News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area
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Since 2004
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.
BY: SUSAN TEBBEN – Ohio Capital Journal
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.
The Ohio Supreme Court rules on judicial bypass went into effect in 2015.
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.
For more information, visit the Milford Miami Township and Little Miami River Chamber websites.
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!
Loveland, Ohio – “We would like to Congratulate Ty Harter and Elizabeth Madison for 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.
Tickets, Gear, Programs and Photos
Women’s preview: https://ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/2023-girls-wrestling-state-tournament-preview…
Men’s preview: https://ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/2023-boys-wrestling-state-tournament-preview…
Brackets, pairings, media guide & more: https://ohsaa.org/sports/wrestling
![[BREAKING GOOD NEWS] Teak Sushi & Thai Cuisine and Pet Wants to open in Historic Downtown Loveland](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/logo-big.png){kind=logo}
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.
BY: OHIO CAPITAL JOURNAL STAFF
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.
Right now, Ohio’s six-week abortion ban is unenforceable due to a Hamilton County judge blocking it indefinitely as the lawsuit against it continues. The bill does not have an exception for rape or incest.
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:
Reporting from OCJ’s Susan Tebben and WEWS’ Morgan Trau contributed to this article.
Elizabeth Madison is the first ever female wrestler at Loveland High School to earn her way to the OHSAA Championships.
Madison is the 170 lbs Regional Champion.
Madison will take her 38-0 record to state this upcoming weekend and compete for a state title.
Loveland, Ohio – HealthSource of Ohio’s Outreach and Enrollment Team will help if you need assistance with Medicaid, SNAP benefits, Presumptive Eligibility, or Marketplace insurance. This is a FREE service for anyone in the community – you don’t have to be a HealthSource patient. Call or email today at 513-707-9901 or insurance@hsohio.org.
The HealthSource Outreach and Enrollment Team can assist you with Medicaid, Presumptive Eligibility, and SNAP applications for FREE. You don’t have to be a HealthSource patient to contact the Team. Call 513-707-9901 to speak with a Team member, or leave a voice mail and you will get a call back!
Now that a March 2020 provision increasing the federal contribution to state Medicaid programs while requiring states to maintain continuous coverage for Medicaid patients during the COVID-19 public health emergency will be going away, the number of children falling under those protections will also be decreasing.
These children are at grave risk of losing coverage.
Loveland’s LIFE Food Pantry is working with Alicia Blum, with HealthSource to assist clients with benefit/government programs. Many are not aware that they must re-register for many of the programs, as well as the changes that have happened.
Stay tuned to Loveland Magazine about when HealthSource will be at the LIFE Food Pantry to answer questions and offer assistance.