Thousands of Santas to Descend Upon Cincinnati This Weekend During SantaCon
Grab a Santa suit and head downtown this weekend to party with a bunch of other Santas. The annual Cincinnati SantaCon bar crawl returns this Saturday, Dec. 14, marking its 17th year of filling the streets of Cincinnati with drunken Santas. The crawl will begin at noon and go until midnight, stretching across various venues…
West Price Hill’s Potter’s Field Nominated for National Register of Historic Places
A long-neglected mass grave in Cincinnati is one step closer to joining the National Register of Historic Places. During a Dec. 8 meeting for the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board, the governor-appointed board unanimously seconded a motion to recommend Cincinnati’s Potter’s Field for the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination is a welcome…
Sticker and Stationery Store, The Sticker Shop, Opens in Wyoming
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Dec. 13 print edition. The charming city of Wyoming is now home to a new local business, The Sticker Shop. The shop opened at the end of October and sells a variety of stickers, stationery and scrapbooking items. The Sticker Shop is owned by writer and disability advocate Amy…
Sound Advice: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop with MegaCorp Pavilion Performance
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Dec. 13 print edition. In 1991, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony formed in Cleveland as B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e. At the time, the city’s music scene was more known for Nine Inch Nails than hip-hop. But rappers Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone and Flesh-N-Bone sang about growing up in the streets…
Secrets, Survival and Strength Lie at the Heart of Cincinnati Native Jessica Strawser’s Latest Novel
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Dec. 13 print edition. How much would you risk in order to protect someone? What if the stakes were life and death — and what if that person were a stranger? Jessica Strawser poses these questions and more in her latest novel, The Last Caretaker, which was released this…
Sound Advice: Cincinnati Band Left at Orion Hosts Month-Long Residency at MOTR Pub
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Dec. 13 print edition. On December 13, Left at Orion will coat MOTR Pub in thick layers of sonic color. This powerful trio surrounds their audience with lush shoegaze music, lifting the listener from the venue, and sending them into the ether. Left at Orion, which officially formed this…
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy to Bring Their Holiday Show to Taft Theatre
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Dec. 13 print edition. In the mid-1990s, the Ventura, California, band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy burst onto the swing revival scene and joined a bevy of other similar artists like Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra. That genre — which infused Big Band music…
Pop-Up Companion Serves a Flavorful Spin on Neapolitan Pizza at Oakley Wines
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Dec. 13 print edition. Matt Owens, executive chef and co-owner of Companion, grew up making pizzas alongside his grandma. “She’d invite all the grandkids over and do sheet pan pizza and make pizzas for everybody, and I just always loved that,” said Owens. “Ever since I was a kid,…
Breaking Barriers: Sergeant Deon Mack Discusses His Vision for the Cincinnati Police Department’s Union
Editor’s note: The other candidate for FOP president, Ken Kober, was given CityBeat’s email address and asked to reach out for an interview, but Kober’s email was overlooked in a spam folder. This story is featured in CityBeat’s Dec. 13 print edition. One of the year’s most consequential elections has yet to take place in…
Renovations Have Begun on Historic Theater in Lawrenceburg
Dan McCabe’s Thigmotrope LLC and the City of Lawrenceburg Redevelopment Commission are renovating The Liberty Theater in downtown Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The renovated space will be called “Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater,” memorializing the historic site and the prominence of whiskey in the area. The renovation is dually funded by McCabe’s company and the commission, accumulating to…
Catch-a-Fire Pizza to Open Kitchen in West Side Brewing
A popular local pizzeria is coming to the West Side of Cincinnati. Catch-a-Fire Pizza, which recently announced it was closing its flagship location inside MadTree in Oakley, will now partner with West Side Brewing to open a kitchen in its Westwood taproom. “We have been wanting to be a part of the Westwood and west…
Maxwell, New Edition and More to Headline 2024 Cincinnati Music Festival
At least a few hip-hop and R&B legends will be rolling through Cincinnati as a part of the 2024 Cincinnati Music Festival. From July 25-27, around 80,000 people from around the country will flock to Cincinnati to attend one of the largest music festivals in the nation. Not only does the music festival boost Cincinnati’s role in…
Guest Commentary: Make the Mountains Blue Again?
