Mita’s, Nolia and Chef Elaine Uykimpang Bentz of Cafe Mochiko Nominated for James Beard Awards
A Cincinnati chef and two Cincinnati restaurants were announced as nominees for the prestigious 2023 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards. The nominees were announced during a live ceremony at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville Wednesday, March 29. “The James Beard Awards celebrate outstanding achievement and exceptional culinary talent, as well…
Barge Fire Forces Riverside Residents to Shelter in Place
Emergency officials for Cincinnati are asking residents of the Riverside neighborhood to shelter in place and turn off their HVAC systems after a barge caught fire on the Ohio River on March 29. In a series of tweets from the city’s Emergency Communication Center (ECC), officials says the barge fire is “smoky due to diesel…
Kentucky Legislature Overrides Veto of Anti-Trans Bill
This story discusses suicide and anti-LGBTQ attacks in Kentucky. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. The Trevor Project, which aims to end suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, also has trained counselors available around the clock. Reach them at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at…
9 Quotes From the Second Hearing on HB 6 to Ban Trans Females from Ohio Sports
A second hearing was held on Wednesday for HB 6 (“Save Women’s Sports Act”) in the Higher Education committee of the Ohio House of Representatives. If passed, the bill would ban transgender girls and women across the state from competing in team sports from kindergarten through college. This second hearing consisted of proponent testimony: those…
Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati Stages Return to Historic Emery Theatre
Over-the-Rhine’s historic Emery Theatre opened at 1112 Walnut Street in 1911, an acoustically excellent performance hall for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. For years, until 1969, it also served as the home of the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT), America’s oldest professional theater serving young audiences, now in its 103rd season with attendance regularly topping 100,000.…
Ohio Slated to Funnel More than $300 Million Toward Police in Schools
Advocacy groups said they are concerned about the lack of accountability surrounding Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s $388 million proposal to staff schools with police officers known as school resource officers. Cyan Blackwell, policy strategist for the ACLU of Ohio, explained the increased presence of police in schools over the past few decades has led to students…
Yellowstone Actor Luke Grimes and the Jeff Ruby Family Distributing Water Filters to East Palestine Community
Ohio native and Yellowstone star Luke Grimes is partnering with the Jeff Ruby family to bring relief aid to the East Palestine community this week following a train derailment there in February. Grimes and the Rubys will be in East Palestine the morning of Friday, March 31 to hand out 250 free water filtration systems…
Long-Awaited Dewey’s Pizza and Braxton Brewing Co. Collaboration in Covington is Now Open
As if pizza and a beer weren’t already a perfect combo, a new dining option in Covington is set to cement the relationship. The highly anticipated Braxton Brewing Co. and Dewey’s Pizza collab is officially open for business Wednesday, March 29. Braxton Brewing Co. has partnered with Dewey’s Pizza to open a location of the…
Lawsuit Over Proposed Abortion Amendment Moving Forward to Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court has set a schedule for briefs and evidence in a lawsuit claiming the Ohio Ballot Board was wrong to approve a proposed abortion constitutional amendment as one issue. The state has until Wednesday, April 5 to formally respond to the lawsuit. All parties in the suit have until April 7 to…
Only 2% of Ohioans Say They Would Let Their Child Bathe in East Palestine Tap Water, According to New Study
Most Americans don’t believe the government has properly handled the cleanup in East Palestine, according to a recent study. A Norfolk Southern train derailed in the small Eastern Ohio village on February 3, igniting a chain of events that ended in a controlled burn of the train’s toxic load of chemicals, mainly vinyl chloride. The…
Before Reds’ Opening Day Game and Parade, Plan for Street Closures and Free Metro Rides
Cincinnati’s best holiday, the Reds’ opening day, is back. While the return of baseball may fill you with joy, navigating road closures for the festivities may do the opposite. The opening day game and parade The Cincinnati Reds will kickstart the 2023 season with a home opener against NL Central opponent the Pittsburgh Pirates on…
Izakaya-Inspired Sushi and Cocktail Restaurant Baru Opening Downtown
A new sushi restaurant is opening its doors downtown Friday. Baru will open in the former Midici space in the 84.51° building at 595 Race St. This elevated sushi and cocktail concept will have a large focus on its atmosphere and unique menu, all centered around its bar, which has been strategically placed to be…
Best Neighborhood Coffee Shop (Central)
Mom ‘n ’em Coffee & Wine College Hill Coffee Company Sidewinder Coffee
Best Neighborhood Coffee Shop (Downtown/OTR)
Coffee Emporium Deeper Roots Urbana Cafe
Best Personal Training/CrossFit Gym
1. ProForce Sports Performance 2. Strength Beyond the Weights 3. Trilogy Fitness Systems
Crews Preparing Kings Island for Opening Day April 15
Spring is in the air, Cincinnati. And you know what else will soon fill the air? The sounds of roller coasters and joyful screaming after Kings Island opens its gates this April. Crews are working hard to get the amusement park’s grounds in tip-top shape ahead of the 2023 season’s opening day on Saturday, April…
“March for Queer & Trans Youth Autonomy” Will Take Place in 7 Ohio Cities on Friday, March 31
Billed as “one of the largest queer & trans youth marches in history,” the March for Queer and Trans Youth Autonomy will take place in all 50 states on March 31, including in seven different Ohio cities. Multiple Ohio organizations are hosting marches and rallies to support the nationwide action sponsored by Queer Youth Assemble,…
Ohio AG Dave Yost Pushes for First Amendment Protection for Religious Groups at Public Universities
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Education sent last week asking to keep a rule from the Trump administration requiring public universities to uphold the First Amendment when it comes to religious groups on campuses. The current rule, which the federal education department is trying to get rid…
CityBeat Best Of Cincinnati Winners to be Announced Wednesday, March 29
You can feel it in the air … Best Of Cincinnati® 2023 is almost here! In a matter of hours, the people will know who voters have decided is the crème de la crème of Greater Cincinnati Arts & Culture, Eats, Shops & Services, Music & Nightlife, City Life and Sports & Recreation in the…
Senator J.D. Vance Implies Nashville Shooter Killed School Children Because The Shooter Was Trans
Venture capitalist-turned Republican U.S. Senator J.D Vance tweeted transphobic claims about the motivation behind a Monday, March 28 deadly school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee. “We’re still learning about the horrific shooting in Nashville. But if early reports are accurate that a trans shooter targeted a Christian school, there needs to be a lot of soul…
Music Hall’s Silent Movies Made Musical to Feature Laurel and Hardy Films Accompanied by Original Score
Cincinnati’s Music Hall is bringing a musical twist to classic silent movies at a special film screening this April. Friends of Music Hall’s popular silent film concert series, Silent Movies Made Musical, will present five Laurel and Hardy short films as they would have been viewed in the 1920s. With the help of the historic…
Ohio Higher-Ed Bill Would Require Instructors To Teach ‘Both Sides’ on Climate Change
Ohio college and university instructors could be barred from teaching climate science without also including false or misleading counterpoints under a sprawling higher education bill that received its first hearing Wednesday. Senate Bill 83, or the Higher Education Enhancement Act, seeks to police classroom speech on a wide range of topics, including climate change, abortion,…
Leaders of Amazon’s National Labor Movement Give Advice to Northern Kentucky Air Hub Employees: “Be Creative”
The effort to unionize a local Amazon facility has gone national for the second weekend in a row. Veteran Amazon organizers from New York have a plan to keep the momentum going in Kentucky. Amazon workers from Northern Kentucky traveled to Seattle on Saturday, March 25 to stand at the steps of the mega-company’s headquarters…
Long-Retired Ken Griffey Jr. Still Gets Giant Chunk of Reds’ 2023 Payroll
Many fans bemoan the Cincinnati Reds’ payroll regularly being so much lower than other MLB teams’, but here’s the curveball – a guy who hasn’t played in nearly 15 years is getting a major portion of it in 2023. According to figures by sports contract database Spotrac, Ken Griffey Jr. has the fourth-highest salary on…
Ohio House, Senate at Odds Over Cincinnati Railroad Sale
Ohio’s two-year transportation budget is heading to conference committee, and a planned railroad deal in Cincinnati hangs in the balance. It’s one of many issues House and Senate leaders need to hash out, but one that will be closely watched. Part of that interest comes from the perennial debate over where to draw the line…
Cincinnati Fire Chief Michael Washington Fired for Workplace Culture That City Manager Calls ‘Unwelcome to Women’
Cincinnati’s fire chief, Michael Washington, has been fired from the Cincinnati Fire Department (CFD) for allegedly creating a workplace culture that is “unwelcome to women,” city manager Sheryl Long’s office announced March 24. According to a press release, Long said the city’s administration and fire department will work to pursue “long-term, sustainable workplace culture change.”…
Eat Delicious Meals and Enter to Win Prizes During Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week
Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week is returning in April, and you can enjoy a ton of specially-priced meals for a good cause from some of Cincinnati’s best restaurants. From Monday-Sunday, April 17-23, participating restaurants will offer $26, $36 and $46 three-course prix fixe menus with $1 from every meal going directly to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. And…
Guest Commentary: The Political Strategy Against Ohio Abortion Rights Is to Manufacture Hysteria, Stack the Deck
The political strategy to try to defeat Ohio’s proposed abortion rights amendment is wildly obvious: Manufacture hysteria over a slippery slope legal fallacy about parents’ rights, and use all levers of power at every level to stack the deck against Ohio voters and in favor of right-wing extremists. The first tool in stacking the deck against…
Ohio Republicans Want to Lower Minimum Police Officer Age – and Recruits Agree
Police officer trainees and current law enforcement accentuated the positives of companion bills at the Ohio Statehouse to lower the minimum age to become a police officer from 21 to 18. Pataskala Police Department officer Cami Finley is currently completing her field training in a job she said she felt “called” to as a high…
CityBeat Streets: Four Cincinnatians Reveal Their 2023 Predictions for the Reds
What Cincinnati restaurant makes a great margarita? How will the big sports teams do this year? What issues should local government focus on? Nobody has more opinions on these and other pressing questions than Cincinnatians themselves. In our column CityBeat Streets, CityBeat reporters are asking local residents about a different topic each week, highlighting the…
Michael C. Hall — aka Dexter — is Bringing his Electronic Disco-Glam Band to Louisville
The actor Michael C. Hall is best known for his role as the titular character in the crime dramas “Dexter” and “Dexter: New Blood,” but he’s also the vocalist for the band Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, also known as Princess Goes — and they’re coming to Louisville. The all-ages show, part of the…
Fountain Square to Host Frisch’s Roller Rink and Pickleball Court Throughout April
Fountain Square is kicking off spring in a big way with Frisch’s Mobile Roller Rink. You can check out the roller rink throughout the month of April. This is the first time the rink will be at Fountain Square, with Court Street Plaza having hosted it as a pop-up during the summer last year. It…
Ohio Lawmakers Want Medicaid to Cover Doula Services
Bipartisan bills will be coming to both the Ohio House and Senate to help birth doulas receive the Medicaid support they need and improve maternal and infant outcomes in the state. “It’s bipartisan and bicameral, and it has always been that way,” said Erica Crawley, former state representative and now current Franklin County Commissioner, at…
Step Into Awareness of Manatee Conservation With an Augmented Reality Experience at the Cincinnati Zoo
The Cincinnati Zoo is partnering with a Florida city to bring awareness to what’s happening in the world of manatee conservation. On Saturday and Sunday, April 1-2, Discover Crystal River Florida, the tourism arm of the city of Crystal River on Florida’s Gulf Coast, is hosting its Step Into Awareness augmented reality (AR) experience at…
Q: This Cincinnati Band Was Featured in a Jeopardy! Question. A: What is Walk the Moon?
