The Total Solar Eclipse is Stressing Us Out: Here’s What You Need to Know
We are just one week away from the total solar eclipse, and yes, it’s a rare event for the Buckeye State. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), the last total solar eclipse to pass over Ohio was in 1806, and the next won’t pass over the state until 2099. But on April…
Todd Rundgren on His Legendary Career, Following His Own Path, the Future, AI and More
This story is featured in CityBeat’s April 3 print edition. Few people have had a career like Todd Rundgren’s and even fewer have been as fiercely independent while navigating it. Rundgren is equal parts legendary and rebellious musician/artist, career-defining producer and industry visionary. Rundgren spoke with CityBeat ahead of the start of his “Me/We 2024…
Sound Advice: Suzanne Vega Brings Four Decades of Groundbreaking Music to Memorial Hall
This story is featured in CityBeat’s April 3 print edition. Suzanne Vega is a musical survivor. The New York City native has been in the spotlight for nearly four decades, a winding career that crested commercially with 1987’s Solitude Standing (which included radio staples “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner) and is capped by the 2020 release…
Coffee Roasters La Terza Open Brick-and-Mortar Shop Luminary by La Terza in College Hill
This story is featured in CityBeat’s April 3 print edition. Well-known local coffee roasters La Terza have expanded their footprint and opened a brick-and-mortar business called Luminary by La Terza in the College Hill neighborhood. Since 2001, La Terza has roasted high-quality, specialty coffee for wholesale and other coffee shops, but in June of 2023,…
Sound Advice: John Moreland Brings Modern Dust Bowl Balladry to Cincinnati
This story is featured in CityBeat’s April 3 print edition. Straddling the Southwest heartland, Oklahoma has been the home of many roots music artists, from Woody Guthrie to Bob Wills to Leon Russell. Keeping in this folk/country tradition, singer-songwriter John Moreland offers his own 21st century update of dust bowl balladry. Though born in Texas,…
Sound Advice: Alvvays’ Dream Pop Heads to Cincinnati
This story is featured in CityBeat’s April 3 print edition. Touring behind their highly-lauded third album, Blue Rev, the Toronto-based indie rock band Alvvays is bringing their emotionally resonant dream pop to Cincinnati. Alvvays have been on a steady upward trajectory since first gaining attention for their hit song “Archie, Marry Me” in 2013. It’s…
Yellow Springs Film Festival is Back with a ‘Mini Fest’ Ahead of its Regular Event this Fall
This story is featured in CityBeat’s April 3 print edition. The Yellow Springs Film Festival is back with a special one-day “Mini Fest” this April to act as a preview of sorts for the second annual festival in October. Yellow Springs, the small bohemian village east of Dayton, is famous for its historic liberal arts…
Sound Advice: The Bygones’ Rise is a Curious Case in Modern Fame
This story is featured in CityBeat’s April 3 print edition. Even by 21st-century standards, The Bygones story is kind of bonkers. The duo Joshua Lee Turner and Allison Young met online through Instagram in 2017, “kindred old souls recording songs on a (relatively) new platform,” as they recount it. They first met in person more…
Northern Kentucky Business Native Yardening Reveals How Our Yards Impact the Climate Crisis — and How We Can Use Them to Fight It
This story is featured in CityBeat’s April 3 print edition. With spring officially in bloom and temperatures already reaching the 70s in Cincinnati, you may be itching to trim up your lawn to get that perfectly manicured look. However, you may want to re-channel that landscaping energy in a new way for the sake of…
Some Cincinnati Residents Could Get Help Paying Overdue Property Taxes
Amid rising property taxes in Hamilton County, Cincinnati City Council is considering allocating $1 million to help low-income property owners pay delinquent property taxes. The motion was presented by Mayor Aftab Pureval and Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney during an April 1 Budget and Finance Committee meeting. The motion passed and will advance to a…
DETONATE Brings High-Stakes Adventure and Heart-Pounding Fun to Full Throttle Adrenaline Park
A new thrilling and heart-pumping experience is coming to Springdale’s Full Throttle Adrenaline Park. DETONATE is a first-of-its-kind bomb-defusion game now available at Full Throttle. The game pits teams of two to six players against a 10-minute clock to defuse a series of elaborate devices. The background story: You’re a newly drafted FBI operative who…
Cincinnati’s 2024 Asian Food Fest Offers More Food and Entertainment Than Ever Before
Cincinnati’s Asian Food Fest has a record-breaking lineup of food vendors and entertainment for its 2024 festival. Back for its 13th year, Asian Food Fest is the largest celebration of Asian food and culture in the region and is produced by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and Asianati. The festival will run Saturday and Sunday,…
