LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: David Miller

  • Retired Teacher and Coach Stan McCoy Jr. to be Honored

    Retired Teacher and Coach Stan McCoy Jr. to be Honored

    In September, Stan McCoy, Jr. was the Grand Marshall of Loveland’s Homecoming Parade.

    Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District has invited the community to a special event on Monday, December 13 at Loveland Intermediate School for a ceremony honoring retired teacher and coach Stan McCoy Jr.

    During the ceremony, the Loveland Intermediate School (LIS) gymnasium will be named in his honor.

    McCoy served the Loveland City Schools community for decades and the community is welcome to cheer him on as he receives this special honor. 

    The naming ceremony will take place between basketball games, in the LIS gym on Monday around 5:45 PM.

    Stan McCoy, Jr.

    The LIS Gym will carry the McCoy name, just as the Loveland Middle School Gym is named in honor of his father, the late Stan McCoy Sr. 

    McCoy is a graduate of Xavier University. He was a physical education teacher at Loveland Schools for nearly 30 years. He has coached eighth grade football, seventh and eighth-grade basketball, and track and field. McCoy is part of a family that has Loveland Tiger pride extending back three generations.

    McCoy once held the Loveland basketball season and career record for the most assists in 1970 through 1973.  He had quite a career playing Xavier basketball back in his college days. He was head coach, Tay Baker’s first recruit.

    In December of 2020 McCoy received the Community Service Award from the City Recreation Commission that is named after his father. The “Stan McCoy Sr. Award” is presented annually, with the criteria that nominees be “persons of quality and integrity, who with love and enthusiasm for the Loveland area, have worked to sustain and improve the community.”

    In September, McCoy was the Grand Marshall of Loveland’s Homecoming Parade.

    He grew up in Loveland with his mother and father and three athletic sisters. McCoy has told Loveland Magazine that he was inspired by his father Stan McCoy Sr, also a Loveland High School athlete who graduated in 1943, who later became a history and physical education teacher at Loveland High School, as well as the head football coach, athletic director, assistant principal, and assistant superintendent.

  • Loveland’s Christmas Tree Lighting Kicks off the Holidays for the Community!

    Loveland’s Christmas Tree Lighting Kicks off the Holidays for the Community!

    by Cassie Mattia

    Loveland, Ohio – Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree thank you for lighting up Loveland so beautifully! 

    The community gathered around one another on Saturday night as the City of Loveland celebrated its first Community Christmas Tree Lighting. The festive fun-filled night kicked off at 4 PM with local holiday gift vendors that sold everything from Hot Chocolate Bombs to homemade mitten ornaments from J Timmerman Pottery to jewelry made from silverware from Silverware to Wearable Art. Alley Boutique, Blume, and Haven Grey also participated in the festivities allowing the community to shop in their festively decorated stores until 7 PM.

    The beautifully illuminated Browns Crossing along the Loveland Bike trail featured local food trucks Travelin Tom’s Coffee and Hot Chocolate and Smokin Inferno BBQ, as well as Christmas activities for the kids, a vintage holiday photoshoot with Old School Pix and the infamous Dancing Elves, Toys For Tots Stuff a Cruiser Toy Drive hosted by the Loveland Citizens Police Academy Alumni, and Trailside Provisions Christmas Cupcakes, Brownies, Caramel Apples, and several holiday gourmet popcorn combinations. The Loveland Girl Scouts also came out for Loveland’s special night as they entertained crowds of friends and families with Christmas carols! 

    As the night grew dark and the Christmas lights shined bright, at around 7 PM Mayor Kathy Bailey lit the gigantic magical Loveland Christmas Tree, and shortly after Rozzi Fireworks put on a “merry” night-ending firework show.

    I decided to bring some of my family along with me to the Christmas Tree Lighting celebration, including my 2 furbabies, Dean and Nala. Wow were we impressed with how flawless the night came together for the City of Loveland and the community! The endless amount of lights, Christmas decor, holiday activities, Christmas treats, and gift ideas from some very talented local vendors made the night that much more special.

    The Loveland Christmas Tree was quite the spectacle once it was completely illuminated! Throughout the night I couldn’t help but revisit the Tree over and over again. As I stared up at the lights, and glistening candy canes I realized that Loveland truly had succeeded in becoming a Christmas Winter Wonderland! 

    After walking through Browns Crossing bike trail light spectacle I decided to grab some homemade Christmas gifts from J Timmerman Pottery and Silverware to Wearable Art! Shortly after I of course had to visit Trailside Provisions to get my weekly popcorn fix. This time I chose a caramel popcorn drizzled in dark chocolate and I am not ashamed to say I ate the entire bag in just 2 days! Next, I decided to stop by Old School Pix’s holiday vintage photoshoot where they snapped photos of myself, Adam, and the Dancing Elves in a vintage truck all decked out in Christmas decor. After wandering around Loveland’s Winter Wonderland, the night ended perfectly with a firework show put on by Rozzi’s Fireworks!

    • My Christmas Themed Balcony
    • My Neighbors Unbelievable Christmas Display
    • J Timmerman Pottery Coffee Mug I Bought in Support of Local Vendors
    • Old School Pix Snapped a Photo of Adam and I in Their Vintage Truck Decked in Holiday Decor
    • Old School Pix Decided to Get a Photo of us With the Dancing Elves
    • Silverware to Wearable Art Elephant Inspired Earrings Made from Forks That I Bought for my Best Friend Stacie
    • J Timmerman Pottery Mitten Ornament

    For more photos and videos from Loveland’s best events stay tuned to the Loveland Salad With ME, Cassie Mattia!

  • [Highlight Reel] LHS Women’s and Men’s basketball

    [Highlight Reel] LHS Women’s and Men’s basketball

    Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland High School Women’s and Men’s varsity basketball teams are into their 2nd and 3rd weeks of their season.

    The Women are currently 3-2 (3-1) and host Winton Woods 5-1 (3-1) tonight at 7:30 in their Chuck Schmidt Gymnasium. Josie Early is the Tiger’s leading scorer averaging 10.4 points/game followed by Olivia Raby with a 9.6 average. The women are fresh off three last-minute victories – Kings in overtime 47-46, West Clermont 33-30, and last Saturday, Walnut Hills 39-36.

    The Men 3-1 (1-1) traveled to Kings last night and brought home a 68-60 victory provided by the hot 3-pt shooting of Jack Sauer who shot 6 for 7 from behind the arc, and Ben Kirlin who was 4 for 7. Sauer finished with 19, followed by Dylan Schwinn with 18, and Kirlin with 15. They play next this Friday at home against West Clermont 0-1 (0-1).

    Jack Sauer is averaging 12.5, Brayden Frietch 11.5, and Dylan Schwinn 9.8.

    Here is a highlight reel of both teams in action as they began their season.

  • Red Cross: Donors needed now to address historically low blood supply

    Red Cross: Donors needed now to address historically low blood supply

    To encourage donors to help address the historically low blood supply this holiday season, all who come to give Dec. 17-Jan. 2 will receive an exclusive Red Cross long-sleeved T-shirt, while supplies last.

    Nearly two years into the pandemic, everyone has earned a holiday break with their family and friends. But as the nation gathers again for celebrations this season, the American Red Cross, which provides 40% of the country’s blood, is facing historically low blood supply levels. 

    Busy holiday schedules, breaks from school and winter weather all contribute to a drop in blood and platelet donations this time of year. Those factors, combined with the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, make it vital for donors to make an appointment to give as soon as possible. If more donors don’t come forward to give blood, some patients requiring a transfusion may potentially face delays in care. 

    Donors are urged to schedule an appointment now by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). There is no blood donation waiting period for those who have received a flu shot or a Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine or booster, so long as they are symptom-free.   

    To encourage donors to help address the historically low blood supply this holiday season, all who come to give Dec. 17-Jan. 2 will receive an exclusive Red Cross long-sleeved T-shirt, while supplies last.

    Blood drive safety 

    Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions – including face masks for donors and staff, regardless of vaccination status – have been implemented to help protect the health of all those in attendance. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the drive. 

