News: M&Ms to Save Your Soul
Jymi Bolden Larry Michel says his church's M&M sales — often at intersections — help addicts recover self-esteem and trust. Traffic intersections and highway exit ramps might be unusual places for selling candy, but little is typical about the Cincinnati Restoration Church. Dozens of people affiliated with the church sell bags of peanut M&Ms…
Music: The Art of Noise
Keepin' it real: Ursula Rucker speaks softl but she doesn't carry a big shtick. Whenever the overhead blower clicks on in the CityBeat office, Ursula Rucker's sotto voce is swamped by gusts of industrial-strength, conditioned air. When it shuts off, Rucker's still hard to hear through the phone. The 35-year-old Philadelphia-born poet speaks softly…
Condon’s Newfound Value
During the whole Thomas Condon trial, the one thing I clearly understood from Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Norbet Nadel and Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen is this: Condon is not an artist. His work — especially his morgue photographs involving corpses with books, syringes and other items posed on them — does not…
News: Card Carrying Members
Jymi Bolden Hispanic immigrants need identification and Cincinnati needs their energy, according to City Councilman David Pepper. A sometimes-controversial form of identification for Hispanic immigrants might soon gain formal recognition from the city of Cincinnati. Matricula consular IDs, issued by foreign governments, enable undocumented workers in the United States to open bank accounts, access…
News: Marching Orders
Jymi Bolden Patrick Dyer says Over-the-Rhine is a fitting locale for a rally against racism. City officials won't come out and say it, but all signs indicate they don't want a mass demonstration next month in Over-the-Rhine. Plans for the Midwest Rally Against Racism call for up to 1,000 protesters to converge Aug. 9…
Whirlygig: 85: Out on the Town
Perfect Endings Lately I've taken to the idea that endings should be short and sweet. For instance, I like to end my e-mails with "Ciao!" My phone conversations are typically cellular and, since the minutes are golden, it seems fitting to keep the chatter to a minimum. Since the temperature and humidity are rising, I…
Locals Only: : Hierophant
Hierophant Hierophant's debut CD, Portals, is a good introduction to a group with an eclectic Rock sound that's all over the musical map. Their influences range from Pink Floyd to Sonic Youth to Tom Waits to Guided by Voices, and these and more can be heard in the band's music. According to singer/guitarist/bassist Chris…
Diner: Mystical Charm
In anticipation of a trip to Central America, I was excited to visit Covington's newest Mexican and Latin American restaurant, La Tradición. This isn't just a hole-in-the-wall serving up an authentic dish or two. It's a full-blown experience that takes you south-of-the-border to Mexico and beyond — to Central and South America and the Caribbean.…
Cover Story: The Breakthrough Season That Isn’t
Jymi Bolden Despite meager contributions from Barry Larkin, hitting hasn't been the Reds' problem in 2003. It's poor pitching. At the Reds' winter organizational meetings sometime in the middle 1990s, General Manager Jim Bowden challenged the scouts with the names of premier hitters from the early 1990s — names like Jeff Bagwell, Robin Ventura…
Greatest Licks
Three years on, and I'm still checkin' for fools. July 13 marks the three-year anniversary of the inception of "Your Negro Tour Guide." This is your 140th Tour, regardless of where you hopped on or bailed out. In "In the beginning" (issue of July 13-19, 2000), I promised you "this gig will speak. This space…
Where Have All the Democrats Gone?
For the past decade, the Democratic Party, both in Ohio and around the country, has been in a full-throttle decline, rapidly and precipitously shooting downhill. As with any great fall, this one started from a great height. Democrats controlled the U.S. House of Representatives for 29 of the 31 congressional sessions between 1933 and 1994…
