In 1982, Marshall Crenshaw’s self-titled debut found him lamenting a failing relationship on “Someday, Someway,” looking for a “Cynical Girl” and “Rockin’ Around in N.Y.C.”
The album was a hot seller.
“It didn’t surprise me when people liked it. I thought, ‘Yeah, of course, they should like it,,” he said and laughed. “I was joking with my wife the other day. When something good happens to me, I figure it’s supposed to happen.”
The singer-songwriter-guitarist talked about the career landmark during a call from his home in Rhinebeck, N.Y.

Crenshaw

“It’s been 30 years since I made my first record. It’s hard to believe. When I was young, I could never imagine what 30 years down the road would look like,” he said. “But it does seem like I’ve been doing it for 30 years at least, feels like it’s been a long time.”
Crenshaw recently announced he would stop releasing CDs.
“I did a CD in June 2009, it was called ‘Jaggedland.’ I think it’s my best record ever. It took just a huge, huge amount of time for me to get it to where I wanted it to be,” he said. “It was just super-draining, you know, and I just thought it’s really hard for me to see down the road where I could keep doing it this way; I just don’t have that much time left, and it’s crazy for such a long gap between records.
“So that was my first thought: What if I did something brand-new every few months. And the other thing: I just really love vinyl records; I’m glad that people still buy them; I still buy them, so that’s the idea.”
The Detroit native plans to make his new music available as downloads through the usual channels.
Crenshaw will play with Freedy Johnston May 6 at Headliners. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 the night of the show.
“It’s going to be great for me to get back to playing solo; I love the simplicity of it,” Crenshaw said. “And I also like the sound of it; it’s quieter than a band. I don’t get my brains beat in with amplifiers, cymbals and drums — that’s much-appreciated at my age.”
The 57-year-old is still cranking out songs. He co-wrote The Gin Blossoms’ “Til I Hear It From You,” wrote the title track for the movie “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” and penned some instrumentals for “Sex and the City” and a PBS documentary on Yogi Berra.
Crenshaw also is working on a Detroit show for United Sounds of America, a six-night festival featuring different cities that will take place in Chicago in June.
It’s obvious that Crenshaw still believes in music.
“Music is a really powerful force. You can see that as you look at human activity and human behavior over all of history. It’s just not to be trifled with; you’ve got to treat it with respect.”

Szyperski Residence: An average day
Wednesday, November 24, 2010

11:45 Start folding laundry.

11:50 Someone leaves the bathroom door open. Lucy (then 19 months old) goes in, stands on the toilet, falls off of the toilet and hits her mouth on the counter. Crying ensues.

11:56 Back to folding laundry.

11:57 Jack (then 7 years old) informs me that Elaine (5 years old) and her friend filled bowls with water, drank from them like dogs and then spilled all of the water onto the carpeting.

11:59 Jack attempts a coup of the girls’ room, wrestling takes place in the hallway as a result.

12:01 Water is boiling, time to add the macaroni.

12:02 Back to folding laundry.

12:09 The kitchen timer goes off for the macaroni. On the way to kitchen, I notice that Lucy is soaked with water, has stickers in her hair and in her mouth and has a poopy diaper.

12:13 Pull overcooked macaroni off of stove after finding and discarding all stickers on Lucy. Jack asks for help with his shoes.

12:16 Elaine wants to know where her macaroni and cheese is.

12:17 Change Lucy’s diaper and discover two more stickers inside of her right ear.

12:18 Jack and his friend want me to come outside to see ice that has formed on the sandbox lid.

12:19 Wash hands.

12:21 I notice that Elaine has gone out to see the ice wearing a thin raincoat, a skirt and flip flops.

12:23 Drain the macaroni. Elaine excitedly informs me that the ice is, indeed, real.

12:25 Finish preparing macaroni and cheese.

12:30 Serve macaroni and cheese. Call Jack and his friend in from outside.

12:32 I remember that I turned the oven on to make myself a pita pocket.

12:33 Jack wants help taking his shoes off. I tell him to work it out. His friend helps him.

12:34 Discover only seven of the grapes we have are still good.

