TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2020 JOURNAL-NEWS COMPLETE. IN-DEPTH. DEPENDABLE. B3 CINCINNATI Councilman stepping down By Abby Dawn WCPO.com CINCINNATI Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld announced he will step down from his seat as he faces several charges in a federal brib- ery case.
InavideostatementSitten- feld tweetedMondaymorn- ing, he saidhe felt itwasnec- essary for him to step down so he could pursue his name. A federal grand jury indicted Sittenfeld, 36, last month on charges of hon- est serviceswire fraud, brib- ery concerning programs receiving federal funds and attempted extortion under color of official right. Sittenfeld pleaded not guiltywhenhewasarraigned in federal court and has maintained his innocence. false allega- tions, inaccurate stories and havingsomefolksnotbewill- ing to wait to get the com- plete and accurate facts has been painful forme and for those around me I can promise youno one ismore eager than I am for all of the facts to come to light and for the truth to be revealed because I know it will show my Sittenfeld said. Judge RalphWinkler said replacementwill be one of the most import- ant appointments have to make.
forsomebody that looks out for the peo- ple of I amalso looking for somebody that is not divisive, because the last thing we need right Winkler said. need unity between every- body on Thoughnodecisionshave said he is leaning towardappointing someonewhowill adddiver- sity to city council. Winkler an appointment until next week; still waiting on theofficial notice froma fed- eral judge. Sittenfeld, a Democrat, is accused of accepting $40,000 in eight checks in 2018 and 2019 while prom- ising to the in regard to a development project before city council. Officials said Sittenfeld ruptly payments and received them in a PAC (a political fund).
indictment was themost recent of three to rock Cincinnati City Hall this year. Federalagentsarrestedfor- merCincinnati CityCouncil- womanTamayaDennard in February on federal bribery charges. Dennard pleaded guilty in June to honest ser- vices wire fraud for taking on council, andU.S. District Court Judge SusanDlott sen- tencedDennardto18months in prison on Nov. 24.
Den- sentence is suspended until March 1 because of the pandemic. The announcement of arrest came just nine days after agents arrested now-suspended Cincinnati City Councilman JeffPastoron federal bribery charges. Pastor is accused of taking $55,000 in bribes over the course of about a year in exchange for votes related todevelopmentproj- ects in the city. as week Wink le appointed Steve Goodin to serve as replace- ment. LOCAL STATE Cincinnati City Councilman P.G.
Sittenfeld has been indicted on federal corruption charges. He announced Monday in a video statement that he will step down from his seat to pursue his name. ALBERT CINCINNATI ENQUIRER VIA AP buildingsonthat sideof town with that kind of space, so a really nice opportu- he said. He, like others, is bullish on future with the plannedDecember 2021 opening of Spooky Nook is prompting a number of businessopenings in thecity. not looking to build out theproject himself, I can definitely work with them from the rent side of things to get them in and he said.
Giventheeconomicdown- turn caused by the COVID- 19 pandemic, willing to work with potential ten- ants on the rental rates, he said: going to be a com- mitment between me and them that we want them to get up and running, and be Helton isworkingwithhis daughter, Taylor Helton, a recentOhioUniversity grad- uate on the project. He can be contacted at 513-478-7615 or that restoresbuildingsfrommold, or after fires or water dam- age, bought thebuilding and planned to use it for their business, but that work out. He was going to represent them to sell the property. was looking at selling it for them, when I ended up just making them an offer to buy he said. Contact this reporter at Mike.
Old theater continued from B1 has a mezzanine halfway down the building, and it has 28-foot ceiling height, so it actually has the availability to have a second Todd Helton says. some cool things that can be done with NICK GRAHAM STAFF By Emily Bamforth cleveland.com CLEVELAND cation Association released a plan for starting school again safely for the spring semester, periodwhere schoolswould wait out coronavirus cases from holiday travel before beginning in-person school- ing. The association, which represents more than 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support pro- fessionals, recommends sus- pendingall in-person instruc- tionuntil Jan. 11, to recognize a 14-day period after Christ- mas. Ohioans still fully seen the results of hol- iday travel from Thanksgiv- ing, as the virus needs time to incubate before symp- toms appear.
i re se per iod whether schools delay instruction or educate stu- dents inafullyremotemodel, is critical not only to ensure student and staff safety, but also to give schools time to refine their delivery model and make other necessary adjustments to execute their instructional plan so stu- dents can receive the best education possible in the face of all of the challenges the pandemic association President Scott DiMauro said in a release. Many schools and col- leges are suspending in-per- son instruction from after Thanksgivingbreakuntil the new year to try and halt the spreadofthevirus.Cuyahoga stay-at-home advi- sory recommends schools move to remote learning after the break. TheOhioEducationAsso- ciation also asserts local health departments should sign off on reopening plans before enacting. Any school failing to get that sign-off should only hold classes vir- tually. Currently, districts and schools consult with local health departments on reopening plans, but are ultimately the deciders in when to reopen buildings.
