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Posts filed under 'Criminal Offenders'
Chandra – Cha-chinging away- County Coffers and how it is done
Part One
or The Story of the Cash Cow of the County
ATTENTION! Fellow taxpayer, you who are busy trying to earn a few sheckles in this rust belt of an economy , you who did your civic duty and voted in Judges and Commissioners and trusted them to "do due diligence" to the task appointed by your vote. We are seeing our hard-earned money spent on "attorneys" because the Judicial System and the ( County) Executive Branch cannot communicate.
The Court of Common Pleas, the only trial court created by the Ohio Constitution, is established by Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution, and its duties are outlined in Article IV, Section 4.
Missing: mission statement
with the Administrative ( Executive Branch) Lorain County Board of Commissioners ( whose mission statement also couldn't be found as it kept coming up "error".)
Not a good sign fellow taxpayers… Mission Impossible...
So let us see how this works- we are of course seeing our money go out of the county to Cuyahoga and to Subodh Chandra- Chandra has benefitted from the Lorain City and Lorain County squabbles big time-
We ,the taxpayers, have poured money into his pockets. The Commissioners helped Mark Stewart to get the situation out of common sense and into to Chandra CENTS.
But hey! Chandra persevered and finally The city of Lorain caved. Of course the poor old city taxpayers were hamstrung you see our Cuyahoga attorney Anthony Calabrese was involved in another aspect of the judicial system.
Calabrese's former law firm, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease agreed to pay a $3 million settlement to the city of Lorain, which had employed Calabrese and the firm during the years of corrupt activity. The Lorain City Council on Monday approved the deal, contained in a 10-page ordinance titled "settlement and mutual release agreement."
The agreement "will be a great benefit to the city," the ordinance read, "and the delay of lengthy litigation resolved amicably without delay to the benefit of the city of Lorain."The $3 million will be made in two equal payments due Dec. 20 and Jan. 10, according to terms of the settlement.
We did get some of our money back with a settlement ( figured out by other attorneys and paying them a fee) so all was not lost – just reputations smeared, spin, hard feelings and confusion still reigns as to the CRA.
But Chandra is on course for the race to who will give in first. His methodology is quite simple -
One he uses his contacts in the Plain Dealer and Cleveland news outlets to tell the tale- http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2008/03/17/hear-ye-hear-ye-all-rise-the-right-hon-public-opinion-presiding/
The headlines cause shock and awe – he then will use those same slanted until they tip over " news" stories as part of his arguments in court.
That is what he does, and it has started - in fact the TAXPAYER is taken to task in the first volley found here:
Lorain County's worst public building is no place for probation officers: "Hey, Taxpayer!" with Mark Naymik
I was unable to access parts of the building documented by a photographer hired by Chandra.
and to further add insult to injury
It's hard to believe spending a quarter of million dollars will produce a cost-effective, long-term solution in a building that needs so much. Taxpayers deserve a better option.
errr excuse me Mark – we, the taxpayer, aren't given any options – we just cough up the money and choke…… and according to Channel 3 we, the taxpayer, keep a filthy house, errrrrr last time I looked we paid for maintenance and janitors- what happened??? But great spin Chandra we got our monies worth on that one!
The county house of filth
Two – Chandra , apart from the media relations- will bombard the opposite number with huge paperwork requests ( all costed out to the case) Take note this time around county officials
"Because the county too- seemingly only keep records of monies paid to Chandra and Co- not the driving to and from meetings ( although Chandra does – he counts it in his invoices to us -the taxpayer- ( through the real estate account in the County coffers- He counts his hours and what it costs for him and what it cost for his assistant.) but apparently county government doesn't. So I guess to get a true accounting of what it is costing I should ask Chandra he may have a better idea"
Now fellow combatants, since we will be paying for Cha- Ching Chandra and the opposing counsel, one would only hope the Commissioners find an attorney ( not of the character of Calabrese)
http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2011/09/arntsen-calabrese.html who can take on Chandra.
Therefore , if that law firm is any good this could go well past a million dollar mark, wonder if they have media contacts they can use. Maybe the taxpayer could sell tickets to this Comedy of Errors and recoup some of the money spent by our "employees".
So , the upshot is no matter how this turns out – we the taxpayer lose and the only thing we can do is remember how much those that started the Chandra Ball rolling as they fired the first "legal" salvo and spent the first dime of our money – at election time -
NOTE: And whilst I am telling it to the Judge- Please judges – try to refrain from those probation sentences , help ease the workload for the probation department and maybe I wouldn't have 82 in my neighborhood and 270 in the county!
Lorain County Judges Crowing with Chandra
Judges in their robes always remind me of crows- and the poem
One for sorrow,
Two for mirth
Three for a wedding,
Four for birth
Five for silver,
Six for gold;
Seven for a secret,Not to be told;
Eight for heaven,
Nine for hell
And ten for the devil's own sell! ( meaning selling ones soul to the devil)
Our current six crows -
Judge Betleski ( heard of him in the CRA debacle ?He knows how much his choice of Chandra will cost the taxpayer – he should – as he has been there done that with the CRA)- http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/is-it-the-fish-that-stinks-or-the-company/
Judge Ewers, the Two Miraldis,
Judge Burge – has his own issues) http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2014/05/29/prosecutor-seeks-sweeping-ban-judge/
Judge Rothgery
have an issue with the Lorain County Commissioners and Lorain County Administrator .
Ted Kalo, Lori Kokoski, Tom Willams , Jim Cordes
Read the latest in response to the argument in this morning's Chronicle Telegram- Evan Goodenow
"Just because somebody wants something doesn't make it the right thing," Kalo said.
Kokoski said department workers' health and safety isn't at risk in the building and they are exaggerating problems. She said photos of decrepit conditions are from areas where employees aren't supposed to be.
"They're trying to shame us into spending $2.8 million because they want what they want," Kokoski said.
While the $1.2 million share of the cost of the move is about 2.2 percent of the $53 million county budget, Kokoski said the county can't afford it.
"We would have to borrow that," she said. "We don't have money to fix our sidewalks."
Williams said in an interview that the $50,000 requested Tuesday by the judges to hire a Cleveland law firm to sue the Board of Commissioners is just the start of a potentially costly legal battle. He estimated it could cost $500,000 for a settlement and $750,000 to $1 million if the case is resolved in court.
According to Tim Lubbe the Court Administrator who wrote the following in a replying email when I announced my displeasure of getting on the legal eagle train again.
Ms. Ritchey:
I have received your email and I can appreciate your sentiment. I would like to offer you some information which may provide a different perspective on this matter. This week Channel 3 and the Plain Dealer will be doing an expose on the working conditions to which the County Commissioners have relegated the Lorain County Adult Probation Department. I believe you will find these reports very illustrative of why we had to hire an attorney to address the deplorable conditions under which these employees must work. This link provides some pictures (taken in the last two weeks) of what these employees have been forced to endure. https://www.dropbox.com/sc/ea02qpuxqp24jme/AABBAOKr08J5Z-ktbPxcySpna
Certainly I have one perspective on this issue: to provide the Court's employees with adequate space where they can perform their job on behalf of the Court and the citizens of Lorain County. I don't believe that our employees should expect to work in extravagant facilities. However, they also should not have to withstand constant exposure to feces, mold, sewage and a physically unsafe environment. Ultimately, I would ask that before you conclude that Court is wasting taxpayer dollars you consider all the facts.
1) For more than six years the Court has been trying to work with the Commissioners to remodel the old Courthouse so that it can meet the functional needs of the Probation Department. During this whole period, despite countless hours spent working up solutions and plans, the Commissioners have refused to implement a single improvement.
What's more, as you can see from the pictures, not only have they failed to make this location serviceable, the deterioration which they have allowed to occur is beyond comprehension. Quite frankly if more citizens were aware of how poorly this County resource was "maintained" they would be appalled and demand action.
2) As a result of the lack of any progress in remodeling and repairing the old Courthouse, the Court began exploring other locations for the Probation Department. Almost two years ago the Court requested a meeting with all the County Commissioners to further discuss this problem. At that time all the Commissioners agreed that it was cost prohibitive to accomplish even the most basic repairs to the old Courthouse (estimates of 10 to 15 million dollars), let alone the remodeling which is essential for the Probation Department to efficiently perform their work.
The Court was of the opinion that locating the Probation Department on the undeveloped floor of the Justice Center (5th floor) was the most efficient, effective, practical and economical solution. The Commissioners proposed an old, dilapidated building on Broad Street. At the conclusion of the meeting both parties agreed to draw up plans for each location so that costs, benefits and disadvantages of each option could be considered.
