Investigation: Police Chase Violated Procedure
An internal police investigation determined that officers acted improperly in a July 10 car chase that ended up with one child seriously injured and four teenagers hurt. The Professional Standards Section investigation, dated Sept. 4, determined that Specialist Diana Cloud violated department policy and procedure when she pursued a car full of the youths, who…
State Auditor: Charter School Wasteful, Unethical
State Auditor Dave Yost released an audit today looking at Value Learning and Teaching (VLT) Academy’s 2010-2011 school year, and the findings are not pretty. The charter school, which is located in downtown Cincinnati, was found to be potentially overpaying in multiple instances — including potential conflicts of interest. “Those who are entrusted with taxpayer…
Music: Sherik’s Bandalabra
Seattle saxophonist Sherik is a cult icon in progressive Jazz circles, founding groups like Critters Buggin and Garage a Trois (with Charlie Hunter) and claiming membership in Primus singer/bassist Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade and Fancy Band, as well as the Peter Buck project Tuatara. For his latest group, Bandalabra, Sherik teamed up with Seattle musicians…
Event: Helado Negro
Sunday nights aren’t usually the typical going out evening for a lot of people. But then again, events at Paul Coors’ “The Ice Cream Factory” in Brighton aren’t usually … typical. Much like he did at his former gallery space, Publico (2003-2008), Coors books multi-disciplinary artists who seem equally at home performing in a formal…
Event: Cincinnati Celtic Festival
If you haven’t been able to attend in recent years then you’re in luck. This Saturday and Sunday the Cincinnati Celtic Festival is set to make its annual appearance. This year the festival will take place in the beautiful, newly renovated Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine. This historic Cincinnati neighborhood makes for a more intimate setting…
Event: Longstone Street Festival
Historic Downtown Milford isn’t exactly close to Cincinnati’s bustling city center, but it’s an oft-overlooked little thoroughfare ripe with history and charm. Local in-the-know event planner Far-I-Rome co-hosts the Longstone Street Festival along Milford’s Main Street, uniting a diverse collection of arts, music and entertainment set to old-timey Milford as a backdrop. Expect Folk, Americana,…
Event: Live it Up Downtown: A Celebration of Urban Living
Planning a move into Cincinnati’s urban core can be intimidating; real estate is tough to sort through, and you have to work a little bit to find your geographic niche. It’s also game of hardball; properties are often snatched up at lightning-fast speeds. Live it Up Downtown intends to celebrate the verve and vibrancy that…
Event: Scion Exposed
There’s a free underground party this weekend, and you’re invited. Hosted by Scion, the 8th Exposed event will take place below the streets of Cincinnati. Haven’t heard of an underground party in Cincinnati before? Didn’t know there was a half-mile long tunnel downtown? Continue reading. Upon entering the tunnel, nationally known acts such as Chairlift, Walshy…
Comedy: Dustin Ybarra
Some stand-up comics have a hard time with acting roles. Dustin Ybarra says the key is having a high threshold of boredom. “I feel stand-up takes so much more work,” he says from his apartment in Los Angeles. “You get nicer food. It’s cake man; sittin’ around getting free food!” So far he’s kept fairly…
Event: Cocktails and Conversation
How many chances does one get to “celebrate strong and powerful women in business and the arts?” The Cincinnati Ballet and ArtsWave have collaborated to give you one such opportunity this fall as part of a Friends for the Arts “Cocktails and Conversation” event. Expect to rub elbows at a pre-show cocktail reception with top…
Onstage: The Music Man
The parade starts here. Well, actually this is the finale of the Showboat Majestic’s 2012 summer season, a production of Meredith Willson’s 1957 Tony Award-winning show about a fast-talking salesman who sells a town on creating a boys’ band — despite his ignorance of music — and gets caught when he becomes enamored of the…
Morning News and Stuff
President Barack Obama will visit Cincinnati Monday. No details were given for the event. Last time Obama was in Cincinnati, he held a town hall meeting to tout his support for small businesses and the LGBT community. Ohio is considered a vital swing state for the presidential election, and it’s widely considered a must-win for…
Two Gallants with Papa
When Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel began playing San Francisco street corners and house parties a decade ago under the banner of Two Gallants — a reference to a story in James Joyce’s Dubliners — they were just 21 years old. The interesting twist is that by then, the Folk rockers were childhood friends that…
Antibalas with The Pinstripes
In 1998, Brooklynite Martin Perna assembled a group of musicians to play at a Harlem poetry gathering, christening the band Antibalas, the Spanish word for bulletproof. Perna intended Antibalas as an Afrobeat tribute to a pair of World Music icons from the ’70s: Nigerian activist and Pop star Fela Kuti and his Afrika 70 band…
