Hamilton County Commission Won’t Support One-Cent Transit Levy — But Would Go for Something Less
In a letter sent July 10 to Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority Board Chair Kreg Keesee, Hamilton County's three Democratic commission members indicated they will support up to a .7 percent sales tax levy to improve funding for SORTA's Metro bus system. Metro faces mounting deficits — up to $188 million over the next decade…
Tonight is Rosé Wednesday at Bellevue’s Fairfield Market
Bellevue's Fairfield Market is a new cafe and bar with a streamlined selection of pastries, picnic salads, sandwiches and charcuterie complemented by morning coffee and evening libations — house cocktails and a rotating wine and beer selection. Helmed by owners Brandon Moore and Katie Reeder, with managers Toby and Kate Moeves, the space mixes the…
Newport’s The Baker’s Table Named One of the Best New Restaurants of 2019 by Eater
It's no secret that Newport's The Baker's Table has been stealing hungry hearts from across the city since opening this winter. And according to national food and dining website Eater, the love doesn't stop here. Eater has recognized the best new restaurants in America (from May 2018 to May 2019), highlighting just 16 top-notch eateries — and…
Here’s What You Need to Know for Cincinnati’s Biggest Burger Week Yet
Cincinnati Burger Week is a seven-day food frenzy featuring $5 specialty burgers at more than 75 area restaurants, bars and bakeries (they serve dessert “burgers,” not like meat donuts). The creations run the gamut from straightforward quarter pounders to veggie burgers and really wild monstrosities. Participating eateries include Burger Week veterans like Flipdaddy’s, Taste of…
Cincinnati Mixologist Julia Petiprin Named Semi-finalist of USBG Lux Row Distillers Cocktail Competition
Mixologist Julia Petiprin was recently named the Cincinnati semi-finalist for the United States Bartenders' Guild's inaugural Lux Row Distillers Cocktail Competition. The former Los Angeleno turned passionate Cincinnatian has left her mark on the Queen City with the recent opening of her OTR cocktail spot Homemakers Bar (with co-owner Catherine Manabat) and in her role as director of operations and…
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Will Welcome Two New Staff Conductors This Fall
Two new staff conductors will join the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra this September: François López-Ferrer and Wilbur Lin. The former will be named as the new assistant conductor for the CSO and the May Festival and the latter will assume the position of assistant conductor for the Cincinnati Pops and the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra Philharmonic. They succeed Keitaro…
The Harry Potter-Themed Wands & Wizards Weekend Returns to Lancaster, Ohio
Accio, festival! Lancaster, Ohio is hosting its second annual Wands & Wizards Weekend Aug. 1-3 with tons of Harry Potter-themed activities to enchant all ages. Less than a two-and-a-half hour drive from Cincinnati, the quaint town is transforming into a Hogwarts homestead. Iron your robes and your house scarf and get ready to road trip.…
Metro to Expand Bus Stop ‘Balancing’ Program
A program aimed at speeding Greater Cincinnati's Metro bus system by eliminating under-utilized bus stops is expanding, officials say. But before it does, you can provide feedback about stops you use. In March, Metro rolled out a pilot version of its FAStops program, which eliminated 115 stops on routes 15X, 17, 31, 33 and 41.…
‘The Fighter and The Kid’ Podcast’s Brendan Schaub Comes to the Liberty Funny Bone
Talk about a varied career. Brendan Schaub is an actor, comedian, podcaster, former pro athlete and, most famously, a retired MMA fighter. The Aurora, Colorado native played college football at the University of Colorado. Though he never started, he was able to catch on with the Arena Football League’s Utah Blaze and was on the…
OTR’s CityBird Opening a New Location in Symmes Township
The deep-fried offspring of The Eagle in Over-the-Rhine, CityBird is a fast-casual chicken tender joint from Cincinnati-based Thunderdome Restaurant Group. The eatery dishes out cage-free, all-natural chicken paired with housemade craft sauces, in addition to sandwiches, salads and sides. After opening in February of 2018, the chicken joint is expanding with a second location at…
