About Freakin' Time

The Enquirer Editorial Page in its subtle manner actually is trying to dispel some of the myth the newspaper as a whole has helped to create.

They act like we all have to walk around with bazookas," he said. "It's all perception. I just wish the community would grow up and move forward."

With this being the holiday, Editorial Board member Byron McCauley is giving his personal take. I thank him for it, but that means that I don't expect this type of tone to be part of a New Year's Resolution for the rest of the Enquirer to stop creating a false perception of the City and Downtown.

Banned at the Airport

Today is a travel day and I am waiting in the Sarasota Airport for my Noon flight back to Cincinnati. It is great that the airport offers free Wifi, which is allowing me to post. What I don't get is that I can't read my own blog, because it and it appears all Blogspot blogs are blocked. I can get to blogger, but not Blogspot, very strange. I can get to most other news sites, including Wordpress blogs, like CityBeat's Blog, but I guess Blogspot has too many spammers? That seems a bit draconian. Since it is free, I won't complain outside of this post.

Keep the snow away, at least for today!

Fighting 'Food Insecurity' in Cincinnati

NPR had a story yesterday on food banks and used Cincinnati as an example.

Cranley to Columbus?

This tid bit from the Enquirer's Blog is a few days old, but it opens a question, could Cranley be appointed to office in Columbus? Mum is the word for now, will we hear something after the Holiday?

Pepper People, Parks, and some Bonuses

Joe Wessels' first column is in print and he holds nothing back with the back story on the details of who County Commissioner-Elect David Pepper has hired for his staff. Bridget Doherty and Travis Hines will hopefully not be attacked by the anti-Pepper trolls out there. I say that with full knowledge that all the hope in the world will not keep the trolls from making fun of others. Deep down, most of the trolls who attack are doing so because they are jealous and very petty people. When you lose elections, the pettiness tends to come to the surface.

Monzel appears to be continuing his crusade against the 'homeless' by targeting Washington Park cosmetics. The way to clean up Washington Park is by moving the Drop In Center to a location like Queensgate. The bums need help, but the are not helped by being an unwitting roadblock to progress in OTR. What you do with the sidewalks may improve the look of the park, but it will not keep the bums away.

Finally, this is interesting:

Mayor Mark Mallory said a recent Post story outlining bonuses for City Council aides upset him - because he was left out. Mallory had not given bonuses, but thought his staff deserves extra cash, too. So he gave it to them. Carla Walker, Jason Barron, Shawn Butler, Tiffany McCarter and Ryan Adcock: Happy Holidays! You get an extra $1,691.08. You can thank me later.

What I find interesting is that the Mayor can be influenced that much by the media. I am sure his staff wish they had that kind of influence on their income more often.

As a side note: Ryan Adcock, a Mallory Staffer, is also a great singer/songwriter. Check out some of his stuff.

More Positive Downtown Discussion

Again, I wasn't the only one to dislike the Enquirer's negative comparisons of Cincy to Indy, Kelly Leon spoke her views in a guest column.

The 'Fiscal Five' ?

From the Enquirer's Politics Blog we get what is stated to be a press release(doc) from Council member Leslie Ghiz. As part of the letterhead it has a heading called "The Fiscal Five" which lists council members Berding-Bortz-Cole-Ghiz-Monzel. When did they start using this clique moniker? Is someone trying to muscle in on the Gang of 14?

Bride Blog - TMI?

I talk about myself on my blog once in a while, but I never would go to the extreme of CiN Weekly's Katie Kelley.

SupertalkFM Coughs Up Furball

Andy Furman has found a new home to rant and rave, it's 96.5. I am sure that management will encourage him to be even more outlandish than he was on WLW.

We Have a Budget

There wasn't much white smoke emanating from the top of city hall, but we have a budget.

The Question is, how was arts funding affected? Nothing is mentioned in the motion (pdf). I don't know what the Berding-Bortz-Cole-Ghiz-Monzel budget did to arts funding. Anyone know?

Jets and Sharks

When you're a Jet.....

It appears that City Council has become just a wee bit divided. At this point this is beyond party, this is something else. When Cole and Ghiz are on the same side, it has to be unique.

If you are going to tonight's meeting, chime in with your perspective. We are almost upon an election year for council, so the pontification should be high.

Has Si Leis Gone Insane?

At least one county commissioner called Si Leis's request Crazy. I would suggest that Si Leis has gone insane and is seeking to overturn the vote of the people. That sounds like something a tyrant would try and do. Why is this nutcase reelected without opposition?

Cold Clear Channel Strikes Again

What a wonderful Christmas President for Craig Kopp: 'You're Fired'! Radio is a messed up industry beyond hope for equality, integrity, and quality. NPR/Public stations are the only things worth respecting as members of an honorable media community.

Anti-City GOP at Work

If you ask Russ Jackson, Republican Trustee of Anderson Township, the Freedom Center should not get any addtional state funding:

Anderson and Sycamore, two of the 37 townships in the region, recently passed resolutions calling on state legislators not to continue funding the center. Anderson Township Trustee Russ Jackson was among those challenging state funding for the Freedom Center.

"I did not feel it was appropriate that any additional taxpayer dollars go into the project," he said.

Jackson said he cares as a state taxpayer, noting that it should be up to city taxpayers to subsidize any remaining Freedom Center debt. And future state legislatures shouldn't be held responsible for past promises, Jackson said.

