Hello all. Here’s some quick news after what I hope was a blissful long weekend for ya.
Today is the day. Major League Soccer officials are set to visit Cincinnati for a “significant announcement” about the future of FC Cincinnati at 5:30 p.m. I’ll be at Rhinegeist for the official press event (follow along here on Twitter). The team is encouraging fans to attend a party on Fountain Square where the announcement will be live streamed. Though both the league and the team have been tight-lipped about the actual content of the announcement, it’s possible that FCC could be playing in the MLS by next year, though a proposed stadium in the West End for the team likely won’t be ready until 2020.
• Speaking of that stadium, one of the key players in its construction — and its eventual owner — will be the Greater Cincinnati Redevelopment Authority. The public organization, formerly known as the Port Authority of Greater Cincinnati, has some plans for the West End in terms of housing and small businesses. But will they help preserve and increase affordability in the neighborhood? There is a lot we still don’t know, but we take a look into an early draft of the port’s plans in our story here.
• The family of Kyle Plush today heard answers to some of their questions around the death of their son, who suffocated in his van after calling 911 twice April 10. Cincinnati’s Acting City Manager Patrick Duhaney answered some of those questions in a report he delivered to Cincinnati City Council’s Law and Public Safety Committee today. You can read more about that report — and the work left to be done — in our story here.
• Cincinnati’s Central Business District has less empty land than New York City, according to a new study by real estate site COMMERCIALCafe. Now, New York City is a pretty big place, but it’s also a pretty dense one. Apparently not as dense as Cincinnati, though, which has just 14 acres of undeveloped land — less than 3 percent of the total land area. That’s a couple acres shy of NYC’s 16 acres. Cincy ranked 12th in terms of developed downtown land on the list from the site. Tampa, Fla. had the least empty space — just six acres — while sprawling Dallas had the most at 86 acres.
• The valedictorian of a Northern Kentucky Catholic school is making national headlines. Less than 10 hours before graduation, school officials with Covington’s Holy Cross High School told Christian Bales and Student Council President Katherine Frantz that they would not be permitted to deliver their graduation speeches because they were too political and personal. School officials say the two submitted their remarks too late to be properly considered, and that the speeches contained political elements and concepts that violate the teachings of the Catholic Church. Bales, who is gay and has spoken out openly about progressive political causes like gun control, delivered his speech outside the graduation ceremony with a bullhorn, landing headlines in The New York Times and ABC News.
• Finally, is there an end in sight for the deadlock in Ohio’s House of Representatives? Republicans there have been at a loss since former House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger resigned following revelations he was under investigation by the FBI for cozy relationships with lobbyists and donors. GOP House members have struggled to agree on a replacement for Rosenberger, grinding legislation in the body to a halt. But that could change soon. Ohio GOP Chair Jane Timken, House speaker hopeful state Rep. Larry Householder and Speaker Pro Tempore Kirk Schuring agreed Friday that Schuring should serve until the legislative session ends in December. That would require a rule change in the House — which isn’t allowed to vote on bills without a speaker in place. The three powerful Republicans want lawmakers to meet Wednesday to vote on that so legislative business can begin again Thursday. But state Rep. Ryan Smith, another hopeful for the speakership next term, isn’t exactly keen on the deal, and neither are other Republicans. Schuring has been running the House’s Republican majority more or less since Rosenberger resigned, but some lawmakers have misgivings about the second-in-command taking charge, given his ties to the departed, scandal-shadowed speaker.
This article appears in May 23-30, 2018.
