Cincinnati Halts Spending On Streetcar Project

Cincinnati's city council has voted to immediately halt spending on a $133 million streetcar that has been under construction for months. The sharply divided council voted 5-4 Wednesday to stop spending pending a financial analysis of whether it would be more expensive to stop the project in its tracks or finish it. Those numbers may be available in as soon as two weeks. Council members who voted against stopping construction say that doing so will cost millions of dollars and permanently jeopardizes $44.9 million in federal funds for the project. Those members voting to halt the funding say they want to understand what the numbers are before they come to a final decision on whether to stop it. The vote came after three days of tense debate among the council.