I’d like to take a few minutes of your time to share my perspective on the school levy that will be on the May ballot.
I’m a 60-year-old, 30-year Loveland area resident with a home in the Loveland school district. I’m semi-retired and our children, who attended Loveland schools from K-12, are grown. Being semi-retired means, like many of you, I watch my spending closely. As someone who has always been proud of the Loveland Schools’ reputation and performance, the divide in our community from the past few levies has been disheartening. I have friends and neighbors on both sides of this issue. I have voted no in the past and I understand why people feel as they do about the situation.
The perspective I want to share is fairly simple, and one that as fellow property owners I hope you will consider. I firmly believe it’s in all of our best interests to be more aligned this May.
The premise is this: I understand that property values are subject to a variety of factors. I believe that school district performance is among the leading considerations of families looking to move to a new community. The way l see it a school district that does not support reasonable funding requests is destined for declining property values over time, as school performance and reputation declines. The reality is that things do cost more over time and it does cost to attract and retain top talent.
Let’s say for the sake of argument that property values drop 10 percent over the next ten years. If your Loveland home was valued at the current Zillow average of $355,000, you will take a $35,500 hit when you sell it. That is a very significant loss. I would prefer to pay a few hundred dollars more each year to help maintain the good reputation of our schools, protect our property values and provide our students with a well-rounded educational experience.
While each of us has reasons that affect our decisions about these levies, I believe what we have in common is that we all prosper when we have a high performing school district. I would like our state to provide a better funding mechanism for our public schools, but unfortunately, it doesn’t. I trust that our current school leaders are good stewards of our hard earned tax dollars and I believe that they reacted appropriately to our feedback when the District overreached.
After voting against the oversized levy a few years ago, I will be voting yes on the May levy that will be on the ballot, mostly to help protect our property values. I’m willing to find the additional hundreds of dollars per year as an investment in education, our community and in all of our property values.
I appreciate you giving this issue further consideration and I respect that each of you has the right to vote for what you believe is best for your situation.
Sam Smith graduated from Loveland High School in 2018
Loveland, Ohio – Loveland High School graduate Samuel Wright Smith has been chosen to be the Director of Photography on the high-profile short film, Heartbreak on Murray Hill and fundraising has begun in earnest to support the costly production. Loveland area residents might be particularly interested in donating or becoming a “credited” producer.
The film promises a slash of Edward Hopper-esque cinematography from Smith who will act as the eyes of the film, sculpting light, movement, and framing.
The movie is the true story of the director’s (Malcolm Quinn Silver-Van Meter) grandmother’s childhood breakup in 1956 immigrant NYC.
In preparing to begin shooting, Smith described his vision of how two scenes will be composed:
“A smoggy evening light outlines a working-class mother, hunched over a sewing machine. A split composition: out of focus in the background of her 1956 New York tenement apartment, her children hug their father.”
“Bobby, 11, donning a school uniform, stands over the camera with a note in her hand. A low-angle, wide-lens shot might indicate confidence, but not here. The note fills the frame and holds the power. Her body looks awkward and distorted—her hands are too big, torso too long, head too small.”
Since leaving Loveland in 2018 for the prestigious New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Smith has been the cinematographer on numerous projects including Crimson Ties, directed by Francesca Scorcese, which premiered at Tribeca. In 2020, at only age of 19, he published a photo book titled Abandoned Cincinnati through Fonthill Publishing.
Samuel Wright Smith is the author of Abandoned Cincinnati, a 2019 photo/commentary book available in Cincinnati bookstores and online through Amazon. The book explores the history, beauty, and implications of Cincinnati’s vacant structures.
Recently, Smith shot a feature film with the Secoya indigenous community in the Ecuadorian rainforest. His work has garnered attention at other major festivals including Nashville Film Festival and Beverly Hills Film Festival.
For Heartbreak on Murray Hill, the crew will build a replica 1956 tenement apartment. Smith describes the style as “warm realism”. Pulling inspiration from American Realist painters, he intends to create a style that is bold, believable, and magical.
When shooting begins, Smith will be using a sound stage at the NYC landmark, Kaufman Astoria Studios* which has been making entertainment history for more than 90 years. Heartbreak on Murray Hill will be filmed on stage F which belongs to Sesame Street when they are in production.**
Heartbreak on Murray Hill is the story of 11-year-old Bobby and her first breakup in 1950s NYC. It is based on a true story.
