At a White House ceremony this afternoon, First Lady Michelle Obama will present the 2013 National Medal for Museum and Library Service to The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and nine additional libraries and museums. She will join Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Susan Hildreth in recognizing 10 exceptional institutions making important contributions to their communities and implementing creative approaches to outreach and public service.

Obama will present the award to the directors and local community members of these institutions, highlighting the impact each facility has had on individual lives and community growth. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor conferred upon libraries and museums for service to individuals, families and communities.

Recipients are selected from an extensive list of nationwide nominations of libraries and museums exceeding the average standards of community outreach.

This year, the 10 diverse institutions represent seven states and include outstanding facilities such as a Santa Ana, Calif., science center; a Boston, Mass., children’s museum; a Clarksdale, Miss. Blues museum dedicated to exploring the unique musical genre; a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Czech and Slovak museum that successfully re-emerged after a catastrophic flood in June 2008; and various public and county library systems. Representing The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County are The Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Director Kimber L. Fender and library patron Amina Tuki. The award will recognize the value the library has brought to the Cincinnati and surrounding community as well as its dedication and innovation in the field of public service.

Later this year, StoryCorps — a nonprofit committed to recording, sharing and celebrating a diverse array of American voices — will visit each of the winning institutions to collect information and personalized stories from individuals of the honored communities. The organization, founded in 2003, has pioneered such initiatives asthe  Military Voices Initiative, the National Teachers Initiative, the September 11th Initiative and the Memory Loss Initiative, and continues to celebrate its National Day of Listening (NDL), which takes place the day after Thanksgiving as a noncommercial alternative to “Black Friday” shopping mania. Their upcoming focus on libraries and museums across the country could serve as a contender for the NDL theme this November.

With its 21,000 programs, workshops and classes, The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County stands out among 140,000 libraries and museums across the United States. There is no word yet on what immediate effects this award will have on the local community, but a library spokesperson attributes the honor to its patrons and visitors, saying, “It’s because of your commitment to the Library that gives us the privilege of saying we’re one of the busiest and best library systems in the nation. This award belongs to all of us.”

The ceremony will be streamed live beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Follow The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County on Facebook for photos and updates.

Supporters of the Anna Louise Inn, the women-only shelter near Lytle Park, will hold a rally in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse at noon today, which was supposed to be the day Western & Southern and Anna Louise Inn owner Cincinnati Union Bethel met in court again. The court date has been delayed as the controversy continues to grow. The legal battle surrounds Western & Southern’s attempts to take over the Anna Louise Inn property and build a luxury hotel in its stead. After Western & Southern failed to buy the Inn at below market value in 2009, the financial giant has taken to court challenges to slow down government-funded renovations at the property and seemingly force Cincinnati Union Bethel to give up and sell. CityBeat’s extensive coverage about the Anna Louise Inn can be found here.

Cincinnati’s Horseshoe Casino dropped to the No. 3 spot for Ohio casino revenue last month, losing out to casinos in Columbus and Cleveland. The Horseshoe Casino brought in adjusted gross revenues of $17.8 million, according to figures released by the Ohio Casino Control Commission. With the drop, the city’s projections of bringing in $10 million to $12 million in casino tax revenue for the year are looking far more accurate.

Ohio’s business climate is the most improved in the nation, with Ohio’s rank going from No. 35 in 2012 to No. 22 this year, according to the annual survey of CEOs by Chief Executive Magazine. The improved ranking comes despite Ohio losing half a star in “workforce quality” and “taxation and regulations” between 2012 and 2013. But the ranking doesn’t seem to be translating to real jobs, considering both liberal and conservative think tanks seemingly agree Ohio is not undergoing an “economic miracle.”

If the city fails to restore its emergency powers through court battles, it could ask voters to reinstate the powers on the November ballot, according to City Solicitor John Curp. Previously, the city used emergency clauses to remove 30-day waiting periods on laws and effectively remove the ability for voters to referendum, but opponents of the city’s parking plan say the City Charter does not explicitly remove referendum rights. So far, courts have sided against the city; if that holds, voters will have to rework the City Charter to restore the powers.

