Toledo Free Press – September 9, 2012 by Toledo Free Press

Best in state: Society of Professional Journalists names Toledo Free Press Ohioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best weekly newspaper for 4th consecutive year.

Miller wins Best in Ohio for Defense of First Amendement, Media Criticism; Kroll, McGinnis honored for arts reporting, Page A3

SEPTEMBER

9, 2012

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MEDIA

From Staff Reports Toledo Free Press took home six 2012 Ohio Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) awards — including “Best Weekly Newspaper” for the fourth year in a row. “SPJ is the top authority for maintaining journalistic standards, so to be consistently recognized by them is a tremendous accolade and, we feel, a great honor for the City of Toledo,” said Editor in Chief Michael S. Miller. Miller also won first place in Ohio for Best Defense of First Amendment for his “Was it something I said?” The Oct. 30 “Lighting the Fuse” column discussed a lawsuit filed against him and TFP by Block Communications, The Blade’s parent company. The Blade claims Miller’s criticism of its work violates an alleged clause in a non-compete agreement Publisher Tom Pounds reportedly signed eight years ago. “According to the suit, I am an ‘instrument and agent’ of Tom’s and I am personally liable for ‘damages’ under the agreement Tom signed nearly eight years ago,” Miller wrote. “Let’s call this what it is: an arrogant ‘Hail Mary’ attempt to silence my criticism of The Blade and grossly impair my First Amendment rights, while perpetrating as much damage as possible on my employer and business.” Miller said he is grateful for SPJ’s recognition and support. “It strengthens our resolve in this unasked-for fight to be honored by an organization that understands the importance of the First Amendment,” Miller said. “SPJ contributed its maximum amount to my legal defense fund last year and I hope this recognition stands as a further testament of its staunch defense of free speech.” Because of its 100,000 circulation in 2011, TFP competed in writing categories against the state’s daily newspapers.

Miller also received first place in Ohio for Best Media Criticism for the column “Monkey Business.” Miller deconstructed a Jan. 8, 2011 Blade story, “WSPD host compares TPS students, monkeys; Wilson denies racism.” The Blade article on WSPD’s program director and afternoon host Brian Wilson read, “A radio talk show host’s reference to ‘little monkeys’ while talking about students at Toledo Public Schools on Friday generated outrage that the language was insensitive to African-American students, and all students.” The Blade writer had played an edited version of a radio clip for public officials who called for Wilson to be disciplined. Miller obtained the full version of the clip and wrote that version played for sources by The Blade “did not include the setup, in which Wilson criticized the concept of teaching through repetition without teaching independent thinking, nor did it include this crucial next sentence: ‘Similarly with children, just because you can teach them the answers to what are the capitals of the 50 states in America, that’s a fun exercise but it doesn’t teach them how to think, doesn’t teach them how to be objective, doesn’t teach them to be entrepreneurs and individuals and things along that order.’” Miller then had the full clip played for the public officials The Blade had spoken to and most retracted their original stances. “It’s great to see there still is an appreciation for professional, ethical journalism and the quality people who practice it. Michael Miller threw the weight of Toledo Free Press behind the only effort by any media to get the whole story behind the muckraking of The Blade, expose it for the racist fraud it was and publish it in capital letters, forcing The Blade to admit

toledo free press photo by paul nelson

SPJ honors Toledo Free Press as Best Weekly Newspaper in Ohio for 4th consecutive year

they lied,” Wilson said. “That my own employer had no interest in making any effort to defend the sanctity of the First Amendment, much less one of its own properties and employees, again speaks volumes for the ethics and principles that serve as an actual operating platform for Toledo Free Press. “Congratulations and thanks to Miller, Tom Pounds and the professional journalists at TFP. You do Toledo and the journalism profession proud.” SPJ also awarded TFP second place for Children’s Issues Reporting for stories on Feed Lucas County Children, a nonprofit that has prepared more than a million meals for hungry children. “Staff Writer Patrick Timmis did more than report the series, he lived it, spending time in the field with the Thomas F. Pounds, President/Publisher tpounds@toledofreepress.com

A publication of Toledo Free Press, LLC, Vol. 8, No. 37. Established 2005. EDITORIAL Mary Ann Stearns, Design Editor mastearns@toledofreepress.com James A. Molnar, Lead Designer jmolnar@toledofreepress.com Sarah Ottney, Managing Editor sottney@toledofreepress.com Brigitta Burks, News Editor bburks@toledofreepress.com Jeff McGinnis, Pop Culture Editor PopGoesJeff@gmail.com

Editor in chief michael s. miller, left, and publisHer tom pounds launched toledo free press in 2005.

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affected familes,” Miller said. Vicki L. Kroll, also the director of internal communications for the University of Toledo, received second place for Best Rock and Roll Feature Writing. Kroll has worked at TFP since its inception and typically writes one feature per week. “[Writing for TFP] has just been great because I get to talk to musicians from all genres, from Sarah McLachlan to David Sanborn, from Miranda Lambert to Darlene Love,” Kroll said. Kroll graduated from the University of Toledo in 1988 and has worked at the university since then. She said her dream job would be a full-time rock ’n’ roll feature writer. “It’s just nice to receive some rec-

ognition because it is a lot of work and it’s fun work, but it’s still work on top of my day job,” she said. Jeff McGinnis, TFP Star’s pop culture editor, received second place for Best Arts Reporting. McGinnis has worked for TFP Star since 2009. “I love conversation and I love talking to people,” he said. “There isn’t a thing about this job that I don’t love.” “I have always maintained that Vicki and Jeff are two of Toledo’s best and most insightful writers,” Miller said. “Now, we can say that on a statewide level.” The Blade received eight awards, including second place for Best Web Site and first place for Tony Cook’s “Scavenging for Hope” in Best Explanatory Journalism. O

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

STAFF WRITERS news@toledofreepress.com Brandi Barhite • Mike Bauman • Jeremy Baumhower • Jim Beard John Dorsey • Vicki L. Kroll • Don Lee • Jason Mack John P. McCartney • Duane Ramsey Chris Kozak, Staff Writer Emeritus • Lisa Renee Ward, Staff Writer Emeritus COPY EDITORS/PROOFREADERS Darcy Irons, Brigitta Burks, Marisha Pietrowski, Gary Varney

Toledo Free Press is published every Sunday by Toledo Free Press, LLC, 605 Monroe St., Toledo, OH 43604. Subscription rate: $100 /year. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content in any manner without permission is strictly prohibited. Copyright 2012, all rights reserved. Publication of advertisements does not imply endorsement of advertisers’ goods or services.

Opinion

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DON LEE

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Remember Green Party’s Jill Stein To the Editor, In the excitement of President Barack Obama’s Labor Day weekend visit, a Labor Day message from another presidential candidate may have been overlooked. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein sent America’s unions a Labor Day message endorsing the AFL-CIO’s campaign for “an Economic Bill of Rights,” originally proposed by President Roosevelt in 1944. Her platform includes the following economic reforms: O 25 million new green and public service jobs in federally supported, community-controlled cooperatives and public work projects. O Living wage. O Repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act and laws against permanent striker replacements. O A constitutional right to vote and accurate vote counting. O Student debt forgiveness and tuition-free public education from preschool through graduate school. The Green Party has always opposed trade deals like NAFTA and would only support trade agreements with strong workers’ rights protec-

tions. They also support union representation on company boards; labor buyouts of companies that are for sale and pensions for all workers. The Green Party takes no corporate money. More can be found at www.jill stein.org and www.gp.org. Taft-Hartley was passed by a Democratic Congress, and Democratic Congresses have defeated several pro-labor reforms since then. The Democrats take the labor vote for granted, knowing that working people usually want to vote against a Republican even if they don’t necessarily want to vote for the Democrat. Do we really like what the Democrats are delivering or are we supporting them out of fear? When the media treats all andidates except the Democrat and Republican as if they don’t count, it is easy for voters to fall into this trap too. But as Stein points out, during the last 40 years, labor has spent more than $15 billion on the Democrats. What if that $15 billion had been spent on a prolabor third party or independent labor movement? Jessica Weinberg, Toledo

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

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POLITICS

President barack obama addresses the crowd Sept. 3, Labor Day, at Scott high school.

Obama: Romney plan for economy ‘won’t work’ By Brigitta Burks

Toledo Free Press News Editor bburks@toledofreepress.com

President Barack Obama spent his Labor Day praising the auto industry rescue and union workers during a speech at Scott High School. About 3,100 people gathered Sept. 3 to watch the president speak at the rally, which was part of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Labor Day Celebration. “I wanted to stop here in Toledo to spend this day with you. A day that belongs to the working men and women of America, teachers and factory workers, construction workers and students and families and small business owners, and I know we’ve got some proud auto workers in the house,” Obama told the crowd. Obama has been to Ohio 11 times this year and visited Maumee in July. In a 30-minute speech, Obama played off remarks his opponent Mitt Romney made in Cincinnati on Sept. 1. “If you have a coach that is 0-23 million (unemployed or underemployed Americans), it’s time to get a new coach,” Romney had said.

Regarding Romney’s plans for the economy, which include tax cuts for millionaires, “Punt it away. It won’t work. It won’t win the game. You don’t need that coach. That’s a losing season,” Obama said. In response to Obama’s Toledo stop, Amanda Henneberg, Romney campaign spokesperson, said in a statement, “Over 23 million people are struggling for work this Labor Day, and President Obama once again offered no new ideas for getting our economy back on track. President Obama has a record of zero and 23 million, and it’s time to get a new coach.” Obama also spoke about the recent Republican National Convention (RNC). “I have to say it was something to see. Despite all the challenges that we face in this new century, we saw three straight days of an agenda out of the last century,” he said. The president addressed Gov. John Kasich’s speech at the RNC, in which Kasich touted Ohio’s job creation rate. “I guess that the theory was it’s all the governor’s doing, but I think we need to refresh his memory because a lot of those jobs are auto-

worker jobs,” Obama said. Without the auto bailout, General Motors and Chrysler would no longer exist, he said. Obama also reminded the crowd of Romney’s “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt” stance, which would have lost 1 million jobs. “In communities across the Midwest, it would have been another Great Depression,” he said. The president praised “working people” for helping create the cornerstones of the middle class like the 40-hour workweek, pensions, minimum wage and health care. “You made sacrifices, which is why I don’t understand why these folks have the nerve to talk about you like you’re some greedy special interest that needs to be beaten down,” Obama said. Obama also briefly addressed making college more affordable, providing health care, creating renewable energy sources and bringing troops home from overseas. He noted Romney did not address the troops overseas during the RNC. Sen. Sherrod Brown, whom Obama called one of the best senators in the country, kicked off the rally. “You’re gonna hear a lot of things on this

campaign,” said Brown, who faces Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel in November. “You’re gonna hear actors who talk to chairs.” Brown said from 2000-10, 5 million manufacturing jobs were lost. After 2010 and the auto rescue, 500,000 more manufacturing jobs were added, he said. “Now, my opponent and President Obama’s opponent didn’t think we should do the auto rescue,” he said. After Brown, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who faces Sam Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, this fall, spoke to the exuberant group. Obama also called Kaptur one of the best members of Congress. “We are all so very grateful and proud, proud to be here today, to be voices for the working men and women of our country and world who demand expression, expression of their way of life, expression in the law of their rights as workers, to dignity in the law wherever they live in this country or on earth. It is an intergenerational struggle,” Kaptur said. She also praised Obama for the auto rescue, saying the car industry is in the area’s DNA. n OBAMA CONTINUES ON A7

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An encounter with President Obama

