Lake Glacier in Mill Creek Park is one of my absolute favorite places to visit in every season of the year, and this is the absolute best view of its serene, surrounding landscape.

Ohio's new governor, Ted Strickland, gave Mahoning Valley residents cause to hope for their future again during his inauguration speech. Gov. Strickland spoke about the various causes he will be pursuing in Ohio during his first term, including our ramshackle education system as one of his priorities. He also made several points about the Ohio legislature and how it must begin, like the federal government, to work together, promoting bipartisan projects, reminding citizens that we are all Americans, and in this case that we are all Ohioans, and not to allow divisions between Republican and Democratic parties to allow our country, and in Strickland's case our state, to suffer due to petty power struggles.

Mahoning Valley residents were reportedly happy with Strickland's inauguration address. Many were quoted in the newspapers and on television, saying they believe in Strickland's honesty, and feel he will aid this notoriously economically depressed area of Ohio in creating a future again. A large number of Mahoning Valley politicians appeared with Strickland at his inauguration, including: Attorney General Marc Dann of Liberty, Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams, and U.S. Representative Tim Ryan. Strickland made use of quotes by Republican leaders of the nation like George W. Bush on education, and Ronald Reagan on the status quo.

While I am much in sympathy with my fellow residents of the Mahoning Valley, I'll be waiting to see what Mr. Strickland proves himself capable of. I'm a supporter of bipartisan measures myself, but I fail to see how quoting George W. Bush on education and Ronald Reagan on the status quo is "striking the right political tone," as Representative Ryan was quoted saying in the Youngstown Vindicator. Both Bush and Reagan had and have their positive qualities as leaders of the nation, but President Bush's education policies have proved to be some of the worst created in the history of the United States, and former President Reagan is rarely remembered as a model for progressive politicians who do not settle for upholding the status quo. I still have hope that Governor Strickland will come through for the Mahoning Valley, but will wait a bit longer to see what he is actually able to accomplish in his first few months before committing myself to a Strickland believer.

A lot of people are counting on you, Governor Strickland. Good luck, and fight hard!

Thanks to the forward-looking vision of Volney Rogers, in 1891 the Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio was founded, preserving a stretch of land that today is compromised 2600 acres. Mill Creek Park is the second largest metropolitan park in the United States, second only to Central Park in New York City. Not bad for a little city in Ohio!

Today some of the parks' most beautiful features are Lanterman's Mill, a pioneer's mill that once ground wheat, corn, buckwheat and oats in the 1800s, the Fellows Riverside Gardens, an eleven-acre museum to roses, tulips, herbs, chrysanthemums, evergreens, dwarf fir trees, rhododendrons, and a variety of annuals and perrenials. The gardens attract people from all over the world. The park also includes golf courses, foottrails, waterfalls, Lake Glacier, horse stables, and the Ford Nature Center, where a group of naturalists work in the park all year around.

The park is Youngstown's crowning achievement as a community, thus making it one of the man-made wonders of Ohio, created in a period when Volney Rogers could foresee the destruction of our natural wonders as Ohio was becoming industrialized, but it's also one of the many feathers in Ohio's cap. Visit the park website for more details. Better yet, make a plan to visit Mill Creek Park this summer when the gardens are in full bloom!

With new Governor Ted Strickland in office, Ohians have begun to raise their voices for various causes. One cause has been in opposition to the death penalty in Ohio. According to the Youngstown Vindicator, protestors gathered outside the Ohio State Penitentiary to let our new governor know that many of Ohio's citizens do not approve of this particular measure of justice.

The protest was organized by Cleveland residents but included Youngstown area residents as well, and was staged on Martin Luther King Day weekend. At this point there are five men on death row in the state penitentiary who the protestors claim are innocent of the crime that put them there. Known as the Lucasville Five, the men were part of a prison uprising in Lucasville in 1993 in which prison guards were killed. The men on death row, say the protestors, were not part of the deaths of the guards.

I myself don't believe that the death penalty is an effective measure for curtailing crime. If it were, the number of crimes in which the death penalty is a possible outcome would drop, but this isn't so. Historically the death penalty hasn't worked to curtail crime. Even in the days of public executions, it didn't stop people from commiting crimes. Some sociological studies have found that it may even promote the idea of social justice being equated with death, creating a society more inclined to kill.

I do think the death penalty serves a purpose, mostly to make family and friends of victims feel that justice has been served. It doesn't aid the betterment of society itself, though, especially when so many people have died on death row who were later found to be innocent. A measure of justice shouldn't have so much collateral damage, as some would call it, as this one does. I do, however, sympathize with the victims of crime and their families and friends, who desire some form of justice in the face of their tragedies, and I won't pretend to have a better plan for justice. I do hope, however, that more measures can be taken to ensure that a form of punishment so severe as the death penalty will be carried out with more caution in the future. Perhaps protests such as the one carried out on Martin Luther King Day weekend will be a call for more consideration of how we, as a society, proceed with a process so fraught as the death penalty is in the new century.

The Steel Valley Triatholon Club is a not for profit group in Northeastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania that is interested in developing multisport disciplines like triatholons for the area.

