While listening to Mayor Kim Wolfe at the State of the City Address on Saturday Feb. 13, 2010 in Huntington it seems that although the city has accomplished a lot under the current mayor, there is still work to be done.
In the beginning the mayor talked about overcoming economic times, but more importantly he talked about how the city had overcome some of the obstacles during the recession. With the $1 increase in User Fee and federal funding, Huntington has been able to hire seven additional police officers. The mayor said that the User Fee has also paved more than $800,000 worth of streets and purchased equipment for Street and Traffic Engineering divisions.
Later in the speech the mayor said that Huntington received national attention when Jamie Oliver's television show was filmed in town. The mayor said that the kitchen that Oliver has donated to the area has greatly impacted the community’s health. The mayor also wanted to rid the title of "The fattest city in America" from Huntington.
The speech also included the proposed budget. Interestingly enough the proposed budget was approximately $5 million less than the budget from the 2009 fiscal year. The budget for the 2010 fiscal years has $2 million worth of grants taken away from it.
The second biggest cut in the budget came from police. There is more than likely a grant in place to make up the over $800,000 cut that the police will take considering the city hired seven new police officers.
Above all, the mayor seems to be directing Huntington towards the right direction. That direction is infrastructure. So far the mayor has cleaned up many of the roads in the area. He is also working on the Old main corridor and downtown corridor projects. With the budget constantly changing, it will be interesting to see what new challenges the mayor will face and how he will overcome them.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
All about the Budget
The 2010 fiscal year means less for Huntington and its’ surrounding businesses. Huntington mayor Kim Wolfe proposed a budget of $39,542,739 for 2010-2011 fiscal year.
The major contributors to this budget come from five different places. The Business and Occupation tax is projected to bring in the most amount at $15,500,000 approximately 39.6 percent of the 2010 proposed budget.
The next highest contributor to the budget is Municipal Service Fees at $6,150,000 about 15.8 percent of the budget.
Property Tax Current comes in third at $4,437,420, 11.3 percent and City Service Fees comes in fourth at $4,428,000, 11.3 percent.
Last but not least the Utility Tax is proposed at $2,200,000 approximately 5.6 percent.
In comparison to the 2009 fiscal year budget, the 2010 budget is approximately $4 million less. Wolfe addressed the issue of the economy and the future of Huntington’s budget if economic struggles should continue in his State of the City Address.
“Unfortunately, as the economic challenges that were broadcast on a national level hit home, we have been forced to reduce that budget for this current year to approximately $40 million,” Wolfe said. “Should the revenues continue to look as they have this current year, we may be forced to see an approximate 10-percent reduction in the revenues that are proposed this year, approximately $5 million.”
The budget for 2008-2009 fiscal year ended at $40,041,199 and the 2009-2010 budget is estimated at to end at $40,374,464 through June 30, 2010. The city made approximately $200,000 more between the two budgets and could possibly see a change like this next year.
The major contributors to this budget come from five different places. The Business and Occupation tax is projected to bring in the most amount at $15,500,000 approximately 39.6 percent of the 2010 proposed budget.
The next highest contributor to the budget is Municipal Service Fees at $6,150,000 about 15.8 percent of the budget.
Property Tax Current comes in third at $4,437,420, 11.3 percent and City Service Fees comes in fourth at $4,428,000, 11.3 percent.
Last but not least the Utility Tax is proposed at $2,200,000 approximately 5.6 percent.
In comparison to the 2009 fiscal year budget, the 2010 budget is approximately $4 million less. Wolfe addressed the issue of the economy and the future of Huntington’s budget if economic struggles should continue in his State of the City Address.
“Unfortunately, as the economic challenges that were broadcast on a national level hit home, we have been forced to reduce that budget for this current year to approximately $40 million,” Wolfe said. “Should the revenues continue to look as they have this current year, we may be forced to see an approximate 10-percent reduction in the revenues that are proposed this year, approximately $5 million.”
The budget for 2008-2009 fiscal year ended at $40,041,199 and the 2009-2010 budget is estimated at to end at $40,374,464 through June 30, 2010. The city made approximately $200,000 more between the two budgets and could possibly see a change like this next year.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Money Money Money
Nick J. Rahall II enters the 2010 election with a major advantage in campaign funds and fundraising as he has raised over fifteen times the amount of money in his campaign than his competitors combined in the 3rd District of West Virginia.
Rahall raised over fifteen times the amount of money than his competitors with a total of $383,242 according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Forty one percent of that money came from Itemized Individual contributions and over half came from Other Committee contributions such as Engineers Political Education Committee and the Ocean Champions Political Action Committee. Rahall spent $349,656 on his campaign and ended the year with $1,392,501 cash on hand.
The closest competitor to Rahall was Republican Conrad Lucas. Lucas was able to raise $16,555 in campaign funding which was. He spent $4,032 on his campaign and ended the year with $12,523 cash on hand. Rahall raised over twenty times the amount of campaign funding than Lucas.
After Lucas the next closest competitor in terms of fundraising is Republican Lee Allen Bias. Bias raised $16,417 in his campaign in 2009. He spent $5,331 on his campaign and ended the year with $11,085 cash on hand. One major set back to Bias’s campaign is that he ended the year $11,343 in debt, so he ended up spending $258 more than what he ended the year with. Rahall raised over twenty times more money than Bias did in 2009.
The final two competitors in the third district of West Virginia running against Rahall are Republicans Gary Gearheart and Elliot Edward Maynard. Both candidates did not raise any money for their campaigns in 2009, but are still listed in the FEC as competitors.
Looking at the numbers, Rahall raised $383,242 on his campaign and all of his other competitors raised a total of $32,972. That’s over fifteen times the amount Rahall raised. Rahall had a total of $1,392,501 cash on hand and the total amount his competitors is a mere $24,328 giving Rahall approximately $1,368,893 more than his competitors combined at the end of 2009. In the 2008 Senate race Rahall raised $592,271 and his only competitor Gary Gearheart raised no funds in his campaign. What does this funding mean for his election?
“It makes a lot of difference in what he can buy,” Marshall University Political Science Professor George Davis said, “He can put yard signs in every yard in West Virginia with that kind of money. Where it really makes a difference is lets say your someone who is running against Rahall and you go to me as a contributor and I know that Rahall has all this money and you don’t. You got $5,000 in the bank. Even as someone who might contribute to you, the reaction is going to be wait a minute you don’t have a shot.”
Money makes all the difference in an election. The movie Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore is similar to what Rahall’s competitors are facing in the upcoming election. In the movie grassroots candidate Jeff Smith is running for the open seat in U.S. Congress in St. Louis. The main nominee in this election is Democrat Russ Carnahan. Carnahan was not an incumbent like Rahall, however his parents were well known figures in politics giving the Carnahan name an edge. The Rahall name is also well known in the 3rd District. Smith had to begin his campaign from the ground up and that meant going door to door in the streets of St. Louis trying to gain support. Rahall’s competitors will have to do the same if they wish to receive any support in West Virginia’s 3rd District because of the influences that Rahall has in this area.
Rahall is Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. With this status Rahall has been able to bring money to West Virginia to preserve some of its natural resources. The southern coalfields make up a huge chunk of West Virginia’s 3rd District and Rahall has done a lot of work for mine safety in these areas. After the Saco mine accident in 2006, Rahall was able to bring in approximately $4,000,000 to West Virginia coal companies for mine safety.
It is a busy time of year for candidates in the election period. Even more so for the candidates who are looking to get re-elected. Rahall has to juggle serving in U.S. Congress, checking with his constituents and this year trying to establish a campaign race to keep his time in office alive. Reaching Rahall was a challenge. Emails and phone calls later no one was able to contact me on the current stats of Rahall’s campaign. The Huntington and Beckley offices said that someone in a different office had to answer any questions about campaigning. No one in these offices could comment on his campaign. No word yet on how much funding Rahall has received since Dec. 1, 2009, but whenever the office that deals with campaigning has time to respond, these numbers will be released.
Rahall raised over fifteen times the amount of money than his competitors with a total of $383,242 according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Forty one percent of that money came from Itemized Individual contributions and over half came from Other Committee contributions such as Engineers Political Education Committee and the Ocean Champions Political Action Committee. Rahall spent $349,656 on his campaign and ended the year with $1,392,501 cash on hand.
The closest competitor to Rahall was Republican Conrad Lucas. Lucas was able to raise $16,555 in campaign funding which was. He spent $4,032 on his campaign and ended the year with $12,523 cash on hand. Rahall raised over twenty times the amount of campaign funding than Lucas.
