BLINK has announced plans for possible cancellations and closures for Saturday night as the remnants of Hurricane Isaias move into the region.

While some shows have already been canceled, most of the exhibits will remain open as long the weather doesn’t become severe, and BLINK Executive Director Leslie Mooney is encouraging “everyone to come experience BLINK rain or shine.”

“BLINK is an outdoor festival, and we’ve prepared for changing weather conditions,” said Mooney. “Our teams are monitoring the forecast and have plans in place to respond as conditions develop.”

Check out a list of affected programming below. The numbers correspond to sites on official BLINK maps, which you can see here.

The following programming has been cancelled due to the weather:
• Asha AMA Fashion Show
• Skatepark Popup
• Brett Bolton Drumming Performance at Music Hall (remaining pieces will be active)
• Live performances at Installations 31, 33 & 36

The following installations may also be affected by the weather:
• Drone Show
• Corner Mapping (49)
• Kroger (29)
• Elm Street Plaza UC Lighting (46)
• All inflatable installations (20, 40, 61, 84)

You can sign up for for safety and traffic notifications by texting BLINK2026 to 77295 to connect with Cincy Alert. BLINK will also be releasing updates on its Facebook page.

“If a shower sends you inside for a bit, it’s a great opportunity to enjoy one of the many restaurants and bars in Cincinnati and Covington before heading back out to explore,” said Mooney.

The post BLINK announces weather plans for Saturday appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Taylor Marshall, one of the people arrested last year during a protest on the Roebling Bridge, pleaded not guilty to felony rioting charges Monday afternoon. This was after they were detained Monday morning and transported to Kenton County Detention Center, where they spent much of the day before being released following the not guilty plea.

Marshall declined to be interviewed for this story, instead deferring to their attorney, Ben Potash. Marshall’s detainment was unexpected, according to statements from Potash.

“Taylor came in today not expecting to be detained,” said Potash.

Marshall was offered a plea deal on Sept. 16 to take a lower charge of failing to disperse, but Judge Kenneth Easterling withdrew this deal after a contentious exchange at the hearing that day.

At the Sept. 16 hearing, Marshall came up to the dais before the judge and pleaded guilty to failure to disperse. Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders was serving as prosecutor that day.

After Marshall entered their plea of guilty for failure to disperse, Easterling asked them, “What is it that you did?”

“Failed to disperse,” Marshall said.

“That’s a legal conclusion,” Easterling replied. “What did you do?”

“Uh, didn’t move fast enough,” Marshall said.

“Did police officers give you direction to leave the roadway, and you didn’t leave the roadway?” asked Sanders, briefly hesitating before adding, “fast enough?”

Marshall and Potash exchanged some words out of earshot, but Easterling interjected.

“This is where you tell the facts, ma’am,” Easterling said. “You need to be forthcoming about what you did.”

“OK, yes, when the police officer told me to leave the roadway, I did not leave fast enough,” Marshall said.

“You didn’t leave at all,” Easterling said. “That’s what you’re charged.”

Easterling then asked them where they lived and if they knew “that all this activity of crossing the bridge illegally was going to occur?”

“Judge, the charge is failure to disperse,” said Potash, “not conspiracy to commit a crime.”

“I get to take the factual basis for my plea,” said Easterling. “I don’t need you telling me what I need to do, sir.”

The judge then instructed the clerk to set a pretrial hearing, telling Marshall to “come back when you’re ready to confess.”

Marshall was indicted on the felony rioting charges on Sept. 24, according to court records. They were also indicted on three misdemeanor counts: resisting arrest, obstructing government operations and disorderly conduct. A pretrial conference took place before Judge Kenneth Easterling Monday morning, where Marshall was taken into custody. Their bond was set at $2,500.

Since rioting is a felony, the case was moved to the Kenton County Circuit Court, which handles felonies, before a new Judge, Mary Molloy. The arraignment hearing Monday afternoon was brief. At the hearing, Potash said Marshall had posted their bond and asked the court to waive the $2,500 and release Marshall due to their lack of criminal history. Molloy granted this request.

Potash addressed Marshall’s supporters, who had come out to see the hearing, outside of the courtroom.

“Taylor’s coming home,” Potash said. “The worst case scenario has been avoided.”

Fifteen people were arrested on the bridge last July. The arrests took place after a protest in Cincinnati branched off from a vigil for former Cincinnati Children’s chaplain Ayman Soliman, whom United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained following the revocation of his asylum status. At the time, Soliman was held at the Butler County Jail. He was later released.

Many of the arrested protesters were initially charged with rioting, but most of the people who were arrested were given plea deals before Judge Easterling last year, wherein they admitted to lower misdemeanor charges in exchange for having their rioting charges dropped. However, Taylor was one of four protesters whose probable cause for felony rioting was upheld.

