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Andy Ginther’s 41-minute State of the City Speech given yesterday was as usual heavy on campaign rhetoric, self-promotion and empty promises rather than admitting or even hinting at his failures and mistakes.

Ginther emphasized that LinkUS Columbus is critically important to the growth of Columbus yet he continues to exclude the essential services of regional bus transportation providers as partners of LinkUS Columbus.    

Ginther stated, “How lucky are we to lead and shape the future of this incredible place.” Of course, the mayor was referring to his major campaign contributors, developers, power brokers, and the 80 member Columbus Partnership.

Four GOP Senators Resist IRA Tax-Credit Repeal

Four Republican U.S. Senators have added their names with 21 Republican congressional representatives in support of retaining the renewable energy benefits outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act or the IRA. 

The latest letter from Senators Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Thom Tillis from North Carolina, John Curtis from Utah and Jerry Moran from Kansas expressed their support for continuing the renewable energy policy set forth in the Inflation Reduction Act, IRA. 

Senators Murkowski, Tillis and Moran voted Nay for the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. Curtis is a freshman senator from Utah elected in 2024.

There was no mention that President Trumps’ executive orders repealed the existing renewable energy agreements.

The republican senators carefully ask for “a targeted, pragmatic approach”. 

House committees will soon begin the process of budget reconciliation in conjunction with Senate panels. 

Dr. Bob and Dan-o Dougan commemorate Earth Day with songs by and about the Earth, the world, and land and discuss climate change.

Listen here

Listen live at 11pm Friday, April 18 and 25 streaming at wgrn.org or on the radio at 91.9FM
and
Monday at 2pm streaming April 21 and 28 at wcrsfm.org or on the radio at 92.7 or 98.3FM

Thursday, April 17, 2pm
Franklin County Government Center 373 S. High St., first floor, auditorium

Join us in demanding Treasurer Cheryl Brooks Sullivan stop reinvesting in Franklin County’s $33 million in Israel bonds.

• Demand Transparency: The Franklin County Treasurer’s Office is withholding crucial investment information, including the status of $5 million in Israeli bonds.

• Protect Community Funds: With Israel’s credit rating downgraded as Israel continues to kill or severely injure over 100 children a day in Gaza, reinvesting carries significant risk. Join us to advocate for responsible and ethical financial decisions.

• A historic opportunity for change: Your participation sends a powerful message, signaling to other countries that divestment is possible and crucial to ending financial support for Israel’s actions. Your presence will help push for a permanent ceasefire and an end to apartheid.

Sponsored by JVP Central Ohio, AMP Columbus, Columbus DSA, and CPUSA.

Hosted by Jewish Voice for Peace Central Ohio.

Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 4:30 – 7:30 PM
Mozart’s Bakery and Piano Café, 4784 N High St, Columbus 43214. 

Facebook Event. 

Join us for the Community Refugee and Immigration Service’s Gathering for Good—an evening of connection, storytelling, and fundraising—at Mozart’s Café. Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Mozart's, this event is free and open to the public with light refreshments provided and a cash bar.  

Good Café – a celiac safe restaurant – has joined a network of cafes in Central Ohio where customers can get their takeout drinks in stainless steel reusable cups.

When the basement flooded again, the Taylors didn’t panic. They filmed it. They emailed Beacon Property Management—again. The water damage wasn’t new. Neither was the silence.

For months, Zakee Taylor and his family had been trying to work with their landlord to resolve outstanding issues at their rental in Northeast Columbus: mold from a previous flood, broken fixtures, a faulty bathroom fan, and rising late fees due to the income cycle of the life of a small business owner entrepreneur. The Taylors are not “problem tenants.” They are deeply embedded in the city they’re being pushed out of. Their company, Taylor Branding Co., has operated in Columbus for more than two decades.

What they asked for wasn’t extreme—access to their online tenant portal, a structured payment plan, and time to vacate the property after their son’s high school graduation. They even had the rent money saved.

But their account was locked. Because Beacon filed for eviction. It wasn’t a miscommunication. It was the model.

This isn’t about one family. This is about what happens when profit meets poverty, meets policy, meets silence. Eviction is not a symptom. It’s a strategy.

Tuesday, April 15, 6:30pm, Whitehall City Council, 360 S. Yearling Rd., Whitehall, Ohio

Join us at the Whitehall City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 15 at 6:30pm to support the passage of resolutions to protect trans people and immigrants.

We encourage attendees to speak in support of the resolutions. There will be two opportunities for the public to offer comments at the meeting, limited to three minutes, with sign-up at the meeting.

Even if you don’t speak, your presence to fill the chambers and support others will be greatly appreciated.

The final vote on these resolutions is anticipated at this meeting.

Hosted by Indivisible Central Ohio.

Facebook Event

A father is not supposed to bury his children. It goes against the natural order of things and when parents lose their children, it is a tragedy that shakes a parent to the core, not if you live in Palestine. That's exactly what happened in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip yesterday when the Israeli Death Forces (IDF) killed 6 brothers from the Abu Mahadi family by bombing their vehicle as they traveled to aid displaced people through a charity. Their elderly father has to bury his 6 sons, including his youngest of 10 years old.

The men were not carrying weapons, nor were they resisting. They were civilians. The six brothers and their friend were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit their vehicle in the Gaza Strip early on Sunday. Ibrahim Abu Mahadi mourned his sons as their bodies were brought to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, according to Gaza ambulance service. Their elderly father has to bury his 6 sons after he conducted the janaza prayers. AP reports saw the mangled and bloodied car as relatives wept over the bodies.

We all want to live and raise our children in a safe place. Two immigrant parents thought they came to the United States for exactly that, only to have their dreams dashed in March.