Eastern Kentucky is an ancestrally Democratic region that usually doesn’t vote Democratic, except last month. Gov. Andy Beshear was re-elected to a second term, and he did so by winning across Eastern Kentucky. As a proud Eastern Kentuckian, I want to offer my take on the election — not only on how Beshear won in…
After Delay, Ohio Sec. of State Frank LaRose Files U.S. Senate Financial Disclosure
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has filed the financial disclosure for his U.S. Senate bid. He’s about a month late. Candidates for federal office, like elected officials, have to disclose the broad strokes of their financial holdings and liabilities. LaRose’s initial deadline was in August, but he filed for a 90-day extension, that pushed…
Win a Signed Joe Burrow Jersey From an Easterseals Redwood Raffle
This December, you can win a signed jersey from a Cincinnati Bengals all-star and support a good cause with a raffle from Easterseals Redwood. The local nonprofit, which provides services to veterans, people with disabilities and those facing economic disadvantages, is raffling off a signed jersey (size large) from Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Proceeds will…
Six Cincinnati Restaurants Named in ‘Top 100’ OpenTable List
Cincinnati is home to several of the best restaurants in the United States, according to OpenTable. The restaurant reservation site released its annual “Top 100 Restaurants in the U.S.” list in November, with six Cincinnati restaurants making the 2023 roundup. Restaurants featured on the list included two Jeff Ruby restaurants, Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse and Carlo…
Ohio Leading Seven-State Lawsuit Challenging NCAA’s Transfer Rules
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is leading a lawsuit against the NCAA alleging its transfer policies amount to collusion. The seven-state lawsuit contends the NCAA’s arbitrary use of waivers creates a de facto “no-poach” scheme among competing schools without providing any benefit to college athletes. “It is ironic,” the complaint reads, “that this rule, stylized…
Is the Death Penalty Dying? Sentences, Executions Remain Low
The number of states imposing or performing executions in 2023 was at a 20-year low, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, a group that complies such statistics. Polling indicates that public skepticism of the fairness and propriety of the death penalty continues to increase. And increasingly, bipartisan coalitions in legislatures are pushing to abolish…
Review: ‘Poor Things’ Brings Emma Stone Back to Life
Poor Things is a movie about a woman who receives a second chance to get to know her vagina. That’s what happens to Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a formerly dead lady who is found and brought back to life by a deformed mad scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), whom she refers to only as…
Recreational Marijuana is Legal in Ohio, But Bills Are Trying to Change the Law
Marijuana is now legal in Ohio, but lawmakers are continuing to try and tinker with the law. The Ohio Senate passed a bill Wednesday night with major changes to the law that the Ohio House could bring to the floor for a vote next week. Meanwhile, the Ohio House has a bill in committee that adds clarifications…
As Abortion Rights Amendment Takes Place in Ohio Constitution, Advocates Look to Future
Thursday marked the official date that the reproductive rights amendment, approved overwhelmingly by voters in November as Issue 1, took its place in the Ohio Constitution. The amendment marks a “beacon of hope” and a representation of what Ohio voters can do, according to Dr. Marcela Azevedo, a leader from Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights…
Cincinnati Band Fruit LoOops Debuts New Music Video for ‘Traffic’
Local noise-rock band Fruit LoOops released You’re Somebody’s World in early November. The 10-track album is exemplary of the band’s gritty noise, playful pacing, intense rhythm and experimental depth. A music video for the album’s sixth track, “Traffic,” premieres Dec. 7 exclusively with CityBeat and is available for streaming on YouTube. “Traffic” is a chaotic…
Ricky Skaggs Recounts Memories From His Storied Career Ahead of Memorial Hall Performance
Multi-instrumentalist and singer Ricky Skaggs is a legend of bluegrass and country music. His 15 Grammy wins and place as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Bluegrass Hall of Fame would be enough to explain his significance, but he’s also a direct link to mythic folk heroes…
DHL-CVG Workers Are Officially On Strike
Union workers at DHL’s air hub facility in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) are on strike, the Teamsters confirmed to CityBeat. As of 8 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1,100 workers at DHL-CVG, the company’s largest express air hub, are withholding their labor at the Hebron, Kentucky facility. “For too long, DHL has walked all over…
Kentucky’s Worsening Teacher Shortage Requires an ‘Across the Pipeline’ Approach, Officials Say
