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We’ve all heard of the old axiom about aging “like a fine wine.” Of course, in Ohio politics hardly anything is aging finely these days, including our recently-rendered-useless amendments to Ohio’s Constitution that attempted to curtail hyper-partisan gerrymandering, passed respectively in 2015 and 2018. Another thing on this list of items that “haven’t aged well” in Ohio politics is our feckless Governor Mike DeWine, who has ducked and dodged almost every difficult political battle he’s faced since taking office in 2019. He’s also seemingly always surrounded by corruption as the ever-growing HB 6 scandal gets closer and closer to his door. In fact, the name DeWine has grown so unpopular with Democrats, Libertarians –– and even Republicans –– that it’s hard to see exactly how our Governor wins reelection.

Friday, April 29, 2022, 11:30 AM
The Great Lakes Water Quality Board (WQB) of the International Joint Commission (IJC) is hosting a public webinar to provide information and answer questions about the board's recent report: Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Facilities in the Great Lakes Basin.  On the webinar, Great Lakes Water Quality Board members will provide an overview of the report's findings and recommendations. There will be Q&A for the panelists to answer participants' questions.  More information and registration here.

Friday, April 29, 2022, 11:30 AM
The Great Lakes Water Quality Board (WQB) of the International Joint Commission (IJC) is hosting a public webinar to provide information and answer questions about the board's recent report: Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Facilities in the Great Lakes Basin.  On the webinar, Great Lakes Water Quality Board members will provide an overview of the report's findings and recommendations. There will be Q&A for the panelists to answer participants' questions.  More information and registration here.

Two decades ago, a new name entered the Toledo political arena: Teresa Fedor.

I was living in nearby Bowling Green at the time and had never heard of her.

She had been an elementary public school teacher in the Toledo area for 18 years.

My first thought was that Fedor was giving up a lot -- a good-paying job that she loved and was gifted at that had good fringe benefits and a good retirement program -- for an uncertain future in the Ohio House of Representatives.

She was a protégé of U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo, who is now the longest serving woman n in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives.

"Saint Marcy," as the congresswomen is affectionately known, is revered for her political insight and it was never keener than when she plucked Fedor out of the classroom and put her in the Ohio Legislature.

Now, another wise political hand, Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Cranley, has forged a partnership with Fedor by putting her on the ticket as his running mate.

Paris 75 Cafe in Olde Dublin is a quaint and simply adorable boutique teeming with European flair and fascination. It’s not a dine-indoors restaurant experience, however they have a patio, a few tables, and chairs to sit on outdoors and snack on the several foreign foods they offer to eat or drink: chocolate bars that offer either non-vegan and vegan milk (almond-based) and chocolate - yes, not the usual dark chocolate. 

Other treats include: handcrafted French macaroons and other pastries (non-vegan, but some are dairy-free and gluten-free); fudge (both non-vegan and three vegan options which are vanilla, rum raisin, and salted-caramel; a cashew nut-based vegan craft cheeze brand from Spain with seven uncommon flavors in the US/vegan market to choose from including bleu cheeze, pimento, onion, white, quince, truffle, and blueberry; as well as delicious pumpkin-based vegan jerky, vegan mayo, vegan pesto, and an herb spread by the same company.

By Nobel Peace Prize Watch, April 28, 2022

Honorable Prime Ministers of the five Nordic countries, Magdalena Anderson, Mette Frederiksen, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Sanna Marin, and Jonas Gahr Støre

The war in Ukraine once again shows that the world is like a city with brutal gangs constantly roaming the streets, looting and fighting with loads of heavy weapons. No one will ever feel safe in such a city. The same applies at the international level. No amount of weaponry can make us safe. No country will be safe until also neighboring countries can feel safe. The present international system is broken, to avoid future wars we need deep reforms.

Today is Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day). It marks the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943. Each day, as we hear more and more horrible stories about the Russian invasion and learn about Ukrainian refugees,

I cannot help but think about my great-great-grandfather, Shlomo Schwarz (1852-1944). During the pogroms of the 1880s, he fled his home (in what is now a town in Ukraine near the Polish border) to find a better life here in the United States. Within his lifetime, the Nazis exterminated more than 6 million Jews and others who they deemed "the other." Today, please take a moment to read this very uncomfortable essay about my experience at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

"Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.”

I truly wish these words of Ike, uttered seven decades ago, were no longer quite so relevant. Perhaps what he should have called it was a “cross of irony.”

Just in time for the primary election on May 3, Homebound Entrepreneurs Against DeWines is putting its quirky political ad “Meet Mike DeSwine” on TV news channels around Ohio this week, while the PAC’s second ad “Tax Hike Mike” will be heard on conservative radio stations across the state by the weekend.

The PAC’s launch video “Meet Mike DeSwine” –– which debuted earlier in April –– received thousands of views on social media and featured the voices of Morgan Hughes from #SaveTheCrew and comedian Corey Ryan Forrester. The "Tax Hike Mike” ad slams Governor DeWine for keeping Ohio’s gas taxes high and features narration by podcaster Ben Kissel.

Wednesday, April 27, 7pm, this on-line event requires advance registration

This bill has passed the House and is already before the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee now. They could hear it at any time. We need to act now! Join us for a discussion on what the bill will do, why the secrecy, and how it can affect every Ohioan.

H.B. 434 states that its proposed activities are an essential governmental function and that it addresses matters of public necessity. It repeals the Ohio Department of Health’s authorization to regulate and oversee entities dealing with radioactivity.

Eight of the bill’s 14 pages are taken up creating a convoluted process for getting board members onto the Nuclear Development Authority.

As if this were not enough to ensure that the public will be shut out of involvement and oversight of activities, today’s amendment would move the Authority under the auspices of the Ohio Department of Development.