#cincinnati law

[handeaux]

13 Curious Legal Cases From Cincinnati's Historic Courtrooms

When the Cincinnati Bar Association was first organized in 1819, our city of 10,000 citizens supported the livelihoods of just 27 attorneys. Since then, the Cincinnati legal community produced some stellar lawyers including Chief Justice William Howard Taft, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Charles Dawes and Speaker of the House “Uncle Joe” Cannon. Over the years, our barristers have represented some curious cases. Here are a few:

Testy “Ass”-ociates Way back in Cincinnati legal history, at the ancient Hamilton County Court House erected in 1819, a lawyer named James W. Gazlay argued a motion before the court. The county bench back then comprised a presiding judge who was usually an actual attorney and three associate judges who were often not lawyers but respected members of the community. When the presiding judge ruled in favor of Gazlay’s motion and the associates voted it down, Gazlay objected. The court agreed to reconsider the motion the next day, and Gazlay showed up, ready to argue. This time, the associates favored Gazlay’s motion, but the presiding judge over-ruled them. Attorney Gazlay expressed his frustration at having to argue before a “Demerara Team.” The presiding judge asked what that meant. “This court is a Demerara Team composed of one mule and three jackasses; when the mule wants to go, the jackasses won't, and when the jackasses want to move, the mule won't budge a step!” The presiding judge found Gazlay in contempt but, true to their nature, the “ass”-ociates voted against the censure.

Spelling Leads To A Spell In Jail Attorney Edwin S. Morrissey was assigned to defend a young man accused of obtaining money under false pretenses. The principal evidence was a receipt given to the complaining witnesses in the case. Morrissey’s client provided a reasonable alibi, but the prosecution asked him to provide a writing sample to compare against the receipt in evidence. The suspect produced a sample in handwriting totally unlike the original receipt, but the prosecution noticed that the word “received” was misspelled identically on both documents, transposing the I and the E. The defendant was found guilty. He confessed to Morrissey that he had, in fact, forged the receipt. “He said that if he had a better education he could have put it over.”

Stamped For Blackmail While he served as Assistant United States Attorney in Cincinnati, Edward P. Moulinier investigated an attempt to blackmail a lawyer named Howard Douglass, who had received a dozen letters threatening to expose unsavory aspects of his legal work. The blackmailer ordered Douglass to pay $7,000. Moulinier suspected an inside job and had a postal inspector apply a barely noticeable mark to the stamps in Douglass’ office. Sure enough, the next threatening letter arrived bearing a marked stamp. Fred Horman, who had worked as a clerk in the Douglass office for 25 years, and Horman’s wife were arrested and convicted of blackmail. No record if they were charged with embezzling stamps.

How Much Moon In That Shine? One day during Prohibition, some Ohio liquor agents found a stash of bottles containing a clear liquid, presumed to be moonshine, in an abandoned building in downtown Cincinnati. As a crowd gathered to watch the contraband hauled out of the cellar, the agents realized they had evidence, but no culprit. They decided that a passing peddler who had paused his horse-drawn cart long enough to witness the raid was as good as any, so they charged him. Attorney Bernard C. Fox was assigned to defend the poor man and quickly realized that not one of the bottles found in the abandoned building had even been opened to determine its contents. Fox grilled the agents on the witness stand as to their ability to identify moonshine on sight alone. How much moon, he asked, is incorporated into moonshine? The agents were clearly befuddled. Well then, he asked, how much shine is necessary to constitute moonshine? Again befuddlement. Fox was shocked when the judge found the innocent peddler guilty anyway and only an appeal to a higher court cleared him.

A Wedding Guest Helped Hang The Groom In 1879, the National Association for the Promotion of Marriage concocted a “marriage picnic” at Cincinnati’s Inwood Park to encourage destitute young ladies to marry and avoid a life of shame. The whole idea, according to attorney Rufus B. Smith, was the brainchild of a mayor “who had more emotion and sentiment than common sense.” Because he lived in the neighborhood, Smith attended the picnic and watched three couples share their vows. A few years later, as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Smith was involved in convicting one of the grooms for the murder of his wife. “I think there are very few lawyers who have been guests at a wedding, as I was, and subsequently found it their duty to hang the groom for killing the bride.”

No Room In The Pen Captain Thomas H. Morrow, as U.S. District Attorney for Southern Ohio, handled a poison pen case involving one of the smaller towns in this area. More than 40 residents reported that they had received letters containing vulgar and obscene language and unfounded accusations against the recipients. An otherwise unassuming woman of 57 years of age was found guilty of the crime and sentenced to three years in the penitentiary, but which one? There were no federal penitentiaries for women in 1923. Southern Ohio had contracted with the State Penitentiary for Women in Missouri, but that contract had expired and Missouri was unwilling to renegotiate. The convict was actually delivered to the Minnesota Penitentiary for Women but was turned away at the door. She was then sent to the New Jersey Penitentiary for Women, where she was again refused until some hasty and heated negotiations by telephone secured her a three-year stint in that institution.

The Pocketed Deposition Isaac M. Jordan enjoyed a distinguished reputation among Cincinnati attorneys and once found himself in court, arguing a case against an attorney with a very much different character. Although Jordan had secured a deposition very much in his client’s favor, that document had mysteriously disappeared. Jordan’s counterpart vociferously regretted the loss of the deposition because, so he claimed, it would really have benefitted his client rather than Jordan’s. As the other lawyer expostulated, Jordan noticed, hanging from his pocket, the corner of a piece of paper. Jordan grabbed it as the shyster passed nearby and, amazingly, it was the “lost” deposition. The courtroom erupted in cheers, involving even the jury, who returned a verdict in favor of Jordan’s client.

The Difference Of Night And Day In the days before Hamilton County established a public defender office, the courts regularly drafted lawyers to defend the accused. Attorney Albert D. Alcorn was thus recruited to assist a man charged with burglary. Although otherwise entirely involved with civil cases, Alcorn emerged triumphant in this case. On reading the statutes, he saw that burglary was defined as illegally entering a house “in the night season.” While in court, Alcorn dialed the U.S. Weather Bureau and determined that sunrise on the day of his client’s arrest was at 4:56 a.m. while the arresting officers had testified they witnessed his client enter the house in question at 6:20 a.m., an hour and a half later. The accused burglar was released on that technicality, much to the displeasure of the judge, who began to chastise him. The now legally innocent man stopped the judge mid-sentence and declared, “You can’t tell me anything. The jury has said I am not guilty, and I don’t care to listen to you or anybody else lecture me. I bid you all good-by.”

A Premature Burial The legal intricacies of deeds and land titles rarely excite much public interest, but attorney Dudley C. Outcault had a doozy. Outcault was retained by a prominent Cincinnati developer who wanted to acquire a prime piece of real estate in O’Bryonville. The land was owned by a man whom no one in Cincinnati had seen for many years. He was presumed to be dead and negotiations were underway to determine which of his heirs were the rightful beneficiaries of the property in question. As the gears of legal machinery ground on, a substantial wrinkle emerged. The “dead” man returned to Cincinnati, in remarkably fine fettle, apologizing for not writing as he had made his 15-year jaunt around the country. He informed the court he had no intention to sell the land coveted by the developer, much to his relatives’ dismay.

The Pot Calls The Kettle Black During Prohibition, it was common for small Ohio municipalities to establish Liquor Courts to enforce the “dry” laws. Attorney Harry H. Shafer wrangled with many of these courts and eventually pursued a case to the United States Supreme Court to essentially outlaw them. Shafer was hired by a man who had been an agent for one of these liquor courts and had been fired, he believed, unjustly. Not only had the man been fired, but he had been charged with possessing and selling spiritous liquor. On investigation, Shafer was able to prove that the firing and the subsequent charges grew out of a disagreement between his client and his accusers, who were all liquor agents. Shafer was able to prove that the whole lot of them were involved in reselling the booze they had confiscated in their official capacities.

A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Attorney William Thorndyke knew very well that he could not ethically advise a client to avoid appearing in court, but there was no ethical prohibition against prophecy. The client in question, named Francis, was charged with arson and the Fire Marshal wanted to know where Francis had lived before he moved to Cincinnati. Francis refused to tell and explained to Thorndyke that he had been convicted of setting two fires in that town, which the Fire Marshal would learn by telegram if he knew where to inquire. Francis asked the attorney if he should run away and Thorndyke told him he could not offer that advice but, if he stayed in Cincinnati, he would surely end up in the penitentiary. On the day of the trial, the accused was nowhere to be found and the judge asked Thorndyke if he had advised his client to disappear. “I didn’t tell Francis to run away,” Thorndyke said, “But I did tell him what would happen to him if he stayed in Cincinnati.” It took a few months to locate Francis and return him for trial, and he did end up in the pen, just as his attorney predicted.

Ain’t No Law Against It Cincinnati Police arrested a young woman in 1916 and hauled her into court on charges she had been clothed as a man. Forced into a dress for her arraignment, she refused to enter the courtroom until she had been draped in a floor-length overcoat. Attorney Harry W. Quitman was assigned to the case and secured a dismissal by pointing out a particularly salient fact: There was no law in Ohio prohibiting women from wearing clothing associated with men. “The law especially defends women in their right to wear any clothing they see fit if the women do so in an innocent and not objectionable manner.” Quitman’s client walked free although she was harassed enough to leave Cincinnati for Columbus, where she was arrested – and acquitted – again.

