Detour

Looking for Muley?

…….then head east, turn right at the ocean, and you’ll find him here.

Just Fish……………..A Muley Moment

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Well folks, we’re into my fourth month back here in Wilmington, N.C. and I have to tell you, one of the main reason’s for my fondness of the area is my Love for salt-water fishing. I started to fish here back in the summer of 1978, with the help of a few locals who took a liking to this old yankee, on the old Crystal Pier at Wrightsville Beach. That summer, I would come out to the pier in the evenings from work, and just stand out on the end of the pier and observe. Being from the North, and being somewhat aggressive, I didn’t want to step on any toes, so I would just watch, listen and pay close attention. The techniques, the people, the equipment, all these things, I would just absorb it all and try to make new friends.

And I think it paid off for me. On my return, I’ve been able to renew those aquaintenances, those friendships from years gone by. Although Crystal Pier is not the same as it was years ago, I’ve found that I can enjoy the memories of Crystal Pier just as well from the Jolly Roger Pier on Topsail Island, just a short drive north up hwy 17. Although I’ve left most of my fishing gear in Ohio, I did bring a wealth of knowledge and memories with me on my return.

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In the coming weeks, as the coastal waters warm up, I’ll try to shift this blog from things about Lorain, Ohio, my beloved home town, to a more local flavor. As with this article, I will be writing news and stories on fishermen, their catch and other fishing lore from time to time, I hope you will enjoy them all. But don’t get me wrong, I’ll still write about politics, dumb stuff (they go together) and other articles of note.

 In the mean time, any of you locals care to brag about your catch, or tell us your “honey hole”, drop me a line.

If you have that “special” fish tale you want to share, just e-mail me at: muley17@yahoo.com and I will be more than happy to share it with all of you old salts.

Have a good day fishing, and make it better by taking a kid with you.

I’m So Glad…….I’m Glad

I’m soooo glad to be back in Wilmington, and just in time for the 62nd annual North Carolina Azalea Festival, which started yesterday with the official coronation of the Azalea Queen and her Court.

Also, I’m so glad that I’m an official resident of the State of North Carolina and the City of Wilmington, having secured a new driver’s license, plate’s for the MuleyMobile, insurance, and most important………………A Job!

Although yesterday and today’s forcast call for off and on showers, tomorrow and the rest of the weekend should be beautiful, with clear skies and temps in the mid 70’s, surely encouraging for the estimated 300,000 folks who are expected for the weekend festivities. I’m thinking my personal fav will be the street fair. with a ton of food vendors, non-stop musical acts, and a great fireworks display saturday evening.

(source)

While I’m soooo glad to be back in Wilmington, I’m also sad that I no longer get to see some very wonderful friends that I met through the years in my hometown of Lorain, Ohio. Loraine, Paula, Kelly……three woman who I really enjoyed reading about. Brian, the guy who isn’t afraid to say it like it is. And Scott…….what else can I say. He’s the one who got it all started for us bloggers in Lorain, Ohio. I will miss you guys all so much, and hope we can at least stay in contact through our writings on the internets.

Stay well, Lorain, Ohio

You will be missed……..well, almost

I’m So Glad

Cream

OMF******GOD

Can you(us) believe this is happening?……………….

………..YES WE CAN

Azalea Festival 2009………..Sheer Beauty

Another North Carolina Azalea Festival is fast approaching. Azaleas are starting to bloom, along with the Dogwoods and others of the Cape Fear region.  I, myself, have been absent from the Wilmington area for over 20 years, so I have not witnessed the beauty of the spring bloom in the Wilmington area for quite some time.

This year’s festival marks the 62nd annual North Carolina Festival in the city of Wilmington. For over a half a century, the festival has been a source of pride for many Wilmingtonians, starting with the coronation of the Official Azalea Queen and her Court, then throughout the week, the citizens can enjoy such entertainment as the Cole Bros circus, concerts, a street fair, garden tours, a parade, all to showcase what the south is all about. This years queen , just announced last week is Amrapali Ambegaokar. She was the silver winner in the solo competition on Superstars of Dance, the show produced and directed by mastermind Nigel Lithgow (American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance) during the finale on January 26, 2009. Other notables to have held throne over the Azalea Festival are:  actress and champion swimmer Esther Williams, actresses Polly Bergen, Shelly Fabares, Joan Van Ark, Sharon Gless, Phylicia Rashad, Kim Zimmer and talk show diva Kelly Ripa.

