Governor Mike DeWine recently appointed his Lt. Governor Jon Husted to fill J.D. Vance’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. Innovation Ohio states: “This decision underscores a continued alignment with corporate price-gougers and further political divisions that threaten the well-being of Ohioans. The appointment raises significant concerns about the direction Senator Husted would take Ohio and our nation.”

“For Americans who may not know Jon Husted, allow an Ohioan to tell you all about him,” said Nick Tuell, Senior Communication Director at Innovation Ohio. “Husted is backed by big businesses that price-gouge us at the supermarket and at the gas pump, while they post record profits. As Ohio House Speaker, Husted eliminated taxes for big corporations at the expense of higher sales taxes on our everyday goods. Jon Husted is a career politician who always backs his big business pals over Ohio working families. He doesn’t care about us, he is only looking out for himself,” wrote an Innovation Ohio press statement.

Among his many actions on Monday in his first day as U.S. president, Donald Trump ordered a “temporary withdrawal” of any new federal leasing of the Outer Continental Shelf for new offshore wind projects.

As Reuters reported, Trump “suspended new federal offshore wind leasing pending an environmental and economic review, saying windmills are ugly, expensive and harm wildlife. ‘We're not going to do the wind thing. Big, ugly windmills. They ruin your neighborhood,’ he said. Without providing evidence, he said offshore wind projects were behind an increase in whale deaths off the U.S. East Coast in recent years.”

New York State and other states have embraced offshore wind. As its governor, Kathy Hochul, declared in her “State of the State” address a week earlier, “We recommitted to reducing carbon emissions with offshore wind off the coast of Long Island.”

Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 7:30 PM
Bill Fletcher Jr. has been an activist since his teen years. Upon graduating from college, he went to work as a welder in a shipyard, thereby entering the labor movement. Over the years he has been active in workplace and community struggles as well as electoral campaigns. He has worked for several labor unions in addition to serving as a senior staff person in the national AFL-CIO.  

Join the meeting here.  Passcode: 325849. 

A couple hundred people gathered at Goodale Park Saturay afternoon, January 18 for a rally and march to the Ohio Statehouse.

See video here.

The organizers stated the message: "This is our time. Our time to make it clear: we will not be pushed aside, ignored, or silenced. On January 18, we march together—as women, as LGBTQIA+ individuals, as BIPOC communities, as immigrants, as allies. We stand united to demand a world where equality is not a threat, but a reality.
WE MARCH BECAUSE: Every person deserves a life free from fear and filled with opportunity. Our LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC siblings deserve the freedom to love, live, and be their true selves without discrimination or threat of safety.
 Immigrant families have the right to safety, dignity, and respect, without fear of losing their homes or loved ones. Women’s voices, bodies, and futures will be in OUR hands—not controlled by anyone else.
THIS IS OUR MOMENT. It’s not enough to hope for change. We are the change. Every step we take, every voice we raise, every hand we hold shows that we are ready to rewrite the future.