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After the earthquake, Dominion Post staff were scrambled to the Garden City to help their colleagues. Christchurch local Shane Cowlishaw writes about returning to a hometown he barely recognises.

Canterbury is where my heart is. I was born here, grew up here, went to school here. I had my first day of school here, played my first game of soccer and bought my first car here.

After 21 years, I decided it was time to get out and see the world. I have lived in South Korea, Japan and Canada. I now live in Wellington. But Christchurch will always be my home.

After moving from The Press to The Dominion Post in November 2010, I never expected to be covering another earthquake there again.

On February 22 when the first reports came through about an aftershock, I barely batted an eyelid. After all, we lived through months of them after September. It’s sad, but we were used to it.

But soon it became apparent that this was different. Bad. But still we did not know just how horrible it was.

I rang my mum and amazingly got through on the first or second try. She was fine, in the supermarket at the time, reaching for some shampoo. Dad was OK as well, but they couldn’t reach my brother.

I sent the newsroom a few comments from her about what was happening. Later she would be contacted by international media from all over the world.

The Wellington newsroom was hectic as I and other reporters and photographers were dispatched to try and get on a helicopter to Christchurch. Bad weather ruled this out, so I fled to the airport with a group to try and secure a flight.

We got the last tickets on a 10-seater to Blenheim, but delays meant our 6pm flight did not leave until 10pm. We arrived in Christchurch just after 2am. During this time I tried my brother again and again, just as my colleague Michael Fox kept trying his sister. Eventually we both got through and received good news.

Arriving in Blenheim late, we were met by reporters from The Marlborough Express and set out immediately for Christchurch, arriving just after 2am. We tried to sleep for a few hours, but massive, rumbling aftershocks kept us awake.

At 6am we headed for the CBD and watched in shock as emergency workers crawled like ants around the smouldering heap of the CTV building.

Soon I was told to head for Hagley Park, where about 1000 people had spent the night in the Ellerslie Flower Show tent. To get there I had to cross through the heart of the city. I had no idea exactly just what that would mean.

As I made my way through the dawn-lit streets, the world was silent apart from the constant ringing of alarms.

Banks and jewellery stores with shattered windows stood their blaring, weakly protesting their violation to anyone who would listen.

The Holiday Inn front desk looked bright and inviting, if you did not mind stepping through the shattered facade to get there.

But as I walked through some of the smaller streets like Bedford Row, fear began to set in.

Bricks were falling before my eyes and I realised no-one would be around to help me if another aftershock hit.

Here, I admit, I panicked. I began sprinting through the streets, desperate to get to wider ground. Now I feel stupid, ashamed, when I think about what it must have been like for those in the city when it hit.

I went on one of the first media bus trips around the city and it was brutal. I do not plan on going on another.

Everywhere I looked, places that I had grown up with were destroyed, turned from magnificent buildings into nothing more than twisted steel and rubble.

The Caledonian Hall is gone, the place where I went to some of my first music gigs as a teenager. The Catholic Cathedral on Barbadoes St, a majestic building that survived the September quake relatively undamaged, ruined.

Then I saw The Press building. Growing up in Christchurch, my dad would tell me about how the paper was printed inside, and I day-dreamed about one day working there.

Eventually I would get my chance, and although I moved to Wellington I made some firm friends while I was there. Great friends.

How most of them got out I still do not know. Unfortunately one did not, but for the rest I am thankful.

After an initial few days of covering the emergency, focus began to shift to the dead and missing.

Dealing with grief is part of a journalist’s job, but the scale of people’s pain in Christchurch is immense. Attending funerals and speaking to families who have lost loved ones takes its toll but, when put in perspective, is insignificant.

ONE YEAR LATER

After spending a month in Christchurch following the earthquake, I returned to some sense of normality in Wellington.

But I’ve made regular trips back down south to see family and friends and help out as they wait in limbo for EQC to decide whether they can rebuild their homes or not.

Each time I head home, a new part of it seems to be missing.

Everyone who has been to the new container city in the CBD marvels at how amazing it is, which is true.

But what I see when I walk around the streets is the missing buildings where favourite haunts like C4 Espresso, Galaxy Records and The Press building used to be.

I can’t even remember half the stuff that used to be there anymore, even though I grew up with it all.

It’s true Cantabrians are a stubborn, resilient bunch but you wonder how much they can take.

My aunt and uncle’s house was in Kaiapoi and red stickered after the September quake. They moved to a rental for six months, were then forced to move out after February 22 when the owner needed to move back in again so shifted out to Bexley. Now that entire area has been red zoned and they are again looking for a new place to live, all the while waiting for approval from the insurance companies to begin construction of a new place of their own.

They are still committed to Christchurch, but you can hardly blame people who leave.

A year on from that day many things have changed in Christchurch, but there is an opportunity to create a city more beautiful than the last.

I have no doubt that Canterbury will make they most of it.

Related stories:

Editorial: Remembering Christchurch by being prepared

Community spirit key to survival

I can’t give up, that’s who we are as people

I wish I’d done more

Happy in capital but it’s not home

Contact our reporter:

Email: shane.cowlishaw@dompost.co.nz

Twitter: @scowlishaw

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Article source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/6460151/Hometown-changed-forever

At the recent drawing for this season’s Division III event, he saw a real beast.

“The Central District is always tough,” Cooper said of the tourney which for local squads begins today. “I think it is always one of the better Div. III districts in the state. And in a super district where there are no geographical sectionals, that can make it even tougher.”

Cooper does have one of the tougher teams in the tournament. His Indians are 18-2 and champions of the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference.

Yet his squad is not alone.

The top dog looks to be unbeaten Bloom-Carroll, which was seeded first. The Bulldogs, 20-0, are also the top-ranked Div. III team in the Associated Press state poll.

So strong is Bloom-Carroll, the next three seeded teams stayed as far away from the Bulldogs as possible on the bracket.

Second-seeded Columbus Academy (16-4), third-seeded Mount Gilead, and fourth-seeded Amanda-Clearcreek (13-7) all went into the lower bracket.

“We figured that would be the case,” Cooper said. “Everyone wanted to stay away from Bloom-Carroll.”

