LINK Kenton Reader - Volume 3, Issue 49 - November 7, 2025

KENTON

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 49 — NOVEMBER 7, 2025

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Independence murder evokes partner violence questions

By Nathan Granger

O

ctober is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the timing, unfortunately, couldn’t be more appropriate.

On Sept. 22, Donald Bryant killed his 24-year-old ex-financée, Heaven Glisson, at the Taylor Ridge Apartments in Independence before taking his own life. Bryant also shot 33-year-old Daylon Bradford at the complex. Bradford was transported to the hospital, where he later died.

Subsequent reporting revealed that Bryant had been abusive to Glisson.

Bryant was subject to protective orders from a previous relationship and was facing a long list of charges in Boone County from 2018, according to court records. Those included burglary, assault and trespassing.

Glisson, too, had sought a protection order against Bryant in March but later withdrew the request, according to court records. The records did not indicate why.

Both members of Glisson’s family, as well as some members of the public, were critical Continues on page 3

A list of Kentuckians who have died because of domestic violence, ranging in age from 19 to 73. Photo by Sarah Ladd | Kentucky Lantern

Egelston Maynard scores with 80 years of service

By Kenton Hornbeck

S

tores and restaurants have come and gone over the decades, but Egelston-Maynard Sports has remained an enduring presence on Covington’s Madison Avenue.

To survive in a retail landscape dominated by national chains and e-commerce giants, Egelston-Maynard has adapted to stay competitive while maintaining an authentic hometown connection with its local customers. Its authenticity has allowed the business to remain a fixture in Covington for 80 years.

Established in 1945 as a fishing and hunting retailer, Egelston-Maynard has operated on Madison Avenue since 1955. Provided | Egelston-Maynard

“It’s the customer service that is really emphasized, because, as we’re all aware, there’s so much competition out there,” said Alison Wiegand, an account executive at Egelston-Maynard. “You can buy anything online these days, so I’m very inten-

tional with constantly trying to overdeliver on their expectations, to be super friendly, to always thank people for their local business.”

Established in 1945 as a fishing and hunting retailer, the company shifted its focus to selling uniforms, apparel, sporting equipment and varsity jackets after it was purchased by current owner Vance Wiegand in 1985. Wiegand started at the store as a manager in 1982.

The store has been operating out of a storefront on Madison Avenue since 1955, after briefly being at 531 Madison and once having a second location in Newport.

Today, Wiegand runs the store alongside his wife, Connie, and his daughter, Alison, who told LINK nky that her parents actually met at the store in the 1980s.

Newport schools work to ease teacher shortage for gifted kids p6 District OKs studies on plans for 2 elementaries p7 Local schools win regions in volleyball, cross country p12

Continues on page 5

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of the police’s response, characterizing it as inadequate given Bryant’s history. The police had even been called on Bryant only a few days before, but that encounter did not result in an arrest.

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LINK nky investigated why the police acted the way they did, what they legally can and can’t do in cases of partner violence and what changes would be needed to create more guardrails against cases like this in the future. What emerges is a picture of a legal infrastructure that has made piecemeal changes but for which there are still lingering quandaries regarding the definition and mechanics of violence between partners and family members.

Where to get help If you or someone you know has experienced domestic violence, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

In Kentucky, victims of domestic violence can also contact any of the state’s 15 domestic violence programs by visiting zerov.org. Northern Kentucky’s domestic violence program is the ION Center for Violence Prevention, which has 13 locations. You can call or text them at 859-491-3335.

Piecemeal legal changes “Just because you think that an officer should be able to take somebody to jail doesn’t mean that you can,” said Independence Police Chief Brian Ferayorni. “And sometimes that’s frustrating, especially to victims and witnesses that don’t understand the laws.”

Ferayorni’s department headed the handling of the Glisson case and sat down with LINK nky in early October to discuss handling domestic violence and abuse as police officers. Ferayorni had observed how different violent acts had changed legal status, even during his career. He gave choking as an example.

“Strangulation was recently changed to be a felony,” Ferayorni said. Strangulation was made a Class C felony in 2019.

“So when I first started,… it was considered assault [in the fourth degree], which is a misdemeanor,” Ferayorni continued. “And then situations occur where people die or they get severely injured, and then the laws change. So now we have felony strangulation.”

This example is illustrative not only because it shows the piecemeal nature of how the law deals with abuse but also because it highlights how law enforcement actions are constrained by what constitutes a felony or a misdemeanor, and the evidentiary requirements that come with each.

As an even starker example than strangulation, spousal rape didn’t count as a felony in Kentucky until 1990, and even then it took more changes to the law before the

requirement to report the incident within a year was removed.

Independence police took flak on social media for its handling of the Glisson case, so much so that Feryaroni sent out an eight-page statement and timeline to news organizations in hopes of correcting what he described as “inaccurate information” about the Sept. 22 call that concluded in the three deaths, as well as a Sept. 19 call about Bryant that preceded it.

The Sept. 19 call was not for domestic violence, Ferayorni said, but rather for an emotional crisis. Glisson made the call, the police report states, and “advised dispatch that the suspect was a meth user, had threatened suicide and was armed with a kitchen knife.”

The report for that call indicates that Bryant had entered Glisson’s apartment after one of her friends dropped off her kids for Glisson to watch and left the door unlocked.

Bryant eventually left the apartment voluntarily, according to the police report.

walked away. [The officer] explained to the family how to file an EPO [emergency protective order] on Monday and trespassed Bryant from the apartment.”

Thresholds for arrest Several different charges are associated with abuse and domestic violence, and the evidence required to make an arrest varies with each.

For example, so-called “verbal domestic” calls (i.e., people shouting and arguing) are not a crime if they stay in the home. If it spills into a public space, it becomes disorderly conduct, a crime for which an officer can make an arrest.

“Physical domestic” calls, which are exactly what they sound like, can lead to an arrest.

Still, there must be evidence of physical violence, such as a discernible injury on someone’s body, video, photographs, or statements from victims and witnesses that can corroborate other evidence.

Trespassing can be criminal or civil in nature. What officers do in that situation is dependent on the relationships of the people involved and who is legally occupying a particular residence.

Stalking can get you arrested, Ferayorni explained, but it is often difficult to prove.

Kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment, which is similar to kidnapping but legally less serious, are both arrestable. More violent crimes like murder, rape and violent assaults are obviously arrestable.

