News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area
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Shaun Heasley with Disability Scoop reports that individuals with disabilities receiving Supplemental Security Income and other Social Security benefits are seeing the largest rise in their monthly payments in decades.
With the new year, benefits are up 8.7%, according to the Social Security Administration. That’s the biggest increase since 1981.
Read on at Disability Scoop…
Plaid Room Records
122 West Loveland Avenue, Loveland, OH 45140
Loveland, Ohio – Paxton’s Grill located in Loveland’s Historic Downtown says they are honored to be one of three finalists in the Cincy Magazine’s Best of the East competition and would love your vote.
Paxton’s is competing under the “Fast Casual” category and it takes just a few minutes and keystrokes to complete an entry. You can vote once a day through Sunday, January 8th.
Loveland, Ohio – A free class titled “Come Clay with us” will be this Saturday, January 7, from 11 AM until 2 PM at the Loveland Library.
“Let us help fuel your creativity at this free clay and origami workshop. Join the fine folks at Whistle Stop Clay Works and help make an art installation that will be on display at our Loveland Branch Library. Learn to make clay sailboats, clay fish, origami boats, and clay waves. No experience is needed, just the desire to have fun and learn something new. Free and open to ages 4+ to adults.”
The event is in conjunction with the The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts convention that will be held this March in Cincinnati.
Watch this video to learn why Cincinnati was chosen for this national convention.
BY: NICK EVANS – Ohio Capital Journal
While Ohio House and Senate lawmakers organize committees and prepare for the coming session, Gov. Mike DeWine is putting the finishing touches on the last one. So far this week, the governor has signed 23 bills into law and vetoed one.
DeWine rejected HB 286, sponsored by Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati. The bill would have allowed legal challenges for certain agency orders to occur in the county where a business or a person resides.
The changes applied to agencies handling liquor control, workers compensation, medicine, chiropractors, nursing, and the casino control commission. Existing law sends those challenges the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, which Seitz criticized in his sponsor testimony.
“While it is true that the current law represents a great convenience for the State’s bureaucrats and lawyers who need only to defend their decisions on their “home turf”,” Seitz argued, “these considerations are counterbalanced by the inconvenience to the Ohio citizens and businesses who must always play “an away game.”
DeWine’s veto message was notably terse. “(HB 286) is very similar to provisions that I vetoed previously,” he wrote. “The language as drafted in HB 286 is simply too broad.”
Those previously vetoed provisions are actually in state law. They come from SB 22 — a measure limiting the governor’s emergency powers and passed by lawmakers despite DeWine’s veto in 2021. Among other changes, it allows people challenging a rule “adopted in response to a state of emergency” to file their case in their home county.
And a change of venue can make an enormous difference in a case. Columbus’ ongoing bid to institute local firearm regulations offers an illustrative example. After a Franklin County judge ruled against a state law blocking local gun provisions, Columbus passed a large capacity magazine ban and a safe storage ordinance. Attorney General Yost went to neighboring Fairfield County — “where roughly 11,000 Columbus residents live” his press release points out — to challenge those laws.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein accused Yost of “judge shopping,” but the AG’s move secured a temporary restraining order.
The final batch of bills arrived on the governor’s desk Dec. 30. Because DeWine has ten days not including holidays and Sundays in which to act, he has until Jan. 12 to make a decision on those proposals, according to his office.
Among the measures still outstanding are bills that institute photo ID requirements for voting and a prohibition on local tobacco ordinances. DeWine has hinted at vetoing the latter. In a separate OCJ story today, the governor’s office said the elections and voter ID bill was received Dec. 29, so they calculate the deadline for action on that to be Jan. 11.
The governor also hasn’t taken action yet on a last minute bill which appropriates $6 billion in federal money. Because it includes spending, DeWine could issue line-item vetoes rather than scrapping the bill as a whole.
Meanwhile, DeWine approved the following bills:
SB 16: Increased penalties for assault or menacing when the victim is a first responder. The measure also gave local governments explicit authorities when dealing with a riot or mob and prohibited any limitations on firearm rights due to a state of emergency.
SB 33: Changed Community Reinvestment Area policy to allow greater deduction to 529 education savings plans.
SB 63: Allowed county probation offices to accept credit card payments. A House amendment added on a new liquor permit for auto-sports facilities.
SB 131: Required the issuance of certain occupational licenses if a person has experience in that field in a different state. It also specifies individuals can’t register as a credit services organization or a fireworks manufacturer.
SB 164: Altered animal cruelty laws and prohibited shelters from using gas chambers to put down pets. It also gives Cuyahoga County the greenlight to convert its tobacco tax to a wholesale tax and institute a new wholesale tax on vapor products.
SB 202: Prohibited restricting parental rights due to the parent’s disability. House amendments gave lawyers credit toward judicial eligibility for out of state practice time and created a bail study task force.
SB 288: Instituted new texting while driving provisions including making it a primary offense. Also made numerous changes to the criminal code.
SB 302: Made changes to the state unemployment compensation system.
HB 23: Required EMS and police officers undergo dementia-related training and raised the maximum age for new highway patrol troopers.
HB 35: Permitted Ohio mayors to solemnize marriages.
HB 66: Made numerous tweaks to local taxing authority and reporting as well as $30 million for minor league sports teams.
HB 107: Revised Ohio’s elevator laws.
HB 150: Established a rural practice incentive program to pay student loans for attorneys working in public offices or underserved communities.
HB 178: Known as Makenna’s Law, this measure placed limits on water pressure at pools and other water parks.
HB 254: Established domestic violence fatality review boards.
HB 279: Shortened timeline for filing certain wrongful death claims.
HB 353: Known as Ohio’s “Testing Your Faith Act,” this bill directed higher ed institutions to develop accommodations for students who need to be absent for religious reasons.
HB 364: Changed application process for sewer and water infrastructure surcharges.
HB 392: Authorized transport of police dogs injured in the line of duty. An amendment made provisions for riding in a fifth wheel trailer and mounting safety devices on a windshield.
HB 405: Clarified rules of county hospital boards, gave coroners access to a law enforcement database and allowed treasurers to send bills electronically.
HB 423: Designated the American Soap Box Derby Ohio’s official gravity racing program.
HB 462: Prohibited “swatting.”
HB 487: Altered bidding process for Ohio ballot printing contracts to allow out of state vendors/printers to participate.
Follow OCJ Reporter Nick Evans on Twitter.
Loveland, Ohio – Hot off the press! A new episode of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance “Chamber Chat” podcast has landed.
Get the scoop from CeeCee and Meredith as they reflect on 2022 and what’s to come in 2023.
Loveland, Ohio – Ohio Valley Goodwill has announced that the organization’s “flagship” store in Loveland will be closing January 9th for two months as it undergoes a major renovation and re-design.
The renovation will include new flooring, walls, lighting, displays, fresh paint colors, new bathrooms, and other interior areas. This renovation will serve as the first in a series of retail re-designs that Goodwill will be undertaking during the year.
“Goodwill is excited about the re-design of the Loveland store location and looks forward to sharing a wonderful shopping experience with our devoted customers in the New Year,” said Jeff Eastham, Vice President of Retail Operations. “We are eager to welcome everyone when the renovations and redesign are completed and to celebrate the Grand Re-Opening of the store in the months to come.”
While the renovations are underway, shoppers and donors are invited to visit both the Montgomery and Mason Boutiques which are closest to the Loveland location, or any one of its other 18 stores in the Greater Cincinnati area. For a complete list of locations, visit www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/shop. Donations will still be accepted at the front of the Loveland store at the Goodwill Donation Trailer.
Updates on the progress of the renovations will be made on a regular basis and customers are invited to follow the progress of the remodel on www.facebook.com/cincigoodwill.
Plans for the “Grand Re-Opening” event will be announced in the coming months.
Renovation Sale is Underway
To get ready for the renovation, Goodwill is clearing everything out and so are offering these daily sales.
Loveland, Ohio – In his weekly Superintendent’s Message, Mike Broadwater described the importance of a planned town hall meeting to discuss, “…our ongoing funding challenges”. He said, “The district is currently in deficit spending, which means that we are spending more money to pay for staff and services than the federal, state, and local tax revenue that is coming in. Our Five Year Forecast shows deficit spending for the current fiscal year of $3.7 million and projects a $3.8 million deficit in the following fiscal year.”
To that end, at the Board of Education meeting on December 10, it was decided that the District will hold a Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, January 5, at 6 PM in the Media Center at the Loveland Intermediate School.
“The purpose of this Town Hall is for district leaders to hear from our Loveland City Schools community about issues facing the school district, including the financial future of Loveland City Schools.”
Two members of the Board of Education and the Superintendent will attend.
If you cannot attend, you can watch the live stream by following this link. Only in-person attendees can participate with questions or comments. A recording of the meeting will be available to watch for those who are interested.
Loveland, Ohio – Have you Googled your business recently?
Did you know that 93% of people start their initial search for anything on a search engine? Did you know that Google holds 78% of the search engine market? Want to know how to take advantage of this?
Google My Business has rebranded to the Google Business Profile. While much remains the same for gaining online visibility, some significant changes have happened.
Join the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance with former Google City Ambassador, Rusty Allison for a special “Lunch & Learn” about what you might have missed with the new Google Business Profile listings.
$35 Members
$45 Non-Members
The 1859
111 S. 3rd St.
Loveland, OH
“Happy Birthday to our first baby of 2023! Welcome to the world, Johnathan!”