Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Police Department and the Loveland Citizens Police Academy Association will award the 2025 Emergency Services Scholarship, a $1000 scholarship which is awarded to one qualified applicant yearly who will be pursuing Ohio Peace Officer certification training, or a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or a related field.
The scholarship committee reviews all applicants’ transcripts, essays, letters of recommendation, and a video introduction to get to know them in areas such as good citizenship, community service, volunteerism, academic activities, as well as their future educational plans.
To request information and the application, send your contact information and/or questions to LovelandCPAAA@gmail.com. The deadline is February 28, 2025.
Candidate Criteria for the $1,000 Emergency Services Scholarship
1) Applicant must be pursuing Ohio Peace Officer Certification training, or a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or a related field, or be a current Loveland Police Department member pursuing a training course to expand their knowledge or skillset.
2) Applicant must reside within the 45140 zip code, OR
a. If a college student, parent(s) must reside within 45140 zip code, OR
b. Be the child of a Loveland Police Department employee, OR
c. Be a current employee of the Loveland Police Department.
3) Applicant must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.
4) Applicant must demonstrate good citizenship, which may include participation in a variety of community service activities, volunteerism, etc.
5) Applications and related materials must be submitted electronically, per the defined application process.
6) This $1,000 scholarship is granted for a one-year period. Previous scholarship recipients may reapply if grade point average and citizenship criteria described above are maintained.
7) Scholarship recipients who fail to maintain the requisite grade point average and citizenship criteria will be ineligible for future grants from the Scholarship Fund.
8) Disbursements from the Scholarship Fund will be issued directly to the applicant’s educational institution of choice
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the results of the 2024 election in the Rose Garden at the White House on Nov. 7, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son from federal gun and tax crimes —and any other offenses over a nearly 11-year period — has drawn outrage from Republicans, while only a few Democrats have criticized the outgoing president.
In a lengthy Sunday night statement, Biden laid out his reasoning for reversing his long-stated position that he would not give his son a pardon. He argued that Hunter Biden was unfairly targeted by Republicans and noted that investigations began in December 2020, shortly after Biden won the presidential election.
The pardon would cover offenses which Hunter Biden “has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024,” the executive grant of clemency signed by Biden said.
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” Biden said.
Trump and Jan. 6
President-elect Donald Trump took to his social media site, TruthSocial, where he called the move “an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”
Trump questioned whether Biden’s pardon would include the 29 inmates held in the District of Columbia jail for offenses related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Of those, 27 are charged with assaulting law enforcement after Trump riled up his supporters to overturn the presidential election he lost.
“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump wrote.
With the move, Biden joined Trump and former President Bill Clinton in pardoning family members.
Trump granted 143 pardons during his first term and so far Biden has granted 26 pardons, including his son’s. Former President Barack Obama granted 212 pardons.
Advocates and Democrats have pressed Biden to exert his clemency powers on behalf of the 40 men on federal death row before his term expires in January. The push comes as Trump is set to return to the White House. The former president expedited 13 executions of people on federal death row in the last six months of his first term.
The co-executive directors of Popular Democracy in Action, a progressive advocacy group, Analilia Mejia and DaMareo Cooper, said in a joint statement that Biden should “provide the same compassion he gave his son and pardon the 10,000 clemency petitions on his desk.”
“The President has the power to provide clemency to thousands of people who have been wronged by the laws governing the judicial system and the political considerations that engendered them,” they said.
Hunter Biden’s federal charges stem from a 2018 gun purchase. He lied on a form by checking a box that affirmed he was not using illegal drugs, but he did then use drugs while owning the firearm.
A federal jury convicted him in June and the gun charges carried a possible prison sentence.
Hunter Biden also pleaded guilty to separate federal tax charges in California.
Target for Republicans
Over the course of Biden’s presidency, House Republicans have held hearings and inquiries into the finances of the Biden family, focusing on Hunter Biden in an attempt to broadly stick corruption charges to the president. No evidence has shown any wrongdoing by the president.
But the pardon gave fresh ammunition to Biden critics, who noted it contradicted what the president had long promised.
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer, Republican of Kentucky, in a statement said Sunday that Biden “has lied from start to finish about his family’s corrupt influence peddling activities.”
“The charges Hunter faced were just the tip of the iceberg in the blatant corruption that President Biden and the Biden Crime Family have lied about to the American people,” Comer said. “It’s unfortunate that, rather than come clean about their decades of wrongdoing, President Biden and his family continue to do everything they can to avoid accountability.”
Many Republicans criticized Biden for reversing his long-standing stance that he would not pardon his son.
“President Biden insisted many times he would never pardon his own son for his serious crimes,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, said on social media. “But last night he suddenly granted a ‘Full and Unconditional Pardon’ for any and all offenses that Hunter committed for more than a decade! Trust in our justice system has been almost irreparably damaged by the Bidens and their use and abuse of it.”
Selective Democrats object
Democrats in Congress have largely remained silent about the pardon, but some, including Ohio’s Greg Landsman and Arizona’s Greg Stanton, criticized the move.
“As a father, I get it,” Landsman wrote on social media. “But as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, it’s a setback.”
Stanton in a social media post wrote that while he respected Biden, “I think he got this one wrong.”
“This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution,” he said. “Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers.”
Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet wrote on social media that “President Biden’s decision put personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all.”
Michigan U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, chair of the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee, wrote on social media that the president’s decision to pardon his son was wrong.
“A president’s family and allies shouldn’t get special treatment,” Peters said. “This was an improper use of power, it erodes trust in our government, and it emboldens others to bend justice to suit their interests.”
On CNN, Maryland U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey said that he had “mixed views” about the pardoning.
“I know that there was a real strong sentiment in, you know, wanting to protect Hunter Biden from unfair prosecution,” he said. “But this is going to be used against us when we’re fighting the misuses that are coming from the Trump administration.”
Trump pardons
Trump himself granted controversial pardons, including of Paul Manafort, a former campaign official who was convicted of tax and bank fraud and alleged interference by Russia in the 2016 presidential election.
He also pardoned Roger Stone, who was convicted on charges of lying to Congress about his knowledge of Russian efforts to discredit former first lady and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential race.
Trump also pardoned his son-in-law’s father, Charles Kushner, who was charged with tax evasion and retaliating against a federal witness, who was the elder Kushner’s brother-in-law. Trump on Saturday announced his intent to appoint Kushner as the next U.S. ambassador to France.
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Ariana Figueroa
Ariana covers the nation’s capital for States Newsroom. Her areas of coverage include politics and policy, lobbying, elections and campaign finance.
Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Loveland, Ohio – The agenda for the 6 PM Tuesday, December 3 meeting of the Loveland Planing and Zoning Commission has now been published. The meeting that was cancelled and rescheduled is to consider the proposal to construct 12 single family homes for Riverside Drive in the West Loveland Historic District.
POPULAR CARD GAME CHARACTERS COME TO LIFE IN GRAPHIC NOVEL ‘TACO CAT GOAT CHEESE PIZZA AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING HAT’.
Loveland Author Jenna Schroeder
Loveland, Ohio – The beloved characters of an iconic family card game are now coming to life in a new graphic novel. Youth readers and their parents may now learn more of the characters’ individual backstories in “Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and the Case of the Missing Hat” ($14.99, Dolphin Hat Games, ISBN: 9798219358129), featuring the primary characters of the family game by the same name.
Like the Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza game, with sales topping eight million worldwide, the “Case of the Missing Hat” is for children ages seven and older. Written by Jenna Schroeder, the hardcover book features colorful Manga-style illustrations by Yamerpro, aka Mandy E, who was among the initial illustrators for the game. Schroeder and Yamerpro met through Dolphin Hat Games, collaborating on a book project for the first time.
As the longtime communications director for the family-run Dolphin Hat Games, which created and launched Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza in 2017, Schroeder explained the inspiration for the new work originated after the card game achieved global popularity. Schroeder also had long-term familiarity with the game characters as her brother, Dave Campbell, created the game, which contributed to Dolphin Hat’s growth into a large family business that opened in 2012.
“After championing these game characters for several years, I began to think about what their shared adventures might resemble and how I could make their world come alive for fans to enjoy,” said Schroeder, “Soon after writing my first children’s book, ‘Are Enchanted Forests Real?,’ the story of ‘Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and the Case of the Missing Hat’ flowed out of me.”
“When I first shared the book concept with Dave, he said he felt strong connections with the personalities created from his characters, and he generously entrusted me with the opportunity to bring them to life,” added Schroeder. “He loved the story, and we both knew it was something that had to be in this world, so we combined our superpowers to create more laughter and smiles on kids’ faces with these funny, happy game heroes.” Schroeder also said that when she would write a scene and how she wanted it to look, Mandy E would amplify it in the best and most comedic ways with her artwork.
“Once Dave greenlit this project, Mandy and I worked together tirelessly and seamlessly for a year to bring it to fruition,” said Schroeder. “Both of us have grown with the characters since their origination, and as I created their personalities and expanded their world, Mandy E was aligned every step of the way.”
Schroeder wrote the book’s cover notes to explain how the fan-favorite characters leaped from cards to the comic-style narrative:
What happens when characters from the infamous card game Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza fall out of the game box and go on an epic adventure? You are about to find out! Join Taco Cat Goat Cheese and Pizza as they attempt to crack the case of the missing hat! Dive into a world of silliness, friendship, and laughter as these endearing characters take you on a knee-slapping story in a world all their own. With positive themes and eye-catching artwork, new and old Taco Cat fans alike will not want this incredible adventure to end!
In step with the book’s initial availability via Amazon and the Dolphin Hat website, Schroder will appear with Campbell for book signings and gameplay at a growing list of autumn events/venues including Snakes & Lattes Chicago, as well as Marvin’s Toy Store in Crystal Lake, Ill.
Other book-related events include a reading hosted by the Brookville Library in Dayton, a booth at the Christmas Tree Lighting Festival in Loveland, Ohio, on Dec. 7 and an appearance to be scheduled at Bike Trail Books in Loveland in February.
ABOUT JENNA SCHROEDER
Based in the Cincinnati suburb of Loveland, Ohio, Jenna Schroeder is a writer, mother of four, and the director of communications for Dolphin Hat Games. Additionally, she is the founder of Little Bird Press and her creative projects include the inspiring children’s book “Are Enchanted Forests Real?” Schroeder also contributed to the 2021 book “Peace in the Presence of God: Devotionals for Women with Anxiety” published by Michael Lacey. She earned a bachelor’s degree in interpersonal communications from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. For more information visit JennaaSchroeder.com or follow her @jennaaschroeder.
ABOUT YAMERPRO (AKA MANDY E)
An Ohio native, Yamerpro aka Mandy E (Mandy Ecenbarger) is a graphic designer, digital illustrator, animation and motion graphics creator and costume designer. She earned a bachelor’s degree in computer art from the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Ind. For more information visit Yamerpro.com or follow her @yamerpro.
ABOUT DOLPHIN HAT GAMES
Founded in 2012 and based in the Dayton suburb of Clayton, Ohio, Dolphin Hat Games is a family-owned game company focused on creating memorable, fun and easy-to-learn games to capture the imaginations of casual gamers and family members of all ages worldwide. In 2017, they published the bestselling family card game Cat Taco Goat Cheese Pizza, purchased by more than eight million players. For more information visit DolphinHat.com or follow @dolphinhatgames.