Crisis calls can be related to domestic violence calls, but they usually don’t rise to the level of criminal charges. An officer can force someone undergoing an emotional crisis to go to the hospital for treatment; however, they need evidence to justify that action.

One of the misconceptions on social media, Ferayorni said, “was that he committed domestic violence that Friday night [Sept. 19].

He did not.” Rather, the call focused mostly on whether Bryant was going to follow through on his threat to take his own life.

Ferayorni admitted that police officers “probably need to do a better job of explaining sometimes why we can and can’t do things. That sometimes is hard when victims and witnesses are not cooperative after they find out that the desired outcome isn’t going to happen.”

It is worth noting that Glisson had told one of the officers that night she “was upset and wanted to know why [Bryant] wasn’t going to jail. He advised her that they had a child in common, so officers were not going to arrest him. Heaven was upset by this and

The Independence Police Department in 2024 reported 431 calls for domestic trouble, 126 calls of harassment and stalking, and 182 emotional crisis calls, according to its most recent annual report.

Bryant killed Glisson early in the morning on Sept. 22. While Feryaroni said that Glisson and Bradford seemed to know each other, the exact dynamic of their relationship or the circumstances leading up to Bryant’s shooting him are still under investigation. In any case, it’s worth noting that Glisson had previously attempted to sever her relationship with Bryant.

“We know the majority of murders and suicides happen at that point of separation, or when someone else is trying to leave,…”

Christy Burch, CEO of the ION Center for Violence Prevention, said, “Oftentimes the violence doesn’t end just because someone has ended that relationship.”

State Rep. Stephanie Dietz, an Edgewood Republican, proposed a bill on coercive control in relationships. Provided | LRC Public Information

The ION Center, which has an office in Covington, is one of a network of 15 partner violence shelter providers in the commonwealth that belong to ZeroV, formerly the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Continues on page 4

NOVEMBER 7, 2025 3

Continued from page 3

“It is truly about escaping,” Burch said. “It’s not just breaking up with somebody or leaving a relationship.”

judge will then determine whether or not to issue either an emergency protective order, or EPO, or a temporary interpersonal protective order, or TIPO, against someone accused of abuse.

How restraining orders work Following the 2022 passage of Senate Bill 271, the Kentucky Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center began tracking fatalities related to domestic violence and other incidents related to abuse. In practice, much of this data comes from police officers filing out and submitting special electronic forms called JC-3 forms as they encounter abuse and domestic violence.

The center also collects data on various kinds of protective orders issued by the courts. This data is then split up based on the state’s area development districts.

The Northern Kentucky Area Development District spans the commonwealth’s eight northernmost counties, including Boone, Kenton and Campbell. In 2024, police submitted 2,236 JC-3 forms and made 654 arrests for JC-3-related incidents, according to the center’s most recent annual report.

Both of these figures were slight increases from 2023. The arrests accounted for about 8% of the domestic violence arrests in the state. The most arrests in the state occurred under the aegis of the Kentucky Regional Planning & Development Agency, which serves Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties.

A person trying to escape a violent relationship can seek a temporary protective order from an abuser by filing a petition with the county circuit court online anytime, 24/7. A

Here, the categorical question arises again, because one of the metrics judges use to make this decision is whether the alleged conduct meets the legal definition of domestic violence and abuse, dating violence and abuse, sexual assault or stalking, all of which have specific legal criteria in statute that may or may not conform to an everyday understanding of these terms.

If a temporary protective order is granted, a judge can then set a hearing within 14 days to determine if a long-term order is warranted. The court sends out a summons to the alleged abuser, called a “respondent” in legal parlance, so they can attend the hearing and defend themselves.

The temporary order lasts until the hearing.

Long-term protective orders can last up to three years and can come with other stipulations, such as mandated child separation, counseling, and orders to relinquish guns and other weapons.

There were 2,043 petitions for temporary protective orders in the Northern Kentucky Area Development District in 2024.

In 2024, 2,057 long-term order cases in the Northern Kentucky Area Development District were resolved in court. Of those cases that made it through court, 974 were dismissed, 571 were denied, 498 were granted, one wasn’t properly served and 13 others had other outcomes not elaborated upon in the report.

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Getting through the civil court process for a long-term order is more involved than getting a temporary order, so those figures may not necessarily draw on the same people as the figures for the temporary orders; the cases could have come from earlier years.

Violating a protection order – ideally – should serve as a means by which victims can more easily get their abusers charged with a crime. Some counties also have GPS monitoring equipment, which a petitioner can ask to have placed on an alleged abuser to track his or her movements better.

This doesn’t stop people from violating them, however. There were 1,314 charges in 2024 related to domestic violence in the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, which includes not only violations of a protective order but also assault, murder, rape and stalking. As mentioned before, the report has been around only since 2022, and, even during that time, what falls under the umbrella of domestic violence has shifted.

Beginning in 2023, for instance, human trafficking was removed as a category of crimes related to domestic violence, even though sex trafficking is one of the major subcategories of human trafficking. During the last legislative session, as well, a law established sexual extortion as a misdemeanor.

What to do about it?

State Rep. Stephanie Dietz, a Republican and family practice attorney from Edgewood, introduced a bill in February that would augment Kentucky’s domestic and dating violence laws to include acts of what is often referred to as coercive control.

These are essentially nonphysical acts of abuse that serve to exert control over someone’s life, isolate that person, undermine her or his psychology and emotional well-being, or otherwise restrict a person’s freedom. Many of the tactics Bryant used to control Glisson, as related by her family, would have fallen under this rubric.

Dietz’s bill lists actions against a partner that would fall under the umbrella of coercive control, which include, but aren’t limited to: • Threatening to damage personal property, goods or animals that have meaning to someone.

• Using technology to stalk, surveil, threaten, harass, manipulate or mislead.

• Brandishing firearms to intimidate or control.

• Deliberately driving recklessly with a partner or with a partner’s minor children.

• Threatening to harm the partner’s friends and family, undercut a partner’s career or reputation, or threaten to call the police or other law enforcement agencies, including immigration authorities, on a partner.

• Threatening suicide if a partner doesn’t comply.

• Exerting control over someone’s identification documents.

• Threatening to or making public a partner’s private information, such as medical records, sexual orientation or gender identity, or other information that might jeopardize the partner’s safety.

• Subjecting a partner to physical con-

Heaven Glisson was killed Sept. 22 by her ex-fiance, Donald Bryant. Provided | Connley Brothers Funeral Home

finement or otherwise isolating him or her from friends, family or public life.

• Depriving someone of basic necessities, including finances.

• Exerting control over someone’s employment or otherwise exhausting a person’s economic resources.

• Exerting undue influence generally over a person’s movements, social interactions, finances, medical care, children or housing.

“If we can enact this type of legislation, there’s a way to protect victims on the front end before we get to the physical act of violence,” Dietz told LINK in a phone call, “because domestic violence is about power and control, and, when you finally silo them away from money, family, friends, access to cellphones, access to credit cards, those types of things, that’s when physical violence starts.”

The bill never made it out of committee, but Dietz said she hopes to reintroduce a similar bill in the next legislative session.

Twenty-two states and one U.S. territory had some kind of law on the books related to coercive control, either explicitly or in practice, as of 2024. Kentucky was not among them.

Burch emphasized the need for preventive and community-based interventions to head off domestic violence. She pointed to something called Green Dot training, which some of the ION Center’s locations provide, which trains bystanders to spot and potentially intervene in high risk situations.

A 2017 study of the program published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine tracked the implementation of Green Dot training in 26 Kentucky high schools over the course of 4 years. “During Years 3-4, when Green Dot was fully implemented,” the study reads, “the mean number of sexual violent events prevented by the intervention was 120 in Intervention Year 3 and 88 in Year 4.”

“It’s about safety planning,” Burch said. “It’s about being able to get all the tools and support that you need to navigate this.”

Still, Burch said, it was “very important for us to hold perpetrators of violence accountable, and not the survivor accountable for the violence.”

The Wiegand family – Alison, from left, Vince and Connie – have owned Elegston Maynard since 1985. Photo by Kenton Hornbeck | LINK nky Continued from page 1

Vince recalls hearing countless stories from customers sharing memories they’ve had over the years in the store with family members. Covington has experienced its share of ups and downs, but Egelston-Maynard Sports has remained a steady presence; a touchstone for memories among those who’ve left and later returned.

“Countless people come in and say, ‘Wow, this store’s been here for a long time,’” he said. “‘I remember my grandpa brought me here. I remember my dad brought me here.’”

If you’ve participated in youth or school-approved sports in Northern Kentucky, you’ve likely encountered a variety of Egelston-Maynard’s products. Alison said that, in addition to serving several area high schools, they also work with up to 250 youth baseball teams.

Besides sports, Egelston-Maynard has expanded its services through collaborations with civic groups like the Covington police and fire departments to produce custom apparel. Other regular clients include churches, nonprofits and local businesses.

“We love our job,” Connie said. “We enjoy

when people are happy – when they open their shirt and they’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is awesome.’ It gives us so much pride.

Perhaps Egelston-Maynard’s most iconic and nostalgic product is the varsity letterman jacket, a timeless tradition in the high school sports world. The store prominently displays a purple-and-gold Campbell County Camels varsity jacket in its front window.

Vince said the store has received calls from as far away as Florida to stitch a custom varsity letterman. When a Northern Kentucky high school athlete dons a letterman,

there is a strong chance Egelston-Maynard had a hand in its creation.

Despite seismic changes in retail, the Wiegands have invested in the future, bolstering their operation by expanding to 15 employees. Connie said the company has continued to grow, embracing e-commerce and new community partnerships.

At its root, though, Egelston-Maynard endures through the time-tested methods of nurturing long-lasting business relationships and embracing the community.

“We want to remain a staple in Northern Kentucky for generations,” Alison said.

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Newport Schools seeks solutions to gifted teachers shortage

By Haley Parnell

D

espite state mandates requiring every district to provide gifted and talented education, Kentucky’s credentialing system is making it harder for school districts like Newport’s to hire qualified teachers to lead those programs.

At the Oct. 23 Newport Board of Education meeting, board members and district teachers discussed the need for a gifted and talented teacher, but they said the additional required education with no incentives makes the position difficult to fill.

Autumn Slankard, the district’s director of curriculum, said during the meeting that she visited Northern Kentucky University to speak to their student teachers and asked whether anyone was getting the gifted endorsement. No one was. Slankard said the district has also considered working with another district to share a fulltime gifted and talented teacher on a parttime basis.

“Right now, our most pressing need is to find and provide professional learning for our teachers to understand how to provide those gifted services in the classroom,” Slankard said.

Teachers for gifted and talented students need to have higher credentials than a valid Kentucky teaching certificate. Those take more time and money to earn but come with no incentive of higher pay for the position.

Obtaining a gifted and talented education endorsement requires completing an approved endorsement program, which may include coursework and other requirements such as professional development and experience, and then applying for the endorsement through the Kentucky Educator Certification System.

Ramona Malone, chair of the Newport school board, said during the meeting that Kentucky has made changes so that teachers are no longer required to have a master’s degree to teach, but some programs,

Newport Schools is struggling to find qualified teachers for its gifted and talented classes. Provided | Hatice Baran

like gifted and talented, have not caught up with those changes.

Unsupported state mandate According to the Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky school districts are required to have gifted and talented programs. The state mandates that all school districts provide programs and services for identified “exceptional children,” which includes gifted and talented students from primary school through 12th grade.

“The restrictions are causing these problems,” Malone said. “When I go to these conferences, other school districts are having the same challenges, because people are not seeking that endorsement anymore, but yet there’s a mandate to provide these students with these services.”

When someone becomes a gifted and talented teacher, Slankard said, it’s a big change from being a regular classroom teacher because it can be hard to find ways to challenge students that may be exceptionally intelligent.

Alexandria Watkins, principal at Newport Intermediate School, said people also often don’t pursue a gifted and talented certification because there aren’t many job openings for those positions.

“As someone who’s been through the gifted and talented program, it is not encouraging to go through with the knowledge that, typically, there is one gifted and talented teacher per district,” she said. “So, to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a degree, that is kind of like how there’s one gym teacher per building, right? Typically, when

someone gets that job, it doesn’t open up for 10,15, 25 years.”

Donovan Macario, a Newport High School senior and the newly selected student representative to the board of education, is a gifted and talented student. He said during the meeting that, even if students are being identified for the program, they aren’t receiving additional resources without a designated teacher.