It took the Commissioners more than a year to develop their plan with the projected costs being 1.2 million dollars. Of course during this time the neglect of the old Courthouse continued. The Court's proposal for the 5th floor is projected to cost 2.4 million dollars.
If one were just to compare the numbers, without any critical analysis, the Commissioners' plan would appear to be the better economical choice. Needless to say there is more to this decision than the simple numbers. It would take too long to cover all the issues associated with the various proposals, but a few examples include:
a. Age of the Broad Street facility results in increased and ongoing maintenance and utility costs
b. Additional security personnel must be employed at Broad Street location versus utilization of existing personnel at the Justice Center
c. Broad Street location involves less efficiency and increased personnel costs as Probation staff must go back and forth repeatedly throughout the day to the Justice Center
d. Negative impact on businesses in the areas around the Broad Street location with hundreds of loitering felons.
3) On May 2nd of this year the Court's Administrative Judge appeared at the Commissioners' meeting to discuss the various proposals (if you have not seen the meeting you can request a public records copy through the Commissioners). At that meeting it immediately became clear that despite the hours and money that went into developing a long-term solution for the County Probation Department, the Commissioners had no intention with proceeding with any type of plan (Commissioner Williams does agree that the Justice Center option is the more practical and fiscally prudent choice). According to the other Commissioners, they simply can't afford to do anything. This is not only unacceptable, but untrue.
4) The Court has been more than patient in trying to work with the Commissioners. In fact, I personally am embarrassed that I have let staff, for whom I am responsible, continue to work in these deplorable conditions. Though I told myself that we didn't want to waste money on a piecemeal solution and that if we persisted we could reach some compromise with the Commissioners. Clearly I was wrong and I sincerely regret my lack of action on these employees behalf. The Judges absolutely agree that it is ludicrous to continue dumping money into the old Courthouse with no plan or objective, but legally it is the Commissioners' prerogative where they locate these personnel. The one thing the Court can do (and should have done long ago) is insist that the Commissioners provide a facility for the Probation Department that is reasonable and necessary for the Court's needs. In order to accomplish this we are required to employ legal counsel.
5) With respect to the Court's retention of legal counsel, by statute the Lorain County Prosecutor is the legal representative for both the Court and the County Commissioners. Normally, the Prosecutor is able to represent both parties without any problem. However, in the event of a conflict the Prosecutor cannot legally or ethically perform services for both parties. Accordingly the Court and the Commissioners are required to employee outside legal counsel to represent our respective interests. Unfortunately, because of ethical constraints the Court's options for legal counsel are somewhat limited. Because the attorney for the Court will be representing all of the General Division Judges, this individual would be ethically precluded from also having other cases with these Judges. Thus any attorney who regularly appears before the Court would have a conflict and not be willing to take this representation. This essentially negates the Court's ability to hire a local attorney. Additionally, this ongoing conflict with the Commissioners implicates extremely complex and unique areas of the law. As such, we actually had a difficult time identifying and hiring an attorney who was appropriately qualified.
6) In short (I apologize I have been anything but) the Court is always willing to entertain any reasonable solution to this dilemma. In the past couple of months the Judges have appeared a number of times at the Commissioners' meetings seeking to discuss these matters. With the exception of Commissioner Williams, all these efforts have been rebuffed.
I would encourage you to further investigate this matter for yourself. If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Tim Lubbe
Lorain County Court of Common Pleas
Court Administrator, General Division
Oh dear how awful: can you imagine working in such conditions that we in Lorain have been living in and complaining about to Judges:
The Mayor , the community all wanted answers and judgment to the fullest extent of the law ……check the PSI and time taken in that aspect of judiciary
We are all waiting and watching for justice to be done , as the criminals are slapped on the wrist to come back into our neighbors to continue their ways.
LORAIN — The suspect wanted for setting fires at the Admiral King Elementary school playgrounds was arrested Saturday afternoon. Brandon Perkins, 18, of Lorain, was charged with one count of arson and is currently being held in the Lorain County Jail. Other charges may be released later this week, according to the Lorain Municipal Prosecutor's office.
No other suspects are being sought according to Lorain Police. The estimated damage is $100,000.
And what happened to Brandon for this arson attack in our neighborhood:
Such was the sentence handed down by Judge Ewers in October 2013.
So Brandon got 3 years community control and just this month in fact On June 18th ( yesterday as I write this ) we hear http://cp.onlinedockets.com/loraincp/case_dockets/Docket.aspx?CaseID=328735 Brandon is once again before the 'Judge" alleged "drug possession" etc.
Even our police officers are angry:
Fraternal Order of Police is worried that light sentences have made criminals feel impervious to the law.
"The criminals should fear going to judges," Sivert said. "It's not that way. I've heard criminals hoping that they get certain judges because they know they are going to get off light."Ultimately, Sivert said that the public is going to have to decide what they feel is right and wrong.
"The citizens elect the judges and pay their salaries," Sivert said. "The public needs to be demanding more of them. They need to tell these judges that letting criminals back on the street is not what they want."
"As a representative of the Union, I'm saying that we won't stand by without voicing our opinion. As a citizen, I'm hoping that others will also start demanding more."
No certainly, we the taxpayer, wouldn't want people to have to endure such unsafe and unsanitary conditions, such as we have to endure- Maybe if the judges lived in my "hood" they would be appalled at what we have to put up with in part due to what appears to be to the layman ( tax payers) some "slappy happy sentencing".
Because of some of their "adjudications", the "clients of the court" are free to "loiter" in and around the library, the free food outlets and the consummate rehabilitated business people among them selling their wares……..
Remember the flash grenades that woke us up as the police raided the 5th street residence of Victor C Brooks- well as of June 14th in Judge Rothgery's courtroom Mr. Brooks was found guilty http://cp.onlinedockets.com/loraincp/case_dockets/Docket.aspx?CaseID=320112 we await with "bated breath the sentencing !
No! sorry Mr. Lubbe you get no sympathy from me.
BUT whether the Judges or the Lorain County Commissioners have the right in all this I, as one of the taxpayers who pay for this nonsense would like to point out the wrong!
Here we go again fellow taxpayers, we pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars in salaries, expenses for the "professional capabilities of our employees"- We gave them the confidence of our vote and or their collective recommendations as to who to hire in various departments. BUT once again we are faced with having Cash Cow Subodh Chandra dropping us ( the tax payer ) into the field of cow patties that is the judical system.http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2014/06/18/judges-ante/
WHY??????? because these seemingly intelligent , professionals cannot seem to "talk", compromise or make one another understand a situation from their perspective. NOPE! they play the media card, whine and weedle and the scarecrow ( tax payer ) tries to stop them from robbing the field.
Would they be in such a rush to spend their own money to prove their point or get their way NO! but hey! what is a few hundred thousand , or a million in legal fees to them – they aren't paying for it we are and we have done it before.
Now these judges and yes they are the ones that have thrown down the "Chandra gauntlet" and here we go again- Each one of them before becoming a judge was an "advocate" are they telling me they have lost the ability to "advocate " ( by sitting down and sorting this out without using more of our taxpayers money) for themselves and their employees then maybe they have lost the ability adjudicate as well.
Grenade and Garbage – Lorain Landlords- SWATted?
There are a myriad of stories – times from Lorain's nearly forgotten and neglected history, stories of love, birth, death, of pride and decay in this neighborhood known as Charleston Village . http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/category/charleston-village/
There is the charm of architecture of her old homes and the disgrace of those homes bastardized by owners who see them as nothing more than a way to use them and abuse them until they fall in upon themselves. We have both ends of the scale here.
I have written about the mega landlords who own dozens of properties. I have written about the shame of those that neglect , the criminals and drug dealers that rent from these multi property owners.
However, Friday morning at 7:00 a.m we awoke to an explosion of sound that reverberated through the morning air, the phone started ringing , neighbors hiding as the invasion (of sorts) was under way, elderly citizens confused and frightened , facebook lit up with the happenings on 5th street.
This quiet street street, only marred by " the historically bastardized" rentals of Sutton Properties and his "apartments" on one end of the block and George Schneider's adding to his inventory on the other end, was rudely awakened to our reality once again.
Photos of 1037 W 5th Councilman Dennis Flores
What brought members of the Lorain County SWAT Team with guns drawn and the announcing call of a flash bang smoke grenade?
