Heart and Hustle in Hamilton County

Whenever we have a long hiatus in our podcast, we return with a new season of jam-packed government content for our one listener! We jest (but do appreciate our one fan). In our season opener, we talked with Robert Bell and Gabrielle Woehler with the Hamilton County Economic Inclusion and Equity Department. Robert and Gabrielle discuss the evolution of DEI efforts baked into the County's purchasing, spending, and hiring efforts. Under Mr. Bell's leadership, Hamilton County has an o...

"Don't call it electrocuting fish," was our first lesson in electrofishing- a practice where you temporarily stun and collect fish and other aquatic wildlife to determine the health of a stream or waterway. We took our podcast on location to Howard's Creek in Whitewater Township with Sara Fehring and Sarah Meadows from the Hamilton County Conservation District. So, grab your rubber waders and your net and get ready to learn about electrofishing and why we collect this data on the fish populat...

In 2022, over 50,000 calls rang into Hamilton County's 513-241-KIDS hotline, and over 6,000 cases were opened for assessment. During the entire month, Hamilton County Job and Family Services has been sharing tips on how to prevent child abuse and support families. HCJFS Director Michael Patton and Deputy Director of Children's Services Alexandra Patsfall joined the Heart and Hustle Podcast to discuss the Child Abuse Prevention Month efforts and their #OneSmallThing campaign. ...

Hamilton County Administrator Jeff Aluotto talks about the County's biggest achievements in 2022 with some of his top operations staff. Human Resources Director Frank Spataro, Senior Policy Manager Marc Von Allmen and Assistant County Administrators Holly Christmann and Lisa Webb take the mic to discuss some of their favorite projects in 2022 and what they have to look forward to in 2023. Hamilton County continues to launch new programs that improve lives of our residents, our businesses, and...

Long-time Chief of Staff for the Hamilton County Recorder’s Office David Pittinger gets into the details of the office’s efforts to modernize record keeping to improve accessibility and prevent fraud. The Recorder’s Office just announced a new Real Estate Fraud Alert Service to alert those who enroll for the service of filings under their names, warning property owners to potentially fraudulent activity in real-time. The Recorder’s Office is also set to release over 6 million images this...

There's a new Dog Warden in town. Cincinnati Animal CARE Humane Society is Hamilton County’s first no-kill shelter operator - fulfilling the County's Dog Warden responsibilities of collecting stray dogs and enforcing dog licenses. In August 2020, Cincinnati Animal CARE officially took over operations of the County's dog shelter in Northside. At that time, the shelter was at full capacity. In 2021, they saw a near 70% increase in total animals coming in, and 2022 has shown no ...

Continuing our conversation with local housing experts: Hamilton County Community Development's Interim Director Emily Carnahan, Liz Blum with the Community Building Institute at Xavier University, and Kristen Baker with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) get to the heart of the conversation on whether our neighbors can afford to stay in the communities where they live. Recent studies have shown that Hamilton County currently lacks 40,000 units of affordable housing. List...

The news lately has been filled with headlines around housing values and housing affordability. In this episode of Heart and Hustle, we talk with three housing experts in who really tackle the question- Is housing affordable in Hamilton County, Oh?Hamilton County Community Development's Interim Director Emily Carnahan, Liz Blum with the Community Building Institute at Xavier University, and Kristen Baker with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) get to the heart of the conversat...

The Hamilton County Environmental Crimes Task Force is heating up this summer. Corporal Bryan Peak with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office leads a multi-department effort to crack down on illegal dumping of tires, construction debris and other household items. Listen to the latest podcast of Heart and Hustle in Hamilton County, and subscribe, to hear about this great program helping to improve the quality of life for Hamilton County, Oh residents. To learn more about Hamilton Co...

In a disaster, Nick Crossley says there's no such thing as 'no.' In Episode 9, the Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency Director talks about the biggest challenge he faced during the early days of the local COVID-19 pandemic. "If you ever call me, I'm saving your cell number," says Crossley who discusses how he gets around the word "no" in order to find a way. He also details the quick partnerships that formed overnight to protect the most vulnerable including seniors. Crossl...