12:35 Jack bites into the macaroni and cheese and discovers that it’s whole grain. Despite having had it several times before, he complains, leaves the table and declares, “It’s sick!” Jack is sent to his room.

12:36 Three of the four children remaining at the table ask for a drink.

12:37 Elaine wants to know if she can have Jack’s macaroni and cheese.

12:38 Jack wants to know if he can come out of his room, vowing to eat his macaroni and cheese.

12:40 Jack is allowed out of his room. He apologizes, wants a hug and starts eating.

12:41 Lucy comes out to the kitchen and I notice that I forgot to put pants on her after I changed her diaper.

12:43 Lucy starts yelling for help. I find her two feet behind me standing in a drawer. I start taking her picture when she falls into the drawer and starts crying.

12:45 I go downstairs and find music blaring from the computer. I turn it off.

12:47 I give Lucy apple juice, but she won’t drink it until I pick her up. Elaine wants more macaroni and cheese. I find another sticker in Lucy’s hair.

12:48 Jack and his friend go downstairs and immediately start blaring the music again. I take Lucy to the rocking chair and find yet another sticker in her hair.

12:52 Lucy’s wants off of my lap so that she can dance.

12:53 Wash hands. Prepare feta and tomato pita pocket. Notice garbage can stinks.

1:00 Wash hands. Put pita in the oven. The girls are watching TV and the boys are in the basement playing darts.

1:02 I do a standing check of email and Facebook.

1:05 Back to the kitchen. I discover the trash bag has slipped down and trash has collected in the bottom of the can. Clean out and vacuum bottom of garbage can. Insert new liner.

1:10 My friend walks in.

1:11 Lucy repeatedly attempts to thrust herself over the side of our recliner head first. I stop her several times until she seems to lose interest.

1:15 Jack asks for grape juice for a third time. As I start to pour it, I see Lucy across the room begin to succeed in throwing herself over the side of the recliner. Time seems to stop as her face hits the floor, forcing her neck backward into an awkward and unnatural “V” shape. She lays with her face in the carpeting and doesn’t get up. Elaine tries to grab her, but I yell for no one to touch her. I wait for her to move. She finally gets up for me to hold her. Relief. I hold her tight and she tells me that it’s just her nose that hurts.

1:22 Jack and Elaine head to their friends’ house. I take the slightly-burned pita out of the oven.

1:25 Lunch.

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

One of the highlights of writing this column is getting letters, (most using some made up name other than the writer’s real name) telling me how I know absolutely nothing about such subjects as economics. I rarely answer these letters, partly because of my previously mentioned disdain for people too cowardly to put their real names on their comments, and partly because I refuse to do their research for them when they put forth nothing but slogans and talking points with no research or facts from reputable sources to bolster their side of the equation. I am not, nor have I ever been, an economist, or anything other than what I have previously stated.

Having said that, I do consider myself able to read and comprehend even moderately complex analyses by persons who are well versed and well recognized in their fields. These experts generally have a lot of letters after their names, showing that they have spent a considerable amount of their lives studying the subject at hand. I try to steer clear of bumper sticker slogans to base my opinions on, much preferring facts, figures, and logical conclusions.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the drive for actual endeavors necessary for real analysis. They will take the word of a highly paid pundit or politician with little or no background rather than read a treatise on the subject because it’s much easier than actual thinking. And that’s a large part of the reason why this country is in the shape it’s in today. It’s just not convenient. Even if it affects your day to day life in ways that are far from in your best interests. If you make over $200,000 a year, you can disregard this. The rest of us should pay attention, because we’re about to be screwed.

The GOP plan put forth by Rep. Paul Ryan bears little semblance to any of the campaign promises that most of the Repubs ran on. As I recall the last election, most of the GOP candidates ran on getting jobs for the unemployed and protecting senior’s Medicare and Social Security. Sounded good evidently.

Now we have a B-/C+ math student from little Janesville, Wisconsin telling us that all of the social safety nets can no longer be afforded because we have to give MORE tax cuts to the very rich in order to bring our budget back into balance. As I said, I’m no economist, but haven’t the last 30 years proved that these trickle down economic theories don’t work? Even Reagan’s former budget director, David Stockman, the head cheerleader for all that crap, has come to the conclusion that it doesn’t work.

