May 12, 2021
A plan revealed by state lawmakers to reduce the portion of money the Public Library Fund is a concern to library officials across Ohio. The Public Library Fund is comprised of 1.7% of Ohio s general revenue fund. That s about $871 million over the biennium. But that would drop to 1.66% under the proposal - $22 million less over two years for all libraries, according to the Ohio Library Council. And if a proposed income tax is factored in and state revenues fall, it could be worse. The Director of the Chillicothe-Ross County Library, James Hill, tells the Chillicothe Gazette while it s unclear how many dollars would be lost if the twin cuts were put into effect, it would be felt by the system. Hill adds it would no doubt effect the day-to-day operations of the library. Libraries say the need for their books, magazines, job centers and story-times is greater than ever following the chaos and uncertainty of a pandemic year.
Smith: I feel fine, and I am looking forward to receiving the second dose of vaccine
Rick W. Smith Sr
For any person who may be hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, I understand. As an African American man, trust me. I get it, and yes, it is understandable. Mistrust of vaccines runs deep in Black communities. People of color have been used as the world s guinea pigs for far too long.
Before you so quickly dismiss this fact, let us step back and examine the history. The past is littered with exploitative experiments involving People of Color. Dating back to the 1700s, documented proof exists of Black Caribbean slaves being used for horrific medical testing. Most of us are aware of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments. It took the United States 65 years to finally apologize to the 399 Black men who were deliberately denied adequate treatment for syphilis to document the disease s natural history. While the apology was welcomed and appreciated, it did very little