Editor’s note: Toledo Free Press will follow the Blank family of Millbury for the next year as they rebuild their lives after a June 5 tornado destroyed their Main Street home.

Ed Blank could have stayed a victim. Instead, he took a tragedy and became the unofficial spokesman for tornado relief.
Blank said he tries to keep track of what money is available for tornado victims and who they can contact. He even made a list of people he knows whose homes were affected by the June 5 storm, which he estimates to be 75 to 100.
“This is not about me,” he said. “I am going to make it. I have a good job. I work for a great company, but there are a lot of people who really need help still.”
Blank, who has worked at Fiske Brothers Refining Company for more than 30 years, said people might wonder where the money they donate to the tornado relief is going. This is one reason he has become a go-to person for information and an advocate for making sure money donated to the tornado victims actually goes to them.
Right after the tornado destroyed his house, Blank and his family received $95 for food from the Red Cross; $450 for bedding; $330 for clothing; and $60 for shoes.
Jodie Tienvieri, communications manager at the American Red Cross Greater Toledo Area Chapter, said the nonprofit comes in after the disaster to offer short-term help like food, water and clothing. The Red Cross tries to provide the same amount of money to each family affected by the tornado, so it doesn’t matter if the victim lives in a million-dollar home or a regular house.
So far, the Red Cross has collected $278,103 in donations, spending $181,142 to aid those directly impacted, including meals, emergency shelter, cleaning supplies and grief counseling. This amount includes $45,000 transferred to community-based long-term recovery committees in Fulton, Ottawa and Wood counties.
Tienvieri said the Red Cross stopped fundraising only a few days after the tornado because it had enough money to cover its expenses.
“We are still getting money in, even though we haven’t fundraised for a month and a half,” she said.
While the Red Cross is committed to honoring donor intent, the nonprofit asks people to consider giving to the local disaster relief fund, which provides assistance for families who experience disasters, such as floods or home fires. On average, the Red Cross responds to four fires per week, and typically those families don’t have insurance, Tienvieri said.
Usually, the Red Cross doesn’t receive enough donations to cover a disaster, but because of  the media attention surrounding the tornado, as well as the unusualness of such destruction, the donations continue to come in, Tienvieri said.
Michael George, chairman of the Wood County long-term recovery committee, said the Red Cross doesn’t usually help out in the long term, but because of the extra money it has received, it has donated $35,000 to his committee. George is director of United Way in Wood County. United Way is the fiscal agent for the long-term recovery committee.
George said the subcommittee of the long-term recovery committee hears requests gathered by a caseworker who meets with those affected by the tornado. The requests include rental assistance, deductible assistance, cell phone minutes, car repairs, medications, food,  gasoline and temporary housing. So far, the committee has distributed about $21,000 of the $77,530 available.
Blank has worked most closely with ISOH/IMPACT in Perrysburg. The faith-based nonprofit has distributed $40,950 in Andersons gift cards, as well as $19,162 in KeyBank cards and cash. ISOH/IMPACT also donated $34,460 in food, water and relief, in addition to a mobile home.
“We are here to help to care for each other as Christ would have us care for each other,” said Lori  Kazmierczak, office manager.  “As long as funding allows, as long as we receive donations from community, we will continue to help.”
Kazmierczak said ISOH/IMPACT has provided assistance to 278 families in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. And people didn’t have to lose their homes to receive help. Shattered windows, ruined yards and other property damage were all reasons to ask for help, especially when the repair costs cut into household budgets.
“They are finding themselves unable to feed their families and unable to pay their bills and those families need just as much support as anyone else,” she said.
Kazmierczak said it is hard to distribute equally and need is determined on an individual basis. While $1,000 might help one family get just what they need, that might only be a dent into the problem for another family.
Blank said he has received help from so many people that he doesn’t want anyone to think this crusade is about him.  He has learned through counseling that people who aren’t affected by the tornado like to give to others to feel complete. One day, he would like to give back for the help he has received.
“A lot of people are proud and don’t like handouts, but they have to understand that by taking the help, you are helping [the community] heal,” Blank said.