“Since we don’t have one, the kids who are identified aren’t getting the resources that they’re required to receive, and I’m hoping we’re able to find one, because while she [the former teacher] was here, I really enjoyed the resources that we were able to access,” he said.

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Studies to assess Covington elementaries’ future

By Nathan Granger

T

he Covington Schools Board of Education voted Oct. 23 to undertake two studies to assess the future of 9th District Elementary and Latonia Elementary.

The studies, which will be conducted by architectural firm SHP, will supplement the district’s ongoing master planning, which aims to provide for the future of Covington Schools. The studies will cost $25,000 and $42,000, respectively.

“Some of the community might think that we’re kind of kicking the can down the road, but this is how you make things correct first and be proactive, as opposed to kind of reactionary,” said Board Member Kareem Simpson.

The overall planning process has been going on for over a year and came about largely as a reaction to a 2023 proposal from district staff to consolidate some of district schools. That proposal called for closing 9th District Elementary and reassigning its students to other schools to curb costs amid declining enrollment. It proved unpopular in the community.

The district contracted with SHP to lead the planning process. Starting in early 2024, SHP began gathering information about the district through community focus

groups and the establishment of a community advisory team, which met six times between April 2024 and January.

The process explored the values and aspirations of community families (and their students) and also assessed the potential financial implications of various proposed changes. Additionally, SHP assessed each building’s effectiveness as an instructional facility and assigned it a numerical score.

Other assessments included projections on overall student enrollment, which are still predicted to decline.

Among the insights from the process, families advocated for a full-day preschool program across the district. While some leaned toward closing 9th District, about half of those who took part did not want any elementaries to close. Additionally, families generally expressed a desire to keep the district’s neighborhood-based structure rather than convert to specialty academies focused on particular subjects, such as STEM or the arts.

As an alternative, district families called for what was dubbed an “innovation hub” at the Holmes campus, where students could study in-demand jobs in technology and science that weren’t offered in conventional classrooms.

The board held a working session in February to examine what SHP had found

A study by Covington Schools will study Latonia Elementary’s future. Provided | Covington Independent Public Schools

through the process and consider options.

That session came away with a handful of ways the district could reorganize.

SHP presented three new options based on February’s feedback. Several configurations of those included closing 9th District and transforming it into a preschool program.

The first study, approved Oct. 23, would examine the cost to convert 9th District Elementary to an early childhood center. The second would explore three options for Latonia Elementary: renovating the current building, adding on to it or replacing it outright. The recommendations for the studies came from board member Stephen Gastright, who works professionally as an architect.

Gastright said SHP’s initial assessments identified Latonia “as being the lowest quality of our elementaries,” and that by exploring the three different options, the district could see “both the minimum investment and the maximum investment, and then, ideally, some options in between that we can evaluate.”

The other board members had questions.

Student enrollment projections in Covington Independent Public Schools. Provided | SHP

in Latonia had been identified for a possible replacement. Gastright said that they would need work to identify what (and where) an ideal site would be and invited Simpson to take part in predesign discussions.

Michelle Williams wanted to know where the students would go during renovations at Latonia. Gastright said they would look at what would be more cost-effective: moving some into temporary structures or sending them temporarily to 9th District.

Board member Hannah Edelen wanted to know how they were going to pay for it.

“We took money out from our strategic plan fund, so we’ll have to fund this out of superintendent’s budget,” said Tom Haggard, the board’s president, later, adding that, “I wouldn’t recommend it if I didn’t think we had money for it.”

“I just want to make the public aware that we’re being good stewards of their dollars, and we have the funds available,” Edelen said.

The vote in favor of the studies was unanimous.

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kenton county briefs Covington joins county police navigator program to link residents to treatment

Kenton County Government Center. Hailey Roden | LINK nky

Covington and Kenton County are joining forces on a program to steer people struggling with addiction, mental health issues and other social crises away from the criminal justice system and toward treatment and recovery.

On Oct. 28, the Kenton County Fiscal Court executed an interlocal agreement with the city of Covington to establish a multijurisdictional police navigator program. Under the agreement, Covington will allocate a portion of its opioid abatement settlement money to finance a sustainable police navigator program.

The Kenton County Police Department website describes a law enforcement navigator as a non-sworn, administrative position that provides social services support to the police force. Navigators follow up on

police referrals related to substance use, mental health crises, domestic violence, abuse or neglect, homelessness and other social issues. Their duties include performing home visits, collaborating with local service providers and supporting crime victims with court assistance and recovery plans.

A 2024 study published in the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology found that, due to the dismantling of the mental health care system in the United States, law enforcement officers are increasingly required to respond to people experiencing mental health crises. This has not only increased the burden on law enforcement resources but also resulted in disproportionately higher arrest and incarceration rates for those involved.

In response, some police departments have established programs that enable police officers and social workers to respond jointly to mental health-related incidents.

Kenton County launched its program in June, announcing plans to hire four police navigators. So far, county officials view the program as a success.

Judge-Executive Kris Knochelmann touted the program’s effectiveness during the fiscal court meeting. “It’s a true partnership where they’ve not tried to do it on their own,” he said. “They’re contributing to the bigger picture. It’s a great, great work and very appreciated.”

Covington joins Crescent Springs, Lakeside Park, Taylor Mill, Villa Hills, Fort Mitchell and Crestview Hills in committing opioid

abatement funds to the program in exchange for access to the navigator services.

Kenton County Police Capt. Chris Pittaluga said navigators are actively working on 27 cases since the program launched this October. “Every day they’ve been out interacting with community partners, networking, finding resources, coming up with ideas that I never even heard of in 18 years in law enforcement, of how to get people connected to things,” he said.

The program is funded through an opioid abatement settlement fund, which resulted from a $26 billion agreement between multiple states and some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the United States, specifically drug distributors McKesson Corp., AmeriSourceBergen, and Cardinal Health, as well as manufacturer Johnson & Johnson.

Of the $478 million allocated to Kentucky, the state received half, while the remaining half went to local governments.