As more new teachers leave the profession, Kentucky’s teacher shortage is worsening, according to a report to the General Assembly which convenes Jan. 2. The Office of Education Accountability (OEA) recently reported that ramifications of personnel shortages in Kentucky schools are growing. State officials and educators say addressing the shortage means supporting teachers “across the…
Ohio Senate Votes to Approve Changes to the Marijuana Law. DeWine Urges Bill’s Passage
Ohio’s marijuana law goes into effect Thursday under Issue 2 — which Ohioans passed with 57% of the vote. But a bipartisan majority in the Ohio Senate passed a bill Wednesday with various modifications. The bill now heads to the Ohio House next week, where it would require passage before it would go to Ohio Gov. Mike…
Guest Commentary: Kentucky Counties Hit Hardest by Disasters Swing Toward Beshear
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, was reelected last month with 52.5% of the vote, a significant improvement on his razor thin margin of victory in 2019. Many of the largest shifts toward Beshear occurred in counties hardest hit by recent natural disasters, including the 2022 flooding in southeast Kentucky and the 2021 tornado across…
‘Parents’ Bill of Rights’ on Curriculum Content Introduced in the Ohio Senate
An Ohio House bill to notify parents of any content in state schools that may contain “sexuality” was introduced before an Ohio Senate committee on Tuesday. Critics likened the bill to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which was implemented in 2022 and bars classroom discussion for some grade levels on sexual orientation and gender identity.…
Disturbed, The Original Misfits, Pantera and Slipknot to Headline Sonic Temple Festival in Columbus
The lineup for 2024’s Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival — set for May 16-19 at Columbus, Ohio’s Historic Crew Stadium — has been announced and it’s a doozy, particularly for fans of hard and heavy rock, but also for ones with open minds and tastes. New this year, the festival has added a fourth…
Wizards and Holiday Magic Collide at Harry Potter-Themed Bar Pennifold’s Pub
Gorilla Cinema Presents — the team behind local experiential bars and restaurants like Overlook Lodge and Tokyo Kitty — takes the holidays very seriously and is once again transforming several of its establishments for the season, including its wizarding world-themed Pennifold’s Pub. Offering a little bit of Hogwarts in Over-the-Rhine, Pennifold’s Pub turned the bar…
Shake Shack Opening First Greater Cincinnati Location Thursday
It’s finally here, Cincinnati: Popular milkshake and burger chain Shake Shack is opening its doors in Liberty Township this week. Shake Shack is best known for its hand-spun milkshakes, as well as elevated American classics like their made-to-order burgers, crispy chicken, crinkle-cut fries and signature Hot-Ones Spicy ShackSauce for those who need a little punch…
Elevated Nightclub LoVe on Fourth Opens in Downtown Cincinnati
Downtown Cincinnati is home to a new nightclub with the opening of LoVe on Fourth. LoVe is the newest venture from Cincinnati entrepreneur Rico Grant, who also owns Gallery at Gumbo and Cinema OTR and is the founder of Paloozanoire. Grant says LoVe provides an elevated experience that caters to young corporate professionals and creatives…
Guest Commentary: Ohio Senate Republicans’ Planned Demolition of New Recreational Marijuana Law is an Insult to Voters
Less than a month ago, Ohio voters approved marijuana use, possession and sales for adults. It was a 57-43% vote, a considerable landslide in voting terms. The margin was not a surprise. Legalization is popular across numerous demographics and, apparently, across the state. Issue 2 also passed as an initiated statute, not a constitutional amendment.…
Ohio Senate Republicans are Trying to Change Ohio’s Marijuana Law Before it Goes into Effect
Ohio Senate Republicans are trying to significantly change the state’s marijuana law before it goes into effect Thursday. Despite Ohioans passing Issue 2 with 57% of the vote, the Ohio Senate General Government Committee approved a substitute bill Monday morning that would, among other things, eliminate home grow as well as raise the tax rate, change…
Red Hot Chili Peppers to Bring Dreams of Californication to Cincinnati This Summer
Grammy Award-winning band Red Hot Chili Peppers are extending their “Unlimited Love” tour into 2024, with Cincinnati making the list of cities they’ll hit next year. The “Californication” rockers will take the stage at Riverbend Music Center Friday, July 5, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday, Dec. 8 at 10 a.m.…
DHL Plans for Supplemental Staff as Teamsters Vote to Authorize Strike at CVG Air Hub
More than a thousand Northern Kentucky DHL employees could walk off the job in the midst of the massive holiday delivery season. Union workers at DHL’s air hub facility in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) have voted to authorize a strike if DHL won’t agree to a union contract, the Teamsters announced on Dec. 3.…
Gather for Holiday Cheer and Community Spirit at the Annual Light Up College Hill
