LINK Kenton Reader - Volume 1, Issue 28 - June 2, 2023

Helping loved ones navigate the maze of elder care

Kids stay sharp, have fun with after-school program p6

Fort Wright may raise fees for EMS service calls p8

Streetscapes visits York St. in Newport for good food, beer p15

We are grateful to all LINK’s Partners - those organizations in the community who believe strongly in what we are doing, and have thrown their full support behind us. These NKY institutions are helping bring a voice back to our community.

Helping loved ones navigate the maze of elder care

PRESIDENT & CEO Lacy Starling

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Mark Collier

MANAGING EDITOR Meghan Goth

PRINT EDITOR Kaitlin Gebby

SPORTS EDITOR Evan Dennison

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on the cover

A man helps an older woman through the park. Illustration by James Robertson | LINK nky contributor

BY SHANNON PAUL | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

When Terri Burke’s dad was diagnosed with dementia, she quit her job and moved back to Northern Kentucky to help care for her aging parents, who were each experiencing different types of health issues.

“I first started noticing my dad’s health decline and dementia right about the same time my mom started having physical health declines,” Burke said.

Still, she said, she feels really lucky.

“I was able to make the decision to move near my parents based on my values, which I always said (were) ‘family first,’ ” Burke said.

Burke is not alone on her path to becoming a caregiver, and many more people are likely to follow suit in the coming years as the youngest baby boomers turn 65 in 2030.

The number of people over 65 in the U.S. is expected to surpass the number of children in 2034, according to a 2018 study by the U.S. Census Bureau. Work is underway to see how COVID-19 deaths have impacted the pace of this prediction.

Today, seniors over the age of 65 make up about 16% of the population in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties, according to Census Bureau data, but that estimated number may hit 20-25% within the next seven to 10 years. As of 2022, meanwhile, children under 18 in NKY account for about 23% of the 402,000 estimated Northern Kentuckians.

An aging population means more people at every income level will need care.

When it became a struggle for her mom to go up and down the steps of their two-story

home, Burke was able to persuade her parents to sell their home and move into an independent-living residence at Madonna Manor in Villa Hills.

Independent-living communities in Northern Kentucky typically focus on supporting the social needs of residents, who are generally able to manage activities of daily living that include eating, bathing or showering, dressing, getting in and out of bed, walking and using the bathroom.

Such facilities provide help with the activities of daily living, while a traditional nursing home or hospice is recommended for those who may not have consistent cognitive functioning. Other types of residential elder care may provide more intensive care over short periods of time, such as for rehabilitation after a surgery.

Burke carefully weighed the financial decision to relocate near her parents and determined, with help from a financial adviser, that she had enough savings to pause her career in project management and make the move from Memphis, Tennessee.

She recognized that not everyone has the freedom to make the same choice. Many people find themselves in the role of caregiver to their parents while also raising children, for example, while some have demanding health issues of their own. Others may have parents who are struggling financially and may have less access to the care they need for their health or may be stuck on waiting lists due to limited resources.

All of the “little things” Burke does for her

Terri Burke paused her career and relocated to care for her aging parents. Photo by James Robertson | LINK nky contributor

parents help them remain in an independent-living residence despite her dad’s cognitive decline, she said. If she were not able to help as much with those tasks, she might have to move them into a much more expensive assisted-living facility.

Burke also takes her dad to the Charles Club at St. Charles in Covington for adult day care to help with his dementia, which she said was initially a struggle to get him to attend.

“He would ask me, ‘Why am I going here?’ every time I would drive him, but now he’s happy to be there and shaking people’s hands and smiling when he leaves,” Burke said.

Even with the social opportunities at Madonna Manor, her dad’s dementia leaves him struggling to keep up in conversations, especially in larger groups.

In addition to potentially slowing her dad’s cognitive decline, an additional benefit of adult day care is the respite it provides to spouses and other caregivers for patients with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association website. Medicare does not cover the cost of the service, even for patients with dementia, unless it is part of hospice care. Medicaid covers the cost of the service under some conditions, but space for Medicaid patients may be limited, and there are often waiting lists.

Margie Volpenhein, a community liaison at the Senior Resource Center in Latonia, knows all too well how difficult it can be for seniors who qualify for Medicaid to go through the process of getting approved

and accessing services.

“It’s so difficult for a senior to be put on a waiting list for something they need,” Volpenhein said. “The news often arrives just at a point where they start feeling maybe everything’s going to be all right, but then there’s a waiting list, and they are just supposed to wait.”

Often the steps seniors need to take to obtain care or housing may seem straightforward, but Volpenhein’s work exposes hurdles in the system.

“We get people who can’t read, so we have to help them fill out applications for things like Medicaid and subsidized housing,” she said. “Often we sit with people and order birth certificates and Social Security cards because they just don’t know where they are.”

Volpenhein, who is a licensed social worker, said this growing need, especially among the low-income population, is why the Senior Resource Center exists. St. Charles Community created the center and funds the organization and its two full-time staff

positions.

“When I was at St. Charles, people would call us mistakenly saying, ‘Mom needs a nursing home.’ But, No. 1, she doesn’t actually need us. No. 2, she can’t afford us,” said Volpenhein. “We would listen and help guide them to where they needed to be and help them understand the maze behind all the resources. But we wanted to reach more people and particularly low-income folks.”

“I have been well-educated since I have

Margie Volpenhein, left, and Brittney Landers of Senior Resource Center help seniors and their families manage hurdles in the system. Photo by James Robertson | LINK nky contributor

been down here,” said Volpenhein, who said the need among seniors is much greater than she initially anticipated.

“We have people walking in that are at risk for homelessness or people who need much more – a ramp or rollbar in their home to stay independent,” she said. “We see people who need food. We use funds to help people get what they need just to get by from day to day. A lot of times, it’s just a Band-Aid until we can get the resources they need.”

The Northern Kentucky Area Development District’s Aging and Disability Resource Center provides support with locating and applying to senior services including elder care. For many seeking help in NKY, this is the best place to start. The Senior Resource Center, on the other hand, focuses more on assisting with the application process itself, although it does overlap the services of the Aging and Disability Resource Center somewhat.

The state of Kentucky, Volpenhein said, also lacks resources on par with what many other states provide to support seniors, such as housing and transportation. For example, Ohio has a Council on Aging that is funded by taxpayers and helps connect seniors with care options regardless of income.

“The whole attitude toward seniors, and particularly those in health care, needs to change, but there is also a need to fund programs seniors need,” Volpenhein said. But the No. 1 challenge she sees is the lack of affordable housing in the area and its impact on homelessness for seniors.

Rising property taxes and the cost of upkeep for those who own homes also create

challenges. A 2021 study conducted by the state of Kentucky cited housing stability as one of the fastest-growing challenges for seniors in communities throughout the United States.

Danielle Amrine, CEO of Welcome House of Northern Kentucky, said she is seeing an increase in the number of senior citizens experiencing homelessness.

“Year over year, it’s about a 20% increase,” she said of the growing number of people over 65 served by the Welcome House Emergency Shelter.

“A lot of these elderly individuals who solely rely on their Social Security or disability are not able to keep up with the rising rent costs,” Amrine said. “Then they have a major health episode and can’t pay rent, or they get their utilities shut off.”

These circumstances can create a fast-moving downward spiral at the same time as they are also confronting some of their toughest health challenges, she said.

“We have an elderly couple that is in our shelter right now that were found very sick,” Amrine said. “They were both very ill trying to live in their car because they were recently evicted after the building they were living in was sold to a new owner.”

The Emergency Shelter has short-, medium- and long-term rental assistance programs that aim to get people into homes, but with an elderly population experiencing homelessness, the challenges are multiplied.

“It’s difficult for some of these individuals we do serve once they’re placed in homes to be able to get home health care they need

FIND YOUR SIPPING POINT

to stay independent,” Amrine said. “There’s not really a lot of resources for them, and with the staffing crisis we’ve experienced over the last couple years in home health, it’s very difficult for them to get assistance.”

Even those with housing stability and adequate housing may find themselves out of luck when it comes to getting medical needs met due to staffing shortages at all levels and sky-high costs of prescription drugs.

“It’s a jumbled maze trying to get quality care,” said Jeanie Greenwell, a nurse and volunteer legislative advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association. “One of the things we discussed last March in Washington, D.C., is about streamlining care, because there are different agencies that have pockets of information, but there is nothing like a streamlined service for each area for seniors.”

Greenwell, who is active with the Kentucky Nurses Association, worked as a nurse for more than 18 years, including stints at Good Samaritan and Children’s Hospital. She echoed the concerns of others interviewed by LINK nky about staffing at all levels within the health care system that seniors rely on.

“Since COVID hit, we are losing a lot of geriatric doctors in general,” she said. “I know they’re trying to close the gap with nurse practitioners, but nurses are also overwhelmed. The current average age of nurses right now is about age 50, and soon we will be facing a lot of retirement. If we can’t retain new nurses, there is going to be a health care crisis on our hands.”

Scientific advancements have made early diagnosis of dementia possible in those as

young as 50, and the test is typically covered by health insurers as a preventative health screening. But treatment to prevent the symptoms from progressing remains cost-prohibitive for most people, according to experts. A drug called Leqembi, for example, was approved earlier this year and typically costs $26,500 for a year’s prescription.

“Our main goal right now with the Alzheimer’s Association is trying to get the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to cover the three FDA-approved medications for slowing the progression of the disease,” said Greenwell, noting, “every other FDA-approved drug is covered by Medicare except for these Alzheimer’s drugs.”

Despite the drugs being cost-prohibitive, Greenwell advocates for taking the test as early as possible in order to adopt a healthy lifestyle and make financial decisions ahead of the progression of the disease.

“Having a diagnosis, especially when it’s early-onset, gives patients more time for financial planning and to figure out their advanced directive,” she said.

Burke and her family are lucky that they were able to plan while her dad was still able to make sound decisions. She now manages finances for both her parents.

“What’s different about dementia is that it can go on for so long, and it affects the entire family,” Burke said. “My dad’s neurologist said, ‘This disease kills caregivers before it kills patients,’ and I thought, ‘OK, I have to move back. My mom can’t do this by herself.’ ”

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John G. Carlisle after-school program helps students stay sharp

BY NATHAN GRANGER | LINK nky REPORTER

Sharon Scott, who works in the after-school program at John G. Carlisle Elementary in Covington, always knew that she had a gift for working with children.

“I have patience with children,” Scott said. “I have nine children.”

When Scott isn’t helping the regular teaching staff as an instructional assistant, she’s contributing to the school’s Community Learning Center, Cubs Zone, which offers academic enrichment and other learning activities after school dismisses in the afternoon.

The program has been around for years –one of Scott’s daughters, who’s currently enrolled in college, was part of the program as an elementary student – and recently added a pilot program from Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky and Covington Community Partners to address learning loss due to school closures during the pandemic. Newport Independent Schools and Ludlow Independent Schools will also run similar pilot programs over the next three years, and Nancy Grayson, Horizon Fund’s CEO, said she hopes to take the data collected from the pilot programs and replicate them in other schools down the line.

Scott has some formal training in early childhood education, having completed two years of study at Central State University, but said most of her training came from raising and educating her own kids.

Only one of her children went to preschool, she said. In spite of this, “when they went to school, they were prepared,” she said. “They knew their names. They knew their numbers, you know? They knew sounds. They knew sight words because it was just something I love to do.

“So I wanted to spread myself a little bit more and just share what I love with other

children.”

Both the pilot program and the academic component of the conventional program focus on the essentials: reading and math. But after the first hour, which is called What I Need, or WIN time, the fun stuff starts.

“We work with Baker Hunt (Art Center). We work with the library. We have a guy that comes in and we do chess club, teaching kids how to play chess. And then we have what we call fun-tology – not cosmetology,” Scott said.”

Students at Ninth District Elementary’s after-school program. Photo: provided | Covington Independent Schools Students play games in an after-school program. Photo: provided | Covington Independent Public Schools

In fun-tology, students learn the basics of the cosmetic arts.

“They’re doing hair with mannequin dolls. Right now, they’re doing nails,” Scott said. “The girls love it. We actually had some guys say, ‘Hey, we’d like to do that too.’ ”

Other activities include music and dance instruction.