Court records indicate that Marshall had been offered a lower charge of failure to disperse, a misdemeanor, last month before it was withdrawn. Many of the protesters who were granted plea deals after the protest were offered similar deals.

Marshall and three others–Brandon Hill, Suzanne Bratt and Logan Imber–have all sued the city alleging excessive force by the police on the bridge. Marshall initially filed the lawsuit in Kenton County Circuit Court, but it moved to federal court in July. The complaint names Covington Police Officer Ross Woodward, an unknown female officer and the city as defendants.

Marshall claims to have suffered a concussion at the hands of Woodward, which led to “serious memory loss and aphasia,” which is a deterioration in speech ability. Notably, Marshall’s complaint alleges that “at no point did Plaintiff Marshall resist arrest,” but Woodward allegedly acted aggressively anyway.

All of the civil cases are ongoing.

Potash characterized charging Marshall with rioting as disproportionate.

“Whatever you may think about it, having this poor person run through the ringer for over a year for this, and now facing a felony charge is just completely out of proportion to whatever you think might have happened that day,” Potash said.

A follow-up hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 30.

This story has been updated.

The post Roebling Bridge protester pleads not guilty to rioting charges after unexpected detainment appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

BLINK is almost here! The massive international event will come to both sides of the river starting this Thursday evening from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and will continue every subsequent night through Sunday, Oct. 11.

If you’re attending the event on the Covington side, you’ll need to plan ahead to get into town as some typical entryways into the city will be closed.

From Cincinnati

The Roebling will be closed to vehicle traffic every night of the event, but it will remain open to pedestrians. If you’re driving from Cincinnati, you’ll need to arrive using either the Brent Spence Bridge or the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge.

From Newport

If you’re coming from Newport, the city recommends using the 12th Street Bridge, also known as the Girl Scout Bridge, to traverse the Licking River into the city. TANK’s Licking River Link shuttle service, established in the wake of the 4th Street Bridge demolition to help travelers go back and forth between Covington and Newport, will also be running during the event. Pedestrians and bike riders will be able to access the Licking River Link for free.

What if you’re not using your own car

TANK’s regular routes, which you can learn about here, will be running normally throughout the event. The bus service will also provide a park and ride service from NKU’s campus on Friday and Saturday. Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft will be active, but keep in mind that pedestrian traffic will be heavy.

GEST carts will also be active throughout the event. GEST’s NKY Connector will run regularly between Newport and Covington. Rides are free, but tips are appreciated.

Parking

There are several public parking garages near the festival, including the River Center Parking Garage, Kenton County Parking Garage, Midtown Parking Garage, and City Center/Hotel Covington Parking Garage. You can reserve a spot in the Midtown and River Center garages using the ParkWhiz app.

Meters within the city’s entertainment destination centers (see below) will be shut down from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. every night of the event. Find out more about parking in Covington at the Covington Motor Vehicle Parking Authority’s website.

Entertainment destination centers

Finally, several areas, dubbed “entertainment destination centers” or EDCs, will be set off as public consumption areas. Attendees will be able to carry open containers of alcohol purchased from participating businesses in those areas in specially marked cups. More than a dozen Covington businesses have agreed to participate. You can find a full list of the participating businesses as well as a list of which roads will be closed in the EDC by reading the city’s announcement.

The post How to get into Covington for BLINK this year appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Ohioans could soon see prices at the pump fall temporarily after state lawmakers passed a 90-day pause of the state’s gas tax on Wednesday.

The Ohio House and Senate passed House Bill 519 on Wednesday in a pair of bipartisan votes. The bill will suspend Ohio’s assessment of its 38.5-cent-per-gallon tax on gas and its 47-cent-per-gallon tax on diesel. The bill also pulls $725 million out of the state’s reserve accounts to cover the lost road and bridge maintenance funding that will occur as a result of the tax holiday.

The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk for his signature. Normally, laws take effect 90 days after they are passed. But the gas-tax bill will take effect immediately if and when DeWine signs it, since it got enough Democratic support to add what’s called an emergency clause. 

Last week, DeWine voiced skepticism about an earlier version of how to fund the tax break. But now that it’s funded via general budget dollars and not those earmarked specifically for road repairs and construction, DeWine plans to sign the bill, his spokesman said on Wednesday afternoon. 

Ramaswamy revives stalled tax holiday idea

Republicans have debated suspending the state’s gas tax since earlier this year, after the U.S. attacks on Iran in February. This led to a disruption in global oil shipping and a spike in gas prices. But the measure failed to advance. Legislative leaders said Wednesday some Republicans thought at the time that perhaps prices had spiked temporarily. 

