A new clothing store is coming to the Gateway Quarter and if the father of one of the owners is correct, it could be open as soon as in a few weeks. The store would take over 16 East 12th Street, the location that up until last month housed Outside, the store run by Terry Lee.
It was very sad to see Terry's store close, but it is a great sign to see the location turning over so quickly. On Sunday a crew was painting the space which is in great shape. I hope they are able to hold at least a soft opening on May 22nd when a great crowd will attend the OTR/Gateway Summer Celebration.
I was not able to get the name of the store or find any marketing information, so if anyone has more information, chime in.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, May 09, 2010
The Fireworks Are Quieter
First, let me express (cautious) excitement about the Reds. They're currently a game above .500, in second place, and just three games behind the Cardinals. Mike Leake is a lot of fun to watch, despite a tough seventh inning tonight.
Now, let me move on to something that's ridiculously trivial, but that has been bothering me anyhow. I've made no secret of where I live: in an apartment building on Fourth Street between Plum and Central. My apartment is in the back of the building, facing the Duke Energy Convention Center.
In past seasons, I could "follow" the Reds in my apartment even without having the game on the radio or the television. If I heard fireworks, I'd flip the TV channel to FSN to see who just hit a home run. If I heard fireworks late enough in the evening, I'd know the Reds had just won. The sound was quite audible, and echoed off the buildings behind my building.
But this year, things are different. I can no longer hear fireworks from GABP. I was wondering if perhaps the Reds were using quieter fireworks, but when I attended a game for the first time this season (the eleven-inning thriller this past Monday), I thought the fireworks were as loud as ever.
My new theory: the Great American Tower is absorbing or deflecting the fireworks noise so that it no longer reaches the western end of downtown.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
And by the way, my previous concern that the Tower could impact games by causing right fielders to drop balls during day games has proven unfounded, as the building doesn't seem shiny enough to create a glare.
Now, let me move on to something that's ridiculously trivial, but that has been bothering me anyhow. I've made no secret of where I live: in an apartment building on Fourth Street between Plum and Central. My apartment is in the back of the building, facing the Duke Energy Convention Center.
In past seasons, I could "follow" the Reds in my apartment even without having the game on the radio or the television. If I heard fireworks, I'd flip the TV channel to FSN to see who just hit a home run. If I heard fireworks late enough in the evening, I'd know the Reds had just won. The sound was quite audible, and echoed off the buildings behind my building.
But this year, things are different. I can no longer hear fireworks from GABP. I was wondering if perhaps the Reds were using quieter fireworks, but when I attended a game for the first time this season (the eleven-inning thriller this past Monday), I thought the fireworks were as loud as ever.
My new theory: the Great American Tower is absorbing or deflecting the fireworks noise so that it no longer reaches the western end of downtown.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
And by the way, my previous concern that the Tower could impact games by causing right fielders to drop balls during day games has proven unfounded, as the building doesn't seem shiny enough to create a glare.
The $64 Million Question
Today's Enquirer has a "First in Print" story on the decision facing City Council this week: whether to approve the issuance of $64 million in bonds in the hope that this will be sufficient to attract federal funding for the streetcar. There's apparently some division amongst the streetcar supporters on Council, with some wanting to unconditionally approve the bonds, and others (Berding and Bortz) apparently wanting to hedge the City's bet, conditioning bond issuance on the receipt of federal money.
Mayor Mallory has said that the Council should unconditionally approve the bonds, and insists that the bonds wouldn't be issued by the administration until after the federal dollars come in, anyhow. Of course, under our present system of government, this isn't actually the mayor's decision; the City Manager would be solely responsible for the bond issuance once it's approved by the Council. I believe I've heard Milton Dohoney say that the bonds would wait until after federal financing is in place, but I can't find a link to that right now.
An interesting situation is presented. Mayor Mallory has put this on Council's agenda this week because recently, federal officials have told the City that it needs to have "skin in the game" to get federal money. The thought now is that approving the bonds will be enough, and that next month, the feds will reward the City in its next round of TIGER grants. Of course, the feds make it clear that local financing is no guarantee of federal money, but merely a necessary precondition of it.
So here's the question for streetcar supporters: what if Council unconditionally approves the bonds, and next month, the City again gets passed over? And what if a federal official says that merely approving the bonds isn't enough, that the City needs to actually issue them for the feds to know we're serious? Once again, the feds make no guarantees, just tell us we improve our chances if we issue the bonds. Under those circumstances, should the City place a $64 million bet on federal funds becoming available?
And what if we lose the bet?