OTR’s Second Sunday on Main Street Festival Travels Back in Time for a 1950s Sock Hop
The second Sunday of each month June through October finds Main Street abuzz with vendors, food trucks and brews as a part of OTR’s most eclectic street festival. This month, the event is sock-hop-themed, featuring live performances of 1950s and ’60s tunes, a muscle car show and Salsa and Polka dancing by Cincinnati Baila Dance…
Pioneering Cincinnati Civil Rights Leader Marian Spencer Dies at 99
A lot can happen in 99 years. But even given the relatively long time Cincinnati was touched by the presence of Marian Regelia Alexander Spencer, she accomplished much. Spencer, who lived in Avondale, passed away last night at about 10 p.m., according to friends of the family. But her legacy will remain — concretely in…
Shop Local, Drink Local at the O.F.F. Market in MadTree’s Barrel Warehouse
Get your weekend “off” to a great start at Oakley’s monthly market. Browse art, food, clothing, trinkets and more, all while supporting independent local creators. You can complement your local shopping with a local beer from MadTree Brewing, where the event is held. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday (July 13). Free admission. MadTree Brewing Barrel Warehouse,…
Camp Washington’s Swing House Art Abode Hosts an Open House this Weekend
Camp Washington’s Swing House is open on Saturday for the curious public to poke around. It took artist Mark de Jong around three years to complete the renovations to a 1880s three-story brick building, removing the upper floors and creating a functional work of architectural art that does in fact feature a swing suspended from…
‘Mr. Burns, a post-electric play’ is a Post-Apocalyptic Comedy Featuring the Simpsons at Covington’s The Carnegie
With a title like Mr. Burns, one can expect this play to be nothing short of “excellent.” The dark comedy follows a group of survivors who, living in a post-apocalyptic society, attempt to recreate scenes from The Simpsons and other pop culture entities. Over time, these pop culture snippets become the new society’s primary form…
The Taft Museum Hosts a House Party with Project Runway’s Tessa Clark, Musician Lauren Eylise, Cocktails and More
This Taft House Party focuses on creativity with a panel discussion led by Creative City podcast founder Tamia Stinson and featuring designer and Project Runway contestant Tessa Clark, Far-I-Rome Creative agency founder Rome Ntukogu and Jack Wood Gallery founder Jack Wood; each will be discussing their work and how the museum’s L’Affichomania: The Passion for…
Ingest Pork, Beer and Spirits at Newport’s Well-Named Bourbon, Bacon and Brew Festival
Celebrate an American — and Cincinnati — food icon on the Ohio riverfront: bacon. There will be Moerlein beer flights and food pairings and a Cincinnati beer trivia contest, where the winner will receive two passes to any Brewery District tour. The live music lineup includes Trailer Park Floosies, Marsha Brady, Moment 44, Final Order…
Sip and Socialize with Animals (Mostly Humans) at the Cincinnati Zoo’s Cocktails for Conservation
Mix and mingle with Fiona, Fennessy, Adana and all the other new and classic zoo animals during Cocktails for Conversation. This event helps raise funds for the Zoo’s Lindner Center for the Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife and, after some public feedback, the entire Toast to the Wild boozy zoo series features extended event…
Pop Star Carly Rae Jepsen Plays Intimate Cincinnati Concert This Week
It’s been seven years since Carly Rae Jepsen’s ubiquitous “Call Me Maybe” dominated the Pop landscape, rocketing the Canadian singer from obscurity to worldwide adoration. She responded to her newfound fame by crafting 2015’s E•MO•TION, an album of infectious songs that reveled in her love of 1980s Pop radio. Curiously, it was a critical favorite…
Live Music in Greater Cincinnati: This Week’s Concerts and Club Shows (July 10-16)
