United States Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx made some public comments last week that triggered a heated exchange between 700 WLW radio host Scott Sloan and Covington City Commissioner Steve Frank.

Foxx told USA Today and other Gannett reporters that Kentucky was not ready for the new bridge:

"We've engaged with both states. We've offered help," Foxx said. "We have financing tools like TIFIA that can be used to support getting those projects done. But we can't effectively use those tools if the business case (for covering the cost of the bridge) isn't there. And, until both states come together with a plan, it's going to be hard for us to solve that problem."

(snip)

Foxx did not offer an opinion on whether he sees tolls as the best funding solution, but he suggested the burden was on Kentucky officials to end the impasse either by agreeing to tolls or coming up with an alternative.

"It's boiled down to a political question: Do you want to toll or don't you?" he said. "Ultimately it's up to the state of Kentucky to figure out where it wants to be. And there's some places in this country that just don't want to toll."

Commissioner Frank does not want a toll, a position he has repeatedly made clear through multiple appearances on 700 WLW (and through public meetings and his reelection campaign in which he was the top vote-getter). Scott Sloan challenged Frank's position.

"When the White House says it's Kentucky's fault, what they're saying is, it's Steven Frank's fault," the radio shouted to the airwaves. "There's one man who stands in the face of common sense and that would be Steven Frank."

Ohio is prepared to enact tolling as a method to finance the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, estimated to have a price tag of $2.6 billion. The project would create a new span adjacent to the existing and would rework several miles of Interstates 71/75 which collide at the bridge. Though Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear supports tolling as a method to achieve the new span and Kentucky's federal delegation has not indicated there would be money for the project, state legislators and local leaders worked to stop legislation that would have permitted tolling on this side of the bridge.

"I'm saving you from another disaster," Frank told Sloan. "You guys are gonna get us all took the way you did on the stadiums, like you did on the streetcar. Sharpies like me from Wall Street, we're gonna rip you off and I'm here to tell you about it." Frank is an investment banker. "The federal government can't d anything because the state legislature isn't going to do anything. You can give it to us free and I'm not sure I want it."

Two years ago, Frank did want to add capacity to the bridge corridor and said so in an op-ed published by The River City News. "I am also very familiar with the need to do something about the bridge as it is our Police and Firemen from the City of Covington who must risk their lives on the Brent Spence Bridge both rescuing stranded motorists as well as investigating their demise when the all too frequent fatalities occur," Frank wrote in 2012. "We had another recent traffic death on April 1 (2012). They are now so commonplace that it was hardly even mentioned in the media." He continued, "One additional point about the need to add capacity to the Brent Spence Bridge corridor, beyond the obvious need for increased safety of our motorists is to maintain the economic vitality of the nation, The Greater Cincinnati Region, and the Cities that compose the Urban Core on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River."

Then, in October, Frank was part of a newly created organization called Northern Kentucky United which is devoted to opposing tolls and countering talking points from supporters of the project. "I think we need a new bridge but if you toll it, you're just moving the disaster. In fact, you're going to create more of it. It will be on the secondary streets as people try to make time to avoid the toll,"Frank said in October. "Every actuarial study says - and I research what I'm talking about - you will kill more people. More people will die. I wish it weren't true. There are academic studies. There was one reported on the Northern Turnpike. Every time they jack up the tolls, traffic increases on secondary roads and deaths go up. That's factual. It's not a scare tactic. It's real."

Northern Kentucky Unitedalso responded to Foxx's remarks. “Tolling the Brent Spence Bridge may seem like a good idea to Secretary Foxx from the perch of his Washington, DC office, but it is not an option for Northern Kentucky," Marisa McNee, a spokesperson, said in a statement.  “Secretary Foxx seems to be under the impression that Kentucky legislators have an obligation to defer to the whims of Cincinnati-based business interests and their desire for tolls. We respectfully disagree. Kentucky legislators have an obligation to do what is best for Kentucky.  Tolling the Brent Spence Bridge is a bad deal for Northern Kentucky."

“We appreciate the Secretary’s continued interest in the region’s transportation needs. Incoming Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) have both suggested a path forward on federal funding and without tolls. We hope Secretary Foxx will use the opportunity to pursue a bi-partisan solution to the country’s infrastructure needs.”

Build Our New Bridge Now, an coalition of business leaders in the region that support moving forward with the project, also responded. A statement from the organization said that Foxx's statement "made clear that a federal government bailout of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project will not happen".

