Local legislators’ work thus far

Dec. 27, 2011, Port Clinton News Herald

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

Ohio’s legislative term is halfway up, so CentralOhio.com decided to check up on local lawmakers to see what they have accomplished in the past year.

Instead of just focusing on the biggest issue of 2011 — the state budget, CentralOhio.com asked them to dig a little deeper, to talk about their individual accomplishments both in sponsored legislation and committee work.

As follows are profiles of the area’s local lawmakers, and what they have done with their time in Columbus. 

Growth an opportunity for Ohio cattle industry

Dec. 23, 2011, Port Clinton News Herald

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

Ohio might gain jobs by giving its cattle a first-class ticket to Turkey.

Demand for livestock is growing in developing nations. A group of lawmakers recently visited Turkey to gauge interest in shipping cattle from the Wilmington Airpark.

The air facility is in a unique location. It once belonged to DHL, a shipping company that shuttered its Wilmington operations in 2008 and signed the airpark over to the Clinton County Port Authority.

Since then, the port authority has sought to make use of the facility, said director Kevin Carver.

It has enough space to land large jets — the kind that would likely be used for shipping cattle, Carver said. It is about 10 miles west of Sabina, which houses one of six agricultural export inspection facilities in the country.