Referred to as the "Stir the Pot" series, a film/discussion series at Grace Episcopal Church in College Hill (5501 Hamilton Ave. 45224) will show The Freedom Files on Feb. 22 at 4:30 p.m.
According to the ACLU, producers of the video series, the Freedom Files focuses on issues on some of the most volatile issues of our day including surveillance, sex education, freedom from abuse of power, school to prison pipeline and lesbian/gay families.

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As if the tightly wound Jean Schmidt hadn’t embarrassed Greater Cincinnati enough with her odd remarks sparking a Saturday Night Live parody in 2005, this weekend it was John Boehner and Mitch McConnell taking their turn in the satirical spotlight.

In SNL’s opening skit, Dan Ackroyd portrayed Boehner (the congressman from West Chester) and Darrell Hammond played McConnell (the U.S. senator from Louisville) as the pair plotted the Republican Party’s misguided comeback and debated whom the GOP should take advice from, Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh.

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Jailing juveniles as a form of “rehabilitation” comes with an expensive price tag. More than money, the criminal justice system costs kids their rights and that state seems to be OK with that.

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Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, born and raised in Cincinnati, appears to be the frontrunner for Secretary of Health and Human Services. She supported Barack Obama's presidential run early on and campaigned for him, including in Cincinnati.

This position was originally to be filled by former Sen. Tom Daschle, who dropped out when it was revealed he hadn't paid all of his taxes. Stupid taxes! There's no word yet on how good Sebelius' CPA is.

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...do people in Washington D.C. not get the concept of economic stimulus?

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Republicans made a lot of fuss about Barack Obama’s associations during last year’s presidential campaign. Now that same standard might come back to haunt them.

Because Obama attended church where the Rev. Jeremiah Wright preached, the GOP told us it must mean that Obama shared all of Wright’s incendiary beliefs about the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the origin of the AIDS virus. Because Obama lived near ex-‘60s radical William Ayers and attended some of the same events, they breathlessly added that it must mean Obama approves of blowing up public buildings.

What, then, does that say about Rob Portman, the former GOP congressman who is the odds-on favorite to run for George Voinovich’s seat in the U.S. Senate in 2010?

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If you made in to D.C. for the inauguration, let everyone know how it was. Drop some comments below about your experiences.

If you have photos you'd like to share, send them to our web guru, Cameron Knight: cknight@citybeat.com. He can organize them into a gallery on our photo page or even a multimedia show and we can create a new photo link on our inauguration section, Road to the Presidency. Cameron has a slide show there from last night's celebrations in Northside.

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After all was said and done, the frontrunner got the job.

As widely predicted during the past week, Greg Harris was formally selected today to take the seat on Cincinnati City Council that was vacated when John Cranley resigned.

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Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) announced this morning that he won't seek re-election in 2010. The political pundits are already debating the possibility of a Democratic pickup in Ohio, while local GOP name brand Rob Portman might be the Republicans' best chance to retain the seat.

Voinovich's announcement means four veteran Republican senators have already decided not to get beaten in 2010, increasing the likelihood that President Barack Obama will be able to enact a progressive agenda over the next two years and beyond.

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This week’s issue of CityBeat features a cover story about the effort by the NAACP's local chapter and other groups to get an initiative on next fall’s ballot that would require a public vote before any taxpayer money is spent on Cincinnati’s proposed streetcar system.

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