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Bell revamping Civilian Police Review Board

By
Morgan Delp
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The Civilian Police Review Board, which was created in 1991 under Mayor John McHugh, has been revamped by Mayor Mike Bell and his administration.

The board has acquired new members and rewritten its policies since January 2011, in the hopes of more effectively acting as “an extra set of eyes and ears for the citizens of Toledo,” Chairman Lisa Canales said.

Canales, who has been chairman for close to 10 years and is the education director for NAMI of Greater Toledo, said the board was created because there were so many conflicts and a huge outcry from people who felt like they didn’t have a voice when it came to the Toledo Police Department (TPD).

The advisory board is in place as a last resort for citizens who do not agree with the findings of an investigation made by Internal Affairs.

“If you have a complaint against TPD, whether it be abusive authority, or an officer looked at you wrong, to other more important things, … you request an investigation by Internal Affairs,” Canales said. “Internal Affairs will look at the police report, contact witnesses and begin their formal procedure as far as formal investigation. Once that is done, they will … decide if the complaint has any merit.

Lisa Canales

“They send a letter to the citizen, … telling them that their last option if they don’t agree with the findings is the Civilian Review Board. They have within 14 days to complete that and then we start our investigation,” Canales said. “We go back and look at [the information] and try to decide if we agree with Internal Affairs and their investigation, which is very thorough and very complete.”

Canales said in her experience, the board has both agreed with and at other times disagreed with Internal Affairs’ findings.

“There have been a couple of times where we have stepped in and asked different questions, like,  “Could you have handled it differently? Could this officer use some sensitivity training?’” Canales said. “It’s a check and balance to make sure everybody is doing their job.”

Vital, but …

Canales said while she feels the board is vital to the community, she does not agree with its role as an advisory board.

“It’s not that it needs a lot of power, but to be an advisory board is not OK,” Canales said. “If we are to succeed, we need to sit at the same table with the same amount of authority, in a sense. I don’t think it should be a board that defines whether or not an officer should be fired or not fired, but it needs to be [elevated] to have a little more meat to it.”

Canales concedes that the board does have more power than it used to, thanks to a positive collaboration with former Chief of Police Mike Navarre. She said there was mutual respect between Navarre and the board, and feels the same support from new Chief of Police Derrick Diggs.

“We would get a case 20 or 30 pages thick, and the officer’s name would be marked out so we couldn’t see who the officer was or any of the witness names. That was one of the things Chief Navarre worked with us to fix,” Canales said.

Canales said it was impossible to judge a case without knowing the officer’s name.

“How do we know if it’s the same officer doing everything or one silly complaint about a good officer?” Canales asked. “Now we can infer if it is an officer that has an issue or not.”

A team affiliated with the board has researched similar organizations in other cities and found that many of them are more active and have more of a say in citizen complaints, Canales said.

Shirley Green, safety director for Toledo, serves as a liaison between the board and the mayor’s administration. She said she does not think there is a need to change the role of the advisory board.

“There would have to be a need for a change to be made and right now there isn’t any need for a change to occur,” Green said. “The board is set up by the City of Toledo Ordinance and its function and responsibility are set by the ordinance, so for [the board] to be changed, [the ordinance] would have to be changed.”

Established through the city ordinance, the board is comprised of mayoral appointments. The volunteer board members serve two- and four-year terms, and may be reappointed for many years.

Melvin Stachura, a retired Toledo police officer who has sat on the board for a little more than a year, said an advisory board is adequate since the board is not handling a lot of cases right now.

“If they’re going to increase the amount of cases then there should be an increase in power or oversight,” Stachura said. “When you’re only getting a couple of cases a year there’s no reason to have (subpoena) power if it’s going to be lightly used.”

Barbara Laraway, secretary of the board and former executive of Parents Helping Parents, said the group is beginning to work well and come together for the community, the first step toward taking on a more active role.

“Our organization will have to work very hard to move from an advisory to have more teeth [in the process],” Laraway said. “We would like to move it but we have to have a good foundation for what we’re doing now.”

Morris Jenkins is vice chairman of the board and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Toledo. He has been rewriting the policies of the board to make the process easier for citizens and the responses a little more timely, he said. Jenkins is an active advocate of restorative justice, and said this board is an important piece in bridging the gap between the community and the corrective system.

