News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area
Without fear or favor
Since 2004
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Robotics Boosters are back with their fun fundraiser. Saturday, Breakfast with the Bots is March 25, from 8 AM until noon at Loveland High School.
Bring the kids for a pancake breakfast and a chance to see the amazing Loveland Robotics teams in action.
Breakfast includes pancakes, bacon, coffee, and juice.
Breakfast With the Bots tickets are $10, and kids under 3 are free. Buy your tickets at www.lovelandroboticsboosters.org or at the door.
Loveland, Ohio – Loveland Middle School students Abigail Boyle and Zane Shrewsberry recently competed in the regional Power of the Pen tournament. They both qualified for state competition. Power of the Pen is a statewide creative writing program that encourages students to find and develop their talents.
Loveland, Ohio – Eight Loveland Middle School students have been selected to participate in the Ohio Music Education Association District 14 Honor Jazz Band. They will have an opportunity to join together with other talented musicians from around the region for a special concert later this month. Eighth-grade music teacher Chris Huening, teaches the young jazz musicians.
BY: MARTY SCHLADEN – Ohio Capital Journal
The Ohio State Teachers Retirement System still hasn’t said exactly how much of its members’ money it lost when Silicon Valley Bank failed last weekend.
The system is already under fire for big salaries and for paying $10 million in bonuses last August — two months before actual losses of $5.3 billion came in for the prior year. That was 77% higher than some of the employees receiving bonuses estimated. And many of those paying into the system are rankled because the big money is going out to system employees while retirees have gotten only one, 3% cost-of-living increase since 2017.
The federal government and banks around the world have been scrambling to maintain investor confidence since last week, when Silicon Valley Bank made a series of desperate moves to shore up its balance sheet. That prompted a run on its deposits and ultimately its failure.
The bank’s leaders pushed for deregulation, which the Trump administration granted in 2018. Then it made a number of risky investments that allowed it to grow rapidly — and then to implode.
The Ohio State Teachers Retirement System, or STRS, manages much of the $90 billion it controls in-house instead of farming it out to big firms. The system has already lost big on other investments that on the surface looked risky.
When news of the Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB, failure broke, the teachers retirement system put out a statement that might have sought to minimize its loss.
“As of last Wednesday, STRS Ohio held shares of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) worth $27.2 million or 0.03% of STRS Ohio’s total fund,” the statement, issued on Tuesday, said. “Many other public pension funds held shares of SVB, the nation’s 16th largest bank and a component of both the S&P 500 and Russell 3000 indices.”
It also noted investments the system didn’t make.
“STRS Ohio did not own shares of Signature or Silvergate — two other financial institutions involved in the current crisis,” the statement said.
The figure reported by STRS might be far less than its actual losses. Wednesday of last week was when SVB went into free fall, meaning that the value of its stock was likely much lower than when STRS bought it.
In a tweet on Monday, the executive director of a public pension watchdog said STRS owned 171,000 shares worth almost $40 million, which would have made it the largest such loss by a public pension system in the United States.
In an article published on Wednesday, the watchdog, Anthony Randazzo, updated his list using the $27.2 figure stated by STRS as the value of the stock in SVB as of last Wednesday. That put it at No. 2 on the list and far behind the California Public Employees Retirement Fund, which reported an updated number of $67 million.
Also on the list were the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, with a $7 million investment in SVB, and the Ohio School Employees Retirement System, with an updated amount of $421,000.
But it’s still not publicly known how much STRS actually lost in the fiasco. In other words, what were the shares worth when the system bought them?
STRS spokesman Dan Minnich was asked on Wednesday morning and again on Thursday morning for that figure.
“As with your previous questions, I will forward these to the appropriate persons,” he replied on Thursday. “When I receive information back, I will provide it to you.”
STRS also didn’t answer questions about $10 million it lost last year when the cryptocurrency platform FDX imploded. Crypto investments are uninsured and largely unregulated, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that at least one company involved with it failed. On Thursday, there were reports that the company’s founder plundered the company of more than $2 billion in investors’ money.
In 2021, the Dayton Daily News reported on another STRS investment that lost far more teacher money than the SVB and FTX investments combined. It lost $525 million on Panda Power Investments, a private equity firm.
It was one of the system’s high-fee “alternative” investments that are riskier than its traditional investments. In addition, they have performed almost three percentage points worse over the previous decade, spokesman Nick Treneff said last summer.
Asked in 2021 by the Daily News about STRS’s giant loss in Panda, Treneff responded by pointing out that 85% of the system’s alternative investments make money.
Loveland, Ohio – Join us for the 10th Annual Loveland Food Truck Rally! Come kick off summer with us!
The final countdown has begun as The Little Miami River Chamber Alliance (LMRCA) will be kicking off their Annual Loveland Food Truck Rally, presented by Wolterman Law, on Saturday, May 13th from 3 PM to 10 PM at Shopper’s Haven Plaza on Loveland-Madeira Road.
-25 Food Trucks
-Children’s Area
-Live Music and Entertainment
-Beverages for sale!
The Loveland Food Truck Rally is both family-friendly and free to attend.
More details to follow…
Loveland, Ohio – Apex, a local company, provides the finest imprinted and embroidered items to a wide variety of clients.
Apex Imprinted is a full service promotional specialty company, located in Loveland, Ohio. At Apex, we provide assistance with theme creativity, layout and design, and the finest imprinted and embroidered items. We have access to over 600,000 promotional products, and are dedicated to finding the ideal product for your promotional need. We look forward to working with you on your next project. Please visit our contact page for more info.
Apex Imprinted Sportswear and Promotional Specialties
523 West Loveland Ave.
Loveland, OH 45140
Phone: 513-677-0700
Fax: 513-677-8989
Blue Tooth Earbuds Special  TWS earbuds (with charging box)Portable & comfortable. Smart stereo mode & mono mode. Long battery life with storage case. Stable & comfort fit. One-button with multi-function. Tiny & super sound quality! Pricing: 100 pcs. – $14.00 each 200 pcs. – $12.50 each 300 pcs. – $10.50 each 500 pcs. – $9.50 each 1000 pcs. – $8.50 each ALL ART / SET-UP Included 1 Color Imprint Included Imprint size: 1″ x 1″ Free Shipping – Standard US |
Loveland, Ohio – Every day, one out of every ten homes nationwide wastes up to 90 gallons of water due to leaks. If your Loveland home has a leak, it can cost you nearly 10,000 gallons of water every year – which is the same as washing 300 loads of laundry. Fixing easily corrected leaks can save Loveland homeowners money on their water bills, prevent expensive water damage and conserve water.
>> Watch a public service announcement from PUCO ChairJenifer French
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), Ohio EPA and Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) are promoting “Fix a Leak Week,” March 20–26, 2023. Fix a Leak Week is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program as an annual reminder to check household plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems for leaks.
“Ohioans can save up to 10 percent on their water bills just by finding and fixing easily corrected leaks,” said PUCO Chair Jenifer French. “Taking a few minutes to review your water usage and identify leaks in your home has long-term benefits.”
“If you have a leak – fix it. That’s what we tell community water systems to do to avoid wasting treated water before it reaches their customers,” Ohio EPA Director Anne M. Vogel said. “This is great at-home advice too. Repairing leaks makes good sense for the environment and your family finances.”
The Ohio Department of Insurance also reminds Ohioans that leaking or burst water fixtures and pipes can cause serious damage to a property and its contents. Repairs can be costly without enough insurance protection. Consumers should conduct a homeowners or renters insurance review with an insurance agent on the limits, provisions, exclusions, and endorsements that may apply to the terms of water loss coverage.
To help consumers here in Ohio and across the country save water and reduce water damage claims, it’s crucial to identify and repair dripping faucets, running toilets and leaky showerheads as quickly as possible. In most cases, fixture replacement parts pay for themselves quickly and can be installed by do-it-yourselfers, your favorite handy person or plumber. For simple tips on how to find and replace leaks, visit the EPA Fix a Leak website.
Introduced in 2006, WaterSense is a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. EPA that makes it easy for Americans to save water and protect the environment by identifying water-efficient products, services and homes. The WaterSense label can be found on toilets and bathroom faucets. Products that have earned the WaterSense label have been independently tested to meet water-efficiency specifications set by the U.S. EPA. Visit www.epa.gov/watersense to find a WaterSense labeled product in your area. For more information on Fix a Leak Week, visit www.epa.gov/watersense/fixaleak.
Last week I published an “Open Letter to City Hall”. Within hours of publishing A proposal for directional signs to accessible parking in Historic Downtown Loveland, I received a very encouraging response.
City Manager Dave Kennedy emailed saying, he spoke to Scott Wisby, the Public Works Director early the next morning. Kennedy said, “Public works is going to inventory all of our handicap parking signs in city parks and other public areas to make sure all of the signs are up to code and are not weathered/needing replacement. Any needing replacement or adjustment for code will be corrected. I think this is an important first step. I will keep you updated on the progress.”
The City Manager followed up shortly in another email saying that they will also be looking to better consolidate the reserved accessible spaces in the downtown area.
Although Kennedy did not address adding directional signs to the improved and perhaps consolidated spaces, the process he began was a very welcome one and a practicable first step.
Thank you, Dave Kennedy and Scott Wisby.
David Miller – Mar 14, 2023
Loveland, Ohio – The Life Food Pantry says, “A huge thank you to the Loveland High School Student Council for all the amazing goods donated to the pantry! The Loveland Schools and community are an enormous source of support for the pantry. Thank you so much for sharing the wealth for those who need a hand!”
