Frankfort, KY – I didn’t realize Frankfort had flooded until I made a left onto a street and saw water nearly cresting the street signs. The yellow caution tape had snapped, but the currents of the flooded Kentucky River, more than 12 feet above flood stage, continued to pour rapidly into the Ohio. I thought the floods were further west. Naturally, I got out and began taking pictures.
Moments later I ran into a woman, Vicki Hayes, a psychologist, who was concerned about some boaters rumored to be trapped in a logjam somewhere on the river. Frankfort Fire Department was… Continue Reading Category Archives: Dispatches
Flooded in Frankfort
Frankfort, KY – I didn’t realize Frankfort had flooded until I made a left onto a street and saw water nearly cresting the street signs. The yellow caution tape had snapped, but the currents of the flooded Kentucky River, more than 12 feet above flood stage, continued to pour rapidly into the Ohio. I thought the floods were further west. Naturally, I got out and began taking pictures.
Moments later I ran into a woman, Vicki Hayes, a psychologist, who was concerned about some boaters rumored to be trapped in a logjam somewhere on the river. Frankfort Fire Department was… Continue Reading Ran Out of Podunk County, OH
Butler County, OH – For the last several days I’ve been hating on Ohio. Except for my visits to Woodland Cemetery in Dayton and hanging with wrestlers in West Carrollton, Ohio has been a bust. I came here to write about an interesting little family saga that ties into some serious problems with Butler County’s child services agency. (Due to legal issues that haven’t yet been fleshed out, the names of people have been changed.)
In Butler County I meet with Jack and Diane, a nice, polite couple who have quite the story. Turns out that in 2003, a… Continue Reading Big Hearts and Dreams in West Carrolton, OH
West Carrolton, OH – In a strip mall on Central Avenue, in the very rear of a very large indoor flea market, is the Morningstar Arena, a brightly lit and colorful space where, on this Saturday afternoon, dozens of locals have paid $5 for an afternoon of indie wrestling.
I arrive about 90 minutes before showtime and catch up with MC Pauli, co-owner of 1CW (1st Class Wrestling), one of several regional wrestling federations in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. He shows me around the arena, which was built in 18 months for around $6,000, then leads me to the… Continue Reading Where have Dayton’s Gypsies Gone?
Dayton, OH – Woodland Cemetery spreads out across some 240-acres of rolling hills canopied by more than 3,000 trees, several of which are more than a century old. Here you will find buried such luminaries as the Wright Brothers, author Erma Bombeck and African-American poet Paul Dunbar. You’ll also walk above numerous figures whose contributions to progress are more recognizable than their names. Among them are the inventors of the cash register, the electric starter, the folding ladder, the pop-top can, moisture-proof cellophane and the Oh Henry! candy bar. But whose grave I’m here to visit belongs to Matilda… Continue Reading 24 Hours in Morgantown
Morgantown, WV – If you’ve ever dreamed of eating a Fat Bitch then ordering a Fat Blunt for the road, Morgantown is the place for you. It’s what I did there, but more on that later.
I arrived in Morgantown around 5 a.m. Wednesday morning, which is a fine time to arrive in any place. The streets are clear enough in these early hours that you can drive slowly and figure out the lay of the city. This strategy was particularly helpful in hilly Morgantown, with its tight, twisty, one-way roads.
Morgantown is a beautiful little mountain town in north-central… Continue Reading My Morning as a Faux-Conservative
Harrisburg, PA – It was a chilly morning in Harrisburg, but tempers were raging hot on the statehouse steps as some 400 pro-gun activists rallied in support of what they claim is the federal government’s infringement of their Second Amendment Rights.
The protest was one of dozens of similar rallies held around the nation in recent weeks, organized in part by the insurgent Tea Party movement that is determined to upend President Barack Obama’s presidency. But the protest seemed less about protecting guns than about halting the spread of “tyranny.”
“He’s a treasonous communist,” said Lance Pledger, 58, of… Continue Reading 
Mining for Hope in Shenandoah