LINK Kenton Reader - Volume 1, Issue 29 - June 9, 2023

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Priced out of the River Cities?

market sets it all’

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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At the end of Greenup Street in Covington, just as the road bends around the city of Covington sign welcoming northern visitors and residents alike, sit two buildings.

One is an apartment complex with 25 units spread across four floors.

The other is a building that formerly housed Lil’s Bagels, a specialty restaurant that was popular among local residents.

This small stretch of road has become a microcosm of a trend that’s swept up many in the urban areas of the region, both individual residents and businesses. As cities and economic institutions have made changes to draw in new development, demand for housing and commercial space has driven up property values and rent prices, making it harder for established residents and businesses to keep pace. In the worst cases, these conditions can lead to residential displacement and the closure of businesses, both of which have occurred on Greenup Street in the past year.

Lil’s Bagels shuttered in January, following attempts to negotiate new lease terms with its property manager, Gravity Management Group. The shop had been a fixture of the community for years. Many in the city – including Covington Mayor Joe Meyer, who wrote a letter to Gravity Management officials entreating them for an amicable negotiation with Lil’s owner, Julia Keister – felt a profound sense of loss when the shop closed after Keister and Gravity failed to reach a lease agreement the business could afford.

BY NATHAN GRANGER | LINK nky REPORTER

company Urban Sites.

The Hayden is a 110-plus unit, $31.4 million project designed to bring young professionals and their families to the Riverside District of Covington, according to the development’s website. With monthly rents ranging from $1,225 for a 550-squarefoot studio to $2,600 for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit with double the space, one Woodford resident said he knew what the opening of The Hayden signaled: Rents were surely about to go up.

But why would the opening of a new building, albeit one that was more expensive, affect rent prices in The Woodford?

The answer lies in a set of overlapping historical and market conditions that have contributed to the rise of both rental prices and property values throughout the region and, indeed, much of the country.

To begin with, governments, civic organizations and private firms have been making conscious efforts to increase economic development, attract employers and draw new residents throughout the region since at least the 1980s, when coordinated redevelopment of commercial property along the riverfront took place.

“We want well-planned growth,” said Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brent Cooper. “We want a vibrant community.”

This cross-institutional model is “a perfect example of how government, public, private folks can get together, champion something that then can lead to hopefully more investment in our community,” Cooper said. “That’s a lot of jobs, a lot of people living in our community, visiting our restaurants.”

The rationale for the kind of planned growth for which Cooper advocates goes like this: Get multiple sectors of society – government, local residents, businesses and other stakeholders – on the same page. Invest in a project that’s purported to be mutually beneficial to all parties, an investment that usually involves funding from both public and private interests. Then offer job opportunities that accompany the development to local workers, who will invest their wages and taxes back into the community.

Development, however, is often a double-edged sword, said Shannon Ratterman, interim executive director for the Center for Great Neighborhoods, a Covington nonprofit. The center owns several residential and commercial properties and has contributed to the ongoing development of the city.

“That kind of automatically creates a higher demand,” Ratterman said. “Which, of course, … that’s how the market works is that it increases the rents and what it costs to own a property.”

on the cover Madison Avenue in Covington in the 1950s and today. Historic photo provided | Kenton County Public Library. Current photo by James Robertson | LINK nky contributor.

The occupants of the residential property, called The Woodford, faced a similar situation only a few months after Lil’s left.

In the early months of 2023, Woodford residents saw completion of construction on The Hayden, a luxury apartment complex built from the shell of the former Kenton County Administration Building, which housed the jail, on East Court Street next door. Both The Woodford and The Hayden are managed by property management

The NKY Chamber is one of several economic development groups that have collaborated with local and state governments to spur such regional development. When Cooper spoke with LINK nky, he gave an example that illustrated how this model of development works. The planned construction of a new complex health science lab in Covington, he said, sprang out of prolonged coordination between development organizations, such as the NKY Chamber and BE NKY (formerly Northern Kentucky Tri-ED), private medical firms and elected officials. The project eventually got an injection of $15 million in state money from Gov. Andy Beshear.

Ratterman’s perspective offers a glimpse into market forces that eventually subsumed Keister’s ability to negotiate effectively with Gravity Management, the same forces that found their way onto Woodford residents’ doorsteps.

In March, after construction on The Hayden concluded, Woodford tenants began receiving notices to vacate. Various upgrades were planned for the building, and in order for the company to execute them, the tenants could not live in their units.

One tenant, Matthew Craig, said he saw it coming.

‘The

Continued from page 3

Craig wears his politics on his sleeve, sometimes literally. He grew up in the region but returned to Covington in March 2022, after traveling across the country stumping for the presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.

Craig said he leased the apartment knowing there would be some moving pieces the closer he got to the end of his lease.

“When I moved here, they were clear that the whole premise was that the building was likely to be sold, and ownership was likely to change,” he said. “So, when I was looking at the building, it was cheap. It was cheaper than a lot of apartments in the area.”

Some tenants were given the minimum amount of time required by law to vacate, while others were able to extend their leases month-to-month, with the only constant being that they had to leave.

“Last year, there were a lot of residents that were very uncertain what’s going to happen,” Craig said. “But there was just a lot of confusion as to, ‘Why or how can this happen?’ There are neighbors here on a fixed

income that cannot find somewhere else.”

Craig said he is OK financially and can afford a higher rent, but that doesn’t mean he’s pleased with the dissolution of the community he settled into at The Woodford.

“It’s going to be very different,” Craig said in March before he moved out. “It’s going to bring in an entirely different kind of vibe to Covington. A lot of people will complain that it’s kind of changing the face of this area and it’s disrupting.

“If we weren’t forced to leave, the community of residents would stay intact. There was a community that existed when I came in, that would have continued to exist, and there are tenants that need this community. We have folks that are on Medicaid and Social Security on a fixed rent. We look out for each other.”

The sort of planned growth for which Cooper advocates is but one kind of economic development that has taken place in the region and one of several factors that contribute to the phenomenon of people getting priced out.

Brian Miller, executive vice president of the Northern Kentucky Builders Association, explained how these factors play out in Northern Kentucky, citing three main causes: increases in materials costs, ex-

penses to remain compliant with zoning restrictions and shortages of skilled labor. Several contractors who spoke with LINK nky corroborated the rise in materials costs.

“In Greater Cincinnati, when you raise the cost of a home by $1,000, you have priced out over 1,200 families from being able to buy that home,” Miller said.

“You cannot make more used homes, right?” he said. “So that means that you have a fixed supply, and when you move people out of the new market, it means you have more people in the used market. Supply and demand: You’ve got a fixed supply with a higher increase in demand, (and) costs go up.”

What’s more, the region’s population has been steadily increasing, which puts even more pressure on supply. As LINK nky pointed out in the May 12 edition of the LINK Reader, Campbell, Kenton and Boone counties’ populations increased by about 3%, 6% and 15%, respectively, between 2010 and 2020, according to data by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Finally, spiking U.S. inflation over the last year has amplified the pressure on the development market.

These forces overlap in such a way that they disincentivize the construction of property

for low- and middle-income people and ratchet up the price of existing property.

Even when developers build new homes, they often have to market to demographics that will pay enough that the developers turn a profit.

“Lately, that has been the affluent,” Miller said.

Academic and government literature reviewed by LINK nky in the reporting of this story broadly corroborate Miller’s assessment.

Economist Nathaniel Baum-Snow, professor of economic analysis and policy at the University of Toronto, explored the issue in a recent white paper published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives. He analyzed the effects of housing demand on different communities throughout the United States, noting that the “rate of new housing construction has been low or falling in all types of locations since 2000.”

