Loveland, Ohio – Beginning Sunday, May 31, childcare providers in Ohio will be permitted to reopen if the providers can meet required safety protocols. Do you have all the information you need if you are returning your child to a daycare provider or choosing a new one? What about day camps?
Here is the FYI on what the providers need to do to comply with the guidelines from the State House.
To assist in the reopening of child care centers, Ohio will use more than $60 million in federal CARES Act funding to provide reopening grants to all of Ohio’s childcare providers, including family childcare, childcare centers, and both publicly-funded and private providers. More information on how to apply will be posted to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ website soon.
Governor DeWine also announced that Ohio will fund a research project to study best practices for controlling the spread of COVID-19 in childcare settings. Information gathered from the study will continue to inform childcare regulations moving forward.
The reopening date of May 31 also applies to day camps that can meet required safety protocols. A detailed list of guidelines and best practices for day camps will be available soon at coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Click HERE to open in a new tab to see a larger view of these Mandatory and Recommended Best Practices.
Families who relied on free or reduced-price meal programs when school was in session will receive approximately $300 to purchase healthy and nutritious foods to feed their children
Columbus, Ohio – Governor Mike DeWine announced that the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (OJFS) has received approval from the United States Department of Agriculture for its Pandemic EBT plan. The Pandemic EBT program was included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020.
The approval will allow OJFS to distribute SNAP benefits to 850,000 students across Ohio who relied on free or reduced-price meal programs when school was in session to have access to a hot, nutritious meal. The benefits will be mailed directly to students, and families do not need to apply to be eligible.
Families will receive approximately $300 to purchase healthy and nutritious foods to feed their children.
Loveland, Ohio – Citizens all across the state of Ohio are getting used to the “new” normal and aren’t hesitating in asking the question, “When will Ohio open up?” Thursday we not only received the answers we have been so anxiously waiting for from Governor DeWine we also received new information about Loveland “opening-up” as well from Little Miami River Chamber Alliance President, Cee Cee Collins.
Cee Cee joined me and Loveland Magazine Publisher, David Miller virtually through Zoom and she not only shared with us some of the life-saving measures the Chamber has taken to keep local businesses healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic but also provided us with some very positive predictions about Loveland’s financial recovery.
Loveland Magazine readers gather around the computer, virtually of course, and tune in to LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV’s Zoom interview with Cee Cee Collins…oh and don’t forget…WE ARE AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE SWEETHEART OF OHIO!
Each citizen in Loveland makes up an important piece of the community, but in saying that it’s up to the citizen as to what they do with their role as an important piece of that community. This is what makes up a community’s “D.N.A.”
Over the past two years, Loveland Magazine has been in search of community members that truly play an important role in Loveland’s D.N.A.
by Cassie Mattia
Loveland, Ohio –Many people from all over Ohio in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic have had to find “virtual” ways to communicate with their friends, families, and co-workers. The “Zoom” application (allows you to connect and hold meetings with anyone that also has the application virtually) has skyrocketed in popularity over the past couple of months as it has proven itself to be quite a useful tool for workplaces, schools, media outlets, and local governments to connect with one another.
Due to the social distancing regulations and the Stay At Home Order, here at Loveland Magazine, we decided to try Zoom for ourselves and conduct our first virtual interview for our Loveland Magazine readers! Our segment, “What’s In Loveland’s DNA,” has featured several amazing Loveland community members over the past year and the feedback from the community about the segment itself has been overwhelmingly positive. Instead of our typical sit down one-on-one interview in our LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV studio we decided to conduct our latest DNA interview using Zoom!
Mihaela Manova
We would like to take this time to introduce our newly selected DNA candidate, Mihaela Manova. Mihaela is not only the 2nd youngest DNA candidate we have ever selected she is also the first to be interviewed using Zoom at Loveland Magazine! Mihaela is a big part of the Loveland High School culture and an even bigger part of the Loveland community. Mihaela recently joined the Loveland Magazine team as a staff writer, quickly gained her very own climate column, and was recently promoted as Editor of our Covering Climate Now series, a global journalism initiative committed to bringing more and better coverage to the defining story of our time. Mihaela is a native of Bulgaria and visits her homeland often, making her the ideal choice to cover international stories. She has already begun impacting her adopted small-town home of Loveland with her inspirational voice! Mihaela is a member of Loveland High School’s Class of 2020 and has chosen to study Journalism at Miami University-Oxford in the Fall.