WEDNESDAY 10 BLIND LEMON – Tom Roll. 8 p.m. Acoustic. Free. CAFFÈ VIVACE – Blue Wisp Big Band. 8 p.m. Big Band Jazz. $10. FOUNTAIN SQUARE – Reggae Wednesday with Raging Fyah. 7 p.m. Reggae. Free. HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT – Nick Fryer Trio. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free. LYDIA'S ON LUDLOW – Nave Netoon and…
Mitch McConnell Gets 2020 Challenger
The most powerful person in the Senate is up for reelection next year — and he's drawn a new challenger hoping to make her case to Kentuckians. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, has served in Congress' upper chamber since 1985. In that time, he's joined in — and increasingly, led — bare-knuckle political…
Acclaimed Cincinnati Musician Chuck Cleaver Preps First Solo Album of What He Doesn’t Believe Is a Storied Career
Chuck Cleaver is persistently and unfailingly self-deprecating. In the mutative, spider-bitten Marvel Universe, it could be considered his superpower, as he deflects praise with an ursine growl and a dismissive wave of his paw. “I always quote R. Crumb,” he says, “it's just lines on paper." Despite being one of the most acclaimed singer/songwriters to…
DIY Metal Concert Promoter Will Feiner Brings Transplant Fest Back This Weekend for Second Year
Show promotion is often a thankless job: putting together a lineup; partnering with a venue; spreading the word in the days and weeks leading up to the show itself; then making sure things go off without a hitch and everyone leaves happy and with a few extra dollars in their pockets. It’s a lot to…
Sling Your Chicken Wings at Washington Park’s Queen of the Wing Festival
Do you have the poultry skills to sling your chicken wings at the inaugural Queen of the Wing festival at Washington Park? Held Sept. 28, the event will feature more than 20 area vendors hawking their best chicken wings (plus live music, contests, alcohol, etc.). And one talented wing-maker will be crowned Queen of the…
Elegantly Aggressive Indie Rock Band And the Kids Brings Tour to Cincinnati This Week
And The Kids has one of the great childhood band origin stories. Vocalist/guitarist Hannah Mohan and drummer/vocalist Rebecca Lasaponaro met in seventh grade while both were music students at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Northampton, Massachusetts, a facility referred to by Mohan and Lasaponaro as “Jail For Kids” (as in “JFK”). According to band…
Graeter’s Celebrates National Ice Cream Day and its 149th Birthday with $1.49 Cones
Graeter’s Ice Cream will celebrate National Ice Cream Day — and the company’s 149th birthday — on July 21 with a one-day promotion: $1.49 single scoop sugar cones at all 55 scoop shops. “There’s no better time to celebrate America’s favorite sweet treat than on our 149th birthday on National Ice Cream Day,” said Chip Graeter,…
Cincinnati Congressional Hopeful: Hold Impeachment Proceedings for Trump
U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, the long-tenured Republican who represents Ohio's 1st Congressional District, recently got two potential Democratic challengers ahead of the 2020 election. And one of them has come out of the gate with some strong words for Chabot's partymate President Donald Trump. Nikki Foster, a Mason resident and an Air Force veteran who…
Covington’s Ripple Wine Bar Offers Seasonal Small Plates, a Broad Wine List and a Full-Service Experience
Ripple Wine Bar is one of those sweet little spots that hits all the right notes. Too often, restaurants chase a gimmick or sweat it out over laborious minutiae. That’s not to say Ripple doesn’t pay attention to the details, but husband-and-wife owners Matthew and Kathleen Haws don’t forget the bigger picture, either. Which, for…
Rock Legend Peter Frampton Brings Farewell Tour to Cincinnati This Week
Rock legend Peter Frampton — who lived in Cincinnati for several years around the turn of the century — announced in February that he would embark on his final tour this summer. Dates include this Friday’s concert at Riverbend Music Center, where Frampton has performed several times in recent years. Frampton told CBS This Morning…
Cincy Blues Fest Returns This Weekend with New Location and Local-Music Focus
First held in 1993, the classic Cincy Blues Fest (believed to be the longest-running volunteer-driven Blues fest in the U.S.) is on the move this year. But it’s not moving too far from its longtime Sawyer Point spot. Retaining the stripped-back, one-night approach the festival returned to in 2018, Cincy Blues Fest will be held…
