On the Ballot: Free Speech and Press
The next president will tilt the Supreme Court conservative/liberal balance. She or he next might nominate four of the nine justices, given the current justices’ ages. There could be more nominations if the court has another unexpected death or retirement. Justices serve for generations, and a “Trump Court” could limit or reverse free speech and…
Morning News: Tensing attorney asks court to admit DuBose’s criminal, medical arrest records as evidence; Chelsea stumps for Hillary; Kasich’s sad salary?
Good morning all. Here’s a quick morning news update. The attorney for former UCPD officer Ray Tensing filed documents yesterday requesting that Samuel DuBose’s medical records and past criminal history be admitted as evidence in Tensing’s murder and manslaughter trial. Tensing was indicted last year after he shot and killed unarmed black motorist DuBose during…
New Brews and Halloween Events
Halloween parties take place this weekend, during which a few breweries will try to spook you with costume contests and haunted mazes. And apparently donut beers are now a thing — in fact, there’s an entire local event dedicated to them. On Nov. 3, Yelp gifts Cincinnatians with the best pairing ever — donuts in…
Minimum Gauge: Bob Dylan ingores Nobel Prize honor, while Frank Ocean shuns Grammy consideration
HOT: Award Shunning Rock legend Bob Dylan was announced as the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, but the Prize committee has said it has been unable to reach the noted curmudgeon about accepting the award. The award won’t be rescinded should Dylan remain silent, but the $900,000 prize money could be (under the…
Morning News: Tensing trial begins; Chelsea Clinton, Vincente Fox come to Cincinnati; fed judge blocks NKU request to seal sex assault case records
Good morning all. Here’s some quick news updates today. Of course, the big story is that former UCPD officer Ray Tensing’s trial starts today. Tensing is facing murder and manslaughter charges for the shooting death of unarmed motorist Samuel DuBose July 19, 2015 in Mount Auburn. Two-hundred-thirty-four potential jurors must turn in questionnaires by today,…
FotoFocus Report: Lexington’s Camera Club has a legacy to rival UK sports teams
Lexington and Wildcat madness are inexorably linked, so much so that the walls for a FotoFocus exhibit springing from that city are painted in shades of the University of Kentucky’s signature blue and white. (The Cincinnati Art Museum confirms this was a conscious choice.) However, Kentucky Renaissance honors something other than basketball titles. The rest of the…
Winkler deputy disciplined for poorly worded pitch to staff for campaign help
A high-ranking Hamilton County Clerk of Courts officer was formally reprimanded for asking agency employees to help the re-election campaign of incumbent Clerk Tracy Winkler and not making it clear that any participation would be voluntary. Responding to a public records request from CityBeat, the agency provided a two-page "job action form" on chief deputy…
Noon News: Tensing jury pool selected; early voting hours extended; Borges won’t dump Trump
Hello all. I’m running a bit behind today, so you’re getting a noon news update. Let’s get to it. A collection of faith leaders, civil rights groups, racial justice activists and others convened for a rally and march Saturday ahead of the Ray Tensing trial. You can find our coverage of that protest, plus links…
Activists ready as Tensing trial nears
As former University of Cincinnati Police officer Ray Tensing stands trial for murder, activists say they'll keep pushing for justice for Samuel DuBose, the unarmed black motorist Tensing shot and killed in Mount Auburn last year. More than 100 people turned out Oct. 22 for a rally and march organized by Cincinnati Black Lives Matter…
Critic’s Pick: ‘Jitney’ at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
A lot of the theater we see is fanciful make-believe, aimed at entertaining, but sometimes lacking soul. That’s not what happens with the current Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park production of August Wilson’s Jitney, although some raucous Rhythm & Blues music might make you momentarily expect something light. In fact, as the production’s nine actors…