But the idea landed on the Republican-controlled legislature’s front burner last week after it became a top issue in the governor’s race. 

Nine days before Wednesday’s vote, both gubernatorial candidates – Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton – called for passage of a gas tax holiday within hours of one another. 

The same day, Midwest diesel prices reached an all-time high of $6.68 a gallon while regular gas prices reached their highest levels since May, according to federal data. Republicans’ polling numbers, meanwhile, have plunged as gas prices have started to go up.

Republican legislative leaders heeded the call, calling members back to Columbus on Wednesday for an unexpected vote. The resulting legislation was added to an unrelated bill that previously had to do with deterring auto theft. 

At times the legislative process grew contentious. Senate Republicans invoked a rarely used procedural maneuver to squash debate on the bill and block Democrats from proposing amendments on unrelated, politically charged subjects. And in the House, GOP Speaker Matt Huffman repeatedly cautioned Democrats that their floor speeches could be cut off if they deviated too far from the bill.

“We tried to offer amendments. Obviously, they won’t let us,” said Rep. Munira Abdullahi, a Columbus Democrat.

Republican Senate President Rob McColley, Ramaswamy’s running mate, described the restrictions as needed to keep debate on the topic.

“If we would have gotten bogged down with a lot of other stuff solely for political theater …, it would have, quite frankly, been a disservice to Ohioans,” McColley said.

The idea to suspend gas taxes was dusted off and then passed within nine days – a breakneck pace by typical legislative standards. Speaking with reporters following the vote, Ramaswamy called the episode a preview of how he’d govern the state.

“We’re going to be focused. We’re going to be substantive. And we’re going to be fast,” Ramaswamy said.

Tax holiday splits Democrats

Democrats took two major tacks on Wednesday when it came to the gas tax holiday legislation. Regardless of how they voted, most said in floor speeches and in interviews that they believed between 30% and 60% of the savings would not be passed on to customers and instead stay with the oil and gas industry or retailers. 

Those who voted for the bill credited Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton for helping come up with the idea, since Acton called for her own gas tax holiday hours before Ramaswamy did. After the bill passed Wednesday, the Acton campaign released a statement praising the vote’s outcome.

“As the first candidate in this race to propose a gas tax holiday, Dr. Acton is glad the Statehouse has voted with bipartisan support to establish a gas tax holiday and provide Ohioans much needed relief at the pump,” the statement said.

Some Democrats also quibbled with aspects of the bill, criticizing it for not dealing with broader issues like property taxes or data centers, or for pulling from state reserve funds instead using $600 million the state previously agreed to use to build a new Cleveland Browns football stadium.

Other Democrats more critical of the Republican proposal called the tax holiday a gimmick that would only save Ohioans a few dollars while politically benefitting Ramaswamy and other Republicans ahead of the election. They also said it ignores the real culprit of surging gas prices – the U.S. war on Iran. 

“This is a stunt,” said state Rep. Allison Russo, who’s also the Democratic candidate for Ohio Secretary of State. “It’s a stunt because you’re worried about what’s going to happen in 35 days.”

Rep. Terrence Upchurch, a Cleveland Democrat, said in an interview he’s confident he can explain what looks like a tough vote against the always-popular idea of a tax break. 

“This is temporary relief, there are no guardrails for consumers, and this is just irresponsible,” he said. 

Still, enough Democrats voted for the bill to hand Republicans a crucial victory – to attach the emergency clause that allows the law to take effect immediately, which could lead to a drop in gas prices before early voting starts on Oct. 6.

Some Democrats described their belief that Acton’s team wanted the bill to pass and urged Democratic caucus leaders to vote for it. 

“A lot of Democrats are a  frustrated ‘yes,’” said Abdullahi, who voted no. 

Dani Isaacsohn, the House Democratic Minority Leader, told reporters Wednesday that he spoke to Acton about the gas tax holiday proposal “at length.” He then laid out the sequence of events – Acton’s proposal followed by Ramaswamy’s legislative push hours later.

“She is centering the relief that people need, and she recognizes even before she’s in office that it’s time to start taking people’s needs seriously,” Isaacsohn said. 

This story originally appeared at signalohio.com.

The post Gas tax in Ohio suspended for 90 days after politically charged Statehouse vote appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

A deal is in the works by an out-of-town investor to possibly purchase, renovate and rebrand the Radisson Hotel in Covington, known for its distinct architecture and revolving restaurant.

Miami-based GenX Capital Partners informed LINK nky this week that it was heading up a deal with an unknown buyer to renovate the building into a Hard Rock REVERB hotel, a relatively new hospitality line from the well-known company of hotels, restaurants and casinos. 

The REVERB brand currently has two locations in Atlanta and Hamburg, Germany, with more under construction in the United States and internationally. The potential acquisition and rebranding would require extensive renovations to the building.

Mark McClure, a managing director with GenX Capital Partners, said in an email to LINK nky that his company is working to provide much of the financing for the buyer group, which “prefers to remain behind the scenes for now.”

McClure said the goal was to close the deal around Christmas, at which point a seven-to-nine-month renovation process could begin. The renovation would take place floor by floor, so most of the hotel could remain open during the process. The project is expected to cost $27 million. 

“We see a significant opportunity to build on this hotel’s landmark status and give people compelling reasons to visit — whether they are staying overnight, attending an event or coming in for dinner and a night out,” McClure said. 

McClure included a branding packet in his email with renderings and information on what the final product could look like. Notably, the packet teases to a possible partnership with the promotion company of former professional boxer Lennox Lewis for one to two fights in the hotel’s ballroom a month. McClure also said the plan includes the potential for live music, comedy shows, open mic nights and a completely redesigned lobby.

The packet also indicates the hotel is meant to augment the Hard Rock Casino across the river, which currently has no hotel space. 

As for the revolving restaurant, the Eighteen at the Radisson, McClure said the “final concept and entertainment programming are still being developed, but our vision extends well beyond a menu refresh.”

Chicago-based Atira Hotels has been brought on to manage the hotel and the renovation’s general contracting. Atira will also provide a portion of the equity investment. Atira Hotels currently manages 21 hotels in 12 states, according to the company’s website.

The post Investors eye Covington Radisson for purchase, renovation and rebrand appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Ohio received an “F” for its sex education policy, according to a new report from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. 

This is the second year in a row Ohio has earned an “F” on the report card from SIECUS, a national organization that advocates for comprehensive, medically accurate, and inclusive sex education. 

“It’s deeply concerning that such an important part of our responsibility to prepare students for life is being so poorly managed,” said Abortion Forward Executive Director Kellie Copeland. 

“The goal should be to help students be prepared to make decisions about their bodies and their lives, and that’s just not what the Ohio curriculum does at all.”

The grades were determined using two categories — Sex Ed Requirement and Sex Ed Content Requirement. Ohio earned a “D” on the sex ed requirement and an “F” on the sex ed content requirement. 

Nine other states also received an “F” on SIECUS’s report card: Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. 

“What young people are allowed to learn about their bodies is increasingly being determined by politics—not by what they need to be healthy and safe,” Callie Simon, SIECUS Executive Director, said in a statement. 

“This goes beyond the classroom because what young people are allowed to learn today will shape their health, safety, and wellbeing for years to come.”

California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington each received an “A” on the SIECUS report card. 

A 2021 report from the Journal of Adolescent Health reviewed three decades of research and determined there is strong support for comprehensive sex education.  

“When you have a curriculum that is scientifically accurate, and teaches young people about the emotional, the physical, the social aspects of sexuality in an age-appropriate way, they understand their bodies better. They develop healthy relationships,” Copeland said. 

Ohio’s curriculum stresses abstinence as a general policy and requires some instruction about sexually transmitted infections, according to the Ohio Revised Code. 

Schools are required to “emphasize adoption as an option to unintended pregnancies” and “teach the potential physical, psychological, emotional, and social side effects” of sex outside of marriage, according to Ohio’s law. 

Ohio lawmakers decide curriculum requirements, so the State Board of Education can not require health education standards. Because Ohio lacks comprehensive sex education, it’s ultimately up to each school district on how they decide to teach it. 

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce is required to conduct an annual audit to ensure school districts are in compliance with the state’s law. 

Every school district completed the 2024-25 audit and all but two school districts were found to be overall compliant. 

Jefferson Township Local School District (Montgomery County) and Ridgewood Local School District (Coshocton County) were non-compliant. 

Both districts were also non-compliant during the 2024-23 audit as well. 

“Many family structures exist today, and all can provide children with a loving and supportive environment,” Ridgewood explained in ODEW’s audit. 

“We have school staff and students who come from single-parent households, same-sex couples, and traditional married-couple families alike. This highlights the importance of recognizing and respecting all family types. Furthermore, sex education should never be used to shame students for their family background.”

Jefferson Township’s district explained there was an “unexpected resignation of our Jr./Sr. High School principal on Feb. 21” who was making arrangements for the sexually transmitted infection education. 

“Our interim building principal was unable to restart/reconnect for the training,” Jefferson Township said in ODEW’s audit. 

“We also lost our Phys. Ed. teacher this year. We have hired a new staff member certified in Health and Phys. Ed. She will be responsible for scheduling the sexually transmitted infection education during the 2025-2026 school year.” 

The Ohio Center for Sex Education is the education arm of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio that teaches comprehensive sex education in schools and community organizations using the Get Real comprehensive sex education curriculum for middle and high schools. 

“That curricula focuses a lot on social and emotional learning, so we’re excited that not only do we get to talk about the stereotypical STIs, birth control, pregnancy prevention, but we also talk to folks about how to be members of their community and have proper communication skills and healthy relationships and just think about consent as a whole and and gender as a way that’s affirming,” said Jes Fuller, director of the Ohio Center for Sex Education.

Comprehensive sexual education is developmentally appropriate, she said.

“We want to give information to young people before it becomes incredibly useful because they can have that information for the future,” Fuller said.

Ohio has a higher teen birth rate than the national average. 

The national birth rate for females 15-19 years old was 12.6 per 1,000 females and Ohio’s teen birth rate was 14.0 per 1,000 females in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ohio lawmakers passed a bill over the summer that will soon require schools to teach students to graduate high school, get a job, and get married — in that order — before having a baby. This is known as the success sequence and the law takes effect Oct. 6.

Ohio House Bill 485, also known as the “Enact Baby Olivia Act” would require schools to show either the ‘Baby Olivia’ video or a similar video to students every year starting in fifth grade all the way up through twelfth grade beginning with the 2026-27 school year.

Ohio state Rep. Melanie Miller, R–Ashland, introduced the bill, which the Ohio House passed last year and has had two hearings in the Ohio Senate Education Committee. 

The Ohio lawmakers are currently on break and will come back after the November election. Any bill that does not pass before the two-year General Assembly ends in December would have to be reintroduced. 

This story originally appeared on ohiocapitaljournal.com

The post Ohio gets a failing mark on sex education policy from national group appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Ohio officials can continue using a new proof of citizenship requirement for people who register to vote at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. In a divided ruling, The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a lower court order on Wednesday.

It comes less than two weeks before Ohio’s voter registration deadline.

The case

Under 2025’s Ohio House Bill 54, BMV clerks offer clients the opportunity register to vote, but only after completing a driver’s license application which requires documentary proof of citizenship.

Two civic organizations, The Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans and Red Wine & Blue, challenged those provisions.

The National Voter Registration Act, commonly known as the motor voter law, requires vehicle registration agencies to offer the opportunity to register when someone submits a driver’s license application. It also directs states to require the “only the minimum amount of information necessary.”

Voter registration forms — including those available at many other public agencies around Ohio — have no proof of citizenship requirement. Instead, applicants declare under penalty of perjury that they are eligible to vote.

Red Wine & Blue and the Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans argued the BMV conditioning access to voter registration services on proof of citizenship violates the minimum information standard.

The groups presented two members who were initially barred from registering, both women, whose documents didn’t reflect their name change after marriage.

In one case, Margaret Dutcher showed up with a valid U.S. Passport — documentary proof of her citizenship — but was still unable to register because she did not have all the documents necessary to get a license.

Research from the University of Maryland indicates 21 million Americans don’t have readily available, up-to-date citizenship documents.

The district judge attempted to cut a middle path. He ordered state officials to stop requiring BMV visitors produce proof of citizenship to register. He added that his order applied to those whose license applications are “ultimately unsuccessful” over lack of documents, but not those who affirmatively indicate they are not a citizen.

The Circuit Court majority opinion

Circuit Judges John Nalbandian and Whitney Hermandorfer, both Trump appointees, downplayed Ohio’s policy and the alleged injury the plaintiffs suffered.

The BMV’s electronic system walks applicants through their license application and once it’s accepted, moves forward to a prompt asking the applicant if they’d like to use their information to register to vote. That’s a reasonable arrangement, the majority opinion concludes, because the universe of eligible license holders is includes minors and non-citizens — neither of whom can vote.

The majority also noted the BMV has paper forms available, and clerks are required to process applications. The state argued a more proactive effort to offer registration would require “wholesale retraining and restructuring of the BMV application process.” The majority bought that argument.

But the majority’s central problem with the case was the underlying harm.

The majority didn’t buy the idea that the individuals identified in the case had suffered an injury, and without injury, there’s no standing to sue.

“Neither Dutcher nor Fazio ever encountered anything having to do with the Associations’ H.B. 54 voter-registration challenge,” the majority wrote, “Instead, BMV officials rejected their driver’s-license applications based on independent paperwork defects.”

The majority contends the challengers aren’t so much finding fault with Ohio’s new law as its administration of drivers licenses, and so enjoining the law wouldn’t address their concerns.

The majority also determined the case is moot because the women in the case have since gotten their licenses and registered to vote.

