The summer before my oldest child started Kindergarten his school sent us a list of supplies to bring with him on his first day of school. I studied the list and copiously followed its instructions. Securing the specific supplies made it necessary for me to make trips to multiple stores. It seems that while our grocery store carried things like gallon-sized, easy-zip plastic bags and boxes of 250-count, white tissues I had to look elsewhere for the more elusive jumbo glue sticks and dry erase board cleaner. My five year old and I etched his initials on every item he took to school and packed them in grocery bags. On his first day of school he looked like a pack mule.

Since I was a gung-ho volunteer back then, I signed up to help out in the Kindergarten classroom one day a week.  It didn’t take me long to observe that my nitpicky care in gathering supplies was thrown to the wind. Pencils, crayons and markers were dumped into community pots and in a few weeks’ time the supplies became a motley assortment of broken pencil nubs, dried out markers with missing caps and opened glue bottles that bled over everything nearby. None of the supplies came home; they couldn’t be separated back to their rightful owners and were in a shape too terrible to return.

In second grade the school added antibacterial wipes to their lengthly list so the students could clean their own desks off every day. I had become somewhat jaded by then and splurged for one container. I figured the school could come up with a better solution – like a custodian.

I wasn’t sure what a fourth grader needed with five different colored highlighters and three sizes of sticky notes. I sent one yellow highlighter and one sticky note pad. There weren’t any negative repercussions and I scored a small victory over THE LIST.

The years progressed like a Chinese calendar with every year being known for a different item only instead of the year of the rat or the dog, we had the year of the $85 graphing calculator, the year of USB memory card on a lanyard and the year of color-coded classes.

“Mom,” my son told me, “I need a blue notebook, blue highlighter, blue folder, blue pen and blue book cover for this class. For this class I need yellow, but they don’t make yellow ink pens…”

I surveyed our supply cabinet. “Here’s black. Your teachers will live,” I told him. And they did.

This past summer I played hardball. I walked brazenly past the half-wall of supply lists at Walmart without picking one up for the school district I live in. I purposely avoided the back-to-school aisles and told my kids I wasn’t buying so much as a packet of paper until I received all of their teachers’ class syllabuses. But I discovered that high school is a whole new animal. Read: light and disposable. Evidently the life of a modern-day high school student is unencumbered.

“Do you need anything for school?” I asked my son. He pulled a mechanical pencil out of his back pocket and wagged it at me.

“What about locker shelves or a stainless steel water bottle?”

He rolled his eyes up and thought a moment. “I could use some hair gel,” he said. “But nothing too smelly.” He started to walk away and stopped, “Oh. And don’t write my name on anything, okay Mom?”

“Right-O. Complete anonymity it is.” I smirked at him.

At 0-dark thirty the following morning I packed my son’s inconspicuous lunch in a plain, brown lunch sack. I followed his wishes not to pack anything too smelly (like a tuna sandwich) or anything that would leave his fingers discolored (like cheesy puffs) or anything that would stick in his teeth (like fruity chews). It was the perfect lunch for a John Doe.  And it made me almost long for the years of color-coding and initials on every crayon.

Just before he left the house I had a wild thought.  I tucked a note into his lunch bag. It was worded just elusively enough so that it would never be cause for public embarrassment if it fell into the wrong hands. My son never said a word about it.

A week later I carried clean laundry into my son’s room and plopped it onto his desk. Something tucked into the corner of his desk blotter caught my eye and I saw it was the note I had put into his lunch bag.

“Dear You,” it read. “Have a great day. Hugs, Mom.”

I smiled. I guess there is one ‘school supply’ you never outgrow.

Dear Council Members,

Soon you will vote whether to spend our tax dollars on decorative lights for the Holiday Season.  I would like to strongly encourage you to vote “yes.”

Since March of this year, 11 community volunteers have worked to coordinate the 2010 holiday home tour.  We are not a group of downtown merchants.  We are simply a group of people who recognize that our town shines at the Holidays, and we want to capture and share that feeling with all who attend the various “Christmas In the Village” activities happening throughout town on December 4.

The marketing, promotion, and creativity going into this year’s planning tops anything that has been done with the event in the past.  Last year my committee sold a record-breaking 550 tickets to see the decorated homes. This year our goal is 800+, drawing from surrounding counties.  We are doing our part to promote our community, its culture, and its economic base.