FotoFocus Report: Behind the Scenes with Melvin Grier
Melvin Grier was at home Tuesday baking a tuna casserole when he got a call reminding him he was scheduled to speak at noon at Kennedy Heights Arts Center to grade-schoolers from Woodford Paideia Academy. The photographer behind Homage to a Sound, a tribute to jazz, had gotten his dates mixed up. But like a…
Morning News: Tension over Trump endorsements among local police unions; Kroger dumps Tiger Dumpling; Clinton leads big in Ohio, Cincy fundraising
Good morning all. Here’s the news for ya on this chilly fall Friday. There's some friction between two Cincinnati police associations over the presidential endorsement of one. Did you know that the national Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump? Or that Cincinnati’s local FOP took a floor vote to the…
Stage Door: Inventive Storytelling and Vivid Acting — Theater This Weekend
August Wilson’s Jitney just opened with a wonderful ensemble of African-America actors at the Cincinnati Playhouse. Set in a gypsy cab station in 1977 Pittsburgh, it’s the story of a handful of men in a beleaguered neighborhood, trying to get by. But thanks to Wilson’s insightful writing and Timothy Douglas’ inspired direction, this production provides…
Your Weekend To Do List (Oct. 21-23)
FRIDAY 21 MUSIC: UBAHN FEST The unique location of Cincinnati’s Ubahn Fest — an underground “tunnel” between Pete Rose Way and Third Street, near Paul Brown Stadium — instantly makes it one of the cooler musical events in Cincinnati. But previous year’s bookings — featuring a mix of established and up-and-coming Hip Hop and Electronic…
Morning News: Council, mayor fight over bus benches; Cincinnati Zoo back on Twitter; Trump won’t say he’ll accept defeat
Good morning all. We will of course get to the final presidential debate between GOP nominee Donald Trump and Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton in a moment. But before we delve into all the amazing discourse and respect for the truth and the constitution that took place last night, let’s talk about some local stuff, shall…
Netflix debuts ‘The 13th’
The 54th-annual New York Film Festival, sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, opened this year with The 13th, a documentary by Ava DuVernay (Selma) on the twisted and complex impact of the constitutional amendment that was supposed to end slavery but instead, by its too careful and even insidious wording, paved the way…
Where to Eat Later
* Indicates winners from CityBeat’s 2016 Best of Cincinnati® issue. Restaurant listings are compiled from CityBeat dining reviews and are edited for space. BAR & GRILLS/BREWPUBS * Arnold’s Bar and Grill Open since 1861, Arnold’s is the oldest continuously running tavern in town, complete with dark wood walls, vintage memorabilia and a big ol’ bathtub…
Wild, Wild ‘Westworld’
Michael Crichton had a knack for envisioning sinister theme parks. Most are familiar with the dystopian dinosaur dreamland Jurassic Park, which he wrote. But he’s also the author behind Westworld (9 p.m. Sundays), HBO’s latest big-name, jam-packed drama set in a visual playground. The themes and characters explored in Westworld are as vast as the…
Curmudgeon learns to care in ‘Man Called Ove’
Audiences who settle down for the Swedish film A Man Called Ove should forgive themselves for thinking early on that they have seen this one before. They may think that the man who is indeed called Ove (Rolf Lassgård) seems terribly familiar. He is a type that lurks on the margins of our culture —…
Christina Pazsitzky explores farts and philosophy
Some of us are lazy. Some of us are workaholics. And then there’s the prolific Christina Pazsitzky, who brings her stand-up set to Montgomery’s Go Bananas Comedy Club on Monday. She hosts the popular Your Mom’s House podcast series with her husband and fellow stand-up comic, Tom Segura; she has written for and appeared on…
John Divola scores a hit at FotoFocus
Film and music festivals often have “sleeper hits” — someone or something relatively unheralded in advance that turns out to be enormously relevant and memorable. My pick for a FotoFocus Biennial sleeper hit isn’t an exhibition or even a solo lecturer. It’s a photographer, John Divola, who has work in two different FotoFocus shows and…