Leave Well Enough Alone Haveth E. Mau was an Assistant District Attorney who, at one point in his long career, prosecuted a man for burglary of an occupied house and the theft of a number of articles. Under Ohio law at the time, burglary of an occupied house carried a penalty of life in prison. The jury, after consideration, found the defendant guilty only of petit larceny. Attorney Mau was shocked to learn that the man was unsatisfied with this misdemeanor verdict and wanted a new trial to contest it. A new trial was set and the same evidence presented. This time, the jury found the man guilty of burglary of an occupied residence and the judge sentenced him to life in prison. Mau was still shaking his head years later.

[harriswalz4usabybr]

Saturday, August 24, 2024 - Kamala Harris

Saturday Vice President Harris spent the morning and afternoon focusing on the key state of Ohio. She is still traveling with Governors Beshear and Kelly as well as Secretary Pete Buttigieg. They will wrap the day at a campaign rally in Indianapolis.

Cincinnati, OH Event Location: University of Cincinnati Langsam Library Event Type: Listening Tour Event Time: 9:00 - 11:00 ET *This event invited Assistant US Attorneys, Assistant District Attorneys, Assistant Attorneys General, and County Sheriffs to come and share ideas for how a Justice Department under a Harris-Walz could help them in their efforts to carry out justice. Many local and national laws were discussed as were some problematic cases from prior years.

Dayton, OH Event Location: University of Dayton Event Type: Get Out the Vote Event Time: 13:00 - 16:00 ET

Indianapolis, IN Event Location: Lucas Oil Stadium Event Type: Campaign Rally Event Time: 19:00 - 21:00 ET

Dayton, OH Vice President Harris alongside the governors and Secretary Buttigieg kicked-off a Get Out the Vote campaign on-campus at The University of Dayton. Vice President Harris Secretary Buttigieg Spent the whole time on-campus while the Governors went door knocking in the community hearing voters talk about various issues facing the region. We are fighting for every vote in Ohio!

Indianapolis, IN Full-text of speech to be posted shortly.

~BR~

[baseballjerseynumbers]

Stuart Fairchild switches from 57 to 17. Last worn by Kyle Farmer in 2022.

Will Benson takes 30. Last worn by Tyler Mahle in 2022.

Jason Vosler takes 32. Last worn by Luke Farrell in 2022.

Derek Law takes 47. Last worn by Mark Kolozsvary in 2022.

Alex Young takes 48. Last worn by Chase Anderson in 2022.

[teh-tj]

Greenbelt Maryland. Or, how America almost solved housing only to abandon it.

**I AM NOT AN EXPERT! I AM JUST AN ENTHUSIST! DO NOT TREAT MY OPINIONS/SPECULATION AS EDUCATION!**

During the Depression America faced a housing crisis that rhymes with but differs from our own. It’s different in that there wasn’t a supply issue, there were loads of houses in very desirable areas, but they were still unaffordable as people’s incomes collapsed causing a deflationary spiral. While the housing supply subtly grew and succeeded demand, people simply couldn’t pay the meager rents and mortgages. Herbert Hoover failed to manage the Depression, while his inaction is greatly exaggerated, his policy of boosting the economy with works projects and protecting banks from runs failed and the depression only got more pronounced in his term. In comes Franklin Roosevelt, a progressive liberal much like his distant and popular cousin/uncle-in-law Teddy. Franklin’s plan was to create a large safety net for people to be able to be economically viable even if they’re otherwise poor. These reforms are called the New Deal and they did many controversial things like giving disabled and retired people welfare, giving farmers conditioned subsidies to manipulate the price of food, a works program to build/rebuild vital infrastructure, etc. One of these programs was the USHA (a predecessor of America’s HUD), an agency created to build and maintain public housing projects with the goal of creating neighborhoods with artificially affordable rents so people who work low-wage jobs or rely on welfare can be housed.

In this spirit, the agency started experimenting with new and hopefully efficient housing blueprints and layouts. If you ever see very large apartment towers or antiquated brick low-rise townhouses in America, they might be these. The USHA bought land in many large and medium-sized cities to build “house-in-park” style apartments, which is what they sound like. Putting apartment buildings inside green spaces so residents can be surrounded by greenery and ideally peacefully coexist. Three entire towns were built with these ideas outside three medium-sized cities that were hit hard by the depression; Greenbelt outside DC, Greenhills outside Cincinnati, and Greendale outside Milwaukee. The idea was to move people out of these crowded cities into these more sustainable and idyllic towns. There were many catches though, the USHA planned for these towns to be all-white, they used to inspect the houses for cleanliness, they required residents to be employed or on Social Security (which basically meant retired or disabled), they also had an income limit and if your income exceeded that limit you were given a two-month eviction notice, and you were expected to attend town meetings at least monthly. While the towns didn’t have religious requirements they did only build protestant churches. Which is an example of discrimination by omission. While a Catholic, Jew, Muslim, etc could in theory move into town they also couldn’t go to a Catholic church, synagogue, or Islamic center without having to extensively travel. Things planned communities leave out might indicate what kind of people planned communities want to leave out. Basically, the whole thing was an experiment in moving Americans into small direct-democracy suburbs as opposed to the then-current system of crowded cities and isolated farm/mine towns. This type of design wasn’t without precedent, there were famously company towns like Gary and Pullman which both existed outside Chicago. But those lacked the autonomy and democracy some USHA apparatchiks desired.

The green cities were a series of low-rise apartments housing over a hundred people each, they were short walks from a parking lot and roads, and walking paths directly and conveniently led residents to the town center which had amenities and a shopping district. Greenbelt in particular is famous for its art deco shopping complex, basically an early mall where business owners would open stores for the townspeople. These businesses were stuck being small, given the income requirements, but it was encouraged for locals to open a business to prove their entrepreneurial spirit. Because city affairs were elected at town meetings the city was able to pull resources to eventually build their own amenities the USHA didn’t originally plan for like a public swimming pool or better negotiated garbage collection.

These three cities were regarded as a success by the USHA until World War II happened and suddenly they showed flaws given the shift in focus. These towns housed poor people who barely if at all could afford a car, so semi-isolated towns outside the city became redundant and pointless. The USHA also had to keep raising the income requirement since the war saw a spike in well-paying jobs which made the town unsustainable otherwise. During the war and subsequent welfare programs to help veterans, these green cities became de facto retirement and single-mother communities for a few years as most able-bodied men were drafted or volunteered. Eventually, the USDA would make the towns independent, after the war they raised the income limit yet again and slowly the towns repopulated. As cars became more common and suburbanization became a wider trend these towns would be less noticeably burdensome and were eventually interpreted as just three out of hundreds of small suburban towns that grew out of major cities. They were still all-white and the town maintained cleanliness requirements; after all they lived in apartments it just takes one guy’s stink-ass clogged toilet to ruin everyone’s day.

By the 1950’s these towns were fully independent. Greendale and Greenhills voted to privatize their homes and get rid of the income limit all together so the towns can become more normal. Greenhills, Ohio still has many of these USHA-era houses and apartments, all owned by a series of corporations and private owners. Greendale, Wisconsin property owners have demolished most of these old houses and restructured their town government so most traces of its founding are lost. But Greenbelt, Maryland still maintains a lot of its structure to this day. Greenbelt has privatized some land and buildings, but most of the original USHA apartments are owned by the Greenbelt Homes, Inc cooperative which gives residents co-ownership of the building they live in and their payments mostly go to maintenance. Because Greenbelt was collectively owned the House Un-American Activities Committee would blacklist and put on trial most of Greenbelt’s residents and officials. Though they didn’t find much evidence of communist influence, the town was a target of the red scare by the DMV area, residents were discriminated, blacklisted, and pressured into selling their assets. While Greenbelt did commodify some of the town, the still existing co-ownership shows the town’s democratic initiative to maintain its heritage. The green cities desegregated in the 50’s and 60’s depending on state law, Greenbelt was the last to desegregate under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, while discrimination persisted for years by the 1980’s the town would become half non-white, today the town is 47% black and 10% Asian.

Though these towns largely integrated with a privatized and suburbanized America, they do stand as a memorial to an idea of American urbanism that died. They were designed for walkability and were planned to be more democratic and egalitarian towns, with the conditions that came with segregation and government oversight. You can’t ignore the strict standards and racism in their history, but you can say that about many towns. How do you think America would be different if more cities had green suburbs that were more interconnected and designed for community gatherings?

[funnyjb]

Look at the Stars

One of your twins is having a hard time sleeping one night. It was the night before one of joes games so some family was over. You guys were talking in the living room when Logan came down the stairs with his blankie and looks like he’s been crying.

“Mama?!”- Logan

He was crying

He ran up to you in the living room.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong.”- you

The burrow family counting both of joes siblings and their wife’s were sitting around waiting for Logan’s response

“I’m really scared. I heard a monster coming from the closet and noises in da walls.”- Logan

“Oh, baby. Those are just house noises. The air conditioning just turned on so that’s what’s causing the rumbling and I bet you something fell in the closet. There is a lot of junk in there.”- you said running your fingers through his hair

“I’m still really scared. I don’t want to go up there. It’s scary.”- Logan said putting his hand on your baby bump that has been growing these past 5 months

His head resting on your chest.

