Feds Pound Michigan Over Inaccessibility of the Big House

The federal government is weighing in on The Big House, telling the University of Michigan that it better get its act together and make Michigan Stadium compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Detroit News referred to a “scathing” report from the U.S. Department of Education which pounded Big Blue for failing to provide adequate access for people in wheelchairs wishing to attend football games.

Michigan, amazingly, thinks the stadium is “fully compliant” with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Hey, Blue, I've been there. It's not. Let me save you the time. That place is barely accessible for humans who walk erect.

If Michigan doesn't get its act together, the punishment could include stripping the school of federal funds “or turning the case over to the U.S. Justice Department to compel enforcement.” Michigan receives over $160 Million in federal aid.

The report was not kind to the school up north.

The 42-page letter of finding to U-M followed an investigation that began eight years ago by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. The department found the stadium is not accessible to disabled individuals, as required by federal law, and blasted U-M for not fixing the problem during numerous stadium construction projects.

"The university is discriminating against individuals with mobility impairments because the stadium does not include a sufficient number of accessible seats; the accessible seating is not dispersed so as to provide persons with mobility impairments the same range of seating choices as is provided to persons without disabilities."

Examples include the following:

The Department of Education says U-M has reconstructed almost all of the seating bowl, which makes the modern-day accessibility requirements kick in. U-M has maintained the changes to seating over the years have been repairs and not alterations under the law. Specific violations cited by the report include:

• The stadium has 88 wheelchair seats, far fewer than required. U-M demolished and rebuilt the concrete bowl over the last decades, affecting 90,000 seats and triggering a higher compliance rule that mandates 1 percent of seating be accessible.

• Wheelchair seating is not dispersed throughout the stadium, as required by law, but is limited to one row in the end zones.

• U-M does not provide accessible routes -- with proper ramps and handrails -- to entrance gates, the concession stands and bathrooms.

• The Big House lacks proper accessible toilets.

Yet, according to Michigan, they ARE currently compliant with the ADA.

"Every ticket holder who has required an accessible seat has been accommodated. Furthermore, plans currently under way specify significant additions to the number of accessible seats at a range of excellent locations in the stadium, as well as improvements in the accessibility of parking, restrooms, and concessions," (University spokesperson Kelly Cunningham) said.

You can't use the “Everyone who has requested a seat has been accommodated” argument. There are neighborhoods all throughout America where they see no reason to change the curb cuts, because people with disabilities don't live there. But one reason they don't live there is that the place is not accessible.

In 1999, a man attending a Michigan football game with his father (who uses a wheelchair) had to look so long for an accessible bathroom, that he had an accident and was forced to leave the game. Michigan agreed as part of a settlement to make the place more accessible. Then they undergo a $190 million renovation and call it “maintenance” to try and get out from under the ADA.

Kudos to the Department of Education for helping bring this to light. Maybe now Michigan will get serious about making their pride and joy, Michigan Stadium, accessible to every Michigan fan – including ones in wheelchairs.

Newark To Use Technology To Help Find Missing People With Disabilities

A large group of disability organizations are working in partnership with the Licking County Sheriff's Department to start a program that would use technology to help people with Alzheimer's or autism that have wandered off.

Project Lifesaver is a program that uses tiny transmitters that send off a signal, allowing a search party to readily find those who are missing.

Many searches take 12-18 hours, can require helicopters, four-wheel vehicles and overtime pay. The cost of a single search can exceed $10,000. The cost of the Project Lifesaver technology is $8,000, with an additional $200 for each for each of the transmitters.

According to the article, the technology has been used in 1500 missing person cases. In each and every case the person has been found. The average search time has been about 20 minutes.

"The time frame in which an individual is able to be found is significantly reduced. It reduces the cost to the community in having to have the whole Sheriff's Office out looking for a person and it saves a lot of the anguish for the caregivers," (Title III grants coordinator Rod ) Pritchard said. "It just makes good common sense."