By Brian Malkowski

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

“He will have juice and I’ll have coffee,” I said to the waitress after my son and I sat down Labor Day at Rick’s City Diner. After our drinks came, I ordered a fruit dish for Liam and a Western omelet for myself. We had arrived around 10 a.m. with the restaurant about a quarter full and people coming and going as they would on any other day. What I and the rest of the customers had thought was just another morning breakfast soon turned into a once-in-a-lifetime experience. At 10:15 a.m., a gentleman walked to the center of the room and asked for everybody’s attention. He said he was from the Secret Service and that in 15 to 30 minutes we should expect a special guest. He said if we wanted to leave we would have to do it at that moment. If we chose to stay we would be in for a great experience, but would have to remain in the restaurant until the special guest had left. To be honest, I didn’t know if I would be able to stay because my soon-to-be 2-year-old son can only stay put for so long. I decided to stay and figured if Liam got restless, the Secret Service would just have to deal with it. For the next 15 minutes, everyone was searched and we sat in anticipation. Around 10:45 a.m., about 30 vehicles surrounded the building. Among those vehicles were two presidential limos, one of which was carrying President Obama. No one inside the restaurant could believe what was happening as, seconds later, the president walked through the back door. Obama made his way through the back of the restaurant and the news media poured in through the front. The chaos was nice because my son was interested in what was going on. Obama said, “Hello everybody, pretend like I’m not even here. When I am done with breakfast I will come around and meet with everyone,” and took a seat for breakfast. After the president finished breakfast, he made his way down the aisle to meet and greet the cusn OBAMA CONTINUED FROM A6 Kaptur later compared voting Republican to putting your car in “R” or reverse, while saying that “D” stands for drive and Democrat. Bob King, president of UAW, and Richard Trumka, president of AFL-CIO, also spoke. Both encouraged voters to actively support Obama. “We remember on Labor Day who has stood behind us, who has supported us,” King said. “Just tell the truth about Mitt Romney and we’ll be all right,” Trumka added. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis told the crowd, full of union workers that they were the backbone of the country. “[Obama] will never give up on you and I hope you don’t give up on him,” she said. Kenyetta Jones, who has worked at Toledo’s GM Powertrain Plant for nearly 30 years, introduced the president. Jones was laid off in 2009, but returned to work 13 months later. During those months, she trained others so they would be prepared when jobs returned. She said she

PHOTO COURTESY BRIAN MALKOWSKI

Celebrate

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA MEETS BRIAN AND LIAM MALKOWSKI AT RICK’S CITY DINER ON SEPT. 3.

tomers. I knew I had only about five minutes before Liam was going to erupt, so I decided to sit him on my knee. The couple Obama was talking to before me was taking a while and Liam began to fuss so I let him stand, but that was a bad idea because seconds later he bumped his head on the table. A moment of silence by a toddler who has just hurt himself means an eruption is about to happen, and it did — and that is how Liam met the President of the United States. Obama and I tried to calm him down, but it wasn’t happening. That’s when a member of the Secret Service jetted over with a box of presidential M&Ms. In the instant silence by Liam and applause by the customers, I had the opportunity to introduce my son to the president. After shaking hands and introducing myself, knew Obama would bring those jobs back. “We don’t sit around expecting handouts, but we expect our leaders to fight for us, and that’s exactly what President Obama did,” Jones said. After the rally, Sue Paulus of Paulding, Ohio said her favorite moment was Obama telling the crowd “Don’t boo, vote” when the group decried the RNC. “It’s telling us not to sit on our hands,” she said. Sean Mack, a human resources worker out of Maumee, compared the RNC to Comedy Central. He has seen Obama speak several times and praised him, Kaptur and Brown. “Ohio’s not complete without them,” he said. Artist and student Remi Harrington came from Michigan to see the president speak. She accompanied her aunt, a UAW worker. Though Harrington said she understands why the speech was aimed at workers, she would have liked to see the president discuss more concerns that affect single black mothers, like herself. “Single motherhood is something that needs to be addressed,” she said.

I asked Liam (who was wearing a Tigers Jersey) to remind the president what had happened to his White Sox over the weekend. Obama laughed and then told the restaurant what I had said. He asked if I had any more kids and I said, “After this one, I am one and done.” The president said he had it pretty easy only having girls. “Boys, however, can be a little tougher to raise.” We shook hands again and he said, “You have a good-looking boy; take care.” Obama then worked his way around the room and paid his bill. After that he was off to Scott High School to give a Labor Day speech. I spent $14.84 in the restaurant, but the experience was priceless. Liam will be 2 on Oct. 1 and I hope someday he will appreciate the day he met the President of The United States. O In a statement after the rally, Christopher Maloney, the Ohio spokesperson for the Romney for President campaign, said, “President Obama dubbed this trip the ‘Road to Charlotte’ but his policies have taken us on a road to declining incomes, higher unemployment and more uncertainty for Ohio middle-class families. And in the face of a record of failure, President Obama and his surrogates refuse to offer no new solutions, just misleading attacks. Mitt Romney has the plan to do what President Obama can’t — create 12 million new jobs, increase take-home pay, and bring relief to the struggling middle class.” Before the rally, the president ate with three autoworkers at Rick’s City Diner and stayed at the Hilton Toledo the night before. After the rally, he visited Louisiana and was slated to speak at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte on Sept. 6. At the end of his speech, Obama told the group, “If we win Toledo, we will win Ohio. If we win Ohio, we’ll win this election. If we win this election, we will finish what we started.” O

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

ECONOMY

Owens chosen for program to train baby boomers for jobs By Duane Ramsey

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER dramsey@toledofreepress.com

Owens Community College is among 11 academic institutions across the country selected to participate in a national pProgram designed to train baby boomers for new jobs over the next three years. The Plus 50 Encore Completion Program, offered by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in cooperation with its members, will eventually include 100 colleges offering special training programs for students 50 and older. Owens was the only institution in Ohio selected for a grant to fund its participation in the preliminary phase of the program. “Owens is honored to be chosen as one of the few community colleges in the country to participate,” said Michael Bankey, vice president of Workforce and Community Services at Owens, BANKEY in a news release. “We are expecting the official paperwork for the grant soon, but we already formed an advisory committee and are developing a timeline for the program,” he said. Bankey said Owens will begin formal planning for the program this month and expects to begin offering it next spring. “Education opens doors to endless career possibilities. The college looks forward to working with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and local organizations in developing an education program that meets the needs of baby boomers throughout the Northwest Ohio region,” Bankey said. Baby boomers have increasingly turned to community colleges for

training for new careers. Since 2007, adults 50 and older have struggled in a job market with record unemployment. Many find they must reinvent their careers and update their skills if they are going to get hired, according to the AACC. Careers in education, health care and social services appeal to baby boomers, who often show interest in civic engagement. Mary Sue Vickers, director for the Plus 50 Initiative at AACC, said the program expects to add an additional 89 colleges in 2012 and early 2013 that will help reach 10,000 baby boomer students by 2015. “Baby boomers are not like traditional college students. We find that colleges need to adapt how they operate to support their job training needs and educational success,” Vickers stated in a news release about the program. An independent evaluation of the Plus 50 Initiative found 89 percent of students agreed that college workforce training helped them acquire new job skills and 72 percent attributed finding a job to such training, according to the AACC. Since 2008, the Plus 50 Initiative has focused its efforts on training programs to get unemployed older adults back on the job. The AACC expects the 100 colleges will use the Plus 50 Encore Completion Program to build on the success of the initiative, Vickers said. In addition to grant funds, the participating colleges will have access to thousands of dollars in marketing materials such as tool kits and training webinars designed to make reaching out to age 50-plus students easier. Bankey said Owens will benefit from the advice of other community colleges that have implemented programs for older students and understand their unique needs. The Plus 50 Encore Completion Program is funded with a $3.2 million grant to the AACC provided by Deerbrook Charitable Trust. The AACC is

a national organization representing nearly 1,200 community, junior and technical colleges in the U.S. The other institutions chosen for the first phase are Arapahoe Community College in Colorado, Black River Technical College in Arkansas,

Broome Community College in New York, Lansing Community College in Michigan, Pitt Community College in North Carolina, San Jacinto Community College in Texas, Southside Virginia Community College District, West Virginia University at Parkers-

burg and John Wood Community College and Waubonsee Community College, both in Illinois. More information about the program at Owens will be available at a later date or interested seniors can visit http://plus50.aacc.nche.edu. O

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RELIGION

By Caitlin McGlade

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer cmcglade@toledofreepress.com

A former Blade editor has helped launch a website to get Toledo talking about religion. ToledoFAVS. com mixes columns and news articles written by religious leaders and followers alike about subjects relating to all YONKE forms of religion. Yonke, David who was a religion editor for 12 years, approached the Religion News Service about a year ago about getting the site up and running. Toledo is the fourth city to see a local “faith and values” site administered by the Religion News Service. Religion News LLC, which is based out of the Missouri School of Journalism, acquired the Religion News Service about a year ago. Seeing that the company was not sustaining itself,

Religion News LLC turned the news service into a nonprofit and sought to open sites in local markets to drive up advertising opportunities, said Debra Mason, the publisher. The local sites are also a way to fill the gap left by many daily metro newspapers closing out their religion sections, Mason said. “We see part of our role as educational and helping to foster a civil discourse about religion and part of our role as telling good stories that many daily newspapers have abandoned and are not telling anymore,” Mason said. Yonke said he aims to improve religious literacy and acceptance in the area. “A lot of people are fearful or naive about religions and defensive,” Yonke said. “If they are educated and informed and learn about what other people believe, it will build a better sense of community and understanding. Religion can be a wonderful driving force in people’s lives and it can be abused — the more we can break down the stereotypes, the better.” Yonke has 11 official contributors and his goal is to get 50-70 writers to

update the site with at least three stories a day. Yonke is seeking contributors from all faiths — from Wiccans to pagans and druids to Catholics, mainline protestants, Muslims and Jewish people, he said. Yonke emphasized that the site will not just be “Theology 101,” but will host a multitude of stories analyzing anything from current events to television shows. Mason said FAV sites might offer a venue for reporters interested in faith topics to learn their craft and exercise their skills. “We need to have a place where people can learn how to do it — it takes years to learn how to do religion reporting,” said Mason, who is also on faculty at the Missouri School of Journalism. “We have students coming out of journalism schools who are interested in writing about religion but we don’t have anywhere to send them to do that.” ToledoFAVS.com and Toledo Free Press have formed a media partnership in which Toledo Free Press will publish articles by Yonke on faith and values and ToledoFAVS will promote

screen capture

New website to educate, discuss, raise religious awareness

www.Toledofavs.com will offer news and columns focusing on religion.

Toledo Free Press online. The agreement expands the media partners’ reach in Northwest Ohio and south-

east Michigan while giving readers greater and more diverse options for local news and features. O

community

A10 n Toledo Free Press

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

PHILANTHROPY

Students, PRO team to construct accessible home By Brigitta Burks

Toledo Free Press News Editor bburks@toledofreepress.com

needs to leave the front room. The driveway that leads up to the house is unpaved and Val’s chair sometimes gets stuck in the muck. When Sylvania Southview High School

students observed their fellow classmate and her parents having difficulty getting her out the door and on the bus, they decided to do something about it.

“I thought, ‘How cool that kids would even think about such a thing and notice a need in someone,’ ” said Val’s mom Veronica Taylor, a paraeducator. n HOME CONTINUES ON A11

Photo Courtesy Milissa Clark

Seventeen-year-old Val Taylor lives

in a little green house on Cason Avenue. The only door in the entire house that Val’s 400-pound wheelchair fits through is the front door. Her parents must carry her if she

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Val Taylor will soon live in a more wheelchair-accessible home.

