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Sunday, January 26, 12noon
Studio 35 Cinema & Drafthouse, 3055 Indianola Ave., Columbus

Experience the power of We Are Guardians, an award-winning documentary exploring the fight to protect the Brazilian Amazon. Follow Indigenous forest guardian Marçal Guajajara and leader Puyr Tembé as they risk their lives defending ancestral lands from deforestation, while illegal logger Valdir faces a moral and economic dilemma. Directed by Indigenous activist Edivan Guajajara alongside environmental filmmakers Chelsea Greene and Rob Grobman, and executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, this film is a compelling story of resilience amidst crisis. 

We're pleased to announce that Jeffrey Wilson, president of Friends of Serpent Mound, will be a distinguished speaker for the Q&A following the screening this Sunday.

Central Ohio’s well-known Leonard Peltier advocate Michael Eckhardt is a Free Press Hero. The Free Press honors Michael this week for his tireless and dedicated work for Leonard Peltier’s freedom.

Finally, on the last day of his presidency, Biden performed a most remarkable act – commuting the sentence of Native American political prisoner Leonard Peltier. NPR reported “vehement opposition” from the FBI, a factor that’s prevented previous presidents from releasing him. Biden added Leonard’s long-awaited commutation to his huge number of pardons and clemency actions. Thousands of activists worldwide, who persistently lobbied the federal government during five decades for Leonard’s release, are relieved and ecstatic. Leonard is now 80 years old and his health is failing.

Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce gave the first indication and, now, City Council President Shannon Hardin has predictably followed suit. Columbus City Council claims it has its lowest budget in years. Shannon Hardin, Andy Ginther, and our County Commissioners apparently don’t intend to adequately increase funding for homeless programs. NBC4 reported yesterday that City leaders are using depleted American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds as their excuse for not being able to provide sufficient funding to deal with homelessness in Columbus.

Marisa here from Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Donald Trump and his anti-science loyalists are determined to implement the worst of Project 2025 and are already working with corporate polluters to intimidate scientists and sideline science—endangering communities, people, and the planet. We have to intervene NOW and build the public pressure we need to stop attacks against scientists and science.

​​We know from experience that when science and scientists are sidelined, people get hurt. Will you sign the petition?

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Thursday, January 23 at 6pm
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church (30 W Woodruff Ave, Columbus, OH 43210) or online at tinyurl.com/CORSmeeting
A presentation and discussion on the ceasefire and what’s next for the Palestine solidarity movement.

Thursday, January 23, 2025, 2:00 PM
Location:  Michael J. Dorrian Building, Main Lobby, Board of Commissioners Hearing Room, 369 S High St., Columbus, Ohio 43215.
Join the Franklin County Investment Advisory Committee Meeting to take a Stand.  
Let’s pressure Treasurer Cheryl Brooks Sullivan to Divest $5 million in Israel Bonds maturing February 1 and stand for justice.  

Why Franklin County Must Divest from Israeli Bonds Now

Franklin County, Ohio, has invested $33 million in Israeli Bonds, with plans to add another $5 million on February 1, 2025. These investments are financially reckless, ethically questionable, and deeply misaligned with the values of our diverse community. It is time to confront the uncomfortable truth about these investments and demand immediate divestment.

On January 22, the Ohio Student Association disrupted Ohio Senator Jerry Cirino’s press conference announcing SB 1, a regurgitated version of the widely unpopular SB 83. OSA members showed up loud and proud on day one at the Ohio Statehouse to defy this attempt to dismantle Ohio’s higher education system. The re-introduced bill aims to centralize control over Ohio’s public higher education system, threatens academic free speech, and the state’s ability to attract and retain top students and educators.

Students gathered in the atrium holding signs and graduation caps reading “Listen to Students” and “R.I.P. my degree” before marching to the hallway outside the Harding Press Room. Students chanted as incoming Chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee, Kristina Roegner, took the stage, her speech overshadowed by the booming chanting of college students: “Higher ed will be dead”. 

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.