Hamilton Journal News
PROJECT’S GOALS: VALUE, STABILITY, OPPORTUNITY
For the first time in about 50 years, new homes are rising in Hamilton’s Jefferson neighborhood as part of the city’s Build Back the Block initiative. More construction is set for the coming spring. Despite initial challenges such as debris during...
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Non-union county employees receive less in raises
The Butler County commissioners have awarded $444,994 in performance pay to non-union employees under their direct control, which is 31.5% less than the raises awarded last year. The commissioners recently approved performance pay raises for 150...
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$15M pledged to ‘reignite’ downtown Middletown
Downtown Middletown development could see a new spark with the infusion of $15 million from three local entities. The city of Middletown, Butler County commissioners and the Middletown Community Foundation will each chip in $5 million to a shared...
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Trump won’t use force to attain region
DAVOS, Switzerland — President Donald Trump insisted he wants to “get Greenland, including right, title and ownership,” but said he wouldn’t employ force to achieve that — using his speech Wednesday at the World Economic Forum to repeatedly deride...
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U.S. citizen says ICE removed him from his home
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Federal immigration agents forced open a door and detained a U.S. citizen in his Minnesota home at gunpoint without a warrant, then led him out onto the streets in his underwear in subfreezing conditions, according to his family and...
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Source says Congress targeting Fuyao in bill
The U.S. House and Senate sent the White House a package of government funding bills that include a call for the Trump administration to detail investigative steps involving labor practices by Chinese automotive glass producers operating in the United...
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Health care subsidy talks stalled
For weeks, U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio has been the relentlessly positive voice in bipartisan talks to help over 20 million Americans avoid dramatic health insurance price increases this year, as lawmakers look for ways to extend extra health...
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$31M project transforms business park into school
High school students from around Butler County are learning in a former corporate headquarters as part of a unique $31 million business-to-school transformation. For the first time, classes for Butler Tech students in advance manufacturing recently...
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Area doctors decry vaccine schedule changes
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control last week cut the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — a move that is concerning to local public health experts who worry this will create confusion for parents or lead to fewer children getting...
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Ex-husband charged in killings of Columbus couple waives right to extradition hearing
COLUMBUS — The ex-husband of an Ohio woman charged this weekend in the killings of her and her husband waived his right to an extradition hearing Monday in Illinois. Michael David McKee, 39, a doctor from Chicago, has been charged with premeditated...
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‘Super flu’ worsens influenza season, says ODH director
A new strain of influenza is causing Ohio flu cases and related hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health. “We’ve heard a lot about this new strain of the flu that many have dubbed the ‘super flu,’” ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff...
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Twin cities on edge after fatal ICE shooting
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis was on edge Thursday following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer taking part in the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown, with the governor calling for people to...
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DeWine: Child care program can last 8 weeks amid freeze
Ohio has enough money to continue its subsidized child care program for at least another eight weeks without further financial support from the federal government, according to Gov. Mike DeWine. That window may be tested following the decision of...
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Rubio, Trump send mixed messages about who’s running Venezuela
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not govern Venezuela day-to-day other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on the country, even as President Donald Trump again insisted that the U.S....
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Hospital stays for flu quickly rising in Ohio
Hospitalizations due to flu in the region and nationally are climbing rapidly and in some cases doubling or tripling historical averages, according to the Ohio Department of Health. For the week ending Dec. 27, 1,465 Ohioans were hospitalized due to...
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YWCA: MORE SHELTERS, SUPPORT NEEDED
The number of domestic violence fatalities in Ohio has community leaders calling for more emergency housing and increased state funding. ‘We’re having a hard time finding safe, affordable housing for survivor families to go into,’ said Wendy...
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Millions face skyrocketing costs as health subsidies expire
NEW YORK — Enhanced tax credits that have helped reduce the cost of health insurance for the vast majority of Affordable Care Act enrollees expired overnight, cementing higher health costs for millions of Americans at the start of the new...
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SMALL STEPS CAN LEAD TO BIG SUCCESS
Most New Year’s resolutions fail quickly because people lack a concrete plan to sustain their motivation. Experts suggest setting realistic, incremental goals and creating actionable plans that can be adjusted. But what’s more important than the how is...
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In a tumultuous year, health policy dramatically reshaped under RFK Jr.
WASHINGTON — In the whirlwind first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, some of the most polarizing changes have taken place within the Department of Health and Human Services, where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has openly rebuffed the medical...
