Here are your morning headlines for Monday, April 30:
- Court orders NOACA to hand over documents from Cleveland's failed Amazon HQ bid;
- Lordstown residents rally in support of retail distribution center;
- Streetsboro vigil honors boy shot by older teen brother;
- Icelandic budget airline to bring direct trans-Atlantic flights back to Cleveland;
- Gov. Kasich voices frustration with GOP on Sunday talk show;
- Findlay-based Marathon Petroleum to buy pipeline operator;
- Cavs advance to the conference semifinals;
Court orders NOACA to hand over documents from Cleveland's failed Amazon HQ bid
Cleveland.com has won a legal victory in its effort to disclose the proposed site in Cleveland’s failed bid for Amazon's second headquarters. The proposed location was included in reports prepared by the publicly funded Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). A special master at the Ohio Court of Claims recommended the court order NOACA to release all the documents it prepared for the city’s Amazon bid. NOACA has claimed the report contains trade secrets and is exempt from state records laws. The court rejected that claim and ordered the agency to release the documents to Cleveland dot com. NOACA has until the end of the week to appeal the ruling.
Lordstown residents rally in support of retail distribution center
Hundreds of Lordstown residents are calling on a multinational retail company to build a distribution center in the Mahoning Valley. TJX, which owns Marshall’s and T.J. Maxx, recently pulled its zoning application after some residents protested plans to build a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution facility. More than 600 residents and local leaders held a rally on Sunday to persuade TJX to build the $160 million center. The Vindicator reports supporters say the distribution center could replace some of the 1,500 jobs soon to be lost at Lordstown’s GM assembly plant.
Streetsboro vigil honors boy shot by older teen brother
Hundreds of people gathered at a memorial for an 11-year-old Summit County boy who police say was shot and killed by his 13-year-old brother. The candlelight vigil was held Sunday in Streetsboro, where the boy was killed last week. His stepmother told the crowd that the family has been "overwhelmed" by the community's support. Authorities haven't released a motive in the shooting, which they describe as a "premeditated act." The 13-year-old was evaluated at a behavioral health center four days before the shooting, after expressing a desire to hurt himself. The teen can't be tried as an adult because of his age. He could be sentenced to a juvenile prison until he turns 21.
Icelandic budget airline to bring direct trans-Atlantic flights back to Cleveland
Air travel in Cleveland is about to enter "the Iceland Age." Cleveland.com reports Iceland-based Wow Air will have its maiden flight from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport early Friday morning. Icelandair will follow May 16 by launching service between Cleveland and Iceland. The service marks Cleveland's return to trans-Atlantic flights after nearly 10 years. The end of Continental Airlines service to London in 2009 has meant northeast Ohioans had to get to Europe via New York, Chicago or other large hubs. Both Icelandair and Wow offer connections to many European cities.
Gov. Kasich voices frustration with GOP on Sunday talk show
Ohio's Republican governor says he's frustrated with the GOP but can bring the party back to its traditional principles. John Kasich appeared Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." Kasich unsuccessfully challenged Donald Trump for the party's 2016 presidential nomination and could decide to run again in 2020. Although there's been some speculation he could run as independent, he said Sunday : "I'm still a Republican ... the Republican Party left me." The second-term governor says his state has balanced budgets and added jobs, so he doesn't understand it when people say he's not conservative. He has some Republican critics for expanding Medicaid under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, but Kasich says Republicans "should care about people top to bottom, not just those at the top, but everybody."
Findlay-based Marathon Petroleum to buy pipeline operator
With drivers beginning to take note of rising prices at the pump, Marathon Petroleum is buying the refiner and pipeline owner Andeavor for more than $23 billion, creating a refiner with an extensive reach across the U.S. Marathon, based in Findlay, Ohio, has operations concentrated in the East while Andeavor, formerly known as Tesoro, has operations in the West. Headquarters will be in Findlay, but the combined company will maintain a presence in San Antonio. The deal is targeted to close in the second half of the year.
Cavs advance to the conference semifinals
The Cavs are moving on. LeBron James scored 45 points in Game 7 to stay unbeaten in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, leading the Cavs to a 105-101 win over the Indiana Pacers yesterday. The Cavs got a huge lift from Tristan Thompson, who played just 24 minutes in the first six games but made a rare start as Cavs coach Tyronn Lue used his 34th different starting lineup this season. The Cavs will open the conference semifinals on Tuesday at top-seeded Toronto.
