Latest news with #WCPO
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Attorneys for Householder, Borges ‘hopeful' following pardon for Cincinnati politician
Larry Householder, left, and Matt Borges, right. (Photos by WEWS/WCPO.) The attorneys for former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former Republican leader Matt Borges are feeling 'hopeful' after a Cincinnati politician convicted of bribery got a pardon from President Donald Trump. Once convicted of accepting $20,000 in bribes, former Cincinnati City Councilmember PG Sittenfeld's slate has been wiped clean. President Donald Trump pardoned the Democrat, who was sentenced to more than a year in prison in 2023. And with this pardon comes interest from other influential Ohio politicos. We asked Householder's attorney Scott Pullins if that gives him hope for Householder. 'Yeah, I can't comment, obviously, on what we're doing right now, what I'm working on, our legal team's working on,' Pullins replied. 'But it certainly gives us a lot of hope.' Thursday, Borges's appeals attorney, Dennis Belli, said in a phone interview that the Sittenfeld pardon also gives him hope. In March 2023, a jury found Householder and Borges guilty of felony racketeering in the largest public corruption and bribery scandal in state history. And earlier this month, a panel of federal court judges upheld the convictions of Householder and Borges. We asked Gov. Mike DeWine if he believes Householder and Borges should be pardoned. 'Look, I don't have any comment about the pardons,' he responded. 'These are decisions that are made by the president of the United States. I have authority in regard to state pardons, and I always will tell you about why I made a decision.' Pullins has been telling us for months now that the former speaker is seeking clemency, arguing the FBI was politically motivated in arresting the former speaker. 'They singled out Larry, him alone,' he said. 'No one else has been charged, no other politician — period.' Legal expert Steve Gooden, partner at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, said this could be a sympathetic argument for a pardon. 'It obviously strikes very close to home for Donald Trump who has been the subject of these kinds of inquiries and cases in the past,' Gooden said. In an interview in February, Attorney General Dave Yost refuted this allegation. 'He was indicted by President Trump's United States Attorney, David DeVillers, who, I believe, is the same political party,' Yost said. 'I don't think that dog hunts.' And Yost said he was against Householder getting out. Householder is also facing Ohio charges. He has pleaded not guilty to 10 felony counts in Cuyahoga County. 'I oppose,' Yost said in February. Asked why, he said, 'Because I've seen the evidence and he committed multiple crimes. Even if his appeal is successful in the federal case, there is additional evidence of criminal acts that are included in the state's indictment.' If convicted on state charges and appeals fail, it would take an act of the governor to clear him of that. Previously, Pullins told us in an interview that the team is hoping to leverage Householder's close relationship with Trump to get him out. Asked about the appearance that Householder could be using his connections in order to get out of prison, Pullins responded, 'Well, yeah. He is. Hopefully, he has some friends left that can help.' After our exclusive, in-depth interview in 2023, we've kept in touch with the head juror, Jerrod Haines, who convicted Householder in federal court. He said that Householder was, once again, using power to get what he wanted. 'I definitely feel like he is using his connections to skip his sentence,' he said. 'I would feel that the justice system failed if he would be pardoned. I would feel that my time as a juror was wasted, even though I think it was a very valuable experience for me, my life was interrupted for seven weeks.' Haines told us in 2023 that he was left disillusioned with state government, hoping political leaders would finally learn not to undercut their citizens in exchange for power and money. Paula Christian from WCPO contributed to this story. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Craig McKee Leaving Cincinnati to Work in Phoenix
WCPO anchor Craig McKee is trading one Scripps station for another. McKee is leaving Cincinnati ABC affiliate to work at Scripps owned KNXV in Phoenix, Arizona. In a long social post, McKee explained why he was moving back to his wife's home state, saying in part, 'When we left her home state of Arizona in 2002, she told me she would one day want to go back,' he wrote. 'I had planned to leave the industry at the end of this year to focus on making that a reality. During our transition and preparations for this next chapter, an Anchoring and Reporting opportunity became available at our Scripps-owned ABC affiliate KNXV in Phoenix, Arizona.' 'This position will allow me to continue focusing on family, including our granddaughter in Arizona, while also continuing the work I love in journalism,' he added. During his 10 years at WCPO 9, Craig has made a big impact with veterans in our community. His 'Homefront' segment has rightfully highlighted the stories and needs of our veterans, and his efforts have been pivotal in bringing attention to critical issues within the Hamilton County Veterans Service Commission. Thanks to Craig's reporting, valuable services have been restored, and he has dedicated countless hours connecting with veteran groups throughout the community. WCPO He'll be on the air through June.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Thank you Cincinnati': Longtime WCPO anchor announces departure from station
