In the 2011 budget proposal, $600,000 was to be set aside for street resurfacing. At later budget meetings, a goal of $1 million was set for the paving. Recent cuts of $190,000 from both the fire and police departments will now be used to assist the paving budget which is now at $940,000.
Before the $90,000 cut, Moore said he had found $123,000 in the department's budget to purchase new radios, three air packs, new rescue belts and a new vehicle. He said these were not immediate needs but it is what the department could afford.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Huntington City proposed budget
3-30-11
City Budget continues to make cuts
By Maria Romano
Driving the streets of Huntington may soon make you think about the cost of fixing a pothole.
In the 2011 budget proposal, $600,000 was to be set aside for street resurfacing. At later budget meetings, a goal of $1 million was set for the paving and the cutting began. Recent cuts of $190,000 from both the fire and police departments will now be used to assist the paving budget which is now at $940,000.
The Fire Department’s budget in the city proposal is $10.3 million. That is about 25 percent of the city’s budget.
The fire department expressed a need for additional staffing, communications upgrades, new safety equipment, new vehicles and repairs to the fire stations. Fire Chief Craig Moore said radios are the most important requirement for the department these days.
The department requested two grants for staffing and equipment. The application for staffing would cost $1.015 million. It would fund 10 firefighter positions which the city would begin to pay for in the third year with an annual cost of $515,196.
The department requested two grants for staffing and equipment. The application for staffing would cost $1.015 million. It would fund 10 firefighter positions which the city would begin to pay for in the third year with an annual cost of $515,196.
A second grant request from the department in January was for $450, 000 for a response vehicle that serves as both a fire engine and a rescue vehicle. It would respond to accidents on U.S. 60 and Interstate 64. Neither request has been approved due to the determination for funding to repair the streets.
The initial budget proposal had already anticipated more budget cuts and layoffs, despite that this fiscal year’s budget of $41.8 million, effective July 1, is only an increase of less than one percent from last year. The budget has not seen a drastic increase or decrease in the last three fiscal years.
“And yet with all that we have done and all the cuts that we have made, it has not been enough for us to weather this economic storm,” Wolfe said. “We must cut more and ask for even more sacrifice from our employees and our citizens.”
So far there is a total of $867,000 in unspecified cuts across 10 departments.
The $100,000 that funds the animal shelter was going to go toward the contingency fund which helps the city keep its BBB+ bond rating. This has since been changed to a reduction of $25,000 from the shelter’s budget.
Council members had said the shelter services are not adequate and are not worthy of full funding at this time, especially when the city is already scrambling to cut from other budgets.
“Unfortunately, as we prepared this year’s budget, the outlook is still bleak, as it is for most communities,” Wolfe said. “According to Research by the National League of
Cities, it will take municipalities around the nation at least until some time in 2012 to rebound.”
Let’s hope he’s right.
SIDEBAR:
Huntington Fire Department left with no room to grow
Sidebar
By Maria Romano
City council did not have good news for the Huntington Fire Department this 2011 fiscal year.
Luckily, the $10.3 million budget is not a significant increase or decrease from the last three fiscal years.
Two grants for additional staffing and equipment were not approved and the department’s budget was cut by $90,000 to go toward the $1 million street resurfacing goal.
Additional staffing, communications upgrades, new safety equipment, new vehicles and repairs to the fire stations were the topics of concern for the department. Fire Chief Craig Moore said radios are the most important requirement the department needs.
Moore requested two grants for staffing and equipment. The application for staffing would cost $1.015 million. It would fund 10 firefighter positions which the city would begin to pay for in the third year with an annual cost of $515,196.
Moore requested two grants for staffing and equipment. The application for staffing would cost $1.015 million. It would fund 10 firefighter positions which the city would begin to pay for in the third year with an annual cost of $515,196.
A second grant request from the department in January was for $450, 000 for a response vehicle that serves as both a fire engine and a rescue vehicle. It would respond to accidents on U.S. 60 and Interstate 64.
Before the $90,000 cut, Moore said he had found $123,000 in the department's budget to purchase new radios, three air packs, new rescue belts and a new vehicle. He said these were not immediate needs but it is what the department could afford.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Budget story proposal
To: Editor
From: Maria Romano
Re: Story Proposal: Analysis of the Huntington City FY 2012 Budget
March 17, 2011
Subject: FY 2012 Huntington city budget
Scope: This story will include an analysis of the proposed Huntington city budget and any major changes in the budget of the fire department.
Need: Based upon the city budget meetings I have attended, it seems that the proposed budget will differ from the budget that will be adopted by the city council.
