Becca Costello
Local Government ReporterExpertise: Local politics, housing policy
Education: Cincinnati Christian University, Indiana University, UC Clermont
Contact: bcostello@wvxu.org
Favorite Tri-State Neighborhood: Covington (just don't tell anyone at Cincinnati City Hall).
Highlights
- Reports on all things local government with a particular focus on Cincinnati
- Experienced reporter in public radio and television across the Midwest
- Winner of awards at the local, regional and national level
- Lifelong listener of Cincinnati Public Radio
Experience
Before joining the WVXU newsroom, Becca worked in public radio and TV journalism in Bloomington, Indiana, and Lincoln, Nebraska. Becca has earned numerous awards for her reporting, including from the Heartland Emmys, local chapters of the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists, and contributed to regional and national Murrow Award winners. She grew up in Clermont County listening to WVXU and considers public radio journalism her "dream job."
Education
Becca has a bachelor's degree from Cincinnati Christian University, where she studied Biblical studies and communications, and a master's degree in journalism from Indiana University. She also proudly studied at UC Clermont, of the University of Cincinnati's community colleges, for two years.
About WVXU
The central pillar of Cincinnati Public Radio’s local network — accounting for the lion’s share of its 211,000 listeners each week — 91.7 WVXU is among the most reliable media institutions in the Tri-State region. Our mission is to always be a trusted, independent source of journalism, music and culture, empowering a vibrant, engaged and informed community.
Why trust us
Our team of reporters and editors have decades of experience writing and reporting the news. Our first responsibility is to our listeners and readers. There is no connection between our funding and editorial decisions. When we do cover a funding partner, a disclosure will be mentioned on-air and online. We take pride in our work, editing and fact-checking every story. If an article warrants a correction, we will immediately correct it and explain the correction for complete transparency.
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Walsh just took the oath of office for a second full City Council term earlier this week.
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It's not yet clear how much the proposed increase would be.
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Keep Cincinnati Beautiful collected over a million pounds of waste last year in an effort to reduce illegal dumping and litter.
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Curbside recycling is available for single-family homes with no extra fee, but multifamily properties have to pay for the service.
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The program is one of the last pieces of the effort to reduce the city’s racial wealth gap and improve financial empowerment through the Financial Freedom Blueprint.
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Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval has reappointed Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney to serve as Vice Mayor for the next term.
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The city manager placed Police Chief Teresa Theetge on paid leave over two months ago. Shortly after, the city hired law firm Frost Brown Todd to conduct an investigation.
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All the funding for the park itself is secured, but there’s still work to do.
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Cincinnati bike share program Red Bike reached over 125,000 rides in 2025, the second highest on record.
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WVXU wanted to know what a "State of the City" address from average residents might sound like. We heard different perspectives on a few topics that dominated news headlines in 2025.