LINK Kenton Reader - Volume 2, Issue 17 - March 22, 2024

NKU Chase College of Law could move to former IRS site in Covington

By Meghan Goth and Nathan Granger

Northern Kentucky should know by mid-April whether funds have been approved to move NKU’s Chase College of Law – yes, the entire college – to the former IRS site along Covington’s riverfront.

If the move happens, Chase will be much closer to its original location in downtown Cincinnati – its home from its founding in 1893 until it merged with Northern Kentucky University in 1972.

More than $175 million in new direct funding for Northern Kentucky projects was included in a budget proposal approved March 13 in a Kentucky Senate committee chaired by Ryland Heights Sen. Chris McDaniel. That includes $150 million in onetime funds to build what would be known as the Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence, where Chase would be housed. A final budget agreement will be worked out by the April 15 end of the legislative session.

Continues on page 3

EducateNKY: ‘It’s not just about education’

By Haley Parnell

EducateNKY has a mission: to rethink education in Northern Kentucky.

The local nonprofit was launched in March 2023. But before its leaders did anything, they decided to listen.

“Our researcher interviewed every superintendent in Northern Kentucky, many families, many parents, nonprofit leaders, judges/executive – a lot of people – and came up with these findings,” said Tim Hanner, EducateNKY’s president and CEO. “It wasn’t just about looking at data. It was really about working with people’s hearts.”

OneNKY Alliance, a group of local business leaders, launched EducateNKY to improve outcomes for Northern Kentucky children and their families by exploring and

adopting innovative approaches to pre-K through 12th grade education. The idea is not to create programming, according to the nonprofit; rather, it is to expand programs and systems that already work.

To aid that mission, the organization recently completed an assessment of the education system in all three counties to begin working on its five priorities: early learning, family engagement, mastery learning, exposure, and out-of-schooltime and secondary options.

Hanner is a former teacher, principal and superintendent in Kenton County Schools. He joined the organization July 1. He has been involved in education, nonprofits and working with businesses for 30 years. Hanner founded NaviGo College and Career Prep Services, which has since merged to operate under Learning Grove.

Continues on page 4

Store owner fears anti-vape bill will hurt his business p6 Covington’s finances ‘better than expected’ for late 2023 p7

Hanging up the whistle after 50 years on court p16

In this rendering of potential redevelopment of the IRS site in Covington, the proposed new home of Chase College of Law would go on the top left corner of the site, according to the City of Covington.

Students in a classroom. Photo provided | CDC via Unsplash

PRESIDENT & CEO Lacy Starling

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Mark Collier

MANAGING EDITOR Meghan Goth

SPORTS EDITOR Evan Dennison

The LINK nky Kenton Reader is a weekly newspaper. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending, permit number 32 in Covington, Kentucky. The LINK nky Kenton Reader office of publications and the Periodical Pending Postage Paid at 700 Scott St., Covington, KY 41011.

For mailing address or change-of-address orders: POSTMASTER: send address changes to

The LINK nky Kenton Reader: 31 Innovation Alley, Covington, KY 41011 859-878-1669 | www.LINKnky.com

HAVE A TIP? News@LINKnky.com

WANT TO ADVERTISE?

Marketing@LINKnky.com

WANT TO SUBSCRIBE?

Send a check for $31.80 ($30 non-auto-renewing rate plus 6% Kentucky sales tax) to LINK nky

31 Innovation Alley, Ground Floor Covington, KY 41011 or scan this QR code below

Love what we're doing? Want to support public-interest journalism in Northern Kentucky? Make a tax-deductible donation to support our work. Scan the QR code below, or mail a check payable to the Northern Kentucky Community Journalism Fund to 50 East Rivercenter Blvd. Suite 431, Covington, KY 41011.

No part of this publication may be used without permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please let us know and accept our sincere apologies in advance.

Continued from page 1

“Positioning Chase in a brand new state-ofthe-art facility with easy access to courts, firms and businesses will be transformational for our entire community,” said Judy Daar, Chase’s dean.

Patrick Hughes, a partner at DBL Law’s Covington office and former president of the Historic Licking Riverside Civic Association, said the move would create “a really concentrated area” of students for the medical and legal professions.

“It’s going to put law students and med students right in the urban core,” said Hughes, who specializes in real-estate, commercial and economic development law.

This will make both schools more attractive to prospective students. Moreover, Hughes said, the complex would serve as a kind of “anchor tenant” with an established consumer base that will make the remaining land plots more attractive to developers.

“There’s going to be a lot of collateral benefit for the entire community,” Hughes said.

Chase is currently on the Northern Ken-

tucky University campus in what NKU’s website touts as “the quiet suburb of Highland Heights.” The campus is about a 15-minute drive from Covington.

“The NKY Chamber thanks and applauds Sen. Chris McDaniel for his vision for NKY and for appropriating the funds for a biomedical economic development project for our region,” the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce said in a March 13 statement. “We look forward to helping advance the Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence through conference committee and into law.”

Under the proposal, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine also would relocate its Northern Kentucky University satellite campus to the center.

“We are excited about Sen. McDaniel’s proposal,” said NKU President Cady Short-Thompson. “Through our continued partnership with the UK College of Medicine’s Northern Kentucky campus, this initiative will position Chase and UKCOM as pioneers, actively shaping the entrepreneurial and life sciences landscape in Northern Kentucky."

Talking behind the scenes

The proposal is a game-changer for Covington, the city said in a statement, and city leaders expect it to catalyze development on the rest of the site, now called the Covington Central Riverfront.

“We’ve been working steadily and strategically to lay the foundation for a vibrant multiuse neighborhood that will transform Covington’s future,” said Covington Mayor Joe Meyer, “and the arrival of Chase law school and UK’s medical school would mesh perfectly with our vision. Chase was on our wish list even before we controlled the site, and we’ve been talking with officials behind the scenes for years.”

In May 2023, Covington released information on how the 23-acre former IRS site would be developed. The land will be divided into 16 parcels, referred to as blocks. The complex including Chase and UK’s medical school would go in Block G, at the northwest corner of the site.

Covington bought the site in 2020. The proposal vindicates the investment and leaders’ vision, according to the city.

Here are other pieces of the site the city says are also coming together:

• On March 19, the Covington Board of Commissioners began considering a development agreement with a builder for 16 townhomes fronting Fourth Street on the site’s Block B.

• For Block O, the site’s biggest at over 2.5 acres, the city hopes to unveil a proposed commercial user in the coming weeks.

• Also on March 19, commissioners discussed an agreement with a contractor for Phase 1 of the public infrastructure for the site, which includes about $15 million in streets, sidewalks, sewer lines and utilities.

• The city is in the early stages of negotiations for plans for Blocks A, M and N.

The former IRS site in Covington will be divided into 16 development parcels. Photo provided | City of Covington

A rendering of the Covington Riverfront Development, looking south into Covington. Photo provided | City of Covington

Continued from page 1

When Hanner was asked to help build the organization, he said he wasn’t totally on board until he heard the focus, which is how to expand opportunities for kids in lower socio-economic areas in NKY.

Karen Finan, president and CEO of the OneNKY Alliance, said EducateNKY brings the opportunity for a systemic change to education in the region. She said people are embracing different concepts and becoming involved.

“Looking at the community and knowing and seeing the direct tie that education had on so many different decisions, it’s not just about education,” she said. “It’s about everything that comes after that, with workforce and quality of life, and the types of companies we bring to this region and the types of companies that stay, and there was just such a direct, obvious line where we would win and where we would lose. Education was a driving force with that.”

Finan is serving on the EducateNKY governance board.

Greg Fischer, who chairs EducateNKY’s governance board, said he got involved with the organization to help kids come out of school better prepared to be contributors to society.

“I’m not an expert, but I can run an organization pretty well,” Fischer said. “I don’t

know the bare bones of education other than being a student. I knew we needed to reach out to other experts. There are a lot of people who have a lot to offer. What’s been exciting about this is there’s been a lot of community interest and a lot of alignment, and this is a great area to focus on.”

EducateNKY also has an advisory board comprising leaders from business, education and the community. While the governance board has worked on structuring the organization, the advisory council will help set its direction.

“When you look at our advisory council, we’ve got the superintendent from the diocese schools, we have all the river city superintendents, we have a superintendent for Campbell County, but we also have business leaders,” Hanner said. “We have entrepreneurs, and these are people who are down here and really want to make a difference and want to know whether it’s something that’s innovative.”

Finan said it was a deliberate decision to bring on the superintendents and as many educators as possible into EducateNKY. Business members and community leaders with a passion for education were also asked to participate. Finan said that, when Hanner was brought on, he brought in other areas of expertise to round out the council.

“Being able to bring these folks together

EduateNKY governance board members

• Greg Fischer, chair – chairman, Fischer Homes

• Jim Votruba, vice chair – president emeritus, Northern Kentucky University

• Jack Kenkel, treasurer – retired president, Victory Bank

• Matt Smith, legal counsel – attorney, Ziegler & Schneider, PSC

• Gene Willhoit, EducateNKY advisor – executive director, Center for Innovation in Education

• Catrena Bowman – executive director, NKY Community Action Commission

• Garren Colvin – president and CEO, St. Elizabeth Healthcare

• Normand Desmarais – co-founder, Tier 1 Performance Solutions

• Karen Finan – president and CEO, OneNKY Alliance

• Tim Fogarty – CEO, WCM Holdings Inc.

• Robert Heil – CEO, KLH Engineers Inc.

• Alaria Long – Ph.D. student representative, UC Irvine

• Brian Neal – CEO, Accelerate Great Schools

• Chuck Session – executive in residence, Northern Kentucky United Way

to really have a respectful conversation – I think that’s one of the things that we have stressed through the formation of all of this,” Finan said. “We may have differing viewpoints, but we should be able to be at the same table and talk through what is best for our community.”

Before EducateNKY could create a strategy or take action, it committed to an outside assessment to understand Boone, Kenton and Campbell’s education systems. Cheye Calvo with C-Squared Strategies worked over the last seven to eight months on the assessment.

“I think that (assessment) has proven to be very beneficial and, I think, groundbreaking for our community,” Finan said. “I don’t think there has been anything like this completed that I can find.”

Some of the findings in the EducateNKY assessment were:

• Northern Kentucky is highly segregated by income and race. “What’s happening right now with this inequality, that exists the cost of living, that prosperity that you are getting works for most people, but for people who were more in the middle, they’re feeling a strain right now that’s severely driven by the cost of housing,... but people who are on the margins and many cases are in crisis,” Calvo said. “So the inequality is being exacerbated by the economic pressures that affect different people differently.”

• 25% of graduating students aren’t ready for post-secondary life. In NKY, 5% of kids don’t graduate from high school, and about 20% do not meet college or career-ready exams.

• Middle school performance is declining faster than in the state as a whole. NKY is seeing a 12.5-point drop in middle school performance over a decade when the state is seeing a little less than a nine-point drop.

• Students who enter middle school face a much higher risk of absenteeism and behavioral challenges. Chronic absenteeism is up 71% regionally since 2019 and increases most sharply in sixth grade. For the 2022-23 school year, chronic absenteeism was 15.8% in sixth grade, 17.3% in seventh grade, 20.7% in eighth and 23.1% in ninth.

“Anything double digits in the school world, that is crisis level,” Calvo said of the absenteeism rates. “You get to the high teens, you’re beyond crisis. This is a huge

challenge, but we’re seeing it really jump in sixth grade, and then it continues … in eighth grade and in high school.

“People are disconnecting. Kids are disconnecting, families are disconnecting from the system, and that also begins to manifest itself in behavior and safety events for kids.”

Five strategic priority areas have been created as a result of the assessment, and members from the advisory board will break into work groups that will meet one to two times per month over the next four months to give input on the direction the initiatives should take. The five priorities are early learning, family engagement, mastery learning, exposure and out-ofschool-time and secondary options.

The intent is to have a strategic plan ready by July 1.

“One thing that’s great about this is there’s so many people interested in it,” Fischer said. “It’s a good way to get a lot of collaboration and buy-in, and when we come out of this, we can align the resources and the people toward making it happen.”

Finan said that, as the strategic plan becomes solidified, there will be areas in which people can become involved. “I think as different elements of this grow out, there’ll be opportunities for other community members who maybe just want to do a small part of whatever the strategic plan is.”

Hanner said the first question that’s going to be asked at each work team meeting is, “Whose voice is missing?” He said that, as EducateNKY looks to improve family engagement, parents need to be involved. As they work on mastery learning and the different ways children learn, they need to engage students, including those in middle and high school.

“There’s a 15-year-old out there right now who has an idea on how to solve some of these issues that we need to hear,” he said. “There’s also a single parent with four kids, a grandmother raising two kids or a parent who moved down here and needs to know how to engage the school. It’s really about everybody.”

“Is it possible to get medical advice in the middle of the night?”

- William, Taylor Mill, KY

We make sure your healthcare is always convenient.”

Karen Landwehr, APRN Virtual Health

While EducateNKY will look at all of Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, the region’s river cities are a focus for the organization. Hanner said there is a unique opportunity in those communities. He said there is no greater concentration of independent

Working with the river cities schools is part of phase one for EducateNKY. Hanner said that phase could last 10 years. He said this doesn’t mean they are ignoring the rest of Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, just starting where the need is greatest. The board has set a goal of raising $20 million for that phase.

“If you start at Ludlow and go all the way down to Dayton and then you pull in Southgate, these are smaller, independent school districts that cut across two counties, where singularly it’s difficult,” Hanner said. “There’s a Kentucky state funding model that makes it prohibitive for innovation, especially when you’re a small, independent school district – unless there’s a lot of wealth in that community.”

Hanner has met with all the river city superintendents and said they have ideas, but they’re handcuffed by a lack of resources and other issues they deal with daily. He said it’s going to take more than the school districts; it will take communities, nonprofits and everyone working together to help lift and support these independent river districts.

“The river cities are certainly a focus,” Finan said. “Where is the greatest need? Where are some of the biggest obstacles? And so, naturally, you might focus there first, but then it starts to grow outward because the programming is right for everyone if there’s a program that starts to get amplified. It doesn’t just stay in the river cities or the urban core.”

Through the process so far, Hanner said he has been asked why not focus on the rural parts of the counties. He said there are over 7,000 students in the river city schools combined. The group’s work in those cities will run from before birth through high school graduation.

“It’s not an indictment on the school district,” Hanner said. “It’s really about how we now understand your needs better, and it’s not just working with school districts. Catholic schools in the river cities face the same challenges as public schools. It’s really nonprofits and schools and cities. How can the cities of Covington, Newport, Dayton, Ludlow and so on come together with a common understanding? And what are things that they can do to help make a change?”

Finan stressed that EducateNKY is not

about programming.

“There are plenty of programs, plenty of great programs. I think it’s about amplifying the things that work, scaling, the programs that work that are being done in and around our community,” he said.

If EducateNKY isn’t creating programs, what is it doing? Based on the assessment’s findings, it will serve as a catalyst in three areas within its upcoming strategic plan:

• Help bring new, research-based ideas to life.

• Help existing organizations expand their impact.

• Collaboratively create opportunities for public-private partnerships in business-education engagement, legislative initiatives and in school-based settings.

The new organization will not take over the work nonprofits, schools and the education council do. Hanner said he wouldn’t have taken the job if EducateNKY’s goal were to create and run new programs.

He said they would expect things like metrics and a sustainability plan because there have been opportunities and ideas, but when leadership changes or funding goes away, they aren’t sustained.

Hanner said there is always fear when a new entity comes in, but EducateNKY’s work is not a mandate. Finan said the districts would have to work with them, and they have been as the organization has been built out.

Hanner said the organization runs lean. He is the only full-time employee; the logistics and communications lead, Nancy Costello, is part-time, and they have a consultant.

Hanner said they aren’t going to hire 30 new people to run a bunch of different programs. The big picture, or what will create a systemic change, will be pushed by the direction of the advisory council through its work groups.

“This is a comprehensive initiative, and it has to be looked at as long-term,” Finan said. “You can’t do this for two years and fall off a cliff. This is a culture change. This is a time for Northern Kentucky to really control its own destiny.”

Greg Fischer sits on the managing board of LINK nky, which oversees the business operations of LINK but has no say in editorial matters.

EduateNKY advisory board members

• Mike Borchers – superintendent, Ludlow Independent Schools

• Jay Brewer – superintendent, Dayton Independent Schools

• Greg Duty – superintendent, Southgate Independent Schools

• Alvin Garrison – superintendent, Covington Independent Schools

• Kendra McGuire – superintendent, Diocese of Covington

• Misty Middleton – superintendent, Bellevue Independent Schools

• Trish Miller – president, Notre Dame Academy

• Tony Watts – superintendent, Newport Independent Schools

• Shelli Wilson – superintendent, Campbell County Schools

• Terri Rentrop – head of school, Community Montessori

• Jay Becker – founder, president, BLDG

• Amy Neal Bundy – founder, president, Bingham Strategy Group

• Bonita Brown – vice president and chief strategy officer, Northern Kentucky University

• Joseph Chillo – president, Thomas More University

• Mike Clines – state representative, District 68

• Brent Cooper – president and CEO, NKY Chamber of Commerce

• Lee Crume – president and CEO, BE NKY Growth Partnership

• Theresa Cruz – president and CEO, FIESTA NKY

• Susan Douglas – CEO, Girl Scouts, KWRC

• Correy Elmer – associate director, NKY Area Development District

• Ginni Fair – dean, College of Education, Northern Kentucky University

• Fernando Figueroa – president, Gateway Community & Technical College

Sarah Giolando-Matlin – senior vice president and chief strategy officer, St. Elizabeth Healthcare

• Nancy Grayson – president and CEO, Horizon Community Funds of NKY

• Tom Haggard – executive director, Kentucky Out-of-School Alliance

• Carmen Hickerson – independent consultant, NKY Region

• Bill Hogan – director of innovation, Boone County Schools

• Jordan Huizenga—VP of Development, Beech Acres

• Dave Knox – executive director, Blue North

• Ross Meyer – vice president for strategy, Interact for Health

• Rosanne Nields – vice president for planning and government relations, St. Elizabeth Healthcare

• Charle Peck – consultant and speaker, Thriving Educator, LLC

• Mark Perkins – principal broker, Pivot Realty

• Kristi Phillips – director of education initiatives, Cincinnati Regional Business Committee

• Randy Poe – president and CEO, Northern Kentucky Education Council

• Jeff Sackenheim – president and CEO, SHP Architecture and Design

• Dave Schroeder – executive director, Kenton County Library

• Mike Sipple, Jr. – CEO, Talent Magnet Institute & Centennial

• Melissa Hall Sommer – senior vice president, Brighton Center

• Shannon Starkey-Taylor – CEO, Learning Grove

• Stacie Strotman – executive director, Covington Partners

• Amy Weber – chief impact officer, United Way of Greater Cincinnati

• Sandy Woodall – executive director and CEO, EC Learn

• Jim Wulfeck – partner, Center for Great Work Performance

• Rick Wurth – CEO, CHNK Behavioral Health

Duke, Chamber charge power plant bill would cost NKY customers

By Rebecca Hanchett

Duke Energy and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce are pushing back against legislation they say would increase NKY energy costs by making it harder to close aging power plants.

The measure – Senate Bill 349 – would prohibit utilities from shutting down aging power plants without study and review from a newly proposed, 18-member Energy Planning and Inventory Commission, dubbed EPIC. Utilities would have to notify EPIC one year before they apply to the state’s utility regulation agency – the Kentucky Public Service Commission – to take the plant out of commission, then wait for further action.

New power plants would have to be fully operational before a utility takes steps to retire an existing plant “unless the utility can demonstrate it is not needed to provide a reliable service,” SB 349 lead sponsor Sen. Robby Mills (R-Henderson) told the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee before it advanced the bill on March 6.

Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky President Amy Spiller said SB 349 would create “needless review” with “preconceived biases,” leading to increased NKY energy costs and jeopardizing reliable service. Spiller made those comments opposing SB 349 before the Senate committee last week alongside NKY Chamber Vice President of Public Affairs Tami Wilson.

SB 349 was expected to come to a vote in the full Senate as soon as March 18.

Just how much NKY rates could increase is uncertain, Spiller said in a phone call with LINK nky. Customers would, she said, likely be required to pay for “operation and maintenance of a power plant that is not serving them.”

At issue is Duke Energy’s East Bend coalfired power plant, a 43-year-old electric generation plant in Burlington County near Rabbit Hash. East Bend is one of two power plants that serve NKY. The other is the dual-fuel Woodsdale plant, near Trenton, Ohio. It also generates 12 megawatts of solar energy for the region.

Spiller said “a probable retirement date” of 2035 has been identified for the East Bend plant. Last year, however, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 4 (with Mills as sponsor) – a bill Spiller said prevents Duke Energy from applying costs to retire East Bend to its current rates, effectively shifting $50 million to $100 million in “stranded costs” to future customers.

SB 349 “is otherwise silent with respect to the ongoing cost that would be associated with this new commission and this duplicative layer of review,” Spiller told LINK. “But those are costs that would certainly be borne by our customers. And we also need to keep in mind that, if a generating plant past its useful life is unable to retire, you could have a circumstance where Northern Kentucky customers are paying to keep East Bend online for needs outside Northern Kentucky.”

The chamber’s Wilson pointed to the coal industry as benefiting from SB 349 in her testimony before the committee. “While we empathize with Eastern Kentucky and the loss of jobs associated with the coal indus-

NORTHERN KENTUCKY –THE #1 REGION BUSINESSES CALL HOME.

try,” she told lawmakers, “we feel strongly that forcing our members, and potential members, to pay more for their energy simply to ensure we continue to support the coal industry is not a reasonable ask of the Northern Kentucky region.”

The NKY Chamber believes “it is essential to maintain policies that foster a business-friendly climate. SB 349, in its current form, does not align with this principle,” she said.

Mills – whose home county is in the west Kentucky coal region – described the bill in committee as simple legislation focused on “due diligence” for all Kentucky’s ratepayers. EPIC, he said, adds a layer of review to ensure that power plants stay in service until new energy sources are “ready to meet Kentucky’s energy needs.” It would bring industries together to talk about what those future needs are, he said.

However, Spiller said questions about reliable, accessible energy would best be addressed in a working group, not a new regulatory group. She asked the committee to oppose SB 349 as written and instead bring together utilities, regulators, fuel suppliers, legislators, transmission operators and customers differently.

She said the working group should consider broader issues of federal versus state jurisdiction in energy transmission and other factors. State authority is limited when it comes to electric generation, she told the committee.

“SB 349’s directive that a newly formed commission look across the commonwealth and determine if there are reliability concerns that could be addressed by denying the closure of a power unit is not realistic,” Spiller said.

Pushing for passage of SB 349 is Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers. Stivers –the lead co-sponsor of the bill – represents Clay County in the state’s eastern coal region.

The Senate’s top leader responded to last week’s committee testimony on the bill with some confusion, saying he had to “go back and get the bill out to see if I read it” after hearing much of the testimony opposing the measure. SB 349, he insisted, is not “coal focused.” All energy sources would be studied by EPIC as part of the bill’s prescribed process, said Stivers.

“We know there are potential alternative fuels out there, and this is an attempt to create exactly what everybody’s talking about: a study group from all sectors of the energy society,” Stivers said. “This is an attempt to start putting in place a committee that will look at future years and estimate future year demands and make sure that we stay reliable, cost efficient, competitive and keep people here who are here and be able to attract individuals and companies because of low energy cost.”

The Senate president acknowledged there is room for improvement to the bill. In response to a question from Louisville Democrat Cassie Chambers Armstrong regarding a proposed six-month limit in the bill for the PSC to rule on approving a plant’s retirement, Stivers said, “There will be further discussion on the budgetary side of this.”

“This is the starting point of what I think could be a really good piece of legislation,” he said. “Is it in its final form? Not hardly.”

Coal barges on the river. Photo provided | Justin Wilkens via Unsplash Duke has approximately 150,000 electric customers and 100,000 natural gas customers in its seven-county NKY service region.

By Nathan Granger

Covington reports ‘better than expected’ finances

The Covington Department of Finance gave a presentation on the city’s budget for the first half of the fiscal year at the commission meeting March 12. Finance Director Steve Webb described the numbers as “better than expected,” although he admitted that the decline in payroll tax revenue from work-from-home arrangements at large local employers like Fidelity continue to affect the city’s finances.

“We’re catching up,” Webb told LINK nky after the meeting, adding that the city’s analysis showed upward trends besides the hole left by work-from-home.

Budget Director Joel Baker presented the figures to the commission. The counts Baker presented represented the figures for July 1 through Dec. 31. Counts up to Dec. 31 actually put the city in the black, with overall revenues for the general fund exceeding overall expenses by about $2 million.

At first glance, this might indicate the city’s financial woes from the past year or so were subsiding, but both Baker and Webb stressed that these figures represented collections and spending as of a certain date; different forms of revenue come into the city’s coffers at different times of the year.

The overall general fund figures, for instance, included $9.2 million in property tax revenue the city received in October, which is usually when property tax payments are received. Moreover, the city received $1.2 million in delinquent payroll taxes originally slated to arrive in 2022. In addition, revenue from taxes on insurance fees increased by about $1 million compared to the previous year. All of this pushed the city just over the edge in revenues.

Baker qualified that, saying the delinquent property tax ought to count toward revenue from the previous fiscal year, in contrast to how they appeared before the commission. This actually made the payroll counts lower by about $1.5 million at the close of fiscal year 2024’s second quarter compared to the same time in fiscal year 2023.

“That is the continuing effect of our largest employers’ employees working from home outside of the city of Covington,” Baker said.

Commissioner Tim Downing asked about an expenditure category labeled “transfers and other uses,” a somewhat nebulous category that showed a significant decrease when compared to the same time the year prior.

“Do you anticipate that we’re going to end up being well under budget in that amount,” Downing asked, “or do you think that we’re going to be getting close to it?”

Downing didn’t ask about it directly, but Baker answered using the example of employee overtime.

“We were understaffed in some areas, I believe between police and fire, maybe 12 people,” Downing said. “So one of the things we’re learning is with [paid time off] and lower headcount, that is driving the overtime up.”

In other words, lower staffing levels have compelled some city departments to rely more heavily on overtime, which is paid out at a higher rate than normal compensation. These higher expenses affected recent controversies about overtime cuts to the fire department, which led to a backlash from Professional Firefighters Local 38, Covington’s fire union.

In spite of the recent tension, Baker said the finance department’s investigation indicated that the latest overtime payouts have declined. “So what we do is we monitor and look at the reports, and actually for the last three payrolls,… we had the three lowest overtime periods of the year,” Baker said.

“Just to put a finer point on my question,” Downing said, “when we’re taking a look at the transfers, because we’ve got a pretty substantial gap there, especially when we compare last year, are we anticipating that we’re going to end up under [budget]?”

“With the transfers, I want to say we will be really close to the budget,” Baker replied.

View the city’s full budget for the 2024 fiscal year at covingtonky.gov.

A percentage breakdown of the revenue Covington received as of Dec. 31, 2023. Chart provided | The City of Covington

Overall revenues versus expenditures for Covington’s general fund as of Dec. 31, 2024. Note: Figures are unaudited and may change. Chart provided | The City of Covington

kenton county briefs

In first for region, three students sign NIL deals with gym

Fort Wright can now revoke liquor licenses over delinquent property taxes

Fort Wright city council passed two ordinances at its March 6 meeting to give the city more leverage over delinquent taxpayers. Individuals and organizations that fail to pay their city property taxes will now face consequences prior to foreclosure.

Both ordinances intend to disrupt an organization’s operations if it does not pay its property taxes, according to Mayor Dave Hatter. “Thankfully, we don’t have a lot of these issues,” he said at the meeting.

annual licensing fee. The city would be responsible for an annual $5,000 warranty and service agreement, but the city would draw revenue from advertisements placed on the kiosks, which City Manager Ken Smith stated is expected to cover the cost of the fee. Ad revenue beyond $9,800 per year will be split between Southbank Partners and Rove iQ.

Specific locations for the kiosks have not been determined.

Ludlow citizens work together to beautify city

Lloyd Memorial 2025 forward EJ Walker is grateful to have a name, image and likeness deal with still another year remaining of high school basketball.

“When I was younger I never thought I would be able to do that,” said Walker, who has narrowed his list to a dozen college basketball programs. “So it’s pretty cool.”

Walker, along with Cooper 2025 tight end Austin Alexander and Covington Catholic 2024 tight end Willie Rodriguez, a University of Kentucky signee, have NIL deals with Newport-based Nevels Fitness Agency.

“All this NIL stuff is pretty new obviously, and it’s done a lot for me and my family,” Rodriguez said. “It’s really a great opportunity, and I think it’s helping overall me and Nevels and everything. I think it’s a great combination.”

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association started to allow NIL deals last summer, joining dozens of states approving such a measure. The KHSAA doesn’t track data on how many high school student-athletes have such deals. These deals allow college athletes in particular to monetize their name, image and likeness outside of scholarships and benefits from their school.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association membership voted down an NIL proposal in 2022.

Council drafted the ordinances after Lookout Heights Civic Club, a local neighborhood group that rents its function hall for graduations and other events, failed to pay their city property taxes while in litigation over the past year. The club paid its $20,000 in delinquent taxes earlier this month.

Hatter and the city council, though, thought the issue exposed an incentive issue in the city’s ability to collect taxes. “We realized that, without this kind of leverage, aside from foreclosure, delinquent taxpayers have no incentive to pay,” Hatter said.

One ordinance allows the city to hold any administrative procedures, like permits, until an individual or organization is up to date on taxes. The other allows the city to revoke a local liquor license until the taxes are paid.

Covington commission likely to OK buying outdoor smart kiosks

The Covington City Commission earlier this month heard a proposal to install outdoor smart kiosks in city.

The kiosks would provide mapping and information on businesses, sites and services for visitors. Approval of an agreement between the kiosks’ manufacturers, Rove iQ, the city and Southbank Partners was placed on the consent agenda for the commission’s next meeting, meaning it will likely pass.

Southbank Partners will front the initial expense for the kiosks, about $88,000, and Rove iQ has agreed to waive the $4,800

On the second Wednesday of each month, the citizens of Ludlow meet either at the city building or by Ludlow Coffee and walk for an hour picking up trash.

City council member Samantha Frank said the event, held March to October from 7-8 p.m., is focused on citizens getting to know each other, making new friends and helping beautify the city.

“If kids participate, they get a punch card. Three times over the summer, and they get a goodie bag at the end,” Frank said. “We’re just hanging out. Pick up garbage and make new friends. It sounds silly, but it makes the city look pretty.”

Reminder: Covington bars political signage on public property

With election season approaching, the Covington is reminding residents that political signage is banned on public property.

On March 7, the city published a notice reminding candidates and their supporters that political signs cannot be placed on public property, including parks, medians, promenades, tree wells, on actual trees, utility poles, street signs and strips of grass that run between public sidewalks and streets.

City staff is authorized to remove candidates’ signs in those areas, as well as signs for businesses, organizations and causes placed without an encroachment permit.

Signs are also prohibited along state routes maintained by the Kentucky Transpor-

tation Cabinet. Political signs on private property are allowed only with the permission of the property owner. If that permission is not sought and granted, the property owner has the authority to remove the sign.

Covington housing agency to manage HUD programs, vouchers in Erlanger

Erlanger City Council at its March 5 meeting unanimously passed a resolution for the Housing Authority of Covington to administer U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development programs in the city. The transition is intended to bolster housing accessibility.

Central to the discussion was the potential impact of the Housing Choice Voucher program in Erlanger, which allows those in the program to receive vouchers that help pay their housing costs. Under the voucher program, participants can select their preferred housing, including single-family homes, townhouses or apartments, provided they meet program standards. Selected housing units must meet acceptable health and safety levels before approval.

Erlanger is trying to sustain the provision of housing choice vouchers and intends to entrust the program’s administration to the Housing Authority of Covington, which would manage operations in Erlanger.

Citizens do not need to travel to Covington to apply for and receive a voucher. The vouchers will still be good in Erlanger; the Housing Authority of Covington would simply oversee how they operate.

In December, Covington and the Housing Authority of Covington began merging the city’s housing choice voucher program into the housing authority, following a request from the city’s Neighborhood Services Department.

Mayor Jessica Fette emphasized that residents will not do anything as the city makes the transition. “The city will work with HAC to ensure all residents that this may affect them will be taken care of,” she said. “This agreement will provide more resources to ensure residents have more housing options and better lives.”

Lloyd Memorial High School junior 6-foot-8 forward EJ Walker has a name, image and likeness deal with Newport-based Nevels Fitness Agency.

Photo provided | Philip Lee via WCPO

Boone County native promoted to executive director of Cintrifuse

By Kenton Hornbeck

Boone County native Nikki Boehmker wasn’t always involved in entrepreneurship, but her love for community outreach eventually led her to the field.

“I’ve always had an interest in entrepreneurship and financial literacy and helping to develop youth interest in that area,” she said. “I didn’t intend for it to lead where it did, but then after many years in public accounting and post-pandemic, I decided to make a career change and by chance happened upon the opening of Cintrifuse.”

After nearly three years at Cintrifuse – an entrepreneurial support organization based in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood – Boehmker was promoted to the newly created position of executive director, which will oversee the operational aspects of the nonprofit.

Previously, Boehmker served as the organization’s comptroller and chief compliance officer. The move came after former CEO Pete Blackshaw announced his departure in January, prompting management reshuffling. J.B. Kropp was named as the organization’s new CEO, in addition to serving as the managing director of Cintrifuse Capital.

Kropp is bullish about Boehmker’s ability to enable cohesion between the organization’s resource and funding sides.

“I have worked closely with Nikki since joining Cintrifuse, and I have been very impressed with her leadership ability, her attention to detail, and her ability to tackle complex challenges,” Kropp told LINK nky. “I can think of no better person to help lead us in this next chapter of the organization and our work providing our region’s entrepreneurs with the resources, connections, and capital they need to scale.”

Boehmker began her career in the financial sector at the Cincinnati branch of PricewaterhouseCoopers — one of the “Big Four” worldwide accounting firms. She progressed up PwC’s ranks for 17 years, serving in roles where she directly coordinated with nonprofits and school districts

to organize community events.

The advent of the pandemic led Boehmker to seek a career change. She told LINK nky that she had longer-term aspirations to work in the nonprofit sector, ultimately leading to her landing a role at Cintrifuse in 2021.

Last fall, Cintrifuse launched Cintrifuse Capital Fund III – an SEC-registered investment arm of the organization. The fund effectively allows the support organization to function as a venture capital firm by directing capital investments into seed-stage startups in the Cincinnati area and around the U.S.

In her new role, Boehmker will focus on preparing companies for capital funding and directing them toward Cintrifuse’s array of entrepreneurial resources. Boehmker said she brings a “logical” and “pragmatic” mentality to the role and primarily focuses on driving meaningful impact.

“We now have the ability to actually deploy capital into local companies,” Boehmker said. “We’re writing checks, and then really trying to wrap resources around those companies to enable their success. My vision for the nonprofit is to better prepare companies and to build the pipeline to our funds, and give them the resources they need to be prepared for capital. Once we’ve given capital to those companies, we’ll continue to assist them and make sure we’re providing the right resources at the right time.”

