LINK Kenton Reader - Volume 3, Issue 34 - July 25, 2025
A club with a cause: Rotary rebuilds in Campbell County
By Haley Parnell
Walton resident Barbara Rahn can hardly remember a time when she wasn’t part of a Rotary Club.
Rotary International is the world’s oldest service club, founded in 1905 in Chicago by Paul Harris. In 1987, Rahn was asked to be the first woman of the local Rotary Club chapter in Kankakee County, Illinois. After dragging her feet about it, though, she ended up being the second woman member. Now assistant governor of Rotary District 6740 and part of the Kenton County Rotary Club, Rahn is tasked with reconstructing the organization’s Campbell County chapter.
“When I was first approached to be a Rotarian, one of the things that stuck in my mind was the four-way test,” Rahn said. “Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? I feel like those are things we all should live by.”
Today, Rotary has grown to over 1.4 million
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Report recommends housing priorities
By Nathan Granger
Anew report has recommended four interventions to help alleviate the region’s housing problems.
Released by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and dubbed the “Northern Kentucky Housing Blueprint,” the report’s four initiatives are establishing a housing fund, expanding workforce development, encouraging employer-assisted housing programs and constructing “missing middle” housing.
The Blueprint report follows two other major explorations of housing in the region. The first was a 2023 report released by the Northern Kentucky Area Development District and conducted in partnership with the county fiscal courts, the engineering firm Stantec, as well as local businesses
and civic organizations. It suggested that the eight northernmost counties in Kentucky need “to build 6,650 housing units to support economic development in the next five years, which equates to 1,330 units per year.”
Broken down by income level, the study showed the largest need is for what it called “workforce housing,” which refers to households whose hourly wages range from $15 to $25 with monthly housing costs between $500 and $1,500. The region needs about 3,000 more housing units for people in that income range.
The second major report was released earlier this year. Spearheaded by the Northern Kentucky Area Development District and the Brighton Center, a wraparound nonprofit based in Newport, the report, titled “Home for All,” presented a list of 50
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Erlanger brewery crafts beer for a cause p7 Young Marines build leaders a Saturday at a time p9
A new report offers four targeted ways to help alleviate Northern Kentucky’s housing shortfall.
Photo by Julio Cortez | Associated Press
Members of the Rotary Club of Houston Skyline in Texas and other clubs clean up litter at the Third Ward Chess Park in Houston in 2021. The clubs and their community partners turned a vacant lot into a park with picnic and chess tables, garden beds and public art. Provided | Rotary International
PRESIDENT & CEO Lacy Starling
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Meghan Goth
SPORTS EDITOR Evan Dennison
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members in more than 35,000 clubs worldwide. According to the Rotary International website, Rotary is dedicated to causes that “build international relationships, improve lives and create a better world to support our peace efforts and end polio forever.”
Locally, Rahn said the chapters do service projects that give back to the community. These include volunteering at the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky, distributing food at Isaiah House Ministries, and participating in park and river cleanups.
Rahn has lived in four states, and wherever she has put down roots, she has joined the local Rotary Club. She’s remained a Rotarian since 1987 because she believes in the organization’s philosophy.
Rahn said Campbell County had a Rotary Club that had been in the area for over 100 years. Its lead person died during the pandemic; from there, it fizzled and eventually dissolved.
“Two people can do more than one person can, and, when you’re in a club and you put your minds together, you can accomplish great things,” Rahn said.
Boone and Kenton counties have Rotary Clubs. The Rotary Club of Florence serves as the club for Boone County. Kenton County has two clubs: the Covington Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Kenton County.
To form the new Campbell County chapter, Rahn said 15 people needed to commit to being members. She said there is also a focus on recruiting young people. She said the clubs have a lot of retirees, and the clubs will cease to exist if they’re the only focus for recruitment.
Rahn said the first step is getting the word out. She connected with Campbell County Library Director Chantelle Phillips to reach a broader audience. Phillips said she has attended an informational meeting to see
if the Rotary Club is a good fit for the library to get involved.
“I thought I’d investigate to see if this was something that we should be involved in,” Phillips said. “To see if it’s something that would line up with our mission. It would help us get more involved with the community. We’re always trying to figure out ways to participate and partner with different groups.”
The club’s meeting times can be flexible. Rahn said the “legacy,” or traditional, clubs would meet at noon, but, over time, people have realized that’s not realistic for everyone’s schedule. She said the new club’s meeting days and times would be determined based on members’ availability.
“In Palm Springs, I was a member of a morning club, because that’s what worked for me, because I had to open the office for my employees,” Rahn said. “It gave me an opportunity still to be a Rotarian and accomplish good things, but it also made me at work on time.”
Rotarian Jeanne Clark, the former District 6740 governor, is assisting Rahn with what she needs to establish the Campbell County group.
‘Service above self’
Clark is part of an evening Rotarian Club in Lexington. She has been a part of the Rotary Club since 2003 after retiring as a teacher in Pikeville, and she became that club’s president in 2011. After her husband retired, they relocated to Lexington, where she joined the Lexington Rotary Club. She then later switched to the Lexington After Hours Rotary Club to fit her schedule better.
“Rotary is very much a community organization,” Clark said. “It’s about service above self. There are five areas of service that Rotary focuses on, and one of the big ones is community service, and that seems to be the major reason people want to join Rotary.”
She said Rotary steps in and tries to identify local needs other organizations do not meet. A club might fill backpacks with snacks and food items for low-income students to take home over the weekend. Or visit a nursing home and bring goodie bags with blankets, nightclothes and socks.
Since Rotary is an international organization, it also encourages every club to participate in some type of global service. An example, Clark said, was a partnership the organization has with ShelterBox. Clubs can spend $1,000 to purchase a ShelterBox, a large plastic tub containing a tent that can house a family of six, along with lights, thermal blankets, utensils and a medical kit. The boxes are sent all over the world to areas where families have been displaced by war or a natural disaster, like a hurricane or tornado.
“Right now, a lot of shelter boxes are going to Ukraine,” Clark said. “We can’t get ShelterBox into Gaza to service those people who are homeless. Hopefully, in the future, they’ll be able to do that. They go to India; they go to Africa. They’re all over the place. I always say to clubs that $1,000 you’re sending to ShelterBox can give a family some hope, give them a home, albeit temporarily.”
Clark said that, when she was in her previous Rotary Club in Lexington, they raised money for international service through a global grant. She said they raised $300,000 to put solar panels on 26 schools in southern India where electrical service is sporadic or nonexistent. Clark and her husband then visited South India to see the schools that had received solar panels. Rotarians can attend any club’s meeting they choose. Rahn has attended six different club meetings in the Dominican Republic.
Those interested in joining the Rotary Club or to learn more can email Rahn at blrahn@ twc.com.
Members of the Rotary Club of Memorial-Spring Branch in Houston distribute backpacks in 2021 to families at the Spring Branch Community Health Center vaccination fair. Provided | Rotary International
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options for addressing housing. In many ways, the chamber’s new report is a refinement of “Home for All,” narrowing the focus to four priority strategies.
The Chamber of Commerce is an advocacy group composed largely of businesses, and the suggestions in the report comport with a business-minded perspective.
Brent Cooper, the chamber’s president and CEO, admits that “there is no single silver bullet that’s gonna help solve this problem. It is a supply and demand issue, and it ain’t simple to solve.”
Four areas of focus
• Workforce development. Cooper emphasized the need for partnerships between private enterprises and public institutions, especially on workforce development. If there’s a shortage of housing, training more people to build housing should help address the strain on supply.
“We have to get people into the workforce,” Cooper said. “Trades, construction, plumbing, electricians – everything you need to construct a home.”
“A lack of sufficient workforce in residential construction is one of the largest drivers of housing costs and the lead time to build new homes,” said Brian Miller, executive vice president at Building Industry Association of Northern Kentucky, in a news release. “Without skilled labor – such as carpenters, electricians and HVAC specialists – projects are delayed, costs in-
crease and the housing shortage persists. Addressing this workforce gap through expanded training programs, apprenticeship opportunities and outreach to younger generations is critical.”
