Local
VeganShift and The Columbus Vegan Meetup are hosting the exclusive Columbus premier of “What the Health” on Wednesday, May 3 at 7:30PM at the Gateway Film Center, 1550 N High St, Columbus, OH 43201. Visit VeganShift and Columbus Vegan Meetup facebook groups and websites for more details on getting connected to the vegan community. Tickets - $10.
Spring break in Downtown Las Vegas. As is typical of my well rounded personality, I was calmly minding my own business and not causing any trouble. My serenity was even more impressive given a streak of rotten luck which included a closed video arcade and the tragic disappearance of DuPar's Restaurant. More significantly, the shark tank at the Golden Nugget pool was temporarily sans sharks due to “routine maintenance on the waterslide.” This caused a bit of tough sledding, given that said sharks were the major selling point in getting my family to stay at this particular hotel (along with the arcade and the restaurant).
You might think that my luck would be evened out by success at the tables, but you would be wrong. Despite a mathematically impeccable betting strategy, my one night out ended in swift defeat at the El Cortez craps table.
Nevertheless, I retained my composure and set a positive example for other downtown revelers like a good Ohio boy should. I was comforted by the fact that I had intelligently insisted on a room facing the rear of the hotel instead of the noisy Fremont Street Experience.
Many people agree the Short North is not what it used to be. Once upon a time it was cool, soulful and local. It was more Paul Volker than Thomas Kinkade. The independent art galleries took center stage, but now they are being overwhelmed by expensive condos, overpriced t-shirts, $10 cocktails, and a desire to attract people who have lots of money to burn.
“It’s not really an arts district anymore, a lot of uniqueness is gone,” says Allen Geiner, who is helping spread the hashtag #SavetheShortNorth across social media. “Easton is great where it is. We don’t need the Short North to turn into another Easton.”
The Short North’s trend towards becoming a gated country club is plowing forward as development up and down the strip explodes. There are over a dozen developments in planning stages or under construction. Most are mixed-used, meaning a combination of condos, offices, retail and parking. Within the next five years the Short North could see hundreds of new residents and over 50,000-feet of new retail.
Free Press Hero: Brian “Clash” Griffin
Unperturbed by driving rain, subzero temperatures and scathing heat -- he plays on. Unintimidated by police presence be they in person, on horses or bikes, or aggressive counter-protesters - he plays on. Unrelenting in his intensity as he participates at every rally -- Brian “Clash” Griffin plays on. He was there when we demonstrated outside Governor Bob Taft’s church, trying to stop the execution of an innocent man, Johnny Byrd -- playing until his fingers were frostbitten. When they started the Iraq War and we were attacked by pro-war fanatics during weekly peace vigils at 15th and High -- he played on. In solidarity with Occupy Columbus at the Statehouse -- he played on. He marches with his guitar in the Pride Parade, Black Lives Matter marches, the recent (and very wet) People’s Climate March, and the list goes on. Brian Griffin infuses enthusiasm at every gathering as he often makes up a cause-oriented song on the spot. The Free Press is in awe of Brian’s persistent and consistent musical presence and are inspired by the soundtrack he provides to our lives. “We are gonna rise up!”
Tues, May 2, 6:30am-7:30pm, many locations in Franklin County and elsewhere
It's a primary so it is a nonpartisan race and you can vote for any candidate you want.
Franklin County Board of Elections, 614-525-3100
vote.franklincountyohio.gov/
I imagine I’m not the only political and media observer sickened by the dominant (“mainstream”) corporate media’s habitual reference to xenophobic, right-wing, white-nationalist, and neo-fascist politicians like Donald Trump, Geert Wilders, Nigel Farage, and Marine Le Pen as “populists.” Populism properly understood is about popular and democratic opposition to the rule of the money power – to the reign of concentrated wealth. It emerged from radical farmers’ fight for social and economic justice and democracy against the plutocracy of the nation’s Robber Baron capitalists during the late 19th century. It was a movement of the left. As the left author and journalist Harvey Wasserman notes:
“The Morgans, Rockefellers and their ilk had captured the industrial revolution that dominated the U.S. after the Civil War. The farmers of the South and West fought back with a grass-roots social movement…They formed the People’s Party. Its socialistic platforms demanded public ownership of the major financial institutions, including banks, railways, power utilities and other private monopolies that were crushing the public well-being.”
The Columbus Police Department has undergone “a significant loss” in dash-camera videos stored from Columbus Police Division traffic stops and call responses, Police Chief Kim Jacobs announced Tuesday. An estimated 100,000 videos recorded in 2017, the entirety of videos recorded in 2015, and an estimated 500 video files from last year were deleted. This incident was the result of an officer’s blundering attempt to reclassify thousands of video files. The deletion occurred on March 8 and officers became aware of the missing files March 13.
