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Isabella Zinchini

My objective is to disseminate information to the public in a manner that is relevant, timely and important. In doing so, I hope to provide some sort of path so that my community may make the best possible decisions about their lives, their societies and their governments.

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Small cities, big communities: Bellevue, Dayton set example for NKY - LINK nky

This story originally appeared in the June 14, 2024 edition of the LINK Reader. To get stories like this first, subscribe here.


This story was prepared in conjunction with Meghan Goth’s reporting and writing class at the University of Cincinnati with additional help from UC’s student newspaper, The News Record. 


Ben Baker and Charlie Cleves have each other’s backs. 


The mayors of Dayton and Bellevue, respectively, readily admit that they are in this together. The two river cities, separ...
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Edgewood City Council tables golf cart ordinance discussion

Edgewood council discussed the possibility of an ordinance allowing golf carts on city streets during its Monday meeting. The discussion has gone on for three previous council meetings with no action taken.

Kentucky state law currently does not outright ban golf carts on city streets, but there are limitations and guidelines. In addition, some cities have adopted ordinances typically allowing golf cart users a little more leeway.

The proposed ordinance would allow those over the age of 18 with
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154 years of history: Bellevue throws city birthday party

Bellevue celebrated its 154th birthday with a cake, bounce house and games this weekend.

Bellevue locals pride themselves on being a tight knit community, said city Marketing Director Melissa Morandi, who came up with the idea of the birthday celebration.

“We’re just trying to create family-friendly fun events and thought this would be a really great addition,” Morandi said.

The birthday event, held Friday, March 15 at the Callahan Community Center, was complete with raffle drawings throughou
The News Record •

COVID-19’s impact on UC dining

Dining halls have seen some of the biggest changes on college campuses since the COVID-19 pandemic. The University of Cincinnati (UC) was among these colleges when, in the summer of 2021, it implemented changes such as socially distant dining and expanded takeout options.

In the fall 2020 semester, UC utilized a COVID check app designed as a required daily health check to determine a student’s health status in regards to campus facility access, such as the recreation center and dining halls.

S
The News Record •

Nepalese Student Association brings Dashain to UC

The Nepalese Student Association (NSA) was created as a way for Nepalese students at UC to connect with each other. NSA provides a welcoming environment for any who wish to learn about and celebrate Nepali culture and bring a sense of home to Nepali international students.

“It helps foster community and tries to help Nepalese students get their bearings at UC [and] meet new people,” Shrinkhala Maharjan, a third-year neurobiology major at UC and NSA public relations manager, said.

NSA is open t
The News Record •

Opinion | ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ is not a Christmas movie

Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a holiday classic beloved by many. The film, however, stands as a catalyst for contention as the question remains: Which holiday is it a classic of?

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” is not a Christmas movie, but a Halloween movie with Christmas themes. Filmmaker and creative mind behind the movie, Tim Burton, is known for his eerie kids movies, such as “The Corpse Bride,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Coraline” and others.

Such movies consist of darke
The News Record •

Opinion | September is not too early to start celebrating the spooky season

September is the perfect time to transition from summer to fall and get in the Halloween mindset with orange decorations, fall eats and comfy clothes.

Of course, there are those who are sensitive to the end of summer and aren’t quite ready for the reemergence of pumpkin spice and all things spooky, but enough is enough. We have suffered through the sticky, sweaty 90+ degree weather for long enough.

The minute the first day of September hits, the changes are immediate and in your face: grocery
The News Record •

Opinion | Every eligible citizen should register to vote

Every eligible American citizen should register to vote. Sept. 19 marks National Voter Registration Day, a nonpartisan civic holiday that reminds us that it is time to do our part as citizens and register to vote in your county.

Every year, a shocking number of voters find themselves unable to vote due to a failure to register in time, a failure to update registration information (this includes after a move or a name change), or simply because they aren’t sure how to register. September serves
The News Record •

Elon Musk’s ‘X’ is a bad idea

Elon Musk has officially rebranded Twitter to “X,” and longtime users of the original platform aren’t particularly enthused by the change. Musk’s egocentric tendencies have resulted in the loss of the iconic blue bird and the potential downfall of the beloved platform.

The rebrand was intended to evolve the site into an “everything app” and “add comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world,” Musk said in a tweet. In general, the idea isn’t a bad one.

Rebr
The News Record •

Feminine hygiene products should be free in schools nationwide

For too long, feminine hygiene products have been looked at as a luxury—something desirable, but costly and not always easily accessible. As a result, the total number of individuals unable to obtain period products increases daily. It is time we nationally recognize access to feminine hygiene products as a basic human right—just as we do soap, water and toilet paper.

In US schools alone, 1 in 4 students—particularly students of color, low income students and rural students—are affected by peri
The News Record •

I voted ‘no’ on Issue 1—here’s why

On Aug. 8, Ohioans flocked to the polls in their final chance to cast their ballot on Issue 1 (HJR 6), a proposed constitutional amendment that would break a 110-year voting history. The majority of votes were cast against, rejecting the proposal.

Here are some of the reasons I agree with the majority.

