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Many Americans believe that the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the United States’ illegal bombing of Iran, and the United States’ disastrous proxy war with Russia in Ukraine are too far away to do anything about. These Americans, however, overlook the fact that most of the weapons and other military technologies used by Israel to massacre Palestinians, to commit war crimes against Iran, and to waste Ukrainian lives in a completely avoidable war are manufactured in their backyards. Americans do not need to travel to Gaza, Iran, or Ukraine to save innocent lives in those countries, they could interfere with the manufacture of weapons and other military technologies right here in the United States. On February 7, 2025, for example, the State Department approved a $6.75 billion sale of thousands of bombs and bomb guidance systems to Israel and reported that the sale will come “from principal contractors The Boeing Company, located in St.
An upcoming neighborhood election that was supposed to be routine has unraveled into one of the sharpest legitimacy crises in recent memory, raising the question no one at City Hall seems eager to answer: is the North Central Area Commission’s (NCAC) 2025 election even valid?
At the heart of the dispute is whether the ballots that will be circulating for the August 30 vote hold any official weight at all. As of mid-August, the Department of Neighborhoods has not confirmed whether petitions were certified, ballots set, or candidates recognized as eligible under city rules. Without that step, the “ballot” may be little more than an internal exercise — a process residents are treating as real, even if the City has not stamped it with legitimacy. The absence of any formal certification leaves the commission operating in a vacuum, raising doubts about whether the election results will be recognized by the very city that created these bodies.
A 14-page complaint filed with the city by Area Commissioner Ciera Jackson alleges that NCAC leaders bent bylaws, extended deadlines, and slow-walked records — moves she says undermine the commission’s legitimacy.
On Monday, August 25, faith leaders along with Undivided, CAIR-Ohio (Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton), Young United Souls for Revolutionary Action (YUSRA), Ohio Immigrant Alliance, and other community advocates will hold a press conference in the Ladies Gallery of the Ohio Statehouse urging Governor DeWine to use the authority of his office to secure Imam Ayman Soliman’s release from detention, and ensure the restoration of his asylum status.
WHEN: Monday, August 25, 2025, at 11:00am ET
WHERE: Ladies Gallery, inside the Ohio Statehouse
After persecution and threats to his life in Egypt, Imam Ayman Soliman found his way to the US where he sought and was granted asylum. Imam Ayman, known as the "interfaith Imam," has since served and touched the lives of countless people and families, of all backgrounds and faiths. As a chaplain at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, he was locally renowned for his support of grieving families as he guided them through their children’s illnesses and, in some cases, passings.
August 21, 2025
Have you read “The Case for Military Intervention to Stop the Gaza Genocide“? I don’t mind promoting it to you, since I agree with most of it (and also consider most of it to do absolutely nothing to advance any case for military intervention to stop the Gaza genocide).
The enormous problem we face is not the people who care enough and are desperate enough to make this misguided proposal. The enormous problem is the usual one: corrupt, evil, malfunctioning, and sadistic governments abetted by great masses of people too busy, distracted, ignorant, or uncaring to try anything at all.
The first eight pages of 23 in the document linked above simply tell us that there is a genocide happening and that nothing thus far has worked to stop it. On this there can be no dispute, and anyone unaware or unengaged should immediately read those eight pages five times.
Saturday, August 23, 12noon-5pm, Whetstone Park, 3901 N. High St.
Come celebrate the nature of Columbus!
Food trucks, music, vendors, guided nature tours, art, a children’s area, plants for sale, and non-profits from all over the city! Visit columbusarborfest.com to learn more.
Hosted by Columbus ArborFest and Green Columbus.
The Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity (OCTEQI) is advancing its historic citizen-led initiative to amend the Ohio State Constitution. After overcoming a prolonged series of administrative and legal battles, the campaign has now entered its critical statewide signature-gathering phase, aiming for placement on the November 3, 2026, general election ballot. The coalition is a unified effort of multiple civil rights and accountability organizations, led by the Heartbeat Movement Inc. The initiative’s Ballotpedia page can be viewed here.
Homeowners rush to install solar
Homeowners are rushing to install solar before the December 31st expiration of the 30 percent tax credit.
The surge in consumer activity follows the passage of HR1 on July 4th of this year, and its elimination of the residential Investment Tax Credit (ITC) at the end of 2025. Homeowners have through December 31st, to have their systems installed to claim the 30 percent federal tax credit, which represents an average of $9,000 in savings on typical installations, according to EnergySage Intel data.
Overall, EnergySage saw a 59 percent month-over-month increase in registrations from potential customers from June to July and a 205 percent year-over-year increase in homeowners actively working with installers.
Solar installers are being dramatically impacted by the urgency to go solar. A recent survey conducted by EnergySage found that 35 percent of solar installers expect to stop taking new customers before October 1st, and around 9 percent indicated they have already reached capacity for 2025.
The bill would specify that persons who are unlawfully present in the United States are not “privileged” from arrest. This bill has already passed the Ohio Senate (6/18/2025). It was introduced in the House (6/23/25), but has not yet been referred to a committee. More information in this OCJ article and this analysis.
What can you do now?
An ethical journalist acts with integrity. As I sat in my first ever journalism class, staring at the sentence scrawled on the chalkboard, my heart soared with the conviction that I was entering a field defined by truth.
But just two months later, as Israeli bombs reduced the streets of Gaza to rubble, I watched Western media justify the countless Palestinian lives stolen, as though my people’s suffering was disposable. Each death fractured my heart, while media organizations played a cruel game of linguistic gymnastics to avoid recognizing the depravity of genocide. Stories were told without context, headlines stripped of humanity, and the integrity I had been promised felt like an illusion. My faith in journalism collapsed, reduced to rubble alongside the buildings of my homeland.
Now, in the first journalism class of my junior year, I find myself staring at the same words again. Only this time, it doesn’t feel inspirational, it feels empty.