Local

Last month we told you about Senate Bill 294, which would "declare the state's energy siting policy" by instructing the Ohio Power Siting Board on which kinds of power projects they can approve and which they can't.

Sponsored by George Lang and Mark Romanchuk, SB 294 has been called a "de facto statewide ban" on solar and wind energy.

The Serpent Mound Star Knowledge Spring Equinox Peace Summit offers three days of ceremony with indigenous elders, musical experiences through song, dance and drumming, workshops, presentations and other spiritually transformative opportunities. It takes place Friday 3/20-Sunday 3/22 from 9AM-6PM each day at Woodland Altars, 33200 State Route 41, Peebles, Ohio where most presentations will be indoors. The gathering site is six miles from the mound. Admission ranges from $44 to $111 and there is an option for a livestream Zoom access by love donation in any amount. This family friendly gathering offers free admission to children under 17. Tickets can be purchased on site or in advance through the Eventbrite link on the event page at
https://www.facebook.com/events/3759533794349544 or https://alternateuniverserockshop.com/events.

Tuesday, March 10, 6:00PM
Columbus Liberation Center, 1004 Parsons Ave

This Women’s History Month, we’re diving into the hidden histories of the women and movements that have radically shaped our rights and fight back!

Often erased by the media and our textbooks, women played an anchoring role in the fight to expand our democratic and civil rights! From the labor wars to the fight for Black freedom, women have been at the helm!

Join us at the Columbus Liberation Center on Tuesday, March 10th at 6pm to dive into the lessons these women revolutionaries have for our fight back movement today.

This morning, news broke that Ted Carter, president of The Ohio State University, has abruptly resigned over an “inappropriate relationship” with someone who received “access to top officials” while “seeking public resources to support her personal business.”

I’ve been told that Columbus City Hall is where good ideas go to die.

One part of the Monday, March 2 “Our City Our Say” meeting was the opportunity to communicate with other people who 1. Love Columbus, and 2. Aren’t afraid of doing something different. It was your standard small group brainstorm activity that provided a well-fertilized garden of ideas from just your average citizens.

1. A City Council “Scorecard.” There is no job description or evaluation for the part-time job of City Council (no attendance policy either). Why not create a simple “Scorecard” to rate the effectiveness of each council member? More accountability and responsibility to the people?

Last Nov. only about 11 percent of Columbus residents even took the time to vote. What if 50 percent of residents voted? A simple “Scorecard” might give the kind of feedback that voters and non-voters have been desperate for.

Well, the statehouse is once again attacking our right in Ohio to local democracy. Senate Bill 63, which has passed the Ohio House and Senate, is now on Governor DeWine’s desk. 

SB 63, which would make any county or municipality that has approved the use of ranked-choice voting ineligible to receive local government funds from the state. This bullying bill would effectively ban ranked-choice voting in Ohio. It is in violation of the principle of home rule and local self-government which was enacted into our Ohio Constitution in 1912. This principle recognizes that government works best where it is closest to the people. Also, it allows communities to experiment with laws and policies that meet their local needs. Furthermore, in a democracy, the people in a community should be able to enact and enforce local laws for their health, safety, and welfare as long as those laws do not conflict with constitutional rights granted to natural persons.

SATURDAY: Protest to stop the war on Iran: bring our troops home! No blood for oil!

As more and more Americans die in this illegal war of aggression, we must take the streets and continue to demand an end to this war. Iran isn’t our enemy, it’s the billionaires robbing us of our rights!

🕓 4PM
🗓️ Saturday, March 7
📍 OH Statehouse, 1 Capitol Sq
🌦️ Rain or shine, we’ll see you in the streets!

What many may not be aware of is that a high-yielding aquifer lies deep under most of Central Ohio. Keeping the aquifer on the down-low, so to speak, was perhaps the plan by local power brokers who foresaw how major corporations would someday come to our region seeking vast amounts of water for industrial use.

That day has arrived, as Google and other tech behemoths take millions of gallons daily from the aquifer and local groundwater that have fed this aquifer for thousands of years, if not longer. Also, utilizing the aquifer is Columbus Water and Power, the city department which provides potable water for 1.4 million residents. 

According to Google, the Far South Side data center used 177 million gallons in 2024 when it was just coming online. Its data center in Lancaster took 207 million gallons that year and in New Albany, 405 million. Of Ohio’s 200-plus data centers, roughly 130 are in Central Ohio.

Coincidentally, Columbus City Council voted 9-0 last November to raise water and sewer rates across the city and suburbs with the average annual bill going up $100. 

This moment has been years in the making. Thanks to the relentless organizing of residents like you, the Columbus City Council has officially referred the collaboratively written Community Crisis Response Amendment to the May 5th, 2026 primary election ballot!

For half a decade, the Columbus Safety Collective has fought to reimagine public safety. Because of the nearly 30,000 signatures collected by our incredible volunteer canvassers, we reached a historic compromise with the Mayor, City Council, and labor leaders to put forward a common-sense, life-saving proposal.

Why We Fight:

This campaign is for the people and by the people. As our Co-Chair Chana Wiley shared, this work is deeply personal. It is rooted in the tragic loss of her brother, Jaron Thomas, who lost his life after calling 911 during a mental health crisis.

Mental health stigma is real, and the wrong response can be fatal. All of us, no matter where we live or what we look like deserve the right help when we experience an emergency. This amendment ensures that what happened to Jaron never happens to another family.

What the Amendment Does:

On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, we learned that Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, “has turned over the voter registration data of nearly 8 million Ohioans to the U.S. Department of Justice.”