New documents acquired by The Cincinnati Enquirer show the Greater Cincinnati Port Authority
wants $27 million of the city’s $92 million parking lease
. The Port Authority, a city-funded development agency, says it would use the money for various projects around the city. The request, which has been supported by Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, may explain why the Port Authorityinexplicably took four days to sign its lease agreement with the city
: It wanted some of the money for itself. The city is leasing its parking meters, lots and garages to the Port Authority, which will then hire various private operators from around the country to manage the assets. The deal will provide $92 million up front and at least $3 million a year afterward, which the city plans to use for development projects and to plug budget gaps.Ohio lost the No. 2 most jobs in the nation last month, according to the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
. That pushed the state unemployment rate to 7.2 percent in June, up from 7 percent in May, theOhio Department of Job and Family Services
found. The state lost 12,500 jobs in June, with the private sector showing losses across the board. The month’s big losses mean the state has only added 15,000 jobs in the past year, even though the state actually topped job growth in May with more than 32,000 new jobs. In June, Pew Charitable Trustsfound Ohio was the No. 46 state for job growth
between April 2012 and April this year.Gov. John Kasich says he wants to
further cut state taxes
to reduce the bracket for the wealthiest Ohioans
to less than 5 percent. Such a cut could require raising regressive taxes that put more of a burden on the state’s poorest, such as the sales tax. The latest two-year state budget, which Kasich signed into law, did just that, as CityBeatpreviously covered
: It cut income taxes in a way that favored the wealthy, then it raised sales taxes in a way that forced the lowest-income Ohioans to pay more.A report released yesterday suggests Ohio taxpayers
could be on the hook for costs
if something goes wrong at an oil and gas drilling operation. The Environment Ohio report finds the state’s regulations on “fracking,” an oil and gas extraction process, require too little financial assurance from drilling companies to dissuade dangerous risks. In Ohio, fracking well operators are required to secure $5,000 in upfront bonds per well, but even those payments can be avoided through regulatory loopholes. At the same time, damage caused by fracking can cost communities and the state millions of dollars, and simply reclaiming the well and its property can cost hundreds of thousands.Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters says he
wouldn’t have prosecuted George Zimmerman
, the man who shot and killed an unarmed black 17-year-old last year in Florida. Zimmerman was found not guilty of manslaughter and second-degree murder by a jury on July 13 after he claimed self-defense.A lack of local access to healthy foods was
linked to higher obesity rates
in a study released yesterday. That could be troubling news for Avondale and other Cincinnati neighborhoods that are deemed “food deserts,” areas that don’t have reasonable access to healthy foods. CityBeat covered the efforts of some city officials, including Councilwoman Laure Quinlivan, to end food desertshere
.
Cincinnati is looking for feedback on local bike projects
.The American Civil Liberties Union is
asking Ohio to avoid shutting off electricity in state prisons
, calling the practice “dangerous” as temperatures approach 100 degrees. Ohio’s prisons have already shut down electricity twice in the afternoon this week and relied on backup generators. The shutdowns are commonly deployed as part of a power agreement that’s generated $1.3 million for the state since 2010.
Harris Teeter Supermarkets shareholders are suing to stop a planned acquisition from Kroger
.
Detroit yesterday became the biggest city in U.S. history to file for bankruptcy
.hides people from sharks
.