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LG Energy to sell plant to Honda
LG Energy Solution will sell its joint venture EV battery production site near Jeffersonville to Honda Development and Manufacturing of America, according to a Korean regulatory filing Wednesday. The joint venture EV battery plant, built with LG...
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How did Musk’s DOGE disrupt so much while saving so little?
WASHINGTON — Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency said it made more than 29,000 cuts to the federal government — slashing billion-dollar contracts, canceling thousands of grants and pushing out civil servants. But the group did not do what...
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Data centers, development, Vance among year’s top stories
What a year: In 2025, the headlines included news on data centers, cyberattacks, immigration, local development and a native Middletonian who became the 50th Vice President of the United States. Here are the Journal-News’ top stories of the year...
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Group sues HHS for cutting funds for kids’ health programs
The American Academy of Pediatrics sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday, seeking to block nearly $12 million in cuts to the group. Earlier this month, the federal government “abruptly terminated” grants to the group, the...
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Pastor joins hospital chorus for annual caroling
Pastor Scott Davidson understands the power of community. As a founding member of the Dayton congregation of Soul Winners for Jesus Christ, a non-denominational evangelistic association that focuses on prayer and hands-on ministry, he is often...
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Hemp drink retail sites limited
THC-infused beverages will be lumped in with other intoxicating hemp products, with sales limited to licensed dispensaries, following a lineitem veto from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. DeWine signed Senate Bill 56 — which came about in large part due to his...
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Most U.S. adults aren’t making year-end charitable contributions
NEW YORK — Most Americans aren’t making end-of-year charitable giving plans, according to the results of a new AP-NORC poll, despite the many fundraising appeals made by nonprofits that rely on donation surges in the calendar’s final month to reach...
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Files go missing on DOJ Epstein website
NEW YORK — At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from...
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New flu variant expected to spread more than previous versions
The flu constantly morphs and mutates. Often, it surprises researchers a little. This year, the virus is surprising them a lot. They are bracing for a brutal season, driven by a new and alarming variant that is expected to circulate widely. The main...
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Trump announces $1,776 military ‘warrior dividend’
President Donald Trump looked to reassure Americans concerned about the rising cost of living by announcing plans to award a special holiday payment to military service members and roll out new housing reforms in the new year. Trump announced the...
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Jobless rate doesn’t give whole picture
Ohio’s unemployment rate fell in September, but the economic indicator doesn’t paint the complete picture of what is seen as a lackluster job market here, economists told this newspaper. While Ohio’s unemployment rate fell from 5 to 4.8%, the...
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Community frustrated with official response to shooting at Brown U.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The ongoing effort to find a man who walked onto Brown University’s campus during a busy exam season and shot nearly a dozen students in a crowded lecture hall has raised questions about the school’s security systems and the urgency...
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Tariffs having an uneven effect on holiday prices
NEW YORK — The Ah Louis Store in San Luis Obispo, California, turns into a winter wonderland every holiday season. Green garlands, giant nutcrackers, baubles and bows go up in early November on the historic downtown building that houses the gift shop....
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Gov. DeWine withholding Ramaswamy endorsement
Gov. Mike DeWine held firm Thursday that he will eventually endorse the GOP’s official nominee to replace him as governor, but the term-limited Republican was still cagey about his overall thoughts on party-endorsed candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. DeWine’s...
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States raking in billions from slot machines on your phone
Most casinos in Las Vegas take sports bets, but that’s not where the real money is. The bulk of their profit comes from games such as slot machines and blackjack. Many states have legalized online sports betting in recent years, but a handful have...
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Trump wants to keep farmers happy with cash
RANDOLPH, Minn. — When Donald Trump promised new tariffs while running for president, Gene Stehly worried that trade disputes would jeopardize his international sales of corn, soybeans and wheat. A little more than a year later, Stehly said his fears...
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Can Moreno secure bipartisan ACA extension?
As Congress wrestles over what to do about expiring subsidies for Americans who buy insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno is trying this week to push his party to embrace a middle ground deal — and find a way to...
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Hamilton could see more downtown housing
IRG Realty Advisors, the owner of Third + Dayton in downtown, wants to turn a vacant, paved lot into an another apartment complex. Proposed is a 120-unit mixed use planned development on 2.75 acres that corners MLK Jr. Boulevard at Butler and Dayton...
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Hamilton officer suspended for use of force violation
A Hamilton police officer was suspended for almost a month in October after an altercation that knocked out a 62-year-old arrestee, according to newly obtained police records. On Sept. 24 Officer Stephen Heffernan tossed Michael Yordy into the...