According to Chronicle Telegram coverage found here
Victor C. Brooks, 44, of 1125 W. Fifth St., Lorain, was charged with drug trafficking and was being held Friday at the Lorain City Jail. Around late August, Lorain police received a tip that Brooks, who has been charged with trafficking in the past, was selling cocaine and crack cocaine out of his house, according to Lorain narcotics Detective Tim Thompson.
Police said they conducted "controlled buys" with Thompson during which they sent an informant to buy small amounts of crack from the dealer multiple times over the course of a month. Thompson explained that multiple buys were necessary to ensure a more serious charge for Brooks.
However, those of us watching the scene unfold Friday felt there had to be more to this story- Unfortunately, due to "mega landlords" we have had dealings with dealers but never were the arrests quite as stuff of which movies are made.
After all according to the LPD web site
SWAT teams are used in cases of Critical Incidents :
Critical incidents are defined as follows:
Hostage Situations: the holding of any person(s) against their will by an armed or potentially armed suspect.
Barricade Situation: the stand-off created by an armed or potentially armed suspect in any location, whether fortified or not, who is refusing to comply with law enforcement demands for surrender.
Sniper Situations: the firing upon citizens and/or law enforcement officers by an armed suspect, whether stationary or mobile.
High-Risk Apprehension: the arrest or apprehension of armed or potentially armed suspects where the likelihood of armed resistance is high.
High-Risk Warrant Service: the service of search or arrest warrants where the warrant service matrix or policy recommends or requires the use of SWAT.
Personal Protection: the security of special persons, such as VIP's, witnesses, or suspects, based on threat or potential threat to the well being of those persons.
Special Assignments: any assignment, approved by the SWAT Operations Commander, based on a high level of threat and/or need.
The Lorain County SWAT Team is committed to preserve life in high-risk situations through the use of specialized training, equipment, and tactics in a professional manner that inspires confidence in the community.
Mr. Victor Brooks( the alleged dealer- innocent until proven guilty) of 1125 West 5th, is not only an alleged "pharmaceutical" dispenser of cocaine but he seems to have used his wealth to also become a multi- property owner in Lorain- 10 addresses and 16 parcels
However, the 1125 West 5th street address ( to which the tax bills are sent and where Mr. Victor Brooks resides and claims ownership to neighbors , has another owner listed a Durrell Brooks- but Mr. Victor has also purchased 1140 W 5th just two doors down from Mr. Sutton's Rentals at 1150 West 5th.
Mr. Victor Brooks has quite the residential history as whilst he was " investing" in his properties he was also, according to his court records, residing in the properties of one or two of Lorain's multi property owners such as
Bille S Griffith – Property- 1525 Herbert Drive and
Perrella 4638 Oberlin Ave and our
Lady of the Landlords Deborah Akin ( of North Ridgeville and their over 40 properties) who owned Mr. Brooks's 1025 Tower Blvd address – Ms. Akin also owns property on the block- 1224 West 5th
Readers remember this, I hope-
Lorain police sweep 13 violent gang members off streets – suspects tied to nine murders over four years
of another group of murderous criminals. AND there was the other SWAT Team photos only this time in front of another of Sutton's properties
and of course George Schneider again who has appeared before the "Judge" only to get jail time dismissed –
The landlords who ( in my opinion) lunch at our expense and peace of mind have another comrade to share their club!
Mr. Brooks and his portfolio of investments (possibly from his "business" dealings )has joined the ranks of Lorain's multi property owners , he paid rent to some in his time and has property on the same streets as others. .
He will make into the Lorain's Multi-property owners hall of fame and if and when convicted WHO is WHO in the 052.
Just a note: If I was doing any investigation I would be looking at his other properties and "living addresses" you never know what may be "hidden" ;)
The Judgement- The Community- The Criminal- The Cost
In recent posts I have questioned the reasoning as to what we in the community , who have been asked to step up to stop the decline of the quality of life in this place we call home Lorain Ohio, can actually accomplish.
Mayor Ritenauer stated in a recent Morning Journal article"
Mayor Ritenauer wants the community to band together
Mayor Chase Ritenauer says community must stand against 'unacceptable' mayhem
Meanwhile, law-abiding citizens also must be aware of the justice system and demand prosecution to the fullest extent of the law, the mayor said.
and then the Editor of the same Morning Journal, Tom Skoch stated in his editorial:
"As the mayor emphasized, arresting thugs isn't enough if they are quickly recycled through the justice system and dumped back on the street to cause more crime. Citizens need to urge prosecution and incarceration of criminals to the fullest extent of the law
Armed with a will, the time, tenacity and the ability to go in search of answers- thatwoman( me) who was also incensed at recent new news stories concerning alleged rape, drug deals gone bad , abandoned housing set off in search of "JUSTICE"!. I started looking at names and records of some of Lorain's less than desirable criminal element and why they were on the streets, and who were the judges who had given them leave to continue "mayhem" in my community.
As with most things I research one thing led to another and I noticed a lot of
mention of PSI reports when searching the criminal records.
What is PSI and just what do they do? so off I went on another search and found the following article -once again in the Morning Journal archives-:
Judge wants to hire PSI officers (with document) by Rick Payerchin
I sent the link to the Lorain County Commissioners and asked for some information on PSI and the above link
I am following through with the research on a criminal situation in Lorain and how the criminal process works. I came across the link aforementioned – can you please tell me the outcome of that situation as written in the Morning Journal? I am very concerned as to the "passing through" from our court system by judges, adult parole authority etc and the funding of such who send back into my community the criminal element and the number of re offences …. and therefore, as I am following one case in particular that is making headlines this weekend and how he has been passed through and who determines the level of punishment – I have noticed PSI seems to be heavily involved in the sentencing outcome, therefore I wish to learn more about them and their decisions and who is funding them.
Thanks to Commissioner Kalo who forwarded my email to Mr. Tim Lubbe I have some answers ( emphasis mine) from Tim Lubbe,Lorain County Court of Common Pleas, Court Administrator, General Division
After reviewing my responses, should you still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Some of the answers are simple, such as the outcome of the situation discussed in the Morning Journal article. Currently, there are eight Presentence Investigation (PSI) personnel that are managed by the Court. These individuals are paid for or funded out of a state grant. However, I'm not sure if that completely answers your question. For example, the headline of the article claims that the "Judges want to hire PSI officers". Quite frankly, the Court never had any desire to be involved with PSIs. Nevertheless, the State of Ohio in balancing its budget shifted the responsibility for PSI reports to the local or county level via the Courts.
You indicate a concern about the criminal element being "passed through" the court system by Judges, the Adult Parole Authority, etc. and returned into your community. I would not offer an opinion on the Adult Parole Authority, as that is a department of the State of Ohio, and I can't honestly speak for them. However, with respect to the Judges, I believe they share your concern about criminals "passing through" the system.
I think your next question is also related to this issue. You are interested in who determines the level of punishment. Unfortunately, there is a fairly pervasive misperception that Judges unilaterally control the outcome of criminal cases. On many occasions I have heard Judges express their frustration over the constraints imposed upon them, and in my view, these constraints do affect the revolving nature of our criminal justice system.
While Judges absolutely play an important role in sentencing a criminal defendant, over the years that role has been minimized by changes imposed upon the Court by the Ohio legislature.
Just last year, there was another significant erosion of the Judge's autonomy following the passage of H.B. 86. The law in Ohio now specifies that if a criminal defendant is found guilty of a 4th or 5th degree felony, there is a presumption that the defendant will be sentenced to community control, i.e. not jail or prison. Therefore, irrespective of what sentence a Judge may prefer to issue, he or she must follow the law.
Your final question raises a concern, that the PSI department seems to be heavily involved in sentencing outcome. The PSI department actually has no control over sentencing. The PSI department's role is governed by statute.
Essentially, they are required to investigate the defendant, and report certain information back to the Court. Although the PSI department does not control sentencing, they do have an impact on the criminal defendants in your community.
Under Ohio law, before a defendant can be sentenced to a community control sanction, a PSI report must be produced for the Court. At the time the State of Ohio was responsible for producing PSI reports they had allocated approximately 3 times the amount of money they are currently providing to Lorain County through grants. With their resources, the State would typically produce a PSI report within 30 days. As soon as the Court received the PSI report, the defendant could be sentenced.
At a minimum, that individual would be placed upon probation and subject to review and supervision. Under limited circumstances, if certain factors where met (remember the limitations placed upon the Judges), the defendant may even be sentenced to jail. However, as a result of reduced funding, which equates to personnel, it currently takes the Lorain County PSI department somewhere between 60 and 90 days to deliver a report to the Court. While the Court is waiting for the PSI report, the defendant is in the community, not on supervised probation, and quite often committing additional crimes.
Nevertheless, I can attest that the Court continuously strives, where possible, to improve these circumstances. Also, I would encourage your involvement as a citizen in doing what you can both locally and at the state level.
So there we have it – Is it time to "talk to the State of Ohio" as to how their decisions are compromising our quality of life – is that the very least we can do???? ?
Disconnected thoughts- COMMUNITY??? Which Community???
I am in disconnect mode – thoughts pop in and out but I have little inclination to follow through- Maybe it is the pre school "plague"- Yes! since Gavin started preschool we have all suffered. Since October 2nd we have sniffled sneezed and coughed with at least 4 different viruses. We, like typhoid Mary, continue to infect each other. Oh! you can wash your hands all you want but when the baby is using your neck to wipe his nose as the poor little stuffed up mite tries to get some sleep- forget the hand washing! As for that flu shot (Sigh) Please people keep your sick kids home- we old ones have enough problems with the "rusty" years.
Thought Two: Mayor Ritenauer wants the community to band together
Mayor Chase Ritenauer says community must stand against 'unacceptable' mayhem by Rick Payerchin: Morning Journal
My thoughts are good! about time – the community should band together – however what about that "OTHER MEMBERS of community" – you know such as the BUREAU OF COMMUNITY SANCTIONS-
The Bureau includes staff members located throughout the state working with halfway house vendors, independent housing vendors, non-residential community corrections act grant programs, and community-based correctional facility grant programs. The Bureaus halfway house beds to house felony offenders and provided subsidized funding to divert offenders from prison and local jails throughout Ohio. The Bureau also oversees the transitional control program and an electronic monitoring program for offenders who violate their terms of supervision.
The Bureau of Community Sanctions, in partnership with state, local and private/non-profit agencies, develops and enhances community corrections programs utilized by local courts and the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction for sanctioning and treating offenders in the community
THE multi million dollar granting facility from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that helps the offenders… the same "Community" that helped the now defunct Compass House to help populate this area with more RSO's than we knew or know what to do with (261 in Lorain- as per the data from the Sheriffs Dept.
How about those halfway houses for the adult parolees???? not that we don't have parolees in our neighborhoods and community already Looks like there were 287 parolees in Lorain as per the Dept of Corrections website – And these are just the members of our "COMMUNITY" that can be tracked .
AND how about the lucrative Non Profit SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES- you know that part of our "business" COMMUNITY whose clients are part of our community
I have said it before
and will say it again
THESE CLIENTS are in my neighborhood, they are walking my neighborhood streets they are sitting in my park and getting coffee and donuts from those that care. I have a right to complain because I LIVE here I spend 24 hours a day with the CLIENTS!
THEY too are being "serviced" by the number of social service agencies and their millions in funding .
You can talk about poor "old Joe" who isn't all there but harmless as he wanders around the park where I LIVE and urinates in the fountain as he says good day to another neighbor whose claim to fame is
"burglary, GSI, Attempted rape, conspiracy AGG Robbery, weapons and unlawful dangerous ordinance".
You have to wonder if this "Community " was one of the reasons that Anthony Calabrese and Co thought it profitable for those "half way houses" business You know the now infamous "Alternatives Agency"
Could the money that could be garnered from such a "community" have led to more "inmates in the correctional facilities"?
One is a scheme to bankroll and plunder the Alternatives Agency, a nonprofit halfway house on East 55th Street represented by Calabrese.
The agency was in danger of losing its county funding when it hired Calabrese. According to the indictment, Calabrese had the agency pay $201,000 in phony consulting fees to his longtime friend, J. Kevin Kelley, who in turn bribed Dimora and Russo with trips, including a Las Vegas gambling junket, expensive meals and unspecified personal services.
Can it be???? Is it such a stretch? ( pun intended!)
YES! WE NEED ALL THE COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER not just those of us that live here !
To be continued………………
Healthy Neighborhoods???- Healthy Tenants? Moral bankruptcy
1714- Long
ED NOTE: You can see the "air conditioner " pictured in this Morning Journal photo and if you click on to enlarge you can see the satellite dish and the cable and the trash strewn around and lo an behold the empty trash can…
There you have it if the story of Ms Perez being arrested for child endangering
for the disgusting conditions in which she caused her children to suffer daily wasn't bad enough we have these two upstanding members of our community "allegedly" robbing the place- obviously not mindful for their own "health"
Morning Journal:
Men attempt to break in 'filthy' home
Chronicle Telegram
Police were dispatched to Perez's home at 12:13 a.m. Monday when a neighbor, who knew Perez's home was empty, reported seeing lights on at the home. The neighbor said two men stole a window air conditioner from the home and then walked out of the house and east on West 17th Street.
According to a police report, police found Emmanuel Rodriguez, 27, and Joe Hernandez, 22, both of Lorain, carrying an air conditioner and plastic laundry container holding a PlayStation 2 and a DVD player. Rodriguez told police the two had found the air conditioner, and the DVD player and PlayStation 2 belonged to Hernandez.
Now obviously these two men must have been desperate in the heat to need this air conditioner, maybe they wanted to keep cool when they played their "HOT" videos and play station.
So let us take a trip to their residences and see what is what
421 W. 15th Street
This property ( which actually has been upgraded) by the owners another "property rental group" Davis Property Rentals – Gina and Jason Davis .. you will be happy to note Mr. Sutton and Mr. Schneider some of the "26 properties listed" ( under at least one of the searches for this "group") are also your neighbors on other streets.
You will be pleased to know you have help in determining the condition of the neighborhood…..
Hey – here is a thought maybe they can help get the air conditioner replaced- maybe they have a spare. If not try 2625 W. 39th Street- BKS Investments- Brian Schreiber
a quick check 7 under that name – (bit more upmarket than most) but the "Schreiber search turned up Marlene Schreiber ( relationship not known) with another 13- also a neighbor of yours on a couple of streets..
AH!!!! it is a wonderful day in the "neighborhood" – unless you happen to live here ………….
All information taken from Lorain County Auditors site
Lorain Police Department – Arrest the uncivilized destroyers of society
Yesterday a news conference was held – the headlines read:
Morning Journal
Lorain police sweep 13 violent gang members off streets – suspects tied to nine murders over four years
The men were arrested in the areas of Long Avenue, West 17th Street and North Central by the Lorain Police Department with the help of the U.S. Marshals, the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, and Lorain County deputies, Carpentiere said. Officers served secret indictments to the defendants yesterday.
The defendants have been convicted of violent crimes and the majority are out on bond. Most made their money through the sale of drugs, police said.
Chronicle Telegram
16 arrested in Lorain gang sweep
Officers in the Criminal Investigations Division, Community Impact Unit and Patrol Division used computer analysis to identify the participants of the city's most violent crimes during the seven-month investigation. Police said most gang activity occurred on the west side of Long Avenue.
A review of the data showed that MOB had a major role in violent crime in the city, said Police Chief Cel Rivera.
The suspects, all Lorain residents, were being held Lorain County Jail late Friday. They will be arraigned next week in Lorain County Common Pleas Court
It is a start – the most influential members of the "gang" have been arrested but according to the Lorain Police Dept there are "hundreds of members"
Carpentiere said the investigation is a continuation of gang arrests the police made in 2010 of several violent individuals who were involved in M.O.B. and a south side gang. M.O.B. has hundreds of members in Lorain and the arrests focused on the leaders, according to police.
Those who have had the unfortunate experience of getting stuck in muck and mire know that as you manage to pull your foot out the impression in the mud last but for a moment , quickly the muck fills back in the indentation and it is as before the trap set for the next unsuspecting travelers who walk that way.
I am sure the police officers are under no illusion that those that slither in the muck and mire of the criminal element will soon "fill in" .
How frustrating for the police department everywhere that due to "unlimited funds" from drugs and fear these purveyors of murder and fear on our streets, can set their bond and be back out to continue the destruction of our quality of life.
I wonder who owns the homes where such scum lay their heads- because when someone rents to these cretins they are part of the problem – criminal background check, references I wonder how those " landlord checks" turned out…. you think any were ever done. Perhaps the landlords were just pleased to be able to prostitute Lorain again – to get a return on their investment in such a bad area….. If I get a chance I will try to see if I can get the "alleged" gang bangers, murderers, drug dealers
Five fatal overdoses in 10 days have authorities worried about a batch of highly potent or poorly cut heroin.
