Barboursville’s economic outlook remains positive. The budget is not so different from previous years, and the finances are experiencing only a minor decrease from this time last year.
The City Council approved the nearly $5 million budget during the Mar. 16 meeting. Mayor Paul Turman complemented the finance committee and was pleased with how the budget looked.
“We are holding our own,” Turman said.
While other areas of the country, even the county, have experienced negative consequences of the recession, Barboursville has not had any major changes. While Huntington has had user fees, and is now considering the 1 percent occupational tax, Barboursville hasn’t had to take any drastic steps.
“Barboursville’s budget is at 70 percent of our projected $5.3 million as of month-end March 2010,” said Diana Roy, finance department member. “We are only about $50,000 lower than our projected revenues for the same period last year. That is not bad considering the national economy.”
Roy said the local economy feels the effect of the recession much slower than bigger cities. Roy said the budget is doing well.
“I contribute this to our being conservative on expenditures where possible,” she said, “and trying to promote the economic health of the area by bringing in things like the Regional Soccer Tournament.”
The biggest revenue of the budget comes from B&O taxes, the majority coming from the
Huntington Mall.
“I would estimate the revenue from the mall to be about 70 percent of our B&O Tax revenue which this year is estimated to be $2.7 million,” Roy said.
Joe Johnston, Huntington Mall property manager, said the mall isn’t experiencing major changes in the number of businesses staying or leaving the mall property.
“It happens every year at this time,” Johnston said. “There’s probably less activity this year than previous years, but it’s not unusual that particularly this time of the year, early spring, we’ll have three to four stores close and three to four stores open.”
Johnston said it isn’t always the local business’ choice in the stores leaving. It’s sometimes due to changes being made in the national store chains. Johnston gave examples of Casual Corner and Petite Sophisticate, who both left within the last few years.
There are some changes that will happen this year. Stewarts Hot Dogs didn’t renew its contract and J.B. Robinson jewelers also chose not to renew. Qdoba just recently opened and Johnston said it is doing quite well. Shoe Carnival is opening in the space previously occupied by Dawahares near JCPenney. Johnston said there were realtors showing the property outside of the mall to people Tuesday.
“It’s ongoing,” he said.
Johnston said the Huntington Mall’s occupancy rate is higher than the national average.
“We are about 96 percent occupied,” Johnston said.
Johnston said he has been with the Huntington Mall for nearly 16 years and has seen good economic trends and flat economic trends.
“It doesn’t have as much affect on this shopping center as it does a shopping center that has a big boom,” Johnston said. “We’ve never experienced a big boom, so likewise we don’t experience a big letdown economically.”
Johnston said they do have to make changes to go along with the economy.
“It would be accurate to assume that during different economic times, the advantage swings back and forth like a pendulum to either the tenant or landlord’s advantage,” Johnston said. He said right now the pendulum is to the advantage of the tenant.
“The space is being rented or marketed at a lower rate than three or four years ago,” Johnston said.
Johnston said he anticipates a good future for the mall and notes some changes that he thinks will be coming.
“I anticipate the economy will pick up,” Johnston said. “I think this mall is geared to remain as the No. 1 retail shopping center in the region. Our third generation of ownership has taken over and I would look for our mall to be renovated in possibly 2011, no later than 2012, to upgrade and create excitement. Consumers like to see progress.”
With the source of Barboursville’s largest revenue looking promising, it’s looking good for the city’s future financial situation.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Is it still a rip-off when it's not intentional?
When I took a class in the fall semester, my work was adequate and I felt my grades were good. I expected to get a C in the class, but hoped for better. When I checked the grades online, I was devastated to learn that I made a D in the class, meaning I would have to retake it.
I immediately emailed my professor to ask what happened to cause such a poor grade and to find out what I had done wrong. I didn’t get an email back until the week before the spring semester started.
The entire Christmas break was depressing. While it shouldn’t have been my focus, as that is the time I should be centering my attention on the celebration of Jesus’ birth, I was consumed with sadness. I couldn’t decide if I should change my classes to try to retake the class and drop the one that follows it. I kept my schedule the same and waited until I could talk to her.
