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​Duke reaches $81M settlement in Ohio case

Duke Energy will pay $81 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over a subsidiary’s contracts with large industrial and business customers of Duke Energy Ohio.

Plaintiffs in the antitrust case, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, claimed those customers got benefits from Duke Energy Retail Sales that other customers did not receive.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke (NYSE: DUK) denied the claims and said the contracts were legal. It has since sold Duke Energy…

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Here’s why Ohio’s fastest-growing potpreneur opposes legalizing marijuana

One of the fastest-growing companies in Ohio makes machinery that can extract oil from pot plants, but the owner opposes the Nov. 3 ballot measure that would legalize marijuana.

Andy Joseph of Apeks Supercritical, which posted three-year revenue growth of 8,249 percent to reach $9 million in sales largely as a result of legalized pot in other states, reportedly has concerns about how the industry would be regulated in Ohio.

Issue 3 would require Ohio’s governor to appoint the seven members of…

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​Hamilton County parks chief: City broke off talks on joint parks tax

The city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s Great Parks negotiated into the spring over whether to do a joint tax levy campaign in 2016 or 2017, but the city ultimately decided to pursue Issue 22, Great Parks executive director Jack Sutton said Wednesday.

The talks could not have resulted in a merger of Cincinnati’s park department and Great Parks because state law does not allow it, Sutton said.

Any agreements between the two park entities would have had to be similar to pacts in place now:…

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Developer building another huge Greater Cincinnati warehouse on spec

While IDI Gazeley is developing the region’s largest-ever speculative industrial building in Monroe, it’s also building another spec facility in Northern Kentucky.

IDI Gazeley is working on a 442,300-square-foot class A modern bulk distribution facility at its Park South at Richwood development. The building, known as Building I, is being constructed with no signed tenants.

Doug Armbruster, regional director of IDI Gazeley’s Central Northeast Region, said with the vacancy rate for industrial…

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EXCLUSIVE: Tom + Chee bringing special menu to a Greater Cincinnati brewery

Cincinnati grilled cheese slinger and “Shark Tank” success story Tom + Chee is working with a local brewery to debut a new pilot menu for tap room patrons.

Covington-based Braxton Brewing Co. patrons will be able to order from the special Tom + Chee menu for delivery to the brewery starting Nov. 6. The brewery will have an iPad kiosk set up where patrons can order from the menu and have items delivered from the Newport Tom + Chee location.

The pared-down menu doesn’t offer everything that is available…

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Million Dollar Listing: 1901 William Howard Taft Road

The home at 1901 William Howard Taft Road is one of Cincinnati’s signature, recognizable properties, Coldwell Banker West Shell listing agent Perrin March told me.

The five-bedroom, four and a half bathroom home in Walnut Hills is listed for $3,250,000 and has some of the best views of the Ohio River available.

To take a look at the property, click on the image above.

The residence was completed by local builder Allen Zaring III for his family in 1998. He purchased the property, tore down an…

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Here’s what Bengals will fork over to settle suit over cheerleader pay

The Cincinnati Bengals have offered to pay more than $260,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by a former Ben-Gals cheerleader related to the squad’s pay.

According to a settlement agreement filed at the end of August, the Bengals will pay 102 former members of the Ben-Gals $2,500 for each season they were on the squad from February 2011 to January 2014, which totals $255,000, within 14 days. They will also pay $5,000 to Alexa Brenneman, the former cheerleader who filed the original lawsuit,…

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Is P&G getting ripped off on advertising?

The Association of National Advertisers has launched an investigation into whether kickbacks affect how ad agencies and media companies do business.

The group, whose vice chairman is Procter & Gamble marketing chief Marc Pritchard, said one concern is that media companies might provide rebates to ad agencies for influencing client spending. If ad agencies don’t reimburse such funds to their clients, the practice raises questions about whether an advertiser’s best interests are being considered…

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By the Numbers: Aronoff Center’s impact on Cincinnati over 20 years

The Aronoff Center for the Arts is celebrating its 20th anniversary today with a look back at its impact on the region.

The facility at the intersection of Seventh and Walnut streets run by the nonprofit Cincinnati Arts Association has had an economic impact of more than $365 million since it opened, according to a new study from the University of Cincinnati Economics Center.

Click here to take a tour of the theaters and art gallery as well as behind-the-scenes spaces housed in the facility.

“This…

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EXCLUSIVE: Downtown Cincinnati hotel converting to upscale apartments

One of downtown Cincinnati’s hotels plans to convert to upscale apartments.

The owner of Garfield Suites Hotel in downtown Cincinnati plans to convert the 153-unit, full-service all-suites hotel back to rental apartments in 2016. Hotel Capital LLC of Indianapolis informed hotel management recently of its decision to take advantage of the high demand for apartments in Cincinnati’s urban core.

In this case, the building is reverting back to its original use. When Garfield House was built in 1981…

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