Loveland Magazine

It was cold, windy and rainy and no one looked their best

Dear Mr. Miller,

This is in reference to a photo on the Loveland Magazine web site.

I wanted to say thank you for taking a photo of my daughter and I during the funeral procession of Matt Maupin, not to mention all of the excellent photos you took of the events that weekend.  I am not thanking you for reasons of vanity or just because we are on the web site, but for immortalizing a moment and relationship between a mother and daughter.

I was unaware of the photo of Ashley and I until a friend of mine saw it and sent me a link to the magazine.  At first I thought "Of all days to have a picture taken and published." Ashley went to school with Matt and Micah Maupin and even though I knew it was going to be hard for us, I was not fully prepared for the day, I don't think anyone was.

As you will remember, it was cold, windy and rainy and no one looked their best.  I showed the photo to my husband and he quickly corrected me that it was not a day to be remembered for appearances.  My husband went on to express how perfectly you not only captured the atmosphere of the day, but how you also captured, perfectly, the characteristics of a Mother/Daughter relationship.  Jerry said he saw an expression on my face that he had seen before as the family had gone through adversity.  He referred to me as the family "Rock" and even after 21 years, I did not know he felt that way.

So, thank you for the photo and tightening of our family bonds.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

Sincerely,

Robin Steinmetz

8th Annual Relay for Life of Loveland

So far, we have Teams: 20 Dollars Raised: $4,376.00 Participants: 90 Teams: 20 and there are still 22 days until Relay!

Dear Loveland Magazine,

The American Cancer Society will be holding it’s 8th annual Relay for Life of Loveland from 6 PM on June 6 until noon on June 7 at the Loveland High School track.

Everyone in Loveland who has been touched by cancer is invited to attend.  This team event builds friendship among team members by having fun and raising money for the fight against cancer.  It’s the perfect team-building event for any organization.

The event consists of teams who spend 18 hour together in efforts to raise money and fight cancer.  Each team has at least one member walking or running the track during the entire event.

Relay for Life is about celebrating, remembering and fighting back.

The society celebrates cancer survivors by inviting all local cancer survivors to start each Relay event.  The Survivors Lap honors those who have won their fight against cancer and those who are currently undergoing treatment.  This lap is followed by a dinner sponsored by Loveland Epiphany Church.

The Society remembers all those touched with cancer with the Luminaria Ceremony after dusk. The track is lined with luminaria marked with the names of those who survived and those who lost their battle with cancer.

The Society fights back by raising money for research, education, local patient services, and advocacy. 

The event is also filled with music, live entertainment, games and other activities. This year, the Relay for Life of Loveland will be enjoying the theme of Olympics and many activities and decorating around this theme will be happening for 18 hours.

We hope to raise $45,000 from this year’s event.  To reach our goal, we need your support!  By forming a team from your company, church, school, neighborhood, family, etc., you will not only be part of a great community event, but you will raise funds to improve the quality of life for cancer patients today and the outlook for those diagnosed in the future.

Visit our website at http://events.cancer.org/rfllovelandoh and sign up a team today, register a survivor to participate, purchase a luminaria or make a donation, or contact Loveland’s ACS partner Alice Sowers at 1-888-ACS.OHIO ext. 4212 or via email at alice.sowers@cancer.org.

It’s about being a community that takes up the fight!

Lori Murphy
Co-Chair for Relay for Life Loveland, Volunteer
1707 Stockton Drive, Loveland OH  45140

SWING INTO ACTION for suicide prevention

Dear Loveland Magazine,

We have to gather together to raise awareness to this epidemic.  The Cincinnati Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has had a difficult time in raising the money needed to change the direction and to stop the stigma.

That is why we are asking you to join us in our first annual “SWING INTO ACTION” to prevent suicide, golf outing.

Please consider coming out and having a great day on the golf course for a very worthy cause.  The second favor I am asking is that you send this email along to as many of your friends as possible so that this event is able to reach innumerable people.

I look forward to this great day and hope to see you all out there having a great time along with raising the much needed funding for Suicide Prevention.

You are welcome to E-mail me with any questions.

Sincere Thanks and gratitude in your consideration!

Deb Clancy, Cincinnati Chapter Chair
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Download swing_application.pdf

African Children's Choir this Sunday

Dear Loveland Magazine,

I enjoy your magazine. I am hoping you will post an invitation to the Community. The African Children's Choir will provide a free concert at River Hills Christian Church this Sunday May 18th at 6 PM. The church is located at 6300 Price Road in Loveland.