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Officials play up pipe bomb suspect’s arrest
WASHINGTON — After the arrest of a man charged with placing two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties on Jan. 5, 2021, the warning from the Trump administration was clear: If you come to the nation’s...
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Moreno promised hope for a dying paper mill; then reality set in
CHILLICOTHE — One by one, black cars with tinted windows pulled up to the parking lot in the shadow of the paper mill. The governor of Ohio exited one car. One U.S. senator appeared, then the other. They were joined by the congressional representative...
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Trump targets Somali-Americans with anti-immigrant rhetoric
He said it four times in seven seconds: Somali immigrants in the United States are “garbage.” It was no mistake. In fact, President Donald Trump’s rhetorical attacks on immigrants have been building since he said Mexico was sending “rapists” across...
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How one Arkansas county helps ICE make arrests
ROGERS, Ark. — Northwest Arkansas has emerged as a hot spot in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, the result of one county’s partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and aggressive traffic stops by police. The...
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Area gas prices drop to as low as $2.02 a gallon
Gas stations in the region lowered their prices to nearly $2 a gallon following the holiday weekend, the lowest prices in more than four years. Dayton, Springfield, Hamilton and Middletown on Monday saw prices as low as $2.02, $2.17, $2.35 and $2.45,...
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Mass killings in 2025 hit lowest level since 2006
A shooting last weekend at a children’s birthday party in California that left four dead was the 17th mass killing this year — the lowest number recorded since 2006, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in...
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Luigi Mangione fights to exclude gun, notes
NEW YORK — As the first anniversary of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killing looms this week, the man charged in his death will be in court fighting to prevent prosecutors from using evidence they say links him to the crime. Luigi Mangione,...
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Petition asks for transparency about cyberattack
An effort for more transparency regarding Middletown’s cybersecurity incident and plans for restoring water billing has reached more than 2,000 signatures on a Change.org petition. Key information about cyberattack, water billing: A “cybersecurity...
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Shoppers’ holiday spending could help keep economy humming
Americans are nervous about the economy. They are troubled by the higher prices from tariffs. They are wary of a fizzling job market. They are poised to shell out during the holiday shopping season anyway. Economists are predicting a healthy dose of...
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Report shows number of local abortions surges fourfold
The number of abortions taking place in Montgomery County were four times as high in October compared to September, according to preliminary figures from the Ohio Department of Health. “It’s heartbreaking,” said Margie Christie, executive director of...
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DeWine regrets signing bill that legalized sports betting in Ohio
COLUMBUS — If Gov. Mike DeWine could turn back time, he would not have signed legislation that legalized sports betting in Ohio. With two Cleveland Guardians pitchers and an Ohio-born guard for the Miami Heat snared in separate betting-related...
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Intoxicating hemp deal awaits vote in Senate
Lawmakers tasked with hammering out a legislative compromise on a regulatory structure for intoxicating hemp products and tweaks to Ohio’s recreational marijuana laws inked a deal just after midnight Thursday, though the agreement needs further...
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Recent air travel woes still fresh this holiday season
The turbulence caused by the longest government shutdown on record may still be fresh on travelers’ minds this Thanksgiving, but experts say preparing for the usual holiday crush of winter weather, heavy traffic and crowded airports can help ease those...
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Changes to agency lead to midterm worries
MINNEAPOLIS — Since it was created in 2018, the federal government’s cybersecurity agency has helped warn state and local election officials about potential threats from foreign governments, showed officials how to protect polling places from attacks...
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Veterans board continues to expand what it offers
The Butler County Veterans Service Commission continues to find new ways to provide services to those who risked their lives in service to their country. While the board is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs — it is an arm of...
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Residents who oppose data center pack meeting
A lot of people showed up to the Trenton council chambers Thursday during a more than four-hour public meeting, speaking against a planned data center. What to know about the data center: Trenton completed a $7.7 million deal in mid-October with real...
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SNAP food aid gets to some states
People in some U.S. states were able to buy groceries with federally funded SNAP benefits over the weekend while those elsewhere are still waiting for November food benefits delayed by a protracted legal battle over the federal government...
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WHO’S PAYING TO INFLUENCE WASHINGTON?
ABOVE: The amount each company pictured has spent on federal lobbying in the first three quarters of 2025. WASHINGTON — With the nation embroiled in interparty warfare and constantly rocked by the Trump administration’s unprecedented political...
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Lawmakers eye quick solution to hemp limbo
Ohio lawmakers are eyeing a quick and permanent legislative fix to the oft-criticized unregulated sale of intoxicating hemp products in the state after a series of shifts have thrown the legality of the merchandise into limbo. Currently, any Ohio...
