Murder sucks. Rape sucks. In fact, all violent crime sucks. Eradicating it sure would make the world a nicer place to live. I don’t know anyone who would argue with any of that. But after all that agreement, unity breaks down. Emotional outrage and grief take hold and rational thought evaporates. What then?

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OK, so there aren’t any mountains on the other side of the river, but there will soon be mountain bike trails in Devou Park. This effort to bring urban mountain bike trails is a community service project started by Give Back High, an off-shoot of Give Back Cincinnati.

On March 28, 150 high school volunteers will work together to build several miles of trails 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. “shoveling, trimming trees, moving logs, smoothing dirt and using heavy duty tools.”

"These trails will bring much enjoyment to residents and hiking and mountain bike enthusiasts," said Larry Klein, Covington's assistant city manager. "We look forward to implementing this phase of the Devou Park Master Plan with so many dedicated volunteers and sponsors."

No beginner or intermediate trails currently exist within 15 miles of downtown Cincinnati. With more than one in five Americans over age 16 owning a mountain bike, according to the International Mountain Bike Association, mountain biking is a popular pastime for many.

Getting past the “let’s promote sports tourism in Cincinnati” hype, the trails will create a new reason to get out from behind the computer or off the couch. The trails will eventually extend 8-10 miles with various levels of difficulty.

Registration is now open for high school students who want to participate in the trail construction. Students in grades 9 – 12 from any Northern Kentucky or Greater Cincinnati school can register at www.ugive.org. Parents are required to fill out a waiver for participants under the age of 18.

Can’t make it in March? Additional trail date work can be scheduled for weekends in April or May. E-mail givebackhigh@givebackcincinnati.org if interested in scheduling a date for your group or school.

For additional information on this event, visit www.ugive.org and search for the Blazing Trails project.

The Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center (IJPC) along with many other abolitionist groups say it does. Over time the public in Ohio has voted to eliminate one round of death penalty case appeals and the inadequate funding of defense in these cases has been eating away at the “super” due-process required by the U.S. Supreme Court. The intent was to put safeguard in place to make sure a fallible system implemented by fallible people wouldn’t result in the death of innocent people. But those same fallible people are destroying that system little-by-little.

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Referred to as the "Stir the Pot" series, a film/discussion series at Grace Episcopal Church in College Hill (5501 Hamilton Ave. 45224) will show The Freedom Files on Feb. 22 at 4:30 p.m.
According to the ACLU, producers of the video series, the Freedom Files focuses on issues on some of the most volatile issues of our day including surveillance, sex education, freedom from abuse of power, school to prison pipeline and lesbian/gay families.

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Jailing juveniles as a form of “rehabilitation” comes with an expensive price tag. More than money, the criminal justice system costs kids their rights and that state seems to be OK with that.

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Three years ago Eddie Sanders Sr. invited CityBeat into his home to talk about the clemency campaign he and his family were just beginning on behalf of his nephew, Jeffrey Hill (See Killing a Family March 1, 2006).

After sitting on death row for 15 years for the murder of his mother while high on cocaine, Hill was expecting his execution date to be scheduled.

At the end of the interview he said the ideal outcome would be to see Jeff walk out of prison. Two years and 354 days later that incomprehensible dream became a reality.

Governor Strickland followed through with the Adult Parole Board's recommendation to grant Hill clemency with parole eligibility.

Hill is already being prepared to transfer to the Warren County Correctional institute from the Super Max prison in Youngstown where death row inmates are house.

The Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center is asking everyone to write to Stickland and the Parole Board to express appreciation. IJPC sent out the following request via e-mail today:

To thank the Governor:

Call: 614-466-3555

Write to:

Governor's Office

Riffe Center, 30th Floor

77 South High Street

Columbus, OH 43215-6108

They also offer suggestions.

“Here are some things you may want to mention in your message about Jeff's case,” writes IJPC.

“Thank you for recognizing the disparities in the system and the important considerations the appeals process fails to address. 

“Thank you for being open to the possibility that human beings can change.

“Thank you for leading the state towards a new time of compassion.

“This is just one more example of how messy and complicated the death penalty is Ohio and we can't have it.”

To thank the Parole Board:

Call: 614-752-1159, ext. 2

Write to:

Cynthia Mausser, Chair of Ohio Parole Board

770 West Broad Street

Columbus, Ohio 43222

Since the late 1980s, Cincinnati’s homeless population has included a growing number of families with children

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Cincinnati is once again planning to reduce, limit and even eliminate services for the most vulnerable in our community as a time when people with money are struggling. Those people who called “less fortunate” at religious services are supposedly preventing downtown from developing to its full potential.

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The saga about how the city of Cincinnati should distribute taxpayer money to neighborhood groups goes on.

Although City Council voted 5-2 Wednesday to not extend the contract for Invest In Neighborhoods Inc. (IIN) and instead begin administering the money in-house using city staffers, IIN still plans on holding a meeting tonight to discuss the program that was pulled from its control.

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And the American Red Cross wants to make sure you survive the sub-zero temps and they're offering a number of helpful hints.

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