Heya! CityBeat reporters fanned out across the city this morning picking up what’s happening. We’re omnipresent, omniscient and fueled by dangerous amounts of coffee. Nah, just kidding. There were two of us, and we each swooped in on a story or two. Here’s what we found.
Cincinnati Police officers in the Central Business District as well as some neighborhood-based officers will begin carrying the overdose reversal drug naloxone today. Some medical personnel with the city’s fire department already carry the antidote, but select CPD officers will carry it on a six-month trial basis since officers are usually the first on the scene of drug overdoses. If the trial is successful, the practice of carrying the antidote may be expanded throughout CPD. The drug prevents respiratory failure from overdoses of heroin and prescription opiates.
• Cincinnati’s domestic partner registry kicked off today. The registry lets same-sex couples register with the city so that employers who offer same-sex benefits can verify employees’ partner status. Councilman Chris Seelbach, who sponsored the original measure in council, held a kick-off at City Hall this morning. Several couples filled out applications and a notary was on site to notarize them. The registry will make it easier for businesses that provide same-sex partners benefits, since the companies won’t need to spend their own resources verifying couples’ partner status.
• On the other side of downtown, Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld held an event announcing a voluntary initiative encouraging Cincinnati businesses to pay employees higher wages. The initiative will recognize local businesses that pay employees at least $10.10 an hour. That rate, initially proposed by President Obama, has been batted about in Congress for the last six months. The event took place at soon-to-open Pi Pizza, a St. Louis-based company that has been paying workers at its seven locations in St. Louis, Washington, DC and elsewhere $10.10 for four months. The pizzeria is located at Sixth and Main and will open Oct. 13. Along with Pi, long-time Cincinnati business Grandin Properties is also among the first organizations to be recognized by the city for paying its workers a living wage.
• Lincoln Heights Fire and Police Departments were both shuttered this morning due to a lapse in insurance coverage. Dispatchers for Hamilton County said both stopped responding to calls at midnight. Lincoln Heights leaders are meeting this morning to discuss the situation, and neighboring municipalities, including Lockland, have taken over response to emergency calls in the meantime. The Lincoln Heights Police Department has been rocked by recent allegations of corruption, though there is no indication the sudden closure of the department is related to the accusations of widespread officer misconduct.
• If you’re planning on heading to the West Side this weekend, be advised: the lower deck of the crumbling Western Hills Viaduct will be closed most of the day this Saturday for emergency repairs. The exit ramp from southbound I-75 to Harrison Ave. will also be closed until 10 a.m. that morning. The aging viaduct has been the focus of a lot of attention over the past number of months as engineers develop plans to replace it.
• State Rep. Dale Mallory is under investigation for campaign finance violations stemming from his failure to accurately report Bengals tickets he received from lobbyists. The Democrat, who hails from the West End and whose family has a half-century history in state politics, could face legal repercussions for not reporting tickets worth nearly $400 given to him by payday lender Axcess Financial and law firm Taft, Stettinius and Hollister. The lobbyists have already paid fines for failing to report the gifts. Mallory’s lawyer calls the issue a “paperwork error or technical violation” and says he is working with the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office to resolve the matter. Mallory faces misdemeanor charges for filing false disclosure forms, which could result in a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
• Kentucky’s intense Senate race may come down to one key issue: coal. This long-form piece explores how both Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes are falling over themselves to be seen as a big friend to big coal, which for years has held the fate of Kentucky in its hands. Yes, the piece is from Yahoo News. Stay with me here, it's pretty good. It’s shaping up to be the most expensive Senate race in history, and it has big implications for whether Democrats keep their slim majority there.
• Finally, Ohio is America's 44th happiest state, and Kentucky is 47th, according to a study by finance website WalletHub. Funny, I felt much less happy in the other states I've lived in, but I guess the data says that's just me and I'm a weirdo because I like it here.
