It will soon be official. Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls will
announce
her mayoral campaign on Thursday at 10 a.m. Qualls has already announced her candidacy and platform onher website
. Qualls will be joined by term-limited Mayor Mark Mallory, which could indicate support from the popular mayor. Right now, Qualls’ only known opponent is former Democratic city councilman John Cranley, who has spoken out against the streetcar project Qualls supports.As part of City Manager Milton Dohoney’s budget proposal, anyone who lives in Cincinnati but works elsewhere
could lose a tax credit
. The budget proposal also eliminates the property tax rollback and moves toprivatize the city’s parking services
, which Dohoney says is necessary if the city wants to avoid344 layoffs
. The mayor and City Council must approve Dohoney’s budget before it becomes law. City Council is set to vote on the budget on Dec. 14. Public hearings for the budget proposal will be held in City Hall Thursday at 6 p.m. and in the Corryville Recreation Center Dec. 10 at 6 p.m.Vice Mayor Qualls and Councilwoman Laure Quinlivan are pushing a resolution that demands local control over hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” activity. But the resolution will have no legal weight, so the state will retain full control over fracking operations even if the resolution is passed. Qualls and Quinlivan will also hold a press conference today at 1:15 p.m. at City Hall to discuss problems with fracking, which has come under fire by environmentalist groups due to concerns about air pollution and water contamination caused during the drilling-and-disposal process.
Greater Cincinnati hospitals had
mixed results
in a new round of scores from Washington, D.C.-based Leapfrog Group.In an effort to comply with cost cutting, the Hamilton County recorder is
eliminating Friday office hours
.The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments is
looking for feedback
for the Tristate’s transportation and economic plans.This year’s drought is coming to an end in a lot of places, but
not southwest Ohio
.passed a concussion bill
that forces student athletes to be taken off the field as soon as symptoms of a concussion are detected.As the state government pushes regulations or even an outright ban on Internet cafes, one state legislator is suggesting
putting the issue on the ballot
. State officials argue unregulated Internet cafes are “ripe for organized crime” and money laundering. An Ohio House committee isset to vote on the issue today
. If passed, the bill will likely put Internet cafes that use sweepstakes machines out of business.Ohio Gov. John Kasich could be preparing for a 2016 campaign. Kasich was caught
privately courting Sheldon Adelson
, the casino mogul who spent millions on Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney’s failed campaigns for the presidency. The early meetup shows how valued super PAC funders are to modern political campaigns. State Democrats criticized the meeting, saying it was Kasich “actively positioning to be the next Ohio darling of the special interests.”a bit of trouble
giving a speech on the federal debt yesterday. Hecklers repeatedly interrupted Portman, a Republican, as he tried to speak. The final protesters were escorted out of the room as they chanted, “We’re going to grow, not slow, the economy.” Portman says his plan is to promote growth. But both Democrats and Republicans will raise taxes on the lower and middle classes, according toa calculator from The Washington Post
. Tax hikes and spending cuts aretypically bad ideas
during a slow economy.U.S. House Speaker John Boehner is facing
the wrath of his tea party comrades
. The far right wing of the Republican Party is apparently furious Boehner purged rebellious conservative legislators out of House committees and proposed $800 billion in new revenue in his “fiscal cliff” plan to President Barack Obama.To help combat fatigue at space stations, NASA is changing a few light bulbs.
Does this dog really love or really hate baths? You decide:
