Madeline Fening

Felony charges against two pro-Palestinian protesters who were arrested on Xavier University’s campus over the weekend have been ignored by a grand jury, according to an update to court documents on the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts website. Sophia “Soup” Dempsey, an XU student, and XU alum Julia Lankisch, both 22, faced felony “conspiracy while wearing a disguise” charges stemming from a May 11 arrest for a non-violent pro-Palestinian demonstration outside XU’s Cintas Center.

The man who recorded the now-viral arrest video that sparked backlash against the Cincinnati Police Department has been charged with obstruction, but a civil rights attorney tells CityBeat that it could be tough for the state to prove Eddie Lee’s actions interfered with CPD’s arrest. Lee and his friend, Johnny Taylor, were among a group of people at the Government Square bus stop in downtown Cincinnati on June 1 when he said police approached and accused them of smoking weed.

We’re inching closer to knowing whether or not Ohio Senator (and Middletown native) J.D. Vance will win former President Donald Trump’s veepstakes. Vance, who won his first Senate race against Democrat Rep. Tim Ryan in 2022, is rumored to be Trump’s VP frontrunner to take on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris this November, but others are still in the running.

Cincinnati Police are investigating an early morning shooting that left three dead and two injured just blocks away from the University of Cincinnati’s main campus in Corryville on July 1. According to CPD, officers responded to the 300 block of East University Avenue for a report of a shooting around 2:45 a.m.

Cincinnati Police have identified the three men who were shot and killed in Corryville on July 1, just blocks away from the University of Cincinnati’s main campus. The Hamilton County Coroner’s office has listed Shawn McDaniel Sr., 44, Shawn McDaniel Jr., 22, and Laurenz Nixon, 21, as the three men killed in the shooting at E. University Avenue.

Union activity is steaming up at a Starbucks in Anderson Township. According to a July 2 press release, Starbucks baristas (referred to as “partners” by the company) at the Beechmont & Five Mile Starbucks location have filed a petition for a union election.

A vital expressway in Hamilton County may soon bear the name of former Hamilton County Auditor Brigid Kelly, who died after a two-year battle with cancer in March. She was 40 years old.

President Joe Biden has spoken up about a recent attack on two Cincinnati Jewish cemeteries, saying local investigators will have the support of his administration. Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati (JCGC) announced on July 1 that 176 gravestones at the Tifereth Israel Cemetery and the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Cemetery, both at the Covedale Cemetery complex, were found damaged on Monday morning.

Some current and prospective college students may qualify for free on and off-campus housing for the first time in nearly 20 years. Congressman Greg Landsman, who represents Ohio’s first district in the U.S. House, held a press conference on July 8 announcing the Campus Housing Affordability Act.

Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, the Republican nominee for Vice President, brought thousands of supporters to Middletown High School on July 22, but only a few hundred got in. The line to see Vance’s speech stretched from the auditorium door of Vance’s alma mater clear down Breiel Boulevard, nearly bringing Cherice Perry to tears.