Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Police Department reported today on Facebook that a resident received a phone call claiming to be from the federal attorney general in Washington DC. “They told the resident their Social Security number had been compromised and asked for the number to confirm it so they could clear false reports.” The resident hung up on the scammer, however, they called back a few minutes later claiming to be a Loveland police officer with the police number on the caller ID.
The post concluded with:
“Our officers will NOT call under such circumstances. Do NOT give your personal information. A reminder that the Loveland Police Department will also never solicit donations over the phone or mail.”
Beware of Scammers Claiming to be Ohio Homeland Security
OHS Phone Number Spoofed; Don’t Fall for Telephone Scams
COLUMBUS – The Ohio Department of Public Safety has received reports of a possible scam being perpetrated on Ohioans today from scammers claiming to be from Ohio Homeland Security (OHS).
Ohio residents have reported receiving phone calls from scammers claiming to be from OHS and informing the call recipients that their identity had been stolen. Caller ID on these calls indicate the calls originated from the OHS main line 614-387-6171, but they did not; the Ohio Homeland Security main line was spoofed. Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity.
“If you receive these calls, don’t fall for this scam,” said Ohio Homeland Security Executive Director Brian Quinn. “Hang up immediately and report it to either your local law enforcement or the Statewide Terrorism Analysis and Crime Center (STACC) at 1-877-647-4683.”
Ohio Homeland Security, a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, does not investigate personal identity theft and would not make these kinds of phone calls to Ohio residents.
Do not fall victim to telephone scams. Tips to protect yourself from telephone scams include:
Register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry.
Be wary of callers claiming that you’ve won a prize or vacation package.
Do you know that when you turn your lights on, you can thank DLewis Latimer who is responsible for the incandescent version of the light bulb we still use today?
Lewis Latimer was the child of, slaves, a sailor in the Civil War and an Assistant to Alexander Graham Bell.,
Do you know, Sarah Boon who was born into slavery designed the modern tapered ironing board and was one of the first Black Americans to be issued a patent? Her design is still used today.
But now that the second 501(c)(4) dark-money group, Generation Now, has pleaded guilty to being at the heart of one of the biggest bribery and money laundering scandals in Ohio history, Gov. Mike DeWine is refusing to discuss what one of his top aides was told when he formed the first dark money group, Partners for Progress.
Generation Now pleaded guilty earlier this month to being the major conduit of money between Akron-based FirstEnergy and related organizations and the effort to pass House Bill 6, a $1.3 billion bailout that mostly went to two nuclear plants FirstEnergy started spinning off in 2016. DeWine signed the bill into law in 2019.
Last summer, federal authorities arrested then-Speaker Larry Householder and four associates as part of the scandal and two of the associates later pleaded guilty.
As he announced the arrests, U.S. Attorney David DeVillers stressed that the dark money made the massive scandal possible.
“I don’t see how (the conspiracy) could possibly have happened” without it, DeVillers said.
The feds haven’t accused DeWine’s aide, Legislative Affairs Director Dan McCarthy of wrongdoing, but they refer to his dark-money group in an affidavit supporting Householder’s arrest as “Energy Pass-Through.”
Among the activities Generation Now pleaded guilty to was engaging in transactions “designed to conceal the nature, source, ownership and control of the payments” from FirstEnergy and associated companies.
But DeWine and McCarthy don’t want to discuss whether McCarthy intended to obscure that FirstEnergy was bankrolling an effort to prop up nuclear plants it was spinning off.
Asked last week about the matter, DeWine Press Secretary Dan Tierney pointed to a statement McCarthy issued last summer when The Cincinnati Enquirer first reported that he’d started a dark money group that helped fund the HB 6 effort.
In it, McCarthy explained that in addition to his lobby work for FirstEnergy, he had also worked with people who had adversarial relationships with Householder and one of his indicted associates, Neil Clark, so “any insinuation I was involved in this disgusting scheme is without merit.”
But he didn’t explain why he founded Partners for Progress two days after the founding of Generation Now, or why a week later his dark money group got $5 million from FirstEnergy and within a month it was forwarding some of that money to Generation Now.
In early 2019, McCarthy stopped lobbying for FirstEnergy and resigned as president of Partners in Progress to become DeWine’s legislative affairs director. The following October, while McCarthy was advocating for HB 6 in that capacity, FirstEnergy and associates wired $20 million to McCarthy’s former money group and it forwarded $10 million of that to Generation Now the same month, the federal affidavit said.
Despite these and other revelations about DeWine appointees, DeWine on Tuesday declined to give a more complete explanation of what McCarthy believed he was doing when he started Partners for Progress and began funneling money into a now-guilty dark money group.
“As far as I know, Dan McCarthy has been well-respected for many, many years, long before he started working for me as our legislative director and I have faith in his integrity,” DeWine said.
Subcommittees on K-12 and higher education are beginning their discussions on the new operating budget this week, and they have plenty of budgetary information to look at, including declines shown in the January budget report.
The Ohio House Finance subcommittee on higher education will take their first look at the pieces of the state operating budget that touch on higher education this week
As they look to the future of funding colleges and universities in the state, the Office of Budget and Management gave a look at last month’s disbursements, and year-to-date funding disbursements that were below estimates.
According to the most recent OBM monthly budget data report, January disbursements for higher education was 3.9% below estimates, a total of $7.2 million less than the month before.
The state budget agency said declines came from below-estimate spending in the Ohio College Opportunity Grant, Choose Ohio First Scholarship and National Guard Scholarship programs. These programs had “lower-than expected requests for reimbursement from higher education institutions,” according to the OBM.
In his executive budget proposal, Gov. Mike DeWine wants to raise the Ohio College Opportunity Grant award total by $500, and build award 2,000 more scholarships the Choose Ohio First program.
On the year, higher education institutions received 1.2% less than the year before, and compared to January 2020, they received 11.5% less in disbursements last month.
The executive budget proposal increases the state’s share of instruction, the main source of direct state aid colleges and universities receive, by 1.8% over the biennium “to maintain quality and provide support services.”
The House Finance subcommittee on primary and secondary education has the operating budget as the only measure on the agenda for its meeting, scheduled for Thursday morning.
They will look at the governor’s proposals to disburse more than $13 billion through fiscal years 2022 and 2023, including $1.1 billion in student wellness services.
DeWine’s budget proposal adds $125 million in foundation funding that were taken away during pandemic budget cuts.
In January, the OBM reported disbursements of $7.2 million to the Ohio Department of Education, nearly 1% below estimates for the month.
The declines were credited to lower spending on EdChoice private school voucher program expansion, early childhood education and pupil transportation.
The OBM report said early childhood education has been shifted away from the general revenue fund, and the EdChoice and transportation drops were due to offset payments and overspending on transportation in December.
“The below-estimated spending was partially offset by the above-estimated disbursements for the Foundation Funding line item as the College Credit Plus payment to colleges for the summer and fall 2020 terms was above estimate,” the report stated.
The primary and secondary education subcommittee also has a bill overhauling the funding formula for the state’s public school system on their desk to be considered during this General Assembly.
An overhaul of that formula would change the sources and methods of disbursement to schools, releasing some of the burden on property taxes, and creating a payment system that goes more directly through the state.
State aid to the schools through the foundation funding totaled $715.1 million in January, $8 million above estimates, according to the OBM. But disbursements were 6.2% less than January of last year, accounting for a $50 million loss.
Do you know, “Sarah Rector was born in 1902 in Taft, Oklahoma. She came from very humble beginnings, but later became the wealthiest Black girl in the country at the young age of 11. Her family were African American members of the Muscogee Creek Nation in Indian Territory.”
Loveland, Ohio – Could Downtown Loveland get any better? One local restaurant has proven that it definitely can and all it took was a little bit of authentic Italian cuisine!
On Friday, February 5th Rodi Italian, located at 115 Karl Brown Way in the Downtown Historic District of Loveland, hosted a “Favorite People” dinner, in which yours truly was invited, where owner and head Chef Rob Peloni, owner Jo Beyersdorfer, and a very upbeat staff served up some outstanding Italian dishes!
A view of Rodi Italian’s beautiful bar area
Peloni and Beyersdorfer thought holding a “soft opening” would give the staff the practice they needed to prepare for the official opening which just recently occurred on Saturday, February 13th.
Peloni decided to call the soft opening a “Favorite People” dinner because he knew these individuals would be understanding if there happened to be a mistake or coaching on the spot!
Rodi Italian held four “Favorite People” dinners, two on February 5th at 5 PM and 7:30 PM and two on February 6th at 5 PM and 7:30 PM. Those invited were able to enjoy a beautifully cooked meal and drink free of charge with up to six guests.
Rodi was sure to abide by COVID-19 regulations during the soft-opening by enforcing masks and built-in plexiglass structures that were strategically placed between each table as well as each separate group of individuals at the bar.
Rodi Italian’s dining area
I attended Rodi Italian’s “Favorite People” dinner on Friday, February 5th at 7:30 PM and decided to bring along my boyfriend, Adam, his Father, Dave, and Step-Mother, Debbie, for what I knew was going to be a fun-filled evening!
When I entered Rodi Italian’s beautifully remodeled restaurant I witnessed the hustle and bustle you would typically see at a restaurant that has the desire to succeed. Owner Jo was there to greet each and every single guest that walked into Rodi with a “smize” (smile with your eyes) as she enthusiastically walked each of us to our table. When we sat down we were thoroughly impressed with the COVID-19 regulations as Rodi had individual plexiglasses hanging from the ceiling dividing each seating area. Not only did this addition make me and my guests feel safe it also made for one special private dining experience!
The Rodi Italian decor was exactly what I imagined it to be; both modern and vintage, with industrial high ceilings, and a specially made liquor/bar glass shelving system that gave off a beautiful purple glow. Those were just a few of the unique Rodi decor finishes that caught my eye! In the heart of Rodi’s state-of-the-art open concept kitchen is a gorgeous ceramic wood fire pizza oven, with “RODI” embedded in the ceramic tiles on the front. Peloni wanted the open kitchen concept with the one-of-a-kind pizza oven at the heart of it all because he thought guests would enjoy watching their delicious homemade Italian dishes and pizzas being prepared by him and his crew!
Of course, the restaurant decor and atmosphere is not the only thing Rodi Italian has to offer; both the service and food are also out of this world!
Rodi Italian’s Wood Fire Pizza Oven
When my guests and I attended the “Favorite People,” we were greeted with the utmost kindness and enthusiasm by our waiter. Not only did he thoroughly explain the menu, which is predominately authentic Italian dishes, he was also able to help us select glasses of wine (Rodi has a great selection of Italian wines) that we ended up loving! I was very impressed that in light of it being a “soft-opening” the staff was more than prepared for both menu and wine questions.
After looking at what was a “soft opening” menu (not the full Rodi menu) my guests and I decided to start our Italian dinner off with the “Brussels,” which included arugula, shaved brussel sprouts, crispy pancetta, shaved ricotta salata, pine nuts, lemon juice, and olive oil, and the “Occhi Blu,” which was prepared using romaine hearts, pancetta, creamy gorgonzola, and balsamic dressing. I am vegan so the kitchen was able to modify the Brussels for me, which I greatly appreciated!
The kitchen quickly prepared our appetizers and wow was the presentation impressive! Check out the photos I took of the Brussels and the Occhi Blu below!
The “Brussels”
After enjoying some wine and appetizers we selected the most important part of our Italian experience; the main course! I went with the “Cacio Pepe,” which included fusilli pasta, pecorino, cracked pepper, and olive oil, as did my boyfriend’s step-mom. My boyfriend ordered the “Emilia-Romagna” pizza, which was made with cream, mozzarella, roasted corn, prosciutto cotto, and sea salt, and his dad selected the “Lasagne,” a traditional lasagne bolognese layered with fontina and prosciutto cotto.
The “Occhi Blu”
My guests and I were more than impressed with the Rodi Italian cuisine! My boyfriend’s step-mom at one point said, “This is the best pasta I have ever had,” and I couldn’t have agreed more. The texture of the pasta, the use of olive oil, and the addition of the cracked pepper just left me begging for more! Like I mentioned previously I am vegan so I did have to get some much-needed commentary on what precisely the Lasagne and pizza tasted like! According to my boyfriend, the pizza expert, the Emilia-Romagna pizza was not only, “perfectly cooked” but also “unique” in that the roasted corn perfectly complimented the prosciutto cotto and mozzarella. Check out the photo I captured below of Rodi Italian’s Emilia-Romagna pizza!
Rodi Italian’s “Emilia-Romagna” Pizza
Although my guests and I had a small amount of leftovers because the dishes were so incredible, I will say the portion sizes for just one dish were more than enough to feed multiple people! My advice is that if you are planning on making a trip to Rodi Italian, which I highly recommend, come with an empty stomach and your English to Italian translation dictionary so you fully understand what meal your selecting. If you forget your dictionary no big deal as the staff is fully equipped to steer you in the right direction!
Rodi Italian officially opened their doors to the general public, Saturday, February 13th. Rodi is closed on Monday’s, open from 4:30 PM to 10 PM Tuesday through Saturday, and open from 4:30 PM to 9:30 PM on Sunday’s.
Carry-out will begin on Wednesday, February 17th. For the time being Rodi Italian will only be open for dinner service, but when the weather begins to warm up Rodi plans on opening its doors for both lunch and weekend brunch. To make reservations you can visit Rodiitalian.com or call 513-774-RODI.
Congratulations to Rob and Jo, owners of Rodi Italian, as well as the staff for hosting such a brilliant soft opening! Here at Loveland Magazine, we know that this authentic Italian restaurant will not only succeed but will quickly become one of the go-to restaurants in Downtown, Loveland! We are excited to see what the future holds for this new Loveland gem!
For more of the Loveland Salad With Me, Cassie Mattia stay tuned!
Loveland’s salt storage as of 2 PM on Sunday. The storage dome is located on East Loveland Avenue as you leave the City
Loveland, Ohio – There has been no snow emergency declared in Loveland, however, in case one is or you hear that one has been declared, below are the Loveland code sections that implement and guide City officials.
Note, that this may be different than the Snow Emergency declarations issued by the counties, townships, or other government agencies. This only applies to the City of Loveland.
City Manager Dave Kennedy said today at 2 PM that he has spoken with Scott Wisby, Loveland’s Director of Public Works, and he “does not feel that parked vehicles are deterring or will deter his ability for snow removal”.
351.16 SNOW EMERGENCY; SPECIAL PARKING RESTRICTIONS.
(a) When snow, sleet, freezing rain, or other weather conditions cause or appear likely to cause, in the judgment of the City Manager, slippery or hazardous conditions which might lead to serious congestion or hazard, the City Manager may declare a snow emergency. The City Manager shall also declare the termination of such snow emergency as soon as conditions permit.
(b) “Snow emergency routes” are through streets, or portions of through streets, designated by official signs on one or both sides thereof, installed by order of the City Manager. The City Manager is authorized and directed to designate such streets as snow emergency routes which, for the safety or convenience of the public and the accommodation of traffic, should be kept open and clear in times of snow emergency.
(c) During the period of any snow emergency, no vehicle may be parked on any snow emergency route, provided special signs are erected designating such snow emergency route.
(d) A vehicle parked on any snow emergency route at the time a snow emergency is declared shall be removed by the owner within three hours if such emergency is declared between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., or prior to 9:00 a.m. of the following morning if the emergency is declared within the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Nothing in this section shall permit any vehicle to park in violation of any other parking restriction previously established by ordinance or by erection of signs by order of the City Manager.
(e) Any vehicle parked on any snow emergency route during a declared snow emergency and after the times or periods designated for removal of such vehicle by (d) above, and any vehicle stalled or otherwise unable to move or operate on a snow emergency route during the time of a snow emergency, may be ordered by the City Manager or the Chief of Police to be towed from such snow emergency route. Such vehicle shall be impounded and held by the order of the Police Department until the owner shall pay the reasonable expense of towing the vehicle.
(f) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
Loveland and Hamilton County, Ohio – Hamilton County Public Health is postponing its vaccine clinics for TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16 because of the snow.
If you were scheduled to receive the vaccine at either the Hamilton County Board of Elections or the Anderson Center, HCPH has contacted you to reschedule.
If you were scheduled for vaccination Tuesday, February 16, your new appointment will be at the same location and the same time as originally scheduled on the following dates:
If you were scheduled for the 2nd Dose Clinic at the Anderson Center Tuesday, February 16, your new appointment will take place at the Anderson Center Monday, February 22;
If you were scheduled for the 1st Dose Clinic at the Hamilton County Board of Elections, your new appointment will take place at the Hamilton County Board of Elections Monday, February 22;
If you were scheduled for 2nd Dose Clinic at the Hamilton County Board of Elections, your new appointment will take place at the Hamilton County Board of Elections Tuesday, February 23.
![[Video] Loveland Middle School COVID 19 protocol explained](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/middle-school-covid.jpg)
