Review: Dar Williams’ ‘In the Time of Gods’
Since her 1994 indie debut, The Honesty Room, Dar Williams has attracted a diverse and pathologically loyal fan base with her quirkily hybridized Folk/Pop ministrations. Like an elegant gene splice of Shawn Colvin and Loudon Wainwright III, Williams can easily triangulate the emotional distance between breezy humor, somber reflection and crystalline heartbreak, on subjects as…
Mock Rally For Western & Southern Scheduled For Wednesday
UPDATE: The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless has canceled its Wednesday mock rally for Western & Southern Financial Group. The Coalition Tuesday evening released the following statement: "Due to a change in plans the mock 'Rally to Support Western and Southern' has been canceled. Stay tuned for upcoming gatherings and events to support the Women of the…
Reds On the Upswing
Maybe what Joey Votto said after the Reds' latest victory rings true: “I think a losing record early in the year can be a good thing." The Reds have reeled off three straight series wins and a fourth is not out of the question as the last-place Cubs come to the Queen City. Votto ended…
Cincinnati vs. The World 5.02.12
Proud parents Saarai and Humphrey last week welcomed the birth of the Cincinnati Zoo’s first baby camel in nearly 30 years. CINCINNATI +1 After numerous surgeries, Ukrainian Valeria Lukyanova, 21, has finally realized her dream of becoming a real-life Barbie doll, complete with glassy blue eyes, a teeny waist, platinum blond hair and bulging Barbie…
MerleFest 2012: That’s a Wrap
April 29 – Super 8 Motel, Wytheville, Va. Wytheville — pronounced "whiteville," I believe — sits at the cross of I-77 and I-81. Looking down I-81, I used to see Bristol, Tenn., and think of that time in 1927 when The Cater Family and Jimmie Rodgers separately met a rep from the Victor Talking Machine…
The Avengers: Some Assembly Required
Back in 1963, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby probably didn’t have as much trouble creating Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as Hollywood has had in bringing these super duper dudes (and one dark and mysterious dudette) to the screen. There have been two very different Hulks (Eric Bana raged out in Ang Lee’s angsty version, while Edward…
How Media React to Errors Is Enlightening
Given the news media’s historic reticence about admitting screw-ups, I have no idea whether we are more or less ethical than in recent decades. What has changed is the likelihood that unspeakable puffery, blatant conflicts of interest, errors that affect a story’s accuracy or meaning, deliberate falsehoods, plagiarism, image fakery and bias are likelier than…
Your Tuesday To Do List
Happy May Day! The holiday has various meanings across cultures with Christian, pagan and labor-related celebrations. Today in the U.S., the holiday is widely known as International Workers’ Day and observed by labor unions. The local Occupy movement will celebrate this tradition by demonstrating to raise awareness about the importance of increasing the minimum wage.…
The Kids Aren’t Alright
I n 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…
Sanabria, Tom Jones and Pleasantly Plump
[HOT] Nomination Condemnation A lawsuit filed against the Grammys has been thrown out. According to the AP, Latin Jazz artist Bobby Sanabria and three others were trying to get the Recording Academy to reconsider eliminating more than 30 Grammy categories because the effect on “niche” genres dropped will be “detrimental” to many musicians’ careers. Sanabria…
First Round Pick Dre Kirkpatrick Talks Draft, Bengals’ Future
The Bengals did exactly what they were expected to do in the first round of the NFL draft on April 26 — take a cornerback and an offensive guard, even if the names were different than expected. Last Thursday, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick of Alabama and Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler became the newest Bengals. On Friday,…
Enigmatic For the People
S t. Vincent’s music is rife with contradictions. Take the first song on the outfit’s most recent album, last year’s Strange Mercy, which opens with this vague but provocative imagery, delivered by Annie Clark — the band’s 29-year-old creative ringleader — in a delicate falsetto: “You’re all legs/I’m all nerves/Black lacquered/Horse hair whip.” The song, “Chloe…
