Morning News and Stuff
Today is the end of the world. Whatever. Life sucks anyway. Ohio’s unemployment rate dropped from 6.9 percent to 6.8 percent in November . Gains were concentrated in trade, transportation, and utilities, financial activities and educational and health services, with losses in construction, leisure and hospitality, government, professional and business services and information services. Overall,…
County Prosecutor Suggests Arming Teachers
In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters suggested to WCPO TV that teachers “trained to handle a weapon” should be armed . The idea isn’t surprising coming from the Republican county prosecutor. In the onset of tragedies like the one in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown,…
Over the Rhine Band Co-Founder Issues Open Letter to NRA
In the aftermath of last week's once unfathomable tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, discussion about mental health services and gun control — thanks largely to social media — has grown to become the major topic of national discourse. During campaign cycles, certain music fans complain loudly about artists expressing their opinions about candidates and causes,…
Morning News and Stuff
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is proposing training school staff and teachers to be first responders in the case of an attack. The news comes in the wake of the massacre in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., which caused the deaths of 20 children and six adults. CityBeat proposed its own solution in…
I Just Can’t Get Enough…Holidays
It’s holiday time, y’all! Whether you celebrate Chrimbus, Festivus (Google it for a fun Easter egg), Ludachristmas, Eggmas or any other equally spiritual special occasion, now is that magical time of year where it’s acceptable to get drunk in front of your boss and/or Grandma, go on a shopping spree at 4 a.m. and eat…
Council Passes SORTA Resolution, Budget
In hopes of quashing rumors, City Council on Wednesday passed a resolution promising not to use Metro bus money on the streetcar. The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit authority had voted Tuesday on an agreement with the city that contained a provision saying money from the $42 million transit fund that pays for bus operation can’t…
Man With a Mission
A ll Ralph David Abernathy IV saw was the football hanging in the air. Everything slowed down like in a movie, the sounds of the crowd silenced by the moment. High-level athletes often say they can block out all their surroundings and see just the ball in situations like this one, but the University of…
Supposed City-SORTA Conflict Much Ado About Nothing
In the past few days, local media outlets have reported heavily on a supposed conflict between Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) and the city of Cincinnati. Essentially, SORTA wants the transit fund limited, while the city government says it doesn’t want to “undermine the city charter” with limitations. At its heart, the argument is…
The Guitars
Most people have some sort of plans for this Tuesday. But for those who don’t celebrate Christmas — and, especially, for those who need a family-gathering escape hatch — MOTR Pub and The Guitars have an easy (and free!) out. The Cincinnati-based R&B/Soul/Rock/Pop group has a special event planned for Christmas night at the Over-the-Rhine…
Christmas Comes Early for Reds
Walt Jocketty’s Christmas list wasn’t long, but it was still a tall order. Well, two weeks before Dec. 25, he checked off the final big-ticket item: a leadoff hitter. The Reds completed a three-team deal that brought outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and infielder Jason Donald to Cincinnati, while team sent Drew Stubbs to Cleveland and shortstop…
Cincinnati Financial Giants Get Zeroes in LGBT Scores
LGBT rights are becoming “the new normal” in corporate America, but American Financial Group and Western & Southern Financial Group are apparently exceptions. Both Cincinnati-based Fortune 500 companies received a 0 percent for LGBT policies in the 2012 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The index uses LGBT-related corporate policies to…
Judge Who Sealed Miami Rape Flier Case Defends Decision
The Butler County judge who granted the anonymity of a former Miami University student convicted of posting a rape tips list on campus is standing by his decision. Area 1 Court Judge Robert Lyons ordered all case records sealed Nov. 8 after the student pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and agreed to pay an undisclosed…
Council Passes Budget Reliant on Parking Lease
Cincinnati City Council approved a budget Dec. 14 that relies on parking privatization as a means to plug a $34 million budget deficit while also raising property taxes in 2014. Council voted to increase the property tax by about 24 percent, from 4.6 mills (a mill is equal to one-tenth of a cent) to 5.71…
Cincinnati vs. The World 12.19.2012
Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed a measure into law that will crack down on puppy mills — inhumane, large-scale dog breeding operations run for profit, often resulting in severe neglect and abuse. CINCINNATI +1 Minnesotan great-grandpa Bud Shaefer, 86, discovered his love of cycling a little late in life, but not too late to make…
Make This Time Different
On Dec. 14, the United States was hit by another mass shooting. This time, a gunman forced himself into an elementary school and killed 20 children and six adults. As President Barack Obama pointed out during a vigil for the victims Dec. 16, his speech following the massacre in Newtown, Conn., is the fourth speech…
Solar Cincinnati
C ould Cincinnati become the solar capital of the region? A new report by a citizen-based environmental advocacy group says yes. Environment Ohio on Dec. 5 released a report titled “Building a Solar Cincinnati,” which touts the benefits and potential of solar power in Cincinnati. Christian Adams, who wrote the report along with Julian Boggs,…
Music Hall Renovations Coming
Cincinnati’s Music Hall will be getting renovations, but the project will be much smaller than anticipated. Instead of the previously estimated $165 million, the project, which involves the city leasing the iconic building to the Music Hall Revitalization Company (MHRC) for 75 years, will only cover approximately $95 million. At a joint press conference Wednesday,…
Sandy Show Scores, Deadmau5 Tweetgagement & PSY Trouble
Like a Hurricane The “12.12.12” concert at Madison Square Garden for victims of Hurricane Sandy raised over $30 million in corporate donations, ticket sales and sponsorship money alone, according to MTV.com. Paul McCartney debuted a new song with former members of Nirvana (which leaked to the press) and there was a true (unleaked) surprise from…
Sadly, It Will Never End
Since the beginning of time, there’s probably been someone sitting around trying to predict the end. It matters little whether the prediction was based on sound scientific evidence of global warming, the instability of the planet’s core, our relative proximity to the sun on Dec. 21, 2012, random calculations rooted in calendars, almanacs compiling data…
Worst Week Ever!: Dec. 12-18
WEDNESDAY DEC. 12 Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear today officially agreed that implementing tolls is the best way to raise revenue to build a new Brent Spence Bridge, a project slated to begin in 2014 and cost $2.5 billion. Beshear said something about how Uncle Sam isn’t going to ride in…
Been the End
The end is an equation with a repeating decimal. Worse yet, the end is like spending decades watching a television stuck on a channel broadcasting shows with dreadful, predictable endings, yet living another day to watch those same shows again. We have seen the end before and we survivors — real ones, not ones set…
Jack Reacher
Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise), a hardass military investigator, is the creation of author Lee Childs and, like James Patterson’s Alex Cross, a franchise-in-the-making, so it seems worth asking why screenwriter-director Christopher McQuarrie (The Way of the Gun) hitched his wagon to Cruise who, at 50, might be approaching the period of his career when it…
Cincy Psych Fest Showcase
Following a successful inaugural event in October, the folks behind the Cincy Psych Fest — celebrating the best in local and regional Psych Rock — aren’t just hanging out waiting for next year’s festival to celebrate and revel in the trippiness. This Friday at MOTR Pub, the CPF presents its first show of the ongoing…
The Guilt Trip
Screenwriter Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love.) and director Anne Fletcher (The Proposal) team up behind the scenes of this tag-team road trip tracking an overbearing mother (Barbra Streisand) and her son (Seth Rogen) as they cross the country. What makes The Guilt Trip so intriguing is the pairing of Streisand and Rogen, two unique personalities…
CEA Tickets Now Available
Tickets for the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, which has honored local musicians for the past 16 years, are now available through CincyTicket.com. The CEA ceremony/party takes place at Covington’s Madison Theater on Jan. 27 and will feature more live performances by various nominees than ever. Tickets are $20 and there will also be special “VIP” tickets…
Morning News and Stuff
Metal detectors could come back to City Hall, but local legislators can’t do much more regarding local gun control. Still, Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls and other City Council members will begin pushing for more federal regulations on guns starting today. President Barack Obama is already beginning to drum up support for more regulations on guns,…
Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away
For fans of the live Cirque du Soleil experience, complete with example after example of grace and athleticism, it would seem to be a no-brainer to construct a narrative and capture the wonder as only film can. Andrew Adamson, the visual mastermind behind Shrek 2 and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and…
A Visit from St. Netflixolas
' Twas the week before Christmas, and on the small screen TV options appeared few and far between; The DVR’s ready to record some new shows And provide a distraction from winter woes When, what to my channel-surfing eyes should appear — It’s all reruns of Sugar Dome and Yes, Dear! Sure, the holidays are…
Judd Apatow’s Brand Of Raunchy Comedy Ages Gracefully
Far less schooled in the world of television, I came late to the Judd Apatow party. Back in the mid-to-late 1990s, I led a TV-free existence; what I knew about the small screen actually came from water cooler conversations. So when co-workers raved about their favorite shows — week after week — I listened intently…
Kevin Cole and the Ties That Bind
You’d better add Kevin Cole’s neckties to your gift list. That’s Kevin Cole, not clothing designer Kenneth. If you’re looking for cliché presents, head to your nearest department store. If you and your favorite recipients are looking for a memorable exhibit, head to the Weston Art Gallery for Straight from the Soul, a 25-year retrospective…
You Can’t Unwrap A Download
This may not have been the busiest year for box sets and other special packages, but it had its share of good ones. Here’s a look at some 2012 sets that would make fine gifts for music fans on your Christmas list. The Rolling Stones – GRRR! Greatest Hits (ABKCO Music/Interscope Records) The Rolling Stones…
Zak Morgan
Zak Morgan knows kids. The Cincinnati-based singer/songwriter has already had an amazing career in children’s music, with his second self-financed album, When Bullfrogs Croak, earning numerous awards and acclaim, including a 2004 Grammy nomination for Best Musical Album for Children, a remarkable feat for an independent artist. Morgan’s accomplishments and hard work (he notches over…
