Just in time for Halloween comes this wonderful factoid concerning Dennis Kucinich: He once had a close encounter while visiting Shirley MacLaine's house.

According to an excerpt from MacLaine's new book, Sage-ing While Age-ing, Kucinich was probed by a triangular UFO while staying at the actress's home in Washington state. "He said he felt a connection in his heart and heard directions in his mind," writes MacLaine.

Kucinich loyalists are calling the release of this excerpt by news media "character assassination," a plot to discredit the congressman. Others are saying it just makes sense that Kucinich has been chosen to be Earth's ambassador to the Federation of Planets.

"It wouldn't make sense to target Hillary," says one Kucinich supporter in an online reply to the original article. "What better man to target on Earth than Kucinich? Kucinich represents ideas to unite our planet."

Kucinich has yet to clarify which directions he took from the aliens on Altair-4 (to vote against the SCHIP bill maybe?). But apparently it had something to do with staying out of Cleveland and never returning reporters' phone calls.

Seriously, though, he does look a little Vulcan. Just sayin'. - James Renner

BECK STAYING, BUT NOW WHAT?

The storm of uncertainty at Beck Center for the Arts seems to have calmed, even if plenty remains unknown about the future of the financially challenged organization. After the tumult of last year's announcement that Beck had considered abandoning its Lakewood home for greener pastures - in (gasp!) Westlake - recently appointed president and CEO Cindy Einhouse seems to have committed not only to the city of Lakewood, but to the same plot of Detroit Avenue land, and to some degree to the same buildings.

"We can't afford to demolish and build new," Einhouse says. A press release on the subject observes that historic preservation is now on Beck's facilities agenda.

In a meeting Monday night the organization sought public input on ideas for how existing buildings might be adapted, as conceived by architects, including Paul Westlake, whose work has encompassed both historic preservation and performing arts facilities - like Playhouse Square, among many others.

Speaking before the meeting (which happened after Free Times' deadline), Einhouse wasn't giving away too much: There are no firm plans, let alone drawings. But she made clear that a more cost-efficient physical plant is a priority. Beck now operates three buildings on 3.5 acres, with no less than 32 different heating systems, with utilities and basic maintenance costs running to $190,000 a year.

She did, however, let a few ideas out of the bag. A streetcar-era building that now has art studios at street level and offices upstairs could see its second-floor space returned to its original use - apartments, which would provide an income stream. Its faade, which now looks like a stagey military garrison, with bars on the windows, could be restored to look like the classic storefront and apartment block it once was.

Meanwhile, the center aims to anchor yet another theater and entertainment district, with cooperation from the city. That could include artist studio space in a soon-to-be vacant elementary school and parking facilities to serve the entire neighborhood.

Whatever the public response to plans at Monday night's meeting, Einhouse is clear that there's still lots of work to do. "We are not ready to start a capital campaign tomorrow," she says. - Michael Gill

MORE TROUBLE FOR TOWNSEND?

Things used to come easy for Robert Townsend, but not lately.

The community development corporation whose board he once chaired, Amistad CDC, went down in flames ("Who's Got the Money?" May 2, 2007). The lucrative deal he had with White Hat Management, serving on the boards of 19 different charter schools operated by White Hat, got contentious ("Charters and Gaffes," September 5, 2007). And now a political ally is trading accusations with those same boards, right before voters in Oakwood Village decide whether Townsend should be their next mayor.

An Oakwood Village councilman since 2004, Townsend seemed to develop a close relationship with at-large member Joe Fouche Jr. Many in town see the two as inseparable. (Fouche is running for re-election.) A few years ago, Fouche's company, Integrated Consulting Management, got a contract with White Hat to provide security to several charter schools, including the 19 overseen by Townsend's boards.

In the summer of 2006, Townsend bought 10 parcels of land in Oakwood Village, including three from Fouche. Two of those were purchased at deep discounts: $1,100 for a parcel that had cost Fouche $8,000, and $6,600 for another for which Fouche had paid $36,000. (When he was still talking to the Free Times, Townsend said that he hoped to use the land to build a bigger house for his family. He also started a development company in May 2006, but said he won't pursue ventures in Oakwood Village due to political conflicts of interest.)

