Ram23

Sure enough: Judge declares mistrial after jury returns deadlocked in Tensing retrial http://local12.com/news/local/tensing-jury-sent-back-to-deliberate-after-they-say-theyre-hung

Ummmm yes. Very thought provoking comment as always, thanks for your insight. The state was making nearly $600 million a tear on that medicaid tax. Unless there's a replacement for it in the budget that appears to be the biggest cause. In the end, though, the legislature seems to have a pretty good handle on what funding to cut, so it's really a win-win. We get to pay fewer taxes, and the government gets to trim the fat. I don't see why anyone would be upset about this.

Are tax cuts really to blame? Hidden at the end of that article: "The lower figure for 2018 is largely a result of the state no longer being allowed to collect sales tax on Medicaid managed care services." I guess, in a way that is a tax cut, but it was a cut mandated by the feds, mainly because the feds were the ones paying the bulk of that tax, making it basically an indirect subsidy.

When I was a kid, my dad and a group of neighbors constructed a rogue speed bump under the cover of darkness one night. Think 10 or so guys, with wheel barrels, shovels, and a few dozen sacks of concrete mix (and, although I didn't see it, I imagine a cooler full of beer). The city eventually came and ripped it out, but years later they repaved the street and put in a series of official speed humps, so I guess they got the message. I don't remember honking ever being involved at that time, though.

^ According to the website, it looks like the closures per phase will be of the same lanes on the upper and lower decks. Phase 1 closes the eastern two lanes, phase 2 the center lanes, and phase 3 the western lanes. So at any given time, half the bridge will be out of commission: http://brentspence2017.org/know-your-lane/

^ Get that tidbit over to the Rhinegeist guys before they close on that Kahn's lot in Camp Washington. They could put a brewpub on the ground floor and offer tours of the grow op above.

Amazon's patent is kind of odd. It only works if you're using their in-store wifi. Who does that? Does Wal-Mart even have wifi? Does Kroger? If they do, they could just simply block any and all of Amazon's websites. I assume most people just use their own data rather than unsecured public wifi, anyway. I know stores that were early adopters of in-store wifi, like Nordstrom, we're doing all sorts of shady things with it like tracking how much time you spent in which areas, routes you took through the store, etc. They don't care if you use it for price comparison because they get all sorts of valuable information about your habits and routines that prior to cell phones they could have only dreamed about. Most stores can use the fact that your cell phone is constantly pinging for wifi networks to track you even if you aren't using their network. If you shop somewhere frequently with an in-house credit or loyalty card, they can match you to your wireless device with rather uncanny certainty.

^ I'm predicting some initial big messes downtown as thousands of people try to figure out, for the first time, how to actually get to all those other bridges over the Ohio. I give it about a week until traffic is flowing smoothly and bridges like the Clay Wade Bailey and Taylor Southgate finally see rush hour traffic that approaches their capacities.

Deadspin is a very dumb website but for some reason people read it. Here's their take on the new stadium: Cincinnati, Home Of Terrible Stadium Deals, Is Being Extorted For A New MLS Stadium http://deadspin.com/cincinnati-home-of-terrible-stadium-deals-is-being-ex-1796232899

The website is up and running now: http://brentspence2017.org/ From the FAQ: The construction team will be replacing concrete surface lanes on the bridge, replacing bridge deck joints, repairing concrete and steel and replacing lighting. It looks like two lanes will be closed for 60 days starting June 23. It will be phased so that every lane eventually gets replaced.

I could have been more precise and said a house brand for groceries, and a value one at that. They've got a small lineup of grocery that competes with higher end items, from what I can see. I've got dozens of their batteries sitting in a closet, but batteries were never something I was buying at Kroger, anyway. I buy $1 boxes of pasta at Kroger. Right now, the best price I can find on Amazon is $1.38 for the same box. Plus, fresh produce and cuts of chicken/fish/meat make up the vast majority of what I buy and eat, and I'm not one to let someone else pick those out for me - so I'm admittedly not in the online grocery target demographic, anyway. I don't know that I'd trust someone to deliver those, either, and I'm not into fond of waiting around at home at specific times for deliveries - as most of that stuff can't be left on a porch.

