olive: this was sent to me last week, sorry for the delay, from uffadave.
For the past few months the webmaster of OliveAurora, and I have been trading emails concerning the use of anonymous postings on the blog and forum. My thesis for my second master’s in journalism is on ethics. I have tried to counsel Olive on the ethics surrounding blogs, forums and news sites. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and just about all the other large daily newspapers, small dailies and weeklys are battling with the issue of anonymous postings versus requiring a name – something you must do to submit a letter to a newspaper. So if the big boys are having fits over the issue, just imagine how Olive feels. It’s confusing, it’s scary and it’s not easy.
Several years back the Los Angeles Times tried an editorial experiment they called a Wikitorial. The experiment lasted two days before the< Times shut it down from abuse. Anonymous posters got on and used foul and pornographic language. In the end, the abusers destroyed an experiment designed to give the average citizen a little more voice than they normally get with the letters to the editor. I took issue with the postings of several anonymous posters concerning their take on the school's video. The one issue I poked at up front was the use of pseudonyms to hide the real poster. In truth, as Olive and I discussed the issue I encouraged him to continue allowing anonymous posting because it was giving a voice, and a forum, to people who might not otherwise speak up. Read the rest of this entry »
You might not know his name but, Dan Melcher had an enormous effect on the City of Aurora. He was a long-time member and past president of Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland and a member and Vice Chairman of the Planning Commission. He was an environmental advocate. A great deal of the present Aurora zoning code was affected by his presence on the commission during the rewrite. He was instrumental in the land conservation efforts in Aurora and obtained the 40-acre Molnar Sanctuary on Page Rd for Audubon.
The two other Audubon sanctuaries, the E. Pioneer Sanctuary and the Novak Sanctuary on Townline Rd. both were maintained, in a great part to his efforts, and the completed Education Center at the Novak Sanctuary was his project too.
Dan fought for greenspace preservation in Aurora and saved many 100s of acres from development. Without his efforts, Aurora would be a different place today. Dan died Sunday February 23.
We had our differences over the years, but he would still say hello to me. Today, by coincidence my kids wanted to go for a walk at the Pioneer Trail sanctuary, they were loud and boisterous, rolling down the snow covered hills and generally having a great time. Not exactly birdwatching, the way Dan would have preferred. But they laid on their backs in the snow for a long while, silently looking up at the beautiful snow-covered trees, and they heard the birds slowly begin to twitter and chirp and they heard a woodpecker.
My daughter’s friend got up, after a bit of snow hit her face, and said “that interrupted my beautiful moment!”
Hopefully those beautiful moments of our kids lives will encourage them to preserve and enjoy the outdoors. Dan is gone, and somebody else will have to carry on the fight. Maybe these kids will.
Get out and enjoy the greenspace, the parks and the trails of Aurora.
The levy committee has set up one more open public meeting for questions and answers about the levy. 7:00, Wednesday night, February 27th in the High School gym.
Russ Bennett and Bill Volosin will be available to respond to any questions the public might have and clarification of any issues pertaining to the levy.
A volunteer has created this video which illustrates the school situation.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szVa32dOxWo&eurl=http://auroracitizens.com/[/youtube]
So is Olive a lapdog? A hand puppet? Do you think this site was created just to support the school levy? (it was online way over a year before the levy failed the first time, and nobody cared)
There are opinions of this site at another forum
I’d like to know what you think. And got any questions?
Look for water rates to be going up, 35% over the next 5 years. Connection fees charged to new construction is down, that the real need for this increase. Finance Director Bob Paul says, sewer connection fees from developers have kept the sewer fund solvent. “We charge a significant amount for sewer connections, but when building slows and eventually stops, we won’t be able to collect those fees”Hmm? the city just took over the operation of the treatment plants. And just negotiated a new water contract. And the water still tastes terrible and leaves calcium buildup on everything. Cleveland water is so much better. Read more here
Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama both want the democratic votes in Aurora Ohio. Got a preference? Is Barak spelled right?
If you know of a great sale somewhere in or near Aurora post it for your neighbors here. Maybe Marcs has a super price on something or a pizza place has a give away. Help out by posting here.
If you support the levy, tie on a green ribbon to your mailbox, or tree, or minivan or dog.
Then sweetly ask your neighbor “where’s yours?” don’t you support the levy…
Show your support.
The students of Harmon Middle School are hosting a special American Red Cross school blood drive and they need your participation! Friday, February 29th, 2008 from 3-8 p.m. in the middle school commons Read the rest of this entry »
Questions and Answers about the Levy
From the levy website www.auroracitizens.com. Olive does not have any official answers for you.
Russ Bennett, Aurora City Schools Superintendent, and the Aurora City Schools Board believe it is in the best interest of the school district to be open and honest about questions from any resident of Aurora School District concerning the March 4 levy vote.
Most questions will be answered in the FAQ section. However if there is a question you have that is not listed here, please call Russ Bennett, Superintendent at 330-995-7702; email at rbennett@aurora-schools.org, or Bill Volosin, Treasurer at 330-995-7705; email at bvolosin@aurora-schools.org. Read the rest of this entry »
The former Ray Harmon farmhouse on Bartlett Rd., owned by the city of Aurora was broken into sometime after January 11. (I guess that’s the last time the property was checked.)
