- There’s something about the city of Akron and properties
being sold for a buck. A few decades ago, the city and University of Akron made
a deal for the now-defunct Rubber Bowl stadium for $1 and as of today, a vacant
92-year-old bungalow in the industrial city has made history by selling at a
sheriff's auction for just $1, a price made possible by a revision of Ohio law
governing public auctions last year. This history was made possible in the
center of Summit County by the passing of House Bill 390 last summer. The new
law allows vacant homes to be sold for less than two-thirds of their appraised
value at public auctions across Ohio and the so-called "fast-track
foreclosure bill" also decreases the time abandoned properties are wrapped
up in foreclosure suits to as little as six months, before they can attract a
criminal element or deteriorate further. It seems like a measure passed with
good intentions, but it also creates a shady underside to the real estate world
where banks or savvy individuals can swoop in and purchase properties for
amounts less than what it takes to have a delicious sandwich and chips at
Diamond Deli. In this case, government records show that no one challenged
Citizens Bank's winning $1 bid, so the bank was able to sneak in the back door
- which was probably poorly maintained, falling off its hinges and in need of a
paint job - and snag the home for the prevailing rate for properties no one
really wants in Akron…….
- Bill Nye the repackaged TV guy……got a show on a streaming
service and now has to wonder if anyone will watch. Nye, who people came to
know for his educational science show, “Bill Nye The Science Guy,” which ran
from 1993-98, has more recently been in a very limited spotlight for going toe
to toe with faith-based groups in the never-ending debate between science and
religion, but he’ll try to change that focus when he returns to the small
screen in 2017 for a new Netflix series, “Bill Nye Saves the World.” Netflix announced
back in August that they had signed Nye for a new show, but details had been
scarce up to this point. Each episode of the show will, according to a Netflix statement,
“tackle a topic from a scientific point of view, dispelling myths, and refuting
anti-scientific claims that may be espoused by politicians, religious leaders
or titans of industry.” The company believes Nye’s “unfiltered style” will
facilitate meaningful conversations as he brings in guests, conducts
experiments and demonstrations and attempts to bring the facts to the
forefront. He’ll share the stage with global correspondents Emily Calandrelli,
Joanna Hausmann, Nazeem Hussain, Karlie Kloss and Derek Muller and presumably,
with a relatively small number of viewers who have an interest in this sort of
niche programming………
- Viva la rage, eh Mexico? There are plenty of reasons to be
muy furioso south of the border - ones that have nothing to do with the Circus
Peanut-Elect about take office in that country up north, and that fact was
evidenced by this week’s continued protests over the hike in gasoline prices
that took effect on New Year's Day. The uprisings are surging across Mexico,
with truckers, transportation workers, grassroots activists and others joining
what is shaping up as a new movement against President Enrique Peña Nieto's
administration. Due to the price ceiling increase, gas prices have by increased
as much as 14 percent and premium prices by as much as 20 percent over the
highest levels in December. That rise has sparked rather angry protests in 29
of Mexico's 32 states, with demonstrators blocking highways, marching through
the streets and staging sit-ins at facilities belonging to state-owned oil
giant Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and National Tax Administration offices. The
week kicked off with one particularly ambitious group blockading a privately
owned gasoline station on Mexico City's main boulevard, shouting: "The
people, united, will never be defeated!" Another bold group blocked
traffic on a busy highway leading into the capital from the west and held up a
banner reading "Enough already!" Some of the best action took place
in Guadalajara, the capital of the western state of Jalisco, where some 3,000
people took to the streets across the metropolitan area to protest the rise in
fuel prices, blocking some of the main thoroughfares in the area. In defense of
the new law, the Mexican government says the deregulation is aimed at ending
subsidies that largely benefit wealthier Mexicans……..
- The offseason begins and Pacman returns. Cincinnati
Bengals cornerback Adam Jones, who was, is and always will be known as Pacman
to those who have followed him throughout his career, added a rousing sixth
arrest to his criminal ledger with quite a performance earlier this week. The
scene: A hotel near the Bengals' stadium and the city's entertainment district
in downtown Cincinnati. The actions: Jones, running up and down the halls
around midnight, yelling and banging on random doors. Predictably, someone
called security and when hotel security dared to demand that Jones cease and
desist, he responded by allegedly pushing a security guard and poking him in
the eye and then refusing to comply with police officers called to the scene to
quell his rage. Disrespecting a hotel security guard certainly isn't anything
novel, but Jones kicked it up a notch when he refused to enter the police car
and allegedly pulled away before kicking and head-butting an officer, according
to police records. The lack of cooperation continued at the jail, where Jones
allegedly fought back against a nurse who tried to draw a blood sample for use
in the case. All told, he now faces misdemeanor charges of assault, disorderly
conduct and obstructing official business, and a felony count of harassment
with a bodily substance. To further add a dose of absurdity to the proceedings,
Jones made his initial court appearance in the case with a public defender,
Lauren Staley, who said Jones "vehemently" denied all charges and
said that he has witnesses to counter the allegations. Staley isn't long for
the case, as she said Jones will hire an attorney who will try to explain why
it’s not a big deal that he allegedly spit on the hand of a nurse while he was
being booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center. All in all, it was a nice
one-night revival of the Pacman we’ve all known to grow and appreciate, but who
has been largely dormant in recent years……..
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