Those are the positive things to stress. These people are valued (and vulnerable) members of our society and if we can use technology in a dignified way to safely bring them back to a secure environment, we should do that. They are doing a good job of selling this idea to me.

"This is not rocket science. This is what they used to track animals in the 1930s and 1940s," Sheriff's Capt. Tom Lee said.

Ok, that part I would leave out.

Who Says People With Disabilities Don't Run For Office?

Ah, England.

John Walker and his wife Catie of Sefton, Merseyside, England are on trial for fraud.

It is alleged Mr. Walker and his wife received £47,000 in disability benefits to which he was not entitled.

The case began to come to light, as many a good case does, with a call the “Benefits Cheat Hotline.” So much for the presumption of innocence.

Teresa Loftus, prosecuting, said the couple had completed benefits applications which claimed John Walker suffered several disabilities and needed round-the-clock care from his wife.

The prosecution claims it has incontrovertible proof that Mr. Walker was capable of sustained, remunerative employment at the time he was receiving benefits.

Exhibit A for the prosecution? Walker was the mayor of Sefton at the time.

Like all politicians, Mr. Walker is claiming the prosecution is a vindictive, political smear.

John Gruffydd, defending Mr Walker, said: “John Walker was stabbed in the back by those who had a grudge against him.

“This was inspired by the intrigue and backstabbing which is part of politics in Sefton.”

Forget Chicago and Philly. They play hardball in Sefton, Merseyside.

Michigan: Private Luxury Suites Will Magically Appear During "Maintenance" Work

The University of Michigan Senate assembly – a group representing over 600 faculty at Michigan – voted against the proposed $226 million renovation of Michigan Stadium. This fact alone isn't all that interesting; they were mostly just miffed they didn't get to sit at the big kid table when the plans were drawn up.

But what is interesting are some of the facts about the plan.

The headline refers to the “renovation.” The article refers 5 times to the proposed “renovation.” My, my. The Detroit News certainly did not get the memo about the appropriate vocabulary when referring to this whole issue.

As we have covered before, Michigan jumps up and down when you say the word “renovation.” It's not “renovation,” people. It's “maintenance.”

What's the difference? For people with disabilities, it's as big as being there versus watching it on TV. Because if they are allowed to continue the charade that this is “maintenance,” that's about the only place people in wheelchairs will be able to watch the games. If it's maintenance, they don't have to comply with the ADA and wipe out a few precious seats so people in wheelchairs can go to the games.

This proposed “maintenance” includes the installation of 83 private luxury boxes and 3,200 club seats, along with “many other upgrades.” This is unbelievable.

So, as long as they are putting in some new pipes in the plumbing system, they might as well throw in 7 dozen private luxury suites. You know, if they are not too busy.

And if you are going to tuck point the outer stadium wall you might as well toss in a huge section of pricey club seats. On your coffee break.

Only in Ann Arbor could people provide “maintenance” on something that currently doesn't exist. If they were constructing a brand new stadium, they could just argue they weren't actually “building” anything. They were providing “maintenance” to the ground, and man, the next thing you knew, they were kicking off against Notre Dame.

Amazing.

Ament No Longer "Interim"

Connie Ament, a former state official at the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, has had the “interim” title removed from her job.

Ament, it was announced, is the new superintendent of the Hancock County Board of MR/DD. She was given a 38-month contract.

Ament is a former deputy director of the state agency under former state director Ken Ritchey.

Ms. Ament was hired in June as interim superintendent shortly after former Superintendent Bryan K. Miller resigned after reaching a mutual separation agreement with the board.

At the time, Blanchard Valley was under orders to correct a number of violations, and it subsequently lost its state accreditation after failing to meet standards intended to protect the health and safety of its clients.

The Sad, Mysterious Case of Laurie A. Recht

There is a sad, tragic and perhaps slightly bizarre case that comes out of the state of Washington.