For good measure, the CBO study of says that the Ryan Plan will add $6 trillion to the deficit, and the budget wouldn’t be balanced until sometime around 2040. Huh? An actual economist, Austin Frakt of Boston University crunched the numbers and figured that if Congress did nothing about taxes and spending, the budget would come into balance around 2015. Why should we put the bottom 90% and the senior citizens through all this pain to help the persons who don’t need the help even further? Welcome to Bizarro World. It makes no sense to me. It sounds like all pain and no gain for most of us. Ryan claims that the tax cuts for the rich will be revenue neutral because he will close tax breaks and loopholes to pay for them, although he couldn’t name any specifically. Doesn’t sound like a well thought out plan to me.

CEOs at 299 of the Fortune 400 companies this year got $3.4 billion in increased executive compensation in 2010. This represented a 23% increase over 2009 levels. Do these guys really need another tax break? Do we need to keep beating down the middle class, the teachers, policemen, firemen, the entire working class, so these guys can have more? The sum of those 299 salaries represents the combined average wages of over 100,000 workers at their respective companies. Some examples; Viacom CEO Phillipe Dauman was awarded salary, stock, and other benefits totaling $84.5 million for 9 months of 2010. I would posit that you and a hundred of your friends will never even come close to earning that in your lifetimes, let alone in 9 months. Occidental Petroleum CEO got $76 million in compensation, and the Abercrombie and Fitch’s Michael Jeffries got over $36 million. These guys definitely don’t need a break.

We need a break, and it’s time for us to stand up and demand that we get our share of the pie. Let’s return some sanity to America! We need jobs, not more tax cuts for the wealthy.

When President Barack Obama’s birth certificate was released April 27, it was not difficult to predict what would happen next.
Those who already believed the president was born in the United States would continue to do so — and those who did not? They’d find reasons to not believe it.
We witnessed the same behavior after Al Gore was defeated in 2000. There were those who stuck with the belief that the election was stolen and that George Bush was not the rightful president.
No matter how much documentation or facts are presented, there will always be a part of our society that will ignore whatever does not meet what they want to believe.
Media is blamed for protecting President Obama, with some focusing on “liberal media bias” — with many appearing to forget that not long ago, the media was accused of protecting former President Bush.
“Bush Lies, Media Swallows” was written by Eric Alterman in the Nov. 25, 2002 edition of The Nation. Alterman said giving presidents and their administrations a pass on the truth was nothing new, though he said some media sources made an exception when it came to calling former President Clinton a liar:
“Isn’t it worse to refer ‘repeatedly to intelligence … that remains largely unverified’ — as The Wall Street Journal puts it — in order to trick the nation into war, as Bush and other top U.S. officials have done, than to lie about a blowjob?”

In the Sept./Oct. 2008 Mother Jones, David Corn wrote, “After W, Will the Press Get a Spine?” Corn raised some of the same concerns Alterman had several years earlier.
Both men also cited a 1997 quote by Ben Bradlee, when he was executive editor of The Washington Post: “Even the very best newspapers have never learned how to handle public figures who lie with a straight face.”
Corn wrote, “Also in the Times, James Traub — while acknowledging that Bush had served up “quite a few actual fibs” — observed, “The sudden rash of jeremiads and their stunning popularity raises a question: Why are so many liberals, including sane and sober ones, granting themselves permission to hate the president?”
In Time, James Poniewozik bemoaned “the rise of the anger industry.” Going further, columnist David Brooks warned that “The core threat to democracy is not in the White House, it’s the haters.”
April 27, Joan Walsh wrote on Salon.com, “I worry that bowing to bullying rewards bullies, and this paranoid, vicious faction in American politics, the one that says a black president has to show extra papers, extra credentials to be accepted, will never be satisfied.”
Whether you call them haters or a paranoid vicious faction, it’s based more on politics than race. I disagree with those who say the birth certificate saga would not exist if Obama were white. The only way it wouldn’t have happened were if he were a Republican, at least as far as who’s making it an issue.
It’s a proven pattern of behavior from some elements of our society who angrily oppose those who they feel are different. Not just different based on race, different based on how they perceive the other person’s political ideology.
What should be concerning is despite a number of credible sources confirming — before Obama was even elected president — that he was born in the United States, between 15 and 25 percent of those polled either ignored the facts or didn’t believe the media.
Pew Research reported March 31 that only about 4-in-10 are able to correctly identify John Boehner as House speaker; 19 percent say incorrectly that Nancy Pelosi is still speaker of the House and only 38 percent correctly say that Republicans hold a majority of seats in the House.
Nearly seven in 10 Americans in 2003 that were polled believed Saddam Hussein had something to do with the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, despite there being no confirmed connection.
While the media can do a better job, some of the responsibility lays with the public.
The inflexible reality is we’ve been here before as far as anger, hatred, vitriol and believing misinformation — that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.