Issue 1 was proposed by Republican legislatures to “protect Ohio’s Constitution” from special interest groups targeting Ohio’s constitutional policies. However, the only thing it would truly suc
The News Record •

Big 12 welcomes ‘Freshman Four’

The Big 12 has welcomed the University of Cincinnati (UC), the University of Central Florida (UCF), Houston and Brigham Young University (BYU) into the Power 5 conference. Following the conference’s meeting in West Virginia, Commissioner Brett Yormark explained that while the conference has an interest in expanding its national basketball footprint, “football is the driver.”

Sporting a new logo on their jerseys comes with its own set of challenges, and the “Freshman Four” will have to work espe
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Concert band in the era of coronavirus

The band room, left empty months into the school year. The WHHS band directors were tasked with getting this art form across, while still remaining safe due to the pandemic.

WHHS’s band department has been working nonstop since the outbreak of COVID-19 to find new innovative ways of learning in a virtual environment as well as preparing for a hybrid style of learning. But what exactly will this look like? Band directors Richard Canter, Andrew Peoples and Edward LeBorgne explain.

Adjusting to o
The Chatterbox | The Student News Site of Walnut Hills High School •

Bengals Spirit Day

For the first time since 1988, our city’s very own Cincinnati Bengals have made it to the Super Bowl and WHHS students are ecstatic. WHHS student body and faculty flooded Blair Circle in a sea of black and orange to show their support, and cheer on our own winter sports teams.

Led by Marching Blue and Gold Captain SENIOR Mohammad Kassem, drum major Katie Berich, ‘24 and the WHHS drumline, the athletes walked through a tunnel of crazed Bengals fans.

Students and staff around campus have been sh
The Chatterbox | The Student News Site of Walnut Hills High School •

Reinventing creativity

Photography teacher Elizabeth Knodle teaches Serentiy Billups ‘24 the basics of photography to start the year off. Knodle is excited to watch her students develop their very first roll of film in the weeks to come.

The WHHS fine arts program is on the brink of a creative comeback after a year of virtual performances and shows. Teachers, directors and students are excited to finally return to a sense of normalcy.

Helen Raymond-Goers, or as her students know her, RG, is a long time theater and c
The Chatterbox | The Student News Site of Walnut Hills High School •

To mask or not to mask: Cincinnati Public Schools continues to follow CDC guidelines

The return to in-person learning welcomed over 2,800 students and over 100 faculty members back onto our campus. The halls became crowded again, and courses returned to normal, the only difference being mask wearing.

As the 2021-22 school year began, many Cincinnati school districts declared the mask mandate as optional, a decision made possible by Senate Bill 22 (SB 22).

Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS), however, continues to follow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested
The Chatterbox | The Student News Site of Walnut Hills High School •

Praise for Andrew Peoples

It can be argued that music teachers and directors play a crucial role in the lives of their students, beyond improving their musical skills and preparing for performances.

In a typical school classroom, instruction consists primarily of lecturing to students sitting in rows at desks, dutifully listening and taking notes. In some music classrooms, it is strictly about the performance and the technique and skill of each individual musician.

It is the belief of WHHS Band Director Andrew Peoples,
The Chatterbox | The Student News Site of Walnut Hills High School •

Why I don’t want to return to school in person

Robert Keegan, ‘22, sits in an empty Blair Circle. Between classes, Blair Circle used to flood with students trying to get across campus for class, but since students have returned, few have taken advantage of alternative routes on campus.

On March 31, most WHHS students chose to return to campus in-person after a year of distance learning. The Chatterbox staff published two opposing views on the return to school. Read the companion piece here.

Is returning to an in-person learning environment
The Chatterbox | The Student News Site of Walnut Hills High School •

Kasey Shao: musical endeavors

SENIOR Kasey Shao has been involved in the musical community since the age of six, so naturally, when she came to WHHS as an eighth grader, she was more than eager to be a part of the music department. However, when she discovered that the only way to do so was to take a musical class in place of an academic course, she made the decision to start a club that allowed her to do both.

Shao founded Music Nuts her junior year of high school as a way for musicians with no time in their schedule for a
The Chatterbox | The Student News Site of Walnut Hills High School •

Alumna creates art with an impact

WHHS alumna Maham Usmani, ‘19, a current Ohio State sophomore, started creating works of art her junior year of high school. The focus of her art? People of color. Her goal? To spread awareness beyond petition signing.

“The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is something I’ve always been passionate about and spoken out about it to my friends and signed petitions, but I wanted to have something that was my own that contributes towards it,” Usmani said.

She made the decision to go back through pi
The Chatterbox | The Student News Site of Walnut Hills High School •

Goal-oriented on and off the field

Balancing academics and athletics can come with many stressful challenges, but it’s easier to handle when you have people behind you, supporting you all the way. Jorja Wilkerson, ‘24, knows what it’s like to deal with this stress, and was eventually able to find that perfect balance, with her friends, family and coaches on her side.

Wilkerson has been on the WHHS track team for the past two seasons and has been playing soccer since she was five. Wilkerson says both have a lot to offer but she