NEWS ROUND-UP -- SATURDAY 11 AUGUST

THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE

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FACEBOOK: The River City News

@theRCnews on Twitter  

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by Michael Monks 

Email Michael

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ONE OF COVINGTON'S MOST WANTED IS CAPTURED IN CINCINNATI

A third suspect in the December shooting death of Brett Thornberry, 18, on Greenup Street, has been arrested. From the Covington Police:

We received word that Mr. Hill was captured in Cincinnati over the last few days. Another one down!

From the Cincinnati Enquirer's Brenna Kelly:

Details of Hill’s arrest in Cincinnati were not available Friday. Covington Police were notified this week that Hill had been caught, said Capt. Bryan Carter. Detectives plan to interview Hill next week, he said. Hill is being held on the warrant and has not been charged in the homicide.

Two teens are already in custody in connection with Thornberry's murder.

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SEE ALSO: A judge has handed down sentencing of three men convicted in the killing of a Covington man in Louisville. They will not serve jail time. WKRC 

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MORE FROM THURSDAY NIGHT'S SPECIAL MEETING AT CITY HALL

The point that the City of Covington cannot on its own develop itself was reiterated Thursday night during a special meeting at City Hall. Wayne Chapman of Management Partners, the Cincinnati-based consultants contracted to review each department within City Hall, delivered a recap of the firm's recommendations regarding a housing strategy, economic development, and code enforcement. "The City could be the last ten-percent (of an investment) but not the first ninety-percent to make a project work," Chapman said. 

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Among the recommendations is the creation of a Department of Development that would merge code enforcement and community development. As for a housing strategy, the City must improve its relationship with the Housing Authority of Covington, Chapman said. "The City and the Housing Authority tend to hold each other at an arm's length and that's not a good dynamic," he said, adding that HAC could be an important tool in a housing strategy and that the relationship must be better cultivated. 

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Chuck Eilerman, a commercial real estate agent and candidate for Covington City Commission, said he would like to be an advocate for "all other", a reference to a recent chart presented at City Hall that demonstrated the City's budget as being spent in three even ways: fire department, police department, and all other. "In terms of housing, code enforcement, and parks, we need to devote more resources to this area," Eilerman said. "Many programs are being squeezed and underfunded." 

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He continued, "We need to fix up houses that we (the City) own and that other people own and we also need lots of new housing and mixed-use developments." Eilerman pointed to 3CDC, a public-private partnership in Cincinnati that has developed many parts of that City's urban core. Whereas 3CDC "land banks" with the intent of selling or developing the properties when a time arises for it to be worth the investment, he said that Covington has become an "accidental land banker" by acquiring the 501 Main Building, the Stewart Iron Works building, and others. "We have to get them filled with people and employees."
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FROM FRIDAY:

"A huge number of people are afraid of retaliation and that's why they are not here." That remark set off Thursday night's special meeting at City Hall down a tense path, complete with outbursts and personal attacks. Story at the link.

Cracks Emerge in Unified Commission During Special Meeting 

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"It's not working and I don't think it's going to work. I know I won't be very popular when I leave this stand but truth is truth and truth hurts." The public weighs in on the future of code enforcement in Covington. Click the link.

Public Weighs in on Code Enforcement Recommendations 

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SCHOOL BOARD MAY NOT RAISE PROPERTY TAXES THIS YEAR

For the first time since 2001, the School Board will likely vote to keep your property tax rate the same; Plus, how Covington Schools are working to improve ACT scores, attendance, and dress code this fall.

Full story: The River City News 

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COVINGTON SCHOOLS WANT NEW SECURITY CAMERAS

Following a fire earlier this summer that destroyed Sixth District School's playground, Covington Independent Public Schools hopes to replace the security cameras at all of his facilities. The Sixth District playground fire is being investigated as an arson case and while a camera on the campus did capture a male fleeing the scene, the video is not of good enough quality to be of as much help as it needs to be. At Thursday's school board meeting, the district's analog cameras were compared to watching an old TV. Digital cameras offer a better quality while shooting a longer distance and can also be accessed wirelessly by administrators or even the police. The district will issue a request for proposals (RFP) from security firms anticipating a cost of nearly $250,000. "I would like to push this through while this board is here because come January it could be a whole new ballgame," said board chairman Glenda Huff. Three of the board's five seats are up for election in November.

