Tuesday, January 28 2014
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Reading, Writing, Arithmetic and… Hand Guns?
A bill approved by the Republican-controlled Ohio House would allow some school employees to carry concealed firearms at school and prohibit school boards from releasing the names of those who carry them. And just in case you thought the rules weren’t lax enough, the bill also states if your child’s gun-toting-history-teacher-turned-Dirty Harry mercenary kills someone, the rules exempt the school board and employees from liability “unless the injury, death or loss resulted from the employee’s reckless or wanton conduct.” The bill has to pass the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate and be signed by pro-gun Gov. John Kasich before it becomes law.
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Fracking Waste Could Soon be Coming to a Port Near You
Just because there aren’t many fracking locations near Cincinnati doesn’t mean we can’t join in on the fun of experimenting with questionable chemicals. The U.S. Coast Guard is deciding as to whether or not to “allow oil and gas companies to ship fracking wastewater on barges down the Ohio River,” reports WCPO. Those in favor of shipping the chemicals on our mighty Ohio River maintain that transporting the chemical-and-sand-infused byproduct would be a boon to oil and gas companies’ bottom lines since they could instead send send one barge, which would carry as much waste as 20 trucks.
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Moving the Board of Elections Could Cause Hardship on Some Voters
So Hamilton County needs a new crime lab and the Board of Elections has voiced some need in recent year to relocate, due to space. Could a mutual solution be to move the Board of Elections to the old crime lab space in Mt. Airy? Not so fast, say local democrats. The proposed move could place an undue burden on low-income voters who live downtown and lack the transportation to get out to vote come election time. Making matters worse, the county commissioners need to make a decision on this before the end of the month.
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4 Days in Cincinnati: A Photo Essay
A Los Angeles-native who was tasked to shoot a commercial in Cincinnati compiled a gorgeous photo essay detailing our fine ciy's resurgence ranging from details at the 21C Museum Hotel to everyday life in Over-the-Rhine. Do yourself a favor and click through to see what details an outsider's eye picked up in our Queen City.
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Cincinnati's Debt Increase Could Result in Creditworthiness Downgrade
The Cincinnati Enquirer published a lengthy investigation on the city’s rising debt levels, which have increased threefold in the last 20 years. One of John Cranley’s promises when running for mayor was the completion of the Interstate 71 and Martin Luther King interchange project, which the city has already borrowed $20 million to help finish the project. It’s of course unfair to blame Cranley for the city’s rising debt, but his promises certainly don’t help. Cincinnati is carrying an annual $1.1 billion debt, which means the city is paying $118 million per year in debt payments. Carrying debt isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however, but it could mean bond agencies could downgrade the city’s creditworthiness.
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