Loveland, Ohio – The wait is over, Loveland! Breakfast has returned Back to Paxton’s!
A full breakfast menu will be available every day, from 8 AM until 2 PM.
Author: David Miller
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The 2023 Valentine Breakfast in video and photos
by David Miller
Miami Township, Ohio – The Little Miami River Chamber Alliance held its annual Valentine’s Day Breakfast on Friday, February 10 at the Oasis Conference Center. The emcee was Pastor Bill Hounshell.
2014 Valentine Lady, Janis Fogle Children from the Loveland schools and the adult that won their age-group poetry submissions were called to the microphone to recite their poems. Loveland school superintendant, Mike Broadwater presented the poetry winners a certificate.
2014 Valentine Lady, Janis Fogle said on the Loveland Valentine Ladies FaceBook page that the Loveland Valentine Ladies have already stamped close to 2,650 Valentine cards at the Loveland Post Office, for the 2023 Valentine season. She said, “Cards went to locations such as The Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, the UK, as well as most of the 50 states, plus Washington DC.”
Rosemary Shumaker This year’s Valentine Card designer, Rosemary Shumaker was introduced and an enlargement of her card was prominent on center stage.
The 2023 Loveland Valentine Card designed by Rosemary Shumaker 
Steve Zinser, a former Loveland Principal led the Delta Kings as they serenaded 2023 Valentine Lady, Donna Barns as well as singing numerous songs throughout the morning. Here are video and photo highlights:
Here are the poetry contest winners reading their poetry:
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$461,000 awarded to improve Loveland Tiger’s safety
by David Miller
Loveland, Ohio – Loveland City School District has been awarded nearly a half million dollars in the latest round of the Ohio K-12 School Safety Grant program. The state funding will support improvements to safety security upgrades across the district.
“The safety of our students is our greatest responsibility, and receiving state support for our efforts will help tremendously. We appreciate Governor DeWine and the General Assembly’s dedication to the Ohio K-12 School Safety Grant program,” Superintendent Mike Broadwater said in a news release from the District.
Loveland Superintendent Mike Broadwater The grant provides $461,250 to pay for security system improvements across the district. This grant will allow for the installation of additional security cameras and equipment. The grant will also provide funds for new safety technology on all district school buses according to the release.
This is the fourth round of the Ohio K-12 School Safety Grant program. Of all school districts in Hamilton County, Loveland received the fourth-highest grant funding in this current round. Loveland also received $100,000 in the second round of the program, which was used to replace the public address system at Loveland Primary and Loveland Elementary Schools.
• Loveland Early Childhood Center is earmarked for $65,225 in this latest round.
• Loveland Elementary is earmarked for $50,000 in this latest round.
• Loveland High School is earmarked for $100.000 in this latest round.
• Loveland Intermediate School is earmarked for $97,625 in this latest round.
• Loveland Middle School is earmarked for $98,400 in this latest round.
• Loveland Primary School is earmarked for $50,000 in this latest round
The Goshen Local School District received $400,000 in the latest round of school safety grants. The Great Oaks Career Campus in Clermont County received $100,000.
There is a “Round Five” to be recommended in the coming weeks according to Governor Mike DeWine Ohio as part of the General Assembly’s House Bill 45.
Indian Hill Exempted Village School District had previously been awarded $299,714, Sycamore Community Schools $93,824, and Little Miami Local Schools $200,000.
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Food Pantry sends SOS
Loveland, Ohio – If you are doing your shopping for the weekend would you consider dropping a box or two of cereal off at the LIFE Food Pantry?
The pantry has sent out an SOS saying they are completely out of cereal.
“Thank you for helping us keep those little tummies fed (ok, big tummies eat cereal too…)!”
LIFE is a faith and community-supported organization that provides food, financial assistance, and programs to those experiencing hardship in the greater Loveland area.
Tuesday – Saturday 10 AM until noon
Tuesdays and Thursdays 4 PM until -6:30 PM
Other Current Needs
FOOD: Applesauce, Baked Beans, Bisquick, Canned Chicken, Cereal, Chili Beans, Cooking Oil, Flour, Hearty Soups, Hot Cocoa Mix, Juice-Family Size, Peanut Butter, Pears, Pineapple, Potato Sides, Refried Beans, Rice Side Dishes, Sugar
PERSONAL CARE: Body Wash, Cold Medications, Feminine Hygiene Products
PAPER GOODS: Kleenex, Paper Towels, Toilet Paper
BABY: Pull-Ups (all sizes), Diapers (sizes 4, 5, 6 and 7)
WEEKEND BAGS: Individual Shelf Stable White Milk, Tuna and crackers -
Ohio abortion rights advocates prepare for more legal fights
Getty Image
BY: SUSAN TEBBEN – Ohio Capital Journal
With the abortion landscape changing in Ohio and around the country, one abortion rights group is building up its legal effort for those seeking or providing abortion care.Abortion Fund of Ohio recently announced the launch its Legal Access Program, through a partnership with law firm Friedman, Nemecek, & Long, L.L.C., that will provide free legal assistance and referrals to attorneys “for Ohioans facing criminal and civil penalties for reproductive health care.”
“We’re building out a network of lawyers who will take on these cases, so that we have more lawyer power,” said Morgan Mitchell, legal access fellow for AFO.
Mitchell said cases are popping up in the state where confusion and lack of knowledge of where abortion and procedures that could be connected to abortion (like miscarriage, medically called a “spontaneous abortion”) legally stands.
In one such case, covered by NPR, a woman wondered if the six-week abortion ban was causing doctors to hesitate in treating her heavy bleeding at a Painesville emergency room, bleeding that had already been confirmed to be caused by a miscarriage.
Currently, abortion is still legal up to 22 weeks in Ohio after a state court blocked a six-week ban indefinitely, but national fights against receiving medication abortion through the mail and a discussion of abortion bans on the federal level have advocates worried that reproductive healthcare may be fought for in the courts rather than medical clinics and hospitals.
Ohio’s own Attorney General Dave Yost signed onto a letter with more than a dozen other state attorneys general warning CVS and Walgreens against distributing medication to induce abortions through the mail due to various state laws that prohibit it. Ohio’s law, passed in 2022, forbids abortion medication to be provided to patients without a physician present.
A recent study published in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, co-authored by researchers from three Ohio universities, said even the regulations that are in effect involve working with state administration, and the bureaucracy has created an system where regulations “have become exceedingly difficult to comply with” for abortion providers.
Even medical students in the state are left nervous and confused about what restrictions may mean for their education and future career, should they decide to provide reproductive healthcare.
One group the legal access program is particularly hoping to help is minors who may want to use a legal method to get around needing the consent of their parents to obtain an abortion, a method called judicial bypass.
According to the Ohio Supreme Court, a minor seeking consent to have an abortion can petition the juvenile court in their county of residence or in a border county, with the help of a court-appointed attorney if they don’t have one.
A judge then determines if a minor “is sufficiently mature and well enough informed to decide intelligently whether to consent to an abortion or that the abortion is in the best interests of the (minor).”
Judicial bypass has been on the books since before the fall of Roe v. Wade, but the legal access program is only including that as part of the legal options so that Ohioans know all their legal rights.
“We’re just trying to let people know this exists, we’re not telling people to have an abortion, or telling their parents they’re bad parents,” Mitchell said.
With the six-week ban (and other abortion bans that were attempted but not passed by Ohio legislators in previous years) not including any exceptions for rape or incest, and no standards for sex education present in the state, Mitchell said it’s frustrating that a minor has to go to court to prove maturity and intelligence, when some legislators would force them to bear a child, no matter their age.
“It’s really an attack on bodily autonomy and it’s scary to see it be separated from health care, because this is a decision you’re making for your body,” Mitchell said. “We want to be able to give anyone regardless of age the opportunity to pursue whatever they want with their bodies.”
