On Time???

Someone thinks the Banks Project is on time?

Journalist Creep

In this article in the Enquirer: NAACP says sentencing in dog case was racist, there is not a quote from anyone in the NAACP saying the ruling was "racist." One could infer that from part of the article, but did anyone from the NAACP or even at the rally say that for the record? If they didn't use the term "racist," then why did the Editor at the Enquirer add that to the story? Do headlines with the NAACP calling someone or something racist catch more eyes?

If the NAACP did in fact make that claim, why didn't the article include a quote? Calling someone or something a "racist" is a pretty harsh claim, even for hyperbole rich Chris Smitherman (the King of Grandstanding in Cincinnati). It sounds like the editor was looking for the situation to creep up into a full borne racism debate, one that makes for better eye catcher.

Unoriginal Schmidt

Rep. Jean Schmidt allegedly copied word for word a document prepared by an Ohio State Highway Patrol Officer, without giving the officer credit. A Blog first identified this, Kudos to the Daily Bellwether.

Tarbell Running as Write-in Candidate

Former Vice-Mayor Jim Tarbell has registered as a write-in candidate for Cincinnati School Board. That seems like a bite of a long shot. Jim is running as a team with Anne Power and Sally Warner in what I imagine is a way to save expenses. Without money, they stand little chance. They need to buy TONS of advertisements or create multiple mass mailings letting people know they are write-in candidates and then educate people how to correctly write-in someone using the new voting system. They have a long way to go to actually win. I don't know the last time for anyone to ever win an election as a write-in candidate in Hamilton County. I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't happened before.

20/20 Schedule Announced

Get your arts in massive doses this year at the 20 Days 20 Nights Arts Festival, which has announced their schedule for 2007. The event kicks off on September 28th. For more information check out Enjoy the Arts.

Cincy Dems Straw Poll

The HC Democratic Party will sponsor a Presidential Primary Straw Poll next Tuesday, the 11th, at 6:15PM at the 20th Century Theater in Oakley. The event is open to "anyone who supports the election of Democratic candidates."

Mr. Racebaiter

Chris Smitherman wasted no time in using the death of a child as fodder in latest crusade. Can't Smitherman might a point about in justice without making it about race? This was just just not necessary to try and compare.

"Here today, we have a white woman down in Clermont County who killed her daughter, clearly endangerment of a child and we have the prosecutors saying not one charge will be levied against this woman," said Smitherman.

"And, at the same time, we have a an African-American woman in Avondale who's locked up right now for leaving her children in the closet," said Smitherman. "We have a prosecutor saying he's going to lock her up for 100 years."

This does NOTHING to improve race relations and it instead divides people more.

Mom Beats the Wrap

In what is driving people across the tristate nuts, the mother who left her young daughter in her car in 100 heat will not face charges.

I just don't understand why no charges were brought. If this woman was poor and black and living in the West End, would she be locked up right now? I'll just wait now to see who uses this to push their own agenda.

P-Ridge-Gate?

Brian Garry has been off the deep end for years, but lhis atest claim of being the victim of a Watergate style break-in at HC Democratic headquarters sends him into tinfoil hat territory.

There is a little smoke to the story, however, so let's start with the general facts: someone broke into Hamilton County Democratic Headquarters (also his campaign's headquarters) and stole two computers. The computers were his campaign's and according to Garry no other campaign's, nor the party's, computers were taken. Other candidates use the offices as their campaign HQ.

What are the possible theories:

1. Someone broke into the building with the intent to steal Brian Garry's computers because they wanted to damage his campaign.
2. Someone broke into the building with the intent to disrupt the Democratic Party and happened to pick Garry's computers to steal, not knowing who they specifically belonged to.
   
3. A thief broke into a building and stole the computers, having no clue they belonged to Brian Garry or that they were in the HC Democratic Party HQ.

There is another theory I didn't want to include in the list, because it points the finger someplace else : someone from the inside of the Garry campaign did this on purpose to gain much needed attention for Garry. There is no evidence to support this, but there is no evidence to support the claim that someone was trying to hurt Garry's campaign specifically.

There are two points that would lead me to favor one view over another. First is that in the article it was reported that an air-conditioner was "kicked in" to gain access to the building. That indicates to me that it was someone not worried about being caught as much as stealing something they need. The second point is unknown by me: were Garry's computers the closest to the air-conditioner or did the thief walk past other computers to get to Garry's?

The only other thing worth investigating, if a suspect is caught, is to determine if they have any connection with anyone who is involved in Republican or conservative politics. That might provide a lead for the theory that this was an attempt to disrupt the Democrats.

More from the Enquirer.

The Future of the Enquirer?

This appeared to be a test run on Youtube (instead of the full daily update on cincinnati.com, but I think I liked the effort. I don't know if this will build viewers and ultimately readers, but I give the Enquirer credit for expanding their use of technology.

On a side note: This version is much funnier:

Follow the Money

Will Justin Jeffre do the right thing and record the political ads running on the Beacon as an in kind contribution to his campaign? If they didn't include the graphic it might not fall into the advocacy category, but hey, I don't recall the Beacon crowd being sticklers for details on what they do, only on what others do.