The dissent

Circuit Judge Kevin Ritz, a Biden appointee, sees the case differently. He brushed aside the majority’s questions of standing and mootness. Two people who wanted to register weren’t afforded that opportunity when they applied for a license. “That is enough,” he said.

The plaintiffs later getting registered, doesn’t mean the case is moot, he added, because that injury could happen again to others.

“A contrary ruling as to rnootness would mean that potential voters who challenge an unlawful state law governing voter registration would have to forgo their registration and right to vote for as long as it took to litigate their challenge to the law,” he wrote. “I am reluctant to construct a Catch-22 that would require a litigant to renounce a ‘fundamental’ right in order to bring suit.”

Like the district court judge, Ritz focused on the importance of “submission.” Under the motor voter law, BMV clerks have to offer registration to people who “submit” a driver’s license application.

To Ritz and the district court, that happens when a person seeks a license, not when the BMV agrees to accept their application. So even people who don’t have all the documents necessary for a license should still be afforded an opportunity to register.

Ritz also said “there’s nothing in the record” to support the state’s argument that a more proactive approach to registration could create voter confusion.

“There is no proof, for instance,” he wrote, “that voters will be confused by a deputy registrar offering them a paper form that is already available elsewhere at the BMV.”

This story originally appeared on ohiocaptialjournal.com

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With their bows resting beside them, Rector A. Jones Middle School violinists began plucking the instrument beneath their chins with their fingers. 

A batch of trumpet players followed, before students cradling large ornate wooden guitarróns and smaller folk-style guitars called vihuelas, began strumming. 

Eventually, the ensemble will blend to produce the song “Atotonilco” by Juan José Espinosa Guevara — a mariachi classic. 

When Band Director Scott Reed tried launching a jazz band at Jones, a common offering at middle and high schools, it fell flat. But when he decided to scrap it in favor of a mariachi band, students flocked. 

Now, Boone County School District’s Los Voladores Del Mariachi, the only public middle school mariachi ensemble in the state, has already more than doubled its roster of 15 students that participated when it launched last year. 

“The kids that may be kind of marginal, or feel like they’re lost in the cracks, this gives them a sense of pride, that means something to them. And I think that’s why jazz band just didn’t really take off,” Reed said. 

Of the school’s 746 students enrolled in 2024-25, 32.7% identified as Hispanic or Latino. Although many joined Jones’ mariachi band because it’s part of their heritage, it’s a blend of students from diverse backgrounds who joined for diverse reasons. 

Reed, who is white, didn’t start the program as an expert on the genre — he never actually learned or taught mariachi until last year. But he’s a longtime trumpeter, his wife is a violinist and he wanted to create a space for his students to learn about their culture or someone else’s. Jones’ tapestry of student identities is clear from a first step into the school’s entryway, which is trimmed with flags from dozens of countries.

“I’ve been in a lot of schools and this has been my favorite place to teach,” Reed said. “I think the diversity has something to with that,” he said. 

Getting started has meant building the plane while flying it. 

“Last year I was staying a day or two ahead of the kids,” Reed said laughing. 

One of his first moves was asking the local music store to help special order the mariachi instruments, which ended up costing around $20,000 in total. The summer before launching the band last school year, and again this year, Reed attended the National Mariachi Education Workshops, a weeklong conference in Las Vegas, Nevada to learn more about the music genre and how to teach it. 

Both those things were made possible by grant money, Reed said. 

During Reed’s mariachi band classes available to 7th and 8th graders, students learn both how to play instruments and their history. He’s noticed the program’s positive impact on attendance with students coming to school to play their instruments which live in the band room. 

After one year, he was invited to present at the Kentucky Music Educators Association professional development conference about how to start a mariachi band. 

Meet the band

Merli Ramirez, a 7th grader, is one of the students who joined because it represents her Hispanic culture and identity.

“It makes me feel comfortable playing and proud of myself,” Ramirez said. 

Dylan Morales, a 7th grader who already plays trumpet, joined specifically because he really wanted to learn violin.

“I like the sound of it, it has a really clean sound,” he said.

“I wanted to make my momma proud,” said Christopher Ceboci, another 7th grader who joined the program. 

He said his family often listens to mariachi when they’re cleaning up the house. 

It’s also just fun, something Kobe Sanchez, another 7th grader agrees with. 

“It’s not hard, but it’s also not easy,” Sanchez said. 

Manuel Cervantes, an 8th grader, said the class means a lot to him because his family members all play instruments, including his dad, who plays the mariachi staple, the vihuela. 

“I feel I want to carry that on,” Cervantes said. 

“If this goes well, there’s a chance of me joining a bigger group,” he said. 

