News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area
Without fear or favor
Since 2004
Loveland, Ohio – Here are the latest COVID 19 stats as reported by the agencies as of 10 AM Tuesday, June 23, 2020. Some data is not present because not all Health Districts report the same data.
(Right-Click and open in new tab or window to see a larger view.)
Loveland, Ohio – An application has been submitted on behalf of Joe Farruggia with Zicka Homes to re-zone property off North Second Street (St. Rt. 48) south of the Sentry Hill subdivision with the potential use to build a 28-unit condominium development.
A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for this Wednesday, June 24 at 7:30 PM at City Hall. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the proposal.
Assistant City Manager Tom Smith told Loveland Magazine this morning that a “concept of what could go in the area”, subject to the approval of the rezoning, could be 28 single-family attached townhomes. “The item up for discussion this Wednesday is for the rezone only. To date, no application has been submitted for the development of this area,” said Smith.
City staff is recommending that the re-zoning be approved.
The applicant is requesting re-zoning the property from the current zoning of Residential – Medium Density (R-MD) to Residential – Multi-Family (R-MF).
The area consists of approximately 5.529 acres of undeveloped land.
In a memo to the Planning and Zoning Commission dated June 24, Assistant City Manager Tom Smith said in part:
It is the opinion of City staff that the proposed rezone would be consistent with the recommendations of the Downtown Strategic Plan, surrounding land uses, and poses very little significance in the disparity between the two zones in question. Therefore, City staff dos not believe that the integrity of the code, surrounding land uses, nor their density requirements will be jeopardized with regards to the applicant’s request for rezone.
Policy Options
Recommend the proposed recommendation to the City Council for approval, deny the proposed recommendation, or propose an alternative solution.
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Planning and Zoning Commission make a favorable recommendation to the City Council for the approval of the applicant’s rezone request as stated in the applicant’s application.
You can see the entire proposal that the Commission will debate here: Blossom Hill Project
SAVE THE DATE: JULY 31st at 7 PM. The 2020 Swirl and Sip wine and beer tasting is back on.
“We are having 12 mini parties instead of one big event.”
Wine, beer, food, auctions… lots of fun while supporting the music programs in our Loveland schools.
The Loveland Music Boosters’ mission is to support music students in Loveland Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. We are entirely dependent on the financial support and volunteer efforts of our members – parents, students and music lovers in the community like you.
To contact the Music Boosters, email them at: lovelandmusicboosters@gmail.com
Loveland, Ohio – Over the past several months’ many citizens across Ohio have experienced the effects of COVID-19 and MANY have stepped up to help out those who have been hit the hardest by the pandemic. The former President of St. Columban’s Student Council Paul Laufersweiler and his sister Emily decided they wanted to make a difference by introducing St. Columban’s “Virtual Walk-A-Thon!” Paul will be entering Loveland High School in the Fall and Emily will be a sixth-grade student at St. Columban.
Every year St. Columban School partners with the Sisters of Mount Notre Dame to raise money for St. Julie School in Uganda. St. Columban’s Student Council, which is supervised by Chad Drinnen, an 8th-grade teacher at St. Columban, organizes fund-raising events throughout the school year in order to meet their ultimate fundraising goal. These events range from both basketball and volleyball tournaments to bake sales to $1 Out-Of-Uniform days to the largest event, the annual Walk-A-Thon.
Due to COVID-19 the school year was cut short which meant a number of the fundraising events didn’t get to happen including the popular 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament.
Paul’s mother Stefanie Badders Laufersweiler explained to us just how the idea of the “Virtual-Walk-A-Thon” came about.
Check out the videos below of the Laufersweiler’s fundraising journey!
Paul introducing the Virtual Walk-A-Thon for St. Columban School!
Paul announcing the Virtual Walk-A-Thon results!
Paul just graduated from eighth grade at St. Columban School and will be attending Loveland High School in the Fall. He has already successfully auditioned to be in the marching and symphonic bands. Paul has two sisters, Emily, who will be a sixth-grader at St. Columban, and Amy who will be a Junior at LHS. Amy is also in LHS’s Show Choir.
Paul told us he may want to study science in college, however, he also has taken an interest in the art of communication so he may want to study that as well.
“When I was really little I wanted to be a pizza pilot where I would fly around in a plane and drop-down pizzas to people,” Paul said. We then asked Paul if he would throw the pizzas out of the plane like frisbees and he responded, “Yes, I’ll get a thin crust, real crispy, so they won’t flop around!”
Here at Loveland Magazine, we are so proud of the younger generation for stepping up and making a difference during these difficult and unknown times! If you have a story about an act of kindness that has occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic feel free to contact us.
ITEMS NEEDED
Spiral Notebooks
5 Subject dividers
Composition Notebooks
8 Subject dividers
Dry Erase Markers
10 Subject dividers
Pencil Sharpeners
Post-It Notes
Pencil Cases Fabric w/zipper
Erasers for Pencils
Pencil Boxes
Pencil Sharpeners
Graph Paper
Scissors – Adult Size
Binders 1.5”
Binder 2”
Binders 2.5”
Binders 3”
by Sharon Raess
On August 15, 2020, the LIFE Food Pantry will host our annual Student Life Shop, back to school event at Prince of Peace Church in Loveland.
