Good morning all. Here’s some quick news today.
Officials have released a 10-second video clip showing the suspect who spray-painted swastikas, racial slurs and “Trump” on the campus of Withrow High School in Hyde Park. The masked white man is holding what appears to be a spray paint can in the video, which was captured by security cameras. The incident, which took place sometime Sunday night, sparked a big response from the community: Hundreds showed up at the school Monday morning and afternoon to comfort students and speak out against the hate crime.
• Will Cincinnati and Hamilton County get state cash to help replace the aging Western Hills Viaduct? It could happen this week. The city and county, who are jointly responsible for the vital span connecting uptown to the West Side, will find out this week whether they’ll score $10 million from the Ohio Department of Transportation for project design and needed land acquisition. The city and county will need to pony up $2.5 million in matching funds should they get the state cash. The overall cost of replacing the bridge, finished in 1932, is expected to be around $310 million. Officials say they’re still searching for a source for that money.
• Three streets in Evanston will be named today in honor of musicians who made their mark at Cincinnati’s King Records. The intersection of Hackberry and Madison roads will get the secondary name “Bootsy Collins Way” in honor of the funk bass icon. The intersection of Lincoln and Gilbert avenues will also become “Otis Williams Place,” after the famous King singer. And the intersection of Potter Place and Woodburn Avenue will also be called “Philip Paul Place” for the legendary drummer. Collins and Williams grew up in Cincinnati near their honorary streets, and Paul moved to Cincinnati in 1952, according to a news release from the office of Councilwoman Yvette Simpson, who authored the legislation. Paul’s street is near the former King Records facility, which is currently the subject of a pitched battle. The current owners want to demolish the property, but the city would like to purchase it and turn it into a museum and educational site commemorating King. A naming ceremony is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. today at the Evanston Recreation Center.
• Cincinnati City Council is currently run by a Democratic majority with a couple independents and a Republican thrown into the mix. But things could get even bluer after this year’s election — a situation the Hamilton County GOP is looking to head off. Independent Charlie Winburn, who leans Republican, is term-limited and can’t seek his seat again, for instance, and Hamilton County Democrats have a bevy of candidates looking to take that spot. Councilwoman Amy Murray is Council’s only true Republican — in fact, the only Republican on a city council in Ohio’s three biggest cities — so her party is pouring resources into keeping her there. That stand comes as Democrats got big wins at the county level this year — taking control of the Hamilton County Commission, the clerk of courts office and winning levy battles at the ballot by big margins.
• Speaking of the county, a new crime lab is finally in the works to replace the lab’s aging facility in Corryville. Hamilton County officials have announced that real estate group Cushman and Wakefield will lead work on the $35 million project, which comes after years of wrangling around new digs for the crime lab and Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.
• Finally, let’s take a trip up to Butler County, land of my birth, and a place where our elected officials say exactly what’s on their minds. So what’s on West Chester Township Fiscal Officer Bruce Jones’ mind? Apparently, it’s attempting to gas-light folks on Facebook. Jones shared a rant about last weekend’s women’s march that challenged readers to “name one right men have that women do not.” When that post drew ire, he wrote an all-caps missive to a specific critic. “YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING TO CENSOR ME BECAUSE I’M A MAN! YOU are ILL! Now be off,” the post read, “back to the asylum.”
The Cincinnati Enquirer picked up the comment and asked Jones for clarification. His response? “I will never be censored. No elected officials should be censored,” said Jones, a Republican. “People appreciate when elected officials do not surrender to the ‘PC Police’. If you want strong government, you need strong elected officials.”
Funny, my experience has been that people appreciate when you treat them with respect and don’t call them mentally ill for their political beliefs. But yeah. Township officials haven’t commented on Jones’ social media activities.
This article appears in Jan 18-25, 2017.