Mount Gilead also wanted to avoid an early meeting with Worthington Christian (12-8), which beat North Union and Elgin from the MOAC this winter and lost by only two points to MOAC Red Division winner Buckeye Valley.

“After Bloom-Carroll went to the upper bracket, Academy chose to play a game in the lower so we decided to pass to see where Worthington Christian would go. Once Worthington Christian went to the upper, we went to the lower.”

Cooper said avoiding Bloom-Carroll and Worthington Christian still has its drawbacks.

“That means you have to play a good, quality opponent in your opener or the next game,” Cooper said. “Then it comes down to matchups. The reality is there is no easy route. You’ve got to come to play every game or you go home.”

The Indians’ bye means they will open tourney action at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 29, at Central Crossing High School against the winner of today’s Bishop Ready-Northridge clash.

Ridgedale will have a tall order to fill in its Div. IV opener at 6 p.m. Thursday at Hilliard Bradley High School when the Rockets will face Tree of Life.

Not only is Tree of Life 15-5 and the fourth seed in the division, it beat Ridgedale 72-39 on Jan. 31 in a regular-season encounter.

“They are tall and athletic, they press, and they can shoot,” said Ridgedale coach Jon Otterbacher. “We’ll need to protect the ball, be smarter with our decision making, and slow down their transition.”

Four area boys teams will kick off the postseason today.

Elgin (9-11) will meet 11th-seeded West Jefferson (13-7) at 6 p.m. at Westerville North High School and Cardington (7-13) will play Academy at 7:45 p.m. at Central Crossing in Div. III games.

In Div. II, Highland (3-17) and fourth-seeded Watterson (14-6) will battle at 7:45 p.m. at Dublin Scioto High School while eighth-seeded Buckeye Valley (14-6) and DeSales (9-11) will tangle at 6 p.m. at Heath High School.

Other tournament openers for local boys teams are:

» River Valley (12-8) vs. Bexley (7-13) at 6 p.m. Thursday at Dublin Scioto in Div. II.

» Pleasant (8-11) vs. Madison Plains (9-8) at 6 p.m. Thursday at Westerville North in Div. III.

» North Union (12-8) vs. seventh-seeded Fairbanks (15-5) at 7:45 p.m. Thursday at Central Crossing in Div. III.

» Northmor (11-9) vs. the winner of Pleasant-Madison Plains at 6 p.m. March 2 at Westerville North in Div. III.

» Marion Catholic (4-16) vs. Northside Christian (9-9) at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at Hilliard Bradley in Div. IV.

» Marion Harding (6-13) vs. Ashland (7-12) at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at Willard High School in Div. I.

Article source: http://www.marionstar.com/article/20120222/HSSPORTS03/202220314

Steffeny did not know Hilliard Bradley would move up to Division I and take standout Jake Zoller with it. Steffeny’s freshman season ended in the consolation bracket at the district tournament when he lost to Zoller 3-1 at 140 pounds.

“My dad kept saying that Jake Zoller is working harder than you and kept pushing me,” Steffeny said. “He posted a picture on my wall in my room, and he said this is your man to beat next year.”

For a while this season, it was not a competitor standing in Steffeny’s way. It was injury. Steffeny broke his hand during practice following the season-opening Granville Invitational.

Steffeny still is doing physical therapy, and he just returned to live practice a few weeks ago. In his first action back on the mat Saturday, however, he did not appear to have missed a beat. He won three matches at 145 to earn the sectional title at Licking Heights.

“I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect,” Steffeny said. “I had all of these kids that were like 28-6.”

Now, Steffeny is back where he wants to be — the district tournament — and Zoller is far away. Steffeny and five other Blue Aces compete Friday and Saturday at Claymont.

One teammate who is happy to see Steffeny back is junior Alex Marcum. On the heels of winning the Mid-State League-Ohio Division meet, Marcum won a sectional title at 152.

“Especially when this is his first tournament back, once I saw him win, it motivated me to go even harder,” Marcum said. “Dain and I are very close. We are partners in practice all of the time, so we push each other.”

Marcum pinned London’s Errol Maynard before facing two opponents from the MSL-Ohio. Marcum pinned Licking Valley’s Caleb Nethers and beat Bexley’s Derek Cain 10-3.

Marcum might see another familiar foe at the district tournament, where Whitehall’s Ifa Abduljelil will be waiting. Two sectionals from eastern Ohio also have several formidable competitors descending upon Claymont.

“I would rather see new guys,” Marcum said. “The more we wrestle each other it doesn’t teach me anything else about other people. I want to know that I can beat everybody and not just that person.”

Elliot Williams was Granville’s third sectional champion at 220. Williams had two first-period pins before meeting Hamilton-Township’s Alonzo Jewell in the final.

Williams led 5-3 and 9-6 after the first two periods in a back-and-forth match. He finally pinned Jewell with 38 seconds left. After battling injuries for two seasons, Williams is looking to follow in the footsteps of the graduated Bobby Kent and Kirk Willis, who qualified for state a season ago.

Freshman Christian Price had a pin and a 3-0 victory before falling to Licking Heights’ Ty Yeager 3-1 in the final seconds of overtime. Price settled for second at 126.

Sophomore Will Navin rebounded from a semifinal loss, beating River Valley’s Gage Stuckman 10-1 to advance. Navin then had a technical fall to place third at 160, and junior Caleb Sims had two pins and a 4-0 victory against Bexley’s Kris Johnson to place fourth and advance at heavyweight.

Article source: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20120222/COMMUNITIES02/202230316

Below are the recent results and coming schedules for the Columbus Academy boys basketball, girls basketball, bowling, swimming and wrestling teams:

BOYS BASKETBALL

*Feb. 14 — Lost to Granville 63-53. Tim Eldridge scored 16 points and Zach Ratcliff scored 14.

*Feb. 17 — Defeated Bexley 79-54. Jacob Mikalov scored 31 points, Eldridge scored 12, and Ratcliff and Daniel Aronowitz each scored 11.

Feb. 22 — Played Cardington in first round of Division III district tournament. Winner plays Berne Union in second round, 7:45 p.m. Feb. 29 at Central Crossing. Winner plays third-seeded Mount Gilead, Northridge or Ready in semifinal, 6 p.m. March 6 at Central Crossing. The Vikings are the second seed.

Of note: The Vikings were 16-4 overall before Feb. 22 and finished 12-2 in the MSL-Ohio.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Feb. 16 — Lost to Mount Gilead 50-44 in first round of Division III district tournament. LaShaun Ransom scored 19 points and Erin Simmons scored 18.

Of note: The Vikings finished 8-12.

BOWLING

Feb. 17 — Boys: Finished 21st (2,973) in Columbus Western Bowl sectional behind champion Jonathan Alder (4,020)

Feb. 18 — Girls: Finished 12th (2,640) in Columbus Western Bowl sectional behind champion Briggs (3,494)

Feb. 24 — Girls: Sarah Kerr competes in district tournament at HP Lanes. The top three individuals not on a qualifying team advance to the state tournament March 3 at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl.

Feb. 25 — Boys: Max Smith competes in district tournament at HP Lanes. The top three individuals not on a qualifying team advance to the state tournament March 2 at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl.

SWIMMING

Feb. 17 — Boys: Finished fourth (159) in Division II district meet at Ohio State behind champion Granville (325); Girls: Finished third (278) in Division II district meet behind champion Granville (475)

Feb. 23-24 — Boys, girls: Qualifiers at Division II state meet at Branin Natatorium in Canton

Below are those who competed at district but did not qualify for state:

Boys — Brian Burke: 500 free (5:48.52, 22nd); Mitchell Dreisbach: 100 breast (1:08.71, 14th), 100 fly (59.23, 20th); Stephan Kim: 100 back (1:07.24, 27th), 200 IM (2:26.88, 20th); Andy Li: 100 fly (1:00.97, 26th); Matt Turney: 50 free (24.6, 28th), 100 free (53.09, 23rd); Dimitri Vasilkov: 100 breast (1:13.34, 27th), 200 IM (2:25.56, 17th); Alec Wuorinen: 100 back (1:02.24, 19th), 200 IM (2:19.53, 14th); 200 medley relay (1:49.54, 10th); Girls — Abby Brown: 100 back (1:02.11, seventh); Lauren Burke: 100 free (59.23, 21st), 200 IM (2:25.26, 10th); Emily Carlin: 100 fly (1:13.13, 25th); Alex Keith: 500 free (6:22.98, 27th); Anya Kone’: 100 free (55.06, seventh); Annie Lee: 100 free (55.54, eighth); Cami Mampieri: 50 free (27.12, 24th), 100 free (59.87, 24th); Maggie McGuire: 100 back (1:07.87, 16th), 100 fly (1:09.82, 20th); India Sherman: 50 free (25.66, 11th); 400 free relay (3:51.81, third)

WRESTLING

Feb. 17-18 — Finished eighth (69) in 14-team Division III sectional at Madison Plains behind champion Amanda-Clearcreek (237)

District qualifiers: Dan Jones (182, 3-1, third), Dan Leathery (138, 4-0, first) and Tim Leathery (120, 2-2, fourth)

Others competing: Luke Albers (195, 0-2), Johnston Allinder (160, 2-2), Cory Bartholomew (170, 0-2), Reed Clark (152, 1-2), Josh Levy (106, 0-2), Jeremy Schroeder (145, 0-2), Taylor Smallridge (132, 0-2) and Sam Wittman (126, 0-2)

Feb. 24-25 — District tournament at Heath. Top four finishers in each weight class advance to state tournament March 1-3 at Ohio State.

*League contest

Article source: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/gahanna/sports/2012/02/21/leathery-eyes-trip-to-state-wrestling-tourney.html

Julia Gregory
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
11:40 AM

A derelict former swimming pool and cinema in Sidcup fetched £750,000 at auction – £100,000 over the guide price.

The rear of the building at Old Farm Avenue, showing the site of the former swimming pool

The front of the run down building on Station Road was once a cinema and was built in 1934, whilst the back of the plot once housed the 1965 Lamorbey Swimming Baths. The building has since been demolished but the facade has been kept.

The building was sold by Bexley council and wants to see the new life breathed into the site.

It was sold by land and property auctioneers Clive Emson at a sale at Kent County Showground at Maidstone.

The auctioneer John Stockey said: “The London Borough of Bexley, as owner of the site, instructed us to find a buyer with the long-term aim that regeneration takes place.

“The sale attracted headline news, and bidding was fast and furious. My gavel banged down on a winning bid which was £100,000 more than the lower end of the guide price.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for someone to breathe new life into a building that was at the heart of many people’s social lives over the decades.

“It is considered that this site offers an extensive redevelopment opportunity, subject to all the necessary consents being obtainable. However, we are not privy to any plans ourselves.”

The identity of the new owner has not been disclosed but a planning brief approved by the council said: “The primary aim is to achieve a financially viable and sustainable mix of uses appropriate to this very prominent site in a town centre location.

“Redevelopment must contribute to the vitality of the area and create a development of high quality design.”

The site of the former Welling Social Club at East Road, Welling also went under the hammer at the auction on Monday (Feb 20) which went for £430,000, which was £80,000 more than the lower end of the guide price.

In 2008 the council approved detailed planning permission for a three-storey building to provide 10 apartments and associated parking and amenity facilities.

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Article source: http://www.bexleytimes.co.uk/news/sidcup_s_old_pool_and_cinema_fetches_750_000_at_auction_1_1216629

Wednesday February 22, 2012 9:15 AM

The Drexel Theatre will bring the biggest night in Hollywood to Bexley when it hosts the 15th annual Drexel Red Carpet Bash on Sunday, Feb. 26.

The event features food from local restaurants, red carpet “Best Dressed” awards, contests for prizes from movie studios, and the opportunity to watch the 84th Annual Academy Awards and pre-show red carpet arrivals live in HD on the big screen.

The festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. at the theatre, with the Academy Awards telecast starting at 8 p.m.

Patrons are invited to dress in their best Hollywood glitz or portray their favorite nominated actor or movie, and walk the Drexel’s red carpet where they’ll be cheered by autograph-seeking fans, hounded by paparazzi, and interviewed by fashion commentators. Prizes will be awarded for the best-dressed couple, best costume, and most glamorous attire.

Light hors d’oeuvres will be served by some of Bexley’s finest restaurants, including Guiseppe’s Ritrovo, Moshe Sushi Bar, The Top Steakhouse, Barrel 44, Aladdin’s Eatery, Piada Italian Street Food, Café Istanbul, and Graeter’s.

Cash bars will feature special awards-themed beverages.

During commercial breaks, celebrity masters of ceremony will give away prizes donated by movie studios. The person who correctly predicts the most awards will win the grand prize, a Hollywood swag bag of premium prizes and a one-year pass for two to the Drexel Theatre.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Drexel members and groups of 8 or more are $20 per person. Student tickets are $15 at the Drexel box office only. Tickets can be purchased by phone at (614) 231-1050, at www.Drexel.net, or at the Drexel Theatre box office, 2254 E. Main St. Proceeds will benefit the AIDS Resource Center Ohio and the Friends of the Drexel Theatre Inc.

Article source: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/bexley/news/2012/02/21/Drexel-15th-Red-Carpet-Bash-Feb-26.html

ThisWeek Community Newspapers

Wednesday February 22, 2012 8:51 AM

Junior guard Ethan Knisley of the Bexley High School boys basketball team loves the anticipation that builds in the days leading up to the start of the Division II district tournament.

“Tournament time is my favorite time of the year,” he said. “There’s definitely a different vibe around our team.”

The Lions, who are 6-14 overall after concluding the regular season with a 79-54 loss to Columbus Academy on Feb. 17, open the tournament against Caledonia River Valley in the first round at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at Dublin Scioto. River Valley fell to 11-8 with a 65-45 loss to Buckeye Valley on Feb. 17.

“River Valley has some height and some good shooters,” said coach Dave Gustin, whose team hasn’t lost a tournament opener since falling 67-62 to London in 2009. “We have some tall guys, too. We’re going to be able to put some height and length on them. Hopefully that will neutralize their inside players.”

The winner faces second-seeded Brookhaven or Hamilton Township in the second round at 7:45 p.m. March 3 at Scioto. The Lions have not played River Valley or Brookhaven this season but defeated Hamilton Township 64-34 on Dec. 6.

Gustin believes his team got a confidence boost with a 68-45 win over Whitehall on Feb. 14. Bexley had lost to the Rams 57-49 on Jan. 14.

“(The Whitehall) win definitely gives our team confidence,” said Gustin, whose team has lost 11 games by nine points or fewer. “If we continue to play like that, we could do well in the tournament.”

One of the keys to the win over Whitehall was the Lions’ defensive play. Rams point guard Demetrius Carr scored 30 points, including five 3-pointers, in the teams’ first meeting, but Knisley and senior forward Jalen Robinette combined to hold him to 10 points in the rematch.

“He just went off on us (Jan. 14) and we knew we couldn’t allow him to do that again,” Gustin said of Carr. “There’s no way we can withstand another 30-point effort from someone.”

“(Carr’s performance Jan. 14) definitely had me working harder in practice,” Knisley said. “We knew if we shut him down, we can shut their whole team down.”

For Bexley, Aaron Aldridge scored 20 points against Whitehall, with Jalen Robinette scoring 15 and Sam Nolan 13. In the loss to Academy, the Lions got 13 points from Nolan and 12 from Robinette.

The Lions finished 4-10 in the MSL-Ohio to place sixth, behind Academy (12-2), Newark Catholic (12-2), Granville (9-5), Licking Valley (9-5) and Heath (6-8) and ahead of Lakewood (2-12) and Whitehall (2-12).

•The girls basketball team lost 45-35 to fifth-seeded Eastmoor Academy in the first round of the Division II district tournament Feb. 16 at Delaware to finish 7-14 overall.

The Lions led 17-15 at halftime but were outscored 14-3 in the third quarter and trailed 29-20 heading into the fourth quarter.

Trailing 38-33 with 3 minutes, 16 seconds left, Bexley had a turnover, missed two free throws and had another shot blocked during a 90-second stretch. The three missed scoring opportunities thwarted the Lions’ comeback chances.

“Our kids were giving it everything they could, but it’s pretty deflating when you don’t finish the easy ones,” coach Jim Strode said.

Junior point guard Lydia Lake led the Lions with 15 points and junior forward Brianna Stewart scored 10. Bexley held Eastmoor’s leading scorer, Tajanee Wells, who was averaging 16.8 points, to seven points.

The Lions started the season 0-6 but went 7-7 in their final 14 regular-season games.

“We all got together (after a 44-39 loss to Buckeye Valley on Dec. 20 to drop to 0-6) and talked about what we needed to do better and how we could pick it up,” senior guard Sara Prater said.

Bexley went 4-10 in the MSL-Ohio Division to tie Columbus Academy and Heath for fifth, behind Newark Catholic (13-1), Licking Valley (11-3), Whitehall (9-5) and Granville (9-5) and ahead of Lakewood (2-12).

The Lions will lose two seniors in Prater and guard/forward Emily Hart. Prater averaged 1.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists and Hart averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 steals.

Expected to return are Lake, Stewart, juniors Jill Clark (guard), Jackie Delap (center) Michelle Ghitman (guard), Meghan Heckman (forward), Hannah Schmelzer (guard) and Natalie Schwager (guard), sophomores Audrey Mitchell (forward) and Sidney Woodford (guard) and freshmen Mary Massarelli (forward), Olivia Riley (guard) and Elise Torrence (center).

Lake averaged 10.2 points and 3.2 rebounds and Stewart averaged 6.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals.

“The future is bright,” Strode said. “We’re not satisfied with a losing season this year. Hopefully next year we’ll be right there because we put in our time in the offseason.”

•After finishing 16th in the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes, 24.68 seconds and 28th in the 100 backstroke during the Division II district swimming meet Feb. 17 at Ohio State, junior Ian Davis has some goals remaining for next season.

“I didn’t drop any time (at district), which is a little disappointing, but it is what it is,” he said. “My goal next year is to get on the podium. I just have to practice harder and spend more time doing what I’m doing.”

The boys team finished 28th at district with 15 points behind champion Granville (325.5).

In addition to the 200 IM and 100 back, Davis scored in the 200 medley relay with senior Kris Baker, junior Sebastian Parra and freshman Ben Hoffman (1:52.98, 14th) and the 200 freestyle relay with junior Jacob Turner, Baker and Hoffman (1:40.21, 13th).

The girls team tied Buckeye Valley for 17th (22) at district behind champion Granville (475).

Scoring points were junior Sierra Humphrey in the 100 breaststroke (1:15.14, 12th), sophomore Maya Saar in the 200 free (2:10.03, 12th) and 500 free (6:01.67, 15th) and the 200 medley relay of sophomore Megan Niemeyer, Humphrey, freshman Abbey Early and Saar (2:06.55, 12th).

Only the top two finishers in each swimming event automatically advanced to the state meet Thursday, Feb. 23, and Friday, Feb. 24, at Branin Natatorium in Canton. In addition, 16 at-large state berths were awarded for each swimming event based on district times statewide.

The boys team finished fourth (77) in a sectional meet Feb. 11 at Academy behind champion Granville (252) and placed fifth (102) in the MSL meet Jan. 28 at Academy behind champion Granville (302). The girls team finished sixth (67) in the Academy sectional behind champion Granville (336) and placed fifth (95) in the MSL meet behind champion Granville (410).

The boys team loses only one senior in Baker. Davis, Hoffman, Parra, Turner and sophomore Marek Kuspan are among the expected returnees.

The girls team also loses one senior in Katlin Hiller. Among those expected are Early, Humphrey, Niermeyer, Saar, junior Sandy Spira and sophomores Carly Berndt, Ashley Marra and Jocie Steinke.

•The wrestling team finished seventh (87) in the 14-team Division II sectional tournament Feb. 18 at Licking Heights behind champion Licking Valley (194.5) and advanced four members to the district tournament, which will be held Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25, at Uhrichsville Claymont.

Seniors D.J. Jones (132 pounds) and Derek Cane (152) were sectional runners-up. Freshman Sam Shorr (106) was third and senior Ahmed Khaloufi (220) placed fourth.

The top four finishers in each weight class advanced to district.

In their respective finals, Jones lost to London’s Arron Thompson 7-2 and Cane lost to Granville’s Alex Marcum 9-3. In their respective third-place matches, Shorr pinned London’s Nathan Nagel in 43 seconds and Khaloufi was pinned by Licking Valley’s Blake Owens in 4:56.

In the first round at district, Shorr (18-10) faces Whitehall’s Noah Jay (31-5), Jones (30-6) goes against Minerva’s Dalton Hartshorn (30-12), Cain (27-9) faces Winterville Indian Creek’s David Johnston (19-12) and Khaloufi (6-8) competes against Whitehall’s Alex Farrow (33-3).

The top four finishers in each weight class at district advance to the state tournament March 1-3 at Ohio State.

Article source: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/bexley/sports/2012/02/21/boys-team-revved-up-for-district-tourney.html

Senior Sergeant Roy Appley

CATE BROUGHTON

Senior Sergeant Roy Appley

The city was pitch black.

It was 9.30pm on February 22 and Senior Sergeant Roy Appley had seen 39 trapped people out of the Hotel Grand Chancellor on to solid ground when he was faced with another very tough call.

He was at the collapsed CTV building site when he got a call to go back to the hotel.

An Indian couple were still trapped, terrified, on the top floor of the leaning building. Worse, they were in a corner of the side that was on a lean.

Their cellphones were not connected to New Zealand telecommunication networks so they had phoned people in India, who in turn made contact with police in Christchurch.

In the dark, Mr Appley and his crew worked out a plan.

With the internal stairs collapsed, the only option was to use a large crane and send in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) workers on the highest floor it could reach.

With just the light from their helmets a crew went up and disappeared into the building while Mr Appley waited on the ground.

The crew found their way up to the distraught couple and ushered them down to the crane, which carried them to safety.

With the limited English they had, they made their feelings clear.

“There wasn’t a lot of need for words,” Mr Appley said.

Images of the ruined hotel were beamed across the globe in the days that followed. His role that night was a far cry from his usual work as head officer at the New Brighton Police Station.

It is back there, sitting at his desk on the second floor, where he shared his experience of the events that came after February 22, the ones that had the lasting impact.

***

Mr Appley had left the chaos of the city about 4am.

After a brief stop at his home in Halswell he drove over buckled roads to the New Brighton Police Station, arriving about 6am.

The back up generator had kicked in and several residents had made their way there. It was immediately clear to Mr Appley he and his staff would be in hot demand in a completely different way to usual.

Christchurch East MP Lianne Dalziel had made her way to the station from her damaged home and the pair discussed what they could do to help the large numbers of bewildered residents.

It was as he sat at his desk contemplating the magnitude of the task ahead that he heard the distinct whirring of a helicopter.

The entrepreneurial Rangiora Express were landing their first delivery for the stranded earthquake victims of the eastern suburbs into Bexley Park.

“We found out who they were and thought that was good, so we created a plan to support it and make it safe – so people in the area could have a hot meal that night.”

The following days and weeks became all about responding to the immediate needs at hand. The police worked with Dalziel and Grace Vineyard Church, to turn the Roy Stokes Hall into a distribution centre for donated essential supplies.

“As police … our core role is to protect life and property. That’s the oath we take. So, that’s what we focussed on.”

Mr Appley and his officers distributed boxes of donated goods to exhausted, stressed residents and upped their regular patrols.

When the helicopter drop-offs stopped, the police coordinated access to the area for organisations and individuals bringing supplies in.

“We never said no to people. Sometimes the official response is not as good as that,” he said.

Mr Appley said calls from outsiders wanting to help the beleaguered community continue today.

He credits the response to people in their hour of need with a long-term paradigm shift in the community’s attitude to police.

“Having worked in the area for 27 years I’ve seen a shift in the way police are seen. We were a part of the community in a way that we don’t often get to be,” he said.

– © Fairfax NZ News

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Article source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/our-communities/christchurch-mail/6459314/Police-fitted-in-to-public-need

The royal commission of inquiry must report its findings by November. A coroner is still to complete inquiries into the 185 deaths. Jarrod Booker looks at the status of the city’s ravaged landscape.

Canterbury Television (CTV) Building

The royal commission will hear evidence on the collapse of this building – in which 115 people died – in June. But already an investigation has uncovered serious shortcomings in the building’s initial construction.

An inquiry led by the Department of Building and Housing (DBH) found the brittle nature of the building’s concrete columns and layout of the asymmetrical shear walls were critical factors in the building’s collapse.

It was not built to the required standards when it was completed in 1986, the inquiry found.

Investigation project manager Dr David Hopkins said if the CTV building had been constructed to standard, it would have had a “much better” chance of surviving the quake.

But one of those firms has hit back strongly at the DBH report, saying some of its content was “highly questionable” and assumptions made in it “may be flawed”.As a result of this investigation, police are now considering if they will investigate any criminal liability attached to those involved with the building.

Alan Reay Consultants did the initial structural design of the CTV building and its principal, Alan Reay, said: “Personally, I feel incredibly torn. I have huge empathy for the families waiting for answers, but these reports are technically inadequate.”

Victims’ families were shocked by the DBH findings, some wanting police to find who is to blame for the building’s collapse. Karen Bishop, whose son Andrew, 33, died in the collapse, said she was disgusted to learn the building hadn’t been up to scratch from the beginning.

“Someone has to be answerable for this. For God’s sake, it killed 115 people and it should never have happened.”

Pyne Gould Corporation (PGC) Building

The collapse of the five-storey PGC building, which housed some of the city’s professional firms, left 18 dead and many others seriously injured.

A DBH investigation found lack of strength and flexibility in the 40-year-old building, combined with the February quake’s severe shaking, caused the building’s core to fail.

The resulting movement of the floors led to failure of the columns and beam-column joints “causing the floors to collapse on top of one another”.

In November, the royal commission heard workers and tenants were “repeatedly told” after the September 2010 quake that the building was safe to occupy. Although cracks had been noted, several inspections concluded there was no imminent danger.

The building’s owner, Stephen Collins of Cambridge 233, told the commission he had “trusted” estate agents and lawyers carrying out due diligence on his behalf before he bought it.

They had failed to tell him earlier engineers’ reports revealed the building had “the potential for severe failure” in the event of a major quake.

“I discovered what had happened… when I was 2500 miles up the Amazon in a boat; I turned on the TV and the first thing I saw was the lady being pulled out with a crane,” Mr Collins told the hearing. “It was one of the most horrific things I’ve witnessed in my life, knowing I owned the building and there had been the loss of life of 18 people and many more hurt.”

Christchurch Cathedral

The future of Christchurch’s best-known landmark looks grave.

The cathedral has suffered severe structural damage in the quakes over the last 18 months, including the latest big quakes on December 23, and it’s proving too dangerous for experts to get inside for a full assessment.

The outgoing cathedral dean, Peter Beck, recently told the Herald that the building’s future “is not looking good”.

Cathedral project manager, RCP’s Marcus Read, told Campbell Live this week that the cathedral was “rocking herself to pieces”.

In a statement, Anglican Bishop of Christchurch Victoria Matthews said: “The cathedral is now a very dangerous building and internal access is impossible. We are undertaking new engineering reassessments… to determine what are the realistic options for the building’s future.

“When we have a peer-reviewed assessment of the building, we will publicly share that assessment.”

A more detailed announcement is expected next month.

Hotel Grand Chancellor

Christchurch’s tallest building is being slowly disassembled in one of the most complex demolition projects of its type in the world.

The 28-storey hotel is being pulled down at a cost in excess of $10 million. The demolition is expected to be completed by April.

The building suffered major structural damage a year ago, but all guests escaped unharmed.

A DBH investigation found the extent of the damage was “significantly increased by the collapse of a key supporting shear wall which failed in a brittle manner”.

This shear-wall failure had led to a major stair collapse and failure of columns and beams.

The demolition went on hold last month when a worker fell from a ladder and was seriously injured.

A prohibition notice stopping work has now been lifted.

City centre

Aside from the Hotel Grand Chancellor, hundreds of other quake-damaged buildings are being knocked down in central Christchurch.

A central-city red zone is still in place, cordoning off parts of the CBD where many of the demolitions are being done, and there is still danger of further collapses.

The royal commission has so far heard damning evidence about the state of a number of central-city buildings that had contributed to deaths in Christchurch, including a lack of detailed inspections and identification of risks after the September and Boxing Day quakes in 2010.

The revelations have left some victims’ families asking who will take responsibility for those buildings still occupied, or remaining a threat to people working nearby, when the February quake hit.

It was hoped the central-city red-zone cordons could be lifted by April, but damage from ongoing aftershocks has put that schedule in doubt.

The suburbs

Suburbs in eastern Christchurch have borne the brunt of the damage, with large swathes of housing in riverside suburbs such as Bexley and Avonside being written off because of the major impact of liquefaction on the land.

Almost 7000 properties are classed as being in the suburban red zone, where it is considered uneconomic to repair the land.

The Government has offered to buy this land at 2007 rateable value, and property owners have the choice of being paid out on dwellings by the Government or their insurers.

Demolition of abandoned homes in the red zone in Bexley began recently.

Some red-zone property owners, such as Brent Cairns of Kaiapoi, do not accept the decision to write off their land and are refusing to budge.

“We are in a far better position just staying where we are. Why should we [take the payouts] and go into debt?” Mr Cairns said.

Hundreds of property owners in the orange zone are still awaiting further findings to see if they can rebuild on their land or will have to start again somewhere new, while hundreds more in the hillside suburbs’ “white zone” are still to learn the fate of their land.

The vast majority of Christchurch properties are in the green zone, meaning the land is okay for continued occupation or rebuilding.

Infrastructure

An estimated $2 billion will be spent on rebuilding Christchurch’s quake-torn infrastructure.

Underground services, including about 300km of sewer pipes and about 124km of water pipes, are being fixed first before workers move on to the permanent repair of roads – expected to soak up a third of the budget.

Repairs to the sewer network are expected to take up about another 40 per cent of the total.

Many homes were left without running water or flushing toilets after the quake a year ago, but sewage services were returned to all homes by August last year, either by connection to the network or to temporary solutions.

Water supply has also been returned to all homes.

The rebuild of the damaged underground services and roads is expected to take five years to complete.