A study from Fannie Mae in October 2022 suggested that housing supply throughout the country has failed to keep up with demand, although that study said the Greater Cincinnati region has tended to be more stable than other regions.

Michael Denigan, owner and operator of Florence-based Hillcrest Home Solutions,

Matthew Craig speaks at a public hearing at Covington City Hall on April 25. “I want to live in an inclusive city,” he said of the affordable housing problems. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky

A bridge straddles a creek near Old KY-18, circa 1930. Photo provided | Michael Denigan

A recent photo near the site featured in the 1930 photo. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky

has been in the real estate business since the 1980s. From his vantage point operating a large real estate firm, he’s witnessed the region change over the years.

Denigan said the region has always been attractive to developers due to its low cost of living, low property tax rates and high general quality of life when compared with other regions. He added that the housing market in Northern Kentucky has tended to be stable when compared to other markets.

“Three or four years ago, we were selling bilevels for $160,000,” Denigan said. “Now they’re $250 or $240 (thousand). ... That caused the rents to all go up.”

An increase in economic activity attracts even more investment to the area, continuing the cycle. Yet, unlike with a plannedgrowth approach such as Cooper endorses, later arrivals to the local economy are often less deliberate in how they act.

“It used to be, the investors were all local,” said Sherri Walker, Hillcrest’s property manager, whom Denigan hired in 2011. “Well, because this market – it’s such a sweet spot around here with all the variety of industry in Cincinnati and everything –now we’ve got investors coming in from all over. You have hedge funds like American Homes 4 Rent and a couple of the other ones that are coming in and buying up all that property.

“They’ve bought about 6,000 homes in the Greater Cincinnati area.”

American Homes 4 Rent, which has changed its name to AMH, isn’t alone among hedge funds and private equity firms that have entered the regional market.

Brandon Holmes, Covington’s neighborhood services director, said Berkshire Ha-

thaway and Blackstone also have a presence in the region, although he was unsure of the scale of their investment. Holmes is a former fellow with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and a self-proclaimed “housing geek.”

Hedge funds have drawn criticism from some due to their model of buying large numbers of single-family homes and either letting them remain vacant while equity increases, or converting them to rental properties.

At Hillcrest properties, Walker said, the median rent these days is between $1,500 and $1,600 per month. Its properties’ values, meanwhile, range from about $160,000 to $400,000.

“The market sets it all,” Denigan said.

Most of the sources LINK nky spoke with confirmed the challenges the region faced.

“I think all businesses and residents need to find ways to continuously adapt to new market forces and impacts on our community,” Cooper said. “A big issue for us right now, and it’s every community in the country right now, for sure, are issues of inflation. … I think we have two jobs for every one person right now in the country. That is an issue that we’re all going to have to deal with.”

To that end, a variety of programs, policies and organizations have been established in Northern Kentucky to aid in the development of small businesses and the increase in both affordable housing and the number of homeowners.

One such government program is the Northern Kentucky HOME Consortium, which uses federal grants to provide 0% homebuyer loans in the consortium’s member cities. It also invests in commu-

Continues on page 6

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Cumulative monthly housing price changes since April 2007, the previous peak in U.S. housing prices. Data and chart provided | Federal Housing Finance Agency report, April 25, 2023

Year-to-year percentage changes of shelter costs over the last 20 years, including rent costs. Gray areas represent recessions. Data and chart provided | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index

nity organizations that aid in reducing homelessness and increasing affordable housing, such as The Center for Great Neighborhoods and Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky, often shortened to HONK.

On the policy side of things, there are programs to encourage the development of small businesses. Covington, for example, has instituted facade-improvement grants and rent-subsidy programs, which Covington Economic Development Director Tom West said helps new businesses get on their feet.

“If someone has a startup retail operation or a startup marketing business or maybe they’re moving from an incubator accelerator into a bricks-and-mortar location for the first time, we want them that first year focused on running their business, building their clientele, establishing their brand – really focused on their business, not on trying to make rent,” West said.

Still, although sources interviewed by LINK nky said these programs and policies are helpful to their beneficiaries, the mathematics of the market make it difficult to keep up.

For example, HONK’s flagship rent-toown pipeline places people in refurbished properties it owns before gradually turning over the property to the clients over a 12- to 18-month period. The program, however, can carry only about 10 families over the course of a year, said David Hastings, HONK executive director.

“We get a lot of phone calls from people who are at wit’s end,” Hastings said. “(We’re helping two handfuls of families in a year … providing maybe 10 new opportunities. Given the scope of the need for housing, that’s a drop in the bucket.”

For comparison, there were 121 eviction cases scheduled to appear before a judge in April in Kenton County.

Many of the cases, 54 exactly, were dismissed before trial, meaning the tenants either paid their rents or worked something out with their landlords to get them to drop their cases.

Thirteen were settled out of court, five were dismissed in court and 19 were scheduled for trial at later dates.

Thirty cases, meanwhile, received a default judgment from the court, which usually means the tenants did not appear at the assigned court time. Invariably, the court rules in favor of the landlord when this occurs.

Although the number of cases in eviction court varies from month to month, if one were to use the 30 cases ruled in favor of the landlord as a typical monthly pattern of outcomes, that would mean for every 10 families annually placed in sustainable housing with the help of organizations like HONK, at least 360 other people in the region lose housing.

Craig, the Woodford resident who moved in knowing that an ownership change was likely imminent, eventually relocated to The Hayden when his lease expired due its proximity to his former apartment. Although he was fortunate enough to be able to afford the new building, many of the other Woodford residents, he said, were not so lucky. Some couldn’t afford to stay in Covington at all.

“I want to be in an inclusive city,” Craig said at a public hearing related to federally subsidized homeownership programs at Covington City Hall in April. “I was very fortunate that when my building was legally evicted, I could move next door to the new development. But most of my neighbors

couldn’t, and most of my neighbors don’t reside in Covington anymore.”

Changes in rent are one thing, but Kentucky tenants’ ability to legally oppose an eviction is slim when compared to many other states.

There is no statewide statute for escrow, for example, unlike in Ohio and many other states. This means that if a landlord fails to make major repairs necessary to make a residence safe or habitable, a tenant cannot pay his rent to the court to legally fulfill the contract while depriving his landlord of income until repairs are made or some other solution makes the apartment habitable.

Tenants in Kentucky also have no statewide right to legal counsel, meaning that if they can’t afford a lawyer in an eviction case, the court has no obligation to provide them with one as it does in criminal cases.

Several advocacy and citizens groups, such as the Northern Kentucky Tenants Union, have engaged in efforts for statewide or, at least, countywide tenant bills of rights. Such regulations would guarantee things like the right to legal counsel, just cause for eviction – renovation would not count among the union’s list of just causes – and the right to first purchase, which would compel property owners to offer properties to tenants before the broader market if they decide to sell. As it stands, however, the only way a tenant can gain a legal advantage is to pay his rent, regardless of the action or inaction of the landlord.

It doesn’t help that many landlords in the area refuse to accept federal housing vouchers, often due to stereotypes about perceived bad behavior by Section 8 tenants.

Holmes, Covington’s neighborhood services director, estimated that there are

about 1,200 housing vouchers administered for Kenton County annually, with at least 1,000 active contracts with landlords who accept housing vouchers. This means that there are about 200 tenants – including entire families – at any given time foundering in the rental market because they can’t find a landlord who will accept vouchers.

“I realize that everybody wants to live in a certain place,” Cooper said. “We don’t have the options for that right now, that is true. But I do think we can work deliberately, intentionally to change that.”

If you visit Greenup Street today, you’ll find that things have changed even as they’ve remained the same.

The Hayden is complete and still accepting tenants. The Woodford, meanwhile, is under construction. A temporary wire fence cordons off the sidewalk in front of the building, allowing room for workers to haul drywall and other materials out onto the pavement. A nearby office building has a “space available” sign on its window.

