Loveland, Ohio – The City of Loveland provides residents with an annual Christmas Tree removal service. The City makes it easy for you to get rid of those real trees with a curbside pickup.
Collection takes place from January 4 to January 15.
They ask that you please remove all decorations, lights, tree stands, and tree bags and place Christmas trees at your curb.
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Loveland, Ohio – Tony Carovillano graduated from Loveland High School in 1987.
Mother-in-law Lynne McManus Lee told Loveland Magazine this morning, “Our family is so proud of him. He’s one of the best!”
FROM 16-YEAR-OLD RIDE OPERATOR TO GM: MEET TONY CAROVILLANO
As the vice president and general manager of Worlds of Fun, Tony Carovillano is responsible for leading the operation of the park’s 235 acres and all of its rides and slides. His day typically starts at the front gate where he welcomes ambassadors and guests. From there, he bounces around attending meetings, checking on projects, leading his directors and planning for upcoming events. The day usually stretches past 8 hours, and the workweek almost always stretches beyond five days, but just as Tony did when he started – he relies on the energy of the park to keep him going.
For the past 35 years, amusement parks have been Tony’s life. He fell in love with the industry soon after he started as a train conductor at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio outside of Cincinnati. He was 16, and he’s been along for the ride ever since that whistle blew.
Working on the Railroad at Kings Island
After turning 16, it was time for Tony to get a job. To his delight, he was hired to work in rides at Kings Island after his sister, who was a supervisor at the log flume, put in a good word for him. Decked out in his train conductor uniform, Tony went to work on the K.I. & Miami Valley Railroad.
Clermont County, Ohio – Nestlé Purina PetCare has announced a $550 million investment to build a new factory in Williamsburg Township, Ohio, to meet increasing demand for its pet foods.
The Williamsburg Township location will join Purina’s network of 21 existing manufacturing locations across the United States and be the company’s first new factory built from the ground up since 1975. This expansion is part of a broader growth plan for Purina and marks the second new factory Purina has announced in 2020 after the company revealed plans in late September to convert a former brewery into a new pet food factory in Eden, North Carolina.
These jobs will be approximately 32-minutes from downtown Loveland.
Preliminary plans call for Purina to invest $550 million to build its new factory in southwest Ohio and produce dry dog and cat food brands, including Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE and Dog Chow.
The 1.2 million-square-foot facility will sit in Williamsburg Township’s South Afton Industrial Park. Purina plans to employ more than 300 people at its new factory location by 2024. Many of the jobs will include professional staff, production operators, technical staff and engineers.
Construction will begin this fall, and the factory is expected to be operational in 2023.
“Clermont County is an excellent location for Purina’s newest factory thanks to the region’s distribution opportunities, a workforce with great potential and strong community values,” said Nolan Terry, Vice President, Manufacturing, Purina. “We have a unique opportunity to bring all of our best technical and innovative manufacturing thinking under one roof as we construct this facility from the ground up.”
According to a press release issued by the company, the facility will be Purina’s most technologically advanced pet food factory, utilizing robotics and innovative digital tools and featuring a training center to promote learning and development.
The release also said that Purina is committed to making pet care products in an environmentally responsible manner.
Purina’s new operations will be designed with sustainability at the forefront, including a commitment to send zero waste for disposal, and production processes designed to recover and reuse heat and water. Purina also is striving to make the facility 100 percent powered by renewable electricity in the shortest practical timeframe, while supporting the company’s ambition for zero environmental impact in company operations by 2030.
The Ohio Development Services Agency approved a Job Creation Tax Credit to support the project.
“Governments don’t create jobs, businesses do,” said David Painter, President of Clermont County Board of Commissioners. “Commissioners invested in South Afton Industrial Park to provide the infrastructure and space where private business could create jobs for our residents.”
Painter continued by saying, “Williamsburg local school district will receive negotiated payments in lieu of taxes for coming decades. Clermont County will recoup its initial investment in South Afton. This is a win for Clermont County government, the Williamsburg area, Nestlé Purina and the residents of Clermont County.”
Overall, Nestlé employs 3,300 people across the state of Ohio, with operations in Solon, Marysville, Cleveland, Brecksville and Zanesville, spanning Nestlé USA, Nestlé Professional, Nestlé Foodservice and Nestlé Purina operations.
Loveland, Ohio – Although Hamilton County is no longer listed on Ohio’s watch list to turn PURPLE, there are still serious concerns about spread of the coronavirus new health data compiled by the Ohio Department of Health reveals.
Clermont County is now a RED County.
Hamilton County remains RED.
Warren County remains RED.
Level 3 (RED) on the Risk Level Indicator means there has been a public emergency declared and there is very high level of spread and exposure in the county.
The Ohio Department of Health guidance in a RED county is to:
Conduct a daily health/symptom self-evaluation and stay at home if symptomatic.
Maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet from non-household members.
Wear face coverings in public, especially when social distancing is difficult to maintain.
Increase caution when interacting with others not practicing social distancing or wearing face covers.
Avoid traveling to high-risk areas.
Follow good hygiene standards, including:
Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Use hand sanitizer frequently.
Avoid touching your face.
Cover coughs or sneezes (e.g., into a tissue, or elbow).
Symptom self-evaluation monitoring.
Avoid contact with anyone who is considered high-risk.
High-risk individuals should take extra care to follow precautions.
Seek medical care as needed, but limit or avoid unnecessary visits to hospitals, nursing homes, and residential care facilities to see others as much as possible.
Decrease in-person interactions with others
Consider necessary travel only
Limit attending gatherings of any number
Forty-three Ohio counties currently have a very high risk of exposure and spread (Red Level 3), up from 38 counties last week. This represents the highest number of Red Level 3 counties since the launch of the advisory system in July. As of today, 78 percent of Ohioans are living in a Red Level 3 county. Less than 1 percent of Ohioans live in a Yellow Level 1 county.
“The virus is raging throughout the state, and there is no place to hide,” said Governor DeWine today. “We must face this virus head-on with the tools that we know can beat this virus back: masks, social distancing, washing hands frequently, and good ventilation when inside.”
DeWine announced today that Ohio has now hit a record number of cases reported in a single 24-hour period. Between yesterday and today, health officials have reported a total of 3,590 new positive coronavirus cases in Ohio which is more than 700 cases more than the previous high number of cases reported last Saturday. A total of 194 new hospitalizations were also reported in the past 24 hours, the third-highest number of hospitalizations reported in a single day so far.
Meanwhile, the Loveland School District reported today that they were notified that two more Loveland High School students have tested positive for COVID-19. One student was last at school on Thursday, 10/22/20, and the other on Monday, 10/26/20. (Also read: COVID-19 Positive Cases in Loveland Schools)
Loveland PK-8 grades are in the “Full Capacity” mode of attendance for students not enrolled in the remote academy. Loveland High School remains in a blended mode of attendance for students not enrolled in the remote academy.
COVID-19 Case Rates Per County as of Oct. 28, 2020
County
Color
Cases Per 100 K
Case Count
Population
Clermont
RED(H)
219.9
454
206,428
Hamilton
RED(H)
261.4
2,137
817,473
Warren
RED(H)
303.5
712
234,602
“H” indicates there is “High Incidence” The 14-day period used for this table covers data from Oct. 14 to Oct. 27. The data were pulled on Oct. 28 and exclude incarcerated individuals. Source: Ohio Disease Reporting System (ODRS). Population from 2019, U.S. Census Bureau.
–
There are currently 96 Clermont County cases in the 45140, 45147, and 45150 Zip Code areas. Forty have died in Clermont County and there are 340 current active cases.
Hamilton County is reporting that there have been 320 cases in the 45140 Zip Code. There are currently 177 cases in the county and 235 deaths recorded. The 7-day average for new cases is 177.
In Warren county there are currently 295 hospitalizations and 642 new cases in the last 14 days. Sixty-six have died and 3 have died in the last 14 days. There is an average of 72 new cases per day in the county. No zip code level data is available for Warren County.
(While the city of Loveland lies partially in Clermont County, the city’s public health services are contracted with Hamilton County Public Health. So, if a resident lives in the city of Loveland and tests positive for COVID-19, that case would be counted in Hamilton County Public Health’s statistics, not Clermont County’s.)
Per CDC
Among adults the risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk. People of any age with the following conditions are at increased risk of severe illness: chronic kidney disease; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; weakened immune system from solid organ transplant; obesity (body mass index of 30 or higher); serious heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies; Sickle cell disease; and Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Children who are medically complex, who have neurologic, genetic, metabolic conditions, or who have congenital heart disease are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 than other children.
People who need to take extra precautions include racial and ethnic minority groups; people experiencing homelessness; women who are pregnant or breastfeeding; people with disabilities; and people with developmental and behavioral disorders.
Loveland, Ohio – Here are the “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” reports for the Loveland Intermediate School that were obtained through a public records request to the District.
