Grenades, groceries and good news
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
Well, so far only one HCP reader has threatened to lob a grenade over my office wall this week...
Any time a newspaper publisher dares to venture into potentially volatile waters, he can expect a little push-back. And it’s always a safe bet that the more local the paper, the more immediate the resistance. Whether they realize it or not, most metropolitan newspaper publishers are well shielded from direct personal criticism. Trust me, it’s a little different in the rural media markets.
Still, that doesn’t mean small-town newspapers should ignore sensitive topics. Because of newspapers with the intestinal fortitude to pursue some of these sensitive topics over the years, real change has been brought about by a more enlightened populace. Because of newspapers willing to take a few risks, local governments have made better decisions and more fiscally prudent decisions. (There’s a laundry list of examples, but we’ll leave that for some other time.)
What we did attempt to present last week was an accurate comparison of statistical averages in local compensation. We all must realize that these are very difficult economic times. Those among our neighbors whose unemployment benefits have expired, or are about to, are all too aware of what a difficult economy can do to a family.
It is at times like these that I often reflect on longtime Georgia newspaperman Ralph McGill, who was a Southern liberal in a conservative era. McGill challenged Southern segregation even before Brown v. Board of Education.
When people asked why he dared write about such controversial and often volatile topics, he would ask (I’m paraphrasing from a not-so-sharp memory): “Do I love my community more because I write about its beautiful sunsets, or do I love my community more when I try to point out its problems in hopes of necessary reform?”
***
And if life weren’t already a bowl of cherries, while standing in line at one of my favorite grocery stores, I noticed a small sign above the register that attempted to explain the recent upsurge in produce prices.
It seems global warming has caused unexpected cold snaps in California, Florida and Mexico, where they had their coldest January and February in 60 years. This, in turn, has resulted in lesser yields of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other salad vegetables that I like. (OK. For a moment of truth, I do like these vegetables, but I rarely buy any of them.)
But then I noticed the price of meat has also taken a sharp hit. A small sirloin beef roast was priced at $11.73, while a similar size pork roast was almost 10 bucks.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food prices are expected to hike at least 3 percent in 2011.
The Baltimore Sun reported this week that some economists are warning of even higher inflation, which could add more than $25 to the average monthly food bill.
A number of the larger grocery chains have already increased their prices by 4 to 5 percent.
“In January, world food prices rose to their highest level since records began in 1990, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization,” The Sun reported.
“At the same time, commodity prices have skyrocketed. The price of wheat spiked 45 percent in December over the previous year, while the price of corn increased 37 percent. The price of soybeans also rose, by 19 percent.”
As Ernest Thayer told us, “There’s no joy in Mudville.”
Even dog food costs more, lately. Which reminds me, does anyone want a 57 variety puppy or a similarly impure yearling owned by the meanest newspaper publisher in the county’s history? If so, just give me a call or shoot me an email. I’ll even deliver. All transactions are final.
But I dogress.
Or in Birmingham, Ala., where WIAT reported this timely morsel: “While many don’t notice the price below the produce, they see the changes at the check out. ‘They start questioning why their bills are so high,’” said Piggly Wiggly produce manager Angela Blais.
(I’ll do almost anything to insert the Piggly Wiggly into a newspaper column.)
And the Alabama produce managers say they don’t expect the prices to come down anytime soon. If anything, they could get a lot higher, according to WIAT.
And then in Texas, where our friend Jim Moore says the tacos taste better, the greens hold truer and the fish never throw back the hook, www.myfoxhouston.com reported earlier this week that a local farmer says “After produce prices spike, they’re going to drop like a rock.”
Well, in the words of Bob Barker, “C’mon down!”
“Everybody’s going to replant everything, and they’re going to replant more,” Mike Atkinson, owner of Atkinson Farm, told MyFoxHouston. “The prices are just going to fall out through the bottom and be cheap, six to eight weeks from now, you watch.”
Seems like wishful thinking in Texas and elsewhere, amigo. But I hope you’re right.
Atkinson says the freeze that destroyed his crops and crops 100 miles deep into Mexico cost him $30,000 to $40,000, but he’s already replanted and hoping we’ve seen the last freeze of the year.
As we track grocery prices, sure enough, in Week 7, lettuce prices increase the most of our Basic 12 items. It was up 13% from the start of the year, and that’s likely to go still higher for a couple weeks.
Other items that increased are hamburger meat, dog food and corn flakes, based on average prices at 3 stores, HEB, Kroger and Wal-Mart.
HEB and Kroger are still in a price war, and for the year, their total cost of our basic 12 items is still a bit lower than it was at the start of the year.
Wal-Mart, not in a price war with anyone, increased its price on those items 6.4 percent from the start of the year. Overall, the average prices at three stores have dropped .3 percent for the year.
When or if produce prices do normalize, there’s no getting around commodity and fuel price increases that continue to push everything higher.
***
As HCP managing editor Brandy Chandler reported, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman toured PAS Technologies in Hillsboro this past Tuesday morning and was on hand when company President/CEO Phil Milazzo announced that PAS was in the running to create a number of new jobs in the area. Good jobs, too. (Not that I’ve ever considered any job a bad one.)
PAS Technologies is located on Hobart Drive and is an aircraft engine component manufacturer that currently employs 95 people in Hillsboro.
Until Tuesday, I can’t recall ever being inside the facility. I thank Mr. Milazzo and Jim Cameron of PAS Technologies for allowing us to visit. As always, it was good to see Congressman, er, Senator Portman again, too.
“We are just delighted to have PAS Technologies as an Ohio presence, and I’m here to say that I’ll do whatever I can possibly do to help to create more opportunities right here in Highland County,” the senator said.
Highland County Commissioner Shane Wilkin thanked PAS and the senator, as well as Rep. Mike Turner, Sen. David Daniels, Rep. Cliff Rosenberger and Ohio Gov. John Kasich for their involvement and commitment to the project.
“We have been working on this project for several months,” Wilkin said, “first locally with Dan Smith (retired), and now with Jim Cameron and Phil Milazzo. We are working to do everything we can to convince Mr. Milazzo and PAS Technologies that Ohio is the place for these proposed expansions. We have a ready, willing, able and skilled workforce, strong work ethic, as well as strong areospace growth potential, considering our close proximity to the Airpark in Wilmington is just 17 miles north of us."
According to Mr. Milazzo, PAS Technologies plans three phases of job expansion.
“We’re looking at possibly three different phases with one of the major OEMs (original equipment manufacturer),” Milazzo said. “We’re a global corporation that has plants stretched out around the globe, seven facilities with the bulk of the operations here. The first phase would add approximately between 40 and 50 jobs. The second phase would probably be about 20 to 25 more. The third phase is kind of what we would classify as the biggest opportunity with approximately, probably 100 direct labor employees.”
“The first phase, we feel, from a competitive standpoint, this plant is definitely competing with a couple of the other plants in PAS Technologies, but they’ve got extremely highly skilled employees here. The senator, as he alluded to, has been very supportive, and we’ll have to see where it goes.”
The final decision on the first phase should be made before the end of March, Milazzo said, with the second phase being announced by the end of June.
“It would be a great opportunity,” Sen. Portman said. “Having gone through DHL, we’re looking for good opportunities that have a commitment over time with a strong customer base.”
We sure are. And maybe PAS Technologies will be the first of many success stories for Highland County and southern Ohio.
Rory Ryan is publisher and editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
Any time a newspaper publisher dares to venture into potentially volatile waters, he can expect a little push-back. And it’s always a safe bet that the more local the paper, the more immediate the resistance. Whether they realize it or not, most metropolitan newspaper publishers are well shielded from direct personal criticism. Trust me, it’s a little different in the rural media markets.
Still, that doesn’t mean small-town newspapers should ignore sensitive topics. Because of newspapers with the intestinal fortitude to pursue some of these sensitive topics over the years, real change has been brought about by a more enlightened populace. Because of newspapers willing to take a few risks, local governments have made better decisions and more fiscally prudent decisions. (There’s a laundry list of examples, but we’ll leave that for some other time.)
What we did attempt to present last week was an accurate comparison of statistical averages in local compensation. We all must realize that these are very difficult economic times. Those among our neighbors whose unemployment benefits have expired, or are about to, are all too aware of what a difficult economy can do to a family.
It is at times like these that I often reflect on longtime Georgia newspaperman Ralph McGill, who was a Southern liberal in a conservative era. McGill challenged Southern segregation even before Brown v. Board of Education.
When people asked why he dared write about such controversial and often volatile topics, he would ask (I’m paraphrasing from a not-so-sharp memory): “Do I love my community more because I write about its beautiful sunsets, or do I love my community more when I try to point out its problems in hopes of necessary reform?”
***
And if life weren’t already a bowl of cherries, while standing in line at one of my favorite grocery stores, I noticed a small sign above the register that attempted to explain the recent upsurge in produce prices.
It seems global warming has caused unexpected cold snaps in California, Florida and Mexico, where they had their coldest January and February in 60 years. This, in turn, has resulted in lesser yields of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other salad vegetables that I like. (OK. For a moment of truth, I do like these vegetables, but I rarely buy any of them.)
But then I noticed the price of meat has also taken a sharp hit. A small sirloin beef roast was priced at $11.73, while a similar size pork roast was almost 10 bucks.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food prices are expected to hike at least 3 percent in 2011.
The Baltimore Sun reported this week that some economists are warning of even higher inflation, which could add more than $25 to the average monthly food bill.
A number of the larger grocery chains have already increased their prices by 4 to 5 percent.
“In January, world food prices rose to their highest level since records began in 1990, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization,” The Sun reported.
“At the same time, commodity prices have skyrocketed. The price of wheat spiked 45 percent in December over the previous year, while the price of corn increased 37 percent. The price of soybeans also rose, by 19 percent.”