The AFRICAN CHILDREN'S CHOIR, selected annually from thousands of orphans and disadvantaged children in Africa, delivers a powerful blend of singing, dancing, and storytelling to bridge cultural differences and spread hope and joy to audiences throughout the world.  The internationally acclaimed Choir has performed before numerous dignitaries and has appeared at some of the worlds most prestigious halls including the London Palladium, The International Club of Berlin, and the Palais des Beuax-Arts in Brussels.  Don't miss out on this unforgettable, moving experience!

Thanks!

Julie Hall

Kindness Outreach Ministry

River Hills Christian Church Directions and Map

Journey of Hope Tour

Following the brutal reign of Idi Amin in Uganda, during which hundreds of thousands of children were orphaned and left starving to death, the African Children’s Choir was born.

In fact, it was the singing of one small child that inspired the founder Ray Barnett and his team of volunteers to recruit the first African Children’s Choir from amongst these desperate children.

Their mission was and still is to show the world that Africa’s most needy and vulnerable children have beauty, dignity and unlimited ability.

Join the African Children’s Choir on their inspirational Journey of Hope out of war-torn Uganda in 1984. The Choir’s joyful music is a blend of song and dance throughout the entire continent of Africa, featuring more than ten languages and unique cultural dancing. And of course gospel favorites!

 

Ghosthuntermobile... Going, going... Bid now

Dear Loveland Magazine Readers,

Would you like to own my Ghosthuntermobile? Would you like to help me raise funds for UNICEF? Now, you can do both. From October 21 through Halloween, I will have my Ghosthuntermobile on auction at eBay.com. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

The Ghosthuntermobile is a hand-painted "ghost art" car that has been to over 50 haunted locations while I researched my ghost books. The 1987 Buick Skyhawk has also been something of a celebrity itself, as it has appeared at paranormal conferences, festivals, and some of my book signings. Photos of the car have appeared in newspapers and books. You really have to see the car to believe it. Along with the car, the winning bidder will receive an autographed set of all my ghost books.

You can access the eBay auction page, and see photos of the car, by going to www.JohnKachuba and following the link posted there. You can also go directly to eBay.com and search "ghosthunter car."

Remember, ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE AUCTION BENEFIT THE U.S. FUND FOR UNICEF. So, why not help out the children and place a bid? Please feel free to pass this email along to your friends.

Thanks for your generosity. Happy Halloween!

John Kachuba

Editor's Note: John Kachuba is a former Loveland resident of Loveland and founder of the Loveland Arts Council. He has published several books about ghosts, and the places they haunt and burden.

Community center: "Just plain wrong"

Dear Loveland Magazine,

The proposed community center is not necessary. It is a luxury that I and my family will likely never use. Why should I pay for someone else's luxury? Why is this city council asking me to pay for someone else's luxury a second time? This is just plain wrong no matter how you look at it.

Sincerely,

Tom Snyder

Dear Loveland Mgazine,

I'm not really sure of the editorial leaning of the Loveland Magazine - I have found it quite apolitical for the most part - so I really applaud you for publishing this article (War Correspondent Responds to the Suddenly Famous O'Hanlon/Pollack). It takes courage to do so in this bastion of conservatism that we call home.

Jill Hofman

Local folks gathering signatures for school funding amendment

Dear Loveland Magazine Readers,

Over the past 10 years the Ohio Supreme Court has ruled 4 times that the way Ohio funds its schools is unconstitutional.  Getting it Right for Ohio (www.rightforohio.org) is a grassroots organization that is working to change that statistic by gathering signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot.  This amendment would require the Ohio State Legislature to develop a fair and equal plan for funding.  The organization's many supporters include the Ohio Education Association, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio School Boards Association and The Ohio Parent Teacher Association.

As I’ve coordinated the petitions for the Getting It Right for Ohio constitutional amendment over the past few weeks around Loveland, I’ve been asked a number of questions.  One great thing I’ve learned.  People in Loveland want to know as much as possible before signing anything!  In writing this, I am hoping to answer many of the common questions that have come my way.

How does this differ from the way schools are funded now?  The funding will be determined by what it actually costs to provide a quality education.  Right now, the state funding formula starts with $5,403 per student and requires the local district to contribute 23 mills toward that cost.  The actual cost of providing that education last year averaged $9,343 per student across the state.  The new amendment also reduces the local share of funding to 20 mills for all districts. In theory, the state would pay the difference between what a quality education actually costs and the local share of providing that education.

Wouldn’t our Ohio income tax just go up to fund this method? Actually, the amendment does not dictate how any required revenue would be raised.  At this time, those decisions are left to the Ohio General Assembly.  Any additional taxes raised at the state level could be potentially offset by a reduction in local property taxes. 