Loveland, Ohio – Loveland’s drinking water is contaminated with harmful levels of Forever Chemicals at the highest concentrations in the region. Testing has revealed that Loveland has two “Forever Chemicals” in its drinking water. One, at a level four times higher than what is the enforceable standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is the highest reported level in the Cincinnati area. The US EPA has acknowledged that no levels of PFAS are safe without the risk of negative health impacts.
The City simultaneously told the Clermont County Common Pleas Court and a U.S District Court in South Carolina in June of 2023:
“PFOA and PFOS are toxic and persistent in the environment, do not biodegrade, move readily through soil and water, and pose a significant risk to human health and safety and the environment.”
Loveland Magazine Managing Editor David Miller at last year’s Loveland Frogman Festival
Loveland, Ohio – The 3rd annual Frogman Festival will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2025 from (9:30 AM until 6 PM and Sunday, March 2 from 10 AM until 4 PM at Oasis Conference Center.
There will be over 60 unique vendors selling their art, crafts and merchandise in the large ballroom they will call “The Terrarium”. Speakers will be presenting their research on cryptids, paranormal activity, UFO’s and other unusual topics in a separate room.
The Loveland Frog, Jeff Craig, and Andy the Pied Piper of Loveland.
At noon each day, the Pied Piper of Loveland will lead a parade of costumed participants that is open to anyone interested.
Wander the Oasis to find face-painting, an intuitive reader, live animals, a puppet show, music and more. Food and drink including beer will be available a la carte.
Visit frogmanfestival.org for more details. Ticket prices online are lower than paying at the door. There are no refunds for tickets purchased. Kids 12 and under are free when accompanied by a paid adult but please order a kids ticket (free) for them.
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Read about and watch the videos from last year’s Festival:
Just like last year, we can offer Discounted Rooms for Frogman Attendees. Take advantage of this offer to stay at the closest hotel to the convention center.
Ron began his career in education at Loveland City Schools as a teacher and coach. Ron eventually went on to become an Elementary School Principal, High School Principal and Superintendent.
Official Obituary
Ronald Glenn DeWitt of Loveland, Ohio, passed away Sunday, November 24, 2024, at the age of 91.
Ron’s life began on September 29, 1933. He is the son of the late Norville and Ethel (Williams) DeWitt. Ron was a graduate of Deer Park High School (class of 1951) and a graduate of Miami University (class of 1955). Ron was a participant in high school sports including basketball and football, participated in choir, and was also a member of the Tune Toppers, a big band playing music of the swing era.
Ron was a proud U.S. Air Force Veteran, serving his country from 1955 – 1957. Beginning with flight training at Moultrie, Georgia, he then graduated from Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring, Texas with Class 57-C learning to fly the T-33. While at Webb Air Force Base, Ron was a member of the Webb Carolers, an award-winning singing group originating at the base. He went on to Perin Air Force Base, Sherman, Texas, to advanced training in the F-86D. He was then assigned to the 41st FIS, stationed in Guam, as a F-86D Sabre pilot.
Ron was the beloved husband of 67 years, to Betty A. DeWitt, married on June 8, 1957, and devoted father of Ronald G. DeWitt, Jr.
Following his service in the U.S. Air Force in 1957, Ron began his career in education at Loveland City Schools as a teacher and coach. Ron eventually went on to become an Elementary School Principal, High School Principal and Superintendent. Ron’s leadership, dedication to education, and support has affected many teachers and children over the years. This will have a lifetime influence for many years to come. A hundred years from now it will not matter what building you were in or the position you held. But the world may be different because you touched the life of a child. Thank you, Mr. DeWitt.
Family and friends will be received on Monday, December 2 from 6-8 PM in the Tufts Schildmeyer Funeral Home, 129 N. Riverside Ave., Loveland, where funeral services will be held on Tuesday, December 3 at 10:30 AM. Entombment Rest Haven Memorial Park.
