Morning News and Stuff

National conservative groups have

brought their concerted effort to weaken state energy standards to Ohio

. State Sen. Bill Seitz, who’s on the board of directors of the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), says he will introduce a bill within two weeks that would cap how much utilities can spend on energy efficiency programs and eliminate requirements for in-state wind and solar power. ALEC and the Heartland Institute, a libertarian think tank backed in part by oil companies and global-warming deniers, have teamed up to undo energy standards in different states, but so far the groups’ efforts have failed. Seitz’s proposal would weaken Ohio’s Clean Energy Law, which environmentalists and other green energy advocates say have revitalized wind, solar and other renewable projects around the state.

Cincinnati Public Schools

got six F’s, one D and two C’s

in the 2012-2013 school report card released yesterday by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). The scores come with a big caveat: The school district is still being investigated for

scrubbing data

, which could be favorably skewing results for CPS. This is the first year ODE is using its A-F grading system, which is much more stringent than the previous system — to the point that no school district earned straight A’s this year, according to

StateImpact Ohio

.

Cincinnati for Pension Reform, the group behind the controversial pension amendment that will appear on the ballot this November,

officially registered with the state

. The group isn’t disclosing how much money it’s raised so far. The tea party-backed amendment would privatize the city’s pension system, a pooled fund that’s managed by an independent board, so future city employees — excluding cops and firefighters, who use a different system — contribute to and manage individual 401k-style accounts. City officials and unions say the amendment will raise costs for the city and hurt gains for employees. Tea party supporters say it’s needed to deal with Cincinnati’s rising pension costs. CityBeat covered the pension amendment and the national groups who may be helping fund its campaign in further detail

here

.

Ohio’s oil and gas boom has

apparently failed to create all the jobs

state officials previously promised. “Total employment growth has been much less robust than sales activity in Ohio's shale country,” claims the

Ohio Utica Shale Gas Monitor

, which is produced quarterly by the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. CityBeat covered Ohio’s oil and gas boom in further detail

here

.

A company that received a tax credit through JobsOhio two years ago is

moving some executives and operations from Ohio to Chicago

. Rittal Corp. has not received the tax credit yet, but it intends to uphold its tax agreement through other operations. JobsOhio is a privatized development agency established by Gov. John Kasich and Republican legislators to replace the Ohio Department of Development. Kasich and allies argue its privatized, secretive nature allow it to more quickly establish job-creating development deals, but Democratic opponents argue the agency is too difficult to hold accountable.

CityBeat commentary on JobsOhio: “

Gov. Kasich’s Bias Toward Secrecy

.”

Ohio has received more than $383 million as part of the national mortgage settlement, which has helped more than 10,000 Ohioans, according to the state attorney general’s office. The payout, which is paid by banks as part of a settlement reached with states and the federal government, is meant to provide some relief to Americans who were impacted by the housing and economic crisis of 2008.

Enrollment at Ohio colleges, including the University of Cincinnati, is

continuing its steady rise

.

A campaign supported by AAA, local school officials and police is attempting to

reduce the amount of car accidents

involving school children. The

“School’s Open — Drive Carefully”

campaign aims to give drivers a few tips for navigating roads filled with children going to school.

Local startup incubator Hamilton County Business Center was

granted $250,000 by the state

to help develop tech companies. Cincinnati recently gained national recognition for its tech boom in

Entrepreneur

and

CNBC

, with Entrepreneur calling the city “an unexpected hub for tech startups.”

Cincinnati-based Macy’s will

pay a civil penalty

to settle accusations that it engaged in unfair documentation practices against immigrant employees.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is charging Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bank for

allegedly discriminating against a couple with disabilities

. The bank and others reportedly required unnecessary medical documentation from the couple when the two attempted to refinance their home mortgage with a Federal Housing Administration loan.

Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble

paid its CEO $2 million

during his first five and a half weeks back on the job.

Popular Science: “Forget Tweeting, Meet The Birds Who Blog

.”