The beginning of the new year is the perfect time to decide what you want your life to look like for the next 366 days (it is a leap year after all.) And that means deciding what’s going to be “in” and what’s going to be “out” for the year to come.

And while the 2024 “in” and “out” trend is mostly being applied by Instagram users seeking self-care, CityBeat figured it could also be applied to Cincinnati as a whole for a better 2024. Keep scrolling to see what’s “out” and “in” for the Queen City.

Coney Island, circa 1954 Photo: Courtesy of Cincinnati Public Library's Genealogy and Local History Department
OUT: Norfolk Southern Norfolk Southern got a lot of heat after a February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment ignited a chain of events that ended in a controlled burn of the train’s toxic load of chemicals, mainly vinyl chloride, and released numerous chemicals into nearby waterways. The plume of thick black smoke soared above homes and waterways, painting a dark picture for the weeks to come. And just a few months later, another train derailed not far from East Palestine. In 2023, as Cincinnati voters were preparing to vote on Issue 22, which would approve the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway (CSR) to Norfolk Southern, some voters raised concerns about future safety if the city relinquished control of its railway to a company that has lobbied against safety regulations that some believe ultimately caused the fiery explosion in East Palestine.
IN: …Getting much-needed cash from Norfolk Southern If we’re going to hand over our own rail line to ultra-capitalist Norfolk Southern, we better start seeing some improvements around town. Cincinnati voted in November to sell CSR for a $1.6 billion trust that the CSR board will manage. The city estimates it would see an annual return on the investment ranging from $50 million to $70 million, almost three times what the city earns from leasing the railroad to Norfolk Southern now. Legally, earnings from the sale could only be spent on maintaining existing city facilities like roads, rec centers and fire stations, which city leaders say is crucial given the city’s $300 million deficit. Photo: Aidan Mahoney
OUT: Joe Burrow getting injured On Nov. 16, 2023, the Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow injured his wrist during a game against the Baltimore Ravens. The team went on to lose the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates the following week before rallying to win three straight games, which kept playoff hopes alive. However, those hopes were officially dashed after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on New Year’s Eve. And while games can’t be won by a single player, in 2024, we need to protect Burrow at all costs. Photo: Cincinnati Bengals media assets
Cincinnati Bengals tailgate at The Banks on Nov. 12, 2023 Photo: Aidan Mahoney
OUT: Frank LaRose Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose had a 2023 that could rival any supervillain’s, from blurring ethical lines in his run for U.S. Senate to pushing ballot language for the November election’s Issue 1 (reproductive rights) that was unfair, inaccurate and obviously GOP-strewn. But perhaps his biggest misdeed of 2023 was the other Issue 1 — LaRose’s ham-handed attempt at preventing abortion rights from standing a chance on the November ballot. In an August special election (which, mind you, had effectively been eliminated under an early 2023 law from Ohio Republicans) Ohio voters had to decide whether, going forward, constitutional amendments on the ballot would require 60% of the vote instead of a simple majority of 50% plus one vote. In an election that normally would see very low turnout, 38% of Ohio voters came out to vote on Issue 1, with 57% rejecting it. In a job that LaRose previously bragged was all about being partisan, all of that seems pretty partisan to us, Frank. And remember: LaRose is running for U.S. Senate in 2024. Make sure you’re registered to vote. Photo: Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal
Connor Moreton won a seat on the St. Bernard Village Council Photo: The Buckeye Flame
OUT: The Heartbeat Law In June 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Ohio’s six-week ban on abortion, or the so-called Heartbeat Law, went into effect, severely reducing Ohioans’ access to safe, legal abortion. While enforcement of the bill has been paused since October 2022, and Ohio voters decisively voted for Issue 1 in November, which codified reproductive rights in Ohio’s Constitution, abortion rights advocates say they aren’t resting as a number of abortion restrictions remain on the books in Ohio, including the Heartbeat Law. The Ohio Supreme Court is currently hearing the case on the Heartbeat Law and in December ordered both sides to submit briefs explaining how Issue 1’s enactment would affect the case. Photo: Freestocks, Unsplash
Photo: Mary LeBus
OUT: Kid Rock Kid Rock joined a cancel culture crusade against Bud Light in 2023 when he flipped out over the beer brand partnering with trans activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who attended the University of Cincinnati. He got his panties in a twist because Anheuser-Busch sent Mulvaney a can with her face on it to celebrate her first “365 Days of Girlhood.” In fact, that flimsy aluminum beer can upset the little snowflake so much that he posted a video of himself shooting cases of the beer with a semiautomatic rifle while looking like he was going to cry — an incident made even funnier when the hillbilly rocker was seen a few months later enjoying a Bud Light at a Colt Ford show in Nashville. Photo: Screenshot, Kid Rock's Instagram
