CityBeat | February 7, 2024

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VOL. 28 | ISSUE 03 ON THE COVER: THE PET ISSUE PHOTO: DANNY WICENTOWSKI

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NEWS

Amazon Air Hub union organizer Griffin Ritze addresses a crowd of Air Hub workers and supporters during a March 18 rally.

P H OTO : A I DA N M A H O N E Y

Amazon Fires Its Top Union Organizer at Northern Kentucky Air Hub

Griffin Ritze said the company is trying to make it sound like he was slacking off, when in reality, he said he was lending a hand where help was needed.

BY M A D E L I N E F E N I N G

A

fter Amazon fired an employee from its largest air hub facility located in Hebron, Kentucky, known as KCVG, the employee and others at the nation’s largest air hub are calling the decision an act of union-busting.

“Union organizing on the job is always a risk,” said Griffin Ritze, a ramp associate and leading union organizer at KCVG. “But I think, you know, the company is clearly afraid of the momentum we have right now.”

Ritze was given notice of his firing on Jan. 23, with the company claiming he was insubordinate for attempting to attend on-site meetings held by Amazon management that dissuade employees from unionizing. The company also cited a workday where Ritze was “off task” for 255 minutes.

In a statement to CityBeat, the company said Ritze’s firing had nothing to do with his leading role in unionizing KCVG. “The decision to terminate Mr. Ritze is unrelated to whether he supports any particular cause or group,” said Mary Kate Paradis, an Amazon spokesperson.

“Mr. Ritze was terminated following multiple documented warnings and violations of Amazon policy. We expect all of our employees to follow our policies and to meet certain minimum expectations, and we take appropriate action when they’re unable or unwilling to do so.”

Ritze said the claims made against him in his termination letter were grossly mischaracterized by Amazon.

During a sit-down interview with CityBeat, Ritze walked through the incidents in question, including those 255 “offtask” minutes.

Attempting to attend meetings Amazon employees have told CityBeat that KCVG routinely holds meetings that dissuade employees from unionizing, commonly known in labor law as “captive audience meetings.” In Ritze’s termination letter, Amazon said he “self-assigned” in an attempt to attend the invite-only sessions, saying he had already attended one previously.

“On 12/4/23, your manager followed

up with and explained you had already attended the meeting, the meeting was by invite, and you would not attend again as you had already attended. You failed to follow your manager’s instruction and decided to self-assign on 12/5/23, 12/6/23, and 12/8/23. This is a Category 1 violation,” the letter reads.

Ritze said the meetings, while invite-only, are meant to be voluntarily attended, and that when managers told him he could not attend the session he did not push back. He told CityBeat he was attempting to attend the meetings because their content has changed since he last attended one in November.

“The content of the meetings is totally different now, a lot more sharp against the union since we’re in the middle of a campaign,” he said. “Every time I asked, they said, ‘Oh, you’ve attended one already.’ I would say, ‘Okay, that’s fine.’”

These captive audience meetings have been a point of contention at KCVG since last April when union organizers filed a complaint against the company with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), claiming employees were being pressured or told outright that joining the meetings was mandatory. The NLRB complaint is just one of dozens made against KCVG since November 2022.

The 255 minutes The other infraction Amazon cites in Ritze’s firing documents relates to a Dec. 12 incident in which the company claims he was “off-task” for 255 minutes, or nearly 4.5 hours.

“On 12/12/2023 in attempt to conduct a STU with you for self-assigning, you were identified to be off task for 255 minutes without manager approval.

Based on the seek to understand conversation, you stated you forgot to scan into SARG and labor track, and that you acknowledged being assigned to Tug, but after you attempted to scan into a tug and it did not work you selfassigned to Fingers 1 and did not follow up with a leader. This is a Category 2 violation of the Owner’s Manual,” the document reads.

Ritze said the company is trying to make it sound like he was slacking off, when in reality, he said he was lending a hand where help was needed.

“If I wanted to, like, fuck off and not work, I [could have],” he said. “Typically I drive tug everyday, but there weren’t any tugs available, so I thought to myself, Finger 1 was very busy yesterday, I’m sure they need to help again.

So I got in the shuttle van, went to the building and worked in Finger 1 for probably about four hours.”

Ritze said mid-December brings an “outrageous” volume for varying sections of KCVG’s sort center, also known as the “fingers.”

“Finger 1, that’s one of the hardest jobs. I mean, I have coworkers who put in 40-50 hours a week on a finger and that destroys your body. I know a young couple that they go to a chiropractor once a week, they’re like 23, 24 years old, from doing that work,” he said. “So I was like, oh, I’ll just go to those guys and see if they need help.”

Ritze said a manager eventually approached him when they realized he was at a different work station, and their interaction did not lead him to believe he had committed a fireable offense.

“They didn’t even have a problem,” he said. “They were like, ‘Oh, next time if you come to help out on fingers, you should go talk to the manager.’”

Ritze provided an audio recording of the interaction he had with a manager in this moment to CityBeat. In that recording, the manager used phrases such as “no worries” and “just next time, we’re usually kind of easy to find, but we’re in 858 if you have any issues with tugs.”

Amazon did not respond to CityBeat’s request for comment on the audio recording.

What’s next Amazon told CityBeat that Ritze has the right to appeal his termination, which he plans to do, but his firing has become a flash point for the union effort as they fight for higher wages and more.

Air hub employees started union efforts in November 2022 after upper management announced there would be no peak pay for the 2022 holiday rush, but mandatory overtime would be required. Amazon’s gross profit for the 2023 fiscal year was $256.202 billion, an 18.52% increase year-overyear for the world’s largest retailer.

Employees pushing for a union at KCVG are asking for a standard $30 per-hour wage, among other changes like improved health benefits, on-site translation for non-native English speakers, and more.

After another holiday season without peak-pay, Ritze said the union drive has picked up steam, with hundreds of workers filling out a survey about next steps and plans in motion for their largest rally to date.

“About 500 workers weighed in on things like, what should membership dues be? What are our membership rights? Should we have the right to call up the union leadership?” Ritze said.

“We’re building for a rally on Feb. 3, with our co-workers, family, community members. We’re bringing out Amazon workers from Toronto, New York, Columbus and elsewhere to rally against this firing, but also to launch our independent union constitution vote to prepare for an election.”

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Proposed Bill Would Allow Mauritanians Fleeing Slavery in Ohio a Temporary Protected Status

BY M A D E L I N E F E N I N G

passing the TPS for Mauritania Act is his most pressing, urgent priority.

“Please call your elected officials, whether it’s local, or in Washington, reach out, make these phone calls in support of this plan,” he said. “The Mauritanian community needs this plan for the safety of these individuals before they get sent back to be tortured and to be imprisoned and potentially get killed.”

Just one piece of immigration reform

Despite slavery being criminalized in Mauritania in 2007, human rights observers say the practice is ongoing in the country, with some 30-60,000 Black Mauritanians enslaved today.

PHOTO: LALESH ALDARWISH, PEXELS

C

ongressman Greg Landsman, who represents Ohio’s first district, announced a bill on Jan. 19 that would provide Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Mauritanian immigrants living in the United States.

The TPS for Mauritania Act, introduced

by Landsman, Congressman Mike Carey (R-OH-15), Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03), and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), would protect Mauritanians living in the U.S. from deportation for up to 18 months.

During a sit-down interview with CityBeat, Landsman said the work to protect Mauritanians started before his team settled into office last year.

“It started even before getting sworn in, and the immigration casework has made a huge difference in terms of appreciating more fully what these folks are going through,” he said. “We’re not going to send people back who will be either murdered or enslaved. And in this case, that is what will happen. They will disappear.”

About Mauritania Located in West Africa, Mauritania has a historical pattern of political and social dominance by an Arab-Berber elite minority who have cultural ties to Saharan nations. In contrast, the majority ethnic groups in the southern regions of Mauritania have historically faced social and political oppression, including forced displacement and slavery.

Despite slavery being criminalized in Mauritania in 2007, human rights observers say the practice is ongoing,

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with some 30-60,000 Black Mauritanians enslaved today, or about 10-20% of the nation’s 3.4 million residents, according to the United Nations.

Facing harsh prison sentences and conditions, restricted free speech and human trafficking, many Mauritanians have fled to the U.S., with most settling in Cincinnati and Columbus.

Estimates of how many Mauritanians are living in Cincinnati vary. Ousmane Sow, a local advocate for Mauritanian immigrants and refugees, gave CityBeat an estimate.

“To get a good guesstimate, I would say probably close to 8,000 to 9,000 between Cincinnati and the surrounding areas, including Northern Kentucky,” he said.

“Another segment of the population that is totally unknown” Sow said his journey to the U.S. was a little different than most Mauritanians. Born and raised in Mauritania, he studied English language and literature before moving to the U.S. on a student visa to study at Xavier University, where he met his wife. He said most Mauritanians move to the U.S. not for education, but to flee violence and find work with other Mauritanians, most often in the industrial sector, but that they often go unnoticed.

“These communities, when they do come here, they tend to want to go to work, do their job, come back and stay bunkered into their apartments and don’t bother anyone,” he said. “It

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becomes just another segment of the population that is totally unknown to the general population.”

This isolation is one of the problems Sow is addressing as president of Tabital Pulaagu, a local apolitical organization that connects Mauritanians to the communities where they’ve settled. Sow said he helps to promote English language proficiency and events that break the cycle of “bunkering” home after work.

“To get the people to understand that they don’t have to be in a shadow, to help cultivate this sense of belonging [when they study the English language], because it’s the biggest barrier,” he said.

“The second [goal] that we are doing that I think is starting to help is having these organizations in the forefront that can join a meeting or can attend other events where we can increase ourselves as Mauritanians and leaders of the community.”

In addition to cultural events, Sow said Tabital Pulaagu will meet with local leaders in business, healthcare and politics to form a relationship with Mauritanians. He said this is crucial for younger generations.

“There’s almost a second generation being born that has citizenship that have the right to vote. And people like myself, who’ve been here a long time who have citizenship and can vote,” he said. “Politicians know that we are here.

If you’d like to get our vote, here are our needs, but we need from you to speak on our behalf.”

That level of accountability and representation is not what Mauritanians are accustomed to, said Sow, which is why

Protecting Mauritanians from imminent danger is one piece of a much larger push by Landsman and others in Congress to reform a decades-old immigration system, one that the freshman congressman calls “deeply inhumane.”

“All of these people, they leave their homes, and they know that because of this broken asylum immigration process, they will be here for years before their hearing,” he said. “Then when they have a hearing, three or four years later, they’re sent back.”

Landsman was one of 14 Democrats who voted alongside Republicans to denounce President Joe Biden’s “openborder policy” in a Jan. 17 resolution.

While he said he didn’t have a chance to offer amendments to the resolution’s “garbage” use of the terms “illegal aliens” and “gotaways,” he said it was a vote to support his push for border funding that he said will translate into a more humane experience for asylum seekers.

“When we start to fully fund our immigration system and have the judges and personnel there, [settling in the U.S.] will take months, if not weeks,” he said.

“At which point you won’t have people leaving everything behind only to be detained and or shipped somewhere where they are living in an airport in Chicago or New York. You know, how is that humane?”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has demanded that any new aid for Ukraine be tied to sweeping policies on border migration, which Landsman said can be, at least in part, remedied by agreements coming out of the Senate – we just don’t know what those are, yet.

“What’s emerging from the Senate side is a bipartisan agreement, the details of which we don’t have yet, but it is the fully funding of not just Border Patrol but arguably more importantly, the immigration judges and personnel so that the big thing is we get the process from years to months, if not weeks. You will not see the border overwhelmed.”

Tala Ali (left) and Sammy Ali (right) at the “Beyond-Borders- Navigating Palestinian Perspectives” panel on Jan. 24.

PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

The Cincinnati Palestine Solidarity Coalition Holds First Panel Event in New Series

BY A I DA N M A H O N E Y

T

he Cincinnati Palestine Solidarity Coalition (CPSC) held their first “Beyond-Borders: Navigating Palestinian Perspectives” panel on Jan. 24, which consisted of Palestinian activists, educators and a Palestinian historian, as well as a 1948 Nakba survivor.

Beyond Borders is a series set to continue after the group’s reintroduction following the events of Oct. 7.

“The coalition was originally established in 2012, and it was a coalition of Palestinian Cincinnatians, their supporters, Jewish folks, Christian folks, so it was very much meant to be an interfaith interracial group that were coalescing under the common goal of Palestinian liberation,” said Kelly Sheehy, a spokesperson for the organization. “After the events of Oct. 7 happened, some of the folks that were involved in that initial iteration decided to reinvigorate the group [after it had gone] a bit dormant.”

The CPSC aims to use the Beyond Borders series as a space for open dialogue and education surrounding the Palestine-Israel conflict, including history lessons as well as audience Q&A segments, and encourages those who may or may not be informed about the topic to come and participate.

Hasan Hammami, a 91-year-old Palestinian-American from Jaffa and survivor of the Nakba, or the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, spoke at the panel. Hammami chronicled his living historical experience as a teenager in Palestine in the 1940s.

“In 1948, on a personal level, I went to an all-boys school in Jaffa and the other boys in that all-boys school were

Palestinian Christians, Palestinian Muslims, and Palestinian Jews. Let that sink in for a minute,” he said. “The number of dead Palestinians in 1948 were approximately 50 thousand people out of one and a quarter million people – that was 3%. The number of dead Palestinians in Gaza and in [the] West Bank since – just in the current affair since Oct. 7 – is nearly 30 thousand.”

The panel event was a clear sign to Sheehy that there is a demand for education opportunities to learn more about the Palestinian people. The Jan. 24 event was standing-room only after the reservations reached capacity within two days of its announcement.

“The goal of these events, this series of events is to start the conversation, is to educate,” said Sheehy. “Because a lot of people are coming into this, like, ‘Well, I don’t know enough about this situation to comment,’ or, ‘I don’t want to be considered antisemitic if I point to the fact that what’s happening in Palestine is wrong,’” she added.

Local leaders, including from the The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center and Congressman Greg Landsman, have come out against using words like “genocide” and criticizing Zionism as antisemetic, but Sheehy said there is room for critique while supporting peace for all.

“The coalition’s stance is that we take a very firm stance against antisemitism.

We also believe that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism,” she said. “In the history of the Jewish faith, Zionism is a newer construct, that is particularly a colonial construct, and we very much take the stance that we do not tolerate any hatred, oppression, violence towards any group of people.”

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TH E PE T ISSUE

Shelters in Distress Greater Cincinnati’s county animal shelters are grappling with a record-breaking increase in animals

BY TAYLOR M C L AG A N

A crisis is unfolding in

the heartland of southern Ohio, with county animal shelters in Cincinnati and surrounding areas grappling with an alarming rise in homeless and abandoned pets. A large number of stray animals entering county shelters in recent months has pushed these facilities into a prolonged state of “code red,” setting records and raising concerns within the community.

Economic hardships, compounded by various societal issues, have left many families struggling to care for their beloved pets. Meanwhile, a backlog in spay/neuter surgeries has led to an exponential increase in the number of animals that are not spayed or neutered in many communities. The repercussions of this problem impact those who offer them refuge and the prospect of a brighter future.

An unprecedented challenge A strong network of county animal shelters in Greater Cincinnati and its surrounding areas work tirelessly to promote

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responsible pet ownership and offer a safe haven for lost and unwanted pets.

Cincinnati Animal CARE, Hamilton County’s only open-intake animal shelter, has provided four years worth of dedicated animal care for the Cincinnati community, offering services for primarily dogs and cats, but also for the occasional chicken, monkey and serval.

The Clermont County Humane Society specializes in reuniting lost dogs and reducing animal homelessness.

Kenton County Animal Services serves as the primary law enforcement and

sheltering agency of the county, assisting in numerous dog and cat adoptions and advising on injured wildlife.

Celebrating 50 years, the Humane Association of Warren County has excelled as a nonprofit, providing refuge for countless homeless dogs and cats and emphasizing spay/neuter programs.

In Wilmington, the Clinton County Humane Society, specializing in dogs, cats, puppies and kittens, commits to protecting the lives of homeless, abused and neglected animals.

Together, these shelters form a collaborative mission to provide animals with the chance of adoption in Greater Cincinnati.

With Cincinnati’s animal shelters teetering on the brink of an emergency, critical questions arise: Why are these shelters seeing more animals in distress now than ever, and what is behind this sudden rise in the number of stray animals? Furthermore, how does this local issue stand with the national trend of overcrowded shelters and shockingly high euthanasia rates in 2023?

Over the past year, numerous animal shelters in the Cincinnati area have witnessed a substantial increase in the number of dogs requiring assistance in their communities. From a record number of animals being found as strays, to an equally large number of owners

Editor’s note: Taylor McLagan is an employee of Cincinnati Animal CARE.

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trying to surrender their pets.

This scenario is mirrored by the Humane Association of Warren County, Animal Friends Humane Society, Clinton County Humane Society and the Clermont County Animal Shelter, all of which have reported record-breaking increases in dogs.

Notably, the Cincinnati Animal CARE Humane Society has faced a particularly substantial influx of dogs.

In response, CARE has expanded to a second housing location at 4210 Dane Ave. in Northside. Leveraging an already purchased storage warehouse, CARE transformed it, during April of 2023, into a second stray animal facility dedicated to housing more dogs, and is the primary location for Kitty City.

The decision to establish an additional facility was prompted by the increasing spatial challenges faced by the main shelter located at 3949 Colerain Ave. in Northside, which, situated about a mile from the Dane Ave. location, had reached full capacity.

While intake is down in the first month of 2024, Kenton County Animal Services’ capacity and adoptions are up.

Even the Franklin County Dog Shelter & Adoption Center in Columbus, Ohio, finds itself overwhelmed by a higher Deanarys the dog, now in a foster home, pictured after her second time found as a stray at Cincinnati Animal CARE. P H O T O : TAY L O R M C L A G A N

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One out of three adoption floors in Franklin County Humane Society in Columbus, Ohio.

P H O T O : TAY L O R M C L A G A N

number of dogs in need than ever before. These shelters play a critical role in caring for stray, abandoned and neglected animals, but the mounting challenges are in urgent need of solutions and support.

Addressing the crisis As the shelter crises facing Cincinnati and its neighboring regions continue to get worse, shelter employees are growing concerned. Kenton County Animal Services Director, Kelsey Maccombs, shared that in 2020 animal intake dropped due to the pandemic. It took until 2022 for intake to start returning to pre-pandemic levels. Now, in 2023, they are seeing a notable increase in intake, going beyond the numbers from before the pandemic.

“During the height of the pandemic (calendar year 2020), intake nationwide and at Kenton County Animal Services was down significantly,” says Maccombs in an email. “It wasn’t until CY2022 that shelter intake was returning to 2019 rates. While not universally true, it was a national trend and also true for us. In CY2023, we’re seeing intake soar well above pre-pandemic numbers.”

