An 1,100-square-foot home on Hawkes Avenue in Franklinton that sold for $31,000 in October 2005 sold in February 2009 for $3,000.

• A four-bedroom home on Coburg Road on the East Side that sold in November 2004 for $116,195 sold last April for $59,550.

• A Harvard Avenue duplex on the Near East Side that sold for $80,000 in July 2005 sold in November for $8,529.

"There's no bottom in some of those areas," said Neff, who helps investors find properties in the city.

After four years of price declines, central Ohio is showing signs of having bottomed out. Average sales prices have risen four straight months in the area, suggesting that a climb back might be beginning.

"Hopefully, we may have reached the bottom," said Jerry White, executive vice president of Coldwell Banker King Thompson. "There are several places that have started to turn around."

jweiker@dispatch.com

Click on the images to view:

Ohio residents can get $100 rebates or more on new appliances (VERY limited time)

clipped from www.ohioappliancerebate.com Beginning Friday, March 26, Ohio residents can reserve and redeem a rebate for the purchase of the following ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances. Rebates are available on a first-come, first-served basis for the purchase of select, qualified ENERGY STAR® appliances at Ohio retail locations. New appliances must be purchased within 3 days of reserving your rebate, and old appliances must be recycled so they are rendered inoperable. Online purchases do not qualify for a rebate. NOTICE: Rebate funds may run out before the program is scheduled to end. You are not guaranteed to receive a rebate during the program period. Get started by clicking the "Get Your Rebate" button in the features section to reserve, redeem, track, or check availability of rebates. (The link is above next to "clipped from:") For a list of qualified ENERGY STAR® products, click on the appliance category below and you will be directed to the ENERGY STAR® search tool.

Eligible ENERGY STAR® Appliances Rebate Level ($)
Refrigerator 1 $100
Clothes Washer $150
Dishwasher $100
High-Efficiency Gas Storage Water Heater $100
Electric Heat Pump Water Heater $250

1 Only ENERGY STAR® refrigerators with a volume of 7.75 cubic feet or greater are eligible for a rebate. Mini-refrigerators are not eligible for a rebate.

Important Information – Click on the boldface text for more details about Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program.

1. A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

2. Eligibility criteria to participate in the rebate program

3. Instructions on the Rebate Process, and how to obtain a rebate

4. A list of Eligible ENERGY STAR® Appliances

5. Recycling Information including
1. Proof of Recycling Form
2. Description of the recycling process including List of Recycling Facilities

6. Participating Retailers including a List of Participating Retailers.

7. How much money you could save with the Energy Star® Cost Savings Calculator

Breaking News: Secretary Gates eases ban on gays in the military

We have step 1, this is step 2

clipped from www.cnn.com Washington (CNN) -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Thursday that the Pentagon will start to ease its enforcement of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy prohibiting homosexuals from serving openly in the military.

Among other things, Gates said the Pentagon is raising the threshold for what constitutes an appropriate level of information necessary to launch a "credible inquiry" into allegations of homosexual behavior.

The change is reflection of "common sense" and "common decency," Gates said.

President Obama and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, support a legislative repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," which was first enacted in 1993. Some senior members of the military, however, have expressed concern over the impact of the ban's repeal on unit cohesion and morale, among other things.

Protester Who Threw Dollar at Parkinson's Victim is Identified as Republican

A health care reform protest outside Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy’s office last week, a man hurled insults and dollar bills at a Columbus area senior challenged by Parkinson’s disease.

The Columbus Dispatch identified the man as Columbus resident and registered Republican Chris Reichert.

His attacks were shameful, pathetic, and disgusting. And although Mr. Reichert has now professed remorse for his actions, it took days for him to apologize, and according to the Dispatch, he initially denied any involvement in the incident.

The Columbus Dispatch article is below. A link is here.

Health-reform rally heckler says he's sorry and scared
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 12:19 PM
By Catherine Candisky

Columbus Dispatch

During a rally on health-care reform last week outside the office of Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy in Columbus, opponents of the effort berated Robert A. Letcher, who suffers from Parkinson's disease.

The man who berated and tossed dollar bills at a man with Parkinson's disease during a health care protest last week says he is remorseful and scared.

"I snapped. I absolutely snapped and I can't explain it any other way," said Chris Reichert of Victorian Village, in a Dispatch interview.