Toledo Free Press Web Editor Lisa Renee Ward operates the political blog GlassCityJungle.com.

In February 2009, we presented at the Ohio Education Association Megaconference in Cleveland. Our presentation focused on the topic of choosing the right pension options for Teachers approaching retirement. Senate Bill 5 and several industry changes make this topic worth a revisit. Even, if you have no clue about Senate Bill 5, or aren’t involved in the Teaching profession, choosing the wrong pension option can be costly. Let’s educate you on the various choices.
No one option is right for everyone! Let me repeat that, just because the boss, the accountant, or someone on TV said “every retiree should …” doesn’t mean that option is right for you and your family. Don’t make these decisions lightly. Once a retiree selects a pension option and starts receiving money, the decision normally becomes irrevocable. Education starts with attending a group session if it is offered. Then sit down and talk one-on-one with a representative from the company that deals with the pension plans to review individual choices. Finally, get a second opinion from an investment professional who doesn’t work for the company where you are employed.

I know; I know three or four meetings might seem like a lot of homework, but trust us, putting time in now could be a smart investment.
Pensions are mainly broken down into two categories, lump sum or monthly payments, or a combination of the two called Partial Lump Sum Option Plan (PLOP). When a retiree selects a lump sum option, that investor is taking personal responsibility for managing their money. Invest wisely and it can pay off, yet if a retiree spends too quickly or the investments lose value, watch out, the money could be gone. Monthly payments options are when the retiree usually allows the company to keep the principal balance of the pension in exchange for an income for the rest of their lifetime.
Live a long life and work with a financially sound company and it can be a good option for a “set it and forget it” retirement plan. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, a U.S. government agency, details information at www.pbgc.gov.
Monthly options are often broken down into different payment choices for various periods of time, and can include survivorship options. Several factors should be considered to figure out what is right for a retirees and his or her family. First, how is the health of both the retiree and the spouse?
Sometimes personal life insurance can be purchased for less cost to protect the spouse versus selecting the lower survivorship option. Since insurance underwriting can take a few months, make sure everything is in place prior to assuming the insurance option will work out. Protecting the income for a set number of years can also be an important choice. This could come in handy if a spouses is younger and the goal is to protect them until they reach full social security or retirement age, when they might have their own pension to draw from. Each choice will end up coming down to what is important to the retiree’s own financial situation.
Lump sum payment options are available in some of the pension plans. This is when a formula is used to determine an upfront payment. This money is normally transferred into an IRA and invested as the retiree sees fit. The paperwork must be filled out correctly or distributions can be subject to a mandatory 20 percent tax withholding and to make matters worse, if the person is under the age of 59-and-a-half it could also be subject to an additional 10 percent withdrawal penalty. Important tax issues should be discussed with an accountant. Lump sum options can make sense for investors who feel comfortable making their own investment decisions. It can also be a good option for a family that has other resources to provide monthly income, or for those who want to have the possibility of leaving a bigger legacy to their family or loved ones. Just be sure to fully understand the impact of lump sum distribution and your personal responsibility.
Our mission is to educate all Americans on how to be financially self reliant. Choosing the correct pension option the first time is one of the most important decisions of a retiree’s lifetime. Remember to plan ahead and plan early. Do the homework and spend a little time to fully understand each and all of the options before the paperwork gets turned in. Sure, it takes effort and work on your part, but do the work now, so you don’t have to go back to work later. This is your retirement, no one else’s, and what is right for someone else, may not be right for you and your family. O