• The “missing middle.” The construction of what is often referred to as the “missing middle” of housing was the next recommendation.
The missing middle refers to housing that can hold several families at once but isn’t as high-density as multistory apartment complexes – i.e., occupying a middle ground between single-family homes and high-density housing. These include units like duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes and town homes.
• Regional housing fund. The other primary strategy Cooper emphasized was establishing a regional housing fund, which would serve as a vehicle to fund construction of housing the market wouldn’t usually support by itself. The chamber pointed to the Catalytic Fund of Northern Kentucky, a federally designated community development financial institution, as a model.
The fund was started in 2008 but wasn’t fully capitalized until 2012. Today, the fund contains roughly $32 million, supplied by both federal grants and private investors, which the organization lends to projects that CEO Jeanne Schroer described earlier this summer as the “really hard stuff.” Any money the fund earns from project investments is channeled back into the fund for future projects.
The fund has already invested in several rehabilitation projects in the region, such as the Kent Lofts in Bellevue. Since 2013, the fund has aided in the creation of over 1,000 new residential units, as well as the preservation and rehabilitation of 91 historic buildings. It has also invested in numerous commercial spaces (the fund does not invest in businesses themselves, just the real estate).
Although it has funded affordable housing in the past, the Catalytic Fund doesn’t have a dedicated subfund specifically for affordable, workforce or income-aligned housing, and there’s no guarantee that any project in which the fund invests would include such housing. Schroer could not yet provide details on what the new fund would look like when she spoke with LINK because the sources of seed capital were still being worked out.
Still, the chamber offered some projections of what such a new fund could accomplish. With seed capital of $10 million, the fund could bankroll 1,000 new income-aligned homes and repair approximately 500 existing homes. Such a fund could also provide down payment assistance to 275 firsttime homebuyers.
“Generally, what we are wanting to do is to really leverage the money that we have so that the maximum amount of units can be funded,” Schroer said.
Models for this kind of fund already exist. One is the Northern Kentucky HOME Consortium, which uses federal grant money to provide forgivable loans to qualifying home buyers in Covington, Ludlow, Newport, Bellevue, Dayton, Erlanger, Florence and Independence.
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Assistant City Clerk
The City of Crescent Springs is accepting applications for the part–time position of Assistant City Clerk. This position performs a variety of accounting, customer service, and administrative duties. Three years of increasingly responsible experience in accounting or local government administration is strongly preferred. Applicants with an equivalent combination of related education, training, and experience will be considered. Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) certification is desired, or willingness to obtain CMC certification. Candidates must be bondable and may be subject to a pre–employment physical, drug testing, and criminal history/background check.
The job description and application are available by contacting April Robinson at arobinson@crescent–springs.ky.us. A résumé and application are encouraged to be submitted by Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. to April Robinson at arobinson@ crescent–springs.ky.us or 739 Buttermilk Pike, Crescent Springs, KY 41017. The City of Crescent Springs is a drug–free workplace and an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Public Works Laborer
The City of Crescent Springs is accepting applications for a Public Works Laborer. This position is responsible for maintaining city streets, parks, buildings, and grounds, as well as providing public services such as snow removal, concrete/asphalt work, and other general construction tasks.
A successful candidate will have a high school diploma or equivalent, experience operating equipment and performing manual labor or maintenance work, and must be comfortable working outdoors year–round. Applicants must have a valid Kentucky driver’s license and be able to obtain a CDL Class B within six months of hire. Previous relevant work experience is a plus. Salary is commensurate with qualifications.
Submit application to:
City of Crescent Springs
Tonya Miller, Public Works Director 739 Buttermilk Pike, Crescent Springs, KY 41017
The deadline for applications is June 30th at 4:00 p.m. Applications must be delivered or postmarked by that date. The position will remain open until filled. The City of Crescent Springs is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a drug–free workplace.
Data provided by the American Community Survey, Zillow and Northern Kentucky Area Development District. Chart provided by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
Another, across the Ohio River, is the Cincinnati Development Fund. Also a CDFI, the Cincinnati Development Fund already has a specific subprogram for affordable housing. Called the Affordable Housing Leverage Fund, it provided roughly $75 million in investment to 54 projects, comprising about 1,800 income-restricted units, in the fund’s service area between September 2022 and September 2024.
“I do think there’s a lot of partners within the region that are interested in supporting this initiative,” Schroer said.
• Employer-assisted housing. These programs are exactly what they sound like – programs designed to help employers defray the cost of housing they provide to attract and retain qualified workers.
The Brighton Center, which was instrumental in producing the initial 50 strategies in the “Home for All” report, already provides a variety of workforce training and housing programs for its clients.
Wonda Winkler, president and CEO of the Brighton Center, said, “there could be a role for our organization to partner with employers to make support available to their employees, for example, and align what we do as an organization well in support of what innovations employers might be interested in pursuing.”
Winkler said that key measures were being developed to track the progress of the region’s housing initiatives.
Winkler and Cooper emphasized that there was no single solution for every community in the region. “What is needed in the urban core of Northern Kentucky is different that [what] might be needed in the five lower counties,” Winkler said.
“Each [recommendation] is going to have to be worked on and done collaboratively across the region,” Cooper said. “This is a heavy lift; it is. It’s a heavy lift, but it’s a heavy lift that we know that we need to make in order to keep our region competitive.”
Read the report
You can download and read the full Northern Kentucky Housing Blueprint report and the earlier “Home for All” and 2023 Area Development District reports. All three are available at nkychamber.com/housing.
NOTICE
Duke Energy Kentucky, Inc. (Duke Energy Kentucky or Company) hereby gives notice that, in an application to be filed no later than July 1, 2025, Duke Energy Kentucky will be seeking approval by the Public Service Commission, Frankfort, Kentucky, of an adjustment of its Pipeline Modernization Mechanism (Rider PMM) rates and charges proposed to become effective on and after January 1, 2026. The Commission has docketed this proceeding as Case No. 2025-00229.
DUKE ENERGY KENTUCKY PRESENT AND PROPOSED RATES
The present and proposed rates charged in all territories served by Duke Energy Kentucky are as follows:
Residential Service – Rate RS
Present Rates
Rate RS, Residential Service $0.12/ccf
Proposed Rates Rate RS, Residential Service $0.24/ccf
These rates reflect an increase in gas revenues of approximately $16,755,374 for 2026 to Duke Energy Kentucky. The allocation of this estimated increase among rate classes is as follows:
The average monthly bill for each customer class to which the proposed rates will apply will increase(decrease) approximately as follows:
The rates contained in this notice are the rates proposed by Duke Energy Kentucky; however, the Commission may order rates to be charged that differ from the proposed rates contained in this notice. Such action may result in a rate for consumers other than the rates in this notice.
Any corporation, association, body politic or person with a substantial interest in the matter may, by written request within thirty (30) days after publication of this notice of the proposed rate changes, request leave to intervene; intervention may be granted beyond the 30-day period for good cause shown. Such motion shall be submitted to the Kentucky Public Service Commission, P.O. Box 615, 211 Sower Boulevard, Frankfort, Kentucky 40602-0615, and shall set forth the grounds for the request including the status and interest of the party. If the Commission does not receive a written request for intervention within thirty (30) days of the initial publication, the Commission may take final action on the application.
Intervenors may obtain copies of the application and other filings made by the Company by requesting same through email at DEKInquiries@duke-energy.com or by telephone at (513) 287-4366. A copy of the application and other filings made by the Company are available for public inspection through the Commission’s website at http://psc.ky.gov, at the Commission’s office at 211 Sower Boulevard, Frankfort, Kentucky, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am. to 4:30 p.m., and at the following Company office: Erlanger Ops Center, 1262 Cox Road, Erlanger, Kentucky 41018. Comments regarding the application may be submitted to the Public Service Commission through its website, or by mail at the following Commission address. For further information contact: PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION DUKE ENERGY KENTUCKY
A formerly vacant 20,000 square-foot factory in Bellevue was converted into 66 living units named the Kent Lofts. At left, the building before renovation; at right, a rendering of the completed project, which was funded in part by the Catalytic Fund. Provided | Catalytic Fund
Molly Seifert sat on the stage of the auditorium at Beechwood High School. She was at the end of a row of tables shaped like a horseshoe, at which the district’s board of education sat.
“I’m here to speak on behalf of young women who have been sexually harassed, abused or groomed in the school setting,” Seifert said, looking at each board member, along with newly appointed Superintendent Justin Kaiser. “I am one of these women.”
Seifert is a teacher and the parent of a Beechwood graduate.
“When I graduated from high school in 1995, the word grooming didn’t exist yet,” Seifert said. The practice did, though, she said, as evidenced by her history teacher’s behavior.
“I approached the administration at the time, but I was brushed aside, like many young women oftentimes are,” Seifert said. “Years later, at a family dinner, my younger cousin mentioned that the same thing happened to her. Same school, same teacher. That teacher went on to have a 40 year career in education.”
Now, she said, that scenario could have happened again, this time at Beechwood.
Seifert taught the woman who testified before the Kentucky General Assembly in 2023 about a teacher who she said groomed her and had sexual contact with her while she was a student at Beechwood High School in 2020.
On behalf of that student, Seifert offered a list of things the district should do. The first four: admit past mistakes, apologize, report allegations as reported by law, and advocate for legislation that would make this behavior illegal.
“Additionally, the superintendent will communicate to the Board of Education and Beechwood families as appropriate under the law.”
Beechwood parent Lisa Meiman also addressed the board at the July 14 meeting.
“You guys knew what happened,” she said. “We should have been all made aware of what happened in a legal way, so that you weren’t violating any laws, but so that parents could talk to their children.”
in this cover-up should resign, but I know that that’s not going to happen,” Hiner said. “So let’s start with a few simple things.”
Hiner reiterated that parents want an apology from the district for how the situation was handled.
“Two,” she said, “recognize why the community feels so upset and betrayed. Three, put plans in place to not just toe the line of legality, but to do the right thing. Four, adding structures to the school that support and encourage students to report sexual empathy. Five, engage members of the community to help.”
Toward the end of the meeting, Kaiser’s first as superintendent, Kaiser read a statement that included remarks about the 2020 situation involving the teacher. If anything like what happened in 2020 should happen again, Kaiser said, “it is also our duty to communicate with families throughout the process.”
That communication, Kaiser said, may not include details or names. But it will include, he said, “communication just to make sure our families know what is going on. Communication and transparency are only words until they are an action. We will move from telling you what we are doing to why we are doing it.”
Fifth, she said, “Provide resources for parents to learn more about grooming and sexual misconduct so they can help their children identify this behavior. And most importantly, No. 6, believe young women.”
Siefert hit at something every speaker at the July 14 meeting Beechwood Board of Education agreed with: The district needs to learn how to communicate with parents.
The meeting was the first official board of education meeting since it was reported that former Superintendent Mike Stacy had been permanently barred from renewing his certification to work in schools in Kentucky.
Stacy was barred from renewing his certification because he didn’t report to the state board of education incidents from 2020 that he learned about in 2022. Those incidents involved a teacher and student. Stacy claims that, because the Kentucky State Police, which conducted the 2022 meeting, brought the investigation to Beechwood, he didn’t have any further responsibility to report the information. He also said he was not in the room for certain portions of the interview.
The board met July 8, 2025, according to an email sent to parents, to discuss how the district and superintendent handled the accusations. In short, the email says that, if similar circumstances arise in the future, the school will react differently than it did in the 2020 incident, though it doesn’t go into detail about the incident.
“Going forward, should similar circumstances arise, our new superintendent will report according to KRS,” the email says.
Many parents didn’t know this happened, Meiman said. Those parents “didn’t have the opportunity to speak to their children to verify that their children had not been put in a position of abuse.”
Meiman said taking that kind of action would have been a good start for the board’s response.
“Please speak to your children about the possibility that they came in contact with someone that behaves in any way inappropriately,” Meiman said.
Further, Meiman said, students were told to “stop spreading rumors” if anyone heard them talking about the incident at school.
“When you’re asking for silence from children of sexual abuse, you’re inviting the abuser to be the winner,” Meiman said. “We should have provided counselors. We should have provided the parents the opportunity to speak to a professional so that they could know how to best speak to their children and protect their children. That’s all we want: to protect our children. That’s the only reason that we’re outraged.”
Kristi Hiner, another Beechwood parent, expressed disgust that the school district wasn’t more forthcoming with parents.
“Instead of apologies, it appears the administration has closed ranks, hiding behind legal technicalities,” Hiner said. ”Generic emails have been sent out with clear legalese, covering the board on technicalities, but where is the ethical fortitude?”
What would be a good outcome, Hiner asked the board? “I think those involved
In closing, Kaiser said anyone who wants to talk to him should pick up the phone and call. “Under my guidance,” Kaiser said, “this district will always have open doors and open lines.”
Kaiser did not offer a phone number during the meeting at which he could be reached. According to the district’s website, his office number is 859-331-1220, Ext. 6603. His email address is Justin.Kaiser@Beechwood.Kyschools.us.
Amanda Rosen, another parent who spoke at the latest meeting, said Beechwood’s lack of communication before this is a “copout.”
“There was no email to families, no clear acknowledgement, no accountability, and some were supposed to accept that as leadership,” Rosen said. “I can say that Dr. Stacy did good things during his tenure, but being a leader doesn’t mean defending someone’s entire legacy as flawless. Leadership means doing the hard thing even when it’s uncomfortable, and loyalty without question is dangerous.”
The speakers all ended their comments with a list of things they hoped the district would do better. The effort was not coordinated, though the messaging was so similar it would have been easy to believe if it were. Beechwood parents, they all said, just want to know what is going on so they can keep their children safe.
“Trust was broken by the teacher, which was hard enough, but recognizing that the administration is just as untrustworthy is worse,” Hiner said in her concluding remarks. “I trusted my children to you, and you absolutely failed.”
Kristi Hiner, far left, speaks to the Beechwood Board of Education. Photo by Meghan Goth | LINK nky
By Kenton Hornbeck
FErlanger’s big brew idea: beer for a cause
abled Brew Works’ newest product was conceived, as some of the best ideas are, while sharing a beer.
Fabled Brew Works, based in Erlanger, introduced that beer, A Walk in the Woods, in mid-June through a unique collaboration with the city of Erlanger. Brewery founder Kent Wessels and Erlanger Economic Development Director Mark Collier conceived the idea last fall while having a beer, Wessels told LINK nky.
The partnership underscores the potential of public-private initiatives, Mayor Jessica Fette said in a statement released in June.
“To truly realize that potential, it will take a strong public-private partnership – and I’m incredibly grateful that Fabled Brew Works is stepping up in such a creative and meaningful way,” Fette said in the release. “Their passion for Erlanger and commitment to being outstanding community partners is clear.”
Erlanger hopes to use outdoor recreation as a boon for tourism in the city and region. The problem is that Erlanger is a residential and industrial hub, strategically located along major railroads and nestled between Interstates 75 and 275.
City officials believe the Eons Park project is the answer to changing that perception. In October, Erlanger unveiled plans for a 1,000-acre adventure park in the city’s urban woodlands. The initiative aims to establish Erlanger as Northern Kentucky’s leading outdoor recreation destination.
Eons Park will be built in phases over several years. Among its most prominent planned features are 20 miles of mountain bike trails, elevated canopy trails with scenic overlooks, a nature playground, wooden bridges and a hidden coffee shop.
The grand vision also comes with a hefty price tag. In total, the Eons Park project is expected to cost approximately $40 million, according to previous reporting. Much of the project’s financing will come from the city, grant awards and private investment. However, the city also considered
a different way to raise money – one that would turn heads.
“We were talking about all the things the city has planned for the park, what it would take to make it all come together and how to promote it, and I think it was Mark who just said, ‘What about an Eons beer?’ Then we just sort of took off from there,” Wessels said.
