Detroit Tigers celebrate horrible season - It figures. The Tigers have a chance to make history, and they screw it up by winning five of their last six games. That means they don't match the record number of losses of 120 set by the '62 Mets. Instead, Detroit celebrated like they won a World Series on Sunday by only losing 119 games. That's embarrassing. The 2003 Tigers are the worst team in history, because they have been around for over 100 years. The '62 Mets were an expansion team. Detroit season ticket holders should demand a refund. The Tigers have committed consumer fraud. The '03 Tigers were a form of legalized robbery. I bet ticket prices for '04 go up. - More>>
posted by jr to sports at 10:49 A.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

MAC football takes two steps back - The previous week's peformance by the top football teams in the MAC was amazing. This past Saturday, however, the MAC dropped a turd. UT got trounced by Syracuse, and Marshall was shocked by little-known Troy State. This is why the MAC doesn't get more than one or two teams selected for bowl appearances. The MAC has gain more prominence in recent years, but there has to be consistency. The surprise upsets are great, but the MAC has to defeat the beatable teams too.
posted by jr to sports at 10:24 A.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Boeing and jobs - im a 17 year old living in Toledo and i love every mineute of it. however, jobs around heer seem rather scarce and ide rather not have a lot of poeple just pack up and leave this place because a job they desire may be somewhere else. - More>>
posted by Guest to business at 10:21 P.M. EST     2 comments

Do-not-call list declared wrong - What the hell? An actual good idea by the federal government is overtuned by a federal judge. 50 million phone numbers have been submitted to the registry, and one person can nullify it? It's tough to understand government sometimes. "A federal judge in Oklahoma City sided on Wednesday with telemarketers who sued." Right. Follow the money trail. - More>>
posted by jr to news at 5:28 P.M. EST     2 comments

Monroe county defines 'marriage' - I just don't get this. Why should it matter if man marries man, woman marries woman, or man marries woman? Or marries a car. Or marries a tree. How does this affect anybody? If they blare their stereo at 3 a.m. or shoot bullets through my window, that's a problem, not who or what they marry. "The resolution urges vote on an amendment specifying one man and one woman. The Monroe County Board of Commissioners wants the state constitution changed to strengthen language that marriage should be between men and women only. 'I don't think there should be any doubt that any other type of relationship is appalling,' said Commissioner N. Randy Ansel. 'There's a whole moral issue at stake here.'" (Get a life Ansel. Aren't there real problems to solve in Monroe county?)
posted by jr to culture at 4:56 P.M. EST     1 comment

More money required for police staffing - "Mayor Jack Ford says he agrees with five council members that the city must try to 'ensure that our citizens are safe.' But he is not promising to find the extra money the council members say is necessary to have more police on duty. Saying police response time to emergency calls is their concern, [Council] called for more money now to pay extra police overtime."
posted by jr to news at 4:24 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Council hears about smoking ban - "Bar and bowling alley owners said their businesses are suffering from Toledo’s new smoking ban, during a marathon hearing [Monday] night in front of Toledo City Council’s health committee. Several councilmen suggested they may have made a mistake by voting for the ordinance, but none openly endorsed a change in the law." Where are all the non-smokers that were suppose to come out of their caves? - More>>
posted by jr to business at 4:00 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

'Ol Besse heading back to work - An old friend is coming back. Did anyone miss it? "The reactor at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant could be ready for restart by early November, after the completion of a cooling system pressure test and system modifications planned to be done afterward."
posted by jr to technology at 3:44 P.M. EST     6 comments

Waterfowlers festival - Here's some alternative entertainment for you. Don't complain about not having something to do. "Some 10,000 duck and goose-hunting enthusiasts are expected to convene Saturday and Sunday at Magee Marsh State Wildlife Area and the adjacent Crane Creek State Park on State Rt.2 north of Oak Harbor." - More>>
posted by jr to outdoors at 3:39 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

XO KO'ed - "A federal court judge [Monday] ruled in favor of Maumee in a legal battle between the city and the controversial XO Gentleman’s Club. The club was challenging the legality of the city’s zoning ordinance related to adult entertainment businesses, but the ordinance was ruled constitutional. The court ruled that the XO club was not grandfathered under a previous ordinance. XO cannot operate as a sexually oriented business." Whatever. Maumee residents are lucky if XO is their biggest problem in town. Just don't build that Fallen Timbers mall, which is truly obscene.
posted by jr to entertainment at 3:34 P.M. EST     1 comment

