Wendy’s New Initiative: From Rape in the Fields to Rape in the Greenhouse?

Black man holding a sign that says Freedom from Sexual Violence

On Tuesday, June 5, Mr. Nelson Peltz, Board Chairman of Wendy’s, International and Todd Penegor, Wendy’s CEO, announced their new initiative designed to ensure a steady supply of locally grown fresh produce by purchasing tomatoes and other fresh foods primarily from greenhouse growing operations in the United States and Canada. One might suppose this move would not only provide a better tomato supply, but also address the modern-day slavery, sexual violence and other abuses in fields in the U.S. and Mexico where Wendy’s had been purchasing their tomatoes. After all, what could be more farmworker-friendly than locally-grown greenhouse produce?

Transit Arts - Youth Arts Program

Four squares, top left looks like a sculpture, top right is the words Transit Arts, bottom right is a series of paintings on easels and bottom left a woman black girl painting at an easel

TRANSIT ARTS, a program of Central Community House (CCH) and the Columbus Federation of Settlements, is a youth arts development program working in partnership with the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education. TRANSIT ARTS transports young people to a place of discovery -- where creative abilities expand & doors open to a world of possibilities. Our team of inspiring professional artists guide and learn from young people as we travel together to reveal and nurture our talents and entrepreneurial abilities.

TRANSIT ARTS engages young people, ages 12-21, with a wide variety of interactive, multi-disciplinary arts workshops. Workshops are FREE for youth members. TRANSIT ARTS activities are made possible through support from: United Way of Central Ohio; Franklin County Board of Commissioners, The Ohio Arts Council, and The Puffin Foundation through the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education; the Alfred L. Wilson Charitable Fund of The Columbus Foundation, and individual contributors. *The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners

What’s in the air? The residents of Powhatan Point, Ohio deserve answers

Backs of two people standing outside on a hill pointing off to the distance down in a valley

After a gas well owned by XTO, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, exploded on February 15, it continued leaking pollution into the air for three weeks. The word “leak” is deceiving–what came out of the Schnegg well was a 100-foot vertical geyser of smoke, brine, and gases. Powhatan Point, Ohio residents 1.5 miles away could see the initial explosion, and continued hearing the ongoing eruption until XTO capped the well on March 6.

Enemy of the People: Mike DeWine

Smiling older white man wearing round black-rimmed glasses
After an appeal by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to an en banc session to review the unanimous ruling that blocked John Kasich’s unconstitutional 2016 bill to defund Planned Parenthood.   NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland said:   Appealing this unanimous decision is outrageous. Mike DeWine would rather Ohioans not have access to the cancer screenings and HIV testing that keeps them healthy than allow Planned Parenthood to help them. He is fighting against funding for rape prevention programs. Mike DeWine is putting funds at risk that combat Ohio’s infant mortality crisis. He’s willing to do all of this just to further his anti-abortion crusade and to appeal to conservative Republican voters. Think about that.   The Sixth Circuit was very clear in their original unanimous ruling. Physicians must be able to provide health care and education to patients without unconstitutional restrictions on what they can say. Politicians don’t know better than doctors and shouldn’t be allowed to block them from doing their jobs.   The bill aimed to block Planned Parenthood from receiving these state funds:

    The Vegan Connection at the Solar Stage during Comfest 2018

    Three happy people by a table outside that says VEGAN on a sign
    June 24, 2018 @ 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
    Goodale Park Comfest Weekend "Solar Stage" 120 West Goodale St.
    While Comfest 2018 runs Fri Jun 22 through Sun Jun 24th this year, and we will have a Columbus Vegan Meetup and VeganShift booth there all weekend long, we want to make a special invitation to you to join us on Sun, Jun 24th as we will also be hosting the 8th annual "The Vegan Connection" presentation developed by veteran vegan Eriyah Flynn for Comfest. It is a free event hosted by local vegan community collaboration from nonprofit Vegan Shift and the Columbus Vegan Meetup group.

    The Vegan Connection 2018 presents:

    Noelle Bartholdi, a world-class competitive and winning vegan athlete, who lives in Columbus, OH. She is passionate about helping others achieve fitness excellence on a vegan (100% plant-based) diet!

    Also presenting will be Kamal and Ami Panchal, of Banana Leaf Indian restaurant. This dynamic duo will delight our attendees with a demonstration of a delicious authentic Indian vegan cuisine recipe.

    Willie Phoenix and the soul underground

    Black man in a hat playing a guitar at a mic

    6:35 PM - Bozo stage
    Saturday, June 23 at Comfest
    Goodale Park
    This is a rock n' roll band that paints with the psychedelic volumes of 68 and 69

    6:35 PM - Bozo - Saturday

    Volunteer to help gamers with disabilities

    Lots of people smiling and sitting around a table posing for the camera, board games on the table

    Dave & Busters with Individuals with Disabilities - 6/27/18
    6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
    3665 Park Mill Run Drive, Hilliard
    Franklin County Recreation is teaming up with Dave & Busters to offer this event for individuals with disabilities. Volunteers will help welcome attendees and families and socialize and play games with them. This will be a great interactive event to help our neighbors with disabilities have a fun evening out. Volunteers are needed primarily to play games with the attendees and assist in any other way as prescribed by the staff of Franklin County Recreation. The purpose of Franklin County Recreation is to promote community activities, leisure time and social opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities, and to help recreation members connect to opportunities in their community. paul@columbusgivesback.org

    Trump, Kim and The Nuclear Status Quo

    Peace, love and Donald Trump?

    I get the skepticism regarding the tentative nuclear disarmament agreement the president and Kim Jong-un reached last week, but not the cynicism — not the outright dismissal.

    It’s too easy to hate Trump, but he isn’t the point. In his reckless unpredictability — in his lust for applause and desperation to steal headlines from the Robert Mueller investigation — he snatched an opportunity to meet with the leader of North Korea . . . “Little Rocket Man” . . . and talk about reducing the danger of nuclear war. Say what?

    It hardly seems possible — but maybe Trump has a mission far beyond anything he himself envisions: visiting creative destruction, you might say, on the planet’s geopolitical infrastructure, loosening the certainties of nationalism and armed self-defense. Perhaps the salvation of Planet Earth begins with cluelessness and ego: a superpower leader who has no idea what he’s doing.

    Visit the Free Press booth at Comfest

    Wine booth at comfest

    Friday-Sunday, June 22-24
    Goodale Park
    Come by and say Hi and buy some wine to support the Free Press and the Democratic Socialists of Central Ohio at Comfest! Our wine booth is next to the beer booth on Park near Buttles. Comfest is a free, non-corporate yearly celebration of Columbus' community organizations, performers, artists and volunteers. Music, food, social justice, and kids activities. 

    Group files suit against Ohio Department of Natural Resources

    Drawing of a buckeye leaf and nut on top of the state of Ohio

    The Buckeye Environmental Network (BEN) has filed a lawsuit against the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) for withholding critical public information, violating Ohio law. Under public records law ORC 149.43, Ohio Department of Natural Recourses should have granted, but instead denied, a file review request by the group's Executive Director of ODNR files on AquaSalina, a product of oil and gas waste. The group requested to review all records held by ODNR as follows. "1. Records held by your agency regarding Nature's Own Sources/AquaSalina. 2. Communication between your agency and Dave Mansbery, owner of Duck Creek Energy, Inc." 

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