Ohio River Is Increasingly Contaminated By Bromides: Cincinnati Monitoring Agency Sees 'High Concentrations' In Water Samples

Ohio River Hit With Bromide Increase

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Up to five times as much bromide is showing up in the river than in the past.  The spike is causing deep concern that drinking water supplies for millions who depend on the Ohio River -- including about 900,000 in the Cincinnati area -- will be damaged by a toxic chemical that forms when bromide-containing water is disinfected.  Puzzled officials have ordered research and haven't pinpointed a cause -- although many suspect the natural gas drilling industry is responsible. Bromides are  from seawater, and that is where the gas deposits exist, deep underground where the gas wells tap ancient seabeds under modern Ohio.  Bromide is a chemical salt that forms substances called trihalomethanes when raw water is chlorinated and treated by a a drinking water plant like the Cincinnati Water Works.  Documents from ORSANCO, a multi-state agency in Cincinnati that monitors water quality in the Ohio River, show bromide levels have soared, which is spooking officials.  Earlier this year, the agency was told:  "Bromide levels in the River are increasing, with some recent high concentrations four to five times higher than the levels found several years ago.  Bromide levels have put several utilities close to exceeding EPA's disinfection criteria."  In June, ORSANCO ordered, "Research should continue with an emphasis on bromide."  No source of the bromide spike is identified, but the rise in Ohio River levels appears to coincide with a boom in natural gas drilling that began in 2008.

Cincinnati's drinking water remains safe, although the highest level of trihalomethanes detected was in 2010, according to reports compiled under the Safe Drinking Water Act.  The 2011 data is not complete because the year hasn't ended.  The reports are available on the city's website.

Ford Puts $128 Million More Into Ohio Auto Plant: Didn't GOP Job Killers Romney and Kasich Want The Industry To Die?

Ohio Gov. John Kasich Thumbed The Automakers

By DON POTTS

BELLWETHER CONTRIBUTOR

CINCINNATI (TDB) --  Ohio's Republican Gov. John Kasich continues his unearned Victory Tour, but all he's really doing is hitching a ride.  He's showing up when automakers invest in their plants.  Nevermind that Kasich favored allowing the industry to collapse.  On Tuesday, Ford Motor Co. announced it will invest $128 million to retool the Avon Lake Assembly Plant in Lorain County. The investment will keep the plant open and protects 1,900 Ohio jobs.  Ford’s commitment follows on the heels of similar investments this year by General Motors and Chrysler in their Ohio operations.  In May, GM announced it will spend $260 million and hire up to 400 workers at their Powertrain plant in Toledo.  Last month Chrysler announced a massive $1.7 billion investment at their Toledo Jeep Plant that will add 1,100 new jobs to the Ohio economy.  Not too shabby for an industry that was on the brink of collapse in 2008 and, despite the best efforts of the GOP to kill it, was only saved by President Obama and Congressional Democrats pushing through a loan package that saved thousands of jobs and enabled GM and Chrysler to keep the lights on and return to profitability.

Kasich was front and center at each of these announcements.  Ironic as he strongly opposed the bailouts but has no problem showing up for events heralding its success.

No Free Ride in 2012 for Republican Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Hartmann: This Time, a Democrat Will Run

No Deal Between GOP and Dems For Hamilton County Commission

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The era of the deal has ended.  Democrat Greg Harris, a former Cincinnati council member who lost his seat two years ago, is running for a spot on the Hamilton County Commission.  That means GOP Commissioner Greg Hartmann will have to campaign and actually face the voters this year -- something he escaped in 2008 when the leaders of both political parties made a backroom deal to give him a free pass for his first term.  When Democrats complained about the 2008 deal, Republican Chairman Alex Triantafilou called them "radicals."  But democracy has bloomed in this year of the Arab Spring.  Triantafilou, Hartmann and the GOP will have to work to hold the seat.  Harris, 40, holds a Ph.D. from Miami University.  He is a West Sider and used his stint on Cincinnati's Council to push for reforms that included consolidation of city and county services to save money.

Cleveland City Council Agrees 18-1 to Support Occupy Movement: Green Party Councilman Helps Push Measure To Vote

Cleveland Council Votes To Support Occupy 

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Ohio Daily Blog reports that Cleveland's Council has ordered copies of a resolution supporting the Occupy movement  be sent to President Obama and all members of Congress.  The resoultion was adopted last night.  A link to the Occupy Cleveland website is available here, and the protesters are on the public square hoping to get electric for their tents before they "freeze their asses off" as a recent bulletin from the site said.  Unlike Cincinnati, where police forced the occupiers out of Piatt Park, the Clevelanders remain entrenched and appear quite active.  Cleveland Councilman Brian Cummins, who pushed the resolution through, had been a Democrat until 2010, when he switched to the Green Party, which has only a handful of officeholders in Ohio. Cummins was a banker at National City, then worked for the Peace Corps. Cleveland has been hard hit by the loss of manufacturing jobs, foreclosures and the banking crisis. About 82,000 unemployed people live in the 3-county Cleveland metro area where the jobless rate has been hovering around 8 percent.

Ohio Lawmakers Scratch Themselves From Double-Dip Ban: New GOP Pension Reform Plan Targets Teachers, Cops, Firefighters

Ohio Lawmakers Exempted From State Pension Reform Measure

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A new Republican-sponsored bill to eliminate "double dipping" in Ohio's state pension programs contains a loophole that exempts elected officials from the proposed ban.  The Republicans go after state workers -- but not themselves.  In other words, legislators could double dip even if the bill becomes law.  House Bill 388 was filed last week by State Rep. Rex Damschroder, R-Fremont, a lawmaker who clearly knows how to get around barriers.  Damschorder was  term-limited out of the House in 2003 after 8 years in office -- he sat out 8 years and is back in office.  After filing the bill, Damschroder told reporters a pension is supposed to replace a paycheck.  But that's not in the fine print.

