We live in an answer-fueled society today. Search engines are the go-to solution for every problem or tinge of curiosity — Google knows us as well, if not better, than we know ourselves.

For three years now, the nation’s second-biggest bank has been after Smart Money host Nathan Bachrach to make good on $2.4 million it claims he owes. Ever hear of Kenwood Towne Place, the half-finished retail-office complex on I-71 that went bust under $136 million in debt? Not only was it the region’s most spectacular real estate failure during the Great Recession, it festers on as one of the most contentious court cases in Hamilton County history.

In January of 2011, Keller’s IGA on Ludlow Avenue closed its doors, leaving Clifton residents devastated. For those who believe “devastated” to be too strong of a word, simply ask residents how much the store is missed orb visit the numerous posts on Facebook asking about the store’s reopening or watch the YouTube videos of the passionate pleas to Ohio Gov. John Kasich to save the store. 

In the idyllic world of TV sitcoms, bullying among school-age youth usually entails some name-calling and maybe the exchange of a few punches. The problem is fixed within 30 minutes or an hour, usually with some sage words of wisdom dispensed by an adult. Cue commercial. Bullying in the real world, however, isn’t so easily remedied.

Cincinnati’s beleaguered public school system, faced with a projected $43 million budget gap for next year, slashed 10 percent of its teaching staff April 17. In a special session, the school board voted unanimously to eliminate at least 237 jobs, saving the district around $20 million. 

Organizers of the annual Take Back the Night vigils and marches across the United States often cite the Thoreau quote as epitomizing one of the movement’s key principles. The power of speaking out, they say, is essential to ending the stigma associated with sexual violence against women.

In an economy where prices on rental properties continue to skyrocket while the job market remains sluggish, Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Westwood) has an idea. He’s introduced radical legislation to reform the federal Section 8 low-income housing program, a reform that would force many in need to fend for themselves to obtain housing.

Dale Recinella, a devout Catholic who got his undergraduate degree from Thomas More College in Northern Kentucky and graduated law school at Notre Dame University, said he had a religious experience while unconscious. In his fevered state, Recinella saw Jesus Christ, who asked him what he had accomplished with the gifts he had been given.

There are several Ohio families whose military daughters died from “non-combat” circumstances, and their tragedy was amplified when the military tried to tarnish the victim’s reputation and even blame the victim for her own death.

If Janaya Trotter is successful, she would be both the first woman and the first African-American prosecutor in Hamilton County’s history. Trotter, 31, is a lifelong county resident who graduated from Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase Law College in 2008.

There’s a stretch of old railroad tracks running through the bustling, lively area of Hyde Park just off the Smith-Edwards Road exit. Businesses thrive among a quiet, upscale residential area; children board buses for school. Just to the side of the road, though — away from the life and hullabaloo — is something very different. Something lifeless. 

“The Arab Spring actually began in autumn in a small camp in Western Sahara,” says Salka Barca. Barca doesn’t note that this fact is known by too few, but it is implied in a facial expression that is equal parts pride and exasperation. 

Ten years ago, Demetrious Smith hoped to buy a building and work as a landlord after non-work-related injury ended his 13-year career with General Electric, but getting financed on the strength of his monthly $1,182 disability check seemed unlikely. Then a postcard arrived in his family’s mailbox from a company called National Mortgage Funding, which promised home financing for anyone.

Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Fanon Rucker could be history in the making. Rucker is seeking a seat on the Ohio State Supreme Court. If he wins the Democratic primary and the general election, he then joins his father in being the first father and son to sit on a Supreme Court bench at the same time in U.S. history. 

Kim Martin is 13 years old, going on 60. The Liberty Township woman is a “leaper,” also known as a person born on Leap Year Day, Feb. 29. Leapers celebrate their true birthdays every four years, and 2012 is one such exceptional year.

Fascinating, diverse, progressive — those are just a handful of words that are being used to describe the new 31st Ohio House District. Consisting of Amberley Village, Clifton, Clifton Heights, Evanston, Madisonville, Hyde Park, Northside, Oakley, Silverton, St. Bernard and Walnut Hills, the district contains many walks of life, including a healthy liberal population.

As The Enquirer staff braces for another reduction in staff, the paper and its parent company might not yet have seen the full fallout of its decision to cut staff last year. Two of the newspaper’s former editors, Joe Fenton and Cathy Ruetter, have filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the newspaper and The Gannett Co.

Dr. Victor Garcia delivers a quote from Jewish philosopher Abraham Heschel: “The opposite of good is not evil, the opposite of good is indifference.” The diverse crowd of about 80 people who’ve gathered to hear Garcia speak at a recent luncheon at a downtown church nod their heads in approval.

A citizen-initiated statute has reached the Ohio General Assembly after eight years of protests and a two-year signature drive by an Ohio volunteer group called the Coalition to Ban Ohio Dog Auctions (CBODA). The statute would ban the sale of dogs through auctions or raffles, as well as all trafficking in dogs from out-of-state auctions.

For some people, City Councilman Christopher Smitherman is Cincinnati’s wakeup call for change. Smitherman’s election to council in November proved not only that independent candidates can get elected, but that city residents wanted someone who is outspoken and didn’t pull his punches at City Hall.