Mihaela recently did her own “What’s in Loveland’s DNA” segment on Madeline Killion which you can read HERE.
Loveland Magazine Publisher David Miller had many great things to say about Mihaela!
“Being from Bulgaria, Mihaela brings a unique perspective to our newspaper and has made an enormous impact on us,” Miller said, “Her youthful honesty, respect, and complete dedication to her craft are invaluable. It’s as if we have an international reporter on staff now. She has certainly altered Loveland’s and Loveland Magazine’s DNA.”
So without further ado, LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV presents “What’s In Loveland’s DNA: Mihaela Manova!”
Click below to see the exclusive Zoom interview with Miss Mihaela!
Read more of our, What’s in Loveland’s DNA” stories…
Loveland, Ohio – Summer will be here before you know it, which means football season is right around the corner! Many LHS athletes have been working hard during the Stay At Home Order so that they are prepared when competition starts up again. Coach Andy Cruse and his football players are one of the Tiger teams that have made sure that they are staying in shape for the 2020 upcoming season!
Coach Cruise told us that his players have not only been working hard but they have also been very creative with their workouts.
“One of the things we have tried to do as a football program to make sure we continue to make progress in the off-season is using the Team Buildr App. This app is great for bodyweight workouts and it also includes videos that show the proper technique for each exercise,” Cruse explained, “The app also has both dumbbell workouts and home gym workouts. We also created a 3k push-up challenge for the month of April, in which each player completes 100 push-ups a day. Many of our players are doing it with family members and often record themselves doing it to have a little fun with it. They are doing this on top of their regular workouts,” Cruse said.
Andy Cruse when he was introduced as the Tiger Head Coach in February of 2019 (File Photo)
Coach Cruse said that twice a week he is holding Zoom meetings with his players in order to get to know them better and discuss football.
“The Zoom meetings have been very positive. I think the players are really enjoying having interaction with their teammates and coaches during this time,” Cruse said, “We have encouraged our players to do position-specific drills as well. As a program, we are retweeting our players working out and spreading positivity as much as possible during this time,” Cruse added.
Due to all of the gyms being closed and of course, LHS athletes are not able to use any of the LHS facilities, Tiger athletes have been forced to get creative with how they are staying in shape. A few Tiger football players shared with us what they have been doing at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gabe Ogdan was a Captain of the 2019 team. (File Photo)
Gabe Ogdan said, “I’m lucky enough to have my own home gym, but still have had to get creative for certain things! It’s been interesting but with not as much school I’ve been able to devote more time to speed and agility training as well as weight lifting and bulking.”
Max Huddleston said, “My home gym is minimal, and for some exercises, I may not have the right equipment. For example for pull-ups, since I don’t have a pull-up bar, I’ll do them on a steel beam in my basement.”
Mason Moore said, “I don’t have a home gym and the heaviest dumbbells I have are eight pounds, so I have to do my best to get my workouts in with what I can make do. I use paper plates as ab sliders, I do pull-ups on a metal beam on my ceiling, and I do lots of cardio along with the bodyweight workouts our coaches have us do.”
My dad is a landscaper so he had some stuff I could get creative with. I used bricks and stones to do various things and made a bench out of stones and a board and used a tube and metal bars to make a bar. – Weston Manske
Zach DeWitt said, “I am thankful to have many opportunities to maintain and build upon what we have been building this offseason. The absence of a field, however, has made me turn the front yard and driveway into everything I need for speed and agility training.”
Luca Aquilino said, “Since I only have a couple of things of workout equipment I’ve been sticking to lots of bodyweight workouts from our TeamBuildr app. I’ve had to use wooden shelving in my garage to do pull-ups and I have had to put bands around trees and around my basketball hoop to add a little bit of weight to workouts.”
