LINK Kenton Reader - Volume 2, Issue 20 - April 19, 2024

NKY’s independent pharmacies on verge of extinction

By Kenton Hornbeck

Gut-wrenching.

That’s how pharmacist Craig Seither described the feeling of closing the Fort Thomas Drug Center last summer – a community staple for nearly 75 years.

Seither, a career pharmacist and lifelong resident of Fort Thomas, owned and operated Fort Thomas Drug Center since 2007. After 16 years, though, Seither’s business was facing economic headwinds.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, he had a decision to make: continue operating at a loss or shut down completely. It was something he had stewed over for months, Seither told LINK nky.

“I think it was a decision where I didn’t see any other option,” he said.

Ultimately, Seither closed the Fort Thomas Drug Center at the end of the business day on June 18. He somberly taped three notes

Frederick’s Landing buzzes with new bee colonies

By Haley Parnell

Frederick’s Landing in Wilder is buzzing with activity.

Two honeybee colonies were set up in the city by Cameron Holland, a Wilder police officer who became interested in the hobby through the Northern Kentucky Beekeepers Association. The hives, set up March 30, are new to Wilder – and new to Holland. In fact, they’re his first hives.

“If it weren’t for bees and flying insects or butterflies, birds, bats, we wouldn’t be able to have the continued production of trees and other flowers, food,” Holland said. “It’s all connected. It’s spring, so we’re seeing the blossoming of trees and tulips and daisies and other kinds of flowers popping up. That’s all because of these small things that

Continues on page 6

to the doors explaining the rationale behind the decision. As he walked away for the final time, a significant chapter of his life had come to an abrupt close. He lost his business; Fort Thomas lost an institution.

“There was a lot of pride in having an independent pharmacy,” Seither said. “It was something out of Norman Rockwell.”

The news of his closing sent shockwaves through the community. Former customers posted heartfelt messages to the business’s Facebook wall. Some offered condolences and shared memories while others searched for an explanation.

Last year, two other independently owned pharmacies in Northern Kentucky unexpectedly shuttered: Ludlow Drugs and Alexandria Drugs – both serving communities of less than 10,000 people.

Two months after Seither closed in Fort Thomas, Katie Litmer, owner and head pharmacist at Ludlow Pharmacy, decided to close her business under similar circumstances. She described the decision as

Continues on page 3

Two hives are home to new honeybee colonies in Wilder. Photo provided | Wilder’s Frederick’s Landing

The inside of Ludlow Pharmacy before its closure. Photo provided

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the most difficult she’d ever made. Ludlow Pharmacy served the small community for 42 years. Litmer took over the reins from her father, Jim, in 2012 and successfully served the residents of the small Kenton County river city for 12 years.

“I had grown up in this pharmacy working alongside and learning from my dad, Jim, for many years before transitioning to owning the pharmacy. I’ve had the privilege of knowing and caring for many of you for most of my life, which is why I’m sad we’re closing for reasons beyond our control,” Litmer wrote on Sept. 28 – the day Ludlow Pharmacy officially closed.

Like Seither, Litmer said her last day on the job was filled with emotion, going so far as to say she “dreaded” it. She filled the last of her customers’ prescriptions while juggling multiple media inquiries and the emotional weight of closing her family business. After closing, Litmer was greeted with an outpouring of support from the community.

“We’ve been involved in the community for our entire lives essentially,” Litmer told LINK nky. “It just got to the point where it wasn’t sustainable. Because of our ties to the community and our long history, I hung on a little longer than maybe I would’ve if I didn’t have an emotional attachment to the community.”

Although Litmer said the last day went as well as she had hoped, she was still frustrated, telling LINK nky that she felt the decision was almost beyond her control.

Walgreens, the largest brick-and-mor-

tar pharmacy chain in the world, was the primary beneficiary of both pharmacies’ closing. All of Fort Thomas Drug Center’s prescription files were transferred to the Walgreens at 1601 Monmouth St. in Newport, while Ludlow Pharmacy’s were transferred to the Walgreens at 1825 Dixie Highway in Fort Wright.

“I would’ve never thought that I would’ve sold to Walgreens in a million years,” Litmer said. “That wasn’t even on my radar, but unfortunately it got to that point.”

Since the closures, neither Fort Thomas nor Ludlow residents have had access to a pharmacy within city limits.

“Communities lose easy access to their trusted health care partner,” Litmer said. “It’s really frustrating to see.”

Why did Seither and Litmer decide to close their businesses? They both pointed the finger at one primary entity: pharmacy benefit managers.

PBMs are third-party companies that act as middlemen between pharmacies, health insurance providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers. According to a market research report published by Fortune Business Insights, the PBM industry is currently dominated by three corporations: Express Scripts, CVS Caremark and Optum Rx. These corporations hold around 80% of the over $500 million market.

Alexandria Drugs owner Amy Glaser told LINK nky in December that financial pressures from PBMs were one of the main factors in her decision to close.

Independent pharmacies are becoming an endangered species across Kentucky. In 2023 alone, 67 independently owned pharmacies closed in the state, many in rural and low-income communities.

“I’m very saddened by it, but it’s really when you start looking at rural communities,” Seither said. “They say pharmacies are the most readily accessible health care providers, so now you have a situation where it might be 40 to 50 miles to the next closest pharmacy.”

These pharmacies provided critical access to medicines for many residents in need while also serving as landmarks within their small-town communities. Many of these businesses, like Fort Thomas Drug and Ludlow Pharmacy, were family-owned and operated for decades.

From Seither and Litmer’s perspective, the implementation of direct and indirect remuneration fees by PBMs, as well as other drug pricing and reimbursement tactics, caused independently owned pharmacies to take losses when filling prescriptions. As those losses accumulated, it became almost impossible for proprietors to turn a profit and sustain a viable business.

That situation, coupled with increased competition from large pharmacy chains such as Walgreens, forced dozens of independent pharmacies in Kentucky to close and left others on shaky economic ground. If the trend continues, more independent pharmacies could close, leaving some communities and their residents without reliable access to necessary medications.

Craig Seither and his family in front of Fort Thomas Drug Center before it closed. Photo provided | Craig Seither

“If 67 independent pharmacies close in Kentucky, what’s the magic number before it reaches a true access issue where communities say, ‘Hey, we don’t have a pharmacy within a 100-mile radius’?” Seither asked.

In the months before closing Fort Thomas Drug Center, Seither participated in an online crusade against PBMs on his business’s Facebook page, chiding the corporations for the fees he said were negatively affecting his business’s cash flow. After closing his business, he continued to advocate for independently owned pharmacies on social media.

Litmer has done the same, posting messages in support of independent pharmacies on her social media while calling out PBMs.

‘Take it or leave it’

The problem for all pharmacies, not just independent ones, is that many have to do business with PBMs because of their integral role in the U.S. pharmaceutical sector by managing prescription drug benefits for health insurance plans, including Medicare Part D. While not explicitly required to contract with PBMs, many pharmacies do so because of the access to patients served by these insurance plans.

PBMs negotiate contracts with pharmacies to establish reimbursement rates and terms for dispensing medications to patients covered by PBM-affiliated insurance plans. Pharmacies have the option not to contract with PBMs if they don’t find the terms favorable, but choosing this route could limit their customer pool, especially ones with insurance plans managed by PBMs.

“There might be some fairer contracts within the insurance’s book of business, but there’s also some really lousy ones, and that’s the conflict,” Seither said.

Because of their size, larger pharmacy chains like Walgreens have more negotiating clout than smaller, independently owned pharmacies that lack capital and resources.

To combat this, many independent pharmacies join pharmacy services adminis-

trative organizations – collectives of independent pharmacies – to negotiate on their behalf. Despite this, Seither said not all contracts are created equal, even when they’re being negotiated by a PSAO. For Seither, the contracts always seemed like a “take it or leave it” proposition.

“For independent pharmacies, they will have one contract, and that contract is called ‘take it or leave it,’” Seither said. “There’s no negotiating. It’s basically, ‘Here’s our contract – if you want to be a part of this, then these are the terms.’”

The DIR death knell

Under Medicare Part D, PBMs impose direct remuneration fees on pharmacies as part of their contract. DIRs can include administrative costs, network access costs, and other charges corresponding to pharmacy performance metrics. DIRs are generally outlined in the contracts between PBMs

and pharmacies.

Proponents of DIR fees describe them as a form of value-based contracting in Medicare Part D that incentivizes pharmacies to provide quality care while helping to keep beneficiaries’ cost-sharing and premiums affordable.

Critics lambasted the fees’ opacity and complexity. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores calls the quality measures “unpredictable, inconsistent and outside of a pharmacy’s control.”

Indirect remuneration fees are levied by PBMs and recouped after the point of sale. These fees are based on the difference between the amount a pharmacy is reimbursed by the PBM when the drug is dispensed and subsequent retroactive reimbursement adjustments for potential changes in drug pricing or network contracts. Indirect remuneration fees can be

“clawed back” anywhere from a few weeks to several months after a prescription is sold.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the governing apparatus for DIR fees, found that retroactive DIR fees increased a jaw-dropping 107,400% between 2010 and 2020. Moreover, an increasing number of employer-provided plans are being reimbursed for less than half of the drug’s purchase price, causing pharmacies to lose money on the sale.

“An alarming number of commercial claims are being reimbursed at less than the drug itself costs the pharmacy to buy it, before even accounting for the cost of the bag, the vial and the time of the professional trained to dispense the prescription,” Litmer said.

According to documents provided by Seither, Fort Thomas Drug lost $7,025 on

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A chart detailing the increasing amount of money in DIR fees paid by Kentucky’s independently owned pharmacies from 2021 to 2023. Photo provided | Kentucky Independent Pharmacist Alliance

nearly 700 prescriptions the business filed in June 2023. Litmer cited a similar pattern in her closing letter, detailing how filling a prescription for a brand-name heart medication left the business nearly $20 in the hole after DIR fees were extracted.

This practice could hit some pharmacies harder than others, depending on the makeup of their customer base. Some pharmacies might provide more prescriptions for customers covered by Medicare, while others might deal with more employer-provided plans. For Ludlow Pharmacy, both sounded death knells.

“We were unable to survive with the reimbursements provided for the mix of business we were currently able to access,” Litmer said.

Legislative help

Caught in a fight-or-flight situation, many

independent pharmacy owners have lobbied Frankfort and Washington, D.C., to curb the impact of DIRs.

“Basically, if you don’t get involved in politics, you won’t be involved in pharmacy,” Litmer said.

In September, Rosemary Smith, cofounder of the Kentucky Independent Pharmacist Alliance and owner of Jordan Drug, a pharmacy chain serving rural eastern Kentucky communities, wrote a letter to U.S. Rep. James Comer, of Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District, describing PBMs as a “python slowly choking the life out of independent pharmacies.”

“DIR fees were originally intended to incentivize pharmacies to provide high-quality care but quickly evolved into an enormous source of revenue for the big three PBMs who control 85% of the prescription market,” she wrote.

“PBMs claim they are taking back money months after prescriptions are filled due to a pharmacy’s performance or so-called quality measures,” she continued. “In fact, nothing any pharmacy does has been shown to tie back to the vast amounts being clawed back.”

In 2020, Kentucky passed a law sponsored by state Sen. Max Wise (R-Campbellsville) that eliminated six PBMs from managing the state’s Medicaid prescription drug business, instead limiting management to one PBM. Medicaid is Kentucky’s largest health plan and a major source of income for health providers like hospitals, doctors and pharmacies. Seither said this legislation alone is estimated to have saved the state nearly $300 million between 2021 and 2022.

Four years later, Kentucky is on the verge of passing Senate Bill 188, which would diminish PBMs’ role within the state’s pri-

vate health insurance industry. Once again, Wise sponsored the bill.

Some of the bill’s key provisions include prohibiting PBMs from mandating mail-order prescriptions, ensuring fair reimbursement rates for community pharmacies, preventing PBMs from steering patients toward pharmacies owned by them – such as CVS Caremark – allowing independently owned pharmacies to fill 90-day prescriptions for maintenance drugs, prohibiting higher co-pays at independently owned pharmacies compared to PBM-owned pharmacies and protecting independently owned pharmacies from retaliation for providing cost-saving information to patients.

“I’m optimistic this measure will yield similar savings by applying the same standards to the commercial market, effectively cutting costs for Kentuckians with private health insurance plans,” Wise said in a press release.

On March 26, the bill passed the state Senate on a 35-1 vote. Two days later, the state House of Representatives passed the bill with a resounding 97-0 vote. The bill now sits on Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk awaiting a signature.

Tennessee, Ohio and West Virginia have all passed legislation to curb PBMs’ oversized influence on their states’ health care system.

In the meantime, many Kentucky pharmacies are still struggling with day-to-day operational costs, and their futures are uncertain.

Customers choose these businesses because of the familiarity and the personal care their pharmacists provide. Shopping at a locally owned pharmacy also is a way for people to support their community. Without these businesses, the city loses a part of its identity, Seither said.

“You have winners and losers, but I think the losers are increasing significantly,” Seither said. “Consequently, you don’t have a Fort Thomas Drug Center, Alexandria Drug or Ludlow Pharmacy anymore.”

Ludlow Pharmacy sits empty in the days since its closing. Photo by Kenton Hornbeck | LINK nky

Continued from page 1

help facilitate the pollination and fertilization of these beings.”

Holland said he was introduced to beekeeping after meeting Betsy Rossi, president of the Northern Kentucky Beekeepers Association, through mutual friends. She told him about her hives and invited him to check them out.

“I said, ‘I’m going to do this; what the heck, I’ll research a little bit,’” Holland said. “So, I immediately picked up a couple books from Amazon and dove right in. I said, ‘I’m going to do this thing.’ After going to help Betsy with her hives last year, I was like, ‘This seems like a really cool thing to do,’ and kind of fell in love with it.”

The beekeepers association consists of

beekeeping enthusiasts who gather to expand their collective knowledge of beekeeping.

“While some attendees at the monthly meeting don’t own any bees themselves,” Rossi told LINK nky earlier this year, “they attend to learn how to get started beekeeping, or just because they’re considering starting.”

Holland will be responsible for maintaining the Wilder hives.

He purchased two colonies, consisting of a queen and five frames for each hive. Each one also has bees, baby bees, pollen and honey, all the things needed for an established colony. Holland purchased the bees from a beekeeper in Boone County, and so he said they are already acclimated to the area.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY –THE

REGION BUSINESSES CALL HOME.

To care for the bees, Holland feeds them sugar water and checks on them periodically until they become self-sustaining, which will take a month or two.

Once the bees are self-sustaining, they will start producing honey. Holland said the prospects are good for honey this year. He plans to give it away to friends and possibly sell it.

“Honey can help mitigate a lot of seasonal allergies because you’re getting a lot of the local pollen from the honey,” Holland said. “You consume the honey because it’s coming from the local plants and trees in the area that trigger people’s allergies. It helps serve as a block or a way to become immune, so to speak.”

When it came time to settle on the location

of the bees’ new home, Holland said he discussed putting them on city property with Wilder City Administrator Terry Vance. Holland said Vance was “all on board.”

“When Cameron asked if he could put a bee hive on city property, I told him the city would be happy to promote his endeavor by letting him put the hive near the city garden area,” Vance said. “I figured it would be beneficial to the garden area for pollination purposes. We are excited about his enthusiasm and wish him success.”

Holland said the spot at Frederick’s Landing is accessible but out of the way of heavy traffic. It also has many flowers for pollination.

The bees in these hives will start producing honey from the pollen taken from nearby plants and flowers. Photo provided | Wilder’s Frederick’s Landing

By Maggy McDonel

MKentucky Symphony is NKY’s musical ‘farm team’

ake classical music attractive, accessible and affordable.

That was the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra’s founding mission statement in 1992. It’s now carried on that mission for more than three decades.

Founder and Executive Director James Cassidy said that, when he started the orchestra, he wanted to differentiate it from others. “We didn’t want to be CSO-light and just do basically the same types of things that they do,” he said. (The CSO is the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.)

From there, Cassidy started to work on unique programming that would not only make the KSO stand out but could also provide opportunities for both musicians and the public to experience and participate in orchestral music. “It was all about, ‘How do we reach as many people as possible and share this gift of music?’” said Cassidy.

Cassidy said he sees the KSO as a place to start for a lot of young musicians. “In some ways, we’re that farm team, you know? The little fish type of deal,” he said.

“Without groups like ours, bigger groups don’t exist.”

Over the years, Cassidy said the orchestra has hired 1,791 musicians, some only playing with the group one time, others playing hundreds. Many of those, he said, have gone on to play in major orchestras around the world.

Having started his career as a high school band director in Florida, Cassidy has always been passionate about giving young musicians a place to start. Cassidy said he moved from Florida to attend the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, or CCM, to study conducting.

After graduating and interviewing to no avail for a few positions, Cassidy said he realized he should start his own orchestra. A friend of Cassidy’s, who worked in marketing at IAMS Pet Food out of Dayton, Ohio, initially said his idea of an accessible orchestra was crazy, but he offered to help send out brochures. The friend shared the IAMS Northern Kentucky mailing list.

What Cassidy didn’t realize: It was addressed to pets.

“I got a call to the orchestra line, and he said, ‘Hey, you know, I’m really glad we have our own orchestra right here in Northern Kentucky, but this was sent to my dog,’” he said.

In all, 3,000 brochures were sent to dogs, cats and other furry friends around Northern Kentucky, but people, not pets, showed up at the ensemble’s first concert, in November 1992.

Principal cellist Tom Guth said he likes the KSO’s uniqueness. “It’s just a lot of fun to play in, and don’t count us out.”

Guth has known Cassidy since CCM days, and he has played with the orchestra since soon after it was founded. He said he left for about 10 years to play with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra but has returned to the Tri-State and has continued to play with the KSO ever since.

As the principal, Guth leads his section, which he said is often a revolving door of young and passionate musicians, many of whom are students or recent graduates. Guth said he shows them the ropes, helping them hone skills like blending in with the orchestral sound rather than standing out as soloists.

“We kind of have to mold them a little bit to fit in,” he said.

The orchestra doesn’t have a permanent home, which Cassidy said he likes to think of as an advantage. “We say our home is in your neighborhood.”

The KSO has played most often in Northern Kentucky University’s Greaves Hall, but it’s also performed in churches, schools, even

rehearsing occasionally in small event halls. The challenge of a somewhat nomadic existence is that the orchestra must adjust to the sounds of different places. With only three or four rehearsals before a performance, Cassidy said that means they have to hire a “certain caliber of musician.”

The KSO uses “thematic and relevant programming” to achieve the “attractive” part of the mission statement, said Angela Williamson, the orchestra’s general manager and CFO. That Includes introducing things outside of the traditional, like pop music, interacting with the audience and generally not taking themselves too seriously.

Williamson met Cassidy when he came to speak to one of her arts administration classes at CCM. The graduate degree program fulfilled both her passion for music and her talent for accounting.

She started interning for the orchestra in the summer of 1995 and never left. “When I graduated, the board said, ‘You can’t go anywhere. We need you.’ And they offered me a job,” Williamson said.

They also told her she had to raise the money for her salary, so she started writing grants.

For her, part of why she stayed was how fun the KSO is; because the group doesn’t stick to the standard, they get to do more. “It wasn’t just about sitting and watching musicians on the stage; there were also other things happening.”

Williamson cited a program a few years ago billed as a “4-D concert.” The orchestra showed videos, brought in scent from a perfumer in California and even had peo-

ple waiting in the wings to spray audience members.

“I didn’t know how that was gonna go over, and I remember being a little nervous about it. Then at intermission, I actually had people come up to me and say, ‘I haven’t gotten wet yet,’ so I had to radio down and tell them to make sure to spray their row,” said Williamson.

The audience really enjoys experiencing something unique, Williamson said.

“The great thing is the audience looks forward to it. They like the fact that it’s different when they go to the orchestra. It’s like there’s always something that you’re not gonna get anywhere else,” she said.

Another unique facet to the KSO is its stable of subsidiary groups, each specializing in a particular musical niche. Besides the full orchestra, there’s also the Newport Ragtime Band, the Boogie Band, a jazz quartet and more.

Over the summer, the group performs free outdoor concerts at Devou Park in Covington and Tower Park in Fort Thomas. This year marks the orchestra’s 30th anniversary giving these free concerts. (This year’s series starts July 6.)

The KSO also offers free educational programming for students and schools across the region. It’s all part of making classical music attractive, accessible and affordable.

Hear the KSO this weekend

The Kentucky Symphony’s subscription series continues this weekend.

When 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Where

Saturday, Hyde Park United Methodist Church, 1345 Grace Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208; Sunday, Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, 1101 Madison Ave., Covington, KY 41011.

Program

Works for organ and orchestra, featuring Saint-Saëns’ “Organ Symphony.” Artists

James Cassidy conducts; Brenda Portman is organ soloist.

at

The Kentucky Symphony Orchestra performs at the Basilica in Covington. Photo provided | Kentucky Symphony Orchestra

Eyes to the sky: The 2024 solar eclipse

All eyes turned to the sky April 8 for the total solar eclipse. Schools around the region were closed, and people traveled from across the country to catch a glimpse of the band of totality.

We asked our readers to share their photos with us, and y’all did not disappoint. Here are some of our favorites.

From LINK nky Facebook follower Dana Ollier

The view from Harrison, Ohio. From LINK nky Facebook follower Heather Hearn

The view from Covington. Photo by Lacy Starling | LINK nky

From LINK nky Facebook follower Roy Anderson

crowd gathered for Eclipse and Sips in Bellevue on April 8. Photo provided

City of Bellevue

From LINK nky Facebook follower Sarah Mitchell Foster

The view from Edgewood. Photo by Nicole Trimpe | LINK nky

From LINK nky Facebook follower Lee Brooks

From LINK nky Facebook follower Allison Dutle

Development, aging infrastructure cited in Ludlow flooding

By Nathan Granger

Things seemed fine at first, said 14year Ludlow resident Ginger Roberto after last week’s heavy rains cleared up.