Marina District project progressing at snail's pace - "A 10-member committee set to review proposals for the Marina District [met Monday] for the first time, but at least one member thinks the whole process should start over. Rick Rudnicki, an East Toledoan and chairman of the board of River East Economic Revitalization Corp., said he was disappointed in the responses to the city’s request for proposals. [The RFP states] no private developers were willing to finance an arena on the east side of the river. It also said that Lucas County was unlikely to finance the arena in East Toledo because of its obligations to the SeaGate Convention Centre downtown. And it said that the University of Toledo was unwilling to participate by playing its basketball games there."
posted by jr to business at 3:21 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Two students injured after UT football game - "Serious injuries to two University of Toledo students Saturday night during the post-game celebration of the school’s football victory have prompted school officials to investigate its crowd control practices. The two were hurt in separate incidents about 15 minutes apart in the moments following the game as fans toppled both goal posts after running onto the field at the Glass Bowl."
posted by jr to news at 3:06 P.M. EST     3 comments

MAC football has big day - Last Saturday, UT, Marshall, and Northern Illinois defeated ranked schools. Miami Oh won at Colorado State, and Bowling Green played a good game in defeat against Ohio State.
posted by jr to sports at 3:02 P.M. EST     1 comment

UT Rockets shock No. 9 Pittsburgh - "Bruce Gradkowski threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Lance Moore with 43 seconds remaining as Toledo stunned No. 9 Pittsburgh 35-31 [Saturday] night in college football action at the Glass Bowl in Toledo."
posted by jr to sports at 2:58 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Lake Erie's health problems - "Hailed as one of North America’s greatest environmental success stories of the 20th century, Lake Erie has taken a sharp turn for the worse. Unexplained botulism outbreaks on the lake’s eastern side have killed more than 40,000 birds since 1999 and hundreds of thousands of fish. The western basin, near Toledo, has seen a resurgence of a toxic form of algae. The algae likely is caused by an abundance of phosphorus, the common farm fertilizer and component of human waste. Phosphorus has been on the rise since 1997. By far the biggest source of phosphorus is the Maumee River. Lake Erie has the highest mercury concentration, largely because of its industry and its shallow depth. Coal-fired power plants now far surpass incinerators as the top source for the pollutant."
posted by jr to environment at 2:54 P.M. EST     1 comment

Catching up - I've been too busy lately to keep up with local news and issues, so some of these posts are a few days old. Anyone can post to the front page. I would rather be a reader than a writer.
posted by jr to T2-related at 2:48 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

U.S. spends most on education, but gets less - "Among more than 25 industrialized nations, no country spends more public and private money to educate each student than the United States. But U.S. 15-year-olds scored in the middle of the pack in math, reading and science in 2000, and the nation's high-school graduation rate was below the world average in 2001. A new law tying federal spending to school performance will help. Other countries are moving ahead while the United States remains 'mired in internal education politics and mediocrity.'" - More>>
posted by jr to education at 4:28 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Northwest Ohio 'blogging' - "Many NW Ohioans are creating their own web pages that act as journals for news and information. They're called blogs for "web logs." And we've got a sampling of local ones for you. Blogging is the latest phenomenon in personal web pages. Blogs have become places you can visit to discuss the issues of the day - with a local or topical flair."
posted by jr to media at 1:06 P.M. EST     2 comments

New area lighthouse dedicated - Lighthouse fans will have to add a new one to their list: Point Place Lighthouse on North Summit Street. The dedication ceremony for the new 35 foot lighthouse occurred Monday evening.
posted by jr to news at 10:49 A.M. EST     1 comment

Maumee Indoor Theatre work still progressing - "A long forgotten Maumee landmark will soon be coming back to life. The renovation is moving along at the Maumee Indoor Theatre at the corner of Conant Street and the Anthony Wayne Trail. Work should be finished by early 2004." So work is a little behind. Earlier this year, the hope was the theatre would open by Sep 1. I wonder if the theatre will reinstate their old late-night showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show?
posted by jr to entertainment at 10:41 A.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Parent's guide to children downloading music - Over the past three years, the recording industry has experienced an alarming drop in music sales. The industry comes up with all kinds of lame excuses for their poor sales. The RIAA's solution, it seems, is to arrest 12-year-olds who download music. The RIAA, however, is offering an amnesty program for file sharers. WiredSafety.org provides info for parents about kids using the Internet.
posted by jr to entertainment at 10:19 A.M. EST     1 comment