Trump, Pence to Rally in Cincinnati in August
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will appear in Cincinnati this summer as the 2020 presidential campaign season ramps up. The appearance at U.S. Bank Arena Aug. 1 will be the president's fourth in Cincinnati since his 2015 campaign. Trump, a Republican, lost Hamilton County to Democrat Hillary Clinton by roughly 10 points…
Minimum Gauge: Detroit Music Festival Ignites Controversy After Offering Lower Ticket Prices for People of Color
HOT: Music Fest Reverses Charges When Detroit rapper Tiny Jag pulled out of an upcoming music festival in her hometown recently, her reasoning caused a firestorm on social media. The musician (who is biracial) said she was no longer going to perform at the AfroFuture Fest after she was informed that advance tickets for the…
Free Paradise Music and Beer Festival Brings Infamous Stringdusters, Keller Williams and More to Covington This Weekend
The Paradise music festival began as a camper-friendly event in Central Kentucky in 2014, before moving to Greater Cincinnati in more recent years, with fests at Sawyer Point on the riverfront (in 2017) and at Wooden Cask Brewery (last year). The common thread through each year of the Paradise fest has been the many up-and-coming…
Another Year, Another Life-Sized Butter Cow Display at the Ohio State Fair
The year was 1903. Teddy Roosevelt was President, The Ford Motor Company was beginning production of The Ford Model A and something happened in Ohio that would change the state forever: The first butter cow was featured at the Ohio State Fair. The annual creation of a butter cow and her calf is now a…
Columbus-Based Comedian Brooke Cartus on Diversity and Activism Ahead of Her Show at Taft’s Brewpourium
The multi-hyphenate Brooke Cartus grew up in Buffalo, New York, became a professional opera singer and started doing stand-up comedy while living all over the state, including in New York City. She moved to Columbus in 2011 to attend law school at Ohio State University and has lived there ever since. Soon after she moved…
Streetcar Will Get Traffic Priority at These Four Locations in Downtown and OTR
Cincinnati's streetcar could see somewhat faster headways as it gets signal priority at four intersections downtown and in Over-the-Rhine, a memo from Cincinnati City Manager Patrick Duhaney to Cincinnati City Council revealed today. Green lights will be extended about 10 seconds for the streetcar at four intersections at Liberty and Race streets, Liberty and Elm…
Democrats to File Ethics Complaint Against Republican Lawmaker Over Pregnancy Center Legislation
Ohio Democrats are calling foul over a bill that would provide tax breaks to donors of pregnancy centers that do not provide abortions. Critics say one of the co-sponsors of House Bill 297, Republican State Rep. Candice Keller, stands to benefit from the legislation. Keller has been the executive director of Middletown's Community Pregnancy Center,…
The Contemporary Arts Center Serves Up a Trippy Trio of Shows
If the Contemporary Arts Center’s three upcoming exhibitions are any indication, your visit to the museum might take a turn for the trippy. Starting July 12, the CAC’s gallery spaces will erupt with primary colors, exhibiting vibrant — and often lysergic — solo work by Saya Woolfalk, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum and Bubi Canal. “It’s clear…
Tom Holland Swings to Great Responsibility in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’
Tom Holland is the third actor to play a live-action Peter Parker and his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man, and yet, within a brief three-year window, he has been featured in the role five times — as many times as Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield combined. Spider-Man: Far From Home is Holland’s second solo outing since the…
In Conversation with Jeffery Cranor, Co-Creator of Popular Podcast ‘Welcome to Night Vale’
