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U. S. Representative
John Boehner…The House Remains Focused on Jobs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester)
released the following column: “Recently, I had an opportunity to sit
down with community and business leaders in West Chester and
Springfield to talk about the economy and jobs. These meetings are an
opportunity for me to listen to the concerns and priorities of families
and small businesses here in Ohio’s Eighth Congressional District. They
also allow me the chance to give … read
more. |
Broke Wife, Big City…I'm pretty sure it's a
demon wizard, By Aprill Brandon
You guys may remember when I wrote a few weeks ago about how I quit
smoking. If you don't remember, let me quickly sum it up for you: I
quit smoking. People got hurt. Property got destroyed. At one point,
the National Guard was called in to shoot me down off of a skyscraper.
The end. And I am happy to report that not only am I still 100 percent
cigarette-free today, but the casualities list has significantly
shortened thanks… read
more. |
Inspiring others to create
positive change, By Amy Barger,
Main Street Greenville Intern
Being a part of Main Street Greenville has personally brought a lot of
awareness on who exactly "Amy Barger" is and what she will do
next. Everything I do I do to work for something bigger than
myself. I am not quite sure if I can define it in its
entirety because I believe it will become more defined as I keep
growing as a person. I think it can be understood best by understanding
me. All I know is that I care about this world. I
care about life… read
more. |
From
the Other Side of the Edge…. The “Light” Moves On…..
By Joe Facinoli
The call came at 5 a.m. How fitting. It was her
favorite
time of the day (or so she told us). An hour when she always
found the time to pack one more lunch, iron one more shirt, hang up one
more load of laundry on the clothes line (inside or outside, depending
on the weather, and the season), check over one more homework
assignment, or write one more check, just in time to beat the late fee.
It was the time when she got the coffee brewing every morning… read
more. |
The
Grumpy Side of 60… Thanking
you
in advance, By Bob Robinson
Sarah is 11. She’s smart as a whip. Goes through her multiplication and
division tables with ease, has a good concept of how government works,
the weather cycles and, according to her teachers, is “street smart.”
Give her a logic problem beyond her age and she can usually figure out
how to address it. But first you have to read it to her. As smart as
she is, much of her time is spent in special education because the
fifth grader is at a first or second… read
more. |
Musings of a Senior Scribe…Of One Accord,
By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! I hope you are all enjoying the cooler weather. Maybe I can
catch up on my spring cleaning before it turns into fall cleaning -
YUK! It is again time for another school levy. Signs are everywhere -
Vote Yes - Vote No. Letters are in the local papers. To whom do you
listen? Who has the truth? Where could you possible find the "real
deal?" Thoughts swirled in my brain. From my East Elementary School
days - the Three Little Pigs story appeared. Remember... read
more |
Greenville Schools Levy… Questions &
Answers, Set 5
It seems that you are representing the $25,000 exclusion/reduction of
tax value for those past 65 or disabled. If so, I suggest this to be a
misrepresentation as those folks already receive this exclusion and
shall not see additional exclusions as part of an increase in tax
liability in support of schools. Correct? The Homestead Exemption
allows senior citizens and permanently and totally disabled Ohioans to
reduce their property tax … read
more. |
U.S.
Rep. John Boehner… Now
it’s up
to the Senate to Provide ObamaCare Fairness for All
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester)
released the following column discussing House-passed legislation
delaying ObamaCare’s mandates to give equal protection – and some basic
fairness – to individuals and families: "On July 16, 35 Democrats
joined Republicans in the House of Representatives in voting to delay
the employer mandate in the president’s health care law. In a
subsequent vote, 22 Democrats… read
more. |
State
Representative Jim Buchy… Tax
Reforms to Alleviate Stress on Household Budgets
Tax reforms in the new operating budget are meant to help alleviate
stress on our household budgets. In Ohio, we are
committed
to improving the jobs climate and for that reason we took a series of
steps to simplify the tax code and increase transparency. As
a
result Ohioans are receiving more than a $2.7 billion tax reduction.