As Ernest Thayer told us, “There’s no joy in Mudville.”
Even dog food costs more, lately. Which reminds me, does anyone want a 57 variety puppy or a similarly impure yearling owned by the meanest newspaper publisher in the county’s history? If so, just give me a call or shoot me an email. I’ll even deliver. All transactions are final.
But I dogress.
Or in Birmingham, Ala., where WIAT reported this timely morsel: “While many don’t notice the price below the produce, they see the changes at the check out. ‘They start questioning why their bills are so high,’” said Piggly Wiggly produce manager Angela Blais.
(I’ll do almost anything to insert the Piggly Wiggly into a newspaper column.)
And the Alabama produce managers say they don’t expect the prices to come down anytime soon. If anything, they could get a lot higher, according to WIAT.
And then in Texas, where our friend Jim Moore says the tacos taste better, the greens hold truer and the fish never throw back the hook, www.myfoxhouston.com reported earlier this week that a local farmer says “After produce prices spike, they’re going to drop like a rock.”
Well, in the words of Bob Barker, “C’mon down!”
“Everybody’s going to replant everything, and they’re going to replant more,” Mike Atkinson, owner of Atkinson Farm, told MyFoxHouston. “The prices are just going to fall out through the bottom and be cheap, six to eight weeks from now, you watch.”
Seems like wishful thinking in Texas and elsewhere, amigo. But I hope you’re right.
Atkinson says the freeze that destroyed his crops and crops 100 miles deep into Mexico cost him $30,000 to $40,000, but he’s already replanted and hoping we’ve seen the last freeze of the year.
As we track grocery prices, sure enough, in Week 7, lettuce prices increase the most of our Basic 12 items. It was up 13% from the start of the year, and that’s likely to go still higher for a couple weeks.
Other items that increased are hamburger meat, dog food and corn flakes, based on average prices at 3 stores, HEB, Kroger and Wal-Mart.
HEB and Kroger are still in a price war, and for the year, their total cost of our basic 12 items is still a bit lower than it was at the start of the year.
Wal-Mart, not in a price war with anyone, increased its price on those items 6.4 percent from the start of the year. Overall, the average prices at three stores have dropped .3 percent for the year.
When or if produce prices do normalize, there’s no getting around commodity and fuel price increases that continue to push everything higher.
***
As HCP managing editor Brandy Chandler reported, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman toured PAS Technologies in Hillsboro this past Tuesday morning and was on hand when company President/CEO Phil Milazzo announced that PAS was in the running to create a number of new jobs in the area. Good jobs, too. (Not that I’ve ever considered any job a bad one.)
PAS Technologies is located on Hobart Drive and is an aircraft engine component manufacturer that currently employs 95 people in Hillsboro.
Until Tuesday, I can’t recall ever being inside the facility. I thank Mr. Milazzo and Jim Cameron of PAS Technologies for allowing us to visit. As always, it was good to see Congressman, er, Senator Portman again, too.
“We are just delighted to have PAS Technologies as an Ohio presence, and I’m here to say that I’ll do whatever I can possibly do to help to create more opportunities right here in Highland County,” the senator said.
Highland County Commissioner Shane Wilkin thanked PAS and the senator, as well as Rep. Mike Turner, Sen. David Daniels, Rep. Cliff Rosenberger and Ohio Gov. John Kasich for their involvement and commitment to the project.
“We have been working on this project for several months,” Wilkin said, “first locally with Dan Smith (retired), and now with Jim Cameron and Phil Milazzo. We are working to do everything we can to convince Mr. Milazzo and PAS Technologies that Ohio is the place for these proposed expansions. We have a ready, willing, able and skilled workforce, strong work ethic, as well as strong areospace growth potential, considering our close proximity to the Airpark in Wilmington is just 17 miles north of us."
According to Mr. Milazzo, PAS Technologies plans three phases of job expansion.
“We’re looking at possibly three different phases with one of the major OEMs (original equipment manufacturer),” Milazzo said. “We’re a global corporation that has plants stretched out around the globe, seven facilities with the bulk of the operations here. The first phase would add approximately between 40 and 50 jobs. The second phase would probably be about 20 to 25 more. The third phase is kind of what we would classify as the biggest opportunity with approximately, probably 100 direct labor employees.”
“The first phase, we feel, from a competitive standpoint, this plant is definitely competing with a couple of the other plants in PAS Technologies, but they’ve got extremely highly skilled employees here. The senator, as he alluded to, has been very supportive, and we’ll have to see where it goes.”
The final decision on the first phase should be made before the end of March, Milazzo said, with the second phase being announced by the end of June.
“It would be a great opportunity,” Sen. Portman said. “Having gone through DHL, we’re looking for good opportunities that have a commitment over time with a strong customer base.”
We sure are. And maybe PAS Technologies will be the first of many success stories for Highland County and southern Ohio.
Rory Ryan is publisher and editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]