Covington works on policy to use AI for city business Covington commissioners voted this week to establish an in-house AI policy for city staff and operations as one of the first steps in an initiative dubbed Covington Operational Vision- Advance Innovation, or COV AI. Essam Elgusain, the city’s IT manager, traced the effort to a conversation he’d

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Covington may soon incorporate more AI tools in its operations. Photo by Emiliano Vittoriosi | Unsplash

had with Mayor Ron Washington, who had asked Elgusain’s department to produce a draft AI policy. Elgusain said his department was able to furnish one in a few weeks, but, in that time, Washington had generated a similar proposal – using an AI platform.

“The proposal ended up being exactly the same,” Elgusain said Oct. 28. “The only difference was that it took him two days, instead of two weeks, to receive that proposal.”

This led to a bigger question, Elgusain said: “If AI can do this already, how can we as a city use it to work smarter, faster and better for our citizens with the limited resources that we have?”

What is usually referred to as generative AI, or artificial intelligence, is a cluster of technologies that uses complex mathematical formulas to generate (hence the name) a response based on a set of data, usually referred to as training data.

The city’s department heads, as well as the

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kenton county briefs mayor, have already been trained in AI proficiency, certifications that cost about $450 each. Elgusain put future costs for group training of lower level employees at about $5,000 per group. He also said the city could hire an AI consultant to help with the rollout.

Although Elgusain and Washington seemed optimistic about the initiative, Elgusain admitted it carried risks. In fact, much of the policy adopted Oct. 28 formalized guardrails against problems that inherently afflict AI platforms and against misuse by humans using them.

Even with AI’s potential, Elgusain said, “with that potential comes a set of responsibilities, ethical challenges, data privacy concerns and the need to make sure that the tools that we’ll eventually be using are transparent, and we’re using responsibly, especially at the local government level.”

The new policy establishes protocols for purchasing AI tools and sets up training requirements for the IT department. City workers would not be allowed to enter any sensitive information into an AI model, and the use of any AI product for work purposes would require sign-off from a department head. Employees would also have to fact-check any AI-generated results.

Other prohibitions laid out in the policy include transmitting AI outputs containing city information in personal emails, creating deepfakes or other misleading imagery or media, using AI to generate legal or contract documents “without human review and oversight,” using unlicensed products, using AI for making hiring or disciplinary decisions, and using copyrighted materials either as an AI input or in an AI output without legal permissions.

Downing then recommended restricting city AI use to a single, controlled platform rather than allowing multiple platforms (and potentially multiple payment agreements) for city business. “Having a singular entity like Copilot [a generative AI chatbot from Microsoft],” Downing said, “that we can put parameters and controls around tends to allow us greater limitation on the way that information is being used.”

Commissioner James Toebbe wanted to know if the city had used AI or even other programs to automate repetitive tasks. Elgusain said they did not use bots or pre-AI programs, but the department was using AI now to begin automating some tasks.

“I think with City Hall running shortstaffed, anything that increases employees’ capacity is great,” Toebbe said.

Applicants sought for 2025 Covington neighborhood grants Covington’s Neighborhood Services Department is accepting applications for the city’s neighborhood grant program.

This will be the seventh year the program has sought applicants. Winners will be awarded up to $5,000 for projects that support the upkeep, beauty and social cohesiveness of the city’s neighborhoods.

Grants are usually given to neighborhood organizations and other community groups to support beautification initia-

tives, blight removal, community events and “other activities that build pride and cohesion among neighbors,” according to a city announcement.

“The Neighborhood Grant Program reflects Covington’s ongoing commitment to supporting efforts that make our neighborhoods stronger and more connected,” Walt Mace, the city’s assistant director of neighborhood services, said in the announcement. “These are small grants that create big community impact.”

The application window is open until 4 p.m.

Dec. 8. Go to https://bit.ly/cov-grants-2025 to see full application instructions and information.

Questions can be directed to: • Walt Mace, assistant director of neighborhood services: 859-292-2143 or wmace@covingtonky.gov.

• Cate Douglas, community building director, Center for Great Neighborhoods: 859-547-5550 or cate@greatneighborhoods.org.

After county’s zoning OK, Crescent Springs weighs 17-townhome development A plan to build a 17-townhouse development in Crescent Springs came before city council in late October for a first reading and discussion after council member Jeannine Bell Smith appealed the county planning commission’s September approval of the plan.

No official action was taken – the council will vote on the plan, which is in its early stages, later this month – but it served as a forum for city officials, land owner and developers to discuss the issue openly.

Bell Smith told LINK that she appealed the approval, which would have gone into effect after 90 days if no one objected, to help keep the community informed. “The people need to know,” she said.

At the beginning of the meeting, Cincinnati-based Thomas Breitenstein, attorney for landowner David Heidrich, asked three council members that had spoken to the planning commission against the development – Bell Smith, Jeff Smith and Carol McGowan – to recuse themselves. “Any decision that they make would be tainted by bias, prejudice, conflict of interest and blatant favoritism,” Breitenstein said.

Breitenstein submitted the sign-in sheets from the planning commission meeting, which the three council members had signed as opposition parties, and the documentation of Bell Smith’s appeal as evidence, as well as a single case law citation.

Mayor Mike Daughtery deferred to the city’s present legal counsel, David Steele, sitting in for City Attorney Mike Baker, who didn’t think Breitenstein’s cited precedent sounded “definitive of what you’re asking.”

The discussion continued with all of the council members present.

The land spans only about an acre on the northeast corner of the intersection of Ireland Avenue and Harris Street in Crescent Springs. Queen City Avenue flanks the land to the east. The areas around the parcels are a mixture of single-family, multifamily

and commercial developments, including a Panera Bread and a paint store.

townhomes would have three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.

Plans to develop the land date to 2007, when former owner JACS Property submitted a plan to the county to build 32 townhomes across three buildings.

Plummer to seek reelection as county property administrator Darlene Plummer announced Oct. 30 that she will seek reelection as the property valuation administrator, often shortened to PVA, for Kenton County.

Only a portion of the roughly two acres in the original concept was developed into condos, and the remaining land eventually fell into receivership before being sold by the county master commissioner, effectively dividing the property rights in half.

Ireland Properties, a limited liability corporation, bought the remaining land in 2017 but struggled to develop it. Ireland Properties later contracted with Legacy Management, a Fort Wright-based property management firm, to revise the original concept plan and head up asking for a variance from the county.

