Feds Back $4.2B Nuclear Upgrade

Energy Secretary Chris Wright came to Lake County’s Perry Nuclear Power Plant Monday to announce up to $4.2 billion in federal loans for Vistra’s nuclear fleet.

The conditional loan covers upgrades at Perry, Davis-Besse in Ottawa County, and Beaver Valley in Pennsylvania, adding 433 megawatts of capacity. Meta already agreed to buy that extra power for its AI operations under 20-year contracts signed in January.

Vistra CEO Jim Burke said the work should add 500 to 600 workers at each site during construction, which is expected to wrap up in 2031.

“By getting more power out of the nuclear plants we already have, we can deliver more affordable, reliable, around-the-clock energy for American families and businesses,” Wright said. The loan isn’t final until Vistra clears federal environmental, legal, technical, and financial reviews.

Columbus Spars over Storm Repairs

Columbus City Council approved $2.5 million Monday to fix storm-damaged recreation facilities, and a council member accused Mayor Andrew Ginther of using one as a “political prop.”

Most of the money goes to the South Side’s Barack Community Center, whose roof and floor were ruined by the Aug. 11 tornado. Ginther’s emergency order in late August got repairs started, and Monday’s vote pays for it.

Councilmember Nancy Day-Achauer said she was “appalled” when Ginther stood outside Barack Community Center Sept. 30 to press council on his capital budget, which includes $5 million more for the center.

Ginther’s office said he freed up repair money within weeks of the storm and again urged council to pass the full budget.

Council President Shannon Hardin, who is running against Ginther in 2027, blamed the city’s budget woes on the mayor’s “fiscal mismanagement.”

Toledo Evictions Hit 6-Year High

Landlords filed 646 evictions in Toledo Municipal Court in September, the most in any month in six years.

The city is on pace for its highest yearly total since at least 2020, and its rate of 11 filings per 100 renter households tops Columbus (10), Cincinnati (9), and Cleveland (7), according to Princeton’s Eviction Lab. Columbus has the most filings, nearly 25,000 over the past year.

Eviction Lab’s Juan Pablo Garnham pointed to affordability and the end of pandemic-era rent aid and eviction moratoriums. Toledo’s Right to Counsel program, which gives low-income tenants free lawyers in eviction court, helped 252 people last year.

“You’re talking hundreds of dollars just for court filings, and in Toledo we’re required to hire an attorney,” said Anna Mills, president of the Toledo Real Estate Investors Association. She said filing quickly keeps tenants from falling too far behind to catch up.

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➤ Statewide: The Ohio Supreme Court ruled 6-1 Tuesday that the Ohio Department of Transportation isn’t liable for a 2017 I-75 death in Toledo, where a teen dropped a sandbag from an overpass stripped of fencing during construction. (More)

➤ Lorain County: A developer asked the 9th District Court of Appeals to force county commissioners to approve Elyria’s annexation of 65 acres of Amherst Township farmland for single-family homes. Commissioners previously rejected it 2-1. (See Details)

➤ Cleveland: Cuyahoga County’s new Glick Recovery Campus served 71 patients in its first week, and law enforcement brought in about 30% of them. The 24/7 crisis center in the Central neighborhood aims to keep people in mental health or addiction crises out of emergency rooms and jails. (See Details)

➤ East Liverpool: Beneath the Rust, a feature film about a sober home in a steel-country town, received a $353,800 state tax credit Tuesday. Director Michael Wilson Reale, whose mother is from East Liverpool, is shooting scenes across the city and expects a release in late 2027 or early 2028. (See Details)

➤ Pickaway County: Harrisburg Police Chief John Murphy arrested Scioto Township Trustee Cory Wasmus at a township meeting, moments before Wasmus planned to propose a data center ban. Murphy alleges Wasmus obstructed a Sept. 19 traffic stop, while Wasmus says he was targeted over politics. (More)

