Local

Wednesday, March 23, 10:30AM - 12:00PM COLUMBUS WORKER RALLY & PRESS CONFERENCE

WHERE: U.S. Senator Rob Portman’s Office, 37 West Broad Street, Columbus, OH

WHAT: Ohio GE Workers Rally with Picket Signs and Banners for Press Conference at Sen. Portman office in Columbus, Deliver Petition Calling for Action to Stop Oho Job Cuts

SPEAKERS: 

Carl Kennebrew, President of IUE-CWA national labor union 

Tim Burga, President, Ohio AFL-CIO 

Will Evans, President, IUE-CWA Local 84704

Barb Basore, GE Lighting Bucyrus plant worker whose family has provided a combined 500 years of service to the company

I’ve just become aware of and read the 2020 book by Ned Dobos, Ethics, Security, and The War-Machine: The True Cost of the Military. It makes a pretty strong case for the abolition of militaries, even while concluding that it may or may not have done so, that the matter should be taken on a case-by-case basis.

Dobos sets aside the question of whether any war can be justified, arguing instead that “there may be cases where the costs and risks generated by a military establishment are too great for its existence to be justified, and this is even if we think that some wars are necessary and consistent with the demands of morality.”

Death by Democracy documents the death of a society governed of, by and for the people.

A local Ohio activist penned each chapter of Death by Democracy, recording how they “fought City Hall” to put a citizen’s initiative, ordinance or charter amendment on their municipality’s ballot. Each narrator tells a sincere and courageous story of a group endeavor to prevent or stop pollution from affecting their community.

The title of this book may seem overblown, sounding somewhat like “click-bait,” but there’s actually a valid reason “death” could result from the desecration of democracy experienced by these groups over the past decade in Ohio.

This morning, employees at Columbus’ 88 E. Broad St. Starbucks location delivered a letter to Starbucks’ CEO announcing that they “choose to join in the national labor movement of Starbucks stores.”

The Starbucks location in the heart of downtown is the first in Columbus to announce a union drive, joining three other locations in Ohio and more than 140 across the country in attempting to unionize. “We know your company can be better, and we choose to stay and help it grow from within,” they wrote.

The store in the Key Bank building facing 3rd street serves government employees, office workers, downtown residents, houseless community members, and tourists.

“We get a good mix of people,” says Damon Shnur who’s worked at this downtown Starbucks for nine years and is part of the location’s organizing committee for the union drive. “I think a lot of our clientele is also just very excited for us. They’re very excited about unionizing in general, but I think they will be very excited and supportive of us.”

Tuesday, March 22, 2022, 2:00 pm EDT
Cleveland State University Student Center SC 313, 2121 Euclid Avenue 44115

I have written about Columbus’ identity crisis and the failure of its media and especially the non-daily, non-news Columbus Dispatch in both the Columbus Free Press and ColumbusUnderground, but I have only touched briefly on WOSU, the Ohio State University-owned, local National Public Radio affiliate. (See “Columbus’ identity crisis and its media”; “Response to Columbus Alive, ‘The list: Reasons that Columbus Underground opinion piece is trash,’ by Andy Downing and Joel Oliphint, Columbus Alive, July 26: A visit to journalism fantasy land”; and “The Columbus Dispatch: The decline of a metropolitan daily newspaper.”)

Despite shifting dates, Ohio is preparing for a primary that will leave an indelible mark on politics nationwide. 

Rob Portman’s decision to retire in 2021 created an open Senate seat that multiple politicians are competing to fill. With Ohio remaining solid red for the past two presidential elections, and serving as the location for a contentious special election last year, the results of the primary elections are expected to be a referendum on many things.

For Republicans, it will indicate how firm Donald Trump’s grasp is on the Republican Party. For Democrats, whether moderate liberals or the growing progressive vanguard, is the future of electoral success.

Sunday, March 20, 2022, 5:30 PM.  Sunday, March 20, 2022, 5:30 PM. Evening Event.
Location:  jacob’s porch, 45 E. 13th Ave., Columbus.  More information on the Facebook Event Page.
Join in-person or live stream. 

Saturday, March 19, 6-8pm, Parkview United Methodist Church, 344 S. Algonquin Ave.

1DivineLine2Health is a 501(c)3 public charity based on the West Side of Columbus, Ohio. 1DL2H provides Christ-centered care to the sick who have no access to healthcare. We are compassionate messengers who deliver healing to the broken mind, body, soul, and spirit.

Our mission is to end human trafficking through collaborative and grassroots efforts. We love, respect, and connect directly with our street family. The “Love Bug Street Outreach” is a critical provider for hygiene supplies, Narcan, first aid, infection control measures, and emotional support. The “Love Drop-In Center” is the stationary “Love Bug” whereby the women shower, rest, receive clothes, eat a warm meal, and connect to services. They also have access to wound care and harm reduction supplies.

For us to continue our work, we rely on the generous support of our community neighbors, businesses, and organizations.

I recently received a phone call from Andrew Nortz who is a 6½ year resident of Blendon Township and whose one-acre property abuts a new development of 27.88 acres that is currently being cleared for 156 units of one- and two-bedroom one story apartments. He asked if I would meet with him and his wife and listen to what they had to say about how they and other neighbors were bamboozled by the City of Columbus, developers and the developers’ seasoned zoning attorneys. Andrew had read about my involvement in fighting alongside of the Little Turtle neighborhood against the jaw-droppingly unethical Little Turtle Roadway project that is just around the corner from Blendon Township.

Columbus City Council unanimously approved the rezoning of the property in July of last year. Mr. Nortz gave me a tour on March 16 of the 27.88 acres that is now being developed. He said the area is home to wild turkeys, fox, deer, owls, hawks, raccoons, numerous bird species, wetlands, natural springs and vernal pools.