“Is mason still sleeping?”- you asked

Logan nodded his head.

You looked around the room and then at Joe.

He looked at you also trying to figure out what to do.

“Hey, I want to go show you something. I think it will make you feel much better.”- you smile

“Oktay.”- Logan

You got up slowly and then reached for Logan’s hand. He put his hand on top of yours and laced your fingers together.

“Let’s go.”- you whisper

You started walking to the glass sliding door that goes out to the backyard.

It was dark out. Some light illuminated the backyard from the house.

You both started walking further and into a big grassy area that looks out into the Cincinnati skyline from your house and a small river.

You picked Logan up and sawing him around you being careful of your bump.

“Look! You see those beautiful stars?”- you

“Yeah..”- Logan

“There are thousands of stars up in the night sky! Some of them even make funny shapes! Like, you see that one right there?”- you pointed a little bit towards the left

“That’s the Pegasus.”- you smile

Logan looked mesmerized

“These stars will protect you. They are up there so they can look out for you. Shining bright so you can see them. If you ever feel scared just look out the window or picture the stars in that wonderful brain of yours.”- you point at his head and laugh

Logan starts to laugh making your heart grow fonder.

“And know those stars will protect you. And also daddy and I are here to protect you too. We won’t let anything get you, ok? They aren’t real, they’re just made up in your mind.”- you smile trying to calm him down

“But why does ma mind do that?”- Logan

“Because your mind likes to play tricks on you, but you got to be the stronger person and say “it’s not real, it’s all made up.” And your mind will back off.”- you

“Okaty. Thank you, mommy.”- Logan

“Of course, baby. I’m always here for you, so is daddy and mason and even your sister.”- you

You give him a kiss on the cheek and decide to go back in. It was already 9:00.

You opened the door and walked in. Everyone was still sitting and talking.

“You ready to go to bed, Bubs?”- you

Logan nodded.

“Okay, let’s say goodnight.”- you

Logan started to wave his hand goodbye

“Bye Logan!”- Robin

“He is precious.”- Codi (joes sister in law)

You then walked over to Joe so he could say goodnight.

He got up and placed his hand on your arm and his other on Logan’s head and kissed him goodnight.

“Goodnight, my boy. Love you.”- Joe

He placed a soft kiss on Logan’s cheek then looked at you.

“You got him?”- joe

“Yeah, all good!”- you

“Good.”- joe

He then placed a peck on your lips.

You then walked up the stairs and into the boys room.

Mason was sleeping peacefully as you put Logan in his bed.

“Goodnight, baby. Love you to the moon and back.” - you

“Love you too, mommy”- Logan

You then placed a kiss on his forehead and got up. You moved from his bed to mason also placing a goodnight kiss on his cheek. Then exited the room slowly closing the door behind you.

You went back down stairs and into the family room.

“How is he?”- joe

“He’s ok now. He looked like he was going to fall right asleep when I put him down.”- you

You sat next to Joe on the couch. He put his arm around your shoulder and gave your head a kiss

“You are so good with them, y/n. It used to take forever to convince Joe that there was nothing there at night when he was younger.”- Robin laughed

“Hey, I just wanted to make sure everything was perfectly fine.”- joe

“He used to get scared of thunder and run into our bed too.”- Jimmy laughed

“Really guys? Ganging up on me?”- Joe

“Haha it’s ok, joe. I’ll protect you from thunder and scary monsters at night.”- you laughed

He looked down at you and started laughing and pulled you in closer.

“Thank you, baby.”- joe smiled

Joe was so grateful for you. He loved you ever since he laid eyes on you in college and now he gets to raise his kids with the love of his life. His heart was so full when he saw you take care of Logan tonight. He loved seeing you take on the mom role. He can’t imagine life without you and the boys.

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week

⚡ - Goodbye Fossil Fuels, Hello Renewables: The Energizing News You Need

1. Fungi discovered that can eat plastic in just 140 days

Australian scientists have successfully used backyard mould to break down one of the world's most stubborn plastics — a discovery they hope could ease the burden of the global recycling crisis within years. 

It took 90 days for the fungi to degrade 27 per cent of the plastic tested, and about 140 days to completely break it down, after the samples were exposed to ultraviolet rays or heat. We really see a solution within five years, according to environmental scientist Paul Harvey, an expert on global plastic pollution.

2. Topeka Zoo welcomes new African Lion as female sprouts mane

The Topeka Zoo has welcomed a new African Lion to its pride, a male, as one of its females started to sprout a mane following the 2021 passing of the pride’s last male.

The Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center announced on Thursday, April 13, that Tatu, a 4-year-old African Lion, has arrived in the Capital City. He comes to Topeka from the Denver Zoo and his arrival marks a time of growth for the zoo.

3. This barber opens his shop on his day off for children with special needs – and all of their haircuts are free

On his day off, Vernon Jackson still goes to work, opening up his Cincinnati barber shop, Noble Barber and Beauty, for VIP clients: children with special needs. 

It's something he's done since 2021. "I was hearing so many horror stories that parents were going through with other barber shops and just the barbers or stylists having no patience with their child," Jackson told CBS News. "So I figured I would compromise by coming in on my day off so there were there would be no other barbers or stylists in the shop and I could give them the full attention that they need."

4. Renewables break energy records signalling ‘end of the fossil age’

Experts are calling time on the fossil age as new analysis shows wind and solar power produced a record amount of the world’s electricity last year.

The renewables generated 12 per cent of global electricity in 2022, up from 10 per cent the previous year, according to the report from clean energy think tank Ember. Last year, solar was the fastest-growing source of electricity for the 18th year in a row, rising by 24 per cent from 2021.

5. New nuclear medicine therapy cures human non-hodgkin lymphoma in preclinical model

A new nuclear medicine therapy can cure human non-Hodgkin lymphoma in an animal model A single dose of the radioimmunotherapy, was found to quickly eliminate tumour cells and extend the life of mice injected with cancerous cells for more than 221 days (the trial endpoint), compared to fewer than 60 days for other treatments and just 19 days in untreated control mice.

To explain it in simple terms because this is so freaking cool: There is a radioactive atom attached to a drug. The target cell eats the drug and the energy coming off of the radioactive atom kills the target cell

6. Colorado passes first US right to repair legislation for farmers

Colorado farmers will be able to legally fix their own equipment next year, with manufacturers including Deere & Co obliged to provide them with manuals for diagnostic software and other aids, under a measure passed by legislators in the first U.S. state to approve such a law.

Equipment makers have generally required customers to use their authorized dealers for repairs to machines such as combines and tractors.

7. When a softball player falls after hitting a grand slam, this is how her opponents reacted

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That's it for this week :)

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[exitrowiron]

Beth and I ran the Chicago half marathon. We had perfect weather and a flat course - the race was sold out and well managed. I finished in 2:09 - a disappointing pace given the conditions. My running VO2 max isn't what I'd like it to be and I'm going to work on that.

The real purpose of the trip to Chicago was to visit our son and daughter in law; they moved here from Boston a few weeks ago. We stayed at the Hotel Zachary, which is directly across the street from Wrigley field - it is a great hotel. On Saturday we were also joined by our daughter who drove up from Cincinnati as well as a niece and a nephew and their SOs. We fly home tomorrow; definitely a good trip.

[handeaux]

Cincinnati’s Law & Order League Fulminated Against Pornographic Pollution

Cincinnati’s obsession with dirty pictures goes way back, long before Robert Mapplethorpe sent the Queen City into a tizzy with his “Perfect Moment” exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Center in 1990.

As early as 1854, The Ohio Organ Of The Temperance Reform, published in Cincinnati, railed against the obscene pictures decorating the city’s saloons. The newspaper had an idea where those naughty paintings originated:

“The fashionable saloon keepers who ride in their fine carriages, occupy prominent seats in high places, and control the elections of our officers, are confederates with prostitutes, and it is not unlikely that the obscene pictures which cover their walls are furnished by the proprietors of houses of infamy.”

In 1864, while the Civil War raged, William Walker, who kept a small bookstore on Third Street was hauled in on charges he sold obscene pictures to young boys for thirty cents apiece – a tidy sum in those days. According to a reporter for the Daily Commercial [14 July 1864], who was obviously a connoisseur:

“A large number of the pictures were seized – several thousand in all. The most of them are photographs – some colored – and in their variety they represent as vulgar a collection probably, as were ever seen.”

When a Cincinnati scam artist, Dr. William Raphael, who conducted his work under the guise of fortune-telling, was arrested in 1876, one of the charges brought against him involved his library of erotica. According to the Enquirer [30 April 1876]:

“Among the number was a volume of obscene pictures of men and women naked in conditions too horrible to describe.”

It was not only criminals and fly-by-night conmen who dealt in salacious images. Meyer Silverglade, proprietor of The Hub, one of the premier saloons in town, was dinged in 1901 on a charge of exhibiting obscene pictures at his elite establishment.

A fair number of Cincinnati’s saloons reserved a small back room as a gallery to display photographs and paintings of “the kind men like,” as they once described such images. William Miller, keeper of a saloon at Second and Ludlow streets in the East End, was arrested for just this reason and readers of the Cincinnati Post [11 April 1892] could almost hear the reporter smacking his lips as he described the inventory:

“In the rear of his bar he has a little room partitioned off where to gratify his depraved mind and the vile tastes of a particular few of his patrons, he has arranged a large number of obscene pictures so suggestive and disgusting as to call for police interference.”

