Let's Talk Clermont

  Ep. 58 — Jennifer Haley on the Batavia Township Fire Levy, plus local news and spring events   We open this week with a local news roundup from around Clermont County before turning to a detailed conversation on one of the bigger ballot issues facing Batavia Township. We cover county property appraisals, a local teacher earning a major honor, a pending Batavia Village hearing involving...

Ep. 57 — One Year In and Kim Georgeton on Data Centers, H-1B Reform, and Ohio Politics   We kick off our one-year anniversary episode with a quick thank you to everyone who has listened, shared, supported, and helped Let’s Talk Clermont grow over the last year.  Then we get into a packed news roundup. We look at two Ohio property tax bills and why they matter for school funding before tu...

Episode 56 — Gary Knepp — True Crime in Clermont County   We start with a couple of school-focused local updates, then Gary Knepp returns to the show for a talk about true crime in Clermont County, including gambling, murder cases, lynchings, and the county’s stranger legal history. We also talk about Gary’s upcoming book on Camp Dennison and why it remains such an important part of local Civ...

 Episode 55 — Malini Vijayan — Clermont County Public Health  We start with a few regional updates, then we sit down with Maalini Vijayan , Assistant Health Commissioner of Community Health Services at Clermont County Public Health , to talk about what the health department actually does day to day, how local public health works with the state, and what trends they’re watching right now....

  Episode 54 — Rep. Adam Bird — Ohio State Representative District 63 In this episode, we look at some local headlines, then sit down with State Rep. Adam Bird to talk development pressure, annexation battles, property taxes, and what “fair” school funding even means in Ohio. Interview — Rep. Adam Bird (Ohio House, District 63)  What a state representative actually does and how Ohio’s pr...

Episode 53 — Mike Desmond — Milford Amateur Radio Club We start with a few local updates, then I sit down with Mike Desmond (W8BEI) from the Milford Amateur Radio Club , the folks behind Cincinnati Hamfest , to talk ham radio, why it still matters, and why it’s one of the most reliable ways to communicate when cell service goes down.  Interview — Mike Desmond (Milford Amateur Radio Club)&nbsp...

Ep. 52 — Off-Grid Texting, Mesh Networks, and Cincy Mesh  We're closing in on one year of Let’s Talk Clermont! We start with some local updates, including Batavia Township’s upcoming fire/EMS levy effort, Milford’s move to acquire key downtown parcels, and progress at New Richmond’s Liberty Landing.  Then talk with Hunter Thornsberry from Cincy Mesh to talk Meshtastic —a LoRa-based, off-...

 Ep. 51 — Brown County Mega Site, Daring Horse Rescue, and an Interview with Greg Roberts. We start with a developing story in Mt. Orab and Brown County, where residents are demanding answers about a 1,000+ acre “mega site” that many suspect is tied to a data center project. NDAs, unclear ownership, and visible site activity have only added fuel to the fire. From there, we zoom out to Ohio Ho...

  Ep. 50 — May Levies + Zoning Explained  We kick off this milestone 50th episode with a quick thank you to the listeners and producers who’ve helped carry the show to almost a full year. Then we hit the latest Clermont County news, including three levies headed for the May ballot, a quick note on the Mt. Orab megasite NDA controversy, and a defense manufacturing contract tied to L3Harri...

Episode 49: Utopia, Floods, and Clermont’s Hidden History Snowpocalypse is here, but we’re still recording. In this episode, we run through a few timely local updates, including a tax update from the Clermont County Treasurer as second half tax bills get recalculated and a reminder that first half real estate taxes are due Friday, February 13, 2026 . We also preview two Batavia Township public hea...

Episode 48: Snowpocalypse, local levy talk, and why biodiversity matters with Doug Gilbert   It’s snow storm watch in Southwest Ohio, so we kick things off with a little “snowpocalypse” news  and how  some places have exploding tree warnings.  Then we look at some local news. News   A 1.3 mil Senior Services levy is headed to the May 5 ballot . We listen to a clip from the...

  Ep. 47 — Inside Stonelick Ridge: A Developer’s Vision, PUD Politics and What “Responsible Growth” Looks Like It’s a quiet January week in Clermont County, so we skip the news segment and jump straight into the main event. We also give a quick Value for Value update, thanks recent supporters, and put out the call for more boots-on-the-ground reports from around the county. Interview — Dan Gr...

  Ep. 46 — Clermont County Reorg and Everything 4-H   It’s a light first-week-of-the-year news cycle, so we hit a few local updates, then spend most of the episode with Carlie Newman , Clermont County’s 4-H Youth Development Educator with OSU Extension . Interview — Carlie Newman  Carlie talks about what 4-H actually looks like today. It’s the largest youth organization in the count...