But why are lights important?  Why should a town strapped for dollars spend money on glitz and twinkle, which only lasts a season? I believe it is because of the memory our festively decorated town leaves on its visitors.  The glistening streetscape leaves Tipp’s citizens with a “welcome home” feeling.  The magical Main Street leaves visitors feeling like they’ve discovered the best little town in the region.  These shoppers, diners, and sightseers will be more inclined to make impulse purchases from our outstanding collection of retailers, invite their friends and family for meals in our award-winning restaurants, and return in other seasons to enjoy our concerts, festivals, and recreational offerings.

Our committee is working to create an enduring experience for citizens and visitors alike.  I know you are just as proud of Tipp City as we are, and I thank you for the time that you give to make our hometown better through your work on the Council.  Your consideration for a favorable vote is appreciated.

Respectfully,

Heather Bailey, Chairman

Tippecanoe Christmas in the Village

Downtown Lights - Photo by Andrea Nay

The below correspondence was sent to the attention of all members of City Council by email on 9/2/2010

Members of Council… and Friends.

As council members you are tasked with the responsibility (unenviable at times) of making smart and sometimes difficult decisions.

I have heard the comments regarding the difficulty some have in spending electric funds on Christmas Lights this year and agree that it is a difficult decision with the general fund deficits. However, when looked at through the lens of rationality the electric fund is fully funded and “rich” enough to support their installation this year and for years to come. There is a reason why the electric fund has money for Christmas Lights, and it is not because we have been overcharging residents for electricity. (On the contrary, we enjoy the lowest electric rates in the State of Ohio)

It is because we have been fiscally responsible with those electric fund monies. The same is true with the other utility fund (water).

Now.. This leaves the General Fund an accounting category which is the bane of executive managers the world over. The fund where all discretionary and emergency funds are pulled from. The fund takes the wealth from all undirected and unpredictable fund sources (income taxes, fees, use taxes, permits, etc.) and this cache is pulled from to pay for all variable expenses such as salaries, capital expenditures, etc. Therefore, there is a direct impact on the City’s ability to pay for unplanned and increasingly expensive costs with a shrinking income base (less jobs + less business profits = less income tax).

I would consider the reduction or elimination of the Christmas Lights this year to be just as punitive (and petty) as threatening residents with reducing necessary public services such as police and fire. The City of Tipp City most definitely needs to “get a haircut” in many categories of expense, but reducing expenses in a liquid and well managed fund category is not the smart way to go. With the 5-year and 10-year Capital Improvements Plan and pending budget reviews, you all have the ability to figure out how to best fund the General Fund needs without pillaging or impacting the best things you have going for the City. Demand that your City Manager provide you with clear and immediate budgetary accounting that shows who is paid for what, where do the lines of income intersect with expense and an analysis of how our employee salaries compare to the public sector?  “Look under the rock whence ye are hewn”. – The Prophet Isaiah

Outside all of the sentimental comments you have received regarding the Christmas Lights, the downtown businesses have grown to depend on the lights creating a ripe shopping atmosphere that builds interest and sales in our downtown. Less sales downtown directly equates to less income going into the General Fund. Please don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. Keep the lights on Downtown.

Regards,

Mike McDermott
Downtown Resident and Business Owner

I discovered today that in addition to email correspondence like this, there is a petition signing campaign that has started to keep the Christmas lights on Downtown. The City Council meeting on September 20th when Council votes on the Christmas lights should prove to be very interesting… I highly recommend your attendance.

What is a Creative Commons License?

TippNews DAILY, more specifically, the works that are shared on it are now protected with a Creative Commons License. What this means is that you are FREE to copy, distribute and transmit the news (text), images and video content on this site. The license requires that if you do these things, that you provide attribution as to where you obtained the text, images or videos. Simply put, say “found at TippNews DAILY” and if shared electronically, please provide a link back to the site.

Finally, the license protects the works on the site with no-derivation so those who copy the text or images do so in a way that protects the integrity of the article. Everyone hates to be misquoted or taken out of context, this license actually helps to protect us from that.

Why Not Consider Public Domain?

While many of our contributors are not professional journalists and authors, some of them are. Since this is their profession, we seek to protect their works from being misused or copied in part or in whole without providing the author the credit that they deserve for their work. Likewise, we have several professional photographers who create wonderful works of art and share them freely with us. While these photos are watermarked with their name, this added protection requests others to respect their license and copyright marks. Simply by installing the Creative Commons License, we are opening ourselves to those who want to share their works without fear that their creations will be snatched off the site and resold for profit.

Stepping it Up

TippNews DAILY contributors have began to step up their contributions and enhance the quality of the news and entertainment value of this online publication. This is just one of the many ways that we seek to “step it up” and provide a higher quality product that our community demands and deserves.