She replied to my email and said she could talk to me about it when the semester started. That wasn’t good enough for me, because on the slim chance that there was an error, I didn’t want to be enrolled in a class I didn’t need and miss out on a class I did need.
I replied to this email immediately and asked her if I could talk to her in person and she gave me her office hours. I went to see her and she was very kind about it in person and gave me a list of grades I made in that class. While doing so, she saw an error of 100 points that weren’t carried over in another column, and I was hoping this saved me, but it was a few points off. She let me keep the grade sheet and told me to check it over just in case.
As soon as I got home I looked at it and it still wasn’t adding up to me. I rechecked the grades several times, several ways, adding and dividing any way I thought I could to see if my numbers matched hers, but they didn’t. I asked a few other people to look it over and it was wrong. I saw her immediately the next day and she agreed with what I found. Because of that, several other students’ grades were changed.
If she had not been willing to show me the grades, my next step was going to be talking to the dean of the School of Journalism to see what I could find out. If that didn’t work, my plan was to go to the dean of Student Affairs. I was just glad I could get it changed.
While my rip-off example wasn't intentional or monetary, I, and others, almost didn't get what we deserved.
I immediately emailed my professor to ask what happened to cause such a poor grade and to find out what I had done wrong. I didn’t get an email back until the week before the spring semester started.
The entire Christmas break was depressing. While it shouldn’t have been my focus, as that is the time I should be centering my attention on the celebration of Jesus’ birth, I was consumed with sadness. I couldn’t decide if I should change my classes to try to retake the class and drop the one that follows it. I kept my schedule the same and waited until I could talk to her.
She replied to my email and said she could talk to me about it when the semester started. That wasn’t good enough for me, because on the slim chance that there was an error, I didn’t want to be enrolled in a class I didn’t need and miss out on a class I did need.
I replied to this email immediately and asked her if I could talk to her in person and she gave me her office hours. I went to see her and she was very kind about it in person and gave me a list of grades I made in that class. While doing so, she saw an error of 100 points that weren’t carried over in another column, and I was hoping this saved me, but it was a few points off. She let me keep the grade sheet and told me to check it over just in case.
As soon as I got home I looked at it and it still wasn’t adding up to me. I rechecked the grades several times, several ways, adding and dividing any way I thought I could to see if my numbers matched hers, but they didn’t. I asked a few other people to look it over and it was wrong. I saw her immediately the next day and she agreed with what I found. Because of that, several other students’ grades were changed.
If she had not been willing to show me the grades, my next step was going to be talking to the dean of the School of Journalism to see what I could find out. If that didn’t work, my plan was to go to the dean of Student Affairs. I was just glad I could get it changed.
While my rip-off example wasn't intentional or monetary, I, and others, almost didn't get what we deserved.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Mar. 16, 2010 Barboursville City Council Meeting
The budget for the city of Barboursville was approved during the second March meeting of the Barboursville City Council, and the plans for a new skate park were introduced.
Mayor Turman presented the nearly $5 million budget and reported an increase of 5 percent. "We are holding our own," Turman said.
The president of the Park Board said they had sent out surveys over the last year for residents of Barboursville to report waht they felt the city needed. After reviewing them, the decision was made to look into constructing a skate park to give youth something to do.
Steve Parsons said Spaulding Ramp Skate Parks is the company that gave them the information they neeed. He said the budget for that included the public relations, the set up, the disign, construction, etc, and comes with a 20-year warranty.
There is a budget of $135,000 to pay for it. The location will be next to the city pool where the unused tennis courts are currently located.
The board voted yes to start bid documents, and building is expected to begin in the fall. This is to keep building traffic and construction from interfering with the summer season of the pool.
Scott Bias, Cabell County commissioner, attended the meeting seaking support for levies. He said many programs are supported by these, such as Green Acres, Autism Services, the healh department and the fire department.
