Toledo Free Press – July 29, 2012 by Toledo Free Press

Sun burn

Part II: Solar energy in NW Ohio â&#x20AC;&#x201D; What stole the momentum? Page A10

How will seven levies impact the average Toledoan? Story by Morgan Delp, Page A4

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Opinion

JULY 29, 2012

Publisher’s statement

Half empty or half full?

n July 23, Toledo Free Press reported online that AOL Real Estate ranked Toledo the “10th Emptiest City” in the United States. The list cited rental and homeowner property vacancy rates. Toledo’s 11.5 percent rental vacancy rate and 3.8 percent homeowner vacancy rate landed the city behind Orlando, No. 1 on the list, followed by Dayton, Memphis, Tenn., Detroit, Richmond, Va., Las Vegas, Atlanta, Tampa, Fla. and Houston. That vacancy rates stands despite tearing down houses at a rate of about 300 a year. So, is the Glass City half empty or half full? Thomas F. Pounds In 1970, this area was home to about 383,800. The 2010 census recorded 287,208 residents. What went wrong? The combination of over-reliance on the auto industry, underdevelopment of the waterfront and a business community that ceded leadership to media politicians has proven disastrous. Toledo Free Press reporter Caitlin McGlade quoted Anna Mills, the president of the Toledo Real Estate Investment Association, as saying the market is changing from homeowners to renters. “I find that the people I used to be selling houses to are now renting from me,” Mills said. People are more likely to rent properties to avoid being tied down to a given place, so they are free to take off to wherever the jobs are. Mills also credited Toledo’s shrinking population to capital gain taxes — she said she hasn’t sold any of her rentals because of the taxes she’d have to pay — and local taxes. “And people wonder why we’re losing people and then we’ve got seven levies on the property tax?” Mills said. For Realtors and a market that depend on people with money to spend, it is increasingly difficult to express optimism. I described the situation to a friend as a “buyer’s market,” and he responded, “Only if you’re buying a wrecking ball or a moving van.” Toledo’s inclusion on this list must serve as a wake-up call to our community. If we choose to sleepwalk through this critical challenge, we stand to lose everything. Only by steadfastly maintaining that there is still potential to fill that glass — and acting on that potential by pushing our business leaders to take back the reins of investment and development — can we ever hope to move down and off lists such as these. O Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

n A3

LIGHTING THE FUSE

The dark night

many freedoms fully bounce back? Before Sept. 11, 2001, family members could accompany each other all the way to the departure gate, or wait for them at the bout 30 minutes into the 10:15 arrival gate in airports. One of the indelp.m. July 20 showing of “The Dark ible images of my life is silently walking Knight Rises,” a man left his seat through the Fort Lauderdale Internain the front row and headed for the exit tional Airport in October 2001, focusing on the rifles cradled in the door. I, and scores of people arms of military personnel in Theater 1 of the MJR as passengers checked Theater in Adrian, Mich., bags, bought magazines audibly and visibly tensed. and generally acted as if I had mentally rehearsed they were preparing to the movement it would walk the Green Mile, not take to throw my wife to fly the friendly skies. the floor and suspend myThose rifles and solself between the seats to diers are gone, but the shield her from attack, but in that vague mind-movie Michael S. miller security measures and intrusions on freedom are way that rarely becomes reality. When the man took an abrupt left likely permanent. It is too early to say how the Aurora turn for the lobby, there was palpable relief. When he returned a few minutes later with shootings will impact one of our most popcorn, there was muted, “What were we popular and compelling entertainment habits, but the immediate surrendering afraid of?” laughter. Of course, what we were afraid of of normalcy in the name of “safety,” was that the man was going to copycat happens with a swiftness that indicates his way into the 24-hour news cycle by a frightening willingness to abdicate opening fire on the crowd of moviegoers freedom for “protection.” MJR Theaters canceled midnight as hellbound 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes had allegedly done less than 24 screenings. AMC Theatres chain banned the wearing of costumes to showings. hours before in Aurora, Colo. Do you remember the first time you Whether you have ever donned a Jedi boarded an airplane after the Sept. 11, robe or brandished a Harry Potter wand at 2001, terror attacks? That same low- a screening is not the point; many people thrumming anxiety that defies intellec- do, but for now at least, they no longer tual analysis and sharpens the senses have that option. As the nation shook its collective accompanied many to the dark theater that night. I love going to the movies, as head in denial and grief, Warner Bros. I love traveling by plane, and I resent the pulled its “The Dark Knight Rises” ads intrusion into normalcy such capitula- from TV. The film industry announced it would not release its daily box office tion represents. Cowering does not honor the dead. numbers, a trivial pursuit followed by Bowing to the wishes of madmen does millions of people. DC Comics postnot provide shelter. But it seems that when poned the delivery of the comic book these slaughters take place, there is a swift Batman Incorporated because it contains reaction taken to ward off the grief, help- “content that may be perceived as insenlessness and terror, that is tantamount to sitive in light of recent events.” “Recent events?” The Penn State punthrowing a feather at a raging rhinoceros. So, as bodies are prepared for burial in ishment? The Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes Colorado, our freedoms and choices are divorce? The casino opening? Are we so also corroded. The limitations on choice sensitive, easily offended and unable to may be temporary, but once yielded, how deal with reality that DC couldn’t even

“It’s funny how one insect can damage so much grain.” — Elton John, “Empty Garden”

Thomas F. Pounds, President/Publisher tpounds@toledofreepress.com

A publication of Toledo Free Press, LLC, Vol. 8, No. 31. Established 2005. EDITORIAL Mary Ann Stearns, Design Editor mastearns@toledofreepress.com James A. Molnar, Lead Designer jmolnar@toledofreepress.com Sarah Ottney, Special Sections Editor sottney@toledofreepress.com Jeff McGinnis, Pop Culture Editor PopGoesJeff@gmail.com Zach Davis, Sports Editor zdavis@toledofreepress.com

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The victims

12:36 a.m. July 20, Century 16 Theater, Aurora, Colo. n Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6 n Alexander “AJ” Boik, 18 n Micayla C. Medek, 23 n Jessica Ghawi, 24 n Alexander C. Teves, 24 n Jonathan T. Blunk, 26 n Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class John Thomas Larimer, 27 n Matthew R. McQuinn, 27 n Alex M. Sullivan, 27 n Air Force Staff Sgt. Jesse E. Childress, 29 n Rebecca Ann Wingo, 32 n Gordon W. Cowden, 51

directly refer to the massacre? I understand all of these reactions to an event that shook and shocked us. But there is a line between honoring the victims and giving in to the psychopath, and every time a horrific event takes place, that line increasingly takes the shape of a noose tightening itself around normalcy and our freedom of choice. Which path best preserves the honor of the victims? Shutting down or standing up? Twisting reality to appease or living life as normal? As this strain of murder invades more sanctuaries (schools, churches, army bases, restaurants, now movie theaters), the reactions become more frequently geared toward protection via surrender. Remember the now-cliché line that if we give up Freedom X, the terrorists win? That’s not such a funny concept when our society is increasingly eager to hide its collective head in the sand. And while some may find comfort in that cocoon of darkness, they may not realize just how prominently exposed their asses are. O Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

Michael S. Miller, Editor in Chief mmiller@toledofreepress.com

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COMMUNITY

A4 n Toledo Free Press

JULY 29, 2012

ECONOMY

By Morgan Delp

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer mdelp@toledofreepress.com

Don Zellers considers himself the typical Toledo taxpayer. At 41, Zellers is married and, for the first time in his life, the owner of a house, which he and his wife purchased five years ago. In October, Zellers, who has lived in the Toledo area all his life, lost his job with Clear Channel Toledo after surviving a few rounds of cutbacks. Zellers works part-time positions with Clear Channel and Great Lakes Trivia, and began freelance writing for local publications, including restaurant reviews for Star, after being out of work for a month and a half. He said he feels frustrated and overwhelmed with the seven levies Lucas County voters will face Nov. 6: five county levies, the Toledo Public Schools (TPS) 6.9-mill continuing levy for those in the TPS district and the 1-mill Parks and Recreation levy for Toledo citizens. “A lot of people, including myself, are not getting raises and are making less money than they did last year, but the city expects us to pay more,” Zellers said. “And if you’re already making less money, where is that money supposed to come from? … It’s not like I’m living in abject poverty, but I’m definitely not living on the high horse.” As an on-air personality with Fred LeFebvre on the 1370 AM WSPD morning show, Zellers has become the face of a station campaign to address the “levy LeFEBVRE fatigue” and its effect on the wallets of county taxpayers. “What about Don?” is the question LeFebvre asks his listeners to consider when they head to the polls this November. “We want people to begin to think of Don and themselves when they go to vote,” LeFebvre said. “It’s an individual choice, not a group or city choice. “Think — do you want to raise your taxes? Can you afford it?”

toledo free press photo by jospeh herr

What About Don? Lucas County voters will face seven levies on November ballot

Toledo native Don Zellers works two part-time jobs. he said he feels frustrated and overwhelmed with the levies on the november ballot.

Public Library

The Toledo-Lucas County Public Library is placing a 2.9-mill levy on the ballot that if passed will replace and increase their 2-mill levy, which is due to expire at the end of this year. The current 2-mill levy has been in effect for four years. The proposed levy will not require renewal for five years. The levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 home $88.80 per year for five years, according to a newsletter on the Toledo Regional Chamber of Com-

merce’s website, toledochamber.com. This is a $27.55 per-year increase from the $61.25 taxpayers owning $100,000 homes have paid each year since 2007. Rhonda Sewell, library media relations coordinator, said this levy is expected to generate $21 million to $23 million per year, which she said accounts for about half of the library’s budget. The other half is provided by the State of Ohio Public Library Fund (PLF). A library operating levy has not been defeated since 1977. Sewell said a capital levy failed in 1991 but when reintroduced in 1995, it passed with 74 percent of the vote. Clyde Scoles, executive director of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, said the 1995 capital levy was one of the largest bond issues passed in Lucas County at the time. It upgraded, expanded and modernized the

library system, Scoles said. In 2009, 17.8 percent of the library’s state aid was cut. Since then, about 27 percent of library hours have been SCOLES cut. The Sanger branch on West Central Avenue is the only library left with Sunday hours. Sewell said the library is operating at 1996 levels of funding from the state. While Sewell said the library cannot promise all previously cut hours will be restored, the levy is expected to return the hours, staff members and materials lost in the cuts. Scoles said 50 percent of the current hours may have to be cut if this levy does not pass.

Scoles said he is hoping the increased levy generates $5 million to $6 million more per year for the library system that recorded nearly 3 million visits in 2011. Scoles and Sewell cite the variety of services the branch provided by the 19 neighborhood branches, where attendance has remained high during tough economic times, as reasons voters should support the library levy. “We’re not talking so much about helping the library system but saving the library system,” Scoles said. “… People come for a variety of reasons — job information, homework help. Businessmen come in and grow their businesses using our databases and the expertise of business librarians and information centers. All of that would be curtailed quite a bit if our budget was cut by 50 percent. n LEVIES CONTINUES ON A6

JULY 29, 2012

COMMUNITY

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

IMPORTANT PUBLIC NOTICE As Auditor, I am committed to providing the citizens of Lucas County the best customer service possible and issuing fair and equitable property values.

