Second District shocker: Wenstrup upsets incumbent Schmidt

By FRANK LEWIS

PDT Staff Writer

In a stunning upset Tuesday, a Cincinnati area physician, soldier and businessman defeated incumbent 2nd District U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt in the Republican primary.

Brad Wenstrup picked up 49 percent of the vote to Schmidt’s 43 percent, but more telling was Wenstrup’s garnering of 50 percent of the vote in Clermont County, Schmidt’s home county, where Schmidt got no more than 41 percent.

Wenstrup did not respond to an email request for an interview Wednesday, but Schmidt said she made contact with Wenstrup late Tuesday night.

“I called Brad Wenstrup to congratulate him, but couldn’t reach him. I left a message on his voice mail,” Schmidt said. “I said, ‘Congratulations. I wish you the best. God bless.’” However, later on Schmidt made contact, and Wenstrup thanked her for her service.

Schmidt told the Portsmouth Daily Times she wanted to thank everyone who supported her since 2005, when she became the first woman elected to represent southern Ohio in Congress.

“I want to thank them for their friendship. I want to thank them for their faith in me,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said she plans to keep working through the remainder of her term.

“We are Republicans, and we have to move forward in November,” Schmidt said. “I will continue to work hard through the end of this year to represent the interests and the conservative values of the people of southern Ohio. I will continue to be their strong voice in our nation’s capital.”

In an email statement Wenstrup said, “I’m honored that the voters heard our message of change. Change that includes strong, ethical leadership. Change that also includes reforming government, cutting spending and unleashing small business owners so they can create jobs. This November, we have a unique opportunity to help defeat Barack Obama and bring real and needed change to Washington. I look forward to working with people across Southwestern Ohio on this important endeavor.”

Schmidt carried Scioto County with nearly 61 percent of the vote in a four-person race. Wenstrup finished third with 16.39 percent. In November, Wenstrup will face Democratic nominee William R. Smith, who defeated David Krikorian in that party’s primary.

“Thank you to all of my friends and supporters,” Krikorian said in an email Wednesday. “A bittersweet election last night as it appears I lost a very close race for the Democratic Party nomination. I would like to thank Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Burke and Clermont County Democratic Party Chairman Dave Lane for supporting my nomination. I would also like to thank the Clermont County Democratic Party and the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police for their endorsements of my candidacy. Congratulations to Dr. Brad Wenstrup for winning the Republican nomination over Jean Schmidt.”

Frank Lewis may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 232, or at flewis@heartlandpublications.com.

Read more: Portsmouth Daily Times – Second District shocker Wenstrup upsets incumbent Schmidt 

via Second District shocker: Wenstrup upsets incumbent Schmidt.

County OKs new financial recovery plan

Looks like the county may have some light at the end of the tunnel. If only the Portsmouth City government could follow suit!

Portsmouth Daily Times

03.05.12 – 09:00 pm

By WAYNE ALLEN

PDT Staff Writer

Scioto County now has a 2012 Financial Recovery Plan in place. The plan serves as a road map for the county to get out of fiscal emergency with the state auditor.

The County Commissioners passed the plan Thursday and the Scioto County Financial Planning and Supervision Commission approved it Monday.

“This year’s recovery plan is the 2012 budget for the county,” said Skip Riffe, chairman of the Scioto County Commissioners. “It is based on expenditures from all of the departments from 2011. So, we are more or less holding the line in 2012,” Riffe said.

Read More Here

Review: ‘Sweeney Todd’ sends a message

By FRANK LEWIS PDT Staff Writer You may see Sweeney Todd School Edition at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts on the campus of Shawnee State University, and know most assuredly, you will not s…Read More

via Review: ‘Sweeney Todd’ sends a message.

UPDATE; Southern Ohio Steel Mill Project Back on Track

FRANKLIN FURNACE, Oh (WSAZ) — After 5 years of planning and setbacks, developers say they’re back on track to bring a multi-billion dollar steel plant to Southern Ohio.

A plant and spin offs offering at least 25 hundred jobs.

WSAZ.com has covered this story since the Russians were coming and we’re still talking about foreign investors.
That’s because this is a global economy project. It’s been in the works for a long time for Scioto County Ohio.

After much fanfare in 2009, a Russian steel magnate pulled out when the Russian economy tanked.
But with all the air and water permits in order, the effort never stopped
Thursday morning. The key players had a very revealing meeting.

The president of the developing company New Steel International did not say might or could. He said it would break ground.

“We will work with all the people in the room and some of the big utilities to get financing done,” John Schultes said. “We will break ground sometime later this year.”

Read more: http://www.wsaz.com/newsohio/headlines/UPDATE_Southern_Ohio_Steel_Mill_Project_Back_onTrack__140210573.html

UPDATE; Southern Ohio Steel Mill Project Back on Track.