Some of the photographs in question were imported. Pictures from Paris always carried a risqué cachet. But some were homegrown. George Morrison and Frank Jennings appeared in police court in 1890 to answer charges they enticed young women from the West End – location of Cincinnati’s red-light district at the time – to pose for obscene photographs. Although the evidence was “too filthy” to be heard in court, both men were fined.

Because newspapers were too timid to publish testimony that was “too filthy” to be heard in court, or to print images of a “suggestive and disgusting” nature, we might wonder just what all the fuss was about. Or, we might have been left wondering had not the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette, in the issues for 13 April and 14 April, 1887, published illustrations that were condemned by a Cincinnati watchdog group.

The Law and Order League was dedicated to removing all sorts of immoral activity from Cincinnati. They opposed gambling, prostitution, anything enjoyable (theater, music, baseball, saloons) on Sunday and, of course, pornography. The League published a resolution in the Cincinnati Post [18 April 1887] blasting the Commercial Gazette for publishing the two images reproduced here:

“Resolved: That we solemnly protest against the violation of the law by the publishing and circulating of such obscene and indecent pictures as appeared in the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette of April 13 and 14 in connection with the advertisement of the ‘People’s Theater,’ and we hereby call upon the Mayor and Chief of Police to prevent such exhibitions as are advertised by them.”

The mayor and police chief did nothing of the sort and the reviews for the People’s Theater production were generally favorable and often enthusiastic. The troupe in residence was the Night Owls, who boasted eight handsome women and three costume changes “made before the audience, a novelty only to be seen in the Night Owls.” In addition to the leggy women, the Night Owls featured a “funny Dutchman” (German comic), a couple of French duetists warbling tunes from the latest operas and a gymnast or two. Rave reviews appeared for several weeks with no evidence of police or other interference.

Still, filthy pictures were not universally condoned in Cincinnati, despite being promoted as “the kind men like.” A dispute about the propriety of indecent images in a saloon erupted into fisticuffs in the wee hours of 22 November 1898. Frank Eagan and Harry Talbing had spent the evening pouring suds down their throats at an East End watering hole. In his cups, Talbing insisted on displaying one of his French postcards. Eagan took offense and demanded that Talbing return the offensive photo to his pocket. Talbing demurred and Eagan smacked him upside the head. The battle escalated and the pair found themselves in front of Police Court Judge Edward Schwab. Even though Eagan initiated the tussle by striking first, it was Talbing who went to the Workhouse for 30 days, based on his taste in art.

[mamaestapa]

Baby Mama Drama

•pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

•series summary: Y/n Hubbard, the younger sister of Cincinnati Bengals Defensive End Sam Hubbard, finds herself in a difficult situation after a steamy hookup with her brothers best friend, who just so happens to be the quarterback for the Bengals. In just nine months their lives will be changed forever. How will Y/n and Joe manage to to go through parenthood together? more so, how will Sam take the news he is going to be the uncle of his best friends baby?

•chapter summary: There's some drama during Emma's baby shower that leaves you in a worrisome situation at the end of the day...

•word count: 7.5k

•warnings: pregnancy, fluff, angst, drama, arguing, mentions of blood, heavy topics toward the end, chapter ends in a cliffhanger...

series masterlist

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March 21, 2023

4 months pregnant

"Oh, this is perfect." You said as you picked up a pink flower onesie off of the shelf. Joe chuckled as he watched you add another newborn outfit to the cart. "Y/n, I think that's enough outfits. She's going to grow out of all of those a few weeks after she's born anyway." he grumbled as you looked at him with raised eyebrows, “Uh huh, I know," you mused, "buuut, a girl can never have too many outfits."

Joe just sighed and moved out of the way so that you could put another outfit into the cart.

You and Joe decided to do a last minute target run this morning before you went over to the Hubbard's house for the baby shower later this afternoon. Today is Emma's (your sister in law) baby shower. You haven't spoken to her or Sam for a little over a month now. And even though Sam has been a complete d-bag to both you and Joe, that's not stopping you from attending and celebrating the sweet baby girl that will be your first niece.

As you and Joe were leaving the baby aisle, a onesie caught your eye. Not one for Baby Hubbard, but one for your baby. You stopped pushing the cart, making Joe look at you with a puzzled expression. He watched you walk over to the rack of baby boy onesies. You pushed your bottom lip out as you held up the tiny newborn onesie that caught your eye.

"Look," you said, eyes growing watery as you held up the onesie for Joe, "It says, 'Game Dey Baby'. Isn't that so cute?" The Onesie was white, with orange letters and black tiger stripes in the letters. "He could wear it on game days." you said, pushing your bottom lip out even more. The baby aisle of Target was a cuteness overload that made your pregnancy hormones go into overdrive. You wanted to buy everything in sight for your baby boy. It's a good thing Joe was shopping with you, otherwise you would have bought a lot more—both for your niece and your son.

Joe sighed as he looked at you holding the Bengals themed baby onesie. You certainly didn't need to be buying any baby clothes just yet, but he couldn't say to you when you looked the way you did in that moment. You looked so happy holding that onesie, plus, Joe couldn't deny that it would be cute to see his son wearing that on game days this upcoming season.

"Put it in the cart," he said to you with a small smile, "it would be cute." You grinned and picked up the onesie, making sure to grab one a few sizes bigger so that your baby would be able to wear it for a couple weeks during the season. You started to push the cart again, finally leaving the baby aisle.

"What's next on the list?" you asked, glancing at Joe, who had his notes app open. “Starbucks." he replied with a smile. Joe isn’t much of a coffee drinker, but he knows you are.

You clapped, "Yay! Mama needs some coffee." Joe shook his head and chuckled at you. "Not so fast. Mama can get her coffee, but only if it's decaf."

Ever since you moved in with him, Joe has been extremely protective over you and the baby. Meaning, he sort of controls what you can and can’t eat and drink. Too much sugar? Immediately no. Large caffeine content? Absolutely not. Contains anything that could potentially harm you or his little man? You can go nowhere near it. It’s sweet of him, but a caffeinated coffee and a pint of ice cream or two, won’t hurt you or the baby.

You groaned, "Oh, c’mon Joe. One venti caramel iced coffee won't hurt me." Joe reached out and rubbed the center of your belly with his fingertips. "It’s not you that I’m worried about, it's the little guy." You pulled his hand away from your growing belly and rolled your eyes. “Joe,” you sighed, “he'll be fine, seriously. Doctor Montgomery said I can have two-hundred milligrams of caffeine a day. A venti has one ninety-five."

Joe knew he wasn’t going to win this argument with you. You were going to get your coffee no matter what.

"Fine,” he said, sighing in defeat, “you can get an iced coffee."

"Yes!” you cheered silently, “thank you.” As you “celebrated”, Joe held his pointer finger up as a way to scold you, “but, you can only get a grande. Just to be safe, please?"

You sighed. You wanted a venti, but, you guess you’ll have to give in to Joe’s demand. You still get your coffee, so at least you’ll both be happy.

“I can work with that.” You nodded, getting in line to order your coffee. Joe smiled, “Good.” You and Joe walked up to the counter and ordered your drinks. The brunette barista immediately recognized Joe. She asked for an autograph and a picture, which Joe happily agreed to do.

Joe was in a great mood today. You could only hope it won't be ruined once the two of you see and talk to Sam soon.

After getting your coffees, you went over to where the self checkouts were, paying for all of your items. Once you paid for everything, you and Joe exited the store and made your way out to his car. You opened the passenger door, sitting down and immediately buckling your seatbelt before Joe could say anything. As soon as you were in the car and comfortable, you took a sip of the delicious Starbucks iced coffee you had been craving for days.

"Ugh," you moaned as the caramel flavoring filled your mouth, "I haven't tasted anything this delicious in such a long time." Joe just shook his head and chuckled at you. Once he backed out of the parking spot and got onto the highway, Joe reached over and gently placed his hand on your bump. He kept it there for the short drive to your brothers house. Your nerves grew the closer you got to the Hubbard's house, but Joe's touch brought you instant comfort. You were hopeful that today would be the day that Sam finally mans up and apologizes for his actions from the past month. Only time will tell if your hopes are true or not...

You let out a heavy sigh as soon as Joe pulled into the driveway of Sam's home. Joe must have noticed you growing tense because he moved his hand from the center of your tummy to your thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Y/n, look at me." He said softly. You slowly turned your head to lock eyes with Joe. His blue eyes were soft as he looked at you. He squeezed your thigh reassuringly as he spoke, "Everything is going to be fine." You gulped nervously, "But what if it's not? I know we have to talk to Sam about everything at some point, but," you sigh softly, "what if it just makes things worse, Joe?"

Joe frowned. It broke his heart to see you worked up over this. Even though the majority of the problem is his best friend, he too can’t help but feel somewhat guilty. He was the one that put you in this situation in the first place…

“Then it gets worse and he never speaks to us again.”