More Banks Protests

First we had Chris Smitherman, now we have the 4th Street Crowd complaining about certain proposals for the Banks project.

MIAMI 14, Ball St. 13

Love and honor to Miami,
Our college old and grand,
Proudly we shall ever hail thee,
Over all the land.

Alma mater now we praise thee,
Sing joyfully this lay,
Love and honor to Miami,
Forever and a day.


The Enquirer - Close game goes Miami's way

I didn't get to do this must last season, since the team was very bad. This year I have hope, at least after the first win!

Brinkman Defeated in His Anti-Gay Lawsuit

Ohio Representative Tom Brinkman had his case thrown out. Brinkman has sued to end Miami University's domestic partner medical insurance program. Brinkman's efforts were among the more cruel and hate filled efforts to hurt gays and lesbian in Ohio. Here's hoping Brinkman stops his anti-gay crusade. Not likely, I know.

Harris Anti-Poverty Plan

The Enquirer Politics blog has word on Greg Harris's plan to curb poverty in Cincinnati.

Hard Times, Hard Times Come No More

Here we have the downside of getting valid population count, we find out that over a quarter of the City live in poverty. These statistics show the real battle that is being waged in large cities across the country, one of class.

The Effects of Sprawl

It appears the Exurb of West Chester is feeling the pain of sprawl. They need government, but I would bet they'll get such a big fight to become a city and create an income tax that they would just save time by moving out now, before things eventually become so run down. Unplanned growth breeds problems that pied-eyed land developers don't mention when they get the permits to build on the farm land they buy up.

Harris on Police Reform

CityBeat has the story on Greg Harris's call for the reform of the police department. Speculation is that this will somehow hurt Greg. With whom? Do any senior police supervisors actually live in the city? The conservatives on the police force and their boosters who will be pissed about this weren't going to vote for Greg anyway. This opens up Greg to voters who are looking for two things: honest policy on the CPD and for someone willing to break with the conventional moderate Democratic wisdom about how to act with the police, unlike Cecil Thomas.

Porkopolis: Confirm This Rumor

I shall echo Greg Flannery's desire for rumor confirmation. The rumor appears to be that the Enquirer is in negotiations to buy the on-line version of the Post, and will keep it going in some form. The question is: will they keep it going as on ongoing news gathering outlet? If they just buy the website address and link it over to the Enquirer page, no big deal. If they keep an on-line news outlet with real reports writing original articles, then that is really something of note.

New Stage - New Season

New Stage Collective have announced their new season, read the details over at the Conveyor.

Blackwell Retireing from CPS

CPS superintendent Rosa Blackwell is retiring after the current school year. Her tenure has been one filled with budget woes. What type of candidate should the school board be looking for? What do the candidates for school board think?

City Council Candidates

Here's the list (pdf) of the candidates of for Cincinnati City Council that have filed:

Melanie Bates
Jeff Berding
Chris Bortz
Laketa Cole
Minette Cooper
David Crowley
John Cranley
John Eby
Pat Fischer
Andre Harper
Greg Harris
Brian Garry
Leslie Ghiz
Justin Jeffre
Joan Kaup
Sean Robert Lackey
Sam Malone
Chris Monzel
Mitch Painter
Michael Earl Patton
Steve Pavelish
Roxanne Qualls
Cecil Thomas
Charlie Winburn
Wendell Young
George Zamary

So Malone filed as did Jeffre. There are 6 independents. I'll be collecting websites for each candidate as I locate them.

[Via the Enquirer Politics blog]

Smitherman, Not Councilman

NAACP President Chris Smitherman did not file for City Council today:

Chris Smitherman, the head of the Cincinnati NAACP chapter and a former city councilman, did not file to run for city council.

The Enquirer had that as a sidebar to the additional announcement that Jim Tarbell did file his petitions to run for Cincinnati School Board. That had been rumored previously and seems a little bit strange. I guess I dont' see Jim having the drive from schools that he did for the City. I'll be interested in his platform.

Also, in yesterday's Enquirer Politics blog post about who had or was going to file to run for council there was one name they did not mention: Child Beater and Republican endorsed candidate Sam Malone. Did he file his petitions?

Dream a Different Dream

Club Dream is closed. Great news for Main Street. The promoters and club owners did not do a good job of programming and attracted the murders.

What I would like to know most, is there evidence that the murders of the two men outside of the club actually were inside. I would say all evidence points to a clear answer of yes. If the owner doesn't see why he was running a bad club, then he deserves to have it shut down.

The negative on this is for Midpoint. This is slated to be a venue for the late September music festival. As of now it is still listed as a venue. Will it be able to open up under new ownership for the festival?

Local Programming Survey

In case you've missed the obvious, Cincinnati has little local programming on our broadcast outlets. What's left? On local TV and Radio, why specific programs are actually local? If you have a list or a few programs you regularly listen to that are locally based AND the topics are locally based, post your list. Note: Sports shows count, if they cover local teams. Local talk radio counts, if they talk about local issues. I'm interested in putting together a list to see how bad it has gotten. I fear we are facing the same problem in all areas of business, where the nation corporation takes over local markets. Here the problem is that we lose out on our local culture when we have no local programming.