Laurie Recht, 54, and her 13 year-old daughter were found dead in their home in Vancouver, Washington. The daughter, Rebecca, had cerebral palsy, and Ms. Recht had serious health problems of her own. The police are investigating, but early the sheriff's department has speculated that it was a murder-suicide using an overdose of prescription drugs.

Ms. Recht as a friend of Peter Yarrow, the social activist best known for his days with the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. Mr. Yarrow performed several benefit concerts for Rebecca in an attempt to raise the necessary funds for her to attend a private school for children with disabilities. The most recent concert was on October 6^th in Portland, just days before their deaths.

On Oct. 3, Laurie Recht told The Columbian she was feeling financially desperate, but also optimistic.

For years, Recht had struggled to stay employed because of her own disability, which made it difficult for her to walk, and because of the challenges of taking care of Rebecca, who had cerebral palsy.

The two were struggling to cover expenses on disability income of less than $1,000 per month, the mother said.

When you Google the name “Laurie Recht,” what comes very early in the search are two articles from the New York Times in the late 1980s. I don't know for certain the articles write about the same person. She has the exact same name (“Laurie A. Recht”) and are about women who would be the same age. The Laurie Recht from May 1988 was 34 – the one from October 2007, 54.

In the late 1980s, a Laurie A. Recht went to a public hearing in Yonkers, New York and was shouted down as the only speaker present to argue in favor of a court-ordered housing desegregation plan. She indicated that she became the victim of death threats, both over the telephone, through the mail. There were also menacing, hateful and racist messages spray painted on a wall near outside her apartment.

Apparently, Ms. Recht, who until that point had been working as a secretary, became a bit of a celebrity through this cause. She became known as the “Lone Voice, ” a woman willing to stand up for her beliefs in opposition to harrowing pressure. On May 30, 1988, Ms. Recht received a “standing ovation as the commencement speaker at the College of New Rochelle.”

Ms. Recht, who received telephoned death threats and police protection after she spoke at the hearing, said she became involved in the Yonkers case ''because I cared.'' She encouraged graduating seniors to ''go with your heart and speak up for what you believe.''

''We, as individuals, can show by example that no one has justice until everyone has justice,'' she said, ''that no one is loved until everyone is loved and that no one shares in equality until everyone is equal.''

It certainly sounds like someone Peter Yarrow would be friends with.

As the commencement speaker, Ms. Recht received an honorary doctorate degree a mere two weeks after receiving her bachelor's degree from NYU-Purchase. She said she had received support “from all over the country,” and would attend law school at Touro College in Long Island after receiving an offer to attend tuition-free from the president. She planned to study public interest law.

So what happened next in the case of Laurie A. Recht?

In May of 1989, the “Lone Voice” in favor of housing desegregation, the one who argued that there is “no justice until everyone has justice,” pleaded guilty in federal court of concocting the death threats against herself, a factor that clearly aided her ascension to celebrity.

A federal investigation had been launched following her report of death threats and the presence of the menacing messages painted on the wall outside her apartment. The investigation showed no phone calls had been made during the times alleged, and security cameras showed Ms. Recht painting the messages on the wall herself.

Again, maybe it's not the same person. If not, I apologize. But both have the same name, are the same age, and both involve passionate, but apparently flawed, people named Laurie A. Recht.

Not Exactly Ward and June Cleaver

An 5-year old California boy with autism who was severely abused by his mother is slowly recovering, despite earlier reports that his death was imminent. He has recently regained consciousness after being in a coma for some time. His name is not included because he is a minor.

Officials say it is one of the worst cases of abuse they have ever seen. Prepare yourself.

He was admitted to Children's Hospital Central California in Madera County in May. Authorities suspect that his mother, Martha Franco, 42, of South Dos Palos, is responsible for the massive injuries that that pushed the left side of her son's brain to the right side of his skull.

