NEWS ROUND-UP -- THURSDAY EVENING 23 AUGUST

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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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"I HEREBY WITHDRAW MY RESIGNATION" SAYS EX-SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER

EXCLUSIVE

Her resignation from the Covington School Board on August 2 set in motion a chain of legal and electoral events like no other in recent memory in this town and now Denise Varney has thrown another wrench into the effort to replace her by saying that she wants to replace herself. Varney sent this email message to the school board, the superintendent, the board attorney, and the Kentucky Commissioner of Education:

Please accept this correspondence as my announcement that I am withdrawing my resignation as a Covington Independent School Board member effective immediately. It has come to my attention that legal counsel for the Covington school board did not advise the Superintendent of the school district that my resignation must be voted on and accepted by my fellow board members. I hereby withdraw my resignation.

So, if you are keeping score, here is how it has all played out (so far): Varney resigned, the public was told that the Kentucky Commissioner of Education would make an appointment, advertisements promoting the vacancy ran in the Cincinnati Enquirer as mandated by law, on the day of the filing deadline to run for three other school board seats (but not Varney's because she had two years left in her term) Mark Young attempted to file to run for Varney's seat but the County Clerk's office was unaware of any vacancy and so his request was denied, Young had an attorney threaten to sue the Clerk's office after citing a state statute that indicated an election to fill Varney's seat was likely necessary, the County Clerk added Young to the ballot as the sole candidate running for Varney's seat, a complaint was filed against Young's candidacy in Frankfort, Young's name was removed from the ballot on the grounds that the Commissioner of Education had not accepted Varney's resignation, Varney wants her seat back. Got it?

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CONVICTION ACHIEVED IN CASE OF MURDERED COVINGTON TEEN

The body of 16-year old Dre'Shawn Hammon was found in a wooded area behind City Heights in June of last year and today, fourteen months after Covington Police made the tragic discovery, one of his killers is headed to prison. Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders reports via Twitter:

GUILTY! 1st Asst Comm Atty Jim Redwine just convicted Mikel Crumes of Murder in killing of DreShawn Hammond! ... Wow! Big win in a very difficult case! So proud of Jim Redwine! ... Jury sentences Mikel Crumes to 30 years for Murder of DreShawn Hammond. Great work by 1st Asst Comm Atty Jim Redwine!

Crumes was one of two teens arrested in the murder case, but the second one, Tromonte Rice, pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Crumes.

Image via

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WATERFRONT OWNER JEFF RUBY BOOTED FROM ILLINOIS COURTROOM

Ever the showman, local restaurateur Jeff Ruby, who has taken a great personal interest in the murder trial of suspected wife-killer Drew Peterson, was booted from the Joliet, Illinois courtroom today:

“There’s been something I’ve been meaning to tell him for seven years,” Ruby said, standing outside his luxury bus, parked across the street from the courthouse, with a cigar. “So I did this,” and mouthed the words “F--- you.”
A sheriff’s department spokesman said Ruby is banned from the rest of the trial.
The confrontation happened after Ruby said Peterson started staring at him during the break. Ruby said he started to stare back. When Peterson wouldn’t break eye contact, Ruby sent his message. Peterson immediately turned to his attorney, Joel Brodsky, and told him what happened. Brodsky asked a bailiff to throw Ruby out.

Full story: Chicago Sun-Times 
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VIDEO:

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ABANDONED COVINGTON HOME CAUSING PROBLEMS

Trouble started with this Latonia home when its owner died last December:

The city of Covington describes the house as being in legal limbo. One owner died and a co-owner abandoned the place. It's in foreclosure but still in that co-owner's name. He won't transfer the title to the bank. So while it sits and rots no one can do much but sit back and watch. A skim coat to seal the top part of the chimney had fallen off. The damage to Ted Polonczyk's cars looks minor but the estimates to fix total more than two-thousand dollars.

More, including a video report, here: WKRC 
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ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL FOOD TRUCK EVENT IN COVINGTON
Life returned to Covington Landing Thursday afternoon as the food trucks came back to Covington... and all of them sold out. Pics of the event -- at the link!

More photos: The River City News 

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SHOULD CITIES REGULATE WHERE AND WHEN FOOD TRUCKS OPERATE?