A smooth voice akin to the whir of distant highway traffic rumbles: “Hello, listeners.” It’s the voice of Cecil Baldwin, the host of popular podcast Welcome to Night Vale, which centers on a quirky desert town located in the Southwestern United States. It’s a place where dark-hooded figures lurk, a faceless old woman is always…
Everyone is Going Crazy for Cincinnati’s World Cup Star Rose Lavelle
It's been a heady few weeks for Cincinnati's Rose Lavelle, the U.S. Women's soccer player who scored three pivotal goals on the team's journey to a World Cup tournament win. She scored one of just two goals against the Netherlands to seal the U.S. victory. She received the bronze ball, an award signifying she was…
The Cincinnati-Filmed Episode of ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Airs Tonight
Make some popcorn and sprawl out on the couch to watch tonight's episode of American Ninja Warrior, in which competitors test the limits of their athleticism via a notoriously difficult obstacle course. Bonus: tonight is the premiere of the episode that filmed in Cincinnati from May 18-27. Catch it on WLWT/NBC at 8 p.m. The Queen City…
OTR’s The Rhined Celebrates its Two Year Anniversary with a Cheese Party
The Rhined celebrates two years of providing the Queen City with top-quality cheeses, charcuterie, wine and good times on Friday, July 12. Co-owners (and kick-ass power couple) Stephanie and Dave Webster opened their Over-the-Rhine shop in the summer of 2017. To celebrate and thank the community for two successful years, they're throwing a cheese party. …
Shootings Surge Over Past Month, Including Teen Deaths
While violent crime in Cincinnati is down overall this year, the past month has seen a sharp uptick in shootings and homicides — including back-to-back shooting deaths of two young teenagers. Officials could ramp up curfew enforcement efforts in response. Anthony Hinton, 14, died from gunshot wounds about 6 a.m. June 30 near Grant Park…
Cincinnati Opera’s ‘Ariadne auf Naxos ‘ is Not to Be Missed
If you’ve been putting off checking out Cincinnati Opera, wait no longer. Ariadne auf Naxos is the best offering so far this season, with superb singing and acting in a terrific new production brilliantly staged by Omer Ben Seadia. The opera with music by Richard Strauss and libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal hasn’t been performed…
Covington’s Braxton Brewing Co. Celebrates its Fourth Anniversary by Opening its Rooftop Patio
Northern Kentucky's Braxton Brewing Co. has been serving the Greater Cincinnati area and beyond with tasty and creative craft brews for four years now, and they're throwing a party to mark the milestone on July 20. The celebration will take over all three floors of the Covington brewery — including their highly anticipated 5,000-square-foot rooftop…
Camp Washington’s The Welcome Project Hosts a Rüya Turkish Coffee Pop-Up
Rüya Coffee is bringing its Turkish coffeehouse to Camp Washington for a special pop-up event. From 10 a.m.-1 p.m. July 14, Rüya will be serving cups and conversation at the neighborhood’s The Welcome Project, a social enterprise with the self-described mission of empowering “marginalized and at-risk refugees and immigrants by providing affordable housing, jobs, education and…
Give Blood for Heart Concert Tickets
Those willing to part with a little of their own blood this coming Friday can score tickets to see Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Heart at Riverbend Music Center later this month. A Hoxworth Blood Center donor bus will be parked on Freedom Way outside of The Holy Grail at The Banks (161 Joe…
Get a Cincinnati Burger Week Sneak Peek at the Braxton Brewing Co. Kick-Off Party
Cincinnati Burger Week officially kicks off on July 15, offering $5 specialty patties at participating restaurants across the Tri-State. But before the burgers hit the grill, head to Braxton Brewing Co. in Covington for the official kick-off party on July 10, featuring a sneak peek of various specialty options from Flipdaddy's, Bru Burger, Keystone Bar…
Cincinnati Shoegaze/Dream Pop Band Sungaze Readies Debut Album, ‘Light In All of It’
Even a cursory listen to Light In All of It, the debut album from Cincinnati band Sungaze, reveals a wealth of influences that have been absorbed, translated and incorporated into the quartet’s sonic miasma — inspirations that include The Beatles, Slowdive, Alice in Chains, Tame Impala and Pink Floyd. Intense sheets of guitar wash hint…
