CINCINNATI — Emilio Estevez feels the magic every time he returns to Cincinnati. So much so that it was the first topic to come up in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, published online this week.

"It’s so cool! I love being able to tell people in L.A. or New York, either come visit us to see what the hell is going on, or please stay away. One or the other," the actor and director said. "It's a really magical city."

In the interview, Estevez spoke about his local family roots. His mother was born here, and his father and fellow actor, Martin Sheen, was born an hour north in Dayton.

He said his "love affair" with the Queen City began a decade ago, when he was touring for his film "The Way."

"(O)ur last stop was in Cincy, and Kristen Schlotman, who runs the film commission, said, 'Hey, you should stick around and see what Cincy has to offer,'" he told the magazine. "And I did. That began the love affair back in 2010. And in the last 10 years, the city has just exploded."

In the time since, Estevez has become one of the city's most famous residents after buying a place in Over-the-Rhine. He shot and set his latest film, "The Public," in Cincinnati, with most of the story taking place inside the Downtown branch of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library.

As an OTR resident, he recently get involved in city politics when he wrote a letter to Mayor John Cranley and City Council asking them to reconsider keeping the streetcar closed indefinitely after it was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"As much as I love to walk, it's getting hot now, and I know that I speak for many of the OTR residents who would like to get on the streetcar and ride to Findlay Market and other businesses that can use all of our help to get back on their feet during this pandemic," Estevez wrote late last spring.

Estevez went on to applaud the city's booming beer brewing scene, restaurants, night life and architecture.

"I call it the Paris of the Midwest. I didn’t coin that, but that’s how I feel about it," he said.

The magazine published the interview in anticipation of an upcoming "Mighty Ducks" reboot, "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers," which premiered on Disney+ Friday.

Editor’s note: With our coronavirus coverage, our goal is not to alarm you but to equip you with the information you need. We will try to keep things in context and focus on helping you make decisions. See a list of resources and frequently asked questions here.

Facing looming revenue shortages for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic throughout the Tri-State, local transit agencies will receive emergency aid from the stimulus bill passed by Congress last week.

The Federal Transit Administration Friday unveiled $25 billion in stimulus dollars for public transportation systems across the U.S. as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, a bill designed to keep the country's economy afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FTA allocated $45.4 million to southwest Ohio's four public transit systems -- Cincinnati Metro, the Butler County Regional Transit Authority, the Clermont Transit Connection and the Cincinnati streetcar. The FTA granted $11.6 million to TANK, Northern Kentucky's only public transportation system.

READ MORE: How is Tri-State transit responding to COVID-19 pandemic?

Suballocation of the $45.4 million to the four southwest Ohio systems is determined by local processes, the FTA indicated in the materials released Friday. Those are based on population served and the level of service provided by each transit system. Based on these criteria, Metro stands to collect the vast majority of that aid.

Both Metro and TANK recently announced reductions in service and other measures they would take in response to the coronavirus. Neither bus system is collecting fares, and both are requiring passengers board through the rear door in order to reduce contact between riders and operators. As fewer and fewer daily riders were commuting to work, bus ridership plummeted, and both systems scaled back routes to weekend service levels.

Mayor John Cranley and Health Director Melba Moore this week ordered the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar closed to passenger service. The city administration is in the process of determining what level of streetcar staffing and operations to maintain during the shutdown.

More information on how the stimulus funds could help transit agencies resume closer-to-normal service levels was not immediately available.