News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area
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![[2 Video Slide Shows] Loveland, Ohio’s Memorial Day in photos](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/feature-2022-memorial-day-loveland.jpg)
by David Miller
Loveland, Ohio – Here are two video slide shows from the still photos I captured on Memorial Day. The first is of the parade and the second is photos from the ceremony. The photos were taken from West Loveland Avenue during the parade and at the Loveland Veterans’ Memorial at the corner of Riverside Drive and West Loveland Avenue in the West Loveland Historic District of Loveland.
![[Video] The Loveland High School Graduation ceremony](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-graduation.jpg)
Here is the Loveland High School Graduation ceremony that was held May 21 at Xavier University’s Cintas Center.
David Miller – May 22, 2022
Loveland, Ohio – 366 Loveland High School Seniors are members of the Class of 2022 and they graduated yesterday, May, 21, at…
Loveland, Ohio – It was Memorial Day Weekend, Sunday, May 28, 2017, when an 11-alarm fire in Downtown Loveland did extensive damage to two historic buildings and minor damage to a third. There were no injuries to occupants, and only one firefighter suffered a minor injury. One firefighter was treated for exhaustion.
Here are “then and now” photos.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
After reading this story today, firefighter Steve Pegram sent us the following message:
“11 departments yes there is no such thing as an 11 alarm fire. A 1 alarm in Loveland brings 4 departments and 7 stations. For example, the initial dispatch to Tano’s was LSFD (60, 61, 62, 63), Goshen (19), Miami Township (27), and Deerfield (57). So 11 departments would be 2-3 alarms of course the only people that would know that are fire people like me.”
Thank you Steve for helping us be more accurate!
Below you can view all of the photos of the fire’s aftermath in this re-print of the first story we published that day.
Loveland, Ohio – An 11-alarm fire in Downtown Loveland early Sunday morning did extensive damage to two historic buildings, and minor damage to a third. There were no injuries to occupants, and only one firefighter suffered a minor injury. One firefighter was treated for exhaustion.
West Loveland Avenue, Karl Brown Way, and Railroad Avenue remain closed to traffic. There are nearby businesses that remain closed until electrical service is restored.
The former Julian’s Deli, now owned by Paxton Grill, which recently had sprinklers installed on both floors, has slight structural and water damage.
The fire apparently started in the rear of Tanos Bistro at 1:20 AM. Four businesses lost almost everything. Firefighters remain on the scene, and inspectors are assessing damage and looking for cause.
The buildings are close to the street so roadways may be closed for quite some time as inspectors evaluate possible danger to motorists traveling West Loveland Avenue and Karl Brown Way.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A reader has brought to our attention that residents of five apartments lost “everything” in the fire, including damage to automobiles. There is a goFundme page already set up to help a photographer, Brad Uhrig and his son who lost their personal belongings, including Brad’s photo gear.
Photos by David Miller/Loveland Magazine © 2017
By Loveland Magazine – May 29, 2017
Loveland, Ohio – Loveland/Symmes Fire Chief Otto Huber told Loveland Magazine Sunday evening that the structural engineer the City brought in to inspect the buildings damaged by an overnight fire in Loveland’s Historic District said that after a preliminary look, the buildings could be restored. He also told Huber that he had seen building with more damage, brought back to life.
Huber also said that they suspect the fire began because of an electrical problem, and there is one spot that will receive more attention in the coming days as they try to determine how the fire started.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-5466420906099875&output=html&h=280&adk=3608273107&adf=861100906&pi=t.aa~a.829776362~i.5~rp.4&w=640&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1653835819&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=6519503178&psa=1&ad_type=text_image&format=640×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lovelandmagazine.com%2Fup-date-on-major-fire-in-historic-downtown-loveland%2F&host=ca-host-pub-2644536267352236&fwr=0&pra=3&rh=160&rw=640&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&fa=27&adsid=ChAI8LPMlAYQjbq74J6XuOpSEjkAVlULhMUZ-KBfG4ut-551NNObiVGl4gzYun23M2AwN1mprUxRkA8pldhSON69Z9vBHbybFRatluY&uach=WyJtYWNPUyIsIjEwLjEzLjYiLCJ4ODYiLCIiLCIxMDEuMC4xMjEwLjUzIixbXSxudWxsLG51bGwsIjY0IixbWyIgTm90IEE7QnJhbmQiLCI5OS4wLjAuMCJdLFsiQ2hyb21pdW0iLCIxMDEuMC4xMjEwLjUzIl0sWyJNaWNyb3NvZnQgRWRnZSIsIjEwMS4wLjEyMTAuNTMiXV0sZmFsc2Vd&dt=1653835819579&bpp=4&bdt=733&idt=-M&shv=r20220525&mjsv=m202205240101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D55acfa9313540311-22b78d0427d2007c%3AT%3D1649684162%3ART%3D1649684162%3AS%3DALNI_MbdGaiL61apm8KZ6Qgpxz9HlDC9qw&gpic=UID%3D000004535653105b%3AT%3D1649278188%3ART%3D1653833522%3AS%3DALNI_MbJ0mrFVpN2Wbw5Y_9INzMkwkCYhQ&prev_fmts=0x0%2C1034x280&nras=3&correlator=5928493865838&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=371103363.1615984224&ga_sid=1653835819&ga_hid=296308691&ga_fc=1&u_tz=-240&u_his=4&u_h=800&u_w=1280&u_ah=777&u_aw=1280&u_cd=24&u_sd=2&dmc=8&adx=27&ady=1437&biw=1034&bih=698&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44759875%2C44759926%2C44759837%2C44763505%2C31062931&oid=2&pvsid=2612451399889931&pem=491&tmod=431814633&uas=0&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lovelandmagazine.com%2F%3Fs%3Dhistoric%2Bfire&eae=0&fc=1408&brdim=93%2C23%2C93%2C23%2C1280%2C23%2C1049%2C777%2C1049%2C698&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=128&bc=31&jar=2022-05-21-17&ifi=3&uci=a!3&btvi=1&fsb=1&xpc=p8So1WQZgB&p=https%3A//www.lovelandmagazine.com&dtd=69
An 11-alarm fire in Downtown Loveland early Sunday morning did extensive damage to two historic buildings, and minor damage to three others. There were no injuries to residential occupants, and only one firefighter suffered a minor injury. One firefighter was treated for exhaustion.
Residents of five apartments on the upper floors have lost everything, including damage to automobiles
The building that housed Tano’s Bistro and the Bishop Building sustained substantial fire damage. Three businesses had extensive damage: Tano’s Bistro, Cincy Fashion Wheels, and Gina Dubell-Smith, a Comey & Shepherd Realtor.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-5466420906099875&output=html&h=280&adk=3608273107&adf=1403234929&pi=t.aa~a.829776362~i.11~rp.4&w=640&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1653835819&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=6519503178&psa=1&ad_type=text_image&format=640×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lovelandmagazine.com%2Fup-date-on-major-fire-in-historic-downtown-loveland%2F&host=ca-host-pub-2644536267352236&fwr=0&pra=3&rh=160&rw=640&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&fa=27&adsid=ChAI8LPMlAYQjbq74J6XuOpSEjkAVlULhMUZ-KBfG4ut-551NNObiVGl4gzYun23M2AwN1mprUxRkA8pldhSON69Z9vBHbybFRatluY&uach=WyJtYWNPUyIsIjEwLjEzLjYiLCJ4ODYiLCIiLCIxMDEuMC4xMjEwLjUzIixbXSxudWxsLG51bGwsIjY0IixbWyIgTm90IEE7QnJhbmQiLCI5OS4wLjAuMCJdLFsiQ2hyb21pdW0iLCIxMDEuMC4xMjEwLjUzIl0sWyJNaWNyb3NvZnQgRWRnZSIsIjEwMS4wLjEyMTAuNTMiXV0sZmFsc2Vd&dt=1653835819579&bpp=3&bdt=732&idt=-M&shv=r20220525&mjsv=m202205240101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D55acfa9313540311-22b78d0427d2007c%3AT%3D1649684162%3ART%3D1649684162%3AS%3DALNI_MbdGaiL61apm8KZ6Qgpxz9HlDC9qw&gpic=UID%3D000004535653105b%3AT%3D1649278188%3ART%3D1653833522%3AS%3DALNI_MbJ0mrFVpN2Wbw5Y_9INzMkwkCYhQ&prev_fmts=0x0%2C1034x280%2C640x280&nras=4&correlator=5928493865838&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=371103363.1615984224&ga_sid=1653835819&ga_hid=296308691&ga_fc=1&u_tz=-240&u_his=4&u_h=800&u_w=1280&u_ah=777&u_aw=1280&u_cd=24&u_sd=2&dmc=8&adx=27&ady=2029&biw=1034&bih=698&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44759875%2C44759926%2C44759837%2C44763505%2C31062931&oid=2&pvsid=2612451399889931&pem=491&tmod=431814633&uas=0&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lovelandmagazine.com%2F%3Fs%3Dhistoric%2Bfire&eae=0&fc=1408&brdim=93%2C23%2C93%2C23%2C1280%2C23%2C1049%2C777%2C1049%2C698&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=128&bc=31&jar=2022-05-21-17&ifi=4&uci=a!4&btvi=2&fsb=1&xpc=ARY9cT2lAF&p=https%3A//www.lovelandmagazine.com&dtd=174
The former Julian’s Deli, now owned by Paxton’s Grill only suffered minor fire damage. The fire sprinklers in the building did not activate. Huber said the heat inside the building wasn’t great enough to activate the sprinklers, but the interior of the building has damage from the water used to keep the fire from spreading. Cleanup was already underway on what will be called, Bike Trail Junction. Co-owner, Kevin Egan said their opening was scheduled in the coming weeks, but the opening will have to be rescheduled.
Narrow Path Brewing Company on Karl Brown Way had roof damage that was being repaired Sunday evening. The business remained closed throughout the day. Another building, further north on Karl Brown Way had newly installed plastic siding, buckle from the heat.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-5466420906099875&output=html&h=280&adk=3608273107&adf=2317031084&pi=t.aa~a.829776362~i.15~rp.4&w=640&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1653835819&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=6519503178&psa=1&ad_type=text_image&format=640×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lovelandmagazine.com%2Fup-date-on-major-fire-in-historic-downtown-loveland%2F&host=ca-host-pub-2644536267352236&fwr=0&pra=3&rh=160&rw=640&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&fa=27&adsid=ChAI8LPMlAYQjbq74J6XuOpSEjkAVlULhMUZ-KBfG4ut-551NNObiVGl4gzYun23M2AwN1mprUxRkA8pldhSON69Z9vBHbybFRatluY&uach=WyJtYWNPUyIsIjEwLjEzLjYiLCJ4ODYiLCIiLCIxMDEuMC4xMjEwLjUzIixbXSxudWxsLG51bGwsIjY0IixbWyIgTm90IEE7QnJhbmQiLCI5OS4wLjAuMCJdLFsiQ2hyb21pdW0iLCIxMDEuMC4xMjEwLjUzIl0sWyJNaWNyb3NvZnQgRWRnZSIsIjEwMS4wLjEyMTAuNTMiXV0sZmFsc2Vd&dt=1653835819579&bpp=3&bdt=732&idt=-M&shv=r20220525&mjsv=m202205240101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D55acfa9313540311-22b78d0427d2007c%3AT%3D1649684162%3ART%3D1649684162%3AS%3DALNI_MbdGaiL61apm8KZ6Qgpxz9HlDC9qw&gpic=UID%3D000004535653105b%3AT%3D1649278188%3ART%3D1653833522%3AS%3DALNI_MbJ0mrFVpN2Wbw5Y_9INzMkwkCYhQ&prev_fmts=0x0%2C1034x280%2C640x280%2C640x280&nras=5&correlator=5928493865838&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=371103363.1615984224&ga_sid=1653835819&ga_hid=296308691&ga_fc=1&u_tz=-240&u_his=4&u_h=800&u_w=1280&u_ah=777&u_aw=1280&u_cd=24&u_sd=2&dmc=8&adx=27&ady=2647&biw=1034&bih=698&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44759875%2C44759926%2C44759837%2C44763505%2C31062931&oid=2&pvsid=2612451399889931&pem=491&tmod=431814633&uas=0&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lovelandmagazine.com%2F%3Fs%3Dhistoric%2Bfire&eae=0&fc=1408&brdim=93%2C23%2C93%2C23%2C1280%2C23%2C1049%2C777%2C1049%2C698&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=128&bc=31&jar=2022-05-21-17&ifi=5&uci=a!5&btvi=3&fsb=1&xpc=xqJK2oAOI5&p=https%3A//www.lovelandmagazine.com&dtd=182
Huber also said that if possible, scaffolding will be erected on the west side of the Bishop Building on Monday. He said it will depend on whether they can get someone to do the work on the Memorial Day Holiday. The scaffolding will be erected to shore up the brick exterior, making it safe to be inside the building where crews could better assess the structural damage, and make it possible for rebuilding to begin.
At 8:30 PM Sunday, a fire crew was still at the scene.
In a press release issued this afternoon by Loveland City Manager, Dave Kennedy, he said, “It is the City’s desire to save these historic structures and will work with the building owners to make this happen. This is a tragic event but the City of Loveland is a very strong community and will work together to repair this part of our downtown. The City of Loveland is thankful that the fire caused no injuries or loss of life and salute the efforts of the City’s first responders.”
“There is so much we need to do – we must do – to prevent more tragedies. We can’t discuss it all here today, but one step I hope members of both parties take is to finally get a permanent ATF director on the job.” – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced Steve Dettelbach at his U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing to serve as the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Mr. Dettelbach is a Cleveland native and from 2009 until 2016, served as the Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
“I have known Steve for years, and watched him tackle some of the Department of Justice’s most sensitive cases – cases at the intersection of law enforcement and civil rights,” said Brown. “I can think of no better way to support law enforcement, to reject hate, and to keep Americans safe from violent crime, than for this committee and the entire Senate to confirm Steve Dettelbach as ATF Director.”
Dettelbach has earned the endorsement from numerous law enforcement groups including the National Sheriffs’ Association, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association, Women in Federal Law Enforcement, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Dettelbach has also been endorsed by more than 140 former federal prosecutors and eight former ATF Directors, and civil rights organizations, like the National Urban League and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and faith organizations like the Jewish Federation of North America.
BY: MARTY SCHLADEN – Ohio Capital Journal
Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted says he doesn’t have a conflict of interest as a new board member of an Ohio bank — that’s regulated by the administration of which Husted is a part.
Despite the denial, his new side gig is likely to add to ethics questions about an administration that has already had its share of scandals.
Cleveland.com on Monday night broke the news that Husted had joined the board of Heartland Bank, a Central Ohio-based institution that is talking up its expansion into Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Husted and the DeWine administration made no announcement when Husted joined the board in March and it only became public when the bank made an announcement last week, the paper reported.
Asked for comment on Husted’s new job, DeWine Press Secretary Dan Tierney said, “Our office doesn’t have immediate comment.”
For his part, Husted won’t say how much the bank is paying him to serve on its board.
“The position is compensated and will be reported appropriately on his financial disclosure,” Husted spokeswoman Hayley Carducci said in an email.
The most recent annual financial disclosures were due earlier this month. So it will apparently be almost a year — and after the November election — before voters will know how much the bank is paying Husted on top of the $176,000 salary he gets from taxpayers.
Carducci also said there wouldn’t be a conflict of interest for a sitting lieutenant governor to also sit on the board of an Ohio bank. That’s despite the fact that his 2018 and 2022 running mate, DeWine, appoints the director of the Ohio Department of Commerce, which regulates banks.
“The Lt. Governor doesn’t have oversight over the Ohio Department of Commerce or their banking regulators,” Carducci said. “He doesn’t expect any conflicts, but would certainly recuse himself and act in any way that the law requires should any conflicts arise.”
However, it seems possible that there could be conflicts in cases where Husted takes no action.
For example, the Department of Commerce has to approve bank mergers, an arena in which Heartland has a clear interest. It’s plausible that if the department considers another merger application from Heartland, its staff might pull punches in the knowledge that the No. 2 official in the DeWine administration sits on the bank’s board.
Indeed, in announcing that Husted would be joining its board, Heartland chairman, president and CEO G. Scott McComb talked up the importance of the lieutenant governor’s “relationships” to the bank’s expansion plans.
“Jon brings an enormous amount of knowledge, relationships and experience that will be beneficial to the board as we continue to grow our franchise throughout Ohio,” McComb said in a statement. “His calculation and strategic decision-making skills complement our already diverse and accomplished board.”
Paul Nick, executive director of the Ohio Ethics Commission, told Cleveland.com that state ethics law doesn’t address whether a state official like the lieutenant governor can hold outside jobs.
But Scott Pullins, a lawyer and a candidate for the Ohio House in this year’s Republican Primary, said he thinks Husted is violating the law.
“Ohio law is clear and our current lieutenant governor should know better,” he said in a statement. “Because he serves in more than one state position, Ohio’s current lieutenant governor is already one of the highest paid state employees.”
He added, “Lt. Governor Jon Husted must either resign immediately as a state official or resign from these two corporate boards. He simply cannot do all of these jobs and Ohio law, in my opinion, expressly prohibits it.”
Pullins was referring to the fact that Husted serves not only as lieutenant governor, he also heads up InnovateOhio, an agency that was created just after he took office in 2019. Husted also serves on the board of the holding company that owns Heartland Bank as well as that of the bank itself, Pullins said in an email.
Pullins, who is a also a member of the Knox County County Republican Party’s Central Committee, said he thinks by serving on those boards, Husted is violating section 102.03 of the Ohio Revised Code. Among other provisions, it says, “No public official or employee shall solicit or accept anything of value that is of such a character as to manifest a substantial and improper influence upon the public official or employee with respect to that person’s duties.”
Regardless of whether it violates the law, Husted’s possible appearance of a conflict isn’t unique in those around DeWine. Consider:
BY: MARTY SCHLADEN – Ohio Capital Journal
More evidence emerged Friday that Ohioans for years have faced questionable utility increases that were granted out of possibly dubious motives.
On June 19, 2019, FirstEnergy’s leaders were furiously pushing what would later be called one of the biggest bribery and money laundering schemes in Ohio history. The same day, the Ohio Supreme Court struck down a big rate increase the Public Utility Commission of Ohio had granted to FirstEnergy three years earlier, saying it was illegal.
In reference to the ruling, then-FirstEnergy Vice President Michael Dowling exchanged texts with Asim Haque, who until several months earlier had been chairman of the PUCO, the entity that regulates monopoly utilities such as FirstEnergy.
One of Haque’s messages suggests that he knew a rate increase he voted to allow FirstEnergy to implement was illegal, but that the Akron-based utility would be allowed to keep the $460 million it had already collected.
“And knowing that it would likely be found illegal and could not be refunded, I knew you would hold onto the funds,” Haque wrote in the text, which was first reported by Eye on Ohio and the Energy News Network.
The news organizations received the texts as part of a records request. The Office of Ohio Consumer Counsel, the state’s official watchdog, first obtained the messages. It provided copies to the Capital Journal as part of a separate request.
In an email, Haque said that he was only joking.
“My text exchange with Mike Dowling was tongue-in-cheek based on my previous contentious interactions with him and the company,” he said. “You will see at the bottom of the text message(s) that I say that I’m kidding. FirstEnergy was not a fan of mine, and the notion of my picture in the halls of their Akron headquarters would have been especially absurd.”
The last part was a reference to a separate text in which Haque told Dowling he “was the regulator who annoyed you most” but because of the rate increase Haque supported, “I should have a small picture in memoriam within those hallowed halls in Akron.”
However, it’s hard to see comments about supporting a likely illegal, non-refundable rate increase as a joke, said Rob Kelter, an attorney with the Environmental Law and Policy Center, which has opposed many FirstEnergy revenue requests.
“It’s one thing to make a joke about your picture being in the hallowed halls in Akron and he was kidding around,” Kelter said Friday. “But as far as that one key comment that he knew it would likely be declared illegal, that it couldn’t be refunded? That’s unacceptable.”
In a regulatory filing, the consumers’ counsel said something similar.
“Distressingly, we learned from FirstEnergy’s (text messages) that it apparently was known within the PUCO that the (rate increases) would likely be found illegal and that, even so, FirstEnergy would get to hold onto the funds because they could not be refunded to consumers.”
FirstEnergy spokeswoman Jennifer Young said in an email that she couldn’t comment because of ongoing litigation.
To justify his support for the increase, Haque, the former regulator, said FirstEnergy had asked for one worth $4.5 billion, while the one he supported was worth much less. He added, “it was above all a sensible decision and it was right for Ohio consumers, as I explained in my concurrence to the decision…”
The Supreme Court, however, didn’t agree, and subsequent investigations of the increase raise even further questions.
Called a “distribution modernization rider,” the increase was supposed to raise money to upgrade the electrical grid. But the order allowing it didn’t place many restrictions on how the money could be spent.
It said that grid modernization could be expensive, and that the funds could be used to pay for it directly. But then it added that FirstEnergy could use the huge new pot of cash to support grid modernization “indirectly.”
We “recognize that the (subsidiaries) and FirstEnergy Corp. may use revenue from Rider DMR to indirectly support grid modernization investments …,” the filing allowing the rate hike said. “Such steps should lower the cost of borrowing the funds needed to invest in grid modernization and may include reducing outstanding pension obligations, reducing debt, or taking other steps to reduce the long-term costs of accessing capital.”
It’s not clear FirstEnergy did even that. It placed some of the funds into a pool from which utilities the company owned in other states could borrow. And a subsequent audit said that FirstEnergy didn’t track the money from the rate increase, so it’s impossible to say how it was spent.
And, because the PUCO didn’t build in a refund mechanism, the $460 million FirstEnergy collected from the rate hike is part of $1.5 billioncollected from illegal, but non-refundable utility hikes granted by the PUCO since 2009.
In not building in a refund mechanism, the PUCO said not that it was trying to protect consumers, but the monopoly utilities. Making the rate increases “subject to refund would be counterproductive and impose additional risks on the Companies,” the PUCO wrote in an order.
Kelter, of the Environmental Policy Law Center, said he could only partly believe Haque’s claim that he was joking with Dowling the day the Supreme Court struck down the rate hike.
“You can give Chairman Haque the benefit of the doubt that some of that was in jest,” Kelter said. “But not the part about what he did for them in terms of getting them the money knowing that their order was likely to be overturned — doing that anyway so that they could collect the money for a few years in the interim.”
In the same message, Haque, an appointee of former Gov. John Kasich, hinted at worse things to come.
Haque concluded the text by saying, “It’s up to chair Randazzo now to find a path for you.”
That was a reference to Sam Randazzo, current Gov. Mike DeWine’s appointment to chair the PUCO. Randazzo later resigned after the FBI searched his Columbus condo amid revelations that FirstEnergy paid him more than $4 million just before he became the state’s top utility regulator. That was part of $22 million the utility had paid to entities controlled by Randazzo over the years.
While he was supposed to be regulating utilities, FirstEnergy said Randazzo played a role in writing House Bill 6, of which federal investigators said FirstEnergy and its associates corruptly plowed $61 million into its passage and received a $1.3 billion ratepayer bailout in return.
Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, R-Glenford, and four associates were charged in the case. Dowling and Randazzo have not been charged and deny wrongdoing.
Loveland, Ohio – This is a story we first published in May of 2019. Cassie Mattia interviewed Steve Max, representing the Loveland Legace Foundation, and Rob Geiger the President of the Ramsey Paxton Cemetery Association as they were kicking off a new fundraising campaign for the cemetery’s restoration.
Rob told Cassie some of the history of the burial site and its historic significance to Loveland, Clermont, County, and the State of Ohio.
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Legacy Foundation has partnered with the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association, Inc. and will offer a dollar-for-dollar match up to $1,500 to complete the funding needed to restore the historical cemetery located in White Pillars subdivision on Ramsey Court. With your help, and this matching grant, the restoration work will be completed this summer and this historically significant site can be restored to a level of care that it deserves.
In this LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video Cassie Mattia talks with Steve Max and Rob Geiger about the history of the cemetery, who is buried there, and the announcement of the matching grant.
The first burial at the cemetery was Lt. Col. Thomas Paxton in 1813, a Revolutionary War patriot who dined with General George Washington as one of the officers of the day at Valley Forge on Christmas Day in 1777. Paxton also was chosen by General Anthony Wayne to lead the advance guard at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.
Paxton was credited as being the first permanent settler in Clermont County. Paxton and his sons-in-law carved out the wilderness to make a home for their families in 1795 and brought their wives and children here to Loveland in 1796. Paxton is the founder of Clermont County, Miami Township, the city of Loveland, and he helped with the Statehood of Ohio.
Capt. John Ramsey, Paxtons’s son-in-law, also a Revolutionary War patriot, is buried in the cemetery along with other family members.
The Loveland Legacy Foundation, passionate about preserving our founding families’ place of rest, has partnered with the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association to restore the historic Loveland landmark. Other partners include American Legion Post # 256, American Legion Auxiliary Post #256, Bond Home Furnishings, City of Loveland, Clough Valley Daughters of the Revolution, Eads Fence Company, Loveland Magazine, Paxton’s Grill, Ramsey’s Trailside, Loveland Sweets, and Rainey Tree Service. They have all united together to make this project a reality which will include the removal of the dead and decaying trees, the replacement of the chain link fence with a 4’ black aluminum industrial grade fence, and a 10’ antique wrought iron gate provided by Eads Fence that will be fully restored and installed.
You now have an opportunity to help secure the final part of the funds needed with this generous match from the Loveland Legacy Foundation which doubles the value of your donations up to $3,000.
The Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery is a hidden gem locally, statewide, and nationally. Jan Beller, Director of the Loveland Museum Center (Greater Loveland Historical Society) said: “We are fortunate to have such a historical site right in our own thriving town!”
Steve Max, Chairman of the Loveland Legacy Foundation, and Rob Geiger, President of the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association both added: Thank you for joining us to see this project through and living up to our motto “Loveland Strong.”
Read about the recent celebration on May 17, 2022:
Loveland Magazine is the proud Media Sponsor of the effort to restore this extraordinary local landmark.Loveland, Ohio – 366 Loveland High School Seniors are members of the Class of 2022 and they graduated yesterday, May, 21, at the Cintas Center at Xavier University.
The Senior Awards Ceremony for the class happened on May 3. The school celebrated the Top 10 Seniors, called out accomplishments in everything from citizenship to spirit, and presented many scholarships, including the ones awarded by local individuals and organizations.
Symmes Township, Ohio – Symmes Township will honor the veterans that served our country on Friday, May 27, at 7 PM at Home of the Brave Park, 11605 Lebanon Road.
The keynote speaker will be Louis Terhar, a retired US Navy Commander and former State Representative for Ohio’s 30th District and former State Senator for Ohio’s 8th District.
Loveland, Ohio – The City’s Memorial Day event will be held Monday, May 30, starting with a parade at 9 AM from the Loveland Elementary School, 600 Loveland Madeira Road, to the Loveland Veterans’ Memorial at the Col. Thomas Paxton Bridge offer the Little Miami River.
If you or your organization would like to be in the parade, registration is still open.
Immediately following the parade, a ceremony will be held at the Loveland Veterans’ Memorial, located at the intersection of West Loveland Avenue and Riverside Drive. The ceremony will feature a speech from Senator Terry Johnson of Ohio Senate District 14 (Adams, Brown, Clermont, Lawrence, and Scioto Counties).
Senator Johnson is a retired physician, a medical educator, and a retired military officer. Commissioned into the Ohio Army National Guard while a fourth-year medical student, he attained the rank of colonel in just 12 years. A senior flight surgeon and the Ohio Army National Guard’s first State Aviation Medical Officer, Dr. Johnson was deployed overseas multiple times, including two tours in Iraq and one posting in Kuwait. He ended his military career in 2011 as the Army Guard’s State Surgeon, the highest position attainable for a Medical Corps officer at that time.