The program provides dinner and snacks for students, which Scott said helps with the kids’ moods and energy levels.

Scott estimated there are 90 kids attending the program. The students enjoy it so much, they’ve begun recruiting their friends.

She shared the kind of queries she gets from students who hear about the program from their friends. “I’m in second grade. … I just heard about it, and they seem like they have so much fun and they come back and tell me all these things. How can I join?”

“That’s our goal,”Scott said.

In the end, Scott said, it’s about making sure that all of the students’ needs, emotional and academic, are being met.

“I’m a big advocate for children,” Scott said. “I think children’s voices aren’t heard because they’re little people, but they are people … just like you and me, and they have a voice and a lot of them have been muted because they’re children. And so it’s our job to give them a voice.”

To learn more about the program or find out if your child is eligible, contact the program’s director at 859-816-6447.

Camp Covington participants at Latonia Elementary.

Photo: provided | Covington Independent Public Schools

A student doing art activities in an after-school program. Photo: provided | Covington Independent Public Schools

STEM activities at an after-school program at Holmes Middle School. Photo: provided | Covington Independent Schools

Camp Covington participants at John G. Carlisle Elementary. Photo: provided | Covington Independent Public Schools

Fort Wright proposes raising EMS fees

BY KATHLEEN BRYANT | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

If you are in an area covered by Fort Wright Fire/EMS Department, you may be looking at increased fees in the future.

During its May meeting, Fort Wright City Council conducted a first reading of an ordinance that proposes to “(amend) the fee schedule for emergency medical and transportation services.”

At the meeting, Mayor Dave Hatter said the city was proposing to raise fees in order to recoup funds required to operate and maintain its fire department. The ordinance also aims to offset costs to taxpayers, he said.

Fire Chief Stephen Schewe explained, in an email to LINK, how the ordinance came about.

“In consultation with our third-party billing company, I was made aware that our fees were slipping behind what other agencies were charging,” Schewe said in the email. “And with the increase in our costs, I made the city manager aware and asked if we should bring this information forward to the mayor and City Council. Together, we felt it needed to be considered, and since it had been five years since it was adjusted, it was certainly time to consider it.”

Budget data shows that the Fort Wright Fire Department has seen increased costs over at least the last three years.

The total general fund expenditure for the department in the 2021-22 fiscal year was just under$1.8 million, a 4% increase from the 2020-21 fiscal year. The budgeted total coss for the 2022-23 fiscal year is $1.86 million, a 4% increase from the 2021-22 fiscal year. See charts for more details on Fort Wright’s costs compared to that of surrounding cities.

Chief Schewe said the city could have had cause to raise the fees before now.

“We adjusted them in 2018, and we feel five years is absolutely too long to look at them given the rapidly growing cost of things,” he said.

Going forward, the city will evaluate the fee schedule “annually and adjust as needed,” Schewe said.

Rapidly growing costs are reflected in emergency medical services (EMS) departments across the nation.

According to the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), EMS costs have increased, on average, by 8% from 2019 to 2022. Wages, equipment and supplies make up a large portion of these increases. Costs are anticipated to continue to rise over the next three years. In its 2023 survey of EMS departments, NAEMT found that the rising costs are not

Car

Provided | City of Fort Wright

being covered by “increases in reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid or commercial insurers or from increases in local and state funding.”

Fluctuations in the market have also had an impact on EMS costs. This is illustrated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services amending its payment policies to correspond to the percentage increase in the consumer price index for all consumers, according to the organization The result of that equation is referred to as the “Ambulance Inflation Factor” (AIF), which, in 2023, is at its highest point in the last 20 years at 8.7%. This is a stark increase from the 2022 AIF of 5.1%, making this “the single-largest year-over-year increase on record.”

Provided | City

surance. This is especially relevant to Fort Wright due to the number of “mutual aid” calls received.

In Fort Wright, the proposed new fee schedule would apply only to emergency and non-emergency services related to medicine and transportation. The city’s rate for oxygen use has stayed the same, as has its rate for defibrillation, extrication and use of bag-valve masks.

Section 96.01 of Fort Wright’s Code of Ordinances requires that “everybody who uses any emergency medical or transportation services … pay a reasonable fee.” However, it also stipulates that “any Fort Wright resident or persons that pay license or payroll fees to the city shall be exempt from paying any fees not covered by insurance.”

People who are helped by Fort Wright EMS but are not Fort Wright residents would be required to pay any fees not covered by in-

“Mutual aid” occurs when a call for emergency medical services is put out and the first responders of the city the emergency occurs in are not immediately available. The city calls for outside help from EMS departments in neighboring cities to provide care as soon as possible.

Hatter said the fire department is a necessary, but very expensive operation and said Fort Wright provides “much of (its) services to people outside the city.”

In the first three months of 2023, Fort Wright Fire/EMS was dispatched to cities requesting mutual aid a total of 49 times.

The next reading of Ordinance 04-2023 is scheduled for the June 7 City Council meeting.

Fort Wright’s annual budget. Note: “DNR” stands for “did not report.” Provided | City of Fort Wright

of Fort Wright

An ambulance rushes to the emergency room. Photo provided | Camilo Jimenez via Unsplash

kenton county news briefs

Trial date set for man accused of killing cyclist in bridge accident

The suspect accused of killing San Miguel fled the scene but later turned himself in on Aug. 25, according to police reports.

Phipps is charged with manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence and leaving the scene of an accident.

Erlanger-based Arlinghaus announces new location

Arlinghaus Plumbing Heating and Air announced Wednesday that it is opening a location in northern Cincinnati.

“Expanding our business in Ohio and making a difference in the lives of our customers is a thrilling opportunity,” said co-owner Brian Arlinghaus.

that former Kenton County Schools superintendent Tim Hanner will be the nonprofit’s president and CEO.

“EDUCATE NKY calls for deliberate strategy development, policy alignment and innovative education strategies that drive the future success of our students and their outcomes,” said EDUCATE NKY chair Greg Fischer. “We are excited to have Tim at the helm to steer this effort.”

