Enquirer executive editor Beryl Love and columnist Jason Williams discuss the biggest stories of 2021.

Where does UC football making the College Football Playoff, Brood X cicada invasion and Aftab Pureval winning the mayor's race rank among the top stories? 

Find out on "That's So Cincinnati." 

Cristian Pietoso takes pride in offering an authentic Italian dining experience at his four Greater Cincinnati restaurants.

Early next year, guests at Downtown's Via Vite will have a new experience. They'll be able to watch up close the pasta-making process, a viewing area that'll be part of an upcoming remodeling at the Fountain Square restaurant.

Via Vite is scheduled to temporarily shutdown on Jan. 8 to begin a planned monthlong remodeling, Pietoso told The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast. The restaurant will reopen in early February.

Via Vite originally opened as the anchor fine-dining restaurant on Fountain Square in 2007, and Pietoso said it's time for a "refresh."

"We're redoing the entire restaurant – kitchen, bar, dining room, light fixtures, (outdoor) piazza bar, awnings, everything brand new," Pietoso said. "We're going to re-modernize and make it super edgy again and feel exactly what it should be for a contemporary Italian restaurant smack in the middle of the city. It's going to be beautiful."

The pasta-making station will be behind glass near Via Vite's main entrance, Pietoso added. The pasta served at his restaurants – which also include Nicola's in Over-the-Rhine, Forno in Hyde Park and Montgomery – are made with flour and other ingredients imported from Italy.

Via Vite's menu also will be overhauled, with a handful of favorites remaining, Pietoso said.

Other good things are happening for Pietoso's restaurants. 

Nicola's, located at the corner of Sycamore and Liberty streets, celebrated its 25th anniversary in April. Pietoso moved to Cincinnati from Italy in 2004 to work for his father's restaurant. Nicola Pietoso began passing the ownership torch of the restaurants onto his son in 2012, when Cristian was handed the keys to Via Vite. 

The elder Pietoso opened Nicola's a decade before Over-the-Rhine's renaissance even began. Cincinnati Magazine this year called Nicola's "one of the city’s longest-standing fine dining restaurants," and Cristian Pietoso called it a testament to his father's hard work.

"He had nothing to lose," Pietoso said of his father's mentality leading up to the 1996 opening of Nicola's. "He was a hungry immigrant who was willing to work hard. This is the beauty of this country. People call it the land of opportunity. The opportunity is there. You just need to chase it. Think about the incredible endurance that this guy had going through the challenges of being in that corner."

A decade ago, Chris Seelbach ran for Cincinnati City Council wanting to help stop the city's yearslong population decline.

The trailblazing Democrat was personally doing his part. He purchased a condo in Over-the-Rhine for $125,000, $10,000 of it an inheritance his parents told him he was squandering on such a purchase.

Seelbach, first elected in 2011, has watched his neighborhood thrive ever since.

As Seelbach prepares to leave city hall early next month, he told The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast that he accomplished more than he thought possible on council. Prevented by term limits from running for reelection, he reflected on his time at city hall and talked about what might be next for him. 

"I ran for city council because we were losing population for 65 years ... and that's why we had a deficit every year," Seelbach said. "And so the conversation was only about what are we going to cut? What are we going to not cut? I wanted to run to change that conversation to not what are we going to cut or not, but what can we invest in that will attract people back to our city that will make people want to live in Cincinnati."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey and Enquirer research, from 2014 until 2019 – the last year estimates are available – the city's population grew 1.9%, or by nearly 5,800 people. It might not be a lot, but it's not a decline – and Seelbach is proud of the growth.

Montgomery Inn partner Dean Gregory tells stories about his dad and the restaurant's late founder, Ted Gregory; his mom's secret BBQ sauce; how Bob Hope got involved; and the exploding cigar prank. 

Cincinnati City Councilwoman Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney and former President Barack Obama have been friends since they were classmates at Harvard Law School 30 years ago.

Their families have stayed in touch. Kearney and her husband, former state Sen. Eric Kearney, held fundraisers for Obama and worked on his campaigns. Did Lemon Kearney turn to Barack and Michelle Obama for political advice while running her first campaign this year?

No, and Lemon Kearney didn't need to. The North Avondale resident was the top vote-getter in last week's city council election. But she has received advice from the Obamas over the years.  

"They're advice to us has always been to our kids about college, parenting stuff. Nothing politically," Lemon Kearney told The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast. "I'm sure Eric has had conversations with Barack about politics, but I have not."

In a wide-ranging interview, Lemon Kearney recalled her interactions with Barack Obama at Harvard. They graduated from law school in 1991.

"He was amazing in law school," she said. "Super, super smart. Always well-prepared. Always wanted to hear what everybody had to say. He was really wonderful. I'm not surprised that he ended up being president."

For years, Lemon Kearney loved helping others on their campaigns. She enjoyed the fundraising events for her husband, Obama and other Democrats. But she loved her career running the Cincinnati Herald and "never really thought I'd be out there in front" in politics, Lemon Kearney said.

"I used to tell people in politics, 'You guys are crazy. I can't believe you would put yourselves out there,' " she said.

Then early last year, a seat became open on city council after Tamaya Dennard had been arrested on federal public corruption charges and subsequently resigned a few days later. Lemon Kearney was appointed to council in March 2020.