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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION RULES ON RESTRAINING UNRULY STUDENTS

The Kentucky Board of Education has issued restrictions on restraining unruly students:

The regulation, which could go into effect for the 2013-14 school year, said public school officials cannot use restraint and seclusion except when a child's behavior poses "imminent danger of serious physical harm" to the child or others.

Full story: Herald-Leader/Valerie Honeycutt Spears 

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/08/09/2292811/state-school-board-approves-policy.html#storylink=cpy

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NORTHERN KY JOB MARKET WEATHERS LOSSES
The economy in NKY isn't as bad as it maybe ought to be:

Omnicare and A.C. Nielsen have moved across the Ohio River, taking 835 jobs and millions in local tax revenue with them. Delta Air Lines plans to shutter Erlanger-based regional carrier Comair, laying off 1,200 people. A Hebron-based division of UPS laid off more than 400 people after losing a contract with an online retailer in January. But economic development officials in Northern Kentucky say there is also plenty of reason for optimism.

Cincinnati Enquirer/Amanda Van Benschoten 
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GAS LEAK LEADS TO EVACUATIONS IN LATONIA

Contractors working on a water line near Ritte's Corner in Latonia triggered a gas line break forcing precautionary evacuations of nearby buildings. The gas line break happened just after 8:00AM and was capped ninety minutes later. No one was hurt.

HISTORY: FINAL JACOB PRICE BUILDING COMES DOWN

Now that historic preservation evcavations have been completed (SEE: Clues to Covington's Past Uncovered at Jacob Price Site), the Housing Authority of Covington moved forward with demolishing the final building left standing at the former Jacob Price housing project. The structure came down Friday morning. Construction will soon begin on the new mixed-income development called River's Edge at Eastside Pointe with new residents moving in next spring.

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QUICKIES

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US jobless claims drop Business First 

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Optimism on economy drops CNN 

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Kentucky faces worst corn crop since 1983 AP  

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Rain is a big relief for tobacco crop State-Journal 

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How Sen. Mitch McConnell deliberately moved to sabotage the economic recovery LEO Weekly 

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GOP enlists Sen. Rand Paul to win Kentucky House Herald-Leader 

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Rand Paul performs charity eye surgeries WBKO 

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Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson: Fancy Farm is outdated cn|2 

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State GOP Chairman takes Abramson to task over Fancy Farm comments Bluegrass Politics 

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Secretary of State Grimes sues Kentucky over voting deadline Bluegrass Politics 

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Kentucky woman killed by her own car WKYT 

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Veterinarians will watch for swine flu at Kentucky State Fair WFPL 

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CHECK OUT THIS MAP: Want to buy or sell alcohol in Kentucky? Good luck Herald-Leader 

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Copper thieves strip phone lines in Kentucky WKYT 

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Paducah featured in Where To Retire Magazine WPSD 

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DON'T MISS THURSDAY EVENING'S NEWS!

Two Covington road projects get big federal funding boost; Why Kentucky ranks first in toxic air pollution from power plants; Plus, a how a dessert topping led a KY man to set a gas station's toilet on fire. Those stories and more at the link!

The RC News: Thursday Evening Round-Up 

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The Ascent named among 10 buildings that changed Cincinnati Cincinnati Magazine (subscription)

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Cincinnati Magazine also visits Europa Bistro in Mainstrasse Click Here 

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PART OF PURPLE PEOPLE BRIDGE IS CRUMBLING

But neither Newport nor Cincinnati wants to pay for it. Via WKRC:

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CHILDREN'S HOME DIRECTOR'S MISSION: BUILD BRIDGES TO HOPE
Nice story:

The Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky campus overlooks the historic Roebling Suspension Bridge its founder helped build. A fitting metaphor, says its chief executive officer, for the organization’s new mission.
“We refer to our staff here today as bridge builders,” said newly named CEO Rick Wurth. “The bridge down there can only connect Ohio and Kentucky on its best day. The bridges that we are building are to hope and opportunity for the children in our care.” In 1882, Amos Shinkle started the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky as a home for abandoned, orphaned and neglected children.