➤ Greene County: Volunteers are needed Monday to tear apart a man-made rock dam in the Little Miami River at the Jacoby Road Canoe Launch. Officials say the hundreds of stacked rocks disrupt the river’s flow and endanger wildlife and people. (See Details)

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➤ “Sudden Sam” McDowell, the left-hander who led the American League in strikeouts four times in five years for Cleveland, died Monday at 84. A six-time All-Star inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2006, he later spent decades counseling athletes through addiction and depression. (More)

➤ Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith was named Co-Offensive Player of the Week by the Big Ten, becoming the first player to win multiple Big Ten weekly honors this season after catching 11 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns in the No. 5 Buckeyes’ 31-14 win at No. 14 Iowa. (More)

➤ Ohioans can apply to volunteer for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which will hold soccer matches at the Crew’s ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus. They’ll be the first official Olympic events ever held in Ohio. (See Details)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NHL | NBA | Soccer

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➤ Could Your Cooking Oil Affect Your Metabolic Health? Not all cooking oils are created equal, especially when supporting healthy blood sugar. If olive oil is already in your pantry, there are three simple rules worth knowing when choosing the right one. Watch this free video to discover the three olive oil rules.

➤ Combined new and used vehicle sales in Mahoning, Trumbull, and Columbiana counties are up 7.4% through September compared with last year. (More)

➤ Two cab-less, driverless electric trucks are now making daily runs between EASE Logistics warehouses in Marysville, using company property and local public roads. A remote operator monitors the Einride trucks and can take over if needed, as part of the state’s DriveOhio freight automation project. (More)

➤ True Food Kitchen, backed by investors including Oprah Winfrey, served its last meals Sunday at its only Ohio restaurant, at Easton Town Center, before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday. (See Details)

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Memory Loss, Low Libido, Weak Bones

Not magnesium, and not calcium. A new study says memory loss and cognitive decline may be the result of a different mineral deficiency, one that can also cause stubborn weight gain, low energy, mood swings, a low libido, bleeding gums, and weaker bones.

An estimated 90% of adults over 60 may now be at risk. Soils have become depleted, and common medications such as blood pressure drugs, along with microplastics, strip it from the body.

There are seven warning signs that you might be running low. (See Warning Signs)

➤ Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has named its Amur leopard cub Nikolai after the public was invited to vote on the name choice. (See Photo)

➤ Greater Dayton RTA rolled out a bus wrapped in a kaleidoscope of colors honoring the musicians who made Dayton the Land of Funk in the 1970s and 1980s. The city’s funk roster includes the Ohio Players, Zapp, and Lakeside. (See Bus)

➤ A man from Oregon, Ohio, won $25,417 when his Pick 5 numbers, 2-0-4-0-8, hit in the Sept. 21 drawing. He told the Ohio Lottery he’s won Pick 5 several times before, though none were “life-changing big,” and this prize will buy motorcycle parts. (More)

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➤ The Wrinkle ‘Eraser’ That Has Women Going Makeup Free. Beverly Hills beauty expert Dr. John Layke is sharing a simple, 60-second beauty trick designed to help you look and feel younger. He created a short instructional video explaining exactly how to try the technique yourself at home. Watch Dr. Layke’s presentation here.

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. 

➤ Stubborn neck pain often lacks a clear cause, but physical therapists say five simple exercises can bring real relief. (See Exercises)

➤ Apple News has been accused of suppressing months of coverage about the DNC’s mounting debt ahead of the midterms. (Hear Details)

➤ Some everyday habits are damaging your hearing in ways audiologists say you won’t notice until it’s permanent. (Listen Now)

Do you like the Amur tiger cub’s name, Nikolai?

1. Yes
2. Maybe
3. No

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you seen any midges this year?

1. No: 50%
2. What are midges?: 26%
3. Yes: 18%
4. Maybe: 6%

Ohio State played its first game at Ohio Stadium against Ohio Wesleyan, but the stadium was officially dedicated during a game against which university?

Show me the answer