Sunday Morning In Downtown

Since moving to OTR last year I've been trying to go for walks weekend mornings when the weather is passable. Sunday's end up being the best bet. I brought along my camera today, so here a few shots.

The Banks and Section 8

Last Tuesday, the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority voted to ask the county and city to set aside as much as ten percent of the housing to be built at the Banks for tenants with Section 8 vouchers (Enquirer coverage here). This looks like a political move by conservative West Siders to attempt to reduce subsidized housing on the West Side by moving it to the Banks. If we set that aside, though, I think there's two interesting questions that are raised:

First, is there a good argument for the inclusion of subsidized housing in Banks project? This is a public works project of enormous magnitude; isn't there a case to be made that everyone, including the region's poorest residents, should be able to be part of it? Or does the presence of subsidized housing depress a given housing market enough that financing for the Banks would disappear if developers were forced to include units that would include Section 8 tenants?

Second, Pete Witte is quoted as saying that the Banks "will become the 53rd neighborhood of the City of Cincinnati." Is this really true? Fifteen years from now, will we be discussing Downtown and The Banks as two separate neighborhoods, or will the Banks be considered part of "downtown"? (And will there be a streetcar to take me there?)

On The Docket: To Purge, Or Not To Purge

Recently, Judge Nadine Allen and former City Councilmember Charles Winburn have jointly proposed that misdemeanor warrants that are more than seven years-old be "purged," or deleted, from the Hamilton County court system. The Enquirer has posted the text of their proposal here. The basic idea is that warrants for misdemeanor offenses--except for domestic violence, TPO violation, menacing by stalking, assault, assault on police officers, sex offenses, OVI/DUI, aggravated menacing, and child endangering--that are seven years old or older would be purged and the cases dismissed. (I suspect that by "assault on police officers," Judge Allen and Mr. Winburn are referring to a first-degree misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest, which has as an element physical harm to the arresting officer.)

First, Judge Allen and Mr. Winburn are to be commended for the proposal. Their effort represents bipartisanship that we don't often experience here in Hamilton County. It's also a serious effort to address a problem the existence of which everyone involved in the criminal justice system recognizes, but for which, so far, no one has been willing to offer solutions. While the proposal may overestimate the amount of money that would be saved by the purge, the cases do extend the courts' dockets and force prosecutors to spend time that could better be spent on more serious (i.e. violent) offenses that are more likely to end in successful prosecutions. It also forces the Public Defender's Office to spend time on cases that likely aren't going anywhere, instead of cases that are much more likely to go to trial. So everyone loses when these ancient cases suddenly pop back up into the system.

That being said, there are actually two different types of outstanding warrants, and we might need to discuss each type separately. Broadly speaking, you could separate the warrants into two categories: those in which the defendant has been served and made aware of the charge, and those in which which he has not. For me, the second category is easy. If the police haven't bothered to serve a warrant within seven years of the time a charge was filed, the case should be dismissed. (And in fact, assuming the defendant hasn't been avoiding service, a defendant served seven years after a complaint was filed could probably successfully move to have the complaint dismissed on constitutional speedy trial grounds.)

Here's an example. A few years ago, I represented an individual who, in September of a particular year, got into a fight with his then-girlfriend's roommate over the phone. Unbeknownst to him, she went to the police and filed a telephone harassment charge. The police made no attempt to serve the warrant (not surprising--it's not exactly the crime of the decade!). In June of the following year, my client's apartment was robbed. He called the police. When they came over, they ran a standard check for warrants, and he was arrested on the outstanding warrant, now nine months old. The charge was, thankfully, dismissed. It would've been difficult to prepare a defense nine months after an offense allegedly occurred; think about trying to do it seven years later.

The other category of defendants, though, may be a tougher case. These individuals are people who were served with a warrant, who then may or may not have made an initial court appearance, and then disappeared. The warrant is actually a "capias warrant," issued by a judge at the time of the missed court appearance. Obviously, if a capias is outstanding for seven years or more, the person has lived pretty clean (since any contact with law enforcement would mean an arrest on the outstanding warrant). But some will still question whether such people should be "rewarded" for avoiding prosecution. On the other hand, I suspect that the vast majority of the warrants to be purged will be for traffic-related misdemeanors--driving without a license and driving under a suspended license.

This is the perfect time for the proposal to be tendered. Many of the municipal court judges just won fresh six-year terms in 2007, and HamCo Prosecutor Joe Deters is running unopposed, so no one faces immediate political pressure to look "tough on crime." (The City of Cincinnati prosecuting attorney is not an elected official, but instead serves at the pleasure of the City Solicitor, who is appointed by the City Manager.) It'll be interesting to see what the judges do with this at their "Joint Session" later this week (I've always envisioned the "joint session" to be a gathering at which the judges get together with some weed and rolling papers, but I'm told that's not what actually happens, despite the meeting's moniker). Hopefully, the judges will agree at least to study the proposal, getting formal input from the Clerk and the County and City prosecutors about its ramifications.

Sweet Deal

Are there any investors out there looking to make money? Here is one opportunity worth the risk. Embrace Sweets is a local business making a great product that is looking to expand. This business is seeking to open up shop in the Gateway Quarter of OTR and they will make this into something special. Check out their website or better yet, check out their products at most of the indie coffeehouses around town and at most local theatres including New Stage Collective (See Bug now!).

Earthquake

For as far as it was away, I still felt the the Earthquake this morning. It felt like someone was rocking my bed and I got to see what was going on. I couldn't notice it standing up, but I could notice one of my window frames rattle. Reports indicated it lasted 30 seconds. I must have been awake only at the end of it, because it didn't appear to last that long to me.

Joe Wessels has the full coverage of the Quake in Cincinnati.

Market Wines Opens At Findlay Market

The Details:

Market Wines is located at 128 W. Elder St., directly across from the main Market build-ing. Hours of operation are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9-5, Friday from 9-6, Saturday from 8-6 and closed Sunday and Monday. In addition to fine wines, Market Wines stocks a selection of micro-brewed and imported beers and wine acces-sories.

Market Wines is hosting a wine tasting, this Saturday, April 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Have a Belgian waffle and a glass of wine at THE place for Saturday Morning shopping.

The Jordan Moved?

According to this Enquirer article on the City fighting certain liquor licenses, the 12th and Main mini-mart/booze stop has been evicted and moved to a different Main Street location. Can anyone shed any light on this? Where on Main Street did the Jordan move?

There's No Place Like Home

A few days ago, City Beat's Larry Gross announced that he's moved back to Cincinnati, taking up residence in an undisclosed location in Westwood. First, welcome back, Larry! Second, the post caused me to ponder one of Cincinnati's best--and sometimes its worst--feature.

Cincinnati is, more than anything else, a city of neighborhoods. No doubt this blog focuses too much on Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. That's to be expected: three of us (Julie, Griff, and I) live downtown or in OTR, and the fourth works downtown (I've no idea where Jack lives--perhaps up in Indian Hill down the street from Stan C.? :-) ). But Cincinnati has dozens of terrific neighborhoods. In all of these neighborhoods, many residents identify strongly with their neighborhood. It tends to create a real sense of community and feeling of familiarity. Years after "natives" have moved from their neighborhood, they can return to have conversations with people who have gone to the same schools and know the same people as they do. Julie described the phenomenon in a recent post.

That strength, though, can also be a weakness. With so many neighborhoods, there are lots of groups fighting for pieces of a limited pie. When City Council spends substantial time talking about downtown and OTR development, folks in other neighborhoods (often rightly) wonder when their neighborhood's "turn" will be.

Sometimes, though, "community" and "familiarity" can turn into provincialism and xenophobia. We all need to be on guard--whether we live in the "urban core," where we're more likely to get the attention of our political leaders, or in areas that aren't presently on a majority of Council's radar screens--that a healthy sense of community and feeling of belonging doesn't turn into unhealthy division that rends our city.

I think we all should make an effort to get out of our own neighborhoods regularly to see what's going on elsewhere. I can't remember, for instance, the last time I've been up to Northside, and I should remedy that promptly. What's on your list of places to get to soon (and what should be on mine)?

Good Eats: Tom's Pot Pies

I know that culinary critique is Julie's bailiwick, but I'm hoping she won't mind an intrusion today.

I have no idea how many times I've passed (and ignored) Tom's Chicken Pot Pies, on Vine Street between Ninth and Court, on my way from the courthouse to my office. But yesterday, it was just chilly enough that upon seeing the sign out front, I thought, "Hmm, a pot pie might hit the spot today."

