LOVELAND, Ohio —

A roadblock is on the way for one of the region’s most popular bike trails because a new bridge will take all summer to install.

The Loveland Bike Trail will be closed at a distance from downtown that takes about one minute to walk.

The bridge will be closed for most of March and will reopen, but will then close down again from May until October.

“I don't think it's going to make too many people happy. The timing is not what I would call the best,” said Loveland resident Julie Dolbier.

“That is very disappointing because that is the riding season,” said Diana Hodges-Batzka. “It just means we will be going to the other parts of this wonderful trail that Ohio has.”

That’s the concern. The trail is important to downtown Loveland businesses.

Now, people hitting the trail at Loveland can’t go north toward Morrow and Lebanon, which is the most popular route.

Loveland City Manager David Kennedy said the Ohio Department of Natural Resource’s plan was to replace the bridge in January, but supply chain issues pushed it back to the summer.

“They're doing the right thing, timing, it's not good. It's not good for our businesses, but I'm absolutely supportive of the project,” Kennedy said.

Business owners are remaining optimistic.

“You’re always tempted to think worse-case scenario, but I think, for the most part, if you’re committed to doing good work, people want to come and find you anyway,” said the owner of Narrow Path Brewing Company, Chad Powers.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Asserting its role in setting COVID-19 policies, the Kentucky House voted Thursday to block the governor from temporarily closing schools and businesses that comply with federal guidelines.

Continuing a fast-paced opening week, the Republican-led House easily passed the top-priority bill, sending it to the GOP-dominated Senate. The measure seeks to guarantee that Kentucky businesses and schools stay open amid the pandemic if they meet federal virus-related guidelines.

“I’m voting ‘yes’ today ... because we, the policymaking branch of government, should be involved in these decisions that affect every Kentuckian,” Majority Floor Leader Steven Rudy said.

The bill and similar bills reflect mounting GOP frustration with Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s use of his executive authority amid the health crisis. His restrictions on businesses, schools and individuals to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus have increasingly become politicized.

The bill drew opposition from House Democrats. Rep. Angie Hatton said lawmakers should let the governor “do his job” in defeating the virus, which is needed to fully reopen the economy.

Democratic Rep. Patti Minter said the state would cede authority to CDC guidelines if the bill becomes law. She warned some business owners could “get an ugly surprise,” because those federal guidelines can be stricter than standards in Beshear’s orders.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ended one of the greatest NBA Finals ever with 50 points and a championship Milwaukee waited 50 years to win again.

Antetokounmpo had 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 105-98 on Tuesday night to win the series 4-2.

It was the third game this series with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds for Antetokounmpo, a dominant, debut finals performance that takes its place among some of the game's greatest.

He shot 16 for 25 from the field and made an unbelievable 17-of-19 free throws — a spectacular performance for any shooter, let alone one who was hitting just 55.6% in the postseason and was ridiculed for it at times.

He hopped around the court waving his arms with 20 seconds remaining to encourage fans to cheer, but it was way too late for that.

Their voices had been booming inside and outside for hours by then, having waited 50 years to celebrate a winner after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson led the Bucks to the championship in 1971.

In a season played largely without fans, the Bucks had 65,000 of them packed into the Deer District outside, a wild party that figured to last deep into the Midwestern night.
Confetti rained down inside as fans chanted "Bucks in 6! Bucks in 6!" — which began as a hopeful boast by a former player turning out to be a prophetic rallying cry.

The Bucks became the fifth team to win the NBA Finals after trailing 2-0 and the first to do it by winning the next four games since Miami against Dallas in 2006.

Chris Paul scored 26 points to end his first NBA Finals appearance in his 16th season. Devin Booker added 19 points but shot just 8 for 22 and missed all seven 3-pointers after scoring 40 points in each of the last two games.

The teams that came into the NBA together as expansion clubs in 1968 delivered a fine finals, with the last three games all in the balance deep into the fourth quarter.

The Bucks won them largely because of Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP in the regular season who raised his game even higher in the finals and was voted the NBA Finals MVP.

The Larry O'Brien trophy was presented to the Bucks by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

This story will be updated shortly.

This Independence Day, many Americans are celebrating much more than the 13 colonies' split from Great Britain. This Fourth of July also marks something of a return to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic forced most plans to be canceled, or at least adjusted, a year ago.

