Anti-LGBT leaders are calling the hate crimes bill the "Pedophile Protection Act" PLEASE CALL NOW

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clipped from www.hrcbackstory.org Do you have a minute and a half today?  You must if you’re reading this. The Matthew Shepard Act is coming to a vote on the Senate Floor THIS WEEK and we need you to make two calls… one to each Senator that will take no more than 45 seconds. Call 202-224-3121 and tell each senator of your Senators to vote YES on the hate crimes bill. Our allies on the Hill are reporting an avalanche of 300,000 letters and calls from right-wing groups trying to stop it. Anti-LGBT leaders like Focus on the Family’s James Dobson are now calling the bill “utter evil.” They’re even referring to it as the “Pedophile Protection Act.” 1.  Before 5 p.m. ET, call the Senate Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and tell the operator you’d like to speak to the Senators from your state.  (You can also look up your Senator’s direct number here) 4.  IMPORTANT: After you hang up, click here to let us know that you made the call. Don’t skip this step! It helps us track our progress

In Columbus, open houses making comeback as tough market persists

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You can also view innovative video virtual tours at http://www.youtube.terrypenrod.com

clipped from www.columbusdispatch.com Home shoppers can tour a home on their phone, schedule an appointment online and "virtually" visit a neighborhood on their computer. But with home sales at their lowest levels in years, buyers and sellers are dusting off a low-tech staple: the open house. Open houses started to decline in the early part of the decade, as the industry boomed and the Internet allowed prospective buyers to shop online. Last year, though, 59 percent of sellers hosted open houses -- up from 51 percent during the height of the housing boom in 2005, according to the National Association of Realtors. Open houses are also gaining in popularity among shoppers, the association says: 48 percent of buyers visited an open house last year, far above the 28 percent who did so in 2000. "We've been looking online, but there's only so much you can see from the Internet," said Bob Jennings, who has been visiting open houses to help his mother-in-law, Barbara Wood, pick a condominium.

In Columbus Ohio: Glen Echo: 'Pocket neighborhood'

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clipped from www.dispatch.com Glen Echo Ravine might be among Columbus' underappreciated assets, a green and inviting getaway that winds below a sometimes loud and belligerent city. While a nearby train horn bellows and a jet angling for a Port Columbus landing roars overhead, a visitor can descend into a little tranquillity, wandering an area that looks more like the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania than tabletop central Ohio. It's a big reason that people have chosen to live nearby. But its seclusion also has led some to believe that neighborhood leaders and City Hall don't listen to their needs. "It shows distinctly how isolated we are," said Martha Buckalew, a longtime neighborhood leader who helped lead an unsuccessful effort two years ago to break away from the University Area Commission and join the Clintonville Area Commission. Working together in a Glen Echo community garden are, from left, Trish Dehnbostel, left, of Local Matters; Marty Robertson and Phil Hampe. Click here to enlarge" /> Glen Echo: 'Pocket neighborhood'

Thousands tell the Franklin County Board of Revision their homes have lost value

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clipped from www.dispatchpolitics.com Droves of property owners are coming to the Franklin County Courthouse armed with area sales prices, reappraisals and a plea: Lower my taxes. And, largely, they're winning. Fueled by economic desperation or thrift, a record number of property owners are arguing that their homes or businesses are no longer worth the amount used to calculate their taxes. The Board of Revision has heard 1,470 of the 6,700 appeals filed; an additional 1,000 decisions are nearly done. Ninety percent of the time, the board has agreed with owners and granted a lower valuation. The high success rate, however, may be misleading. The board front-loaded the easiest cases -- those in which homeowners submitted obvious proof to support a quick judgment. A drop in valuation doesn't translate dollar-for-dollar to a lower tax bill. Taxes are calculated by multiplying the value of a property by the millage of local levies. People are scared, Testa said, and that's fueling the rush to his office.

J. Gumbo's Opens Tomorrow at 31 East Gay Street Downtown

clipped from www.columbusunderground.com On Tuesday at 11am, J. Gumbo’s will open their doors at 31 E. Gay Street (corner of Gay & Pearl in the former Skambo space) and start serving up a variety of Cajun and Creole dishes. The revamped space has preserved the seating areas both upstairs and downstairs, and will also have patio seating available out front. Their walk-up window in Pearl Alley will be utilized for phone orders to-go, and an outdoor tent will be set up outside on Tuesdays and Fridays during the Pearl Market for sampling. The management team stated earlier today that their hours should run from 11am to 10pm Monday through Saturday, and that a liquor license is currently being obtained. Happy hour specials will be offered, and live music will accompany specials on certain evenings. Wallspace in the downstairs area will be dedicated to featuring local artists and will be rotated on a monthly basis. A wall mural is being commissioned for the upstairs dining area. More information can be found online at JGumbos.com.

Goodale Park Music Series Returns This Weekend

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clipped from www.columbusunderground.com By Walker | July 8, 2009 2:26pm | Filed under Events, Music | Comments The Short North Sunday Jazz series has become a well known outdoor summer music event in Goodale Park. But funding was cut from the Columbus Department of Parks & Recreation who hosted the event, and it was forced to be cancelled for 2009. Thankfully, community leader Alexandra Kelley decided that she would volunteer her time, energy, and connections to keep the festival alive. The name has changed to the Goodale Park Music Series, but the enjoyment should remain the same. We conducted a quick Q&A with Alex to find out more about the event, which starts up on Sunday. Q) What prompted you to step up to save this music event series? A) Goodale Park is one of my favorite places in the world. I loved those lazy Sunday afternoons lying on a blanket with friends listening to live music.

First tenants at Grandview Yard unveiled

clipped from columbus.bizjournals.com Plans for the first phase of the Grandview Heights mixed-use development include a 126-room hotel, a fitness center and a 90,000-square-foot office building. The city’s planning commission will consider the Hyatt Place hotel, Urban Active fitness center and a planned Jason’s Deli in the office building as conditional uses. The preliminary and final development plan must go through the commission as well as Grandview Heights City Council. Construction on the three buildings and the first phase of road and utility projects could begin as early as late August. The office, hotel and fitness center should open in fall 2010, said Nationwide Realty President Brian Ellis.