It was the best pot pie I've ever had. It was perfect. Really tasty. Big, tender chunks of chicken. Just a few veggies in the mix (the requisite peas and corn--anything more just gets in the way). A really good sauce (see the website for the list of ingredients; my palate isn't sophisticated enough to guess at them without help). And the crust was delicious. And best of all? $5.50.

Usually when I pick up lunch on my way to the office, I call ahead and see if I can get anything for my office-mates. I was in a hurry this time, so I didn't. (Besides, I didn't know if the pot pies would be any good, and didn't want to be responsible for my colleagues having a bad lunch.) Imagine my guilt when, as I dined on my scrumptious pie from Tom's, my friend microwaved his sad, store-bought, frozen pot pie.

It may be the best "comfort food" in Cincinnati.

From The "I Am Not A Racist" Category Or What Does This Say About Our Region?

Sometimes no comment is even necessary:

"I'm going to tell you something: That boy's finger does not need to be on the button. He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country."

Northern Kentucky's own Republican Representative Geoff Davis discussing Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama. Since Davis is only three years older than Obama, one can only assume that the "that boy" comment was not a reference to age.

Does It Matter?

By now, you've all read or heard about the possibility that the HamCo Democratic Party may endorse Chris Dole in his bid for the Dewine seat on the HamCo Commission (the Republican candidate and presumptive winner of the "contest" is Greg Hartman). Of course, that would break a deal made between HamCo Democratic Party Chairman Tim Burke and then-Republican Chair George Vincent. So current Republican Chair Alex Triantafilou is indicating the likely Republican response would be to endorse Ed Rothenberg, who is running against Todd Portune.

First, my own belief: the Dems should not endorse Dole. Whatever people think of the deal, it was made by the party chairman. If people think Burke was out of line for doing that, then there's a remedy: replace him. Of course, so far as I know, there's no one willing to step up to the plate to lead the HamCo Democratic Party other than Tim Burke. But so long as Burke is our chair, we should abide by the decisions he makes.

Second, I'm not sure how likely it is that Dole will, in fact, be endorsed. I'm not sure that there's really a huge portion of the Central Committee that would favor the endorsement. And I suspect the possibility is only getting the hype that it is because some members of our local media can't resist the urge to reprint anything that Tom Luken says as though it's a proclamation handed down from God to Moses on Mt. Sinai.

Finally, though: how much does the endorsement matter? Even if Dole is an endorsed candidate, he still won't be on the ballot as a "Democrat" (although I suppose he could at least then use the label in his campaign ads). Rothenberg, on the other hand, regardless of the endorsement, will appear on the ballot as a Republican. Does the no-endorsement deal preclude the parties from funneling money or support to the candidates? If not, then does any voter really care about the endorsement? I suspect that many will go to the polls not even knowing that Rothenberg wasn't "endorsed" by his party, even though he's its candidate. Those who pay enough attention to know the difference will also know that neither Dole nor Rothenberg would have been on the ballot had the deal not been struck (in all likelihood, the Dem would have been Greg Harris, and the GOP would have gone with Tracy Winkler).

So other than the negative publicity the Dems would generate by backtracking on the deal, is there any real benefit to an endorsement? And will anyone pay attention to the Commission race, or will it get lost amongst the hoopla that accompanies a presidential election?

Economics for the Simple Minded

Let's see, we are in the midst of one of the great economic meltdowns in recent history, and what do John McCain and dear irrelevant President Bush think about all this.

Well, as you may recall, a week or so ago, John McCain rolled out to great fanfare, his assessment of the mortgage crisis and how it should be fixed:

"A sustained period of rising home prices made many home lenders complacent, giving them a false sense of security and causing them to lower their lending standards. They stopped asking basic questions of their borrowers like "can you afford this home? Can you put a reasonable amount of money down?" Lenders ended up violating the basic rule of banking: don't lend people money who can't pay it back. Some Americans bought homes they couldn't afford, betting that rising prices would make it easier to refinance later at more affordable rates. There are 80 million family homes in America and those homeowners are now facing the reality that the bubble has burst and prices go down as well as up.

Of those 80 million homeowners, only 55 million have a mortgage at all, and 51 million are doing what is necessary -- working a second job, skipping a vacation, and managing their budgets -- to make their payments on time. That leaves us with a puzzling situation: how could 4 million mortgages cause this much trouble for us all?"

So the problem was simply that overall Americans had been irresponsible in buying homes they could not afford and that we needed to do something about these pesky 4 million mortgages that were in trouble because the people holding them were out on vacation and not working hard enough. As McCain said, "Let’s start with some straight talk: it is not the duty of government to bail out and reward those who act irresponsibly, whether they are big banks or small borrowers."

Having now decided a week later that his "straight talk" was just idiotic, naive, and more bamboozlement, McCain is running far away from his speech and proposals. Mr. Straight Talk has apparently decided that perhaps Americans who are losing their homes do not like to be told it is because they are not working hard enough and are lazy. Perhaps those who are in danger of losing their homes should follow Mr. Straight Talk and just marry an heiress.

Speaking of straight talk, our increasingly irrelevant President tried to explain yesterday how being the first president ever to cut taxes in a time of war made economic sense. As Salon points out: "Lincoln raised taxes to pay for the Civil War. McKinley raised taxes to finance the Spanish-American War. Wilson raised the top income tax rate to 77 percent to afford WWI. Taxes were raised, multiple times, to help the nation pay for WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Even the first President Bush raised taxes after the first war with Iraq to, you guessed it, keep the deficit from spiraling out of control."

President Bush yesterday defended this insane financing of an unpopular war by trying to place it in historical context. Basically he argued that his idiocy and irresponsibility are not as bad as those that came before him in spending on defense and war. Yet, speaking of straight talk, "today's defense spending is 14% above the height of the Korean War, 33% above the height of the Vietnam War, 25% above the height of the 'Reagan Era' buildup and is 76% above the Cold War average. In fact, since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the annual defense budget -- not including the costs of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan -- has gone up 34%. Including war costs, defense spending has gone up 86% since 2001."

So John McCain says you are on your own if you are losing your house and doesn't care if we have troops in Iraq for a hundred years, while President Bush keeps passing the cost of this war on to those generations to come.

Seems like a winning formula for the fall election, don't you think?

CityBeat Announced MidPoint Changes

John Fox, CityBeat editor published an update on the changes for the 2008 Midpoint. Included as a venue this year is the Southgate House, which will house three stages for the event. The rest of venues were not annoucned, but organizers plan on stretching the festival from OTR through Downtown to Newport. I am going to put my thinking cap to figure the possibilities and figure how transportation will work. That sounds like a bit of a challenge. The history of walking to all of the venues is clearly not being carried forward this year.

The other big change will be to include signed acts, like opening party headliner Cursive. Where these acts will perform was not announced, but Southgate's Ballroom would be one logical choice. Additionally, there will be a themed showcase each year highlighting part of Cincinnati's musical history. This year it will be the Shake It Records Soul Spectacular Review. The venue for this was not announced. Classic local artists will perform with Pearlene as the backing band. An interesting mix.

This year's sponsors include Scion, Dewey's Pizza, and Bud Select.

MidPoint Changes Hint

John Fox hints at changes being announced tonight for Midpoint 2008. Changes hinted include new sponsorship, an expansion outside of OTR/Downtown, and away from the only unsigned bands philosophy.

Head down to Below Zero tonight at 5 PM to hear the announcement for yourself.

West Side Bingo

My boyfriend, who is not from Cincinnati, but who works in Western Hills, is constantly amused when I run into people who grew up on the West Side, and we engage in a game of West Side Bingo:

"Oh, you went to Seton? I went to Seton!"
"Did you know so-and-so?"
"Well, I knew her second cousin twice removed, she..."

You get the idea. At a recent dinner party, one of my guests and I went about three degrees of separation, down to "lived across the street from my best friend" level. Pretty impressive.

Say what you will about the West Side, and I often make fun of it (I grew up in Delhi, I'm allowed), but it is a very tightly knit, middle class community. You can generally rely on your neighbors in times of trouble, and the community never fails to lend a helping hand to those in need. West Siders, as a whole, are fiercely loyal and incredibly respectful of those in law enforcement, fire fighting, EMS and the military.

Watching the WLWT aerial feed of the procession, seeing neighborhoods that are incredibly familiar to me lined with people pausing in respect of Robin Broxterman and Brian Schira, I can't help but be incredibly moved. These were born and bred West Siders-- one an Oak Hills grad, the other a La Salle grad-- who were motivated to help out the communities that raised them. That's admirable and heroic.

On Monday night, I had to call the CFD because of some smoke near my apartment. I couldn't help but think about their roles as firefighters-- sure, they're told it's just a smell of smoke, but every run could be so much more-- and I made sure to thank them and tell them to be safe. In the same, selfless manner of every firefighter I ever met, one said, "No, you be safe. We know what kind of crime goes on around here. Don't ever hesitate to call us."

