Tuesday, July 1 2014

  • Bob McDonald to Fix the VA? What does that mean for Cincinnati?

    Bob McDonald is Obama's new pick to head up the numerous issues facing the VA. And while that's super exciting, some are starting to question what impact this new role will have on the interests he's already involved in here at home. Specifically, his work at Centrifuse and the special task force recently organize the address the preservation and rehabilitation of some of the city's most notable landmarks.

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  • Stick a Fork In It– Lavomatic is Cooked

    Lavomatic Café, a cornerstone of the revitalization movement in OTR has closed. While this turn of events comes with some sadness for its faithful patrons, the writing was on the wall as many diners commonly opted for some of the newer additions to Vine Street's culinary lineup. Moving in to capitalize on the vacancy are the Lanni brothers who are responsible for some of Lavomatic's stiffest competition, the Eagle and Bakersfield. The concept for the new restaurant hasn't been finalized but the duo hopes to open by October.

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  • Hamilton County Abortion Clinic in Trouble

    A Hamilton County magistrate ordered a Sharonville abortion clinic to shut its doors despite a judge’s opinion that the clinic should remain open. The clinic was denied a request for an exemption of a state rule that requires outpatient surgery centers to have a transfer agreement with a local hospital. Since taking office in 2012, Gov. John Kasich has closed 7 of 14 abortion clinics in Ohio.

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  • Tax Burden Shifting from Businesses to Homeowners

    Since 1991 homeowners and farmers have slowly felt an increase in their tax dollars being used to fund Ohio’s school system. In 2007 close to 70 percent of the money used to support local schools came from homeowners and farmers, a dramatic increase from 46 percent in 1991. The extra burden on homeowners and farmers is a result of phasing out the tax on the tangible personal property of businesses and commercial properties.

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  • Ohio Could be Shipping Natural Gas Westward

    The owners of the Rockies Express Pipeline have applied for federal permits to move natural gas originating in Ohio along the Ohio River westward toward Illinois. The application is a result of the possible large fracking business that is starting to take shape in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

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Thursday, July 3 2014

  • Hotel at the Banks May Be Coming Next

    City planners and developers for the Banks project downtown are working hard to bring an upscale hotel to the development space. Hot on the heels of the recent announcement that GE will be building and housing up to 2,000 employees on the site, a hotel seems like a logical progression for the mixed-use space which continues to grow into a fantastic area for sports fans and business leaders alike.

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  • Wasson Way Trail Designs Take Shape

    Local design firm KZF Design released a study on Wasson Way that concluded construction of Wasson Way Trail would cost around $7.5 million for a walking and biking trail and $36 million for a light rail line adjacent to the trail. KZF estimated the trail would connect eight Cincinnati neighborhoods and about 100,000 residents with more than 100 miles of trail.

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  • Ohio Budget in the Black

    When Ohio Gov. John Kasich took office he promised to bring Ohio’s budget back in the black. He kept good on that promise as the state ended the first half of the two-year budget with an $800 million surplus. Republicans quickly stashed that money aside, however, to cover the acceleration of the personal income tax in last year’s budget, according to WVXU.

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  • Get Ready for Woodward Theater This Fall

    The owners of MOTR Pub in OTR are one step closer to finalizing plans for rehabilitation of the historic Woodward Theatre. Yesterday they announced they had secured the final $1.25 MM in funding they need to complete the project. The venue, which will seat about 600 people and is located directly across Main Street from MOTR is expected to house musical performances as early as this fall.

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  • Kentucky Gay Marriage Ban is Unconstitutional

    This week the Commonwealth of Kentucky was denied the right to ban same-sex marriages in the state thanks to a ruling passed down by federal judge John G. Heyburn II. This is just one of several similar rulings around the country, which contend that state bans infringe on same-sex couples' equal protection under the US constitution.

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Tuesday, July 8 2014

  • COAST Argues City Should Foot the Bill on Music Hall and Union Terminal Work

    To literally no one's surprise- COAST, the local conservative group virulently opposed to taxes in any shape or form, has announced its plans to fight the proposed quarter percent sales tax increase currently being considered by Hamilton County Commissioners. The increase will go to fund rehabilitations of two of the city's most notable landmarks, Music Hall and Union Terminal. The group's chief argument is that the buildings are owned by the city and thus should not put county taxpayers on the hook for the repairs.

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  • Officials Want Your Input on Zoning Updates

    Tonight at 6:30, Cincinnati Officials are holding a public forum where they're encouraging residents to weigh on plans to rezone certain neighborhoods throughout the city. The updated zoning map will define what businesses and/or residences can go where.

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  • Live Music Returning to Ludlow Garage

    A once-famous music venue will be returning to its roots after Olives on Ludlow announced their last opening day as a restaurant will be July 20. The building will be turned into a live music venue named Live at the Ludlow Garage, an homage to its famous namesake when it was run by Jim Tarbell in the early 1970s. The owners hope to have live acts performing by mid-November.

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  • Cincinnati’s ChoreMonster Tapped by Disney to Join Accelerator Program

    Cincinnati startup ChoreMonster was recently selected to join 10 other startups at the Disney Accelerator program and will receive up to $120,000 in investment and access to executives from Disney, Pixar and other high-profile entertainment companies. Disney selected companies that sat at the intersection of technology and entertainment to join its accelerator program.

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  • Plagued Eastern Corridor Project Could be Finished

    Despite hours of meetings, a plethora or protests and four decades of planning, the Eastern Corridor project could be coming to an end. The original goals of the project were to lessen the congestion between downtown and eastern Hamilton and Clermont counties, but a lack of money and organization has plagued the project from the start.

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Thursday, July 10 2014

  • Plans for New GE Building Are Boring

    Plans for the new GE Global Operations Center on the banks have received lackluster response from the Urban Design Review Board– apparently the board members are not impressed. WVXU reports that the architectural plans show a plain facade that just isn't "distinctive enough".

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  • First Batch Accelerator Invests in Physical Goods

    There’s a number of Internet accelerators in Cincinnati all of which trade their much-needed money for an equity stake in a start-up’s business, but one accelerator focuses on manufactured phsyical products instead. First Batch is a four-month accelerator program that partners entrepreneurs with manufacturers and $8,000 in grant funding to jumpstart the production of a new product. Ohio Valley Beard Supply, a company that creates beard elixirs, and Switcher, which creates multiple camera controls, are just two of this year’s crop of students at First Batch.

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  • Guy Fieri Shuts Down and Eats His Way Through Three OTR Restaurants

    Television celebrity and maligned restrauranteur Guy Fieri visited three Over-the-Rhine restaurants Wednesday for his Diners, Drive-ins and Dives show. The bleach-blonde glutton ate his way through Taste of Belgium, Bakersfield OTR and the Senate. All three restaurants were closed at various times throughout the day while Fieri sampled their grub.

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  • The Transformation of a Historic OTR Church

    It seems like almost daily we hear about new developments and additions to OTR's landscape of funky art-boutiques, breweries and nightlife spots. Today's installment is a project that's been in the works for more than 12 years– a $4.5MM renovation of historic St. Johns church on Elm Street. The folks responsible envision a multipurpose meeting space for weddings and concerts as well as a public bar on the first floor.

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  • Cincinnati Gardens: A Venue for the Ages

    Cincinnati Gardens, the aging event venue that has stood for a generation was once home to such acts as the The Beatles and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. It's this heritage that CityBeat has highlighted in a recent post detailing the current state and history of the iconic venue that, while still active has been on a downward decline for some time. It's for sale too, in case you're interested.

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Thursday, July 17 2014

  • Cincinnati's Gon' Country

    Buckle yourself in country music fans, this weekend is going to get rowdy. Starting tomorrow night, Sawyer Point is going to get a little bit country with the inaugural installment of Buckle Up, the second music festival to hit the tri-state in as many weeks. Fresh on the heels of the successful Bunbury shindig, the multi-stage riverfront event will host such headliners as Alabama, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris and more.

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  • Streetcar On Budget and On Time

    Despite its tumultuous start, the Cincinnati streetcar project is on budget and on time. Construction on the $133-million project has been steady for a year, but with an opening date of 2016 there is still plenty of work to be done. The streetcar and its 3.6 mile route will cost about $3.8 million in annual revenue costs. Keep your eyes peeled for Sept. 15, 2016 when the project’s first riders are scheduled to board.

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  • Metro Exec Resigns Abruptly Tuesday

    Business Courier reports that the CEO of Metro, the regional transit agency for Southwest Ohio has resigned, effective immediately. With little detail included, some are wondering what happened and what the immediate implications are of Terry Garcia Owens decision to leave and return to the transit industry. While a national search for her replacement ensues, Darryl Haley, Metro's director of development will serve in the role during the interim.

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  • Kentucky IDs Don't Comply With New Regulations

    Kentucky residents should plan to pack additional forms of identification when traveling this fall thanks to upcoming security provisions which may render their state issued IDs unacceptable for such routine activities as air travel. Thanks to legislation passed in 2005, the new regulations are aimed at making it more difficult to obtain fradulent identification. For states like Kentucky, who haven't gotten their act together in the ensuing near-decade, residents may be the ones to suffer the consequences.

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  • Eden Park Brewery Plans on Hiatus

    Plans to turn Eden Park’s dilapidated, run-down 19th century water pump station into a brewery are on hiatus until City Council and Mayor John Cranley can come together on a deal for the property. Council and Cranley shelved the deal to give the property to its potential owners for $1 and would protect the city from owning the building if the brewery would fail. The owners of the potential brewery hope to get a vote scheduled to move things along on Aug. 6.

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Tuesday, July 22 2014

  • Autopsy Concludes No Foul Play in UC Student Suicide

    Officials have released details of Brogan Dulle's autopsy report indicating no-foul play was involved in his death. Dulle, the subject of a massive, tri-state missing person's search disappeared last May in a seemingly random and surprising turn of events that ended in a vacant house next to his Clifton apartment building. Family and friends who knew him were stupefied and insisted that he was either kidnapped or murdered. Hopefully, this new detail can provide some closure for the many people who were touched by the story.

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  • Who Are the Downtown Parachuters?

    If you saw five parachuters circling around downtown yesterday, you’re not alone. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, five people parachuted around the downtown skies and landed on top of the parking garage at 4th and Elm close to 10 a.m. Monday. It’s unclear whether or not the parachuters came from a plane or a building, although a video on Youtube shows parachuters BASE jumping from the Carew Tower.

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  • Union Terminal, Music Hall Rehab Work Needs Another $10MM

    Hamilton County officials have received a report indicating that the proposed rehabilitation efforts for the aging Music Hall and Union Terminal buildings were off by about 3 percent. The additional costs are intended for contingencies and additional construction work and are not viewed as a major obstacle by committee members. Meanwhile, the collective head of COAST, the ultra conservative group of hawks opposed to additional taxes and spending, just exploded.

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  • New Brewery Mural Adorns Heritage Trail

    A new dramatic mural located in Over-the-Rhine’s Brewery District will help tell the story of Cincinnati’s brewing history when it is completed Aug. 1. The mural was designed by Keith Neltner and is being painted by Neltner and 14 others at 131 E. McMicken Avenue, home of the former Scmidt Brothers/Crown Brewery. It is the first of three art installations to honor the Brewing Heritage Trail.

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  • Brandery Announces 2014 Class

    The Brandery has announced the 12 companies participating in its 2014 operating class. Each of the 14 companies receive $20,000 in investment funds, branding and marketing advice and other perks associated with belonging to the program. This year’s batch of companies include: LuckyPennie, a company that uses algorithms and recommendations to help users find live music; Keego, a marketplace that helps translators find clients; Peerio, a Cincinnati company that recommends places for people to meet; and many more.

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Thursday, July 24 2014

  • Proposed Union Terminal, Music Hall Tax Debated By Hundreds

    Hamilton County Commissioners convened yesterday as audience to a standing-room-only crowd as supporters and opponents of a proposed 0.25%, 9 year sales-tax increase was debated. The tax revenue is intended to help fund the rehabilitation of two of the city's most iconic buildings, Music Hall and Union Terminal. One particular issue of note is that even though the city technically owns the two buildings, it has only pledged $10 million to the effort– approximately 3% of the total price tag.

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  • Cranley Announces Immigration Task Force

    While the federal government is in the middle of a immigration crisis on it's southern border, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley has announced that he wants the city to be most immigration-friendly city in the country. For his part, the Mayor has put together a task force to help encourage immigration to the tri-state, putting him squarely at odds with Speaker of the House John Boehner.

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  • Bengals Training Camp Starts Today

    Die hard Bengals fans are happy to celebrate the return of training camp today because it means that football season is right around the corner. 2014 also marks the third year that the Bengals have held their training camp on the practice field just outside of Paul Brown Stadium. For information on how to attend some of the practices over the next few weeks, check out the schedule.

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  • Ohio State Fires Marching Band Director

    The Ohio State University fired its marching band director after finding a persistent “sexual culture” propagated by Jonathan Waters. The two-month investigation started after a parent complained that several students often sexually harassed one another and Waters either knew about it or should have known about it. The report also describes the band marching across the field in their underwear while Waters and his staff watched.

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  • Cincinnati Ranked Top for Recreation

    According to a new ranking from WalletHub.com, Cincinnati ranks top in the nation for recreation. The ranking was based on a number of factors including spending on parks per capita, the most tennis courts per capita and the average price for pizza and beer.

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Tuesday, July 29 2014

  • Ohio Lawmakers Look to Repeal Common Core

    Common core? More like common score! Maybe not for the Ohio lawmakers who want to repeal the state’s use of national standards and replace them with new standards. Republican Speaker Pro Tempore Matt Huffman introduced a bill that has been fast-tracked to committee that would repeal the standards being implemented at schools starting in August. If the bill were to pass the Ohio House, it would need to be also passed by the Ohio Senate and escape a veto from Gov. John Kasich, an ally of the Common Core.

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  • Lumenocity is Back This Weekend, Now With More Technology

    This weekend marks the second annual installment of LumenoCity, the projection-mapped extravaganza set against historical Music Hall in OTR. The event that kicked-off last year to widespread fanfare has been working full-tilt to provide an experience as exciting as last years, with the first performance kicking off Friday. Upping the ante, organizers have been working with local ad-agency Topic to bring an interactive application for fans.

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  • Cincinnati Owes Itself Roughly $4 Million

    The City of Cincinnati improperly borrowed money from neighborhood projects to pay its taxes to Cincinnati Public Schools and now has to repay the $4 million, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. A Hamilton County judge ruled that the creative, unlawful financing the city loaned itself cannot be replicated in the future. The money should be a welcome to relief the 12 communities missing funds. A final judgement for when the city must pay the $4 million back will be determined Aug. 8.

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  • Cranley: City Should Double It's Commitment to Icon Rehabilitation Effort

    In the recent hubbub surrounding the whether tax payers are on the hook for rehabilitation of two of the city's most notable icons, Mayor Cranley has relented a bit and pledged to double the city's commitment to the effort. The Mayor has agreed to a restitution payment of $200,000 over 25 years, bringing the city's total investment $20 million dollars.

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  • People’s Liberty Hopes to Fuel Philanthropists’ Dreams

    Two people each will be given $100,000 to quit their jobs and chase their dreams of making a difference in the community. The application for the Haile Fellowship grants will be run by People’s Liberty, which will headquartered at the Globe building across from Findlay Market. In addition to a monetary grant, the foundation will provide would-be philanthropists a work place, support staff and expert advice on how to navigate local government and businesses.

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Thursday, July 31 2014

  • Cranley Chooses City Manager

    Mayor John Cranley chose Balitmore’s finance director Harry Black to become Cincinnati’s next city manager. If City Council approves Cranley’s choice, Black will replace Interim City Manager Scott Stiles. Black’s nickname when he was chief financial officer of Richmond, Virginia was “Mr. Pitbull.” Black has plenty of experience in government, but never as a city manager.

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  • Prostitution Barriers in OTR Subject of Federal Lawsuit

    Remember those barriers that the police erected in OTR a few months ago to curb prostitution? Well, apparently they were so successful that they turned the neighborhood in a "ghost town". At least that's the perspective of a plaintiff who's recently filed charges against the city in federal court this week. Among the chief complaints are that public transportation is now totally inaccessible, preventing many residents accessing grocery stores or doctor's appointments.

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  • Scripps to Merge Broadcast with Journal Communications, Spin Off Newspapers

    E.W. Scripps Company has announced plans to spin off it's newspapers and publication assets and create two independent and publicly traded companies. The plan is based on a proposed merger of its broadcast division and Milwuakee based Journal Communications.

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  • UC Wants Emery Theater to Stay Tax Exempt

    In a letter to the state of Ohio the University of Cincinnati suggested it should not have to pay taxes on the Emery Theater. The letter comes on the heels of a complaint filed by the Cincinnati Public Schools that says the Emery theater and apartment buildings should lose its tax-exempt status. CPS argued because the theater is no longer in use, it doesn’t have an educational value for UC. If the state agrees with CPS, the theater would have an annual tax bill of $20,000 and 65 percent of that would go toward CPS.

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  • Cincinnati Charter School the Target of FBI Raid

    Last month, the FBI raided Horizon Science Academy Cincinnati in effort to determine whether the charter school had received inappropriate benefits from it's technology vendors. The news of the raid was reported by the Enquirer, thanks a state public records request and comes amid a larger investigation of a Chicago-based management company that operates 19 charter schools in Ohio.

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