Kandy Miller, recorder, said that earlier this month, the park board voted to have the Relay for Life on June 11 in Barboursville.
Miller also reported that plans for the annual Fall Fest are already undersway.
Miller introduced the idea of getting more use from the Barboursville Park ampitheater. She would like to see a gospel sing, blue grass music and maybe a youth "battle of the bands." She would like to see this event be free and offered once a month.
Mayor Turman presented the nearly $5 million budget and reported an increase of 5 percent. "We are holding our own," Turman said.
The president of the Park Board said they had sent out surveys over the last year for residents of Barboursville to report waht they felt the city needed. After reviewing them, the decision was made to look into constructing a skate park to give youth something to do.
Steve Parsons said Spaulding Ramp Skate Parks is the company that gave them the information they neeed. He said the budget for that included the public relations, the set up, the disign, construction, etc, and comes with a 20-year warranty.
There is a budget of $135,000 to pay for it. The location will be next to the city pool where the unused tennis courts are currently located.
The board voted yes to start bid documents, and building is expected to begin in the fall. This is to keep building traffic and construction from interfering with the summer season of the pool.
Scott Bias, Cabell County commissioner, attended the meeting seaking support for levies. He said many programs are supported by these, such as Green Acres, Autism Services, the healh department and the fire department.
Kandy Miller, recorder, said that earlier this month, the park board voted to have the Relay for Life on June 11 in Barboursville.
Miller also reported that plans for the annual Fall Fest are already undersway.
Miller introduced the idea of getting more use from the Barboursville Park ampitheater. She would like to see a gospel sing, blue grass music and maybe a youth "battle of the bands." She would like to see this event be free and offered once a month.
March 2, 2010 Barboursville City Council Meeting
The first of two March meetings of the Barboursville City Council allowed Romie Mundy of West Virginia American Water to report on his recent inspections.
Mundy said the company inspected every hydrant last year, more than 1600 of them, and the valves as well. He reported the company reads 97.8 percent of the meters yearly. He also reported there were 400 water leaks last year, but only five of those times the leak lasted longer than six hours. Councilman Hall asked about water discoloration. There were also concerns about confusion over which parts of Barboursville were affected during a recent boil water advisory.
Michael Maxey, a candidate for Cabell County Commission, visited the meeting to introduce himself.
Pat Riley, of the Herald Dispatch, was at the meeting to thank everyone for the hard work of keeping the roads salted and cleared. He has been running with middle school students.
"I wanted to let everyone know how thankful we are," Riley said.
Councilman Hockenberry discussed concerns about the youth running so close to the streets.
"Make sure they stay on the sidewalk," Hockenberry said.
"We've got to look at control of the cats running loose in this town," Hockenberry said. He sees the cat overpopulation in the city as a problem. Kandy Miller, recorder, said to call the Humane Society and they will send a cage.
Mayor Turman recently spoke at the meeting of the Young Professionals, of which Councilman Chris Tatum is the chair. The group is comprised of 150-160 members.
"The air of the group is community service projects, as well as networking," Tatum said. He said the group meets with leaders to show interest in being leaders of the future. They are currently involved in an art project for Huntington with concrete by the flood wall.
Councilman Orman Hall reported a dog problem on Blake Street with tearing up the garbage.
Councilman Dick Spencer reported a hole on his street that is missing the cap. He would like Steve Parsons, who is in charge of street and maintenance, to check it out.
Mundy said the company inspected every hydrant last year, more than 1600 of them, and the valves as well. He reported the company reads 97.8 percent of the meters yearly. He also reported there were 400 water leaks last year, but only five of those times the leak lasted longer than six hours. Councilman Hall asked about water discoloration. There were also concerns about confusion over which parts of Barboursville were affected during a recent boil water advisory.
Michael Maxey, a candidate for Cabell County Commission, visited the meeting to introduce himself.
Pat Riley, of the Herald Dispatch, was at the meeting to thank everyone for the hard work of keeping the roads salted and cleared. He has been running with middle school students.