The statementhighlighted theneed for increased fund- ing todealwith thevirus and noted that local coronavirus policies should be crafted to ensure the officials ish (the impact on the delivery of cannot wait any lon- ger for federal lawmakers to finally pass the HEROES act or for the state to finally drawon the rainyday DiMauro said in the release. communities need these resources Schools urged to include after travel in reopening plans EDUCATION The Ohio Education Association released a plan for starting school again safely for the spring semester, including a period where schools would wait out coronavirus cases from holiday travel before beginning in-person schooling. LISA PLAIN DEALER CRAFT, Imogene Age 79 went home to be with the Lord Friday, December 4, 2020. She was born March 12, 1941, in Perry County, KY, to James Garfield and Pearl Jane (Lawson) Arrowood. She was employed by the Middletown School District for 30 years and was a Girl Scout Leader.
She loved her students and wanted to leave them with a special final remark; all my stu- dents, I hope to meet and greet you all one day coming through my serving line up Imogene is survived by her husband of 61 years, Russell Craft; daughters, Rochelle (Ken) Coning, Roxanna Patrick, Regina (David) Clark, Robin (Mike) McIntosh; son, Russ (Kathy) Craft; 9 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; sisters, Wonda Mulsberry, Joyce Kelley, and Eileen Walters. She is preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Hallibe, Callie, Joanne, Darlene, Norma Faye; brothers, Hershel, James, Lloyd, and Gary. A Visitation will be held Wednesday, December 9, 2020, from PM at Baker-Stevens-Parramore Funeral Home, 6850 Roosevelt Middletown, OH 45005. A Celebration of Life Service will be held Thursday, December 10, 2020, at the Funeral Home at 1:00 PM. The family would like to give a special thanks to Ohio Living at Mount Pleasant and Ohio Living Hospice for the excellent care they provided to Imogene.
Interment will be at Woodside Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.bakerstevensparramore.com EDMONDS, Ruby Ruby Maxine Edmonds, age 82 of Hamilton, passed away at Christ Hospital on Saturday, December 5, 2020. Ruby was born in Parrot, KY, on December 1, 1938, to Boyd and Sally Williams. On April 14, 1961, she married the love of her life, Carl S. Edmonds.
Together, they had two children and were owners of Edmonds Market and Fabric and Upholstery. She was a member of Princeton Pike Church of God. She had a gift for making everyone feel special. She was beloved by her family and friends and had a smile that lit up every room. Ruby is survived by a big family whom she adored: her children, Scott (Diane) Edmonds and Vanessa (Jay) Mosley; her grandchildren, Samantha and Logan Edmonds, Ashton (Jimmy) Petrie, Morgan and McKenna Nicely, Jayci (Josh) Spence, Alexis (Kodee) Rudd and Bailey Mosley; her great-grandchildren Corbin and Cayden Petrie, Trypp and Brayven Spence and Lillie Rudd; her brother, Strauther (Lois) Williams; her sister Patricia Mapel; her brother-in-law Jim (Brenda) Edmonds; and a host of family and friends.
Ruby was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 52 years, Carl S. Edmonds; her brothers, Charles, Orie, Boyd and Delbert Williams; her sisters, Golda Mae Angel, Treva Scalf and Georgia Faye Cole; and her brother-in law Elston (Nellie Sue) Edmonds. Funeral service will be held at Princeton Pike Church of God, 6101 Princeton Glendale Road, Hamilton, Ohio, on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, at 2:00 PM. Burial will follow at Butler County Memorial Park. Visita- tion will be held on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Princeton Pike Church of God.
Condolences may be left at browndawsonflick.com. HARDEN, Dennis W. Dennis W. Harden, 71, of Tren- ton, died on Sunday, December 6, 2020, at his home. He was born in Corbin, Kentucky, on Sunday, May 1, 1949, to parents Wayne and Orphia (Middleton) Harden.
Dennis was a reserve police officer for Middletown Police for 10 years and was former Chief of Police for Somerville. He retired in 1991 after working in security for Armco Steel Corp for 11 years. Dennis had served his coun- try in the United States Navy and was a life-member of Ameri- can Legion Post Mr. Harden is survived by his daughters, Tina (Jeremy) Taylor Tami (Larry) Weatherholt; son, Tim (Lyndsey) Harden; brothers, Fred (Della) Harden, Don (Pam) Harden, David (Kathy) Harden, Nathan (Dana) Harden Danny (Mary Nell) Harden; sisters, Joyce Mount, Judy Sexton, Joan Applegate Jenny Anderson; grandchildren, Chelsie, Jacob, Averi, Colton, Aloria, Layla, Kiersten, Kaitlyn Kurtis; great-grandson, Parker; and former wife, Sandy Haller. He was preceded in death by his parents; and brothers, Johnny Hager, Wayne Mott Richard Stewart.
Memorial Service will be Wed- nesday, December 9, 2020, at 6:00 pm at Wilson-Schramm- Spaulding Funeral Home, 3805 Roosevelt Blvd Middletown (at Bonita Dr.) with Pastor Jeff Marshall officiating and with military honors. The family will receive friends prior to the service from 5:00 6:00 pm at the funeral home. Masks are required for all those attending. Memorial contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, 4540 Cooper Suite 100, Cincinnati, OH 45242. Please sign the guestbook at WilsonSchrammSpaulding.com KURTZ, Walter Walter Kurtz was born in Hamilton, OH, on January 20, 1931.
He passed away at his residence in Cincinnati, OH, on December 3, 2020, at the age of 89. Walter was an educator in the Hamilton City School Dis- trict, a member of St. John Church of Christ and he volun- teered for many years at Ft. Hamilton Hospital and the American Red Cross. Walter was also a member of Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Cincinnati; Valley of Cincinnati and of Huge L.
Bate Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons. The family will receive friends on Friday, December 11, 2020, from 12-1pm at the Donald Jordan Memorial Chapel 2299 Universi- ty Blvd. Hamilton, OH. The funeral service will begin at 1pm with interment following at Greenwood Cemetery. RIGGS, William E.
"Bill" William E. "Bill" Riggs, 87, of Monroe, died on Saturday, December 5, 2020, at Ohio Living Mt. Pleasant. He was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, on February 18, 1933, to parents, Eston and Helen (Sellers) Riggs. Bill was a 1951 graduate of Middletown High School.
He attended Ohio Wesleyan University until serv- ing in the U.S. Air Force, being stationed at Langley Air Force Base. After serving, he graduat- ed from Miami University with a degree in business and grad- uated from Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and received his Embalmer and Funeral Director license. He then continued the family business and became owner of the Riggs Funeral Home, which he ran for the next 30 years. Bill was a past president of District 4 Ohio Funeral Directors Association, served on Council for the Village of Monroe, and served as Director of the First Aid Instruction program for the Red Cross.
Mr. Riggs is survived by his son, William E. (Angie) Riggs, II; daughter, Marcia (Roger) Wood; four grandchildren, Jonathan Riggs, Jackson Riggs, Michael Harris Isaiah Wood; two great- grandchildren, Sophie Cassie Harris; sister, Betty (Wilbur) Hughes; nephews, Randy Ronnie; niece, Cindy; and his dear companion, Nancy Bolton. He was preceded in death by daughter, Elizabeth Riggs; and his parents. Graveside Service will be Friday, December 11, 2020, at 12:00 noon at Mound Cemetery (Section 10) in Monroe with Reverend Joel Harbarger officiating.
Military honors will be accorded. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Care of Middletown 4418 Lewis St, Suite Middletown, OH 45044. Please sign the guestbook at WilsonSchrammSpaulding.com. ROOSA, James B. Age 86, Monroe, died Satur- day, December 5, 2020.
Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 10, 2020, at Weigel Funeral Home, 980 N.W. Washington Hamilton, Ohio. Visitation will be Thursday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service.
Full obituary and online condolen- ces are available at www.weigelfuneralhome.com SUPPORT SERVICES. Find bereavement support groups..