Franco later admitted to authorities that she had caused all of the boys' injuries. She admitted to dropping him, hitting him, slamming his head into the side of a kitchen sink while bathing him and burning him with water she'd heated in the microwave for 30 minutes, said the report. Franco said she hit her son in the head, shook him and threw him the night he fell into a coma, it says.

Franco admitted to police that she abused the boy, but said she was careful not to kill him so she wouldn't lose a $2,000-a-month government subsidy she received for his well- being, according to a sheriff's investigation report.

A regular Donna Reed. Unbelievable.

The father, Jose Franco, is also facing charges for failure to intervene. He says he is not guilty, and that he was unaware of the abuse because he worked two jobs. The Francos have three other daughters who do not appear to have been abused. Mr. Franco stated his wife told him that the child's injuries were self-inflicted and he believed his wife.

God bless that little boy.

The Unintended Consequences of the Paper Trial

Many people who support election reform in this country do so out of a lack of trust. They don't trust elected officials to run fair elections; they don't trust voting machine made by companies that make contributions to elected officials.

In Ohio, former (at the time, current) Secretary of State Ken Blackwell headed up the re-election of President George W. Bush. As Secretary of State, Mr. Blackwell was in charge of elections. Ohio was hotly contested, was essential to the election efforts of both President Bush and Senator Kerry, and was in the national spotlight long after the election was over.

Mr. Blackwell, given his close ties to the President, became the source of intense criticism across the country, and served as the fountainhead of widespread conspiracy theories regarding the 2004 election. It was not highly reported that elections in Ohio are run by the counties, which have election boards made up of both Democrats and Republicans in equal numbers. There was little chance, if any, that Mr. Blackwell could have cooked the books in favor of anyone.

Proof of this would come a mere two years later when Mr. Blackwell, the head of elections in Ohio, lost by over 20 points in his bid for Governor. So much for the conspiracies.

One of the rallying cries of the election reformers was the need for a “paper trail.” Reform groups, including many disability rights organizations, wanted a receipt that showed clearly that they had voted, when they had voted, and for whom they had voted. This would stop, it was argued, rogue officials like Mr. Blackwell from rigging elections.

What these groups didn't consider, in their myopia, was the law of unintended consequences.

Several decades ago, the National Football League was concerned about the epidemic of broken noses, broken jaws, and lost teeth as a result of violent collisions in football. The answer, they believed, was to put a face mask on the helmet of every player. This change eliminated the problem of broken noses. It also caused a marked spike in a different type of injury: broken necks. Not fearing injury to their teeth, players were diving into plays face first, leaving them with injuries far greater than a dentist could fix.

In an article in The Other Paper, an free, weekly newspaper in Columbus, reporter Dan Williams highlights one of the more harrowing, yet underreported, consequences of “paper trail” balloting. The headline of the article basically sums it up: “We Know How You Voted.”

James Moyer from Franklin County made a public records request from the Delaware County Board of Elections. He requested both the “paper trail” and the poll book from one precinct in relation to the 2006 May primary. Both were given him in accordance with Ohio law.

Matching the two books, he was able to determine that Ms. Renee Rarick was the third voter in her precinct, casting her ballot at 6:49 a.m. He was then able to show that the person who voted third (at 6:49 am) voted yes on the MR/DD levy. Then he stopped, because he had made his point.

The Other Paper called Ms. Redick and confirmed her vote. So much for the secrecy of the ballot box.

The article raises many disturbing questions about being able to find how how people voted – What if elected officials want to make sure all of their employees (and family members) voted the right way?

What if an elected official wanted to vote for a friend in another party? What if someone was paid for her vote?

I don't want someone to be able to see who I voted for. I don't want there to be two books people can look at. But there almost has to be: a list of who voted doesn't prove an election to be a clean one any more than a list of the votes does. You have to be able to go match them up to make 100% sure you are counting them correctly.

And that's scary to me.

Liz Carroll Seeking New Trial

Liz Carroll wants a new trial. A hearing in District Court was scheduled for earlier this morning. A written decision is expected in about three months.