I won't dwell on the cause of the fire-- rumors abound of the homeowners delaying because of some illegal activities in the basement, plus the construction issues many new homes have-- but instead think about the selflessness of firefighters, who go to every run, no matter where it is or who called or what the circumstances are, with the sole purpose of helping someone, and with little regard to their own safety.

And thank you to the citizens of Colerain, Green Township, Delhi for being so stereotypically close knit. It's times like these that this is appreciated.

Downtown Movie Discussion

Many folks on various different blog posts and comments have named a Movie Theater as one of the top businesses they would like to see added to Downtown Cincinnati. I love the idea of it, but I am unsure of what people are thinking about when they say movie theater. Do they want a 20 screen megaplex or do they want an art house like the Esquire. The effort and resources it takes to run the Esquire and the Mariemont are not something easily found in a entrepreneur. Finding a big corporation to put in the megaplex would be much more feasible, but would it be what is desired? Would it also work? From a supply stand point, is the supply and capacity of the AMC theaters in Newport enough to feed the demand from Downtown and OTR? How big of an increase in population would it take to justify a new megaplex atop of Macy's? Is that a factor?

Dealing with businesses that are not unique and don't draw from the entire Metro area is the bane of Downtown. Too much of society is focused on the corporate one size fits all big-box business model. How do we get companies who can sustain a business like a movie theater to accept the new Urban business model?

NewsFlash: Smitherman Still a Loon

The Enquirer's political blog reports on a statement issued by local NAACP Chapter President Chris Smitherman yesterday on the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On a day that the vast majority of people in the country remembered the horrible tragedy that day and remembered the courage and leadership MLK's life entailed, we instead get a statement from a local "leader" that had only one intention: get attention for Chris Smitherman by attempting to increase racial tensions. To make a statement that the U.S. Government "had a great deal to do with the assassination" is a clear sign that Smitherman cares nothing but building up his own power by trying to get people to hate white people and the US government, no matter how much that harms society. I won't even discuss the fact that he has the foolishness to reference a conspiracy theory as fact. I'm waiting for him to start his own new line of tinfoil hats and accessories.

I saw this post yesterday and I wanted to post on it right away, but I wasn't going to do that on anniversary. I waited a day, let myself cool off a bit and have posted on it this morning. Smitherman is a total embarrassment to the NAACP, to MLK's family, to Cincinnati, to the entire country.

Tracking Judges' Bond Decisions: Another Bad Idea

It really annoys me when an elected Democrat publicly floats an idea so dumb that it forces me to agree with the HamCo Republican Party. But that's what Todd Portune has managed to do this week.

By this time, we all know about the judge who "set" a million-dollar bond in a theft case late last week. Of course, he didn't really "set" the bond; he just refused to reduce a bond set by now-retired Judge Rosen. Most who practice criminal law understood immediately why the judge made that decision, regardless of whether they agreed with it. I suspect that HamCo Republican Party Chair Alex Triantafilou correctly captured the judge's rationale in his blog post on the topic. (The judge himself has chosen not to comment to the media. His decision not to do so is one that I respect immensely, and is a model that should likely be followed by more of our judges.)

Nonetheless, in rides Todd Portune to rescue us from million-dollar bonds, with a proposal to "track" the bonds set by our municipal court judges. Triantafilou doesn't like it because it's a new "government program." (Whatever.) The real reason that it's a bad idea is because it trashes the notion of separation of powers and an independent judiciary. Our judges need to be free to make decisions free of political pressure from the executive or legislative branches of our government. And Portune is smart enough to know that.

Portune is also smart enough to know (or at least he ought to be) that "tracking" judges' bond decisions would inevitably be a double-edged sword. If it turns out that any of the four Democratic municipal court judges set lower bonds than any any of their counterparts, is there any doubt that this fact would be plastered on every campaign ad run by a Republican challenger the next time that judge's seat is up for election? Judges who set "low" bonds would be accused of not protecting the community from dangerous criminals. And when a judge is sitting in Courtroom A of the Justice Center trying to decide what bond will satisfy a defendant's constitutional right to be free of excessive bail, s/he shouldn't be thinking about his or her next campaign.

And even though this post was initially written to criticize Portune for pandering on this issue, I can't help but point out the utter hypocrisy of Republicans when it comes to "government programs" to "track" judges' decisions in criminal cases. As you may recall, a few years ago it was the Republicans who drafted, passed, and signed into law the Feeney Amendment to the PROTECT Act. That law, which has since been found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, required federal judges' sentencing decisions to be monitored and reported to Congress, with the aim of eliminating "below-Guidelines" (i.e., "shorter") sentences. So Republicans are all-too-eager to embrace big, new "government programs" if they think it will help them score political points (in the case of the Feeney amendment, by making them look "tough on crime").

Alex Triantafilou was a judge, and a pretty good one. He shouldn't rely on transparently silly rhetoric about the evil of government, but should simply tell it like it is: a good judge isn't a politician who decides cases based on public sentiment, and elected officials from other branches of government shouldn't pressure them to do so.

Sometimes Fastest Isn't Best

Today is a sad day in Colerain Township and the rest of Hamilton County. For me, firefighters have always been the epitome of heroes (in a world and at a time when we use that word far too freely): their job is to keep us safe from situations that most of us would run screaming from. Losing two of our local heroes is tragic.

But I was furious this morning as I watched the local news media cover the story. As I was getting ready to leave, between 7 and 9 this morning, reports started coming in that two firefighters were "missing" at a fire in Colerain. Then word came that the firefighters had perished. This was before any confirmation from Colerain's Public Information Officer; Channel 5 and Channel 9 (I don't know about Channel 12) freely admitted that they were reporting information based on radio communications they heard over their scanners.

Why does a story like this warrant breaking news coverage? From the moment the local media recounted reports of missing firefighters, every family-member of every on-duty Colerain firefighter had to have been a wreck. There was no public need-to-know involved. The burning house was at the end of a dead-end street, so there were no traffic issues. The fire didn't pose any apparent threat to surrounding houses, and the smoke didn't even come close to giving rise to the need to evacuate anyone.

There's a good possibility that the families of the two firefighters who passed away this morning first learned that their loved one might be in peril on the morning news. Is that really the decent thing to do? When there's no public emergency, wouldn't it be better to let family notifications take place in the most dignified manner possible?

Several years ago, I met a woman whose teenage grandson had died in a fire. Her grandson was living with her at the time of the fire. She learned of the fire and rushed back to her house. The police wouldn't let her down the street, and instead had her wait with a friendly neighbor. As they waited for the police to come and give them some information, they had the television on. Imagine the woman's horror when a news chopper showed a live shot of what was obviously a body covered by a tarp in the front lawn of her smouldering home.

CNN and its progeny have conditioned us to expect to learn of "events" as they unfold. But at some point, producers have to start making responsible decisions about which stories warrant immediate coverage and which can wait until a decent interval has passed. Was our community better-served by the nearly live coverage of firefighters hugging each other in grief and sorrow, or were these truly private moments that could have stayed private? Was there some compelling reason to immediately report the death of two firefighters before their identities were confirmed and their families notified, or could we have waited until the noon news for that information?

Anyone who has experienced the sudden, unexpected loss of a family member knows that there is no "easy" way to learn of a loved one's passing. But I can't imagine how much more difficult it must be for it to be disclosed via a crawling ticker during Good Morning America. At some point in the last couple decades, "news" has become synonymous with voyeurism. Maybe it's time to for the media to address that.

Birrrrrrrd Maaaan!

Rick Bird has a great feature in this week's Soapbox Cincinnati on the hard core truth that Cincinnati has a lot of cutting edge events in this town. Rick listed:

1. MusicNow
2. CincyFringe
3. 48 Hour Film Festival
4. Scribble Jam
5. Lite Brite
6. Midpoint

Now, who says we don't have ground breaking events in this town? Who says there is nothing to do? Oh, yea, the people who aren't doing anything because they are either too afraid or are just too stupid to tell the difference between original ideas and those you see on TV.

Let me also say I like seeing Rick Bird in print again!

MusicNow

MusicNow starts tomorrow.

What is MusicNow, you ask? Here's a summary of this year's event:
MusicNOW is a contemporary music event that brings artists that take risks and do not fit neatly into categories. Performances have included festival-only collaborations, world premieres and sold out audiences. Music now is curated by Cincinnati native Bryce Dessner, of the indie-rock band THE NATIONAL.