Indiana Alcohol Regulator Advises Businesses, Communities to Prepare for Eclipse Festivities
Indiana’s alcohol regulator on Monday told Hoosier businesses and local units of government alike to get applications in for eclipse-specific celebrations. The state expects to welcome hundreds of thousands of out-of-state visitors for the April 8 event. Residents from further afield are also expected to travel closer to the path of totality. “Excitement and interest…
Guest Commentary: Ohio Lawmakers are Giving More Than $1 Billion to Private Schools While Public Schools Suffer
If your local school district had a levy on the ballot last month, chances are it lost. Most did. That means losing districts may cut courses, counseling services, staff, busing, building. It means increasing budget deficits. It also means increasing class sizes, pay-to-participate fees, and public school students making do with less. Imagine what a…
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s 39th Season Features Shows with Humor, Strength and Inspiration
At a special event for donors on March 27 — World Theatre Day, in fact — Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati revealed the five productions, including three regional premieres, that it will stage for its 39th season. Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers said, “Our 39th season is all about what it’s like to walk in someone…
Capture the Essence of Ohio’s Hocking Hills in This Photography Contest
Amateur and professional photographers alike are invited to traverse Ohio’s Hocking Hills region — just a two-and-half-hour drive from Cincinnati — and snap its essence in a fun photo contest this May. The “Picture Hocking Hills” photo contest will be held Friday-Saturday, May 17-18 with an awards ceremony on Sunday, May 19. Any photos being…
Review: ‘Godzilla x Kong’ is Another Forgettable Chapter in the MonsterVerse
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse is a studio-blockbuster franchise that’s been going on for a decade — and yet I have to continually remind myself that it exists. Seriously, does anyone you know talk about the Godzilla reboot that kicked this thing off 10 years ago, or the King Kong revamp, Kong: Skull Island,…
East Price Hill’s Somm to Host Inaugural Spring Fling Wine Festival This Month
Un-wine-d and venture out on a tasting journey with wines from around the globe at the inaugural Spring Fling Wine Festival at Somm Wine Bar this April. The Spring Fling Wine Festival is Wednesday, April 24 from 6-8 p.m. at the East Price Hill wine bar and restaurant. Somm promises an evening of delicious wines…
Celebrate the LGBTQ+ Community with the First-Ever Midwestern Lesbian Big Gay Bar Crawl
The “girls, gays and theys” will be taking over Over-the-Rhine this weekend for the first-ever Big Gay Bar Crawl from the Midwestern Lesbian. The Midwestern Lesbian’s founder, who goes by Kelsey online, started her website in 2021 to provide a platform for Cincinnati’s LGBTQ+ community to find events, businesses, groups and more that are specifically…
Guest Commentary: What’s a Girl to Think?
A week before the end of this regular session, the Senate Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection — commonly known as VMAPP and chaired by Sen. Rick Girdler — met for 21 minutes. I attended this meeting. After the prayer, pledge of allegiance and roll call, Sen. Gex Williams kindly introduced a little…
As Ohio U.S. Senate Campaign Ramps Up, Anniversary Puts Affordable Care Act in the Spotlight
March 23 marked the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act’s enactment, a date celebrated by numerous government officials for the program now providing nearly half a million Ohioans with health insurance. “Since its enactment on March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has led to an historic advancement of health coverage and equity…
Your Guide to Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra’s 2024 Summermusik Concert Series
The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra’s (CCO) 10th annual Summermusik festival will be held from July 31-Aug. 24. This year’s concert series celebrates CCO’s 50th anniversary. “We have a lot to be thankful for,” Eckart Preu, the current CCO music director, said in a press release. “Standing on the shoulders of many phenomenal musicians, music directors, staff…
You Can Get a Chili Way and a Free Mountain Dew at These Cincinnati Restaurants Today Only
Mountain Dew is offering you a free drink on Thursday, March 28 at select restaurants and food trucks across Cincinnati. The Pepsi beverage brand started the promotion after news broke that both of Cincinnati’s beloved chili institutions, Skyline Chili and Gold Star Chili, are switching from Pepsi to Coke products. Gold Star made the switch…
Ohio Purchases Modular Shoot Houses to Train Teachers in Armed School Districts
The Ohio Controlling Board has approved a $78,028 purchase to buy two mobile modular shoot houses to help train school districts with armed staff. The Ohio Department of Public Safety made the request to the Controlling Board, which was approved during Monday’s meeting. The mobile modular shoot houses from North Carolina-based Kontek Industries will “provide…
