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Invisible threat sends drivers sliding Found: 15 Hours 43 Minutes ago Tribune Chronicle - The first winter storm of 2009 brought a mix of snow, rain and freezing drizzle that blanketed roadways with ice, keeping towing companies and rescue personnel on their toes for most of Tuesday afternoon and evening.The Trumbull County 911 Center at 6:30 p.m....
OSU football: No upset this time Found: 1 Day 34 Minutes ago The Newark Advocate - GLENDALE, Ariz. -- For the last couple of years, you couldnt spell upset without UPS....
Accused pleads innocent in death
Found: 1 Day 39 Minutes ago The Vindicator - Bond has been set at $1 million for the man charged in the homicide. WARREN #8212; Officials aren#8217;t
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Conklin, Wings blank #8217;Jackets
Found: 1 Day 50 Minutes ago The Vindicator - DETROIT (AP) #8212; Ty Conklin made 23 saves for his eighth career shutout and Pavel Datsyuk had a goal
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3 die as icy roads cause many wrecks Found: 1 Day 6 Hours 32 Minutes ago The Columbus Dispatch - Freezing rain and sleet coated roads in a sheen of ice this morning, leading to the closure of a major highway south of Columbus and contributing to a pair of crashes that killed three people in Licking County.
The ice accumulation on area roads triggered numerous crashes throughout Columbus starting about 8:30 a.m., police said....
Dad takes plea deal in death of son Found: 1 Day 7 Hours 30 Minutes ago Dayton Daily News - A Covington man pleaded no contest to a reduced child endangering charge in the August death of his 3-month-old son and was sentenced Tuesday, Jan. 6, to the maximum of six months in the Miami County Jail. ...
Democrats run House again after 14 years Found: 1 Day 11 Hours 4 Minutes ago Toledo Blade - COLUMBUS - With the passing of a gavel, control of the Ohio House of Representatives passed to Democrats yesterday for the first time in 14 years.
The first Jewish speaker of the House gave a nod to the ominous financial problems facing the state but went on to propose new tax breaks and state spending in hopes of igniting an economic spark.
"I have a vision, a vision which I believe we can achieve, even given the fiscal restraints now upon us," said newly sworn-in Speaker Armond Budish, 55, a second-term representative and a consumers' rights attorney from the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood.
His second-in-command is fellow sophomore Rep. Matt Szollosi (D., Oregon).
Mr. Budish proposed a series of tax exemptions and incentives to spur new business creation, help Ohioans working at start-up companies, and expand access to free broadband Internet services. He talked of providing more state support for school construction and "green-collar jobs" and for new partnerships with the state's big cities. But he cautioned some of his proposals may have to be tempered, given Ohio's "fiscal quicksands."
"The challenges facing Ohio are greater than they've been in decades, maybe ever," Mr. Budish said. "We're facing a $7 billion deficit in the next [two-year] budget, which we'll begin wrestling with in a month."
As the chamber's first Jewish speaker, Mr. Budish took his oath on two Bibles - the Jerusalem Bible and the historic William McKinley Bible, which President McKinley used at his 1897 swearing-in. It was loaned for yesterday's ceremony by the Western Reserve Historical Society.
With the November election, Democrats rebounded from a 53-46 minority in the just-completed 127th General Assembly session to a mirror-opposite majority in the 128th. But the House majority and Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland must work with a Senate dominated 21-12 by Republicans.
Senate President Bill Harris (R., Ashland), who has had a good working relationship so far with the Democratic governor, continues to lead the upper chamber.
The new House minority leader, veteran Rep. Bill Batchelder (R., Medina), praised Mr. Budish and gave tentative support to the idea of more tax credits.
"We've had some tax credits that have been disasters•.•.•.•," he said. "So we have to be careful what we do. We cannot afford to be foolish in the way we apply tax incentives. The flip side of that, however, is they are a good thing."
With the exception of fund-raising, the quiet Mr. Budish largely flew under the radar during most of his freshman term.
His former competitor for the top post, Mr. Szollosi, had all but been dubbed "dude pro tempore" by the time he took his oath as the number-two speaker pro tempore.
Rep. Stephen Dyer (D., Tallmadge) recalled the e-mail that his friend sent him.
"Dude, will you nominate me on Monday?" the e-mail read.
"Dude, I will be honored," Mr. Dyer responded.
Even Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer got into the act.
"Representative Szollosi, I'm the dude who has the honor of swearing you in," he said before administering the oath to the former Oregon city councilman as his wife, Melanie, and three children watched.
Later, Mr. Szollosi predicted stronger bipartisan cooperation under Mr. Budish.
"Ohioans don't want to see political bickering," he said. "They want to see results."
Two new faces took their oaths to represent portions of northwest Ohio in the House: Rep. Dennis Murray (D., Sandusky) in the 80th District, incorporating Erie and most of Ottawa counties, and Rep. Terry Boose (R., Norwalk) in the 58th District, straddling eastern Seneca, Huron, and southwestern Lorain.