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Trump extends National Guard deployment in DC
WASHINGTON — The Washington, D.C. National Guard will be deployed to the nation’s capital through the end of February, according to formal orders reviewed by The Associated Press. The formal order, dated Nov. 4, extends the original order from Aug. 11...
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Voters approve elderly services levy
Issue 1, the Butler County elderly services levy, overwhelmingly passed Tuesday night, according to unofficial final results from the Butler County Board of Elections. The issue passed 56% to 44%. Voters approved a renewal of the 1.3-mill Butler...
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Plans for a data center in Trenton draw community opposition
A 1 million-square-foot data center is proposed for Trenton, and some residents said they were left in the dark about the plan. Carl and Tonya Hahn live on Marcia Drive in Trenton, and the proposed data center will be in their backyard. The couple...
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County may sue over land near rail crossing
St. Clair Twp. residents in the Cedar Grove subdivision know the headache of getting trapped at a railroad crossing there, and the Butler County Engineer’s Office has sought to fix the problem for years. Now, there could be a lawsuit if the farmer who...
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Shutdown threatens to delay heating aid for millions
HARTFORD, Conn. — Jacqueline Chapman is a retired school aide who relies on a $630 monthly Social Security check to get by. She was navigating the loss of her federal food aid benefits when she learned the assistance she receives for heating her...
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Data centers a hot topic with ‘so many layers’
A proposed data center in Hamilton is not yet a done deal, though city leaders have been working with the developer for nearly two years. Public discussions and approvals have helped lay the groundwork for one to be built in the Butler County city....
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Ohio to provide up to $25M for food aid
Ohio will provide up to $25 million in support for food assistance to help families affected by the impending suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits due to the federal government shutdown. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed an...
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Patients can’t get needed treatment with the shutdown
MINOOKA, Ill. — Bill Swick has a rare degenerative brain disease that inhibits his mobility and speech. Instead of the hassle of traveling an hour to a clinic in downtown Chicago to visit a speech therapist, he has benefited from virtual appointments...
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Trump wants to cancel more funding during shutdown
Congress has the constitutional power of the purse, but President Donald Trump’s robust assertion of executive authority is testing even that basic tenet of U.S. democracy. His administration has already canceled or threatened to cancel billions of...
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Public asked to pitch in for holiday
Be The Change Ohio is partnering with the Shared Harvest Foodbank and the Fairfield Food Pantry to provide Thanksgiving dinner to at least 500 families. But they need the community’s help to do so. Shared Harvest will provide 500 turkeys to the...
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Heating costs projected to surge as demand climbs
Heating a home is projected to cost consumers more this winter season and too add on more bad news, colder temperatures are forecast in Ohio this winter compared to previous years.. The average cost of home heating is estimated to increase from $907...
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Sheriff’s hiring of 19 concerns county board
All three Butler County commissioners were “flabbergasted” when they learned Sheriff Richard Jones has already hired 19 staffers he requested in his 2026 budget without consulting them. Jones’ $61 million budget submission included adding 18 more...
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Voters to decide key races across county
Ohio voters have nine days to cast a ballot in the 2025 general election. About two dozen city and village council, township trustee and school board races in Butler County are on the Nov. 4 ballot. “Lots of Americans follow the day-to-day events in...
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States worry about how to fill the gap in food aid
Officials in Louisiana, Vermont and Virginia pledged Thursday to keep food aid flowing to recipients in their states, even if the federal program is stalled next month because of the government shutdown. The fate of the Supplemental Nutrition...
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Ohio takes step toward marijuana, hemp deal
The Ohio legislature is narrowing in on a deal that aims to address concerns about intoxicating hemp and the legal recreational marijuana market, which have brought headaches to state decision makers for more than a year. The House this week passed...
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Trump may seek $230M from DOJ
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is demanding that the Justice Department pay him about $230 million in compensation for the federal investigations into him, according to people familiar with the matter, who added that any settlement might...
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Middletown man charged in fatal August crash
A Middletown man has been charged with two felony charges connected to an August crash that resulted in the death of 58-yearold Stephen Howard. Nicholas D. Dearth of Middletown was indicted by a Butler County grand jury on two felony counts of...
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Lawmakers deal with threats, decry violence
The summer’s high-profile assassinations of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and conservative commentator Charlie Kirk hit close to home for Ohio’s state lawmakers. “It’s a little bit jarring, really, to see that type of violence play...
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