The board also includes St. Elizabeth CEO Garren Colvin, Tim Fogarty of WCM Holdings, KLH Engineers’ Bob Heil, retired Victory Community Bank President Jack Kenkel, community volunteer Lynn Schaber, Ziegler & Schneider’s Matt Smith and former NKU President James Votruba.

rience in education, in addition to a background in nonprofits and business.

EDUCATE NKY was incubated and launched in 2023 by the OneNKY Alliance to address positive systemic change in education throughout Northern Kentucky, with specific focus on underserved and underperforming school districts.

“The Northern Kentucky Community has successfully addressed complex issues together for many years,” said OneNKY President and CEO Karen Finan. “We must plan for the future NKY – 20 years out – one where education drives the outcomes, and we continue as a thriving community for all. We know that Tim Hanner will create the path forward for this vision.”

Mark Phipps, the man accused of striking and killing biker Gloria San Miguel last year on the 11th Street Bridge, which stretches between Newport and Covington, will face a jury in August.

The trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 7, almost a year after the Aug. 20, 2022, incident. It is expected to last about a week.

The company did not say where the location will be or when it will open.

EDUCATE NKY announces president, CEO

EDUCATE NKY, an organization created to focus on student outcomes in underperforming districts, announced Wednesday

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“We have much to celebrate in Northern Kentucky on the education front, however too many of our students are still left behind, which impacts the progress of our community, our workforce and quality of life,” Hanner said. “I am honored to chart this road map focused on transformational change on behalf of our students.”

Hanner has more than 30 years of expe-

Road work on Requardt Lane in Fort Mitchell begins this month

The full length of Requardt Lane, from Virginia Avenue to Dixie Highway, is undergoing full pavement, curb and gutter replacement. Work begins June 5 and is expected to be completed by Aug. 18.

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A photo of Gloria San Miguel rests on a memorial table inside the community room of Roebling Books and Coffee in Covington. San Miguel was killed in a hit-and-run accident on Aug. 20, 2022.

Photo by Kaitlin Gebby | LINK nky

“Please bear with us as we make these repairs/improvements to your street,” the city said in a news release.

Anyone who has any questions should contact the Fort Mitchell Department of Public Works at 859-663-0950 or email the director of Public Works at ntewes@fortmitchell.com.

Inmate charged with assault in beating death at Kenton Co. Detention Center

An inmate has been charged in connection with the recent beating death of a cellmate at the Kenton County Detention Center.

Kenton County Police say that around 3 p.m. on May 14, officers were called to the jail, where they found John Daulton, 61, of Covington not breathing following an assault from a fellow inmate.

Johnathan Maskiell, 32, of Vanceburg was sharing a cell with Daulton at the time and has been charged with assault in the first degree.

Officers say Daulton was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center on May 21 for treatment, but he died from his injuries.

Maskiell is being held at the jail on a $100,000 cash bond, and police say they are working to upgrade his charges.

Brighton Center hosting financial education workshops

Over the next couple of months, the Brighton Center is hosting workshops to help people in the region with financial education and owning a home.

Money Talks Workshop: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. June 8 at the Family Center, 799 Ann St., Newport

Money Talks Workshop: 5:30-7:30 p.m. July 13 at the Newport Branch of the Campbell County Library, 901 E. Sixth St., Newport

Adventures in Homeownership: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. July 15 at the Family Center, 799 Ann St., Newport Register at brightoncenter.com

Kenton Co. library Depot Days to be held in June, July

Depot Days, put on by the Kenton County Public Library and the city of Erlanger, return for the months of June and July.

They will be held from 10:30 a.m.-noon every Tuesday and Thursday from June 6 to July 27 (no program on July 4) at Railroad Depot Park in Erlanger, 3313 Crescent Ave.

Each day will feature a different theme, and the library will provide activities and stories for the whole family. Kids under the age of 18 will receive a free lunch. Lunch will also be available for parents for a small fee.

Suspect pleads guilty to murdering, robbing man walking home in Covington

One of two people charged in the shooting death of 60-year-old Virgil Stewart has pleaded guilty. Stewart was killed as he walked home along the 15th Street Bridge in Covington in 2022.

Zachary Holden, 20, entered a guilty plea on May 15 to charges of first-degree robbery and murder, according to the Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. Kenton County Prosecutor Rob Sanders recommended a sentence of life in prison, and sentencing is set for July 17.

Holden was being held in the Boone County Jail on an unrelated robbery charge when Covington police obtained a warrant for his arrest in the killing of Stewart.

According to prosecutors, Stewart was walking home in Covington when Holden and another suspect shot him while attempting to rob him.

Latoya Dale awaits trial on charges of first-degree robbery and murder.

“The victim was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Sanders said in September. “Witnesses described seeing two people standing over him … demanding that he give it up, give the money, or something of that effect. He unfortunately died of his injuries.”

At the time, Sanders said. Dale told investigators Holden was the one who fired the shots that killed Stewart; the pair were able to steal $6 total from Stewart.

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Warrants: Shooter in Louisville bank fatalities planned to livestream killings

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – The general election campaign for Kentucky governor got off to a feisty start as Democrats worked to link the freshly minted Republican nominee, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, to heavily criticized pardons by the vanquished predecessor of Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat who is trying to win a second term in GOP territory.

Ohio board OKs August ballot question aimed at thwarting abortion rights

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A ballot question seeking to make it more difficult to amend the Ohio Constitution was cleared for an August ballot, and teams of Republican and Democratic lawmakers were assigned to write pro and con arguments, respectively, to be presented to voters.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – The man who killed five co-workers at a Kentucky bank in April had made plans for the shooting and placed his phone in a front shirt pocket to livestream the killings, according to police records released in late May.

The shooter, 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, had also attempted suicide around the same time last year, according to four search warrants sent to tech and phone companies Google, AT&T, Apple and Snap Inc. seeking access to information on his phone. Police also found a “manifesto or note” inside his Louisville residence, according to the warrants, which were dated April 13 but had been sealed by a judge.

Sturgeon’s parents told police that his “mental health disorders may have played a part during this criminal act,” according to one of the warrants. But they said there were never any warning signs that he would commit a violent act.

Sturgeon used an AR-15 assault-style rifle in the April 10 attack at Old National Bank in downtown Louisville before he was fatally shot in the lobby by a responding police officer. Eight others were injured, including a Louisville patrol officer, Nicholas Wilt, who was shot in the head and continues to recuperate.

The warrants do not give additional details about what was found on the phones or in the note. Before the shooting, Sturgoen went live on Instagram and placed his phone in his shirt pocket “to capture the mass shooting,” the warrants said.

The five bank employees killed in the shooting were Joshua Barrick, Deana Eckert, Tommy Elliott, Juliana Farmer and Jim Tutt Jr.

Republicans united behind attacks of their own, declaring at a May 19 rally that Beshear has overstated his role in achievements they say stemmed from actions taken by the GOP-led Legislature.

“The governor has a press conference to take credit for the sun rising,” said Republican state Senate President Robert Stivers. “And I’m sure tonight he’ll probably have a press conference taking credit for the sun setting.”

Beshear stayed mostly above the fray, touting the state’s record-setting pace of economic development projects as he trekked across Kentucky on a bus tour.

“We can be the generations that change everything for Kentucky,” Beshear said at a rally in Owensboro. “We can turn our brain drain into a brain gain.”

Any doubt about national interest in the race was put to rest with a blistering ad launched on statewide television against Cameron by a group tied to the Democratic Governors Association. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, the association’s chair, has vowed to spend heavily in Kentucky on Beshear’s behalf, “maybe even at a historic pace to make sure he gets re-elected.”

The association-backed ad accuses Cameron of shirking his duties by failing to hold former Gov. Matt Bevin accountable for issuing hundreds of pardons and commutations in his final days in office.

Cameron, meanwhile, joined other Republican nominees for statewide offices at the rally at state GOP headquarters, where he ripped into Beshear’s decision to allow the early release of some nonviolent inmates during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The process before the Ohio Ballot Board followed a raucous legislative floor session and months of drama leading up to approval of the measure, aimed at thwarting an effort to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution this fall. Abortion is currently legal in Ohio, up to 20 weeks’ gestation, as a lawsuit against a near-ban enacted in 2019 is argued.

On the August ballot, voters will be asked whether they support raising the threshold for passing future constitutional amendments from the simple majority Ohio has had in place since 1912 to a 60% supermajority. As a constitutional amendment itself, the 60% question will only need to pass by a simple majority of 50%-plus-one.

The bipartisan panel, chaired by Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, voted along party lines to certify the ballot language, which Democrats attacked as unfair and inaccurate.

Issue 1’s Republican backers are expected to characterize the effort as a constitutional protection act aimed at keeping deep-pocketed special interests out of Ohio’s foundational documents. Among groups supporting the higher bar are anti-abortion, pro-gun rights and business groups opposed to a burgeoning amendment that would raise Ohio’s minimum wage.

Democrats will use their arguments to paint the 60% threshold as an assault on Ohio’s long history of direct democracy. Some Democratic lawmakers led a “one person, one vote” chant and march after the mid-May vote from the floor of the Ohio House, echoing cries of a large crowd of protesters gathered outside.

Should either side object to the others’ phrasing, they could file suit in the Ohio Supreme Court, which holds exclusive power to settle disputes in cases where lawmakers forward a ballot question straight to voters.

Ky. gubernatorial race gets ugly early, with both sides taking jabs

A Louisville police technician photographs bullet holes at the bank. Photo provided | AP

8 to be inducted to NKY Music Legends HOF at June 8 event, concert

Eight performers will be inducted into the Northern Kentucky Music Legends Hall of Fame ceremony on June 8 at Fort Thomas’ Tower Park. The event, from 6 to 10 p.m. includes a free concert by four of the inductees in the park’s amphitheater.

Inductees include bluegrass picker Scotty Risner of Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Hustle, also known for his work with the Comet Bluegrass All-Stars and the Northern Kentucky Bluegrass Allstars. Blues guitarist Johnny Fink is a favorite of the Cincinnati Blues Festival, and bluesman Greg Mebs is also a founder of the Band of Helping Hands charity. Local rockers

The Drysdales are regulars at the Ludlow-Bromley Yacht Club and the Madison in Covington. Inductee and longtime local radio DJ Ernie “The Fatman” Brown will join the musicians on stage.

Three musicians will be inducted posthumously, including jazz drummer and bandleader Dee Felice, punk rocker David

Rhodes Brown and 1920s band leader Mil Foellger.

Dixie Heights’ Random Acts of Kindness student group unveils mural

2nd annual Drag Bingo Night to raise funds to support nonprofit education group

Northern Kentucky Inclusive Students in Education (NISE) will host its second annual Drag Bingo Night fundraiser, part of the nonprofit’s capital campaign to find permanent office and meeting space. The event is open to members of the public age 21 and older and will be held at 6 p.m. June 9 in the mess hall of Tower Park in Fort Thomas.

This year’s event features local drag per formers Molly Mormen and PH Dee, along with last year’s event host Phyllis Stein (aka Ron Padgett).

the Facebook Page “Drag Bingo — We’re Back!”

Villa Madonna senior receives Governor’s Service Award

Villa Madonna Academy senior and Eagle Scout

Students in the Random Acts of Kindness group at Dixie Heights High School recently created a mural at the school as part of the Murals with a Mission campaign sponsored by the Cincinnati Reds and PNC Bank. The program seeks to elevate positive social messages for the student community. Under the direction of artist Brent Billingsley, the students produced 10 individual panels that together form the mural.

NISE supports college- and career-readiness programming for students in the region through the initiative, specializing in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The organization’s mission is “to engage and develop learners as empathic and critical thinkers who collaborate and lead in a global community.”

For more information, visit nisenky.org or

Andrew Nichols of Edgewood is one of only 19 individuals and organizations across the state to receive a Governor’s Service Award. For his Eagle Scout project, he led a group of 20 volunteers in building and repairing birdhouses and refurbishing nesting sites along the Eastern Bluebird Kenton County Parks Trail. In 2022, he earned the Congressional Award Gold Medal for completing 435 hours of volunteer service.

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Andrew Nichols, an Edgewood resident and senior at Villa Madonna Academy, received the Governor’s Service Award from Gov. Andy Beshear.

Artist Brent Billingsley worked with students in the Random Acts of Kindness group at Dixie Heights High School to create a 10-panel mural.