For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 p.m. on 1370 WSPD or visit www.retirementguysradio.com.  Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC.  NEXT Financial Group, Inc nor its representatives provide tax 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 proposed plan may save Libbey High School — at least part of it.
Toledo Deputy Mayor of Operations Steve Herwat announced plans April 26 to save Libbey’s Field House, skills center and football stadium, while the remaining portion of the school would be torn down.

Supporters outside of Libbey High School April 4

“It is a unique opportunity with Toledo Public Schools (TPS). This would give the community the opportunity to maintain this facility for future use,” Herwat said. “We have no intent or desire to acquire the main Libbey High School building, which will be demolished.”
“It would be great for that community and I think it’s long overdue,” Councilman Adam Martinez said. “I don’t think we have anything like that in the City of Toledo where you can do soccer, football, basketball and the other types of sports activities.”
Herwat said the plans would require a $1 million loan from TPS to the city with half to be paid back during the next three years. Those plans have been accepted by the Toledo Board of Education and will be discussed on the next City Council meeting at May 3.
“Right now we don’t have any hard projections,” Martinez said. “We are just kind of assuming $1 million but it could be less or it could be more depending on once we actually get into the nuts and bolts of the project.
“We want to make sure that we have community input, to make sure that we are being fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ dollars in doing this. We can actually preserve the building, it makes sense to preserve the building and hopefully to create a sense of pride in that area.”
Herwat said it will probably cost between $800,000 and $900,000. The loan would be utilized to install a heating and cooling system so the building could be used year-round. Toledo would also be required to pay a fee for the buildings, although Herwat said it would be a nominal fee of $1.
Herwat mentioned a few of the plans for the new property. The Field House is being entertained as a site to host winter basketball youth games while the stadium has been discussed as a possible location to partner with the Mid-City Football League.
Although some have shown concerns about the city spending $1 million, activist Warren Woodberry, who helped save Scott High School and has been a vocal proponent for preserving Libbey, said he is not concerned about the seven-figure cost in poor economic times.
“That’s like saying the hospital supplies are running out, so let’s not buy Band-Aids and blood plasma,” Woodberry said. “If you look at the bigger picture, it’s a $1 million investment to save a whole community and to put the city in a better positive light and in position to get grants. That’s not counting the fact the facility can produce income and find jobs. Just to look at that one figure and holler and scream about it, it just doesn’t make any sense.”
Woodberry said this decision could tremendously impact the neighborhood after losing both the Boys & Girls Club and the YMCA.
“It’s an active community,” Woodberry said. “There are thousands of homes and you look left and right and there’s nothing to do. They are moving the Boys & Girls Club across Broadway by another school. They tore down the YMCA. The park has four swings. There are thousands of homes there and they have four swings. People have that in their backyard. There just was no logic there. The swimming pool has been closed for years. They are just begging kids to come out and join gangs.”
Although recent events have supporters of Libbey optimistic, everything still hinges on approval by City Council next week.
“We are celebrating the portion of the battle that we have won,” Woodberry said. “We are not out of the woods yet, but we do know where the clearing is.”

The May 1 edition of Toledo Free Press is available as an electronic edition.

An electronic communication from Lloyd A. Jacobs, the president University of Toledo, to UT employees announcing lay-offs are forthcoming from has been obtained by Toledo Free Press.

The text of the communication:

Dear Colleagues,

During the past 18 months The University of Toledo has been in the process of preparing for what we knew would be several difficult budget years. That planning has resulted in a recalibrated strategic plan to provide guidance as the institution strives to excel in the face of scarce resources. UT is finalizing its budget development process and in the coming weeks, I will present a draft of my recommended budget to the UT Board of Trustees.