    Upcoming blood donation opportunities Dec. 17-Jan. 2

    KY – Boone County

    Florence

    12/20/2021: 1 PM – 6:30 PM, Florence Mall, 2028  Mall Road

    12/21/2021: 2 PM – 7 PM, Vineyard Church, 7101 Pleasant Valley Road

    OH – Hamilton County

    Cincinnati

    12/23/2021: 9 AM – 2 PM, Greater Cincinnati American Red Cross, 2111 Dana Avenue

    12/30/2021: 9 AM – 2 PM, Greater Cincinnati American Red Cross, 2111 Dana Avenue

    Donors can also save up to 15 minutes at the blood drive by completing a RapidPass®. With RapidPass®, donors complete the pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of donation, from a mobile device or computer. To complete a RapidPass®, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Red Cross Blood Donor App.

    To donate blood, individuals need to bring a blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification that are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also must meet certain height and weight requirements.

    Health insights for donors 

    At a time when health information has never been more important, the Red Cross is screening all blood, platelet and plasma donations from self-identified African American donors for the sickle cell trait. This additional screening will provide Black donors with an additional health insight and help the Red Cross identify compatible blood types more quickly to help patients with sickle cell disease who require trait-negative blood. Blood transfusion is an essential treatment for those with sickle cell disease, and blood donations from individuals of the same race, ethnicity and blood type have a unique ability to help patients fighting sickle cell disease.    

    Donors can expect to receive sickle cell trait screening results, if applicable, within one to two weeks through the Red Cross Blood Donor App and the online donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org.  

    About the American Red Cross

    The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org/Cincinnati or cruzrojaamericana.org, or join us on social media @ARCcsor

  • Loveland student COVID 19 cases double to highest of school year

    Loveland student COVID 19 cases double to highest of school year

    Loveland, Ohio – At the beginning of each week, the Loveland City School District releases their latest Covid 19 Dashboard.

    NOTE: On November 1st the District District implemented new Close Contact guidelines…

    Note the correction to the 10/3/ report and that community cases increased from 51 to 62.

  • Kathy Bailey elected to a 3rd term as Mayor

    Kathy Bailey elected to a 3rd term as Mayor

    Kip Ping, City Manager Dave Kennedy, Kathy Baily, John Hart, Tim Butler, Kent Blair, and Ted Phelps

    EDITOR’S NOTE: THE TERMS FOR MAYOR AND VICE-MAYOR ARE 2-YEAR TERMS. Bailey will serve a 3rd term.

    Loveland, Ohio – Kathy Bailey was nominated by Councilman Ted Phelps tonight to serve a second term as Mayor of Loveland. She will serve a second four-year term. The vote was 6-1 with Andy Bateman, Kip Ping, Kathy Bailey, John Hart, Ted Phelps, and Kent Blair voting “yes”. Tim Butler voted, “no”.

    Both Hart and Ping took the oath of office as newly elected members of the City Council.

    Andy Bateman nominated Ted Phelps to serve as Vice-Mayor for the next four years. The vote was unanimous.

  • Cassie the Food Guru Visits Dolph’s Dogs!

    Cassie the Food Guru Visits Dolph’s Dogs!

    by Cassie Mattia

    Loveland, Ohio – What do the holidays mean to you? Being from a very Italian family, during the holidays I’m always surrounded by family, friends, and a delicious yet large amount of homemade food! This is why I thought now would be the perfect time to go on my next Food Guru excursion, only this time I decided to hit up Dolph’s Dogs, a traditional yet elevated local Hot Dog Cart.

    Dolph Himmelbauer moved to Downtown Loveland 5 years ago and has become a huge part of the community that he says, “Is the best, most welcoming place he’s ever lived in.” After being in the business world for several years, Himmelbauer made the decision after the Covid-19 pandemic hit to start his own business. Although he was a little unsure at first about what business he wanted to go into he knew he wanted to do something that Loveland had a need for.

    At the beginning of 2021, Dolph’s Dogs came into conception! Himmelbauer came up with the idea after hanging out in Downtown Loveland late one night and realized that there weren’t any readily available food options. Himmelbauer already had a love for hot dogs so he thought why not start a hot dog business only let’s not serve them in a restaurant, but on a mobile cart! Flash forward a few months and Himmelbauer had secured a mobile cart, a few great serving spots in the Downtown Loveland area, and an absolutely delicious product.