Defending America’s Constitution from mandates

REP. BILL JOHNSON

Guest Columnist

The Constitution of the United States is brilliant in its simplicity. In fact, you can read the entire document in less than half an hour. Why is it so brilliant? Because it places control of the government in the hands of the governed, and it makes America a beacon of freedom and liberty around the world. It is, after all, the foundation upon which American Exceptionalism is built. At its core, the Constitution guarantees certain basic human rights to Americans that our Founding Fathers believed were essential to a democratic government and a free people. Among those rights is the right to religious freedom.

It is this most basic right of religious freedom that is being challenged by President Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services.

Read more: Portsmouth Daily Times – Defending America’s Constitution from mandates 

via Defending America’s Constitution from mandates.

Mayor fires development director

By FRANK LEWIS

PDT Staff Writer

Portsmouth Community Development Director Rebecca Steele has been fired.

Portsmouth Mayor David Malone said Steele had been put on a six-month evaluation in October, and “things just were not getting done.”

Malone said communications from Steele’s office to her community of contacts had not been followed.

“There’s no connection or contact from the community to the city as far as community development,” Malone said. “She wouldn’t return phone calls. People couldn’t get in touch with her. Even the state grant people from the CDC, the Department of Development, all of those state individuals that deal with our grants, she wouldn’t follow up with phone calls. She just wasn’t performing her duty.”

Read more: Portsmouth Daily Times – Mayor fires development director 

via Mayor fires development director.

Another Ohio Union Victory

When unemployment in the Canton, OH area is around 15%, United Steel Workers voted to reject a contract at Timken. An executive at Timken says they will look at investments elsewhere. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies!

Here is an article from Manufacturing.net:

Daily Times Reporting Chu makes ‘down payment’ on ACP

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced Friday evening that the U.S. Department of Energy has decided to make a “down payment” on the American Centrifuge Project at the A-Plant in Piketo…

via Chu makes ‘down payment’ on ACP.

Update on USEC ACP

USEC Continues Working on American Centrifuge Project

BETHESDA, Md. – USEC Inc. (NYSE: USU) announced today that it continues to work on the American Centrifuge project and that USEC and the Department of Energy (DOE) have identified a path to provide interim funding for the initial phase of a research, development and demonstration (RD&D) program for the project.

This path would provide the basis for funding of the RD&D program activities through the end of March. In the meantime, USEC will continue to work with DOE and Congress to secure funding to complete the RD&D program.

The $300 million RD&D program proposed by DOE will enhance the technical and financial readiness of the centrifuge technology for commercialization. The RD&D program is expected to involve manufacturing and operating additional production-design machines so that key systems can be tested as they would actually operate at the scale necessary for full commercialization.

USEC Inc., a global energy company, is a leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel and nuclear industry related services for commercial nuclear power plants.

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Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” – that is, statements related to future events. In this con-text, forward-looking statements may address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “will” and other words of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For USEC, particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the outcome of ongoing discussions with DOE regarding the RD&D program and any interim funding, including uncertainty regarding the timing, amount and availability of funding for such RD&D program and the dependency of government funding on Congressional appropriations and the potential for us to make a decision at any time to further demobilize the project based on the timing and likelihood of an agreement with DOE and any government funding; the impact of any conditions that are placed on us or on the American Centrifuge project in connection with or as a condition to the RD&D program or other funding, including a restructuring of our role and investment in the project; limitations on our ability to provide any required cost sharing under the RD&D program; the ultimate success of efforts to obtain a DOE loan guarantee for the American Centrifuge project, including the ability through the RD&D program or otherwise to address the concerns raised by DOE with respect to the financial and project execution depth of the project, and the timing and terms thereof; the impact of actions we have taken or may take to reduce spending on the American Centrifuge project, including the potential loss of key suppliers and employees, and potential impacts to cost and schedule; the impact of delays in the American Centrifuge project and uncertainty regarding our ability to remobilize the project; the outcome of any discussions with DOE regarding modifications needed to the remaining milestones under the June 2002 DOE-USEC Agreement and the potential for DOE to seek to exercise its remedies under such agreement; risks related to the completion of the remaining two phases of the three-phased strategic investment by Toshiba Cor-poration (“Toshiba”) and Babcock & Wilcox Investment Company (“B&W”), including uncertainty regarding the potential participation of Toshiba and B&W in any potential project structure that may be required under the RD&D program, the failure to finalize any extension of the standstill agreement that expired on October 31, 2011 if an agreement is not reached between USEC and DOE on a framework for the RD&D program and the potential for immediate termination of the securities purchase agreement governing their investments; our ability to extend, renew or replace our credit facility that matures on May 31, 2012; our ability to actively manage and enhance our liquidity and working capital and the potential adverse consequences of any actions taken on the long term value of our ongoing operations; changes in U.S. government priorities and the availability of government funding, including loan guarantees; uncertainty regarding the continued capitalization of certain assets related to the American Centrifuge Plant and the impact of a potential impairment of these assets on our results of operations and our deferred tax assets, including the potential for a valuation allowance; and other risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, which are available on our website at www.usec.com. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements except as required by law