Elie Wiesel Addresses Lessons of the Holocaust
Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and human-rights advocate whose landmark 1956 memoir of surviving the Holocaust, Night, has been translated into more than 30 languages, will speak Sunday evening at Xavier University’s Cintas Center. For his sponsoring agency, his speech will be more than just a history lesson. “We are hoping that he…
Mother’s Day Dish
Yes, it’s May again, and time to get ready for Mother’s Day! I have some advice: Do not buy your mom a present! It’s just one more thing that, when she eventually moves, you will have to carefully wrap in layers of bubble wrap, put in a box, attach the lid on with miles of…
New Exhibit Shows Holocaust’s Impact On One Polish City
A new exhibit at Hebrew Union College’s Skirball Museum uses photographs, documents and other objects to solemnly, reverently revisit a once-vibrant Polish Jewish community almost completely wiped out by the invading Nazi Germans. As such, it packs an emotional wallop: a close-up consideration of all that was lost by Jews — and civilization in general…
Digging On Pigs
W hen I was growing up, the fact that Cincinnati was known as “Porkopolis” was not exactly a selling point for me. I vividly remember Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point opening in 1988 to much hullabaloo thanks to the flying pig sculptures near the entrance and being absolutely mortified with embarrassment that my hometown would…
Music Tonight: Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun
Tonight at Molly Malone's in Covington, guitar hero Bill Kirchen and his band Too Much Fun perform at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18. Dubbed "The Titan of the Telecaster," Kirchen hails from Ann Arbor, Mich., where he attended high school with Iggy Pop and Bob Seger. In the early ’70s, he played with Commander Cody's…
This Date in Music History: May 1
On this day in 1973, the musical act Richard Nixon dubbed "young America at its best" performed at The White House. At Nixon's request, Adult Contemporary superstars The Carpenters performed for the Pres and visiting German Chancellor Willy Brandt. Laugh now, but that will seem cutting edge after the fourth or fifth time The Osmonds…
Morning News and Stuff
A federal investigation into a January construction accident at the Horseshoe Casino site is now completed and the fines in the case have been reduced. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration originally imposed $108,000 in fines, but has since cut that amount in half. Thirteen workers were injured when a concrete floor they were pouring…
Event: Flying Pig Marathon
Hermes might be the only one with winged sandals, but Cincinnati is the only place with flying pigs. It’s that time of year again — throw on your Asics and head downtown for the Flying Pig Marathon. Festivities kick off on Friday afternoon with the P&G Health & Fitness Expo; check out all the sponsors…
Event: Clay Alliance Spring Pottery Fair
Potters and pottery-buyers alike look forward to this annual event, and this year kids can enjoy it, too. A hands-on arts station will give them the chance to do their own thing with clay. DeSales Corner, where Madison Road begins and Woodburn crosses, will be alive with potters and their wares, both functional and decorative,…
Francie Pepper Wins National YWCA Award
A well-known Cincinnati philanthropist is among four people selected to receive the first-ever Women of Distinction Award by the national YWCA. Francie Pepper is being recognized for her years of work in support of issues involving women, girls and racial justice. Pepper has served on the board of the Cincinnati YWCA since 1996,…
Art: The Science Show
I’m not ashamed to admit it: I’m terrible at math. Back in high school, I passed Algebra II by the skin of my teeth. In college I took a course called “The Philosophy of Logic” which, oddly enough, turned into something of a math class. I barely passed that one as well. I used to…
MerleFest 2012: Jubal’s Kin All Over the Place
Saturday, Apr 28: Jubal's Kin Festival Grounds Saturday at MerleFest broke hard and cold. Our camping neighbors had an impromptu jam session at 3 a.m., which is to be expected when camping at a music festival geared towards people who not only love to watch and listen, but also play. It would have been one…