More than four years after a final design was chosen, construction of the sculpture honoring those who built the Veterans’ Glass City Skyway is on track to begin this fall.
“The project has been a long time coming, but it’s really on schedule,” said Dan Hernandez, public art coordinator for the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo (ACGT).
Hernandez said the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) contracted to build the bridge and then to revitalize the area affected by the construction process.
That revitalization to build the memorial did not begin until after the bridge was completed. Veterans’ Glass City Skyway opened to the public in June 2007.
The memorial design was announced in a May 19, 2006, news release. The sculpture will stand 40 feet tall and will be located in nearby Ravine Park, which is located near the bridge and will be renamed.
Toledo Deputy Mayor of Operations Steve Herwat said the memorial will also serve as the permanent memorial for the five men who died during the bridge’s construction. Four died as a result of the February 2004 crane collapse, and another died when he fell off the bridge surface in April 2007.
“I think it’s extremely important that the workers who died, in fact all workers who contributed toward the Skyway, be commemorated,” Herwat said.
The city of Toledo will pay for the removal of the Ravine Park tennis courts. The park will then be renamed Tribute Park. ODOT and the bridge’s Tribute Committee want to begin constructing the sculpture this fall, Herwat said.

Just as bad money drives out good money, bad news seems to trump the good news nearly every day. And there is plenty of bad news.
Every day this summer, we have followed the tragic saga of the BP oil leak in the Gulf. We have listened to those working on the leaking well and the cleanup; we have heard from those who are working to protect the coastal environment and those whose livelihoods are derived from the Gulf; we have watched BP and government officials position themselves to minimize the economic and political fallout; and we have wondered about the long-term consequences of the spill.
While listening to the news about the Gulf oil spill, I have often wondered what a similar spill would do to the Arctic Ocean and ANWAR with all the additional complications of freezing temperatures, extreme weather, limited accessibility, thick ice and the summer ice floes. I have visited the oil installations on the North Slope and have been impressed by all the safety precautions in place; however, those same precautions were presumably in place in the Gulf, but were insufficient to prevent this tragic environmental catastrophe. All the economically feasible safety precautions in the world cannot guarantee that such spills will not occur in the future.
While it is too early to know all the consequences of this environmental tragedy, I strongly suspect — along with many others — that this incident will or should accelerate the research and development of clean energy and particularly solar energy.  Even those whose livelihoods are rooted in fossil fuels know that we cannot afford — financially or ecologically — oil spills such as the one under way this summer and the Exxon Valdez tragedy off the coast of Alaska that seems like yesterday for those involved.
There is good news afoot that could well impact Toledo and the regional economy: alternative energy research and development.
The largest alternative energy conglomerate in the world is Masdar, located in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. On July 22, the CEO of Masdar, His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, came to UT where he received an honorary doctorate of science in recognition of his global leadership in advancing alternative energy. As one of America’s leading universities in photovoltaic and alternative energy research and development, it was fitting and appropriate for UT to recognize the tremendous investment being made by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the leadership of the Masdar initiative under the direction of Al Jaber.
I was very pleased with UT’s recognition of Al Jaber, for several reasons: First, it is rare for any university to search out and recognize the work of others in a field where it seeks preeminence. But UT did just that. This act points to the importance of collaboration in the advancement of science and this is particularly true in the field of alternative energy. Second, this act recognizes the global nature of the development of alternative energy. An American university located in the Midwest recognizing the outstanding global leadership of a Middle Eastern institution and its CEO is a positive move and symbolizes the importance of mutual respect. Third, the ceremony at which the honor was bestowed brought with it an occasion where leaders in this field could meet and discuss important issues related to the advancement of science and innovation in alternative energy.
Since coming to the United Arab Emirates, I have had many occasions to interact with Al Jaber. I know there are few, if any, individuals anywhere in the world working harder to advance the research and development of alternative energy. Those who know him admire and respect his driving motivation to advance the alternative energy agenda. He has surrounded himself with other highly motivated individuals and is strongly supported by the Abu Dhabi leadership and government.  It was appropriate that UT — which itself is a national leader in alternative energy  — recognized a true global leader in this increasingly important and interdependent field.
Where will all this lead? It is difficult, if not impossible, to say. For me, the award of this honorary degree stands on its own as a single act that is justified on its own merits. But I can also imagine that UT will continue to search out global leaders in alternative energy, develop connections, share knowledge and technology, collaborate in advancing the science needed for continued development and thereby advance its own interests here in Toledo, Northwest Ohio and the nation.
The Gulf oil spill, the Exxon Valdez and the scores of less dramatic but significant spills elsewhere all point to the urgent need for the United States and the other nations of the world to develop as rapidly as possible economically sustainable clean energy. UT can be a major player in this changing energy paradigm.
When UT President Lloyd Jacobs asked Al Jaber if he had any advice for UT, he responded by saying that the university needs to do a better job of “telling its alternative energy story.”
Jacobs readily agreed, as do I. I also believe that the events of July 22 honoring Al Jaber of Masdar is an excellent first step in this direction.

