NEWS ROUND-UP -- THURSDAY MORNING 26 JULY

THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE

| 

FACEBOOK: The River City News

@theRCnews on Twitter  

|

by Michael Monks 

Email Michael

|

OPEN HOUSE TODAY FOR RENOVATED COVINGTON HOMES

You can check out five newly renovated homes in Covington today from 5:00-700PM as the City of Covington and its partners at Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky, the Center for Great Neighborhoods, Huff Realty, Sibcy Cline, Coldwell Banker West Shell, and Century 21 show off their latest effort to increase home ownership:

The City of Covington along with its partners, the Center for Great Neighborhoods, Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky, Huff Realty, Sibcy Cline, Coldwell Banker West Shell and Century 21, proudly invite you to tour 5 of its newly renovated and constructed homes in the 900 block of Banklick Street and Berry Street in Covington. An Open House tour will be hosted by the Realtor Partners on Thursday, July 26 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM. These 5 homes are near completion and are ready for purchase.

As part of a grant from the Kentucky Department for Local Government for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), the City of Covington was able to take 14 home sites, restore them, and offer them for sale to qualifying buyers. Three of the sites are new construction while the remaining 11 are full restorations. To date, one home has been sold and two more are under contract.

The NSP program offers potential homebuyers financial incentives that include paid closing costs, sizable grants, and half of the down payment. Buyers must meet income guidelines to qualify for the program. Information on the program can be found at www.makecovingtonhome.com or by calling the City of Covington Community Development Department at 859-292-2147.

Please join us for this Open House event to experience these exciting new homes and discover the quality construction, convenient location and positive impact this project has given the City of Covington. Refreshments will be provided.

More details: Click Here
|

|

1 MILLION IN KENTUCKY TO GET INSURANCE BECAUSE OF OBAMACARE

A new report predicts that one million people in Kentucky who were previously unable to attain health insurance will be covered when part of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) goes into effect in 2014:

“I think this brings peace of mind to those families who have been denied coverage for so long because of pre-existing conditions," said Mitchell. "I think when we speak to a lot of Kentucky families there’s not really anyone I have spoken to that has not been affected by pre-existing conditions,” she says.
The clause will allow those who’ve had illnesses like cancer, diabetes or other sickness to get insurance coverage, Mitchell says.

WFPL 

|

COVINGTON FIREFIGHTERS MEET VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN

Vice President Joe Biden addressed the International Association of Firefighters convention in Philadelphia Wednesday:

In an emotional speech to a quiet room here in Philadelphia, Biden declared to the International Association of Fire Fighters that the GOP views them as "the community's problem," and quoted Romney's pledges to cut spending deeply.
"This new Republican Party looks at you as both the reason for and the solution to this godawful recession we inherited," Biden said. "They look at your ranks and they see an easy place to cut budgets to accommodate their priorities — not just you, but cops, public workers generally. Don’t take my word for it. Just listen to what Gov. Romney — who by the way, is a good family man, a guy who means well, I think part of the problem is, I don’t think he just gets you."
Biden repeatedly argued that Romney is out of touch with the values of firefighters and other middle-class voters, telling his audience that the GOP's intent to focus on slashing budgets and keeping upper-income taxes low would hurt their communities.
"He said, I quote, guaranteeing the government will keep its fire, police and teachers intact is not an effective way to get the economy rolling again. Tell that to the store owner who, without you, may lose everything they own," Biden continued. "He further said — referring to Gov. Romney — my own view is that right to work is the right way to go, and I’d like to see it on the national level as well. Did you think that we’d be fighting these fights again in 2012?"

Full story: Politico 
|
The executive board of Covington's firefighters union, IAFF Local 38, shared this photo on their Facebook page:

|

NORTHERN KENTUCKIANS WANT TAX REFORM TO BOOST EDUCATION

More from this week's public meeting on tax reform in the Commonwealth at Northern Kentucky University. Via cn|2:

Brent Cooper, owner of a small tech company in Covington and chairman of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, said he had concerns about the lack of tax credit for angel investors in start up businesses. The General Assembly failed to enact legislation this year to allow such tax credits other states have.
Cooper told the commission, “imagine you are a new startup and someone comes to you and says I’ll give you $200,000 for your idea, but you’ve got to move four miles north, because I get a 25 percent tax credit in Ohio and we don’t get that in Kentucky. That is not just made up. That is happening. Tax policy in Kentucky is costing us jobs.”

|

Hear from outgoing NKU President James Votruba and the university's student government president about the importance of solving the tuition and higher education funding problems at the link: cn|2 

|
SEE ALSO: Governor Beshear makes appointments to higher education board, including the President of EW Scripps to the NKU Board of Regents press release 
|

QUICKIES

|

Banking scandal could be hurting Kentucky's pensions WFPL 

|

Tax increases, program cuts could help boost pensions cn|2 

|

Pension reform is still troublesome Daily Independent 

|
Governor Beshear to promote Kentucky on trip to Europe press release 
|
Kentucky Secretary of State heads to Afghanistan to help troops vote press release 
|

Drug money funds voter fraud in Kentucky FOX News 

|
US Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Louisville) named best in Congress for working people press release 
|
US Rep. Geoff Davis passes off his signature cause, the REINS Act, to a colleague since Davis won't be around to see it passed WFPL 
|
Good news for wine lovers: the grape harvest is ahead of schedule WPSD 
|
Governor Beshear orders flags at half staff in honor of victims of Colorado movie theater shooting press release 
|
Bengals say "no" to new TV blackout rule Business Courier 
|
Kentucky low on list of creative class population The Atlantic Cities 
|

COVINGTON SCHOOL BOARD MEETS TONIGHT

The Covington School Board will meet Thursday at 7:00PM inside the Board of Education. No agenda has been made public yet, but it is expected to include discussion of the three bids sought to reconstruct the playground at Sixth District Elementary School that was partially destroyed by fire in June. Also, board member Mike Fitzgerald returns after missing a couple meetings due to an illness that kept him in the hospital for an extended period of time. The River City News will have it covered for you.

|
FEMALE TEACHERS & MALE STUDENTS SEX SCANDALS IN THE AREA
Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati have had their share of teacher-student sex scandals:

Fox19 Legal Analyst and former Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen added that society's double standard also makes it tougher to prosecute offenders.
"If the male teacher is the defendant and there's a female student, that person is probably going to prison," said Allen. "If on the other hand, it's a female teacher and a male student, you're not seeing that many stiff sentences."

See the video report here: WXIX 
|
COVINGTON CITY ARBORIST EXPLAINS DANGERS OF EMERALD ASH BORER

Jason Roberts, the City of Covington's urban forester, certified arborist, and municipal specialist discusses the fight against the emerald ash borer in Devou Park through this video produced by NKU:

|
A HEROIN ADDICT'S STORY
Heroin is a growing problem in our City and region:

Once the scourge of the 40's, 50's and 60's, heroin is back. And though it has an inner-city reputation, experts say it's gone suburban, even rural, perhaps next door to you. Cooking up in a spoon: It's what many heroin addicts do, what they live for, dream about. The god they worship. 

(snip)

Some people don't think that could happen to people they know, but pay attention to the addresses that recovery expert Jeff Duell of the Awareness and Recovery Group has seen at his recovery center. "It's Ft. Thomas, Newport, Covington, Ft. Mitchell, Villa Hills," Duell said.

Full story with video report: WCPO 
|
SEE ALSO: As pain pills change, abusers move on to new drugs WFPL 
|
KY MAN ACCUSED IN ANTI-GAY ATTACK CHALLENGES FED HATE CRIMES LAW
After he and an accomplice were charged with beating up a man in Eastern Kentucky because the man is gay, Anthony Ray Jenkins, 20, and his cousin became the the first ever charged under a new federal hate crimes law:

Part of the hate-crimes law is unconstitutional because it impermissibly creates special protection for a class of people based on the sexual orientation of victims, Anthony Jenkins' attorney, Willis G. Coffey, argued in the motion filed Wednesday.
There is no compelling interest in providing more protection for gay crime victims than for others, and the Constitution bars doing so, the motion said.
The federal hate-crimes law once included protection based only on race, color, religion and national origin.

Full story: Herald-Leader/Bill Estep 
|
MORE QUICKIES
|
What Penn State football can learn from Kentucky basketball after scandal The New York Times 
|
Whooping cough cases on the rise and could get worse here WLWT 
|
Man finally charged for causing a violent scene at a Salvation Army Christmas Dinner in Louisville WDRB 
|
KENTUCKY MAN INDICTED FOR STEALING FROM BODY AT FUNERAL HOME
Ugh:

William Mitchell, 33, has been indicted in Grayson County. Police say he took a ring off the woman's finger at the funeral home in Caneyville, then broke into a car sitting outside.

A few more details: WKYT