plus 3, Wellton Pioneer Day parade grand marshals named - Yuma Daily Sun

Wellton Pioneer Day parade grand marshals named - Yuma Daily Sun
Learn Your Options For Retirement - PRLog (free press release)
All eyes on Ohio's Senate fight - Columbus Dispatch
Daniels believes Kokomo could be epicenter of green jobs - Kokomo Tribune

Wellton Pioneer Day parade grand marshals named - Yuma Daily Sun

Posted: 31 Jan 2010 07:02 PM PST

Emmie and Pete Jamison moved to Wellton for its slower pace. But even small towns have something going on so they are more than happy to be grand marshals for this year's Pioneer Day parade.

"We were definitely surprised, but it's an honor really," Pete said.

"We were rather pleased when we got the letter asking us," Emmie said. "Wellton has always been good to us, so we try to give back to them," Emmie added.

Owners of Pete's Body Shop and Complete Auto Care since 1980, the couple has since turned the shop over to their son Wiley.

"In a town like this you want to help out whether it's little league, the schools, or a bike race. You try to take care of your own," Wiley said.

The 33rd annual Pioneer Day parade is Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. This year's theme is "Gateway to the Sun and Sand" according to Sandy Jones, Parks and Recreation staffer.

Immediately following the parade is a fiesta at Butterfield Park. Along with a barbecue, which costs $6.50 per plate, there will be jewelry and crafts, demonstrations on permanent make-up for ladies, a belly-dance performance by the Jewels of the Desert, and music by DJ Mark Reynolds.

The Pioneer Day carnival runs from Feb. 4 to Feb. 7. Pre-sale ride tickets can be purchased for $15 at the town hall. For further information call 785-33348.

"It's a great tradition and I remember growing up every year we got to go," Jones said.

Living in Wellton for the last 10 years, Pete and Emmie still refer to it as their new home. They moved to be next door to Wiley.

"I cook and run errands," Emmie said. "It seems like I'm busy all the time. We take care of our grandkids a lot and we really enjoy that. And since they live right next door this is like a second home for them."

Their grandchildren are Brady, 8, and Zoey, 6. If Pete doesn't see them for a day he calls them over. He always has his golf cart parked out front loaded with fishing rods because both children love to fish on the lake at Butterfield Golf Course, he says.

"We catch a little of everything, small mouth bass, occasionally blue gill, but we just catch and release."

The grandchildren also love to play dominoes with Pete. It is a good way for them to improve their math skills and the children win most of the time, he said.

Although Wellton has grown quite a bit since the Jamisons first opened Pete's Body Shop, it was a tough first couple of years when they relied on business from the Border Patrol and Sheriff's Office. But Pete says he has always enjoyed the people in Wellton and it was the farmers who kept him going.

Wiley, who came back from the University of Arizona to join the business, recalled Wellton needed a complete auto repair shop 30 years ago and a lot of former customers who remembered Pete from Yuma followed him out to Wellton for their car care.

And just as much traffic streams into Wellton for Pioneer Day, which all the Jamisons look forward to. Wiley likes to compete in the golf tournament and the whole family enjoys the fire trucks and floats put on parade by the RV parks, Emmie said.

"I always like the old cars, the bands from Wellton, Yuma and Somerton. And we really enjoy the barbecue, the carne asada and the Indian fry bread."

Emmie added that Pioneer Day is a fun way to spend the day because it is a chance to see old friends they have not seen in a long time. And since their backyard is right next to the Butterfield fairways they have become avid golf fans.

"I enjoy seeing all the golfers," Emmie said. "They come from Yuma and the Foothills and you never feel alone."

William Roller can be reached at wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.

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Learn Your Options For Retirement - PRLog (free press release)

Posted: 31 Jan 2010 05:43 PM PST

PR Log (Press Release) – Jan 31, 2010 – As we neared retirement age, my husband and I began a search to identify where we would want to live, and what style of housing worked best for us. We ended our careers in California, but knew we could not retire there and live comfortably on our budget.
I told my husband, "I want a smaller, ranch-style home in a community with no major snow storms." Other parameters included: we wanted to be closer to our grandchildren and we had to buy a three bedroom, two bath home with a large garage.

First, we began research on the internet to identify the states that were most friendly to retirees. We found five states, (NC, NV, TX, TN, AZ), and started a spreadsheet to compare features like weather, taxes, utility costs, home appreciation and nearby healthcare. This technique helped to separate the emotion from the research. We knew we could add our personal preferences later when we had isolated the most favorable locations. By the way, this same research can be done at your local library. Just go to the reference desk and ask for housing statistics if you don't have a computer.