Event: Crafty Supermarket
Experience Cinco de Mayo in a totally unique way. With more than 50 vendors from all over the country, the Crafty Supermarket Spring Show is a great way to spend the holiday. If the allure of buying nifty crafts isn’t enough, tasty treats like Belgian waffles, vegan baked goods, pizza, coffee and gelato will be…
The Coolest Thing Toby Keith Ever Did
Today is the 79th birthday of Country music legend/High Times coverdude Willie Nelson. Most people are already familiar with Willie’s coolness — pioneer of late-’60s Outlaw Country, member of Country music all-star group The Highwaymen with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson and singer of such classic songs as “On the Road Again,” "Blue…
Comedy: Aries Spears
Aries Spears is probably most recognized from his work on Mad TV, where he created a number of characters and performed many spot-on impressions. One of those impressions was of his boyhood idol Eddie Murphy, who is also known for creating odd characters and doing hilarious impressions. Ironically, Murphy never seemed to care for Spears’…
Event: Cantina Crawl
Cinco de Mayo is the Mexican equivalent of St. Patrick’s Day, meaning it gives cause for everyone of legal age to have a good time while enjoying a couple of adult beverages. If you like to partake in the festivities, and if you haven’t figured out where to go yet, then we here at CityBeat…
Art: Essex Studios Art Walk: BLOOM
If you’ve never visited one of Cincinnati’s ubiquitous artist gallery cum studio spaces, Essex Studios’ upcoming Art Walk: BLOOM exhibition should give you the perfect opportunity. While events at such sundry artists’ spaces can sometimes seem like a jumble of disjointed work, Art Walk’s organizers enlisted artists to bring art out of the studios and…
Onstage: Life Could be a Dream
If you’ve wondered about the Wonderettes, those spunky gals from the ’50s and ’60s who’ve entertained audiences at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati for several seasons, I have good news for you. They’ll be back at ETC next season. But you can return to the same era, same town, same high school with ETC’s next production. The…
Dance: Pilobolus
Never seen modern dance before? It’s possible you’ve seen Pilobolus without realizing it. Perhaps it was their 2007 Academy Awards shape-shifting or maybe one of their handful of car commercials or TV appearances on Conan or Oprah or their more recent viral hit music video collaboration with Grammy-winners OK Go. Like the opportunistic, sun-loving fungus…
Music: Vandaveer with the Young Heirlooms
Critically acclaimed Indie Folk act Vandaveer returns after a successful stop here last year at the MidPoint Music Festival. The Washington, D.C.-based group was formed in 2006 by mastermind Mark Charles Heidinger, who has roots that put him closer to the heart of Americana music (born in Ohio and raised in Kentucky). The band has…
Review: Jack White’s ‘Blunderbuss’
After the tumultuous revolution of The White Stripes, the twisted Pop/Rock convention of The Raconteurs and the Blues/Indie Rock gene splice of Dead Weather, there was nothing left for Jack White to do but to hang his own name on the marquee and go the solo route. There is an argument to be made that…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was Saturday, and while CityBeat’s invitation must have gotten lost in the mail, the event brought journalists, celebrities and famewhores from across the country to Washington, D.C. What began in the 1920s as an opportunity to recognize journalists is now more of a “Washington goes Hollywood” event, usually hosted by…
Title Fight
Five months ago, joshlikesjuice posted an extraordinarily funny and astute comment on YouTube: “anyone else feel like they're watching a porno?” The quip was in response to a clip called “Title Fight *interview with PunkWorldViews.com*,” a poorly lit, awkward, eight-minute conversation with the Kingston, Penn.-based Hardcore/Pop Punk band from last year. The uncomfortable, about-to-bang-in-due-time vibe…
This Date in Music History: April 30
On this date in 1992, the Los Angeles riots had the world's attention, breaking out after the four cops on trial for beating Rodney King were acquitted the day before. Property damage has been estimated at $1 billion and 54 people were killed in the mayhem. There were a lot of important things to come…
MerleFest 2012: Lost Bayou Ramblers and More
Friday Evening, Apr 27: MerleFest Festival Grounds After lunch, I was ready for something a little more upbeat, so I headed back to the Americana stage to check out The Lost Bayou Ramblers. I caught these guys last year at the same stage, and they brought the place down. I suppose most Cajun and Zydeco…
Morning News and Stuff
Cincinnati City Council will soon create a working group of leaders from six neighborhoods near the planned downtown casino site. Once organized, the working group will examine ways to maximize the benefits from the visitors, jobs and tax revenue the new casino will bring, while dealing with any problems like possible increases in crime. The…
Burlesque-A-Pades
Local Jazz fans who keep an eye on the clubs for young players coming out of University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music no doubt remember trumpeter Brian Newman in the late ’90s/early ’00s. A Cleveland native, Newman ultimately landed in New York City after graduation and started working. He’s been there over a decade now.…
Portland Cello Project
Placing contemporary music in a quasi-Classical setting has been a trendy thing to do since the ’60s, when everyone was trying to squeeze a corollary buck out of Beatlemania. From Walter/Wendy Carlos and Deodato to Philip Glass and Apocalyptica, artists of every creative stripe have approached Classical music from a modern mindset or filtered new…
Rise Against
While many bands spend years toiling around, looking for their place within the music scene, Rise Against found their niche over a decade ago. They lead the way in making mosh pit-stirring music with actual substance. In the Rock world, not a ton of bands even attempt to pull off meaningful music. Rock radio is…
Ensemble Theatre’s 2012-2013 season
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, sporting a slightly abbreviated name and a half-painted façade, today announced most of its 2012-2013 season. As usual at ETC, it’s a work in progress: That how things are when you’re on the cutting edge of contemporary theater. But Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers knows how to juggle lots of moving parts,…
Stage Door: ‘Thunder Knocking’ and More
Cincinnati Playhouse just opened Thunder Knocking on the Door, a show it staged in 1999 and sold a boatload of tickets — the most for any musical it’s presented in the past two decades! I was there on Thursday night for the opening, and this is a drop-dead gorgeous production — costumes, sets, lighting and…
It’s (Almost) Bike Month!
It’s that time of the year again — time to celebrate bicycles and the pleasant lifestyles to which they contribute. It’s easy to understand the benefits of riding a bike: exercise, better enjoyment and understanding of our surroundings, less traffic and smog, etc. (When you’re riding a bike you also get to worry less about…
MerleFest 2012: Finishing Day 1, Starting Day 2
Friday, Apr 27 – MerleFest Festival Grounds Every morning I wake and thank baby Jesus I am a biped, agile and have been blessed with a no mess ability to pee standing up. And in a steady torrent. Just about anywhere without attracting attention (well, there was that county deputy in Abington, Va., a while…
Review: Maps & Atlases’ ‘Beware and Be Grateful’
When Maps & Atlases dropped Perch Patchwork, their 2010 debut full-length and first album for Barsuk Records, the Chicago-based quartet was just beginning to explore the intersection of their adoration of Post-Punk Math heroes like Don Caballero and their father-tilted love of ’70s Prog avatars like Jethro Tull and Mahavishnu Orchestra. M&A’s introductory EPs —…
Gold Shoes LP Drops Tonight
Tonight at The Drinkery on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine, excellent local Pop/Hip Hop/Rock crew Gold Shoes release its first long-player in conjunction with a free performance (the album is conveniently titled The Gold Shoes LP). The band was formed in 2009 and features MC vocals from rapper Buggs Tha Rocka (a great solo artist as…
Local GOP Distributes Email from Husted
The local Republican Party this week sent a mass email to its members with a message from Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, urging them to sign up as poll workers for this fall’s presidential election. Alex Triantafilou, chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party, sent the email Tuesday. Husted noted that 40,000 poll workers…
