Cincinnati FM radio legend Dennis “Wildman” Walker joins “That’s So Cincinnati.” 

Cincinnati's interim City Manager John Curp joins the podcast this week.

Ickey Woods gained nationwide fame doing his "Ickey Shuffle" touchdown dance during the Bengals' run to the Super Bowl in 1988 season. 

He loves seeing the city come alive again amid the Bengals' run to Sunday's AFC Championship game in Kansas City.

"It’s been a long way for us – and it’s about time," Woods told The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast. "These guys are doing a great job. The kid, Joe Burrow, is a very unbelievable guy. He just has that 'it' factor. He’s just unbelievable."

Woods, 55, has remained connected to the Bengals since his playing career ended in 1991. He runs a concession stand at every Bengals home game at Paul Brown Stadium. The proceeds from concession sales help support the Jovante Woods Foundation, which raises money and awareness for Asthma research in honor of Ickey Woods' late son.

The legend of the "Ickey Shuffle" has lived on. In 2014, Woods was featured doing the dance in a Geico commercial. (Find out on "That's So Cincinnati" which two versions of the commercial ended up on the cutting-room floor.)

Bengals fans got treated with the "Ickey Shuffle" in the home playoff against Las Vegas on Jan. 15. Tight end C.J. Uzomah did the shuffle after scoring a first quarter touchdown. Woods was at Paull Brown Stadium to see it. 

"He was doing a good job of it, too," Woods said. 

Don't get Tim McGee wrong. He cherishes the memories of being part of the great Bengals teams in the late 1980s and early 1990s. And the former wide receiver loves talking about playing on a Super Bowl team.

But McGee is happy the Bengals are giving fans a reason to stop talking about the glory days of three decades ago. He joined The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast to offer perspective on the Bengals' first playoff win in 30 years on Jan. 15.

"Trust me, I wish we could stop talking about the 1989 Super Bowl and the 1981 Super Bowl," McGee said. "We need to be erased, deleted. We need to be talking about what happened this year (2021 season) and 2022 and 2023. That's when I really get excited. I want to be part of the used-to-be as opposed to the current."

McGee, 57, played nearly a decade in the NFL after the Bengals selected him in the first round of the 1986 draft. He is in his fifth year co-hosting the Bengals' post-game talk show on 700 WLW. The Cleveland native has thrived in the role partly because he offers listeners candid analysis.

"One of the reasons why WLW and WLWT and some of the other outlets have me on is because I have a reputation of calling things like they are," McGee said. "I'm just the truth-driven person, and I'm willing to suffer consequences and/or the accolades that comes with that."

McGee, who lives in Mason, has spent most of his post-playing career living in Greater Cincinnati. For years, the Bengals have gotten a bad reputation for not celebrating their history enough and honoring past players.

What does McGee think about this?

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

Eve Bolton called Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education's decision last week to close the school buildings and return to fully remote learning "devastating" for students and their families.

The retired teacher was the only board member who voted against returning to full remote learning amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in Ohio's third-largest school district. School buildings are shutdown to students until at least Jan. 24, a date board members targeted for returning to in-person learning. 

Bolton, the board's longest-turned member, didn't hold back in expressing her frustrations with the decision during an interview with The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast.

"We don't have a lot of credibility about trying to promise that we'll return on the 24th," Bolton said.

Most other regional school districts remain open for in-person learning. CPS came under scrutiny from parents and community leaders early last year for continuing to be fully remote while most other local school districts had returned to in-person learning. 

Bolton said she decided last year that she wouldn't support going back to remote learning under most circumstances. She particularly worries how the board's decision will impact children and families living in poverty.

"Our children are safer at school than any other place," Bolton said. "No matter how good remote (learning) is, there's learning loss for a majority of the kids."

A staffing shortage was cited as a reason for the decision. Bolton acknowledged that the teachers' union had an influence on board members.

"They are a political force in the community," Bolton said.

Bolton spent 36 years as a teacher and theater director in the suburban Wyoming City Schools, including serving part of her career as the local union president. She's been on the CPS board since 2007.

She said the district wasn't "aggressive enough" in hiring substitute teachers in preparation for the latest uptick in cases. 

Said Bolton: "We have to figure out how to still teach our kids and get them to school and get them fed and have the medical services that are available and have them be with their friends and have them have great adult mentors like our teachers and our coaches."

When the invitation came to Aftab Pureval, who had just been elected Cincinnati mayor, to visit the White House late last year along with other new mayors he wasn't sure what to expect.

But Pureval went to the Dec. 14 meeting prepared, bringing with him a request for what he sees as Cincinnati's most pressing need from the federal government: A new Brent Spence Bridge.

He did pitch that project the White House to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Although first, as an aside (and Pureval gets this a lot), Biden complimented Pureval's hair.

Pureval talked about the White House visit on The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast during his first week on the job as mayor. He admits he was a little bit in awe and shared what he told President Biden and top administration officials.

"I'm sitting there with the mayor of Boston, of New York, of Atlanta, of Seattle and I'm just trying to play it cool," Pureval said. "I'm just trying to be like, 'Oh yeah, this is no big deal. We're in the Oval Office.' "

But to Pureval, the son of immigrants and Cincinnati's first Asian American mayor, it was a big deal. Biden and senior administration leaders stressed they wanted to work with local leaders, Pureval said.

"It was an inspiring experience," Pureval said. "But I was there to do work. So I made it very, very clear to the Biden administration and specifically to the vice president. I personally challenged her to ensure that the Brent Spence Bridge is a priority and that it's not just lip service because we've seen presidential candidate after presidential candidate do press conferences at the Brent Spence Bridge. We're tired of inaction and it's having a big impact."

No promises were made in return, but Pureval added: "I worked very hard to not just talk about it as a local project, but talk about it as a national project for interstate commerce."

In a wide-ranging podcast interview, Pureval also addressed questions about his agenda; what his style of leadership will be; and his stance on public safety. 

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."