1929 Fort Wright home blends updates, traditional details

Address: 1414 E. Henry Clay Ave., Fort Wright

Price: $349,900

Bedrooms: Three

Bathrooms: Three

Square feet: 2,205

School district: Kenton County Public

County: Kenton

Special features: This 1929 home includes many updates and charming details typical of the era in which it was built, including the fireplace, arched doorways, built-in shelving, picture-framed hardwood floors and plantation-style shutters. A spacious family room and covered deck provide plenty of space for entertaining. This property also includes a three-car garage, and the home is surrounded by mature trees.

Recent NKY Home Sale Data

This Fort Wright home was built in 1929 and blends new and historic details. Photo provided | Jason Asch with Keller Williams Realty

Updates like recessed lighting exist alongside period details like plantation shutters and fireplace woodwork in this Fort Wright home. Photo provided | Jason Asch with Keller Williams Realty

The property features a large family room with a walk-out to a covered deck. Photo provided | Jason Asch with Keller Williams Realty

LINK Streetscapes – York Street in Newport

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BY MARIA HEHMAN | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

This week, Streetscapes checks out some familiar favorites for quality comfort food. With Newport’s evolution in recent years, it’s easy to overlook some staples of the city. Come grab a drink with us on York Street in Newport.

York Street

The restaurant recently launched a weekly event that lets you have a cocktail with your cocker spaniel. Tuesdays are Dog Days, meaning guests can bring their furry friend when they dine on the patio.

Purple Poulet

Originally located in Dayton, Kentucky, Purple Poulet found a new home on York Street early last year. Guests looking for an intimate, upscale experience with Southern-inspired dishes need look no further.

al Kentucky dishes such as bourbon hot browns are plentiful, along with a mix of other Southern-twisted dishes.

Guests new to Purple Poulet’s York Street location may be wary, remembering the smaller space and limited seating of its former location. Not to worry, though: The new location can accommodate many more guests and larger parties, with options for private dining.

Wooden Cask

Tradition meets quirk at the quaint York Street. The interior could be used as a movie set, with its mismatched chairs and white tablecloths, bookshelves accented with Elvis Presley posters, bourbon displays, deer head and variety of statues.

You’ll feel like you’re antique shopping while enjoying a delicious dining experience.

The uniqueness of this restaurant doesn’t stop at the décor, however. Its menu changes with the season, focusing on Midwest American cuisine utilizing locally sourced food. Steaks are the stars of the menu and, along with the burgers, are the favorites of many patrons. Rotating entrees typically include meat, seafood and vegetarian or vegan options that accent the flavors of the season.

While the eclectic interior is extremely inviting and cozy, warmer weather draws patrons to York Street’s ample patio, accented with flowers and offering more of a beer garden atmosphere than a traditional restaurant vibe.

Purple Poulet blends bluegrass and deep Southern culture and cooking to bring a one-of-a-kind experience to NKY. It takes the notion of Southern hospitality to an elevated, elegant level and creates an experience that is about more than just the food. Considering that its fried chicken was named the best in the state by Southern Living magazine, it can be a feat to have the entire dining experience match the level of food quality, but Purple Poulet pulls it off and marries the two elements beautifully.

Although its fried chicken is a can’tmiss order, several other items are just as brag-worthy. Fried-green tomato pie gratinee is an innovative way for guests to enjoy the Southern staple, and tradition-

Breweries are becoming as commonplace as bourbon bars in Kentucky; luckily, NKY has some of the best in the state. Wooden Cask has grown over the years, but its original location on York Street started it all.

Wooden Cask’s microbrewery serves its own small-batch beers, along with wines from owners Randy and Karen Schiltz’s Orchard Street Winery and a vast bourbon selection. Beers rotate and tend to match the season, but some fan favorites are staples of the brewery, including Girl Next Door, a traditional blonde ale, and Kentucky Farmhand, an American pale wheat.

While there may be a TV or two playing in the background, they’re not the focal point. Without the distraction of excited, loud sports fans, Wooden Cask makes for an ideal spot to converse with friends over a flight of beers.

The brewery has grown since its start over five years ago and now has a location at Newport on the Levee. Guests looking for added fun can book tickets for the Newport Gangster Tour, which celebrates the rich history of the city and features Wooden Cask as a tour stop.

What to Know If You Go:

York Street

Location: 738 York St., Newport

Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m.; Saturday, 5-10 p.m.; Sunday and Monday, closed Website: yorkstreetrestaurant.com

Phone: 859-261-9675

Purple Poulet

Location: 846 York St., Newport

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9 p.m.; Sunday and Monday, closed Website: purplepoulet.com

Phone: 859-916-5602

Wooden Cask

Location: 629 York St., Newport

Hours: Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday, 3 p.m.-midnight; Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight; Monday, closed

Website: woodencask.com

Phone: 859-261-2172

York Street Cafe in Newport. Photo provided | York Street Cafe Facebook page

The patio at Purple Poulet. Photo provided | Purple Poulet Facebook page

Wooden Cask in Newport. Photo by Meghan Goth | LINK

Investing in Equity

Lance Lucas’ high-flying golf life temporarily grounded

BY MARC HARDIN | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

Spring has sprung a surprise on local amateur golfer Lance Lucas for the second year in a row. As a result, the attorney’s exceptional golf game has been at a virtual standstill. But he’s trying to resurrect it.

“Last April, I fell while doing some yard work and suffered a compound fracture of my left wrist. It killed off almost all of my golf last year,” Lucas said. “This past March, I was diagnosed with severe arthritis in my right hip. I’ll eventually need hip replacement surgery. I’m just trying to tough it out.”

Pain notwithstanding, what makes it so tough for Lucas, 61, is that injuries and maladies are prying him away from the sport he loves, a game he has dedicated himself to during 45 years of successful, championship-winning golf.

Unlike his heyday when he was winning three Northern Kentucky Amateur Championships, Lucas is now playing with a titanium plate and 10 titanium screws in his left hand. Not exactly ideal for a premier ball striker.

“They’re holding my radius bone and my left wrist together after I fell,” said the right-handed Lucas. “It’s getting a lot better, but it did affect my swing for a while.”

The right hip? That’s another story. There are good days and bad days, but it’s not getting better. In fact, Lucas expects it to get worse until he replaces it. That most likely means less golf until the new hip goes in.