"I wanted to let everyone know how thankful we are," Riley said.
Councilman Hockenberry discussed concerns about the youth running so close to the streets.
"Make sure they stay on the sidewalk," Hockenberry said.
"We've got to look at control of the cats running loose in this town," Hockenberry said. He sees the cat overpopulation in the city as a problem. Kandy Miller, recorder, said to call the Humane Society and they will send a cage.
Mayor Turman recently spoke at the meeting of the Young Professionals, of which Councilman Chris Tatum is the chair. The group is comprised of 150-160 members.
"The air of the group is community service projects, as well as networking," Tatum said. He said the group meets with leaders to show interest in being leaders of the future. They are currently involved in an art project for Huntington with concrete by the flood wall.
Councilman Orman Hall reported a dog problem on Blake Street with tearing up the garbage.
Councilman Dick Spencer reported a hole on his street that is missing the cap. He would like Steve Parsons, who is in charge of street and maintenance, to check it out.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Prestera Foundation starting to improve after decline in donations
America's struggling economy has hit a lot of places hard. Businesses are shutting down, unemployment is up and money is tight. Non-profit organizations are feeling the pinch as well because when individuals are having a hard time getting by themselves, there's little left for organizations that are relying only on public support for income. The Prestera Foundation for Behavioral Health Services is a non-profit organization that has felt the effects of an economy in distress.
The Prestera Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises funds for Prestera Center for Mental Health. Megan Burton, the director of development, said the foundation raises the money to support Prestera Center.
“Prestera Center is a behavioral health non-profit that serves about 14,000 individuals each year with mental health, substances abuse, and developmental disability issues,“ Burton said. “We have a grant program that programs within Prestera can apply for to receive funding for various projects that might not be in the budget that year.
“We kind of serve as a supplemental funding source for the different programs and services,” Burton said.
The main fundraiser the foundation has done for the past eight years is the Grand Ol' Auction. They sold tickets to get into the auction, and those there were offered catered food, silent and live auctions and door prizes.
According to the foundations tax forms, in 2008 the Grand Ol' Auction brought in $38,909. The money spent to host the fundraiser was $15,330, nearly 40 percent of what the auction brought in.
In 2007, the Prestera Foundation made $77,230 from the fundraiser, including corporate sponsorships. That same year, the money spent on fundraising was $22,304, nearly 29 percent.
Other monetary donations were down from 2007 to 2008. In 2008, only $4,500 was brought in for individual donations, while in 2007, $25,459 was brought in, showing a decrease of 82 percent.
Burton said giving has been down, to the Prestera Foundation and the non-profit community in general.
This year, the Prestera foundation is revamping their fundraising tactics and Burton said, so far, giving has increased.
Mike Mattison, marketing officer for the Prestera Foundation, said this year's fundraising has brought in more donations than the last two years put together. “I can't imagine how well we could be doing in a booming economy,” Mattison said.
“This is actually our first year of having a true annual campaign,” Burton said, “so we have actually seen an increase for our organization because it is kind of a new twist on things - new procedures, new campaigns, and new events.”
This year, the foundation is hosting A Magical Evening. The foundation is advertising this as a benefit, consisting of dinner, drinks and entertainment including a band and a mentalist. Prizes are also being given, including $2,000. The foundation is charging $50 per ticket to the event.
Another change is their new direct mail campaign, where the foundation will write letters and send brochures to ask for funds that way.
Burton said the change wasn't really due to the decrease in donations.
“It's just a change of focus,” Burton said. “We never really had a true fundraising program in the past. This past year, we just implemented a new program.
“The foundation used to just have one event, and now we are starting to take a different approach by doing the direct mail campaign and newsletters and things of that nature,” Burton said.
The Prestera Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises funds for Prestera Center for Mental Health. Megan Burton, the director of development, said the foundation raises the money to support Prestera Center.