Vice Mayor Crowley

Mayor Mallory has accounced Councilman David Crowley will become Vice-Mayor as Jim Tarbell leaves office. The press announcement:

Cincinnati – At 1pm today, Mayor Mark Mallory announced that he will appoint Council Member David Crowley as Cincinnati's next Vice Mayor. In Crowley, Mayor Mallory chose a principled leader who shared his vision for Cincinnati and would be a strong advocate to carry out that agenda on City Council. Crowley, who has served on Council for almost six years, will replace Jim Tarbell whose resignation is effective September 3rd.

“David is the perfect choice for Cincinnati,” Mayor Mallory said. “He is a man of principal who is unafraid to stand up for what he believes. Crowley will be a strong partner in advancing my vision for Cincinnati.”

Crowley is running for re-election for his fourth and final term and is eager to begin working in his new role. "I have big shoes to fill, Jim Tarbell has done a fantastic job as a Council Member and as Vice Mayor. I am however, truly excited about the opportunity to continue to serve our great city in this expanded capacity,” said Crowley.

“I want to thank Mayor Mallory for his confidence in me and this opportunity to further serve the citizens of Cincinnati. I intend to work closely with him—as a team—on an agenda that continues the resurgence we are seeing in Cincinnati. I have a lot of experience with this town, I know the great potential we have because I’ve seen it first hand,” he added.

Crowley looks forward to continuing the close working relationship he has had with Mayor Mallory over the last two years. Highlights include working together on a budget that preserved funding for swimming pools, health centers, human services programming, and the Human Relations Commission. Additionally they combined to create the Office of Environmental Quality, which recently hired a new director and began work on strategies to reduce the City’s energy usage.

Council member Crowley intends to be a Vice Mayor who projects the positive. He acknowledges there are problems but will recognize the efforts of the many good people throughout the City who volunteer their time and work on a daily basis to make Cincinnati better. “I want to let them know that their efforts are appreciated. It is not always those who get the attention who are making a difference—I want to work closely with those who are making a contribution and making a difference.” He said.

Mayor Mallory and soon to be Vice Mayor Crowley will focus on issues that strengthen and grow Cincinnati, including improving public safety, investing in our neighborhoods, expanding economic opportunities for all, and ensuring a healthier environment.

I'm not clear if Crowley will retain the title after the November election.

Cincy Brew Ha-Ha: August 24 & 25

Yet Even More Bar News

In what will shock virtually no one, alchemize/decibel lounge is closing its doors. Hipsters are a mighty fickle bunch.

In Other Drinking News

Crowley's celebrates 70 years of drinking. This has been my favorite bar in Mt. Adams since I first starting going up the hill in the mid 1990s. I look forward to 70 more years of drinking and singing along with with Frank songs on the Jukebox.

Fifth & Vine Has Its Own Brew

Check out the Conveyor for my take on the new beer from Christian Moerlein.

Polling Council Races

Polling for Cincinnati City Council is often like reading tea leaves. This week's CityBeat digs into one such poll which shows a weak spot for at least a couple of incumbents.

I think this poll is going to lull some candidates into a false sense of security. Cole and Winburn top that list. They both appear to be trying to appeal to both the Black community and the Westside. You can win if you get votes from both camps, but those camps make for conflicting positions on issues.

I wonder who paid for this poll. The article indicates it was paid for by certain candidates. That would logically indicate that the results would be skewed to prior election results and demographics as well as to the voter base of the candidates paying for it. Since Ghiz appears to have confirmed her campaign was one of those paying for it, I would surmise this is a GOP poll. This is why I think Winburn did so well.

The article points out that this poll was conducted prior to the Qualls appointment, so the details of the poll are moot, but the trend of vulnerable incumbents is still likely valid.

As of now I only see two locks and one near lock on council seats: Cranley and Qualls are locks, with Crowley nearly a lock. The other six seats are not locked in the least. There are many candidates who could slide into one of those six spots. It is possible that Cole and Winburn fall short. They more than likely will win, but they will both need to campaign for it, not just go through the motions. Winburn will have the money to, will Cole?

Ghiz, Monzel, Berding, Bortz and Thomas all could easily lose. I would say at least two of the three will. Who else gets on council? Here is where the candidates who run the most vocal and solid campaigns get the edge. Harris, Bates, and Kaup have the potential. Smitherman likely will fade from his attention in this poll. Cooper could ride her name into office if the turnout goes her way. It will be a big fight and I see it getting nasty.

If there are campaign staffers out there reading this, please make sure you provide sources when you "lead" dirt on your opponents. What ever blog or journalist you give them will most likely not post anything about it without some support for its validity.

The Banks Going Bust?

Kevin Osborne from CityBeat has the latest on the Banks project and to no one's surprise, the developers want more money and more time to finish the project.

OK, I am ready to give up on it. I want the park to be built, but I don't see that there will be any benefit to building a new neighborhood from scratch. It will not be done for decades. Let's take that money and build up Downtown, Over-the-Rhine and the rest of the urban core that can be restored quickly. Buildings and entire blocks of OTR can be restored for far less money in a matter of a couple of years. Give the Money to 3CDC to bring more residents to existing neighborhood blocks. More residents bring more retail which brings more jobs. The people pushing for the Banks at this point are exurbanites who want a place to go spend a few hours before and after the Bengals/Reds games. It is not worth millions of public dollars to give non-county residents a twice a year place to drink beer.