Interesting timing that this debate column would cross Twitter today. It offers two varying viewpoints on a debate familiar to Covingtonians recently:

Pia Lopez: Yes, within reason

And just as conventional restaurants can't open just anywhere, cities should be able to license food trucks and set some limits on the time and place of mobile food sales – as cities do in limiting liquor licenses or keeping chemical plants zoned away from schools.
That said, many cities have regulations on food trucks that are far too restrictive.
In Sacramento, for example, outdated ordinances ban food trucks from parking longer than 30 minutes in any place. They have to close at 6 p.m. in winter and 8 p.m. in summer. In Elk Grove, it's worse – food trucks can't stay in one place longer than 15 minutes or sell past 2 p.m.

Ben Boychuk: Yes, but as little as possible

Flagrant restraint of trade may be illegal, but regulators have a vast toolbox at the ready.
The City of Angels came back with an ordinance the City Council drafted in consultation with the county health department. The new law, which took effect in January 2011, imposed an A-B-C grading system similar to the one restaurants have operated under for years.
The law also requires that trucks have access to a restroom within 200 feet of their location, and mandates health inspections twice yearly.
Sounds perfectly reasonable, doesn't it? Food truck owners actually welcomed the rules.
In practice, however, city and county regulators have enforced the law with draconian zeal. Instead of two health-and-safety reviews a year, truck owners complain it's not uncommon for health inspectors to show up twice a month. Tiny violations – such as parking 201 feet from a restroom – beget hefty fines and low grades. It's absurd.

Read more from both: Sacramento Bee 
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DON'T MISS THURSDAY MORNING'S NEWS!
The heart-wrenching story of a KY man killed in a logging accident, who made one last call to his mom as he lay dying; The drought forces a KY farmer to feed his cattle candy; Plus, the Cash Mob crew is coming to Covington...

Full story: The RC News: Thursday Morning Round-Up |
QUICKIES
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Attorney from Kenton Co disbarred for "appalling conduct" WXIX 
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Unemployment rate falls in 97 Kentucky counties State-Journal 
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Benefits fair planned for 2,000 laid off workers in eastern Kentucky Herald-Leader 
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KY's tobacco crop withstands worst of drought Herald-Leader 
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Gov. Beshear calls on Congress to pass farm bill cn|2 
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Kentucky officials ramp up support for legalized industrial hemp Herald-Leader & cn|2 
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Beshear to name new chief of staff soon WFPL 
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GOP unity appears to be strained State-Journal 
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FOX News is negative towards President Obama, MSNBC is negative toward Mitt Romney Poynter 
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Children's Home of NKY interviewed on WKRC 
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Newport citizens raise funds for dog park Soapbox Cincinnati 
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UK Basketball: Nerlens Noel is not Anthony Davis and he is okay with that Coach Cal 
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"WHY I MOVED BACK TO THE SUBURBS"
A writer shares his story from London:

Still, I don’t regret moving on from my old hip, up-and-coming inner London neighborhood one bit. I’m not glad to have moved on because I need space for my kids (I don’t have any) or because I need to save money (though I do). I’m pleased to be gone because, despite all the hype about their supposed edginess and creative ferment, I find fashionable inner city neighborhoods increasingly as banal, antisocial and plain dull as any suburb. For all their reputation as hives of individuality, neighborhoods like my own city’s Broadway Market offer almost identical businesses to those you’d find in currently hip city neighborhoods anywhere. While the base materials (streets and houses) may be different in, say, NYC’s Greenpoint, Berlin’s Neukölln, or Madrid’s Malasaña, the trappings of gentrification – expensive coffee and bike shops, junk sold at a premium as “vintage” and, soon after, bitterly resented chain outlets – make these places seem increasingly homogenous. 