Methods: This story will be approached by examining the original budget proposal for FY 2012. The information will be organized into charts and graphs, including a sidebar about the changes in the budget of the fire department. I will also compare Huntington’s budget to the budget of a city of a similar size.
Sources: My sources will be the Huntington city budget, the results of city budget meetings following the initial budget proposal as well as Mayor Kim Wolfe. I will look through newspaper articles for information regarding the budget of another city similar to the size of Huntington.
Presentation: This will be presented in two stories. The first is about the overall proposed city budget along with a sidebar and graphs. The second will be about the adopted budget.
Follow-up: A follow-up story would be written about the how the proposed budget compares to the budget that was actually adopted.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
City Council meeting 3-14-11
Mayor Kim Wolfe said the expected 40 buildings as specified in the city budget have been successfully demolished before the expected date. There had been an anonymous $100,000 donation in addition to the $150,000 set aside in the budget in order to complete the demolition.
Wolfe also announced that street paving will begin within the next 2-3 weeks.
Wolfe also announced that street paving will begin within the next 2-3 weeks.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
City Council Agenda
I will be attending the Huntington city council meeting Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Below is a link detailing what will be discussed. It incudes topics about the fire department's equipment, the police department's video surveillance network and filing fees.
http://www.cityofhuntington.com/pages/aa-councilagenda.html
Below is a link detailing what will be discussed. It incudes topics about the fire department's equipment, the police department's video surveillance network and filing fees.
http://www.cityofhuntington.com/pages/aa-councilagenda.html
Sunday, March 6, 2011
City Budget Meeting
In Saturday's city budget meeting, it was decided to transfer the $100,000 going to the animal shelter to the contingency fund. Members are hoping this cut is only temporary until the shelter improves its services. It was recommended that two percent of the police department's budget be put toward street paving, but this will be considered further in Tuesday's meeting along with a similar review of the fire department.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Huntington budget meeting
I will be attending the Huntington budget meeting Saturday at 9 a.m. They will be discussing the budget regarding human resources, planning and development and the police department, according to the memorandum.
John W. Hereford Boys' and Girls' Clubs - Huntington, WV
Using GuideStar's website, I was able to find out the following information about the John W. Hereford Boys' and Girls' Club:
520 Everett St.
Huntington , WV 25702
(304) 529-4561 or (304) 525-5196
It was founded in 2008 and the principle officer is currently W. Merton Prunty. Employees receive no salaries, compensation or employee benefits. Their web address is http://www.bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx.
From the 990 form from 2009, I found the following information:
520 Everett St.
Huntington , WV 25702
(304) 529-4561 or (304) 525-5196
It was founded in 2008 and the principle officer is currently W. Merton Prunty. Employees receive no salaries, compensation or employee benefits. Their web address is http://www.bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx.
From the 990 form from 2009, I found the following information:
- Total Assets: $701,134.96 (Beginning of the year); $702,574.33 (End of the year)
- Revenue: $247,582.48 (Prior year); $28,415.47 (Current year)
- Investment Income: $28,777.48 (Prior year); $27,290.47 (Current year)
- Contribution and Grants: $218,805.00 (Prior year); $1,125.00 (Current year)
Monday, February 28, 2011
City questions Huntington Fire Department grant
Huntington's City Council does not have good news for the Huntington Fire Department's grant application due to the city's financial concerns.
The department is in need of additional staffing, communications upgrades, new safety equipment, new vehicles and repairs to the fire stations. Fire Chief Craig Moore said radios are the most important requirement for the department at this time.
The application for staffing would cost $1.015 million. It would fund 10 firefighter positions which the city would begin to pay for in the third year with an annual cost of $515,196.
The department is in need of additional staffing, communications upgrades, new safety equipment, new vehicles and repairs to the fire stations. Fire Chief Craig Moore said radios are the most important requirement for the department at this time.
The application for staffing would cost $1.015 million. It would fund 10 firefighter positions which the city would begin to pay for in the third year with an annual cost of $515,196.
