In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, State Sen. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican,
compared Ohio’s energy efficiency laws
to former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s five-year plan. Seitz is leading the charge on a review of the state’s energy efficiency and renewable energy standards, which
CityBeat covered in further detail
here
. The review has been supported by Akron-based First Energy, an energy company that has long opposed Ohio’s energy efficiency standards. But environmental groups say they’re worried the review will water down a law that has brought clean energy and jobs to the state.
poised to approve
a lease of Music Hall that will allow renovations to move forward. The plan would lease the Music Hall for 75 years to carry out renovations that will likely cost between $50 million and $100 million, with the city contributing about $10 million.
CityBeat covered the plan when it was first announced
here
.
In the midst of Cincinnati’s heated budget battle, the Ohio Casino Control Commission will release its monthly revenue estimates for Cincinnati’s Horseshoe Casino today. City officials estimated that about $9 million to $11 million will be available at a City Council meeting Thursday — seemingly the only point of agreement in
a testy exchange over the city’s budget
that left city leaders with no consensus on local budget woes. Democratic mayoral candidate John Cranley and others have proposed using casino revenue to help balance the city’s budget without layoffs, but Cranley’s $21 million estimate has
drawn criticism
for being unrealistic.
likely to propose alternatives
to Gov. John Kasich’s budget plan this week. State legislators have criticized Kasich’s plan for favoring the wealthy, raising taxes for many Ohioans and expanding Medicaid with the use of federal funds.
CityBeat covered the governor’s plan in further detail
here
.
National parks around Ohio are
cutting hours and hiring
because of sequestration, a series of across-the-board budget cuts that began March 1 after congressional inaction. The cuts have forced the James A. Garfield National Historic Site at Mentor, Ohio, to close on Sundays, which means about 30,000 tourists will be unable to visit this year, according to Todd Arrington, chief of interpretation and education at the park.
Ohio’s rural speed limit is being changed to 70 mph, and
signs will soon reflect that
.
Margaret Thatcher, Great Britain’s only female prime minister,
died at age 87
.
A fusion rocket could shoot people to Mars in 30 days
.
This article appears in Apr 3-9, 2013.