Dan Johnson is provost and chief operating officer of Zayed University, United Arab Emirates and president emeritus of UT.

Toledo’s decision to secretly purchase 1,187 acres in Monclova Township back in the 1980s has been the source of several lawsuits and controversies. A court case first filed in 2004 now appears to be concluded, perhaps finally closing the book on the Maumee, Monclova and Toledo JEDZ disagreements.
In 2001, Monclova, Maumee and Toledo came to an agreement and decided to form a Joint Economic Development Zone (JEDZ).
The discussions continued into 2002, resulting in an agreement to share income tax revenues from 579 acres of land in Monclova Township with the main idea being that each entity would receive one-third of the revenue.
An additional Cooperative Economic Development Agreement (CEDA) was agreed to for land where the Dana Automotive Systems Group Technology Center was built. Maumee was to get half of the income tax revenue with Toledo and Monclova splitting the remainder.
Not all of the residents in that area were pleased with the idea of having a 1.5 percent income tax levied in the JEDZ portion of Monclova. A group called Citizens Against Taxation was formed and some businesses stated the very reason for creating their businesses in Monclova Township, the lack of income taxes, no longer existed.
The start date for the collection of the income tax in Monclova was initially delayed in 2004 when legal questions were raised. Townships do not have the same legal abilities to tax residents and questions were raised about the legality of the contract with Toledo and Maumee.  Collection of the income tax began July 1, 2006; a temporary restraining order was sought to prevent the tax from being collected while the court case was still active and it was denied.
Boundaries for the JEDZ had to be redrawn in 2004 to exclude 1 acre of the original 579 because Albin Bauer II, the attorney for those opposing the JEDZ, pointed out there was one registered voter in the JEDZ. He or she would have had  the sole yes or no vote, as a resident of a JEDZ area, so rather than take the risk, Toledo City Council, at the request of then-Mayor Jack Ford, agreed to remove that 1 acre of land from the JEDZ and write language so the tax would only apply to commercial properties.
The first ruling from Lucas County Common Pleas Court in David D. Jankowski versus Monclova in April 2005, was in favor of Jankowski and the others who joined him in opposition to the JEDZ.  The case twice appeared before the Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals and was filed with the Ohio Supreme Court after the last decision was handed down, more in favor of Maumee, Monclova and Toledo, on Jan. 22 this year.
The Ohio Supreme Court recently refused to hear the case, and while the Sixth District Court opinion stated the JEDZ was valid and the taxation could continue, the judges did rule one part in favor of those opposed to the JEDZ. This means Toledo, Maumee and Monclova Township have to change the language of the JEDZ and the CEDA.
A joint meeting with Monclova Township officials and Toledo officials is scheduled an hour before the regular Toledo City Council meeting Aug. 3. Public commentary will be allowed at this meeting.
The two items: “Amend 2003 JEDZ agreement with Maumee and Monclova Twp. to include 3 parcels” and “Enter into Cooperative Economic Development Agreement (CEDA) with Maumee and Monclova Twp.” will be first reading items Aug. 3. This means the vote on them will take place Aug. 17.
After almost 20 years of controversy and six years for this particular lawsuit to make its way through the various courts and appeal process, it does not appear anyone has done the accounting as to how much profit Toledo made once all of the legal fees were deducted.
Perhaps that’s a chapter best left unwritten, since the days of secret land deals have ended and JEDZs are more commonplace.   

Toledo Free Press contributor Lisa Renee Ward operates the political blog Glass City Jungle.

TO THE EDITOR,

On behalf of the Greater Toledo Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, I would like to thank Northwest Ohio for the tremendous outpouring of support for those impacted by the June 5 tornadoes. Our community response is always generous beyond what we anticipate. It not only increases our ability to help those in need with speed, ease, comfort and compassion, but offers hope and support for those impacted.
In every effort to be transparent with the community, I wanted to share that to date Northwest Ohioans have donated $278,103 to the Red Cross. Thus far, we have spent $181,142 to aid those directly impacted, including meals, emergency shelter, cleaning supplies and grief counseling. This amount includes $45,000 transferred to community-based long-term recovery committees in Fulton, Ottawa and Wood counties, to support long-term recovery efforts after the Red Cross had met the emergency needs of our clients.
We will continue to work with the long-term recovery committees on issues and needs as yet unseen or even imagined for those devastated by the disaster and we are ready to provide additional financial support based on requests from these community-based committees. Additionally, we have also pledged $31,200 to the Lake School District for emergency preparedness and safety training for students of all ages.
We know these programs will help save lives for generations to come and ensure the community is better prepared should we ever experience another catastrophic event.
The road to recovery is long, yet the contributions and support of our community offers aid and support hours after the event and will resonate for years to come.
Tim Yenrick,
Regional Director,
American Red Cross

The Republican Party and, by extension, its Tea Party associates, including but not limited to the Children of Lividity, are at it again.
Their latest scare scam is to portray the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, which benefited primarily the richest portion of taxpayers, as an incredible plot by the Obama administration to raise everyone’s taxes, and once again, they have made up or pulled unverified facts and figures from their nether regions to try and get us to believe them.
I live for the day when someone on the Right has a little rendezvous with reality, but alas, it doesn’t appear that that is going to happen anytime soon. They continue to manufacture their own little Bizarro World scenarios and try to push them off as truth. They seem to think that whatever pops into their narrow minds must evidently be divinely inspired by either God or the Founding Fathers, granting them the prescience to know what is in the minds of the president, Congress, and any advisers to the Democratic caucus. Therefore, (insert unsubstantiated claim here) is sure to happen!
Look at the facts. Ten years ago, the Bush administration and the Republican-led Congress cooked up the tax cuts that are about to expire, and used the much-maligned reconciliation process to pass health care, since they didn’t want any pesky Democrats to misdirect any of those cuts away from the fat cats they were intended for.
Yes, that would be the same reconciliation process that was going to end democracy as we know it if the Democrats used it to give health care to any undeserving citizens. As Ezra Klein pointed out in The Washington Post, this was the first time that the budget reconciliation process had ever been used to increase the budget deficit. It had specifically been intended to be used to decrease the deficit. That would be the same deficit that all of the previously mentioned are now so grievously concerned with.
Once again, I guess it’s OK as long as they are the ones suggesting it. But wait, tax cuts never have to be paid for, on account of the great effect they have on “stimulating” the economy. Thanks to senators Kyl and McConnell for those hallucinations. Never mind that the tax cuts led to the weakest jobs and income growth since World War II. We’ll just go on peeing on everyone’s shoes and telling them that it’s raining. Extending those tax cuts to the richest for another 10 years would, according to the Office of Management and Budget and the nonpartisan Concord Coalition, add to the deficit up to another $3 trillion. Whoa, hold on, we’re against deficits now, so this couldn’t possibly be true.
We’ll just have to make something up to justify those cuts that the sheeples will buy. Carly Fiorina says tax cuts pay for themselves! Mitch McConnell says “there’s no evidence whatsoever that the Bush tax cuts actually diminished revenue. They increased revenue, because of the vibrancy of these tax cuts in the economy.” Problem solved! Uh, except they don’t and they didn’t. Before the tax cuts, taxes were 10.2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). After, the tax cut, they were 6.9 percent of the GDP. No matter how you shake it, it still doesn’t add up. Making up facts and figures isn’t going to work, either.
The Obama team seems to be willing to let some of the tax cuts that actually help middle class families be extended. The middle class is anyone making less than $200,000 a year, or a family making less than $250,000 a year evidently. The top income earners, the ones who benefited so greatly during the past 10 years, will be forced to go back to the old tax rates that were in effect then. You remember then, don’t you? We had a budget surplus then. How frightening, especially if you have more money than you know what to do with.
You may rest assured that the GOP will fight tooth and nail to make sure that Obama and the Democrats do nothing that will actually help the people who aren’t well off to begin with. They will fight to add the largest deficit increase ever to our debt in the name of fiscal responsibility. The economy for the rest of us will continue to circle the drain, and somewhere in Bizarro World, the Tea Partiers will somehow keep on thinking that their narrow, self-righteous views actually have some relevance to reality.