A Walk in the Woods is a Kolsch-style beer – an ale and lager hybrid. The branding serves a dual purpose: It evokes the outdoor spirit of Eons Park while simultaneously alluding to Fabled Brew Works’ Middle Earth-inspired branding. Creating a Kolsch also connects the beer with Greater
| Fabled Brew Works Cincinnati’s German heritage.
Wessels told LINK nky that he wanted something that was easy to drink but branded around Eons Park. “That meant we needed something that was approachable so a lot of people can enjoy drinking it and also branded around the park itself,” he said. “We wanted to make sure we created something that wasn’t already trademarked elsewhere, so this could be a longterm partnership that benefits the park for years to come.”
A portion of the proceeds from the beer’s sales will go toward the park’s construction. The beer is sold at Fabled Brew Works’ taproom, 331 Kenton Lands Road, as well as
at other Kenton County establishments.
Wessels is a Northern Kentucky native, something he took into account when making the decision to collaborate with Erlanger. He said he believes Eons Park will be a net positive for the community, helping drive tourism and growth.
“I think having a space like this will help bring people to the area and experience all the great things Northern Kentucky has to offer,” he said. “Any time you can add this much access to nature, it can only be seen as an asset to a community.”
Erlanger and Fabled Brew Works staffers enjoy A Walk In the Woods in Fabled Brew Works’ brewhouse. Provided
kenton county briefs
Covington taps county planner as city manager
Sharmili Reddy, current executive director of Kenton County Planning and Development Services and former city administrator of Fort Mitchell, has been named as Covington’s new city manager.
Reddy will start work Aug. 19. She’ll be the first woman and first woman of color to hold the position.
“That is not just symbolic, it’s substantive,” said Mayor Ron Washington at the July 15 city commission meeting. “It speaks volumes about who we are as a city and the future we are building together. Her leadership has already been recognized by our peers and the broader civic community.”
Reddy earned a master’s degree in city planning from the University of Cincinnati and served as Fort Mitchell’s city adminis-
trator from 2015 to 2020. She started as the executive director of Kenton County Planning and Development Services in 2020, where she manages planning, zoning, building inspections, code enforcement and other public services for the county’s many jurisdictions.
“I am a community planner at heart,” Reddy said. “What that means is that I’m educated, trained and experienced in respecting the values of the community that I serve.”
Under Covington’s city manager government, the city is required by law to have a central administrative officer, a city manager, that is largely responsible for managing the city’s professional departments on a day-to-day basis.
Covington voters last year approved a ballot measure to convert Covington’s government to the state’s more common mayor-council form, which is slated to take effect in 2027. Commissioners have established a committee to advise on the transition late last year.
Reddy’s contract states that she’ll continue to occupy the administrative position even after the transition. Cities under the mayor-council form of government are not required to have administrative officers, but many larger cities in the region employ them anyway because elected positions are often not full time. The city has not yet passed an ordinance that would enshrine an administrative officer under the new
form, and both members of the transition committee and city staff members confirmed with LINK nky that the committee had not yet reached that point in their deliberations.
If the city eventually decides not to continue with an administrator, Reddy would need to leave the position. Given the positive comments from elected officials at the July 15 meeting, however, this seems unlikely.
The meeting also saw the approval of both the retirement of police Chief Brian Valenti and the appointment of Justin Wietholter as his successor. Valenti announced his retirement earlier this month. Wietholter will officially become chief on Aug. 1.
Reddy’s appointment follows the sudden resignation of Ken Smith, who was named to the position in 2021. Keith Bales, the city’s public works director, was appointed to the position last week on an interim basis; he’ll continue until Reddy starts. Bales’ appointment came after over an hour of deliberations in closed session.
“[Reddy] brings a regional mindset, a deep commitment to good governance and a reputation for professionalism and integrity,” Washington said July 15. “She has led initiatives that focus not just on infrastructure but on community, on people. Her background in community planning and development is exactly what we need during this period of transformation.”
Manufactured home legislation spurs Erlanger zoning review
New zoning rules are on the horizon in Erlanger after the passage of House Bill 160. The bill, passed on April 1, prohibits local governments from adopting or enforcing zoning regulations that treat manufactured homes differently from single-family homes. The legislation aims to help boost the housing supply while still supporting local control and maintaining home values.
During a meeting on July 15, Andy Videkovich, director of planning for the Planning and Development Services of Kenton County, discussed the new zoning rules associated with H.B. 160.
“A qualified manufactured home is not a mobile home, not a double wide. It is basically a stick-built home, but, rather than being built on the site, it’s built in a warehouse or a factory somewhere,” said Vide-
kovich. “Then it’s brought in on a truck or several trucks and put
on
site.”
Cities still can regulate homes based on certain design and appearance standards, but they cannot deny these homes outright solely because they are manufactured. Homeowner associations can still make requirements for manufactured homes beyond their local government’s requirements.
“[In] a lot of your newer subdivisions, in addition to whatever the zoning requires, there are also restricted covenants and deed restrictions,” said Videkovich. “Those restrictive covenants and deed restrictions go above and beyond the zoning requirements. So, for instance, the zoning may say fences are allowed in the front yard, but if your HOA does not allow fences in the front yard, then you’re gonna have to meet those requirements.”
Erlanger already allows qualified manufactured homes in its zoning regulations, but changes may be needed upon review of Section 4.05, B, 4. The section currently contains compatibility standards, such as siding or roof pitches, that will need to be revisited and made comparable to those of a single-family home.
The bill goes into effect July 1, 2026.
State recognizes Beechwood for academic excellence
The Kentucky Department of Education has recognized Beechwood High School as one of 11 Spotlight Schools, an accolade that recognizes “exceptional academic performance, creative practices and commitment to student success,” according to the state’s website.
The spotlight feature highlights some of the high school’s accomplishments: About 90% of graduates attend college, and the district has an Advanced Placement participation of over 80% in addition to its dual credit programs and diverse elective course pool.
The spotlight report also highlights the district’s Educational Design Geared toward Experience, or EDGE, program, which employs partnerships with local businesses and post-secondary institutions to help develop students’ critical thinking skills and aid in career exploration. The program is available for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Sharmili Reddy. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky
Andy Videkovich, director of planning for Planning and Development Services of Kenton County, speaks on House Bill 160 regarding manufactured homes. Photo by Gracie Vanover | LINK nky
Beechwood High School has been named one of 11 Spotlight Schools in Kentucky. Provided | Beechwood Independent Public Schools on Facebook
together
the
Young Marines build leaders one Saturday at a time
By Maggy McDonel
Every other Saturday morning, the Northern Kentucky Young Marines meet at the Latonia VFW, often waking up Harold, who lives on the second floor.
Kids ages 8 through 18 participate in the program, modeled after the United States Marine Corps, that focuses on American history, physical fitness, public speaking, citizenship, community service and living a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.
The NKY unit is one of nearly 300 across the country. Right now, it has 18 active members.
The kids in the program learn skills such as the specifics of shining shoes and uniform care, as well as close-order drills and marches. They also have the opportunity to hear from guest speakers who discuss topics ranging from fire safety to archery stances and even visit with drug dogs.
Lynne Arnold, the unit’s commander, has been with the program for 16 years, and she discovered it in an interesting way. She told LINK she was giving blood during a Hoxworth blood drive when she noticed the man lying next to her was a veteran. She thanked him for his service, and since they had both given double red cells (an over-an-hourlong process), they had time to talk.
“At the end, I said, ‘I wish my son had been here to hear all your stories, because I’ll forget most of it, and he would be terribly interested,’” said Arnold.
He then told her all about the Young Marines program.
Her son, then 9, was immediately interested in the idea. The day before training started, one of the parents in the program talked her then 11-year-old daughter into doing the recruit training as well.
“It was 41 degrees and pouring down rain, and I’m thinking, ‘Well, she’s quitting,’ said Arnold. “They’re out crawling in the mud. She didn’t like outdoors, she didn’t like cold, she didn’t like being yelled at, she didn’t like any of it.”
