LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Author: David Miller

  • 12th Annual Captain Seth Mitchell Hero 5k Saturday October 16

    12th Annual Captain Seth Mitchell Hero 5k Saturday October 16

    Loveland, Ohio – The 12th Annual Captain Seth Mitchell Hero 5k will take place in Nisbet Park on Saturday, October 16. Hope to see you then to revise this great Loveland tradition.

    Last year’s event was “virtual” but the race to raise funds for The Seth Mitchell scholarship programs this year in live and in person in Historic Downtown Loveland on the Loveland Bike Trail along the State and National Scenic Little Miami River.

    Seth Mitchell, a captain and pilot in the United States Marine Corps and a 1997 Loveland High School graduate, was killed in action in Afghanistan in October 2009.  Seth contributed greatly to the Loveland community in his youth… he served as a leader and role model on the varsity football team, was voted to be Class President his senior year, and was named “Mr. Personality” by his peers.  He was well loved here.  After graduating, he took that same sense of service and loyalty into all that he did: as a son, a brother, a friend, a leader in the Marines.

    In other words, Seth was a hero for all.

    We are a group of Seth Mitchell’s high school classmates, who miss our friend and want to keep his memory alive.  We represent the many people who Seth made an impression on with his sense of humor, kind heart, and loyal friendship.  As we organize this 5k Race and the scholarship memorial fund, we are motivated by one enduring inspiration: to live each day a little more honorably, kindly, and humbly… just like Seth. 

    Read more and register…

    Meet the 2020 Scholarship Winners

    Dear friends, we hope you are well, safe and doing all you can to blunt the force of the pandemic surrounding us. We are truly in unchartered water. Our prayers are with you. As you probably guessed we were unable to do personal on site interviews with our 2020 Seth Mitchell scholarship applicants. However we summoned the help from some younger folks and proceeded with the interviews through Google Hangout!! Yep, Steve and Connie on Google Hangout. Who’d of thought that? Loveland High School also did not have their annual Senior Night on May 13, so the scholarships were awarded virtually. We had 18 applicants this year and personally interviewed six before awarding the two scholarships detailed below. Your scholarship committee consisting of Greg Carpinello, Damien Cook, Mollie Schrichten, Marisa Sobb, (all friends of Seth and ’97 LHS graduates) Connie and I, take seriously the process to recruit, interview and select candidates. All the kids were deserving and we are especially proud of the recipients.

    ​

    So here goes: The Let Us Never Forget Seth Mitchell scholarship ($3500.00) is a partnership between the Mitchell Family and the Let Us Never Forget Scholarship Foundation (yellowribbonsupportcenter.com). Jordan Collins (above left) is the 2020 recipient and she has a spirit similar to Seth. She was/is involved in many theatrical and musical productions, is a National Honor Society member, volunteers through Mom’s Hope and works part time. Jordan will be paying a large part of her college costs. She has a “do something” attitude, a strong work ethic and knows no stranger, being kind to all. She is not afraid to fail in the pursuit of her dreams and is strong in the face of adversity. She hopes to pursue her theatrical dreams at Syracuse University.

    The Seth Mitchell Memorial Scholarship ($3,500.00) is funded by the Seth Mitchell Hero 5k (sethmitchell5k.org). This annual event is in its 11th year in downtown Loveland, OH and is ran by Seth’s friends named above. The goal of the scholarship is to keep Seth’s spirit and story alive. Caroline Ginder (above right) is the 2020 recipient of the Memorial Scholarship. Caroline was described by one of her references a “being self motivated and goal oriented…and a fine example of caring more about their teammate than herself”. She participated in many school events such as Tiger’s Inc., soccer, NEST and is a National Honor Society member. Caroline will attend Ohio State University where she will pursue medicine. She hopes to someday be a part of Doctors Without Borders. Like Jordan, Caroline is paying a share of her college costs.

    Thank you for your support, prayers and investment in our scholarships through the last eleven years.