“I Wonder”

This years headlining concerts will feature the reigning American Idol Champion, David Cook and country superstar Kellie Pickler. Past entertainers have been a very diverse group also, such as: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Carrie Underwood, The Beach Boys, Alabama, The Judds, Jessica Simpson and Natalie Cole. Also a must-see while in town are the Garden Tours throughout the area. The Azalea Garden Tour begins Friday, April 3, 2009 with the colorful ribbon cutting ceremony at the home of Rick and Myrna Willetts. Located in the historic Forrest Hills area, the 1939 antebellum style home was built by the current owner’s grandfather. Many of the original plantings still grace this grand garden including azaleas, maples and camellias. Queen Azalea LXII and her court preside over the ceremony. The Summerall Guards, the Citadels elite senior drill team, escort over 100 beautiful Azalea Belles dressed in authentic antebellum gowns. Local and national celebrities are also present to celebrate the event, including Joe Gallison (Days of Our Lives) and Nicholas Braun (Without a Trace and Law & Order:SVU),. Following the ceremony, members of The Cape Fear Garden Club serve refreshments and hundreds of homemade cookies. Musical entertainment and media coverage complete this exciting event.

Tickets for all events may be purchased at the North Carolina Azalea Festival ticket office located at 5725 Oleander Dr in the Oleander Oaks Shopping center, or by clicking on this link.

A schedule of all events during the 62nd Annual Azalea Festival can be viewed at this link.

I hope to see and meet many of you at the festivities. Have some fun, winter is over.

 

Grab a Hanky….You’ll Need One

Just happened to be watching Ophra on friday, and thought I’d share this with you in case you didn’t see it.

Here, just in case……..

(source)

“Hey Y’all………….I moved”

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My dear readers; As some of you are aware, I relocated myself and Muley’s Cafe 2.0 to Wilmington, N.C. The Blizzard of 78′ sent me packin’ to sunny North Carolina years ago, where I spent about 10 years really, really enjoying “Life”. I started out in my new confines on January1, 2009 and plan to spend the rest of my life here to make things as good as I can for myself. I want to thank all you friends and commenters who have taken time from your day to stop in and visit the ol’ mulemeister. Not sure how this blog is going to take to sunny North Carolina and it’s sunny beaches, but with a few extra cans of keyboard duster, (to keep sand out :0) we’ll manage. Stay tune to Muley’s Cafe 2.0 in the near future and I’ll post some news about my new environment.

Take care y’all

Oh My Sweet Carolina

Ryan Adams and Emmylou Harris

(lyrics)

Danger, Danger, Will Robinson

This, from the BBC online today:

“Microsoft is continuing its investigation of public reports of attacks against a new vulnerability in Internet Explorer,” said the firm in a security advisory alert about the flaw.

Microsoft says it has detected attacks against IE 7.0 but said the “underlying vulnerability” was present in all versions of the browser.

Other browsers, such as Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Safari, are not vulnerable to the flaw Microsoft has identified.

These warnings can be viewed here, here and here.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

What Would You Do………..A Muley Moment

In two weeks, Mark Provenza will begin his 90 day sentence for his conviction in an August drunk-driving incident.

What an excellent time to do my first poll on Muley’s Cafe 2.0

(mj)

As Law Director for the city of Lorain:

Everybody Loves You When Your Six Feet In The Ground

December 8th, 1980

If everybody demanded peace instead of another television………

……….then we’d have peace.

You may say that I’m a dreamer,

but I’m not the only one.

I hope someday you’ll join us,

and the world will live as one.

How To Get “Right” With God

Just quit, Mark.

You have a problem, and the court wants you to help yourself first.

“You don’t destroy their house and destroy their lives and look over your shoulder four months later and say, ‘Hey, I’m sorry,'” Carroll said. “That doesn’t fly.”

You have endangered many people in many different ways, too many to discuss here. But you have endangered yourself more than any other person throughout this whole episode.

