Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND, OHIO - HAPPY HALLOWEEN

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS – MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN SIGN-UP BEGINS NOVEMBER 15

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS – For the first time ever, everyone with Medicare, regardless of income, health status, or prescription drug usage, will have access to prescription drug coverage. This new coverage begins on January 1, 2006 and you can enroll starting November 15th. By now, you should have received your Medicare and You 2006 handbook which explains in detail what prescription drug coverage means to you and which plans are available in your area.

Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans have started their advertising across the country. You may want to find out more about some of these options. It might be a good idea to save these materials for review when it gets closer to November 15, 2005.

To make sure that all people with Medicare, and those who care for them (friends, neighbors, parents and their children, pharmacists and their customers), understand this new coverage The Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare can be found at http://www.medicare.gov. http://www.medicare.gov/Spanish/Overview.asp

In addition, My.Medicare.gov - the Medicare Beneficiary Portal is an internet portal allowing registered beneficiaries the ability to view entitlement, enrollment, deductible, and address of record information. Additionally, it provides beneficiaries with preventive service information and the option for web chat assistance for any technical questions.

If your Medicare Part B coverage begins on or after January 1, 2005, Medicare will cover a one-time preventive physical exam within the first six months that you have Part B. The exam will include a thorough review of your health, education and counseling about the preventive services you need, like certain screenings and shots, and referrals for other care. The "Welcome to Medicare" physical exam is a great way to get up-to-date on important screenings and shots and to talk with your doctor about your family history and how to stay healthy. Go to http://www.medicare.gov/health/physicalexam.asp

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - PRESS RELEASE FROM SPECIAL PROSECUTOR PATRICK FITZGERALD ABOUT LIBBY INDICTMENT

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - Click here to read the press release issued by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald yesterday in the indictment of White House official Scooter Libby.
Download libby_pr_28102005.pdf

SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO NEWS - DIRECTIONS TO HAUNTED LOVELAND CASTLE

SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO NEWS - Want to see a real castle? A haunted castle? Below you will find driving directions to the Haunted Loveland Castle.

The Haunted House, is the Knights of the Golden Trail's largest (ONLY) fundraiser. The Loveland Castle Scary Knight Tours are every Friday and Saturday in October. Admissions are: $7 Adults, $6 Children 12 an under, and $1 parking. 7PM until11PM.

For information: 683-4686, or http://www.lovelandcastle.com, or e-mail.

FROM THE SOUTH: Take I71 north to exit 19. At the bottom of the exit turn left. At the very first light, turn right onto Fields-Ertle Road and follow Fields-Ertle until it reaches Rich Rd. Turn right on Rich Rd., then turn left onto the second street on the left (Mulberry). Go straight down the big hill and you are there.

FROM THE NORTH: Take I71 south to exit 19. At the bottom of the exit turn left and at the very first traffic light turn left onto Fields-Ertle Road. Follow Fields-Ertle until it reaches Rich Road. Turn right on Rich Road. Turn left onto the second street on the left (Mulberry) and go straight down the big hill and you are there.

Click for MapQuest

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - Daylight saving time ends at 2 AM Sunday

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - Daylight saving time ends at 2 AM Sunday. So don't forget to turn your clock back one-hour. And local safety officials remind you that this is an excellent time to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

To read a follow-up story about the importance of working smoke detectors in the home and an innovative program from the National Fire Protection Association, click the link below.

SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO NEWS - Loveland High School Sports

SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO NEWS - The Loveland High School Mens Soccer Team advanced into the finals of the Cincinnati Division I Ohio High School Tournament last Wednesday by defeating La Salle 2-1. Previously they had beaten Colerain 3-1.

The final is Saturday October 29 at Mason High School against #1 seeded Fairfield, at noon.

The Loveland Womens Tennis Team have repeated as champions of the Fort Ancient Valley Conference (FAVC). It is their 5th consecutive title.

Loveland and Mason tied during the FAVC tournament but the Tigers were the regular season champions, giving them the overall championship title.