The back door was pried open, and an ornate antique light fixture was stolen. The house and property was recently designated with Landmark status by the Aurora City Council at the recommendation of the Landmark Commission.
It has been vacant since the former owner, Ray Harmon died. The city had bought it but as part of the agreement Ray, who was in his 90s lived there until shortly before his death. The house was built in the 1830’s by some of the original settlers in Aurora.
Since Ray died, the city has left the house and barns vacant. The barn stores hay from the property. Perhaps it is finally time to find a tenant for the house. Who knows what’s next, all the copper gone? A mysterious fire? There several other city owned houses that have city employees living in them, it is a winning situation for the city.
If my memory serves me the stolen light fixture is a converted oil fixture kind of a Victorian style, most likely it has been in the house for 100 years. Probably sold off to an antique store by now, or on ebay.
I think it was similar to this, but not quite so fancy.
I’ve heard that living in Aurora is like living in a bubble. I think that means that we are isolated or insulated from the some of the world. It that true? What are some of the good things about living in Aurora? Is it the low taxes? The greenspace? The lack of traffic congestion? The short lines at the Post Office or banks? The small town attitude and atmosphere?
Does anyone have a topic? The schools seem to be garnering the most attention these days. Any comment about the new Aurora Master Plan? What about a new community center? How will the Geauga Lake development affect Aurora, (43 will be widened) why? is somebody expecting a lot of traffic from a new development? Has someone you know done something interesting? How about someone to review the new bars or restaurants in town. Got a complaint or a compliment? Click comment make up a screen name and add your 2 cents.
Hmmm.
The day the clock tower project is canceled the school announces a $30,000 anonymous donation. Maybe there is no connection, but if there is, the money is being put to good use, i hope. Better late than never. Thanks anonymous donor!
From the schools website:
The City of Aurora is looking for your opinion! What do you want? What don’t you like? Here’s a chance for you bloggers to tell somebody what you think. Complete this online survey.
Winter Hike & Hot Cocoa Saturday, January 12 @ 9:30 am to 11 am –
Family snow creature – building contest! Saturday, February 23 @ 11 am
Endangered Birds Festival – Presented by Local Girl Scout Deanna Wolford
Saturday, February 2nd – sessions to repeat @ 10:30 am, 12 noon and 1:30 pm
Another local business closes in Aurora. I think that store has been in Aurora for over 20 years? It was previously in the other shopping plaza. Too bad.
At the risk of bringing up an Aurora school topic, here is a good description of the IB program. Too bad this is getting swept up in the levy controversy, until the levy failed did you or anybody else care about IB spending or any other school expenditure?
Unfortunately, it seems like this programs for kids who are the smartest, will be sacrificed for the $$. How will Aurora stack up against other districts if this program gets cut? I imagine that our rankings will DROP when this program goes. I wonder how much is spent on kids in other programs, like busing kids to other schools for vocational classes? I believe about $3 million is spent on Special Ed/LD but that is required by law. The $100,000 spent on IB is a tiny percentage of the school’s $24,000,000 budget.
Should we put a price sticker on each kid to indicate how much school and community money they consume? Some kids are involved in a lot of activities, are they worth it? Aren’t they getting more than other kids, for free?
In a related topic, people have wondered if the school district affects housing prices. I can tell you from my own experience that it does. We lived in Cleveland Hts. in the East Cleveland School District and our house value was at least 20% below those in Cleveland Hts. schools, on the same street! This offered us a lower-priced starter house and we knew that we would move on when the kids got school-aged or pay for private schools.
So maybe we need a two-tiered district in Aurora. Houses would tagged as either in– the full unabridged school district or in the school district “lite”. “Lite ” house would have lower taxes, that would mean that children living in those “Lite” houses would have to pay to participate, Read the rest of this entry »
Just leave your comment here by clicking on the comment below and the administrator will be sure to add it to the topics lists! You just send the title and the text. And a photo if you can.
There is an audio podcast of the 12/17 school board meeting available at the school website or here.
Here’s a suggested posting from one of the olive readers:
I would like to know why the city doesn’t make sure that their properties have shoveled sidewalks, especially their properties on W. Pioneer? I watched yesterday as kids attempted to walk home from the high school and middle school through high snow in front of the fire station and park. A lot of the kids got tired of trudging through the snow and opted for the street instead. With all the cars and buses on the road, this was a real safety concern. There has to be someone in the city who can operate a snowblower!
You should review this very important document, and voice your approvals or concerns to the Planning Commission, your Councilman or the Mayor. This plan ought to generate as much discussion as the school levy. Your voice can affect the final draft approved by council. The plan seems to be vague in many important areas.
Everyone has opinions about something and everything. Often we share those opinions with friends, family coworkers and authority figures. On those occasions, the person is usually known, the receiver of the opinion can always “consider the source”. and begin their own validation or moderation process.
In the vastness of the internet, the opinions are limitless. Read the rest of this entry »
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