Ep. 45 — Batavia’s Fire District Move, Zoning Updates and A Literacy Wake-Up Call  We start with a quick set of local updates, including a Batavia Township resolution that signals the township is taking the idea of forming its own fire department seriously. We also preview two Batavia Township zoning commission hearings focused on how the township handles previously approved planned developme...

Ep. 44 — Airport Annexation Vote, Union Township $5 License Tax + Gardening, Volunteerism, and a New Clermont Museum Passport We start with county and local updates: the commissioners’ vote on a Batavia Village annexation near the Clermont County Airport (and why multiple speakers warned about development inside the runway protection zone), plus a proposal borrowed from Columbus aimed at stopping...

  Ep. 43 — Christmas with Santa Claus, Clermont Holiday News and Events We skip the usual opener and jumps straight into a talk with Santa Claus himself, then we close the show with Clermont County news, value-for-value holiday details, and an event roundup.  Interview — Santa Claus Santa talks Christmas spirit, how to stay off the naughty list, and why most kids are much better than the...

 Ep. 42 — Snow, Budgets, Annexations + Beds for Clermont County Kids We start with some county news: a look at Clermont’s projected 2026 operating budget, a red flag in the capital fund, and a new annexation fight that has the airport sounding alarms. After that, we look at township and village updates across Batavia, Tate, Union Township, Loveland, and New Richmond. Interview — Ron Dunn of S...

Ep. 41 — Thanksgiving Thanks, Beckjord Water Worries and World-Class Dry-Land Dog Mushing  We start off our Thanksgiving episode with heartfelt gratitude for everyone who’s been listening since May, then get into some county-wide news: Clermont County Animal Shelter’s interior and exterior upgrades are nearly complete, Christmas Nights of Lights at the fairgrounds gets delayed after a freak l...

Ep. 40 — Northern Lights, Zoning Shake-Ups and an interview with Dave Caraway, owner of Sons of Toil We start with a countywide news rundown: new space for the Public Defender’s Office, auroras over Clermont, volunteer openings in Loveland, zoning changes in Pierce and Batavia, and what’s next for Union Township’s Eastgate corridor. Then it’s out to Mount Orab for a sit-down with Sons of Toil Brew...

  Ep. 39 — Post-Election Updates, Batavia Growth Debate and  Coffee Nerd Out with Goshen Grind We start with where things stand after Election Day, including Loveland’s automatic recount timeline, then we look at what’s next in Batavia Township, two large subdivisions approved (Arborside and Stonelick Ridge), annexation chatter with the Village, the PD repeal (Article 36), and a fresh lo...

Ep. 38 — Post-Election Wrap + “World Walker” Steve Newman We're back to regular programming! We start with a run through of Clermont County’s contested races and ballot issues using the unofficial Board of Elections numbers as of Wednesday. We look at Loveland’s razor-thin council race (likely recount), Milford and Batavia council results, township trustee winners across the county, and every levy...

Ep. 37 — Clermont County Ballot Rundown and CJFED Levy with Chief Roy Short We start with a brief refresher on mills and levy types, then walk through every countywide and major local ballot issue, from CPS and the Mental Health & Recovery Board to New Richmond’s earned-income tax, Milford’s charter revisions, and the Batavia Township zoning referendum and PD initiative. In the second half, CJ...

Episode 36 — HB 186 & HB 335 plus an interview with Batavia Village Council Candidates We start the episode off with a look at Ohio property-tax mechanics (mills, inside vs. outside, HB 920) and two House-passed bills now headed to the Senate: HB 186 , aimed at offsetting school-floor hikes after inflationary reappraisals, and HB 335 , which would peg inside-millage growth to inflation by trim...

Episode 35 — Millage explained and Clermont Mental Health and Recovery Board levy renewal We start the episode with a light refresher and explanation on Ohio property taxes. What a “mill” actually is, inside vs. outside millage, the HB 920 reduction factors, the 20-mill school floor, and how levy types (additional / renewal / replacement) really hit your bill. Then, a conversation with Lee Ann Wat...

Episode 34 — Batavia’s Growth & CRAs, and a Village Council Candidate We open with a quick local news rundown: Loveland’s new Otto Huber Fire Station: ~$5.4M via USDA Community Facility Loan, 10k+ sq ft with pull-through bays and full living/training space. Eastgate’s big health update: Cincinnati Children’s opens Nov 3 at 4315 Ivy Pointe—111k sq ft, ~600 patients/day, 250 staff, and expanded...