People
Registration is now open for Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) annual conference! This educational event is now in its 47th year, bringing together farm and food advocates from across the region with educational workshops and community building.
The 2026 OEFFA Conference, Finding Common Ground, will take place Friday, February 13 through Saturday, February 15, 2026, at Cherry Valley Hotel in Newark, Ohio.
“We are excited to gather in community around sustainable and organic farming in February," said OEFFA Executive Director Khara Strum. “The last year has been difficult for many, and we know how uplifting gathering together can be. Our format this year will allow for greater connection between attendees, while still offering curated content.”
DHS lies.
They lied about Ayman Soliman. They lied about Venezuelans in Ohio, calling them gang members when they were not. They lied about Operation Buckeye in Columbus, where the overwhelming majority of the people arrested have no criminal history.
Karl Marx has been famously quoted as referring to religion as the opiate of the masses. His point being that religion, offering a future, better life in the by and by, narcotized people to endure the difficulty of their lives and work, rather than rising to demand change in the here and now. Religion now lacks the force or mass participation of the past, but it’s also pretty clear to me that it has been replaced as the critical agent for peoples’ pacification by the ubiquity of smartphones.
It’s impossible to ignore, so don’t tell me that you haven’t noticed this phenomenon as well. Some might argue that this is a teen issue. There’s heavy breathing around the United States about blocking cellphones from schools and classrooms and the reported benefits of these restrictions in attention and participation. Others might claim this is a relief from boredom. Waiting for airplanes or in lobbies almost anywhere these days, I sometimes find myself counting the number of people, old and young, who are buried deep in their phones. It’s always a majority, and frequently it’s nearly unanimous, as I find myself an outlier.
Traffic stops are one of the most common points of contact between the public and law enforcement. They are also one of the most misunderstood.
In Ohio OVI investigations, confusion is not accidental. Most people do not know what they are legally required to do during a stop, what is optional, or how standardized field sobriety tests are actually supposed to work. That lack of clarity shifts power entirely to the roadside officer, often without the driver realizing it.
The OVI Pocket Guide was created to address that imbalance through transparency, not advocacy.
Why Traffic Stop Confusion Matters
During an OVI stop, decisions are made quickly and under stress. Drivers are expected to comply, interpret instructions, and perform unfamiliar tasks, all while being observed and judged.
Most people assume that everything they are asked to do is mandatory. It is not.
Others assume that field sobriety tests are scientific measurements of impairment. They are not.
If you feel as if you have no power to make a positive impact you might be right. The people that we’re electing to government don’t appear motivated to help people; other than themselves and the wealthy.
Honestly, most people in Columbus have silently given up on the future of the city. Only 11 percent voted in the previous November election. You should feel overwhelmed by the lack of power you have to make Columbus a better place to live. It’s frustrating and no one can blame you for wanting to “give up.”
Or… you could be like Peaches.
That’s her name. Peaches Anderson.
She’s a volunteer City Commissioner with the Greater Southeast Commission and mother of four who loves Columbus.
In 2024 one of her kids came home from school and asked why a classmate didn’t have a Christmas tree. Her child wanted to know what could be done to solve that problem.
That bothered Peaches – that some families couldn’t afford a Christmas tree. It had an affect on her and instead of doing nothing, she chose the exact opposite.
Today, the Columbus Liberation Center, staffed by organizers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation, opens their doors to the public. The Grand Opening celebration is set for 6PM, December 13th at 1004 Parsons Ave. The Columbus Liberation Center is a space for community organizing, political education, and culture. Included in the space is a bookstore, library, working spaces, kids play corner, and a main hall for meetings.
To explain more about the 4,000 sq/ft space, organizer shenby G says:
“We’re here on the South Side because we know it’s an area treated with disdain by the city and actively over-policed. Black Americans face the constant threat of violence by Columbus Police, and then you have rising rents and a lack of affordability, with apartments increasing their prices by $100, $150 while there’s fears about grocery stores and convenience stores closing left and right. All the while unaffordable and bougie businesses encroach deeper and deeper down the avenue.
In the past four years, homelessness has increased by 53 percent in Franklin County. Each year, more of our neighbors struggle to find a safe place to sleep. These aren’t just numbers, they are our neighbors- grandparents, children, families.
Community group Heer to Serve is a mutual aid group that serves necessary, and emergency items to those who are unsheltered. Heer to Serve and others are responding to this crisis which is closer than you may realize, offering meals, survival supplies, clothes, showers and other basic needs. When you donate to a community based organization you’re not donating to charity, you’re making an investment into people, stability. You’re making an investment in a future where no one has to sleep on the streets.
The solutions start with us. Invest in hope by investing in community. Consider donating today!
Cashapp: $heer2serve
Venmo: theheertoserve
Heer2serve.org is our website. And folks can find our socials on Facebook, Instagram, and bluesky.
James Heddle, part of a social justice documentary filmmaking team with his wife Mary Beth Brangan, passed away in November 2025. The Free Press will forever be indebted to Jim and Mary Beth for documenting the election integrity movement that began after the stolen 2004 presidential election in Ohio.
In the chaotic days following the W Bush “victory” in 2004, Jim and Mary Beth joined dozens of activists in Columbus to help in the Free Press struggle to expose election fraud and refute the results. Their video “A Little Light’ll Do Ya” depicted the January 5 challenge to Ohio’s electoral votes in Congress. Jim and Mary Beth continued to partner with the Free Press and Ohio’s election integrity community for the next three election cycles. They covered election conferences, election protection activities, and election-related lawsuits brought by the Free Press’ Ohio Litigation project.
This year, we have given over $12,200 directly to low wage and immigrant workers through stipends, creating the opportunity to fully participate in education, empowerment, and community building. This video helps show the work we do during our Know Your Rights programming. To be frank, we were unable to secure one of the 2026 grants that made these events possible in 2025, and we need your support to ensure we can continue and build upon this work.
Here are 5 ways to support the work we do:
Haga clic aquí para español
Columbus Free Press Libby Award, November 9, 2025
Bob Krasen, Healthcare for All Ohioans
Comments after the award presentation
A TV Commercial ad is based on 3 simple questions. “What’s the bad news? What’s the good news? And What’s the difference?”
The Bad News?
The people in the USA have a 3 year shorter life expectancy than our neighbors to the north in Canada.
The USA is not one of the 58 countries in the world which provide necessary healthcare to their people.
Our infant and maternal mortality are the highest among first world nations.
Hospitals are closing where they ar most needed: in the inner cities and rural communities.
Doctors are tired of playing “Mommy may I?” with insurers, drug companies, and hospitals, having to get prior authorizations.
Clearly, the USA healthcare payment system not working for us.
The good news?