Monday, February 14, 2011
After the State of the City Address
Mayor Kim Wolfe announced that there would not be a significant increase in the next fiscal year's budget. Despite news of additional budget cuts, the mayor is "impressed by the work of the departments in overcoming obstacles" in the past year and remains optimistic about the future.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
State of the City
I will be attending the State of the City address delivered by Mayor Kim Wolfe at 6:30 p.m. Monday. He will present the annual report and the proposed budget for 2011-2012.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
CVS Caremark Corp. company filings
I found the filings of CVS Caremark Corp. through the SEC web site. The company is based in Rhode Island. Documents that were listed include statements of changes in beneficial ownership of securities and a press release detailing the 2010 full year results. The press release also included initial guidance for 2011 earnings and free cash flow as well as details about the company at the bottom of the page. It was discovered that the store sales increased by 2.1% in the full year of 2010. Other documents contain information about changes in ownership securities, quarterly reports and employment benefit plans.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Proposed grants allow for increased fire department staffing and vehicles
Two grants were proposed for the Huntington Fire Department at the Jan. 25th city council meeting.
The first was for $1.015 million which would fund 10 firefighter positions for two years. $515,196 will be paid by the city starting in the third year.
The second grant is for $450, 000 for a response vehicle that serves as both a fire engine and a rescue vehicle. It would respond to accidents on U.S. 60 and Interstate 64.
The first was for $1.015 million which would fund 10 firefighter positions for two years. $515,196 will be paid by the city starting in the third year.
The second grant is for $450, 000 for a response vehicle that serves as both a fire engine and a rescue vehicle. It would respond to accidents on U.S. 60 and Interstate 64.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Obama hopes to 'win the future for America'
President Barack Obama said Tuesday in his State of the Union Address that the challenges America faces are “bigger than party and bigger than politics.”
The president stressed a need for bipartisanship in order to strengthen what he said are three key steps in securing the nation’s future: innovation, education and improving America’s infrastructure.
Members of congress broke tradition and sat together during the address and, as predicted, Obama said that continuing this bipartisanship beyond the speech is what will encourage productive changes within the nation.
“What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow,” Obama said.
Though it was predicted he would talk about the economy, Obama tied everything together promoting that encouraging innovation will stimulate job growth. He emphasized the importance of renewable and clean energy methods, believing this will create many new opportunities for jobs.
The innovation of this new technology will be stimulated through improving the inevitable topic of education. It was not anticipated, however, that it would be such a large part of his speech. Obama gave much credit to the teaching profession and encouraged others to do the same or even to join the teaching career path.
Unexpectedly, at the end of his education segment, he included a word about students who are studying abroad in America, and that sending them home after obtaining advanced degrees “to compete against us” does not make sense.
“And let’s stop expelling talented, responsible young people who could be staffing out research labs or starting a new business, who could be further enriching this nation,” Obama said.
This led the president to his third key concept: rebuilding America’s infrastructure. As anticipated, he suggested ideas to improve the economy and reduce the deficit. He promised that within 25 years most Americans would be proved access to high-speed rail systems. This again ties in with his promotion of cleaner modes of transportation and energy because it would encourage less driving.
Next, Obama set a goal of doubling America’s exports by 2014 and, starting this year, annual domestic spending will be frozen for the next five years. He said this will reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion in the next decade.
Obama raised the topic of improved communication and less wasteful technology. He said he would like to see the American people regain faith in the government through providing tax dollar spending information online to everyone. It will be interesting to see these changes and if privacy laws become an issue.
“Because you deserve to know when your elected officials are meeting with lobbyists, I ask Congress to do what the White House has already done - put that information online,” Obama said.
Going back to his original concept of bipartisanship, he suggested the ideas he mentioned will function better if the parties work together.
“Not is the time for both sides and both houses of Congress – Democrats and Republicans – to forge a principled compromise that gets the job done. If we make the hard choices now to rein in our deficits, we can make the investments we need to win the future,” Obama said.
Overall, Obama touched upon most of the anticipated topics but expanded upon even more. His plans to stimulate innovation and job growth stem from education and it was refreshing to hear that he thinks the encouraged bipartisan mentalities would improve all of these topics.
“We shouldn't just give our people a government that's more affordable. We should give them a government that's more competent and more efficient. We can't win the future with a government of the past,” Obama said.
The president stressed a need for bipartisanship in order to strengthen what he said are three key steps in securing the nation’s future: innovation, education and improving America’s infrastructure.
Members of congress broke tradition and sat together during the address and, as predicted, Obama said that continuing this bipartisanship beyond the speech is what will encourage productive changes within the nation.
“What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow,” Obama said.
Though it was predicted he would talk about the economy, Obama tied everything together promoting that encouraging innovation will stimulate job growth. He emphasized the importance of renewable and clean energy methods, believing this will create many new opportunities for jobs.
The innovation of this new technology will be stimulated through improving the inevitable topic of education. It was not anticipated, however, that it would be such a large part of his speech. Obama gave much credit to the teaching profession and encouraged others to do the same or even to join the teaching career path.
Unexpectedly, at the end of his education segment, he included a word about students who are studying abroad in America, and that sending them home after obtaining advanced degrees “to compete against us” does not make sense.
“And let’s stop expelling talented, responsible young people who could be staffing out research labs or starting a new business, who could be further enriching this nation,” Obama said.
This led the president to his third key concept: rebuilding America’s infrastructure. As anticipated, he suggested ideas to improve the economy and reduce the deficit. He promised that within 25 years most Americans would be proved access to high-speed rail systems. This again ties in with his promotion of cleaner modes of transportation and energy because it would encourage less driving.
Next, Obama set a goal of doubling America’s exports by 2014 and, starting this year, annual domestic spending will be frozen for the next five years. He said this will reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion in the next decade.
Obama raised the topic of improved communication and less wasteful technology. He said he would like to see the American people regain faith in the government through providing tax dollar spending information online to everyone. It will be interesting to see these changes and if privacy laws become an issue.
“Because you deserve to know when your elected officials are meeting with lobbyists, I ask Congress to do what the White House has already done - put that information online,” Obama said.
Going back to his original concept of bipartisanship, he suggested the ideas he mentioned will function better if the parties work together.
“Not is the time for both sides and both houses of Congress – Democrats and Republicans – to forge a principled compromise that gets the job done. If we make the hard choices now to rein in our deficits, we can make the investments we need to win the future,” Obama said.
Overall, Obama touched upon most of the anticipated topics but expanded upon even more. His plans to stimulate innovation and job growth stem from education and it was refreshing to hear that he thinks the encouraged bipartisan mentalities would improve all of these topics.
“We shouldn't just give our people a government that's more affordable. We should give them a government that's more competent and more efficient. We can't win the future with a government of the past,” Obama said.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Updated State of the Union prediction
Once again the president of the United States will make the annual trip January 25 to Capitol Hill to deliver the State of the Union Address.
George Washington and John Adams delivered their speeches in person, but Thomas Jefferson began a short-lived tradition of submitting a written speech. This continued until 1913 when Woodrow Wilson decided to give his speech in person. Situations have varied, but the tradition of providing the nation with an update of the status of the economy and new laws while providing plans for future progress remains.
Some topics President Barack Obama may talk about in his State of the Union Address are ways to work with the Republicans in congress to create new legislation to stimulate job growth. Working with the Republicans to develop an overall sense of unity will probably be a major theme of the speech.
Other topics may concern the government’s progress improving the economy and strategies to ultimately lower the national debt. Health care reform, bringing soldiers home from the war in Iraq and education will most likely be topics of concern as well.
These issues would not be new concerns for former presidents. Obama can be compared to presidents such as John F. Kennedy. Franklin D. Roosevelt or Lyndon B. Johnson for different reasons.
Obama and Kennedy have age, religion and large voter turnouts in common. Obama’s religion was under intense scrutiny when he was running for president. In light of the 9/11 attacks and following rumors of being Muslim, he had much to prove to the American people. The topic was brought up again when the reverend at the church Obama attended made controversial statements.
Kennedy was the nation’s first catholic president. In an address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, he said, “For contrary to common newspaper usage, I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President who happens also to be a Catholic.” His point was to get the public to see him for what he could do for the country, not to misinterpret his personal beliefs. Obama took a similar approach.
Both had two of the largest voter turnouts in history, with about 64.8 percent of eligible voters in the 2008 election and 67 percent in 1960.
When Roosevelt entered office, the economic state of the nation was not in great shape, similar to Obama’s situation. Both entered presidency aiming to diminish a recession. Roosevelt’s New Deal and some of Obama’s proposed legislations, while controversial, made a dent in their economic crises.
Johnson’s first role was to provide reassurance to a distressed nation. Obama used a similar position when first speaking as president. He attempted to reassure the nation that the economy and the situation in Afghanistan would one day stabilize.
There are a number of other presidents who can be compared to Obama in a number of different ways, depending on perspective. The facts remain that his presidential career has proved successful so far. Last year, he mentioned job creation, clean energy, exporting more goods, education, middle-class issues, health care reform, immigration and, of course, deficit reduction.
In his speech from last year, he said, “Now, because of the steps we took, there are about 2 million Americans working right now who would otherwise be unemployed. Two hundred thousand work in construction and clean energy. Three hundred thousand are teachers and other education workers. Tens of thousands are cops, firefighters, correctional officers, first-responders. And we're on track to add another 1½ million jobs to this total by the end of the year.”
This year will probably include more of the same topics considering most of them cannot be resolved in a year’s time.
