That's So Cincinnati

Lincoln Ware has been on the air in Cincinnati for nearly a half century, known to his listeners as a trusted voice who gives them a chance to have theirs heard.  "I've been on the air longer than any African American in the history of Cincinnati radio," said Ware, who hosts the Lincoln Ware Show 10 a.m.-12 p.m. weekdays on 101.5 FM The Buzz.  Ware joined The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcas...

Did Fiona actually miss seeing zoo visitors during the coronavirus shutdown?  How did the Cincinnati Zoo team break Ndume of a chewing gum habit?  And what's a long-time zookeeper think about "Tiger King?" Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens Director Thane Maynard had the answers in a wide-ranging and engaging interview on The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast this week.

The leader of Cincinnati-based Ohio Innocence Project said in 2011 then-state Attorney General Mike DeWine rejected a request to do a statewide review of cases involving prisoners who claimed to be wrongfully convicted. But DeWine, now Ohio governor, didn't turn down the offer because he disagreed with the premise of helping people who are wrongfully convicted, his spokesman told The Enquirer. Loc...

FC Cincinnati play-by-play voice Tom Gelehrter talks about the making of a new documentary about the team, his summer at broadcasting school and starting his own company.  Gelehrter's company, 4th Floor Creative, produced "Nonstop Flight: The Untold Story of FC Cincinnati," which debuted this week.  Enquirer Director of Photography Cara Owsley also joins That's So Cincinnati to take listeners onto...

One of Greater Cincinnati's leading influencers in the LGBTQ community wants to give embattled Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman a chance to redeem himself. And there's no better place for Brennaman to do that than the television booth, community leader Ryan Messer told The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast. "I don't think he should be fired," said Messer, vice president of the Cincinnati Publ...

The election is all about suburban women voters. You've inevitably heard that many times in 2020. Ohio GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken joined The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast to discuss the battle for suburban women voters and whether Trump's message of safety amid nationwide protesting is working with that voting bloc.  "I am that demographic," said Timken, 53, who grew up in Cincinnati and...

Cincinnati's Greg Hartmann is among a handful of Republicans who can vouch for how costly it can be to publicly criticize Donald Trump. Hartmann made national headlines in late 2015, when the then-Hamilton County commissioner called Trump "the most offensive public figure I've seen." The comments ended up costing Hartmann a White House-appointed federal prosecutor's job. Back in the local politica...

Ohio Rep. Brigid Kelly joins The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast to discuss the Larry Householder scandal; the dangers of dark money in politics; how the House moves forward; and what Hamilton County office she may run for in the future.  The Hyde Park Democrat says she's concerned the alleged $60 million Statehouse bribery scandal against the now-former House Speaker could deter "good peo...

Former Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken has emerged as a leading critic on the city and county's embattled riverfront development project, also known as The Banks.  And the former Congressman and local TV anchor didn't hold back in his criticism of The Banks on That's So Cincinnati this week, calling for new leadership on the project. Luken is a member of the city-county Joint Banks Steering Committ...

Cincinnati Attorney Chris Finney talks about his challenges of going against energy company-led efforts to reject a ballot initiative last year on Larry Householder's House Bill 6. Finney also discusses his legal battles against Gov. Mike DeWine's coronavirus-related orders.  Also this week: Co-hosts Jason Williams and Sharon Coolidge breakdown the scandal in Columbus and discuss a leisure trip on...

On this week's episode: -- New Cincinnati City Manager Paula Boggs Muething talks about her personal and professional journey. -- What's up with the under-the-radar Hamilton County parks levy -- Taking the stairs at Eden Park

It's been four years since Cincinnati Parks leaders announced that the long-awaited riverfront marina was finally going to be built. Nothing has happened since, though. What happened?  New Cincinnati Parks Director Kara Kish told The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati Podcast that the Parks Board earlier this year requested and got an extension until 2023 for the $1.5 million state grant being used t...

The burden of paying for future maintenance and upgrades to Paul Brown Stadium continues to loom large for Hamilton County taxpayers.  As the bill is coming due in a few years on deferred costs, Republican commissioner candidate Andy Black is proposing a solution:  Sell the stadium.  It's not a new idea, but Black is well-intentioned and has gathered a team of experts to work on a plan.  The forme...

