Here are your headlines for Tuesday, Nov. 26:
- Cuyahoga, Cleveland disagree on plastic bag ban;
- FirstEnergy Solutions to change name
- 1 missing in building collapse;
- Taxpayers to pay for downtown Canton hotel loan;
- Nonprofit to give $3.8M to Dayton shooting victims;;
- Cleveland moves forward with new police headquarters site;
- Wayne Jones passes away from Parkinson's disease;
- Mayor Jackson proposes $5M to help make homes lead safe;
- Flu cases expected to spike;
Cuyahoga, Cleveland disagree on plastic bag ban
Cuyahoga County and Cleveland City councils aren't seeing eye-to-eye when it comes to the county’s plastic bag ban. County council is proposing a six-month grace period for retailers when the ban takes effect in January. That means no warnings or fines will be given until July. But Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley on Monday introduced legislation that would have the city opt out of the ban and determine its own plan. Cleveland.com reports the city of Brooklyn has already opted out of the ban. Lawmakers in the Ohio House have introduced legislation that would bar county governments or communities from banning the plastic bags.
FirstEnergy Solutions to change name
The operator of Ohio’s two nuclear plants will soon have a new name. Crain’s Cleveland Business reports that FirstEnergy Solutions will become Energy Harbor once the company emerges from bankruptcy, likely next month. A spokeswoman said the company will remain headquartered in Akron. FirstEnergy Solutions, along with parent company FirstEnergy long sought a bailout for the Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear plants, and threatened to close them without public subsidies. House Bill 6, signed into law earlier this year, adds fees to residential and commercial utility bills that will generate more than $1 billion over seven years. A referendum backed by the natural gas and renewable energy industries that would have blocked the nuclear bailout failed to gather enough signatures and is currently under appeal.
1 missing in building collapse
The construction company working on an Ohio building that partially collapsed said one person remains missing in the rubble. Turner Construction Company said in a statement that four workers were treated Monday and released from hospitals, while rescue efforts remained underway early Tuesday morning for a fifth worker. The downtown Cincinnati building is unfinished and resides on a construction site that isn't accessible to the public.
Taxpayers to pay for downtown Canton hotel loan
Canton taxpayers will help fund a downtown hotel renovation for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Village after all. The Canton Repository reports council voted Monday to use income tax revenue from last year's voter-approved increase to help front the $3.5 million loan for the McKinley Grand Hotel. Last week, council said it planned instead to use external bonds and non-tax city revenue for the loan. Council members said they believe the decision could save the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest. The Hall of Fame Village, which is buying the hotel, will have up to 10 years to pay back the loan.
Nonprofit to give $3.8M to Dayton shooting victims
An Ohio nonprofit has approved the disbursement of $3.8 million to victims of the mass shooting in Dayton. The Community Oversight Committee chose 47 applicants to receive a charitable gift from the Dayton Oregon District Tragedy Fund. Seventy percent of the money raised will be given to families of deceased victims, with the remaining funds divided among hospitalized victims. Dayton Daily News reports that the family of the shooter, Connor Betts, will be among those receiving a charitable gift, because his sibling was among the nine people killed in the Aug. 4 mass shooting in the city's Oregon District.
Cleveland moves forward with proposed location for police headquarters
A Cleveland City Council committee has agreed to move forward with Mayor Frank Jackson’s proposed location for a new police headquarters. WEWS reports the Municipal Services and Properties Committee agreed to fast-track planning and land acquisition for the new $54 million campus in an impoverished east side neighborhood. The proposed headquarters includes separate buildings for command staff, traffic units, SWAT vehicles and a police academy. The neighborhood is also site of the proposed Opportunity Corridor economic development project. Councilman Tony Brancatelli tells Cleveland.com that new police headquarters doesn’t mesh with the manufacturing and other businesses that are planned for the Opportunity Corridor properties.
Wayne Jones passes away from Parkinson's disease
A prominent Summit County politician died over the weekend from an 11-year battle with Parkinson's disease. Wayne Jones was 65. Jones helped to secure funding for the John S. Knight center in downtown Akron, served as the chair for the Summit County Democratic Party for eight years and was also an Ohio state representative. A celebration of Jone's life will be held Friday afternoon at Tangier.
Mayor Jackson proposed $5M to help make homes lead safe
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson has proposed $5 million to support efforts to make homes lead safe. The commitment would bring the total investment in the Lead Safe Home Fund to just over $10 million. The money would go toward inspecting and reconstructing older rental homes that could put children at risk for lead poisoning. The Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition expects it will cost almost $100 million over the next five years to inspect homes in the city. As of this year, more than 950 children in Cleveland had lead poisoning.
Flu cases expected to spike
There haven't been many flu cases so far in Northeast Ohio but experts say it will pick up. Cleveland.com reports the peak for flu season may come in late December or early January. No flu-related deaths have been reported in Cuyahoga, Summit and Medina counties but there have been many hospitalizations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone 6 months or older to get a flu shot every season.