Article source: http://www.starcanterbury.co.nz/news/year-what-we-have-learned-so-far/1279189/

The increase, and others like it, would bring in an additional $18,000 a year for the city,
based on permits issued in 2010. Still, administrators say the various permit fees are meant to
offset administrative costs, not make money.

Such fees vary greatly in Franklin County communities; some charge more than 10 times what other
suburbs ask. Some cities take pride in keeping their fees low, hoping to entice people to relocate
or to encourage development, but others think all of their costs should be recouped.

In Bexley, City Council members adopted the first increase since 2007 in December. The city had
been charging $40 for permits that cost $60 to process, said Kathy Rose, Building Department
manager. “It just didn’t make sense for us to lose money.”

Dublin and Hilliard have the highest zoning and variance fees of any central Ohio suburb. With
more land to develop, more applicants and larger staffs to manage the applications, the fees
reflect the added complexity in those communities, officials said.

For example, the fee for a commercial variance in Worthington is $50. Hilliard’s fee is $1,000.
A residential zoning application will cost you $100 in Grove City. In Dublin, it’s $1,995.

“I’ve never had anybody stand before me and say, ‘Your fees are too high,’  ” said Steve
Langworthy, Dublin’s director of land use and long-range planning.

Architect Richard Taylor didn’t complain to Langworthy. But he’s frustrated about spending $285
for a permit for an $85 sign he installed at his Dublin firm.

“The cost of that was discouraging,” Taylor said. His clients agree, including some who have
considered scrapping additions or remodeling projects.

Langworthy said each city has its own philosophy about setting fees.

“How much does it cost us to process, and is it fair to put this cost on the taxpayer? I think
it’s fair that the individual asking for the approvals bear the cost,” he said.

Grove City treats fees as an economic-development incentive.

“We don’t view it as a moneymaker or even breaking even,” said Chuck Boso, city
administrator.

Worthington is known for low fees. “We try to encourage people to get approval and go through
the process,” said Lynda Bitar, Worthington’s development coordinator. “We’ve never wanted to put
any roadblocks in the way of getting approval.”

High fees also might encourage people to side-step the application process, which could lead to
poor quality or even dangerous workmanship, she said.

Under Reynoldsburg’s proposed increases, George Igel, who paid $500 in 2010 to turn a house into
an office building, would be paying double that. At $1,000, it would be just shy of deterring his
project, he said.

Still, he considers the fees in Reynoldsburg to be fair. If he were in Dublin, he would be
paying about $4,000, a price he called “kind of ridiculous.”

“For what I’m doing, I wouldn’t pay that,” he said. “A lot of small businesses are barely making
enough for payments and utilities.”

Reynoldsburg’s proposal would mean that nearly all fees would go up. Residential rezoning would
go from $500 to $750; commercial rezoning would double, to $1,000. Development-plan modifications
would jump from $75 to $500. Those permits are rare in the city.

The increases are less drastic for the more-common permits, such as residential zoning
certificates, which would go from $40 to $50; and fence permits, $20 to $35.

The cost of processing planning and zoning permits has gone up since fees were last increased in
2007, said Matt Hansen, Reynoldsburg planning administrator.

“These fees were never considered a major source of revenue for the department,” Hansen said. “
Even with the increase, we’re still not even covering the cost of staffing.”

Council members will discuss the proposal at tonight’s service-committee meeting.

dnarciso@dispatch.com

qtruong@dispatch.com

Article source: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/02/21/permit-fees-vary-widely-some-are-rising.html

11:48am Tuesday 21st February 2012 in

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PENSIONERS across Bexley face losing their social lives if new venues cannot be found for their clubs.

London Probation Trust ran a lunch club at North Cray Community Centre, in Davis Way, Foots Cray, as part of its community payback scheme for 20 years.

But the project, which was attended by around 24 elderly people, has been cancelled as there have not been enough offenders to carry out the work.

Nell Berwick, of Ellenborough Road, said: “Most people who visit the lunch club don’t go anywhere else and have nothing else to do.

“It’s disgraceful to close it after 20 years. Elderly people are going to be left without a social life.”

The 79-year-old has written to the Prime Minister and justice secretary, Ken Clarke, asking them to save the club.

Bernard Justham, of Pollard Walk, has been attending the centre for the last 20 years.

The great-grandfather said: “It seems such a shame that they have stopped it.

“It was something everybody enjoyed. The thing that upsets me is the suddeness of it.”

The 80-year-old added: “If you were living on your own at least you could go and sit down with other people and not have to cook for yourself.”

A London Probation Trust spokeswoman said: “We’re disappointed that we’ve had to close the project at North Cray Lunch Club.

“The offenders were supervised by one of our members of staff, but recently there have not been enough offenders to fulfil the work that needs to be done.

“This meant our supervisor was the one doing, not supervising, the work.

“We know the local residents value the service; so we offered to continue with the scheme as a placement, which would have involved the lunch club staff supervising the offenders. This was
declined.”

Meanwhile Age UK Bexley is under pressure to find a new venue for its Welling Pop in Parlour, in Bellegrove Road.

For around 20 years the council has paid for the running costs of the property and allowed Age UK Bexley to use it free of charge.

But when the lease ends on June 23 the council will no longer foot the bill.

The building is used by more than 100 pensioners each week for activities including an Alzheimer’s group and hearing aid clinic.

Charity chief executive Paul Goulden said: “We are not going to abandon Welling. We are not closing the parlour. At worst we are going to be relocating.”

Vicky Collins, 75, of Wordsworth Road, Welling, has visited the centre at least once a week for the last 17 years.

She said: “People come here and have a chat and a reasonably priced meal. It’s their outlet for the day.

“It gives them something to look forward to.”

Age UK Bexley will hold another meeting with residents at the end of March.

A Bexley Council spokeswoman said: “The Welling Pop-Parlour is currently leased by the council from a private landlord at a commercial rent.

Article source: http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/9543487.Pensioners_need_new_venues_for_their_clubs_in_Foots_Cray_and_Welling/

The Columbus Dispatch

Tuesday February 21, 2012 9:37 AM

Tom Dodge | DISPATCH

On-air personalities Sax Johnson, left, and Laura Franks with co-founder Kurt Weiland in the Bexley Public Radio office

Against the odds, a small radio startup is making a big bet on jazz.