"While funding options and other plans have been floated in Washington, wishing and hoping for a federal government bailout is unrealistic. Only those opposed to the bridge still cling to the unlikely notion that the Obama administration and Congress are suddenly going to start working together on a plan to pay for the bridge. Foxx’s comments support the Coalition’s message that a new bridge corridor cannot be built until a viable funding solution that includes a significant contribution from the states is agreed upon. And if the directive from Sec. Fox was not enough, news out of Frankfort Wednesday pointed even more strongly to the need for a new source of bridge construction revenue," the Coalition said.

Meanwhile, the main funding mechanism for highway projects, a gas tax, will drop by 4.3 cents per gallon in Kentucky on January 1. The Coalition predicts a loss to Kentucky's transportation budget of $129 million.

The bridge was built fifty years ago and currently carries more than 170,000 behicles per day, double the amount it was designed for. It is classified as functionally obsolete.

Commissioner Frank would like to see funding for transportation projects moved to "a new paradigm", vehicle miles traveled. 

"And meanwhile, the bridge is going to fall down," Sloan shot back. "If we just wait another twenty years we'll probably have flying cars, we won't have to build a bridge." Sloan asked Frank how long the new paradigm would take to be enacted.

"I don't care. Something like a decade or more," Frank said. "The existing bridge by the actual tollmeisters is planned to stand for another fifty years. There's no trend line in stats showing it's getting worse."

Another suggestion Frank threw out is that instead of building a new bridge, Interstate 71 could be re-routed through southern Boone, Kenton, and Campbell Counties, connecting with I-471 which has a bridge between Cincinnati and Newport. "The cost is estimated to be exactly the same," Frank said. "Kentucky would have its own Butler and Warren Counties." Those counties have seen strong economic growth in recent decades north of Cincinnati.

"Even if we do your plan," Sloan asked, "where's the cash gonna come from?"

Frank suggested that we wait to see what Senator Mitch McConnell can do in his new position as Senate Majority Leader. "He stole $3 billion to reopen the government last time to build a dam in Paducah," Frank said.

What about any concerns about ripping up rural farmland in the three counties? "It's populated with dandelions and a couple of sheep," Frank laughed, expressing a position in contrast to that of the people who live in southern Kenton County who recently participated in a study that showed overwhelming support for maintaining the rural nature of the area (Click Here for PDF).

"I don't want your plan," Frank continued. "And if my plan takes longer, that's fine. You're saying there's a critical problem here. We do not have a traffic congestion problem." As for the deteriorating condition of the bridge, "They're not maintaining the bridge on purpose," Frank said. "They're putting maintenance costs into the capital costs."

At the call's end, Sloan hung up and said, "Is there a more delusional guy than that guy? How many decades will it take to do that project?"

-Written by Michael Monks, editor & publisher of The River City News

Photo: Brent Spence Brudge as seen from the Radisson Hotel in Covington/RCN file

What a great night at Paul Brown Stadium!

For the 20th year, Kicks for Kids welcomed local children to the home of the Cincinnati Bengals for a night of chili, pizza, cookies, hot chocolate, and Christmas -- and Santa Claus wasn't the only celebrity on hand!

Bengals Offensive Tackle Andrew Whitworth and the team's all-time leading scorer Jim Breech were also on hand.

Rianna Gayheart posted a season-high 12 points to lead the Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team to its first home victory of the season, 66-52, over the University of Cincinnati on Wednesday night in The Bank of Kentucky Center.

Three Norse players finished in double-figures as NKU returned home to The Bank of Kentucky Center for the first time since they last hosted Ohio on Nov. 25. Kaitlyn Gerrety and Christine Roush each finished with 11 points. Melody Doss and Kelley Wiegman led the rebounding effort with seven boards each, and both contributed nine points apiece as NKU improved to 6-5 on the season.

Jasmine Whitfield produced a game-high 15 points for Cincinnati (1-8). Forward Marley Hill finished with a double-double, collecting 14 points and 11 rebounds, and guard Ana Owens contributed 10 points for the Bearcats.
Both teams opened the game with sharp shooting. The Bearcats shot 54.5 percent (6-for-11) from the field, and the Norse began the game shooting 50.0 percent (5-for-10) from the floor in the opening five minutes. After trading baskets, the Norse grabbed their first lead, 15-14, on a 3-pointer from Kaitlyn Gerrety with just over 14 minutes remaining until halftime.

With NKU holding an 18-16 lead on a Kelley Wiegman trey, UC answered with a pair of buckets to retake a 20-18 advantage with 9:23remaining in the first. Rianna Gayheart would answer for the Norse with six-straight points, giving NKU a 24-20 lead, which they would not surrender.

