the urban news for the week ending Sunday, March 9, 2008
Well, it's finally time for a few overhauls and upgrades here at RetroMetro. The way this site was put together a few years back is just now starting to "stretch the seams" from a technical standpoint. For both efficiency's sake and to bring RetroMetro to the next level, I have to bite the bullet and overhaul some of the core systems used to run it. I spend more time on the labor of keeping the articles and other parts and pieces going that I have to end up sacrificing my writing time...which is actually the fun part of this whole gig. If things start acting a little funky over the next couple of weeks, have no fear...I'm behind the scenes replacing the duct-tape and chewing gum with shiny new springs, gears and other assorted gizmos. Paul Bonneville  
 Franklin County commissioners rejected the low bid today for painting work on the county's new baseball park.
The Franklin County Board of Commissioners is going back to the drawing board on the field design for Huntington Park amid long-term cost and structural worries over the original design.
Nineteen percent of Bexley households reported that their income was less than $30,000 last year, according to surveys taken by Acxiom Corp., an Arkansas data company.
The 30-unit complex, Woodsview at Bexley Condominium, has sold only 11 units to date, though it was built in 2004. Bexley Heritage Properties LLC, owner of the remaining 19 units, has decided to sell the complex.
A complex system of credit ratings and insurance policies that Wall Street uses to set prices for municipal bonds makes borrowing needlessly expensive for many localities, some officials say.
Postcard Caption: City Hall, Columbus, Ohio
I received an interesting tidbit from a friend of RetroMetro, Doug Motz, on a historical Columbus figure that used to work for the Columbus Dispatch a long, long time ago. Billy Ireland's work seems to have come full circle with regards to Columbus' current focus on attracting and retaining the young and talented college crowd, with addition to his prophecy of the Short North as illustrated in his two cartoons below.
The college's planned $11 million dorm will provide an additional 208 beds, as well as another landmark framing the campus quadrangle. College President Denny Griffith said work should begin in mid-May.
A high-end Columbus condo tower that struggled to find buyers in 2007 has had little trouble landing renters, just as the developer of a Short North-area condo project moves toward a similar strategy to combat the effects of a sluggish housing market.
Even after being denied approval for a grant, the Fifth by Northwest Area Commission still is pursuing a new opportunity in order to help out the neighborhood.
As with a number of condominium developments in the downtown area that have taken a rental approach, the former Kramer Place Condominiums are now being offered as apartments.
A year after a deal to build a Near East Side grocery appeared dead, a Save-A-Lot discount store is taking shape along E. Main Street in a neighborhood desperate for a chain food storeââ¬Â¦
Site work is under way at 1179 E. Main St. in Columbus for a 16,000-square-foot Save-A-Lot grocery store, one year after the store licensee pulled out of the project, triggering a lawsuit. The store has a projected summer opening.
The Columbus Division of Police has joined forces with two Web sites to alert residents about crimes and crime trends in their neighborhoods.
The housing crisis that has claimed many victims among Ohio homeowners could be taking aim next at some of the state's banks.
Sales of existing houses in Central Ohio limped into 2008 with a drop of nearly 20 percent last month, though the Columbus Board of Realtors is calling the decline no big surprise given the timing and market conditions.
I would say, by any commonsense definition, we are in a recession, Buffett said on CNBC.
The economy has weakened since the start of this year as shoppers turned even more cautious given the severe housing slump and painful credit crunch.
One of the major draws for the industrial park is expected to be a recently completed terminal for transferring goods between trucks and trains. Norfolk Southern owns the terminal, also known as an "intermodal" because it transfers merchandise from one form of transportation to another.
Central Ohio's unemployment rate hit its highest level in two years as all counties in the region saw an increase in jobless levels, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Tuesday.
If you followed last weeks editorial, I mentioned the fact that I was going to start a guided analysis that looks at the benefits of a streetcar system in Columbus.
As central Ohio grows to an estimated 1.7 million people by 2030, transportation planners say it will take billions of dollars to keep up with roads, mass transit and even bike paths.
The Central Ohio Transit Authority is putting some old buses on the auction block [this past] Saturday.
Saying his administration is committed to providing Ohio's urban areas with the tools they need to create jobs and attract investments to make their communities vibrant centers of commerce,âââ¬ì³ŠOhio Governor Ted Strickland has written a letter to Amtrak President & CEO Alex Kummant asking the nationâââ‰â¢s passenger rail corporation to identify what is needed to initiate rail passenger service in the âââ¬Ã
â3-Câââ¬ì³Š(Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati) corridor.
Gov. Ted Strickland says the nation's passenger rail operator should take a look at restoring lines to Ohio cities that have been without them for decades.
State officials have talked about it for a good two decades, and now Gov. Ted Strickland is taking steps toward creating a passenger rail corridor connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati.
...instead of boosting spending on public transit, the last Bush budget proposes channeling $3.2 billion in transit money to fund highways, PIRG complains in a press release.
...The cost of diesel has doubled in the past four years, and as a result, his take-home pay has plummeted, from $50,000 to $11,000 last year. He's literally burning money: He spent $64,000 on diesel in the past eight months aloneââ¬Â¦
...The company cited difficult conditions in the trucking industry behind the move, including a slump in the economy and a decline in imports...
...President Bush faces a difficult situation in transportation finance since the administration has long ignored an impending shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund which the Treasury Department estimated last August would face a $4.3 billion shortfall in the beginning of 2009.
...This report shows why rail, rapid buses and other forms of public transit must play a more prominent role in America's future transportation system.
...Microhousing is defined as very small one-two bedroom units, 300 to 500 square feet, with an emphasis on shared amenities like fitness facilities, party rooms with kitchens, libraries, laundry rooms, and car-sharing.
Does the special role that cities play in the economy and society mean that cities need special treatment from state and national governments? No. Cities are strongââ¬Â¦
 "We Need Washington: Some of North Texas' Problems Are Too Big To Go It Alone" Brookings InstitutionDespite occupying just 12 percent of U.S. land mass, the nation's 100 largest metro areas account for 65 percent of its people and 75 percent of its economic output.
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