Hello all. Here’s a quick rundown of news mid-week. A lot has happened in the past couple days… let’s dive in.
Both survivors who were injured in the mass shooting last week at Fifth Third Center have been released from University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Brian Sarver, who works for real estate firm CBRE, underwent emergency surgery in the aftermath of the shooting and was released Monday. Whitney Austin, shot 12 times by gunman Omar Santa-Perez, was discharged yesterday. Austin is a vice president at Fifth Third. Her husband says the couple plan to become active in efforts to limit gun access — especially for those who have shown signs of mental illness.
• That looks more and more likely to be part of the reason behind the shootings. Santa-Perez’s family asked Florida courts to compel him to seek treatment for mental health issues, The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. His mother and sister argued before Palm Beach County courts that Santa-Perez was violent and needed treatment. A judge there ordered Santa-Perez to undergo a psychological evaluation, and another diverted him to a mental health court. It’s unclear if Santa-Perez was ordered into treatment — a development that should have made him ineligible to legally purchase the 9mm pistol he used in the shooting — or if he went of his own volition.
• Despite opposition from Cincinnati City Council, former Cincinnati City Manager Harry Black got an extra $370,000 settlement from the city Sept. 5 so the city could avoid a lawsuit over Black’s tumultuous exit this spring, the Cincinnati Business Courier reports. That’s on top of Black’s $274,000 severance awarded per his contract with the city. Some council members say the city should have gone to court over the situation, and should now at least hire an outside investigator to probe allegations made by Black that Mayor John Cranley has taken an improper — and Black says, self-dealing — role in the city’s economic development decisions. Cranley denies Black’s accusations that he has played favorites with developers, though he acknowledges he’s taken a very active role in economic development. Cranley has also pointed out that council could have approved a $423,000 severance package drawn up by city administration and signed by Black during the six-week battle over Black’s departure — a cheaper price tag than what the city ended up paying. Council voted against that deal.
• Police are still looking for the driver who hit and killed 15-year-old Gabriella Rodriguez Monday. The teen was crossing Harrison Ave. outside a crosswalk on her way to her bus stop when a driver clipped her, knocking her down. As she tried to get up, another driver in a white 2010 Toyota Corolla hit her again, killing her. That driver did not stop and is wanted by law enforcement. The incident — the latest in a series of pedestrian fatalities in Cincinnati — has sparked anger among advocates for pedestrian safety.
• Cincinnati will be getting its first bus-only lane — at least on a trial basis. The right lane of Main Street between Government Square and Central Parkway will be dedicated to buses only between 4 and 6 p.m. on weekdays. Transit activists the Better Bus Coalition pushed for the move as part of a long-term strategy to improve efficiency for the region’s struggling transit system. You can read our story about the lane here.
• Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Magistrate Michael Bachman has resigned from his position after he allegedly gripped a woman by the back of her neck outside his courtroom after she got upset about the status of a protective order she was seeking. Bachman, however, says he simply put his hand lightly on the woman’s shoulder. Court administrator Pat Dressing reportedly told Bachman to resign or he would be fired.