“Marley Hill is so hard to handle down low,” said NKU head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. “And, Cincinnati does such a great job offensively. Defensively, our kids really had to battle and grind it out.”

The Norse produced even scoring with 12 points from the bench players and 10 points scored in the paint through the first half. NKU tightened down defensively, holding UC to just 2-for-13 shooting in the final nine minutes of the opening frame as the Norse extended the lead to 32-26 going into the half. NKU bested the Bearcats in the first half, shooting with 37.5 percent (12-for-32) from the field compared to UC shooting 33.3 percent (11-for-33). The NKU offense produced 21 of its first half points from beyond the 3-point line, shooting 35.0 percent (7-for-20).

“Offensively, we want to feed the hot hand,” added Plitzuweit. “But that can be any player on any given night for us. We are an equal-opportunity offense, trying to take advantage of mismatches. But, I don’t think we are totally there yet.”

The Norse rode the momentum of a 9-0 run early in the second half to take a 41-31 lead with 16:28 remaining in the game. The Bearcats would only get to within seven points of matching the Norse through the conclusion of the second half. Cincinnati outrebounded NKU 41-38, but the Norse finished with more points scored in the lane with 22 compared to 16 from the taller Bearcats.

NKU finished the night with 37.9 percent (22-for-58) shooting from the field, while the Bearcats shot 36.2 percent (21-for-58). The Norse made good on their trips to the free-throw line, connecting on 82.4 percent (14-for-17) of their attempts.

“We have our third game in five days when we take on Delaware,” said Plitzuweit. “We have one day to prep for Friday. And, playing this caliber of teams will hopefully prepare us for conference play.”

NKU returns to action this Friday to face the Blue Hens of Delaware at a neutral court on the University of Cincinnati campus at 7 p.m. The Black and Gold will return home to host IUPUI on Dec. 30 with a 7 p.m. tip.

From NKU Norse

River Ridge Commerce Center is uniquely positioned to see more growth from construction of the nearby East End bridge, one of two being built under the $2.3 billion Ohio River Bridges Project.

…

 

The potential at River Ridge — which will be minutes from Prospect, Ky., once the bridge is completed — is "expansive," said Wendy Dant-Chesser, chief executive officer for One Southern Indiana, the chamber of commerce for Floyd and Clark counties.

 

"With approximately 6,000 acres and easy access to Interstates 65, 64 and 71, the Port of Indiana (Jeffersonville), the UPS Worldport and the Louisville International Airport, it is simply one of the most desirable locations in the nation for companies who want to build new facilities," she said.

"We can't afford to wait."

Governor Steve Beshear returned to Covington on Monday and said that it is time to act on the Brent Spence Bridge Project despite the anti-bridge rhetoric from some Northern Kentucky elected and civic leaders. 

"There has been a lot of misinformation and a lot of assumptions that aren't true," Beshear said. "There has been knee-jerk opposition to tolls and an inability to see the big picture. And all that has too many people confused about what this project is all about."

Beshear said that he and Ohio Governor John Kasich spoke by phone last week and that they would be meeting in January to direct their respective transportation departments on a path forward. The two last appeared together in Covington in 2012 where they vowed to work together to build the estimated $2.6 billion project that includes between seven and eight miles of work on the interstate leading to the bridge on both sides of the river as well as a companion span that would be built adjacent to the 50-year old Brent Spence.

Beshear said that it is time to talk in terms of facts. "First, I think we can all agree that the economic future of this region depends on free-flowing interstate transportation. I think we can also agree that the Brent Spence Bridge and the I-75, I-71 corridor as they currently exist are an impediment to economic vitality that can't be ignored without serious consequences," Beshear said, citing the recent report that listed the corridor as the 4th most congested for truck traffic in the nation.

"The lanes are too narrow, there are no emergency shoulders, traffic is almost double of what it was designed to carry on that bridge," Beshear continued.

The governor said that he and Kasich agreed that, "We cannot afford to delay action on a vital piece of infrastructure in this region because after I laid out all those facts to you, I want to get around to another fact that is in many ways the most important fact to get in front of you." Beshear then laid out the expected increases in the cost to complete the project if the region continues to wait. "We can count that cost in the hundreds of thousands of hours lost in traffic, we can tally the accidents we see daily in this corridor, and in dollars that all of us will share in tolls or taxes and both as inflation drives this $2.6 billion project higher and higher."

He said that based on a 3% inflation rate, the cost is $7 million more each month, or $84 million a year. Waiting five years would add $400 million to the cost of the bridge, he said. Ten years would add $800 million.

"And folks, we're gonna build this some time," Beshear said. "You want to spend another billion sitting around ten years from now?"

"That's crazy to think we're going to sit here because of indecision and procrastination and end up spending another billion. Guess where that's going to come from. It's going to come from you and me. We have to control that cost and to keep that cost as low as possible."

The topic of the bridge was preceded by Beshear's endorsement of public-private partnership legislation as it would relate to transportation projects. He cited the possible legislation as one of his three highest priorities for the upcoming General Assembly session (the other two being an anti-heroin bill and a dating violence bill). Such legislation last year was vetoed by Beshear after the legislature passed a bill that included language inserted by State Rep. Arnold Simpson (D-Covington) that specifically prohibited tolling to be used to fund the Brent Spence Bridge project. 

It started in Lexington where it expanded to two locations, and then brought its giant slices and classy lounge to Mainstrasse Village in Covington where it has been a destination since 2012. 

Next, Goodfellas Pizzeria will open in Over-the-Rhine, the trendy Cincinnati neighborhood where owners Alex Coats and Eric Boggs say they "love the vibe".

The new OTR location will open on New Year's Eve.

"(We) love the vibe and energy that OTR offers and hope that Goodfellas will be a great fit for the neighborhood," the owners said. 

This story has been updated.

A Northern Kentucky police officer accidentally shot himself in Cincinnati on Saturday night.

The off-duty officer, Darryl Jouett (as tweeted by a WCPO reporter), a veteran with the Erlanger Police Department, was in Over-the-Rhine for dinner when his gun discharged in an elevator. The bullet ricocheted and struck the officer in the stomach, WKRC reported.

A surveillance video from inside the elevator shows the officer attempting to remove the gun when it fired, said a report at WLWT.

The officer was conscious and alert when he was transported to University of Cincinnati Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, WCPO reported.

Erlanger Police said on Facebook that Jouett is in good condition and is resting comfortably.

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A plan to further delay the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project announced over the weekend by the leading Republican ticket in this year's governor's race is being discounted by proponents of the project.

Agriculture Commissioner James Comer and his running mate, Kenton County State Senator Chris McDaniel, told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Sunday that they would like to pursue study of a possible span from Campbell County to Newtown, Ohio, arguing that perhaps the $2.6 billion project in Covington in which a new bridge would be built next to the existing Brent Spence may not be the best path forward for the region.

"We need to see what was the starting point of the conversation regarding the current alignment,"McDaniel told the Enquirer. "I'm not convinced that everything was considered fairly, and I would like to know why did we end up at the decision that the Brent Spence Bridge needed to be updated, and then having a new bridge built right along side of it. And then we could look at other alternatives as part of that conversation." 

Nonsense, said the Build Our Bridge Now campaign.

Planning for a new bridge would require years of study and cost hundreds of millions of dollars, the coalition argued. Meanwhile, the cost of construction would be in the billions and require an interstate highway and feeder roads to be built in residential communities throughout Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, the coalition said.

All the while, the Brent Spence corridor would remain unchanged.

An accident on the Brent Spence Bridge has at least one southbound closed Tuesday afternoon.

Delays are expected in the area according to the Ohio Department of Transportation (the picture above is a screen shot from a live traffic cam at 5:12 p.m.).

Witnesses report seeing multiple emergency vehicles on the bridge.

This story will be updated when more information is learned.

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Thomas More College head football coach Jim Hilvert has resigned from the school and will take over the head-coaching vacancy at LaSalle High School in Cincinnati.

On Tuesday, LaSalle coach Nate Moore left that school to join traditional powerhouse Massillon High School in Canton, OH where hall-of-famer and Cincinnati Bengals founder Paul Brown began his football coaching career. LaSalle won a state championship last season.

Hilvert leaves the Thomas More program after becoming the winningest coach in the college's history. He coached eight seasons with the Saints and accumulated a record of 67-19 during that span. He earned the President's Athletic Conference (PAC) Coach of the Year honors and six PAC titles. He reached the Division III playoffs three times and in 2011 guided Thomas More to their highest ever ranking in school history when they received 805 votes in the American Football Coaches Association Top-25 and were ranked sixth in the nation after week four of that year.

“Coach Hilvert is the winningest coach in Thomas More College history and he will forever be a legend for Thomas More football. We appreciate all he has done to continue the tradition of Thomas More College as one of the premier programs in Division III. Along with our Athletic Director Terry Connor, our assistant coaches and student athletes who have made this program what it is, we will continue the great legacy left by Coach Hilvert. We know that he will be a friend of the TMC program for many years to come. We wish him and his family the best of everything as he goes to an outstanding high school here in the Cincinnati region. We’ve always had an excellent relationship with LaSalle High School and we now know that it will only be made stronger,” said President David A. Armstrong, J.D.

“I want to thank Terry Connor and Sister Margaret Stallmeyer for hiring me eight years ago, as well as President Armstrong for his support the past two seasons. It has been an unbelievable journey. The success I have had at TMC is a credit to my coaching staff and players. I will always remember the great friendships I have made throughout the time I have been at TMC. GO SAINTS!" wrote Hilvert in a statement.

Thomas More will immediately begin a national search for the head football coach position.

Thomas More College’s 25-year program record is 183-73 (.709), the winningest program in Division III by win percentage.

“We have an impressive group of student athletes returning and we expect them to continue their dedication on and off the field,” said Connor.

Bryan Burke, associate editor

Photo: Jim Hilvert

Talbert House, the largest employer in the social service industry sector in Southwest Ohio, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015.

In honor of this occasion, the agency’s 50th anniversary logo- created by LPK, a Cincinnati-based international design agency-was introduced Wednesday. The theme Lighting the Way has been chosen to guide the agency’s work throughout 2015. Talbert House will culminate the golden milestone with a gala late in the year.

Talbert House was founded as an experiment to reintegrate homeless ex-offenders back into the community. In August 1965, with a budget of $30,000 from private donations, the first halfway house opened.

Talbert House was named after Dr. Ernest Talbert (1879-1971), Professor Emeritus of Sociology, by the students he taught at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Talbert believed treating those struggling with mental health and addiction issues was better suited in the community rather than an institutional setting.

Today Talbert House operates multiple service areas in conjunction with its affiliate, Gateways, throughout Greater Cincinnati. The services are offered to a broad-based population with the agency’s mission in mind: to improve social behavior and enhance personal recovery and growth.

Talbert House helps thousands of men, women, children, and families across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky overcome adversity to become healthy and productive citizens. Last year, the agency served almost 36,000 clients face-to-face with an additional 34,000 receiving prevention and hotline services. Talbert House’s primary service area is Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, and Warren counties in Ohio and Kenton County in Kentucky.

From Talbert House

The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority and the Northern Kentucky Port Authority announced Thursday the formal final approval to re-designate the Port of Cincinnati to include a larger geographic region that was recently received.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has issued approval for modification of the Port of Cincinnati 26-mile statistical boundary. The Army Corps Navigation and Civil Works Decision Support Center issued the approval of the expansion and the name change to “The Ports of Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky.” The port district now includes a 226.5 mile reach of the Ohio River, including a 7-mile reach of the Licking River, in 15 counties.

The port authorities petitioned for an expanded port boundary in response to the advocacy of the Central Ohio River Business Association (CORBA), a river commerce trade association. CORBA members are advocating a larger port region that captures an accurate scope of regional maritime commerce.

The port authorities estimate that The Ports of Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky will rank among the top 20 U.S. ports by annual freight tonnage and the second busiest inland U.S. port, as measured by U.S. Army Corps, which publishes the information annually. The Army Corps collects and regularly publishes waterborne commerce statistical data and reports on commodity tonnages handled within more than 100 defined port areas.

The Port of Cincinnati in 2012 was listed 51st in U.S. Army Corps statistical reporting, ranked by total freight tonnage. The port authorities expect The Ports of Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky will reflect more than 48 million freight tons handled and rise to the 15th busiest port district and the second-busiest inland river port in the United States. The new port tonnage will officially begin with the calendar year 2014 database and publications.

The Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky port authorities submitted the proposal to the U.S. Army Engineer District, Louisville, in April 2014. The proposal included the support of 15 counties total: Ohio (Scioto, Adams, Brown, Clermont and Hamilton) and Kentucky (Lewis, Mason, Bracken, Pendleton, Campbell, Kenton, Boone, Gallatin, Carroll and Trimble), along with the support of congressional representatives, general assemblies, industry organizations and both governors.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich: "The expansion of our shared port again shows that, when Kentucky and Ohio work together, we can win together. Through close collaboration with each other, we can bolster trade and commerce along the Ohio River and create more opportunities to grow jobs throughout Greater Cincinnati."