Why does Jackson and other Republicans hate the Freedom Center? Is it a race issue? Is it a hatred for the City? Is it both? Why is the Freedom Center being singled out? This is yet another shining example of suburban bias towards the city. For some it also shows a sense of racial bigotry. What drives these politians to be this obtrusive towards community development outside the 3 block radius around their house?

Council In Chaos or the Enquirer Trying to Make-Up News?

Ok, What went on today in council? The story leaves much out and ends without an update. Did the meeting resume? Is this a case of peacock council members getting puffy or is the Enquirer just trying to trump up conflict in a slow news week?

Fear is Out as Gift

Now that we don't have a big election facing us, I am bewildered that we haven't been warned about traveling by air this holiday season or been warned about being a mall this year. We had an arrest in an alleged plot against a mall just a week ago.

I'll be getting on a plane this week and I want to have the full panic effect now, instead of an hour before I leave for CVG.

Hold on a second, I mentioned something about there not being an election before. You don't suppose that we are not hearing about these threats because the GOP has given up on it as a vote getting tactic? Is Fear out this Christmas season as a gift to voters?

More Ink for the Heartless Bastards

Another postive story about local Favorites, the Heartless Bastards.

Jolting Joe

A 'reliable' source reports that Joe Wessels of the Cincinnati Post will be starting a city politics column in the Post next week. Look for insider views on local politics and government.

Smoke Free Bars

For Bars, the Smoking Ban right now is a bit of a mess, but there are some establishments that are taking the step of going no smoking. Here is a list of bars that my information indicates have gone smokeless:

The Comet
Northside Tavern
Alchemize
The Stand

I am sure there are more out there, chime in. If anyone is still smoking at the bars above, chime in as well.

Boobies, Boobies, Boobies!

Where was 'champion of freedom' Peter Bronson when Big Brother Si Leis raided local Porn shops? What makes freedom to smoke more important than the freedom to read and watch what you want?

Peter's Hypocrisy Juice is boiling over.

More Bias From the Enquirer

Hey, folks, don't feel good about the progress for Downtown, lets instead dwell on the negative. The shopping plaza at Skytop on Beechmont near Route 32 has never been full of retail since the structure opened over 6 years ago. Where is the news story on that? Where's the stories about Anderson township failing to attract retail?

The Enquirer is creating much of the negative perception of the City, and it's bias and failure to be honest is horrible.

Be a Man..Smither-man

Former councilman Chris Smitherman will not accept defeat in his bid to become President of the Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP. If he is going to grandstand before he wins, what else can you expect if he were to win?

Stating the Obvious

It should almost go without saying but Steve Chabot and Jean Schmidt won re-election because of how the Congressional district lines were redrawn by the GOP to favor GOP candidates. This is how politics works. It shouldn't be how it works, but it does, and people are still too apathetic to care.

WAIF News?

Last we heard things were really ugly at the local community radio station. Can anyone chime in on where things stand now? Are the idiots still running the station into the ground? Is the FCC breaking down their neck's? Will we get the nuts out of the station leadership?

Nominate Cincinnati News Stories of 2006

I will open up the floor for nominations for the biggest news stories in the Cincinnati area. These can include statewide stories, NKY, or Southeast Indiana stories. At the end of the year, I'll be posting my top ten stories. For me the stories will be a combination of the most popular stories and the most important stories. If I get the notion too, I may create a list of the most unimportant, yet much covered stories in Cincinnati.

If others want to include the most under covered story, chime in with that as well.

My Truth, Not Yours

I have to wonder how many people will take this seriously: `Truthiness' is named Word of the Year. I also wonder how many people still think Stephen Colbert is a conservative. There have to be a few hundred thousand gullible fools still out there.

Chamber Hops on Creative Class Band Wagon?

It has been said many times in the town that the Creative Class is one of the keys to reinvigorating the Urban Core of Cincinnati, but it appears now that the 'fast moving' Chamber of Commerce has finally caught on to the idea.

Chaz Has It Right

A great guest column from former Mayor Charlie Luken. Furthermore to quell the rumors, I did not ghost write this for Charlie.

A letter to the Enquirer today agrees:

LUKEN NAILED IT IN COLUMN ON CITY

Charlie Luken is right about Cincinnati and about Peter Bronson; the city has the opportunity to rebound and is taking it ("Don't bash city that has so much going for it," Dec. 7). Why do suburbanites like Bronson feel they can bash a city that is doing so much to improve itself and dealing with the problems left by those irresponsible enough to abandon the city for places like West Chester and Blue Ash? You may favor the blander life of the suburbs over continuing the legacy of a great city, but don't stand back and criticize. I'll take downtown over mundane strip malls and chain restaurants any day.

Ben Bedel Covedale

Indeed.

Smoking Still Has Baby Teeth

The State Agreed at the last minute not to enforce the smoking ban until rules are established. That will hopefully happen quickly. This does not give smoker's the freedom to smoke as they please. This does give business owners to do as they please without the state sanctioning them. Businesses would do more in the long run to comply with the law now. Let the diehards at neighborhood dives keep smoking, but large bars should just get used to it.

Smitherman Loses, Again

Former Councilman Chris Smitherman lost his bid for President of the Cincy Chapter of the NAACP.

A Freddies Christmas

Murder Rate - 90% Drug Related

Too many People have an insane fear of the city. Some fear Downtown or the "ghetto" which they can't differentiate. What people need to understand is what the County coroner is saying:

However, in the majority of the city's homicides, authorities say the suspect and victim knew each other.

