LEBANON (FOX19) - Two large school levies failed in Warren County Tuesday night, while a smaller school levy easily won and the City of Franklin passed an income tax increase.

The Little Miami School District, already under state control due to deficits, lost its eight operating levy in a row, this one for a large 13.95 mills over 5 years.  What will happen next remains unclear, because the school is at state minimums in many areas.  There has been talk of the state breaking up the district, but there is no plan for how that might happen.  The levy failed by just 143 votes out of nearly ten thousand cast, the second very close margin in a row.

Lebanon City Schools, which like Little Miami described their levy as necessary to avoid an operating deficit, lost its 8.2 mill five-year levy by a large margin of 56 to 44 per cent.

Loveland, the vast majority of which is in Hamilton and Clermont Counties, asked voters for 3.5 mills, and won easily in all

COLUMBUS—State Representative Peter Beck (R-Warren County) will be holding town hall meetings throughout March and April.

These are public meetings and everyone is encouraged to participate. It is an opportunity for the residents of the 67th House District to speak with their state representative and discuss issues within the district and the upcoming budget process. Town hall meetings will be held at the following times and locations:

• Franklin Town Hall Meeting: Monday, March 7, 2011 from 5:00pm-6:00pm at the Franklin Fire Department, which is located at 45 East Fourth Street in Franklin
• Lebanon Town Hall Meeting: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 from 6:00pm-7:00pm in the Lebanon City Building, which is located at 50 South Broadway in Lebanon
• Franklin Township Town Hall Meeting: Thursday, March 24, 2011 from 5:00pm-6:00pm at the Franklin Township Administrative Building, which is located at 418 Fairview Dr.

MIDDLETOWN, OH (FOX19) – If you want the lowest gas prices in the area, your best bet is to be in Middletown or to be a member of a club store. 

If you want gasoline for under 3 dollars a gallon, you’ll need a time machine.

Prices took off like a jump jet Monday or Tuesday, according to the chart on the FOX19 Gas Price Tracker page.  Last week a number of stations had prices of $3.03 or lower; after the price hike was over, the average price for regular was around $3.29 a gallon, with few stations varying much from that average.

The lowest prices were in scattered spots around Southwest Ohio.   Motorists who report prices observed the Costco and Sam’s Club locations along Fields Ertel Road in Mason and Loveland charging 3.09 (omitting the fractional .9 cents)  for regular.   A number of stations on Middletown’s northwest side nearest the airport and Miami Unive