Huntington Mayor Steve Williams will be visiting our class on Thursday. Beginning his second year in this role, we have questions we would like to ask him before his Feb. 14 State of the City address.
1. Have you been successful or are you in the process of collecting the almost four million dollars in unpaid business and occupation taxes that you mentioned last year?
2. When you took office last January and then again in February’s state of the city, you said you would not be raising taxes. Is that still the case? Doesn’t the city need revenue? Why do you believe not raising taxes is a good choice for the Huntington people?
3. On July 1, the Huntington Junk Ordinance (also know as couch clean-up law) went into effect. What kind of reactions have you received? Are you looking at making any changes to it?
4. You said you are interested in starting an Arts Council. What is the status of this project?
5. As college students hailing from a variety of hometowns, many of us live in campus apartments during the school year. There had been discussion after last year’s state of the city to require landlords to register each unit they owned for a $50 fee to cover ordinance checks. It received positive and negative feedback, but I was unable to find a final plan. Is this still in the works or has something been cemented?
6. You asked Jim Insco to help streamline the business licensing and permitting process. Why was this an area of focus? Have you seen positive results? How so?
7. Last year, you said you would be able to hire two new firefighters and four new police officers. How has the creation of these positions helped our city?
8. The formation of a storm water division is big news for the city as a whole, as well as specifically college students who walk to class frequently. What sort of projects is this committee working on to improve life in Huntington?
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Investigative Journalism Chapter 1
1. The investigative piece I chose is a product of WBNS 10tv in Columbus, Ohio.
http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2013/11/25/reading-test-results-3rd-graders.html
This story is one of several in an investigation of the Ohio third grade reading test. The test debuted in the 2012-2013 school year and is causing quite the controversy, as students who made A grades in school were failing the test. It is interesting to me because I interned at this station over the summer and we ran several pieces then. There will be more follow-ups to come. I also found it interesting because my mom and dad are both educators and I have heard about standardized tests forever. My dad's school district is actually mentioned in the story. It holds a public interest because student's who do not pass the test in either October or March will not be allowed to move on to fourth grade.
2. The investigative story I am proposing studies the lack of a baseball field on Marshall University's campus. I have read in newspaper articles and heard from baseball players themselves that Marshall has been promising an on-campus field on all their recruiting pitches. Players have came and left without even seeing a plan for a stadium. The argument has been lack of land space in town, but Marshall just knocked down Veterans' Memorial Field House so the Hoops Memorial Soccer Complex could be built. I understand the original soccer field was destroyed due to the indoor sports complex, but what caused a soccer stadium to be built a mile from campus while baseball normally plays in Charleston, over 45 miles away?
http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2013/11/25/reading-test-results-3rd-graders.html
This story is one of several in an investigation of the Ohio third grade reading test. The test debuted in the 2012-2013 school year and is causing quite the controversy, as students who made A grades in school were failing the test. It is interesting to me because I interned at this station over the summer and we ran several pieces then. There will be more follow-ups to come. I also found it interesting because my mom and dad are both educators and I have heard about standardized tests forever. My dad's school district is actually mentioned in the story. It holds a public interest because student's who do not pass the test in either October or March will not be allowed to move on to fourth grade.
2. The investigative story I am proposing studies the lack of a baseball field on Marshall University's campus. I have read in newspaper articles and heard from baseball players themselves that Marshall has been promising an on-campus field on all their recruiting pitches. Players have came and left without even seeing a plan for a stadium. The argument has been lack of land space in town, but Marshall just knocked down Veterans' Memorial Field House so the Hoops Memorial Soccer Complex could be built. I understand the original soccer field was destroyed due to the indoor sports complex, but what caused a soccer stadium to be built a mile from campus while baseball normally plays in Charleston, over 45 miles away?
Monday, January 27, 2014
Minimum Wage at Maximum Importance
College isn't cheap. There's no way around it. While we clamor shamelessly for field experience and unpaid internships to boost our resumes, we still need money. Unfortunately, those funds often come as a result of summer lifeguarding, making funnel cakes at an amusement park or folding clothes in a retail store.
How much money are those jobs worth? Most of us would say more than you think. As such, good news may be on the horizon. At the State of the Union Address on Tuesday, I fully expect President Obama to speak on the subject of raising minimum wage. This could mean a lot for college students.
Some states raised minimum wage on January 1, 2014. According to the Ohio Department of Commerce, my home state raised minimum wage 10 cents to $7.95. Federal minimum wage, however is stagnant, currently sitting at $7.25. Though no graphics have been updated for 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor published the 2013 data for each state.
Obama is in favor of a dramatic increase. He recently said he supports legislation in Congress that would lift the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour in three steps over two years and then index it to inflation.
Even with Obama's backing, minimum wage increases have a long road ahead for full passage through Congress. Although it has been said higher minimum wages have mild support from both political parties, Democrats are driving the effort, as they are interested in remedying income inequality.
