Here are your morning headlines for Monday, Aug. 15:
- Texts from former FirstEnergy execs suggest Husted pressed for nuclear bailout
- Akron Metro RTA providing free fares through Aug. 20
- Reports show ‘epic failure’ at Cuyahoga County children services office
- Mahoning Valley school buses to roll on despite shortage of drivers
- Stark Housing Authority contracts investigation continues nearly a year later
- Bieber wins 4th straight; Guardians beat Blue Jays 7-2
- Your weather forecast: Most cloudy, with a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms
Texts from former FirstEnergy execs suggest Husted pressed for nuclear bailout
Newly disclosed text messages suggest Lt. Gov. Jon Husted played a role in pushing for the passage of a nuclear power bailout bill, which is now at the center of a federal bribery case. In a text message exchange on July 1, 2019, former FirstEnergy senior vice president Michael Dowling told former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones that the Republican lieutenant governor was working on getting the Legislature to pass a nuclear power plant bailout that would last 10 years. [Statehouse News Bureau]
Akron Metro RTA providing free fares through Aug. 20
The Akron Metro Regional Transit Authority is providing free fares for all passengers from Aug. 14-20 in recognition of Metro passengers winning the Community Champion Award from the Akron Urban League. All Metro services, including fixed-route and demand response, will be free. Metro RTA said that the annual nominations allow for community members to receive recognition for making a difference in Summit County. [Akron Beacon Journal]
Reports show ‘epic failure’ at Cuyahoga County children services office
It has been over a month since two Division of Children and Family Services workers offered shocking accounts of abuse and sex trafficking of kids staying at the Jane Edna Hunter Social Services Center. But Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish has yet to publicly acknowledge a problem or map out a plan for how to protect youth. Instead, Budish and other DCFS officials have indicated they’re powerless to stop it. [Cleveland.com]
Mahoning Valley school buses to roll on despite shortage of drivers
As a new school year is about to begin, districts across the state are struggling to find enough bus drivers to get students to schools. David Bowlin, Ohio Department of Education director of field services and pupil transportation, said the driver shortage means that sometimes drivers are doubling the stops on their route. Somes Mahoning Valley schools are dealing with the shortage by getting creative, including offering certification training, increased pay for drivers and opportunities for full-time hours. [The Vindicator]
Stark Housing Authority contracts investigation continues nearly a year later
Two men entangled in a federal probe of "possible irregularities" in Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority work contracts were recently sent to prison for bank robbery. Earlier this month, Brian Spenny was sentenced in Summit County Common Pleas Court to eight to 12 years on robbery and kidnapping charges for a Dec. 10 holdup of a KeyBank in Northfield in northern Summit County. John Dampman was sentenced to as many as three years in prison for the same heist. Spenny and Dampman’s companies received contracts last year for maintenance work at public housing sites in Stark County. They were paid $121,675 in the spring and summer of 2021 until it was discovered the business had apparent ties to the housing authority’s development director, who resigned abruptly during the probe. The investigation is ongoing. [Canton Repository]
Bieber wins 4th straight; Guardians beat Blue Jays 7-2
The Cleveland Guardians took two of three games in their series against the Blue Jays with a 7-2 victory in Toronto Sunday. Shane Bieber pitched seven innings to win his fourth straight start, matching the longest winning streak of his career. The AL Central-leading Guardians have won seven of their last eight games.They’ve got a two-and-a-half game lead over the second-place Minnesota Twins in the division. [AP]
Your weather forecast:Most cloudy, with a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms in the late afternoon. High 78. The National Weather Service has issued a beach hazards statement from 2 p.m. through Tuesday afternoon for Lake Erie beaches in Erie, Lorain and Ottawa counties. There's a high risk of rip currents. Tonight, mostly cloudy. A 40-50% chance of showers in the Akron/Canton area. Low 60. [National Weather Service]