The second level of our research was to go to each area and live in our RV so we could confirm that the location would meet our needs and interests. For example, I insisted that a good library was a necessity, and Dennis had to have an auto parts store nearby.
This was an excellent decision for us because we learned so much from the locals.
Who knew that Florida allows a homestead exemption, or that regions in Texas are so windy! We also learned the importance of checking the local government for city taxes and ongoing issues such as water rights or access to technology. In one area, if you lived on one side of the street, you had to use AT&T for telephone service. If you lived on the other side; you had to use a local telecommunications company.

After fifteen months of travel and research, we discovered an area in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains right on the border of South Carolina and North Carolina. Land is still affordable, the weather has mild winters and costs of living are below the national average. In 2009, nearby Greenville, SC was voted in the top ten retirement spots in the country. For me personally, I was happy to discover that we could live within our budget, and have money to set aside for the unexpected events in life.

Here is what we learned in our journey: Be willing to look at things that you never thought you would consider. For us that was researching manufactured and modular homes. We had to let go of old notions about the local mobile home park with doublewides, and look at what is happening now in the housing industry. By selling our site-built home in California, and downsizing to a hybrid manufactured home, we saved over $40,000 in the total costs compared to a site-built home on the same land. The features and comfort that could be included amazed us – from jacuzzi tubs to sliding glass doors off the master bedroom.

We will be happy to share our thoughts and information with other retirees. Just email us at grheinbja@gmail.com.

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All eyes on Ohio's Senate fight - Columbus Dispatch

Posted: 31 Jan 2010 03:31 AM PST

Ohio is used to being the epicenter of presidential elections, but now the impending retirement of Sen. George V. Voinovich has cast the state into a central role in the battle for control of the U.S. Senate.

A rash of retirements on both sides of the aisle, along with a poisonous political environment for incumbents, has injected uncertainty into races for even the seats perceived as safest.

Evidence of the murkiness ahead rattled the political world Jan. 19 when Republican Scott Brown, aided by the budding Tea Party movement, won in Democrat-dominated Massachusetts, busting the Democrats' 60-seat, filibuster-proof Senate majority.

With six Republican and four Democratic incumbents retiring at year's end, both parties --- and President Barack Obama --- are expected to devote inordinate resources to the open-seat races, including the one to replace the GOP's Voinovich.

In Ohio, a spirited primary contest is under way between two Democratic statewide officeholders --- Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. On the Republican side, political neophyte Tom Ganley, a Cleveland auto dealer, has vowed to use his personal wealth against the favored GOP candidate, former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman of Cincinnati.

"You've got an open race in a highly competitive state and very good candidates," said John Green, a University of Akron political scientist. "It's just the situation people will pay attention to because it will reveal a lot about the meaning of the national election."

Democrat Sherrod Brown, Ohio's junior senator, said voters probably will see Obama in the state often to campaign for his party's nominee.

"To the White House, this state is more important because this state is so important in the Electoral College," Sherrod Brown said.

The Senate race in Ohio "has enormous importance nationwide," said Jennifer Duffy, senior editor of the nonpartisan "Cook Political Report" in Washington. "It's going to be one of the great races of the cycle."

Most of the media focus so far has been on the Democratic race between two of the party's stars, causing Ohio Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern to search for a silver lining in a potentially divisive primary campaign that could leave the winner weakened for the general election.

"It's not helpful because of the amount of resources that have to be spent in a primary, but it does help in name ID and focusing attention on the winner of the primary," Redfern said.

Brunner and Fisher announced their candidacies on the same February day last year, and there are few policy disputes between them. But there is one major difference -- money. Fisher heads toward the May 4 primary election with $1.8 million on hand, vastly more than Brunner, and with key backing from Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

Even so, Brunner has vowed to carry on, confident of being better-liked than Fisher among Democrats. "I'll get through the primary," she said. "It's a question of how I'll look by the end of the primary."

Fisher, trying to posit his nomination as inevitable by focusing on Portman, said, "At no time will you hear me say negative things about her."

Portman has the clear backing of the Republican establishment. He has been endorsed by the state party and virtually all leading state GOP leaders, and he has a campaign organization in all 88 counties.

"I've seen nothing out of the Ganley campaign that says he's serious, that says that he's willing to do what it takes to win over the grass roots of the party," said Ohio Republican Chairman Kevin DeWine.

Ganley counters that he is making strong outreach at the grass-roots level, especially among activists in Tea Party groups or the 912 Project promoted by conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck.

At a recent 912 Project meeting in Wooster, Ganley handed out a flier with a drawing of the 1773 Boston Tea Party and the caption: "Americans rise up to fight unfair taxes and take control of their own government. In 2010, it's our turn!"

"I think these folks have such a passion and such a fervor that they're going to come out and vote," Ganley said.