The Hamilton County coroner says 90% of the cases were drug-related.

"It's just not one factor," said Dr. O'dell Owens. "Its the guns, the [lack of] education and the drugs and the family unit. A lot of things we have to work on."

Yes, it is bad that the murder rate is up. We as a city, county, state, and country need to work broadly to decrease it. This does not make the city unsafe. I know childish commenters are going to now chime in. They'll make trite cracks about gun shots and Washington Park and some will make poorly veiled bigoted/racist statements. What they fail to grasp is that they are pussies. I say that with full offensive intended. They are scared little girls who see something on TV and think it is real. I think these idiots might even think that the 2001 riots happened along the river or in Mt. Adams.

The problems of crime are not unique to cities, they just are the easy scapegoats for those look for a rhetorical or socio-economic advantage. How many people are going to run away from Trenton because a guy was stabbed in bar fight with a screw driver? Someone breaks a car window at a downtown garage and panic and fear rips through the countryside.

If you don't mess with drugs, you are not going to be murdered..anywhere. Is that 100%, of course not. Does that mean you walk around with $100 bills sticking out of your pants? Of Course Not! That means you might grow a pair of balls and stop making crime your excuse for not exploring the city. If you are a lazy SOB, fine, don't blame crime for not going to Northside to see the band you like. If you are a cheap bastard, don't blame crime for not wanting to dare set a foot inside of the city limits after dark to hit a vibrant restaurant in Oakley or Downtown. If you are a bigot who hates blacks and uses crime as your excuse for being a bigot, well, you can just shut up and rot in Hell.

UPDATE: Errors corrected to silence the grammatical prudes. No Doubt there are errors I missed, but honestly, I don't give a shit.

Clear Channel Blood Letting

It is very interesting to read the comments on John Kiesewetter's blog from what sounds like either some posers, or many inside Clear Channel current and former staffers.

Local Radio blows. It has sucked for years. When I say local, I don't means just here in Cincinnati, I mean everywhere. I say that because the same 3-5 companies own most of the stations.

Of all modern media, Radio is the one that people really demand be local. If you are going to just be a jukebox with commercials, you will lose out to IPods or to Satellite.

More from CC Alumnus Rick Bird in the Post.

Korte's Blog

Greg Korte now has his own niche blog on the Enquirer's site. It has an interesting description:

Gregory Korte is the Enquirer's investigative and enterprise reporter, database reporting specialist and resident wonk. A West Side native, he worked at newspapers in Cleveland, Lorain and Akron before returning to Cincinnati in 2001, covering city government and politics for five years. "Footnotes" is his ongoing attempt to understand and explain the changing Cincinnati region.
E-mail: gkorte@enquirer.com Phone: 513-768-8391

It is called Footnotes and believe it or not, it actually uses footnotes. Is that a first in the blogging world? Could be.

Smitherman to Lead Local NAACP?

The votes are in, but its not settled. I am not a fan of Chris Smitherman. I look for Smitherman to use the NAACP as a weapon for his own personal crusades.

Enquirer Publishes Lie - Shows Bias

From today's Letters to the Editor we are treated to this falsehood published by the Enquirer:

WULSIN'S RECOUNT COSTLY, UNNECESSARY

Regarding the article "Wulsin gives up quest for congressional seat" (Nov. 29): Her strategy was to hold out acknowledging losing and receive free publicity and exercising her "right" to force an inconsequential vote count on the pretext of honoring each voter's vote. So, how much did this exercise in futility cost in dollars? Well, she shares the cost with those "voters" who couldn't take the time to confirm where they were to vote. Don't voters have some responsibility to be informed? Wishy-washy politicians and judges condone the procedure.

James Krueger
Green Township

First thing, there was no recount! The processing being undertaken was the normal process of counting the provisional ballots and some absentee ballots. There was no recount. The headline to the letter I am betting was not written by the writer, but was instead written by the Enquirer. Who at the Enquirer agrees with printing a lie like that? The Letter as printed NEVER USED THE WORD RECOUNT!!!!!

Second Thing is that James Krueger is an idiot. People who cast provisional ballots often at no fault of their own, but of the failure of the BOE or the poll working. Also, is he that fucking stupid to think that on the first general election since passing a new law requiring ID that people should be punished using the legally allowed procedures that law provides? Freddie Krueger seems to want to keep people from voting. There should not be additional costs of counting the votes in an election the first time, so Freddie's has been sniffing too much of the glue he uses for the novelty fingernails.

Downtown Living to Boom?

The Post is reporting that development is in the works to build a Condo/Retail/Parking high rise at Fifth and Race streets Downtown. This is huge news! The proposed 15 to 20 story building would fill an empty eye score and put up a YP centered development that would give a shot into the arm of Downtown that will drive the Fountain Square area to new heights. If this building gets off the ground and keeps its market target in focus, then the sky is the limit. Downtown living has been rising for quite some time now, but if they put affordable Condos for a wider YP demographic, then development may enable a Downtown revival beyond anyone's hopes.

Yea, I am optimistic on this, and we are a long ways from it becoming a reality. The key to a Downtown revival has always been having a real neighborhood of residents. Make it easier for people to live downtown, and they will want to work and play downtown.

