Journalism
COVID-19 vaccine starts continue decline in Butler County: How much they’ve dropped
Mother of slain Hamilton 16-year-old: Indictment ‘is starting a whole new journey in her case’
COVID-19 vaccine starts continue decline in Butler County: How much they’ve dropped
Ohio started to see a significant decline last week in the distribution of first doses of the novel coronavirus vaccines.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said on April 21 that fewer than 30,000 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in the previous 24 hours, a three-fold drop in first doses. The week prior, between 80,000 and 90,000 first doses were administered in a day, according to the state.
Even fewer vaccines have been administered this week. Monday and Tuesday vaccines starts and completions were half what they were seven days earlier.
Butler County is mirroring that statewide and national trend, but the county health commissioner said the key is people getting the second vaccine dose.
Vice President touts transit during visit to Cincinnati
Mother of slain Hamilton 16-year-old: Indictment ‘is starting a whole new journey in her case’
COVID-19 vaccine starts continue decline in Butler County: How much they’ve dropped
An investment in public transit is an investment in the everyday lives of American citizens, Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday during a visit with local leaders in Cincinnati.
Harris and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, took part in a public transportation roundtable at the 1819 Innovation Hub on the campus of the University of Cincinnati in Clifton.
“When I think about it, I think that good transit equals vibrant communities,” Harris said near the start of the 45-minute roundtable discussion moderated by Brown.
The trip to the Queen City was part of a national tour to tout the American Jobs Plan, which President Joe Biden supported Thursday in his address to the joint session of Congress as a “once-in-a-generation investment in the country.”
Mother of slain Hamilton 16-year-old: Indictment ‘is starting a whole new journey in her case’
Mother of slain Hamilton 16-year-old: Indictment ‘is starting a whole new journey in her case’
Mother of slain Hamilton 16-year-old: Indictment ‘is starting a whole new journey in her case’
A man incarcerated in a state correctional facility was indicted on murder Wednesday in the 2018 homicide of a 16-year-old girl in Fairfield Twp., the latest high-profile, years-past case to see charges brought in Butler County.
Markeylnd Townsend, 22, is accused of killing Sydney Garcia-Tovar of Hamilton in July 2018 and firing at others in the vehicle she was driving. He was arrested two weeks later on an unrelated aggravated robbery charge in Hamilton and sentenced in April 2019 to three years in prison on the second-degree felony.
Townsend is now charged with murder with a gun specification, which adds years to a sentence if he is found guilty, for Garcia-Tovar’s slaying. A felonious assault charge alleges Townsend fired a gun into a car full of people that included Garcia-Tovar at the wheel.
Boehner memoir: Conspiracies and paranoia plagued the ‘Loonyville’ of conservatives
Boehner memoir: Conspiracies and paranoia plagued the ‘Loonyville’ of conservatives
Mother of slain Hamilton 16-year-old: Indictment ‘is starting a whole new journey in her case’
Former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner is not known to pull political punches, and he doesn’t in his new book to be released next week, according to an excerpt published on Politico.com.
Boehner served in Congress, representing the 8th Congressional District from January 1991 to October 2015. St. Martin’s Press will release his forthcoming memoir, On The House, on Tuesday, April 13, where he will share stories of legislative wins and losses, interactions with former presidents, and lessons learned in politics and life.
He also shares thoughts on how conservative personalities, like Sean Hannity and the late Rush Limbaugh, were “dragged” to “Loonyville” by conservative personality Mark Levin.
Survey: A third of adults in region say mental health worsened during pandemic
Boehner memoir: Conspiracies and paranoia plagued the ‘Loonyville’ of conservatives
Survey: A third of adults in region say mental health worsened during pandemic
One-third of adults in the tri-state area say their mental health has worsened during the year-plus of thee coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent Interact for Health survey.
The pandemic had upended lives with stay-at-home and social distancing protocols. Not only has it resulted in the illness of more than 1 million Ohioans ― killing more than 18,500 ― but also in nearly 2 million residents collecting unemployment.
While 32% of all surveyed say their mental health worsened, the report also indicates 40% of people ages 18 to 29 say their mental health more likely worsened during the pandemic. Only 7% of adults say their mental health improved, and 61% say their mental health stayed the same, according to the survey.
Fairfield dispatch system overdue for replacement, police chief says
Boehner memoir: Conspiracies and paranoia plagued the ‘Loonyville’ of conservatives
Survey: A third of adults in region say mental health worsened during pandemic
Fairfield’s police chief said the system that is responsible for every contact the police department has with the public probably should have been replaced years ago.
The police department’s 15-year-old computer-aided dispatch and record management system (CAD/RMS) has experienced some issues with some of the department’s equipment, “and the time for replacement has been within the past couple of years,” said police Chief Steve Maynard.
“(The vendor has) not kept up with the technological advancements that a lot of the other CAD vendors have,” Maynard said this week. “It’s clunky at best.”
If Ohio tests for bad fuel, Southwest Ohio officials will have made it happen
Exactly one year after first COVID-19 cases announced, Butler County deals with fallout of deaths an
The lost year of COVID-19: Navigating an extraordinary 12 months in Butler County
Have you opened a new location, redesigned your shop, or added a new product or service? Don't keep it to yourself, let folks know.
If Ohio ends up with a law to test for fuel quality, southwest Ohio officials will have played a larger part.
Ohio Reps. Brigid Kelly, D-Cincinnati, and Thomas Hall, R-Madison Twp. — as well as Ohio Sens. George Lang, R-West Chester Twp., and Cecil Thomas, D-Cincinnati — are the four joint sponsors to a pair of identical bills in the Ohio House and Senate. The issue is also being pushed by county auditors, like Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds and Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes.
“It only makes sense that southwest Ohio, or any community of significant population that borders a state, would take the lead on this issue,” said Lang.
The lost year of COVID-19: Navigating an extraordinary 12 months in Butler County
Exactly one year after first COVID-19 cases announced, Butler County deals with fallout of deaths an
The lost year of COVID-19: Navigating an extraordinary 12 months in Butler County
Historians need to have a historical distance before analyzing the novel coronavirus’s impact, but Miami University professor Steven Conn predicts it won’t be a favorable analysis.
And in 50 years, the history professor who will be standing in Conn’s current lecture hall discussing the year 2020 “is going to be gobsmacked about having to explain what happened and what didn’t happen. It’s not going to be a proud moment in American history.”
A quarter of the world’s cases of the COVID-19 virus are in the United States. Twenty percent of COVID-related deaths in the world are in the United States. Heading into the weekend, Ohio ranked seventh in the total number of virus cases at just under 1 million and ninth in the total number of deaths at nearly 18,000.
Exactly one year after first COVID-19 cases announced, Butler County deals with fallout of deaths an
Exactly one year after first COVID-19 cases announced, Butler County deals with fallout of deaths an
Exactly one year after first COVID-19 cases announced, Butler County deals with fallout of deaths an
Butler County reported its cases of the coronavirus on March 13, 2020, just days after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency after the first three cases in Ohio were reported.
Two days later, DeWine and then-Ohio Health Department Director Dr. Amy Acton ordered all bars and restaurants to shut down dining services and close except for takeout.
Ohio began the process of locking down all non-essential services. The impact devastated businesses, hundreds of thousands filed for unemployment, and outside of non-essential workers and services, Ohioans were ordered to stay at home.
The lost year of COVID-19: Navigating an extraordinary 12 months in Butler County
Fairfield’s acting city manager sees new role as ‘a period of rejuvenation’ in long career
The lost year of COVID-19: Navigating an extraordinary 12 months in Butler County
Historians need to have a historical distance before analyzing the novel coronavirus’s impact, but Miami University professor Steven Conn predicts it won’t be a favorable analysis.
And in 50 years, the history professor who will be standing in Conn’s current lecture hall discussing the year 2020 “is going to be gobsmacked about having to explain what happened and what didn’t happen. It’s not going to be a proud moment in American history.”
A quarter of the world’s cases of the COVID-19 virus are in the United States. Twenty percent of COVID-related deaths in the world are in the United States. Heading into the weekend, Ohio ranked seventh in the total number of virus cases at just under 1 million and ninth in the total number of deaths at nearly 18,000.
Read the series of transplant-related stories I wrote
Fairfield’s acting city manager sees new role as ‘a period of rejuvenation’ in long career
The lost year of COVID-19: Navigating an extraordinary 12 months in Butler County
Feb. 14 is National Donor Day, and in 2020, I wrote three stories on aspects of the donation process.
- Monroe teen who died after 2018 crash going to prom saved 6 lives through organ donation: Click here to Read
- ‘So worth it’: Woman honors parents with kidney donation to Fairfield Twp. stranger: Click here to Read
- Middletown fire chief ‘very lucky person’ 7 months after liver transplant: Click here to Read
Fairfield’s acting city manager sees new role as ‘a period of rejuvenation’ in long career
Fairfield’s acting city manager sees new role as ‘a period of rejuvenation’ in long career
Fairfield’s acting city manager sees new role as ‘a period of rejuvenation’ in long career
Fairfield Fire Chief Don Bennett did something in December he thought wasn’t possible after nearly 37 years with the city: learned a new profession.
In December, Bennett took over as acting city manager following the abrupt resignation of Mark Wendling while continuing to run the fire department. The infrastructure in place will help him perform both jobs at a high level, he said.
“It’s sort of a period of rejuvenation,” said the 69-year-old. “I’m taking on new responsibilities. I enjoy the learning portion of it. The internal workings of various departments.”
Journalist to speak about the fall of Berlin Wall, end of communism
Journalist to speak about the fall of Berlin Wall, end of communism
Fairfield’s acting city manager sees new role as ‘a period of rejuvenation’ in long career
The fall of Berlin Wall was one of the defining moments of the 20th century, and area residents can learn more about it and the end of the Cold War tonight.
Elez Biberaj, now the director of Voice of America’s Eurasia Division in Washington, D.C., said the Cold War (1947-1991) ended with the fall of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly referred to as the Soviet Union. The world “came pretty close to all-out war” during the tense political and military era after World War II, said Biberaj.
