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Andy Downing

@andydowning33.bsky.social
1.4K followers 217 following 1.4K posts

director/editor @matternews

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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 1h
sharing this in light of a hate group’s local flyering campaign getting so much coverage that the mayor issued a statement condemning the group. www.propublica.org/article/a-2-...
propublica.org
A 2-for-1 for Racists: Post Hateful Fliers, and Revel in the News Coverage
White supremacists have targeted college campuses, causing upset and gaining attention.
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Jules Eileen Roscoe Fitzgerald @julesaroscoe.bsky.social · 21h
After prolific outcry against Flock this summer, Columbus has paused its contract. But...what about all that other surveillance tech we use? Like Shotspotter? I dive in here for @matternews.bsky.social . matternews.org/community/po...
matternews.org
Flock is on pause. What about all that other surveillance tech we use? – Matter News
Columbus has had a contract with Shotspotter, an AI-powered gunshot detection microphone system, since 2018.
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 23h
Flock has cost the city of Columbus $228,000 since 2024, according to city council records. The sum of the cost for all approved Shotspotter contract renewals and expansions sits at $7,020,384.56. In a June hearing, the council unanimously authorized an expenditure of $661,500 for Shotspotter.
matternews.org
Flock is on pause. What about all that other surveillance tech we use? – Matter News
Columbus has had a contract with Shotspotter, an AI-powered gunshot detection microphone system, since 2018.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 23h
Flock has cost the city of Columbus $228,000 since 2024, according to city council records. The sum of the cost for all approved Shotspotter contract renewals and expansions sits at $7,020,384.56. In a June hearing, the council unanimously authorized an expenditure of $661,500 for Shotspotter.
matternews.org
Flock is on pause. What about all that other surveillance tech we use? – Matter News
Columbus has had a contract with Shotspotter, an AI-powered gunshot detection microphone system, since 2018.
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dfilipi @flip1.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Great ink by @andydowning33.bsky.social in @matternews.bsky.social about the new restoration of #Riverbend screening Fri, Oct 2 at the Wex with restoration producer Michael Dennis and actor Julius Tennon in person! #filmrestoration #independentfilm matternews.org/culture/scre...
matternews.org
A newly restored ‘Riverbend’ finds fresh resonance in the modern era – Matter News
A series of unlikely events collided to give new life to the 1989 film, which will screen at the Wexner Center for the Arts on Friday, Oct. 2.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“We were helping these African American people get the boot off their neck, as it were,” said Tennon, who now believes that the film’s lack of a “white savior” in part helped to doom its early release. “This was Black people saving themselves, which was totally against the status quo.”
matternews.org
A newly restored ‘Riverbend’ finds fresh resonance in the modern era – Matter News
A series of unlikely events collided to give new life to the 1989 film, which will screen at the Wexner Center for the Arts on Friday, Oct. 2.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Much of new Kill Gosling album Super Plume recalls these internally tumultuous months when this musical future remained an open question, Maguire grappling with his place both in the band and within the larger Columbus scene. “It’s a very meta, self-referential album in hindsight,” said Maguire.
matternews.org
Kill Gosling rediscovers its joy on the way to ‘Super Plume’ – Matter News
The Columbus rock band will celebrate the release of its excellent new album in concert at Cafe Bourbon Street on Saturday, Sept. 26.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Read the Matter News report on this from 10 days ago matternews.org/community/th...
matternews.org
Thousands of missed trips leave Columbus COTA riders stranded – Matter News
New records obtained by Matter News show that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31 the number of missed COTA trips totaled 32,056, an average of almost 132 missed trips per day. The agency placed the majority o...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
this beer bar could stand to retire some glassware
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Read the Matter News report on this from 10 days ago matternews.org/community/th...
matternews.org
Thousands of missed trips leave Columbus COTA riders stranded – Matter News
New records obtained by Matter News show that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31 the number of missed COTA trips totaled 32,056, an average of almost 132 missed trips per day. The agency placed the majority o...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“It’s what happens after the death of parents, after middle age, and also the aftertime for maybe our democracy, for our planet. And it’s [asking] what do we do with that? And I don’t want it to be a downer. ... It’s looking at how we go forward, because if we’re breathing, we must.”
matternews.org
Kathy Fagan takes stock with ‘The Unbecoming’ – Matter News
The poet will celebrate the release of her new collection with a reading at Gramercy Books on Thursday, Sept. 24.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
v. chuffed to go from paying more than $4 a gallon for gas to paying just a bit over $4 a gallon if ohio republicans move to suspend the state gas tax
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
“When I started on this, I originally thought, well, this will be a warning. Well, too late. And I worked as fast as I could, but it’s a big book,” said Backderf, who sees myriad echoes between the Wilson administration that persecuted the cartoonists of The Masses and the one being led by Trump.
matternews.org
Derf Backderf delves into the past, finds lessons for the present with ‘The Dissidents’ – Matter News
The Cleveland cartoonist will celebrate the release of his sprawling, deeply engaging new book with an appearance at the Wexner Center for the Arts on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I can always tell when someone posts about Evolved/Trauma on Columbus Reddit because there's a corresponding spike to the Matter feature.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Faced with a rent increase of more than 30 percent, the Hess family opted to move on from the artist’s creative home of the last eight years. And while the next steps remain uncertain, they stressed that Henry would maintain a presence in Franklinton. ‘We’re not going anywhere,’ Sophia Hess said.
matternews.org
Henry Hess says goodbye to his longtime Chromedge studio – Matter News
Faced with a rent increase of more than 30 percent, the Hess family opted to move on from the artist’s creative home of the last eight years. And while the next steps remain uncertain, they stressed t...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
ed sheeran alone onstage at gilette field with "I am not complicit" scrawled across his guitar in the same handwriting as woody guthrie's "this machine kills fascists"
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
“Had I not been writing through my 15-, 16-, 17-year-old life, I don’t know who I would have been, because I was an angry kid, an angry teenager. But once I got onstage, there was this sense of release, and I could feel it moving through my body.” matternews.org/culture/word...
matternews.org
Barbara Fant returns to Columbus ready to leave her mark on Thurber House – Matter News
The poet and newly minted executive director of the literary nonprofit will take part in a community reception welcoming her to the role on Thursday, Sept. 17.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
the dispatch running a story from the usa today network about a business insider article picking ohio's "most famous band"
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
More than two decades in the works, the new documentary from artist David Denniston lovingly traces the life and experiences of Ricky ‘Ice Cream’ Jackson, who will be on hand when the film premieres at the Lincoln Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 17. matternews.org/culture/scre...
matternews.org
‘Ice Cream Land’ balances fantasy, reality in making its way to the big screen – Matter News
More than two decades in the works, the new documentary from artist David Denniston lovingly traces the life and experiences of Ricky ‘Ice Cream’ Jackson, who will be on hand when the film premieres a...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
tbf ed sheeran's music sounds like the work of someone who completely lacks conviction
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The songs on Thomas Dollbaum’s lovely sophomore album, Birds of Paradise, are more intimately shaped by his adolescent memories of Florida, and more specifically the ways its wilderness existed amid the expanding reach of humans. Did you miss Dollbaum at Nelsonville? Catch him at Rumba tonight.
matternews.org
Thomas Dollbaum takes his time getting to ‘Birds of Paradise’ – Matter News
The Florida-born, New Orleans-based singer and songwriter performs at Nelsonville Music Festival this weekend.
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Ben Ferree @benferree.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
What’s an appropriate number of routes for COTA to miss a day, start to finish? Three? Five to ten, as the Dispatch quoted in July? How about the actual number, 132? Must-read reporting from @matternews.bsky.social matternews.org/community/th...
matternews.org
Thousands of missed trips leave Columbus COTA riders stranded – Matter News
New records obtained by Matter News show that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31 the number of missed COTA trips totaled 32,056, an average of almost 132 missed trips per day. The agency placed the majority o...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Over the weekend, @rooster.info obtained a memo from CMR President & CEO David Miller to staff addressing the "negative posts on social media" related to the restaurant group's sponsorship of a Friends of the IDF fundraiser that sparked a boycott call from Baladna: Palestine Society of Columbus.
A white page labelled "memo" set on a yellow background below text that reads "Cameron Mitchell Restaurants doubles down on support of Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces, calls it a 'humanitarian organization'"
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
New records obtained by Matter News show that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31 the number of missed COTA trips totaled 32,056, an average of almost 132 missed trips per day. The agency placed the majority of the blame on fleet maintenance issue and said it is taking steps to correct the problem.
matternews.org
Thousands of missed trips leave Columbus COTA riders stranded – Matter News
New records obtained by Matter News show that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31 the number of missed COTA trips totaled 32,056, an average of almost 132 missed trips per day. The agency placed the majority o...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
New records obtained by Matter News show that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31 the number of missed COTA trips totaled 32,056, an average of almost 132 missed trips per day. The agency placed the majority of the blame on fleet maintenance issue and said it is taking steps to correct the problem.
matternews.org
Thousands of missed trips leave Columbus COTA riders stranded – Matter News
New records obtained by Matter News show that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31 the number of missed COTA trips totaled 32,056, an average of almost 132 missed trips per day. The agency placed the majority o...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
lydia showed me a family picture she drew and said “you’re the one with the specks of hair”
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
ai companies: you need to embrace us this is the future also ai companies: oh and heads up there's a *slight* chance we could end humanity
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The Cringe live events calendar at Matter News has been updated with shows through Sunday, Sept. 27. matternews.org/calendar/
matternews.org
Calendar – Matter News
The Cringe live events calendar at Matter News was updated on Sunday, Sept. 13, and includes listings through Sunday, Sept. 27. Visit Cringe.com here for four full weeks of listings and send your Colu...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
me if I ever catch a minion
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
actually very aware thanks reddit
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“Doing so much mural work, a lot of it is contracted, and you’re less in control,” the artist said. “So, when you do have the time, you start to ask, where do I want to focus my attention? And it’s the world around you.” matternews.org/culture/art/...
matternews.org
Nick Stull adopts a quieter approach – Matter News
With his latest collection, on view at Sarah Gormley Gallery beginning today (Friday, Sept. 11), the Columbus artist hopes to entice viewers to linger a little longer in his world.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
“And it was interesting to me to show this aspect of community and street family that I think a lot of housed people have no concept of,” Creighton said. “Often, housed people don’t even have a real deep sense of community for themselves. So, it felt important to me to show those connections.”
matternews.org
‘Wood Street’ was filmed in Oakland but it could have been made in Columbus – Matter News
The new documentary from California journalist and filmmaker Caron Creighton screens at the Drexel Theatre this weekend as part of Cinema Columbus.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
adding sports coverage was better before gambling infiltrated it to my list of old man complaints alongside headlights are too bright now
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
What other country has abandoned so much of its transportation infrastructure? A century ago, Columbus had eight regional interurban rail lines. Ohio is full of unused and underused rail lines – and others that have been removed, bulldozing our past to spite our future. New from Brian Williams.
matternews.org
On Development: Rapid-transit is moving slowly. Maybe we need a new model – Matter News
Our policies suggest a willingness to spend any amount to add lanes and bigger (towering!) interchanges for major highways, while transit spending is too often regarded as frivolous.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
What other country has abandoned so much of its transportation infrastructure? A century ago, Columbus had eight regional interurban rail lines. Ohio is full of unused and underused rail lines – and others that have been removed, bulldozing our past to spite our future. New from Brian Williams.
matternews.org
On Development: Rapid-transit is moving slowly. Maybe we need a new model – Matter News
Our policies suggest a willingness to spend any amount to add lanes and bigger (towering!) interchanges for major highways, while transit spending is too often regarded as frivolous.
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Jack Shuler @jackshuler.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
One of the most difficult stories I’ve worked on in years, but a real honor to work on it with colleagues at The Report Project. www.thereportingproject.org/theres-a-lot...
thereportingproject.org
‘There’s a lot of Brocks around here’: The complicated life and death of a loved one on the streets - The Reporting Project - Covering Licking County, Ohio
Brock Lewis, a 34-year-old, lifelong Newark resident with unforgettable blue eyes, represents a population often overlooked – or looked at with disdain – by society. He was among three unhoused people...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The path to new exhibition “When the Earth Bends we Bend” has been a more than 15-year odyssey for Melissa Vogley Woods, the chance discovery of a Russian-language video leading her down a rabbit hole that culminated in a trip to Rima, a tiny Italian town backed immediately up against the Alps.
matternews.org
Melissa Vogley Woods slows things down for ‘When the Earth Bends we Bend’ – Matter News
The artist’s new exhibition opens at Brandt Gallery on Friday, Sept. 11.
