In November, voters in Orange Township narrowly rejected a levy that would have meant about $8 million a year in funding for the fire department. The township faced a November 7th deadline of 4 p.m. to tell the county if they wanted to try again in February.

Fire chief Tom Stewart says trustees thought they could tell the board via email, but when they realized they needed a hard copy, it was 4:02 p.m.

“In life we follow rules, and rules are rules,” Stewart said.

“The Board of Elections had to make a decision, and they made a deicision to reject it based on the 4:02 time stamp on the hard copies.”

Stewart says he’s already given layoff notice to all 22 fire fighters, nearly half of the entire township’s employees. Stewart says trustees are still investigating a possible appeal and other funding possibilities including bond issues.

But if the ruling stands, he may have to close the fire department entirely.

Ohio State President Gordon Gee and Ohio State Police Chief Paul Denton met with dozens of students to talk about lighting in the off campus areas, mutual aid agreements with Columbus police and resources for students to stay safe on and off campus.

Denton told attendees that school officials are talking with Columbus Police to establish joint jurisdiction for the off-campus area, and that some kind of agreement could be made within the next couple of months.

Gee said that safety was the school’s number one priority, and programs such as the Buckeye Block Watch and Student Safety Services are there to help students stay safe.

These town-hall type meetings are a result of a spike in armed robberies and thefts Ohio State’s campus last fall.

Americans adamantly protect their privacy. The US Supreme court has used the 9th Amendment of the Constitution to protect our privacy rights. Government officials have been fired for snooping into records. But privacy is getting harder to keep as technology advances.

Recently, there has been a rash of protests claiming invasions of of privacy from social media sites like Facebook. Advocates complain the the websites collect and share personal information without users’ consent.. For instance, just last month it was revealed that Rapleaf, a company that makes applications for Facebook, inappropriately misused user information. Yet, while arguments against Facebook and other sites raise concern about issues of online privacy, other threats to our privacy get less attention.

Office buildings and convenience stores have long used surveillance cameras to keep crime at bay. At first when government introduced traffic light cameras, people complained about the watchful eye of “Big Brother.” But once the traffic cameras became main-stream, people stopped complaining. Now, most people just ignore the presence of surveillance cameras on the corner of Broad and High. So why is it that people protest online privacy violations more than surveillance cameras?

Perhaps it is the promise of ensured safety that makes individuals comfortable with being watched? While people may not enjoy the thought of being monitored 24/7, they do enjoy the thought of a crime-free community. Red-light cameras were at first a threat to privacy, but once people realized it helped curb speeding and car accidents, the cameras were accepted. The invasion of our on-line privacy seems to offer few benefits, so the protests continue.

All of this begs the question: is safety more important than privacy? It seems to be, at least in Columbus. A recent poll on the Columbus Dispatch website shows that 80% of surveyed individuals want cameras installed in their neighborhoods. Even those individuals who live in relatively low-crime areas supported surveillance cameras. For them, installing the cameras is a small price to pay to ensure the safety of their homes and businesses. The potential risk of crime on the streets outweighed the potential violation of privacy from the cameras.

Maybe once Facebook figures out a way to fight cyber-crime and catch criminals, online threats to privacy will become acceptable? Until then, let’s just continue to protest invasions of our privacy from the comforts of our videotaped neighborhoods.

During my morning commute, I pass countless signs warning me to “share the road” and “give caution to bikers.” Yet, what percentage of Ohio drivers are aware of the proper way to “share the road”? We learn about bike safety when passing a drivers’ license test, but how frequently do we remind ourselves about the proper meaning of bike signals? Furthermore, where are the signs reminding bikers to signal when turning, or to stop at stop-signs? In addition to the need for drivers to drive cautiously, bikers too need to remember to adhere to proper roadway etiquette. If drivers and bikers are going to co-exist, the burden of safety should be placed on everyone’s shoulders.