After Lucas the next closest competitor in terms of fundraising is Republican Lee Allen Bias. Bias raised $16,417 in his campaign in 2009. He spent $5,331 on his campaign and ended the year with $11,085 cash on hand. One major set back to Bias’s campaign is that he ended the year $11,343 in debt, so he ended up spending $258 more than what he ended the year with. Rahall raised over twenty times more money than Bias did in 2009.
The final two competitors in the third district of West Virginia running against Rahall are Republicans Gary Gearheart and Elliot Edward Maynard. Both candidates did not raise any money for their campaigns in 2009, but are still listed in the FEC as competitors.
Looking at the numbers, Rahall raised $383,242 on his campaign and all of his other competitors raised a total of $32,972. That’s over fifteen times the amount Rahall raised. Rahall had a total of $1,392,501 cash on hand and the total amount his competitors is a mere $24,328 giving Rahall approximately $1,368,893 more than his competitors combined at the end of 2009. In the 2008 Senate race Rahall raised $592,271 and his only competitor Gary Gearheart raised no funds in his campaign. What does this funding mean for his election?
“It makes a lot of difference in what he can buy,” Marshall University Political Science Professor George Davis said, “He can put yard signs in every yard in West Virginia with that kind of money. Where it really makes a difference is lets say your someone who is running against Rahall and you go to me as a contributor and I know that Rahall has all this money and you don’t. You got $5,000 in the bank. Even as someone who might contribute to you, the reaction is going to be wait a minute you don’t have a shot.”
Money makes all the difference in an election. The movie Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore is similar to what Rahall’s competitors are facing in the upcoming election. In the movie grassroots candidate Jeff Smith is running for the open seat in U.S. Congress in St. Louis. The main nominee in this election is Democrat Russ Carnahan. Carnahan was not an incumbent like Rahall, however his parents were well known figures in politics giving the Carnahan name an edge. The Rahall name is also well known in the 3rd District. Smith had to begin his campaign from the ground up and that meant going door to door in the streets of St. Louis trying to gain support. Rahall’s competitors will have to do the same if they wish to receive any support in West Virginia’s 3rd District because of the influences that Rahall has in this area.
Rahall is Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. With this status Rahall has been able to bring money to West Virginia to preserve some of its natural resources. The southern coalfields make up a huge chunk of West Virginia’s 3rd District and Rahall has done a lot of work for mine safety in these areas. After the Saco mine accident in 2006, Rahall was able to bring in approximately $4,000,000 to West Virginia coal companies for mine safety.
It is a busy time of year for candidates in the election period. Even more so for the candidates who are looking to get re-elected. Rahall has to juggle serving in U.S. Congress, checking with his constituents and this year trying to establish a campaign race to keep his time in office alive. Reaching Rahall was a challenge. Emails and phone calls later no one was able to contact me on the current stats of Rahall’s campaign. The Huntington and Beckley offices said that someone in a different office had to answer any questions about campaigning. No one in these offices could comment on his campaign. No word yet on how much funding Rahall has received since Dec. 1, 2009, but whenever the office that deals with campaigning has time to respond, these numbers will be released.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
State of the City
As I was listening to Mayor Kim Wolfe at the State of the City Address in Huntington it occurred to me that although the city has accomplished a lot under the current mayor, there is still work to be done.
In the beginning the mayor talked about overcoming economic times, but more importantly he talked about how the city had overcome some of the obstacles during the recession. With the $1 dollar increase in User Fee and federal funding, Huntington has been able to hire 7 additional police officers. The mayor said the the User Fee has also paved more than $800,000 worth of streets and purchased equipment for Street and Traffic Engineering divisions.
Later in the speech the mayor said that Huntington received national attention when Jamie Oliver's television show was filmed in town. The mayor said that the kitchen that Oliver has donated to the area has greatly impacted the communities health. The mayor also wanted to rid the title of "The fattest city in America" from Huntington.
The speech also included the proposed budget. Interestingly enough the proposed budget was approximately $5 million less than the budget from the 2009 fiscal year. The budget for the 2010 fiscal years has $2 million dollars worth of grants taken away from it. The second biggest cut in the budget came from police. I presume that there is a grant in place to make up the over $800,000 cut that the police will take considering the city hired seven new police officers.
