Daily editionSaturday, October 3rd, 2026
Good morning, Cincinnati.
The 5AM Cincinnati Team
Here’s your local news at a glance for Saturday, the 3rd of October.
Community
In an email on Sept. 30, Crossroads pastor Brian Tome said he will no longer manage church operations, choosing to focus on preaching, mentoring, & outreach through his podcast.
Senior pastor Kyle Ranson will assume leadership duties and join the board after Tome’s return from a six-month suspension.
Cincinnati EnquirerRead more
Business
Skyline Chili, a local favorite since 1949, earned 17th place for customer satisfaction in a ChangeUp report evaluating 50 restaurant brands + it did not rank in the top 50 in 2025.
Local 12 NewsRead more
Packaging Corporation of America's Baltimore Street plant in Middletown will close on Dec. 1, laying off over 90 employees as part of a difficult business decision; the firm operates nine plants in Ohio.
Cincinnati EnquirerRead more
Culture
Artist Daniel Buford is turning an old tree at the United Colored American Cemetery in Madisonville into a ‘wiping the tears’ totem pole to honor unmarked graves of people who helped escape slavery.
He works on the memorial daily (preserving lost histories) to bring local remembrance.
WCPORead more
The Cincinnati Museum Center is showcasing the 'Equal to Any in the City' exhibit featuring pioneering photographs by J.P. Ball and A.S. Thomas; the display runs through Oct. 14 and does not require a separate museum ticket & offers a look at early commercial photography.
Cincinnati EnquirerRead more
Officials demonstrated the CincyAlert system to help keep festival-goers informed ahead of BLINK 2026, where over 2M attendees are expected each night from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. between Oct. 8-11.
Attendees are urged to sign up via the website + text BLINK2026 for customizable alerts.
FOX19 NOWRead more
Economy
Packaging Corp. of America will close its Middletown plant, affecting over 90 workers, as noted in a state notice on Friday, Oct. 2 (company officials said it was a challenging business decision).
Layoffs are expected to be permanent.
Journal-NewsRead more
Education
Walnut Hills High School students grew their AI club into SAIL, an international nonprofit reaching over 16,000 students with chapters in several states and abroad.
The organization holds regional workshops & plans a session at St. Jude School in two weeks while teaching safe AI use and media literacy.
WCPORead more
Government
A new feasibility study of Cincinnati's subway tunnels has drawn interest from top global design and engineering firms, and officials are exploring options to revive the historic transit system.
The study marks the first step in rethinking the city's underground legacy.
Cincinnati EnquirerRead more
Health
The Ohio Department of Health reported that measles has spread to four more counties, raising this year’s total to 206 cases.
Health officials say nearly all cases are among unvaccinated people and urge residents to get vaccinated to help prevent further spread.
Cincinnati EnquirerRead more
Hamilton County officials and the University of Cincinnati partnered to place 24 naloxone boxes with Narcan and fentanyl test strips in public overdose hot spots, including downtown (near Hard Rock Casino).
They will track and refill the boxes as needed to help reduce overdose deaths.
Local 12 NewsRead more
Ashley Holbrook, set to marry next Friday, is cancer-free after a mastectomy prompted by a breast cancer diagnosis detected at Christ Hospital’s High Risk Clinic (thanks to early detection).
Her treatment preserved her fertility and allowed her to continue planning her long-awaited wedding.
WCPORead more