Maybe it's easier to stand up for principle when you're retiring in a few weeks, but the Republican U.S. senator from Cleveland has never been afraid to buck his party, when needed. Now George Voinovich is calling out skittish President Obama and dogmatic GOP lawmakers for their deal to extend the Bush tax cuts for everyone — including millionaires and billionaires — for the next two years.  

It's likely that if you're not from the East Side then you probably reacted to today's news of Sarah Palin appearing at an 11 a.m. book signing at the Harper's Point Kroger by saying, “So what? I was at work. Also, where the hell is Harper's Point?” It turns out that a lot of people know the answer (and had the day off), as about 200 showed up to see the former Alaska governor sign copies of her new book.  

Vine is the symbolic heart of the city, stretching like its namesake across the middle of downtown and separating East Side from West Side. So it's fitting that city planners chose Vine Street over West Clifton Avenue for the route of the streetcar system that will connect downtown to uptown.   

Despite its impressive name, the "Courage Express" is actually just a 19-year-old retired bus from the Licking County School District. With its worn-out odometer and fresh coat of silvery paint, it's now a road-weary campaigning machine that supporters of Jennifer Brunner bought online for $2,000. In some ways, the Express mirrors her run for U.S. Senate: It's a low-budget, bumpy ride that just might be on its last legs, but it's still rolling along.