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2012 n HOME CONTINUED FROM A10 Val has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, asthma, glaucoma and other disorders. Southview students decided to use their annual fundraiser Dance for a Chance (D4AC) to help make the home more accessible for the Taylors. D4AC was started in 2004 and has raised more than $150,000 since then. Every year, students identify an issue and work to raise

awareness for that cause through their fundraiser. Students are divided into four teams and compete in various contests and must be on their feet for 12 hours. On March 31, 300 students raised more than $30,000 for what they dubbed Project HAVEN (Home Accessibility for Val’s Exceptional Needs). But, the student body realized it shouldn’t stop there and got the Professional Remodelers Organiza-

tion (PRO) on board. The group, the largest independent remodelers organization in the country, decided to help through its President’s Project, which connects remodelers to community projects. The President’s Project began in 2010; PRO has been around for more than 40 years. “Originally, our plans were to add an addition to the previous home,” said Rick Morel, PRO’s executive director. However, the group

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Visit www.toledofreepress.com realized that wouldn’t work with the poorly aged structure. “What we did was make a conscious decision that the best way of doing this was to knock down the existing structure and just build a new one,” Morel said. He added, “I don’t know how [the Taylor family does] it. I really don’t. I just don’t know how they’ve done it all these years. They don’t complain … they just keep getting after it. Those are the kind of people that you like to help.” A crowd gathered Sept. 5 at the Taylor house for a groundbreaking ceremony. Despite the rain, high school band members, baton-twirlers and cheerleaders showed up to support Val, who is known for her school spirit. Catie Sack and Logan Griesinger, both seniors, are part of the school’s ambassador committee involved with D4AC. Through the project, they got to know Val and realized she has many of the same interests as other teenage girls — Katy Perry, Britney Spears and nail polish. “Most of all, [the project] taught me even though there’s road bumps, there’s always a way to get around them,” Sack said after the ceremony. Some of those bumps included dealing with a mortgage on the property, Morel said. Metamora State Bank was able to lend a hand in that department and several other community groups have also come on board. Still, more material and cash donations are needed. Depending on materials provided, the new house could have a garage and deck for Val to watch the birds on. “People in Northwestern Ohio, generally speaking, have always been known as generous and we need a little bit more involvement to complete this project the way we’d like to,” Morel said. More labor is also needed. “Any-

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body that can pound a nail straight, I think we’d be open to that,” Morel said. PRO has some help from the construction class at Southview. “It’s very much hands-on and that’s what they need. We’re acting as mentors and laborers at the same time,” Morel said. The new house will be 1,553 square feet, up from 540 square feet. It will have an open layout, two bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. Currently, Veronica and her husband Tom have to carry their daughter to the bathtub, which has become more difficult as Val has grown. The new bathroom will be ADA-compliant and eliminate the fear of dropping Val. “It will be the most wonderful thing that could happen,” Veronica said of the new bathroom. “We appreciate everything people have done and appreciate anything people could do. It would be a great opportunity to enrich our daughter’s life and improve her quality of life,” she added. The cost of the project, with materials, temporary hotel housing and more, will exceed $150,000. The house is the largest President’s Project yet, said Milissa Clark, PRO’s marketing consultant. The project is set to take four to five weeks once construction begins. “It’s just been a very long road, but we will see this thing to the end. That’s what we do,” Clark said. The school also remains behind the Taylor family. “Val is one of our most deserving students at Southview High School,” said Principal David McMurray at the ceremony, adding that he is very proud of his students. To learn more, visit www.hire aprotoday.com or call (419) 471-0101. Donations can be made to the Professional Remodelers Organization Project HAVEN account at Metamora State Bank locations. O

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A12 n Toledo Free Press

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Toledo free press photo and cover photo by Joseph herr

EVENTS

‘Ragtime’ Rick Grafing has spearheaded the move of a major jazz festival from Strongsville, Ohio, to Toledo. Grugelfest, formerly EARLYJAS Fall Festival, will take place Sept. 14-16 in downtown Toledo.

Grugelfest brings jazz lovers to Downtown Toledo By Brigitta Burks

Toledo Free Press News Editor bburks@toledofreepress.com

When people ask local jazz artist “Ragtime” Rick Grafing what Grugelfest is, he tells them “do a Grugel search and you’ll find it.” Grugelfest is actually a traditional jazz festival taking place Sept. 14-16 at the Park Inn by Radisson. Grafing, the festival co-chair, said the name is a tribute to his friend Ralph Grugel, the trombonist and leader of the Eagle Jazz band, who died in 2005. “Ralph Grugel was a huge fellow. He was very tall and wide, much bigger

than I am, and he was a marvelous bandleader and master of ceremonies and also a good trombone player. But he was exceptional as a bandleader. He would get five or six guys together and they would play and even guys who were not necessarily top-notch players would rise to the occasion when they played with Ralph,” Grafing said. The fest will feature five bands that specialize in New Orleans-style jazz, aka traditional jazz or Dixieland jazz, a term Grafing doesn’t like. “Dixieland is a very bad term because it has lots of different meanings and most of them are wrong,” he said. “Today there’s an awful lot of guys that

don’t really know how to play jazz but they dress up in white shirts and red vests and straw hats and they read charts and they call themselves Dixieland jazz bands and they’re terrible. That’s not what this festival is.” The term Dixieland comes from the Original Dixieland Jass Band, the first group to record jazz in 1917. “Jass” comes from the traditional spelling of jazz. “In the days when Louis Armstrong and King Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton were playing this music, it was just called jazz. Later jazz evolved into bebop and then swing and took all these different directions,” Grafing said.

Grafing is the leader of the band Chefs of Dixieland and piano player in the Cakewalkin’ Jass Band, which will play at Grugelfest. “I loved the [New Orleans jazz]. To me, it’s very much like classical music. It’s beautiful and powerful,” said Ray Heitger, the leader and clarinet player for the Cakewalkin’ Jass Band. Heitger’s band played at Tony Packo’s from 1968-2001 and will mark its 45-year anniversary this winter. Rosie O’Grady’s Good Time Jazz Band from Orlando, Fla., Buffalo Ridge Jazz Band from Cincinnati, the Easy Street Jazz Band from Ann Arbor and the Sunset Stomp Jazz Band from India-

napolis will also play Grugelfest. The festival features four sessions and each band will play twice each session (once in the hotel’s ballroom and once in the lounge). At 10 a.m. Sept. 16, a Dixieland worship service will take place at the Bethel Lutheran Church, 1853 South Ave. The Sunset Stomp Jazz Band will play at the service. “It’ll be a typical Sunday morning church service with the exception of the choir and organ won’t be providing the music, an eight-piece Dixieland jazz band will be providing the music,” Grafing said. After the service, there will be a chicken barbecue meal. n JAZZ CONTINUES ON A13

community

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012 n JAZZ CONTINUED FROM A12 Ragtime pianist Bob Milne will play during the meal. Grafing decided to start Grugelfest after the popular EARLYJAS Fall Festival in Strongsville, Ohio, folded last year due to lack of volunteers. Grafing was a longtime supporter of the festival that was a jazz staple for 20 years.

“We made the decision last year. We don’t have the volunteers to do the work that’s necessary to set it up. That’s just a function of the fact that our people are getting older and older,” said Jim Emert, EARLYJAS president. “When I heard about it, I was like, ‘Man, you can’t stop that! You can’t end the festival! Oh, no!’” Grafing said, waving his arms. Luckily, the festival’s

organizers gave Grafing a planning template and financial receipts to help him get started on his own festival. “Essentially, what he’s doing is replacing the festival that we had but putting his own spin on it,” Emert said. “I’m hoping the festival will do as well for him as it did for us.” “For me, that was one of the big pieces of the puzzle, that we get to

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keep the music going. Another piece of the puzzle was we get to bring some business into Downtown Toledo, which is something that’s important to me,” Grafing said. He owned a jazz venue, Ragtime Rick’s First Draught, for 22 years in the area. Another part of the “puzzle” for Grafing is helping people. Grugelfest will benefit the Children’s Dyslexia Center-NWO. The center has 14 trained tutors who teach children with dyslexia about spelling and reading. It moved from its location on Indian Wood Circle to Maumee Union Elementary School about a month ago. The center uses the Orton-Gillingham method, a multisensory technique, said the center’s director, Diane McCreery. “It works very well for these children. It’s basically the only way some of them can learn to read,” she said. Between 15-20 percent of the population has dyslexia, McCreery said. “With dyslexia, the language part of the brain does not work well. It’s not developed properly. So what we do is reteach the brain so that it uses the neuro pathways that it’s supposed to be using,” she said. “[People with dyslexia] don’t see the letters backward or see the letters mixed up. They see it the way it is, but then their brain processes it differently. It goes in correctly, but it comes out incorrectly,” she said. The center was started by the 32° Masons in 1998. Until 2005, the Masonic organization paid for everything. Now it contributes $50,000 per

year and the center must come up with the other $60,000 of its budget. Until recently, the Valley of Toledo, Scottish Rite provided a space for the center, but is no longer able to. In addition to the $60,000 for its operations, the center must now come up with rent money for its new location. Following Grugelfest, the center will have a walkathon 1 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Swan Creek Metropark to raise money. “[The center is] up to their necks in issues and problems, things that they will solve, but it’s not automatic,” Grafing said. “I’m just very impressed that these teachers take these kids … and they teach them how to read and change their lives forever for the better,” he said. The tutors, who will work with 25 students this school year, go through 45 hours of training that would normally cost $6,000-$7,000. They do not receive payment for the first 100 hours and are compensated with $20 per hour after that. There is currently a waiting list of about 20 children for the program. Tickets to Grugelfest are available at ticketmaster.com. An all-sessions ticket is $120. Individual sessions cost $40. The sessions are 6 p.m. Sept. 14, 11 a.m. Sept. 15, 6 p.m. Sept. 15 and 11:30 a.m. Sept. 16. Patron tickets are $150 and include reserved seating, Sept. 15 breakfast and other perks. There is additional stage space for piano players and small groups. The Park Inn by Radisson is at 101 N. Summit St. For more information, visit grugelfest.com. Contact McCreery at dcmc55@bex.net. O

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EDUCATION

Maumee Valley expands its iPad program

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

photo by melissa kuhl

A14. n Toledo Free Press

By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS MANAGING EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

Maumee Valley Country Day School (MVCDS) students stream through hallways between classes in chatty clusters, but their arms aren’t loaded with textbooks and their shoulders aren’t hoisting heavy backpacks. Many carry only a slim case containing their school-issued iPad. n iPads CONTINUES ON A15

n All Maumee Valley Country Day School middle and upper school students were issued an ipad while PRESCHOOLERS THROUGH sixth-graders have classroom sets.

