It’s been a big week for government budgets. The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners approved the county’s 2013 budget, and City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. unveiled his budget proposal, which now the mayor and City Council must approve.
  

If you’re planning on buying a flat-screen at Walmart this Black Friday, you might just witness a flash mob by fed-up Walmart employees who are calling for higher wages and greater respect for the 1.3 million associates that work in the U.S.   

It’s becoming harder and harder to continue to be a fan of college sports and perhaps more difficult to follow the ever-changing landscape of the supposed amateur athletics. By the time this story hits the printing press, the Big East could be even smaller.   

A vote on the 2013 Hamilton County budget is being delayed a week after Commissioner Todd Portune asked Board President Greg Hartmann at a Nov. 19 staff meeting to push back the vote to address funding to juvenile courts and the county’s plan for future financial stability.   

One week after the major Democratic victories of Election Day, Ohio’s Republican legislators Nov. 14 pushed HB 298, a bill that will keep federal funds from Planned Parenthood, through committee and into the Ohio House of Representatives floor.   

Metro is nearing completion of its first comprehensive plan since the late 1990s and early 2000s. Throughout the year, the nonprofit, tax-funded transit company has worked on Way to Go, a plan with short-term and long-term goals meant to revamp lines for faster, wider-ranging travel.   

For a week, it was looking like Hostess, maker of Twinkies, Wonder Bread, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos, would shut down at the age of 82. The company was only saved by a judge’s demand for Hostess to mediate with striking workers.
  

Cincinnati City Council on Nov. 7 took a step toward moving two homeless shelters out of the Washington Park area, but not all council members or homeless advocates are sure that is the right move.
  

The hangover from lies, misinformation and disinformation in the presidential campaign will continue to challenge our understanding of truth.    
  

If a win isn’t televised, does it make a sound? Perhaps not, but coupled with a breather of a stretch, a couple of wins for the Bengals could at least return the team to TV in Cincinnati soon.   

A state appeals court Nov. 7 rejected a lawsuit filed by city of Cincinnati retirees who claimed promised healthcare benefits were illegally reduced in 2010. Before the cuts, retirees did not have to pay-out-of-pocket expenses and deductions for prescriptions and medical care. The city shifted some costs of the pension health package to the ex-workers under an ordinance enacted to shore up its pension plan, which is still under financial stress. The appeals court said it saw no records guaranteeing ex-city employees set benefits at the time they retired.    

It was only one day after President Barack Obama’s re-election, and some groups were already demanding action. In a Nov. 7 report by left-leaning Policy Matters Ohio, the group said the expiration of federal unemployment benefits could leave Ohio’s jobless stranded.   

Fox 19 on Nov. 9 apologized for an ignorant comment made by news anchor Tricia Macke on her personal Facebook page last month. Macke’s comment, “Rachel Maddow is such an angry young man,” sparked outrage among gay-rights organizations for its depiction of MSNBC’s openly gay broadcaster as male.   

Here they go again. With recent appointments and renewed legislation, Ohio Republicans are once again taking aim at women’s health rights. Gov. John Kasich recently appointed two anti-abortion advocates, a new version of the heartbeat bill is set to appear in the Ohio legislature and a bill that will defund Planned Parenthood is getting renewed attention.   

The Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) is making a lot of use of member and lawyer Chris Finney these days. The group was recently involved in two lawsuits filed within one week: one regarding the Blue Ash Airport deal and another accusing Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) of campaigning for Issue 42.