When I was growing up, the fact that Cincinnati was known as “Porkopolis” was not exactly a selling point for me. I vividly remember Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point opening in 1988 to much hullabaloo thanks to the flying pig sculptures near the entrance and being absolutely mortified with embarrassment that my hometown would choose to embrace its reputation as a haven for swine.  

If everything goes as planned, Cincinnati’s streetcar system connecting the University of Cincinnati to Over-the-Rhine and the downtown riverfront will carry its first passengers on Reds Opening Day in 2013 — about 25 months from now. That’s the unofficial target date for the system’s opening, according to City Hall sources. But readers can safely bet that between now and then there will be plenty of overheated and inaccurate rhetoric designed to confuse citizens and block the project.  

How a person reacts in adversity reveals a lot about his or her character. In a move reminiscent of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Cincinnati City Councilman Jeff Berding announced last week that he was resigning soon, despite having another year left on his term. As the reason for his departure, Berding said he needed to focus on his day job as sales and marketing director for the Cincinnati Bengals. Berding’s given reason probably is true, but it’s only part of the story.  

When I was first told by a friend Sunday morning that former Cincinnati City Councilman and Vice Mayor David Crowley had passed away at age 73, I was taken aback by how much the news affected me. After all, I knew that his prostate cancer, which he successfully battled in 2005, had returned last year and he had begun chemotherapy. But I soon realized that David was one of those rare people I admired both professionally and personally.  

Mahatma Gandhi famously said that we must be the change we want to see in the world. As Greater Cincinnati's leading media voice for change and progress, we've tried to live those words at CityBeat. Our world has changed a bit since this paper debuted 15 years ago, and we've played a role in changing it. The back and forth has been fascinating to observe and difficult to steer.  

There's an old saying: "All politics are local." The phrase, attributed to longtime House Speaker Tip O'Neill, emphasized his belief that a politician's success is directly tied to an ability to understand and influence the issues of his constituents.  

Rogelio Santana's story is sad and frustrating on multiple levels. The Cincinnati Enquirer last week reported the details of how Santana, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was wheeled away from a nursing home by relatives instead of facing charges for allegedly robbing a Westwood convenience store in November. Santana, 27, was confined to a wheelchair after he was shot and paralyzed during the robbery.  

In one of life's little ironies, an anti-tax group that prides itself on trying to save taxpayer money and stop government waste actually helped set the stage for squandering millions of dollars in t