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The Cincinnati area's biggest stories in 2018 Knight, Cameron; Wartman, Scott; Sparling, Hannah; Tucker, Randy; LONDBERG, MAX; Coolidge, Sharon;

Rosenstiel, Sam; Brookbank, Sarah . Cincinnati Enquirer ; Cincinnati, Ohio [Cincinnati, Ohio]. 29 Dec

2018: A.1.

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FULL TEXT So. Much. News.

Here's some of what happened in Greater Cincinnati in 2018:

Shooter strikes on FountainSquare in the heart of Cincinnati

On Sept. 6, a man walked into the Fifth Third Center on Fountain Square with a handgun and hundreds of rounds of

ammunition and opened fire.

Within minutes, Prudhvi Raj Kandepi, Richard Newcomer and Luis Calderón were dead. Whitney Austin and Brian

Sarver were shot and wounded.

Four Cincinnati police officers charged toward the building, quickly located the shooter, Omar Santa Perez. Some

began shooting him through the windows of the bank covering their colleague as he entered the building and used

a shotgun to end the threat.

In the aftermath, Cincinnati rallied around those affected by the seemingly random act of violence. The police, first

responders and dispatchers were awarded for their bravery. Austin launched a foundation to combat gun violence.

Fifth Third Bank donated $1 million to a fund for the victims and their families.

The motive for the attack has not been revealed, but Santa's family said he suffered from mental illness.

Cameron Knight

Major League Soccer,here we come

It was the best sports news in the Greater Cincinnati area in 2018.

In May, Major League Soccer awarded Cincinnati an expansion franchise for FC Cincinnati.

Cincinnati City Council approved the team building a stadium in the West End, where construction is beginning

now with an opening date set for March 2021.

FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding and head coach Alan Koch are still putting the team

together ahead of the inaugural MLS season in 2019.

Misery continuesfor local sports fans

Xavier University (No. 1 seed) and the University of Cincinnati (No. 2 seed) were both bounced from the NCAA

Tournament on the same day in Nashville.

The Cincinnati Cyclones again made the postseason but were bounced in the first round of the ECHL playoffs by

their rival Fort Wayne Komets.

FC Cincinnati, which won the regular season title in the United Soccer League, won its first playoff game over

Nashville SC, but lost in the next round to the New York Red Bulls.

The Reds and Bengals again continued their losing trend and were on track to finish at the bottom of their

respective divisions for the first time ever.

Blue wave washesover Hamilton County

This was a good year to be a Democrat in Hamilton County. Not so much throughout the rest of the state.

Republicans captured the governor's race and all other non-judicial statewide offices except for one, the U.S.

Senate race in which Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown fended off Republican challenger Jim Renacci. Even that race

was closer than many expected with Renacci coming within 7 percentage points.

In Hamilton County, Democrats dominated, picking up two judicial seats and wresting a state House seat in the

northeastern suburbs.

Perhaps more than any other race, the county commissioner race showed how blue Hamilton County has become.

For the first time in history, all three Hamilton County commissioners will be Democrats when Stephanie

Summerow Dumas takes office in January.

Dumas upset veteran Republican commissioner Chris Monzel without knocking on a single door. Instead, she

credited shoe-leather campaigning at parades and festivals as well as savvy sign placement.

It left Republicans shaking their heads.

"Given the numbers that we've been seeing this year and two years ago, it definitely looks like it's going to be much

tougher to be a Republican in Hamilton County," Monzel said after the election.

Scott Wartman

We could get to Europe cheaply; or was it just a dream?

WOW, it's here! WOW, it's gone.

It was big news when WOW air launched in May at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. It was a

first for us, a low-cost –and, according to some, low-comfort –way to get to Europe.

But then, less than six months later, WOW was gone, falling victim to high fuel costs and aggressive competition

from other airlines.

The Midwest is a tough market for carriers without much wiggle room on profit, said Brian Sumers, senior aviation

business editor for Skift.

"I give them credit for trying," he said. "But I don't think anyone is surprised, necessarily, that it didn't work."

Hannah Sparling

Medical marijuana tiptoesinto Ohio despite delays

The Sept. 8 deadline for the launch of Ohio's new Medical Marijuana Control program came and went with none of

the businesses licensed to grow, process or sell medical marijuana in a position to bring their products to market.

Regulatory delays continue to plague the program, authorized under 2016's House Bill 523.

And officials anticipate a choppy start with limited availability of medical marijuana when regulators issue the final

approvals necessary to being legal marijuana sales in Ohio.

Once up and running, however, the program is expected to quickly gain momentum and provide ample supplies for

patients suffering from up to 21 medical conditions sanctioned by the state for medical marijuana treatment.

Randy Tucker

A teen died after pleading to911 for help; what went wrong?

Kyle Plush, a Seven Hills School sophomore, made at least two 911 calls pleading for help in April as he was being

crushed to death in his parked van.

It seemed like a freak accident, with a rear folding seat fatally pinning Kyle inside his Honda Odyssey.

But a series of apparent mistakes by authorities raised questions from his family about whether Kyle could have

been saved. And a new Enquirer investigation found federal regulators had been warned about the seat.

Police officers who arrived on scene to search for Kyle never got out of their vehicle. His second 911 call was

disconnected. A different dispatcher didn't relay everything Kyle said to officers, including that he thought he was

about to die. Or the dispatcher couldn't hear what was being said.

What's more, mapping equipment that would have led the officers to within 10 feet of Kyle was not available to the

officers. The fire department has that equipment. The police department chose not to buy it before the incident.

After a month-long investigation and a 50-page report, police wouldn't explain exactly what went wrong in Kyle's

death and how a similar tragedy could be avoided in the future.

Kyle's parents formed the Kyle Plush Answer the Call Foundation in an effort to upgrade 911 call systems.

Max Londberg

Arrests in largest homicide investigation in Ohio history

Two-and-a-half years after eight members of the same family were killed execution-style in Pike County, authorities

announced in November they'd captured the culprits.

Arrested and charged with eight counts of aggravated murder were Angela Wagner, 48, her husband George "Billy"

Wagner, 47, and their two sons, George Wagner IV, 27, and Edward "Jake" Wagner, 26.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said part of the motive was custody of a young girl, the daughter of Jake

Wagner and one of the victims.

The Wagners were portrayed as the perpetrators of a brutal, calculated crime in court documents and a news

conference held by DeWine, Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader and Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk.

"They did this quickly, coldly, calmly and very carefully –but not carefully enough," Reader said.

The victims are Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; his older brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44; Christopher's former wife, Dana

Manley Rhoden, 38; their three children, Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20; Hanna Rhoden, 19, and Chris Rhoden, Jr.,

16; and a cousin Gary Rhoden, 38, and Hannah Gilley, 20. They were all killed in their homes April 22, 2016.

All members of the Wagner family pleaded not guilty in Pike County court, as surviving relatives of the victims

looked on in somber silence.

Trial dates have not been set.

Max Londberg

Cincinnati City Hall:Fights over ... everything

Cincinnati City Council started off the year with three new members and the re-election of Mayor John Cranley.

But chaos reigned this year. Members fought with each other and Cranley over City Manager Harry Black, who

ultimately resigned. The resignation involved allegations of police overtime abuse, bias in the police department

and retaliation claims against Black.

It turns out that five members of council –P.G. Sittenfeld, Greg Landsman, Tamaya Dennard, Chris Seelbach and

Wendell Young –had a long-running group text in which they discussed city business. The might violate open

meetings law, and is the subject of a lawsuit and subsequent grand jury investigation.

Sharon Coolidge

Homeless campsshuffled around city

It started beneath an overpass. It crawled down Third Street. It moved blocks, then miles away. Then it was gone.

Tent cities took center stage in a months-long saga with the city, county and courts as people experiencing

homelessness fought to live outside. Police moved those living in tents from Fort Washington Way to US Bank

Arena, Jack Casino, Gilbert Avenue and 13th Street.

Mayor John Cranley called the camps "unacceptable" and Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters argued that

people shouldn't live outdoors if shelter space is available. Meanwhile, advocates said there's not enough space in

shelters and that clearing out camps could lead to people being homeless longer. Then, a federal judge ruled

people can't live outside unless shelter space is unavailable.

Amid the Downtown homeless crisis, a local business owner donated trucks to help the people move their

belongings. Dozens of volunteers connected people living in camps with temporary housing, and people called on

City Hall for more affordable housing in Cincinnati to fight homelessness at the source.

By late August, the camp had disbanded, and the underside of Fort Washington Way where the camp first formed

was sealed off.

"We haven't solved the problem, not at all," Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Director Josh Spring said. "It's

just not in plain sight."

Sam Rosenstiel

The most importantcourt cases of the year

Second murder trial for Shayna Hubers ends in life sentence. In August, Shayna Hubers took the stand in her own

defense during the second murder trial against her. She went into graphic detail about the sexual relationship she

had with boyfriend Ryan Poston, who she shot and killed in 2012.

The trial again ended with a jury finding Hubers guilty of shooting Poston when he tried to break up with her. Only

this time, they recommended a life sentence. She was initially sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2015.

Judge Daniel Zalla said he saw no reason to alter the jury's life sentence recommendation. He looked at Hubers

and told her she picked up a gun off a table and shot her boyfriend six times in his Highland Heights condo.

"Your actions that evening were grossly violent and intentionally calculated to cause his death," Zalla said.

Hubers, 27, is eligible to see a parole board in 14 years since she has already served six years in jail.

Serial killer Anthony Kirkland sentenced to death again. Cincinnati serial killer Anthony Kirkland will still face the

death penalty for the deaths for two teenage girls.

A two-week re-sentencing focused on his sentence for the deaths of 13-year-old Esme Kenney and 14-year-old

Casonya Crawford.

Kirkland strangled two women and two teenage girls in the late 2000s. He also killed another woman in 1989. He

was serving life sentences for two of the murders but was given the death penalty for the killings of the two

teenagers, which he appealed.

Hamilton County Judge Patrick Dinkelacker told Kirkland he had no regard for human life and imposed the death

penalty.

"If not you, Mr. Kirkland, then who?" the judge said

Kirkland is scheduled to be executed on March 7, 2019, exactly 10 years after Esme's death. But appeals will likely

delay it.

Evans Landscaping minority business fraud trial ends in guilty verdict. After sitting through four weeks of

testimony and sifting through thousands of documents, it took a federal jury four hours to convict Newtown

businessman Doug Evans, Evans Landscaping and company CFO Jim Bailey guilty of wire fraud charges.

Four others pleaded guilty in the scheme that defrauded the city of Cincinnati alone of nearly $2 million over the

course of three years. A previous Enquirer analysis estimated that Ergon landed more than $10 million in state and

local contracts.

Evans and Bailey were found guilty of helping to create a front company, Ergon, to win minority and small business

contracts during a time when Evans Landscaping was losing money after the housing market crash during the

Great Recession.

Prosecutors said they will go for the full amount of funds that were defrauded. It will take a minimum of three to

four months before a sentencing timeline is planned but for now, the two men will remain out on bail.

Sarah Brookbank

Shayna Hubers was found guilty of murdering Ryan Poston in Newport in August.

Meg Vogel/The Enquirer

Participants shovel dirt at the groundbreaking for FC Cincinnati's West End stadium on Dec. 18.

Albert Cesare /The Enquirer

CREDIT: Staff Report; Cameron Knight; Scott Wartman; Hannah Sparling; Randy Tucker; Max Londberg; Sharon

Coolidge; Sam Rosenstiel; Sarah Brookbank DETAILS

Subject: Medical marijuana; Criminal sentences; Fires; Shootings; Serial crime; Criminal

investigations; Professional soccer; Soccer; Trials

Location: Nashville Tennessee Ohio Europe

Company / organization: Name: Fifth Third Bancorp; NAICS: 522110, 522120, 551111

Publication title: Cincinnati Enquirer; Cincinnati, Ohio

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First page: A.1

Publication year: 2018

Publication date: Dec 29, 2018

Section: News

Publisher: Gannett Co., Inc.

Place of publication: Cincinnati, Ohio

Country of publication: United States, Cincinnati, Ohio

Publication subject: General Interest Periodicals--United States

ISSN: 25755706

e-ISSN: 25755714

Source type: Newspaper

Language of publication: English

Document type: News

ProQuest document ID: 2161268735

Document URL: https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/cincinnati-areas-biggest-stories-

2018/docview/2161268735/se-2?accountid=28180

Copyright: Copyright 2018 - THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER - All Rights Reserved.

Last updated: 2019-11-03

Database: ProQuest One Academic