New York Times tells Columbus: "Get a better slogan"

clipped from www.nytimes.com There May Be ‘No Better Place,’ but There Is a Better Slogan Past branding efforts like “Discover Columbus” and “Surprise, It’s Columbus” have fizzled and failed to lure tourists to the city, which boasts “the most accurate replica” of the Santa Maria, one of Christopher Columbus’s ships. By ERIK ECKHOLM Published: July 30, 2010 COLUMBUS, Ohio — Quick, what do you think about when you hear the words “Columbus, Ohio”? Still waiting. ... And that’s the problem that civic leaders here hope to solve. This capital city in the middle of a state better known, fairly or not, for cornfields and rusting factories has a low cost of living, easy traffic and a comparatively robust economy. It variously has been pronounced to have the nation’s best zoo, best science museum and best public library. For sports fans, “Ohio State Buckeyes” says it all. This capital city in the middle of a state better known, fairly or not, for cornfields and rusting factories has a low cost of living, easy traffic and a comparatively robust economy. It variously has been pronounced to have the nation’s best zoo, best science museum and best public library. For sports fans, “Ohio State Buckeyes” says it all. What Columbus does not have, to the despair of its leaders, is an image. As home to major research centers, it has long outgrown its 1960s self-concept as a cow town, and its distinction as the birthplace of the Wendy’s hamburger chain does not quite do the trick these days. The city lacks a shorthand way to sell itself — a signature like the Big Apple or an intriguing tagline like Austin’s “Live Music Capital of the World.” As a result, those working to attract new companies, top professors, conventions and tourists have a hard time explaining how Columbus differs from dozens of other cities that likewise claim to be livable, progressive and fun. “Columbus has not had a bad image,” said Paul Astleford, director of Experience Columbus , which promotes tourism and conventions. “It has just had no image in the national marketplace.” And so, just as the Scarecrow searched for a brain and the Tin Man a heart, Columbus has embarked on a multiyear quest to define the city’s soul. At least six earlier branding efforts over the last half-century fizzled out with anodyne slogans like “Discover Columbus” and “Surprise, It’s Columbus.” Currently, the Chamber of Commerce declares “There’s No Better Place.” But this time, three years into their inner journey, city leaders expect to succeed by drawing the whole population into the process and teasing out shared points of pride. How do you stoke the imagination of outsiders and the enthusiasm of residents? Columbus, starting from relative obscurity, has found that you cannot just hire an advertising agency, like New York and Las Vegas did, and come up with a slogan. It needs to find something real and heartfelt to trumpet, a task force of business, educational, political and arts leaders here concluded. One model they have studied is Indianapolis, which raised its profile by describing itself as the amateur athletic capital of America. “No consistent image or qualities come to mind when people think about Columbus,” lamented Doug Kridler, director of the Columbus Foundation and a leader of the task force. The city must develop “a messaging mooring-post that different groups can use to describe our authentic strengths,” Mr. Kridler said. So what core message might everyone from the mayor to college recruiters be broadcasting one day? Sports can hardly be ignored in a city that is crazed by Big Ten football, but the city’s high proportion of college students and researchers, its civic engagement and its diversity of opportunities may be even more salable traits, task force members say. How many cities can boast of having one of the largest county fairs and also one of the largest gay pride parades? “We are a diverse, youthful, knowledge-based community that is open to new ideas coming in,” Mr. Astleford said. “That has not been the tradition in the Midwest.” Alex Fisher, director of the Columbus Partnership, which works to bring jobs, said the city needs to let people know that as a financial and insurance center it should not be lumped in with the Rust Belt. “We need to make sure we aren’t so bashful, with Midwestern modesty,” Mr. Fisher said. “Candidly, we believe we are one of the brightest stars in Ohio’s future.” Task force members have been sworn to secrecy until they reach a consensus, sometime next year. But do not expect them to use what one wag proposed, according to The Columbus Dispatch, at a recent meeting: “Columbus: We Are So Not Ohio.”

