Taste of Cincinnati Winner Alley Baby to Open First Location in Norwood
It started with a gyro cart and a dream one mid-October night during BLINK in 2022. Having been in the restaurant industry for years, Over-the-Rhine resident Alex Frohlich decided to take a chance and set up a recently purchased gyro cart in his apartment’s courtyard during BLINK for neighbors and passersby to try some of…
Gorilla Cinema Unveils New Bar, Restaurant and Mini Golf Space, Oakley Greens
Gorilla Cinema Presents is known in Cincinnati for its out-of-the-ordinary restaurant and bar concepts, including the downtown karaoke bar Tokyo Kitty, the Shining-themed bar The Overlook Lodge and The Lonely Pine Steakhouse. Oakley Greens in Oakley across from the Oakley Cinemark is the newest concept from Gorilla Cinema and its 10th project overall. It is…
Sound Advice: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Bring Acid-Drenched Psych-Rock to Cincinnati
Is King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard the hardest-working band in the world? They’re certainly in the running. In fact, it’s hard to keep track of the Australian sextet’s voluminous output over the last dozen years — the band has released 25 full-length albums since 2012, including a whopping nine since 2021. That’s more than…
Sound Advice: The Script to Make a Stop in Cincinnati on their World Tour
Global pop sensation The Script is hitting Cincinnati on their upcoming world tour. The band is currently making the rounds to support their new album, Satellites, which drops Aug. 16. The Script is renowned for hits such as “Breakeven” and “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.” Now citizens of the Queen City will get the…
Sound Advice: Experience the Musical Revelation of Sarah Shook & the Disarmers
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers center their songs on Shook’s searching lyrics and gritty, evocative voice. It’s the type of vocal emission that convincingly relays the trials and tribulations of a person who has struggled with identity — Shook recently changed their pronouns to they/them and first name to River — and a past informed…
Nathan Felix Brings His Inimitable Guerrilla-Style Operatics to the Cincinnati Art Museum
It was a chance encounter, a moment of synchronicity, on his first visit to the Queen City that gave Nathan Felix, the renowned self-taught composer, indie rocker and street choirmaster, a musical idea tailor-made for a Cincinnati audience. While sitting outside an Over-the-Rhine café in 2021, he befriended two local opera students from University of…
Inside Cincinnati Band Wussy’s Mournful Celebration on Forthcoming Album ‘The Great Divide’
Since the 2005 release of Funeral Dress, each successive Wussy album has been hotly anticipated and enthusiastically celebrated. The Great Divide, the band’s imminent eighth studio album of new material and quite possibly their best album yet, follows that general blueprint with a few significant diversions. The six years since 2018’s What Heaven is Like…
Sound Advice: Red Hot Chilli Pipers Bring Fun Bagpipe Performance to Middletown
The Red Hot Chilli Pipers, not to be confused with the American rock band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, are the Celtic bagpipe band set to bring an electrifying performance to Sorg Opera House in Middletown this month. As the self-proclaimed “Most Famous Bagpipe Band on the Planet,” the group is made up of pipers,…
A Race Against Time: The Hidden Cruelty of Ohio’s 24-Hour Waiting Period Abortion Rule
While staring at the ceiling of an Ohio emergency room, Ellen Groh realized she’d experienced this pain four years before. In February 2020, at nearly 18 weeks pregnant, she experienced a miscarriage. “I was feeling great and then all of a sudden I had to poop,” Groh says over a Zoom call. Some identifying details,…
Acting Secretary of HUD Visits Cincinnati to Discuss Affordable Housing Plans
Local leaders met in Avondale Tuesday with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman to discuss ways of creating more affordable housing in Cincinnati. Cincinnati, like many cities across the U.S., is facing a housing crisis. Nationally, housing experts estimate there is a shortage of 4-7 million affordable housing units.…
What J.D. Vance and Other Local Leaders Think of Dem. VP Nominee Tim Walz
Republican Vice Presidential nominee J.D. Vance, a Middletown native, has a new challenger in the 2024 election. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president facing former President Donald Trump, selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on Aug. 6. Vance, a U.S. Senator and author, previously faced Harris as her VP…
A New Comedy Festival is Coming to Norwood
The streets of Norwood will fill with laughter this August with the launch of a brand-new comedy festival. The inaugural Norwood Comedy Festival, billed as the largest one-day comedy festival in the Greater Cincinnati area, is happening Saturday, Aug. 17 on Mills Avenue, next to Victory Park. Produced by Bombs Away! Comedy, the festival will…
Ohio Sec. of State LaRose’s Noncitizen Voter Registration Audit Sweeps in Naturalized Citizens
In May, Nicholas Ross walked into the federal courthouse in downtown Columbus and, alongside about 30 other people, raised his right hand and swore to “bear true faith and allegiance” to the U.S. Constitution. A few weeks later, he got a letter in the mail. Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office was questioning his voter…
Take a Look at one of Ohio’s First Legal Weed Sales
Jeff Riede, 55, was the first person to legally buy recreational marijuana at Cincinnati’s Sunnyside Dispensary at 7 a.m. on Aug. 6. The purchase made him one of the first in the state to participate in Ohio’s new adult-use cannabis program. “I got flower and edibles,” Riede told reporters after the purchase. Ohioans have been…
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Said to be Picked by Harris as Her Running Mate
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate Tuesday, in a move meant to boost the Democratic ticket’s appeal in key Midwestern states and with blue-collar voters, according to media reports by CNN, Bloomberg, The Associated Press and others. Walz, a former social studies teacher…
Green Rush: Cincinnati Marijuana Dispensaries Give Tips for Opening Day
It’s finally here…Ohioans will be able to buy recreational marijuana legally starting Aug. 6, and Cincinnati will have some of the first sales starting early Tuesday. Ohioans have been waiting patiently for legal sales since voters passed Issue 2 in November 2023. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol successfully brought Issue 2 to the…
New Riff Distilling Wins ‘Best High Rye Bourbon’ at New Orleans Spirits Competition
Newport’s New Riff Distilling brought home the gold (and a few other colors too) from the prestigious New Orleans Spirits Competition last week. The New Orleans Spirits Competition is put on by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation and judges some of the finest spirits and beverages from around the world. Each entry is tasted…
Bobby Mackey’s Auction Allows You to Own a Piece of Its Spooky History
Calling all honky tonk and paranormal fans: A Northern Kentucky bar known for its ghosts, mid-20th century organized crime connections and country music is auctioning off all its items as it prepares to enter a new chapter. Bobby Mackey’s in Wilder temporarily closed earlier this year so the building could be torn down and rebuilt.…
Here’s How Lawyers for Private Schools Argue Against Restricting State Voucher Funds
A recent back-and-forth in a lawsuit against Ohio’s voucher system spotlights the main arguments: who benefits from the private school voucher program, whether it takes away from public school funding and if school re-segregation is a factor. Public school advocacy groups and state school districts are suing to eliminate the private voucher program in the…
Ohioans Can Start Buying Recreational Marijuana in Some Dispensaries this Week
Ohioans will be able to legally purchase recreational marijuana starting this week. The state’s first recreational marijuana sales will take place Tuesday at some dispensaries across the state, sources confirmed to the Ohio Capital Journal. “We are stepping into a new future for Ohio where citizens will have access to safe products and communities will…
Review: Cincy Shakes’ World-Premiere ‘Kindred Spirits’ Taps into Ghostly High Humor
Poor Charles Condomine. He just can’t shake haunting reminders of his past life. The self-centered author was the central character in Noël Coward’s 1941 comedy about ghosts, Blithe Spirit. (It was a record-breaking London hit, receiving more than 2,000 performances.) In the drawing-room comedy, Madame Arcati, a loony psychic, inadvertently conjures up Condomine’s late first…
