In this edition of The Kentucky Side, we talk with the authors of two new books.

Greg Hand's Cincinnati Curiosities: Healing Powers of the Wamsley Madstone, Nocturnal Exploits of Old Man Dead, Mazeppa's Naked Ride & More explores some of our strange historic moments in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

For example, did you know that the fortune built by the Devou family, which ultimately lead to the creation of the namesake park in Covington, was at least partially funded by brothel businesses in Cincinnati's West End?

Or that the infamous Voo Doo King of Cincinnati was born a slave in Boone County?

Hand's book has those stories and more. He joins us.

Author Kathy Witt sends readers on a scavenger hunt across Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and southeast Indiana with clues written in rhyme featuring photographic hints produced by her husband, John Witt.

Northern Kentucky spots are found in Fort Thomas, Covington and Latonia, Bellevue, and beyond.

We talk with the Witts about the book Cincinnati Scavenger: The Ultimate Search for Cincinnati's Hidden Treasures.

Correction: In an earlier version of this podcast, I misidentified the Democrat running in House District 68. The candidate is Kelly Jones, but I said that it was Rene Heinrich.

Heinrich is the Democratic candidate in the 24th Senate District against Republican Shelley Funke Frommeyer.

Kelly Jones is the Democrat running in House District 68 against Republican Mike Clines.

This is the second time that I have made this mistake involving Kelly Jones after previously publishing a candidates list in our bi-monthly print edition, The LINK Reader. In that instance as well, I listed Rene Heinrich as the 68th House District Democratic candidate (while also correctly listing her as the 24th Senate District Democratic candidate).

When mistakes are made at LINK, it is imperative that they be corrected and noted for the public. I deeply regret making this mistake the first time in print and now a second time in a different product at LINK and wish that I could explain why this particular race has tripped me up multiple times resulting in published errors.

I apologize to Kelly Jones for this mistake and have done so directly over the phone, and I also apologize to Rene Heinrich, Mike Clines, and Shelley Funke Frommeyer.
-Michael Monks, LINK nky chief content officer and host of The Kentucky Side

Original story:

Northern Kentuckians head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 8 to cast ballots in judicial and legislative races, as well as for local county, city, and school board offices.

How competitive is the field of legislative candidates?

Former Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, a member at Frost Brown Todd where he leads the law firm's government relations arm, CivicPoint, joins host Michael Monks and LINK nky politics and government reporter Mark Payne to talk about the election.

In a city as old as Covington, even if you're a skeptic, your mind has probably wandered at some point to the possibility that these old buildings have some old residents.
Very old residents.
...Dead residents.
The Spooky Secrets Walking Tour shares documented tales about where ghostly hauntings are reported to have taken place, or continue to. The tour includes details about paranormal activity in historic homes and even at a downtown Covington intersection at a particular time of day.
So who were and are these spirits?
Tour creator Jill Morenz joins The Kentucky Side to explain.
The Kentucky Side is hosted by Michael Monks and produced by Cam Miller.

There is no question that the Northern Kentucky of today looks a lot different than the one from 2007. Covington and the urban core are in the midst of a resurgence, development around the airport and its related industries continues to skyrocket, and the Northern Kentucky University athletics program is an NCAA Division I competitor.

Those are just some examples of success.

There are also challenges: the cost to rent or buy a home is out of reach for many people here now, some public school districts face ongoing struggles to achieve desired academic results, and fractured local governments slow the pace of needed infrastructure like regional recreation opportunities.

Now think about Northern Kentucky fifteen years from now, in the year 2037. Will there be improvement, regression, status quo?

Dr. Christopher Rice, a "futurist", will speak on the topic at the OneNKY Summit Series on Oct. 26. Find out more about the event, which is open to the public, here.

Rice joined The Kentucky Side to talk about his work as a futurist, and Northern Kentucky in this episode.

On this edition of The Kentucky Side with Michael Monks - LINK nky's podcast - we explore the health of the Ohio River, our misconceptions about it, and whether it's safe to swim in.

Joining us to talk about the health of the river is Ohio River Foundation Executive Director Rich Cogen. To explore growing recreational opportunities on the river, we hear from Ohio River Way Chairman Brewster Rhoads.

To talk about the historic use of the river, like the old beaches in Bellevue and Dayton, where tons of folks would flock for a dip in the water, Kenton County Public Library Executive Director Dave Schroeder is here.

And we also take a look at a smaller body of local water: the Banklick Creek. Banklick Creek Watershed Coordinator Nicole Clements.

The Kentucky Side is produced by Cam Miller.

Kenton Co. is densely populated and geographically small, but retains a significant swath of rural land. On that land, local families continue their generational dedication to farming and agriculture.

That lifestyle was highlighted recently on the Kenton Co. Farm Tour.

Despite being best known as the home to Covington, just over a dozen miles south of the city center, the landscape turns green, with rolling hills and trees, and farms that are home to committed families, their crops, and animals.

It is not as strange as you may think to find a vibrant farming community in the state's third most populous county. In fact, Kenton is one of three counties in the state to have increased its number of farms since 2012, according to the University of Kentucky Extension Office here.

In this episode, we explore life on the farm in 'South Kenton'.

The Kentucky Side is hosted by Michael Monks and produced by Cam Miler.

Northern Kentucky is in a unique geographical position when it comes to traditional cultures related to the South and the Midwest. The way we speak is an example of that as our American accent, in many cases, can represent the shift as north meets south.

But do we have a southern accent in Northern Kentucky?

Our manner of speaking is varied all across the region, so we tried to get some answers from experts and then we had a playful conversation with some members of the LINK nky team.

Joining The Kentucky Side with Michael Monks are University of Kentucky Professor of Linguistics Jennifer Cramer, Northern Kentucky University Professor in the Department of English Tamara O'Callaghan, and LINK nky team members Kaitlin Gebby, Haley Parnell, and Kenton Hornbeck.

On this edition of The Kentucky Side with Michael Monks, we are joined by Covington author Krista Powers who's penned a new book called Midlife Calm: An Alternative to Midlife Crisis. Powers is the founder and president of Potere, where she coaches people on their life and professional choices and opportunities.

"When you choose and shift into Midlife Calm you will experience freedom, growth, joy, clarity, and abundant possibilities," Powers writes.

And then we talk about the Kentucky State Fair, which returns to Louisville in August. Yes, it's worth the drive for Northern Kentucky folks - especially if you've never been. We're joined by David Beck, president and CEO of Kentucky Venues, which produces the event.

The Kentucky Side is produced by Cam Miller and recorded in part at Northern Kentucky University (Beck's interview was conducted via Zoom).