In his first comments on an incident that went viral across the Internet and was repeatedly played on cable television news shows, Reichert said he is sorry about his confrontation with Robert A. Letcher, 60, of the North Side. Letcher, a former nuclear engineer who suffers from Parkinson's, was verbally attacked as he sat before anti-health care demonstrators in front of Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy's district office last week.

"He's got every right to do what he did and some may say I did too, but what I did was shameful," Reichert said. "I haven't slept since that day."

"I made a donation (to a local Parkinson's disease group) and that starts the healing process."

Earlier this week, Reichert, 40, denied any involvement in a confrontation featured in a Dispatch video that drew an emotional response from viewers across the country.

"I wanted this to go away, but it won't and I'm paying the consequences," Reichert said.

He said he's fearful for his family after reading comments about his actions on the Internet.

"I've been looking at the web sites," he said. "People are hunting for me."

The demonstration took place just days before the House voted on health-care reform legislation, drawing hundreds of supporters and opponents. Kilroy herself condemned the action, entering a link to the video into the Congressional Record. Ohio Democrats plan to use the incident to raise money.

When Letcher sat down in front of opponents and held a sign indicating that he had Parkinson's disease, an unidentified man berated him, saying, "If you're looking for a hand-out, you're on the wrong end of town."

Reichert then stepped from the crowd, bent down, pointed a finger in Letcher's face and as he tossed a pair of dollar bills yelled, "I'll pay for this guy. Here you go. Let's start a pot, I'll pay for you. I'll decide when to give you money. Here. Here's another one."

Organizers on both sides of the debate quickly condemned the actions of Reichert and the other man, who still has not been identified. Reichert, a registered Republican, said he is not politically active. He said he heard about the rally on the radio and a neighbor invited him to attend.

"That was my first time at any political rally and I'm never going to another one," Reichert said.

"I will never ever, ever go to another one."

How Does Health Reform Effect LGBT Americans?

clipped from www.hrcbackstory.org As we told you last week, the important LGBT-specific provisions that the House had passed as part of its own health reform bill last November were – despite intense lobbying over the last year – not included in the Reconciliation Act. We have not given up and will keep looking for ways to move these important provisions forward. We are seeking another tax vehicle in which to include the domestic partner benefits tax fix, the Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act. We will push Congress to pass the Early Treatment for HIV Act and, in the interim, continue to lobby for robust funding of federal HIV/AIDS treatment, research and prevention programs.

While the specific needs of LGBT people were not, in the end, addressed in this historic health reform effort, HRC will continue to push Congress and the administration to take these important steps to protect the health and well-being of our community.

Despite its shortcomings for LGBT people, the health care reform legislation passed last night is indeed historic and contains provisions that will help all Americans, including our community. Among these important provisions are:

* A ban on denying insurance coverage based on a pre-existing condition or health status, and from imposing lifetime caps on coverage. This will be particularly helpful for individuals living with chronic disease, such as HIV and AIDS.
* A substantial investment in Community Health Centers. This money could benefit the many LBGT-focused health centers in communities across the country.
* Expanded Medicaid eligibility, health insurance exchanges and other programs to provide health coverage for more low-income Americans. This will help the most vulnerable people in every community, including ours.
* Funds for comprehensive sex education programs and other prevention-focused efforts. While the bill unfortunately restores funding for disproven abstinence-only education that ignores LGBT youth, it also provides dollars for science-based programs that will focus on the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
* Improvements to collection of data on health disparities. While the bill does not explicitly require data collection on LGBT people, it allows HHS to collect other demographic data important to its mission of addressing health disparities.

Along with our continued efforts to move forward with the LGBT-specific provisions left out of this bill, HRC is also committed to pushing the Obama administration to implement this historic reform in a manner that takes into account the needs of our community to the greatest extent possible. This is a tremendous step towards improving our health care system, but there is a great deal more that must be done to ensure that system serves LGBT people equally.

Home Prices on the Rise in Central Ohio

I can provide you data for your neighborhood. Just ask.

clipped from columbusrealtors.com News Posted: 3/23/2010 Columbus Board of REALTORS® Central Ohio saw a healthy 12 percent increase in the average price of a home sold in February 2010. The 1,106 homes transferred last month sold for an average of $149,498 which was 11.9 percent higher than the average sale price in February of 2009 and 2.4 percent higher than homes sold in January. The average sale price for the first two months of 2010 is $147,682, a 9.1 percent increase over the same period one year ago according to the Columbus Board of REALTORS®. The number of homes for sale increased as well last month. There were 3,429 homes added to the market in February, which was slightly higher than the previous month and 17.8 percent higher than the number of homes listed for sale in February of 2009.