The FY2014-15 state budget builds on previous successes such as
eliminating the Death Tax. The new package will provide… read
more. |
State
Representative Richard Adams… State
Budget Signed into Law
In May, Ohio experienced its highest monthly job creation numbers since
February 1999. Ohio was also the top job creator in the country that
month, creating more than 32,000 jobs. Those were part of the more than
170,000 private sector jobs that have been created inside our borders
in the last two-and-a-half years. With more people working and an
economy continuing to steadily improve, there was more money coming
into the state coffers at existing… read
more. |
Broke Wife, Big City…My momma did raise a
quitter,
By Aprill Brandon
Quitters get a bad reputation in American society. But I've always been
a bit of a rebel (I totally cut off that tag from my mattress even
though it explicitly states you shouldn't cut it off under penalty of
law...Ha Ha!). And so it is with great relish that I can announce that
my momma did, in fact, raise a quitter. After years of failed attempts,
I have officially been smoke-free for two weeks. Yes, I haven't had a
cigarette in 14 days. Needless… read
more. |
The
White House… President
Obama's
Vision for America, By Dan Pfeiffer
Hey everyone, I don't usually write emails like this, and we don't
usually send messages like this to this list. But I just finished
reading the draft of a speech the President plans to deliver on
Wednesday, and I want to explain why it's one worth checking out. Eight
years ago, not long after he was elected to the United States Senate,
President Obama went to Knox College in his home state of Illinois
where he laid out his economic vision for the country. It's… read
more. |
From
the Other Side of the Edge…. VERDICT:
America
Guilty….again, By Joe Facinoli
Race. The Ultimate Test for humankind. The one true and constant
challenge in life, the one which overtly presents itself to all of
us,….every day. And we fail every pop quiz that life springs on us. We
just can’t get past it. We just can’t get beyond the fact that not
everyone looks the same as us, nor acts the same, nor speaks the same
language, nor plays the same video games. And we never have,…..not even
close, really. We are no better now, than we… read
more. |
19
is a lucky number! Greenville’s
ONLY opportunity to avoid losing the state rollback
By Carla Surber, Treasurer, Greenville School District - The Governor’s
new law will not impact our upcoming Greenville Bond Issue. If you pass
Greenville’s Bond Issue on August 6, you will still receive the 12.5 %
rollback reduction. This is the district’s only opportunity
to
have this advantage. All new and replacement levies in Ohio, after
November, 2013, will not receive this advantage. Nineteen
Ohio
schools, including Greenville, made… read
more. |
State
Representative Jim Buchy… Lake
Facilities Authority- Authority for the Local Citizens
The restoration efforts at Grand Lake St. Marys continue as the
federal, state, and local governments contribute to the cause. The
people of the Grand Lake St. Marys have asked for more responsibility
for the efforts, and legislators have responded by helping locally
drafted legislation become law. The Lake Facilities Authority(LFA)
provides the local government exactly what the title says, authority to
help with lake restoration. The authority will be checked… read
more. |
Tax Payers Beware,
By Don Wright
Greenville School Superintendent Fries has used a full page in the
newspaper to answer some of our questions about the school bond levy.
Pay close attention to his answers. What he doesn’t say is as important
as what he says. Since most taxpayers can read and most people that
have acquired property aren’t stupid I’ll just skip through and make a
few comments. If the state condemns any school buildings it will be
because they were neglected… read
more. |
Greenville Schools Levy…Questions &
Answers, Set 4
Where is the safe room for storms and shootings in the new school?
There are designated areas throughout the school that students/staff
will go in the event of a storm. We will work with EMA and local safety
agencies during the design process and during construction to designate
safe areas. The engineers will work with district administrators, local
fire and police to give security options. Security will be one of the
main topics when designing… read
more. |
Grumpy
Side of 60… The
virtues of being
grumpy, By Bob Robinson
“Hey Grumpy, how are you?” “I’m having a ball! How about you?” Grumpy
greetings make my day. There have been a few. Some have asked why I
call this column the “Grumpy Side of 60.” It goes back to being a sub
at Woodland and trying to control a class of 20-plus 5- to 8-year-old
students. I tried everything. Cajoling, bribery, yelling… I have a loud
voice when I want to use it. In the morning it works great, but by
afternoon they know I’m a pushover… read
more. |
U.S.
Senator Sherrod Brown… Ensuring
Ohio Workers Have the Skills Needed to Fill Open Jobs
Last week, I heard from Daniel Brewer, a Navy veteran from Cincinnati
who could not find a good paying job after returning from Afghanistan.