Full story: Cincinnati Enquirer/Mark Hansel 
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MORE GOOD NEWS FROM THE EMERGENCY SHELTER

Check it out:

Two more graduates (Friday) from our shelter! Paul and Matt both are moving to their apartments today and they both have full time jobs. Paul is moving to a furnished apartment but Matt is in need of a twin or double bed. If you have a bed, please give me a call or an email...for now he will receive a loaner army cot. Thanks to all of you who support our shelter with time, money and material donations - you support us to provide shelter to these two amazing guests who now no longer need shelter. Phone: 291-4555 Email: emergencyshelternky@yahoo.com

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METEOR SHOWER TO PEAK THIS WEEKEND

Keep your head up:

“On any given day there is all kind of stuff falling from the sky. It falls all the time. We see very few, because the majority burn before we can see anything and especially if they fall during the day. Astronomers say the best time to see the Perseid shower is between midnight and dawn.

More: WFPL 
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WHAT'S UP FOR SATURDAY?
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NKY Harvest's 12th Annual Breakfast & Backpacks
Get down to Goebel Park for this event open to students in grades K - 12 from Boone, Kenton, or Campbell Counties. Backpacks will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis (families will need photo ID and proof of residency). The event will also feature pony wagon rides from the Covington Recreation Department and breakfast from Frisch's. 
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Mother of God Yard Sale
Come and bring your friends to the church yard sale for an interesting and unique assortment of items. It will be held August 11 from 9:00AM - 6:00PM and August 12 from 1:00PM. to 4:00PM at Mother of God Church.
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Helentown Neighborhood Picnic
Saturday on Garrard Street between Fifteenth and Patton. It starts at 12:30PM and lasts until 3:30PM. 
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THERE WILL BE DRAGONS AT THE CREATION MUSEUM'S ARK PARK!

Though the theme park dedicated to Noah's Ark, from the people who brought our region the Creation Museum, will likely never be built, the plans sure sound... interesting:

Since Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis believes that dragons were real, and existed after “the flood,” I asked if there would be dragons on the ark. Their answer insisted that dragons were real (they were dinosaurs, living with humans, duh), but I never got a direct answer about if they were on board, or would be on Ark Encounter in Northern Kentucky.
Well, according to a post on their website today… yes. Yes, there will not only be dragons on the ark, but fire-breathing dragons:

Read more: LEO Weekly 
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COACHES: JOHN CALIPARI IS BIGGEST (PERCEIVED) CHEATER
CBS asked NCAA basketball coaches confidentially whom they thought of as the biggest cheat in the business. UK's John Calipari topped the list:

"Cal probably doesn't have to cheat now as much as he used to, but he's still the standard. The rest of us can't even deal in his league. He's the best."

Full story: CBS Sports 
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Meanwhile... another writer blasts the coaches that participated in the survey:

CBSSports.com isn't the party to blame here. Well, not entirely. It's not something I would have endorsed. But it’s an editor’s job to drive traffic to the web site, and the writer's job to execute, and no doubt that’s been accomplished through the course of the week. We’ve all talked about the survey results. It’s the coaches who responded to the most salacious of the questions who ought to be ashamed, and hardly for the first time.

Full story: The Sporting News 
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As for Coach Cal, he took to Facebook:

I'm going to say it again, don't let anyone steal our joy even though they'll try. The parents and the players we recruit know what we stand for.

SEE ALSO: The UK Wildcats now have a full schedule for next season with the release of the SEC portion Herald-Leader 

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HOLY CROSS CENTER COMMITS TO OHIO UNIVERSITY according to NKY Sports Blog 

PUBLIC WEIGHS IN ON PROPOSED POLICE & FIRE CUTS

THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE

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FACEBOOK: The River City News

@theRCnews on Twitter  

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by Michael Monks 

Email Michael

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Mayor Chuck Scheper

Two and a half hours were spent inside Covington City Hall Tuesday evening to present an abridged encore of the Management Partners recommendations for cutting the cost of police and fire services, and the public response to the proposal. There was not a whole of new information to be learned during the meeting which brought an above-average sized crowd to the Commission Chambers, including many firefighters who lined the back of the room. 