Digging into the Latest Indictment of Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder
Former House Speaker Larry Householder has again been indicted on charges related to his actions in a massive bribery and money laundering scandal. The Glenford Republican is already serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison after being convicted last March of racketeering in a scheme in which Akron-based FirstEnergy paid more than $60 million to…
Cincinnati City Council Approves Funding for King Records Preservation Project
Cincinnati City Council approved funding on Wednesday to benefit the preservation of historic Cincinnati record label King Records. The King Records Legacy Foundation, the foundation created to revitalize the King Records complex and help educate others about its historical significance, will receive $205,000 from council to cover the cost of an executive director and marketing.…
Cincinnati Art Museum Hosts Exhibit Featuring Artists with Disabilities
An annual exhibition hosted at various venues throughout Ohio is coming to the Cincinnati Art Museum for the first time. Accessible Expressions Ohio is a traveling collection of art made by artists who identify as having a disability. Out of 165 state-wide submissions, a panel of artists, educators and arts administrators chose a select bunch…
ACLU of Ohio Files Lawsuit Against Gender-Affirming Care Ban for Transgender Minors
The ACLU of Ohio and global law firm Goodwin have filed a lawsuit against part of a new law that bans gender-affirming care for transgender minors. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas on behalf of two families whose 12-year-old transgender daughters would lose access to gender-affirming health care.…
U.S. Supreme Court Justices Seem Skeptical of Limits on Access to Abortion Medication
The future of medication abortion access in the United States went in front of the U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday, where several justices appeared somewhat skeptical as anti-abortion organizations argued use of the pharmaceutical should be moved back to what was in place before 2016. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, speaking on behalf of the…
Hamilton County Auditor Brigid Kelly Dies at 40; ‘A True Public Servant’
Former Hamilton County Auditor Brigid Kelly has died after a two-year battle with cancer, her family announced on March 26. She was 40 years old. “We sadly report that our dear one, Brigid Kelly, passed on Tuesday evening at her home,” Kelly’s family said in an announcement late Tuesday. “She was surrounded by love and…
Ft. Mitchell Sports Card Shop to Open New Kiosk in Great American Ball Park
Sports card collecting is coming to Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park (GABP). Ft. Mitchell’s Hit Seekers Sports Card Shop announced it’s expanding to open its second location inside the ball park this Reds season. It’s one of the first known card shops located in a major league stadium. The shop says this new location is…
Thousands of All Faiths to Pray the Steps at Mt. Adams’ Holy Cross-Immaculata Church for Good Friday
On Good Friday (March 29), thousands of people of all faiths will ascend the steps of Holy Cross-Immaculata (HCI) in Mt. Adams for the annual Praying of the Steps. The practice of praying the steps is a Cincinnati tradition that goes back to the 1850s, “when Archbishop Purcell asked people to climb the hillside, praying that…
Trade Watchdog: Big Retailers Used Supply-Chain Problems to Inflate Grocery Costs
Looking for someone to blame for increased costs in the grocery aisle? You might not need to look any further than three retail giants, the Federal Trade Commission said in a report last week. The agency looked at supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and determined that the three largest food retailers —…
Self-Managed Abortions Increased by about 26,000 after ‘Dobbs’ Decision, Study Shows
Self-managed abortions rose by more than 26,000 in the six months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade nearly two years ago, according to a peer-reviewed study published Monday in JAMA, the American Medical Association’s journal. Researchers determined that an increase of approximately 27,838 online orders of abortion pills between July and December 2022…
Overdose Deaths are Down in Ohio, but Xylazine Poses New Health Challenges
The Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition (HCARC) published its annual report last week, and while it shows a promising decline in overdose deaths, harm reduction specialists tell CityBeat that xylazine has created new problems for those suffering from substance abuse disorders. The State of the Addiction Crisis report showed there were 393 overdose deaths in…
Help Transform a Vacant Lot in Bellevue into a Pollinator Garden at this Art-Making Event