Full story: The Atlantic Cities 
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THE CARNEGIE'S PRODUCTION OF XANADU IS A HIT!
Check out this review:

As Clio/Kira, Margaret-Ellen Jeffreys is perfect. She exudes an effervescent cuteness and has some wonderfully theatrical facial expressions. Ms. Jeffreys' signing is excellent and her acting is natural and nuanced. CCM junior Blaine Krauss does a great job of conveying Sonny's deadpan cluelessness and shows off a splendid singing voice on several numbers. Rick Kramer is known to Cincinnati audiences as a leading actor in many community theater productions over the years. For Xanadu, he plays both Danny Maguire and Zeus. He sings well and has just the right balance of humor and pathos for the roles. Eileen Earnest and Miranda McGee get plenty of laughs as the evil sisters plotting to destroy Clio. The remaining ensemble members each display multi-faceted talents: Blair Bowman, Aubrey Ireland, McKynleigh Abraham (who theatergoers might remember from season one of "The Glee Project"), and Brian Wylie.

There is one more weekend left! Full review: Talkin' Broadway 
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AREA MAN REGRETS INVESTING IN FACEBOOK
LOL. "Area man"...

Saying that he thought it was a “safe bet” at first, local man Mark Zuckerberg, 28, told reporters Tuesday that—after going what he called “all in” on the business—he now regrets staking so much of his financial future on the Internet company Facebook. “It seemed like a slam dunk—popular company, kids love it, and my financial advisors were telling me this stock was going to be a monster,” said Zuckerberg, who works in computers, and has lost nearly $600 million since Facebook went public in May.

Full story: The Onion (satire)
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DOG MAKE YOU ANGRY? SHAME HIM!
Here's how I wasted about seven hours today:

Many, many, many more here: Dog Shaming

NEWS ROUND-UP -- FRIDAY MORNING 3 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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MOTHER CONTINUES TO WEIGH IN ON SEARCH FOR MISSING TEEN

Donna Johnson, the mother of Paige Johnson, the teen who disappeared from Covington nearly two years ago, explains at The River City News what she thinks happened:

I didn't know that you could get record of you own cell phone pings. I know it took a while for the police to get the phone company to get it for them ,it was a procedure they had to go through because I remember having to wait. She may have very well still been alive when they were in east fort. I dont know of too many pings after that just a few and back to his house. It is very possible that something happened between east fort and home and then he took her down there and left his phone at home.Another thing that really bothers me is that he didn't take her straight to Brittany's door, he admitted giving her beer what kind of man is he to get a young girl drunk and then let her out in a dark and dangerous area???? Why not make sure she got to where she was going safely???? I tell you why ...it is because he never dropped her off in Covington ,we WOULD have taken her to the door!!! But lets just say for the sake of argument that he got an underage girl drunk and just let her out on some dark corner, in my eyes he IS responsible for what ever happened to her!!! But I do agree he can debate it all day long and that is not getting us nowhere. We will just have to wait and hope and pray that the whole truth will come out and I do believe that it will very soon.

A lengthy back-and-forth continues at this link: Search for Missing Teen Resumes Suddenly 

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THE TRUTH ABOUT BRIDGE TOLLS

If a the Brent Spence Bridge project is ever completed there likely won't be any toll booths, even if there are tolls:

In fact, by the time a new bridge is in place, there might not be a toll booth left in the nation. Manufacturing of toll-basket mechanisms has ceased, and future tollways will be all-electronic, including the two new toll bridges in Louisville-Southern Indiana.
“You’ve got to get beyond the thinking that people will be stopping, throwing money into a basket, then waiting for the light to change to go,” Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson said. “Come on, guys, it’s the 21st century.”

More truth about tolls at the link.
Cincinnati Enquirer/Jason Williams 
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WANT TO APPLY FOR THE OPEN SEAT ON THE COVINGTON SCHOOL BOARD?

With the resignation from the Covington School Board of Denise Varney (SEE: School Board Member Resigns, Moves Out of District) there are two years left in the term of one seat. Varney was not one of the three members up for reelection in November, so instead her seat will be filled by an appointment made by Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday. If you want to be considered for the position, you must fill out an application and send it to Frankfort. Click the link below for details and then print out the form.

School Board Application (PDF)

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DON'T MISS THURSDAY EVENING'S NEWS!

Man suffering from bullet wound flags down Covington PD; Why Covington could drop to 6th largest city in KY after November election; Plus, a private EMS service is suspended from operating in Kentucky. Those stories and more at the link!

The RC News: Thursday Evening Round-Up 

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QUICKIES

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Political parties prepare for 4th Congressional District special election Cincinnati Enquirer 

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Cities wooing immigrants for economic development American City 

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Harlan Co. man accused of torturing, abandoning pets WKYT 

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It's Same-Sex Kiss-in Day at Chick-fil-A WKRC 

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Governor Beshear looks to honor good government workers Herald-Leader 

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Chinese teachers to spend year in 41 Kentucky schools WPSD 

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Can light rail carry a city's transit? The Atlantic Cities 

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Churchill Downs new $9 million southern mansion Forbes 

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10 local restaurants with great views (The 360 at the Radisson is included) Cincinnati Enquirer 

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THE RISE OF ECONOMIC SEGREGATION

See any of this in Covington:

"Growing income inequality does not automatically lead to growing residential segregation by income. Conceivably, we could still have a middle class hollowing out but people still living in mixed neighborhoods," says Paul Taylor, one of the report’s authors. Turns out this is not, however, what is happening. As Americans are growing farther apart on the income scale, we are also effectively moving apart from each other within cities, into our own economic enclaves. So why is that? The answer, Taylor says, may lie more in human behavior than economic data.
"We know over the whole entirety of human history that people have a tremendous tendency to cluster among themselves, whether in tribes, whether in nations," Taylor says. "Like attracts like. That’s not always the case for some people who value diversity. But it’s sort of hardwired into human nature."

Full story: The Atlantic Cities 
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POT CORN
Police in Lexington found somebody's marijuana stash growing in a corn field:

Officers were directed in from Polo Club Boulevard, near Winchester Road, by the helicopter hovering above. After several hours, and multiple passes over the corn field, police found ten pot plants.

A helicopter and police on the ground. For TEN pot plants. Your tax dollars at work.
Full story: WKYT 
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WELCOME BACK, OLD TIMERS!
Covington's Eastside will be rocking this weekend with the twenty-sixth annual Old Timers Community Reunion Event. Covington Mayor Chuck Scheper will present a proclamation to kick things off Friday evening at 6:00PM. For all the details, click here.
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COVINGTON LANDING TO HOST CONCERT TONIGHT
This is an interesting development. Covington Landing as an outdoor concert venue? Sounds nice, and according to this information, that's what's happening tonight:

On Friday evening, August 3 at 7 p.m., Brian White and friends will be hosting a special benefit concert called the “Madonna Jam” at Covington Landing on the River. (Covington, KY is within the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.) The concert hopes to bring awareness to Angelman Syndrome and will feature Blessid Union of Souls frontman Eliot Sloan, Inpop Christian Recording artist Karyn Williams and singer-songwriter Regie Hamm, along with White.

Full story: Continental News 
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SEE ALSO: This Week at Madison Theater 
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SOME SWEET DEVELOPMENT BEFORE & AFTER PICS
On Wednesday, RCN linked to this story about the urban revitalization going on in Hamilton, Ohio, a city very similar to Covington. The guy behind a lot of it, Steve Coon, has an awesome gallery of before & after pics from Hamilton and elsewhere. Via:

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A VIDEO FOR LOUISVILLE LOVERS
Click Here (it's really terrific)

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER RESIGNS, MOVES OUT OF DISTRICT

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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Denise Varney

Denise Varney has resigned her seat on the Covington School Board effective immediately as she and her family prepare to move from their Wallace Woods home to Fort Mitchell. "For personal reasons, I'm moving out of the district," Varney said in an interview Wednesday. She notified the district and her fellow board members of her intentions Thursday morning. Elected in 2010, Varney was midway through her four-year term on a board that will see three other seats up for election in November. The school board consists of five members with elections every two years alternating between three seats and two seats. 

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"Being a parent first and a school board member second, I had run for school board to make a difference in student achievement," Varney said. The difference in achievement did not come quickly enough for the longtime schools volunteer and former instructor assistant once employed by the district before running for office. "I feel it is in the best interest of my children to be somewhere else and in the best interest of my family regarding recent events." Varney and her husband were arrested on March 15 following a domestic dispute.