"We want to nip this in the bud to stop people from dying," Dr. Stephen Evans, Lorain County coroner, said Friday. "It's either purer than normal or it's cut with something more toxic."
kidnappers, home invasion specialists "addresses in Lorain, then do a "property owner check" – see what that turns up. In the meantime check out the photos in the Morning Journal article linked above:
Are these YOUR tenants, recognize them from their monthly rent check- or did they pay in cash- because I am not sure they would bank their income…… Every rat needs a hole to crawl into – are you making money from this filth ? Are you responsible for the misery of murder, and drugs that cause this community to spiral downward?
We will see – I could be wrong maybe their address will be owner occupied?
In the meantime I know we, the "victims of Lorain", will join me in giving
our sincere thank you to the Lorain Police Dept. . I am sure today's arrests will send a message to the thugs /drug dealers/ criminals and those that believe they can inflict their diseased lifestyle on our city that this is not acceptable to those who "serve and protect" her citizens. We know your task is dangerous and sometimes thankless but we who benefit from your diligence can rest a little easier tonight-
Lorain, Oh- Broken Homes – Broken People- Just Plain Broke- Part Two
PART ONE: http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/lorain-oh-broken-homes-and-broken-people-just-plain-broke/
How did I get to this place of "shrug" ( apart from my personal situation) the "immunity" to the ADCD disease (Abandoned- Blighted -Criminal Tenants-Deteriorating properties ) had already set in.
In May of 2005 a young girl was attacked going to school- Lorain City Schools were blamed – the Lorain Police Dept were blamed by the community – but it was the community that was to blame. The school system can only protect the child whilst on their property- the police dept can really for the most part react after the crime has been committed. The problem was the neighborhood the girl had to walk through and the abandoned house ( 7 years ago) that enabled the crime.
I was angry, so Reverend Donahue- Christian Temple Disciples of Christ and Charleston Village Society put together a consortium of safety to decide what we could do . Forty people answered the call- LPD- including the Chief of Police, Sheriff's Dept, Lorain City Schools- the superintendent , 5 of Lorain's city council people, non-profit social service agencies, day care center representatives , business organizations , religious community representatives, members of the community and the Safety Service Director Craig Miller as well as Chief Building Superintendent Bill Desvari and a representative of the Lake Erie Landlords Association.
The Fire on 22nd street – July 2007- the cause the building code crack down on 5 landlords ???READ ON – TELL ME YOU BE THE JUDGE……….
After three exploratory and fact-finding meetings, a goal was decided upon.
To make the concept work there had to be a total commitment to the concept- a pilot program for the taking back of a neighborhood –
It was a 5 pronged approach and needed 100 percent buy in and co-operation by the five
One – Lorain City Schools
Two- Lorain Police Dept -
Three- the Religious Community –
Four- Social service agencies-
Five- the Administration and Building Dept of the City of Lorain.
If one failed the concept failed. We had assurances from all involved to do their part.
A school would be at the center of the project- Lorain police Dept would have an office at the school where the neighborhood residents could get to know their officers and feel comfortable in having a dialogue as to the issues they faced.
The religious community/ community advocates and social service agencies working together to inform the residents in the target area of "help available" and finally the city administration / building dept would see to it a clean up of abandoned homes, deteriorating rentals were targeted. The concept consisted of a target area of 2 block area radiating out from the center – the school
The pilot program was picked in an area around Lincoln School- and a group or residents and representatives formed the South Lorain Coalition under the chairmanship of Father Thaden , they took ownership of the project. The community galvanized and progress was made .
BUT- Two things happened ,the most disastrous to the pilot program was
in 2007 Lorain City School's under new administration took back Lincoln School- as it was now needed- with little warning to the community. It was just too soon for the fledging organization to absorb.
Lincoln Community Center Director Leon Mason said he found out about the board's intentions to terminate the lease on Friday and called the move a shock. Violent crime has drastically decreased since the center opened, and Mason said he's worried that the board did not give him enough time to find a new location…………….The center was created by several community organizations, including the Lorain Police Department, as a way to stop violence in South Lorain, which erupted with several murders in 2005, including the shooting death of 15-year-old Samarrie Soler
BUT even before that body blow to the pilot program- the City Administration under Foltin talked a good game to our faces , smiled and nodded shook hands but not ONE DAMNED THING WAS DONE TO ALLEVIATE THE CONDITIONS OF THE HOMES! Without the buy in and follow through commitment of all participants the pilot program was doomed to fail and it did- and with it the failure of the concept spreading the concept to other areas.
RIP- Quality of Life- Lorain- Ohio
After many years of dealing with the "head nodders – crossed fingers behind their backs type " the lack of follow through the " just a storm in a teacup thinking- it will blow over just smile and nod yes" you build up an immunity. I am not alone………..
During the research for this post I came across
Dispatches from Home by Nick Kowalczyk -lives in upstate New York by way of Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa. He teaches creative nonfiction and feature writing at Ithaca College.
Photo Source – The Ithacan
I had a childhood marred by bullying, but I gained confidence when I became a journalist because it made me feel like an advocate for truth, justice, and good government. In college it's all I thought about, and I worked hard enough to be named one of the top ten journalism students in the country, by the Scripps Howard Foundation, in 2001. And my career began in Lorain………
………..Hired by The Morning Journal's competitor, The (Elyria, Ohio) Chronicle-Telegram, I received, as a lowly summer intern, the Lorain city beat. I covered the city council, read the daily police blotters, watched the municipal court hearings for DUIs and prostitution and domestic violence arrests, and regularly talked with the mayor. It was a depressing, disillusioning job for a hometown kid. Every day I discovered a new reason to move away. Every day it seemed evident that Lorain would fall apart. Sometimes as I drove back to the newsroom I even imagined the earth opening and Lorain falling into the crack, absorbed by flames and hell. (Melodramatic, I know…). But even more melodramatic—and self-fulfilling—was my fear that somehow Lorain, like a vortex, would absorb me back.
…………What is a homecoming if not an opportunity to reenact the past? I can't remember the dates exactly, but a few years after I moved away I came home and realized most of my family's old haunts no longer existed. These places included my high school, my old grade school, my parents' grade school, the YMCA, our favorite downtown donut shop, the restaurant where we ate breakfast every Sunday, my father's favorite hardware store, the hospital where my mother worked, and the church where my grandparents and parents were married. To look at these places now brings an echoing feeling of emptiness in my chest, along with sentimental indignance. Coming back to Lorain is like wandering around a forest of dead trees in winter.
Photo Source
How sad this talented young man does not have "pride" in his hometown. But why should he write about the GOOD and GREAT things in Lorain? There are great and good things but like a disease unchecked – slowly spreads and destroys the good - The disease – the deteriorating infrastructure/ houses/ those that prostitute her for their own needs have set her on a decline and we are mainly "bandaiding".
June 26th 2005 The Chronicle Telegram ran an article – BROKEN HOMES- by Dan Harkins and Shawn Foucher that article touched a nerve then and still does- because very little has changed but the numbers in those 7 years. Unfortunately the article is not on-line but you can access the Word Document here -BROKEN HOMES
It's not hard to find examples of crimes linked to abandoned or all-but-abandoned homes in Lorain. The crimes are an extreme example of the kind of "negative effect on the neighborhood stability and economic vitality of the city" that state auditors warned Lorain of a year ago.
"By not administering its code enforcement, property maintenance and building programs, it is difficult for the city to preserve its housing stock," auditors wrote in their report.
As I said not a lot has happened since that report from the state auditors in 2004 – except the numbers change
The number of vacant homes in Lorain has gone up 70 percent over the last 30 years.
1970: 1,044 homes
1980: 1,579 homes
1990: 1,252 homes
2000: 1,745 homes
** approximately 2,000 in 2005 however from the 2010 census report
3615 – vacant
1642 vacant for rent
57 rented but not occupied
557 for sale
159 sold but not occupied
83 for occasional use/ temp housing
1,110 – all other vacant – abandoned
The solution in my humble opinion- SOMEONE HAS TO TAKE CHARGE AND BE THE BOSS-
– no waffling about only a few months in office- we have had that pronouncement with every new administration- not acceptable -the Building Dept and the codes have been there through all administrations- a Mayor / Administration (new or not) doesn't tell the Fire Chief/ Police Chief etc. how to do his job when they take over – all our new mayor has to do is tell the Building Dept- ENFORCE THE CODES IT WOULD BE MUSIC TO OUR EARS!!!!
The other part of the solution is stop the baby slap punishment being handed out by Lorain Municipal Court and the prosecutors for property maintenance . The 5 Landlords mentioned in part one only one received any "punishment" a $250.00 fine( fine of $1,000- $750.00 suspended) as well as the 30 day jail sentence (suspended) and court coss. The rest had their cases dismissed ( even though the plea was no contest for most) . THE LAW IS NOT TOOTHLESS- Time to bring the gavel down hard!!!!
Common sense, if nothing else, tells you – that garbage housing/ garbage neighborhoods brings more garbage and vermin – four-legged and two-legged kind. The reason we in Lorain, have an influx and saturated solution of Registered Sex offenders, career criminals and those on parole is because " they can easily assimilate into our neighborhoods" and the social service agencies are here for THEIR CLIENTS – for which they get a lot of money for their paid "Directors and staff"-
As long as Lorain is perceived as being a haven for the criminal element- sub- standard housing and whilst rental and social service agencies are the main business attractions no little clean up or tattoo artwork on Broadway will help stop the rot ( bandaids at best). The core issues have to be addressed and soon and it can start with code enforcement and a tough stance.
I would draw your attention to what Lakewood (just 20 miles down the road) considers a "troublesome home" ( Channel 5 news April 30th
Time for our local government and elected officials to stop paying lip service and cuddling up "to the money in the campaign pot supporters" ( as did Landlord Foltin
apparently) or in another 7 years someone else will write of the Lorain that was and is now and the numbers will tell the tale-those that left-those that died- those that cry – the names will change but the story will stay the same ……..
Lorain, OH- Broken Homes- and Broken People-just plain broke
WHO IS THE BOSS?????????? WHERE IS THE BOSS???? Part One
ED NOTE: Since I started writing this morning and documenting the events of this subject, I realized this is just too long for one post- even by my standards- so it will be continued with part two in twenty-four hours after publishing.
There was an article in the Sunday Morning Journal this day of the 29th of April- 2012 12-year-old attempts to rob woman with revolver
"We've lived in that house for 14 years and I've never had someone pull a gun on me — and I hope it never happens again."
The experience seemed unreal, she said. It highlighted the decline of her neighborhood, which once featured middle-class families of all ethnicities often enjoying outdoor barbeques and parties. Now many of the houses sit empty, the grass growing uncontrolled.
"It was a nice neighborhood," she said. "Not anymore. It's gotten bad."
a few days prior- April 10th 2012
Lorain man found dead in vacant duplex
His death-bed only noted by a runaway cat-
If it wasn't for Cassandra James' cat, police wouldn't have discovered a man dead in a second-floor bedroom of a cluttered, vacant duplex at 1629-1631 E. 31st.
James, who lives next door, said her cat went through the basement window of the duplex. She called police to help her get her cat and found the back door was unlocked.
The man, thought to have died sometime last year, was found in the bedroom of a home that neighbors thought was abandoned
Where is the outrage, where is the rallying of community , where are the "candlelight vigils" for the death of quality of life in this city.
As I read these stories and sent out through Charleston Village's Crime Watch heads up – information OF YET ANOTHER REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER WITH ON THE SIDE EMPLOYMENT OF DEALING DRUGS this week I realized I am no longer shocked at these stories.
I am becoming immune to the ABCD disease plaguing my neighborhood ( Abandoned- Blighted -Criminal Tenants-Deteriorating properties ) .
I can see two derelict homes from my window as I type and other homes are deteriorating at a steady pace. As for the guy walking up the street – well he can be found on the Sheriff's site .
My icon "empty" home of nearly FOUR DECADES still stands – the windows truly defining the term "OPEN HOUSE HERE!!!" Oh! I have been told there are liens- there are legal issues by Howard Goldberg of Community Development .
How did this house ( built for a bride over a hundred years ago ) get to this latest legal entanglement and of course the excuse "WE CAN"T DO ANYTHING UNTIL……. possibly another 40 years???
I can tell you what has happened for want of a nail- the battle was lost!
It goes back to the first Administration and Building Dept. who did NOT ENFORCE CODES- this house was in a state of disrepair in the EARLY 1970″s – the buck was passed and NEVER STOPPED!
That is what has been happening for decades- Don't believe me???? – in 1994 Charleston Village Society put out a newsletter with the headline
FOR RENT – ONE CITY- LORAIN – we could see the way things were going even back then.
Our figures from Hud were "poo hooed" – the city didn't count rentals the way we did
Example- if house address 1111 on "Dream on Drive" is listed as a rental – it was counted as a rental therefore count is "one rental property"
However, the house may have been made into 5 rental units so the count for rentals should be 5 rental units- you would think but no! can't have those stats- they would look too bad . Then you have the illegal rental units grandfathered in over the years …….
This is how we got here and there has been "LIP SERVICE" paid over the years to the voter and taxpayer
One Mayor, Joseph Kozuira, did make an effort to "crack down"- "
city's Building Department has cracked down on housing code violations in neighborhoods …
Chronicle Telegram-August 30th 1998 – Blighted-
However Joe Kozuira lost his bid for re-election and Mayor Foltin 2000 once again was on the Lip Service Platform for Enforcement of Building Codes- telling the punters what they want to hear- because nothing happened to enforce building codes:
the new housing inspectors have gotten only a lukewarm endorsement from Mayor Craig Foltin, who defeated his predecessor in 1999 in part by making an issue of what he characterized as an overly aggressive Building Department.
"We feel that if they don't have a successful plan and aren't self-sufficient and nice to people, then we will not continue with them," Foltin said recently of the inspectors- Source Broken Homes article Chronicle Telegram July 2006
NOTE: ONE OF THOSE INSPECTORS HIRED BY THE FOLTIN'S HANDPICKED (Chief Building Inspector) BILL DESVARI – DIDN'T LAST LONG ANYWAY….
A city employeee whose job takes him into homes throughout Lorain faces numerous felony charges, NewsChannel 5's Paul Kiska reported.
Olmstead Falls police arrested, Edwin Heyduk Jr., 47, a building inspector, and a 17-year-old family member on several drug charges last week
Under an ordinance passed under the Kozuira Administration some effort was made for "clean -up" at the end of 2007 -
Five Lorain landlords face charges
………But they are the first to face criminal charges under the law, which was adopted by the city in 1997. The law requires landlords to have the exterior and interior of a home inspected before a rental certificate will be issued………….
…………The five landlords own a total of 15 rental properties, a small percentage of the more than 10,000 rental properties in Lorain, most of which Provenza believes are not legally qualified to have tenants………………A July 3 fire at a West 22nd Street rental home triggered the renewed focus on rental property enforcement when fire crews discovered no working smoke detectors in the home. The fire left a single mother and her five children homeless.
You may have also read in past days about the Lorain's previous Building Inspector under Mayor Craig Foltin – William Desvari whose "lack of obeying laws" has led him into any number of legal issues lately – you know the one who got his degree on-line from Ireland-
Desvari said the master's degree included on the resume he gave to the city when he applied for the job was received from a correspondence course in 1979 that cost him $800. The degree was awarded by a nonaccredited university, Shelbourne University in Dublin, Ireland, he said. [...]
"The degree cost me $800, and it probably was a mistake to keep it on my resume," Desvari said. "I'm probably $800 less richer for having it. I was a lot less wiser at age 27 than I am at 53."
YOU WOULD BE WRONG BILL!! seems you carried on carrying on and wisdom didn't come with age! -
Desvari pleaded guilty to a federal charge of theft of government property for stealing $196,992 for cashing the Social Security checks of his deceased great aunt between 1995 and 2010. He is awaiting sentencing in the case.
Lorain's chief building official arrested Friday on bribery charges
Former Lorain building official William Desvari indicted on additional tampering and theft charges
But "FRIENDLY ( to some) FOLTIN according to Buckeye State Blog August 30th-2006 – continued to stand by his man
William Desvari: Since being hired by Foltin in 2003, Chief Building Inspector William Desvari has lied about having a master's degree, hid past felony convictions for theft and forgery, and encouraged the hiring of a registered sex offender. To make matters worse, recently it has been reported in the Lorain Morning Journal that Desvari hired a second sex offender, owns a private business despite Lorain ordinances which bar him from doing so, and has unfairly targeted the home of a Lorain councilman for housing code violations. Yet even with this list of deceit and mistakes and a mounting demand from local media, Foltin has yet to ask for Desvari's resignation. [Lorain Morning Journal, 07/28/2006; 07/21/06; 7/26/05; 10/3/03]
THESE WERE THE CALIBRE OF PEOPLE RUNNING OUR BUILDING DEPT. - NOT ENFORCING THE ORDINANCES - But they are just part of the story
On January 2nd 2008 the Morning Journal ran the article – There's a New Mayor In Town (Tony Krasienko) and what did he have to say?
