LINK Kenton Reader - Volume 2, Issue 48 - November 1, 2024

KENTON

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 48 — NOVEMBER 1, 2024

THE VOICE OF NKY

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Fairhaven marks 40 years helping reclaim lives

By Kenton Hornbeck

A

s Fairhaven Rescue Mission nears its 40th anniversary, officials at the Covington-based organization said they’re committed to helping people regain their lives.

Incorporated in 1984, Fairhaven Rescue Mission is a Christian nonprofit ministry and men’s homeless shelter that provides food, housing and recovery services for at-risk individuals. Its 260 W Pike St. facility boasts over a dozen beds, a commercial kitchen and laundry facilities. It also has a 10,000-square-foot thrift store at 3921 Winston Ave. in Latonia, which helps fund the mission’s services.

In 2023 alone, Fairhaven served 24,720 meals, distributed 1,461 clothing vouchers and provided groceries to 3,715 individuals, according to the ministry’s website. Executive Director Alan Johnson told LINK nky that Fairhaven feeds 60 to 70 people on a weekly basis.

Johnson, who was appointed executive director two years ago, started volunteering Continues on page 3

Fairhaven Rescue Mission, at 260 W Pike St. in Covington, is marking its 40th year. Photo by Kenton Hornbeck | LINK nky

NKY by the Numbers

Perception on economy doesn’t match stats

By Nathan Granger

E

conomics affects all aspects of our lives. Now that it’s election season, talk about jobs, tax policy and the economy generally is nearly every-

where.

Although the country avoided a recession last year, that doesn’t mean everyone is happy with the state of the economy. Some of that sentiment is justified, at least in some elements of the economy.

Abdullah Al Bahrani speaks to the Latonia Business Association on Oct. 14. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky

“The people’s perception is that the economy is not doing well,” said Abdullah Al Bahrani, an economist and associate dean with NKU’s Haile College of Business, “which has implications, because, in economics,

we have this idea that the economy or consumer sentiment can create what’s called a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Al Bahrani delivered these remarks to the Latonia Business Association on Oct. 14. In addition to his academic work, Al Bahrani spends a lot of time discussing economics with the public, and he publishes a regular newsletter explaining economic concepts to the layman.

“I’m a big advocate in understanding financial literacy and economics,” Al Bahrani said. “I believe that it is the best way for us to influence change by having a better understanding of the economics that influence our lives. So that’s my calling in life.”

Continues on page 4

Erlanger council candidates share goals p5 Amendment 2 supporters make case in Burlington p6 Greenup sees changes, but restaurants stay delicious p12

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CONTESTED RACES IN KENTON COUNTY Candidate names appear as they do on ballot lists.

Countywide Soil and water conservation district supervisor (5 candidates, vote for 4)

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q Andrew Johnson q Gailen Bridges q Nicole Clements q Mark A. Nienaber q Chris Kaeff

Municipal

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Bromley City Council (10 candidates, vote for 6)

q Dianne Wartman q Tim Wartman q Gail Smith q Keith Williams q Michael Kendall q Andrew Clift q Kelly P. Dudley q Patty R. Miller q Jeffrey A. Creekmore q Dave Radford Covington City Commission (8 candidates, vote for 4)

q Bill Wells q Tim Downing q Bradie Bowen q Aaron Wolpert q James Toebbe q Shannon Smith q Tim Acri q Cari Garriga Crescent Springs City Council (9 candidates, vote for 6)

q Jeannine Bell “J.B.” Smith q Brian Barclay q Patrick Hackett q Carol McGowan q Bob Mueller q Mark Wurtenberger q Chad Longbons q Jeff Smith q Donald J. Kiely

Edgewood City Council (9 candidates, vote for 7)

q Matt Tarka q Darla Bonar Kettenacker q Rob Thelen q Ben Barlage q Joe Messmer q Jeff Schreiver q W. Jamie Ruehl q Bridget Grady Spears q Scott Spille Elsmere City Council (7 candidates, vote for 6)

q Joanne Barnett Smith q Rusty C. Smith III q Maria A. Vogt q Missy Enxel Tester q Gloria Grubbs q Justin Clifford Wade q Serena Owen Erlanger City Council (13 candidates, vote for 9)

q Diana Niceley q Tyson Hermes q Victoria Kyle q Rebecca Reckers q Jennifer Jasper-Lucas q Michele Fields q Thomas Cahill q Gary Meyer

q Renee Skidmore q Don Skidmore q Frank A. Wichmann q Christopher Farmer q Renee Wilson

q Mary Ann Thaman q Tom Bernheimer q Brian Waite q David Wolfer q Christopher M. Gongola

Fort Wright City Council (7 candidates, vote for 6)

Ludlow City Council (8 candidates, vote for 6)

q Bernie Wessels q David Abeln q Justin “Jay” C. Weber Jr. q Scott Wall q Jason C. Collins q Margie Witt q Jason Worms

q Julia Terry Navarre q David Ziegler q Stephen A. Chapman Sr. q Sarah Thompson q Abigail Miller q Paula Hughes Graszus q Samantha Matthews Frank q Lori Davenport

Independence City Council (9 candidates, vote for 6)

q Bryan Roemer q Tom Brinker q Carol Franzen q Christopher Vogelpohl q David Shafer q Matthew Fehler q Greg Steffen q Greg Waite q Christopher R. Barbour Lakeside Park City Council (7 candidates, vote for 6)

Park Hills City Council (11 candidates, vote for 6)

q David Costas q Joe Daugherty q Greg Claypole q Pamela Spoor q Dan Warner q Sarah Froelich q Emily Sayers q Laura Rippe Cardosi q Matthew Breeze q Steve Elkins q Carlton Trinkle

q Cassi Schabell q Dennis Landwehr

Taylor Mill City Commission (6 candidates, vote for 4)

q Caroline Ann Braden q Ed “Keeney” Kuehne q Mark Kreimborg q Daniel E. Murray q Rose Merritt q Stuart Bowns Walton Mayor (2 candidates, vote for 1)

q Terri Lynn Courtney q Gabriel “Gabe” Brown

Schools Beechwood Independent Public Schools Board of Education (4 candidates, vote for 2)

q Kyle Burns q Laura Wooten q Michael Smith q Sharon R. Geiger Covington Independent Public Schools Board of Education (6 candidates, vote for 3)

q Michelle Williams q Glenda Huff q Joyce Baker Murphy q Courtney Barlow-Schulte q Stephen Gastright q Tom Haggard

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There are 16 beds at Fairhaven’s overnight shelter services. They are for men only. Photo by Kenton Hornbeck | LINK nky Continued from page 1

at the ministry in 2007. The opportunity to help struggling people inspired him to keep coming back.

“When you start putting names to faces and you start hearing stories and talking to folks and getting to know them, it’s not just, to be quite frank, a scary face on the street that you want to steer clear of,” Johnson said. “You get to know them as people.”

Fairhaven’s services are free to those who need them. Evening services include a meal prepared by volunteers for men, women and families. Johnson said that around 80% of the food is donated from restaurants and grocery stores, while the mission purchases the rest. To be admitted, participants must arrive by 5:45 p.m. and pass a breath test for alcohol. After that, Fairhaven hosts a chapel service that ends at 6:30 p.m.

“It’s all about loving people. It’s taking care the best you can,” Johnson said. “Our volunteers – that’s why they keep coming back.

They keep coming back to serve. They come back to lead chapel, to do the food pickups, to work in the kitchen, to volunteer at the thrift store, because they’ve all had that experience of it’s not just about us.”

The mission’s long-term residential New Life program is next door to Fairhaven’s shelter. It’s designed to help men struggling with issues such as chemical dependency, chronic job loss or unhealthy relationships.

Participants live in the apartments next door to the mission. There are five beds in total.

Byron Harvey, the program’s director, said

it consists of a moderate work schedule at the mission, class work, group and individual counseling, and requires that the resident have a full-time, first-shift job. In addition, the program requires that participants save a majority of their earned income.

Like Johnson, Harvey started at Fairhaven as a volunteer. He told LINK nky that the most rewarding part of working at Fairhaven is seeing how far people come from the time they enter to the time they exit.

“That’s got to be the most rewarding, just seeing somebody going somewhere of promise, somewhere positive, into a place of blessing, and seeing how they carry it,” Harvey said.

“To be able to serve really good meals that are enjoyable, I think that’s important,” Johnson said.

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Fairhaven’s overnight shelter services are for men only. Fourteen of the 16 beds are for transitory nightly housing, while two are reserved for residents needing longer-term care. Like the nightly meals, residents must pass an alcohol breath test and present a valid ID. Residents are permitted to stay for up to 14 nights, have access to a shower, and are provided with a snack, pajamas and laundry services.

“There’s a myriad of reasons why people become homeless, and it doesn’t matter to us,” Johnson said. “What got you here doesn’t matter. We need to show you some love and compassion but at the same time maintain order and following rules.”

Fairhaven relies heavily on volunteer labor. While it does have 12 employees – six full-time and six part-time – Fairhaven’s volunteers are the backbone of the operation. From Johnson’s perspective, their volunteers’ desire to serve others is a primary reason for the mission’s sustained success.

OCTOBER 25, 2024 3

Available workers for job openings in Ohio and Kentucky. Provided | NKU Center for Economic Analysis & Development

Employment by job sector in the Cincinnati Statistical Area. Provided | NKU Center for Economic Analysis & Development

Continued from page 1

down to 2.4% as of the most recent Consumer Price Index report, “a big decrease from the 9.1% that we felt in 2022,” Al Bahrani said. The Federal Reserve aims for about 2% annual inflation as a healthy rate, but there are some caveats to the 2.4%.

said, because property ownership is one of the primary mechanisms by which Americans accumulate wealth. If housing prices are prohibitively high, fewer people will be able to buy homes and benefit from their rising values.

Much of the decrease has come in the price of gas and food. If energy and food are removed from the index, the inflation rate for everything else is closer to 3.3%.

Consumers still spending

Al Bahrani pulled data from multiple government and academic sources to paint a picture of the current economy and people’s attitudes toward it. Among the statistics he cited was the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, which assigns a numerical value to people’s feelings about the economy, independent of other economic metrics.

A value of 100 or above indicates positive sentiment, and values below 100 indicate a negative sentiment. As of the end of 2024’s first quarter, American sentiment is down to a value of about 68. The previous peak of 101 occurred just before the pandemic.

Does this align with other economic measures? Yes and no.

The country’s gross domestic product, or GDP, is continuing to grow. GDP measures the country’s value of goods and services produced and is often used to gauge general economic activity. The nation’s real GDP growth – that is, GDP growth adjusted for inflation – has been increasing for about 14 quarters – more than three years. The nation’s real GDP growth year-over-year at the end of 2024’s second quarter was 3.1%.

In Kentucky, it was 2.8%.

GDP is a very broad, aggregate measure, though, and increases in GDP may not be discernible in the lives of individuals.

Inflation also has slowed in recent months,

It’s important to remember that inflation doesn’t measure absolute prices, it measures the rate at which prices increase.

Once a price has increased, it takes a lot to make it go down again, and broad price decreases, or deflation, can actually be an indicator of a recession.

Even if the rate of increase is slowing, prices for everyday essentials since the beginning of the pandemic have seen precipitous increases.

Moreover, the average weekly earnings adjusted for inflation for people living in the Cincinnati Statistical Area, which includes Northern Kentucky, have actually declined since 2019.

There has been some income growth, Al Bahrani said, but “most of the growth has gone to the top 1%.”

Home sale prices have also continued to increase, even when adjusted for inflation.

This is especially important, Al Bahrani

In other words, in spite of the continued GDP growth and slowing inflation, the American consumer’s purchasing power has declined, and this decline is likely the source of the negative sentiment around the economy.

Despite these problems, people are still spending money, which has been keeping the overall economy afloat. It’s much harder to save in today’s economy, but credit card and mortgage delinquencies are low in historical terms, even if credit card payment delinquencies have been rising for about 10 months.

The job market is also a bit of mixed bag.

Unemployment rates are within acceptable rates, Al Bahrani said, between 4.5% to 5%. Kentucky has also seen a healthy rate of job growth. There are, in fact, currently more jobs available than people seeking them: There are about 0.7 workers available for every job opening in Kentucky. Yet, that does not account for wage distribution (it includes everything from minimum wage jobs to CEO positions). Additionally, hiring levels nationwide are well below the number of job openings.

Finally, most stock market indexes are performing well, largely as a result of continued consumer spending, which has remained persistent, in spite of the hit to people’s wallets.

“If you have your money in the stock market, you’re feeling good,” Al Bahrani said.

In short, while many of the worst conditions induced by the pandemic have passed, the average consumer and worker in the United States is likely still feeling a squeeze. In Al Bahrani’s view, that’s when financial literacy is most important, as it can help guide people through tight times.

“The worry that we [economists] have at this point is, if this negative sentiment continues, it will impact retail spending,” Al Bahrani said. “It hasn’t drastically yet, but it might do that, and that will then lead us to a recession.

“So one of two things needs to happen: People either need to believe the economic data that the economy is good in some parts, or we need to make people feel better about the economy. I don’t know which one comes first, but that’s the problem here because if we allow this consumer sentiment to remain, it can impact actual data.”

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Erlanger council hopefuls outline goals

By Nathan Granger

at addressing a problem of semitruck accidents in the Cherry Hill neighborhood.

C

andidates for Erlanger City Council came together in a public forum Oct. 16 to discuss their backgrounds and goals.

Moderated by Matt Grimes of the Kenton County Rotary Club, eight of the 13 candidates for city council spoke at the Erlanger City Building. Those attending were Victoria Kyle, Christopher Farmer, Gary Meyer, Diana Niceley, Tom Cahill, Jennifer Jasper-Lucas, Tyson Hermes and Rebecca Reckers.

Candidates Don Skidmore, Renee Skidmore, Renee Wilson, Michele Fields and Frank Wichmann were unable to attend.

Voters in November will cast up to nine votes for the open spots on the council.

“Tonight, we are here to discuss the future of Erlanger and the significant role each of us play in shaping it,” said Mayor Jessica Fette, whose seat is not up for election. “...[I]t is essential that you have the information you need to make informed decisions.”

The candidates had five minutes each to talk about their background and argue why they would make good council members.

Grimes then asked each candidate a trivia question about the city (e.g., how many police cruisers does the police department have and what’s the public works budget) to test the candidates’ knowledge of Erlanger’s operations. After that, he asked a more open-ended question about the candidate’s goals and concerns.

Vikki Kyle spoke first. Kyle has served on the council for 28 years; she’s running for her 15th term. Before getting into politics, Kyle worked as a teacher and served in other roles in education.

She touted her experience. “I know how the government works,” she said.

During her tenure on council, she helped establish the city’s parks and recreation department as well as its parks director position. She also helped establish the city’s community service scholarship, of which Fette was the first recipient before she became mayor.

“You’ve held the council seat for 14 terms,” Grimes said. “What current changes cause you the greatest concern?”

She emphasized fiscal responsibility, agreeing with Farmer that the insurance premium tax needed to be lowered, and touting her role in the city’s establishment of a resiliency fund to be deployed in the event of a catastrophe.

Erlanger residents turned out Oct. 16 to hear the city’ council candidates speak. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky

“The biggest change that I can see is just keeping up with progress,” Kyle said, adding that it was important for city officials to communicate effectively with the community. To that end, she recommended establishing a city task force to establish better and more effective lines of communication with residents.

Chris Farmer is running for public office for the first time. The Erlanger native’s early education was in trades, but he eventually pursued a master’s degree in management from NKU. He works in sales, and he said his business experience made him an ideal candidate.

“I manage a business with an operational level [and] deal with difficult situations daily,” Farmer said.

He said he had a deep appreciation of first-responders and said supporting them was a priority.

He was perturbed, he said, by the tenor of some of the current council’s meetings.

“I’ve noticed that some members often dismiss topics or ideas simply based off of who suggested them and not on the topic’s own merit,” he said.

He also recommended revising the city’s insurance premium tax rates, which brought in about $4.4 million in revenue in fiscal year 2023, about 16% of the city’s revenue.

Gary Meyer previously served three terms on council. He emphasized the importance of family during his address, stating that he didn’t run during the last cycle because he wanted to be available for his family.

Because Erlanger abuts Florence in Boone County and several Kenton County communities, he emphasized the need to work

across jurisdictions. He said that could include using county resources and services to augment or replace city ones, such as tax collection.

Diana Niceley is running for her third term on council. Her family owns an HVAC business, and Niceley is currently on the board of Lloyd Memorial High School’s alumni association. She said she enjoyed serving as a point of contact for residents.

Like many of the candidates, Niceley expressed her admiration for city staff, especially the public works department and first responders.

Tom Cahill has occupied a council seat for nine terms, the second-longest serving member after Kyle. He works as a director at St. Elizabeth Healthcare. Cahill helped oversee the merger of Erlanger’s volunteer and professional firefighters into a fulltime professional department in the late 1980s and early ’90s.

He said he was particularly proud of the expansion of the city’s infrastructure budget, which currently stands at about $2.7 million, although he said key expansions were still needed. He cited the fire station, police station and city building as facilities that have outgrown their original function.

He also emphasized a need to continue improving Erlanger’s parks, a concern shared by many of the candidates.

Jennifer Jasper-Lucas, who is running for a third term, works for an insurance company in Cincinnati. She’s active in a variety of community and professional organizations in Erlanger. While on council, she’s served on several city task forces, most notably the small business task force (small business attraction was a key component of her campaign, she said) and a task force aimed

Asked what her priorities would be if the city received an unexpected grant, she said she would allocate money to road and sidewalk improvements as well as other infrastructural improvements, such as upgrading the fire station. She also said that she’d like to see more investment in the public works department, but she would only spend the money if she knew the investments would be sustainable.

Former Mayor Tyson Hermes is running for his fourth term on council and owns a local construction company. In a short statement, he said his goals on council would be “lightening the tax burden on our residents and businesses, to continue improving our roads, curbs and sidewalks, to continue to fulfill the needs of the facility assessment that we started back in 2016 and to make Erlanger a destination for the surrounding region as well as the rest of the country.

“There’s not a whole lot of cities out there whose revenue has increased as quickly and as much as Erlanger’s has,” Hermes said. “We’ve lowered the tax rates for 10 years straight, and in that time, our revenue has gone up almost $5 million per year.”

Rebecca Reckers is running for her fourth term on council. She works in risk management for Discover, experience that she said gave her “a unique approach to problem-solving and understanding.” Her goals included sound financial policy, supporting first responders, building out the city’s economic development and establishing long-term plans for the future of the city.

“We need to have this ability for a long term spending plan and take a a serious, strategic look at economic development,” Reckers said, “because our runway for economic development will determine the cost of [ongoing] services.

“We’ve seen exponential growth in our business community over the last six years,” she said, “and that’s something to be very proud of.”

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In Burlington, Amendment 2 backers press case

By Nathan Granger “There is a great demand, I would say this, for support for private education, not just faith-based education, but for private education in general,” said Ed Choice Kentucky President Maurice “Mo” Lundrigen.

“And there is a crying need for parents and grandparents who want access to something other than what the state assigns by ZIP code.”

Lundrigen spoke at an event Oct. 17 at the Burlington branch of Boone County Public Library, where he and other supporters of Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 2 discussed the amendment and private education generally.

Put on by a local homeschooling group, the event was recorded and livestreamed, although only two people attended the event in person. The event served as a venue for Amendment 2 supporters to make their case for changing the Kentucky Constitution.

Ed Choice Kentucky is a nonprofit that advocates for various educational reforms, including Amendment 2. Lundrigen is a

former private school administrator. Although the organization’s name resembles Ed Choice, a national group founded

by Milton and Rose Friedman in 1996 that pushes for similar reforms, the two organizations are not officially affiliated.

Laurie Muse, founder of World of Wonder, a microschool in Union, spoke about the amendment’s potential benefit for homeschooling parents, as well as reasons to support homeschooling generally.

“Why homeschool your children?” Muse asked rhetorically. “I personally wanted to make sure that my children had a solid foundation in math and reading and to catch any areas that they might need. I wanted to provide a spiritual foundation for them, letting them develop faith and morality outside the societal pressures to conform.”

The ballot question asks voters if “the General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools. The General Assembly may exercise this authority by law, Sections 59, 60, 171, 183, 184, 186, and 189​of this Constitution notwithstanding.”

The sections mentioned currently place limitations and mandates on the General Assembly’s ability to move money away from public schools. For instance, section 186 states that all accrued school funds shall go only to the maintenance of public schools, while section 189 effectively prevents public funds or taxes from being appropriated to, used by or in aid of any church, sectarian or denominational school.

Lauri Muse speaks at the Oct. 17 event at the Burlington branch of Boone County Public Library.

Ed Choice Kentucky President Maurice “Mo” Lundrigen speaks at the Burlington event.

The “notwithstanding” clause serves as a way of preempting a future legal challenge, effectively circumventing the sections of the Constitution that prevent the funding of private and parochial institutions. If passed, the amendment eliminates these funding boundaries, giving the Republican supermajority in Kentucky’s General Assembly the power to change the law in future legislative sessions. It does not automatically create or enable a voucher program or fund charter schools but would set up the legal ability to do so in the future.

Amendment 2 has proven to be one of the most contentious issues in this election cycle. The governor and lieutenant governor have both come out against the

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Literature at the Ed Choice Kentucky event on Oct. 17, 2024. Photos by Nathan Granger | LINK nky

amendment, and several public school superintendents in Northern Kentucky have publicly decried the amendment and the potential legislative changes that may arise from it.

The Diocese of Covington, on the other hand, has come out in favor of the amendment and has even sent home materials furnished by Ed Choice Kentucky to its congregants. Elizabeth Ruehlman, director of development for Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Covington, sits on Ed Choice Kentucky’s board.

Both Muse and Lundrigen have children with learning disabilities, and they expressed frustration with the difficulties of finding adequate interventions for them in public school settings. As such, they made the case that reforming the state’s funding mechanisms would free resources for parents to secure specialized instruction outside the public school system.

Lundridgen also pointed to lower than average ACT scores across Kentucky as a reason for why there should be reform.

also spoke at the event. In addition to advocating for more funding toward private schools, microschools, homeschooling and charter schools, the speakers generally advocated for more direct parental control over students’ education.

“Who chooses whether a student goes to a charter school?” Waters asked. “It’s not where they live, it’s not their ZIP code, it’s the parent. That is the major difference, whereas in most of the public schools, they’re assigned that, or the parents can tell the system what they want, but the system doesn’t have to respond to that.”

There has been much debate about the ramifications of Amendment 2, and the open-ended language of the ballot question makes it difficult to predict what legislative changes may follow if it passes. Still, other states have already instituted various reforms, including vouchers, often in conjunction with legislative changes around school funding.

“This is not degrading in any way a teacher, in no way,” Lundrigen said. “Teachers have hard jobs; I get it. But when teachers have hard jobs that they’re absolutely handicapped in order to be able to do what they need best, and the parents want out, parents need a choice.”

Educational reformers have tried and failed previously to establish alternative funding mechanisms for private education in Kentucky. In 2021, following the passage of House Bill 563, Kentucky experimented with tax-credited donations to organizations providing scholarships to private school students, but the Kentucky Supreme Court struck down the law in 2022 as unconstitutional.

Jim Waters, president of the Bluegrass Institute, a Kentucky-focused member of the State Policy Network, which was founded

by Thomas Roe of the Heritage Foundation at the urging of President Ronald Reagan,

“If this amendment passes, then we’re back in action, in Frankfort meeting with the legislators, talking about what we believe is the right program for the students of Kentucky,” Lundrigen said.

Mayor-council government is better choice for Covington Over my eight years as mayor, I’ve been privileged to work with great commissioners and great staff to advance the interests of the city of Covington. We have a record to be proud of: unprecedented economic growth, lowered property tax rates, a much improved Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project, long-term stormwater issues being addressed, a new city hall under construction, redevelopment on the IRS site and so much more.

We have accomplished that despite the structure of our government, not because of it. We have struggled with unclear lines of accountability, complicated internal communications and inefficiency intrinsic to the city manager form of government.

Covington residents organized Covington Forward and collected thousands of signatures to allow Covington voters to decide on Nov. 5 whether to replace the city manager form of government with the mayor-council form. Those residents, like I do, believe the best way to keep the city’s momentum going is to adopt the mayor-council form of government. All the current elected members of the Board of Commissioners support the change. They have experienced the uncertainty of the city manager structure and know we can do better.

Mayor-council government is familiar to us. Of the 26 cities in Northern Kentucky over 1,000 population, 23 use the mayor-council form. Independence, Florence, Erlanger, Fort Thomas, Fort Mitchell, Fort Wright, Villa Hills and Park Hills all use the mayor-council form. The largest cities in Kentucky, Louisville and Lexington, use a variation of the mayor-council form for their merged city-county governments.

County fiscal courts use a version of the mayor-council form. The federal and state governments use a version of the mayor-council form of government. The city manager form is the outlier, used in Kentucky by just a handful of cities.

The advantages of the mayor-council form of government are straightforward: • More responsive. The city manager isn’t directly accountable to voters. The mayor in a mayor-council form is. When mistakes are made the mayor has to answer directly to the public at election time. The mayor will also be accountable to the city council. In fact, the city council can re-

move a mayor from office for egregious errors. City managers have built in job protection and cannot be fired without a lengthy legal process that takes a lot of time, attention and money.

• Clear chain of command. Who’s actually the boss under the city manager form of government? The city manager? Not really. The mayor? No. The Board of Commissioners, yes, but not really. The city manager will say s/he has five bosses, all asking for different things, so how can s/he decide? Under the mayor-council form, all of the city staff, including the city administrator (manager), will have one boss, not five. I believe that even city managers will sigh in relief when they have but one clearly identified boss to report to.

• Improved efficiency. In the last eight years, over 91% of all the decisions of the Covington Commission have involved executive functions. The city manager form requires that commissioners approve everything in both its legislative capacity and its executive capacity. In its legislative capacity the commission approves the budget. Then, in its executive capacity, the commission has to approve the implementation of the budget, the purchase of equipment or contracts that they already approved in the budget, for example. Every personnel action, from hiring to promotion to transfers to resignation to retirements must be approved by the city commission.

I n my eight years there was but one of hundreds of personnel recommendations from the professional administration that was not approved by the commission. This slows the decision-making process, costs time and money, introduces unnecessary risk into the hiring process and reduces the amount of time the commission spends on items important to the city’s residents. In the mayor-council form all those executive decisions will be handled by the mayor and administration, subject to review by the city council.

• More representation. The city commission will grow from four to at least six members. More residents will be elected decision-makers and have the opportunity to raise the concerns of their fellow city residents. Council members will focus on issues important to citizens, public policy, budget and executive oversight without the conflict of interest inherent in the city manager form.

• Clear Leadership. The mayor will shift from being the ceremonial leader to being a clearly identified leader who can speak and act on behalf of the city. Under the current form of government, I am officially a ceremonial leader with no actual authority to speak on behalf of the city government. In today’s world, it is important that the mayor have the actual authority to speak on behalf of the city.

The mayor under the mayor-council will have that authority.

It is significant that the majority of former Covington city commissioners and mayors still in this area and a former city manager have endorsed the change. They know from experience the current system is broken and needs change. They believe the mayor-council form will be better.

Outside organizations that have looked into the change have all endorsed it: the Latonia Business Association, Covington Business Council, Northen Kentucky Labor Council, NAACP and the chairs of the Democratic and Republican executive committees. These organizations represent a wide range of often competing interests, but they’re all on the same page: The change to mayor-council form of government will benefit the City of Covington and its residents.

I am honored to have served as mayor of Covington for the past eight years. I am retiring as of the end of this year, so I have no personal stake in this issue. I’ve watched Covington city government for decades and been mayor since 2016. I truly believe it is in the best interest of this city to make the change to mayor-council form to better ensure that the progress of the past several years will continue.

I encourage you to support the change.

Vote “yes” to adopt the mayor-council form of government.

Joseph U. Meyer, Covington Mayor

Vote ‘no’ on change of Covington government Covington voters are being asked by a special interest group, Covington Forward, to vote to change the form of government for the city. I served as mayor of the city from 2012 to 2016, and I would encourage all to vote no.

government for over 90 years, and it has served the city well. The city commission hires a trained and experienced city manager to administer the daily functions of the city and carry out policies established by a majority of the commission. The people of Covington have access to all decisions made by the commission.

The proposed mayor-council form of government places all executive authority in the hands of a single elected official – the mayor. The mayor would have the power to appoint and remove all city employees.

There is no problem to be solved by changing the form of government. The people of Covington have not asked to change the form of government. There has been no effort made by our Board of Commissioners to discuss or debate the need for a change of government.

Under the current form of government, if the city manager is not performing to the satisfaction of the city commission, the commission can fire the manager (with three votes) and hire a new one.

In the Mayor-Council form of government, the city is operated by a politician and not a professionally trained city manager. If the city elects a bad mayor, that mayor has four years to wreak havoc before a new mayor can be elected.

Across the state of Kentucky and the rest of the country, the majority of cities have the city manager form of government.

There has been no reporting of any efforts to change the form of government in those cities.

If it is working, why try to change it? Vote no.

Sherry Carran, Former Covington Mayor and Commissioner

The city has had a city manager form of

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OCTOBER 25, 2024 7

Kentucky now allows for Public Notices to be published digitally on LINK nky’s website.

You can find public notices for the following organizations on our site at https://linkreader.column.us/search

• AJ’s Towing & Recovery • Boone County Clerk • Campbell County Clerk’s Office • Campbell County Fire District #1 • Campbell County Fiscal Court • Campbell County Planning & Zoning • Campbell County Public Library • Campbell County Sheriffs Office • 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 Mitchell • City of Fort Thomas • City of Fort Wright • City of Highland Heights • City of Independence • City of Lakeside Park • City of Ludlow

The City of Taylor Mill, Kenton County, Kentucky has adopted the following ordinances: Ordinance 402 identifies all of the streets within the City of Taylor Mill.

Ordinance 403 amends the Taylor Mill Zoning Code and fixes issues with the Z-21 new Zoning Text and Map. The City of Taylor Mill has published these ordinances on its website. The ordinances may be viewed in full on our website https://taylormillky.gov/. The public may inspect a copy of the ordinance by contacting the City of Taylor Mill at 5225 Taylor Mill Rd., Taylor Mill, KY 41015, 859-581-3234.

