Local
Friday, February 20, Blendon Township used $150,000 in taxpayer money to send Connor Grubb out the door with a clean record. This is a man who drew his weapon on an unarmed pregnant woman over a shoplifting allegation, positioned himself in front of her vehicle to manufacture a threat, and fired through her windshield. Ta'Kiya Young and her unborn daughter died because of his decisions. He is responsible for this tragedy. Blendon Township is responsible for enabling it.
They cleared him internally. They reinstated him unanimously. They paid him to leave in good standing. Three times this township had the chance to say that killing Ta'Kiya Young was wrong. Three times they said it was fine. No apology. No policy change. No step taken to ensure this never happens again. That is not closure. That is a pattern.
The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) says Grubb's name was "smeared in the media," but they know the truth. His name was in the media because he shot an unarmed pregnant woman unjustifiably. The only smear here is on Blendon Township's record and on the FOP for defending him, and they put it there themselves.
In an new video, Lynn Tramonte of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance (OIA) explains how ICE’s tactics for making arrests mimic the behavior of criminals, and the agency has a history of employing violent and sexual offenders. The two facts are intrinsically linked. She says:
Only one person now reigns over atomic safety regulation in the United States: Donald Trump.
Trump has personally invested in the latest “nuclear renaissance” being boosted by the “Epstein Billionaire” class.
As part of the atomic push, the Trump Media & Technology group is joining a $6 billion deal with TAE, a California’-based tech scam pushing fusion energy to power future data centers.
https://tae.com/trump-media-and-technology-group-to-merge-with-tae-technologies
Without a hint of concern for an obvious conflict of interest, Trump has also taken full control of the “regulation” of atomic power reactors, fission and fusion, small and large, present and future.
Trump recently became the first President to fire a chairman of the five-member Nuclear Regulatory Commission that oversees the safety of 94 US commercial nukes.
My brother, Arturo Brito, entered the United States from Venezuela and applied for asylum. He passed his “credible fear interview” and was granted parole, that allowed him to live legally in the U.S. while his asylum case moved forward.
Thank you for your interest in joining the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition (OVRC) Friday general membership meetings. We are a non-partisan network of local, state, and national voting advocates committed to modernizing our elections, ensuring that our elections are secure, and improving voter access for all Ohioans.
Feel free to reach out to mlewis@commoncause.org if you have any questions.
We look forward to having you on the OVRC team!
Thursday, February 19, 2026, 6:30 – 8:00 PM. 19
Central Ohio Worker Center will share a basic training on your 4th amendment rights as well as canvassing/outreach tactics for businesses. We can work to make a plan to reach out to as many businesses as possible, provide some resources for them, and offer additional trainings.
More information and registration for the online training here.
Columbus is rich in wonderful immigrant owned and run shops. Let's do what we can to ensure they have the resources and support they need to keep themselves, their workers, and their customers safe.
We'll share a basic training on your 4th amendment rights as well as canvassing/outreach tactics for businesses. We can work to make a plan to reach out to as many businesses as possible, provide some resources to them, and offer additional trainings.
We hope that everyone will leave with knowledge and practice of 4th amendment rights, including:
Check out more activist events here
Wednesday, February 18, 2026, noon
First Congregational Church ( E. Broad next to Art Museum)
On Ash Wednesday Clergy and people of Faith will meet at First Congregational Church ( E. Broad next to Art Museum) at noon to join in their Service of Ashes. After worship our group will gather at the Social Justice wall. From there we will cross Broad street to vigil at the ICE office for an hour. This will be a peaceful non violent vigil.
Please bring your stole and collar if you can and any appropriate signage. There will be no civil disobedience just a request for repentance and humane action towards our immigrants.
All people of faith are welcome.
Collective iftar is the name for the evening meal that Muslims break their fast with after sunset every day during the month of Ramadan. This year, the first day of Ramadan will fall on Wednesday, February 18.
Joy McCorriston, who is a professor of anthropology at OSU, was the first person in Central Ohio to organize a collective iftar for the local Muslim community. That was right after the 9/11 terror attack and her Church St. James Episcopal Church of Columbus has been hosting such an event every year since then.
Professor McCorriston, who speaks Arabic, has also lived and worked as a consultant in Oman, Syria, and Yemen. In a personal note, years later, her firstborn son has attended the same high school with my youngest son and became good friends ever since.
A longtime historian from Pickaway County revealed to the Free Press what many had surmised. That the archeological survey conducted at the future site of Arsenal-1 was completed by amateurs hired by Anduril’s construction company.
Arsenal-1 is the name of Anduril’s 5-million square foot autonomous killer flying robot manufacturing plant which will become the largest single-site job creation investment in Ohio history.
Building Arsenal-1 is CT Realty, and they hired Columbus-based Lawhon & Associates, an environmental and engineering consulting firm, to complete the archeological survey, which is mandated by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 due to the project’s use of federal funds and evidence of Native American occupancy at the site.
“They did a survey based on what they interpreted the state standards to require. But the way it went down is iffy,” said the Pickaway County historian who refused to offer his name for publication. “For example, they did the visual inspection in the summer in three-to-four feet tall soybeans. Kind of hard to see artifacts in those conditions.”
SB 87 is legislation currently moving through the Ohio Senate that raises serious concerns for free speech, civil liberties, and constitutional protections.
This bill would incorporate the IHRA definition of antisemitism into Ohio law and attach it to the state’s ethnic intimidation statute. Legal experts and civil rights advocates have warned that doing so risks conflating political speech with discriminatory intent and could create a chilling effect on protest, academic discussion, journalism, and advocacy.
Ohio already has strong laws addressing hate crimes, discrimination, and religious protections. SB 87 does not fill a legal gap. Instead, it introduces vague language that could invite selective enforcement and viewpoint-based scrutiny of political expression.
Thousands of Ohioans have already expressed concern, and we are hearing daily from individuals and organizations seeking ways to help.
We need broad, statewide support to ensure lawmakers understand the constitutional, legal, and community impact of this legislation.
How your organization can help
1. Contact lawmakers