“Prestera Center is a behavioral health non-profit that serves about 14,000 individuals each year with mental health, substances abuse, and developmental disability issues,“ Burton said. “We have a grant program that programs within Prestera can apply for to receive funding for various projects that might not be in the budget that year.
“We kind of serve as a supplemental funding source for the different programs and services,” Burton said.
The main fundraiser the foundation has done for the past eight years is the Grand Ol' Auction. They sold tickets to get into the auction, and those there were offered catered food, silent and live auctions and door prizes.
According to the foundations tax forms, in 2008 the Grand Ol' Auction brought in $38,909. The money spent to host the fundraiser was $15,330, nearly 40 percent of what the auction brought in.
In 2007, the Prestera Foundation made $77,230 from the fundraiser, including corporate sponsorships. That same year, the money spent on fundraising was $22,304, nearly 29 percent.
Other monetary donations were down from 2007 to 2008. In 2008, only $4,500 was brought in for individual donations, while in 2007, $25,459 was brought in, showing a decrease of 82 percent.
Burton said giving has been down, to the Prestera Foundation and the non-profit community in general.
This year, the Prestera foundation is revamping their fundraising tactics and Burton said, so far, giving has increased.
Mike Mattison, marketing officer for the Prestera Foundation, said this year's fundraising has brought in more donations than the last two years put together. “I can't imagine how well we could be doing in a booming economy,” Mattison said.
“This is actually our first year of having a true annual campaign,” Burton said, “so we have actually seen an increase for our organization because it is kind of a new twist on things - new procedures, new campaigns, and new events.”
This year, the foundation is hosting A Magical Evening. The foundation is advertising this as a benefit, consisting of dinner, drinks and entertainment including a band and a mentalist. Prizes are also being given, including $2,000. The foundation is charging $50 per ticket to the event.
Another change is their new direct mail campaign, where the foundation will write letters and send brochures to ask for funds that way.
Burton said the change wasn't really due to the decrease in donations.
“It's just a change of focus,” Burton said. “We never really had a true fundraising program in the past. This past year, we just implemented a new program.
“The foundation used to just have one event, and now we are starting to take a different approach by doing the direct mail campaign and newsletters and things of that nature,” Burton said.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Future of Investigative Journalism
Investigative journalism has been shining light into the dark nooks and crannies of shady business and wrongdoings for decades. As readers and citizens, we want and need this stuff. People have a right to be informed when a grocery chain is selling bad meat or when a politician is up to no good.
Can we imagine a world without the likes of Pulitzer Prize winners Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who are known for the Watergate reporting? What could be going on behind the scenes in this country if we as Americans have no one checking up?
That sort of journalism is as important as any other and will not be done away with as long as journalism is still doing the public a service. The real thing to consider is how long journalism as a whole will be needed, and what form it will take.
Combine the ever-increasing and improving technological advances along with a troubled economy and you have the perfect ingredients for newspaper arsenic. While this media outlet will probably not see death in the near future, it’s likely to need the intensive care unit before long.
What can be done? According to Chris O’Brien, columnist for the San Jose Mercury News and head of the Next Newsroom Project, the newsroom should be multi-platform, be the center of continuous innovation, keep the community at the center of all it does, collaborate with other local newsrooms and work hard at building and maintaining trust. Those are the things he feels will keep a newsroom going.
The most important thing people hear when it comes to being a good journalist these days is to be versatile. This is because with the changing technology, the way we receive news will be very different in the near future. In fact, it already is.
While print newspapers may not be as necessary as before, people still need their news. Many are likely getting it online, as it is mostly free and easy to do. As long as newspapers and journalists keep up to date with technology, they will be needed. It’s important to hone your skills when it comes to how to report news on paper, on video, audio or on the Web. Never be lazy in learning new things.
Focusing on local news is also a big one. People can easily access national news from a plethora of Web sites, but local news has few options. Focus on things going on in the area. Know the people, know what they care about, what they want to know. Yahoo can’t tell you what the city council decided in its meeting.
