Columbus City Schools (CCS) are facing their greatest challenge in years. Not only does the district have a “D” rating for quality, but now must cut over 50 million dollars from their budget (thanks to the state Republicans and their hatred of public education).

As a former teacher (both public and private schools) I’ve been following the steps that CCS has, and has not, been taking. Most important:

1. The excessive number of administrators in the Central Office, and
2. How those Central Office administrators have their STRS pension payments not deducted from their paychecks (like every teacher), but instead paid for by CCS.

I care about the future of Columbus and a strong CCS is vital for our success. Therefore, I took it upon myself to email every member of the CCS Board of Education; twice. Everyone, except one person ignored my questions.

So thank you to Jennifer Anne Adair for not only reading my email but even responding. Part of her reply included:

This week, every state insurance commissioner including Ohio’s Judith French will meet in Hollywood, Florida, for their quarterly national gathering. If a corporate insurance lobbyist is a shark, this meeting is a feeding frenzy. And the sharks have been eating well.

Insurance commissioners across the country are abdicating their public duty by giving in to corporate lobbyists that want to profit from insuring fossil fuel projects and investing in fossil fuel companies – while leaving ratepayers holding the climate crisis bag.

In Ohio, insurance premiums have climbed 36.1% over the last six years, while nonrenewal rates went up 31% from 2022 to 2023. Big insurance companies blame the climate crisis – yet they insure and invest in the very fossil fuel companies that are driving the climate crisis – including in companies fracking Ohio’s state parks and public lands.

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thailand seized more than $300 million in a new crackdown against international criminals allegedly laundering money through two banks in Bangkok from online scam centers in neighboring Cambodia and Myanmar, but the top suspects are still at large.

"The individuals involved are all scammers. Three or four who have been arrested are major players," Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced on December 3 after a nationwide investigation.

"The seized or frozen assets amount to more than 10 billion baht ($312.5 million)," Mr. Anutin said without naming the arrested people.

They were charged with "conspiracy, running a criminal association, public fraud, and money laundering," a summary of the police report said.

More than a dozen top suspects are still at large including "Yim Leak chairman of BIC Group, a major financial network in Cambodia, who was suspected of bringing criminal proceeds into Thailand for money laundering or business investment," it said.

Cash was allegedly laundered through fake "mule accounts" before reaching two of Thailand's biggest banks.

I’ve been struggling to imagine Elon Musk might do if he gets his trillion-dollar payday. He could spend a million dollars a day for 3,000 years.  Or, more realistically, $100 million a day for 30 years. He could spend the $290 million he invested in Trump’s election and do it 3,400 times, wherever and whenever he pleases. Or buy more media properties, spending up to twenty times the $44 billion it took for him to buy Twitter and make it into a misinformation swamp key to Trump’s reelection.

But the money the Tesla board just handed Musk isn’t guaranteed. He has to meet goals like delivering 20 million Tesla vehicles and dramatically increasing Tesla’s stock price. Ordinary citizens can prevent that, but we need to take our efforts to another level.

Sunday, December 7, 3:30pm
Whetstone Library, 3909 N. High St.
Register here

All over the country, ICE agents are targeting immigrants in and around Home Depot, attacking and terrorizing workers, customers, and surrounding communities. The raids are terrifying, chaotic, and sometimes deadly.

These atrocities are happening on Home Depot’s watch, on its properties, with its silence. The Home Depot company has not resisted or condemned these raids. It has not publicly demanded that the Administration stop assaulting and abducting people on and outside its properties. As far as we know, it hasn't even asked.

We will write postcards to Central Ohio Home Depot store managers and to Home Depot corporate leaders demanding an end to their complicity and promising not to shop at Home Depot until they stop allowing ICE to conduct raids on its properties.