Loveland, Ohio – When the election conversation comes up during the Thanksgiving meal, here is a conversation changer. “Well Uncle Bill, what did you think about the City’s capital improvement budget for next year?”
On November 26 City Manager Dave Kennedy, Assistant City Manager Chris Wojnicz, and Kelsey Richards the City Engineer made a presentation to Council on the City’s projected capital improvement plans of $10.5 M.
Kennedy said that almost 40% of the costs will come from “outside” grant sources. Sidewalk improvements are approximately 26% of the plan.
There are plans to build a new 1M amphitheater in Nisbet Park and a walking trail expansion and “Riverside Swings” for almost 68K. Also, a roundabout at Valleyview Lane.
A plan for PFAS (Forever Chemical) removal from Loveland’s Drinking Water is moving forward, but without a component for water softening.
A bipartisan bill that would modernize Ohio’s adoption process unanimously passed the Ohio Senate last week.
House Bill 5 heads back to the Ohio House for concurrence. The House unanimously passed the bill last year and would head to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk for his signature if the chamber concurs with the changes. The Ohio House’s next scheduled session is Dec. 4.
State Reps. Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, and Rachel Baker, D-Cincinnati, introduced the bill last year at the start of the General Assembly and this piece of legislation is personal to both of them. Ray was adopted as a child and Baker has three adopted children.
Ray and Baker worked with probate judges to come up with the bill. The state’s probate judges go through the Ohio Revised Code every few years to try to update various sections, including the adoption laws.
“Most of the changes are fairly minor, but it really will streamline the process for the adoption process in Ohio,” State Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, said during last week’s Senate session. “It really will help those practitioners and those judges and those families that are going through this process.”
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State Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson, D-Toledo, said H.B. 5 is vital legislation that is long overdue.
“It is a good bill, and it does, what I think, will really shave off some of the anxiety, some of the problems that folks who are trying to go through that process, and also for children who are not sure about being in limbo for as long as the current processes,” she said.
More than 3,300 Ohio children are waiting to be adopted, according to AdoptUSKids, a national nonprofit that connects foster care children to families.
What’s in the bill?
In addition to modernizing the state’s adoption process, H.B. 5 would offer more consistency from county to county.
For foster-to-adopt situations, Ohio law requires a six month waiting period before an adoption can take place and says time spent in the foster home can be counted towards the waiting period. H.B. 5 would include kinship caregivers in that provision in an effort to speed up the adoption process.
H.B. 5 would allow an adult with a developmental disability to be adopted. Ohio’s law current only allows adults with an intellectual disability to be adopted.
The bill would double financial support for pregnant mothers to cover living expenses, increasing it from $3,000 to $6,000.
Under the bill, a court could reconsider an adoption decree if there is evidence the child is a victim of trafficking.
The bill also touches on foreign adoptions. Ohio law currently permits parents to petition the court to finalize a foreign adoption. H.B. 5 would allow foreign adoption decrees to be automatically finalized if either parent is an Ohio resident and an IR-3 or IH-3 visa has been issued to the child by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Megan Henry is a reporter for the Ohio Capital Journal and has spent the past five years reporting in Ohio on various topics including education, healthcare, business and crime. She previously worked at The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today Network.
Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Loveland, Ohio– A pine, standing almost 60 feet tall next to the Loveland Bike Trail is being decorated with approximately 2,500 lights and 250 ornaments for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Festival in Historic Downtown Loveland.
This is a FREE, family friendly event with holiday activities for all ages.
A holiday themed drone show by Rozzi’s Fireworks will cap off the evening. You and your children and your sweetheart can enjoy 100 drones synced to music.
Saturday, December 7 between 4 and 8 PM
Activities
Entertainment around town featuring a full lineup of stage performers (see below) and the Loveland High School Jazz Band at City Hall
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City Council CIP Work Session November 26, 2024
A holiday themed drone show by Rozzi’s Fireworks will cap off the evening. You and your children and your sweetheart can enjoy 100 drones synced to music.