Weston Manske said, “My dad got a bench this past weekend so now I can use that but before I had to get creative. My dad is a landscaper so he had some stuff I could get creative with. I used bricks and stones to do various things and made a bench out of stones and a board and used a tube and metal bars to make a bar. At my mom’s, I have resistance bands and then I found cinderblocks in my shed I use. I’ve also found basketball hoops are good for pull-ups.”
Loveland, Ohio – With May arriving in just a few days, many LHS students are still trying to process that they will not be stepping foot back into their schools for the remainder of the academic year. LHS student-athletes also received some devastating news last week confirming that they would not be competing in their designated Spring sport for the remainder of the school year. With all of the unfortunate news, LHS coaches have been trying to place a positive spin on everything by providing their athletes with workouts that they can do at home as well as a variety of other motivational tools!
LHS’s Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, Brian Baugh, is one of the LHS Coaches that has really been dedicating a lot of his time during the Stay At Home Order to his team in order to keep them both motivated and dedicated to their craft.
“For Women’s volleyball, the Spring and Summer are extremely important for getting the girls ready for the season. Typically we would hold open gyms and lift throughout the week,” Baugh said, “Many of the girls would be participating in club season as well, but like every team, we have had to adapt. We are fortunate that at Loveland we have Strength and Conditioning Coach, Derek Berry, on staff. He puts together workouts that are pushed out to our players through the Team Buildr app. It’s a great way for the athletes to work out at home and for me to track their workouts.”
Coach Baugh told us that many of his players have gotten very creative with their volleyball training, creating things around the house to help them work on their skills. Many of the team’s siblings and parents are helping them at home with their skill sets as well!
LHS’s Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, Brian Baugh
“To me, the most important thing is to come together as a team, so that whenever we get back on that court, we are building each other up and have each other’s backs when things get tough,” Baugh explained, “We are fortunate that our future seniors are really leading the charge. We have great leaders in Maya Jepson, Diana Clark, Abbie Miller, Alex Miller, Faith Meece, and Ellie Egan. They are high character girls. They have created different competitions for the team to complete during the quarantine. For example, they did a baking competition where they baked and decorated cakes and then put them on Twitter to have fans vote for the best. They also created a virtual pepper video that they put on Twitter. We have been sharing baby pictures of each player and are having fans guess which player or coach is featured in the picture. We also have been holding Google Meets weekly to check-in on one another.”
Coach Baugh says he has been challenging his players weekly. One of the ways Coach Baugh has been challenging his team during the isolation period is by asking them once a week how they have improved as a player and a person. After the player comes up with their answer Coach Baugh has them share their response with the team.
“It has certainly been a challenge not being on the court, but I am so impressed with how the players have responded during this time off,” Coach Baugh said with pride, “I cannot wait to see how they go for that fourth straight ECC title this coming season!”
For more LHS sports updates stay tuned to the Loveland Sports 411 With Cassie Mattia!
Loveland, Ohio – Over the past couple of months many Loveland High School student-athletes have been patiently waiting for an answer as to if and when school and sports would start back up. Unfortunately, it was announced last week by Governor Dewine that Ohio students would not be attending school for the remainder of the school year meaning there would be no continuation of sports for the time being as well.
Due to the Stay At Home Order stipulations LHS wasn’t able to host their annual Winter Athletics Awards Ceremony, where the top student-athletes are honored for their Winter sports achievements. Here at Loveland Magazine, we couldn’t bear the thought of LHS student-athletes not being honored and recognized by the Loveland community for their fantastic sports seasons so we reached out to LHS’s Athletic Director, Brian Conatser to get a list of all the LHS Winter Sport Athletes that were recognized for their outstanding achievements.
Without much further ado here are your 2019-2020 LHS Winter Athletics award winners! Please don’t hesitate to give these student-athletes a virtual pat on the back or congratulations for amazing achievements!
Eastern Cincinnati All-Conference Awards
Honorable Mention
– Men’s Basketball – Collin Hedgepeth
– Women’s Basketball – Sophia Raby
– Wrestling – Jarod Mendoza
– Men’s Swim 100 Yard Butterfly – Evan Lucas
– Women’s Swim 100 Yard Breaststroke – Sarah Lolli
– Men’s Bowling – Ben Westley
– Women’s Bowling – Annelise Dartnall
– Academic Team – Clare Daumeyer
Second Team
– Men’s Swim 200 Yard Medley Relay – Brandon Day, Colin Blackburn, Evan Lucas, and Cade Jenkins
– Men’s Swim 500 Yard Freestyle – Brandon Day
– Men’s Swim 100 Yard Breaststroke – Colin Blackburn
– Men’s Basketball – Brenton Foust
– Academic Team – Ben Rupe
– Women’s Basketball – Tess Broermann and Kate Garry
– Wrestling – Michael Soupene, Kobi-D Milam, Jonah Rubio, and Semi Ozarslan
– Men’s Bowling – Alton French
– Women’s Bowling – Ashley George
– Dive – Riley Bullock
First Team
– Men’s Swim 200 Yard Freestyle – Brandon Day
– Men’s Basketball – Ian Cox
– Academic Team – Simon Grome and Alex Laman
– Women’s Basketball – Jenna Batsch and Jillian Hayes
– Wrestling – Brett Hogan and Jake Cotsonas
– Men’s Bowling – Matthew Rychlik and Jeffrey Scott
Swim – Brandon Day, Nami Cannon, Audrey Lund, and Amy Deem
Women’s Basketball – Kate Garry and Jillian Hayes
Wrestling – Jacob Cotsonas and Kobi-D Milam
Dive – Riley Bullock
SPORTSPERSON OF THE SEASON-WINTER 2019-2020
“Every year one Varsity Student-Athlete from each Winter program is chosen as the Sportsperson of the Season by their Coach. This award goes to athletes who demonstrate respect and responsibility for their community, school, team, and above all their character.”
Jeffrey Scott (M Bowl)
Riley Bullock (Dive)
Kayla Adkins (Cheer)
Ashley Gilker (W Bowl)
Jacob Cotsonas (Wrestling)
Kate Garry (W Basketball)
Joey Jeffcott (Academic Team)
Collin Hedgepeth (M Basketball)
Cade Jenkins (Swim)
EDWARD JONES – COMMUNITY STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARD
“We have a business in our community who has partnered with LHS to honor not just the outstanding athletic contributions but also good character and leadership within their sports team and school. Edward Jones, located in the business district of Old Loveland and owner Jeff Atkinson is honoring student-athletes for the fall, winter, and spring seasons. The LHS Athletic Department submits accomplishments for many of LHS’s student-athletes based on the criteria of LHS’s 4 CORE VALUES. Those 4 CORE VALUES are Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, and PRIDE. 1 female and 1 male athlete are chosen to represent Loveland High School Athletics as the Outstanding Student-Athlete for the 2019-2020 Winter Season.”
Jaden Walton (Swim Team) and Emma Christian (W Basketball / Athletic Photography)
STUDENT-ATHLETES and Teams who were ECC Champs and STATE QUALIFIERS FOR THE 2019-2020 WINTER SEASON
Dive State Placers:
Riley Bullock – 5th place
Swim State Placers:
Brandon Day – 2nd in the 200 Freestyle and the 6th 100 Backstroke
Wrestling State Qualifier:
Liam Hamill
ECC 2019-2020 CHAMPIONS
Women’s Bowling Team
Women’s Basketball Team (OHSAA SECTIONAL CHAMPS)
2019-2020 ECC Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Year
Jillian Hayes
2019-2020 ECC Women’s Varsity Basketball Coach of the Year
Darnell Parker
Stay tuned for your latest Loveland Sports news with me, Cassie Mattia!