Battle of the Network Weeklies

I didn't know this before I arrived to check out Game Show Night (every Wednesday on Fountain Square), but I was to witnessr a grudge match of epic proportions as CityBeat faced off against arch rival Cin Weekly.

In a hard fought battle of Fountain Square Family Feud, the CityBeat Team soundly defeated the Cin Weekly Team. It wasn't really close.



Lots of thinking went into each question. Some of the answers were clever. On naming local beers one person answered "Pabst." On the other team one player came up with the classic answer to naming a dish soap: "cheese." Yes, that contestant had made several trips to the beer booth.

As a neutral observer, I can attest that both teams had fun. I didn't hear about any trash talk, but I was certainly hoping for some. Let's hope we can see a rematch soon. I would like to see the editors square off in a battle of trivia.

Club Nightmare

Another person was murdered near Club Dream in OTR early this morning. This isn't the first time this has happened. Exactly three weeks ago in nearly the same place at nearly the same time, an employee of Club Dream was murdered.

What is the problem here? Who is running this club on Wednesday nights? What type of atmosphere is being created to attract this type of violence? Why isn't the club hiring security, and when I say security I mean off duty police officers, not a big guy who can fight. What Club Dream must do is stop catering to criminals. Keep out the drug dealers (or the wanna be dealers).

UPDATE: The Enquirer has more on the story, including the identity of the victim: 22 year old Bryan Couch, of Western Hills.

Top Cats Closed

Bars come and go and Top Cats on Short Vine is reportedly closed.

New Blog in Town

We have yet another new Cincinnati based blog. It is billed as a "Blurg," which I guess is defined in the About Page. Does the About page really need to include a swipe at me? (Cough, Cough)

Joe Wessels: Justin Jeffre Running

Joe Wessels is reporting that Justin Jeffre is running for city council. I have no idea why he is doing this. This would be the third time he has run for a Cincinnati area public office. His name recognition hasn't been enough for him to make any significant dent in actually getting votes. There are no reports that he will be able to raise any money, so I see this as a replay of his run for Mayor. He still is not on the ballot, so, there is no guarantee he will make the deadline for signatures a week from Friday.

Joe's Post article today will have more on the rest of the field.

UPDATE: Westender brings up a great question on comments: Is Jeffre getting the Green Party Endorsement?

Midpoint Schedule Is Out

The Midpoint Music Festival has announced the showcase schedule for all bands during the festival.

Mike Breen has more on the conference and pre-parties.

Long Tall Cincy

UncleRando asks a good question Is a New Signature Tower Needed here in Cincinnati? I would would parse this question into two distinct parts. First, does the Cincinnati Skyline Needs a new high point? Second, does Cincinnati's office space market needs another skyscraper?

Wendell Young In It To Win It

Joe Wessels is doing great first hand reporting and the news that Wendell Young is not stepping aside for Roxanne Qualls. Read all about it on Joe's blog.

Questions: Will Cooper or Garry be asked to step down? Garry has a team out campaigning and has been visible. I've not seen much from Cooper yet.

More Qualls Fallout

Joe Wessels is reporting that the Dems may endorse Roxanne Qualls for Council. That would mean one candidate would not retain that endorsement. Joe reports the rumor that Wendell Young will be stepping down as a candidate. Young was a long shot candidate, who has not be garnishing much attention.

Will a double endorsement help, hurt, or do nothing for Qualls?

Art Academy Growing

The Art Academy of Cincinnati is expanding its campus with the recent purchase of the building adjacent to their Jackson St. location. This new building at the corner of 12th and Walnut was most recently owned by Fifth Third Bank.

The article doesn't indicate when this new building will open, but with it the 12th street Arts corridor increases its footprint.

Turn Them In

Nothing should be stopping people from turning in the mindless thugs who killed a 19 year old kid and defiled the efforts of hundreds of people to have a day of peace and community building. Solving the violence problem in Cincinnati starts with those who know about this crime (and other like it), turning in the criminals. You don't have a functional community if you don't adhere to the most serious law on the books, murder. Avondale and Evanston are two good communities infested with fear and ignorance that keeps murderers on the streets. I truly hope they are caught quickly.

It's Roxanne

Roxanne Qualls is the pick to to replace Jim Tarbell on City Council on September 3rd.

Qualls is believed to be a lock now for a council win. This hurts ever incumbent but Cranley, to a degree. Some think Bates, Harris, and Kaup will actually benefit from Qualls' coattails. I don't know if Council Race have significant coattails, but if Charter groups the candidates together, there might be a growing voting block that could help. This will not help Bate or Kaup with money.

Local Business Group Fronted by GOP

You are not going to get much more of a hardline Conservative than Steve Chabot's chief of staff. Chabot's office hasn't been doing anything the last 8 years to promote the City of Cincinnati or Downtown, so I don't see Gary Lindgren doing much to improve Downtown or anywhere in the City.