Bronson: Van Go I Ain't

In what can best be described as a column by numbers, Peter Bronson has made it clear he is artistically tone deaf. Here's his formula for his mendacity:

1. Make a trite "Elvis-on-velvet" quip, like he did here and here.
   
2. Criticize a Play you have never seen. It's not the first time, and likely will not be the last.
   
3. Create a false premise by claiming the police budget was being cut by restoring funding for the arts, which it wasn't.
4. Finish off by slamming downtown, yet again, then get out the paper (aka more cops dogma) to cover up the crime problem.

If Peter Bronson could think beyond his bible, his gun holster, or his pocket book, he might see art beyond his broken car radio that is stuck on 93.3FM. There is something to act of thinking. Thinking in a manner that stale minds don't want to try to understand is what artists try and do. People like Peter Bronson always complain about art, no matter how its funded, but fear the effort and the change that may come from thinking in a new way. Art is about expressing ideas, ideas that exist to make the viewer/listener/reader think in a new way. I go downtown to see art and I challenge Bronson, again, to see the art before he attacks it, but I will not miss him if he chickens out.

More About Main Street

WCPO ITEM Bongs its way into a hard charging story about the changes on Main Street. The biggest bong comes from this portion:

BOB SCHNEIDER OWNS THE MAIN STREET BUILDINGS THAT USED TO HAVE FOUR NIGHTCLUBS.

(Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "I think a lot of people really believe that the reason the Main Street entertainment district is dead is because of those riots in 2001. Riots killed the clubs.(Bob Schneider, Main Street Landlord) That's really not the case. The real problems started in 2004. One of those clubs in 2004 basically turned their business over to a promoter on a Friday night and this promoter basically put on venues, entertainment venues that brought in a thug element to the street. "

HE SAYS ANOTHER CLUB STARTED THE SAME THING AND SUDDENLY ARMED THUGS SCARED EVERYONE OFF.

(Bob Schnieder, Main Street Landlord) "Basically threatening people on the sidewalk, it just wasn't a comfortable environment."

Two things came to my mind upon reading on this. First is what was the club that killed the club scene on Main and Second is who is going to go crazy because the guy used the word "Thug" to describe those who he claims drove off much of the Main Street crowd.

I am not going to come out and say the guy is wrong. I myself don't and didn't go to the dance clubs on Main. I do hit the North Main Bars and Kaldi's on occasion, so who goes to the dance clubs is something I am gleefully ignorant about. I instead will sit back and watch the venom flow.

Fountain Square Ice Rink

This is a great start to the Square. It is wonderful hearing suburbanites coming to Downtown and planning on coming down again!

Cincinnati Advance is going skating there this Thursday Night. I would bet you could skate and watch the game on the big screen too!

OTR on the Rise?

Very interesting article in the New York Times on the renewal of Over-the-Rhine.

I am sure someone will hate this. Whether you hate the city, hate seeing the poor, hate the poor having to live a block from nice condos, or you just hate black people, you will surely be pissed off and attack this article.

"When Black Friday comes I'll stand down by the door"

Get out there and shop people! Buy Buy Buy!

Gobble, Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving Day!!

Question

I have never had much luck when trying to use CityBeat's event listing online, but has the music listing been working like this since the launched it or is it relatively new?

Maybe I just don't like the way the arts section is organized, I don't know. It seems to work better than I remember, or I just use cincymusic.com most of the time.

"Some City Hall observers believe"

I guess I qualify as one.

No Respect

When people talk about the decline of culture and the poor quality of the media they should look no further than the following letter to the editor of the Enquirer:

THIS ISN'T THE COLUMBUS ENQUIRER

The University of Cincinnati wins the biggest game in the history of the school, yet The Enquirer puts the Ohio State-Michigan game on the front page of the paper. To paraphrase Sam Wyche, you don't live in Columbus, you live in Cincinnati. The Bearcat football team will never get the respect they truly deserve thanks to the local media who'd rather talk about a team in another city then their local team.

Steve Heller
Reading

Mr. Heller is correct in his comments. The Enquirer should be very ashamed of giving preference to Ohio State of the huge victory by UC but part of the problem lies not with the media, but with the readers. People do not value what is around them. This is not just a problem here in Cincinnati, but nearly everywhere. Too many People don't respect effort and accomplishment. All they respect is popularity, rankings, money, aggression (conflict). The Enquirer chose to downplay the local story and play up the National Story of the Ohio State game. Yes, Columbus is close by, and there are lots of Ohio State fans in the area, but so what! The job of the local media is to serve the community by reporting the local news first and foremost. The problem with the media is that they are serving what they view as the demand of the local readers who don't care about their community and only seem to care about the national hot topic. That leaves a void that contributes to the false perception that Cincinnati is a small town where nothing good happens. We are big city, where culture, sports, and action play out every day. It is exciting and is worth paying attention to what happens.

When culture warriors opine about the decline and fall of American Society and Culture, I hope they look at the real decline and fall, that of local media coverage of local stories. When it is seen as a chore for the local newspaper to cover City Council meetings, how much long before they don't cover it at all or worse yet, just print press releases? Valuing community and taking pride in the places where we live is a founding value of our society. When people say buy American, I cringe. Instead, why don’t they say buy Cincinnati or buy local? Buy from the guy who runs the store a few streets over instead of at Wal-Mart. See the local band playing music instead of buying a CD of a manufactured “group.”

