Little Dennis' Big Money Woes

  He is one of the poorest men in the House of Representatives, but Rep. Dennis Kucinich from Ohio’s 10^th district has taken a hit to his assets in the past year.

            According to Kucinich’s financial disclosure from the year of 2008, he had member asset in a company called Digital News Reel which is owned by Hana Holding LLC., which Kucinich is a partner of.

The range of this asset had no value. But according to the 2007 financial disclosure, the asset had the value in the range of $100,001—$250,000.

In 2008 while his assets for the American Croatian Lodge, a social club for the Croatian community of Cleveland, and Congressional Federal Credit had the same value from 2007 at $1—$1,000, his Third Federal Savings Accounts assets had risen to a value of $50,001—$100,000.

 So with the loss of the Digital News Reel stock, his total assets from 2008 are in the range $50,003—$102,000.

His other assets in 2007, one from the American Croatian Lodge and the Congressional Federal Credit were the same as 2008, assets in Third Federal Savings and Loan ranging from $1.001—$15,000, Kucinich’s total assets in 2007 were in the range of  $101,003—$267,000.

According to the financial disclosure Kucinich may have lost over $100,000 in the past year.  The maximum amount he had in his assets from the two years has dropped 62 percent.

            When going into detail about Digital News Reel, when trying to get in contact with the corporation, its phone number listed on the Web site leads to a message that said the number was disconnected.

            Information about whether Kucinich sold his stock or the company went out of business could not be found, but the loss of the Digital News Reel asset affected his net worth.

             While his assets have changed, the amount of income has not been affected. In both 2007 and 2008 the American Croatian Lodge gave him an amount in the range of $1—$200, Third Federal Savings Accounts gave him an amount in the range of $201-$1,000 and Congressional Federal Credit gave him an amount of $1—$200.

            Along with these sources of income, Kucinich had his salary for working in The House, which has increased from 2007 to 2008. According to a report from the Senate Web site, in 2007 representatives made a salary of $165,200. In 2008 the salary was raised to $169,300 a 2.5 percent increase.

            Along with  income staying the same, his liabilities stayed the same in the two years.  In both 2007 and 2008 he had three different liabilities in the range of $15,000—$50,000. He had credit card payments due to American Express and loans from both the Congressional Credit Union and Thrift Savings Program. 

            Kucinich has campaigned for the Democratic Presidential Nomination in 2004 and in 2008.

             

             

           

              

Little Dennis Kucinich's big ole money problems

Dennis Kucinich is the representative for the 10^th district in Ohio, which represents those in the Cleveland area. In 2007-2008 fiscal disclosure of Kucinich, who is a member of a company in Cleveland named Digital News Reel. He has an asset in the company worth in the range of $100,000­—200,000. Yet in the fiscal disclosure for 2008-2009 his asset for the same company is worth nothing because the company went inactive. What I want to look at is what happened to this company in the year to make it inactive and how it affects Kucinich and how he is making an earning now, with all his income now coming from Federal Income Accounts. With him being one of the least wealthy representatives in the house, how is he facing the recent recession?

Can First Sentry Bank handle the 21st Century

First Sentry Bank is a local bank in the Huntington Area. It is one of the main companies in the area. But like all banks in America it is facing tough times. How will the bank deal with the tough times? Will local residents be willing to keep their money with a smaller bank and go to the larger banks? Do people truest the small town banks more than the large time Big Cities banks? Can First Sentry handle the 21^st century?

The Tri-State Commute

 As gasoline prices continue to rise, people who commute to work in the Tri-State continue to be the ones who suffer.

            According to a report by the Charlotte Observer, gasoline prices have risen for fifty straight days across the United States, with prices in the Tri-State reaching as high as $2.80 in most areas.

            While gasoline prices affect all of America, the Tri-State seems to be affected a little more, as many people in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia commute to their places of work.

            Sunoco Chemicals Plant, located in Haverhill Ohio, has people commuting from as far away as Huntington (30 miles), McDermott, Ohio (32 miles) and Grayson Ky. (37 miles).