Loveland Magazine asked the Superintendent to provide Loveland Magazine with the report “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” that LJB Inc. prepared for the District. LJB was awarded a contract in July for $66,250 for “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” services. The report was prepared under the previous CDC definition of “close contact”.
Here is what was prepared for the Loveland Middle School
Loveland, Ohio – Joe Farruggia with Zicka Homes has been trying to rezone property off North Second Street (St. Rt. 48) south of the Sentry Hill subdivision with the potential use to build a 28-unit condominium development called the Blossom Hill Project since the first week in June. He has submitted three variations of the proposal, the latest on October 20. The current proposal is to limit the project to 25 or fewer individual units.
The site is approximately 5.5 acres on St. Rt. 48 adjacent to the Sentry Hill subdivision and on the opposite side of the street of the Loveland Health Care facility.
Previously, on June 24th and July 21, the Planning and Zoning Commission held public hearings for the zoning map amendment and recommended approval of the amendment. However, each time, Farruggia chose not to move forward with the processes which would be to have a public hearing before the City Council.
The latest iteration was also approved by the Planning Commission last week and sent to City Council for their consideration. The recommendation from Assistant City Manager Tom Smith is for Council to schedule a public hearing for the re-zoning on November 24.
The developer is asking for changes to the Loveland Zoning Map from the current zoning of Medium Density Residential to Residential Multi-Family.
The recommendation of the Commission according to Smith included the following conditions:
The proposed housing development for the property as submitted o Planning and Zoning Commission must be actively under construction within eighteen (18) months from the date of approval by City Council in order to maintain the zoning;
The approval shall be withdrawn, and the zoning shall revert to Residential Medium Density (R-MD) should the eighteen (18) month condition lapse.
Approval shall be exclusive to this applicant. No transferees or assignees of the applicant are subject to this approval.
Smith also said the developer agreed to requests made by Sentry Hill resident, Dave Stanton. These items were also part of the Planning and Zoning Commission’s motion for recommendation:
Construct a four to five-inch earth berm, fully landscaped with trees and grass, to be constructed along the property line of the two homes in the Sentry Hill subdivision and maintained by the new subdivision’s HOA.
Street lighting and exterior lighting on the townhomes be designed to prevent light pollution into the Sentry Hill Subdivision.
Townhomes to be constructed, at 40 feet, shall not exceed the height of the referenced home of 214 Sentry Hill Drive.
Limit the number of townhomes to be built at 25 or less.
No dumpsters or centralized garage collection. Individual residential trash and recycling pickup to be consistent with all the residential surrounding areas.
No stand-alone garages or sheds.
Exterior architecture and materials (brick, stone, and Hardie Plank) shall be consistent with the look and feel of neighboring communities.
Even though there are COVID 19 restrictions for the number of audience members in the hearing chamber, five residents appeared to express their displeasure with the re-zoning. No residents spoke in favor of the rezoning or the condos.
These signs were erected in July by citizens opposed to multi-family zoning adjacent to their homes on St. Route 48 in North Loveland.
Residents have pointed out that the proposal must follow the guidance of the City Master Plan specifically for North State Route 48. They say the project must maintain similar development densities, preserve open space, a rural atmosphere, and assure that there is adequate infrastructure to support the development as mandated in the current plan. They cite the current gridlock of Historic Downtown that must be addressed before the development moves forward.
City Manager Dave Kennedy has argued that the current Comprehensive Strategic Plan (2002) is old and not in line with the current needs of the City. The City is currently rewriting a new master plan for the City. Residents say re-writing the plan is well and good, but until there is a new plan the City and Zicka are governed by the one that exists.
Residents of South 48 also protest that adding so many residential units will add to their already current traffic nightmares of trying drive into and out of Historic Downtown.
During the hearing, Tom Scovanner told the Commission they should be skeptical of the studies Zicka presented to them. One presenter represented that they had prepared their study for the Commission, and Scovanner said, “No, they represent Zicka.” He posed the question to the Commission of whether they would have ever seen the study if it did not turn out favorably to the developer.
Scovanner, a litigator for Clermont County also said in no uncertain terms that the P&Z cannot do anything the Loveland law doesn’t allow them to do. Holding up the code, he said, “You’re bound by these codes. This doesn’t comport with the Comprehensive Master Plan.”
Tom Scovanner spoke to Planning Commission against the re-zoning for condos on Rt. 48.
Dave Stanton spoke to Planning Commission against the re-zoning for condos on Rt. 48.
Sue Ann Walker spoke to Planning Commission against the re-zoning for condos on Rt. 48.
Allen Brooks spoke to Planning Commission against the re-zoning for condos on Rt. 48.
Courtney Hauck spoke to Planning Commission against the re-zoning for 28 condos on Rt. 48.
Marty Schladen has been a reporter for decades, working in Indiana, Texas and other places before returning to his native Ohio to work at The Columbus Dispatch in 2017. He’s won state and national journalism awards for investigations into utility regulation, public corruption, the environment, prescription drug spending and other matters.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the state’s legislative leaders on Friday announced how they’d allocate almost half of what the state has left in federal coronavirus-relief dollars.
The state has about $1 billion unexpended from its share of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act that Congress passed in March. At least until the feds change the rules, the funds have to be spent by Dec. 31.
Social-service groups that deal with issues of homelessness and hunger have been clamoring for months for a share of the money, as have business groups and others. So it’s been up to DeWine and the legislature to decide what to do with the money while Congress appears stymied over further coronavirus relief.
“We tried to look at what the needs were and what had already been put out,” DeWine said during a remote press conference. “We don’t know whether Congress will pass another bill or not.”
The state is holding about half of the funds for coronavirus testing and contact tracing and other needs while it awaits a possible second round of relief — which may or may not include assistance to state and local governments.
The expenditures announced Friday include:
$50 million for mortgage and rental assistance to families making 200% or less of the federal poverty level
$125 million for businesses with up to 25 employees
$37.5 million for restaurants and bars
$100 million for colleges and universities to do testing, contact tracing and provide mental-health services
$62 million for rural and critical-access hospitals
$25 million for non-profits providing services such a food banks, homeless shelters and other social services
$20 million for the arts
A good deal more of the money was focused on businesses than on assisting individuals who are suffering most. But several in Friday’s press conference said they hope by helping small businesses keep their doors open, people will be able to get or keep jobs.
“We know some businesses are barely making it,” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said of that portion of the package. “This is focused on them.”
For their part, some leaders of social-service organizations said they were grateful for the help they will receive.
“We’re pleased that Gov. DeWine finally deployed federal coronavirus relief funds to help people avoid getting evicted during this pandemic,” Bill Faith, executive director of the Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio, said in a written statement. “And we appreciate (Ohio) Controlling Board members’ support, especially Sen. (Matt) Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) and Sen. (Jay) Hottinger (R-Newark) who took a personal interest in keeping struggling Ohioans safely in their homes. We look forward to seeing details on how the program will be implemented. Given the Dec. 31 deadline to use these funds, we would welcome the governor’s assistance in advocating for Congress to provide additional rental assistance into 2021.”
The Ohio Poverty Law Center also released a statement praising state leaders for their action. But it warned that it won’t be enough.
“As Ohioans continue to experience job and income loss due to the pandemic, additional federal and state resources will be needed to prevent evictions and keep Ohioans safe, especially as we get closer to the expiration of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium,” it said. “We hope housing assistance will be among the highest priorities for resources in the coming weeks and months.”
David Miller is the Editor and Publisher of Loveland Magazine
by David Miller
Loveland, Ohio– Yesterday, the Loveland School District described their newsletter that was issued at 4:34 PM as an “Urgent LHS Schedule Update”. In the release, they announced that Loveland High School will remain on the current hybrid learning model through Friday, November 6.
The students were scheduled to go to 5-day in-person learning (for all students that have chosen to attend in-person classes) this Monday, October 26.
Students in PK-8 will remain in their current “full in-person” learning model which began Monday, October 12.
An important note is that some students at all grade levels have not been attending any in-person classes and have enrolled in the District’s Remote Learning Academy, so none of the school buildings are at, or will be at, “full in-person” or 100% student capacity.
The in-person, high school students have been in a “blended” model of attendance since the start of the school year which means individual students have been alternating between in-person and remote learning activities at home.
The District has been regularly reporting in the afternoon when student or staff positive COVID 19 cases have been reported to the schools, but have refused to release data during the week about how many students or staff are under quarantine. In response to questions to Superintendent, Dr. Amy Crouse, she only says that the quarantine numbers will be released when they publish a new “dashboard” on Fridays. She was asked for the quarantine numbers on Tuesday and Wednesday this week when new positive cases were reported. When she refused, she was then asked, “What is the reason you will not answer the question or release this information to Loveland Magazine?” Her answer was, “I will forward the question about quarantines and our procedures for sharing those on a single day to our health team. They do all the contact tracing, communications, and protocols.”
