Here are your morning headlines for Monday, April 22:
- State wants tattoo artists to be licensed
- Bill to change learner's permit requirements;
- More closures on I-76;
- Nuclear operator: Closing plants would be felt around Ohio;
- State saw record number of new business filings in March;
- School district ditches logo with Native American imagery;
- Tiger formally at Akron Zoo attacks keeper in Topeka;
- 2 dead, 2 wounded in Clark-Fulton;
State wants tattoo artists to be licensed
Gov. Mike DeWine's proposed budget seeks to require tattoo artists and body piercers to register with the state and pay a $250 fee. The proposal also links licensing to training standards the state would develop. Some of those standards currently exist but are enforced by local health departments. The state would allow tattoo artists to register online, creating a database that customers could check. The state estimates there are about 700 body-art shops in Ohio.
Bill to change learner's permit requirements
A bill in Ohio's Legislature requiring teenage drivers under 18 years old to use their learner's permits for a full year would mean minors would have to be at least 16½ before they could get their probationary driver's license. The bill aims to give young drivers more experience behind the wheel before they can get a probationary license. Ohioans now can get a permit at 15 years-and-six-months old and a probationary license as early as 16 years old. The bill lengthens minors' permit phase from 6 months to 12 months.
Downtown Akron I-76 ramp closes
Traffic may be slow going in downtown Akron beginning this morning. The I-76 westbound to South Broadway ramp is closed for two weeks as the Ohio Department of Transportation ties in a new ramp. It’s one of the biggest elements of the Central Interchange project. The construction could take longer depending on the weather. The posted detour route is 76 West to Dart Avenue to Thornton Street to Main Street.
Nuclear operator: Closing plants would be felt around Ohio
The operator of Ohio's two nuclear plants said electric bills around the state will surely go up if the plants shut down within the next two years. Backers of a proposal under consideration in the Legislature said that the economic impact of FirstEnergy Solutions closing the plants would be more costly than throwing them a financial lifeline. They also said the impact would be felt statewide in the form of higher utility bills. Lawmakers are debating legislation that would add a $2.50 monthly charge to all residential electric bills, with half of the $300 million raised going to nuclear plants near Toledo and Cleveland. Opponents said the money would be a bailout for a nuclear industry that can no longer compete against cheaper natural gas power plants.
State saw record number of new business filings in March
Ohio set a record last month for most new business filings in a single month. Secretary of State Frank LaRose said around 13,700 new entities filed to do business in the state in March. That was nearly 850 more than the previous record, set in April 2018. LaRose credited a business environment conducive to entrepreneurship for generating the boost. New business filings declare the formation of entities including a for-profit, nonprofit or professional corporation, and doesn’t guarantee a company will open, be profitable or create jobs.
School district ditches logo with Native American imagery
A suburban Cleveland school district whose sports teams are known as the Warriors is replacing their logo to stop using Native American imagery. Cleveland.com reports Fairview Park City Schools will now use an image of a caped fighter with a helmet and shield instead of the logo that showed the letter F and an arrowhead spear with a feather. The spear logo had been used since 2006, when the district moved away from using a depiction of a Native American as a mascot and logo and later adopted a shield as an academic logo.
Tiger formally at Akron Zoo attacks keeper in Topeka
A tiger that was relocated from the Akron Zoo to Topeka, Kansas in 2017 has mauled a zookeeper there. The Sumatran tiger named Sanjiv tackled the worker in an enclosed outdoor space Saturday morning. The zookeeper suffered lacerations and puncture wounds and is in stable condition. Zoo officials said the tiger will not be euthanized, and the incident is under investigation.
2 dead, 2 wounded in Canal-Fulton
Authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in the parking lot of a social club near Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood. At least one man is dead and three others wounded. It happened overnight at Club Alma Yaucana on West 25th Street. It’s a private club for Puerto Rican residents, according to its Facebook page. Cleveland.com reports homicide detectives marked at least 26 pieces of evidence in the parking lot, including cars that were shot up, fired bullet casings and what appeared to be clothes.