I know the trustees also will look to our strategic plan as they work to pass the budget before July 1. But no plan can make today’s announcement any easier. In the next several days, lay-off notices will be distributed to union representatives and a number of employees across the University. We’ve worked hard to remove vacant and part-time positions – an effort to minimize the impact on those who count on UT for all or the majority of their compensation. These are dedicated men and women who deserve our respect and our thanks for their commitment to education and to The University of Toledo. We will do everything we can to ease the transition, including resume seminars and automatic enrollment in the UT Works program, which gives laid off employees priority status to fill open positions across the institution.

Economic news out just yesterday shows that while the economy is recovering, growth is slow. The expiration of nearly $20 million in federal stimulus dollars and fewer financial resources available from the state on top of increasing University operations and benefits costs require us to rethink and re-engineer much of our standard operating procedure. As I said during my address to the community earlier this month, universities across the nation can either embrace and lead the changes sweeping across higher education or be dragged along by them.

I firmly believe The University of Toledo is well-positioned to assume a leadership role. These changes will be difficult and ask us to adapt to challenges that push us out of our comfort zones. But by staying true to our institutional values and following a strong strategic plan, this institution’s best days lay ahead.

Sincerely,

Lloyd A. Jacobs
President University of Toledo

During the April 26 Toledo City Council discussion on the proposed development agreement between Toledo Public Schools (TPS) and the City of Toledo for the purchase of a portion of the Libbey High School complex, Deputy Mayor Steve Herwat referenced a deed restriction. TPS and Toledo are stating on April 29 that there was no written request for a deed restriction. In addition, TPS officials say all charter schools were given 60 days to make an offer on the Libbey property, but none did.

The deed restriction was referenced during council’s agenda review session, in answer to questions from Councilman Joe McNamara about the legal requirements of notifying a charter school.

“And let me point out in our discussions with TPS, they are insisting and we have agreed to put a deed restriction in the deed that would not allow this facility to be operated as a charter school,” Herwat said.

TPS Board Vice President Lisa Sobecki said April 29, “There were inquiries as far as how to protect the district should something happen and the City of Toledo not be able to complete the project, but those were questions for legal counsel. Those inquiries were part of the informal discussion, not a formal request.”

Jen Sorgenfrei, public information officer for the City of Toledo, said while she was not involved in the discussions with TPS and Toledo, “Our legal department would never allow us to enter into an agreement that was against the law,” she said.

“There is no finalized contract and neither party has been granted powers by their respective legislative bodies for a sale. The current legislation just allows the process to continue,” Sorgenfrei said.

Herwat was out sick and did not respond to an April 29 request for clarification on the earlier statement. Sources within Toledo and TPS told Toledo Free Press they believe Herwat made an unintentional misstatement given the stage of the discussions.

At the Dec. 15 TPS OFSC Committee meeting, legislation was first discussed to give permission for TPS administration and the Board president to enter into discussions with Toledo on the Libbey complex. TPS Board approved that legislation on Dec. 21.

A statement was released from TPS April 29 from James Gant, TPS business manager. Gant is quoted as stating, “Pursuant to the Ohio Revised Code 3313.41 (the “Code”), on Jan. 3, 2011, a certified letter was sent to 40 Ohio-based charter schools notifying them of Toledo Public School properties, including Libbey High School, that were being offered for sale. The Code requires a 60-day timeframe for a charter school to present an acceptable offer for any of the properties. In addition, the Code requires that the offer include a fair market purchase price, which was determined by utilizing property values provided by the Lucas County Auditors’ Office. As of today, TPS has not been presented with an offer to purchase any of the properties.

“Toledo Public Schools and representatives from the City of Toledo have been in discussions about the ancillary facilities on the former Libbey High School campus since December, 2010 when the Board of Education passed a resolution allowing the district to enter into negotiations on the property. The Board then passed a resolution on April 26, 2011 authorizing the sale of a portion of the Libbey campus to the City. Terms stated in that resolution do not include any deed restrictions. TPS and the City have been in constant contact regarding the legal implications of the proposed agreement since the December resolution was passed. Neither TPS nor the City have entered into/or drafted the final agreement as of this communication. Both parties have every intention of developing an agreement that is in strict accordance with Ohio law.”