Asked about the challenge from Ganley, Portman said he will be ready for a primary.

Portman, who has $6 million on hand, said that although he would prefer to save campaign funds for the general-election battle against the Democrats, a primary forces him to gear up his grass-roots efforts sooner than he otherwise would.

He boasts about already putting 40,000 miles on the family car and thousands more on a rented RV during five tours across the state last year.

"We've got some support out there that in the primary, I think, is going to take us to victory regardless of who the opponent is," he said.

jhallett@dispatch.com

mniquette@dispatch.com

Lee Fisher,

Jennifer Brunner, Rob Portman and Tom Ganley want George V. Voinovich's seat.

• Both parties facing battles in primary G1

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Daniels believes Kokomo could be epicenter of green jobs - Kokomo Tribune

Posted: 30 Jan 2010 09:19 PM PST

Published: January 30, 2010 11:30 pm

Daniels believes Kokomo could be epicenter of green jobs

By Ken de la Bastide
Tribune enterprise editor

INDIANAPOLIS — Kokomo could become the epicenter for production of electric vehicles and alternative energy for the state, according to Gov. Mitch Daniels.

During an interview Thursday, Daniels said he is in the middle of discussions to bring investments to Indiana, and with it, the creation of new jobs.

"It's an everyday job," he said. "I went to China and Japan to attract investors."

The state started talking about electric vehicle manufacturing and alternative energy four years ago as something that could be a big area for Indiana.

"That was largely based on the history of Kokomo," Daniels said. "It's like life services — we wanted to make sure it was an opportunity and not a fantasy. We wanted to make sure we have a real business opportunity and we're ahead of any state that I know of."

Daniels noted that EnerDel will manufacture batteries for electric vehicles and its major customer is Think, located in Elkhart.

"Our goal is to bring their suppliers to Indiana. It makes good business sense to bring them all together," he said. "We'd like to be the capital of all of that. It could be centered right around Kokomo."

Daniels said companies look at Indiana because of the business environment, workforce, permitting process, lower taxes, location and network of roads.

"We don't want the units from EnerDel spending a lot of time in transit," he said. "We're spending a billion dollars on U.S. 31 and it will take an hour off the round trip. That's real dollars."

Daniels said, from Indiana, suppliers can reach auto plants all over the eastern two-thirds of the U.S.

People working for EnerDel in Indianapolis previously worked in Anderson and Kokomo, Daniels noted. Kokomo is the epicenter for the engineers.

Daniels said the state is working with existing companies in an attempt to lure their most important suppliers.

"It's not about subsidies and incentives," he said of luring investments. "Its fair for companies to ask for them, but subsidies are gone in a few years. We win over and over when another state offers more goodies. We win because when someone makes a long-term business decision, they look at taxes, transportation costs, if they're hassled by regulators of the state."

Daniels said there is a lot of talk about diversifying the Indiana economy, but the state has focused on being a manufacturing state.

"Conditions that can make us the top manufacturing state in electric vehicles and alternative energy all apply to other areas," he said. "We have to walk and chew gum in terms of economic development."

Daniels said it shouldn't be hard to get companies to consider locating in Kokomo, Anderson and Connersville.

"It's already reaching Anderson," he said of development. "The Flagship [business incubator] has become a great competitor to Indianapolis. Mayor [Greg] Ballard better watch out. It's a lot easier to commute out than in."

Daniels said when the U.S. 31 freeway is completed around Kokomo, there will be a direct connection to all the spokes of the interstate wheel.

Costs are competitive for unfortunate reasons, he said of cities in central Indiana, which have fallen on tough economic times in recent years.

"I'm not worried about Elkhart, they became the focus because they fell so suddenly," Daniels said. "Sitting out here and not blowing in like the president, you think about Kokomo, Anderson and Connersville, places that have been down for some time.

"When the RV industry and auto sales recover, Elkhart will come back," he said. "We had 10 deals in Elkhart in the past year and unemployment has fallen by 5 percent. We spend our time thinking about who we can take to Kokomo and Connersville, where there are still good economic opportunities."

Kokomo may not be the first place a company considers for a location, but it is for the state, Daniels added.

He said it is getting easier to get companies to look at central Indiana.

"We have been very close with landing a company at Grissom," Daniels said. "It has the longest airstrip and a good location. We've been talking with companies that paint and repair planes and cargo companies. Once U.S. 31 is completed, there will be an interstate quality road running right by it.

"We need to find people for whom that will be a perfect fit," he said. "There is a big score out there. Companies aren't looking right now to make a big investment, but when companies start looking to make a big investment, they will come back."

• Ken de la Bastide is the Kokomo Tribune enterprise editor. He can be reached at 765-454-8580 or via e-mail at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com