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While most new presidents would like to use their influence to make America a better country for all, Donald Trump is not that kind of leader. Instead, he has chosen to use his position to enact personal vendettas against anyone judged to be his enemy.

When James Comey was FBI director in 2016, he appeared to be a Trump ally when he suggested that the investigations into Hillary Clinton's activities might have to be reopened. This announcement, shortly before the 2016 presidential election, might have swayed enough votes away from the Democratic candidate to give the Republicans a victory. However, any goodwill between Trump and Comey disappeared when the FBI director considered opening up investigations against Trump, so then Comey was fired.

Now, the president is demanding that the Department of Justice prosecute Comey for for possibly lying to Congressional committees.

John Bolton, who used to be Trump's national security advisor, has recently been indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for allegedly possessing classified Defense department documents. He was likely targeted because of negative comments he made about Trump in his recent book.

Don’t forget to vote! 

It may be an “off year” but there’s nothing off about making sure to elect the city council and school board candidates who will work to do right by your community and your values. Don’t sleep on those school and other levies either! 

Wednesday to Sunday is your last chance to early vote! Check the graphic above for hours (including Saturday and Sunday) and remember there’s no early vote on Monday.

Polls are open 6:30am to 7:30 pm on Tuesday, November 4. Make sure you have an UNEXPIRED ID. Find your polling location. 

Stepping Up to Help Neighbors in Need 
Funding for SNAP benefits are scheduled to end 10/31. ICO recognizes the potential humanitarian crisis of millions of people being without access to food. Now is the time for all of us to step up to help our neighbors! Please consider making a donation to one of these organizations. 

Vote November fourth?
Gerrymandered Columbus.
Not democratic. 

Money rules this town.
Big cash cha-ching. Buy some votes.
Ginther loves to golf.

CCS? No clue.
Board happy with their two stars.
Yep... they all hate change.

Defund CCS?
The rich need a new condo.
Aspen isn't cheap.

It's one party rule.
They love their perks and power.
They should work for us. 

Vote Vogel or Ross?
She doesn't pay her tickets. 
She's above the law.

Billions for the bond!
Ignore the homeless. Too bad.
Have no empathy. 

Corruption tastes great!
Columbus needs an audit.
You must vote Remy.

Build cheap. Build fast now.
Wall Street owns Columbus. Ouch!
No plan. No problem. 

The Ohio Redistricting Commission just released their proposed Congressional map, and what's at stake couldn't be clearer: the political future of Ohio for the next decade.

Here's what the new map does:

This map will lock in our representation for ten years. We cannot sit this one out.

Option 1: Show Up in Person

Ohio Statehouse: 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, Ohio 43215

House Finance Committee Hearing Room (Room 313)

TOMORROW at 10:00 AM

These comments were always intended for private conversations but Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin continually ignore us so, now I am compelled to speak publicly. Ginther served on the Columbus School Board six years before his appointment to City Council. Then he was elected Mayor in 2016. Hardin was appointed to Council in 2014 and has been President since 2018.

Here is an abbreviated recap of the Ginther-Hardin legacy. Columbus ranked as the second most economically segregated major US city in 2015. In 2022, the JPMorgan Chase report found racial inequities cost Columbus’ economy $10 billion annually. A 2024 report said Columbus is growing by leaps and bounds but is 700 years behind in racial equality.

In July 2025, JD Vance said Columbus is lawless. In September, Columbus Police Lieutenant and Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Brian Steel had his SUV with Marine Corp plates stolen from his driveway. Last week, NBC4 reported 182 cities were ranked and Columbus placed at No. 159, making it the 24th most unsafe city. It ranked even lower at No. 164 for home and community safety.

Versión en español a continuación

Celebrating our 55th year, the Columbus Free Press will honor five outstanding community activists and a community organization at our November 2025 Salon and Awards event on Saturday, November 8 from 1:30-4:30pm at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Road. Our honoree for the Free Press 2025 Outstanding Community Organization is Heer to Serve.

Heer to Serve advocates for those who are unsheltered and facing housing insecurity with a person centered approach, providing emergency and necessary supplies and support to those on the far south side of Columbus. Heer to Serve volunteers work to meet their basic needs through tangible items, social support, and programing.

With three open seats on the Board of Education and no incumbents defending them, November 4 isn’t a sleepy local race. There are six candidates, and the winners will be faced with helping rescue Columbus City Schools from its toughest stretch in decades. A $100 million budget deficit, plummeting enrollment, collapsing public trust and a growing rift between union teachers and the District’s administration.

It’s a reset moment that will determine whether Ohio’s largest District stabilizes, shrinks, or fractures entirely. Again, six candidates are vying for three seats, and their divisions mirror Columbus politics itself.

“Establishment” Democrat Party-endorsed slate:

● Patrick Katzenmeyer — husband of former City Councilmember and YWCA CEO Elizabeth Brown, and son of retired Greater Columbus Arts Council CEO Tom

Katzenmeyer. Katzenmeyer works for the developer the Pizzuti Companies, and his campaign funded by the Columbus Education PAC, which is a mix of CEOs and business leaders from Grange Insurance, Kokosing Construction and Mount Carmel Hospitals.

October 30, 5 p.m. Eastern / 2 p.m. Pacific. Join us online! 
(Please note: This link will take you to a third-party website, youtube.com.)

What this nation has experienced at the hands of the Trump administration over the past several months is as troubling as it is illegal.

From intensified attacks on free speech to large-scale and warrantless immigration raids to military troops in cities across the country – the president is using the immense power of the federal government to try and silence opposition through fear.

My community is getting ready for the annual Columbus Jewish Film Festival, but a local theater is beating it to the punch with one of the most powerful Holocaust-related documentaries you’re likely to see this year.

Among Neighbors, directed by Yoav Potash (Crime After Crime), is about the tragic and lasting effects World War II had on the town of Gniewoszów, Poland. The film is at once a history lesson, a tale of survival and a portrait of humanity at its best and its absolute worst.

It’s also a mystery, one whose solution isn’t provided until the film’s final moments.

Because the documentary does so much, and because Potash waits so long to connect seemingly disparate parts, it sometimes comes off as disjointed. But the dramatic end justifies the director’s suspense-building means, and the film is never less than compelling along the way.  

Using a combination of contemporary interviews, archival footage and eloquent hand-drawn animation, Potash introduces us to Gniewoszów both past and present.