Republicans, on the other hand, have some concerns. Top Republicans assert that a wage increase would dampen the economic recovery. Some Republicans also say that after Obama mentioned the issue in his 2013 State of the Union speech, they had no intention of bringing a minimum wage increase to a vote in the House, which they control.
Numerous members of the legislature, most notably Speaker John A. Boehner, have also brought to attention that this would be discouraging to small businesses, which would be a consequence contradicting recent endorsement of small town entrepreneurs. Why would we make it harder for small employers, especially family owned and operated businesses, to prosper?
In a November CBS News poll, 64 percent of independents and 57 percent of Republicans said they supported increasing the minimum wage. 70 percent of self-described “moderates” said they supported an increase. This issue seems pretty important for a majority of Americans and even Obama himself. "Let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour," Obama said to Congress in 2013. "Let's tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on."
Now speaking about minimum wage in Tuesday's State of the Union is a start, but no guarantee. According to the Constitution, a State of the Union address requires the president to "from time to time give to the Congress Information on the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient” (Article II, Section 3, Clause 1). This means Obama will recommend topics that he feels are the most deserving of his time and effort in the upcoming year, but makes no promises. In our system of checks and balances, law passage is a complicated journey. Keep in mind that minimum wage was also on the agenda in last year's State of the Union, but it never materialized.
The conversation of a topic relevant to so many Americans also shows promise in persuading citizens to use their voice. Speaking about and acting upon minimum wage could serve as a tool with which to enlarge the voting population. Voter turnout lags especially in a nonpresidential election year, like 2014. FairVote.org claims about 60 percent of the voting eligible population in America votes during presidential election years and about 40 percent votes during midterm elections. Though many people have dogs in the race when it comes to minimum wage, youth and minorities are commonly affected. Voter participation may be multiplied in these categories.
So, will your barista job suddenly pay more after the State of the Union Address? Probably not, but it is something to consider. Listen to Obama speak on his initial plans for the year and turn out at the polls if it reaches that stage. Federal mandates to help the college student may be coming sooner than you think.
How much money are those jobs worth? Most of us would say more than you think. As such, good news may be on the horizon. At the State of the Union Address on Tuesday, I fully expect President Obama to speak on the subject of raising minimum wage. This could mean a lot for college students.
Some states raised minimum wage on January 1, 2014. According to the Ohio Department of Commerce, my home state raised minimum wage 10 cents to $7.95. Federal minimum wage, however is stagnant, currently sitting at $7.25. Though no graphics have been updated for 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor published the 2013 data for each state.
Obama is in favor of a dramatic increase. He recently said he supports legislation in Congress that would lift the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour in three steps over two years and then index it to inflation.
Even with Obama's backing, minimum wage increases have a long road ahead for full passage through Congress. Although it has been said higher minimum wages have mild support from both political parties, Democrats are driving the effort, as they are interested in remedying income inequality.
Republicans, on the other hand, have some concerns. Top Republicans assert that a wage increase would dampen the economic recovery. Some Republicans also say that after Obama mentioned the issue in his 2013 State of the Union speech, they had no intention of bringing a minimum wage increase to a vote in the House, which they control.
Numerous members of the legislature, most notably Speaker John A. Boehner, have also brought to attention that this would be discouraging to small businesses, which would be a consequence contradicting recent endorsement of small town entrepreneurs. Why would we make it harder for small employers, especially family owned and operated businesses, to prosper?
In a November CBS News poll, 64 percent of independents and 57 percent of Republicans said they supported increasing the minimum wage. 70 percent of self-described “moderates” said they supported an increase. This issue seems pretty important for a majority of Americans and even Obama himself. "Let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour," Obama said to Congress in 2013. "Let's tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on."
Now speaking about minimum wage in Tuesday's State of the Union is a start, but no guarantee. According to the Constitution, a State of the Union address requires the president to "from time to time give to the Congress Information on the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient” (Article II, Section 3, Clause 1). This means Obama will recommend topics that he feels are the most deserving of his time and effort in the upcoming year, but makes no promises. In our system of checks and balances, law passage is a complicated journey. Keep in mind that minimum wage was also on the agenda in last year's State of the Union, but it never materialized.
The conversation of a topic relevant to so many Americans also shows promise in persuading citizens to use their voice. Speaking about and acting upon minimum wage could serve as a tool with which to enlarge the voting population. Voter turnout lags especially in a nonpresidential election year, like 2014. FairVote.org claims about 60 percent of the voting eligible population in America votes during presidential election years and about 40 percent votes during midterm elections. Though many people have dogs in the race when it comes to minimum wage, youth and minorities are commonly affected. Voter participation may be multiplied in these categories.
So, will your barista job suddenly pay more after the State of the Union Address? Probably not, but it is something to consider. Listen to Obama speak on his initial plans for the year and turn out at the polls if it reaches that stage. Federal mandates to help the college student may be coming sooner than you think.
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