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear: “This is another example of cooperation among Kentucky and Ohio. Kentucky continues to be the center of logistics, and our strong ports are a big reason for that success. I applaud this effort to highlight and emphasize such a pivotal stretch of the Ohio River and the Licking River, which are vital to our state’s economy.”

Sen. Rob Portman: “This is great news for Cincinnati and the entire region. Expanding the port’s boundaries will raise its profile and help attract new business at an important time – as volume of international materials and commodities entering the United States continues to grow.”  

Congressman Thomas Massie:"The U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers' approval of the Cincinnati Port re-designation, which will enhance and stimulate river-borne commerce along the Ohio River, is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished when Agencies, the Federal government, States and 15 County governments work together to complete a mutually beneficial project. I congratulate CORBA for their advocacy in this endeavor. I’m sure both sides of the Ohio River will benefit from the continued development of this resource as tonnage grows along the Ohio and Licking Rivers from Lewis County downriver to Trimble County in Kentucky."

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley:“This designation is great news for Cincinnati and our entire region. It should help us boost river commerce and increase our area’s marketing clout. It also will better reflect our region’s true impact as an inland river port.”

Todd Portune, Hamilton County Commissioner: “This is a historically significant achievement. Our region now has a powerful standing among nationally ranked port jurisdictions, which sets us up for an expanded role in river commerce. This port re-designation required exceptional support and collaboration among regional governments. It is a testament to our commitment to attract global business opportunity and investment.”

Eric Thomas, co-founder, Central Ohio River Business Association: “The Central Ohio River Business Association (CORBA) is deeply grateful to the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority and to the Northern Kentucky Port Authority for their leadership in bringing to bear the newly designated Ports of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. This official designation by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers resulted from an unprecedented, multi-jurisdictional collaboration, which truly defines ‘regionalism.’ It is now up to CORBA, through collaboration with its members and all the jurisdictions up and down the reach of the central Ohio River that make up the new Ports of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, to unleash that marketing potential, and to capitalize on the momentum from this momentous event to the good of the entire region."

Laura Brunner, Port Authority President & CEO: “Today’s approval is instrumental in elevating the awareness of our region as a global origin and destination for river commerce. It also demonstrates exemplary bi-state collaboration and determination to excel together as a regional economic development powerhouse.”

Roger Peterman, Chairman, Northern Kentucky Port Authority: “Securing this re-designation is quite helpful to our region. We have such superb resources in the Ohio and Licking Rivers, that it behooves us work cooperatively with the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority and CORBA. We certainly appreciate the Army Corps of Engineers support and assistance to secure this re-designation.”

Kris Knochelmann, Kenton County Judge-Executive and Chairman, Northern Kentucky Tri-ED: “Raising the awareness of the significant waterborne commerce advantages of the Ohio River Valley through this re-designation is important to all of the counties in Kentucky and Ohio contiguous to the Ohio and Licking Rivers. We applaud all of the parties that achieved this regional effort.”

Johnna Reeder, president & CEO, REDI Cincinnati: “The expanded port district is a strong play for our region's economic development efforts. Through the collaborative efforts of the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky port authorities, the new Ports of Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky will be the No. 2 inland port region in the United States. This increase in status will create higher visibility for the collective port community and improve our region's ability to compete in an increasingly global market.”

-Staff report

Downtown Covington's tepid renaissance is bolstered by some longstanding legacy businesses that have managed to stay put even after decades of decline. Motch Jewelers, Klingenberg's Hardware, Landwehr's, and Egelston-Maynard Sports, to name some, are among that list of stoic enterprises that resisted the downtown downturn and will hopefully thrive with the rest of the area as new developments continue to mount.

Meanwhile, there are other businesses that have also navigated the murky, uncertain waters of an urban rebound -- and without the benefit of having been around during Downtown Covington's heyday.

Two of those businesses will be joined in spirit and in lockstep at this spring's Dancing for the Stars competition benefiting the Cincinnati Arts Association's Overture Awards which are given annually to artistic high school students in the region.

Johnny Chu of KungFood Chu's AmerAsia and Doreen Beatrice of Step-N-Out Studio will dance the salsa together in April. 

"I took a few classes before but I never took it seriously," said Chu, whose popular Madison Avenue restaurant is frequently packed at lunch and dinner, and often in between. During slower moments, or when he's bored, though, Chu would often trek a few blocks south to watch the dancers at Step-N-Out, the studio that Beatrice sold a couple years ago and where she remains an instructor.