Learn More

Just by visiting the Creative Commons site you can learn about what makes TippNews DAILY even better, day after day.

Christopher Gee

Under Ohio law, the Republican Central Committee is given the responsibility to appoint its nominee for this open position in the November 2nd election.

Gee commented, “The next Common Pleas Judge in Miami County must maintain the high standards established by Judge Welbaum and Judge Lindeman. The thirteen years I have worked with them as a magistrate has prepared me for this step. I worked with Judge Welbaum and Judge Lindeman in the prosecutor’s office. I have a background in civil and criminal trials. In private practice I worked closely with former County Prosecutor Bob Huffman. I pledge to maintain the court’s excellent reputation in the legal community and among Miami County citizens. I have the experience and commitment to the rule of law to be the next Common Pleas Judge in Miami County.”

Magistrate Gee has served as a magistrate in the Common Pleas Court under Judge Welbaum and Judge Lindeman since 1997. He has complete responsibility for a yearly docket of 650 cases and writes decisions in over 100 trials a year. These cases include contested divorce trials as well as protection orders for stalking, sexually oriented offenses and domestic violence.

Before becoming a magistrate, Gee was in private practice with Huffman, Landis & Weaks. He has over nineteen years experience in criminal and civil litigation. As an assistant prosecutor under Welbaum, Gee was responsible for all levels of felony prosecutions. Gee also served as an assistant municipal prosecutor for the City of Troy and the Village of West Milton.

Gee and his wife, Kathleen, have lived in Miami County for more than thirty years. They have three children and two grandchildren. His children graduated from Milton-Union High School. He has been an active community volunteer, serving as President of the Milton-Union Recreation Association. He was also president of the Milton-Union Soccer Board for twelve years. Gee also served on the West Milton Charter Commission and on the West Milton Village Council.

Gee stated, “I am confident that I can join Judge Lindeman and other county officials in maintaining the successful team management approach to fiscal responsibility that the citizens of Miami County have come to expect. I will do everything necessary to ensure that Miami County will continue to have judges with a firm commitment to the rule of law that makes it a safe place to live and raise a family.”

As if filing bankruptcy was not tough enough…

Clients walk into the offices of The Mark Bamberger Company with some dreadful problems.  One of the more common is the threat or ongoing nightmare of a foreclosure.  In some cases, their lender is saying it is right on the horizon.  In more cases foreclosure has been commenced.  What is important to know is that the filing of a foreclosure complaint is only the first step of a long process; ending in a sheriff’s auction sale of the property out from under my clients.  This process can take between three and 18 months; depending on how vigorously the client fights, how clever their attorney is in stalling for time or negotiating a refinance or loan modification, or how badly the lender really wants the property.

The Automatic Stay

Often I am asked how foreclosure ties into bankruptcy.  Whether the bankruptcy is under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13, the answer is roughly the same.  Filing bankruptcy puts ALL pending or ongoing legal action “on ice”.  This is legally termed the “automatic stay”.  The only way a creditor gets out of this is to wait out the discharge of the bankruptcy or move the bankruptcy court for relief from the automatic stay; which often takes about as long as the bankruptcy itself.

Never Surrender

Bankruptcy CAN be an efficient way to stop a foreclosure long enough to negotiate a deal with the lender.  Before the filing of a bankruptcy petition, the lender has all the power.  After filing the petition, the debtor gains some power since they can choose whether to keep or “retain” the property or give it up, called “surrender”.  Even if the debtor says they want to keep it; five minutes and an amendment to the petition can change the outcome.  What that means is that the lender gets the property; with all the debt and non-performing loan that goes with it.  They generally do not want that, no matter how nice the house is, since they are inheriting debt; plain and simple.

So much for mandated loan modification

Unfortunately, as has been reported on the national news, the major lenders took billions in federal bailout money; only to go back on their promises to make loan modification easier.  Sometimes they seem to be cutting of their nose to spite…my clients!  The bottom line is this – a bankruptcy can be used as leverage, but never guarantees success in a client keeping their home!

Mark J. Bamberger, Esq., Owner and Attorney at Law

The Mark Bamberger Co., LLC

Offices in Tipp City, West Chester, and Enon

While being born on U.S soil, passing a Citizenship test or apparently being the President are the requirements to being a real American, I feel another step should be required. Yes, it’s good to know the Bill of Rights, each of the U.S states, and who wrote the Constitution but what determines a true red blooded American is the viewing of The Brady Bunch.