While numbers have slightly lowered in the first month of 2024, a combination of economic challenges and a backlog in spay and neuter programs are further complicating the situation. The economic impact since the pandemic has left many individuals and families struggling to make ends meet.

With current rising costs of living and limited financial resources, the ability

to provide proper care for pets has become increasingly difficult and veterinary expenses are at an all time high.

This, in turn, has led to a higher rate of pet relinquishments and surrenders.

Economic hardship According to Meaghan Colville, director of lifesaving operations at Cincinnati Animal CARE Humane Society, people need both pet-friendly housing and financial stability to properly care for their pets.

“To care for a pet, a person needs housing that allows pets and financial means to afford that housing plus veterinary care and daily supplies like food,” says Colville. “When jobs are lost, or financial instability is felt, people can easily find themselves in a position where they are unable to afford their pet. This results in the rehoming of pets or shelter surrender.

Something important to keep in mind is that even if a pet is rehomed without ever arriving at the shelter, the shelter is still impacted because the new home for that pet is now one that a shelter pet cannot go into.”

The ever-increasing cost of living, particularly in metropolitan areas, is putting additional pressure on pet owners. As basic living expenses, including housing and utilities, continue to rise, many find it increasingly challenging to allocate the resources necessary for proper pet care. Eviction rates and homelessness also contribute to the problem. This financial strain, unfortunately, can lead to higher rates of owner surrenders and stray animals.

Housing challenges Restrictive pet policies of landlords and property management companies make it challenging to promote adoption to individuals who currently rent or are needing to move to a rental home.

Nancy Patton, operations manager of Animal Friends Humane Society, notes a shift to a new generation of dog owners facing challenges in finding pet-friendly rentals, considering dog ownership a luxury that many hesitate to take on due to financial concerns in the current economy.

“We are transitioning to a new generation of dog owners who can’t afford to buy houses and are renting (problem number one),” explains Patton. “There are not enough dog friendly rental companies. Specifically in our community, BBRents is one of the biggest rental companies in our area, and last time I checked, they were not animal friendly.

Owning a dog is a luxury and not a right as well, so I believe that many people are scared to take on any type of financial burden in our current economy.”

Many renters find themselves in a precarious situation when searching for pet-friendly housing as strict “no-pets” clauses often leave new tenants with little choice but to relinquish their animals. The result? An increasing number of pets are finding their way into the shelter system.

National pause in spay and neuter programs Since 2020, the halt in non-essential

spay and neuter services has created long-lasting effects on the number of animals not spayed or neutered entering local animal shelters. Spaying and neutering are important for controlling animal populations and preventing overbreeding. When these programs are disrupted or delayed, it can result in a greater number of animals being born in communities and, ultimately, ending up in shelters.

This increase in surgery demand is not only affecting the well-being of animals in need but also presenting financial hurdles for municipal shelters and their budgets. These shelters, which often operate on limited resources, are now under greater pressure to provide an overwhelming amount of surgeries that even keep up with the rate of adoptions. The increased costs associated with veterinary services, including spay/neuter surgeries and general vet check-ups, are adding to the burden.

Nonprofit organizations, which serve as crucial support systems for underfunded shelters, also find themselves in a precarious situation. They are required to allocate more funds for necessary surgeries and veterinary care before animals can be adopted. Given their constrained budgets and the rising number of animals requiring assistance, these organizations are facing significant challenges in maintaining the same level of care they’ve provided in the past.

The national veterinarian shortage plays a large part in shelters trying to provide animals with essential spay and

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Chop the dog when he first arrived at Cincinnati Animal CARE emaciated and in need of medical attention. He is now in an “adoption status.”

Blue receiving daily physical therapy after suffering a traumatic injury resulting in wheelchair use at Cincinnati Animal CARE.

P H O T O : TAY L O R M C L A G A N

P H O T O : TAY L O R M C L A G A N

neuter surgeries and basic vet care, with many vets struggling with emotional and mental health concerns, student loan debt, compassion fatigue (a deep physical and emotional exhaustion and noticeable change in an individual’s ability to feel empathy for their clients, the pets they care for, their loved ones and their co-workers) and labor shortages.

With only 3,200 yearly graduates on average and only 32 certified veterinarian schools in the nation, one potential solution is to increase openings at these programs to allow for more students.

According to an LSU School of Veterinary Medicine representative, LSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine plans to increase student enrollment and graduation rates to elevate a shortage of veterinarians across the country.

Lexie Gans, administrative assistant at the Cincinnati Animal CARE clinic, points to a complex set of challenges which include a combination of economic factors, staffing issues, resource constraints and outsourcing challenges that has led to the overpopulation at local shelters.

“All of these issues contribute to our spay and neuter backlog, plus the vet shortage,” says Gans. “Overpopulation and increased numbers of animals have forced us to allow animals to leave the shelter and go into a ‘pre-adopt status’ without their spay and neuter surgeries.

This status gives us open kennels and a lesser length of stay while waiting for a surgery spot to become available.”

Higher intake numbers The alarming intake rates at county shelters across the nation are not just a

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concerning statistic, they’re a distressing reality that is causing significant repercussions. As the Shelter Animals Count national database reveals, 2023 marks a three-year high for animal intakes in both public and private shelters across the United States.

This trend has led to an increase in post-pandemic euthanasia rates, particularly for dogs, as the Shelter Animals Count national database shows a 37% rise in euthanizations from January to July 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. One crucial factor contributing to this crisis is the rising number of stray animals. According to Shelter Animals Count, dogs outnumber cats in shelter admissions in many major cities.

“I think the problem lies more in the fact that animals are not moving out of the shelter to make room for the new ones. An animal shelter’s design is to be a revolving door and for animals to be leaving very shortly after they arrive, however some animals are sitting in our shelter for upwards of a year or more and most definitely for months at the very least,” Patton points out. “Even highly adoptable and sought-after breeds, such as poodles, bulldogs and chihuahuas, are sitting for weeks to months waiting for a new family.”

Animal Friends Humane Society in Butler County saw a significant increase in shelter intakes in 2023, with 5,548 animals entering compared to 4,607 in 2022, according to their website.

Other county shelters in southern Ohio also share space-related concerns.

Maccombs, of Kenton County, underscores the ongoing challenges they face,

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with a 23% increase in dog intake in 2023, highlighting the critical issue of limited space.

“We have a decent facility with good housing for animals in care, but it’s not space efficient, and, like many shelters, we have to create makeshift housing to accommodate the influx,” Maccombs says. “Our team is scrappy and always ready to hustle, and truthfully, we get lucky a lot. I hope we stay lucky.”

Maccombs words show the resilience and dedication of many working tirelessly in animal shelters to make space for new intakes while providing the same level of care for the current population of animals.

Data from Cincinnati Animal CARE Humane Society contains statistics that shed further light on the critical situation facing animal shelters in Ohio. CARE’s commitment to transparency is evident as they openly publish these intake statistics on their website amongst other shelter data.

In 2020, the total number of intakes at Cincinnati Animal CARE was 2,739, but by the end of 2022, this number had more than doubled to a total of 7,456.

As of Dec. 31, CARE has reported a total number of 6,548 animals that have entered their facility in 2023.

This startling jump in intake rates shows the urgency of the issue at hand. While this data provides a stark perspective on the gravity of the situation, it also serves as a call to action, emphasizing the imperative need for collective efforts to address this growing hardship.

What we can do The situation unfolding in shelters

around southern Ohio, particularly in Cincinnati and its surrounding areas, is a complex issue with far-reaching consequences. The escalation in homeless and abandoned pets is a result of economic hardships, restrictive housing policies and a backlog in spay/neuter programs. This setback affects the animals and strains the resources and resilience of the shelters dedicated to their well-being.

“Shelters are currently facing a serious situation, and communities need to come together and help,” says Gans of Cincinnati Animal CARE. “We need to fight for more housing options for our furry friends and provide more spay and neuter initiatives to the public. Donate to your local animal shelters, offer dogs and cats a temporary home from overcrowded shelters, and spread the word about adopting instead of buying from breeders.”

To address this emergency, it is crucial for the community, nonprofit organizations and local governments to come together and find solutions.

This involves expanding affordable housing options for pet owners, increasing support for spay and neuter programs, assisting families facing economic hardships and promoting animal shelter adoptions.

“We are utilizing social media, word of mouth, dog dates and any other ways that we can get our name out into the community,” says Patton. “We would love to see one of our animals in everyone’s house in our area, but it still won’t fix the real problem. People are struggling, and so, therefore, animal welfare is struggling. It’s all hand in hand.”

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ARTS & CULTURE Sexual Healing

Cincinnati sex therapist Julie Labanz discusses how to find your g-spot and other ways to embrace our sexuality this Valentine’s Day (and beyond).

BY K AT I E G R I F F IT H

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ulie Labanz is a licensed sex therapist in Cincinnati. Her practice, Be Known Sex and Relationship Therapy, has been in operation for five years. She spoke with CityBeat about why sex therapy is important, how to be sex positive and how to remove shame and guilt surrounding the topic of sex. Labanz offers insights on couple and solo sex and how to openly and effectively communicate with oneself and others to enhance pleasure and the sexual experience overall. Be Known specializes in a variety of topics and is open to patients of all couple styles, sexual orientations and gender identities. Sex and relationship therapy can be utilized by anyone, she tells CityBeat. While a problematic situation might arise that could benefit from professional guidance, individuals and couples may use it as a resource to simply explore and expand their sexuality.

Labanz and the Be Known team offer in-person and virtual therapy sessions for people who are 18 and up.

CityBeat: What’s the purpose of sex therapy?

Julie Labanz: The purpose of sex therapy is to be able to explore any sort of messaging or judgment that might be holding you back from experiencing the type of sex that you want or feel like you deserve. It’s a great space to talk about curiosities, fantasies, desires, fears, without judgment, to then hopefully get you to a place where you can have really enriching and pleasure-filled sexual experiences. Trying to move us away from having just okay sex, to having great sex.

CB: What advice would you give someone who is looking to enhance their solo sex life?

JL: Notice what your current patterns

Julie Labanz P H OTO : J U L I E D O R A N P H OTO G R A P H Y

are and change your mindset from thinking about, “let me just rush to get to this orgasm, let me just rush to get to my release.” Instead, start thinking about it as having sex with yourself.

It could feel really uncomfortable for people, because the idea of sex with yourself can bring up some shame. The idea is, I want you to slow down and get curious. So maybe touch yourself in different ways than you normally would, don’t just start straight with your genitals, start touching other parts of your body and notice what feels good. You could practice edging, so building yourself up to orgasm, but not just letting yourself have it right away. And then build back up again.

And then another thing that would be helpful is exploring masturbation in different positions. A lot of people get so used to it in the same position that they then translate that to sex and

think, this is the only way that I can orgasm.

CB: Why is masturbation healthy?

JL: There are a lot of great benefits to masturbation. One is certainly if you know your body well, it’s easier to translate that and say, here’s what works for me. So a lot of people feel more confident giving feedback and being able to get the pleasure that they want. It’s also an excellent stress reducer. We get a lot of great endorphins. And so if we’re feeling stressed, that can be a great way to decompress, relax and things like that. And it can also help with pain sometimes, for people who have headaches or for vulva owners – people who experience period cramps – it can eliminate the pain. And it’s a great way to connect with ourselves. We’re not so used to thinking into our bodies, at least not in our culture, we’re very much in

our heads all the time. And so this is a very good form of self care, it’s a way for us to slow down and actually tune into what am I feeling in my body? What feels good in my body? And allowing yourself to connect with that a little bit more so that we’re not just running around in our head all day.

CB: What are some important qualities to embody when trying to communicate with your significant other about opening up sexually?

JL: First and foremost, curiosity over challenge. Being curious with your partner about understanding why something is interesting to you. What’s the value behind that for you? Rather than saying, what’s wrong with me that I’m not enough for you? That tends to shut down the conversation very quickly.

And try really hard not to take it personally, which I think is difficult. But that’s

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“We are not taught how to explore our bodies.

We are not really taught the mechanics of sex outside of maybe missionary. A lot of times we get that stuff from porn and porn is cinema, it’s a production.“ where curiosity comes in. Take timeouts as needed. If you’re getting flooded in this conversation, it can be very overwhelming and very difficult. And maybe find a therapist to process it with because that can help you stay slowed down and help try to keep resentment and anger and things out of it. I think having a third party makes a difference for most people. Just to try to keep mononormativity out of it, right, like this idea that we’re in a very monogamous centric culture. And so people are probably going to approach opening up with a monogamous sort of lens. And so having a therapist who’s well versed in opening up to kind of help people find the balance.

CB: How often do you find that a lack of sex education is the issue between people or themselves?

JL: Probably a ton. We are not taught how to explore our bodies. We are not really taught the mechanics of sex outside of maybe missionary. A lot of times we get that stuff from porn and porn is cinema, it’s a production. And so that’s not helpful. As we get older, if we can differentiate that, we can start to learn and it can be helpful. But education is so much of the picture, even education in negotiating boundaries, or having conversations with your partner about what might we want, what might we not want. I don’t think people are taught to communicate effective boundaries, to then be able to have good sex that they want. So I think education is a huge problem for a ton of it, whether it’s about sex education, like the mechanics, or if it’s just about relationship dynamics, negotiation, communication skills.

CB: Talk about approaching an orgasm. If somebody is having trouble reaching a climax, what are some ways that you help guide them?

JL: First of all, identify if it is a physical problem or a headspace problem.

I might recommend that they go see either their primary care if it’s a penis owner, or if it’s a vulva owner, go to your gynecologist. Just to rule out an issue with medication, or you might be experiencing cardiovascular issues that are blocking it. Diet makes a big difference. If it’s more of a mental thing, then identify the anxious thoughts. You’re probably overthinking, “I have to have an orgasm,” and that’s blocking you

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from just relaxing and enjoying. You can try to fantasize, which I think can be kind of taboo. But get out of your head and think about things that are sexy to you. It could be about your partner or it might not be about your partner — it doesn’t diminish your connection. It’s just a way to stay in more of a heightened arousal state. The alternative is really tuning into your body’s cues and responses. So you might have a mantra that you tell yourself: “I deserve pleasure, orgasm doesn’t have to be the outcome.” When we stop making it the guaranteed outcome that we need, it becomes easier to access. And so noticing, if I hold my breath, is it easier for me to orgasm? Or maybe I need to relax my muscles a little bit. And this is where masturbation can come in. Is your partner doing what typically works for you when you masturbate? And if not, we might need to communicate, educate them. And lastly, you could bring in a sex toy, they can give stimulation that we might not get otherwise. So those are a few different paths we might take depending on the origin [of the problem].

CB: Talk about the “g-spot” inside a vagina. How many are there? How does one find it?

JL: The answer we seem to find most often is that there’s probably one and it just might be in slightly different places inside a vagina. The idea is that if you put two fingers into a vagina, so that the pads of the fingers are touching the top, underneath the mons pubis. If you go two knuckles deep and do a “come here” motion with the two fingers, that should be hitting the g-spot. I think the trouble that most vulva owners find is that when the g-spot is stimulated, they feel like they have to pee. But if they can get comfortable with letting that feeling pass, just acknowledging it’s just a feeling, you’re not going to pee, you might squirt. But that’s okay. Once we can get past that they can tend to get more comfortable with the g-spot. But again, for one person might be two knuckles deep for another it might be three. For someone else it could be closer to one side. And I think that’s why we get so many different suggestions on things like that, too.

Learn more about Julie Labanz and Be Known Sex and Relationship Therapy by visiting beknowntherapy.com.

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ONSTAGE

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati to Stage August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned P R E V I E W BY R I C K P E N D E R

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orie Wiggins has become a familiar acting presence with memorable performances at several local theaters, especially Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.

(She’s recently been onstage at Cincy Shakes in the central role of Pastor Margaret in James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner.) But she is increasingly taking on the responsibilities of a director, and that’s what’s coming up next at ETC as she stages How I Learned What I Learned, a one-man memoir/monologue written and originally performed by legendary playwright August Wilson.

Since his death in 2005, this recollection of his youth and development as a writer has been undertaken by ambitious performers at major American and European theaters. For ETC, it will feature “ranney,” the singularly named actor from Texas who has, like Wiggins, turned in admirable work at Cincy Shakes and ETC. (He recently shared the stage with Wiggins in The Amen Corner, and they costarred as Troy and Rose Maxson in August Wilson’s Fences at Cincy Shakes in 2022.)

In a recent phone conversation with CityBeat, I asked Wiggins how this assignment came her way at ETC, where she recently took on a full-time staff position as an artistic associate with the theater company’s apprentice training program and community outreach, in addition to engaging in various theatrical endeavors.

The 2023-2024 season was already underway when her role was established, so she went to Artistic Director Lynn Meyers and asked if she might direct Wilson’s monologue. Meyers said, “I hoped you’d do that.”

A 2002 graduate of the dramatic performance program at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, Wiggins has demonstrated her own acting skill with solo shows at ETC where she was featured as singer and actress Ethel Waters in His Eye Is On The Sparrow (2018), and as the ribald storyteller of Kathy Y. Wilson’s Your Negro Tour Guide (2022), half of a double bill. (She directed the other half of that production, I Shall Not Be Moved, a new script by Isaiah Reaves.) In 2016 she also performed Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles 1992 locally with Diogenes Theatre Company.

Pairing “ranney” with Wiggins for this show is an inspired bit of theater alchemy. He has performed in nine one-man shows on stages across the U.S. as well as productions in Dublin, Ireland and Edinburgh, Scotland. He’s

How I Learned What I Learned chronicles August Wilson’s days as a high school droipout.

“ranney” will star in How I Learned What I Learned.

P H O T O : D AV I D C O O P E R

P H O T O : P R OV I D E D BY C I N C I N N AT I S H A K E S P E A R E C O M PA N Y

also a writer of poetry, plays, screenplays and songs, so he can certainly resonate with these stories of Wilson, which the esteemed playwright co-conceived with director Todd Kreidler, who staged the work’s original production at Yale Repertory Theatre in 2005.

How I Learned What I Learned is an autobiographical tour-de-force that chronicles Wilson’s days as a high-school dropout at 15 and struggling young writer in the 1960s and 1970s, before the production of his first play, Jitney, in 1982. It includes his first dead-end job as a dishwasher, his first teenage crush, a three-day stint in jail for not paying his rent and his encounters with racism, violence and music. Most of the ten plays in his renowned “Century Cycle,” reflecting African American characters in tales from each decade from 1900 to 2000, are set in Pittsburgh’s lively but impoverished Hill District, an “amalgam of the unwanted,” very much like Cincinnati’s Over-theRhine neighborhood. Wilson evolved from a striving young poet to perhaps America’s most admired playwright, and his growth is sharply presented by this show. According to ETC’s description of

Wilson’s script, “this timeless and heartfelt memoir charts one man’s journey of self-discovery and what it means to be a Black artist in America.”

