The Ohio Supreme Court issued a ruling Wednesday that greenlights the first-ever wind farm on the Great Lakes known as Icebreaker.
In a 6-1 decision, the court ruled that the Ohio Siting Board—appropriately granted the permit to construct the turbines which will be based about 8 to 10 miles off shore from Cleveland in Lake Erie.
Two residents in Bratenahl sued claiming that the Board did not have enough data on the impact to birds and bats when it awarded the permit to the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation or LEEDCO to proceed with the project.
The plan involves six large turbines to start—as a test of the viability of using the Great Lakes for wind farm locations and plans to expand.
As students begin returning to classrooms for the new school year, the Ohio Department of Health is updating best practices for students and districts.
The new school year arrives just as the latest surge in COVID-19 cases begins to trend downward.
The monkeypox virus is also getting attention. Ohio now has about 75 cases statewide. Those include cases in Cuyahoga, Lorain, and for the first time Summit County.
Cleveland City Council approved eviction protection legislation this week. It allows tenants who are behind on rent to defend themselves against eviction proceedings by showing that they offered to pay back rent, reasonable late fees and court costs but that the landlord rejected the payment.
President Joe Biden signed legislation this week that will provide $52billion in subsidies for makers of semiconductor chips. A chunk of that money in the so-called CHIPS act will support Intel’s massive development in central Ohio.
The semiconductor chips are used in all types of electronics and supply chain disruptions during the pandemic have led to an effort to move the production back to the United States.
The future of the Cuyahoga County Jail and whether to build a new facility or renovate the old one is still up in the air. But members of the steering committee tasked with making decisions on the project say the current county administration is rushing the process. The county is pushing forward to buy a parcel of land near downtown Cleveland that once housed a Standard Oil refinery as the new site.
Stephanie Czekalinski, Digital Producer, Ideastream Public Media
Matt Richmond, Criminal Justice Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV
