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Matter News

@matternews.bsky.social
7.2K followers 70 following 772 posts

Independent, nonprofit news org in Columbus, Ohio, covering arts, music, culture and community.

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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 16h
A problem with the discourse around these issues is that it isn’t being completely honest when it comes to race. Not publicly, anyway writes Scott Woods. matternews.org/voices/opini...
matternews.org
Opinion: You can’t talk about Issues 8 and 9 without race – Matter News
A problem with the discourse around these issues is that it isn’t being completely honest when it comes to race. Not publicly, anyway.
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 16h
A problem with the discourse around these issues is that it isn’t being completely honest when it comes to race. Not publicly, anyway writes Scott Woods. matternews.org/voices/opini...
matternews.org
Opinion: You can’t talk about Issues 8 and 9 without race – Matter News
A problem with the discourse around these issues is that it isn’t being completely honest when it comes to race. Not publicly, anyway.
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
A similar curiosity exists within “Spirit & Dust,” the artists tracing an expansive path, with some interrogating death as intensely personal and others, such as Elvira Clayton, applying a wider lens, her hanging sculptures unraveling the impacts of slavery and the ancestral grief left in its wake.
matternews.org
New Urban Arts Space exhibition opens up a conversation about death – Matter News
‘Spirit & Dust,’ co-curated by Diane Callahan and Michelle Burdine, explores grief, loss, and the weight of mortality from a wealth of perspectives.
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
A colorful crew of Ohio activists helped spur moratorium votes in 10 communities next month. Now, they’re aiming for a statewide ban. New from Dan Gearino at Inside Climate News now at Matter. matternews.org/community/de...
matternews.org
Inside Ohio’s Revolt Against Data Centers – Matter News
A colorful crew of activists helped spur moratorium votes in 10 communities next month. Now, they’re aiming for a statewide ban.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
"And that’s just one small reason why I have no interest in becoming a personality or an influencer or whatever. And I get worried that idea is inseparable from music, in some ways, unless you decide to stay completely offline, which is valid, but which also makes it hard to make a career of it.”
matternews.org
Villagerrr’s Mark Scott would gladly hop off the industry ‘Carousel’ – Matter News
“I was getting a little frustrated with feeling responsible for promoting the album, because putting yourself out there, it’s not the most comfortable thing for a lot of people, and it definitely wasn...
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sgt. hare apollo @sgthareapollo.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Villagerrr is so real Matter News is so real Columbus, Ohio is so real villagerrr.bandcamp.com/album/carousel
villagerrr.bandcamp.com
Carousel, by villagerrr
10 track album
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
"I feel like that's the Carousel thing. It’s like, okay, we’re going to toil away doing this thing. And we’re going to put ourselves in a metal box and drive 100 miles per hour across the country and guzzle down gas and make people buy drinks at bars. It just feels like we’re part of the problem."
matternews.org
Villagerrr’s Mark Scott would gladly hop off the industry ‘Carousel’ – Matter News
“I was getting a little frustrated with feeling responsible for promoting the album, because putting yourself out there, it’s not the most comfortable thing for a lot of people, and it definitely wasn...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
I’m required to post this again with every Sirens mention. matternews.org/community/th...
matternews.org
The Long Shadow of the Columbus Police Vice Unit – Matter News
Four years since the disbandment of a corrupt police unit, Columbus continues to feel the aftershocks of the scandal. This is the story of how the squad went astray, plus a look at what replaced it.
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dancing skelly mcgilvery @kelegraph.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Looking for the best online arts coverage in the Midwest. So far I’ve found the excellent @matternews.bsky.social. Any recs? I’ll add to this thread as I find more.
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
“I think a big part from opening was to give authorship of the space to people with good ideas,” said Obenauf, who described his pitch as a last-ditch effort to save the store. “It was like, this is the call … and if no one responds, then we’ll throw in the towel.” matternews.org/community/de...
matternews.org
Two Dollar Radio HQ reopens with an expanded ownership group and a similarly expanded vision for the future – Matter News
‘I think a big part from opening was to give authorship of the space to people with good ideas, to open the doors to people to try different things.’
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
“I think seeing someone like Doug, who is maybe a little bit more, or a lot bit more nervous, who is a lot bit queer, a little bit raunchy, made me realize there was a place for me in comedy,” she said. matternews.org/culture/bian...
matternews.org
Bianca Moore rediscovers her love for comedy ahead of Wonder Doug Fest – Matter News
The comedian and burlesque dancer will perform on the opening night of the two-day variety show being staged at Spacebar this weekend by artist and comedian ‘Wonder Doug’ Cuckler.
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
“I mean, we live in a political hellscape. I’m not super happy with the political climate in the nation – or in the world, really. I think it’s weird we can’t talk about the genocide in Palestine, and that AI is this destructive thing we’re just supposed to be okay with.”
matternews.org
Liteweight Champion survives the fire – Matter News
The Columbus rock band will celebrate the release of new album ‘Geronimo Hardstyle’ in concert at Dick’s Den on Friday, Oct. 9.
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
“I mean, all 20 of our fans get so pissed,” Mays cracked, making reference to the disorientation experienced by those who see the Scrawl name and immediately anticipate a concert from the legends. “Every year, people start texting me, ‘You guys are playing?’ No.” matternews.org/culture/art/...
matternews.org
Scrawl meets Scrawl – Matter News
Marcy Mays and Sue Harshe recently joined pioneering Urban Scrawl artist Dan Gerdeman for a conversation ahead of the band’s performance at the Franklinton art event that has been a longtime source of...
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Jennifer Wray @10bagspacking.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I’m delighted to see @matternews.bsky.social on here!
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“When I was in my late 20s and early 30s, back when Into It. Over It. was doing a lot more, I think I got hung up on what the fans would want. And that’s a prison, and it doesn’t make for good anything.” Into It. Over It's Evan Weiss plays solo at Secret Studio on Saturday.
matternews.org
Evan Weiss learns to loosen up – Matter News
The Into It. Over It. frontman will perform solo at Secret Studio on Saturday, Oct. 3, supported by openers JG Shadid and Lydia Loveless.
