Cygnus

It's a done (bad) deal: Farewell to arms: Reds trade Latos, Simon

No surprise here... Car crashes into Courtyard Marriott Norwood police are searching for the driver of a car who crashed into a hotel and fled the scene early Thursday. "We had a vehicle crash into the Courtyard Marriott. It went through some windows in the back side of the building (and) into the kitchen area," said Norwood police Sgt. Tim Buchanan. "It's pretty good damage."

Oh Enquirer... :roll: Uh-oh, streetcar savings account almost empty With two more years until the streetcar is up and running, streetcar executive John Deatrick told a Cincinnati City Council committee on Tuesday that the project's construction contingency fund is almost gone. That's the money needed to pay for cost overruns and surprise expenses. The $148 million project is a little more than a third done. It is scheduled to begin running in September 2016. The contingency fund once held $9.7 million. Deatrick told council's Transportation Committee Tuesday that $4.4 million has been spent and there are $2.9 million in pending expenses. Plus he can see another $2.2 million is needed. That leaves a balance of $80,443.

Former Atlanta streetcar boss to lead SORTA Dwight Ferrell, the former Atlanta streetcar manager and executive for several large public transportation agencies across the U.S., is expected to be named the new CEO and general manager of Greater Cincinnati's largest transit agency. The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority board is expected to approve the hiring at Tuesday's monthly meeting. Ferrell would replace Terry Garcia Crews, who abruptly resigned in July. Cont

Proud Owner:

De Cavel to open restaurant in Western & Southern building Jean-Robert de Cavel is teaming up with maitre d' Richard Brown to open a French fine-dining restaurant in Western & Southern's Queen City Square. De Cavel promises a restaurant that will be "elegant and very special." Brown and de Cavel, who worked together at Maisonette and Jean-Robert at Pigall's, will be equal owners in the restaurant. They are aiming for a July opening. "Ever since we opened Queen City Square, we planned to have a premier restaurant as part of the project," said John F. Barrett, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Western & Southern. "This is yet another way to further enhance the world-class stature of downtown Cincinnati and our region." Cont Standard mid-leading Enquirer headline and Polly Campbell really does a terrible job of explaining where exactly this will be... I'm certain this is the large 3rd Street facing space that is on the 4th Street level of Great American Tower (401 E 4th St). The other building at Queen City Square is 303 Broadway.

Both the Enquirer and WLWT continue to state "$55M project took 3 years to complete". That was the cost ($54.9 million) in July 2011 when Great Lakes Construction Co. was awarded the project. But in May 2014 it was reported that Unexpected problems ended up leading to a $3 million cost overrun. So it was a $58M project.

I'd appeal simply on this information: Judge Carl Stich Jr was appointed to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas by Gov. John Kasich in March 2013 Mayor Cranley will be on Bill Cunningham's show at 2:06 this afternoon.

Enquirer: Duke wins fight over streetcar cost

Didn't CFD have a dock at the end of this tunnel at one point?

Speaking of... is this prep work for the southern most substation? Picture was taken from GABP garage and is near the Main & 2nd intersection.

Fight over Wasson Way rail, or something more? Cincinnati City Manager Harry Black's abrupt decision this week to pull a transportation item from the City Planning Commission agenda is being viewed by some as a way to strip the commission of its independence and as a slap in the face to rail transit supporters. Black, however, says he was within his rights to pull the Wasson Way project off Friday's agenda, and he said made the decision because the plan for what do with the East Side railway needs more vetting. The planning commission is outlined in the city's charter. It vets all land-use issues, which includes approving real estate, transit and other economic development projects. Cincinnati City Council does have the authority to overturn commission decisions with a supermajority of six votes. Cont

Cranley to reveal plans for PNC Tower annex A makeover of luxurious proportions is in the works for one of Downtown's historic buildings. Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley will announce plans Friday to redevelop the PNC Tower annex building in Downtown for mixed-use purposes. The announcement will be made at a 3 p.m. media event at 309 Vine St. Cont

Hardly any of the skyscrapers have 3rd Street addresses. Queen City Square (303 Broadway and 301 4th), Scripps (312 Walnut), Enquirer (312 Elm)...

Also: "Mayor Mark Cranley proposed this week naming Third Street downtown Carl H. Lindner Way...."

