More than 200,000 people are still without power after severe thunderstorms on Tuesday spawned tornadoes and downed trees and power lines. FirstEnergy says it could be the middle of next week before everyone has power back.
Extra utility crews are being sent to northeast Ohio to help. FirstEnergy says the damage and power outages are historic. The company says it hasn’t had to deal with storm damage of this magnitude in Ohio since 1993.
The National Weather Service has so far confirmed that four tornadoes have touched down. A wind gust of 86 miles per hour was measured at Burke Lakefront Airport.
We begin Friday’s Reporters’ Round with a discussion of storm damage and power restoration efforts in Northeast Ohio.
We also discuss the rest of the top news of the week.
That includes the approaching Monday deadline the city of Cleveland has given Haslam Sports Group for its incentive package to keep the Browns downtown at their current lakefront stadium. The offer, made public last week by Mayor Justin Bibb, totals $461 million for a renovation of the existing site. The Browns’ owners are also considering building a new covered stadium in Brook Park and released renderings of that site this week.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio has appealed the decision of a Franklin County judge who upheld House Bill 68. The law bans gender reassignment surgery for minors and prohibits transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.
Ohio began selling marijuana for recreational use this week. On Tuesday, 98 dispensaries that had previously received operating licenses to sell marijuana products for medical purposes were allowed to begin selling to recreational customers. Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved a law last November allowing adults to grow and purchase marijuana for personal recreational use.
Guests:
-Marsha Abbeyll, Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Taylor WiznerReporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV
