Feature
Synopsis by Greg Pace (Treasurer of Columbus Community Rights Coalition)
Columbus Community Rights Coalition (CCRC), an Ohio-based 501(c)(3) organization, has published a white paper meant to inform resident stakeholders of risks to the water associated with oil & gas (O&G) production activities occurring within their watershed region of Columbus, Ohio.
The paper offers some history of oil & gas operations in Ohio over the past century and highlights how hundreds of thousands of undocumented wells are believed to exist. Most are orphaned or abandoned, which leads to risks of contamination over time when they are not properly plugged. The shorter history of Class II saltwater injection wells (SWIWs) used for oil & gas “brine” disposal has its own set of problems associated with incidents of water and wetland contamination in Ohio, and with how they are regulated by the state. This is of concern for Central Ohio residents who rely on public water as there are many legacy injection wells in their Source Water Protection Area (SWPA).
Salon facilitator, Free Press Board member Mark Stansbery, kicked off the salon, engineered by Steve Caruso. He reiterated how it is now Pride Month and there is the usual Stonewall Pride parade next Saturday, June 17. The Community Pride alternative celebration is scheduled for September.
Mark spoke a bit about he and his wife Yoshie’s trip to Japan last month, to visit relatives and participate in G7 Summit protests and rallies. One message is the opposition to US involvement in the Ukraine situation, which caused a discussion among the people present. Yoshie gave a presentation on her perspective of the events in Japan and showed some photos and images. The Free Press recently posted an article about peace in Ukraine.
The Faith Thomas Foundation is hosting our 8th Annual Bowling Fundraiser for Sickle Cell, deadline has been extended to Monday, June 19th.
When: Saturday, June 24th
Registration begins at 5:00PM. Bowling begins at 5:30PM
Where: Columbus Square Bowling Palace
5705 Forest Hills Blvd, Columbus, OH 43231
Trophies will be awarded to:
Top 3 Adult Teams
Best Male & Female Bowler
Medals to Top 3 Child Bowlers
Teams of 4 players
$25 Adult Bowling Ticket: 2 games of bowling, shoe rental, pizza and soda
$20 Adult Non-Bowling Ticket: Pizza and soda
$15 Child Bowling Ticket: 2 games of bowling, shoe rental, pizza and soda (12 & under)
$10 Child Bowling Ticket: Pizza and soda (12 & under)
The Faith Thomas Foundation is hosting our 8th Annual Bowling Fundraiser for Sickle Cell, deadline has been extended to Monday, June 19th.
When: Saturday, June 24th
Registration begins at 5:00PM. Bowling begins at 5:30PM
Where: Columbus Square Bowling Palace
5705 Forest Hills Blvd, Columbus, OH 43231
Trophies will be awarded to:
Top 3 Adult Teams
Best Male & Female Bowler
Medals to Top 3 Child Bowlers
Teams of 4 players
$25 Adult Bowling Ticket: 2 games of bowling, shoe rental, pizza and soda
$20 Adult Non-Bowling Ticket: Pizza and soda
$15 Child Bowling Ticket: 2 games of bowling, shoe rental, pizza and soda (12 & under)
$10 Child Bowling Ticket: Pizza and soda (12 & under)
To the editor:
According to Article I of the Ohio Constitution, all power is inherent in the people. Unfortunately, our legislators – or at least, nearly the entire Republican caucus of both houses – have forgotten this basic fact.
Without a hint of irony, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman has stated that “citizens don’t always know what they want” and that we must always be on guard against the “tyranny of the majority.” But at least Huffman understands that those who oppose the legislature’s effort to make it more difficult for the people to amend the state constitution are, in fact, a majority.
When it comes to major road projects in Central Ohio, MORPC – the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission – is a big power player. So is ODOT, of course. As Columbus and its suburbs continue to grow seemingly out-of-control, one question raised by residents is: What comes first, massive development and then surrounding road improvements, or improved roads first and then massive development?
Widening or adding lanes, for instance, before thousands move in. But there’s confusion over what comes first or what should come first. A West Side housing activist, who did want to offer their name for publication, says they heard this during an area commission meeting.
“One of the weird things I learned from MORPC is that development comes first followed by street improvements later,” said the unnamed source. “You would think that streets should be improved first but that’s not how it works in Ohio.”
When presented with this quote, MORPC spokesperson Melissa Rapp stated in an email, “That statement is not a factual statement. MORPC supports local governments with regional planning, tools, and funding but does not prescribe local policies, processes, or ordinances.”
Freelance workers in Central Ohio will soon have access to basic wage protections under a new ordinance in the city of Columbus. Columbus City Council is expected to vote in favor of the changes to wage protection laws within the Columbus city municipal code on May Day, Monday May 1.
Members of the Freelance Solidarity Project, which helped draft the ordinance changes, and other labor organizations will gather at the Columbus City Council meeting from 5-6pm on Monday May 1 at City Hall, 90 West Broad St. Members of the public are encouraged to attend to show support for freelance workers in the city.
The new law covers any individual freelance worker hired to provide goods or services by a business based within the city of Columbus. Under the revised code, the hiring party is now required to:
The Waldos, the 1970s, Lobby Day, Adult Use
Happy 4/20 or 420, as it is known!! The famed cannaholiday is upon us once again! It’s been over 50 years since five Southern California teens coined the term. While it is ubiquitous today – a codeword for friendship and fun – 420 was a product of its times, a tactic to evade parents, police, and prohibition. Read more below.
Don’t forget The People’s Cannabis Lobby Day at the Ohio Statehouse on Thursday, 4/20. Find out more here.
FOUNDERS of 420 – the WALDOS!
RAPID 5’s “vision” to put parks and greenways within a mile-and-a-half of all Franklin County residents is arguably one of the most ambitious public-private development endeavors in the history of Central Ohio.
RAPID 5 stands for “Rivers and Parks Imagination Design” and has a “vision” – they refuse to call it “plans” – for all five of Central Ohio major waterways: the Big Darby, the Scioto River, the Olentangy River, Alum Creek and the Big Walnut.
Those behind RAPID 5 and on its board are some of the biggest policy makers and developers in the region: MORPC, Franklin County Metro Parks, Thrive Developers, Continental Real Estate Company (described as a full-service retail and hospitality developer), M/I Homes and City of Columbus, to name a few.
But so far, RAPID 5 has left one significant and extremely large public group out of its preliminary vision plans or draft reports – the pubic itself.
Partners working at the 1085 West 5th Avenue Starbucks had worked side-by-side in cramped quarters through the entire COVID-19 pandemic.
Yet the day before their scheduled in-person unionization vote earlier this month, Starbucks corporate leadership suddenly felt it was unsafe for workers to be together in the same building.
Starbucks’ corporate offices filed an emergency motion with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) asking the election be rescheduled due to safety concerns. A Starbucks partner – what Starbucks calls their employees – at the West 5th location had tested positive for coronavirus, and the unionization vote was temporarily suspended.
However, concerns for safety subsided immediately following the NLRB ruling. All partners were back at work the next day. It was immediately clear to all that the motion to delay the vote was an intentional effort by management to derail unionization efforts. The vote has been rescheduled as a mail-in.
“We would have crushed it, easily,” recalled one union organizer.