            Steve Arnett, General Foreman of Instrumentation at Sunoco, who lives 29 miles away in McDermott, Ohio, said when he received gas money for work it has increased throughout the weeks.

            “When I got money from my wife for gas it started at just $20 a week,” Arnett said, “but then she had to add $10.  Now it takes $50 to fill up my tank so I can make it to work each week.”

            Along with driving to and from work everyday, most employees of Sunoco have to drive throughout the plant, which sometimes can be as small a trip as one or two miles, and sometimes can reach as high as 10 miles a day.

            As the month has gone by, gas prices have seen a significant increase. According to AAA, gas prices in Huntington have risen by 33 cents, and prices in Ironton, Ohio and Ashland, Ky, have risen by over 46 cents.

            Bevi Powell, director of communications for AAA East Central, said that demand for gasoline will have prices remain high for most of the summer.

            “We usually don’t see prices fall until after Labor Day.” Johnson said. “The demand for gasoline is so high during this time period with people taking vacations that usually oil prices don’t tend to fall until after that time.”

            But one thing that bothers many Sunoco Chemicals workers is when they take trips to other places for deliveries or meetings, they see lower gas prices in the different areas.

            Larry Quillen, shift supervisor at the plant from Raceland Ky., said that when taking trips to another Sunoco owned plant in Kenova, W.Va, he was upset that gas was cheaper there that in the area near the plant. The price in Kenova was $2.65 while the price in Raceland was $2.84.

            I don’t understand why there is such a difference in these places that aren’t that far apart from each other.” Quillen said, “it makes no sense for the 20 cent difference when we are right near each other.”

            While most people don’t understand why gasoline prices are so different in areas so close, Johnson said that there is an explanation for the price increase.

            “The different areas in the Tri-State require different blends of gasoline.” Johnson said. “They have to meet EPA standards for that region, which sometimes makes it more expensive to manufacture.”

            Johnson also pointed out how oil has increased in price over the past months. In December crude oil was selling for around $30 to $40 dollars a barrel.  Now according to CNNMoney.com a barrel of crude oil has increased above $71.

            With gas prices rising, people are looking for alternatives to finding a way to work.  The most well known idea, carpooling, seems like a good idea, but schedules and living locations kind of make that idea obsolete.

            “Everyone who lives near someone who works at the plant has a different schedule than one another.” Arnett said about the notion of carpooling. “That and most people don’t live by one another so carpooling is almost impossible.”

            According to Johnson, AAA has some ideas that will save gas for everyone without having to make big sacrifices.

            “Keep your car light. The heavier your car is the more gas it will use,” Johnson said. “Routine car maintenance is also very important as well as keeping a steady speed. The faster you go the more gas you use. “

            While the plant doesn’t involve carpooling or have ideas for ways to save gas, Quillen said they can still do something to help out its employees.

            “They can give us gas cards. We are Sunoco, it wouldn’t hurt to have a way to give us some money for gas,” Quillen said. “Maybe instead of driving our cars through the plant we can have golf carts to help us get around.”

            As gas prices continue to rise, Tri-State employees will still have to continue finding ways for commuting to work, causing a pain at the pump for all. 

            

Investigative Journalism Studying

In class we discussed Investigative reporting. We had two different case studies that looked into how reporters dealt with stories that involved actually doing investigation to find the story and report facts that are hidden from the public and find out facts that affect the public. 

In the first case study from chapter one, the story is about a reporter who is very well-liked on his police beat. Two officers approach him anonymously about reporting a story that the Sheriff was hiring people for campaign donations. The reporter gave the story to an investigative reporter, who in turn found out through documents that this was true. The story was taking place during election season. Some information the reporter could not get before the election, so he decided it was his public duty to run the story before the election. He then gave the Sheriff the opportunity to respond to the allegations, but he refused the interview. This added to the story and resulted in the Sheriff losing the election. 