Mayor Mallory has said that the Council should unconditionally approve the bonds, and insists that the bonds wouldn't be issued by the administration until after the federal dollars come in, anyhow. Of course, under our present system of government, this isn't actually the mayor's decision; the City Manager would be solely responsible for the bond issuance once it's approved by the Council. I believe I've heard Milton Dohoney say that the bonds would wait until after federal financing is in place, but I can't find a link to that right now.
An interesting situation is presented. Mayor Mallory has put this on Council's agenda this week because recently, federal officials have told the City that it needs to have "skin in the game" to get federal money. The thought now is that approving the bonds will be enough, and that next month, the feds will reward the City in its next round of TIGER grants. Of course, the feds make it clear that local financing is no guarantee of federal money, but merely a necessary precondition of it.
So here's the question for streetcar supporters: what if Council unconditionally approves the bonds, and next month, the City again gets passed over? And what if a federal official says that merely approving the bonds isn't enough, that the City needs to actually issue them for the feds to know we're serious? Once again, the feds make no guarantees, just tell us we improve our chances if we issue the bonds. Under those circumstances, should the City place a $64 million bet on federal funds becoming available?
And what if we lose the bet?
Friday, May 07, 2010
New Rendering of Casino Out
A new image of the Casino slated to be opened at Broadway Commons in 2012 has been released. It is an interesting rendering of the building, but this image doesn't appear to show how this building would look with the rest the Downtown backdrop. That's a very important factor. The building needs to fit in with the buildings on an aesthetic level. We can't have a crappy box of drywall as the welcome sign to Downtown at the I-71 entrance.
More on the details of the building is here in the Enquirer.
More on the details of the building is here in the Enquirer.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Friday Night: Click @ CAM
If you are looking for a cool event for a hot May night, put your eyes on Click*, 8PM to 11PM at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Entertainment includes the amazing indie-electronica sounds of You, You're Awesome.
Tickets are $20 before the show, or $30 at the door. So buy your's today!
Tickets are $20 before the show, or $30 at the door. So buy your's today!
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
In Memoriam: Donald Spencer
I just wanted to note my sadness at the passing of Donald Spencer. Mr. Spencer and his wife, Marian, are best described as civil rights icons in Cincinnati. I feel extraordinarily privileged that early in my career, my practice led me to briefly cross paths with the Spencers.
For decades, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer were the civil rights movement in Cincinnati. It's impossible to overstate the importance of their service both to the cause of justice and our community. And in person, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer are the warmest, most caring people you could meet.
My thoughts and prayers are with the Spencer family today. And I hope that today's sad news will cause us all to reflect both on how far we've come in the past half-century, but also on how far we have left to journey.
It's very few people about whom one can say the following: Cincinnati is a better place because Donald and Marian Spencer have spent their lives here.
For decades, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer were the civil rights movement in Cincinnati. It's impossible to overstate the importance of their service both to the cause of justice and our community. And in person, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer are the warmest, most caring people you could meet.
My thoughts and prayers are with the Spencer family today. And I hope that today's sad news will cause us all to reflect both on how far we've come in the past half-century, but also on how far we have left to journey.
It's very few people about whom one can say the following: Cincinnati is a better place because Donald and Marian Spencer have spent their lives here.
A Little On The Election
I'm pretending to be a lawyer again today, so I haven't had a chance to go through the canvass report to drill deeply into the numbers. There is one race, though, that I think is worth mentioning: the contest for the Republican nomination for State Representative in the 28th District.
The current office-holder is Democrat Connie Pillich, who was unopposed in her primary. The GOP primary featured four candidates. The winner was Mike Wilson, founder of the Cincinnati Tea Party. Not only did Mike won, but he did so handily, pulling in 44% of the vote and trouncing the "establishment Republicans" who were running.
The significance of this win should not be under-appreciated. The Tea Party has now proven that--at least in a relatively small race (geographically speaking)--it can mobilize its members, get out the vote, and win an election. Overall turnout in the district was low--about 12 percent of Republican voters turned out--but nonetheless, this is an extremely important development in local politics, and one that we should keep an eye on.
**************
And: can we get some UN monitors up to Butler County to monitor their Board of Elections? Every year, it's something new with them.
The current office-holder is Democrat Connie Pillich, who was unopposed in her primary. The GOP primary featured four candidates. The winner was Mike Wilson, founder of the Cincinnati Tea Party. Not only did Mike won, but he did so handily, pulling in 44% of the vote and trouncing the "establishment Republicans" who were running.
The significance of this win should not be under-appreciated. The Tea Party has now proven that--at least in a relatively small race (geographically speaking)--it can mobilize its members, get out the vote, and win an election. Overall turnout in the district was low--about 12 percent of Republican voters turned out--but nonetheless, this is an extremely important development in local politics, and one that we should keep an eye on.
**************
And: can we get some UN monitors up to Butler County to monitor their Board of Elections? Every year, it's something new with them.
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