Local
Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 5:00 – 8:00 PM
Columbus has been truly a “Tale of Two Cities” to emphasize the true meaning of this year’s State of the City Address. While Columbus has been touted in success stories and innovations, there is still that one-third of the community that feels like they are shut out of the entire loop. Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther’s State of the City Address was no different, as two protesters made their voices loud and clear early on in the speech.
The theme of Ginther’s Address, held at historic Columbus West High School in Westgate, was centered about equity. Ginther addressed the auditorium at the beginning of the evening by saying, “Tonight, I share to you my ‘Equity Agenda,’ an agenda that calls out racism and discrimination where it exists, and my plans to address it as your Mayor.”
Ginther said, “Equity is the cornerstone of my administration, tonight, I will lay out what we will be doing this year, and over the next four years, to continue to grow this city and also to assure that we stop racism and discrimination, wherever we see it.”
Join the movement to Protect Your Vote
Saturday, February 15
1:00pm-4:00pm
at the
Vanderelli Room
218 McDowell Street, Franklinton
It is free and open to the public.
Sponsored by TrustVote and the Columbus Free Press.
Refreshments provided.
Facebook Event
Join election security experts, advocates, and activists to learn how to ensure your vote is counted in this primary election including Bob Fitrakis and featured speaker Wade Rathke, Chief Organizer of ACORN International..
Be an election protection volunteer at the early voting site, on Election Day at the polls or monitor the election results election night!
Today, attitudes towards sexual health are more enlightened than they’ve ever been. Experts understand how STDs occur, how they are transmitted, and even how to cure many of them efficiently. Yet, according to the CDC, cases of syphilis gonorrhea, and chlamydia reached an all-time high in 2018.
Rising cases of STDs aren’t necessarily a bad thing. On the one hand, it means that more people are getting tested and treated on a regular basis. However, the figure is also a reminder of the stigma that still surrounds STDs and how underreported they may still be.
In today’s world, getting tested and treated for an STD is easier than ever, at least in terms of the medicine involved. At the same time, STDs still suffer from a stigma — and that stigma can be as damaging as the infection itself.
Recently, I was shadowing some of our organizing committee members when they hit the doors in the Mountjoy-Dorset neighborhood of Dublin as they ventured forward to build the first community organization in ACORN’s newest affiliate in Ireland. In the first ten doors we hit, two of them claimed that they had been door knocked the previous weekend. That was awkward. One was clearly engaged, but the other was as clearly, brushing us off as she ran out the door. All of this underlined the simple lesson that as hard as it is to organize a community, we need to do everything we can to make it easier on the people doing the work. Stressing the importance of clear lists and, as critically, counting all the doors that are knocked, not just the ones that were home, is a fundamental.
“Please don’t be my bullies, too.”
These words echoed loud against the salmon-pink walls of room 114 of the Ohio Statehouse. They concluded the testimony of 11-year-old Sean Miller, a transgender girl offering her story of fighting bullying and discrimination, at a proponent hearing for the Ohio Fairness Act (or HB 369). The state representatives on the House Civil Justice Committee watched sympathetically, but under the surface a familiar fight was brewing.
The Ohio Fairness Act would amend the state code to expand its protected groups and outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. While 28 localities in Ohio have some form of LGBTQ protection, those only cover about a fourth of people in the state. In most places in Ohio, it is still legal to fire an employee, deny a renter a lease, or refuse to give a homebuyer a loan on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity.
Tuesday, February 11, 6-7:30pm, Land-Grant Brewing Company, 424 W. Town St.
Come out to our information session on how to join a solar coop in Franklin County, Ohio. Solar coops allow people to band together to purchase solar power systems for their homes and businesses in bulk, thus knocking down the price.
We are working with Solar United Neighbors to organize 50 to 100 neighbors together into a group, or co-op, and give you support through each stage of the solar process. Co-op participants leverage bulk-purchasing power to get discounted pricing and a quality installation while still signing individual contracts that ensure the right system for your home or business.
If you are thinking about going solar, now is a great time while there’s still a federal tax break of 26%. Between bulk pricing and tax breaks, solar panels for your home and business are more affordable than ever!
Find out more about going solar in a coop here: solarunitedneighbors.org/go-solar.