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"We're not here to make decisions tonight," Mayor Chuck Scheper said, establishing the expectation for the discussion. The mayor continued, adding that he has already met with firefighters three times and the police twice to discuss the best way to implement needed changes to the departments. "This is a high level summary of where we are and what we hope to accomplish."
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Scheper then took to the podium and offered his now familiar refrains of Covington's high payroll tax and its effect on attracting business, the looming threat of losing more businesses to Cincinnati, that police and fire account for two-thirds of the city's budget, that Covington is paying 37% more than cities its size for public safety and 44% than the average of larger cities in the region while spending 13% less on everything else. These numbers are not sustainable, the mayor said, adding that he hopes some of the answers are found inside the Management Partners report.

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Wayne Chapman of Management Partners then presented his abridged report, explaining that in the review of the police and fire departments his firm brought in experts in the fields to lead the questioning. "Both departments from our perspective are very professional," Chapman said. "We didn't come in expecting to find agencies in disarray and we were not disappointed." Chapman, whose firm was previously hired by Covington and Kenton County several years ago to study the feasibility of a consolidated emergency dispatch center, explained that recommended changes in the police department would save a lot of money and give a better organizational structure to the department.

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SEE ALSO: For the full report on Management Partners' recommendations for the police department, click here.

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With the police recommendations of improved street strength and a leaner chain of command, including the elimination of the rank of captain, the department could save upwards of $437,000 annually for the City. "This is an extremely professional department, quite capable," Chapman bragged. "What we encountered was not so much an opportunity to improve efficiency, it was cost-driven. Covington (Police) didn't need to be tuned up."

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As for the fire department the cuts would be deeper and more easily noticed by the public. "The current service model of twenty-seven on-duty firefighters per day is not financially sustainable at the current tax rates," Chapman warned. He explained that in order to reach that twenty-seven firefighters on-duty benchmark, 4.2 people must be hired to staff one position in order to have someone on duty. In class 2 cities like Covington, firefighters are required by state law to work 24-hour shifts and to receive hazardous duty pension pay, which is twice the cost of the regular public pension.

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Chapman's findings attempt to make the case that Covington doesn't need as many firefighters as it has, that structure fires have decreased by 32% on annual basis since 2009, that Taylor Mill, Independence, and other neighboring municipalities could offer mutual aid more often, and that two firehouses should be closed with a new, consolidated one built near the central business district. The privatization of EMS ambulance services, as encouraged by Management Partners, would save Covington up to $1.5 million annually, he predicted.

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SEE ALSO: For the full report on Management Partners' recommendations for the fire department, click here.

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To counter the claims, Chris Black, president of the local firefighters union, introduced a representative from the national union in Washington, DC. "I'm not here to get in a political debate or to throw any political darts," Black said before referencing the adage, "if it's not broke, don't fix it." "This is like, it's not broken, but let's break it." Black cited recent health care concessions in the union contract and before that the reduction of daily staffing from thirty to twenty-seven as offering significant savings to the City. 

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"At the outset my folks are concerned with the safety of firefighters and (Management Partners)'s focus was to save money, so we use two different microscopes," said Jonathan Moore, of the IAFF in DC. Moore took exception to the work painted by Management Partners that implied that the bulk of fire runs don't involve actual structure fires. "How many of these non-structure fires started out as small fires that were successfully put out before becoming larger," he asked. 

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Moore also predicted that outsourcing ambulance services would increase response time to nine minutes while falling short of the $1.5 million in projected savings. While admitting that he was still reviewing the full report, Moore does not believe the fire department would be able to operate safely and effectively with the recommended changes.

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His views were backed up during public comments by retiring firefighter Allen Terry, who argued that mutual aid is not as reciprocal as it sounds and that Covington carries the bulk of the weight in those local relationships. Many of the surrounding departments are volunteer and cannot react as quickly as Covington's firefighters. Latonia resident Charlene Dietz said she would pay higher taxes to keep the service the same. Eastside resident Jerry Avery, also a member of the Covington school board, expressed his concern for safety in that neighborhood where a firehouse is located, though the majority of his issues were with any possible cuts to police as the drug trade has seen a spike in activity in that part of town, he said.