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO GO TO OUR DIGITAL PUBLIC NOTICE PAGE

• City of Newport • City of Ryland Heights • 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 • Larry Dillon Boone County Master Commissioner • Northern Kentucky Port Authority • Northern Kentucky Water District • Planning & Development Services of Kenton County • The Baker Firm PLLC • The Hidden Chapter Bookstore LLC

NOTICE OF THE BOONE COUNTY MASTER COMMISSIONER’S SALE DIVISION I BOONE CIRCUIT COURT CASE NO.: 24-CI-00942

NOTICE OF THE BOONE COUNTY MASTER COMMISSIONER’S SALE DIVISION I BOONE CIRCUIT COURT CASE NO.: 24-CI-00750

NOTICE OF THE BOONE COUNTY MASTER COMMISSIONER’S SALE DIVISION I BOONE CIRCUIT COURT CASE NO.: 24-CI-01131

PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION VERSUS} JAMES O. TINCH, AS POSSIBLE HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF JUNIOR TINCH, ET AL

KENTUCKY HOUSING CORPORATION VERSUS} BETTE J. YOUNG, ET AL

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION VERSUS} CAITLYN C. BRISBIN INDIVIDUALLY AS AN HEIR AND AS EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE OF VICKIE A. BRISBIN, ET AL

By virtue of a judgment and order of sale of the Boone Circuit Court rendered OCTOBER 15, 2024 the above case, I shall proceed to offer for sale at the Justice Center Building in Burlington, Kentucky, to the highest bidder, at public auction on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2024 at the hour of 9:00 a.m. or thereabouts, the following described property to-wit:

By virtue of a judgment and order of sale of the Boone Circuit Court rendered OCTOBER 15, 2024 the above case, I shall proceed to offer for sale at the Justice Center Building in Burlington, Kentucky, to the highest bidder, at public auction on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2024 at the hour of 9:00 a.m. or thereabouts, the following described property to-wit:

ADDRESS: 2444 VERONA MUDLICK ROAD VERONA, KY 41092 PVA PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: 067.00-00-005.02 AMOUNT OF JUDGMENT: $77,309.80 GROUP NO.: 2085

ADDRESS: 28 KATHRYN AVENUE FLORENCE, KY 41042 PVA PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: 061.13-22-021.00 AMOUNT OF JUDGMENT: $318,005.35 GROUP NO.: 1034

By virtue of a judgment and order of sale of the Boone Circuit Court rendered OCTOBER 15, 2024 the above case, I shall proceed to offer for sale at the Justice Center Building in Burlington, Kentucky, to the highest bidder, at public auction on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2024 at the hour of 9:00 a.m. or thereabouts, the following described property to-wit: ADDRESS: 1950 PROSPERITY COURT UNION, KY 41091 PVA PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: 051.00-11-235.00 AMOUNT OF JUDGMENT: $256,794.95 GROUP NO.: 5511

The complete legal description is particularly set out in the Judgment and Order of Sale entered in this case.

TERMS OF SALE: The property shall be sold as a whole. The purchaser may pay all or part of the purchase price in cash, and may pay the balance of the purchase price on a credit of 30 days after date of sale; said credit shall be granted only upon the execution by the purchaser of bond, with surety thereon, and said surety shall be a lending institution authorized and doing business in Kentucky, or a reputable fidelity or surety company, authorized and doing business in Kentucky, and only if said surety be acceptable to the Commissioner of the Boone Circuit Court; and an authorized officer of the surety must be present at the sale or must have given the Commissioner adequate assurance of its intent to be surety prior to or at the sale; and said Bond shall be, and shall remain, a lien on the property sold as additional security for the payment of the full purchase price, and shall have the full force and effect of a Judgment; and said Bond shall bear interest at the rate provided by the Judgment up to Twelve (12%) Percent per annum until paid. The purchaser shall be required to pay the sum of 10% of the bid amount in cash or certified check on the purchase at the time of sale.

The successful bidder at the sale shall, at bidder’s own expense, carry fire and extended insurance coverage on any improvements from the date of sale until the purchase price is fully paid, with a loss payable clause to the Commissioner of the Boone Circuit Court. Failure of the purchaser to effect such insurance shall not affect the validity of the sale or the purchaser’s liability thereunder, but shall entitle, but not require, a lien holder herein, after giving notice to the Commissioner, to effect said insurance and furnish the policy or evidence thereof to the Commissioner, and the premium thereon or the proper portion thereof shall be charged to the purchaser as purchaser’s cost.

The property shall be sold subject to ad valorem taxes for the year 2024 and all subsequent years thereafter; easements, restrictions and stipulations of record; assessments for public improvements levied against the property, if any; existing zoning ordinances, statutes, laws, or regulations; and any facts which an inspection and accurate survey of the property may disclose. BIDDERS SHALL BE PREPARED TO COMPLY WITH THESE TERMS. All sales are “as is” and the Plaintiff, the Master Commissioner, and the Court shall not be deemed to have warranted title of the real estate to the purchaser.

FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THESE SALES AND OTHER UPCOMING SALES CAN BE FOUND AT www.boonecountyky.org (Link to Department/Agencies to Master Commissioner) PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS ARE ADVISED AND ENCOURAGED TO REFER TO THAT WEBSITE FOR ANSWERS TO ANY QUESTIONS.

8 OCTOBER 25, 2024

kenton county briefs Maverick Chocolate to open new store on Madison Avenue

ago, Mayor Fette spoke to our club and laid out the scope and the components of the different elements going into the Erlanger parks initiative. This initiative is just one reason that today the Rotary Club of Kenton County would like to recognize Mayor Jessica Fette as a Paul Harris Fellow, one of the highest forms of recognition from Rotary.”

NKY Chamber honors McDaniel, Roberts for community contributions

Maverick Chocolate. Photo by Kenton Hornbeck | LINK nky

Maverick Chocolate Co. is set to open in the former Boost Mobile store at 623 Madison Ave. The company taped a flyer with its logo to the front door of the empty storefront.

The company is a family-owned operation that specializes in making bean-to-bar craft chocolate from ethically sourced cocoa beans.

Kenton County Rotary Club honors Erlanger mayor

Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette holds her Rotary Club award Oct. 16. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky

The Kenton County Rotary Club has honored Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette with its Paul Harris Fellow award.

Matt Grimes of the Rotary Club presented Fette with the award at a forum Oct. 16 for Erlanger City Council candidates (see story on Page 5).

Named after Rotary International’s founder, Chicago attorney Paul Harris, the award recognizes the civic contributions of non-Rotarians who contribute or have contributions made in their name to the club.

“Rotary Clubs are encouraged to recognize non-Rotarians as Paul Harris fellows for exhibiting Rotary values, such as service above self, as well as bringing together local or international communities to exchange ideas,” Grimes said. “Several weeks

Scott High School principal Anthony Procaccino is “the subject of a Kenton County police investigation into inappropriate and potentially illegal conduct involving minors off school grounds,” according to Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders.

Kenton County Assistant Police Chief Jim Gilpin told LINK nky partner WCPO that the investigation was launched after police received videos of Procaccino allegedly involved in underage drinking with students.

Jess Dykes, Kenton County School District’s director of public information and community engagement, told LINK that the district is aware of the investigation. “This is a personnel matter,” she said. “We are cooperating with police.”

A Cincinnati-based craft chocolate company is opening a new store in Covington.

Maverick Chocolate has two other locations, both in Cincinnati: 129 West Elder St. in Findlay Market and 2651 Edmondson Road in Rookwood Commons.

Scott High School principal under investigation amid lawsuit at previous school

Chris McDaniel is presented with the Kentucky Chamber MVP Award. Provided | Chris McDaniel via X

State Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ryland Heights) and Rep. Rachel Roberts (D-Newport) were recognized by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce for outstanding contributions to the community.

Both legislators were celebrated at the NKY Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs ‘N Issues breakfast panel held Oct. 22 in Erlanger.

McDaniel was presented the 2024 Kentucky Chamber of Commerce MVP Award

by Brent Cooper, the chamber’s CEO. McDaniel chairs the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee, where he played a crucial role in passing Kentucky’s twoyear state budget during the 2024 session.

McDaniel also helped secure financing for several important Northern Kentucky-based projects, including $150 million for the Center of Biomedical Excellence at the former Covington IRS site. As part of the project, Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law and a branch of the University of Kentucky will move to the site.