A Northern Kentucky multimedia artist is plotting a way to turn a vacant city lot in Bellevue into a pollinator meadow, and she’s inviting the community to help. Devan Horton is a Bellevue native and a 2015 graduate of Northern Kentucky University who curates pop-up art galleries in unused spaces and has recently been serving…
New Festival Cincy Knows Best x 513 Day to Celebrate Cincinnati’s Culture, Community and Creatives
A new festival celebrating Cincinnati’s unique culture, community and creatives is launching this May. Mind the Midwest, a boutique events production agency, will put on the inaugural Cincy Knows Best x 513 Day Festival across several venues in Walnut Hills from Saturday to Monday, May 11-13. The immersive arts and culture festival aims to honor…
Cincinnati Theater Heavyweight Receives Nomination for Audiobook Narration
If you attended theater in Cincinnati in the 1990s, you likely saw Marni Penning onstage. Her first acting performances locally were with Fahrenheit Theatre Company, starting in 1994. She co-founded the ambitious group with several college friends from Virginia’s James Madison University. When that feisty troupe evolved into the Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival, she played leading…
Ohio Minority Leaders Nickie Antonio and Allison Russo are Navigating a Republican Supermajority
For the first time since 2008, two women are serving as the minority leaders of their caucuses in the Ohio Statehouse. Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, became leader in 2023 and Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, became leader in 2022. “I couldn’t be more proud to have two women leading…
Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance Wants to Eliminate a Tax Break for Large Mergers
U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-OH, has introduced a bipartisan measure placing new limits on large corporate mergers. The bill, co-sponsored with U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI, would eliminate a tax exemption when the businesses involved have a combined annual revenue of $500 million or more. The measure represents another example of Vance staking out a…
BREAKING: North Fairmount Jane Doe Identified, Killer Still Unknown
Correction: This story has been revised to reflect an update from the coroner’s office about Makaila Luckey’s correct age, which was 25-years-old at the time of her death. Investigators have determined the identity of the woman found dismembered in North Fairmount in November 2023, but authorities are again calling for the public’s help as her…
Ohio Senate President, Redistricting-Reform Supporters Trade Criticisms in Post-Primary Event
Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman spoke out Thursday against a proposed constitutional amendment to remove politicians from the redistricting process and give authority over state redistricting to an independent, citizen-led commission. In a post-primary event hosted by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Republican Senate President Huffman, who oversees a supermajority in his chamber representing districts…
Guest Commentary: Ohio Republican Politicians Trying to Normalize Trump are Debasing Themselves for all of History
Enough. Enough trying to normalize Donald Trump. Enough giving him cover of respectability. Enough with this pretending from Ohio Republican politicians that he’s not one of the most reckless, unstable, chaotic, dysfunctional, angry, corrupt, fraudulent, egomaniacal, vengeful, solipsistic, mean-spirited, ignorant hucksters to ever darken the American stage — that he is somehow not what the…
Review: Regina King is Terrific in Netflix’s ‘Shirley,’ Which Details Shirley Chisholm’s Remarkable Career
The late Shirley Chisholm is having a moment. The first African American woman elected to Congress, and the first woman to run for president of the United States, Chisholm, who died in 2005 at the age of 80, is the inspiration for Shirley, a compelling but dramatically stilted docudrama starring a superb Regina King. The…
Hamilton County Auditor Brigid Kelly, 40, Resigns to Enter Hospice
Hamilton County Auditor Brigid Kelly, 40, has resigned after only a year in office to enter hospice care. “My time in the office has also been challenging as I’ve grappled with serious health issues,” Kelly wrote in a resignation letter delivered to the county board of commissioners on Wednesday. Kelly, who also served in the…
The Historic Bay Horse Cafe is Getting Ready to Reopen, and it Just Served its First Customer
“A time-traveling horse walks into a bar,” works as a great joke setup, but it was the real deal outside the Bay Horse Cafe in downtown Cincinnati Thursday morning. The historic bar is getting ready to open back up under new ownership, and it just served its first customer: Wilden the Cleveland Bay. Wilden’s entrance…
Sound Advice: Jesus Jones Visits Cincinnati on First Tour with Original Band Members in Three Decades
This story is featured in CityBeat’s March 20 print edition. The tagline for the link to Jesus Jones’ website reveals the following: “No, we didn’t split up. Come and find out …” It’s a curious declaration from a band that never fully left the musical landscape, another in a long procession of 1990s acts to…
Sound Advice: Country Star Brandy Clark Plays Ludlow Garage Later This Month
This story is featured in CityBeat’s March 20 print edition. Brandy Clark is a rare country music success story, starting her career as a starry-eyed songwriter before transitioning into a gifted performer in her own right. The Pacific Northwest native moved to Nashville in the late 1990s to join the “music business program” at Belmont…
Darbi Boddy Compares her Removal from Lakota School Board to Trump’s Legal Woes
Darbi Boddy, the controversial anti-“woke” crusader who’s drawn national attention during her time on the Lakota School Board, has officially been booted from her seat. Lakota parents and community members have been campaigning to remove Boddy from her seat since July 2022, mostly on the basis of her anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-diversity and inclusion stances. Board…
Sound Advice: Colin Hay Brings Endless Supply of Hooks and Melodies to Cincinnati
This story is featured in CityBeat’s March 20 print edition. The first live concert I remember experiencing as a kid was a Men at Work show at Timberwolf Amphitheater, the venue next to Kings Island. It was Aug. 19, 1983. My dad took my brother and me, both of us excited to see our favorite…
Ohio Supreme Court Democratic Candidates Look to Rise Above Party Labels in General Election
The three Democrats running for Ohio Supreme Court in November criticized the 2021 law that added party labels to the state high court in a press call Wednesday, saying the politicization of the judiciary branch should be a major concern to all voters. Incumbent justices Melody Stewart and Michael Donnelly joined with appellate judge Lisa…
Kevin from ‘The Office’ Teams Up With Mountain Dew For Free Drink With Cincinnati Chili Purchase
Actor Brian Baumgartner, a.k.a. Kevin Malone from the NBC hit series The Office, knows a thing or two about chili. That’s why he’s teaming up with Mountain Dew for a special promotion after news broke that both of Cincinnati’s beloved chili institutions are switching from Pepsi to Coke products. Gold Star Chili made the switch…
More Than 91,000 Have Applied for Ohio Private School Voucher Expansion
There have been more than 91,100 applications for Ohio’s private school voucher expansion program so far this school year — a dramatic increase compared to previous years. Out of 91,157 voucher expansion applications, 87,312 scholarships have been awarded as of March 18 — amounting to $394,015,641 in allocated funding, according to the Ohio Department of…
Change.org Petition Calls on Skyline Chili to Keep Pepsi Products
Skyline Chili and Mountain Dew fans aren’t backing down after the Cincinnati chain announced it was kicking its Pepsi products to curb. One of those fans took to Change.org to try to stop the switch to Coke. Skyline announced Monday that it will be rolling out Coke products at its restaurants starting in April. “Power…
The Comet to Host Fundraiser for Trans Youth in Memory of Local Musician
Northside bar The Comet is holding a fundraiser this month that aims to both help trans youth and honor the memory of a Greater Cincinnati musician. “Earlier this month, Cincinnati’s music scene tragically lost one of its brightest lights. Ty Holiday was a remarkable bassist, a talented show organizer, and a dear friend to many,”…
Jerry Springer to be Subject of New ArtWorks Mural in Over-the-Rhine
In June, the late pop culture icon Jerry Springer will be memorialized in a larger-than-life way. ArtWorks’ plans for a mural on the Tender Mercies building in Over-the-Rhine are underway, along with an open call to artists for a mural designer. The mural will depict a vertical image of Springer holding up a peace sign…
Bernie Moreno Changes Up Immigration Language After Senate Primary Win
Republican Bernie Moreno, Donald Trump’s pick for Ohio’s U.S. Senate race, has secured the Republican nomination according to the Associated Press. The AP called the race at 8:35 p.m., but the results will remain unofficial until they’re certified in about three weeks. Moreno will face Democratic Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in November. Some experts…
Guest Commentary: Immigrants Help Balance America’s Budgets
Immigration has become a hot topic in the federal election debate. Immigrant families have become a political football, with congressional Republicans finally having the opportunity to realize some of their anti-immigrant dreams but punting when they saw the chance to score political points. While much can be said about the politics of immigration — and…
Ohio Primaries: Who Won and What’s Next?
Turnout for Ohio’s March 19 primary was predictably abysmal, especially for Democrats who voted on a less-than-competitive ballot. Just over a million Republican ballots were cast, whereas only 500,000 voters showed up for the Democratic primary. Trump and Biden win Ohio Part of the draw for Republicans was the chance to weigh in on the…