Just printing press releases is close to what our local media does a large part of the time. We are dangerously close to becoming what could be considered a closed society, cut off from what is happening just a few miles or blocks away. This sports story is not really important in the big picture of life, but it illustrates the problem very clearly. The media is not causing this problem, but they are enabling it to grow and fester. Get your local news first, then worry about the rest of the county. What is happening in Tampa or San Diego may be happening here too, but don’t assume it is happening everywhere without finding out first. Keep on eye on the rest of country and the world, but don’t take your eye of your own community. In the end, your neighbors will affect you more than someone in a bus wreck 1,000 miles away.

No Charges For Running Over Alleged Thief

Anthony Stone, who ran over and killed an alleged Thief with his truck, will not face charges for his actions, so says Joe Deters, Hamilton County Prosecutor.

With the information presented, Stone would not have been convicted if tried. If witnesses state the alleged thief had a gun and was aiming at Stone and shot at him, then self defense is plausible. I hope evidence was found that the alleged thief did fire his gun.

It still appears like there is more to this case. How did Tyree Henderson happen to pick this person to allegedly rob her? According to the article, police are asking the same question:

Deters said that, although Stone has been cleared, Cincinnati police are continuing to investigate why Henderson targeted Sherry Doud, the woman with Stone.

Someone else likely was involved in this incident, and that person or persons may lead to a common link between the victim and the alleged thief. That puts this crime not into a random theft category, but instead into target crime, something that law enforcement and the public can do little but react when it happens.

In Your Face, Brinkman!!!!!!

Anti-gay bigot, activist, and State Representative Tom Brinkman took one on the chin yesterday when Butler County Common Pleas Court dismissed his lawsuit against Miami University for offering domestic partner medical insurance.

An End to the Sheriff's Patrol of OTR?

The County may be playing the same game as the Mayor's office, but the expectations are that the budget to be submitted ends the program that paid for the the Sheriff's patrol in Over-the-Rhine.

All the impressions I get are that OTR is better off. With violent crime spreading out to other neighborhoods, there is circumstantial evidence that this effort has worked to clean out some of the crime in OTR.

I hope that Pepper and Portune pull a Mallory and rescue this program. Hell, DeWine wants it to continue as well.

Nordstrom Coming to Cincinnati

A press release report states that Nordstrom has signed a deal to open a new store in Kenwood. The report indicates it will be a two floor location in the Kenwood Town Center where the Parisian store is now. It is set to open in 2009.

Count Every Vote

Let no vote go uncounted. The fight for Vic Wulsin to overcome the lead of Schmidt is still a long shot, but it is so very sad to see the news media publishing fool's letters complaining about the election process existing.

I hate to tell Doreen Isett of Loveland, but she really needs to quit her whining. Her Dragon Queen may yet win the Ohio 2nd District, but keep your bitching and moaning in check until all of the votes have been counted.

Morton's Steakhouse Moving to 5th and Vine

Morton's Steakhouse will move its current 4th Street Carew Tower location to a new location in the tower at 5th and Vine across from Fountain Square.

Downtown is just "Dead", ain't it? (cough, cough)

Mallory Alters Budget

Where was the disconnect between what Milton Dohoney issued a couple of weeks ago and then what Mayor Mallory proposed today?

Doesn't the City Manager report to the Mayor? It's like Mallory didn't have any input on what was announced. If that is standard practice, I'll stand corrected, but it just appears odd. Mallory now looks to have done 2 things, caved into certain groups or come to their rescue. He couldn't have done both, but to some people it will look like he caved and to others it will look like he came to the rescue. The game looks transparent, but will it matter?

CEA Winners

Congratulations to all who won and to those who were just happy to be there.

Speaking of being there, if you made it out to the ceremony last night, let me know how it was. A group from Cincinnati Advance headed out, but I bailed and stayed home.

Scarface

This episode from Friday Night sounds like something right out of a movie.

I Guess We Need Fashion Police

I am not one who dresses well, but it appears the local fashion community needs policing, and likely more than one police officer to do it.

Millworks in Oakley Still on Track

Not much as been said about the Millworks project for a while, but word has come out that the project has landed a deal for a new Movie Theater tenant. According to the article the project "could" start next summer and finish in the summer of 2008.

This should be a council issue next year. How about firming up some dates on this? How about firming up the construction of the proposed I-71 exit upgrade?

Budget Forum

Will the Mayor and Council members hear what the people are saying or will they hear what "4th Street" is saying?

Why Not Annex the "First Suburbs"?

Chris Bortz and Pat DeWine are making efforts to mix City and County services. This smells a lot like the first step in the dissolution of the County's municipalities. If places like St. Bernard, Elmwood Place, and Norwood are in trouble, then why don't they ask the City of Cincinnati to annex them and take advantage of the cost savings in that manner?

What I fear here is the anti-government forces out there trying to make Hamilton County into one big Township and a government with no teeth to do anything.

I would consider a metro type government that created a county wide city. That entity would have an even partisan stance, if not a slight edge for Republicans. That might suck on certain levels, but it would be one where the government would still have the structure to allow a city to function.

Greg Harris Running for City Council

CityBeat is reporting that former Congressional Candidate Greg Harris will run in 2007 for Cincinnati City Council. Greg is a great candidate and has a great chance to get on council. I love this early idea has as expressed in the CityBeat article:

I also see a strong need to create a seamless public transit grid to unify and support the emergence of a central entertainment corridor that unifies The Banks, downtown, Over-the-Rhine, UC, Clifton, Northside, etc.