CURRENT NEEDS
FOOD
• Canned Peas
• Coffee
• Crackers
• Manwich/Sloppy Jo
• Rice a Roni
• Taco or Chili Seasoning
HOUSEHOLD/PAPER GOODS
• Laundry Detergent
• Paper Towels
BABY
• Diapers, Pull-Ups, Wipes
SENIORS
• Ensure/Boost
Loveland, Ohio – World Frog Day is an annual celebration celebrated on March 20. All of us in Loveland, Ohio love frogs for their looks, appearance, and, their croak.
There may be a reason other than the fear of being shot while trying to cross Kemper Road that the Loveland Frog has not been seen since the 70s.
Most often they are tiny creatures, small in body, and will make us scrunch up our faces. Frogs are amphibians that can be found both on land and in water. They are considered to be predators and play an important role in preserving the environment throughout their lives. In recent years, however, frogs have been critically endangered for several reasons. World Frog Day is an awareness day celebrated to save these living beings and provide them with a safer environment to survive. (1)
March 20th is World Frog Day, which was created in 2009 to increase awareness of the plight of threatened frog species around the world. All amphibians, including frogs, are important components of the global ecosystem, as indicators of environmental health and contributors to human health. More than one third of them are currently threatened with extinction. Addressing the amphibian extinction crisis represents the greatest species conservation challenge in the history of humanity.
How many frogs are there?
We know there are at least 7,400 species of frogs (AmphibiaWeb), but sadly, we also know that at least 2,000 (28%) of these are threatened with extinction (IUCN Red List). The actual number of threatened species is no doubt considerably higher, because around 1,000 species (14%) have not yet been assessed for their threat categories, and for another 1,000 (14%) of them, so little is known about their status in the wild that they cannot be accurately assessed.
© Gonçalo M. Rosa
Why are they in trouble?
Many things are causing frog populations around the world to decline, and in fact, at least 35 species that we know of have gone extinct in recent times. Habitat loss and destruction is one of the worst problems, not only for frogs, but for many other species of animals and plants.
Many human activities contribute to habitat destruction and the decline of amphibians, including water pollution, the introduction of non-native species, climate change, agriculture, and urban development. Diseases, especially chytridiomycosis, which is caused by the chytrid fungus, are also having a massive effect on frogs, many of which are already under stress from the threats mentioned above.
What is Amphibian Ark doing?
The Amphibian Ark was created in 2007 to carry out the ex situ (captive) components of the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group’s Amphibian Conservation Action Plan.
AArk plays a key role in the ACAP, by evaluating the conservation needs for amphibian species and regions for conservation work; leading development and implementation of training programs for building capacity of individuals and institutions; and developing communications strategies, newsletters and other messages, and materials to promote understanding and action on behalf of amphibian conservation.
Since 2010, we have worked with scientists and researchers from 48 countries to develop conservation needs assessments and conservation recommendations for over 3,500 amphibian species. This work helps amphibian conservationists in those countries to develop and implement action plans for the most threatened species.
An important aspect of helping to implement amphibian conservation programs is to develop and lead amphibian husbandry training workshops, to build capacity of individuals and institutions in countries which have the highest numbers of threatened amphibians. Amphibian Ark staff and our partners have delivered 75 training courses, which included 2,680 participants, in 40 countries. These people are now using the skills they have learned to create and manage conservation programs in their own countries.
Who else is helping?
There are many local and federal government departments, universities, scientists and researchers, zoos and aquariums, and private organizations that are all doing their bit to contribute to saving amphibians and protecting their environments. Many, many dedicated Amphibian Advocates and Ambassadors who care for captive and wild amphibians are making a huge difference, helping to protect our most threatened amphibian species and their environments.
Amphibian Ark also works with key coordinating bodies in global amphibian conservation – the IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG) and the Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA) – to achieve a shared vision: Amphibians thriving in nature.
Is there anything I can do?
Yes, there is! Try to be a good environmental steward. As our environmental indicators, amphibians are telling us that we are doing damage to the health of the planet. Clearly, promoting better environmental stewardship will benefit our thin-skinned friends as well as human populations.
Get together with friends and collect the garbage from your local rivers, forests and wetlands. Make a new wetland in your backyard – even a small pond will help. If you build it, frogs will come! If you are surrounded by development and they don’t come, rescue eggs and tadpoles from local pools and use them to seed new populations – but only collect them from local areas!
© Rhododendrites
Try to manage your yard without using pesticides, fertilizers and weed killers, most of which are poisonous to amphibians. Try to use less water (e.g. turn off the tap when you brush your teeth or while you wash your hands), and follow the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Plant native plants in your garden which use less water and need less pesticides and fertilizers.
Your support is crucial to saving threatened species and we invite you to become an Amphibian Ark donor, helping to keep these species afloat! 100% of funds donated to Amphibian Ark will be spent on ensuring a long-term future for threatened amphibians, and donations to the Amphibian Ark are tax-deductible for most US tax-payers.
We must all work together to protect our precious environment and to prevent more species, including frogs, from declining and facing extinction! (2)