We require motorcyclists, scooter, and moped drivers to pass safety-tests before venturing out onto the open roadways. All of these motorized machines carry equal amounts of road-way responsibility. Are bikers any different? Why does removing the motor suddenly allow bikers to refrain from carrying a license? I am not advocating for all bikers to possess a “safety license”. That would be impractical and difficult to enforce. Yet, if people choose to use bikes as their primary forms of transportation, then it is reasonable to expect them to adhere to traffic rules and standards before they ride down High Street at rush-hour. People choosing an eco-friendly lifestyle are trying to make “responsible” choices, yet their responsible thinking can often stop when their foot hits the pedal. Just as a drivers’ sense of caution cannot cease when turning the ignition key, bikers should similarly be aware.

Drivers, too, are not immune from criticism. If society is dedicated to becoming a biker-friendly environment, then drivers’ awareness of bike safety should be as commonplace as knowing the meaning of a red light or a yield sign. Perhaps in addition to the “drive cautious” signs we should also consider posting reminder signs of bike signals and “bike rules”. Children understand the meaning of stop signs from an early age. If bikes are a permanent alternative for gas-powered transportation, then we need an early start to teaching future drivers about the proper way to share the road with bikers.

We have to creating more environmentally savvy transportation options in this age of high gas prices and environmental threats. In order for Columbus to become a model for “green” transportation, bikers and drivers both need to learn and obey the rules of the road. Ensuring biking education not only helps create safer roadways; it can also create more friendly relationships between the Schwinns and the Corollas. So in the spirit of those cautious signs reminding drivers to share the roads – remember: sharing is a two-way street.

The Republican-controlled Senate Criminal Justice Committee voted 5-4 against Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland’s appointment of Public Safety Director Cathy Collins-Taylor.

Collins-Taylor testified during a hearing that started Wednesday, defending herself against allegations that political considerations made her call off the sting involving prison inmates working at the residence.

Inspector General Tom Charles blasted the decision to call off that package drop, and said public safety officials made false statements during his investigation.

But Public Safety Director Cathy Collins-Taylor says the inspector general had a predetermined conclusion in mind and mischaracterized facts.

NOTE: Karen Kasler’s entire interview with Public Safety Director Cathy Collins-Taylor will be on “The State of Ohio” on WOSU-TV at 5:30pm Friday, May 21.

RELATED STORY FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS: a Democratic state representative proposes a law that would require the Ohio watchdog to step aside from investigations involving an agency where he or a family member has worked.

The bill from state Rep. Dennis Murray comes as hearings are set to begin Wednesday in the confirmation of Public Safety Director Cathy Collins-Taylor.

State Inspector General Tom Charles issued a report critical of Collins-Taylor’s actions surrounding the cancellation of a contraband sting at the governor’s residence. The sting has become politically touchy for Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland.

Charles is a former trooper. His wife is a Highway Patrol officer.

Murray’s bill calls for the deputy inspector general to take over when the inspector general has a potential conflict.

Here on Main Street in downtown Lancaster a handful of restaurants offer patrons menu items ranging from pizza and spinach quiche to mocha freezes to sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches. While these restaurants and thousands of others prepare and serve their specialty plates, congress is considering new regulations to promote food safety. On this week-day morning, Michelle Lutz of Lancaster is walking to her job about a block away at Job and Family Services. She says there’s always room for improvement when it comes to food safety.

“Obviously because there are things that go on out there.”Says Lutz. “So food safety should be important to Congress because people’s well-being should be there number one priority.”

In fact, food recalls in the past several years involving spinach, peanuts, and other food products have prompted the U-S house and senate to consider separate measures to boost food safety. The Centers for Disease Control estimates as many as 76-million cases of food-borne illnesses annually in the U-S. The pending bills would require the Food and Drug Administration to more closely monitor farms and food processing plants and make it easier to find sources of food-borne illnesses . But, Jim O’Hara, formerly with the FDA, and current Director of the National Produce Safety Project says the proposed uniform standards are also problematic. “I mean how do you get it right for farms in California, New York, Ohio, Georgia. How do you get it right for different crops like leafy greens, tomatoes, melons.” O’Hara says.