You could write anything you want to correct the wrongs you have caused, but as Mr. Henderson said so correctly:

“It’ll just be a piece of paper pretty much.”

You’ve been given 90 days in the slammer, your family is greatly embarrassed, you get to wear court-mandated “Bling”, and your career could be in the dumper, all because you needed to have a drink?

Get a hold of yourself Mark.

Get right with yourself, Mark.

God will get right with you, Mark.

On His Terms !

Not yours.

Everyone thinks you should resign, including Lorain’s mayor Anthony Krasienko:

“In my opinion, I cannot see how he can effectively represent the city or its citizens as city law director, prosecutor after these events. It would be in the community’s and Mark Provenza’s best interest if he were to step down as law director, but Mark Provenza is an elected official and only he can remove himself from office.”

and Lorain auditor Ron Mantini:

“If it was me, I think I would resign, but that’s up to him because he’s an elected official. He has to decide what’s best for his family situation and his professional career.”

and Lorain councilwoman Melanie Szabo:

“In light of Mr. Provenza’s problems, I feel he should resign and seek the help that he needs. … I feel right now that he needs to get the help to get himself well.”

and a plethora of Lorain citizens want you to resign as noted here.

Do the right thing, Mark.

Resign ASAP

Save your family, your career and yourself and take this warning from the courts and turn your life around.

Being the Law Director is a prestigious job, one that would be hard for anyone to quit, but that is what is needed to save your law career. And I hope you make the right decision.

Pardon Me………..A Lorain Version

Every four years, when we elect a new president, the outgoing commander-in-chief has complete power to pardon convicted felons. From drug dealers and junk-bond sellers to convicted embezzelers and terrorist, the outgoing president can free felons from jail and can commute their sentences.

And nobody can change his decisions.

Now, even though Lorain’s mayoral elections fall one year before a presidential election, a what-if scenario has emerged with this item in the news of late.

What If Lorain’s mayor had the same powers as our president?

Who would he pardon ?

Could one be Dennis Flores?

Convictions: 3rd degree misdemeanor of Solicitation

1st degree misdemeanor of Physical Control

Or possibly William Desvari?

Conviction: 1st degree misdemeanor of Falsification

Or possibly Craig Miller?

Conviction: 5th degree felony of Obstruction of Justice

Or possibly Lorain Police Officer Stanley Marrero

Conviction: 1st degree misdemeanor of intimidating a Witness, 2nd degree misdemeanor of Dereliction of Duty and 3rd degree misdemeanor of Public Indecency

Or City of Lorain employee Edwin Heyduk Jr.

Conviction: Drug Possesion, Trafficking, Illegal Manufacturing/Cultivating of Marijuana and Possesion of Criminal Tools

Sadly, here in Lorain, we have a lot to pick from when it comes to pardons.

Who would you pardon if you had that power ?

This is my pick…….

It’s a Good Thing I Have No Kids……………

…….or my wife would have killed me.

Happy Thanksgiving, Y’all.

A Memo to Tony……With Love, Carty

Toledo city mayor Carty Finkbeiner get’s it…….

The mayor wanted all non-emergency city departments to close Nov. 26, Dec. 26, and Dec. 31. He said the move would save the city $1 million — $300,000 of which would apply to the general operating fund.

The Toledo city unions get it……

The city and three of its unions agreed in Lucas County Common Pleas Court Friday afternoon to decrease the number of employees who will be forced to take an unpaid day off next week.

Lorain mayor Tony Krasienko doesn’t get it.….

Ken Shawver, deputy safety and service director, will become the chief deputy safety and service director at a salary of about $64,000,

Chase Ritenauer, currently special assistant to the mayor/safety service, will fill the vacancy left by Shawver. Ritenauer’s salary will be about $60,000

Times are tough, the economy is in the tank, and Taxin’ Tony is on a spending binge.

Not what I call “being frugal”

Curious minds wonder what the budget deficit is about now……..

Special Guest…..Linda Jean Limes Ellis

Andrew & Josephine Zagorsky

Their Lorain love Story

By: Linda Jean Limes Ellis

Everyone loves a love story ! Please join me for a glimpse of how this one began a little more than a century ago in Lorain, Ohio, and spanned 41 years in the lives of my maternal grandparents.

