On February 13, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther made a stunning announcement in his annual State of the City address: Columbus would transition its electricity supply to 100% renewable energy by 2022 through a program called Community Choice Aggregation.

“Not only will this help our climate goals and commitments, but it will drive workforce development and job creation in the clean-energy sector for our city and region,” Ginther said.

It was the exact case that Ready for 100 Columbus, a group of local climate activists, has been making to city government for the past three years.

Ready for 100 is a campaign of the Sierra Club asking cities to commit to 100% renewable energy. So far 162 cities, 13 counties, eight states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia have all made this commitment. In Ohio that includes Cleveland, Cincinnati, Lakewood – but so far not Columbus.

While humans stand on the brink of precipitating our own extinction, with the prospects of now averting this remote – see ‘Human Extinction Now Imminent and Inevitable? A Report on the State of Planet Earth’ – virtually everyone remains unaware of the critical nature of our plight. Moreover, the ongoing human death toll from the activities that are generating this crisis numbers in the many millions each year while the number of species driven to extinction is estimated at 200 per day.

In contrast, a virus that is killing a very small proportion of the minuscule number it has infected is causing panic in many countries around the world, devastating the travel and tourism industries while emptying supermarket shelves of food and that apparently most vital of commodities: toilet paper.

Around 12:15am on Sunday, March 22, a burglar decided to break into a much loved downtown Columbus restaurant, Indian Oven, 427 E. Main Street, Columbus, OH 43215.

The burglar drove to the restaurant and broke the glass door at the side of the restaurant, and proceeded to loot the store of its contents. The suspect took a cash register, bottles of liquor, and numerous additional items while the store was unoccupied. Below, you will see images of the break-in, including the face of the suspect himself. Police arrived at the location quickly and are searching for the suspect.

Other restaurant owners in the area should be aware. Those of us at Indian Oven realize that at this time of crisis, many criminally-minded individuals have taken note of the fact that there are far less people around to witness their crimes and are taking advantage of the opportunity. Yellow Brick Pizza nearby in Old Towne East had its door broken recently too.

Section 1: On Friday, October 1, every registered voter in America will be mailed a paper ballot, as coordinated by the individual state and local election boards.  

Section 2: Monday, October 12, every state will open geographically diverse certified voting centers throughout the state in order to ensure a safe, easy, and transparent election process. 

Section 3: The addresses of the voting centers will be widely published on the internet and in local newspapers, magazines, and other print, television, radio and social media.

Section 4: The voting centers will be large, and located in safe, well-known, well-lit, easily accessible locations, with ample parking and certified handicapped access.

The federal government, upon enactment of this Act, will work with all 50 states to ensure safe, fair, and transparent elections; and appropriate all federal funds necessary to the states for an expedited and effective implementation of a safe and easy voting process herein:    

Section 1: On Friday, October 1, every registered voter in America will be mailed a paper ballot, as coordinated by the individual state and local election boards.  

Section 2: Monday, October 12, every state will open geographically diverse certified voting centers throughout the state in order to ensure a safe, easy, and transparent election process. 

Section 3: The addresses of the voting centers will be widely published on the internet and in local newspapers, magazines, and other print, television, radio and social media.

Section 4: The voting centers will be large, and located in safe, well-known, well-lit, easily accessible locations, with ample parking and certified handicapped access.