“Joe!” You practically whined, “you think that makes me feel better!?” Joe’s frown deepened, “Well it’s the truth, Y/n. If it gets worse, and Sam can’t get over himself and his drama with us, then there’s a chance he won’t talk to us. Maybe not never again, but at least for a while.”

Your chin quivered as you pulled your lips into a thin line. Tears welled up in your eyes as you thought about the possibility of never speaking to your older brother again. You know Sam would never not speak to you ever again. You’re his baby sister, his built in best friend. He’ll get over it eventually for your sake. But there is a chance he’ll never speak to Joe ever again. Joe promised you he was staying around, no matter what. Which means Sam will have to deal with Joe being around when you’re around. He just needs to get over this.

Plus, even though you wanted the truth from Sam about why he made Joe break your heart in college, all you really wanted, was for things to go back to normal. Things to go back to the way they were between you and Sam before you told him you were knocked up by his best friend. You and Joe have no choice but to talk to Sam about everything today. As your thoughts ran wild, you pinched the bridge of your nose and let out a sniffle. Joe sighed softly as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He reached over the center console and did the same to yours. Once your seatbelt was undone he brought a hand up to your head, gently pulling you into his chest.

“It’ll be OK, sweetheart.” Joe soothed quietly as he cradled your head, “I promise.” You nodded against his chest and wiped the tears from your eyes before they could cascade down your cheeks. Joe kissed the top of your head before you pulled your head away from his chest. He moved his hand from the back of your head, tracing his fingertips over your jawline before letting his hand rest against your cheek. He smiled at you as he spoke softly, “You’ll always have me. No matter what.”

“Promise?” You sniff. Joe nodded, responding wholeheartedly, “I promise.” You nodded and gave him a small, teary eyed smile. Joe frowned and pulled you back into him. He rested his chin on the top of your head, keeping his hand placed against your cheek. Stroking your skin with his thumb as the two of you just sat there in silence. You and Joe were both preparing yourselves for what could happen once you enter the Hubbards home.

You pulled yourself away from Joe, giving yourself a couple minutes to settle your emotions and compose yourself before you and Joe got out of the car. Joe wrapped an arm around your waist as the two of you walked up to the door. He gave your waist a gentle squeeze as he smiled at you reassuringly. Joe took a deep breath before he balled his hand into a fist and brought up to knock on the front door. He gave two quick, hard knocks.

"I'll get it Em!" You heard heavy footsteps approach the door before it swung open, revealing a grinning Holly.

"Hi guys!" she exclaimed in her usual upbeat tone, "it's so good to see you." You smiled, "It's good to see you too."

Holly stepped to the side, letting you and Joe enter the house. She shut the door and pulled you into a tight hug, mindful of your growing belly.

"You look so good!" she beamed, pulling away from you and placing a manicured hand on the side of your bump, "How's the little guy?"

"He's good," you smiled, "I think I’ve been feeling little flutters all week for the first time. Joe’s just waiting for him to kick."

Holly smiled and scrunched her nose up as she pulled her hand away from your tummy. She ushered for you and Joe to follow her into the living room where the rest of the guests were. You felt Joe tense up beside you as the two of you followed Holly into the living room. You slowly brought your hand over to his, entwining your fingers together and giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Joe glanced down at you and gave you a small smile before he turned his attention to the group sitting around in the living room.

As the three of you walked in into the living room, you immediately locked eyes with your older brother. Your breath hitched in the back of your throat as you noticed Sam's eyes move between you and Joe, before trailing down to your prominent baby bump. Your bump has grown a lot since he last spoke to you. Emma, who was sitting next to Sam, was in deep conversation with Morgan when she noticed you enter the room. She shot up from the couch, eyes widening slightly as she looked between you and Joe.

"Y/n," she seemed almost shocked to see you. A large grin broke out on her face as she approached you. She wrapped her arms around you, the two of you hugging each other as much as your baby bumps would let you.

"it's so good to see you." she said as she pulled away. You nodded in agreement, "It's good to see you too, Em. I've missed you." She smiled sadly, "I know, me too." She shook the sad smile off of her face, letting out a breath as she gestured to your belly. "Look at you!" she gushed, "you look great." You smiled at your sister in law as you put your hands on your tummy. "Thank you." you gestured to her dress, "but so do you! That pink dress looks perfect on you."

Emma did a little twirl as she cradled her bump, "Thanks." She glanced over at Joe, greeting him quietly before she grabbed the gift bag he was holding. Emma walked over to a table that was set up in the living room, full of gifts wrapped in pink wrapping paper, and lots of diapers. You couldn't help but smile as you looked at the small diapers on the table. All you could think about as you gazed at them was that in just five months, you and J will be going through many of those with your baby boy.

Emma brought you out of your thoughts as she said, "You guys can sit down if you want." Joe nodded, thanking her quietly as the two of you walked further into the living room, greeting everyone before you sat down on the couch. You made sure to stay on the side opposite of where Sam sat. As you sat down next to Joe, you couldn’t help but glance at Sam. He was staring intently in the direction of you and Joe. His light colored eyes eventually looking into yours. You felt your heart sink as you made eye contact with your brother. You wished things weren’t so awkward. Sam used to be your best friend, but that’s clearly changed…

You gave Sam a small smile, deciding to just sweep things under the rug for now. You’d talk to him later. Sam returned the smile before he snapped his eyes back up to his wife, helping her sit back down on the couch. As a few more guests arrived, you and Joe sat on the couch and caught up with Morgan and Logan. They had just gotten back from a week long trip to their home state of Wyoming. It sounded like they had a great trip, which made you happy. You know how much Morgan loves it out west.

Once the baby shower eventually started, Emma thought it would be a good idea to take you and the other girls outside to sit on the patio and catch up a bit, before all of the baby shower activities kicked off. With some help off of the couch from Joe, you followed Emma, Holly, and Morgan into the kitchen. Upon entering the large kitchen, Emma walked over to the china hutch in the corner of the room and pulled out four wine glasses from the cabinet. She placed the glasses on the counter and Morgan poured in some sparkling Welches Rosé, the same kind you had at your gender reveal. You, Holly, and Morgan followed Emma out to the backyard. The four of you sitting at the table on the patio just a couple feet away from the sliding glass doors.

Once you were all sitting, Holly held up her glass of non-alcoholic Rosé. "I just want to make a quick little toast." The rest of you held your glasses up in a toast as Holly gave a little speech. "Today, we celebrate baby girl Hubbard and her beautiful mama. I hope you have the best day celebrating your daughter, Emma. She is going to be so lucky to have you as her mom." Holly finished with a smile.

"To Baby Hubbard!" Morgan cheered, clinking her glass against all of yours. "To Baby Hubbard!" you all cheered in unison. With wide grins on your faces, you each took a sip of your bubbly beverage.

It was so nice to be surrounded by your friends to get your mind off of the Sam drama for a while.

Some time had passed very quickly as you and the girls conversed, catching up with each other over anything that happened since your gender reveal. Morgan talked about her Wyoming vacation with Logan, Holly told you all about her workout program and plans to head home to Michigan for a few weeks, and Emma shared some updates on her pregnancy, excitedly telling all of you that her baby girl kicked for the first time about a week ago. Hearing Emma tell the story of her baby kicking made you even more excited for the moment you and Joe will get to feel your baby move for the first time.

"So what's new with you Y/n? How's baby boy doing?" Morgan asked, giving you a sweet smile. Emma's eyes widened at her questioned.

"You're having a boy?"

You didn't realize Emma didn't know that you and Joe are expecting a baby boy. If Emma doesn't know, that means that Sam definitely doesn't know. Which, you know makes total sense since neither of them went to your gender reveal. But you figured they'd hear the news from someone or somewhere else..

"Yeah," you smile, "I am." Emma nodded, beaming as she said, "That's amazing. I bet Joe's happy."

"He is," you nodded, heart swelling at the thought of the genuine joy Joe got every time he was around you and the baby, "he really is."

Emma's smile faded as it turned to a frown. She sighed softly, "Y/n, I am so sorry that Sam and I didn't go to your gender reveal. I know you must have been pretty upset with us for not going."

Your lips formed a straight line as you thought of how to respond. You weren't upset with Emma, but it's no secret you were upset with Sam.

"It's OK," you sighed softly, "I understand why you didn't go. I'm sure you know, but Sam didn't take the news very well. He and Joe got into it pretty well the night we broke the news to him. I don't think they've talked to each other since then. I know I haven't talked to him."

Emma nodded, "He was pretty upset. Not at you, but with the situation. It really hurt him that you snuck around with Joe behind his back."

Snuck around with Joe behind his back? It was a one time thing! You thought. It's not like you were secretly hooking up with Joe for months before you got pregnant. Besides, it's not really "sneaking around" when the two of you have known history with each other. Plus, Sam was the one that made Joe leave you behind in Ohio all those years ago and you didn't have single clue. If anyone was sneaking behind anyones back, it was Sam.

You couldn't help the scoff that escaped your lips at Emma's words. You rolled your eyes, "He's making such a big deal out of this. I can't believe him." you sighed, frowning slightly as you looked at Emma, "I'm sorry, I know he's your husband."

She shook her head, "Don't be sorry. He's your brother, Y/n. You're family, you have the right to be upset with him when he's acting like this."

You just added, staying silent for a few moments. You hated to pour all of this onto your friends, but you've had this anger with your brother pent up for a month now. You know you need to let it out, and even let them in on a few important details they don't know about.

Morgan reached out and placed a hand over yours, “You look like you just need a minute to let everything out.” You just nodded, causing her to gently squeeze your hand, “We’re all ears, Y/n.”

That’s all you needed to hear before you went on an angry rant. You told them all about Sam’s reaction and how you understood how he took the news, until he did a full 180 that same night. You told them that what was a somewhat calm discussion soon turned to a screaming match between Sam and Joe, resulting in Joe saying he loves you and Sam confessing to breaking the two of you up in college because of his own personal fears.

“You and Joe were together in college?” Holly asked, her jaw dropping in shock. You shrugged, “Sort of.”

You weren’t really with Joe, but the two of you definitely had a connection that was more than just friends.

“What do you mean sort of?” Morgan asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

You sighed softly as you crossed your arms over your chest, “We were never a couple, but he and I definitely had something together. We hid it from Sam and we always had to make sure he wasn’t around wherever Joe and I were together.”

“Sam never knew?” Emma asked.

“Well, we thought he didn’t know. He clearly found out somehow though because according to Joe, Sam was the one that made him break things off with me before Joe went to Louisiana. I was willing to make long distance work, but Joe left me behind.” You explained, feeling a heaviness in your chest as the old memories came flooding back to you.

Holly frowned, “Girl, I didn’t know about any of that. I’m sorry Joe did that to you.”

You shook your head, “It’s not his fault. My brother was the one that made him break my heart. I didn’t know,” you sighed, “I didn’t know it was Sam who told him to do that. I always thought Joe was just using me before he left for LSU, but the truth came out a few weeks ago. Joe never wanted to leave me.”

Morgan got up from her chair and walked over to you, wrapping her arms around her. “I’m so sorry all of this is happening right now. This can’t be easy on you.”

“It’s not,” you said, shaking your head, “but I have you girls and Joe to help me through it. Joe and I had our differences after our “break up”, but I think this baby has brought us even closer together.”

Holly smiled, “I’m glad. You two seem really happy together. Are you together now?”

That’s a tough question. You still aren’t really sure what you and Joe are right now.

“We’re not together, but we’ve shared some moments where it’s obvious we want to see where things go with each other. We said “I love you” the day of our gender reveal, and we’re living together now.”

Holly eyes widened and a huge grin broke out on her face, “Oh my gosh, Y/n!” You laughed, “What?” Holly reached out and grabbed your hands, giving them a squeeze as she said, “That’s so exciting! Have you guys talked about you know…maybe being together?”

You shook your head no.

“Don’t rush into anything,” Morgan advised, “but, I think you and Joe should give it a shot. You know, a second chance at a relationship since your first chance was ruined by your dumbass brother—sorry Emma.”

Emma chuckled, “Nope, don’t be sorry. I’m totally on Y/n’s side. Sam shouldn’t have done that to you or Joe.”

“I can kind of see where he’s coming from,” you reasoned, “but I’m still so pissed at him. With the Ohio State thing and how he reacted to the baby.”

“Have you talked to him about any of this? Maybe it’ll make things better if you talk it out with him.” Morgan said. You nodded, “Joe and I agreed that if the opportunity comes up today, we’ll talk to him about everything.”

“That’s good.” Holly said, letting go of your hands and getting up from her chair. She stood next to Morgan and leaned down to give you a hug, “well whatever happens, you know you’ve got us.”

You smiled, bringing your arms up to hug Holly, “Thank you.”

You girls spent a couple more minutes outside, with each girl giving you a hug and sharing their love and support for you and Joe. Eventually, the four of you went back inside to get back to the baby shower activities. As you walked back inside, you saw Joe standing in the kitchen and talking to the McPherson's. His head snapped over to the sliding glass door when he heard it open. A smile pulling at his pink lips as he saw you walk back into the house. Joe's eyes trailed down your body, taking in all of your features in the simple baby pink sundress adorning your body. You smiled back at Joe and walked up to him, greeting Gracie and Evan as you snaked an arm around Joe's waist.

Joe looked down at you. "Hey," he greeted quietly, doing the same with his arm, wrapping it securely around your waist. "You doing OK?" his soft tone was laced with concern. You looked up at Joe and nodded reassuringly, "Yeah, I'm good right now. I talked to the girls for a bit and that seemed to help. How about you?" He shrugged, "S' a little awkward, Sam's been avoiding me." You frowned as Joe sighed and continued speaking, "but I'm doing good."

Just as you were about to respond, Sam entered the kitchen. His eyes immediatly fell on you and Joe. Joe took his arm off of your waist and cleared his throat. The tension in the air was thick as the three of you stood in silence in the middle of the kitchen. You decided to break the silence, knowing it was best to greet Sam.

"Hi Sam." You greeted, your voice low. Sam gave you a quick nod as his lips formed into a tight smile. "Hey." was all he said before he put his hands in his pockets and walked away to find Emma. You and Joe watched as he walked off, Joe shaking his head in disbelief at your brother.

"It's fine," you breathed out, "if he doesn't want to talk, I won't force him." You pushed yourself off of the counter and turned to Joe, dramatically placing your hands on your hips as you said, "I'm done with the drama. It's had me stressed out for weeks and it's not good for the baby."

Joe nodded in agreement, "No, it's not. I'm willing to have a conversation if he is, but like you said, I'm not forcing anything."

It was good to hear that you and Joe were on the same page. As much as you both wanted to confront Sam, you weren't going to force a conversation with him and his drama. You needed to have a civilized conversation--not another screaming match. If the opportunity comes up today, you'll confront Sam. If it doesn't, then you'll wait. You don't need to stress yourself or your baby out anymore about the situation.

You filled up a cup with some pink lemonade and Joe grabbed a bottle of water before you both headed into the living room to join the rest of the guests--who were getting ready for Emma to open up her gifts. As you and Joe entered the living room, Holly and Joey made room for you and Joe next to them on the couch. You smiled warmly at Holly as you sat down on the couch, Joe sitting down next to you and letting out a soft sigh as he leaned back in the furniture. Joe set his water bottle on his thigh, holding onto the lid with one hand while bis free hand draped around the back of couch. He let his hand rest on your shoulder, making you smile at the feeling of his fingertips brushing against your exposed skin.

Once everyone was situated in the living room, Emma had begun to unwrap the gifts that were sitting on the table set up. Some of the gifts she had gotten were a couple super cute outfits from Morgan and Logan, along with a fluffy, pink baby blanket. Holly and Joey got bottles, a baby book, and a stuffed tiger lovey, while Zac and his wife Sarah pitched in and got the two a crib. Eventually, there were just a few more gifts left, all of them being from you and Joe. She opened the remainder of the gifts, gushing over how precious the outfits were that you got for your niece, and how the cute, pink swaddle blanket that Joe picked out would be perfect for the little girl. After putting all of the opened gifts on the table, Emma and Sam walked around and gave all of the guests hugs, thanking you all for coming and for going them all of the thoughtful gifts. Sam didn't acknowledge Joe much when it was your turn for hugs. He just gave Joe a simple nod and a "thank you". But to your surprise, Sam actually gave you a hug. You were taken aback when your older brother wrapped his arms around you, but you hugged back nonetheless. He thanked you for the gifts and told you he misses you. You just nodded and gave him a small smile in return, unsure of how to respond to him.

Sam misses you? It's his fault for not speaking to you for the last month, not yours. If he missed you, he could've reached out and sorted through his issues with you and Joe...

After your tense interaction with Sam, you and Joe headed to the dining room to get some food. Neither of you had anything to eat yet today, so you figured you'd get some food in your bellies in case you did end up talking to Sam at some point. You didn't want to risk saying something to Sam that you didn't mean to say due to your hanger. That being said, you and Joe stood by the table full of food, filling up your plates with food from the delicious trays full of assortments of food Emma and Sam made and bought for the occasion. As the two of you were standing together, enjoying your food, you looked throughout the room at the different crowds of people. You couldn't help but chuckled as your eyes fell on Emma, who was practically waddling as she headed to the bathroom.

You shook your head, "My best friend is a penguin." you said in amusement as you gestured toward Emma. Joe must have noticed her, because he too was chuckling. He looked down at you, "You're laughing now, but, that's going to be you someday soon." He smiled, resting a hand on your tummy. You smiled up at him, "And I can't wait for that day." Joe caressed your bump with his thumb, "Me neither." he mused.

You had yet to reach the moment in your pregnancy where your bump was big enough to the point where you were waddling more than you were walking. However, you couldn't wait to get to that part of your pregnancy. Because one you get to that point, it means that you'll be even closer to finally meeting your baby boy.

As you and Joe stood around and enjoyed your food together in each others company, you were approached my someone who you least expected to see.

"Hey Y/n."

You turned to your left, eyes widening slightly as you saw Sam approach you.

"Sam," you said, sounding slightly taken aback, "hi." Sam gave you a small smile as he put his hands in his pockets. He cleared his throat before he asked the question you've been wanting to ask him all day.

"Can we talk?"

You took a deep breath as you went outside with Sam. You followed him out onto the lawn, sitting down next to him on the cushioned bench that sat under the pergola lined with fairy lights. You leaned back against the cushion, placing your hands in your lap and looking off in the distance as Sam leaned forward in his seat, rubbing his hands together. He knew he had to talk to you, had to apologize to you for his actions--from both the past and present, but he had no clue how to start that conversation. He couldn't just say sorry, it wasn't that easy.