Dusty Rhodes says Democrats can censure him "until the cows come home," but the long-time Hamilton County auditor isn't going to apologize for his recent tweet asking why Black Lives Matter isn't also focusing on children lost to abortions and shootings. Instead, Rhodes is doubling down on his comments and hopes it drives a conversation about emphasizing that "all black lives matter," he told The...

It's moments like this in our history when a journalist's experience, perspective and credibility are critical for viewers and readers.  WLWT-TV anchor and reporter Courtis Fuller has been a trusted voice for Greater Cincinnati for nearly four decades, and his institutional knowledge really pays off in major news events like the recent racial inequality protests.  He was on the streets covering th...

It'd be hard to find a law enforcement officer anywhere who understands police-community relations better than Cincinnati assistant police chief Paul Neudigate. The 30-year policeman last week climbed over a barrier during a racial equality protest and took the opportunity to talk with and listen to peaceful protesters. And he quickly realized: There's work to be done to bridge the relationship be...

Cincinnati chef and restaurateur Jose Salazar chuckles about a conversation he had with his wife in early March.   "Everything was just starting to click," Jose Salazar said about his three restaurants, the most popular being Salazar in Over-the-Rhine. "My wife about two weeks before the shutdown said, 'I feel great. I feel like for the first time in years I'm not worried whether I'm going to make...

Before the streetcar was shut down to passengers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, there was a plan on the table to make it fare-free. Yes, free. Finally. Supporters have long said such a move would bolster weak ridership. Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Seelbach told The Enquirer’s That’s So Cincinnati podcast that the Cincinnati Bell Connector was going to be free to ride starting July...

Concerns are growing inside the Cincinnati Police Department about the possibility of officers being laid off as City Hall faces a monumental $80 million budget deficit in the upcoming fiscal year. Police union President Dan Hils, never one to back down from a political fight, is ready to "call out stupid" if City Council attempts to prioritize any pet projects at the expense of public safety. Aft...

Supermarkets are limiting meat purchases as outbreaks of the new coronavirus has shutdown meat-processing plants across the U.S. But never fear, Greater Cincinnatians. "There won't be a shortage of goetta," Glier's Goetta CEO Dan Glier told That's So Cincinnati podcast. Glier's Northern Kentucky-based plant is equipped with a state-of-the-art sanitation system the company installed last year.  Dan...

Bent on reopening the economy, Ohio Republican lawmakers are returning to Columbus next week united around one message:  Convincing Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to start listening more to elected officials in the Statehouse and less to non-elected state medical Director Amy Acton.  Ahead of the Legislature returning to session on Tuesday for the first time in six weeks, Ohio House Majority Leader B...

Jerry Springer knows television and politics — and the proud liberal can't stand Donald Trump. So how do you get "Judge Jerry" fired up?  Ask Springer whether the networks should be airing Trump's daily coronavirus press conferences. "There is no excuse now that we know what they're like for just turning on the cameras," Springer told The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast . "The reporters sh...

Some 50,000 absentee ballots have been cast in Hamilton County since the coronavirus sent the Ohio primary election to the mailbox. Thousands more are still expected to participate before this unprecedented vote-by-mail only election ends on April 28. And lots of confusion and questions remain about how to vote and how to make sure your vote is counted.  The Enquirer has you covered right here.  S...

Dr. O'dell Owens wants us all stay focused on a public health crisis.  He's talking about the opioid crisis, Greater Cincinnati's leading public health expert wants everyone to know hasn't gone away amid the coronavirus pandemic.  "It’s falling off of people’s thought patterns," Owens told The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast. "That’s what bothers me. This issue was so big that the life exp...

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman hasn't been holding daily press conferences to update Ohioans on the novel coronavirus, but the Greater Cincinnati Republican has been doing critical work to help fight the pandemic. Portman has President Trump's ear, a relationship that's helped major Ohio companies quickly clear bureaucratic hurdles in efforts to make and receive critical products to combat the novel corona...