Jon Wnoroski, Summit County Realtor

The University of Akron has made the NCAA tournament by virtue of winning the Mid American Conference (MAC) championship. They were ranked fifth in the tournament and had to go through number 1 seed Bowling Green and number 2 seed Buffalo to earn the championship. Bowling Green and Buffalo were co-champions of the MAC regular season.

They accomplished this task by playing five games in seven days; but that's the stress teams play under in tournament competition.

They are going to the NCAA tournament for the fist time since 1986. The coach of the 1986 team was Bob Huggins. Yes, the same Bob Huggins that brought Cincinnati to the tournament several times and is now coaching West Virginia.

In my view, Bob Huggins is an outstanding basketball coach. During his years at Akron they consistently won 20 games or more each year; he raised the level of basketball at the university during his time there.

I had the good fortune to meet Bob just before his spot on a local sports radio talk show. I was heavily involved with soccer in the Akron area and Ohio at the time and appeared on a program with commentator Steve French that was devoted to talking about soccer and its development in our area. The "Bob Huggins Show" went on shortly after my spot and I had the opportunity to meet and speak with him before he went on. I've followed his career after he left Akron and have enjoyed his successes.

Now back to the NCAA tournament. Akron (ranked 13 in their bracket) drew number 4 Gonzaga for their first game. Most of us never heard of Gonzaga until Jerry "The Shark" brought them to the forefront of national attention with a serious run in the tournament many years ago. They have a strong program and are expected to put Akron away in the first round.

Of course, miracles do happen and those of us who follow Akron University sports are hoping for a good game and, yes, a victory. We will watch the game with interest and hope for the best. Gonzaga will be a huge test for this growing Akron University basketball program.

Go Zips!

www.JonWHome.com

Residential home sales in Green, Ohio increased slightly from the period January - February 2009. January sales for 2009 were double the sales recorded in January 2008 while February sales were slightly lower in 2009 than they were for the same period in 2008.

Total sales for January and February 2009 were slightly higher than the same period in 2008.

Typically, sales in December and January have been low in this market with increased sales beginning in the second month (February) of each year. 2009 sales for the first two months of the year exceeded sales recorded in each of the previous years going back to 2005. Even though this early trend is positive for the Green, Ohio market, sales data for months to follow will need to be monitored to determine if a positive market trend is beginning.

Summit County, Ohio sales data for the same period showed similar trends as Green, Ohio for most years dating back to 2005. However, Green, Ohio is demonstrating stronger levels of growth in it's historical sales than the county measures indicate.

Green, Ohio is a growing community and its sales data will most likely reflect it's growth in the months to come.

www.JonWHome.com

The measure of a man's success is not always found in the amount of wealth accumulated over a lifetime but rather in the influence he's had on others. The contributions to mankind are great indications that a person has touched many lives and inspired so many to succeed.

We often find our successes in those of others who we have touched and influenced to advance their own lives in positive ways. We find it in the lives of others who carry on our legacy and continue to contribute to society in the same way we influenced their lives.

We hope that in our time that we have been a positive role model for others and that we have helped them grow as individuals.

Sometimes we never know how strong our influence has been. We don't look for accolades nor do we seek out an accounting of all our good deeds. Much of what we do, we do quietly and on a regular basis. It's the way we live our lives and how we approach working with others that counts most.

Andy Garcia is a figure in my personal life that had a positive influence on the direction I took and the interests I pursued. He influenced me in my choice of universities and pointed me in a direction that would place me in an environment where he knew I would have support and other role models that would welcome me. I chose the University of Akron because this was where Andy Garcia went to school. He was an icon in Akron football and basketball and knew many of those who were icons themselves in Akron University sports history.

When he learned I had chosen The University of Akron he was quick to give me a list of names of people I needed to connect with while at the University. Among those he named were Kenneth "Red" Cochrane and Andy Maluk; both were icons in Akron sports history. I took time to meet both of these men and once I mentioned Andy's name both men broke out in wide smiles and inquired as to how he was doing and spoke fondly of him. They welcomed me warmly and always greeted me with a smile when they saw me on campus.

Andy passed away in 1998 but his memory lives on. The Conneaut Area School District named the gymnasium after him (while he was still alive) and you can find a stone in the beach area of Township Park that commemorates his dedicated service.