But then…

“I heard this noise, this huge noise, so I kind of wandered off my front porch looking for it. It was the water coming down off the hill,” Roberto said. “It sounded like waterfalls.”

Roberto lives just across the street from the hillside, which serves as the main access point for Cityview Station, a Fischer Homes development that’s been in the works since 2021. The access point is on Highway Avenue.

Roberto raced back inside to grab her phone and record the muddy water rolling down the hill and pooling under the overpass leading to the center of town. The video shows hapless drivers either stopping or attempting to cross.

Most of the water had receded by the following week, but traces of the flooding are still present in the mud and debris on the ground. Earth-moving machinery has since resumed its work atop the hill.

Greater Cincinnati experienced 1.68 inches of rain April 2, only a little bit short of the region’s single-day record of 1.92 inches in 1977, according to the National Weather Service. Ludlow wasn’t the only place in the region that got hit; several homes in Cincinnati’s Columbia Tusculum neighbor-

hood were flooded, for instance. For residents like Roberto, though, the flooding shone a light on the perils of building in Northern Kentucky.

Northern Kentucky’s hilly topography is an ongoing issue for both developers and residents, as it can present hazards in the form of land slippage and flooding when builders begin moving earth and clearing vegetation. That vegetation serves as a natural buffer that can slow the flow of water down a slope.

“I was afraid it was going to eventually come on over here into my yard,” Roberto said, “which was my concern up front with this development when they started taking all the vegetation off that hill.”

A 2006 study from Northern Kentucky University and the Kentucky Geological Survey states that the region’s geography, the demand for development and periods of heavy rainfall “have combined to create an environment that is highly susceptible to slope instability. As a result, landslides have a significant social and economic impact on the Northern Kentucky-Southwest Ohio region, and the costs of landslide prevention and remediation in this area reportedly are among the highest in the nation.”

Development isn’t the only factor, though. Flooding in both Ludlow and along Kentucky Route 8, which leads from Ludlow into Boone County, has been a problem for years.

“This is not an abnormal event for this section of road; it just isn’t,” said Ludlow City Administrator Scott Smith.

One particularly bad instance of flooding took place in 2019, Smith said, before construction on Cityview Station began. It led to the flooding of the underpass, the closure of Sleepy Hollow Road and Ky. 8 as well as flooding the police department and municipal building.

Smith attributes the flooding less to the development and more to the city’s aging sewer infrastructure, which he argued was inadequate for handling these sorts of heavy rains. “If you have an outdated infrastructure, I would venture to say that your roads, your curbs, your drainage is proba-

bly really your problem, not the development that’s going in there,” he said.

Smith claimed that much of that problem was beyond the city’s control because many of the roads and sewer systems are managed and maintained by state agencies like the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Sanitation District 1.

SD1 is updating the region’s combined sewer systems, which have a tendency to fill faster than more modern sewer systems because they carry both wastewater and stormwater. They aim to have everything in their jurisdiction updated by 2040.

Chris Cole, director of enterprise communications for SD1, told LINK nky that “runoff at a construction site isn’t directly related to [sewer system] mitigation. We do regulate sites to ensure that regional stormwater regulations are being met, but that’s different than our system overflow mitigation work.”

Cole directed LINK nky to SD1’s information on their sewer update initiative called Clean H2O40, which has a map showing recorded combined sewer overflows in the region, among other information. The affected areas include Ludlow, Covington, Newport, Bellevue and Dayton.

Whether it’s due to outdated infrastructure, development or some combination thereof, Roberto said the flooding of the underpass last week was the worst she’s witnessed. “I’ve seen all the storms, and I’ve seen all the backups and everything that goes down the street and ended up backing up that drain down under the underpass,” she said, “and I’ve never seen it that bad.”

In an email statement to LINK nky, Fischer Homes said, “By late Tuesday evening [April 2] and thanks to the quick action by the city of Ludlow, Highway Avenue was reopened and the impacted area was cleared. The construction site has since been inspected and there is no evidence of slope failure.

“Fischer Homes is taking steps to add to the compliant control measures that are already in place. Fischer Homes will continue to monitor and inspect the site pursuant to local stormwater regulations.”

Cars brave the flooding in the underpass leading into Ludlow’s central district on April 2. Photo taken from video provided by Ginger Roberto.

The access point to Cityview Station on Highway Avenue the Friday after the flooding. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky

Kenton County sheriff warns against scam over missed court dates

The Kenton County Sheriff’s Office is reminding citizens that it does not makes calls regarding missed court dates, jury duty or unpaid fines.

In the most recent scam, an alleged “Brian Butler with the Kenton County Sheriff’s Office” calls to report that a court date or jury duty has been missed and that a U.S. District Court judge wants to see the person. The scammer tries to get the person to pay fees and follow specific instructions to avoid having the case sent to the criminal investigation division.

The sheriff’s office said it will never attempt this type of contact. The office said it serves court papers in person, not by phone.

Scammers will try to pressure for immediate payment over the phone. Hang up and block their number. To report the continued scam attempts, contact the Kentucky Attorney General, Office of Consumer Protection, at 888-432-9257.

Kenton library director elected as president of library consortium board

Kenton County Library Executive Director Dave Schroeder was recently elected president of the board of directors for the Southwest Ohio Network Library Consortium, a regional collaboration of library systems that helps libraries share resources and expand access for patrons.

Schroeder has worked for the Kenton County library system for over 30 years and has served as its head since 2007. He’ll continue to work with the library in addition to his duties with the consotrium.

Learn more about the Southwest Ohio Net-

work Library Consortium at swonlibraries. org.

Fort Wright zoning revision streamlines processes, addresses development trends

The Kenton County Planning Commission unanimously recommended a rezoning request for land in Independence where developer Madison Pike Partners wants to build a 110-unit condominium complex at its April 4 meeting.

The proposal “recognizes Fort Wright’s development patterns, streamlines processes and addresses new development trends,” according to application documents from Kenton County Planning and Development Services.

The new zoning plan reduces the overall number of zones in Fort Wright from 32 to 14. It will not affect previous zoning approvals.

The proposal now goes to Fort Wright City Council for two readings and a vote.

Planning commission backs zoning change for proposed Independence condo project

Also at its April 4 meeting, the Kenton County Planning Commission unanimously approved a recommendation to revise Fort Wright’s zoning ordinance.

This recommendation moves final approval of the zoning to Independence City Council.

“One thing I like is that everybody’s worked together,” said Maura Snyder, the Independence representative on the planning commission, expressing what many of the other commissioners shared about the long road back to the commission the development has taken.

Called The Haven at Liberty Grove, the project has been controversial from the get-go. The developers, who originally sought approval for 124 units, came before the planning commission in February. Several Independence residents opposed it, arguing it was too dense and would increase traffic. In a split vote, the commission affirmed the residents’ concerns and voted down the developers’ request.

This escalated the request to Independence City Council, but the developers withdrew their request. Still, residents and the developers attended the council’s March meeting to discuss the matter. Independence Mayor Chris Reinersman, who has a background in real estate appraisal, spoke about compromises the developers had offered since the planning commission’s vote in February. These included reducing the number of proposed units and prohibiting rental units in the complex’s home association covenant.

Reinersman did not attend the April 4 meeting, but Independence City Administrator Chris Moriconi argued at the meeting that the development was good for the city overall, especially given the region’s housing shortage. “At the end of the day, this development, I think, fills a need,” Moriconi said.

The complex would be built on the east side of Madison Pike, or Ky. 17, in Independence. Its 110 units would be spread across 12 buildings for a density of 13.43 units per acre. It also would feature 257 parking spaces: 72 driveways, 72 garage spaces and 113 off-street spaces. Fischer Homes would build the structures.