HRC Message to Target and Best Buy: Make it Right!

clipped from www.hrc.org You can take action by going here HRC Message to Target and Best Buy: Make it Right! Nation’s Largest LGBT Rights Organization Condemns Political Contributions Supporting Anti-Equality Candidate 7/30/2010 Washington– The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, today condemned donations by Target and Best Buy to a political committee supporting the election of an anti-equality candidate and asked them to make it right by contributing to groups that support pro-equality candidates. In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United, Minnesota-based retailers Target and Best Buy, among others, contributed a combined $250,000 to MN Forward, an independent expenditure committee advocating for the election of a strident opponent of LGBT equality as the state’s next governor. The same candidate sings the praises of a Christian rock band that advocates violence and death to gays. The state’s next governor will have the opportunity to either sign or veto legislation allowing for marriage equality in the North Star State. “It’s a huge slap in the face to LGBT people and for that matter to all fair-minded Americans,” said Joe Solmonese, HRC president. “Two of our most trusted brands have contributed shareholder money that could help elect a candidate that wants nothing but the worst for us. Both companies talk about this contribution as a business decision. I would offer that it’s a really bad business decision. Both companies have now earned the bad will of LGBT people and fair-minded Americans. They need to make it right.” This afternoon, HRC will send out a national email alert to its members and supporters asking them to sign on to an Open Letter to Target and Best Buy. The letter chronicles the outrage and asks both companies to make equivalent donations to groups that support pro-equality candidates. HRC has also purchased a full page ad featuring the letter in Sunday’s Minneapolis Star Tribune. Corporations mindful of the perceptions of LGBT and allied consumers should take notice of the controversy surrounding these political contributions. Both companies have consistently received a 100 percent rating on the HRC Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, a measure of workplace equality. “What makes this all the more astounding is that both companies have been model employers for LGBT people,” said Solmonese. “They have some fence-mending to do.” An Open Letter to Target and Best Buy When lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender consumers — not to mention our millions of supportive friends and family members — used to think about Target and Best Buy, we saw two shining examples of corporations that respected the equality and dignity of every American. As nationwide retailers, both of your brands gave other corporations a standard to which they could aspire. In fact, your consistent ratings of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index were a solid signal of your commitment to a diverse workforce. As a community, we are grateful for that commitment and we fully expect it will continue. Now, Americans are questioning their loyalty to your brands with word of significant contributions to the political action committee MN Forward that hopes to install one of the most strident opponents of equality in the Minnesota Governor’s mansion. With these contributions, you have severely damaged those carefully cultivated reputations and violated the spirit of the gold standards bestowed on you. In fact, the long-term effects on families that shop at Target and Best Buy throughout Minnesota and the U.S. will be devastating. At this critical time in Minnesotans’ quest for equality, MN Forward and the candidates they are supporting would turn Minnesota backward, away from the promise of equal opportunity and fairness that we hold dear. No matter your motivations in making these donations, they didn’t occur in a vacuum. Same-sex couples in your home state are denied the equality given to other couples in marriage and many state leaders are poised to right that inequity very soon. $250,000 in contributions to those who would stand in the way is a punch in the gut to those of us who want to see all families treated fairly. What may have sounded like a “good business decision” in the board room turns out to be a horribly short-sighted business decision when millions of consumers lose respect for your companies. With the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United, the landscape for political contributions has changed in ways that no one fully appreciates yet. Your foray into this uncharted water has proved choppy and should serve as a warning to other corporations mindful of the perceptions of LGBT and allied consumers. It’s time to make things right. The very least you can do to begin rebuilding your image among fair-minded consumers is to make equivalent donations to groups that support candidates who will put all Minnesota families first and fulfill the promises of our highest ideals. We’re watching and we’re waiting. 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.

A Consumer and a Mom Vents At Target For Right-Wing Donation

I am proud to call Randi Reitan a friend!



Last week Target Corporation gave $150,000 to Minnesota Forward, which i using the money to run TV ads for Republican Tom Emmer's campaign for Minnesota governor. Emmer has connections to anti-gay groups. This donation, clearly acceptible under the new Citizens United Supreme Court ruling angered many in the state, seeing this as a $150,000 contribution to fund ant-gay politics.One Eden Prairie mom and grandmother took her anger directly to a Target. Her repeated attempts to get to Target executives failed so she took her Target Charge Card. A $226 purchase on that card was immediately returned for credit and she scissored her Target card into little pieces to be used no more.

Columbus Food Adventures leads tours to hot culinary destinations

clipped from www.dispatch.com On Restaurants Good-eats guide Columbus Food Adventures leads tours to hot culinary destinations Tuesday, July 27, 2010 02:51 AM By Denise Trowbridge FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH One Columbus Food Adventures tour takes participants to some of the high points of the Short North. During a stop at Le Chocoholique are, from left, tour guide Bethia Woolf, Beth Ervin of Columbus and Kari Kauffman of Gahanna. Columbus loves to eat, if the number of restaurants and food venues in the city is any indication. But now, there's a business built around showcasing its culinary hot spots. Bethia Woolf, left, talks to Knead restaurant owner Krista Lopez as members of a Columbus Food Adventures tour group sample a seasonal vegetable frittata. Columbus Food Adventures has just begun taking locals and tourists on walking and van tours to local eateries. "A lot of other cities have food tours, and Columbus has just as much to show off," said Bethia Woolf, who started the venture. "We have fantastic artisan producers and chefs, and if cities like Milwaukee and Raleigh-Durham have tours, we should have one, too." The core of Columbus Food Adventures is three themed food adventures. The first is a 1.5-mile walking tour of the Short North, featuring food from Knead, Le Chocoholique, Tasi Cafe, Rigsby's Kitchen, and Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. The second is a taco truck tour, by van, which takes participants to West Side taco trucks. Ethnic cuisine is the focus of the third, which involves a van tour that includes Vietnamese and Somali restaurants along Cleveland Avenue. "Each tour encompasses some of our favorite places," Woolf said. "Our goal is to highlight the best of Columbus." Each tour costs between $45 and $60, and lasts about three hours. The price includes a sampling of food at each stop on the tour, which, by the end, is equivalent to eating a full meal. Drinks aren't included. The tour involves more than food, Woolf said. It includes a lot of information about food, culture, history and chefs, as well. Woolf, the guide on all the Columbus Food Adventure tours, is uniquely suited to the task. She is a former expedition leader who was once responsible for logistics, food and transportation on expeditions to the Himalayas. Columbus Food Adventures is the brainchild of Woolf and her boyfriend, Andy Dehus. Woolf has long been a fan of food, sharing her views about the Columbus restaurant scene since 2008 in her three blogs: Alt Eats Columbus, Hungry Woolf and Taco Trucks Columbus. Dehus is an interior designer, specializing in retail and restaurant spaces. The interest in Columbus cuisine turned from a hobby into an idea for a business last summer, when she was laid off from her job as a rowing coach at Ohio State University. "If I hadn't been unemployed, I wouldn't have taken the plunge," she said. "It's a lot easier to jump into something when you don't have to give up a job or security to get started. "My friends had always told me that I should do this," she said. "I dismissed it at first, but the idea was always in the back of my mind." Woolf realized the idea had real potential after she organized a tour of taco trucks on the West Side and publicized it on her blog. So many people showed up, she said, that it was clear that "people were really enthusiastic about the idea." Culinary tours are fairly popular in big cities such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco, but many smaller cities also have successful tours, including Scottsdale, Ariz.; Milwaukee and Savannah, Ga. More Columbus Food Adventures tours are in the works, including a German Village walking tour, an ice cream tour and possibly a historic restaurants tour. "It's fun, because the more you get into it, the more you realize how many things there are to show off," Woolf said. Sugar Bar redo Park Street is getting another makeover. The Sugar Bar, 525 N. Park St., closed July 4 and will reopen as the Park Street Saloon sometime in September. CGS Group, the owner, is completely remodeling the space and transforming it into an 8,000-square-foot restaurant and bar with a Chicago burlesque theme. The restaurant will serve a menu of American food such as hamburgers, pastas and pizza, as well as a selection of 25 appetizers. The CGS Group also owns the former Spice Bar, 491 Park St., which was recently transformed into Park Street Cantina, a Mexican-themed bar and restaurant. Wheels on the bus The Columbus Landmarks Association will host historic tavern bus tours on Aug. 19 and 26 from 6 to 9p.m. The tour will make stops at several of Columbus' oldest bars, which were hot spots for the city's 19th-century Irish and German immigrants. The Flatiron, Hey Hey Bar & Grill and Columbus Maennerchor are included in the tour. A driving tour of the Brewery District is also included. Tickets are $15 per person, and reservations are required. For reservations or more information, go to www.columbuslandmarks.org . Junk e-mail for charity Chipotle wants your junk e-mail. The Denver-based chain will donate $100,000 to the Lunch Box, a nonprofit that helps school systems incorporate more healthful food and recipes into their school lunch program, if its customers forward a total of 1million junk e-mails to nojunk@chipotle.com by Sunday.

