Portman Running for Gov?

Rob Portman is leaving his job at the White House and he reportedly may run for Ohio Governor in 2010. He would be a good candidate for the GOP to run, but Stickland will be tough to beat if he can keep things going on an even keel.

Phoenix Closes, Good!

I noticed this a week or so ago, but now it is permanent that the Phoenix Cafe is closed. This is great news for the backstage area. A dive bar like the Phoenix was a big negative to the backstage area. This should fit in nicely with the backstage loop of bar/restaurants opening up around 7th and 6th street.

Happy Father's Day

To all the fathers and especially to my Dad, Happy Father's Day!

Banks Agreement

I don't know if there was white smoke or not, but we have a Banks Agreement. Here's the highlight:

The non-binding agreement calls for 300 apartments in the first phase, followed by 100 condominiums and 70,000 square feet of retail. It will also include an unspecified amount of office space.

Non-binding is the problem, but that will hopefully not be the case in a couple of months.

Antioch College to Close in 2008

You don't hear of this often, but the Yellow Spring, Ohio college will close in 2008 in hopes of reopening in 2012. I will be surprised if it reopens in Yellow Springs.

Can't Totally Fault Bronson Today

I can't really go off on Peter Bronson's latest column, but I'll point out a few problems. He writes about classic rock and Wizards Records in Oakley. He is missing out on the big selection of music at Wizards from the 70's, 80's, and 90's, not just from Bronson's long haired days. The college kids who come to buy there are likely to want new wave, punk, and grunge more than classic 60's rock.

Finally, I don't know about Bronson, but I grew up storing my vinyl in milk crates, not cardboard boxes. I would guess Peter went through many boxes over the years. I still have my milk crates.

Moving Forward

Kudos to the entire metro area for moving up to 38th place in the "Cities Ranked and Rated" book. We are 38th out of 378 cities, and we moved up from 92nd place which was held in 2004 in the 1st edition of the book.