Agricultural economist John Ikerd of the University of Missouri says a uniform national food safety bill could have what he calls “deleterious effects” on smaller farms if they’re required to file and follow complex sanitation rules, keep more records and be subject to more government inspections. Bob Jones, owner of the Chef’s Garden farm in Huron, Ohio is more direct. He says the proposed new rules would cut or eliminate profits.

“There are national proposals floating around right now that are a one size fits all model that would put at least 90 percent of the farms in Ohio out of business if they were to come to fruition.” Says Jones. Jones grows vegetables and herbs, that he supplies to restaurants in Columbus and other parts of the state. He’s part of an expanding local food movement that telescopes the time between a vegetable leaving the field to landing on a dinner plate.

“The standard that we use in our personal operation is we want product on the plate in 24 hours. Now in most instances that works. Two to three days old is the longest we want that product to be.” Jones says with highly perishable product, tight timetables and thin profit margins he constantly monitors the safety of his produce. Ohio Farmer magazine editor Tim White says Jones’ farm is situated on the eastern edge of what’s called Ohio’s ‘muck-growing region’ stretching from Bucyrus and Upper Sandusky to Celeryville.

“In that area around Celeryville, Ohio we produce a great deal of radishes.” Says White. “One of the biggest radish farms in the country and carrots and then also scattered around there’s also some cucumber production.”

White says a small amount of celery is also grown in Celeryville. Farther west, near the Indiana border, farms are generally larger with one dominant crop.

“We do have in Napolean the largest Campbell soup factory that produces tomato soup in the country.”

White and Bob Jones both say there is and have been rules in place to inspect conditions on the farm to assure a safe food supply. But, the proposed federal rules would impose stricter safety measures, in part, to assure consumers like Michelle Lutz of Lancaster.

“Of course, I wash all my vegetables, even the bagged lettuce when you pull it out you still wash it. You do the best that you can and you’ve just gotta hope the government’s doing what they’re supposed to be doing to make us all safe.”

Tom Borgerding WOSU News.

Ohio’s government watchdog issued a report Wednesday that says former Public Safety Director Henry Guzman delayed a proposed crackdown for registrations despite warnings about the potential for abuse.

Inspector General Thomas Charles says his office found that Guzman resisted efforts by others in his department to implement the changes.

Guzman resigned last year over a dispute with the former director of the Ohio Highway Patrol. He declined to comment Wednesday because he had not yet read the entire report.

Charles says his office also found evidence of wrongdoing and is assisting the State Highway Patrol in a related criminal probe.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

At the Lane Avenue – 315 interchange, drivers on this stretch of highway likely have already noticed some changes made by the Ohio Department of Transportation.

“New guardrails going in, the median barrier – the wall down the center of the highway – we’re raising that in a number of spots,” Hedge said.

Brian Hedge is an ODOT spokesperson. ODOT is working on redoing the stretch of highway between highway 670 and North Broadway. Over the summer crews worked on northbound lanes.

Hedge said the improvements, some of them for driver safety, were not done because the highway was unsafe, but because better equipment is available.

“New lighting through the stretch – new and improved lighting, newer technology. And new signs, that’s another big one,” he said.

Hedge said the new signs will be more reflective and require less lighting.

“You might have seen them before where you have to shine a light up on them to see them. They’re using, actually, it’s called a high-intensity sign. They’re very reflective and you don’t have to shine a light on them, so you just see them. Your headlights illuminate them to see the sign,” Hedge said.

ODOT also has redone bridge decks, fixed potholes and resurfaced much of the highway while adding new lines and reflectors. As far as improvements drivers may not necessarily notice…

“There was some minor drainage work to make sure that, that runs clear and keeps the highway free of water,” Hedge said.

The 315 project will pick back up next summer.

Gov. Ted Strickland says he has accepted the resignation of Public Safety Director Henry Guzman and the Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Richard Collins.

Guzman told Strickland he wants to work in another part of Strickland’s administration.

Strickland’s office says Col. Collins agreed to step down in an effort to have the department and the patrol move forward.

Strickland says difficult communications between Collins and Guzman likely led to Guzman’s request to resign. The president of the union representing troopers says the difficult relationship between the two men hurt decision-making at the patrol. —