Good Morning Cleveland, it's Wednesday, October 29, and here is the latest on your news, weather and traffic.
Today on GMC
Ohio among top states for lottery scam losses
Ohio ranks fourth nationwide for lottery and sweepstakes scams, with victims losing more than $35 million since 2020, according to a study by Vegas Insider. Good Morning Cleveland anchor Mike Brookbank spoke to Dave Grendzynski, a writer for Vegas Insider, about how criminals target lottery players. The biggest red flag is simple: if you never entered a drawing, you didn't win anything.
Ohio Supreme Court to hear challenge today to Columbia Gas rate hike
The Ohio Supreme Court will hear arguments on a proposed increase to Columbia Gas of Ohio’s fixed monthly charges, a move that could affect residential utility bills statewide. The case, which affects hundreds of thousands of Columbia Gas of Ohio customers, is an appeal filed by two consumer organizations: the Environmental Law & Policy Center and the Citizens’ Utility Board of Ohio. The groups are challenging an agreement approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, or PUCO, in January 2023. The settlement allows Columbia Gas to increase its total annual revenue by approximately $68.2 million. A point of contention is the provision that raises the fixed monthly customer charge—the basic fee customers pay regardless of how much gas they use—from $36.15 to $58 by 2027. The two consumer groups are also challenging the elimination of nearly all of Columbia Gas’s non-low-income energy efficiency programs, which previously offered rebates, weatherization assistance, and other tools to help residential customers lower their bills.
Leaf colors are at their peak in Northeast Ohio
The time is now to check out the fall foliage across Northeast Ohio. The red, orange and yellow hues of the leaves are popping this week. Meteorologist Trent Magill will be live at Coe Lake in Berea with more on your fall foliage forecast. He'll look at how this year impacted the fall foliage and what to do after the leaves fall.
Buckle Up Phone Down Day
Today, Ohio will join several other states to mark Buckle Up Phone Down Day. This national effort aims to raise awareness of two of the most common factors in deadly crashes each year. Drivers are challenged to buckle up everyone in their car and put their phones away while driving. According to the Ohio Department of Public Safety and Ohio Traffic Safety Office, a 2024 study showed the state’s seat belt compliance rate was only 85.2%, below the national average of 91.2%. In Ohio, it is illegal to use or hold a cell phone or other electronic device in your hand, on your lap, or in any other part of your body while driving on Ohio roads. If an officer sees a violation, they can pull you over.
How to save for this cold and flu season
It’s that time of year when the leaves change color – and respiratory viruses take hold. When it comes to stocking up on medications, we’re looking at what works, what’s nice to have around, and ways to save on cold and flu meds.
World Stroke Day
In recognition of World Stroke Day, the American Heart Association will join us live in studio this morning to talk about stroke awareness and prevention. They have introduced the F.A.S.T. Experience, which is a mobile-friendly tool that helps users understand stroke symptoms like Face drooping, Arm weakness, and Speech difficulty. Here’s how it works: users take a selfie to see how their face might look during a stroke, and then take short quizzes tied to each symptom. I thought it would be powerful to show a selfie of your anchors and have our executive director ask them a few of the quiz questions—just like they’d experience online.
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Your forecast
Chilly start, but at least we're dry. That trend changes. Clouds return today, rain returns this evening, and we don't totally dry out for days. I'll be tracking rain into the weekend. Rain and chilly temps.
Visit our News 5 weather page to see today's forecast.
Traffic impacts
State Route 162 at State Route 21 is now closed in both directions. It is scheduled to reopen on Friday.
View our News 5 Traffic Map to see any road closures or delays due to the weather or crashes from the weather.
