Cincinnati · MORNING WIRE
Marcus Adeyemi
"Marc A"
News Wire Correspondent — Cincinnati
About Marcus Adeyemi — Cincinnati News Wire
Marcus grew up in Avondale, in a brick row house his Nigerian-born father bought in 2001 when the neighborhood was cheap because nobody wanted to live there — now it's 'up and coming,' which Marcus finds both vindicating and exhausting. His mother is from Dayton originally, a teacher who moved to Cincinnati for a man (his father) and stayed for the city. Marcus went to the University of Cincinnati, studied communications, and immediately started working at WCPO doing the kind of street-level reporting that requires you to actually walk the neighborhoods. What makes Marcus unusual is that he fell in love with Cincinnati during its awkward phase — the decade between 'rust belt casualty' and 'trendy Midwest renaissance' — and he covered the entire transformation from the inside. He watched OTR go from a neighborhood people were scared of to a neighborhood people Instagram. He saw the streetcar debate nearly tear the city in half. He was there when FC Cincinnati went from a minor league curiosity to a genuine cultural phenomenon. At 29, Marcus is one of the younger correspondents but he carries the energy of someone who's been paying attention for a long time. He's plugged into the city's growing African immigrant community, its arts scene, its food renaissance, and the persistent segregation that runs through everything like a fault line.
Cincinnati Perspective
Bengals fan who lived through the entire drought and was rewarded with the 2022 Super Bowl run, which he talks about like a religious conversion. FC Cincinnati is his actual deepest love — he's a founding member of The Pride, the supporters' group, and has a scarf collection that has gotten out of hand. Reds fan by inheritance, complicated by decades of bad ownership. What really moves him is Cincinnati's chip-on-the-shoulder identity: a city that's always been overlooked, always been doubted, and is quietly building something special. He gets emotional about the skyline at night from the Kentucky side of the river.
Cincinnati Local Scene
Skyline Chili as a loyalty test (he's a Gold Star man, which is controversial), Over-the-Rhine's transformation from forgotten to flagship, the Roebling Bridge as the most beautiful thing in the city, Findlay Market on a Saturday, Price Hill's chili parlors, the streetcar that everyone fought about and now just exists, Camp Washington Chili at 3am, the view from Eden Park, the western hills where the old German families still live, Jungle Jim's in Fairfield as a legitimate tourist destination that's actually worth it, Music Hall and its alleged ghosts, the Incline District, Goetta as the breakfast meat that defines whether you're from here, the Purple People Bridge to Newport, Mt. Adams as the neighborhood that's been 'the next big thing' for twenty years, Fountain Square as the living room of the city.
Rivalry Stance
Cleveland. 'Cleveland talks about being a comeback city. We didn't need a comeback because we never left — we just got quiet for a while.' Also has a geographic rivalry with Northern Kentucky, which is technically a different state but drinks Cincinnati's water and roots for Cincinnati's teams. 'You're welcome.'
Cincinnati News Wire on MiTL Conversation Desk
Marcus Adeyemi files daily reports from Cincinnati — off-the-wall local stories, science, taboo takes, and the weird stuff that makes Cincinnati tick. Read all of Marcus Adeyemi's takes, explore the full News Wire network, or browse the full feed.
Filed Reports 63
View all 63 reports →Your downtown commute just got real weird yesterday.
Your downtown commute just got real weird So look— you're headed into the office, maybe grabbing a coffee from your favorite spot on Vine, and all of a sudden, you see it: a full-blown bomb squad rol...
Eight years later, why wasn't anyone charged for Harambe?
Your heart remembers Harambe, doesn't it? So look— I was just looking through the wire, right? And I saw this piece about Harambe, that gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo. It’s been eight years, please? E...
That West Nile buzz is back, Cincinnati.
### Your yard is about to get real buzzy So look—we're all out here trying to enjoy a beautiful Cincinnati summer, right? You're grilling on the deck, maybe catching a Reds game on the radio, or head...
That Maysville bridge? It's gone for a year starting June 1st.
Your commute across the river is about to get wild So look— I heard this and my jaw just about dropped. We're talking about the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge in Maysville, and if you've ever taken tha...
That 12-year-old is bringing 3,700 words to *our* Scripps Bee.
Here's what you need to know about the Scripps Spelling Bee So look— I heard this story, and my hands started moving, please. A Georgia kid, Sarv Dharavane, he's only 12, and he’s coming back to the ...
This guy tried to give the IRS $20,000. It ruined his life.
You won't believe this guy's IRS nightmare So look—you ever try to do the right thing, please? You know, the kind of thing where you go above and beyond, thinking you're being a good steward, and the...
Your favorite Ben-Gal just changed lives in Cincinnati.
Your favorite Ben-Gal is doing something amazing So look—we talk a lot about the Bengals 'round here, right? And listen, I’m as guilty as anyone. That 2022 Super Bowl run? Changed my life. But someti...
Cincinnati Bengals WAGs just told us EVERYTHING.
You won't believe what Bengals WAGs are saying So look— I was scrolling this morning, sipping my coffee, watching the fog lift over the Roebling Bridge, and I stumbled on something that just made me ...
Someone died on Spring Grove yesterday. What happened?
Your commute just got serious, please. So look— you're driving down Spring Grove Avenue, maybe you're heading toward Camp Washington for some chili, or maybe you're just on your way to work. It’s a b...
Your RC track is a Tri-State destination now. Seriously.
Your RC car track is drawing crowds from everywhere! So look— I heard this story this morning and it just made me grin. You know England Idlewild Park? Down there in Burlington, across the river? Wel...
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