Flock Group, Inc. has had some explaining to do this year. Billed as an intelligent platform that "unites communities, businesses, schools and law enforcement, combining their power to solve and deter crime together," the vendor of automated license plate reader (ALPR) data has, in actuality, been accused of using data points from 83,000 cameras to help a sheriff's deputy in Texas track one of the state's citizens as she fled to Illinois -- a state where the right to end a pregnancy is protected -- following a self-administered abortion in the Lone Star State.  

The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) has a contract to give the company $90,000 per year. For some Ohioans, that's too much.  

"Given [the lack of regulation], we think it is irresponsible of our state and local governments to be purchasing, obtaining, or using these types of mass surveillance devices and technologies with no adequate statutory safeguards in place governing their use," says Gary Daniels, a legislative director at the Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

This article first appeared on the Buckeye Flame.

In January, I became the first out transgender person to serve on a city council in Ohio when I was appointed to fill an open seat. I ran to keep that seat in November and lost, but I wasn’t deflated or discouraged.  

I’m actually more energized and more committed than ever. And here’s why.

Back in 2023, I ran for the Ohio House of Representatives. I knew winning wouldn’t be easy. For starters, I was running in Ohio’s most conservative district. My opponent was a co-sponsor of the Ohio Drag Ban. But that wasn’t all. As a transgender woman running in that political climate, I had more than just a tough race ahead – I had to face the reality that people who didn’t want to see me or  anyone like me in politics would do everything in their power to stop us.

I wasn’t alone, though. Alongside me, two other transgender women ran for Ohio House seats. Together, we were determined to show up, fight and challenge the status quo. 

Progressives in Congress introduced a resolution recognizing Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and demanding accountability for these atrocities. 

Tell your member of Congress to join this historic resolution today. 

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) is joined by 20 additional Members of Congress in introducing a resolution Recognizing the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza. The legislation calls on the U.S. to end its complicity in the genocide, including halting weapons to the Israeli military and supporting international measures of accountability.  

When the United States passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and then the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, it seemed like the days of restaurants, movie theaters, and places of entertainment being able to refuse service to anyone were far behind us. But some recent incident in New York City with Ms. Rachel was denied service in three venues. This kind of conduct is illegal as it violates the 1964 federal law that bans discrimination based on race, religion, and national origin in public places and places of entertainment.

However, businesses have the right to refuse service only for reasons like disruptive behavior or violating dress codes. Restaurants are also not permitted to refuse service on the basis of national origin or citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, and veteran status.

Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Anne Accurso, is an American educator, singer, songwriter, and YouTuber known for her engaging children's content focused on language. She earned a master's degree in music education from New York University and is currently pursuing a second master's degree in early childhood education, according to Wikipedia. 

Israel’s allies worldwide are desperately scrambling to help Tel Aviv re-establish a convincing narrative, not only concerning the Gaza genocide, but the entire legacy of Israeli colonialism in Palestine and the Middle East.

 The perfect little story, built on myths and outright fabrications — that of a small nation fighting for survival amid ‘hordes of Arabs and Muslims’ — is rapidly collapsing. It was a lie from the start, but the Gaza genocide has made it utterly indefensible.

 The harrowing details of the Israeli genocide in Gaza were more than enough for people globally to fundamentally question the Zionist narrative, particularly the racist Western trope of the ‘villa in the Jungle’ used by Israel to describe its existence among the colonized population.