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
How a factory for AI-powered weapons, a data center, and a needy public school collided in rural Ohio. New at Matter from Taylor Barnes (@tkbarnes.bsky.social) at Inkstick Media. matternews.org/community/de...
matternews.org
An Ohio school needs funds. It voted to cut Anduril’s tax bill, anyway – Matter News
How a factory for AI-powered weapons, a data center, and a needy public school collided in rural Ohio.
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“We’re all touched by immigration in some way, and I just want people to think critically about that instead of just seeing it as a black and white issue, because it’s not.” The new group exhibition at the Losinski Gallery at the Main Library will host a reception from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3.
matternews.org
‘Immigration: A Journey of Belonging’ seeks deeper understanding – Matter News
The new group exhibition, open now at the Losinski Gallery at the Main Library, will host a reception from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3.
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Jules Eileen Roscoe Fitzgerald @julesaroscoe.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
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 · 29/09/2026
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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Matter News @matternews.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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Matter News @matternews.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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Matter News @matternews.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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dfilipi @flip1.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
GREAT article in @matternews.bsky.social about the Sept 23 event at the Wex with @derfbackderf.bsky.social and his incredible new book THE DISSIDENTS! The OSU alum will discuss the book's making and sign copies after! More info in the comments. matternews.org/culture/word...
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. 23.
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Matter News @matternews.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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Matter News @matternews.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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Matter News @matternews.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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Matter News @matternews.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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Matter News @matternews.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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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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Benjamin McKean @blmckean.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
At least for me, it’s been a very discouraging year as a rider of public transportation in Columbus. Somehow bus services this year has gotten even worse than the already low level we’re sadly accustomed to here.
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trevin @trevinflickinger.com · 14/09/2026
similar numbers to what my bot was recording @cbusbot.bsky.social it posts bus trip cancellations every day and some summaries and insights
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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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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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Matter News @matternews.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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Matter News @matternews.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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Matter News @matternews.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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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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Matter News @matternews.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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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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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
hell yeah.
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Matter News @matternews.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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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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Matter News @matternews.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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Matter News @matternews.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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Ohio Federation of Teachers @oftunion.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
"It angers us because we’re seeing every day how our school districts are having to make very, very tough decisions about laying off staff, about cutting programs … and it’s our students who are suffering through all of this.” — OFT President @mcropper.bsky.social tells @matternews.bsky.social
matternews.org
Unpacking Vivek Ramaswamy’s plan to eliminate Ohio’s income tax – Matter News
The campaign promise comes along with a $9.8 billion dollar budget gap to fund public education, health care, and public safety services across the state, according to a February report released by In...
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Benjamin McKean @blmckean.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
some personal news (I said this)
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Matter News @matternews.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
“I think plans like Ramaswamy's or Reagan's can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You cut taxes, you weaken the government, the quality of services decline, and then people feel like [the] government isn't helping. … [The] government is useless, and so they become persuaded to cut taxes even more.”
matternews.org
Unpacking Vivek Ramaswamy’s plan to eliminate Ohio’s income tax – Matter News
The campaign promise comes along with a $9.8 billion dollar budget gap to fund public education, health care, and public safety services across the state, according to a February report released by In...
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Andy Downing @andydowning33.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
“This is going right to the heart of the matter, where they’re collecting money for members of the Israel Defense Force – the actual military perpetrating the war crimes we’ve been watching really our whole lives, but particularly these last few years.” matternews.org/community/ba...
matternews.org
Baladna: Palestine Society of Columbus calls for a boycott of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants – Matter News
'So, for us as a board, given that this was happening with a business right here in our backyard, we felt it was our responsibility to take action and make the public aware.'
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