Federal judge demands FirstEnergy disclose who paid bribes in HB6 lawsuit: The Wake Up

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The chilly conditions hang on today, with highs around 40 degrees. Skies will be partly sunny. It will be partly cloudy overnight and temps will drop into the upper 20s. Read more.

FirstEnergy: A federal judge Wednesday lashed out at an attorney representing FirstEnergy Corp. shareholders, demanding to know detailed information about the bribery scheme at the heart of the House Bill 6 scandal, John Caniglia reports. U.S. District Judge John Adams demanded the name of the FirstEnergy official who approved the $60 million in payments to a nonprofit that federal prosecutors say acted as a collection plate for then-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and a select group of allies. When Adams didn’t learn what he had wanted, he ended the hearing and left the bench.

PUCO: The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio on Wednesday voted to hire an auditor to examine whether any customer money collected by FirstEnergy Corp. was wrongly used to pay for lobbying or political work to pass the corrupt House Bill 6. Jeremy Pelzer reports the commission rejected a request by a consumer watchdog group to gather information about why the PUCO scrapped a final audit report into a controversial FirstEnergy fee.

Nela Park: The owner of GE Lighting, once part of General Electric and a major employer in the region, plans to sell historic Nela Park in East Cleveland to an affiliate of a Milwaukee-based real estate firm, reports Eric Heisig. GE says the sale of the 92-acre park is a chance to regain its glory and expand the income tax base.

Bills in the Ohio House that aim to control how teachers present social studies content around civil rights, racism, sexism and other “divisive topics” could result in the College Board removing the Advanced Placement designation on high school courses here. We’re talking about the consequences of the Ohio bills on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.

May primary: Ohio House Democrats on Wednesday rejected a measure to change the military and overseas ballot deadlines for Ohio’s primary, saying that they want the May 3 election pushed back due to redistricting delays. But Laura Hancock reports that after a six-hour recess, the Republican majority used a procedural maneuver that allowed the bill to pass with fewer votes — making Democratic support unnecessary and keeping the May 3 election on schedule.

Open meetings: A Portage County man asked the Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday to order Rootstown Township to pay him $7,000 for 14 violations of the state’s open-meetings law, but Republicans and Democrats on the court didn’t appear convinced the amount was appropriate. Between 2015 and 2016, the Rootstown Township Board of Trustees went into executive session over a dozen times without appropriately moving into the closed-door session with a roll-call vote, reports Laura Hancock.

House fire: A space heater caused Tuesday’s fire that killed a 1-month-old girl and an 18-month-old boy, reports Adam Ferrise. Investigators determined the fire started on the second floor of the home and pinpointed the cause to a new space heater and the house’s electrical wiring. Ferrise talked to the children’s father.

Bald eagles: Ohio’s bald eagle population continues to grow with an estimated 110 new nesting sites added to the count since the last statewide bald eagle census was conducted in 2020. Peter Krouse reports the 2020 census placed the total number of nests – most of them active – at 707 across 85 of 88 counties. But the state’s Division of Wildlife recently calculated an increase to 817.

State of the City: Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb will deliver his first State of the City address April 13 at the Maltz Performing Arts Center on Case Western Reserve University’s campus. The event, hosted by the City Club of Cleveland, will mark the conclusion of Bibb’s first 100 days in office, reports Courtney Astolfi.

Smoky: When Clevelander Bill Wynne bought a Yorkshire Terrier — that weighed 4 pounds and stood just 7 inches high — for $6, he never expected his tiny pup would save lives during World War II. Brenda Cain reports Smoky became the first dog to be honored with the Animals in War & Peace Distinguished Service Medal in a ceremony Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Smoky was recognized for her “exceptionally meritorious service to our nation in a duty of great responsibility.”

Sinkhole: Cuyahoga County’s Bridge Inspection Division closed part of St. Clair Avenue “until further notice” Wednesday because of a sinkhole. The closure impacts the bridges over Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Doan Brook in Cleveland, reports Kaitlin Durbin.

Flu season: COVID-19 precautions delivered a welcome dividend — the second mild flu season in a row in Northeast Ohio, reports Julie Washington. Cuyahoga County has recorded only one death for the 2021-22 season, an 83-year-old male. Compare that to 39 flu-related deaths and more than 2,000 flu-related hospitalizations during the last normal, pre-pandemic flu season in Cuyahoga County.

Silver linings: The COVID-19 pandemic brought our normal lives to a halt two years ago, but in some ways, it made many of our lives better. Julie Washington reports on the silver linings readers found in months of isolation and uncertainty, from music lessons to family reunions.

COVID anniversary: Wednesday marked the second anniversary of the confirmation of the first three COVID-19 cases in Ohio, launching a period of lockdowns, working and schooling from home, temporary and permanent closures of businesses of all kinds, and a death toll that now exceeds 37,000. Zachary Smith runs through the numbers.

Bag company: An Akron company that customizes backpacks and other bags failed to pay required overtime and misclassified employees as independent contractors, reports Sean McDonnell. A federal judge ordered American Made Bags LLC to pay a total of $189,756, which includes both back wages and damages to 48 employees.

Law firm: The Squire Patton Boggs law firm, which was founded in Cleveland and still maintains a large presence downtown, is closing its Moscow office in response to Russia’s assault on Ukraine. Eric Heisig reports the firm said Wednesday that “it has become clear that it is no longer tenable for us to continue our operations in Russia” and that the office’s closure will end its relationship with a number of clients.

Accidental order: A retired Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge said in court filings that he accidentally granted a request from a man imprisoned since 2019 to withdraw his guilty plea to attempted murder charges and reopen his case. Judge Dick Ambrose, who retired from the bench last year, and his former bailiff each signed sworn affidavits that said Ambrose meant to deny Charles Jackson’s request to throw out his guilty plea, Cory Shaffer reports.

Investment fraud: A federal jury convicted a former Westlake financial adviser of stealing $9.3 million from investors, many of whom were elderly and lost their retirement savings, John Caniglia reports. The jury convicted Raymond Erker of 12 counts involving the looting of 54 investors’ accounts. He faces 20 years in prison when U.S. District Judge Dan Polster sentences him July 7.

Frontier: Frontier Airlines is expanding its route map from Cleveland this summer, adding new nonstop flights to Philadelphia and Dallas-Fort Worth, starting in June. Service to both cities will be offered three times weekly, totaling 14 destinations from Cleveland in 2022, Susan Glaser reports.

Irish bars: Cleveland has plenty of real Irish bars where the craic — that’s Gaelic for “awesome fun” — isn’t a one-day, wearing-of-the-green, amateur-night thing. Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez prepared a Top 10 list. Now it’s time to crown one of them the Best Irish Bar in Greater Cleveland.

Pins and arcade: Delayed more than two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pins Mechanical Co. and 16-Bit Bar and Arcade are now nearing their opening date at the end of the month. The space at 1880 W. 25th St. fills more than 20,000 square feet with various games like duckpin bowling, pinball, bocce ball, arcade games, video games and more, reports Anne Nickoloff.

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens to open April 1 with resumption of guided tours Read more

Work begins on upgrading Lakewood’s Jimmie Foxx and George J. Usher fields Read more

North Olmsted Police Department purchasing four squad cars Read more

Fairview Park’s new police station locker room already experiencing HVAC issues Read more

Metroparks begins work on Mastick Road all-purpose path in Fairview Park Read more

Parma Heights gives OK to NEORSD Blossom Avenue sewer project Read more

Parma…