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Saturday, December 9, 7-8pm, this event will be occurring via Zoom

Theme: Corruption, radiation, and death

Vina Colley will speak about her experience as a worker at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion plant in Piketon, Ohio, and her work for nearly three decades to expose the alleged radioactive contamination and cover-ups at the plant.

A “question-and-answer” period will be included.

If you have announcements for the progressive community, let us know at <colsfreepress@gmail.com>.

If you have any announcements for the progressive community, contact us at <colsfreepress@gmail.com>.

This event will be preceded by a Memorial for David Zirkle, beginning at 6:30pm at the same Zoom link.

Please use this Zoom link to join this event.

Hosted by Columbus Free Press. 

WSYX ABC 6 broke a story today claiming “Court docs accuse Columbus mayor of pressuring judge to shutdown Greyhound Barons bus terminal.” https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/columbus-ohio-mayor-accused-of-ex-parte-conversations-with-judge-central-ohio-elected-offical-greyhound-baron-bus-terminal-case.

Ginther and his administration believe they are outside of the law and permitted to influence judges as they please. This is just one more proven example of corruption that runs rampant at City Hall and why I campaigned to create an Office of Anti-Corruption if elected.

Friday, December 8, 8pm
Natalie's,945 King Ave Columbus, OH, United States, Ohio 43212

A night to remember! A reunion show of a concert that took place at the iconic Little Bros venue (formerly located in Columbus, Ohio) on 11/24/2001, hosted by the previous owner, Dan Dougan! Live music from X-Rated Cowboys, CG2, and Willie Phoenix!

Food & Bar: Our full food and drink menu will be available before and during the show. If you have Standing General Admission tickets, a limited menu of pizza and fries will be available to order from the bar.

Thursday, December 7, 2023, 2:00 – 3:00 PM
At this week's huddle, we'll metabolize the Dec 6 webinar, "Not Just Cop City, Issues at the Heart of the Movement" webinar series. We'll also review what we've done, who's doing what, and what's coming up to Stop Cop City. Join us to get activated or to jump back in.  Unitarian Universalists.  

Register here. 

More events here

Today, the Ohio Student Association condemned the House Higher Education Committee’s passage of Senate Bill 83 — the Higher Education Destruction Act — with a vote of 8-7.

The Ohio House Higher Education Committee’s sudden passage of SB 83 this morning has left students feeling horrified and betrayed. Certain politicians have claimed that SB 83 was written with the interests of students in mind, but since students have made it clear that this bill is in direct opposition to their interests and lawmakers are still moving it forward, that claim rings hollow.

For months and months, students have organized testimony workshops on campus, written and submitted testimony, sent letters, met with legislators, and organized direct actions on their campuses and at the statehouse in opposition to SB 83. 

A “Unicorn” in the world of business and finance is a privately held company which has raised $1 billion from investors (i.e., Wall Street). Here in Columbus the much-hyped Olive AI, which was a privately held digital health-care company seeking to automate routine hospital administrative tasks, was a Unicorn. And just a few years ago its valuation on paper reached $4 billion.

But as the world of healthcare and Wall Street now know, this Columbus “Unicorn” has gone extinct. The venture capitalists who flooded Olive AI with $1 billion in cash, such as Columbus’s Drive Capital LLC, are desperately trying to get something in return by selling off the remains.

What is disturbing is how venture capitalists saw Olive AI as the greatest of Unicorns. It was regarded as the healthcare IT company to receive the most venture capital funding ever. Exactly how much Wall Street cash Olive AI lost is unknown, some estimate it could be over $100 million.

Note: What is Ginther doing at the Climate Summit in Dubai? Is he taking lessons? Having a vacation?  Watching the “sun rise” over a city with a skyline?

More importantly, who paid for his trip?

Never bet on Andy, Council, their division heads, or overpaid for quality of work ad agencies getting anything correct. Their consistency, historically, is against all odds. If our world were random, City reality and reality of the ground would occasionally collide. But never in Columbus, Ohio.

Andy outdoes himself in his  latest dishonest screed, that appears on the first Sunday of December in the anti-editing, non-news Columbus Dispatch beside editor  Robinson’s almost every other day “guest essay.” She is unique in the history of Opinion page editors.

In his latest, Andy begins with an exceptionally rare statement: “Columbus is growing faster than ever before—that’s a fact.”  I was not aware that the City and “mayor” recognized “facts.” In this case, he is correct for recent growth but incorrect over the city’s more than 200-year history.

In the 50th year of Hip Hop, Kool Herc, Nas, Wu-Tang, De La Soul, Armand Hammer and Heiro immersed Hip Hop everywhere from Yankee Stadium into venues, record players, phones, computers and smart TV’s. Hip Hop was tangible.

I didn’t feel small watching Kool Herc and Chuck Schumer live from Mass Appeal’s streaming Yankee Stadium's celebration. Schottenstein Center was a comfortable place to sit for Nas, Wu, and De La Soul near Ohio State University. Souls of Mischief greeted me at A+R bar in Downtown Columbus.

New York’s Armand Hammer showed a Columbus vibrance in 2023 with the NY duo’s acclaimed album released from Fat Possum. Fat Possum released Columbus, Ohio’s Camu Tao’s solo record. Fat Possum is reissuing Definitive Jux's catalog. Run The Jewels El-P’s solo work is available from Fat Possum.

I’m drinking oatnog and vodka, I’m playing Killer Mike’s friend Andre 3000’s New Blue Sun as festive music.

I received something in the mail from legendary Def Jam publicist Bill Adler which would make a unique present for Hanukkah. Kwanza, or Christmas.

We start with the great ANDREA MILLER and RAY MCCLENDON, who open GREEP #159 with their usual genius insights on voting rights, gerrymandering and more, primarily in the BIPOC south.

STEVE CARUSO joins to fill us in on the corrupt insanity of Ohio.  Buckeye officials from the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Public Utilities Commission Chair and others are all implicated in the infamous $61 million bribe  for “persuading” the Legislature for a $1billion nuclear power bribe.  The former House Speaker, Larry Householder, has already begun a 20-year prison term.

CAMILLA REES then introduces DR. ROBERT EPSTEIN and his pioneer work in tracking the undue influence of Google and other internet giants in swaying public opinion.  Dr. Epstein’s riveting, groundbreaking presentation

Wednesday December 6, 3pm, Ohio Statehouse
This is a critical moment – we must take action now to protect trans youth in Ohio.

Anti-trans lawmakers at the Statehouse are fast-tracking hearings to pass House Bill 68. This radical, anti-trans legislation would ban critical, gender-affirming healthcare for minors. Ohioans have made it clear in our most recent election: important, private medical decisions should remain between Ohio families and their doctors – not the government. An opponent hearing is scheduled for later this week and a committee vote is imminent. Now is the time to speak up! Join us at the Statehouse on Wednesday at 3 p.m. to voice your opposition to this discriminatory bill.

This transphobic bill was amended earlier this year to include a provision that would ban trans girls and women from playing on sports teams that match their gender identities. HB 68 is a clear example of extreme government overreach and state-sponsored bullying of trans and gender-nonconforming Ohioans. Ohioans did not ask for this. Ohioans do not want this.