    Steve and Connie Mitchell Parents, Capt. D. Seth Mitchell, USMC KIA 10/26/2009, Helmand Province, Afghanistan Let Us Never Forget

  • DeWine signs budget, blocks erasure of COVID-19 health violations

    DeWine signs budget, blocks erasure of COVID-19 health violations

    Gov. Mike DeWine outlined his state budget proposal for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 in a February press conference.

    By Tyler Buchanan and Ohio Capital Journal

    Gov. Mike DeWine signed the $74 billion, two-year state budget into law, keeping in place nearly all of its signature policy positions and spending priorities while once again nixing an effort by Republican lawmakers to counter his administration’s methods of handling the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

    The governor also vetoed an attempt by Republican lawmakers to give their party’s legislative leaders sole power to intervene in any potential redistricting lawsuits. The governor wrote in his veto message that this removal came at the request of Attorney General Dave Yost; voter rights groups and Democrats had also urged for the veto of this provision.

    As governor, DeWine has the power to issue “line-item vetoes” blocking specific provisions of the budget while signing his approval to the rest.

    In total, DeWine issued 14 such line-item vetoes among the more than 2,400-page budget bill. Lawmakers have the power to override any of these vetoes.

    Among the vetoes: A provision to vacate public health violations from businesses that were issued over the course of the pandemic. The budget item would have expunged all COVID-19 health violations, ended disciplinary actions in progress and ordered the state to repay any fines collected. Bars and restaurants which had their liquor licenses revoked — in some cases due to flagrant and repeated violations of the public health orders — would’ve had it reinstated.

    Gov. Mike DeWine signed the $74 billion, two-year state budget on Wednesday evening. Photo courtesy the governor’s office.

    In his veto statement, DeWine wrote that “Ohio law should not reward businesses and individuals that violated orders and rules adopted to protect Ohioans from the spread of COVID-19 by excusing their actions.”

    DeWine vetoed a provision which would have changed the state’s contracting process for a Medicaid managed care system.

    DeWine also vetoed provisions related to Medicaid program rates; an exemption of private schools from College Credit Plus laws; and quality controls of community schools.

    Unanswered veto requests

    While voter rights organizations scored a victory with the veto of the redistricting lawsuits provision, they were unsuccessful in pushing for vetoes of several other budget items condemned as being “anti-democratic.”

    This includes the budget eliminating the Citizen’s Education Fund and instituting a prohibition on elections officials collaborating with any “nongovernmental” entity for voter education purposes.

    There were other veto wishes that went unfulfilled. Democrats in the Ohio Senate wanted to see the governor remove the elimination of a cap on the number of EdChoice income-based vouchers awarded in Ohio and an income tax credit for private school tuition.

    Democrats in the Ohio House of Representatives, meanwhile, joined the Ohio Environmental Council in sharing concerns about budget language they fear would lead to oil and gas drilling in public park lands.

    Reproductive rights groups wanted to see DeWine take out provisions threatening the future of two Ohio abortion clinics. Innovation Ohio, a left-leaning policy group, was among the organizations drawing attention to the budget’s “medical practitioner conscience clause” allowing medical professionals to refuse treatment of patients if doing so would violate their personal moral or religious beliefs. Advocates believe this could lead to LGBTQ+ Ohioans being refused treatment.

    Policy Matters Ohio, a left-leaning think tank, called on the governor to remove proposed tax cuts that research has shown will largely benefit the state’s wealthiest earners.

    However, DeWine championed the 3% income tax cut in a news release announcing the budget signing.

    The Ohio Capital Journal will continue to provide coverage on the two-year state budget and the governor’s vetoes.

  • Summer is passing too quickly—time to think about school starting already!

    Summer is passing too quickly—time to think about school starting already!

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio – The Student LIFE Shop event will be held Saturday, July 31 and Saturday, August 7 in the parking lot in front of the pantry between 9:30 AM until 12:30 PM.