“When you have a 12-member board, there’s going to be people that don’t know what officers are supposed to do or why they act the way they do in a situation, so we (ex-officers) have the perspective to say why they did something, or why they reacted in a particular way,” Stachura said.

Canales said she makes every board member, with the exception of ex-officers, ride with Toledo police officers twice a year to understand their point of view and what they deal with on the job.

“The board is made up of lots of people that may see things differently,” Canales said. “[Riding with the officers] helps everyone see from that perspective as well.”

More available to public

Keith Jordan, executive vice president and director of development at JLJ Vision Outreach, has been on the board for six years. He said the group Mayor Bell appointed are “doers” who know their purpose is to serve the community and not themselves. He said that right now, the group’s goal is to make itself more known and available to the public.

“I want the community to hold us accountable for our position. I want citizens to ask about our meetings, find out our records, make sure we are hearing cases. We want the community to be aware of us,” he said.

The board is currently working on one case and meets monthly, with emergency meetings called when necessary, Canales said. The board is planning on releasing literature in the next few weeks to area post offices, libraries and other public places to increase awareness, Canales said.

BGSU home to Ray Bradbury collection

By
Brigitta Burks
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Ray Bradbury

Science-fiction writer extraordinaire Ray Bradbury may have died June 5, 2012, but he left behind volumes of work — including at the Bowling Green State University’s Jerome Library.

Bradbury, author of “Fahrenheit 451” and “The Martian Chronicles,” died at 91 in Los Angeles. He is largely credited with bringing respect to the science-fiction genre and for weaving eerily prescient tales about the future.

A fellow science-fiction writer and friend, William Nolan spent years collecting Bradbury’s work, dating back to 1936 when the author was a high school student. In 1981, Nolan’s collection found a home at BGSU. The collection includes many of Bradbury’s works, letters, photos, manuscripts and more. More than 120 manuscripts are available in 160 drafts.

The highlight of the collection is the original manuscript of “Fahrenheit 451,” complete with Bradbury’s handwritten corrections, said Lee McLaird, the curator of rare
books at the library’s Center for Archival Collections. The collection also features copies of “Fahrenheit 451” from all over the world, including the Danish “233 Celsius.”

Other Bradbury collections are at the University of Indiana and UCLA. Such extensive Bradbury collections exist because of the author’s willingness to share, McLaird said.

“He was a very generous person. Often if someone admired something of his, he was likely to hand them a copy,” she said.

Bradbury in person
Author of “Gotham City 14 Miles” and Toledo Free Press Star columnist Jim Beard experienced Bradbury’s persona in person — twice. The first time was at the unveiling of the Ray Bradbury Collection at BGSU.

“My dad saw [the donation] was going to happen and he knew how big a fan I was so we drove down to BG,” Beard said.

He remembered when Bradbury finished his talk and stepped off stage, everyone gathered around him in a crowded hush, giving him books to sign.

“Finally he stops and says, ‘Will somebody ask me a question?’” Beard said. “Everyone was in such awe of him.”

It was the teenage Beard who asked the first question, about whether a house described in “The Strawberry Window” was inspired by houses in nearby states (Bradbury was born in
Waukegan, Ill.).

“He described a house that I swear was like the house I grew up in here on Parkwood in Toledo,” Beard said. “He said something like, ‘It was the house we all grew up in.’”

Beard’s second meeting with the author was in the ’90s when Bradbury came to an event at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.

“My wife and I went to see him together and that was a more formal thing,” Beard said. “Today, I’m feeling very, very lucky that I got to meet him twice.”

Both McLaird and Beard anticipate a spike in Bradbury’s popularity.

“I’m sad we won’t have any more stories from him but he left us a wonderful body of work and again, I think he bears rereading,” McLaird said.

“When we lose someone like this, it brings to our attention that life is fleeting and we want to be reminded of people who gave us great pleasure in our reading growing up.”

Beard said he discovered Bradbury around age 13 when he read “Th e Martian Chronicles.”

“I had never really read anything like that. You’ll always remember your first Bradbury book because he’s such a unique writer,” he said.