Outgoing Rep. Roberts received the NKY Community Award, which honors individuals, businesses or organizations in Northern Kentucky that have had a positive impact on the community.

Roberts was the first woman to hold the House District 67 seat, serving Campbell County. She also was elected House Minority Whip in 2022, making her one of only six women in Kentucky history to be elected to House leadership.

“Rep. Roberts has helped pave the way for women in politics within the commonwealth and has made a significant impact in the Northern Kentucky community,” Cooper said in a release.

Cody Wolf, an assistant principal at Scott, has been named interim principal.

Procaccino was named principal of Scott High School on July 1, according to a tweet from the district. Before that, he was principal at White’s Tower Elementary School for 10 years.

While at White’s Tower, according to court documents, Procaccino was named in a lawsuit filed in 2021. The suit alleges that a student at the elementary school repeatedly attempted self harm while at school and that the school and its leaders were negligent as a result. Two teachers were named in the lawsuit along with Procaccino, who as principal “was charged with the responsibility to supervise the conduct of the teacher’s aids,” according to the suit.

PUBLIC NOTICE

On October 18, 2024, Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company filed their 2024 Joint Integrated Resource Plan with the Public Service Commission of Kentucky. This filing includes a load forecast and resource plans of Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company to meet future demand with an adequate and reliable supply of electricity at the lowest possible cost for all customers within their service areas.

Comments regarding the Integrated Resource Plan may be submitted to the Public Service Commission by mail to Public Service Commission, Post Office Box 615, Frankfort, Kentucky 40602, or by email to at psc.info@ky.gov.

All comments should reference Case No. 2024-00326. Any person interested in participating in the review of this Integrated Resource Plan should submit a motion to intervene in Case No. 2024-00326.

The lawsuit is ongoing; a deposition on the case was filed on the same day Procaccino was named principal at Scott.

Dykes said the district does not have a comment on the ongoing lawsuit.

DHL breaks ground on maintenance facility, anticipates 300 jobs DHL Express announced the groundbreaking of the logistics company’s state-of-theart aviation maintenance facility at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The project is expected to create 300 new full-time jobs.

The $292 million project, which has increased in scope from when it was announced in July 2023, includes the construction of a 305,000-square-foot aviation maintenance facility and an expanded aircraft apron at the company’s global hub in Hebron.

DHL hopes the project will enable more efficient repairs, reduce aircraft downtime and improve service reliability to support timely customer deliveries. The project is expected to be complete in 2026.

EXTENSION ASSISTANT FOR FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES CAMPBELL COUNTY RE47772 Deadline: 11/10/2024 Apply online at: https://ukjobs.uky.edu/ postings/555795 For assistance call: (859) 572-2600

The University of Kentucky is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The address of the Equal Opportunity Office is MartinGatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Room S-105, Agriculture Science Building North, Lexington, Kentucky 40546.

OCTOBER 25, 2024 9

real estate

Breathtaking river views in Villa Hills Address: 2096 Angela Court, Villa Hills Price: $1.69 million Bedrooms: Five Bathrooms: Five (plus three half-baths) School district: Boone County County: Kenton Special features: Custom 2005 construction boasts 6,000 square feet finished living space and unobstructed panoramic Ohio River view. Breathtaking, nearly 2 acre site has three-season room and expansive patio. Only 10 minutes from downtown Cincinnati and about 15 minutes from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Open floor plan with two story great room. Formal dining room has pillared accents. Kitchen includes walk-in pantry. Lots of hardwood floors.

This home, built in 2005, encompasses 6,000 square feet of living space. Photos provided | Jane Ashcraft-West, RE/MAX Victory + Affiliates

Three-season room and expansive patio have amazing Ohio River views.

10 OCTOBER 25, 2024

There’s hardwood flooring throughout, including the two-story great room.

calendar

November Friday

Saturday 01

Proactive Business Planning, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Aviatra Incubator, 112 W. Pike St., Covington.

Interactive sessions, guided journaling, and practical exercises to help you discover fresh approaches to strategic thinking and decision-making for 2025.

Organized by Aviatra Accelerators. Information: aviatraaccelerators.org/events.

Sunday 02

Monday 03

Tuesday 04

Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., Greaves Concert Hall, 1 Louie B. Nunn Drive, Highland Heights. First program of orchestra’s 33rd season marks Halloween and Day of the Dead. Music by Berlioz, Elfman, Liszt, more.

Information: kyso.org/ event/sinister-sonorities.

Wednesday 05

Election Escape Comedy Night, 7-9 p.m., Second Story, 100 W. Sixth St. #2, Covington. Eight comedians perform short sets to help relieve the stress of Election Day. Age 21 and up. Information: 859-669-2270 or eventbrite.com/e/ election-escape-comedy-night-second-story-tickets-1030294768387.

Fall Book Fair, 6-8 p.m., Blue Marble Books, 1356 S. Fort Thomas Ave., Fort Thomas. Annual event with treats, crafts, games, food, drinks and more. Also raises funds to renovate building.

Information: eventbrite. com/e/blue-marblebooks-fall-fair-tickets-1045423779667.

Thursday 06

07

Women’s Initiative-Business After Hours joint event, 4:306:30 p.m., Barleycorn’s Brewhouse, 402 Licking Pike, Wilder. Find out what’s brewing with the NKY Chamber at happy hour full of connections, conversations and craft beer. Free registration required. Information: 859-578-6391 or business.nkychamber.com/ events.

Women’s Initiative 2024 Regional Summit, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., NKU Student Union Ballroom, Nunn Drive, Highland Heights.

All-day conference to enhance professional skills of women of all career stages, levels and industries. Information: 859-426-3651, hnibert@ nkychamber.com or business.nkychamber. com/events.

Erlanger City Council meeting, 7-9 p.m., Erlanger City Building, 505 Commonwealth Ave., Erlanger. Information: mark.collier@cityoferlanger.com.

Underwater Pumpkin Glow, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Newport Aquarium, 1 Aquarium Way, Newport. Glowing animals made from pumpkins in favorite exhibits. Final weekend. Information: newportaquarium.com/ things-to-do/aquarium-events/pumpkin-glow.

Classifieds

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

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OCTOBER 25, 2024 11

streetscapes

Greenup lineup changes, but it’s still delicious

By Maria Hehman

T

his week, we head back to Greenup Street in Covington. This stretch of Covington has gone through an abundance of change in the past few years (RIP Keystone and Lil’s Bagels), but, when one door closes, another delicious one opens. Join us for three restaurants from a true sports bar to upscale rustic dining.

By Golly’s

swiss cheese, bacon seared pineapple and teriyaki BBQ sauce, the combination will silence any pineapple haters.

Nostalgia may cause patrons to crave Keystone’s marquee dish. By Golly’s chicken quesadilla, and fried mac and cheese bites will cure any hunger pangs. Salads, sandwiches, wraps and pizza round out the offerings.

scale dining will give you quality food at a reasonable price.

Blinkers’ steaks have been named the best in NKY for 12 years, so it’s safe to say they know a thing or two about steaks. Besides them, entrees include salmon, pork chops and pastas. The linguine pasta primavera with a wine butter sauce and seasonal vegetables is perfect for vegetarians.

The atmosphere is electric during football season, and on weekends By Golly’s serves brunch. (No one should tailgate on an empty stomach.) Its breakfast menu is smaller than the lunch and dinner menus, but the bases are covered: a breakfast burrito for savory fans and Belgian waffles for a sweet start.

There’s an ample wine and bourbon menu along with signature cocktails to pair with the steaks.

What’s a sports bar without refreshments?

There’s a full bar with beer, wine and cocktails, plus mimosa flights for brunch and beer buckets for late night. By Golly, they’ve got it all.

Governor’s House

Like its new neighbors, Blinkers also serves weekend brunch. Hot honey chicken biscuits and goetta eggs Benedict are just two reasons this weekend brunch is a must.

throughout.

There’s an extensive wine menu, along with all the foods one would want to pair with it. From charcuterie boards to pasta, your experience here will be nothing short of a dinner in Rome.

