Porkopolis

West End Group Blasts Mayor, Family

A neighborhood group in an area that was once home to Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and his extended family recently issued a statement that accuses the Mallory clan of numerous conflicts of interest that affect their public service.

The West End Community Council (WECC) unanimously approved a statement July 15 that harshly criticizes the mayor for his successful efforts to have the neighborhood removed from a list of "impacted communities" where social service agencies potentially could be blocked from building new facilities or expanding existing ones.

Also, the document asks city council to reconsider its June decision and restore the West End to the list.

Ex-Cons Can and Need to Vote

Former felons can't vote. Well, that's what a lot of people think, including newly released prisoners who've been told so by guards and staff.

But that notion is flat-out wrong. And to make sure that former inmates know their constitutional rights, a group called Ohio Citizen Advocates for Chemical Dependency Prevention and Treatment (OCA) is going into Ohio's prisons to change that misconception.

People who are incarcerated aren't allowed to register to vote while in prison, according to the OCA. After release, however, any former inmate — including those with a felony conviction — may register and vote.

"Tons of Coffee a Day"

No, that's not how much coffee is brewed at CityBeat Worldwide Headquarters - it's the approximate amount Seven Hills Coffee provides when asked about how many pounds of coffee beans they go through a year.

In my news story "Beans With a Conscience," out in today's CityBeat, co-owner Joe Morris explains how the company started buying a fraction of those beans from a family farm in South America. At only 65 bags per year — about 6,000 pounds of coffee — it’s a small amount of the 21 different kinds of coffee the company sells throughout the Midwest every year.

They’d welcome the opportunity to buy the entire crop directly from other farms, but the number of farmers willing or able to be certified organic are few and far between, according to co-owner Andy Timmerman.

Bye Bye Birth Control

From the "You've got to be shitting me!" wing of national politics, the ACLU is calling out lawmakers who seem to have their heads up their butts again.

In a press release, the ACLU (which exists in order to watch out for and protect our civil liberties, those inconvenient things that keep getting in the way of things like racism, sexism and wire tapping) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a draft proposal of new regulations that “could dramatically limit women's access to birth control.”

“In response, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) have written a letter to Michael Leavitt, Secretary of HHS, urging him to revise these regulations before they are finalized,” says the press release.

College Bound, Soon

When you want to attend college but don't know anyone who ever went to college, figuring out how to get there can be tough. What questions do you even begin to ask?

Helping kids gain access to postsecondary education is one of the key goals of Strive, a community collaboration with the mission of "working to help each child in our urban core succeed from birth through some form of college into a meaningful career." (See "Striving to Improve Children's Lives," issue of May 14.)

Various groups working on a similar goal — in this case it’s getting continuing education information into the hands of high school kids and their parents — come together to form an “alliance.” Once a collaborative relationship is established and guiding principles and goals are set, a tracking mechanism is needed to measure success. When all that's done, Strive will offer endorsements to these groups — and the latest has been given to the Cincinnati College Access Alliance.

'Downtowner' Saga Continues

The former editor and publisher of The Downtowner is seeking foreclosure on an East Walnut Hills mansion owned by businessman Roger Ach II to settle an unpaid debt stemming from a dispute over the newspaper's trademark.

A lawyer for Douglas Taylor and Taylor Communications Inc. filed a motion this week in U.S. District Court alleging that Ach hasn't anted up any of the $56,000 he agreed to pay to settle the trademark flap that began last winter. Jim Frooman, Taylor's lawyer, is asking a judge to foreclose on Ach's mansion and sell it at auction to pay the debt.

Local GOP Lawmaker to Resign

A state lawmaker from Hamilton County will leave his elective office to accept a job offered by Gov. Ted Strickland, The Cleveland Plain Dealer's blog reports today.

State Rep. Jim Raussen (R-Springdale) will resign his seat to accept a newly created position as head of the Insurance and Financial Services section within the state's Development Department. Strickland, a Democrat, made the offer to Raussen, according to the blog.

Also, state Sen. Bob Spada (R-North Royalton) will end his race for the 18th District House seat to accept a job with the State Employment Relations Board, GOP sources told The Plain Dealer.

Strickland's maneuvering likely means that two House seats that were considered likely wins for the Republican Party are now up for grabs. Democrats need to win four Republican seats and hang onto their own to win control of the Ohio House for the first time in 14 years.

— Kevin Osborne

Smog Alerts R Us

Increasingly common, "Smog Alerts" are now part of everyday lexicon. According to doyourshare.org, "Smog levels are monitored April 1 through October 31 each year. During these months, smog levels are at their highest. … The majority of the pollution produced in our area comes from automobiles (about 45 percent). Smaller percentages of pollution come from consumer sources (such as gasoline-powered lawn equipment) and industrial sources. During this time, 13 monitors in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area are constantly monitoring the air quality.”

Specific weather conditions combine with area pollution to make air unhealthy, even dangerous for some people to breathe. But what exactly triggers the press releases, announcement signs on the electronic freeway signs and TV news anchors reminding us to cut the grass after 5 p.m.?

Peace Nuts on the Corner

With all the attention given to politicians and pundits who were for the Iraq War but are now against it, people forget that there are some who never supported the war — or any war, for that matter. They’ve been out there holding signs and talking peace for years. And people are finally paying attention.

If you want to join the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center in their effort to keep the option of peace on the table, join the monthly Peace Vigil near you. There are a bunch of them, check it out on the third Friday of every month (that's today) at 5:30 p.m. Locations on the jump page.

When Lightning Cometh

Between 1998 and 2007, 14 people died in Ohio as a result of being struck by lightning, according to a study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). That makes our state the eighth highest in the nation. Florida had the greatest number of deaths during that period: 74. Nationwide last year, 45 people were struck and killed by lightning.

Don’t want to go out that way? You friendly Columbus bureaucrats have some helpful hints for you to keep you, your family and friends around to see another storm.

The Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness did a “Lightning Safety Awareness Week” thing in June, but the information has a pretty long shelf life. So even though it's bright and sunny today, thunderstorms are always on the horizon this time of year.