Tuesday, November 4 2014

Get Out and Vote

It’s voting day across the country and The Cincinnati Enquirer has a breakdown of all the important races and issues in the tri-state. Head on over to their website to build your ballot before you go to the polls.
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After Marathon Meeting, Historic OTR Buildings Saved from Demolition

Think some of your work meetings go on longer than they need to? You won’t find any sympathy from members of the Cincinnati Historic Conservation Board who spent close to 7 hours discussing the fate of two historic Over-the-Rhine buildings. The board reached a decision Monday to prevent the demolition of the buildings located near the corner of Central Parkway and Main Street. The owner is pushing to demolish the buildings because he said it would be too expensive to remodel.
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City Council Considers Non-profit Shakeup

Members of Cincinnati City Council want to shake up the funds allocated toward certain non-profits, according The Cincinnati Enquirer. Funding for mentoring initiatives, after-school programs and a program that helps prostitutes get off the street would be cut entirely unless council votes to raise the $1.5 million general fund budget for these type of projects to $3 million.
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New Covington Murals from BLDG

Residents of Covington have a new mural courtesy of BLDG and Brooklyn-based street art collective FAILE. The mural spans three walls on Sixth Street and joins other BLDG-sponsored murals designed by The London Police.
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Brandery 2014 Class Celebrates Demo Day

The Brandery’s 2014 class celebrated graduation a few weeks ago by with its annual Demo Day that showcases each startup to potential investors. 2014’s participants were selected from the highest number of applicants the Brandery has had to date. Eight out of the ten graduates plan to continue working in Cincinnati.
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Thursday, November 6 2014

Taxpayers Won’t Foot the Bill for a Banks Hotel

If the market demands a hotel at the Banks, it won’t be subsidized by the tax payers. That’s the message sent by Mayor Cranley this week as he formally reaffirmed his opposition to any investment by the city in such a venture.
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CincyTech is Killing It

According to a recent WCPO report, CincyTech has almost doubled the amount of outside investment over last year. To date, the venture capital firm has raised $412.5MM and boasts over 600 employees amongst its portfolio.
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HCSO Announces Drug Bust, Arrests

In a blow to regional junkies, Hamilton County authorities have announce the bust of a large-scale drug ring, which included the arrest of 8 individuals and the seizure of more than 100 lbs of illicit narcotics. The bust comes amid a rampant heroin epidemic that has plagued the ti-state for the last several years.
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Tuesday, November 11 2014

CVG Bans Ride-sharing Uber and Lyft

CVG has officially banned ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft from picking up travelers at the airport. Uber and Lyft arrived in Cincinnati last spring and are also banned in several other airports across the county. CVG officials say they are in talks with the two companies to become part of the airport’s official ground-transportation system, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. There are no restrictions on ride-sharing companies dropping off people at the airport.
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Same-sex Marriage Advocates are Dealt a Defeat in Ohio

Same-sex couples in favor of marriage in Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan were dealt a 2-1 defeat yesterday by the Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The court voted to uphold laws banning same-sex marriage. This comes as a setback for proponents of same-sex marriage who have been seeing a wave of victories in federal courts.
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New Distillery Coming to OTR

Despite the craft brewery boom in Cincinnati, the Queen City is severely lacking in liquor production. Thankfully the owner of Pet Wants, Michele Hobbs, wants to remedy that problem by opening a distillery in Over-the-Rhine in a 17,000 square-foot warehouse and attached garage. The new distillery will be named Born Again Distillery and will produce gin, whiskey and bourbon.
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O’Malley’s in the Alley Owner to open Prohibition Themed Bar

The second-oldest bar downtown, O’Malley’s in the Alley, will soon have a sister location as owner Juan Imeroni plans to open The Blind Pig, a Prohibition-themed bar. The name comes from a slang term people used to call speakeasies. The Bling Pig will have 20 beers on tap and will open the first week of December.
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Cranley and Portune Propose Shared Services Task Force

The Banks riverfront development project is a perfect example of city and county governments working together, according to Mayor John Cranley and County Commissioner Todd Portune. Based on the success of the banks project, Cranley and Portune are proposing a task force to could help the city and county share services, according to City Beat.
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Friday, November 14 2014

Third Juror Recants Guilty Verdict in Tracie Hunter Trial

Tracie Hunter’s long, strange journey took another turn this week when a third juror recanted their guilty verdict. The juror’s announcement comes on the heels of two other jurors who also recanted their guilty verdicts after implying the other jurors pressured them to convict Hunter. All three jurors who recanted their votes are black and the most recent juror to recant said she was racially pressured by the white jury foreman to convict. A decision will be made next week if Hunter receives a new trial.
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Cincinnati Earns Top Marks in Equality Score

Cincinnati is one of 38 cities in the United States to receive a perfect score from the Human Rights Campaign on its municipal equality index. The score reflects a city’s laws and policies protecting sexual and gender identity. Some of the reasons the group gave Cincinnati such high marks is because it extended benefits to same-sex partners of city employees and its requirement that all city contractors sign non-discrimination agreements.
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Myrtle’s Punch House Opens this Month

Walnut Hills’ newest drinking establishment, Myrtle’s Punch House, is set to open Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. The drinkery is the brainchild of Molly Wellman — who also owns Japp’s, Neon’s and Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar through Wellman Brand — and will specialize in handcrafted punch, according to City Beat. The Punch House is located at DeSales Corner.
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Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Buys Duracell from P&G

Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. announced its plans to buy Duracell from Proctor & Gamble. The deal was done through a $4.7 billion stock trade with P&G shares that Berkshire Hathaway owns. P&G will also commit $1.7 billion in cash to shore up the battery company to ease the transition.
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Ohio For-Profit Charter Schools Receive Abysmal Rating

Ohio’s for-profit charter schools are the third-worst performing group in the nation. Ohio charter-school students perform worse than their peers in math and reading after spending a year in a charter school, according to a study performed by Stanford University.
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Tuesday, November 18 2014

Cincinnati Could See Amazon Drones Soon

Changing federal drone laws and a giant nearby warehouse could make the Cincinnati area one of the first regions to take place in Amazon’s Prime Air delivery service. The company is looking for pilots with five years of experience flying drones to staff up its service. If the Hebron fulfillment center were to be selected as part of the program, the drones could reach Cincinnati's West Side, downtown and the West Side of Covington.
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New Bengals Scoreboard to Cost Taxpayers $7.5 Million

The Bengals’ new scoreboard will cost tax payers $7.5 million dollars as part of the deal the team cut with Hamilton County years ago. The Bengals will cover the remainder of the money required for the $10 million scoreboard. County officials project they have enough estimated revenue to meet the Bengals’ stadium obligations for the next 10 years.
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City Council Makes it Official: No Bus Money for Streetcar

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) and Cincinnati City Council reached an agreement this week that prohibits any SORTA bus fare money be used to fund streetcar operations. The news is music to Mayor John Cranley’s ears, who has been opposed to the streetcar from the start. Crawley said it would not be fair to subsidize the streetcar with money taken from the Metro bus service.
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Avondale Man Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping, Abuse and Sex Trafficking

A 45-year-old man pleaded guilty last week to locking up and abusing a dozen women in his Avondale house. Christopher Hisle also sold the women as prostitutes in Cincinnati and neighboring cities. Hisle’s neighbors said they were flabbergasted when they heard the news and described Hisle as quiet.
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City Council Doubles the Size of Human Services Fund

Cincinnati City Council voted unanimously to double the amount of money allocated to the city’s Human Services fund. The $1.5 million upgrade will help the program reduce homelessness and help residents seek gainful employment. The changes won’t take place until the new fiscal year, which is about six months away.
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Thursday, November 20 2014