The MusicNOW concert series was created as a way for Bryce to pay back Cincinnati for helping hone his musical talents. By bringing together some of the best artists in the world in an intimate, beautiful venue (Memorial Hall), Bryce hopes to help establish his home-town as a nationally significant musical city, without the anonymity of a larger metropolis.

Before heading out to tour with REM this summer, Bryce has once again assembled some of the greatest musicians alive for MusicNOW, who will collaborate with other supremely talented musicians, introduce world-premiere material, and of course, sell-out audiences!

Here’s a list of the world-famous artists that you will never see perform together except for here in CINCINNATI:
· Richard Reed Parry- Arcade Fire
· Bryce Dessner- The National
· Glenn Kotche- WILCO
· Andrew Bird
· Aaron Dessner- The National
· Bang on a Can All-Stars
· Bill Frisell
· Grizzly Bear
· Ben Verdery
· The Dirty Projectors
· Padma Newsome- accompanies The National
· Thomas Bartlett- accompanies The National
· Nico Muhly

Tickets are still available as of right now (Tuesday morning) for Wednesday through Friday. Head online to purchase them. Get them now! Saturday's show is already sold out, so you can't count on walking up and getting tickets.

Metro Government

Now that the Cincinnati Metro Area has surpassed Cleveland in size, I think the topic of Joe Wessels' latest CityBeat column is very appropriate.

The main debate on Metro government falls on two points: 1) a county wide government would need to be a City (municipality), not a toothless township style government as I believe some on the right would want. 2)Would the Republicans dominate both a new city council and the Mayor's office?

I believe the first point is pretty much a done deal. Except for extreme anti-government ideas, no one wants a city that can't do anything. The second point is an issues to be very concerned about. A city council going Republican would be a city council that would do little to support Downtown. That is a harsh statement, but outside of the few Republicans left in the city today, who in the rest of the county cares about anything outside their own little fiefdom?

Final Friday - Concert: Nova

Enjoy the Arts hosts a special event as part of Final Friday this month:

Concert:nova

Concert in ETA's office/gallery space /(1338 Main Street
7:00pm, chamber works by Ginastera, Bloch and Mozart

concert:nova is a fresh and dynamic chamber music ensemble that blends together the traditional and contemporary with an inspired visual twist to explore a modern, kinetic and powerful new concert experience in Cincinnati. Made up mostly of musicians from the Cincinnati Symphony and Chamber Orchestra, the group aims to reinvent the stage and delve into four and five dimensions to charge the atmosphere with a wide-angled perspective on brilliant works of music.

concert:nova also seeks to show the value and importance of collaboration across an array of artistic disciplines to change and build new creative and expressive channels. By bringing their unique sound and vision to the cities' landscape — its galleries, coffee houses, museums and found spaces — the ensemble wishes to create a presence among audiences in different parts of the city, and invite guests to take step closer for a more intimate and engaging experience. The group is dedicated to producing content that is provocative, compelling and relevant to today's world.

For more:www.concertnova.com

This is a rare musical event, so get down to ETA early as space is limited.

There He Goes Again...

Larry Gross has decided that CityBeat's annual "Best Of" edition is the perfect opportunity to engage in one of his favorite pastimes: ragging on Cincinnati. Given that Mr. Gross no longer lives in the city, his constant efforts to lob stones across the river at us seem more than a little unseemly. In fairness, he raises (perhaps!) one good point. But most of the rest seems to be part of a pretty tired refrain that he can't seem to shake himself from. So let's take a look at what Mr. Gross "misses" about Cincinnati:

I miss healthy downtown activity at night. I moved here in the early 70’s and I can remember downtown being packed at ten o’clock at night. There were people everywhere and it felt like a big city.
I miss feeling safe. 20 years ago, I would never have a second thought about being downtown late at night, because there was traffic. Now, I’m looking over my shoulder constantly.

Has he been downtown in the past three years? I live down here. I can tell you--there's lots of "healthy activity" at night. There are lots of people around most nights. Yes, things can get a little quiet in January and February. But that's because it's cold. People don't want to be on the street. And as for safety? Where and when does he need to "look over [his] should constantly"? Three in the morning? Probably. Before midnight? I routinely walk around downtown at night, and don't feel the need to do that. And I'm pretty much a wimp.

I miss the live television. It was such a staple in Cincinnati for so long. Ruth Lyons, Paul Dixon, Nick Clooney and others kept the city busy with people wanting to get in to see the shows and it was great for downtown business.

Umm, OK. I miss Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. Well, not really--I'm not old enough to. There is no live, local entertainment TV anywhere anymore. I miss penny candy, too. And lawn darts. Damn you, Cincinnati, for not having lawn darts!

I miss having restaurants that are affordable. Once upon a time, you could have lunch downtown at a reasonable price. Not that I’m a fan of fast food chains, but if a person was on a budget, most of those chains were downtown. Now, unless you want to go to Skyline, you’re looking at close to ten bucks for lunch.

Here, he's got some problems with his definition of "reasonable." I miss being able to buy gas for two bucks per gallon, but that doesn't mean Cincinnati's a bad place because I now pay close to four. Even at Skyline, you'd be hard-pressed (if you sit down and eat) to spend less than five bucks for lunch (unless Mr. Gross hates waitresses as much as he hates Cincinnati). Read Chris's (of Cogitatio) excellent rejoinder. And to Chris's list, I'd add the following places to get an inexpensive lunch: Subway (since we're lamenting the end of chains); Gondola's; Fred and Gari's; Red Fox; Balboa's; Jimmy John's; Sports Page; the All Rise Cafe; Cafe Barista; Cafe Martin; and Silverglades.

I miss winning sports teams. I remember The Big Red Machine days and even when the Bengals would win. This was a sports town. Now we have new stadiums down by the river and teams that are losers.

This is still a sports town. If you don't believe me, wander downtown next Monday. You won't have to look hard for fans. And the Big Red Machine played in a "stadium down by the river." It was called Riverfront.

I miss going to the movies downtown. It was fun to catch a show, then walk to a restaurant afterward to get a bite to eat. Now I have to get in a car and go to a Showcase Cinema? To me, that’s not fun.

This is the only valid point Mr. Gross makes. I, too, wish we had a movie theater downtown. But he could walk over to Newport on the Levee for a movie before dinner. Oops, he can't--he's too busy looking over his shoulder to walk anywhere downtown.

Let me stop here before some start saying I'm throwing a wet blanket on the week.

Too late.

Free Legal Advice

I don't usually offer legal opinions here at the Cincinnati blog. People don't really read this blog for that. And besides, with a co-blogger who's a "biglaw" partner, I wonder if my place isn't to be seen and not heard with respect to the law; I should just stick to streetcar posts.

But there's a complex legal issue that's risen recently in Hamilton County, and it's one that people seem to have a hard time understanding. So I thought I might be performing a public service by offering the following advice:

Don't steal from the blind guy visually-impaired gentleman who runs the deli at the courthouse!

I know it's tempting. After all, those Hamilton County sheriff's deputies you saw on the way into the building must be a good 20 or 30 feet away; surely you can outrun them. But there's some problems. You know the other people working behind the counter? Turns out that they're not blind. And that big thing, right behind the counter about fifteen feet up on the wall above the cash register, that looks like a camera? It's--well, I know it's surprising, but it's a camera. And it's connnected to some sort of VCR or DVR. And you know all those people who have been in the news, caught stealing from the deli? Like this woman? Or this one? Or this couple? Or this guy? Well, if you're thinking about stealing from the courthouse deli, you're probably not smarter or better at being a thief than they are. Which means you'll get caught. That's what happened to this woman earlier this week. (Sorry. The last woman allegedly stole from the deli.)

And by the way, maybe you've got some experience with the criminal justice system. So you're thinking to yourself that theft of a small amount of money or food is a misdemeanor. The worst that could happen, you're thinking, is some time in the Justice Center. Another problem: in Ohio, theft from an elderly person or a disabled adult (like a blind man running a deli) is a felony. You can go to prison. For a year. Ouch. All for a couple of bucks and a licorice twist.

I hope this has been helpful in resolving any questions you might have about the legality and wisdom of committing theft offenses in the Hamilton County Courthouse.

We're #4!!!!

CityBeat's Best of Cincinnati is out, and Cincinnati Blog came in fourth for reader's pick for best blog.

BuyCincy.com came in first and if you haven't checked out their blog, do so now! They are doing great work promoting local retail!

Policing the Police

There's two noteworthy items regarding the current dust-up between the City, Chief Streicher, and the officers he disciplined for goofing off while on duty. The first is from City Beat's Kevin Osborne. He takes an anti-Streicher approach. The second is an editorial in this morning's Enquirer, which sides with the Chief.

The last few months have been, frankly, terrible for the Cincinnati Police Division. The "highlights":

• In December, Chief Streicher was taken to the mat by City Council for failing to spend about two million dollars allotted for overtime for extra foot patrols. (Porkopolis)
• CityBeat revealed that the Chief used about $125,000 in non-budgeted funds to renovate the second floor of police headquarters, where the Chief's office is located. (CityBeat)
• Officer Patrick Caton was promoted to the rank of sergeant. (Cincinnati Blog)
• (Ex)-Officer William Simpson pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery, charges that arose from conduct that took place while he was on duty; Judge Cooper told him that he had "violated the trust of everyone in the city" and sentenced him to six months in the Justice Center, pursuant to a plea agreement. (Enquirer)
• Officers were accused of goofing off in a substation; supervisors were accused of not doing enough to stop it; Chief Streicher issued discipline; and the City substantially reduced the sanctions he imposed.
• Officer Clayton Neel pleaded guilty (after a trial had started) to tampering with records for allegedly intentionally misplacing paperwork pertaining to an acquaintance's OVI arrest, but then withdrew his plea. (Enquirer)

Cincinnati police officers do a dangerous, difficult job for which they aren't thanked enough. But something has to be done to change the headlines that are being generated by the CPD. The good work the officers do--which comprises, by the way, about 99.8% of their total body of work--is getting drowned out by all this other noise.

What's the answer? A change in CPD leadership (should the City, for example, offer Streicher a buy-out that would be difficult to refuse)? Should we just chalk this up to a city that is all-to-eager to criticize its police? Something in between?

Hulu is the Devil!

Some time ago, when I first embarked on a solo law practice, I was spending a great deal of time working from my home-office. The problem with that is that it was too easy to find distractions at home to keep me from doing the less pleasant tasks of lawyering. The TV was a particularly devilish distraction. Finding my willpower to be lacking, I made a radical decision: I called Time Warner and had the cable disconnected.

I very rarely work from home anymore; I'm almost always in my comfy office a few blocks from where I live. But I found that I haven't missed the cable enough to warrant having it reconnected. Once in a while, though--say visiting parents, or staying in a hotel--I'll find myself in the midst of a cable TV binge, watching hugely inordinate amounts of CNN, ESPN, and Deadliest Catch. (Oddly, the thing I often miss is Citicable and the ability to watch those whacky councilmembers in action!)

Earlier today, I was engaged in that ultimate procrastination event (websurfing) and checked in on Kate the Great's blog (a great blog--if you're not reading it, you should be, after, of course, you read the Cincinnati blog!). Kate's re-posted something from her archives (a post I'd not read before). I'm not sure why she chose this one in particular, but it turns out that Kate, too, is cable-less, but she's found a remedy: Hulu. It's a site that has both current and "classic" shows available for on-demand streaming. Offerings include shows from Prisonbreak to Lost to WKRP in Cincinnati.

Hulu, if its usage is not carefully monitored, is a terrible, terrible productivity-slayer. In fact, it's the devil. The devil, I say! And Kate is the devil's helpmate! (Of course, I guess I'm no better, spreading the word of mindless diversion even further across the blogosphere.)

My favorite thing to watch right now? Emergency! Bah.

Short Delay of Streetcar Vote

First a note to everyone: this delay is not a big deal. Two weeks is not a big deal. What this gives is time to get the 7 in favor of street cars to agree. The main lone wolf on this issue is Qualls. I believe she wants streetcars. Her approach to transportation is a different one. 6 votes are there now, along with the Mayor, that will get the Bortz plan through. I think the 6 want Qualls on board, so this delay helps that. This is a chance for people to NICELY let Council member Qualls know their views.

I believe I understand Qualls' long term view. The problem is that she is taking what appears on the outside to be an all or nothing long term view. I disagree with that stance. I want a long term all encompassing transportation plan. The trouble with that approach is that it goes far beyond Cincinnati City Council. Any wide transportation plan requires the county and the tri-state metro area to come together. I don't see that happening any time soon. Meanwhile, the City needs the streetcar soon. In the end Roxanne Qualls I believe will vote in favor of the final streetcar plan. Dealing with the anti-streetcar members of council are not winning her many fans, and is losing her many. She has clearly lost much of the good will she had banked after winning her seat last November.

Best. Haircut. Ever.

So lately, I let my hair get too long. Not just rough-around-the-edges long, but unruly, unprofessional, insists-on-curling long. So it was time to go down the street to the barber.

Fausto Ferrari is one of those throwback barbers. You know, the kind of place where a man should get his hair cut. The kind of place where the barber still uses scissors--quickly and well, by the way. And the kind of place where one can still find a straight razor. The Enquirer profiled Fausto a few years ago.

The best part? The brief rubdown (head and shoulders only!) with a vibrating hand-massager.

Altogether, a good way to start the week.

Good News For Commuters

Looks like there's no possibility of a toll on the Brent Spence Bridge in the near future.

Love that Cincy Water

Natilife as a gem of a video link where the mystery will linger as to why Cincinnati's drinking water was tapped for the Colbert Report spoof.

Congrats to H & L

H & L (two friends of mine) are getting married tomorrow, so I thought I'd send a shout out to them and give them a big congratulations. If they are reading this before the wedding, I appreciate their readership, but I think they have more important things to be doing!

In all seriousness: I am very happy for both of you and I wish you happiness and a long life.

Bare Blogging

The Know Theatre of Cincinnati is blogging their latest production: Bare. It opens April 3rd.

Looking Ahead at Music in Cincinnati

Tickets are on sale for the 2008 Macy's Music Festival, July 25 and 26. This is one of the best annual music events in the Queen City (and likely the most praise-worthy effort to be undertaken at Paul Brown Stadium in the next 12 months). Friday night features Patti LaBelle and Earth Wind & Fire; Saturday performances include Frankie Beverly, Jill Scott, and the Cincinnati Choir.

This summer, the Cincinnati Opera will present Puccini's Madame Butterfly; Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor; Daniel Catan's Florencia en el Amazonas; and Verdi's La Traviata. Subscriptions are on sale now; single tickets become available in late May. A membership in Center Stage, the Opera's YP group (and in opera-world, "young" is defined as under 40), has long been considered one of the best buys in town. The company has also decided to start performances earlier this year: each show begins at 7:30 this summer.

And finally, the Cincinnati Symphony has announced its 2008-09 schedule. Highlights include a performance by Midori, the Cincinnati debut of up-and-coming composer Jennifer Higdon's Percussion Concerto (featuring Colin Currie, for whom the concerto was written and whose performance of it gave rise to rave reviews), and the American debut of a "new edition" of Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection."

Wifi and Metro

Looks like Metro will have WiFi on the Downtown/Mason express line. I'd love to ride this bus (I work in Mason), but the no sidewalks on Mason/Montgomery Road and the lack of a crosswalk (over five lanes of traffic!) are currently preventing me from taking it.

Light rail, anyone?

Why Is There a Quiz on a Newspaper Website?

I know this is just supposed to be fun and it is only on the front page of the Life Section, but why have it at all? Aren't newspaper supposed to be 'above' this type of thing?

Open Mouth, Insert Foot?

Last week, I was mildly critical of the Hamilton County Young Democrats for their alleged inactivity.

A recent check of the group's website, though, reveals lots of stuff coming up in the next few weeks, including:

• A St. Patrick's Day Party at Hamburger Mary's (no, I still can't get myself to call it Universal Grille);
• An after-party at Below Zero following the Century Club Reception (you need an after-party to make the Democratic prom complete); and
• The local premiere of Uncounted at the Esquire on March 26th.

Guess I just should have been more patient. Sorry, HCYD.

History Question

As a Cincinnati transplant, one of the things I missed out on was being educated (probably during grade school) about local history. One of the things I've always wondered about is the historical reasons for the Swiss cheese-like appearance of Cincinnati. Why do Norwood, Elmwood Place, and St. Bernard exist as separate political entities?

In most major cities, you could hear an argument over whether a particular adjacent suburb should have been incorporated or annexed. But having small pockets of sovereign municipalities in the middle of a city is a little unusual, even by Ohio standards. What gives?

Not A Good Sign

Question you'd rather not hear a judge asking a prosecutor as he's sentencing you or your client for a speeding ticket:

"How much can I fine him?"

CincyFringe 2008 Line Up Announced

The 5th annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival has announced its lineup for 2008. The Enquirer has more here.

TheConveyor.com is planning on wall to wall, beer to beer, and play to play coverage again this year of the Cincinnati Fringe festival. Keep an eye on The Conveyor's Fringe Coverage for more news and previews of Fringe.

Stickland Dismisses No. 2 Spot

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland reportedly told the Cincinnati Enquirer's Editorial Board that he would not accept the VP spot if asked by either Clinton or Obama.