As a young lad living in the 1880’s and 1890’s, Andrew Zagorsky roamed Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and France as an orphan. Born in an area that later became Czechoslovakia, he learned to speak several languages and along the way taught himself to play the button box. After Andrew matured into a young adult, he became a miner by trade to earn a living. In 1904, America beckoned him to it’s shores, and specifically, Lorain, Ohio, where his brother-in-law was already living. There he met and married a young illegitimate Polish immigrant girl who spoke only her native tongue. Together, they watched their family grow during one of the darkest decades in American history – a time forever defined by it’s name – “The Great Depression.”

Andrew Zagorsky’s driving desire was to renounce his allegiance to Franz Joseph I (later Charles – 1916-1918), Emperor of Austria and Apostolic King of Hungary by becoming a naturalized American citizen. His mind must have swirled with such thoughts when he disembarked from the ship, S.S. Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse, after it docked in New York from sailing it’s final voyage of the year from Bremen, Germany.

It was almost the end of the year – December 14, 1904*. Andrew, with the sum of $18.00 in his pants pocket, he was ready for his next step. He boarded a westbound train and headed for his final stop, Lorain, Ohio, where he would spend the rest of his life.

American citizenship for Andrew Zagorsky would not come for 33 years, however. After all, he was still a young man just turning 24. Without a doubt, finding a suitable wife who cherished raising a family, and who faithfully practiced Roman Catholic teachings, came first for Andrew – but he would have to wait a bit longer. Another 3 years would pass before she would enter his life.

Early Twentieth Century progress brought the hard labor industries of steel making, ship building and railroad work to Lorain, Ohio and transformed the entire community into a manufacturing hub. Many Eastern European immigrants, among others, knew their skills would be needed by these employers making Lorain a popular destination. Andrew Zagorsky quickly gained employment there as a car repairman with the B & O Railroad Company. Later, he switched to the Lake Terminal Railroad at the National Tube Company which had bought the Lorain Steel Company in 1902. He welcomed the opportunity to learn his new trade, and learn it well he did. Andrew stayed with the Lake Terminal Railroad throughout the Great Depression and until his retirement.

Meanwhile, Josephine Szczepankiewicz’s life in America began on July 2, 1907 when she made her way alone through the masses of immigrants who had arrived that day at Ellis island. She had traveled on the vessel, S.S. Statendam, which had departed from Rotterdam ten days earlier for it’s long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Josephine’s entry appears on Line 5 of the ship’s manifest which list the following: Name – Jozefa Szczepankiewicz, Age – 18, Marital status – single, Occupation – servant, Last residence – Kasimiro, Russia**. Her ethnicity was “Russian Polish”. Barely readable, the writing states that she was coming to live in Lorain, Ohio with her uncle. His name was Anthony Szczepankiewicz who worked as a laborer in the car shop of the National Tube Company.

The Szczepankiewicz’s household of Anthony, his wife Victoria (nee Krokos) and their four small children had become noticeably more crowded after the arrival of his teenage niece. My Aunt Irene revealed to me that her mother’s uncle, Anthony, and her father, Andrew met through a connection with a co-worker at the National Tube Company. Did Anthony “play cupid” so Josephine would find a husband and thus move her out of his house ? I can not prove he did, but if true, he was highly successful in the role !

Young Josephine quickly won Andrew’s heart as he was said to be “quite smitten” with her after their first meeting. His marriage proposal to her came shortly afterward and Josephine accepted. The couple exchanged their wedding vows at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, a Polish parish, in Lorain on January 8, 1908, just six months after her arrival in America.

By today’s standards, this might be considered an “arranged marriage”, but for Andrew and Josephine the ensuing years proved theirs was a union meant to be.

Josephine’s mother was still living in Poland. The identity of her father was, and remains to this day, unknown. Since birth, she had taken her mother’s maiden name as her own surname.

When Josephine became Andrew’s wife her isolated world as an only child of a single mother changed forever. Their first child, Joseph, was born in October of 1908. Their second son, Frank, was born on March 4, 1910. Anthony Szczepankiewicz was the child’s godfather. Within a few years, Josephine’s mother, Antonina, left Poland to come help with raising the fast growing Zagorsky family. She died in 1918, however, at the age of 56.