The six-week ban pause is being appealed by the state.
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Loveland Seniors can reduce their sewer bill by 25%
by David Miller
Loveland, Ohio – The Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) offers a Customer Assistance Program (CAP) to help low-income senior citizens in Loveland pay their sewer bills.
Eligible applicants receive a 25% discount on their monthly sewer bill, including both the minimum base charge and the commodity charge). The estimated savings is $120 or more per year.
Eligibility
A sewer discount can only be offered to low-income seniors who meet specific eligibility requirements related to age, income, and home ownership. The eligibility requirements for the CAP are:
- 65 years of age or older
- Own and live in the residence for which they are paying the MSD sewer bill
- Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) of no more than $36,100 for tax year 2022. MAGI is Ohio Adjusted Gross Income plus any business income that has been deducted in computing the Ohio Adjusted Gross Income (OAGI). This applies to the combined income of the applicant and their spouse.
Required Documentation
Documentation is required to be submitted with your application.
- Proof of Age (please submit one):
- Ohio Driver License
- Ohio Identification Card
- Birth certificate
- Proof of Income (please submit all that apply):
- Ohio Income Tax Return (previous year)
- Social Security Benefit Verification Letter
- Other (e.g., 1099R, W-2)
Three Ways to Apply for the Discount
Online: Fill out the online CAP Application, attach the required Proof of Age and Income (see above), sign the form electronically, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the form for automatic submittal. Email: Download the CAP Application (writeable PDF) and fill it out. Email the completed application, along with attached scans of the required Proof of Age and Income (see above), to:MSDCAP@cincinnati-oh.gov 
Mail: Request a hard copy of the application by calling (513) 244-1300 (option 3) Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Fill out the application in ink with an original signature. Mail the completed application, along with hard copies of the required Proof of Age and Income (see above), to:Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD)Attn: MSD CAP Manager1600 Gest StreetCincinnati, OH 45204 
Participation and Annual Renewal
You will receive a letter by mail that confirms your eligibility. If approved, the 25% discount will appear in the “detail section” of your sewer bill that covers the next full billing cycle. This could take 1-2 months, depending on the billing cycle.
MSD will annually notify you regarding your continued CAP eligibility every November. This will be a quick check to affirm your CAP status has not changed.
For More Information
For more information, please contact Bonnie Holman at (513) 244-5101 or MSDCAP@cincinnati-oh.gov. You can also contact Cassandra Hillary, the MSD CAP Manager, at MSDCAP@cincinnati-oh.gov. Additional information is also available in the Downloads box to the right.
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Ohio Medicaid to resume regular eligibility operations and encourages enrollees to update their contact information
by David Miller
As reported in the Ohio Capital Journal, Ohio Medicaid currently provides health care coverage to more than 3.1 million Ohioans and once the federal government declares an end to the Public Health Emergency, Medicaid will resume its normal eligibility review process.
That date is now April 1 and this means that all eligible Medicaid members will have to renew their Medicaid coverage or risk losing it.
The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) calls it “imperative” that Medicaid members keep their contact information up to date with county departments of job and family services and check their mail and respond to requests for information immediately.
The Journal reported on December 20 that, “Declaring that ‘we have returned to life as normal,’ Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine joined 24 other Republican governors in calling on President Biden to let the federally declared Public Health Emergency for COVID expire in April.”
Ohio Medicaid currently has a “COVID-19 Unwinding” website.
“Every state’s match was increased by 6.2% under the first federal COVID-19 relief package, with the caveat that states agree not to kick anyone off Medicaid while the public health emergency is in place, even if their income once again rises above the eligibility limit.” – Ohio Capital Journal.
Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) Director Maureen Corcoran is encouraging Ohio’s Medicaid members to take necessary steps to ensure continued health coverage for themselves and their families
“Now that the federal government has announced this change, all Ohio Medicaid members will have their eligibility re-determined and if found ineligible, disenrolled from the program for the first time in three years,” said Director Corcoran. “Our goals are to ensure that Medicaid eligible Ohioans will have the tools they need to maintain their healthcare coverage and not risk a gap in service, and that Ohioans no longer eligible for Medicaid can smoothly transition to other affordable healthcare options.”