As PAR-Projects stages the first exhibit in its new home, Jonathan Sears hopes for bigger things
“Swarms,” the first installation in PAR-Projects’ new home on Northside’s Hoffner Street, is a slow-motion swirl of activity and connectivity — sort of a metaphor for PAR-Projects itself. Kinetic sculptures by Michigan artist Lisa Walcott resemble clouds of insects, yet they barely create a buzz as they circle in near-darkness. You can’t make out everything…
Public Transit Saves Lives
During my 25-year career as a police officer, I saw too many terrible, horrific scenes involving injury and death — bodies in pieces, people impaled, some who had been crushed, individuals burned alive, dead and injured children — to count. I’m not talking about murder scenes. These were traffic crashes. Those scenes proved to me…
2016 Dining Guide: Where to Eat Now in Cincinnati
According to science, humans can go a couple of weeks without eating food. But thankfully that’s not necessary in Cincinnati (unless you’ve embarked on some kind of personal hunger strike). This city’s ever-expanding dining scene is home to eateries that run the spectrum from budget-friendly finds and ethnic treasures to brewpubs, au courant cafés and…
Where to Eat Now
There has never been a better time to dine out in Cincinnati. Our town is exploding in all regions, price ranges and types of cuisines. That’s why we’ve assembled (with a bit of help from some trusty local professionals) this list of places — in no particular order — you need to know about now.…
Drink Up
EXPERTS Beer: Chris Mitchell, co-owner of Woodburn Brewery Wine: Kate MacDonald, winemaker and co-owner of Skeleton Root winery; Laura Landoll, advanced sommelier and adjunct professor at the Midwest Culinary Institute Cocktails: Ryan Santos, chef and owner of Please SNACKS Beer: Mitchell likes to drink fruit beers with appetizers, cheeses and “snackables.” Wine: “We don’t often…
Cultivating the Jungle
Businesses typically shutter because they don’t have enough customers, not the reverse. But Tiger Dumpling is different. Tiger Dumpling opened on Calhoun Street in Clifton in January 2015 and developed a cult following — the restaurant sold more than 3,000 handmade dumplings a day. It got so popular that owner Hunter Hebert made the decision…
Inventing the Recipe
Think you’re the only one who struggles when it comes to inspirational meal planning? What if it was your actual job to wow people with fresh new palate pleasers each and every day? And by people, I mean the gen pop, not just your spouse and those tiny people tugging at your pant legs. In…
Japp’s unveils craft bites menu
Molly Wellmann is arguably one of Cincinnati’s most well-known mixologists, business owners and overall pillars of the community. You have probably seen her sweet, winning smile on signage for the forthcoming expanded Northside location of eatery Melt — which her parent company Wellmann’s Brands recently acquired — or maybe in person at one of her…
The Incline District’s Somm Wine Bar is a sophisticated lounge for sips, snacks and city views
Somm Wine Bar makes it perilously easy to have a fun weeknight out. For one, they serve half glasses of wine (half full, that is), perfect if you’re indecisive, sampling or pretending not to drink very much. For another, the inviting back patio conjures up words like “sophisticated” and “adulting.” And finally, before you know…
Locals join legends and hit-makers at Ubahn Fest
This weekend’s Ubahn Fest, taking place Friday and Saturday (starting at 6 p.m. each day) under the Second Street overpass between Third Street and Pete Rose Way at the Riverfront Transit Center (220 Central Ave., Downtown), features the best lineup yet in the event’s short history. Besides superstars and big draws like Nas, Atmosphere and…
With ‘Fishing Blues,’ Atmosphere aimed to lighten up and not take itself so seriously
Few Hip Hop collaborations have lasted as long or been as creatively fruitful as the one between rapper Sean Daley (aka Slug) and DJ/beatmaster/producer Anthony Davis (aka Ant), the duo otherwise known as Atmosphere. The pair rose up out of Minneapolis’ Rhymesayers Hip Hop collective of the late 1990s, over the years tweaking an aesthetic…
