Cincinnati Edition

Many families are planning to celebrate the fourth of July with a bang. While consumer-grade fireworks are available for purchase in our region the laws vary by state. In Ohio it is legal to purchase fireworks but illegal to use them. A new bill would change that.

A new educational program is coming to Cincinnati called The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research . BISR started in New York City to offer community-based education in the tradition of the liberal arts. The four-week long courses are open to the public and give participants the opportunity to delve into important social, religious and political issues.

Longtime sports journalist and Golf Digest digital editor Sam Weinman set out to write his new book, " Win at Losing: How Our Biggest Setbacks Can Lead to Our Greatest Gains " after seeing how his two young sons struggled with losing. With interviews and advice from athletes, politicians and others Weinman showcases how our most difficult moments can be turned into powerful growth opportunities.

Lydia Millet is a bestselling novelist, an op-ed writer for the New York Times and a staff writer for the Center for Biological Diversity . She joins the Cincinnati Zoo's Thane Maynard to discuss the work of the Center and the impact of her environmental opinion pieces in the New York Times.

Until the creation of the State of Israel, Jews have always been the minority population, no matter where they lived. But after two thousand years, Israel has created the unique situation of a Christian minority in a Jewish country. And today Christians and Jews are trying to create a shared Israeli society.

Last Friday, June 9, was Trey Grayson's last day as president and CEO of the Northern Kentucky Chamber. He took over leadership of the organization in July, 2014. Before then he served two terms as Kentucky's Secretary of State and three years as Director of Harvard University's Institute of Politics.

President Trump was in Cincinnati Wednesday for a speech on rebuilding America's waterways. The Kroger Company announced plans to build a mixed-use project downtown, which will include the first grocery store the company has had downtown since 1969. And Cincinnati City Council looks at the city's budget and funding for the second year of the streetcar.

Last Friday Cincinnati leaders announced a proposal to review and refresh the city's Collaborative Agreement , negotiated in 2002. The agreement was put in place following the civil unrest in 2001, after a white Cincinnati police officer, Stephen Roach, shot and killed Timothy Thomas, a 19-year-old, unarmed African-American.

The jury is set in the retrial of former University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing in the shooting death of Sam DuBose during a 2015 traffic stop. Opening statements are currently scheduled for Thursday morning. Following that, the prosecution will begin calling witnesses. WVXU reporter and digital editor Tana Weingartner joins us for an update.

Last month Interact for Health began releasing results of the 2017 Greater Cincinnati Community Health Status Survey (CHSS). This survey, conducted every few years since 1999 (most recently in 2013) is the largest, most comprehensive health survey of our region, covering 22 counties and more than 4,000 interviews.