Cincinnati Ranked in the Top Five Places to Retire in the United States: Report

One Ohio city ranks in the top five of best places to retire in the nation, and four others rank among the best of the nation’s largest cities, according to a new report from WalletHub, a personal finance website.

Cincinnati ranked third – behind only Charleston, South Carolina and Orlando – in the report that compared the retiree-friendliness of more than 180 cities using 46 metrics, such as cost of living to retired taxpayers to the state’s health infrastructure.

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Akron, Ohio Mayor Ends Downtown Curfew

Akron, OH Mayor Dan Horrigan (D) Sunday lifted the curfew he imposed on his city’s downtown area on the Fourth of July. 

The restriction applied between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and affected Akron residents encircled by Route 59, Interstate 76 and Route 8. The mayor gave his initial emergency order two Mondays ago after anti-police protests turned violent and severely damaged Main Street businesses. 

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Akron Maintains Curfew in Wake of Walker Shooting

A curfew imposed in downtown Akron, OH on Monday, July 4, continues in the aftermath of the death of Jayland Walker by police gunfire.

The curfew applies during the hours between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. It resulted in the cancellation of fireworks to celebrate July Fourth at several sites in the city. Municipal officials noted that although protests in response to the shooting were peaceful early on Monday, evening demonstrations turned violent and resulted in serious damage to businesses on Main Street.

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Akron Mayor’s Office Responds After Drawing Criticism for Snow-Covered Streets

Wednesday, the city of Akron provided The Ohio Star with an update on the conditions of its streets after some residents found themselves unable to leave their homes three days after Sunday’s winter storm.

“We have completed all of the first, second and third priority streets as of noon today (48 hours after the snow stopped with the most event accumulation Akron’s had in the past 25 years),” Stephanie Marsh, Communications and Media Supervisor for Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan told The Star. “All streets are open and passable.”

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Ohio Cities Spending Federal COVID Relief Dollars on Anything But COVID Relief

Of the $6.6 billion given to Ohio cities in federal pandemic relief funds, much of the money has been allotted for projects unrelated to COVID-19, or has not been allotted for spending at all. 

The American Rescue Plan was signed into law in March, providing a total of $1.9 trillion in federal funds for pandemic relief. That money was spread around the country, and cities were supposed to report their expenditure plans to the federal government by Oct. 31.

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Ohio Couple Sentenced for Conspiring to Import, Distribute Chinese Fentanyl

An Akron couple was sentenced Thursday for their roles in what prosecutors described as an operation that brought large amounts of fentanyl and carfentanil from China for sale in Northeast Ohio.

Donte Gibson, 41, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. His wife Audrey Gibson, 36, was sentenced to 10 years, 10 months in prison. Chief U.S. District Judge Patricia Gaughan sentenced the pair by video. The Akron couple were arrested in February 2018 and pleaded guilty to drug and money laundering conspiracy charges.

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Ohio State Rep. Galonski Wants The Hague to Prosecute President Trump Over His Coronavirus Response

An Ohio state representative says she wants to subject America’s sitting president to an international tribunal at The Hague over President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus.

State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-OH-35) from Akron tweeted, “I can’t take it anymore. I’ve been to The Hague. I’m making a referral for crimes against humanity tomorrow. Today’s press conference was the last straw. I know the need for a prosecution referral when I see one.”

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’60 Minutes’ Discovers Opioid Silk-Road From China to Akron

  The CBS weekly show 60 Minutes recently discovered a drug route leading into Ohio. The CBS team found that fentanyl plants in Shanghai have been trafficking their product through Akron. Guanghua Zheng, a free citizen of Shanghai, is a wanted man in America. Zheng illegally imported fentanyl and other related narcotics into the U.S, which led to two known deaths. Tom Rauh and Carrie Dobbins were two Ohioans who overdosed and died on substances from Zheng’s supply. 60 Minutes producer Bob Anderson located Zheng outside a grocery store in Shanghai to question him about his illegal operation. “Are you still selling fentanyl in the U.S?” Anderson asked Zheng, who responded, “No, no.” “Will the Chinese Government ever arrest you?” Anderson then asked. “The Chinese government has nothing to do with this,” Zheng replied. Anderson continued to question Zheng, but the woman standing with him outside the grocer was emphatic that he not answer any more questions. “Don’t speak, don’t speak,” she repeated to Zheng. She then turned her attention to the CBS crew. “Don’t come back,” the woman said. Matt Cronin, an Ohio assistant U.S. attorney, notified U.S. authorities of Zheng’s trafficking scheme, known as the Gordon Jin drug trafficking organization,…

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