Music Tonight: Sharon Van Etten and R.E.M. Tribute
At Mayday in Northside, widely acclaimed singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten comes to town on her tour supporting her latest album, Tramp, which features contributions from members of The National (local boy-done-good Aaron Dessner produced the album), The Walkmen and Beirut. Van Etten spoke with Jason Gargano for this week's CityBeat about how the new album…
Your Weekend To Do List: 4/27-4/29
Thanks to the Contemporary Arts Center's current music video exhibition, Spectacle, a number of talented musicians, artists and directors have flocked to Cincinnati during the past two months to perform and discuss the power of music videos in our culture. Tonight, director Vincent Morisset stops by to screen Inni, his powerful black-and-white film about Icelandic…
Merle Fest 2012: Day 1
Thursday, April 26: MerleFest Festival Grounds Electrified cats and dogs fell relentlessly across Roanoke Valley as I made my way into to North Carolina. As I turned off I-77, west towards Wilksboro, the skies started to clear and the rain disappeared. The south in the spring. There are really only two stages operating on Thursday…
Cincinnati Bike Center Opening Delayed
Bikers anxious for the arrival of downtown's new Cincinnati Bike Center will have to contain their excitement for a few more days, according to a post this morning on Queen City Bike's Facebook page. The center has been set to launch its grand opening on Tuesday, May 1, but shipping complications, safety issues and some…
This Date in Music History: April 27
On this day in 2003, Iggy Pop reunited The Stooges to perform at the 2003 Coachella festival in California. Well, as much of a "reunion" as possible — original bassist David Alexander died in 1975. But you can't do much better than Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREHOSE) as a substitute. Pop re-teamed with guitarist Ron Asheton…
Morning News and Stuff
Final results from a disputed 2010 judicial race will be announced later today. Workers at the Hamilton County Board of Elections are expected to finish the tallying of provisional ballots sometime this afternoon. A total of 286 ballots are being counted in a Juvenile Court judge race, in compliance with a recent order from a…
Thunder Knocking on the Door (Review)
Critic's PickOn opening night of Thunder Knocking on the Door, the Cincinnati Playhouse’s producing artistic director, Ed Stern, earned a standing ovation before the show started. It’s the final mainstage production of his 20th and final season. He’s been a remarkable impresario, presenting diverse and entertaining theater with great success, and this revival of Keith…
Cincinnati Chooses Green Energy Aggregation
After spending several weeks reviewing requests for proposals (RFPs) from seven energy providers as part of Cincinnati’s initiative to power homes using energy aggregation, a decision has been made — and it’s a green one. Cincinnati has selected First Energy Solutions (FES) as the city’s new electricity provider, which will make it the first major…
Review: Bonnie Raitt’s ‘Slipstream’
For the past 40 years, Bonnie Raitt has made a success out of nearly everything she’s attempted. The red-haired daughter of a Broadway icon, Raitt was an unlikely champion of honest-to-Robert-Johnson Blues, but her incendiary guitar skills and unquenchable passion for the form won the respect of some of the genre’s legends; B.B. King famously…
Merle Fest 2012: Getting Psyched
(Editor's Note: CityBeat's annual coverage of music festivals around the country started off its 2012 campaign with Emily Maxwell's write-ups from South By Southwest in Austin in March. But our coverage picks up in earnest — ahead of the barrage of late spring/summer fests — with this week's dispatches from North Carolina's MerleFest. Local musician…
Some Ohioans Could Lose Landlines
To a Generation Y-er, a touch-tone cord phone without access to Internet might sound like something from the stone ages — a trinket only found in the antique confines of a grandparent's cobwebbed homestead. It appears that's little more than perception, though: According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than three of…
Music Tonight: Tedeschi Trucks Band and More