If the focus goes to online news, how can your paper survive? It can’t if the news is free. Advertising is always a way to make a profit, but it isn’t enough. How do you know what to charge? The Future of Journalism blook says you charge whatever it takes. You have to make a profit to survive. Some companies will charge a monthly fee, though the right price is up for debate. Some might want to charge as little as $4.95 a month like the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, while the blook says it’s reasonable to go as high as $20 if that is what it takes for your paper to profit. Others are looking into charging per article looked at, while some have tossed around the idea of charging meter-style, determined by how long you are parked on that Web site.
News will always be around and journalists will always be needed. The number of journalists needed is questionable. If a paper downsizes, people lose their jobs. As mentioned earlier, journalists have to stay informed and educated in technological changes. John Yemma, editor of the Christian Science Monitor, says that there will likely be an increase in journalists who work remotely. Yemma also says the quality of work turned out by these journalists is likely to go down. If there are fewer journalists to do the news, there will be less coverage, and we as readers will suffer because of it. The other problem Yemma lists is amateur blogging being used to fill in where experienced reporters would have been before.
No doubt about it, journalism is changing. How we get our news and who provides it is up in the air. Nevertheless, investigative reporters will always be needed, regardless of downsizing and the economic uncertainty.
Can we imagine a world without the likes of Pulitzer Prize winners Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who are known for the Watergate reporting? What could be going on behind the scenes in this country if we as Americans have no one checking up?
That sort of journalism is as important as any other and will not be done away with as long as journalism is still doing the public a service. The real thing to consider is how long journalism as a whole will be needed, and what form it will take.
Combine the ever-increasing and improving technological advances along with a troubled economy and you have the perfect ingredients for newspaper arsenic. While this media outlet will probably not see death in the near future, it’s likely to need the intensive care unit before long.
What can be done? According to Chris O’Brien, columnist for the San Jose Mercury News and head of the Next Newsroom Project, the newsroom should be multi-platform, be the center of continuous innovation, keep the community at the center of all it does, collaborate with other local newsrooms and work hard at building and maintaining trust. Those are the things he feels will keep a newsroom going.
The most important thing people hear when it comes to being a good journalist these days is to be versatile. This is because with the changing technology, the way we receive news will be very different in the near future. In fact, it already is.
While print newspapers may not be as necessary as before, people still need their news. Many are likely getting it online, as it is mostly free and easy to do. As long as newspapers and journalists keep up to date with technology, they will be needed. It’s important to hone your skills when it comes to how to report news on paper, on video, audio or on the Web. Never be lazy in learning new things.
Focusing on local news is also a big one. People can easily access national news from a plethora of Web sites, but local news has few options. Focus on things going on in the area. Know the people, know what they care about, what they want to know. Yahoo can’t tell you what the city council decided in its meeting.
If the focus goes to online news, how can your paper survive? It can’t if the news is free. Advertising is always a way to make a profit, but it isn’t enough. How do you know what to charge? The Future of Journalism blook says you charge whatever it takes. You have to make a profit to survive. Some companies will charge a monthly fee, though the right price is up for debate. Some might want to charge as little as $4.95 a month like the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, while the blook says it’s reasonable to go as high as $20 if that is what it takes for your paper to profit. Others are looking into charging per article looked at, while some have tossed around the idea of charging meter-style, determined by how long you are parked on that Web site.
News will always be around and journalists will always be needed. The number of journalists needed is questionable. If a paper downsizes, people lose their jobs. As mentioned earlier, journalists have to stay informed and educated in technological changes. John Yemma, editor of the Christian Science Monitor, says that there will likely be an increase in journalists who work remotely. Yemma also says the quality of work turned out by these journalists is likely to go down. If there are fewer journalists to do the news, there will be less coverage, and we as readers will suffer because of it. The other problem Yemma lists is amateur blogging being used to fill in where experienced reporters would have been before.
No doubt about it, journalism is changing. How we get our news and who provides it is up in the air. Nevertheless, investigative reporters will always be needed, regardless of downsizing and the economic uncertainty.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)