[Columbus] Ohio heartland now home to distillery and winery

Congratulations to my Facebook friend, Brady Konya

clipped from nky.cincinnati.com Ryan Lang is a fourth-generation distiller and proud of it. Do the math, and somebody in that family line must have run into the long governmental arm of Prohibition. "My grandmother Nellie was a rum runner and went to jail for a while," Lang says of his family then in Williamsburg, Pa. "They made everything - apple jack, white lightning. I learned a little bit (about distilling) from my grandfather - and where he hid all the stuff." Michael Elmer (left) says he has achieved his dream job at Via Vecchia Winery. Now settled in Columbus, Lang continues the family business with his partner in vodka, Brady Konya. But it's all legal, sanctioned by a rare license from the Ohio liquor board to both manufacture spirits and sell them onsite at Middle West Spirits. Brady Konya (pictured) and Ryan Lang carefully distill the tastiest vodka they can at Middle West Spirits in Columbus. Middle West Spirits has renovated an old transmission repair shop into its distillery. Plans are to add solar panels. "Ryan brings street cred to the business," Konya says. "And that long line of distillers was part of our inspiration." Middle West is just one reason to raise a toast in the capital this summer. The distillery is joined by a relocated Via Vecchia Winery in Columbus' historic downtown Brewery District. Middle West Spirits Lang and Konya launched Middle West on July 1 in a converted transmission repair shop on the north edge of Columbus' Short North district. They sold out their inaugural run of OYO vodka at $34.95 per hand-numbered, hand-waxed bottle that first weekend. Now they're encouraging drinkers to request OYO in their cocktails and at liquor stores. Both men are transplants to Ohio, Lang from a career in engineering and industrial manufacturing in North Carolina, Konya from work in advertising and product development in Seattle. They jumped into the local foods movement with gusto: they use soft red winter wheat from northeast Ohio farms; applied a stylized state tree, the Buckeye, to their bottles; and christened their brand a version of the Iroquois name for Ohio, OYO. They pronounce OYO as "Oh WHY OH," which pays homage to the Ohio State University call and response cheer, "OH - IO." Beyond the initial run of vodka, Middle West is looking toward infused vodkas this fall, "where we can highlight regional fruits and produce," Konya says. "We can have local supply chains." One secret to their streamlining production to eight days is a sparkling new Kothe pot-and-column distiller from Germany, which Konya says is the first vodka-specific distillation system in the U.S. Middle West's new still can do the equivalent of 37 distillations in one run, preserving flavor along the way. Even so, Lang selects only about 10 percent of each batch to be bottled, rejecting the rest. "We go for the hearts of the run, the nectar in the middle of the batch that's sweet and pure," Konya says. The resulting OYO, Lang claims, is a vodka that "you can sip - alone - and not add anything to it." Via Vecchia Winery Via Vecchia in Columbus' old German Brewery District is where wine meets beer. Partners Michael Elmer, Marty Huster and Paolo Rosi have renovated an 1880s brick brewery warehouse into a multipurpose fermentation area, events center and weekend wine-tasting spot. They'll pour the four Via Vecchia vintages they've been making since the pals stomped their first grapes in Rosi's basement in Powell, Ohio, in 2005. Via Vecchia is "the old way" in Italian, and that's precisely what the trio wants to preserve. They buy grapes from California, then blend in the minimum amount of sulfites. The urban vintners add no yeast, sugar, coloring, enzymes or preservatives, relying on the sediment in the wine and the phases of the moon to filter the wine naturally. "We get a lot of push-back from wineries in Ohio because we bring in grapes from out of state," Elmer says. "We tell them we're an Old World winery that just happens to be in Ohio." The four Via Vecchia wines tend to follow natural progression of the seasons: Adamo is spring-light, from a blend of sangiovese and cabernet franc grapes. Trovato is a summery light red wine from sangiovese and pinot noir grapes. Autumn is represented by Jorro-ma, a rich syrah, and winter by Trouve, a full-bodied cab blended from cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot whole grapes. All the wines sell for $24.99 a bottle; reserves are $39.99. The partners will pour their wines in tastings set for 6-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday evenings. Tasters can pair the wine with antipasto from Sidari in Cleveland, then round out the mini-meal with Columbus' own Crimson Cup coffee and Sugardaddy brownies. The winery is a no-debt, pay-as-you-go proposition, so the owners and their families scrub, paint and tile as part of their sweat equity. Brick peeks through old plaster on the barrel room wall, and a disco ball from the warehouse's nightclub days still hovers over the studio. . They painted and tiled around the original limestone foundations and cast-iron pillars, but "we want to keep it somewhat raw, because it is a warehouse," Elmer says. "It's got to have that industrial feel." Their space went from 1,400 square feet in Rosi's basement to 8,300 square feet in the old Hosters Brewery warehouse. The new digs will allow Via Vecchia to double production to a projected 10,000 bottles this year. The Via Vecchia partners intend to paint over the scarlet-and-gray Ohio State colors on the outside, but they're working on the inside for now.

