Best of Cincinnati Card

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Porkopolis

For All the Wrong Reasons

By Kevin Osborne

When a Jan. 25 e-mail exchange between Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune and Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Burke became public through a leak, it lifted the veil on the thinking of some political bigwigs. The pair began the exchange to discuss who should be appointed to fill a vacancy on the Board of Elections and ended up opening an ugly window into inter-party dealings and behind-the-scenes jockeying.

News

Workers Laid Off After 'Living Wage' Battle

Rumpke: Ex-employees unqualified for same jobs they held before

By Dave Malaska

Little more than six months after helping a group of temporary workers claim better wages and put an end to bizarre fees that ate into their already meager incomes, local activists are suddenly less sublime about the battles they won last year. Of the 50 workers they represented in legal tussles with their employers, less than half are still working at Rumpke's St. Bernard recycling center.

News

Case Closed on Expungements

Ohio law hampers ex-felon's job search

By Matt Cunningham

Jasen Burwinkel, 27, could be like any number of job seekers in the Tristate, except for one thing: His record includes a theft conviction, a crime for which he served about three months in jail. "It hurts every time I come back from an interview, because they say, 'You have a theft? No job.'" About 650,000 people are released from prison each year in the U.S., and many advocacy groups are pushing for more lenient expungement laws for non-violent offenders as a way to help them gain employment and avoid becoming repeat offenders.

Winners and Losers

Greg Harris and 'Taking the Stage'

By Dave Malaska

Harris was a standout on Cincinnati City Council last year for bravely challenging wasteful spending in the city’s police and fire departments. Unfortunately, the powerful police and firefighter unions then waged a highly misleading disinformation campaign against him, leading to Harris’ defeat at the polls in November.

On Second Thought

Supreme Court: Let's Fight Words With Words, Not Muzzles

By Ben L. Kaufman

It didn't take long before I realized the true horror of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision freeing corporations to spend freely to support political campaigns. It wasn't the new potential for corruption or wealth drowning out other voices. It's the promise of more campaign ads on local TV.


News

GOP Lures New Candidate Against Pepper

Local Tea Party leader angry over change

By Kevin Osborne

The honeymoon might be over between Tea Party followers and Ohio Republicans. Although the Cincinnati Tea Party has long said it’s a non-partisan group, its largest rallies and protests have featured a predominantly GOP slant. But for all of the Tea Party’s deference to Republican officials, the effort hasn’t been reciprocated.


Porkopolis

Portune's Lessons in Futility

By Kevin Osborne

It's difficult to resist the urge to tell Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune, "I told ya so." Portune made a big deal a few weeks ago of his teaming up with his colleague, County Commissioner Greg Hartmann, to devise a solution for the looming deficits in the county's stadium account. Much like President Obama at the national level, Portune was enamored of his bipartisan approach to the problem.


On Second Thought

Separation Between News Reporting and Opinion Is Like Church and State

By Ben L. Kaufman

Believe what you want, there is a difference between news and advocacy. Forget that and it's editorializing, a corrosive mixture of news and opinion in the guise of news. Exhibit A: the recent Enquirer story reporting as fact a local woman's ability to foretell the future. If that weren't enough, the paper provided contact information for anyone wanting a private "reading."


Winners and Losers

Barbara Hartman and Arnold Barnett

By Kevin Osborne

WINNER: Thanks to the vigilance of Pierce Township resident Barbara Hartman, the public now knows that township trustees there have violated Ohio's Open Meeting Act 18 times in the past two years.

News From The Alternative Press
Just When You Thought it was OK to be African American, it Looks Like Negro is Back
The word negro — which ungraciously left the American linguistic stage sometime in the 1970s — has recently rejoined the mainstream discourse. And it looks like it’s not poised for an exit anytime soon.... From New York Press.
UC Santa Cruz Researcher Finds Albatross Tragedy
Dr. Myra Finkelstein, a researcher with UC Santa Cruz, has discovered that lead paint chips from an abandoned US Navy base on the Midway Atoll are poisoning thousands of albatross chicks each year.... From Santa Cruz Weekly.
At Long Last, Geeks Get Respect
Ashley Eldred was trying to figure out how to make Hell into a cuter place. The young blonde woman with a confident manner is a student at the Guildhall at SMU - the school Jay Leno was talking about that teaches students how to make video games.... From Fort Worth Weekly.
Breeding Trouble in North Texas
In the August heat, more than 500 dogs sweltered in un-air-conditioned kennels on a farm near the town of Mabank in Kaufman County. They panted in wire cages stacked atop one another, fleas swarming, many of the dogs sick, most of them filthy. Near the gate across the gravel drive, part of a dog's skeleton lay like an omen.... From Fort Worth Weekly.
Eight Relentless Watchdogs Who Hound Public Officials in Pursuit of Answers
On good days they’re known as citizen watchdogs. On bad days, they’re civic-minded pains in the neck. If you’ve been to a public meeting in process-happy Portland, you know the type. They’re the activists who testify time after time at City Council - and elsewhere.... From Willamette Week.
 
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