Nonprofit Opposing Burnet Woods Dog Park to Disband Due to ‘Indecorous Remarks’ from Park Board
Preserve Burnet Woods, the organization that has led the charge against a planned dog park in Burnet Woods, is disbanding to repurpose their efforts after disagreements with the Cincinnati Park Board. Burnet Woods is a popular, 90-acre park with a nature center, walking trails and a lake. The park will soon feature a fenced dog…
Popular Cincinnati Bookstore to Expand to College Hill
A popular Cincinnati bookstore is expanding to College Hill. Household Books announced it plans to open its second store in the neighborhood’s business district this fall. Household Books opened its first location on Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills in 2021. The College Hill store will be its first expansion, coming less than a year after…
Law Firm Calls on Norwood City Officials to Stop Pursuing Food Truck Ban on Private Property
After months of discussion in Norwood about banning private property owners from hosting food trucks on their property, the Institute for Justice (IJ), a public interest law firm, sent a letter to Norwood City Council calling for the officials to stop pursuing the ban. According to a news release from IJ, Norwood’s plan to ban…
Ohio Women Lawmakers Face Misogyny, Double Standards When Campaigning
When Kamala Harris was announced as the running mate for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential campaign, the questions about her heritage, ethnicity and even eligibility for office came strongly from the opposition. Now that she’s running for the top job following President Joe Biden’s suspension of his reelection campaign, the emphasis on her skin…
Much-attacked Final Title IX Rule Goes into Effect While Still Blocked in Ohio
Though the Biden administration’s final rule for Title IX extending federal protections for LGBTQ students went into effect nationwide Thursday, a slew of legal challenges has temporarily blocked over half of all states from enforcing the updated regulations, including Ohio. After the Department of Education released the final rule in April, 26 states — all with…
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Announces New Labor Agreement with Union
Musicians and management at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) announced a new five-year labor agreement on Thursday. Starting Sept. 9, the new agreement provides salary increases of 23% over the life of the contract, more flexible scheduling and “industry-leading audition and tenure practices,” according to a news release from the CSO. CSO president and CEO…
Factory 52’s The Gatherall to Host Vegan Tapas Dinner
Factory 52’s food hall, The Gatherall, is offering a new culinary experience for vegan diners. On Wednesday, Aug. 7, The Gatherall is hosting the Vegan Progressive Dinner, a five-course tapas meal highlighting vegan dishes from some of the food hall’s vendors, including Melt, Gabriella’s Filipina Kantina, Shango’s Taqueria and Molly’s Cupcakes. The dinner starts at…
Ohio Awarded $36 Million in Film Production Tax Credits
Ohio officials are giving out more than $36 million in tax credits for film, TV and theatrical productions in the state. The awards come on the heels of Sundance announcing Cincinnati is among six finalists to host the independent film festival when its current contract with Park City, UT runs out. How does the tax…
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Opposes Anti-Gerrymandering Reform Heading to Voters in November
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine stood in staunch opposition Wednesday to an anti-gerrymandering proposal heading to voters in November that would replace politicians with a citizen redistricting commission, but he stopped short of presenting a competing proposal this year. DeWine held a press conference on Wednesday, not only to criticize the Citizens Not Politicians ballot initiative,…
Cincinnati Couple Starts Fundraising Challenge for Local Trans Youth Charity
Cincinnati couple Carolyn and Kevin Martin awarded a $10,000 matching gift to Transform Cincy, a charity providing clothing and support for local trans and gender-nonconforming youth in memory of a trans activist killed last year in Maryland. The Martins issued a challenge on social media to raise $10,000 to support the organization in memory of…
Trump’s VP Pick J.D. Vance — Doing The Couch Nasty?