Originally the YMCA Tri Club, which began in 2004, the SVTC has over fifty members now. As stated on their website, the club's mission is to provide training information and opportunites and to increase the number and quality of racing options in the area. Members of the club receive discounts at their sponsors' places of business, such as chiropractic offices, massotherapy, podiatric offices, cycle shops, and much much more. It's also a great place to make new, like-minded friends and acquaintances. So if you're intro running, cycling and swimming, you should definitely check out the SVTC website for more information.

Ready, set, go!

The State Theater in Youngstown, the city's oldest building--older than the old Warner Brothers Theater--is currently the focus of much debate. Apparently the Youngstown Business Incubator is set to take the building over, but there has also been rumors of a potential demolition in its future. In the wake of this news, people have begun organizing to save the building. Fundraisers and benefits are being talked about, and a small group of people interested in restoring this historical building has begun to form.

The State Theater opened in 1927. Originally operated as a cinema, in the 1970s it was transformed into a nightclub called the Agora. By the 1980s it was closed, like so many other buildings in the business district of Youngstown. Now, with the city's vision and plans for revitalization on track once again, we're trying to salvage pieces of our heritage to carry into our future.

Potential plans for the State Theater, if salvageable, would be to restore it to its former function as a center for drama, music, literature, and the arts.

If you're interested in donating time, money, supplies or anything at all, please contact YoStateTheater@yahoo.com, or visit the website for the State Theater's supporters. Any help at all would be appreciated.

If you're a history buff like I am, and obviously connected to the internet if you're reading this right now, you should take a trip over to Youngstown State University's Oral History Digital Program, where you can download transcripts of over eleven hundred oral accounts given by Northeastern Ohians since 1974. The histories recorded span subjects such as the World Wars, Vietnam, Immigrant Cultures, the steel industry before and after it settled and abandoned the Youngstown-Warren region of Ohio, the Holocaust, religion, and so much more.

I've read through a great many of the oral history transcripts myself, trying to familiarize myself with the region in which I grew up. You'd be surprised how much you don't know about where you come from. So take a dip into your heritage, and see if you can't find out some of the reasons why Northeastern Ohio is what it is today.

A slice of life from the 1930s Downtown Youngstown, when the city was building up quickly due to the demands of steelmakers.

The Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corporation is accepting proposals from companies interested in designing and building the Taft Technology Center. There will be a mandatory prebid conference at 2 p.m. on January 22nd at the Youngstown Business Incubator for those interested in the job. Proposals will be accepted until February 5th 2007, when the Community Improvement Corporation will open the bids at 2 p.m. to begin their review of the proposals. They will award the contract no later than forty-five days after the deadline. Construction will be set to start in March 2007 with a December 17th completion date.

The Taft Technology center will be three-stories tall, around 30,000 square feet, and will be built between the business incubator and the Semple Building on West Federal Street. Named after our departed Governor Taft, who helped to obtain 3.5 million dollars for the facility in state funds, altogether the project will amount to 5.9 million dollars. Apparently the state will also be providing 2.75 million dollars for another 5.9 million dollar technology project on West Federal Street, but this will be a project completed in phases.

If your company is interested, be sure to make the January 22nd mandatory prebid conference.

Murad Shorrab and Ryan Clausen are two of the Youngstown area's best stand-up comedians these days. I first saw Murad and Ryan perform at one of the Oakland Theater's Open Stage nights in August and have looked forward to seeing them perform at any event ever since.

Their comedy is definitely geared more towards the impolite, constantly pushing the envelope of our culture's contemporary tastes and manners, so with that said, they're not the sort of act you'd take your children to see. But if you're looking for a fun night out with adult friends, you should definitely try to catch one of their acts. These guys are, as my own favorite comedienne (Amy Sedaris) always says, hi-LAR-ious.

Future dates for shows include February 1st, March 1st and April 5th, 10pm at Mojo's Bar and Grille 5423 Mahoning Avenue in Austintown, Ohio. It's an 18 and over crowd, and the cost of admittance will be five dollars.

Take a look at Murad's comedy website for more information, and enjoy the little commercials for the show he's posted there as well.

It's good to remember sometimes how quickly communities can die. Youngstown is only one city abandoned by the American dream. There have been others, and will be more. It's best to be aware and try not to let it happen to anymore of our communities in Ohio.

Lanterman's Mill in Youngstown's Millcreek Park is one of the most gorgeous spots we have in Ohio. The first mill was built in 1799, and was replaced by a second one in 1823. The mill you see now was constructed between 1845-1846.

Congratulations to the Boxcar Lounge, which opened on New Year's Eve in Youngstown's old B&O! The lounge is smaller than your average lounge, but has a wide selection of beers, both local and imported brews, as well as providing a warm, relaxed atmosphere for people who want to get away from the loudness of clubs with DJs and bands playing.

The B&O is a historic site in Youngstown: the old train station, now functioning as a banquet center and pub, has been around for decades. It's good to see new life springing up in old places. Stop in and see for yourself!

Thanks to Matt at DowntownYoungstown.com for the tip.

