Most Important News Stories of the Year

Here we go, my pick of the most important news stories in the Cincinnati Region for 2006. In reverse order:

10. Smoking Ban Passes - No major reports yet on loss of business by bar owners.
9. Entertainment zone moves south to Downtown - Main Street Entertainment District shrivels
8. City of Cincinnati Budget Fiasco - details on cuts still not clear - arts funding impact unknown
7. CCV fails to get Anti-gay issue on ballot - signature effort faced charges of fraud
6. Music Scene in City continues vibrancy with return of WOXY, rise of local music acts on the national stage (Heartless Bastards and half of Racuntours), and the great lineups at the music festivals (however the attendance levels were not stellar).
5. Schmidt and Chabot hold off Wulsin and Cranley
4. Newport Riverfront Development
3. Rebirth of Fountain Square - Ice Rink and Holiday events draw great crowds
2. Dems Gain Statewide Ohio Offices
1. Pepper defeats Heimlich and Dems take control of County Commission

Here are the Enquirer's Top Stories for Ohio and NKY. The bias of Enquirer is most evident in their play up of Butler County and their backhanded praise of Fountain Square.

Most Over reported Stories of the Year:

• Murder rate in Cincinnati
• Bengals Arrests
• Marcus Fiesel tragedy - Yes, it was horrible, but making the case a spectacle is also horrible.
• Every closing of a restaurant in the City.
• Enquirer's obsession with reality TV - Jerry Springer is just not that interesting.
  

Most Under Reported Stories of the Year

• The opening of New restaurants in the City.
• Local politics, especially on local television news.
• Power struggle for WAIF
• Commercial Radio changes - Station swapping - Clear channel layoffs just before announcing huge station sell-off.
  
• Level of bigotry/racism behind illegal immigration crackdown
• Level of irrational fear of the City of Cincinnati (not just Downtown) by outside the I-275 loop suburban residents.
  

Joe's Booster Club

If Joe Wessels has a booster club, then Nate Livingston is likely a member. Nate raises a good point about the Enquirer's website. With the Post on a collision course with oblivion next year, I wonder how much the Enquirer would expend for equitable treatment of all reporters.

Bronson is Not So Bad Today

I can't find much fault with Peter Bronson's column today. The City Council's recent budget process was more like a Budget Showdown between Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton.

On a side note: It's ironic how I bring in a reference to Bill Clinton when comment on a Bronson column where he Did NOT reference Bill Clinton.

Another side note: Why isn't Peter Bronson writing about Butler County's inability to balance their budget? He lives there, doesn't he?

Double-Entendre

Ok, it's now past X-Mas, but I can't help but point out this CityBeat column laced with a crypto-racist title.

The column rips into the concept of Santa and gifts and the obsession with them as being a problem with America. Ok. I can see some merit to that. Celebrating greed is bad. Having fun is not, so the fat guy in the suit, the stockings, the cool presents are not wrong. As one who doesn't celebrate the religious accepts of Christmas, I don't care about Virgin birth or Gold, Frankincense, and Mir, but I see no problem with revelry, and part of that is a little extravagance.

Question: what does race have to do with this?

About Freakin' Time

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

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

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

Banned at the Airport

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

Keep the snow away, at least for today!

Fighting 'Food Insecurity' in Cincinnati

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

Cranley to Columbus?

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

Pepper People, Parks, and some Bonuses

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

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

Finally, this is interesting:

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

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

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

More Positive Downtown Discussion

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

The 'Fiscal Five' ?

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

Bride Blog - TMI?

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

SupertalkFM Coughs Up Furball

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

We Have a Budget

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

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

Jets and Sharks

When you're a Jet.....

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

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

Has Si Leis Gone Insane?

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

Cold Clear Channel Strikes Again

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

Anti-City GOP at Work

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fear is Out as Gift

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

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

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