Morning News and Stuff

City Council’s Livable Communities committee is expected to hear about and likely vote tonight on the city’s first master plan in more than 30 years. The plan, which CityBeat

previously covered

, seeks a renewed emphasis on Cincinnati’s urban core through new infrastructure and transportation options. It was put together largely based on public feedback.

The “fiscal cliff,” which is really more of

a self-induced austerity crisis from the federal government

, could seriously hurt Ohio schools. Educators around the state, including Cincinnati schools, are expecting

a cut of about 8 percent in federal funding

. A Cincinnati Public Schools levy was recently renewed after

a decade of cuts and problems

at the school district.

Gov. John Kasich has finally made a decision for Obamacare: The state

will not run

the health exchanges that are a big part of the plan. With the governor’s decision, managing the health exchanges now falls to the federal government. Rob Nichols, Kasich’s spokesperson, defended the governor’s decision by pointing out that even if the state managed the exchanges, the federal government would always have the final say, creating an arrangement “just doesn’t make sense for the state.” Exchanges are subsidized, heavily regulated insurance markets that will go into effect in 2014 as part of Obamacare. They are supposed to bring down costs by offering more transparent, open competition through a fair, regulated marketplace.

Cincinnati’s economy is being

carried largely by manufacturing

, and that looks likely to continue.

Business schools at the University of Cincinnati, Miami University, Xavier University and Northern Kentucky University were found to be

among the nation’s best

, according to the Princeton Review. Still, none of the schools made the top 10 rankings for the review’s 11 categories.

City Council is

holding a public hearing

today to find out what the city should do with casino revenue. Some of the council members already have plans, but City Council wants public feedback to shape the final decision.

In other council news, the Human Services Advisory committee

recommended funding

for 56 out of 58 programs. The two programs left out are the Over-The-Rhine Kitchen and a social education program offered by the Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati.

Cincinnati’s Metro bus service will be getting a revamp in the next few years. The company released

a comprehensive plan

with short-term and long-term goals that focus on increasing travel speed and reach.

Charter schools are where a large amount of Ohio kids are

getting their education

. This is despite the fact that, in general,

traditional public schools perform better than charter schools

, according to state standards.

Food stamps for Ohio families are getting reduced by

about $25 a month

. The good news is the cut is lower than expected.

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction released a

“re-inspection report”

for the Lake Erie prison owned by Corrections Corporation of America. According to the new report, CCA has come a long way and corrected many of the violations the state originally found in the private prison. The last report found the prison, which CCA bought in 2011, was

riddled with problems

. CityBeat looked at private prisons, their problems and the shady connections between state officials and CCA in

an in-depth report

.

A report

found more Ohioans are taking advantage of a national settlement that lets households refinance their mortgages. In total, more than 4,500 Ohioans have refinanced for $165 million in consumer relief. Still, many eligible Ohioans are not taking advantage of the opportunity.

Here

are pictures of a tiny octopus, fighting female robots and an orange-powered battery.