The talk of VP and Ohio brings to mind one big and simple question: How do the Dems win Ohio? Yes, grassroots GOTV is what I think is the main weapon for turning any election, but that is not factor at play. On the surface the tide is pouring against the GOP, but many Ohioans are easily swayed by fear and bigotry. For evidence just look to the election of Bush in 2004 and to the Gay Marriage ban.

A VP candidate isn't going to win a national election. A VP candidate could win a state, and a state could turn the election. Yep, it is elementary political science, but sometimes elections are that simple.

Streetcars!

I actually considered not putting anything in the body of this post, as I have a theory that we can generate 30-50 comments just by writing the word "streetcar." But there is news to discuss.

Earlier today, reports the Enquirer's blog, Council agreed, 6-3, to appropriate $800,000 to fund the uptown-link study. The "no" votes were cast by Qualls, Cranley, and Monzel.

It's still unclear (at least to me) what the plan is going forward. Does the City begin funding and construction of the Downtown/OTR loop while the Uptown study takes place? Or do we wait for the study to be finished? And does the "I-want-an-Uptown-connection-now" crowd have enough votes to kill the project if the City can't build the entire proposed system immediately (and it almost certainly cannot), rather than in two phases, as was initially proposed?

Amongst the usual nonsensical comments to the Enquirer's blog (I'm proud to say that Griff has generated a readership that gets us the best comments of any local blog!) are two thoughtful comments by Greg Harris (or at least someone claiming to be him). You can read them here and here. Kind of makes you wish Harris were on Council instead of . . . oh, say, Qualls, Cranley, or Monzel? Kind of makes you wish he had run for County Commission. Kind of...never mind.

And why can't I get any councilmembers to introduce an ordinance to rebuild the inclines? :-)

All Dressed Up And No Place To Go...

You might recall that one of my New Year's resolutions was to become more involved in the community. Recently, I even joined (by paying membership dues) the Hamilton County Young Democrats.

Realizing I might actually have a little free time this month, I went to the HCYD website to figure out how to do something constructive. Luckily, they have lots of upcoming events to keep me busy.

If Hamilton County does "turn blue" this year, it will be despite the local party's best efforts.

Kaldi's Moving?

I'm way behind on this but CityBeat reported on the possible move of Kaldi's to Findlay Market At this point it appears to be talk, but I've heard the rumors are out there. I don't see it working as a bar there. Findaly Market is not a place people go at night.

Discrimination Against Gays and Transgender Persons in Ohio --- I Am Shocked!

Well, guess the Citizens for Community Values crowd will have something new to get worked up about now that several state legislators are introducing legislation in the Ohio General Assembly to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. For those of us who work in organizations that already provide such protections in employment and that provide domestic partnership benefits, this legislation perhaps does not seem so revolutionary. But, for the vast majority of gay and lesbian persons who do not work or live in such environments, such legislation is long overdue. Currently, seventeen states and the District of Columbia have laws that currently prohibit sexual orientation discrimination in both public and private employment: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

I guess we all get to hear again about how this is just about "special rights" from people who would gladly remove such protections from women and racial ethnic minorities if they could find a way. There can be little doubt that such legislation is needed in a world where a 15 year old boy in California, Lawrence King, who suffered taunting and bullying by his classmates because of his sexual orientation and gender identity, is shot and killed in school by one of those classmates – a 14 year old boy or where a member of the Oklahoma state legislature can say that "the Gays are the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam."

Breaking News: CincyBlurg Returns!!!

I got the flash email within the hour from BlurgGirl herself announcing the return of CincyBlurg.

Pay for your tap water and help a child-- Tap Cincinnati

I read about the Tap New York project originally in the New York Times and I'm terribly impressed that Cincinnati is on the list to do this before it becomes a global event.

What's happening? 80 restaurants in the Cincinnati area will be asking diners to pay for their tap water-- $1 each. It starts Sunday, March 16 and ends Sunday, March 22.

When's the kickoff? Friday, March 14, 6:30-10:30 at Bang Nightclub

Which restaurants are participating?

20 Brix, Amarin, Andy's Mediterranean Grill, Aqua, Baba Budan, Bar Louie, Bella Luna, Bellevue Bistro, Beluga, BlackFinn Restaurant and Saloon, Boca, Carlo & Johnny, Chalk, Cityview Tavern, Cityside, Daveed's, deSha's, Dewey's Pizza (four locations), Embers, Greenup Café, Honey, Hugo, Indigo, Jean Robert @ Pigall's, JeanRo Bistro, Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse, Jimmy D's Steakhouse, Kona Bistro, LaRosa's Rapid Run, Lavomatic, Mac's Pizza Pub, McCormick & Schmick's Fresh Seafood, Mesh Restaurant, Mike and Jimmy's Chop House Grill, Mio's Hyde Park, Mitchell's Fish House, Mt. Adams Bar and Grill, Nada, Nectar, Nicola's Restaurant, Orchids at Palm Court, The Polo Grille, The Precinct, Red, Riverside, Sake Bomb, Skyline Chili, Slatt's, Teller's of Hyde Park, Tink's Café, Trio, Tropicana, Universal Grille, Via Vite, Village Kitchen Restaurant, The Vineyard Wineroom, The Waterfront, ZaZou Grill and Pub, Zip's Café.

I hope you'll patronize these restaurants during that time, and donate your own dollar. $1 can provide clean water for a child for 40 days. $10 can provide clean water for a child for a year. So little can do so much, and I'm so proud of Cincinnati and the owners and operators of these restaurants for giving back.

More questions? Visit www.tapcincy.org.

Media Bias?

I'm interested in the following Enquirer headline:

Stripper Claims Rape Attempt.

Ordinarily, the Enquirer's crime coverage is extremely sympathetic towards alleged victims (yes, this might just be my own criminal defense attorney bias showing). But here, the headline (a) puts the alleged victim's profession front-and-center and (b) marginalizes the accusation by using the word "claims." It's almost as if the headline writer is expressing skepticism about the allegation.

Had the alleged victim been, say, a pizza delivery driver, it's unlikely the headline would be written the same way; instead, it would probably be "Springfield Twp. Man Charged With Assaulting [or Attempting to Rape, or something similar] Delivery Driver." By making "stripper" the subject (gramatically) of the headline, the Enquirer places the focus on the alleged victim rather than the defendant.

Is there something to this, or am I making a mountain out of a molehill? Are all allegations of sexual assault that are made by strippers subject to increased media scrutiny in the wake of the Duke rape case? Or is the headline a form of subtle editorialism expressing a not-so-subtle bias about whether someone in the sex industry can be believed--or possibly, whether she can be raped at all?

This is in the online edition; I don't know what's in today's print edition of the paper.

New Blog: Somewhere Over the Rhine

Check out a new blog Somewhere Over the Rhine from a new OTR Resident.

Time Check

If you haven't yet set your clocks and watches ahead, you're going to be an hour late everywhere you go.

Can't wait until October, when we get to make up the hour of sleep we lost last night.

Overexposure

I'm tired of Derrick Beasley. And Steve Raleigh. And whoever the guy on Channel 12 is.

I understand the need for lots of coverage when some small town on the far edge of the viewing area has a three percent chance of experiencing a tornado. It doesn't make me happy (and I turn the channel), but I can at least appreciate the public service involved.

But why is this necessary for snow? It's snowing right now. That's going to be the story for the next several hours. There's no need to take cover. There won't be any siresns going off. The meteorologists add about as much to my knowledge of the weather situation as I could gain by sticking my head out a window. There's no public service in the continuous coverage. Do their ratings actually go up by covering the snow so much?

I like (in principle, at least) the closings tickers at the bottom of the TV screen. It's a good way to get the information out. But does anyone know why Channel 9 need TWO tickers? That drives me nuts.

Maybe what I need to do is walk my tired a-- across downtown and get some much needed beer at Bockfest.

Blizzard and Beer: Never Fear!!!

While many events are cancelled tonight, here's a public service announcement: Bockfest is still on. Festivities begin at Arnold's at 6. There won't be a parade, though (or at least the float portion of it is cancelled; apparently, there's still plans to walk from Arnold's to Bockfest Hall).

Looks like the Bockfest folks are doing a good job of providing up-to-the-minute information on their website.

The Continuing Story of Hillary and Barack

Will the continue battle for the Democratic nomination hurt the winner? Some would say yes, this will now become an all out bloodsport. On the other hand, the Democrats are going to get all of the attention as long as the battle goes on, maybe right into the Convention. McCain is not going to get much attention at all, unless he makes news somehow.

Voting Problems?