    Now, Himmelbauer is not only consistently serving his elevated hot dogs around town and selling out most weekend nights, but he is also being booked for parties and events, one of the events being Loveland’s first-ever Oktoberfest! According to Himmelbauer all the success with Dolph’s Dogs has been an absolute whirlwind and he couldn’t be more grateful for the support from his family, friends, and the community of Loveland!

    Without further ado I Cassie the Food Guru brings to you an exclusive one-on-one Loveland Magazine TV interview with Dolph Himmelbauer, owner of Dolph’s Dogs! There’s no way you won’t want one of these delicious dogs after watching this!

    For more stories and interviews on Loveland’s food culture stay tuned to Cassie the Food Guru!

  • At-home COVID tests to be covered by insurance — but details still to come

    At-home COVID tests to be covered by insurance — but details still to come

    BY: LAURA OLSON – OHIO CAPITAL JOURNAL

    An at-home COVID-19 test kit. Photo by Laura Olson, States Newsroom.

    Washington, D.C. – State health officials on Thursday welcomed the Biden administration’s plan to require private health insurers to reimburse Americans for the cost of rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests — though the officials also raised questions about whether the process will be burdensome.

    Making those tests more accessible will allow Americans to get results quickly and in the privacy of their own homes. That change may encourage more people to swab their nose when they first notice potential symptoms, experts from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials told reporters.

    “In this next phase of the pandemic, rapid access to rapid testing will be key,” said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of Maine’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adding that it can help to combat potential surges and to pinpoint infections quickly so antiviral treatments can be used.

    But several challenges could limit the impact of the cost reduction.

    That includes lingering problems with sufficient supplies, uncertainty about the details of the reimbursement process, and questions about any potential effect on the data that’s reaching state and local health departments about infections in their communities.

    Official guidance in January

    Under the proposal that President Joe Biden announced Thursday, three federal departments — Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury — will issue official guidance by Jan. 15 that will detail what exactly private insurers must cover when it comes to rapid COVID-19 tests.

    Those insurers already are required to pay for the PCR tests that must be sent to a laboratory for processing and take longer for results.

    The upcoming change requiring insurance coverage of rapid, at-home tests, won’t be retroactive. That means Americans who have been shelling out roughly $25 for a package containing two of the popular Abbott BinaxNOW rapid tests can’t submit receipts for tests they’ve already purchased.

    Other details of that requirement were unclear Thursday, including if there will be any limitations on the number of at-home tests that must be covered.

    While the Biden administration has sought to reduce supply bottlenecks in producing those tests, Shah said some states are still having difficulty acquiring large volumes of the Abbott at-home tests.

    That brand, which has been found to be highly accurate, has been relied on heavily even as more options have come on the market. Part of that demand comes from familiarity: Those administering tests in large settings have become familiar with their use.

    What if you test positive?

    Another challenge with increasing the use of at-home tests will be ensuring that individuals know what to do if they test positive.

    Michael Fraser, ASTHO’s chief executive officer, said state health officials have been discussing whether those at-home tests should include an insert to help explain who to call and other next steps, so that contact tracing can occur.

    “There is some concern that with the increase in at-home testing, getting those results reported to state health departments might be difficult, because the result doesn’t automatically go to public health authorities,” Fraser said.

    However, there won’t be many results to get to state and local health officials if Americans with private insurance balk at fronting the money for tests while they await reimbursement.

    Shah said a more accessible model would be to have individuals show their insurance card at a pharmacy as they would when getting a flu shot or picking up a prescription, rather than being charged at the register.

    Having to pay for the tests, then wait for repayment, “introduces an access challenge for a lot of folks,” he said.

    The Biden administration also plans to boost the number of free at-home tests distributed at community health centers and rural clinics, though those are intended to aid those who are not covered by private insurance.