    Every year the pantry throws a back to school party that helps their clients provide the things their children need to get back to learning in the Fall in style and with all the tools their more affluent school buddies will have. One important aspect of this program is that it frees up household funds that are needed for things like rent and utility payments.

    Clients of the LIFE Food Pantry with eligible students are invited to attend one of these two dates. Your pantry registration needs to be current and you will need to know in advance your student’s clothing sizes 

    This is a first come, first served event!

    Here is how YOU and the greater Loveland Community can help make the program a success:

    List of items needed if you’d like to donate: 

    • 3 subject spiral notebooks
    • 8 Subject dividers
    • Planners
    • Highlighters
    • Erasers
    • Permanent Markers
    • Composition Notebooks
    • Box of Colored Pencils
    • Bottles of Glue
    • 10 Subject dividers
    • College Ruled Loose Leaf paper
    • Scissors – Adult Size
    • Fine Line Colored Markers
    • One subject spiral notebooks
    • Reusable bags for personal items
    • Three Ring Binders 1.5”, 2”, 2.5” and 3”
    • Boxes of Tissues
    • Sanitizer/cleaning wipes
    • Hair Conditioner 

    Please drop items off at the LIFE Food Pantry by mid-July at the pantry storefront in Shoppers Haven – 541 Loveland Madeira Road.

  • “Ms. Civil Rights” Cincinnati activist Marian Spencer honored with statue at Smale Riverfront Park

    “Ms. Civil Rights” Cincinnati activist Marian Spencer honored with statue at Smale Riverfront Park

    “The case started when Spencer’s sons heard a radio ad inviting children to Coney Island to meet a local TV personality. She telephoned to ask if the invitation applied to all children and was assured that it did; however, when Spencer added, “We are Negroes,” the Coney Island representative admitted the invitation did not extend to Negro children. Spencer was banished from the front gate by a guard brandishing a gun on the Fourth of July 1952. Spencer filed suit and subsequently won the case, which desegregated Coney Island.” – Wikipedia

    by David Miller – photos by Alex Eicher

    Cincinnati, Ohio – The life of Civil rights activist Marian Regelia Alexander Spencer was honored with a statue at Smale Riverfront Park on Sunday June 26 – the eve of her birth date. It is Cincinnati’s first statue of a named woman. It depicts Spencer holding the hand of a young girl and the girl holding hands with a young boy. The three are in a not-closed circle that leaves space for another child to grab Spencer’s left hand and the boy’s right hand to close the tight circle.

    Spencer was the first Black president of the Woman’s City Club of Greater Cincinnati in 1970. The organization spearheaded the private fundraising for the statue. It is located at the John G. & Phyllis W. Smale Riverfront Park in the Cincinnati Parks Foundation Women’s Committee Garden.

    (Story continues below photos)

    • Camille Haamid (center) model for the sculpture of Spencer
    • Alice Schneider Women’s City Club

    The sculpture was designed by Cincinnati Natives, Tom Tsuchiya, and Gina Erardi.

    Spencer was the first Black woman to be elected to the Cincinnati City Council and once served as vice-mayor.

    She fought for the desegregation of Coney Island and YWCA summer camps and pools nationwide She was the first African American woman to be elected president of the Cincinnati chapter NAACP.

    Spencer died at the age of 99, on July 9, 2019, and was the granddaughter of a former slave. She was active in the civil rights movement to desegregate schools and end discrimination and became the first female president of the Cincinnati NAACP chapter. She also served on the University of Cincinnati board of trustees.

    Spencer was born in the town of Gallipolis, Ohio in 1920. She lived in the home of her grandfather, a freed slave from West Virginia, with her twin sister, Mildred, two brothers, Harry and Vernon, and her parents. The home was built after her grandfather moved to Gallipolis. She became a member of the NAACP at age 13. In 1938 Spencer graduated from Gallia Academy High School. She was co-valedictorian with her sister and a member of the National Honor Society.

