News: Hurrying Back
The year 2001 started without much fanfare, with Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken a sure bet for election to the new position of "strong mayor." The talk at the beginning of the year was about new housing in the city. But in April the talk turned to riots. By mid-year, calls for major change were…
Lastly …
As mentioned in this space last week, this week's column will be the last to fill this space on a weekly basis and should not be looked for, even in alternate spaces, in subsequent weeks. In other words, I am discontinuing "Pseudoquasiesque" and leaving the newspaper business. Partly this is because writing sentences like the…
News: Courting Disaster
The Hamilton Country Courthouse has often been the stage for juridical follies, with its history of judges ordering women-beaters to marry their victims and polling an audience to decide a defendant's guilt. The first act of 2001 opened early. In January, the discovery of a set of photographs of corpses led to the indictment…
The Stepford Five
The Stepford Five Columbus-based Rock quartet The Stepford Five returns to Cincy in support of their new album, The Art of Self-Defense, the follow-up to last year's fine Mesh. The record is a highly textured affair that features a lot of layering and interesting ornamentation that's hard to pick on a pedestrian listen, because…
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free
Let's look forward. In 2002, Mayor Charlie Luken must either lead or lead the way to someone who will. Alicia Reece, can you feel me? People write, call and stop me to ask, "What is it with you and Luken?" It's nothin' with Luken and me. Let's flip the script. What is it with…
Diner: Friendly Landmark
When I moved to Cincinnati over 20 years ago, I was warned about Newport. "You know, there were gamblers over there — and other … things." Uplifted eyebrows, a slight sniff and knowing nods punctuated the comments. I took those remarks as an invitation to venture across the river and found charming dives, diners and…
News: Development on Hold
The year 2001 began with fiscal doubt and ended with a full-scale recession, hampering some of the major development projects in Cincinnati. Only Newport's redevelopment seems unfazed by the economic downturn. Developer Nick Ellison said Dec. 19 a deal for the first Hofbrauhaus location in the United States could be signed in seven to…
Arts Resolution for 2002: Give Youth a Chance
Every day, I'm personally reminded of the April riots. I pass vacant buildings and broken windows in my neighborhood, Walnut Hills. On my walks from CityBeat's downtown offices to an Over-the-Rhine coffeehouse, I witness firsthand the lethargy that has affected Over-the-Rhine and spread across the rest of Cincinnati. Throughout the year, local politicians and…
