Local
This column is painful to write. I have been putting it off.
Please understand that the minute I complete writing a column, I begin thinking about the next one. I do not immediately face deadline pressure because I only write once or twice a month. Imagine what it is like for a columnist or newsletter writer who files once a day. There is immediate, mind-numbing deadline pressure.
The late Mike Royko, who wrote several columns a week for the Chicago Tribune, was asked late in life by TV interviewer Larry King what his favorite column was. Royko replied, “The last one.”
I always have my next column in the back of my mind and have the luxury of having two or three weeks of contemplation time. Sometimes the idea for my next column will come to me while mowing the lawn, while falling asleep, while driving, or while having a conversation. I often scribble the idea on a piece of paper and put it where I keep my stack of clippings and printouts that become content for my next column.
Today’s column idea came to me at one of the most peaceful places on earth: Lake Tahoe.
Thursday, July 7, 2022, 5:00 PM
WHO:
Members of the Charter Review Commission
WHEN:
Tomorrow
July 6, 2022
3 pm
WHERE:
City Hall Council Chambers
WHAT:
Last convened as a Commission in 2014, the Charter Review Commission reviews the Columbus City Charter and may recommend changes. The Charter, originally adopted by voters in 1914, outlines the fundamental rights, powers and responsibilities of the citizens and their elected municipal officials. Any amendments to the Charter would require a vote of Council and the approval of Columbus voters during a future election. The Commissioners met previously on June 22 to discuss further discuss proposals for civil service reforms in the Charter, pertaining to the hiring process and classifications of city employees. On July 6, Commissioners will discuss feedback from public comment hearings and hold a vote on a final set of recommendations to submit to City Council. Per Charter requirements, recommendations from the Commission are due to Council by July 10.
Lost in the aftermath of American Electric Power’s decision to cut power to tens-of-thousands is the lingering whispers amongst some weather experts that Columbus may have witnessed its hottest moment in its history during the afternoon of June 15th.
It’s debatable whether that fateful day was the hottest ever, but when considering how high the humidity was, it’s an argument for the ages, or in the forthcoming weeks, depending on when the next heatwave hits.
Nevertheless, welcome to what others are saying is just a taste of what it’s like to be a climate change refugee in Central Ohio. Don’t forget that AEP’s intentional blackout was partially due to 75 miles-per-hour wind gusts on June 14th which knocked out transmission lines.
During the afternoon of June 15th, the heat index in Columbus – defined as “what the temperature feels like” – reached 115 degrees, according to the NWS in Wilmington. There have been only two higher hourly heat index values over 115 degrees since 1945 – in July of 1995 (117 degrees) and July of 1980 (116 degrees).
I call for 19th-century urban reforms and an early 20th-century Progressive Era for Columbus, Ohio in 2022.
Columbus clamors for an unimaginable future alternatively as the Columbus Way or Opportunity City. But it has no sense of its past or even its present. If I turn to allegory for the city’s failing infrastructure, this is like building a 32-story skyscraper beside the historic North Market (once the home of city offices) or the ludicrously named Junto Hotel on the banks of the Scioto River without a foundation. Or, to turn to another relevant ecological metaphor, the City engages in slash-and-burn agriculture with no replanting.
We may combine these threads into a plea for sustained attention to the missing contexts of the city’s human and natural ecologies. We may then follow their intersections into the makings and breakings of the lives and the life chances of differently-situated Columbus residents.
Now through August 31, 2022"
Now through August 31, 2022"
The Columbus Black Theatre Festival (CBTF) celebrates its 10th Anniversary this July 9th and 10th in Central Ohio. The theme this year is Speaking Truth That Heals. Mine 4 God Productions (M4GP) kicks off our tenth year of bringing the Columbus Black Theatre Festival (CBTF) to Central Ohio with a free Anniversary Recognition & Celebration event held this July 9th at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Main Auditorium, from 1:30 to 3:30 PM.
The CBTF is produced by Mine 4 God Productions and has brought playwrights and actors from around the world to Columbus, Ohio for the past ten years. This year the festival is sponsored by the Greater Columbus Arts Council, Wild Goose Creative and Lady Butterflies-Ohio.
Monday, July 4, 5:15-6pm, Goodale Park, 120 W. Goodale St.
Dan Dougan and His Little Brother’s will play from 5:15pm to 6pm on the Goodale Park Gazebo Stage on Monday, July 4 at the Doo Dah Music Fest and Parade!
• Great live music 11am-7pm
• Adult beverages
• Free entry for all!
Band: Dan Dougan on vocals, Ro-z Mendelson on guitar, Chris Cox on drums, and Bob Ray Starker on sax
Read “Little Brother’s, big shoes” in the 6-28-2017 issue of Columbus Monthly.
The Doo Dah Parade steps off at 1pm.
Hosted by Doo Dah Parade.
July 3 & 17, 4-6pm
Bronzeville Community Park, 199 Hamilton Ave.
Free admission, all are welcome!
Hosted by Bronzeville Neighborhood Association, featuring Transit Arts