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Bill Wells, of South Covington, took the debate a step further. Though the firehouse on Hands Pike was explored for possible closure in favor of mutual aid agreements with Taylor Mill and Independence, the idea was removed from the final Management Partners report. However, the geography of South Covington has been a recent concern in public safety budget talks. Wells asked flat out, "Is it the desire of this commission to de-annex South Covington?"
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A brief, awkward silence followed the question. Commissioner Sherry Carran argued that when she first campaigned for office six years ago, residents in South Covington told her that they did not want to be a part of the city, though that changed after the creation of the neighborhood association, which Wells serves as president.

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Other residents supported the need for change, including Mainstrasse resident Susan Wood who wanted to know how much her taxes would go up to keep everything the same. "Public safety is important but there are limited dollars," she said.
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Former City Commissioner Jerry Stricker called the current city leaders, "the best commission I've seen in my memory." "Public safety was always my number one issue when I was on commission, but we can only have good public safety when we have the money to do it. We can't keep spending more than we make and we've done that the last two to three years."
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At the end of the evening, Mayor Scheper, who paid $15,000 of his salary toward the $140,000 cost of the report (the rest of which is being solicited from the private sector) reiterated his C+V=G mantra. "Ultimately we have to make decisions and unfortunately those decisions have to be made from where are financially," he said. I wish we had more revenue and we'll get there. C, you have to have the courage to face the challenges. Management Partners came in to give us the vision, V, because we can't continue to do more of the same."
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Originally the G stood for growth and while it still does, the mayor suggested that it should possibly start to stand for "greatness". "I like to think that Covington will be known as a great city."

NEWS ROUND-UP -- TUESDAY MORNING 31 JULY

THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE

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FACEBOOK: The River City News

@theRCnews on Twitter  

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by Michael Monks 

Email Michael

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POLICE & FIRE RESTRUCTURING TO BE DISCUSSED

A public meeting is set for Tuesday inside Commission Chambers at City Hall on the recommendations set forth by Management Partners in regards to restructuring Covington's police and fire departments. The meeting begins tonight at 6:00PM. From the City: 

"We want to be open and transparent," said City Manager Larry Klein. "We want to hear what citizens have to say. We, like most local governments across the nation, are trying to manage limited resources while moving our community forward. Our ultimate goal is a better City of Covington. It can be done."

Management Partners issued its final report just recently titled City of Covington Organization Reviews. It can be reviewed online at the City's website,www.covingtonky.gov. The report was paid for entirely by non-City funds which were raised by Covington Mayor Chuck Scheper.

Mayor Scheper announced his C + V = G 10 Point Action Plan for the City in January, 2012, and called for independent reviews of all areas of City operations at that time.

"The V stands for Vision and we need to look outside our boundaries for 'best of class' examples to consider because more of the same will not solve the problems of today and tomorrow," said Scheper.

"Management Partners conducted an independent review of the City's operations," said Scheper. "They have extensive experience analyzing local governments."

The 143-page document is the result of a study of organizational reviews of the City's Police, Fire, Community Development, Code Enforcement, and Administration departments, as well as a review of the City's entire organizational structure.

The primary objective of the study was to determine if there are ways to reduce operations costs while maintaining or improving service quality.

There are 57 recommendations in the report. Substantial savings could be achieved if the report's recommendations were implemented, according to the study.

The River City News will have the most comprehensive coverage of the meeting.

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For background:

Unhappiness at police department reflected in survey 

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Consultants: Combine 2 firehouses, privatize ambulances 

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WANT TO FIX THE ECONOMY? FIX EDUCATION

From a column at Huffington Post:

News flash: Do you want to know the best way to solve the economic problems in America? By closing the education achievement gap. That's right. If we fix education, we will fix our economy.
(snip)For instance, our failure to close the racial achievement gap -- the disparity between the educational results between white children and their African American and Hispanic counterparts has impacted our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by at least $310 billion and as much as $525 billion. Moreover, the growing income achievement gap, the education disparity between all low-income children compared to the education attainment of children not living in poverty, has cost our GDP between $400-670 billion.
(snip)It is imperative that we start putting our kids firsts and taking ownership within our schools and communities. As a nation, to ensure that all of our kids receive a quality education, we must further eliminate the disparities between race and ethnicity, the rich and the poor, and doggedly increase the graduation rates. In addition, it is critical that we take a hard look at what is going on in our schools and in our classrooms. And at the very least immediately begin equalizing instruction, improving teacher quality, and increasing resources so our kids can go on to college and positively contribute to our economy.

