Hamilton County Commissioners are ordering the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) to suspend work until the City of Cincinnati changes a new hiring policy.

The County owns MSD but it's operated by the city.

On Wednesday, commissioners passed a resolution stopping work on all projects affected by the city's policy. The county argues the policy, which requires an apprenticeship program, unfairly excludes many non-union companies from bidding for construction jobs.

For 22 straight months Greater Cincinnati home sales have continued to climb. In April they were up 24% in Cincinnati and 17% in Northern Kentucky.

Number of homes sold

Cincinnati home sales for last month totaled 1,919 compared to 1,547 a year ago. Four hundred sixty-nine homes were sold in Northern Kentucky in April compared to 400 in April of 2012.

Average selling price

AAA is projecting a slight decline in Memorial Day travel.  The automobile association says 34.8 million people will be traveling more than 50 miles from home Thursday through Monday.  Last year it was 35.1 million.   The automobile association estimates 1,312, 559 Ohioans plan to travel for the holiday, also a slight decline from last year. 

The economy's been doing better, but....

Cheryl Parker with AAA in Cincinnati said one reason for the decrease is the impact of the  federal government's budget sequester is starting to be felt. 

The La Salle student who shot himself at school last month is being moved from the UC Medical Center to  a rehab facility.  

For weeks the honors student was in critical condition after shooting himself in class. His family released this statement Thursday:

Cincinnati’s Zoning Hearing Examiner may not have the most exciting job in the city, but he has been working to improve the office.  

Marion Haynes addressed Council’s Livable Communities Committee Tuesday about his first year on the job.  He said he’s tried to reduce the time it takes for an issue to go through the process to less than 60 days.  

Just in time for National Bike Month, the OKI Regional Council of Governments has just released an updated Cincinnati Bike Route Guide.

You can view it online here, or you can request a copy by mail for free here.

More Links:

Three major Ohio universities and four hospitals have joined in a new research collaborative aimed at finding the unknown causes of premature birth.  The March of Dimes says the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center are among the partners in the program. 

Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, Senior Vice President of Research and Global Programs for the March of Dimes, said a great deal of work has been done trying to decrease the frequency of preterm birth and there have been some successes.

Beginning July 1, the speed limit on some Ohio interstates increases to 70 mph. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is making some new signs and updating others with the new limit. The cost is $8,287.19.

ODOT outlines the new speed zones below. You can also click here for a large map.

Interstate 70

Facing a deficit, the Contemporary Arts Center is taking steps to get back in the black. Initiatives include a reduction in personnel (4 people or 16% of employees), a reorganization of staff in key areas, a 20% reduction in the director’s salary, increasing contributed and earned revenue, and reducing the draw on the museum’s investments.