Representatives from both Madison Partners and Fischer Homes attended the recent meeting.

Besides reducing the unit count, the developers also shaved off a chunk of the land on the west side of the development, reducing the number of entry intersections to just one. They also moved the site for a building in the eastern part of the development farther from the Hartland neighborhood to the south, removed plans for a retaining wall and agreed to build a path from the development northward to the Kenton Coun-

ty Courthouse, where a yet-to-be-built farmer’s market will be.

The parcels’ current zoning is split into three sections and allows for a total of 81 units of residential property, most of which would not require a development plan. This means that, if no change took place, there would be few barriers preventing a developer from building there so long as they conform to established zoning.

The developers’ request would consolidate the parcels into a single, planned-unit development zone.

2 Frisch’s restaurants shutter amid wave of local closings

Two Frisch’s Big Boy restaurants in Kenton County are among four Greater Cincinnati stores the casual dining chain closed this month.

A note posted April 1 on the door of the Erlanger Frisch’s, at 4016 Dixie Highway, announced its permanent closure. The location is no longer listed on Frisch’s official website, and its public Facebook page is no longer visible.

April 7 was the final day for the Covington Frisch’s, 520 W. Fifth St, according to a report for LINK nky media partner WCPO. A sign on the restaurant’s door on April 8 confirmed the closure, and the location is no longer listed on Frisch’s website..

Founded in 1939, Frisch’s is considered a Cincinnati area staple. The franchise currently has approximately 80 locations across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

Continues on page 12

Dave Schroeder. Photo provided | Kenton County Public Library

Frisch’s Big Boy. Photo provided | Frisch’s Big Boy Facebook

A table laying out the changes in Fort Wright’s zoning proposed in the new ordinance.

In 2015, the chain was acquired by Atlanta-based NRD Capital – a private equity fund that focuses on restaurant development. Frisch’s struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic, closing or limiting operations at over a dozen stores.

NKY House

candidate

accused of strangling teen in Fort Wright store

Kentucky House District 67 candidate Brian Ormes admitted to an altercation with a group of juveniles before his arrest April 8 inside a Fort Wright Walmart, according to a police report.

Ormes, 53, of Southgate, has been charged with strangulation first degree, menacing and assault fourth degree stemming from the incident involving a 17-year-old male alleged victim, according to Edward Butler, Fort Wright police chief. The incident took place inside the Valley Plaza store around 9 p.m. The name of the alleged victim has not been released.

Ormes posted bond April 9; he was scheduled to appear April 16 in Kenton County District Court.

A police news release said Ormes “admitted to being in an altercation with the juveniles because of their unruly behavior in the store which he indicated impacted the safety of his child.”

According to the report, a group of juveniles inside the store was playing with a ball that

almost hit Ormes’ child. Witnesses allege Ormes became angry and followed the juveniles, putting his hand on the 17-year-old male. An employee who said she saw the incident told police she saw Ormes put his hand around the teen’s neck.

Store video of the incident given to police shows Ormes placing his hands in the area of the alleged victim’s neck, the police report says. The alleged victim told police he was “unable to breath for a second but never passed out or felt lightheaded” during the incident, according to the police report.

Ormes is running against Bellevue businessman Terry Hatton in the May 21 Republican primary to replace retiring Rep. Rachel Roberts (D-Newport). The primary winner will face Democrat Matt Lehman of Newport in the Nov. 5 general election.

According to reports from LINK’s media partner WCPO, Hatton called on Ormes April 9 to drop out of the race. “His actions last night, obviously, he has some personal issues that he needs to address before he can serve the public,” Hatton said.

The Campbell County Republican Party issued a statement that it is aware of the allegation involving Ormes but does “not know any of the details surrounding it, so we have no comment at this time.” The party noted that it does not support or endorse any candidate in a contested primary race.

“However, we do firmly support Mr. Ormes’, and every American citizen’s, constitutional right to due process and the presump-

tion of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law,” the statement says.

Campbell County Democratic Party Chair Melissa Whalen called the situation “sad.” She said the arrest and Republican response was indicative of larger issues within American politics.

Ormes had not responded to LINK nky’s request for a comment by publication deadline.

Lawsuit alleges Covington police officers violated civil rights in traffic stop

J. Davis Law Firm, a Covington law firm, held a news conference April 9 related to a civil rights lawsuit filed in 2021 involving Anthony Wynn.

Wynn is a Black man who alleges Covington Police officers Doug Ullrich, John Murphy and Danny Elsbernd, and former Covington Police Chief Robert Nader violated his civil rights.

“We would like Doug Ullrich and Officer Murphy removed, considering the allegations that have come against them,” said Jamir Davis, Anthony Wynn’s attorney, at the news conference.

The lawsuit alleges that the officers violated Wynn’s constitutional rights during a traffic stop in 2020. The officers allegedly applied excessive force during the course of the arrest, “violently slamming him to the ground, applying a choke-hold and

proceeding to punch him in the face multiple times,” according to a release from the J. Davis Firm. “Officer Murphy’s violent acts resulted in Mr. Wynn dislocating his shoulder and suffering significant amounts of pain.”

The suit further alleges that the officers’ actions reflect a broader trend of excessive force and racial profiling among Covington police. The Davis Firm points to documents and internal investigations uncovered during the discovery process as evidence of ongoing pathological behavior on the part of the officers involved.

“If they don’t get held accountable for what they did, it’s going to happen to more people,” said Cindy Wynn, Anthony Wynn’s mother.

“It’s not just for Blacks; it’s for all of us,” said Ronnie Wynn, Anthony Wynn’s brother. “We got to stand up together against hatred towards civilians.”

LINK nky contacted Covington officials, including current Police Chief Brian Valenti, for comment. In a prepared statement, the city said, “This lawsuit was filed almost 2.5 years ago. We have defended our officers, our police department, and our city every step of the way, and we will continue to do so until it is dismissed.”

LINK nky also sought comment from Covington’s Fraternal Order of Police lodge. Ullrich is listed online as vice president of the lodge. LINK received no response by the time of this article’s publication.

Kentucky now allows for Public Notices to be published digitally on LINK nky’s website. You can find public notices for the following organizations on our site at https://linkreader.column.us/search

• AJ’s Towing & Recovery

• Boone County Clerk

• Campbell County Clerk’s Office

• Campbell County Fire District #1

• Campbell County Fiscal Court

KRS 424.145 NOTICE OF ADVERTISEMENT

Northern Kentucky Water District Invitation to Bid – Rogers Road Water Main Replacement – Construction of approximately 1,770 feet of 6” and 8” PVC water main together with the appurtenances and related work along Rogers Road from Buttermilk Pike to Lakeshore Drive in the City of Villa Hills, Kenton County, Kentucky. Access to the Invitation to Bid can be found on the Northern Kentucky Water District website (https:// nkywater.org/procurement) by clicking the section labeled “Quest CDN Online Interface”. Alternatively potential bidders may contact Cassandra Zoda at czoda@nkywater.org, 859-578-5455, or by visiting 2835 Crescent Springs Rd., Erlanger, KY 41018 for delivery of the Invitation to Bid.

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“The SpongeBob Musical” gala, 6-10 p.m., Newport Catholic High School, 13 Carothers Road, Newport. Presented by Newport Central Catholic’s Drama Club. Gala performance on April 19. Additional performances April 20, 21, 26, 27. Repection begins at 6 p.m.; performance at 8 p.m. Tickets available through gofan.co/ app/school/KY6479 and at the door.

Concert at the Library, 7-8 p.m., Boone County Main Library, 1786 Burlington Pike, Burlington. Enjoy the live sounds of rock, funk and R&B. Information at boone.libnet.info/event/8560853 or 859-342-2665.

For more events, scan the QR code or visit: https://linknky.com/events/

Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, 2:30-4 p.m., St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, 1140 Madison Ave., Covington. Program titled “Long Live the King” celebrates the organ, the so-called king of instruments, in music for organ and orchestra, including Saint-Saëns “Organ” Symphony. Tickets and information at kyso.org or 859-4316216.

Crescent Springs City Council, 6-7 p.m., Crescent Springs City Building, 739 Buttermilk Pike, Crescent Springs.

Newport City Commission meeting, 7-8 p.m., Newport City Building, 998 Monmouth St., Newport.

Cold Spring City Council meeting, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Cold Spring City Building, 5694 E. Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring. Information: coldspringky. gov/city-council.

Boone County Fiscal Court meeting, 5:306:30 p.m., Boone County Fiscal Courtroom, 2950 Washington St., Burlington. Information: boonecountyky.org.

Kenton County Fiscal Court meeting, 5:306:30 p.m., Kenton County Fiscal Court Covington Courthouse, 1840 Simon Kenton Way, Covington. Information: kentoncounty.org/421/ Fiscal-Court.

Florence City Council business meeting, 6-7 p.m., Florence City Building, 8100 Ewing Blvd., Florence. Information: florence-ky. gov/our-government/ minutes-archive.

Covington Commission legislative meeting 6-7 p.m., Covington City Hall, 20 West Pike St., Covington. Information: covingtonky.gov.

Boone County Business Association meeting 6-7 p.m., World of Golf, 7400 Woodspoint Drive, Florence.

Ludlow City Council meeting, 7-8 p.m., Ludlow Municipal Center, 808 Elm St., Ludlow.

THE

Ovation is an urban mixed-use development that sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers in Northern Kentucky. It is a vibrant riverfront destination that bridges the cities in the region, connects residents and the community directly to the rivers, and enables everyone to be transformed by the incredible river views combined with a boardwalk that transcends time and activates all your senses.

Three-story 1920s Fort Mitchell home boasts large lot

Address: 3 Beechwood Road, Fort Mitchell

Price: $689,900

Bedrooms: Four

Bathrooms: Two (plus one half-bath)

School district: Beechwood Independent

County: Kenton

Special features: This charming three-story brick home blends classic features and modern updates. Built in 1924, the home features four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, with a detached two-car garage for parking and storage. The property has recently had a full bathroom renovation, a kitchen remodel and a mudroom addition. The home sits on a large lot, offering plenty of outdoor space.

This Fort Mitchell property offers a large yard. Photo provided | Susan Huff with Huff Realty

Built in 1924, this home has gone through several recent renovations. Photo provided | Susan Huff with Huff Realty

This charming home features plenty of original details. Photo provided | Susan Huff with Huff Realty

Streetscapes starts the day with breakfast on Monmouth

By Maria Hehman

This week, we revisit an old reliable – Newport’s Monmouth Street, where we’ll delve into some of the many popular breakfast offerings.

Press on Monmouth

This breakfast and lunch spot has a line out the door every day for a reason. Its part bistro, part cafe, part market and all parts amazing. It exceeds expectations in all areas, making it a well-visited spot along an area packed with options.

Press has breakfast options for all diets and preferences. Biscuits and gravy come in four options, two of them vegetarian and all with the savory spicy taste one expects from this classic dish. Whipped ricotta toast makes for a sweet start to the day, while the Kitchen Sink is the best option to cure a big hunger … or the pain of overindulging the night before. It’s got Press’s famous waffles, tots, biscuit, gravy, fried chicken, bacon, cheddar, egg and arugula. Press also offers waffles and breakfast sandwiches any time of the day.

The menu only begins with breakfast, though. There are soups, salads, sandwiches and bowls, too. Bowls and salads offer many of the same flavors, with Med-

iterranean, breakfast and Thai all making their marks. Bowls have three options for the base – quinoa and rice, sweet potatoes or tater tots. Who could pass up a tater tot bowl?

The coffee menu covers all the basics, but those wanting a little something extra can add a shot of liquor in their coffee for a boozy breakfast libation. Bloody Marys and mimosas round out the drink menu.

There’s a small market in the front of Press, and in warmer months there’s ample outdoor seating along bustling Monmouth.

Mokka and the Sunset Bar and Grill

Diagonally across the intersection from Press is another Newport breakfast staple. Mokka offers a laid back atmosphere with tons of seating. One of their most popular dishes is Mokka French Toast, with sweet corn flakes and topped with creme brulee and bananas. Paired with a hot coffee, it ensures guests start their day off on the right foot.

Other offerings unique to Mokka include a goetta grilled cheese, breakfast quesadilla and the Gravy Train, Mokka’s take on biscuits and gravy with goetta. Frittatas are a great option for those wanting eggs to start their day. They’re open faced omelettes

that are fluffy and downright delightful. The California frittata, with roasted red peppers, tomatoes and green onions, and topped with blend of three cheeses, makes for a fresh breakfast that doesn’t weigh you down.

For lunch, guests can’t go wrong with the mushroom swiss burger or the breakfast pizza. The bar menu covers traditional drinks of beer and soda, but Mokka offers a number of speciality cocktails, too, many that change with the season. From spiked apple cider to traditional mimosas, they have a little of everything.

Sis’s

Sis’s is a step back in time. It has a casual country feel that’s inviting from the moment you step inside. Although it serves lunch and dinner, it's known for having some of the best breakfast food around, and it remains one of the most affordable breakfasts in NKY – without compromising on taste.

The Newport Special is a traditional breakfast plate with guests’ choice of meat, eggs, hash browns and toast. Pancakes and waffles are great additions to any meal. They’re not oversized like at many other restaurants, so they’re large enough to enjoy on their own and small enough to comple-

ment other delicious options.

Like breakfast, Sis’s dinner options are all classic comfort foods. Cod, meatloaf, pork chops and ribs are some of their more popular items. Burgers, salads, wraps and sandwiches complete their lunch and dinner offerings.

What to Know If You Go

Press on Monmouth

Location: 421 Monmouth St., Newport

Hours: Sunday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Website: pressonmonmouthnky.com

Phone: 859-261-3397

Mokka and the Sunset Bar and Grill

Location: 500 Monmouth St., Newport

Hours: Monday-Tuesday, closed; Wednesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Phone: 869-581-3700

Sis’s on Monmouth

Location: 837 Monmouth St., Newport

Hours: Monday, 6 a.m.-2 p.m.; Tuesday-Wednesday, 6 a.m.-3 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

Website: eatatsiss.com Phone: 859-431-3157

Press on Monmouth in Newport. Photo provided | Press Instagram page

Mokka and the Sunset Bar and Grill in Newport. Photo provided | Mokka Facebook page

Seniors give Simon Kenton softball a fighting chance

By Marc Hardin

Landrey Dance is sitting at her vacation spot in Panama City, Florida. Not far away, beautifully clear water off the Gulf of Mexico laps at the coast in a striking contrast of emerald green and sugar-white sand.

The Simon Kenton senior is winding down her last high school spring break trip to Florida. It’s just a few hours after the April 8 solar eclipse, and the beach awaits.