Though Daniel had substantial training in the Navy, moving home to
Ohio, he had trouble translating his skills into the civilian
workforce. Daniel’s experience is all too common. Time and time again
I’ve heard similar stories throughout Ohio: biotech firms, high-tech
manufacturers, and small businesses are… read
more. |
State Representative
Jim Buchy…Budget
Bill Will Continue Ohio’s Economic Improvement
During discussion on the House floor regarding the tax cuts in the
state budget, a fellow state representative made a simple, but
important, point. While we might not always think of it in this way,
taxes and freedom share a strong link. The less money the government
takes out of our pockets, the more freedom we have to spend it the way
we want. His message seems especially appropriate this time of year, as
we just celebrated our nation’s independence… read
more. |
Broke Wife, Big City…Some like it not,
By
Aprill Brandon
I know what I'm about to say isn't going to be very popular. But hey,
you know what? Abraham Lincoln wasn't universally appreciated for his
views in his lifetime either. (Although, granted, in the end it didn't
turn out too well for him. However, anyone wishing to assassinate me
needs to get in line behind my ex-boyfriends, my ninth-grade English
teacher, Kim Kardashian, those Jehovah Witnesses that came to my door
last … read
more. |
Life
with Levi… Feeling
insignificant
and unimportant is not an option, By Amanda
Olson, Editor
As the new Editor of CNO, I’ve been reading all of the letters and
columns that come in regarding the Greenville Schools Levy. And I am
overjoyed to see the supportive members of the community that are
willing to give local students the new facility that they need and
deserve. I’ve also read the opinions of those who are opposed to giving
Greenville students a new school that they can be proud of. I know what
you’re probably thinking by… read
more. |
U.S.
Representative John Boehner… Protecting
All Americans From ObamaCare's Mandates
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester)
released the following column discussing the president's unworkable
health care law: "After months of insisting that things were ‘on track’
and ‘fabulous,’ the Obama administration and its allies have finally
acknowledged what Ohio families and job creators already know: the
president’s health care law is unworkable. "In delaying ObamaCare’s
flawed employer mandate for one… read
more. |
From
the Other Side of the Edge… Abortion
is a Choice… Not a Budget Item, By Joe Facinoli
By its nature, the complicated issue of Abortion, after all of the
heated discussions, religious and righteous posturing, and hate-filled
politics, really comes down to only two basic components. One is
Personal,....the other Financial. The Personal element, really the only
one, in many people’s hearts and minds, involves a woman’s choice, and
her course of action, based on her thoughts at the time of “need”, her
spirituality and religious beliefs or guidance, her… read
more. |
Greenville
Schools Levy… Questions
& Answers, Set 3: Harmon Field
Why was Harmon Field renamed? Greenville City Schools was approached
over a year ago by Good Samaritan Hospital and Wayne Health Care to
sponsor Greenville City Schools. Good Samaritan and Wayne
Health
Care will provide compensation to the district in the amount of
$230,000 from 2012-2016 for advertising in athletic areas. Harmon Field
was renamed, “Good Samaritan Stadium at Harmon Field” for the length of
the… read
more. |
Smoke filled back rooms and the
First
Amendment, By Bob Robinson
On June 24 I went to the Lighthouse Christian Center to see what the
ruckus was about and made an interesting discovery… It was about
nothing that had anything to do with Darke County. The topic was
fracking. Fracking is a misnomer about how we get our oil and gas out
of the ground, currently along the Utica Shale. It’s actually called
horizontal fracturing. Nothing new. We’d been doing vertical fracturing
for 150 years; now we can do it… read
more. |
Broke Wife, Big City…Waiting for the other
shoe to drop,
By Aprill Brandon
My husband generally gets home from work every day at around 7 p.m.
(note the “generally” and “around”). However, by 7:03 p.m. every day, I
am convinced he was mugged. Or had an aneurysm. Or got hit by a car and
is lying in a ditch somewhere. Or was a victim of a sadistic serial
killer named Meat Claw. Or actually finally did meet Keira Knightley,
who agreed to run off with him to Aruba (which, per our informal
pre-nup, is permissible… read
more. |
Life
with Levi… A
wedding and two
Lambies, By Amanda Olson, Editor
Wow! What a weekend! For a number of reasons… First off, I took Levi to
my friend Nikki’s wedding. I was worried about it for weeks before,
hoping that Aaron would have the day off to go with us. But
he
didn’t. Bummer. So I decided to go ahead and try to take him by myself.
Not necessarily a bad thing… Unless you take into account the fact that
the wedding happened to be during Levi’s nap time. But he took an extra
long nap that… read
more. |
U.S.
Senator Rob Portman… Ohio
Families, Russian Children: International Heartbreak
We’ll come back for you. That’s the promise made by five Ohio
families to their children, orphans in Russia, as they said goodbye for
one last time before they were supposed to bring the children home with
them. But for the last six months, that sacred commitment has
been put in jeopardy by forces beyond the control of these loving
parents. Since the Russian government imposed a ban on the
adoption of children by Americans, these families have… read
more. |
Dayton
Business Journal… Kasich
Guest
Column: A budget that celebrates the freedom to succeed
Editor's Note: The following is a guest column by Ohio Gov. John Kasich
about the new state budget. This week we honor the birth of our great
nation and the freedoms for which generations of Americans have fought
and—sometimes—given their lives. It’s a time to spend with friends and
family and celebrate the liberty and opportunity that continues to make
the United States a force for good in the world. As a fitting companion
to Independence Day, I recently signed… read
more. |
From
the Other Side of the Edge…. Times
Change… Common Sense, Does Not, By Joe Facinoli
Times, in the growth of a nation or a society, will
change.