Heartbreak is set to be one of NYU’s most ambitious thesis films ever. Seeking an indie budget of $150K, the film is fiscally sponsored and donations are tax-deductible.
“Writing and photographing for Loveland Magazine in high school opened my eyes to the possibility of meaningful work through the lens of a camera. I owe so much of where I am to David Miller, the LM publisher. So many peers, teachers, and community organizers in the Loveland community gave me the push to pursue my dreams. I can’t believe that this is my life now. Living off of art seemed impossible once. But thanks to community: here I am,” said Smith.
Contact Sam Smith via EMAIL if you need more information about your fully tax-deductible support of Heartbreak on Murray Hill.
Thank you so much for your generosity! For this donation you will receive our Donor Package including behind the scenes content and a shout out on our social media!
For this donation you will receive our Patron Package including behind the scenes content, and early access to stills and trailers of the film, as well as a shout out on our social media!
For this donation, you will receive a Benefactor Package including behind the scenes content and early access to stills and trailers of the film, as well as an invitation to HBOMH red carpets and premieres!
For this donation, you will receive the Co-producer Package, including your name in the credits, your own IMDB page, behind the scenes content, and early access to stills & trailers of the film, as well as an invite to HBOMH red carpets and premieres!
Associate Producer Package: an invitation to set, your name in the credits, your own IMDB page, behind the scenes content, as well as early access to the final cut of the film, and an invite to HBOMH red carpets and premieres!
VIP Executive Producer Package: exclusive behind the scenes access and an invitation to the set, as well as your name in the credits, your own IMDB page, early access to the final cut of the film, and invitations to attend HBOMH red carpets and premieres!
* Today, KAS is the location for major motion pictures, independent film, television shows and commercials. The stages have been graced by actors such as Harrison Ford, Matt Damon, Ben Stiller, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Tom Hanks, Bill Cosby, Demi Moore and many other esteemed stars. Kaufman has also been the chosen production location of prominent directors including Martin Scorsese, Sydney Lumet, Norman Jewison, Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, and Paul Greengrass. Today, KAS is the location for major motion pictures, independent film, television shows and commercials. The stages have been graced by actors such as Harrison Ford, Matt Damon, Ben Stiller, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Tom Hanks, Bill Cosby, Demi Moore and many other esteemed stars. Kaufman has also been the chosen production location of prominent directors including Martin Scorsese, Sydney Lumet, Norman Jewison, Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, and Paul Greengrass.
Loveland, Ohio – When local standard time is about to reach Sunday, March 12, 2:00:00 AM clocks are turned forward 1 hour to Sunday, March 12, 3:00:00 AM local daylight time instead.
Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour later on Mar 12, than the day before. There will be more light in the evening.
As abortion rights groups prepare to collect the amount of signatures needed to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot, anti-abortion rights groups may have shed light on statements they plan to use against the initiative.
In three separate press releases sent by anti-abortion groups after the Ohio Attorney General approved proposed amendment language, the issue of parental rights came out in strikingly similar fashion as they spoke out against the measure.
“If passed, it would cancel parental rights and measures in place to protect young girls; basic health and safety protections for women would be wiped out,” Ohio Right to Life CEO Peter Range was quoted as saying in a Thursday statement.
“If passed, this amendment would cancel parental rights and measures in place to protect young girls; basic health and safety protections for women would be wiped out,” read a statement attributed to Mark Harrington, president of Created Equal.
“It completely abolishes current Ohio law guaranteeing parental involvement before any abortion is performed on their minor daughter,” said religious lobby Center for Christian Virtue’s Ruth Edmonds, also in an email statement.
The summary and proposed amendment approved by the Ohio AG does not mention minors or parental consent among the issues to be changed in Article I of the Ohio Constitution.
“Every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion,” the first part of the proposal states.
The amendment would bar the state from doing anything to “directly or indirectly burden, penalize, prohibit, interfere with, or discriminate against either an individual’s voluntary exercise of this right or a person … unless the State demonstrates that it is using the least restrictive means to advance the individual’s health in accordance with widely accepted and evidence-based standards of care.”
The anti-abortion groups did not specify how they came to the conclusion that parental consent was in danger with the proposed amendment.
The issue could stem from a long-standing legal option called judicial bypass, in which a minor can get a judge to sign off on an abortion if the judge deems the minor to be “sufficiently mature and well enough informed to decide intelligently ” to consent to an abortion.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost threw his opinion in the mix in a notification to attorneys that the amendment summary language was approved on March 2. Yost emphasized his statutory duty to objectively review ballot initiatives, all while mentioning his personal views, publicly known to be against abortion.
“I cannot base my determination on the wisdom or folly of a proposed amendment as a matter of public policy,” Yost wrote.
The attorney general continued his letter with paragraphs about the rule of law and requirements that attorneys general use “a narrow law to make a decision about the truthfulness of a summary.”
“In this matter, I am constrained by a duty to rule upon a narrow question, not to use the authority of my office to effect a good policy, or to impede a bad one,” the letter stated.
The statements were abnormal for a certification statement coming out of Yost’s office. Since 2020, 12 initiative petitions (some of which were resubmissions) have been certified by the AG’s office, with issues ranging from medical rights, marijuana regulation, elections, and wage increases.
None of the other certifications stretching back to 2020 included mentions of Yost’s personal opinion on the matter, or examinations of the attorney general’s duties. Those certifications were one-page approvals, specifying the Ohio Revised Code articles relevant to petition certification and a short certification statement.
In concluding the letter affirming the certification of the abortion rights petition, Yost said included another warning to petition creators.
“Indeed, there are significant problems with the proposed amendment, and if adopted it will not end the long-running litigation on this topic, but simply transform it,” he wrote.
The 2023 Eastside Business Bash, presented by the Milford Miami Township Chamber and Little Miami River Chamber Alliance will be hosted on March 9 between 4 and 7 pm, at the Little Miami Brewing Event Center, 310 Mill St in Milford, OH. This is the second year for this joint event which is the largest business expo in the northeast Cincinnati region, featuring 45 businesses from the area that provide both B2B and B2C services.
Attending the Expo is free, and the first 50 people to arrive will receive a free beer, featuring Little Miami Brewing’s unique hand-crafted beers. Attendees may enjoy light bites and drinks from the cash bar as they browse the booths. Items from local businesses and attendees will be raffled off throughout the afternoon.
This crossover event supports not only the entire Milford-Miami Township-Loveland area, but the entire east side of our region. Last year, over 200 people attended the Bash to explore the various businesses.
“Last year was our first year, so we didn’t know what to expect,” says CeeCee Collins, President of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance. “The high turnout validated that our local communities are very interested in learning more about and supporting our local businesses.”
Andrea Brady, Executive Director of the Milford Miami Township Chamber, adds, “There are no ‘lines’ between our communities, and we want to reduce the number of times we think about an area as one place or another. We are one large region, and we are thrilled to support the entire area since increasing commerce supports us all.”
The Event Center sits at the start of downtown Milford, a street lined with unique shops and restaurants. The DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) allows alcoholic drinks to be carried on the street (in DORA cups), so visitors may browse the shops and wend their way to dinner after the event while enjoying their beverage.
March is Developmental Disabilities (DD) Awareness Month which makes it the perfect time to share how my community created opportunities for me and partly because of that, I’ve been able to flourish. As someone who lives with a developmental disability, I want others with disabilities to have similar opportunities for employment, leadership, and friendship.
When I was younger, I got to be a part of a summer work program through the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities (BCBDD). My first job was cleaning toilets and tables at Barn N Bunk, and I cleaned at Camp Campbell Gard as well. Later, I worked at the East Butler YMCA at the customer service desk.
I really enjoyed getting to interact with people and learn new things. For many people with disabilities, building friendships or gaining leadership skills can be difficult. For me, these work experiences helped create opportunities for both leadership and friendship. I feel my past work experiences lead me to the job I have now because I was able to learn how to interact with customers and show others that I’m a hard worker.
Sometimes, it can be hard for people with disabilities to develop friendships. For me, Best Buddies helped bridge that gap. Best Buddies is an international organization that matches people with and without disabilities for friendship. Through Best Buddies I have learned how to grow in a relationship with a friend, I’ve been able to try new things, and I’ve learned leadership skills. One of my favorite experiences through Best Buddies was painting pumpkins with my new friend.
Through Best Buddies, I have attended leadership trainings which helped me in my role as Community Outreach Advocate at BCBDD. At those leadership trainings we learned how to share our story. We learned how to write a speech and how to present in front of others. This has given me confidence not only at work but also in my personal life. I now know that I can speak up for myself and that sharing my experience can help others with disabilities and their families.
These opportunities helped me tremendously. You can create that for someone in your community. I hope that you take the time this month and every month to give someone with a disability an opportunity to grow in their skills and help them live the best life they can live.
Loveland, Ohio – What better way to know spring has sprung than to see yard sales springing up around town? And, this is the topper with jewelry, collectibles, furniture, tools, electronics, household stuff, and much more.
When a whole church congregation gets involved in bringing stuff to the yard – you know it’s “giant” and your prayers have been answered!
March 25 is the Loveland Presbyterian Church’s Giant Yard Sale
Loveland, Ohio – “We would like to Congratulate Ty Harter and Elizabeth Madisonfor qualifying for DI OHSAA State Wrestling Championships in Columbus this weekend,” said Kristy Brulport, the Administrative Assistant to the Athletic Director at Loveland High School. “We are going to celebrate Ty and Elizabeth at 1:50 PM on Thursday afternoon right at the start of our 7th bell.”
Teachers, students, and staff will step out into the halls to cheer on Madison and Harter as they leave the building on their way to the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State University. The Pep Band will be accompanying Ty and Elizabeth through the building.
Madison will compete in the inaugural Women’s tournament and Harter will compete in the 86th annual State matches. Madison, who won the Harrison regional and is 38-0, is the #1 seed at 170 lbs. Madison is the first Loveland Female Wrestler to punch her ticket to the OHSAA Wrestling Championships.
Loveland, Ohio – Two new businesses are filling recently vacated retail sites located at Loveland Station in Historic Downtown.
Teak Sushi & Thai Cuisine has a restaurant in Cincinnati’s Over the Rhine – thus the tagline, Teak OTR and they will be moving into the space where LoveBird was located. The offerings are described as “Thai cuisine and sushi with a modern, healthy twist that will appeal to today’s dining palette. Teak’s chefs have also created some small bite meals for those desiring quick bar side food. Patrons of Teak OTR will discover some familiar faces: those who cooked and served at the original Teak. Their devotion to Teak and its mission is the secret ingredient to Teak’s success.”
More details to follow.
Pet Wants Hamilton selling “healthy food and treat options” has announced that they will open a store in Loveland Station as well. They will be in the space recently vacated by Busy Bee. They will be working on the space over the next two months and have announced that they are looking to open their second retail location at Loveland Station in early May.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has certified petition summary language for a proposed amendment to protect abortion rights in the state constitution, which organizers hope to place on the November ballot.
The Ohio Ballot Board will now determine whether or not the initiative only involves changing only one amendment, as required. If approved by the Ballot Board, it gets sent back to the Attorney General, who turns it in to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office, at which point full signature-gathering can begin.
Advocates must collect signatures from 44 out of 88 counties equal to at least 5% of the total vote cast for the office of governor in that county at the last gubernatorial election. Overall, the petition must gather at least 10% of the total vote cast statewide for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election. This math means that the group needs at least 442,958 valid signatures.
The drive to protect access to abortion care in Ohio is being spearheaded by Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights.
However, once it gets out of court, it will likely head to the Ohio Supreme Court. An OCJ/WEWS investigation revealed how those justices already told Right to Life groups that abortion isn’t a Constitutional right.
If the proposed amendment gets to the ballot and is approved by voters, this amendment wouldn’t change existing laws automatically, but it would be the law that applies in all of the pending litigation.
If passed by voters, Article 1 of the Ohio Constitution would be amended to allow “the right to reproductive freedom,” in a change similar to one approved by Michigan voters last year.
The groups supporting the ballot initiative are racing to bring the issue before voters before any changes can be made to the threshold needed to place a measure on the ballot. A GOP effort to raise the bar from 50% plus one to 60% plus one has been ongoing, though it’s unclear how long that might take.
Michigan’s amendment passed with 56.6% of the vote.
Percentage abortion was protected in other states last year:
Kentucky — 52.3%
Montana — 52.5%
Michigan — 56.6%
Kansas — 59%
California — 66%
Vermont — 76.7%
Reporting from OCJ’s Susan Tebben and WEWS’ Morgan Trau contributed to this article.
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