The second case study is about a reporter who was very good at finding information from public records. It also discusses the ethics of withholding sources. She finds information on the Mayor using city workers for free, private enterprise work. She has a hard time though finding concrete evidence, thanks to a former reporter who works for the mayor. The mayor declined an interview, and the story was ran with just a pre-written statement from the mayor. While there was calls for his resignation, the mayor continued in office. 

Along with the case studies, we had to find an example of investigative reporting ourselves. I chose one written for the Charleston Gazette by Eric Eyre, written in the April 21 2005 edition. A link to the original story can be found here; http://wvgazette.com/News/WebofDeceit/200504210003.

The story is about how former House of Delegates Education Committee Chairman Jerry Mezzatesta was indicted on the charge lying to an Ethics Commission during an investigation about him soliciting grants for Hampshire County schools. 

He originally was cleared of this, but the Gazette found a letter actually soliciting money for the school.  He also cleared his computers and sent fake letters to Erye that showed him not soliciting money, but investigation done by Erye showed the letterhead from the letter was actually ordered after he supposedly wrote the letter. 

Some people might ask why this is and investigative report.  According to the book Investigative Journalism, an investigative report has to have one or more of four guidelines in a story. 

1. Reveal information that someone is trying to hide or that otherwise would not have been known.

2. Are a matter of importance to the public well-being. 

3. Are the work product of the reporter rather than a leak from a government agency investigation.

4. Expose a waste of tax money caused by mismanagement or corruption in government, dangerous conditions posing safety hazards or fraudulent conduct in the private sector that preys on the consumer. 

This report follows the first guideline because Mezzatesta tried to hide the fact that he was soliciting money for the schools by wiping out his computer and sending fake letters to the reporter and the government. 

It follows the second one because it should be known that a trusted elected official is using dishonesty to gain money for the school. The money could have went to something more important that what the school system was going to use it for. 

The reporter was the one originally to break the story which led to an investigation by Federal government, so that adds to the third point of investigative journalism. 

When asked if the reporter gave the subject a fair chance, he did, but Mezzatesta used his lawyer to give a statement on the subject. In the story the quote appears in the sixth paragraph of the story. Mezzatesta was given the chance but Eyre said he did not talk to him, but went on public radio and called Eyre a liar. 

The reporter does point to a key document. The document in question is an actual letter from Mezzatesta to the Hampshire county schools' Superintendent David Stewart. The letter was soliciting department grant money for Hampshire schools. While graphics and pictures do not accompany the story, a graph on the money spent by the school would have helped. 

The public of West Virginia would be interested in the story because of one the trusted elected officials was caught breaking the law. This would be passed around by a lot of people wanting to know what the government was doing about it. A lot of people would be affected by the story because if affects the whole state of West Virginia. It really makes people look at how they look at the government officials they hire. 

There was a follow up story, it was mainly what happened in the court case. Mezzatesta was found not guilty, but his reputation was given serious damage.

The headlines were very straight forward and featured no harsh words. It was just a straight news lead headline that gave the information and did not put too much judgement into the story. The headline was very unbiased. 

You can determine where the reporter got his information from because he said where he got it from in the story. When the reporter downright tells where he got the information from it's easy to trust what he is saying and believe the sources from the story. 

Erye in an interview about the story said he originally got the idea from a tipster inside the house of delegates. After the tip he looked into the subject finding letters and documents supporting the claim of the tipster. This investigative report was very well done because it used actual documents in finding the true story.   

HURA MEETING

The Huntington Urban Renewal Authority is thinking of taking its money and running, to a new bank.

            Right now HURA holds its' account at Chase bank, whose home office is located in New York.  Member Diane Mufson, who has been on the committee for two years, suggested moving the account to a bank with local ties.

            Mufson said that moving to a bank like First Sentry, which is a community bank based in Huntington, would be “more supportive than a bank not based in the area.” With the account at Chase, Mufson said that the the committee was being charged a fee for little or no actions. 

            While originally the motion was to outright move the finances, committee member and director of administration and finance for the city, Brandi Jacobs-Jones, suggested to get a proposal from the local banks before moving funds.