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n A15

n iPADS CONTINUED FROM A14 After the success of a pilot program with last year’s seventh- and eighth-graders, MVCDS expanded its one-to-one iPad initiative through 12th grade this school year. A classroom set of iPads was also added to each preschool through sixth-grade classroom. “We did a major investment of iPads this year,” said Melissa Kuhl, MVCDS’s director of marketing and communications. “Middleschoolers had them last year and they were really our trial group. We soon learned they were teaching us how to use them. They were taking it that much further than we expected, which was great. We soon went in the Middle School to a whole cloud environment, where document-sharing was happening within the classroom from peer to peer as well as from student to teacher, so it was a really good collaborative experiment.” Many textbooks and required readings are downloaded directly to the devices and teachers and students alike are encouraged to explore and experiment with apps, Kuhl said. “It’s really teacher-driven, the app usage. We make recommendations, but we don’t really hold back what teachers find and use,” Kuhl said. “And the kids have ideas too. They’ll say, ‘Oh, I’ve seen this app and it’s educational’ and we use it. So it’s working out really well.” MVCDS enrolls 490 students: 200 in the Upper School, 80 in the Middle School and 210 in the Lower School. The $156,000 iPad initiative was paid for by the school. Tuition was not increased, but parents pay a technology fee that covers iPad insurance, Kuhl said. Middle-school Spanish teacher Kelsy Grefe was part of last year’s pilot program and said she’s happy the school decided to expand the program. “I really see the value in an iPad education and I wouldn’t want to go back to the way it was before,” said Grefe, a 2003 MVCDS alumna. “It enables students to be more empowered and involved with their learning. The possibilities are pretty limitless.” Grefe’s students access SpanishEnglish dictionaries with audio pronunciation aids, conjugation practice apps and more. They also created original illustrations for a story they wrote in Spanish, recorded themselves reading it, “published” the digital audiobook online and then shared the story with younger students. Grefe’s first homework assignment was to explore the App Store. n iPADS CONTINUES ON A16

community

A16 n Toledo Free Press n iPADS CONTINUED FROM 15 “The kids are going to be innovative and teach you new things and show you apps you might not have thought of using,” Grefe said. “I picked up a few apps from the kids that way. It’s awesome they can be a part of it.” Grefe said some students will take photos of textbook pages they need to study or notes on the board rather than carrying home a textbook or taking notes on paper. They can also record audio of Grefe explaining a homework assignment or teaching a lesson. “Some people think it’s negative to put them in front of a screen all day, GRIFFITH but they learn a lot and interact with each other,” Grefe said. “It’s not holding them back from being functional members of society. Society has evolved to this and we have to evolve with it. It’s normal to them. They are digital natives. In some ways I am too, but not in the same way they are.” Head of Upper School Gareth Griffith came to MVCDS from an independent school in his native Greensboro, N.C., which has had a one-toone laptop program for 12 years. “As a classroom teacher, I can’t imagine teaching in an environment that doesn’t have that access to a broader world through an iPad or a laptop, that doesn’t have the capacity to collaborate with other students who are not necessarily in the room with you, that doesn’t have the capacity to create in multimedia as you can with an iPad,” Griffith said. “Having come from an environment where you could do that, I can’t imagine teaching in an environment that doesn’t, to go

back to a pen and paper world.” Even the school’s youngest students can benefit educationally from iPads, said Early Learning Center Director Heather Benson. The students used iPads to experiment with nature photography on a recent field trip and teachers often use the devices to record students explaining a picture they drew or a story they wrote. “Instead of the old methodology, the low-tech methodology, in which the teacher would write under the student’s writing or picture what they said it was about, the student is telling in their own words,” Benson said. The iPads can BENSON also help monitor developmental progress, Benson said. An easel app, for example, records the strokes a child uses to draw a picture, allowing teachers to check if a child draws a line in one continuous stroke that crosses the midline or if they draw half from the right and half from the left. “Once the drawing is completed on a piece of paper, you can’t tell what came first or how the student drew the line, but the iPad can record exactly the strokes and movements a child made,” Benson said. “It’s a really handy tool to be able to show a parent a skill a particular child needed to develop.” Kuhl said the iPads are not used all the time or in every subject. “At school, we’re very careful to make sure it’s used at appropriate times. We say, ‘OK, it’s time to close the iPads. Put them away. We’re going to do this now,’ or ‘Pull out your iPads. We can use these for research in this

PREMIER RECEPTION AND EVENT CENTER

area,’” Kuhl said. “We also coached parents on how to control screen time in the home environment, about using the iPads appropriately for homework or research as needed and then closing them. “Many families already had them, so it wasn’t new technology we were introducing into their lives in the evenings.” Although collaboration is encouraged, cheating is not toler-

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012 ated and is almost nonexistent at MVCDS, Kuhl said. “On the cloud, everything is documented so you can tell who has made what modifications to documents. It’s tagged with their username, so you can see very easily who has contributed,” Kuhl said. “I have never once heard of any issues in the building. Students take their work very seriously. They are here to learn and we make learning really fun.”

Embracing the new technology will help students in college as well as their future jobs, Griffith said. “This is a place that is truly thinking about preparing students for the 21st century, asking them to collaborate and network and create creatively in ways that their working world will require,” Griffith said. “It’s very exciting.” For more information, visit www. mvcds.org. O

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of Chiar Chiari Malformation is a serious disorder people in the US. The Conquer Chiari 5k orneurological less walk, run affecting or roll 300,000 at your leisure. Walk Across America is a series of local awareness and fundraising walks held across the country on the same day. Join us on this special day and help the thousands of families struggling with this terrible disease. Chiari Malformation is atoserious neurological disorder affecting 300,000 people in the US. The Conquer Chiari All proceeds will be used fund Chiari research. Walk Across America is a series of local awareness and fundraising walks held across the country on the same day. Join us on this special daywill and help the thousands of families struggling terrible disease. Participation is free. T-shirts be provided for pre-registered walkers with with this a minimum donation of $25 All proceeds will be to information, fund Chiari research. (deadline is 8/12). Forused more to register as a walker, or to sponsor a walker, contact Kellie Haupricht Chiari Malformation is a serious people in the US. The Chiari at (419) 822-6049 or Jill neurological Lovejoy Millerdisorder at (419)affecting 410-8522 300,000 or CCWAAToledo@hotmail.com or Conquer visit: Participation T-shirts provided forand pre-registered walkers withheld a minimum of $25 Walk Across America isisfree. a series of will localbeawareness fundraising walks across donation the country on the same www.conquerchiari.org. 8/12). For more information, to register as a walker, or to sponsor a walker, contact Kellie Haupricht day. Join us(deadline on thisisspecial day and help the thousands of families struggling with this terrible disease. at (419) 822-6049 or Jill Lovejoy Miller at (419) 410-8522 or CCWAAToledo@hotmail.com or visit: 601 monroe Street All proceedswww.conquerchiari.org. will be used to fund Chiari research. toledo, oH 43604

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SENIORS

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

n A17

By Caitlin McGlade

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer cmcglade@toledofreepress.com

On May 23, Shelian Beaupre sat down to talk with her husband, Allen, over a cup of hot cocoa in his nursing home’s common room. Allen knew he would be able to leave the nursing home soon, but Shelian quietly told him it was time to pack his belongings. “He looked at me and said, ‘This is no joke is it?’” Shelian recalled. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she told him, “No.” He looked into his hot chocolate and said, “Let’s blow this Popsicle stand,” triggering cheers and applause from the nursing home residents around him. Shelian beamed as she recounted that story from her living room in Bowling Green, months after she finally got her husband home. A triple bypass heart surgery had landed Allen in the nursing home for seven months. Desperate for him to be home before their anniversary, the pair ran into a number of obstacles. One obstacle was the stairs he’d have to climb each day to enter or

leave the house. Allen had trouble walking and would need a ramp installed in order to get around. Medicaid will cover the cost to modify a home through PASSPORT, a waiver program that links homebound seniors to long-term care services. But seniors cannot participate in PASSPORT while they live in a nursing home and thus cannot receive a PASSPORT-covered ramp until they are discharged from their nursing facility. This can sometimes create a trap for people who want to leave the nursing home, but cannot until their homes are modified, said Justin Moor, spokesperson for the Area Office on Aging of Northwest Ohio. “It does not make sense and it’s something that needs to be addressed at the federal level,” Moor said. In response, the Area Office on Aging started working with The Ability Center in 2011 to install temporary ramps at seniors’ homes before they leave the nursing home. That way, individuals can leave the nursing home and start the paperwork to get a Medicaid-covered permanent ramp installed. n RAMPS CONTINUES ON A18

toledo free press photo by caitlin mcglade

Innovative ramp program helps elderly return home

Allen Beaupre, pictured with his wife Shelian, was able to leave a nursing home thanks to a temporary ramp.

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A18 n Toledo Free Press n RAMPS CONTINUED FROM A17

“

With a $17,000 grant I’m ready to run!” from the Northwest Ohio Area Office on Aging — Marion Winnick, Foundation, the local proramp recipient gram has brought eight seniors home from nursing facilities by installing the temporary ramps. The seniors use the ramps for at least a couple of months until their permanent ones, which cost about $2,300, are installed. The average cost to Medicaid to live in a nursing home for one year is about $62,000. Living at home and using PASSPORT services costs about $20,000. About 70 percent of nursing home residents are on Medicaid. The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging recently presented the Area Office on Aging of Northwest Ohio with a National Aging Achievement Award to recognize the innovative ramp program. Marion Winnick has been staying at Heartland of Perrysburg for about nine months now, but the Area Office on Aging recently secured her a temporary ramp. She’ll get to go home soon. Winnick is wheelchair-bound and couldn’t move home until the ramp was installed. She said the Heartland staff do a fine job caring for her, but that she is ready to look after herself and — most importantly — start growing her own garden again. Turnips, collard greens, kale, beans — you name it, Winnick has grown it — and being sequestered in a nursing home has left her reminiscing about her home cooking. “I’m ready to run!” she said. O

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Browning Masonic Community Events

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Ultrasound-Guided Joint Injections

The Toledo Zoo “History & Operation” Come and learn all about the Toledo Zoo, behind the scenes!

Wear and tear on your joints that leads to joint pain is inevitable for many of us as we age. To treat, your physician may recommend physical therapy, oral medication, injections or surgery. If injections are your course of action, you may want to consider ultrasound-guided joint injections.

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CONTROL PAIN. WE CALM FEARS. RELIEF AND COMFORT. WE HELP help control pain. alm fears. we bring BRING RELIEF AND COMFORT. WE HELP CONTROL PAIN. WE f and WEcomfort. how we help you? we CALM FEARS. WE BRING RELIEFwe AND COMFORT. WE HELP CONTROL p control pain. WE HELP control pain. fears. we bring rePAIN.comfort. WE CALM FEARS. WE BRING RELIEF AND COMFORT. WE HELP and how we help you? we WE FEARS. CONTROL PAIN. WE CALM FEARS. WE BRING RELIEF AND COMFORT. calm p control pain. we fears. we PAIN. bring re-WE BRING RELIEF AND WE HELP CONTROL WE CALM FEARS. and comfort. how we help you? we AND WE BRING relief comfort. WE HELP CONTROL PAIN. WE CALM FEARS. WE BRING COMFORT. p control pain. we fears. we bring re-PAIN. WE CALM FEARS. RELIEF AND COMFORT.WE HELP CONTROL and comfort. how weWEhelp you? we HOW CAN WE help you? BRING RELIEFpain. AND COMFORT. WE HELP CONTROL PAIN. WE p control we fears. we bring re- WE HELP CONTROL CALM FEARS. WE BRING RELIEF AND COMFORT. and comfort. how we help you? we PAIN. WE CALM FEARS. WE BRING RELIEF AND COMFORT. WE HELP p control pain. we fears. we bringWEreCONTROL PAIN. WE CALM FEARS. BRING RELIEF AND COMFORT. and comfort. how an WE we help you? HELP CONTROL PAIN. WE CALM FEARS. WE BRING RELIEF AND

“You’re not in this alone.”

“We are experts in managing symptoms and pain as patients get closer to the end of life. It’s very important to call as soon as possible so we can help you with the disease process you are facing. We will support you at every turn so you know you’re not alone.“

– Dr. Vicki Bertka, Hospice of Northwest Ohio physician

We are the area’s largest and most experienced provider of hospice care, a nonprofit organization solely dedicated to providing the best possible end-of-life experience for our

Traditionally, joint injections are done without ultrasound. The physician must depend on his/her experience and the patient’s physical exam to direct the needle. But, when a physician uses an ultrasound machine, he/she can visualize in real time where the physician is guiding the needle. This allows the medication to be placed with certainty at the exact site of your pain. Ultrasound-guided injections can be used safely for most joints in your body, including those that cannot traditionally be reached, like your hip. The procedure can be used to treat a number of conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, tendinitis, bursitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Typically a corticosteroid or viscosupplement will be used to help minimize the pain for most conditions. Dr. Knieriem is accepting new patients at his family medicine practice in Rossford. To schedule an appointment, please call 419-661-9727.

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SENIORS

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

n A19

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

The Retirement guys

Facts about buying long-term care insurance

s The Retirement Guys, we talk to people all the time about their concerns as they approach and reach the retirement phase of life. When asked about

their biggest concern, the majority of the time the answer is “not having enough” or “outliving my money.” It is a fact of life that we all have to figure out a way to support ourselves.

