Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, September 21:
- General Motors' Ohio plants go completely green;
- Goodyear acquires German tire inspection tech company;
- Ohio EPA doubles down on Rover Pipeline;
- Cleveland police form task force with FBI to solve more homicides;
- 'Monty Python's' John Cleese comes to Cleveland;
- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo welcomes two gorillas;
- Vietnam Combat Veterans memorial will be on display in Perry;
General Motors' Ohio plants go completely green
General Motors’ four Ohio plants are planning to use only green electricity. The company announced it has signed long-term contracts with two wind farms in Ohio and Illinois that, once completed, will supply power to the plants. The Ohio wind farm will be owned by Starwood Energy Group and located in Paulding and Van Wert counties. GM will pay a fixed price for the first 12 to 15 years of the contract. The deal is part of a larger goal to power all GM plants worldwide with renewable energy by 2050. Once the two wind farms are on-line, one out of five plants will be powered by renewable electricity. The Ohio wind farm will be owned by Starwood Energy Group and located in Paulding and Van Wert counties.
Goodyear acquires German tire inspection tech company
Goodyear has announced it will acquire German tire inspection company Vantech Systems. The Dorsten-based company specializes in an automated system that checks tire pressure, tread depth and vehicle weight, according to a release. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The technology allows fleet owners to collect data on vehicles’ tires each time they enter or leave the depot.
Ohio EPA doubles down on Rover Pipeline
The Ohio EPA has more than doubled proposed fines against pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners. The Dallas-based company, which was also behind the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline, is building a natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to Michigan. The total fines now stand at $2.3 million. The EPA issued the fines after finding numerous water and air pollution violations during construction of the Rover Pipeline. The twin pipelines are being built to carry natural gas from Appalachian shale fields to states in the Midwestern and Southern United States, as well as Canada. Energy Transfer has pushed back against the fines, saying the pipeline has already been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The project is scheduled to be up and running by the end of March 2018.
Cleveland police form task force with FBI to solve more homicides
Cleveland is asking the FBI for help with unsolved homicides. The head of Cleveland’s FBI office says he will make agents and crime analysts available. Police Chief Calvin Williams announced the formation of a homicide review task force that will include FBI agents and deputies from the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office. The city currently has a homicide clearance rate of around 50 percent, according to Mayor Frank Jackson. There have been 85 homicides in Cleveland so far this year. Cleveland has commissioned a study to review homicide unit staffing.
'Monty Python's' John Cleese comes to Cleveland
British actor John Cleese will appear in Cleveland for a Q&A following a screening of the iconic cult film, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” The Q&A will be moderated by ideastream’s Mike McIntyre on the stage of the KeyBank State Theatre at Playhouse Square. Audience members who have always wondered about the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow will have the opportunity to ask Cleese questions.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo welcomes two gorillas
The gorilla population at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has tripled. Two females, 26-year-old Kebi Moyo and 43-year-old Fredrika (a.k.a. “Freddie”), have now joined 30-year-old male Mokolo. They were brought in to replace two gorillas who died in January. A news release from the zoo did not include an official unveiling date, but said the gorillas will be “visible to the public in the coming months.” In the meantime, the zoo plans to host Facebook Live segments using the hashtag #FutureForGorillas with gorilla experts every Thursday at noon starting next week.
Vietnam Combat Veterans memorial will be on display in Perry
A half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. is on display at Perry High School through Sunday. The Vietnam Combat Veterans memorial, known as the Moving Wall, lists 58,315 Americans who died during the war in Vietnam along its 256-foot span. The display opens Thursday at noon and will be open 24 hours a day. Special events, including wreath presentations and a performance by the Perry High School choir, will take place during the memorial’s stay.