Local
Wednesday, February 23, 2021, 6:00 PM
Evictions in Franklin County were a huge problem before the pandemic, and because the cost of rent is rising by the month in Central Ohio, the entire community is facing an affordable housing crisis – a crisis high-end apartment developers obviously couldn’t care less about.
In 2021 the US Census Bureau reported one in three Ohio renters have little or no confidence in their ability to pay next month’s rent.
Yet also in 2021, there were 15,185 evictions in Franklin County compared to 18,219 in 2019. The numbers are down significantly, even with the pandemic and landlords renting thin-walled three-bedroom apartments for $1,400 a month,
Indeed, many local longtime owners of 1,500 to 2,000-square foot homes are paying hundreds less for their mortgage than local renters of newer apartments, and certainly another canary in the coal mine regarding affordable housing in Columbus and its suburbs.
But here’s the good news regarding affordable housing and homelessness, says Carlie J. Boos, executive director for the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio.
And the reason why evictions were 3,000 less in 2021 compared to 2019.
Tuesday, February 22, 7pm, this on-line event requires advance registration
Inhale/Exhale is a healing space for organizers in the progressive and left space.
As organizers, we are committed to addressing our own trauma to be better leaders and people. This is important for the well-being of our ecosystem. This Inhale/Exhale we will focus on trauma and being trauma-informed. What is being trauma-informed? Come and discuss how to balance experiencing trauma and working with traumatized folx. Join us for February’s Inhale/Exhale that you don’t want to miss.
Please join Dr. Kynetta Sugar McFarlane (she/her), a clinical psychologist with over 15 years of working with traumatized families and the owner of Transformative Health, on ways to find balance. Social justice work is beautiful and hard. Creating intentional spaces to recharge and uplifting the power of the breath via meditation is not only important, but necessary.
Local powerbrokers have heralded New Albany’s planned Intel computer chip plant for the jobs it will bring to the region, but Intel’s plans for Central Ohio are also part of a wider campaign to maintain dominance over China.
On Christmas Day 2021, government officials in Ohio learned that Intel had selected New Albany for the location of its newest manufacturing mega-site. The Ohio legislature quickly mobilized at dizzying speeds to secure $1 billion in tax-payer money for infrastructure improvements including the expansion of State Route 161, expediting permit processes, and altering the tax law to extend tax abatements to 30 years for projects over $1 billion.
Despite a disastrous increase in gun violence in Ohio, the Legislature continues down the road of making it ever easier to obtain and carry firearms. Senate Bill 215 would allow virtually any adult to carry a concealed firearm with no permit, no training, and no background check. SB 215 is moving toward passage in the next few days.
New data from the CDC shows that in 2020: Ohio gun homicides increased 47% over 2019 and Ohio's gun violence rate is 10% above the US rate.
Chairwoman Walters:
The rump (as in Trump) of the unDemocratic Party of Ohio acted anti-democratically in endorsing Tim Ryan for U.S. Senate with no input from the party membership.
You underscore your contradictory, hypocritical, and anti-democratic actions by not endorsing candidates among the party faithful in the Governors and State Supreme Court races, and only in the Morgan Harper vs. Tim Ryan primary contest. This accompanies your underpublicized decision to conduct joint-fund-raising with Ryan and not Harper, with no voice for the Party “faithful,” for whom you have no respect.
No reason, principles, fairness, or respect for the Party or any others stops a small unelected cabal from acting against a black, female, progressive, young candidate who is more intelligent, better informed, and more articulate than your "old boy" choice of Tim Ryan.
There are a number of things that have to be said first. They have to be said because virtually no U.S. television viewer knows or is likely ever to know them. They have to be said because if I’m going to suggest any flaws in the actions of the Russian government, I have to establish at least the possibility of doubt that I’m bought and owned by NATO or the Pentagon. Here are those things:
Ukraine has in common with Yemen, Iran, Taiwan, Korea, Syria, and every other global hotspot, a central role by the U.S. military.
The U.S. globally dominates weapons sales, base building, military alliance building, dictator-arming, coup-facilitating, and war launching.
Russia’s military costs 8% what the U.S. military does.
The U.S.-driven expansion of NATO and militarization of Eastern Europe is at the root of the crisis.
The new U.S. bases in Slovakia, tank sales to Poland, and giant weapons sales to Ukraine and throughout Eastern Europe are not incidental here.
What an adorable photo on the cover of this book! The slender, handsome boy is all of ten years old; I have socks older than that. Yet he also looks confident and serious. How would someone so young know about a vanishing country? I quickly found the answer in this delightful read by a gifted writer.
Like many Americans, I plan on spending Presidents’ Day weekend going to all of the incredible mattress sales happening around our fine country, while reflecting on the great men –– yes, after 245 years, all of our presidents have still been men –– who have held that sacred office. There are always the most famous favorites who come to mind –– George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln are usually ranked at the top, with Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy comfortably slotted in the honorable mentions. Throw in some of the more “controversial” presidential picks like Woodrow Wilson, Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton and you have some of the most influential presidents in American history. Of course, that’s not too many, especially considering there were like forty others.