Andrew Zagorsky filed his first Declaration of Intention for citizenship on March 17, 1919, however seven years passed and the record became invalid so he began the process again on January 3, 1935. Ultimately, Andrew took his Oath of Allegiance to become a naturalized American citizen on December 7, 1937. By then though, the Austro-Hungarian Empire no longer existed. Aunt Irene vividly remembers her father expressing to her how important that day was in his life. Ironically, December 7 is also her birthday.

Yes, Andrew Zagorsky’s life had come a long way in 30 years. He had good reason to feel pleased with his accomplishments, not the least of which was supporting a wife and eleven children. That became much more difficult, however, as the Great Depression of the 1930’s relentlessly dragged on. Lake Terminal railroad reduced Andrew’s work schedule to a three day work week, yet he felt thankful because many friends of his were unemployed.

Andrew did not drive or own an automobile, but that fact mattered little to the younger children who eagerly waited for him to step off the Lorain Street Railway streetcar after work on his payday. They knew their daddy was bringing them candy !

The older children began working as they entered their teens and early 20’s. Helen and Mary, the two oldest daughters, took jobs as dishwashers and cooks at the Park Restaurant and Antlers Hotel in Lorain. Joseph, the eldest son, began working as a drill press operator at the Thew Shovel Company. By the mid 1930’s, Irene gained employment at a West Virginia tobacco company and was joined by Virginia and Helen who found work at the Central Glass Factory in Wheeling. Whatever earnings the trio could spare were sent back home to help support the younger children still living with their parents. Unfortunately, this meant the girls had to move away from home and did not graduate from high School.

Josephine contributed to the family circle by sewing most of the children’s clothes including their underwear. She was the household’s shopper and known to “drive a hard bargain” with the neighborhood merchants, many of whom were Polish Jews. While browsing at a haberdashery to buy a better suit for one of the younger sons, Josephine might find the prices were more than she could afford. If so, she abruptly took the little boy by the hand and led him out of the store. Mother and son did walk far down the street when the sales clerk bolted out the doorway and pleaded, “Mrs. Zagorsky, please come back, let’s talk about the price !”. The shop owner knew there were more sons at her home, and he hoped she would return. Josephine cooked traditional Polish fare and made such dishes as dandelion soup that cost little money. She enjoyed crocheting and hardanger embroidering – when there was time.

Andrew and Josephine owned their modest three bedroom home at 2715 Apple Avenue in Lorain during the 1940’s when their sons Floyd, Stanley and Alex joined the U.S. Navy and Edward entered the U.S. Army. Theresa, their youngest daughter, served in the Womens Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). Like millions of American families in W W 2, the Zagorskys in Lorain fervently prayed  and patiently waited for their loved ones in uniform to return safely to them. All five did come back in good health after the war ended. Everyone was united, and the family photographs taken during this time prove how happy they were to be together again.

Andrew Zagorsky died at home on November 20, 1949, at the age of 68. His funeral was held at the family residence with religious services conducted at Holy Trinity Church in Lorain prior to his burial at Calvary Cemetery.

Josephine lived until June 7, 1960 with most of her children nearby in her final days. Andrew’s railroad pension check of $66.00 a month helped to provide for Josephine until her death. She never mastered speaking the English language but was said to have understood it quite well. Because the children attended parochial schools at both St. Stanislaus (Polish) and Holy Trinity (Slovak) churches in Lorain, they had no trouble communicating with her.

Today, all of the Zagorsky children are deceased except for my Aunt Irene who has so warmheartedly shared many of her special childhood memories with me. Without them, I could not come to understand and appreciate the sacrifices Andrew and Josephine made for each other and their children.

On June 10, 1960, Josephine was laid to rest by Andrew. In death, as in life, she was together with her husband, and it was the last time he would have to wait for her to begin a new journey with him.

Footnotes

* December 14, 1904 appears as the date of arrivalon the National Archives microfilm information. Andrew Zagorsky’s Declaration of Intention # 10258 dated January 3, 1935, list arrival date of December 14, 1904. However, the Ellis Island version of this ship’s manifest has “15” penciled in between December and 1904.