Loveland, Ohio – Ohio is starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel and so are LHS’s coaches and athletes! Over the past couple of months, athletes and coaches have been in limbo waiting to see if their season will continue. During the COVID-19 outbreak, LHS’s Coaches have been hard at work with their athletes trying to keep them motivated and doing workouts even though they aren’t in school or competing. This week we spoke with LHS’s Men’s Tennis Coach, Thomas Sharpless, to see just what his athletes have been doing to stay in shape.
LHS’s Men’s Tennis Coach, Thomas Sharpless
Coach Sharpless gave a lot of credit to LHS’s Strength Coach for keeping his athletes in shape, but he also didn’t fail to recognize how dedicated his athletes have been during this time.
“Most of my athletes play tennis year-round at the club; however since the tennis clubs have been closed per the governor’s directions along with most of the local public courts, my players, like all Ohio athletes, are indeed having to find other means to stay fit,” Sharpless explained, “Luckily, we have an awesome weight coach at LHS and he has put together a nice list of dumbbell and free weight exercises for our players. I’ve shared this valuable resource with my players in the hopes that, if they have the equipment, they will utilize this information to stay in shape,” Sharpless added.
Sharpless had an unbelievable 2019 season leading his team to an ECC Championship! The Men’s Tennis team ended 2019 with a perfect 6-0 record and a 14-3 record overall.
We are excited to hopefully be seeing some Tiger competition very soon! Stay tuned to read more about what LHS coaches and athletes are doing to prepare for their potential seasons!
When: Currently we are here Monday-Friday 11:00-5:00 and Saturday 11:00-2:00 to answer calls, assist customers with ordering and curbside pick up.
Where: 370 Loveland-Madeira Rd. (This is NOT the retail store. It’s the door to the left of the store entrance.)
Why: Our retail store is currently closed but we are still filling online orders, custom orders, yard signs, banners, and decals.
During the current situation of COVID-19 we are offering FREE DELIVERY in the 45140 area code. Just simply select local pick up and enter your address in the COMMENTS section.
Columbus, Ohio – Athletes all over the state of Ohio are at a standstill as they wait to hear if their 2020 sport seasons will continue. Well the wait, for now, has ended as OHSAA announced last Wednesday that if school facilities reopen in early May Spring sports schedules and tournaments are in place and ready to go!
OHSAA’s Director of Communications, Tim Stried, and Executive Director, Jerry Snodgrass constructed and sent out a press release last Thursday addressing the state of Ohio’s concerns about high school athletes continuing their Spring sports schedules. Below are the plans OHSAA has put in place for Ohio High School Spring athletes.
“School facilities are closed through May 1 due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. If the closure is extended beyond May 1, the OHSAA will provide updated information. If school facilities do not reopen this school year, there will not be a spring sports season.
State tournament venues listed below are subject to change.
‘If the Governor and Ohio Department of Health deems it safe to reopen school facilities in early May, then we will have a shortened spring sports season that extends into June,’ said OHSAA Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass. ‘I commend our sports administration staff for putting the schedules together working on state tournament sites.’
Wednesday’s memo to school administrators also included details regarding Pupil Activity/Coaching Permits, annual awards certificates, District Athletic Board elections and academic eligibility for fall sports and college-bound seniors. The memo is posted at https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/school-administrators-update-april-8
‘We continue to applaud each of you for helping provide guidance and leadership to your coaches and your efforts to keep students engaged,’ Snodgrass wrote to school administrators in the memo. ‘This crisis has heightened the awareness that students want to be back in the classroom. Teachers want students back in the classroom. In our solid belief that school-based athletic programs are an extension of the classroom, we hold that same belief for our student-athletes and coaches. Getting kids back with coaches is much more than winning and we feel it a vital part of returning life to normalcy.’
SPRING SPORTS OVERVIEW
– If school facilities are closed for the remainder of the school year, spring sports will be canceled.
– The dates below for each sport are tentative and are based on the Governor’s optimistic direction that schools will reopen May 4. We will adjust accordingly.
– The mandatory no-contact period remains in place through May 1. No practices or group workouts may occur through this date, but the OHSAA encourages coaches to maintain electronic correspondence with their student-athletes.