Loveland's Kaitlyn Zinn was chosen as the FAVC Player of the Year and finished 3rd in the Ohio High School Sectional Tournament. Meggie Holland and Jacklyn Zinn finished 2nd in the Sectional Tournament.

In the Ohio High School State Cross Country Championship, for the second year in a row, both the Loveland Women and Mens teams advanced to the Regional Tournament. The Women finished 2nd in the District and the Men finished 3rd, on October 22, at Voice of America Park. The Regional Tournament is Saturday October 29 at Memorial Stadium in Troy, Ohio.

From there, the top four teams and those individuals that finish in the top 16 advance to the state finals November 5 at Scioto Downs near Columbus
.

Junior Sarah Leeper lead the Loveland women with a strong performance in the District competition, taking a third place overall with a time of 19:01 on the 3.1 mile course.  Leeper was followed by junior Lauren Beachy and sophomore Shannon Walls who finished in tenth and eleventh place.  This is first time the team has finished in second place in Division 1 District competition.

Senior Mark Weden led the Loveland Men, in a time of 16:21, which was good for third place.  Senior Chase Rahm (19th place), sophomores Chris Oligee (22nd place), Nick Baker (30th place) and Cullen Belleville (31st place), junior Marc Kutylowski (40th place) and sophomore Corey Bailey (48th place). This is the first time all seven runners finished in under 18 minutes in post season competition.

Tonight the Tiger Football team finishes their season by hosting Anderson at 7:30 PM. The team lost week at Winton Woods 14-34.

LOVELAND, OHIO - PROSECUTOR'S WEB SITE FOR CIA LEAK INQUIRY

LOVELAND, OHIO - The special counsel in the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame's name to columnist Robert Novak, Patrick J. Fitzgerald is expected to release a report tomorrow.

The web site set up by the prosecutor's office is http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/index.html.

The site contains documents and statements released by the Prosecutor.

LOVELAND, OHIO - TRICK OR TREAT TIMES FOR LOVELAND, DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, MIAMI TOWNSHIP, AND SYMMES TOWNSHIP

LOVELAND, OHIO - Trick or Treat hours for Monday October 31:

• Loveland, 6:00 PM until 7:30 PM.
• All other communities including Deerfield Township, Hamilton Township, Miami Township, and Symmes Township, 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM..

Halloween Safety Tips from the Miami Township Police Department and the Miami Township Fire/EMS Department.

Tips from Symmes Township. (Click on link to News and Events, then "Halloween in Symmes")

Safety tips from Deerfield Township.

SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO NEWS - CAN YOUR COMPANY SUPPORT THE AFTERPROM? (CINERGY OR LOWE'S EMPLOYEES)

Dear Loveland Magazine,

Does anyone out there work for CINERGY Corp., or Lowe's? Or, another company that might support the mission of After Prom?

The Parents Teachers Students Association (PTSA) of Loveland High School tirelessly works to bring our high school students a fun, safe, substance-free alternative to dangerous "party" practices after the high school prom. It is called After Prom.

From Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Statistics:
"During a typical weekend, an average of one teenager dies each hour in a car crash. Nearly fifty percent of those crashes involved alcohol" (MADD). Clearly, this has become a severe problem. "Alcohol use is the number one drug problem among young people".

How much more so do we have to be concerned about prom weekend?

After Prom is the safest place for students on prom night. When the prom is over at midnight, instead of continuing to "party" and perhaps mix drinking and driving and other dangerous activities, they have a safe, substance-free, fun place to continue the evening. Then they head to the After Prom where they are locked in with chaperones for the night.  After Prom has been going on for 10 years -each year more students attending than the year before with now more students going to After Prom than the prom itself! 450 juniors and seniors attended last year.

Planning for After Prom-April 29, 2006 has already begun and I am writing grants to help pay for it. Does anyone out there work for CINERGY Corp., or Lowe's? Does anyone work for a company that might support the mission of After Prom? We will apply to them but we need the support of an employee. You do not have to volunteer more then the valuable assistance that you provide by giving your name in support to this project.

E-mail or call me and I will give you more details about After Prom.