            The committee agreed that moving the account would seem like a way to help local economy, but local banks could still be able to charge the same service fees as national banks. 

            Also HURA voted on to try to acquire the position of Land Bank Authority. As Land Bank Authority the board would able to have first rights on delinquent tax properties and after 18 months of owning the property, it could resell the properties to gain a profit. 

  HURA though was not the only city backed commission interested in landing the Land Bank authority, as the Huntington Municipal Development Authority has expressed interest to City Council for it to be given the authority account.

            HURA member  Philip Carter, a professor in Marshall’s social worker department, said that leadership sets them apart for acquiring the Land Bank deal.

“We have the ability and savvy to deal with big business and the Federal Government.” Carter said, “We have the experience with HURA as the protector and growth advocate of the neighborhoods.”    

Carter also suggested that the committee use a study to see if it can invite Land Bank administrators from cities similar to Huntington. Examples used were Lexington, Columbus and Pittsburgh, to come and share experiences with the board in hopes of sharing ideas in making Huntington a better city.      

            According to HURA member, and new president of the committee architect Nate Randolph, this is a pilot project from the state of West Virginia, in which there is a home rule of “Doing something in your own community.

            Randolph also mentioned a project that the committee has already have had great success with, the Artisan Avenue project in the area by using new streets, new housing and new roads. Also mentioned was Pullman Square, which the Authority was instrumental in planning.            

            Along with planning the many ventures to help the city, the committee decided on their officers for the fiscal 2009 years.

            In what was seemed to be a shock to him, long time chairperson Carter was replaced by Randolph. After the election, members of the committee tried to nominate Carter for other positions, but he declined nomination every time.

            Filling out the rest of the cabinet positions for the committee, Jacobs Jones was named vice president, Mufson was named secretary and new member Herb Stanley was named treasurer.

            Elections were finally held after enough members were there to have a full meeting. The last time a real meeting was held was in January.

            While many important issues were introduced in the meeting, one of the more light-hearted moments involved a look at the committee’s Federal Reserve bank account.

            According to Randolph the committee was sent a letter that said the committee’s old account had an excess of over $1 million.  While they didn’t believe they had the money, they decided they would investigate into the claim.

            As the committee thought, the claim was too good to be true and it was just an insurance policy that was left over after the committee moved its' account.

            The committee meets every third Monday of the month in the city council chambers.

 

Huntington Urban Renewal Authority for June 15

Here is the agenda for the Huntington Urban Renewal Authority on Monday

Kyle Hobstetter
Agenda for the HURA meeting on June 15
1. Call to order
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Roll Call
4. Approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of the board on May 18, 2009
5. Approval of May 2009 Voucher Schedule
6. Election of Officers
Charles Holley, Director of Development & Planning to update Board on Artisan Avenue Redevelopment Project.
8. New Business
9. Unfinished Business
a. Federal Reserve Account
b. Local Checking/Savings account
c. July Meeting
10. Adjournment

OPED "A new beginning"

“A new beginning.”

President Barack Obama was calling for a new beginning for Muslim and American relations during his keynote speech at Cairo University on June 4. While being greeted by standing ovations from those present at the speech, those who weren’t present gave the speech mixed reviews.

A statement from the Israeli Government to the BBC Web Site (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8083171.stm) said “We share the hope of President Obama that the American effort will signal a new era that will bring an end to the conflict and a pan-Arab recognition of Israel as the Jewish state living in security and peace in the Middle East.“

A spokesman from the Iraqi government released a statement to the BBC Web site (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8083171.stm) that said “The government of Iraq is comfortable with the clarity of the President in respecting commitments to Iraq and the timetable for withdrawal stipulated in the security pact.”

While the positives of the speech and the way the president carried himself were praised, many found that the speech promised no change in current political policies.
Hassan Fadlallah, a Lawmaker for Lebanon’s Hezbollah, said in his statement to the BBC Web site (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8083171.stm), “We have not seen any changes in U.S. policy towards the Palestinian cause.”

Hamas Spokesman in the Gaza Strip Ayman Taha, reiterated those remarks with his statement to the BBC Web site (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8083171.stm) when he said, “ Speaking about a policy of pursuing a war against extremism and working towards two states for peoples on Palestinian lands is no different from the policy of his predecessor, George W. Bush.”
Barack Obama has been in office now for 142 days now. His speeches will be compared to those of other famous and beloved presidents.

Ronald Reagan, who told the Soviet Union to “tear down this wall,” has the widely considered most popular speech on foreign soil in the presidential history.

He took a stance on the Berlin Wall and said what needed to be said. At the time the speech was received by the Soviet Union news agencies as “openly provocative, war-mongering.” (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1631828,00.html)

But, Reagan’s Secretary of State at the time, George Shultz, told Time Magazine in interview 20 years after the speech, (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1631828,00.html), that it was that the president believed was the right thing to say, even if it is something most of his peers won’t agree with.

"President Reagan had the idea that change could happen," Shultz said in the article. "That put him at odds with establishment thinking, which had embraced détente and assumed change would not happen.“

President Obama followed in Reagan’s footsteps that day at Cairo University. He has an idea, and it is one that will work for the better of not only our nation, but the world as a whole.

But what President Obama needs to do is continue with his idea and turn those words into actions. He already has a great start with him actually being in attendance for his speeches.

While he hasn’t really taken a strong action towards changing relationships, his words have inspired other people to take action as well.

According to an editorial in the New York Times, (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/opinion/11thu2.html?_r=2&ref=opinion), that said “President Obama’s outreach to the Muslim world seems to have helped undercut the extremists at the polls.” Said the editorial as pro-western forces took control over the Lebanon Parliament, which until the election was under control of the extremists of Hezbollah.

If President Obama wants to continue showing the Islamic world that “new beginnings” are on the way, he must continue to show actions on how America is changing.

He must remember the mistakes of the last administration that was in office. The last time his administration traveled to the Middle East, the president was used as target practice by a shoe throwing audience.

And while his policies sound the same as his predecessor, he willingly admits where mistakes have been made. While some consider it weakness, some consider it a strength.

Eugene Robinson, a columnist for the Washington Post said “Familiar policies sounded different coming from Obama, though — not just because of his identity but also because he showed a little humility.”

Robinson also said, “There are those who believe that admitting mistakes is a sign of weakness. I think it's a sign of confidence and strength, and I believe that's how it was received by Obama's intended audience.”

Many presidents in the past failed to show humility, which continued the image of the uncaring, bullying and narcissistic Americans that most other countries view us as.

While Obama continues a rock star status, during his speech an audience member screamed that they “loved him”, but when it comes to action, he could look at one of the most unpopular presidents, Richard Nixon.

While Nixon made mistakes, he also ushered in a new-era of relations between America and the “extremists” at the time China.

According to the BBC Web site’s reporter it was the day Nixon's ground-breaking visit was hailed as a diplomatic triumph as relations between the two countries thawed. He said it "changed the world". (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1821104.stm)
BBC reporter Simon Fraser remembered the incident for the BBC Web site. He said, “Without the "first step" taken by Nixon, Mao and Zhou in 1972, there would be no China-US relations today, an editorial in the People's Daily said.”

While we can compare President Obama to Ronald Reagan, to George W. Bush and to Richard Nixon, we need to remember, he is not these people. He has not been in office for more than half a year. Most presidents don’t succeed in their plans in this amount of time.

But the positive thing we can take from the past and the thing is something President Reagan’s Secretary of State George Shultz told Time magazine. (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1631828,00.html)

He said, “I guess the point I'm making here is that ideas matter a lot, the underlying ideas that stand behind policies. When you don't have ideas, your policies are flip-flopping all over the place. When you do have ideas, you have more consistency. And when you have the right ideas — then you can get somewhere.”

President Obama has the right ideas, now let us see if he can continue to act in the next three-and-a-half-years.

