Cleveland Leader

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01/24/12--08:10: HOW CAN WE HELP OUR BILLIONAIRES MORE (chan 2515236)

I don't get around much these days. But I have had recent occasion to ride by Progressive Field at night. I saw it all brightly lit up.

I didn't think the Indians were in town. I don't even believe Spring Training has started yet. Has it?

Then I remembered. Oh, yeah.

The Indians run a winter-time extravaganza on the baseball field. They even put up a full hockey rink on the baseball infield. 150 tons of snow, they say. Must be good for second base.
Progressive Field is turned into a winter profit place with everything from snow tubing, ice skating, even a snow maze in the outfield. And it was the site this year for the Ohio State/University of Michigan hockey game.

Of course, they say they don't make a dime. Do you believe them? Neither do I. The winter charges ranged from $10 to $25 a person and $100 a family. Food and drinks extra, of course. At fancy digs built by taxpayer bucks.

Larry Dolan and family can use the stadium we paid for - ANY WAY THEY WANT. The Dolans are billionaires.

Isn't that the privilege of wealth? Doesn't our system work that way now? Why of course it does. We see it all around us.

Do they pay Gateway - the non-profit set up to operate the stadium and arena - anything for use of the summer-time baseball stadium, anything for the extra use in the winter? Like rent?
No, says Gateway.

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01/24/12--13:44: Fausto Carmona Will Miss Spring Training (chan 2515236)

Fausto Carmona was recently arrested for using a false identity. Authorities in his home country of the Dominican Republic say that his real name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia and that he is 3 years older than what he told the Cleveland Indians and the U.S. government. His future with the Tribe has been up in the air. On Tuesday, Indians' manager Manny Acta announced that while the team is trying to speed up the pitcher's legal process in the Dominican Republic, it is not likely that he will be able to join the team for spring training.

It is believed that Kevin Slowey will replace Carmona in the rotation.




01/25/12--09:22: Kasich to Privatize Ohio's Liquor Sales in $1.4 Billion Deal (chan 2515236)

Ohio governor John Kasich and his administration have crafted an agreement that would privatize the state's lucrative liquor distributions system for $1.4 billion through a newly created private nonprofit entity that will utilize the revenue for economic development.

The nonprofit organization, JobsOhio, will issue up to $1.5 billion of bonds to finance the 25-year deal. The bond sale is anticipated to occur within the first quarter, and JobsOhio officials say that they've already assembled a finance team that will bring the bonds to market.

Kasich claims that privatizing liquor sales will provide a steady revenue stream of $200 million annually that JobsOhio will then use to finance job creation and economic development projects. Kasich created JobsOhio when he took office last year.

The liquor lease is perhaps the highest profile of the governor's privatization proposals, and is one his keys to balancing Ohio's current $55.5 billion, two year general budget.

The deal is expected to close after the bond sale later this quarter.




01/25/12--09:41: New Official U.S. Government Planting Map Puts Ohio in a Warmer Zone (chan 2515236)



On Wednesday, the government unveiled their new colorful map of planting zones which has been updated for a warmer 21st century. The official guide, which is printed on seed packets and in gardening books and pamphlets, now reflects what many gardeners have noticed: the coldest day of the year isn't as cold as it used to be and plants that used to be too vulnerable to survive the cold can now make it further up north.

This is the first time that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has updated the map since 1990, and a lot has changed. Entire states like Ohio, Nebraska and Texas, now find themselves in warmer zones.

The new planting guide was unveiled Wednesday at the National Arboretum. It's said to use better weather information and offers more interactive technology in its online version. Gardeners can now type in their zip code and their zone will appear, showing the exact average coldest temperature for each of the 26 zones.

The USDA attempted updating the map once before in 2003, but this caused a bit of an uproar and they decided not to use the map they'd commissioned which featured the warmer weather. The Arbor Day Foundation later issued its own planting guide which reflected the warmer climate zones, and the new federal map is similar to the Arbor Day Foundation map.




01/25/12--19:56: PD's Tony Grossi Removed from Browns Beat After Twitter Remark About Randy Lerner (chan 2515236)


Photo: Tony Grossi of the Plain Dealer

Tony Grossi, a longtime Browns beat writer for the Plain Dealer, posted an insulting message about Browns owner Randy Lerner on Twitter. That single message has gotten him removed from the beat, although it's not clear if it was at the suggestion of the Browns, Lerner, or simply the PD being proactive.

Grossi wrote on Twitter:

"He is a pathetic figure, the most irrelevant billionaire in the world."

The offensive tweet was later deleted.

As it turns out, despite what Grossi thinks, Lerner is at least relevant enough to influence his work assignments.