Several months later, when White Hat relinquished security responsibilities to its schools' boards, Townsend suggested keeping Fouche on. As Fouche was making his deal with Townsend's boards, he recommended Community Educational Partnerships to provide educational consulting and business services. The boards agreed, though it's not clear whether the other members knew that CEP is run by Fouche's girlfriend and her mother.

One month after the ink dried on Fouche's land deals with Townsend, in October 2006, Fouche's ICM and CEP had their charter school contracts.

But then something went wrong. When CEP submitted an $85,000 invoice in May, the boards started asking questions. Then the boards launched an investigation into certain e-mails from CEP, ICM and Townsend - all of which allegedly came from Fouche's computers.

Both Fouche's and CEP's contracts were terminated, and the boards and Fouche have since sued each other. The boards contend that Fouche engaged in fraud and deception. Fouche accuses the boards of breach of contract.

Fouche's lawyer, David Pomerantz, says that boardroom politics, and the desire to replace ICM with a different security contractor, led certain board members to concoct accusations (Townsend is not named in Fouche's complaint).

Besides, Pomerantz says, the invoices from Fouche's computer are no big deal. That CEP was run by Fouche's girlfriend was "no secret," he says, and when CEP's computer broke, she used Fouche's.

Townsend has been termed out of his board presidency on 17 charter schools, but continues as a member; he remains president of two. What these recent developments have meant to Townsend and Fouche's relationship, or will mean to Townsend's and Fouche's election bids, remain to be seen. The election is November 6. - Charu Gupta

IF THE PEOPLE LEAD

Seems like the only way to get government to even think about taking action on major issues is for lots of people to make lots of noise to get lots of attention. On the global warming front, a grassroots movement started by Middlebury College (Vermont) graduates is gaining strength. Last year the group organized some 1,400 events around the country.

Now Step it Up Cleveland, a local affiliate of the national Step it Up 2007, is putting Northeast Ohio's rusty shoulder to the wheel. A rally from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at Edgewater Park will have elected officials and others talking about what we all can do, and what more needs to be done. Photos from the event will be sent to members of Congress - who, more than likely, will continue to think about it.

Nationally, Step it Up says 31 members of Congress and four presidential candidates - Sens. Hilary Clinton, Chris Dodd and John Edwards, and our own U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich - will attend. Locally, activist Glenn Campbell says it's looking like State Rep. Mike Skindell, State Rep. Mike Foley, and State Sen. Dale Miller will each get the podium for five minutes at Edgewater Park. For more information, go to stepitup2007.org. - MG

DC'S NOT READY FOR SUBPRIME PLAYERS

On Capitol Hill, there's been a lot more posturing about the subprime mortgage crisis than action. Despite months of statements and hearings, there still is no federal legislation addressing predatory lending practices or the skyrocketing foreclosure rate.

To be sure, the federal bureaucracy is always slow, and this problem is especially complex. But making matters worse, according to a new report from the good government watchdog group Common Cause, is the banking industry's lobbying.

The report, "Ask Yourself Why… Mortgage Foreclosure Rates Remain So High," was first released in April 2007. This second installment looks at the mortgage banking lobby and politicians' disclosure filings from January through June 2007 - a time period when lawmakers have been inundated with news of the failings in subprime mortgages.

Common Cause found that 10 of the top subprime mortgage lenders - including Citigroup, the Mortgage Bankers Association, Wells Fargo and Countrywide - have already spent almost $30 million hiring lobbyists. "While not all of their lobbying spending is used to influence policymakers on the single issue of mortgage regulation," the report's authors write, "it is testament to the powerful lobbying forces that have a stake in the outcome."

That amount doesn't include political campaign donations. Federal candidates, political parties and political action committees received close to $2.5 million, and the money was given almost equally among Democrats and Republicans. The top individual recipients in the US House of Representatives have been Spencer Bachus (R-Alabama) and Richard Baker (R-Louisiana). Both are ranking members of the financial services committee, and received nearly $250,000 each. Also making the top 10 list are Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), the chairman of financial services committee who recently proposed anti-predatory lending legislation, with $140,000. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) got $116,000.

In the US Senate, three Democrats high up on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee got the most: Thomas Carper (Delaware), $126,000; Tim Johnson (South Dakota), $124,000; and Christopher Dodd (Connecticut) and the committee's chairman, with close to $108,000. - CG