President's trips abroad

As everyone is still buzzing about the President Obama's speech in Cairo, this is not the first time that a presidential speech has been thoroughly examined in the public. When comparing his speech to those of former American President's spoken words to those in a foreign land, Obama has mixed reviews in comparison. 

 

A criticism of Obama's speech was that he failed to make a strong stand and make the points that needed to be made (Fixing relations between Palestine and Israel). This was one of the main problems found by the students at Cairo University. 

 

In comparison, Ronald Reagan made a strong stand when he told the Soviet Union to "tear down this wall." Reagan wasn't afraid to say what needed to be said and drew great reaction from the 20,000 people who came to watch him speak that day in Berlin.

 

But Obama speech, while not taking as firm a stand as Reagan did, still received a great response from the Cairo community. Barack Obama has continued to gain popularity and is considered as popular as a Hollywood actor. This can be compared to Ronald Reagan, who originally was a Hollywood Actor, and had everyone in love with him, as he was the nation's grandfather. 

 

Another comparison can be looked at with JFK's speech in West Berlin which was famous for the his line "Ich bin ein Berliner" which in the native language mean that he is a native of Berlin. JFK used this to find a connection with the home country and bring ease to the situation. 

 

President Obama used this strategy as well. Throughout his speech he used frequent quotes from the Koran, which won loud applause from the highly Muslim audience. 

 

But Barack Obama's charm will not continue to work, he has to learn to take a definite stand on the issues the public wants as his personality will only get his so far in his presidential term. 

 

President Jimmy Carter showed this by his toast in Iran for the Shah of Iran. With his little "speech," a seizure of an American Embassy happened and led to the end of Carter’s presidency. 

 

President Obama needs to watch his foreign relations and what he says in a foreign land, or else he could be like the previous President, and be target practice for shoe throwing people. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tri-State Commute Story Proposal

My story will look at the commute of workers who hold jobs around the Tri-State and must travel well over twenty minutes to reach work and students who commute from the Tri-State who attend Marshall University and how high gas prices affect said commutes.

I will research why these employees travel throughout the Tri-State, and pay high gas prices when the paycheck that they make will just go right back to paying for gasoline. I also want to look at students who live in areas such as the Charleston/Teays Valley area, the northern Kentucky area and the Southern Ohio area to attend classes at Marshall. I also want to talk to the companies where people work and with the school on what they are doing to try to help the commute. 

Because of the drive this not only hurts the workers earnings and how much of the actual paycheck the workers uses for living expenses, but this could also affect the amount of hours they work and overall job performance. For the students, as they both tuition for school and the price of gas for the commute, they could not be able to afford going to school for that semester and be forced to stay in school longer and deal with growing tuition rates. 

: For workers I can get a list from where the employees on and focus on the commute from these areas. I will also check gas prices around the area to see if the commute is cheaper for others. With the students’ commute I can check with the admissions office and see how many students are commuting to Marshall not only for the summer but also in past semesters.

 Sources for the story will include:John Widdig works at Sunoco Chemicals, he lives over 40 minutes away and commutes five days a week to work. I’ll check to see what he does with the commute and how he deals with it.

Kevin Soucy: Is the plant manager for the Sunoco Chemicals plant in Haverhill. Many employees work in different parts of the area, so I want to talk to him about what the plant is doing about the commute and see if the plant is helping workers make it to work on time.

President Kopp: What Marshall University is doing to soften financial problems of the commute to campus.

AAA: I want to see if the company who specializes in transportation has any advice on how commuters can find a cheaper way to work and school. (Ex. Cheaper gas sites, different routes.)

Commuter Students: Get a first hand student experience on what they do to keep financial costs down on the their trip to school every morning. See if the commute keeps the student from taking the classes the student needs.

I think this can be told in one story, but this also can be told in a three-part series. First would be a look at the workers, the second story looks at the student commute, then finally a last look a ways to help the commute for students.

There can be a follow-up if something happens that the work provides transportation for the worker or Marshall comes up with a new way for transportation between areas.