When she went to pick them up at the end of the day, she asked her son how he liked it, and she wasn’t surprised that he loved
it. Then she asked her daughter, “And she said, ‘Mom, that was the hardest Saturday of my entire life. And I can’t wait till next Saturday.”
Both kids stayed in the program all the way through; her son joined the Marines and is now attending college in Texas. Her daughter received a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship, which is given to only one woman and one man in Kentucky every year, and attended the Coast Guard Academy, graduating top of her class in 2018.
When LINK met with Arnold at Fort Thomas Coffee, the local Veterans and Friends Getting Coffee group was also having its weekly meeting. The NKY Young Marines have numerous local supporters, and many are part of the group that meets every Friday. Several stopped by to sing the praises of the young marines.
Reese Hardy, a Navy veteran and NKY Young Marines executive officer, told LINK that he started working with the program after bringing his grandson to a meeting. His grandson was practicing with Arnold’s daughter, and he started talking to Arnold, and “I don’t know, somehow or another, she fished me in.”
“I got hooked,” said Hardy. “The kids are fantastic. I mean, we take good kids and make leaders out of them.”
The year he joined, Hardy went with the group on a trip to Pearl Harbor, and he’s been with them ever since.
Todd Phillips couldn’t recall exactly, but around 13 or 14 years ago Arnold approached him and asked if he could come visit one of the NKY Young Marines meetings. He came by to check it out, and he was impressed.
“I’m a career soldier, OK? They’re putting us to shame,” Phillips told LINK. “Their uniforms, their haircuts, it was immaculate.”
After his visit, Phillips said, “From that point on, I’ve been a fan and supporter.”
“It’s fantastic what they do, the discipline, the training they do,” said Phillips. “If I’d been a kid, I would have joined. They teach them respect and confidence.”
Confidence was brought up over and over in conversations with everyone involved with the NKY Young Marines.
Arnold said that it has been great, “seeing the kids come from no eye contact, looking down at their boots the whole time, to like Abby. Now, Abby can go in front of a crowd of 1,000 and talk and not be nervous about it.”
Seventeen-year-old Young Marine Sgt. Maj. Abby Smith was the 2024 Division 3 Young Marine of the year and has been representing NKY across the country. When LINK spoke with her, she was coming back from two weeks in Oregon, training Young Marine leadership.
Smith said that she has loved her time getting to work with younger members. “It was really great seeing all of these kids push themselves and make themselves the best leaders they can be.”
She told LINK that she has always wanted to join the military, specifically the Navy, because her grandparents served there. She got involved with the Young Marines after her 10th birthday, when she asked her parents if she could donate her presents to the Navy Reserve Center.
Through this, she got in contact with someone from the USO, who told her about the program. “As soon as I heard about it,” she said, “I just knew I had to join.”
After her first day running the muddy obstacle course, she
was hooked. When LINK asked Smith what her favorite part of the program was, she said she was asked that a lot, and it’s difficult to pin down, but she always says the opportunities: to travel, see new places and meet new people.
“This past year alone, I was able to travel across the country, across the world,” said Smith. “I had the opportunity to go back to Guam and Iwo Jima on the 80th anniversary of us retaking the island and see the flag raising.”
Not only has the program provided her with numerous opportunities, but it has also enabled her to grow in confidence, Smith said.
“For me and for so many others in this program, it’s just putting yourself in those situations you never thought you’d be in,” said Smith. “When I first joined, I hated public speaking with a passion. I hated even raising my hand in class to answer questions, but I put myself out there, and I started public speaking, giving presentations in front of hundreds.”
Anyone interested in learning more about the NKY Young Marines can email Lynne Arnold at Lynne.Arnold@YoungMarines. org or visit nkyyoungmarines.com.
Maj. Joel Nienaber gives NKY Young Marines a glimpse of life as a Marine helicopter pilot.
Members and advisors during the 2024 NKY Young Marines Birthday Ball. Photos provided | nkyyoungmarines.com
50 sports icons in Northern Kentucky: Days 35-43
We’re presenting our “50 sports icons in Northern Kentucky” one every day online over 50 days. For our print editions, we’re spotlighting groups of icons each week through July.
This week’s installment, the fifth, covers Days 35 through 43.
Sports editor Evan Dennison spoke and conferred with several local NKY sports history buffs to get their opinions and their lists of who should be “locks” for the 50 sports icons. We compiled those lists to come up with our own 50 (maybe cheated a little by putting families in as one).
You may disagree with who should or shouldn’t be in the top 50, but these 50 stood out to us. We hope you enjoy reliving the stories of these great achievers.
Day 35: John Toebben
Toebben was born in Germany and came to the United States, beginning his soccer coaching career at Covington Catholic from 1975-79 and then at Covington Latin from 1980-84.
Toebben then went to the college ranks for three years at Thomas More before a 13year tenure at Northern Kentucky University.
In his first season with the Norse, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America named him Mideast Coach of the Year. During his 13-year career, he led NKU to three Great Lakes Valley Conference titles – in 1992, ’93, and ’95 – and a national ranking in 1996 (first time in program history). In addition, he guided the Norse to a school-record 16 victories in 1995 and was named GLVC Coach of the Year twice. Toebben died April 26, 2003, at ag 61 after a seven-month battle with cancer.
When not involved in coaching, Toebben founded and owned the Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder. The complex gives people of all ages a place to experience a wide variety of sports, and it served as NKU’s home soccer field.
The John Toebben Coach of the Year is an
annual award given out to the top boys high school coach in Northern Kentucky each year. He’s a member of the NKU Hall of Fame.
Day 36: Pat Scott
Who said girls can’t play baseball? Pat Scott did and thrived. Scott was a member of the women’s baseball league that inspired the movie “A League of Their Own.” She helped the movie’s production as an adviser.
Scott was born in Covington and grew up in Burlington on a farm that included a baseball field. That’s where she picked up the game when a minor league team came to practice on the field and taught her.
After playing softball in high school at St. Henry, Scott tried out for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League at Wrigley Field. She made the cut and was signed by the Springfield Sallies. In four seasons in the AAGPBL, Scott went 48-26 with a 2.46 ERA, making three postseason appearances for the Fort Wayne Daisies from 1951-53.
Scott’s talents on the baseball field later earned her honors as part of the Women in Baseball (Diamond Dreams) exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
A woman with many talents, Scott then went to the University of Kentucky to study zoology and played for the women’s basketball team. She would earn degrees in zoology and medicine, later working for 32 years as a medical technologist in the Cincinnati area.
When she retired, Scott moved to Walton and was still involved in softball. The Walton Community Park baseball field was later named for her as Pat Scott Field.
Northern Kentucky has honored her in several ways. She was inducted in the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington hosted an exhibit about her baseball career in conjunction with the All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park.
Day 37: Bob Arnzen
Arnzen grew up in Fort Thomas before heading across the river to attend St. Xavier High School. He led the Bombers to the state championship game in 1965, finishing runner-up and earning Arnzen tournament MVP honors.
He then headed to Notre Dame, where he starred in two sports for the Irish, basketball and baseball. He was a three-year Academic All-American in basketball who eventually was named to Notre Dame’s All-Century Team while also compiling a 3.30 ERA in 106 career innings as a pitcher with the Irish. He was just one of three Academic All-American, first team members three times in a 60-year span. The university also awarded him the George Keogan Award most valuable player award in his sophomore and junior years.
He was drafted in 1969 by the Detroit Pistons and played in the NBA for five years with the Pacers, New York Nets and Cincinnati Royals. He won an ABA championship with the Pacers in 1973.
He also pitched for the Montreal Expos organization, reaching the AAA level twice.
After his pro careers, Arnzen and his partner, Michael Foellger, in 1977 bought what is now the Olde Fort Pub in Fort Thomas. He still owns it close to its 50th anniversary.
Bob was also in the Fort Thomas Army Reserve from 1969-1975. After his pro career, most people in Fort Thomas know Bob and his wife, Joanne, through their civic volunteering and business ownership.