I think Kroger will be just fine in the long run. In fact right now is probably a good time to buy up some stock for cheap as it took a huge nose dive and seems to be way undervalued. A real problem for Kroger would be if Amazon introduces a house brand. I've got Prime and I've tried to use Amazon for groceries, but in a side by side with Kroger's online ordering Amazon is way, way more expensive, mainly because of Kroger branded products. I don't see the acquisition of Whole Foods helping Amazon out with prices in any way, given it's failure was mainly due to exorbitant prices.

The Tensing retrial has been taking place somewhat quietly over the past two weeks. I've been following it and it seems like the defense is doing a better job this time than last time. The prosecution seems to be dropping the ball, as well. I think this will end up with another hung jury, and afterwards either a plea or another indictment for something like reckless homicide. Tensing prosecutors may not be confident about conviction http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/06/15/defense-begin-calling/397724001/

There are suggestions that Taft could use it for football and soccer, should that site be chosen. Even if that ends up being nixed from the equation or another site is chosen, special events are all PBS was required to host and problems with the grass were routine. Grass is just one example of why the claim that the stadium could be utilized all the time for all sorts of events is a bit of a fantasy. Even with synthetic turf, PBS is rarely used for anything aside from Bengals games.

Remember the huge ordeal about marching bands destroying the grass in Paul Brown Stadium (back when they still had grass)? There was actually some truth to it, it wasn't just the fault of the bands but overuse of the grass in general. They had to replace it several times, at a cost of something like $100k each time (paid for by the citizens of Hamilton County). I don't think FCC would be as willing to let people use their stadium for events, high school games, etc. as people are suggesting. I especially don't see them giving a high school free reign to use it as a home field.

I wonder if Newport or the state of Kentucky will try to get them to re-brand in exchange for tax dollars. FC Newport? FC Kentucky (though FCK might be a bit too crude of an acronym)?

Was this zinger a moonloop original or something someone from FC came up with?

Note that the post from the St. Louis guy was made during the reds 13-1 rout of the Cardinals (at 9:03PM so right in the midst of the trouncing). He was probably just really salty at the time.

I'm still a bit curious as to what makes this pool special. Why is a season pass here 5 times as expensive as a season pass that gets you into every other public pool in the city ($175 vs $35 for an individual, at least for middle to upper class income earners)? Is it just the newness?

^ They try to blame the city and SORTA for not answering their questions quickly enough, and spend a few paragraphs pointing out that Mann was confused, as if that's an excuse for their misprint. The Enquirer always seems like it's trying to pass the buck like that - it's thinly veiled, here, though. They could have waited for the city to answer questions and confirm there was no deficit, but they didn't, and they published their own incorrect assumptions based on incomplete information. That's entirely on them, IMO.

^ Another interesting stat is that he only has 42 career home runs, so nearly 10% of his career HR's were hit last night.

Their dress code is actually in line with many other bars around town. Mt. Adams Pavilion has a similar dress code, for example.

I hope their price point is right - Cincinnati really needs some more options for cheap Korean food. There's a deli in Carew Tower (behind the elevators) that sells a couple Korean dishes for $7 or $8, I think, but aside from that I can't think of anywhere that has meals for below $12 or so. Sung was always just a few more dollars than I was willing to spend on a lunch.

Scooter Gennett became just the 17th player ever to hit 4 home runs in one game, a feat that is rarer than pitching a perfect game. Last night he went 5-for-5, hit 4 HRs, and had a total of 10 RBIs. The Reds routed the Cardinals 13-1. In the history of MLB, this goes up there among the best offensive performances anyone has ever had. Here's a clip of his 4th HR, a line drive to right field: https://streamable.com/s5mbz

So the assumption is that FC Cincinnati is going to try to get at least some public funding (up to $100 million based on previous comments) – be it for infrastructure, parking, land, etc. – without a tax increase. What are the chances someone comes forward with a streetcar type ballot initiative that prevents the city (and/or county) from spending any money on a soccer stadium? Would it pass?