On-the-Rise Blues Guitarist Gabe Stillman Headlines This Weekend’s Summer Blues, Brews & BBQ Concert
Known affectionately as Billtown, Williamsport, Pennsylvania is the birthplace of Little League Baseball and home to the annual Little League World Series. And while some of the young ballplayers certainly experience agony-of-defeat moments in the big games, the blues of another Williamsport native is purely of the musical variety. Billtown’s Gabe Stillman is a young…
Cincinnati Country Music Hero Dallas Moore to Release New Album This Fall
Cincinnati Country music hero Dallas Moore has announced his next album, Tryin’ to Be a Blessing, will be released on Oct. 4. Just like Moore’s last album, last year’s Mr. Honky Tonk, the new album was produced by Dean Miller, son of the legendary Roger Miller and a fellow Country singer/songwriter. The album features a…
Ohio is Horny for America, New Survey Finds
The pornographic video site XHamster regularly surveys its users and releases the data findings in conjunction with various events and pop culture moments. For example, during last summer's hot World Cup action, the site released findings that traffic during the matches increased the most in Morroco. (Warning: Almost every link you click here takes you…
Federal Judge Blocks Ohio ‘Heartbeat’ Bill
A federal judge has blocked the implementation of SB32, otherwise known as Ohio's heartbeat bill, saying that it violates a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. Judge Michael Barrett cited a variety of factors in his ruling, most notably that many women do not even know they are pregnant at the six-week mark when a…
Why TMZ and The Guardian Have Asked the Cincinnati Art Museum About the Kim Kardashian Kimono Kontroversy
In a strange turn of events this week, the disparate worlds of the Cincinnati Art Museum and Kim Kardashian West have collided. The reason for overlap? The term "Kimono." Kardashian announced on June 25 via Twitter that she had planned to name her new Spanx-esque shapewear line Kimono, which borrows from the word for the…
Run, Walk, Drink or Do All Three During Cincinnati’s Beer 5K & 1/4 mile Walk/Tasting
If you don’t like running but you do like drinking beer, the Beer 5K & 1/4 mile Walk/Tasting on July 13 is for you. Run, walk or just drink beer. For $20 (tasting only) to $50 (5K plus swag and tasting), sample beers from local breweries like MadTree, Streetside, Brink Brewing Co., 3 Points, Braxton…
Break Out Your Ugly Sweater for Taft’s Ale House’s Christmas in July Party
Taft's Ale House promises it won't be a silent night on July 19 as they throw a Christmas in July party at the Ale House's Nellie's Tap Room. Come donning your ugliest holiday sweater and a sense of cheer to partake in: Holiday-themed cocktails A limited tapping of Taft's Liquid Advent brew Free candy canes…
The Crafted Food, Beer & Music Festival Brings Local Restaurants and 42-Plus Craft Beers to Sawyer Point
The Crafted Food, Beer & Music Festival returns to Sawyer Point 3-7 p.m. July 20. As the name suggests, the party features thoughtful food, beer and live music. Local restaurants The Farmstand Market & Cafe, Fifty West, Out of Thyme, Mazunte, Nicholson's, Rivertown, Essen, Money Chicken and Yonder will be providing meat-forward, vegetarian, vegan and…
Get More Free Live Music (and Air Conditioned Relief) at Urban Artifact’s Northside Rock N’ Roll Sideshow
It’s going to be super hot for this year’s Fourth of July festivities, including the big one in Northside, which includes the beloved parade on July 4 and the equally beloved Rock N’ Roll Carnival on July 3 and 4 at Hoffner Park. The Carnival showcases several of Cincinnati finest bands; visit northsiderocks.com for details.…
Live Music in Greater Cincinnati: This Week’s Concerts and Club Shows (July 3-July 9)
WEDNESDAY 03 ARNOLD'S BAR AND GRILL – Todd Hepburn. 7 p.m. Piano/Various. Free. *BOGART'S – Reel Big Fish and The Aquabats with Dog Party. 7 p.m. Ska/Rock/Pop. $25. CAFFÈ VIVACE – Blue Wisp Big Band. 8 p.m. Big Band Jazz. $10. *FRAZE PAVILION – "Weird Al" Yankovic. 8:30 p.m. Orchestral Comedy Pop Rock. $41.50, $46.50…