It’s a pivotal time for the Greater Cincinnati startup ecosystem. The region is seeing positive momentum, and, from Boehmker’s perspective, founders, venture capital funds and entrepreneurial support organizations must continue to work together to capitalize on it.

“Once we see successful founders generate meaningful exits from their businesses, we hope that both the talent and capital will be reinvested back into the ecosystem,” she said. “This reinvestment is expected to help generate the creation of even more companies.”

LEGAL NOTICE

The Erlanger Board of Adjustment will conduct a public hearing in the Erlanger City Council Chambers, 505 Commonwealth Ave on Monday, March 25, 2024, at 7:00 PM. This will be an informational public meeting for the Board. PDS Staff will facilitate a Q&A session with the Board regarding the details of processes and procedures.

Information concerning the details of this meeting can be obtained by contacting our staff at PDS between 8 AM and 5 PM, Monday through Friday. If you have a disability for which the Board needs to provide accommodations, please notify the staff at least seven days prior to the public hearing by calling 859.331.8980 or emailing legalnotices@pdskc.org.

• AJ’s Towing & Recovery

• Boone County Clerk

• Campbell County Clerk’s Office

• Campbell County Fire District #1

• Campbell County Fiscal Court

• Campbell County Planning & Zoning

• City of Alexandria

• City of Bellevue

• City of Cold Spring

• City of Covington

• City of Cresent Springs

• City of Crestview Hills

• City of Dayton

• City of Edgewood

• City of Elsmere

• City of Erlanger

• City of Florence

• City of Fort Thomas

• City of Fort Wright

• City of Independence

• City of Lakeside Park

• City of Ludlow

• City of Newport

• City of Silver Grove

• City of Southgate

• City of Union

• City of Villa Hills

• City Of Walton

• City of Wilder

• City of Woodlawn

• Covington Public Independent Schools

• Cresent Springs Board of Adjustment

• Family Dollar Store

• Fort Mitchell Board of Adjustment

• Fort Thomas Independent Schools

• Highland Heights Planning & Zoning

• Keating, Muething & Klekamp PLL

• Kenton County Fiscal Court

• Kenton County Joint Board of Adjustment

• Northern Kentucky Port Authority

• Northern Kentucky Water District

• Planning & Development Services of Kenton County

• The Baker Firm PLLC

• The Hidden Chapter Bookstore LLC

Nikki Boehmker. Photo provided | Nikki Boehmker

news from other places

School choice amendment takes early step toward facing voters in Nov.

FRANKFORT (AP) — Republican lawmakers on March 12 started advancing a school choice constitutional amendment that could become the most hotly debated state issue this fall.

The measure cleared a GOP-led House panel hours after the committee meeting was announced. The proposal goes to the full House next and would still need Senate approval to reach the statewide ballot in November. Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers.

The school choice measure is seen as a top priority for many Republicans, based on its designation as House Bill 2. If ratified by voters, it would give the legislature the option to “provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools’’ – a reference to public schools. For instance, it would remove constitutional barriers that have blocked the state from assisting parents who want to enroll their children in private or charter schools.

Courts in Kentucky have ruled that public tax dollars must be spent on the state’s “common” schools and cannot be diverted to charter or private schools. School choice advocates are hoping to surmount those legal hurdles.

KEA President Eddie Campbell told the committee the proposal is bad public policy and “dangerous” to public education, “opening the door for public tax dollars to stream to unaccountable private institutions with no oversight.” KEA wants lawmakers to focus on bolstering public education by raising teacher salaries, fully funding student transportation and ensuring access to preschool for every 4-yearold in Kentucky.

House passes revised open records bill; critics warn of many loopholes

FRANKFORT (AP) — A closely scrutinized open-records measure dealing with public

access to the flow of electronic messages among government officials won passage March 12 in the Kentucky House.

The bill’s lead sponsor, Republican state Rep. John Hodgson, backed off the original version that had spurred a strong backlash from open-records advocates. The new version of House Bill 509 cleared the House on a 61-31 vote to advance to the Senate. It would update provisions of Kentucky’s open records law that were crafted long before the advent of emails, text messages and other forms of electronic communication, Hodgson said.

Open government advocates, however, warned that the revised version still contained loopholes that would hurt the public’s ability to scrutinize government business. It would limit a public agency’s duty for producing electronic information, applying only to material stored on a device that’s “agency property or on agency-designated email accounts,” open government advocate Amye Bensenhaver said in an email after the House vote.

While public officials could be punished under the bill for using nonpublic email accounts for official business, open-records advocates have said there is no guarantee those records would be subject to the state’s open records law.

House OKs bill to halve miners per shift required to have medical training

FRANKFORT (AP) — The Kentucky House voted March 11 to allow the state’s smallest coal mining operations to reduce the number of miners with emergency medical training assigned for each underground shift. The measure – House Bill 85 – passed the House on a 75-18 vote and goes to the Senate next.

The bill would cut in half the number of mine emergency technicians required to work when a shift has 15 or fewer miners. Two METs are currently required per shift, but the bill would reduce it to one. METs are miners trained to provide emergency medical care and to stabilize an injured miner’s condition.

Supporters said the measure is needed to help keep the smallest mining operations in business amid the industry’s downturn. Republican state Rep. Bill Wesley said his bill is motivated by instances when entire shifts were shut down and miners sent home because not enough METs showed up for work. “Nobody got paid,” Wesley said during the House debate.

Critics warned it would roll back an important safeguard enacted following a 2005 Kentucky mining fatality. “It truly troubles me to think that we could potentially be trading the safety of our coal mining families for what appears to be a nominal financial benefit, if anything at all,” said Democratic state Rep. Ashley Tackett Laferty, who represents a coal-producing region in eastern Kentucky.

Tony Oppegard, a mine safety attorney in Kentucky, has said the proposal would weaken safety standards. “I think it’s shortsighted, and there’s an easy solution,” he said in a recent phone interview. “Mine operators can require more of their miners to be METs as a condition of employment.”

It would be an inexpensive option for coal operators, he said, because METs generally are paid an extra $1 per hour. With two METs per shift, he said the cost would be just an extra $16 per shift.

Singer-songwriter Eric Carmen, who had hits with Raspberries and all by himself, dies at 74

NEW YORK (AP) — Singer-songwriter Eric Carmen, who fronted the power-pop 1970s band the Raspberries and later had soaring pop hits like “All by Myself” and “Hungry Eyes” from the hit “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack, has died. He was 74.

His death was announced on his website by his wife, Amy Carmen, who did not reveal a cause, saying only that he died “in his sleep, over the weekend.” Her message read, “It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy.”

Carmen was born in Cleveland and was musical early, taking violin lessons at 6 and

later learning piano and guitar. Thirteen of his songs charted in the Billboard Hot 100, including three in the Top 10. The Raspberries, which formed in Cleveland, had four Top 40 singles, including the Top 5 hit “Go All the Way.” The group’s second album, “Fresh,” released in 1972, hit No. 36 and featured two Top 40 hits, “I Wanna Be With You” and “Let’s Pretend.”

Carmen launched a solo career in 1975. His self-titled debut album included the soaring hit “All By Myself,” based on a theme from Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. It sold more than 1 million copies in the U.S. and reached No. 2 in 1976. His other hits included “Make Me Lose Control” – a No. 3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988 – and he co-wrote “Almost Paradise,” sung by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson, which peaked at No. 7 in 1984.

In 1987, he had another massive hit when his recording of “Hungry Eyes” was featured on 1987’s “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack, reaching the Top 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and propelling the album to sales of over 32 million copies.

Wordle’s owner seeks removal of copycat games for violating copyright

NEW YORK (AP) –Wordle players may want to avoid the word “clone.”

The New York Times Co. has filed several Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, takedown notices to developers of Wordle-inspired games, which cited infringement on the Times’ ownership of the Wordle name, as well as its look and feel – such as the layout and color scheme of green, gray and yellow tiles. The Times argues that numerous games inspired by the popular word-guessing game infringe on its copyright protections.

Hundreds of copycats have emerged since Wordle skyrocketed to internet fame less than three years ago. Now the Times, which purchased the game in 2022, is sending takedown notices to people behind some of the look-alikes. In a prepared statement, a New York Times Co. spokesperson said the company has no issue with people creating similar word games that do not infringe its

Wordle “trademarks or copyrighted gameplay.”

The company took action against one user on software developer platform GitHub who created a “Wordle clone” project that included instructions on how to create “a knock-off version” of Wordle, and against others who shared his code. GitHub gave the user an opportunity to alter the code and remove Wordle references, the spokesperson added, but he declined.

DMCA notices act as a tool for copyright holders to get content that infringes on their intellectual property taken down.

Breeder’s Cup boosts purses of its top races this fall by $1M each

LEXINGTON (AP) — The Breeders’ Cup has added $1 million each to purses for its marquee Classic and Turf races, raising the totals to more than $33 million for this fall’s 41st season-ending championships. The Breeders’ Cup announced the increases March 12, saying they were approved at a board meeting this month.

The purse for the 1 1/4-mile Classic is now $7 million, while the 1 1/2-mile Turf race will pay $5 million, the Breeders’ Cup announced Tuesday, saying the increases were approved at a board meeting this month. Del Mar, north of San Diego, California, will host the 14-race, two-day championships Nov. 1-2.

Airbnb to ban listings from including indoor security cameras

NEW YORK (AP) – Airbnb said March 11 that it’s banning the use of indoor security cameras in listings on its site around the world. The change is to take effect April 30.

San Francisco-based Airbnb said the move would “simplify” its security-camera policy while prioritizing privacy. The online rental platform had allowed the use of indoor security cameras in common areas, so long as their locations were disclosed on a listing’s page. Under the new policy, hosts will still be allowed to use doorbell cameras and noise-decibel monitors, which are allowed only in common spaces, so long as the location and presence of the devices are disclosed.

“These changes were made in consultation with our guests, hosts and privacy experts, and we’ll continue to seek feedback to help

ensure our policies work for our global community,” Juniper Downs, Airbnb’s head of community policy and partnerships, said in a prepared statement.

Wildlife center employees are looking foxy to help orphaned kit stay wild

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Employees of the Richmond Wildlife Center in Virginia are doing their best to act like mother foxes as they feed and care for an orphaned kit. That includes dressing the part.

Staff members feed the tiny kit from a syringe every two to four hours wearing a red fox mask and rubber gloves. The kit sits on top of a large stuffed animal fox that is supposed to look like her mother, said Melissa Stanley, the center’s executive director. They’re also minimizing human sounds, creating visual barriers and taking other precautions to make it more likely the kit can eventually be reintroduced to the wild.

“It’s important to make sure that the orphans that are raised in captivity do not become imprinted upon or habituated to humans,” Stanley said in a post on the center’s Facebook page.

Stanley said March 12 that the kit was admitted to the center Feb. 29 after a man walking his dog found her in an alley in Richmond. Thinking she was a kitten, he turned her over to the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She was less than 24 hours old, and her umbilical stump was still attached.

Center staff located the mother’s den, but they were told by the grounds superintendent that the foxes had been trapped and removed. Stanley said she suspects the fox kit either fell out of a trap or off the back of the trapper’s truck.

At least 3 dead in Ohio as tornadoes leave trail of destruction in central U.S.

Tornadoes tore through several central U.S. states on March 14, flattening homes and trailers in an RV park and killing at least three people.

The storms left trails of destruction and injuries or deaths in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas. Tornadoes were also suspected in Illinois and Missouri.

It appeared the worst hit was the Indian Lake area in Ohio's Logan County, northwest of Columbus. At least three people died there, and Sheriff Randy Dodds told NBC's “Today” show that cadaver dogs would search the debris.

“I do anticipate finding additional deceased persons, unfortunately, today,” Dodds said.

The tornado devastated the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point, county spokesperson Sheri Timmers said. There were likely “lots of injuries,” Timmers said.

The storm sheared off the tops of homes and damaged a campground and laundromat, leaving twisted metal wrapped in the tops of trees. Snowplows cleared debris from roads.

“There’s places burning,” said Amber Fagan, president of the Indian Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. “There’s power lines through people’s windows.”

Many of the homes in the area are used as summer cottages by people who come for fishing and boating.

Blaine Schmidt, 34, was inside his house in Lakeview and heard tornado sirens moments before the storm hit his house. He took shelter in his bathtub, using the shower curtain to protect him from broken glass along with his roommate, Greg McDougle, 60.

“I’m lucky to be alive,” Schmidt said.

In Indiana, about 40 people were injured by a suspected tornado in Winchester, officials said. There were no known fatalities as of March 15.

“I’m shaken; it’s overwhelming,” said Bob McCoy, mayor of the town of 4,700 about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis. “I heard what sounded like a train, and then I started hearing sirens.”

He and his wife were hunkered in a closet during the twister, which hit around 8 p.m. “I’ve never heard that sound before; I don’t want to hear it again,” McCoy said.

Prison inmates who failed drug test given option to drink urine or get tested, suit says

ASHLAND, Ky. (AP) — Seven inmates at an eastern Kentucky prison have filed a federal lawsuit saying officers at the facility forced them to either drink their own urine or be tased after failing a drug test.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Ashland says four officers at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex told the inmates who failed drug tests “they would be able to ‘throw away’ their urine sample if they chose to be subjected to electrocution by taser or to drink their own urine,” WDRB-TV reported. However, the suit also claims the seven inmates were “forced” to either be tased or drink their urine.

Attorneys representing the inmates did not immediately return messages from the station seeking comment.

Kentucky Department of Corrections spokesperson Lisa Lamb declined to comment on the lawsuit but told WDRB that the allegations led to an investigation.

“This incident was thoroughly investigated and multiple disciplinary actions were taken including employee terminations,” she said.

She declined to give details about the personnel actions or additional details about the investigation.

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and unspecified monetary damages.

Debris lies scattered near damaged homes March 15 in Lakeview, Ohio, following a severe storm.

Photo by Joshua A. Bickel | Associated Press

March

Concert at the Library: Everything’s

Jake, 7-8 p.m., Boone County Public Library, 1786 Burlington Pike, Burlington. Enjoy the sounds of blues, pop and rock as the library brings you live music from Everything’s Jake. Free; family friendly.

Information: 859-3422665 or boone.libnet. info/event/8560814.

Florence Police Department Easter Egg Hunt, 10 a.m.-noon, Thomas More Stadium (home of the Florence Y’alls), 7950 Freedom Way, Florence. Enjoy games, music, local vendors and free photos with the Easter Bunny at the annual event. Gates open at 10 a.m.; hunts held at 10:30 a.m. (age 3 and under), 11 a.m. (age 4-7), 11:30 (age 8-12). Free; family friendly. Information: 859-647-5425 or florence-ky.gov.

Fort Thomas Easter Egg Hunt, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Fort Thomas Mess Hall, 801 Cochran Ave., Fort Thomas. Pictures with the Easter Bunny start at 10:30 a.m.; hunt begins at noon. Free; family friendly. Information: fortthomasky.org.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boone County Business Association meeting, 6-7 p.m., Florence Lions Club, 29 Lacresta Drive, Florence.

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

Be a part of the

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

•5.6-acre site under contract for multi-use retail center

•8.3-acre site sold to Arlington Properties for a rental apartment development, with the first buildings ready in 2025

•9.72-acre site and 6.42-acre site off Olympic Boulevard have been cleared

•109-acre site off Pacific Avenue has been cleared and will be graded this spring to create pad-ready sites

•27-acre site off Dolwick Drive approved uses updated to include senior living or multi-family residential

•Pacific Corporate Center, an 80,000 SF building, has been reaquired by Corporex and returned to a white box condition

•2.3-acre site sold to Answers in Genesis in 2023, adding to the building and 36 acres sold to them in 2022

Custom $1.3 million home in Fort Mitchell offers lake views

Address: 39 Leathers Road, Fort Mitchell

Price: $1,300,000

Bedrooms: Three

Bathrooms: Three (plus one half-bath)

Square feet: 3,821

School district: Beechwood Independent Schools

County: Kenton

Special features: This custom-built Ashley home features three finished levels with over 6,000 square feet of living space. It includes a family room with lofted ceilings, formal living and dining rooms, an island kitchen with a butler’s pantry, a breakfast area and a walk-out deck. The finished lower level has a home theater, rec room, game room, office, personal salon and walk-out to a covered patio with lake views. The home is located on a little less than an acre near shops and restaurants.

An exterior view of this Fort Mitchell home on the market for $1.3 million. Photo provided | Caldwell Group, Allison Coffman with eXp Realty

This property features three finished levels with over 6,000 square feet of living space. Photo provided | Caldwell Group, Allison Coffman with eXp Realty

This custom-built home offers two levels of walk-out decks with lake views.

Photo provided | Caldwell Group, Allison Coffman with eXp Realty

Streetscapes takes March Madness crawl through Covington

By Maria Hehman

March brings the beginning of longer, warmer sunny days, and there are few better ways to spend them than outdoors with friends, beer and basketball.

Even for those not into the sport, March Madness is a fun and exciting time. There are countless places in NKY to embrace the madness, but few as great as Covington: Gigantic TVs at Covington Yard, halftime shots at Molly Malones and postgame fuel at Smoke Justis.

Join us this Streetscapes as we visit some of the most electrifying places to spend a March afternoon or evening.

Molly Malones Irish Pub

Not paying a visit to Molly Malone’s in March is nearly criminal.

From their famous St. Patrick’s Day parties to celebratory basketball beers, there’s no environment in March quite like Molly’s, which has been a community staple since opening more than 15 years ago.

Long before the Roebling district took off, Molly Malone’s was serving shepherd's pies, pints of Irish beer and Irish whiskey to

its guests.

Those who missed out on the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day proper can find traditional Irish pub fare at Molly’s year-round. Bangers and mash or an Irish breakfast, whichever guests are in the mood for, are always on the menu. They’ve also got plenty of options for gameday fuel in addition to Irish offerings.