Full story: Huffington Post 
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BACK TO SCHOOL KICK-OFF EVENT SET FOR SATURDAY

Help welcome back to school the students of Covington:

Covington Independent School Public Schools is hosting its first "Back-to-School Kickoff," 9:00 am - 7:00 pm on Saturday, August 4, in the Holmes High School Campus. This event replaces the readi-fests that were held at each of our schools.

By combining the readi-fests, our district will be able to offer families a one stop event to take care of all their children's back to school needs. Parents and their children will be able to enroll, pick up free school supplies and learn about community services.

We are reaching out to Covington's neighborhood associations and other organizations because we need your help with school supplies. While many of us have fond memories of back to school shopping, choosing our supplies and new clothing for the year, this is not the reality for all children.

Your donation helps ensure that all our children come back to school ready to learn. If your group would like to participate, the items listed are what we need most:

1) pencils
2) one subject notebooks
3) 2-pocket folders
4) crayons
5) pencil cases

Of course, all supplies will happily be accepted. We can pick up your donations or you can take them to the Instructional Support Center, 212 Levassor Place, behind Holmes High School by July 31. The center is not always staffed so please contact us prior to drop off so we can meet you. Please call Kay McConnell at 392-3182 to make arrangements for drop off or call Tricia Dorman at (859)912-4007 for further questions.

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GROUP: KY SCHOOLS NOT ENFORCING ANTI-BULLYING LAWS

Though Kentucky has no formal anti-bullying law, the Kentucky Equality Federation claims that existing laws serve a purpose to that end and that those laws are not being enforced by school districts:

In Clay, Grayson, Jefferson, Kenton, Lincoln, Pulaski, Whitley, and several other counties, we have received alarming reports from guidance counselors, principals, and other school district staff that they have received no briefings or information about complying with years-old Kentucky regulations regarding bullying in public schools. This lack of information is leading to a lack of enforcement of laws that are already in effect.
"These laws were written to protect students," said Kentucky Equality Federation President Joshua Koch. "We hear cries for more legislation from the public, but we know there are laws in effect already. This is an insult to the visionary legislators who have already passed excellent laws to protect Kentucky's children.
“When we confront these local school districts about their lack of enforcement, we are finding an epidemic of knowledge," Koch said. "These districts don't even know Kentucky has these laws. We have laws and continuing education requirements for a reason. They are there to allow and encourage administrative communication, but that only works when the Department of Education understands the law and communicates it to the 120 counties and their school districts. The Kentucky Department of Education should have ensured all school districts in Kentucky enforced existing school bullying laws when the legislation was passed and especially after the first suicide. 

Full story: KY Equality Federation 
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QUICKIES
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In the aftermath of damaging storms, do not let anyone "top" your trees State-Journal 
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Sen. McConnell hails the fall of old media BuzzFeed 
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Kentucky Historical Society obtains letters from 19th century that detail lives of slaves and free people in the Commonwealth press release 
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Big tips to continue for lucky Kentucky servers WLWT 
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UK Basketball head coach John Calipari is ranked third best Nation of Blue 
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DON'T MISS MONDAY EVENING'S NEWS!
Family of teen missing from Covington speaks about last week's failed search; A husband-and-wife team from Kentucky file to run for President of the United States (and VP!) together; Plus, what are Covingtonians selling on Craigslist? A coffee shop, for one thing.

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FROM THE EMERGENCY SHELTER OF NKY:

Our annual Run for Shelter will take place on Saturday, October 20th. If we can register 50 people within the next 14 days, Rachael Winters, our Director will race in a skirt! This great down hill race from the top of Devou Park helps us fund our winter season, serving all those in need of a place to go during our coldest months. Register today! 

Click Here
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VIDEO: HOLMES HIGH SCHOOL DRILL CAMP

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DO YOU EVER WALK AROUND TOWN AT NIGHT?

You should, according to this interesting piece on psychogeography:

If you can, go and walk at night in your city. Do it now, during summer. Observe the day/night contrast, discover new details about your neighbourhood, find things you like and don’t like. Use all of this as a set of tools for becoming more aware of, not only your city, but yourself, and as a catalyst to induce change for the aspects of your city that you would like to see improve. At the end of the day, this place you live in is your home. Embrace it, engage with it and change it for the better.

Full story: Urban Times

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"I'M DRUNK AS SHIT, ANYONE WANT TO GO TO ANCHOR GRILL?"

Spotted on Reddit, an apparently drunken late-night invitation that triggered some funny comments. The original post:

im drunk as shit, anyone want to go to anchor grill

Responses:

"no, no one wants to go to breakfast at 8am on a sunday with a drunk stranger. Go to sleep." "As a fellow drunk stranger who also wants breakfast... I'm also going to sleep." "As a drunk breakfast who wants a stranger... what's sleep?"

Though the guy did get some lukewarm interest:

If I had seen this, i live across the street. . . .. . . .

And:

I will be there today at 420. Metal teeth, dreads and tattoos, cant miss me.

Don't you love the internet? Read the full post: Reddit 

CHUCK NORRIS TALKS ABOUT HIS RETIREMENT FROM COVINGTON FIRE DEPT

THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE

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FACEBOOK: The River City News

@theRCnews on Twitter  

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by Michael Monks 

Email Michael

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Chuck Norris was just sixteen years old when he was part of the many firefighters called to the scene of the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in Southgate in 1977. At the time, Norris was learning the ropes of being a fireman with the department in Taylor Mill and shortly after the devastating fire, the third most deadly nightclub fire in American history, that he knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. "I was sixteen years old (at the time of the legendary tragedy) and that's a lot and after time I kind of blocked that out for a while," Norris said. "I don't know how to explain it. It was life changing."

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"Most people search for quite a long time before they figure out what they want to do," he continued. In 1984, Norris joined the Covington Fire Department and knew from day one that someday he wanted to be Chief. Though he spent time as acting chief in 2005 and again in 2010 (as well as a stint in 2008 as interim public works director), it was August 1, 2011 that that dream was fully realized as Norris was appointed to lead Covington's department permanently. After one year in his dream job, however, Norris has decided to retire, effective July 31.

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"While it's only been a year, it's been quite some time as a department director and working for the City and it's been a fantastic experience," Norris said. "There are hard-working people in every part of the City as well as all the people connected through the neighborhoods, the community groups. It's been fantastic."

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Norris's time as leader of the fire department has run concurrently with tightening budgets at City Hall and cuts that have angered firefighters and their union leading to several heated exchanges online and in City Commission Chambers. In addition to guiding the department through the leaner times, the retiring chief has had to deal with his personal relationship with the employees he oversees, members of the same union that he was part of before becoming a manager. "Whenever you are put in that position, especially during negotiations, it causes some friction," he said. "It's a delicate situation to be in as department head but we've worked well together. The majority of the department understands it's part of the position of being fire chief in the City. There are times where you get put in a situation where it's uncomfortable, but that's all part of being a department head."
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Recently it was the chief himself who had a somewhat heated exchange at City Hall. During the presentation of Covington's then-proposed budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year, the fire department was asked to cut $500,000. Norris became upset that potential higher revenue from ambulance fees were to be redirected to the City's general fund instead of the department, a maneuver he hoped would offset some of the half million he needed to cut. "That was one of the ways we saw as a department to overcome the half million, that was part of our plan and by that being moved to the revenue column, that was taken away from our plan," Norris said. The potential increase in ambulance fees has since been reduced from $441,000 that day to about $147,000, "which I think is much higher than we'll be able to obtain even with some of the changes but we're not done with discussions yet, whether that counts toward the half million dollars."