Beard and McLaird also noted that science fiction isn’t the only genre Bradbury did. The writer wrote for pulp magazines and even penned slice-of-life tales.

“Ray was always more concerned with the human quotient than the nuts and bolts in a rocket ship to Mars,” Beard said.

Although the items in the Ray Bradbury Collection “are the ones you come to when you want to do heavy-duty research,” librarians can bring the items out of archives for patrons to view, McLaird said. Exhibits outside of the archival collections on the fifth floor and onthe first floor are being planned, she said.

Th e Toledo-Lucas County Public Library offers 124 different versions of Ray Bradbury’s work in its system, said Rhonda Sewell, media relations coordinator for the library. No memorial has been planned, but a future exhibit is possible.

The University of Toledo Library system has 45 Bradbury titles.

Beard particularly enjoyed onepiece of advice Bradbury gave to writers.

“He always said he wrote every day no matter what and as a writer myself, that’s really inspiring. I would always say to do that, do what Uncle Ray said. No matter how youfeel, get up, write a poem or a song or something,” he said.

The Center for Archival Collections at the BGSU Jerome Library is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To learn more, visit http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/ cac/ms/page44699.html.

Retirement Guys: What to do when the stock market crashes

By
Nolan Baker
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In our April 27 column, we talked about two steps to take in good markets.

The first step we recommended was to rebalance portfolios in all markets and the second step was to avoid chasing performance. Since that time, the U.S. stock markets have suffered around a 10 percent drop in price.

The media and the news outlets have quickly turned their attention back to Greece causing a possible global armageddon. After such a quick drop, many investors are wondering if we are heading back into a recession and what they should do.

Today we are going to give our readers two more tips on what to do now.

The first thing investors need to do is stay disciplined. One of the best things I, Nolan, got from serving in the U.S. Marine Corps is discipline. In listening to most of the financial media outlets, it can be easy to fall into a trap of making a financial move at the wrong time.

Gene Fama Jr., an economist, once said “Your money is like soap: The more you touch it, the less you have.” And we would agree. Again, it is important for investors to rebalance their portfolios but making major changes in a portfolio on a short-term basis can be a costly mistake.

Instead of thinking short-term is the next month or three months, an investor should look at short-term changes as the next two or three years. Remember to focus more on the long term.

Mark Twain said “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.” That saying holds true when looking at our economy and the stock market.

According to BTN Research, bull markets, which are periods of times when the stock market is generally going up, have lasted, on average, for 58 months since 1950. The S&P 500 index started the current bull market back in March of 2009, about 40 months ago.

If history holds true, we could still have several more months of good times. The summer months can be periods of time when the stock market doesn’t do as well as other months. We saw this happen last year (2011) and the year before when the stock market went down in the summer, only to rally at the end of the year.

Election years, as we pointed out in our previous column, have also historically been good years in the stock market for the remaining months of the year.

Let’s say that this time it’s different and the global problems we see on the nightly news do push our U.S. economy back into a recession. That also isn’t cause to call for armageddon.

Recessions are a normal part of our economic cycle.

During the economic expansion companies and consumers borrow and spend too much.Then, as the cycle changes, everyone decides to borrow and spend less.

The recession then occurs when the borrowing and spending goes too low. If an investor is prepared with a plan, a recession can turn into an opportunity. Remember, the cycle repeats itself.

The other step an investor should be taking after the recent sell-off is to look for current opportunities and cherry pick stocks, bonds and investments from good quality companies. The younger an investor is the better the long-term opportunity is in more growth-focused strategies.

As an investor gets closer to or into retirement, the more the focus can turn towards cash flow strategies. If you are a retiree, we would recommend that you add up the yield of your current accounts and become educated about ways to increase yield.

Let’s say an investor has a current yield of 1 percent. By making some small changes, if the yield is increased to 3 percent that investor can immediately see an increase in cash flow making the day to day noise of Wall Street less relevant.

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. does not provide tax or legal 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.

An index is a composite of securities that provides a performance benchmark. Returns are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to project the performance of any specific investment. Indexes are unmanaged, do not incur management fees, costs and expenses and cannot be invested in directly.

Rathbun: GM (Government Motors)

By
Gary Rathbun
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General Motors has become the poster child for government bailouts and the intrusion of
government in the business process.

