Local

A shout-out to young people who are aspirational change-makers is wanted in a new youth-led initiative to help address high rates of illiteracy within the community.

The Youth Ambassador role in Columbus (Ohio), provides a young person with a platform to advocate and talk about the falling rates of reading skills and create increased community education and awareness about the vital importance of foundational literacy skills for lifelong benefits.

Saturday, April 20, 7-11pm

Protecting, Honoring, and Celebrating Animals.
Old First Presbyterian Church, 1101 Bryden Rd. (at corner of Ohio Avenue)
Doors open at 7. Speakers from 7:30-8:

Britt from Colony Cats on their ambitious trap and release program, Lisa Chapman, OSU master gardener on how to create a pollinator garden using native plants.

Live music from 8-10: guitarlst L.A. Jenkins.

Paintings and pastels by artist Dale Johnson will be shown.

Light snacks and beverages to be served, games and an animal coloring contest with no age limit!

There is no admission for Third Space events but we encourage donations to our partner non-profits and to cover some of the outlay for the event. Art, food, community,

CONVERSATION!

Throughout April
Be part of the largest volunteer event around Earth Day in the United States with Green Columbus.
Volunteer here

The Free Press Second Saturday Salon held an Earth Day Birthday celebration for WGRN 91.9 FM community radio on Saturday, April 13, 2024. WGRN honored it’s “Volunteer of the Year,” long-time Board member Joe Keehner. And “Producer of the Year,” Felice Thomas, host of “The Cell.”

Video of Felice Thomas. Producer of The Year the program "The Cell".

Video of WGRN Director Tim Chavez and Joe Keehner, Volunteer of the Year

Columbus is a massive flat concrete and asphalt pancake on vast prairie land with one million new residents projected by 2050. Building new Metro Parks is essential to give the community more things to do and connect them to nature.

The good news is two new Metro Parks on the Far South Side are scheduled to open at the end of this year.

Under construction behind the Great Southern Shopping Center is the Great Southern Metro Park on the banks of the Scioto River. A bike trail down the river will connect to downtown. The Bank Run Metro Park was mapped out close to Big Walnut Creek within the Village of Lockbourne near several large dormant quarries now filled with rainwater once owned by Shelly and Sands Inc., a mining company.

Unfortunately, the two new parks may have some bad news baggage as well. Because a few Metro Park fans are wondering: Will the parks have a massive “mixed used” property connected or even in the park itself?

Wednesday, April 18, 2pm
Franklin County Government Center, Michael J. Dorrian Building, 369 S. High St., first floor, meeting room A

Pack the room at the Franklin County Treasurer Investment Advisory Committee Meeting. Franklin County currently holds at least $32 million in Israeli bonds purchased by Treasurer Cheryl Brooks Sullivan. These bonds tie up millions of dollars that should be spent meeting the needs of Franklin County’s residents. Instead, our money is helping Israel wage its genocidal war against the people of occupied Palestine.

Hosted by Columbus DSA [Democratic Socialists of America] and Jewish Voice for Peace Central Ohio.

Facebook Event

Wednesday, April 18, 2pm
Franklin County Government Center, Michael J. Dorrian Building, 369 S. High St., first floor, meeting room A

Pack the room at the Franklin County Treasurer Investment Advisory Committee Meeting. Franklin County currently holds at least $32 million in Israeli bonds purchased by Treasurer Cheryl Brooks Sullivan. These bonds tie up millions of dollars that should be spent meeting the needs of Franklin County’s residents. Instead, our money is helping Israel wage its genocidal war against the people of occupied Palestine.

Hosted by Columbus DSA [Democratic Socialists of America] and Jewish Voice for Peace Central Ohio.

Facebook Event

Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 7:00 PM
Author, filmmaker, and activist, John de Graaf established his reputation decades ago with his now classic films Affluenza and Escape from Affluenza. His groundbreaking documentaries like Take Back Your Time: Fighting Overwork and Time Poverty in America and What's the Economy For, Anyway? Why It's Time to Stop Chasing Growth and Start Pursuing Happiness continue to inspire. 

If you plan to attend on Wed Apr 17, email Chuck@simplyliving.org to receive more info on the film.

As a longtime community leader and 2023 Columbus mayoral candidate, I find it appalling that hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars are being spent to falsely sway public opinion regarding Andy Ginther and Columbus City Council’s city-wide tax abatement and zoning policy changes.

A recent Columbus Dispatch story“As Columbus pushes massive zoning overhaul, PR firm enlisted to bolster public support” gives an in depth look at how Columbus-based Paul Werth Marketing and PR Agency is utilizing taxpayer dollars to deceptively demonstrate support for the City’s recent city-wide tax abatement policy and proposed “massive zoning overhaul.” Paul Werth Senior Vice-President Dan Williamson, who is the former Deputy Chief of Staff of Communications of Mayor Michael Coleman, is leading the team assigned to the City’s marketing project.

Happy 420!!! There is much to celebrate this year. Full legal adult use in Ohio! Home grow! Possible rescheduling, better still descheduling! Reproductive rights! Ohio accomplished much in 2023 that we can crow about in 2024.

But we didn’t do it alone. They say many hands make light work. It takes a village. In truth, to arrive where we are today required thousands of our fellow citizens coming together over a span of 50+ years. What we did last year, began in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and so forth.

And, we climbed proverbial mountains to get there. The tears. The fears. The heartbreaks. The impediments. The injustices. Yet, here we are, still standing, better than we ever were before.

Despite countless obstacles, we should still show gratitude for what we have and what we gained. To paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to us, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to our advancement, we should include all things in our gratitude.”