Porkopolis

We Told You So

Last week’s recommendation of Eagle Realty as developer of The Banks was no surprise to us. We told you it was coming, in the April 26 edition of “Porkopolis,” before CityBeat had a blog.

A ‘Wicked Scheme’ Exposed!

So often politics is handled with such seriousness that it becomes painfully dull. Then every once in a while someone will serve up a load of horse shit with a straight face, and I get a big kick out of it.

War Makes Criminals

One must always be wary of comparisons to the Nazi atrocities. But I got a chill when I read the recent remarks of U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Hagee . He was commenting on the slaughter of unarmed Iraqi civilians by his own troops. Reading his words, I couldn’t help but remember a 1943 speech by Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS.

Smitherman’s Back!

Having a Democratic majority on Cincinnati City Council has meant nothing in terms of ensuring inclusiveness and openness in the process of developing The Banks. The Old Boys Network and the corporate power brokers have had a free hand from Mayor Mark Mallory and his team. But former Councilman Christopher Smitherman is taking up the fight. In a letter to supporters (below), he defends the progressive principles that the city’s “new” leadership seem to have forgotten.

— Gregory Flannery

I Don’t Glow in the Dark

Last week I received a letter from the IRS, opening, “Dear Fernald worker…”

Burning My Cookies

When I approached a downtown street corner Tuesday I was asked by a clipboard-toting young woman if I’d like to support the establishment of scholarships for children in Ohio from kindergarten to some grade I can’t recall. I remembered reading about the casino gambling lobby’s ploy of slot machines supporting education and asked, “Is this about the casino gambling initiative?”

In Search of Food and the Truth

The sign on the door at Za, the restaurant across from the Aronoff Center on Walnut Street, might say, “Closed for remodeling.” But the reality seems to be that their doors have closed forever. The same holds true for the Red Squirrel restaurant on Vine Street. I found this out when I went there for lunch this week.

Council OKs Festival Subsidy — Sort Of

Cincinnati City Council approved using taxpayer money Wednesday to provide free or subsidized fire protection and EMS services to the Taste of Cincinnati festival — but officials don’t know the amount or whether the services will be provided by city firefighters or a private company.

Mallory Won’t Budge on Banks Inclusion

A day after the local NAACP and other groups demanded that the city expand a riverfront advisory panel to include four black members, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory said Tuesday that he opposed changing the panel’s makeup.

Council to Decide on Festival Subsidy

City council will decide Wednesday on a grant request for nearly $3,000 made by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce that would pay for private fire and EMS service at this weekend’s Taste of Cincinnati festival.