"I just had this strange weekend," Lemon Kearney recalled. "First, it's this Joel Osteen thing about when you're called, you need to answer. Then reading Stacey Abrams' book about how women are so hesitant to say yes. We always think we're not qualified. We need more degrees or more training or more experience. And she said, 'Have the audacity to say yes.' " To my parents saying, 'You've got to serve your community. That's important.' "

What issues do Lemon Kearney want to focus on in upcoming council term? Does she have political aspirations beyond city council? 

Find out the answers by listening to "That's So Cincinnati" for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Media and other podcast listening platforms.

David Pepper first ran for office 20 years ago, the start of a career that now includes Cincinnati City Council, the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners and Ohio Democratic Party Chairman.

Pepper, 50, of Indian Hill, pivoted in recent years to a new career: author, writing political thrillers.

His newest book, Laboratories of Autocracy: A wake-up call from behind the lines, is a non-fiction tome culled from his political experience. His thesis: corrupt politicians in statehouses across the country pose a threat to American democracy.

Pepper joined The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast to talk Tuesday's general election, what he sees happening in statehouses and what's next for him. (No, he's not ruling out a run for office.)

REDI Cincinnati is the region's leading organization charged with recruiting new companies and jobs. It played a big role in regional leaders' pitch to World Cup officials last week, and REDI President and CEO Kimm Lauterbach joined "That's So Cincinnati" podcast to discuss.

The Flying Pig is back, albeit it with a smaller field of racers and later in the year than usual. 

But it will still be the same community-driven event that it was before the coronavirus pandemic forced Cincinnati races to be virtual last year, said Iris Simpson Bush, executive director at Flying Pig Marathon, Inc, which runs the marathon and several other races throughout the year. 

"We're thrilled to be back," she told The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast.

The marathon, usually held in May, will be on Oct. 31 after the pandemic delayed it.

In the Flying Pig's 23 years, more than $19 million has been raised for charity, Bush said. She's been involved from Day 1 when Paycor founder and CEO Bob Coughlin dreamed of bringing a marathon to Cincinnati.

Bush, then a general sales manager at WCPO, read a story about his idea in The Enquirer and got involved.

It's been fun and rewarding ever since, Bush said.

American soccer veteran Geoff Cameron is always outspoken about something.

A few years ago, it was about his support of Donald Trump. Nowadays, though, it's more about how much he loves Cincinnati and the city's soccer fans.

Cameron, in his first season with FC Cincinnati, spent time on his off day to chat with The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast partly about his decision to back away from publicly talking politics and how much he loves the fans here.

The 36-year-old former U.S. national team defender calls FC Cincinnati's fanbase the "best" in Major League Soccer. In terms of overall soccer popularity and support, Cameron said, Cincinnati is a top 5 city in the U.S. The Massachusetts native added that the unwavering support for last-place FC Cincinnati reminds him of how fans in Europe back their favorite clubs regardless of record. 

Cameron would know: He played nearly a decade in Europe before returning to the U.S. this season for his second stint in MLS. 

"Just walking around the city, you see FC Cincinnati shirts everywhere," Cameron said. "It's crazy. You don't see that other places (in the U.S.). Even though we've been poor, they're still loyal and deserve all the credit." 

As for talking politics, Cameron did media interviews and took to Twitter to support Trump during his presidency. In a 2017 interview with Sports Illustrated, Cameron said he supported Trump's immigration policy. 

“I believe it’s important to support our president whether he was your candidate or not,” Cameron told SI.com. “I am pleased he is making security of all Americans one of his top priorities. Our enemies have stated – and in Europe they have proven – they will take advantage of lax immigration procedures for the purposes of staging attacks." 

Cameron faced intense backlash on social media for his ongoing support of Trump. The soccer player said it's not worth continuing to openly talk about politics now that he has other priorities such as raising his 1-year-old son.

He told "That's So Cincinnati:" 

"It's a touchy subject now. As of recent, I really haven't said much because of just the way the world is now. It's really hard to have an opinion – if you don't have an opinion that's similar to other people. 

"It's sad in a way of (how) I grew up. Twenty years ago, it wasn't that way. With the news and social media giants, things are shoved down people's throats whether it's good or bad. It's tough. When I was outspoken and said certain things, a lot of people said things about me that weren't true whatsoever and that was really hard to deal with. They don't know me. People are just saying things to be hateful. That's why I don't really share pictures with my family, because I don't really know what people's intentions are.

"I haven't been as outspoken now because there's other things I care about. I'm sure there are fans in Cincinnati who are conservative or liberal or whatever. Whether they want to believe the stuff that I believe in or disagree with the things that I believe, (I hope) they'll see that I am a good, genuine person. It's OK to have people with different political views or religious views, but you can respect them as a person." 

After throwing years of popular LGBTQ-friendly tea dances, Richard Cooke embarked on opening a bar in Over-the-Rhine, which he envisioned as a place to "dance in a safe and welcoming place."

The pandemic hit as the Procter & Gamble alum readied to open the bar. But there was only one thing to do, Cooke said: Stay the course. 

e19 Lounge Bar & Discothèque, located across the street from Rhinegeist Brewery, opened one year ago this month. 

"You have to create the change you want," Cooke said.