College Hill will transform into a winter wonderland this week for its annual holiday celebration. Light Up College Hill returns for its fourth year on Thursday, Dec. 7 from 6-9 p.m. The event will take place along the neighborhood’s business district on Hamilton Avenue and promises an enchanting evening filled with holiday cheer and community…
Guest Commentary: It’s Time to Restore Citizen Participation in Kentucky Lawmaking Process
Our representative democracy rests on a basic principle: The people have a right to participate in decisions that affect them. The League of Women Voters of Kentucky is concerned by any weakening of that principle. In our new “How Can They Do That?” report, we show that Kentucky’s General Assembly has increasingly fast-tracked legislation in…
DuPont, Chemours and Corteva Will Pay Ohio $110 Million in “Forever Chemicals” Settlement
DuPont, Chemours and Corteva will pay the state of Ohio $110 million in a lawsuit settlement that says DuPont put “forever chemicals” in the Ohio River for seven decades, despite knowing the chemicals could cause cancer. “(DuPont) did this dispute knowing the release of the chemicals posed a danger to the public,” Ohio Gov. Mike…
DHL Spokesperson Says No Negotiation Deadline Has Been Set at CVG Facility
Tensions are high between workers and management at DHL-CVG, a large aircraft shipping hub in Hebron, Kentucky, where union organizers say employees are on the brink of a strike. Teamsters, the union representing DHL-CVG employees, wrote on Facebook on Nov. 28 that “the clock is ticking for DHL to act and remedy its unfair labor…
Lebanon is Still Trying to Outlaw Abortion, Despite Issue 1 Passage
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to list Right to Life of East Texas, not Texas Right to Life, as the founding organization behind the “Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn” initiative. City leaders in Lebanon, Ohio haven’t given up on their quest to outlaw abortion, even after Ohioans approved an amendment protecting abortion rights…
CityBeat Launches a New Advice Column
Hey there, Cincinnati! I’m Mike Madanat, the founder of Authentic Life Counseling, and I’m thrilled to introduce myself and a new collaboration with CityBeat: the “What’s On Your Mind, Cincinnati?” advice column. In December 2022, I graduated from Xavier’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program and became a Licensed Professional Counselor here in the heart of…
Cincinnati Earns Top Marks in Human Rights Campaign’s LGBTQ+ Equality Survey
Cincinnati has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) as one of the nation’s top cities for LGBTQ+ inclusivity. HRC announced in November the twelfth edition of the Municipal Equality Index (MEI), a comprehensive assessment by HRC and the Equality Federation Institute. The index evaluates municipal policies, laws and services concerning LGBTQ+ equality. In the…
Ohio Sec. of State LaRose Sides with Trump in Colorado Case to Keep Him from Ballot
Ohio’s Secretary of State Frank LaRose has signed on to a brief arguing former President Donald Trump was “wrongfully” accused of engaging in an insurrection. In Colorado, a Denver District Court judge rejected efforts to get Trump barred from the 2024 presidential ballot under the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment, despite finding that Trump…
Ohio Sec. of State LaRose Concedes He Politicked Out of Building Where he Moved his State Office
After months of silence, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose this week conceded that he’s engaged in campaign activity in the same building where he just finished moving his state agency — one that is in charge of conducting Ohio elections. But he hasn’t given any further details, nor did he explain why Ohioans should…
Clifton’s Torn Light Records to Close in 2024
Torn Light Records will be closing in the new year. In its last 10 years of business in Greater Cincinnati, the record store has made a name for itself as a destination for lovers of new and used records, movies and books. Torn Light announced that its final day of business in Cincinnati will be…
Holiday Season Haters and Lovers Unite for OTRimprov Comedy Show
A string of improv comedy shows coming to Arnold’s Bar & Grill is promising side-splitting laughter and delightful indulgence in seasonal cheer — or humbug — whichever stance you take on the holidays. OTRimprov (OTRi) presents The Naughty List on Arnold’s patio for eight select dates in December. Arnold’s legendary space in downtown Cincinnati holds…
Crown Republic Gastropub to Host Sandwich Pop-Up This December
A Cincinnati delicatessen pop-up will be setting up shop in a downtown restaurant on Tuesdays in December. Cincinnati culinary couple and butcher/chef duo Brian and Caitlin Young, who met on the set of season 16 of Bravo’s Top Chef, will bring their Young Buck Sandwich Pop-Up to Crown Republic Gastropub on Dec. 5, 12 and…
‘American Symphony’ Documentary Captures Acclaimed Composer Jon Batiste Grappling With His Wife’s Cancer
Awards season is upon us, which means famous people winning Oscars and Grammys while we mere mortals watch from home and imagine that those shimmering humans have it all. Standing on that stage, gold statue in hand, must surely be a perfect moment. Yet in the poignant documentary American Symphony, filmmaker Matthew Heineman is there…