The CBC should be a group pushing for Street cars and light rail. Will this guy do anything to help that along? I don't know, but expect him not to push for anything that would improve the way of life that doesn't fit a conservative agenda. If I am wrong about that, it will be a welcomed surprise.

Forty Under 40

This year's Business Courier of Cincinnati Forty Under 40 winners have been announced.

Tarbell to Resign

Jim Tarbell is reportedly resigning from Council.

The Enquirer has the story. Speculation will now fly as to whom will be appoint to council. The assumption is that it will be either Joan Kaup or Melanie Bates. I will not be betting on Joan Kaup. Word on the street is that she's not the pick. Logically she is heir apparent to Tarbell on the issues. She is the top advocate for Downtown, OTR, and arts currently running. The PTB may see Bates as more of an establishment candidate and better able to capitalize on being an incumbent. Would she have to resign from the School Board? If it is not one of these two, then Charter is corrupt.

Also, Who is going to be the next Vice Mayor? Cranley?

Sheriff's In Town

Has Over-the-Rhine changed over the last year? One place I don't see a real change is in front of the Jordan market at 12th and Main Street.

Who Wrote the Headlie?

Bias in the media comes in many ways. One way is in the language that is used. In today's Enquirer we get this headline Unborn baby dies in wreck. The article lead reads as follows:

"A woman was seriously injured and her fetus died in a two-car accident on U.S. Route 50 in Clermont County on Saturday, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol."

I would like to know if the Editor who wrote this headline would come forward and explain why "unborn" was used instead of "fetus" and why the injury of the women doesn't rate part of the headline? This plays into the propaganda war that has surrounded the abortion debate. In Cincinnati it is my opinion that the local media, particularly the Enquirer, either have editors putting their bias into headlines or story choice, or if not their own opinion, they are playing into the significant extreme anti-abortion readership in the Cincinnati area.

UPDATE: The updated Store on Monday had an updated headline: Crash kills unborn child.

Pete, Please Excuse This

Via comments here's a video slide show opposing all current and former elected officials running for Cincinnati City Council. It is is a totally improbable and unwise to have 9 members of council with no experience in public office trying to run the city. That might be the Mayor's Dream, but it would be disaster. The video is fun, though.

Cincy Blues Fest Tonight and Saturday

Don't forget to check out the Cincinnati Blues Festival tonight. This year one of the highlights is the King Records Tribute Stage, which occurs tonight. For info, check out Cincyblues.org.

AFL-CIO Council Endorsements

CityBeat has reported the Union's endorsement list for Cincinnati City Council. I hope those not happy with the fiscal five understand that the AFL-CIO endorsed two of that lot: Berding and Cole. Why was Wendell Young not endorsed? I know they have to love Smitherman for his anti-business stance on the Banks project, but does that warrant dumping Young?

Anti-Jail Tax Has the Signatures

Surprisingly the motley crew of stumbled their issue onto the ballot.

Why isn't anyone questioning the deadline to turn in signatures they appeared to determine on their own?

Top TwoThree Best Blogs Announced

I thought this was supposed to be after today's conference, but a big congratulations go out to Drew Steinbrecher and Michelle Lentz for their respective blogs www.drew-o-rama.com/designcincinnati and www.wine-girl.net, who "tied" for best blog.

I guess they are giving away three iPones since the article lists Kevin Dugan of prblog.typepad.com, as the Chamber member winner.

Vote for CityBeat's Theatre CEAs

The 11th Annual event takes place on Monday August 27th. I can't find the voting deadline anywhere, but it surely is very soon so hit the CEA website and get your vote in.

Made The Enquirer

The Top Ten Cincinnati blogs hit the Enquirer today. There are some really good blogs out there. Most of the other nine I've read before, but not all. Hit the link and have a read. I'll likely add most of these to my blogroll. If you are the 10 best, you deserve to be on the blogroll.

Top 10 Cincinnati Blogs

The Chamber has announced their top 10 (not in order):

The Top 10 Best Blogs In Cincinnati USA As Named
By The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber And CincyTechUSA

"Building Cincinnati," blogger Kevin LeMaster, coverage of Cincinnati development news, http://buildingcincinnati.blogspot.com

"Cincinnati Blog," blogger Brian Griffin, political and progressive news and opinion in Cincinnati, http://cincinnati.blogspot.com/

"DesignCincinnati," blogger Drew Steinbrecher, design and architecture highlights around the region, http://www.drew-o-rama.com/designcincinnati

"Fort's Cancer Sux," blogger Melissa McLaughlin, Melissa's (Fort's) inspiring journal of her quest to beat stage-four breast cancer, http://fortscancersux.blogspot.com

"Freckle Photo," blogger Melissa Speelman, outstanding photo journal by a local art teacher documenting her family, friends, and classroom activities, http://www.frecklephoto.com

"Each Note Secure," blogger Joe Long, WOXY.com staffer who has his finger directly on the pulse of the music world in Cincinnati USA and beyond, http://www.eachnotesecure.com

"Lance McAlister," blogger Lance McAlister, arguably the premier overall sports blog in Cincinnati USA and the No. 1 fan site of Pittsburgh-bound lightning bolt Valerie Abati, http://1530homer.com/pages/lancesBlog.html

"My Wine Education," blogger Michelle Lentz, very tasty site about the local and worldwide wine scene, http://www.wine-girl.net

"Patent Baristas," blogger Stephen Albainy-Jenei, provides pertinent information about intellectual property topics, http://patentbaristas.com

"Strategic Public Relations," blogger Kevin Dugan, insights on the latest in PR developments and issues locally and globally, http://prblog.typepad.com

The two over all winners will be announced on Thursday. Good luck to all!

More here.

Latest Round of Nate v. CityBeat

With this blog post Kevin Osborne appears to be debating Nate, not reporting news. If this is only blog content and doesn't make the print edition, that's fine. It doesn't help his journalistic reputation by getting involved into a high level flame war. My advice, don't stoop to Nate's level. Nate may be wrong on a minor point, but his overall position on the issue was correct. Quiveling over minor points is petty.

Big Mo

You want evidence of the revitalization of Downtown? Well, the Front Page of Today's Enquirer provides exhibit A: huge growth in the backstage/Fountain Square area. This is a great first step. The next step is to build up the number of residents. It will take more people living in Downtown/OTR to then increase the retail. It sounds simple. It will take time and follow through.

Come on in, the water's fine

I'm not inviting you to my new home in Over-the-Rhine (let's be real), but I invite you to join me in moving to the general Downtown area. I closed on my condo this past week, so I have taken the full plunge into being part of the revitalization that has gained huge amounts of steam. No matter how many people have huge anti-city bricks on their shoulders, we shall succeed in improving the urban core of Cincinnati.

OK, some of you will scoff at this. I guess your fears run your life or you are already 95 years old or act like it and don't want leave your house, except to go get your hair cut or make the early bird special at Denny's. For the rest of you who think you really can't make that change or are just a little concerned, make the leap, it will be worth it.

Breen on Locals

A very nice blog post from CityBeat's Mike Breen on the local music scene. I chuckled heavily at his contemplation of what the hell is the name of the bar on Spring Grove with the alchemize sign on it. Over all Mike digs into the fun and promising elements of Cincinnati's Music scene. Guess what, there is life after the Heartless Bastards and Greenhornes!

Keep in mind Midpoint is coming up. It is not too early to plan ahead. Check out the fest here: www.mpmf.com.

Best Blog

You know you want to nominate me for the Cincinnati USA's Best Blog Competition.

Smitherman Liberation Front

I am waiting for the Liberation Front for Smitherman to issue a contrary press release the counter the revolutionary action the Smitherman campaign has undertaken. Smitherman now has put himself into such a small box, he will be lucky to break 15th place in the race. He has alienated 3/4ths of his potential constituency, and I do see that 1/4th with much drive to come out and vote.

Molly Malone Confusion

Ok, how does this Molly Malone buying Jack Quinn's relate, if at all to the Molly Malone's in Pleasant Ridge. According to the article, I would guess no direct relationship, but??

It is great news that Jack Quinn's is opening up and again. The footnote on a possible replacement for Donna's is great for this corner of Covington.

Smitherman Insanity Continues

Nate takes on Smitherman his blogger by proxy Jason Haap. The battle at this point is rather one sided. Say what you want about Nate (there are many problems with his actions and views), but he is a smart guy, much smarter than the Beacon crowd. It is rather like a joust, but with meek men without the honor. It is still entertaining.

Where is Bronson's Anti CCV Article?

Peter Bronson once again whines about personal liberty but does nothing to oppose the anti-liberty CCV. If Bronson wants to support liberty so much, I ill be waiting for he column against the CCV crusade against porn and gays. It will not appear, but I'll wait to say he gives a damn about liberty until then.

NAACP Says Smitherman Should Step Down

First, don't doubt a Judge. Second, the NAACP national office has told the Enquirer that policy requires Smitherman step down now as President of local NAACP, at least until the outcome of the election is known. Then the local organization would determine if he could continue to serve as President.

The Enquirer blog post does note that the NAACP spokesman did change his story from prior contact, so the blame for the mixed up information falls at the feet of Richard McIntire.

Hire Someone, Will Ya?

In the story about the suspenstion of three Job and Family Services Workers there is a small detail that should be the focus of the problem with how the 3,500 cases in the system are administered:

Hamilton County recently implemented reforms to improve operations at the Department of Job and Family Services.

However, they point to the fact each case worker handles about 25 cases a piece, higher than the national average. On top of that, there is a thirty percent vacancy rate in the department.

What is preventing the County from hiring people to fill an understaffed department? A few open positions is natural for any organization, but nearly ONE THIRD of the department? If these position are needed and they are budgeted, FILL THEM NOW! We don't need to endanger more kids because we have a slow hiring process.

Anyone See This?

I ask if anyone saw the people having sex in the Central Parkway Median, but I understand that you may be filled with too much of a mix of disgust and uncontrollable giggles to reply. I would also surmise the "couple" was not very attractive, so that might have left witnesses with haunting images that they would rather forget.

Seriously, what the hell were these people thinking? When people say "Get a Room" in this case I don't think he could have had more of a poignant meaning.

Brinkman Called a Criminal

State Rep. Tom Brinkman Jr.(R) was chastised by Republican Judge Ruehlman for his culpability in the election fraud two women plead guilty to on Thursday. Brinkman and his CCV allies have faced harsh criticism for the false signatures submitted in an effort to remove the City Ordinance protecting Gay and Lesbians from discrimination. Here is what the Judge had to say about Brinkman:

“He’s the real criminal,” Ruehlman said. “What he did is terrible, almost defrauding. A layer of foundation of our democracy is voting and free elections. To cheat the voting system… he’s a state rep on top of that…”

Now, if for some strange reason Tom gets into the race for Congress, I expect to see the phrase "He’s the real criminal" repeated again and again and again.

CityBeat Fires Back

Kevin Osborne fires back in the ongoing disagreement over whether Chris Smitherman is allowed to run and hold office while President of the local NAACP.

If he is allowed to or not by the National NAACP is in the end a red herring. The fact that Smitherman wants both jobs is a clear sign he is not a good candidate for either position. Pick your battles and pick your focus.

WOXY Going HD with WVXU

Great news for Indie music radio fans with the announcement that WOXY.com will be broadcast on HD Radio via WVXU's HD signal. Yes, like Kiesewetter stated in the post, I went right on-line to price out HD radios. They are not cheap and there are not many I found that are not built for your car.

More from Mike Breen at CityBeat.

P-Ridge Council Kinda Fishy

Things up on the Pleasant Ridge Community Council look a little bit strange with the ‘Endorsement’ of Fischer in council's newsletter. Non-Profits are not allow to do that. I don't know how you punish this group or if you really want too. It is almost the type of slap on the wrist thing that hits no one personally. The issue to consider is what Fischer himself new about this article. He should be asked about it and fess up if he knew it was being published.

The Cincinnati Post Makes It Official

To no one's surprise the Cincinnati Post announced they will end publication December 31st. The paper has been slowly bleeding off staff for the last three years, but this town will lose out on good media competition. The Enquirer has become nothing but fluff filled and will continue to not care about reporting news, and instead care more about giving shallow people something to talk about at the gym.

Eating Their Own Kind

It is very fun to watch Republicans attack other Republicans. What is say is that one of the Republicans has finally woken up about the War in Iraq. The other Republicans are so insanely blinded by blood lust they cling to myths of why we got into Iraq and the simple fact that the Iraq War has created 1,000 times more terrorism than it has prevented.

It should be a shock that this comes from Peter Bronson. I honestly think the man takes some kind of mind treatments ever night before he has his warm milk. Maybe its just the warm milk that makes him so delusional? Either way it is clear that John McCain does sound insane, based on Bronson's rumor spreading. Glad he is not going to be President.

Schmidt In Trouble?

All Phil Heimlich really needs to beat Jean Schmidt in the primary is enough money. At this point he has more than Schmidt and so do both Democrats.

Getting Nasty

Inside the Jail-tax pro-ballot issue camp, things are getting very heated.

Counting

It appears someone has a problem with math.

Midpoint: First Wave of Bands Listed

The 2007 Midpoint Music Festival has posted the initial listing of bands for this September's festival. The final listing is expected this month.

Additionally, the festival schedule is out and two pre-party events have artists: Friday Night - Forget Cassettes, Saturday - Oh My God. The artist showcase schedule is not posted yet.

Keep an eye on www.TheConveyor.com for fresh perspectives on this year's Midpoint.

George Zamary's Website Is Up

Council Candidate George Zamary has his campaign webiste up and running.

Council Predictions - As of Now

Nate Livingston analyzes the race for city council and categorizes the candidates into the likelihood of getting elected.

I disagree with Nate on two big fronts. First I don't see Winburn and Fischer are as big a locks as he thinks. Charlie Winburn has a good chance, but I put him in the pack at best even with Monzel and Ghiz. I still see Fischer as another Barb Trauth, with all the money and no message.

Secondly and more importantly, this race is far more open than he infers. In 2005 vote difference between the #3 spot and the #9 spot was less than 3,000 votes. The top two(Cranley and Tarbell) won far and away. That leaves the rest in a very narrow pack. None of the rest are stellar returning candidates and they all have negatives. I think they all have an advantage over the non-incumbents, of course, but I don't see any of them with a leg up at this point over the really strong group of endorsed challengers.

I'm also not sure why Nate but Mitch Painter into the higher tier candidates. Both Thomas and Malone have a far better chance than the rookie. His name will help in a small way, but when people see a young guy standing up to speak at forums, I don't know if they are going to take him seriously.

I myself at this point think we will have at least 3 new faces on council, maybe more. Which 2 or more incumbents will lose is the 100,000 dollar question.

Why Move the Ohio Primary?

I find no good reason to move the Ohio Primary to January. Sen. Eric H. Kearney's rational for why we should move it hollow and weak:

"I believe it is critical that Ohioans have a voice in who the presidential nominees are before it is a foregone conclusion,'' Kearney said.

A voice? When about 10 or more states have either moved or are planning on moving their primary to January, Ohio's voice would be part of a choir and we would have to scream. Leave the primary where it is.