"So I heard you're having a boy." Sam said quietly, finally breaking the silence. You nodded, sucking in a breath as you said, "Yeah, found out a couple weeks ago."

Sam nodded as he leaned back. He glanced at you with a raised eyebrow, "You happy?" You nodded, a smile pulling at your lips as you spoke, "Yeah, I'm really happy." Sam smiled, his voice soft, "Good. I'm happy for you."

You didn't respond. You didn't know how to respond. Sam certainly didn't seem happy when you told him about the baby last month. The two of you sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, both of you thinking about what you were going to say to the other. As much as you wanted to rip him a new one, you knew you couldn't. even though you're extremely angry with Sam and his actions from the past and now, he's still your brother. You know you'll forgive him at some point, just like he'll forgive you, too.

Sam broke the silence once again, "Look y/n," he sighed softly, "there's a lot that I want to apologize for." He glanced over at you. You just nodded, letting him know you understood and that you wanted him to continue.

"I've been a jerk lately. I shouldn't have reacted the way that I did. I shouldn't have ignored you for the past month, and I certainly shouldn't have missed your gender reveal because I was upset about you hooking up with my best friend again." You scoffed amusingly at his words. Sam continued, "I know I've been a complete asshole, and I'm sorry. That baby is my nephew, not some random kid. I love him, just like I love you Y/n/n." He finished, smiling sincerely at you.

You took a moment to process his words before you cleared your throat and finally spoke. "I'm still upset with you, for more than just how you reacted to the baby news."

Sam's shoulders slouched as he sighed deeply. "I know." Was all he said as his voice grew quiet. You sucked in a breath as a small smile pulled at your lips, "but I love you too, Sammy." Sam smiled once again, pulling you into a tight hug. It made you happy knowing you were starting to finally resolve things between you, Joe, and Sam.

However, just as you thought things were starting to look on the bright side, the situation took a turn for the worse...

Sam pulled away from you, his tone serious as he looked at you with raised eyebrows, "but just because I'm apologizing to you, doesn't mean I'm OK with Joe." Your face turned to a look of disbelief as you pulled yourself away from him. "I still think he's going to leave you, Y/n. There is nothing tying him down to you."

You stood from the bench and crossed your arms over your chest. You couldn't believe you were having this conversation with Sam again.

"You can't be serious right now."

As you uttered those words, Joe had made his way out to the backyard to join you and Sam. He wanted to make sure that you were OK and that the conversation didn't go south. Boy did Joe arrive just in time...

"Everything OK?" he asked, walking up behind you and placing a hand on your shoulder.

"No"

"Yes."

Joe narrowed his eyes as you and Sam eyed each other. In that moment, Joe could tell the conversation had gone south, and that it was only going to get worse now that he had joined.

Joe walked past you and towards Sam, standing next to the bench that Sam was still sitting on. Joe crossed his arms and stared at Sam intensely as he spoke. "What's the problem?"

Sam shook his head, "I'm just trying to help my sister."

"Oh yeah? Like you did in college?"

Sam stood up, getting dangerously close to Joe. Both guys jaws clenched as they started at each other. You snuck past them and sat down the bench, letting out a defeated sigh as you prepared yourself for another screaming match. So much for a civil conversation amongst the three of you about the whole situation.

Sam crossed his arms, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Joe scoffed at his answer, "Bullshit. You were the one that confessed to being the reason I broke things off with Y/n before I left for LSU."

Sam nodded, "I was only looking out for both of you. Long distance wasn't going to work between the two of you, you knew that Joe. You could never make a relationship work in college, whether you were in the same state or not. Hell, while you were sneaking around with my sister I'm sure you had three other flings you felt the same way about. You never stick to one girl, Joe. You never have and you never will." He said, voice dripping with venom as he dug at Joe. Joe was absolutely fuming at Sam's accusations. Joe never made a relationship work in college because he only wanted to be with you. You were his only college fling—at both OSU and LSU. It always has been and always will be just you. But Sam can't seem to understand that.

"I loved Y/n, Sam. I still love her. I didn't want to break her heart like that, I wanted to make things work between us--long distance or not." Joe pointed at Sam's chest, "but you got in my head and insisted that I break things off with her because you hated the idea of your best friend and sister being together. You saw how things turned out between Nick and his best friends sister, so you just assumed Y/n and I would end up the same way they did." Joe looked like he wanted to sock Sam as he started going on a tangent about how your relationship is completely different than what Nick and Jenna's relationship was like.

Soon, the somewhat calm conversation has turned into raised voices and even more accusations being shared between the two of them. You could feel your heart racing as Joe and Sam let all of their pent up emotions out on each other. The bickering back and forth only got worse and even more relentless...

"I knew about the two of you the whole time you were sneaking around. My sister is too good for you, you arrogant son of a bitch."

"I don't care if you never speak to me again, I'm staying around for Y/n and our son."

"You snuck around behind my back and expected me to be OK with it?"

"You snuck around behind my back, Sam! You knew I loved Y/n and you didn't give a shit. You made me break her heart because you cared too much about yourself and your own insecurities."

"This baby deserves someone better than you, Joe. You're going to leave her and that kid behind Joe. You have absolutely nothing tying you down to her. You're not married, you're not dating, hell you're not even living together. You have absolutely nothing."

"Actually we are living together. Y/n moved in a couple weeks ago, and you'd know that if you weren't sulking over yourself and the problems you have with her and I."

The yelling only got worse. You were shocked nobody had a thrown a punch yet. As much as you hate to say it...it's good for the two of them to scream at each other. It's only going to get worse before it gets better. The screaming mean things at each other had to happen before a civilized conversation could be had between them. That's just how it works in a situation like this: a guy being with his best friends sister. Add an unplanned pregnancy into that and it's even more accurate. Deep down you know the two of them will talk it out someday, but for now, they'll stick with what they're doing.

As the arguing continued between Joe and Sam, you could feel your stress levels rising. You were extremely emotionally overwhelmed right now. It's not easy seeing your brother and the man you are in love with, fight like the way they are right now. The whole situation has been weighing pretty heavy on you for the last couple of weeks, causing large amounts of stress and nerves every time you thought about the whole situation. Your heart rate quickened and your blood pressure raised as you listened to the men argue. You leaned forward on the bench and rubbed your hands down your face in agony a few times before you couldn't take it anymore. You snapped your head up, your heart dropping to your stomach as you were beginning to feel different. Something inside of you just didn't feel right. You brushed it off as just being overwhelmed over Joe and Sam's arguing. You stood up from the bench and sighed deeply as you walked away from the scene in the backyard. Neither Sam nor Joe even realizing you had left the backyard, the two of them two engrossed in yelling at one another. You shut the sliding glass door and headed to the bathroom to compose yourself and try to get your heart to stop racing.

As you walked to the bathroom, you still felt off. Something just didn't feel right, and you had no idea what it could possibly be. Until you sat down on the toilet and pulled your light, lace panties down.

Your heart dropped to your stomach and your face grew pale. You let out a gasp as you saw it.

Drops of deep crimson on your light underwear were staring back at you.

You were bleeding. It wasn't a significant amount, but still enough to make your heart skip a beat and your mind immediately fill with worry. Your mind was racing as you reached for toilet paper, wiping yourself off and sure enough, there was a little blood on the toilet paper, too. Your hands were shaking as your thoughts ran wild.

What is happening?

Am I OK?

Is the baby OK?

You didn't know what to think, but you knew one thing was certain. You needed to go to the hospital, ASAP.

You pulled your underwear up and flushed the toilet, quickly and carefully washing your hands before you exited the bathroom and made your way back outside. Your whole body was shaking in fear, and your eyes were welling with tears. Joe and Sam's arguing had died down, but they seemed like they were still quite angry with one another.

"Joe," you called out shakily, your voice full of fear and uncertainty, 'I'm bleeding.”

hey loves!!

wow…a lot just happened in that chapter, huh? and it ended on a cliffhanger too!?

it was kind of all over the place sorry. i promise what happens in this chapter will lead somewhere

i told you this chapter was going to be drama filled and angsty. sam can’t seem to get over himself and now y/n is on her way to the hospital because of complications from all the stress the situation between sam and joe is causing her. this poor girl can’t seem to catch a break!

i promise it’ll start to get fluffier soon…but we have to get through some things first.

i hope you’re all doing well! as always, i appreciate all of the love and support you’ve shown me with this series. i’m extremely proud of it and makes me SO happy seeing all of you excited for more!!🥹🤍

tags: @dandelionwrites8 @joeburreauxsworld @theflawedwriter @mrsshiesty @ann288 @ijustcrypretty @theoneandonlyfanz @wickedfun9 @venus-b @hummusxx @stainednailpolishremover @a-moment-captured @alternativemadchen @erinmartin1987 @sirlewisworld @kkrenae @unhingedfangirl @sublimemusic-rebel @meameagirl @ilovejoeburroww @hallecarey1 @j-worlds-blog @blinkloverx3 @jordyn14 @kristencochefski1125 @ryiamarie @unsaidjaelinrose @sinners-98-world @ozwriterchick @hearts4papayas @emherb10

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

Now that I have your attention:

[baseballjerseynumbers]

Spring Training:

Chad Pinder assigned 9

Austin Romine assigned 26

Jason Vosler assigned 32

Derek Law assigned 47

Chuckie Robinson assigned 67

Daniel Duarte assigned 77

Jared Solomon assigned 84

[your-darling-gaze]

Late on this but better that never.

