Tickets for the first Afghan Whigs concert in 13 years go on sale this Friday through ticketmaster.com. The band is kicking off its (so far) primarily European reunion tour dates with a May 23 show at New York’s Bowery Ballroom.  

The Gateway Quarter should have its own zip code: Four Five Two Oh, Oh, Oh! Located in the south central area of Over-the-Rhine, during the past few years the Gateway has become a dining mecca. It’s home to some of the hippest new eateries in town, with rampant buzz amongst the Twitterati and lines out the doors on weekend nights.    

With Republican Chris Monzel's decisive victory Tuesday night, the Hamilton County Commission will now return to GOP control after four years of having a Democratic majority. Monzel received 56 percent of the votes cast, compared to Democrat Jim Tarbell's 44 percent. A difference of 35,066 votes separated the candidates, according to final, uncertified results at the Hamilton County Board of Elections.  

The 2010 elections will be remembered mostly for the Tea Party movement, though the exact meaning of the movement is yet to be determined. If Republicans are successful in co-opting Tea Partiers' anti-government anger and gain majorities in the U.S. House and/or Senate, the movement will have "arrived." If voters wake up and realize that the Tea Party simply is a "populist" cover for the Republican Party, Democrats will be given further time to continue cleaning up the mess left by the Bush administration.  

A national organization of carrot growers chose Mason High School to be one of two test schools for a new all-carrot vending machine. Assistant Principal George Coates said students have already begun purchasing the vending machine carrots, which cost 50 cents per 3-once bag, and that many students are actually eating them rather than throwing handfuls at the buses after school.  

The Cincinnati Reds today honored Hit King Pete Rose on the 25th anniversary of his record-breaking 4,192nd hit, only the second time Rose has participated in an on-field activity here since his lifetime banishment in 1989 for betting on baseball. Rose afterwards attended a roast in his honor, during which he gave an emotional speech and was subsequently reinstated to Major League Baseball.  

Most political junkies are busy focusing on the outcome of state and federal races in Ohio's May 4 primary. But the race with probably the most local impact hasn't been getting quite the same level of public interest or media attention: Who will face off as their party's chosen candidate for the vacant seat on the Hamilton County Commission. Vying for the Democratic nomination are former Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell, Cincinnati City Councilman Cecil Thomas and Whitewater Township Trustee Hubert Brown. The Republican battle pits Cincinnati City Council stalwarts Leslie Ghiz and Chris Monzel.  

While the Opening Day parade has for decades now been a cool little "uniquely Cincinnati" event folks look forward to every year, there is a newer Opening Day tradition that's beginning to rival it in terms of sheer baseball pomp and pageantry. Local Folk and Americana experts Jake Speed & the Freddies host a baseball-themed show the morning before the Reds season's first pitch downtown at Arnold's, and this spring's version is bigger and better.  

CityBeat recently obtained a copy of an e-mail written by Brad Beckett — chief of staff to Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Monzel and a right-wing activist involved in anti-tax and anti-abortion causes — outlining the agenda of a secret conservative group called the Vanguard. We were fascinated by the wording the e-mail used about prominent public figures and what it might reveal about the members' outlook for the 2010 elections.  

Just weeks after winning his third term on Cincinnati City Council, Cecil Thomas surprised most political observers by announcing he would seek the Democratic nomination to run for the Hamilton County Commission seat being vacated by David Pepper. Party Chair Tim Burke is favoring Thomas over previously announced Democratic candidate Jim Tarbell, hoping Thomas will help mobilize African-American voters to provide a much-needed boost for U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Price Hill).