Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Cincinnati, US

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Community

Two security cameras mounted on a utility pole, pointing in opposite directions.

News Safety

Sharonville police lieutenant indicted over alleged misuse of license plate cameras

A police lieutenant faces a felony charge after prosecutors accused him of using license plate surveillance technology to track someone for personal reasons. Hamilton County prosecutors announced that Lt. Walter Cordes of Sharonville was indicted on Oct. 13, 2026, on one count of unauthorized use of a computer, cable or telecommunications property. Police lieutenant allegedly…

ByNina OliverioOctober 16, 20260Comments

Chain attached to a crossing-arm assembly at Cincinnati's Madison Road floodgate over Duck Creek railroad arms in July 2026.

Community Politics

City Confirms Duck Creek Floodgate Problem Exchange Flagged in July

Cincinnati now says a failure of the railroad arms kept the Duck Creek floodgate from closing on July 17. The Cincinnati Exchange reported the crossing-arm problem on July 22, five days after the storm. The city's finding on the Duck Creek railroad arms appears in a presentation the administration gave a council committee Tuesday. Page…

ByAdam KoehlerOctober 14, 20260Comments

Family with children entering a neighborhood polling place to vote in the November election on Hamilton County's children's services levy, Issue 10.

Community Politics

Hamilton County’s Child Placement Costs Doubled Before Issue 10

Hamilton County's children's services levy fund spent about twice as much on child placements in 2025 as in 2021. The average number of children in placement rose just 19% over those same four years. That gap sits at the center of Issue 10, the children's services levy on the Nov. 3 ballot. The ballot asks…

ByAdam KoehlerOctober 11, 20260Comments

Cincinnati gang data illustration showing a police incident report with “None/Unknown” selected for gang involvement.

Community Safety Special Report

Does Cincinnati Have a Gang Problem? Its Crime Data Can’t Say.

Gunfire killed 18-year-old Avante Baker Beatty on Lexington Avenue in Avondale at 4:28 p.m. on Sept. 27, 2021. Cincinnati police reported his killing to state and federal crime databases under the code Ohio labels "No Gang Involvement." His record is one line in Cincinnati gang data, and the data almost never says "gang." In fall…

ByAdam KoehlerOctober 6, 20260Comments

Five adults sit around a wooden table, listening during a conversation in a community recovery setting.

Community Health

What I Have Learned from Visiting Addiction Treatment and Recovery Programs

Almost every Friday morning, before starting the rest of my day, I visit a drug treatment or recovery organization somewhere in Hamilton County. As a Common Pleas Court judge, I regularly see the terrible consequences of addiction in my courtroom. I began these visits to better understand the people and organizations working on the other…

ByChris McDowellOctober 4, 20260Comments

Modern supportive housing building in Over-the-Rhine illustrating Cincinnati’s Housing First funding debate.

Community Politics

Cincinnati Built Its Homelessness System Around Housing First. HUD Is Changing the Rules.

Gloria's Place opened on Dunlap Street last month with 44 apartments and no sobriety requirement at the door. The federal agency that helps fund supportive housing like it closes a competition on Sept. 30 that rewards something else. Cincinnati built its homelessness system on federal Housing First funding, and HUD now says that experiment failed.…

ByAdam KoehlerSeptember 28, 20260Comments

Cincinnati LIHTC Apartments and Affordable Housing

Community

Cincinnati LIHTC Rents Are Closing In on Market Rates. Portland Shows the Risk.

A subsidized senior apartment in Paddock Hills now advertises one-bedroom apartments starting at $1,154 per month. The 1964 market-rate complex 734 feet up Victory Parkway lists a one-bedroom base rent of $1,105. That pairing is the first entry in an Exchange test of whether Cincinnati LIHTC apartments rent for less than the surrounding market. I…

ByAdam KoehlerSeptember 26, 20260Comments

Cincinnati ALPR System Monitors Vehicles on City Roads

News Safety

Eight Companies Bid on Cincinnati’s License Plate Readers

Cincinnati set aside $360,000 to replace and expand its police license plate readers. Eight companies bid for the work, and public records don't show who they are or which three ranked highest. A Jan. 22 memo from City Manager Sheryl Long describes the Cincinnati ALPR procurement in two sentences. "Evaluation committee scores submitted and corresponding…

ByAdam KoehlerSeptember 26, 20260Comments

Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar passing in front of Cincinnati Music Hall

Community News

Traffic and emergency runs blocked Cincinnati’s streetcar for 110 hours

Streetcar blockages clearly affect the system's operation. Ridership is running 7% ahead of 2025 and 7% behind the record 2024 pace. The streetcar blockages log on the city's open data portal shows 970 delays through Sept. 16. Add them up and the Connector sat still for 6,631 minutes, about 25 a day on a 3.6-mile…

ByAdam KoehlerSeptember 21, 20260Comments

Fall day trips from Cincinnati along a scenic road overlooking the Ohio River

Community Entertainment

Seven Fall Day Trips Close Enough to Cincinnati for a Saturday Drive

Indiana State Road 56 curves out of the hills west of Madison, and the river opens up below. From Fountain Square, that curve is about 75 minutes away, a Saturday morning drive and nothing more. That drive captures the trade-off at the center of every one of these fall day trips from Cincinnati: real distance,…