Cygnus

Arrest in Tucker's shooting By Eileen Kelley • [email protected] • February 1, 2011 A 21-year-old man accused of storming into Tucker's Restaurant on Vine Street two weeks ago and firing shots that struck two people has been arrested. Najee Jones, of 80 W. McMicken Street in Over-the-Rhine appeared in court Tuesday on two charges of felonious assault and numerous other charges stemming from his Monday arrest. Court records say he was in possession of crack cocaine and a .22 caliber handgun when he was arrested Monday. Jones appeared before Municipal Court Judge Melissa Powers at the Hamilton County Justice Center on Tuesday. Four people were waiting in the first row of benches behind the bulletproof glass for him to be arraigned. cont

Surface lot in the works... Downtown Cincinnati building makes way for parking, renovations Business Courier - by Tom Demeropolis Date: Friday, January 28, 2011, 2:44pm EST Been wondering what’s going on with the demolished building next to Mainstay Rock Bar in downtown Cincinnati? Me too. After digging through property records, building permits and a few phone calls, here’s the scoop. The building that was demolished, 305 W. Fifth St., was torn down to make way for a nine-space parking lot. Sean Buschmann, vice president of development for Kulkarni Construction and Development Group, said the building next door, 309 W. Fifth St., will eventually be redeveloped with first floor office or retail space, and the other three floors will become residential space

Kristyn Wellesley via Opinonati is back at it... Proposed streetcar ballot is still confusing Now this is interesting. The last time the streetcar issue was brought before voters — with Issue 9 in November 2009 — the opposition’s ballot measure read that city council would need to seek voter approval before moving forward on any local passenger rail system, including but not limited to, a streetcar. That proposal, rejected by voters, at least opened the door to the city having a conversation with residents about a streetcar or any other light rail system; they would simply need to put it on the ballot. The proposed current ballot measure is more and less restrictive, depending on how you read it (the devil is always in the details, isn’t he?). cont

^Per Kevin Flynn's (Charter) 2009 campaign, he was pro-streetcar. Greg Harris (Dem) is also pro-streetcar.

Berding resigning council seat By Howard Wilkinson • [email protected] • January 27, 2011 Jeff Berding, the independent-minded Cincinnati councilman aligned with the fiscally-conservative minority in city council, will resign his seat within the next few weeks. The 44-year-old council member, who was stripped of his Democratic party endorsement two years ago after tangling with Mayor Mark Mallory on a host of city issues, told the Enquirer this morning he needs to concentrate more of his time on his job as the head of Cincinnati Bengals ticket sales. cont

Banks Venues Aim For Summer Opening Dates Owners Excited For Growth In New Entertainment District POSTED: 7:27 pm EST January 25, 2011 WLWT CINCINNATI -- The Banks will have at least one spot hopping by the Cincinnati Reds home opener. Developers said Tuesday they are moving fast to have four other locations going by the end of summer. The owners of the Holy Grail bar and restaurant said they expect to be ready for the March 31 opening date, if not two weeks earlier. "You're going to see a whole new entertainment district come up. We're right here, close to the river. I think, for years, people have been waiting for this to happen," said Tom Heitker, of the Holy Grail. Heitker would like to have the Holy Grail open by St. Patrick's Day. It will be right across from the Reds Baseball Hall of Fame. cont

I disagree. I think I could easily get on board with milling around The Banks for a little bit while I wait for my bus. Bars, restaurants, park, etc. But at 3:00 AM? Huey’s 24/7 Diner

I've made that suggestion before in this thread and others only to meet a lot of resistance....

Surprised this wasn't posted yesterday evening. I for one have not received any emails from Cincinnatians for Progress since 07/2010... Streetcar fans fight ballot drive By Barry M. Horstman • [email protected] • January 26, 2011 Readying for another battle in a war they believed was already won, Cincinnati streetcar supporters, melding their frustration with redoubled determination, hope to convince voters that a new attempt to derail the $128 million-plus project could be more damaging to the city than the one defeated in 2009. Although legal questions remain about whether a second ballot measure later this year could halt a project on which construction likely will have already started, streetcar supporters concede the likelihood of another electoral showdown and are planning accordingly. "It's like Groundhog Day - it's the same old story all over again," said John Schneider, a Downtown businessman who has been a leading backer of the streetcar. "The other side will never stop trying to kill this. If they fail again this time, there probably will be another effort down the road." cont

COAST is tweeting: Voters to have say on streetcar and their petition is online. Note, the amendment would be valid until the end of 2020.

^ http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129608613761969 Yes, please post!

I'm going to start referring to this group as the Gas Cult.. The Gas Cult must be happy today! Gas may hit $3.75 by spring

It's not.

Recent Tweet from @CincyCtyCouncil: "@GOCOAST is looking for a pro-Cincy streetcar speaker to debate at their TBD Feb meeting at Oakley Rec Ctr. Message me for contact info."

This somewhat surprises me as the store is constantly busy... Victoria's Secret to close at Tower Place Business Courier Date: Friday, January 21, 2011, 2:00pm EST Victoria’s Secret in Tower Place Mall is scheduled to close Jan. 23. An employee who identified herself as the manager said the location would be closing but wouldn't provide further details. The new manager of downtown Cincinnati's Tower Place Mall, Cassidy Turley of Ohio Inc., is hoping to create a new marketing strategy for the half-empty downtown retail center. cont

Noticing a front loader and a backhoe moving around onsite today. Finally some activity!

They start tonight in College Hill Streetcar foes start petition drive to block spending By Barry M. Horstman • [email protected] • January 19, 2011 Setting the stage for a second ballot showdown over the Cincinnati streetcar, opponents have started circulating petitions for a proposed charter amendment to block City Hall from spending any money on the $128 million-plus project for the next 10 years. The courts, however, may have the first say on the measure, a decision that could determine whether voters have theirs later this year - by which time construction of the Downtown-to-Uptown line could be under way. The essential question posed by that prospective and potentially messy scenario is whether the streetcar project could be halted midstream, perhaps leaving half-built tracks to become a modern equivalent of Cincinnati's unfinished subway tunnels from the early 1900s. On that key point, the two sides are diametrically opposed. cont

Heard a Amtrak commercial during Cunningham's show on streaming WLW (via I Heart Radio app) the other day. Was pleasantly surprised.

^ You won't be able to see from video/pictures, but if you walk either side of Mehring Way you'll see (what I believe is called) hardboard creating squares in the concrete. These can be jackhammered out and replaced with tress, all the while not damaging the rest of the sidewalk.

A lot of stone was delivered today for the event lawn and the Walnut Street facilities are moving right along.

To photos! From today:

Something I discovered in my 11th year of living in the city and 33rd year in the tri-state area...

From: Yesterday on WLWT Red Tape Holds Up Streetcar Groundbreaking Officials Hope To Break Ground Soon CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati streetcar project appears to be stuck in neutral thanks to some bureaucratic red tape. City leaders said federal agencies need to be satisfied that construction of the streetcar won't harm the historic aspects of Over-the-Rhine. The National Environmental Policy Act requires a thorough review, which is not moving as fast as some city leaders would like. "The real key to the whole streetcar project … is going to be when we can connect downtown to the whole University Hospital area," said Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls. "And that really should be something that people should be supportive of because that means jobs, jobs and more jobs."

Cincinnati Mall announces redevelopment Enquirer staff reports • January 17, 2011 The Cincinnati Mall in Fairfield announced on Monday that it will add a Candlewood Suites extend stay hotel, ice rink, amusement center, dining and other entertainment services as part of a redevelopment plan. The mall, which currently is a retail center featuring stores such as Bass Pro Shops, Kohl's, Burlington Coat Factory, and Babie R Us, wants to become a family destination. Cont