Thanks,
Judy Leever
(leever@fuse.net)
Loveland, Ohio

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - PRAYING FOR THE CAUSALITIES OF IRAQ

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - A small group of area residents joined at the Loveland Veterans Memorial on Wednesday evening to light candles and pray for the casualties of the war in Iraq. The occasion marked the two-thousandth U.S. casualty since the war began.

It was expected that more than 100,000 people would gather at 1,354 candlelight vigils in all-50 states and DC to remember and honor the fallen soldiers. At the Loveland vigil, people stood in a circle and recited well-known prayers from many different religions and beliefs. People also talked about loved ones that have died in the war and families with young children held them tight, as they talked about the world their children are growing up in.

Prayers were said for area soldiers who are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for Clermont County native, Mat Maupin who was captured and listed as presumed captured in Iraq. Prayers were said as well for U.S. leaders and the civilian causalities of the war.

A group of women from the Grailville Resort and Conference Center who were attending the Grail's national conference also attended. One of the women was from Bangor Maine. Most of the people in attendance were from Loveland, Miami and Symmes Townships, and the City of Montgomery.

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - HELPING HURRICANE PETS

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - TROOP 1327 HELPS HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORTS

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - THE WOMAN WHO SAID, "NO." - ROSA LOUISE MCCAULEY PARKS, 2-4-1913 - 10-24-05

Detroit, Michigan - On October 24, 2005 Mrs. Rosa Louis Parks, the mother of the modern civil rights movement, passed away in her Detroit home due to natural causes.

"She sat down so we could stand up. We rejoice in her legacy," was Rev. Jesse Jackson's response upon learning of the death of Parks.

"Mrs. Parks will endure in my memory as an almost saint-like person. And I use that term with care. She was very humble and soft-spoken, but inside she had a determination that was quite fierce. You treated her with deference because she was so quiet, so serene," said U.S. Congressman John Conyers, Jr of Michigan. Parks worked for Conyers as his administrative assistant for 20 years until her retirement in 1988. (Conyers' full statement)

On Dec. 1, 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks was a seamstress for the Montgomery Fair department store and 42 years old when she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery Alabama city bus. She has said that her feet were not aching and no more tired than usual. And she did not plan her act of disobedience: "I did not get on the bus to get arrested," she has said. "I got on the bus to go home."

The white bus driver told Parks to give up her seat to a white passenger under the threat of being arrested if she did not.  "Well, I'm going to have you arrested," he said, and she replied, "You may go on and do so."

Under Montgomery's segregation laws, blacks were required to pay their fare to the driver, then get off and re-board through the back door. If the bus driver were particularly ornery, he would drive off before the customers made it back onto the bus A black person was not even allowed to sit across the aisle from whites.

That night during a midnight meeting of the Women's Political Council, 35,000 handbills were mimeographed for distribution to all black schools the next morning.

"We are...asking every Negro to stay off the buses Monday in protest of the arrest and trial... You can afford to stay out of school for one day. If you work, take a cab, or walk. But please, children and grown-ups, don't ride the bus at all on Monday. Please stay off the buses Monday." Thus, the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

In honoring Parks, as one of the centuries's Most Important People, Time Magazine in 1999 wrote, " Parks' trial lasted 30 min., with conviction and penalty and that afternoon, the Montgomery Improvement Association was formed. So as not to ruffle any local activists' feathers, the members elected as their president a relative newcomer to Montgomery, the young minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church: the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. That evening, addressing a crowd gathered at the Holt Street Baptist Church, King declared in that sonorous, ringing voice millions the world over would soon thrill to: "There comes a time that people get tired."

Parks refusal to move, set in motion a mutiny in the southern states, that led to equal treatment under the law for all Americans.

Parks grew up in the "Jim Crow" South and could not drink from the "Whites Only" drinking fountains or eat at the "Whites Only" lunch counter.

Lerone Bennett, Jr. wrote in Ebony Magazine, "It was a common sight in those days to see Black men and women standing in silence and silent fury over the four empty seats reserved for whites." Behind these seats was a middle section that blacks could use only if there was no white demand. However, if so much as one white customer needed a seat in this "no- man's land," all the blacks in that section had to move. Parks would often walk to her home to spare herself the humiliation of the bus and she deliberately let one full bus pass in order to find a seat on the next one."

The Associated Press reported yesterday that President Bush said, "Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks -- who died yesterday at her Detroit home at age 92 -- was 'one of the most inspiring women of the 20th century.' Speaking to an audience of military spouses, the president said Parks' 1955 refusal to give up her seat on a segregated Alabama bus "was an act of personal courage." He says that act 'moved millions' -- and created the modern civil rights movement."

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said yesterday, "The fire of the civil rights movement was sparked by a single act of defiance, by one visionary woman. It was an act that all were capable of, but only Rosa Parks was courageous enough to make – and did so in a quiet rebellion of refusing to accept and submit to injustice. In honor of this remarkable woman and her indomitable spirit, we must recommit to rooting out injustice wherever it takes harbor, even if doing so comes at great personal cost."

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - HURRICANE PIZAZZ

ATHENS, OHIO “Most Exciting Alumni Band in the Land!”

ATHENS, OHIO - WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - ARE YOU ONE OF U.S.?

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - Listen to the music. 

I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my uncle Sam's
Born on the Fourth of July
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle joy
Yankee Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am a Yankee Doodle boy

I'm the kid that's all the candy
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
I'm glad I am
So's Uncle Sam
I'm a real live Yankee Doodle
Made my name and fame and boodle
Just like Mister Doodle did
By riding on a pony
I love to listen to the Dixey strain
"I long to see the girl I left behind me"
And that ain't a josh
She's a Yankee, by gosh
Oh, say can you see
Anything about a Yankee that's a phoney?

I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my uncle Sam's
Born on the Fourth of July
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle joy
Yankee Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am a Yankee Doodle boy

Father's name was Hezikiah
Mother's name was Ann Maria
Yanks through and through
Red, white and blue
Father was so Yankee hearted
When the Spanish War was started
He slipped upon his uniform
And hopped up on a pony
My mother's mother was a Yankee true
My father's father was a Yankee too
And that's going some
For the Yankees, by gum
Oh, say can you see
Anything about my pedigree that's phoney?

I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my uncle Sam's
Born on the Fourth of July
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle joy
Yankee Doodle came to London,
Just to ride the ponies
I am a Yankee Doodle boy

From the website of smickandsmodoo.com
Words & Music By: George M. Cohan and Sequenced by Bill Basham

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - I ALMOST CRIED LAUGHING SO HARD

Dear Loveland Magazine,

It was so great to meet you Thursday night at Loveland Mayor's Court. I have had a chance to check out your magazine - this is really cool. When I got to the copies of the emails (Download tax_emails.html) to the city of Loveland about Deborah Combs and her tax woes - I almost cried laughing so hard. Geez

And that's what is wonderful about your website - it lets you know that you aren't the only nut who thinks this is totally off the charts ridiculous.

I have made a few efforts in the Loveland community concerning citizens being in Mayor's Court over tax problems. I have made a little tiny bit of progress - but, hopefully the shame and harassment these taxpayers have endured will be the price Loveland paid to be steered back to the important issues and the down home community spirit that Loveland appears to have, and beckons people to come.

Anyway, great meeting a kindred spirit who is doing such great things in the world -- beautiful magazine.

Carrie Davis, Cincinnati, Ohio

DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, OHIO NEWS - MEET THE DEERFIELD CANDIDATES

Dear Loveland Magazine,

Tomorrow night (Tuesday October 25), the Lakeview United Church of Christ and the League of Women Voters, Warren County Unit will sponsor a Candidate Night beginning at 7pm. The event will be held at Lakeview Church on Columbia Road, about a block west of Montgomery Road.

Also, the Chamber of Northeast Cincinnati will host a meet the candidates night on Tuesday November 1st beginning at 6pm.  Township Trustee candidates will start around 7:20pm.  If you miss it, there will be broadcasts on ICRC starting Wednesday Nov 2nd.

Please join us at both of these events and get the answers you need to make an informed decision about who should help govern Deerfield Township from 2006 to 2010.

