BREAKING NEWS: Ohioans Being Shut out of Statehouse

COLUMBUS – According to sources at the Statehouse, thousands of Ohioans who traveled from all parts of the state are being shut out and not allowed to make their voices heard. Sources say that only 750 people have been allowed in.

“This is the people’s house. Ohioans came from all over the state today to make their voices heard,” Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern said. “To make them stand in the freezing cold and snow today is an unfathomable and unprecedented step. Thousands and thousands of people were allowed in the Statehouse last week to voice their opposition to Senate Bill 5, and they must be let in today. I call on John Kasich to immediately instruct the Highway Patrol to open the Statehouse and let these people in.”

Redfern is a former member of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board. “I’ve seen more than 750 people in the Statehouse for a wedding,” Redfern added. “We routinely received and approved requests from associations and organizations that numbered in the thousands. What is happening now is intimidation, plain and simple. The people’s house has suddenly been closed.”

Last week, thousands and thousands of Ohioans were allowed to enter the Statehouse and make their voices heard. Independent estimates put last Thursday’s crowd at 3,800.

The current weather in Columbus is 26 degrees and snowing.
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Columbus Dispatch: Olde Towne East's new place to eat...Angry Baker

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On Restaurants

Mad about sandwiches? Stop in at Angry Baker

Olde Towne East's new place to eat also has desserts, vegan dishes

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 02:50 AM

By Denise Trowbridge

FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Olde Towne East is now just a little bit sweeter.

The Angry Baker bakery and cafe opened its doors at 891 Oak St. on Jan. 28, becoming part of the growing restaurant scene on the Near East Side.

"I live in Olde Towne East. There is a real need for a lot of things here, like small restaurants and places for people to go," said Angry Baker owner Vicki Hink. "I really love the area and all the people that live here. Everyone has a strong sense of community and has been super-supportive."

The need, as well as a desire to strike out on her own, is why she decided to open the Angry Baker. The tiny, 900-square-foot spot seats only 14, but it has it where it counts.

Breakfast offerings include smoked salmon, red onion relish, cream cheese and arugula on a croissant for $6.25; an egg sandwich with Ludlow cheese on a bacon, Swiss and chive scone for $5.25; a French toast sandwich with ham, Swiss and Ohio maple syrup for $4.75; and cinnamon-apple vegan pancakes for $4.25.

Lunch fare consists of a handful of sandwiches, such as the Snobby Joes vegan sloppy joe made with lentils for $6.50, and a white cheddar grilled-cheese sandwich with bacon, pear and arugula for $7.25.

Then, of course, there are the sweets. Options range from the simple, such as $1 peanut butter cookies, to the deluxe, such as Dr Pepper cake filled with blackberries and chocolate ganache for $4.50 a slice. Brioche caramel cinnamon rolls are $3.75 each, and kolache is $2.75.

A slice of salted caramel apple pie is $3.75, and vegan muffins and cookies go for $1.75 to $3.

Hink uses local ingredients whenever possible, including meat from Bowers & Sons in Pataskala and the Columbus Packing Co., and cheese from the Blue Jacket Dairy in Bellefontaine and L.W. Randles in Warsaw. The eggs come from Hillandale Farms in Croton, and the milk is from the Reiter Dairy in Springfield. The oats, flour, bran, honey and maple syrup come from Stutzman Farms in Millersburg.

Although the Angry Baker has been open for only a few weeks, "We already have regulars," Hink said. "The first couple of days, we even sold out of a lot of things.

"I do the majority of baking myself, but I've had to hire a couple more people just so we can keep up with the amount we need."

Hink, who went to culinary school at Columbus State Community College, worked at several local haunts before deciding to strike out on her own, notably Hyde Park, Z Cucina and Bakery Gingham.

Hink said "the Angry Baker" was a nickname given her by a former co-worker and good friend. "Certain jobs you like, and some you don't. That job in particular, not so much."

She insists she is nothing akin to the Seinfeld show's "soup Nazi." "Do I get a little angry sometimes? Who doesn't?" she said. "But I'm mostly pretty nice."

Her dining spot's neighborhood, Olde Towne East, is on the way up. Yellow Brick Pizza opened across the street at 892 Oak St. early last year. Portico at Voda Emporium, a coffee shop and lunch spot serving bagels and sandwiches, just opened at 79 Parsons Ave.

"We believe Olde Towne is making a huge gain in popularity. Many young people are moving in and new businesses are opening," said Ted Dyrdek , co-owner of Portico at Voda Emporium. "We now have four places to eat within two blocks: Black Creek Bistro, Yellow Brick Pizza, the Angry Baker and Portico. All are different, but all are quality food establishments."

"I'm pretty optimistic," Hink said. "I know the area and how much this was needed here, and I'm confident it will do well. And although it's always scary to go out on your own and open a place, it isn't too scary not to try."

The Angry Baker is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Jeff Hinckley | DISPATCH photo

Angry Baker owner Victoria Hink, center, with employees Paul Fogarty and Samantha Mittelstaedt, says she already has regular customers.

Jeff Hinckley | DISPATCH

A customer leaves the Angry Baker in the Olde Towne East neighborhood, where dining options are on the rise.

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The Angry Baker's scones include bacon Swiss chive, and vegan chocolate chip.

Business First: Ibiza slapped with foreclosure lawsuit by county seeking unpaid property taxes

The financial fallout of the scrapped Ibiza condominium tower has deepened with the filing of a foreclosure for unpaid property taxes and several more lawsuits from would-be buyers over the past few months.

Even so, the property’s lender still hopes a revised project can succeed on the Short North site.

Franklin County Treasurer Ed Leonard’s office filed foreclosure lawsuits Feb. 8 against Apex Realty Enterprises LLC for more than three years of unpaid taxes on the site at 830 N. High St. and a neighboring property at 26 E. Hubbard Ave.

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HRC Foundation Releases Comprehensive State-By-State Legislative Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 16, 2011
Paul Guequierre

HRC Foundation Releases Comprehensive State-By-State Legislative Report

2010 legislative season marked by an increase in anti-bullying legislation

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, today released a comprehensive state-by-state report detailing LGBT-related legislation in 2010 and an outlook for 2011. The report indicates that the majority of pro-LGBT legislation came in the form of anti-bullying legislation. The report also details expectations for 2011 with an expectation of an increase in LGBT-related legislation in the year ahead. To view the report online, including interactive maps of current state law, visit: www.hrc.org/StateToState2010. [A .pdf version is below.]

“Faced head-on with the issue of bullying in our schools, many states attempted to address the growing problem yet much work remains to be done,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “With the 2011 state legislative sessions underway, we expect an increase in both pro- and anti-LGBT legislation and we will continue to work closely with state LGBT groups and allies in the fight for equality in communities everywhere.”

Highlights of the report include:

• Marriage equality: Marriage equality took effect in both New Hampshire and the District of Columbia in 2010, while several state legislatures battled back proposals to amend state constitutions to prohibit same-sex couples from marrying. The Maryland attorney general issued an advisory opinion allowing the state to recognize out-of-jurisdiction same-sex marriages. In this election year, most states shied away from marriage legislation.
• Relationship Recognition: Governors played an instrumental part in both moving relationship recognition forward and in stymieing progress. The legislatures in both Illinois and Hawaii passed civil union bills, but Hawaii’s governor vetoed the legislation. Colorado and New York added to the number of benefits available to same-sex couples.
• Schools and Anti-LGBT Bullying: Bills addressing bullying, harassment and discrimination faced by students made more progress than any other legislation with a direct impact on the lives of LGBT people. Recognizing the particular vulnerability of students subjected to harassment, state legislatures across the country adopted anti-bullying bills. The new laws vary widely and not all provide enumerated protections, though all make substantial improvements on the prior laws.
• Adoption: While Courts in two states struck down discriminatory laws that had made it nearly impossible for gay and lesbian parents to adopt, and a new law in New York secured the rights of LGBT parents, anti-equality legislators in several states have introduced discriminatory bills that would attack the rights of all unmarried parents in both adoption and foster care. A new law in New York secured the rights of LGBT parents as equality advocates continued to beat back discriminatory legislation in several states.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign, 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.

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HRC_States_Report_2010 -

CBS News: Young Gay Conservatives Say Their Time has Come

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Posted by Brian Montopoli

20-year-old college student Kevin Zabel, a gay conservative, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, Feb. 11, 2011. (Credit: Brian Montopoli)

The music was blaring at a party for gay conservatives in Washington on Thursday night, and 22-year-old college student Matt Hissey was declaring victory.

Hissey had been asked about the decision by some social conservatives, including the Family Research Council and Sen. Jim DeMint, to boycott the Conservative Political Action Conference over the involvement of gay conservative group GOProud.

"The whole idea about conservatism is about individual freedom, individual liberty," said Hissey, a GOProud volunteer and a "very conservative" supporter of Sarah Palin. "And they have the total right to disagree with me, but who won the PR battle here? We did. So they are more than welcome to feel that way, and act upon it, and try to lobby their supporters, but they lost in the end."

The scene at GOProud's booth at CPAC - a confab of 11,000 (mostly young) conservative activists that doubles as a cattle call for GOP presidential candidates - seemed to back up that assessment. A stream of participants walked up to the booth throughout the day to thank GOProud representatives for coming to the conference and, as Hissey put it, "for driving the wingnuts away."

To be sure, social conservatives remain a potent force within the conservative movement: Along with fiscal and national security conservatives, they form one of its three planks, according to the speaker who opened CPAC this year, Rep. Michele Bachmann. On Friday, a group called The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Prosperity was passing out literature explaining why gay marriage is 'harmful" and must be opposed; the American Principles Project, meanwhile, urged speakers to acknowledge that "social issues are fundamental to the fabric of conservatism and the character of our country."

GOProud describes itself as "committed to a traditional conservative agenda that emphasizes limited government, individual liberty, free markets and a confident foreign policy." Marriage questions, it says, should be left to states. In an interview Thursday, the group's executive director, Jimmy LaSalvia, said the social conservatives boycotting CPAC "have chosen to marginalize themselves out of the conservative movement."

"The groups that have chosen not to be here are the anti-gay for pay industry," he said. "They are the ones who raise money by demonizing gay people. And guess what? GOProud are conservative gay people. We are conservatives, we are proud conservatives, we have a solid conservative record, and they're not here because they can't demonize us."

The mood at the GOProud party Thursday night was triumphant; host Andrew Breitbart described the group's success at CPAC as a "turning point" for the conservative movement.

The 2012 GOP Presidential Field: Strengths and Weaknesses for the Top Contenders

"There are so many gay people that I've seen at the tea parties who are being doubly bold - there may be some social stigma still to being gay, but there is a bigger social stigma still to being gay and conservative in the gay community," he said. Breitbart said he stands with GOProud, saying, "people simply want to grant gay people their humanity - is that too much to ask for?"

Hissey said it isn't always easy being a gay conservative - but not because of the gay part.

Tyler Whitney, a 22-year-old gay conservative, at a GOProud party in Washington, Feb. 11, 2011. (Credit: Brian Montopoli)

"If I go out to a gay bar or something like that I get completely eviscerated by the crowd, it's crazy," he said. "It's way harder to come out of the conservative closet at the gay bar than, like, out of the closet in general."

Former GOP chairman Michael Steele, who was also at the GOProud party, said he saw "a lot of very proud conservative Republicans who want to express themselves within their party, and we as a party should be very grateful that they want to do that, support that and allow that to happen."

Tyler Whitney, a gay 22-year-old supporter of libertarian-leaning Republican Gary Johnson, said he had seen a big change since he first came to CPAC six years ago. Whitney said there was a strong anti-gay undercurrent at his first CPAC grounded in a "very heavy emphasis on the religious right." Asked if he felt comfortable at that first conference, he said no.

"I felt that a lot of people there viewed me differently," he said. "I feel like I'm being more welcome in the conservative coalition now."

"There will always be some people that are anti-gay," Whitney continued. "But those people are passing the torch to a newer generation, and the newer generation is definitely more socially tolerant." This year, in fact, the conference even has its first openly gay likely presidential candidate: Former Ronald Reagan consultant Fred Karger.

It's important to remember that CPAC is not the entire conservative movement - it's a group of mostly young activists with a far more libertarian bent than the movement as a whole. (The winner of last year's straw poll was Ron Paul.) And gay conservatives are decidedly not welcome at the Values Voters Summit, a social conservative conference that also attracts mainstream Republican presidential candidates.

The American Conservative Union, which sponsors CPAC, is quick to note that despite its decision to include GOProud as a participating organization, the group "has consistently adhered to traditional family values as our policy," in the words of incoming chairman Al Cardenas. That includes opposition to same-sex marriage. Cardenas also said Friday morning that "it's going to be difficult to continue the relationship" with GOProud in the future because some of the disparaging comments its leaders have made about conservatives who disagree with them.

CPAC chair David Keene says he doesn't have second thoughts about inviting GOProud, however. Any group that agrees with him on 80 percent of issues, he said, is good enough for him. He noted that past conference participants have differed with him on issues like earmarks, legalizing drugs and the Iraq war. "Any movement is a coalition of people," he said.

Kevin Zabel, a 20-year-old college senior and gay conservative, said he feels "completely comfortable" at CPAC.

"I'm a conservative, and to be in a place with 10,000 people who feel the same way is quite refreshing," he said. "I love capitalism, I love America."

Columbus Gay Men's Chorus hires new executive director

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A new administrative chief for the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus will be taking the reins next month.

The organization on Monday said it hired Patrick Roehrenbeck as its executive director effective March 1. He replaces Matthew Arnold, who said he’s relocating to Seattle and initially taking a temporary position with Flying House Productions, home of the Seattle men’s and women’s choruses.

Roehrenbeck has experience with a number of local nonprofits, including the Contemporary American Theatre Co., Ohio Historical Society and Ohio Alliance for Arts Education. He has a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Dayton.

Board President Neal Hauschild in a release said Roehrenbeck “brings tremendous experience to the role and will be an invaluable asset as we pursue our mission of changing lives through song and promoting social justice through artistic performances.”

NPR: Buyers Face Gamble With Rising Mortgage Rates

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February 13, 2011

February is when potential home sellers start painting walls beige and cleaning out closets, preparing for the spring homebuying season. But sellers got some unnerving news last week: The interest rate on a 30-year mortgage jumped up to a level not seen since last April.

In November, the average rate slipped to a 40-year low of 4.17 percent. Today, it's just over 5 percent, and concerns are growing that rates will keep rising — enough to scare away potential buyers. It's at least enough to make those buyers rethink the advantages of homeownership.

Why Rates Rose

The housing industry had hoped interest rates would stay very low for a very long time — at least until the market bounced back. Unfortunately, home prices and sales are still depressed, but now mortgage rates are going up.

The key reason is inflation. In recent months, prices have been rising for all sorts of commodities, from steel to wheat to gold. Whenever prices go up, long-term interest rates — like those on 30-year mortgages — rise along with them.

So far, at least, the rate hikes have not been steep enough to discourage most potential buyers, and 5 percent is still low by historical standards. Mortgage experts generally say you won't start to seriously undermine the housing market until rates get closer to 6 percent.

Time To Buy A House?

One encouraging thought for people who are trying to sell their homes right now: Rising rates can actually give a short-term boost to real estate sales by pushing potential buyers off the fence. People who have been taking their time making a decision now have motivation to make a commitment before rates move higher

Yet rushing to buy a house and lock in today's interest rates is still a gamble — given that home prices may still fall further. If buyers act now, they can spare themselves a 6 or 7 percent mortgage rate. Then again, if they live in a city where home prices may drop an additional 10 percent, it might be better to hold off for the lower price.

This much is certain: Today's combination of low rates and low prices is making homeownership more affordable than it has been in more than a generation, in terms of the ratio of home prices to annual household income.

During the housing bubble between 2002 and 2007, homebuying became very unaffordable. That's why so many people resorted to bad borrowing ideas like interest-only mortgages. They needed to use lending tricks to buy homes.

Today, buyers don't need tricky loans to become owners — they can find plenty of affordable houses and good mortgage deals. But what they do need is good credit. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, lenders are still keeping their standards high. To get a good loan, a buyer needs a credit score above 740.

The Joys Of Not Buying

Renters may want to consider their advantages. Financial planners point out that while buying is affordable, rents are way down too, so it can make financial sense to keep renting. Renting allows for more mobility, too. If a good job opportunity opens up in another location, it can be easier to move if you aren't tied down by a home.

One final factor to keep in mind: The political winds are shifting. As they look for ways to balance the budget, it's possible lawmakers could phase out some mortgage deductions. Last week, President Obama proposed winding down the government's role in mortgage financing.

These changes potentially could reduce the availability of 30-year fixed mortgages and make home ownership less attractive, which would make selling a house harder in coming decades.

Lastly, the rising mortgage rates probably spell the end to the refinancing boom, too. Owners with a high mortgage rate who didn't get around to refinancing are probably smacking themselves in the head now.

Those who did refinance their mortgages last year cut their interest payments by 22 percent on average. Now that rates are rising, lenders are reporting sharp drops in the number of applications.