I'm called Darling Grace or Cherry, (she/her) I'm 21, I'm into every practical genre of music, sound engineering, hematology, law and chemical sciences.

Face Claim: Lana Del Rey 🎀

SAVE THE DATE: THE WEDDING

CHECK OUT THE WEDDING CREW HERE!

THE WEDDING: CHAPTER 1 , CHAPTER 2 , FINAL DAY.

Occupation: Experiment Handler and Alloy Specialist at STARK INDUSTRIES, Co-researcher and Data Analyst at The Verizon STEM Effort Organisation, Sub-lecturer at The Wellington International University of Arts and Sciences, Head priest at The Vulpes Temple of Fox, Cincinnati and Bassist with the band Kizses.

Weapon of choice: Taser knuckles, Modified Bearing Slingshot.

Powers: Eau-Mutation, partial marine vision, hydro-physical adaptations, Dasyatidae-gene (sting instinct).

Correspondent of The Holy Scripture of Fox

Proud inventor of THE ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY GENERATOR

Bi, ADHDer, anxiety at it's finest. also separation anxiety. Recently diagnosed Neuro-divergent folk, Hyper-sensitive, Aerophobic, Trypophobic, Mildly Anorexic.

Adopted by: @clintbarton-thearrowguy and @laura-barton-shield <3

Siblings: @cooperbarton-hawkeyeskid , @hawkeyes-favorite ,

Worshipping: The Demigod of Vulpes and Entertainment- @fox-barnes (As head priest.)

Bestayyy: Rowan @the-loss-of-my-life , @elliesquipsandbits-69 , @you-know-frankieeex <3

The Love of my Life: @soldier-bucky-barnes ♡ Check out: Our Love Story Through Time

Lab partners: @imnothulk & @tony-starkinator

Alternate Account: (Roleplay) @yoursx-cyber-skye

Family: Papa Clint Barton. Mama Laura Barton. Lilaaaa, Cooper Barton and Baby Nathan :) Grace, our kitten. James Barnes, my dearest Cooper Barnes, our puppy.

No fine objective to life, always homesick, longing and mutilated for no specific reason, but we ignore that. To define is to limit, and therefore, there isn't much that can make me into an image.

Loving Cats because I believe I am one of them. You may talk to me if you feel like it, I don't bite, as much as I seem like it.

G'Night.

A song that describes me:

picture me so :3

Love Always, Your Side Character.

(bye.)

[beardedmrbean]

A grandmother in Ohio is facing a felony assault charge after admitting to intentionally shooting her six-month-old granddaughter in the eye.

Mia Desiree Harris, 43, pled guilty on Tuesday to the assault charge, according to Law&Crime. She also faced two charges relating to assaults of other family members but both of those were dismissed following her plea.

The violence unfolded in the early hours of December 9 last year. Police responded to a report in Liberty Township, 25 miles north of Cincinnati, that an infant had been shot at around 1:50am. A woman on the phone told a 911 operator that “my baby’s been shot, my baby’s been shot,” according to WXIX.

The 911 operator then asked the woman to confirm that her baby has been shot. “Yes,” she says. “Lord please save my baby.”

Responding officers found the child with a gunshot wound to the head. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones told WXIX at the time that the child had been shot through the eye.

The infant was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, but survived and is on the road to recovery, according to Journal-News.

The sheriff’s office said that Harris also allegedly hit and shot at several family members before “intentionally shooting the child.”

A law enforcement incident report alleged that Harris was so determined to enter the room where her granddaughter was sleeping that she fired multiple shots through a wooden door and then broke down it’s splintered remains to get to the child.

Detective Daniel Turner provided further context during a preliminary hearing in 2023. After breaking into the room, Harris shot the child’s mother in the head — the bullet narrowly grazed her skull, he said, according to WCPO — and then shot the child. Harris then lifted the child off the bed and smiled as she handed the infant to its wounded mother.

Harris fled the scene before deputies arrived but witnesses identified her to law enforcement. She was located and taken into custody shortly after the incident.

When the woman was asked why she wanted to shoot the child, she told deputies: “That was not my grandbaby. Sorry, not sorry,” WCPO reported.

She then said that her family was “trying to take all of her money and then leave,” and insisted that she “was not going to allow that to happen.”

Sheriff Jones told local broadcaster WXIX that he could see no possible justification for what occurred.

“It wasn’t an accident. It was on purpose. This is one of the most disgusting, vile criminal acts I’ve ever seen, shooting a 6-month-old baby. What makes it even worse is this is the baby’s grandmother,” he said. “She went and shot this child and doesn’t appear to have any remorse whatsoever. I feel sorry for the baby, the family, everybody that’s dealing with this … this is as bad as it gets.”

Harris is being held in Butler County Jail on a $1.5million bond. The maximum penalty for a first-degree felony assault in Ohio is 11 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

[intheholler]

Hi, I was looking something up and thought you might like to know, if you didn't already- at one point in the mid-20th century there were so many Appalachians migrating to cities for work that Cincinnati saw fit to make it illegal to discriminate against people of Appalachian origin (and even had to maintain a document of counties in the Eastern US which counted as "Appalachian origin" lol). I suppose people's dialect was causing them to be discriminated against so harshly that something had to be done about it. As someone bred in Appalachia who lived in Cincinnati for a few years as a child and has family there still, in find it interesting.

holy shit! i had no idea!

Sec. 914-1-A1. - Appalachian Regional Origin. "Appalachian regional origin" shall mean birth or ancestral origin from that area of the eastern United States consisting of the counties listed in an Appalachian Regional Origin Document which shall be maintained on file with the Clerk of Council. (Ordained by Ord. No. 490-1992, eff. April 7, 1995)

i find this incredibly interesting, and also kinda validating. like, just the way we talk is such a barrier in people taking us seriously, and once, it was so blatantly apparent that an actual law was enacted to stop it? whoa.

i was reading a little more about it and found this really interesting article about appalachian dialect/discrimination from the appalachian journal of law!

Perhaps most noteworthy, their culture honors the oral tradition.[6] They find pride in their speech. In fact, the very way Appalachians speak is directly tied to their heritage and sense of identity.[7] Accent serves as an identifier for other Appalachians, i.e., the insider group, and outsider groups, i.e., non-Appalachians.[8] Despite their cultural distinction, Appalachians are a forgotten, invisible minority, in part, because it is their accents, rather than their physical appearance, in which they differ from mainstream Americans.[9]  However, language is “a powerful automatic signaling device second only to race to identify targets for possible privilege or discrimination.”[10] Like other minority groups, Appalachians have had their identity stolen and manipulated by outsiders.[11]  The Appalachian accent, known by some as “mountain speak,” has been interpreted as signaling undesirable and distorted traits. Appalachians are routinely stereotyped as “ignorant, lazy, uneducated, and incestuous . . . .”[12] Appalachian linguistic differences have led to economically harmful discrimination.[13] In fact, “Appalachians are statistically one of the most exploited and marginalized [sic] groups in America.”[14] However, courts have refused to protect them from hate-fueled and egregious discrimination.

a snippet of the intro. its so validating, all of this official conversation on it?

thanks so much for bringing the notion to my attention omg <3

[gallawitchxx]

weekly tag wednesday!

thank you & smoochies to @deedala @lingy910y @creepkinginc @energievie @darlingian @heymrspatel @gardenerian @sgtmickeyslaughter @blue-disco-lights & @metalheadmickey for tagging me! i haven't gotten a chance to read all of yours yet, but I WILL CATCH UP!

name: bee 🐝

age: soon to be 32!

astrological sign: cancer ♋️

upon which continent do you reside: North America

tell us how you're feeling right now using 3-5 emojis: 😌☀️🥹📝🫦

whats your favorite flavor of gum? original trident

whats the last movie you watched? does 8263 episodes of law & order: svu count? if not, before sunrise 🌄

what was your worst subject in high school? algebra II, hands down

whats the job you stayed at for the shortest period of time? omg this is a good question -- a couple of months? idk i've blocked all the bad ones out alksjgalj

whats your favorite thing to do at an amusement park? go on rides! 🎢

what condiments go on top of the perfect hot dog (meat or plant-based)? ketchup & mustard 🌭

cincinnati chili, thoughts? huh??? what now???

do you sleep with a plushie? not anymore! but i used to sleep with an ugly doll named icebat <3

how do you feel about thunderstorms? as long as i'm inside, i feel good about them!

what's the last animal you touched? my puppers 🥰 we picked him up from the boarders after a week away & it was the best 🥰

grab the nearest item with words on it that ISNT a book and tell me the final word: PLANET 🪐 from a cliff bar lol

have you ever forgotten to do an assignment until the night before its due? ummm, probably, but that was never my style lmaooo 😎

tagging @iansw0rld @palepinkgoat @thisdivorce @rereadanon & @y0itsbri if you wanna play! if not, i'm bringing you your favorite treat! xx