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BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Embarrassing. That’s what the mayor called the conditions at many Baltimore schools. Now she wants to raise the city’s bottle tax to start immediate repairs.

Monique Griego has more on just how bad things are from parents and administrators.

Parents say while they’re happy the mayor is trying to fix things, they want to know what took so long.

Old AC units, dilapidated doors and a building that looks like an abandoned warehouse–this is what kids at Holabird Academy deal with every day.

“I think it’s long overdue,” said Clezel Farmer, parent. “Schools needed repairs years and years and years ago.”

Principal Anthony Ruby agrees. He gave WJZ a tour inside the school.

Ruby says teachers do their best to dress things up, but it’s hard to hide the outside.

“It takes away from what we’re able to do for the kids, but we do make things as beautiful as possible,” Ruby said.

Because so many Baltimore City schools look like this, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is making it her mission to improve things for kids by finding more funding for school construction.

“We are at place where too many of our schools don’t have AC. Too many of our schools have clouded windows,” Mayor Rawlings-Blake said.

The mayor’s plan would raise the city’s bottle tax from 2 to 5 cents. She says it will raise $11 to 17 million and increase the city’s contribution to school construction by 140 percent.

And the mayor says there’s one thing she’s focused on when it comes to plan to improve city schools.

“That the proposals that we put in place will give us immediate results,” she said.

Parents and community groups have also been rallying for change. Angela Simonson’s daughter goes to Baltimore’s Freedom Academy.

“It’s awful. The bathrooms, the lockers, the smell and everything. It’s just horrendous,” Simonson said.

While parents and Ruby know upping taxes isn’t an easy choice, many feel Baltimore kids are being left behind.

“Their county cousins go to a nice new building. We don’t have that, and our kids deserve that,” Ruby said.

The mayor plans to introduce the city’s bottle tax hike sometime next week.

The mayor says the city is waiting to determine exactly how many schools need repairs and what it will cost.

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Mayor Rawlings-Blake Say Bottle Tax Hike Will Benefit City Schools

Feb 14, 2012 10:41am

(Image Credit: Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)

Two months after successfully marshaling public support to extend a payroll tax cut for all Americans, President Obama today attempted to do it again.

“Allowing this tax cut to expire would make people’s lives harder right now.  It would make their choices more difficult.  It would be $40 less for groceries to feed your kids.  It would be $40 less for the medications you depend on, $40 less to cover bills and the rent, $40 less to take care of an elder parent or to donate to a church or a charity,” Obama said in a speech from the South Court Auditorium at the White House.

“Call, tweet. Write your congressman, write your senators.  Tell them:  Do not let up until this thing gets done.  Don’t let taxes go up on 160 million  working Americans.”

Obama was flanked by a group of supporters who were among the tens of thousands that spoke out online and on social media in December to pressure Congress to compromise, securing a temporary deal to extend the tax cut through the end of this month.

Now taxes are set to rise again on 160 million Americans unless lawmakers act, and congressional negotiators remain at impasse.  The administration estimates the tax cut would save a family making about $50,000 a year $40 per paycheck.

Obama said there are “hopeful signs” that an extension of the tax cut will be achieved. But he warned the audience not to take anything for granted.

“We’ve got to keep on making sure that the American people’s voices keep breaking through until this is absolutely, finally, completely done,” he said. “Until you see me sign this thing, you’ve got to keep on speaking up. Until you see that photograph of me signing it at my desk — you know, make sure it’s verified, certified.”

The White House hopes to spark a social media blitz, with average Americans concerned about their paychecks taking to Twitter — using the #40dollars hashtag — or posting their opinions on Facebook or the White House blog.

Meanwhile, congressional negotiators have 14 days to work out the fine print of a deal.

At issue is how to offset the cost of the tax cut and whether to extend unemployment insurance benefits and deal with the Medicare “doc fix” at the same time.

House Republican leadership Monday proposed as a last resort passing the payroll tax cut extension alone, through the end of the year, and dealing with the other issues separately.

But Democrats are reluctant to consider the items separately, believing that doing so would compromise passage of all the items.

White House press secretary Jay Carney signaled Monday that the administration backs a legislative solution to the payroll tax cut, unemployment insurance and “doc fix” all at once. “We are willing to work with them to offset [costs] in a responsible way,” Carney said of Congress.

SHOWS: World News

Continue reading here:
Obama Appeals to Public on Payroll Tax

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) -

The Cincinnati Museum Center is joining forces with the Cincinnati Underground Railroad Freedom Center to create a united corporate structure.

An official announcement is scheduled for Wednesday morning at the Freedom Center.

Sources tell FOX19 that any Museum Center levy funds would not be used in any way to support the Freedom Center. Museum Center officials want a $141 million tax levy on the November ballot to fix water damage and make long term repairs.