The internet was set ablaze this past week after the publication and subsequent scrubbing of an Associated Press story that fact-checked a salacious rumor, claiming Republican Sen. JD Vance — the self-described Christian, author of the 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy, and Donald Trump’s running mate — got hot and steamy with a couch. The AP’s now-infamous headline, “No,…
Special Prosecutor Steps in On Raleigh-Morrow Family Assault Investigation
A special prosecutor has been assigned to investigate the alleged attack of an elderly couple following a traffic crash involving members of a high-profile Cincinnati family. Steve Raleigh, who is widely known as WCPO’s chief meteorologist, has stepped away from his spotlight as one of Cincinnati’s most recognizable weather-casters and into scrutiny for his alleged role…
Over-the-Rhine’s The Drinkery to Close for Rebrand
Over-the-Rhine bar The Drinkery is set to close permanently next month, but the space will remain under 4EG’s ownership and be rebranded as a cocktail lounge. The Drinkery is slated to close mid-August, with renovations on the space beginning at the end of the month and a planned reopening as the lounge, called Nice Life,…
Rhinegeist Goes Medieval With Ohio Renaissance Festival Event This Weekend
Hear ye! Hear ye, gentlefolk of Cincinnati! The Ohio Renaissance Festival will be making a special appearance at Rhinegeist Brewery this weekend. On Saturday, Aug. 3, Rhinegeist’s taproom will transform into a magical, Medieval realm from noon to 8 p.m. as a variety of RenFest favorites descend upon the land of Over-the-Rhine. While the official…
Catch This Quirky Musical About the Loveland Frog This September
A bluegrass musical about Loveland’s beloved cryptid is coming to the stage this September in a special 10th-anniversary production featuring of the original cast members. HOT DAMN! IT’S THE LOVELAND FROG! first premiered during the 2014 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Loveland native Michael D. Hall and Cincinnati native Joshua Steele wrote the book, music and lyrics,…
New Ohio Law Allows Human Trafficking Survivors to Expunge Certain Criminal Records
Christina LaPointe Jackson is in the process of getting her criminal record expunged for crimes she committed while she was a victim of human trafficking and she’s hoping a new law will help speed up the process. She had been trafficked by seven different people and has been arrested more than 30 times for various…
J.D. Vance is Making the Political Debate Around Parenting Weird
Ohio U.S. Sen. and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance is getting a lot of attention for his remarks he made a couple of years ago attacking Vice President Kamala Harris as a “childless cat lady,” and questioning why we’d let people without children into positions of power. Let’s skip over the fact that Harris…
Dewey’s is Offering This Peachy Pizza for One Week Only
For one week only, you can try a new summer-inspired pizza from Dewey’s that’s just peachy. The Peach Street Pizza recipe was crafted by Kennedy Yates, a Grandview Dewey’s crew member, during the pizza chain’s internal Recipe Battle competition. Dewey’s will launch the pizza during a one-week trial starting Tuesday, July 30 and running through…
Bowl the Perfect Game at Pins Mechanical and Win $300K
Think you’ve got what it takes to score a perfect game in duckpin bowling? Pins Mechanical is letting people step up to the lane for a chance to win $300,000 and become a duckpin legend in its Pins Perfect Game Challenge. From Aug. 5-31, challenge participants will have the chance to bowl a perfect 300…
Ohio Supreme Court Ruling That Boneless Wings Can Have Bones is Embarrassing
What a bonehead decision. “Utter jabberwocky,” or meaningless nonsense, is what dissenting justices on the Ohio Supreme Court called the Republican majority’s recent ruling that lovers of boneless chicken wings should reasonably expect bones in their food. If you order boneless wings but a bone in one of them chokes you, the GOP majority decreed,…
Better Safe Than Sorry: Democrats Prepare For Virtual Roll Call Despite Ohio Deadline Changes
This week, Democrats will begin a virtual roll call to nominate their presidential ticket ahead of Ohio’s certification deadline. But don’t blame Ohio, Secretary of State Frank LaRose insists, for the ad hoc process. In a letter to state and national Democrats, LaRose complains about “numerous media reports and interviews” in which the party cites…
Newport Aquarium to Launch New, Immersive Experience This Fall
Newport Aquarium is going through a GLOW-up this fall with an all-new immersive experience to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Underwater Pumpkin GLOW will launch at the aquarium on Sept. 16 and runs through Nov. 3. The one-of-a-kind, under-the-sea adventure features larger-than-life sculptures of some of the aquarium’s animals reimagined as pumpkins. “We’ve been working for…
Graeter’s Releases Fifth Bonus Flavor of 2024
On Monday, Graeter’s Ice Cream released its fifth bonus flavor of the summer, and ‘orange’ you excited for a sorbet this time? It’s un-peel-ievably good. Each year, the local favorite French pot ice cream maker releases several secret bonus flavors over the summer, and it has just unveiled the fifth in line: Orange Sorbet. Graeter’s…
‘Between Rock, Hard Place:’ Will Anyone Ever Have Standing to Challenge Kentucky’s Abortion Ban?