After 10 years with WCPO 9 News, Cincinnati anchor Craig McKee announced his departure from the television station. McKee has accepted a reporting position at Scripps-owned ABC affiliate KNXV in Phoenix, Arizona, returning to his wife's home state for the first time since 2002 to focus on family, he said in a Facebook post on May 29. "This position will allow me to continue focusing on family, including our granddaughter in Arizona, while also continuing the work I love in journalism," McKee wrote. The veteran anchor expressed his gratitude for the people of Cincinnati, stating that the city has given him more than he could have even imagined. "Thank you Cincinnati, for allowing me to be part of your story." McKee wrote. WCPO shared McKee's post on its own Facebook page, and said, "We love you, Craig. And we will miss you." Mckee is now the fourth Cincinnati anchor/reporter leaving their station to pursue other opportunities this month, following in the footsteps of WCPO meteorologist Brandon Spinner, FOX19 meteorologist Frank Marzullo and Local 12 anchor Annie Brown. This story will be updated. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Longtime WCPO anchor Craig McKee announces his departure from station
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Senior says he was denied graduation walk after cheering at another ceremony
An area senior was barred from walking across the stage at his graduation ceremony, allegedly because he cheered too loudly at another school's event. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Nicco Ryan was set to graduate from Archbishop Moeller High School when his mother got an upsetting phone call, our news partners at WCPO reported. 'To get a phone call while you're standing in line to walk into your son's graduation, that he's most likely not going to walk, I just burst into tears,' said Nicole Taylor. Earlier that day, Ryan had attended a graduation ceremony for Norwood High School. TRENDING STORIES: Mom attacks 12-year-old daughter inside nature preserve, investigators say Man found with over 200 grams of heroin, cocaine during traffic stop Gas leak reported at Huber Heights fire station causing closure of busy road The ceremony, captured on video, shows the moment that ultimately prevented Ryan from participating in his graduation ceremony, but according to attendees, Ryan wasn't disruptive at all. Ryan said he was 'just in the crowd cheering with everyone else.' He and his mother say Norwood school officials contacted Moeller, and administrators made the decision to prevent him from walking during his graduation ceremony with no consideration for an alternative punishment. 'I didn't feel like I did anything wrong — I was so confused just trying to think of everything that I did (that day),' Ryan said. WCPO reached out to both schools to learn about their policies regarding graduation ceremonies. Moeller responded, saying the district does not bring the press in on internal matters involving students. Norwood High School did not respond to the request for comment. 'I was upset it was just... I don't even know what to think, it was like it wasn't real, that something so silly caused him to not be able to walk with his classmates,' Taylor said. Ryan is the oldest of Taylor's eight children. She says she had been waiting 18 years for this special moment. 'I was pregnant with him when I graduated high school, so it was a big thing for him to graduate,' Taylor said. Ryan ultimately received his diploma in the mail days later. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Police shoot, kill man who pointed gun at officers during search warrant
A person was shot and killed by police after they pointed a gun at officers in Middletown early Tuesday. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The shooting happened just before 7:30 a.m. while Middletown officers were searching a home in the 900 block of Garden Avenue in connection with a drug investigation, our news partners at WCPO reported. Dan Hils with Frontline Advisors, representing the FOP in Middletown, told WCPO the officers were on the porch of the home and made 'numerous announcements' about who they were before breaching the door. TRENDING STORIES: 'I hope they don't do this to us again;' Crews tearing down barricades from NATO in Dayton Deputy shot, killed while responding to domestic call in Ohio 'We heard a big boom;' Man says plane flying low moments before crashing in Ohio Hils said a 47-year-old man inside pointed a gun at the officers, and 'at which time shots were fired.' A woman inside the home was also hurt from what Hils believed was shrapnel from a bullet to the ankle. The injuries are not life-threatening, Hils said. An Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations spokesperson confirmed to News Center 7 that they were requested by the Middletown Police Department to investigate the officer-involved shooting. No officers were hurt. We will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