The Casualties
If we were to define Punk Rock acts in terms of food, Bad Religion would be a complex salad, Black Flag a slab of lean steak, Ramones a tasty and surprisingly rich all-toppings-in sundae and The Casualties a box of Twinkies with a side of barbecue-flavored Ruffles chips. The New York City-rooted, often neon-maned malcontents…
GWAR
One of Rock & Roll’s prime directives has always been to raise the shock tolerance of the general population. Remember Elvis Presley’s hip ban on The Ed Sullivan Show? Jim Morrison showing the Lizard Prince to a Miami audience? Alice Cooper French revolutionizing his stage show with a guillotine? David Bowie fellating Mick Ronson's guitar?…
Husted Sued Again
Secretary of State Jon Husted has not had a good year. He’s dealt with his party's early voting policies, which are only defended by racial politics and costs, and he was sued by President Barack Obama’s campaign to restore in-person early voting for the weekend and Monday before Election Day — a lawsuit he lost.…
Morning News and Stuff
Vice President Joe Biden was in town over the weekend. During the stop, he outlined “fundamental differences” between President Barack Obama’s campaign and Mitt Romney’s campaign. Specifically, he criticized the Romney-Ryan plan of turning Medicare into a voucher system. The visit also unveiled a new fake, pointless controversy in the media when a female biker…
Investigation: Secret Ohio Group Supporting Mandel
An investigation by nonprofit journalism group ProPublica has uncovered the identity of one of the secret super PACs funding advertisements attacking U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and promoting his challenger, Ohio state treasurer Josh Mandel. The group is the Government Integrity Fund and is headed by Columbus lobbyist Tom Norris. Norris’ lobbying firm Cap Square…
Government Cuts Hurt Unemployment Rate
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today released a disappointing job report. Unemployment fell to 8.1 percent in August, and 96,000 jobs were added nationwide. But economists were expecting about 150,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate fell largely due to people giving up on the job hunt, which means they are no longer counted in…
Stage Door: ‘Good People’ and ‘The Three Musketeers’
After a long hot summer (well, it's still feeling like a long hot summer), we have a full array of shows onstage in Cincinnati for you to choose among. I've seen two of them so far: Good People at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati and The Three Musketeers at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. ETC's production…
Your Weekend To Do List: 9/7-9/9
The same folks who present the popular winter beer festival at Duke Energy Convention Center bring the booze outdoors this weekend for Cincy Beerfest at Fountain Square. Celebrate the city’s rich brewing history in the best way — by sampling beer! More than 150 craft brews will be on tap for the fest, running 5-11…
The Three Musketeers (Review)
The Cincinnati Playhouse season began with a bang on Sept. 6 as dueling swordsmen chased through the aisles and new Artistic Director Blake Robison scurried off the stage after his first curtain speech. He chose The Three Musketeers to inaugurate his tenure, a show representing his hope to appeal to audiences young and old. It’s…
Morning News and Stuff
Vice President Joe Biden will make a stop at Cincinnati this weekend. Cincinnati has quickly become a pivotal part of the presidential election. Ohio is widely considered to be a must-win for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. However, polling in Ohio has consistently favored President Barack Obama and Biden in the past few months, although…
Getting Lucky in Kentucky
Construction crews working to restore historic apartments in Louisville’s Whiskey Row discovered an underground sex dungeon two floors underground. The Associated Press reports that the dungeon had mural reproductions of paintings by the likes of Salvador Dali, Edvar Munch and Fancisco Goya and contained what appears to be a medieval stretching rack complete with winch…
Morning News and Stuff
A federal judge is ordering Secretary of State Jon Husted to appear in court to explain why Husted is ignoring a recent ruling. The judge ruled Friday that Husted must enact in-person early voting for all voters on the weekend and Monday before Election Day. Husted told county boards of elections to ignore the ruling…
Good People (Review)
Critic's Pick From the get-go in David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People you know things are going off the tracks for Margie. It’s apparent that her young boss is about to fire her, but she doesn’t see it coming. As Margie, Annie Fitzpatrick steps a long way from refined characters she’s previously played at Ensemble Theatre (where…
Voters First Mocks Redistricting Process
