Nuclear bailout: State records the FBI requested last year detail the steps a former top state official took to try to save Ohio’s nuclear bailout law after it was threatened by a federal regulatory decision, Andrew Tobias reports. The newly released records show how in January 2020, then-Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chair Sam Randazzo traveled to meet executives with Energy Harbor, the owner of the two nuclear plants bailed out by House Bill 6, at the company’s corporate headquarters in Akron.
METRO
ARPA projects: Cuyahoga County Councilmembers are set to introduce $9 million in new projects funded by federal COVID-19 stimulus dollars, to revitalize parks, invest in arts, boost public services and support construction projects. Lucas Daprile reports the largest project for the controversial Community Grant Funds is $2 million to restore Forest Hills Park in Cleveland Heights. Also on the table: a dog park and drones.
Judge resigns: South Euclid Municipal Court Judge Gayle Williams Byers has stepped down from the bench after a decade in which she was at frequent public loggerheads with the city’s administration over her handling of the court’s business, Cory Shaffer reports. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will appoint Byers’ replacement. When that will happen remains unclear.
Digital grant: The Cleveland Public Library announced Monday that the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation has given the library $3.25 million — the largest grant in dollar amount in its history — to support a Digital Innovation Center for adults and seniors at the library’s Glenville Branch. Steven Litt reports $3 million will support the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Workforce and Senior Digital Innovation Center at the Glenville Branch, 11900 St. Clair Ave.
COVID-19 & HEALTHCARE
Pregnancy study: An Ohio State University study found low-income women with less education are significantly more likely to discover their pregnancies after six weeks, too late now for an abortion in Ohio, Julie Washington reports. About 1-in-4 patients didn’t know they were pregnant before six weeks of gestation.
BUSINESS
Sales tax: Ohio’s sales tax holiday is fast approaching, starting Friday and running through Sunday, with purchases on clothing and school supplies exempt from state and local sales tax. In Cuyahoga County, Sean McDonnell reports, the holiday will wipe away an 8% sales tax, or 8 cents on the dollar.
Dollar Tree: OSHA is proposing a $1.2 million fine for Dollar Tree, which also owns Family Dollar, because of hazards at stores in Maple Heights and Columbus. OSHA proposed a $685,000 fine because of the issues at the Maple Heights store, noting previous violations at other stores. Similar issues were identified during a February inspection in Columbus, leading to a $548,000 fine, Sean McDonnell reports.
Home costs: The median home value in Ohio as of June was $242,600, about $165,300 less than the United States median home value of $407,900, Zachary Smith reports. This is a 10.62% increase for Ohio from the year prior, while the average increase in home value for the entire country is 12.6%.
Toxic chemicals: Portage County hosts 22 facilities that reported toxic releases in 2020 to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Aurora and Ravenna are responsible for most of the chemical releases, with 147,385 pounds and 32,680 pounds, respectively, reports Zachary Smith.
CRIME
Arbitrator’s decision: Cleveland city attorneys on Monday pushed back against a federal monitor’s assessment that the city must challenge an arbitrator’s decision that reinstated a fired police officer’s job. Adam Ferrise reports that city officials believe the monitoring team overstepped its authority when it required the city to appeal an arbitrator’s decision to reinstate officer Mason Swires after an internal investigation found he was drunk when he crashed his car into an RTA bus after an office Christmas party, fled the scene without calling 911, and later lied about it to investigators.
FBI: Gregory Nelson on Monday was named the special agent in charge of the Cleveland FBI office, which oversees investigations into crimes in Ohio’s northern-most 40 counties. Adam Ferrise reports Nelson takes over for Eric Smith, who retired in May after leading Cleveland’s office for three years. Smith is now vice president at Sierra Space, a commercial space-travel company based in Colorado.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Seafood: The U.S. seafood market has grown into a $102 billion business -- with (pre-pandemic) 70 percent of that being spent at restaurants. Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez list the 10 best seafood restaurants in Greater Cleveland.
Comedy fest: The Sixth City Comedy Festival hosted its first event last summer, an idea hatched during the pandemic. Annie Nickoloff reports the festival is set to return Aug. 10-13, featuring headlining acts Bill Squire, a co-host of “The Alan Cox Show” on WMMS FM/100.7, and New York comedian and writer Eitan Levine.