The building that housed Lil’s Bagels is empty. The business itself has since partnered with Roebling Point Books and Coffee and serves food out of the shop’s Newport and Dayton, Kentucky, locations. It no longer serves bagels.

One artifact from the former occupant still adorns the building: A paper sign in a plastic-framed bulletin board displays the restaurant’s former hours and a message inscribed to its loyal customers.

The message reads:

“We’ll get through this together!”

LINK nky contributor Alecia Ricker contributed to this story.

June 1968: 'Bob Kennedy Dies; Funeral is Saturday'

BY RICK ROBINSON | LINK nky GUEST AUTHOR

Rick Robinson is a local author who is writing a book based on life in Northern Kentucky in 1968 and what we can learn now. LINK will publish excerpts from the book regularly in the LINK Reader, as well as on linknky.com

“Bob Kennedy Dies; Funeral is Saturday.”

The front-page headline of The Kentucky Post and Times-Star was simple and to the point. On June 6, following his victory in the California Democratic primary for president, U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y., was shot while walking through the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He died 25 hours later. He was 42 years old.

Kennedy entered the Democratic Party’s contest for the presidential nomination shortly after President Lyndon Johnson’s dismal performance in the New Hampshire primary. Within two weeks of Kennedy’s entry into the race, President Johnson dropped out and his endorsed candidate, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, jumped in. U.S. Sen. Eugene McCarthy, D-Minn., won early primary victories, but the Kennedy camp believed a victory in California would set up a one-on-one floor fight with Humphrey at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. As Kennedy finished his victory speech to campaign supporters, the anti-war candidate flashed a peace sign and declared, “Now, it’s on to Chicago, and let’s win there.”

Days later, people across the nation mourned Kennedy’s shocking death. Locally, flags across Northern Kentucky were ordered to fly at half-staff. Church services were held. Meetings were canceled. And resolutions of sympathy and respect were passed by governing bodies. Humphrey canceled his

presidential campaign trip to Cincinnati.

Covington lawyer Patrick Flannery, the coordinator of Northern Kentucky Citizens for Kennedy, had attended the funeral of President John F. Kennedy, which he called “an unbelievable tragedy.” He added, “It’s hard to believe that two Kennedys were shot down when they were doing so much good.” Kentucky Gov. Louie Nunn said the assassination of Sen. Kennedy was “tragic beyond words and thoughts” and noted the collapse of law, order and morality in the country. U.S. Rep. Gene Snyder, R-Ky, attacked recent court decisions he believed were giving too many rights to those committing violent acts.

Gun control was on the minds of many. Florence Mayor C.M. Ewing said, “It’s getting so a man can’t seek public office. I don’t have the answer to the recent acts of violence. I don’t think gun legislation will solve the problem.” Mayor Leo Brun of Elsmere expressed the opposite position. “Something has to be done about violence in our country. Legislation must be passed,” Brun said. Crescent Springs Mayor Jack Jensen urged citizens to write to their representatives in Washington in support of gun legislation.

Not mentioned in any of the news stories about Robert Kennedy’s death were his very close ties to Northern Kentucky – in particular, his involvement with fighting organized crime in Newport.

In 1957, Robert Kennedy gained national recognition when he became chief counsel to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management, known by some as the “Rackets Committee.” Committee Chairman Sen. John

McClellan, D-Ark., gave his young counsel broad authority over the special panel. The committee is best remembered for its inquiry into organized crime’s influence over the Teamsters Union and for its president, Jimmy Hoffa. However, Kennedy’s work also introduced him to crime syndicates operating openly in Northern Kentucky.

Kennedy left his position with the Rackets Committee to assist his brother, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy, in his campaign for president of the United States. This is where Robert Kennedy met a reporter for The Courier-Journal named Hank Messick, who had been covering the anti-crime reform movement taking place in Campbell County. Messick was invited to a private press briefing in Cincinnati with Robert Kennedy about the Kennedy campaign for president. The other reporters present focused on Kennedy’s Catholic faith and the impact, if any, it would have on his governance. Messick was there to address Newport.

In his book “Syndicate Wife” (The Macmillan Co., 1968), Messick recalled the encounter:

“When the religious issue was exhausted, there was a pause. The author (Messick) fired some questions of his own – about Newport and organized crime. Kennedy seemed startled about the abrupt change in subject, then pleased. He sank back in the couch. A little color waned his face.

Instead of worrying so much about religion, the next Attorney General of the United States declared, the public and the press should give thought to certain other matters of which organized crime was one of the most important.

“How can an Administration handle Khrushchev and Castro when it can’t handle Hoffa,” he asked.

Yes, he was familiar with crime conditions in Newport. If his brother was elected President, there would be effective action taken against syndicate hoods in Newport.”

This action happened a year later. John F. Kennedy had won the election for president and had appointed his brother Robert Kennedy to head up the Justice Department as attorney general. In Newport, the reformers were backing a local football hero, George Ratterman, for Campbell County Sheriff. Shortly after Ratterman announced his candidacy, he met with a local mobster, was slipped a “Mickey Finn” and woke up as on-the-take police broke into a Newport brothel bedroom to find Ratterman in bed with a stripper stage-named April Flowers. The scandal, resulting trials

Continues on page 8

George Ratterman’s election as Campbell County sheriff in 1968 drew the attention of the U.S. Justice Department and attorney Ronald Goldfarb. Photo provided | Kenton County Public Library

and aftermath are legendary in Northern Kentucky (as well as national) political lore.

With some encouragement from a Cincinnati attorney who knew the Kennedys, Robert Kennedy and the Justice Department quickly became involved, sending special federal prosecutors into Newport to follow the Ratterman trial and to bring charges against multiple individuals for violating Ratterman’s civil rights.

Lawyer Ronald Goldfarb was recruited by Robert Kennedy to work at the Justice Department focusing on the prosecution of organized crime. In Goldfarb’s brilliant account of the U.S. Justice Department’s involvement in the Ratterman case, titled “Perfect Villains, Imperfect Heroes” (Capital Books, 1995), he described how Robert Kennedy had testified before Congress about how large the stakes were in Newport. The attorney general estimated $30 million was wagered annually in Newport. Numbers and horse-racing bets alone were around $6 million. And the take from gambling operations did not include the revenues crime figures were receiving from the city’s numerous brothels. Elected officials and police were most certainly on the take. “Of all the wide-open, corrupt cities in the country,” Goldfarb wrote, “Newport competed to be the worst.”

According to Goldfarb’s account, Robert Kennedy was initially concerned about getting involved in the election of a local county sheriff. “Kennedy knew Newport, as a center of crime and corruption, was ripe for our group’s attention, but he was understandably chary about taking sides in a local case he knew little about.” Goldfarb convinced Kennedy it was worth the risk. Perhaps over these concerns, Kennedy kept a close eye on the case, personally signing off on various actions of Goldfarb and his team. And according to Messick,

Kennedy often personally leaked files to him about portions of the case.

On the day Ratterman went on trial, Robert Kennedy described to a Senate Committee how Newport was a prime example of organized crime using gambling to control and eventually destroy a community and requested more resources for the Justice Department to fight organized crime.

After Ratterman beat the charges against him and won the election for Campbell County Sheriff, Kennedy personally signed off on bringing charges against those responsible for the set-up.

By the end of the year, Kennedy declared in the Justice Department’s annual report, “Wagering has virtually ceased at a major gambling center, Newport, Kentucky.”

The impact of Robert F. Kennedy on Northern Kentucky would be felt long after his sad and untimely death.

“I was driving the wrong way on 12th Street in Covington – going home. It was so real. Anyway, I drove up 11th Street to Joyce Avenue so casually. That was the funny thing because I know I could set a world’s speed record if I was REALLY doing it. I got so excited right before I got to the house, I woke up. SOME DAY I’ll be making it for sure and for real.”

Administration by providing overvalued home appraisals to lenders.

“My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; but be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.”

Ted Kennedy’s eulogy for his brother Robert Kennedy

As the region mourned, the Vietnam War continued. Lance Cpl. Thomas Lee Loschiavo of Winston Park became the 65th Northern Kentuckian killed in Vietnam when a rocket attack hit his unit near Quang Tri. Marine Pvc. Bradley Bowling of Demossville was also killed in combat. Bowling had written letters to his brother describing how bad the action had been but asked the details not be shared with his mother. Bowling had been in Vietnam for less than three months.

Northern Kentuckians also read about the dream of Marine Cpl. Larry Wiedemann of Newport. The Kentucky Post and TimesStar described a letter Wiedemann sent home to his mother.

Stories from the Post and Times-Star in June 1968 reflect a changing racial landscape in Northern Kentucky – some reflecting change for the better, while others cause pause. “Whites Accepting Fair Housing Law” was a story describing how Kentucky’s Commission on Human Rights reported little open hostility to enforcement of the state’s newly adopted open-housing law. Another story heralded the first marriage license issued in Kenton County to a mixed-race couple (it was issued on the heels of a state attorney general’s opinion concluding the state statute forbidding such would be declared unconstitutional by courts).

Yet, while progress was seemingly being made in civil rights, all three county courthouses were closed in observance of Confederate Memorial Day.

In June 1968, the Post and Times-Star focused on four separate series of articles that proved their worth to the region. First, it featured stories about the identity of a deceased young woman found in a camping tent. The identity of “Tent Girl” was an ongoing storyline that would continue for the remainder of the year. Additionally, the newspaper uncovered a fraudulent scheme whereby local real estate investors were scamming the Federal Housing

Next, there was a great deal of coverage regarding the horrendous conditions at state juvenile detention centers. Ken Harper remembers having just sat down to lunch at a restaurant when the waitress approached to tell him Gov. Nunn called looking for him. “Louie was waiting for me when I got back to the Capital,” Harper recalled. “The two of us and a reporter went straight to Kentucky Village. On the way, Louie explained he had heard rumors about the conditions there. He was furious at what he saw.” The visit and press attention resulted in the reform of juvenile facilities across Kentucky.

Finally, and most interestingly, there was a series of articles by reporter Sigman Byrd, who was traveling across Kentucky to write about the pulse of the state. Near the end of the month, Byrd reported the dour mood across the commonwealth. “There was much pessimism among the people I met,” wrote Byrd. “Sometimes it bordered on hopelessness.”

“Kentuckians, like most Americans, have lost faith in the people who govern; in the elected officials and the appointed bureaucrats,” Byrd continued. “They are fed up –up to here – with professional politicians.”

Rick Robinson’s award-winning books can be found at area bookstores and are available on Amazon. In a new book to be released later this year, he will be viewing Northern Kentucky through the lens of 1968. If you wish to contact Robinson with a story or thoughts about 1968, you may do so at neverleavefish@gmail.com. Photo credits compliments of Kenton County Library Faces and Places. Unless otherwise noted, all stories and quotes from 1968 are from articles that appeared in The Kentucky Post and Times-Star.

Erlanger considers integrating S.M.A.R.T. goals into community task forces

STORY AND PHOTOS BY NATHAN GRANGER | LINK NKY REPORTER

Erlanger City Council will discuss revising the application requirements for its city task forces at council meetings in June following discussions at meetings in late April and May.

“What I would propose is that if the rest of council agreed with this, that we would revisit every task force that’s existing and fill this application out, and kind of reboot each task force,” council member Tyson Hermes said at a May 16 meeting.

Erlanger currently has task forces for parks, city beautification, diversity and inclusion, budgeting and fire and emergency services, among others, focused on specific neighborhoods or projects.

“I think it’s important that we make sure that the tasks that we’re trying to achieve are for the benefit of, as the municipal order says, the staff, residents or tax-paying businesses of the city,” Hermes said.

Unless clear goals are laid out for each task force, the groups could easily become aimless and expensive, he said. When implemented poorly or inefficiently, he argued, the groups place unnecessary strain on city resources and taxpayer dollars, since meetings are required to be advertised, staffed and recorded. Minutes from the meetings also have to be produced and stored, which further strains city resources.

To that end, Hermes recommended instituting a uniform application process in which a clear goal would need to be established before the formation of a task force. He recommended the use of S.M.A.R.T.

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goals to ensure this occurred.

S.M.A.R.T. goals are a common practice in business management. Proponents contend they are an effective way of setting and reaching goals in a variety of situations. The acronym represents qualities of goal-setting the model touts: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timeframe-bound.

This was not the first time Hermes has raised the idea in public discussion.

At the first meeting of the Erlanger diversity and inclusion task force in late April, Hermes expressed worry that the new group didn’t have a clear goal beyond diversity itself.

“I think it’s a noble cause, potentially a great group,” Hermes said at that meeting. “I just don’t know if it is an appropriate city task force.”“What we’re trying to gear the task forces to is actually accomplishing a task, and, I mean, what you’ve got is huge.”

He recommended that the group focus on specific pieces of legislation. The diversity and inclusion task force took up the issue of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals at its meeting in May, according to its published agenda.

At the May 16 council meeting discussing task forces more broadly, Hermes said that even some of the task forces he started had

gone adrift.

“Toward the beginning of the year, I created a task force called Keeping an Eye on Kenton County,” Hermes said. “Now, you know, those meetings are really not public meetings. It’s just us attending (the county’s) meeting. … We don’t really ever have a public notice. We don’t have meeting minutes. … It made me realize the distinction between accomplishing a task for the city and just raising awareness.”

Council members broadly agreed that refining the task force application process, even if they didn’t end up using S.M.A.R.T. goals specifically, was a good idea.

Mayor Jessica Fette, who initially proposed the change from committees to task forces, gave her thoughts on the matter.

“My original intent with making that change was to not just have committees

that reported what departments were doing, but to have an actual, almost like a project team that was set out to accomplish a very particular goal,” Fette said.

“So there’s a task that we’re trying to accomplish, and then once the task is accomplished, the task force sunsets just like any kind of project team,” Fette said.

To illustrate her point, she gave the example of the parks task force.

“One of the main things that we do in that task force is prepare for the next fiscal year’s budget and what we’re going to propose and what parks we’re focusing on,” Fette said.

After some discussion, Hermes agreed to integrate the council members’ comments into the next draft of the task force application and ask the city clerk to include it in files for the next council meeting.

Authorized

Erlanger council members discuss rethinking how task forces operate during an April meeting of City Council.

Erlanger City Council member Tyson Hermes and Mayor Jessica Fette at a parks task force meeting in May.

Freedom Day Parade will kick off Northern Kentucky Juneteenth celebration

The Northern Kentucky Juneteenth celebration will kick off on June 17 with the Freedom Day Parade.

The parade will line up at Robbin and Prospect streets near Randolph Park at 9 a.m. and will head down Greenup Street, concluding at the Covington Plaza.

The Black Excellence Awards will follow the parade at 11 a.m., with guest speaker Tracey Farley-Artis, organizer of the Midwest Regional Black Family Reunion in Cincinnati.

There will be live music from Rhythm of Soul, The Rollins Davis Band and Soul Pocket, along with activities for kids, a senior circle for seniors, food trucks and more.

For more information, contact Phyllis Tyler at 859-652-4978 or Dee Roetting at 859760-1081.

Covington: Dwindling payroll taxes to blame for general fund budget shortfall

“Covington leaders are faced with filling significant holes in the City’s General Fund budget caused by decreases in payroll tax revenue as major employers in Covington are permitting employees to work from home and thus – if they live outside Covington – to pay their local taxes elsewhere,” the press release reads.

The release states that the city has “an anticipated hole of $5 million to be filled by June 30. As City leaders put together the budget for the 2024 fiscal year, which starts July 1, they anticipate a $7.2 million hole.”

employees are physically working.”

In other words, if someone is employed at a company located in Covington but works out of the region, the taxes collected on that person’s pay will go to the area where they are actually completing the work.

Payroll tax is an outsized portion of the city’s revenue.

The city of Covington’s general fund expenditures have exceeded its revenue, according to a recent quarterly financial report presented to the City Commission on May 23. The deficit applies only to the city’s general fund.

According to statements from the city’s finance director, Steve Webb, and a press release, the city is attributing its budget shortfall to dwindling payroll tax collections from local employers.

auto rates for

The city attributes the shortfall to changes in labor practices, specifically workfrom-home policies, which have become more common since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We fall off the pace due to the implications of the remote work situation with our largest employers,” Webb said on May 23. “As remote work has become normalized, these employers are now withholding and remitting portions of the occupational license tax to the jurisdictions where their

“We have intentionally structured our finances to have reserves for the unexpected,” Mayor Joe Meyer said in the release. “This approach also enables us to avoid a crisis reaction, like layoffs. In the short term, the City can deal with this turn of events, but in the future we will have to rethink our strategies.”

Kenton County Sheriff warns against scammers posing as law enforcement

Scammers impersonating police officers and other law enforcement personnel are “ramping up their activity in our area,” ac-

A snapshot of the city’s general fund. Data and chart provided | The city of Covington

cording to a press release from the Kenton County Sheriff’s Office.

Specifically, the release warns about phone calls from people claiming that someone has a warrant out for their arrest and that they need to pay a fee or fine over the phone or risk legal trouble.

The release advises that people will not be notified via phone call, email or text if there is a warrant for their arrest, nor will law enforcement ever solicit payment over the phone.

Similarly, the department warned against scammers who claim that someone has missed jury duty in an effort to tease out payment or information.

If you suspect someone is trying to scam you over the phone, the sheriff recommends leaving a report with the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection by calling 888-432-9257.

Aggregated reading assessment data for kindergarten through sixth-grade students at Covington Independent Public Schools. The red indicates students who need intensive reading instruction and help. The blue indicates students who need some help but not intensive help. The green indicates students reading to standard. Data and chart provided | Covington Independent Public Schools

Internal reading assessment data from Covington Independent Public Schools suggests gradual improvement in reading skills for most elementary grades.

Ludlow resident sentenced to 35 years

for meth distribution

Ludlow resident Terrill Goods, 45, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on May 24 after he was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A federal jury in Covington found Goods guilty in December 2022. His co-defendant, Deon Coulter, 38, of Northern Kentucky had previously pled guilty and was sentenced to over 20 years for the same charges.

“According to evidence presented at trial, between October 2021 and January 2022, Goods and Coulter conspired to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine, as well as cocaine, in the Eastern District of Kentucky,” said a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Law enforcement made several controlled buys of methamphetamine and one of cocaine from the men, according to the release.

“They also seized approximately 2,000 pills containing fentanyl and multiple firearms during execution of search warrants on Goods’ and Coulter’s respective residences,” the release said.

This data was presented by district staff members at a special board of education meeting on May 22. Additional data suggests that more English as a second language students are improving their English enough to exit the district’s English as a second language program.

Scott Alter, the district’s assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, presented the reading assessment data to the board. The figures go back to 2021 and show changes in student reading levels from term to term.

“I think it’s unbelievable what some of our teachers are doing,” Alter said. “You know, coming into the year with 60%-70% intensive students (represented in red on the chart) and the amount of work that it takes to bring these kids back in and, you know, teach them how to read … is amazing.”

The assessment the district uses is the Star CBM, which is produced by the company Renaissance. The test is computer-based and given on a one-to-one basis with teachers and students. The computerized test allows for easy data collection and analysis. There’s also a version for math.

“We’re teaching our kids how to read at the elementary level, and we’re sending them to the middle school and the high school better equipped to be strong students in all the classrooms,” Alter said.

He added that he hoped the improvements displayed with the Star CBM data would translate into improved scores on state assessment tests administered regularly throughout elementary and high school.

Most Covington elementary students show improvement in reading, data suggests

In continuing turnaround effort, Kentucky State names Akakpo president

FRANKFORT, Ky.

(AP) – Kentucky State University has named Koffi C. Akakpo, Ph.D., as the school’s 19th president.

The Board of Regents announced on May 30 that Akakpo, president of Bluegrass Community & Technical College, will assume his new role at the university on July 1. His appointment comes after a national search.

“Kentucky State University is poised for a great future,” Board of Regents chair Tammi Dukes said in a statement. “Under Dr. Akakpo’s leadership, the University can advance in many areas, and we are pleased to hand the baton to him at such a critical time in the institution’s journey.”

The historically Black university in Frankfort hasn’t had a permanent leader since July 2021, when M. Christopher Brown II resigned amid growing concerns about the school’s financial health.

State lawmakers stepped in and passed a bill last year that included $23 million to address a budget shortfall, with measures in place to create a management improvement plan and financial accountability.

An audit ordered last year revealed a “chaotic accounting environment” that led to undocumented credit card transactions, extravagant bonuses and a lack of controls that put millions of dollars in federal grant funding at risk. It primarily focused on the school’s financial and internal policies between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2021.

Lawmakers also passed a bill last year that replaced nearly all members of KSU’s Board of Regents, and new leaders at the school have been working diligently to address the problems.

Akakpo said he believes in using a collaborative approach to turn problems into opportunities.

“My work focuses on championing postsecondary institutions, tackling the uncertainty they face, and securing their current and future prosperity, particularly through bold thinking, transformational problem-solving, and strategic partnership building,” he said.

Toyota to invest additional $2.1B in N.C. factory that will supply Kentucky operation

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) – Toyota will invest another $2.1 billion in an electric and hybrid vehicle battery factory that’s under construction near Greensboro, North Carolina.

The plant will supply batteries to Toyota’s huge complex in Georgetown, Kentucky, which will build Toyota’s first U.S.-made electric vehicle, a new SUV with three rows of seats.

The plans, announced May 31, won’t immediately create any more jobs at either the Kentucky or North Carolina factories. Susan Elkington, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, said the new vehicle reflects the company’s “journey toward an electrified future.”

Toyota plans to employ 2,100 workers at the North Carolina battery factory, which will start production in 2025. The investment supports the company’s goal of selling 1.8 million electric or hybrid vehicles in the U.S by 2030.

The 9 million-square-foot Kentucky complex employs 9,500 people who make the Camry sedan, RAV4 Hybrid SUV, several engines and other components. The company says jobs will shift to the new electric vehicle when production starts in 2025.

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to sell 2 million zero emission hydrogen and battery electric vehicles worldwide per year by 2030. In the U.S., the company plans to sell 1.5 million to 1.8 million vehicles by 2030 that are at least partially electrified.

After manhunt, body of escaped murderer from Ohio prison found in river by Ky. officers

HENDERSON, KY (AP) — A convicted murderer who escaped from a northwest Ohio prison with another inmate by hiding in a trash container was found dead on May 28 after his body was spotted floating in the Ohio River, police in Kentucky said.

The discovery brought to a close a manhunt for the missing inmate, Bradley Gillespie, 50. Authorities said the other inmate, James Lee, 47, was captured on May 24 after the two escaped earlier in the week from the Allen/Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio.

Henderson Police Chief Sean McKinney said at a news conference that authorities got a call Sunday about a body floating in the river very near where Gillespie was last seen when officers captured the other inmate during a pursuit and traffic stop on a stolen car. Gillespie, a passenger in the vehicle, fled on foot, prompting a multiday manhunt, he said.

“A preliminary investigation indicates we recovered the body of Bradley Gillespie from the river,” McKinney said, adding police, firefighters, a coroner’s office and others responded to the incident. Reports said tattoos and physical inspection helped with the preliminary identification.

Lee was serving a sentence imposed in 2021 for burglary and safecracking. McKinney said Gillespie had been imprisoned since 2016 and was convicted of a double homicide.

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said Friday a major and three corrections officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, and similar action may be taken against other people as the department’s internal investigation continues,. A criminal investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol is also continuing.

July 1. Photo provided | Kentucky Community & Technical College System

AJ Jolly Park summer concerts are here

Boone library hosts concert in Boone Woods Park

Grab a blanket, folding chair and some snacks for a concert in Boone Woods Park on Saturday, June 10, featuring the Eagles tribute band Nightflyer. Hosted by the Boone County Public Library, the event runs from 7-8:30 p.m. in the park at 6000 Veterans Way in Burlington. In case of rain, the concert will be held at the Main Library (1786 Burlington Pike in Burlington). For weather updates, call 859-334-2283.

gratulated the Newport High School winners of the SkillsUSA photography contest: Brooklyn Caudle (first place, photography), Caroline Tuner (second place, photography), Ariel Benegar (first place, photo art) and Marilyn Coronado (third place, advertising design).

Painted by artist and Walnut Hills High School senior Phoenix Brumm-Jost with Lora Jost, it features “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. Learn more about the artist at kentonlibrary.org/bookbenches.

AJ Jolly Park in Campbell County announced details of its free summer concert series, with shows taking place one Saturday a month from June through September. First up is the popular rock and alternative band Swan from 7-10 p.m. June 24. Next comes the Sun Valley Bluegrass Festival on July 15 and the Festival on the Lake on August 19, both from 4-10:30 p.m. The last concert of the series features Kait & the California Kings, who play from 6-9 p.m. September 23.

Newport Independent staff students honored by city

At its May meeting, the Newport Board of Commissioners honored students and staff of Newport Independent Schools and recognized groups and individuals for outstanding work in the 2022-23 school year.

Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli Jr. presented a proclamation honoring the Newport High School Wildcats basketball team for its KHSAA 9th Region Final win.

The mayor and commissioners also con-

The city recognized teachers nominated for “Teacher of the Month” honors at Newport Primary School and Newport Intermediate School. At the primary school, the teachers were Melissa McGroarty, Maggie Whitfield, Haley Mavrolas and Hannah Mayle. Teachers from the intermediate school included Stephanie Abney, Madelyne Watts, Rachel Redden, Stephanie Braden, Nick Denham, Molly Turner and Derek Betz.

Kenton County Library installs first Book Bench art project

In 2022, the Kenton County Public Library selected six local artists to participate in its Book Bench art project. The project tapped each artist to paint a bench inspired by a well-loved book. In May, the first bench was installed at 1124 Scott St. in Covington.

Behringer-Crawford Museum calls for ‘open-air’ artists

The Behringer-Crawford Museum is calling for local artists interested in creating “Fresh Art” in Devou Park on Saturday, Sept. 9. The museum is hosting its 31st freshArt event featuring artists working “en plein air,” or open-air, who create original works in the park to be auctioned off “fresh” that day. A portion of the sales goes to the artist, with remaining proceeds to benefit youth education programming at the museum. Previously created paintings, sculpture, jewelry, wood and other items will also be offered in a silent auction in the period leading up to the event (Aug. 11-Sept. 9). Artist applications are due June 30. For more information, visit bcmuseum.org/activities/freshart.

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The Sun Valley Bluegrass Festival returns to AJ Jolly Park on Saturday, July 15. The park is located at 1501 Racetrack Road in Alexandria. Photo provided | AJ Jolly Park

Live luxuriously at the top of the Roebling Bridge

Address: One Roebling Way, Unit 1404, Covington

Price: $2.95 million

Bedrooms: Three

Bathrooms: Four (plus one half-bathroom)

Square feet: 3,333

School district: Covington Independent Schools

County: Kenton

Special features: This luxurious unit on the 14th floor of The Ascent at Roebling’s Bridge overlooks the Ohio River and Cincinnati sports venues and stuns with floor-to-ceiling windows and a dedicated wine room. All three bedrooms include adjoining bathrooms, with the primary suite showcasing a spacious closet with custom cabinetry. The kitchen features high-end Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances, quartz countertops, marble backsplash, a butler’s pantry and island with seating. The unit is wired for sound with custom AV-TV and Wi-Fi speakers. An in-unit laundry room also features custom cabinetry and a utility sink. The unit comes with three assigned parking spaces and Ascent amenities, including a pool, gym, sauna, massage room, library, theater room, wine lockers and reservable recreation and meeting spaces. Walk to downtown Cincinnati or Covington for dining and entertainment from this luxury apartment.

WHO YOU’RE WITH MATTERS

Recent NKY Home Sale Data

The living room inside unit 1404 of The Ascent at Roebling’s Bridge in Covington overlooks the Ohio River and features floor-to-ceiling windows. Photo provided | Michele Mamo with Exp Realty

The luxury apartment inside the Ascent features a custom wine room behind glass doors. Photo provided | Michele Mamo with Exp Realty

A walk-in closet with custom cabinetry adjoins the primary bedroom of this luxury apartment in Covington’s Ascent building. Photo provided | Michele Mamo with Exp Realty

LINK Streetscapes - Rivercenter Boulevard

Powered by Merk and Gile, Injury Attorneys

PHOTOS AND STORY BY MARIA HEHMAN | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

As the weather gets warmer, many of us to flock to the nearest patio or park to fully embrace the sunshine. Rivercenter Boulevard in Covington has some of the best patios and views in all of Northern Kentucky. For this Streetscapes, grab your favorite coffee and come take a walk with us on Rivercenter Boulevard in Covington.

Its 3 Billy Goats sandwich with salami, soppressata, prosciutto, spinach, goat cheese and olive is best paired with its famous tater tots.

One of the best-selling items – the pickle fries – will give guests their fried-pickle fix in a unique way, whether ordered as a starter or an additional side to any sandwich. They’re much smaller than traditional pickle spears and less salty than pickle chips, making for the perfect poppable side.

Y’all Café Rivercenter

Y’all Cafe boasts an ample outdoor patio, excellent for enjoying a morning mimosa. Only a year old, Y’all Café has quickly become a coveted spot for breakfast and lunch. Conveniently located, this is an easy stop to grab a bite to eat before heading over the river.

standout on the lunch menu would have to be Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps, a filling and refreshing meal to fuel a busy summer day. For those looking for something more grab-and-go, right next door is Butler’s Pantry.

Butler’s Pantry

cheese fritters and ending with bourbon bread pudding, it will be sure to provide a perfect NKY experience. Mash and Oak has drawn more than just hotel guests. With its five-day-a-week happy hour or its Bourbon Tuesdays, there are plenty of reasons to visit. The ever-changing menu is perfect for guests who want a unique culinary experience with each visit.

Have a street, city or business you want to see covered next? Email Maria Hehman at mchehman@gmail.com and it could be featured on the next installment of LINK Streetscapes.

What to Know If You Go:

The Gruff

For a view with a laid-back ambiance with cheap and satisfying eats, The Gruff is the spot this summer. The Gruff doubles as a restaurant and small shop serving local bourbon, beer and wine and is most famous for its creative brick-oven pizzas, including a Brussels sprouts pizza with Applewood smoked bacon, green onion parmesan and mozzarella and topped with a lemon vinaigrette.

Patrons looking for something heartier have the task of choosing between the truffle sausage, smoked brisket and Philly cheese steak. And yes, those are all still pizzas. The traditional crust is thin and crispy, making the perfect crunch after it cooks in the brick oven. Gluten-free or health-conscious guests can also order their pie on a cauliflower crust.

In addition to pizza, The Gruff offers cold and warm sandwiches as well as salads.

Breakfast patrons can’t go wrong with the specialty quiches; the y’all super quiche with shallot, bacon and gruyere; or a rotating seasonal vegetarian quiche. Omelets, biscuits and gravy and avocado bruschetta are among the other enticing choices.

For guests visiting at lunch, Y’all offers burgers, sandwiches and salads. The

Butler’s Pantry is quick and convenient, offering both a market and a café. Like Y’all Café, it has ample outdoor seating that is covered and illuminated with twinkle lights. The main difference between the two is that Butler’s Pantry is more coffee shop-style, where guests order and wait for their food. For guests who want a grab-and-go, this is a great option. Go ahead and grab an iced coffee here and sit on the patio before heading out to enjoy a walk along the river.

Mash and Oak

Located inside the Marriott Rivercenter, Mash and Oak is everything guests want when it comes to bourbon and Midwest cuisine. Mash and Oak aims to put an end to the stereotypes around hotel restaurants by elevating everything from its menu to the overall dining experience.

The menu rotates seasonally and features sustainably sourced local ingredients. Starting with mac and pimiento

Location: 129 E. Second St., Covington

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, closed

Website: atthegruff.com

Phone: 859-581-0040

Y’all Café Rivercenter

Location: 50 E. Rivercenter Blvd., Covington

Hours: Monday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Website: yallcaferivercenter.com

Phone: 859-292-1699

Butler’s Pantry

Location: 50 E. Rivercenter Blvd., Covington

Hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Website: butlerspantrymarket.com

Phone: 859-292-1699

Mash and Oak

Location: 10 W. Rivercenter Blvd., Covington

Hours: Monday-Sunday, 5-10 p.m.

Website: mashandoak.com

Phone: 859-261-2900

The Gruff

Y’all Café Rivercenter’s large patio is adorned with string lights and offers plenty of shade, creating the perfect summer patio.

The Gruff, situated right under the Roebling Bridge, gives guests a perfect view of the skyline.

A walk-up window at Butler’s Pantry makes for easy grab-and-go service for guests.

It was early March. Winter was on the way out, and senior Kathryn McLagan was in a quandary. Mere weeks from the start of the season in her last year on the Villa Madonna softball team, there were just six players in uniform under new head coach Tony Fields.

“We were really nervous we weren’t going to have a team,” McLagan said.

Villa Madonna’s “Improbable 11”

BY MARC HARDIN | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

McLagan, a third baseman, was joined on the preseason roster by shortstop Emma Adams, center fielder Chloe Cotton, first baseman Catherine Gibbs, pitcher Cam Kratzer and catcher Rosemary Rice. That’s it.

At the time, there were almost as many Villa Madonna coaches as players. Including Fields, a 36-year coaching veteran in three sports at six high schools, there were five softball coaches.

“My four assistants poured everything they had into this team,” said Fields, formerly the softball coach at Cooper High School. “Those four did yeoman’s work.”

As the calendar flipped from February to March, Fields, his daughter Peyton, Peyton’s former

Cooper teammate Hayley Van Dusen, Jen Meyers and Mike Greer had a lot to give and hardly anybody to give it to. Having the smallest coach-to-player ratio in program history wasn’t exactly what Fields had in mind when he took the job.

Something had to be done, and it had to be done fast. The season was slated to begin March 27.

“We started looking for players. We got a few. We eventually got five,” said McLagan, the lone upperclassman on a team that wound up with no juniors, four sophomores, four freshmen, one eighth-grader and a seventh-grader.

The coach was obviously pleased the roster nearly doubled in size for the opener.

“We wound up getting five really good girls,” Fields said. “None of them had played softball before. One of them had never even seen a softball game. The numbers changed the way I coached. We couldn’t go all out in things like sliding drills in practice because I didn’t want anybody to get hurt in a fluke accident and lose a girl. When we had three straight days of practice or games, we gave them a day off.”

Rounding out the “Improbable 11” were Olley Gray, Hallee Greer, Elena Martinez, Grace Reynolds and Madyson Ross. The coaches taught Greer how to play second base. Gray, Reynolds and Ross rotated around Cotton in the outfield. Martinez picked up the game after receiving a crash course.

“Olley Gray is very young,” said McLagan, who is heading to Mercer University with academic scholarships. “I thought one of the best things we had was the big sister-little sister idea. Olley was my little sister on the team, and I wanted to help her so much.”

Villa Madonna took on Dayton in the season-opening 9th Region All “A” Classic Tournament with the semblance of a team. Then the season threw Fields a curveball. Villa Madonna beat Dayton, 9-5. In game three, Villa Madonna beat Newport, 32-11.

That’s not a misprint.

“We had a rag-tag team with a bunch of girls who were very inexperienced, and we scored in double figures (14 times),” Fields said of his holdovers and quick-learning newcomers. “We were fourth in the state in hitting with a .434 batting average.”

That’s also not a misprint.

“What we did was amazing,” McLagan said. “We became really close, and we became successful. I never dreamed we’d make the regional tournament again.”

Fields and his dreamers led the team to a 13-12 record, 7-3 against 34th District competition. The Vikings got better as the season moved along, winning six of their final eight regular-season games. They put together a district tournament win over Lloyd High School and earned a berth in the 9th Region tournament for the third straight season before getting eliminated in the first round by eventual champion Highlands High School for the second year in a row.

Six Vikings hit .438 or better on the season. Kratzer ranked 23rd in the state with a .575 batting average and went 9-8 in the circle with a 3.65 ERA. Adams ranked 40th statewide at .543. Rice hit .521. McLagan hit .482. Reynolds hit .438 her first year playing the game. The Vikings led the state with 11.4 runs per contest. They ranked eighth with 161 stolen bases, led by Adams’ 28.

“Hitting is all about having confidence. I really believe a lot of it is mental,” Fields said. “Part of that is having fun, no matter what. I’m a rah-rah guy. And this was as enjoyable a year as I’ve had in all my years of coaching.”

The Villa Madonna softball team ranked fourth in the state with a .434 team batting average. Photo provided | Tony Fields

Villa Madonna’s lone senior, Kathryn McLagan, hit .482 and led the team with 10 doubles. Photo provided | Tony Fields

Beechwood, Highlands claim regional baseball, softball titles

Familiar teams are headed back to Lexington.

For the fourth straight season, Beechwood High School won the 9th Region baseball title, while Highlands High School won a second consecutive 9th Region softball title.

The Tigers’ path was not an easy one. They knocked off Ryle High School 6-4 to open the tournament, with Ben Meier recording a double, triple and three runs scored while Matthew Kappes and Chase Flaherty combined forces on the mound to earn the victory.

They followed up the victory over Ryle with an improbable, come-from-behind victory over Dixie Heights, 4-2. Trailing 2-0 and down to their last at-bat, the Tigers exploded for four runs. They were down to their last strike when Landon Johnson smacked a two-run double to give them a 3-2 lead.

In the championship game, they held off Highlands High School, 6-5. Building a 6-1 lead through 3.5 innings of play, Highlands started to mount its comeback, getting within a run in the final inning when Torrin O’Shea came in to close the door in relief.

Beechwood opened the state tournament with Apollo High School on June 1.

