Cincinnati Edition

The Ohio River Paddlefest takes place this Saturday. Recognized by the American Canoe Association as America's largest paddling trip, the event attracts more than 2,000 people from more than 20 states to the Ohio River to enjoy a nine mile paddle by canoe, kayak or paddleboard.

During his career John Deatrick has been involved in dozens of major Cincinnati design, construction and renovation projects, from downtown skywalks and city parking garages to Findlay Market and Lunken Airport. But he is best known as project executive for The Banks and the Cincinnati Streetcar, which have both dramatically changed, and now help define, Cincinnati.

Cincinnati and Hamilton County are discussing changing the way the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) does business, transferring day-to-day operations to a five-member citizens board. The Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police voted "no confidence" in Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters. And the police union plans to take a second vote on whether or not to participate in the Collaborative Agreement review and refresh process.

Senator John McCain is diagnosed with brain cancer but still travels to Washington for a health care vote, President Trump continues to publicly demean his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, Jared Kushner testifies about meetings with Russians, and Sean Spicer is out and Anthony Scaramucci is in.

In August 1968, NASA made a bold decision to launch mankind’s first flight to the moon. Just the year before, three astronauts had burned to death in their spacecraft. Since then, the Apollo program had suffered one setback after another. President Kennedy's call to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade seemed destined to become an unfulfilled promise.

You may not have heard of him, but as the highest-paid and most-read reporter of his era, Odd McIntyre achieved great fame and fortune in the early decades of the twentieth century. 

Dr. Roland Kays is renowned for his research on animal movement, using the latest technology to determine patterns of species as small as bats. He is the head of the Biodiversity Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science and a Research Professor in the Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Program at NC State University. He has also published “Candid Creatures: How Camera Traps Reveal the Mysteries of Nature,” the first major book to reveal the secret lives of animals through motion-sensitive game cameras. 

A group of prominent Northern Kentucky business and civic leaders recently created the Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky, a foundation that will focus on funding key community needs and programs in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties.

For 80 years Camp Joy has welcomed youth for a summer of outdoor education. At its heart is an ongoing mission of inclusion that began when the camp desegregated in the 1940s. Today, Camp Joy in Clarksville, Ohio has a number of youth programs for children who would not otherwise be able to afford a summer at camp.

Mid-summer is a busy time in the garden, crops planted this spring are ready for harvest and gardeners are putting in vegetables they will be able to enjoy this fall. 

This week Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters announced he would not seek a third trial for Ray Tensing in the shooting death of Sam DuBose, but Tensing could face federal civil rights violation charges. Maintenance work on the Brent Spence Bridge continues to cause traffic delays and headaches for commuters, and even some diehard Reds fans are losing patience with the team.

Mount St. Joseph University, established by the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati as the first Catholic university for women in Southwestern Ohio, opened its doors to its first 20 students in 1920. Today, the university offers a liberal arts and science education to more than 1,500 undergraduate and 500 graduate students.

While the number of shootings and other violent crimes seems to fluctuate year to year in Cincinnati, as of mid-year violent crime appears to be trending down. Last year City Council allocated $250,000 in human service funding to go toward anti-violence programs. That included in-school violence prevention, coaching and the creation of youth councils.

Yesterday Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters announced that he will not seek a third trial for former University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing in the shooting Death of Sam DuBose.

More than 600 athletes are in Cincinnati this week facing-off in the world's largest wheelchair sports event. The 37th National Veterans Wheelchair Games are underway at the Duke Energy Convention Center and other venues in the region. The Games, which began Monday, feature more than 18 events, from basketball to table tennis and archery. For the athletes, who are all veterans, it's about more than winning, it's about camaraderie and fun.