It especially becomes concerning when we are reaching the latter phase of life, as our strength and energy begins to diminish. I (Mark) had the opportunity

Yes, we shop around to Yes,get webetter shop rates. around Shouldn’t we? to get better rates. Shouldn’t we? Fair Fair question. question. Honest Honest answer: answer: Rates don’t tell the whole story. Rates don’t tellHonest the whole story. Fair question. answer: Insurance cost is a major consideration for Insurance cost is tell a major for all all companies, companies, especially especially Rates don’t theconsideration whole story.

small small businesses. businesses. But But switching switching plans plans frequently frequently to to get get lower lower rates rates Insurance cost is along-term major consideration for allbecause companies, especially can increase your healthcare costs it can increase your long-term healthcare costs because it excludes excludes the the small businesses. But switching plans frequently to getWorking lower rates value of wellness programs that keep people healthy. with value of wellness programs that keep people healthy. Working with can increaseChamber your long-term healthcareoffer costs because it excludes the the theToledo Toledo Chamberof ofCommerce, Commerce,we we offermore morecost-effective cost-effective value of wellness programs that keep people healthy. Working with small-business small-business coverage. coverage. Coverage Coverage that that includes includescost-saving cost-savingwellness wellness the Toledo Chamber of Commerce, we offer more cost-effective benefits benefitsfor foryour youremployees. employees. small-business coverage. Coverage that includes cost-saving wellness For benefits forabout your small-business employees. For more more about small-business plan plan options options through through our our partners, partners, call Gary Thieman, Senior Vice President, 419-473-7805. call Gary Thieman, Senior Vice President, 419-473-7805. For more about small-business plan options through our partners, call Gary Thieman, Senior Vice President, 419-473-7805.

recently to visit my daughter Caitlyn at Grand Valley State University near Grand Rapids, Mich. She asked me to bring her a small desk that we had at our house to put in her room at Mark the sorority house where she lives. Nolan The desk came in two parts and I was able to get it into the back of my car with no problem. My wife Lisa said, “You got that in there all by yourself?” Yep. It wasn’t that heavy and with a little extra effort I was able to get the job done. For some reason, I thought of my late grandfather who lived into

his mid-90s. I remember him sitting while people tended to his needs because he had reached a point of not being able to do much. I wondered to myself if I would get to that point someday, CLAIR where I could not perform the fairly BAKER simple task of putting something in the back of my car. Which brings us back to the concern many have of “not having enough.” Typically, it is the thought of some type of health crisis and worrying about needing long-term health care and how to pay for it. n RETIRE CONTINUES ON A23

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A20 n Toledo Free Press

Northwest Ohio

SEPTEMBER

Hearing Clinic E X P E RT C A R E

Make your Lyric® appointment today! Call 419-931-6086

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Northwest Ohio Hearing the First 100% Invisible, We are pleased to now offer a hearing aid alternative to patients with mild to moderately severe hearing loss. The Lyric® is the rst and only deep canal hearing device that is 100% invisible and may be worn 24

hours a day, 7 days a week. This FDA-approved, extendedwear device is designed to be worn up to 120 days at a time and provides many advantages over traditional daily-wear hearing aids.

The Lyric heari great choice for indiv not satised with the and cosmetic design o hearing aid. It was de with the ear’s anatom outer ear to direct the ear canal, resulting in quality in quiet and n These hearing aids m new and current hear

Patients will app of features and bene the Lyric hearing dev • No surgery or ane required to insert during a visit to th • Device is program patient’s specic n insertion into the • Patient may adjus turn the system o utilizing an adjust • Fits in the bony p ear canal, eliminat issues (common w hearing aids).

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Visit www.toledofreepress.com

n A21

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ing device is a viduals who are e sound quality of their current esigned to work my by using the e sound into the n better sound noisy situations. may be used by ring aid users.

preciate a variety ts offered by vice: esthesia is the device he audiologist. mmed for the needs prior to ear canal. st the volume and on and off by tment tool. portion of the ting occlusion with standard

•

Device has soft, exible seals designed to relieve undue pressure on the canal wall, while still providing retention in the ear canal and an acoustic seal against feedback. • Seals are anti-microbial and breathable with two venting mechanisms. • No batteries to change, no daily maintenance, no need to remove or insert based on activities. Because it is inserted deep in the ear canal, patients are able to use Lyric hearing aids throughout their daily activities such as exercising, talking on the phone with no feedback, sleeping and taking showers. The device is replaced by a trained audiologist about every two to four months, depending on usage and battery life. Our audiologists have been specially trained to determine candidacy and placement. For candidacy, several factors are considered such as hearing loss, ear canal size, over-all general health and lifestyle.

A Lyric evaluation includes a complete professional audiology evaluation, a lifestyle/overall health questionnaire, and an ear canal measurement. If a patient is a candidate, the device can be placed at the same appointment or during a follow-up visit. We are excited to offer Lyric as an alternative to standard daily-wear hearing aids. As the rst provider in Northwest Ohio, we have t a variety of patients and the response has been great! The most common standard statement is how clear and crisp the sound quality is. The Lyric may not be an option for everyone and a trained audiologist will be able to determine candidacy. As hearing aid technology continues to evolve, Northwest Ohio Hearing Clinic is proud to have been selected to be the clinic of choice for this area.

Northwest Ohio Hearing Clinic is committed to helping you hear better. Lyric is a hearing aid that could change your life without changing how you live. In fact, 94% of current Lyric wearers would recommend it to a friend or loved one. Lyric can completely disappear. Lyric is the world’s first 100% invisible hearing device so no one can see your Lyric ... you might forget it’s there yourself. Because you deserve the benefits of hassle-free hearing during routine daily activities, we invite you to come in during our Lyric Days and experience Lyric RISKFREE FOR 30 DAYS** (CURRENT HEARING TEST REQUIRED). *Based on a survey of 135 patients who had worn Lyric for at least 30 days. *Individual replacement needs may vary. *Lyric is water resistant, not waterproof, and should not be completely submerged under water. *Lyric is not appropriate for all patients. See a Lyric provider to determine if Lyric is right for you. Individual patients results may vary. *Lyric, Distributed by Phonak, LLC 2012 Phonak, LLC all rights reserved id_242994.

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A22 n Toledo Free Press

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

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Savings is in comparison to lower-tiered Mobile Share plans. Unlimited Talk and Text for phones only. Smartphone required. Additional monthly charge per device. $15 per GB for add’l data. Activation fee may apply. Additional deposits and other restrictions may apply. Access to corporate email, intranet sites, and apps available for $15/mo. per device. Limited-time offer. HTC One X requires a new 2-yr wireless agreement with voice (min $39.99/mo.) and monthly data plans (min $20/mo.). Subject to Wireless Customer Agrmt. Credit approval req’d. Activ fee $36/line. Geographic, usage, and other terms, conditions, and restrictions apply and may result in svc termination. Coverage and svcs not avail everywhere. Taxes and other charges apply. Data (att.com/dataplans): If usage exceeds your monthly data allowance, you will automatically be charged overage for additional data provided. Early Termination Fee (att.com/equipmentETF): After 30 days, ETF up to $325. Restocking fee up to $35. Other Monthly Charges: Line may include a Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge (up to $1.25), a gross receipts surcharge, federal and state universal svc charges, and fees and charges for other gov’t assessments. These are not taxes or gov’t req’d charges. Visit a store or att.com/wireless to learn more about wireless devices and services from AT&T. Screen images simulated. Beats Audio experience requires compatible accessories, sold separately. All other marks used herein are the property of their respective owners. ©2012 AT&T Intellectual Property.

SENIORS

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Ask the Expert Cap Averill II

Cap Averill II & Associates

The Other Side of the Coin What to do with that 401(k) rollover As the economy struggles for a foothold, many people are faced with having to decide what to do with their 401(k) from their previous employer. Many major corporations are offering retirement packages or “lump sums” to people in an effort to divest themselves of future liabilities. This is the equivalent of giving a person a paper bag of cash, which represents their life’s work, and sending them out on the street to find a person they can trust to handle their investments for them. That works out great when the person they choose is good at what they do. If a person makes an error, they cannot get their career back to make the money all over again. It is a “one time” thing. But what a huge responsibility it is, deciding upon who you can entrust with your life’s savings, in a limited period of time. We do a huge amount of this type of investment work. I believe that the reason so many people choose us for their rollovers is our reputation. In my career, I have never had any complaint by any client with the Better Business Bureau, and as a result we enjoy an A+ rating with the BBB.

n Retire CONTINUED FROM A19 According to the Department of Health and Human Services, about 70 percent of people older than 65 will require some type of long-term care services during their lifetime. Let’s look at how we can pay for it. There are basically three choices. Pay for it out of your own money, buy insurance to help pay for it or rely on the government after you have used all of your own money. Let’s focus for a moment on the idea of using insurance to pay for it. We ask folks all the time why they do not have this kind of insurance and the typical answers are “it is too expensive” or “we don’t want to pay for something that we might never use.” The Retirement Guys believe in using insurance to do what we call “leveraging.” Using what we have to create something bigger — in this case, creating a pool of money to use for long-term care. When you buy a traditional longterm care policy, there are several

decisions to make. First, how long do you want it to pay? It is typical to buy a policy that pays for a specific period of time, like five years. The longer it pays, the higher the premium. Next, how much do you want it to pay? You can pick a daily amount like $200 a day and try to guess how much care would cost and how much you can afford to pay out of your assets or income to make up the difference if your insurance policy does not cover it all. There is also what is called an elimination period. This is kind of like a deductible. There are a certain number of days that pass before the policy benefits start to pay, say 30, 60 or 90 days. An inflation rider can be added to your policy to try to keep up with the inflation of care costs. Typically, the benefits are increased by 5 percent per year so that the amount of benefits you purchase today will not be as insignificant in the future as health care costs go up. To qualify for the policy to start paying, you typically must

You’ll save more than time with our competitive pricing For over 75 years, LaSalle Cleaners has been providing Northwest Ohio with courteous service and quality cleaning. As the area’s largest office pick-up and delivery service, we never lose sight of what is most important — providing a convenient, quality and cost-conscious program to all. As a dedicated business partner and participant in community and corporate events, we are achieving a goal set with each new day; to make your life easier.

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“

When you buy a traditional long-term care policy, there are several decisions to make. First, how long do you want it to pay? It is typical to buy a policy that pays for a specific period of time, like five years. The longer it pays, the higher the premium.” need help with two of what are called “activities of daily living (ADLs).” These are eating, bathing, dressing, transferring and continence. Should you buy traditional long-

For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 p.m. on 1370 WSPD or visit www. retirementguysnetwork.com. Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC. NEXT Financial Group, Inc. does not provide tax or legal advice. The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee, OH 43537. (419) 842-0550.

… the country really goes over the cliff ? … Social Security and Medicare go bankrupt? … there is another massive bank bailout? G t answers to these Get qquestions estions and more more. Plus, learn how to protect your portfolio with a Private Wealth Consultants portfolio audit. Join Gary Rathbun, Doug Miller and Brian Wilson for the

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term care insurance? Maybe, maybe not. You should definitely meet with a professional to analyze your situation. If you wait too long, health or age may exclude you from obtaining insurance. There are other creative ways and newer types of nontraditional long-term care insurance products that may help you address this issue. You can go to www. retirementguysnetwork.com to get more information. Bottom line — look into it right away. O

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n A23

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A24 n Toledo Free Press

TECHNOLOGY

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

TREECE BLOG

By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS MANAGING EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

Local filmmaker Steven Boatman will travel to Los Angeles this winter to work on a feature-length independent film following a recent successful Kickstarter campaign. Boatman and Los Angeles-based actor/writer/director Russ Russo recently reached their $20,000 goal for the project, raising $20,880 via the online crowdsourced fundraising website. Boatman will serve as director of photography for “Heat Wave,” which will film cross-country from LA to New Jersey starting in January. For more information, visit www. HeatWaveFilm.com. The 23-year-old Toledoan lost his hearing from bacterial meningitis at age 1 and was deaf for four years before receiving a cochlear implant at age 5. Boatman was homeschooled until enrolling at Bowling Green State University to study visual communication technology. He left BGSU after three years to pursue filmmaking full time. Boatman’s skills grabbed the attention of Russo in July at the Northwest Ohio Independent Film Festival in Lima. Boatman’s five-minute narrative film “Mowing Through Misery,” a dark comedy about the frustrations of a man trying to mow his lawn, was screened there. Boatman writes, directs, films, edits and acts in his films. He built most of his own equipment, including a dolly platform with metal pipe tracks, an 8-foot aluminum crane and a computer for video editing. Russo, who often travels to film festivals across the country, said he was impressed by Boatman’s creativity and ingenuity. “It’s as if one sense gave way to another sense, which was his eye. The camera was always moving, always presenting something and coming into the next scene. What he was doing was something on a studio level. It’s presented in a way that feels very much like a big Hollywood-feel film,” Russo said. “I saw Steven’s film right at the end of the festival and I thought, ‘Wow, I’m actually in the midst of writing something and that kind of filmmaking is what I picture.’” “Heat Wave” is a dark comedy that addresses modern society, Generation Y friendship, moral decay, narcissism, self-discovery and more as two friends take a cross-country road trip. The film will include some up-and-coming actors, including Kiowa Gordon and Bronson Pelletier, who portray werewolves Embry and Jared in “The Twilight Saga”; Natasha Alam of “True Blood” and “Entourage”; Amanda Clayton from “John Carter”; Jessica Andres of “Liberator” and “Gossip Girl”; and more. Kristina Michelle, host of “The Reel Show” on the Reel

photo courtesy steven boatman

Toledo filmmaker raises Retiring as a millionaire funds through Kickstarter L

Steven Boatman raised $20,880 on Kickstarter.

TV Network, interviewed Boatman at The International Indie Gathering Film Festival in Hudson, Ohio, where he earned his first award for “Mowing Through Misery.” The interview will air online for two weeks at www. ReelTVNetwork.com, beginning Sept. 4 at 4 a.m., 10 a.m., 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Between now and “Heat Wave,” Boatman plans to stay busy with other projects, including freelance videography and as a cinematographer for “Huntsmen,” a local Web series project of director and writer Gerald Hill. The “Huntsmen” team is seeking to raise $1,500 before Sept. 22 to cover expenses. Production will begin in early September. Boatman’s father, Glen Boatman, who helps with filming when Steven is acting, said he is proud of his son’s opportunity to work on a feature-length film. “He’s doing very well. Fortunately he has me to bankroll him, but this is going to be big payback,” Glen said, laughing. “He’s getting started now.” To learn more, visit www.stevenboatman.com. O

More businesses are banking with Key. Shouldn’t you?

ast week I came across a Facebook post that asked if retiring as a millionaire was possible. My generation tends to spend their money on “stuff,” as opposed to saving for the future, so I was excited to see a 25-year-old eager to save. I told him that it absolutely was possible. This week, I shift my focus toward the younger readers who have an interest in putting their money to work for them, and how they can retire as millionaires. On paper, achieving the goal of $1 million is not difficult. If an individual contributed $20 per week for 50 years earning 10 percent on that money per year, he or she would have $1.3 million dollars at retirement. However, sometimes it is difficult to find extra cash to put away, whether it is due to job loss or maybe a new home purchase. Fundamentally speaking, earning a million dollars by retirement if you are in your 20s Ben TREECE is absolutely possible. There are a few areas in which I would like to provide some words of wisdom to our younger readers. O Student loans: Do not miss payments. Student loans can hurt your credit score and make it very difficult to obtain a loan down the road. Continue to make your scheduled payments and if you can prepay the loan, great. Do not drain your life savings to pay off the loan tomorrow though, if your savings accounts can earn you more than the interest rate on your loan, you might as well allow your money to keep working for you. O Study your monthly expenses: Whether you keep track of your receipts or use a software program to enter your payments and purchases (I personally use Quicken), look at how much you are spending a month and compare it to what your income is. Take that difference and put at least half of it into some form of savings, whether it is an IRA, a personal investment account or the bank. O Employer-sponsored plans are for your benefit; take advantage of them: Most 401(k)/403(b) plans have some kind of matching program. That is free money; not even the best investment adviser in the world can give you free money. Invest whatever amount gets you the maximum matching benefit, then with the rest of your savings open up a non-qualified account (personal or joint investment account) or open a Roth IRA (you cannot be actively participating in a 401(k) and have a traditional IRA). An outside investment account will give you more freedom and flexibility in your investment choices and will not face the restrictions that your 401(k) plan does. O Find a good CPA: A good CPA will cost you about $200-$400 per tax year, but his or her ability to find you savings and deductions is astounding. He or she can do what TurboTax cannot. It is a worthwhile investment, plain and simple. Above all else, you need a goal. Saying “I want a lot of money” is not a goal, but rather “I want my accounts to be valued at more than $1 million by the time I am 60” is a goal, a very obtainable one at that. It requires discipline but it can be done. O Ben Treece is a 2009 graduate from the University of Miami (FL), BBA International Finance and Marketing. He is a partner with Treece Investment Advisory Corp (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA, working for Treece Financial Services Corp. The above information is the express opinion of Ben Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

Call us for your business needs – Ken Connell 419-259-5945 Rich Heck 419-259-8530 Member FDIC

KeyBank

MONEY MATTERS

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

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ENTREPRENEURS

By Matt Liasse

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

Kaye Brazier regularly ordered the tomato bisque at Zoup! before deciding to open her own franchise. The grand opening of the new Talmadge Town Center location is planned for October. Brazier, a Toledo native, has been training in Detroit to open her first business after working 32 years in construction. “The soup sells itself,” Brazier said. Featuring a different 12 soups daily, customer favorites include chicken pot pie and lobster bisque. Zoup! has 110 recipes total, Brazier said. “You can come every day of the week and try something new,” Brazier said. Sizes range from 8-ounce cups and 12-ounce bowls, on average costing $6 to $9. There is an extra-large option, Brazier said, which is 24 ounces. Zoup! is perfect for short lunch breaks, Brazier said, but is not limited to such. The wide range of soups takes many diets into account. Zoup! offers options that are low fat (chicken

noodle,) dairy free (sesame noodle bowl,) vegetarian (tomato bisque and spicy Italian vegetable) and glutenfree (zesty 3-pepper). “[Zoup!] is conscious of recipes for people who are conscious of their diet,” Brazier said. Zoup! also will introduce new soups to spice up the seasons, such as this summer’s gazpacho, a vegetable soup served cold. The fall season will feature new soups, including the Sicilian Pizza Soup, which has pepperoni, mushrooms, carrots, black olives and is topped with mozzarella cheese. “[At Zoup!] soup is more of a meal rather than an appetizer,” said Paul Gilis, who opened the Dussel Drive location seven years ago. “We work hard not to make bad ones. They don’t sell.” Gilis said his favorite soup changes depending on the day, but one of his favorites is the Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. He said the soup is flavorful and unique to Zoup! Customers receive French, multi-grain or sourdough bread with their soups. The menu also features salads, sandwiches and

desserts daily. Combination meals are available for customers to pair a soup with a salad or sandwich. Other services Zoup! offers are catering for events and the “double-up” option, allowing customers to choose two different soups. Zoup! also recently started selling its low-calorie, low-sodium chicken broth to customers in glass jars. The soup isn’t all Brazier returns to Zoup! for. The customer service is welcoming, she said. “The customer service is genuine,” Brazier said. “It’s a culture like no other. It’s a great concept for Toledo.” As part of the guest service Zoup! strives for, customers are encouraged to try soups at the counter before purchasing, Gilis said. That is an act Brazier took advantage of. “I was able to try things I never would’ve ordered,” Brazier said, one of them being the Fire-Roasted Tomato Bisque. Brazier called Zoup! a fast, casual dining experience, rather than fast food. The Toledo location, at the corner of Talmadge Road and W. Sylvania Avenue, will only differ in size from the

I M P O R TA N T

PHOTO COURTESY KAYE BRAZIER

Zoup! franchise owner invests in new Toledo location

The future Talmadge Town Center home of Zoup!

Maumee store, Brazier said. The layout of the restaurant will be the same. Zoup! is branching out from its current 50 stores, according to a news release. “We look forward to growing our brand and feeding the local appetite with one-of-a-kind soup creations consumers love, but wouldn’t make at home,” Co-founder and Managing Partner Eric Ersher said in a news release. “In good times and bad, soup carries powerful and intangible qualities that provide comfort and promote a genuine sense of

P U B L I C

well-being for many people.” Also in the news release, he promised Zoup! has a commitment to “uncompromisingly high standards,” guaranteeing “authenticity and quality of every pot, bowl and cup served.” “It’s a higher quality product as far as soup,” Gilis said. “Everything is from scratch.” It was the selection of soups and the customer service that encouraged Brazier to open her own store. “I wouldn’t have thought of opening another franchise other than Zoup!” Brazier said. O

N OT I C E

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

r y C ommun E v e Ne i g h b o r h i t y o ry Ev e Ev e r y S t r e e t o d y Pro p e r t y Ev e r

... has its own story that determines its individual value. Throughout July, the Lucas County Auditor’s office mailed value change notices and detailed information about individual properties. 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 PLEASE CALL (419) 213-4406 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,

Office of Anita L opez, Lucas C ounty 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

Anita Lopez, Lucas County Auditor

MONEY MATTERS

A26 n Toledo Free Press

A VIEW FROM THE GULCH

y dad always found it ironic that we would celebrate Labor Day by not working. He, and eventually I, would always spend the day working with the thought that most of the competition is taking the day off so we have an opportunity to create more Gary L. and work a little harder. Coming off of Labor Day and starting the Democratic National Convention, I started thinking about what was instilled in me and how too many people today think that the wealth pie is limited in size. My labor is a resource of sorts, and I can deploy that any way I want to create more money and wealth. The more of my labor I utilize, the bigger the pie gets. If I work more hours that someone else I get paid more; the other person is not diminished at all, he or she just chose to use their resources differently. Granted, there is more to life than money and wealth and if you choose to watch your kids play ball or play yourself that is fine with me. I choose to work and see if I could increase my wealth. Now, I know that Labor Day was to give the working man an extra day off. I believe that the working man or woman has generally earned that day off. The trouble is that too many people feel that only the worker and not the businessperson is responsible for the

Labor Day

increase in wealth. The bottom line is that the worker would not have a job without the business owner and the business owner would not be able to create his product without the workers. The workers have a resource that the busiRATHBUN ness owner needs and is willing to pay for. If the price is too high the business owner doesn’t hire and if the wage is too low the worker does not have to work there. Both sides have choices to make and all choices have consequences. When those choices are taken away, with minimum wage laws, layoff notices, hiring quotas, etc., then the free market forces are no longer unrestricted and everyone suffers. Where a lot of the conflict comes from is workers who want low accountability and ever-more pay for ever-less work. The only group of employees that can thrive in such an environment is government workers. In today’s competitive world economy, governments are mostly exempt from competitive forces. The competitive forces going forward will be small entrepreneurs, independent contractors, homebased businesses and some entrepreneurial-thinking employees in large corporations. All this being said, the United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population and is responsible

for almost 25 percent of the global manufacturing. No other country comes close. We are producing at almost three times the rate of the 1950s and we are doing it with fewer people. Part of the reason for this is robotics and automation and part of it is the productivity of the American worker. One of the only things that we can count on is that things will continue to change at a faster and faster pace. We as a country need to be free to produce things and use the resources available to their best and most profitable use. This includes labor. Only capitalism will make this country solvent again. Only capitalism will decrease unemployment. Only capitalism will make the wealth pie larger.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

ARE YOU

I hope you enjoyed and celebrated Labor Day this year and I also hope that you realize that the American people are the best in the world. The most generous and caring people in the world and I believe that we can outwork anyone in the world as well. O Gary L. Rathbun is the president and CEO of Private Wealth Consultants, LTD. He can be heard every day on 1370 WSPD 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) 8420334 or email him at garyrathbun@ privatewealthconsultants.com.

SPOTLIGHT #11:

BetterBuildings Northwest Ohio can help virtually any type of business save energy and money. Whether you are an industrial/manufacturing, educational, healthcare, municipal, or commercial/ retail building, we have a solution for you to start saving now. Even smaller businesses such as auto dealerships, grocery stores, restaurants, small office buildings, convenience stores and gas stations can benefit by engaging in an energy efficiency plan that will not only improve equipment and conditions, but will maximize savings. For example, a recent project with an auto dealership is estimated to have 43% energy savings just by upgrading their interior and exterior lighting.

WE SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS. HECK, WE ARE A LOCAL BUSINESS.

So, no matter if your business is small, medium or large, BetterBuildings Northwest Ohio can help you reap the rewards of large savings by implementing an energy efficiency project. BBNWO offers attractive financing for energy efficiency projects and can provide you the support and resources you need to save your business energy and money. To learn how, call BBNWO today!

At Huntington, we make it a point to work with those who move our community forward. As the #1 SBA lender in our region, we’re proud to support local businesses and their efforts to make a difference right here in our neighborhood.

Better Buildings Challenge website: www4.eere.energy.gov/challenge /partners/betterbuildings/toledo

Database of grants, loans available The 2012 edition of the “American Grants and Loans Catalog” was recently released. New this year is access to an online version of the database, which is updated daily and fully searchable. The document contains more than 2,800 financial programs, subsidies, scholarships, grants and loans offered by the federal government as well as more than 2,400 programs funded by private corporations and foundations. “From insuring honey farmers to supporting innovation in the medical field or for students who are looking for financial aid toward their educational goals, the variety of funding is limitless,” according to information on the publisher’s website. The CD version is $69.95, a one-year online subscription is $119.99 and the printed version plus online access is $149.95. The catalog covers a wide range of benefits and services, including agriculture, business and commerce, community development, consumer protection, cultural affairs, disaster prevention and relief, education, employment, labor and training, energy, environmental quality, food and nutrition, health, housing, income security and social services, information and statistics, law, justice, and legal Services, natural resources, regional development, science and technology and transportation. Content includes a Web link to the program announcement page, a Web link to the program administrator, information about program authorization, objectives and goals of the program, types of financial assistance offered, uses and restrictions, eligibility requirements, application and award process, regulations, relevant guidelines and literature, contact information and more. For more information, call (888) 341-8645 or visit grantsinfo.us. — Sarah Ottney

EFFICIENT? ENERGY

NORTHWEST OHIO A

Huntington is the #1 SBA 7(a) lender in the region made up of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia and Western PA. Source: U.S. SBA from October 1, 2007, through June 30, 2011.The Huntington National Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. ¥® and Huntington® are federally registered service marks of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. Huntington.® Welcome.™ is a service mark of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. © 2012 Huntington Bancshares Incorporated.

PROGRAM

toledoportauthority.org/BBNWO 419.720.1102

MONEY MATTERS

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

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By Duane Ramsey

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

Karen Mills, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), visited the Toledo area to help the Zaliouk family celebrate plans to expand their business and their company, YZ Enterprises, with the help of SBA loans through Huntington Bank. “Great companies are built by great people. We’re here to celebrate a great company and the entrepreneurs who built it,” Mills said at a news conference at YZ Enterprises in Maumee on Aug. 23. “We’re helping small businesses do what they do best. We’re working with entrepreneurs to help them grow. Our job in government is to put the wind at their back,” Mills said. Mills recognized the Zaliouk family for planning to expand its business and marketing of its Almondina brand cookies. YZ Enterprises plans to expand its 18,000-square-foot facility where production has maxed out at 100,000 cookies daily. The additional production line will double that output. “We’re proud to join a long line of businesses that have benefited from

SBA by partnering with the SBA and Huntington Bank to put delicious healthy cookies on every table, not just in America but around the world,” said Yuval Zaliouk, president and CEO of YZ Enterprises. Mills toured the company facilities with Zaliouk and saw how the cookies are produced and packaged firsthand. Mills, her official party and other guests at the news conference sampled Almondina cookies and received a complimentary gift bag of them. YZ Enterprises refinanced its existing loan with an SBA loan to improve its cash flow. The company also received two additional SBA loans that totaled $608,000 for expansion. The SBA loans are being used to cover the construction loan of $350,000 for the expansion to its facilities and refinancing the company’s debt, according to Tamar ZalioukMarkham, vice president of finance and treasurer at YZ Enterprises. She said work has already begun on the air-conditioning in the first phase of the project and they expect to have construction of the loading dock completed before winter arrives.

n SBA YZ CONTINUES ON A28

toledo free press photo by joseph herr

SBA administrator visits Maumee’s YZ Enterprises

Karen Mills and Yuval Zaliouk see cookies produced at YZ Enterprises on Aug. 23.

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Your Road is Our Road 6800 W. Central Ave., Suite G-1 Toledo, OH 43617 419-843-7744

www.TreeceInvestments.com

MONEY MATTERS

A28 n Toledo Free Press n SBA YZ CONTINUED FROM A27 She is the daughter of founders and owners Zavul and Susan Zaliouk. Zaliouk-Markham said the company has 30 employees, including six new workers hired this year. They plan to increase sales and hire an additional five people in 2013 following the expansion. Zaliouk-Markham worked with Tina Kern and Jeff Banks of Huntington Bank to put together the SBA loan package. “We support small business with passion. It’s our advocacy since we believe that small business drives the economy,” said Jeremy Gutierrez, senior vice president and Northwest Ohio market manager for Huntington. “SBA loans are an important tool in our kit. Huntington is the No. 1 SBA lender in Ohio and No. 3 nationally in number of SBA loans,” Gutierrez said. Zaliouk said without Huntington Bank, which has supported their business since it was founded in 1989, “We wouldn’t be here today.” Mills reported that the SBA had a record year in 2011 in Ohio in terms of SBA loans granted. “President Obama wants to make sure that small businesses have access to capital. The president says ‘Where small business succeeds, America succeeds,’” Mills said. As SBA administrator, Mills travels

regularly, at least once a week and to a total of 40 states so far, to keep in touch with small businesses. Zaliouk, a former conductor of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, and his grandmother are excellent examples of Mills’ statement. He enjoyed his grandmother Dina’s cookies as a boy growing up in Haifa, Israel. As generous as she was in giving away her recipes, grandmother Dina kept the one for the Petit Gateau Sec, meaning dry little cookie in French, a secret until the end of her life. She finally revealed the secret to her daughter, Ahuda, said Zaliouk’s mother. “Your grandmother was an entrepreneur and a great cook,” Mills said to Zaliouk. “Entrepreneurs come from all walks of life.” “Grandma Dina was a smart little cookie and is guiding us today from above,” Zaliouk said. His family began making the cookies for sale in the kitchen of their home in the late 1980s. He and Susan founded YZ Enterprises in 1989 and built the current facility in Maumee in 1995. Its first customer was The Andersons in Maumee, according to Zaliouk. Almondina cookies are now available locally at The Andersons, Giant Eagle, Kazmaier’s, and Walt Churchill’s Markets and at Walmart and other retailers in all 50 states and Israel. O

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Real estate investment meetings planned Area residents interested in learning more about real estate investments are invited to attend monthly Toledo Real Estate Investors Association meetings. The group meets at 6:15 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Knights of Columbus, 4256 Secor Road, in Toledo. “Come join us and learn about real estate investments. Meet and network with other real estate investors of Northwest Ohio and Southern Michigan who can advise and assist you in any and all real estate endeavors you may be interested in,” stated a news release. “We have speakers from all over the country and some of the most successful real estate investors in this area attend our meetings each month.” For more information, visit toledoreia.com or contact Anna Mills at (419) 283-8427 or Dave Czajka at (419) 699-1532. — Sarah Ottney

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

ARTS Life

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missioon control management

IN CONCERT

Jefferson Starship will perform such hits as ‘Miracles,’ ‘jane’ and ‘find your way back’ during its sept. 15 concert at the valentine theatre

Jefferson Starship cruises to Valentine Theatre By Vicki L. Kroll

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer vkroll@toledofreepress.com

David Freiberg climbed aboard Jefferson Airplane in 1972. The bass player and singer was excited, but it turned out to be the band’s final flight. “It was a wee bit nuts because you could tell that Paul [Kantner] and Grace [Slick] and Jorma [Kaukonen] and Jack [Casady] weren’t getting along; they just kind of looked like they were tolerating each other for the tour,” Freiberg said. “We were trying to hold it together, and it was fun. “But then when the tour was over and here I was in Jefferson Airplane and nothing was happening, and I’d be getting my paycheck wondering: What’s going on? When are we going out to play? Are we going to make a record? Nothing ever happened.” Kantner, a co-founder of Jefferson Airplane, decided to assemble a new crew. In 1974, Jefferson Starship launched. “I was surprised that Marty [Balin] came back. I thought that was interesting because I was officially there to replace Marty because he was gone, that’s why I got hired on as a harmony singer mostly and a sometimes lead singer. But then Marty came back, so

I decided I’d better concentrate on playing stuff,” Freiberg joked. “And [Balin] wrote some great songs, and we lucked out a lot and had some really good stuff.” Jefferson Starship zipped along in the mid-1970s, thanks to “Miracles,” “With Your Love,” “Count on Me” and “Runaway.” “Then Marty left and Grace left after 1978,” Freiberg recalled during a phone interview from his studio in Novato, Calif. “And I had written this song called ‘Jane,’ and we were looking for another singer to replace at least Marty and/or Grace. And it seemed like every singer that came in we had them sing ‘Jane’ and whoever sang ‘Jane’ best would probably get the gig. “And Mickey Thomas definitely sang it best — although I sing it now,” the songwriter said and laughed. With Thomas on board, Jefferson Starship landed on the charts with “Jane” in 1979 and “Find Your Way Back” in 1980. “Right before ‘We Built This City,’ right before it changed to Starship, Paul [Kantner] and I both left,” Freiberg said. “Nobody in the band was writing the songs; they were being brought in and being completely produced, and it wasn’t what I did. So it was obvious that I had to leave.” For two decades, Freiberg, who was an original member of Quicksilver Messenger Service, concentrated on computers

and creating a studio. Guitarist Kantner started Jefferson Starship — The Next Generation in 1992. “In 2005, Paul asked me to come and sit in on a song or two at a local gig, and I did and it was fun,” Freiberg said. “He asked me to go on a tour, and I did, and I’ve been doing it ever since, so that’s like seven years now. And I’m having more fun than I ever did.” Freiberg attributed the group’s long flight to good fortune: “The right person always seems to come along,” he said. “For our last studio album [2008’s ‘Jefferson’s Tree of Liberty’], that’s when our new singer came on, Cathy Richardson, who’s one of the greatest voices I’ve ever heard.” Jefferson Starship — Kantner, Freiberg, Richardson, guitarist Mark Aguilar, keyboardist Chris Smith and drummer Donny Baldwin — will play at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Valentine Theatre. Tickets for the theater fundraiser, which starts at 6:30 p.m. and includes dinner, cocktails and the concert, are $150. To attend just the show, seats are $45 and $35. “We play Jefferson Airplane songs, Jefferson Starship songs; we won’t play ‘We Built This City,’ ” Freiberg said and laughed. “That’s not us.” O

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Greek-American Fest is Sept. 7-9 Toledoans have the chance to share the local Greek community’s dances, faith, music — and most importantly food — at the 42nd annual GreekAmerican Festival on Sept. 7-9. “It’s a fun time. It’s an opportunity where we open our doors to the great people of Toledo and welcome them as our guests and share our culture, our faith with them,” said the Rev. Aristotle Damaskos, dean of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral. The food and pastries are the most popular offerings at the festival, said George Sarantou, the festival’s publicity chairman and Toledo city councilman. The festival was started in 1970 after two restaurateurs observed successful Greek festivals in other cities. There will also be chances to learn about Greek culture at the festival. At 8 p.m. Sept. 7 in the community center, Dawn Anagnos will present “Greek Language 101” and at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 8, she will present “Greek Culture Olympics.” At 1:30 p.m. Sept. 9, Seminarian David Mynihan will showcase “My Big Fat Greek Orthodox Baptism.” Damaskos will run tours of Holy Trinity at 6 p.m. Sept. 7, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8 and 3 p.m. Sept. 9. Self-guided tours are available from noon to 8 p.m. Sept. 7 and 8 and noon-7 p.m. Sept. 9. Adult admission is free 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 7 and $4 the rest of Sept. 7 and Sept. 8. Admission for adults is $1 Sept. 9. Children younger than 12 get in free with a guardian. Festival entrances are at Walnut and Superior streets and at Summit and Walnut streets. Festival hours are 11 a.m. to midnight Sept. 7, noon to midnight Sept. 8 and noon to 7 p.m. Sept. 9. O — Brigitta Burks

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

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Gloriana riding high on success of second disc Special to Toledo Free Press

Talking with Rachel Reinert, it’s clear Gloriana is on its way — and going there fast.