Lisa Sobel thinks any Kentuckian who has a uterus should have standing to challenge the state’s abortion ban. The Kentucky Supreme Court and, more recently, a judge in Louisville, disagree. Meanwhile, Sobel, one of three Jewish women challenging the ban on religious grounds, says she’s left in a “holding pattern.” She is afraid to risk…
Bernie Moreno Says Migrants ‘Destroyed’ Ohio Cities; Won’t Clarify Which Cities or How
The U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Bernie Moreno took to X last week to claim that because of the current administration’s policies, migrants have “destroyed” Ohio communities. However, the campaign didn’t answer when asked to identify a single Ohio city that had been harmed by migration, where the migrants doing the destruction came from, and…
Review: Foo Fighters Show Why They’re a Hall of Fame Act at Cincinnati Concert
“These summer tours are a crapshoot,” Dave Grohl told the sold-out crowd at Great American Ball Park as his band Foo Fighters teed up the show’s final song. “You never know what you’re going to get.” Despite the potential pitfalls, fans got a Springsteen-esque marathon of Foo Fighters tunes, and a few surprises, spanning the…
New Wine and Beer Shop Opens in Walnut Hills
A new place to enjoy wine in Walnut Hills celebrated its grand opening Friday. Market Wines, located at 767 E. McMillan St., is a retail shop with a carefully curated selection of wine and beers. It also offers wine tastings and beer taps, and there is both indoor seating and a patio where customers can…
ArtWorks to Create New Mural Celebrating Cincinnati Open Tennis Tournament
ArtWorks is volleying a new mural to the people of Cincinnati, this one celebrating the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament (formerly the Western & Southern Open) and its 125 years of history. The mural will depict tennis fans watching a thrilling match on Center Court at the Cincinnati Open, where the intensity of the game matches…
Rhetoric Versus Reality: Addressing Common Misconceptions About Abortion
Reproductive rights has taken center stage in the first post-Roe presidential election that presently features a longtime advocate for reproductive rights in possible Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, opposite former Republican President Donald Trump, whose three appointed U.S. Supreme Court justices helped overturn federal abortion rights. Although Trump’s former health staffers have co-authored the Heritage…
Labor, Veteran and Black Leaders Make Case for Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown
Roughly 100 days out from November’s election — and with roughly 100% of political attention elsewhere — supporters of Ohio Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown tried to bring the conversation back to a race that could be crucial in determining control of the U.S. Senate. Union, veteran and Black leaders praised Brown’s record standing alongside…
Review: Alanis Morissette’s Riverbend Show Was a Lesson in Women Power
Going to Riverbend on a balmy and rainy summer night is a rite of passage for Cincinnatians, even if that means fighting the unbearable traffic, which entails taking 20 minutes to drive a mile. But seeing Alanis Morissette, Joan Jett and up-and-coming Nashville star Morgan Wade — aka “The Triple Moon Tour” — was worth…
Whited Sepulchre Records Launches Experimental Music Festival in Cincinnati
A music festival dedicated to experimental music is set to return to downtown Cincinnati in September. Whited Sepulchre Records, a small-run vinyl and tape label in Cincinnati focused on experimental and ambient music, is hosting the Talk Low Music Festival from Sept. 26-28 at the Contemporary Arts Center and Memorial Hall. The festival is organized…
Miami University Grad to Swim in 2024 Olympics
Miami University will be represented at the 2024 Olympics in Paris as a recent grad takes to the water and a new coach assists the Cape Verde diving team. Nicole Maier will compete as part of Germany’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay swim team. Maier is a native of Bottrop, Germany, who graduated from Miami this past…
