Bad news: they still lost by four points.

Sadly, that drops their record to 3-15, 0-4 in the MAC, and makes them losers of eight straight games. These are all saddening statistics, but there’s more to Wednesday’s 58-54 loss to Northern Illinois than meets the eye:

• That was the best nine minutes they’ve played all year. Right out of the gate, UT played inspired and unstoppable. They defended well, hit shots, and moved the ball around. It’s too bad the 16-5 lead they built didn’t last; seven minutes later, NIU tied the game.

• Griffin and Freelove are professional drivers. Do not attempt. Two guys who didn’t play much to start the year are starting to realize their roles. Freshman guards Malcolm Griffin and Josh Freelove are both excellent ball handlers, and more importantly, both know how to drive the lane. Griffin had his third straight game with double-digit points (13), while Freelove had a career-high 11. But it was how they scored that was impressive. Combined, 18 of their 24 points were “in the paint,” either by laying it up in transition or creating space with a short jumper. By comparison, the entire Huskies team had 14 points in the paint. But behind every rookie professional driver lies some fender benders: Griffin had six turnovers and would occasionally make the most puzzling pass to nobody.

• There are other types of shots besides three-point shots. Jake Barnett was 2-for-10 from behind the line. Justin Anyijong was 1-for-7. Many of these attempts were ill-advised and “settled for.” Conversely, Barnett and Anyijong took only six two-point attempts between them. They may not know this, but the closer they are to the basket, the less distance through the air the ball has to travel. Sounds like an easier way to score to me.

• At least they were alert when the shots were missed. While rebounding — or the absence thereof — was killing them in recent games, the Rockets drew even on the boards with NIU as each team grabbed 37. Anyijong brought down 11 by himself. Everyone boxed out. They leaped high and tipped it to their teammates. They chased down long caroms. They were in good position. It was one of the most refreshing signs that the team is playing looser and smarter.

• But, in the end, they were simply outmatched. This might be NIU’s year in basketball. Wednesday night’s win put them at 4-0 in the MAC for the first time in their school’s history. Colorado transfer Xavier Silas is one of the conference’s top scorers, and in NIU’s six-game winning streak, this is the closest they’ve come to defeat. They were picked second to win the MAC West, but they might surpass that.

The Rockets may be 3-15, but remember: there are no seniors on this team. As a result, the learning curve for them is much steeper than any square inch of land in Northwest Ohio. But they are improving … noticeably.

The Northwest Ohio-based Joint Utility and Social Services Committee (JUSSC) will present a Winter Utility Information Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Erie Street Market,

237 South Erie Street. The event is free and open to the public.

According to a news release, the JUSSC Winter Utility Assistance Fair will offer suggestions and recommendations for individuals looking for help with utility bills, housing, real estate taxes, foreclosure prevention, home repair and weatherization, home purchasing, rental assistance, food, medical assistance, legal aid, employment and more.

“As we see the need, we’ll continue to try and offer solutions,” said JUSSC Chairman Walden Wilson. “People should not expect to come to this event and have their bills paid. Instead, we will provide information on where the help is and how to go about securing help, because help is out there and available.”

At the event, attendees will be able to receive applications for:

• Housing assistance from Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority (Bring ID, Social Security card and verification of income)

• Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) – EOPA (Bring ID, verification of income and utility bills)

• Home Weatherization – Neighborhood Housing Services (Bring verification of income and utility bills)

In addition, there will be workshops from expert organizations, including:

• Home Weatherization – Neighborhood Housing Services
• Avoiding Disconnection – Toledo Edison
• Avoiding Foreclosure – Fair Housing Center
• Natural Gas 101-Columbia Gas
• Planning for Emergencies-Catholic Charities

At the event there will be free H1N1 Shots, provided by the Lucas County Health Department and free raffles.

For more information, call (419) 213-8930 or visit www.JUSSC.org.

Library officials say contested Lucas County Republican Party Chairman Jon Stainbrook recently filed a complaint alleging a local conservative group was violating library meeting policies. Stainbrook told Toledo Free Press that is “untrue.”

Toledo-Lucas County Library Media Relations Coordinator Rhonda Sewell said Stainbrook called Library Director Clyde Scoles the week of Jan. 12 and claimed to have evidence that the conservative group Children of Liberty was hosting meetings closed to the public and was soliciting on library property; both actions are against library policy and violations could lead to a group being banned from booking library rooms for meetings.

Sewell said Scoles passed the complaint to Branch Services Manager Nancy Foth, who investigated and found there were no complaints on record from any of Children of Liberty’s previous library meetings. Foth also conducted a conversation with Stainbrook about the issue. Sewell said there has been no evidence of policy violations and that Children of Liberty have posted a “No donations” sign at several of its meetings.

Foth contacted Mary Chwialkowski, Toledo Heights Library manager, to inform her of the complaint, as Children of Liberty had a meeting scheduled there Jan. 12.

Scott Allegrini, a founder of Children of Liberty, said that during a pre-meeting conversation with Chwialkowski, he was told only that the call was from “an opposing group” that planned to “show up and confront us.” The Toledo Heights Library posted a security guard at the door of the Jan. 12 meeting.

During a Jan. 20 telephone interview, Stainbrook said he said he never filed a complaint with the library against the Children of Liberty. He said he has been to Children of Liberty meetings in the past and he doesn’t know where the complaint is coming from.

Allegrini said at a meeting at the Maumee Indoor Theater in November, Stainbrook had approached him and said, “we all need to work together, we have the same ideals, we are all conservatives.” Allegrini said he did not know what happened that would make Stainbrook lodge a complaint against his group, but said he was “not surprised,” as Children of Liberty is “ruffling feathers, working outside the system to change the way things are done, and some people in the status quo do not like that we are trying to help citizens take back their government.”

At the Jan. 12 meeting, GOP Stainbrook associates Kelly Benzman and Megan Gallagher were reportedly seen standing outside the door of the Children of Liberty meeting, but were not seen entering the meeting room.

The Town Center at Levis Commons is collecting gently used toys for the Toledo Day Nursery.
The drive, “Play it Forward,” will be collecting toys in front of the movie theater at Levis Commons from noon to 6 p.m. Jan. 22 through Jan 24 in front of the cinemas.
Donated toys should be plastic, clean, in working order and have fresh batteries installed when applicable.
“We are looking forward to helping the Toledo Day Nursery and the children they serve,” said Casey Pogan marketing director for The Town Center at Levis Commons, Hill Partners Inc. “Our shoppers have always been so gracious. We expect that to be the case in this event as well.”
The drive needs volunteers to help collect and clean the toys. Shifts are Jan. 22 through Jan. 24 from noon to 3 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. to collect toys and Jan. 25 from 10 a.m. to noon to help clean toys. Volunteers should contact Levis Commons at (419) 931-8888.
Toledo Day Nursery is an early-childhood program that helps nearly 400 Toledo families each year.

From Lisa Rene Ward at Glass City Jungle:

It’s that time of year again, there is a new Council President, Wilma Brown, and there are new Council members which means? Time for a new list of Council Committee Assignments. This year things have changed since the number of Council Committees has been changed as well as the responsibilities for vice chair. The exact details are completely below but I have a major concern with one of the appointments which I just learned late this afternoon. As the current assignments stand now, Councilman Phil Copeland would be the vice chair of two committees, one of which is Human Resources, Information Technology and Finance. I have nothing personally against Phil Copeland, he is a genuinely nice man, but I do not believe that any committee chair or vice chair assignment should be based on a political loyalty reward system, especially not this one given the extremely critical nature of our current budget situation.

Copeland had major attendance issues in 2008, as reported by FOX Toledo, he missed 32 Committee Meetings and he has missed more than a few this year. On top of that, the Human Resources that he formerly chaired that will be combined with Finance and Informational Technology, appears to have met only once in 2009, the City calendar lists one meeting on March 9, 2009, so the argument that this appointment is because he was chair of Human Resources has no merit. Our city is at too critical of an economic standpoint to not have a chair and a vice chair dedicated to the hours of meetings that will be required between now and March 31st and after that related to a whole myriad of other issues. Logic dictates it should be at least someone who has been on Finance & Budget committee before and attended on a regular basis. Considering George Sarantou was kept at chair, I don’t see the reason to have not kept D. Michael Collins as vice chair or at a minimum someone who actually served on the Finance & Budget Committee this past year and has a basic working knowledge of technology.

Read the rest here.

Craft books, a toaster oven, a computer, showcases and colorful handcrafted jewelry, accessories and containers fill the upstairs workroom in Susan O’Neill’s house; they are all she needs to run her online polymer clay business.

O’Neill first “dabbled” in polymer clay, flexible clay that hardens when it dries, about 10 years ago.

Three years ago, she “got hooked back on it,” and about nine months ago, she started her online business, 11 Bold Street.

Most recently, the local woman won a national contest and was recognized in a beading magazine for one of her necklaces.

“I was flabbergasted to say the least,” O’Neill said of winning the contest that she entered on a whim.

Bead Star magazine, the host of the contest did not even have a category for polymer clay, so O’Neill entered the plastics category and won first prize for that section.

Although there was not a category for polymer clay, other polymer clay entries also were in the plastics category, said Jaime Guthals, spokeswoman for Interweave, the company that owns the annual magazine Bead Star. There were nine categories and about 6,500 people voted on the top 20 entries in each category, she said.

While many of the other contestants’ beads were premade, O’Neill made the beads of her necklace using several techniques, including layering the clay to create different designs and colors, O’Neill said.

“I hope [my winning] will bring awareness that polymer clay is not kids’ Play Dough… you can do wonderful beautiful things with this medium” she said.

O’Neill may be self-taught from polymer clay books, but she creates polished, colorful pieces by using such skills as layering, inlaying stones, polishing, slicing and drilling and then baking everything in her toaster oven.

Although business has been slow, O’Neill said she is enjoying herself and adding to her collection. She recently made a collection of more upscale jewelry for the holidays.

For more information, visit 11BOLDstreet.com.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” is a parody and a tribute to the musicals of the 1920’. As an avid theatre lover (Craig E. Treubert) listens to his favorite record, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” the musical springs to life. In “The Drowsy Chaperone,” actress Janet Van De Graaff (Elizabeth Pawlowski) is set to marry actor Robert Martin (Bradley Allan Zarr), while stumbling along zany characters and misunderstandings along the way. It was directed by Casey Nicholaw, with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. The book was written by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. Craig Treubert had the audience in the palm of his hand.

Treubert not only kept the audience interested in a cheesy musical, but made them chortle along the way. After the theatre lover stated that Disney is now the place to find stereotypes, the audience chortled as Treubert nonchalantly stated, “Let the kids sort it out.” When the theater lover told the audience not to listen to the (nonsensical) lyrics of “The Bride’s lament,” Treubert’s cheerful tone and visage sent the audience howling. At curtain call, Treubert received a standing ovation.

Patti McClure gave an incomparable performance as the title character. In “As We Stumble Along,” Mclure held her words so long that they became uproariously incomprehensible. At the song’s end, McClure paused before she yelled out “plumble!” in an effort to find a word that rhymed with stumble and fumble. This pause was hilarious, since it made the chaperone appear to be only concerned with giving the song a grand finish.

Elizabeth Pawlowski embodied the hopeful starlet. Pawloski’s airy voice, although a bit nasally, reflected Janet’s confidence. Pawloski’s dexterous dancing made Janet resemble a ballerina. In “Show Off,” Pawloski flawlessly twirled hoops, balanced plates, kicked her legs and was lifted by dancers. As monkeys danced around Janet in “The Bride’s Lament,” Pawlowski remained perfectly still and maintained a confused expression. Even though it was rip-roaring to see monkeys dancing around her, Pawloski made Janet appear pure.

In two scenes, Underling (Matt David) and Mrs. Tottendale (Kristin Netzband) spit water at each other. Even though the theatre lover admits that these scenes are filler, they still delighted the audience. At the end of the musical, the theatre lover states that, while “The Drowsy Chaperone” has flaws, it is his favorite musical because it takes us away from the routine of everyday life. “The Drowsy Chaperone” offers a fond look at a time when silly banter or an unbelievable romance was sufficient to be entertained.

A sworn affidavit included in the work notes released Jan. 15 from the office of Ohio State Auditor Mary Taylor on the special audit into Toledo Public Schools ties former Toledo Superintendent Eugene Sanders to the investigation of one of the newly elected  Toledo Public School Board members.

The sworn affidavit taken on Dec. 28, 2009 from Steven R. Cotner of Corporate Intelligence Consultants states in part:

“That, the second invoice 33905L was for investigative research requested by Human Resources Manager Clinton Faulkner.  Faulkner stated that Superintendent Saunders [sic] received information that one of the newly elected board members had a criminal record that might preclude service on the school board.”

It appears from the Auditor’s work audit that the check paid to CIC for the investigations done on Steven Flagg and Francis Dumbuya were paid after Sanders left the district; the signatures on the check are those of John Foley, at that time interim superintendent, and James Fortlage, treasurer.

The Auditor’s work notes also indicated some of the types of investigations that were done on TPS employees. One investigation requested in January 2005 requested on a TPS teacher and supervisor referenced a trip to Italy and asked that CIC investigators:

“Document their departure – do daily activity checks @ their residences to prove they’re gone – collect their trash as soon as they return.”

Flagg, who was named as being investigated by TPS, said Sanders’ involvement is “no surprise at all” and that a much broader investigation is warranted.

One of the invoices that did not pass review of the Auditor’s office was a CIC criminal background investigation requested on June 24, 2005 into Ed Skinner, who was at that time the Director of Employee Benefits.  Skinner later went to Cleveland Public Schools and was employed as Executive Director Benefits and Risk Management at Cleveland Metropolitan School District.  As of Jan. 15, he does not appear to be listed on the Cleveland Public School Web site.

40 names

In the Auditor’s work audit notes, approximately 40 names were listed as being the subject of  a request for CIC to investigate.  Most of these investigation requests were related to workman compensation claims investigations, suspected abuse of sick time, suspected abuse of unsupervised work hours, suspected theft and in one case suspected drug use.

Several of the case sheets from CIC indicated the employee being investigated was rumored to be retiring or close to retiring and was abusing accumulated sick time.  In one case, an employee was nearing retirement and her husband had just died several weeks before the request to investigate her for “abuse of accumulated sick time” was instigated.  Surveillance was done at her home three times for an invoice of $1,304.50.

Another employee was planning to get married, and was expected to move out of state as a result of the marriage.  Surveillance was done for the cost of  $6,317.20 with the goal of trying to get video of her getting on a plane after she repeatedly called off sick.

One instance of an employee suspected of being a teacher and a real estate agent involved an investigator from CIC pretending to be a prospective home buyer to set up an appointment during school hours.

A few of the requests for investigation came from anonymous phone calls or e-mails; the majority did not list where the suspicion stemmed from.

In April of 2004 one CIC investigation request was to do surveillance on a meeting being held by employees at  Thomas A. DeVilbiss High School and to videotape employees leaving the meeting, $601.50 was invoiced for this.

Using the most current TPS directory, it appears only four of those investigated are currently employees of Toledo Public Schools.  These investigations for the most part were listed as being ordered by Dan Burns as the primary source, yet there were several other TPS employees listed as the second contact.

It was also stated on one invoice that Dan Burns preferred reports to be sent to him via e-mail using password protected MS Word documents and listed the password needed for those documents.