Will this amendment adversely affect home school students, E-school, or voucher users?  I do not read anything in the amendment that even refers to these schools.      

Is this a better system than we now have?  Those who speak about school funding convince me of one thing; the current system is not only unconstitutional, it is one of the most difficult funding methods for the general public to understand. 

In the end, what all of the facts lead to is your right to have your voice heard at the ballot box this November.  If this amendment doesn’t make it to the ballot, we might lose an opportunity to improve funding for our schools and provide fairer taxation for Ohio’s populace.   You can make sure that your opinion counts by signing or offering to distribute a petition.

Sincerely,
Nancy Worsham
Constitutional Amendment Petition Coordinator

To sign a petition or help gather signatures, you can contact Nancy Worsham via e-mail at nworsham@cinci.rr.com.

Petitions can be turned into Worsham or the school board office. They are hoping for 4500 signatures from the Loveland area. The best way to sign a petition is to contact the local PTA's and Booster organizations. Worsham said that these people all have petitions.  There are plans to have a booth set up at the Loveland Amazing Race.

Worsham added, "I can get petitions to people or they can pick one up at the board office. We ask for a two week turnaround from the time the forms are picked up to when we need them back."

Read the amendment here:

Download PetitionLanguage_000.pdf

Most notable aspects to the proposed YMCA

Dear Loveland Magazine Readers,

There are several aspects to the proposed YMCA (“Recreation Center”) scheduled for the ballot on May 8.   The four most notable are: the location, the facility itself, the method of funding, and accessibility/membership fees.

In selecting the city-owned Mathers Property on Fallis Road, adjacent to Phillips Park, the city rejected a more central location.  Neighborhood residents have expressed concerns regarding traffic, but the YMCA would have the luxury of operating programs in Phillips Park, and the LHS swim team would have an indoor pool within walking distance.  A more central location could provide a business anchor, bringing patrons to other businesses and activities nearby, adding to the synergy much needed in our business districts.

The facility will incorporate a gym, indoor lap pool, various workout areas, child care, YMCA offices, and an outdoor aquatic play area. The cost for this facility is in the $9-10,000,000  range. While relatively small compared to other surrounding family YMCA facilities, it would certainly be state of the art. What is missing for many residents is a traditional outdoor pool.

The funding mechanism chosen by the city is a 20% income tax increase(from 1% to 1.2%) on earned income.   This would generate the needed funds to build the facility and also pay for various other park improvements.  The projected debt will be paid off over 20-25 years through this increase in tax revenue. The majority of Loveland City Council chose not to include a “sunset” clause with this tax increase, so the higher tax rate would continue even after the facility is paid off.  This 20% tax increase will affect different taxpayers in different ways. It is not the same for everyone.  Residents who live and work in the city would see a 20% increase.  Non-residents who work in the city would also be similarly affected.  Residents who work in cities (like Cincinnati) that have a tax rate higher than 1.2 will not pay any additional tax towards funding this project.  Unlike an initially proposed property tax funding plan, this income tax does not “spread the pain” equally nor equitably.  So while one resident may see their tax bill increase by 20%, their neighbor may not be affected at all.

Lastly, the proposed facility, while owned by the city of Loveland, will be leased to the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati for 25 years, renewable for another 25 years.  As with their other branches, annual membership fee for a family of four is $950+ , though Loveland taxpayers will not have to pay the initiation fee and will be given a 20% credit towards membership and programming.  Too, the YMCA provides a sliding scale for those families making less than $55,000.  Affordability and accessibility for the entire community is justifiably a concern.

The goal of a local recreation center and pool is one that I have always advocated and supported.  The plan before the voters on May 8 is one, but by no means the only, way to achieve this dream.  There have been and will be many good and interesting alternatives. I look forward to working positively towards that end in response to the residents vote on May 8th.

Paul Elliott
Member,  Loveland City Council

Dear Loveland Magazine,

I am really disappointed in this edition of Loveland Magazine.  I think the cover is inappropriate.  The man who killed 33 people, including himself, was a crazed maniac.

I'm sure people who belong to the NRA were just as shocked and upset about this incident as anyone.  Do you think the government should take arms away from everyone?  Citizens should be allowed to have weapons for hunting, target practice, or protection.  The 2nd Amendment gives people the right to bear arms.  Don't portray NRA members as gun wielding terrorists.

Also, is it normal practice to print offensive language, even if it is a journal entry?  Can it not be edited, so everyone in Loveland can read it, including kids?

P.S. I am not a NRA member.

Penny Robinson