A study from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital found nurse-to-patient ratios really do matter.

Charles Ramsey, the man who allegedly helped save three kidnapped women and a child in Cleveland, has become an Internet sensation because of his expressive interview with a TV news station. Read more on the kidnappings at the Toledo Blade.

A 32-year-old Hamilton man jumped on a moving train because, according to him, he’s filming an action movie.

News of massacres and gun violence can seem pretty bleak at times, but it’s worth remembering gun homicides in the United States are down 49 percent since 1993. The analysis from The Washington Post and Pew Research points to economic conditions, stricter prison sentences and lead abatement as driving factors, but it’s also worth noting the Brady Act, which requires background checks on many firearm purchases, passed in 1993 and went into effect in 1994, around the time the dip in gun homicides began.

Teachers, rejoice. New software can teach photocopiers to grade papers.

A vaccine halts heroin addiction in rats, and it’s now ready for human trials.

Everyone’s talking about the punk-themed Met Ball today, but I’m still in awe from last night’s RuPaul’s Drag Race season finale and reunion, where America’s Next Drag Superstar was crowned in true pageant style. It’s easy to confuse the two: both are over-the-top parades of outrageous fashion, debut ‘dos and bodies squeezed into numerous pairs of Spanx, but only one event has RuPaul, so I’m focusing on that one.

The spotlight was on the final three dragsters, Roxxxy Andrews, Jinkx Monsoon and Alaska, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Penny Tration, Cincinnati’s own queen supreme who was voted onto this season by viewers — only to be eliminated in the first episode.

via Homorazzi

Like any good queen, Penny varies up her looks, but I’ve never seen her like this before! E! put Penny on their worst dressed list, but any press is good press, right? With a leotard made from the fabric of the dress she wore when she was eliminated, manic makeup and a tiny tuft of hair on her big bald head, homegurl looked like a pageant baby Treasure Troll on crack, and by that I obviously mean she looked amazing.

via Homorazzi

Detox, who I originally pegged as the winner but only made it to the final four, also stole the show with this incredible black-and-white look. No Photoshop!

And Season 4 winner, Sharon Needles, served up Pee Wee Herman realness in this hot little number:

In the end, the camptatstic Jinkx, “Seattle’s premier Jewish narcoleptic drag queen” took the crown!

                                             #wateroffaduck'sback

The full trailer for True Blood’s sixth season is here. All hail Billith!

This shit is so far beyond, but I don’t think any amount of supernatural caca could keep me from indulging in this mess year after year. Season Six premieres June 16.

Ever since the unveiling of that crazy Tupac hologram at 2012’s Coachella fest, there have been rumors of similarly reviving other dead musicians and performers, including TLC’s Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez. With a TLC reunion on the horizon, the idea has come up again but for now we can just settle for this peek at VH1’s upcoming TLC biopic. I am not familiar with two of the actresses, but Lil Mama plays Left Eye. I just can’t right now.

RIP Marge Simpson! Simpsons creator Matt Groening’s mother, Margaret, the inspiration for the iconic blue-haired matriarch, has passed away at age 94. Looking at her obituary, I learned Groening tucked a bunch of autobiographical bits into The Simpsons. The real Marge was actually married to a Homer, and had daughters named Maggie and Lisa. Her maiden name, Wiggum, is used in the show as the resident police chief’s name.

Has anyone else noticed that Shae from Game of Thrones kind of looks like Megara, the goddess from Hercules?

Since Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet soundtrack was basically the playlist of my childhood, I figured the music selections for The Great Gatsby would be on-point. I was right. Stream the whole soundtrack, featuring Beyoncé, Andre 3000, Fergie, Lana Del Rey and a heavy coat of flapper Jazz, via NPR.

Miss this week’s Mad Men? Here’s all you need to know: