Waymo to Test Cincinnati Roads

Waymo will begin mapping Cincinnati and surrounding communities, including Northern Kentucky, as the autonomous driving company adapts its technology to the region.

Trained “autonomous specialists” will manually drive Jaguar I-PACE vehicles through downtown and nearby areas to create high-definition maps, an early step in validating Waymo’s technology in a new city.

Waymo said it won’t offer rides yet, and there’s no specific timeline for when the service will be available to the public.

School District Drops Flock Cameras

Worthington Schools will cancel its Flock Safety contract and stop collecting automated license plate data after Superintendent Trent Bowers concluded the cameras’ “limited benefits” didn’t justify risking public trust.

The $35,000 project placed plate readers at entrances and exits of district schools, with a state safety grant covering $30,000 of the cost.

Bowers said the district kept collected data strictly internal. He called the system a “nice extra,” but said schools don’t need license plate readers to solve crimes the way law enforcement agencies do.

Ending the contract early carries no additional cost, and Flock is expected to remove the cameras within weeks.

Kelce, Swift Buy Bratenahl Estate

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have purchased a $5.35 million estate in Bratenahl, giving the couple a 3.5-acre Lake Erie property just a few miles from Kelce’s hometown of Cleveland Heights.

The 1895 home spans 21,140 square feet and includes eight bedrooms, seven fireplaces, a heated pool, five garage spaces, and a two-bedroom guest cottage.

Known as Moyenage, the restored Elizabethan Tudor mansion features carved walnut, leaded glass, marble, and a grand black walnut staircase. Its former third-floor ballroom once served as a speakeasy during Prohibition.

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➤ Statewide: Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy accepted debate invitations from WLWT and CNN, while Amy Acton’s campaign said she’s focused on “talking with Ohioans.” (More)

➤ Cleveland: Democrat congressional candidate Brian Poindexter was arrested in 1998 after police said he tried to swallow suspected crack cocaine, and again in 2013 after allegedly slapping a stranger at a Cleveland Indians game. (More)

➤ Columbus: The Ohio State University agreed to pay $2.1 million to resolve federal allegations that it failed to disclose researchers’ ties to China in connection with NASA and NSF grants awarded to the university. (More)

➤ Also Columbus: Justin Novoa, 21, pleaded guilty to threatening to kill federal immigration agents on social media. The FBI found firearms and body armor at his home. (More)

➤ Strongsville: The Supreme Court of Ohio rejected Mackenzie Shirilla’s reconsideration request, again leaving intact her 2023 murder conviction for the car crash deaths of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan. (More)

➤ Toledo: The Diocese of Toledo threatened legal action if the city gives historic landmark status to the closed Sacred Heart and Good Shepherd churches, saying the move intrudes on church property rights. (More)

➤ Springfield: Gov. Mike DeWine called the apparent suicide of 20-year-old Wright State student Pierre Damas Bel a “horrible tragedy.” (More)

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➤ Ohio State will face Wisconsin outdoors in women’s hockey on Feb. 20, 2027, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay for the Frozen Tundra Faceoff. (See Details)

➤ The Columbus Blue Jackets and the NHL will launch the Blue Jackets Hockey Network this fall, carrying non-national games on cable, satellite, Prime Video, and select over-the-air stations across most of Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. (See Details)

➤ Brook Park officials introduced legislation that could allow tax abatements at the Cleveland Browns’ planned stadium site by designating the property a blighted area for urban renewal. (More)

➤ Dayton Public Schools canceled the rest of Stivers High School’s football season because of low participation and injuries. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: US Open | MLB | Soccer

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➤ Ohio State nurses are calling for Wexner Medical Center leaders to replace an incentive pay program set to expire at the end of the month, saying that incentive plans help fill staffing gaps. (More)

➤ Ohio Gratings is expanding into Lexington Township near Alliance, with about 50 jobs initially available at the new site and roughly 100 openings across its Alliance and Canton operations. (More)

➤ Huntington Bank named Ameesh Vakharia executive vice president and chief marketing and digital products officer, a newly created role overseeing the company’s integrated marketing and digital products organization. (More)

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➤ A new historical marker recognizes Dayton as the birthplace of Cheez-It—first produced in 1921 at the former Green and Green factory in the city’s Edgemont neighborhood. (More)

➤ An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper found an abandoned puppy inside a crate during a rest area check along Interstate 71 in Medina County. The dog is now available for adoption. (Watch Video)

➤ The Cleveland National Air Show returns this weekend at Burke Lakefront Airport, headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels alongside military demonstrations, aerobatics, parachuting, and ground displays. (See Details)

➤ Central Ohio communities are packing Labor Day weekend with festivals featuring Greek culture, zucchini, art, live music, parades, and family activities throughout the greater Columbus area. (See Festivals)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. 

➤ Five after-dinner rituals every American once knew have gotten lost over a single generation. (See Rituals)

➤ The Lindsay Clancy murder trial has hit another wall, leaving jurors deadlocked and a mistrial looming. (Hear Details)

➤ Meanwhile, in the Charlie Kirk assassination trial, Tyler Robinson has pleaded not guilty and now faces a possible death penalty. (Listen Now)

Would you ride in a driverless taxi?

1. Absolutely
   
2. I’d try it
   
3. Probably not
   
4. Never

Yesterday’s Results:

With Smucker’s and Trader Joe’s fighting over crimped edges, we have to ask: how do you take your PB&J?

1. Crusts on: 66%
2. I don’t touch the stuff: 29%
3. Crusts off: 4%
4. Frozen, then thawed: 1%

An episode of which CBS TV crime drama was filmed at Moyenage in 1962?

Show me the answer