State law requires the Auditor to appraise each individual parcel of real estate in the county every six years. As opposed to the flat percentage change by neighborhood in 2009, the 2012 revaluation erases all past values and implements a new value for each individual property. THE PROPOSED NEW vALUES ARE DETERMINED, USING: • PROPERTy CHARACTERISTICS PREvIOUSLy ON RECORD AND UPDATED DATA COLLECTED DURING A RECENT DETAILED PHySICAL INSPECTION • RECENT TRENDS IN THE HOUSING MARKET AND ACTUAL SALES FROM 2011, 2010 AND 2009 OF SIMILAR PROPERTIES IN SIMILAR NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND THE COUNTy

Community Ever y y Neighborho Ever er y Street od Ev ro Ever y P perty

... has its own story that determines its individual value. Throughout July, the Lucas County Auditor’s office will be mailing value change notices and detailed information about that individual property. When you receive your notice, please review it thoroughly. SHOULD yOU AGREE WITH yOUR PROPOSED NEW vALUE, yOU DO NOT HAvE TO DO ANyTHING. HOWEvER: • IF yOU FIND A DATA DISCREPANCy (I.E. NUMBER OF BEDROOMS, SQUARE FOOTAGE) • yOU FEEL THAT yOUR PROPERTy vALUE AS PROPOSED IS TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW OR • IF yOU HAvE ANy QUESTIONS Notices will be sent in stages according to area, and individual values will not be made available until notices for that area are mailed (please see the table below). MAILING 1 2 3 4 5 6

AREA WEEK OF Holland, Monclova, Springfield Township, Sylvania June 25, 2012 Lewis to Secor (North of Central), Maumee, Oregon, Ottawa Hills, Point Place, Washington Township, Waterville, July 2, 2012 Whitehouse City of Toledo (call 419-213-4406 for parts of City of Toledo) July 9, 2012 City of Toledo (call 419-213-4406 for parts of City of Toledo) July 16, 2012 Berkey, City of Toledo (East), Downtown Toledo, Harding Township, Jerusalem Township, Providence Township, Richfield July 23, 2012 Township, Spencer Township, Swanton Commercial and Industrial Properties

July 30, 2012

To ensure the best possible customer service, appointments for one on one assistance are available in your area. You are encouraged to call our office at (419) 213-4406 to discuss your value or to schedule an optional appointment in your neighborhood. Sincerely,

Anita Lopez Lucas County Auditor

Office of Anita Lopez, Lucas County Auditor Real Estate Division * One Government Center, Suite 670 Toledo, OH 43604-2255

Phone: (419) 213-4406 * E-mail: outreach@co.lucas.oh.us On the web: www.co.lucas.oh.us/reval12

n A5

community

A6 n Toledo Free Press

JULY 29, 2012

DON LEE

n LEVIES CONTINUED FROM A4

Children Services

Metroparks

Metroparks of Toledo Area plans to become the most recent addition to the ballot for Lucas County voters, as the board of directors decided July 25 to place a 0.9-mill levy before voters in November. The 0.9-mill levy would replace the 0.3-mill levy that expires at the end of its ten-year term on Dec. 31. If passed, the 0.9-mill levy will require renewal in 10 years. This levy provides the funds for the Metropark system’s land acquisition, improvement projects and park operations, said Executive Director MADEWELL Steve Madewell. The Metroparks’ 1.4-mill general operating levy, which is also a ten-year levy, is not set to expire for another five years. According to the The Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $27.56 per year, an increase of $19.10 from the $8.46 citizens pay to the current levy. The last time a Metroparks levy failed was in the early 1990s, said Scott Carpenter, director of public relations for Metroparks. It was presented to the county the following year and passed. Because of the long-term nature of Metropark projects, this upcoming levy would help finish projects at various stages of planning including the Middlegrounds in Downtown, the Blue Creek Conservation Area in Whitehouse and the Fallen Timbers Battlefield in Maumee, Carpenter said. It would also provide for purchasing new land and maintaining the current parks. “In addition to the completion of those projects, it would go toward the replacement and maintenance of restrooms, picnic areas, shelters and things like that,” Madewell said. “What we’re really focused on is preserving natural areas of open space and keeping clean, safe, natural and free Metroparks across the county.”

Lucas County Children Services will be represented on November’s ballot with a 1.85-mill levy. This is a 0.85 increase from the current levy, which will expire its five-year term in December 2013. If passed, collection on the 1.85mill levy wouldn’t start until 2014 and would continue for five years. Julie Malkin, the agency’s public information officer, said the agency is placing the issue on the ballot this year to better plan their finances in the coming year. The 1.85-mill levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $56.66 per year, an increase of $26.04 on the current $30.62 per year paid to the 1-mill levy, according to the Chamber of Commerce. Last year, voters approved a 1.4mill levy for Children Services that will require renewal at the end of its five-year term. Combined, the agency would receive 3.25-mills from the county’s citizens, a decrease from the 3.5-mills the agency collected in 2001. “We decreased our levy millage because we felt like we didn’t need to collect that much from taxpayers. We want to have a sound financial standing so that we make sure the children in Lucas County are safe,” Malkin said. Federal funding, which makes up the bulk of the remainder of the agency’s funding, has been cut over the years. Malkin said local levy dollars are matched by federal dollars, so if the levy does not pass, more federal funding will SPARKS be cut. “We’ve been able to maintain the staffing levels of people that actually go out and see kids,” Executive Director Dean Sparks said. “Internally we have done everything we can to become a leaner system.” The agency will have to cut $800,000 out of its budget if the levy passes, Sparks said. If it doesn’t pass, $13 million to $14 million of the agency’s $43 million will have to be cut. “If it doesn’t end up passing this time or next time, that’s going to affect direct services for kids, services we contract for,” Sparks said. “We spend $350,000 for substance abuse services. Child advocacy contracts would be in danger, mentoring and tutoring for children would be in danger, not to mention there would be a significant layoff of our staff.”

Imagination Station

Imagination Station will ask voters to renew its 0.17-mill levy, which is set to expire at the end of 2013. The new levy would not take effect until 2014 and would continue for five years. Executive Director Lori Hauser said the levy would generate about $1.3 million of the organization’s $3.2 million revenue by costing owners of a $100,000 home $5.21 a year. The other $1.9 million is earned money, HAUSER which comes from gate admission, memberships, corporate sponsorships, development and donations. Twenty-seven percent of the nonprofit science center’s public funds go to exhibit maintenance and rental, Hauser said. The rest goes to general operations and science education. “We aren’t here to replace schools, we are here to work with schools,” Hauser said. “We’re wanting to get

[kids] excited about [science]. Those are the careers of the future and we want to educate our youth.” Hauser said corporations have invested $1.5 million in exhibits since 2009, including “Eat it Up!” with ProMedica and “Grow U” with The Andersons. Hauser said Imagination Station is going on the ballot this fall because in case the levy does fail, like it did in 2006 and 2007 when it was called COSI, the extra time before the levy expires will give the center the opportunity to talk to citizens of Lucas County and find out their concerns and suggestions.

Mental Health

The Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Lucas County has placed a 10-year, 1-mill levy on the ballot. The board’s last levy renewal was passed in 2008, so this levy would generate new money for the agency. Executive Director Scott Sylak said the agency has not asked taxpayers for new money in 24 years. This levy would cost $30.62 per

year for the owner of a $100,000 home, according to the Chamber of Commerce. This is in addition to the levy dollars already being collected by the agency’s 2008 levy. “Basically, over the last six years, including this fiscal year, we’ve lost nearly $7 million. We’ve had to utilize $3 million of our reserves. We’ve cut our services by about $3.9 million and used $3 million of cash to supplement those losses to make up that gap. The issue now is we no longer have the reserve to supplement (our funds). We have no choice but to ask for new, additional dollars,” Sylak said. Sylak said the agency has cut board and administrative services by more than 25 percent and has worked with its provider networks to improve the efficiency of the system and implement outcome measures to determine how effective the services are. Non-management staff has received one small pay increase in the past five years while executive and management staff haven’t received any increase. “We don’t plan on increasing the amount of administration with these dollars at this time. We will critically evaluate the services that are most important to reinvest in, including treatment, medicine, housing, crisis support services and the expansion of kids services,” Sylak said. Sylak said the levy will get the agency close to the dollar amount it has lost during the past six years. n LEVIES CONTINUES ON A7

community

JULY 29, 2012 n LEVIES CONTINUED FROM A6

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Division of Recreation

Toledo City Council approved a new 1-mill levy for this November’s ballot, which would require renewal in 10 years. Toledo City Councilman Steve Steel said the levy is expected to generate about $3 million per year for parks and recreation maintenance and programming. Owners of a $100,000 home would pay $30.62 per year if the levy passed, according to the Chamber of Commerce. Steel said ToSTEEL ledo has never had a recreation levy but almost every other community in the area has, including Maumee, Oregon and Sylvania. Recreation funding comes from the city’s general fund, and when cuts must be made, parks and recreation funding is at the top of the list, Steel said. If this levy is passed, he said, the general fund might be loosened up for other city endeavors. A task force of community members created a report that suggested multiple recommendations for raising funds for the recreation division. Steel said in addition to a levy, recommendations included charging for parking and admission into city swimming pools. Steel said the city already charges

CASH

admission into its pools and parking at Walbridge Park. Steel said other options they could have chosen were increasing summer baseball recreational league fees and charging for parking at all park locations. City Council also chose to use funds from the Athletic Commission to fund a master plan. The master plan will determine what is needed from the city parks system and implement decisions made by citizens. “We need to look at what is needed overall for recreation. Where are the gaps and what can the city do to fill those gaps?” Steel said. Councilman Mike Craig has asked the city administration to hold off on demolishing the pools that have been identified for demolition. Steel plans to join Craig’s effort until taxpayers have the chance to create a dedicated funding stream for city recreation by passing this November’s levy.

Toledo Public Schools

Toledo Public Schools (TPS) is asking taxpayers to approve a new 6.9mill continuing levy, which according to the Chamber of Commerce will cost the owner of a $100,000 home $211.28 per year. The district is under investigation by the Ohio Department of Education for attempting to erase low attendance records by retroactively withdrawing and re-enrolling frequently absent students. Pecko went public with the district’s actions last week.

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Visit www.toledofreepress.com The money from the levy would fund the district’s current transformation program and balance the budget beyond the 2012-13 school year. While the 2012-13 budget is currently balanced, a failed levy in November would mean drastic cuts the folPECKO lowing year. “Without additional funding at this time, the district will have to cut an excess of $15 million before the beginning of the 2013-14 school year,” TPS Superintendent Jerome Pecko said at a news conference in May. “6.9-mill is not going to get us what we need but we think that the community can support it,” said Jim Gault, chief academic officer for TPS. The school system has made staff cuts along with cutting middle school sports and ninthgrade sports, the gifted program in grades three through six, busing for high schools and altogether eliminating Libbey High School. TPS has since brought back some of the sports programs. Pecko said that the proposed levy would allow the district to pursue a new district-wide discipline program, a unified student data program for parents and teachers, the gifted program for grades three through six and employee evaluations based on student performance. School Board President Lisa Sobecki urged voters to consider what the levy provides. “I’ve personally had to do this in my own life: looking at our home budget SOBECKI and putting values behind choices, and I would ask the citizens of Toledo to do that and put values behind those budgets and think of the students that we serve and look at what they’ll be doing some day. They might be your pharmacist, your lawyer ... we need to have an opportunity for a solid foundation.” In November 2010, TPS proposed Issue 5, a 7.8-mill levy which voters rejected. That levy, which would have generated roughly $21.6 million, was the second to fail in 2010 as TPS attempted to meet its $40 million deficit. Issue 5 would have been the highest millage amount passed for TPS in the past four decades, and the first levy passed for TPS since 2001.

n A7

Umbrella levy

Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken has suggested discussing an “umbrella” levy, encompassing all health and human services issues. Gerken said a few members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Citizens’ Review Committee are interested in being the sounding board for such a discussion, which Gerken said will likely occur after the November election. “I think everyone has some thoughts about the number of levies and the crossover of services like human resources, finances and ‘backroom operations’ the organizations all do separately,” Gerken said. Gerken said Ohio’s Montgomery County does a health and human services umbrella levy, and Gerken wants to facilitate a discussion to see if that could possibly work in Lucas County. Gerken said he does not know about the success or failure Mont gomer y’s GERKEN levy has had. “Any discussion we have will be unique to Lucas County. Certainly the concept of doing things in a coordinated fashion makes sense to me,” Gerken said. Gerken said he has no notion of how the funds from this levy would be distributed, but said collection by the auditor and distribution by the commissioners is one idea to discuss. “We may find out it doesn’t work, but until we sit down and everyone puts down their pieces we won’t know,” Gerken said. “Eventually, there’s going to be winners and losers. With evaluations down 12 percent, there’s less resources and we owe it to everybody to start working together.”

Adding it up

If the seven levies are passed in November, the cost to taxpayers owning a $100,000 home would be $450.75, up $105.54 per year, according to the Chamber of Commerce. Once property evaluations received feedback from the state at the end of October, citizens will be able to calculate the exact amount they will owe in property taxes on the Auditor’s Real Estate Information System, available online at co.lucas.oh.us. “I know people need money and there’s some good causes out there,” Zellers said. “But I don’t know this time. I’m not sure. … I don’t know if I can vote for any of them. I’ll have to really look at them all and decide.” O

On the web

visit www.toledochamber.com for more information.

community

A8 n Toledo Free Press

JULY 29, 2012

CITY OF TOLEDO

Study: Toledo is among nation’s ‘Emptiest Cities’ By Caitlin McGlade

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer cmcglade@toledofreepress.com

AOL Real Estate has ranked Toledo the 10th emptiest city in the United States. The team of reporters and editors, which posts real estate advice and information, cited rental and homeowner property vacancy rates for the list of the country’s 10 emptiest cities. Toledo’s 11.5 percent rental vacancy rate and 3.8 percent homeowner vacancy rate landed the city behind Tampa, Fla., at No. 8 and Houston at No. 9 on the list. Orlando, Fla., is the emptiest city in the country, according to the report, with 18.8 percent of its rental properties and 2.2 percent of its homeowner properties lying vacant. Dayton ranked second, followed by Memphis, Tenn., Detroit, Richmond, Va., Las Vegas and Atlanta. On the other hand, a recent list appearing on The Daily Beast included Toledo among the best American cities from Minneapolis to Fargo in which to buy a home. Citing a median home price of $63,400 and the job growth rate at 2.1 percent, the news organization ranked Toledo ninth.

Demolitions and upkeep

The city enjoyed population growth from 1940 until 1970, reaching about 383,800. By 1980, the population sunk to 354,635. The trend continued; 287,208 residents were recorded in the 2010 census. Just 10 years prior, the census had recorded 313,619. And so more than 2,300 houses in Toledo lie vacant today, according to the city’s 2012 vacancy registry. The City of Toledo tears down about 300 properties a year, but the Lucas County Land Bank has identified at least 2,000 homes eligible for demolition. To remedy this, the county agency has secured a $3.6 million grant from the state attorney general’s office to tear down some 900 houses during the next 18 months. After matching the grant, the land bank will invest a total of $6.8 million in the project, said Karen Poore, executive assistant to the Lucas County treasurer. While the city pays to demolish these houses, it also picks up the growing tab to maintain their tangled lawns. Toledo’s $698,000 neighborhood beautification action (NBA) fund sends workers out with trash bags and lawn mowers to pluck glass splinters and trash from yards and cut unruly grass.

“When someone notices a property is vacant, all of a sudden someone realizes that’s a great place where you can clean your garage out to,” said Councilman Mike Craig. “You might have three people there for three or four hours for most of the day cleaning up the trash and the debris in the yard.” The city responded to 4,888 cleanup orders in 2009, 5,810 in 2010 and is on track to exceed 7,800 this year, said Jen Sorgenfrei, the mayor’s spokesperson. Meanwhile, the budget for these clean up orders is getting more difficult to maintain. The NBA fund comes from Community Development Block Grant dollars. This year the NBA fund is at least $325,700 shorter than last year. Banks and mortgage companies that foreclose on these properties do not have to transfer official titles with the county treasurer’s office, so county books often still list the foreclosed upon homeowner as the present owner of a vacant property, Sorgenfrei said. This leaves the responsibility of upkeep and fines to the former homeowner, who is unable to pay. City records list BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP as the single largest holder of the vacant properties, followed by American Home Mortgage Servicing, Inc. “So who ends up paying for that? Me and you,” Sorgenfrei said. “It’s a lose, lose, lose situation. But you can’t blame [the banks and mortgage firms] because, what are they going to do, send a mortgage agent out to mow the lawns?” Craig said this adds just another element that pushes Toledo into that Top 10 list. The total assessed value for Lucas County properties has dropped by 20 percent since 2006.

shrinking population to capital gain taxes and other local taxes. She said she hasn’t sold any of her rentals in years because of the taxes she’d have to pay. The maximum capital gains rate in 2010 was about 15 percent for most people, ac-

have all this and there’s no development,” Mills said. “There’s no amusement-type things along the lake and it’s amazing how we’ve not done much with our assets.” She also attributed Toledo’s

cording to the Internal Revenue Service. The November ballot will be stacked with levies. “And people wonder why we’re losing people and then we’ve got seven levies on the property tax?” O

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From homeowner to renter

Anna Mills, the president of the Toledo Real Estate Investment Association, said the market is changing from homeowners to renters. “I find that the people I used to be selling houses to are now renting from me,” Mills said. This is a testament to the ailing job market, Mills said. People are more likely to rent properties to avoid being tied down to a given place, so they are free to take off to wherever the jobs are. She mentioned the Chrysler Toledo North Assembly Plant revival and the new Hollywood Casino Toledo as hopeful venues to spark job growth. But for the most part, she said, the jobs are not here. “We’re in the ‘crossroads of America’, they’re saying. We’re on the water, on the lake, on the river and we

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community

A10 n Toledo Free Press

JULY 29, 2012

SUN BURN: SOLAR ENERGY IN Northwest OHIO, Part II

By John P. McCartney

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

They were living the good life. Solar energy companies were posting impressive stock gains, successfully winning county, state and national grants and securing local and state loans. Money flowed freely. Then, with little warning, it all changed. The solar industry, with its unlimited growth potential, began to struggle. Local, state, national and international circumstances changed. European countries failed to renew their solar energy subsidy programs, Asia entered the production process and federal, state and local political party leadership changed. Global demand dropped and the increase in panel-producing companies and factories glutted the marketplace with efficient solar panels at significantly cheaper prices than just 12 months earlier. The drop in panel prices globally saw U.S. solar energy company stock prices plummet almost as quickly as they had risen from 2007 through 2008. Companies responded by restructuring their organizations and tweaking their mission statements, CEOs stepped aside or were fired, companies scrambled to expand their traditional markets and cut their workforces, and one company began to introduce new, innovative products using solar energy to power cellphones, campers, boats and military equipment. Scientists, engineers and technicians in research and development departments pushed their creative limits to develop new, more energyefficient technologies. They had to increase solar panel gigawatts cheaper and more efficiently. What happened to the solar energy industry? Simply speaking, life happened.

Changing technology

As early as May 31, 2009, reports surfaced that the once-rich European market was quickly disappearing. Continued success for solar panel-making corporations meant deciding whether to continue with the traditional 6-inch cell-shaped wafers made of polysilicon — an expensive man-made crystal requiring a time-consuming process — or shift to the thin-film process of applying a thin coating of chemicals to glass or other surfaces. The four Greater Toledo-area com-

photo courtesy first solar

Global changes slow solar growth

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panies were all using the newer thinfilm technology methods by 2009. The thin-film process requires fewer raw materials and is cheaper than traditional wafer panels, which rely on polysilicon. In 2009, the cost of polysilicon, the main raw material in traditional wafer panels, rose as high as $500 a kilogram (about 2.2 pounds). Although thin-film technology advocates were in agreement that cost prohibited the use of polysilicon, they differed on which chemical coatings would yield the most efficient panels suitable for mass production. One coating First Solar was using, cadmium, caused significant concern among research and development teams. Critics cautioned against using cadmium because it could cause cancer, although officials at firms using the cadmium technology, including First Solar, insisted that their production methods guarded against cancer-causing environments. Thin-film technology advocates

pointed to significant production time advantages of cadmium. The cadmium coating process took much less time and First Solar’s process was much more cost-effective because it used only one percent of the chemical compound used in traditional wafer panels. By 2011, cost concerns won. The technologies of the Toledo-area solar firms set them apart from all other solar companies globally; First Solar, Willard & Kelsey and Xunlight were all using the thin-film production process, even though, at that time, it was a relatively small segment of the overall industry. Today, solar industry experts are questioning the wisdom of the Toledo-area firms’ decisions. In a research note published May 4, Joe Osha, global coordinator for solar power for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, wrote, “A year ago, the question was when the inevitable recovery in thin-film would occur. Now it’s whether thin-film solar is viable as a business at all.”

China’s response

First Solar, the global leader in the newer thin-film production process, faced another challenge when China entered the solar industry business. In December 2011, Mike Ahearn, First Solar’s then-interim CEO, offered his observations about the supply of solar panels in a conference call with investors. “Global production has effectively tripled over the last three years, as you know,” Ahearn said. “Two factors have enabled this to occur. First, entry barriers for manufacturing [the traditional 6-inch cell-shaped wafers made of polysilicon] evaporated several years ago when equipment suppliers effectively integrated process technology into turnkey production equipment. This enabled relatively inexperienced and unskilled operators to quickly enter the supply chain and led to an explosion of production capacity in China and elsewhere.” China’s labor costs nosedived because, unlike First Solar, it did not need skilled labor to produce its product, which has traditionally been more energy efficient than thin-film panels. Before China’s introduction of what Ahearn called “turnkey production equipment,” consumers had to choose between energy efficiency and cost, and cost (thin-film technology) usually won. n SOLAR CONTINUES ON A11

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Changes in demand

there,” said Mike Koralewski, First Solar vice president and site manager for the Perrysburg plant. “That just tells you that it’s the level of competency and education you have to have to get [First Solar’s] technology to work. “Right now, if you wanted to make a polysilicon wafer PV plant, you can go to various vendors around the globe and actually buy an entire plant from them, and they’ll install it for you.”

n SOLAR CONTINUED FROM A10 China could now produce the more energy-efficient traditional wafers as cheaply as First Solar could produce solar panels using the thinfilm process. First Solar had lost its pricing advantage, and China’s model was easily replicated. “If you look at polysilicon manufacturers (of traditional solar panels), they’re a dime a dozen out

The issue of which company had the best technology took on increased importance as many panel producers were struggled with a supply glut and an international credit crisis that prompted customers to cancel orders and delay construction of solar farms. “Globally, there’s been a kind of softening of demand,” said Monique Hanis, Solar Energy Industries Association spokesperson in Washington, D.C. In addition to other develop-

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Visit www.toledofreepress.com ments, Germany, First Solar’s primary customer, reduced subsidies for converting energy systems from fossil fuel to solar power. On Sept. 25, 2011, it was reported that although solar experts were saying the domestic market for thinfilm panels was growing, Toledoarea solar firms were struggling to overcome hurdles at state, federal and global levels. In addition to the U.S. recession and an increasing number of global competitors, First Solar, Willard & Kelsey and Xunlight had to adjust production schedules as a result of Germany’s decision to abandon its renewable-energy policies and subsidies that had been helping drive U.S. sales. Ahearn said the cut in subsidies was troubling for First Solar. “Going forward, our goal is not just to survive the current environment but to transcend it by creating and expanding markets worldwide that do not depend on today’s subsidy programs,” Ahearn said. “This requires that we refocus our strategy and commit our resources to solving the pressing energy needs that exist in much of the world.” Alan Bernheimer, First Solar’s public relations director, said, “The company is starting to make progress in these new markets, recently announcing 159 megawatts in Australian projects, in addition to a 10 megawatt project already under construction.” Additionally, Bernheimer said in 2011 that 8 percent of First Solar sales were in India, another developing sustainable market. A second Toledo-based company, SSOE, a privately held international engineering, architecture and construction management firm, gained notoriety for its work in the solar industry. In its September 2009 issue, Inc. Magazine ranked SSOE among the country’s fastest-growing firms based on revenue from 2005-08. CEO Tony Damon cited three contributing factors for SSOE’s success: global expansions into high-growth markets; increased focus on delivering engineering, procurement and construction management services; and, most importantly, growing sections such as alternative energy. However, predictions about fluctuating market demands caused additional concerns. In December 2011, Tom Kimbis, vice president of strategy and external affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association, said the intense competition among solar industry firms would produce four things: failures, mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies. Kimbis suggested the biggest problem firms faced was the loss of subsidies to finance large solar projects. Germany and Italy, the two largest European solar panel cus-

n A11

tomers, had curtailed subsidies for new projects, thereby creating a glut of solar panels that resulted in the lowest solar panel prices ever. Ahearn said First Solar adopted a five-point strategy to prevent potential failure: pursue new markets; improve its technology; adapt to customer needs; form better relationships with policy makers and regulators to promote large-scale solar deployment; and price its panels to drive demand without need for subsidies. First Solar also planned to target five new growth markets: Australia, India, the Middle East, North Africa and the United States. Analysts saw wisdom in First Solar’s strategy, suggesting that it was the best positioned of the Toledo-area companies to survive a fundamental restructuring of the global solar energy industry. Bernheimer said First Solar has been successful in pursuing new markets. Just last month, First Solar announced three significant projects. It had been retained to build Australia’s two largest thin-film solar energy projects, to construct a 106-megawatt and a 53-megawatt project in New South Wales for power distributor AGL Energy Ltd. and to continue construction on Solar Ranch One power plant, a California project that is predicted to generate enough electricity to power 75,000 homes. And when Fitch Ratings Ltd. reported in January that solar power companies were likely to encounter tough conditions for their public stock, First Solar responded by saying its competitors were “desperate” to sell inventory after adding too much factory capacity, leading to the current supply glut. The week of July 16, Bernheimer suggested that “desperation” was still a problem because “there is still a supply and demand imbalance in the PV panel market.” Bernheimer said this “desperation” has had a significant impact on the firm’s production workers, who make up the greatest percentage of First Solar employees. “The supply/demand imbalance in Europe has affected our production associates in Europe, since we have announced the closure by year end of our manufacturing operations in Germany, with the elimination of about 1200 factory jobs there. In Perrysburg, by contrast, almost no positions were affected by First Solar’s restructuring,” Bernheimer said. Xunlight has taken a completely different approach in dealing with changes in market demand. Rather than pursuing new markets, Xunlight is working to find practical applications for its technology. n SOLAR CONTINUES ON A12

community

n SOLAR CONTINUED FROM A11 On May 19, Dennis Kebrdle, Xunlight’s chief transition officer, introduced flexible solar panels for use on campers and boats as well as the roofs of buildings that can’t support heavier panels. Kebrdle also announced that Xunlight obtained a $600,000 contract from the U.S. Navy. On June 8, Xunlight introduced its go-anywhere power, a design Kebrdle called ideal for military personnel in remote locations who need power. The four flexible solar panels contained in the bag can be secured to the ground with stakes or fastened to another object through eyelets. Xunlight’s strategy is to market its signature flexible solar panels to campers, boaters, the military and developing nations.

JULY 29, 2012

Photo courtesy first solar

A12 n Toledo Free Press

ARE YOU

EFFICIENT? ENERGY SPOTLIGHT #8: There are many benefits to implementing an energy efficiency improvement plan for your business. By investing in a whole building energy efficiency retrofit, the benefits go far beyond just saving energy, costs and protecting the environment.

Fallout from Solyndra

After President Barack Obama beat John McCain in 2008, he set out to begin to repair the beleaguered economy. One of his solutions was The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a federal program that pumped $787 billion into the economy. Opponents of the federal stimulus package criticized how money was distributed, and one business, the solar energy firm Solyndra Inc., became the poster child for critics determined to focus on the stimulus package’s faults. Solyndra, which had received $535 million in federal loans, filed for bankruptcy in September 2011. As a result, the California solar energy company faces a U.S. Justice Department investigation, a congressional probe, and a mostly Republican contingent of lawmakers contesting any federal aid for other solar manufacturers. By Dec. 4, 2011, two other large U.S. solar companies, Evergreen Solar and SpectraWatt, joined Solyndra in bankruptcy, and a fourth, BP Solar, stopped manufacturing in the spring of 2011. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has turned Solyndra’s failure into a campaign issue. In a speech given in front of Solyndra’s headquarters May 31, Romney said he intends to make “crony capitalism” a major theme in his campaign as well as a counterattack to the Democratic Party’s emphasis on the worst-performing investments of Bain Capital during Romney’s time there. A Romney ad uses First Solar as an example of Solyndra-like failure, and First Solar employees at all levels take exception to that portrayal. Of First Solar, the ad states: “$3 billion in taxpayer-backed loan guarantees. Now they’re cutting jobs and their

Republican presidential candidate mitt romney has compared first solar to the troubled Solyndra.

stock is near all-time lows.” First Solar spokesman Ted Meyer acknowledges that jobs have been eliminated, but emphasizes that more than 90 percent of staff reductions were outside the U.S. First Solar has laid off 2,000 workers and closed its factory in Germany as well as closing down some production in Malaysia. Meyer concedes that First Solar stock is “near all-time lows,” its price lower than it has been in more than six years. But it is not down to $4 per share, as a graphic in the Romney ad suggests. As of July 20, it was trading at $14.83 a share, down from its high of $301.30 in July 2008. Meyer released a company statement about the ad. “It’s surprising a candidate that claims to support U.S. economic growth would criticize a great American success story like First Solar. First Solar has proven that an American company can compete and win in renewable energy globally, and our success supports almost 10,000 American jobs, more than $1 billion in U.S. purchasing, tens of millions of dollars in exports, and record-setting innovation that reduces pollution and enhances U.S. energy security.”

Increased competition

Although solar experts said the domestic market for thin-film panels was growing in September 2011, Toledo-area solar firms were working to overcome hurdles at state, national and global levels. First Solar, Willard & Kelsey Solar Group and Xunlight faced serious issues in competition, including the economic uncertainty

of the U.S. recession, an increase in worldwide competitors and the potential end of European renewableenergy policies and subsidies. In December 2011, Ohio’s solarpanel industry experts predicted the industry would undergo a major shakeup that would break all but a handful of solar panel producers worldwide. The forecast raised questions about the future of the Toledo area’s three current panel makers, and the viability of a fourth one, Isofoton, coming in 2012. Each area firm, First Solar, Isofoton North America, Willard & Kelsey and Xunlight, contended it would survive any shake-up because it made a particular type of panel that was both in demand and competitively priced. Jifan Gao, chief executive of China’s Trina Solar Ltd., the world’s fifthlargest solar panel maker, predicted in late 2011 that by 2015, two-thirds of the industry’s solar-related companies would face either a merger, an acquisition or bankruptcy. Gao also predicted that, by 2020, just 15 solar firms will be left worldwide, five in each one of three major segments: photovoltaic (solar) panels, solar energy, absorbing wafers and ingots, and production of raw materials such as polysilicon. Ahearn of First Solar said his firm is prepared for any change, no matter how drastic. “First Solar is transitioning from serving subsidized markets, such as Europe, to focus on sustainable markets, where high solar resource and strong demand for new generation make solar competitive with fossil fuel generation,” he said.

However, global industry pressures have affected First Solar, which responded by cutting its sales and margin forecasts to reflect slower demand growth and stiffer competition. Xunlight responded to those same pressures by laying off 30 employees in May 2011, after an Italian firm delayed payment on its order. Xunming Deng, then Xunlight CEO, was not disheartened, predicting that “We will be one of those survivors. Our prodDENG ucts are unique and different and we’re starting at a much more premium price.” Executives at Willard & Kelsey, who had planned to have two production lines and 250 workers by December 2011, said the U.S.’s poor economy and slow solar panel demand hindered the financing for its second line. Mike Cicak, Willard & Kelsey’s chairman and CEO, remained optimistic as well. Cicak said the goal for his firm “is to get very, very low on cost and see what happens.” Michael Peck, chairman of Isofoton North America, suggested that the lack of preparation in three key areas would be the downfall of most companies. “Casualties will be those companies who have not introduced new technologies in a timely manner, whose cost structures are not competitive, and who have taken on too much debt to finance past performance due to sector challenges,” Peck said. n SOLAR CONTINUES ON A13

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n SOLAR CONTINUED FROM A12 Peck said Isofoton North America, a Spanish company, chose to build its plant in the Toledo area because of the city’s cluster of solar firms and the research under way at the University of Toledo. In addition to the disarray the U.S. industry faced with Solyndra, Evergreen Solar and SpectraWatt’s well-publicized bankruptcies, U.S. solar industry companies had filed a joint complaint in 2011 that China was dumping low-cost panels into the United States. The Federal Trade Commission ruled, Dec. 2 2011, that solar-equipment makers are being harmed by imports from China. The commission announced it would proceed with a full investigation, which, depending on its findings, might result in imposing added tariffs on China’s imports.

Asian competition

Few experts saw it coming. The United States had been the leader in solar panel production in the beginning but by 2009, a Breakthrough Institute study indicated that China, Japan and South Korea were on the brink of outspending the United States 3-to-1 in all clean-energy investment through 2014. That same study also indicated that those three Asian nations had already passed the United States in “virtually all clean energy technologies.” U.S. companies also complained that solar panel prices had been negatively affected by China’s flooding the world market with solar panels priced below production costs. In mid-December 2011, First Solar’s Ahearn, then interim CEO, explained his firm’s position concerning the supply of solar panels in a conference call with First Solar investors. “Global production has effectively tripled over the last three years,” Ahearn said. “Two factors have enabled this to occur. “First, entry barriers for manufacturing polysilicon wafers and cells evaporated … when equipment suppliers effectively integrated process technology into turnkey production equipment. This enabled relatively inexperienced and unskilled operators to quickly enter the supply chain and led to an explosion of production capacity in China and elsewhere. “Second, silicon feedstock constraints … were alleviated in re-

cent years as additional feedstock capacity was brought on line by … suppliers. Feedstock availability brought down prices and enabled higher utilization rates for the nameplate production capacity. … The essential point is that the polysilicon supply chain has undergone a fundamental structural change. “In a supply chain without structural entry barriers, several things occur. First, production volumes increase so long as capital is available to fund it, and we’ve seen over the past several years that U.S. equity markets and more recently, Chinese governmental entities have been willing to provide the capital needed to fund a massive production expansion.” On May 18, 2012, the federal trade commission released a preliminary ruling that would add a 31 percent penalty on China’s imports. If the preliminary ruling is upheld, the 31 percent tariff could be imposed on Chinese solar-panel imports. A final decision is expected in October. The tariffs would be in addition to fees ranging from 2.9 percent to 4.73 percent imposed in March after the Commerce Department found that China was improperly subsidizing its solar manufacturers. Although U.S. solar panel-producing companies either support or maintain a neutral position on the tariffs, the majority of U.S. solar panel installers oppose them, arguing that less expensive imports have helped make solar panels more affordable for U.S. customers. The ruling “will re-establish a natural balance in pricing that does need to occur in the global marketplace,” said SolarWorld President Gordon Brinser. He contends that the U.S. solar market has been harmed by cheap Chinese imports. Jigar Shah, the leader of a coalition of solar companies that oppose U.S. tariffs, said he fears that additional tariffs will lead to the loss of thousands of U.S. jobs. Brinser dismissed Shah’s forecast as “doomsday” talk.

Changes in leadership

As solar companies struggled to remain solvent, some organizations decided to make a change at the top. On Oct. 25, 2011, First Solar’s CEO Rob Gillette resigned with no advance notice, and the company’s stock nosedived. First Solar

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Photo courtesy first solar

JULY 29, 2012

Some solar industry leaders say increased tariffs coulD lead to the loss of thousands of U.S. jobs.

stock had opened the trading day at $58.11 per share. It closed at $43.27 a share, a 25 percent drop in one day and the biggest single-day decline since the company’s initial public offering in November 2006. At $43.27, the stock was at its lowest level since 2007. Ahearn, one of the company’s founders and its chairman, was tapped to serve as interim CEO. The extent of the shakeup became clear that day, as only one of First Solar’s top six corporate officers listed in the firm’s 2008 annual report remained with the company. In a news release dated April 26, 2011, Ahearn explained the executive reshuffling. “The board of directors believes First Solar needed a leadership change to navigate through the industry turmoil and achieve our long-term goals,” Ahearn wrote. On March 8, 2012, Deng, cofounder of Xunlight, resigned as the firm’s president, CEO and chairman of the board. In an email, Deng wrote that he would continue on as an adviser to Xunlightas needed by the board of directors. Deng also said he would con-

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tinue as chairman and CEO of Xunlight 26 Solar, as well as chairman and legal representative of Xunlight Kunshan and its plant in Kunshan, China. First Solar made another change May 3, 2012, when it announced that James Hughes, the firm’s chief commercial officer, would become CEO, replacing Ahearn, the interim CEO and company founder. Ahearn took CEO position after Gillette left the position. “Jim [Hughes] has been instrumental in developing the strategic plan that will enable us to compete and win in this new era for the solar industry, and it became clear he is the right person to lead the execution of that plan,” Ahearn said. “Jim brings a wide range of experience that will be invaluable in leading our organization, having owned and operated utilities, built power projects, cultivated partnerships and led profitable growth in a wide array of key markets around the world.” Willard & Kelsey’s replacement of CEO William Mitchell in 2009 was much less cordial. Mitchell was fired. After being fired, Mitchell copied the firm’s re-

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cords onto what he said was his computer’s external hard drive, including months of financial transactions, banking records and detailed expense reports Mitchell claimed showed Willard & Kelsey’s travel and entertainment expenses. Mitchell hired a lawyer to facilitate using that information to pressure Willard & Kelsey executives into paying him more than $1 million he claimed he was owed as CEO and part owner. Mitchell told his lawyer he had been instructed by Cicak, current CEO and chairman of Willard & Kelsey, to make payments to company executives from money advanced by group of Italian investors. Mitchell died in July 2011. Cicak said he could not discuss the situation because Willard & Kelsey has litigation pending against Mitchell’s estate, with the intention of recouping money he said Mitchell owed the company. He framed his discussion of the situation with the claim that all of Mitchell’s accusations were the work of a disgruntled employee fired for just cause. n SOLAR CONTINUES ON A14

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Workforce issues

Leaders of Toledo-area solar panel companies say they recognize how important it is to both the economy and workforce morale to be able to offer members of the region’s extensive displaced workforce a job. In that spirit, Willard & Kelsey executives said in February 2011 that the firm expected to hire 600 to 700 employees in 2012 and 2013. Cicak and Mossie Murphy, the firm’s chief financial officer, said the company hoped to generate 3,000 to 4,000 jobs between 2012 and 2017 and open a second factory three times the size of the one on Progress Drive in Perrysburg. Despite its optimism, Willard & Kelsey has not been able to meet its hiring goals. Cicak said he remains hopeful that his firm will begin a full production schedule sooner rather than later. In August 2011, First Solar faced workforce concerns when it was forced to rearrange about 60 jobs in its Perrysburg manufacturing complex because of what a news release called “a shift in our production processes.” First Solar, which has more than 1,200 employees at its Perrysburg facility, “redeployed” about 5 percent of its employees at one production site, assigning the “redeployed” workers to different production site at the same Perrysburg facility. Matt Dills, vice president in human resources, emphasized that “no jobs were eliminated and no salaries were affected.” Since then, Deng said, Xunlight has slowly climbed back, securing new customers and pursuing a partnership with another solar firm that could lead Xunlight to expand its production beyond traditional solar panels. On Dec. 4, 2011, Toledo media took stock of the area’s solar industry employment records, reporting that First Solar was the biggest solar industry presence in Toledo area with 1,200 employees. Willard & Kelsey had 72 employees, and 40 of those 72 were laid off in January 2012. Xunlight, which had promised 181 jobs, employed 50. Isofoton North America, which is building a plant in Napoleon, plans to open at the end of July with 330 jobs. In March 2012, First Solar announced it would fire about 2,000 workers worldwide. The firm promised no layoffs would occur among production employees at the Perrysburg plant, although about 30 members of what it called Perrysburg’s “corporate administrative staff ” would be laid off. Although company officials said Perrysburg facility workers are not included in First Solar’s plans to re-

duce global production throughout 2012, industry analysts suggest Perrysburg facility employees might have reason to worry. The Perrysburg facility faces the risk of downsizing later in 2012, according to Gordon Johnson, managing director and head of equity research at Axiom Capital Management Inc. Johnson suggested that delayed and/or canceled projects could result in layoffs in Perrysburg. Bernheimer, First Solar’s public relations director, said the firm would decrease operations at facilities in Germany and Malaysia, delay plans to open a second U.S. facility in Mesa, Ariz., and abandon a plan for a facility in Vietnam before it would downsize at the Perrysburg plant. Bernheimer said the Perrysburg facility was spared this time because “demand in the U.S. remains strong and we have 2.7 gigawatts of projects under contract with utilities.”

JULY 29, 2012

toledo free press photo by joseph herr

A14 n Toledo Free Press

Cap Averill II

Cap Averill II & Associates

The Other Side of the Coin

Money issues

First Solar reported $664 million in profit in 2010 on sales of nearly $2.6 billion for global operations. The firm does not provide figures for the U.S. market. Financial figures are not available on Willard & Kelsey or Xunlight because they are privately owned and are not traded on the stock market. All three Toledo-area firms have benefited from federal and state money and tax breaks. First Solar’s Perrysburg facility was approved in September 2011 for $455.7 million loan from ExportImport Bank of USA. First Solar also received $16.3 million in federal tax credits for expansions at the Perrysburg plant. Willard & Kelsey has secured at least $19.5 million in aid while Xunlight has received nearly $50 million in aid. The biggest expense in a solar project is the interest on financing, according to Jeffrey Pichel, industry analyst at Jefferies & Co. Given what Pichel called First Solar’s “excellent balance sheet,” Pichel said First Solar is in good shape to finance future projects. Todd Nein, interim executive director of Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA), said solar companies are struggling because of the global economic downturn, the loss of European subsidies and the overabundance of unrealistically inexpensive Chinese solar panels. In October 2011, First Solar reported net sales of $1 billion in the third quarter, an increase of $473 million from the second quarter of 2011, and up from $798 million in the third quarter of 2010. Third quarter net income per fully diluted share for 2011 was

Alan Bernheimer is public relations director for first solar.

$2.25, up from $0.70 in the second quarter of 2011 and $2.04 in the third quarter of 2010. In December 2011, First Solar forecast 2011 net sales in the range of $2.8 billion to $2.9 billion, down from its previous range for net sales of $3 billion to $3.3 billion. For 2012, First Solar forecast net sales from $3.7 billion to $4 billion, including approximately $1.7 billion from its systems business. Diluted earnings per share were expected to be between $3.75 and $4.25 with consolidated income. First Solar reported in 2012 that it expected to generate nearly $1 billion of operating cash flow and had plans for approximately $375 million to $425 million in capital investments. On Feb. 29, First Solar reported fourth-quarter losses of $413 million, or $4.74 per share, compared with profit of $155.9 million, or $1.80 per share, in February of 2011. On May 4, First Solar acknowledged its enormous cost advantage

over its competition had disappeared. As a result, First Solar stock fell to about $18 per share, down from $140 per share in 2011. Also, since the cost of raw materials for crystalline silicon panels had taken a nosedive, it became easier for these traditional, more energy efficient panels to compete on price with First Solar’s thin-film panels. Xunlight got a financial reprieve on May 19 when it was awarded a one-year deferment in repaying its state loans. Xunlight owed the OAQDA payments of a little more than $193,000 in both February and May. However, it made an interest-only payment in February and failed to make its May payment, said Nein. Although the missed and partial payments violate the terms of Xunlight’s loan agreement, the company was allowed to defer loan repayments for a year because of the progress it is making, Nein said. n SOLAR CONTINUES ON A15

Ok, so now we have seen more than 20 meetings with the purpose in mind of “fixing the european debt crisis”. HMmmm. When I get my car fixed, I don’t go back again to have it fixed. as it is not any longer broken. After all I had it fixed. It is unsettling that it just keeps happening.We read stories which say that the problem is solved, then a few days later we are worrying again? I do not see this as being over. My math says that Europe does have the assets to save Greece, Portugal and Possibly Spain, but all three together would be really rough. Italy, is an impossibility without global intervention, and that means us. To me, China is floundering at best. Supported indirectly by our economic stimulus. These types of things have not been factored in to historical returns charts, or the overall financial planning model. They are ahead of us not behind us. Many times at the point in time that major megatrends hit pivot points, (like now with leveraged interest rates) businesses that did well in the recent past, will be the most likely to do poorly in the near future. When something changes, advisers give five years of bad advice and realize it 5 years later when their mistakes show up on the historical chart. We all know who won last years super bowl, but who is going to win the next? In 2008 over 80% of investors with $1 million dollars in assets planned to move money from their current advisor. A lot of them must have. There is 13.2 trillion dollars in money markets and banks. The average bank rate is 1.15 % on Bankrate. com for five years. America can not afford to lose another decade of growth in their retirement funds. Are you seeing the same thing? There is a better way. Please tune in to WGTE channel 30 PBS September 2 4pm, for my documentary “Wants and Needs”.

COMMUNITY

JULY 29, 2012 n SOLAR CONTINUED FROM A14 In January, the state took notice that Willard & Kelsey had failed to live up to production and staffing goals its executive leadership had set when it was formed in 2008. Willard & Kelsey had been conditionally approved for more than $3 million in state tax breaks, but has not generated enough jobs to remain eligible for those breaks, according to Daryl Hennessy, assistant chief of business services at the Ohio Department of Development (ODD). Cicak said his firm had laid off employees because Willard & Kelsey’s only assembly line was undergoing changes to produce more efficient solar panels. Nein of the OAQDA said his agency has confidence in Willard & Kelsey because its executives have experience with First Solar. Willard & Kelsey faced additional

scrutiny earlier this year because it had also reduced payments on a fiveyear $5 million loan from the ODD. The firm was only paying about $7,800 a month to cover the interest on the loan, Hennessy said. Cicak said he is looking into financial options, including finding another investor, to fund Willard & Kelsey’s operations. “No, I’m not closing,” Cicak said Jan. 18. “I’m going to try and work my way out of it.” Cicak said investors have sunk more than $100 million into Willard & Kelsey and he is determined to keep the firm afloat.

Stock prices

First Solar has ridden a stock market roller coaster since it went public Nov. 17, 2006. In opening-day trading, the stock closed at $28.30, a 41 percent increase on the opening price of $20 a share. The stock peaked

Construction problems

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20 months later, when, on July 31, 2008, it closed at $301.30 a share. First Solar’s closing price history, as reported by Market Watch, shows rapid growth from November 2006 to July 2008, and then a precipitous fall of $185.75 per share in just four months. It closed at $115.55 per share on Nov. 17, 2008, the two-year anniversary of its first public offering. Since then, prices have fluctuated, all the while declining, closing at $123.99 on Nov. 17, 2009; $122.83 on Nov. 17, 2010; $45.61 on Nov. 17, 2011; and $14.83 on July 20. Isofoton, like Willard & Kelsey and Xunlight, is privately held. None of the three are traded on the stock market or release their financial information. Since July 2010, Isofoton has been part of the Affirma Business Group, which holds 80 percent of the firm’s ownership). Affirma’s expertise is in the development of solar projects. The other 20 percent ownership belongs to TOPTEC, a South Korean company that specializes in industrial automation. In February, First Solar faced financial uncertainty when a construction delay threatened to cancel the sale of a large solar power plant it was building for Exelon. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, First Solar said it has been unable to resolve a construction permit issue at the 230-megawatt Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One plant in Los Angeles County, Calif. The issue was blocking the distribution of funds from a $646 million federal loan guarantee intended to pay for the construction project. First Solar sold the California project to Exelon for $75 million in September 2011. Under the terms of the sale, First Solar was obligated to buy the solar power plant back from Exelon if the funding for the loan was unavailable. First Solar, which is in the business of constructing, not operating, solar plants, said that if it were required to purchase the solar power plant from Exelon it would still have enough cash to operate its business while the firm looked for another buyer. First Solar is the only area solar firm in the business of building solar energy fields. Bernheimer said First Solar is “very much the (global) leader in building and developing these large, utility-scale solar generating plants, or solar projects.” Bernheimer also said First Solar has seen an increase in domestic demand for solar energy field construction. First Solar has 25 construction projects, totaling 2.7 gigawatts of utility-scale solar projects, in various stages of development

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MICHAEL CICAK and construction in North America, all with long-term contracts to deliver power to utilities. Twelve of the projects are in the “In Operation” stage: four in California, three in New Mexico, one in Arizona and four in Ontario, Canada. Seven are in the “Under Construction” stage: five in California and two in Arizona. Six are in the “In Development” stage: three in California and three in Ontario, Canada.

Drastic drop in prices

In 2000, the United States produced about 40 percent of thin-film solar panels worldwide. Ten years later, in 2010, the U.S. was producing less than 10 percent of said panels. Decreased production was accompanied by an unexpected drop in panel prices. In September 2011, the solar association reported that the price of solar panels had declined 30 percent since 2010, the result of increased solar competition and falling silicon prices. Despite the decline in price, Bernheimer said First Solar experienced sales growth in 2010 because it made what he called the most affordable panels in the world. In 2011, solar panel prices decreased another 50 percent amid the global glut of panels, increased competition and governments’ reduced incentives for renewable energy. As early as April 14, the average selling prices for solar panels had dropped another 10 percent from the record-low levels recorded in 2011. The drop in prices helped boost global sales and made solar power less dependent on subsidies to compete against fossil fuels. However, lower prices erased any profit among the region’s three manufacturers.

Analysts’ observations

In June 2008, solar industry ana-

n A15

lysts suggested that new competitors and high stock prices would cause First Solar problems. Mehdi Hosseini, an analyst with FBR Capital Markets, lowered the rating on First Solar shares from hold to sell. First Solar’s stock was trading at almost $300 a share then, and Hosseini argued the price reflected unrealistic expectations about the firm’s future profit margins. He also expressed concern that First Solar could be forced to lower its prices to achieve its goal of selling plant-size solar-energy installations to U.S. utilities, and lower prices could hurt profit margins. In 2009, stock analysts at Deutsche Bank Securities in New York predicted that panels made with cadmium would account for 13 percent of global production that year, up from 10 percent just a year earlier. Analysts attributed most of that to growth at First Solar. Steve O’Rourke, a Deutsche Bank Securities analyst, said he expected the excess supply of panels to lead to industry competition that would benefit First Solar, a company that he called the “industry leader” with “sustainable competitive advantages.” In his report, O’Rourke suggested that First Solar “offer[ed] the most compelling value proposition in the industry.” He predicted that First Solar would “do the most to define and advance the solar panel industry in years to come.” Two years later, on Dec. 4, 2011, Jeffrey Pichel, an industry analyst at Jefferies & Co., forecast solar industry consolidation for 2012 to 2014, citing the bankruptcies of Solyndra, Evergreen Solar and SpectraWatt, and BP Solar’s halt in manufacturing as the primary reasons for consolidation. Pichel said First Solar avoiding becoming a victim of industry consolidation “all [comes] down to how they can improve their efficiency.” O Clarifications for Part I: O Alan Bernheimer, First Solar’s public relations director, reported via email July 20 that First Solar stock peaked July 31, 2008 at $301.30 a share, not Nov. 1, 2007, at $237.15 a share as reported in Part I. O First Solar’s Perrysburg plant was built in 1999. The June 3, 2003, groundbreaking event referenced in Part I was for the building of an expansion to the original structure. Research sources for Part II are posted at www.toledofreepress.com. Next week in Part III: What local, state and national solar industry advocates had to say during the industry’s honeymoon with Northwest Ohioans, and what those same people have to say now that the honeymoon is over.

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JULY 29, 2012

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JULY 29, 2012

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Montessori schools foster independence, love of learning By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

When Toledo natives Jason Thomas and his wife Sally Gladwell moved back to the city with their

young son, they planned to enroll him in public school when the time came. Then they stumbled upon West Side Montessori. Gladwell discovered the private school while researching child care for 8-month-old Henry and fell in love.

“I was just flipping through the phone book and set up an appointment,” Gladwell said. “I floated out of the place. It was so consistent with what we wanted for our children. I recall calling Jason as soon as I got to my car and saying, ‘You and Henry have

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to come and see this place. This is everything we want for our kids.’” The American Montessori Society describes its model as an innovative, child-centered approach to education that aims to foster a child’s natural inclination to learn. Developed in Rome in 1907 by Maria Montessori, there are now more than 4,000 Montessori schools in the United States and thousands more worldwide. “Our children are taught how to think, not what to think,” Gladwell said. “The curriculum is fashioned after naturally occurring milestones in brain development.” Today, Henry, now 10, as well as Sam, 7, and Eleanor, 4, love school, their parents say. “There are no struggles to get our kids to want to be at school,” Gladwell said. “As summer approached, they would say, ‘Oh, I’m really going to miss school.’ That to us makes it feel like West Side is an extension of our home life for them, like everything we are very intentionally trying to do at home is being supported by what’s happening at West Side. That value in that is just immeasurable. You can’t convert that into a tuition payment.”

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Montessori philosophy

Almost all children thrive in a Montessori environment, said Joy Perozek, co-director and lead teacher at Toledo’s Montessori Day School, which enrolls students age 18 months to kindergarten. “I wish every child had the opportunity to be in the program,” Perozek said. “Montessori is just such a great foundation for further education.” Children who are academically advanced, independent or curious tend to do especially well, said Sister Pat McClain, principal and president of Lial Catholic School in Whitehouse, which enrolls pre-kindergarten to eighth grade students. n MONTESSORI CONTINUES ON A18

photo courtesy west side montessori

West Side, which enrolls children age 13 months through eighth grade, will open a new building this school year on its Bancroft Street campus. The facility, for toddlers through third-graders, will replace a building the school formerly leased on McCord Road. The school also has a campus in Perrysburg. Unlike the McCord Road location, the new 30,000-square-foot

building was purpose-built for the Montessori curriculum, said Lynn Fisher, head of school and founder of West Side Montessori. The building features winding paths that meet at a crossroads featuring a 15-foot blue ceiling painted with clouds. At the center is a light tube representing the sun. Each spacious classroom features child-level windows and a porch. “There’s a very natural feel to the space, very organic,” Fisher said. “It definitely does not look like a traditional school.” A “natural playground,” featuring logs, rocks and equipment that utilizes the natural contours of the landscape, will be built in stages. “That will be quite different than anything in Toledo,” Fisher said. “It’s designed for children to be very active and very creative. We think it will be really exciting.”

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The Montessori method is an approach to education.

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A18 n Toledo Free Press n MONTESSORI CONTINUED FROM A17 “Children who just have a great love of learning, that independence can be nurtured here. The curious child does very well here,” McClain said. Lial is Montessori-based, but also utilizes other curriculums, McClain said. “Montessori has very specific materials whereas we are more diverse than that and feel free to use whatever materials we feel are good for the child,” McClain said. “It’s a very dynamic way of teaching and a very dynamic way of learning.” An authentic Montessori program features multi-age groupings that foster peer learning, uninterrupted blocks of work time and guided choice of work activity. Teachers guide rather than instruct, offering activities that meet each child’s interests and needs. Classrooms are designed to allow movement and collaboration while also promoting concentration, indepen-

dence and a sense of order. “Once you step inside a classroom and see how children are being educated, it makes you think, ‘Who could I have been if I would have been educated this way?’ It’s very compelling,” Gladwell said. The multi-age classroom format encourages peer-to-peer learning, McClain said. “Children are learning from one another and being in a community of learners, very similar to a home environment, where siblings learn from siblings,” McClain said. When children are able to work at their own level, they take ownership of their educational process, McClain said.

Parent reaction

Eileen Pasquarette enrolled her children at Lial Catholic School last year after moving to Monclova from Bowling Green. Her daughter, Tori, will be in seventh grade and her son, Nick, will be in third grade.

Although Lial is more expensive than the Catholic grade school they attended in Bowling Green, Pasquarette said the investment is worth it. “My daughter is able to work at a faster pace and is progressing faster, while my son is enjoying it more and talking about it more because it’s hands-on,” Pasquarette said. “They are learning to be more independent and more active in their learning and they are enjoying their learning

JULY 29, 2012 more. I’m a big advocate for active learning. That’s the part of the Montessori style I really like. Plus it’s a Catholic school, which was a big thing for us. They value faith as a part of learning.” Gladwell and Thomas also said it’s worth adjusting their lifestyle to keep their children at West Side. “Everything else is superfluous to their education,” Gladwell said. “This is our one big chance to raise

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our kids and we want to do it right. When we hear other people say it’s really college that matters most or its really high school that you need to make the big investment, I guess I respectfully disagree. That foundation is so powerful and so important in the early years.” For more information, visit www.montessoritoledo.org, www. montessoridaytoledo.com or www. lialschool.org. O

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n .A19

By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

Like most area parents, Joni Meyer-Crothers of Sylvania has backto-school shopping lists to tackle before fall — but she’ll probably spend far less money than most. “I have four right now going to

school and we spend $15 per child at the most, and that’s mainly the backpack they want,” Meyer-Crothers said. “We do mostly penny deals.” Meyer-Crothers is an “extreme couponer” frequently featured in the national media, including TLC’s “Extreme Couponing,” “The Today Show,” “Rachael Ray,” “FOX News” and AOL’s You’ve Got.

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She and her husband, Jamie Crothers, have seven children ranging in age from 6 to 25. She started couponing to save money on groceries after Jamie was laid off from his automotive job, and it has grown to become both a passion and a lifestyle. For back-to-school shopping, Meyer-Crothers recommends looking online for deals. “I use a combination of print and online coupons, but usually around school time, you’ll find more online,” Meyer-Crothers said. Her own website, www.freetastes good.com, features daily deals on back-to-school items. Type “Back to School” in the search bar or click the “Back to School” link on the righthand sidebar. “As coupons come out, I’ll be updating that all the time,” said MeyerCrothers, who also has a Facebook page, “Saving and Sharing for Christ.” Another good website is coupons. com, Meyer-Crothers said. “People are going to want to check them daily because it can change every day,” she said. “As it gets closer to school, they will start adding more.” Print online coupons even if you don’t plan to use them right away,

toledo free press photo by sarah ottney

Patience, price-matching keys to back-to-school shopping

Joni Meyer-Crothers with her husband, Jamie, and four of their seven KIDS.

Meyer-Crothers said. “Even if you’re not going shopping that day, print it out because usually they only allow a certain number to be printed,” she said. “By next week it might be gone, or even

the next day.” Comparison shopping between stores can sound daunting, but many couponing blogs will do the pricematching for you, Meyer-Crothers said. n COUPONS CONTINUES ON A22

Marva Jones is one of the many adult students who balance their families and careers while earning a degree. She is now set to graduate from UT’s College of Adult and Lifelong Learning, which is filled with support services and helpful staff to assist adult students in obtaining their degrees. UT has tutoring services (in case your study skills are a little rusty), a daycare on campus (for the little ones while you learn), and fast-track degree completion programs (for when you need a bachelor’s degree, and you need it fast!). And if you already have college credit — like Marva did — UT can work with you to maximize your previously earned hours.

Learn more about going back to school at

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n COUPONS CONTINUED FROM A19 “You don’t have to go through all the ads to save money,” she said. “It’s all spelled out for you in most of the blogs.” Walmart will price-match any store’s coupon as long as it carries the item, she said. “That’s a huge benefit because then you don’t have to go to all the different stores,” Meyer-Crothers said. Walmart is the only local store that will actually pay shoppers for purchasing certain items, MeyerCrothers said. For example, if an item costs $1 but the shopper has a coupon for $2 off, not only will the item will be free, the shopper will get $1 in change. “That’s huge,” she said. Another tip for back-toschool shopping is to partner with other parents. “If you each take a store, you can get all the same deals, but it makes it easier on you,” she said. “Not only money, but time is precious for everyone and you want to make sure you are making the most of both.” It’s more cost-effective to do backto-school shopping gradually, MeyerCrothers said. “People want to do it all in one day, but that’s not going to save a whole lot of money,” Meyer-Crothers said. “They’re probably going to spend three to four times more. You really want to start now and do it up until school starts. Most people are going to the store once a week anyway, so by the time three to four weeks are up, you’ll have all the school supplies you need. People can save at least 75

“

Not only money, but time is precious for everyone and you want to make sure you are making the most of both.” — Joni Meyer-Crothers percent if not more if that’s how they shop at school time.”

Couponing class

Besides keeping her own family’s expenses down, Meyer-Crothers is passionate about helping others do the same. Her next couponing class will be 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 11 at Sylvania Area Family Services, 5440 Marshall Road, Sylvania. Cost is $10 and five nonperishable food or hygienic items. Space is limited to 40 participants. Participants must preregister by visiting freetastesgood. com. Type “Sylvania Area Family Services” into the search bar to find registration information. Giving back is another passion for Meyer-Crothers, who regularly donates groceries and items to local charities. She also partnered with Toledo Free Press last year to take a local mother on a holiday grocery shopping trip. When back-to-school shopping, pick up a few extra sale items if pos-

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sible and donate them to local charities or school supply drives, MeyerCrothers said. “My big thing would just be when getting out there to think about kids that don’t have a lot,” she said. “Most people can afford to pick up a few extras, so give back and help somebody else out.” Participants at Meyer-Crothers’ most recent couponing class were asked to bring school supplies to donate. The collected supplies will be given away to more than 200 Sylvania area children at a carnival hosted by Sylvania Area Family Services and North Point Community Church, said Dottie Van Drieson, social services coordinator at Sylvania Area Family Services. “Every time she has a class, whether it’s here or if it’s local, the food comes back to us. For one of the ‘Extreme Couponing’ shows she did, all the food came to us,” Van Drieson said. “She’s been very kind and generous to our organization. It really helps us. At times when our pantry is getting low, she brings in food and we’re able to feed 10 to 20 families with what she brings in.” Meyer-Crothers’ next big project is a how-to book on extreme couponing for TLC’s Discovery Communications due to be released this winter by Penguin Books. “I just finished my last chapter, so it’s getting very exciting,” MeyerCrothers said. For more information, visit www. freetastesgood.com. O

West Side Montessori

A22 n Toledo Free Press

ol Pre-Schno! t s e B d e i Rat ledo... Aga in To

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n A23

By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

Owens Community College’s Learning Center at The Source will host an open house to showcase the educational programs, services and resources available at the school’s Downtown location. The event, which is open to the public, is set for noon to 3 p.m. July 31 at The Source, 1301 Monroe St. Tours will be available and representatives will be on hand to answer questions about academic programs and resources available within the schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Health Sciences, Nursing, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and Technology. “A lot of people know they want to go back to school, but are not sure what to study,” said Cory Stine, Owens’ director of admissions. “There will be representatives from all six of our academic schools, so prospective students can comparison shop.” Staff from admissions, academic advising, career services, testing services,

disability services, veterans services and Oserve (records, registration and finance) will also be available to answer questions about new student orientation, placement testing and more. Willie Williams, director of the Learning Center at The Source, proposed the open house after talking to high school guidance counselors and parents who didn’t realize there was an Owens location Downtown. “A large population still has no idea we are located inside The Source,” Williams said. “We want to make sure everyone who wants to participate in or even consider college knows we have this location. I just want people to be aware.” The Learning Center at The Source was established in 2007 in part because many people living in the Downtown area were interested in attending Owens but did not have reliable transportation to the campus in Perrysburg, Williams said. The location features eight academic classrooms, three computer labs and one nursing lab, all with state-of-the-art technology, according to the school’s website. n SOURCE CONTINUES ON A24

toledo free press photo by sarah ottney

Owens to host open house at The Source

Willie Williams is director of the Learning Center at The Source.

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A24 n Toledo Free Press n SOURCE CONTINUED FROM A23

know is there are options out there. If they are looking for a better job or looking for a better option, we might be one solution that can help. We just want to help people to feel more comfortable about the whole thing.” All attendees are encouraged to visit the check-in and information location at the entrance upon arrival. For more information about the open house, call (567) 661-2732 or 1-800-GO-OWENS, ext. 2732, or visit www.owens.edu/openhouse. O

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little more comfortable.” Attendees need only to bring an open mind, Williams said. “I want people to bring an open mind about higher education,” Williams said. “We will provide them with a tour of the facility and general information about the programs we have to offer and, most of all, let them know we are here to serve our community. We just want to make sure our community knows we are here to serve them and that we have this centrally located position inside The Source. People can start here, build a solid foundation of higher education and what’s expected of them and then transition to the Toledo campus.” Stine said he hoped attendees come away from the open house with a better understanding of their next educational steps. “I hope when people leave they know more about the process and are comfortable making the decision either to go back to school or to wait or to explore different options,” Stine said. “The biggest thing we want people to

o ll t et to 40 Ca d s al 5 n an erso 1-1 8 a p 9-3 41

“A group of community members thought it’d be a great idea to bring Owens to Toledo,” Williams said. “The Source is centrally located and already works with the unemployed and underemployed. We can work hand-in-hand with that. Education and employment working handin-hand.” Organizers also hope the open house helps prospective nontraditional students feel more at ease in an eduSTINE cational environment, Stine said. “Adult learners are often afraid to take the steps to go back to school, whether because they’re not sure where to go or what to do or nervous because maybe it’s been a while since they were in school,” Stine said. “This way, we open it up for them to see the location, meet the staff and become a

JULY 29, 2012

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St. Pat’s Students Pay It Forward

• A free event for interested students, their children and family members • Gift bags for interested students and their children • Door prizes and refreshments • Presentation of educational opportunities available at Polly Fox Academy • Discussion of our subsidized childcare through Toledo Day Nursery • Displays showing other community resources that are available to Polly Fox students • Tours of our new school

Thursday, August 2, 2012 • 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. • 1505 Jefferson Blvd. Free on-site parking • For additional information, call 419-720-4593 A B O U T

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JULY 29, 2012

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Helping students

go the distance

n .A25

Discover an exceptional University that engages, challenges and prepares you for a meaningful future. You’ll find nationally recognized programs, innovative academics and a dynamic campus that combines top faculty, diverse activities and an educational experience that transforms you, your life and your future.

We invite you to take a closer look and join us for BGSU’s Preview Days

leah oliver | alum n i l aur e at e s c h ol a r

saturdays, october 20 and December 1, 2012 Preview Days allow you to explore our residential campus, varied programs and financial aid options. On-site admission will also be available. Schedule your visit in advance at www.bgsu.edu

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A26 n Toledo Free Press

JULY 29, 2012

By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

A reading initiative at a Toledo charter school was launched last year with the aim of helping students discover reading can be fun. Horizon Science Academy Springfield started each school day with a 20-minute, uninterrupted block of reading time called the Focused Reading Opportunity for Growth (FROG) program. During that time, all members of the school community — from the youngest students to the school’s director — stopped and read books of their choosing. Those at the school spent a total of 1,131,000 minutes reading during the school year, which translates to 18,850 hours, 785 days or 2.15 years. “We had been thinking for a while about how to get students focused and ready to learn in the mornings. They come in and they are kind of chaotic. We thought it would be a good time to use as a reading focus,” said Instructional Coordinator Erin Schreiner. “All the educational research shows

the more you read, the better you read. Too often students are reading only things that are assigned to them. By letting kids pick their own books, it shows reading is something fun and enjoyable you can do.” The program has been a hit with students, Schreiner said. “The kids will talk about how they are reading a really good book and another student will ask if they can borrow it when they’re done,” Schreiner said. “That’s a kind of dialogue we wouldn’t have had before and that’s the way we want kids to be talking about books.” Stephanie Sweat, head of the school’s English department, noticed the new interest as well. “As soon as one student is done with a book, someone else wants it. That’s a new phenomenon this year. I haven’t experienced that in the past. I’m always on the hunt for books,” Sweat said, adding that students in an after school movie club she has hosted for three years started asking about reading the books movies are based on this year. Parents have also noticed a difference, Schreiner said.

“One parent said his son never used to read for pleasure. He was always playing video games. But now he’s seen him kind of switch and sees reading as something he does as a leisure activity,” Schreiner said. Eighth-grader Chase Keeler said he likes being able to choose his own books and thinks FROG has improved his reading skills. “It helps you learn new words,” Keeler said. “I read a lot faster than I did at the beginning of the year.” Seventh-grader Jacob Wolfe said he enjoys FROG because it helps him discover new books. “The teacher will have books we’ve never heard of and we get to see what other people read, too,” Wolfe said. Eighth-grader Isis Walker said FROG rekindled her interest in reading. “I used to like reading, but didn’t do it all the time. Since FROG, I’ve had a lot more chances to read and I’m a lot more into it than I used to be,” Walker said. Sixth-grader Taylor Kelley said she likes books better than movies. “Books have a lot more detail than movies, so it’s a lot better,” Kelley said.

photo courtesy horizon science academy springfield

Charter school racks up more than 1 million reading hours

Tonajha Frazier starts her day with 20 minutes of reading.

It’s too early to tell if the program will improve grades, but improving reading skills tends to improve performance in other subjects as well, Schreiner said. “Reading is not just a standalone subject,” Schreiner said. “To do well in science, you need to read; to do well in social studies, you need to read. Even

math. The ability to comprehend the written word is important.” Horizon Science Academy Springfield, located at 630 S. Reynolds Road, enrolls students in kindergarten through eighth grade and plans to continue FROG next year. For more information, visit www. horizonspringfield.org. O

Owens is the answer. Ed Kubiak Owens Alumnus Technical Project Manager, Maritz Research

Go to Owens and find your career path.

Apply today! • Fall classes begin Aug. 20 • owens.edu

www.facebook.com/owenscc

JULY 29, 2012

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n A27

Business Link

A28 n Toledo Free Press

A VIEW FROM THE GULCH

n Friday, July 13, President Barack Obama made several outrageous statements that very quickly became the “shot heard ’round the world” for private business owners in this country. To quote: “If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help … If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” The implication is that we would have nothing were it not for government. I own my company at the leisure of the fed- Gary L. eral government and it is only because of this largess that I am allowed to exist and make the money I make. Anyone who has ever started their own business and worked and sacrificed to make it grow knows the ignorance of that statement. In my case, the emotion is not anger but pity. This administration and most of Congress don’t know anything about business — and worse, they don’t know that they don’t know. It is what we call the unconscious incompetent. This is a very dangerous state of mind. It is from these statements and the following outrage that an article was penned by local talk show host Brian Wilson of 1370 AM WSPD. The article, on RAND lewrockwell.com, is titled, “John Galt Day! Why Not?” In the article, Wilson makes the suggestion that on the 30-day anniversary of Obama’s statements, all of us essentially go on strike for the day. We close our business for the day, we don’t buy anything and starve the government of our production and taxes for one day. Sure, there are some practical issues that we have to consider. I want the hospital to be open in case I need it, etc. Wilson also points out that the mega stores and chains probably won’t participate but that doesn’t mean we can’t make a statement anyway. It has been said that all it takes is a small group of committed individuals to make a change, indeed that is all that ever has been needed. Let’s begin the revolution on Aug. 13 and as Wilson suggested, make it two days in September and so on until they get the message.

JULY 29, 2012

John Galt Day

As you may or may not know, John Galt is the fictional character in Ayn Rand’s epic novel “Atlas Shrugged.” John Galt is the representation of man’s mind, the ultimate source of wealth and production. In the book, he reaches a point where government, the ultimate moocher, decides that it is entitled to the product of the producers to redistribute to society as it deems appropriate. Sound familiar? Isn’t it a good idea to spread RATHBUN the wealth around a little? After all, you didn’t really produce anything without the help of government anyway, right? Galt decides that the only thing that government cannot take from him is his mind, so he goes on strike and convinces other producers to go on strike with him and retreat to Galt’s Gulch (that might clue you in to the origin of the name of this column). Now, can I do what I do without the help of many other people? Of course not! But I pay for those services and materials and those people are given a choice to work with me or not. I need to provide a valuable service that is worth the cost or no one will pay me. The government has created nothing and it provides nothing without confisWILSON cating money from the producers at the point of a gun. I personally go on strike a little each day. I refuse to purchase compact florescence bulbs, I won’t do business with companies that make their money by lobbying for favors and advantages. I don’t have solar panels on my house. I carry a gun. I set my air conditioning where I want it and pay the electric bill myself. I refuse to be afraid of anything that the government says I should be. I use salt and sugar. I use the elevator instead of the stairs. I have a car with real horsepower and I drive it. I don’t get a flu shot. I drink water out of my own well. Every day I look at what I can do to be selfsufficient and rely on my own judgment as to what is best for me. Join us in celebrating John Galt Day on Aug. 13. And every day, rely on your own

mind to create your best life. O

Gary L. Rathbun is the president and CEO of Private Wealth Consultants, Ltd.

1An0n0ivetrshary of BBB

He can be heard every day at 4:06 p.m. on After the Bell with “Brian Wilson and the Afternoon Drive,” and every Wednesday and Thursday evening at 6

throughout Northern Ohio on “Eye on Your Money.” He can be reached at (419) 842-0334 or email him at garyrathbun@ privatewealthconsultants.com.

save the date

2012 BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU TORCH AWARDS Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2012

Join us as we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the BBB. We encourage all past Torch Award winners to attend and receive special recognition. We also will be announcing our scholarship winners for 2013. As usual, we will provide entertainment, a wonderful lunch and opportunities to interact and congratulate fellow business owners. Don’t miss it! Bring your friends, clients and employees for this annual luncheon full of fun and surprises.

2012 Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics

toledo.bbb.org

NOMINATION FORM The Better Business Bureau serving Northwestern Ohio and Southeastern Michigan, Inc.

7668 King’s Pointe Rd. Toledo, Ohio 43617

FAX to the BBB at 419-578-6001 578-6001 | EMAIL to the BBB at marilyn@toledobbb.or marilyn@toledobbb.org

Nomination Deadline adline – Aug. 31, 2012 2012

Awards presented at Lunncheon Event Nov. 1

I would like to nominate the he following company or no nonnon-profi n prrofi o t organization. Self-nominations encouraged! ged! (* Required Information)

*Company Name * For-Profit

Tax-exempt, xempt, Charitable, Non-Profit (Check One)

*Address *City, State, Zip *Telephone Number *Owner/President/Managerr *Nature of Business *How did you hear about the Award he Torch Awar ard program?

*Why should this company be a nominee?

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PEOPLE

Lucas named to Obama committee

By Brigitta Burks

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer bburks@toledofreepress.com

A Toledo-area businessman is establishing some serious presidential connections. Will Lucas, founder and CEO of Creadio, was recently named a co-chair of the Ohio Small Business Owners for Obama committee, part of the Obama for America campaign. The committee supports President Barack Obama for his role in promoting small businesses. Obama cut taxes for small business owners 18 times and encouraged them to hire by signing into law $200 billion in tax relief, according to a news release. The president also alLUCAS lowed businesses to write off 100 percent of new investment costs for equipment in 2011. “Our president understands that America prospers when we’re all in it together, when hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded, when everyone from Main Street business owners like myself to those on Wall Street do their fair share and play by the same rules,” Lucas said in a release. A few years ago, the entrepreneur founded Creadio, which offers customized radio and television stations for businesses to promote their products in-house. For example, if a McDonald’s location had Creadio, restaurant patrons would only hear McDonald’s commercials (no Burger King ads here) along with the music on the radio. Lucas also founded thankyouaga. in, a mobile app and website where users are encouraged to share positive aspects of their lives. It’s also a way of saying thank you — again. “It’s meant to be the second thank you after you’ve thought about it, the one that means something,” Lucas has said. The businessman’s counterparts on the committee include Stephen Hightower, the president and CEO of Hightowers Petroleum in Middletown, Liz Lessner, CEO and president of Columbus Food League, Donna Staffilino, co-owner of Staffilino Chevrolet in Southeast Ohio and Ariane Kirkpatrick, owner of AKA Construction in Cleveland. Lucas also said of Mitt Romney, Obama’s rival in the race for the presidential seat and the former CEO of

Bain Capital, “Mitt Romney made his fortune by sending American jobs overseas, not growing them here at home. That kind of economic philosophy is bad for business and bad for

American innovators and entrepreneurs. We need an economy built to last, not one that inhibits the growth of the small businesses that keep our economy running.” O

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IN CONCERT

By Vicki L. Kroll

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer vkroll@toledofreepress.com

Chicago’s cool logo seems to stand for quality music. The rock band with all that brass has the numbers to prove it: five No. 1 albums, 21 Top 10 singles, more than 100 million in international album sales. For more than four decades, the group has released sequentially numbered records emblazoned with that familiar design that trumpets its signature sound. “Just the fact that we’re out here 45 years later is special. It certainly has outlived any of our expectations. I mean, this is timeless legacy territory we’re talking about,” said trombone player James “Jimmy” Pankow. “And little did we know when we wrote these songs that they would become the fabric of people’s lives of all ages,” he said. “We look into an audience and we see people from 10 to 70 all experiencing this stuff on their own level. “You can see people looking at

each other and remembering where they were or what they were doing when they discovered these songs. They associate important moments in their lives with these songs.” Think “Make Me Smile,” “Colour My World,” “Just You ’n’ Me,” “Old Days,” “Alive Again” — penned by Pankow — and “Saturday in the Park,” “25 or 6 to 4,” “Beginnings,” “Wishing You Were Here,” “Call on Me,” “If You Leave Me Now,” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” “You’re the Inspiration,” “Hard Habit to Break,” “Look Away” and “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” “Just walking on that stage and seeing these faces light up and seeing these people celebrating in the aisles and just going nuts over this music is an amazing reward in itself,” Pankow said during a call from a tour stop in Denver. Chicago will take the stage Aug. 7 at Centennial Terrace in Sylvania. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.; the sold-out show will start at 8 p.m. “Right now, the band is just pop-

ping on all cylinders. This current ensemble is the longest running; of course, four of us are still original,” Pankow said. The lineup features founding Chicago members Pankow, singer and keyboard player Robert Lamm, trumpeter Lee Loughnane, and saxophonist and woodwinds player Walt Parazaider. Rounding out the band are singer and bass player Jason Scheff, who replaced Peter Cetera in 1985; guitarist Keith Howland, who came on board in 1995; Tris Imboden, who has been playing drums for Chicago since 1990; and singer and keyboardist Lou Pardini, who joined the group in 2009. “So many artists are smoke and mirrors and lip-syncing and all the tricks because they need help coming across with their music. But this band does it the old-fashioned way: It’s just incredible musical ability,” Pankow said. “People come to a show and they not only hear this music performed identically to the record that they’ve listened to for so long, but they see it per-

photo by henry diltz

Chicago to play sold-out show in Sylvania

Chicago has recorded 21 Top 10 singles and sold 100 million records.

formed as well. We give them a show.” And that horn player wearing wrist sweatbands has fun. “We love what we do; we’re very passionate about this,” Pankow said. “I love getting on that stage every night. It’s a powerful drug; I’ve gone on stage with

a 104 fever and strep throat, and walked off feeling like Superman with the adrenalin I receive from that audience. “We’re very, very blessed to be able to do this for so many years … And as long as we can do it and as long as we can do it well, we’re going to do it.” O

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JULY 29, 2012

COMMUNITY OMBUDSMAN

Therapist says it is normal to be scared of theaters for a bit

t is completely normal for adults and children to be anxious about visiting a movie theater after the Batman shooting, said OraLee Macklenar, a clinical therapist who specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders. The Mercy employee said people should not be embarrassed if they want to take a break from movie theaters, especially the first few weekends after such a tragedy. However, they need to remind themselves how frequently they have safely watched a movie. “Fear is very, very common for adults and especially for children,” Macklenar said. “When something

violent happens in a place where it is friendly and peaceful, it is never anticipated.” A d d i t i o n a l l y, people are upset that a fellow human has inflicted such pain. They ask, “How could this happen?” Brandi When people eventually return to the movies, it makes sense for them to watch for a person “doing something weird,” Macklenar said, but they also need to guard against overreacting. “You do need to be vigilant. I

don’t think that is abnormal. Rewind 50 years ago and it might be, but not in this day and age.” Macklenar saw a spike in anxiety disorders after Sept. 11, 2001, but that doesn’t mean BARHITE people who experience anxiety in the weeks after the Batman tragedy have a disorder, she said. “Get away from the TV, turn it off. It is good to be informed, but you need a happy balance.”

A study after the Oklahoma City bombing showed children within a 100-mile radius of the attack were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because they were taking in daily doses of intense media coverage. These days the coverage is even more comprehensive because of the Internet, Macklenar said. “We recommend that families take a cautious approach. We know what the news is and we need to back away and do engaging things as a family,” she said. Also, don’t take a hard-line approach by forcing a child to go to the movies to conquer the fear.

“Temper that with time and patience. In our adult thinking, we are so much more mature. We have a different way of reasoning through crisis,” she said. Talk to your children about facts. Let them talk about what has happened. Let them put it into their own words. Reassure them that they aren’t alone and you are with them. “Help them realize that bad things happen and this is bad, but there are safe places and good theaters to go to.” This is also good advice for adults who are scared. “It is normal to not want to go to the movies for a while,” Macklenar said. O

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Old West End Security to host Margarita Cruise Aug. 11 By Brian Bohnert

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer bbohnert@toledofreepress.com

In an effort to provide continued protection for the historic Old West End neighborhood, Old West End (OWE) Security will host its annual Margarita Cruise fundraiser Aug. 11.

The cruise will take place from 7:30-9:30 p.m. on The Sandpiper cruise ship located at the foot of Jefferson Avenue in Promenade Park Downtown. The cruise will feature a selfserve buffet, ice-cold drinks and “legendary” margaritas, as well as a unique and casual social environment

for anyone wanting to have a relaxing night out, said Sara L. Haynes, OWE Security president. “We really want people to come on the boat, socialize, have all the margaritas they can drink and an endless buffet of Mexican-oriented food,” she said. Board members and residents will provide food and drinks while El

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Camino Real will donate the taco meat. All margaritas will be self-serve in a cooler with no bartender in attendance. “It’s almost like you’re having a party with a bunch of your close friends,” Haynes said. “It’s very laid back and casual.” Haynes said the cruise has been an annual fundraiser for more than a decade, serving as one of the multiple fundraising drives for the organization. However, more recently, she said OWE Security has shifted its focus. “In the last five or so years, this has become our sole fundraiser for the organization,” she said. “We’ve been focusing less on fundraising and more on patrols.” Registration for the cruise is $30 and the form can be found online at the OWE Security website. Seating is limited with a total of 80-90 spots open for the event. The ship will depart from its Jefferson Avenue dock at

7:30 p.m. and travel down the Maumee River to Rossford before turning back around. As an added bonus, OWE Security will host a casual auction featuring items donated by both local businesses and residents of the historic neighborhood. Items donated for the auction include a pearl necklace worth $150, homemade wine and a weekend at a cottage in northern Michigan. All money received from the auction, as well as from the event registration, goes toward funding the organization’s efforts, Haynes said. Old West End Security is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing safety and security to residents of the neighborhood through subscription-based memberships that pay for daily patrols. To join the organization or to register for the cruise, visit OWE Security online at www. oldwestendsecurity.com. O

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ames Holmes, a 24-year-old with the first time, was a law-abiding gun recently dyed red hair, suited up like owner. Talk shows hosts are arguing any other SWAT member would. no new gun laws are needed, the “libHe put on a bulletproof ballistic vest eral media” is now on a witch hunt for and leggings, a throat and groin pro- assault rifles and the “bread theory” is tector and ballistic gloves. Holmes then in full effect. The “bread theory” says if you give a slice away grabbed his assault rifle, today, a slice away tohis 12-gauge shotgun morrow, etc., eventuand two semi-automatic ally you’ll give away the pistols and ventured to whole loaf. Conservaa midnight showing of tive radio hosts will “The Dark Knight Rises” also remind their audiat a theater in Aurora, ence that if guns were Colo. Holmes allegedly banned today, only entered the back door of “law-abiding citizens” Theater 9 and proceeded would hand their guns to shoot 70 people, 12 over, leaving criminals fatally. He was caught by Jeremy BAUMHOWER the only ones armed Aurora police moments with anarchy at hand. You will also later, guns in hand, without incident. My media background and foun- hear radio’s finest contend that if there dation is based in news talk radio. I were no guns today, people would was the executive producer of two still find ways to kill each other; we shows on WSPD for three years, for both Mark Standriff and Scott Sloan, later moving to Cincinnati to produce on 700 WLW, one of the biggest news talk stations in the country. Mark your calendars! Tragedies like the Batman shooting drive news talk ratings with a simple Don’t miss the fun formula. Tragedies = Gun Debate = and education at Ratings. In retrospect, those were Woodcraft of Toledo. the easiest shows to produce — find gun rights advocates, book them onto the show and ask these questions: “Who is going to try to take our guns first?” and “What new laws Aug. 4 • 1:30-2:30 p.m. should gun owners expect as a result Demo: Festool Router of the shootings?” This formula still works and to this Aug. 11 • 1-2 p.m. An Afternoon with day I am ashamed I was a part of it. Demo: Saw Stop News talk radio targets 44- to Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyards 64-year-old males who are conserAug. 16 • 1-2:30 p.m. vative, churchgoing, gun-owning, At Walt Churchill’s - Briarfield Constitution-loving men who love Market Demo: Work Sharp th their money, politics and country. Sunday – August 5 , 2012. 12 noon & Tool Bar– 3pm In Toledo, they are also probusiness and almost always antiunion. When Aug. 25 • 1-2:30 p.m. A Wine Tasting on the I worked at WSPD, I drank thePatio. Kool- No Reservations Necessary. Demo: Carter Log Mill Aid. I was a 25-year-old “conservative” who made $25,000 a year, rarely went to church, owned no guns and was from a union family. I was more confused than a gay son of a minister. I eventually left news talk radio for good, because I was tired — tired of reading tragic news, tired of the same conversations reworked daily, but mainly tired of tasting the Kool-Aid. AUG. 19 - SEPT. 2 As early as the morning of July 20, with warm bodies still on the — ALL DAY — floor of the movie theater in Aurora, conservative talk show hosts began teasing the upcomingSays, rhetoric of Austin Beeman the gun debate just as I did years beGrahm is the most important California fore, “Randall although this time I am a little 5311 Airport Hwy. Hwywine more enlightened. personality to ever visit Northwest Toledo, Ohio. Don’t miss the OH 43615 It appears Holmes hadthis no criminal opportunity to meet iconic winemaker.” record, bought his numerous guns legally and, until he pulled the–trigger www.stores.woodcraft.com/toledo • James Beard Award Wine Professional of the Year

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always have and we always will. There will always be evil. The truth is, if assault rifles were banned, the extent of damage during the Aurora massacre would be limited. Yes, an evil Holmes could have walked into the back of that movie theater loaded with knives,

rocks and fists, but even if he were a Judo master with ninja abilities, there would have been far fewer casualties. The world is not the same place it was when the Second Amendment was penned. The guns have evolved and the laws protecting our rights to

be gun owners should evolve to reflect those changes. Assault rifles in the hands of anyone other than military and police should be outlawed. There will always be evil in this world, but the evil doesn’t always have to be armed with assault rifles. O

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public notice THE FOLLOWING STORAGE UNITS WILL BE SOLD AT PUBLIC AUCTION BY LOCK-IT-UP, LLC ON OR AFTER 8-14-12 AT LEONARD’S AUCTION SERVICE 6350 CONSEAR RD OTTAWA LAKE, MI RICHARD LEONARD AUCTIONEER.

CARLSON’S CRITTERS

Employment

Shopping for a new home? Toledo Free Press publishes classified ads and cannot be responsible for problems arising between parties O- 4% placing or responding to ads in our paper. We strongly BR urge everyone to exercise caution when dealing with

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employment

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people, companies and organizations with whom you are not familiar.

Let me

3470 GoddaRd Spectacular home, professionally help landscaped on double lot. 3 you. bed, 1 bath, 1446 sq ft. will Sunroom listen whatfloor you Newer roof,I bath. overlooks backyard 3716 kitchen, HAMPSTEAD. Bright, toopen plan. want, show you homes that a sign in your yard. garden paradise. Hurry, won’t last. $104,900. 4 just Bedrooms, 2-1/2 baths. Great room you with fit your budget, provide » Are you thinking about selling your home? cathedral ceilings, custom built fireplace. Stone lender and prepare you for a successful closing. » Do you know how itwith should be priced options in Thinking condo

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about buying 2556 plUM leaFNew End carpet unit. Maumee schools. 1580 today’s market? columns., Loft, and paint in aall 4 home? Call or »bedrooms. Want on howpatio, many are bedemail for your sq ft. 3statistics bed,Brick 1-1/2 bath,homes Master with walk-in beautifully landscaped FREE Buyer’s Stearns » 419.345.0071 Ann for sale in your price range and area? Mary Guide! closet, master bath. Fireplace, private patio, basement, ® fenced. Automatic sprinklers. »backyard, Have you had an updated market analysis? Realtor »Finished Life Member TBR Million Dollar Club Let me All appliances Neutral decor. $79,900. Want to know what “more than”MaryAnn.Stearns@iscg.net can mean for you? basement withstay. storage. $204,900. » www.MaryAnnStearns.com Compliments of Mary Ann Stearns, Pathway Real 419.345.0071 Estate | www.Mar yAnnStearns.com

help you. ann Stearns MoreMary than I will listen to what you Loss Realty Group

Call me. Mary Ann Stearns » 419.345.0071

6060 Renaissance Place Realtor® » Life Member TBR Million Dollar Club want, show you homes that MaryAnn.Stearns@iscg.net » www.MaryAnnStearns.com Suite A, Toledo fit your budget, » Are you thinking about selling your home? provide you It’show all about getting your SOLD! lender options and prepare you for a successful closing. » Do you know itwith should be priced inhomeThinking buying a1580 2556 plUM leaF End unit. Maumee about schools. today’s market? home? Call or » Want how many are bedemail for your sq ft. 3statistics bed, on 1-1/2 bath,homes Master with walk-in FREE Buyer’s for sale in your price range and area? Guide!next week! Featured homes for Fireplace, sale ... Your private home could be ® here closet, master bath. patio, » Have you had an4121 updated market analysis? Realtor basement, » Life Member TBR Million Dollar Club Talwood

just a sign in your yard. 419.345.0071

Compliments of Mary Ann Stearns, Pathway Real 419.345.0071 Estate | www.Mar yAnnStearns.com

Mary Ann Stearns » 419.345.0071

D e c o r at i v e a r t i sAlltappliances s • stay.DNeutral e sdecor. i G$79,900. ners

1034 Clymena

wanted WANTS TO purchase minerals and other oil & gas interests. Send details P.O. Box 13557, Denver, Co 80201

$59,900 Want to know $129,900 what “more than”MaryAnn.Stearns@iscg.net can mean for you? » www.MaryAnnStearns.com Washington Local 3 Bed, NEW Call3me. Bed, 1-1/2 Bath, kitchen, windows,

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3450your W. Central, Suite 334 It’s all about getting home SOLD! Toledo, Ohio 43606

F i n e Pa i n t e d F i n i s h e s

Featured homes for sale ... Your home could be here next week!

Employment child support Administrator

The Lucas County Department of Job & Family Services-Division of Child Support is accepting applications to fill the unclassified, FLSAexempt position of Child Support Administrator. Applications will be accepted through August 10, 2012. Additional information regarding the duties and responsibilities is available on the Lucas County web site (www.co.lucas.oh.us). Click on “Apply for a Job” and then select “Child Support Administrator” from the list to read more. Apply on-line or send a resume and cover letter to: Lucas County Human Resources, One Government Center, Suite 450, Toledo, OH 43604, attn: Brian Cunningham. An Equal Opportunity Employer

Bear is an 8-month-old male silky terrier mix. Bear has not had good experiences around children. Young kids frighten him and he should not go to a home with children younger than 10. Bear would love to find an owner who can offer him some positive training and guidance. In the right hands, he will grow to be a wonderful and loyal companion. Bear has been neutered, examined by a TAHS staff veterinarian, is current on his vaccinations and is microchipped. TAHS is located at 1920 Indian Wood Circle, Arrowhead Park, Maumee. Adoption hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call (419) 891-0705 or visit www. toledoareahumanesociety.org. O

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community

JULY 29, 2012

4121 Talwood $129,900 Washington Local 3 Bed, 1-1/2 Bath, Family Room, New kitchen, large wooded lot.

1034 Clymena $59,900 3 Bed, NEW kitchen, windows, carpet, bath, finished basement. Just move in!

3450 W. Central, Suite 334 Toledo, Ohio 43606

419-705-1169

Z a P P o n e G @ ya h o o. c o m

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BACK TO SCHOOL SALES EVENT!!

6060 Renaissance Place Suite A, Toledo

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419-882-7171

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