The menu rotates with the season – as it’s pumpkin season, there’s a pumpkin ravioli that makes a great sharable starter. Filet mignon, chicken parmesan and branzini all make for exceptional and filling entree choices.

Those with specific diets need not worry; there’s always a vegan item on the menu that best exemplifies the palate of the season. Governors House is a great spot for date night or girls night, and with a rotating menu there’s always a new reason to visit.

Blinkers Tavern

What to Know If You Go

By Golly’s Location: 313 Greenup St., Covington Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday 11-1 a.m.; Saturday 10-1 a.m.; Sunday 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

Website: bygollys.com Phone: 859-261-0569

By Golly’s is the newest addition to Greenup Street. Photo by Maria Hehman | LINK nky contributor

It’s tough to follow a well loved establishment like Keystone, but it’s always exciting to discover a spot that can become a new favorite. By Golly’s has two other locations, both in Cincinnati. They are casual sports bars best known for their burgers and wings.

Fans of traditional flavors are best served by the By Golly bacon burger with cheddar cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato, red onion and topped with By Golly’s signature sauce. The argument of pineapple on pizza has spread to pineapple on burgers.

Those wanting to start a heated conversation can opt for a Lila Luau Burger. With

12 OCTOBER 25, 2024

Blinkers Tavern

Blinkers Tavern, a longtime Greenup favorite, has a racehorse theme. Provided | Blinkers via Facebook

Blinkers has been such an established name on Greenup for years, it would be impossible to exclude them. The horse racing-themed restaurant is best known for its steaks, making this the perfect spot for a date night or special occasion. Its semi-up-

Governor’s House at night, a stunning setting for date night. Photo by Maria Hehman | LINK nky contributor

Governor’s House Wine Bar and Italian Kitchen is in a historic 1800s mansion.

Its beautiful decor marries modern style while honoring the original architecture.

The gorgeous rustic interior creates a cozy ambiance for chilly days, while the alluring outdoor patio is adorned in string lights, lanterns on each table and fire heaters

Location: 318 Greenup St., Covington Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday, 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Website: blinkerstavern.com Phone: 859-360-0840

Governor’s House Wine Bar and Italian Kitchen Location: 314 Greenup St., Covington Hours: Monday, closed; Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 4-11 p.m.; Sunday, 4-9 p.m.

Website: governorshouse.wine.com Phone: 859-291-9463

OCTOBER 25, 2024 13

sports Campbell County, CovCath, Highlands claim soccer titles

Campbell County won its first 10th Region title since 2021. Ray Schaefer | LINK nky contributor

The Campbell County boys and girls, Highlands girls and Covington Catholic all claimed region soccer titles from Oct. 17-19.

The Campbell County girls were first to punch their ticket to the state tournament, with a thrilling penalty kick-shootout victory on Oct. 17 over George Rogers Clark.

Neither team was able to score in regulation, and, after two extra five-minute periods, the game went to kicks from the mark.

The Camels took the shootout, 4-3.

Campbell County didn’t allow a goal the entire region tournament with 4-0, 8-0 and 1-0 victories over Montgomery County, Harrison County and GRC, respectively.

The Campbell County boys defeated Bishop Brossart in the 10th Region championship on Oct. 19. After splitting two meetings during the season, the Camels prevailed in the title game, 2-1. It was the Camels’ first title since 2017. The Camels defeated Mason County in the semifinals and then the Mustangs in the championship.

coach resigning before the season. The team defeated Cooper, 1-0, Dixie Heights, 2-1, and then the Cougars, 1-0, to claim the title. Bailee Class, Natalie Hinegardner and Gabby Simons were also named to the All-Tournament team.

Covington Catholic was the favorite to win the 9th and took care of business with a 3-1 victory over Highlands in the championship game. The Colonels offense was clicking on all cylinders as they scored 13 goals in the tournament. They defeated Newport Central Catholic, 6-1, in the quarterfinals, Ryle, 4-2, in the semifinals and then the 3-1 victory over the Bluebirds in the championship.

David Do was named tournament MVP while Tyler Turnpaugj, Tanner Robertson and Ryan Burke were named to the All-Tournament team.

Ryle hires Meier as next softball coach Veteran softball coach David Meier is returning to the diamond this spring after a two-year absence. Ryle High School recently named Meier its next head coach.

He replaces Mary Beth Odom, who parted ways with the softball program after one season.

Meier met the team Oct. 14. He’ll be the Raiders’ third head coach in three years, following the departure of Craig Milburn after the 2021 season. Under Milburn, the Raiders enjoyed eight successful seasons, including their last 9th Region tournament championship in 2018. Ryle’s 10 regional crowns are the most of any Northern Kentucky school.

Highlands’ girls pulled off what many would consider an upset in the 9th Region championship game Oct. 19 against Conner on their home turf. The Bluebirds won 1-0, thanks to a penalty kick goal from Kendall Graves. Graves scored in all three region tournament games and was later named tournament MVP.

Meier’s last head coaching position was in 2022 at Villa Madonna. He guided the Vikings for 10 years, achieving a 121-93 career record. His teams won four Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Division III championships and two 9th Region All “A” Classic titles.

Highlands’ improbable run comes after losing 13 seniors, their top three goal scorers, defenders, goalkeeper to injury and

During his tenure, Meier won two NKAC coach of the year awards. His 2015 Villa Madonna squad set a school record with a .399

batting average. He was there when the school upgraded its softball facility. That led to Villa Madonna’s hosting its first-ever All “A” Classic 9th Region softball tournament in 2016. His 2022 squad set a program record with 19 wins, and Villa Madonna’s four winningest seasons came under his direction.

Meier also coached softball at Notre Dame Academy from 2009 to 2011. He recently assisted at Holy Cross.

In addition to softball, Meier coached baseball at Villa Madonna for 11 years. He was the baseball coach in 2003 when Villa constructed its softball field. When he began as the softball coach, the team played on an open field. It’s now fully enclosed with new fencing and a drainage system. It also features a scoreboard and an upgraded concession stand.

Meier started the Villa baseball program in 1995, winning 107 games. He was a top prep baseball player at Covington Catholic and a college standout at Thomas More. Meier hit .380 in his Saints career, set school pitching records and was a team MVP. Meier and his family are a persevering bunch. He had quadruple heart-bypass surgery 10 years ago. He recently became a Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

The Raiders lost just three seniors to graduation, one of them standout Maddie Goddard, their pitching ace, and senior Laney Schuster is now at Simon Kenton. They expect the return of three new seniors including Laci DeLauder, Hannah Dunn and Makayla Irvin. DeLauder was second on the team in innings pitched and fifth in batting average.

NKU women’s basketball picked 7th in preseason Horizon League poll The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team was picked seventh in the Horizon League preseason poll, voted on by the league’s head coaches, SIDs and media members.

Macey Blevins was selected to the All-League preseason second team. Provided | NKU Athletics

Cleveland State claimed the top spot with seven first-place votes, with Green Bay second with four first-placed votes and Purdue Fort Wayne in third.

NKU is coming off an 11-20 season in 202324 and the loss of their two top scorers, Carter McCray (15.7) and Khamari Mitchell-Steen (13.7). Macey Blevins is the leading returning scorer, grabbing a spot on the Preseason All-League Second Team after a 2023-24 campaign in which she averaged 12.9 points per game on 44.3% shooting.

Alongside Blevins, Kailee Davis is back after putting up 10.4 points a game. Notre Dame Academy grad Noelle Hubert also returns, starting in 24 of the 31 games a season ago.

Allison Bayse, Kalissa Lacy and Gabby Razzano also return, each making an appearance in at least 20 games.

Paige Hodson and Madison French are two other members that return with playing time last season.

Additions include WKU transfer Mya Meredith, who sat out last season due to a knee injury, Northeastern transfer Halle Idowu, IUPUI transfer Abby Wolterman and IU-Indy transfer Jaci Jones.