Nobody should be able to reside on this great land, who isn’t familiar enough with the classic sitcom to recite the theme song. It is such a piece of American history, that it should be sung right after the National Anthem at all public sporting events, with hats still off.

All through school we are forced to sit through endless classes of U.S History, studying events from hundreds of years ago, while everything that’s need to be known in life is learned from the Brady Bunch. Memorizing the Gettysburg Address is great, but saying ‘Four score and seven years ago,’ does no good when needing to break a date because of a better offer. As Greg once advised to Marcia, ‘Something suddenly came up,’ works much better.

Family values are also a constant theme of the Brady Bunch, and at a time when the divorce rate is rampant and many couples are remarrying who have children from a previous marriage, the sitcom serves as a positive example. Yes, difficulties will be faced, but nothing that can’t be resolved within a half hour, even if it requires building a house of cards.

An endless amount of wisdom was dealt out by Mike & Carol, but none has stuck with me more than the nugget of truth spoken by Mrs. Brady in the classic episode titled ‘Dough Re Mi’ when Peter’s voice changes right when the kids are ready to record a hit song. They are forced to decide whether or not Peter should be kept in the group and Carol offers this sage advice, ‘Money and fame are very important things, but sometimes there are things that are more important…like people.”

Admittedly, I have long forgotten which states formed the confederacy but those words from Mrs. Carol Brady have always stuck with me. And as an American, which has honestly done me more good? If more citizens put other people ahead of fame and fortune, this country would be a much better place.

The Brady Bunch taught me many other valuable life lessons, including; throwing a football at someone’s nose can break it, not to play ball in the house and tiki idols in Hawaii are bad luck. Each of those lessons have served me very well and most likely diverted major catastrophe.
I also learned pork chops and applesauce go great together, don’t call people Shrimpo, and baked beans can be stored in a flashlight. Granted, none of that information is contained on any Citizenship test but is vital in being a true American.

A sign of patriotism should be; knowing the name of Greg’s alter ego? Cindy’s baby doll? Whose Buddy Hinton and George Glass? If you can answer any of those, then you deserve to be in land of the free and the home of the brave.

Stay tuned for movies you must see to be a real American.

If you have turned on a TV lately, or browsed YouTube you probably have seen the newest of Staples advertisements called “Wow! That’s a low price!”. The mild-mannered guy on the commercial screams that line at the top of his lungs as he sees each and every low price at Staples. The employees in the commercial are only slightly amused with the corny character.

Today, I was only slightly amused with Staples Customer Service.

Back to School

My son will be attending Tippecanoe High School this year as a junior, and I was dutifully obtaining school supplies for him today, including the expensive Texas Instruments TI-84 calculator. I searched high and low and found that in the online weekly ad from Staples the calculator was only $79.99 after instant savings and an easy rebate. I was so excited to have found the low price at Staples. Well… until I went to go to checkout when the price raised to $99.99. Wait just a moment. That is no longer a low price. That is the same price as all the other “dancing monkey” discounters (WalMart, Target) out there.

Customer No-Service

So, I called 1-800-STAPLES and spoke to a pleasant voice that told me that “in her system” the price was actually $89.99, after a $10.00 Visa Card rebate. I asked why “her system” said it was $89.99 and not $79.99 like the weekly flyer and the Staples website? She had no idea, but that if I was to buy it today, the price would be $89.99.

So, I called and spoke to the manager of the Staples store in Moraine. He said “his system” said it was $89.99 as well. OK, well now I know that “her system” and “his system” were the same. Wonderful. Then I asked him about the Internet website price. He said that if I go all the way through the checkout process it would “probably be” $79.99. Excellent information. Now, how many of you like to jump off a bridge before checking to see if your bungee harness is attached?

So, following instructions I went through the check out process, and came to the final checkout screen.. the very last thing I would see before my credit card would be charged the wrong amount. And I see a “live chat” prompt. Maybe this online chat customer service rep would know why my weekly ad price was not represented in “her system” correctly. I provide all the information, the Item number, price before discount, etc. I even offer to email her the screen shots of the circular that show the low $79.99 price. She states “You may need to refresh or something” followed up with “May I help you with anything else at this time?”. Obviously trying to get me to stop asking questions. The kicker was when “Tammy D” the Customer Service Chat Rep said “I am sorry for your trouble”.

I don’t believe that Staples should make “finding the low price” a trouble for me. Why should I be troubled by their false advertising..really? And then I guess I should not be troubled when clearly my computer was the only one on the planet that displayed the Low Price of $79.99.

