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| What you need to know Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022 WEATHER
Be prepared for the cold today. Temperatures will be around 9 degrees at 8 a.m., with wind chills around minus-2. There could be some light snow showers, but the snow belt could see heavier amounts. It eventually will be partly sunny with highs in the mid-teens. Overnight lows are expected to dip below zero under clear skies. Read more. OVERNIGHT
PUCO appointment: Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday replaced two members of the council tasked with picking nominees to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, including the longtime chair who helped FirstEnergy Corp. lobby for the scandal-tainted House Bill 6. Jeremy Pelzer reports Michael Koren will be replaced by Cheryl Burchard, lobbying director for the Ohio Telecom Association.
TODAY IN OHIO A year and a half after the House Bill 6 scandal broke, more than a third of the council tasked with picking nominees to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio consists of men who backed, lobbied for, or even co-sponsored the infamous energy law. We’re asking why these appointees are still allowed to serve on Today in Ohio, Cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
STATEHOUSE & POLITICS Academic distress: Three Democratic Ohio House members sent a letter to Ohio Auditor Keith Faber on Tuesday, requesting he review the finances of the academic distress commissions that have run the Youngstown, Lorain and East Cleveland school districts. Laura Hancock reports the legislators say the districts have very little idea how their commissions spent public money.
DeWine endorsement: The Ohio Republican Party is limiting public access to its upcoming meeting where the party will consider whether to endorse Gov. Mike DeWine and other 2022 primary candidates after raucous anti-DeWine demonstrators prompted party leaders to cut the last one short, Andrew Tobias reports. A party memo says the Feb. 4 endorsement meeting in suburban Columbus will be streamed through the party’s Facebook account, but it won’t be open for the general public to attend physically. NASCAR: NASCAR asked the Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday to wipe out $549,520 it owes the state in unpaid taxes, interest and penalties, arguing the taxes are unconstitutional. Laura Hancock reports that NASCAR Holdings Inc. is challenging Ohio’s commercial activity tax, which is assessed on almost all companies with gross receipts of over $150,000 in the state, regardless of whether they are located in Ohio.
Voting rights: As chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty of Columbus has been at the forefront of Democratic demands for new voting rights legislation. Sabrina Eaton reports that last week she led Black Caucus members to the U.S. Senate floor before its passage was blocked. On Tuesday, she told reporters she’s pressing forward despite the defeat.
Lobbying job: State Rep. Rick Carfagna, the fourth-highest ranking Republican in the Ohio House of Representatives, is resigning his office to take a lobbying job with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce later this year, reports Andrew Tobias. Carfagna announced his plans to resign on Tuesday, saying he will decide when to step down once his start date with the Ohio Chamber is determined, likely in late February.
Medical marijuana: The Ohio House Health Committee passed a bipartisan bill Tuesday that would add autism spectrum disorder to the list of conditions for which physicians can recommend medical marijuana. Laura Hancock reports House Bill 60 heads to the House Rules and Reference Committee, made up of House leaders who decide when and whether to put bills on the floor.
METRO Marshall name change: Cleveland City Council unanimously passed a resolution Monday urging Cleveland State University to remove the name of slaveholder U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall from CSU’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, reports Courtney Astolfi. Councilman Kevin Conwell said keeping the name amounts to a “black eye,” similar to flying a Confederate flag.
Power plant: The former Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. power plant in Avon Lake will close by April 1, moving the lakefront land it sits on closer to redevelopment, but also leading to layoffs. Sean McDonnell reports plans for the future of the site are unspecified. The plant sits on 40 acres of lakefront property.
Nice ice: Lake Erie is a little more than 40% covered in ice, well above what it was this time last year, but still below the long-term average, reports Peter Krouse. The more ice on the lake, the less chance for lake-effect snow, which is generated when cold air passes over the open lake and mixes with the heat and evaporation.
Tax prep: Cuyahoga County residents earning less than $58,000 a year can receive free tax preparation services at three “Super Refund Tax” events, reports Kaitlin Durbin. The events are hosted by the Cuyahoga EITC Coalition, which helps residents make use of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
COVID-19 & HEALTH Daily cases: Due to an error caused by invalid data, Tuesday’s new COVID-19 case count is incomplete, reports Julie Washington. The reported case count was 4,163, far below Monday’s new case count of 9,774.
Vaccine mandate: University Hospitals is asking employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19 by March 15 in order to comply with a federal mandate. UH and the Cleveland Clinic were the last major hospital systems in Northern Ohio to put a policy in place requiring workers to be vaccinated or receive a medical or religious accommodation, reports Julie Washington.
COVID fertility: A study of couples trying to conceive found no association between COVID-19 vaccination and the probability of conception per menstrual cycle, reports Julie Washington. This was true of female or male partners who received the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
Couch potatoes: Too few Ohioans have an active lifestyle, leading to poor health, reports Julie Washington. The CDC ranks Ohio 18th worst among U.S. states and territories, with more than a fourth of the adults (26.9.%) living sedentary lifestyles.
BUSINESS Hotel occupancy: Hotels in Greater Cleveland were about half full in 2021, an improvement from the year before, but still down dramatically from before the pandemic, reports Susan Glaser. The figure is an important metric of the region’s travel economy.
CRIME New trial: Michael Buehner is scheduled to get a new trial this spring after spending more than 20 years behind bars for a slaying that he says he didn’t commit. The key issue involves witness statements that were withheld from defense attorneys during Buehner’s trial in 2002, reports John Caniglia.
Murder indictment: A Benedictine High School football player was indicted Tuesday on charges of killing a 13-year-old boy in a drive-by shooting last month, John Caniglia reports. Duane Jackson, 18, of Cleveland is accused of nine charges, including aggravated murder, tampering with evidence and firing a gun into a home. He is being held on $1 million bond,
Mail thefts: The U.S. Postal Service said Tuesday that it is investigating multiple thefts from blue mailboxes in the Cleveland area. The Postal Service declined to provide specific details because the investigation is ongoing, but U.S. Postal Inspector Ian P. Ortega said in an email that several arrests have been made in the case, Olivia Mitchell reports.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT TownHall: TownHall’s Bobby George is renovating his well-known Ohio City restaurant, and within the next couple of months he is opening several new places, reports Marc Bona. Those include Lost, an “ultra-lounge / nightclub,” on West Sixth Street, Green Goat Café in the Superior Arts District, and Mandrake, a 5,500-square-foot hotel rooftop of the Short North TownHall location. OTHER HEADLINES Suspect robs Akron Dollar General store at gunpoint Read more
Bowling Green State University suspends 2 fraternities over hazing, alcohol violations Read more
North Royalton gives most city workers increases of 2.75 percent in 2022, 3 percent in 2023 Read more
Cleveland Heights’ cloudy financial forecast may be clearing somewhat Read more
Shaker Heights applies for $2 million state safety grant for Lee Road Read more
Cedar-Lee park initiative likely headed for ballot in Cleveland Heights Read more
Cuyahoga County to replace West 130th Street bridge in Strongsville and North Royalton Read more
Akron Zoo offering free admission Saturday, Jan. 29 Read more
Orange High School principal to become district’s director of human resources Read more
Shaker council introduces tax incentives for Van Aken District apartment towers Read more
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