  • Remembering Buddy Gray during the holiday season

    Remembering Buddy Gray during the holiday season

    by David Miller

    David Miller is the Publisher and Editor of Loveland Magazine

    After publishing the story this week about Gianpaolo Scheve the Loveland teen who launched a blanket drive for Cincinnati’s homeless, I was reminded of my friend Buddy Gray who founded one of the charity organizations that Gianpaolo is supporting. (Loveland teen launches blanket drive for Cincinnati’s homeless at age 12, raises $11,000 and distributes 1100 Blankets over 5 Years)

    This LOVELAND MAGAZINE HD VIDEO below is one I took of my friend Bonnie Neumeier speaking to a crowd of nearly 200 people, gathered at the Drop Inn Center in downtown Cincinnati on the fifteenth anniversary of the assassination of Buddy Gray on November 15, 1996.

    Stanley “Buddy” Gray, the founder of the Drop Inn Center on 12th Street in Cincinnati, was shot with a handgun in his office at the center by a mentally ill man that Buddy had taken off the streets and found an apartment for. The shooting death came after an intense hate campaign targeting Buddy, with signs being posted on telephone poles that said, “Stop Buddy Gray”. He was 46-years old when he was killed. The “official” excuse for shooting Buddy was that the man believed Buddy was pumping poisonous gas into the man’s apartment.

    Neumeier said that she walked and worked side-by-side with Buddy for twenty-three years. She said, “There’s nothing like a friendship forged through struggle.”

    She describes Buddy as a very intense man with great passion and soul who loved the people in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. “Over the Rhine was in his soul, and Buddy’s soul is in this land, in this place, on this corner, in this city, and across this United States and the world.”

    Neumeier also said that “Buddy was a simple man who loved simple things. He saved his shoes so he could remember places where he had been.”

    Buddy once told me, while we were sitting on the concrete floor where food was stored at the Center, that he also loved Loveland, Ohio where he came to visit at Grailville and to fish on the Little Miami River near Nisbet Park. Loveland’s natural areas and green spaces were where Buddy came for respite and be able to turn his back on the world without anxiety. This, one of many lessons I learned from Buddy, was just how incredibly important green spaces are to a healthy community and why I still do all I can to preserve as much of the natural world as I humanly can. Losing one of my best friends to senseless gun violence will also explain my opposition to the proliferation of handguns and assault rifles in Loveland.

    Pointing to a long timeline stretching along the wall of the Drop Inn Center, Neumeier said that she and Buddy described the “Over the Rhine People’s Movement” as a freedom train, and they would say to each other, “Anybody – hop a’board.” She concludes her remarks by reading a letter that Buddy had written to her about hope.

    Photo courtesy of Shelterhouse

    I sobbed uncontrollably the afternoon I got home from work and learned that my friend had been assassinated. My knowledge of the shooting was that the shooter had lost sight of reality and was simply answering the call – the man was doing what he felt was a favor for the neighborhood – “Stop Buddy Gray”.

    I knew Buddy as the man who saved countless lives, including his assassin’s. His Center, was from my experience working there off-and-on for several years, a hospital of last resort. It was where hopeless men and women migrated to when all the other agencies and the area’s finest families, hospitals, and police departments failed.

    The hospital that went by the name, Drop Inn Center and operated for 37 years, is now is called the Shelterhouse.

    In 2015 the Drop Inn Center officially became Shelterhouse; operating as two new homeless shelters: The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women at 2499 Reading Road in the Mt. Auburn suburb of Cincinnati and the David and Rebecca Barron Center for Men at 411 Gest Street in the Queensgate neighborhood, just west of downtown Cincinnati.

    Shelterhouse needs you now as much as ever, not just because it’s the Christmas season, but the coming of winter.

    After watching this video, please visit their Web Site and learn more about the work they do. Then volunteer or send money, and place yourself into the Over the Rhine People’s Movement timeline and “Hop a’board” the Freedom Train.

    Bonnie Neumeier speaking about Buddy Gray from Loveland Magazine on Vimeo.

  • Fireworks Alert for tonight from Historic Downtown

    Fireworks Alert for tonight from Historic Downtown

    Loveland, Ohio – There will be fireworks set off tonight as part of an event in the Historic District. The time is approximately 7 PM.