Don’t you dare look back, unless it’s to watch this Jeopardy! question from Monday night featuring Cincinnati-based band Walk the Moon. “what is: omg we’re on @jeopardy!!” the band posted on Instagram Wednesday night, sharing a photo of the question: “Walk the Moon recounts a night at the disco: “I said, ‘You’re holding back’, she…
Watch: The National Releases Video for New Single ‘Eucalyptus’
Cincinnati-bred alt-indie rock band The National keeps priming the pump for the band’s upcoming album. On March 22, The National released “Eucalyptus,” its latest single from the forthcoming album First Two Pages of Frankenstein. A raw, slow-burning ballad that gradually intensifies and surely will become a venue singalong during concert dates, “Eucalyptus” chronicles those moments…
This Ohio Law Would Automatically Grant 50/50 Child Custody Split Upon Divorce
Members of the legal field, including a former Ohio Supreme Court justice, spoke out Tuesday against a bill aiming to give parents automatic 50/50 custody in divorce and dissolution cases. Paul Pfeifer, who served 24 years as a state supreme court justice, also wanted to defend domestic relations judges from what he regarded as “insulting…
What’s Left of Nick Lachey Has Been Sent to Anger Management
A Los Angeles County court has ordered Cincinnati’s own Nick Lachey to undergo anger management classes and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for his role in a 2022 altercation with a photographer. According to TMZ, Nick and his wife, Vanessa, were out to eat in Beverly Hills in March of 2022 when Lachey noticed a photographer taking…
On Newsstands Now: Here’s Everything You’ll Find in CityBeat’s Latest Issue
Glenda the dog is hooked up to a feeding tube, laying on a warm bed next to the desk of the vet working to save her life. She was found locked in a cage in an apartment stairwell, covered in her own waste and severely emaciated when good samaritans brought her to Cincinnati Animal CARE…
Bird Rescue Hosting Duck Meet-and-Greet Tour at Local Breweries
If you want to meet some pretty ducking awesome birds, including possibly a famous local artist, here’s your chance: local bird rescue Longbottom Bird Ranch announced its plans for its annual Birds & Brews tour across the region. Home to Kiwi, the famous duck artist who was also a nominee for best artist in CityBeat’s…
Here’s How Rail Safety Bills Differ in Ohio’s House and Senate
Ohio’s congressional delegation was quick to promise legislative action in the wake of the East Palestine train derailment. Now, lawmakers have introduced bipartisan measures in both chambers of Congress. In a moment of divided government and fever-pitch partisanship, it’s notable lawmakers from both parties came together to propose substantive policy changes. However, proponents could still…
Mayor Pureval to Host Town Hall on Proposed Residential Tax Abatement Reform
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval will hold a town hall discussion on the proposed reform to Cincinnati’s residential tax abatement program on Thursday, March 23. The program overhaul seeks to make it easier for property owners to pay pre-renovation tax prices on properties built or renovated in lower-income areas, and decreases those same tax breaks in…
Cincinnati Right to Life Sues Ballot Board over Ohio’s Proposed Abortion Rights Constitutional Amendment
A new lawsuit claims the Ohio Ballot Board made the wrong call when they approved the validity of a constitutional amendment proposal on abortion. In the lawsuit, filed this week with the Ohio Supreme Court, Cincinnati attorney Curt Hartman asks the court to demand the ballot board vacate their March 13 decision, in which they said…
New Riff Releases Special Whiskey in Honor of New Silver Grove Warehouse
New Riff Distilling in Newport is releasing a special new whiskey to commemorate their new warehouse in Silver Grove as well as the past. Silver Grove whiskey is the distillery’s first blend at barrel proof. To craft the spirit, the distillery says it used a unique combination that favored malted rye over standard rye, using…
