Cover Story: Lords of Discipline
Jymi Bolden Richard Hunt and his son Taylor take tae kwon do classes together. "Hanna. Dul. Set. Net." The cadence is familiar, although the language is still foreign to my ear. Similarly, the controlled 1-2-3, ready-set-go of practice drills is like a heartbeat. But the moves are still a step away from intuitive. Which…
News: Trying to Stop the Killing
Jymi Bolden Sister Helen Prejean (center) Sister Helen Prejean has accompanied three human beings she believes to be innocent to their state-sanctioned killings. For every Death Row inmate exonerated, eight are put to death, according to Prejean. Those odds illustrate the arbitrary nature of the death penalty, she said. "Would you get on an…
Writer’s Block
Stephen King never gets this kind of reception, but then The Stand is no Ulysses. June 17 marks the annual BLOOMSDAY celebration, the day Leopold Bloom navigated Dublin in James Joyce's classic novel. Personally, I can't attest to the fuss over the novel, but I have to hand it to the torch-bearers honoring a literary…
Whirlygig: 81: Out on the Town
Oh, Canada! The first Saturday in June for me means a trip to Fergus, Ontario, for Gender Blender. It's a weekend coed Ultimate Frisbee tournament and campout about one hour southwest of Toronto. This year we were going back as the defending champions. Saturday we made it through pool play, crushing teams from Toronto, Montreal…
News: From A to Zeh
Jymi Bolden When John Zeh returned to Cincinnati after 10 years in Washington, D.C., he resumed his community activism in spite of personal setbacks. After leaving a party one night a few years ago in Washington, D.C., John Zeh boarded the wrong bus. When he got off the bus, he fell into the street.…
News: Artists to the Rescue
Jymi Bolden Jan Brown Checco finishes installing "American Victory Garden, Baghdad." Entering the exhibition, you immediately stepped gingerly along a short footpath, past stones that suggested rubble and past a tiny, disfigured doll — "American Victory Garden, Baghdad" — and at once knew this was something decidedly different for Cincinnati. From the banner outside,…
Diner: Springtime Regeneration
Wendy Uhlman The recently opened Ridge Market, including Outer Banks Seafood Market, is the place to shop midweek or on a rainy day — an alternative to historic Findlay Market. The cumulus layer that's settled in the Cincinnati sky over the past few months has intensified my longing for renewal this year. Finding myself…
Film: Contrasting Styles
Lucie M. Rice Josh Harnett (on top) clashes with his Hollywood Homicide partner, Harrison Ford. One wears a crisp designer dress shirt and a sport coat. The other looks like he shops at second-hand thrift stores. One stares blankly out the window when he's talking to you. The other looks you right in the…
‘Shame the Devil’: Hal McKinney and the shooting at Junker’s Tavern
Hal McKinney's dogs want to eat me. Alerted by incessant barking, the 54-year-old Northsider appears in the doorway of his Chase Avenue home. Approaching the tall wooden fence, he assures his dogs are all bark. Max and Baron, full-bred German Shepherds, push their full weight against the fence. It sways. I step back. They back…
News: Soul Food
Jymi Bolden George Beatty III opened June Bug's restaurant in the West End in part because he was told the location was too risky. Location can make or break a restaurant. But can a restaurant help remake a neighborhood? In the West End, the answer appears to be yes. Linn Street is the main…
Locals Only: : The Fisher Kings
Dale M. Johnson Fisher Effect Cincinnati's archetypal Indie scene is rich in talented signer/songwriters who develop a sound that fits the mold of the college radio play lists and artsy venues that embrace such acts. Once a band achieves "Alternative" status, their options remain limited at best, just short of a characteristic sound. This…
