Local

In the opinion of our highly respected City Auditor Megan Kilgore regarding the impact COVID-19 will have on Columbus’s economy, Ms. Kilgore states, “The likely scenarios are not good and will require federal, state, and local stimulation to rebuild businesses’ balance sheets and turn things around for our most vulnerable workers.”

Since March 3, when nearly the entire Arnold Sports Festival was shut down, our Mayor and City Council has taken steps to mitigate the spread of the virus.

They have temporarily halted all city meetings, closed recreation and senior centers, passed a $1 million emergency human services fund, created an additional $12,000 senior citizens relief fund, established a COVID-19 Resource web site, ordered city employee travel restrictions, relaxed various street parking violations, and suspended parking ticket fines and penalties.

Mayor Ginther has also signed a declaration of a State of Emergency for Columbus granting him emergency powers to suspend certain city codes and regulations, and to control purchasing and contracting requirements to assure the public’s health and safety.

The federal government, upon enactment of this Act, will work with all 50 states to ensure safe, fair, and transparent elections; and appropriate all federal funds necessary to the states for an expedited and effective implementation of a safe and easy voting process herein:    

Section 1: On Friday, October 1, every registered voter in America will be mailed a paper ballot, as coordinated by the individual state and local election boards.  

Section 2: Monday, October 12, every state will open geographically diverse certified voting centers throughout the state in order to ensure a safe, easy, and transparent election process. 

Section 3: The addresses of the voting centers will be widely published on the internet and in local newspapers, magazines, and other print, television, radio and social media.

Section 4: The voting centers will be large, and located in safe, well-known, well-lit, easily accessible locations, with ample parking and certified handicapped access.

Are you reading the Free Press online while "sheltering in place?" It's astonishing how fast life changed. Governor DeWine listened to the science of epidemiology and to Ohio Public Health director, Amy Acton, now a local shero for her knowledge and empathy. Instantly, the 24 hour news cycle was gifted with a hydra-headed crisis and a mission to tell the stories and their impacts on our elections, the economy, health care, self care, poverty, food access, energy use - our way of life, really, here, in other states, and in countries around the world. 

Business as Usual: Interrupted! A virus, smaller than a bacteria, invisible without an electron microscope, whose relatives cause the common cold and influenza, is so contagious that a global pandemic now threatens our way of life. Perhaps only for a matter of months if we are able to flatten the rising curve of infections, but the aftermath is hard to predict. As Yogi Berra put it, "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future."

UFCW Local 1059, the union representing 18,000 grocery and food distribution workers throughout Ohio, is asking Governor Mike DeWine to designate their members as First Responders during the pandemic.

“We have sent a letter to Governor DeWine and want him to reclassify our UFCW members as First Responders,” says Randy Quickel, President of UFCW Local 1059, based in Columbus. “What that would do is give them the ability for free childcare and the ability, if indeed there are gloves and masks, give them gloves and masks. Right now, we don’t have a lot of that accessible.”

Gov. DeWine has said the state will open emergency childcare centers for “essential service” workers. But he hasn’t clarified whether this will include grocery store workers.

Minnesota and Vermont designated grocery store workers “emergency personnel” earlier this week, meaning they will receive free childcare.

Quickel also told the Free Press that Kroger, Meijer, other grocery stores, food processing plants, and food warehouses, should immediately increase wages during this time.

Climate change is real, and it has had devastating effects. Antarctica reached record high temperatures in the 60s earlier in 2020. Pakistan reached a record high temperature of 125 degrees in 2019. These are some of the devastating effects in our climate.

“The Climate Issue has changed the way of life.” That is what actress and activist Erika Alexander said in her opening remarks as the moderator of the World War Zero Town Hall Discussion on Climate Change on March 8 at Otterbein University in Westerville.

World War Zero was brought to Otterbein on March 8, in partnership with Otterbein University and the Columbus Metropolitan Club. World War Zero, according to the official website, is “a coalition of people from all walks of life that are committed to addressing the climate crisis.”

Some of the big names that have enlisted in this initiative include billionaires, actors, politicians, and the three men who spoke about climate change at Otterbein – former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Ohio Governor John Kasich, and the man who launched this initiative, former Secretary of State John Kerry.

From Ohio Environmental Council:

The Free Press has been calling for the full legalization of marijuana for half a century – this year marks the paper’s 50th anniversary, by the way, and we will continue to publish. But in no other time does the Free Press believe Ohio needs to end prohibition against recreational as fast as possible.

If it were to eventually happen post pandemic – and that’s a big if – it would be ironic and just.

This plant birthed by nature, yet perplexingly demonized by our government and police (especially in puritan-like Ohio), could generate hundreds of millions in tax revenue to help the state deal with a predicted economic collapse where tens of thousands are out of work and staring homelessness in the face.

Colorado and California have each reaped hundreds of millions in tax revenue per year from recreational, which is now legal in 11 states. This includes our neighbor to the north, which has estimated annual recreational sales will approach a billion, adding $100 million from excise tax and $60 million in sales tax.

Dear Governor DeWine and Ohio government officials,

COVID-19 has catapulted us into a crisis. You, rightly, have expressed concern about protecting the peoples’ health, safety and rights. In cancelling the Ohio primary election you were attempting to act to protect us. This is what we elect you to do. Governor DeWine, when you announced you were cancelling the election, you stood at the podium, and stated, “the people should not have to decide between their health and their constitutional rights.”

Amen to that.

But let’s be honest. It was a fantastic sound bite. But it was also hypocritical. I have great difficulty reconciling some of your words with your actions.

Ongoing Crises

Dear Governor DeWine and Ohio government officials,

Covid-19 has catapulted us into a crisis. You, rightly, have expressed concern about protecting the peoples’ health, safety and rights. In cancelling the Ohio primary election you were attempting to act to protect us. This is what we elect you to do. Governor DeWine, when you announced you were cancelling the election, you stood at the podium, and stated, “the people should not have to decide between their health and their constitutional rights.”

Amen to that.

But let’s be honest. It was a fantastic sound bite. But it was also hypocritical. I have great difficulty reconciling some of your words with your actions.

Ongoing Crises