751 Assemblage

So, among the other items we've been neglectful of as December hastens towards its close is updating you on the fate of the 751 South project wich seemed ot occupy so much of our time earlier this year.

Fortunately, Ray Gronberg does this for a living, and he's already told you that the developers and their attorneys are trying to get the services contract, which would bring water and sewer to the distant village-sized project in south Durham.

Council members are scheduled to get their first look at the proposed service extension contract today, and will have to decide whether to put it on the agenda for a vote at their Jan. 3 business meeting.

The request already has drawn heated opposition from one of Durham's key political groups, the People's Alliance, and from dozens of people who have e-mailed council members to say consideration of the request is premature.

. . .

City Manager Tom Bonfield, though, said the developers have questioned why he and his staff should sit on an extension contract.

"They've argued -- what's the reason we wouldn't at least consider it, or move it to the policy level," Bonfield said, alluding to the developers' contention that extensions and annexation are a matter for the city's elected political leaders and not its unelected staff to decide.

The manager also said the developers would argue that the staff has "been negligent to [an] ordinance" that sets a deadline for processing applications for utility extensions.

City Attorney Patrick Baker, however, said Monday he's aware of no such ordinance.

Officials do generally pledge an answer to applications in six months, and city officials received Southern Durham Development's Inc. request in March, Baker said.

But the city code on utility extensions to land outside the city limits does specify that decisions on such applications are discretionary as far as the council is concerned.

That means the council can say yes or no, with a no leaving developers unable to count on access to utilities and with little basis for arguing that such access is a matter of right.

Bonfield had halted work over the summer on both on the extension contract and the annexation that 751 South's developers have requested. He said he decided work should resume after the two sides in the zoning fight opted this fall to take it to court rather than going to Durham's Board of Adjustment.

One quick note here - it's my understanding of the case that County Attorney Lowell "Encyclopedia Brown" Siler made the decision that the Board of Adjustment would not be able to rule on the legality of the BoCC's decision to invalidate the original protest petition filed int he rezoning case, which necessitated the lengthier and more expensive lawsuit currently under way.

No matter, though. Our sources tell us that Council has agreed with the notion that that lawsuit should be decided before making their annexation and services extension decisions. For Durhamites who believe our elected officials, and not the attorneys of K&L Gates, should be making decisions about what the Durham of the future will look like, that's a victory indeed.

Continue reading 751 Assemblage

Happy birthday, Frank

Continue reading Happy birthday, Frank

An historic Conservative movement

This seems like a pretty good story to come back with.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Former Speaker of the House and General Chairman of American Solutions, Newt Gingrich, recently honored AEHI CEO Donald Gillispie, as American Solutions' 2010 @Businessman of the Year. Speaker Gingrich recognized Donald Gillispie at the American Solutions Election Night Dinner on November 2nd at The Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.

"Led by leaders like Donald Gillispie, who has succeeded in the face of adversity and economic turmoil, our victory on November 2nd was just the start to what will prove to be an historic Conservative movement to reject the left and provide common sense Center-Right Leadership."

According to American Solutions, as the economy spiraled into recession, President Obama and the Democrats in Congress offered no solutions for almost two years. Instead, they introduced one job killing bill after another, forced unpopular and corrupt socialized health-care reform through Congress, and have refused to take any responsibility whatsoever for their inaction, deciding instead to blame others for their failures. Donald Gillispie, on the other hand, has taken these challenges head on and managed to survive - and even succeed - in an extremely hostile and uncertain economic environment.

About American Solutions -- American Solutions is a tri-partisan citizen action network of over 1.5 Million members. Its goal is to create the next generation of solutions that will ensure that the United States remains the safest, freest, and most prosperous country in the world. Its General Chairman is Speaker Newt Gingrich. For more information, visit www.AmericanSolutions.com.

About Don Gillispie -- A 45-year veteran of the nuclear industry, Don Gillispie was involved in the construction and operation of a number of nuclear reactors and helped start the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO). His real interest in nuclear power began in the military. He completed the Navy Nuclear Power School, became a nuclear operator and served aboard the SSBN Francis Scott Key. He is now CEO of Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc. in Eagle, Idaho.

About Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:AEHI) (http://www.aehipower.com) -- Alternate Energy Holdings develops and markets innovative clean energy sources. The company is the nation's only independent nuclear power plant developer seeking to build new power plants in multiple non-nuclear states. Other projects include Energy Neutral(TM), which removes energy demands from homes and businesses (http://www.EnergyNeutralinc.com) Colorado Energy Park (nuclear and solar generation), and Green World Water(TM), which assists developing countries with nuclear reactors for power generation (http://www.GreenWorld-H2O.com), production of potable water and other suitable applications. AEHI China, headquartered in Beijing, develops joint ventures to produce nuclear plant components and consults on nuclear power.

But wait, there's more.

The Securities and Exchange Commission charged an Idaho company on Thursday with fraudulently raising money from investors across the country and Asia to build a $10 billion nuclear power plant.

The SEC also asked a court to freeze the assets of Alternate Energy Holdings Inc. and its two top executives.

The federal financial regulators accusing the Eagle-based company of taking part in a scheme to enrich its chief executive at the expense of investors. Specifically, SEC investigators say AEHI manipulated its stock price, in part through a barrage of misleading public statements about the company and hiding the profits reported by CEO Donald Gillispie and a senior vice president Jennifer Ransom.

The SEC says it has records that Gillispie and Ransom secretly unloaded stock holdings and funneled the money back to Gillispie, enabling him this year to make six times the salary he reported to investors and spend lavishly on jewelry, cruises, a Maserati sports car and other items.

"In light of AEHI's ongoing efforts to raise funding while promoting itself through a daily deluge of press releases, we needed to take immediate action to get to the bottom of the company's misleading statements," said Marc Fagel, Director of the SEC regional office in San Francisco.

AEHI spokesman Dan Hamilton said the company's lawyers are reviewing the SEC complaint and declined to comment on the allegations.

Newt Gingrich wants to be your president.

Continue reading An historic Conservative movement

Not a December to remember

At least so far.

Let's see what the rest of the month brings.

Continue reading Not a December to remember