The annexation would allow for the consolidation of resources aimed at cost savings for both parties involved.

"We know that joining together will strengthen our respective organizations," said Francie S. Hiltz, chair Cincinnati Museum Center Board of Trustees and Rev. Damon Lynch, Jr. presiding co-chair of National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. "The result will be creative and dynamic organizations, offering greater financial strength and new opportunities."

Officials say the museums will maintain their own brands and distinct missions, but be better positioned to contribute more to the community.

When the transaction is completed, the Freedom Center and Cincinnati Museum Center will be united in operations and planning. For the purpose of charitable gifts and other revenue, each organization will be a separate 501(c)(3) entity. The Board of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will be responsible for overseeing fundraising, programming and for enhancing the image of the Freedom Center, locally, nationally and globally.

Economic hardships had threatened to close Cincinnati's National Underground Railroad Freedom Center by the end of 2012, if it could not find $1.5 million a year to cover future budgets.

The Freedom Center's leadership said they were doing everything they could to save the museum, from slashing the budget to reaching out to survivors' families in the hopes of getting their support.

Kim Robinson will continue to serve as the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center leader in this new structure and work jointly with the Cincinnati Museum Center's senior leadership team, led by Doug McDonald.

"We are deeply motivated by the future opportunities we see to strengthen our ability to carry out the mission of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center," said Robinson.
"This step of joining with Cincinnati Museum Center will allow us to consider exciting new approaches to engage far more people in the universal struggle for freedom and the celebration of its achievement."

"The Freedom Center and Museum Center are both defining institutions for our community," said P.G. Sittenfeld, Cincinnati City councilman. "The solution that has been brokered is a great example of the power of building partnerships. This is a good thing for Cincinnati."

Copyright 2012 FOX19. All Rights Reserved.

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Museum Center, Freedom Center to merge

13-02-2012 23:23 Child Protection and Estate Planning Webinar for Aussie Expats - Todd Pallett

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Child Protection and Estate Planning Webinar for Aussie Expats - with Todd Pallett - Video

Wellington and Auckland have become among the most expensive cities in the world for expatriates to live in.

But local residents may have gained some benefit from the key factor behind the rise in costs to new arrivals - the strengthening of the New Zealand dollar.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) latest Worldwide Cost of Living survey, Auckland is now the 15th costliest city in the world, up from 24th previously, while Wellington rose 16 places to be equal 17th with London.

The index measures the cost of an expatriate lifestyle in over 130 cities using a weighted average of the prices of 160 products and services.

EIU editor Jon Copestake said the cost of living in Auckland and Wellington had doubled for expatriates in the past decade.

New Zealanders would not have noticed that sort of rise, although they might have noticed living costs "creeping up", Copestake told Radio NZ.

Supply side inflation pushing up the cost of living in the past few years had fed into many economies.

"But the main issue here is currency movement. It seems that the New Zealand dollar and the Australian dollar have become haven currencies. They've had a lot of investment in them over the last few years. And this is what's really driven the rise up the rankings for New Zealand and Australian cities," Copestake said.

"People coming into New Zealand will see the relative cost of living much higher. I think in fact, in a sense, there's a benefit to Wellington and Auckland people in that they might actually see the cost of imports going down because things will become relatively cheaper in other currencies, and they will actually find maybe the cost of travelling abroad slightly cheaper."

While there were advantages in that respect, the two cities were becoming uncompetitive in price terms.

But Copestake also identified another reason for residents of Auckland and Wellington to relax, pointing to an apparent growing correlation between being an expensive city internationally, and being ranked among the most liveable cities.

"So in a sense, the fact that there's a high cost of living in Wellington and Auckland is probably also partly reflected in the high liveability you can enjoy in those cities."

The EIU living costs survey ranked Sydney in seventh place, Melbourne eighth, Perth 12th, Brisbane 13th and Adelaide 17th.

For the first time in at least two decades, Zurich topped the rankings, moving up four places compared to last year to overtake Tokyo which remained in 2nd place.

Geneva, the other Swiss city surveyed, moved up six places into joint third alongside Osaka.

Both Japan and Switzerland had seen strong currency movements in the past few years which had made them relatively more expensive, the EIU said.

As well as currency movement, structural factors maintained the high cost of living in many cities.

Despite Eurozone weaknesses affecting markets such as Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy, the evidence was that German and French cities were still relatively expensive with Paris and Frankfurt holding firm in the 10 most expensive - at sixth and tenth, respectively.

Oslo, which was considered the world's most expensive city a few years ago remained towards the top of the ranking - in fifth - although Singapore's presence, at ninth, in the top 10 highlighted a shift away from Western Europe towards Asian hubs.

Copyright © 2012, Television New Zealand Limited. Breaking and Daily News, Sport & Weather | TV ONE, TV2 | Ondemand

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NZ cities among most expensive for expats