The new concept plan calls for two buildings with a total of 17 units. Plans for the first building call for a 15-foot setback from Ireland Avenue and Harris Street. Plans for the second building call for a 12-foot setback from the adjacent commercial lot and a 15-foot setback from Ireland Avenue.

Each unit would have rear-entry, two-car garages and walk-out access onto Ireland Avenue.

Typically, the zone where the property sits requires 25-foot setbacks, but the planning commission in September approved variances to align with the concept plan. While variances from the commission are treated as final, they depend in this case on the whole plan’s being approved. If Crescent Springs’ council denies the plan, the variances would dissolve.

Plans also call for a water detention basin (in addition to the one nearby) along with attendant landscaping and signage.

Ross Kreutzjans of Legacy Management, which plans to lease the units once completed, told the planning commission the

Darlene Plummer is seeking reelection as Kenton County’s property valuation administrator. Provided | Strategic Advisors

Although she couldn’t officially file for candidacy until November, she filed a statement of spending intent with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance last month, which is usually seen as the first step in campaigning.

“I am honored to serve the citizens of Kenton County and remain committed to providing accurate, transparent and exceptional customer service,” Plummer said in a written announcement. “If reelected, I will continue to advance technology, strengthen customer relationships, and ensure fair and equitable assessments for all property owners.”

The PVA’s office is responsible for assessing the value of properties throughout the county. Assessments are then used to determine property tax bills, although the PVA is not responsible for collecting taxes.

Plummer was first elected to the position in 2014. She has a bachelor’s degree in management and a certificate of accounting from Northern Kentucky University.

She’s also a licensed real estate broker and an active volunteer in the community.

NOTICE Please take notice that, in an application to be filed no later than November 3, 2025, Duke Energy Kentucky, Inc. will be seeking approval from the Kentucky Public Service Commission to revise its Demand Side Management (DSM) rate for gas service and electric service for residential and commercial customers, with changes to become effective on or after December 3, 2025. Duke Energy Kentucky’s current monthly DSM rate for residential gas customers is $0.001249 per hundred cubic feet and for non-residential gas customers is $0.000000 per hundred cubic feet. Duke Energy Kentucky’s current monthly DSM rate for residential electric customers is $0.002418 per kilowatt-hour and for nonresidential customers is $0.003409 per kilowatt-hour for distribution service and $0.000674 per kilowatt-hour for 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 $0.014440 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 $0.005514 per kilowatt-hour and for non-residential customers would decrease to $0.001154 per kilowatt-hour for distribution service and would decrease to $0.000053 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 residential electric revenues of approximately $4.7 million or 2.34% over current residential electric revenues and decrease in non-residential revenues of approximately ($5.2) million or (1.98%) over current non-residential revenues. The proposed rates reflect an increase in residential gas revenues of approximately $0.8 million or 0.81% over current total gas revenues. There is no change to non-residential gas revenues.

A typical residential gas customer using 70 ccf in a month will see an increase of $0.92 or 0.8%. A typical residential electric customer using 1000 kWh in a month will see an increase of $3.14 or 2.1%. A typical non-residential electric customer using 40 kilowatts and 14,000 kWh will see a decrease of ($32.19) or (1.8%). A non-residential customer served at transmission voltage using 10,000 kilowatts and 4,000,000 kWh will see a decrease of ($2,533.19) or (0.8%). Nonresidential 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. If the Commission does not receive a written request for intervention within thirty (30) days of the initial publication or mailing of the notice, the Commission may take final action on the tariff filing. 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 and are available for inspection at 211 Sower Boulevard, Frankfort, Kentucky, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

NOVEMBER 7, 2025 9

THE WEEKLY COMIC

by Andrew Buchanan

Eastside Covington event to beautify, promote resilience

Clara Riley outside her Eastside home. Photos by David S. Rotenstein | LINK nky contributor

By David S. Rotenstein

C

lara and William “Bill” Riley moved to Covington’s Eastside neighborhood in 1961, shortly after getting married. Clara had grown up in Cincinnati, and Bill was from Covington. They bought a two-story home in the neighborhood in 1974.

Bill died in 2019, and Clara was left with an aging house and a growing list of maintenance tasks. The Riley home is one of four properties slated for painting, minor repairs and yardwork on Nov. 8 in an event the Eastside+ Neighborhood Association is calling “Neighbor to Neighbor.” Billed as a neighborhood-wide home repair day, Eastside+ is collaborating on the event with Keep Covington Beautiful, a program in the Center for Great Neighborhoods.

“Some of it applies to code enforcement,” said Eastside+ founder Melissa Kelley.

“Things that need to be removed and fixed, that are, like, overgrown, and, you know, the owner is an 80-year-old lady and she can’t get out there and do it, that kind of thing.”

Clara and Bill Riley’s first Covington home was on Bush Street. That’s where Bill grew up and where his parents, William and Vileria, lived.

From there, the young couple moved to an apartment in the Jacob Price Homes and then Eastside houses they rented before buying 402 Byrd St., across Wheeler Street, where Vileria Riley had owned 344 Byrd St. since 1974. She acquired the property from a nephew who bought it in 1970.

Vileria Riley’s grandchildren still own the Bush Street home and 402 Byrd St. The Eastside has changed a lot since the 1970s. “When Blacks start moving in, the whites start moving out,” Riley said. “They thought there were too many Black people coming in.”

By the time the Rileys moved to Byrd Street,

10 NOVEMBER 7, 2025

Covington’s schools had been desegregated. Restaurants had slowly begun serving Black customers , but redlining still shaped the city’s neighborhoods.

Eastside has been a working-class neighborhood since at least the 1930s, when the Home Owners’ Loan Corp gave it a “C” grade: “definitely declining.”

The Neighbor to Neighbor event is one way longtime residents can reclaim their neighborhood, with the help of some new neighbors like Kelley and her husband, Scott Banford. They’ve lived in Eastside since 2022, when the New Jersey transplants bought a brick home built in the 1850s.

“This is one of the original houses built on Pleasant Street,” Banford said while sitting in the living room of his rehabilitated historic home. “This was owned by a landlord who owned a bunch of homes.”

The house, like many of its neighbors, was in bad shape before Banford and Kelley bought it. “This was a dump,” Banford said.

“It was falling down. It looked terrible. The exterior of the building just looked terrible.”

“This was a really blighted area right here, because of this house,” Kelley said.

