Good morning, Cincinnati! Here are your morning headlines.
• So maybe many of us are getting ready to sit back, relax and take a few days off for the holidays, but not Cincinnati's newest police chief, Eliot Isaac. Isaac was sworn in as Cincinnati's first black police chief last night at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. In a ceremony witnessed by more than 200 people, Isaac told the crowd the recent uptick in violence was "unacceptable," and, according to the Enquirer, said, "Tomorrow morning, we roll up our sleeves and we go to work." Isaac was officially offered the position by city manager Harry Black two weeks ago after going through a brief community vetting process. He was the only candidate for the position.
• While Chief Eliot was being sworn in last night, Cincinnati police officers were also voting Fraternal Order of Police President Kathy Harrell out of her position. In a vote of 2-1, Harrell was replaced by Dan Hils, a sergeant in District Three who has spent 28 years with the department. Harrell has served as president for the last six years and was pulled out into the spotlight when former CPD chief Jeffrey Blackwell was fired last September. Hils ran a campaign centered around officers' pay, which appear to be increasing as revenue is decreasing. Apparently, it paid off for him. He beat Harrell in a vote of 507 to 207.
• Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Hartmann has just announced this morning that he will resign some time next week. Hartmann recently announced he was not running for re-election last month, but said he expected to finish out his term. The move clears the way for the GOP's executive committee to appoint a replacement to finish out his term. Attorney Dennis Deters has filed to run as a Republican candidate and Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters also said he's considering throwing his hat in the ring against Democratic State Rep Denise Driehaus who is leaving her position at the State House because of term limits.
• I'm currently experiencing my first Cincinnati winter, and so far compared to Minnesota, where I grew up, it's nothing, but I've heard it can get pretty chilly. But maybe this is one of the reasons Hamilton County Administrator Christian Sigman applied for the position of city manager of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Virginia Beach media has reported that he is one of the two finalists for the job. Sigman came close to being fired by the county board earlier this year, and Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune said that people generally only last a few years in Sigman's position. So maybe his interest in the position isn't weather-related after all.
• Last-minute Christmas shopping is hard with the crowds, full parking lots and general aggression the holiday season brings out in all of us, but add racial profiling on top of that, and it makes Christmas trips to the mall nearly impossible. Bengals running back James Wilder Jr. says he was out shopping at a Toys R Us in Florence, Ky. yesterday when he claims a store manager accused him of stealing. Wilder posted several tweets and a video claiming a store manager stopped him just after he arrived and accused him of trying to walk out of the store with a cart full of toys earlier. Wilder said he was at least able to buy the video game he needed for his nephew before leaving the store.
• A Texas grand jury has ruled not to indict anyone in the July death of Sandra Bland. Bland was arrested on July 10 during a traffic stop for failing to signal a turn in Waller County, Texas. She as found dead three days later in her cell, and apparently hanged herself with a plastic garbage bag. Her death was ruled a suicide, but her family has disputed the idea that Bland would kill herself. The event resulted in national protests about the way African-Americans are treated in police custody.
Happy holidays, Cincinnati! Remember to send me story tips or awkward family holiday photos .
