Local

Join us ONLINE for the Free Press Second Saturday Cyber-Salon
Saturday, October 10 from 7:00-8:30PM EDT

Early voting in Franklin County began Tuesday October 6 and ends on November 2. Hours of operation are here. The Early voting location at 1700 Morse Rd is within a 20-minute drive from most everywhere within I-270 outer-belt. Based on my own experience and some friends who have voted, I was very much impressed by the professionalism and ease of voting. The Franklin County Board of Elections has taken all the necessary COVID -19 precautions. The location is large, and at every point, social distancing is greater than 6 feet, and there is plexiglass everywhere.

Voting enthusiasm is incredibly high. The location at Morse Road was formerly a Kohl's, neighbored by Sam Ash Music and a HomeBuys store that formerly was a Kroger. On the first day of voting, the line began forming at 4:30 in the morning. By the time the Board of Elections (BOE) opened the doors, the line wound all the way behind the building. Of course, voters observed social distancing and the line moved quickly, as the BOE can process 800 voters an hour. A friend of mine waited in that long line, which was a 90-minute wait.

From the Coalition on Human Needs

When Adrienne Hood joined protests on the downtown streets in the wake of the George Floyd murder, she was there mainly for her son, Henry Green, who was killed by two plainclothes Columbus police officers in 2016 who remain on the force.

“When I go into those spaces, I try to mentally prepare myself in the event I do see them. Because you just never know,” said Adrienne to the Free Press. “I don’t get into things just for the sake of being in something. I am looking to push this needle to where we need to be.”

Adrienne spent several nights and days downtown this summer protesting for her son. She has remained strong and resilient despite the tragedy her family endured four years ago. She has moved from protest to using her power to make positive change. This spring she joined #RepYourBlock and was elected as a Franklin County Central Committee member representing Ward 54.

Columbus City School Families and Teachers Call on Superintendent Dixon to improve communications, collaborate with the teacher’s union and school staff, and deploy a comprehensive survey to student caregivers before finalizing plans.

A large group of concerned parents and caretakers, including Columbus City School teachers and staff, are calling on Superintendent Dixon and the school board to reconsider their current plan for school reopening. Most concerning is the lack of communication that the Columbus City School Board has demonstrated with their recent announcement to return to school on October 19, 2020, earlier than originally announced in July and without approval from the Columbus Education Association, the local teacher’s union. This has not gone unnoticed in the district community, and caregivers and parents of CCS students are actively organizing a petition and social media campaign to amplify individual concerns and demonstrate collective support for teachers and the CEA.

Wednesday, October 7, 2020, 5:00 PM

Early Voting Begins Today!

This year...more than ever
 - you need to be an
Election Defender at the Polls

Please sign up for at least one shift to be an Election Protection Observer:

•          During Early Voting at your county Boards of Elections -- October 6 through November 2

•          On Election Day, November 3, at a polling site

•          Specific duties are to report on any efforts to disrupt or discourage people from voting.

We will reimburse for reasonable expenses

Opportunities both inside and outside the voting locations

Weekdays and weekend possibilities

Training, supplies, and Election Observer ID provided

TO SIGN UP PLEASE EMAIL: Pete Johnson, pmjohn5r@gmail.com

EARLY VOTING DATES AND HOURS
(subject to change)

October 6 -16
(Weekdays Only - Monday through Friday)
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Monday, October 5
Check your registration - https://vote.franklincountyohio.gov/Voters/My-Registration
Register to vote online - https://olvr.ohiosos.gov/

Early voting
Oct. 6 - Nov. 2, but dates and hours may vary based on where you live

Absentee ballot deadlines
Request: Received by Oct. 31
Return by mail: Postmarked by Nov. 2
Return in person: Nov. 3 by 7:30 p.m.

Election day is Nov. 3
Registration deadlines
Online: Oct. 5
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 5
In person: Oct. 5

I want to review an amazing little book called WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? By Dr. Spenser Johnson. It’s about change and how to deal with it effectively. The 4 characters are 2 mice, Sniff and Scurry, and 2 Littlepeople called Hem and Haw. They live in a maze and spend their time looking for and eating cheese. The gist is that the cheese supply at Cheese Station C dwindles and dies. The lesson lies in what the 4 do about it. How do they deal with change? (Cheese, is obviously a metaphor for anything. Use your imagination to fill in that blank.)  Sniff and Scurry run off into the maze to find new cheese. They eventually do after several days of hunger and uncertainty. Hem isn’t moving anywhere. He’s staying at Cheese Sta. C until more cheese arrives. Haw finally faces his own fears and ventures into the maze in search of cheese. The following are his insights that he writes on the wall along the way.

1              having cheese makes you happy

The Ohio Power Siting Board approved construction of a  proposed fracked gas power plant, which would be built right on Ohio State University's campus. but we can still stop the plant from being built. The next step to prevent a fracked gas plant from being built is to persuade new OSU President, Kristina Johnson, to support canceling the project.

Send a message to OSU President, Kristina Johnson urging her to cancel the proposed fracked gas plant on OSU's campus. Please take a moment to include a personal note about why it's important to you that OSU not build a fracked gas plant in the middle of campus.