Back in 2008, President Bush issued an executive order permitting the Treasury Department to utilize TARP under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act to support the carmaker.

TARP gave GM $13.4 billion and eventually, including the Obama administration endorsement, received $50.2 million total of taxpayer money. This amount initially gave the government a 60.8 percent ownership stake.

The Canadian government owned 11.7 percent, the employees’ VEBA trust owned 17.5 percent and finally the bondholders had the remaining 10 percent.

GM eventually had an initial public offering (IPO) which reduced the government’s ownership to 32 percent, which created a realized loss. In order for the government, and the American taxpayer, to break even, the government must sell its remaining stake in GM for $52 a share.

The stock is trading (in mid-June 2012) around 22 dollars a share. In 2005 there were 111,000 hourly workers at GM; in 2010 it had 50,000 hourly workers. A little simple math tells us that the government spent a little over $1 million for each job it “saved” at GM.

Now if you are a GM worker and your job was saved and you are still able to pay your bills and feed your family, good for you. But if you have no trouble with the fact that the money was taken from other working taxpayers, essentially at gunpoint, to provide this to you
and if you have no trouble with the fact that the amount of money was used very inefficiently then I guess you and, unfortunately, I, will get the government system we deserve.

The bondholders, who would normally be first in line in a corporate bankruptcy, not only got screwed but also vilified for wanting what was contractually theirs. Those investors lent their money in good faith to GM, knowing that if everything went south they would get most of their money back; now those investors will be very hesitant to loan money to a public corporation again.

What would have happened if the government had let GM fail and essentially restructure through normal bankruptcy rules? Would 50,000 people have been out of work? Would we no longer be able to buy GM cars and trucks? Would the economy go to zero? Would cats start sleeping with dogs?

The answer is, eventually the economy and the country would have been better off . With any growth there will be some sort of destruction. The invention of the car destroyed the buggy industry, in more modern times the invention of the CD destroyed the vinyl record industry.

I could name a thousand other industries that were destroyed because of obsolescence or poor management of the company.

If GM had gone under, other companies would have picked up any slack demand in the marketplace and maybe even a new car company would have been created. At the very least, there would still be GM cars and trucks to buy from a leaner and maybe smarter company.

The problem is that now we have yet another precedent of government providing a safety net where none is needed. When I was in college Chrysler got bailed out by government loans. I disagreed then even though Lee Iacocca took only $1 in salary (although he did get a fortune in options if he succeeded) and paid back all of the money with interest to Uncle Sam. He turned the company around and made it profitable.

Big banks, green energy, oil companies, automotive companies, farming, airports, lumber companies, obsolete industries, where does it end?

The problem is that it doesn’t end! We are all worse off for it even though the temporary fix feels good.

Gary L. Rathbun is the president and CEO of Private Wealth Consultants, LTD.

Business owner wins $100,000 at casino

By
Caitlin McGlade
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Martin Halka invested his $100,000 casino winnings in his business, Bay Area Concrete. Photo courtesy Hollywood Casino.

Martin Halka has been running the Bay Area Concrete Company with a dying Bobcat machine and three work trucks dating back to the ’80s and ’90s.
The recession slowed his projects to 107 driveways last year, down from the usual 170 in years prior. He couldn’t afford to replace his old equipment.

But on June 4, that changed. The 41-year-old walked into Hollywood Casino Toledo with $400 and came out with $100,000. His win is the biggest since the casino opened May 29, topping a Richfield resident’s $20,000 win and a Toledo resident’s $15,000 win days prior.

Halka has invested most of his winnings in his business already, purchasing a new Bobcat, two new work trucks and a trailer. The $100,000 night was his first stab at casino gambling since 2007.

He started out with Texas Hold ‘em and won $1,400, moved to a dollar slotmachine and  won $680, took that to a $10 slot machine and hit $8,000 and inserted $1,000 in a $25 slot, winning his final earnings of $100,000, he said.

“I about had a heart attack,” he said.

Wine tasting marks 40th anniversary of Watergate

By
Brigitta Burks
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Most people will let the 40th anniversary of Watergate pass without a second thought — not Joe Mosier, manager of the wine department at the Andersons’ Woodville Road location.