The singer speaks quickly. Her excitement is evident, her enthusiasm contagious. “‘(Kissed You) Good Night’ just ended up being the breakthrough single for us on this record. It’s just

such an amazing experience for us to go through with our highest-charting single of our entire career. I was actually just told that we have now surpassed over 800,000 copies sold of the song,” she said.

Reinert is talking about the hit from the band’s second disc, “A Thousand Miles Left Behind,” which was released July 31 and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Country Album Chart and No. 10 on Billboard’s Top 200. Those stats likely were due to “(Kissed You) Good Night,” which shot up to No. 2 on the Billboard Country Singles Chart. “We’ve been a band now for five years, and we’ve been through a lot of ups and a lot of downs and just so many experiences, and to finally get to this point it feels really great,” Reinert said. “We’re definitely firm believers that everything happens for a reason; we just feel like we’re in a really good place right now.” Gloriana formed in 2008 when brothers Tom and Mike Gossin, both singers and guitarists, moved to Nashville and met Reinert and Cheyenne Kimball. The quartet’s 2009 debut single, “Wild at Heart,” hit No. 15 on the Billboard Country Singles Chart, and the band’s self-titled disc reached No. 2. In 2010, Gloriana won the Academy of Country Music Award for top new vocal group. “We got asked to be a part of Taylor Swift’s first major world tour, and it was just such an incredible experience. But being that we were so green … we didn’t know what to expect,” Reinert said. “I don’t think it was appreciated as much as we appreciate things now, being that we’ve been through some stuff.” Last year, Kimball left the group. “We’re still us, we’re still Gloriana. We still do all the harmonies; everyone takes turns singing and you can hear everybody’s individual voice,” Reinert said during a call from the tour bus, which was rolling from Los Angeles to Bakersfield, Calif. “But we’ve really evolved and grown up a lot over the past few years. On [‘A Thousand Miles Left Behind’], we all wrote or co-wrote every song off of it — all the songs are really very

personal to us.” Like “Where My Heart Belongs.” “I wanted to capture the essence of an innocent childhood. And for the first five years of my life, I lived in a town called Marietta, Ga., and those were just some of the best memories I’ve ever had as a child: Me and my brothers running around in the lawn, you know, with Ninja Turtle underwear, just being carefree and enjoying life and just being kids before you really know anything about anything,” she said. “It’s kind of my happy place.” Gloriana’s next single will be “Can’t Shake You.” “It’s a song Tom wrote with Stephanie Bentley and Jim Slater,” Reinert said. “It’s a song about being from a small town and breaking up with someone and there only being a handful of bars to go to, running into the person but not wanting to, but kind of wanting to at the same time.” Gloriana will bring its golden harmonies to UT’s Music Fest on Sept. 14. The band will take the stage at 9:15 p.m. at the free, public event in the grassy area south of the Memorial Field House, adjacent to Centennial Mall. The country stars are happy to shine alongside fellow mixed-gender groups like Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town and The Band Perry. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that people are responding so amazingly to the guy-girl dynamic in bands. I think that there’s just something about it that makes it really special. You get to sing songs that have the two different perspectives, and I think people relate to that,” Reinert said. What’s it like to be the only woman in the group? “It’s so easy. It’s me and 10 guys on our bus — our band and our crew, Tom and Mike,” she said. “It’s very dramafree, very easygoing. And the guys are all very protective of me. We have a good time; it’s always very fun.” O

PFA Media

By Vicki L. Kroll

Gloriana will play a free concert at UT on Sept. 14.

ARTS Life

A32 n Toledo Free Press

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Village Players kick off fall season with topical play

By Matt Liasse

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

Director Carol Ann Erford said any similarities between the school violence in “From Up Here” and the recent United States shootings are coincidental. The show, written by Liz Flahive, opened off-Broadway in 2008, according to www.playbill.com. It follows Kenny, who was suspended after bringing a gun to school. Even though it has dark subject matter, Erford said it is funny, and makes more sense when the audience realizes why Kenny had the weapon. “It’s a drama with a lot of humor,” Erford said. “I don’t think anyone will come out depressed; they will come out hopeful. It’s not a total downer.” The play, running Sept. 7 to 22

at The Village Players Theatre on Upton Avenue, has adult language, but because of its timeliness, Erford said some younger teenagers should see it, just accompanied by an adult. Erford has worked with The Village Players on and off for 20 years, but only started directing five years ago. She will be directing two more plays at The Toledo Repertoire Theatre later this season. Erford liked the way the teenagers and adults react to Kenny in “From Up Here,” which is why she was interested in directing it. Work on the play began in July. The cast is divided between teenagers and adults. Erford has worked with or seen almost the whole cast before and said they are “really on the ball.” Other cast members include 14-year-

old Cassandra Bodenmiller playing Lauren, Kenny’s sister, and Samantha Rousos as Kenny’s mother, Grace. “I feel like I also teach, especially the teenagers,” Erford said. “They’re learning new sets of rules. It’s interesting to see how they handle it.” One of the youngest cast members, Daniel Hojnacki, is 15 years old

and is playing the 17-year-old Kenny. Hojnacki said he was interested in playing the darker role. “It’s topical,” Hojnacki said. “It sort of ties in well with news stories.” The shooting at “The Dark Knight Rises” midnight showing in July happened after Hojnacki had the role, but it made him look into it more. No one

really understands the people behind massacres, he said. Hojnacki said the part demands more body language than spoken lines. “The challenge is to relate … without saying too much,” Hojnacki said. “You still have to be in your character when you’re not talking.” n Village CONTINUES ON A33

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ARTS Life doesn’t give much direction, so the actors have to be more involved in their roles. They have to “figure out the motives behind each line.” “Danny is his own man and has his own ideas,” Erford said in an email. “He surprised me with the professionalism he has brought to the show. He takes suggestions and directions earnestly.” Guests will be treated to new renovations at The Village Players Theatre

n VILLAGE CONTINUED FROM A32 Hojnacki has been acting with The Children’s Theatre Workshop, a theater group for youth 5 to 18 years old, for two years. He said he liked the idea of playing a more mature character central to the storyline. “This character is not a cartoon, he’s a human being,” Hojnacki said. Hojnacki also said the script

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

on opening night, said Vice President of Development Chris Jagodzinski. The theater has new paint and seating and promises a better performance with their new sound and light booths. “Guests can look forward to a whole new look when they walk in our lobby,” Jagodzinski said in an email. The renovations have taken about two months and will be complete before opening night of “From Up Here.”

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“The Village is thrilled about the first show,” Jagodzinski said. “The majority of our cast is new to The Village Players Theatre and rehearsals have been going wonderful … the cast has been putting in numerous hours rehearsing and working together.”

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The village players cast and director of ‘from up here.’

n A33

Opening night of “From Up Here” was Sept. 7. Tickets are on sale through the website thevillageplayers. org or by calling (419) 472-6817. Tickets will also be available at the door. Regular admission is $16 and seniors and students cost $14. O

photo courtesy village players

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

A34 n Toledo Free Press

ARTS Life

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

FAMILY PRACTICE

Marriage, Part III: Unsolicited advice

find it interesting that the U.S. Census partnering up for a lifetime into account, Bureau is not the keeper of marriage coupled with the fact that we’re not the and divorce statistics in the United healthiest bunch around, the issue seems States; the National Center for Health even more urgent. While marriage vetStatistics is. Further digeran status used to take ging quickly gives an an25, 40 or 50 years to esswer as to why. There is a tablish, I feel comfortable documented relationship declaring myself as such between marital status after only 13 successful and health. Research years, given our country’s shows that it’s healthier current state of marital to be married than to underachievement. Albe single. However, it is though I truly believe that also healthier to remain every marriage is unique single for life than to find Shannon SZYPERSKI and that different strokes yourself single once again work for different folks, after the loss of a spouse there are some key elements that can set through death or divorce. Considering the U.S. divorce rate a healthy pulse for a good marriage. O Go all in: At a time when it is continues to teeter around the 50 percent mark, marriage preservation does acceptable, and even sometimes sugnot seem to be our strong suit. Yet, gested, that married people keep sepaas the marriage of gay couples settles rate bank accounts, maintain their into acceptance, adding legions of new own last names and sleep in different members to our club, it is as important quarters, there is still something to be as ever to find a way to make marriage said for forming a truly joint venture. work. When taking the health benefits of Founding a marriage as a co-op dem-

onstrates that we are invested in the relationship as a team rather than as individuals. Maintaining independence from the start may make it easier to separate if things don’t work out, but a willingness to put it all on the line at the outset says you’re in it to win it. O Expect change, accept more of the same: Entering marriage with the belief that you will be changing the things you don’t necessarily like about your partner is to set yourself up for certain defeat. People do change over time and having a spouse offers us a unique opportunity to remodel certain behaviors, hopefully for the better. However, it is best to pair a willingness to embrace change as it comes with a pledge to also accept your spouse as he or she was when you first married. Personal transformation often comes in unexpected forms and keeping our expectations open allows us the greatest chance of growing together instead of apart. O Don’t bow to peer pressure: It doesn’t seem to make many “How to Have a Happy Marriage” lists, but

surrounding yourself with other happily married couples is statistically the safer way to keep your own marriage rock solid. While one study found that someone with a divorced sibling is 22 percent more likely to get divorced, multiple studies have found that having divorced friends increases your odds even more. One study pegged your risk at a 75 percent increase while another study found friends of a divorcee to be 147 percent more likely to get divorced themselves. This so-called “social contagion” affects even married friends two degrees of separation from the divorced couple and can result in divorce clusters. O Build a support system: Don’t just surround yourself with other married couples, learn from them together and lean on them. Take note of couples who are already ahead of you in the game and doing well. Find out what works for them and figure out how to incorporate their best advice into your

Shannon and her husband, Michael, are raising three children in Sylvania. Email her at letters@toledofreepress.com. AN EvENING WITH

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own relationship. As a culture we spend at least 12 to 20 years preparing for our intellectual pursuits but very little time preparing for marriage. Yet a troubled marriage can make our intellectual successes suddenly lose meaning and significance. An institution that carries so much weight in other aspects of our lives is no doubt worthy of constant attention and improvement. I’m not convinced marriage is harder than it ever was, but I do believe we are now often ill-prepared to make the most of it, unsure about how to fix it or unwilling to fix it when it breaks down and too quick to give up on it. For something that is such a consequential part of our physical, mental and emotional health, not only as individuals but as a culture, batting .500 is simply not acceptable. O

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