Day 38:
Joan Shadley Mazzaro-Epping started the Notre Dame Academy volleyball dominance in 1979 and continued it through the ’80s.
The KHSAA didn’t hold a volleyball state championship until 1979, and Mazzaro’s Pandas were the first to claim a state title. They weren’t done there, winning five during her tenure from 197988. The Pandas were a fixture in the state championship game in the ’80s, winning four more titles (three in a row from 1982-
84, then again in 1987) and finishing runner-up twice (1985-86). State titles didn’t stop there for Mazzaro, who led the Pandas to two state golf titles in 1982 and ’83.
Mazzaro coached five sports in 13 years at Notre Dame. She also headed the basketball, cross country and swimming programs.
Mazzaro was a standout athlete at Mount St. Joseph, where she was a co-captain on the national finalist volleyball team and high scorer on the basketball team. She was later inducted into the Mount St. Joseph Hall of Fame and is a member of the Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Hall of Fame and the LaRosa’s Sports High School Hall of Fame.
Her dominance in playing and coaching makes her a prominent figure in women’s sports, and she was a big advocate for them when they weren’t so popular as they are now.
Jacobs was Kentucky’s first Mr. Football in 1986. Playing for Newport Central Catholic, Jacobs was a star on the football and baseball fields for the Thoroughbreds and received All-American honors during his career.
All the big dog college football programs vetted him – Alabama, Auburn, UCLA, Oklahoma, LSU, Florida and USC – before he ultimately chose to play for Lou Holtz and Notre Dame. He was a part of Notre Dame’s 1988 national championship team, catching a touchdown pass in the game.
In high school, he was one of the centerpieces of NewCath’s fierce defense that allowed just a shade over six points per game in 1984. Jacobs played nose guard and tight end for the Thoroughbreds. At 6-foot-6, he was hard to stop when getting the ball thrown his way. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year for football in 1986.
After making the All-Freshman team for the Irish and then winning a national title his sophomore year, his football career hit a roadblock when he broke his ankle during his junior year. That’s when baseball came to the forefront. He hit 20 home runs in a season with Notre Dame and was the most
Joan Mazzaro
Day 39: Frank Jacobs
valuable player on the team in 1991, voted on by his teammates. He was later drafted by the New York Mets in 1991.
Jacobs played five seasons in the minor leagues, hitting 57 home runs and driving in 288 runs. He reached the AAA level in the minors before giving up baseball. He also stood out in the classroom, making the dean’s list at Notre Dame.
Day 40: Adrienne Hundemer
Adrienne Hundemer Johnson, a 1994 Dayton alumna, is the most decorated track athlete in state high school history. She won 20 titles in sprints and hurdles – four in the 300-meter hurdles and four each in the 100 hurdles and 400 dash.
Johnson’s list of relay titles is equally impressive. From 1989-94, she helped the Greendevils to six consecutive 4x400 wins and two 4x200 gold medals.
Johnson is also a member of six halls of fame: Kentucky High School Athletic Association (2015), Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors, Kentucky Sports Legend (2004), Dayton High School (2007), Northern Kentucky High School (2013) and LaRosa’s (2013).
“Adrienne was not a silver-spooned student-athlete,” Barry Binkley, Johnson’s late coach at Dayton, wrote in a KHSAA nominating letter in 2013. “She worked hard to make herself successful, realizing at a young age that she could possibly rise above her situation and get a college education.”
May 28, 1994, was a memorable day at the Class A state meet at the University of Kentucky. Less than an hour after winning the 300 hurdles, Dayton trailed the 4x400 field by about 100 meters when Johnson received the baton for the anchor leg. Johnson ran down the field and won by about 15 meters.
After high school, Johnson received a scholarship to Marshall University and ran for the Thundering Herd for four years. She graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
Johnson is a licensed massage therapist. She coached cheerleading at Dayton (201118), Newport Central Catholic (2015-19) and Highlands (2020-21).
Day 41: The Draud family
The Draud family has long stood as one of Northern Kentucky’s most accomplished and respected athletic dynasties. At the head is Kenton County Commissioner Dr. Jon Draud, a Ludlow High product who became an
All-OVC catcher at Eastern Kentucky University, where he batted .473 in 1958 – still one of the best single-season averages in school history. He helped lead EKU to backto-back OVC titles before coaching Holmes High School to the 1963 state baseball championship.
Over the next five decades, Draud distinguished himself as a superintendent, Kentucky’s commissioner of education, and four-term county commissioner, earning numerous state and regional honors for his lifelong commitment to education and civic leadership.
His children carried the legacy forward. Son Scott Draud became one of Kentucky’s greatest scorers at Highlands, averaging over 30 points per game in his final two seasons and earning All-State and All-American honors. At Vanderbilt, he racked up 1,466 career points, earned first team All-SEC, and was named MVP of the 1990 NIT.
The next generation includes grandson Scotty Draud, who became Beechwood’s all-time leading scorer and was the 9th Region’s all-time leading scorer when he graduated. He continued his basketball journey at Kentucky Wesleyan and Thomas More. Across three generations, the Draud family has left an indelible mark on Kentucky sports, education and community leadership.
One of the most respected figures in Kentucky high school baseball history, Bill Krumpelbeck concluded his legendary 48year career as Covington Catholic’s head coach with 1,149 wins, second all-time in Kentucky High School Athletic Association history. Under his leadership, the Colonels captured 22 district championships, nine regional titles and the 2002 KHSAA state championship. That 2002 team went 403, finishing with the most wins of any high school baseball team in the nation that season and cementing its place in state history.
Day 43: The Molony Family
From the late 1990s to this season, the Molony family has been Northern Kentucky’s FFOT – First Family of Tennis. From Notre Dame and Covington Catholic to the University of Cincinnati and the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Kevin and Maria Molony’s three daughters – Kara, Lyndsey, and Molly – have been a fixture for decades.
Kara Molony-Hussey was the first. At Notre Dame, she and Lyndsey won the KHSAA state doubles title in 1997 and helped the Pandas to the team trophy that year. At UC, she won 106 singles and 67 doubles matches – including a school-record 37 singles matches – in 2000 and was a member of Conference USA’s All-Decade team.
Molony-Hussey later played on the WTA professional tour, and she won 11 titles in the annual Cincinnati Met tournament. She’s now the head professional at Summit Hills Country Club in Edgewood. At Notre Dame, Lyndsey and Molly Molony won the KHSAA doubles title in 1997 and were part of Notre Dame’s 1998 state team titlists.
Lyndsey Molony Maynard followed Kara to UC and won 69 singles and 67 doubles matches. She finished her 10th season as Notre Dame’s tennis coach.
Molly Molony-Greene (with Jackie Vilines) won the KHSAA doubles title in 2001. She played collegiately at UNCW.
Now the next generation has arrived.
Austin Hussey won the KHSAA singles title in 2013. Brady Hussey, a member of CovCath’s state team champions in 2023-24, played for Dayton this year before transferring to UNCW, Blake Hussey will be a junior at CovCath, and Taylor and Mia Maynard play for Notre Dame.
Daughter Dr. Kimberly Draud Rohmiller won four straight regional tennis titles at Highlands, was named a Prince All-American and played four years of tennis at Vanderbilt before graduating from the UK College of Medicine with honors. On the volleyball court, she helped lead Highlands to a volleyball regional championship in 1989 and was an All-State and Region volleyball player in that same year.
Krumpelbeck’s impact extended far beyond the diamond. A Xavier University graduate with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education, he joined CovCath in 1976 and spent 46 years teaching biology, earning a reputation as a dedicated educator, mentor and steady presence in the classroom. Known affectionately as “Coach Krumps,” he built not just winning teams but a winning culture, guiding his program to decades of consistent excellence. His teams compiled a 1,149-485 record, good for a .703 winning percentage, and routinely posted 20-win seasons deep into his career.