Covington Yard

Arguably the best TV setup in all of Northern Kentucky, Covington Yard has giant TVs spread throughout their enormous space to ensure patrons never miss a minute of action.

For truly invested hoops fans, this is the place to watch multiple NCAA tournament games while still being able to socialize. Covington Yard takes March Madness seriously, with different games on each TV, food trucks at the ready and buckets of beer that seemingly never end. To add to that, they also have cornhole and other festive games to keep non-basketball fans entertained, too.

Happy hour specials and festive cocktails can always be found at the Yard. On any warm weather day, this is one of the best spots in town – so it’s no surprise they’re

Smoke Justis

For those who aren’t into the hype of March Madness but still want the ambiance, comradery and most importantly, the food of the season, Smoke Justis is the place to be.

Smoke Justis is most famous for its smoked meats and bourbon selection, but this sports bar offers much more. The smoked wings are a must order for the table. Slowsmoked and flash-fried, these wings will satisfy everyone in the group.

Smoke Justis also didn’t forget about vegetarians: Cauliflower wings are the best around, and the fry boxes are also a great gameday dish option. The restaurant’s loaded fries come in five different flavors: chili cheese, buffalo chicken, BBQ, veggie and cheese and bacon. There are plenty of TVs to cheer on your favorite team; over 500 bourbon options; and ample beer and cocktail offerings to ensure no fan goes thirsty this March Madness.

What to Know If You Go:

Molly Malone’s Irish Pub and Restaurant

Location: 112 E Fourth St., Covington

Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.2:30 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.2:30 a.m.

Website: mollymalonesirishpub.com

Phone: 859-491-6659

Covington Yard

Location: 401 Greenup St., Covington

Hours: Monday and Tuesday, closed; Wednesday and Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday, 4-11 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Website: covingtonyard.com

Phone: 859-993-9273

Smoke Justis

Location:302 Court St., Covington

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

Website: smokejustis.com

Phone: 859-814-8858

Molly Malone’s Irish Pub in Covington is one of the most popular places in March. Photo by: Maria Hehman | LINK nky contributor

Smoke Justis is always gameday ready with its famous smoked meats, bourbon offerings and cocktails.

Photo by: Maria Hehman | LINK nky contributor packed with passionate fans this time of year.

Last call: After 50 years, basketball official gives up his whistle

By Marc Hardin

Charlie Chappie owes his 50-year career to an official who failed to arrive for a church league basketball game in Covington in 1973.

“I used to keep the scorebook for men’s basketball games in the league,” Chappie said. “We played at Southside Baptist Church on Holman Street in Covington. It was a long time ago.”

But Chappie remembers it well.

“One of the officials didn’t show up for one of the games one day,” he said. “An official who was there had an extra shirt and a whistle. He looked at me and said, ‘Come on and try this.’ So I did.”

Chappie, then 17 years old and a senior at Holmes High School, went into a room at the church, pulled on a black and white striped shirt and tucked it into his pants. He hung the whistle around his neck and emerged as part of a two-man crew for an otherwise nondescript church league game on Covington’s west side.

“It was an adrenaline rush. I was nervous,” Chappie said, “but I enjoyed it and kept doing it.”

He was surprised by the development.

He played sports while living in Covington, and he played baseball and football at Holmes as a senior, but there was no overriding passion to enforce rules and undergo the antagonism that seemed to come with rules enforcement.

“Nothing like that at all,” Chappie said. “I was a kid. I had no idea what I was going to do.”

High school basketball officials have been taking grief ever since they were intro-

duced in the name of fairness. Heckling from the crowd is part of the job for officials who make unpopular calls. But this was something Chappie never really gave a lot of thought to as a teenager.

Being a basketball official was about as far from Chappie’s mind as it could possibly be in 1973. He thought the officiating experience at Southside Baptist would be a one-off moment in his life, never to be duplicated. “I thought I’d just go back to the scorebook,” he said.

Something unexpected happened to Chappie on his path away from officiating, though. He became an official.

“Had you told me in 1974 I would be a basketball official for 50 years,” Chappie said, “I would have looked at you like you had three heads.”

Chappie wound up officiating a few more church league games. He graduated from Holmes in 1973. He started taking classes at Northern Kentucky University, where he stayed for two years. He got a job at a drug store in Covington.

One thing led to another, and he eventually became a certified basketball official when he turned 18 and began working games at the eighth grade, freshman and junior varsity levels. Eventually, he officiated his first varsity basketball game at Holmes.

He never stopped.

A half-century later, Chappie was still at it, calling boys and girls basketball games. He estimates he’s officiated more than 3,000 games. At his peak, he figures he officiated as many as 90 basketball games a season. Basketball is the only sport he has officiated, and he’s done nearly all of it at the high school level in Northern Kentucky – all while holding down a full-time job and being a devoted family man.

Charlie Chappie, a lifelong Covington resident, has been a certified basketball official since 1974. Photo provided | 9th Region Basketball Officials Association

Official Charlie Chappie has been calling girls and boys basketball games for 50 years in Northern Kentucky. Photo provided | 9th Region Basketball Officials Association

“I enjoy the high school game. I enjoy being around the kids,” Chappie said. “It’s good exercise. It can be a grind when you do it a long time, but I really don’t think about it a lot. It’s just something I’ve always done.”

Along the way, Chappie has experienced several milestones in his life: He landed a job as a warehouse manager for a beverage distribution company, the first of two longterm positions in the beverage industry totaling 45 years. He got married. The couple raised one daughter and celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary in April.

“I couldn’t have done it without my family,” Chappie said. “They have always been supportive.”

He’s experienced just about all that you can as an official, including heckling.

“Fortunately, I can block that out and ignore it. You have to have a short memory and just go on,” he said. “The officials, we’re our own worst critics. If we miss a call, we’re upset with ourselves.”

Chappie has made a lot of correct calls in his career. That’s why he’s lasted so long at one of the more difficult and visible parttime jobs. He eventually joined the 9th Region Basketball Officials Association. He has officiated many important games,

including district tournament games, regional tournament games, state tournament games and all-star games.

He has been bestowed with awards and honors. He has some of them on his sports wall in what is slowly becoming a mancave of sorts at his home in Covington.

“I might have to do some rearranging,” he said. “A lot of people have been really nice lately.”

That’s because it’s all coming to an end. Chappie’s 50th season as a basketball official is also his last.

“It’s been a nice long ride. I’m a lucky man. It just got to a point where I didn’t know how long I could keep doing it,” said Chappie, who turned 68 in January. “Fifty years did kind of play into it a bit. That’s a lot of running up and down the basketball court. It takes a toll on your body. I’ve had two knee surgeries.”

But he has no regrets.

“None at all,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed it.”

The feelings have been mutual.

As he has made some last stops, various high schools have given Chappie some parting gifts, including commemorative game balls, plaques, a jersey with the No. 50 on it, and a specially engraved piece of the original hardwood floor at Holmes’ David M. Evans Fieldhouse. He received a ring from the 9th Region Basketball Officials Association.

Just like the first high school basketball game he officiated in 1974, Chappie’s final regular season game in 2024 was a boys contest at Holmes, his alma mater. After the game, he was recognized at the 9th Region Basketball Officials Association’s endof-season social.

His last district tournament game was March 1 at the 36th District semifinal won by Newport, one of many talent-laden teams Chappie has seen play basketball over his long and distinguished career.

“I’ve had a lot of great memories being an official. I’ve been blessed beyond belief,” he said. “But, at some point, it’s just time. And for me, it’s time to go.”

Vintage Charlie Chappie in action at a basketball game. Photo provided | 9th Region Basketball Officials Association

Chappie walks off the floor for the last time during the 36th District tournament semifinals at Newport High School. Photo provided | Allen Ramsey

Newport, Cooper take 9th Region trophies in Truist Arena tourney

The 9th Region basketball tournaments played at Northern Kentucky’s Truist Arena are some outright wars, and this year was no different.

In the end, two repeat champions were the last teams standing. Newport’s boys won their second straight region title, and Cooper’s girls won their third straight title.

The Wildcats survived Ryle in the first round, blew out Lloyd Memorial and then won a grinder over Cooper to raise the trophy and cut the nets.

Cooper’s girls showed a dominant display of defense in wins over Bellevue, Holy Cross and a third-straight title matchup with Ryle. The Lady Jags allowed 83 points in the three games.

Newport’s Jabari Covington was named tournament boys MVP, with Cooper’s Liz Freihofer earning girls MVP honors. Both schools represented the 9th Region at the KHSAA Sweet 16 state tournament in Lexington. Deshaun Jackson and James Turner made the All-Tournament team for the Wildcats, Bella Deere and Maleah Alexander for the Lady Jags.

Campbell County’s boys also earned their first trip to Rupp Arena in Lexington by winning the 10th Region in dramatic fashion. After making light work of Bracken County in the quarterfinals, they ended George Rogers Clark’s 65-game winning streak over 10th Region opponents in the

semifinals and defeated Harrison County in overtime on Garyn Jackson’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Jackson, Connor Weinel, Broc Sorgenfrei and Xavier Fancher were named to the All-Tournament team for the Camels.

Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame to welcome seven new members

The Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame inducted seven new members March 20 at the Gardens of Park Hills.

The seven members were Bob Boswell (Newport), Gary “Gee” Vories (Newport), Jennifer “Armstrong” Vertress (Lloyd Memorial), Kent Vories (Newport), Mark Krebs (Newport Central Catholic), Steve Meier (Covington Catholic) and Terry Saccone (Newport).

• Boswell was a 1947 Newport High grad and champion for youth sports in Northern Kentucky. He coached knothole baseball and youth basketball for 15 years in the 1960s and 70s. He formed a youth baseball

league in Newport to give underprivileged children a chance to play.

Over 15 years, he pioneered PA announcing at Newport High School and at Northern Kentucky University. He also served on the original NKU Boosters board of directors. Bob also coached two knothole championship teams during his life.

• Gary Vories is a 1964 Newport grad and was part of the Shields Realty knothole baseball team that won a national championship.

In his basketball playing days at Newport, he was a reserve on the 1962 state tournament team as a sophomore and set a program record with 38 points as a senior, making the 9th Region all-star team and helping Newport to a 20-4 record.

In baseball, he was a five-time letterman second baseman. In his senior year, he hit .380 with five home runs and 28 RBIs, and he was named to the all-region team.

Vories then went on to Georgetown College on a basketball scholarship from 1965-68 and also officiated basketball for 15 years in the 9th Region.

• Vertress is a 1983 Lloyd Memorial grad who ran track and cross country for six years. She was part of regional champions, sectional champions and a fifth place team finish at state.

She won five region titles and helped the Juggernauts to their first region title in ’83. She also won four sectional titles and helped lead them to their first sectional title in program history.

Vertress then attended St. Joseph College in Indiana, where as a freshman she set the school record in the 400m hurdles.

• Kent Vories is a 1970 Newport grad who lettered three years in basketball and five years in baseball. He was a part of the 1968 NKAC champs and ’69 runner-up team.

In baseball, Kent lettered five years, started as an eighth-grader and was named all-district in 1969 and ’70. After high school, he

played softball with some of the best teams in the area. He was named to the first team Greater Cincinnati Softball News three times and played on back-to-back undefeated state championship teams.

He was also a high school basketball coach, the last coach to take the Bellevue boys basketball team to the region tournament, in 2008, and has been an official for over 20 years in the 9th Region.

• Krebs is a 1973 Newport Central Catholic grad and was a three-year starter for the basketball team. He scored 1,284 career points and was part of the 1973 9th Region champions. Krebs was runner-up for player of the year in the same season.

In baseball, he pitched and played shortstop as a three-year starter. He batted .310 for his junior and senior seasons and then went on to play at Thomas More University.

After graduation, Krebs coached basketball at NewCath from 1985-89 and Newport from 1989-97, named NKAC and 9th Region Coach of the Year in the 1985-86 season.

• Meier is a 1972 Covington Catholic grad and was part of the 1971 state tournament basketball team. In his senior season, he led the team in rebounding and shooting percentage and was named to the all-district team.

He went on to play at Northern Kentucky State College (now Northern Kentucky University) and helped set the foundation for the future of basketball in Highland Heights. Steve has coached youth for nearly 50 years in a variety of sports.

• Saccone is a 1971 Newport grad and was an outstanding athlete, lettering three years in basketball and four years in baseball. He was also a standout bowler, winning over 50 tournaments at the local, state and national levels. He has 50-plus, 300 games (30 in sanctioned play) and 15, 800 series (10 in sanctioned play).

The Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame inducted seven new members on March 20.

Cooper’s girls basketball team pulled off a threepeat in the 9th Region with a dominant 51-26 victory over Ryle. Photo provided | Charles Bolton

Newport’s boys basketball team won back-to-back 9th Region titles with a 46-39 victory over Cooper in the championship game. Photo provided | Charles Bolton

By Rebecca Hanchett

Meet Rep. Kimberly Moser

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

Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser rose quickly to the rank of chairperson of the House Health and Family Services Committee after she was first elected in 2016. A major party shift had given the Republicans control of the chamber and its committees for the first time in 95 years, and Moser – an experienced nurse and health policy administrator – seemed to be a good fit for the health committee.

Today Moser has a reputation as a legislative policy wonk who carefully researches bills that come before her committee. Her “informed policy” approach (as she calls it) has led to new laws that run the gamut from improving the care of cancer patients to increasing penalties for trafficking opioids.

In 2023, the retired neonatal ICU and flight nurse sponsored a bill that added cancer biomarker testing requirements to health insurance plans and Medicaid. The purpose? To tailor cancer treatment to the individual. It’s legislation she believes will save lives.

“It allows for people who are undergoing chemo to get targeted treatment without

having to go through test and test and having to go through trial and error,” Moser told LINK nky.

Cancer screenings have been used for years to detect breast and colon cancers in Kentucky and elsewhere. But it wasn’t until 2022 that a state law was passed to create a state lung cancer screening program to address the high rate of lung cancer in Kentucky. Moser was the sponsor of the legislation (HB 219). She named it in memory of her mother, Margaret Poore, who died of lung cancer in 2017.

“She had one chemo after another until they failed,” said Moser. “The goal of the (bill) is to make sure folks can get screened early and that we catch cancers early when they’re more treatable. It puts an advisory council in place to look at how the program is designed. And it creates a trust to let patients get the treatment they need if at risk.”

According to the American Lung Association, Kentucky’s five-year survival rate after lung cancer diagnosis was 20 percent in 2022. The national rate at the time was 25 percent. Moser said the screening law is turning that around.

“Kentucky is now near the top in terms of early screening. The hospitals are doing great, great work for early prevention,” she told LINK.

In 2024, Moser has different legislative plans. One of her bills is a broad maternal health bill to improve the health of pregnant women and their babies. Another would eliminate or waive prior authorization where needed. The goal is similar to that of many of her other proposals, she said – to ensure patients get the care they need.

Prior authorization is “the No. 1 issue that health care providers and patients complain about,” she told LINK. “I fight with insurance providers a lot because, at the end of the day, the physician is the person who knows what the patient needs, not the insurers. So I’m going to keep working on (the bill).”

More policy proposals are on the way. Moser has no shortage of ideas when it comes to health care. That may be a byproduct of being raised in a home where her mother was a nurse and her father was a family physician. Add Moser’s nursing career and her 39-year marriage to a pulmonologist and critical care physician to the mix, and her roots in the industry run even deeper.

Ask her what drives her legislative work and Moser comes back to policy that she says “drives up costs and interferes with patient care.” She plans to continue to peel away what she believes doesn’t work to find what does.

Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser (R-Taylor Mill) represents District 64, which includes central and eastern Kenton County. Moser chairs the House Health Services Committee. She is a member of the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments, and Intergovernmental Affairs and the House Judiciary committees, and she’s a non-voting member of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Health and Family Services. Additionally, Moser is co-chair of the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services; a member of the Kentucky Health and Human Services Delivery System Task Force; and a member of the Interim Joint committees on the Judiciary and State Government. SHe’s an ex officio (nonvoting) member of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Health and Family Services. Moser is also a member of several legislative caucuses.

Carolee Baker

Pfefferman

Carolee Baker Pfefferman was born in Grant’s Lick KY on March 13, 1940, to Leroy “Buck” and Louella Weckbach Baker. She attended Campbell County High School where she was ranked third in her graduating class. Carolee worked as a stay-at-home mom for 18 years and then joined the IRS as a seasonal employee. She spent the next 26 years building a highly successful career culminating with being promoted to Assistant to the Commissioner. In addition, she earned numerous awards and accolades during her career. Lastly, she was an avid blood donor and donated nearly 10 gallons of blood to the Hoxworth Center. Carolee enjoyed family gatherings, traveling, reading, crossword puzzles, genealogy and gardening. She and her husband Tony traveled extensively in the US and made one trip to Europe. They loved sightseeing historical sites and often included Las Vegas on their trips where they made many friends.

Carolee is survived by three children Mark (Cindy) Pfefferman, Robin Pfefferman (Tim Seiter-deceased), and Kirk (Brandi) Pfefferman, 9 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, brothers-in-law Joe (Vicki) Pfefferman and David Pfefferman, sistersin-law Judy Baker and Sandi Pfefferman and many nieces and nephews. She was proceeded in death by her parents, her husband Tony Pfefferman, her brother Allen Baker, her father- and mother-in-law Tony and Esther Pfefferman, her brotherin-law Richard “Dick” Pfefferman and her sister-in-law Margaret Dailey

Visitation and mass was held on March 16, 2024, at the St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Alexandria, KY. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St Vincent De Paul Society, 8246 E. Main St., Alexandria, KY 41001, St. Elizabeth Hospice or the charity of your choice.

Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser, R-Taylor Mill, presents House Bill 10, an act relating to maternal and child health, on the House floor on March 5. Photo provided | LRC Public Information