ETC has posted a warning for audiences that How I Learned What I Learned features mature storytelling. August Wilson did not shy away from adult language (including the n-word) and difficult subjects. With serious frankness, he shared how racism, violence, sexual relationships and drug use impacted his life. But according to Wiggins, the portrait is also laced with love and humor, sometimes sardonic but also warm.

After just finishing her own performance in James Baldwin’s first play at Cincy Shakes, Wiggins says it’s fascinating to compare these powerful writers to one another. (She also played the title role of the jazz singer in Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at Cincy Shakes in 2022.) A generation apart, Baldwin and Wilson each had a finger on the pulse of Black lives and portrayed them vividly, with vernacular language and tales that reveal both the challenges and the rewards of working creatively in the context of American society.

Wiggins is reveling in staging a play that provides insight into the elements that converged in Wilson’s writing for the theater, stemming from his eventful if unexpected life. When director Tim Bond staged this monologue for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he wrote, “The stories in How I Learned…are vibrant, humorous, infused with jazz poetry and capture the voice and life force of August like a mesmerizing spell.”

Even though this compelling monologue was assembled two decades ago, it feels incredibly contemporary. Wilson’s stories still have powerful meaning and provide lessons for a nation where systemic racism continues to be a factor in everyday life. Thanks to Lynn Meyers’s always thoughtful artistic leadership at ETC bringing works like this to her stage and using the impressive talents of Torie Wiggins and “ranney,” we have the opportunity for deep insight into one of America’s greatest playwriting voices.

How I Learned What I Learned opens on Feb. 17 and closes on March 10 at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. Info: ensemblecincinnati.org.

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Arts & Culture Briefs CULTURE

The latest arts & culture stories in Greater Cincinnati

BY K AT H E R I N E BA R R I E R

These Greater Cincinnati Restaurants and Hotels Earned 4 Diamonds from AAA

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dd this to another list of reasons why Cincinnati is becoming a top travel destination: six Greater Cincinnati hotels and two restaurants were once again awarded 4-Diamond status on AAA’s prestigious list.

AAA recently unveiled its 5- and 4-Diamond restaurants and hotels of 2023. The list from Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky includes:

Hotels • • • • • •

21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati Renaissance Cincinnati Downtown The Cincinnatian Hotel The Lytle Park Hotel The Summit Hotel Hotel Covington

Restaurants • •

Boca Nicola’s

Boca again earned 4-Diamond status on AAA’s prestigious list.

P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY B O C A

“Diamond designations reflect AAA Inspectors’ commitment to quality and consistency in the hospitality industry.

Diamond Inspectors are trained professionals who travel across North America to conduct unannounced, independent, in-person property inspections,” the motor club said on its website.

According to AAA, 4-Diamond hotels offer “upscale amenities” while restaurants in the same tier offer “distinctive fine dining. Diamonds also operate under the “4Cs” of cleanliness, comfort, cuisine and consistency.

Of the hotels on the list, The Cincinnatian was the first to be awarded 4-Diamond status, first earning the honor in 1997. The Renaissance and 21c earned their diamonds in 2014, followed by Hotel Covington in 2017. The latest two hotels to hit 4-Diamond status, Lytle Park and The Summit, did so in 2020. Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, which had been first awarded 4 Diamonds in 2003, dropped off the list this year.

Boca and Nicola’s, two of Cincinnati’s most popular restaurants, continue to have their culinary prowess recognized as they maintain their spots on the list for another year.

Boca, operated by chef David Falk, blends cuisines from Italy and France in the space formerly occupied by the Maisonette and first became a 4-Diamond restaurant in 2007. And it’s no stranger to awards. According to its website, Boca has been recognized by

Travel + Leisure magazine as one of the top French restaurants in the United States, and it’s been named a “Top 100” restaurant by OpenTable.

And Nicola’s has been a mainstay for high-end, authentic Italian cuisine for the past two decades. One of Cincinnati’s top, Zagat-rated restaurants, its menu features housemade pastas, gnocchi and creamy risotto, among other dishes that transport guests to the heart of Italy. It first earned its status as a 4-Diamond restaurant in 2008.

Only one other Ohio restaurant, The Refectory Restaurant & Wine Shop in Columbus, earned a 4-Diamond rating.

In Kentucky, Vincenzo’s Restaurant in Louisville also achieved a 4-Diamond rating again this year.

No hotel or restaurant in Ohio or Kentucky earned a 5-Diamond rating this year.

With the help of the historic Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, you’ll be able to watch the films accompanied by music from pianist, Hammond and theater organist Tedde Gibson, who will be making his Music Hall debut.

Between 1921 and 1924, Baby Peggy starred in over 150 short comedy films.

Silent Movies Made Musical will screen two of those: Carmen Jr. (1923), a spoof on the opera Carmen, and Captain January (1924), a story based on an 1890 children’s book about a lighthouse keeper and his adopted daughter. Shirley Temple starred in a remake of the film in 1936.

The event is being held in Music Hall’s ballroom beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, April 12. Tickets are $34 per person.

Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-theRhine. More information: cincinnatiarts. org.

Music Hall’s Silent Movies Made Musical to Feature Two Baby Peggy Comedies

Adventure Film Festival at MadTree Highlights Women and Gender-NonConforming Athletes and Storytellers

C

incinnati’s Music Hall is bringing a musical twist to classic silent movies at a special film screening this April.

Friends of Music Hall’s popular silent film concert series, Silent Movies Made Musical, will present two films starring one of the Hollywood silent films era’s biggest child stars, Diana Serra Cary, known as Baby Peggy during her career.

A

n adventure film festival that puts women and gendernon-conforming athletes and storytellers at the forefront is coming to Cincinnati.

Local nonprofits Adventure Crew and Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition (RRGCC) have teamed up to bring the

No Man’s Land Film Festival (NMLFF) to MadTree Brewing on Thursday, Feb. 29. The evening kicks off with a social hour from 6-7 p.m. with the films to follow. The films will focus on outdoor themes, like climbing, winter sports and conservation.

NMLFF is based in Denver and in its eighth year. Its mission is to “un-define feminine” in adventure, sports and film and serve as an international voice for the underrepresented, including BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.

“We are not your average film festival,” NMLFF Executive Director Kathy Karlo said in a press release. “While we hold firm to some mainstream elements, the stories we share embody a radical vision of hope and change.”

Despite the name, NMLFF says they want to encourage everyone to attend.

Tickets are $22 and include the film viewings and movie snacks.

Proceeds from the Cincinnati event will be split between Adventure Crew, which helps city teens connect with nature, and RRGCC, which is dedicated to securing and protecting open, public access to rock climbing in Red River Gorge and promoting environmental conservation in these climbing areas.

MadTree Brewing, 3301 Madison Road, Oakley. More information on the No Man’s Land Film Festival: nomanslandfilmfestival.org.

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FOOD & DRINK

Danny Scott opened Red Leprechaun in October.

P H OTO : A I DA N M A H O N E Y

Green Light

Inspired by his own Irish roots, Danny Scott opens an Irish pub at The Banks.

BY H AY L E Y GA R R

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he Banks in downtown Cincinnati is a hot spot for nightlife and tourist-attracting bars.

Located next to Great American Ball Park and multiple concert venues, The Banks attracts Cincinnatians day and night who are looking for a good time.

In October, a new Irish pub, Red Leprechaun, opened its doors for locals and tourists visiting The Banks.

Danny Scott, owner of Red Leprechaun, is not a stranger to the bar business. Scott first opened Fishbowl at the Banks, a bar known for its energetic party scene, in 2019. Since the success of Fishbowl, he has been looking for ways to expand the business. He began this journey by looking for more places to bring Fishbowl, but soon realized he would rather continue expanding close to home.

“I wanted to do something in downtown Cincinnati, so I realized I couldn’t do another Fishbowl,” explains Scott. “I

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The Red Leprechaun’s bar features salvaged pieces of a historic pub in Ireland.

P H OTO : A I DA N M A H O N E Y

needed to come up with another concept. Being a lover of Irish pubs, that was the first thing I wanted to explore.

And then I found out that I’m part Irish, and that gave me the green light.

Looking into it even more just kind of fueled the fire; to explore my heritage and to have some fun with it.”

Scott works with not only the official

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in-house DJ for the Cincinnati Reds, but also the full-time DJ at Fishbowl.

At Reds games, he is known as “Game DJ,” while at Fishbowl he goes by “Fusamania.”

“I have a really good team of people,” Scott says. “David [the DJ] is one of my partners. My general manager, Marcelo, has a lot of experience in the

bar business as well, so they’re my two partners. We worked really close on all this. It was a big joint effort between a lot of us to get it up and going. To start a business like that from scratch, there’s a lot of work, and it takes a lot of good people.”

Something Scott was determined to incorporate from the start was a

Red Leprechaun also serves authentic Irish fare.

P H OTO : A I DA N M A H O N E Y

piece of Ireland in the establishment.

He began this venture by searching for distressed wood, or any furniture pieces he could get shipped directly from Ireland. Through researching multiple sources, Scott was eventually connected with an Irishman, Vic, who salvaged pieces of an old bar just before it was destroyed. The authentic Irish pub was being torn down in order for the town to build condominiums in its place.