In addition to the billing for surveillance, video and costs related to sources, there were several invoices that involved the cost of rental cars.  This was in addition to the two different types of vans billed for by CIC.  In one case, a report was sought from out of State and was billed as a part of an investigation.

The reports do not indicate the end result of any of these investigations, only brief notes that were contained on the case sheets.  There were several names listed in invoices that did not have a case sheet to be able to determine what the purpose of the investigation was.

In one invoice, $5,150 was spent on a background check and surveillance of another individual who was on special assignment to Bowling Green University in February of 2004.

The basis of the request that had the names of Dan Burns and Clinton Faulkner on it and said, “People have smelled alcohol on her breath during the day. She’s rumored to never go to BGSU.”

Thirteen instances of surveillance, including “surveillance @ residence with video – tail – travel” were recorded.

John Kasich, Republican candidate for governor, spoke at a meet and greet with UT Republicans on Jan. 15.

“John’s excellent in solving problems, as he demonstrated with balancing the budget in the ’90s. He’s done work on the national scale, knows how to organize people and motivate people. I think even Bono has a quote about him, ‘if you want to get anything done talk to John Kasich,’” said Matt Rubin, UT Republicans president.” He not only energizes the base, but the Tea Party movement as well. As college students we love to have him here and we look forward to working on his campaign.”

Kasich, an 18-year congressman, met with students to discuss what needs to be done in Ohio to make the state better.

He emphasized that the state needs to focus on keeping skilled workers and jobs in Ohio. He said when people leave the state, things begin to “crumble.” In addition, he said to really fix the state special interests should not come into play.

“In our state we need to throw all the politics out and really do things on the basis of what makes the most amount of sense,” Kasich said.

Kasich invited students to share their ideas of how to make the state better, because some of the greatest ideas on what needs to be fixed has come from the people, he said.

In addition to students Jon Stainbrook, the contested Lucas County Republican Party Chairman, was in attendance to support Kasich.

“I’ve said it before that the ticket from top to bottom is strong. Now they’ve taken the auditor and added her to it; it’s great,” Stainbrook said. “John Kasich is a uniter. It’s a positive thing to have him at the top of the ticket, it brings everyone back into this. Everyone supports John Kasich.”

For more information about Kasich visit www.kasichforohio.com.

The Sylvania Area Republican Club on Jan. 7 voted unanimously to formally recognize the new Lucas County Republican Party leadership team of newly elected LCRP Chairman Jeff Simpson, according to a news release.

“The Sylvania Area Republican Club believes that Chairman Jeff Simpson represents the type of leadership the Lucas County Republican Party needs to unite the party and recruit quality candidates for future elections,” the release said. ” We believe that Chairman Simpson is a leader in the community and upholds the ideals of the Republican Party. The Sylvania Area Republican Club believes that Chairman Simpson will best promote the conservative values and principles for the party in a spirit of openness and cooperation that we believe the county party needs as it moves into the 2010 election year.”

Earlier this week, the Fallen Timbers and Oregon Republican clubs also backed Simpson, who on Dec. 21 led a still-contested takeover of the party from Chairman Jon Stainbrook. The county Board of Elections certified both groups and sent the decision to the state party, which is delaying its votes until a Jan. 26 court hearing on the issue takes place.

SARC Chairman and Lucas County Republican Executive Member Michael Temple said “He believed that Chairman Simpson represents a new vision and direction for the Lucas County Republican Party that will unite people in a way that simply was not present before Mr. Simpson’s election.”  The officers and members of the Sylvania Area Republican Club have every confidence in Chairman Simpson.  They stand ready to work in partnership with the LCRP to create a vibrant and viable political party in Lucas County.

SARC Chairman and Lucas County Republican Executive Member Michael Temple said in the release, “Chairman Simpson represents a new vision and direction for the Lucas County Republican Party that will unite people in a way that simply was not present before Mr. Simpson’s election. The officers and members of the Sylvania Area Republican Club have every confidence in Chairman Simpson. They stand ready to work in partnership with the LCRP to create a vibrant and viable political party in Lucas County.”