Three freshman round out the recruiting class, Conner grad Anna Hamilton, Kamora Morgan and Sydney Martin.

Jeff Hans enters as the new head coach, coming in from Thomas More University.

Hans replaces Camryn Whitaker and is one of four coaches in the Horizon League to enter the 2024-25 season as the new leaders of their respective programs.

NKU opens its regular season Nov. 4 at home against Middle Tennessee State University.

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The Highlands volleyball team won LINK nky Team of the Week honors for Oct. 6-12. File photo | Charles Bolton

HIGHLANDS VOLLEYBALL 14 OCTOBER 25, 2024

obituaries

Darla Kay Megerle, persevered despite setbacks

D

arla Kay Megerle, formerly of Covington’s Latonia neighborhood, died Oct. 22. She was 70.

Early in adulthood, Ms. Megerle suffered a series of serious, debilitating health setbacks and a roller coaster struggle with mental illness, but those never slowed her down. She always persevered to be the best and proudest mom for her son, Steven J. “Stevie Joe” Megerle, and his wife, Anne (Lame) Megerle. She boasted the broadest smile as “Nanna Darla,” loving her grandson, William, and granddaughter, Madeleine Kay, as they played and climbed on her wheelchair.

All survive her.

Later in life, despite being disabled, she trekked to occasional college classes at NKU’s Covington campus and Gateway Community College trying to master science and math, always championing a desire to get back to work.

Ms. Megerle loved reading, music and time spent with her siblings and Cincin-

J

ohn Joseph Serra, of Fort Thomas, died Oct. 24 at St. Elizabeth Fort Thomas Hospital. He was 73.

Mr. Serra is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Sharon McFarland Serra; daughters Stephanie (Nick) Monaco and Kim (Paul) Serra Freer; stepsons Jed (Jenna) Thorn and Isaac (Erica) Thorn; and grandchildren Caitlin, Olivia, Rose, Aaron, Bryce and Guinevere. He was preceded in death by his twin brother Frank Serra and his parents, John and Eleanor (nee Palumbo) Serra.

Ms. Megerly, nee DeZarn, grew up on Kenton Street in Cincinnti’s Walnut Hills neighborhood with “Granny Rube” and Goebel Hager. Later moving to Northern Kentucky, she graduated from Boone County High School, landed in Latonia and married Stephen Megerle.

Ms. Megerle worked at Fifth Third Bank for a stint and, like her mother, “Doots,” served as a waitress at several restaurants through her adult life, including the Frisch’s on James Avenue in Latonia.

John Joseph Serra, 73

nati cousins. She cherished sharing a chat, her opinions, a Pall Mall bummed from Ruby or any cigarette, a Diet Pepsi, and devouring a LaRosas’s meat lovers pizza or Frisch’s pumpkin pie.

Ms. Megerle is happily now in peace, bickering again with Granny Rube and thankful for all of her many caregivers.

Her memory will never be forgotten by all she met and shared life with.

Darla was preceded in death by her parents, Raleigh and Katherine (Moore) DeZarn, and brothers Raleigh Jr. and David Moore.

Visitation and a wake were held Oct. 30. Mass of Christian Burial followed at Holy Cross Parish in Covington. She will be buried at Mother of God Cemetery in Fort Wright. Connley Brothers Funeral Home handled arrangements. Memorials are suggested to NAMI NKY or the Alliance for Catholic Urban Education of the Diocese of Covington. Online condolences may be offered at connleybrothersfuneralhome.com.

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line at checkout.shelterluv.com/donate/ A celebration of life was held Oct. 27 at CAMP; or to Meals on Wheels of SouthJohn Josephwest Serra Ohio and Northern Kentucky, 2091 Wiedemann Hill Mansion in Newport.

John Joseph Serra, 73 of Ft. Thomas, KY passed away October 24, 2024 at St. Elizabeth, Radcliff Cincinnati, OHand45204, He is preceded in deathDrive, by his twin brother Frank Serra his parents John and E Palumbo) Serra. John is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Sharon McFarland Serra Donations are requested to Campbell online at Kim muchmorethanameal.org.

Stephanie or (Nick) Monaco and (Paul) Serra Freer, stepsons Jed (Jenna) Thorn and I Thorn and grandchildren Caitlin, Olivia, Rose, Aaron, Bryce and Guinevere. A celebration County Animal Services, 1989 Poplar be held Sunday, October 27, 2024 fromdonating 1:00pm - 4:00pm Wiedemann Please note when thatatthe do- Hill Mansion Ave, Newport, KY 41071. Donations are requested to: Campbell County Animal Services Ridge Road, Melbourne, KY 41059, or1989 on- Poplar Road, Melbourne, KY 41059, or on nation Ridge is in memory of John Serra.

https://checkout.shelterluv.com/donate/CAMP, or to Meals on Wheels of Southwes Northern KY 2091 Radcli Drive Cincinnati, OH 45204 or online at: Muchmoretha Please note when donating that the donation is in memory of John Serra.

NOTICE

Please take notice that Duke Energy Kentucky, Inc. has applied to the Kentucky Public Service Commission for approval to revise its Demand Side Management (DSM) rate for gas service and electric service for residential and commercial customers. Duke Energy Kentucky’s current monthly DSM rate for residential gas customers is ($0.010030) per hundred cubic feet and for nonresidential gas customers is $0.000000 per hundred cubic feet. Duke Energy Kentucky’s current monthly DSM rate for residential electric customers is $0.001352 per kilowatt-hour and for non-residential customers is $0.003503 per kilowatt-hour for distribution service and $0.000514 per kilowatt-hour for transmission service.

Duke Energy Kentucky seeks approval to revise these rates as follows: Duke Energy Kentucky’s monthly DSM rate for residential gas customers would increase to $0.001249 per hundred cubic feet and for non-residential gas customers would remain at $0.000000 per hundred cubic feet. Duke Energy Kentucky’s monthly DSM rate for residential electric customers would increase to $0.002418 per kilowatthour and for non-residential customers would decrease to $0.003409 per kilowatthour for distribution service and would increase to $0.000674 per kilowatt-hour for transmission service.

The rate contained in this notice is the rate proposed by Duke Energy Kentucky. However, the Public Service Commission may order a rate to be charged that differs from this proposed rate. Such action may result in a rate for consumers other than the rate in this notice. The foregoing rates reflect a proposed increase in electric revenues of approximately $1.45 million or 0.32% over current total electric revenues and an increase in gas revenues of approximately $0.7 million or 0.54% over current total gas revenues.

A typical residential gas customer using 70 ccf in a month will see an increase of $0.79 or 0.8%. A typical residential electric customer using 1000 kWh in a month will see an increase of $1.16 or 0.9%. A typical non-residential electric customer using 40 kilowatts and 14,000 kWh will see a decrease of $1.49 or (0.1%).

A non-residential customer served at transmission voltage using 10,000 kilowatts and 4,000,000 kWh will see an increase of $640.00 or 0.2%. Non-residential gas customers will see no change in their bills from this application.

Any corporation, association, body politic or person may by motion within thirty (30) days after publication or mailing of notice of the proposed rate changes, submit a written request to intervene to the Public Service Commission, 211 Sower Boulevard, P.O. Box 615, Frankfort, Kentucky 40602, and shall set forth the grounds for the request including the status and interest of the party. The intervention may be granted beyond the thirty (30) day period for good cause shown. Written comments regarding the proposed rate may be submitted to the Public Service Commission by mail or through the Public Service Commission’s website. A copy of this application filed with the Public Service Commission is available for public inspection at Duke Energy Kentucky’s office at 1262 Cox Road, Erlanger, Kentucky 41018 and on its website at http://www.duke-energy.com. This filing and any other related documents can be found on the Public Service Commission’s website at http://psc.ky.gov.

OCTOBER 25, 2024 15

Estimates on Sewer or HVAC replacements are

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