Chu's stepfather and mother have studied at the studio, too. Chu, 35,  never expected that he, too, would find himself in a dance competition. "I wasn't expecting any of this to happen," he said. "I go from being so serious all the time, and now I get to have some fun."

He's looking forward to the salsa. "It's the sexiest. It's my go-to style," he said with a laugh.

Beatrice is a veteran of both competitive dance and this specific charity dance-off. She's taken the stage at Dancing for the Stars with Cincinnati celebrity chef Jean-Robert de Cavel, sports radio voice Andy Furman, media executive Rich Boehne, and she took second place in 2012 with plastic surgeon Michael Leadbetter, before winning the whole thing in 2013 with Cincinnati city councilman Chris Seelbach.

"I've stayed connected with all these people over the years," Beatrice said. This time her celebrity partner is also a neighbor, a fellow warrior in the effort to revive Covington's Madison Avenue, an effort that AmerAsia (even prior to Chu's purchase of it six years ago) and Step-N-Out have been at for a couple of decades. On any given night, when most of the downtown area remains vacant, the light shines from both these places and inside, dancers are dancing or diners are dining, making both businesses stand-alone destinations, critical components of a renaissance effort. 

"I still haven't found the right answer," Chu said of why his restaurant is so popular. "We found, it's all if you do something with passion then this is the reward. I've been here six years and I come in every day happy to be here."

"We get looked over most of the time but we've outlasted most of our neighbors," Beatrice said of her studio. "I think it's because it's always been a dance center. You'll find a suburban center often to be strictly ballroom." At Step-N-Out, dances range from Argentine tango to tai chi movement work.

On April 11, at Cincinnati Music Hall, all the couples at the Dancing for the Stars competition will perform the salsa. Chu and Beatrice will dance alongside other local celebrities like former Cincinnati Red George Foster, real estate agent Cristen Appleton, Chef's Cafe owner Mary Bettman, DTZ commercial real estate managing principal and former Business Courier publisher Doug Bolton, Procter & Gamble's Barbara Hauser, UC Health's Diana Maria Lara, and plastic surgeon Devinder Mangat. 

Though there will be a winner among the celebrities, the real beneficiaries are the children at the Overture Awards, though Chu said that when he's dancing, he also feels like a kid. "We're doing something great for the kids," he said. "I am an artist. My parents told me I would not go far with an art degree. I gave up on that and started a restaurant. When I have a partner to dance with that brings out that 12-year old kid within me. I'm acting a fool. It's like being a kid all over again."

Beatrice said that Chu is learning well and Chu said that he is committed to winning. "I definitely find a lot of moves very challenging," Chu said. "I'm using muscles in my body I've never used." He's also adjusting to shoes with heels on them. "I had a bad lesson today, but I will go back next week with better form. I'm taking it all."

"That's how I know I don't have a dud," Beatrice joked. 

They can be called Team Madison Avenue. 

"If we bring that back to Covington, we'll be known," Chu said. "I'm not doing this for myself. I'm doing it for Covington. I've never loved a city. I love Covington."

For more on Dancing for the Stars see the official website and Chu's DFTS Facebook page.

Story & photo by Michael Monks, editor & publisher of The River City News

Will T. Scott has been running a long time, but last weekend, the former Kentucky Supreme Court justice came to Covington to walk.

He's still running, though. This time, Scott is one of four candidates on the Republican side of the 2015 Kentucky gubernatorial race. He left the state Supreme Court bench in December to pursue the state's highest office, one that he said could generate more money for the Commonwealth if it had expanded gambling.

In fact, some of the money generated by Scott's ideal gaming situation could help fund massive infrastructure projects like the estimated $2.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge corridor, one that currently appears to be headed for tolling if legislation moves forward in Frankfort this month.

"The Brent Spence Bridge is fifty years old. It's handling two interstates. It has to be built," Scott said during a chat with The River City News in the historic law offices of Bob Sanders on Russell Street. He discounted some newly released opinions on alternate possibilities for dealing with the congested corridor that connects Covington and Northern Kentucky to Cincinnati along the conjoined Interstates 71 and 75, including a proposal floated by his opponent, Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, whose campaign suggested a reset on the Brent Spence project in favor of the exploration of a possible span over the Ohio River between the areas of Ft. Thomas and Newtown, Ohio.

"It cannot be moved from that corridor," Scott said. "It's lined up with existing interstates. These engineers know what they're doing it. You'd have to rebuild 75 and 71 to get over there. Look what you'd be doing to your community, not only on the Kentucky side, but Ohio has to do it."