Due to necessity, progress, and eventuality. But as we encounter, and
then move through these different times, some things should never
change. Things like Common Standards, by which we measure all our
growth,….everyone’s; Common Sense, by which we all
should
be clearly guided, during these times of growth and
change;
Common Decency, by which we should all interact… read
more. |
Lessons from the Victorian
Internet,
By Jim Surber
My last writing about government electronic espionage mentioned the
telegraph, which by the 1870’s was under monopolistic control by
Western Union. This company’s alliance with the Associated Press and
the Republican Party played a major role in picking the winner of the
hotly-contested 1876 Presidential election. This story of the telegraph
is fascinating. Not just for the history, but for the lessons it can
provide in current debates surrounding… read
more. |
U.S.
Congressman John Boehner… Unlocking
America’s Resources is Key to Growth & Jobs
“Scrolling through the morning news a few days ago, two stories on
Cincinnati’s Channel 9 caught my attention. First, the price of gas is
up 14 cents over this time last year. Second, a recent study
found that 27 percent of Americans have no emergency savings. “Sadly,
these are just two byproducts of the president’s policies – including
his efforts to block development of American energy – that are
resulting in rising prices, sluggish growth, and stagnant wages… read
more. |
Greenville
Schools Levy… Questions
&
Answers, Set 2
If the Levy doesn’t pass, how will the district pay for the cost of all
the upgrades that need to be done at the existing buildings just to get
through day-to-day problems until it does eventually pass? Do we have
an estimate of the cost of all of these upgrades? Currently, the
district uses the permanent IMPROVEMENT Levy that is in place and
general fund dollars to get the day to day problems
addressed. We do not have a cost to do all of the… read
more. |
U.S.
Senator Sherrod Brown… Helping
Graduates Pay Down Debt and Plan for the Future
Last week, I heard from Lynsay Spratlen, a Macedonia native and Ashland
University graduate who is currently working at a tech firm in Summit
County. Like many recent college graduates who see most of their income
going to pay off high-interest private student loans, Lynsay lives with
her parents. Even though new graduates are entering into a better
economic climate and better job prospects, their heavy debt burden
means that fewer of them can afford… read
more. |
Commissioners Corner…Added budget pressure to
fight crime
a priority
Summertime in Darke County is always a fun time. The kids are out of
school, almost every village, town or city has a festival or something
going on, swimming pools and swimming spots are busy, the crops are
planted and looking pretty good, and best of all the sun is shining. So
far, the weather seems to be really co-operating with us, so let’s pray
it continues for a few more months, anyway. Summertime… read
more. |
State Representative Jim Buchy... Reforming Medicaid to Reduce
Government
Dependency
Ronald Reagan was addressing the National FFA when he said, “The ten
most dangerous words in the English language are, ‘Hi, I’m from the
government and I’m here to help.’ In a way, he was poking fun at the
inability of government to properly handle everyday situations better
handled by individuals. But the more serious implication is that we, as
Americans, prefer to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps in the tough
times. That’s why Medicaid … read
more. |
A day to honor,
By George Starks
Today, we will celebrate our Day of Independence. The day a lot of
people declared our freedom from England. Many people, over the years,
have served and died to keep this a free nation. Even though we do not
have the same freedoms we once had (in my opinion). Today many of us
will celebrate in different ways. We will have cook-outs and be with
friends and family. Weather permitting, the kids will play in pools and
when the sun goes down a fireworks… read
more. |
Broke Wife, Big City…Veggie Tales of Horror,
By Aprill Brandon
I blame ice cream. You ever have ice cream? Of course you have. You're
not dead. Or stupid. So you can probably understand where I'm coming
from when I blame ice cream for my hatred of vegetables. You feed my
3-year-old mouth that magical creamy substance made from unicorn
laughter and puppy dreams and then a few hours later expect me to be
happy when you shove some green beans in there? Yeah. Nice try, Mom.
Yes, my… read
more. |
Life
with Levi… Welcome
Back, Lambie
(#1)! By Amanda Olson, Editor
I was ripped from my sound slumber Saturday morning by Aaron calling my
name. Not a good sign. So I got out of bed and followed the sound of
his voice to the bathroom. Levi is happily playing in the bathtub, but
Daddy’s expression wasn’t so happy. Apparently Levi threw up. Yay.
Leaving Daddy and Levi in the bathroom, I went out to assess the
damage. It didn’t look too bad, all things considered. Until I looked
next to the bookcase… read
more. |
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