Mosier has organized “Th e Watergate Break-in 40th Anniversary Commemorative Wine Tasting” at the store for 1-3 p.m. June 16, 2012.

“I actually thought about this five years ago for the 35th anniversary, but I didn’t do it,” he said. This time, Mosier rolled with the idea to commemorate Watergate in a fun way.

Watergate refers to the scandal that broke when five men were found attempting to wiretap the national Democratic headquarters at the Watergate Hotel on June 17, 1972. The subsequent events culminated in President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974.

“I thought, ‘Let’s have some fun with this,’” Mosier said of the tasting. When Mosier saw a chardonnay called “The Chardonnay Conspiracy” in one of his catalogs, he knew he was on to something.

“That kind of tied it together,” he said. The other wines are “Sinister Hand” Grenache, “Plungerhead” Old Vine Zinfandel and “The Prisoner” red. Mosier chose the wines based on the names and “they also happen to be very good wines,” he said.

Samples are priced individually, but patrons can taste all four for $4. The Andersons on Woodville Road hosts beer and wine tastings every Saturday, with beer from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and wine from 1-3 p.m.

Kuron: A matter of respect — The Second War of Independence

By
Frank Kuron
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Respect — Rodney never got any, Aretha spelled it out and most of us just expect it.

Probably one of the most flagrant examples of disrespect is bullying, and like some of you, I received my share as a kid. It made me angry, resentful and retaliatory. However, in a strange way it forced me to toughen up and stand my ground.

Perhaps retaliation is not always a wise move, but I have to admit that one day in high school biology, when I put hydrochloric acid on the seat of one clueless bully, the result was a glorious hole in his trousers and a whole lot of satisfaction in me.

Well, when bullying happens on a national level it usually stirs those same emotions. Two hundred years ago, on June 18, the young United States of America had had enough bullying from Great Britain. The Brits were placing embargoes on our foreign trade. Money was lost and vital goods were not received.

They boarded our ships, uninvited, and kidnapped our sailors, forcing them to work on British vessels — it was called impressment. And in order to protect their lucrative trading posts, they incited Native Americans to wreak havoc on the frontier. We decided to stand our ground and retaliate with our first-ever declaration of war.

First approval came from the House of Representatives and then from the Senate. Only then did President James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” sign the historic document. The war that ensued is forever remembered by the year in which it commenced, but it actually lasted into January 1815.

Few people think about the War of 1812 in the same honored light that shines on the American Revolution or World War II, but it did produce its share of extraordinary historic events.

At Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key wrote what became our national anthem, Washington, D.C., was burned by British hands and Commodore Oliver Perry did the unthinkable when he defeated a British fleet on Lake Erie.

Great leaders on all sides gave their lives in this fight. Arguably one of the greatest Native Americans, Tecumseh, was killed at the Battle of the Thames. Sir Isaac Brock, the revered British General, was killed at the Battle of Queenston Heights, and Zebulon Pike, after whom that mountain peak is named, fell while attacking York (Toronto).

Also, up-and-coming stars of history were born out of this conflict. Andrew Jackson, in the Battle of New Orleans, and William H. Harrison, leader of the Northwestern Army, both went on to the highest office in the land. Richard M. Johnson, leader of the Kentucky militia, went on to the second highest. And get this — dozens of elected men, politicians, got out of their cushy chairs, strapped on a powder horn and went to fight in the war they voted for. Can you imagine any politician, anywhere, today, ever putting his own life on the line in combat while still in office?

Tributes to the men who served during this two-and-a-half year conflict will begin soon across our country, as well as in Canada. Locally, the Way Public Library
in Perrysburg starts things off by joining a statewide observance of this war’s commencement on June 18 at 11:30 a.m.

The outdoor ceremony will take place around the library’s flagpole, and at noon the historic Perrysburg Exchange Hotel bell will be rung, echoing simultaneously with others across the state. Join the mayor for a special 15-star flag-raising, a bagpipe performance and a reading of the war declaration.

You can even grab a free hot dog and soft drink — that’s better grub than the soldiers ever had to eat!