Loveland Magazine is waiting on the answer.
In yesterday’s “Urgent LHS Schedule Update” the District said, “Due to a recent rise in LHS student cases and subsequent quarantines because of events outside of school, next week will operate like this week. As the district has continued to receive more information, we are concerned that more student cases may arise.”
The District says that their change of plans for the high school is based in part on “quarantines” and we believe students, parents, teachers, staff, and the community have a right to know how exactly how many students are not attending classes today because they are under quarantine.
The District has repeatedly emphasized how important it is for children to have an in-person educational learning opportunity. We believe that the quarantine numbers are important for the public to have when evaluating how effective the in-person model actually is.
Loveland Magazine has also asked for the report “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” that LJB Inc. prepared for the District.
LBJ was awarded a contract in July for $66,250 for “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” services. We have not received that report after repeated attempts. All we are being told is that the report is in the business manager’s office and he is out of his office and we should receive the report when he returns. Loveland Magazine sent the public records request directly to the Superintendent because we believe she certainly has a digital file of the report on her server and sending it to us should take but a click of her mouse.
The report belongs to the public. District taxpayers funded the report and they have a right to see what the experts recommended when they studied how many students and teachers should be in classrooms under the hybrid and full capacity models.
The Superintendent is making unilateral decisions based in part on quarantine data and should release the data and the “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” report immediately.
From the District COVID-19 Update Newsletters
In the evening on 10/21/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On 10/22/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On 10/22/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland Middle School tested positive for COVID-19.
In the evening on 10/19/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On 10/20/20, the district was also notified that two additional students at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On 10/19/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On 10/13/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
The district was notified that a student at Loveland Primary School tested positive for COVID-19.
On Thursday, 10/8/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On Tuesday evening, 10/6/20, the district was notified that two students at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On Sunday, 10/4/20, the district was notified that a non-teaching staff member at Loveland Elementary School has tested positive for COVID-19.
On Monday, 10/5/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School has also tested positive for COVID-19.
On Saturday, September 19, 2020, the district was notified that a student member of Loveland Middle School tested positive for COVID-19.
(September 14) This weekend, the district was notified that one of our bus drivers has tested positive for COVID-19.
The winning Valentine Card design by Loveland Magazine Publisher David Miller after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
Loveland, Ohio – The Little Miami River Chamber Alliance says they are excited to kick-off the 2021 Valentine Program with the assistance of the Valentine Committee. The Committee is chaired by past Valentine Lady Patricia Furterer and is comprised of some of the Valentine Ladies from past years and other representatives from Loveland.
Valentine Card designs and all the names of the Valentine Ladies are engraved on granite walls in Historic Downtown Loveland.
The committee is now accepting nominations for the 2021 Valentine Lady. Valentine Lady nominees are women who distinguish themselves in community, school, and family endeavors. The Valentine Lady serves as the official spokesperson of the Valentine Program in the Loveland area and helps the Chamber make the 2021 Valentine Program a success.
The Committee is chaired by past Valentine Lady Patricia Furterer and is comprised of some of the Valentine Ladies from past years and other representatives from Loveland.
Nominees must reside in the Loveland 45140 zip code, and be able to work with the Chamber January 2, 2021 through the end of February 2021, stamping Valentine cards and visiting area schools, businesses, and other community organizations and participating in area events throughout the year.
Ohio Sweetheart City Offers Valentine Card Design Contest
Don’t miss the opportunity to compete in the Annual Valentine Card Design Contest sponsored by the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance. All Tri-State area artists, photographers, high school students, and interested persons are encouraged to participate.
If you can design a card which pertains to love and Valentine’s Day, and contains the signature slogan, “There is nothing in this world so sweet as love”, submit the original artwork to the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance.
“The submission deadline is November 20, 2020 but don’t wait until the last minute and be caught in the holiday rush,” says the Chamber.
The winning card design will be unveiled at the Valentine Kick-off on January 9, 2021 and will be the official 2021 Valentine card.
The card will be for sale at several Loveland area businesses, stores, and other locations. Don’t miss the opportunity to have your design displayed for everyone to admire.
Send your Valentine Lady nominations and card designs to:
Little Miami River Chamber Alliance
113 Karl Brown Way Floor #2
Loveland, Ohio 45140
Nominations and card designs must be received at the Chamber office by November20, 2020.
All nominees will be recognized at the Valentine Kick-off on January 9, 2021 and the annual Valentine Breakfast on February 12, 2021. For further information, feel free to contact:
