Local

One year ago on July 21, 2020, I was in The Bahamas on what felt like the first vacation I’d been able to take since the global pandemic started, mainly because it was. It seemed like the world had made it to halftime with the coronavirus crisis and things were “kinda sorta” getting back to normal. After a day of swimming around the reefs off Andros Island, I returned to my cell phone in the afternoon to find what must have been dozens of texts from various political friends in Ohio. From a news cycle that had been constantly dominated by COVID-19 throughout most of 2020, a new combination of letters and numbers had emerged for Ohioans to understand –– HB 6.

On the heels of Pride Month and with National Sugar Cookie Day quickly approaching on July 9th, Drag Queen baker, cookie decorator, and owner of Plenty O’Cookies, Alex Copeland is making a comeback after the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on his baking business, as it did on many other small businesses.

“With all the custom orders that were coming in, I was on track to have my best month before the pandemic hit. My business relies on baking for events, so as people were forced to cancel their events, they also cancelled their orders,” Copeland explains.

After being in operation since 2014, Copeland understood that Plenty O’Cookies needed to adapt in order to survive this global setback. He turned to social media and his website to advertise with Facebook Live and Instagram Live cookie decorating workshops as well as video collaborations with other bakers.

On Saturday, July 17th over 100 Ohioans in Columbus and Cincinnati rallied to demand that Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) back legislation to increase public transit service across the country. Participants, including members of youth-led climate organization Sunrise Movement and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1, called on Senator Brown to support the “Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act.” The bill would provide $20 billion per year in federal funding for transit operations.

Protesters in Columbus gathered in Capitol Square at noon before marching to the office of Senator Brown to read their demands. Sunrise Columbus Hub Member, Jordan Mays, expressed that: 

Wednesday, July 21, 7:30pm, this on-line event requires advance registration

Our legislators in Columbus are trying to silence us with bills that are so vague that public witness could end up being criminalized. Also, churches and organizations could lose every dollar because someone not in their group decided to be violent.

Join us in the virtual “public square” on July 21 to speak out against these awful anti-protest bills. We’ll broadcast this event via “Facebook Live” so that others will be able to listen and learn.

Create your own story, polish up and practice your upcoming testimony, or read testimony you’ve previously submitted. Let’s get the word out about the impact that these bills could have on everyday Ohioans.

Register now at bit.ly/virtualstories7-21.

Nina Turner is very scary -- to power brokers who’ve been spending big money and political capital to keep her out of Congress. With early voting underway, tensions are spiking as the decisive Democratic primary race in northeast Ohio nears its Aug. 3 finish. The winner will be virtually assured of filling the seat in the deep-blue district left vacant by Rep. Marcia Fudge when she became President Biden’s HUD secretary. What’s at stake in the special election is whether progressives will gain a dynamic champion in the House of Representatives.

For the Democratic Party establishment, the specter of “Congresswoman Nina Turner” is alarming. The former national co-chair of the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign has a proven capacity to stir fervent energy on the left around the country. Her ability to inspire at the grassroots is far beyond what mainstream party leaders can do.

The citizen-led ProEnergy Ohio ballot initiative is likely making Columbus City Council, the Mayor’s Office and the Columbus Partnership take serious pause. Many believed the initiative was doomed, yet it made it on November’s ballot. Unfortunately, another environmental citizen-led initiative that many activists championed will not get a vote, and remains in limbo.

Columbus City Council in 2020 voted against putting ProEnergy Ohio’s “Columbus Clean Energy Initiative” on a future ballot even though the Franklin County Board of Elections found ProEnergy had collected enough valid signatures. City Council argued ProEnergy’s summary language for the initiative was insufficient.

But ProEnergy filed suit in Ohio Supreme Court and won. In a 5-2 decision the court stated City Council’s denial was illegitimate and “abused its discretion”.

City spokesperson Melanie Crabil told the Free Press in an email, “We can confirm that it will be on the November ballot.”

Former Columbus City Council candidate and longtime critic of the city’s tax abatement policies declared a victory for the tens of thousands of people in Columbus who have been fed up with being burdened with paying higher property taxes due to the never-ending corporate welfare that is given out to nearly every local luxury real estate developer,  big business, and large corporations in Columbus. After Mr. Motil’s objection at a City Council Public Hearing on July 8,2021 to the expansion of the AC Humko Community Reinvestment Area (CRA), City Council Housing Committee Chairwoman Shayla Favor also expressed her concerns on the expansion. The ordinance to modify the AC Humko expansion was tabled at the July 12, 2021 City Council meeting and then tabled indefinitely at last nights Columbus City Council meeting.

Tuesday, July 20, 2021, 7:30 PM

Monday, July 19, 2021, 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Gather at noon in front of Senator Sherrod Brown’s office, 200 N. High St., Columbus (corner of N. High and Spring St.) to thank him for standing with us and supporting the PRO Act.  Then at 12:30 we will march to Rob Portman’s office, 37 W. Broad St., to on him to support the PRO Act.  Facebook.  

Monday, July 19, 2021, 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Gather at noon in front of Senator Sherrod Brown’s office, 200 N. High St., Columbus (corner of N. High and Spring St.) to thank him for standing with us and supporting the PRO Act.  Then at 12:30 we will march to Rob Portman’s office, 37 W. Broad St., to on him to support the PRO Act.  Facebook.