In 1999, Krumpelbeck was inducted into the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, still years before his most dominant seasons. His last two teams finished 31-6 and 21-12, with his final squad reaching the 9th Region quarterfinals. As of 2025, he was one of just 14 coaches in the nation to surpass 1,000 career wins, a testament to his extraordinary consistency, leadership and love for the game.
Day 42: Bill Krumpelbeck
John Draud
Scott Draud
Kimberly Draud Rohmiller
Kara Molony-Hussey
Brady Hussey
Scotty Draud
Thomas
More set for full membership
In NCAA Division II
Thomas More University will officially become a full member of Division II of the NCAA on Sept. 1 after three years as a provisional member.
The University announced the membership change on July 10.
Thomas More earned provisional membership status in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, or G-MAC, during the 202324 academic year. Before the switch, the school competed in NAIA. The provisional membership allowed the school to compete in conference championships and tournaments.
The school has expanded its athletic facilities since it was granted provisional membership, including buying the Five Season Family Sports Club, the current facility for the tennis team, in 2023. The school has also improved equipment and facilities at its other sports’ complexes and built a new academic center in 2024.
NKY trio makes college baseball transfer decisions
A baseball standout from Beechwood and a pair from Covington Catholic will continue their college baseball careers closer to home.
Covington Catholic grads Jonathan Fitz and Charlie Dieruf are transferring to Xavier and Cincinnati, respectively, while Beech-
wood grad Cameron Boyd is transferring to Ohio University.
Boyd is a 2023 grad and played his first two college seasons at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville. His sophomore season with the Eagles was nothing short of eye-popping: He finished the year on a 21-game hitting streak, tying a program record set in 2018. He batted .306 with six home runs and 36 RBI. His efforts earned him OVC Player of the Week in a week where he went 14-for-24 at the plate with eight runs scored, three home runs and 12 RBI. He also recorded eight doubles and scored 39 runs, starting 44 games in the outfield.
Boyd was a key piece in Beechwood’s four straight region titles, where he was firstteam All-State, NKAC Division II Most Valuable Player, and 9th Region Player of the Year after batting .546 with 49 RBI and 11 home runs as a senior.
Fitz graduated from CovCath in 2023 and played his first two collegiate seasons at the University of San Diego. In his freshman season with the Toreros, he appeared in 10 games and hit .267 in 15 at-bats with a double, triple and RBI. Fitz is a catcher and had a perfect fielding percentage with 28 putouts and two assists without making an error. He appeared in 22 games and made 10 starts in his sophomore campaign, hitting .150 in 40 at-bats. Fitz recorded six hits, one of them a home run with three runs scored and three RBI.
Fitz’s senior season at CovCath came with
a .511 batting average. He collected 19 doubles and six home runs. He was the team’s MVP and earned First Team All-State honors. He also won the 2023 Kentucky Johnny Bench Award and was named the NKAC Division I Player of the Year.
Dieruf graduated in 2024 and played his freshman season at Miami University. He pitched 24.1 innings in his freshman year with the Redhawks, posting a 5.92 ERA. In 10 of his 16 appearances, he didn’t allow a run. Dieruf struck out 17 batters and walked just four in his work on the bump. He allowed 24 hits and 16 earned runs.
During his senior season with the Colonels, he scored 42 runs in 109 at-bats. Dieruf joins former Colonels teammate Jackson Reardon on the Bearcats roster. Reardon will be an incoming freshman.
NKY stands strong on board of volleyball coaches association
The Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association will have quite a bit of Northern Kentucky influence on its board for the new school year.
Ryle coach Tasha Tanner-Lovins has accepted the role of KVCA president while Scott coach Andrea Sullivan will be vice president and Cooper coach Michelle Isaac will be a KVCA membership chair. The board was announced July 11.
Lovins is entering her 24th season coaching at Ryle, where she also teaches math. Sullivan has been with the Scott program since 2003 and propelled the Eagles to new heights last season with a state semifinal appearance. Isaac has led Cooper since the program’s inception in 2008.
We are now featuring comics from artist Andrew Buchanan. Check in each week for an updated comic!
volleyball as it began its inaugural sanctioned season in the spring.
Richey resigns as Highlands boys golf coach
Bert Richey’s primary focus wasn’t necessarily winning region golf tournaments, but giving his Highlands boys golf team more opportunities.
Richey wanted not only his team, but other high school golfers in Northern Kentucky, to play closer to home. With some help, Richey was able to accomplish that goal over the last nine seasons. They went from hosting no tournaments through the season to up to four for the 2025 high school golf season.
That torch will need to be carried on by someone else: Richey recently turned in his resignation as head boys golf coach. His new job as assistant principal at Newport High School wouldn’t allow him to continue.
Once more tournaments started coming up this way, it helped open more doors for Highlands, and the success started to follow. Richey started his tenure in 2016; by 2024 Highlands had won five of the last six region titles and finished in the top 10 at the state tournament four out of five seasons from 2018-22.
The region title run started in 2018 and then added five straight from 2020-24. It accounts for nearly half of the region titles in program history, now up to 13. The team finished eighth in the state tournament in 2018. Its highest finish in Richey’s tenure came in 2020, when it came in sixth.
Also joining Lovins will be North Oldham’s Brian Jones as the events chair and Lafayette’s Matt Stegman as the boys volleyball chair.
Bradley Wilson will continue to act as KVCA treasurer and secretary.
The KVCA is organized to promote volleyball in the state. It promotes and develops the sport, and handles polls, awards and bookkeeping. Last season was the first season the KHSAA sanctioned boys
That was followed with back-to-back ninth place finishes in 2021 and 2022. The past two seasons the team missed the cut after the realignment of the state tournament that starts with sectional play in the first round and then the final nine teams advance to the final two rounds in Bowling Green.
The Bluebirds are in a bit of a transition year with losing three of their top five golfers from last season. Alex Race and James Kuhn are the lone returnees from the top five.
Richey also stated he won’t return as an assistant for the girls basketball team coached by his wife, Jaime Walz Richey. He had been on staff for over 10 years.
The Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel at Thomas More University. Hailey Roden | LINK nky
Beechwood grad Cameron Boyd is transferring from USI to Ohio University. Provided | USI Athletics
Highlands golf coach Bert Richey, left, informed the school he won’t return as head coach due to a new position he’s taken at Newport High School. File photo | Evan Dennison
CASE NUMBER 25-CI-00122
DIVISION 2
FIFTH THIRD BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO FIFTH THIRD BANK, NORTHERN KENTUCKY, INC. VS.
DOUGLAS K. ROGERS, ET AL. BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 6/16/2025 BY THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURT, IN THE ABOVE CAUSE I SHALL PROCEED TO OFFER FOR SALE AT THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURTHOUSE, 330 YORK STREET, NEWPORT, KENTUCKY 41071, OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR.
To the highest or best bidder at public auction on 8/12/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit: 1018 Ervin Terrace, Dayton, Kentucky 41074
Group No: 41336/A1
PIDN: 999-99-09-871.00
CASE NUMBER 24-CI-01153 DIVISION 2
FIFTH THIRD BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION VS.
JULE LEE KING, ET AL. BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 6/30/2025 BY THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURT, IN THE ABOVE CAUSE I SHALL PROCEED TO OFFER FOR SALE AT THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURTHOUSE, 330 YORK STREET, NEWPORT, KENTUCKY 41071, OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR.
To the highest or best bidder at public auction on 8/12/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit:
59 Ohio Avenue, Newport, Kentucky 41071
Group No: 30782/A2 & A3
PIDN: 999-99-04-936.00
CASE NUMBER 21-CI-00795 DIVISION 1
REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING, LLC VS.
DONNA LEHMAN, ET AL.
BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 12:00:00 AM BY THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURT, IN THE ABOVE CAUSE I SHALL PROCEED TO OFFER FOR SALE AT THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURTHOUSE, 330 YORK STREET, NEWPORT, KENTUCKY 41071, OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR.
To the highest or best bidder at public auction on 8/12/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit: 7 Fernwood Court, Alexandria, Kentucky 41001
Group No: 70301/C1
PIDN: 999-99-25-254.00
CASE NUMBER 25-CI-00209
DIVISION 2
U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR RCF 2 ACQUISITION TRUST VS.