    (Story continues below photos)

    • Tom Tsuchiya
    • Tom Tsuchiya and Gina Erardi
    • Edward Spencer
    • Emcee Courtis Fuller shakes hands with Edward Spencer

    After graduation, she moved to Cincinnati to attend the University of Cincinnati as a scholarship student with her sister and fellow scholarship student, Mildred Malcolm. While at the University of Cincinnati, Spencer campaigned for the college prom to be open to all students. That was the start of her struggle for equality for all Greater Cincinnatians.

    Spencer earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Cincinnati in 1942. In 1940, she married Donald Andrew Spencer, Sr., a Cincinnati teacher and real estate broker. They raised two sons, Donald Jr. and Edward Alexander.

    Tom Tsuchiya, who created the piece with Gina Erardi a Woman’s City Club member, and the Marian Spencer Statue Committee Chair Alice Schneider proposed the statue in 2019. Spencer died later that year at age 99.

    Spencer’s career included numerous achievements as well as many awards and honors for her contributions to human service organizations and civic volunteer work. Among them are Cincinnati Enquirer Woman of the Year Award; Brotherhood Award, National Conference of Christians and Jews; YWCA Career Woman of Achievement Award; and Humanitarian Award, Freedom Heritage Foundation of Columbus, Ohio.

    She was an active member of the Board of Trustees of Planned Parenthood of Cincinnati in the 1990s and subsequently served on the Planned Parenthood Foundation Board. In 1998 Spencer was named a “Great Living Cincinnatian” by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

    In 2010 the Cincinnati Public Schools renamed an elementary school in Walnut Hills, Cincinnati the Donald A. and Marian Spencer Education Center. In 2016 the Cincinnati City Council voted to rename the 100 block of Walnut Street between Theodore Berry Way and Second Street at The Banks “Marian Spencer Way.” In 2018 the University of Cincinnati named a new residence hall on its main campus “Marian Spencer Hall.” 

    (Story continues below photos)

    • Jan-Michele Kearney Cincinnati Council
    • Hamilton County Commission President Stephanie Summerow Dumas
    • Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley
    • Singer Kathy Wade 
    • Emcee Courtis Fuller

    Marian Spencer described herself as a fighter. “All people should be equal,” she said. “There should be equality, above everything. Given equal opportunity, we all arrive at the same place.” She was named a Lifetime Achiever by Applause! magazine and co-chaired a YWCA $3.8-million fund-raising campaign in Cincinnati. “Without difficulties that people met and overcome, we are less strong,” Spencer said. “We’ve had our share.”

    The bio statements and quotes in this article are attributed to Cincinnati History and Archives of the Cincinnati Museum Center and Wikipedia – the Free Encyclopedia.

  • Fire Station 63 may move up the street

    Fire Station 63 may move up the street

    The photo above is Fire Station 63 In Historic Downtown Loveland

    Loveland, Ohio – A Fire Station 63 Relocation Focus Group has been meeting to determine the best site to re-locate the fire station in Historic Downtown and has concluded that the City should build a new firehouse at the site of the old Masonic Temple on East Loveland Avenue.

    MSA Design was contracted by the City of Loveland to conduct a study of needs at the current station and search for a possible new location.

    When the Focus Group was formed, there was a primary site for the new station that they looked at, that being 227 East Loveland Avenue which is already owned proportionally by the Loveland Symmes Fire Fighters Association and the City of Loveland. The rear portion of the property is also the site of a fire training tower. According to a memo to the committee from City Manager Dave Kennedy on May 20, the “primary drawbacks to the location are that a large portion of the property rests in the floodplain, it is not a flat site, requires a retaining wall and would not facilitate drive-through bays for emergency vehicles.”

    The Loveland Moose Lodge is located at 227 East Loveland Avenue. This is also where a fire training tower is located. When the Focus Group was formed, this was the primary site for the new station that they looked at
    The fire training tower at 227 East Loveland Avenue.