“The rise in inventory doesn’t come as a surprise,” said Sue Lusk-Gleich, President of the Columbus Board of REALTORS®. “The home buyer tax credits set to expire in April of this year are a substantial incentive for home owners who have been considered selling their home. Further, the credit for existing home owners to sell has attracted more homeowners interested in moving up into the market. And those owners are buying more mid range properties.”

First-time home buyers can recoup ten percent of the purchase price of the residence up to $8,000. Current homeowners who have been in the same principal residence for five consecutive years during the previous eight years can get up to $6,500 back.

These credits helped February home sales climb 7.9 percent over January sales. Year to date home sales exceed 2009 by 2.4 percent. The time homes spend on the market is also down 14 percent as buyers scramble to take advantage of the tax credits before the deadline of April 30, 2010.

“The housing market is extremely busy right now,” comments Lusk-Gleich. “We’ve seen over 6,800 homes listed in the last two months alone. There is an incredible selection of exceptional homes in all price ranges right now. Buyers are pretty excited about the choices they have.”

House Posts Health Care Bill, Leaves Out LGBT-Specific Provisions

Sad news!!! We will keep fighting.

clipped from www.hrcbackstory.org Today, the House Rules Committee released the reconciliation bill through which it will vote on the measure that passed the Senate in December. We are deeply disappointed that, after months of lobbying for their inclusion, important measures specifically addressing the needs of LGBT people and people with HIV – ending the unfair taxation of employer-provided domestic partner health benefits, permitting states to offer early HIV treatment under Medicaid, collecting critical health data on LGBT people and addressing discrimination in health care – are not a part of this bill. On a mixed note, this bill restores $50 million to fund failed abstinence-only sex education programs, but also provides $75 million for comprehensive programs that also address the prevention of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. According the House leadership, a vote on this measure is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

While we are saddened that the House has abandoned provisions that would make care more accessible and affordable to our community, we recognize that the health reform measure will still help all Americans, including LGBT people. Important reforms like eliminating pre-existing condition limitations and expanding Medicaid will significantly impact people living with HIV and AIDS. We urge Congress to pass this legislation, addressing the nation’s dire need for reform in our health care system and clearing the way for Congress to act on the many issues it needs to address, including ones of great importance to the LGBT community.

HRC has lobbied for our inclusion in health care reform since the process began last spring, both on the Hill and at the White House, working with key leaders like Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), as well as other LGBT and progressive organizations. We have reached out to our members to generate grassroots support in targeted states and districts and engaged grasstops to influence particular Members and Senators. And we are not giving up on fighting for the health and well-being of LGBT people and people with HIV and AIDS. Measures such as the Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act and the Early Treatment for HIV Act have been part of our legislative agenda for years, and they remain priorities for HRC. We will continue to seek every opportunity to move these important pieces of legislation, on their own or as part of other larger legislative vehicles. We remain committed to fighting for equality and fairness in access to health care and in all aspects of the lives of LGBT people.

Cooper Stadium Plan Update: Arshot gets another year

The opposition group can be found here: http://www.roarcolumbus.com/

clipped from columbus.bizjournals.com Franklin County commissioners have signed off on a one-year extension on Arshot Investment Corp.’s plan to develop a motorsports and entertainment complex at the former Cooper Stadium site on Columbus’ west side. Commissioners this week voted unanimously to give the Columbus company until May 3, 2011 to close on a deal to buy the county-owned, 46-acre site. The amended contract tacks $100,000 to Arshot’s purchase price, now $3.4 million, but gives the firm time to clear Columbus zoning hurdles and address contract contingencies. Arshot nearly two years ago took out an option to buy the 78-year-old baseball park with plans to convert it to a motorsports complex. The company has pledged an investment of up to $40 million, the creation of 300 full- and part-time jobs and the construction of 35-foot tall sound walls around the track to reduce noise, concerns over which have drawn heavy criticism from area residents.