Above all, I believe the mayor is directing Huntington in the right direction. That direction is infrastructure. So far the mayor has cleaned up many of the roads in the area. He is also working on the Old main corridor and downtown corridor projects. With the budget constantly changing, I will be anxious to see what new challenges the mayor will face and how he will overcome them.
In the beginning the mayor talked about overcoming economic times, but more importantly he talked about how the city had overcome some of the obstacles during the recession. With the $1 dollar increase in User Fee and federal funding, Huntington has been able to hire 7 additional police officers. The mayor said the the User Fee has also paved more than $800,000 worth of streets and purchased equipment for Street and Traffic Engineering divisions.
Later in the speech the mayor said that Huntington received national attention when Jamie Oliver's television show was filmed in town. The mayor said that the kitchen that Oliver has donated to the area has greatly impacted the communities health. The mayor also wanted to rid the title of "The fattest city in America" from Huntington.
The speech also included the proposed budget. Interestingly enough the proposed budget was approximately $5 million less than the budget from the 2009 fiscal year. The budget for the 2010 fiscal years has $2 million dollars worth of grants taken away from it. The second biggest cut in the budget came from police. I presume that there is a grant in place to make up the over $800,000 cut that the police will take considering the city hired seven new police officers.
Above all, I believe the mayor is directing Huntington in the right direction. That direction is infrastructure. So far the mayor has cleaned up many of the roads in the area. He is also working on the Old main corridor and downtown corridor projects. With the budget constantly changing, I will be anxious to see what new challenges the mayor will face and how he will overcome them.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Women and Minorities... What Women Want... Respect
Reading this book provides viewers with insights on the idea that it is now a women’s world. I do not agree that it is a women’s world today, but who knows what the future will hold. The book has many different points of view that lead readers to believe that the accomplishments are greater than men and that women are leading the ways of the world. This is true in some cases but not all. Women have come a long way from tending to children and taking care of the house and they should be recognized for their achievements in politics, sciences and in various businesses.
Women have established themselves as equals to men, this report agrees, but I do not believe it is yet a women’s world. The fact that a black male was able to become president first leads me to believe that it is not a women’s world. I feel that the future may also bring a female to the reins of president. Sarah Palin seems set on making sure a women gets into office in 2012, however, only time will tell whether or not our nation is ready for a female president.
Not only is it hard for a woman to get elected into an office, but imagine being a woman of race. A good example to provide that women have come a long way would be Judge Sonia Sotomayor. She had to overcome speculations about her when she was running for the Supreme Court.
After reading the beginnings of this book it made me think about what women want. They may want to run the country as well as the world but I think more importantly they want the same respect as men in office. They want to be known for their accomplishments and not having their work be tossed to the side just because they are women.
Women have established themselves as equals to men, this report agrees, but I do not believe it is yet a women’s world. The fact that a black male was able to become president first leads me to believe that it is not a women’s world. I feel that the future may also bring a female to the reins of president. Sarah Palin seems set on making sure a women gets into office in 2012, however, only time will tell whether or not our nation is ready for a female president.
Not only is it hard for a woman to get elected into an office, but imagine being a woman of race. A good example to provide that women have come a long way would be Judge Sonia Sotomayor. She had to overcome speculations about her when she was running for the Supreme Court.
After reading the beginnings of this book it made me think about what women want. They may want to run the country as well as the world but I think more importantly they want the same respect as men in office. They want to be known for their accomplishments and not having their work be tossed to the side just because they are women.
Mayor v Me
At the end of January I was able to attend a open forum with the mayor at a diner on Hal Greer Blvd. It was a good chance for me to sit down with the mayor for a one on one conversation regarding the issues facing the city of Huntington. We talked about what the big plans were for the future of the city and how that now the pension problems are slowing fading away, the mayor can switch his attention to the issues of the city.
Huntington roads, as most of us know, are filed with pot holes. This is a problem that the mayor has address to me and he knows something has to be done about it, weather pending. The roads are just one major issue, there is also the Old Main corridor project underway. The idea behind this project was to get Marshall students to go downtown and visit the area businesses and restaurants. The project will help with security and safety of the streets. There will be lights installed and patrols working long hours on the project.
There are many issues that face Huntington coming up in the near future. The State of the City Address is coming up and with that will come the budget of Huntington. When this is issued the local citizen will have an idea of where their money is going.