Did anyone face problems like this Enquirer story reports? I honestly don't grasp how far off Clermont County could be to not have been prepared for this? The Secretary of State of Ohio has been predicting this for days. How did Wulsin do in the same county, were her primary votes up as well?

Voting Obama

The presidential primaries have never been an issue here in Ohio. Tomorrow I am going to do something I have never done before, take a partisan ballot. Philosophically I don't like the two party system. I consider myself an independent liberal. I will taking the Democratic ballot and at least for Tuesday, I am a Democrat. This will not be a big deal to most, since I nearly always vote for the Democrat. To me, however, this is a change. I don't know if I will participate in the primary in the future or not, but it is clear that my vote will count tomorrow. There is a race on in American politics and we have the opportunity for change.

On Saturday, I tried to go vote early, to avoid waking up early tomorrow, but when I got to the BOE, the line to vote was insanely long, I couldn't even get off the elevator to even get in line. That was a great sign. It was great to see people voting. I hope this is the biggest turnout for a primary every for Ohio. Having an impact on an election is good for our state. Lets hope there are no problems at the polls and that we have a quickly tallied vote.

I don't like telling people who to vote for. Instead I am telling you that I am voting for Barack Obama. All you need to do is go vote your conscious.

Local Republican Shakeup?

Kevin Osborne is reporting that HamCo Republican Chair George Vincent will resign in the next few weeks and be replaced by HamCo Common Pleas Judge Alex Triantafilou. If Kevin's got the story right (and he usually does), this would be a pretty big deal for local Republicans.

It's been my policy not to blog on stories arising from the HamCo Courthouse. As a lawyer who appears there on a near-daily basis, when I'm there, I just want to be viewed as any other member of the bar, not some quasi journalist/editorialist/whatever. And my criminal practice relies on maintaining cordial relationships with judges and prosecutors, so other than my typical non-court-related liberal rants, I don't want to create any unnecessary tension or hurt feelings. (That doesn't mean I'm afraid to hurt someone's feelings when I'm advocating on behalf of a client--the key word in the previous sentence is "unnecessary".)

I will say this, though: if the story is true, the courthouse's loss will be the Republican Party's gain. As a judge (both in his present position and during his previous tenure on the municipal court bench), Judge Triantafilou has garnered the respect of both prosecutors and the criminal defense bar, as well as civil litigators. If he applies the work ethic he's utilized on the bench to (what appears to be) his future job, it could mean real revitalization for the local Republican party, which has been struggling somewhat for direction these past few years. One has to wonder if Tim Burke would be any match for him.

Ringing in March

Finally (for me) for now, an interesting music event at the Duke Energy Center tonight: at 5:00, there will be a free handbell concert. The regional chapter of the American Guild of English Handbell Choirs has put together a concert featuring over 600 handbell ringers. Details, courtesy Channel 12, are here. While you're there, you can check out the main attraction at the convention center this weekend, the Cincinnati Home and Garden Show.

(Geesh--am I the nerd on this blog, or what? Griff just finished posting about how to get Heartless Bastards (of which I'm a fan, actually) and a bunch of bands I'm not cool enough to have heard of to come to MidPoint Music Festival (the ultimate "cool kids" event in Cincinnati), and here I am getting gooey about several hundred handbells. Sorry for bringing down the collective hipness of the blog.)

CityBeat Takes Over MidPoint

The MidPoint Music Festival has a new new boss for 2008. The old bosses, Bill Donabedian and Sean Rhiney, will remain on as advisers.

Overall I think this is great news. There are some big challenges ahead for CityBeat, but if they start work now, capitalize on established partnerships, and build up new connections, I think the festival will be a big success.

The initial thought of the festival each of the last couple years is on where will it be. Many have been whining about where MidPoint should be, specifically wanting it to not on Main Street. It has no other possibilities other than OTR and/or Downtown. Since the press release included an event is at Below Zero on April 9th to announce the new vision of the festival, I would surmise Midpoint is staying at least in part on Main Street/OTR. It makes sense on the level that businesses are picking up on Main and Vine. The negative is that these venues are not currently regular live music venues, like they were in the past. I say that point is moot for a simple reason, there are only a handful (maybe two handfuls) of music venues in town that have regular live original music. Those venues are peppered throughout the area, and have no cohesive force that would draw people out for something like this. Few of those venues, especially those in Northside, have stepped forward to be a partner on MidPoint in the past. They've done that mostly for good reason, the target market for MidPoint shouldn't be the grizzled aging hipster sitting at the bar at Northside Tavern. That person either will never change their musical tastes or they already shop at Shake-It and know many of the acts playing the showcases.

CityBeat needs to start with a definition of the festival. What is the point? Who are they trying to reach? My take would be be to bring 3 groups together, unsigned/small label/up and coming acts, media & music industry members, and most importantly the audience. The musicians would want to impress the media/industry by impressing the audience. The media/industry would want to connect or observe the audience and get the vibe out what people like and don't like in current musis. That makes the audience the key. Midpoint needs a large and wide audience.

To get a bigger audience you have to make get them to get in their cars and drive to Main Street. You do that with a hook. Have a Main Stage, say Sycamore Gardens (Red Cheetah) where you have a mix of bigger local bands (Greenhornes, Pearlene, Heartless Bastards) who would not play Midpoint any more, and then get 1 large act for Friday and Saturday Night. The Greenhornes might be big enough. You might need to start the showcases an hour earlier and then end them at the time the headliner would go on, say Midnight. Let the late night slots be second look spots for bands that stay in town, want to play twice, or are willing to be the alternative to the main stage.

This new main stage would be an additional ticket. I'd establish the following price points:
1. One venue one night, not including the Main Stage
2. One night all access minus the Main Stage
3. One night all access plus one night of the Main Stage
4. All weekend all access minus the Main Stage.
5. All weekend all access plus the Main Stage both nights
6. The delegate badge - access to everything, including the conferences, preview parties, etc.

What you wouldn't do is sell a ticket just to the Main Stage. You also could, if the headliners are big enough, sell out the Main Stage and have the normal showcase schedules. That would be hard to predict and plan for, however.

Another important change to make is to have CityBeat make this a conference in part for music journalists. Target them specifically. Free attendance for any good music journalist! Let the blogs in too! I personally appreciated my media credentials for the 2007 festival and I really liked the gift bag last year!

Other ideas - provide more organized opportunities audience/artist interaction. Get more local business tie-ins like Park+Vine. Increase the team running the festival. Bill and Sean did great job, but they did too much themselves, not letting other take over important functions. This can't be the Dan McCabe dictatorship, Dan needs to build a huge team (not that he wouldn't anyway). The Cincy Blues Festival has a good team structure, look to it for some guidance. Also get WOXY AND the rest of the local radio stations involved, somehow. I think WEBN was there last year. The idea is that all of them would want to sponsor a stage or do live remotes, anything. Don't make them compete, let them all in.

The 800 pound gorilla in the room for CityBeat is how they will get local media coverage. It is touchy because CityBeat is a local media outlet and other media outlets would be hesitant to promote something their competition is sponsoring. MidPoint requires coverage in the mainstream Cincinnati Press. That mens getting the local TV/Radio news to coverage it. It also means getting the Enquirer to cover it. As much as the Enquirer tends to suck and it just has no music coverage to speak of, it has many readers who if they know about the festival could come. I also have to say that includes CinWeekly. The more the coverage the festival gets, the better. It would be nicer if CinWeekly actually asked to cover it, but I fear getting a cover from them might take some prodding. This festival is worth sucking up to your foes. Cincinnati has the talent for a music movement. No matter what all the burn-out hippies and coked out scenesters say, we have the makings for a music scene.

More from CityBeat is here.

Shame On OH-02 Dems!

The Democratic primary in Ohio's Second Congressional District (where Jean Schmidt, a Republican, is the incumbent) has gotten really nasty, really quickly. Victoria Wulsin actually went so far as to launch a website to attack Steve Black for the way he characterizes his house on his tax returns. (He's claiming it as a farm, which gives him a tax break.) Black has responded by buying ad time to criticize Wulsin for her alleged ties to malariotherapy (now widely discredited, at one time a few doctors speculated that for some reason, malaria might kill the AIDS virus); this is a rehash of the rant that the Cincinnati Beacon has permitted to permeate its once-interesting blog (I hear the Dean is going to rename the Beacon "Ihatevicwulsin.com").

I'm disappointed in the direction this campaign has taken. Senators Clinton and Obama have set excellent examples for Dems in the national primary, limiting their criticisms of each other to policy positions, and avoiding the "politics of personal destruction" that has now taken over the Black-Wulsin race. At a time when most Second District voters probably still don't know a ton about Steve Black, he's chosen to spend the days prior to the election attacking his opponent's character. And Wulsin--who will likely win the nomination again--doesn't have the good sense to win graciously, but instead started the ugliness with what seems like a pretty gratuitous personal attack that isn't likely to consolidate or win any support.

If I were a Second District constituent (I'm on the eastern edge of the First District), I think I'd be writing in Paul Hackett in the primary contest.

East Price Hill: Incline Square On The Rise

Griff's most recent post reminds me that I've been meaning to link to an article for the past several days. The Enquirer reports that a plan--and lots of cash--are in place to develop Incline Square in East Price Hill:

Backers of the hilltop development aren't elaborating yet, but they promise that the neighborhood they're redeveloping will also include a steakhouse,gourmet pizza parlor, 24 condos with views, a banquet/reception facility,nightclub with outdoor areas and live music, an upgraded park and a concrete pier on which people can walk for a downtown view.

I'm hopeful that the project (in which John Cranley is heavily involved) could mean a detente between Griff and Cranley with respect to their long, bitter feud over the Bank and chain sports bars. (I don't know if Cranley knows he's part of such a feud, but Cincinnati Blog readers know it.) The article's lede is:

By late next year, developers say, you should be able to have a beer at
Incline Square's new sports bar with a view of the city.

Maybe if Cranley has a chain sports bar to visit in Price Hill, he won't be so insistent on one in the Banks. And maybe Griff won't object to a chain sports bar that's farther from him than the Banks will be. Might there be peace in our lifetime?

Finally, we should talk a little more about the old inclines. One of the most interesting ideas I heard during the last Council election (coming, as I recall, from former CPD Officer and Cincinnati NAACP President Wendell Young, who didn't prevail) was a suggestion to rebuild some of the inclines. I think much of the reasoning that applies to the benefits of streetcars applies to inclines. And if you visit other cities with big hills, inclines tend to be an attraction themselves, bringing development around them. In Pittsburgh, for instance, there's three inclines that I can think of, (the "Mon" Incline, the Duquesne Incline, and the Mt. Washington Incline), and at the top of each is a pretty highly developed area with either restaurants, shopping destinations, or both.

Could inclines be an answer to development for some of Cincinnati's neighborhoods outside of downtown? And with talk of spending lots of money for the streetcars (that would spur development primarily in downtown and Over-the-Rhine), isn't now the right time to raise the issue?

UPDATE: Here's some pretty neat pictures of the old Price Hill Incline. And here's an interesting discussion (hosted by NKU) of the historical link between development and transportation, including the inclines, in Cincinnati.

Welcome Lavomatic

As a neighbor my nose has smelled the delights of Jean Robert's newest establishment in OTR. When I've parked by car I've smelled the aroma of what I don't know, but it is tempting. I've not been by, it was packed on Tuesday. I am looking forward to their Brunch starting next weekend. I've noticed that parking on the street is at a premium. I wonder how busy it will be tonight with Final Friday going on. This is a prideful day for my Neighborhood. Now we just need another restaurant across the street!!!!

Witte Doesn't Get It

Pete Witte is a Westsider and supports the Westside strongly. In a letter to the editor Pete takes the typical Republican stance on public works by wanting to know when his streetcar will drive by Price Hill Chile. Pete goes on to show his lack of foresight by not see the potential of people living in OTR and Downtown. Pete, you will get yours when the city is able to build up new residents and therefore a bigger tax base. 20 and 30 somethings are not going to move to Price Hill in droves. Sure, OTR doesn't have the massive population it could have. Guess what, put in a street car and it will have a massive increase in residents.

The city is not going to grow its economy by focusing on neighborhoods that do not have the practical purpose of building a large economic base. Downtown, OTR, and Uptown are the core of City's Economy. OTR is lumped in because it is in the middle. Is that fair? Fair in governance doesn't mean that everything the government does has to be divided by an accountant to make sure that each person living in a Price Hill ally has a streetcar stop outside his humble abode. Instead government picks projects that IN THE LONG RUN will help the entire city. OTR has the potential that no other neighborhood in the city has to become a large and vibrant residential base.

Pete also I think suffers from suburbanitis. He, like John Cranley, appear to be focusing on preventing the Urban core of city and the region from become more urban. I don't know if Pete adheres to Cranley's philosophy of what I think is a miniature form of suburan Terra-forming. We live in a city. We do have suburbs. Suburbs exist because there is an urban core. No urban core, then the suburbs will fail. We will not be a Metro area that has anything to offer if we wipe away the urban core and replace it with a sprawling wasteland of conformity.

Yes, We Knew Cummingham Was an Ass

It is actually a good thing that the rest of Country is able to see that Bill Cunningham acts regularly like a complete asshole.

civility has left the GOP. I will praise John McCain for having some civility and trying to chide his party. He will have no impact. Cunningham has likely had a non-stop stiffy since he first spoke to a member of the press about this. Attention is Cunningham's crack and he is addicted.

Streetcar Update

The Finance committee meeting took place yesterday with now reports of a streetcar plan implosion. CityBeat has a good summation of the meeting. The Enquirer also has a article.

The Mayor Backs Obama

Add another super delegate for Obama. Anyone make it to the event at UC today? How was it?

Speaking of beer...

...the historic Grammer's will reopen this Thursday, just in time for Bockfest! It's got the Wades as backers, and is being managed by Ryan Breen (formerly of Greenup Cafe) and Lois Parker (formerly of the Coach and Four). Over-The-Rhine has lost some of of its old character, when the area was lined with beer halls and breweries, so it'll be interesting to get a small taste of what the area used to be like.

And just in time for Bockfest!

Mmm, Beer.

Finally, for now, in the interest of regionalism, I'll note that the Midwest Beer Festival is taking place in Covington today. 35 bucks gets you access to beer from 25 breweries, a buffet, and a souvenir glass.

On a related note, NPR recently discovered and reported on the best job ever. Try not to envy this guy too much.

Indy Wants Streetcars Too?

A smaller midwest city is contemplating streetcars. One notion in the article is "keep it simple."

Is that the battle line that is forming in the Cincinnati Street car fight? Do we have three camps now?
1. Those who want to start simple with a Riverfront to Findlay Market Line, then expand later to an Uptown line.
2. Those who want to start big, requiring a plan to include funding for a line to Uptown, other neighborhoods and a connection to the Metro bus system.
3. Those who want seek to make the Urban city into a suburban wasteland. The leader of that pack is John "When can I drink a beer at my favorite chain sports bar" Cranley.

Option 2 sounds like a good long run ideal, but the fight appears to be over what can get done and what can be paid for. I hope those in camps 1 and 2 don't let the passe thinkers in camp #3 win.

Packin' Heat At City Hall

Shortly after Mayor Mark Mallory took office, he ordered the removal of the metal detectors guarding City Hall's front entrance, arguing for more public access to the building where the people's business is conducted. Now, Kevin Osborne reports that the metal detectors are coming back, and being joined by three armed security guards.

There seems to be a juxtaposition between what our city leaders say and what they do. We're constantly told how safe downtown is (and by and large, I think that message is correct). But Mayor Mallory is afraid to venture out into the city without a police escort (his bodyguard/security detail/whatever was even seen with Mallory at Senator Clinton's Skyline appearance--apparently, the mayor was worried that the presidential candidate's Secret Service contingent might not be up to handling an armed threat on its own). And now we learn that our elected leaders and City employees don't feel safe working in City Hall unless constituents coming to see them pass through a metal detector.

Is a weapon check at the entrance to every government building simply a cost of living in the twenty-first century that isn't even worthy of discussion or comment anymore? Or should we demand better than kneejerk responses from our leaders?

Open Thread For Hillary

Was anyone at today's town hall meeting? What's your reaction to Senator Clinton's performance?

And is anyone else surprised by how quickly Senator Clinton's lead (at least according to polling data) has shrunk? The Washington Post has Texas as a dead heat, and Ohio as a 50-43 Clinton edge (down from a 20-point lead a few weeks ago). Is seeing Senator Obama really that magical an experience, or is there something else at work here?

Cincinnati's Top Ten Restaurants-- Cincinnati Magazine, March 2008.

1. Boca
2. Jean Robert at Pigall's
3. Orchids at Palm Court
4. Nicola's
5. Slims
6. Jean Ro Bistro
7. Cumin
8. Jo An
9. Nectar
10. Daveed's at 934

As usual, Boca and Pigall's flip flop for top restaurant. I'm surprised to see Slims and Cumin on this list (not because they're not good, they are, but because these lists skew towards the expensive and "special") and I thought Daveed's would place higher. What do you think? Which restaurants were snubbed, and which don't deserve to be on there?