Bexley Public Radio — WCRX-LP, a low-power, all-volunteer FM station — uses the name Jazz 102.1.
It represents the only daily over-the-air source in the Columbus area for the music of Art Blakey,
Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Marian McPartland, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and many
others.

The station adopted the format in the summer, a year after the lone commercial jazz outlet in
central Ohio — WJZA (103.5 FM) — made a switch to 1980s classic hits.

“Any number of people have called and said, ‘Thank heavens you’ve started playing this kind of
music again,’  ” said Kurt Weiland, a semi-retired lawyer and a co-founder.

“We wanted to seize the moment and fill a void,” said Sax Johnson, the station manager and an
on-air personality. “We think we can make a go of it.”

Not that many people have heard of Jazz 102.1: With a weak signal, no money for advertising and
an unusual time-sharing arrangement with another station, Bexley Public Radio has attracted an
estimated 1,600 daily listeners.

The station, after being awarded a low-power broadcast license from the Federal Communications
Commission, started broadcasting intermittently in 2007 from a residential Whitehall garage before
moving in April into Weiland’s tiny office in a Bexley commercial building.

In the early years, lack of funding to pay licensing fees for music limited programming to
Gregorian chants provided free by an Oklahoma monastery and readings of books in the public domain
(Moby-Dick occupied plenty of airtime).

To complicate matters, Bexley Public Radio shares its 102.1 frequency with another community
station: Neighborhood Network, based in Columbus.

The Bexley station is on the air from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m., then gives way to Neighborhood Network,
which uses the similar call letters WCRS-LP but offers a much different format: world music, news,
local talk and Somali and other foreign-language programs.

Johnson, 57, a musician, music teacher and concert promoter, said listeners might be confused to
hear jazz during the morning commute and political talk or Somali commentary on the drive home.

“One minute, it’s WCR
X; and the next, it’s WCR
S.”

A bigger problem is reception. The 55-watt signal is transmitted from a tower on Morse Road near
Easton Town Center and is best-received in eastern Franklin County. The signal can be heard west of
I-71, but there are numerous dead pockets along Rt. 315 in the Ohio State University area.

“There’s a plumber who listens to us and calls in every so often to talk about reception,” said
Weiland, 65.

“One day he called and said, ‘You’re not going to believe this, but I’m in Marysville and I’m
getting you.’ That’s when atmospheric conditions are in our favor.”

In 2000, the FCC established a new class of stations called low-power FM to offset the
consolidation of station ownership and the decline of locally produced radio programming.

The two central Ohio stations were awarded the same frequency and started broadcasting together
in 2007, but not until last year did they settle on the 50-50 airtime split.

Since then, Weiland and other volunteers have helped line up donors and people to create
programs. The topics include gardening, sports and personal finance, and more volunteers interested
in broadcasting are sought.

Johnson — whose weekday show from noon to 3 p.m. (1 to 3 p.m. Mondays) is called
Mid-Afternoon Music Showcase — not only plays jazz standards but also features the music
of central Ohio bands and musicians.

Jazz 102.1 doesn’t pay for Arbitron ratings, so station volunteers estimate listenership based
on calls, email and traffic on the website — which doesn’t offer streaming music but has
information on programs and presenters.

Columbus is the nation’s 35th-largest radio market, with country and rock music dominating most
of the top spots, according to Radio-Info.com.

“A jazz station could have every single traditional jazz fan in the market listening to it all
the time, and it would not have even a fighting chance,” said Rick O’Dell, the program director at
WLFM-LP in Chicago and a longtime smooth-jazz on-air personality.

Nontraditional or public radio stations with low overhead are typically the only ones that can
afford to dabble in jazz.

“Jazz is one of those things that people say they like because it’s kind of cool and has an aura
of sophistication about it,” said Columbus radio personality KC Jones, who co-hosts a Sunday jazz
broadcast on WCBE (90.5 FM).

“But when you ask people to take a deep bite into jazz, the meat of it, the flavor is a little
strong and more challenging.

“I’d like to see them make it, but who knows?”

Weiland is optimistic that Columbus has enough jazz aficionados to double or triple
listenership.

“There’s a wonderful subculture of professional jazz musicians in this town,” he said. “We’re
trying to do our little part to get them to be part of the main culture.”

jsheban@dispatch.com

Article source: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2012/02/21/dialed-into-jazz.html

Christchurch’s red-zoned suburb of Bexley is one of many areas of the city falling apart.

Abandoned houses in the eastern suburb are slowly sinking, falling into disrepair as the wrecking crews move closer.

The landscape of Christchurch has changed dramatically over the last year, with the central city skyline changing by the day as demolition continues.

There is change in the suburbs too, especially out east where hundreds of soon-to-be-demolished houses have been abandoned.

Long-term Bexley resident Philip Trowbridge is hanging on. Eventually he hopes to move to a new subdivision, also in the east.

“There’s others worse than us… you only have to look at Seabreeze, some of them lost their house completely, some of them are heart-broken… at least we can live in here until we want to move.”

Seabreeze was the worst hit part of a suburb swamped by liquefaction.

Mr Trowbridge’s garden-loving neighbours the Newsomes have also lived here a long time.

“You feel very depressed when you go out on the street and you know what a nice neighbourhood it was. Some of the beautiful homes they’ve had their whole lives, destroyed,” Bill Newsome says.

Corinne Newsome says they just cannot live on their land.

“We absolutely loved the area and just wished we could stay,” she says.

And it’s not just Bexley residents who are suffering.

Properties in Christchurch and Kaiapoi have been zoned red and will be demolished.

A total of 2100 hill properties are in the white zone and yet to be assessed, and 653 remain orange, still awaiting their fate.

Across the road from Avondale resident Barbara Seaton’s house is a big slab of red zoned properties. She found it so depressing she decided to put up a fence to block the sight.

“I think it was my self-preservation really. I was getting quite distressed looking out at the red zone.”

Residents may be waiting a while as the demolitions could take months or years. 

 3 News

Article source: http://www.3news.co.nz/Suburbs-like-Bexley-falling-into-disrepair/tabid/423/articleID/243675/Default.aspx

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