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This might look like a new weapon for Sheriff Simon
Leis' ever expanding armory, but it's actually a
proposed floating museum.
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First an aquarium landed on Newport's riverfront instead of Cincinnati's. Then came the Imax and AMC theaters and the first U.S. location of Hofbrauhaus, originally supposed to open near Paul Brown Stadium. Now the USS Cincinnati, a decommissioned nuclear submarine, might end up on the shores of Northern Kentucky, according to Joseph Jaap, president of Submarine Cincinnati Museum Foundation.
The organization wants to convert the sub into a museum on the river. Southbank Partners, a Northern Kentucky economic development group, has shown a strong interest in having the museum on its shores, Jaap says.
The sub is in Seattle and could be scrapped in 14 months. If the Navy accepts the museum proposal, the vessel would be towed from Seattle to New Orleans via the Panama Canal, then put on a barge and moved up the Mississippi River to Cincinnati -- an 8,000-mile trip.
"The last half-mile is still up in the air," Jaap says.
All the conceptual drawings picture the sub on the Cincinnati side. Having the museum in Northern Kentucky would be better than not having it at all, but how would Cincinnati boosters explain that one to visitors?
Good Lighting Is Important
If you wonder why everything's moving to Newport, sit a while on the front porch at Southgate House. You'll see people drift over to the laid-back nightclub from Newport on the Levee and vice-versa. The two establishments seem to feed off each other, each bringing nightlife and energy to little old Newport. Meanwhile, across the river in downtown Cincinnati, the sidewalks might be rolled up and most of the doors locked but those great lights shining from the empty stadiums are quite impressive.
Speaking of feeding off each other: Those who attended the Patty Griffin concert Aug. 2 at Southgate House had to endure 90-degree temperatures; the concert hall isn't air-conditioned. Complaining abounded, but when Griffin took the stage and showed relentless energy and showmanship, the complaints stopped. The hall stayed packed during her 90-minute act, with the feeling that if Griffin could handle the heat so effortlessly so should her fans.
Coalition Gets Judge's Notice, Artists' Support
The Coalition for a Just Cincinnati (CJC) made a mark in the settlement of the racial profiling lawsuit against the Cincinnati Police Department. In approving the settlement, U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott took note of concerns raised by CJC member Monica Williams. The CJC argued the agreement contained too little detail on police standards, left too much room for the city administration to interfere with the new Civilian Complaint Authority and the person hired to monitor the agreement might be biased in favor of police. Dlott said she couldn't modify the agreement but complimented Williams' remarks.
"These critiques by Ms. Williams and the Coalition for a Just Cincinnati are thoughtful, but the court may not make the modifications they suggest. ... The court may either accept or reject the proposed settlement, but it may not modify its terms," Dlott wrote.
Although Dlott found the CJC's concerns insufficient to justify rejecting the agreement, she addressed them by saying the court will be responsible for enforcing the settlement.
The lawsuit by the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) against the CJC has prompted the creation of a new arts group, according to Martha Stephens, author and University of Cincinnati professor. The new Writers and Artists Collaborative meets at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Peaslee Center. The CAA filed suit because of damages incurred as a result of the civil rights boycott.
"We have not wanted the CAA to succeed in any degree at all in seeming to represent the community of artists here," Stephens says.
In fact, the Writers and Artists Collaborative starts with a goal directly opposed to the CAA's effort.
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Photo By Jymi Bolden
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Artists enjoy the "I Dream of Peace" bench
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"We hope that such a group will appeal to the city to engage in open negotiations around the boycott," Stephens says.
A bench painted with a mosaic on the theme "I Have a Dream of Peace" now graces Washington Park. The bench -- a collaboration by artists, the Peaslee Neighborhood Center and the Cincinnati Art Academy -- was dedicated Aug. 3 during the Over-the-Rhine Festival.
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