HRC to National Organization for Marriage: Your Summer Bus Tour is a Sham

clipped from www.hrc.org “Summer for Marriage” bus tour invented to bolster lawsuits to evade public disclosure laws. 7/27/2010 Washington – The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, today challenged the National Organization for Marriage's so-called "Summer for Marriage" bus tour, saying it's nothing more than legal and rhetorical posturing in its campaign to keep its donor base secret. “The bus tour is a total sham, plain and simple,” said Fred Sainz, HRC’s vice president of communications. “NOM’s highly-touted bus tour is less about so-called ‘traditional marriage’ and more about creating an elaborate and cynical stunt. NOM rolled out a summer of nationwide events in order to draw lawful protesters, all so that NOM and its allies can pepper ongoing lawsuits challenging public disclosure laws with made-up stories of harassment. This unprecedented victimization crusade is the lowest denominator of political activism, and it won’t fly.” In events in seven states, NOM has routinely played to crowds reportedly as small as two dozen people including NOM staff members. The organization’s public statements on the bus tour have barely mentioned the content of the programs or the substance of its anti-LGBT message, instead focusing attention on much larger counter-protests that NOM has attacked as intimidation and harassment. NOM issued a press release last Friday saying that LGBT supporters have “approached and threatened children,” engaged in “bullying tactics” and committed acts of harassment. However, NOM’s uncorroborated claims belie legitimate local media reports demonstrating that pro-equality supporters, which have vastly outnumbered NOM’s faithful, have been civil. NOM has yet to document any illegal activity or actual harassment, despite the presence of law enforcement at all the events. NOM’s efforts to trump up false claims of harassment are part of a radical nationwide plan to evade long-established public disclosure laws and to hide their political activities from legitimate scrutiny and accountability. In doing so, NOM has falsely alleged that their donors have been harassed and intimidated across the country to justify why it shouldn’t have to play by the same rules as everyone else. These tactics have prompted a state ethics investigation in Maine and recent court defeats across the country. In Washington state, NOM’s lawyers fought the state’s public records law all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court – and lost last month. While rejecting their request to shield petition signatures to an anti-LGBT equality measure on the state ballot, the Supreme Court did allow for re-evaluation in cases of clear intimidation or harassment. A federal district court will soon decide if NOM’s unproven allegations of harassment justify hiding the petition signatures that qualified Referendum 71, the unsuccessful effort to overturn Washington’s domestic partnerships law. A federal court in California similarly rejected NOM’s efforts to hide its donors and debunked its claims of harassment and intimidation in the wake of Proposition 8. Sainz concludes: “The bread crumbs of their deceit are clear. Let’s add it all up: NOM and its allies are making a last-ditch legal stand in Washington and Maine that they should be specially entitled to hide their political activities, and they’re saying that harassment and intimidation should provide them this cover. At the same time, Brian Brown schedules a series of virtually unattended weekday afternoon events hoping for counter-protests that they can then use as evidence of harassment and intimidation. Why else would NOM execute such half-hearted non-events and then completely subjugate its so-called ‘pro-marriage’ message in favor of devoting its energies almost exclusively to condemning lawful protesters?” 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.

Gov. Ted Strickland Vows to Continue Fight for Equality in Ohio

It was a great event!

clipped from www.hrcbackstory.org Last week, members of the LGBT community and allies gathered to show their support for Governor Ted Strickland’s re-election campaign. At a fundraiser held in the heart of Columbus, Ohio and sponsored by the HRC Ohio Families PAC, Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio, the Ohio Democratic Party’s LGBT Caucus, and Equality Ohio, Governor Ted Strickland affirmed his continued support for the LGBT community. Joined by his running-mate, lieutenant governor candidate Yvette McGee Brown, Governor Strickland was greeted by more than 50 people who support his bid for re-election. During his first term in office, Governor Strickland has continually supported equality for LGBT Ohioans and has become one of the state’s most vocal advocates for equality. Strickland's running mate, Yvette McGee Brown (right) speaks with a supporter Within months of taking office, Governor Strickland signed an executive order prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in state employment. In 2009, he signed into law state provisions making it easier for individuals to purchase health insurance for their same-sex partners. Strickland has time and again reiterated his support for the Equal Housing and Employment Act, which passed the Ohio House of Representatives but awaits action in the state senate, and has brought fairness to his appointments by naming an openly gay Cabinet Director and at least two openly gay state judges. Governor Strickland and Lieutenant Governor candidate Yvette McGee Brown are in the middle of a heated campaign in the bell-weather state of Ohio. Governor Strickland is being challenged by former Ohio Congressman John Kasich, who during his time in Congress, voted in favor of legislation to ban adoptions by same-sex couples in the District of Columbia. Many leaders with HRC’s Columbus steering committee participated in this event, but special thanks for his efforts go to Terry Penrod, a member of HRC’s board of directors from Columbus.

NEW Home Sales Jump From Record Low

clipped from www.npr.org Sales of new homes jumped last month, but it was the second-weakest month on record, the the Commerce Department said Monday. The lackluster economy has made potential buyers skittish about shopping for homes. New home sales rose nearly 24 percent in June from a month earlier to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 330,000. May's number was revised downward to a rate of 267,000, the slowest pace on records dating back to 1963. Sales for April and March were also revised downward. High unemployment, low job growth, and tight credit have kept people from buying homes. The industry received a boost this spring when the government offered tax credits to homebuyers. But since they expired in April, the number of people looking to buy has dropped, even with the lowest mortgage rates in decades available. "There's no question that this is a weak number, but it seems to be more stable," said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group. "The bottom line to all of this is that we need more jobs." Sales are down 72 percent from their peak annual rate of 1.39 million in July 2005. More than 600,000 new homes sold per year from 1983 through 2007. After the housing bubble popped, sales plunged to 375,000 last year. That was the weakest yearly total on records dating back to 1963. New homes sales made up about 7 percent of the housing market last year. That's down from about 15 percent before the bust. Weak sales mean fewer jobs in the construction industry, which normally power economic recoveries. Each new home built creates, on average, the equivalent of three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in taxes paid to local and federal authorities, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The impact is felt across multiple industries. Builders have sharply scaled back construction in the face of a severe housing market bust. The number of new homes up for sale in March fell 1.4 percent to 210,000, the lowest level in nearly 42 years. Due to the sluggish sales pace, it would still take eight months to exhaust that supply. That's above a healthy level of about six months. The median sales price in June was $213,400. That was down 0.6 percent from a year earlier and down 1.4 percent from May. New home sales rose by 46 percent in the Northeast, 33 percent in the South and 21 percent in the Midwest. The West posted a nearly 7 percent decline. "One month doesn't make a trend and the roadblocks to a healthy housing market are high, the most important one being the still-high jobless rate," wrote BMO Capital Markets economist Jennifer Lee in a note to clients. "But with borrowing costs at record lows, prices also remaining low, those with jobs who can afford a home may be enticed."

Columbus Food Adventures --Taco Truck Tour

Columbus Food Adventures - Taco Truck Tour from Mike Beaumont on Vimeo.

Great idea.....I want to get a group together.

clipped from vimeo.com by Mike Beaumont Taco trucks serve up far more than just tacos, and nobody knows Columbus’s expansive taco truck scene better than Columbus Food Adventures. This van tour will explore the taco trucks of west side, taking you to some of our favorites and providing you with the best of Mexican food in Columbus. Each stop includes a tasting, and the tour is structured with an emphasis on individual truck specialties as well as the diversity of regional cuisine found at these trucks.

