Absentee voting by mail
The Hamilton County Boards of Elections will mail out absentee ballots to voters who have requested them. All other voters have until noon Saturday, May 4, to request an absentee ballot by mail to vote in the Tuesday, May 7, Primary.
The board of elections, 824 Broadway Cincinnati, is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and can be reached at 632-7000; or www.votehamiltoncounty.org.
You also can download an absentee ballot request form at MyOhioVote.com.
To cast an absentee ballot by mail, voters must complete, sign and seal their voted ballots, taking care to provide the required information, including proper identification, said Husted.
Voted ballots must be postmarked the day before Election Day, and received no later than 10 days after the election. Absentee ballots  also may be delivered in person to the boards of election no later than the close of the polls.
They may not be returned at polling locations, said Husted.

Check your registration
Voters can easily check their voter registration information, including voting address and polling location, online at MyOhioVote.com.
The new service, which previously had to be done using two separate online tools, is part of an ongoing effort to enhance the service available at MyOhioVote.com.
The system is populated with information from county boards of elections that may make a last-minute change to a person’s polling place that would not be reflected online, but voters would be notified by mail.
Update your address
Voters who have moved since the last election should now update their voting address online at MyOhioVote.com.

Election Day Voting
Polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters choosing to head to the polls must remember to bring the proper form of ID, and know their polling place and precinct.
Voters can check their polling place and precinct and get other important voting information by visiting MyOhioVote.com.

Updates, virtual voting
Ohio voters are encouraged to link with OhioSOSHusted on Facebook and Twitter to get elections information and updates throughout the year.  
You also can get a virtual voting sticker badge to let friends and followers know you have participated in the election. “Like” Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted’s official Facebook page to “wear” a virtual sticker on their wall.

Vote in honor of a veteran
Voters may demonstrate the pride they feel for a veteran by dedicating their vote to them.
By participating, Ohioans help raise awareness about the importance of voting and highlight the bond between veterans and democracy. For more information, visit OhioMilitaryVotes.com



-Joe Awad

Carl J. Stich Jr., Mariemont, has been appointed judge on the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas by Gov. John Kasich.

Stich, who took office last week, must run in November 2014 to retain the seat for the full term, which begins on Jan. 4, 2015.

Stich replaced R. Patrick DeWine, who was elected to the First District Court of Appeals.

Stich received a bachelor’s in accountancy from the University of Kentucky, and earned his juris doctorate from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

From 2001 to 2003, and from 2005 until appointed judge, he was an attorney for White, Getgey & Meyer Co.

The following legal actions were filed in Hamilton County courts and previously published in the Cincinnati Court Index.

A group of Harrison businesses reaching out to heroic residents may have to reach further than expected to top their initial selection.

Since September, when they were licensed, April and Gary Haddix, have taken into their Harrison Township home three children who were addicted to hard drugs at birth.

April, a postpartum nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital, said the Lord encouraged her to step up her game.

“It’s a labor of love. It’s a lot of work, but we are so rewarded to see this baby. When she came home, she was so physically in pain, tremors, and all the things that go with withdrawal,” said April, 43.

“She came from that to now. You can see she is happy, smiling, just the joy of our lives.”

It didn’t come cheaply, nor without a lot of work but Southwest Schools will start the 2013-14 academic year with a new math curriculum that will catapult the district to the cutting edge of instruction for the next six years.

The Southwest School Board unanimously approved the program and materials Thursday, April 16, for grades K-12 in all district schools.

The teaching and learning materials cost $249,631, said Assistant Superintendent John Hamstra, who chaired the adoption committee.