I would throw in Mt. Adams to that entertainment corridor.

City Budget

Well, cuts are fairly wide spread, but how will it look in the end?

Crying Wolf?

I will believe it when I see Nordstrom's open and taking sales in Kenwood.

Two Nerds Enter, One Nerd Leaves

The battle of words at Jean-Ro Bistro ending before someone was taken to the hospital, thankfully egos were not so lucky and both suffered a near fatal blows. Luckily the glasses survived!

2007 City Council Race Is On

We are less than a year from Cincinnati City Council's make-up being on the ballot. We are already getting comments on who will be running for office.

We know Tarbell can't, so at least one new person will join council in 2007. Who else has the public service bug?

Another Strange Occurance

While I hate and despise robbers, I don't believe killing them under these circumstances is a good thing. I can't imagine the man who hit the robber with this truck likely would be convicted of anything but fairly minor offenses, if he is charged.

New Radio in Town

The much hyped format switch for 94.9 FM took place yesterday and produced what is being called a "Hybrid" station targeting 25 to 34 year olds with more taste in rock music than WEBN provides. The station is billed as "The Sound." I've heard a little bit of it so far and I like a large portion. It is going to have a wide mix, so people are going to have to either accept it and broaden their tastes or be like me and just use the pre-sets in the car more often. Yea, some of you will stick to your CDs and I-pods, as I do, but I still like the sense of a live over the air radio station.

New Local Blog

Want a different perspective on culture? Check out The Managed Expectations of Three Cincinnati Women for a take from three locals discussing life, ideas, and what ever else comes to mind.

Smoking Ban Wins

December 7th is the day the ban goes into effect. Will this hurt bars in Cincinnati and Ohio? One bar owner says it hasn't hurt him yet:

Nick Sanders, owner of five restaurants locally, including the Pub at Crestview Hills Town Center in Northern Kentucky, Nicholson's downtown and the Pub at Rookwood Commons in Norwood, said he will be watching closely. He owns a restaurant in Lexington, which enacted a smoking ban in 2003, and said that law didn't change sales much.

In the short run, there may be some problems, but I don't know about the long term. Thoughts? Will an outdoor patio now become the norm for a bar?

Oh Yea, Dems Win Big!

I left early this morning on business, so I haven't blogged on the news but the Dems won the Senate and the House! Locally Pepper Won, and on a state level the Dems won really big.

Wulsin Not Conceding

In the race of the OH-2 the fat lady is not singing. The dragon lady is singing, but she should hold her tongue until all the votes are counted.

2 Precincts Missing

The Enquirer and BOE seem to be making this into no big deal, but two precincts in the City of Cincinnati have not been tallied and are missing. The article indicates that that the BOE states these missing votes won't affect the results of any races. That is true only if these are part of OH-1, not OH-2. 13-H is in North Avondale and Precinct 6-B in Downtown. I am pretty sure 6-B is in OH-1, but not sure about 13-H.

At this early hour no other reports were online concerning the missing precincts. If this was something as simple as the poll workers locking up the poll location without turning in the votes, then that is understandable (someone should be banned from working the polls), but if not, when does the BOE call the police? What cause much concern is that there are two locations not near each other.

If this was an error at the BOE, then I hope they stayed to account for the vote before they went home. The BOE should not sleep if it is possible anyone's vote could have been literally stolen.

Hamilton County Vote Counting Delays

I hope we get more of an explanation than we got here as to why it took so long to have votes counted here in Hamilton County. Ohio held reporting any results until 9PM because polls up in Cleveland remained open, but why did Hamilton County not have any votes counted by then and not until about 10 PM?

The Candidate Doesn't Know How To Vote

Well which is it going to be? Is the Steve chabot an idiot for not knowing what was needed to vote or is this an example of how people will not vote because of the foolish ID requirement? How many people are going to go home and get a phone bill when their Diver's license isn't good enough?

I can tell you that many will not!

When I re-read the SOS website it actually quotes the ID law:

R.C. 3505.18(A)
Voters must bring identification to the polls in order to verify identity. Identification may include a current and valid photo identification, a military identification that shows the voter's name and current address, or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document, other than a reminder or a voter registration notification, that shows the voter's name and current address. Voters who do not provide one of these documents will still be able to vote by providing the last four digits of the voter's social security number and by casting a provisional ballot.

Voters who do not have any of the above forms of identification, including a social security number, will still be able to vote by signing an affirmation swearing to the voter's identity under penalty of election falsification and by casting a provisional ballot.

If you have a valid driver's license, why does your address have to match? That doesn't appear in the law on that website. Who made the interpretation that a matching address on a driver’s license is required?

Finally, this report indicates that a poll worker may have violated the law by denying use of a military ID.

WCPO Staffer Challenged by Pollworkers

The Enquirer Politics Blog is reporting that a WCPO videographer was "challenged" by poll workers at 6:30 AM today after he shot video of Jean Schmidt voted. Poll workers cited a law regarding polling procedures.

It is unclear what the "challenged" meant. I am not sure if they kept him from filming or were claiming he could not use the film he shot. WCPO is reportedly going to air the footage.

Clear Channel owned WKRC was able to film Jean Schmidt and aired it on TV.

[Hat tip to Atrios]


UPDATE: Further down on the Enquirer blog they report that an Enquirer Reporter and Photographer where threatened with arrest in Butler county when trying to interview and photograph John Boehner as he voted.