“Vic was able to go in and salvage the bar, including the front of the bar, the top of the bar, the back of the bar where the bottles sit and then there’s an archway that separates the rooms that Vic was able to get as well,” explains Scott. “So we designed Red Leprechaun based on the pieces, causing us to use a 20-foot shipping container, because I can’t just send it with a few pieces. We had some custom stools made right there at his factory, and a lot of art pieces and memorabilia to fill up the shipping container. It took about 257 days to arrive in the United States.”

With pieces that make up an authentic Irish atmosphere, Red Leprechaun aims to provide both a familiar bar vibe to Cincinnati customers, and something new. The cocktail menu includes typical drink options, while some have an Irish twist. Some popular twists on common cocktails are titled “Espresso Moher-tini,” an espresso martini named after the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, and “Irish Gem,” a cocktail mixing tequila and Irish whiskey.

Although Red Leprechaun is known for its bar scene, the pub also has a carefully crafted food menu with many Irish-inspired favorites. “We had a chef

come in, Chef Brian Duffy. He’s based out of Philadelphia, and he was on the show Bar Rescue,” explains Scott.

“He’s been on the Food Network and has done a lot of stuff. He’s our chef consultant, so he came in and designed the menu items, and trained us on how to make them. We talk with them [Duffy and his team] and check in with them every week. He visits normally at least every other month to come in and just check on things, and whip up some new features.”

A main feature on the food menu includes the wide range of pasties the pub offers. Pasties are fried pies full of Irish mashed potatoes and various fillings to choose from. Red Leprechaun offers pasties with more Irish-based fillings, such as corned beef and cabbage, but also more Cincinnati-based fillings, such as buffalo chicken and Cincinnati chili style.

Scott was born and raised just over the Ohio River in Newport, Ky. He has loved Cincinnati his whole life, so his overall goal is to continue bringing joy and a good time to the area. After researching his ancestry, he realized, like many other Cincinnatians, that he had Irish heritage. Bringing a taste of Ireland to the area is just the icing on the pasty when it comes to Scott’s venture.

Red Leprechaun opens weekdays at 4 p.m. and weekends at noon. Special events take place on certain nights, and the schedule can be found on their website. The bar has bingo on Wednesday nights.

Red Leprechaun Irish Pub, 20 W. Freedom Way, The Banks.

Info: redleprechaun.com.

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EATS

These are Some of Greater Cincinnati’s Most Romantic Restaurants

BY C I T Y B E AT STA F F

Abigail Street P H O T O : M AT T H E W A L L E N

F

rom a cozy basement trattoria hidden beneath the city streets to upscale restaurants boasting spectacular views of the city, awardwinning steakhouses and more, the Queen City is home to dozens of elegant eateries where you can treat your special someone to an intimate evening on the town, whatever the occasion.

Sotto 118 E. Sixth St., Downtown Located under Boca restaurant, the Tuscan-inspired Sotto offers an approachable atmosphere and is the perfect place for a romantic meal. The basement trattoria’s interior calls to mind a rustic Italian wine cellar with its rough brick walls and wooden ceiling beams. With multiple dining rooms, the kitchen is open to view, including the custom-made wood-fire grill in front and a fresh pasta room in the back hallway. Menu items include handmade pasta, Salumi & Formaggi (cured meats and cheeses) and big-ticket items like Bistecca Fiorentina, a grilled Creekstone porterhouse steak.

Boca 114 E. Sixth St., Downtown A trip to chef David Falk’s Italian/ French gemstone with your date is an experience to be savored as much as the food itself. Take your time, invest

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Pepp & Delores P H OTO : H A I L E Y B O L L I N G E R

a few hours and allow him and his attentive, knowledgeable staff to unfold an epic tale of two or three courses, plus dessert. The Pommes Soufflés “1949” — puffy french fries — are a call back to the restaurant’s former iteration as the Maisonette.

MRBL 119 Fairfield Ave., Fourth Floor, Bellevue

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Steakhouse MRBL offers an upscale menu you can peruse while taking in stunning skyline views of Cincinnati.

Along with traditional steakhouse offerings ranging from strips to filets, ribeyes and the Tomahawk and Porterhouse, diners can also enjoy a variety of sushi rolls and fish and chicken dishes. Sides are shareable and include crispy Brussels sprouts, baked mac and cheese (with the

option to add truffle lobster) and the Potato Volcano, which is fried, loaded mashed potatoes with cheese sauce.

Nolia 1405 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine Bringing New Orleans-style flair and fare to Over-the-Rhine, Nolia offers diners an upscale, yet approachable, experience. The exposed brick and bold floral wallpaper add a bright

cocktails that utilize herbs grown in Alcove’s greenhouse bar and owner MadTree’s brews.

Ivory House 2998 Harrison Ave., Westwood Self-described as “steak and seafood, elevated,” Ivory House’s menu is a fresh take on nostalgic-feeling dishes. A large wine menu and clever cocktails are stellar accompaniments to a menu that features everything from filet mignon and Mediterranean Branzino to a Japanese A5 wagyu strip.

Opal Rooftop Restaurant & Bar

restaurant’s seafood and vegetarian dishes. The dining room is sophisticated and intimate and characterized by low, romantic lighting — perfect for getting to know each other a little better.

535 Madison Ave., Covington Stunning views of Cincinnati and Covington and specially curated and intentional design elements that shift as you move throughout Opal Rooftop Restaurant & Bar will have you and your date thinking you’re dining in a real gemstone. The design, lighting and food are a mood, the latter of which is an experience driven by the restaurant’s Grillworks wood-fired grill, the only one of its kind in a twohour radius. This unique grill drives Opal’s open-fire grill and wine-forward menu, which features dishes made from fresh, local fare and products, and the craft cocktail menu and wine selection have been curated to complement the dishes.

Primavista

Somm Wine Bar

810 Matson Place, East Price Hill Primavista offers its menu of high-end Italian meals with a side of panoramic views of downtown Cincinnati. The menu specializes in veal and fresh fish, but they offer dishes from all regions of Italy and feature nightly specials. Have an antipasto of fried calamari or bruschetta before your plate of ravioli or veal marsala and top it off with a glass of vino from their extensive wine list. Then, cap off your dinner with the Gelati Misti or tiramisu for dessert with only one question: one spoon or two?

3105 Price Ave., East Price Hill Food, wine and romance are perfectly paired at Somm in Price Hill’s Incline District. Get cozy with your significant other over a bottle of wine in the intimate dining room or out on the outdoor patio, with its fountain, Edisonbulb string lights and fire table a prime setting for date night. Somm has over 80 kinds of wine to choose from and a menu ranging from charcuterie boards and Angus burgers to filet mignon.

Nolia P H OTO : H A I L E Y B O L L I N G E R

MRBL P H O T O : FA C E B O O K . C O M / M R B L S T E A K

and airy feeling to the intimate setting. The menu features delectable Southern-inspired dishes like the Swordfish, served with kidney beans and andouille sausage, or Eggplant Dirty Rice. And while you shouldn’t expect Nolia to play zydeco music or serve hurricane cocktails in novelty cups, the restaurant’s drink menu will truly laissez les bon temps rouler avec ton amour.

Atwood Oyster House

Alcove

1220 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Over-the-Rhine’s Atwood Oyster House features a menu focused on oysters and seasonal seafood that is playful but elegant. Atwood also has a full bar, which serves a diverse menu of classic and creative house cocktails and a wine list of 16 wines by the glass and 80 bottles, all of which were selected to complement the

1410 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Brimming with live greenery and living feature walls, Alcove creates an atmosphere where it feels like you sneaked away to a secret garden with your love. The space also features a lush outdoor patio space and a menu of farm-to-table dishes like Steak Frites and Braised Chicken Pot Pie. Alcove’s drink menu also features housemade

Mita’s 501 Race St., Downtown Chef Jose Salazar is a continent away from his mamita and the handcranked mill she still uses to grind corn for arepas and empanadas, but his restaurant, Mita’s, is a tribute to her spirit and to Spanish and Latin American food. Mita’s menu is described as eclectic and farm-inspired with both traditional and modern food and drinks from both regions. You’ll find tapas, ceviches, cured hams, cheeses and large plates on the menu along

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Five on Vine

with a wine program that “emphasizes Spain and the Old World,” says Mita’s.

1324 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine At its core, Five on Vine’s menu is meant to represent owner Crown Restaurant Group’s perspective on how American food traditions have evolved. It includes savory shareables like oysters and OTR Wellingtons (local sausage and mushrooms wrapped in puff pastry and served with whole grain mustard); homemade pastas; and traditional entrees with a twist, like the Roasted Amish Chicken with kale panzanella and apricot jus. It also has a beverage program that highlights its selection of reserve cocktails made from premier spirits and a crafted collection of martinis.

Bouquet 519 Main St., Covington Working closely with local sources, Bouquet’s upscale farm-to-table approach means a fresh, frequently rotating menu packed with seasonal ingredients. Elegant small plates, entrées and thoughtful wine pairings set the stage for an intimate dining experience.

Pepp & Dolores 1501 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Italian eatery Pepp & Dolores sports two personalities and one delicious menu. The upper level was designed to have the timeless look and feel of a mid-century bistro or cafe, while the basement level is darker and cozier and has a romantic charm and ambiance reminiscent of a New York City supper club. The menu was inspired by Sunday dinners at co-founders Joe and John Lanni’s grandparents’ home, and features housemade pastas, shareable dishes, salads and bread.

LouVino 1142 Main St., Over-the-Rhine This Over-the-Rhine restaurant and wine bar offers Southern-style cuisine and wines curated from around the world. LouVino’s menu features a selection of comfort-food go-tos like fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits and chicken and waffles. The menu also has a selection of gluten-free and vegetarian dishes. And if the date goes well and you’re planning a little nextday brunch, LouVino offers a Southern favorite with a Cincinnati twist: Biscuits & Goetta Gravy.

18 at the Radisson 668 W. Fifth St., Covington As Cincinnati’s only revolving steakhouse, you can enjoy a 360-degree view of both sides of the river’s unique city skylines from the Radisson’s 18th floor with your sweetheart. On the menu, guests will find upscale offerings like filet mignon, shrimp and lobster linguine and Atlantic salmon, as well as an extensive list of fine wines and cocktails — all enjoyed with the entire city as your backdrop, just like a scene from your favorite romantic film.

Carlo & Johnny 9769 Montgomery Road, Montgomery Carlo & Johnny is an upscale steakhouse from the team behind Jeff Ruby’s. Located in Montgomery, this restaurant is situated in a historic mansion that was formerly a gangster hideout, stagecoach stopover and casino.

They offer USDA Prime steaks as well as a variety of fresh seafood dishes, sushi and impeccable service.

Nicola’s

menu offers prix-fixe dining, as well as pastas and mains like duck with potato latkes and caramelized brassicas and Alabama snapper and shellfish. There are vegetarian options, as well as decadent dishes for meat eaters. Don’t skip dessert, especially the Chocolate Satin.

1420 Sycamore St., Pendleton Nicola’s, one of Cincinnati’s top Zagat-rated restaurants, has been a mainstay for high-end, authentic Italian cuisine for the past two decades, and its renown is undeniable. Nicola’s linen-covered tables, chandeliers and exposed brick create an unmatched romantic atmosphere, and its menu of housemade pastas, gnocchi and creamy risotto are among some of the thoughtfully conceived dishes that will transport you right to the heart of Italy.

The National Exemplar

E+O Kitchen

6880 Wooster Pike, Mariemont The National Exemplar has been a Mariemont staple for 40 years. Located in the historic, Tudor-style Mariemont Inn, National Exemplar is well known for its American-style cuisine that uses only the freshest, highest-quality ingredients. In addition to its spacious main dining room, Southerby’s Pub (found in the inn’s lobby) and the north bar, the restaurant also has a relaxing outdoor patio surrounded by lush greenery in the warmer months. It’s the perfect cozy hideaway for you and your date to enjoy a slow-cooked prime rib or pan-seared salmon for a romantic dinner, along with an Exemplar cocktail (prosecco, chambord, cranberry, pineapple, simple and lemon).

3520 Edwards Road, Hyde Park; 56 West Freedom Way, The Banks E+O Kitchen’s beach-house-inspired eatery in Hyde Park will make you and your date feel like you’re getting away from it all. The E+O stands for “earth” and “ocean” and the restaurant aims to provide an experience that invokes both with its California coastal vibes and fusion of Asian and Latin seafoodfocused dishes. In addition to sashimi, nigiri and an extensive list of sushi rolls, E+O also offers entrees highlighting the union of land and sea, like its sesame-crusted tuna, miso-glazed black cod, steak- and chicken-fried rice, the E+O Cheeseburger and Surf & Turf. You can also find E+O Kitchen in its breezy riverside hideaway location at The Banks.

Mama’s On Main P H O T O : C AT I E V I OX F O R Z E S T C I N C Y

Mama’s on Main 621 Main St., Covington Mama’s on Main, from restaurateurs Emily Wolff and Paul Weckman, serves up traditional, pasta-oriented Italian fare in its bold and bright space in Covington. The menu features traditional red-sauce Italian fare, like classic spaghetti and meatballs, so you can recreate the iconic scene from Lady and the Tramp with your date. Other popular dishes include cacio e pepe and rigatoni with vodka sauce.

Abigail Street 1214 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine This wine and tapas bar from Chef Daniel Wright offers decadent small plates to share. The food has a Mediterranean lean and includes dishes like woodgrilled octopus, fattoush, roasted beets with lebna and baklava for dessert.

Wine on tap is available by the glass, quartino or bottle.

Rosewood Thai & Sushi 3036 Madison Road, Oakley Rosewood, a sister restaurant of Teak in Over-the-Rhine and Loveland, offers a selection of one-of-a-kind Thai, seafood and sushi options in an intimate and welcoming setting. The menu features Thai-style fried rice dishes; vegetable and mixed stir frys; a variety of curries; house specials like the Massaman Curried Lamb Shank, Chilean seabass; scallops and plenty of sushi.

To drink, Rosewood offers an extensive list of wines by the glass, beer and craft cocktails.

The Baker’s Table 1004 Monmouth St., Newport This farm-to-table restaurant offers rustic, seasonal dishes featuring fresh and locally sourced ingredients. The

Solstice 1544 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills Tropical-themed Solstice offers the feeling of a romantic getaway without having to leave Cincinnati. In contrast to most taco-centric eateries, the cocktail menu doesn’t lean heavily on margaritas or other tequila drinks. That’s in part because Solstice is not a Mexican restaurant; instead, the focus is more on the tropical parts of our planet. Thus, drinks, as well as food, borrow from flavors developed near the equator, including Africa, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. The food section of this menu is fairly simple, divided into “Sharables” and “Tacos.”

Symphony Hotel & Restaurant 210 W. 14th St., Over-the-Rhine For a cozy hidden gem, check out (or check in) at the Symphony Hotel & Restaurant, just steps away from Music Hall and Washington Park in Over-theRhine. The restaurant’s amaranthine walls and low lighting set the mood for a romantic meal of up to five courses.

The menu features New American cuisine like wild-caught fish, vegetarian tacos, grass-fed steak and Amish chicken. For dessert, split a decadent New York-style cheesecake or the chocolate cherry crème brûlée.

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MUSIC

Fairmount Girls P H OTO : M E R R I L E E L U K E - E B B E L E R

Step Right Up Cincinnati’s Fairmount Girls explore a heavier sound on Carnival on the Inside.

BY E R I C BAT E S

O

n Feb. 16, legendary local band, Fairmount Girls, will release their much anticipated new album Carnival on the Inside. And on Saturday, Feb. 17, this rocking collection of songs, which has been simmering in the band’s artistic cauldron since 2019, will be cast upon their eager and loyal followers, on spell-like green swirling vinyl, at the vinyl release show at MOTR Pub in downtown Cincinnati.

The band are super stoked to share not only their new music but their new sonic approach. With a sound that’s a bit more aggressive than what they’ve done in the past, Fairmount Girls has created a body of work that’s full of angst and raw energy, a sound that will electrify the listener, and keep the record on high rotation. Known for their quirky punk songs, Fairmount Girls found themselves wanting to explore alternative approaches to music making. So, when they opened themselves up to new ideas, and began experimenting with new sounds, after a while they found themselves gravitating towards a heavier, more driven style.

A few years back, with several new songs added to their arsenal, most of them written in the band’s long standing warehouse gallery practice space, The Sprout House, and a few other selections completed in About Space, the Northside storage unit where many local bands practice, Fairmount Girls began discussions on where the band should record these new songs, and who they’d

like to produce them. The Lodge, in Dayton, Ky., a converted Masonic Lodge, ended up being the band’s choice. With its huge Freemason meeting room and overall vintage vibe, the band felt it was the perfect space for them to bring their new songs to life. When talk of a producer began, it was seasoned pro John Hoffman that caught the band’s attention. At a Fairmount Girls show, not long before the band wanted to begin recording, Hoffman approached the group, and in their conversation John compared the band’s sound to the New Zealand band The Clean. The similarities John heard between the two groups (the short, poppy sound and the presence of the farfisa organ [Melissa Fairmount’s signature instrument]) quickly indicated to the band that Hoffman was the frontrunner for the job. Then, with other Hoffman fans like local band Wussy singing his praises, and learning of his highly sought out work at The Lodge, along with his famed history with Cincinnati’s iconic studio, Ultrasuede, Fairmount Girls decided Hoffman was the perfect producer to enlist.

The name of Fairmount Girls’ new album, Carnival on the Inside, was taken from a conversational quote by Jane McBrain, guitarist for the band. In a group discussion, Jane, in speaking about her nonchalant delivery and her zest for wearing black all the time, said, “I wear my carnival on the inside.” The band felt this statement summed up

what the record was about, and decided Carnival on the Inside would not only be a catchy title, but an appropriate and fitting one as well. With songs like “Ides of March” (the first single from the album, available Feb. 9), which reflects on loss, hopefulness and rebirth from pain, and “Heart Attack,” a homage to glam rock, Carnival on the Inside is a tour de force, taking the listener on a heart-pounding journey.

The album photos, shot by Merrilee Luke-Ebbleler, were taken during the unforgettable month of March in 2020.

“We literally took the photos the day they declared lockdown,” Dana Hamblen tells CityBeat. “It was a creepy gray day at a former funeral home, which is now Wiedemann Brewery.” Dana adds, “It was a great vibe!” The somber space along with Merrilee’s photo style gives the animal characters the band members portray in the record’s artwork a creepy, Kubricktype surrealism, visually setting the tone of the album.

Fairmount Girls, with Jane McBrain on black guitar, Melissa Fairmount on farfisa sport organ, Dana Hamblen on champagne sparkle drums and Diana Vakharia on music man bass (they are joined on occasion by Chris Schadler and Chris Fairmount), have been a Cincinnati favorite for over a decade.

With quirky, melodic, noisy guitar hooks, trade-off vocal harmonies and signature farfisa organ drone, the Fairmount Girls’ sound is unique and instantly

recognizable. Drawing inspiration from artists like Stereolab, Wolverton and the Breeders, the band have created an extensive catalog of singular songs over the years, and continues to build and evolve with Carnival on the Inside.