The Ohio Voters First campaign for Issue 2 has shined some light into how Ohio’s district boundaries are redrawn. In a new graph, the campaign revealed that getting a business added to a district is sometimes as simple as asking for a favor. Just a day before the approval of Ohio’s new district maps, Tom…
The House of the Rising Son
Despite being marketed as a violent testosterone fest, Sons of Anarchy (10 p.m. Tuesdays, FX) features a cast of strong characters and a storyline that is oddly relatable, making it far more than just a gritty dude show. Sons asks: Do you keep following the pack in one direction, even though you know it’s wrong,…
Cincinnati Film Festival Seeks the Brave and the Beautiful
Now in its third year, the Cincinnati Film Festival is committed to helping filmmakers project their visions, as more than 80 works of various lengths and styles will grace venues in Clifton, Downtown and Over-the-Rhine Sept. 6-14. A number of locally produced features dot the lineup, including a pair of intriguing documentaries: Thursday’s festival-opener The…
For Local Vendor, Dining Out Is in the Bag
Gone are the days of needing a table, a seat or even flatware when eating out. We live in a time when restaurateurs can spend less on frivolity like fine china and more time on food. Today, gourmet dining is wheeled around in carts or prepared to order in trucks. Local food vendor Jamie Williams…
Sex Slavery Survivors Shine in ‘Another Me’
The elegant color photographs on the walls at Iris BookCafe at first glance could be from a sophisticated fashion shoot. They are not. Back-stories for the photographs in Another Me: Transformations from Pain to Power are their reason for being. Photographer Achinto Bhardra has invested each work with compassion as well as a knowing use…
Cincinnati Ballet Spotlights Female Choreographers
As its name suggests, Cincinnati Ballet’s Kaplan New Works Series prides itself on moving dance forward. You can count on the company’s annual season opener to be modern-slanted, edgy even. This in-studio production also offers a rare opportunity to see dance in so intimate a venue you can hear the dancers breathing. But this year…
Matthew Shelton Brings His Lightboxes and Music Home
I first met Matthew Shelton in the bottom of a swimming pool. It was a program — an unusual and innovative one sponsored by a group promoting site-specific arts events — in which musicians performed on the floor of the empty Ziegler Pool in Over-the-Rhine. Shelton, with his deep resonant voice and wry, smart songs,…
Activist Group: Investigate Miners’ Appearance at Romney Rally
The activist branch of a liberal telecommunications company has filed a petition asking the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate allegations that Murray Energy forced miners in Beallsville, Ohio to attend a rally for Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney. CREDO Action Campaign Manager Josh Nelson told CityBeat that the group emailed the petition with 4,021…
Outstanding Cast Assembled for Oct. 7 Workshop at Carnegie
There's a new piece of musical theater in the oven, and you'll be able to get a peak and a listen on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m., when it has a one-night-only public performance at Covington's Carnegie Center. The evening will feature several local theater veterans including two with national reputations, so it's a…
Morning News and Stuff
Three Cincinnati residents who live near Washington Park are suing the Cincinnati Park Board over Washington Park’s rules. The rules, which were allegedly written by 3CDC, discriminate against “certain classes of people,” the homeless advocates said in a statement. The group says the new rules ban dropping off clothes or food, rummaging through trash cans…
Riding the Endangered Rails
T he room is smaller than it ought to be. The terminal seats four dozen Amtrak passengers, a little more if you squeeze. And the trains come by only six times a week now: three late-night rides heading West to Chicago and three East to Penn Station in New York City. The Union Terminal (UT)…
The Looking Glass
Visual cultural opportunities abound this fall with events happening in and around Cincinnati for your viewing pleasure. Each idea or event listed here will allow you to explore a different facet of visual cultural opportunities in Cincinnati this fall — from stargazing for the nature-lover to ornate Shakespearian costumes for fashionistas to an old-fashioned candy shop…
Robert Geathers Talks Bengals’ Locker Room, Leadership
Robert Geathers is entering his ninth year with the Bengals and is now the most tenured member of the team. He was drafted in the same class as Chris Perry, Keiwan Ratliff and Madieu Williams. He’s been a member of all three of Marvin Lewis’ playoff teams, seen the high times and low, but has…
Strategies to End Homelessness Loses Stimulus Funding
When the stimulus package passed in 2009, the federal government sent out funds that worked to prevent homelessness. Local organization Strategies to End Homelessness used some of this funding to help thousands of at-risk people and those who are already homeless. But that funding will soon come to an end because the stimulus package was…
Hey, Have You Seen This?