If you were hoping to walk up and buy tickets to check out tonight's show at the Taft Theatre featuring the Grammy-winning Tedeschi Trucks Band, skip the box office and "walk up" to a scalper because the Taft just sent out a press release announcing the show as a sell out. (Read what our Brian…
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Review)
Before Jesus Christ Superstar and The Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber composed together a brief “pop cantata” based on the biblical story of Joseph and his “coat of many colors.” It was a piece to be sung by children (which it was in 1968) and subsequently recorded as a concept album (1969). After…
Cincinnati is 8th Worst for Air Pollution
Cincinnati and Hamilton County fared poorly on a national list of places with polluted air that was released Wednesday. The Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington metropolitan region ranked as the eighth-worst for air particle pollution, according to the American Lung Association. Meanwhile, Hamilton County was given an “F” grade for its number of high ozone days, and a “D”…
This Date in Music History: April 26
On this day in 2004, Bob Pollard announced that his Dayton, Ohio-based Indie Rock group Guided By Voices would be calling it quits. The band would cease to be after the touring duties for the Half Smiles of the Decomposed were finished. But he must have had his fingers-crossed behind his back when he announced…
Your Thursday To Do List
Happy National Pretzel Day! In honor of this momentous occasion, Servatii offers free pretzel sticks to every guest today. We suggest going all-out with one of their tasty, giant pretzel sandwiches, too. Find a location to stop by here. Another TED event takes place locally today, this time on Xavier's campus. TEDxXavierUniversity brings leaders in…
Morning News and Stuff
A study by a housing advocacy group found that foreclosures in Hamilton County dropped by 13 percent compared to the previous year. But representatives with Working In Neighborhoods, the group that did the research, said the figures don't necessarily mean that homeowners aren't being affected by the economic downturn. Rather, they note that many large…
Ballots Being Tallied in Disputed Election
Anyone who wants to observe the processing of provisional ballots in a disputed 2010 election is being invited to attend as the work is completed this week. Officials with the Hamilton County Board of Elections have announced the processing will occur today, Thursday and Friday. A total of 286 provisional ballots are being tallied…
Paste Magazine Gives Ohio Love
Paste magazine's "50 States Project" series singling out some of the best music in all of the states in America today posted its list of Ohio bands. Three Cincinnati acts — Bad Veins (in at No. 1!), Walk the Moon and Pomegranates — made the cut. Here's the rundown of all the bands chosen in…
Review: Alabama Shakes’ ‘Boys and Girls’
Remember the first time you saw Erika Wennerstrom sing in front of the Heartless Bastards and watched amazed as she pummeled her guitar and sang with a ferocity that made her neck veins dance like a cobra in a snake charmer’s basket? Brittany Howard approaches her role fronting Alabama Shakes with a similarly wrought intensity…
‘The Emery Sessions’ Underway
We've written a bit in the past about the new film-meets-music "One Shot Music Video" series, beautifully shot, black-and-white short films of various local musical acts shot at the historic Emery Theatre (which is back in action as a functional venue this weekend). Shot by world renowned photographer Michael Wilson with audio help from the…
Republicans Back Down on Voting Restrictions
This week, Republicans are moving forward with a partial repeal of HB 194, a bill that was blasted by voting rights groups for eliminating opportunities to vote early and disallowing pollworkers to guide voters to the correct precinct. The bill was also criticized by Democrats for curtailing voting rights in a way that made it…
Music Tonight: Fort Wilson Riot
Though they hail from Minneapolis, Indie Pop duo Fort Wilson Riot list its "hometown" as "Our dear van Casandra," a nod to the pair's nomadic life as a D.I.Y. touring entity. Buzzed about after their appearance at last year's MidPoint Music Festival, the twosome (Amy Hager on vocals, keyboard, guitar and trumpet and Jacob Mullis…
’30 Rock’ Goes Live — Again!
