Pinta, Nina arrive in Newport

Replicas of the Columbus ships Pinta and Nina have arrived in Cincinnati and docked on the Northern Kentucky riverfront where tours will be available until October 5 for just $7.  The Nina was built by hand and is considered to be the most historically accurate Columbus replica ever built.  The Pinta was recently built in Brazil and is a larger version of its predecessor. The two ships will be open to the public for self-guided tours every day from 9am to 6pm on Riverboat Row in Newport.  Scheduled tours are also available for teachers looking for a guided tour with a crew member. Read full article here.

‘Color Purple’ brings Cincinnati native home

Cincinnati native Darius Crenshaw will be touring through Cincinnati with "The Color Purple" as it makes its second visit here.  The SCPA grad credits his former teachers there for getting him into Broadway. The Grammy-nominated musical features gospel, jazz, pop and blues while being based on Alice Walker's novel about Celie who finds emotional peace after a trial-filled life in rural Georgia in the early 1900s. Read full article here.

Ohio’s Governor Endorses Legislation Written by UC Law Students

University of Cincinnati College of Law students have put together legislation that would help prevent wrongful convictions.  The legislation has received the support of Governor Strickland and the Ohio Senate. If passed, the legislation would require the preservation of DNA evidence in all cases of serious crime, establish a standard that requires the recording of all interrogations from beginning to end in cases of serious crime, require police lineups and eyewitness photo ID procedures to be conducted in double-blind fashion, and expand Ohio's current post-conviction DNA testing law to allow for DNA testing to be done during the parole phase of the justice cycle. Read full article here.

TANK looking for input as it moves to roll with leaner vehicles

The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) is looking to make some changes over the next several months that will include replacing their current fleet of buses for smaller vehicles that will once again be able to traverse the historic Roebling Suspension Bridge.  By the spring of 2010, TANK intends to introduce these smaller vehicles with a lighter overall weight which will result in a multifaceted cost-cutting move. In 2007, an 11-ton weight limit was enacted following a structural analysis from the University of Kentucky which banned TANK buses from using the historic Roebling Suspension Bridge due to the damage the heavy buses were causing to the 143-year-old river span.  The move was seen as a way to help extend the life of the bridge and minimize costly maintenance needed to keep the bridge safe for automotive and pedestrian passage.  The move also created a host of problems for TANK's bus system that relies heavily on connectivity across the river and into Cincinnati. At the time, the central location and minimal traffic using the Roebling Suspension Bridge made for an ideal route for TANK buses.  As a result of the 11-ton weight limit some 23 routes, including the popular Southbank Shuttle, had to be moved to other nearby bridges like the Taylor-Southgate Bridge.  The new routes have added mileage that has not only slowed service times to and from Cincinnati, but has also increased fuel costs exponentially for the cash-strapped transit authority. The survey appears to indicate a possible shift in the type of service that might exist between the three primary river cities.  Not only will buses become smaller and lighter, but the frequency of service may also be increasing with a heavier focus on out-of-town guests looking to navigate their way between Newport, Covington, and Cincinnati's many attractions without an automobile. TANK is currently looking for input from the community to learn how to best implement the changes that will allow TANK buses to roll across the bridge once again.  Until Thursday, October 1, interested individuals are encouraged to take an online survey that will be used to help define the new service both in terms of its scope and functionality. Writer: Randy A. Simes Photography by Scott Beseler Stay connected by following Randy on Twitter @SoapboxRandy

The boutique hotel space race continues as Downtown’s Metropole announces possible sale

$13.5M Jefferson Avenue Sports Complex seen as next step for surging Bearcats athletics

Lunken Airport seen as “temporary” solution for Cincinnati’s 3C Corridor station

Video Fountain Square

This week, Soapbox and Seven/Seventy-Nine take a look at the new Fountain Square - three years after its $42 million face lift and redesign, the Genius of Water is doing something the old Square could not - bringing people, and business, back to the city center. And its doing it with creative multi-use programming - from aerobics demonstrations to cooking shows, diverse musical events, and fun, oddball activities that appeal to families, indie rockers, and tourists alike.

Queen City Avenue gets “smart” with Duke Energy technology

Cincinnati is getting smart as part of  Duke Energy’s 5-year, $1 billion Smart Grid gas and electric initiative. The Cincinnati-based energy provider in early September installed seven “intelligent” switches on power poles on the west side of Cincinnati, along Queen City Avenue. These switches allow Duke, the third largest electric power company in the United States, to more accurately pin point electricity outages and quickly manage them. “Since the installation, there was an outage that normally would have affected 3200 customers.  With the intelligent switches approximately 2000 customers experienced only a momentary outage; 1000 were without power for about 1 hour, and less than 200 customers in an apartment complex (where the damaged equipment was located) were out about two hours during the repairs.  Because we were able to reroute power with the help of intelligent switches, we were able to inconvenience a lot less customers,” said Johnna Reeder Duke Energy spokeswoman. Duke, as the nation’s third largest power holding company, is playing a major role in advancing the national “Smart Grid” movement designed to make electricity delivery more efficient and helping relieve pressure on energy providers to build new power plants. Duke is one of the nation's leaders in providing this new technology, and serves approximately 4 million customers in five states Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina Indiana. Residents and businesses in Ohio and Kentucky will be among the first in the country to experience Smart Grid technology with smart meters, which allow for more accurate billing and more personal control of individual’s electric and gas usage. Duke already has installed 47,500 electric and 28,800 smart meters across Cincinnati. Eventually, 700,000 electric and 450,000 natural gas meters will be installed across the state. “We recently submitted our application requesting stimulus funding for our smart grid efforts. Duke Energy has demonstrated our commitment to modernize our power delivery system to make it more reliable, efficient and economical so we can better serve our customers, manage our business and improve the environment,” Reeder said. “Our application includes a request for $200 million, the maximum stimulus funds available to support smart grid projects on our power distribution system.” Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Johnna Reeder, Duke Energy Regional Communications officer