Demolition of the YBM Corp. Building on the North Side is Good for the City

The former Youngstown Building Material and Fuel Co. building located on Youngstown-Hubbard Rd. and Logan has been demolished by the city with funds provided by the state Controlling Board through a Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund grant.

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Before

I have complained about this eyesore for years. My problem with this particular building is that it was located at a busy entrance to the city and offered visitors the worst possible view when they entered the city.

The former YBM Corp. building has been empty since 1989 and had that abandoned and derelict look that scares the heebie jeebies out of visitors as they travel to Stambaugh Auditorium, St. Elizabeth's Hospital, YSU and the Covelli Centre. There was nothing quite like pulling up to the light at Logan and wondering if some strung out bum was going to come stumbling out of this joint. Especially if you were unlucky enough to catch a train. I know a few people who just avoided the area by driving out of their way to access the city via Belmont Ave.

I traveled into the city Sunday and was pleasantly surprised to see the building was gone and the lot flattened. I did a little research and it appears that the city plans to plant grass immediately and then develop the land for light industrial use.

After

True, we've lost another "Eddie loves Debbie" work of art but, hey, progress has its costs.

A round of applause is due to everyone in the city and state government who persevered to remove this blighted structure.

Damn Browns, Part II

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It's taken me two days to get over the debacle that was the Monday Night Football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns. On the Ray Rice touchdown that finally put Baltimore on the scoreboard the Browns had 10 men on the field and they were milling around like old ladies at a flea market. Brady Quinn made a habit out of throwing the ball to receivers who were either invsibile or playing in some other game.

It's been ten years since they came back and it's all been crap.

Terrible owners and bad coaches have sapped the life of fans and the careers of professional athletes. I'm a diehard fan and will continue to be for years to come but this is the year Randy Lerner should decide whether he wants to own a professional football team or not. If he can't hire the right talent it may be time to sell. Hell, Rush Limbaugh is looking for a team to buy. I hate the guy but at least he understands that you have to be aggressive to win.

Do the Browns relaize that it's been two generations since Superbowls started being played and they haven't even played in one? The old joke about the Browns never losing a Superbowl is getting to be a bitter pill to swallow. Especially since the Rooney family has so successfully built a dynasty just 2 hours away.

If you would like to show your displeasure, you can buy a bumper sticker from Rust Belt Pop. Maybe seeing a bunch of "Hope Dies at 1085 W. Third St." bumper stickers around Northeast Ohio will spur the ownership to build a team worth our devotion.

New Christmas Items Up at Rust belt Pop

We've got a new line of Christmas products up at Rust Belt Pop. They include Christmas cards, shirts, stickers, mugs and more. There are two designs up now with more to come.
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The Republicans are Acting Stranger and Stranger

Sarah Palin's new book, "Going Rogue". According to this CNN article, people either love her or hate her. I think people are getting too wrapped up in this business of identifying with our political figures. Palin and Obama and all the rest of them are not our friends. Just because you identify with the plain spoken former governor of Alaska doesn't mean people are insulting you personally when they say she isn't qualified to be president. The world is a complex place with problems so subtle and nuanced that even an army of ivy leaguers make the wrong call, regardless of who the president is. You may love her and her attitude but so far she hasn't shown the kind of critical, deep thinking we need from someone who will have to balance active wars, national security, a recessed economy and a crumbling infrastructure. She's interesting, sure but presidential? Come on...

Putting 9/11 terrorists on trial. This article has lawmakers criticizing the Attorney General's decision to try five 9/11 conspirators in Federal court. These members of congress say military tribunals would be better. Really? I can't imagine anything more satisfying than ripping these animals from their burrows all over the world and putting them in a Manhattan courtroom to face the very people they attacked. When did the Republican party lose faith our justice system? And what does that say about them?

Who is Rachel at Cardholder Services?

It appears that Rachel is the nom de computer of credit card scammers who say they can lower your credit card interest rate. This is the newest scam to burn up the cell phone lines with an auto dialer. Similar to the car warranty scam earlier this year, these robo calls dial your cell phone, hit you with an automated pitch and ask you to push "1" to speak with a person (I bet that big tease Rachel never answers).

So the pitch is that this company can lower the interest rate on your card, for a fee, of course. I think it's best to just hang up on them or string them along if you are in the mood to mess with criminal credit card scammers. In any event, you don't want to give them any personal info or your credit card number.

Return the Stolen Artwork to the Northside!

People say you can't have anything nice without someone screwing it up and apparently some criminals on Youngstown's Northside believe that. Thieves stole three of thirty-seven 6 x 8 canvases from a fence on Wick Ave. placed there by the group Art Youngstown. They were part of an effort to make art accessible to the public.

According to the Vindicator article, "a neighbor witnessed several young men take down the artworks at about 3 a.m. Saturday." Really? Why would you steal three paintings that were donated by local artists? You can't sell canvas for scrap.

I've been admiring the paintings for the last week as I visited a relative at St. Elizabeth's. Entering the city via Youngstown-Hubbard Rd. is a pretty bleak experience and the artwork was appreciated. The paintings demonstrated a vibrant side to the city and showed residents have pride in the place where they live.

The article states that the paintings can be returned with no questions asked so if you stole them, give them back. The info to do so is below:

The paintings can be returned by dropping them off at the Lemon Grove Cafe,
122 W. Federal St., downtown, which is open until 4 a.m.; by contacting
Dubec at (330) 398-4565; or by going to artyoungstown.org and sending an
e-mail to indicate where the paintings can be picked up.

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