If I had to pick fictional television characters to represent 2000s-era humans for a future generation, 30 Rock’s Liz Lemon would be my No. 1. Tina Fey’s character, while over the top, really represents the average snack food-loving workaholic who, despite being pretty well-connected, would sometimes rather spend a Saturday night with a wine spritzer…
Alternative Tentpoles: a Preview of Indie Summer 2012
The beginning of May has heralded the dawn of summer at the box office for nearly a decade, which means that by now, thanks to the rise of the movie trailers, we are all overly familiar with the blockbusters of the season. Marvel’s The Avengers kicks things off for the superheroes, with The Amazing Spider-Man…
Cincinnati Ballet’s Carmon DeLeone Shines On
It’s a rare person today who sticks to the same career path — let alone the same position — for more than a handful of years. How about four-plus decades? Enter Maestro Carmon DeLeone, Cincinnati Ballet’s music director for 43 seasons running. DeLeone could be deemed exceptional not only in his lengthy Ballet tenure, but…
New Greater Cincinnati Releases Galore
Northern Kentucky Indie Rock foursome Philosopher’s Stone is set to unveil its first full-length in a decade, When Life Rafts Begin To Fail, in conjunction with a free show at Covington’s Avenue Lounge this Saturday. The show opens at 9 p.m. with guest Andyman Hopkins. When Life Rafts Begin To Fail — which includes the…
April 18-24: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY APRIL 18 Cincinnati’s past was spotlighted nationally tonight by a new show on National Geographic Channel. The Decrypters episode focused on the haphazardly buried remains of 70 folks who were apparently down with Cincinnati before we had white tigers, sports stadiums and trendy arts districts. The bodies were discovered in 2010 when excavation work…
Sittenfeld Wants Litter Law Change
Cincinnati officials are hoping to give property owners more of an incentive to clean up their yards. City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld has proposed changing Cincinnati’s litter laws to allow for a full refund of fines for first-time violators if they remedy the problem within 10 days of being cited. Currently, when the city issues citations…
Facing Shortfall, County Blames Sheriff
Republicans control most functions of Hamilton County government. Despite the dominance, however, county commissioners say mid-year budget cuts totaling $4.78 million might have to be made because several departments — led by the Sheriff’s Office — are over-budget so far. Budget Director John P. Bruggen told commissioners April 23 that several departments have expenditures that…
More Test Erasures Flagged at Taft
A state-contracted analysis of Ohio Graduation Tests last year flagged seven individual answer sheets at Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School for having a suspiciously high ratio of erasures resulting in wrong-to-right answers. The analysis, obtained by CityBeat, shows that of 92 erasures on the seven tests, 75 were of the wrong-to-right sort, or…
Cincinnati vs. The World 4.25.12
Among other things, Friday, April 20 marked the two-year anniversary of BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, which leaked nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico before the well was plugged. Disturbing accounts of deformed aquatic life have recently surfaced, including fish plagued with mysterious ulcers, eyeless shrimp and crabs missing…
Full Steam Ahead
“I’m known to many as Aloysius Fox, and I am actually British,” says the enigmatic founder of The League of Cincinnati Steampunks. Though role-playing is a significant part of the literary genre-turned-cultural movement, Aloysius assures that his charming European swagger is, in fact, authentic (he notes that he moved to the States from Britain in…
Winburn, Smitherman Grandstand on Serious Issue
M any people think the mention of religion, politics or sex are the topics that are most likely to cause frowns, anxious looks or angry stares if they’re brought up during conversation in mixed company. I humbly submit, however, that they’re wrong. The topic most likely to cause consternation, at least in the United States,…
Your Wednesday To Do List
Earth Day may have official ended Sunday night, but the celebrations continue today with the EcoSculpt Awards Ceremony. Swing by Fountain Square between 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. to check out 13 sculptures on display, all composed of recycled/recyclable materials. First, second and third place winners along with a People’s Choice Award will be announced at noon.…
Differing Forecasts
C incinnati’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. According to Mary Ronan, superintendent of Cincinnati Public…
This Date in Music History: April 25
On this day in 2002, rapper for the Pop group TLC, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes died in a traffic accident in the Honduras. The star was allegedly trying to pass a truck, but another vehicle was coming the opposite way when she made her move. To avoid it, Lopes swerved off the road. The Mitsubishi…
Morning News and Stuff
Cincinnati City Council took the first step Tuesday in repealing the city's ban on owning Pit Bull terriers. Council's Livable Communities Committee voted 5-1 to support repeal, saying it was unfair to single out a specific breed for harsher treatment. Experts have said Pit Bulls aren't inherently vicious, and that their treatment and training by…