It is critical that Medicaid members keep their contact information up-to-date and respond to all requests for information. Ohio’s unwinding will occur over a 12-month period of time. Some renewals will be automatic based on extensive data comparisons while other members will receive the usual eligibility packet and work with their county department of job and family services to complete it manually.
In alignment with previous department policy, children under the age of 19 retain their coverage for twelve months from the date of their initial eligibility determination or most recent renewal.
To assist members, providers and stakeholders prepare for this process, the ODM has a dedicated webpage that houses information on the renewal process, key steps consumers should take, key message, frequently asked questions and other additional resources. Individuals are also encouraged to reach out to their county department of job and family services (CDJFS) with any questions or they can use Medicaid’s eligibility tool on the website to check their eligibility status.
Background
In March 2020, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which among other things, provided states with enhanced federal matching dollars for their Medicaid programs. In exchange for these dollars, states were prohibited from disenrolling members from Medicaid, even if they were found to be ineligible. This was to ensure members did not lose vital healthcare coverage during the pandemic. Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act in December, decoupling the end of the federal public health emergency from the continuous coverage requirement.
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![[Game Photos] Tigers advance in State Tournament with win over Seton](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/katy-wilber.jpg)
[Game Photos] Tigers advance in State Tournament with win over Seton
Harrison, Ohio – Freshman Katy Wilber with 12 points, led the Loveland Tigers Wednesday afternoon at Harrison High School in the first round of the Southwest 2 – Division I Sectional State Tournament. Wilber was 4 for 5 shooting, all three-pointers. In the 45-37 win, Olivia Raby contributed 11.
A strong 3rd quarter allowed Seton to get back into the game and come to within 2 in the 4th, but strong shooting from the Tiger foul line protected their lead.
The # 8 seeded Tigers next travel to Lakota East High School on February 15 at 6 PM to play # 16 seed Oak Hills.
Below are game photos from the Seton, Walnut Hills, West Clermont, Springboro, and Kings competitions.
All photos © David Miller/Loveland Magazine 2023
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Loveland Bike Trail’s O’Bannon Creek Bridge Closure
by David Miller
Loveland, Ohio – The O’Bannon Creek Bridge in Historic Downtown on the Loveland Bike Trail (Little Miami Scenic Trail) will be temporarily closed starting March 6th. Little Miami State Park, the division of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources that oversees the trail said that the bridge is nearing the end of its life expectancy and that they are “proactively replacing it before it becomes unsafe”.
Google Image It will open again at the end of March and then close from May to October. There is no designated detour, however, local trail users will know that heading east on West Loveland Avenue and leaving Historic Downtown by heading north on State Route 48, then turning left onto Lyon Avenue will quickly take users to the other side of the closed bridge. From Lyon Avenue take either fork in the road to get back on the trail.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We have received a message from one of our faithful readers who lives on Maple avenue and she would rather not see people use the street as a detour. She said, “My street isn’t a proper workaround. Maple is a narrow, short dead-end street that doesn’t connect through to the trail, as depicted on the Google map. Our little neighborhood has several families with young children and would appreciate not having all the trail traffic directed our way. If trail users just stay on Lyon (which has just one house and no kids), they will quickly come to its intersection.”
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Union Cemetery Road to Close for Sanitary Sewer Project
Symmes Township, Ohio – The Smith Corporation will be installing a sanitary sewer between 9310-9360 Union Cemetery Road beginning Monday, February 6th through March 3rd. The contractor’s detour route will be from Montgomery Road-Fields Ertel Road-Lebanon Road-Union Cemetery Road and vice versa.
If you should have any issues, contact Jay Smith with Smith Corporation at (513)782-8882 or Kurtis Boggs with the Hamilton County Engineer’s office at (513)946-8430.