Not all Eastside homes are lovingly rehabilitated and bought by well-educated transplants. Their conversations with longtime residents, many of them older Black homeowners, tackled the “G-word”: gentrification.

“The feedback we got from the neighborhood,” said Banford, “was, ‘We don’t want gentrification. We don’t want people coming in and buying up our housing stock and raising the prices so we can’t live here.’”

The pair got involved in community initiatives meant to build the neighborhood through collaboration, not displacement.

Kelley revived and expanded the defunct

The Riley family bought the Bush Street home on the left in 1951.

neighborhood association, and Banford got his hands dirty working on the environment.

Last year, during Habitat for Humanity’s Rock the Block event, he helped to clean six tree pits along Pleasant Street and later planted pollinator shrubs in the pits that had been used as dumping places for trash and cigarette butts. Neighbor to Neighbor was conceived after that experience, Banford said.

Banford took his idea to Keep Covington Beautiful. The organization visited Eastside homes and selected four from a pool of applications submitted by residents. Applicants had no criteria to meet.

“We specifically didn’t want there to be any qualifications,” Allison Wendling, program manager at Keep Covington Beautiful, told LINK. “We checked out what work they were requesting us to do. That’s anything from painting and yard work to small re-

pairs, small carpentry tasks, things like that.”

Clara Riley is surrounded by family pictures inside the Eastside home her family has owned since 1970.

Projects include repainting patios, power washing exteriors and removing worn artificial turf from the steps to Clara Riley’s side door. Wendling is helping to assemble volunteers, tools and materials for the event.

Banford hopes the small projects will inspire future events. The volunteer database and results, said Banford, will be the human foundation for future events involving more homes and bigger projects.

“I’m gonna keep that list of volunteers, keep communicating with them and let the neighborhood know that we’re here if you need us.”

“The neighborhood association is about building neighborhood unity, resilience and fortitude,” Banford said. “So how do you have a resilient city with fortitude, with citizens with fortitude? It’s community.”

Eastside resident Scott Banford examines the Pleasant Street tree pits he cleaned up and planted with pollinator shrubs.

NOVEMBER 7, 2025 11

sports Gubser of Highlands.

Cooper, Ryle, St. Henry, Villa Madonna claim cross country titles

Ryle won the girls team title over Notre Dame, 36-60. Highlands was third with 94 points, and Conner placed fourth with 116.

Campbell County sophomore Lila Dunlevy won the race in 18:58.80, less than a second over Ryle’s Sadie Chalfant’s 18:59.83.

Ryle, Notre Dame, Highlands and Conner qualified for state as teams. Joining them as individual qualifiers are: Dunlevy and Katherine McKee of Campbell County; Faith Foote, McKenzie Burchfield and Ambria Burchfield of Cooper; and Karsy Kreidenweis and Ella Carroll of Simon Kenton.

Girls’ defending Class A champion and Kentucky commit Lily Parke of Beechwood won with an ease similar to Van Laningham’s. Her 19:06.46 was a little more than a minute faster than Villa Madonna’s Abigail Ford’s 20:11.11.

Paul Van Laningham won the Class 3A, Region 5 race by nearly a minute. Provided | Chase Richards

Regional cross country meets took place the weekend of Oct. 24-25, and four Northern Kentucky teams took home team titles.

Cooper’s boys, Ryle’s girls, Villa Madonna’s girls and St. Henry’s boys came out victorious.

Cooper won the Class 3A, Region 5 title behind Paul Van Laningham, the defending boys Class 3A champion, in a time of 15:1.05. He easily won the Region 5 race by nearly a minute over Conner’s Ethan Mann (15:57.18).

The rest of Cooper’s boys had a good time, too. The Jaguars won the team title over Conner, 32-72. Campbell County was third, Ryle fourth and Dixie Heights fifth.

Cooper, Conner, Campbell County, Ryle and Dixie Heights qualified as teams for the state meet Nov. 1 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. Joining them as individual qualifiers are Dylan Clemons and Lincoln Treas of Scott, Connor Warner of Simon Kenton, and Ben Gallagher and Jacob

LexCath, CovCath, Bourbon County, Franklin County and Lloyd Memorial are going to state as teams. Alex Lopez Juarez of Holmes also qualified as an individual.

Five Northern Kentucky girls qualified as individuals: Savannah Gerding, Jersey Marquis and Rosie Brady of Lloyd Memorial; and Peyton Baker and Ken’yanna Johnson of Holmes.

Lexington Catholic won the girls team title over Bourbon County, 25-38, and Harrison County was third with 66.

Notre Dame Academy, Scott, win regional volleyball titles

Villa Madonna won the girls team title over Bishop Brossart, 34-44. Beechwood was third with 60 points, followed by St. Henry with 86 and Walton-Verona with 138.

St. Henry’s boys had a much easier time in their 27-70 team win over Beechwood.

The Crusaders’ Sam Neuhaus won with a 16:35.36, nearly a second quicker than teammate Logan Vaniglia’s 16:41.81.

The Crusaders placed five runners in the top 10 – Neuhaus, Vaniglia, Bryson Colyer (eighth place) Mason Fields (ninth) and Mac Pearce (10th). Teammates Mason Dunwoody and Henry Dunham took 11th and 12th, respectively.

St. Henry, Villa Madonna, Brossart, Bellevue and Holy Cross qualified for state as teams. Joining them as individuals are William Osborne of Williamstown, Everett Pfeffer and Jonah Cockrell of Walton-Verona, and NewCath’s Ian Darnell and Colin Desmond.

Notre Dame Academy won a fourth straight 9th Region title. Provided | Jenny Quinn

Notre Dame won a fourth straight 9th Region title on the volleyball court, while Scott went back-to-back in the 10th Region.

The Pandas took down St. Henry on Oct. 29 in a five-set thriller (27-25, 25-23, 20-25, 23-25, 15-6), giving them their 56th straight victory over 9th Region opponents. St. Henry was the first team to take a set off them in the region this season and the first to take them to five sets since 2021.

Lizzy Larkins, Grace Portwood and Dara Jackson were each named to the All-Tournament Team, while Audrey Dyas was awarded Tournament MVP honors.

Scott took down George Rogers Clark in the 10th Region championship on Oct. 30.

It capped an undefeated record in region play for the Eagles at 13-0 and stretched their winning streak to 26 over region foes.

