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Friday, November 6, 2026

Fiona the hippo is now a 24-foot nutcracker, and TANK changes routes Saturday

Plus, new TANK service Saturday and Covington Catholic's playoff opener tonight

The 5AM Covington team1 story10 sources4 min read

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Carhartt beanie | $19.99 | Choose their favorite color of this best-selling hat that’s sure to become their winter go-to.

Softies waffle lounge set | $170 | Featured in “Oprah’s Favorite Things,” this set features the brand’s famously soft marshmallow waffle fabric.

Candle warmer lamp | $22.99 | This stylish warmer doubles as a chic accent piece.

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Day TripTop story

Fiona the hippo is now a 24-foot nutcracker at the Cincinnati Zoo

Fiona the Nutcracker is big, and every detail means something

24 feet
tall, and eight feet wide
12
people who spent more than 1,600 hours building her
29
buttons on her coat, one for every pound she weighed at birth
6
watermelon slices on her belt, for the weeks she arrived early

Sources: FOX19, WLWT

If you're ready for the holidays, the Cincinnati Zoo is. Crews lifted the head onto its Fiona the Hippo nutcracker Thursday, the finishing touch on a statue that guards the Vine Street Village entrance.

The details tell Fiona's story. Her belt buckle has a camera, a nod to growing up in the spotlight, and her little brother Fritz is painted on a toenail.

  • Festival dates: Nov. 19 to Jan. 3
  • Admission: the festival is included in zoo admission
  • Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
  • New areas: Into the Cosmos, a bigger Under the Sea

The statue sets up the PNC Festival of the Lights. "There's a whole new Santa's Village that you're gonna love," said Chad Yelton, the zoo's vice president of business operations.

Over 5 millionlights at this year's PNC Festival of the Lights

The festival brings back fan favorites and adds new themed areas for visitors to explore.

Source: FOX19

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News Notes

Transit

's new service updates take effect Saturday, Nov. 7. Route 1 will be extended to Newport, with service ending at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Ft. Thomas, and peak frequency on Routes 3, 7 and 12 will increase from hourly service. Northern Kentucky Tribune

Five dates fill the next several days

  1. Nov. 6Covington Catholic hosts Johnson Central at 7 p.m. in the Class 4A playoffs.
  2. Nov. 7's new service updates take effect.
  3. Nov. 8The Bengals play the Falcons in Madrid.
  4. Nov. 9Overnight single-lane closures on I-71 are scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.
  5. Nov. 10Covington holds a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. for Pleasant Street workforce housing.

Sources: The Paintsville Herald, Northern Kentucky Tribune, WLWT, Cincinnati Enquirer, WKRC

Housing

Covington will hold a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 304 and 308 Pleasant Street in Eastside for the first phase of a workforce housing project. The two three-bedroom homes are expected to sell for $250,000 to $260,000 to households earning no more than 80 percent of the . Northern Kentucky Tribune

Football

Heading out tonight? Covington Catholic (6-4) hosts Johnson Central (3-7) in the Class 4A first round at , with kickoff at 7 p.m. CovCath has knocked Johnson Central out of the playoffs the last three seasons. The Paintsville Herald

Bengals

Sunday's game against the Falcons is Cincinnati's third overseas game and its first in Spain. WLWT reports thousands of fans are already in Madrid. Stacy Lawrence of Loveland called the trip "really fun." Cincinnati EnquirerWLWT

Overnight lanes

If you drive Fort Washington Way late, the Ohio Department of Transportation will close single lanes of I-71 between I-75 and I-471 from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night to replace overhead lights. The work is scheduled to begin Monday and is expected to wrap up by Thursday. WKRC

Home

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How will you follow the Bengals' game in Madrid on Sunday?

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Today’s puzzles

A new puzzle in each one every morning, played right here.

All 13 games

Quoted

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— Natalie Goldberg

Things to Do

Things to Do

Covington, KY

Friday, Nov. 6

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Around the Block

Around the Block

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Lost and found

**OWNER FOUND**

“Anyone recognize this pup? Found him or her wandering around Banklick in Covington near John G. Carlisle this morning. Going to check for a chip this afternoon.”

— A neighbor, Downtown Covington
Photo from the neighbor’s post

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The Wrap

A new mural at the corner of Spring and High streets shows an elephant running through a flower garden, and it commemorates the "Great Elephant Escape" of 1982. That was June 9, 1982, right after the Hoxie Brothers Circus played its final Covington show. Despite the name, there were no Hoxie brothers. Founder Leonard Basil "Hoxie" Tucker just liked the sound of it. Run, elephant, run.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Tee Higgins wins AFC Offensive Player of the Week

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Every source in this edition10 links · 8 outlets
  1. The Weather Channelweather.com
  2. WLWTwlwt.com
  3. FOX19fox19.com
  4. Northern Kentucky Tribunenkytribune.com
  5. The Paintsville Heraldpaintsvilleherald.com
  6. WLWTwlwt.com
  7. Cincinnati Enquirercincinnati.com
  8. WKRClocal12.com
  9. Northern Kentucky Tribunenkytribune.com
  10. Covington events calendar5amcovingtonky.com

Past issues

  1. Sun., Nov. 8FC Cincinnati heads to Orlando for the MLS wild-card game Nov. 19
  2. Sat., Nov. 7Newport Aquarium's cold-climate penguins are moving out
  3. Thurs., Nov. 5Tee Higgins wins AFC Offensive Player of the Week
  4. Wed., Nov. 4Bengals fly to Madrid with defense fixes to make
  5. Tues., Nov. 3NKU, Bearcats and Xavier win openers; Sal Stewart up for Rookie of the Year
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5AM Covingtonto me · Fri., Nov. 66:00 a.m.

Fiona the hippo is now a 24-foot nutcracker, and TANK changes routes Saturday

Plus, new TANK service Saturday and Covington Catholic's playoff opener tonight

The TLDR

  1. Fiona the hippo is now a 24-foot nutcracker at the zoo
  2. TANK's service updates take effect Saturday, Nov. 7
  3. Pleasant Street homes get a ribbon-cutting Tuesday
Read this edition

More stories this week

From 5AM Covington’s other editions

All the news
FC CincinnatiFC Cincinnati lost 2-0 to Nashville and will play Orlando City in the MLS wild-card game Nov. 19If you were at TQL Stadium on Saturday, you watched Nashville SC make history. Sam Surridge scored in the 61st and 86th minutes as Nashville won 2-0, finishing with 77 points, an MLS record that tops Inter Miami's 74 from 2024. FC Cincinnati ended the regular season 12-12-10 with 46 points, in front of a sellout crowd of 25,513.Today’s editionRead Animal WelfareCincinnati Animal CARE is at critical capacity after taking in 112 dogs in a weekIf you have room for a dog, Cincinnati Animal CARE is making an urgent plea for adopters and fosters. The shelter, Hamilton County's only open-intake shelter, says it took in 112 dogs in a week, and 38 came through animal welfare investigations.Today’s editionRead NewportNewport Aquarium will expand its African penguin colony as the cold-climate penguins move outIf you've got a penguin fan at home, mark your calendar. Newport Aquarium announced Nov. 6 that it will expand its African penguin colony, and the cold-climate penguins in Penguin Palooza will move to other aquariums and zoos over the next few months.Saturday’s editionRead

Around Covington

From Cincinnati Enquirer, WKRC and 3 more newsrooms, gathered by 6AM News, 6AM City’s local news service.

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