Chris Romano, Candidate for Deerfield Township Trustee

SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO NEWS - TIGER RUNNERS CLAIM ANOTHER FAVC RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIP

SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO NEWS - The Loveland High School Mens Cross Country runners claimed their second straight Fort Ancient Vally Championship October 15. Mark Weden finished 3rd overall and was the top Loveland runner. Chase Rahm finished 5th, Chris Oligee 9th, Cullen Belleville 13th and Nick Baker 11th. Weden ran the 3.2 mile course in 16:04.

The Loveland Women, who are rated 4th in the Ohio Associated Press Poll, finished second behind number 3 in the State, Mason High School. Mason's Angela Bizzari won the race with Loveland's Sarah Leeper finishing second. Loren Beachy finished third for Loveland. Beachy transferred this year to Loveland High School from Mason.

Both the men and women's teams begin competition in the State Tournament on Saturday October 22 in the Sectional tournament held at the Voice of America Park in West Chester.

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - COMBS CASE MOVES TO CLERMONT COUNTY COURT

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - Deborah Combs appeared in Loveland Mayor's Court Thursday evening along with two high profile attorneys representing her. Combs is charged with owing the City $1.16 in back taxes and failing to file annual tax returns. Attorneys Christopher Finney and Steve Adams are representing Combs free of charge and say that Combs owes Loveland nothing because they have charged her with a law that has been repealed. Combs faces up to 18 months in jail and $4,000 in fines.

In Mayor's Court, Adams asked for a jury trial and for the trial to be held in a Clermont County Court. In the hallway and after the Court Magistrate granted the motion for a change of venue, Adams said, "It's tyranny and a miscarriage of justice. We wanted to get this out of Loveland's Mayor's Court and get it into the peoples court."

Combs entered a plea of not guilty and later said, "I don't owe them anything according to my attorney." She also said that she didn't think "these are bad people here, just bad decisions."

In describing being pulled over by a Hamilton County Sheriff Deputy and then being cited to court by a Loveland Police Officer, Combs said, "I can't tell you the fear that struck in my heart when they pulled me over. They were very intimidating with their hands on their pistols. I was horrified and in a wooded area and didn't really know if they were cops."

Loveland Mayor, Brad Greenberg attended the court hearing and afterward said that he "is not exactly on the side of the City Administration on this." Greenberg reported that he is going to appoint a three member committee at the next city council meeting to, "Take a look at the City tax policies and procedures to see if they are fair or not.

Councilmember Katie Showler who attended the court hearing, would not comment on the specifics of the Combs case, except to say, "It's a shame the ladies down at City Hall are getting threatening phone calls when all they are doing is answering the phone and doing their job." The case has garnered national publicity and the city has received numerous e-mails and phone calls from people around the country upset with the City of Loveland.

Attorney Chris Finny said that Combs has been charged under a law that Loveland has repealed and that "Loveland will be blasted in court when this comes out."

Kim Vollet the City Assistant Finance Director and Tax Administrator said on Friday that Comb's attorneys had talked on the radio about the ordinance being repealed, but that she was not sure what he was talking about. Vollet said that they had not yet prepared a defense of the City's case, because, "We knew going in that they were going to ask for the case to be transferred. Once we know more about when the case will be heard, I will get a chance to sit down with the prosecutor and discuss this."

SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO NEWS - HOMECOMING

SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO NEWS - VOLKMAN HONORED

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - WARRANT FOR ARREST OF LOVELAND WOMEN OVER $1.16 TAX BILL CAUSES NATIONAL UPROAR

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - A warrant had been issued by the City of Loveland for the arrest of a local woman who owed $1.16 in back taxes. After being pulled over by a Hamilton County Sheriff Deputy and a Loveland Police Officer responding to the scene, Loveland resident Deborah Combs was cited to court on September 20 for owing $1.16 in unpaid City income tax and for "failing to file a timely annual tax return."

Combs faces up to 18 months in jail and $4,000 in fines and is due to appear in Loveland's Mayor's Court on October 20.

The story has appeared in major news headlines such as from Court-TV, MSNBC, and The Washington Post.  The story has been discussed on local and national radio talk shows.

To read some of the e-mails City officials have received from around the country click here:

Download tax_emails.html

LOVELAND, OHIO - THANKS FROM THE MORRISON FAMILY

Dear Loveland Magazine:

 

On behalf of Michael Morrison, we want to thank the Loveland community for the tremendous support provided during his football injury and subsequent hospitalization.  While he was in the ICU the prayers, calls, cards and outpouring of concern and support was greatly appreciated.  We truly live in an awesome town, filled with wonderful caring families.  We would not consider living anywhere else.

 

Our sincere thanks,

 

The Morrison Family

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - STUDENTS SHARE THE BOUNTY OF THEIR HARVEST

LOVELAND, OHIO  NEWS - October 14th was the Loveland Primary School's "Harvest Lunch." The cafeteria staff used produce from the school gardens to prepare lunch. The cafeteria tables had tablecloths, and vases of flowers picked in the garden were centerpieces.

The students shared the bounty of their harvest from the school gardens with their teachers, special guests, and their parents.

LOVELAND, OHIO - HELP SAVE THE LOVELAND INITIATIVE

Dear Loveland Magazine by Jessica Warman,

My name is Jessica Warman. I am 20 years old and currently a sophomore at Cincinnati State College. I have lived in Westover Village for 9 years, but lived in Loveland all my life. The Shalom Initiative has helped me in so many ways. I have helped tutor kids at the Shalom Cool School. Tutoring the kids at the Shalom helped me decide my career in becoming a teacher. My major is Early Childhood Education. The Shalom Initiative and the people involved have always been there for me, especially Ms. Terri Rogers, Ms. Ill Lane, Mr. David Miller, and Ms. Linda Daigle who started the Teen Group.

Sincerely,
Jessica Warman

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - VERY WEE BOYS AND GHOULS MAY SCARE EASILY

LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS - Very wee boys and ghouls may scare easily, and parents please use parental guidance, but all easily scared adults should buy their tickets for a Halloween Cabaret at the Loveland Stage Company.

For tickets
$10 Adults; $8 Students (18 and Under)
$8 Seniors (60 and Over)
Tickets are available by mail or at the Lebanon Citizens National Bank in Loveland.

Please call Kathie Kefauver @ 683-7508 or Connie Hatfield @ 683-7639.

Show Dates: Oct. 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 2005
Fridays and Saturdays 8:00 PM
Sunday Matinees 3:00 PM

For more information visit http://www.lovelandstagecompany.org/CurrentSeason.htm and click on Halloween Cabaret for details.

WASHINGTON, D.C - THE TRIUMPHANT ARRIVAL OF LANCE ARMSTRONG AND THE TOUR OF HOPE

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope Team had just completed a nine-day, 3,300-mile cross-country bicycle relay that departed from Scripps Green Hospital in San Diego, CA on Thursday, September 29, and culminated in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, October 8. Cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong lead the Team on their first leg across the country, and rode with the Team at various points along the way.

“Each day, this team rode the equivalent of approximately one stage in the Tour de France for nine days straight,” said Armstrong. “They are not professional cyclists, but they are undertaking this challenging ride to prove that cancer research is the way forward in battling this disease, and to show the country that clinical trials can bring new therapies to cancer patients, like the three drugs from Bristol-Myers Squibb that helped me beat cancer.”

Hope Rallies were held at points along the Tour of Hope route. These public rallies
provided opportunities for tens of thousands of people to meet the Team members and hear their stories about the impact of cancer research on their lives.

WASHINGTON D.C. - SCHMIDT ON LOVELAND CROSS COUNTRY, SAMMY GORTON, THE LOVELAND INITIATIVE, AND TOM DELAY

WASHINGTON D.C. - The office phone in Jean Schmidt’s Cannon Office Building next door to the Capital rang every thirty seconds - mostly calls between staff people wanting to know, “Where is she right now? When will she be finished? Where is she going next?”

She was relaxed though after a very busy morning schedule and had just finished the day’s business at the Agriculture Committee meeting where she had cast a yes vote on eminent domain legislation that other house committees had hope to vote on first. (Read SCHMIDT VOTES TO LIMIT USE OF EMINENT DOMAIN, 10/9/05) She had also just met with the Committee Chairman where they discussed Schmidt chairing a sub-committee. She has been in office for little over one months and is also on the Government Reform, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.

