Local

It took the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) just 22 minutes Monday to rubber stamp fracking under Keen Wildlife Area and four Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) parcels.

The four-member, unelected commission appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine ignored shouted questions and concerns from Save Ohio Parks audience members about the harms of fracking under Ohio’s state parks and public lands, and did not allow the public to speak either before the meeting or afterward.

EOG Resources, Inc. of Houston, Texas was selected to frack 84 acres of Keen Wildlife Area in Harrison County. The lease bonus is expected to bring in $211,650 to the state, plus royalties of 12.5 percent and an additional amount of 5.5 percent of production, according to an Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) press release.

The ongoing debate over redistricting in Ohio highlights a critical issue within the democratic process: the manipulation of ballot language by people in power to influence voter perception. This tactic is part of a larger national trend where biased ballot language is used as a tactic to defeat citizen-led initiatives. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is attempting to exploit the Citizens Not Politicians ballot language in an attempt to consolidate power and limit democracy.

On Thursday, civil rights leaders and advocacy groups released the following statements to the media condemning the biased ballot language released by LaRose: 

“Public service should be a calling, where elected officials honor the sacred trust instilled in them, but the language presented to the Ohio Ballot Board on redistricting is another sad example of politicians abusing their power.  This is another obvious attempt by Secretary of State LaRose to use his power to mislead voters, and as civil rights organizations, we believe the public will not buy it.” – Bria Bennett, Communications Director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative.

WHEN:   Sunday September 1st, 4 pm – 5:30 pmWHERE: Columbus Mennonite Church, 35 Oakland Park Avenue, Columbus 43214.(Free parking along Oakland Park and in nearby lots, owned by North Broadway Methodist Church)
Let’s put some meaning back into the Labor Day holiday this year by singing the praises  -- literally -- of all the workers who make our lives richer by doing their everyday jobs--- farmers, truckers, factory workers, teachers, doctors, white collar workers, miners, and more.

Join Bill Cohen as he sings songs made famous by a wide variety of folks: Woody Guthrie, Sam Cooke, Dolly Parton, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Alabama, James Taylor, etc.

Powerful vocal harmonies will be added by veteran Columbus musicians Phil Hart and Teresa Schleifer.

Plus, we’ll recall how, decades ago, labor unions won historic reforms that many of us take for granted today – the 8-hour workday, improved workplace safety, a guaranteed minimum wage, and an end to child labor.

Since July 18, Columbus Mayor Andy Ginther has downplayed the severity of the city’s data base being hacked. He has basically told the media and public not to worry. Everything is hunky-dory and under control. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

A mayor’s spokesperson stated, “City officials have been ordered by someone not to disclose publicly the totality of computer outage or its cause.” He waited weeks before sending City employees with credit monitoring information. In late July, several Columbus Police officers contacted Fraternal Ordr of Poice (FOP) officials claiming that their data may have been compromised, including retired police officers. And the number of officers “continues to multiply.”

Thursday, August 15, 2024, 3:00 PM
Webinar

You’ve probably heard about Project 2025 – which produced a 900+-page compendium of extremist proposals put out by the right-wing Heritage Foundation (although the head of the project left the Heritage Foundation after Project 2025 proved intensely unpopular). So why should you know about these plans? Because they have been developed by many with connections to the former Trump Administration and are similar to certain proposals before Congress now. Whoever wins the election, these proposals to shrink human needs programs may emerge – and we have to be ready.

Leaders of #ReuniteUS, a campaign to raise the visibility of people who were deported after living in the United States for decades, want to be seen, heard, and included in the immigration debate. Today fifty-seven people who were deported, from thirty-three states, sent a letter to the Biden administration calling for a chance to come home. 

The Columbus Comedy Festival is set to take place August 14 to 18 at venues all across the city of Columbus. Featuring both national headliners and local/regional talent, the festival promises five full days of laughter.

“We couldn’t be more excited to not only bring major headliners to Columbus from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and beyond — but also highlight our incredibly talented local comedy scene,” stated Columbus Comedy Festival Co-Founder Walker Evans. “We’ve packed a lot of entertainment into these five days, and there’s a little something for everyone.”

Headliners include Jason Banks, Michael Ian Black, Tony Rock, Irene Tu, Fumi Abe, DeAnne Smith, Chloe Radcliffe, Jeremiah Watkins, Ian Fidance, Sam Jay, Saul Trujillo, Simon Fraser, Orlando Leyba, Tom Thakkar, River Butcher, Justine Marino, Alex Falcone, Kristen Toomey, Dan Donohue, Aminah Imani, Pat Burtscher, Chris Alan, Ramon Rivas II, Lea’h Sampson, Mary Santora, Tony Rock, Mandee McKelvey, Kasaun Wilson, Alex Dragicevich, Setoiyo Ekpo, Matty Ryan, Kelly Collette and dozens more.

Pre-2016, Ohio was the road to the White House. No Republican candidate had ever won the election without carrying the state, and no Democrat since Kennedy had won without the state. Since then, though, Ohio has slowly faded into obscurity in the election conversation. After Obama carried the state in 2008 with 51 percent of the vote, the Democratic share of the state has quickly slipped away, including an abysmal 43 percent in 2016. 

So what’s changed? The first thing to look at is the number of counties won by each candidate, and the clear drop-off begins in 2016, with Trump’s election. Prior to that, the state had been competitive, but in 2016, Clinton won eight counties, down from the 17 that Obama had won previously. Trump appealed to white voters who felt disconnected from the Democrats' embrace of immigrants and other “special-interest groups,” as well as broadly appealing to both wealthy donors who benefited from his tax cuts and benefits for the rich as well as rural middle-class voters who were heavily socially conservative. These dynamics are apparent when you break down which counties Trump flipped from the Obama era. 

Thomas Crooks left no manifesto or suicide note. He had a limited presence on social media — unimaginable for a member of Gen Z. Although he was a registered Republican, he did not display strong political beliefs or radical ideology. Indeed, more than a week after he tried to assassinate former president Donald J. Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania last month, the 20-year-old Crooks was being described by authorities as an enigma whose motivation for the shooting remained elusive.   

Tuesday, August 13, 2024, 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Columbus Metropolitan Library, Whetstone Branch, 3909 N. High St., Columbus
Join guest presenter Doug Morris for commentary and an evening of songs by Joe Hill, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, and Bruce Springsteen. Songs and commentaries (and projected lyrics to assist in sing-along) about six towering figures of "people's music."