Ms. Carroll was convicted in the murder of Marcus Fiesel, a three-year boy with autism, who was Carroll's foster son. Carroll's husband, David, was also convicted of murder in the same case. David Carroll quickly pleaded guilty after Liz Carroll's conviction in the case.

Carroll's new attorneys are arguing that Carroll should have been granted a change of venue and that the laundry list of charges of which she was convicted should have been lumped in as one murder charge. The changes, it is argued, could knock over 20 years off of her 54 year sentence.

The murder trial brought out evidence that the Carroll's bound young Marcus and left him in a bed inside a hot closet and left for a vacation weekend in Kentucky. Upon their return, Marcus was dead. The Carroll's, along with David Carroll's girlfriend, then disposed of the body by burning it and burying it at a rural farm.

Liz Carroll originally helped concoct the story where Marcus would go “missing” from a city park after she passed out from a previously undiagnosed heart condition. She sent all of southwest Ohio on the lookout for her foster son. Thousands searched every inch of the city park looking for a child Liz Carroll knew had never gone missing.

And she wants a new trial because the community was really mad at her. Go figure.

Having Autism in Your "Second Life"

This is a news piece featuring Amanda, a woman with a severe form of autism. What is fascinating about this piece is the way that people with disabilities are CHOOSING to exist on Second Life, a virtual world that exists on line. Some are choosing to see how life is without disabilities; some, like Amanda, are recreating themselves as people with disabilities.

Man Tries To Hang Wife with Disabilities in 'Haunted House'

What follows is a tip for the upcoming holidays that doubles as sound health and marital advice:

Here is the scenario: Your husband, apparently thinking he's in the running for the “coolest Dad on the street contest,” tells you he wants to set up a Haunted House in his garage for the little goblins this Halloween. To add to its authenticity, he wants to hang a skeleton in a noose, so that the pint-sized trick-or-treaters can get a quality fright. And, being a thorough man who sweats every detail, and not wanting to risk what is likely a significant deposit on a skeleton rental, he asks you to slip into the noose to test the ropes' ability to withstand the weight of the bag of bones.

Here is my advice: Don't do it.

Sean Jennings asked his wife to do it, and she did, which was the wrong decision. He then proceeded to turn the radio on full blast and pull the ladder out from under her. Mrs. Jennings uses a wheelchair, but fortunately was strong enough to periodically support herself on tiptoe, lessening the pressure on her neck.

She says at the last minute she was able to escape, but only after promising her husband not to divorce him and never tell anyone what he had done to her.

Like you wouldn't make that deal with a noose around your neck. She broke her promise by calling the cops two weeks later. My guess is the next call is to the divorce lawyer.

Michigan Cares About the ADA - As Long As It Doesn't Cost Them Money

University of Michigan fans with disabilities will be able to sit back and enjoy Wolverine athletics just like all other fans. Just not for football, and not anytime soon.

Next up for Wolverine nation is the “update” of Crisler Arena, where the Maize and Blue play basketball.

They don't know when the “update” is going to occur, but they are sure they want to include people with disabilities this time – not that they are admitting they are excluding them by making them watch football games on TV.

"When we renovate Crisler, we will certainly work with the ADA folks to be compliant," (Athletic Director Bill) Martin said.

...changes include wider aisles with handrails, new chairs, more wheelchair-accessible seating for disabled fans and more concessions stands, he said.

UM offered some interesting reasons for being so willing to be ADA compliant in basketball:

The changes to the seating areas could lead the Athletic Department to remove some seats from the arena. Martin said he's not opposed to lowering Crisler's capacity, which is currently 13,751.

Because Michigan rarely sells out sporting events at the arena, it wouldn't usually make it harder for fans to get tickets. It might make what is already a relatively small venue even smaller, though.

"Having a person in every single seat means more than having a 15,000-seat arena," (Student group president Steve Walters) said. "I don't want to see them come under 11,000 seats, but if they lost 1,000 or so, I don't think anyone would really notice."

OK, so Michigan is more than willing to make their basketball arena accessible because they don't sell out anyway, so making seats for people in wheelchairs won't cost them any money.

Football? Two words for people with disabilities: Dish Network.

Person with Disabilities Loses Appeal in Killing of Person with Disabilities

The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio has rejected the appeal of a man with disabilities who is sentenced to die in the murder of a woman with disabilities.

James Frazier was convicted in the murder of Mary Stevenson, who had cerebral palsy. Or who, in the words of the Toledo Blade, “suffered” from cerebral palsy.

The state high court said it considered Frazier's background, noting that he had an unstable family life with little parental control, was borderline mentally retarded and a high school dropout, and was a drug and alcohol user.

The court, however, did not find enough to warrant the removal of the death sentence.

"We find nothing in the nature and circumstances of the offense to be mitigating," Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton wrote. "Frazier entered [Mary] Stevenson's apartment and murdered her by strangling her and slitting her throat. Afterwards, Frazier stole two of her purses and fled the scene. These facts establish a horrific crime without any mitigating features."

Try Turning Danny Down

I don't know who Danny is, but I know know he has autism, and he has parents that love him and are willing to fight for him. They put together this video to show to Danny's IEP why it was essential that Danny receive Applied Behavior Analysis therapy to help combat autism. One gets the feeling the school was reluctant to give what the parents knew he needed.

After seeing this video, I can't imaging telling the parents he wasn't going to get the service.

Take a look.

"No warning, no discussion, just the lawsuit."

A law firm from Florida known for filing hundreds of ADA-related lawsuits has settled with the city of Shaker Heights for $50K over public areas over city owned property.

Bonnie Kramer, an Ohioan, filed the suit with Fuller Fuller & Associates. The settlement goes to the law firm to cover legal fees. As part of the settlement, city agreed to make 53 changes to public areas such as city hall, the public library and the fire station.

According to the city, these are all changes they were planning to make anyway. As is often the case with these lawsuits, the defendant didn't appreciate being served without any discussion or heads-up.

The city's chief legal counsel, William Gruber, said many of the lawsuit's complaints were things the city had planned to fix anyway. He noted there was "no warning, no discussion, just the lawsuit."

Kramer and a group known as Disability Patriots have been very busy lately. They have, “sued the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Pavilion Shopping Center in Beachwood and numerous other businesses in Northeast Ohio.”

Public entities hate these suits, but they usually end up with changes being made. They can't really go to trial, because the facts are on the side of the plaintiff. So, in most cases, they settle the case and begin work on the changes.

The question is, would they have been made anyway? Are they nuisance suits or a public service?

Maureen Birdsall Has Her Eyes On You

Maureen Birdsall was sick and tired of having to hunt for a parking space when she drove her 92-year old father around. One time, at a hospital, she lost her parking space to red corvette driven by a woman who did not appear disabled at all.

Not that a red corvette couldn’t be driven by a person with a disability.

Perturbed by this, she started a website dedicated to “outing” people who illegally or improperly use disabled parking spaces. The site, www.handicappedfraud.org, is a place where you can register the handicapped placard number, the license plate, and the exact location, date and time of the suspected offense.

The website then generates an email sent to the appropriate Department of Motor Vehicles.

Similar tactics were used right here in my hometown of Worthington, when residents put the license plates, makes, models and even pictures of cars and people that were frequenting a local strip club the community was trying to get rid of. It worked – even though in the case of the strip club, the patrons weren’t doing anything illegal.

The website is not perfect; as is often pointed out, people might have a hidden disability, such as a heart condition, which qualifies them for a placard. Also, if you check some of the infractions on the site, whistleblowers seem to be taking more of an issue with the perceived “need” of the placard, rather than fraud.