Latest streetcar throwdown: Who should run it – Metro or private company? Chris Wetterich - Staff reporter - Cincinnati Business Courier The latest flashpoint over Cincinnati's streetcar project centers on whether Metro employees should operate it or whether a private company's workers should do so. The debate brings a longstanding national ideological debate before council: Can unionized public employees do the same work as cheaply and efficiently as those employed by a private company? Vice Mayor David Mann has introduced a motion signed by all four of his Democratic council colleagues requiring Metro's parent company, the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, "to operate and maintain the Cincinnati streetcar using its own employees rather than a third-party contractor." Cont Enquirer's version: Union push to operate streetcar could increase cost

Renaming 3rd Street conversation moved here: Cincinnati: State of Downtown

A Wells Fargo sign was installed on the south side of the building over the weekend.

^ Weekly Construction Update Monday, Nov. 17, 2014 Court Street to be closed at Walnut this Saturday for Traction Power Substation #2 installation Court Street will be closed this Saturday, November 22 from 7:00am to 5:00pm for the delivery and installation of a traction power substation (TPSS) at the intersection of Court and Walnut. Traffic on southbound Walnut between Central Parkway and 9th and on Eastbound Court between Vine and Walnut will be restricted. Parking on Court between Main and Walnut Streets will be temporarily prohibited during the closure. Detours will be posted. The TPSS provides electrical power to the overhead wire to power the streetcar vehicles along the route. The TPSS unit is the second of four such units to be delivered. The first TPSS was delivered in early October at the MOF site on Henry Street. Additional TPSS units will be installed at Findlay Market at the corner of Race and Findlay Streets, and in the Riverfront Transit Center below 2nd Street.

Why DCI believes perceptions of downtown dropped last year Chris Wetterich - Staff reporter - Cincinnati Business Courier Perceptions of downtown slid this year in Downtown Cincinnati Inc.'s annual survey, with fewer people saying they have a positive view of both downtown and Over-the-Rhine. The percentage of people having a negative view of downtown ticked slightly up from 6 percent to 7 percent, while the percentage of people having a positive view dropped from 81 percent to 75 percent. The percentage of people that have a neutral view also increased. In Over-the-Rhine, the swings were more pronounced. The percentage of people having negative perception rose from 5 percent to 15 percent, while those having a positive impression dropped from 89 percent to 67 percent. Cont

Here’s a peek inside the Cincinnati Chamber’s new offices: PHOTOS Erin Caproni - Digital Producer - Cincinnati Business Courier The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce began the move from its old office in Carew Tower to a new space at 3 E. Fourth St. at the end of September, and now that all of the tidying up is complete, the Courier is taking a look inside. The chamber has moved into the 40,000-square-foot building to better collaborate with its co-tenants that include REDI Cincinnati, the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, Cincinnati Business Committee and the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee. The former PNC Bank annex building is owned by a subsidiary of American Financial Group and will house nearly 100 total employees. They'll have access to a first-floor business center and conference rooms and upgraded technology, including 100-gigabit connectivity, from Cincinnati Bell. Cont

Agreed. I'm fine with designating a secondary honorary street name. Completely renaming two blocks of Vine was ridiculous. Thankfully Smale Riverfront Park is still calling this portion of the park the Vine Street Steps. And why select 3rd St. for this honor? Entrances to AFG businesses/buildings are all on 4th St...

3rd Street may be renamed for Carl Lindner Third Street might soon be co-named Carl H. Lindner Way. Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley exclusively told The Enquirer he will propose renaming the street this week as a way to honor the deceased self-made billionaire whose giving left a lasting impression on the community. "We miss him, the city missed him," Cranley said. "We are a much better city for what he did both in business by bringing jobs downtown and through his charitable giving." Cont

This whole tipping business is nonsense. As both smith and jmicha have mentioned, a huge part of their business is the fact that you don't need anything but an account and your mobile phone to get a ride from Point A to Point B. It is safer for both the driver and the passenger not to have a cash interaction. And rideshare drivers have distinct economic advantages as they get a much higher percentage of their fares than taxi drivers. In Uber's case, 80% of every ride. Not to mention you open the door for drivers to rate riders lower simply for them not producing a few extra bucks on their way out of the car. The service works exactly the way it is supposed too, cash free. Drivers know they'll make money. That is why there are 8 Uber X cars and 6 Lyft cars currently available downtown at 4:45 PM on a Tuesday in November.