Our Favorite CityBeat Cover Stories from 2024

“On the Record,” by Katie Griffith Jan. 24 issue Despite challenges presented by the uneven profit structures of the streaming industry (and music industry at large), local record labels have risen to the occasion, providing essential support to musicians in Greater Cincinnati and beyond. In her cover feature in CityBeat’s Jan. 24 issue, Katie Griffith examined how four different local record labels — Colemine Records, Torn Light Records (now based in Chicago), Feel It Records and Whited Sepulchre Records — have shaped Cincinnati’s music industry through the promotion of local music and artists, creative partnerships, live shows, community events and more. And, as Griffith pointed out, record labels have always played an important role in Cincinnati’s music scene, even as far back as the 1940s with the city’s most well-known label, King Records. Photo: CityBeat

“Missing in Plain Sight,” by Madeline Fening Feb. 21 issue Before investigators had confirmed that the remains of a dismembered Black woman found in North Fairmount belonged to 25-year-old Makaila Luckey, CityBeat news reporter Madeline Fening penned this cover feature about the search for her identity and the inequities the case put on display. At the time the cover feature was written, Luckey’s torso and additional remains had been found but investigators were still struggling to identify her. The brutality of the crime was also striking to investigators, who rarely saw dismembered bodies in Cincinnati. The case highlights broader systemic issues, Fening argued, as Black women are disproportionately impacted by violence, often underrepresented in genetic databases and overlooked in missing persons investigations. Now, over a year after her torso was discovered, Luckey’s killer has yet to be found. Photo: CityBeat

“The Drinking Issue,” by CityBeat Staff July 24 issue Cincinnati’s bar scene has a fairly interesting history, especially during Prohibition, when many drinking establishments were wiped out or forced to adapt — in most cases, illegally. Only a few drinking establishments have stood the test of time in Cincinnati, and in CityBeat’s annual Drinking Issue, we paid tribute to those bars, from a legendary University of Cincinnati watering hole to the oldest continuously running tavern in town and a historical bar that recently received a facelift. Whether you want to learn more about the history of Cincinnati’s bar scene or you’re craving the ambiance of martinis in vintage digs, this cover feature is truly a fun (and informative) read. Photo: CityBeat

“Shitstorm,” by Lily Ogburn and Madeline Fening Aug. 21 issue One of the biggest news stories of the year broke almost a month after the actual incident took place. On June 22, WCPO meteorologist Steve Raleigh and his son Kyle Raleigh were involved in an alleged assault stemming from a fender bender that took place in the parking lot of the Montgomery Inn Boathouse on Riverside Drive. Media attention was finally brought to the incident when Stacie Morrow-Stickrod posted on Facebook about the assault, which involved her parents, both in their seventies. According to Morrow-Stickrod, her mother, Lois Morrow, was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, fractured skull, brain bleeding, a contusion on the back of her head that required staples, a detached eye lens and cuts and bruises to her arms and legs. She says that her father was also knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion. To only add to the absolute chaos of the scene, Kevin Youkilis, a former UC and Red Sox baseball player, was eating dinner with an agent when he saw the incident break out. In her fantastic cover feature, CityBeat’s former news intern Lily Ogburn laid out all of the facts of the alleged assault and why it proved to be so sensational at the time (and her weather-related puns deserve some praise as well). Since her cover feature hit CityBeat’s newsstands, it was announced that Steve Raleigh would not be facing any charges for the incident. However, Kyle Raleigh and Troy Morrow were both indicted on charges related to the incident back in September. Photo: CityBeat

“Elegy,” by Madeline Fening Sept. 18 issue In 2024, a large part of CityBeat news reporter Madeline Fening’s job was dedicated to following JD Vance’s every move. In a move that stunned really no one at all, President-Elect Donald Trump chose Middletown native Vance to be his vice presidential running mate, thus sealing Fening’s fate as Vance’s shadow — especially during the last few months of the year. In her cover feature that hit newsstands just a few weeks before Vance would become the nation’s vice president-elect, Fening explored Vance’s complicated legacy in his hometown, and how he has transformed himself into the perfect MAGA politician. Much of the feature is centered around the image of Middletown (and of himself) that Vance constructed in his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis that largely casts Middletown’s working class as victims of their own shortcomings. As Vance campaigns with Trump, his attempts to balance personal ambition, populist rhetoric and political loyalty have raised questions about his authenticity and connection to the working-class community he once championed. Photo: CityBeat