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The couple has three children, the youngest of whom had been attending an elementary school outside of Covington Independent Public Schools for the past two years. "She was not having her needs met academically. My husband did not want her attending (Holmes) middle school because of issues there." Their daughter will instead attend Turkeyfoot Middle School and their middle son will be a freshman next year at Dixie Heights High School. The Varneys' oldest son will be a senior at Holmes next year where he is ranked at the top of the class. Varney expects him to graduate from Holmes as she did in 1989.

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"I still want to support student achievement and growth in CIPS and I'm pleased with the AP/IB (international baccalaureate) program that my oldest son is in and hope to see positive results from that," she said.
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A representative in the legal office of the Kentucky Department of Education explained to The River City News that the Commissioner of Education will appoint the new board member. Once Varney's resignation is accepted by Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday the seat is officially vacant. Then, the school board must twice advertise the vacancy in an effort to solicit applications from members of the public that wish to be appointed. According to the Department of Education the deadline for applications to be postmarked to the Commissioner is established to be at least three days after the second run of the advertisement. 

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The Covington School Board last dealt with this process in 2007 following the forced removal of member Paul Mullins who was elected in 2006 but later deemed to be ineligible to hold the office since he was employed as a bus driver by the district at the time of the election. He was replaced by Jerry Avery who was later elected to a full term in 2010 with Varney when both candidates finished ahead of Mullins. 

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The seats of three incumbents are up for grabs in November for which the filing deadline is two weeks away. Member Mike Fitzgerald has confirmed that he intends to run for reelection while members Glenda Huff and Krista Powers have not yet decided. Avery will serve through 2014. Other announced candidates include Christi Blair, Kerry Holleran, Tom Miller, Rebecca Pettigrew, and Jo Rogers. 

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Varney was the lone vote against the district's approved tax increase for 2011 and was also the only one to oppose a pay increase for Superintendent Lynda Jackson but was absent when that issue was approved unanimously. She says she learned a lot from her time on the board. "It hasn't always been pleasant, I haven't always felt supported but I feel that I try to listen to constituents and release that back in the proper fashion," she said. Another possible tax increase is on the agenda for a vote in August or September and Varney would have voted against that, too.

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Though Covington Independent Public Schools have struggled academically with some gains being made recently, Varney says the situation is not hopeless. "We are making gains but slowly," she said. "Hopefully the younger children will be able to benefit from these changes. Parents need to know their children and be involved and decide what's best for their children."
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The school district declined to comment for this story.

VARNEY WON'T RESIGN SCHOOL BOARD SEAT

by Michael Monks 

Email Michael

FACEBOOK: The River City News

@theRCnews on Twitter 

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THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE

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Denise Varney

During Wednesday night's meeting of the Covington School Board one citizen asked for board member Denise Varney to resign. It was the first-term board member's first meeting since her and her husband's March 15 arrests following a domestic dispute. "Our kids are supposed to look up to the school board members," said Clinton Jackson of the Eastside neighborhood. "When you have a school board member that has done something violent, our kids should not have this double standard." Varney did not respond during the public portion of the meeting but did speak privately with The River City News afterwards. 

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"In twenty-one years of marriage it's never happened and it won't happen again," Varney said of the incident with her husband. Both faced domestic violence charges that will be dropped in September following the completion of marriage counseling and pending no further disturbances, she said. "It was not something that was planned. I've apologized to my friends and family for it and ask for privacy in dealing with this personal family matter."

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Varney, who was elected in 2010 and is not one of the three members up for reelection in 2012, said that she will not resign. "I don't think this has changed the person that I am or what I do for the kids," she said. "Everyone makes a bad decision along the way and I would hope to be a good role model by showing class and perseverance." 

COVINGTON SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER ARRESTED

by Michael Monks 

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FACEBOOK: The River City News

@theRCnews on Twitter 

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THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE

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UPDATE: 10:45PM - Varney appears to have been released from the Kenton County Jail. No further information was available from the Covington Police Department who handled the arrests. Varney is expected to appear in court Friday morning.
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Covington School Board member Denise Varney was arrested Thursday night along with her husband, Donald Varney, following a domestic disturbance. Denise Varney, 40, was booked into the Kenton County Jail at  8:00PM tonight and is charged with 4th degree assault/domestic violence, the same charge that Dinald Varney, 41, also faces. This story is developing and The River City News will update as soon as more information becomes available.