“That does not seem to the be case now, in my opinion, but our relations have deteriorated ...
La Salle running back Cam Porter attributes all to God
Journalist to speak about the fall of Berlin Wall, end of communism
This Ohio ground-breaking judge first wanted to be a musician
Cam Porter is more than a bruising running back for the Division II state champion La Salle Lancers, and is not defined by his gridiron accomplishments – of which there are many.
The first thing anyone should mention about this 17-year-old senior is his character, which is above reproach, said La Salle Principal Aaron Marshall.
“He is a fantastic person. You can’t say enough good things about Cam Porter,” he said. “He is a top-shelf, quality person.”
Porter is one of the best high school running backs in the state of Ohio. The 5’ 11”, 205-pound running back was named to the First Team All-State for Division II as he accounted for more ...
This Ohio ground-breaking judge first wanted to be a musician
Journalist to speak about the fall of Berlin Wall, end of communism
This Ohio ground-breaking judge first wanted to be a musician
Law school wasn’t in the plans for Ohio Supreme Court Justice Melody Stewart when she graduated high school.
It was music.
“With a name like Melody, what else would I study in college?” Stewart said. “The only thing I wanted to study was music. That’s the only thing that interested me, that fascinated me.”
Stewart, 56, earned a Bachelor of Music degree in music theory from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, but the connection between music and a paycheck wasn’t a thought when she chose her major.
RECORDING HISTORY: These students bring Elder to the community
RECORDING HISTORY: These students bring Elder to the community
RECORDING HISTORY: These students bring Elder to the community
Elder is not just a high school for Adam Duwel and Jack Langen. For them – and the current student body and thousands of graduates of the near-century-old Cincinnati Westside institution – it’s a way of life. Elder is a place with which both fell almost instantly in love and they call “a second home.”
Duwel, a junior, and Langen, a senior, help lead the group of students at the Elder News Network, which, among other things, broadcasts sports on Elder’s sports website, ehsports.com. According to the students, people from more than 20 countries have viewed Elder football games and other activities.
Volleyball, Life and God at Seton High School
RECORDING HISTORY: These students bring Elder to the community
RECORDING HISTORY: These students bring Elder to the community
Before every volleyball home game, Seton's team goes to the school’s chapel to pray. They don’t pray for a win. They pray to become closer as teammates and to God and to be better versions of themselves.
“That’s where we hold a lot of connections, through prayer,” said Junior Julia Marr, who has already committed to Western Michigan University. “And we even do pray on the court, and that’s where we do it the most.”
The importance of that prayer is to enforce the trust “that God will always be with us,” she said.
Coach discipleship, developing faith with student athletes
RECORDING HISTORY: These students bring Elder to the community
Coach discipleship, developing faith with student athletes
Before every game sanctioned by the Girls Western Athletic Conference (GWAC), members of both teams stand hand-in-hand on the playing field to pray.
The Catholic girls league began requiring prayer before games a few years ago, and it’s one of the more important rules GWAC has enacted, said conference Vice President Eric Fey.
“I think it’s been great,” he said, “because why are we here? We’re here for Jesus, and I think that really sets the tone for the game, the season.”
Fairfield has helped improve world’s water quality
Becky & Gary Rogers: Luminaries of St. Lawrence's performing arts
Coach discipleship, developing faith with student athletes
Fairfield and Procter & Gamble’s generation-old alliance to protect water and the environment has improved the products many use every day, officials said.
“We all need to do our part for the environment,” said Jason Hunold, Fairfield Public Utilities treatment superintendent. “We’re environmentalists. We’re preventing water pollution, we’re protecting water quality. Everybody has to do their fair share when it comes to protecting the environment.”
About 25 years ago, the city and the American consumer goods giant teamed to help P&G scientists run tests on chemicals and ...
The GM plant’s closure 3 decades ago put Fairfield on the brink
Becky & Gary Rogers: Luminaries of St. Lawrence's performing arts
Becky & Gary Rogers: Luminaries of St. Lawrence's performing arts
The city of Fairfield and thousands of employees were shocked by the news.
In 1986, General Motors announced that it would close the Fisher Body plant, the beating heart of the city’s economy. The 2,500 jobs phased out over three years, until, 30 years ago, the plant shut down for good.
“It was a scary time,” said Tim Bachman, the city’s former development services director.
Becky & Gary Rogers: Luminaries of St. Lawrence's performing arts
Becky & Gary Rogers: Luminaries of St. Lawrence's performing arts
Becky & Gary Rogers: Luminaries of St. Lawrence's performing arts
Becky and Gary Rogers are indelible parts of St. Lawrence in Price Hill, and stalwart in their dedication, not only to the parish, but to the children they’ve guided for two decades in the arts.
The Rogers enter their 21st season directing the St. Lawrence children’s choir, and, after two decades, Becky said it still feels like her “mission.”
“If there’s just one person that you think you can help, even if you’re frustrated with the other 20 people, then that would be the payoff,” said the 1978 Seton High School graduate. “You feel like you did something for them to help them in life.”