Outcry by residents in Clintonville sinks COTA turnaround plan

clipped from www.dispatchpolitics.com Friday, July 23, 2010 02:51 AM By Collin Binkley THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH COTA buses on N. High Street will have to turn around somewhere else. Facing pressure from Clintonville residents, the board of the Central Ohio Transit Authority unanimously turned down a proposal last night to transform a fully occupied N. High Street strip mall into a turnaround for buses. "We are ecstatic," said D Searcy, chairwoman of the Clintonville Area Commission. "I'm so happy for the businesses that won't have to go." The decision came after an hour-long presentation by COTA President Bill Lhota, who read a list of residents' objections to the plan to purchase and develop the land at N. High Street and Kanawha Avenue for $2.3 million. The proposal failed primarily because COTA didn't involve residents enough in the decision, Lhota said after the meeting. The mall's neighbors said they learned about the proposal only weeks ago, but COTA officials have been seeking a new location for a turnaround for two years. "I will be the first to admit that, looking back, we did not manage the public-involvement process as well as we could have," Lhota told more than 60 neighbors who came to the meeting. "I have no excuses for that. We did not do a good job." Buses will continue turning around at Graceland Shopping Center, where they have for years, while officials search for a new location. But shopping center owner Casto has told COTA that as the center develops, it will not be able to accommodate buses, Lhota said. At any time, Casto could give the authority 30 days' notice to stop using its property. Before voting at last night's meeting, many board members noted that they had received a barrage of calls, e-mails and letters in recent weeks urging them to shoot down the proposal. "I just don't think that the purchase of this property at this point is the right plan for COTA," said Linda Mauger, chairwoman of the board. Still, Lhota defended much of the proposal and countered claims that it would be a noise nuisance and that it would clog the area's narrow roads. After the meeting, Lhota said officials likely would review other properties they've considered. The bottom line, Mauger said, is that the authority needs to find a new location. "We still need to be able to turn the buses around."

30-year mortgage rates hit 4.56%, another record low

clipped from www.usatoday.com NEW YORK (AP) — Mortgage rates fell to a record low for the fourth time in five weeks. But low rates haven't been enough to lift a struggling housing market. The average rate for 30-year fixed loans this week was 4.56%, down from 4.57% last week, mortgage company Freddie Mac said Thursday. That's the lowest since Freddie Mac began tracking rates in 1971. MORTGAGE RATES National overnight averages Today +/- 30 yr fixed mtg 4.62% 15 yr fixed mtg 4.09% 5/1 ARM 3.64% $30K home equity loan 7.54% $30K HELOC 5.05% About these rates To compare rates in your area: Enter zip code The last time home loan rates were lower was during the 1950s, when most mortgages lasted just 20 or 25 years. The rate on the 15-year fixed loan dropped to 4.03%, down from 4.06% last week and the lowest on records dating back to 1991. Rates have fallen since the spring. Investors worried about the European debt crisis have shifted money into the safety of Treasury bonds. That has forced those yields down. Mortgage rates tend to track yields on Treasury debt. However, low rates have yet to spark home sales and refinancing activity remains moderate. Sales of previously occupied homes fell in June and are expected to keep sinking. The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that last month's sales fell 5.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.37 million. The housing market stalled after federal tax credits for home buyers expired at the end of April. Home sales have dropped off, homebuilder confidence has waned and consumer sentiment is in the dumps. It's unlikely low mortgage rates will bolster housing. Rates have hovered near historic lows for more than a year, so many people have already taken advantage of them to buy or refinance a home. And many of those who haven't wouldn't qualify for a loan. They either owe more than their homes are worth, have shaky credit or have lost their jobs. To calculate the national average, Freddie Mac collects mortgage rates on Monday through Wednesday of each week from lenders around the country. Rates often fluctuate significantly, even within a given day. Rates on five-year adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 3.79%, down from 3.85% a week earlier. Rates on one-year adjustable-rate mortgages fell to an average of 3.70% from 3.74%. The rates do not include add-on fees known as points. One point is equal to 1% of the total loan amount. The nationwide fee for loans in Freddie Mac's survey averaged 0.7 a point for 30-year, 15-year and 1-year loans. The average fee for 5-year loans was 0.6 of a point. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.