NKU Students Set to Dig into Newport Barracks History
Northern Kentucky University (NKU) students, in collaboration with the city of Newport and archaeologists, are gearing up for a hands-on exploration of the Newport Barracks site. According to a press release, the upcoming excavation at 100 Riverboat Row follows the use of ground-penetrating radar earlier this year that revealed hidden historical artifacts. The Newport Barracks…
Campaign Underway to Save Wyoming Fine Arts Center
Cincinnati’s Wyoming Fine Arts Center is seeking $60,000 to stay in business through the beginning of 2024. If the community arts center doesn’t receive funding, it may not be able to keep its doors open through January, according to a press release from Nov. 28. An end-of-year campaign is underway to gain the necessary funding.…
Newport on the Levee’s LEGO Cafe Opens This Weekend
The first LEGO-inspired cafe in Greater Cincinnati — and the United States — is slated to open its doors this week. The Brickery Cafe & Play at Newport on the Levee will officially open Friday, Dec. 1, and on Saturday, the cafe will host LEGO celebrity Paul Wellington, who is on the current season of…
Ohio Redistricting Advocates Eye Ballot After Disappointment in Court
After the Ohio Supreme Court put a damper on efforts to challenge the current Statehouse redistricting plan, anti-gerrymandering advocates are moving on, with their sights on redistricting reform via the ballot box. Those supporting reformed redistricting in Ohio that would eliminate the elected official-led Ohio Redistricting Commission with an independent panel of state residents took…
After Decades of Work, Ohio House Removes Spousal Exemption for Rape Charges
The Ohio House gathered Wednesday to vote on a handful of bills including a long-awaited measure to eliminate the spousal exception for rape. House lawmakers also took up measures allowing virtual public hearings, elevating offenses against referees and adding organ donation to hunting or fishing licenses. But all in all, it was a relatively slow…
Salazar to Close Over-the-Rhine Restaurant to Move Into Bigger Space
A popular Over-the-Rhine restaurant will soon close its doors, but its owner says they’ll return in a new, bigger location. Salazar, which is known for its farm-inspired menu, will host its last service on New Year’s Eve. Owner and chef Jose Salazar made the announcement on his Instagram Wednesday. “After ten years of operation at…
Heritage Village Museum to Host Sensory-Friendly Christmas Event
Cincinnati has tons of great holiday events happening around town, but many can quickly become crowded and loud, which could become overwhelming for someone with sensory sensitivities. To help those who need more sensory-friendly events also enjoy the holiday fun, Heritage Village Museum is hosting “A Quiet Christmas.” “A Quiet Christmas” is a sensory-friendly event…
Worker Strike Looms at DHL-CVG, Management Walks on Bargaining Talks
In the midst of high-volume holiday package deliveries, the workers at DHL-CVG in Hebron, Kentucky are threatening to strike. “This latest show of disrespect comes after months of uncooperative posturing by the global shipping giant,” Teamsters, the union representing DHL-CVG employees, wrote on Facebook on Nov. 28. Employees at DHL-CVG voted to join the Teamsters…
Cincinnati Recreation Commission to Host Annual Toy Drive Dec. 16
The Cincinnati Recreation Commission (CRC) is preparing to bring joy to children across the Tri-State this holiday season with its annual toy drive. CRC will host the toy drive Saturday, Dec. 16 at the Corryville Recreation Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Families wishing to receive toys at the drive can register here. “We…
’50/50′ Child Custody Law Gets Big Changes in Statehouse Committee
After receiving criticism from legal organizations including the Ohio Judicial Conference, a bill to change custody agreements in the state went through some changes in legislative committee this week. House Bill 14, sponsored by Republican state Reps. Rodney Creech and Marilyn John, originally set out to establish a 50/50 parental custody agreement as the standard…
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted Subpoenaed in Civil Suit Over Bailout Scandal
Plaintiffs in a civil suit related to a massive bribery and money-laundering scandal have subpoenaed documents from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and they’re scheduling a sworn deposition with Lt. Gov. Jon Husted. There have been four criminal convictions so far in the scandal and U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker has said the investigation is continuing.…
Ghost Baby to Host One-Night-Only Musical About Infamous Cincinnati Bootlegger
An Over-the-Rhine underground speakeasy is commemorating the end of Prohibition with a musical about one of Cincinnati’s most notorious bootleggers. Ghost Baby will host a one-night-only cabaret-like performance of George Remus: A New Musical, which focuses on the life of George Remus, who built a bootlegging empire in the Queen City in the 1920s. Apart from…