During your time on council, you were extremely critical of the city's Building Department and Chief Building Official William Desvari. Will your administration try to replace him?
KRASIENKO: We're going to make sure that the building department is going to be user-friendly, they enforce the laws and that they are going to be held accountable. And any employee that can buy into that mission statement is more than welcome to stay. Anybody that can't live with that, maybe they should look elsewhere.
But it's an important department for this city. You've got significant housing issues and you need to significantly change customer service in the city of Lorain.
And yet Chase Ritenauer was able to use the deteriorating and deteriorated conditions of Lorain's housing to defeat Tony Krasienko in the primary election
This Is London and the rest! Next ????
Why didn't the police in England come down harder in the initial outbreaks? – policing by consent being the rule of the day
The development of the British police has involved a continual public debate about how to protect democratic liberties while maintaining effectiveness against crime and disorder..
Can you imagine the shock and horror of a policeman dressed in his/her riot gear and the fresh face punk stealing that bottle of vodka – this poor little 10-year-old "cherub" grimacing into the camera because he was injured by the authorities – the photo would be flashed around the world ah the hue and cry and possibly causing more unrest. The police forces there and this country are in a very difficult situation!
The thing is "these yobos" KNOW this and are using it – the cries –
you can't touch me- you are useless- nothing is going to happen to me- we are in control -
taunt with a truth !
So why does this affect us here in Lorain? In my opinion lack of accountability and victimology thinking is also prevalent in this little corner of the world- thankfully not to the extent in London.
However the reasoning, the problems, and lack of accountability is the same but magnified by numbers involved in cities such as London , Manchester etc. It is the "numbers" that overwhelm the residents of those cities but just because we are fewer in population here doesn't mean we should not be worried – the root cause is there and here !
Photo Source BBC- Riot photos http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14471098I read this morning a commentary by Max Hastings
The feral children, don't stay 8,9, 10 year olds for long, grow up quickly and in some cases are "having babies " (to prove their manhood in the young teenage years), they get bigger and stronger and find like minded groups, they are a phenomenon not just in Britain but here in the USA as well.
I would suggest reading the article in full, however here are some highlights:
A few weeks after the U.S. city of Detroit was ravaged by 1967 race riots in which 43 people died, I was shown around the wrecked areas by a black reporter named Joe Strickland.
He said: 'Don't you believe all that stuff people here are giving media folk about how sorry they are about what happened. When they talk to each other, they say: "It was a great fire, man!" '
I am sure that is what many of the young rioters, black and white, who have burned and looted in England through the past few shocking nights think today….
Photo Source Daily Mail
But it will not do for a moment to claim the rioters' behaviour reflects deprived circumstances or police persecution.
Of course it is true that few have jobs, learn anything useful at school, live in decent homes, eat meals at regular hours or feel loyalty to anything beyond their local gang.
This is not, however, because they are victims of mistreatment or neglect.
It is because it is fantastically hard to help such people, young or old, without imposing a measure of compulsion which modern society finds unacceptable. These kids are what they are because nobody makes them be anything different or better.
A key factor in delinquency is lack of effective sanctions to deter it. From an early stage, feral children discover that they can bully fellow pupils at school, shout abuse at people in the streets, urinate outside pubs, hurl litter from car windows, play car radios at deafening volumes, and, indeed, commit casual assaults with only a negligible prospect of facing rebuke, far less retribution.
Fire over England fueled by lack of accountability


text:
I'm an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Faculty Research Fellow at National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in the Public economics group. You can follow me on twitter @omzidar.
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Tag Archives: Manufacturing
The Rise of Gross Operating Surplus in Manufacturing since 1960
Gross operating surplus, which is roughly value added less labor compensation, input costs, and production taxes, has increased substantially in the manufacturing sector since 1980. Gross operating surplus includes consumption of fixed capital (CFC), proprietors' income, and corporate profits. Note that this measure is … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Capital Income, Corporate Profits, inequality, Labor Share, Manufacturing, Middle Class Leave a comment
Manufacturing Decline, Housing Booms, and Non-Employment
Kerwin Kofi Charles, Erik Hurst, and Matt Notowidigdo argue that the housing boom masked a structural decline in manufacturing employment in a recent paper. They estimate that 40% of the increase in non-employment from 2000-2011 can be attributed to the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged and Matt Notowidigdo, Erik Hurst, Housing, Kerwin Kofi Charles, Local Labor Markets, Manufacturing Leave a comment
Coveting Thy Neighbor's Manufacturing – Is State Tax Competition A Zero Sum Game?
Many people have been focused on state tax incentives of late. Earlier I posted about some work by Moretti and Greenstone that concludes local subsidies improve residents' welfare (perhaps partly due to sizable employment spillovers). With that in mind, I wanted … Continue reading
Enrico Moretti on the Future of Manufacturing
Q: Both presidential candidates pledge to restore the U.S. manufacturing industry. Some economists say that's essential; others say it's impossible. What's your take? A: The last two years have been good years for manufacturing employment, but they are the exception. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Enrico Moretti, Jobs, Manufacturing, Productivity Leave a comment

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Entuity grants network admins a third Eye
Shortcomings and high price hinder Eye of the Storm 4.5's potencyFollow @pvenezia
Also, the Linux installation is oddly structured. The company has done very little to integrate the application, which resides in an Entuity directory, with the OS. For instance, Entuity provides no startup scripts.
Another knock against Eye is that licensing is tied to the IP address of the server, a method that's sure to cause headaches down the road. Additionally, when a license key expires, the server will start but then quit after a few minutes with little in the way of notification.
The Web UI for Eye is surprisingly lean. Adding and modifying devices offers astonishingly little more than an IP/hostname field and an SNMP community field. The rest of the UI follows suit, and it seems rather neglected and obtuse. I also had a hard time using the Web UI with anything but Internet Explorer -- even Entuity's support Web site doesn't function in Firefox.
The meat of the solution isn't in the Web UI, however. The Eye of the Storm EWC (Early Warning Center) is a Java application that drills into the data gathered by Eye and presents admins with a hierarchical display of all the discovered switches and routers, and all the ports available on those devices. The EWC UI is relatively well laid out, and it's possible to quickly find what you're looking for manually in addition to employing the search feature. For instance, if you have labeled ports within a 6509 switch, you can search on port names, or portions of port names to generate a short list of ports across all switches that match.
From here, admins can view all the relevant data pertaining to a single device, from uptime to CPU utilization, software revisions, module population, VLANs, and more. Also, admins can drill into a specific VLAN or port and generate utilization graphs for those entities. History and trending information is available, reporting how long a port has been connected, for instance. The ticker feature is quite handy, presenting a list of monitored variables such as utilization percentage and error rates, and generating counters and graphs on the fly for those variables.
Eye can also act as a network device event notifier. When it detects switch problems at the chassis, software, or port level, it can send notifications to admins or fire off audible alerts from the workstation.
Overall, I liked Entuity Eye of the Storm 4.5. Despite some design shortcomings with configuration, reporting, and file organization, it has some neat tricks for delivering admins the insight they need to keep their networks running. However, I would have a hard time justifying the $50,000 price tag for most networks.


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More Information
Floridians brave major wait at polls
Published: Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at 9:48 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at 9:48 p.m.
TALLAHASSEE - In record numbers, Floridians went to the polls Tuesday in the nation's largest swing state, facing a tightly contested presidential race and lengthy ballot that included a U.S. Senate race, congressional races, Supreme Court justices and 11 state constitutional amendments in addition to a host of other races.
But state officials only reported isolated problems in the voting, including a series of robocalls in Pinellas County incorrectly advising voters they could vote on Wednesday. However, the lengthy ballot and the large number of voters led to some long lines in some of the major Florida counties.
"It's a been a very good day of voting," said Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner.
At mid-evening, Detzner said there were still a number of voters waiting in line in several counties, including Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange and Lee counties. He said the waits, though, would be no longer than an hour or two.
Detzner said one of the factors for the long lines was the length of the ballot — which was dramatically expanded when the state Legislature added 11 constitutional amendments to the ballot.
Election Day lines could have been even longer if some 4.5 million Floridians had not already cast a ballot, including some 2.4 million who voted in the eight-day early-voting period and more than 2 million that cast absentee ballots.
Detzner said Tuesday evening that the absentee ballots have continued to be turned in at a heavy rate during the last 72 hours and they would not be completely counted in some of the major counties, such as Miami-Dade, until Wednesday.
Officials had anticipated a turnout in the range of 75 percent — which Florida reached in the last presidential election — meaning roughly 9 million voters out of Florida's 11.9 million registered voters were expected to cast a ballot. Some 8.4 million voted in the 2008 presidential race — the state's previous high mark.