Across the Statehouse Rotunda, Sen. Mark Wagoner (R., Ottawa Hills) moved rapidly up the ranks of Republican leadership to be sworn in as majority whip, the No. 4 post.
The sole new face representing northwest Ohio in the Senate is not so new. Sen. Karen Gillmor (R., Tiffin), widow of U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor, raised her right hand to take her oath in the chamber where she served two terms in the 1990s. She represents the north-central 26th District stretching from Oak Harbor to Marysville.
Contact Jim Provance at:
jprovance@theblade.com
or 614-221-0496.
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Lucas County Commissioners appoint "weight loss czar" Found: 1 Day 11 Hours 6 Minutes ago Toledo Blade - Lucas County Commissioners voted Tuesday to appoint radio host Andrew Zepeda as its first "weight loss czar."
Known as Andrew "Z" on his morning show on 92.5 WVKS, Mr. Zepeda is to encourage county residents to lose 1 million pounds in 2009. The 5-foot-9 Perrysburg resident has lost about 80 pounds in the past 12 months through diet, exercise, and a lap-band surgery procedure, and is down to 325 pounds.
Article appeared in earlier versions of The Blade and toledoblade.com.
Lucas County weighs plan to put citizens on a diet
Lucas County government is committed to slimming down for the new year, and it's ready to ask residents to do the same.
A week after passing a budget with 5.6 percent less annual spending, county commissioners this morning will weigh a proposal to appoint the county's first "weight loss czar."
If approved, this person will be entrusted to inspire county residents to lose a total of 1 million pounds, or slightly more than 2 pounds per person, by year's end, Commissioner Ben Konop said.
The lead candidate for the unpaid position, who already carries weight on local airwaves, would instantly become the voice of moderation, encouragement, and guilty conscience for many in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan in their struggle to tighten belts and drop dress sizes.
He is Andrew Zepeda, better known as Andrew "Z," who hosts a namesake morning show from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. on radio station WVKS, known also as KISS-FM.
Few know weight loss's challenges better: The 5-foot, 9-inch Mr. Zepeda, who is 39, said he topped out at 405 pounds before lap-band surgery in January, 2008, and lifestyle modifications helped him shed more than 75 pounds. He now weighs 325 pounds, with a goal "to get down to the twos."
"You want someone that's going through the same thing that you are going through to help motivate you, as opposed to being told by someone that's skinny, who's never had that weight problem," Mr. Zepeda said yesterday.
"They don't understand how tough it is, and I do understand those struggles. I've lived with them my own life."
The notion of a county "weight loss czar" was a joint idea of Mr. Konop and Mr. Zepeda. Mr. Konop is a guest on Mr. Zepeda's show about once a month.
Mr. Konop said Ohio Department of Health statistics bear out the need for a 1 million pound weight-loss challenge. More than a third of Lucas County residents are considered overweight, and more than a quarter are considered obese.
What's more, an American Heart Association study released last year gave Toledo some of the worst marks among 200 metro areas for rates of obesity, diabetes, fast-food outlets per capita, unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, and cardiac-related deaths among women.
Mr. Konop said that along with the many well-documented health benefits of weight loss, including lower risks of cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes, a more fit work force could lower county employers' health-care costs and improve worker productivity.
Appointing a weight loss czar would be the first step in a comprehensive county-led weight-loss effort, which is to include partnerships with businesses. More details will be announced later this month, Mr. Konop said.
"There is no cost to taxpayers, and I think there could be a significant positive impact to the community."
Several U.S. cities, including Philadelphia and Houston, have named fitness czars in recent years. The appointment often is made after a city has received a dubious distinction, such as topping a "fattest city" list like Philadelphia did early this decade.
While weight-loss movements are commonly associated with chiseled personal trainers or svelte aerobics instructors, Mr. Konop said he believes an individual like Mr. Zepeda who has publicly battled obesity can be highly effective. "He's had a lifelong battle with it and he knows how tough it is, and that's why he's going to be leading the effort."
Last January Mr. Zepeda underwent lap-band surgery, during which a restrictive band is placed around the upper part of the stomach to reduce digestive speed and capacity. The procedure sharply reduces appetite, but unlike gastric-bypass surgery, it does not involve cutting or removing any of the digestive tract.
Since the surgery, Mr. Zepeda said he has also been working out three times a week with a personal trainer at his home in Perrysburg.
Mr. Zapeda believes overeating is the toughest addiction to kick. "If you're addicted to drugs or you're addicted to alcohol or smoking, you can cut it out cold-turkey," he said. "But obviously you have to eat, so the struggle to not overeat happens every five to six hours … we can't keep away from food."
Contact JC Reindl at:
jreindl@theblade.com
or 419-724-6065.
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