WILSON SEBASTIAN JR, ET AL. BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 6/16/2026 BY THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURT, IN THE ABOVE CAUSE I SHALL PROCEED TO OFFER FOR SALE AT THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURTHOUSE, 330 YORK STREET, NEWPORT, KENTUCKY 41071, OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR.
To the highest or best bidder at public auction on 8/12/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit: 539 Rifle Range Road, Alexandria, Kentucky 41001
Group No: 70393/Z & 70393/A1
PIDN: 999-99-23-583.01
COMMISSIONER’S SALE
CIRCUIT COURT
THE COMPLETE LEGAL DESCRIPTION IS MORE PARTICULARLY SET OUT IN THE JUDGMENT AND ORDER OF SALE ENTERED IN THIS CASE.
Subject to conditions, covenants, restrictions, right of ways and easements in existence, including but not limited to those in prior instruments of record; legal highways, and zoning ordinances.
SAID PROPERTY SHALL BE SOLD SUBJECT TO REAL ESTATE TAXES DUE AND OWING FOR THE YEAR OF SALE AND THEREAFTER PRIOR YEARS UNPAID TAXES SHALL BE PAID FROM THE PROCEEDS IF THE PURCHASER IS NOT THE PLAINTIFF. IF THE PURCHASER IS THE PLAINTIFF, PRIOR YEARS’ UNPAID TAXES SHALL BE PAID BY THE PLAINTIFF, IN FULL OR PRO RATA, PROVIDED THE SALE PURCHASE PRICE EXCEEDS THE COURT COSTS.
THIS PROPERTY IS BEING SOLD TO PRODUCE THE SUMS OF MONEY SO ORDERED TO BE MADE IN THE JUDGMENT AND ORDER OF SALE ENTERED IN THE WITHIN CASE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO COURT COSTS, AD VALOREM TAXES, IN THE SUM OF $4,271.16; AND OTHER LIENS, INTEREST, ATTORNEY FEES AND/OR OTHER SUMS AND JUDGMENTS THAT MAY BE AWARDED BY THE COURT.
THE SALE SHALL BE MADE TO THE HIGHEST AND BEST BIDDER(S). ANY PURCHASER OTHER THAN PLAINTIFF WHO DOES NOT PAY CASH IN FULL SHALL PAY 10% CASH AND SHALL BE REQUIRED TO EXECUTE A BOND AT THE TIME OF SALE, WITH SURETY ACCEPTABLE TO THE MASTER COMMISSIONER AND PRE-APPROVED BY THE MASTER COMMISSIONER AT LEAST BY NOON, TWO (2) BUSINESS DAYS BEFORE THE SALE DATE, TO SECURE THE UNPAID BALANCE OF THE PURCHASE PRICE, AND SAID BOND SHALL BEAR INTEREST AT THE RATE OF 12% PER ANNUM FROM THE DATE OF SALE UNTIL PAID, AND SHALL HAVE THE SAME FORCE AND EFFECT AS A JUDGMENT AND SHALL REMAIN AND BE A LIEN ON THE PROPERTY UNTIL PAID THE BOND SURETY MUST BE PRESENT AT THE SALE AND EXECUTE SALE BOND AND THE AFFIDAVIT OF SURETY THE PURCHASER(S) SHALL HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF PAYING ALL THE BALANCE OF THE PURCHASE PRICE PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE THIRTY (30) DAY PERIOD. THE DEPOSIT SHALL BE WAIVED IF PLAINTIFF IS THE SUCCESSFUL BIDDER. THE MASTER COMMISSIONER SHALL SELL THE REAL ESTATE BY PUBLIC SALE ON A DAY AND TIME TO BE FIXED BY HIM, OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR OF THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURTHOUSE, 330 YORK STREET, NEWPORT, KENTUCKY. BIDDERS MUST BE PREPARED TO COMPLY WITH THESE TERMS. THE COSTS OF THE SALE SHALL BE PAID WITHIN FOURTEEN (14) DAYS OF THE SALE.
JOSEPH F. GRIMME, MASTER COMMISSIONER 859-291-9075
CASE NUMBER 24-CI-00672
DIVISION 2
JOYCE VERSINO VS. RANGER CONSTRUCTION, LLC, ET AL. BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 6/30/2025 BY THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURT, IN THE ABOVE CAUSE I SHALL PROCEED TO OFFER FOR SALE AT THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURTHOUSE, 330 YORK STREET, NEWPORT, KENTUCKY 41071, OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR.
To the highest or best bidder at public auction on 8/12/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit: 133 Fourth Avenue, Dayton, Kentucky 41074
Group No: 30289/A1
PIDN: 999-99-08-750.00
CASE NUMBER 24-CI-00094 DIVISION 1
ADS TAX LIEN COMPANY, LLC VS.
STEVEN G. CHANDLER, ET AL.
BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 5/22/2025 BY THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURT, IN THE ABOVE CAUSE I SHALL PROCEED TO OFFER FOR SALE AT THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURTHOUSE, 330 YORK STREET, NEWPORT, KENTUCKY 41071, OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR.
To the highest or best bidder at public auction on 8/12/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit: 816 Ann Street, Newport, Kentucky 41071
Group No: 30184/A3
PIDN: 999-99-01-280.00
CASE NUMBER 22-CI-00910 DIVISION 2
FIFTH THIRD BANK, N.A. VS.
GARY WAYNE CARRIER, ET AL. BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 5/23/2023 BY THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURT, IN THE ABOVE CAUSE I SHALL PROCEED TO OFFER FOR SALE AT THE CAMPBELL CIRCUIT COURTHOUSE, 330 YORK STREET, NEWPORT, KENTUCKY 41071, OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR.
To the highest or best bidder at public auction on 8/12/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit: 1934 Alexandria Pike, Highland Heights, Kentucky 41076
Group No: 30629/A3, 30629/A4, 30630/A1 & 30630/A6
PIDN: 999-99-20-971.00
Address: 944 Squire Oaks Drive, Villa Hills
Price: $2,750,000
Bedrooms: Five
Bathrooms: Five (plus two half baths)
Square footage: 10,700
School district: Kenton County
County: Kenton
Special features: This estate offers over 10,700 square feet of living space on nearly 2 acres. Features include a gourmet kitchen, formal and casual living spaces, firstfloor primary suite and three finished levels ideal for entertaining. The lower level boasts a pub-style bar, game rooms and media space. Outside, the property boasts a heated gunite pool, spa, fire pit and covered terrace.
Custom estate home in Villa Hills
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
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-ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS -
Dayton Riverfront Commons Phase 2 and 3
Sealed Bids will be received by the City of Dayton for the Riverfront Commons Phase 2 and 3 Project. The scope of work includes the installation of a new multi-use path as identified in the full work summary.
Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: 7/29/25 at 10AM
Contract Documents may be requested via email: myeager@compassinf.com
Bids must be delivered to Attn: Tristan Klein, City Clerk, 514 6th Avenue, Dayton, KY 41074, before 10:00 AM prevailing local time on Thursday August 7, 2025. Any bids received after this time will not be considered.
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This Villa Hills home offers over 10,700 square feet of living space. Photos provided | Laura Speed with Huff Realty
SUDOKU
6/2/25 - 6/8/25
Edited by Margie E. Burke
HOW TO SOLVE:
Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3 by 3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 to 9.
Answer to Previous Sudoku:
Edited by Margie E. Burke
Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3 by 3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 to 9.
Answer
2025 COMMUNITY CONVERSATION SERIES:
OCTOBER 9
DECEMBER 4
Scan the QR code to register – Education – Workforce
Events will be held at the Erlanger Branch of the Kenton County Public Library from 6-7:30 p.m. Events will also be live-streamed on LINK nky’s Facebook page.
Our December Community Conversation event will be held at a different location: The new SparkHaus Entrepreneurial Hub at 727 Madison Avenue in Covington. What a better place to talk about workforce? We’ll see you there!