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Norris was able to save up to $127,000 recently. The department was given approval from the City Commission to spend that much on new computer equipment for its vehicles but instead was awarded a grant to cover that cost. Norris hopes those savings will be applied to the department's half million in cuts.

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Meanwhile, the overall reorganization at City Hall as recommended by Management Partners, the Cincinnati-based consulting firm that reviewed each of the City's departments, played no role in Norris's decision, he said. "It's just time and July is the best month," Norris said. July is a common time for public workers to retire and there will likely be others from the department joining the chief on their way out. Norris also said that some of the department's savings plan includes not filling vacant position.

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His retirement is expected to be accepted by the City Commission at next Tuesday's meeting.

PUBLIC INPUT SOUGHT ON COVINGTON REORGANIZATION PLAN

THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE

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The City of Covington has scheduled its public input sessions for the discussion of the Management Partners review of each department at City Hall and how they recommend the City reorganize itself. 

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From a news release:

The City of Covington will host public meetings to gather input about the recentlyreleased Management Partners report.

Representatives of Management Partners, Inc. have been meeting with City department heads and employees, gathering information, studying the City's processes and procedures, and have made recommendations based on their review.

The Police and Fire department reports and recommendations will be discussed at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, July 31, 2012.

The Community Development and Code Enforcement departments will be discussed at 6:00 pm on Thursday, August 9, 2012.

The hearings will be at the Commission Chamber on the first floor of City Hall, 638 Madison Avenue.

"We want to be open and transparent," said City Manager Larry Klein. "We want to hear what citizens have to say. We, like most local governments across the nation, are trying to manage limited resources while moving our community forward. Our ultimate goal is a better City of Covington. It can be done."

Management Partners issued its final report just recently titled City of Covington Organization Reviews. It can be reviewed online at the City's website,www.covingtonky.gov. The report was paid for entirely by non-City funds which were raised by Covington Mayor Chuck Scheper.

Mayor Scheper announced his C + V = G 10 Point Action Plan for the City in January, 2012, and called for independent reviews of all areas of City operations at that time.

"The V stands for Vision and we need to look outside our boundaries for 'best of class' examples to consider because more of the same will not solve the problems of today and tomorrow," said Scheper.

"Management Partners conducted an independent review of the City's operations," said Scheper. "They have extensive experience analyzing local governments."

The 143-page document is the result of a study of organizational reviews of the City's Police, Fire, Community Development, Code Enforcement, and Administration departments, as well as a review of the City's entire organizational structure.

The primary objective of the study was to determine if there are ways to reduce operations costs while maintaining or improving service quality.

There are 57 recommendations in the report. Substantial savings could be achieved if the report's recommendations were implemented, according to the study.

Former Cincinnati City Manager Jerry Newfarmer founded Management Partners in 1994. Newfarmer was instrumental in guiding the Covington study. Assisting in the report was Wayne Chapman who is a former city manager of several cities, including Aspen, Colorado.

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What's in the report? Check the links below for full coverage.
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UNHAPPINESS AT POLICE DEPARTMENT REFLECTED IN SURVEY

A survey of employees within the Covington Police Department finds a majority that believe politics play a too big a role in decision-making and that morale is, for the most part, low. Full details at the link.
The River City News 
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CONSULTANTS: COMBINE 2 FIREHOUSE, PRIVATIZE AMBULANCES
Shutting down the firehouse in South Covington is worth looking into, according to a consulting firm. Trouble is, even they conclude that response time would be greatly increased by using services from Taylor Mill or Independence. Management Partners' suggested changes for Covington's Fire Department, at the link.

The River City News 

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REPORT: REDEVELOPING COVINGTON WILL TAKE PUBLIC/PRIVATE WORK

"The City government does not have the personnel and financial resources to develop the City; private/public partnership is essential." Plans to redevelop Downtown Covington cannot be done by the City alone according to an outside consulting firm. Click the link for the full story.

The River City News 

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REPORT: CREATE HOUSING STRATEGY, CHANGE CODE ENFORCEMENT

If the City and the Housing Authority cannot improve their working relationship, the Housing Authority should go away, according to a consulting firm. Also, regarding code enforcement, "No one wants to develop in a rundown area," the report says. Click the link for the full story.The River City News