The Bluebirds used some extra softball to get the title back. After disposing of Villa Madonna 18-0 in the quarterfinals, they needed extra innings to defeat Cooper and Dixie Heights high schools.

Trailing 1-0 in the eighth inning against Cooper, Carley Cramer hit a sacrifice fly RBI to knot the game up at 1-1. Then in the 10th inning, Michelle Barth delivered the game-winning single, scoring Peyton Brown, who led the inning off with a double.

Barth wasn’t done with her heroics just yet. On the next day, her two-run double in the eighth inning helped Highlands prevail over Dixie Heights for the second straight year in the championship game, 4-2.

Highlands opened its state tournament with Johnson Central High School on June 1.

Ponchak resigns as Highlands boys soccer coach

After one season leading the Highlands High School boys soccer team, Brandon Ponchak has resigned to go back to the college ranks.

Ponchak accepted a position with the Jacksonville State University women’s soccer

team to be an assistant. The Gamecocks have a new head coach in Sean Fraser after finishing 3-13-2 overall and 1-7-2 in conference play last year.

Prior to his stint at Highlands, Ponchak was an assistant with the Northern Kentucky University men’s program.

Ponchak wants people to know the family is not leaving Northern Kentucky. Dixie Heights High School promoted his wife, Kellie, to head coach of the girls soccer team.

Highlands finished 14-5-3 in Ponchak’s lone season leading the team. The Bluebirds won their seventh straight 36th District Tournament championship, beating rival Newport Central Catholic for the 14th time in a row. Highlands then knocked off Beechwood in the 9th Region quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to eventual region champion and state semifinalist Ryle High School.

Highlands graduated 16 seniors from last year’s squad. The Bluebirds do return the likes of senior goalkeeper Jack Wilson along with senior midfielders Chad Gesenhues and Jack Haggard.

The Bluebirds last won the region in 2019. They’ve finished state runner-up to Louisville’s St. Xavier High School twice, in 2008 and 2018.

Johnson named boys basketball coach at Holy Cross High School

Former Holmes High School basketball standout Ricardo Johnson has been named the next boys basketball coach at Holy Cross High School.

Johnson, a member of the 2009 state champion Bulldog basketball team, is back in the 35th District.

Johnson replaces Casey Sorrell, who resigned after two seasons to focus on health issues with his newborn daughter.

This will be Johnson’s first varsity head coaching job, having six years of coaching experience at the college level as a graduate assistant at Xavier University under Chris Mack, director of basketball operations at the University of Tennessee-Martin and volunteer assistant at Panola Junior College in Carthage, Texas.

He becomes the 17th coach in Holy Cross history. He takes on a team that graduates a talented six-senior class, including one of the most decorated in 9th Region history in Jacob Meyer, the region’s all-time leading scorer. The Indians went 21-8 this past season, which included a run to the All “A” state championship, finishing runner-up.

Pretty much everywhere Johnson has been, his teams have been successful. In Holmes’ 2009 title run, Johnson was named Sweet 16 MVP and went on to play at Ohio University, where he was a part of the winningest class in Bobcat history.

Johnson worked in logistics at Whitehorse Freight and coached at the AAU level recently. No matter where life has taken him, basketball has been a key part of it, whether playing, coaching or running around to watch his five nephews play the game.

Johnson plans to hit the ground running with the team, as June is a busy month for high school programs leading into the mandatory two-week dead period that begins on June 25.

Beechwood’s baseball team won its fourth consecutive 9th Region title with a 6-5 victory over Highlands. Photo provided | Jenna Richey

Highlands repeated as 9th Region softball champs with a 4-2 victory over Dixie Heights. Photo by Evan Dennison | LINK nky

Presented by:

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 to vote for the next Team of the Week.

WEEK, NORTHERN KENTUCKY SELECTS

Notre Dame’s Hailey Fullenkamp (left) and Taylor Meenach (right)

Photo provided | Ray Schaefer

MegaCorp Pavilion’s summer concert schedule

BY KENTON HORNBECK | LINK nky REPORTER

Opened in winter 2021, Newport’s MegaCorp Pavilion has a full lineup of summer shows. Here is what is scheduled this summer, so you can get tickets before they sell out. To do so, visit promowestlive.com, call 859-900-2294 or visit the box office between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays at 101 W. Fourth St.

June

Friday, June 16

An Evening with Lyle Lovett and His Large Band

Doors open: 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 17

Alternative Symphony Presents An Orchestral Rendition of Dr. Dre: 2001

Doors open: 8 p.m.

Wednesday, June 21

ILLENIUM

Said The Sky, IMANU

Doors open: 6 p.m.

Friday, June 23

AJR

Lawrence, Livingston

Doors open: 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 24

My Morning Jacket

Jamie Wyatt

Doors open: 6 p.m.

Tuesday, June 27

Two Friends

NOTD, Deerock

Doors open: 7 p.m.

July

Sunday, July 9

Dreamsonic 2023 – Dream Theater, Devin Townsend, Animals As Leaders

Doors open: 6 p.m.

Tuesday, July 11

In Harmony – The Commonwealth Tour of The Louisville Orchestra

Doors open: 5:30 p.m.

Friday, July 14

Super Diamond

Doors open: 7 p.m.

NKY creamy whip spots you’ve got to try this summer

BY MAGGY MCDONEL | LINK nky DIGITAL EDITOR

While it’s not technically summer yet, for many, Memorial Day weekend is the start of the season. For many in our region, summer means one thing: creamy whips.

For those not familiar with this odd regional term, “creamy whip” is just the Cincinnati way of saying soft-serve ice cream – and there are plenty of local spots to get your creamy whip fix.Read on to learn about some of the best creamy whip spots in Northern Kentucky.

trucks, offering rotating flavors of soft serve as well as floats and coffee drinks.

Piper’s Cafe and Ice Cream Bar, Covington

Address: 520 W. Sixth St.

Hours: Sunday-Thursday, noon-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, noon-11 p.m.

Tuesday, July 18

Jinx Monsoon: Everything at Stake

Doors open: 7 p.m.

August

Tuesday, Aug. 1

Death Grips

Doors open: 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 9

The Mega-Monsters Tour: Mastodon and Gojira with special guest Lorna Shore

Doors open: 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 16

Tim Heidecker: The Two Tims Summer

Tour ‘23

Doors open: 7 p.m.

September

Saturday, Sept. 9

Sultana: North American Tour 2023

Tash Sultana

Doors open: 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 12

An Evening with: Ween

Doors open: 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 14

An Evening With Cake

Doors open: 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 16

Danzig – 35th Anniversary Danzig I

Danzing, Behemoth, Twin Temple

Doors open: 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 20

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Doors open: 6 p.m.

Silver Grove Dari Bar, Silver Grove

Address: 5178 Mary Ingles Highway

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Monday, 3-9 p.m.

A local favorite, the Silver Grove Dari Bar serves everything from burgers and fries to milkshakes to (of course) creamy whips that can be dipped in all types of toppings.

Dreamy Whip, Burlington

Address: 3020 Washington St.

Hours: Sunday-Thursday, noon-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, noon-10 p.m.

Burlington may be a bit of a drive for some, but if you’re in the mood for a creamy whip, it may be worth it. Dreamy Whip opened in 2019, originally as a mobile ice cream truck. Now it operates a brick-and-mortar location as well as two

This Covington spot has a massive menu with an array of ice creams, floats, coffee drinks and more. It serves some interesting ice cream flavors that range from jellybean to crème de menthe to black walnut, plus tons of toppings like Sour Punch Bites and chocolate rocks.

The Silver Grove Dari Bar. Photo provided | Silver Grove Dari Bar

MegaCorp Pavilion opened in 2021. Photo provided | BE NKY