Unemployment fraud: Ohio’s unemployment system has seen increased activity by criminals attempting to access residents’ online accounts using their stolen personal information, reports Jeremy Pelzer. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is still working to find out how many individuals have been affected and how state officials can best adjust their anti-fraud measures to stop the attempted account hijackings. Pork provenance: U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown wasn’t in Congress by the deadline for legislators to submit local spending requests known as “earmarks” for inclusion in a $1.5 trillion spending bill that President Joe Biden signed last month. But Brown posted a Facebook statement claiming credit for obtaining $7 million for nine projects in her district that were actually obtained by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, Sabrina Eaton reports. Ketanji Brown Jackson: U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio won’t be among the small group of Republicans who will vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson as the nation’s first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Sabrina Eaton reports that Portman said her nomination is historic and “all Americans can be proud of her personal story,” but he cannot support her nomination based on her record and her responses to questions. METRO Ohio billionaires: Seven Ohioans are billionaires as of March 31, according to Forbes' rankings. Zachary Smith reports that Les Wexner, from the Columbus suburb of New Albany and the founder of L Brands, is No. 1 with a fortune of $5.8 billion. Police commission: The city of Cleveland is seeking applications for the Community Police Commission, a 13-member body created by voters last fall as part of a charter amendment aimed at granting greater civilian oversight of police, Courtney Astolfi reports. Once appointed, the commission will have the final say over police discipline, training and recruitment policies, among other duties. Spring holidays: Easter and Passover this year fall later than average. But how is this determined and why do the holidays change dates each year? Zachary Smith reports both Easter and Passover follow a schedule that aligns with the moon’s phases and the sun’s position in the sky, known as the lunisolar calendar. Planting now: Even though we are six to eight weeks away from our last frost, several types of vegetables can be sown outside now in time for harvesting before your Memorial Day picnic. Susan Brownstein reports how to plant “cool-season crops,” such as kale, beets, radishes, spinach, hearty lettuces, peas, and collards. Dredging: Lake County will receive $11.3 million in state funding to construct a much-needed containment basin to store dredged material from the Grand River in Fairport Harbor. Sean McDonnell reports that dredging in the harbor was halted last year as a result of a state law that prevents the disposal of material from federal navigation channels into Lake Erie. COVID-19 & HEALTHCARE Nurse salaries: Registered nurses in Ohio earned the third-highest average salaries in 2021 among six neighboring states. Julie Washington reports Pennsylvania had the highest average nurses’ salary at $76,000, followed by Michigan at $75,930 and Ohio at $71,640. Flu death: An 8-month-old boy from Ashland County is Ohio’s first reported flu-associated pediatric death of the 2021-22 flu season, reports Julie Washington. Cuyahoga County has recorded three flu-related deaths and 61 flu-related hospitalizations this season. BUSINESS Plastic bags: Giant Eagle supermarkets in Cuyahoga County will stop using single-use plastic bags starting on April 22, which is also Earth Day, and will encourage its customers to use reusable grocery bags instead, Peter Krouse reports. The company had enacted a similar ban at most of its stores in Cuyahoga County in early 2020, but reinstated the use of single-use plastic bags during the COVID-19 pandemic while asking customers not to use reusable bags because of concerns they could spread the virus. Parker hacking: Parker Hannafin, an international manufacturer headquartered in Mayfield Heights, was hacked last month and employee data may have been taken, reports Sean McDonnell. The company announced the hack, which occurred March 14, in an SEC filing Tuesday morning. Sports betting: Practicing sports betting for free is now available in Ohio. Sean McDonnell reports that JACK Entertainment released betJACK on Tuesday, both an online and mobile platform Ohioans can use for sports betting, but currently only with free tokens. Car sales: Once again, new-vehicle sales are down at Greater Cleveland’s car dealerships. The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealer’s Association said 19,034 new vehicles were sold in March, down from 23,971 in the same month in 2021, reports Sean McDonnell. CRIME Mistaken release: Eleven inmates since 2019 walked into the Cuyahoga County Jail and strolled out, despite court orders that should have kept them locked up. Adam Ferrise reports that two were accused of murder at the time of their release. Another knew he was wrongfully released, begged jail officers to keep him locked up and, when that didn’t happen, called the judge overseeing his case. One still hasn’t been found. Judge's decision: Two weeks after former Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Dick Ambrose signed an affidavit saying he accidentally granted a man’s motion to withdraw his 2019 guilty plea in December, he wrote in an email to his former bailiff that he had no independent recollection of the facts surrounding that decision, Cory Shaffer reports. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 'Hamilton': Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical sensation is returning to Playhouse Square’s KeyBank State Theatre for a six-week run from Dec. 6, 2022, to Jan. 15, 2023. Joey Morona reports that "Hamilton" last played in Cleveland in 2018; a second tour stop scheduled for the fall of 2020 was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Book awards: The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards named its 2022 winners on Tuesday morning, honoring authors Percival Everett, Donika Kelly, George Makari and Tiya Miles. Author Ishmael Reed earned the lifetime achievement honor, reports Anne Nickoloff. Dobama Theater: The world premiere of the musical “The Land of Oz” headlines Dobama Theatre’s 2022-23 season, reports Joey Morona. The Cleveland Heights institution will stage five shows during the upcoming season, including family comedies, suspenseful mysteries, compelling dramas and even a Pulitzer Prize finalist. | 