Report from Cranley Campaign

The Cranley Campaign reports that things going "smoothly at the polls... better than expectations."

They also stated John Cranley has hit College Hill, Mt. Airy, and Wyoming already this morning and that there are reports of "very high turnout" in Avondale and College Hilll.

WCPO Voting Stories

WCPO has reports on experiences voting, including a problem Jean Schmidt had.

Live Blogging the Election

Brandan at Spacetropic.com will be live blogging throughout the day.

I will not be, but as I said will be posting as much as possible. If anyone else locally is live blogging election day, email me and I'll post a link.

Go Vote!!!!!

I'll be chiming in throughout the day with comments and news. The Enquirer has a special section that will have their updated news.

If you have stories or run into problems voting, please comment on them here or email them to be and I'll share the information as appropriate.

Take your ID with your when you vote, and you can still vote without ID, but you must complete an affidavit and complete a provisional ballot. For the ID requirements, please check out the SOS website.

Who's Anti-Religious?

So when Democrats espouse their religious beliefs they are attacked as paying lip service.

This type of blog post shows a clear sense of religious bigotry. It’s extreme, rather hateful, and very unchristian.

A Marketing Niche Story

What if you were doing a local story on Chile Parlors and you didn't mention Camp Washington Chili? That is what was done with this article by ignoring coffeehouses like Kaldi's, Sitwell's, and Baba Budan's. Those are community coffeehouses like no others in this city. Throw in Lookout Joe's and Sidewinder too.

Enquirer Endorses Silver

I missed this from Friday, but the Enquirer backed Steve Silver for the 34th District. Brinkman couldn't even find the time to show up for an interview. More evidence of his arrogance and inability to work with anyone who he disagrees with, which ends up being nearly everyone.

The Enquirer also endorsed Hale over Dale Mallory for the 32 District.

Wulsin's Final Ad

Smith for Ohio Senate

Cincinnati Fed Up with the GOP?

The numbers for both the 1st and 2nd district indicate that Cincinnati is not voting for the GOP in the numbers that the past would indicate.

Good old CW would say that the polls are wrong. Well, one poll maybe, but there are far too many polls showing Cranley up and any poll showing Wulsin has to be a sign that the GOP has lost support. Much of that support may not be gone for any significant length of time, but this election people want change.

The question that remains is how far down the food chain will this trend run? Will it hit the statehouse? Will Brinkman feel the bite? Logic I feel says no. Hardcore Brinkman supporters are likely to vote against Jean Schmidt in a protest vote, but will vote for Brinkman as well, splitting their ticket. Will ticket splitting be the norm or will people vote by party?

Dem Sweep in Ohio?

Kos is pointing to Dispatch poll that indicates huge leads in every statewide race.

I think for Governor and for Senator, most agree the Dems will win, but will the Dems take the rest of the statewide offices?

If the Dems do take everything statewide, what does that do to Ohio for the Presidential race in 2008? Does the GOP write off the state now and focus on Pennsylvania or Wisconsin? Do the Dems focus on Virginia if Webb wins?

My Picks For Tuesday's Election

Office	My Picks/Analysis
Governor/Lt Governor; State of Ohio
Larry Bay/Debra K. Fries, Independent (Write-In)
J. Kenneth Blackwell/Thomas Raga, Republican
Robert Fitrakis/Anita Rios, Independent
William S. Peirce/Mark M. Noble, Independent
Ted Strickland/Lee Fisher, Democratic	Will and Should Win
James Lundeen/Kevin Becker (Write-In)
Attorney General; State of Ohio
Marc Dann, Democratic	Should Win
Betty Montgomery, Republican	Will Win
Auditor of State; State of Ohio
Barbara Sykes, Democratic	Will and Should Win
Mary Taylor, Republican
Secretary of State; State of Ohio
Greg Hartmann, Republican
John A. Eastman, Independent
Jennifer L. Brunner, Democratic	Will and Should Win
Timothy J. Kettler, Independent
Treasurer of State; State of Ohio
Sandra O'Brien, Republican
Richard Cordray, Democratic	Will and Should Win
US Representative; OH District 1	Too Close to Call
John Cranley, Democratic	Should Win
Steve Chabot, Republican
US Representative; OH District 2	Too Close to Call
Nathon Noy (Write-In)
James J. Condit, Jr. (Write-In)
Jean Schmidt, Republican
Victoria Wulsin, Democratic	Should Win
United States Senate - Ohio
Sherrod Brown, Democratic	Will and Should Win
Richard Duncan, Independent (Write-In)
Mike DeWine, Republican
OhioState Representative; District 34
Stephen E. Silver, Democratic	Should Win
Tom Brinkman, Jr., Republican	Will Win
Ohio State Senator; District 7
Rick Smith, Democratic	Should Win
Robert Schuler, Republican	Will Win
Judge; Ohio State Supreme Court; 6 Year Term Starting 1/1/07	No Idea Who'll Win
William Michael O'Neill	Should Win
Terrence O'Donnell
Judge; Ohio State Supreme Court; 6 Year Term Starting 1/2/07	No Idea Who'll Win
Robert R. Cupp
Ben Espy	Should Win
Judge; Ohio State Court of Appeals; District 1; 6 Year Term Starting 2/9/07
Mark Painter	Will and Should Win
Judge; Ohio State Court of Appeals; District 1; 6 Year Term Starting 2/10/07
Patrick Dinkelacker	No Idea Who'll Win
James T. O'Reilly
Judge; Ohio State Court of Appeals; District 1; 6 Year Term Starting 2/11/07
J. Howard Sundermann, Jr.	Will Win, duh!
Judge; Ohio State Court of Appeals; District 1; 6 Year Term Starting 2/12/07
Penelope Cunningham	Will Win, duh!
Judge; Court of Common Pleas, General Division; 6 Year Term Starting 1/1/07 other sites
Steve Martin	Will Win, duh!
Judge; Court of Common Pleas, General Division; 6 Year Term Starting 04/01/07 (2 Elected)
Dennis S. Helmick
William L. Mallory, Jr.	Will and Should Win
Judge; Court of Common Pleas, General Division; Unexpired 6 Year Term Ending 02/08/09
Robert C. Winkler
Judge; Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division
Karla Grady	Will Win, duh!
Member; State Board of Education; District 4	No Idea Who'll Win
G. R. Schloemer
John Hritz
County Commissioner ; County of Hamilton
Phil Heimlich, Republican
David Pepper, Democratic	Will and Should Win
County Auditor ; County of Hamilton
Dusty Rhodes , Democratic	Dino Dusty Will Not Get My Vote

DeWine Desperate

"It's Bad" Those are DeWine's own words. He is right, what he did on Hardball is really bad. When you stoop to this level of crap, you reveal your desperation for power. Mike DeWine was not a bad Senator. This episode goes along way to make he a horrible Senator.


[Via Eschaton]

CCV Voting Guide

If you want a laugh, check out Phil Burress's GOP HandoutVoter Guide for my zipcode.

Virtually none of the Democrats returned the survey. I don't blame them, but how is this any kind of objective guide?

Wulsin Leading Schmidt

Another Poll has Dr. Wulsin leading Jean Schmidt in the race for the Ohio 2nd, 48% to 45% (7 % undecided) This is within the MOE (4%), but if Jean is not getting 50% in the rest of the polls for this race, she is seriously in trouble.

If Wulsin takes this seat, I think most people would agree the Dems will gain 40 Plus seats. This race is one the GOP shouldn't have to worry about at all. It is a clear sign that the Independents have shifted this time around in large numbers. They are fickle, but they appear to be leaning Dem. Wulsin may still lose, but most GOP office holders in the 2nd are going to lose votes this time around.

[Via Kos]

WLW Fires Furman

The Fur Ball, Andy Furman has been fired by 700 WLW-AM.

Daily Show - Elitist Scum! (wink)

If you think like John Stewart and the Daily Show:

"'The Daily Show' correspondents Samantha Bee, Dan Bakkendahl and Jason Jones drew huge laughs claiming to be reporting live from Applebee's restaurants in cities around the state, while actually standing near Stewart in the studio."

I guess that makes you elitist scum.

A Gift That Keeps On Giving

When you raise the population, you cut the crime rate.

Rudy Too Late

Rudy Gulianni is coming to town support Mike DeWine. Plane fare for Rudy appears to be all they can afford to spend on Mike's campaign. I'm getting a ton of 8x11 postcards from the RNC trying to scare me to not vote for Wulsin. Mike has taken a back seat to Mean Jean.

City Growth

The City of Cincinnati is stopping the bleeding. We have an opportunity now to grow. What is it going to take? Attitude is one thing. What else?

Enquirer Endorses Cranley

This to me is somewhat of a shocker. Logic and Conventional Wisdom stated that the Enquirer would have endorsed Chabot, but this year the Enquirer is all over the map on the national offices. They will pick some Democrats in local races, especially in the City, but not for people going to Washington.

In comparison to the 2nd district, Chabot has much more experience and has far less baggage than Mean Jean Schmidt. Jean however got the nod for office, but not Chabot. This contradiction is strong evidence that these picks are made with social, political, and personal overtones, not based on the qualifications or performance on the job of the candidate. Yea, the Enquirer claims they pick each race individually, sure, but they have agenda items in play other than the fitness for office or policies of the candidate.

This endorsement is going to make a difference in the 1st district. The West Siders not happy with Bush, the War, or being left behind in the Bush Economy will use this as another reason to believe Cranley passes the West Side Litmus test for political office.

Combing the Blogs

Take Back Cincinnati has this little gem.

Mean Jean Likes Glow in the Dark Ohio

I guess Mean Jean Schmidt's fashion sense has gone to her head. She somehow thinks that a dayglow look is what Ohio needs. I think Schmidt is insane for even wanting to study the idea of storing the world's Nuclear waste in Southern Ohio. It will be entertaining to hear the Republicans claim this would be good. Well, a few dollars in a few people's pockets now, is not going to cover the environmental loss for the next 10,000 years.

Enquirer Endorses Schmidt and There's Gambling

No one should be shocked that the Enquirer endorsed Schmidt for Congress in the 2nd District. What is amazing is that like with their endorsement of Ken Blackwell they gave more than enough reasons for why Schmidt is a bad choice for Congress. Their endorsement is one made in part because of party and the fact that they endorsed her in the past.

Cranley and Crowley

Regression - Phil's Poor Tax

Screw the Poor! Issue 12 proposes increase the sales tax in Hamilton County. This is in conjunction with lowering the property tax. This a regressive tax plan out to shift the burden of government more to the poor. This is a bed-rock Republican Plan. If you can't destroy government, make someone else pay for it!