George Washington and John Adams delivered their speeches in person, but Thomas Jefferson began a short-lived tradition of submitting a written speech. This continued until 1913 when Woodrow Wilson decided to give his speech in person. Situations have varied, but the tradition of providing the nation with an update of the status of the economy and new laws while providing plans for future progress remains.
Some topics President Barack Obama may talk about in his State of the Union Address are ways to work with the Republicans in congress to create new legislation to stimulate job growth. Working with the Republicans to develop an overall sense of unity will probably be a major theme of the speech.
Other topics may concern the government’s progress improving the economy and strategies to ultimately lower the national debt. Health care reform, bringing soldiers home from the war in Iraq and education will most likely be topics of concern as well.
These issues would not be new concerns for former presidents. Obama can be compared to presidents such as John F. Kennedy. Franklin D. Roosevelt or Lyndon B. Johnson for different reasons.
Obama and Kennedy have age, religion and large voter turnouts in common. Obama’s religion was under intense scrutiny when he was running for president. In light of the 9/11 attacks and following rumors of being Muslim, he had much to prove to the American people. The topic was brought up again when the reverend at the church Obama attended made controversial statements.
Kennedy was the nation’s first catholic president. In an address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, he said, “For contrary to common newspaper usage, I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President who happens also to be a Catholic.” His point was to get the public to see him for what he could do for the country, not to misinterpret his personal beliefs. Obama took a similar approach.
Both had two of the largest voter turnouts in history, with about 64.8 percent of eligible voters in the 2008 election and 67 percent in 1960.
When Roosevelt entered office, the economic state of the nation was not in great shape, similar to Obama’s situation. Both entered presidency aiming to diminish a recession. Roosevelt’s New Deal and some of Obama’s proposed legislations, while controversial, made a dent in their economic crises.
Johnson’s first role was to provide reassurance to a distressed nation. Obama used a similar position when first speaking as president. He attempted to reassure the nation that the economy and the situation in Afghanistan would one day stabilize.
There are a number of other presidents who can be compared to Obama in a number of different ways, depending on perspective. The facts remain that his presidential career has proved successful so far. Last year, he mentioned job creation, clean energy, exporting more goods, education, middle-class issues, health care reform, immigration and, of course, deficit reduction.
In his speech from last year, he said, “Now, because of the steps we took, there are about 2 million Americans working right now who would otherwise be unemployed. Two hundred thousand work in construction and clean energy. Three hundred thousand are teachers and other education workers. Tens of thousands are cops, firefighters, correctional officers, first-responders. And we're on track to add another 1½ million jobs to this total by the end of the year.”
This year will probably include more of the same topics considering most of them cannot be resolved in a year’s time.
Errors in the Marshall versus WVU stories
1. The time element should not be used at the beginning of a story, and should include the day of the week instead of "tonight."
2. It should be included that the civic center is in Charleston.
3. It would be more fair to write "Men's basketball" instead of only "Marshall basketball."
4. "Capital classic" should be capitalized in the headline.
2. It should be included that the civic center is in Charleston.
3. It would be more fair to write "Men's basketball" instead of only "Marshall basketball."
4. "Capital classic" should be capitalized in the headline.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
New York Times blog sites
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/
This blog seems to be local to New York City. Many of its topics relate to local crime, transportation throughout the city, and neighborhood and school occurrences.
http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/
This blog is about college sports. The blogs are about games, programs and anything else to do with college sports.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/
Unlike the other blogs, this one is written entirely by Robert Mackey. It seems to be more about international news. He writes at least one blog every day.
This blog seems to be local to New York City. Many of its topics relate to local crime, transportation throughout the city, and neighborhood and school occurrences.
http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/
This blog is about college sports. The blogs are about games, programs and anything else to do with college sports.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/
Unlike the other blogs, this one is written entirely by Robert Mackey. It seems to be more about international news. He writes at least one blog every day.
Maureen Dowd
I had never read anything by Maureen Dowd before and I really enjoyed her work. Her writing style is unique in that she adds humor to almost everything. Some topics are just funny like the column about Sarah Palin's show but she later uses metaphors to relate Palin's hunting hobby to Republican strategy. Dowd makes her point while being both insightful and funny.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/opinion/08dowd.html?adxnnl=1&ref=maureendowd&adxnnlx=1294794057-quogMM+C+MJ52Quc5WyhyQ
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/opinion/08dowd.html?adxnnl=1&ref=maureendowd&adxnnlx=1294794057-quogMM+C+MJ52Quc5WyhyQ
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