One of the great things about fall is that the cooler temperatures allow humans to walk around outside without getting sweat mustaches. It’s perfect weather for wandering the city to investigate Cincinnati’s sometimes-hidden treasures ranging from our great collection of street art (downtown’s remaining Shepard Fairey murals) to historic districts (the painted ladies in Columbia…
Early Voting Gets More Time
In a statement on Aug. 22, Secretary of State Jon Husted said of early voting, “The rules are set and are not going to change.” Husted made the comment in an attempt to end discussion over in-person early voting hours. Unfortunately for Husted, a federal judge disagrees. Judge Peter Economus in an Aug. 31 ruling…
Romney Lays Out Recovery Plan at Union Terminal
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Sept. 1 laid out five steps that he said would have America “roaring back” during a campaign stop at Cincinnati’s Union Terminal, his first campaign stop since formally accepting the Republican nomination. Romney said his plan involved encouraging development in oil and coal, implementing a trade policy that favored…
Cincinnati vs. The World 09.05.2012
How romantic: A wealthy Russian businessman decided to test his fiancée-to-be’s love before popping the question by staging his own death, saying, “I wanted her to realise how empty her life would be without me and how life would have no meaning without me.” WORLD -2 College Hill Recreation Center’s solar panels are now operational…
Apple Time
Summer’s the soggy time of year, even when there’s hardly any rain. Summer is peach juice dripping down your chin. It’s steamy, and you can’t go anywhere without looking like your clothes could use a heavy pressing with a hot iron. But when fall rolls around, you’ve got a chance at staying starched. Fall’s the…
GOP Convention Continues War on Women
Like any political convention, the Republican National Convention was filled with little substance and mostly vague platitudes. But one piece of policy was made very clear in the Republican Party’s political platform, which was officially unveiled at the convention: The war on women is still marching along. Specifically, the Republican platform on abortion still supports…
Pleasure without Pretense
I can cut some slack for the ancient Egyptian butchers who wore high heels to avoid stepping on animal carcasses, but never will I ever understand women who wear heels daily; modern-day high heels, in my opinion, are a form of pedal masochism. And yet, occasionally I’ll embrace a little hypocrisy and find myself wobbling…
Core Future
C ity officials on Aug. 21 finished and released the final draft for Plan Cincinnati, the city’s first master plan since 1980. The 228-page plan, which can be found online at www.plancincinnati.org, touts a renewed emphasis on the urban instead of the suburban, citing a societal movement from neighborhoods back to the urban core of…
Let’s Get Musi-Cool
After one of the best summers for music in Cincinnati in a long time, autumn is going to have to offer up a lot of cool musical happenings to avoid season envy. Luckily for those of us who live and love Greater Cincinnati, it appears the momentum of the summer is definitely going to carry…
Freddie Birdcury, Oscars Fix and Lovin’ AC/DC Too Much
HOT: We Will Flock You Not only was Queen’s Freddie Mercury arguably the greatest Rock & Roll frontman of all time, he’s also (mostly posthumously) been one of the most effective crusaders for AIDS awareness. On what would have been the singer’s 66th birthday (Sept. 5), the makers of Angry Birds decided to honor his…
Cool Issue 2012
During high school, the heyday of my geekdom, the people I deemed the “coolest” were the aloof ones that never seemed to exert much effort on anything. Their insouciance boggled me — I was constantly consumed by my GPA, college apps, a crush. For four years, I was a fidgety ball of nerves caring more…
Worst Week Ever!: Aug. 29-Sept. 4
WEDNESDAY AUG. 29 An Aurora, Ind. Taco Bell had to instruct its patrons to leave today after an accident between a semi truck and a car resulted in the truck on fire and clouds of smoke covering the area. The crash was reportedly caused by both drivers running a yellow light and at least one…
J-Skillz Heads Up Triple Hip Hop Release Party
Three Cincy Hip Hop artists join forces Saturday at Corryville club The Mad Frog to celebrate the release of their respective new projects. The 10 p.m. show will serve as the release parties for a trio of strong recent releases — J-Skillz ’s King of the Jungle , Da 3rd Element ’s Expense Report and…
GOP Rape Discussion Has Cincinnati Roots
As surely as the sun revolves around Earth, the gaffe that keeps giving has its origins in Cincinnati. I’m talking about Republican Todd Akin, the Missouri anti-abortion senatorial candidate who stupidly asserted that some rapes are “legitimate.” He wasn’t talking about the ways that Akin and fellow congressmen screw us daily, so I accept his stumbling excuses…
R.I.P. Metromix :’(
Anyone following CityBeat during the past year has seen our publication undergo several major changes, including a redesign of the print edition, the re-implementation of a stand-alone cover story and an expansion of the news and opinion sections. We also added TV and sports columns, refreshed our weekly event and music pick formats and created…
Event: Storytelling at Washington Park
Everybody loves a nice story — storytelling is an ancient art form and community ritual that’s permeated every culture, told on papyrus, word of mouth or even through hieroglyphics. The grounds of shady, pristine Washington Park make an ideal setting for the first installation of the “Storytelling in the Park,” which unites amateur and professional…
Pastime Paradise
T he first curious thing about Akhe Abdullah’s album of Hip Hop instrumentals, Journey: The Sound of Life, is the cover art’s painted depiction of a carefree boy crouched inside a tree, a man walking from a distance and a bearded man with his head lowered in contemplation. It’s actually from a mural done by…