If Kearney which to increase Ohio's voice, I suggest he work to make it easier to register to vote and help get people to the polls on election day.

Were Any Signatures Forged?

The number jumped pretty high in a day from what was reported. I guess someone was holding some back from the media to try and make a bigger splash or does someone have writer's cramp really bad this morning?

It would be very interesting to see what group got more signatures, the Greenies/NAACP side or the COAST side of this marriage made in Hell.

Dunk Berding

Today 12:30 PM at 5915 Ridge Road during the Pleasant Ridge Parade and Festival Councilman Jeff Berding will be sitting in their dunking booth. Get in line now!

Hashers On the Loose!

Do We Need a New Jail?

In the jail-tax debate we have lost track of this question. Is there any debate on this? I honestly do not know if we need a new jail or if Si Leis just wants another toy to play with.

If we need a new jail, we need funding for it. If we don't need a new jail, we don't need the funding for it. That to me makes the tax issue moot. If we need the jail, we need the tax increase. If we don't need the jail, we don't need the tax increase. We can debate the details of the tax increase and who it impacts for 100 years, that still doesn't get to the fundamental issue.

I honestly do not know if we need one or not? Anyone want to speak to this?

Local Costume Maker Destroyed By Fire

Horrible news for the Cincinnati Costume Co. which had a total loss at their University Heights warehouse.

As Rick Pender notes, The Cincinnati Costume Co. provided costumes to many local theaters. A benefit at Jersey Productions take places. More details are here.

UrbanCincy: The NEW Downtown Cincinnati

UncleRando at UrbanCincy has a great post summarizing the massive wave of development happening in Downtown Cincinnati. People are starting to wake up. About a week and a half ago I was down on Fountain Square after a Reds game on a Saturday Night. It was filled with people watching a movie at 10 PM. filled with lots of families! On the way home I walked by the massive line at the Cadillac Ranch. Things are changing and there is more come.

The Money

The first money reports have been filed and the usual suspects have the bucks.

I don't remember last time around, but David Crowley has raised a ton of money, but he has little on hand. I would surmise that has to do with debt from the last campaign?

If you are not on this list at all, it will be extremely difficult to even come close to getting on council.

What's New? Nada!

It didn't take long to replace Bella's location and the group behind Boca in Oakley filling it with Nada, an upscale Mexican Restaurant. It will be interesting what they do, or able to do, with the corner patio space. It is a little bit funny in the article to hear Jeff Ruby complaining about competition.

Streetcar Blog: Connect Our Dots

A nice looking niche blog called Connect Our Dots, which has a group of advocates for Streetcars in Cincinnati.

Check it out and I hope to link to their efforts often.

Anyone Know This Guy?

It appears a Cincinnati man named David Zakaryan was charged with possessing a knife while being outside the hotel Sen. Barack Obama was staying at in Iowa.

This story also hit the the Sun Times, but his name was listed as Davit Zakaryn.

Westender: Smitherman's Challenge

Clark Street Blog's Westender summerizes the problem with Chris Smitherman. It is good and can speak for itself.

Kaup Gets 500

Joan Kaup is reportedly the first candidate to have their ballot signatures approved.

Korte's Analysis of Smitherman's Chances

Greg Korte analyzes Chris Smitherman's chances to get elected.

Open Up the YP World

Joe Wessels latest Post column from Saturday delved deeper into the YP world and the problems with those involved. Joe liked my post from last weekend and referenced it in his column and the City Talk radio show from last weekend.

When I listened to the radio show I was floored when one of the guests, YPKC chair Candace Klein, had no idea about the disconnect between native Cincinnatians and the rest of "us". Unless you live in a vacuum, it is most clear that a large portion of those who grew up in Cincinnati don't do much to meet or interact with people who are new to town. Now, this is NOT EVERYONE! I know many native Cincinnatians who are my friends and who do go out of their way to meet new people. It is the type of problem that is very obvious and something I am surprised the YPKC leader either never noticed or is papering over.

One of the goals of YP groups, and especially the YPKC, is to attract more YP "types" to the City. If over half of the people who are in your age bracket just don't care enough to meet anyone outside of their high school or college friends, then how are we going to ultimately improve the YP climate?

Hip HB's Rule 14th Street | The Conveyor

Here's my take on the Heartless Bastard's show in Over-the-Rhine this past Friday.

More Census Disputes

Mayor Mark Mallory is challenging Cincinnati's population estimate from US Census. He believes there are more than 378,000 people in the city, which stems from the Social Contract study.

Are we that large? That is 40,000+ more than the revised census estimate.

His Ego Dwarfs His Brain

Well, it appears Chris Smitherman needs to read the NAACP rules before it tries to hold both an elected public office and a leadership role in the NAACP. Now, this concept is moot, since Smitherman will lose, but it goes to illustrate that he will do what ever it takes to further his personal interests over that of the organization he claims to represent.

Refering to his run for council, Marian Spencer said it best:

Marian Spencer, another longtime chapter member who supported Smitherman in his candidacy to take over the group, said the move would be “inappropriate.”

It is plain as day that Smitherman is in the race to further his own career.

New Blog The 'Nati Life

I've added another blog to blogroll, check out The 'Nati Life.