Morning News and Stuff

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted is pushing local election officials to begin investigating legitimate cases of voter fraud or suppression. He also vowed to continue pushing for uniform voting hours and redistricting. During election season, Husted developed a bad reputation around the nation for suppressive tactics, which CityBeat covered here, but it seems he’s now taking a more moderate tone. It looks like in-person early voting didn’t rev up the “African-American … voter turnout machine,” as Franklin County GOP Chairman Doug Preisse claimed, after all. New numbers show in-person early voting was a lot more popular in heavily Republican counties. The loos are coming. A majority of City Council is on-board with Councilman Chris Seelbach’s plan to install outdoor bathrooms, much like the ones found in Portland, Ore. Seelbach promises the loos will not cost $130,000, a potential price tag critics brought up to criticize the plan. Hamilton County commissioners are not happy with a city-approved Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) policy. The MSD “responsible bidder” policy has been criticized by businesses for making it impossible to win a contract. Joe Prus of Prus Construction is one such critic: “We were listed as number one in the nation for our safety program. Oddly enough, we are not responsible enough under the current regulations that MSD have in their contracts.” Cincinnati Public Schools are satisfied with their security, but they’re developing a new lockdown plan.  It started with a flier condoning rape, and now it’s looking to end with some abuse in the justice system. The Miami rape flier case just keeps getting more controversial. The case was originally sealed, sparking some controversy; now, it’s been dropped altogether despite a guilty plea. A new report found charter schools are evading state closure laws. The Cincinnati Speech and Reading Intervention Center (CSR), formerly W.E.B. Dubois Academy, was among the eight suspicious schools looked at by Policy Matters Ohio. Cincinnati’s central riverfront plan is winning an award from the American Planning Association. The National Planning Excellence Award for Implementation is for Cincinnati’s “success in converting 195 acres of vast wasteland — between the Ohio River and Cincinnati’s Central Business District — into an economically successful and vital, mixed-use development with a dramatic new park,” according to a press release. An apartment developer may replace part of an Over-the-Rhine park with parking spaces. The move has sparked some pushback from locals. Rumpke is building a new recycling facility. It will replace a former facility in St. Bernard that was destroyed by a fire.Audi is showing off its self-driving car. But what will humans do if the cars become self-aware?