Live shows are just as unique as their studio music. The band prides themselves on giving their audience a fun and unforgettable experience. Quirky props, outfit themes and even yummy baked goods are all elements the group brings to every performance, giving their loyal and ever-growing fan base an event they won’t soon forget. Local and regional venues have hosted Fairmount Girls as headliners over the years, which has gained them fans all over, from Cincinnati to neighboring cities like Detroit.

Though playing shows close to home has been their main focus, touring in neighboring states has also helped them build and maintain a large following. But headlining their own events isn’t only what’s garnered attention for the band.

Fairmount Girls have opened for iconic bands like Guided by Voices and rock superstar Jack White. It’s rubbing shoulders with music legends, releasing rock and punk masterpieces and delivering epic yet intimate local shows for many years that make Fairmount Girls Cincinnati rock royalty.

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Fairmount Girls perform at MOTR Pub on Feb. 17 at 9:30 p.m.

Info: motrpub.com.

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SOUND ADVICE

The Kills

Joe Pug

P H O T O : PA U L H U D S O N , W I K I M E D I A C O M M O N S

P H O T O : R YA N N O L A N

THE KILLS Feb. 17 • Bogart’s Cult favorite duo The Kills bring their gutter glam punk to command the Bogart’s stage in February.

The band’s stylized but gritty explorations of minimalism are all studies in attitude and mood with explosive vocalist (and sometimes guitarist) Alison Mosshart blending effortlessly with guitarist/vocalist Jamie Hince’s melody and oversaturated groove, set overtop a programmed drum machine beat.

Mosshart and Hence met in the year 2000 while Mosshart’s former band Discount were on tour in London. The two kept in contact before Mosshart moved to London from the U.S. and they became The Kills in 2001. They released their debut EP Black Rooster on Domino Records that same year.

The band’s debut full length Keep on Your Mean Side was released in 2003 and immediately registered with critics and landed the band on festival lineups and the start of touring alongside respected contemporaries and legends.

No Wow was released in 2005 and featured single “The Good Ones,” which reached #23 on the UK Singles chart.

A third full length, Midnight Boom, was released in 2008 followed by touring with The Raconteurs where Mosshart became part of the supergroup, The Dead Weather, in 2009 alongside Jack White, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age and touring member of The Raconteurs and Jack Lawrence from The Raconteurs and Cincinnati’s own, The Greenhorne, following the tour. The Dead Weather released celebrated album Horehound in 2009, followed by Sea of Cowards the next year before The Kills returned with the

acclaimed Blood Pressures in 2011, their highest charting in the U.S. to date that features standouts like the delicate and timeless melody of “Baby Says” and the fuzz noir of “Satellite.”

Ash & Ice, their 2016 full length album, featuring the single “Doing It to Death,” became their highest charting record in the UK. The band are currently on tour in support of their newest record, God Games, released in late 2023.

The Kills play Bogart’s on Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. Info: bogarts.com. (Brent Stroud)

JACKSON DEAN Feb. 22 • Bogart’s Country music singer, Jackson Dean, has had a fast-moving career since signing with Big Machine Records in 2021. In that year, Dean released a self-titled EP, and, the following year, put out his debut full-length album, Greenbroke. Since 2022, Dean has released a hit single, “Fearless (The Echo)” in 2023. He was also nominated for New Male Artist of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2023.

Born in Maryland, Dean is mainly known for performing old-fashioned styles of country music. At only 22 years old, Dean became the youngest male country artist to reach number one on the charts with a debut single upon releasing “Don’t Come Lookin.”

With so much success in such little time, it is easy to assume Dean will continue to grow and chart from here. His upcoming tour will feature hits from both of his albums, and some of his hit singles.

Jackson Dean plays Bogart’s on Feb. 22 at 6:30 p.m. Info: bogarts.com.

(Hayley Garr)

Jackson Dean P H O T O : I N S TA G R A M . C O M / T H E J A C K S O N D E A N

JOE PUG Feb. 23 • Southgate House Revival With his sixth roots record coming out in March, Joe Pug’s aspirations of becoming a master songwriter are easily within reach. Born in Maryland but now living in Austin, Texas, the former carpenter turned singer/songwriter got his start opening shows in 2009 for Steve Earle, who also helped mentor Pug during that period.

Influenced by Earle and John Prine among others, Pug plays acoustic Americana with a folk tilt, and his excellent, new Sketch of a Promised Departure should go far in providing him a higher profile in music.

This record highlights Pug’s poetic lyricism and plaintive voice on ten cuts. With its thematic song cycle, Departure deals with a young man’s passage into adulthood and the role of religious faith in his life. Many of the songs express Pug’s own faith as a touchstone here.

“Treasury of Prayers,” for instance,

offers a modest list of blessings reminiscent of Dylan’s “Forever Young” in its plainspoken reverence. With its bright acoustic thrum, “What is Good Will Never Change” delves into contemporary historical issues such as removing public statues and its effects on a community.

For a decade now, Pug has narrated his own music podcast, The Working Songwriter. In this audio labor of love, he interviews other songwriter pals like Earle, Rhett Miller and Brandon Flowers. Pug explains the genesis of the show on his website (theworkingsongwriter. com), “There was one podcast in particular that I wanted to hear: working songwriters talking to one another about life on the road, life in the studio and life in the writer’s room. But that show didn’t exist. So I decided to make it myself.”

Joe Pug plays the Southgate House Revival on Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. Info: southgatehouse.com. (Greg Gaston)

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GAME ON CROSSWORD

BY B R EN DA N E M M E T T Q U I G L E Y W W W. B R E N DA N E M M E T TQ U I G L E Y.C O M

Across

36. Mindless followers

Down

25. ___ jacket

1. “Long may they live!”

37. Wine leftovers

1. Its year last roughly 225 days

26. Mountain crest

5. Babe in the woods

38. Actor McShane

27. Silver-scaled fish

9. Old-school lover, for short

39. It comes straight from the heart

2. Adler that Sherlock Holmes called “The Woman”

13. Church in country

40. Didn’t exist

14. ___ Rhymes

41. “Grub? I’m going to need more information about that”?

15. Medicated tissue ingredient 16. Learning Thermostat maker 17. Girder piece

28. All tied up

3. Pop in

29. Try out

4. Saber-rattling, perhaps

30. Large in scale

5. Urban street wear brand

31. He went beast mode in the Old Testament

44. G-rated

6. “Hang on just ___!”

45. Chest pain

7. State whose tallest mountain is Kings Peak

49. Prayer to the “Faust” composer for assistance?

32. Admonition to keep shut

8. Talk about who you know

36. Like certain sandals that don’t offer much support

53. Pueblo tribe people

9. Low men

37. Waste away

54. Get away from

39. Cartoon supplier of dehydrated boulders and anvils

56. Sign of the future

10. Irving Berlin classic with the lyrics “Never saw the sun shining so bright / Never saw things going so right”

57. Source of power

11. Apologetic comment

58. Tit-for-tat

12. Fist pumper’s word

59. Trait carrier

14. Ice cream-loving president

34. “___ seen enough”

60. Flower holder

20. Put together

35. D-worthy

61. Zoom meeting runner

21. Nice night

18. Has dinner 19. British titled women getting married?

22. Fixed cost

55. “I might as well be in this meme”

23. Babes in the woods?

24. “Care for a little braised meat?”

30. Stop on a designated time 33. Reason for an “Abort, Retry, Fail?” message

46. Split 47. Spanish uncle?

48. Highly skilled 49. Just a few

53. Keep to yourself LAST PUZZLE’S ANSWERS:

2 / ' ( 5 ( 6 3 1 $ 6 7 2 9 2 , ' 3 $ 3 8 $ , 7 2 1 $ / 9 $ 6 7 2 1 < + $ / ( % / ( 0 0 , 1 * $ $ 1 ' 3 & $ % & 8 1 6 ( $ 7 . $ 0 & / $ 8 6 ( 2 1 / ( $ 6 ( ( $ 5 7 + $ 5 7 $ , / 2 5 ' , 6 6 ( 5 7 , 0 7 2 5 1 & $ 6 2 6 8 ( 0 ( 7 ( ( 6 $ / 2 8 9 * 5 $ ' ( 5 6 7 3 ( 1 7 , 8 0 6 $ , 7 ( 0 2 $ 7 7 $ / ( 6 , 1 ( 5 7 6 + 2 2 / $ ' ( 1 ( 5 $ 6

51. Drug runner 52. Holland export

50. It’s a novel idea

42. Surfer girl 43. Ready to go

40. Red head?

Bertha G. Helmick

attorney at law

DISSOLVE YOUR DISSOLVE YOUR DISSOLVE YOUR MARRIAGE MARRIAGE MARRIAGE Dissolution: An amicable end to

Dissolution: An amicable end to marriage. Easier on your heart.

Dissolution: An amicable end to Easier on your wallet. marriage.

Easier on your heart. marriage. Easier on your heart.

Easier wallet.

Starting aton $500 plus wallet. court costs.

Easier on your your

Starting at $500Turnaround. plus court costs.

12 Hour 12 Hour Turnaround.

810 Sycamore St. 4th Fl., at Cincinnati, 45202 $500 OH 810 SycamoreStarting St. 4th Fl, Cincinnati, OH 45202

plus court costs.

513.651.9666 513.651.9666

12 Hour Turnaround.

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Cincinnati, OH 45202

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