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How a longtime critic of clean energy became Ohio’s top utility regulator
By John Funk One year into his first term, Ohio’s top utility regulator, Samuel Randazzo, has signaled that winning approval to build and operate wind and solar projects in the state could be even more difficult in the future. At the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the Ohio Power Siting Board, which Randazzo also…
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Dark Money Dominated Ohio’s Nuclear Subsidy Saga
FirstEnergy Solutions paid nearly $2 million to at least one group, but most other data remains hidden. By Kathiann M. Kowalski After-the-fact filings show that FirstEnergy’s generation subsidiary paid nearly $2 million to Generation Now, one of the special interest groups that orchestrated ads, political donations and other efforts behind Ohio’s nuclear and coal bailout.…
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Campaign contributions pay off for Ohio utilities and coal interests
Nuclear and coal bailout is the latest in a line of favorable policy actions that shield noncompetitive plants from competition. By Kathiann M. Kowalski Utility, nuclear and coal interests are big players in Ohio politics, giving about $3 million to Ohio political campaigns in 2018, according to data from the National Institute on Money in…
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Taxpayers Lose Out on at Least $11.25 Million, Homeowners and Banks Lose up to $80 Million in Little-known Foreclosure Process That Skips Sheriff’s Sales
This story was funded by a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting By Ashton Nichols, Samantha Raudins, Lukas Udstuen and Lucia Walinchus For years, Elliot Feltner’s father-in-law operated an auto body shop in Cleveland. Later in life, a stroke debilitated the old mechanic, and his care proved a heavy burden for Feltner’s wife,…
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What is disconnection? What is digital inequity?
Ohio’s digital divide hurts those who can’t afford high-speed internet By Afi Scruggs Computer trainer and former library aide Shenee King has a bird’s eye view when it comes to digital inequity. She’s seen students fail assignments because they lack a home computer — and the assignment is in Google classroom. She’s seen middle schoolers…
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Tracing water, memory and change through Black experiences along and near Route 65
By Njaimeh Njie I live right above the Ohio River, off of a thoroughfare called the Ohio River Boulevard. It is one section of Route 65 – a 51-mile stretch of highway that travels from downtown Pittsburgh, northwest to the city of New Castle. The route spans three counties, three major rivers and several neighborhoods,…
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Ohio Supreme Court Deals Blow to Sales Designed to Take Advantage of a Property Tax Loophole
On Thursday, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that evidence of a commercial real estate transaction depends on the intent of the parties and the building transferred, not the structure of the sale. The court invalidated the “drop LLC” sale of 4121 Palmer Park Circle East, which would have deprived public coffers of about $273,000 a…
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Utilities’ affiliate files to compete as a broker as an Ohio bill aims to reduce corporate separation requirements
FirstEnergy foray into energy brokering raises issues of fair competition By Kathiann M. Kowalski A FirstEnergy subsidiary is seeking permission from Ohio regulators to advise customers on which electricity suppliers they should choose. The company’s application to operate as an energy broker and aggregator is an apparent reversal for FirstEnergy, which spent years legally separating…
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Journalism Collaborative Launches Project on Witness Safety
The press conference in October followed a well-worn script. Community leaders and police gathered on the sturdy stone steps of City Hall, taking turns at a microphone, pleading with Clevelanders to abandon a code of silence. Once again, a child had been gunned down. This time, it was a first grader, who’d been sleeping when…
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Fighting for the Ohio River watershed’s mussels: Experts are working to get to the bottom of their mysterious disappearances
By Carrie Blackmore Smith “Will one of these fit?” Wendell R. Haag asks, holding out a couple pairs of well-worn creeking shoes he’s pulled from the back of his pickup. Haag is going to see an aquatic wonder, and even tall waterproof rubber boots are sure to fill with water in the sometimes knee-deep stretch…
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