IN: Dylan Mulvaney We loved University of Cincinnati alum Dylan Mulvaney before Kid Rock’s hissy fit, but the way she’s handled herself after the Bud Light fallout and resulting transphobia just makes her even more of a gem in our book. Mulvaney took to TikTok in June to say, “What transpired from that video was more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined. For months now I’ve been scared to leave my house, I’ve been ridiculed in public, I’ve been followed, and I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.” Despite everything, Mulvaney persists in being her authentic self and reminding the world trans people exist and deserve to take up space. Dylan Mulvaney for president, 2024. Photo: instagram.com/@dylanmulvaney
OUT: Dangerous drivers For some reason, since the pandemic, a lot of Cincinnatians seem to think red lights and speed limits are just suggestions. It’s dangerous for other drivers, but also for pedestrians and cyclists who also have to contend with litter and debris in the roads. In 2024, let’s all look out for each other and say “yes” to slowing down and “no” to crashing into record stores. Photo: Everybody's Records
IN: Better infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists But while we wait for drivers to stop being crappy to one another, Cincinnati is working on ways to make life better and safer for pedestrians and others who get around without cars. In April 2023, U.S. Rep. and former Cincinnati City Council Member Greg Landsman submitted 15 community projects around Greater Cincinnati for consideration for federal funding. The projects included things like remodeling Central Parkway into a “Complete Street” that would add dedicated pedestrian sidewalks, bicycle tracks and a grassy median in the street and making improvements to bus stops. Photo: Madeline Fening
Dismembered Woman Found in North Fairmount A gruesome mystery out of North Fairmount remains unsolved at the year’s end. Investigators are still trying to identify the dismembered remains of a woman found in the woods off Baltimore Avenue near Beekman Street on Nov. 5. The Cincinnati Police Department responded to the scene after a passerby called to report the remains, with the coroner listing her death as a homicide. No tattoos, no birthmarks, no scars – the remains don’t even give investigators the options to run fingerprints or dental records. “There are no teeth to investigate,” said Hamilton County coroner Dr. Lakshmi Kode Sammarco. She described the victim as a Black woman, likely in her late 20s to early 30s, about 5 feet tall and weighing around 120 pounds. It’s estimated she sustained at least one pregnancy in her lifetime. The investigation is still ongoing, with Cincinnati Police and the coroner working to identify the mystery Jane Doe. Photo: Scott Rodgerson, Unsplash
Afroman’s Merry Spliffmas When: Dec. 23 at 6:30 p.m. Where: Riverfront Live, The Banks What: Afroman live Who: Afroman Why: As Riverfront’s website puts it: “‘Because I got high’ is also a good excuse when your friends and family ask why you didn’t bring any gifts to the holiday shindig.” Photo: YouTube screengrab
OUT: Backwards policies at Forest Hills School District In December, the Forest Hills School Board voted to rescind a controversial resolution that prohibited teachers from creating assignments that asked students to consider societal factors such as race, socioeconomic class, religion, gender identity or sexuality. The decision came in the aftermath of a December lawsuit settlement linked to the resolution, deceptively named the Resolution to Create a Culture of Kindness and Equal Opportunity. The district, while denying any wrongdoing, said it opted to resolve the matter to sidestep distractions from the “important business of educating children” and to mitigate the financial burden of ongoing litigation on taxpayers. Photo: Fauxels/Pexels
IN: Cincinnati ranking high in LGBTQ+ equality survey While that local school board grapples with what it actually means to be kind, Cincinnati as a city is practicing it, earning top marks in the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) LGBTQ+ Equality Survey. HRC released its 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 2023 MEI, 129 cities, including Cincinnati, scored a perfect 100. The perfect scores in the 2023 report are an eightfold increase from 2022, and Cincinnati was one of eight “all-star” cities on the list. Photo: Benson Kua
OUT: Outdated recreational weed laws In 2023, the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol successfully brought Issue 2, which aimed to legalize recreational marijuan, to the November ballot thanks to a successful state-wide signature collection campaign. On Nov. 7, over 57% of Ohio voters agreed it was time to legalize the plant, closing out a chapter of outdated laws. However, we’re still waiting to see what legal recreational weed will look like in Ohio after the state senate passed House Bill 86, a restrictive law that would change the way voters get to enjoy recreational marijuana. Photo: Aidan Mahoney
The state Division of Cannabis Control recently awarded about 60 dual-use provisional licenses to various medical marijuana dispensaries, cultivators, laboratories and processors. Photo by: Kindel Media, Pexels