In the meantime, Dance is talking about the sun, the moon and Simon Kenton’s stars. She said the difference between this season and last is like night and day.

“We have one of the best players,” Dance said. “Emilie Young is a senior, too. We’ve known each other a while. She’s a really great player. We have lots of great players. That’s why I like our chances.”

Dance hit .315 with three home runs last season. She’s most valuable in the pitching circle, where she won 10 games as a junior with a 3.23 ERA in 21 starts. She posted a 3-3 record in her first six starts this season with an ERA moving closer to 4.00 as the Pioneers faced a tough early schedule. She hit two home runs in her first eight games. It’s Dance’s last year playing organized softball. She expects to be concentrating on studies after Simon Kenton while attending cosmetology school.

“Right out of the gate, our schedule was super hard. I didn’t expect the final scores in some,” Dance said. “We had nice wins, though. I’m not worried because I know how much better we are.”

Dance pointed to victories over 9th Region stalwarts Conner, Cooper and Dixie Heights as evidence. After the break, Simon Kenton

took a tough 3-0 loss against defending champion Highlands. The Pioneers hope to fare just as well against 8th Region opponents.

Emilie Young stayed home for spring break. She also had time to reflect on the season’s opening weeks.

“We’re better in the field,” Young said. “Historically, we haven’t been the greatest there. We’ve concentrated on that. We have good hitters. Landrey carries a dominance when she’s on.”

Young would know. She’s Simon Kenton’s catcher.

“Landrey’s really good at getting movement on her pitches,” Young said. “She can pitch it inside and outside and up and down in the strike zone.”

Young is a returning all-8th Region standout and a Transylvania University softball commit. She belted a team-best six home runs with a .530 batting average in 2023 and finished among state leaders in doubles and RBI. She’s back at it again, hitting a team-high .500 from the No. 3 spot in the batting order after the first three weeks of 2024.

She plays for her father, Pioneers coach Chris Young.

“I’ve always played for my dad,” she said. “It’s really cool. We find a lot of enjoyment because it’s a common interest.”

A veteran ball coach, Chris Young is in his third year at Simon Kenton. He guided the Pioneers to back-to-back appearances in the 32nd District tournament final and the 8th Region tournament. The Pioneers last won the district in 2019.

8th Region preseason poll. They voted Emilie Young the region’s fourth-best player. Dance and junior Larkin Mitchell also received votes.

“Obviously, we want to win the district and the region,” coach Young said. “I think this is our best chance since I got here.”

While every game is important, it’s all geared toward the end.

“I’m not a big wins and losses guy early. I want us playing better late,” the coach said. “We play a tough schedule. We did that toward the middle of the season my first two years. We played a lot of tougher teams at the beginning this year.”

Coach Young resists temptation to give Dance a lot of early innings, which plays into his philosophy of carrying a deep bench.

“I don’t want to pitch Landrey every game

because I don’t want her getting tired,” the coach said. “I like to play lots of girls and develop game experience so they can jump into their roles. I think every girl I’ve dressed this season has an at-bat.”

The dividends are paying. Eighth-grader Cara Swope ranked second on the team in batting average (.444), just ahead of Mitchell (.423). Sophomore Adreena Barton (.333) was next followed by eighth-grader Myka Brown (.313) and freshman Taylor Jones (.292).

Freshman Jayden Jones hit .381 last season and senior Addi Johnson hit .349, so coach Young knows those bats will come around. The Pioneers ranked 35th in the state last season with a .358 team batting average.

“I think we’re battle-tested already,” the coach said. “Winning those early games without getting our bats going is big. We’ll do a lot better when we start hitting.”

Coaches ranked

Senior pitcher Landrey Dance winds and delivers for the Simon Kenton softball team. Photo provided | Simon Kenton softball Facebook page

Senior catcher Emilie Young is tough at the plate and behind the dish for the Pioneers. Photo provided | Simon Kenton softball Facebook page

9th Region’s top scorer transfers to DePaul from Coastal Carolina

Holy Cross grad Jacob Meyer, the all-time scoring leader in the 9th Region, is headed from the beach to the Windy City.

Meyer has announced he’s transferring from Coastal Carolina University to DePaul University. Meyer flourished in his freshman season with the Chanticleers, averaging 15.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in starting all 31 games this past season. He shot 45% from the field and 40% from three.

He’ll now join the Blue Demons, who are now under the direction of former Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann. Meyer comes in as one of the top transfers in the portal, choosing DePaul over Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, St. John’s and Georgetown, among several others.

Holtmann has been busy in the portal: DePaul already has landed four transfers. It’s a complete rebuild as they went 3-29 overall, 0-20 in the Big East, this past season.

At Holy Cross, Meyer led the state in scoring his junior and senior seasons. He poured in 36.8 points per game while also pulling down 8.4 rebounds per game in his senior year. Meyer was named the All “A” Classic MVP, the Indians finishing runner-up as he scored 49 points. He set an All “A” record with 157 points in four games at the tour-

nament and finished his career with 3,233 points, the most for anyone out of the 9th Region.

Covington’s Adkins finalist for football official of year

Covington’s Jordan Adkins of the Northern Kentucky Officials Association was a finalist for the KHSAA Outstanding Official of the Year in football. Each year, the KHSAA honors the top officials in 10 high school sports. One official in each sport is named most outstanding. Adkins is one of three football officials recognized by the KHSAA.

Adkins is on the board of directors and is vice president of the Northern Kentucky Officials Association. The NKOA provides football officials for 30 Northern Kentucky schools at the varsity and middle school levels.

Thomas, Moore win national titles for Saints grapplers

A pair of former high school state champion wrestlers added national championships for Thomas More University.

Former Ryle wrestler Cole Thomas won the 141-pound weight division title at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association championships in Shreveport, Louisiana. Thomas, a TMU sophomore, won all five of his matches, four by pin. He defeated Bruno Alves from Apprentice in the championship match with a 16-10 decision, helping the Saints place third at the 86-team meet. Thomas More sent 10 wrestlers to the event.

Former Walton-Verona grappler Ryan Moore won the 149-pound title. The fifthyear Saints standout won all six of his matches. He beat Bellarmine’s Zac Cowan

by 7-2 decision in the final. He won three matches by pin at the NCWA event, a special national tournament for college wrestlers ineligible for NCAA championships. (The Saints are in the middle of a transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II and ineligible for D-2 championships this academic year and next.)

Thomas and Moore combined to win six KHSAA state wrestling championships with Thomas winning a state record-tying four and Moore winning two. Thomas is from Walton. Moore is from Crittendon.

Simon Kenton, CovCath, Highlands near top of RPI

Due to hot starts on the baseball diamond, Simon Kenton and Covington Catholic are high on the initial statewide RPI baseball rankings. Simon Kenton showed up at No. 3, Covington Catholic at No. 4.

The Pioneers are off to an 11-1 start to the season. They’ve allowed less than three runs per game and hit .288 as a team with nearly eight runs per game scored.

The Colonels also sit at 11-1 and were off to a 10-0 start before a weekend loss to Conner in the Knucks Tourney. They’ve allowed 16 runs in 12 games while putting up 7.6 runs per game.

The two went head-to-head April 10 at Covington Catholic.

Simon Kenton’s rating has them atop the 8th Region and are 3-0 in region play, including a 4-2 victory over last year’s state runner-up Shelby County.

Covington Catholic ranks atop the 9th Region with Beechwood, Highlands, Conner and Ryle rounding out the top five.