Council Names Third Street after Anti-gay Philanthropist

Love him or hate him, you can’t deny Carl Linder’s impact on Cincinnati. Cincinnati City Council unanimously voted to name 3rd Street “Carl H. Linder Way” after the financier who died in 2011. Linder donated millions to the city’s charities, but also gave a ton of money to a group that passed one of the country’s harshest anti-gay ordinances, Article XII, that restricted laws protecting LGBT residents.
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Tracie Hunter Denied Retrial

A judge denied Tracie Hunter’s request for a new trial despite three jurors recanting their guilty verdicts. Hunter was convicted of having an unlawful interest in a public contract involving her brother who was fired for punching a teen inmate in the face. Hunter’s sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.
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Say Goodbye to Red Light Traffic Cameras

You can thank Republic Bill Seitz for easing your anxiety when speeding through red lights. Seitz has been on a crusade since 2006 to eliminate red light and speed cameras in Ohio. A recent bill requires a police officer to man every camera in order to issue a ticket, effectively banning the cameras. The bill passed the Ohio Senate 24-9 and moves onto the House.
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Parents Wait in Bitter Cold to Enroll Kids in School

Do you love your kids enough to wait in the bitter cold for 24 hours so they could go to the school of your choice? More than 100 parents camped out to enroll their children in the Fairview-Clifton German Language School — including one parent who spent 16 days at the head of the line — do. Superintendent Mary Ronan admits the process isn’t perfect, but maintains that a lottery mixed with a first-come-first-serve policy is the best option for children to access magnet schools.
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Cafe Coming to Contemporary Arts Center

The Contemporary Arts Center will receive a major upgrade of its lobby this winter. The $1.1 million renovation will start Jan. 6 and when completed will add a museum cafe and a reimagining of the gift shop.
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Tuesday, November 25 2014

It’s the Holidays: Drink up, Cincinnati

A slew of booze-related updates were announced this week to help Cincinnatians cope with the Holidays. This Friday marks the opening of Molly Wellman’s Myrtle’s Punch House in East Walnut Hills. If punch isn’t your thing, you might want to hold out until Dec. 2 when The Growler House, opens in East Walnut Hills as a one-stop shop for craft beer. Not to be outdone, the East End’s Blank Slate Brewing opened its taproom last week and can seat about 45 people. And finally, WCPO has an update on the construction Over-the-Rhine’s newest brewpub, Taft’s Ale House.
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Heartbeat Bill Passes Ohio House Panel

A bill passed a panel in the Ohio House this week prohibiting abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. Since a heartbeat can be detected as early as six weeks, some pregnant women who might seek an abortion could not even know they are pregnant before their window has lapsed. The American Civil Liberties Union said they will challenge the bill in court if it were to make it into law.
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African-American Arrested More than Other Races in Cincinnati’s Suburbs

African-Americans are 12 times more likely to be arrested than people of other races in Sharonville, according to an analysis by The Cincinnati Enquirer. Sharonville unfortunately doesn’t stand alone in how police treat African-Americans in Cincinnati’s suburbs. In the aggregate, African-Americans are two and a half times more likely to be arrested than other races by suburban police officers.
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Stolen Sasquatch Sours Thanksgiving

Bigfoot hunters wanted: A 400lb Sasquatch statue was stolen from Delhi Township family’s house. The owners of the statue, Ralph Spence and his wife, used to dress up the statue for holidays and said they wouldn’t file charges against whoever stole the statue if they will bring it back unharmed.
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Spill at Duke’s Beckjord Station Contained

For the second time since August, HAZMAT crews were called to Duke’s Beckjord Station for a chemical spill. Two ounces of hydrazine was spilled from the plant, which is slated to close in January 2015. The Pierce Township Fire Department said they cleared the spill immediately and was nowhere close in size to the 9,000 gallons of fuel that were spilled into the Ohio River in August.
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