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
hell yeah.
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Dominic Umile @dominicumile.com · 09/09/2026
Wholeheartedly agree. And a great profile here of NYC's Prison a few weeks back matternews.org/culture/musi... @matternews.bsky.social @andydowning33.bsky.social
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Jason Cohen @cohenesque.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Every city should have a Matter (or a Racket. Or a print alt-weekly survivor). matternews.org/culture/musi...
matternews.org
Newly reunited, the musicians in Nice Strong Arm continue to destroy themselves, listeners – Matter News
Following 30 years apart, the Texas noise rock trio visits Cafe Bourbon Street for a concert on Thursday, Sept. 10, playing alongside Ron House and Scrawl.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
“And I wouldn’t say it’s a complete reenactment, but some of [the lyrics] are verbatim things we’ve literally shouted at each other during arguments,” said Smith, who will join his BeachKitty bandmates in performing at 934 Fest on Saturday, Sept. 12. matternews.org/culture/musi...
matternews.org
‘Obviously, we make songs for the sad folks’: BeachKitty gears up for 934 Fest – Matter News
Ahead of the release of new album ‘Cool Breeze,’ the shoegaze-indebted Columbus band, led by songwriting duo Milly May and Keano Smith, will feature at the annual art and music festival on Saturday, S...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
"crush crime in our cities" *hits a soft liner to first base*
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“And in that, you really see how … there are so many beautiful things when you’re not just looking at the bolded letters. And that definitely shifted my perspective and helped me understand I’m not an events person. ... I want to drift and flow within the in-betweens.” matternews.org/culture/scre...
matternews.org
Filmmaker Logan St. Hilaire explores the in betweens with ‘Maroon’ – Matter News
The Columbus native turned the camera on his Haitian family for his new short film, which screens this weekend at the Wexner Center for the Arts as part of Cinema Columbus Film Festival.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
about as niche as merch comes but I wish we could offer a villagerrr-approved matterrr hat
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“And in that, you really see how … there are so many beautiful things when you’re not just looking at the bolded letters. And that definitely shifted my perspective and helped me understand I’m not an events person. ... I want to drift and flow within the in-betweens.” matternews.org/culture/scre...
matternews.org
Filmmaker Logan St. Hilaire explores the in betweens with ‘Maroon’ – Matter News
The Columbus native turned the camera on his Haitian family for his new short film, which screens this weekend at the Wexner Center for the Arts as part of Cinema Columbus Film Festival.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
selling the use of facial recognition technology as an unquestioned convenience is certainly a choice www.thelantern.com/2026/09/faci...
thelantern.com
Facial authentication software Express Entry simplifies entry into Ohio Stadium
For Ohio State fans, getting into the Horseshoe on game day has often meant waiting in long lines before kickoff. That process looked different Saturday. Ohio State expanded Express Entry, a facial-au...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“We set up and Kevin started playing guitar, doing all this crazy feedback, and the producer ran into the room like, ‘Oh, my God! What happened? Is it broken?’” Asnes said. “And it was like, ‘No, no. That’s what I meant to do.’ ‘You want that sound on your record? What the hell’s wrong with you?’”
matternews.org
Newly reunited, the musicians in Nice Strong Arm continue to destroy themselves, listeners – Matter News
Following 30 years apart, the Texas noise rock trio visits Cafe Bourbon Street for a concert on Thursday, Sept. 10, playing alongside Ron House and Scrawl.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Lydia told me I have enemies and they’re the devil, lightning, and “anyone who’s my enemy.”
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
“A lot of what I do as an artist is grounded in social purpose and is grounded in using the camera … to have these conversations that may be challenging, because I do want to make work that maybe can guide [my kids] to have a better awareness of the people around them and the world around them.”
matternews.org
Jeff Hazelden presents different views of adulthood – Matter News
For his new book, ‘these are adults,’ the Columbus photographer surveyed six locals on what it means to grow up, embracing the project as ‘a celebration of the different ways we navigate life.’
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
asked where ohio could make up the billions lost for education, health, public safety, etc. a republican state senator suggested reallocating money from state parks, which were funded at a paltry level *before* the statehouse slashed their budget by half this year
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