11 I know it's a little late in January to be talking about such things, but, really, this is about the time some resolutions are starting to fail. You know how it goes. Whatever admirable idea you start with on Jan. 1 slowly gets diluted until you're back in your old habits.

This year, however, I had the luck to hear about Josh Schwarz, a college first-year on a mission to create 52 new Facebook applications for 2011. A computer science student at Case Western Reserve University, he's planning to get lots of hands-on experience with his chosen course of study through his new year's resolution.

"It's going very well," Josh told me when I spoke with him on the phone earlier this week.

To accomplish his stated goal, he plans to release one new application every Friday throughout the year. During the first three weeks, he's produced "Relationship Mania," which allows users to easily follow the relationship status of their friends; "Music 4 2day," which recommends new music based on your stated tastes; and "Teddy Bear Hugs," which allows you to virtually send a hug to a friend. When Josh and I chatted on Monday, he wasn't sure yet what exactly he was going to make, but he was sure it was going to be done on Friday. He was considering something to do with horoscopes, an idea suggested by his sister who is interested in the topic.

"The hardest part about creating them initially was getting down the programming languages and how they all work," Josh said. "Now that I have many of the basics down, I think it just takes an idea and a little bit of time. A week is enough time to make something interesting."

All Facebook applications are free to use. You can check out Josh's latest projects on his Web site at www.amagit.com.

"I'm getting a lot of good feedback from friends and people who have stumbled onto my Web site," he said.

If any of his apps are a big hit, Josh plans to follow up on them in the future. While none are as in-depth as FarmVille - he does only spend a week on each one - there's no telling where he could take this in the future.

Keep up the good work Josh!

New board president

Gary Horton of Buckeye Local Schools is the new president of the Medina County Career Center Board of Education.

MCCC held its mandatory organizational meeting Jan. 14 and appointed officers and committee members.

Dr. Robert Wilder of Medina City Schools is serving as vice president of the board. Mike Schmidt of Cloverleaf Local Schools will serve as the Ohio School Board Association liaison and delegate. Susan Vlcek of Medina City Schools was appointed student achievement liaison and Horton was appointed to the finance/audit committee.

Kiwanis students of the month

Congratulations to the latest Kiwanis County-Wide Students of the Month! Joshua Huang of Medina High School and Jonathan Hill of Wadsworth High School were male co-winners and Maria Fortner of Wadsworth High School was the female winner of Student of the Month in January.

The Student of the Month program is open to all juniors and seniors at each of the eight high schools throughout Medina County. County-wide monthly winners are then eligible for the Student of the Year competition.

Congratulations Kovack!

Medina County Auditor Michael E. Kovack received the "Making Your Tax Dollars Count Award" recently. It was presented by State Auditor Mary Taylor before the completion of her term. This award was given in conjunction with the 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

The CAFR is assembled each year by the Medina County Auditor's Office and compiles a complete documentation of financial information for the county. It represents a commitment to careful spending, accurate fiscal recording and efficiency. Kovack serves as guardian of all county funds and maintains the official records of all receipts, disbursements and funds available. With a budget of over $550 million, this is a critical job in county government.

The award recognizes Kovack as a "trustworthy guardian of taxpayer dollars and deserves the highest recognition of your vigilance."

Also from the auditor's office...

At Medina City Council on Monday evening, Erica Graffein from the Medina County Auditor's office reminded residents there are some important deadlines coming up soon.

The real estate tax bills for the first half of 2010 have been mailed out. They are due Friday, Feb. 11.

The dog tag renewal period ends Monday, Jan. 31. The cost to renew is $12. After that deadline the cost doubles to $24.

Complaints against the value of property can be filed with the auditor's office from now until the close of business on Thursday, March 31.

If anyone has a question regarding any of the above items, they can contact the auditor's office at 330-725-9767.

More council appointments

I know that I've already written one article that included a number of appointments from City Hall to various committees, but there have been some committee appointments. I feel that it's important to applaud anyone who is volunteering their time to help improve the city, especially if it involves sitting through long, sometimes less-than-interesting government meetings. Thank you for your service!

Strategic Plan Advisory Committee: Ward 1, Stan Lewendowski, term expiring Dec. 31, 2015; Ward 2, Clay Benjamin, term expiring Dec. 31, 2015; Ward 3, Wendy Shubrowsky, term expiring Dec. 31, 2015; Ward 4, Monica Russell, term expiring Dec. 31, 2015; At-Large, Debra Lynn-Schmitz, term expiring Dec. 31, 2015. Charter Review Commission: Ward 1, Patrick Dolan, term expiring Dec. 31, 2014; Ward 2, Will Muniak, term expiring Dec. 31, 2014; Ward 3, William Bonnett, term expiring Dec. 31, 2014; Ward 4, James Patneau Jr., term expiring Dec. 31, 2014; At-Large, Brian Hilberg, term expiring Dec. 31, 2014.

Income Tax Review Board: Keith Hughes.

High rollers

Congratulations go out to two Medina residents who played some pretty good games of bowling recently. Rolling a 300 were Tracie Nedoma on Jan. 19 at Freeway Lanes of Parma and Matt Sommers on Jan. 23 at Roseland Lanes. That same evening Matt also had an 800 series.

Youth football

In last week's column, I made a mistake in my mention about registration for youth football. I didn't realize that there were two leagues: Medina Bees Youth Football and the Medina Youth Football Association. Sorry about the mix-up guys.

For more information on the Medina Youth Football Association, visit medinayouthfootball.org. For the Medina Bees Youth Football, check out mbyfootball.org.

Log on to take our reader poll

Don't forget to visit our new Web site at medinapost.com and click on the "Reader Poll" tab on the home page to vote in our weekly feature. This week's question asks readers, SDLqWhat line best describes your reaction to the President's State of the Union address?"