WKSU News: Ford investing $500 million, bringing 300 jobs to Lima

Friday, March 28, 2014 Ford investing $500 million, bringing 300 jobs to Lima Other morning headlines: Ohio Senate Republicans plan to introduce renewable energy mandate freeze; Cuyahoga planting 1,000 trees by WKSU's AMANDA RABINOWITZ	Morning Edition Host Amanda Rabinowitz

Ford investing $500 million, bringing 300 jobs to Lima

Ohio Senate Republicans plan to introduce renewable energy mandate freeze

Cuyahoga planting 1,000 trees

Mentor-based Steris to close plant, cut jobs

Ohio AG rejects "Ohio Bottle Bill" ballot issue

Mumps outbreak expands

Sin tax issue in Cuyahoga County gets boost

Bill would make drug dealers subject to murder charges

Ford investing $500 million, bringing 300 jobs to Lima
Ford says it will invest $500 million and add 300 jobs at its engine plant in northwestern Ohio so that it can begin making a new V-6 engine. The automaker says the plant in Lima will make the new 2.7-liter engines for the 2015 Ford F-150. Ford's Lima engine plant employs about 900 workers. The company announced earlier this month that it will build its Ford F-650 and F-750 trucks at its assembly plant in Avon Lake, west of Cleveland.

Ohio Senate Republicans plan to introduce renewable energy mandate freeze
Ohio Senate Republicans plan to release a plan today that would freeze Ohio’s renewable energy standards. The Columbus Dispatch reports the proposal would cancel the next 11 years’ worth of increases in the requirements enacted in a 2008 law. Under that law, electricity utilities must get 25 percent of their electricity from renewable or “advanced” sources by 2025. Of that amount, half, or 12.5 percent, must come from renewable sources such as wind and solar. If the bill becomes law, the standards would remain at current levels, which is 2.5 percent for renewable energy. The plan also calls for a study committee of legislators and interest groups to look at other changes to the law and make recommendations.

Cuyahoga planting 1,000 trees
The City of Cleveland will plant 1,000 trees this fall, doubling its current efforts. The Plain Dealer reports the project is funded by a $250,000 grant from the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The newspaper say the city and its community development corporations will launch a campaign to educate the public about the benefits of trees and rally volunteers to serve as “tree stewards.”

Mentor-based Steris to close plant, cut jobs
A Mentor-based healthcare technology company will close one of its plants next year, eliminating about 100 jobs. Steris Corporation says it will close its Hopkins Production Facility by October of 2015. The facility mainly focuses on producing the System 1E, which is used to sterilize medical equipment. The company says it’s facing increased competition. The work will be moved to other Steris facilities in North America.

Ohio AG rejects "Ohio Bottle Bill" ballot issue
Ohio's attorney general has rejected the petition of a proposal that aims to create a refundable deposit on glass, plastic and other containers. Attorney General Mike DeWine says supporters of the "Bottle Bill for Ohio" did not submit the minimum requirement of 1,000 valid signatures to continue their effort. He also said the petition lacked a signed circulator statement required by law. The proposed law would create a 5- to 10-cent refundable deposit on containers and would require corporations to recycle such containers.

Mumps outbreak expands
Health officials monitoring a central Ohio mumps outbreak say the viral illness has affected people from five counties. Seventy of the 87 confirmed cases reported Thursday are linked to Ohio State University. Fifty-eight are students, and seven are staff. Most of those infected are from Columbus. A few are from elsewhere in surrounding Franklin County. Individual cases were reported involving people from Fairfield, Hamilton, Licking and Union counties. Delaware County says it is investigating six suspected cases of mumps.

Sin tax issue in Cuyahoga County gets boost
The May ballot issue to extend Cuyahoga County’s sin tax for 20 years got a boost on Thursday. The Cuyahoga County Mayors and Managers Association voted Thursday to endorse the country’s proposed extension of the sin tax. The tax on alcohol and cigarettes has been used to maintain Cleveland’s pro sports facilities of the Cavs, Indians and Browns. It expires next year. The group of nearly 60 mayors says it supports the tax because the facilities are owned by the public. The Plain Dealer reports the group opposing the sin tax said the mayors association declined a request to formally present their point of view.

Bill would make drug dealers subject to murder charges
New legislation in the Ohio House would make it possible to charge drug dealers with murder if one of their customers dies from an overdose. The bill introduced this week could mean life sentences for offenders with parole eligibility after 20 or 25 years depending on the age of the victim. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said this week new data suggests 11 people die in Ohio every week from a heroin overdose.

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