Mariachi-ng on

Reed has already heard from many of his former 8th grade students who graduated out of the ensemble last year, and no longer have a place to play mariachi.

This year, Reed wants to find a way to outfit the band with uniforms. He said it’s likely the full mariachi suits might be challenging and costly to source, but that he’s looking at options. 

He also is dreaming up a mariachi festival, which would bring together the one other Kentucky public school band at Bryan Station High School, and two other programs at Berea College and the University of Louisville. 

Reed, who also DJs on the side, has also found mariachi might be a real career pathway for students, considering the demand for mariachi bands he’s seen at local weddings.

“This is hard, and I’ve never worked harder than I have at this school, but to see these kids really get behind it, I think, and I hope, it’s going to continue to grow,” he said. 

The post This Northern Kentucky middle school traded jazz for mariachi. Students flocked to it appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Ohio Republicans are unexpectedly coming back to Columbus next week to try to temporarily suspend Ohio’s gas tax amid an historic spike in fuel prices.

The move comes days before early voting begins, but GOP leaders will need Democrats’ help if they want to pass any gas relief before the November election.

Republican legislative leaders announced Wednesday that they are rallying behind a plan from Republican governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. His plan calls for pausing the tax for 90 days and tapping the state’s reserve funds to backfill the road and bridge maintenance budget that the taxes support.

House Speaker Matt Huffman and Senate President Rob McColley, Ramaswamy’s running mate, said a vote will be held next Wednesday. Without the support of at least a few Democrats, though, the tax cut couldn’t take effect until late December under rules that require larger vote margins for new laws to take effect immediately. 

“I think Democrats who vote against this are doing it at their peril,” Huffman said.  “This is a very easily understood issue.”

The GOP proposal presents Democrats with a political choice: Lend support to cut surging gas prices or do nothing and leave Republicans to answer for the policies behind the spike, which comes amid worsening polls for Republicans. 

House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn said Wednesday that he plans to poll his members about whether they are available to return to Columbus next week. He said Democrats would only support a gas relief measure that would divert the $600 million that Republican lawmakers already set aside for the Cleveland Browns new stadium.

Huffman laughed off that idea Wednesday when asked about it.

Isaacsohn said Republicans have yet to seek his party’s input. 

“This is a political ploy from someone who’s desperate, because Ohioans want a true change and real relief from their government as they worry about rising costs,” he said. 

If Republicans manage to pass a gas tax suspension, they have one more person to win over: Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who could sign or veto the legislation. DeWine successfully pushed for a gas tax hike in 2019, shortly after becoming governor. He has raised concerns recently that the state lacks enough road funding to meet its long-term needs, although Ramaswamy said his recent conversations with the governor have been positive.

“I think that all of us are open-minded to how we’re able to help Ohioans,” Ramaswamy said.

Huffman described his hopes that DeWine will sign the bill as soon as early October. Early voting begins on Oct. 6.

Surging gas prices darken outlook for Republicans

In March, not long after the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran, Republican lawmakers debated suspending the state’s gas tax, which is 38.5 cents per gallon for gas and 47 cents a gallon for diesel. The legislation failed to advance, and lawmakers went home in June, expecting not to return until after the election. 

But surging fuel prices this month in particular have spurred Republicans into action. 

The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas cost $4.48 this week, the highest level since May. But a gallon of diesel – which fuels tractor-trailers and other heavy equipment involved with shipping goods and producing food – broke $6 this month in the Midwest. That surpassed the previous all-time record of $5.95 set in June 2022. Diesel prices have continued to climb since then.

How gas prices influence poll numbers 

Coinciding with the price spike, polling has shown Democrats gaining ground in races across the country in September. This could affect the race for Ohio governor and the state’s other competitive races for the U.S. Senate and the state legislature and tip the balance of power.

Republicans denied Wednesday that politics are a factor in their decision to try to lower gas prices in Ohio. The House version of the bill, however, is being carried by suburban Republicans Rep. Andrea White and Jim Thomas, who are among the GOP lawmakers at most risk of losing their seats.

Ramaswamy said rising diesel prices demand immediate action.

“Everybody’s heart was in the right place. Everybody’s mindset was in the right place. Our fiscal strength is in the right place. What I just needed to do was to actually catalyze action with urgency to match the moment with those diesel prices,” Ramaswamy said.

White, meanwhile, hinted at voter discontent with the Iran war, which conservatives have acknowledged is hurting Republicans’ elections chances in Ohio and elsewhere.

“The pain is real that we are feeling it stronger than ever because of the decisions in Washington,” said White, who represents a district in suburban Dayton that then-Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly won in 2024.

Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who is facing a strong challenge from former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, addressed the challenge facing Republicans more directly in comments published Tuesday by Politico.