Last year, with help from our community, we gave away over 165 backpacks. It’s so rewarding to see the excited faces on the children as they prepare to go back to school.
Each registered LIFE Food Pantry client may sign up their school-age child for this event. Every student will receive a backpack filled with grade-appropriate supplies along with personal care items and school spirit wear.
Registration takes place in July. Please refer to our website for registration details.
For those of you interested in donating, a list of needed supplies is also posted. Lifefoodpantry.org.
Thanks again to everyone who has helped to make this event a success!
Sharon Raess is the Event Co-Chair of the annual Student Life Shop. Contact ger at lifefoodpantry@yahoo.com.
| Saturday, Jun 20: | 110 AQI | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups |  |
Ozone |
Loveland, Ohio – Based on forecasted weather conditions, (light winds, weak high pressure system, low percentage of clouds), the Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency is issuing an Air Quality Alert for Saturday, June 20. The Agency expects levels of ozone in the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” range.
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Do Your Share and Take these precautions:
• Take the bus, carpool, bike or walk instead of driving
• Refuel your vehicle after 8 p.m.; do not top off when refueling and tighten the gas cap
• Avoid idling your vehicle
• Combine trips or eliminate unnecessary vehicle trips
• Keep your vehicle maintained with properly inflated tires and timely oil changes
• Avoid use of gasoline-powered lawn equipment on Air Quality Advisory days
• Avoid use of oil-based paints and stains on Air Quality Advisory days
• Never burn leaves or other yard trimmings
• Always burn clean, seasoned wood in outdoor fire pits, fireplaces and wood stoves
• Do not use fire pits or fireplaces for non-essential home heating on Air Quality Advisory days
• Conserve electricity
Ground-level ozone is a health hazard because people breathe it.It is formed through a complex set of chemical reactions involving hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and sunlight on calm summer days where the weather may also be warm and humid. High levels of ground ozone affect the breathing process and aggravate asthma in chronic sufferers. The young, elderly, and those with lung diseases are especially susceptible. (Source Wikipedia)
For more information, visit www.SouthwestOhioAir.org.
Cincinnati, Ohio – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is located in downtown Cincinnati, on the banks of the Ohio River.
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center announced June 12 it will reopen July 24. The news comes after what has already been a three-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Freedom Center works toward its opening date, it is taking steps to ensure guests’ next visit will be safe and comfortable.
“The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a place of understanding and dialogue, where we confront our past in order to build a better, more equitable future and the climate we find our country in now makes our mission especially vital,” says Woodrow Keown, Jr., president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “We’re working diligently to reopen our museum in a safe and responsible way so that we can welcome our community home and work together for inclusive freedom.”
Among the steps the Freedom Center is taking to keep its guests and staff safe upon reopening is instituting timed tickets, which they are encouraging guests to purchase online. Timed tickets will help manage crowd capacity. The Freedom Center is using data on the average length of visit and updated building capacity according to social distancing guidelines to determine the number of tickets sold each hour. In the weeks after reopening, the Freedom Center will reevaluate ticket levels to adjust accordingly. Signage and floor markings will further help guests maintain the proper six feet of distance between groups. Additionally, theater seating has been altered to give guests six feet between each other. However, the status of the 300-seat Harriet Tubman Theater has not been decided, though the museum is hopeful it can reopen in a limited capacity.
Extensive cleaning protocols will ensure the building is cleaned and sanitized multiple times per day, including particular attention to high touchpoint areas like doors, elevators, handrails, countertops and restrooms. The Freedom Center is currently working to make all restrooms and hand sanitizer stations touchless. The Freedom Center is also amending operating days and hours so the building can undergo deep cleaning before opening each day and after close. For the safety of guests and colleagues, masks will be worn by Freedom Center staff at all times and they are asking guests to please do the same.
Due to their high-touch nature, some museum experiences will be altered or closed completely. Many of the museum’s interactives will either be made touchless or updated with foot pedals. Featured exhibition Motel X – which focuses on the combatting human trafficking through awareness and education – is also being updated to remove touch-based interactives but has been extended through September 7. The Rosa Parks Experience, an immersive virtual experience commemorating the Civil Rights icon’s historic demonstration on a Montgomery bus, will not be available upon reopening.
The Freedom Center will continue to share updates on its reopening procedures in the coming weeks.
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center opened in August 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, more than 1.3 million people have visited its permanent and changing exhibits and public programs, inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom. Two million people have utilized educational resources online at freedomcenter.org, working to connect the lessons of the Underground Railroad to inform and inspire today’s global and local fight for freedom. Partnerships include Historians Against Slavery, Polaris Project, Free the Slaves, US Department of State and International Justice Mission. In 2014, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center launched a new online resource in the fight against modern slavery, endslaverynow.org.