On June 20 at 7 p.m. Perrysburg’s native son, Douglas Brinkley, prominent historian and author, will speak about the significance of the War of 1812 and Northwest Ohio’s role in it at Way Library. (He’ll also talk about his new biography of Walter Cronkite, selling and signing copies of the book afterward.)

Then on Sun., June 24, at 4 p.m. you can take a guided walk through Fort Meigs Union Cemetery. Reenactors will be featured at the gravesites of 15 War of 1812 veterans. Have some free fun and learn why the heroes of 1812 deserve your respect! ✯

Frank Kuron is author of the War of 1812 book, “Thus Fell Tecumseh.” E-mail him at [email protected].

Ground broken on Alzheimer’s facility in Waterville

By
Erin Holden
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Ground was broken last month in Waterville for a new assisted living community for people living with Alzheimer’s.

The $3.7 million facility will be called Pathways at Browning Memory Care Center. Ground was broken May 17, 2012, and construction should begin by mid-June, said David Subleski, president of Browning Masonic Community, a nonprofit retirement and assisted living facility in Waterville.

Browning’s new 20,000-square-foot facility will offer 24 private apartments with private bathrooms.

Various design elements will aid withresident safety and independence, Subleski said.

The bathroom light, for example, is set to go on as soon as a motion sensor detects the resident getting out of bed. The light helps to “cue” memory, prompting the resident to use the bathroom, Subleski said.

Heated bathroom floors make the room feel welcoming even on bare feet, encouraging good hygiene, he said.

“We want people to live as independently as possible and function as well as they can and  we’ve incorporated some technologies that help with that,” Subleski said.

The facility will consist of two “neighborhoods” of 12 apartments each, with the two wings connected to allow free movement between. A courtyard in the center of the complex is also enclosed.

“Some people just need to move,” Subleski said. “We wanted to give them places to go where they could be safe.”

The dining area will look, feel and smell like a home kitchen, Subleski said.

“All that is important in terms of stimulating appetite and having conversations,” Subleski said. “We never know where the next connection is going to come from.”

Programming will be available around the clock to cater to each resident’s natural bodily rhythm.

“Not everyone is an 8 to 5 Monday through Friday individual,” Subleski said. “Our trademark program is called Rhythm of the Day. It ties into the natural rhythms we all have. We all have portions of the day we are more physically active and portions we are more mentally active.”

Person-centered care is important with Alzheimer’s patients, said Salli Bollin, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter.

“People are not one-size-fits-all. Anything you can do to make theenvironment supportive  of the individual is great,” Bollin said. “Routine and structure is really important as well as familiarity.”

Activities will adhere to a Montessori-style philosophy, Subleski said.

“If they are part of a group and see something else that looks interesting, they can decide to do something with that or they can come back and be in the group,” Subleski said. “It allows them to have choice. That’s what this is about.”

The facility will also include two respite rooms available for area caregivers to place their family member for a night or weekend.

“Roughly 40 percent of caregivers pass away before those they are caring for because they neglect their own physical and mental health,” Subleski said. “We wanted to be able to provide resources and support for those out in the community to be able to leave their loved one with us and get the attention they need personally and not feel guilty or worried Mom or Dad are not being properly supported and cared for.”

More than 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, including more than 9,000 in Lucas County and 38,000 in Northwest Ohio, Bollin said.

“The numbers are high and unfortunately the numbers are growing, because what we also know is age is the most common risk factor for developing this disease and we have an aging demographic in this country,” Bollin said. “This disease impacts people of all educational levels, all economic situations, all backgrounds. It’s a devastating disease.”

The response to Pathways has been excellent, Subleski said.

“We’ve had enough inquiries already to fill it, but we will wait until closer to the true open date to take applications,” Subleski said. “We know we can’t extend the life of somebody with this disease, but our goal is to try to make that time that remains a better quality of life.”

For more information, visit browningmasoniccommunity.org or www.alz.org or call the Alzheimer’s Association at (800) 242-3900. ✯

Miller: Thinking bigger

By
Toledo Free Press
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In September 2008, Toledo Free Press published a cover story, “Think Big,” that asked readers which major-market attractions would boost Northwest Ohio’s entertainment and retail quality of life. One of those wish list items, a casino, is now a glorious reality. We don’t have an official IMAX screen, but Rave Motion Pictures has introduced its “Rave Xtreme Big Screen Experience” to Fallen Timbers. Another popular request, IKEA, is being mentioned for the former Southwyck Mall site. What is the progress on the rest of that 4-year-old list?