In softball, Highlands is the top ranked team in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties, 18th in the rankings with a 9-3 record. The Bluebirds recently went 3-1 at the Cal Ripken Experience in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and won two games at the Montgomery County Triangle, defeating the host Indians 3-0. Montgomery County is ranked ninth in the RPI; the loss to Highlands was their first of the season (12-1).

Highlands is the two-time reigning champ in the 9th Region and it’s the favorite to three-peat.

Beechwood, Holy Cross win All

‘A’ regional titles on the diamond

The Beechwood baseball team and Holy Cross softball team took home 9th Region All “A” titles on April 8 and 9, respectively.

Beechwood downed Newport Central Catholic, 10-5, as they won their three tournament games by a combined 40-8. It was the Tigers’ third straight regional All “A” title and fifth in the last six years.

Holy Cross took down Ludlow, Villa Madonna and Dayton on their way to the championship, winning the three games by a combined 42-7. The title was their first since 2019.

Holy Cross grad Jacob Meyer recently announced his decision to transfer from Coastal Carolina to DePaul. Photo provided

Daniel Uhl and the Pioneers are off to an 11-1 start. Photo by G. Michael Graham | LINK nky

Beechwood won its third consecutive regional All “A” title and fifth in the last six seasons. Photo provided | Charles Bolton

The Holy Cross softball team won the first All “A” 9th Region crown since 2019 with a 5-3 win over Dayton on Tuesday at Villa Madonna. Photo provided | Charles Bolton

Local high school football official Jordan Adkins. Photo provided | NKOA

By Rebecca Hanchett

Each week, LINK nky is publishing a profile of one of our local legislators so that Northern Kentuckians can get to know the people representing them at the state level.

Education has defined Rep. Mike Clines’ career. Decades of experience as a private school administrator and teacher in the Covington Catholic school system have allowed him to observe and shape how students and classrooms operate.

Now, as representative for Kentucky’s 68th House District, Clines has a direct say in legislation that impacts public education and other issues affecting NKY and the commonwealth. And he’s using that voice in Frankfort.

During his first legislative session in 2023, Clines voted to change how students are taught and how they get access to certain services. Among the bills he supported was Senate Bill 150 which impacts sex education in schools, minors’ access to gender-affirming medical care and more. Clines also voted to pass House Bill 538, which gives public schools leeway in providing alternative placement of disruptive students.

Both bills became law.

Neither bill directly affects private schools, but they do impact children. That matters to Clines, who worked 27 years in the Diocese of Covington’s Catholic school system as both an administrator and a teacher. Additionally, he and his wife, Tammy, a public school librarian, have three sons.

Anything that has to do with making “a positive difference in the lives of students

Meet Rep. Mike Clines

and learning communities” is important to the professional educator, according to Clines’ campaign website.

“There are proven strategies that we can rely on to improve our community and our quality of life and make our government work better for our hard-working families,” Clines states on the website. “I look forward to joining the District 68 school leaders and their school communities. As we prepare for the future of education, we want to make sure students are mentally and emotionally healthy and career- and college-ready.”

Of course, issues beyond the classroom affect the 68th District. Better internet service, better traffic conditions, and improvements to water and sewer infrastructure are all squarely on the legislator’s radar, according to Clines’ website.

In an email to LINK nky early this year, Clines – now in his second year as a state representative – said he considers his top legislative accomplishments to be “lowering the income tax, sports betting and getting my HB 172 (to address workforce development) passed into law. I also took pride in representing District 68 with professionalism by exercising patience, listening, building relationships, and utilizing my personal and professional experience.”

More broadly, the first-term legislator is described on his site as a conservative who believes in “fidelity to the Constitution,… Pro-life beliefs, limited government, limited taxes, and conserving our environment.”

His reputation as a pro-business legislator started to grow early in the 2023 session.

Last year, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce recognized Clines as one of several lawmakers with a 100% pro-business vot-

ing record during the 2023 General Assembly. A strong economy and promoting “job-creating policies and tax relief” remain priorities for Clines this year, per his website.

“Simply put,” he says, “I will always advocate for our quality of life in Campbell County.”

Rep. Mike Clines (R-Alexandria) represents part of Campbell County in the 68th House District. Clines is a member of the House

Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations Committee; Families and Children Committee; and Agriculture Committee. Additionally, Clines is a member of the interim joint Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations Committee; Families and Children Committee; and Agriculture Committee. Clines is also a member of several legislative caucuses.

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Mike Clines. Photo provided | Legislative Research Commission

Hot water is a key component to your home’s operation, and ultimately your comfort. But with various ways to achieve hot water, what is the best solution for you and your family? The two main types of water heaters are Tank Style and Tankless. Each water heater type has its own set of advantages and drawbacks, but the best choice between the two depends on individual need. We have laid out a few key differences between tank style and tankless water heaters to help you make the best decision for your household.

Tank water heaters, known for storing many gallons of water, have been the go-to choice for many decades. They consist of a cylindrical tank that stores and heats a predetermined amount of water, on a cycle. The heated water is then pushed to different rooms of your home whenever someone turns on a faucet, or uses an appliance requiring hot water.

Here are some pros and cons of traditional tank style water heaters:

Pros:

1. Simplicity: Tank water heaters are relatively straightforward and easy to install.

WATER HEATERS 101

2. Lower initial cost: Generally, tank water heaters have a lower upfront cost compared to their tankless counterpart.

3. Familiarity: Most people are accustomed to traditional tank water heaters, making them more commonplace.

Cons:

1. Limited efficiency: Because tank water heaters continuously heat, cool, and reheat water, even when not in use, they often times lead to energy waste and ultimately higher utility bills.

2. Limited lifespan: The average lifespan of a tank water heater is around 10-12 years, and corrosion is a common issue.

3. Possibility of leaks: Since tank water heaters hold on average 30-80 gallons of water, there is always a chance that you could experience water damage from a leak or burst.

Tankless water heaters, also known as ondemand water heaters, have gained popularity in recent years due to their energy efficiency and space-saving design. These units heat water only when needed, providing an endless supply of hot water without the need for a storage tank.

Let’s explore the pros and cons of tankless water heaters:

Pros:

1. Energy efficient: Tankless water heaters only heat water when needed,

reducing energy consumption and lowering utility bills.

2. Space-Saving design: Tankless units are compact and can be installed on walls, saving floor space and presenting a more discrete look.

3. Long lifespan: Tankless water heaters generally have a longer lifespan than tank models, often exceeding 20 years.

4. Endless Hot Water: With a tankless’ on demand heating ability, it will heat and run until you turn off the water, resulting in truly endless hot water.

Cons:

1. Higher upfront cost: the initial cost of purchasing and installing a tankless

water heater is usually higher than that of a traditional tank model.

In the tank versus tankless water heater debate, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. But, as energy efficiency conversations continue in Congress, there is a possibility of the most common sized electric water heater undergoing major technological changes to achieve updated efficiency goals. These standards could mean big changes to come over the next several years, and might inform your decision on how to carry on with your water heater options; along with water usage patterns, available space, budget and longterm goals.

For more information on water heaters, same day water heater installs, or to find out what option may best suit you, give the professionals at SKPHA a call!

Water Heater Giveaway!

Go to www.skpha.com/WHgiveaway for your chance to win a FREE brand-new water heater! One lucky winner will be selected and notified in May!

*Includes expansion tank, pan drain, new shut off valve, and up to 6 ft of approved gas line. **Tankless water heater and hybrid system not included. Customer allowed to use allotted amount to put towards payment of tankless or hybrid system.

*Cannot be combined with other offers.