Ohio's Top 10 Conservative Blogs: Timbre, Influence and Sway From the Right

Ohio's Top 10 Conservative Blogs

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Drumroll, please.  The selection process was designed not to be transparent.  It consisted of The Daily Bellwether calling and e-mailing a select group of 35 politicos, journalists, academics and others who pay close attention to public affairs and policy in Ohio.  The prime directive: A blog had to consistently generate musings and material from the right side of the spectrum; it had to be red.  The selectors recommended candidates and a consensus was developed.  The proceedings were kept entirely secret.  Opinions came in from all regions of the state and from as far away as California and Washington D.C.  A cross-section of ideology and political philosophy was represented on the selection panel, whose identities will not be revealed.  Here's the list of Ohio's reigning Top 10 Conservative Blogs, along with the honorable mentions:

1. Bizzyblog.


2  Thurber's Thoughts.


3.  Weapons of Mass Discussion.


4. Brain Shavings.


5. The Freedom Diva.


6. Porkopolis.


7.  Collecting My Thoughts.


8. Liberally Conserative.


9. Taxman Blog.


10. Andy's Angle.



The honorable mentions are Just Blowing Smoke, Invincible Armor, Repeal the 17th Amendment and Buckeye Rino.

Looking for a Job or Career Change? Job Seekers Should Flock to Ohio's Employment Search Engine, the Place for Paychecks

Ohiomeansjobs.com is fantastic employment search engine

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- With the U.S. Labor Department reporting job growth lackluster at best over the past year, many are wondering just where they can go to look for work or a career change. It turns out Ohio has created a fantastic spot to search for a job or career opening.  The free access website  Ohiomeansjobs.com lists thousands of employment opportunities from companies that say, "Now hiring."  Everybody from General Electric Co. to the Public Library in Cincinnati posts their job openings.  Using the website beats pounding the bricks and should be a vastly popular option for job seekers.    Ohiomeansjobs.com is a public service website operated by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services,  a state agency whose mission includes connecting workers and employers.    When The Bellwether checked Ohiomeansjobs.com, it found job openings in retail trade, leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, health care, construction and manufacturing.  Law enforcement job openings are posted, along with spots for faculty members in colleges around the state.

Special Prosecutor Handling DUI vs. Leslie Ghiz's Hubby: Suspension Shows Spouse Gave Cops Ontario License

Ghiz's Hubby License Suspension Report

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- While defeated Cincinnati Councilwoman Leslie Ghiz's replacement was being sworn in today, city lawyers were in Muny Court seeking a special prosecutor to handle a drunk-driving case against her husband, Stephen G. Aziz.  He was arrested at 10:34 p.m. on the night before Thanksgiving.  They withdrew because Ghiz was still on council when he was charged Nov. 23 -- the city prosecutors office wanted to avoid any possible or potential conflict of interest.  Court records show Aziz, who married Ghiz in November 2007, is accused of refusing a sobriety breath test test after crashing his SUV on Linwood Avenue.  Police confiscated his license at the scene.  The ticket shows he gave officers a Canadian driver's license from Ontario.  His address was listed as a residence in the Cincinnati neighborhood of North Avondale, in a home he purchased with Ghiz and where they have lived during her years on council.  Of course, most of the above is the police version of  events.  Aziz has not yet had an opportunity to present his side, and an arrest does not mean he is guilty of a crime.  According to his wedding license, Aziz is a Canadian by birth.  But if he is an Ohio resident, he should have an Ohio driver's license.

Oh-01 GOP Steve Chabot Slips On A Banana Peel: Kasich Sends $16 Million To Spanish Solar Firm, State Incentive Package Far Larger Than $6.5 Million Chiquita Offered

Ohio Offered More To Spanish Solar Firm Than Chiquita

[UPDATE 12/4 6:11 p.m.  -- Progress Ohio has the latest on Gov. Kasich's $400 million bid to lure Sears Holding Co. to Columbus.  Now reporting the bid equals ailing retailer's losses in latest financial quarter.]


CINCINNATI (TDB) -- An official short shrift that helped shove Chiquita out of Ohio?  The state economic development aid package for Spain's Isofoton, S.A., is nearly $9.5 million more than its bid to keep Chiquita's corporate headquarters with 313 jobs in downtown Cincinnati.  Isofoton, with $15.8 million from the state, plans to open a factory with 121 jobs making solar panels in Northwest Ohio.  Chiquita didn't get such a sweet deal -- it got a $6.5 million offer from Kasich.  The better deal was $22.7 million from North Carolina; Chiquita grabbed the money and peeled out of town.  The banana company announced this week it will pack up for new digs in Charlotte.  Meanwhile, over the past six weeks Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot has been bashing the Obama Administration for wasting job stimulus money dollars on investments in foreign solar power firms.  Chabot, whose first district covers a significant chunk of Hamilton County, thinks the promised green jobs don't materialize.  The Cincinnati congressman grumped Nov. 2 about "79 percent of stimulus funds for 'green' energy projects that went to FOREIGN firms."  Chabot used all capital letters to emphasize the money was going to "foreign" firms.  So far, Chabot hasn't beefed about Chiquita's departure, which is a major economic blow to the city he represents.  And he hasn't had anything to say about Kasich's package of grants, loans and other incentives for a Spanish "green energy" corporation.