 

Culver’s: We love our burgers in Toledo, but unless you have been to Culver’s, you are missing one of the greats: Culver’s ButterBurger. Not fast food so much as high-end diner food prepared quickly, Culver’s also offers frozen custard and desserts to envy. There’s a busy Culver’s in Adrian, Mich., 38 miles away. If Adrian can support a Culver’s, surely Toledo can.

Online: www.culvers.com

Progress update: Toledo does have a Five Guys at Westgate, but still no Culver’s.

Common Ground Festival: Each summer, Lansing, Mich., dedicates both sides of its modest riverfront to three days of country, rock, rap and pop music. Top names draw thousands of people to an event that could be on our Downtown river banks. A conversation about bringing such a festival started a few years ago, but did not gain momentum. Bowling Green’s Black Swamp Arts Festival has the idea, but imagine that event transferred to the riverfront and you’ll have an inkling of the vision.

Online: www.commongroundfest.com

Progress update: None. And it looks like the only major summer concert weekend Downtown, the rib fest Smoke on the Water, has been retired.

Buca di Beppo: This restaurant chain, named “Joe’s Basement,” specializes in “family style” Italian cuisine. That means when you order lasagna, you get a brick that can feed five people. The specialty is a “meatball the size of a baby’s head.” The nearest Buca is 60 miles away in Livonia, Mich.

Online: www.bucadibeppo.com

Progress update: None. But a new Italian restaurant reportedly being built on Monroe Street near the Blarney/Table Forty4/PizzaPapalis triumvirate, looks promising.

Dave & Buster’s/GameWorks: With its casino atmosphere and ADD approach to entertainment, Dave & Buster’s is a video arcade addict’s heaven, with the latest in interactive and virtual technology. There’s a Dave & Buster’s in Westlake near Cleveland, 97 miles away, and one in Utica, Mich., 81 miles away. GameWorks, a similar franchise, has locations in Columbus and Auburn Hills, Mich.

Online: www.daveandbusters.com, www.gameworks.com

Progress update: None. Hollywood Casino Toledo is the adult version, but families with kids are still waiting.

Howl at the Moon: This is a dueling-piano bar that specializes in crowd singalongs. It’s ultimate karaoke, one of the safest ways you can give your date a sore throat.

Online: www.howlatthemoon.com

Progress update: Cleveland seems to have lost its Howl at the Moon location, so the nearest ones are in Chicago and Indianapolis.

Apple Store: This store offers the latest gadgets for computers, iPods and gizmos you haven’t heard of yet. The Apple Store in Aventura, Fla., gets so busy, customers have to make appointments to get in. The closest Apple Store is at Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor.

Online: www.apple.com/retail

Progress update: None. There are Apple Stores in Ann Arbor, Akron, Lyndhurst, Westlake and two in Columbus,.

Trader Joe’s: This was by far the most popular reader request, with more than 150 mentions. It’s a specialty grocery store that features imported cheeses, organic produce and hand-tossed pizza from Italy.

Online: www.traderjoes.com

Progress update: Though the closest Trader Joe’s is in Ann Arbor, the franchise does have several locations in Ohio. A group of Downtown businesspeople is reportedly lobbying the franchise to consider a local location.

Crate & Barrel: Crate & Barrel is a retail store that specializes in furniture, housewares and home accessories.

Online: www.crateandbarrel.com

Progress update: The closest location is in Troy, Mich.

Cheesecake Factory: The Cheesecake Factory specializes in just about everything, be it pizza, pasta, seafood, steaks, salads, sandwiches or cheesecake.

Online: www.thecheesecakefactory.com

Progress update: Again, Columbus has two, but the closest Cheesecake Factory is in Westlake. There were reports a few years ago that a Cheesecake Factory was headed to Levis Commons, but that rumor died quickly.

Urban Outfitters: Urban Outfitters could be described as a retail store that sells clothing with a hipster or vintage look. Its closest location is in Ann Arbor.

Online: www.urbanoutfitters.com

Progress update: None, but those hipster artists Downtown are getting the gear from somewhere.

One-shots: There were dozens of one-request franchises: O’Charley’s; Cinema Grill; Pinkberry; California Pizza Kitchen; Shooters; Bahama Breeze; Sweet Tomatoes; The Container Store; Nordstrom; Saks Fifth Avenue; and Marshalls. What else are we missing? Send your shoot-for-the-moon wish list to [email protected].

 

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Email him at [email protected].

Fifth Third names Belle manager of Investor Advisory Division

By
John McCartney
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0

As a 22-year-old, recently graduated, idealistic financier, Ron Belle came to a realization. In his one-on-one conversations with his clients, it dawned on him that “people don’t understand. They don’t understand how important it is to know what’s on their credit report, to know how to responsibly use credit.”

At that point, Belle knew he would eventually embark upon a banking career.

Nineteen years later, Belle has accepted a position at Fifth Third Bank as senior vice president and manager of the Investment Advisors Division. He is responsible for the overall management of the division, which provides personal trust, investments, wealth planning and private banking services.

Belle readily admits all the “bankspeak” sometimes makes banking unattractive for the common person.

“To most people, their banking is personal. And yet we hear the news about J.P. Morgan and Wall Street. And let’s face it, not all of us know and understand the huge headline, the big splashes. That thing about J.P. Morgan and what’s going on there is that’s not in most of our worlds. You hear it. You get scared by it.

“But, really, that kind of banking, it’s not going to affect people or their accounts or their relationship with their bank here in Toledo. And I think that’s probably the one piece that people forget.

“It’s easy to say, “Oh, man, what’s going on in Wall Street?’ Well, we’re a long way from Wall Street. Not to say that what happens there doesn’t affect everybody’s life to some degree. But it’s not what the average person who does their banking every day gets. It’s their relationship, the conversation sitting across the table.”

Belle’s insight into the fear that Wall Street headlines generate fits perfectly into Fifth Third Bank’s approach to serving its clients, said Bob LaClair, president of Fifth Third Bank Northwestern Ohio.

“Banking is a relationship business,” LaClair said. “We take that very seriously. We are a one-on-one kind of company where we’re sitting across the table, whether it is in a branch or a customer’s office or down in our main office. It’s very much a relationship business.”

Belle credits his parents’ guidance and the values he learned growing up in Syracuse, N.Y., for his career success.

The oldest of four children, Belle spent his childhood dreaming of being an FBI or Secret Service agent. However, watching his father, who worked in the beverage industry, spend his evenings preparing hand-written reports made an indelible impression on the young Belle.

“Talk about work ethic and things of that nature,” Belle said. “Working hard. He’s been the role model for that.”

Belle and Diane, his wife of two years, moved to Toledo in mid-May from their home in Metro Detroit, just east of Rochester Hills. The couple has one son, Ronald III, who they call Ronny. Diane Belle works as an accountant with a background in hospitals and nonprofit organizations.

When he was being considered for the Fifth Third Bank job, Belle researched living conditions in the Greater Toledo area. To his surprise, he discovered that Toledo is very much like his childhood hometown.

“Growing up in Syracuse, I found out Toledo is very much like Syracuse, size-wise,” he said. “But there are much better winters here. Believe me, 100-plus inches a year — it’s much better here.”

Belle sees Toledo as a vibrant community and is pleased that it offers a lot of support for the arts.

“And as I leave here, there’s a Mud Hens game,” he said. “At 6, 6:30 in the evening, it’s amazing to see the crowds there.”

“What Toledo offers is the ability to get involved. Both my wife and I have a history of being on boards [of trustees], being involved in the community.

“And Toledo offers that. And I think that we’re very excited about being in the community, and being involved.”

Although Belle said there is no such thing as a typical day in the banking world, he said he split his time between “working with my team, ensuring that what we do and how we do it are done well” and “the real fun part of the job — getting in front of and talking with clients.”

Belle is most pleased when he and his team “do a very good job in the relationship side of things. At the end of the day, that’s the differential.

“It’s how you deliver services to customers, and we do that through relationships, not through pricing. Not through maybe bells and whistles. And while those are important, it’s the relationship … that makes the difference with the customer.”

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