His funeral was held in the high school gymnasium; the one that was named after him. I traveled to Conneaut to attend his funeral and pay my last respects. As I pulled into a parking space another car pulled into the parking space across from me. Immediately I noticed that the car also had Summit County license plates and I easily recognized the person that got out of the car. Jack Greynolds was an icon in his own right as a famed basketball coach at Barberton High School in Summit County. He had been an associate of Andy Garcia's and was there to pay his last respects as well. Jack has since passed on as but his accomplishments and contributions to Summit County athletics are well remembered.

In the news reports of Andy's death it was obvious that he had touched so many lives during his time. There were comments from past athletes and former teachers that had known him over the year as well as comments from several coaches that had known him and even one NFL coach that had played for him in high school.

I was recently inducted into the State Soccer Hall of Fame and take pride in having been recognized for my contributions. Andy Garcia, in his lifetime, was inducted into seven halls of fame; one of them posthumously. I had the privilege of being with him and his family when he was inducted into The University of Akron sports hall of fame and took advantage of this opportunity to speak with him of the influence he had had on my life. I was proud to have had him as a mentor and coach; and later in life as a friend.

It's not often that we get to hear about how much positive influences we have had on the lives of others but I felt a great sense of pride in having had the opportunity to let him know that he had touched my life in so many ways. Andy has passed on in this life but he continues to live in the hearts of so many lives he touched over his time.

www.JonWHome.com

The city of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio has announced that it is eligible to receive $780,000 in federally subsidized money to purchase foreclosed homes and rehabilitate them. The money comes in the form of a grant from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The purpose of the grant is to permit municipalities to purchase foreclosed and abandoned homes.

Under the Ohio Neighborhood Stabilization program, the city will be able to purchase about seven homes and rehabilitate them. Some homes that are considered "blighted" may be torn down. The city will be able to sell or rent homes they've rehabbed at "below market" prices to those who qualify based on income levels. Down payment assistance programs are available to assist those who qualify under the program guidelines.

Cuyahoga Falls has had over 200 homes that were foreclosed on during 2008; of those homes, about 75 were abandoned.

According to a December, 2008 news release from the Ohio Lt. Governor's office: "The award recipients may use these federal funds to improve neighborhoods by purchasing and redeveloping abandoned and foreclosed properties, establishing land banks, and demolishing blighted structures."

Other Summit County communities scheduled to receive grant money include:

Summit City of Akron $2,988,550

Summit City of Barberton $1,212,098

Summit City of Cuyahoga Falls $783,204

More information on the Ohio Neighborhood Stabilization Program can be found by following the link below:

http://www.ohiohome.org/nsp/default.aspx

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Ohio's system of education was unconstitutional years ago. In fact, that ruling came down while I was still active as and educator/school administrator. I retired from public education in August, 2000 and the state continued to ignore the Ohio Supreme Court ruling; until now (January 28, 2009).

You and I, as private citizens, would be in a whole lot of "hot water" should we even dare to ignore a local court order let alone one from the state's highest court. I guess state governments are "above the law!"

But that's water over the dam(n) "oops!"

Governor Strickland today called for a complete overhaul of the state's school funding system. The Governor's plan would call for the state to assume 55% of the school's funding (it is expected to grow to 59% by the time his plan is fully implemented). When I was involved with public education the state funded education at a 47% level; during my time in public education that funding level dropped to 40% (maybe lower).

More and more of the burden of funding public schools was placed on individual home owners and that was a critical part of the Supreme Court ruling that found Ohio's school funding system unconstitutional. Despite the court's ruling, the state continued to shift more of the burden (for school funding) to home owners.

Since local school taxes in Ohio are one of the few taxes voters have a say in at the polls, these taxes issues were largely voted down in many of Ohio's communities. The result was serious financial difficulties by Ohio's schools and drastic cuts required to remain fiscally responsible. This was done at the same time when Ohio (and No Child Left Behind) demanded higher standards and presented serious consequences for "failing" schools. It was a vicious cycle and one that did not go without "pain."

Governor Strickland also outlined a number of measures that will be taken:

• The school year will be increased from 180 to 200 days
• All day kindergarten will be required
• The Ohio Graduation Test will be eliminated and will be replaced by the ACT college entrance exam
• School districts will be audited by the Department of Education to determine how well they are performing against state performance standards
• The State will take control of school districts that do not comply with new state academic standards as well as operating standards; the state will replace district leaders as well

There are other provisions in Governor Strickland's plan. Whether or not it will impact Ohio's schools is a matter yet to be seen but at least it's the first attempt in Ohio to address the Ohio Supreme Court's ruling of many years ago.

http://www/JonWHome.com