We have very sad news from our Animal Ambassador Team that the tamandua pup born last week has passed away. The pup appeared to be strong, curious and alert. Mom Isla showed great maternal instincts during their time together and the two had an obvious bond seen in the form of cuddles, grooming and tiny squeaks from the pup. Yesterday, the team was devastated to discover the pup was unresponsive (the exact cause of death is not known at this time). This tiny tamandua pup was already loved and adored by many, as our community had been awaiting its arrival since they learned of Islas pregnancy back in October.
Loveland, Ohio – The induction into the Class 0f 2022 Loveland High School Athletic Hall of Fame will be on Friday, February 3 at Loveland High School. The time will be approximately at 7:30 PM between the JV and Varsity Men’s baseball games.
Loveland Athletic Achievement Award
Jeff Williams (right) escorts Tony Ricci and the game ball during 2019 Homecoming activities. (Loveland Magazine file photo)
Jeff Williams served as Loveland Athletic Booster President from 2005 to 2020.
There were three Loveland High School State Championships during his tenure for which he organized Tony’s dinners, championship rings, and state travel gear.
Jeff raised $500,000 for the first turf field and $750,000 for a weight room that is used by all athletes in grades 7 thru 12.
Jeff was responsible for the “Building Tradition” branding, creating the Friday Night football experience, revamping locker rooms, and the purchase of the “Bleacher Jersey” and two Tiger tunnels.
During his tenure, he established a long-term relationship with a spirit wear vendor. He challenged City Hall when they tried to ban candy from being thrown during the Homecoming Parade. Jeff started the tradition of ECC Champs and Senior dinners for all athletes at Tony’s Steakhouse. He revamped the Hall of Fame dinner and gifts.
Loveland Freshman, Like Waddell had 175 ground yards on 19 carries, and 194 total yards when Loveland High School won the state Division II championship in 2013.
High School Accomplishments
Graduated from Loveland High School in 2017.
Football
• 4 Year LHS Letterman 2013 through 2016.
• 2013 (13 wins – 0 loses) Division ll State Championship Team.
All ECC 2nd Team Freshman year.
All ECC 1st Team, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year.
ECC Offensive Player of the Year, Senior year.
All-City 1st Team Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior year.
All-City Honorable Mention Senior year.
Max Prep 1, 2nd Team All-American.
Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown MVP Junior and Senior year.
Edward Jones Student of the Month 3 times.
All-State Special Mention Junior year.
All-State Offensive Skill Player of the Year Junior and Senior year.
All-State Offensive MVP 3.
Archie Griffin Sportsmanship Award Senior year.
Tri-State Offensive Player of the Year Finalist Junior year.
LHS School Football Records
Career Rushing Yards 5600.
Career Points 500.
Career Touchdowns 83.
Career Receiving Yards 1699.
Single Game Rushing Yards 383 set on September 11, 2015.
Shattering nearly a half-century-old LHS record, Luke Waddell ran 19 times for 383 yards and scored 5 touchdowns at Oak Hills on September 11, 2015. (Read story…)
Single Season Rushing Yards 1784 (2013).
Single Season Points Scored 192 (2015).
Basketball
Varsity Letter Junior year.
All-ECC 2nd Team Junior year.
All-Conference Academic Junior year.
Charlie Harker Assists Award Junior year.
Baseball
Varsity Letterman Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year.
Most Valuable Offensive Player Freshman and Junior year.
Tiger Man Award Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year.
All-ECC 1st Team Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year.
Athlete of the Year Senior year.
1st Team All-Ohio Junior, and Senior year.
All-City Honorable Mention Freshman year.
All-City 1st Team Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year.
All-City 2016
All-USA Today Ohio 1st Team Senior year
East-West All-Star Senior year.
Cincinnati Sports Award Senior year
Cincinnati Athlete of the Year Finalist Senior year
Cincinnati Baseball Player of the Year Senior year
2016-2017 LaRosa’s Male MVP Finalist.
LHS School Baseball Records
Career Doubles 39.
Career Hit Leader 145.
Games Played 105.
30 Hit Club Freshman and Sophomore.
40 Hit Club Junior year.
100 Hit Club (105) Career.
College
Georgia Tech Yellowjackets Baseball. Three year starter.
Professional Baseball
Currently with Atlanta Braves’ minor league Mississippi Braves.
After more than hour behind closed doors, a bloc of Ohio Republicans led by state Rep. Derek Merrin, Monclova Twp., trooped through the Ohio Statehouse.
The faction — thirty-odd lawmakers who wound up on the losing side of the House Speaker’s race last week— climbed three floors and squeezed into the clerk’s office.
After pausing for photos they filed a new version of their proposal to make it harder for Ohioans to pass constitutional amendments.
The proposal asks voters to raise the passage threshold for future amendments. The idea proved controversial and ran out of steam at the tail end of the last legislative session.
But with the resolution taking center stage now, as spurned Republicans lock horns with new Speaker Jason Stephens, it seems clear many in the party aren’t ready to drop the issue.
New Year’s resolution
Right after his plan went off the rails, sponsor Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, said he was “Looking forward to January.” Stewart noted then that Republican numbers were thin — a point he’d warned about previously — but argued there was plenty of support in the caucus.
Angry brian stewart is interesting. Maybe one of stephens' promises to ohio dems was to kill any bills like hjr 6? 👀 https://t.co/LtVzqMc46N
The outlook got a bit murkier after the speaker vote. Stewart, an ally of presumptive speaker Merrin, was set to be a part of leadership this term. After the floor revolt gave the gavel to Stephens, Stewart seemed to indicate his proposal was collateral damage.
Wednesday, though, Stewart filed his “Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment” alongside more than 30 GOP co-sponsors. He noted two substantive changes from the previous version.
“The new version would require that signatures come from all 88 counties instead of just 44,” Stewart said. “If an amendment is going to apply to every Ohio and then every community should have a hand in putting that potential constitution amendment on the ballot.
“We’re also going to eliminate the cure period for constitutional amendments,” Stewart added. That period allows citizen-led organizations to gather additional signatures if their initial batch doesn’t meet requirements to make the ballot.
Even with Wednesday’s show of force, Stewart has a long way to go to get his resolution on the ballot. Three-fifths of the members in both chambers have to approve the resolution first. In the House, that’s 60 votes. Only 45 Republicans voted for Merrin in speaker’s race, and only 38 participated in Wednesday’s rogue caucus meeting — a handful of them over the phone.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. (Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty Images)
Getting the band back together
While Stewart counts votes, supporters outside the House appear to be gearing up for another try, too. After previously deferring to House lawmakers, Secretary of State Frank LaRose seems to be on board. Monday at Gov. Mike DeWine’s inaugural celebration, LaRose said he wasn’t done pursuing changes.
“What I was talking to the new speaker about and to Rep. Stewart about was the importance of getting this done,” LaRose explained.
“Today people might want to pretend or think that it’s about, abortion or redistricting or whatever issue, but 50 years from now, it could be about holograms and flying cars,” LaRose said. “We just don’t know what the things are that are going to come up, but if it can’t get 60% it probably belongs in the Ohio Revised Code and not in the Ohio Constitution.”
Here's the full letter. It also ties the issue to redistricting reform, and responds to the organized labor groups that rallied at the Ohio Statehouse yesterday. pic.twitter.com/ilhWLPiWM0
Shortly before HJR 6 stalled out, Cleveland.com obtained a memo written by Stewart urging GOP members to back the proposal. In it, he directly tied the effort to short-circuiting future abortion and redistricting ballot measures.
Opponents are lining up, too. In a statement Wednesday, Jen Miller from the League of Women Voters of Ohio promised a fight.
“For over a century, everyday Ohioans have had the freedom to collect signatures and pass ballot initiatives that make our lives better,” she said. “This resolution is unnecessary, unpopular, and undemocratic, and our broad coalition stands ready to defeat it.”
Deadlines
Democratic House Leader Allison Russo addressed the issue with reporters on Monday as well. She acknowledged “throughout even lame duck, speaking with both (Rep.) Merrin and Speaker Stephens, (the proposed amendment threshold change) was something that I expressed concern about.”
She didn’t directly address whether killing any future proposal was part of a deal with Speaker Stephens.
Stewart’s initial plan was to get the question on the ballot this May. To make that happen, lawmakers would need to pass the resolution by Feb. 1. Russo noted with leadership still figuring out committee membership, that’s not looking likely.
Stewart, though, argued his colleagues are ready to advance the resolution, and he put the ball in Speaker Stephens’ court.
“We certainly believe in introducing it today that we have ample opportunity to do that again,” Stewart said. “So we’re ready to pass it. It’s a question of whether the current leadership’s appetite is there as well.”
“What Representative Stewart deserves and what the citizens Ohio deserve is a debate on this issue,” Merrin chipped in. “We want to have a debate and see where see where the votes are at.”
Left to right, state Reps. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, Derek Merrin, R-Monclova Township, Brian Stewart, R-Ashville. (Photo by Nick Evans, OCJ.)
The math
For all their bluster, Merrin’s camp faces some challenging math. The chances of them peeling off a single Democratic vote are virtually nonexistent. Even if all 45 Republicans who didn’t back Stephens are on their side, they still can’t force a floor vote.
That maneuver, known as a discharge motion, requires a majority of members to sign on — at least under previous House rules. Convincing five members to back a discharge motion, and then fifteen to back a controversial ballot measure, may not be an insurmountable task, but it’s far from likely.
Speaking Wednesday, Merrin and Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, put special emphasis on the rules package for the coming session. They argued the House should set rules giving greater latitude to individual members and sap some of the speaker’s power to control the process or punish members.
Whether they’ll propose making it easier to force a vote is unclear. Why Speaker Stephens would go along with it if they did is similarly unclear.
For his part, LaRose kept things positive — focusing on the goal rather than the ways and means. He wants to see the idea advance “whether it’s in the next few weeks or the next few months.” And in a feat of understatement, LaRose brushed off its previous failure.
“The goal here was always to start a conversation,” LaRose said. “We’ve certainly done that.”
Cincinnati, Ohio – The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden got off to a great start on January 5 with the arrival of a healthy baby tamandua. Nine-year-old Isla gave birth early in the morning after being on birth watch for more than a month. The sex of the pup has not yet been determined.
“The birth window for tamanduas is 130-190 days, and Isla’s pup came at the very end of that window,” said Cincinnati Zoo’s zoological manager Julie Grove. “Our Zoo Volunteer Observer (ZVO) team has been monitoring Isla’s every move since mid-November, and our care team has performed regular ultrasounds to track fetal development. Isla’s keepers have established an amazing bond with her, and she cooperates fully with ultrasounds and other health-related procedures.”
This TikTok shared by @CincinnatiZoo highlights the hard work and dedication that the tamandua care team put into managing her pregnancy.
The long birth window created an opportunity for Zoo employees to participate in a baby pool. Each date/time guess was $5, and all proceeds will be sent to the Anteaters & Highways project (https://www.giantanteater.org/). The winner will be among the first to see the baby up close!
Also called the lesser anteater, the tamandua uses its long snout to sniff out ant, termite, and bee colonies. Long claws enable it to dig into nests, and a long sticky tongue licks up the insects. A single tamandua can eat up to 9,000 ants in a single day!
Look for pup-dates, including when you might be able to see the baby, on the Zoo’s social channels.
Batavia, Ohio – Commissioner Bonnie Batchler was elected President, and Commissioner Claire Corcoran, Vice President, of the Clermont County Board of Commissioners for 2023 at the January 9 annual Reorganization Meeting. Commissioner David Painter is also on the Board.
The 2023 meeting schedule for Regular Sessions was also established. The commissioners are scheduled to meet every Wednesday of the year, except for certain holiday weeks, and the second and fourth Mondays of the first six months of the year. All meetings are scheduled to begin at 10 AM. Commissioners are mandated to have at least 50 Regular Sessions during the calendar year.
Commissioners offered comments and reflections relating to 2022 and thoughts about 2023.
“This past year, and the past two years, have been two of the most rewarding years of my life, serving the county in a different capacity, working with Commissioner Painter, Commissioner Corcoran and the whole staff here at the county,” Commissioner Batchler said. “It’s been a pleasure getting to know people that I didn’t know before that work for this county. What dedicated people we have. I look forward to this coming year and business that is going to take place to move this county forward.”
“Excellent board, excellent staff here at Clermont County,” Commissioner Painter said. “Clermont County is definitely moving in the right direction… It was a great year. ’23 I think will be an even better year.”
Painter singled out the new Purina facility, work on State Route 32, small business expansion, Hamilton Safe consolidation, a new Land Bank, county investment in roadways, block grant projects, Juvenile Court expansion, a new sewage treatment plant in Newtonsville/Wayne Township, and Ivy Point. He said Clermont County has one of the lowest sales tax rates in Ohio.
“We did accomplish a lot in the past year,” Commissioner Corcoran said. “I think we need to reflect on why we are here. We are here as commissioners as leaders – and that means we are relying on everyone in this county.”
Corcoran mentioned county employees, elected officials, Economic Development, the Budget Management Office, Human Resources, judges, Safety…. and others in attendance. She cited social service agencies who work with Job & Family Services, the Clermont County Chamber of Commerce, and the Kiwanis Club.
“I just love that everyone comes together,” she said.
After the reorganization meeting, Corcoran was sworn in for a second four-year term.
Photo: (from left) Husband Jeff Corcoran, son Keegan Corcoran, daughter-in-law Amber Corcoran, daughter Kelsi Corcoran, and Commissioner Claire Corcoran.
Claire Corcoran says she looks forward to her second four-year term on the Board of County Commissioners and believes Commissioners will spearhead a collaborative effort to keep Clermont County moving ahead. She will be Vice President of the Comission.
Corcoran, has lived in Goshen Township since 2001. From 1974-1988, she worked in the Division of Domestic Relations for Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, where she was a manager focusing on home and child support investigations.
From 1988 to 2008, Corcoran worked as a supervisor and manager for Hamilton County Job & Family Services, responsible for a number of projects. From 2012-2015, she served as a Goshen Township Trustee, and from October 2015 through January 2016, as the interim township administrator. Corcoran also served on the Goshen Local School District Board from 2008-2011.
“We have accomplished a lot in the last four years,” she said. “And we will achieve much more in the future as we all do our part to keep the progress going.”
Photo: (from left) Husband Jeff Corcoran, son Keegan Corcoran, daughter-in-law Amber Corcoran, daughter Kelsi Corcoran and Commissioner Claire Corcoran
The Board of County Commissioners also made designations about service on a number of boards and committees:
• Board of Revisions, Batchler
• Automatic Data Processing, Corcoran
• Investment Advisory, Batchler
• Investment Advisory, Painter
• Records Commission (chairperson), Batchler
• Area 12 Chief Elected Official Consortium, Painter
* Area 12 Chief Elected Official Consortium (alternate), Corcoran
• Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments Executive Committee, Painter
• Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments Executive Committee (alternate), Batchler
• Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District Policy Committee, John McManus
• Tax Incentive Review Council, Painter
* Tax Incentive Review Council, Michael McNamara and Greg Bickford
* Prevailing Wage Coordinator, Mary Rains
• County Commissioners Association of Ohio Official Voting Representative, Painter
• Family & Children First Council, Corcoran
• Land Bank, Batchler
• Land Bank, Painter
• Planning Commission (alternate), Andrew Lawrence
• Jeff Harris was reappointed as county apiary inspector.
If you don’t have health insurance — or just want to explore your options — go to healthcare.gov on or before Jan. 15 to get covered with affordable health insurance now.
Having and keeping good quality affordable health care is personal for me. The Affordable Care Act saved my life.
In 2017, I walked into a doctor’s office with a nagging cough and walked out with a stage four cancer diagnosis. My Obamacare policy paid for the six months of chemotherapy and a month of radiation treatments I needed to be in remission today. As a small business owner, before the ACA I was only eligible for junk insurance. If I still had that policy, I would be bankrupt or dead.
Nobody knows what our future holds. From an accident to an unexpected diagnosis, we all deserve great health care when we need it. When we are sick or injured, our focus should be on healing, not living through sleepless nights worrying how to pay for it.
In the past, Affordable Care Act health insurance policies weren’t always affordable for some middle class Americans like me and perhaps you, too. At the time I was diagnosed, I did not qualify for financial help.
These health insurance savings are especially important for self-employed people, small business owners and employees, gig workers, temp workers, and older people who have retired but are not yet eligible for Medicare.
To find out what discounts you are eligible for (and also whether you may be eligible for Medicaid or other programs in your state), go to healthcare.gov and plug in your estimated income for 2023. If you live in a state with its own state-based health insurance exchange, you will be redirected to the website for your state.
The deadline for open enrollment is Jan. 15. After that date, you would only be able to sign up if you qualified for a special enrollment period — perhaps you moved, or experienced a life change such as getting married or divorced, or lost health insurance through your employer.
There is much more work to do, but we have come far on making health care more affordable in the past few years.
Even if you didn’t qualify for help before, the subsidies available through the Inflation Reduction Act mean that millions more Americans like you and I will get financial assistance. Take a few minutes to go through your options, and figure out what coverage possibilities you’re eligible for.
If there is more you want to know about open enrollment and your options, check out my CareTalk show and podcast, where experts answer your health insurance questions and talk through larger issues in our health care system.
Time is running out to ensure you and your family have access to affordable health care this year. The life you save could be your own. Get covered through healthcare.gov today.
A law recently signed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine finally removes derogatory language about people with disabilities from state law, a move years in the making.
Advocates praised the passage and signing of the Mental Health and Disability Terminology Act, introduced with bipartisan sponsors as House Bill 281.
The bill was years in the making, and removes words like “idiot,” “lunatics,” and “derangement” that were still a part of Ohio Revised Code.
“The words are very stigmatizing, they’re very traumatizing and antiquated,” said Katherine Yoder, executive director of Ohio’s Adult Advocacy Centers. “It’s one of those things that as society … and as people’s humanity evolves, language is the most obvious thing that changes.”
As the work began in 2021 to get the bill into the Ohio House, legislators reacted with surprise, mainly because they thought the changes had already been made.
State agencies were renamed in 2009 to remove the word “mental retardation” from county and state agencies, but the language remained in revised code.
Yoder said it’s common for people to think these language changes have been made to eliminate words so commonly known as pejorative, but those not working directly with people with disabilities may overlook changes that haven’t been made.
So, when the attempt to remove the language was put together in 2021, Yoder was relieved to find the legislative push led by organizations doing the work. It’s one thing to be supportive of the moves and take charge without knowing the world in which people with disabilities live, Yoder said.
“It’s another thing to kind of step back and allow that community or that cultural group to make the necessary changes and advocate for themselves,” Yoder said.
Part of the measure’s journey through the Ohio House and Senate was educating legislators in committee meetings. HB 281 passed quickly through the House with state Reps. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, and Tom Young, R-Washington Twp. at the helm.
“It’s something that obviously you have to seek out and you have to learn,” Yoder said.
The legislation was bolstered by a host of organizations, such as Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities, the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, Disability Rights Ohio, and the Mental Health & Addiction Advocacy Coalition.
“Emphasizing a person’s humanity and individuality rather than defining them solely by a specific characteristic fosters understanding and inclusion, and the use of people-first language in statute will promote more equitable access to the benefits of our laws and civil society,” said Erich Bittner, director of government relations for the Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities, during a November meeting of the Senate Health Committee.
For the Adult Advocacy Centers, language is particularly important because of the work they do helping crime victims who have developmental disabilities. Language is a “foundational piece” to avoid marginalizing individuals, and when Ohio Revised Code can be cited with antiquated language still included, equity is hard to achieve, according to Yoder.
In criminal justice, Yoder said there’s a gap in training for those investigating crimes where the victim has disabilities. From talking to victims to creating accessibility at courthouse for those attending court cases, the many layers of changes needed to help start with allowing the voices of the victims to be heard.
“The justice system was never set up with people with disabilities in mind,” Yoder said.
With the language changes approved, advocates are hoping to move forward with more changes, like increased representation in criminal justice with forensic interviewers, more specifically trained to help those with disabilities through criminal cases.
“The goal or the focus (of forensic interviewing) is not helping people with developmental disabilities find their voice,” Yoder said. “They already have their voice. It’s about allowing their voice to be heard.”
As the year goes along, advocates also hope to receive some of the remaining American Rescue Plan funds to help build facilities for advocacy work, and to tackle crimes like benefits trafficking – the victimization of people with disabilities for their government assistance checks.
The NFL powers-that-be threw that riddle at the Bengals Friday when the owners voted to potentially send the AFC North champion and 11-4 Bengals on the road to Baltimore for next week’s Wild Card playoff game if they lose Sunday’s season finale at Paycor Stadium (1 p.m.-Cincinnati’s Local 12) against the 10-6 Ravens and then lose a coin flip for home field.
Despite a better winning percentage no matter the outcome, the only way the Bengals can secure a Paycor playoff game next week is with a win over a Baltimore team that doesn’t have quarterback Lamar Jackson (knee) for the fifth straight game and maybe not backup Tyler Huntley (throwing shoulder), limited all week and called questionable by head coach John Harbaugh.
Loveland, Ohio – The LIFE Food Pantry is a faith and community-supported organization that provides food, financial assistance, and programs to those experiencing hardship.
BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE! The holidays have passed but the needs have not–our shelves empty as quickly as we can fill them. If you can help, please choose items from the list below and drop them off at the pantry at your convenience! There is a drop-box outside of the Pantry. Thank you for your support–we truly could NOT do this without you!
Here are the current needs of the Pantry:
You can download this list to your phone or print it to take with you while shopping.