One of the reasons Lucas has been able to outlast Father Time for so long and hang with younger players is his long game. Longer and more accurate off the tee than most, Lucas can’t play to his strength with a degenerative hip.

“I can’t get a full turn in my hip when I

swing,” Lucas said. “The hip is painful, and it’s really affecting my game off the tee. My mind says 'yes', but the body says 'no'.”

These are gory details for a man who has enjoyed relatively good health, enough to be out on the golf course so much that he’s recognized as one of the best amateur golfers in Northern Kentucky over the last quarter-century.

Lucas, a 1980 Boone County graduate who golfed for the Rebels and the University of Kentucky, won his first Northern Kentucky Amateur Championship in 1999. He added back-to-back crowns in 2003-04. He has appeared in the final six times. Lucas plays out of Triple Crown Country Club, where he has won five club championships.

But he hasn’t won anything since 2018 when he captured the Kentucky Senior Amateur Championship. In 2019, Lucas had an OK year. COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic March 11, 2020. He wasn’t thrilled with his play in 2021. Then came the spill that broke his wrist in spring of 2022 and this year’s hip prognosis. It’s starting to feel like he hasn’t had a normal golf season in five years.

“I tried playing this past March, but I wound up withdrawing from a tournament in South Carolina,” Lucas said. “I would say (until this year’s Northern Kentucky Amateur), the last tournament I completed was 2021.”

Which seems like an eternity to Lucas, who has no plans to encase himself in bubble wrap ahead of next spring to make sure he reaches summer safely. Showing up for University of Kentucky Board of Trustees meetings in bubble wrap would raise some eyebrows.

“There have been some positives,” Lucas said. “I was appointed to the Board of Trustees by the governor last July. I’m a grandpa now. One grandchild is 2 years old. And we recently had a newborn grandson.”

His law firm, Lucas and Dietz, is doing well. Lucas has been practicing law for 32 years, devoting his career to representing employers and insurance carriers in workers’ compensation claims. He was selected for

inclusion in Best Lawyers in America in 2002.

It’s part of a personal story that has reached amazing heights. After earning his degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1987, Lucas was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and assigned to undergraduate pilot training. He attended survival school and combat crew training in the KC-135R Stratotanker. He was assigned as a pilot to the 340th Air Refueling Wing. A veteran of both Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, Lucas refueled jets 30,000 feet in the air.

No wonder he’s known for having nerves of steel on the links.

“The pressure of golf is nothing like flying in combat,” Lucas said. “I flew 42 different sorties.”

And he came back alive every time. Now, if he can just get through next spring safely.

LILLIAN DUKES

Senior Vice President, Technical Operations, Atlas Air

Keynote Speaker

Lance Lucas has been recognized as one of the best amateur golfers in Northern Kentucky for a quarter-century. Photo provided | Lance Lucas

Lucas has been practicing law for 32 years, representing employers and insurance carriers in workers’ compensation claims. Photo provided | Lance Lucas

OneNKY Center coming to Covington riverfront

BY KENTON HORNBECK | LINK nky REPORTER

Aforthcoming addition to Covington’s riverfront is planned to be the new home to several Northern Kentucky growth organizations.

Kenton County Fiscal Court unanimously voted to provide credit enhancement for up to $10 million in construction bonds to build the OneNKY Center. The bonds are slated to be issued by the Kentucky Association of County Officials.

The office building will house most of Northern Kentucky’s growth organizations, such as the NKY Chamber of Commerce, meetNKY, OneNKY Alliance, The Catalytic Fund of Northern Kentucky, BE NKY Growth Partnership, Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky and Northern Kentucky Bar Association.

OneNKY Center is 93% leased, and all tenants have committed to locating into the building, according to a Northern Kentucky Port Authority press release.

“Bringing key regional organizations handling economic development, tourism, etc., together in the OneNKY Center will improve their ability to elevate Northern Kentucky, while increasing the efficiency of their backroom operations,” said Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann in a press release.

The bond issuance is still subject to approval by the State Local Debt Officer. The building will be owned by the Northern Kentucky Port Authority — a multi-jurisdictional economic development organization that facilitates river port projects along the Ohio and Licking Rivers.

“Launching the Northern Kentucky Port Authority as an active player in economic development has been a priority of our board of directors for several years,” said BE NKY Growth Partnership CEO and President Lee Crume. “In 2019, we began the groundwork that led to the role the Northern Kentucky Port Authority is playing in the OneNKY Center and are proud that it is the building’s owner.”

The bonds are a large part of the project’s capital stack. Overall, the construction project is expected to cost $26 million. Other funding is coming from the Coving-

ton Life Sciences Partners, the Haile Foundation, Horizon Community Funds, Durr Foundation and Drees Foundation, and the sale of the land by St. Elizabeth Healthcare.

The OneNKY Center will be located at the foot of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge in Covington. The spot is currently a parking lot in front of The Gruff. The building will feature 43,000 square feet of Class A office space and 44 underground parking spaces.

Construction is expected to begin this summer. Covington-based Corporex was chosen as the project’s design-build contractor after a Request for Proposal, or RFP, process was conducted.

The Covington Sciences Lab will have up to 15,000 square feet on the second floor inside the OneNKY Center. The state of Kentucky provided $15 million for the life sciences lab through House Bill 1, the state’s two-year budget legislation, which the Kentucky General Assembly passed in April 2022.

“The Covington Life Science Lab will build on Covington’s growing reputation as a hub for high-tech advancements in this critical sector, and it will bring to fruition our vision when we started this process two years ago,” said Covington Mayor Joe Meyer in the release. “Companies like Bexion, CTI, and Gravity Diagnostics are wowing the world, and we hope this lab will help many other new companies along that same path.”

Established in November 2022, Covington Life Sciences Partners Inc., or CLSP, is a nonprofit organization founded to advance science, education and entrepreneurship in the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati region. The CLSP signed a 99-year, $12 million lease with the Port Authority for space in the OneNKY Center.