One Key Element of the Mortgage Meltdown...a Toxic Asset

Great Story!

clipped from www.npr.org We Bought A Toxic Asset; You Can Watch It Die Chana Joffe-Walt and David Kestenbaum March 12, 2010 Listen to the Story Toxic assets — home mortgages packaged into complicated bonds that no one wanted to touch when the housing bubble collapsed — are starting to trade again. Planet Money wanted to figure out how this chapter of financial history will end. So we decided to buy a toxic asset of our own.

How We Found Our Toxic Asset

There's no store where you can buy toxic assets; you have to know a guy. We know Wit Solberg, a former Wall Street trader.

Solberg left Wall Street to set up his own shop, Mission Peak Capital, in Kansas City, Mo. He and a dozen guys sit at desks with their tools: monitors, potato chips, Snapple, chewing tobacco. Pretty much all day long, Solberg looks at those monitors and evaluates toxic assets.

"The big black Angus cow that everybody wants? We're not buying that cow because it's too expensive," he says. "We want the cow that's got a wounded leg, but she might produce a few more calves for us — and [she's] cheap."

Solberg starts searching for a bond we might want to buy. And that searching looks a lot like checking your e-mail. Brokers keep sending him announcements about which toxic assets are for sale today. One says: "Cheaper!" Another says: "Super senior steal!"

Around lunchtime, Solberg finds a bond he likes for us. It's called an Option One Mortgage Loan Trust, or OOMLT (pronounced om-let). Solberg thinks we should offer to buy the bond for "half a cent" on the dollar. That means that, for every $1,000 of the bond's original value, we'll offer $5.

But it turns out the guy who's selling the bond wants 17 or 18 cents on the dollar — more than 30 times what we bid. Solberg says these kind of huge spreads are pretty common in the toxic asset business. People just radically disagree about what things are worth.

We spend two days with Solberg looking for the right toxic asset. One, full of what appear to be California McMansions, seems promising. Solberg prints out a 604-page prospectus that reads like a historical record of the entire financial crisis. It's all in there — vaporized companies, people struggling to pay their mortgages, and some horribly complicated logic describing which bond holders get paid, in which order, under which conditions. But that bond falls through, too.

Finally, we find a beautiful, totally toxic asset at what Solberg thinks is a good price: $36,000. Back in the bubble, somebody paid $2.7 million for this thing. We buy a piece from Solberg for $1,000. It's going to be our encyclopedia of the financial crisis.

What Our Toxic Asset Looks Like

Our toxic asset has 2,000 mortgages, many of them in hard-hit states like California, Arizona and Florida. A lot of the people in our bond are really struggling. Almost half are behind on their mortgage payments, and 15 percent of the homes are already in foreclosure.

At some point those homes will be taken over and sold for a loss. Every time that happens, the bond shrinks. Eventually, our part of the bond will disappear entirely.

Until then, we get a little money every month from people paying off their mortgages. We just got a check for $141. If it goes to Thanksgiving, we could double our money.

By the way, we bought the asset with our own money. Any proceeds will go to charity. If we lose money, we take the loss.

From the Victory Fund: Help Nickie Antonio become Ohio's first openly LGBT state legislator

		Every year LGBT Ohioans and their allies travel to Columbus to tell state legislators their stories--about family members they love, jobs they hope to keep and the people to whom they are deeply committed. Nickie Antonio and her family made that trip. They drove to the state capital to urge lawmakers not to break up families by banning adoption of kids by gay couples. But one lawmaker refused to see them. In fact, Rep. John Adams won't meet with anybody from Equality Ohio on lobby days. Not content that Ohio has no significant LGBT protections in state law whatsoever, people like him want to make it even harder for our community, so they dream up bills like the adoption ban. And then they won't even look us in the eye. Well, I've got some news for Mr. Adams. That's going to change when Nickie Antonio becomes Ohio's first openly LGBT state legislator. After talking with Nickie this week about her groundbreaking race, I have no doubt she'll be visiting Rep. Adams' office a lot when she becomes his colleague in the Ohio State House. "It makes a difference when you're actually in the room," Nickie told me. "If we're there, then our enemies can't default to stereotypes based on invisible people. If we're not there, then we allow ourselves to be demonized, stereotyped and put into strange categories. Being in the room, being a colleague…it just makes a difference." Nickie's been making a difference for years. A lifelong resident of the district, she knows the people and the problems they want Columbus to fix. She's been a teacher for 10 years, a "soccer mom" to two kids, and a deeply involved member of her community--both as a volunteer and as an elected member of the Lakewood City Council. Now Nickie needs our help to make sure people like Rep. Adams can't ignore us anymore. With your help, Nickie's victory will eliminate Ohio from the list of states that have never elected an openly LGBT state legislator. And who knows--maybe they'll assign her an office next door to his. Yours in Victory, Chuck Wolfe Victory Fund President & CEO P.S.-We need authentic voices like Nickie's to make lawmakers think twice about that adoption ban. Help her stop it from becoming law. Your contribution today will go directly to Nickie's exciting campaign. Help this committed, qualified and courageous leader win her election and change the debate in Ohio.
Paid for and authorized by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Friends of Nickie J. Antonio. Your contribution may be used in connection with state and local elections and be subject to state and local laws. Contributions or gifts to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund are not tax-deductible.

