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Community Corner

🌱 P. G. Sittenfeld's Subtle Extortion + COVID Impact On The Arts

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Cincinnati.

Carla Varner's profile picture
Carla Varner, Neighbor
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Happy Friday, neighbors! Here's everything you need to know about what's happening locallytoday.

First, today's weather:

Sun and clouds. High: 67 Low: 51.

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Here are the top three stories in Cincinnati today:

  1. A study conducted by the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation and the Center for Regional Development found that the COVID-19 pandemic had a severe negative impact on Ohio's creative industries, specifically artists, organizations and institutions. The arts saw a decline of 12 percent in employment, and payroll numbers decreased more than 7 percent. Angela Meleca, OCA's executive director, said that Ohio's creative businesses were the hardest hit as their sector was closed longer than any other industry. (Cincinnati CityBeat)
  2. Newly filed court documents revealed that Cincinnati business people told the FBI that former City Councilman P. G. Sittenfeld was "inappropriate" or "communicated a subtle message of extortion" in soliciting contributions. Thirty-seven-year-old Sittenfeld is facing federal corruption charges and is scheduled to stand trial on Jun. 20 in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati. Sittenfeld allegedly accepted $40K from a political action committee in exchange for a favorable vote on a downtown development project. (The Business Journals)
  3. First Lutheran Church and OTR Adopt have reached an agreement over the church's efforts to demolish its historic bell tower. The compromise will allow for an independent engineer to investigate, assess and provide a written report on the repairs needed to the church's tower. First Lutheran Church's contracted engineering firm concluded that repairs would cost about $3.5M, while the engineering firm representing OTR Adopt, a historical preservation organization, estimated costs would be closer to $400K. (WCPO 9 Cincinnati)

Today in Cincinnati:

  • Good Friday At Cincinnati Art Club (12:00 AM)
  • Fantastical & Magical Character Encounter! At Blushbery Events (6:30 PM)
  • King Bach Live Comedy Show At Funny Bone (7:30 PM)

From my notebook:

  • Here's the latest roundup of eligible pets for adoption in the Cincinnati area. Check out pictures and specs on cats, dogs, bunnies and more in animal shelters near you. (Cincinnati Patch)
  • Just north of downtown Cincinnati, you'll find the newly updated Disc golf course at Burnet Woods. The course has been refreshed and expanded. (WKRC TV Cincinnati)
  • Elevar Design Group posted new renderings of their designs for a new outdoor food park and two 18-hole miniature golf courses in Oakley. The design group is working for Curo, a development outfit. (WLWT Cincinnati)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! See you tomorrow for another update.

— Carla Varner

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

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