Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint last week against the blubbery House Speaker from West Chester. The group alleges Boehner violated a law designed to stop officials from overspending appropriations.  

In an unusual move, Kasich listened to the advice of the Ohio Parole Board and granted clemency to convicted killer Shawn Hawkins of North College Hill. Hawkins, 42, was scheduled to be executed just a few days later when the governor made his decision June 8. Sister Alice Gerdeman of the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center in Over-the-Rhine, an ardent death penalty foe, lobbied for clemency.  

For at least the fourth year in a row, the possibility of closing many of the city-owned swimming pools for all or part of the summer has been averted. To help avoid a deficit, City Council approved a budget in January that would’ve left 19 pools closed this summer. In April, a jump in tax collections prompted council to allocate $600,000 to open the pools if matching private funds could be raised.  

The City Gospel Mission, which provides shelter and programs for homeless and addicted men and women, was selected last week as a winner in Toyota’s “100 Cars for Good” program. The local facility will receive a new Toyota Sienna free of charge, which will help in carrying out its daily duties.  

One of the nice things about Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune is he never gives up trying to find a way to help taxpayers get out of the supremely bad deal that led to the construction of the Reds and Bengals stadiums.  

First Ohio’s clueless governor rejected $385 million in federal aid to create a passenger rail line between Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland — a project that would’ve created 16,000 jobs. Now Kasich has caused the stoppage (temporary, we hope) on casino construction here and in Cleveland.  

After reneging on a tax break deal with the city of Norwood years ago, the firm recently tried to do the same thing to Cincinnati, even as it adds 180 jobs in Erlanger. Now Convergys will have to pay the price. Cincinnati officials are standing behind the restrictions of their 2003 tax incentive deal with the company.  

There they go again. To justify their attempts to pull federal funding from Planned Parenthood, some GOP lawmakers have resorted to spreading outright lies about what the group does. First, U.S. Rep. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said on the House floor that abortions are “well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does,” when in fact it’s 3 percent.  

A visiting judge in the Clermont County Common Pleas Court ruled that an attorney who works for the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund cannot represent U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Miami Township) in a lawsuit there. The ruling is a victory for Krikorian, who ran as an independent against Schmidt in 2008 for her congressional seat.  

The former Procter & Gamble chairman and CEO, John Pepper, donated a “sizable gift” toward retiring $47 million in construction debt at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Business Courier reported.  

As the glitzy black hole along the riverfront known as Paul Brown Stadium continues to suck taxpayer dollars for its upkeep, a little relief is on the way. Hamilton County commissioners approved a lease for the Bengals stadium and at nearby Great American Ball Park that allows AT&T to install a cellular telephone antenna system at the facilities. The lease will generate about $720,000, which will go in the county’s stadium account.  

Shit happens, and the zoo is trying to turn that into a positive. About 1 million pounds of animal feces is produced each year at the zoo by various critters, so it’s teaming with Marvin’s Organic Gardens in Lebanon to compost some of the organic waste. About 500 tons of waste is estimated to be recycled during the first year, which will save the zoo between $5,000 and $10,000 in waste removal fees.  

Cincinnati City Councilman Wendell Young has withdrawn his support from a study on the feasibility of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office taking control of all policing activities within city limits. Young, a retired cop, said he initially backed the study when City Council was considering laying off more than 100 officers to avoid a deficit, but noted the layoffs didn’t occur due to union concessions and other cuts.  

The Republican state senator from Green Township, Bill Seitz, often puts common sense before blind loyalty to ideology. For example, he wants to reform Ohio’s prison sentencing laws so low-level, nonviolent offenders are diverted to other punishments, to save on skyrocketing jail costs.  

Grumpy ol’ Dusty is at it again, jumping into his neighbor’s business. This time, the crotchety Hamilton County auditor wrote a memo to Cincinnati City Council members, advising them not to seek state funding for the city’s streetcar project because the county still is waiting on some cash for the not-quite-so-new-anymore Reds and Bengals stadiums. Ohio officials pledged about $80 million for the two sports facilities more than a decade ago, but county officials haven’t received the last $7.55 million of that amount.