Both teams advanced to the state tournament, which started Nov. 3. Winners of first round matchups were to head to George Rogers Clark on Nov. 7 for the quarterfinals, with the semifinals and championship played Nov. 8 at GRC. Both teams reached the state semifinals last season before being eliminated.

The LINK nky Team of the Week for October 12-18 presented by Ortho Cincy is the Simon Kenton football team. Provided | Charles Bolton

SIMON KENTON FOOTBALL

Coaches named Haylee Noel as NKY’s top girls basketball players in a preseason poll. Provided

leased its top 10 teams and players in the area.

Cooper’s girls took the top spot with seven of 13 first-place votes. The Jaguars have won four straight 9th Region titles, a feat no other 9th Region team has accomplished before. They are followed by Simon Kenton with six first-place votes and in second.

The Pioneers are the defending 8th Region champions and have won two of the last three 8th Region titles.

Villa Madonna, Bishop Brossart, Beechwood and St. Henry qualified for state as teams. Joining them as individual qualifiers are Abrielle Hooten, Brooklyn Dills and Taylor Placke of Walton-Verona; Ava Willen of Newport Central Catholic; and Charlotte Morris of Dayton.

Sponsored by

12 NOVEMBER 7, 2025

Lexington Catholic won the boys team title over Covington Catholic, 31-41. CovCath’s Joe Mayer won by a second over Bourbon County’s Christopher Wells.

Coaches weigh in on girls basketball NKY preseason polls With basketball season right around the corner, the Northern Kentucky Girls Basketball Coaches Association recently re-

Following them are Notre Dame in third, Campbell County in fourth, Highlands fifth, Dixie Heights sixth, Ryle seventh, Holy Cross eighth, Bishop Brossart ninth and Conner 10th.

The top 10 players are led by Haylee Noel, a junior for Cooper. Ryle’s Jaelyn Jones, Campbell County’s Isabella Jayasuriya, Notre Dame’s Emma Holtzapfel, Dixie Heights’ Asia Carner, Ryle’s Jayden McClain, Bishop Brossart’s Kylie Smith, Highlands’ Maren Orme, Holy Cross’ D’Myah Williams, Cooper’s Addyson Brissey and Walton-Verona’s Elin Logue followed.

The KHSAA regular season begins Dec. 1.

COMMISSIONER’S SALE CAMPBELL COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

CASE NUMBER 25-CI-00504

CASE NUMBER 24-CI-00673

CASE NUMBER 25-CI-00532

DIVISION 1

DIVISION 2

DIVISION 2

KENTUCKY HOUSING CORPORATION

SEAN CURRY

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

VS.

VS.

VS.

TANNER B. VANCE, ET AL.

SAMANTHA RODRIGUEZ, ET AL.

VIRGINIA R. PARROTT AKA VIRGINIA PARROTT, ET AL.

BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 9/5/2025 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.

BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 10/1/2025 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.

BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 10/1/2025 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 11/18/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit:

To the highest or best bidder at public auction on 11/18/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit:

To the highest or best bidder at public auction on 11/18/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit:

223 Fourth Avenue, Dayton, Kentucky 41074

421 Fifth Avenue, Dayton, Kentucky 41074

420 Lakeview Drive, Unit 12, Wilder, Kentucky 41071

Group No: 30584/A1

Group No: 30451/A3

Group No: 41372/V9

PIDN: 999-99-08-938.00

PIDN: 999-99-10-150.00

PIDN: 999-99-18-724.37

CASE NUMBER 24-CI-01035

CASE NUMBER 25-CI-00625

CASE NUMBER 25-CI-00465

DIVISION 1

DIVISION 1

DIVISION 1

CITY OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY

KENTUCKY HOUSING CORPORATION

VS.

VS.

ELSIE LONG, ET AL.

ANDREW SCOTT TEVIS, ET AL.

BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 6/18/2025 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.

BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 10/3/2025 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 11/18/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit:

To the highest or best bidder at public auction on 11/18/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit:

1141 Central Avenue, Newport, Kentucky 41071

937 Thornton Street, Dayton, Kentucky 41074

Group No: 30181/A7

Group No: 30322/A4

PIDN: 999-99-03-121.00

PIDN: 999-99-09-607.00

STRUCTURED ASSET SECURITIES CORPORATION MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2001-SB1, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE VS. ELIZABETH POE, ET AL.

BY VIRTUE OF A JUDGMENT RENDERED 10/8/2025 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 11/18/2025 at 3:00pm, the following property, to-wit: 70 Rose Avenue, Highland Heights, Kentucky 41076 Group No: 30904/A3 PIDN: 999-99-22-037.00

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

NOVEMBER 7, 2025 13

real estate

Fort Mitchell two-story in Beechwood district Address: 109 Highland Ave., Fort Mitchell Price: $450,000 Bedrooms: Four Bathrooms: One (plus one half bath) Square footage: 2,488 School district: Covington Independent County: Kenton Special features: This character-filled home in the Beechwood School District features hardwood floors, formal living and dining rooms, a spacious family room and an updated kitchen. Enjoy the welcoming front porch, deep backyard and oversized heated detached garage with additional storage and workspace. Conveniently located near interstates, shopping, restaurants, downtown Cincinnati and the airport.

The exterior of this Fort Mitchell home. Photos provided | CoCo James with RE/MAX Victory + Affiliates

A look at this home’s kitchen.

A view of this home’s dining room.

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

PUBLIC NOTICE The City of Villa Hills Adopted Ordinance 2025-10. An Ordinance of the City of Villa Hills, in Kenton County, Kentucky, amending Table 4.04 of the Villa Hills Zoning Code.

The ordinance may be viewed in full on our website at https://villahillsky.org/ government-main-page/notices-and-ordinances/#ordinances. This ad paid for

by The City of Villa Hills, 720 Rogers Road, Villa Hills, KY 41017; (859) 341-1515, with taxpayer dollars at $30.72.

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14 NOVEMBER 7, 2025

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SUDOKU

Edited Margie E.Crossword Burke ThebyWeekly

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Edited by Margie E. Burke

Copyright 2025 by The Puzzle Syndicate

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HOW TO SOLVE:

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Answer to Previous Sudoku:

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by Margie E. Burke

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NOVEMBER 7, 2025 15

2025 COMMUNITY

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