“The war needs to come to an end as quickly as possible so that we can lower gas prices,” Husted said.

What exactly is Ramaswamy’s gas relief plan? 

The current state gas tax raises about $2.75 billion a year. Ramaswamy’s proposal would suspend Ohio’s gas tax for 90 days. The move would save drivers about $678 million. It also would drain the same amount from state funds that pay for road and bridge maintenance and for part of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s budget.

To make up for the lost revenue, Ramaswamy proposed draining reserve funds for the Ohio Department of Transportation or the state’s rainy day fund. He said the state could later replenish its savings accounts with money saved on future efforts fighting fraud in its Medicaid program. 

Democrat Amy Acton proposed gas-tax holiday hours before Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy announced his plan on Monday, shortly after his Democratic gubernatorial opponent, Amy Acton, announced her own, less detailed proposal to suspend the state’s gas tax. 

Acton’s campaign accused Ramaswamy of copying her idea. Some Democrats referred to Ramaswamy’s proposal as Acton’s plan.

Do gas tax holidays actually work?

Gas tax holidays are a popular idea. But researchers have found tax cuts don’t automatically translate to direct savings for drivers.

A 2022 study from the University of Pennsylvania found that, while in a few other states gas tax holidays generally resulted in low prices at the pump, the savings didn’t completely line up with the duration of the break.

Gas tax holidays also have drawn criticism from business groups that worry the cuts come at the expense of maintaining roads and bridges. Ohio Chamber of Commerce CEO Steve Stivers, a former Republican congressman, wrote an opinion column in July criticizing a federal proposal to suspend the gas tax, although the Ohio chamber hosted a news conference Wednesday where Republicans detailed their plans.

Rick Carfagna, a spokesperson for the chamber, said Ramaswamy’s plan to backfill lost revenue addresses his organization’s concerns.

Some Democrats have described President Trump’s previous call for a federal gas tax holiday as a gimmick, especially given the central role the Iran war has caused in causing prices to go up this year.

This article originally appeared on Signalohio.org.

The post GOP lawmakers revive plan to cut Ohio gas tax amid rising diesel prices appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

A new improv comedy theater has opened its doors in Fort Thomas with a mission to help people reconnect with their creativity and community.

Improv Northern Kentucky, or INK, officially opened this May and now offers improv classes, workshops, corporate events and performances. INK serves communities in Campbell, Kenton and Boone counties from its new space at 8 North Center for the Arts, 8 N Ft Thomas Ave.

“This is a welcoming third space for people of all ages to enjoy,” said Charley Roetting, one of the INK co-founders. “We know the value that improv brings to people’s lives, and we wanted to make improv accessible to anyone interested here. It’s not about becoming famous. It’s about creating a space where people are encouraged, accepted and inspired.”

Roetting, along with the other INK co-founder Warren Bryson and INK Leadership Council members Bethany Pike and Derek Shipman, has roots in the region. All four attended Northern Kentucky University years ago and noticed the absence of improv in Northern Kentucky. The team, who collectively bring 50 years of improv experience, started talking years ago about changing that deficiency. But as other career opportunities pulled them in various directions, the improv scene for Greater Cincinnati remained north of the Ohio River.

This spring, Roetting and Bryson decided to formally bring improv to Northern Kentucky. With support from Pike and Shipman, INK was incorporated May 28 and held its first event June 18 at Fort Thomas Coffee.

With the Fort Thomas historic theater as its home base, INK offers four course levels for improv classes: Improv Fundamentals 101, Character & Game 201, Advanced Scene Work 301 and Advanced Performance 401. The improv comedy theater will host live comedy shows, community jams and youth improv programs as well as corporate events. Additionally INK produces The Made-Up Movie Players shows throughout the year.

During the month of October, INK is producing MUMPs: The Made-Up Halloween Horror. Every Thursday and Friday in October, eight paid improv performers will put on the improvised cinematic show that’s led by audience suggestions and classic horror tropes with each show being unique to the audience that evening.

INK will produce MUMPs: The Made-Up Holiday Classic in December. Each production will feature a newly assembled cast, creating new opportunities for those in the community to audition throughout the year.

“Hosting seasonal shows is a great way for new people to experience INK,” said Roetting. “But it’s just scratching the surface of what INK aims to achieve.”

Roetting says INK will produce podcasts, sketches, live streams and media production. 

“Bringing improv to Northern Kentucky is so important because of the ripple effect improv has on your life and on the community at large,” said Pike. “Improv improves your confidence, emotional intelligence, communication skills, creativity and adaptability. It extends far beyond the stage.”

For its leadership team, INK means building a community where beginners feel comfortable, artists feel inspired, students feel supported and audiences feel included. 

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