The Eastwood Mall in Niles, Ohio has opened a space called "The Outreach Gallery", which features art created by children and young adults and their mentors in the surrounding area. The gallery is divided into three sections: The Youth Gallery, The Professional Gallery, and the Youngstown State University Student Print Gallery.

Almost all of the art is for sale, even the children's, which was vibrant and alive with a lot of creative energy when I visited the gallery over the holidays. The space is large, well-balanced and brings a warm feeling to the rest of the commercial hallways in the mall. Sponsors of the Outreach Gallery are: the Eastwood Mall, the Warren Junior Women's League, and the Fine Arts Council of Trumbull County.

These days Art has been reduced to an irregular status in our schools, and because of that it's been reduced to an irregular status in the lives of not only our children, but our own. If you happen to be visiting the Eastwood Mall, stop in the Outreach Gallery and make it a part of yours and your family's day. It may just bring a warm feeling to your own life as well as to the commercial halls of the Eastwood Mall.

For a city with a lot of problems, Youngstown has a lot of citizens with a great passion for the place. Particularly in the younger, newer generations growing up in the wreckage of past industrial economic betrayals and disappointments, I find more and more Youngstowners who are blogging and journaling about the city and what it was, is, and what they hope it will become.

What many of the Youngstown blogs I come across do are paint a portrait of the city rather than the bloggers themselves, which I find fresh, and a welcome addition to the many blogs that detail the daily lives of their bloggers.

In the online blog of the Walruss, Youngstown's new alternative newspaper, the city's renaissance call among its bloggers has been reported, detailing a variety of blogs, like John Slanina's "I will Shout Youngstown" blog, which he states has been a way for him to remain connect to his hometown and also as a tool for him to express his thoughts on city planning and economic development. His blog, among many others, like Mike Prelee's "Tales from the Rustbelt" provide readers both in and outside of Youngstown with a picture of the city from the inside.

This city has many tales to tell, and needs its tellers. Hopefully we'll have more in the near future.

Youngstown's Governor Jay Williams has done something in his Youngstown 2010 Plan that seems like it's the opposite of what most city planners think of as progress: instead of growing the city, his plan aims to shrink it. In a featured article about the plan in Governing.com, the shrinkage of Youngstown's community and the greening of its abandoned neighborhoods are listed as two of the main items Williams plans to accomplish while in office. He's trying to develop a new infrastructure for the city which future mayors and city council members can develop as well.

One part of the plan Williams wants to change quickly is the city's refurbishing of low income and poverty stricken households, which previously has allowed people to sign up for the program on a first come first serve basis, rather than attempting to work on specific neighborhoods one at a time. In some cases, Williams wants to move some low income families who are holdouts in abandoned neighborhoods that could be returned to nature into neighborhoods the city is focusing its energies on revitalizing, rather than fixing up one lone house on a street of ten dilapidated, abandoned homes.

The Youngstown 2010 Plan seems to be made of a lot of common sense that past Mayors and Councils have sadly declined to employ. The plan is getting national coverage in venues such as The New York Times. To learn more about it, visit the Youngstown 2010 Plan website, and if you're a local, attend one of the meetings and see if there's any way in which you could contribute to the betterment of the city that's decided to shrink in order to grow.

So sad, and yet so true. The twelve days of Ohio are over. In case you missed them, here they are again!

On the first day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: a state bird (by Jamie)!
On the second day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: a Twinsburg festival (by Tom)!
On the third day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: sports museums (by Katherine)!
On the fourth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: women astronauts (by Jamie)!
On the fifth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: great actors (by Tom)!
On the sixth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: art museums (by Jeffrey)!
On the seventh day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: baseball World Series Championships (by Tom)!
On the eighth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: presidents (by Jamie)!
On the ninth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: doubled cities (by Katherine)!
On the tenth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: famous Ohioans (by Jeffrey)!
On the eleventh day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: Native American tribes of Ohio (by Tom)!
On the twelfth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: trivial Ohio facts (by Jeffrey)!

Ohio is a trivia fanatic's dream come true. There's always some new fact or odd story to dredge up. Here are twelve to start.

1. Oberlin College founded in 1833, was the first interracial and coeducational college in the USA.

2. John Lambert, of Ohio City, built the first gasoline-powered automobile in the USA.

3.The Cincinnati Red Stockings, as the Reds were known way back in 1869, were the first professional baseball team.

4 The first automatic traffic light was installed in Cleveland, in 1914.

5. Ermal Fraze, of Dayton, invented the first pop-top can. We should all be grateful for that one.

6. In 1870, Cincinnati established the University of Cincinnati. No American city had ever had a municipal university before.

7. Cleveland was the site of the first successful blood transfusion, back in 1905. It was performed by Dr. George Crile.

8. Akron is said to be the first city to use police cars.

9. Dayton produced the first patented cash register. It was invented by James Retty, in 1879.

10. The first municipal ambulance service was started in 1865. Cincinnati takes credit for that.

11. Cincinnati also had the first professional fire department. Really innovative folks, down there.

12. Finally, William Finlay Semple, from Mount Vernon patented a seriously important invention in 1865. Chewing gum.