** Kasimiro most likely was Kazimierz Biskupi. On my mother’s baptismal record at St Stanislaus Church in Lorain, dated October 4, 1914, written in Latin: “Joseha Szczepankiewicz – e loco Kazmierza, ? Kalisz Russia”. Kazimierza Biskupi is about 50 to 60 km north of Kalisz.

O.D.O.T…………….Hope You Enjoyed Your Stay

(Source)

Well, we got our bridge back………finally. After 165 days of bullshit from ODOT, at 1:59 pm today, the Charles Berry Bascule Bridge is open for traffic.

Official word came from Columbus, where our esteemed mayor was probably trying to see someone, or any one, from where he allowed Lorain Growth Association to make the official announcement.

Thanks for stopping in to visit ODOT

We hope you enjoyed your stay.

Sorry, we did not have any strippers for ya

Next time, don’t call us, we’ll call you.

Competition is Good for the Game

Competition is always good, especially when it comes to running city government. In recent years, competition has been lacking when it comes time to vote for our elected officials. Some examples:

2007 General Election

Lorain City

Lorain City Auditor

Ron Mantini

Precincts reporting: 52 – 100%

Votes: 7,932 – !00%

Lorain City Treasurer

Thomas Urban

Precincts reporting: 52 – 100%

Votes:7,668 – 100%

Lorain City Law Director

Mark Provenza

Precincts reporting: 52 – 100%

Votes 7837 – 100%

Lorain City 3rd Ward Council

Tim Howard

Precincts reporting: 6 – 100%

Votes: 706 – 100%

Lorain City 4th Ward

Bret Schuster

Precincts reporting: 6 – 100%

Votes: 1,218 – 100%

Lorain City 5th Ward

Eddie Edwards

Precincts reporting: 6 – 100%

Votes: 481 – 100%

Lorain City 7th Ward

Myroslaw Silecky

Precincts reporting: 7 – 100%

Votes: 1,031 – 100%

Lorain City 8th Ward

Craig Snodgrass

Precincts reporting: 8 – 100%

Votes: 1,773 – 100%

(source)

9 of the 14 elected positions up for grabs had no competition. None.

And some of these incumbents haven’t had competition for years, as noted in the following links……

More examples can be found here, here and here.

Competition is good, at least in Wilmington, N.C. as noted in this article:

Roger Lowery, chair of UNCW’s Department of Public and International Affairs, said he was surprised by the volume of interest, but not by the occupations of the applicants. More than a third of the candidates are directly involved in real estate and development.

“That industry is heavily regulated by local government” and they want to be well-represented, Lowery said.

I have to agree with that assumption, all you real estate people that want to see development in Lorain, step on up.

Small business owners or managers – about half of the candidates – also are often represented on public boards, he said.

All you business owners in Lorain, step on up.

Council members make $10,670 per year, plus a $350-a-month car allowance. They are also eligible for city health benefits.

Very similar to Lorain’s pay and benefits for council members.

And the number of candidates for that one position ~ 36 ~ simply amazing.

What drives so many to want a part-time, temporary position on a city council ?  Is it a desire to help a struggling city ?  Is it a chance to help move your city forward instead of backwards ?

I think there is a clue in this article as to why so many seek that position .

Note: No (R) or (D) behind any of those individuals seeking that one council seat.

I just hope come the next election cycle, we can have the same diversity in candidates as we enjoy as the “International” city.

A candidate from every ethnic group would be divine.

The “Box” Return

O.K., all of you that know me know one of my favorite bands in the world is Genesis. And the only way any of us would be able to see Genesis from the “Peter Gabriel” era would be to have a chance to see an outstanding band from Canada, called “The Musical Box”. Tickets went on sale yesterday for their show on January 11th, 2009 at The Ohio Theater in beautiful Playhouse Square. I believe this will be my 4th show in 3 years now ? I really didn’t expect to see these guys perform in the states ever again, as they had said in the past that their tour in 2007 would be their last.

The Musical Box have been touring the world for many years now and are known for their re-enactment of the early Genesis years (pre-1975) when they featured Peter Gabriel on vocals and Steve Hackett on guitar. Many, many hours of tapes, original backdrops, re-created instruments and costumes from those early shows are used by the Musical Box on their tours.

In past shows, The musical Box has re-created past tours from those early Genesis days, of which were:

“the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” tour

The “Selling England By the Pound” tour

The “Foxtrot” tour

This time around, The Musical Box will perform “The Trick of the Tail” tour,

here are a few snippets from that show.

I got my front row seats today and hope to see some of you there.

Tickets can be purchased here,

Or at the Playhouse Square box office

on Euclid Ave

Community Announcement

Today was one of those rare off-days that I’ve actually gotten out of the house to do a few errands. By my own admission, I’ve been disgustingly lazy as of late, so I haven’t been too busy and should change my habits soon.

In my travels today thru South Lorain and the Central Park area, along with Lake View park and Charleston Village neighborhoods, I noticed alot of leaves in the streets. Some lawns had piles of leaves at the curbs, like the city has asked, while other lawns were clear of leaves, but had piles of leaves in the streets. Please people, DO NOT put leaves in the streets, as it prevents the stormwater from entering the sewers, for which we spend thousands of dollars on in order for this same stormwater to not accumulate in our streets, thus causing flooded intersections, possible accidents and just a plain, old mess.

Plus, for those who need one more reason…………

It’s against the law.

……and also from the city’s web site:

Leaf Pickup Projects

West Side, East Side

The Street Dept. will be picking up leaves in the following areas Nov. 17th:

Between Root Road & Nebraska from Wilson to G St

29th to 34th Between Vine &
Clinton

Redhill, Washington Ave, Falbo
Tower, W. 37th & W. 38th, Queen Anne, Hickory Hill and 45th Place

Please DO NOT put your LEAVES in the STREET, rake them to the edge of your tree lawn. Please refrain from parking in the street between 7:00AM – 3:00PM so that we may clean the streets properly.

Achtung……A Muley Moment

The Republican Downfall.

Herb Score…….A Voice Silenced

June 7, 1933 ~ November 11, 2008

News spread quickly this morning in the sporting world, of the passing of former Indians pitcher, Herb Score. Herb was “Rookie of the Year” in 1955 and set a  American League record for strikeouts with 245 K’s, while going 16 – 10 with a  2:45 ERA. Herb went on to go 55 – 46 W-L record with a 3:36 ERA in his career which some say was shortened when on May 7, 1957 against the New York Yankees, Herb was struck by a line drive off the bat of Gil McDougald. While Herb recovered from his injuries, he did not return to the mound for over a year, returning late in 1958, only to suffer another setback with a torn tendon in his arm that cost him the rest of the 58′ season. Score returned for the 1959 season, but could only muster a 9 -11 with a 3:71 ERA, before being traded to the Chicago White Sox, where he played parts of 3 seasons before retiring in 1962.

Although an oustanding pitcher for 8 years, I remember Herb Score as a broadcaster, first as an Indians television announcer from 1964 – 1967, then as the radio announcer for all Indians games from 1968 – 1997, calling his final game at Jacobs Field in game 7 of the 1997 World Series.

Herb Score…..Thank You, you made “growing-up” Fun

Pink Panther, Brian Stacy and the Fundamentals of Bridge Repair

Talk is heating up again about the lack of work being done on the Charles Barry Bascule Bridge that crosses the Black River, separating 2 of the 3 major sections of Lorain. Today, I checked the web site provided by Brian Stacy  and his entourage at O.D.O.T from the meeting with city, county, and state reps. on Oct. 24th, along with some very concerned citizens and businessmen and women.

This is their one and only update available to date:

October 31, 2008

As was discussed last Friday, October 24, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 3 will provide regular updates on the progress of this project to all interested parties until it is completed. This is the first update.

The components which arrived last week for the braking systems are being installed by the project contractor. This work is expected to continue into next week. The components which help communicate information between the drive controllers and the consoles, known as signal conditioners, have not yet arrived. When they arrive, the contractor will install them. The contractor has completed all concrete repairs to the floodwall.