The Plain Dealer addressed the tweet on its website, cleveland.com, last week, stating:

"Last night, Plain Dealer Browns beat reporter Tony Grossi made an inadvertent, inappropriate post to Twitter concerning Browns owner Randy Lerner. Grossi has reached out to Lerner to apologize. The Plain Dealer also apologizes.”

In addition, Grossi discussed the unfortunate situation in a video podcast. He said:

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01/26/12--08:42: 2 Parma Heights Bars Busted for Running Illegal Gambling Operations (chan 2515236)

Two Parma Heights bars were busted on Wednesday, accused of permitting illegal gambling inside their establishments. The raids, which were conducted in the afternoon, involved seven different law enforcement agencies and locations in five different cities.

Undercover agents from the Ohio Investigative Unit removed 80 computers, money, and financial records. Investigators raided Good Time Charlie's II on Pearl Rd. and Mr. B's on West 130th.

Julie Hinds, a spokesperson for the Ohio Investigative Unit, said:

"We did a long-term investigation ourselves and Parma Heights police and we found that the complaint was valid."

Cleveland Agent-in-Charge Greg Croft added:

"We were able to receive cash payouts at both locations. It was determined by our investigation that the machines in these premises were actually, in fact, gambling devices, not internet sweepstakes machines as claimed... there were several different gambling violations that were taking place."

Investigators also raided homes in Brunswick and Parma, as well as the Union Vending company in Cleveland.

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01/26/12--08:57: $5 Million Renovation of Cleveland's Old League Park to Begin Soon (chan 2515236)



Work will soon begin on restoring League Park, the old home of the Cleveland Indians, the NFL's Cleveland Rams, and the Negro League's Cleveland Buckeyes. The project will take about one year to complete.

The Indians played their last game at the ballpark, located at East 66th Street and Lexington Avenue, in 1946. League Park is also famous for having been the place where Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run in 1929.

The refurbished League Park will feature a museum and community building, in addition to new baseball, football, and soccer fields. City leaders are also hoping to add a splash park and pavilion can be added.

Discussions on renovating League Park first began more than two decades ago.

The park is on the National Register of Historic Places.




01/26/12--09:35: Cleveland Indians Put Fausto Carmona on MLB Restricted List (chan 2515236)



On Wednesday, the Cleveland Indians officially placed pitcher Fausto Carmona on the restricted list, which is often used by teams for players who have violated the terms of their contract.

According to Major League Baseball, players that are added to the restricted list do not count towards the team's 25-man roster, but are unable to sign with another team. Players on the restricted list also do not get paid by their team while on the list.

One week ago, Carmona was arrested in his home country of the Dominican Republic for allegedly using a fake identity. According to Dominican police, Carmona's real ame is Roberto Hernandez Heredia and he is 31-years-old, not 28-years-old as Carmona has claimed.

Col. Maximo Baez Avbar, a Dominican police official, said that Carmona was taken into custody requesting renewal of a citizenship visa, and is currently being held on a charge of using a fake identity on official documents.

Carmona has been released from jail, but remains in the Dominican Republic. During the off season, the Indians exercised a $7,000,000 team option on his contract, and hold contract options through the 2014 season.




01/27/12--07:43: Partial Collapse of Deck at Cincinnati Casino Injures 13 Workers (chan 2515236)

According to Cincinnati police, 13 construction workers were injured when a deck collapsed at the site of The Horseshoe Casino on Friday morning.

The incident occurred around 8am. Emergency crews immediately responded, and police said that at least nine people were seriously injured and that a total of 13 people were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital and University Hospital.

Police spokesman Lt. Maurice Robinson said that a 30 foot by 50 foot section of floor collapsed.

According to reps for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which will follow up on the incident, there are no fatalities from the accident as of yet. Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney said that an investigation into the cause of the incident will begin immediately. Officials have shut down the intersection of East Gilbert Ave. and Court Street to traffic.

Steven Rosenthal of Rock Gaming LLC. issued a statement on the incident:

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01/27/12--11:37: Cleveland to Host "Navy Week" in Summer 2012 (chan 2515236)



In October 2011, it was announced that Cleveland, Ohio, had been selected as the next city to host Marine Week, the Corps' annual community outreach event. Now it's been announced that Cleveland has been named one of 15 cities where America’s Navy will “come home” in 2012, giving area residents an opportunity to meet sailors and learn about the Navy’s capabilities and relevance to national security.

Cleveland Navy Week will run from August 27 to September 4. The event will commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and "The Star Spangled Banner." It will feature visits from U.S. Navy ships as well as a variety of special events, including:

• The Blue Angels, the Navy flight demonstration team
• Leap Frogs, the Navy parachute team
• Visiting U.S. Navy ships
• Navy Band musical performances
• Admirals and other senior Navy leaders, who will engage with local corporate, civic, government and education leaders
• Navy simulator and other interactive displays
• Visits to area schools
• Community service projects and events with local sports franchises
• Visits with local veterans

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