Despite decades-old rumors that John Kasich may be self-medicating, the Governor vowed that there will be no medical marijuana legislation passed in Ohio this election year!

 In fact, this summer, his Public Safety Department deployed undercover officers into the Community Festival. These plainclothes officers spent their time writing tickets near the Ohio Rights Group booth that was collecting signatures to put medical marijuana on the ballot.

 Kasich came into politics as one of Richard Nixon’s freshly-scrubbed “Nixon Youth.” It would be more understandable for Kasich’s undercover cops at Comfest to secure the best dope for their boss. But instead, they were there to show that John Kasich is tough on pot.

The driving force behind Sinkane, Ahmed Gallab, is from everywhere: Brooklyn, Sudan, London, Boston, Utah and Ohio.
  In recent times, he also has been everywhere. Sinkane just released an album, Mean Love, on DFA records which seamlessly blends African, Country, reggae and soul influences while having a dialogue on human interaction and existence.
  The past year saw Ahmed music directing a series of performances of Afro-Electronic genius William Onyeabor’s music called “the Atomic Bomb Band.” Members of Sinkane were joined by people from Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem, the Lijadu Sisters, Money Mark and more. A highlight of “the Atomic Bomb Band” was a performance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, that had David Byrne singing “Fantastic Man” next to Gallab.
  Although Ahmed has been all around the world and lives in Brooklyn, I will always view him as an extension of here. He went to OSU, and was heavily active in the Columbus DIY, and Hip Hop communities.

I despise white musicians who can't play in rhythm. Which means two things: I'm inferring black musicians generally can; and I dislike a lot of white musicians. Correct on both accounts. Sieg heil, baby!
  Thus it was at the Rumba Cafe Sept. 3 when these two main subspecies of whitey got together: one band with heaven in its loins; the other, the opener, rhythmically clubfooted, knock-kneed, subtle as a flying mallet and about as amenable to groove maneuver as the battleship Bismarck. I'm talking about the venerable Americana roots quartet The Blasters who own not only the biggest balls in the genre but possess as well as a juke-joint IQ perhaps unparalleled in extant American bands. Opener was from New York City -- a pedigree I'm suspicious of -- the egregious but properly named Gas House Gorillas. What assholes.

At his parents’ house in Westerville, R.G. Florey keeps the original list of the 10 things he wants to accomplish after one of his friends, Sgt. 1st Class Johnny R. Polk, was killed in a grenade attack in Kirkuk, Iraq.

 Since he returned to Columbus, Florey has put check marks beside eight of the 10 goals including becoming the captain for the Capital University men’s soccer team (4-4 overall before Oct. 1). Florey, who scored goals in a 2-0 win over St. Fisher College on Sept. 6, a 3-0 win over Wooster on Sept. 17 and in a 5-1 loss to second-ranked Kenyon on Sept. 23, won’t rest until he accomplishes them all.

 “I set very specific goals after (Polk) passed away,” Florey says. “Johnny was always there to motivate you and push you. All my drive since that day has been to please him and remember him in a positive way through my actions.”

 Polk’s death has been the keystone in Florey’s unlikely path to Capital. The 2007 Westerville South graduate spent three years on active duty in the U.S. Army including a year-long deployment in Iraq before joining the Crusaders.

If you’re in the mood for a big, flashy musical but can’t afford a trip to Broadway, why not head for Westerville? Otterbein University’s theater department turns out a steady stream of singing and dancing thespians, and putting on major musicals is an important part of their education.

 To be sure, several local theater troupes also tackle musicals from time to time, but none of them can match the size and spectacle of an Otterbein production.

 Take the current show, Sweet Charity. Even before the familiar first strains of the overture fill the air, you know it’s going to be big because the orchestra pit is so crowded. Conductor Lori Kay Harvey leads an ensemble of 22 that includes strings, reeds, brass, a keyboard and two percussionists.

 Once the show gets under way, the romantic travails of Charity Hope Valentine (Madison Tinder) are intermixed with production numbers that fill the huge Cowan Hall stage with singers and dancers.