Once all the necessary components have arrived and are installed, the contractor will begin testing the bridge’s operations to make sure everything is working properly and ensure its operational soundness and safety for the traveling public. When the contractor determines the bridge is operationally sound and safe, ODOT will open the bridge to the traveling public and announce it to this group and on the Project website:

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/D03/Pages/LOR-6-967_Charles_Berry_Bascule_Bridge_Project.aspx

ODOT has begun pulling together the documents requested as part of the Public Records Requests that have been submitted by the Lorain Morning Journal, Elyria Chronicle Telegram, and Councilman Dennis Flores. We do not yet know exactly when those files will be ready; however, we expect them to be ready some time in November.

If you have any questions about the project, please feel free to contact me by email or phone.

Respectfully,

Brian Stacy

District 3 Public Information Officer

Ohio Department of Transportation

800-276-4188, ext. 207-7182

I happened to notice that a public records request has been made by the Morning Journal, the Chronicle, and councilman Dennis Flores. Well, Ol Muley has decided to call on an old friend to help get to the bottom of this investigation……

to find out………

What the fuck happened to our damn bridge?

After a thorough investigation by Inspector Clouseau, which took several days nights to complete, this is what he suggest:

An update from the desk of Inspector Clouseau:

November 7, 2008

As was discussed on October 24, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 3 will provide regular updates on the progress of this project to all interested parties until it is completed. This is the second update.

The installation of the braking systems components, which arrived the week of October 20, is expected to be completed next week. The installation of the signal conditioners, which arrived this week, will be completed next week. Then the contractor will begin testing the bridge’s operations to make sure everything is working properly and ensure its operational soundness and safety for the traveling public. During this time, you will likely see the bridge going up and down as the bridge’s mechanisms and components are being tested. When the contractor determines the bridge is operationally sound and safe, ODOT will open the bridge to the traveling public and announce it to the media and general public. There will also be an updated message added to the project website.

ODOT has made great progress pulling together the documents requested as part of the Public Records Requests submitted by the Lorain Morning Journal, Elyria Chronicle Telegram, and Councilman Dennis Flores. We expect these to be ready soon.

For more information on this project, please visit:

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/D03/Pages/LOR-6-967_Charles_Berry_Bascule_Bridge_Project.aspx

If you have any questions about the project, please feel free to contact me by email or phone.

Respectfully,

Brian Stacy

District 3 Public Information Officer

Ohio Department of Transportation

800-276-4188, ext. 207-7182

Brian.Stacy@dot.state.oh.us

The Bridge Over The River “Cry”

Loraine has an important update on the Charles Berry Bascule Bridge from Brian Stacey of O.D.O.T. over at:

That Woman’s Weblog

Please check it out.

Issue 20………..Muley’s Clickin’ His Heels

(source)

I sure am glad the democratic process allows me, and You, to vote on issues such as this.

votes for issue 20: 9,525 – 41.23 %

votes against issue 20:  13,583 – 58.77 %

I guess I’m a lot like Grandpa……………

……what do I get ?

Changes……….Are Coming !

“The Blind Boys Of Alabama”

A Friend Is Down……Can You Help Pt. 2

On Sunday, November 9th, 2008 there will be a pasta dinner benefit for Firefighter John Volak to be held at The Knights of Columbus, 4720 Oberlin Ave in Lorain. John was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident earlier this summer and the proceeds from this benefit will help defray the medical cost incurred by John in his recovery.

Hours for the benefit: 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Tickets are only $20.00 and are available at these locations:

Dimacchia’s on the Corner

770 Broadway Ave

(440) 244-2002

Jackalope Lakeside

301 Lakeside Ave

(440) 288-2051

Central Fire Station

1350 Broadway Ave

(440) 244-2217

Beer and other beverages will be available for Free

Dinners provided by Dimacchia’s On the Corner

and Jackalope Lakeside

Tool Time at Muley’s

Having trouble making up your mind about Tues. presidential election ?

John McCain and Barack Obama have voted together 71 times on roll call votes since January, 2007 in votes that neither abstained, representing a voting similarity of 39 %

Here’s a handy tool to help with your decisions.

Also, check out your representatives on their voting records.

(h/t to Jeff @ Have Coffee Will Write)