“It’s exciting to see this project move forward with collaboration from business and government leaders,” said CLSP Co-chair and St. Elizabeth Healthcare CEO Garren Colvin in the release. “If Northern Kentucky is going to be one of the healthiest regions in the country, we need to have businesses that are poised for future growth –like biotechnology– and access to improved healthcare. This project is advancing both.”

Many of the growth organizations moving into the OneNKY Center positively commented on the project. OneNKY Alliance President and CEO Karen Finan commended the efforts of the people and organizations who worked behind the scenes on the project.

“Having initiated this coalition of dedicated people and organizations, in partnership with the Catalytic Fund, working toward building a more meaningful future for our community was a major priority for the OneNKY Alliance and was simply exhilarating,” Finan said. “This project has been an important initiative for many key Northern Kentucky organizations over the past four years and now, we cannot wait to see what happens next.”

“It will be a signature building at the front door to Northern Kentucky,” said Schroer. “It will complement all the new development in the Roebling Point neighborhood while serving as a catalyst for exciting new developments along the riverfront and throughout the region.”

The Catalytic Fund CEO and President

Jeanne Schroer called the building’s location “ideal.”

The $26 million OneNKY Center will feature 43,000 square feet of Class A office space. Rendering provided | Phoenix Architecture

Five inducted in May to NKY Sports Hall of Fame

The Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame inducted its May class on May 17, headlined by three Highlands grads, a Bellevue grad and a Holmes grad.

Dave Hudepohl (Highlands High School), Cindy Schlarman Graves (Highlands), John Schlarman (Highlands), Walter “Whitey” Kordenbrock (Holmes High School) and Dennis Deal (Bellevue High School) are the newest inductees.

Hudepohl is a 1959 Highlands grad who was a four-year starter in football, basketball and baseball. In football, he was a 9th Region All-Star, and in his junior season the Bluebirds went undefeated. In basketball, he served as co-captain during his senior year, and in baseball, he posted a 14-2 record as co-captain his senior year and batted .529 for the 9th Region champs. After graduating, he played football at Harvard University and was named All-Ivy League defensive end in 1962. The Crimsons were Ivy League champions in 1961.

Schlarman Graves, a 1985 Highlands alum, played basketball and volleyball. She was named 1984-85 Kentucky Enquirer Player of the Year. She was also First Team, All-Conference, 36th District All-Tournament team and MVP and 9th Region MVP and All-Tournament team. Schlarman Graves is a member of the 1,000-point club and was team captain in volleyball in 84-85 as well as team MVP, All-Conference first team, 36th District All-Tournament team and MVP and All-9th Region. She went on to NKU, where she was an NCAA Division II All-Academic team member in basketball in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. She scored 1,287 points and dished

out 212 assists in her Norse career.

John Schlarman is a 1993 Highlands grad who participated in football, basketball and track-and-field. As a three-year starter on the offensive line for the Bluebirds, he helped lead the team to a 14-1 record and a state title in 1992. He was named All-State by the Courier-Journal, Herald-Leader and Associated Press and was named Kentucky Post Player of the Year. In his three years as a starter, the Bluebirds went 29-8, and he led the team in tackles in both his junior and senior seasons. Schlarman went on to play at the University of Kentucky and was named first-team All-SEC in 1997. He moved into coaching after graduation and served as UK’s offensive line coach from 2013-20. Schlarman died of cancer in 2020.

Kordenbrock, a Holmes graduate, was part of the first Bulldogs basketball team in 1935-36. After starting high school at Covington Catholic, he transferred to Holmes because it offered both basketball and baseball. At 16, he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians, but his father insisted he finish high school. After graduating, he reported to Fargo-Moorhead at the age of 18 to begin his minor league career. In six seasons in the minors, Kordenbock had 2,284 plate appearances, collecting 600 hits and only striking out eight times.

Deal is a 1970 Bellevue grad and was a fouryear tennis player for the Tigers. He won the region as a junior, knocking off the top two seeds. Deal sponsored men’s local softball clubs and served as co-supervisor of District 22 Knothole and coached two district champions. He coached the Bellevue baseball team in 2001 and 2002 and was named to the Northern Kentucky Knothole Hall of Fame in 1999. Deal also played football at Bellevue and was named second-team All-

City in 1970 and elected to the Bellevue Hall of Fame in 1999.

Northern Kentucky University’s Christina Roybal, the first Latina woman Division I athletic director in the university’s history, was the guest speaker at the induction. Roybal joined the NKU athletics staff as vice president and director of athletics in July 2022.

Ludlow High School promotes McMillen to head football coach

With summer workouts not far away, the returning members of the Ludlow Panthers football team do not have to worry about adapting to an outside leader.

The Ludlow administration promoted Woody McMillen to the head coaching spot, taking over for Greg Taphouse, who recently resigned after six seasons. McMillen had been an assistant on the staff the past three years, serving as special teams coordinator last season. He was also co-director of athletics.

The school is installing turf at Ludlow’s home football field. It sits behind the 1975 restaurant, which has a Ludlow sports Hall of Fame that fans can view before games. McMillen said he hopes the field will be ready for use after the dead period in early July.

McMillen is a 1987 Ludlow graduate and comes in with five years of head coach-

ing experience. He started the program at Walton-Verona High School. The Bearcats finished 4-6 in the first varsity season in 2008, but McMillen had to resign to take care of his father after that season.

McMillen then led the Bellevue Tigers for four seasons from 2015-18, going a combined 16-28.

Covington Catholic, Notre Dame win 9th Region tennis titles

Covington Catholic High School won its 21st consecutive 9th Region team tennis title, while Notre Dame Academy took the trophy in the girls teams standings.

The Colonels’ Brady Hussey won the singles title in boys, while Colonels Kalei Christensen and Alex Yeager won the doubles crown.

Covington Latin School’s Sarah Watanbe won the girls singles title, with Hailey Fullenkamp and Taylor Meenach of Notre Dame winning the doubles trophy.

As a reminder, our honor is available to any athletics team from any sport at any level – from high school and collegiate to youth to recreational and beyond. Readers can scan the QR code to head to linknky.com

Woody McMillen has been promoted to head football coach at Ludlow. Photo provided

Notre Dame’s Hailey Fullenkamp, left, and Taylor Meenach won the 9th Region girls doubles title for the second consecutive year. Photo provided | Ray Schaefer