Tammy D the Staples Customer Service Chat Representative then disconnected the chat conversation with me. Maybe I was asking too many questions?

Clearly, Staples is not the place to find the low price today. It is also not the place to find Customer Service.

My life is filled with unanswered questions, such as; will I ever, find a full time job? Move out of Dayton? Get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop? However, one thing I have always been certain about is my sexuality, in that I’m attracted to women, but even that has recently been riddled with some doubt due to my attendance of a Richard Marx concert. Especially not only because I went, but I enjoyed it.

Dare I say that there is one other thing, I not only went to see Richard Marx, the originator of a collection of sappy love longs, but I went all by my lonesome. In the middle of a crowded Fraze Pavilion, mixed between hundreds of adoring female fans and celebratory couples, was me.
Sitting, in my ‘I ’heart’ Richard’ custom made T-shirt, anxious to hear, ‘Now and Forever,’ I began to question, why is it that I really enjoy watching professional wrestling?

In my defense, before leaving for the concert I raised my testosterone by watching some football on television with control of the remote, ate some steak & potatoes and checked out some monster trucks online. Then I got into my purple car, tuned into Lite 99.9 and erratically drove the speed limit all the way to the Fraze.

Despite a near capacity crowd, my entire row of seats; in the orchestra section, was all empty except for mine. So much for making it look like I was at least with someone, instead I stood out like a daisy in a field of roses. Am glad that I decided against bringing a sign that matched my T-shirt to attract attention, it wasn’t needed. I swear, that at one point during the show, the gaze of Richard Marx landed upon me and his expression showed sympathy and just a touch of fear for the devoted fan who braved sitting all alone.

‘You didn’t sing along, did you?’ I was later asked by a male cousin. Come on now, I know my limits. I had to maintain some shred of dignity, so I only mouthed the words to ‘Right Here Waiting’ while waving my lighter in the air. Nobody was sitting around me so I was even able to get up and get my groove on a little. Laugh if you must, but you try listening to ‘Should’ve Known Better’ while sitting completely still.

Though I occasionally browse through a Victoria Secret catalog, want to move to Wisteria Lane for obvious reasons, and am on a first name basis with Miss Ohio; I still enjoyed seeing Richard Marx. I’m comfortable enough in my heterosexuality to even say, he rocked. Maybe Michael Bolton can come next year.

Without having to travel hundreds of miles, suffer from sand being trapped in hard to reach places, or be gawked at while wearing my Speedo; I was still able to enjoy a touch of the beach by visiting Paradise Key Café. I only had to go a few short miles to 3243 Needmore Road for a delicious getaway.

Formerly the location of the cleverly named Need 1 More bar, the Café has been transformed into a paradise like setting. All year round, the mood is always bright inside, amongst the décor of palm trees and flamingos. Of course a part of the atmosphere of being at the beach is the good food and the Paradise Key Café delivers in that respect as well.

Their major claim to fame is the ‘parrot’ wings, which are served whole, rather than cut in half. What counts as five wings at Paradise Key Café would be 10 anywhere else in the area. Many say that they are Dayton’s best wings and after having some, I would be hard pressed to offer any arguments against it. They are not only large in size, but also meaty, and available in Hot, BBQ, Garlic Parmesan, Chipotle or Honey Mustard. I was treated to some of each, and was not disappointed. Those who crave heat, won’t be disappointed with the Hot, but I surprisingly favored the bold flavor of the BBQ.

What also sets the wings of Paradise Key Café apart from the competition is that they are broasted rather than deep fried. Wing enthusiasts are encouraged to visit on Wednesdays when $1 is taken off all wing orders.

A special deal is also offered every Friday, all you can eat fish with fries and coleslaw for just $7.99.

Plus, Monday-Friday is home cooked lunch special served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for only $5.00. The menu includes Country Fried Steak, Spaghetti, and Meat Loaf. Rather than having another cold cut sandwich, a full meal can be had for a low price at Paradise Key Café.

In addition to all the food, a variety of entertainments options are offered for the heightened element of paradise. Every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday night is Karaoke starting at 9:00 p.m. Tuesday is Dance Night as music is provided by a D.J. and on Wednesday’s a live band performs out on the spacious outdoor patio.

For those who are having so much fun that they don’t want their paradise vacation to end, Paradise Key Café starts serving a full breakfast at 2 a.m. The alcoholic beverages must stopped being dealt but is replaced with eggs, bacon, pancakes and all such favorites.

Enjoy an appetizing getaway at Paradise Key Café, 3243 Needmore Road. I promise to leave my Speedo at home.