NPR reports that Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) is withdrawing her name from consideration as a Vice-Presidential candidate, “calling on the former vice president (Joe Biden) to pick a woman of color.”
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by Cassie Mattia
Loveland, Ohio – The talent in the community of Loveland and within the city’s school district cannot be denied! Over the past decade, there have been many LHS students and Loveland community members that have won both state and national awards for their talents. On May 18th, it was announced that another talented LHS student would be recognized for two pieces of artwork. Lilly Rohling, who will be a Senior at LHS was notified that her two artworks, “Shower Frenzy” (a colored pencil drawing) and “Inclination” (a video) were selected for the 2020 Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition. 300 winners were selected from 15 regions in the state of Ohio.
According to the press release sent out by Susanne Quigley, the Information Officer of Loveland Schools, “The exhibition, now in its 50th year, is open to all of Ohio’s 1,112 public and private high schools and dedicated to the educational and artistic advancement of talented youth in the state. The purpose is to provide budding artists with opportunities to advance their talent through scholarships and entering their work in a competition. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, no official awards ceremony – or actual exhibit – will take place this year.”
The Executive Director of the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition, Thad Ricker also shared his thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected 2020 student-artists.
“This was not the year that any of us had planned. One of the highlights of my school year is having the honor of recognizing Ohio’s talented young artists in person,” Ricker explained, “My heart is heavy for the 2020 student-artists who were selected for an exhibition that was never hung.”
Here at Loveland Magazine, we decided that we wanted the community of Loveland to get to know Lilly Rohling a little better so our very talented intern, Claire Beseler, orchestrated a few personalized questions to ask her. Below is our one-on-one written interview with Miss Lilly!
Please tell us about yourself!
Lilly I’m finishing up my junior year at Loveland and have pretty much taken every art class including photography, sculpture, graphics, etc. It’s what I’m most passionate about.
How long have you been pretty serious about your art?
Lilly I started taking it seriously when I was about 13 and I’ve worked on it every day since:) Even if it’s just doing one small thing to keep my mind in a creative spot.
Have any Loveland teachers inspired you and your artwork?
Lilly Going into my senior year at Loveland I’ve had every teacher in the art department for at least one class and all of them have inspired me to better myself and have shown me through their own passion that no matter where you are in life, art is something you can always have as something that is special to you.
What are your future plans after LHS?
Lilly Hopefully studying in some sort of design program at an art school.
What are your future life goals?
Lilly I’ll always have art as a way to express myself, and career-wise the dream is to be anywhere that allows me to think creatively, which I’m thinking right now will either be graphic design/illustration of some sort but I’m just going to see how things unfold in college and be open to whatever opportunities I come across. Mostly I just want to keep art in my life as a way to connect to myself and others.
What do you find most rewarding about creating art?
Lilly The process of thinking creatively and finding a way to communicate a part of myself in an interesting and unique way is what is most rewarding to me. I don’t worry much about the final product because if the process of doing it was an honest expression of myself, then the final product will reflect that, at least to me. It’s rewarding just to have the release of putting part of myself into a physical work of art.
Can you tell us about the two pieces of art that were selected to be featured? Which is your favorite piece?
Lilly Even though the still life took me weeks, I like the video because the idea is more personal to me. I was experimenting with stop motion for a class assignment and then thought it would be fun if I put two stop motion videos on top of each other. Then I started playing around with how the videos interacted and played off each other and it gave the project a different meaning. The process of trying something new and seeing where it takes you is what’s rewarding to me so I would say the video is my favorite. The still life is a fun capture of shower/bathroom products of mine that shows with vibrant colors the “frenzy” that can go into getting ready for the day.
Even though she titled her still-life “Shower Frenzy”, Inclination is quite the “Frenzy” too!
If you would like to see the full listing of this year’s Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition winners, click on the following link: http://www.govart.org/Documents/2020Winners.pdf.
CONGRATULATIONS LILLY! On behalf of Loveland Magazine and the community of Loveland we would like to express how proud we are of Lilly! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for her and her incredible artwork!
On Sunday, April 28, the sixth annual Golden Lion Awards Film Festival recognized students from across the Midwest, including two from Loveland High School: Sophomore Claire Beseler won a Mountain Lion Award for her short narrative film This Broken Mind and Senior Sam Richardson, who had a total of five films accepted into the competition, won the Mountain Lion Award for his film Cybersecurity Privacy and Safety (public service announcement category). Richardson was also an animation category finalist with Bombs Away and a finalist in the informational/educational category with his film Intellectual Property.
The Golden Lion Awards are produced and directed by The Underground Academy of Cinematic Arts. The competition is open to high school and middle school students in 12 Midwest states, as well as areas of an additional 15 states within 500 miles of Cincinnati.
Last month, Beseler’s film This Broken Mind was the winner of the short narrative category in the third annual New Media Film Festival at Mount Saint Joseph University. On Sunday, May 5, Richardson’s animation Bombs Away will be recognized at the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition awards ceremony for being in the top 25 out of more than 11,000 artworks submitted to the competition.