While the pandemic is not over, the United States is in a better spot to celebrate compared to last July 4 now that more than half the country's adult population is fully vaccinated against the virus.

This year, the Fourth of July falls on a Sunday, so it's also being observed by the federal government and some businesses on Monday, July 5.

Here's what that means for where you can go this long weekend.

Grocery stores

Most major grocery stores and retailers are open Sunday and Monday.

One exception is Costco, which is closed July 4. Trader Joe's is open but closes at 5 p.m. Both chains will be open on Monday.

Your pharmacy may also be closed Sunday. Publix is one chain closing its pharmacies that day. So it's best to call ahead to be safe, especially since some hours may vary by location.

Banks

Banks are always closed on Sundays, so July 4 is no exception. But many, such as Wells Fargo and Bank of America, will treat Monday as a holiday, so your bank will likely be closed on that day too. If you need cash, ATMs are always an option.

The stock market also observes July 5 as a holiday, so investors will have to hold off trading one more day this weekend.

Postal Service

The same goes for the U.S. Postal Service. It's typically closed on Sundays, but will also observe July 5 as a holiday this year.

Other government-owned offices

That's generally the case for any government-owned facilities, such as the DMV and public libraries. So you'll have to save those trips for when they reopen Tuesday.

UPS & FedEx

If you're banking on UPS or FedEx to help you out when USPS can't, those might be able to help you out Monday.

UPS and FedEx locations are closed on July 4 and they won't be making deliveries, but offices are open the next day. Locations may have modified hours though. So, like most of these places, it's safest to call ahead.

HOUSTON, Texas – There may not be a lot of people out during this coronavirus pandemic, but the same can’t be said for the nation’s wildlife.

In Houston, the city’s assistant police chief, Larry Satterwhite, ran into a group of ducklings trying to find their mother at Memorial Park.

The department posted a video of the sweet encounter and joked that the officer was providing a "police escort" for the young ducks.

Police didn’t disclose whether momma duck was found.

The day before, an NBC News reporter captured another Houston officer leading a string of ducklings back to their mom. She says he also helped her after she locked her keys in her car.

A big thank you to

@houstonpolice

Sgt. Engelhart who not only helped me after I locked my keys in the car this morning, but also helped these little chicks find their way back to mom — all while making sure that folks know all

@HoustonTX

parks are closed due to

#COVID19

.

pic.twitter.com/x3TX29xzwJ

— Priscilla Thompson (@PriscillaWT)

April 11, 2020

Restaurants were one of the first businesses forced to close when the novel coronavirus outbreak began in the United States, and now they are one of the leading industries with businesses announcing permanent closures.

“What we have seen over the last three weeks has been nothing short of a tidal wave,” said Sean Kennedy, who is with the National Restaurant Association. “3% of all restaurants have already announced they are closing their doors forever.”

That number, according to the National Restaurant Association, could jump as high as 11% in just the next few weeks.

“We are a $2.5 trillion driver for this economy, employing one out of every 10 workers,” said Kennedy, “More important than that we are such an institution for local communities, we drive up real estate, housing prices, we are the anchors for so many communities, and we want to make sure we can continue doing that but it is going to be a real struggle moving ahead.”

The National Restaurant Association is calling on Congress to tailor specific help to the restaurant industry in the next stimulus package, because while many restaurants are trying to stay open, through offering take-out and delivery, most cannot survive this way much longer.

“Virtually every restaurant is adopting some type of carry out or delivery model, even if they never had one before,” added Kennedy. “At the same time, 70% of operators have already laid off their workforce, a lot more layoffs are going to occur.

Kennedy explained the restaurant industry has had to lay off 3 million people already and that number is climbing steadily. The National Restaurant Association believes at this rate, it could be as much as 7 million jobs lost in the restaurant industry, if there isn’t an immediate response from Congress.

In the meantime, the National Restaurant Association has been fundraising, and has announced a grant program to help restaurant workers laid off or financially impacted by the pandemic. Restaurant workers who need help can apply for the grants at

RERF.US

.

“So far, we have raised over $10 million for this program. It is a series of $500 grants,” said Kennedy. “100% of the proceeds that we take in are going directly to affected workers.”

Most Americans, social distancing at home, are cooking on average 21 meals a week. Those who can afford to still eat out once or twice a week could save their local favorite restaurant and thousands of jobs.