Coney Island’s Nights of Lights Holiday Show to Live on in New Location
Coney Island may be gone, but its popular holiday tradition will live on in a new home. In December 2023, in the middle of the season of its drive-thru holiday lights show, Nights of Lights, Coney Island announced it would be closing permanently after being sold to Music & Event Management Inc. (MEMI), a subsidiary of the…
New (Almost) Vegan Restaurant Opens in Downtown Cincinnati
A new health-conscious eatery with a mix of vegan and traditional dishes is now open in downtown Cincinnati. Almost V’Gan Lounge, located at 34 E. Court St., features a restaurant with bottle service on one side and an upscale bar and lounge on the other. It recently held a soft opening with a private ribbon-cutting…
Anti-Abortion Group Argues that Indiana Health Department’s Abortion Records Must be Public
In defense of its lawsuit against the state health department, a South Bend-based anti-abortion group doubled down in new court filings that related medical records do not compromise patient privacy and should be made available to the public. The ongoing lawsuit was filed in May by “Voices for Life,” which seeks to regain access to…
Ohio’s Voter Purge ‘Disproportionately Targets Voters of Color,’ Civil Rights Organizations Say
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s voter purge disproportionately goes after voters of color, Ohio civil rights organizations argue. More than half of Ohio voters who might be purged from the state’s voter rolls are registered in counties where a majority of the population is people of color, said Ohio Unity Coalition Executive Director Pierrette…
Dozens of Amazon Employees Walk Off Job at KCVG Amid Union Push
Amazon workers organizing with the Teamsters at KCVG, the company’s largest air hub located in Hebron, Kentucky, walked off the job on July 24. Unionizing employees walked off over issues concerning surveillance, discrimination and retaliation for engaging in union activity, according to a press release from organizing employees. In an emailed statement about the walk-out,…
Daughter of Elderly Couple Speaks Out as Raleigh Assault Investigation Stalls: ‘None of This Sits Right With Me!’
Stacie Morrow-Stickrod, the daughter of an elderly couple allegedly assaulted by members of the Raleigh family in June, took to Facebook on Wednesday to express her concerns with the investigation’s progress. “NONE OF THIS SITS RIGHT WITH ME!” Morrow-Stickrod said in the post. “I want someone held accountable, I want that apology to my family,…
Great Parks Receives Over $1 Million in State Funding for New Westwood Park
A big project from Hamilton County’s parks system is getting some help from Ohio’s state budget. Great Parks announced Tuesday that it will be receiving $1.25 million in state funding for its newest park on the grounds of the former James N. Gamble estate in Westwood. The park opened in April 2022 and the parks…
Newport on the Levee to Transform into Olympic Village for 2024 Olympics
The 2024 Olympics in Paris starts Friday with opening ceremonies. While the home of the Eiffel Tower and Champs-Élysées will see all the glamor and grandeur and host the best athletes in the world for the next two weeks, Northern Kentucky is undergoing an Olympic transformation of its own for the event. Newport on the…
Federal Judge Scraps Ohio’s Narrow List of Helpers for Disabled Voters
A federal judge this week blocked part of a sweeping 2022 Ohio elections law that placed sharp restrictions on who may return an absentee ballot. Under that law, only certain close relatives can assist someone with absentee ballots. Anyone outside that narrow list would face a fourth-degree felony if they were caught with someone else’s…
Stakeholders from Indiana Gather to Address Infant, Maternal Mortality
The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) kicked off its two-day “Labor of Love” Summit on Tuesday with a series of informational sessions addressing women’s health, teen pregnancy and infant wellbeing and outcomes. At the opening of the summit — which was attended by hundreds of physicians, nurses, caregivers and public health officials — Indiana State…