The Short North makes the New York Times!

clipped from travel.nytimes.com Hello, Columbus The Short North section of Columbus, Ohio, has galleries and cafes with art inside and out. A D.J. spins old-school beats in one corner, bottles of white wine chill on ice in another, and abstract paintings hang on the lofty white walls at the Mahan Gallery. If not for the occasional red Buckeyes football jersey in the crowd, you might never guess that this is Ohio. But Ohio it is — Columbus, to be precise. And the Mahan is just one spot in this city’s Short North neighborhood that is challenging all preconceived notions of what passes for cool in the Midwest.

Stretching along High Street, south of the Ohio State University campus, the Short North is Columbus’s designated arts district and home to a hugely popular arts event called Gallery Hop. On the first Saturday of each month, street performers, musicians and artists hit the sidewalks, shops set up temporary exhibits, and art galleries remain open late. Drawing crowds since it started in 1984, Gallery Hop helped transform the formerly neglected, crime-ridden urban district into the vibrant, independent arts enclave that it is today.

In the early 1980s, when artists first started moving into the Short North, the area was full of “derelict people and derelict buildings,” said Maria Galloway, owner of pm gallery (726 North High Street; 614-299-0860; pmgallery.com) and a founder of Gallery Hop. “It was one of those neighborhoods that artists love to move into because the possibilities are there.”

The growing art scene was anchored by the nearby Wexner Center for the Arts (1871 North High Street; 614-292-0330; wexarts.org). A renowned interdisciplinary arts center, the Wex, as it’s called, has drawn national attention to the area with its interactive events and innovative exhibitions — a retrospective of the 2009 MacArthur Foundation fellowship recipient Mark Bradford opens May 8 — and has also helped inspire Columbus’s grassroots art community.

Today, spaces like the sleek Mahan (717 North High Street; 614-294-3278; mahangallery.com) are a reflection of the Short North’s increasingly sophisticated scene. “It’s become such a diverse, well-educated, energetic community,” said the owner, Jacquie Mahan. “And the arts really drive this place.” Indeed, an undercurrent of creativity flows throughout the entire neighborhood, where artwork hangs on barbershop walls and temporary exhibits pop up in residential basements.

Over the past few years, more independent shops and restaurants have joined the galleries, attracting a vibrant mix of young professionals, hipsters and neo-bohemians to the area. During the day, Columbus’s trendsetters shop for under-the-radar labels and screen-printed tees from local designers at Milk Bar (1203 North High Street; 614-754-8802; milkbarboutique.com). Despite the name, no refreshments are served. But at nearby Tasi Café (680 North Pearl Street; 614-222-0788; tasicafe.com), the chalkboard menus list plenty of brunch favorites, like challah French toast with sliced bananas and maple syrup ($7). And even the cafe serves as an art showcase in this neighborhood. In support of the next generation of local artists, Tasi lines its walls with works by students and recent graduates of the Columbus College of Art & Design.

Eventually, though, everyone winds up at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (714 North High Street; 614-294-5364; jenisicecreams.com), a creative farm-to-cone creamery that doles out scoops of inspired flavors like Salty Caramel and Mackenzie Creamery Goat Cheese with Cognac Figs. Considering the innovative confections on offer, it’s no surprise to hear the owner, Jeni Britton Bauer, explain, “I’ve always thought of ice cream as the expression of my art.” It’s a fitting sentiment in a neighborhood brimming with creativity.