"We could well hit that mark or go beyond it," Detzner said.
The largest Election Day mishap occurred in Pinellas County on Tuesday. Automated calls from the Supervisor of Elections office went out to 12,000 voters — telling them that they could vote on Wednesday.
Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman Nancy Whitlock said the office had contracted with a company called callfire.com to call voters who had requested mail ballots but had not yet returned them.
Whitlock said calls went to those voters without a problem on Thursday, and then again Monday. For some reason, she said, when the service didn't reach some 12,000 voters Monday, it then called them again on Tuesday between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. with the same message.
Whitlock said another message then went out to the same 12,000 voters, telling them that Tuesday was the correct day to vote.
Detzner praised the Pinellas elections supervisor for quickly dealing with the issue. "A problem occurred. She took corrective action and I haven't heard any complaints," he said.
Some problems were also reported in Southwest Florida.
Democrats in Manatee County say that some voters called headquarters to report anonymous phone calls telling them that their polling place had changed.
Similar "robocalls" were reported in other parts of the country today.
For instance, The Arizona Republic says that at least seven people received automated phone calls from a U.S. Senate candidate that gave them incorrect polling locations.
The Manatee County Democratic Party reported two calls in the last 24 hours. Both cases were referred to the Sheriff's Office, said Pat Benson, president of the Manatee County Women's Caucus.
"One of the women had the phone number saved on her caller ID," Benson said. "The Sheriff's Office was very happy that she did."
Aside from the few problems, many voters remained excited about the chance to participate in the election.
Jayne Colombaro had no business standing out in the rain, after a recent bout of bronchitis and a persistent cough.
Yet there she was, her voice hoarse and her hair slicked by rain, perched on the side of State Road 70 next to a Ford Expedition emblazoned with Romney-Ryan placards.
She waved happily when drivers honked and gave a thumbs-up to voters leaving a nearby polling place. Colombaro quickly ticked off half a dozen reasons she stood behind Romney: his four years as governor of Massachusetts; his experience in business; Obama's handling of the consolate attack in Libya; rising food and gas prices; what she saw as a negative Obama campaign; and the president's health care reform.
Colombaro vowed to support Romney despite her recent illness and the bout of morning rain.
"I shouldn't really be out here," she said. "But it's so important."
Voting went smoothly at the Newtown precinct of Martin Luther King Drive in Sarasota on Tuesday morning. There was some concern because the voting machine went down and there was no backup.
"There's only one machine and it was down for about 15 minutes this morning," said Ida Jones, who worked an Obama booth in the parking lot. Jones added that some voters had to be re-routed to other precincts because they had mistakenly come to the wrong polling place.
But she said that the voters were not frustrated by the inconvenience.
"In other years, they might have given up," Jones said. "This year they seemed determined."
Studies have shown that rain deters some voters. It was visible at a North Port precinct on Tuesday morning where one voter waited 20 minutes in his car hoping for the rain to stop. He left without voting.
Other voters showed up early and stayed, including Vietnam veteran Charles Hummer who got to the George Mullen Center, North Port's largest polling center, at 5 a.m.
A heavy downpour in east Manatee County cut short what earlier in the day were long lines at Lakewood Ranch polling places. Voters crowded into the lobby at Risen Savior Lutheran Church, off Lorraine Road, as the first rain came about 8:30 a.m.
About two dozen people waited inside the chapel, ballots and wet umbrellas in hand. Only an hour earlier, lines snaked out of two doors leading into the chapel.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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Part of a comparison from a car driving through the snow with the Nokia 808 PureView and the Nokia Lumia 920
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The Sunday Assembly, a godless congregation set up by comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans is looking to raise £500,000 to build a digital platform that will enable the movement to scale »
Last Christmas I wrote a little essay entitled: A Holiday Message from Ricky Gervais: Why I'm an atheist. So for Easter I thought I'd do another one. Here it is. »
Philosopher and author Alain de Botton has called for a series of "temples for atheists" to be built around Britain, allowing the non-religious to have impressive buildings to call their own »
A scientific study of census data from nine countries shows a steep rise in the number of people claiming no religious affiliation »
Mobile retailer Phones 4u has launched a contract that lets customers upgrade their handset as often as every six months, without egregious upfront costs »
For Into the Storm, director Steven Quale didn't want the perfect storm but an accurate one »
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The Sandals Foundation has reported that its greenhouse farm in Robin's River, Westmoreland, has successfully produced more than 800 pounds of sweet peppers since it became operational in March.
She sat in her chair around the counter contemplating her next move; she had a family to care for, bills to pay and the only main source of income for her was about to become non-existent. 'What should I do?' was the question on her lips for quite awhile until the inspiration came to open her very own store.
FOR YEARS, the media have highlighted Noranda Jamaica Bauxite Partners' (NJBP) contribution towards the development of the society in several areas, including education, sports, agriculture, and community development.


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Set above Lake Travis this Custom built home takes advantage of the views from almost every room. It exudes warmth as you enter the front door. Wood and tile floors. Open kitchen, Great Room and Dining all soaking up the expansive views of Lake Travis and the Hill Country. Master Suite on Main level with all other Beds on lower level. Lots of storage. Hot tub on upper deck. Low maintenance landscaping. Neighborhood marina.
Make an Offer for 701 Wesley Ridge
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Find exactly what you're looking for with the web's most powerful recipe filtering tool.
1/2 Photos of Chicken With Olives
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Serving Size: 1 (327 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Getting dinner on the table just got a whole lot easier.


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simple movement by rooks and mate...
Not so simple, there's four good choices for the rooks and only one is mat in 2. It's a good exercice.
Good puzzle for beginners
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easy one
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Customer Reviews
- More than expected Review by Bob Hasch
Quality Price Value
Item was more lifelike then I was looking for !
(Posted on 7/26/14)
- Great! Review by Tophat
Price Value Quality
Great service and a nice product.
(Posted on 7/9/14)
- Great! Review by Tophat
Price Value Quality
Great service and a nice product.
(Posted on 7/9/14)
- That'll do Review by Nate
Value Quality Price
It is an alright target. I have shot worse, but the target ranks close to the bottom. The cost is low and makes buying multiple targets a good buy, but they won't last multiple seasons.
(Posted on 6/25/14)
- awesome product Review by nikki
Quality Price Value
My father loves it. Great quality. Great price. Very happy with purchase and 'highly recommend. Thanks!
(Posted on 6/21/14)
- Solid starter 3D target Review by Dwight
Quality Price Value
This is a great starter 3D target for adults or youth. Yes it's kinda small, yes it's simple, but it's less expensive than most out there and it's easy to shoot. Arrows pull easy and the basic structure is sound. My Son loves to shoot at it from all different angles and I even fling some arrows at it with my 70# bow and it takes like a trooper.
Honestly you can't go wrong for the price, but understand what you are getting. We will shoot this thing until it falls apart and then buy another one. I have other 3D targets that I paid over 200.00 for and the arrows pull hard, the replacement vitals are expensive, and to be honest, It's not any more thrilling to shoot a 200.00 3D target than it is to shoot this 90.00 target. After all it's just a dummy and it looks just the same thru the sites at 40 yards.
Have fun with it!!!!
(Posted on 5/14/14)
- Wonderful Product Wonderful Company Review by Katie
Price Value Quality
The 3d target was a birthday gift for my 7 year old son. I ordered it last minute and they sent it to me pronto! It arrived on his birthday and he was thrilled! It is a great product and these are great people! Many thanks!
(Posted on 4/9/14)
- Easy setup, life like, very durable Review by jerry
Value Quality Price
I am very happy with my new 3-d target.This target is all you can ask for. Life like and very durable. I was impressed with the stopping ability of this target.I shoot the new PSE omen max at 372 fps. This target,unlike most others I have tried,stops my arrows long before my fletching is damaged with no where near a pass through. I was charged $30 too much but dilivery was very very swift.
(Posted on 4/5/14)
- Freaking awesome Review by Joe
Quality Price Value
This target is amazing so life like. Gives you that feeling when a big buck walks up on you. It takes buck fever away, so when that trophy buck does walk up your ready. I got a 12 pointer this year and I would have to say if I didn't have this target the nerves would have gotten the better of me. Unbelievable target unbelievable price.
(Posted on 3/18/14)
- great value Review by Lee
Quality Price Value
Have already used it a lot and it is standing up to field points extremely well. Excellent product and a great value!
(Posted on 3/4/14)