Happy (almost) Halloween Cincinnati! Here are your morning headlines.
Council members yesterday said they will find a way to fund the Wasson Way bike trail, even if Issue 22 fails next Tuesday. The proposed hike and bike trail would stretch from Avondale to Columbia Township and is one of the Mayor Cranley's projects included in his proposed permanent tax levy. Supporters of the Wasson Way trail have also been highly in favor of Issue 22. Council members Chris Seelbach, Yvette Simpson, Wendell Young and Charlie Winburn urged voters yesterday at a news conference outside City Hall to vote against the permanent tax levy and said they would find a way to fund the 7.5-mile trail that could cost anywhere between $7.5 million and $36 million. Councilman Seelbach suggested the money could come from elsewhere, like a temporary property tax increase, private endowments or scholarships or the recent sale of the Blue Ash airport. The project recently lost out on a $17 million competitive federal grant.
• So, the streetcar didn't quite make its debut this morning, but it's definitely coming this afternoon. The latest update from the city says that it has arrived safely in Ohio and will now be unloaded at 4 p.m. this afternoon. So if you have no last-minute Halloween costume details attend to, you can come hang out at the Maintenance and Operation Facilities on the corner of Race and Henry streets in Over-the-Rhine and watch it be unloaded.
• ResponsibleOhio, the super PAC that put Issue 3 to legalize marijuana on the ballot, says the ilegal drug trade might be after them. A thief hacked a Fifth Third bank account belonging to Strategy Network, the political consulting firm that oversees ResponsibleOhio, and stole $200,000, its organizers say. A second attempt to steal $300,000 was stopped by Parma Police. Executive Director of ResponsibleOhio and CEO of Strategy Network Ian James said law enforcement told him it was "a pretty heavy duty drug dealer." James also told FOX19 that one of ResponsibleOhio's organizers was receiving threatening phone calls from an unknown source. The pro-pot group has claimed Issue 3 would put major drug dealers out of business.
• Mayor Cranley is clearly pushing hard for Issue 22, but how does he feel about legalizing marijuana, the other major issue on the upcoming ballot? According to WCPO, he's not saying, and neither are many other local leaders. According to University of Cincinnati Political Science Professor Dave Niven, the issue blurs party lines and is split 50-50, so most play it safe by keeping their mouths shut.
• Former House Speaker John Boehner passed the gavel to Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin yesterday. Ryan was elected to succeed Boehner Wednesday and is the youngest Speaker since 1869. Cincinnati-native Boehner announced his resignation last month, ending his four year run as Speaker. According to the New York Times, in his brief farewell speech, he held a tissue box, as he's often prone to tears, and told the House, “If anything, I leave the way I started: just a regular guy, humbled by the chance to do a big job.”
My email is [email protected]. I prefer story tips, but may be able to offer last-minute costume guidance as well.