More changes in the music industry - "The music industry seems to be going out of its way to alienate the purchasing public. The newest wedge the music industry is driving between itself and its customers has been concocted by Ticket Master. Apparently, starting sometime this fall, the best seats will not be sold in the traditional manner, but rather in an online auction style. The die-hard fans will no longer be rewarded, but rather the fans with the biggest paychecks get rewarded."
posted by jr to entertainment at 9:57 A.M. EST     1 comment

President Bush's Monroe visit - "President Bush's visit to Detroit Edison Co.'s Monroe Power Plant [yesterday] appeared to be a courtesy call on a utility trying to do good by the environment, but critics contend the president's visit was part of an orchestrated attack on federal clean air laws. President Bush was expected to talk about his Clear Skies Initiative, new pollution control rules that would cut some emissions soon and phase in over years controls on other emissions. Part of the impetus for President Bush's visit also was the work done at the Monroe plant over the years to limit emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and smog-forming ozone."
posted by jr to politics at 9:51 A.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Ohio ranks high in hazardous spills - "Ohio ranked second last year in the number of hazardous-material spills on highways, railways and in the air -- the 10th consecutive year that it has either had the highest or second highest number of spills, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Heavy truck traffic crossing Ohio is mostly to blame for the spills."
posted by jr to environment at 9:40 A.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

The streetcar may come back to Toledo - "A downtown transportation study is on the verge of recommending the streetcar’s return as a practical transit mode and as an attraction in the downtown area. The preliminary report proposes a route running from the Toledo Farmers’ Market passing Fifth Third Field, SeaGate Centre, COSI, and Government Center on its way to a transportation center at Cherry Street and Buckeye Basin Greenbelt Parkway. The study does not identify funding sources."
posted by jr to business at 11:39 A.M. EST     1 comment

Decrease in West Nile virus baffles eggheads - Last year, the West Nile virus was one of the media's favorite news stories. This year, there's been little mention of it in our area. There was the 'Mosquitoes can kill' campaign used to scare the hell out of the public. One of the local gutter companies said if you purchased their product, you would be safe from West Nile, because the mosquitoes would move to your neighbor's house, which doesn't have the newfangled gutters. Maybe that's it. It's a gutter thing that has reduced West Nile. - More>>
posted by jr to health at 11:29 A.M. EST     4 comments

Lawsuits hit FirstEnergy - As expected, the lawsuits are flying at FirstEnergy, even though a final word on what really caused the blackout has not been released. While the lawyers are at it, why not sue the manufacturers of air conditioners and the people who use them? "FirstEnergy is feeling the heat from businesses that went out of business during the big blackout in August. Among the series of lawsuits, is one from 35 New York restaurants who had to close when the lights went out, and a New York law firm which has filed a suit on behalf of 50-million customers from the person who lost food in the 'frig' to businesses that had to shut down."
posted by jr to business at 11:10 A.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

More accomplishments for the Detroit Tigers - Yesterday, Detroit earned loss number 110, which set a new franchise record. The Tigers also became the first team in 34 years to lose 110 games. The big record is still left: 120 losses, which would be the most ever. It will be close.
posted by jr to sports at 10:57 A.M. EST     2 comments

'See you at the pole' - "Lifting up their prayers for America, its leaders and its youth, students throughout the U.S. will join together around their school flagpoles on Wednesday, September 17 for the 14th annual See You at the Pole (SYATP), a grass roots prayer event that began in Texas in 1990. Students will gather around their school flagpoles at 7:00 a.m." I know it's being done at the Rossford United Methodist Church, but I'm not sure about anywhere else in the area.
posted by jr to religion at 8:18 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Big Boy has big problems - "Frisch's Big Boy on Secor: 10 Category Violations. Lucas County Health inspectors found mildew in the ice cream containers, raw eggs sitting out while not being used, and workers coughing into their sanitation gloves."
posted by jr to food at 2:55 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment