Early voting for the 2013 City Council and mayoral elections is now underway. Find your voting location
here
. Normal voting hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., although some days are extended.On Oct. 29, local residents will be able to
give feedback
to Cincinnati officials about the city budget — and also nab some free pizza. The open budgeting event is from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 29 at1115 Bates Ave.
, Cincinnati.The Greater Cincinnati Port Authority on Saturday
approved bond sales and contract agreements
for the controversial parking plan. The approval is the final major step necessary for the Port Authority and its private partners to take over Cincinnati’s parking meters, lots and garages after the city leased the assets to the nonprofit development agency earlier in the year. The deal is supposed to raise $85 million in upfront funds and at least $3 million in annual payments for the city, which the city administration previously planned to use for development projects and operating budget gaps. But opponents of the deal say the city is giving up far too much control over its parking assets, which they argue could cause parking rates to skyrocket as private operators attempt to maximize profits.Ohio’s Controlling Board, a seven-member legislative panel, is
expected to decide
today whether it will use federal funds to expand the state’s Medicaid program to more low-income Ohioans. Gov. John Kasich opted to bypass the legislature and put the decision to the Controlling Board after months of failing to convince his fellow Republicans in the Ohio House and Senate to take up the expansion. But critics of the expansion have threatened to sue the Kasich administration if it bypasses the legislature. Under Obamacare, the federal government will pay for the full expansion for the two years being considered; if Ohio ends up accepting the expansion beyond that, the federal government will pay for the entire expansion through 2016 then phase down its payments to an indefinite 90 percent of the expansion’s cost. The Health Policy Institute of Ohiopreviously found
the expansion would generate $1.8 billion for the state and insure nearly half a million Ohioans over the next decade.Hamilton County commissioners could consider today
whether to use excess tourist tax revenues
on more funding for tourism-related infrastructure projects. The tourist tax was previously used to help build the Cincinnati and Sharonville convention centers and fund the Convention and Visitors Bureau, but the county administrator intends to lay out more options in his meeting with commissioners.In the mayoral race between Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls and ex-Councilman John Cranley, black voters
could make the big decision
.Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine on Friday
warned about so-called sweetheart scams
in which a con artist develops a relationship with a victim, typically through the Internet, before asking for money. The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section has received about 70 complaints involving the scams since October 2011, resulting in an average loss of more than $14,000 with the highest reported loss coming in at $210,000, according to the attorney general.ordered two Columbus charter schools to shut down
for health and safety reasons and inadequate staffing.Findlay Market is tapping into crowdsourcing to
decide three new storefronts
.
Ohio gas prices increased for the second week in a row
.
A thermal wristband promises to keep the user’s body at the perfect temperature
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