The site seems, in my opinion, to exist more so to blow the whistle on people who are fraudulently using other people’s placards. Nonetheless, here is a sample of some of the postings from Ohio…

She acts like she can't walk a few feet from a parking spot and yells when people park next to her and she tells them she is disabled and can't walk, but she walks her dog for about 1 to 2 city blocks several times a day. If she can walk for many blocks then why does she need a handicap placard?

That sounds more like taking disputing whether she deserves the placard. Or stalking; one of the two.

The man conned the apartment complex into giving him a handicap space so he could get the same parking spot all the time. He has a motorcycle, how handicap can he be? He did this after living here five years, why did it take him so long to become disabled?

OK – watch it with the “disabled people can’t ride motorcycles” routine. They are just as entitled as anyone to get on those death mobiles.

This is tough. If I have a placard, and I am borrowing someone else’s car, it may look like fraud, when it isn’t true. If you've got the placard #, license #, and a picture to show that the person using it obviously isn’t the one who was issued the placard, you may have something.

Hotel Closes After ADA Lawsuit Filed

According to an article in the Sandusky Register, the Clarion Inn closed because it was sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act, known as the ADA.

Unfortunately, the Sandusky Register requires you to subscribe to their paper in order to view it online, so I can’t give you the whole story here. It’s an interesting story – just not that interesting.

What I can tell you is that Northwest Ohio Wheelchair Athletes and Michael Miles filed suit, alleging they were denied access and enjoyment of the hotel. The hotel responded by shutting its doors.

My guess is that the hotel must have been close to the line in order to cave so quickly. It’s unfortunate but the law is the law, and it exists for a reason. The truth is the hotel was not (it is alleged) conducting business in accordance with federal law, and apparently didn’t have the resources to do so. This is why Universal Design is so important – it is better to design it correctly the first time.

McCarron Trial Postponed - Yet Again

The trial of Karen McCarron has been postponed again. It seems that a medical expert has yet to give an examination of Mrs. McCarron, even though it has been one year since the case was initially brought before the court.

McCarron is on trial for killing her three year old daughter, Katie, who had autism.

She is free on $1 million bond. I don't think she's going to be running of to the Virgin Islands. Call and expert and get him in there.

The attorney for said that the examination would take "several weeks to complete." He couldn't offer the judge a date when he would be ready.

Sigmund Freud could come up with a report in less time. It's obvious the defense is using every tactic they can to put time (as in distance) between the horror of the crime and the trial. The theory is that the time (as in distance) will allow the community to calm down, which is better for the defense.

It's not going to work.

Marion Anti-Tax Advocate Succeeds in Getting MR/DD Levy Off Ballot

Nothing is more fascinating and gripping than the intricacies of MR/DD levy language. But it turns out that there really is a devil in the details.

A one-man anti-tax advocacy effort has succeeded in getting an entire MR/DD pulled off the ballot in Marion County.

Ed Christian, who heads up a group called Citizens for Tax Reform brought a technical, legal question to the Board of Commissioners. He felt that it was illegal for the county board of MR/DD to put the levy on the ballot.

The MR/DD board, which operates MARCA Schools and Industries among other programs for residents with developmental disabilities, had sought a replacement 1.35 mill, continuous levy on the Nov. 6 general election ballot. If passed, the levy would have combined two existing continuous levies and collected taxes based on current property values rather than the property values that existed when the levies were first passed.

Marion County Board of Elections Director Chris Smith said the levy, which MR/DD unsuccessfully attempted to pass in May's primary election, has been pulled from the Nov. 6 ballot. She referred to an Ohio Revised Code section that states a taxing authority may only seek replacement of a continuous levy once per calendar year.

"Nobody knew that," she said.

So the issue has been pulled and the county board will have to figure out a different, legal way to seek funds from the voters.

Coral and Opal is Back

Sorry about the long delay between stories....

Last week we faced the end of a fiscal year, so I had to make sure all was in order relevant to that. Then on Friday our LAN line got cut and we have been cut off from the outside world (as far as email and Internet are concerned) until just minutes ago.

My apologies to my legions of readers.