[LOSER]
BOB BEDINGHAUS: The New York Times published an article Christmas Day outlining the $14 million deficit Hamilton County has in its stadium account and the lousy, lopsided lease the county cut with the Bengals for the facility. Bedinghaus, the ex-county commissioner who spearheaded the stadium project and now works for the team, declined an NYT interview. The cowardly sellout clearly isn’t qualified for his new job and owes the public an explanation about exactly how he got it. Quid pro quo? The situation is enough to make a taxpayer want to bring back tar and feathering. On the other hand…
[WINNER]
BENGALS: With a 17-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bengals clinched the AFC North title, making it the hometown team’s best season in years.
Despite the deaths of Chris Henry and Vicki Zimmer, the Bengals were able to refocus on the game and finally justify the faith put in the team by their band of loyal fans. (Too bad they still couldn’t sell out most home games, and had to rely on local companies buying the tickets and giving them away for free.) The standout season still isn’t worth all the cash spent on the stadium, though.
[LOSER]
LOCAL REPUBLICANS: It’s hard to take U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) seriously, as her outrageous statements get crazier and crazier over time.
She’s called President Obama a socialist and asked for a probe to expose “anti-American” politicians. That apparently impresses the Hamilton County Republican Party, which will feature Bachmann as the keynote speaker at its annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner on Feb. 26. Bachmann’s selection reveals a lot about the party, none of it good. Memo to GOP leaders: This isn’t a viable strategy for expanding the party, unless you want the tin-foil hat crowd. Glenn Beck for county commissioner, anyone?
[WINNER]
ALTERNATING CURRENTS: The longtime local radio show that focuses on LGBT issues has been on the air for 34 years under various names, surely a record for a program of its type across the nation. It recently made the jump from troubled WAIF-FM (88.3) to WVQC- FM (95.7), a station operated by Media Bridges. The more professional environment will allow the program to stream live over the Internet, improving accessibility and making its future brighter than ever. Our kudos to host Cheryl Eagleson and others who produce the show.
