Funding is available to help shovel-ready community projects in Ohio get going in 2022, but there is not much time left to apply.

The AARP Community Challenge provides grants ranging in size from several hundred to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the project size.

Gary Goosman, mayor of the Village of Amesville, said his community was one of the 10 in Ohio awarded a grant in 2021, which was used to install a half-acre pollinator garden in an area destroyed by a flood.

"The work was all done by volunteers, but the funds paid for the seed, the compost, the mulch and various other things, paid for the rental of the equipment," Goosman outlined. "It just did really well. Everything came up; it flowered in the first year. So it was a big success."

Projects to improve public spaces, housing, transportation and civic engagement, and support equity and inclusion and improve the lives of people age 50 and older, are encouraged. Applications are due by the end of business today.

Jackie Haight, age-friendly coordinator for the aging services provider Source Point in Delaware County, which received a grant to build an accessible community garden with raised beds and benches at a federally subsidized apartment building, said the project is part of a strategic plan to address food insecurity, and the lack of interaction residents experienced during the pandemic.

"It really helps with the depression and the isolation that older adults can experience when they're not able to get out and do things," Haight explained. "It's in their own community, right out the back door, and so it has brought a good group of residents together. They're very, very excited."

Since the start of the AARP Community Challenge in 2017, more than $285,000 in grants have been awarded in Ohio.

Goosman pointed out funding is especially helpful for smaller communities such as Amesville, which lack discretionary funds.

"We're always struggling to get monies to do projects, but we have a lot of people that have a lot of great ideas," Goosman noted. "If you're a community like that, this is really going to help you get something off the ground."

Other projects funded in Ohio include an outdoor art gallery in New Philadelphia, a shelter and ramp for a mobility hub in Dublin and a farmers-market pavilion in an Akron neighborhood known for its immigrant and refugee community.

Awards will be announced in mid-May and projects must be completed by Nov. 30.

Minnesota is closing in on the 35th anniversary of a volunteer program for clearing litter and debris along highways and rest areas.

With spring in full bloom, officials call on residents to maintain this service.

In the early 1990s, Minnesota launched its Adopt a Highway initiative.

Last year, roughly two thousand church groups, community organizations, business teams, and individuals filled up more than 42,000 bags of trash.

The Department of Transportation's Spokesperson Anne Meyer said about 900 sections of state roadways are available for adoption this year.

By pitching in, she said volunteers allow MN DOT staff to focus on other needs.

"Filling potholes, fixing fences," said Meyer, "really keeping roadways safe."

She added that the program also saves taxpayers money.

People considering volunteering can adopt a roadway section or rest area for two years and clean it at least twice a year. There's also an option for a one-time clearing of garbage near a state highway.

The agency provides training, resources, and safety vests. The state observes the program's 35th anniversary next year.

Meyer encouraged drivers to use caution if they approach an area with volunteer crews at work.

"A lot of our volunteers do go out and pick up trash on the weekends," said Meyer. "So, that's a time to really be alert out there for those volunteers - to slow down, to give them space, to do their job safely. "

Meyer said areas outside Minneapolis and St. Paul tend to have more opportunities for highway adoption.

More details are on the department's website, including a list of local coordinators around the state.




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Concerns about potential voter intimidation have spurred several states to consider banning firearms at polling sites but so far, New Hampshire is not among them.

Only a dozen states and Washington, D.C., prohibit both open and concealed-carry weapons at voting locations.

Emma Brown, executive director of the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said most of the bans were enacted after the 2020 election, when unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud took hold.

"The risk of gun violence at the polls is heightened," Brown contended. "Which means that legislation at the state level is even more critical than it ever has been."

Brown argued America's elections are free and fair, and prohibiting guns at polling sites and government locations is constitutional. Opponents countered the bans unfairly disarm law-abiding gun owners.

Recent surveys reveal election workers have faced increased threats and harassment since the 2020 election with one in three reporting some form of abuse. And nearly half of election workers said they are concerned for their colleagues' safety.

Brown pointed out armed intimidation tactics disproportionately target people of color and add to the growing exodus of election workers.

"This is a threat that we can't ignore," Brown stressed. "These attacks have also served as a deterrent to Black and brown election workers, who've historically been a really key part of ensuring that our democracy endures on Election Day."

As state legislatures consider banning guns at voting sites, legislation in Congress known as the "Vote Without Fear Act" would place a nationwide ban on weapons within 100 feet of a federal election facility, with exceptions for on-duty law enforcement and security personnel. It has been languishing in a House committee for a year.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Nassau County's executive wants to deputize residents who hold gun permits.

County Executive Bruce Blakemen's plan involves training 100 residents for "the protection of human life and property during an emergency." Little else has been made public about the plan but it has been met with widespread opposition and concern.

Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, minority leader of the Nassau County Legislature, said there are many ways it can go wrong.

"Emergencies are very chaotic situations by nature and all of a sudden, someone shows up that a police officer might not recognize or isn't identified correctly," DeRiggi-Whitton pointed out. "We're just waiting for a disaster to happen."

She added some Nassau County police officers are against the plan and, like many others, feel it's unnecessary. Blakeman said he is relying on New York State County Law 655, which grants sheriffs authority to deputize added personnel for emergencies.

DeRiggi-Whitton noted legal options are being pursued to stop the plan from being enacted.

The lack of information has made residents anxious about what the plan would do. Some have said the effort, along with Blakeman's ban on female trans athletes in county athletic facilities, are solutions without problems.

Susan Gotthrer, director of the Nassau Regional Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said more pressing issues need to be addressed.

"We have real problems in Nassau County," Gotthrer argued. "We have housing shortages, we have lack of opportunities, we have education issues, high taxes. We would really like to see Mr. Blakeman putting his energies towards real governing issues and not imaginary ones like this."

Blakeman is not alone in pushing to deputize gun owners. Support for militias is growing among conservative politicians. Some residents are worried the armed people will be used to intimidate voters at or after the 2024 election. Nassau County is considered one of the safest counties, not just in the state but in the nation.


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