Toledo Free Press reported Feb. 3 that TPS had notified charter schools as required by the Ohio Schools Facility Commission.

It was reported that before proceeding with demolition, the OSFC requires the district to offer the facility to charter schools for 60 days and that deadline was March 3.

“The City was the only one who expressed an interest,” Sobecki said. “We are required to offer property at fair market value; the value was determined by the auditor’s office. It’s the same as any real estate deal, there is an appraised price but that is not always what the final sale price ends up at. Offers can be made, accepted or rejected.”

TPS and Toledo have entered into previous agreements concerning former Toledo Public School buildings.

“It has to be offered to a public entity, which could include a charter school, but it could also include the City,” Councilman Steve Steel said April 26. “In fact we’ve already done that with several properties including the Ryder school property, that then the City channeled over to Xunlight.”

Toledo’s Raceway Park begins its 2011 live harness racing season April 30 and is gearing up for its biggest party of the year — Derby Day on May 7.
“We love having people come out and experience the Derby and live racing together,” said marketing coordinator Andrea Ritter. “If you come in at 5 p.m., it’s elbow to elbow. It really is a party.”
The Kentucky Derby in Louisville, also known as “the most exciting two minutes in sports,” starts around 6:20 and the action inside Raceway Park continues when the live racing begins at 7 p.m. The excitement around harness racing continues with the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, which round out the Triple Crown.
“They come out for the entire Triple Crown,” Ritter said of racing fans. “It’d just be great to see one horse win all three this year.”

The facility is open seven days a week from noon to midnight with live racing and more on Saturdays and Sundays for $2 per person through Sept. 30. There will also be four Wednesday live races, May 18 and 25 and June 1 and 8.
Raceway Park is bringing back the fifth annual Party at the Park Summer Concert Series with live bands every Saturday. Fans can catch local favorites Hoozier Daddy, Nine Lives and Mas Fina beginning at 5 p.m. and playing during breaks between several of the races throughout the night.
“We’re not just live racing, we’re really an entertainment facility,” Ritter said.
Another hit from seasons past that will continue this year is the giveaways. During the opening night kickoff April 30, one lucky fan will receive two tickets to the Kentucky Derby. A T-shirt giveaway will occur on the actual Derby night and more will occur throughout the season, Ritter said.
Raceway Park tries to appeal to everyone, even if they are not coming to place bets.
“Some people like the harness racing and some like coming for the whole experience,” Ritter said. “It’s a great, affordable option. It really is night life out here.”
There are five different food options for hungry parkgoers. The Crazy Horse Clubhouse is open during live race days and offers a bar, a full buffet on Saturday nights and a new a la carte menu on Sundays.
The Horseshoe Café is open Thursday through Sunday.
The Starting Gate Lounge is open seven days a week. Race fans can catch all the action on the more than 40 LCD HDTVs.
The Finish Line Bar is open Saturdays and Sundays, with watching and wagering available straight from the comfort of the seats.
The newest addition to the park’s food choices is the Trackside Bar and Grill. Open during live racing, the outdoor joint is located near the winners circle and offers cold draft beer and fire-grilled burgers and hot dogs.
Every Sunday through September is Dollar Day from open until close. Patrons can enjoy an earlier start time at 6 p.m. and admission, programs, hot dogs, sodas, popcorn and nachos are all for $1 each.
“We hope to continue the giveaways and to support the economy and affordable entertainment in this area,” Ritter said. “We just want everyone to have a great time.”
Raceway Park is owned  by Penn National Gaming, which is building two casinos in Ohio and is waiting on Gov. John Kasich’s decision on gaming at racetracks. In addition to Raceway Park, Penn owns Beulah Park in Columbus and has notified the Ohio State Racing Commission that it would ask to relocate those licenses —Toledo to Dayton and Columbus to Youngstown, respectively, should racetrack gaming be legalized.
For more information and a full schedule of events, visit the website www.racewayparktoledo.com.