– With a current return on May 4, the schedules below have been adopted for spring sports. Specific information relative to sectional and district tournaments, playing dates, seeding procedures, game sites, will all be provided in communications from the respective six District Athletic Boards.
– State tournament venues listed below are subject to change.
– If for any reason specific sites are shut down due to Governor’s orders, ALL sites will be shut down and tournaments will not be held.
BASEBALL
State tournament dates determined by the availability of Akron Canal Park.
Acclimation Period – May 4-8
Season Begins – May 9
Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 11
Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 17
Sectional Tournaments – May 23-30
District Tournaments – June 1-6
Regional Tournaments – June 11-12
State Tournament at Akron Canal Park (subject to change) – June 19-21
Season Concludes (regular-season games can be played up until this date) – June 27
SOFTBALL
Acclimation Period – May 4-8
Season Begins – May 9
Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 18
Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 24
Sectional Tournaments – May 30-June 6
District Tournaments – June 8-13
Regional Tournaments – June 15-20
State Tournament at Akron Firestone Stadium (subject to change) – June 25-27
Season Concludes (regular-season games can be played up until this date) – July 4
LACROSSE
Acclimation Period – May 4-8
Season Begins – May 9
Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 18
Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 25
Regional Qualifying – May 26-30
Regional Tournaments – June 1-7
State Semifinals – June 8-10
State Championships at Ohio Wesleyan University (subject to change) – June 13
Season Concludes (regular-season games can be played up until this date) – June 13
BOYS TENNIS
Acclimation Period – May 4-8
Season Begins – May 9
Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 18
Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 24
Sectional Tournaments – May 30-June 6
District Tournaments – June 8-13
State Tournament at Hilliard Davidson High School (subject to change) – June 18-20
Season Concludes (regular-season contests can be played up until this date) – June 27
TRACK AND FIELD
Athletic facilities at The Ohio State University will not be available in June, so the state tournament will be split into three different sites, per division. The details are below.
Acclimation Period – May 4-8
Season Begins – May 9
Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 25
Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 31
District Tournaments – June 9-13
Regional Tournaments – June 17-20
State Tournament – June 26-27
State Tournament Sites (subject to change): Division I at Hilliard Darby; Division II At Pickerington North; Division III at Westerville North
Season Concludes (regular-season meets can be held up until this date) – June 27″
For the latest news in the world of OHSAA, you can visit www.ohsaa.org. If you have any urgent questions about the tentative Spring sport plans contact Tim Stried at tstried@ohsaa.org.
Columbus, Ohio – The personal protective equipment (PPE) shortage in Ohio remains severe. Governor Mike DeWine today made a plea to healthcare workers using N95 masks to send them to Battelle which can sterilize up to 160,000 masks each day, making them reusable up to 20 times.
“I want to make a public plea to everyone using these masks – every mask is precious, please don’t throw them away,” said Governor DeWine. “We are trying to get more N95 masks in Ohio, but we still don’t have enough. When you throw a mask away you are depriving someone else of having a mask because we only have so many.”
Hospitals should contact Battelle at battelle.org to arrange for mask sterilization.
Watch this VIDEO where Battelle explains how it works…
Governor DeWine also thanked Apple and Apple CEO, Tim Cook, for recently donating 100,000 N95 masks to Ohio for frontline healthcare workers. The masks will be added to Ohio’s stockpile for distribution.
More PPE donations for frontline workers are still urgently needed. To donate, please visit coronavirus.ohio.gov
To assist in the reopening of child care centers, Ohio will use more than $60 million in federal CARES Act funding to provide reopening grants to all of Ohio’s childcare providers, including family childcare, childcare centers, and both publicly-funded and private providers. More information on how to apply will be posted to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ website soon.
Over the past two years, Loveland Magazine has been in search of community members that truly play an important role in Loveland’s D.N.A.
by Cassie Mattia
Be sure to tune in to 
Wednesday’s memo to school administrators also included details regarding Pupil Activity/Coaching Permits, annual awards certificates, District Athletic Board elections and academic eligibility for fall sports and college-bound seniors. The memo is posted at 