E-mail columnist Don Burnard at letters@toledofreepress.com.

Lately, gold has taken a tumble as the broader market and the economy begin to show faint signs of life. Hopefully some investors were able to sidestep this move; they were certainly warned. Readers look no further than last week, when we wrote that gold’s price was inflated and would likely correct.

We wrote then that a growing number investors were unaware of the dynamics of investing in gold, and that they needed to be sure they committed enough time to understanding the way commodities work. Another warning we issued over a year ago (Buying is Golden) was recently picked up in Businessweek’s cover story “Amber Waves of Pain” (Robison, Loder and Bjerga), namely the pitfalls of ETFs, particularly those utilizing leverage or focused on commodities.

The problem with ETFs is that very few investors or their advisors know exactly what they are, much less how they work. The Businessweek article hit the nail on the head when they said the reason for creating such ETFs was to open commodities, which have generally been restricted to futures traders, to a much larger sales force, as funds were made available through any broker who trades in stocks.

Businessweek also revealed that through ETFs, “Wall Street banks are transferring wealth from their clients to their trading desks.” Moreover, traders with expertise in the futures market have gone on record as saying that these products have allowed them to “make a living off the dumb money,” namely investors (Emil van Essen, Amber Waves of Pain).

The lesson here is that ETFs and other complex investment products, including derivatives of all types, should raise red flags for investors. If these products are being suggested as investment opportunities, investors need to make sure that their advisors know what it is they are pushing, and how these products react to changing market conditions.

In addition to the recent Businessweek article, the market has been inundated lately with articles hinting at improvement in the U.S. economy, though largely without additional employment. While the economy has been slowing regaining its footing for months, we have lately seen numerous instances of increases in corporate spending that lead us to believe that the economy will continue to improve.

However, we still feel that this recovery will be mostly jobless, at least for awhile, due in part to the extension of unemployment benefits by the powers that be in Washington. While the economy should continue to recover — barring any unforeseen shocks to the market — employment won’t like begin to recover substantially until into 2011.

With election season approaching, it seems highly likely at this point that, come November, the Democrats will at least lose the House of Representatives, if not both houses of Congress. Political gridlock will likely result, as all spending bills must originate in the House. This administration’s ability to spend will be ground to a halt, and we won’t likely see any significant legislation from Capitol Hill for the remainder of Obama’s term.

However, we see this as a positive for the economy and financial markets. If the last several years have taught us anything, it’s that business hates uncertainty. In the event of gridlock in Washington, businesses will be able to rest easy that no major surprises will negatively impact their bottom lines.

Our hope is that the removal of regulatory roadblocks from the private sector will create sufficient incentive for companies to continue spending and expanding, which should bring this economy roaring back to life.

Dock David Treece is a discretionary money manager with Treece Investment Advisory Corp (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA. He works for Treece Financial Services Corp and also serves as editor of the financial news site Green Faucet (www.GreenFaucet.com) and as a business commentator for Toledo Free Press. The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

Relationship 2 Referral (R2R) Partners is a local business networking group that has been helping its members to achieve professional success for five years in the Toledo area.

R2R Partners started as a small group of eight professionals in 2005 and has grown to 28 members who meet twice monthly for the purpose of sharing strategic introductions, high-quality referrals and best business practices.

“It’s a relaxed professional atmosphere. We have fun but take it seriously,” said Phil Bollin, one of the founders at the group’s July meeting at The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc. in Maumee.

Bollin, president of Bollin Wealth Management in Maumee, attributes the group’s success to its mission of “members helping members.”

Another founding member, Lisa Olvera, agrees that “our first thought is always how can we help you succeed in what you want to accomplish professionally.” Olvera is national sales manager for Creative Security Company Inc. that performs background checks on prospective employees for clients.

“We aren’t an organization that charges dues so we aren’t looking for members. It’s an exclusive group that involves a commitment” Bollin said.

Membership in R2R Partners is free. Members can invite guests from companies in desired business categories on visitor’s day held at one of its regular meetings.

“We purposefully limit our membership to those recommended who have a strong networking background and solid professional reputation,” Bollin said.

R2R Partners provides the opportunity to confidentially share opportunities to garner new business for members, according to Dan Briones, sales manager for Air Force One, a mechanical contracting firm in Perrysburg

“These are quality people helping other quality people to actively grow their respective companies. They can find all the necessary services within this group to start, set-up and be successful in business,” he said.

Briones credits landing three new clients to referrals he has obtained from other R2R members with whom he has developed business relationships since joining the group in 2008. It also provides opportunities for members to work together on business projects.

“My involvement in R2R has helped me to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with architect Jim Jarvis of HJT Design. Jim and I are able to work together successfully on projects taking them from theory to concept and installation,” said Briones.

“It’s very beneficial for us as we cross back and forth in our trades bringing clients as service businesses to people and companies due to our relationships,” said Jarvis.

It’s not all business for R2R Partners as the group celebrated its fifth anniversary with an outing at a Mud Hens game in June.

Members also perform community services by volunteering to help local organizations, according to another founding member, H.T. Williams of Key Recruiting in Perrysburg.

Williams said that the temporary side of the recruiting business has grown recently with the biggest demand in accounting, finances and information technology fields. He has helped other members find new employees when they need to expand their workforce.

“We get to know each other and our families, too,” said Pat DeCesare, a commercial lender with Directions Credit Union.

“We’re a business family that supports each other and I appreciate that kind of support,” said Olvera.

Members also invite their colleagues to business, community and social events that might be beneficial to them and the organizations holding the events. Olvera and other members attended a social event for human resources professionals July 14 in Findlay.

R2R Partners is run by a board of five members without any officers. The board includes Olvera, Julie Benzinger of Robinson, Curphey & O’Connell, a legal services firm; Tracy Rickman of FranNet, a franchise specialist; Leasa Maxx of Marketing & Design; and Andrew Spurling of Arrow Uniform Company.

Mothers of twins from across the country will gather Aug. 1-7 at the Park Inn in Toledo for the 50th annual National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs convention.

Toledo was chosen for the 50th anniversary convention because founder Marge Ainsworth lives in the area.

The beginning of the week is mostly tours and board meetings, said Diane Miller, publicity chairman for Toledo Mothers of Twins Club, but the opening ceremonies are open to the public. Opening ceremonies will take place 7 p.m. on Aug. 4.

Also open to the public is the showcase from 5-7 p.m. on Aug. 6. Vendors will sell twin- and multiple-related items, including books, necklaces and shirts.

For mothers of twins, the conference will include speakers and workshops on topics ranging from health to jewelry-making to raising twins while working a full-time job.

About 120 mothers of twins and multiples belong to the Toledo group, Miller said. She said mothers often continue attending meetings after their twins or multiples are grown because they form close friendships with other mothers.

“It’s a wonderful group, really,” Ainsworth said.

Former two-term Republican Gov. Bob Taft, who accentuated his tallness by wearing a big white cowboy hat and whose deep booming voice was made even louder by a microphone, told the assembled crowd how honored he was that the Coliseum, a long time venue at the fair for horse shows and other big events, was being renamed in his honor.

Read the full story here.