Huntington roads, as most of us know, are filed with pot holes. This is a problem that the mayor has address to me and he knows something has to be done about it, weather pending. The roads are just one major issue, there is also the Old Main corridor project underway. The idea behind this project was to get Marshall students to go downtown and visit the area businesses and restaurants. The project will help with security and safety of the streets. There will be lights installed and patrols working long hours on the project.
There are many issues that face Huntington coming up in the near future. The State of the City Address is coming up and with that will come the budget of Huntington. When this is issued the local citizen will have an idea of where their money is going.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Proposal
To: Editor Burnis Morris
From: Solomon FIzer
Subject: Local bars and clubs serve people under age patrons.
Scope: We will conduct research on people that go to bars and clubs that serve drinks to patrons less than 21 years of age. We will research the records of bars and clubs that have received fines from the liquor commissioner for serving under aged patrons.
Need: People need to know that their children may be served alcohol illegally if they enter a club. We will research possible cases of drunk driving accidents where under aged adults were involved.
Methods: We want to bring this story together by mentioning the laws for alcohol consumption. Afterwards we will move onto facts about how many under age people are arrested for drinking. Then we would move onto local fines that liquor commissioners have placed on bars and clubs in the past 2 years. We will then tie it all together with interviews with local police, clubs employees, and under aged people.
Sources: This story will be drawn together by fines from liquor commissioners and interviews from under aged people who enter clubs. We also will have interviews from club employee’s and if possible management. We would also like to interview parents of children who tend to go to clubs in a constant basis. We would also like to interview local law enforcement and the mayor.
Presentation: This will be a single investigative story that would lay down all the facts and information that we have. We would also like to have a comments section that would give locals a chance to respond.
Follow-up: A good follow up story would be what clubs, bars, and police are doing to crack down on under aged drinking. We will see if anything has been put into place so under aged drinking can be prevented.
From: Solomon FIzer
Subject: Local bars and clubs serve people under age patrons.
Scope: We will conduct research on people that go to bars and clubs that serve drinks to patrons less than 21 years of age. We will research the records of bars and clubs that have received fines from the liquor commissioner for serving under aged patrons.
Need: People need to know that their children may be served alcohol illegally if they enter a club. We will research possible cases of drunk driving accidents where under aged adults were involved.
Methods: We want to bring this story together by mentioning the laws for alcohol consumption. Afterwards we will move onto facts about how many under age people are arrested for drinking. Then we would move onto local fines that liquor commissioners have placed on bars and clubs in the past 2 years. We will then tie it all together with interviews with local police, clubs employees, and under aged people.
Sources: This story will be drawn together by fines from liquor commissioners and interviews from under aged people who enter clubs. We also will have interviews from club employee’s and if possible management. We would also like to interview parents of children who tend to go to clubs in a constant basis. We would also like to interview local law enforcement and the mayor.
Presentation: This will be a single investigative story that would lay down all the facts and information that we have. We would also like to have a comments section that would give locals a chance to respond.
Follow-up: A good follow up story would be what clubs, bars, and police are doing to crack down on under aged drinking. We will see if anything has been put into place so under aged drinking can be prevented.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Truth Unfolds
While searching the Internet for investigative articles I found one that really caught my interest. The article was a report on the torture and killings of Afghan civilians under President Barak Obama. The story is investigative because there are questions concerning the killings of Afghan civilians.
The article does not have any interviews from Obama or any one in his administration, but it had interviews with members of the military. The article has interviews from people who have been captured by the military and sent to prisons where they were tortured. Other interviews were from family members who have missing siblings.
The only documents in the articles were court cases and statistics of the prison population.
This article would reach out to human rights activists, the military and their families. It will also affect the people in the Middle East.
The article was released on Feb. 1, 2010 but has yet to reach some of the bigger media outlets. The title of the article is somewhat over dramatic but the author does back it up in the story. This article was a project idea and research for this story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
The article does not have any interviews from Obama or any one in his administration, but it had interviews with members of the military. The article has interviews from people who have been captured by the military and sent to prisons where they were tortured. Other interviews were from family members who have missing siblings.
The only documents in the articles were court cases and statistics of the prison population.
This article would reach out to human rights activists, the military and their families. It will also affect the people in the Middle East.
The article was released on Feb. 1, 2010 but has yet to reach some of the bigger media outlets. The title of the article is somewhat over dramatic but the author does back it up in the story. This article was a project idea and research for this story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
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