As for tolls, Scott is firmly opposed. "You can't put tolls on an interstate bridge unless you want five miles or ten miles of back-up. We have got a problem in this district between (Senator Mitch) McConnell, (House Speaker John) Boehner, (Congressman) Hal Rogers, and (Congressman) Thomas Massie. Why aren't you bringing any federal money? The people here are going to have to wake up. If you're attacking McConnell, Boehner, and Hal Rogers, don't expect to see any money."

Scott referenced the large block of concrete that recently fell from an approach to the bridge and landed on a car below as evidence that the corridor needs to be addressed. "I'll do everything I can but I need someone to help me at the federal level," he said. 

The candidate was in Covington to visit with Sanders a group known as the Hiking Lawyers, an organization founded by Lexington attorney Helen Gulgun Bukulmez who thought that taking attorneys from the courtrooms to the wilderness would help ease any troubles with stress associated with the profession. Thirteen people showed up for the first hike but now the group has swelled to a network of 800 members, Bukulmez said. Scott was an early supporter. "He came to me and said, 'I really like your idea', and invited me to hike with him," she said. "Our support for him is bipartisan because he supports hiking, because he supports the mountains."

Scott lives on a mountain in Pike County in a home that he built to be sustainable "off the grid". All the power sources are generated naturally. He is someone familiar with seeking alternative ways to do things, which is why, he says, he can find alternative approaches to problems like funding solutions to traffic congestion on major interstate corridors. He explained his position just before the Hiking Lawyers went on their first "urban hike" across the bridges of Covington into Cincinnati, and then into Newport, and back.

But, like he said, he'll need the help of the people. "They have to help me plug the bottom of the money bucket in Frankfort," Scott said. He pointed to the tens of millions in unfunded pension liabilities Kentucky faces. "Kentucky could pay for it with a large increase in the sales tax. Will T. Scott will never be for that.They could take three to six billion now and borrow it on a 20-year plan to pay a debt they can't pay, and roll the dice in the stock market. That's gambling. It makes no economic sense to gamble with that money."

Instead, Scott wants four casinos: one at Churchill Downs in Louisville, one at Keeneland in Lexington, one at Ellis Park in Henderson, and one here in Northern Kentucky at Turfway Park in Florence. He said that idea would take the money being spent by Kentuckians at casinos on Indiana riverboats and in downtown Cincinnati and bring it back to the Commonwealth. He said with those four casino licenses, he could generate a quarter of a billion dollars for the state. "All I want to do is move it eleven-hundred yards and take Kentucky's share back from helping Ohio and Indiana pay their bills," he said. "Then we're going to have some oxygen back in government because they bucket's not leaking."

Scott last campaigned in Northern Kentucky when he took a small boat along the state's waterways during his unsuccessful pursuit of the Republican nomination for governor in 1995, a race he would eventually lose to Larry Forgy. He made stops in river towns all over Commonwealth. He was twice the GOP nominee for Congress in Kentucky's old 7th District, and also served as a circuit judge before being elected to the Supreme Court from eastern Kentucky in 2004. 

This time around, Scott faces a tough race against the popular Comer, whose running mate is Kenton County State Senator Chris McDaniel. The field also includes Louisville businessman and former councilman Hal Heiner and his running mate, former Lexington City Council member K.C. Crosbie, as well as Louisville businessman Matt Bevin who lost the GOP nomination to the incumbent McConnell in last year's US Senate race. Bevin is running with Jenean Hampton who would become the state's first black lieutenant governor if elected.

Scott is joined on the ballot by Menifee County Sheriff Rodney Coffey.

If elected, he would want to see the expanded gambling issue put to a vote by the people of Kentucky. He said that is the best answer to the leaky bucket containing government funds. "$6.8 billion in payroll. $30 billion-plus for pensions. It's like we're paying time and a half on every dollar, every day," he said. "That's where our money goes." The gaming money could also be used to fund $10 to $12 million annually for elderly heating assistance, he said. 

Once the financial house is in order, the economy will grow, Scott predicted. "Businesses will say, 'We'll go to Kentucky now. They can pay their bills'."

Gambling is the way to go, he said. "It's already here in Kentucky," Scott said. "I'm just wanting to move it eleven-hundred yards to feed our people and build our bridges. I'm the only one talking solutions rather than platitudes."

Story & photo by Michael Monks, editor & publisher of The River City News