A new and regular feature of MyHometownOhio, bringing our readers a selection of stories that come to our attention...

Cincinnati – Wal-Mart’s frustrations in expanding in the Queen City metro area are profiled here.

Efforts to preserve Ohio’s Indian burial mounds get noticed by the Wall Street Journal.

What can you do in Ohio downtowns this summer? How about dance right on Main Street (Amherst), look at replicas of WACO aircraft stationed around downtown (Troy), enjoy a wide selection of Ohio wines (Sandusky), or attend the 15th Annual Black Swamp Arts Festival (Bowling Green)?

Talk about promotion… looks like its time to “Discover Cambridge” – an outstanding local access television promotional video series can now be viewed online.

Heritage Ohio has a new Director of Downtown Revitalization, Jeff Seigler, who comes directly from a position with the Main Street Lancaster program.

It turns out that Ohio led the nation last year in completed projects using the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit (109 of them, to be exact).

The Cleveland Restoration Society has expanded their Heritage Home Program to Akron.

Speaking of Cleveland, read about a recent visit by representatives of the Ohio Historic Preservation Office to the Hough Bakery Building.

They were literally camped out in the parking lot over the weekend, waiting for the magic moment to arrive. Some sent younger relatives to brave the elements and save their place in line. Others passed the time by enjoying games of touch football in the wide lawn.

No, it wasn’t the recent heralded launch of Apple’s new iPhone. Believe it or not, these folks were encamped in the parking lot of the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus hoping to be rewarded for investing in historic resources across Ohio. At 8:00 a.m. this morning, the doors swung open and applications were accepted for the brand-new Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit.

100 projects will be eligible for the credit this cycle, and applications were being accepted on a first-come, first serve basis.

Applicants represented a variety of projects. One Northeast Ohio contingent dropped off over 20 applications for planned renovations, while single project representatives came from Marion, Summit, Adams, Hamilton, Clark and other counties. Submitted plans ranged from large-scale hotel renovations to smaller projects, including a historic theater, a rural farmhouse and smaller commercial buildings.  By 11:00 a.m., over 60 applications had been received.

Preservation Ohio and Heritage Ohio joined the Ohio Historical Society in providing informational material and refreshments for applicants.

Photo: Applications being submitted for the new Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit, Monday, July 2 at the Ohio Historical Center/Preservation Ohio File Photo