    Two other possible sites sites were evaluated, one on Oakland Road and one at Grailville on O’Bannonville Road.

    The preferred property at 220 East Loveland, is currently owned by the Firefighters Association, and was the former home of the Masonic Lodge #258.

    MSA Design says in their report about the two East Loveland Avenue sites, “There are pros and cons to each of the two sites. While either site could be used for a new Station 63, it is MSA’s opinion that the newly studied site at 220 E. Loveland Avenue would be the best option as it eliminates the possibility of damage from flooding.”

    The former Masonic Temple site is the preferred location for a new fire station. This is the front of the current building from 220 East Loveland Avenue.

    The report goes on to say about the Masonic Temple site, “While the size of the property is less than 227 East Loveland, it has two primary advantages; 1) It is not located in the floodplain and 2) It would provide for drive-through bays as the rear of the property abuts O’Bannon Avenue. Also, the site is flat, will not require construction of a retaining wall, and is a further distance from potential visibility issues which occur with westbound vehicular traffic on East Loveland approaching the East Loveland bridge.”

    The rear of the Masonic Temple site as seen from O’Bannon Avenue. Vehicles returning from runs would be able to access the bays from the rear of the station

    Jumping ahead to the conclusion, the study indicates that both sites are acceptable for the new station. Although both sites are acceptable, and the cost per square feet are proportionate, the advantage of constructing outside of the floodplain, utilizing O’Bannon Avenue for vehicles returning from runs and accessing the bays from the rear of the station, results in Masonic Temple site being preferred for the relocation of Fire Station 63.

    MSA’s concept of how a new fire station would fit on the Masonic Temple site.

    Another option that MSA Design looked at earlier was to tear down the current fire station and re-build on the existing site.

    The assessment of Station 63 completed in October of 2020 was:

    1. St. 63 is well maintained with exception of the roof- needs replaced due to leaks.
    2. Code/Ada issues due to its usability and functionality
    3. Overhead doors are 11×12 and considered small for firehouse doors. (This limits the equipment size to order (standard size vs. custom orders)
    4. 14×14 is typical size of new fire station bay doors
    5. Size of bay also an issue: low ceiling and only 3-4 feet between parked vehicles
    6. Living quarters are upstairs; typical firehouses have living quarters on same floor as vehicles
    7. A new station would have bedrooms on the 1st floor with no stairs for fire personnel to go up/down for runs.
    8. This would increase the turnaround time to get to vehicles as well
    9. New code for stairs: 7-inch rise and 11-inch tread. Current St. 63 stairs are 8-inch rise and 10-inch tread.
    10. Equipment/bunker gear also needs to be stored in separate rooms due to wear by diesel fuel fumes and UV light. Currently, at St. 63 all equipment and bunker gear is stored in the bay with the vehicles.
    11. ADA requirements due to firehouse being a government facility need wheelchair access, which it currently does not have.
    12. Elevator would be expensive to install
    13. ADA also requires a storm shelter which would also be expensive to install
    14. Any renovations done to the building means it would need to be brought up to current codes. Currently, the building is grandfathered in.
    15. Current site is too small. A new building would mean no on-site parking.

    It is MSA’s opinion that a single-story substation solution could be achieved on the site at 220 E. Loveland Avenue for, “$2.9 – $3.4 million ($335 – $390 per s.f.) in today’s dollars not including soft costs. It is MSA’s opinion that the cost of building at 227 E. Loveland Avenue as previously studied would be $5.5 – $6.5 million ($330 – $385 per s.f.) in today’s dollars plus soft costs.”

    Kennedy told Loveland Magazine today, “I will say that the ability to have rear entry into the station is critical as one of the problems that plaques the current station is exiting and entering the station.”

    Kennedy said he plans to make a presentation to Council at their second meeting in July.

  • Centene agrees to pay a record $88.3 million to settle Ohio PBM case

    Centene agrees to pay a record $88.3 million to settle Ohio PBM case

     

    Columbus, Ohio – Centene Corp. (CNC) has agreed to pay Ohio $88.3 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Dave Yost in March alleging the pharmacy benefit manager overbilled the Ohio Department of Medicaid for pharmacy services it provided.

    Yost also alleged Centene and its subsidiary, Buckeye Health Plan, conspired to misrepresent the costs of pharmacy services, including the price of prescription drugs.

    The settlement is the first and largest in the country secured by a state attorney general against a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM). “Centene used sophisticated moves to bill unearned dollars – moves known only at the top levels of health care companies,” Yost said. “It has taken a huge effort by my team to untangle this scheme, and now that we know how it works, the alarm bells should be ringing for anyone using similar tactics.”

    Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (Photo Provided)

    Most Ohioans’ prescription-drug plans are under the management of a PBM through their health insurance plans. PBMs are intermediaries in control of prescription-drug costs, and they decide which prescription drugs are covered by health insurance companies.

    Yost began investigating PBMs in 2018 while state auditor. Yost found that PBMs, while managing the Department of Medicaid prescription drug program, were engaged in spread pricing, which is an artificial inflation of prescription drug pricing. That investigation found that PBMs collected more for drugs compared to the actual cost to dispense the drugs. 

    The Department of Medicaid administers a taxpayer-funded medical assistance plan that provides coverage to about 2.9 million Ohioans, and it does so through the use of managed care organizations (MCOs).

    One such MCO, Centene’s Buckeye Health Plan, administered its pharmacy benefits via sister companies Envolve Health Solutions and Health Net Pharmacy Solutions. The practice of subcontracting with more than one PBM prompted questions about Buckeye Health Plan’s business practices and, ultimately, Centene. With help from outside counsel, the Office of Attorney General Yost conducted an investigation of these practices, finding significant breaches of contract. Notably, the breaches include:

    • Filing reimbursement requests for amounts already paid by third parties.
    • Failing to accurately disclose to ODM the true cost of pharmacy services, including the disclosure of discounts received.
    • Artificially inflating dispensing fees.

    “Centene took advantage of all of us who pay taxes to care for the most vulnerable Ohioans,” Attorney General Yost said. “This settlement is the big first step Centene is taking to repair Ohio’s trust and it’s my hope they continue on this path of good faith.”

    As part of the settlement, the lawsuit – filed on March 11 in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas – has been unsealed.

  • Will you stand next week for fair sewer rates?

    Will you stand next week for fair sewer rates?

    Hamilton County and Loveland, Ohio – In the 90s Ohio Citizen worked with the Sierra Club, Communities United for Action (CUFA) and others to press Hamilton County to address the combined sewer overflow problem that’s polluted our rivers and streams and backed up sewage into people’s basements for literally generations.

    Melissa English the Deputy Director of Ohio Citizen Action says, “Their failure to do so back then is just one of the reasons our sewer bills are so high today. It’s past time to demand action and relief for the county’s low-income, elderly and Black and Brown ratepayers, who bear a disproportionate share of the burden.

    Melissa English with Ohio Citizen

    English hopes you will join her on Thursday, June 17 at 4 PM at the County Building at 138 E. Court St. to help launch the Fair Sewer Rates Coalition.

    English encourages people to bring an umbrella – even if it’s not raining. They want to demonstrate that we’re drowning in stormwater and it’s only going to get worse with climate change. 

    The Washington Post recently reported that “Storm-water systems are the soft underbelly of American infrastructure.” Read this article to find out how they’re increasingly vulnerable as climate change drives “rain bombs” that dump inches of water on cities in hours, overwhelming pipes and pumps.

    Learn More About Where Your Money is Going

    Register, so they know how many folks to expect.

  • Low to moderate income qualifies you for FREE tax assistance

    Low to moderate income qualifies you for FREE tax assistance

     

    Greater Cincinnati – Free Tax Prep will continue through summer for those who have yet to file. United Way volunteers will help filers reclaim stimulus dollars, the advanced Child Tax Credit payments and other credits. Summer site locations can be found at www.uwgc.org or by calling 211. File online for free at myfreetaxes.com. 