Her staff seemed to escort and direct her every turn through the busy maze of hallways, elevators, and underground tunnels from the Capital, and back to her office in the Cannon Office Building. Schmidt though was comfortable in her new environs and was certainly enjoying being the Congresswoman from Ohio’s Second District.

LOVELAND CROSS COUNTRY
Schmidt said she has been able to get home every weekend to her Miami Township home since her term in Congress began, still finding time to remain the Coach of the St. Andrew’s Jr. High Cross Country team. She said she has been to every one of their meets so far this season and makes all of their Monday night practices. Speaking about cross country running she said she would like to send a message back to the Loveland High School Womens Cross Country Team. Loveland is ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Ohio Poll and headed into post season competition. “I couldn’t be more proud of you. Never underestimate your opponent. Never underestimate yourself and never, ever look back to see where your competition is.” This sounds like Schmidt’s political strategy as well as her running strategy.

Schmidt is a marathon runner, having competed in 56 of the 26.2 mile races. She said that while in Washington, she gets up every morning at 5:30 AM at her apartment only a block from the Capital Building in what is called the Capital Hill Neighborhood of D.C. She runs every morning completing what is about a six mile course, starting at the Capital, running through the National Mall, past the Washington Monument, along the Mall’s reflecting Pool, to the Lincoln Memorial, and back home. She said it is still dark outside when she starts, but on her return the sun is sometimes rising directly over the Capital’s dome. She said, “I’m there for the suns early light.”

SAMMY GORTON
Schmidt said she would also like to pass along a message to Debbie Gorton and Jessica Roberts, the mother and fiance of Sammy Gorton of the Second District who just began an Army tour of duty in Iraq. “I will keep them in my prayers. They must be proud, as I am proud, that he is willing to defend our freedom.” She said that Gorton is an “American hero.”

THE LOVELAND INITIATIVE
Schmidt and her staff said they will look into why the Loveland Initiative (formerly the Shalom Initiative) is losing use of the townhouse in the Westover Village Apartments they have occupied for the past ten years. The townhouse was originally used by the Loveland Police Department as a Police Sub-Station, but when this use was discontinued, permission was given to the Initiative to use the space for the Cool School tutoring program, a teen group, and numerous other community activities, initially serving the needs of the apartment residents but expanding to include many programs benefiting all of Loveland. The Shalom Teen Group organizes an annual celebration on the Martin Luther King Holiday, and received a State Award for the program presented by Governor Bob Taft.

After new owners recently purchased the apartment complex, the Initiative was given an 30-day eviction notice unless they could pay monthly rent of $620.00.

Schmidt directed her staff to check into why the Initiative has not gotten a response from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and why they are not forthcoming with requested records that may show the original agreement with the Loveland Police Department.

TOM DELAY
The Congresswoman said she was not going to return the money that Texas Congressman Tom DeLay gave her campaign. “Even if I return it, someone is still going to remind everyone that I took it in the first place. So, for some people it wouldn’t make a difference.

She also said that DeLay hasn’t yet been found guilty of anything. “He has only been charged with a crime by a Texas Prosecutor who is thinking about his own election in Texas.” She said Prosecutor Ronnie Earl went after Delay because he is so powerful and has built a huge following of other conservative House members in Washington. Schmidt's office is across the hall and four doors down from DeLay's.

Schmidt said she did not receive any of the money DeLay is accused of conspiring to “launder” from Texas businesses, through the Republican National Committee, and back to other Texas Republican hopefuls running for a seat in the Texas State House. Critics say it was these State office holders, that once elected, pushed through a scheme to divide Texas voting districts in a way that favored the election of Republicans to the U.S. House. “So, by hoping to bring down Tom DeLay, Ronnie Earl hopes to break up and destroy Delay’s power and national influence. Delay has been very good at pushing the conservative agenda in Washington,” Schmidt said. She also said the public would be hearing more about Earl’s own behavior, in the near future.