    Those with low to moderate incomes who live in the Greater Cincinnati area qualify. In limited cases, income restrictions may apply based on total income and family size. This year presented challenges, from extending the filing deadline to changes in rules due to 95 percent of low-income households suffered and layoff or income loss in 2020. 

    United Way partners with the Internal Revenue Service and many local organizations that host sites. United Way volunteers help those sites run smoothly.

    United Way of Greater Cincinnati saved local taxpayers $2 million in filing fees and helped them obtain $10 million in refunds this tax season through its Free Tax Prep program. 

    More than 300 volunteers helped file nearly 6,800 tax returns. 

    “United Way is focused on the financial well-being of local residents and this program not only helps them save fees, but it ensures they receive their full refunds,” said Moira Weir, president and CEO of United Way. “They’ve earned it with their hard work; our volunteers are committed to making sure they get it.” 

    Donald Albright, who works as a courier and has relied on Free Tax Prep for 10-plus years, was among the taxpayers at the Madisonville site expressing gratitude. “They are extremely nice,” he said. “They seem to be extremely knowledgeable. That’s what keeps bringing me back—the comfort level.” 

    Each filer saves approximately $300 in prep fees. Tax professionals ensure those who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit receive their full refund and, this year, make sure they claim 2020 stimulus payments. 

     “I enjoy numbers and just wanted to help out,” Albert said. “It’s rewarding when a person says ‘thank you’ and acknowledges that you’re helping them out.” 

  • Six-year-old Holden Patrick Smith receives honor and becomes youngest Loveland-Symmes firefighter

    Six-year-old Holden Patrick Smith receives honor and becomes youngest Loveland-Symmes firefighter

    by David Miller

    Symmes Township, Ohio – Last week, on Thursday, June 3rd at 7 PM, the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department along with the Symmes Township Trustees recognized six-year-old Township resident Holden Patrick Smith. Holden just graduated from kindergarten at the Loveland Primary School a few days ago. 

    Holden’s quick actions and awareness in June of 2020 when he was five-years-old led to saving the life of his much younger cousin Magnolia Jane Smith-Camp. 

    Young, Magnolia came within seconds of losing her life while swimming. “Thankfully, she has made a full recovery,” said Deputy Fire Chief Billy Goldfeder.

    “As the water fun season is upon us, we are taking this opportunity to recognize Holden for his actions, but to also aggressively take advantage of this incident to remind our Loveland-Symmes community, along with the greater Cincinnati area of the critical importance of water safety awareness and kids,” said Goldfeder.

    Here are two videos of the ceremony that took place at the Loveland-Symmes Fire Station 61. One is the full ceremony and brief interviews with Holden, his grandmother, and his teacher. Watch as Goldfeder explains what Holden did.

    The second LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video is much shorter, but it best explains the message Goldfeder wants to be embedded in parent’s and caregiver’s minds – how to protect children when they are around water. And, this is as you will see, a very important message for your child as well so that they will know what to do when someone is in trouble at the pool.

    Goldfeder asks, “Who is your designated watcher?”

    Goldfeder wants to know, “Who’s watching the kids?”

  • Loveland’s 2021 Memorial Day in Photos

    Loveland’s 2021 Memorial Day in Photos

    Loveland, Ohio – Here are three photo slide shows of the 2021 Memorial Day Parade, Ceremony, and the dedication of the recently restored WWII Honor Roll monument that has been erected on the grounds of the Loveland Museum Center. You can also view this video interview with Museum President Jim Grethel about the restoration of the honor roll.

    You can also view this video of “Echo” Taps Across America played in Loveland on Memorial Day.

    All photos are © 2021 David Miller/Loveland Magazine.

    2021 Loveland Memorial Day Parade

     

    Dedication of WWII Honor Roll Monument

     

    2021 Memorial Day Service